Cassava Cake

A childhood friend just sent me a message asking for the recipe for Cassava cake we made when we were growing up.  This cake brings a lot of lovely childhood memories.  I remember fixing it with my girlfriends Joy, Gigi and Maita.  We had fun grating the cassava and making all kinds of mistakes in putting this recipe together.  

In the Philippines, we make everything from scratch.  You grate the cassava, squeeze the excess liquid and just use the cassava flesh. This is a very easy recipe (except for the grating part).  It is also gluten free.

This is also my brother's favorite dessert, along with another sweet dessert, Leche Flan.

Ingredients

Cake

4 c grated cassava (squeeze out all the liquid after grating )

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 c sugar

1 c evaporated milk

1 c fresh milk

1 can coconut cream (if using fresh coconut, this is the first extraction or “kakang gata”)

¼ c melted butter

1 cup coconut milk (second extraction), optional – only add if you want a less dense cake.

Topping/Custard

1 can condensed milk

2 tbsp corn starch

1 cup coconut cream

2 eggyolks, beaten

Grated cheese, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.

Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan (some people just line it with aluminum foil).  Pour the mixture and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted (in the middle, or thickest part of the cake) comes out clean.

Prepare the custard topping.

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the condensed milk and set aside.

Combine condensed milk with cornstarch and coconut cream in a saucepan.  Bring to boil in medium low fire, stirring constantly.

Place beaten egg yolks in a small ball.  Slowly add custard mixture (one tablespoon at a time) to temper the eggs and not curdle it.  Add egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan stirring constantly.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the custard after the cake is done baking. You can add grated cheese on top if you desire.  Put it back in the oven and set the oven on “broil”.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until the custard turns slightly brown.

Let the cake cool down before slicing.

Tips

If you are using fresh cassava, make sure that you do not grate the hard stem in the middle.  Grate around it.

Squeeze out the liquid and discard it.  The liquid that is extracted is bitter and we don’t want it to affect the taste of our cake.

When you broil the custard, make sure you watch your oven.  Some ovens are too hot and it can burn your cake.  I leave my oven slightly open every time I set it on broil.

Lentil Soup (Shorbat Adas)

We usually have lentil soup when we fix our Middle Eastern meals. It is a good way to start a meal.  It could actually pass as a meal on it's own. We always make a big batch, we like it that much. And it is always better the next day.

During Lent, our Fridays are meatless. When we run out of ideas on what to fix, lentil soup is our "go to" dish since it is so easy to cook. You wouldn't even think it is meatless!!!!  Sometimes a do a variation and add leafy vegetables like spinach or kale.

Lentils are calories and high in nutrition it  lowers cholesterol,  stabilizes blood sugar, good for weight loss,  increases energy, and is a very good protein source.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow lentils

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)

3-4 cups vegetable stock

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

coriander or parsley to garnish

Directions:

Rinse and soak lentils in water overnight. Drain.

In a pot, heat oil. Add onions and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the lentils,cumin powder, chili flakes and stock. Boil for around half an hour or until the lentils are cooked.

You can adjust the stock amount depending on how thick you want the soup to be.

When cooked, put the soup in a blender and pulse several times until thick.

Season with salt, pepper and lemon.

Garnish with coriander or parsley and serve.

Gluten Free Avocado Basil Pesto

During Lent, Friday is always a meatless day in our household.  I grew up with this tradition and I am carrying it on.

Pesto has always been my favorite.  One day, while watching television, I saw this dish served in a restaurant in in New York ( I forgot to write down which).  As always, I have my handy dandy notebook (according to Steve in the cartoon Blue's Clues) and started writing down the ingredients.  As usual, they don't give you the measurements so I am just winging this one.  What got my attention with this version was the addition of another favorite ingredient of mine, the avocado.  Who would have thought that you can put avocado in pasta?  Also, it is gluten free so it made me very excited.

I always try to use ingredients with health benefits.  I was in a car accident a while back and I am constantly in pain.  It has prevented me to move much I have not have much physical activity.

As I mentioned earlier, Basil is a favorite of mine.  Basil protects the cell structure and chromosomes  from damage by radiation and oxygen.  It is anti-bacterial. It is very advisable to add basil in your salad dressing to kill the bacteria from fresh salad greens and it also enhances it's flavor. It is also anti- inflammatory, a good source of Vitamin A , magnesium, potassium, iron , calcium and Vitamin C.

Avocados on the other hand, is good for human weight control, high nutritional density, source of major antioxidants, stroke prevention, fruit protein source, fiber source; as baby food, and other dietary benefits

Hope you try this one.

Ingredients

1 bunch basil leaves

1/4 c chives

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c toasted pine nuts (or any nuts available, I have not tried it with peanuts though)

1/2 avocado

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

sea salt

vermicelli noodles

Directions

Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the package instructions.

Put the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until you get a "shake" like consistency.

Toss together with the hot noodles. Top with additional Parmesan cheese and toasted nuts.

* http://ezinearticles.com/?Health-Benefits-Of-Basil&id=175090;                                                                                                                      http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=443

Gluten Free Brown Rice Chicken Porridge (Congee)

It has been cold lately here in the Midwest and we have been sick.  Growing up, we were prepared porridge to make us feel better.  Usually, when I get sick, I can't taste much so I don't really feel like eating.  But this porridge dish just hits the spot. The ginger in this dish helps clear sinuses and throat congestion. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.  I also put some turmeric which is not a traditional ingredient in this dish but is good to fight inflammation.

Porridge is usually made with white rice.  I wanted to make it healthier than it already is by using brown rice instead.  For the broth, I used one whole chicken. I did not use the whole chicken, just the chicken broth. If I only use chicken breast, the broth will not have enough flavor.  Then,  I used the chicken broth to cook the rice and the leftover chicken was used for a different dish the next day.  Another deviation from the traditional recipe is using chicken broth the cook the rice.  The authentic way to cook porridge is by boiling the rice separately in water the add the broth.  To elevate the flavor,  I used homemade chicken broth to cook the rice.

Ingredients

For the Homemade Chicken Broth

1 lb chicken breasts (I used 1 whole chicken)

1 medium whole onion

2 stalks celery, cut into 2 inch lengths

enough water to cover chicken (minimum of 5 cups if using just breasts or thighs)

For the Porridge

1 c brown rice (soaked in water for 30 minutes)

4 c chicken broth (more if needed)

1 tbsp ginger, minced

sea salt and pepper to taste

To Garnish

shredded chicken breast

1 tsp turmeric (optional)

roasted sesame oil (optional)

scallions chopped for garnish

fried shallots or fried garlic

Directions

You can make the broth ahead of time.

In a stockpot place your chicken & vegetables. Add enough water to cover the chicken and vegetables. Cook on high until you get a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to Low or Medium Low and let the broth simmer.  I do this so the broth will not be too cloudy. Cook for 30 minutes to give better flavor.  Spoon off the scum from the top and discard.

In the meantime, in a deep bowl, soak the brown rice in 4 cups of water.  This step will lessen the cooking time.

When the broth is done, remove the chicken and vegetable, leaving just the broth in the pot. Drain the rice and add to the broth. Toss in the ginger and turmeric.  Cook until the rice is done.  Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, pour some porridge in a bowl.  Top with shredded chicken, fried shallots (or garlic) and chopped scallions.

Baked Fish with Sour Cream

We are still trying to recover from the holiday eating.  I guess we try to (or purposely) forget our diets from the last few weeks of the year to the first week of the new year. An attempt to eat light was our objective in fixing this dish.

Also due to a vehicle accident a couple of years back, I try to add turmeric to anything I can put it into, thus the yellow couscous as shown in the photo above.  Turmeric is a good anti-inflammation herb.  Even though I don't feel it, I am pretty sure that is lessening my pain.

For this recipe, I used Mahi Mahi fillets.  Mahi Mahi is a good low calorie, low-fat protein source. It is rich in vitamins B-12, B-6, niacin and pantothenic acid which are vital for healthy skin.

The original recipe from Food.com calls for regular sour cream and mayonnaise.  I have replaced them with a light sour cream and mayonnaise and added more lemon juice.  I also added cayenne pepper which is good for the metabolism.

For added flavor and texture, I paired it with couscous cooked with turmeric, almonds and raisins.

Ingredients

2 fish fillets, 1 inch thick (about 8 oz each)

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 c light sour cream ( I love Daisy sour cream)

1/4 c light mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 c green onions, sliced

1/4 tsp sea salt (I use Celtic Sea salt)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 c cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the fish fillets in half to make 4 individual servings. Brush the fish with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Place the fillets in a lightly greased baking pan. Bake between 12 and 15 minutes or until the flesh is flaky.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, 1 tsp lemon, salt and cayenne pepper.

Spoon the mixture over the cooked fillets and top it with grated cheese.  Return to the oven and cook for an additional 3 minutes to melt the cheese and heat the sauce.

Serve immediately with steamed rice, steamed vegetables or in this case, couscous.

Enjoy!!!

***Note : http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-mahi-mahi/