Victory Cake

Since the 2016 presidential election, I have baked this easy cake to celebrate the upset win for the hard work of candidate Trump for the whole year from the day that he announced to run for the presidency of the United States. I know that, win or loose, we have to unite behind President-elect Trump to move the country forward in a right direction. Some of my family members, the millennial generation especially, did not take the news well. In the past 8 years of Obama, I did not have any hope for America, but on the Election Day the hard-working people voted for Mr Trump. Now, America has a business man who can run the country as business with less waste with more responsible people. I wish President Trump success with all the promises that he made during the campaign. Here is an easy cake for any special occasion.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
1 cup sugar

Toppings:
Store-bought chocolate frosting
Anything that you might like to make this cake nice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease and flour a 13” x 9” cake pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and sift twice. Make a well in the center.

Using a Vitamix® or other blender, add all the wet ingredients in the blender’s container. Blend for 15 seconds.

Pour the blended wet ingredients into the dry ingredients mixture and stir to combine 50 times.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Decorate any way that suits your taste.

Green Beans with Red Bell Pepper

Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without a green beans casserole. This recipe makes one of the must-have dishes for a Thanksgiving dinner. However, my take on this dish is that it contains a few more calories that we should not put on during the holidays. Of course, the standard dish preparation remains the same, but cut back the calories so we can enjoy more delicious food. For that, I will introduce an easy, healthy side dish for Thanksgiving, which is green beans and red bell pepper. It uses the stir-fry method instead of baking. It will be minus the creamy taste of the traditional green beans casserole. I guarantee that this dish is absolutely fantastic and will go well with other dishes for the Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients:
1 lb. green beans
1 medium red bell pepper
1 cup red onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbs each of oil and butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Peel, cored, seeded and julienned.
Bring a pot of water to boil and parboil the green beans for 3 minutes or until al dente.

Drain under the cold running water.

In a sauté skillet, add butter and oil. Stir in garlic and red onions.

 Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add beans and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in bell pepper and stir rapidly for 1 minute.

 Season with salt and black pepper as well as a little sugar to your liking.

Wild Rice with Mushrooms

This recipe will always be a part of my Thanksgiving meal forever. The traditional stuffing will make us gain weight. This wild rice with mushrooms dish is easy to prepare and much healthier. Use a combination of mushrooms that one can find. I use coconut oil instead of butter, and it will please everyone who loves a healthy side dish with their holiday meals.

Ingredients
1 cup wild rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
For the mushrooms:
4 cups of mushrooms chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbs coconut oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with chopped parsley

Directions:
Preparing the rice:
Rinse the rice thoroughly in the cold water and drain. Place in the rice cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. Close the lid and turn to cook.

Preparing the mushrooms:
I use the combination of button, portabella, and oyster mushrooms. In a sauté pan, add coconut oil. Stir in shallot and garlic. Cook until fragrant.

 Add mushrooms and cook until translucent.

 Add the white wine and some water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed.

Mix the mushrooms into the cooked wild rice.

Sprinkle with parsley on top.

Bread Machine Challah

Challah is Jewish bread traditionally served on the Sabbath symbolizing the manna God sent his Children in the wilderness. This beautiful bread is always braided, and it is a sweet bread. I love to make this during the holidays because I will allow myself to gain a few pounds. If by chance this bread has leftovers, it will make a wonderful French toast the next morning. The bread dough will be soft, and it is not easy to handle and also will lose its shape if over proofed.  I use a bread machine and let it rise slowly overnight for the Thanksgiving meal, and, it works for me.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
4 tbs sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
1 tsp salt
3 ½ cups bread flour or on life and purpose flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
Egg wash ingredients:
1 egg yolk
1 tbs water
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
Place all the ingredients as listed above in the bread machine pan. Select the dough setting and press start.
Remove dough when it is finished kneading.
Place in a mixing bowl and let slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight.
When dough is ready to shape, lightly flour the countertop surface. Grease a baking sheet with butter or oil.
With a sharp knife, divide dough into 3 pieces.

Gently stretch each piece of dough into 18 inch long rope. Lightly flour dough.

Place the 3 rope side by side an inch apart .
Start to braid the dough from the center to the end. Pinch to seal and tuck the end.

 

Cover and let dough rise for 40 minutes. Do not let it overproof.
Mix the egg wash and brush over the dough.

 

Preheat oven to 350° and bake for 40 minutes.

Coconut-Wild Rice Pudding

Rice pudding to me is like making another dish with leftover rice. I love this dish because it is healthy, sort of, when adding ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. to the rice.  I use the cooked wild rice to cut the cooking time shorter. Any ingredients, such as almonds, vanilla, bananas, or chocolate, can be added to your liking. Pudding is good for a snack, breakfast, or even dinner. This is an easy recipe for pudding, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 ½ cups coconut milk
2 tbs honey
1/4 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

 

Combine all the ingredients except the egg in a saucepan. Bring to boil.

Turn the heat down and stir and cook until almost thickened. Adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more honey or sugar.

 Slowly stir in beaten egg. Remove and serve. Top with sliced bananas, fruits, or nuts of your choice.

Candied Yams

Thanksgiving is coming and during this holiday season, I enjoy the music to feed my soul and the good healthy food for my body. Gathering together to enjoy the music as well as the smell and taste of traditional food on the Thanksgiving table always brings happy memories to me. The first time I was invited by a friend to join his family on Thanksgiving, I noticed the candied yams present on the table. I have loved that dish ever since then. However, for many years now since preparing the Thanksgiving dinner every year, I know how to prepare this easy dish without having to buy canned candied yams from a grocery store. I think homemade tastes better and is healthier. Here is an easy recipe for homemade candied yams, which eliminates the need for candied yams in a can.

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes, washed
2 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Boil the sweet potatoes with their skin in boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender when poked with a knife.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Use 1 tsp coconut oil to grease a baking dish. Peel the sweet potatoes skin and slice them and place in the baking dish.

In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil or butter and mix in honey, salt, and cinnamon (stirring until well blended).
Brush the honey, cinnamon glaze over the yam.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Salmon Stew with Pineapple

Salmon or tuna are fish rich in nutrients, especially containing protein and omega 3 fatty acid, which are very rich and delicious and sweet with pineapple. This simple dish is suitable for someone who chooses to prepare it for his or her family to enjoy with the satisfaction of knowing that this is delicious, nutritious for the whole family to enjoy. The combination of salmon and pineapple is a good choice to help improve the food intake for a healthy lifestyle. As all the studies have shown, pineapples have exceptional juiciness and a tropical flavor that balances the taste of sweet and tart. So, cooking pineapples with other ingredients, the dish is balanced without adding too much of sugar. Others benefits of pineapple are plenty of Vitamins A, B and C. All these vitamin are good for daily function. I am not a scientist, so let’s go back to cooking. I hope this simple recipe will become a must-have recipe.

Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets, about 6 oz.
2 cups fresh pineapple
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbs oil
Stew sauce ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
1 tsp honey
1 tbs soy sauce or fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
 
Garnish with 3 green onions, cut into sections

Directions:
Peel, dissect the eyes from, and cut the pineapple into cubes.

Cut salmon into big chunks.
Combine the stew sauce in a bowl.
In a medium sauce pan, heat oil and sauté the shallot, garlic, and chili powder until fragrant.

Add pineapple, fish, and stew sauce.

Bring to boil and simmer (cover for 20 to 30 minutes).

 If you want the sauce to evaporate, then remove cover in the last 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to your liking and add the green onions.

 Make a quick stir and serve with rice and steamed vegetables.