Persimmon and Date Scones

Growing up in a commonwealth country, I lived on scones and jam. The scones in America are very different to the scones I had in New Zealand. I’ve found that US scones are much sweeter and denser than their NZ counterparts. Craving scones this afternoon, I dug out the Edmunds cookbook—a staple in the Kiwi’s kitchen.

I decided to add an Asian twist to the basic scone dough recipe I found in my beloved cookbook. My mom and I went to H-Mart the other night and were delighted to find persimmon pancakes in the grocery aisle. While the literal translation of this food is persimmon pancakes, they are more like dried persimmons. My mom talked much about them, reminiscing back to when she had them as a child in China. I was excited to try one of these mysterious flat rounds. It was white on the outside from edible mold, and orange, sweet, and sticky on the inside. I really enjoyed the flavor of these persimmon pancakes.

The addition of dried persimmon and dates to the plain scone recipe livens up the dough significantly. The texture and sweetness from the fruits makes the scone more exciting to bite into. You never know what you might get with each mouthful. You could get a date, a chunk of persimmon, or if you’re lucky, both…

Ingredients

3 cups flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup trans fat free margarine
½ cup chopped dates
2 dried persimmons, chopped into small cubes
1-1 1/2 cups Milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Rub margarine into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the chopped dates and dried persimmons. Add milk and mix quickly with a knife to form a soft dough. Knead a few times.
3. Divide the dough into two. Take each mound and form a flat circle approximately 1 inch high on a dusted surface. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into eight even sized pieces, like you would a cake.
4. Carefully transfer the dough onto a lined and greased oven tray leaving enough space between scones for rising. Brush the tops with milk. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve been eating way too much peanut butter in the past few weeks. Its smoothness, along with the surprise crunch now and then is simply irresistible. There’s simply nothing stopping me just dipping a spoon (or my finger) into the jar and pulling out the golden goodness inside.

Honey Bunches of Oats is another addiction I’ve recently adopted. In fact, my addiction is so bad that I had the cereal for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea all in one day. Yesterday, I had three bowls of it just for afternoon snack. I just discovered their strawberry flavor and it is SO GOOD. I could talk about it all day.

But we’re here to talk peanuts, so let’s get on with it.

Today was my friend’s birthday (Happy 18th Rebecca!) and she received some peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses on top. As soon as I savored the sweet, moist, and aromatic cookie (I ripped the Kiss off the top to maintain my new year’s resolution) I fell in love. At that moment, I knew that I just had to make my own batch that afternoon. There’s no recipe that uses up peanut butter quicker than peanut butter cookies. For just one batch of these, half a jar of crushed nuts must be sacrificed. For course, there’s no denying that they are 100% worth it.

These cookies are incredibly rich so make sure you had a glass of cold milk by your side. Remember, calcium is your friend! The batch I made this afternoon will be for my peers at school tomorrow. I sure hope they enjoy them as much as I did!



Ingredients

3/4 cup trans fat free margarine
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
3. Roll the batter into 1 inch balls. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern. You could also use the bottom of a cup to flatten them and etch in smiley faces.
4. Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Spinach and blueberry salad with walnuts

This year I am features editor of my school's student newspaper- The Merionite. Being part of the features crew is great because our section encourages articles on essentially anything that people find interesting. I will be having a monthly nutrition column, giving tips on healthy eating with a different theme each time. For the September issue I wrote about foods that can make you smarter.

Nourish Your Mind, While Nourishing Your Body

The last vestiges of summer are suddenly fading and with another year of school to look forward to, it’s time to start sharpening that brain of yours. This year, like all other years, you promised yourself to try extra hard in school and get those desirable grades. Of course, studying extra hours at night can help improve your grades, but did you know that there are actually certain foods that are proven to improve your intelligence? Yes, many studies show that some foods help brain cells communicate, improve memory, and increase brain health. Obviously this doesn’t mean that you can simply indulge in these foods and forget about studying, but it does mean that there may be an additional way to help you achieve your best this year. So get yourself back on track with the following brain foods that are sure to power your mushy grey matter through the next nine months.

Coffee
The coffee bean is full of healthy antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Coffee’s caffeine is also vital to its protective affects.

Chocolate
We’ve all heard about the benefits of dark chocolate, yet we still feel guilty while eating it as it is still labeled as a “treat” food. Now it seems that chocolate is related to improving memory. This does not mean that you can hit the vending machine and just grab a Snickers Bar whenever; however, it does mean that occasional chocolate sessions are fine, and potentially beneficial.

Blueberries
You’ll be thankful of your love for these dark rounds when you hear of the mighty benefits they provide. Blueberries are arguably the best brain food and are shown to improve learning ability. In addition, they are one of the most powerful anti-stress foods. Try to avoid sweetened dried blueberries and opt for the fresh ones!

Walnuts
How could a nut that actually looks like a brain not provide you with brainpower? The healing power of walnuts is primarily due to their high concentration of omega-3 fats. These are the very fats that make up 60% of your brain (yes, you have a fat brain!).

Avocado
The monounsaturated fat in avocados promotes increased circulation and blood flow. Eating lots of avocado can also lower blood pressure levels, which is known to benefit the brain. Lower blood pressure may increase cognition and I.Q.

Apples
Here’s another reason to eat an apple a day: Apples are a great source of an antioxidant that protects your brain cells. Make sure to eat your apples with skin as that is where most of the antioxidants are found- it’s also a delicious and easy way to add fiber to your diet.

Note: “Although these foods are important to include in your diet to boost brain function, don't forget the importance of having an overall well balanced diet every day" (Tara Simpson, Registered Dietitian and Director of Client Care of Nutritional Health Systems).

To get a healthy dose of these brain foods, try tossing them into a salad. It’s an easy and delicious way to incorporate these foods into your diet. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Why not toss a few chocolate chips into your bowl? After all, they enhance brain function right?

Rainbow Salad

Ingredients

Raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons raspberry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (10 ounce) package baby spinach
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thin
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/4 cup walnuts

Directions

1. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl, toss the spinach and sliced apple with the raspberry vinaigrette. Scatter the blueberries and walnuts over the top and serve.

Classic Sweet Soufflés

Boy can Gordon Ramsey shout. Participation in Hell’s Kitchen might be enjoyable if you didn’t have Gordon cursing in your face all the time. But then again, it wouldn’t be Hell’s Kitchen then would it? Last night, I was watching another one of Ramsey’s cooking shows, MasterChef. One of the challenges on the show was to make a soufflé. It was said that making a soufflé tested a chef’s true capability best.

What has the soufflé done to deserve its reputation of being one of the hardest desserts to make? Making a soufflé does not break nails; in fact, I think that anyone could make one.

With the inspiration from primetime television, I whipped out my cooking books in search of a soufflé recipe. Most recipes online were for chocolate soufflés and as much as I wanted one, my new year’s resolution of not eating chocolate for a year prohibited me from making one. I found the following recipe for a plain sweet soufflé in A Cook’s Bible, a New Zealand cookbook. It uses flour to make what is known as a panade, which the beaten egg whites are then folded into. Some recipes for chocolate soufflés require no flour. Next year when I can eat chocolate again I would like to try out one of those recipes and see how it turns out.

Some say that a soufflé is just an embellished omelet. I couldn’t agree and disagree more. On one hand, with 5 eggs needed for 6 soufflés, the entire dessert is basically a flavored egg. On the other hand, savoring a soufflé brings much more pleasure than eating a morning omelet. The lightness and sweetness in a soufflé balances perfectly on the tip of your tongue.

When you take the soufflé out of the oven, you have 90 seconds to serve it before it sinks. As Gordon Ramsey said: “A soufflé waits for no one @%*&#$!”

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp flour
½ cup milk
¼ tsp vanilla essence
5 eggs
1 tsp cornflour
icing sugar

Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugar, then stir in the flour.
2, Boil the milk and vanilla and whisk it into the creamed mixture to form a panade. Return the panade to a clean pan and stir to boiling point to thicken. Simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave it to cool a little.
3. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the panade, one at a time.
4. Whisk the egg whites to a stiff foam then whisk in the cornflour. Stir a quarter of the foam into the soufflé mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites.
5. Pour into 6 greased and sugared ramekins.
6. Bake at 410 degrees F for approximately 16 minutes.
7. Serve immediately!!!!

Summer BBQ

There’s nothing that sums up summer food more than a barbeque with family and friends. For a great day out, all you need is a good park, a Frisbee, and some beautiful Angus steaks. Grilling is also very versatile and can accommodate anyone’s tastes buds. You can grill anything from apples to zucchinis, and everything in between. A great day can be arranged around a BBQ. Grill some kabobs for lunch, play a little game of ultimate, grill more meat and veggies for dinner, and then grill some peaches and pineapple for dessert.

There are many ways of preparing meat for a BBQ. One of the most popular options is by using a marinade. Marinating involves immersing the meat in a mixture of acid and spices and leaving it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to soak. Marinating meat tenderizes and flavors the meat ready for the grill. Lemon juice, vinegar, and soy sauce are all acids that can be used in a marinade.


Another method of grilling meat is to simply season the meat right before putting it on the grill. In this way of cooking the meat, no liquids would be used, only spices. Some people also prefer to pre-cook meat before putting it on the grill to shorten the cooking time. This can easily be done by boiling or using the microwave.

No matter what you choose to cook and how you choose to cook it, a barbeque will make surely make any food taste better. While there are a few weeks of summer left, there’s no excuse to not go out and grill up a feast!

Sushi

If you’re wandering around the food court at your local mall in search of a lunch that won’t leave you feeling like you just swallowed mouthfuls of butter, sushi is the best way to go. It’s light, healthy, and most importantly, delicious. Is there anything better than buying sushi in the midst of a fast food court? Of course there is- making your own sushi at home! Sushi making is not for Japanese people only. Anyone can make sushi if he or she has the right equipment and ingredients.

Sushi has become a universal icon of Japanese cuisine. When we think of Japanese food, we instinctively think of sushi. It’s like sweet and sour chicken from China, butter chicken from India, or spaghetti Bolognese from Italy. The sushi in Japan is quite different from the sushi we see (and taste!) here in the United States, but this is expected, as Americans have very different taste buds to those of their Asian friends.

Making your own sushi is like arts and crafts (isn’t all cooking though?). You really can put anything your heart desires on the layer of seaweed and rice. When you cut the resulting sushi roll into pieces and face them up on a plate, well, it’s like when you finish that last layer of paint and step back to admire your masterpiece.


For even healthier sushi, try substituting the white rice with brown rice or even experimenting with black rice. Many vegan sushis have black rice for some reason, but I mean it’s not like white rice isn’t vegan or anything. Make sure to put lots of veggies in your sushi! This is where you can get the crunch, as well as vitamins and minerals. Bring out the bamboo, bring out the chopsticks, and of course, bring out the wasabi!

Ingredients

2/3 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 sheets nori seaweed sheets
Vegetable sticks (I used carrots, cucumber, and celery)
Avocado, cut into strips
Meat, cut into strips (I used grilled chicken)
Wasabi
Pickled ginger

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/3 cups water to a boil. Add rice, and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (alternatively, prepare the rice in a rice cooker).
2. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Blend the mixture into the rice.
3. Place one sheet nori on a bamboo sushi mat. Spread a thin layer of rice on the sheet of seaweed and press into a thin layer. Arrange your fillings in a line down the center of the rice. Lift one end of the mat, and gently roll it over the ingredients, pressing gently. Roll it forward to make a complete roll.
4. Cut each roll into 8 slices using a wet, sharp knife.
5. Repeat step 3 with the remaining ingredients. Serve with soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi (if you’re up for the spicy kick!).

Cinnamon Rolls

A trip to the country side is a worthy journey now and again. Going through Lancaster County to Pennsylvania Dutch Country- otherwise known as where the Amish people-reminded me of the happiness gained from the simple pleasures in life. While my family and I waited for seats in a restaurant called Millers, we watched a video showing how “Stickies” are made. Looking at the product on the shelf, I concluded that Stickies are just what we would call cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls have always been on my list of “foods to make when I have spare time,” and watching the video gave me the inspiration to finally make some.

To find the prefect recipe for cinnamon rolls, I had to do some research on the Internet. In the end, I found two recipes that I compiled into the one recipe below. I grabbed the recipe for the dough from one recipe and the recipe for the filling from the other. I then added my own recipe for the icing. The resulting recipe basically makes the healthiest (well at least the lowest fat) cinnamon rolls possible. The applesauce filling is unique and tastes surprisingly familiar- not like applesauce at all. In fact, it tastes just like the filling of a regular cinnamon roll. Going through the mall later this afternoon and smelling the heavenly aroma of Cinnabon rolls, I felt good that I had some fresh rolls waiting for me at home that did not cost me 730 calories, along with a higher chance of diabetes.


Ingredients

Rolls:
1 cup warm fat-free milk (100° F to 110° F)
1 tbsp melted trans-fat free margarine (such as I can’t believe It’s Not Butter)
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 package quick-rise yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
3 ¾ all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
Cooking spray

Filling:
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons honey

Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp water

Directions

1. Combine milk, 1 tablespoon melted margarine, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add egg and remaining granulated sugar to bowl. Stir in 1 cup flour; let stand 10 minutes.
2. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and salt to milk mixture; stir until a soft dough forms (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; turn to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, 35 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; cover and let rise 35 minutes or until doubled in size. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the honey and applesauce
4. Roll the dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with applesauce mixture and sprinkle evenly with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 16 rolls. Place rolls, cut sides up, in a greased baking tray. Cover and let rise for 35minutes or until doubled size.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Uncover rolls. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 10minutes in dishes on a wire rack. Turn rolls out onto wire rack; cool 5 minutes. Turn rolls over.
6. To make the icing, mix the icing sugar and water together to a smooth consistency. Spoon over rolls.