~ Mangos and Coconut Sticky Rice ~

Ever since my trip to Thailand last year I've been addicted to this dessert. We lucked out in being there at the peak of their mango season, so the fruit was super juicy and sweet. I've been picking up the yellow mangoes attempting to replicate the dessert but always coming short on time or will.

Most recipes for this dessert involve steaming the sweet rice in a bamboo steamer, but with our tiny kitchen and limited tools I decided to improvise using our little 4 cup rice cooker.  The end result was simple and satisfying albeit not authentic in technique. Enjoy!

Mango & Coconut Sticky Rice

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
1 ripe yellow mango, diced or sliced
1 cup sweet rice
1 cup water
1-2 tbs of shredded coconut
1 tbs of sugar
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1/4 cup coconut cream
1 tsp of sugar

In rice cooker, mix sweet rice, shredded coconut and water and cook per manufacturer instructions. Once the rice has finished cooking, mix in the sugar immediately until dissolved.

In small sauce pan, simmer coconut cream and sugar until slightly thickened.

To serve, plate the coconut rice, top with mango. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and coconut sauce.

~ Justifying the Vitamix ~

Mr. K and I recently decided to invest in a high powered blender... okay truth, we got drawn into one of those well trained Vitamix rep's demos of the product and "drank the kool-aid".

Ever since, I've been trying to justify the purchase, trying out different smoothie and sauce recipes. I haven't been disappointed so far but we are still quite a ways from deeming it a justifiable purchase as our self grinding coffee machine has started to collect dust...

Looking at blogs/pintrest for ideas I saw some great recipes for sorbets and frozen yogurt, so I gathered some ingredients from our cupboard/fridge to experiment... and the end result was a satisfying dessert with fewer calories than ripping into a pint of Ben & Jerry's although I am not opposed to that either. :)

 

~ Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Frozen Greek Yogurt with Cocoa Nibs ~

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of vanilla or banana Greek yogurt
3 frozen bananas, broken into pieces
1 tbs of peanut butter
1 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp of honey 
2 tbs of cocoa nibs (optional)

In blender, mix frozen bananas, yogurt, cocoa powder, peanut butter until will blended. Pour mixture into a freezer safe container, mix in crushed cocoa nibs. Freeze for ~1hr until the mixture has frozen to desired consistency. 

**Some shortcuts/tips:

I always always keep a stash of peeled ripe bananas in the freezer, this way you can avoid using ice that may dilute the flavor of your smoothie or frozen dessert.

Freeze greek yogurt in an ice cube tray in advanced. This cuts down the need to refreeze the mixture.

~ Bánh patê sô [Pâté chaud] ~

Coming from a rather large extended family that live relatively close to one another, our weekends were often booked with some sort of gathering of aunts, uncles and cousins all bringing platters of food to share.

A crowd favorite for these potlucks has always been Bánh patê sô, (Pâté chaud) a buttery flaky meat pie which is a popular result of the French colonial influence in the Vietnamese cuisine. 

My mom likes to make these for special occasions as it is relatively quick and easy to prepare. Variations of this recipe include woodear mushroom, bean thread noodles or fish sauce but I enjoy the simplicity of the recipe below. Feel free to add in your favorite ingredients.

Ever since Mr. K and I moved to the Midwest, I've find myself missing treats that are a little bit harder to come by in our area. I've discovered that making a batch and freezing them works perfectly to satisfy the cravings of our family of two.

Bánh patê sô

Ingredients:

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 lb ground turkey* or pork
1 tbs freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten

*Make sure to use ground turkey not  turkey breast, otherwise filling may be a little dry. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

In a medium bowl mix the onion, ground turkey, salt and pepper until well combined.

On a floured surface roll the thawed puff pastry until it is even. Cut 3"x3" squares of the puff pasty sheets and fill the center with approximately 1tbs of meat filling. Fold the square into a triangle and seal the edges by pressing down with a fork around the edges to make a ridged look.

Place the filled meat pies onto the baking sheet. Brush the egg wash on each pie and bake until golden brown (approximately 10 minutes)

Serve warm.

~ Spoon Noodle ~

Just  thought I'd throw some disclaimers out as I begin this: I'm not a particularly gifted photographer or blogger.. so I apologize in advanced for any grammatical errors or lighting issues you may detect in my future posts. I guarantee that there will be both, but hopefully with the flaws there may be interesting bits of travel stories and recipes to share and inspire.

As a self proclaimed "foodie" Mr. K and I love to visit new places and restaurants, and sometimes attempt to replicate our favorites at home in the tiny kitchen. With that said, I am starting this blog as a way to document and share our epicurean adventures inside and outside of our humble abode.

So... the title. No, it isn't a clever play on words or my favorite utensil/food. Simply put it's a long running inside joke that a few ladies in my family and I share from a "food" day trip... a story for perhaps another time. :)