Leche Flan

I have a craving for leche flan and whenever I think about it, I always remember my sister-in-law back in the Philippines. Her flan was the best. She gave me the recipe while I was still there and tried it many times. They all came out as best as hers. But for a period of time that I haven't done it, I felt less confident that I could make it again. So I called her in her cell phone just to make sure.

This is the result of my attempt. It turned out really good and is perfect for a small family gathering.

In case you want to try, this is the list of what you need:

• 8 egg yolks cleaned (removed all egg whites as they form the hard texture)

• 1 can of condensed milk
  

• 1/2 cup sugar for the syrup

• 1/4 cup water to make the syrup
  

Here is how to do it:

• Prepare a steamer big enough for the molder. Bring the water to a boil while you are preparing the other ingredients.

• Make the syrup on a small pan and set aside. Be careful not to overdo it. It will taste bitter when burnt.

• In a small mixing bowl, put all egg yolks and pour in the sweetened milk.

• Lightly mix the ingredients. Bubbles spoil the texture of the flan. If possible mix them gently in a single direction only.

• Pour the syrup in the molder as the base. Then pour in the mixture.

• Put in the steamer and steam it for 55 minutes to an hour. Check by inserting a toothpick.

• Let cool for 30 minutes in the fridge before flipping it upside down.
  

Have fun!

Sugar Substitutes

I think that it is a fact that most people have a sweet tooth, not only Americans but all people of the world. Back in my childhood, my grandmother always brought with her a bag of dulce whenever she came to visit us. And I remembered too, going to bed with a piece of candy in my mouth. That was a big mistake. It says that an average person eats 20 teaspoons of sugar per day adding up all the sugar contents of the food one is eating everyday. The thought of getting diabetes scares so many people that many are turning to sugar substitutes.

Hubby was so scared, too, that he changed all his drinks with something that had only artificial sweeteners in it like splenda. He did not want other sweeteners because he believed that splenda was the best. But lately, he told me that he read a new piece of information on the web about this sugar substitute. Then he told me that nothing is safe even with what he believed to be the best one. The problem is he already had a stock of sugar free drinks in our garage. It becomes his problem how to get rid of them now.

So I went to the web and I myself could not believe what I read. What I read made my hair stand on ends thinking that I have been drinking a lot of those stuff for quite a period of time already. Besides, I used splenda in my cooking and a lot of food that need sugar. Should you wish to know more about it, just click here to get a first hand information.

Water Cress Soup with Sweet Peas

Hubby bought a bunch of water cress from the Asian Market. We both like it in a soup and since it's fresh, I decided to make it for our dinner.

Here is the list of ingredients:

• 6 cups of water or reduced fat chicken broth
• a bunch of water cress (coarsely cut)
  
• 2 cups of broad beans
• 2 cups of squash cut in cubes
• 1 medium-size yellow onion
• 6 cloves freshly minced garlic
• 1 cup turnip head cut in cubes
• 2 cups sweet potatoes cut in cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 15 oz can of sweet peas (no salt added)

Here is how to do it:

• Combine all the first 8 ingredients in a pan and bring it to a boil. Boil it for 15 minutes or until veggies are cooked.
• Let it cool a little bit then put on the blender.
  
• Put it back in the pan and add the remaining 3 ingredients.
• Let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve with your favorite crackers or french bread.
  

Diet Hints - Diabetes Guide

Healthy diet is not only for people with diabetes or diabetes symptoms. It's for everybody who wants to stay in good shape and free from any health problems. Eating foods that are low in fat, high in fiber are recommended. But I would have to add cutting down sugar and salt in our food would even be better.

However, our eating habit is sometimes the real problem. What we really need is to take control of how much and how often we eat depending on our body needs. Here are a few hints:

• Maintain a healthy weight. If over weight, even a modest weight loss plus daily exercise can help to normalize blood glucose in Type - 2 diabetes.

• Don't skip meals. If you take insulin or an oral hypoglycemic agent, regular meals are important.

• If on insulin, eat meals at the same time each day. Eat similar amount of food at each meal. Even distribution of carbohydrate over the day will make best use of the available insulin and prevent wide variations in blood glucose levels.
  

Note: Take your rapid-acting insulin no more than 15 minutes before eating. Regular and combination insulin are best taken with about 30 minutes between insulin injection and breakfast.

• Choose wholegrain bread, cereals and pasta. Eat fresh fruits and vegetable and legumes. These food contains more fiber and slow the release of glucose into your blood after meal.

• Limit foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Enjoy fish, soy food and other foods rich in Omega 3 fats.

• Avoid sugar and foods high in added sugar particularly if overweight. Small amounts of sugar as part of a meal may occasionally be okay.Use Equal, Splenda and NutraSweet- sweetened foods and drinks.

• Foods (and supplements) rich in antioxidant vitamins C, E and beta-carotene, as well as omega-3 fats, magnesium, zinc and chromium may help prevent long-term complications of diabetes (such as damage to small blood vessels and nerves). Be sure to check with your doctor.

Source: The Calorie King

Italian Wheat Bread

When hubby and I bought the new bread machine, I was excited to make my own bread. The Operating Instructions booklet has few recipes that I can start with right away. My first pick was the Italian Wheat Bread because we both love wheat bread.

This is how the bread comes out with our slicer machine. It turned out really good. The only thing that was missing in this bread was salt. I thought that without salt the bread would not rise but it did. Then hubby decided to slice it the thinnest slices possible to bring the carbs down.

This is the list of ingredients as listed on the book:

1. 1 and 1/2 cups water
2. 2 and 2/3 cups Bread flour
3. 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
4. 2 tbsp sugar
5. 1 and 1/2 tsp salt (omitted)
6. 2 tbsp Olive Oil
7. 1 tsp Basil
8. 3 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast

After putting all this ingredients in the baking pan, I just turned on the machine and did something else while waiting for my bread to get done. It's that easy and simple when you have the bread machine. It does all the kneading and and baking.