Trail Mix

There is no diet that will do what eating healthy does. Skip the diet. Just eat healthy! ~Anonymous

It's been ages since I made a post here, Oh I miss blogging. Well you know, it's been a very busy year for me.. both kids go to school so it means lots of homeworks to do, lots of teaching and playing and cleaning and cooking! Hurrah for all the moms like me! Yey!!! Since I needed enough energy to do all the momsie-tasks, I made healthy snacks to fuel my day. So I'm going to share a full-pack energy boosting treat, it is one of my favorite "pick me up" snack because it is so easy to prepare and you can bring it wherever you go! You only need nuts and dried fruits for this yummy treat. Hmmm, do you have a guess what it is? Yes, it's a trail mix! (clap clap clap)

Some trail mix contains high cholesterol and calorie ingredients, salt and loads of sugar. So for me to control these "not so good things", I make it a point to make my own trail mix. This has no salt or added sugar. You'll only get the natural subtle sweetness from the raisins. Nuts and raisins goes well together. Although raisins are dried, it has this moisture (odd but true) that makes the nuts easy to chew and swallow and its sweetness really complemented the smoky taste of nuts. To make the mix more flavorful, I "dry roast" the nuts. Dry roasting means roasting without adding oil or fat. It gives your trail mix a deeper, bolder, smoky flavor. This is really a perfect treat for you especially when you're busy. Just munch a handful and you'll get enough energy to do your work. 

So here it is, my homemade trail mix!

INGREDIENTS:
Almonds, whole (raw)
Cashew Nuts, halved (raw)
Peanuts (raw)
Raisins

PROCEDURE:
1. Dry roast the nuts (almonds, cashew, and peanuts). You can roast it in the oven at 175C/350F for about 10-15 mins or until it gets the brownish color. Stir or shake the tray so it will be evenly cooked. You can also pan-roast the nuts, just what I did! Just heat the pan or skillet and put all the nuts. Stir or shake the pan occasionally. 
2, Let it cool for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the raisins. Mix.
4. Put it in a sealed container.
5. Grab a handful and enjoy!!!

QUICK NOTES:
1. If you want the nuts to cook evenly, bake it in the oven. I used the skillet to cook it that's why some parts are browned, some are not.
2. You can add chocolate chips to make it more enticing to eat especially for the kids. Use the dark one for a healthier choice.
3. Don't limit yourself on the kinds of nuts and dried fruits. You can use pecans, macadamia, walnuts, dried prunes, peaches, mango, etc. Mix 'n match! You can also add seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds on your mix.
4. Just a reminder, dried fruits are higher in calories than the fresh fruits because they are more concentrated once the water has been removed. So if you're a diabetic or watching your blood sugar, please limit yourself in eating dried fruits.
5. Store it in a sealed canister or container. It will last for a few months if properly stored.

Happy day always,

Rhea

Ginataang Santol with Sardines

Be skeptical, but learn to listen. ~Miguel Angel Ruiz

If you think this dish is weird, better try it first. If you're like me who's so in love with coco cream, give it a try! For those who do not know, santol is a tropical fruit which has a bitter-tangy flesh and has sweet-slightly-sour seeds when ripe. Filipinos want their santol to be dipped in salt, we usually split the fruit in half and suck the seeds to get the sweet pulp and juice of the fruit.

My late bro-in-law used to make santol juice everytime the fruit was in season. At first, I found it strange because the flesh of santol was overly sour and making it as a juice was weird. But when I tasted it, that's all I wanted to drink. The feeling then is the same with this dish, at first I thought it's no-good. Since my mother insisted to make one, I cooked it though I'm a bit skeptical. And I'm glad that I listened to my mom. She's right, this is SO fab good! 

Would you believe that the cost of this dish is less 50 Php? And it can serve up to 4 person! No joke! That's why I'm so hooked on it. The secret ingredient here is the sardines. It just so happened that I forgot to buy the "tinapa" flakes so my mom told me to use sardines instead. Oh my, I just can't believe with the result, it's so delicious. Slightly sour and sweet, thick, creamy, simply yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
9 pcs santol, peeled and flesh chopped
1 cup coconut cream / gata (first extraction)
1 large red or white onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar *optional
1 small can sardines (with chili)
1-2 bird's eye chili (siling labuyo)
1 green chili (siling panigang)
1 Tbsp patis or fish sauce
canola oil or any vegetable oil
salt and pepper

PROCEDURE:
1. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoon(s) of salt on santol. Mix it generously and squeeze out the liquid.

2. Heat a little oil in a pan. Saute the onion and garlic.

3. Add in the chopped santol. Put the water. Let it boil until the water completely evaporates.

4. Add in the sardines, chilies, patis, and sugar (optional).

5. Add in the coconut cream. Season with pepper. Add salt if needed. Cook uncovered for 5 to 8mins.

6. Serve with rice. Share and enjoy!

QUICK NOTES:
1. If you don't like sardines, you may use other meat like pork or ground pork, seafoods like prawns, crabs, or smoked fish (tinapa). Experiment and explore, this dish is very versatile. You may also use spanish sardines.
2. Omit the chilies if you don't want spicy. 
3. If you're wondering why I put sugar, this is to balance the sourness of the santol, but you may also omit it. Taste it first, if you find the dish too sour, you may add sugar.
4. If you want the sauce to be dry and slightly oily (oil from the coconut), cook it for a longer period of time, about 10-12 mins. 


Print this recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
9 pcs santol, peeled and flesh chopped
1 cup coconut cream / gata (first extraction)
1 large red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp sugar *optional
1 small can sardines (with chili)
1-2 bird's eye chili (labuyo)
1 green chili (panigang)
1 Tbsp patis or fish sauce
canola oil or any vegetable oil
salt and pepper

PROCEDURE:
1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt on santol. Mix it generously and squeeze out the liquid.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan. Saute the onion and garlic.
3. Add in the chopped santol. Put the water. Let it boil until the water completely evaporates.
4. Add in the sardines, chilies, patis, and sugar (optional).
5. Add in the coconut cream. Season with pepper. Add salt if needed. Cook uncovered for 5 to 8mins, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve with rice. Share and enjoy!

Yield: 2 to 4 person


Happy day always,

Rhea

Black Forest Cake

I bake. I make a great German chocolate cake. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a great baker, the best... When I bake something, I swear to god, it's gone before it hits the plate. ~Kimore Lee Simmons

Did you know that Black Forest is a german cake? Its name is Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Traditionally, it is composed of chocolate cake, Kirsch, whipped cream, short crust biscuit at the bottom, and tart cherries. Kirsch is a clear fruity brandy made from cherries. Since Kirsch is not commonly found here in the Philippines, I used cherry brandy and rum. But you can also use other liquor like coffee liquor, or the regular brandy.  If you like the cake to be non-alcoholic, use cherry syrup instead.

Try making black forest. This is easy to make, swear! You only need time and patience to make it! Surely, your family will be impressed! Viel Glück!

INGREDIENTS and PROCEDURE:
Chocolate Cake: (I used Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake)
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350°F or 175°C. Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 

Cherry-Ganache Filling:
1 cup cream
2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
1 bottle/can maraschino cherries , chopped(reserved some for garnish, 8-10 pcs)
1/8 cup cherry brandy
1/8 cup dark rum
syrup from maraschino bottle/can (used for brushing the cake layers)

1. Put the cream in a small sauce pan. Bring cream to a boil over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped chocolate and vanilla until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. Add the brandy, rum and the chopped cherries.
4. Put in a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator.
5. Whip it before using.

Whipped Cream Frosting:
1 1/2 cup whipping or heavy cream, chilled
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment for the Frosting:
chilled stainless bowl
electric mixer, chilled beaters

1. Put the chilled heavy or whipping cream in a stainless bowl.
2. Beat for a couple of seconds (low speed) then add gradually the powdered sugar and vanilla (increase the speed) until stiff peaks. 

ASSEMBLE CAKE:
Decoration:
reserved cherries, about 8-10 pcs
dark or semi-sweet chocolate, shaved 

1. In a serving plate, layer one cake and brush it with the reserved cherry syrup.
2. Spread a third of the cherry-ganache filling and top it with whipped cream frosting.
3. Lay another cake and repeat the procedure above.
4. Once all the cakes are stacked, spread the whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake.
5. Put shaved chocolates on the side.
6. Put the remaining whipped cream in a pastry bag with closed-star tip and pipe rosettes on top of the cake. Add chocolate shavings in the middle.

QUICK NOTES:
1. If cherry brandy is not available, you may use rum, brandy, or coffee liquor.
2. You may also use your favorite chocolate cake recipe for this one.
3. Do not over whip the cream. Your cream will separate and turn into butter when over whipped.
4. It is important that your cream, beaters, and bowl are chilled when whipping. The cream whip best when chilled.
5. Since the cake requires your "precious time", you may bake the chocolate cake a day before you assemble it. Wrap it with cling plastic to keep the cake's moisture then refrigerate it.


Happy day always,

Rhea

Passion Fruit Juice

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. ~Mother Teresa

 

We're so blessed to have a neighbor who sells local produce. Every Sunday, they go to the mountains of Tanay and Laguna area to find fresh and organic fruits and vegetables and I'm such a lucky bee to get these "natural treasures". My hubby encouraged me to buy fruits always. Instead of eating junk foods (like his favorite potato chips) or sweets (like my cupcakes and cookies, ahem!), fruits are great alternatives to satisfy our cravings. Also, we want to teach our children to eat "better" foods. I'm not saying that my baked goodies are not good, but I must admit, fresh and natural are always better!

I always buy fruits in season. Why? They taste great, fresh, and have the best quality at a lower cost. My favorite is lanzones (sorry, I don't have photos). Give me 1kg, and I'll eat it in one sitting. And just recently, I discovered my passion for passion fruit. Yeah, this is a tropical fruit but I just tasted it recently and you know what? I fell in love with it right away.

According to wikipedia, there are different varieties of passion fruit, one of this is purplish in color and the other one is yellowish. The one I have is the yellow kind. Ok,  what's the taste? It's tangy but sweet at the same time. This has the sweetest scent ever! Its smell overpowers the sourness of the pulp. It tastes like mango, guava, orange, four seasons Tang powdered juice, LOL! Hmm, confusing eh? But really, it tastes and smells good! 

I tried making juice out of it. They say ripe passion fruit have wrinkled and dimpled skin. In the picture below, both fruits are ripe, but the wrinkled passion fruit has more juice and sweeter than the smooth one.

I'm going to share with you how I make juice out of passion fruit. I used strainer and spoon because our blender is broken.

INGREDIENTS:
5 pcs passion fruits, cut in half 
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (I used light brown sugar)
3/4 cup water
clean (mineral/distilled/purified) water to fill your bottle/container

THINGS YOU NEED:
strainer
spoon or fork
small bowl
container/bottle (500mL)

PROCEDURE:
1. Put the 3/4 cup of water in a small pan, add the sugar. Let it boil until all the sugar melt. Put in a bowl. Let it cool.

2. Scoop out the seeds of passion fruits and put in a strainer with bowl under it. Gently squish it with spoon or fork to release the juice. Also, take out big bits of pulps and put it in the bowl with juice.

3. Put the juice with pulp in a container or bottle. Add the syrup (sugar and water) and fill the container with water. Put in the refrigerator (I put in the freezer) and chill for couple of hours. Serve cold.

QUICK NOTES:
1. If you'll be using a blender, put the seeds/pulp in the blender. Whiz it for 2 seconds then strain. 
2. Use a sharp knife when cutting the fruit. Make a deep indentation with a knife and cut it at the spot where you made a hole.
3. You may combine it with other fruits like dalandan, orange, or mango. Do your own concoction!
3. Add more syrup if you find the juice sour. If you're asking if you can directly add sugar to the water, of course, you can. But I personally like to melt the sugar in boiling water. Because it takes time for the sugar to melt in water especially if it is cold. And sometimes you get fooled by the taste of the juice, it seems bland at first, so you'll be adding more sugar and when the sugar is completely melted, your juice becomes too sweet. 
4. For a healthier version, use honey to sweeten your juice.
5. You can consume it within a week. But it's better to consume it within the day.

Happy day always,

Rhea

Power Drink

I finished reading the Morning healing habit by Bo Sanchez⁽¹⁾ and it motivated me to become more conscious with my health. I’m still in my early 30’s but I feel that I’m already in my 40’s or 50’s. I always feel tired, sleepy, sluggish, and weak. Yeah I know what you think… I am LAZY! Ouch! Yes you’re right, I am lazy sometimes because I know that being “lazy” has health benefits too (I will tell you why in my future post). But seriously, I have my annual checkup but the result is good. But what seems to be my problem? Am I just being lazy? Or there is a problem which I do not know. 

After finishing Bo's e-Report, I convince myself to start living healthy and what is the first thing I need to do? Discover ALKALINE food and its wonders! To start with, I follow Bo's morning healing habit, and to share with you, here is a very simple and inexpensive power juice you can make in less than 10 minutes.

INGREDIENT:

28 pcs. Calamansi (Yes! This is the only ingredient)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash thoroughly the calamansi. Organic is better but if you can't find any, you can use the ordinary kind but wash it very well.
2. Slice the calamansi at the side avoiding the seeds. It takes on a bitter taste if you accidentally cut the seeds.
3. Squeeze the juice out with the seeds. Mix up the seeds with the juice to get the pulp around the seeds. Please do not use strainers.
4. Mix the calamansi juice with its seeds using a fork.
5. Scoop up the seeds using a fork.
6. Drink your freshly made power juice and enjoy the experience.

RULES:
1. Take this every morning on an empty stomach.
2. Take it pure. Don't add anything even water or sugar or else it will become acidic and loses a lot of its healing effect.
3. Take it green. Not the yellow ripe ones.
4. Don't take anything else for an hour. Let the calamansi juices do its work in your body for an hour.

TIPS:
1. Start taking 4 pcs of calamansi on your first day, 8 pcs on your second day, and so on, until you drink the 28 pcs calamansi on the seventh day.
2. Do not buy calamansi for a whole week's consumption or they'll ripen. Remember Rule#3.
3. You can substitute 2-3 lemons if you can't find any calamansi.

Alkaline foods are essential for our health as these wonder foods neutralize the acids and remove the toxins in our body. Did you know that germs, bacteria, and even cancer cells love to thrive in acidic environment? Now that you know, do your part in making your body and immune system strong. Our body is a self healing organism and making your body alkaline gives you the assurance to enjoy life longer and happier. To God be the glory!

Click here for more info

⁽¹⁾Bo Sanchez is an author, entrepreneur, preacher, celebrity and lay evangelist in the Philippines.


Happy day always,

Rhea