Banana Foster

This is a traditional recipe for banana foster…the hint of bourbon in the warm banana together with vanilla ice cream is just heaven! I know you might be asking…another recipe with banana? Now you really believe me when I say that we always have banana “floating” on my kitchen counter…thanks to the great price of banana at Costco that it is so hard to beat.

During this warm days…nothing like ice cream, either homemade or store bought…adding banana foster to a simple and plain vanilla ice cream takes the already delicious vanilla ice cream to another level of dessert. The combination of the hot, creamy, caramelized bourbon banana on top of the ice cold vanilla ice cream is just a dream come through for the taste buds. The signals from your taste buds and brains are just synchronized in unison…THIS IS GOOD! By the way, do not worry about the bourbon when serving to kids, when flambéing the bourbon all the alcohol will be gone in no time.

In this recipe I used the 8 inch iron skillet to cook the bananas, which keep the heat pretty high and really gave me a nice caramelized bananas.

After all this talk I better get to this simple and easy recipe that will make you want more and more.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar 2 large banana cut in half and then length wise 1 to 2 tablespoon bourbon

Vanilla ice cream of your choice Method:

Melt the butter in an 8 in iron skillet in a low heat. Add the brown sugar until dissolved. Add the banana and let them caramelized both side, flip carefully as they can bread easily.

Once both side ad golden brown, add the bourbon and carefully use a stick flame to flambé. Cook for another minute until all the flame dies out.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or wherever your imagination takes you…crepes, waffles, cake…

If you do not have bourbon, you can replace with dark rum, and add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice. I did not add any of the spices because I did not want to cover the flavor and aroma of bourbon.

If you enjoy this recipe, you might want to check on these homemade frozen dessert…Cherry Ice Cream or Berry Frozen Yogurt.

Did you know that the banana foster was originated in New Orleans? Because New Orleans was a major port of entry for bananas shipped from South America, Brennan’s Restaurant owner challenged his chef to use banana in his dessert. This is how banana foster was born! Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Miso Glazed Fish

If you like the umami flavor of miso you will definitely enjoy this simple and easy recipe for this Asian inspired miso salmon. I love miso, its saltiness with an added touch of sweet to it…it is just a nice symphony to your palate, creating umami flavor. Miso is very versatile and can be used in salad dressing, dips, base for soup and marinating chicken, beef, fish…you name it…even sweet dishes…which I will share with you in the future. This is a very simple and flavorful recipe for an everyday dinner or a lazy weekend meal. I especially like this simple miso glazed with salmon, but my husband refuses to eat salmon, therefore I used tilapia as well, but feel free to use any fish.

Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoon miso (red) 1 tablespoon cooking wine 1 ½ tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoon water 1 pinch red chili pepper ½ teaspoon grated ginger 2 pieces of fish (salmon and tilapia) 1 teaspoon white sesame Cilantro, chopped for garnish Method:

Mix the miso, cooking wine and water until a smooth paste. Add sugar, ginger and chilli to the miso mix. Coat the fish with miso sauce. Let it marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly brush the foil with vegetable oil and gently place the fish on it. Broil the fish for 10 to 12 minutes until it’s just cooked (opaque) depending on how thick is the fish and a golden brown crust has formed.

In the meantime, place the sesame seeds on a fry pan on a low heat and pan roast them by stirring constantly. Remove when the seed are slightly brown.

Remove the fish from the oven, transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the sesame seeds and the freshly chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with veggies and rice.

If you enjoy this simple recipe using miso, you might want to check on Miso Caramel Sauce or Miso Glazed Delicata Squash recipes.

Did you know that miso is a paste from fermented soybean? Miso has been essential in Chinese and Japanese diets for more than 2500 years. Because miso is a fermented product, it is rich in enzymes which might help digestion. The color of miso can vary from light yellow to a deep dark brown and the flavor from slightly sweet to hearty flavor.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Five Minutes Flatbread with Green Onion

This is a basic recipe for no-knead flatbread. It is very versatile as you can fill the dough with cheese, roll it will green onion, or just plain. This recipe is based on the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, which I got a while ago and have been using its recipes here and there. I made bread, rolls and even flatbreads…the basic recipe is very simple and easy to follow.

Of course being “me” I am never content in just following recipes, I always have to come up with something new…so I decided to make flatbreads with the dough…the variation are limitless, with garlic and parsley, ground pepper and parmesan, ham and cheese and the list goes on and on…

Today I am sharing with you two versions of the dough, white and whole wheat, although I personally like the white better somehow…

I halved the recipe since it is only for 2 people, in spite of being able to keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Before I continue I want to apologize for the massive number of pictures…I just felt that pictures would reflect better than words…

I have for you a couple of simple versions besides the plain one, which still delicious, if you are not in mood for extra work…a flatbread filled with melting mozzarella cheese and a twist on the Chinese inspired scallion pancake.

Basic Dough Ingredients:

White dough

2 teaspoons yeast 2 teaspoons salt 4 1/3 cups unbleached flour, and extra for dusting when ready to bake 2 cups lukewarm water

Or if you prefer

Whole wheat dough 2 teaspoons yeast 2 teaspoon salt 2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour 1 cup unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting when ready to bake 2 ¼ cups lukewarm water

Other ingredients that you might want to use

Mozzarella cheese, sliced Oregano Scallion or green onion, finely chopped Salt Olive oil or any vegetable oil

Method: Basic dough In a mixer bowl, mix yeast and salt into the water (about 100 F) water. Stir in the flour using a low setting. Mix until the mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Please be advised that the dough will be wet. Pour the dough into a plastic container. Cover, leaving the lid loose.

Let dough sit and rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, for 2 to 5 hours. You can now start to use the dough, although it will be easy to maneuver the dough when refrigerated. The dough is good in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Every time when ready to bake, just remove the amount of dough that you need and place the remaining dough back into the fridge.

Shaping the Flatbread

Remove like a large lemon size dough and place on a slightly flourly surface, let the dough sit for 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin, gently roll until flat (about ¼ in). At this point you can brush the surface of the flatbread with a little olive oil and sprinkle garlic, parsley, oregano, fresh ground black pepper or whatever you palate with for…

Cooking the Flatbread

Place a frying pan in a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil or any vegetable oil, gently lay the flatbread in the pan and sprinkle ½ tablespoon of water. Cover the pan by trapping the steam in the pan, which will help the cooking process. After a couple of minutes, flip the bread and cook the other side for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Flatbread filled with mozzarella cheese

Follow the same method as for the plain flatbread. Roll 2 pieces of dough to about ⅛ in for each flatbread. Place the cheese in the middle of one disk and gently cover the cheese with the second disk. Seal the sides by squeezing the dough together like a hand pie. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle oregano. Continue the cooking by following the instruction above.

Scallion flatbread (Asian inspired)

Before I go into the details of how to shape the scallion flatbread…here is the picture of both white and whole wheat dough… pen the dough in the same manner as for the basic flatbread. Brush the open dough lightly with vegetable oil and sprinkle a little salt and then sprinkle the green onion evenly. Roll like a Swiss roll with the onion in between. Take the roll and coil it into a round bundle. Roll out the round bundle again and it is ready for the pan. or just make it plain… I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for making flatbread! Please check the Recipe Box for more bread recipes.

Did you know that flatbread is simply a bread that is shaped flat? Flatbread can be made of unleavened or leavened dough. Most of the cultures have their version. Examples of flatbread are pizza, pita, tortilla, lavash, naan, matzo, arepas between many others.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Oatmeal with Quinoa

This is a very healthy recipe for steel cut oatmeal loaded with all kind of grains such as quinoa, flaxseed, hemp seed, chia seed, millet… It is so nice to start the day with this hearty warm bowl of cereal. This is my almost everyday breakfast…it is very versatile in regards to what I can add on the oatmeal in the morning. Not only that, I get a mix of various grain in one bowl. My husband likes with dry fruits, nuts and cinnamon. I sometimes beside the “conventional” toppings I even have with “Chinese” preserved stuff, food that you normally see when having breakfast in Taiwan.

Since steel cut oatmeal takes almost ”forever” to cook, I prepared the night before and let it sit until morning. When I get up the next morning I just add a little more water or milk, bring to boil and it is ready…very simple!

I always keep an air tight container with a mix of steel cut oatmeal, quinoa white and black, flaxseed (white, dark or mixed) and chia seed…any especial ratio between them? Not really, whatever you like. So when it is time to cook, I just scoop according to what I need.

As you can see…I do not have any details to share…just place the oatmeal mix in a small pan, add approximately 1 to 1 ½ inch of water above the oatmeal. Let it boil and turn the heat off. Cover the pan. Next morning, mix the oatmeal with water or milk according to your like. Bring to boil and it is ready to serve. I hope you enjoy this simple and easy way to prepared steel cut oatmeal loaded with nutritious ingredients. If you are looking for more recipes using oat or quinoa, you might want to check on Oatmeal Molasses Sandwich Bread or Citrus Kale Salad with Quinoa.

Did you know that oats are a good source of soluble fiber. Therefore, oats can help reduce cholesterol and keep blood sugar levels steady. Apparently there is not much difference in terms of nutrition between steel cup oats and rolled oats. Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Crispy Buttermilk Chicken

These crispy buttermilk soaked chicken are baked to perfection. crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The recipe call for panko, which is a Japanese version of bread crumbs. When I saw this recipe that Beth posted on Of“ Muses and Meringues” I thought to myself…I have to try it…and here I am…I only marinated for 2 hours, instead of 24 hours and cut the amount of salt.

This is a very simple recipe with great taste…the chicken turned out to be very moist with a crispy layer and packed with flavor.

Ingredients:

2 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco 2 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt 1 onion finely chopped 6 garlic cloves finely chopped 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced into half Approximately 2 cups panko bread crumbs Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil Method:

In a large bowl mix the buttermilk, mustard, hot sauce, paprika, salt, black pepper, onion and garlic. Add the chicken in buttermilk mixture. Cover the chicken with the buttermilk mix and refrigerate for 2 hours (the original recipe asks for at least 24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, remove the excess buttermilk. Coat the chicken with panko bread crumbs.

Pan fry the chicken with oil. Make sure to sear both sides of the chicken breasts. Transfer the chicken to an oven proof pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked throughout and golden.

Serve hot.

If you enjoy this simple recipe using panko, you might want to check on Baked Zucchini Blossoms or Air-Fried Crab Cake recipes.

Did you know that panko is made with bread crumbs using bread without crust? It is very popular in Japanese cuisine.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week! Couscous with Mushroom

This is a side dish recipe made with couscous and cremini mushroom. It is very easy and fragrant. Great with any poultry or meat dish. This is a simple and quick couscous recipe. It is easy and great as a side dish to accompany meat or chicken. The couscous is so fragrant with the cremini mushrooms in it.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked couscous (follow the instructions form the package) ½ lb cremini mushroom, sliced 1 small onion, finely sliced 4 to 5 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Parsley or cilantro, chopped Method:

In a large pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion with garlic, until slightly golden. Add the mushrooms and cook until all the water from the mushrooms is absorbed.

Add the cooked couscous, mix gently with the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add parsley or cilantro, mix and it is ready to serve.

If you enjoy this simple side dish of couscous with cremini mushroom you might want to check onSunny Portabella Mushroom or Glutinous Rice with Sausage.

Did you know that mushrooms are a type of fungus? Yes, mushrooms are edible fungus and they are packed with copper, selenium and vitamin B2, therefore eating mushrooms is accompanied with many health benefits.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Sponge Cupcake

The recipe calls for cake flour and corn flour therefore these sponge cupcakes are super light and soft. They can be serve plain or with a dollop of cream, jam or even yogurt. Lately I have been craving for sweets, not the really sweet sweets, something light and yet sweet. After searching on the internet for a while I saw a few recipes for sponge cupcakes and decided to adapt the recipe from here.

This recipe is very simple and easy, and the cupcakes are really light. You can always add some whipped cream and fresh fruit on top of it, color it as your palate desire.

Ingredients:

2 eggs 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons honey 40 g cake flour 20 g corn flour 1 tablespoon milk 1 tablespoon butter ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pinch tartar Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Separate the egg yolk from the egg white.

In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, corn flour and salt.

Beat the egg white until foaming, add tartar, beat a little more and slowly add 2 tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Beat the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of sugar, honey and vanilla extract until reach a pale yellow.

Mix approximately 1/3 portion of the egg white into egg yolk mixture, mix well gently with a spatula, add in approximately ½ portion of flour mix, always gently, add another 1/3 portion of the egg white into the batter and the flour mix. Finally add the last 1/3 portion of the egg white to the batter.

Add the milk and the melted butter to the batter, always gently to not deflate the egg white.

Pour the batter into paper cups (8 medium muffin’s size). Bake at 350F for approximately 15 to 20 minutes

Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Cool on the rack and serve. If you enjoy this easy and simple recipe for sponge cupcakes, you might want to take a look at Black Forest Swiss Roll recipe.

Thanks for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week! Kabocha Sandwich Bread

This is an Asian inspired recipe using tangzhong method for baking bread. The recipe calls for mashed kabocha. The bread is super soft, cottony and stays this way for many days. Have you heard of kabocha? Kabocha is an Asian variety of squash and known as Japanese pumpkin. It is sweeter than other varieties of squash. So by reading the title you can imagine what I used to make this bread…kabocha! I used the water roux or tangzhong method, which is very simple. This bread is so soft and cottony…delicious for any kind of sandwich, and because I did not add any spices to the kabocha puree the color of this bread is so vivid…absolutely gorgeous!

I had some leftover dough, since I did not want to place all the dough into the Pullman loaf pan…I quickly made a small pull-apart just by rolling the dough, brushing with a little butter, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar. Cut into strips and layer them together into a mini loaf pan. No need to mention that the little loaf of pull-apart bread disappeared so fast…as if never existed… Because I used the water roux method, the sandwich bread stayed fresh, soft and cottony for a few days…yum!

One more thing…I use my little Zojirushi bread maker to knead the dough, but feel free to do it manually as well.

Ingredients:

Water Roux or Tangzhong

15 g bread flour 75 g water

Main dough

150 g kabocha mashed after steamed for 10 to 15 minutes 2½ cup bread flour 1 ½ tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons dry milk ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 ½ teaspoon dry yeast 75 ml water 2 tablespoons butter

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter. Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough, slightly sticky. Add more water of flour as needed since the content of water will vary between different pumpkin puree. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough. Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let both dough proof until the dough double to its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 4 balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball and shape like a Swiss roll, flat again and roll it again like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman pan and let it rise until almost 90% to reach the rim of the pan.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 25 minutes. For the pull-apart bread, bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for Asian inspired bread, you might want to check on Chia Milk Sandwich Bread or Pumpkin Dinner roll recipes.

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day… to all the mothers out there!

Did you know that kabocha is a great source beta-carotene? Beta-carotene is converted in vitamin A in our body which is important for our health. Vitamin A is important for many body functions, such as vision, immune system, bone metabolism, skin health, formation of blood components, bone metabolism, and is an antioxidant.

Have a colorful week and thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes! Pickled Cucumber and Carrot

This recipe for is for an Asian inspired pickled cucumber and carrot with a hint of ginger. This dish is very popular and can be served as a side dish, in sandwich and in salad. I love this pickled cucumber and carrot…it is a nice addition to the table as a side dish and yes, taste delicious in a sandwich as well. There is a nice balance between the tart and sweetness, and the ginger just adds a nice kick to it.

The great thing about this simple way to pickled is that they stay almost forever in the refrigerator…not that it last that long, you know what I mean.

My mom makes this pickled cucumber and carrot very often…and always send a jar to when we go visit her…this time I decided to make my own, and the nice thing is that you can always adjust the ration between the sugar and vinegar, depending on your taste. I am giving you the basic recipe, please feel free to change as your palate desire.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar 1 cup vinegar ½ tablespoon salt 3 lbs cucumber 1 lb carrot Ginger to taste, I used 1 ½ chunk, cut into thin stripes Method:

Peel carrot and wash the cucumbers and remove the seeds if necessary. Cut the carrot and the cucumber into approximately 1 ½ to 2 inch lengths by approximately ¼ inch.

Place the carrot and the cucumber into a bowl and the salt and toss. Set aside for approximately ½ hour to 1 hour.

In the meantime, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and stir well until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the ginger into the vinegar mix. Set aside. Or alternatively you can add the ginger when adding the vinegar by layering with the veggies.

Drain the water from the carrot and cucumber, by removing as much as you can.

In a jar, alternate by adding layers of veggies and then vinegar mix. Make sure that all the veggies are covered by the vinegar mix.

Place the jar in the refrigerator for at least one day before serving. And the longer the cucumber and carrot stay in the refrigerator the tastier they will get. If you enjoy this simple Asian inspired recipe for pickled cucumber and carrot, you might want to check onVietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrot recipe.

Did you know that ginger has been used in China for over 2000 years? It is known to help digestion, and treat nausea, stomach upset and even diarrhea.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Chicken Potato Egg Salad Cups

This is a fun and easy way to serve a creamy salad in wonton cup. The recipe calls for a potato salad with chicken and egg, great when entertaining. I hope you all had a great weekend…and for the ones that celebrated Easter I am sure that you have lots and lots of eggs. Here is very simple recipe to use up the hard boiled or cooked eggs that you might have.

There is no secret in this recipe, it is pretty much your classic recipe for potato salad, I added some shredded chicken, hard cooked eggs and served in a wonton cup. Again, you can color this recipe, I mean flavor it as your palate desire by adding or taking away ingredients that will make your family happy. I have added in this particular salad, pickles, celery, raisin, apple to give the potato salad some crunch texture and sweet touch…and used mayonnaise and sour cream.

I like to layer some fresh lettuce on the wonton cup before scooping the salad in it, this way the wonton cup will not be soggy from the moist of the salad.

Ingredients:

Potato salad of your choice. Hard cooked eggs Shredded chicken Iceberg lettuce Wonton cups, recipe can be found here. Fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Method:

Make your usual potato salad, add shredded chicken and hard cooked eggs

Assembling the Potato Salad Cups

Gently place a small piece of the iceberg lettuce inside the wonton cup.

Scoop the potato salad in the wonton cups.

Garnish with parsley or cilantro leave.

Serve cold. If you enjoy this simple recipe using wonton cups, you might want to check on Smoked Salmon on Crispy Wonton Cup.

Have a wonderful week and thank you so much for visiting Color Your Recipes!