[Photo Friday] Fruit Melody: Berries and Kiwifruits

[Fruit Melody] Berries and Kiwifruits

When comes to purchase daily fruits for my family sometime I would be rather selective with the available choices. And because in Singapore most of our fresh fruits are imported from overseas country like Australia, USA, China and etc so the price will be slightly higher too. For example a box of cherry (250g) might cost up to S$10++ depending on it's country of origin and this applies to berries as well.

In fact for berries lovers like us, it can easily cost us SG$20++ just to get 4 boxes of assorted berries (blackberry, blueberry, strawberry or cherry) for our 2 days supply. But I guess for the sake of the multiple nutrition values and health benefits some money are meant to be spent in a away. In this post, I would like to share some information of our favourite berries and kiwifruits which are in season now.

{Healthy Choice} Zespri Kiwifruit Tarts

If you follow my posts you would noticed that I have some collections of kiwifruit recipes which I did recently for this year's "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)". And last week when I was approached by ZESPRI's PR to bake a Zespri Kiwifruit Tart to feature their recipe on a local health magazine,  I was happy to take up the task but on the other hand I am also worry that my tart making skill might not be good enough for their photoshoot.

So before the actually baking, I did a trial-bake to make four 10cm size individual tart because I am also curious about the texture and taste of this tart which used less butter for the pastry and no custard filling at all.

Zespri Kiwifruit Chiffon Cake plus Zespri Goodie Bags Giveaway

Finally today is the last day of the "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)" and I am sure some of you would be delighted that I won't be flooding your timeline with more "kiwifruit" related posts or photos :p

During these 14 days I have tried many different ways in utilizing this amazing fruits such as making compote, smoothie, milkshake, meat tenderizer and I even bake a chiffon cake using the fresh kiwifruit itself rather than kiwi jam which mentioned in most Kiwifruit Chiffon Cake recipes.

Kiwifruit Compote

If you still remember, last month I have shared a post on Blueberry Vs Raspberry Compote (recipes here) where you could used it as topping for yoghurt, pancake, crepe, cheesecake and etc. Here since I have some extra kiwifruit from my #14daysofZespri goodie bag, I decided to make some Kiwifruit Compote to go with toast or crackers for a healthier snack.

KIWIFRUIT COMPOTE

For your information, I used this Kiwifruit Compote for my "Kiwifruit Yoghurt Parfait" which featured in the other post HERE.

(Makes: 1/3 Cup       | Preparation: 2 minutes      | Cooking: 3 - 5 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 2 Ripe Zesperi® Green Kiwifruit
• 2 Tablespoons of Caster Sugar
• Zest Of 1 Lemon
• 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Method:-

1. Peel the outer skin of the kiwifruits and cut it into 1.5 cm cubes.

2. Put all the ingredients into a heavy duty saucepan, simmer over medium low heat until the sugar melt and kiwifruit soften. (Do not overcook the berries else the compote will end up to be with too much juice)

3. Remove from heat and serve warm with pancakes or crepes. Or alternatively you can stored cool compote in sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

Indeed this can also be a very addictive quick snacks due to it's sweet and sour refreshing taste plus a hint of citric aroma from the lemon rind. To bring the taste, you can also pair it with some smoke or cheddar cheese.

This is our all time favourite cheese cubes and best is they comes in different flavour each box!

For more interesting recipes using Kiwifruit, you can visit Zespri website @ http://www.zespri.com.sg/

Lemongrass And Zespri Kiwifruit Konnyaku Jelly

When you do a goggle search on "lemongrass jelly recipe" you will see a long list of choice to pick and experience on. Through the list, my favourite pick comes from Shirley's site at @Køkken (recipe), she shares a very easy recipe using "gelatine powder" instead of the Konnyaku Premix that I used which is not common in some countries. So for those who cannot get hold of the premix like what I used, perhaps you would like to try using Shirley's recipe if you are interested to make some.

LEMONGRASS AND KIWIFRUIT JELLY

I am sure you remember this cute Pooh shaped Lemongrass Jelly which I have shared from my previous post on Kiwi-licious Feast. I purposely made some using my boy's favourite "Winne The Pooh" shaped mould in order to make the jelly appealing to him in sight in order for him to try. So for mum who finds it difficult to get your picky eater into trying new food, perhaps make something with interesting characters they like will help. (for more kids meal ideas, read HERE)

Here I have simplify the steps and ingredients by using Konnyaku Premix Jelly Powder to make this refreshing jelly and you can add in some fruits such as kiwifruits, aloe vera, mini grapes and etc to enhance the flavour.

(Serves: 4-6 |   Preparation: 20 minutes   |  Chilling: 1 hour)

Ingredients:
1 Each of Zespri® Gold and Green Kiwifruits, cut into small cubes
6 - 8 Stalks of Lemongrass, halved and bruised
2 Knots of Pandan Leaves
1.5 Litres Water
1 Packet of Konnyaku Premix Jelly Powder

Method:-

1. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil, add in lemongrass and pandan leaves, simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes on low heat. 

2.When done, switch off the heat, measure 1250ml of the lemongrass water (you can leave a few stalks of the lemongrass in it) and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. Next stir in Konnyaku premix jelly powder into the cool lemongrass water, bring it to boil again on medium heat.

4. Remove from heat, stir till bubbles dissipate.

5. Half filled the jelly mould, topped with some chopped kiwifruits and filled it to the rim of the mould.

6. Cool to room temperature and keep refrigerate.

Personally I love the taste and fragrant of this lemongrass jelly because of it's light and refreshing taste. And for more creative way of making your jelly, you can add in canned fruits such as longan, fruit cocktails and served with ice cubes, or just served it as in it with more fresh cut fruits or etc. I am sure this will make a great party dessert too!

KIWIFRUIT CHIFFON CAKE

(Upcoming Post)

Time flies, tomorrow is the last day of the "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)" and to mark off the finale of this challenge I would be sharing my last experiment using Zespri® Kiwifruit to bake a "Kiwifruit Chiffon Cake". For a challenge I have used fresh Kiwifruit Puree instead of the usual kiwifruit jam recipe shown online. So if you are interested, stay tune for the recipe tomorrow!

My Daily Zespri Kiwifruit & Banana Milkshake

For a healthier beverage to start off your daily breakfast, perhaps you might want to blend a glass of "Zespri Kiwifruit And Banana Milkshake" using either Low-fat Milk or Soymilk. It is so easy to make this at home with just a couple of minutes to blend the milkshake plus washing the blender. So why not let's start today making a healthy beverage with lots of Vitamin C and Fibre for our daily diet.

ZESPRI KIWIFRUIT AND BANANA MILKSHAKE

So far till date, during these 12th day of the Zespri® Challenge, kiwifruits gave me these benefits:-

~ Fibre: Helps to improved my indigestion problems, smooth bowel system and as well it also improve overall weight control as I love to snack in between the day.

~ Vitamin C: Since I don't like to eat orange and Kiwifruit has 2 times the Vitamin C of an orange, my body can easily meet the daily Vitamin C from that kiwifruits that I ate daily.

(Make: 250ml    | Preparation: 3 minutes )

Ingredients:
2 Frozen Zespri® Green Kiwifruits, cut into quarters
1 Ripe Banana, cut into chunks
1/4 Cup of Low-Fat Milk/ Soymilk
1 Teaspoon Honey, optional

Method:-

1. In a blender, combined fresh milk/soymilk, kiwifruits and banana together and blend till smooth.

2. Pour serving glass and enjoy as one of your daily breakfast drinks.

Moreover you can eat these delicious Kiwifruit in many different ways from eating it on itself, incorporate it into dishes or bakes, beverage and etc (recipes HERE). More information and recipes using Kiwifruit can be found at Zespri's website @ http://www.zespri.com.sg/

Lastly, I hope these kiwifruit posts and recipes that I have shared so far are useful  to "add in" more Vitamin and nutrition value for your family daily diet.

{Zespri Kiwifruits Feast} Apple, Kiwifruit Mint Smoothie, Baked Drumlets With Kiwifruit, Spicy Penne with Salmon and Kiwifruit plus Lemongrass Jelly with Kiwifruits

I am sure those of you who has being following my threads on the various social media platforms (such as facebook, twitter and instagram) would have been seeing me updating a lot of "kiwifruits" related posts for the past one week. (so sorry if I have "spam" some of your timelines :p ) As you have read from my previous post(s), this year I am taking up the "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)" to test out how creative I can work with these "fuzzy brown fruits" to incorporate them into our daily diet.

So over the past weekend, I have come out with a 4 Course Kiwi-licious Menu starting with:- Apple, Kiwifruit And Mint Smoothie, Baked Drumlets With Kiwifruit And Mint, Spicy Penne With Salmon And Kiwifruit follow by a refreshing Lemongrass Kiwifruits Konnyaku Jelly for dessert. In this post, I would be sharing the first 3 recipes whereas for the Lemongrass Jelly it would be featured in another post.

Zespri Kiwifruit Yoghurt Parfait

Today is 7th day of my "Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge (#14daysofZespri)" and it feels really wonderful and amazing on how these "brown fuzzy fruits" could actually benefit our health and improve our daily intake of Vitamin C and etc.

And as you probably will know Yoghurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium and etc so by making a dessert using yoghurt and kiwifruit is definitely a awesome choice as it has all the goodness in a cup. So rather than using "cream cheese" plus yoghurt to make the parfait, I have omitted the cream cheese and used only yoghurt and kiwifruit for a lighter and healthier dessert.

KIWIFRUIT YOGHURT PARFAIT

This quick and simple recipe can also be prepared a few hours ahead and served after meal. And you don't have any "kiwifruit jam" (recipe HERE) you can replaced it with some honey or store bought blueberry jam which taste equally good too.

(Makes : 3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | )

Ingredients:
6 Pieces Digestive Biscuits
1 Zesperi® Gold/Green Kiwifruit
250ml Vanilla/Plain Yoghurt
Some Kiwifruit Jam/Compote

Method:-

1. Place the digestive biscuits in a ziplock bag and crashed it coarsely with a rolling pin or glass bottle.

2. Peeled the skin of the kiwifruit and sliced it to  about 0.5cm thick (6 - 8 slices).  

3.To assemble the yoghurt parfait, place some crushed digestive biscuits on the bottom of the serving cups.

4. Spoon in 1 tablespoon of yoghurt, top with a slice of kiwiwfruit, another spoonful of youghurt follow by a teaspoon of kiwifruit jam on it.

5. Lastly top with some youghurt and another slices of kiwifruit on top as garnish and serve.

After sharing this quick and healthy dessert over the Social media platform such as Instargam and Facebook, it did received quiet a number of "Likes" and "Comments" too.

Other than using Kiwifruits to make the "Yoghurt Parfait" shown above, you can also cut it into cubes and mix with some canned fruits such as Longan, Lychee or Fruit cocktails and served it as a refreshing after meal dessert. My this version was inspired by Keropokman's "Longan Dessert", I added some mixture of cubed Zesperi® Gold/Green Kiwifruit which gives it twist to contrast the sweet and sour flavour kiwifruits and Longan in syrup (Instagram photo HERE).

For more interesting recipes using Kiwifruit, you can visit their website @ http://www.zespri.com.sg/

{Bento} Happy 47th Birthday Singapore

Today is eve of Singapore National Day where most of the local schools are having short sessions in the morning for Pre-National Day celebration. And because of this special day, I have prepared this easy and yet meaningful snack box for my boy to bring to school. 

This unique lunchbox is one of the items from my recent Zespri® Introductory Bag for the Zespri®  14-Day Daily Scoop Amazing Challenge event. And for a bento accessories collector like me, this is definitely a "gem" to add into my collections whereby I can prepare yummy snack plus safe keep the kiwifruit.

NATIONAL DAY BENTO

As you can see the size of this unique lunchbox is about the size of our normal sandwich bread and you can also make use of it to put mini packet of juice, cookies and etc as sides. Mostly important thing is, there is a special compartment for storing kiwifruit which is a plus point that I love. In this way I can keep the fruit as whole without cutting to retain it's freshness,  at the same time kiwifruit also helps to add extra Vitamin C to my kid's daily diet.

(Serves: 1        | Preparation: 10 minutes    | Cooking: 3 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Slices Sandwich Bread
1 Slice Picnic Ham
1 Slice of Sandwich Cheese
1 Zesperi® Gold/Green Kiwifruit
1 Mini Packet of Juice or Milo
Some Cheese Cubes
Some Cookies or Seedless Grapes

Method:-

1. Either blanched the picnic ham in boiling water or lightly pan-fry it for 20 seconds on each side, remove and set aside.

2. Using a 8cm pie cutter or mug, cut out round shaped from the bread slices. Repeat the same steps for the cooked ham and with a knife cut it into halve length wise.

3. Next with the round and star shape food cutters (read more on cutters HERE), cut out the crescent and five stars that represent our Singapore National Flag and use a tweezer to assemble them on the ham shown above.

4. When done, sandwich the remaining the ham and cheese(trim a bit) with the cutout bread. Top with the decorated Singapore National Flag Ham and place it in the prepared lunchbox.

5. To complete the bento box, add in some sides such as mini packet of juice or milo, cookies, cheese cubes or etc.

6. Lastly remember to put in either Zesperi® Gold/Green Kiwifruit in the special compartment allocated for it.

If you still remember, last year I also made a "National Day Bento" using Chicken Rice, Putu Mayam, Ondeh Ondeh and etc to represent the multi-races in Singapore. But this round indeed I made something more simple which I believed you can also pack something similar for your kids snack box.

One of our breakfast with Zespri® Gold Kiwifruit shared via my Instagram

Since now is the peak season of kiwifruits, you can be assured that both Zespri® Gold and Green do taste sweet when they are ripe. So remember to include this wonder Zespri® Kiwifruits which has 5 times the nutritious of apples in your family daily diet too!

Chocolate Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes - 巧克力北海道蛋糕

Last Tuesday I have made some Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes for my family as well as mum's church friends. And since I still have leftover whipping cream, I decided to make another batch which is Chocolate flavour upon my boy's request.

The recipe for both flavour is rather similar as I just replace some of the cake flour with dutch process cocoa powder which give it a deeper brown and nicer flavour.

Zespri Kiwifruit, Your Daily Scoop Of Amazing

I am sure recently when you are doing your daily or weekly groceries shopping, you would notice that most supermarket are storing or having promotion on Zespri® Kiwifruit such as Zespri® Gold, Green or Organic which are available in their peak season.

So with Zespri® Kiwifruit as a great source of fibre which is essential in maintaining a healthy digestive system. I decided to take up the Zespri® 14 days Daily Scoop of Amazing Challenge which I am sure it will helps to improve my health (which I always have indigestion problem) as well as in-cooperate a balance diet and at the same time boost out our family immune system too.

Eating and bring Kiwifruit around is such a breeze with a handy kiwifruit container like this (I got this from last year Zespri® event but sometime you can get this free during Zespri® Kiwifruit promotion in the supermarkets too). As you can see from the photo above, it comes with a 2-in-1 plastic spoon and knife which enable you to cut and eat the fruit without having a mess.

As most of us know, Zespri® Kiwifruits is low in calories and fat which is a perfect snack to eat every day too. So when I post a photo on instagram and facebook page yesterday evening asking which kiwifruit I should bring along for dessert when dining out,  I received quite a number of suggestions from readers, where most of them prefer Zespri Gold (I guess they have impression that Zespri Gold is sweeter than the Green). So below I include a chart comparing both Zespri® Gold and Green for your leisure read up and better understanding of these two kiwifrutis.

Photo Credited to Zespri®

Other than serving it as snacks or desserts, Kiwifruit can also be a great breakfast choice especially for many Singaporean who are caught up in the morning rush like school kids or working adults. To eat this fruits, all you need to do is cut it into half and scoop to enjoy. Moreover kiwifruit has dose of Vitamin C, fibre and anti-oxidants which will help to promote good health and directly benefits the body.

And as usual for this year blogger's introductory pack, we also received quiet a number of interesting cute kiwifruit items such as keychains, recipes booklet, pens, lunch box, fresh kiwifruits and etc like what we get last year (HERE, if you still remember the Zespri® Goodie Bags Giveaway). So please stay tune for this year's Zespri® Goodie Bags Giveaway (more details will be reveal soon) if you are interested to win some of these lovely items.

Since I have extra supplies of kiwifruits (on top of those that I bought weekly) from Zespri® I decided to share the goodness of this amazing kiwifruits with some of my besties and other family members whom I know they would definitely love them to bits.

Emmmm! Even Mum's Beagle is curious about the taste of the kiwifruits

RECIPES USING ZESPRI KIWIFRUITS

Below are some of my Zespri® Kiwifruit recipes that I have shared last year using Zespri® Gold and Zespri® Green Kiwifruit which you might be interested to read more about it.

MENU

Kiwi, Lime And Mint Cooler

Avocado with Gold Kiwifruit Salsa

Pan-fry Salmon with Green Kiwifruit

(recipes)

DESSERT / TEA 

Kiwi And Lime Cupcakes

(recipe)

Lastly if you like to try other new dishes or bakes using kiwifruits, do stay tune for my upcoming post(s) on how/what I am going to create for this year using these amazing kiwifruits from Zespri®.