Silk: Non-dairy Yogurt

Just had to post this while I'm eating it...

I've tried some different non-dairy yogurts before and have not had too great an experience until now. I have tried the soymilk ones from Whole Soy & Co. The texture was slightly grainy and not thick and creamy like regular yogurt. I have also tried almond milk yogurt from Amande. This was like eating flavored almond milk agar jello (if you know Vietnamese "tat", a firm white jello made with coconut milk and (I think) agar). The texture was not creamy but too light and gel-like.

I have recently bought the Silk "fruity & creamy" soymilk yogurts and these really hit the spot. The first was Black Cherry, which I thought was pretty tasty. But the flavor that prompted me to write this is the peach mango flavor. It's just so good! It is not as creamy as 2% or whole milk yogurt, but has a light creaminess and the right consistency.

http://silk.com/products/peach-mango-soy-fruity-creamy

It's made with soymilk, cane sugar, maltodextrin, peaches, mangoes  natural flavor, tricalcium phosphate (calcium source), pectin, sodium citrate, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), sea salt, locust bean gum, malic acid, Vitamin D2, and Live & Active Cultures

The sugar content, 19g, is lower than most milk-based flavored yogurts (often topping 20-30g of sugar per serving). It also has 6 g of protein, which much be from the soymilk, because no other source of isolated protein is listed in the ingredients. I think this is great because Americans are getting too much chemically-isolated proteins in their diet. We do eat enough meat, nuts, and legumes to give us enough protein. We do not need soy or milk protein isolates. They are usually derived through strenuous chemical and physical separation processes that wastes the rest of the original material and puts the final product through too many chemicals and treatments. If you want more protein, people, don't suffer those chalky powders! Just eat a handful of almonds or a chicken thigh. I assure you that you'll enjoy that better.

This was not endorsed or sponsored  by Silk. I just really liked this yogurt and wanted to share my experience.

Question of the day: Have you tried alternative yogurts/ice creams? What is your favorite brand and flavor?

Happy Springtime!

Cooking with Love: Steamed Flounder and Pumpkin Cheese Pie

My boyfriend is a sweet guy. He is willing to try new things (to an extent) and willing to help out when I ask him. I believe that what makes our relationship work so well is that we communicate to each other when something is problematic. He keeps me modest with his honesty and pointing out awkward or inconsiderate mannerisms of mine. Things I cook, bake, and other things I do, he points out what is good but also what I could improve on. Truth be told, it irks me sometimes because I may not be looking for perfection right then, just somethibg passable so I can move on. Nevertheless, I give consideration to his comments, even if I respond defensively at first.

I have been trying to teach him how to be more self-sufficient and proactive lately. As we are both becoming independent adults, I believe it is necessary to learn how to take care of oneself. Cooking and household chores are basic skills every person should be able to do when they become an adult, regardless of sex/gender. Eventually, our parents will not be there to take care of us all the time, and we have to rely on ourselves for food, comfort, and care. Furthermore, one cannot subsist on eating out for nearly every meal. You would go broke before you even pay rent. 

This is why I have been teaching my boyfriend how to cook, wash and dry clothes, and some minor cleaning.  Also, he had to learn how to take care of my dog - that's a life skill too! But, I have to admit that I have alternate motivation for teaching him these skills. As a graduate student, volunteer, and dancer, I don't have that much time to take total care of two dependent boys (bf and dog). So I wanted my boyfriend to learn how to cook and do some simple household chores. Then, I could come home from my usual 8-9 hour workday and not have to cook, clean up, and study before attempting to get a decent amount of sleep before another long workday. A woman's dream: to have dinner prepared when she gets home and not have to bother with cleaning everything.

I talked with my bf about this and he was understanding. So wonderful, to have a bf who listens and tries to improve. After our talk, the rest of the day was splendid. What unfolded was a scene I had always fantasized about in my future settled life. My bf and I cooked dinner together and he helped with baking my pie. We had dinner together, no TV (although small distractions intermittently from his cellphone game) and the food was spectacular.

I guess that food just tastes better when you take time to prepare it with someone you love.

The dish that we created together was a soy steamed flounder with sauteed zucchini and steamed rice. My bf is learning how to cook perfect rice on the stovetop through trial and error. Eventually,  he'll finally remember the process. Nevertheless, the rice he made was not too bad. A tad mushier than "perfect" white rice but still I enjoyed the creaminess of the moist rice. I dont make perfect rice yet either, nothing like my mom's. So, as you can see, we are both still learning.

The flounder recipe was prompted by a sale of wild-caught flounder fillets at a local grocery store. My bf always comments how his Cantonese family generally steams food. It is healthier, simple, and focuses on the freshness and flavor of the food itself, instead of the taste of oil or sauces. So I decided to do a steamed flounder, which was also recommended by the butcher at the fish counter. He suggested steaming because flounder falls apart if pan fried.

I used a recipe online as inspiration and ended up sauteeing zucchini, garlic,  ginger, and some sweet pickled carrots and daikons my mom made for Tet (Vietnamese New Year). I seasoned the fillets with hot shot black & red pepper blend (McCormick) and lemon pepper seasoning, placed it on top of the vegetables with soy sauce and let that steam until cooked. 

I started making the pie earlier, finishing the graham cracker crust, when he came over and asked to help. We proceeded to make the filling together and I put it in the oven. As I had hip hop dance class for the next hour, I entrusted him with taking out the pie when done. When I came back, the pie was on the counter, beautifully browned and set.

We set the table with the pots of rice and main course, alongside the pie we made together. It was a proud and happy and loving moment for me and for us. This is a memory that will live on in my tastebuds and my mind, to remind me of how much I love my bf and how lucky we are to have one another.

-----------------------------------

 

Steamed Flounder and Vegetables (serves 2)
Ingredients
1 12 oz flounder fillet (preferably wild caught), cut into two pieces
Lemon pepper seasoning
Hot shot black & red pepper blend (McCormick) (can just use black pepper)
1 large zucchini (any squash works fine), cut into 1/4" thick slices then into fourths to sixths
(Carrots and radish, sliced thinly and marinated in a sweet vinegar brine, optional. Add other veggies if you want)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Tbs minced fresh ginger
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, green parts only, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds for garnish
Rice and soy sauce to serve

Directions
1. Heat large skillet (one that has a cap) over medium. Add olive and sesame oils. Add zucchini, garlic, ginger, and other veggies if using. Saute until veggies just start to soften. Add soy sauce and 3 Tbs water.
2. Season both sides of fish fillets with lemon pepper and hot black pepper seasoning. Make a bed of the vegetables in the bottom of the pan. Top with fish fillets. Cover pan and let steam till fish is cooked through and flakes easily (about 6 mins).
3. Remove pan from heat, top fish with cilantro, green onion, and sesame seeds (optional).
4. Serve with rice and soy sauce.

 

Pumpkin Cheese Pie (8-10 slices)
(Recipe adapted from southernplate.com. Crust adapted from Dessertswithbenefits, a superb blog with nutritious, cute, easy, and innovative sweets)
Crust Ingredients
1.5 cups (cinnamon or honey) graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbs coconut oil
1.5 Tbs Smart balance butter (or softened butter)
1.5 Tbs Biscoff spread (cookie butter)
*(alternatively, just use 3-4 Tbs softened butter in place of the above three fats)

Filling Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup (unsweetened vanilla almond) milk
1/4 cup brown and/or cane sugar
1/4 cup apricot jam (no sugar added, not Splenda-sweetened)
2-3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 oz (1/2 bar) plain cream cheese
1/4 cup honey

Directions
1. Prepare the crust: preheat oven to 350 deg F. In a food processor, grind down crust ingredients to a coarse powder. Press into a 9" pie plate (don't have to press all the way up the sides). Blind bake for 10 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Change oven temperature to 325 deg F.
2. Make filling: beat all filling ingredients till smooth and creamy. Pour into par-baked graham crust.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes in the oven at 325 deg F till filling is set (edges not too browned, knife inserted into center comes out clean). Remove from oven and let cool at least 45 minutes before cutting and serving.

 

Both creations turned out very tasty. The fish was creamy, although next time I would saute my zucchini for a short time to preserve some of that nice crisp veggie texture. Also, I will reduce the sugar in the pie by removing the 1/4 cup of sugar and just relying on the jam and honey to sweeten the pie.

I hope you try these easy recipes out and make long-lasting memories with someone you love in your life too.

~Pauline

February already?

**Chose a new template for my blog! Fancy schmancy**

The days are shooting by so fast. It is hard to believe that it is February 2013 already! New Year has passed, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has passed, Super Bowl XLVII has passed...and now Valentine's Day is just around the corner! So much has happened and it gets hard to write regularly (especially when the internet is so distracting...). I always have to give props to the other bloggers out there for being able to get on almost every day and provide tasty tidbits of thought on my RSS feed and blogroll.

The biggest news in the past few weeks is that I got a dog!!! Meet my awesome new roommate, Hershey:

Isn't that face just heart-meltingly adorable!? I met him at the Humane Society shelter a couple weeks back and it was love at first site. I had meant to look at a couple other dogs, but the moment I played with him, I knew he was the one. 

Those puppy dog eyes get me everytime. It makes me so sad to leave him when I go to work every morning or when I leave to go do errands or go to dance class or hang out with friends.

What is great about having a dog is the impetus to exercise! I take him on a jog every morning, evening when I come home from work, and night right before bed. In total, I run about
60 minutes or more every day. It feels really good and keeps me from sinking into a sedentary rut in front of the black hole that is my computer screen.

At the same time, I spend a lot of time on Hershey and do less on my homework and research. I need to focus better at work so I get everything I need to finish done at work so I don't feel bad for leaving "on time" to take care of my dog. Need...to...FOCUS!!!

I have been baking a lot lately, and oh-ho-ho has that been bad on my tummy tone. Unlike the stereotypical woman, I don't go on shopping sprees at the mall; I drop scary amounts of money at the grocery store. Before coming to the grocery store, I usually prepare by looking at the ad for sale items and writing down what I need to buy and what I want to buy because they are on sale.

Then I get to the grocery store and all that prep-work flutters and dies.

The aisles are chock-full of interesting treats and highlighter yellow and red sale/clearance signs. I start looking at the little sale things and get super detoured and end up throwing a bunch of things into my cart. By the time I am at the check-out line, my cart is full of unnecessary things and snacks that I probably should not get, being the sole eater in my apartment.

But I rationalize it by saying that most of these items are materials for my cooking and baking experiments. Eventually...eventually, I will use that jar of sauce and make jambalaya. Eventually, I will use this yogurt for some baked good thing that is supposedly healthy and might end up going bad on my counter later because I baked too much. But, all for the sake of culinary practice, eh?

Question of the month: how do you grocery shop? Do you like grocery shopping? Do you have a dog or another pet?

Recipe: Raisin Oat Scones

Continuing from my "Catching Up" post, where I put images and brief descriptions of my recent cooking and baking experiments...

Raisin Oat Scones- Sept 29, 2012

I love scones. Not the crazy sweet ones you get from grocery stores or chain coffee stores. I like homemade or artisan bakery scones, where the emphasis is on the good butter or cream and the simple combination of flavors. I love to see oats or seeds top my scones instead of icing. I believe, as a breakfast food, it need not have icing.

These are healthy scones made with oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, and raisins. These rose gorgeously in the oven. Coming straight from the oven, they are warm and tasty and delicious. A couple days later, they get dry, but that's why they are wonderful accompanied by tea!

I made about 8 wedges, which came out very large. You can see how big they look! It is not a trick of the camera. They are actually that huge! Like Starbucks or Panera Bread huge, but not overly sweet that you feel comatose after eating one. They are satisfying, wholesome, and sweet enough, especially great with some vanilla almond milk.

Unfortunately, I did not write where I got this recipe from. I just wrote "Blueberry Oat Scones" in my recipe booklet and forgot to write the site. So, if this is your recipe, please call me out so I can cite you! Thanks! As you can tell, I used raisins instead of blueberries, because that's what I had on hand.

Raisin Oat Scones (8 servings)
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats, ground
2-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbs cold butter, cubed
2 Tbs maple syrup (I used honey)
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup milk soured with 1 tsp fresh lemon juice)
1/2 cup raisins (or blueberries or cranberries or dried apricots...)
1 Tbs flour
1 Tbs lemon zest (I didn't use this)
1 Tbs water
(I added some brown flaxseed for texture)

Directions
1. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (and flaxseed). Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg white, syrup/honey, and buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour the wet mixture in. Stir to combine.
3. Toss the dried or fresh blueberries with the 1 Tbs flour and lemon zest. Fold into the batter.
4. Pat the dough out into a circle on a floured surface. Cut into 8 triangles.
5. Preheat oven to 425 deg F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Place the triangles 1-2" apart.
6. Lightly beat the egg yolk and 1 Tbs water. Brush over scones. Sprinkle with oats (and flaxseed).
7. Bake int he oven for 15-18 minutes till golden.
8. Cool on a wire rack. Eat slightly warm, fresh from the oven for yumminess!

Notes:
1. The egg yolk wash gives it that nice golden color and sheen. Love it!
2. The texture and taste of this scone is more for the health-appreciating. It still is sweet, but just enough to satisfy. If you like sweeter scones, feel free to drizzle with icing or add more syrup/honey.
3. To up the creaminess or moistness next time, I my add another Tbs of syrup/honey or up the buttermilk just a tad (maybe from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup).

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The next scone recipe I want to try is this pumpkin "farl", or a slim scone originally made of butter, flour, and mashed potato and cooked on a skillet. I snapped a photo of the recipe from this cookbook on display at the local Pecan Farm.

Next recipe: Mushroom Mataar

Recipe: Honey Buttermilk Cornbread

Honey Buttermilk Cornbread - Sept 21, 2012

I gave you the preview in the last post. Now here is the recipe, complete with nutrition facts.

I have been trying to perfect my cornbread recipe. This one comes pretty close, but I can never achieve the pure heaven that is Smart Alec's cornbread (in Berkeley). Theirs is a huge golden square served up with their salads or soups. The top is slightly sticky and the texture is slightly crumbly but still maintains shape. It is sweet and moist, not dry like cornbread mixes. I have not replicated that but I found a recipe that really delighted me. The use of buttermilk is a must for achieving a really creamy and more flavorful cornbread.
 

I sprinkled the top with my organic cane sugar. This sugar is less refined and therefore composed of larger crystals than regular granulated sugar. It adds a slight sweet crunch to the top.

Honey Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
5 Tbsp honey
1/3 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 cup (lowfat) buttermilk
4 Tbsp canola, vegetable, corn, or grapeseed oil
3 tsp organic granulated sugar

Directions
1. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
2. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, 1 beaten egg, oil, and honey.
3. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Stir till combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil or butter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle some coarse sugar on top.
6. Bake for 10-15 min till golden on edges and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. 

Notes: I really like this recipe but believe it still needs some adjustment before it can be anywhere close to Smart Alec's. Next time, I may add more honey to increase the moistness and sweetness. I may try using sour cream instead of buttermilk next time, to achieve that creamy texture I remember of Smart Alec's cornbread. Or use half butter, half oil. So many variables open for me to play with!

Next up: recipe for my raisin oat scones.

Catching Up

Wow, that last post was really depressing. But I had to put it up. Other bloggers have to see that other bloggers have real-life problems too and it's not all just pretty food pictures and baking heaven. Also, I needed to get a load off my chest. Since then, things have been going much better. I feel more confident, but that is also because some things in lab are working now. It's a slow process, but it's something I have to learn and persevere through. I understand that graduate school and research is not easy, but the difficulties seem to overwhelm me at times. I will learn to handle stress and anxiety better, but it will take time. First, I have to get a hold on my emotions and allow my self-perception to change. I think I am happier and mentally healthier now. :-)

Now, to food-related things!

As usual, I have been cooking lots and taking pictures of food lots, but being too lazy to pull out my computer and type up something entertaining about it. I will create individual posts for each of these with recipes next time. Until then, enjoy these quick bites of my last semester!

Cinnamon (raisin) rolls (with yeast!) - Sept 9, 2012

 

I once made cinnamon rolls before, but those didn't rise well and were overbaked. This time around, I tried the recipe at Two Peas and a Pod. I switched out half of the all-purpose flour for white whole wheat flour. I also added apple juice-soaked raisins to half of the dough.

These were better texture-wise, but my addition of whole wheat flour and minimal cinnamon-sugar-butter filling made it not as decadent as I hoped. It rose better than my very first batch, but was still not as fluffy as I wanted. Nevertheless, it was tasty and would serve as a good breakfast without the sugar-rush and super-unhealthiness of Cinnabon and the like.

I iced them with a lemon vanilla frosting, simply made from fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.

Homemade Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon) - Sept 26, 2012

Rice paper is soaked in water briefly to soften, then wrapped around fresh Vietnamese herbs, roasted shredded chicken, surimi (imitation crabmeat), and fresh roasted peanuts, and served with peanut sauce. Typical Vietnamese herbs wrapped inside include Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese coriander, fish mint, chives, and lettuce. Homemade, pan-roasted peanuts are a must. The flavor of freshly roasted peanuts surpasses that of storebought.

Honey Buttermilk Cornbread - Sept 21, 2012

 I have been trying to perfect my cornbread recipe. This one comes pretty close, but I can never achieve the pure heaven that is Smart Alec's cornbread (in Berkeley). Theirs is a huge golden square served up with their salads or soups. The top is slightly sticky and the texture is slightly crumbly but still maintains shape. It is sweet and moist, not dry like cornbread mixes. I have not replicated that but I found a recipe that really delighted me. The use of buttermilk is a must for achieving a really creamy and more flavorful cornbread.
 

I sprinkled the top with my organic cane sugar. This sugar is less refined and therefore composed of larger crystals than regular granulated sugar. It adds a slight sweet crunch to the top.

I really like this recipe but believe it still needs some adjustment before it can be anywhere close to Smart Alec's. Next time, I may add more honey to increase the moistness and sweetness more.


Raisin Oat Scones- Sept 29, 2012

I love scones. Not the crazy sweet ones you get from grocery stores or chain coffee stores. I like homemade or artisan bakery scones, where the emphasis is on the good butter or cream and the simple combination of flavors. I love to see oats or seeds top my scones instead of icing. I believe, as a breakfast food, it need not have icing.

These are healthy scones made with oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, and raisins. Coming straight from the oven, they are warm and tasty and delicious. A couple days later, they get dry, but that's why they are wonderful accompanied by tea!

I made about 8 wedges, which came out very large. They are satisfying, wholesome, and sweet enough, especially great with some vanilla almond milk.

Mushroom Mataar - Oct 7, 2012

In College Station, there is only one Indian restaurant (although I've heard about many Indian mini-marts inside gas stations and convenience stores). Coming from Berkeley, and even Southern California, I had many options for Indian food (although, sadly, I did not indulge in enough while I was there). Every now and then I get a craving for Indian food. Tikka masala, samosas, korma, jalfrezi, curry, mango lassi...

I also really like peas, and Indians know how to make peas taste awesome. I looked online for an Indian pea recipe, and I had mushrooms on hand. I came across this recipe and made this!

The flavors were good. There was a warm complexity, thanks to the melding of the mushroom umami and the spices. I served it on whole wheat couscous, which is what I had on hand, but it would be much better with naan or rice (brown or basmati). Whole wheat couscous has such a strong flavor that I would not recommend eating it with anything really. Sorry, Bob's Red Mill, even your awesome brand cannot make whole wheat couscous better. It tastes like play-doh to me...bleh.

Anyways, I really liked this. Probably not authentic and lacks some degrees of flavor depth key to Indian food, but tasty enough for me.

Gingerbread Donuts - Dec. 13, 2012

I finally remembered to buy molasses, so to celebrate its induction into my household, I made gingerbread donuts. They were very tasty. I was really pleased with this batch of donuts. I often have trouble pulling the donuts out of the mini donut pan, even after greasing it up. These came out so beautifully, without breaking the top halves! I was ecstatic!

I iced these with a lime cream cheese frosting (lime+vanilla+powdered sugar+cream cheese). Lemon typically goes with ginger pastries, but I had bought too many key limes and needed to use them. The flavors actually went well together. One of my favorite donuts yet!

 ---

I have more, but I don't want to unveil everything now, lest I blow all my secrets! Or, in other words, it's late and I don't want to type anymore. You can see my other adventures...probably not soon. When I feel like posting again. Ok, toodles!

Depressing thoughts

I've been breaking down a lot lately. I found myself crying suddenly during the summer. For a long time, I've felt inadequate, un-deserving, skill-less, stupid, and careless. These thoughts have magnified intensely since I came to grad school. I feel pressured, internally and externally, to perform perfectly. Ultimately, I feel I need to do everything perfectly that I am being trained on. I feel I need to match MB in her perfection. But I can't. And I am failing to even come close. It's already almost 6 months into grad school and I feel like I should have all this down and I should not be making the mistakes I am. But I keep making these mistakes. And a big no-no is my fear to go to MB with questions and help. I keep fearing the look on her face and the reaction of "Why don't you get this?" or "I already told you this; you should already know this." She keeps saying that I know these things, but I don't. Honestly, my brain is stuck in linear mode and I do not understand how things come together. Things are not straight-forward here and I cannot grasp what's going on.

I hate failure; I hate performing and failing and not meeting expectations. I try to put on a happy face, but internally I'm storming, I'm bubbling with self-hatred, self-criticism, and an inferiority complex. I can walk by people, smile, and casually chat, but I constantly avoid my problems. I don't want to confront them. They are too big for me to handle and when they do come up, I shrink away. I become a meek little being and just agree with the greater power reprimanding me. I'm so weak...

Like I said, these feelings have intensified since I came to grad school. I feel totally clueless and inadequate to be a graduate researcher. I've just caused problems for everyone. I have brought nothing good to this lab and I feel like I should just leave now, before I ruin other people's happiness and ultimately my own.

I constantly am depressed nowadays, and I don't want to be. When I come home, no one is home at my apartment, and even though I talk to my family and boyfriend every night, I still feel lonely. I feel alone and too incompetent for this line of work.

I just want to bake, but I am bad even at that. I don't make culinary masterpieces. I make ugly things that I only eat at home because it's too tasteless or ugly to give to people. What am I supposed to do with my life?

I looked into an administrative assistant job. Sounds so easy and less stressful and less mind-construing. That'd be nice.

I just want to be happy and I know I am preventing myself from doing so.

I just keep running headlong into things. I came here because of a fellowship and research just seemed like the only thing for me coming out of Berkeley with a BS in Bioengineering. What now? Where do I go to find my place?