Join Me for Merienda: End of the Year post: V,GF- Organic Kidney Bean and Beet Hummus

Well....

Yes, I need to catch up on these posts, again!

So, before 2015 is gone in my part of the world, here is a post that I promised someone that I'd write about, a few months ago. I first made this after my brother told me about a beet hummus that he had purchased at Trader Joe's and really enjoyed. I personally hadn't tried the beet hummus, but I like beets and I like hummus; so it would probably be a winner. 

After the first batch of this beet hummus that I made; I knew that it would be joining the ranks of the other hummus varieties that I make =)

I know that the deep magenta color may confuse some people (or even scare some of them), but encourage them to give it a try. Even the people who don't normally like beets may enjoy this one.

This is a super nutritious and delicious hummus and I hope that you will give it a try some day.

V, GF- Organic Kidney Bean and Beet Hummus

Ingredients:

1 Can of drained Organic Kidney Beans
About a 1/2C of steamed and peeled Beets

1 Clove of Garlic minced

1/4C Canola or any other neutral oil
1tsp of Tahini

Juice of half a Lemon

Himilayan Pink Sea salt to taste

A grind of fresh Black Pepper

On this batch, I topped it with some shelled hemp seeds and sesame seeds. Yummy!

Method:

Simply combine everything into your blending apparatus of choice (blender, nutribullet (just watch those 'max fill,' lines) food processor and blend until homogenized. It should take less than 2 minutes depending on your appliance.

You can serve it straight away or store it in an airtight container in the fridge. I would eat it within 3-5 days, but honestly it doesn't last that long in my household. Eat it with fresh cut veggies, on pita bread and crackers etc.

I wish you all a very happy new year and I hope that it will be filled with good health, wellness, love and happiness for you all. I certainly always hope for a more peaceful world and for everybody to be compassionate to one another as well as themselves.

Love,

Jessica  <3<3<3

Join Me for Merienda: Malagkit na may Malunggay at Manga/ Sweet Rice Porridge infused with Malunggay (Moringa) and fresh Mango

Hello again!

I really need to stop feeling like I have to apologize for my irregular posting, but I don't think there's anything wrong with living life outside of the computer and electronic devices ;)

Anyway, here is one to tide you over for the time being. I created this dessert on a whim while preparing some other food for a family gathering that was directly after  my cousin Eileen's wedding! I made it in the wee hours of the morning when I got back from the wedding (I went ahead and made a batch of Jesscafé style Mujadara and made sure to soak the malagkit ( you should soak it overnight or at least 5 hours before using for best results). A few hours later before we had to head out, I mixed everything together and history was made ;p

I love malagkit (sweet rice), it's one of the simplest pleasures when it's freshly cooked, the texture, bite and aroma are just heavenly. It's one of those culinary chameleons that can transform into sweet or savory. In whatever shape or form, it is a gift.

I decided on this combination on a whim (like most recipes), but perhaps it was also inspired by the need to recharge from all the dancing that we did the previous night at my cousin Eileen's wedding. We burned that dancefloor down to ashes!

I'm always looking for ways to incorporate even more nutrition into my already awesome dishes and by adding in some malunggay the nutrition statistics go up exponentially. Malunggay or Moringa Oleifera is an awesome plant that grows prolifically in the Philippines as well as in many parts of Asia. One of the last times that I was visiting the Philippines, while on the way back from an open air market, my Auntie Wilma pointed out a Malunggay tree to my brother and went to get some from the branches, but ending up taking down the whole branch down by accident. She told my brother to just keep moving along, as if nothing had happened. Hehehehe.

Jesscafé Presents:

V,GF- Sweet Rice Porridge infused with 

                  Malunggay with Mango

                        A recipe dedicated to Eileen and her new husband Nick:

May your partnership together be as wonderful as the wedding and continue to strengthen and                                                prosper for many more happy years!

Here it is when I plated it at home. It is truly satisfying without being overly sweet.

Ingredients:

2 C Malagkit/Sweet Rice (Soaked for at least 5 hours and cooked*)

1/3-1/2 C Organic Coconut Sugar

1 1/2 Tb Malunggay Powder

Dash of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Optional- Splash of pure vanilla

For topping:

Slices of Ripe Mango

Toasted Organic Sesame Seeds

Optional -Toasted Organic Coconut

*Cook the soaked rice with 2 Tablespoons of Organic Coconut Oil and 3 cups of water using a rice cooker and select the 'Brown Rice,' setting. Check after 1 cycle and if still uncooked; select the 'Brown Rice,' setting once again. Mix the rice around and let it sit on the 'Warm,' function for another 10 minutes

Directions:

Mix in the organic coconut sugar, malunggay powder, himalayan pink sea salt, (optional vanilla if desired) into the cooked sweet rice. Mix thoroughly and taste and adjust sugar level; if desired. Remember that you are going to be pairing this with sweet, ripe and juicy mango slices; so you don't want it to be overly sweet, just sweet enough. 

Here it is as plated at the gathering. Not a very professional looking shot of it, but it did not affect its taste at all ;p

You can serve it immediately or serve it cold; it depends on your preference. 

I served it in bowls and then topped each one with a few slices of sweet, ripe mango and then sprinkled on some toasted organic sesame seeds. You may want to go ahead and top it with some toasted organic coconut as well, but I was pressed for time and sesame seeds never let me down =)

I knew that I would like this dessert because it has more than a few of my favorite ingredients in it, but to my delight, the other family and guests at the gathering enjoyed it as well. In particular, the new bride Eileen; so I told her that I would dedicate it to her and her new husband; so here we are now =)

You can change up this recipe slightly by modifying the ingredients; such as cacao powder with or without the malunggay (I personally would always keep the malunggay) and then top it with toasted black sesame or serve it with cooked split mungo beans. I want you to have fun with this recipe because it's super simple (granted the rice preparation time needs to be given its due diligence, but other than that it's a fast and easy recipe.

Well, I hope that you will give this recipe a try and share it with your friends and family. All of my food is made with and out of love =) 

Wishing you all good health and happy cooking!

Love,

Jessica

Join me for Merienda: V,GF- Simple Smoothie of Deliciousness: Chocolate, Banana and Blueberry with some added benefits =)

Well, it's almost the end of February and I wanted to make sure to post this month, instead of letting it slip by once again. It's still bitterly cold out and I've been making a lot of stews and soups, but I felt like going contrary to this trend and post a recipe for a smoothie today. 

Honestly, smoothie recipes are simple. You just put all of the ingredients into a blender and let it run, until well blended. So, I'm sure that you've got a few standards in your pocket already, but if you feel like giving this one a go; then by all means, have at it! 

One of the simplest versions of this smoothie involves 5 ingredients:

Frozen Organic Bananas

Tumaco Cocoa Powder

Coconut Milk/Almond Milk or any Vegan milk of your choice

Organic Flax Meal

Organic Agave Nectar or a few Organic Dates (to sweeten)

This photo just looks weird, but here are some of the ingredients waiting in the Nutribullet container to go swimming with Coconut Milk.

However this version includes frozen blueberries because it's winter and we need a bit more boost of those antioxdiants and anthocyanins to bolster our immune system. You could also add in a bit of ginger into this and that would really add some punch to it.

So here is the 'official,' recipe for this version:

V, GF- Chocolate, Banana and Blueberry Smoothie

1 Frozen Organic Banana

A Handful of Frozen Blueberries

*3 Heaping Teaspoons of Tumaco Cocoa Powder (any good quality Cocoa powder will do)

1 Cup of Coconut Milk or any Vegan Milk of your choice (water will do, but it won't be the same!)

1 Tablespoon of Organic Flax meal

1 Tablespoon of Organic Agave Nectar or 2-3 Organic Dates

*You can substitute Carob powder, but you may want to add less than 3 heaping teaspoons, as Carob tends to have a sweeter taste.

I use a Nutribullet; so I just make sure that the liquid doesn't surpass the 'Max,' line. Make sure that your lid is on tightly before you blend; or else you'll have a mess to clean up ;p

I pulse it a few times before letting it run continuously for about 20-30 seconds. 

It's a very satisfying smoothie in my opinion; so it's a nice treat to both your tastebuds and your body, as it supplies healthy nutrients, good fiber amongst many other benefits.

You can even take this smoothie and freeze it into popsicles, for a frostier treat.

All blended up and ready to be savored.

I think that I may still post a recipe for a Ginger Tea, that I make, but we'll see. It's getting down to -8F over here; so it depends on how thawed out, I'll be tomorrow.

Thanks to my brother for this awesome magnet. It's what we do!

Mabuhay!  To your Health!  Cheers!

Love,

Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: Jessified Hasselback Style Potatoes

Hello again blogosphere and hungry people out there who have been patiently waiting for this post.

The first thing I should tell you is that my version was inspired by a segment of America's Test Kitchen; which is a neat show with good information (even though the host is sometimes a bit annoying ;p). I would have linked directly to the site, but it is a paid membership site; so it doesn't allow you to access any information without that aforementioned paid membership. Anyway, kudos to the ATK team for the inspiration and tips.

Potatoes: There are so many varieties out there, yet the most popular preparation of them in the U.S. is cut up and fried. I'm not saying that fries are bad because I think that most of us have a hankering for them every now and then, but there are so many ways to prepare all manner of potatoes; so why don't we try something different for once?

Hasselback potatoes originated in Hasselbacken, Sweden (hence the name). I'm not going to give a culinary history lesson right now, but basically it boils down to some chefs who were bored at this restaurant and wanted to come up with a new way to prepare potatoes et voila, the rest is history.

What exactly makes these Hasselback style potatoes, so appealing? Well, the manner in which they are prepared makes them both crispy and tender. The outer is crisp and crunchy  while the interior remains moist and tender. They are also basted in olive oil and dusted with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and that alone makes them quite attractive to my taste buds. The original recipe calls for the potatoes to be covered in a topping of buttered crumbs, cheese and herbs, but I prefer to keep them plain; so that I can top, them as I like and to order of my guests. 

The original batch

Jessified Hasselback Style Potatoes- V, GF

Ingredients:

6-10 Organic Russet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Kitchen equipment needed:

Roasting pan

Cutting Board

Chef's Knife

Tongs

1 pair of plain Bamboo chopsticks

1 Large mixing bowl

1 Microwaveable plate

Brush for basting

Method:

Preheat oven to 380F

Scrub and wash the potatoes very well and dry them off. Figuring out which side of the potato is the flattest, cut off 1/4 inch from the bottom of the potato. Proceed to cut off 1/4 inch of both ends of the potato.( I don't throw away the removed portions. I put them a bowl of cold water and save them for another recipe. Center the potato between a pair of chopsticks (serving as a guard to prevent you from slicing all the way through the potato) and slice about 1/4 inch equidistantly, end to end. 

This potato has a flat bottom, but wasn't insulted by this observation.

This potato looks like it's either on stilts or crutches.

This looks like some kind of magic trick.

You will have to 'sacrifice' a pair of chopsticks for this preparation;  so don't use your fancy lacquered  pair!

As you finish slicing each potato, place it into a large bowl with cold water in it. Once you've prepared the potatoes, you should make sure to individually swish each potato around in the water, making sure to wash out any excess starch, especially between the cut slices. If you skip this step; the excess starch will act as a glue and the slices will not splay properly or at all, when you bake them.

Cut potato going for a bath.

 Pat the potatoes dry slightly and place them on a microwaveable plate and cook them for about 12 minutes. Let the potatoes cool a few minutes before placing them on the roasting pan (I use tongs to move them from the plate to the pan). Brush olive oil on each potato, making sure to get between the slices. Season the potatoes with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. 

In the microwave getting par-cooked.

After the ride in the microwave.

These potatoes are all oiled up and have somewhere hot to go.

The potatoes should look nicely splayed and golden. At this point, you could potentially top it with the traditional topping and then put them back under the broiler for a few minutes until the Vegan cheese melts and gets slightly bubbly, but as I mentioned earlier; I like to have options =)

I dressed one of the original batch with some Daiya brand Vegan Cheddar and my homemade Parsley and Almond Pesto. Delicious =)

2nd batch with a few slices waving hello.

Mmmmm....

Look at those gorgeous golden bottoms. The potatoes are suing me for harassment.

I also tried a batch with regular standard sweet potatoes and they came out okay, but I think that I want to try some other varieties of sweet potato; to find the the best one for the Hasselback preparation =)

The sweet potato batch experiment.

Sweet potato looking sweet, but I'm still look for the 'one.'

If you have any leftovers (which is highly unlikely; if you've got guests with you); they do keep well for a few days, but the best time to eat them is when they're fresh out of the oven. If you do have to reheat them; I would recommend reviving them in the oven, but I have also tried reheating them in the microwave and they do come out decently, but the oven would be the better choice =)

This is a very simple recipe albeit a bit labor intensive in preparation, but it's a labor of love if you appreciate a beautiful and delicious end result ;)


Wishing you all good health and happy cooking!


Love,
Jessica