Rich in fiber dates muffin

It's so easy to make + heathy + yummy!

First measure all wet ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil   2/3 cup

Organic egg  2pcs

Organic molasses syrup  3/4 cup

Organic vanilla extract 1 table spoon 

Total of 1 & 1/3 cup of evap milk, or milk, or sour cream or yogurt or  any combination of those.

( I used 200ml of sour cream + full cream milk this time)

Optional : ripe banana 2 or 3 pcs

( I just happened to have ripe banana that I wanted to use, so I added it.)

You can blend wet ingredients by hand or by machine until well blended.

Measure dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients:

Organic wheat bran 1 cup

Organic wheat germ 1 cup

Organic unbleached flour 1 & 1/2 cup

*Kinako or roasted soy powder 1/2 cup

Organic natural sugar 1/2 cup

Organic Baking soda 1 & 1/2 tea spoon

Sea Salt 1 tea spoon

Organic Cinnamon 1 tea spoon 

* kinako or roasted soy powder is available at Korean grocery. They use it to make sweet drink. Kinako is the Japanese name and you can find it in Japanese grocery too. If you can't find it, just substitute it to regular all purpose flour.

Chop dried fruits and mix lightly just enough to combine.

Dried dates 1 cup to 1 & 1/2 cup

Dried cranberry 1/2 cup

( or dried fig, dried cherry or anything you like)

Fill batter in paper lined muffin cups 90% full.

Set the temperature between 350 to 400 ℉ or 180 to 200 ℃.

I use gas oven without auto setting, but when it comes to muffin, you don't need to be so particular about temperature.

For small muffin cup, it takes 8 to 10 minutes.

For medium size muffin cup, around 15 to 17 minutes.

For big muffin cups, around 30 minute.

Be ready with BBQ stick, so you can just insert it in muffin to check if it comes off clean. If you want it moist, get it out a little earlier and allow the remaining hotness to bake some more ( but outside the oven).

Homemade Granola with apple jam

       My husband loves granola, and I used to buy Bob's red mill naturally made granola.  But I don't really want to buy a lot and stock it at home because it's humid here in the Philippines, and food gets older than it is in cold country. 

    So one day,  I run out of granola, but no time to go to a mall to buy it anymore, so that I tried making it myself.

    It turned out quite good,  and you should try making yourself if you want a crunchy kind of cereal.

So here's what you need:

<measure dry ingredients>

3.5 cups (or around 400g)  organic rolled oats (old fashioned)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut powder
1/4 cup organic sesame seeds
handful of pumpkin seeds / sun flower seeds / sliced almond etc 
(may be around 1/2 cup in total: preferably organic)

*most of organic products are from Bob's red mill.

<measure other ingredients and combine>

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup organic moscovado sugar ( it's also called "Barbados sugar" or "molasses sugar" )

1/4 cup 100% orange juice (or apple orange juice, etc)

(any brand can do. No need to squeeze from real orange, but you can also do that)

1/4 cup organic maple syrup

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tea spoon organic ground cinnamon

1 tea spoon organic vanilla extract

1 tea spoon organic orange extract

1/3 to 1/4 homemade apple jam 

(optional: you can substitute it to other commercial jam of your choice, too.)

*My sister in law gave me a box of apple for Christmas, so I made all the apples into jam, and kept in freezer for apple tart, apple pie, or things like this.

Pour combined wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well by rubber spatula.

So this is how it looks after mixing.

Spray olive oil on baking sheet, 
and spread the granola mixture on it.

I use silicon baking sheet, but I think non-stick baking tray can do.

Bake at 300℉ or 150℃ until golden brown.
You need to get the baking tray out of the oven every 15 minutes, 
and using rubber spatula, mix the granola, rotate the tray and bring it back to the oven.

It took me around 35 minutes to get it done, but I think it depends on the oven. 

I use gas oven so normally it's easily get burned.
(some oven may take 50 minutes or so)
Burned granola will be bitter, so just be careful not to over-bake.

It looks a bit wet even it's done, and soft if you touch it.

But when it cools, it gets harder and crunchy.

<Add your favorite dry fruits>

Now you measure any dry fruits of your choice, around 1 to 2 cups. 
I used dried cranberry, dried raspberry, and dried black currant.

You can use raisins, apricot, cherry, or anything you like.



It was easier than I thought, and you can never buy granola like this in store with extra virgin olive oil,  cause almost everything is organic, and there's no white sugar added,  .

Enjoy!

Rum & Raisin chocolate balls for Valentine gift

I saw this recipe at TV, 

though I changed a little according to my way.

Good news: It looks like chocolate truffle, but much less calories!

And it's so easy to make, too.

This is what you need:

150g         Any sponge cakes, bought in shop

(in my case, I used mamon cake)

40g           Almond powder

2 TBSP     Rum or non-alcohole Rum syrup

(or orange juice /any kind of juice)

30g           Raisin / Prune / dried fruits

60g           Chopped black or milk chocolate (sweetened)

1/4 TBSP  Vanilla extract

3 TBSP     Cream (around 35% fat contents) 

                 Unsweetened Cocoa powder for coating

So this is the mamon cakes I bought in sale at shopping mall.
It can be bought anywhere here in Metro Manila.

*You can use any soft cake.

 I used pastry cutter to crush the sponge cake, 
but you can use food processor if you want it easier.

Add almond powder.

(I was making a little more than double size amount)

 Time to add liquar or juice of your choice.

I specially like this brand for cream.

Add Rum or juice (or anything), Raisin, Chopped black or milk chocolate (sweetened), Vanilla extract (preferably organic),  cream  and mix well until blended.

I like to mix until well blended, but you can also intentionally leave the unblended part to enjoy the sponge taste.

If it is hard to make it to a ball,

(because it breaks so easily)

You can use cling wrapper to make it to a ball and chill until firm.

Coat them with powder cocoa.

Done!

Ready to wrap and put ribbons.

  If you want it sweeter,  you can add sugar. 

I didn't know that Valentine's day was the death anniversary of Fr. Valentine who performed wedding ceremony to a soldier who wasn't supposed to get married that time. And because of that, Fr. Valentine got death penalty.  It takes courage to do something right, and I'm sure people always remembered him as the person who supported love.

Cassava cake (Filipino sweets using yuca roots)

I love cassava cake ever since I tasted one here in the Philippines.

Whenever I go to a wet market, 

or place I can buy Filipino sweets, 

I look for cassava cake.

Though I love eating cassava simply boiled 

with Japanese soy sauce + wasabi, 

nobody eats that way except me.

And I was given a lot of cassava 

from my brother in law's farm.

So I searched the recipes in internet, 

to try baking one myself.

So this is cassava.

Sometimes I hear the local news of someone 

who got poisoned by cassava.

It has cyanide 

that if you don't cook well, one can even die.

(And the group of people getting acute cyanide intoxication can happen here in the Philippines.)

Anyway, this is the recipe 

I tried for the second time.

The first try, I didn't write down what I used, 

and just poured things without measuring them.

So next day, I baked again, 

and although I changed a lot from my first try, 

at least I wrote them down.

<What you need>

- For Cassava cake -

1450g cassava root, grated

250g matured cheddar cheese (grated)

227g medium cheddar cheese (grated)

400ml coconut milk

400ml coconut cream

4 eggs (large), organic

250ml evaporated milk

250ml maple syrum, organic

1 tea spoon sea salt

1 table spoon vanilla extract, organic

900ml condensed milk

120g butter melted (French brand: Elle & vire)

- for the topping -

1 table spoon vanilla extract, organic

3 egg yolks, organic

400ml coconut cream

225ml maple syrum, organic

227g cheddar cheese (grated)

225g processed cheddar cheese (mild) grated

300ml condensed milk

<baking time>

Around 60 to 75 minutes total.

45 minutes : cassava base

15 to 30 minutes : topping

So first, peel and grate cassava.

So since I decided not to use sugar, I added maple syrup and eggs first.

You can change this maple syrup to honey,

or use any kind of sugar, too.

For the first try, I used a little of sugar, honey and moscovado sugar  (barbados sugar)

and less condensed milk.

These are the cheese I used this time, 

but I think sharp cheddar was not suitable, 

cause when heated, it can turn hard.

Addition to these cheese, 

I also used ordinary processed cheese 

for the topping.

You just need to mix everything, and that simple.

I added melted butter the last.

(I love this French butter)

*you can start heating up your oven,

180℃ or 375~380℉.

Pour into the baking pans.

It baked better in glass ware than porcelain, to me.

No lining is needed, no oil, or no flour.

But not so deep, cause thicker it is, 

longer the baking time.

The edge gets cooked first..

I set the timer :45 minutes.

But you know it's done when you smell the delicious sweet smell.

(I don't put stick in it in the center, 

but you can also do that.)

While you are waiting for the base to be baked,

prepare the topping.

Just need to mix everything.

When the cassava base is done, 

pour the topping on top.

You can try different kind of cheese 

to make different version.

Some put sweeten coconut or macapuno 

(in Filipino).

It's done as long the topping gets darker 

as you like it.

It took me 30 minutes this time 

because I used maple syrup which was liquid, too.

If you prefer less sweet, 

just get rid of maple syrup,

or use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk.

Some part is not brownish, 

but it has same delicious taste.

Cassava cake doesn't require 

so much specific measurement. 

Actually it's very forgiving 

in any adjustment you want to make.

So try anything if you like.

You can use olive oil instead of butter 

if you like less cholesterol,

(though butter has less calories then oil)

and less cheese, or less sugar.

It will come out okay and suitable to your taste.

Enjoy baking one!