Healthy Crunchy Sesame Pumpkin Seed Cookies

I'm always looking around for a healthy bar or cookie to eat for breakfast. These fit the bill. It's a cross between a Granola bar and a seeded cookie. I can also control the amount and type of sugar that I use. These are dry, crisp cookies that are double baked, and dried out in the oven so that they keep indefinitely. They never usually last that long however. Using the amount of sugar in the recipe results in cookies that are not that sweet but the amount and type of sugar can be increased if sweeter cookies are desired. Other types of sugar such as raw Turbinado, Piloncillo, or Palm sugar could also be substituted for the brown sugar in the recipe. These will bring a different dimension of taste to the cookie. If Piloncillo is used, omit the molasses and use maple syrup instead.

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour+3/4 cup durum atta flour

3/4 cup sugar (I use a mixture of 1/2 dark brown and 1/2 granulated white sugar)

1 cup flax meal

2 heaping tbsp salted and toasted pumpkin seed kernels, finely chopped almost to a meal like consistency (if using unsalted seeds, add 1/2 tsp salt to mixture)

2 heaping tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp desiccated, unsweetened coconut

2 cups oatmeal

2 1/2 oz butter

2 1/2 oz coconut oil

2 tbsp molasses (Honey, Golden Syrup or Maple Syrup could also be used)

1 1/4 tsp baking soda (for a less crumbly, firmer texture use 1/2 tsp baking soda)

8 tbsp boiling water
Method

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place flours, sugars, pumpkin and sesame seeds, oatmeal, and flax meal in a bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the center.
2. Place butter, coconut oil, and molasses in a saucepan to melt, or microwave in a bowl to melt. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water. Add melted ingredients and dissolved baking soda to dry ingredients and mix to combine.
3. For shaping, I use a wooden mold that is made specifically for a Lebanese pastry called Ma'amool, and fill the mold completely with the dough, pressing it tightly then inverting it on to the baking sheet.

I would imagine, as I stated in a previous recipe, a similar shape might also be obtained if the mixture is packed tightly into an oiled foil cupcake liner then inverted onto prepared baking trays (I use parchment paper), allowing space for biscuits to spread while cooking. The dough can be a bit crumbly and that makes it difficult to handle.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to cool for 15-20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake the cookies for another 45-50 minutes until they are golden brown in color. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. The cookies will become harder as they cool. Store in an airtight container.                      

Ground Pork with Bitter Melon

I guess this recipe could also be entitled, "Fish Tasting Pork with Bitter Melon". The pork does end up with a "fishy" taste. I grew up eating mainly Hakka Chinese food in Jamaica. My friend's mother was an excellent cook, and she would always put something "smelly" in whenever she cooked Bitter Melon. It would either be dried shrimp or dried fish, something to make it fragrant (Fragrant 香 - xiāng). Nowadays, the term "Umami" is used to describe that kind of taste, and for me, it's an integral part of my taste in food.  I decided to use XO Sauce and Fish Sauce to try and recapture that taste. I use Lee Kum Kee Premium XO Sauce. It's very expensive but has a quality and taste that the cheaper versions cannot match. Getting the right balance between the "sweet" and Salty" tastes in this dish that counteract the bitterness of the Bitter Melon, is not easy. The seasonings may require adjustment at final tasting to get the taste you like.This dish has very little sauce so it goes well with stir-fried vegetables or steamed Chinese Broccoli or Yu Choy Sum.
Ingredients

3/4 lb ground pork

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 bitter melon, washed, deseeded, and sliced (see photo)

1 tablespoon salt

3 stalks green onion

3 cloves garlic

4-5 slices of ginger root
1/2 tsp black or white pepper

1 heaping tbsp Lee Kum Kee XO Premium Sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 chicken bullion cube + 1/2 cup water

1/2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp Guilin chili sauce
Method
1. Wash, remove pulp and seeds, and slice the Bitter Melon (see photos). Mix with 1 tablespoon of salt and set aside for about a half hour. This helps to decrease the bitterness of the Bitter Melon. 

2. Place the garlic and green onions in a small chopper, and chop finely (see photo).

3. Rinse and drain the Bitter Melon so that no salt is left on the vegetable.

4. Microwave the chicken cube with the water so that it's dissolved. Mix in the XO sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and chili sauce.

5. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and fry the ground pork until fully cooked, and some of the pork starts to brown. Add the black or white pepper to this mixture.

6. Add the ginger root, chopped green onions and garlic and continuing frying.

7. Add the sliced Bitter Melon and continuing stir-frying

8. Add the bullion mixture with sauces to the wok and cook at high heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve.
 

Oven Baked Beer Braised Pork Ribs

I like barbecued ribs a lot but do not have an outdoor grill. This has forced me to come up with ways to "barbecue" using only my oven. One supermarket here in the US sells what they call "end tips" of pork spareribs. These appear to be the ends that are cut off a rack of ribs to make the edges nice and straight. This is what I used for this dish but any cut of pork ribs may be used e.g country style, Missouri style etc. I use Jamaican type seasoning as that's what I like but I'm sure any type of all purpose meat seasoning could also be used. 

Yummy, rich, dark brown sauce. Ignore the rice grains

 Ingredients

3 to 3 1/2 lbs rib tips or pork spareribs

3 tbsp all purpose meat seasoning

1 bottle barbecue sauce, any brand you like

1 tbsp Sriracha pepper sauce

1 tsp Paprika

1 12 oz bottle lager

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

3 medium sized shallots,chopped coarsely

4 tbsp cooking oil
Method
1. The rib tips come cut the length of a rack of pork. I cut them into shorter lengths. Season with the all purpose seasoning and paprika (see photo) and 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Marinate in refrigerator overnight. 

2. Line a roasting pan with heavy duty oven foil. Place ribs on the rack of a roasting pan, and broil until lightly charred (see photo). Alternatively, you could brown the ribs in a frying pan. 

 3. Discard the oil that's drained into the roasting pan and add the remaining 2 tbsp cooking oil fresh cooking oil. Add the chopped shallots to this (see photo) and put under broiler until the shallots start to cook and smell fragrant.

 

4. Remove from under broiler. Set oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the broiled pork strips to the roasting pan, along with the lager, brown sugar, and molasses. Cover with foil and steam bake for 1 hour.

5. Remove pan from oven, uncover, and add the bottle of barbecue sauce, and the Sriracha pepper sauce. Shake pan back and forth to mix and coat the ribs, making sure that they are submerged in the liquid.

6. Place roasting pan under broiler and broil until the liquid is bubbling, reduced in volume, thickens and coats the ribs. You may have to move the pan from under the broiler to turn the ribs in the mixture so that they do not burn but instead develop an even char. The ribs come out with a rich, brown color, coated with sauce, and have a really good flavor.

Spicy Indian Style Jerk Wings

As I have said in my previous postings, I like to explore what happens when I mix seasonings from different countries. This mixture combines Jamaican Jerk with Indian Garam Masala, and uses a variety of cooking methods to achieve the look and taste of Grilled Jerk Chicken, in an urban kitchen. The methods used are sautéing, steam-baking, and broiling. These are quite spicy! The spiciness may be tempered with a sweet dipping sauce.

Ingredients

3lbs chicken wings

Marinade
2 rounded tbsp dried jerk seasoning (any brand)
1 rounded tbsp garam masala
1/2 tbsp wet jerk seasoning (any brand)
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp Salt and 1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp pickapeppa sauce
1/2 tbsp molasses or thick soya sauce. Don’t use ordinary soya sauce, it is not the same thing.
1-2 tsp vinegar

2-3 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1. Make cuts in the wings and put in a Ziploc plastic bag
2. Mix marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken. Massage the marinade into the cut wings well.
3. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator
4. Remove from refrigerator. Heat a wok or frying pan then quickly sauté the marinated wings in the pan until the seasonings release their fragrance. This also helps to cook the dry seasonings and make them less powdery. Transfer the wings, along with the oil into a 9 by 13 inch roasting pan which has been lined with foil. Cover the pan with foil.
5. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully lift off the foil covering so that the escaping steam does not burn your hands. Place the wings on a plate. They are cooked at this stage. Place a rack in the roasting pan and put the wings on top of the rack. Place under broiler for 10-15 minutes until the wings are slightly charred and the skin crisps up.In the photo below, I have accompanied the wings with Freekeh Tabouli, and Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken (Optional). 

Breakfast Oat Mounds

These are healthy breakfast oat mounds, crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Because they are double baked, they will keep for a long time. While not entirely gluten free, I have used some alternative flours to lower the gluten content. They are also not very sweet but sweet enough for me. The recipe is based on an earlier recipe in my blog, Anzac Cookies.
Ingredients


1 cups regular Old Fashioned oats
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flax meal
3.5 oz dessicated coconut, unsweetened (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 cup toasted, salted Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, dates, figs, cranberries, etc), coarsely chopped, then chopped more finely in a small food chopper
1/4 cup molasses
4 oz weight butter
4 oz weight coconut oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons hot water
Method

To make, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix the first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Melt the molasses, coconut oil, and butter together in the microwave. Mix in the baking soda with hot water, and add to the microwave mixture. This will froth or bubble up so quickly pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. The dough is fairly crumbly and dry, much like my version of Anzac Cookies. I pressed to dough mixture into a Lebanese Ma’mool mold (see photo).

Pack it really tightly, then unmold on to the parchment lined pans.

If you don't have one of those, a foil muffin liner can also be used if you pack it two-thirds full, then unmold. Bake on parchment paper lined cookie tin in the oven for ten minutes. Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes then put back in 250 degrees F oven for 60 minutes. Turn off oven and leave the cookies in there to dry out further. Cool on a rack.

Tamarind Jerk Beef Strips

This is a really quick and tasty recipe for beef. It can be eaten in a wrap or with rice. It combines the flavors of Jerk and Tamarind, both Caribbean favorites. It is not particularly spicy but very tasty. Any brand of dried jerk seasoning may be used but for the Tamarind flavor, I like to use a Tangy Tamarind Chutney made by a company called National.

Ingredients

7 oz New York Strip Steak, cut in strips

½ tbsp dried jerk seasoning

½ tsp salt

½ tsp brown sugar

½ tsp thyme

1 shallot

1 small jalapeno pepper

3 cloves garlic

3-4 cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1-2 tsp Worcester sauce

1 tbsp Tangy Tamarind chutney

2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1. Cut the steak into small strips. Season with jerk seasoning, salt, Worcester sauce, brown sugar and thyme
2. Place shallot, garlic cloves and jalapeno pepper slices in a small chopper, and pulse to coarsely chop.
3. Heat oil in a pan and sauté chopped shallot, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Cook until the chopped shallot becomes transparent
4. Add steak strips with seasoning and sauté until lightly brown. Add chopped cherry tomatoes, and tamarind chutney. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Eat with rice or in a wrap.

 

A Quick and Easy Banana Date Bread Made in a Food Processor

I love Banana bread but hate all the steps of mashing, chopping etc that you have to go through to make it. I wanted to come up with a tea bread that could be made in a food processor, one that was quick, easy and for which the food processor would do all the work of mixing, chopping etc. Some of the new, fancy, all-in one kitchen mixers they are now promoting on the market for close to $1000 might do all that but I only have a $30 food processor to use. The recipe is a simple one but does require the steps to be carefully followed as a food processor is not like a stand mixer. The bread is not the usual sickly sweet banana bread but one with a slight tartness to it because of the added tamarind flavor.

 Ingredients

8 oz whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Seeds from 4 green Cardamom pods (or ¼ tsp ground Cardamom)

2 oz butter

2 oz coconut oil

4 oz dark brown sugar

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp tamarind paste

2 bananas cut in1/2 inch slices

½ lime, juiced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 oz pitted dates

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the rack in the middle position of your oven. Grease and line a 2 lb loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Cut the bananas into 1/2 inch slices, and squeeze the lime juice over it.
3. Mix the honey, molasses, and tamarind concentrate in a small bowl I find that a little oil on the spoons used to measure these “syrups” helps them to slide easily off the spoon)
4. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, dates, and spices (Note: If I’m using Cardamom seeds, I put them in at this stage so that the food processor will grind them up) in the food processor bowl. Pulse on high 6-8 times until the mixture looks like cornmeal and the dates are finely chopped
5. Add the butter, and coconut oil to this and process until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs (about 30-40 seconds).
6. Add the lightly beaten eggs, the mixture of “syrups”, and the banana slices and lime juice to the processor bowl. Process until smooth (about 1 minute on high) and no whole slices of banana can be seen.

Empty into loaf pan and bake for about 60-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a rubber spatula around edges before turning out to cool further.