Carrot cake bites - foolproof recipe

I don't bake often, but this weekend was a busy weekend for MOH, my resident baker extraordinaire.. and I was craving carrot cake. MOH has been swamped with graduate recruitment (first years normally host), and I felt like changing up the weekend routine by baking up some muffins. What resulted weren't muffins, but let's just call them carrot cake bites. They're really tasty, not too sweet, and have a great softness to them.

I did a modification from a recipe I found on a gluten-free website, but added some raisins and walnuts instead of macadamia nuts since I didn't have any macadamias.

I was multitasking while making these carrot cake bites, so I stumbled with getting the exact measurements for some ingredients - the good news though, is this is a recipe that is foolproof for all us non-bakers out there! Instead of 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum, I ended up using 3/4 (I'm eyeballing because I accidentally did 1 teaspoon, realized my mistake, then tried to scoop out some xantham gum). The resulting carrot cake bites ended up having this jiggly appearance like Flubber (old Disney movie) when they initially came out, but since cooling, they have stiffened up, yet retained their moist texture.

Ingredients - enough for 12 cupcake sized bites:

Dry ingredients

1 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour (or any gluten free all purpose you have on hand)

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

3/8 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Carrot filling

1 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup of raisins

Wet ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup almond milk

Protocol:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Add in dry ingredients (flour, gum, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar)

3. In a separate bowl, add in carrots, raisins, and walnuts - use some of the dry ingredients to coat with this mixture

4. Mix together oil, eggs, vinegar and milk - mix this wet mixture in with the dry ingredients 

5. Add in carrot, raisin, and walnut mixture (carrot filling) 

6. Grease or line cupcake tins - then carefully pour mixture into tins

7. Bake for 18 minutes, making sure to check if bites are fully cooked through (the 'ol toothpick trick - stick a toothpick into the bites and pull the toothpick out. If nothing is clinging onto the toothpick, it's cooked!)

8. Take out carrot cake bites and cool on a rack, or scarf down with milk

Happy eating all!

Restaurant week and oyster ramblings

Restaurant Week has started in Southern California, and MOH and I spent our Saturday evening trying out an oyster bar in Newport Beach. Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out new cuisines at an affordable price. If you're looking for new places to eat with friends or family, but haven't quite had the opportunity to venture out, Restaurant Week is the best time to try. Most restaurants feature set menus for lunch or dinner and offer wide varieties for anyone's unique dietary needs.

This weekend, we went to Fly N Fish Oyster Bar, this great restaurant located right off the Newport Beach. This place offers a beautiful sunset view in addition to a wide selection of seafood items, such as their infamous fish n' chips. For my meal, I ordered an oyster sampler and the lunch special with fish n' chips. While my food was pretty good (who can resist salty, perfectly seasoned "chips?"), I couldn't help but compare Fly N Fish to my experience at another oyster bar in Costa Mesa, which remains my favorite place to gulp on raw oysters.

Shuck Oyster Bar is this great little "hole in the wall" that specializes in seafood dishes. If you're not into seafood, they also make a mean grilled cheese and seafood medley stew that is so delicious, you won't be jealous of your friends slurping on delicious oysters.

I think oysters have a bad rap. Many people will cite the texture of the oysters as too booger-like to want to try, but I think oysters deserve second chances. If your only experience of eating oysters is through the can, you're missing out on how infinitely better raw, chilled oysters taste. It's like eating the ocean in your mouth, similar to taking a bite of uni (into sushi? If so, try uni at least once - it's truly briny in nature and salt laden, but so creamy and rich against the rice background) . Not a fan of oysters? If courageous enough, try one and believe me, you won't look back. Fresh oysters slip and slide so smoothly down your throat, you'll down 6 before you know it (trust me, I have experience). Each oyster has a distinctive taste, whether it's more firm or cushiony in texture, or more tame or briny in taste (depending on the source), every oyster has a different tale to tell. Try it! Don't try it for the aphrodisiac qualities (I'm skeptical about this and the literature out there on this claim is a bit scarce) - try it for the burst of flavor.

Assortment of oysters (photo courtesy of Guillaume)

Haven't had enough experience to know what oyster types you like? Or not even sure how many oyster types there are? Not to worry - oyster bar staff are normally extremely nice and knowledgeable. Similar to wine connoisseurs, the staff explain each type of oyster they have on hand, ranging from location of origin, to texture, to "brininess."

After our Saturday dinner, MOH and I spent Sunday running errands, heading to the beach, and lazing about with our babies. We have slowly transitioned giving Lily, our rabbit, full access to the entire apartment and she seems to be enjoying her new found freedom. She's pretty mobile, but most of the time she likes to stare, scowl, or give us the stink-eye when we eat dinner or watch T.V.

Lily's trademark no nonsense look

While our little venture during Restaurant Week didn't quite meet up to our expectations, the weekend is still young, and has provided a much needed break from the hectic work week.

Here's looking at a better week to come! Until next time, happy eating all!

Got a "go-to" place that you have in your hometown? If so, let me know - MOH and I are always into trying new things. Doesn't matter if it's not in California!

Sick Sundays... in other news - blood oranges are back!

This past week I got hit with some weird cold that just ate up my whole work week... and weekend. I'm sleeping 8+ hours (and still complaining about being tired), hack huge phlegm balls down the drain, and have been ejecting tidbits of soup all week long.

Soup has been an essential tool for a speedy recovery, with different variations circulating through our kitchen, as if like a strategy to make me not feel so grumpy about having soup day in and day out. MOH, ever the cheerleader, has been sucking it up and eating soup with me, but there's been a development in the current situation - he caved yesterday and gorged on fried honey-battered chicken wings and a plate of nachos, extra cheese please. We all have our vices though, right?

For the sick, our best healthy vices have to be oranges. These juicy, fleshy fruits are full of different nutrients that can aid towards a speedy recovery.  During this time of the year, two seasonal oranges can be found at your local grocery store or farmer's market - blood oranges and cara caras.

Imagine my excitement seeing both these oranges back at the Irvine farmer's market! My favorite oranges by far though, are blood oranges.

Blood oranges range from a blushful pink to deep red in color depending on the time of season, but taste like the love child of an orange and raspberry. Deep color, deep flavor. These oranges are not as sweet as the naval orange, but their flirtation with sour and tang leave you coming back for more. Blood oranges are also great for brain function. These oranges contain a rich antioxidant called anthocyanin, also found in blueberries, and have been shown to be important for enhancing memory and preventing cognitive decline.

These lovely oranges are in season for most of the wintry months until March, so there's still lots of time to check these oranges out and explore how to incorporate them into your recipes.

Just look for these oranges at your local produce store or farmer's market! Who knows, you may come across more seasonal treasures at your local market.

Photo courtesy of Jammmick 

Until next time, happy eating all!

Wintry treat for the soup lovers: simple sup mang cua (Vietnamese asparagus soup)

Soup is one of my favorite things to eat.

One of my favorite soups that MOH prepares is a simple napa cabbage soup with onions, tofu, grape tomatoes, cilantro, green onions and vermicelli. Whenever I eat this soup, I always think back on the time when I had food poisoning and MOH's soup was the only thing I could eat without vomiting.

If you like seafood type soups, you'll enjoy this Vietnamese asparagus soup, sup mang cua.

Sup mang cua was an essential "get better" soup during my childhood. Even this past holiday break, my mother prepared the soup as a way for my sister to combat a cold.  It's a light soup that contains crab, quail egg, asparagus, eggs, green onions, and cilantro. It has this great thickness, which lends to the cornstarch binding to the soup, and can be incredibly hearty with fresh stalks of asparagus, green onions, and crab loaded inside.

This soup is very simple to make and is so flexible with ingredient variation. I've seen this soup done with pork broth, chicken broth, crab stock, fish stock, so I think depending on what type of broth base you like, you can adjust accordingly. This is also a great soup to do once asparagus (white or green, depending on your preference) is in season!

Photo courtesy of Quadell

In addition, this soup is really light and serves for a great pick-me-up on a wintry day. One thing that is really unique about this soup are the quail eggs. Quail eggs are smaller than regular eggs, but packed with tons of flavor. They taste more rich and have this great creamy yolk - if you enjoy egg yolk as much as me, then you're in for a treat! 

Photo courtesy of Hisgett

 Ingredients for a standard pot of soup (6 quarts):

- 4 quarts of soup broth of your choice (chicken is preferable, though some people do pork broth for more flavor)

- 1 can of quail eggs (or fresh eggs, but you'll need to boil and painstakingly peel the shells!)

- Bundle of asparagus (white or green), sliced thinly or peeled in strips (can only peel if you first boil the asparagus separately)

- 2 cups fresh crab meat or canned (fresh tastes better, but canned can be done if on a tight budget or crunched for time!)

- 2 eggs, mixed like you're going to scramble them for breakfast

- 2 tbsp cornstarch for thickening agent

- 1 cup of chopped cilantro

- 1 cup of chopped green onions

- Salt, pepper, or fish sauce to season

Protocol: 

1. Put broth in pot and wait for boiling

2. Once broth is boiled, add in quail eggs

3. Add in asparagus (my mother likes to peel the asparagus into thin strips, but I'm super lazy so I just slice my asparagus) 

4. Add in crab meat, either fresh crab meat or crab meat from a can, your choice

5. While waiting for soup to boil, scramble 2 eggs and slowly add mixture into soup broth - this will create a stringy egg appearance in the soup, similar to an Egg Drop Soup

6. Season broth additionally with any salt and pepper, or fish sauce

7. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and slowly add into the soup - the soup should thicken. If you want the soup to be thicker, add more cornstarch, but remember to first dissolve it into water - no one wants to eat clumpy cornstarch in their soup!

8. When of right consistency, turn off the heat and garnish soup with cilantro and green onions - enjoy with extra pepper if desired!

This soup can be customized accordingly depending on your flavor preferences. My mom likes to sneak in shredded chicken sometimes instead of crab, and it tastes just as good. I think the two ingredients that are non-negotiable are the asparagus and quail eggs, but if you find a cool variation, please share!

Until next time, happy eating all!