Pancit Bihon

For those of you who don't know, I'm 1/4 Filipino and one of my favorite foods growing up was pancit bihon.  Since I learned by watching, I've never actually had a recipe or measured anything.  But I've had a ton of friends and family ask for the recipe, so here is my approximation of what I do.

P.S. - I make a ton since everyone always wants seconds and I usually have company when I serve this, so if you're cooking for a smaller group you may want to scale it down a bit.


Here's what you'll need:

2 packages of thin rice noodles
Chicken stock (a pot full)
1 lb of pork, cut into small thin slices
1 lb of chicken, cut into small thin slices
1/2 lb medium sized shrimp, deveined and tails removed (I also cut mine in half)
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup of carrots, julienned
1/2 cup of celery, diced
2 cups cabbage, shredded
Scallions
Adobo seasoning
Soy sauce
Patis (optional)
Cooking oil

1) Bring the chicken stock to a low boil, once it's boiling remove it from the heat for about 5-10 minutes.  Once it's cooled down bit, submerge the rice noodles until soft.  This shouldn't take more than 10-12 minutes.  Once they're soft remove them from stock and set aside.  Keep the stock, you'll need it later.

2) Over medium heat, in a large skillet or wok, add chicken, pork, shrimp, onions and garlic.  Lightly coat with oil and add soy sauce, adobo and patis at this time.  (Note: patis is strong, a little goes a long way)

3) When mixture is almost fully cooked, add carrots and celery.  I add these at this point so they don't get overly mushy, but if you like you like them softer you can always add them in step 2 instead.  Continue cooking for another 2-5 minutes.  If there is extra oil/liquid, I drain MOST of it at this point, but you want to keep enough liquid to cover the bottom of the pan.

3) Return wok to burner and turn heat to low.  Add the cabbage and softened pancit noodles at this time.  I also usually add more soy sauce and patis here too.  Mix well.  Cover with lid and cook another 15-20 minutes.  Stir and add more liquid (I use the stock from step 1) as needed.

4) Serve and garnish with scallions.  Some people also like to squeeze lemon juice on it too.

One of the fun things about pancit is that it doesn't have to be the same each time.  I play with this recipe often.  Today I didn't have shrimp so that was omitted.
I hope you enjoy making and customizing this for you and your family!

Kale Sesame Chips

I wanted something to go with our pumpkin sauce pork-chop lion, so I decided to make some kale chip "jungle leaves".

A local blogger friend of mine, Emily, has the basic recipe that I used here.  I substituted coconut oil instead of EVOO, and sprinkled mine with sea salt and sesame seeds.  They tasted amazing!

Kale:

+

Coconut oil, salt, and sesame seeds:

=

Yum!!

These really were easy and delicious and they made a great side with the pumpkin sauce lion.

Pumpkin Sauce and Pork-chop Lion

Today's fun food was made to look like a lion.  It was also grain-free and dairy-free.

To make the lion's mane I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa veggie curls.  Follow the instructions on the back of the box precisely, I boiled mine for a couple minutes longer than suggested and they came out a little softer than I would have preferred.

The pumpkin sauce contained:

Pumpkin puree - 1 (15 oz.) can

Chicken stock - 2/3 c.

Coconut milk - 1/2 c.

White onion - 1/2 medium onion, chopped

Kale - hand full, finely chopped

Salt - 1 tsp.

Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Curry spice blend (cardamom, ground tumeric, ground cumin, coriander, chili powder) - 1 tbsp

Pumpkin spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice) - 1 tsp.

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until it bubbles.  Be sure to stir often to avoid burning the bottom.

While I made the sauce I had these cooking.  Boneless pork-chops, seasoned and popped into the oven at 350 degrees F for about 30-45 minutes.

To make the lion, I put the pasta and sauce on the plate first and topped it with a pork chop face.  I also used two small pieces of pork chop for the ears.  The details on the face were made with green, yellow and red pepper (eyes, mouth and whiskers), an almond (nose), black beans (pupils), and a cauliflower (muzzle).

We ate our lions with a side of "Jungle Leaves" (aka. kale chips), recipe here.

Homemade Bit-O-Honey... or not...

I couldn't decide whether or not to post this recipe because, as the title implies, the intent was to make a homemade version of Bit-O-Honey.  My version, though it did taste good, didn't quite capture the same flavor as the official candy.  My family loved this recipe though, so I decided to post it.

This was also my first time attempting to make homemade candy, so I used a combination of the ingredients listed on the original candy and the instructions for a honey caramel candy found at Naturally Sweet Recipes.

I simplified the original list and ended up with 6 ingredients (one not pictured).




















Honey - 1 c.
Coconut milk - 1/4 c.
Almond Meal - 1/4 c.
Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp.
Vanilla Extract - 1 Tsp.
Almond Extract - 1/2 Tsp.

Pour one cup of honey into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Continue to boil until the honey reaches "hard crack stage", which is just over 300 degrees F on my candy thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, I found this page that explains another way to check candy stages.  To avoid burning the honey, I kept the stove top on the lowest possible heat to keep the boil and continually stirred the honey with a wooden spoon.

Once the honey hits "hard crack" stage, immediately remove it from the heat and add the other ingredients (coconut milk, coconut oil, almond meal, vanilla extract and almond extract). Stir until everything is combined.

Pour mixture into a parchment lined (or well oiled) dish and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or until cooled and hardened.
*I also had a random candy mold lying around so I put a little but into the mold to see what would happen.

Once everything was cooled (which took about an hour in my fridge), I took them out to make individual candies.

The molds were easy, I just turned the whole thing over and applied slight pressure to the middle of each candy mold and they popped right out.

To make the rest of the candies, I pulled the "honey brick" out of the container and used a large knife to cut individual pieces.  The honey brick was fairly hard so I had to use a good amount of pressure and a back and forth rocking motion to get through it.

I cut the brick into bite size squares and  wrapped each piece individually using sections of wax paper.

Keep candy in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Final notes:

Although my family enjoyed my recipe "as is",  I still feel the recipe needs some tweaking.  The flavor was a little strong for my taste, so I think next time I'll omit the almond extract completely.  The amount of coconut oil can probably be reduced as well.

I'd also like to use this recipe as a base to experiment with making honey lemon throat drops.  

Pumpkin-Nut Pie

Today I told the boys that we'd make a pie.  Gabe wanted pumpkin pie and Rique wanted pecan... so I decided to combine the two.  And in line with our new healthy lifestyle, I made it free of grain, dairy and processed sugars.

This was my first time using all healthy, natural ingredients in my baking so it was definitely a new lesson for me.  I was very surprised with how great this tasted.  And though the visual presentation definitely needs some work, the recipe is a keeper for our family.

Give this recipe a try, you will definitely be glad you did!

Pumpkin-Nut Pie (base/crust):

1/2 c. almond meal
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 c. walnuts
1/4 c. melted coconut oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Coarse grind walnuts and pecans in a food processor (final product should be smaller than "chopped" nuts, but bigger than the almond meal).  Mix almond meal, pecans, walnuts, coconut oil and sea salt in a bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 1/2 " pie plate (I used glass).

Pumpkin-Nut Pie (filling):

1 can of 100% pumpkin puree (approx. 15 oz)
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

1/2 cup raw, wild honey

2 eggs
3 tsp. "pumpkin pie spice" (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice)

2 tsp 100% pure bourbon vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Throw everything in a bowl and mix, mix, mix.  (My little minions helped me with the mixing.)

Pour filling into the pie dish and throw in the (pre-heated) oven at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until the filling starts to solidify.  While that cooks, make your topping.

Pumpkin-Nut Pie (topping):

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/2 c. chopped almonds 

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/4 c. raw, wild honey

1/8 c. melted coconut oil

2 tbsp. ground flaxseed

1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients.  Remove pie from oven at 30 minutes mark, distribute topping evenly over pie filling and place back in the oven for an additional 25 minutes.

Remove pie from oven, let cool completely, and serve.

The picture above also has an extra coconut/honey/vanilla drizzle and some extra cinnamon sprinkled on it, but I ate mine plain and it was amazing without the "extras".

If you'd like a dairy-free whipped cream for the top, I found a great recipe here.

Hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we did!

Fiesta Coconut Chicken Bites and Crispy Veggie Strips

Today I asked my little guys what they wanted for lunch and they responded with a request for chicken nuggets and onion rings.  Rather than dig some frozen, over-processed junk from the freezer, I decided to do some experimenting.

I came up with a great lactose and grain-free lunch.  Recipes still need a little tweaking (there was definitely a learning curve, as this was my first time using some of these healthy alternative ingredients) but I'll give you the initial recipe.

P.S. - I didn't add any salt to the recipes as I am currently restricting my sodium intake, but feel free to add it to either of the "breading" recipes below or add a sprinkle after they come out of the oven.


Fiesta Coconut Chicken Bites

Roughly 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 lime (you'll be using the rind for zest and the rest for juice)
Coarse ground pepper (a couple shakes, sorry I didn't measure this part, just "eyeballed it")
1 tsp. - Cumin
3 tsp. - Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime (salt free) seasoning
Egg Whites (enough to coat all the chicken)
Boneless skinless chicken breast (I used about 2 lbs)

In a bowl, combine the coconut, cumin, lime zest, fiesta lime seasoning and pepper.  Use a fork to mix well.
In a separate bowl, add egg whites and lime juice from the whole lime.  I just hand squeezed it in, but if you have a juicer, that's great too.

There are two ways you can do the next step.
The traditional, dip chicken in egg white mixture then roll/shake/dip in the coconut mixture.
or
Sprinkle half the coconut mixture on a large plate or platter, dip the chicken in the egg white & lime juice, shake off excess liquid and set the chicken pieces on top of the plate of coconut mixture, sprinkle the rest of the mixture on top of the chicken.

I did it the "traditional" way first, but halfway through I noticed my coconut mixture was getting too wet and was sticking to itself instead of to the chicken.  The next batch I made I used the second way and the chicken was more fully coated in the coconut.  Use whichever way you prefer, the first is a faster process but I recommend the second myself.

Place on a greased baking sheet (I coated mine with coconut oil) and pop in the oven at 380 degrees F for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through.  Keep an eye on these and try not to overcook them, the coconut gets really dry if you leave them in too long.

Crispy Veggie Sticks

1/2 large onion
1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 cup of cauliflower
2 cups almond meal (I used Bob's Red Mill)
3 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Egg Whites (enough to coat all the veggies)

In a bowl, combine almond meal, pepper, parsley, garlic and onion powder.
Cut onion and bell peppers into strips and the cauliflower into bite size pieces.

I used the same process for the veggies that I used for my second batch of chicken.  Sprinkled half the almond meal mixture on a platter, dipped all the veggies in egg white and placed them back down on the platter of almond meal mixture.  I then sprinkled the top of them with the remaining mixture.

Place on a greased baking sheet (again, I coated mine with coconut oil) and put in the oven at 380 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Flip them at the 10 minute mark and put back in oven for the remaining 10 minutes.

My boys love sauces so I also made a "dip" for them.  It was a mixture of stone ground mustard, raw wild honey and horseradish. 

My boys gobbled these up, then asked for seconds... and thirds!

The Grouchy Ladybug Snack

Today during circle time, we read one of the boys' favorite books, The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle.  

Shortly after reading the book, it was time for me to make morning snack for the kiddos and The Grouchy Ladybug was still on my mind.  Mostly because the boys kept repeating, "Hey you!  You wanna fight!?"  So, I used this page from the book as the inspiration for today's food art.

Here is MY version:

The sun is pineapple, the praying mantis is cucumber with tomato eyes, the ladybug is black beans and a cherry tomato and carrots for the ground.  I used a toothpick and some black food coloring to "paint" the dots on the wings and the pupils on the mantis eyes.  I realized later that I probably should have put the carrots at an angle to better imitate the brush strokes in the book and maybe added a few red and yellow  bell pepper strips.  Next time.

Making grain-free and dairy-free food art is a lot more complicated than when I could just cut a "sammy" and some cheese into a fun shape, but I think it turned out pretty good.  Most importantly the boys loved the theme and they devoured this healthy snack!