Taro Tapioca Dessert 香芋西米露

Ingredients:

Taro- 1 medium size

Tapioca-1 cup

Brown Sugar-1 cup

Coconut milk-1 cup

Method:

1. Peel the skin of the taro and wash it. Dry it with a paper towel.
2. Prepare a big pot and add 8 cups of water. Chop taro into small 2cm chunks and add them into the pot. Boil them with high heat. When they start to bubble, turn them to low heat. Cook until they are soft. Approximately, it will take about 30 mins to cook.
3.  While you cook taro, prepare another pot of boiled water. Soak tapioca in cold water for 30seconds and cook them in the boiled water for 20 mins. Or until they become clear with no white dots inside. When they are done, use a net to drain the tapioca.
4. Add sugar and mix evenly.
5. Add coconut milk.
6. Mix them and then turn off the stove so it won't overcook the milk.
7. Serve. You can serve them cold or hot.

Reminder:

1. Make sure you chop the taros into the same size, so they will all be cooked at the same time. Use a chopstick to poke the taro. When you can poke through, it means it's done.
2. Remember to constantly stir tapioca as you cook. Suggest stirring every 5 mins.
3. When you want to reheat them and serve, remember to warm up with low heat and stir them constantly. Otherwise the bottom will get burned.
4. How to choose a good taro? The heavier the taro the better. A good way to test is to choose two that are the same size and choose the heavier one. The lighter it is, it means it has been sitting there for a while. Second thing to look out is to choose one that has less holes on the surface.
5. If you bought a taro that is too big and can’t finish them in one time, you can chop them into chunks and store them with a Ziploc bag in the freezer. The next time when you want to cook, you can just take them out and cook.
6. The texture of the taro will make our skin itchy if you touch your face or arm. So I’d suggest washing your hands immediately after chopping them.

Honey BBQ Chicken Drumsticks.

Ingredients: 

2 lbs. chicken drumsticks 

soy sauce-3 tbsp.
honey-2 tbsp.  

Olive oil-1 tbsp.  

Chili sauce-1 tbsp.  

salt-1/2 tsp.  

Ground ginger-1/4 tsp.  

Garlic powder-1/8 tsp. 

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Marinate them for over night. If you are in a rush, you can marinate for 1 hr. Cover the lid and refrigerate them. 

2. Place drumsticks on the baking tray. Brush drumsticks with remaining sauce. 

3. Preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 50-60 mins. 

4. Serve.

Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang) 韓式人蔘雞湯

Ingredients:
Whole Chicken-1 medium small size
Dates-10
American Fresh Ginseng- 4 small ones or two big ones. (Cut off the ginseng roots at the bottom. Korean's believed that if it's not removed, it will give you a fever. You can also use the dried ones. Be careful what type of ginseng you use. American ginseng can be eaten in all seasons. Whereas Korean ginseng in traditional herbal medicine, is considered as "hot". It's suggested to be only used in the Winter.)
Green Onion-1 (Chopped them into small thin slices.)
Garlic-20
Sweet Rice-1/4 cup of sweet rice (Soak in water for 1 hr first.)

Method:
1. Boil a pot of hot water and put the chicken in. When the chicken changes color outside, take it out.
(This is the cleaning process.)
2. Put all the dates, ginseng, garlic and sweet rice inside of the chicken.
3. Prepare another pot of boiled water. Put the chicken in and add the rest of the ingredients, except green onion.
4. When it starts to boil, turn it to medium low heat and cook for 1 hr.

(When it's done, use a pair of chopsticks to break the chicken from the middle. Spray green onions on top and start eating!)

5. Serve (or you can let it cool down and refrigerate it first. The next day you will see the fat on top. Just scoop them out. It will become a healthy low fat chicken ginseng soup.)

*Benefit of this soup:
American Ginseng
The taste of gingseng is a bit bitter. If you don't like it, drinking the soup can get same benefits. Ginseng helps to boost the immune system, lower blood sugar levels, inhibit cancerous tumor growth and neurological benefits. Details please check http://www.livestrong.com/article/118223-benefits-wild-american-ginseng/

Red Dates:
Help to strengthen the functions of heart and lung, as well as nourish the stomach and spleen.

Fish & Chips (Sweet Potato Fries)

Fried Sweet Potato Ingredients:
Sweet potato-2 medium size
Ice cold water
Cinnamon powder-1/2 teaspoon
Salt/1/2 teaspoon

Method:
1. Cut sweet potato into 1/2 inch size thick slices. You can either peel them or not.
2. Place chopped sweet potatoes into ice cold water for 30 mins. (This is to prevent them from sticking together when frying.)
3. Dry sweet potatoes with paper towels.
4. Preheat the oil to 375F. Fry them at 375F for 5 mins.
5. Take them out of the fryer and lie them on top of dry paper towels. So that the oil will get absorbed.
6. When serving add cinnamon powder and salt.

Fried Fish Ingredients:
Sole-4 pieces (bone and skinless. I got mine from Costco.)
Frying powder-2/3 cup (I used the Club House brand. Check the instruction from the package, each brand may differ.)
Water-1/3 cup

Method:
1. Mix Frying powder with water.
2. Preheat oil to 320F.
3. Dip the fish with frying powder mixture.
4. Fry them for 6 mins.
5. Take them out of the fryer and lie them on top of dry paper towels. So that the oil will get absorbed.
6. Serve with ketchup.

Tomato Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
Avocado-2
Tomato-2 big ones
Onion-half of a small one
Lemon-half
Salt-1/2 tsp.
Black Pepper-1/2 tsp.

Method:
1. Cut avocado into half and use a spoon to remove them from the skin. The other side with the seed, you can either use a knife or spoon to get it out. Then, cut it into small pieces.

2. Cut tomato into pieces. Don't cut them too small. So when you mix them together later, it won't be liquidity.

3. Chop onion into small chunks.

4. Put all the chopped ingredients into a big bowl. Squeeze lemon into the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve.

*Benefit of this dish:
Tomatoes are well known for containing considerable amounts of lycopene, a type of antioxidant which the body doesn't produce. Research suggests that lycopene is useful in preventing and fighting many types of cancer.

Avocado contains is good fat (much healthier than butter and even olive oil!), and it makes you feel fuller for longer. So in fact, avocados can make you lose weight as they satiate your hunger which means you will avoid snacking between meals. Avocados also contain vitamin B6, which plays a key role in creating haemoglobin, maintaining healthy teeth and gums, and keeping up the nervous system. Avocados are rich in copper and iron, key minerals in creating antioxidant enzymes.

Onions help to increase the HDL cholesterol in the blood, especially when they are eaten in their raw state. Onions also help to decrease the bad cholesterol or LDL in the blood and they increase the ability of the blood to dissolve blood clots. Onions are excellent at decreasing the risk inherent in developing diabetes and help to fight off the bacteria that are responsible for causing many infections in the human body. Onions decrease the risk of many different types of cancers. A compound known as quercetin has been discovered in onions and this compound is extremely powerful when it comes to fighting cancer and is an excellent antioxidant

No-knead Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients #1:
3 ½ cups or 375g of all purpose flour
1 cup or 120g of  whole wheat flour
(If you want to make it more healthy, you can do 50% of all purpose flour and 50% of whole wheat flour. )
2 (10g) teaspoons of sea salt
2 (6g) teaspoon of dry yeast
½ cup of warm water
¾ cups of milk, brought to a boil and cooled
3 (42g)tablespoons of melted butter
3 (37g) tablespoons of white sugar
1 egg room temperature

Ingredients#2:
1 cup of raisins
2 ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Method:
1. Mix all the dried ingredients from ingredients #1.
2. ¾ cups of milk, brought to a boil and add butter. Mix it well and let it cool down.
3. Mix step 1&2. Continue to add 1 egg.
4. Slowly add 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix them well until you don't see the flour anymore.
When you see that it's sticky, it means it's done.
5. Prepare a container. Place the dough in the container and cover the lid. Let it rise for 12-16 hrs.
(I normally do this process the night before I go to bed. )
6. Add raisins and cinnamon powder into the dough. Mix them together.



7. Spray some flour on the counter and pour the dough on the counter. (Remember to spray flour to prevent it from sticking.) Make it a round shape and let it sit for 15 mins.
8. Separate the dough into two. If you are using a regular loaf baking tray, apply butter inside the tray.
Place one dough into the tray and let it rise until it's double the size.
9. Since I don't have two loaf baking trays, I use my casserole baking pot. I let the other half of the dough rise in a round bowl until it's double the size. (The rising time is hard to control. It depends on the room temperature. I did mine for 2 hrs.)
10. Heat the oven with the casserole baking pot inside at 430F. When it's heated, pour the dough into casserole baking pot and cover the lid. The other one with loaf baking tray, cover a foil and put it in the oven directly.

11. Bake them for 30 mins.
12. Remove the lid of the casserole pot and the foil. Continue to bake them for another 15 mins.
13. Remove them from the baking trays. Let them cool down.
14. Cut them into thin slices. You can eat them with, butter, cream cheese, etc..
15. Serve!

Low Fat Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese 200g
Plain Yogurt 200g
Egg-2 (Room temperature)
Sugar-60g

Lemon-2 small teaspoon
All purpose flour-3 table spoons
Lemon zest-some

Method:
1. Take cream cheese out and let it sit at room temperature until it's soft.
2. Mix all ingredients, except lemon zest.
3. Prepare a baking tray, any shape that you want. Place a baking non-stick paper on the baking tray.
4. Pour the mixed ingredients into the tray.
5. Spray some lemon zest on top.
6. Bake for 360F for 40 mins.
7.Serve. Tastes best when served cool.