Yogurt and Fruit Muffins

If eating healthy, fluffy, and delicious food is what people are looking to change the way to enjoy our breakfasts, then the recipe here is the one. I have been making muffins for as long as I have been creating this blog. This recipe for muffins is my favorite one to share with all of you. The reason I state that this muffin is healthy is that it contains nonfat Greek yogurt and many favorite frozen or fresh fruit. The yogurt makes the muffins moist, and the fruit in this recipe gives them tremendous flavor. I also add dry cranberries and raisins to this recipe for my personal taste. With my easy method of making muffin, I think everyone can use his or her imagination to create their own yogurt fruit muffins.

 

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

1 egg

One 5.3 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt

1/4 cup oil

2 tbs orange juice

1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Other ingredients:

1 cup combination of fresh or frozen fruit (your choice)

Blueberries, strawberries, peach, plum, etc.., diced

1/4 cup dry fruit, such as raisin or cranberries

1 tbs Demerara Sugar

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line a medium-size 6 muffin tin with paper muffin tin liners.

Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

In a blender, combine all the wet ingredients and blend well. 

Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork or spatula until moistened, but do not over beat. 

The batter should be lumpy. 

Add the fruit into the batter and mix well.

Sprinkle the Demerara Sugar on top.

Divide the batter equally into the paper muffin tin liners (about two thirds full).

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Tips:

You can use self-rising flour for this recipe as well as with many of my muffin recipes. Because of the yogurt, add baking soda to the self-rising flour.

I soak the dry fruit with orange juice or any juice that is available to you. You can discard the soaking liquid because it will not affect the results of the muffins.

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The Ant and the Grasshopper

The ANT AND THE 
GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different ...

Two Different Versions ... 
Two Different Morals

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE OLD STORY:

Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving..

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN,  and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper 
is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green'

Occupy the Anthill stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the Black Lives Matter group singing, We shall overcome.

Then Reverend Al Sharpton has the group kneel down to pray for the grasshopper while he damns the ants. He later appears on MSNBC to complain that rich people do not care.

Former President Obama condemns the ant and blames Donald Trump, President Bush 43, President Bush 41, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight.

 Nancy Pelosi & Chuck Schumer exclaim in an interview on The View 
that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

 Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act 
retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having; nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, 
crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it.

 The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again.

 The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and peaceful, neighborhood.

 The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.

 MORAL OF THE STORY:

 Be careful how you vote in 2020.

Cassava Cooked in an Instant Pot

Cassava is one of my favorite starchy root vegetables or tubers. Some other countries, such as Vietnam call it Yuca. This root vegetable has a nutty flavor and contains many good proteins and vitamins, such as C, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. The recipe that I will share today is one of my childhood memory snacks that my mom used to make for us kids. The traditional method to make this is to steam Yuca over high heat and to baste with coconut milk, which usually will take at least 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Now, with the invention of the instant pot, this recipe can be ready in 8 minutes, and the cook does not have to be present to baste the cassava. Let us enjoy this easy and delicious cassava cooked in coconut milk for breakfast or anytime of the day.

 Ingredients:
1 lb. frozen cassava or Yuca (about 10 pieces)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp salt (more or less)
1 tbs sugar (more or less)
Other ingredients:
A few pandan leaves (optional)
Equipment:
One 4 quart instant pot

Directions:
Place frozen cassava into the instant pot.
Add sugar and salt into the coconut milk and stir well. Adjust the salt and sugar to your liking.
Pour the coconut milk into the instant pot.
Secure the lid. Use the pressure cook setting for 8 minutes. Let the instant pot release steam for about 15 minutes.
Now, the pot will still have some coconut milk left. Turn on the sauté mode and let cook until the
the milk evaporates in about 1 minute.
Enjoy!!

Tip: The cassava can be served with the coconut milk left over with some crushed peanuts.

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Quick Steamed Buns--Banh Bao

The steamed bun, Baozi, or banh bao has the type of dough that uses yeast for leavening the dough and consists of a soft bun filled with sweet or savory fillings. It is very popular in Chinese restaurants or a street food snack in other countries, such as Vietnam. I previously posted the steamed buns recipe in my blog using yeast. However, because of the Covid-19, I made this Baozi using self-rising flour. It is quick and does not need time to rise. This recipe will change the way to make steamed buns. It saves time and the method is so easy.

 

Ingredients:

3 cups self-rising flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1½  cups milk

1 tbs vinegar

1/4 cup oil

Fillings:

8 oz. ground turkey, chicken, or pork

1/2 cup diced white onions

1/4 cup peas

1/3 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced (shiitake mushrooms should first be soaked, then diced)

1/3 cup Chinese sausage diced (1/2 lap cheong)

2 hard boiled eggs (remove shell and cut into quarters)

Seasoning ingredients:

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp mushroom seasoning

Other ingredients:

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 tsp garlic powder

Parchment paper, cut into 4 squares

 

Directions:

Heat wok until hot. Add vegetable oil and stir-fry the onions until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sausages and cook for 3 minutes. Season with garlic powder and salt. Stir in peas. Let cool.

Mix turkey with the onions mixture and the rest of the seasonings. Mix well to combine. Divide the meat mixture into equal quantities enough to form into 8 balls. Let marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Combine the self-rising flour, milk, and sugar in another large bowl; knead dough until smooth and no longer sticky. Cover dough with towel; let rest for about 5 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 balls. With a rolling pin on a floured work surface, roll out each ball into a flat circle. Place one meatball inserted through the in the center; top with an egg quarter. Gather the edges of each circle together like a coin purse; twist and pinch to seal the bun.

Cut waxed paper into 8- 2-inch squares. Place each bun on a waxed paper square. Arrange 1 inch apart in a steamer; cover with lid. 

Steam the buns until puffed up, about 20 minutes.

 

Tips:

Boil water first. Cover the buns with cheesecloth to prevent the steam from dripping over the buns.

Simple White Cupcakes

Cupcakes are soft and airy. Also, in England, a cupcake means fairy cake. Basically, a cupcake is a small cake to be served for one person at a party and uses egg white in the batter. Most recipes for white cupcakes use icing to decorate them or use fruit. The difference between a cake and a cupcake is size; otherwise, the ingredients are identical.. In this easy recipe, all the ingredients are easy, and the method that I use is quite simple as in the rest of my baking. I like to make it simple so anyone can make them.

Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour (see Tip: below)
1½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites (room temperature)
1/3 cup vegetable oil or softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp white vanilla or almond extract
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
Cream cheese frosting ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
4 oz. softened butter
1 cup powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line the medium size muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a  mixing bowl, and set aside.
Use a handheld beater to beat the egg whites, sugar, and oil or softened butter until light and fluffy. Add milk and beat well.
Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture and beat well.
Pour the batter into the cake liners 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cupcake completely cool before applying the frosting.

To make the frosting:
Combine all the frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl, and beat well with the handheld beater. Refrigerate.

Tip:
To make cake flour: Remove 2 tbs of all-purpose flour for each cup of flour and add 2 tbs of cornstarch in its place. Whisk well.

Semi-Homemade Chicken Tikka

Covid-19 is changing our lives, but I hope not forever. Many families are being quarantined, and restaurants are closed. This is the best time for us to learn some easy recipes to create at home. Chicken tikka is an Indian curry dish. It is easy to make at home with ready-made tikka masala sauce. Tikka sauce can be made at home, but all the spices for this sauce are so many to buy for some people who are not yet ready to become a cook. Tikka sauce is a tomato and cream combination (each cook can either use yogurt or heavy cream) with lots of traditional Indian spices – too many to introduce here. The orange hue comes from the turmeric, tomato and red chili. Other strong flavors come from ginger and garlic. However, do not worry, the tikka sauce is available in almost every grocery store such as Aldi, Walmart etc. This will save time to make chicken tikka at home. That is why I call it semi-homemade chicken tikka, and the sauce that I use for this recipe is sold at Aldi.

Ingredients:
5 skinless, boneless chicken legs and thighs
Ingredients for the chicken marinade:
6 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red chili (I use paprika or Korean chili powder)
1 teaspoon of salt
Ingredients for the sauce:
16 oz. Tikka marsala sauce
1 white onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Roma tomatoes (remove seeds and cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 tsp ginger minced
2 garlic cloves minced
3 tbs oil
Other ingredients:
Chopped green onions and cilantro
Serve with garlic naan bread or steamed rice

Instructions:
In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat.
When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant
Add all the sauce ingredients to the pan and bring to boil.
Let simmer the sauce and chicken for 20 minutes, then add onions and tomato. Continue to stir and cook the chicken, onions, and tomato for 7 minutes. At this time, adjust the seasonings by adding sugar, salt and more pepper.

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro, and serve with rice or fresh homemade naan bread!

Vegetable Chop Suey

Chop suey is a Chinese dish, but it is wildly believed to be invented in America to suit Westerners taste. Actually, it is a stir-fried dish consisting of meat (chicken, pork, or beef) and egg. The vegetable chop suey is for people who are vegans or Buddhist followers. The egg preparation that comes with chop suey is up to each cook to make with either scrambled or sunnyside up, and it will be served with rice. Chop suey is similar to the chow mein method, but rice accompanies the chop suey rather than egg noodles for chow mein. I like to prepare chop suey because it is quick and a very satisfying meal. The vegetables used for the chop suey dish are very much whatever vegetables that suit your taste.

Ingredients:
Sauce ingredients for chop suey:
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Pinch of white pepper
2 tsp cornstarch or arrow root
Vegetables for chop suey:
1 bag 16 oz. of mixed stir-fry vegetables (sold in Costco, Sam’s Club or Walmart)
1 cup sliced white onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs cooking wine such as Shaoxing
2 eggs
2 tbs oil
Serve with steamed rice

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients, and set aside.
Heat your wok over high heat until lightly smoking, and pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil around the perimeter. Stir in onions and chopped garlic.
Stir until fragrant and at vegetables (I use the frozen)
Stir-fry the vegetables for a good 30 seconds.
Give everything a good stir, and spread the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze it.
Next, stir up your prepared chop suey sauce and add it to the wok. Use your wok spatula to give everything a quick stir.
When the sauce gets to a strong simmer or boil, add more cornstarch slurry mix if you like the sauce thicker (1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tsp water). Cook for another 10 seconds to ensure everything is coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with steamed rice!

Tip: the egg used here can be made sunnyside up and placed on top of the rice.
Bean sprouts are always good to add to this dish, and, if using, added at the end of cooking time.
You can blanch the frozen vegetables to cut down on the cooking time.

Easy Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini, also known as courgette, is a summer squash in the Cucurbitaceae plant family, alongside with melons, spaghetti squash, and cucumbers. Although zucchini is often considered a vegetable, it is botanically classified as a fruit. It has been used in many ways for medicine because it rich in main nutrients and high in antioxidants. Some studies also show that zucchini can reduce blood sugar levels and may improve heart condition. The fiber in zucchini can aid weight loss. Even though zucchini has so many benefits, making zucchini bread or muffins is not intended for a healthy diet because of the sugar in the recipe. My niece, Quynh, loves zucchini bread, and she asked me for the recipe. I convinced her that the zucchini muffin has a better taste even though it has similar ingredients . If I have to choose between a piece of zucchini bread or muffin, I would rather have the muffin because the zucchini muffin is moist and very easy to make. Also, just like a banana, it is another way to use up an old zucchini left in the refrigerator. The zucchini muffin is moist and pairs well with walnuts and other dry fruits, such as raisins or cranberries. For lowfat zucchini muffins and a much healthier use of zucchini, this recipe can reduce sugar intake and replace butter with oil and applesauce..This recipe is well served for breakfast with a yummy cup of Joe!!

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 raisins and cranberries (1/4 cup each)
Wet ingredients:
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini (just about 1/2 of zucchini)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line the medium size muffin tin with liners.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
Place all the wet ingredients except the shredded zucchini in a blender, and blend well.
Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Add the blended wet ingredients into the hole.
Add the shredded zucchini and stir until well mixed. Do not over mix the batter.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins (filling each 2/3 full).
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Serve warm.

Tip; the recipe above is a simple muffin that I have been making and posting in my blog. Changing the sugar or others ingredients, such as raisins or cranberries is up to your personal taste. 

If self-rising flour is not available, you can make it yourself by combining one cup of all-purpose flour with 2 tsp of baking powder and 1/8 tsp of salt. Sift well.

Double Chocolate Muffins

I like to make muffins because it is an easy way to impress friends or guests. I have posted many recipes for making muffin. These double chocolate muffins will be easily one of my favorite recipes and will take the fear out of baking. These muffins will turn out to be so perfect; they are moist, scrumptious, and tasty. If you are a chocolate lover, this recipe will do.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour
1/3 cup quality cocoa powder
1/3 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Wet ingredients:
6 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a 6 medium size muffin pan with muffin liners.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
In a blender, combine the wet ingredients and blend well.
Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it.
Gently mix them together. Do not over mix the batter.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin liners.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes depending on the temperature of each oven or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Tip; If you do not have self-rising flour, you can mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/8 tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp baking powder
You also and use buttermilk to replace the nonfat yogurt.