Minty Cranberry with Apple Drink蔓越莓加苹果清�

It was extremely hot last month and I kept making drinks for my family and this was one of them.



This is something I learned from a magazine many years ago. Unlike most fruit juices, which are usually thick  and rich in flavours, this is very light but refreshing. Not too heavy. I love its pretty colour too, which came from the cranberry. No artificial colour used here.



But the plants in the background is artificial though. ;P

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoon Dried Cranberries


• 1 Red Apple, cored, peeled and sliced thinly


• 1 sprig Mint, use leaves only (use more if you like it more minty)


• 1 tablespoon Extra Fine Sugar or to taste


• 400ml Freshly Boiled Water

How to do it:

1. Put all ingredients except sugar in a preferably in coffee press. A jug works fine too.


2. Make sure you crush the mint leave a little.


3. Let it stand for a hour.


4. Press to let the flavours from the ingredients release. If you are using a jug, use a large spoon to do the pressing.


5. Stir in sugar to taste.


6. Make sure sugar is totally melted.


7. Filter and chill till ready to serve.

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Longan And Cranberry Yogurt Cake

Chinese New Year (CNY) usually cannot go without some auspicious cakes like Kueh Lapis Legit (千层糕), Kueh Baulu ((鸡蛋糕), Walnut Cake and etc. This year, I have come up with a something new apart from the usual CNY cake using "orange zest, dried longan, cranberry, chia seeds, yogurt and Cointreau" to bake this Longan And Cranberry Yogurt Cake for Chinese New Year.

LONGAN AND CRANBERRY YOGURT CAKE

The cake itself is soft and moist due to the added Greek Yogurt and plus it has a light fruity aroma which comes from the dried longan, cranberry and Cointreau. And instead of adding poppy seeds which we cannot get hold in Singapore, I replaced it with some Chia seeds which helps to add extra "popping" texture to the cake. Other than the flavour, Chia seeds are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which our body needs.

(Make: 10- 12 Cupcakes | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 20 - 25 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 245g Self Raising Flour
• 175g Unsalted Butter, cubes
• 180g Caster Sugar
• 3 Eggs (60g each)
• 30ml Fresh Orange Juice
• Zest of 2 Oranges
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 Tablespoons Of Greek Yogurt
• 50g Dried Longan, roughly chopped
• 50g Dried Cranberry, roughly chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds
• Some Almond Slices
• Some Kumquat slices, optional
• 40ml of Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Method:-
1. In a small bowl, soaked dried longan and cranberry using either Cointreau or Grand Marnier for at least 30 minutes or more. Stirring twice or more in between.

2. Using an electric beater, cream butter and sugar till pale and creamy.

3. Beat in egg one at a time till combined. Add in orange zest and vanilla extract, beat well.

4. Next fold in sieved flour in 3 batches alternate it with orange juice and yoghurt. 

5. Stir in Chia seeds and mix it well before adding in the longan mixture. 

6. Divide cake mixture into cupcake cases (do not filled it to the rim, leaving about 1.5 cm allowance for the cake to raise)  or prepared loaf tin. Top with some Kumquat and almond slices.

7. Bake in preheated 180°C (degree Celsius) oven for about 25 minutes or when the skewer insert in the centre and comes out clean.

Tip:
~ To make your cake taste better you can use vanilla sugar instead of normal caster sugar.

Longan And Cranberry Yogurt Cake:- A small token of appreciation for my friends

Since Kumquat (金橘) is available during Chinese New Year, I decided to add a few slices of the Kumquat on top of the cupcake together with some almond slices for auspicious out look and festive feel. But if you cannot find these two toppings you could always swap it walnuts, orange slices or etc according to your preferences.

Lastly I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

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Cranberry Beans Peanut Soup 珍珠豆花生汤

Lately, I have been doing spring cleaning whenever I have time.  Not that I have much time but there is noone else to do it if I didnt do it. Im trying to stay away from the computer to get more things done because my computer chair seems to some invisible glue on it.  Once I sit on it, Im stuck. :P



So, heres a quick post on another soup that my family love. Best of all, its easy to prepare.



Ingredients:

• 1.8 litre Water


• 250g Pork Ribs


• 150g Cranberry Beans (Zhen Zhu Dou) 珍珠豆


• 120g Raw Peanut


• 6 Red Dates (Hong Zao) 红枣


• A handful Wolfberries (Gou Qi Zi) 枸杞子


• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blanch ribs.


2. Put all ingredients excluding salt in a pot of water.


3. Bring to a boil and reduce a simmer.


4. Remove any scum that surface.


5. Simmer for 2 hours.


6. Add salt to taste.


7. Serve.

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