Peanut Butter Banana Tortilla Snack

Peanut Butter Banana Tortilla Snack or roll-ups, wow that's a name. Well I don't actually know what to call these yummy snacks, so that will have to do. My husband is the one who actually introduced me to and told me about the existence of these. He told me that in the American Southwest they are called peanut butter roll ups and are made with peanut butter and jelly. To be honest when he first told me that these were a popular snack in Arizona, I was a bit grossed out. See for me the Mexican girl, I hear Tortillas and I think salty savory foods not sweets. There was only one sweet dessert that I had ever had using flour tortillas, we call them bunelos, ( fried pieces of flour tortillas covered with cinnamon sugar, yummy I'll have to make to soon. ) Anyways don't get me wrong I love love peanut butter, I just thought it was a bit weird putting it on tortillas instead of toast. Well he convinced me to give it a try, and guess what?? I think I love them more than he ever did:)

The great thing about these is that the whole family will love them, that's if everyone likes peanut butter. So if you have children these will make a great snack or dessert. I also like to have them for breakfast, because they are quick to prepare and give you energy through out the day. If you don't have a Peanut butter allergy, it is actually a very good thing to eat. Peanut butter is a high energy food that is high in protein, vitamin e and b3, magnesium, folate, and dietary fiber.(*) Peanut butter can be so nutritious that it's used to feed people in famine relief instances, many organizations have used it to feed people all over the world.


I mentioned that my husband told me they were made with peanut butter and jelly, I skip the jelly and instead add sliced bananas, (you could also leave the banana whole) . You could also serve these with some fresh fruit on the side.

Your Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Peanut Butter
Banana, sliced or whole
Jelly, your choice




Warm a tortillas up , just slightly to soften it a bit. Or if you don't keep your tortillas in the refrigerator ,they should be soft enough. Spread as much peanut butter around the tortilla, covering it as much as you like. Next if you are using jelly spread that on the tortilla. If you are using bananas place slices down the middle , again as many as you like. Then start rolling it up at one end until it's all rolled up. I like to just fold in the sides into the middle on top of the bananas, but what ever works best for you.


That's all, pick up and start eating!! So good! I love the combination of peanut butter and bananas, don't you? Oh and by the way it's National Peanut Butter Lover's Day, so celebrate with one of these!

(*) source Wikipedia

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Thai Fish Curry or Kaeng Khieu Wan Pla

The previous post I shared a deliciously spicy Thai green curry paste form the "The Complete Asian Cookbook" by Charmaine Solomon. In her book she also shares a fantastic, super easy and very quick meal to use this curry paste with, Kaeng Khieu Wan Pla or green curry of fish.I love to make this light curry on a hot summer day, because it's so quick and I don't have to be in the kitchen too long. But now that I think about it this hassle free dish is a great dinner year round.
In addition to the ease involved in this meal, it's also a healthy dinner,because fish is lower in calories than meat and it's cooked without oil. Unfortunately the coconut milk will add some calories to the dish but I think just being mindful of this will help us make better choices when it comes to dessert or maybe taking in less calories the following day. All that being said the taste of this fish curry is well worth the coconut milk calories.
The recipe in the book is pretty much the way that I cook this fish curry, with the exception of a few things. I will post her version and my slightly different version, so you can choose what works best for you.


Your Ingredients:
(serves 4)
Charmaine Solomon's Version:
*1 lb or 500 grams fish steaks
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
*2 tablespoons green curry paste
*2 sprig citrus leaves
1 tsp salt
1 TB fish sauce
*1 or 2 small green chillies, seeded and chopped(optional)
*2 TB finely chopped fresh basil,finely chopped

*My variations:

1 lb or 500 grams fish fillets (pangasius catfish)
-Green curry paste, I make my own

I exchange the citrus leaves for 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
-For a milder version omit the chillies
-exchange the fresh basil for fresh coriander
-add a piece of ginger either sliced into thin strips or finely diced

1. Wash the fish well , slice the ginger and chillies. Bring coconut milk to a slight boil with curry paste, stirring constantly. Add the fish, reduce heat and simmer with ginger, citrus leaves, salt and fish sauce until the fish i cooked through, about 15 minutes. If exchanging the citrus leaves for the lime/lemon juice, wait until the fish is cooked all the way through to add the juice otherwise it will slow down the cooking.
2. Once the fish is cooked through, add chillies (optional) and fresh basil, and cook for another 5 minutes. I you are exchanging the basil for the fresh cilantro, add the cilantro on top when serving, or you can add both the basil and cilantro they go well together.

Serve with steamed white rice and you're ready to enjoy!

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Thai Green Curry Paste, home made

A couple of weeks ago I received a message from Cassie at Chow Bella, asking about a curry powder and green curry, I told her I would share this Thai Green Curry paste recipe for a delicious Fish Curry I make. (First I will post the curry paste and then I'll follow it up with the fish curry.) The recipe, I have used for a couple of years now, is from the "The Complete Asian Cookbook" by Charmaine Solomon. I am not as familiar with making green curry paste, so I have always just followed the directions without needing to make adjustments to the recipe. The recipe as it is has worked wonderful in making several different dishes that call for it.

Your Ingredients:

4 large green chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 small brown onion
1 tbs chopped garlic
2 TBS chopped fresh coriander, all including root
2 tsp. chopped lemon lime peel
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon grass
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp shrimp paste ( 2 tsp fish sauce)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbs oil

1. Chop the onion,garlic,coriander, lemon peel, and chillies. Remove the stems from the chilies, and for a milder version remove the seeds or spicier version leave them. Next place all the vegetables , spices and the oil into a blender. Blend until you have a thick paste. If it's too dry add either a bit of water or more oil to smooth out the paste.

2. Scoop onto a container and it's ready to use. Or you can store it in the refrigerator for about a week maybe longer or in the freezer for up to 2 months. (This paste should make enough for 2 recipes.) Now you are ready to use in any of your favorite Thai dishes!

This is the book I got the Recipe from, but she has a lot of delicious recipes to try.

The Complete Asian Cookbook

**UPDATE**

This recipe was #4 on Foodbuzz top #9 on Feb. 20, 2010 *

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News

Hi Everyone,

You might have noticed that Spicie Foodie has a new look! It is a work in process as I am in the process of fixing all the little bugs ,dead links and creating a proper banner/header, so I ask for your patience while I get this done:) There are lots of recipes lined up so that I can share with you very soon.

Have a great weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!!

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Segedinsky Goulash v2

My second installment of goulash versions is Segedinsky Goulash. It is a goulash made with pork and sauerkraut( sour cabbage) as the main ingredients and served with knedliky. This goulash doesn't seem to be as popular as other versions. If I remember correctly we have found it only in 1 restaurant. But my husband first discovered it by buying it pre-made from our local grocery store. I tried to search for some background history on this goulash, but unfortunately I came up empty handed. They only thing that I really noticed or learned was that this may not in fact be a Czech goulash but instead a Slovakian or even Hungarian goulash. I'm not 100% clear on this, but it would make some sense as to why it's not as easy to find, and the fact that all goulash originally comes from Hungary . I'll have to do some asking around.

Either way this was a very good dish,that is very fast and easy to make. It would make a good weekend dinner when you have extra time to allow it to simmer longer. We both loved it and will for sure be making it again, soon.


Your ingredients:
400 grams ( just under a lb.) pork , cut into cubes
1 small onion, chopped
400 grams Sauerkraut, drained
2 Tablespoon sunflower oil
2-3 Tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seed
2 bay leafs
1 Chicken bouillon cube (low sodium)
salt, to taste
2 teaspoon flour
2 Tablespoon sour cream

Large pot
Knedlicky (dumplings) to serve with


1. Cut and prepare the ingredients, dissolve the bouillon cube in 1 cup/250 ml of water. For the pork you can use shoulder or even cutlets, what ever you have. Over medium heat, heat the oil and fry the onions until they are browned. Next add the pork and cook all the way through. Once the pork is cooked through ( 10-15 minutes) add the all of the spices and the bouillon stock.

2. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes, turn down the flame to a lower setting. Once the pork has become tender add the sauerkraut and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes or longer. (You can also allow the goulash simmer longer if you have extra time, remember the longer something stews the better the flavors will come together. You may add more water or stock if the broth was dissipated. ) Next in a separate small bowl pour in a spoon full of the broth from the goulash, and add the flour, mix until there are no lumps . Pour into goulash and stir well until it's well combined,simmer another 5 minutes.



3. Five minutes before you serve the goulash add the sour cream , again stir into the goulash until it is well combined. Let is simmer another 5 minutes and serve. Serve with knedlicky on the side, and if you would like add a dab of sour cream on top. (serves 2-3)

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Blueberry Corn Muffins

I haven't shared or posted too many of my baking recipes, I'm not really sure why. I think it's because I'm not as confident with baking as I am with cooking. I guess there's only on way to get over that and start experimenting and trying out more recipes from my foodie friends. This muffin recipe is my own and was the result of being short on ingredients, particularly white flour.( I followed my old recipe for basic muffins by changing some ingredients.) I was really craving muffins and had some fresh blueberries that needed to be used up. You will notice that there is very little sugar, I hate overly sweet baked goods, and sometimes with muffins I like to top them with honey or preserves.

There is very little oil, I always try to cook or bake with the least amount of fats. Cutting down on the oil unfortunately leaves you with a dry baked good so by adding the plain yogurt we are bringing back some moisture without the extra fat. Here's a comparison two Tablespoon(10 grams) of Sunflower oil has 83 calories and a 5 ounce or 170 gram plain yogurt can has a little as 100 calories.

I am using cane sugar but you can use white or brown sugar. I found this yummy sugar in my local organic food shop and I'm glad I was curios enough to buy it, because the taste is better than white sugar. Cane sugar is the juice of the whole sugar cane with the water removed but still retaining all the minerals and vitamins. Because this sugar is made from the first pressing of the sugar cane it keeps a slight taste of molasses. Well on to the recipe.

Your ingredients:
1 cup of white flour
1 cup corn meal (medium grain)
1/4 cup organic cane sugar (also know as Turbinado sugar)
1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda
1 TB. tangerine zest (lemon or orange)
1 whole egg
1 TBS. Sunflower oil
1/3 cups of plain white yogurt ( you can also use light sour cream or smetana)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup of fresh blueberries

Muffin tins or Brioche molds, (I used 4 large Brioche molds size 12 cm / 4.7 inch ) Similar to these:

1. Preheat the oven to 375c / 190c. Prepare the tins or molds by either lining with paper cups or cover the molds/tins with a little oil then dust with flour. (this is a great tip because it will help the muffins come out of the molds easier)
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl dust the blueberries with white flour, this is to try to prevent them from bleeding too much. Make a small well in the dry ingredients and in the center add the egg,oil,milk and the yogurt. Start mixing all the ingredients until you have a smooth well blended batter. Gently fold in the blueberries, and mix all ingredients thoroughly. If you over-mix the blueberries will break down and the batter will turn purple( of course it doesn't affect the taste only the color, so it could be a fun thing to try.)
3.Fill the tins/molds 3/4 of the way and bake for 20 minutes in center of the oven. After about 15 minutes check by inserting a toothpick in the center to see that they have baked all the way through. If the toothpick comes out with batter you'll need to continue baking until it's dry.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving them. If you are eating them the next day and would like them warm you can always microwave the muffins.
I love these muffins for a light breakfast or you can enjoy them as a dessert or snack. They go great with a big Cafe au lait or black tea with milk, enjoy!

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