I am just so delighted to welcome Maya from Foodiva’s Kitchen today with a very special post. I became a fan of her blog very quickly. Not only are her recipes wonderful but Maya has a beautiful and fun personality that shines through her words and absolutely stunning photography. She resides in Brunei which is on the Island of Borneo in Southeastern Asia. Considering my blog’s penchant for ethnic food you can see how I would be mesmerized by the exotic recipes and ingredients she has easy access too…like her presently overloaded mango tree in her backyard. OK now I hate her, kidding!

Recently we were both enchanted and inspired by a dessert the other had posted. This turned into a great idea of a guest post exchange. Below is her inspiration from my Sweet Potato Pudding Cake. My version of her Pull Apart Breads can be found right now on my guest post on her blog…so make sure to go visit after. I can’t wait to see what she created, take it away Maya!

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I first caught sight of this delicious sweet potato pudding cake on Evelyne’s blog when she made it as part of a celebratory feast for her dad’s 75th birthday party. Lucky dad and fellow guests… and poor me, left to stare longingly at the screen well after the party was over! Luckily Evelyne had supplied the recipe in her post and I looked forward to a free day, preferably after lots of hours in the gym, when I can make and taste this cake for myself. Well I didn’t have to wait very long because soon after (but not 10 lbs-less after), Evelyne herself contacted me about doing this guest post exchange! Talk about being cautious what you wish for… Uhhh, diets are for wimps, anyway. Let’s just get on with this and get the craving out of my system.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I have quite a number of purple sweet potato recipes on this blog and if there is a legal limit, I’ve probably past it already. Purple sweet potato is one of the more versatile ingredients readily available to me here in the tropics, and honestly…. I love the color purple. Another thing you’ll probably also know, but let me rub it in once again, is that I have a fully blooming mango tree in my backyard. So what more was there to think about? In a reverse color combo of Evelyne’s (orange) sweet potato and blueberries pudding cake, I have made a purple sweet potato pudding cake dotted inside with mango cubes. It’s moist and infused as well as topped with lovely coconut (and more fresh mangoes!) because let’s face it, the coconut complements both the sweet potato and mango flavors like you wouldn’t believe.

I wish I can impress you by saying how difficult it was to make this delectable dessert, but Evelyne has made the recipe so easy, it was really a breeze. So breezy in fact, that I don’t have too many process photos to show you unless you’re into slicing, dicing and mashing and all that mind-numbing stuff. Let me not insult your intelligence, okay, and just leave you with these shots.

Mashed purple sweet potatoes. Who can resist this color?

Thank you, Evelyne for suggesting this fun trip for both of us (and hopefully for those of you reading this too). If you haven’t already checked out her amazing sweet-savory version of pull-apart bread, then please hop over to my site here. I can assure you the flavors of that bread really rock! As does she

Purple Sweet Potato and Mango Pudding Cake
(inspired by Cheap Ethnic Eatz)

Ingredients:
1 cup cubed ripe mango flesh
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of cooked and mashed purple sweet potato (about 1 large)
3 large eggs
400ml/14oz coconut milk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping
1/2 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Extra mango flesh, for garnishing

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 175C/350F. Coat a 9-inch spring form pan with melted butter.
2. To prepare cake: Mix flour, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.
3. Peel and boil purple sweet potato until tender, drain and mash in a large bowl. Add eggs, beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add coconut milk, brown sugar and butter, beat until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients until evenly moistened. Stir in the cubed mangoes. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
4. To prepare topping: Combine coconut, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of the cake.
5. Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the pan. Do not remove the side ring yet. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours. Remove the ring carefully before serving. Garnish with fresh mango slices on top.

Hi all, I did a big booboo with my regular twitter, having a DUH day!

Please re-ad me or update, thank you!. NEW TWITTER – http://twitter.com/cethniceatz

Now we have all be reading and slowly taking an interest in healthier food, not only do many of us now opt for organic food, they must also be properly certified, specify where they came from, how the product was treated, etc. Now one of the latest quest to make the world a better place is focused on Fair Trading. What does that mean exactly?

We you get your organic chocolate bar at the local Health Store and feel better buy a chocolate that is better for you. But how did the chocolate bar get to you? Someone manufactured it, where did they get their ingredients, such as the cocoa bean? They bought it probably in a poorer country. These cocoa beans where grown by local farmers with limited tools and means. Now how fairly was that farmer paid for the organic chocolate bar you are going to eat? Hence come in the Fairtrade International, a global organization working to secure a better deal for farmers and workers.

Since the concept is somewhat new it can be hard to find fair trade products. Luckily wonderful companies such as Premcrest Fair trade wholesale are in the business of getting these wonderful product to you. For 40 years Premcrest Fair Trade has been involved in ethical market practices. They supply stores with such products as candies, chocolate, juices,  coffee, tea, cakes, snacks. But they also offer many Fair Trade foods you can use in you everyday cooking such as pasta, rice, dried fruits, nuts, sauces, jams, olive oil…the list goes on.

Would it not be wonderful to know that when you are cooking your ingredients came from farmers that were treated and paid fairly for all their work, hence buying such food encourages giving the poor a better life. It’s a win-win situation. How do you know if a product is from a real Frairtrade source. Well that is easy, just look for he official Fairtrade certified logo which looks like this:

If you look on Premcrest Fair Trade website in the product selection you will find all packaging includes this logo: here you see it in the upper left corner.

So next time you are out shopping why not take a closer loo as to what you are putting into your food basket? Would you not like to make sure your products you eat also help improve the lives of farmers contributing to your food be treated and compensated fairly, like proper human beings.

I am in a bit of a blogging blah…or end of winter blues. So things are quiet…even if I have a backlog of posts to do. But today I have a little picture essay post from an event that goes back quite a bit actually…Stef and I were just friends still at that time. So anyways we planned a day of shopping and cooking at his place afterward. But he had a trick up his sleeve for me.

He said we were doing a spin-off dinner on Iron Chef America. He had purchased plenty of food ahead and each service had a main ingredient. So it was not a meal from a secret ingredient but each service was a non-secret challenge ingredient. No written recipes to be consulted. So I have no recipes to share….just pictures and the notes we took that night.

1st service: soup and lobster claws

Chef Evelyne: Sea Route to the Land of Silk

Coconut base soup with curry paste and lobster stock served with pan fried quinoa flour breaded lobster claws and quinoa pancake.

Chef Stef: Nut Medley Lobster Bisque

Coconut base soup with peanut butter and fresh basil served with lobster claws, chopped bacon and roasted cashews.

2nd service: pork tenderloin

Chef Evelyne: Dijon VS Texas

Pork tenderloin stuffed with garlic, lacquered with Dijon mustard and crusted with hazelnuts, served with a hickory smoke tower of rep pepper salsa.

Chef Stef: Red Sea of Love

Seared pork tenderloin served with raspberry demi-glace, pan roasted red peppers and pomegranate seeds

3rd service: beef blade roast

Chef Evelyne: Three S’s

Sweet, Sour & Sliced. Seared blade roast slivers marinated with olive oil balsamic vinegar and pomegranate juice.

Yes there is only one version of the 3rd service. Honestly after each eating 2 soups and 2 dishes of pork tenderloin we hardly had room for the beef. This was a challenge but a really fun one. Do it with friends or your loved one, it really makes for a fun night and let’s everyone shine in their own way in the kitchen. Salud!

Chef Stef: Pomegranate and Raspberry vodka shooter