Snacks

Koban-dravina: a taste of nostalgy

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We are starting a new tradition in my house: to have a Thanksgiving dinner with typical dishes from Madagascar. One of the reasons is because I am not a big fan of roasting a big turkey. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat it…when somebody else cooks it. I just don’t like to do it myself, and I have never done it so I would have no idea where to start. But on the other hand, I love Thanksgiving. Well, I am thankful for a lot of things in my life and I love to celebrate that, gathering with your loved ones. But mostly, I love the eating part of Thanksgiving. So, since we are from Madagascar, last year we decided to have a new tradition and cook malagasy food on Thanksgiving.

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I am not going to post the whole dinner here, the dishes were not yet perfected and were just okay. I am sorry our only guest had missed her beloved sweet potatoes pie for that. Let’s say that my Malagasy Thanksgiving dinner is still a work in progress…except for the dessert. When I asked my sister what dessert I should make to be typically malagasy, she suggested to make koba. Koba is typical snack or dessert of the region where I grew up as a kid.  Koban-dravina (from koba= dough, ravina = leaves) is a dough made with rice flower (and sometimes corn flour) with banana, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. It is normally made with peanuts but since we are peanut-free, I substituted with crushed sunflower seeds. Simple and yet delicious.

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Koban-dravina

5 bananas- mashed
1 1/2 cup of rice flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sunflower seeds- coarsely ground
Banana leaves
Rafia (optional)

In a bowl, mash the bananas, and add in the vanilla extract. Separately, mix the flour and sugar, and add to the mashed banana. Mix everything well.

Roughly cut the banana leaves in rectangles about 10cm x 20cm or 4″ x 8″. IMG_2231Spoon 2-3 table spoons of the dough in the middle of the banana leaf, sprinkle with some of the crushed sunflower seeds. Fold along the length of the banana and tie with some rafia, or you can just place it with the fold down so it does not get undone during cooking. Steam for 20-25 min. Enjoy!

Popcorn galore: dark chocolate and caramel popcorn

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Quick to prepare, simple and delicious snack…introducing the popcorn!
For a few days now, my son has been asking for popcorn for snack. And he wants to freshly pop them every time. And who blames him? Popping corn is really fun. When they pop, he runs around the kitchen saying “Pop !Pop! Pop! ” And freshly popped corn just tastes so good.

I do like the natural flavor, but this time around I splurged and flavored them two different ways: dark chocolate and caramel.
If you don’t feel like popping corn as I did here, you can certainly use pre-popped corn in bags (non salty or only lightly salted) or microwave popcorn. It works just as well.IMG_5895

To make popcorn in a pan
– 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
– 1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Heat up a large saucepan on medium-high heat (you need a pan with a lid). When the pan is hot, put in the oil along with 3 popcorn kernels, cover with the lid. When the 3 kernels pop, dump the rest of the kernels in the pan, careful to make one layer of kernels at the bottom of the pan, so all the kernels get heat. Cover with the lid. Gently shake the pan from side to side to move the kernels around so they don’t IMG_5887burn on one side. When the kernels start to pop,  continue shaking the pan so that the unpopped kernels always fall to the bottom and get heated to pop. Turn the heat off when there is a couple of seconds between the pops. Be careful to wait until the popping stops before opening the lid to avoid getting possibly burned by a flying popcorn.

Dark chocolate popcorn
– 2 cups of popcorn
– 2 tablespoon of mini dark chocolate chips

Heat up a sauce pan on medium-low heat. When pan is hot, add the chocolate chips. Move them around to help them melt faster. As soon as they are melted, add in the popcorn and mix well with a wooden spoon until there is no chocolate left at the bottom of the pan, but it is all coating the popcorn. Cool on a sheet covered with parchment paper to IMG_5900avoid sticking.

Caramel popcorn
– 2 tbsp brown sugar
– 1 tbsp vegetable spread (here I use the Coconut Spread from Earth balance)
– 2 cups of popcorn

Heat the pan on medium-high. Sprinkle the sugar in the pan so there are no clumps that will melt unevenly. Lower the heat to medium. As soon as the sugar has melted, add the vegetable spread and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the popcorn and mix well until all the caramel is all covering the popcorn and none is left at the bottom of the pan. Cool on a sheet covered with parchment paper to avoid sticking.

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Chewy breakfast bars

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I am a big fan of breakfast. But on weekdays, it is hard for me to get a decent one as I usually tend to stay in bed (partially because a 3 year old little man does not let me get out of bed and snuggles me real hard) until I have just enough time to shower, get dressed and go. So, making something I can take with me is my best chance of avoiding to stop for a big sweet muffin at 7-eleven and instead eat something a bit more healthy as my first meal of the day.

These breakfast bars are perfect for that kind of “on the go” breakfast but they are also good for a snack. Heck, they are good anytime!

This recipe originally asked for dates but I substituted it to raisin, and the result is a lightly sweet, energy-packed chewy goodness.

Chewy breakfast bars

3/4 cups of rolled oats, ground to flour
1/4 cup of gluten free flour
1 cup of water
3/4 cup of raisins
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries- finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a square pan with two sheets of parchment paper  crossing each other. IMG_5075 copy
Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until it is the texture of flour. Transfer to oat flour to a bowl.
Add the water and raisins to the blender and blend until it is smooth. Add this to the bowl of oat flour. Add all the residual ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

Transfer thIMG_5077 copye mix to the  pan and evenly spread it. Bake for 20min until it is not soft anymore. Rest for 5 min and lift it out the pan using the parchments papers and place on a cooling rack for 10-15 min before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. I individually wrap them in plastic film to they can be transported more easily.

 

 

Plantain chips

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Plantain chips are an easy and quick snack to make. Those are always hit in my boys and we eat them as is or with some guacamole. This version is fried so has a bit of contact time but the result is so yummy that to me it is worth it.

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– 1 green plantain
– Vegetable oil
– Salt (optional)

Peel the plantains and cut thin slices (about 2-3mm or 1/8 of an inch thick). Heat about 1 inch deep of vegetable oil in a small sauce pan. It is hot enough when a wooden spoon sizzles when inserted in the oil.
Fry the plantain slices in batches. They are done when they turn light brown and they make a “pok-pok” sound when touched with a wooden spoon (if after you take them out you realize they are not cooked enough, you can just throw them back in the hot oil again until done). That said if they are not crunchy, they are still perfectly good to eat.
Fish the slices out and place on plate with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Sprinkle with salt if desired.
The key for them to last is to fry them so they are crunchy without being burned. Although these usually never last that long anyway once we start eating them.