Mango Guyabano (Soursop) Smoothie

My mom is quite the health enthusiast. Ok, not the obsessive one but the kind who tried her best to ensure that only the best and healthiest kind of food entered our stomach. I remember her making juice from fresh tomatoes and concocting all sorts of smoothies for our snack! I didn't like the tomato juice at all so even if she bribed me about Php 5.00 for every glass that I drank  (quite a good amount in the 80s) I never learned to love or like it and today, I still don't! :)

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.

Green Mango Smoothie

When it comes to tropical fruits - the Mango reigns supreme in the Philippines. I grew up with mango trees in our backyard. I have memories of my grandma smoking the mango tree. She would rake the dried leaves and twigs in our backyard into a pile under the mango tree and light a small fire - the purpose is to get the smoke up into the tree. Some say it's because the smoke drive the bugs away from the precious fruits that they love to nibble on. I don't know if this is scientifically true but that tree has always given us bag loads of mangoes. 

Sauteed Chayote (Sayote Guisado)

When I was still in the Philippines and living with my family, this dish was on our table every week. We truly love all kinds of squashes especially Chayote (called Sayote in the Philippines). It such a well-loved dish that you can find Sayote Guisado in any cafeteria or canteen all over the country during lunch time. I often had this for lunch when I still worked for the Supreme Court. It's almost like a soup that you have on the side, though it really isn't a soup at all but more like a stew. And, you often serve this with rice. It's also pretty cheap to prepare yet quite nutritious, too. You can make this dish with just chayote on its own but you can certainly add other vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli to the mix.

Chicken Adobo (Chinese Style)

If there is a dish that defines what Filipino cuisine is all about - it's adobo, the unofficial, national dish of the Philippine islands. There are as many versions of adobo as there are many islands in the Philippines. Perhaps not as many as 7,107 islands (the whole Philippine archipelago) but ask each Filipino family and each will tell you their own adobo recipe handed down from one generation to another differentiated not so much by the kind of ingredients they use but more on the style or technique in cooking the dish. 

Vegetarian Pansit

A few times I have been asked on our Facebook page if I have a vegetarian version of our country's famous noodle dish - Pansit. At that time, I actually have never tried it without meat. In the Philippines, we either use chicken or pork, sometimes shrimp and even Chinese sausage to add flavor to the Pancit. However, there is a first time for everything. Finally, I decided to make a vegetarian/meatless version of the Pansit for our friends who prefer that diet.

Sausage and Egg Fried Rice

If there is one dish that I make a few times a week (yes, a week not a month) it has to be Sinangag or Fried Rice. It should not come as a surprise, after all, I have grown up eating rice 3x a day and my hubby, who prefers a more gluten-free diet, also loves it, too. My kids, naturally, are big rice eaters too so it makes a lot of sense for me to always cook a big batch of rice. Perhaps, I am just too lazy to make a small batch of rice each time (after all, I only need to push the cook button on my rice cooker and it does all the job!). However, the truth is, I make a huge batch of rice each time so I have left-overs which means, extra rice for making fried rice the next day. This time I don't mind the extra effort of cooking it - in fact, we don't have any microwave so everything has to be heated up on the stove top every time, anyway.

Creamy Chicken Sopas (Filipino Chicken Macaroni Soup)

I have so many sweet memories of this Creamy Chicken Sopas that my mom always made, perhaps at least once a week. My siblings and I often requested for this and our mom always readily acceded.  We have eaten this for breakfast, lunch, dinner and yes, even as a snack. There's just something so comforting about a creamy soup. This is even more craved for during the monsoon season when it rains all over the archipelago much like we crave for Champorado when it's cold and gloomy. For flavoring, I add a little patis/fish sauce to the broth. For me that's the one that gives it that special flavor. There are so many versions of chicken macaroni soup but add some patis (fish sauce) and you truly make it extra special!

Beef Caldereta (Kaldereta sa Gata) - Beef Chunks Stewed in Coconut Milk

Kaldereta belongs to the category of comfort food in the Philippines. It is a favorite dish that is often served in weddings, birthday parties, certainly Fiestas and other special occasions. Like many other Filipino dishes, it has some Spanish influence particularly in its name which originated from the Spanish word - caldera/caldero - which means "cauldron." It's a tomato-based stew as many other Spanish-influenced dishes in the Philippines are, but the Filipinos gave it a unique twist by adding either liver spread, coconut milk, peanut butter and sometimes cheese for extra flavor. It is traditionally made with goats meat but more often the beef version is the most popular one though depending on one's diet and preference you can also find "kaldereta" made with chicken or pork. Others like it spicy, while others prefer it creamy or just more tomatoey. 

Sautéed Green Beans and Yellow Squash with Italian Sausages

Saturday is Farmer's Market Day in our area so to give my hubby some peace and quiet while he works at home, the tots and myself often make a trip to the market. We love to look at all the lovely produce that the vendors have on offer though I think my kids are really after the freshly made donuts that I usually get for them when we get there. As for me, I am always on the look-out for fresh and preferably organic veggies that I can use for cooking.

Shepherd's Pie (Filipino-style)

I love Arroz a la Cubana! It's a Filipino classic comfort food that arrived in our country by way of Spain. The Philippine version typically consists of rice, ground beef sauteed with vegetables such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, diced potatoes (or bell peppers) and carrots and served with a fried egg and fried plantains on the side. The meat-vegetable mixture for Arroz a la Cubana is not only flavorful, it's quite versatile too as I can use it to make other dishes to give them a distinct Pinoy (Filipino) flair.

Sinigang na Baboy (Lemony Pork Soup with Asparagus and Spinach)

It's been so long since I made Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Soup). This is a true Tagalog dish that is quite special because families would make this usually just on Sundays much like a Sunday Roast here in the US and UK. It may be hot and humid in the Philippines but despite that nothing beats a hot bowl of this delicious Pork in Sour Soup to help you cope with the muggy weather. It is true comfort food for any Filipino!

Tinolang Manok (Opo Squash and Ginger Chicken Soup)

Nowadays, we are trying to eat a little healthier than usual (with occasional sweet treats of course!) and so I have decided to look back on my heritage to try and make more Filipino style dishes that are both nutritionally more beneficial and flavorful, too. In the Tagalog Region, where my little island belong, a lot of our food are soup-based - with veggies and meat added in and lots of garlic, onion, tomatoes and ginger added for flavor!

Classic Chicken Adobo

If there is a dish that the Philippines is known for it's got to be Adobo. While the word "Adobo"  certainly has Spanish origins (the Philippines has been colonized by Spain for nearly 400 years), this particular cooking method and dish is indigenous to the Philippines.

Chicken Afritada

Much like the other Filipino classic dishes namely Adobo, Pansit, and Menudo - the Afritada is also quite popular and is often served at birthdays, weddings and other gatherings. Much like Menudo, Mechado and Kaldereta, Afritada is highly influenced by the "estofado" or Spanish stew.

Silver Fish (Dulong) Patties

 

We went to Chicago to get my visa about two months ago. When we get the chance to visit Chicago I try to drop by the Filipino store there so I can get some Filipino ingredients which I would otherwise not find in Michigan. Fortunately, we had a little time to spare so my husband kindly brought me to the store so  I was able to get a little shopping done.

Extra Special Mango Float

Ohhh summer. I've had a few requests for this special Filipino dessert called Mango Float. For some reason I never got to make it and then finally summer came so I decided this is the perfect time to make it! I am glad I did!

The Classic Pork or Chicken Adobo

If there is a dish that the Philippines is known for it's got to be Adobo. While the word "Adobo"  certainly has Spanish origins (the Philippines has been colonized by Spain for nearly 400 years), this particular cooking method and dish is indigenous to the Philippines.

Classic Embutido (Filipino-Style Meatloaf)

Did you know that "Embutido" is the generic term for "sausage" in the Spanish language? I just learned this recently as I was doing some research on our latest post. I knew that the Pinoy Embutido was something based on a Spanish dish because we have been colonized by Spain for nearly 400 years so obviously we have a lot of Spanish influence in our cuisine.

Pochero (Pork/Beef Stew with Saba/Burro Bananas)

Sundays were very special in our family when I was growing up in our small island called Marinduque in the Philippines. Not only because that's the day that we all dress up and attend church but also because we know that Mom would have something special for us for lunch. It was always a much anticipated meal.