Sugar Free Banana Oatmeal Bread

By: Mymy Suajico-Santiago

 

This is my banana Oatmeal bread recipe. I made this as a good recovery food after my runs since its potassium loaded. I also used splenda granulated sugar to suit a family member who has diabetes. Although, if you can find really sweet and ripe bananas like plantains; its best to do away with the artificial sweetener. In place of butter, I have decided to go for margarine which has less cholesterol.

 

Ingredients:

6 pcs.                  very ripe Bananas, pureed

2/3 cup               melted Margarine

1 cup                   granulated Splenda

2                           Eggs, beaten

2 tsp.                   Vanilla Extract

1 tsp.                   Baking Soda

½ cup                  easy cook Oatmeal

Pinch of salt

3 cups                 All-purpose flour

 

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter an 8x8-inch baking pan.

Puree the ripe bananas in a food processor or with a fork until smooth. Pour melted butter into the pureed fruit.

Mix the baking soda and salt. Stir in the Splenda, beaten egg, oatmeal, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for at least an hour or until a toothpick tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Remove the banana bread from the pan. Slice and serve, goes best with your early morning coffee.

 

 

 

 

Pollo Y Frijoles Negros

by : Mymy Suajico-Santiago

 

Ingredients:

1 lb                      Frijoles Negros (Spanish Black Beans) soak overnight

6 cloves              Garlic

8 cups                 Chicken Stock

4 pcs.                  Potatoes (peeled & quartered)

2 pcs.                  Carrots (peeled & sectioned)

4 pcs.                  Chicken Thighs

1 pc.                    Thinly Sliced Spanish Chorizo ( I used Campofrio)

2 stalks               Celery Chopped

                             Extra Virgin Olive Oil

                             Chili Arbol (for Spice, optional)

To Taste             Salt & Pepper

Garnish              Parsley

 

Procedure:

Boil the black beans in chicken stock until soft and cooked. Add the chicken thighs carrots & potatoes, continue to cook. In a separate pan sauté the garlic in extra virgin olive oil until brown, add the chorizo and stir fry, drop in the celery and continue to cook for few minutes. Add the sautéed mix of garlic, chorizo and celery (including the oil) into the pot of beans, chicken & vegetables. Simmer to allow flavors to blend.  Salt & pepper to taste, garnish with parsley and serve hot.

 

Shrimp Hong Kong Style Pan Fry Noodles

By : Mymy Suajico-Santiago

 

Ingredients:

1 pkg.                  Hong Kong Style Noodles
1 dozen              Med. Shrimps (peeled and deveined)
1 can                   Baby Corn (cut to size)
1 bunch              Spinach
2 pcs.                  Carrots (julienne)
12 dozen            Quail Eggs (hard boiled)
1 can                   Water Chestnuts (Cut)
6 pcs                    Shrimp Balls (cooked & cut)
6 cloves              Garlic, minced
4 pcs                    Shitake (soaked overnight)
4 pcs                    Woodear Mushroom (soaked overnight)
1 pc                      Big Bell Pepper (julienne)
1 Stalk                 Green Onion Leaves (Cut-for Garnish)
Peanut or Canola Oil for Frying

Sauce:

1 tsp                    Corn Starch
1 tsp                    Sesame Oil
1 tsp                    Soy Sauce
2 tsp                    Oyster Sauce
½ cup                  Chicken Broth
Salt/pepper to taste

 

Procedure:
Prepare the pan fry noodles by immersing it on water for at least 5 minutes

Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken broth & corn starch. Stir until free of lumps, set aside.

Sautee garlic in canola oil until brown, drop the shrimp followed by all of the vegetables & mushrooms; stir fry until cooked. Remove from heat, toss in cooked shrimp balls & quail eggs & drizzle in the sesame oil. (Sesame oil is stronger in flavor when added last)
Add in the sauce mixture & simmer on low heat.
Drain the water from the noodles. Pour cooking oil on the wok and drop the noodles, press lightly to evenly pack on the wok. Fry until crisp and turn over & spread evenly to fry on the other side.
Top the crispy noodles with the shrimp & vegetable sauce mix, sprinkle with spring onions & serve!

 

Spiced Apple Cider Sangria

Recipe by: Mymy Suajico-Santiago

 

Ingredients:

2            cups apple cider

2           cinnamon ground
¼            ground allspice
1            bottle Spanish red wine (or any red would do)
1/2       cup orange juice
1/2       cup brandy
Orange Slices for Garnish (Optional)

 

 

Procedure:

Simmer apple cider, ground cinnamon & all spice in a saucepan until flavors infuse, set aside to cool.

Combine orange juice & brandy, set aside
Fill the carafe or pitcher with crushed ice, pour in the orange & brandy mix, pour in the spiced apple cider over, lastly drizzle the red wine to allow bleeding over the liquids for visual, garnish with orange slices. Stir to mix.

Cheers!

 

Sugar & Butter Free Cashew Pecan Fruitcake

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

I always believed that loving fruitcake is an acquired taste. I love fruitcake and could have it all year round, as it meant to be.

Fruitcakes are most popular as holidays & weddings delicacy, slice by slice they are consumed to the next anniversary. Wrapped in a cloth and foil & saturated with alcohol regularly, it could go for months and even years without refrigeration. It is even kept as an heirloom for some families in Europe.
It was made in some form all the way back to ancient Rome but it wasn’t until the middle ages that it became known as ‘Fruit Cake.’
This is a diabetic friendly recipe, made intentionally without sugar additives (save for the sugar content of the dried fruits) & without butter…guilt free on big slices!

Ingredients:

1 cup               Chopped Dried Pineapple
1 cup               Raisins.
1 cup               Dried Cranberries
1 cup               Dried Cherries
¾ cup              Dark Rum (Bacardi Select)
¾ cup              Patron Orange Liquor
2 tbsp.             Finely Chopped Clementine Peel
3 cups             Unbleached, all-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon     All-spice
1 teaspoon     nutmeg
1 teaspoon     vanilla
1 teaspoon     salt
1 teaspoon     baking soda
1 cup               toasted Cashew
1 cup               toasted Pecans
1 cup               Granulated Sugar substitute
½ cup              Dark sugar free Syrup
4                      large Eggs
1 cup               Canola Oil

 Garnish:

Fresh Blueberries & Clementine slices soaked in rum overnight
Dried fruit mix

 Procedure:

Preheat oven on 350 F
Incorporate Clementine Peel in the orange liquor, set aside
In a mixing bowl combine the following:
Flour, Allspice, Nutmeg, Salt, Baking Soda, Granulated  Sugar
Add in: Rum, Orange Liquor with Peel, vanilla, Dark Sugar-free Syrup, Eggs & Canola Oil
Blend in low setting until homogenous, up to medium until mixture is light.
Fold in the nuts & fruits uniformly well
Scrape the mixture off to the prepared pan.
Decorate the top surface with the fresh garnish (this will dry in the baking  process)

Bake for an hour & 30 min. or until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
In case the cake is too dry, cover with aluminum foil over while baking
Cool the cake for 20 minutes

Drizzle dark syrup to thinly coat
Cover plastic wrap and age
Serve & Enjoy after 1 week at room temperature or loooonger….

 

Spicy Sesame Shrimp Ramen with Enoki Mushrooms & Quail Eggs

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

Though most popularly known as Japanese, Ramen is actually Chinese in origin. After World War II, cheap flour imported from the U.S. swept the Japanese market. Consequently, multitudes of Japanese troops had returned from China and continental East Asia from their posts in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Many of these returnees had become familiar with Chinese cuisine and subsequently set up Chinese restaurants across Japan.

In 1958, the Instant Ramen was invented by Momofuku Ando. The idea came about his yearning to answer the post war hunger issue plaguing Japan. He eventually founded Nissin Foods- named the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century in a Japanese poll. Instant ramen allowed anyone to make this dish simply by adding boiling water.

When I moved to US from the Philippines back 2010, I was taken aback with the numerous terrible clichés about instant ramen & college students. This is therefore to (if seriously) vindicate the essence of Ramen from being a mere college student’s stuffing to a healthy, tasty & economical meal envisioned to end world hunger – just how Momofuku intended it to be.

This is my “Non-Instant” Ramen recipe, a ‘Shoyu’ (Soy Sauce) preparation using fresh egg noodles and shrimp.

Ingredients:

1 troop               Enoki Mushroom
1 tray                 Quail Eggs (peeled)
2 dozens             Shrimp (shelled & cleaned)
1 tsp                   Minced Ginger
To taste              Jalapeno Peppers (for heat)
2 Tbsp.               Dark Sesame Oil
10 oz.                 Fresh Egg Noodles
½ cup                 Anchovy Sauce (Fish Sauce will do)
6 cups                Shrimp Juice (extracted from shrimp heads)-or shrimp bouillon for convenience

Garnish:
                                     Shredded Nori (Seaweed)

                          Chives

                                     Toasted Garlic
                          Mustard Greens, Kale or Collared Greens

Procedure:

Cut off the heads of the shrimp and simmer them in 6 cups of water until cooked and essence is extracted ( Shrimp juice broth )

Strain liquid, discard shrimp heads. Cook the broth to rolling boil

Add in ginger, shrimp, quail eggs, noodles & mushrooms
Savor to taste with Anchovy sauce and pour in dark sesame oil

In a serving Bowl, arrange the greens, pour in the hot ramen and its contents

Drop in jalapenos for spice top with chives, toasted garlic and garnish with nori
Enjoy & slurp your big hot bowl of comfort!

 

 

 

 

Spicy Kani Salad

Mymy Suajico – Santiago 蔡马安

 

Though the word ‘Kani’ means crab in Japanese, in a strict sense this salad never uses crab at all but rather ‘surimi’ or imitation crab. Surimi is a blend of fish, starch, sugar, and spices. This is formed into long rectangular shapes with red sides, known as kanikama. Resulting to a flaky, slightly sweet product that somewhat resembles crab in texture, appearance, and flavor.

 

Kani Salad is usually served chilled which makes it such a refreshing delight especially during summer. The cucumber component gives it a very refreshing note that cleanses the palate.

 

Easy to prepare but never fails to impress the tongue.

 

INGREDIENTS:

4 sticks               surimi (1/2 lb. imitation crab)-julienne
4 pcs.                       Kirby (Cucumber)-julienne thinly                      
2 stalks               spring onions-julienne thinly

 

DRESSING:
¼ cup                 mayonnaise
2 tbsp.                lime juice (lemon will do)
½ tsp.                 sugar
2 tsp.                 sriracha (Korean hot sauce)
1 tsp.                 freshly grated ginger
                               Salt to taste

 

GARNISH:
Herring Roe (any fish roe)

Shredded Nori

Black sesame seed

 

Procedure:

Simple as mixing all the dry ingredients, whip the dressing and top the salad, garnish and enjoy! How easy is that!