Quick and Healthy Yam Dessert

Craving for sweets? These cute yam bears are perfect for a healthy snack, light dessert or lunch boxes~

Ingredients (yield about 5 bite-size bears):

1 Medium purple yam (or sweet potato)

1 tbsp Butter (or soft margarine spread)

1 tsp Honey (optional)

How-to:

1.      Clean and skin your yam or sweet potato, cut into equal size pieces, steam for about 15-20min till thoroughly cooked (when you can poke through the largest chunk easily).

2.      While hot, add 1 tbsp of butter or soft margarine spread, mash all the pieces till they become a creamy paste consistency. You can add some honey at this point if you prefer sweeter bears. Honey will make the paste stickier so they hold shape better.

3.      Fun Part. Shape the paste with any moulding tool you have. I made them into bears, but they can might as well be bunnies or hearts or anything you want them to be J

4.      There you have it! Cute desserts that might be too cute to eat~

Puffy Pancake

Ingredients (Yield 4 med pancakes):

1 cup  Flour, Whole Wheat or All-Purpose
11/2 tsp Baking Powder (use slightly less if use all-purpose flour)
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 egg
1/2 cup Milk
2 tbsp Butter or Soft Margarine

How-To:

• Shift together dry ingredients
• Whisk in egg and milk mixture (mix till all chunks disappear, do no over mix)
• Melt 1 tbsp of butter and swirl to coat the pan evenly
• Portion about 1/4 of the batter at a time
• Cook each side on med-low heat (my stove setting at "3-4") for about 4 min till each side turns golden-brown

*CREAMLESS" Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Step 1: Prep your ingredients

• Remove leaves and stems of  one head of cauliflower. Cut into equal size pieces.
• Dice onions and garlic cloves
• Slice mushrooms

Step 2: Sauté Vegetables

• Melt soft margarine and add onion and garlic
• Sauté till aromatic on med-low heat
• Add cauliflowers and stir till all the ingredients are coated with the soft margarine            

Step 3: Simmer

• Add in broth (vegetable broth works, too) and bring to a boil  
• Simmer on low-heat for about 20 min
• When make sure the cauliflower is softly cooked, season with salt and pepper, toss in mushroom slices and cover the lid for about 10 min till the soup has cooled and mushroom slices are cooked

Step 4: Blend  purée till  smooth          

                     

Mysterious Green Smoothie

Ingredients (Yield: 1 serving):

1/2 Banana
1/3 Cup of Cucumber (about same size chuck as the banana)
1/4 Apple
1    Cup Spinach
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Yogurt

How-To:

Turn on the blender and blend, blend, blend~

I'm always scared to try any green-colored smoothie, but this recipe I pull together taste delicious! Diversify the flavor by substitute the orange juice with any fruit juice. You can also use yogurt of any flavor. In this recipe, I used fermented almond curd (a yogurt substitute . The vitamin C from fruit juice and spinach combined is a good source of iron. Love it, especially refreshing after gym :)

Steamed Custard Puddings

Steamed Custard Puddings:

• 2 eggs at room temp.
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup sugar

How-to:

• Turn on the steamer
• dissolve sugar in milk and water mixture
• beat the eggs and add liquid mixture
• divide the mixture into 4 small cups (approx. the size of muffin tins, do no over-fill)
• once start to see steam, reduce to medium heat ("4" on my stove setting) and steam for about 8-10 min

Ta-da! you have these cute pale-yellow colored pudding that doesn't taste too sweet, but satisfy your craving for desserts. The light, fluffy texture is so addictive~ Top with anything you like to decorate them <3



Woof...can I have some, too?





Recipe adapted from: http://lilyanette.blogspot.ca/2009/03/sweet-egg-custard.html

Seafood Crispy Bites

Seafood Crispy Bites:

• puffy pastry sheet
• seafood mix
• tomato
• fresh basil, chopped
• garlic paste

How-To:

• Add olive oil to the pan 
• Sauté seafood till translucent
• Add diced tomato, chopped basil and garlic all at once
• Sauté till seafood is cooked
• wrap the cooked seafood in 2'' by 2'' puffy pastry squares
• bake at 350F for around 15 min

These are perfect for appetizers, side dish or served as a quick treat! The pastry is fluffy but the seafood is juicy. Enjoy :)

Stuffed Tofu Pockets-Vegetarian Variation #1

• Slice open tofu pockets, remove the inside and reserve for later

• finely chop carrots and celery

• Add soft-boiled taro chunks with the inside of the tofu

• Add Olive oil mayonnaise and mix well

• Stuff it all in~

• Completes the nutritious lunch with vegetables and rice
• Sprinkle sesame seeds for decoration :)