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Apr 19, 2017

Sautéed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

Just 5 minutes to make this tasty side dish full of buttery, lemony goodness and extra crunch from Almonds! 

Just 5 minutes to make this tasty side dish full of buttery, lemony goodness and extra crunch from Almonds! Sautéed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

I am grateful that my kids love to eat vegetables or at least are willing to try new vegetable dishes which is why I try to look for new recipes so they don't get tired of the same old fare. The other day I got some haricots verts instead of the usual green beans. Haricots verts are also called French green beans - they look like the regular green beans but with thinner edible pods and smaller seeds. Nonetheless, despite seeming smaller than their bigger green bean cousins - they are more intense in flavor and taste. Well, at least according to my taste buds!! :)
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Feb 17, 2017

Cheese Tortellini Soup with White Beans and Kielbasa

In 30 minutes you can serve your family a hearty and delicious soup! Easy-peasy yumminess in a bowl!

In 30 minutes you can serve your family a hearty and delicious soup! Easy-peasy yumminess in a bowl!

I have been making quite a lot of soup this winter season. You may think, well, that's pretty normal for the cold season. Perhaps but it's not normal for me. Since the Philippines is a hot country with only two major seasons - wet and dry - which incidentally are both relatively warm (hot!) weather, you won't often find soup on a Filipino's daily menu. Besides that, soup, like tea, when served, is often associated with an ailment or being unwell as that's often what's given to anyone who has been afflicted with some illness in the Philippines. Having this background, you can imagine, I am not much of a soup person at all.
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Jan 28, 2017

Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

In 30 minutes you have a delicious, nutritious and hearty soup for the whole family -  Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup. Easy recipe, too.

In 30 minutes you have a delicious, nutritious and hearty soup for the whole family -  Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup. Easy recipe, too.

Winter season is soup season indeed! Since winter is also the season when you most likely will get sick or catch a bug, I want to make sure that I feed  my family healthy and wholesome food, too. As we all know green and leafy vegetables are one of the best sources of nutrients and Kale is certainly often considered the queen (or was it king?) of greens! Naturally, since it's not exactly candy material and the bright tint of green doesn't excite my kids either - I need to devise some ways to make them eat this healthy veggie!
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Feb 28, 2015

Beef and Bean Enchiladas



Last week I had been craving for something a little spicy. I didn't really fancy making a curry but thought I'd make it a Mexican night in our house. Before we had kids, I used to make Chicken Enchiladas for hubby and myself but have never ever done another one ever since we had kids. Wow, that's almost like a decade ago.
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Dec 1, 2014

Ginisang Munggo (Mung Bean Soup / Stew)

With beans, spinach, tomatoes and meat this hearty and healthy soup is filling and delicious!


Mung Beans or locally called "munggo" is considered a staple food in the Philippines especially in the provinces. Just a small amount of mung beans with added meat (like chicken, pork, or shrimp) or even meatless truly goes a long, long way and can easily feed an entire family. I think that's why it's quite popular. Not only can it feed a lot of people - it is also quite cheap and also very nutritious! If you're abroad, you can find mung beans either in the Asian section of your grocery or in any Asian store.
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Oct 30, 2013

Delectable Chocolate Chili


Fall and winter calls for comfort food that will not only keep you warm but also make you feel really good - to help battle the winter blues! And we all know that kind of food has got to be Chili! I have already made a chicken version last year so I thought it's about time I make a beef one. I have seen some recipes that use unsweetened Cocoa powder to add more flavor to their Chilis and I thought it was a wonderful idea. So here's my version of a Chocolate Chili that uses cocoa powder to add more flavor to your regular Chili recipe.
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Oct 9, 2012

Filipino (Pinoy) Style Lentil Soup


It's getting really cold now and I miss my favorite Mung Bean dish - Ginisang Munggo - which we often have in the Philippines. When I discovered that lentils have a similar taste and texture to my fave mungo I decided to cook it the same way and I love the result. For this recipe, instead of the usual pork and beef cutlets traditionally added in Ginisang Munggo, I opted for Italian sausages for richer taste and texture. Towards the end of cooking, I added some spinach leaves to pack in extra nutrients!

If you're thinking of one healthy meal to cook for your  family that's full of good flavor without much guilt, you have to try this recipe. My husband particularly loves this and little Sophie eats this with rice!

Just leave out the meat if you want a vegan or vegetarian option. Enjoy this healthy soup (or stew) during the cooler days!


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Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
5-6 crushed garlic cloves
2 medium size onions, chopped
1 lb Italian or your favorite sausage (mild or hot or a combo), cut/chopped diagonally
5 diced roma tomatoes 
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ½ cups dried lentils
5 cups of water
1 (10 oz) bag of spinach

Procedure

Heat the olive oil in a deep pan. Sauté the garlic and onions until the onions are tender about 3-4 mins.


Add the sausages and cook until brown. Stir in the tomatoes and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper then cook for another 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, rinse the lentils and drain. Add the lentils and water to the sausages and vegetables then bring to a boil.

  

Simmer covered for about an hour or until lentils are tender. Finally, add the spinach and cook just until it's wilted.


Adjust seasoning to your taste. Serve hot on its own or paired with bread or rice.


If you wish to print the recipe, there's a print-friendly icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images" box for easy and convenient printing.

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Aug 13, 2012

Sautéed Ground Pork with Asian Long Beans and Potatoes (Ginisang Sitaw at Patatas)

 
 


Sautéed Ground Pork with Asian Long Beans and Potatoes...quite a mouthful, isn't it? I wish the English name of the recipe is as short as the Tagalog (Filipino) one. Oh well, we don't want to be lost in translation, right? J
Of late, I feel like I have been baking a lot (some of the recipes are still on the testing stage but hopefully will get uploaded later). That explains the few pounds I have gained this summer! So, I thought I better go back to my Filipino diet, mostly gluten-free of course, but unfortunately, involving lots of carbs. We do eat rice at least three times a day in the Philippines! And I have not included the rice snacks we have and an additional meal (yes, meal not snack) between lunch and dinner which, guess what, involves "cold" left-over rice  (sorry, the Tagalog name escapes me at the moment) paired with some meat-and-vegetable dish. Today, I wanted to have rice with my dinner. But what shall I have with it?

The other day I found some Asian Long Beans (also called "Snake Beans" - how scary!) or Sitaw (known as Kibal in my province) in the Asian store and, of course, I bought it. I only usually see this during summer so I took a bunch home to cook later. Not only did I find long beans, I even found the lovely purple ones! (Unfortunately, they lose their lovely color once cooked but the crunchy texture and delicious flavor are retained thankfully!)





Usually, I would pair this with my favorite veggie - the Squash! - but I didn't have any. The only vegetable left on my kitchen were a few pieces of red potatoes which really needed to be used right away. I thought it might be a weird combination for while we love potatoes and use them a lot in the Philippines, in my house we have never tried to combine it with Sitaw. Oh well, there's always a first time. And at least I'll finally know if they can go together. And they married perfectly in this dish! The starchy potatoes worked really well with the crunchy Sitaw. I loved the flavor combo and the texture which both veggies have imparted to the dish.

Of course, it won't be complete without the sautéed ground pork (Ginisang Giniling). The sautéed ground pork is always the base for many of our dishes especially in our household. I always combine it with veggies like squash, beans, cabbage, potatoes, etc. Here is a link for the Giniling recipe




Usually, I use about half of the Giniling recipe but feel free to use the entire one if you like. Just add more veggies!

Ingredients


Half the Giniling Recipe
1/2 to 1 whole bunch of Asian Long Beans (some bunches are bigger than others)
3-4 medium red potatoes
Extra soy sauce, salt or fish sauce to season the dish. Choose your fave seasoning!
Ground Pepper (may be added too)


Procedure

Rinse the beans and potatoes before using.

Snap the beans in 2-inch pieces by using your bare hands. They will naturally snap when you try to bend them. Easy! I also snap-off one of the ends of the beans (the rounded end not the tail).

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.




If you have just cooked the Giniling (meat is already tender and flavorful), you can immediately add these veggies to the mix and then cover and cook until tender roughly 10-15 minutes.

If not, warm up the giniling recipe first (if it's been cooked beforehand).
Once it begins to simmer or is about to reach boiling point, add in the vegetables. Spread them in the pan to get an even cooking. Cover and simmer as above for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the beans fully cooked yet still retain some crunch.




If it dries up, add some water and adjust the seasoning with either salt, soy sauce or to impart more flavor - fish sauce (But it is rather smelly so don't cover the pan until the lovely aroma of the fish sauce has disappeared, just a few minutes. Trust me, it's worth it!). I add ground peppers too for more flavor!

Needless to say, it's perfect with rice! Enjoy!








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May 23, 2012

Pork and Beans


When I run out of ideas for lunch or dinner (yes, that happens even to food bloggers!), this becomes a fall back dish. The reason is a little sentimental. My husband and I, though we grew up worlds apart (literally and figuratively) this was something we both had in common. We both grew up eating baked beans.
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