Sautéed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

Just 5 minutes to make this tasty side dish full of buttery, lemony goodness and extra crunch from Almonds! 

I am grateful that my kids love to eat vegetables or at least are willing to try new vegetable dishes which is why I try to look for new recipes so they don't get tired of the same old fare. The other day I got some haricots verts instead of the usual green beans. Haricots verts are also called French green beans - they look like the regular green beans but with thinner edible pods and smaller seeds. Nonetheless, despite seeming smaller than their bigger green bean cousins - they are more intense in flavor and taste. Well, at least according to my taste buds!! :)

Overnight Apple Oatmeal with Praline Topping

Cinnamon flavored oatmeal with apples and a buttery, crunchy praline topping is a delicious fall or winter breakfast or brunch dish!

We are back this month with another 30 Day Recipe Challenge for the fall season and our main ingredient for September is the yummy, juicy Apple! For those of you who are new to our blog, in the 30 Day Recipe Challenge, I join with some amazing food bloggers and we create delicious recipes using a chosen main ingredient. We have a month to come up with the most mouth-watering and tasty recipe that would highlight said main ingredient.

Homemade Cashew Nut Butter

Just 2 ingredients to make your own all-natural, very tasty and super creamy Cashew Butter.  Gluten-free, vegan, low-carb, paleo-friendly and so easy to make! 

Several months ago, Mark, my husband, went to India. When he came back, not only did he bring back my favorite spices, he also surprisingly came with about a kilo (2.2 lbs) of whole cashews!! If you know me and my family, we are such nut lovers and cashews are one of our favorites. You can imagine how happy I was when he handed me a huge bag of cashews! I have already imagined the many dishes I would make with it! :)

Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans

Just 3 ingredients to make this easy, quick and very tasty Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans. Even non-Salmon fans will love this! 

As any parent would know, it is always difficult or at least a challenge to make kids eat vegetables. Now, think about making them eat seafood, particularly fish NOT in nuggets form NOR coated in bread crumbs to disguise what it really is. Yeah, it can be tricky.

Pineapple Praline Bread

Crushed pineapple makes this Pineapple Praline bread super moist and flavorful. No butter or oil is ever used in the batter. The crunchy pecan topping makes it even more scrumptious.

The Philippines is well known for its Pineapple. We have hectares and hectares of plantations of this juicy, sweet-tangy fruit in the southern part of the country. I remember the first time my husband Mark came to our country over a decade ago. He tasted some pineapples and declared that it was the tastiest pineapple slices he's ever had. I didn't really care much for what he said then as pineapples were no big deal in our country, almost something we take for granted as it's quite common and ordinary.

Mango Almond Muffins

Hello everyone! I am back in the US! I had a 2-month long vacation in the Philippines, particularly in Manila, which explains why I haven't posted much on this blog for awhile. I wanted to take some break from blogging and get the chance to truly enjoy my family's company. I had such a lovely time and it felt like time was so short despite being there for several weeks. Indeed, time always flies when you're having fun!

Best Banana Pecan Cake

I love baking with Bananas. The fact that I have many recipes here that use bananas is proof of how much I love this amazing fruit. It just adds so much flavor and moisture to any baked good. I love seeing the brown speckles in a banana bread. I often buy bananas just so I can make banana bread! Yes, I am truly bananas over bananas!

Cranberry Pecan Bread with Apple Cider Glaze

The other day I went to the grocery for some food shopping. I got excited when I saw some fresh cranberries already being sold. You see, I love baking with cranberries! I love the tangy flavor it imparts to baked goodies particularly sweet breads and cakes. I got myself a pack and decided that I should make my favorite Cranberry Orange Bread when I get home or at least pretty soon. However, as it sometimes happen, I forgot to buy some oranges. I was frustrated because I was really craving some nutty cranberry bread at that time. What was I to do?

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Oh Nutella, isn't it one of the most amazing food invention? You can add this to any recipe (dessert, of course) and it just transforms it into something divine. This is why I love to experiment with it and use it whenever I can. And so far, everything I have added it into has become a family favorite, whether in a cheesecake or in cookies and now in brownies.....I wonder what next?

No Bake Chocolate and Caramel Crunch Bars

This is a wow recipe, simply wow! Not only because it's a No Bake super-easy recipe but because it is totally scrumptious. Layers of pecan crumb crust, delicious caramel filling and then melted chocolate on top - how can you ever resist that?

Chocolate Pecan Pie

The ultimate dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas - CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE! This is superbly yummy, easy and looks so pretty, too!

Ok, I wanted 2013 to end with a big bang and I also wanted to welcome 2014 with something big, therefore I have decided to write this delicious recipe as my final post for the year. I love nuts and chocolate, so it is but appropriate to make a dessert that has both - CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE!

I honestly don't know if there's anything else that sounds as yummy as that combination! I leave that judgment to you so without further ado, here's a super-scrumptious dessert that is the fitting end to what has been a truly wonderful year for blogging! Thank you so much dear readers for your continued support and loyalty to our blog. I wouldn't still be blogging if not for your amazing help and encouragement. I hope you enjoyed all the posts of 2013 as much as I enjoyed writing each and everyone of them.

Looking forward to 2014 and beyond!







For the crust:

Ingredients

1/4 cup Pecans
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup brown Sugar
1/2 Salt*
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
6 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, sliced into 6 parts

*Preferably sea salt, if you can find it.

Handy tool: Food processor

Procedure
                   
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until nicely browned.  You can also dry-fry (roast) the pecans on the stove top using a small skillet. Just be careful not to burn it.

Grease or butter a 9-inch pie pan/plate.

In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and the toasted pecans until coarse. Add the butter and pulse until everything is combined.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pie plate, patting the dough along the sides of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the Pie Filling:

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 cup brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Salt*
2 Eggs, room temperature
3/4-1 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract (optional)
2 cups Pecans
5 ounces, dark eating chocolate (60-70 % Cocoa), coarsely chopped

*preferably Sea Salt, if you can find it.

Procedure

In a bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar and salt. Add the eggs, vanilla extract (if using) pecans and the chopped chocolate and quickly stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into the cooled crust. You can opt to re-arrange the pecans in a pattern like I did but if you're in a hurry, this is unnecessary. You can just dump all in the crust.

Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely before slicing. Please enjoy!

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Holiday Fruit and Nut Clusters

It's that time of year when holiday sweet treats and nibbles are in. I wanted to make a sweet treat that my kids and I can enjoy doing together. Since they are still quite young and lose interest quickly, it has to be something easy to make, totally uncomplicated and of course fabulously delicious! After all, they'll be wanting some reward for their labor. This recipe is exactly that. The fact that it's a no-cook recipe is a true bonus.

Almond Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten-free)

I love Carrot Cake!!! Do you? I love it so much that it was actually our wedding cake - yes, inside all that fondant is this moist and scrumptious carrot cake.... I preferred it over the chocolate cake that was suggested by our cake maker. Truth be told I don't remember anymore, what the taste was like during the wedding....I am sure it was good as I loved it when I had a taste test but I was too excited about everything that was going on during the wedding day that I probably just got one bite of it - perhaps even done for the sake of having a wedding photo showing I was eating the cake....or something like that. Nonetheless, my love for the Carrot cake didn't end with my wedding cake. I still often order it when I am in Starbucks or other cafes. I did attempt once to make it but I can't remember now how it fared 'cause this was nearly 10 years ago, just after we were married. Perhaps it was bad that I never made another one.

Well, it's been 10 years since we had gotten married - Nov. 22, 2003 so I thought it was time to make some delicious Carrot Cake. However, since hubby is doing gluten-free, I decided to try a gluten-free version of Carrot Cake, with trepidation as I was totally unsure of how it will turn out. Oh, am I so glad that I made it. To be honest, I think it's even better than the regular white flour version. It is so moist and flavorful and the cake even after a day or two - retains the moisture - and, in fact, improves its flavor as it ages. Wow! I added some spices for extra flavor and they were a perfect complement to the creamy, cheesy frosting! I honestly think this is the best Carrot Cake I've had in years, I surprised even myself. The only comment hubby had (apart from totally enjoying it, too!) was to add some raisins next time. Since this was a first time experiment I thought I'll do it plain and basic first though after the first trial I fully agree that adding raisins would totally put this over the top. Since it's already made of almond flour - I didn't add any more nuts but feel free to do so when you make this - some extra crunch in there certainly can only make it better, right? So, please enjoy this gluten-free Almond Carrot Cake! I sure hope that you will enjoy this as much the whole family did. :-)

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten-free Flour* (like King Arthur's)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups Sugar
1-2 Tablespoons Maple syrup
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 cups grated Carrots
2 cups ground Almonds

For the frosting:

8 oz (1 block) Cream Cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup Confectioner's (Icing) Sugar
2 teaspoons fresh Lemon juice

Handy Tools:  mixing bowls, electric mixer

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter an 8 x 8 square baking pan/dish. Line it with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat the egg yolks, sugar and maple syrup until thick and creamy. You may occasionally have to scrape the sides of the bowl. Stir in the lemon zest.

Transfer the egg mixture to another large bowl. Stir in the grated carrots, ground almonds and gluten-free flour mixture.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. In two batches, fold in the egg whites into the carrot mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan/dish. 

Bake the cake for about 1 hour or until top is golden and springs back when you press it lightly. 

Let the cake stand for about 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

In the meantime, make the frosting. 

For the frosting:

Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in the icing/confectioner's sugar and the lemon juice. Mix just until everything is combined and has reached a smooth consistency.

When the cake has fully cooled, frost it. Generously spread the frosting all over the cake. You may have a few tablespoons left-over. The photo shows quite a thick frosting and I took the liberty of making it that way since the cake is pretty thick and since it's also gluten-free - quite dense. The light and fluffy, creamy frosting provides a great contrast of textures and flavors and so the cake warranted a thicker frosting, at least in our opinion. Feel free to halve the recipe if you prefer a slightly thinner frosting.  

The cake is great to eat on the first day but it gets even better as the days pass so I suggest make this at least a day ahead. Once you have iced the cake, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 4 days, assuming it lasts that long...I seriously doubt it. :-D Please enjoy.

If you wish to print the recipe, there is a print icon below the post. Click on it and then check the box which says "remove images" for easy and convenient printing. Thanks.

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Kiwi and Walnut Upside Down Cake

I have made my own share of Upside Down Cakes (Cranberry and Mango-Raspberry Cakes) and I love each of them. Moist, buttery and sweet-tangy, these cakes truly posses the kind of flavors I look for in a cake. I thought I'd be happy with these two fruit versions already but then I thought I wonder if I could actually make a version using Kiwi fruits. To be honest, I have never eaten a Kiwi cake before so I wasn't sure if this will work at all. I have often used Kiwi for smoothies and just as a snack - raw - but I have never thought of actually baking with it.

Cherry-Almond and Chocolate Oatmeal

It's still Cherry season here in Michigan and that means I have a few recipes coming up on the blog featuring  Cherries. We love Cherries and though Michigan produces roughly 70 of the tart Cherries in the US and has over 3.8 million Cherry trees, it's a shame we haven't ventured on Cherry picking yet.

Sweet-Tart Apple Walnut Salad

In winter, it can be difficult to eat well. The cold weather almost makes you want to reach out to whatever is nearby and that may not be necessarily a healthy snack but since it's sitting on the counter top or looking at you when you open the fridge, it's so easy to grab them and let go! But since the cold weather brings a lot of sickness and bugs and viruses, it's important to keep yourself healthy and assist your body in fighting infections. While there is no cure-all for the common cold you can certainly help your immune system by eating right. And greens are always good for you!

Thankfully, we can still find salad greens around the supermarket and some of them are organic and pre-packed. I actually found this recipe at the back of the package of one of those pre-packed salads. I thought it sounded great so I adapted it. It was wonderful! Now who can say, salads can't be delish? Add some lovely fruits, a little nuts and sprinkle with cheese - voila and you have a salad that's easy to prepare and scrumptious too! Serve it with your favorite dressing though my honey and I love a simple Balsamic Vinaigrette with it (he makes his own version though we always have a bottle handy for days when you don't have time to whip up one!). Have a great lunch!

Ingredients

1 pack or bag (5-6 oz) of Three-lettuce salad blend (baby red leaf, baby green or red romaine or little gem lettuce combos, etc) or make your own combo
2 medium Gala apples, cored and sliced
3/4 cup or 3 oz, chopped Walnuts
1/3 cup craisins or raisins
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (homemade* or store-bought)
1/2-3/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

This is how my husband makes his simple Balsamic Vinaigrette - Mix together 2 Tablespoons each of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. He doesn't sweeten it at all but if you wish add - 1/2-1 Tablespoon (or to taste) of honey or maple or even agave nectar as sweetener. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Procedure

In a large salad bowl combine the lettuces, apples, walnuts and craisins/raisins. Gently toss together to mix well. Sprinkle the Feta cheese on top. Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinagrette and mix gently. Serve immediately.

 

Next time I will try crumbled Bleu Cheese with it and also add some green or red grapes! Oh yum!

 



 

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Fluffy Pancakes with Blueberries and Walnuts

 

I go nuts over nuts! I just love them on everything! They add texture, crunch and a lot more flavor for sure! I have never tried them on pancakes though so one day I thought I'd give it a try. I still had some blueberries so I thought, why not combine them with the pancake batter. The blueberries will add some soft texture and sweetness while the walnuts will provide the crunch and extra flavor! Oh wow, a match made in heaven. The addition of nuts and berries really made these fluffy lovely pancakes so extra special!

 

Enjoy this nutty, fruity and oh so yummy Fluffy Pancakes with Blueberries and Walnuts! Have a great day!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk (less if you want thicker pancakes)
1 egg
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Procedure

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, place the egg in, then pour in the milk and the melted butter. With a whisk, mix until the batter is free from big lumps or until relatively smooth. Fold in the nuts and berries and gently mix them in.

Heat a griddle or frying pan (some pans need to be greased a bit beforehand) over medium high heat. (I use a non-stick griddle so there’s no need to grease it all). When the pan or griddle is hot enough, scoop the batter onto the griddle/pan using a small measuring cup (1/4-1/3 cup size). Cook until bubbly approximately – 1 to 2 minutes.

Flip and brown the other side. Just cook until it's fully set, approximately 1-2 minutes.

Spread some butter on the pancakes and serve with warm maple syrup or your preferred sweetener.

 

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Chicken and Cashew Nuts Stir-fry



Probably one of the earliest dish that I have ever made since I got married is this Chicken and Cashew Nuts Stir-fry. It's been a household staple since then. When we have guests over, I usually prepare an Asian meal and unless, a Nut allergy has been made known to us beforehand, this is usually a part of the meal.

It complements Pansit (Filipino Noodles) - they are like sisters! I always have them together and no one has ever complained so I have never changed the pairing!

The only thing difficult (if you can even justifiably call it "difficult" - it may be a stretch....) is the preparation - the actual cutting up of the ingredients. Thankfully, the ingredients are not that challenging to cut or chop. Ok, it's never fun to peel garlic but just be happy there's no onions to add to your agony.

The actual cooking itself takes about 5-7 minutes, depending on how fast your reflexes are - or if you have properly prepared the ingredients in advance. That is a must!

The result is an amazingly flavorful dish considering that it doesn't cook that long; well, it is a stir-fry after all. Anyway, before you make it and you should - your guests would surely be wowed! - just make sure that all the ingredients are ready, ok? That's it! Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Peanut oil (Vegetable oil is fine, if you can't have Peanut Oil)
4-6 whole garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (or minced, if you prefer)
1 lb skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cut into finger-size strips
1-2 Red Bell Peppers (2 if they're not too big), cut into strips
3 Tablespoons Rice wine or dry Sherry
5 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce (or to taste)*
1/2 cup Roasted Cashew Nuts (you can also dry roast them quickly on the stove-top)
5-6 scallions (Green Onions), cut into 1-inch lengths
A few drops of Sesame oil, to taste

*Use a gluten-free Hoisin sauce if you wish to make this fully gluten-free.

Procedure

Heat up the oil using medium-high heat in a wok or a large frying pan. Saute the garlic quickly. Just let it sizzle for a few seconds but without letting it burn. Add the chicken strips and cook just until they change their color about 2 minutes more or less. Add the bell peppers and continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Pour in the rice wine or dry sherry and the Hoisin sauce. Coat the chicken and peppers with the sauce as you stir-fry and cook until the chicken is tender.

Stir in the cashew nuts, scallions and the sesame oil. Serve immediately. Perfect with rice.

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Chicken, Cashew Nuts and Red Peppers in Sweet Chili Sauce

Usually, I like to plan ahead for what will be the menu for the week. I make a list of all the ingredients that I need and then buy them all in one go. This is to ensure that I don't have to do extra trips to the grocery during the week. But there are those days when things don't go as planned, either I suddenly don't fancy what I have originally thought I wanted to prepare or my family have other suggestions. We like to have a bit of flexibility! :-)

Anyway, I went to Meijer and saw some red peppers on sale. Red peppers are pretty expensive if they are not in season so I never buy them unless they are on sale or as in this case, a bargain! They were bunched in a plastic and were probably not in their best shape anymore hence they were on sale. I saw that they were still good though and if you cook them immediately you won't know the difference between the freshest ones available and the ones they're trying to get rid of.

But now, since I wasn't initially planning on using red peppers till I saw that they were dirt cheap, I had to think of a viand that I can use this with. I only had chicken available but they always pair well with peppers so that's good. But what else can I add to chicken and peppers? I was thinking Asian, something Chinese-inspired, that will go well with rice. 

I was considering using my South African Chutney for that sweet sour taste but I had second thoughts. Then I saw in the corner of my fridge, almost begging me to pick it up, was the sweet chili sauce. Perfect! It has peppers in it already, though the spicy kind of course, but it should complement the red peppers. To put some crunch and texture, I added roasted cashew nuts. Done! There goes dinner.

My husband loved it and that's all that matters! 

So here it is, hope you like it too.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
6-8 Tbsp Sweet Chili sauce (depending on how spicy you want it to be)
A little water to dilute the sauce, if desired
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

 Procedure

Heat oil in a medium skillet. When hot, add the garlic cloves and let sizzle for a minute. Add the onion and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the chicken pieces and sauté just until they change their color, about 2 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the diced red pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes. I like my red pepper crunchy so I don't overcook it.

Pour in the sweet chili sauce (diluted with a little water) and coat the chicken and the peppers. The sweet chili sauce I have is the one used as dipping sauce for spring rolls. 

Once the chicken and the peppers are fully glazed, add in the cashew nuts. Cook for another minute.

Serve immediately with steaming rice on the side. Yum!

Note: I dilute the chili sauce with a little water (1-2 Tbsp) and taste it to get to the spice level that I like or at least what my family can take!

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