Chilled Avocado and Cucumber Soup

I'm out of avocados. I tried to save some of it by putting them in the fridge so I can do more recipes. But prolonged storage in the fridge changes their texture and color. They ripen very quickly in this extended summer heat. It was just perfect to make this soup last week as avocados and cucumbers are high in major and trace minerals to replace the electrolytes lost when you sweat.

Nobody in the family has ever tasted a chilled avocado soup. It’s similar to making a smoothie only a savory one. I grew up having an avocado shake with sugar and milk and that’s what the whole family really like but making it savory is something new for them. Mom didn’t even want to taste it but I’m sure that if dad were still alive, he is willing to try it. Dad is the adventurous one.



For the soup, I try to keep it as simple as possible, blending it with cucumber which acts as a liquid when blended and some green onion for a little bit of pungency. Size does matter when it comes to ingredients and one of them is green onions. Our green onions are very thin and slender. When I buy leeks, they look like green onion in North America. For saltiness, I use miso paste instead of salt, adjusting it according to your taste. I’m using some local lime called dayap instead of lemon. Our local lime has less juice than limes compared to other countries. In blending the whole ingredients, you may use chicken stock but I opt for water instead as I really want the avocados and cucumber to stand out.



I am making a prawn and scallop salsa as my garnish for this soup. This time, I’m using really prawns instead of shrimps. Two prawns per person may be too much but one is not enough so 1 ½ may be just the right amount. But then again, it also depends on the size of your prawns. So, I just combined everything and see who gets the most prawns when I spoon them onto the soup. But I’m also adding some scallops, the tiny scallops with the size of a small coin. Large scallops are usually imported, came in frozen and expensive. The only thing that takes my time is washing and cleaning the scallops. They are really dirty.



Satsuma oranges from Nueva Vizcaya are also abundant so I’m using that too, pairing it with some salty black olives. I wanted to use sun-dried black olives for this but I couldn’t find them. If you do find them, use that one instead of the regular olives.



Something spicy is always good with soup. With chili oil, you can control the heat instead of blending the chilies with the soup. You’ll never know that someone in the family or even your friends might dislike anything spicy, even just a little bit. This chili-lime oil is the final element for the dish. Although the zest doesn’t add too much flavor, you will definitely notice hints of lime flavor and a whiff of its citrus perfume.



There are so many things you can do with this chili-lime oil. You can use it in vegetables, meat, poultry, and seafood in different cooking methods as well as a finishing touch to many dishes. With this chili-lime oil, you can change the type of dried chili you’re using. So, instead of just using plain red chili pepper flakes, you can experiment with different types of dried whole chilies from Mexico, Thailand or China. Now that brings a different dimension of flavors and fierceness to the oil. And a little bit goes a long way. The same thing applies to the citrus fruit. There are the different types of oranges, lemons, limes, maybe even grapefruit to try and that makes your chili-citrus oil interesting and when you need some of your dishes to spring to life, this simple flavored oil will brighten it up. They are OH-so good with soba noodle salad too. Chili-lime oil can be kept in the fridge for about a month but I don't think this oil will last that long as they are so enticing. However, if you don't like anything spicy, this Roasted Tomato Oil from Rouxbe Online Cooking School is also a good finish to the soup. Enjoy.



Chilled Avocado and Cucumber Soup
with Prawn-Scallop Salsa and Chili-Lime Oil

Serves 4-5

Chili-Lime Oil
1 shallot
½ tsp red chili pepper flakes
2 limes
¼ cup grape seed, rice bran or extra light olive oil
1 tsp water

Avocado and Cucumber Soup
3 avocados
1 large cucumber
3-4 green onions
2-3 tbsp unpasteurized shiro miso
1 lime, to taste
water, to dilute

Prawn-Scallop Salsa
8 prawns (about 1/2 lb)
12 small scallops or 4 large scallops
8 black olives
1 Mandarin or Satsuma orange
¼ cup coriander leaves
unrefined sea salt, taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1 ½ tbsp extra light olive oil or rice bran oil (for cooking prawns and scallops)

To prepare the chili oil, peel and mince the shallots, then finely zest the lime peel using a microplane. In a small sauce pot, combine the minced shallots, red chili pepper flakes and oil. Heat the oil over very low heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 3 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and the water. Let stand for at least an hour, then strain the oil into a small bowl or jar. Adding water in the oil with the lime zest dissolves and carries water-soluble flavors. Set aside, while you prepare the soup.

To make the avocado and cucumber soup, peel and roughly chop the cucumber, then cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. Next, cut the root ends of the green onion and cut into 2 inch pieces. Place the cucumber, avocado and green onion in a blender. Squeeze the lime juice and add 2 tablespoon of the miso paste. Blend the ingredients adding the water to dilute the mixture until smooth and creamy. Season the soup (to taste) with more miso paste and lime juice if necessary.

Transfer the soup into a large bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Chill 4 individual serving bowls at the same time.

To prepare the garnish, peel and devein the prawns, and clean, drain and dry the scallops. Next, peel the orange and divide the segments. Peel each segment of the orange and cut in 3-4 pieces. Next, slice the black olives and remove the coriander leaves from the stem.

To cook the prawns and scallops, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Then, season the prawns and scallops with salt and pepper on both sides. Once the pan is nice and hot, add one tablespoon of the oil. Then, add the prawns, lower the heat slightly and cook for 2 minutes per side or less or until they are cooked. Transfer the prawns to a plate. Add the rest of the oil and cook the scallops. With the scallops this small, I cook them for only 15 seconds or less. The other side requires even less cooking. Remove and transfer to a bowl. Then, add the orange pieces, black olives and cilantro. Cut the prawns into 3 or 4 pieces depending on the size and add these to the bowl. Season with a little bit of sea salt and black pepper (if necessary) and drizzle with chili-lime oil. Toss gently with a spoon to combine.

To serve the dish, bring out the four individual bowls and the avocado soup from the fridge. Ladle the soup onto the bowls, then garnish with the prawn and scallop salsa and finish with more drizzle of the chili-lime oil.

Conchiglie with Avocado, Tomato and Prawns

I love this pasta dish. I made this many years ago for the whole family while my late-father was still alive. I could see that satisfying look on his face the moment he ate it. There are so many things you can add to the pasta but for this dish, the less ingredients, the better. Less is more. I think of avocado as a wonder ingredient as their creamy texture is enhanced by the heat of cooked pasta. You can stop right here and eat just that: pasta and avocados with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt.



But I have some wonderful tomatoes which is always a good pair with avocados. These two ingredients are the base for the sauce. With the same ingredients you can make a simple and wonderful Basa with Avocado and Tomato Salsa by Joe Girard, CEO of Rouxbe Online Cooking School. It’s a great dish that can be made in minutes.



And of course, avocados would not be complete without prawns. I’m using shrimps here but when it comes to recipe title, prawns always get the attention. You can definitely use prawns if you like. Just cut them into smaller pieces. And I always remove them even before they are thoroughly cooked.



I’ve been looking for orecchiette all over the place and I couldn’t find it so I’m using some pasta shells instead. Even the brand that I like is not available. You can also use spaghetti for this too. Even if I don’t have any pasta at all, I’m sure it would go well with 100% buckwheat or brown rice noodles for a gluten-free meal. Just check your health food stores. They definitely have it.



Conchiglie with Avocado, Tomato and Prawns

Serves 4-6

1 lb shrimps

Avocado and Tomato Sauce
4 large ripe tomatoes
2 large avocados
½ lemon
3 garlic cloves
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt for pasta water (1 tsp per 1 L of water)
500 g (1 lb) conchiglie, spaghetti or orecchiette

1 tbsp rice bran oil or extra light olive oil
unrefined sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To start the dish, first bring a pot of water to a boil (for the tomatoes) and prepare an ice bath. At the same time, bring another pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. While the water is boiling, peel and devein the shrimps. Set aside the shrimps while you prepare the sauce.

To prepare the sauce, remove the core from the tomatoes and make a small X on the bottom. Add the tomatoes and blanch them for 15-25 seconds until they began to split. Using a spider, remove them and plunge them into an ice bath to cool completely. Peel the tomatoes using a paring knife. Then, cut the tomatoes in quarters remove the seeds and cut into medium dice. Cut and dice the avocado and transfer everything to a bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over your hand to catchy any seeds. Next, remove the germ from the garlic and roughly chop. Add the salt and continue to chop until you reach a paste-like consistency. Transfer the garlic to the bowl. Tear the basil leaves onto the bowl then add the olive oil and with a large spoon, gently mix to combine. Cover and set aside while you cook the pasta.

When the water is already boiling, season the water with salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. About 5 minutes before the pasta is done, you can cook the shrimps/prawns.

To sear the shrimps, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Then, season the shrimps with salt and pepper on both sides. Once the pan is nice and hot, add the oil. Then, add the shrimps and cook for 1 minute per side (or even less) or until they are cooked. Transfer the shrimps to a plate.

To assemble the dish, drain the pasta and then add the pasta and the prawns to the sauce and fold everything together. Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice to taste if necessary. Serve immediately.



If I have a continuous supply of avocados, I could eat this almost everyday. But there’s actually one pasta dish that I ate almost everyday for a month: it’s a down-to-earth and flavorful Spaghetti Aglio e Olio which will delight your palate even with the simplest ingredients.

Enjoy.

Banana Walnut Bread

It’s actually Banana Walnut Bread with Dark Chocolate (thanks Dawn). This is the third time I’ve baked this banana bread within two weeks. The first time I made it, the banana bread was falling apart when I sliced it. I think I was too excited to slice it I forgot I have to let it cool down completely. Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. I just allowed the rest of the bread to cool down. But I don’t think I have the camera at that time. The second time, the camera battery ran out in the middle of my preparation. Since I already have my butter melted, the bananas mashed and my dried ingredients combined, I decided to proceed anyway. I could smell the sweet smelling aroma of cinnamon and banana from the other room and after the baking time, I did allow it to cool down. I’m good in waiting. I’ve been waiting my whole life. So, I waited, waited and waited and the banana bread was almost perfect if only I waited just a little bit longer. It was still very warm on the inside. So, let it cool in the pan completely before removing from the pan.

So, here it is again, after making it the third time, and voila, my banana walnut bread. But this time, I have help from my 5-year old nephew Joshua who started to love baking. So, while the banana is in the oven, he kept on asking me “Is the banana bread ready yet?” Even after the cooling process, he would ask the same question over and over again. “Is the banana bread ready yet?” “No.” “Is the banana bread ready yet?” “No.” “Is the banana bread ready yet?” “No.” I think you can relate.



I substituted two ingredients: the flour and the sugar. Although my goal is not to increase the fiber content and reduce the sugar of a baked item, it is still a good idea. I just find that using whole wheat pastry flour and deep-colored, caramel-like muscovado sugar gives this banana bread a more flavorful and aromatic result. And let’s face it, we do have a widespread of diabetic people all over the world and they are increasing every year. My twelve year old nephew has a sweet tooth (isn’t everybody?) and he serves this banana bread with condensed milk. Well, it’s not as sweet as compared to other banana bread but its sweet enough to satisfy your sugar cravings and enough glucose to reach your brain. But I do have a confession to make. I did have a donut and a coffee bun yesterday afternoon. Well, someone bought it for me so I accepted it. And that someone is my mom. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only holistic nutritionist who eats this way. Besides, I’m not allowed to have my own private practice here as being a Registered Holistic Nutritionist approved by a Canadian school is not regulated in the Philippines. But, if I am living in Canada, then I could practice. But I know I need to be a living example to other people too.



For the walnuts, I made an effort to remove the skin after roasting it but you don’t have to do it. I find the papery-skin, most especially the thicker ones to be disturbing. I gently rubbed it off with my fingers that were easy to peel but just left the other walnut skin that doesn’t want to come off.



Do you know anyone who doesn’t like chocolate? I think I do. I just can’t remember the person. It’s good with or without the chocolate but I don’t think it’s the same without it. I didn’t include chocolate when I first submitted this recipe to Rouxbe Online Cooking School. I’m using dark chocolate bar for this recipe. I added about 75-100 grams. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips but I always like using dark. Seventy percent cocoa solids is good enough instead of the really bitter ninety percent from Madagascar.



The recipe states 1/2 cup yogurt but yesterday I used about 3/4 cup just because I'm using a different brand of whole wheat pastry flour with a higher protein content. It would still do well with 1/2 cup but I wanted a moist result.

Well, my nephew had his banana bread on the same day. It was worth the wait for him most especially with chocolates added to it and before he left, he asked me if we could bake a chocolate cake one of these days.

Here’s the recipe for the Banana Walnut Bread. Enjoy.

Healthy, Sexy, Cool Avocado Sandwiches

You can’t go wrong with avocado sandwiches. Actually, anything with avocado is good with the right combination of flavors. But even with the right blending of flavors, an avocado sandwich will never be as good as you expect it if you don’t use good quality bread. These are artisan, old-fashioned, hand-crafted breads straight from the oven. They are full of flavor and character as opposed to bland and monotonous sliced breads. A whole multi-grain bread is always a good choice but you can also choose ciabatta roll, whole-wheat pita or tortilla bread, country, rye or even a cranberry-pecan bread. If you really want a healthy bread, then sprouted whole grain bread is an excellent alternative. There are so many choices out there. Buying bread is always a challenge for me. Although there are good breads at Santi’s delicatessen, they are priced on a higher scale but I know I am getting my money's worth.



These may not be a post for an ultimate avocado sandwich as there are so many combinations you can try. I don't have a single recipe to provide but I hope this post would be an inspiration for you to create your own. And because of limited funds, I only did what I could present at the moment (unless there are sponsors out there). Nevertheless, there are so much more I can do with it. And an avocado sandwich whether it is simple or sophisticated will always satisfy my palate.



One thing that I always do when making avocado sandwiches is to season the avocados with unrefined sea salt. If you haven’t used your specialty salts or you’ve forgotten that you have them, use them now. Salt is that one simple ingredient that brings out the flavor of every ingredient. There’s got to be salt in those avocados. Although not necessary, spreading the bread first with mayonnaise, butter, soft cheese or even bean spreads will prevent the filling from sliding off. Some recipes would mash the avocados with other ingredients and spread them onto the bread before building their sandwiches.

I always like sprouts paired with avocados. I’m using alfalfa but other interesting sprouts are broccoli, fenugreek, mustard or radish will definitely add more personality to your sandwiches or wrap.

Here are some avocado sandwiches that I've made:


Avocado, cucumber and sprouts



Avocado and goat cheese


Avocado, goat cheese, tomato and sprouts


Avocado, tomato, bocconcini or kesong puti, nitrate-free bacon and basil

A few more avocado sandwiches that I would like to make:

Avocado, goat cheese, watercress, walnut pesto and apple
Roasted turkey, avocado, bacon, onion relish, arugula (with cranberry compote)
Roasted turkey, avocado, sun-dried black olive tapenade, red radish, mesclun greens
Roasted chicken, avocado, gorgonzola, mesclun, sweet red onions, cranberry mayonnaise
Prawn, avocado, roasted red bell peppers, nitrate free bacon, greens, aioli

Do you have a favorite avocado sandwich recipe that you would like to share?

Last Harvest

Last Monday and Friday we had our last avocado harvest. I was hoping for more avocados to last until the end of the year but every tree has its own season. So far, we gathered about fifty-eight (58) avocados for this year. There were seven for Monday and eight for Friday.

I’ve been counting how many dishes I could make and dividing the avocados for each dish. Unfortunately, there’s not enough to make an avocado ice cream and a few other dishes. Besides, I don’t have an ice cream machine. My family appreciates that I do other recipes but they always crave for avocados with milk and sugar. So far, I’ve done some sandwiches last week and will cook some pasta for dinner. Hopefully, there's enough for tomorrow.

See you next year avocados.

Bitter Herbs: Pau d’Arco (Taheebo)

Our gardener Richard has planted a taheebo plant about two years ago. He says I could make it as a tea but I never did because it was only tiny plant in a pot. Besides, why would I want to cut off the beautiful white-spiked flower?

I’ve read a few health benefits of pau d’arco from some of my books these past few years. All I know is that they’re available as a tea and as a capsule in health food stores but never thought of buying them as they are out of the budget.



About last two months ago, I found out that the taheebo and pau d’arco are the same and they are actually abundant in our garden. I live here and not even know that they are flourishing back there. There are dozens of different species of pau d’arco and this less popular taheebo (Orthosiphon aristatus or balbas pusa) is what we have in the Philippines. I believe it is one of the native plants of this country. Even if it is not used as a wonder drug compared to other varieties, it shares its many wonder of herbal cure.

Although taheebo is known for its anti-fungal and antibiotic properties including as an immune-booster herb, this type of taheebo is an effective diuretic and cure for kidney and urinary problems. The leaves are supposed to contain a lot of potassium salts.



But let me go further. If you search for the synonyms of damp, you will find that it also means moist, humid and wet. In Chinese medicine, Dampness creates signs of stagnation and sluggishness which makes someone easily tired and heavy. Dampness is also related to edema and water accumulation in all or parts of the body; excess mucus, tumors, cysts, parasites, yeasts and excess body weight. Bitter herbs are good in removing Dampness from the body and that’s what tabeebo does, it drains excess fluid (hence, the word diuretic).



Taheebo leaves are boiled and drank as a tea. It is the only preparation you could do unless you buy them as capsules. They do have a long bitter aftertaste but not as cruelly bitter compared to chaparral or bitter gourd leaf tea.
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I don’t drink them on a daily basis because, honestly, I don’t enjoy drinking bitter herbs. I sometimes add honey to sweeten it but the lingering bitter taste is strong. But since they are plentiful, I might as well take the advantage of having access to it.

Cheers to pau d'arco/taheebo.

Yesterday's Harvest

Hey, two are missing...

It was a windy day yesterday. But even with the strong wind going in every direction, the unwavering avocado tree is resilient from the winds' pressure. It would also rain or shine a few times during the day but we were able to gather eight avocados. We have now a total of forty-three and we're still counting.

We're all crazy about avocados. I don't know anyone who does not like them. I'm not surprised why David Wolfe inserted "Avocado" as his middle name. I hope there's enough avocados to make a pasta dish, a few sandwiches, a smoothie, a fruit salad with nut milk, more salads, maybe some dressings and salsas and of course ice cream.

Two French Green Bean Salads

This post has been delayed for almost two months now. It's either my attention is directed to something else or someone borrowed the camera every time I'm ready to do the green beans. So, I buy and eat French green beans every week. I really like them right now. At least they are now grown in Davao. Davao is way down south but at least it's within the country.



Green beans are one of the easiest vegetables to prepare. All you have to do is to cut the ends and leave the pointy tip. But watch this video for more tips on how to prepare French green beans.

You can definitely prepare them in advance. But I use them within the day, maximum of two days as they do change their color from bright green to dull green. Here's a video on how to blanch green beans.



These two green beans salads (supposed to be four) are served with a lemon-shallot vinaigrette. My brother hates vinegar so I always make this dressing which is simple, healthy and vibrant. If you want to start eating healthier, then making your own dressing is one of those changes you can make. I know those pretty labels on bottled dressings sold at the grocery store look so adorable, but making your own is still the best option. Is there any excuse of not making your own?

A dressing or vinaigrette is usually 3 parts oil to 1 part acid but I always add only half of the oil first. Since these lemons probably came from the US, they lose their flavor overtime. I think I should start using our local dayap. So, I taste them first before adding more oil. I just love lemon because it enlivens almost every dish. Both lemon and olive oil is good for the liver and the gallbladder and so much more.



Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Makes about 1 cup

• 1 shallot
• 2 lemons
• unrefined sea salt
• 1/2-3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To start the dressing, peel and mince the shallots and place in a jar. Juice the lemon and season with salt. Then add the olive oil. Cover and set aside until ready to use.



French Green Bean, Roasted Red Onion and Fresh Cheese Salad

Serves 4-6

• 4 red onions
• 1/2 lb French green beans
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, washed and spun dry
• 4 oz feta or goat cheese or kesong puti
• unrefined sea salt
• lemon-shallot vinaigrette

To roast the red onions, preheat the oven to 190° Celsius (375° Fahrenheit). Peel the onions and cut into 6 wedges leaving a little bit of the root end. Toss with a little bit of oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven, turning onions halfway for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender and caramelized.



To prepare the green beans, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Prepare the beans by cutting off the stem leaving the pointy tip. Once the water is boiling add the beans and cook for approximately 3 to 5 minutes until tender (not crunchy yet not overcook). Transfer beans onto an ice bath. Allow to cool and then strain well.

To prepare the rest of the mise en place, tear the romaine lettuce into smaller pieces, remove the pit from the olives and roughly chop, and gather the cheese and the vinaigrette.

To assemble the salad, divide the green beans, romaine lettuce, roasted red onion, and olives into individual plates. Crumble the cheese over the salad. Season with unrefined sea salt and serve with the lemon-shallot vinaigrette.




French Green Bean, Avocado and Mandarin Orange

Serves 4-6

• 1/2 lb French green beans
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, washed and spun dry
• 2 mandarin oranges
• 2 avocados
• unrefined sea salt
• lemon-shallot vinaigrette

To prepare the green beans, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Prepare the beans by cutting off the stem leaving the pointy tip. Once the water is boiling add the beans and cook for approximately 3 to 5 minutes until tender (not crunchy yet not overcook). Transfer beans onto an ice bath. Allow to cool and then strain well.

To prepare your other mise en place, tear the romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces, then peel and separate the segments of the mandarin orange.

To assemble the salad, divide the green beans into individual bowls, followed by a layer of torn romaine lettuce and orange segments. Next cut avocado in half and score the insides with a knife then scoop it out onto the salad. Season the salad with unrefined sea salt and serve with the lemon-shallot vinaigrette.

Notes:
I use the inner core of the romaine lettuce and saved the outer leaves for another use. You can use raw onions as well. I roasted them because I don't like the raw red onions here. We do have smaller onions too.

You might noticed on the photo that I peeled the mandarin oranges but it's not necessary.

I hope you enjoy these salads.

Still Harvesting and Still Counting

Where are the other four avocaodos?

That's right. We're still harvesting some avocados last Monday and we gathered about fourteen. I was in the living room getting ready to photograph my sister's Peanut Butter Cookies when I heard someone in the garden. It's my brother John and our gardener Richard. I'm not fortunate to grow something on my own and every time I attempt to do so, they die. So, I let them do the planting and harvesting for me.


Our gardener Richard and my brother John: two people with green thumb

We have quite of few trees blossoming in the garden. We have some cooking bananas (saba) that might be ready by December. They are usually sliced in half lengthwise and pan-fried in oil but they are great cooked with coconut milk and sugar.


Saba (cooking bananas)

We have a few mango trees as well but I'm always looking forward to those apple mangoes. When they are ripe, they are ultra-sweet but I like them slightly-ripened instead of fully ripened. We could actually sell them at the market but we just give them away to neighbors and closed friends.


First few blossoms of the apple mango tree. It was a cloudy and windy day.

There are now many produce that are growing in the Philippines that never existed before. We are now abundant in unimaginable herbs and various leafy greens. I heard that we are also growing some butternut squash, rhubarb, cardoons, celeriac and even some chard and many others. It's just a matter of where to find them. I actually doubted that we can grow ruby grapefruit but they're actually grown in Davao. So, I wonder if an apple seed can turn into a full-grown tree in this temperate climate.

Apple plant

The weather is also crazy these past few days. It would rain and shine on the same day. It's been windy as well. We have this coconut tree that needs to be harvested and there are times that we don't have anyone to climb and harvest it. Most of those coconuts are getting old. Since I am looking for an adventure in my life, I think I should learn how to climb that tree. I know it's a crazy idea. And because of the rain and the wind, it's dangerous for someone to go up. So we're hoping that we could still harvest some young coconuts in the next few days if the weather is good.


Coconut Tree

Until next time.