Category Archives: food

No-bake banana coconut truffles

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When I went to Argentina (a country in South America) to visit relatives my cousin brought these truffles and shared the recipe. I have eaten them ever since! They are easy to prepare, full of protein, and overall delicious! As well as a perfect school snack, these truffles do not melt and require few ingredients! I hope you enjoy these yummy treats as much as I did! 😋

Ingredients:

2 mashed bananas

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 tblsp cocoa powder

1-11/2 cups shredded coconut + 1/2 cup shredded coconut for coating

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tblsp chia seeds

3 tblsp honey (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients into a bowl. If your mixture has too much banana add more coconut to even it out.
  2. Let the bowl chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.
  3. Once the mixture is ready, place the extra shredded coconut onto a small plate.
  4. Scoop mixture with your hands and form small balls. Roll them in the coconut until they are fully covered. Repeat rolling them in coconut until all the mixture is gone.
  5. Leave refrigerated until eaten.

If you are allergic to peanut butter, try using almond butter or any other nut butter. The honey is optional, and the walnuts are recommended. One of my favorite ways to eat these truffles are with smoothies. I also like to eat them as deserts after meals. This helps promote healthier eating habits.

I hope you enjoy the truffles!

What did you think of this recipe? Leave your comments below!

Easy School Meal Prep Ideas

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Sometimes, it can be difficult to find a food that is quick to make and delicious to make for your lunch, and sometimes, you don’t have lots of ingredients at home. In this article, I will be sharing three quick meal prep ideas that do not require dozens of ingredients.

  1. Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is a quick meal that is delicious anytime. It will take about thirty minutes to prepare this meal, and it will make two servings. In order to make this pasta salad, you must have:

  1. Penne Pasta
  2. Black Olives(canned)
  3. Salami
  4. Pesto
  5. Rice Vinegar
  6. Olive Oil
  7. Dried Dill(optional)
  8. Flaky Salt(optional)

The Recipe

  1. Boil 1 cup of Penne pasta in a pot, according to the directions on the box.
  2. Drain the pasta and pour into a bowl.
  3. Add olives to the container and chopped salami to your preference.
  4. Add a small amount of pesto into the container and mix all of the ingredients.
  5. In a separate, smaller container, add 2 tbs. of olive oil and 1 1/2 tbs. of rice vinegar and add a pinch of salt.
  6. Pour the dressing onto the salad depending on your preference and mix all of the ingredients together.
  7. Distribute the pasta salad into two containers.

2. Turkey Pinwheels

Turkey Pinwheels can be a delectable food anytime. Whether you are craving an after school snack or looking for a quick lunch idea, turkey pinwheels are a great idea! It will take about 15 minutes to make this recipe, and it will provide 1 serving.

  1. Turkey
  2. Lettuce
  3. Havarti Cheese Slices
  4. Tortillas or Pita
  5. Mayo

The Recipe

  1. Lay out your tortilla/pita on a plate, and cover the tortilla with three slices of turkey.
  2. Place a slice of cheese on your tortilla.
  3. Place a few pieces of lettuce on top of all of the ingredients.
  4. Drizzle a light layer of mayo on top of your tortilla.
  5. Roll your tortilla up tightly.
  6. Cut your roll into small pinwheels.

3. Barbecue Chicken Sliders

Are you ever unsure what to pack for your lunch when all that’s in your fridge is some leftovers from last night. Worry no longer, for this recipe is quick and easy using ingredients that you probably have. It will take about 15-20 minutes to prep this meal, depending on how many sliders you make.

  1. Hawaiian Rolls
  2. Leftover chicken
  3. Barbecue Sauce
  4. Coleslaw(optional)

The Recipe

  1. Wash your coleslaw.
  2. Put your leftover chicken in a container, and toss it with barbecue sauce.
  3. Place the barbecue chicken and coleslaw on a Hawaiian bun, and place another on top.
  4. Repeat to create as many sliders as you like.

I have created this posting in the hopes that it will be useful to everyone reading this. I truly hope that these recipes prove useful (and delicious) to you throughout this school year, and that they can make your morning routine a bit easier!

Crying in H Mart: How Food Connects Us

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This summer, I had to choose a memoir to read for my AP Lang course. My friend and I chose Crying in H Mart so we could read and discuss the book together. Crying in H Mart has become one of my new favorite books.

When Michelle Zauner finds out her mother has been diagnosed with cancer, she puts her life in Philadelphia on hold to be with her mother. Told plainly and honestly, Zauner describes growing up Korean American, her strained relationship with her mother, and dealing with grief. At the center of it all is her and her mother’s shared love of food.

Reading this memoir was deeply thought-provoking as an Asian American. In the United States, when you can’t go back to your home country, food is the easiest way to connect to your culture. After all, what is the one thing all humans have to do? Eat. Our cultural recipes connect us to our ancestors and allow us to preserve the past. After Zauner’s mother’s death, she cooks Korean dish after Korean dish. All her life, she has never felt Korean enough. Cooking is how she reconnects to her heritage and her memories with her mother. Michelle Zauner provoked me to think about how food fits into my life and how it connects me to my heritage, especially when I feel torn between so many cultures. I know I’m not alone in the sentiment that I don’t feel Asian enough for other Asians and I don’t feel American enough for other Americans.

I am of Pakistani, Burmese, and Indian heritage. I have never visited these countries but when I eat my grandma’s shrimp biryani, or I slurp the broth of the Kaukswe my mom learned how to make from her dad, I feel as if I am home. Food is what ties my family together. We were all born in different countries: Burma, Pakistan, India, and America, but when we all sit down at the dinner table, we are all tied together by the same string. Food.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Chia pudding

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A new non egg, non cereal breakfast and possibly even dessert I have fallen in love with is the three ingredient chia seed pudding. 

Image from https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/3-ingredient-chia-pudding/

-2 tbs chia seeds

-¾ cup (or less) of any milk of your choosing

-sweetener (honey, sugar, jam)

You mix those three ingredients together thoroughly, letting the chia fully be soaked into the milk and the sweetener to dissolve and give the pudding the flavor you desire.

First you add the chia seeds, then milk, lastly the sweetener and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

If you would like you can top it with fruits, granola, coconut, honey, jam or anything.

I personally have this pudding as a dessert or when I need a very quick breakfast. I usually add date syrup, blueberries, and crushed almonds to add a sweetness and enhance the flavor.

I have has this pudding countless amounts of time in a little over two months and truly is the best pudding ever. This inspiration came from Erewhon’s chia pudding but not as many ingredients and certain flavors. After a few times of making it, I noticed it was made before.

This pudding is no Erewhon, but it is seriously delicious.

Hope you try and enjoy this wonderful pudding.

Making Waffle cones Without A Waffle Maker Recipe

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Most households don’t own a waffle cone iron. However, most have a innate craving for a hot waffle cone topped with scoops of creamy ice cream. That crunch with the soft bite of the ice cream is just something that I would want everyday.

Recipe:

Duration: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • All purpose flour or wheat flour (125 grams)
  • Salt, however sea salt is preferred over table salt (A pinch)
  • Cane sugar (25 grams-40 grams)
  • Brown sugar (optional) (5-20 grams)
  • 2 eggs
  • Butter (unsalted) (30 grams)
  • Vanilla extract ( 2 teaspoon)
  • Whole Milk (60 grams)
  • Heavy Whipping Cream (20 grams)

Instructions:

Set 30 grams of butter into a pan and begin melting it on medium heat. You want to keep it in the pan until it becomes brown butter. This is when the butter becomes more fragrant and helps enhance the flavor.

Wile the butter is simmering, measure out all of your other ingredients. The two sugars should be combined nicely with the salt and vanilla extract. Add one egg yolk into that sugar mixture and combine it well. Add all of your heavy whipping cream into the bowl and mix well. After that set that aside and check on your butter.

After seeing that your brown butter has been simmering and burning out all of its water content, add an ice cube to the pot and take it off the heat. Set it aside after straining it into a bowl.

Add one third of your flour into the sugar and cream mixture with a folding technique. After getting all of the clumps out, slowly add your milk in while mixing. Repeat until all of your ingredients have been well combined.

Take your brown butter and slowly incorporate that into your mixture. The consistency should be liquid but be able to still hold a little bit of its shape. One way to test this is to take a spoonful and draw a figure eight in your bowl. The batter should be smooth and without clumps.

Grease up a frying pan with just the tiniest bit of butter or using a non stick pan is fine. Set the heat to high for 45 seconds before bringing it down to medium. Once that is done, take one fourth cup of your batter and pour it into your pan. Once you see some bubbles on your batter, it is almost time to flip. When the glossy sheen goes away, it is time to flip.

Enjoy your crunchy waffles with some ice cream!

How To Make A Better Cake From A Box Mix

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I love baking. I love it, but rarely have the time for it. So, I use a good ol’ cake box mix when I can. Here is a way to elevate YOUR box mix so your family is drooling over your sweets.

Materials you will need:

  • Box mix of your choice (I used a red velvet box mix)
  • One 3.4 ounce box of INSTANT pudding mix. Make sure you choose a pudding flavor that goes with your cake mix (Vanilla->Vanilla, Chocolate/Red Velvet-> Chocolate, etc.)
  •  One cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt (You don’t need much, get the smallest container)
  •  4 Eggs
  • ½ cup of water
  • ½ cup of vegetable/canola/olive (what ever you have) oil
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips if you choose chocolate or red velvet cake

For starters, just listen to the box mix for oven temperature. Put the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix on medium with an electric mixer. After that, pour the batter into your respected pan and bake for however long the cake box says.

Using these steps, your cake triples its moisture factor. They also become a lot thicker, making them GREAT bundt cakes.  I really recommend using these steps to make your cakes (or cupcakes) even tastier!

Twice Baked Potato Recipe

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Ingredients:

  • Russet Potatoes
  • Salt
  • Cream Cheese
  • Jalopenos
  • Bacon/Ham/Turkey
  • 3 eggs
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Optional: Basil Pesto, Fresh Dill, Rosemary, Feta Cheese

Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Gather all ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by washing your potatoes throughly

Ingredients:

Russet Potatoes

Salt

Cream Cheese

Jalapenos

Bacon/Ham/Turkey

3 eggs

Cheddar Cheese

Optional: Basil Pesto, Fresh Dill, Rosemary, Feta Cheese

Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Gather all ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by washing your potatoes thoroughly under warm water and rub with salt. Let them soak in a tub of warm water as you prepare the other ingredients. Set out your cream cheese now until it reaches room temperature. Wash your jalapenos, basil pesto, rosemary, and fresh dill thoroughly and place them aside. Begin by taking out a pot and filling it with water to boil. Take out your potatoes from the water put them on a baking sheet that is oiled up with either olive or avocado oil. Now cover the potatoes in oil and place them into the oven to bake. While that bakes for an 45 minutes to a hour, fry up your bacon till your desired crispiness. Slice your potatoes down the middle lengthwise. Scoop the potato flesh out into the bowl and set the skins aside for later. Salt your potatoes until desired saltiness and mash it together. Add rosemary, basil pesto and fresh dill, stir thoroughly and mash together. Now mix a little bit of the cream cheese and cheddar cheese into the potato mix. Oil up your potato skins and add the potato mix back into the skin before placing it on an oiled up tray. Preheat the oven back to 350 degrees and add ham and cheddar cheese onto the top of the potatoes and place them back into the oven for 30 minutes. It will crisp up shortly and be ready to eat! Top with basil pesto, fresh dill, or feta cheese. Enjoy!

Boba Shop Review

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Boba, or “Bubble Tea” as some people know it is a type of drink that contains both components of tea and toppings, such as boba, a chewy tapioca ball. It is the perfect refreshing drink for any day. Sound us, in Mission Viejo and surrounding areas, there are many places to get boba. However, with so many places to buy boba, I decided to review and rank different boba shops, since I am a frequent boba drinker. Here are some reviews of common boba places near Mission Viejo.

Sharetea:

Sharetea is one of the most common boba shops. It is a Taiwanese boba shop that serves a very large variety of drinks, and often has seasonal and limited time unique drinks to try. Sharetea is one of my favorite boba shops because of its quick service and relatively low prices. However, the drinks are made with powder and not real tea. Sharetea is one of my favorite boba shops for its relatively low prices, tasty drinks, and wide topping selection.

7 Leaves:

7 Leaves is more common in surrounding areas, like Irvine, but it still provides good service and drinks. 7 Leaves is a Vietnamese boba shop, so it has some drinks different from other places, like Sharetea, such as Vietnamese coffee. Although it is more expensive than other places, and the service tends to be slower, the drinks are very good, made with fresh tea and milk. I also really enjoy the texture of the boba from here and some drinks that stand out are the Assam Milk Tea,  the Oolong Milk Tea, and the Thai Tea. Along with this they have a selection of snacks like macaroons and croissants. However, one thing I don’t enjoy as much is the pricing as you have to pay for size upgrades and toppings are more expensive than other places, and the locations are generally farther away. I would recommend 7 leaves for their handcrafted drinks and the general aesthetics of their shops.

Ding Tea:

Ding Tea is another boba shop that serves Taiwanese boba, and it has many locations near Mission Viejo and the surrounding areas. Ding Tea has a very large variety of drinks, and I would recommend it for its fruit teas and slushes. My favorite drinks are the Mango Slush and Lychee tea. The service is typically good and some locations also have some small games like claw machines. One thing that I don’t think is the best is the toppings and their texture of the boba is not my favorite. However I think that Ding Tea is a solid boba shop and a good choice if someone wants boba and is new or does not really like the milk teas.

In all, boba is an amazing, refreshing drink and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t tried it. I would recommend Sharetea for it’s value prices and drink selection, 7 Leaves for the quality of their drinks, and Ding Tea for their fruit drinks and close locations. 

Happy Drinking!

Stir-Fried Ramen

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I believe that I made this recipe last year when I became bored of eating ramen with broth. So, I did some experimenting (and research) to develop this recipe. Stir-fried ramen is a wonderful twist on traditional ramen. I find that this recipe is flavorful, easy, and delicious to make!! Please note that this recipe is inspired by Doobydobap, one of my favorite food bloggers. 

Ingredients

1 Ramen Pack (Ichiban is a great brand)

3 Tablespoons Oil

1 ½ Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Black Vinegar

Splash of Sesame Oil

  • Optional – ½ Teaspoon Chili Oil, Green Onion for garnish, Fried (or poached) Egg for extra protein

Instructions

  1. Boil water in one pot, and heat a smaller pan on the side
  1. Put the noodles in the boiling water, and the oil in the warm pot. Cook the noodles for the suggested time on the package.
  1. In a separate bowl (where you will eat your food), mix half of the seasoning packet, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and chili oil.
  1. Pour oil into the sauce mixture you made in step 3.
  1. Take the noodles out of the water, drain them, and mix with the sauce.
  1. If you desire to have crispy noodles, heat the ramen in the pan you used to heat up the oil. If not, enjoy your stir-fried noodles!

Ramen Recommendations:

  • Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork)
  • Shin Ramen

Bella’s Delicious Pumpkin Bread 

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Living a gluten-free lifestyle can be difficult sometimes. Still, thanks to my mom, I learned to enjoy many different kinds of food, including bread, cookies, cakes, pies, and others that wouldn’t be gluten-free. 

Gluten-free pumpkin bread is a delightful treat that combines the comforting flavors of pumpkin with a health-conscious choice that I can enjoy even being gluten-free. This particular bread variation caters to individuals with gluten sensitivities or those adhering to a gluten-free lifestyle like me. 

When it comes to homemade gluten-free pumpkin bread, the advantages are numerous. By making bread at home, I can control what ingredients to put in, ensuring the absence of hidden gluten sources or unwanted additives commonly found in store-bought varieties. Additionally, when making bread at home, I can customize it according to my preferences, such as adjusting to make it less sweet or incorporating alternative flour for added nutrition and the kind of sweetener healthier alternatives like dates, coconut sugar, or even monk fruit sugar. Below is our bread recipe to make in the fall when abundant pumpkins are in the farmer’s market.

Ingredients:

· 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour 

· 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

· 1.5 tablespoon cinnamon

· 1.5 cup pumpkin puree ( or can pumpkin puree)

· 1 cup coconut sugar

· ½ maple syrup

· 1/2 cup coconut oil

· 1/2 cup almond or coconut milk

· 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan.

2. In the Vitamix, add the wet ingredients first, then the dry ingredients, and blend at medium speed for 30 seconds or until all combined.

3. Don’t over blend – 1 minute max. Use your spatula to scrape down the batter since it will be thick and sticky.

4. Pour batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle some cinnamon and coconut sugar on top.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes. And check with a toothpick. Bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean. 

6. Leave the bread in the oven for 5 minutes after turning off the stove. 

7. Cool the bread on the rack and slice it about an inch thick for each slice. Store in the bread box or plastic bag. 

8. Bread can be on the counter for 2-3 days, no more than 4 days. Or in the fridge for 5-6 days. You can also freeze it for up to 4 months.

Happy Baking!

Bella H.