Sweet potato dessert from scratch

I had leftover boiled sweet potato, and thought to make something different for dessert. Sometimes I am just in the mood to experiment, knowing that it can't go wrong with the basic ingredients put together. And I don't really want to spend that much time in the kitchen. I just want to eat.
For today, I thought the sweet potato had the right consistency for baking, so I added butter, brown sugar, an eggyolk, vanilla and some rye flour and pancake mix (gluten-free).
I didn't want to use a bigger tray, to save on washing it later...and I didn't make bite size cookies, to save time, and since its all for me anyways...

It actually turned out like cake...or more like a muffin that needed an icing. I should have baked it in small muffin tins...and added some raisins (or dates) and some nuts for a healthy treat ;)

How the food giants hooked us...

In the UK over 60 per cent of adults and 30 per cent of children are overweight, while the United States remains the most obese country in the world. We are hooked on salt, sugar and fat. These three simple ingredients are used by the major food companies to achieve the greatest allure for the lowest possible cost. Here, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Michael Moss exposes the practices of some of the most recognisable (and profitable) companies and brands of the last half century. He takes us inside the labs where food scientists use cutting-edge technology to calculate the 'bliss point' of sugary drinks. He unearths marketing campaigns designed - in a technique adapted from the tobacco industry - to redirect concerns about the health risks of their products, and reveals how the makers of processed foods have chosen, time and again, to increase consumption and profits, while gambling with our health.

Read all about it in this New York Bestseller book.

One eggwhite for dessert!

I'm trying this one eggwhite meringue for the 2nd time...not knowing what else to do with the fresh eggwhite left...since I prefer to use only the eggyolk when I'm cooking fried rice for myself.

The first time it looked like this, I didn't even put it in a proper baking tin.
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This time I used a stainless measuring cup to bake and I just estimated the oven temperature setting. It doesn't matter much how it looks, as long as its yummy, but I was pleasantly surprised when I peeked in the toaster oven and saw this:

The cup was only 3/4 full before baking, and I guess all went right because it looks good. And btw, I had to ask the Pastry chef in the house (my brother's partner), what to put in if I don't have cream of tartar. She said about 1/4 tsp. of vinegar, and also the white sugar should be about the same weight as the eggwhite (about 2 Tbsp...)

One-eggwhite meringue

It shrunk down after baking though, and was slightly undercooked in the middle...but I still enjoyed it. Hope I don't get a toothache or a headache after consuming the white sugar :p

Alukon or Himbabao vegetarian dish

Would you eat this? This is actually a very tasty veggie dish - one of my favorites! Most Pinoys would eat this with fried fish, but I'd rather eat and enjoy it only with rice. The worm-like green vegetable is actually the flower spikes of the Himbabao tree. It is usually called alukon, but has different names among different provinces. It is suitable for most dishes especially good with other native vegetables. It taste like leafy greens with a certain woody taste.

Eating healthier...

Its not so hard to shift to a healthier diet, if you really want to...you will get to like it, if you persist ;)

photo credit: the bridge via photopin cc

My suggested plan is simple. First you must buy more fresh produce - even supermarkets have them ;) Buy the freshest, shiniest and most colorful fruits and vegetables. Buy those grown locally and are in season, if you are on a tight budget.
Then make sure you eat fruits right. Eat fruits on an empty stomach, eat fruits fresh - unprocessed, uncooked is best. You can juice it or mash it, but eat at once and do not store to keep all nutrients intact.
Eat salads or cook the veggies, but don't overcook it.
If you like meat, buy fresh meat and avoid processed meats.
You can still eat what you used to eat, but after weeks of regularly eating good food, your taste buds will function better and develop a certain dislike for processed foods.
And btw, instead of going to the sari-sari store to buy Coke, go to the buko stand across the street and buy fresh buko!

photo credit: Albert Freeman via photopin cc