Pancake Mix Muffins

For the non-professional baker like me, pancake mix is a better way to create different snacks. Also, it is not just for making pancakes, but this mix can make very good muffins and cookies.  I like the muffins using pancake mix because the texture is more like a cake. I will now share this recipe using the same recipe for muffins using self-rising flour.

 Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

1 cup pancake mix (I use the buttermilk pancake mix)

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar 

Wet ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Line a muffin tin with a muffin tin liner. I use the small size. This recipe will make about 9 small muffins.

In a mixing bowl, combine the pancake mix, blueberries, and cinnamon.

In a blender, combine the wet ingredients and sugar and blend well. If you do not have a blender, you can mix by hand.

Pour the mixture of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a whisker to whisk the batter very lightly (about 13 strokes) The batter will mix well. Do not overmix the batter.

Divide the batter equally into the muffin tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

Tip: The pancake mix can be used to make cookies.

Taro Sticky Rice with Coconut milk

Taro sticky rice is a very popular breakfast dish on the streets in Vietnam. Today, I want to share an easy method to cook this sticky rice using a rice cooker and microwave. This is an easy way to have a quick and delicious breakfast.

 Ingredients:

2 cups sticky rice, washed and drained

4 pandan leaves, chopped

1 ½ cups coconut milk

1 tsp salt

2 cups cooked taro

2 tbs sugar

1 cup shredded coconut flakes

Equipment:

Rice cooker

Blender

Directions:

Chop pandan leaves into small pieces. Put them in a blender and add 1 cup of coconut milk and blend well (you might have to add more milk). Drain the liquid through a sieve and discard the solids.

In a rice cooker, add sticky rice and add all the pandan liquid plus the rest of the coconut milk. Add salt. Turn the rice cooker on. 

When, the sticky rice is done. leave the rice in the rice cooker for 20 minutes then add cooked taro, sugar, down five and shredded coconut flakes. Mix well and serve.

Tips:

The sticky rice can be served with some roasted sesame seeds and chopped roasted peanuts.

Cut taro into bite-size pieces and cook in microware for 6 minutes, or you can use the instant pot and steam taro for 6 minutes.

Easy Baked Salmon Garlic Pesto

The baked salmon garlic pesto is easy with just a few ingredients. For larger groups of people, the recipe can doubled or tripled to serve. The pesto sauce can be purchased in any grocery store. I bought the pesto sauce to use for this recipe at Aldi’s because it is packed in a small jar. This recipe also can be used over tofu for vegans. Just substitute salmon for tofu. I will include the tofu version as well below.

Ingredients:

1- 8 oz salmon fillet

1/2 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp black pepper

Pesto sauce ingredients:

2 tbs pesto sauce

1 tbs Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat countertop oven to 325°.

Place salmon in a baking dish lined with foil for easy clean up.

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.

Combine the pesto sauce in a bowl.

Spread the pesto sauce over the salmon and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve warm.

Tip:

If using tofu, slice tofu to the desired size and deep fry the tofu. Then use the same instructions above to finish the meal.

Instant Pot Vietnamese Corn Pudding

Corn pudding or xôi bắp nhảo was my childhood breakfast dish, and for many Vietnamese people. I once came up with a recipe in my blog for this corn pudding using a slow cooker. Today, I would like to introduce a new recipe since the instant pot has become very common in the household kitchen today. With this new recipe, you will have a Vietnamese specialty breakfast that is both quick and delicious especially for the technological age.

 Ingredients:

1 cup break white corn

1/2 cup sticky rice

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

3 ½ cups coconut milk

3 pandan leaves, cut into 2 inch sections

Topping:

1 cup fresh shredded coconut

Roasted sesame seeds

Crushed roasted peanuts

Directions:

Soak the corn overnight, and drain in the morning.

Wash rice, and put corn and rice in the instant pot.

Add pandan leaves, salt, sugar, and coconut milk.

Follow the instructions from your instant pot to cook. I use the porridge function with minutes of cooking tine and natural release. 

Serve warm with the topping.