Pineapple Spritzer

 Ingredients:

3 cups dole pineapple juice

2 cups club soda/sprite

1 cup fresh orange juice

Mix ingredients in a big pitcher, add ice, and garnish with slices of pineapple and orange.

Orange Cup Cake

Ingredients:

1 duncan hines yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1 orange +/= (1 1/3 water/milk)

1/3 oil

Icing:

1 8oz light cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1small heavy whipping cream

orange food color

Procedure: 

1. Follow cake instruction on the box, squeeze orange on glass measuring cup and add milk to come up to 1 1/3 cup fluid. Empty cake mix to the mixer, add all ingredients, and mix well at least 2 minutes. Bake according to the instruction. Let it cool completely before icing application.

2. Empty cream cheese and add sugar to the mixer. Mix well until well incorporated and silky moist. Add in heavy cream and whisk for at least 5 minutes. Mixture should stick together not runny when it's ready. Drop a little food color to the mixture and beat well. Into a piping bag with flower tip and form big flower starting from the edges to the middle.

Note: I use gel food color, best for pastel colors. 

Healthy Salad

1 apple

1 roma tomato

1 sm. carrot

1/2 pepper

3 tiny radish

few slices of fresh pineapple
kidney beans

cilantro

Dressing:

1 tbsp olive oil

juice of 1/4 fresh lemon

pinch of ground pepper

light salt

Wash, slice and cut veggies and in to a big salad bowl. Prepare dressing by incorporating all dressing ingredients and pour to vegetable slices. Mix well and garnish with cilantro.

Toasted Coconut Cream Tart

Ingredients:

3 cups  toasted desiccated coconut

2 cups sugar cookie

5 tbsp melted unsalted sweet butter

1 cream cheese

1 jello coconut cream pudding mix

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 can coconut milk

1 egg

Blended some strawberries, water, and sugar for this simple syrup. 

Crust:

1. Set oven broiler to low and toast desiccated coconut for 5 minutes, watch closely to avoid burning. Let it cool, combine sugar cookie mix, and melted butter. Mix well.

2. Press mixture. It should stick together, if not add more melted butter. Pour mixture to a 10 inch tart pan and press crumbs smoothly to the edges and in the middle.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake crust for 8 minutes and let it cool.

Coconut Cream Filling:

4. In a pan, combine coconut milk and cream cheese. Stirring continuously until well incorporated, whisk egg, and add slowly  in to the mixture. Turn heat to low, continue stirring mixture for 5 minutes. 

5. Pour mixture to a blender and blend in coconut cream pudding mix for 2 minutes. Scrape sides and continue blending for another minute. Pour blended mixture in to the crust.

6. In to the fridge for an hour.

Topping:

7. Heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to the mixer in high speed for 10 minutes. 

8. Spread topping to tart, sprinkle toasted coconut on top and garnish with berries.

Note: Blender is optional. Filling can be fix straight to the pan. I like to blend my filling for silky and smooth consistency of the mixture. Strawberry slices can go with this good. Enjoy!

Mini Stuffed Tomato

 Ingredients:

1 package Betty Crocker Stuffing Mix

1 package sapori tomato

2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Procedure:

1. Fix stuffing according to instruction. I used 3 leaves of dice napa cabbage and 1/4 onion.

2. Wash tomatoes cut thin off top and save tops. Use melon baller, scoop out inside core and seed of tomato.

3. In a bowl and season with pepper, salt, paprika, and olive oil.

3. Brush olive oil to baking dish and  fill piping bag for the stuffing to stuff tomato, can use spoon. Drizzle remaining olive oil mixture from pan.

4. On the same pan, put tomato tops in and arrange them on top of the stuffing.

Note: This finger food recipe is good for parties and can be serve bake or fresh. If prefer bake, preheat oven 350 and bake for  8 to 10 minutes.

Coconut Candy (Bukayo)

Ingredients:

1 whole fresh grated coconut

1 1/2 brown sugar

3/4 water or milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Procedure:

1. Cut fresh coconut into half and take out from shell. Use cheese grater or food processor to grate coconut meat.

2. In a pan, combine water, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil and silky smooth consistency. Add in coconut stirring continuously. Watch for big slow bubbles, then it's ready.

3. Line a cookie pan with wax paper and scoop the mixture as quickly as you can to avoid dryness. Let it set in room temperature for at least 30 minutes to harden.

Kare Kare (Beef in Peanut sauce)

Ingredients:

1 lb beans

1/2 napa cabbage

1 eggplant

3 lb beef

1 packet peanut sauce mix

1 tbsp chunky peanut butter

2 tbsp paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

4 cups water

salt 

ground pepper

1. Wash and cut veggies and set aside.

2. Season beef with salt, pepper, and oil. Brown in a pan and simmer for an hour until soft. Empty peanut sauce mix in a bowl with paprika, add 1 cup water, stir in soy, peanut butter, and  in to the pot. Adjust seasoning and let it simmer in a low heat until it thickens.

3. Saute veggies until half done, and set aside.

4. Add in half done veggies to the pot and mix well to coat veggies with sauce.

5. Stir gently, cover, and simmer in a low heat for 20 minutes.

Note: Cook veggies separately to avoid over cooking. Paprika will add color to the sauce. It's good with rice and shrimp paste as condiment.

Homemade Energy Bar

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashion oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup dried apricots

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup almonds

1 cup honey

1 cup chunky peanut butter

olive oil 

Procedure:

     

 1. Combine oats, apricots, and cranberries in a big bowl and set aside.

 2. In a pan, combine honey, sugar, and peanut butter. Bring to bubble point and stir until well incorporated.

3. Pour mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Brush olive oil to baking pan and evenly spread mixture.

5. Cut wax paper, set it on top of the mixture, and press until dense. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes and cut into rectangles or squares

Keep in air tight jar and enjoy.

Chicken and Veggie Wheat Pizza in Tomato Pesto

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup wheat flour

2 envelops of fleischmann pizza crust yeast

1 1/3 cup warm water

2/3 cup olive oil

3 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 chicken breast (seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper- bake in medium)

1 red pepper

1 cup large black olives

5 rings of pineapple

10 florets of broccoli

 1. Measure 1 1/3 cup warm water, add yeast, sugar, olive oil leaving 1 tbsp to grease pan and mix until yeast dissolves.

2. Flour into the mixer, pour yeast mixture and mix until incorporated, form a ball, and transfer to greased bowl using some of the olive oil.

3. Form dough to a smooth ball, press evenly in a greased pizza pan or stone, and into the oven for 10 minutes in 400 degrees.

4. Slice veggies, chicken breast, and spread sun dried tomato pesto evenly to crust.

5. Layer veggies, top with mozzarella cheese, and drizzle olive oil on top. In 400 degrees oven. bake for 20 minutes until cheese melted and brown.

Note: Precook pizza crust will avoid overcooking veggies. Substitute ingredients according to what you prefer...I go for healthy and light, :)!

Chicken Ravioli in White Sauce with Shrimp and Veggies

Ingredients:

1 bag fresh chicken ravioli

1 bottle of bertolli white sauce

1 lb medium shrimp

1 red pepper

1 bag of baby spinach

3 cloves of garlic

pinch of ground pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Procedure:

Cut peppers long ways and slice garlic thinly. Olive oil in to the pan and saute garlic in medium heat until translucent in color. Add in peppers, shrimp, and ground pepper, cook until shrimp changes color. Pour white sauce and let it start to simmer. Add ravioli and stir ingredients slowly. Cover pan and simmer approximately 5 minutes. Lastly, add spinach and cover pan to cook spinach, Stir all ingredients to coat with sauce. 

Note: Best with homemade wheat garlic french bread or rolls.

Simple Veggie Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 chayote

1/4 red pepper

1 small carrot

5 florets of brocolli

3 cloves of fresh garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp corn starch

1/2 tsp chicken powder

pinch of ground pepper

2 tbsp water

Procedure:

Peel garlic, thinly slice, and set aside. Cut carrot, red pepper, and chayote diagonally leaving seeds out of the chayote and pepper. Broccoli florets should be cut half long ways evenly. In a bowl, mix water, cornstarch, and chicken powder. Pour oil in to frying pan on a medium heat and drop slices of garlic until done but not brown. Add in all veggies and stir with ground pepper. Continue stirring and pour cornstarch mixture to the veggies and cook for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Water should thicken but not dry. Adjust seasoning according to what you prefer.

Note: Chayote is available at some local veggie market (walmart). Try varieties of veggies as you prefer and add slices of chicken breast or shrimp to add flavor. Hint: Do not over cook your veggies. This recipe is 2 servings.

Brownie Jello Cream Delight

Ingredients:

1 box of duncan hines brownie mix

1 box jello banana pudding mix

1 box jello fruit fusion

4 cups almond milk

2 packets of unflavored gelatin

1 cream cheese

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup whipped cream

1 cup of heavy cream

8 mint tops

2 kiwis

Procedure:

Brush cheesecake pan with butter. Follow brownie preparation instructions on the box and pour half of the brownie mixture in to the cheesecake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let it cool. Put two cups of almond milk, one pack of unflavored gelatin, and jello banana cream pudding mix in to a sauce pan on medium heat. Continue stirring mixture until ingredients dissolves with a silky, smooth consistency. Pour in to the cheesecake pan over brownie and chill in the refrigerator for an hour. 

Jello fruit fusion (top layer): the remaining cups of almond milk, granulated sugar, heavy cream, one packet of unflavored gelatin in to a sauce pan on a medium heat. Stirring continuously until ingredients dissolves and pour over chilled and set banana pudding brownie. Let it set for another hour or over night to make sure it's well set. 

Topping: soft cream cheese, powdered sugar, whipped cream in a cake mixer and whip, scrape sides of the mixer and continue mixing to reach right icing consistency for the cream. Cut kiwi for presentation and decorate with mint tops.

Note: Mixture should be chilled and set before adding another mixture to form a good layer of the cake. 

English Cucumber and Radish Chutney

Ingredients:

half of english cucumber

8 radish

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

ground pepper

pinch of salt

1/4 cup sushi vinegar

chopped fresh mint

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except cucumber and radish. Thinly slice veggies and arrange to a plate. Pour vinegar mixture to veggie, chill, and set for at least an hour for better taste.