Pumpkin Buns/ Bread

I have two cans of organic pumpkin puree waiting for me to use.  I always store some when it went on sales during Christmas holidays because I simply adore pumpkin cake.  However, since I have to make buns for our breakfast, I figure pumpkin buns would be a nice change from pumpkin cake since it's contained less fat and healthier.

I knew I bookmarked Lily's sandwich bread recipe a while ago but have yet to try it.  So, this was the best time to give it a try.  I actually over baked the buns because I was multitasking.  Nevertheless, the resulted buns were still soft.  A little harder crust on the outside but soft inside.  One can of pumpkin puree can make this twice.

I got the recipe from Lily's Wai Sek Hong:  Sandwich Bread.  Slightly changed it and made it into buns because it was easier for us to eat. 

My second batch of pumpkin buns with added black sesame seeds.

Watermelon Rind Fried Rice

Surprise, surprise, surprise!  Who could have thought this was possible?  I didn't; that's why I had to cook it to believe it.  This fried rice used the cold mixed watermelon rind that I posted earlier.  Got to say this fried rice was really interesting and it tasted pretty good too.  The cold mixed watermelon rind actually gave this fried rice its taste as it was flavorful.  All I used for this simple fried rice were eggs, soy sauce, cold white rice, white pepper, a little sugar and the cold mixed watermelon rind.  If you make the watermelon rind salad, save some to make this fried rice and see for yourself!

Spicy Tempeh

My version of spicy tempeh.  I used my homemade sambal tumis, if you don't have one, a great substitute would be the shrimp paste in soy bean oil and a little fish sauce.  When I made my sambal tumis, I made a bunch and freeze them in individual small size containers.  So, each time I only took out one container that usually lasted for a week or two, either in cooking or as a condiment.  This one definitely goes well with rice,  but might be too spicy for children.  My Edda loved the none-spicy version but won't touch this spicy one.  My hubby and elder daughter are not a fan of tempeh, but they would still eat it if I cook it. 

Picture of tempeh

Yonanas Review!!

This is another kitchen gadget that I got to have when I saw the infomercial.  As a health conscious individual this is right up my alley.  We loved ice-cream but the saturated fat content, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oil and the long list of ingredients scared me.  I had been drastically cut down on buying them at the supermarket and wanted an alternative.  Then, I saw this and this was the answer.

The Yonanas machine above priced at $50. Easy to install, easy to use and easy to clean.  Came in 5 pieces, except the base engine, the rest are dish washer safe or just wash with warm soupy water right after use.

Ingredients I used here were 2 frozen bananas (got to be the one with dark spots so that it would be sweeter) and 1 cup of frozen blueberries, thaw for 5-7 minutes.  (There are tons of recipes in the recipe booklet that came with it)

Turn it on and push the fruit down with the plunger and we have this creamy and healthy blueberries banana ice-cream.

Eating a bowl of ice-cream never felt this healthy before.  It's just plain fruit, no cream, milk, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat or any artificial ingredients added.  There are more recipes in their website.  This is not a paid review so I am not sharing a link here, but you can easily find the website via search engine.  I just wanted to share this product with my readers who would love a healthier alternative to ice-cream.

One downside is if your fruit is sourish or tart, then the ice-cream would be sourish instead of sweet.  You can add chocolate kisses or top it with homemade chocolate or strawberry syrup, caramel sauce should do the trick.  I top mine with Gula Melaka syrup!  ;)

Disclaimer:  This is not a paid review and I received nothing from Yonana.  Just me sharing a kitchen gadget that I bought recently.

Seasoned Tempeh

Tempeh has been a staple in Indonesian diet for over 2000 years.  After knowing about the benefits of tempeh (fermented whole soy beans) for a year or two, I finally introduced it to my girls.  I heard about it but never tried it until last year my friend cooked it and let us tried it.  She cooked it in sambal so my girls didn't try it but my hubby and I did.  My hubby didn't really like the nutty taste but I thought it was not too bad.

I prefer to slice mine thinly so that it would be well seasoned.  I made this non-spicy version for my girls using half of the tempeh shown below and the other half I made it with my sambal tumis.  My Edda loved this non-spicy tempeh a lot and even requested to keep some for the lunch box the next day.  The tempeh took the flavor of the marinade and actually quite delicious.  I can see this being sandwich in bread and make a good burger.

Picture of tempeh

Don't freak out if you see black spots on your tempeh.  It is still edible, just that it is more ripen and age more than the white one.  I read that the flavor might be more intense as well.  But if you see color other than black and white, discard or refund it.  Another indicator that it is spoiled is that it becomes slimy and smell bad.

Cold Mixed Watermelon Rind (凉拌西瓜皮)

I saw this recipe while watching a healthy eating Taiwanese cooking show and it intriguing me.  Thus far, I only used the watermelon rind to make cooling soup and have yet to try anything else with it.  So, of course this fast and easy cold salad interested me.  They said this is good as a side for drinking too.  I shared my measurement with you as that show didn't provide the measurement (You will have to buy their cookbook to know it).  It tasted surprisingly refreshing and delicious and my friends also gave it a thumb up.  I will share with you what I did with this salad as well (like as seen on that TV show) because I just wanted to know how it would taste like.  Stay tuned for this surprising upcoming dish!

When cutting the watermelon to eat during Summer, save some of the flesh between the rind and red flesh of the watermelon for this cold mixed salad.  Don't cut it too close to the skin as it would be hard.  I have a picture to show you how I cut it in the recipe page.  I also freeze some to make soup (recipe already posted in my blog under Soup).  It can freeze for months.  But for this cold mixed salad I won't recommend using the freeze one.  It is best when freshly sliced.