MomGateway: Portal to Easy and Healthy Recipes

Askinosie Chocolates

2012-11-11T00:32:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of Askinosie Chocolates? I was looking for a source of Tableya in the U.S. when I stumbled upon the company website. Tableya refers to a "chocolate tablets" used for a chocolate drink native to the Philippines. It is made from raw cocoa beans that are roasted, manually ground and shaped into round discs. Normally sugar is NOT added so the chocolate drink has a bitter, rich

TeaFu -- tea infuser

2012-10-30T00:41:00.000-07:00

We love our tea. My family enjoys cups of herbal teas daily -- green tea, bitter melon tea, lemon grass tea, Jason Winters tea are just a few. Green tea is rich in antioxidants and compounds that promote health, preventing heart disease and fighting cancer. It is a very popular beverage in the East. Bitter gourd/ bitter melon tea is made from the fruit and stems of Momordica charantia.

Amazing Basil Salt

2012-09-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

So excited to share this post. Yesterday, my friend Kim N. brought me something she whipped up in her kitchen. We both love basil but I specially like Thai Basil for it's licorice notes. She used regular basil for this seasoned salt but it was simply amazing, specially with vine-ripened tomatoes!! Kim took basil and mixed it with Kosher salt and blended it in the food processor. Then,

My Foodie Pen Pal

2012-08-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

My foodie pen pal is Cheryl from Texas and she is wonderful! Fun-loving and very energetic, she's a real foodie who loves to tinker in the kitchen and enjoys gardening, working, exploring the farmers market and even has time to take care of six dogs! Did I tell you she's also so kind and thoughtful? Earlier she emailed me to ask if I had any dietary restrictions so she could send me things I

Peach Ice Cream Sandwich

2012-08-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, school started so my sister is back at her Univeristy apartment. While she stayed with us during the summer, we experimented in the kitchen. One day we made our own ice cream sandwich using the waffle cone maker I got from 22BHealthy. We thought blending the pulp of a ripe peach to vanilla yogurt or vanilla ice cream would make a healthy treat. I'm enjoying the versatility of my

Zucchini Bread

2012-08-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

We harvested a lot of monster zucchini from our garden this summer. There were only two plants but they had so many fruits we could not keep up. We tried cooking zucchini many ways--baked, boiled, grilled, dried, stir-fried and even pickled. My sister came up with a zucchini bread recipe that was a hit at home. It was very moist but a little on the sweet side so you can reduce the sugar if

Watermelon Pops

2012-08-06T14:38:00.001-07:00

After church this weekend, the temperature outside was 113 F---so HOT! On my way out, Barbara commented, "Sure need one of those watermelon pops you made last time". So I'm posting this one-ingredient, super easy, watermelon popsicles that kids and grown-ups will enjoy. All you need is to cut the watermelon (seedless is best) into wedges (make sure the rind is on), insert a popsicle stick

OXO Digital FOOD Scale Winner is:

2012-07-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Koko Congratulations, Koko. I've sent an email to you. Thanks so much to all who participated. We'll be announcing another giveaway, please drop by soon!

Sauerkraut: Immune booster and OXO Digital Scale Giveaway

2012-07-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

I heard about the benefits of sauerkraut and other fermented foods from a German doctor who was interviewed on German T.V. In a 2002 article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found white cabbage fermented to sauerkraut is rich in isothiocyanates and other compounds that fight cancer. Isothiocyanates makes precancerous cells to self-destruct, preventing cancer growth

Gorgeous Peaches! Peaches! Peaches!

2012-07-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! A couple of my friends and I went to OSU peach farm to pick peaches. The unripe ones were firm, crunchy and refreshing. Just perfect! The semi-ripe ones were so sweet BUT the ripe peaches were juicy and very sweet --- even sweeter than honey!!! Just amazing! We had juice dripping all over us as we could not resist sampling the fruits. Ha! ha! Half a bushel was

Gourmet Olives from California

2012-07-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

I bought an olive tree cutting last fall. It has sprouted new shoots but they say it takes 5 years before olive trees begin bearing fruits. Right now it's still in a pot and this is how it looks so it will be a LONG... wait before we start harvesting olives and curing them at home. As I was searching for a source

What do you put on your watermelon? And Winner of Real Salt Giveaway

2012-07-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

For me nothing is as iconic of summers than watermelons! In the tropics, summers are almost unbearably hot and humid. The stifling heat just bears down on you leaving your skin feeling sticky even when sitting under the shade. In Texas and Oklahoma, summers bring triple-digit temperatures that just DRY you out! Nothing is as refreshing on these dog days of summer like ice-cold

Bag of Salad Greens: Yes, Grow Salads In a Bag Of Soil!!

2012-06-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Margarita's Avocado Tacos

2012-06-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

I'm an avocado fan! Would you believe I eat avocados every day? Avocados are rich in the good kind of fats- raw, plant-based and nutrient dense monounsaturated fats with omega 3 (alpha linolenic acid) and omega 6 (linoleic acid)s. It also contains fat soluble vitamins - C, E and K, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, magnesium and lutein. Most days, it costs less than a dollar each at Sunflower

Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte and OXO Blogger Giveaway

2012-05-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's going to be Memorial Day weekend and we have Pentecost and my son's birthday so I am sharing with you one of the best chocolate torte recipe I've found. Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte --- it's the only chocolate cake that my son likes. It's moist, buttery, creamy like cheescake, delivers a punch of chocolate---and you need only three ingredients! The first time I made it, we had

Anytime, Instant Falafel and Falafel chips

2012-05-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Falafel are deep fried Middle Eastern chickpea patties/balls. Typically they are served on pita bread and topped with chopped veggies and drizzled with a tahini/sesame seed. They are great as snacks or even part of a meal. You can also shape them into large burger patties for a filling, protein rich vegetarian burger. Making falafel takes time. Chickpeas are first soaked overnight,

Yeast-free Almond Biscotti

2012-05-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Can something THIS good be unleavened? During the 7 Days of Unleavened Bread/ Passover we ate only bread that was free of yeast and other leavening. This symbolizes putting sin out or being unleavened. Such a tall order for most Americans who are mainly bread eaters! On the first day, my friend Patricia gave me some of these unleavened Almond Biscotti. They looked like regular biscotti

Savory Sesame Brown Rice Crackers

2012-04-19T11:35:00.001-07:00

Make your own brown crackers? Yes, you can. I just did.Why make your own?Let me give you just one reason: Did you know that they put talc in rice? TALC! Talc ingestion is highly correlated with stomach cancer! We’ve been rice eaters for years and we just found this out by accident.Hubby went to the store to buy brown rice. Our usual brand was not in stock but he found this Korean brand

Super Tender Passover Brisket and Real Salt Giveaway

2012-04-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

Is Your Salt Real? Do you use REAL sea salt - pure, unrefined, untreated with chemicals and no additives? I grew up using coarse sea salt with specks of black and grey. We used to think it was kind of dirty but my mom said that's the color of natural sea salt. My mom used to get this from the local market. This salt was freshly made -- sea water collected in shallow

Sweet Potato Swirl Frozen Yogurt Pops

2012-03-30T17:53:00.010-07:00

The weather has been weird lately. We almost did not experience winter except for two snow days early this year. Spring is just starting, but daytime temperatures have been unusually high -- almost like summer and I'm getting sunburned already! The warm weather leaves me longing for healthy frozen treats. I'm in a celebratory mood too since my latest scans showed that my tumors are becoming

Sweet Potato Bison Meatballs

2012-03-29T15:00:00.001-07:00

We've been trying to eat healthy so we've cut down on red meat, sugar and simple carbs. When we eat meat, we try to get grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish and free-range chickens. That's why I feel so lucky our Farmers Market sells pasture-raised chickens, grass-fed beef and bison. The only downside is, they don't carry a regular supply and we sometime run out of meat. Son was longing for beef

Never too late for Thanksgiving

2011-12-30T16:16:00.000-08:00

I've been gone for a while --nearly 9 months since my last post. My blog friends have been asking why, specially with my unfinished post in April. That fateful day in April 2011, as I was writing my post, my son had to bring me to the hospital ---severe headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, lack of coordination, weakness and intense abdominal pains. My primary care physician was out of town,

Sesame Crackers and Winner of The Just Bento Cookbook

2011-04-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a recipe for Sesame Crackers that's a family favorite. It's based on an unleavened bread recipe but I added sugar and sesame seeds to it and replaced the flour with rice flour to make it gluten-free. Really crunchy and yummy this time of the year. Sesame Crackers 1 c rice flour 3 tbsp softened butter 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 c white sesame seeds 1/2 c sugar 1/3 c waterPreheat

Palate Cleanser: Shiso Sushi and Giveaway Reminder

2011-04-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Japanese use the word shiso to refer to perilla. The green variety with ruffled edges (aojiso) is used in sashimi and salads and the purple kind (akashiso) is used to dye pickle plum (umeboshi). It belongs to the mint family and tastes of mint and fennel combined. I found some perilla/ beefsteak plant leaves with a purple underside and a deep green topside in the Asian store. I love

Foodbuzz 24x24: Hanami Bento and Giveaway

2011-03-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

Foodbuzz 24x24: Hanami Bento I’m thrilled that my Foodbuzz 24x24 proposal was chosen for this month. I am featuring the Hanami Bento. Hanami is a traditional flower-viewing festival in Japan also known as cherryblossom festival. It is said that the Japanese elite celebrated the first Hanami in the 700s but Hanami is so popular now that almost everyone in Japan celebrates it. The tradition has