Strawberry Popsicles

中文菜谱：草莓冰棍

Strawberry popsicle is one of my favorites in hot summer time.  They are super simple and easy to make, but the flavor is so great that you will not want to go back to the store bought popsicles ever again.  O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

1 pound fresh strawberries
2/3 cup sugar (use more if you have a sweet tooth)
1/3 cup of water

Directions：

In a small sauce pan , add sugar and water.  Heat it over medium low heat.  Whisking occasionally until all sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat.  Let it cool down to room temperature.

Remove strawberries’ stems and cut each of them into halves or quarters.

Add strawberries and syrup to a vitamix 

Blend at high speed for 10 to 20 seconds until the mixture is very silky and smooth. 

Pour into popsicle molds

Cover and add popsicle sticks

Freeze for at leat 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

Dipping the molds into hot water for 15 to 20 seconds will help to easily unmold the popsicles.  

Light Espresso Caramel Frappuccino

中文： 低卡焦糖星冰乐

This is my own version of light espresso caramel frappuccino.  It is really quick and easy to make; takes less than 2 minutes to make.  And what is important is it is totally as tasty as the ones you can get from coffee shops. O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients： (for 2 servings)

3 shots espresso coffee
1/4  to 1/3 cup caramel sauce (use more if you have sweet tooth)
2 cups ice cubes
1 cup whole milk

Directions：

I start with making fresh espresso shots.  What I am using is Breville 870XL .  FYI, it is a good home use espresso machine. 

It is gridding coffee beans

Tamper a little bi

The espresso shots come with beautiful thick crema on to

Add espresso, ice, caramel sauce and milk to vitamix blender . 

Blend until everything comes together and the coffee is smooth.  

The tamper can help it blend more evenly. 

Pour into a glas

This one is min

Top with extra caramel sauce.  I make my own caramel sauce.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

All you need is a straw!  

Blueberry and Watermelon Smoothie

中文菜谱： 西瓜蓝莓沙冰

Summer is coming, along with watermelons!  O(∩_∩)O~ 

We love watermelons.  Who doesn’t?  They are sweet, juicy and so refreshing in the hot summer time.  Besides cutting and serving them in slices and cubes, I love adding watermelons into my drinks.  They are sweet and mild flavor which makes they go great with pretty much most fruits. 

I make watermelon and blueberry smoothie.  It is so easy that the whole process takes less than 10 seconds.  Simple and delicious, that is my kind of drink.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients (for 1 serving) ：

2 cups watermelon, cut into small cubes
1 cup ice cubes
1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

I use frozen blueberries from what we picked in local blueberry farms.  I love blueberries so much that we never stock up enough to last until the next blueberry season starts.

Add watermelon cubes to the vitamix first, followed by ice cubes and frozen blueberries.

Turn on vitamix , blend on high speed until smooth.

It is very smooth and beautiful color too.

Pour into a glass.  Serve immediately

This icy watermelon and blueberry smoothie is a real treat for hot summer O(∩_∩)O~

Multi Grain Pancakes with Strawberries and Honey

中文菜谱： 杂粮小煎饼

I have been a really huge fan of multi grains lately.  Last weekend I turned our regular pancakes into a healthier version of multi grain pancakes.  They are so good that we might have a new weekend morning regular! O(∩_∩)O~  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of multi grain flour
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk (different grains might need different amount of liquid; adjust accordingly)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
fresh strawberries
honey / maple syrup

Directions:

I love buying different grains, rice and beans from Wholefoods and finely grind them into multi grain flour with my beloved vitamix and its dry cup. 

Store any extra flour in air-tight glass jar.

Shift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

In a medium bowl or cup, add eggs, buttermilk and oil.  Whisk together.

Add shifted flour to the egg milk mixture.  Whisk just until the dry flour is gone.  Don’t over mix because the more you whisk, the more gluten will form, and the chewier your pancakes will get.

Heat the griddle  to 350. 

Add batter.  We are using a non-stick griddle so I skip oil spray.  If you use a cast iron griddle or stainless steel pan, oil spray will be a life saver! O(∩_∩)O~ 

Let them cook on one side until you see a lot of bubbles, flip the pancakes.  It takes about more or less than one minute.

Both sides are golden brown.  That how you know they are ready.

Top with fresh strawberries

And honey or maple syrup; doesn’t that look great? O(∩_∩)O~

Sweet Black Rice Congee

中文：黑糯米红枣桂圆糊

Congee is a traditional comfort food very popular in Southern China.  It can be sweet or savory.  It is usually thin, sometimes runny but always loaded with rich flavors.   For the homemade version, you can cook it any way you like; add any ingredients you like; and enjoy it any way you like. O(∩_∩)O~

I make sweet black rice congee with some very traditional Chinese ingredients like sweet black rice, dried jujubes, red beans and dried longan fruits.

For sweet black rice flour blend：

1 1/2 cup sweet black rice
1/2 cup sweet brown rice
1/2 cup red beans
8 to 10 large dried jujubes
1/4 cup dried longan fruits

Aside from different colors, sweet black rice has a firmer and tougher texture than the regular sweet rice.

I use sweet brown rice because it contains more fiber and nutrition than the regular one. 

Red beans are also a good source of dietary fiber and they also help to regulate cholesterol level.

Dried jujubes can be served as snacks, cooked in soups, congees, or many other Chinese dishes.

Dried longan fruits have more intense tropical fruity flavor than the fresh ones.  Sometimes I snack on them.  They can be used in desserts, sweet and savory Chinese dishes too.

Add all the ingredients to a Vitamix dry cup

Cover tightly with its lid.

Grind at low speed first and then tune up to high speed.

In less than 30 seconds, all the ingredients are milled to fine powder.

Store extra flour in glass jars

Now I can make sweet congee.

For the sweet black rice congee：

2 cups of water
1/3 to 1/2 cups of sweet black rice flour blend
2 to 3 tablespoon brown sugar (use more if you have a sweet tooth)

Directions：

In a small stock pot, add water.  Heat over high heat until the water boils.  Add sweet black rice flour blend while whisking.  When the water boils again, reduce the heat to medium low.  Add brown sugar.  Continue to cook for 5 to 6 minutes.  Stir from time to time to prevent burning on the bottom.

Cover the pot with its lid. Turn off the heat and allow the congee to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.  It is necessary because sweet black rice’s tough texture. 

And now it is time to enjoy sweet black rice congee! O(∩_∩)O~