Yam or sweet potato pockets

This week sweet potatoes, or better known here in our corner of the world as yams, were on sale. Of course I bought a bagful of them and looked around for recipes. These buns appealed to me because for our afternoon coffees we always have to have something sweet as an accompaniment. My husband is able to finish off a whole plate of cookies with one mug of coffee. So I am always on the lookout for things that are at least healthier than those commercial cookies I was forced to buy during my lengthy illness I thankfully have behind me now.

But to get to the point, I made a small batch of these buns and, sure enough, they were gone before I could snap a picture of them. So I had to breach copyright laws and use the photo taken by Manang, the creator of the recipe. Actually I may as well send you to her website because she has a slideshow that details all the steps necessary in the creation of these lovely and healthy little gems:
Kusina ni Manang

Turkey nuggets

I discovered half of a large turkey breast lurking in the back of my freezer. Unfortunately it has been sitting there for almost two months, so I was worried about "freezer taste". I figured that if I soak the meat for a good while in lukewarm water and then marinate it with some exotic spices, things will turn out all right. And they did.

I read somewhere about using cardamom in a meat dish but I did not taste such a dish yet. So I thought that this was as good a time as ever for experimentation. This is what I did.



I cut the meat into relatively small pieces, then I marinated them for half an hour with the following spices:

1 lb turkey breast pieces
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 crushed garlic
dash ginger powder
salt, pepper

Then I made a batter by putting in the blender:

½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoon sour cream
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt, pepper to taste

I poured this on the meat pieces and let it sit for another 15 minutes. In the meantime I lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil and sprayed that with PAM. Then I mixed into the meat 2 tablespoon cornmeal and arranged the pieces on the baking pan. I drizzled a little extra oil on the whole thing and then let it bake under the broiler. When one side got a nice colour, I turned the pieces over to give the other side a chance.

We had a nice coleslaw as an accompaniment, as well as some dipping sauces. Some of us had pitas alongside, refreshed under the hot grill, others who have wheat sensitivity (like myself) went with parsleyed rice.

It was a bit of an unusual taste experience but we liked it, I will definitely repeat it!

Chayote soup

I have recently discovered this wonderful vegetable. It is actually a member of the squash family. It grows on vines, and they harvest it when it is still quite tender, about the size of your palm.


For a long time I eyed it with suspicion, until one day I read that its taste is not unlike that of kohlrabies. I LOVE kohlrabi, particularly in the form of kohlrabi soup. So when I ventured to give chayotes a try, I made a nice soup out of them.

Chayote soup

2 chayotes, peeled, seed removed, chopped
a handful of parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups or more of stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
salt, pepper to taste

Prepare the chayote, chop the parsley, then heat the butter in a saucepan. Throw in the parsley and saute it for a minute to release the flavour.


Add the chopped chayote, sprinkle the sugar over it and saute until some of the pieces start to develop a golden edge. Pour the stock in, cover the pot and let it cook gently for some 10 minutes. Doesn't need much time, it becomes tender very quickly.


When it is crisp tender, make a paste using the flour and a little milk. Stir it until smooth, then dilute it with the rest of the milk and add it to the soup. Adjust the saltiness of the soup, and let it simmer few minutes longer.


That's it!

The resulting soup lacks the robustness of kohlrabies, I still prefer those instead of the chayote version. Not that it is not enjoyable, because it is. But I will look around for other ways to make use of these. Actually I very much enjoy eating chayote raw, as is. I did not try the salad recipes I saw on the net.

All in all, chayotes now joined my culinary repertoire.