A Taste of Life: February 2013

Monday, 4 February 2013

Coconut Angel Cookies

Laura's Puto Seko

Kokosmilch Cookies (German)

kokosmelkoekjes (Dutch)

biscuits de lait de coco (French)

galletas de leche de coco (Spanish)

biscotto al latte di cocco (Italian)

mmm crunch... crunch... crunch!!! and a hot coffee of Douwe Egberts keeping me alert and awake while editing manuscript and at the same time I'm crunching these little cute puto secco, my mind goes in an Italian rhyme:

"Hai mai sentito del puto secco?

é un biscotto al latte di cocco

sono biscotti di cocco degli angeli.

Adesso sto mangiando con buon gusto!

Giá tanto tempo che non li ho piú assaggiato:

croccante, delizioso, dolce e secco

mi tocca con la nostalgia

a riccordare il mio paese cosí lontano."

Translating it in English won't be as sweet and rhyming as I randomly thought in Italian.

It means:

Have you ever heard of puto secco?

It's a cookie with coconut milk

they are the coconut angel cookies.

I'm eating it now with delicious thoughts

How long time it had been since I last ate it:

croccant, delicious, sweet and dry

every crunch touches a nostalgic sky

as I remember my far and away country.

"If puto seko is considered as the coconut angel cookies,

then, would you like to give to some to fend off tempting devil who comes your way?"

A Taste of Life
an excerpt from the novel by Angelica Hopes
© Ana Angelica Abaya van Doorn
www.angelicahopes.com
All Rights Reserved.

I'm taking a break right now with a cup of coffee while editing a 498 pages of manuscript as I grabbed the irresistible Puto Seko package made by Laura's from Bgy. San Vicente, Angono Rizal. I bought it last weekend at Filipino Village Sari-sari Store in Rotterdam.

This particular puto seko (secco - means dry in Italian language) is composed of corn starch, sugar cane, wheat, flour, coconut milk, hydrogenated palm oil, eggs, leavening & iodized salt.

How to make a puto secco:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
4 cups cornstarch
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking powder

Here’s how:

Preheat oven to 375degrees F ( (190 degrees C)
Grease the cookie sheets.
In a bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until well-blended and smooth.
Beat the eggs. One egg at a time.
Stir in a cornstarch, cream of tartar and baking powder until well-blended.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the cookie sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes until the puto seco becomes lights brown.
Allow to cool before serving.

Puto Seko Recipe #2

Ingredients:

300 grams pkg Cornstarch
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 pcs eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup white sugar

Here’s how:

Mix all ingredients together.
Transfer to cookie molds and bake at 300° F oven until golden brown.

Acknowledgement of the Source of recipe: Entre Pinoys Atbp

Sunday, 3 February 2013

Fruit & Vegetable Romance

Photo Credit: Eat Out, Lisbon, Portugal

You need a little bit of romance today

Banana gives you support of strong potassium as it helps control heart rate and blood pressure, hindering bad effects of sodium and carrot sweetly crunch gives you Saffron sense of anti-oxidant, carotenes blending in a romantic dance of a healthy living as you include them in your daily meal matching the challenging moments of your day at work, school or any of your endeavor.

~ Angelica Hopes, Reflections

Live healthy. Stay safe.

A Taste of Life

a novel by Angelica Hopes

www.angelicahopes.com

* * * * *

Health benefits of banana fruit

Banana fruit is one of the high calorie tropical fruits. 100 g of fruit provides 90 calories. Besides, it contains good amounts of health benefiting anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
Banana pulp is composed of soft, easily digestible flesh with simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body instantly; thus, for these qualities, bananas are being used by athletes to get instant energy and as supplement food in the treatment plan for underweight children.
The fruit contains a good amount of soluble dietary fiber (7% of DRA per 100 g) that helps normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation problems.
It contains health promoting flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin, ß and α-carotenes in small amounts. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), provides about 28% of daily-recommended allowance. Pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role for the treatment of neuritis, and anemia. Further, it helps decrease homocystine (one of the causative factors in coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels within the body.
The fruit is an also moderate source of vitamin-C (about 8.7 mg per 100g). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
Fresh bananas provide adequate levels of minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells.
Fresh banana is a very rich source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides 358 mg potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering bad effects of sodium.

Health benefits of carrots

Sweet and succulent carrots are notably rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and dietary fiber; however, they provide only 41 calories per 100 g, negligible amount of fat and no cholesterol.
They are exceptionally rich source of carotenes and vitamin-A. 100 g fresh carrot contains 8285 µg of beta-carotene and 16706 IU of vitamin A. Studies have found that flavonoid compounds in carrots help protect from skin, lung and oral cavity cancers.
Carotenes are converted into vitamin A in the liver. Beta-carotene is the major carotene that is present in these roots. Beta carotene is one of the powerful natural anti-oxidant helps protect body from harmful oxygen-free radical injury. In addition, it also has all the functions of vitamin A such as vision, reproduction (sperm production), maintenance of epithelial integrity, growth and development.
Carrots are rich in poly-acetylene antioxidant falcarinol. Research study conducted by scientists at University of Newcastle on laboratory animals has found that falcarinol in carrots may help fight against cancers by destroying pre-cancerous cells in the tumors.
Fresh roots are also good in vitamin C; provide about 9% of RDA. Vitamin C is water soluble anti-oxidant. It helps the body maintain healthy connective tissue, teeth and gum. Its anti-oxidant property helps the body protect from diseases and cancers by scavenging harmful free radicals.
In addition, this root vegetable is especially rich in many B-complex groups of vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc., that acts as co-factors to enzymes during substrate metabolism in the body.
Further, They also compose healthy levels of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

Source of Nutritional Benefits of Banana and Carrots: Nutrition and You

Raspberries and blueberries flan

Here is how I make a berry flan - with raspberries and blueberries, good for 12 servings:

PASTRY

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) all purpose flour
3 tbsp (45 ml) white sugar
1/4 lb (110g) butter or margarine, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp (15 ml) ice water

FILLING

4 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) icing sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) brandy

TOPPING

1 basket raspberries
1 basket blueberries
extra icing sugar

1. To prepare pastry: Place flour and sugar in food processor. Process until combined. Gradually add butter to the flour. Process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Add egg yolk. Process until combined. With the motor running, add only enough water until pastry forms a soft ball.

3. Turn mixture out into a lightly floured board. Knead lightly. Wrap in plastic wrap. Rest for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry to fit an 11 inch (28 cm) flan or quiche pan.

4. Blind cake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Discard foil and rice, bake a further for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. Let cool.

5. To prepare filling: Place softened cream cheese and sour cream in food processor. Process until smooth. Add icing sugar and brandy. Combine well. Transfer to a bowl. Chill.

6. To prepare topping: Spoon filling into pastry shell. Arrange berries over the filling. Lightly dust with extra icing sugar. Chill.

*** n. 4: Blind Baking: Line pastry with kitchen parchment or foil and dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake at 400 degrees C or 200 degrees C for 5 minutes, Remove paper and beans. Bake further 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

Raspberries and Blueberries flan:

Happy cooking and baking!

Feel free to share us a feedback, additional tip or share how you bake your cake with fruits from the woods - which could be ranging from strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.

A Taste of Life

Angelica Hopes