How to Cook the Perfect Rice Every Time!

Tried and tested, best and easiest way to cook the perfect rice every time! No more guessing game!

There is a joke in the Philippines as I was growing up in the province that a girl is not allowed to marry until she can prove that she knows how to cook rice!! I think I must have been reminded about this many times that it stuck in my head! Thankfully, this is no longer the litmus test before one can marry or many would have flunked right away.

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! 

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!! :)

Easy Bacon Fried Rice

Left-over rice? No problem! Turn it into delicious fried rice flavored with bacon, garlic and eggs! Easy and delicious instant side dish!

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you probably already know by now how much we love fried rice in our house. In fact, I purposely cook a lot of rice in one go for the simple reason that we want left-overs. You know why? Because left-over chilled cooked rice is the perfect ingredient for a delicious and perfect fried rice!

Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan

A quick, delicious and healthy way to use up all these summer squash is to make Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan!

We are at the peak of Zucchini season and it would certainly be hard to miss these tasty summer squash. They are everywhere from the Farmer's market to your favorite grocery and yes, of course, in your neighbor's vegetable garden! In our house when I have already baked 3 Zucchini breads in a row in less than a week, then you can be sure it truly is zucchini season!

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Lemon

Garlicky, buttery, lemony and so tasty are these roasted broccoli florets! Quick and easy to make, low-carb and naturally gluten-free!

Back when we were still living in Michigan, a good friend of ours invited us for dinner at their place. I have always enjoyed the food she served as they were simple, totally uncomplicated, yet very tasty. She had to adjust her cooking style and choice of food early on because her kids suffer some allergies and couldn't tolerate certain foods. Since she had to often use very basic ingredients - just pure whole foods - I truly loved the simplicity of her cooking and how she made them quite tasty, too. I especially loved the way she cooked her vegetables.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

In 15 minutes or less you can make this delicious alternative to fried rice. A versatile recipe, you can add your favorite meat (esp. left-over ones), veggies and adjust the taste to your liking!

One of the loveliest memories we have of Michigan is shopping at Meijer's - a great grocery chain in the Midwest. You're probably asking yourself, "Grocery shopping? How can that be memorable?" You see, shopping in Meijer's was our very first introduction to American culture. The moment we stepped into that huge supermarket, hubby and I were totally astounded with the dizzying variety of what's on offer - seemingly unending aisles of cereals and other breakfast products, endless varieties of ice cream, frozen pizza galore....and what have you. It was quite a sight for us who, back in 2004, were used to smallish to medium size kind of grocery stores and not of the mega-mall variety.  

Crispy Adobo Flakes

Crunchy and flavorful, these crispy adobo flakes are perfect for breakfast, as topping for salad or soup and a delicious accompaniment to your favorite Asian dish. Use left-over pork, chicken or beef adobo to make this so nothing is wasted!

A few days ago, I posted a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo which I cooked previously. After the first meal of enjoying this classic Pinoy dish, we had some left-overs as usual (we are a small family after all). Normally, I would simply reheat whatever was left and have it with fried rice for a second meal. But then, I thought that would simply be boring. So, I decided to use the remaining chicken pieces for making crispy Adobo flakes. After all, hubby totally loved the Adobo flakes after having some at a breakfast place in Manila. He couldn't believe how tasty the odd looking shredded meat was and that it was as good as the original dish itself!

Special Fried Rice

Easy and yummy way to make your favorite take-away Chinese Special Fried Rice. You can also tweak the flavoring to your taste.

As I have mentioned before in previous posts, we are obsessed with rice in the Philippines. Why do I say so? Well, we just eat rice at least 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. I say at least 3 times because more often than not - it may be 5 times. Yes, seriously!

Fried Rice with Aromatic Spices

Tasty and mildly spiced this fried rice is the perfect side dish for your favorite Asian food especially curries and stews. Great way to use left-over rice, too and it's gluten-free!

Since hubby came back from India last December bringing with him a good amount of spices, I have been trying to think of creative ways to use them. Since rice is a staple in our family, I thought it would be great to use these spices to add extra flavor to the usual fried rice. 

One Pot Beef Risotto with Arugula

Of late I have been using a lot of Arugula (also known as Rocket) in my dishes from salad to sandwiches. I have totally fallen in love with this salad leaf. I love the flavor that it brings to the dish. On its own it has quite a strong pungent and peppery taste but mix it with other ingredients and this vibrant green vegetable provides an extra flavor dimension that not only contrast or complement with other flavors but truly enhances the taste over all. Because of this I never hesitate to experiment with it.

Cooking, on occasion, is a shared chore between my husband and myself. I am so glad for that because there are times when I am not able to cook and when that happens, I am not worried because I know that hubby has a few recipes up his sleeve that he can easily whip up for the family. Sometimes, he just feels like giving me a break, too and then he cooks his favorite recipes that we all enjoy. On other times, things are just hectic and that's when I need an extra hand in the kitchen to help speed things up and that's when he is so handy, too!

Like in this particular day, a few days ago, when we were all set to leave for the UK for a holiday. Our flight was in the evening but we still had to make it early enough to the airport which was in New York so things really got busy in the morning with all the last minute packing and, of course, preparations for breakfast. Thankfully, hubby and the kids came to the rescue! We divided the chore - kids set the table as usual while hubby and I set off to make the food.

We had some food we needed to eat up before we left and we didn't want to just throw them away. We had some assortment of food - quinoa, fresh tomatoes, eggs, bacon and kale. I felt like we were in Chopped trying to figure out what to make with these ingredients. Thankfully, my creative and quick-thinking husband decided he would make quinoa with some scrambled eggs and bacon - which I thought was a fabulous idea! I decided I had to do something with the kale and so my kids would eat it (they had to anyway!) I thought I'd make it a bit more palatable by adding some bacon and garlic. So in the end, we had a delicious breakfast as you can see in the photo - it all came out well. It was a sweet ending as all the food that needed to be used up were not wasted and put to good use. And most of all, I have this quick and easy Kale dish for you to enjoy. Only 3 ingredients to make this tasty and somewhat healthy side dish (it's got Kale!)! Experiment on the seasoning and use either some soy sauce or oyster sauce to replace the salt and pepper to make an Asian-flavored side dish! Enjoy!

Sautéed Kale with Bacon and Garlic

By: Manila Spoon
August 8, 2015


Who says Kale cannot taste good? Add some bacon and garlic and you're all set - Sauteed Kale with Bacon and Garlic. Naturally, gluten-free and low-carb!

Ingredients

• 3-4 Bacon strips
• 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 packs (5 oz each) Baby Kale
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a wok or a large skillet, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat and has turned crispy. Break the bacon into bits. Set aside.
2. Pour out the bacon grease from the pan but leave about 3 tablespoons for cooking. Saute the garlic cloves briefly until aromatic.
3. Add the kale leaves, stir and cook until wilted. This doesn't take very long perhaps about 3-4 minutes depending on how tender you want the kale to be. Season with salt and pepper. If you fancy some Asian seasoning instead, replace the salt and pepper with soy sauce or oyster sauce, to taste (about 2-3 teaspoons).
4. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the bacon bits. Enjoy immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes

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Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Garlic Butter

Ever since I made my post on Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Bacon, my family and I have totally fallen-in-love with Brussels Sprouts. Who knew this mostly-maligned and snubbed vegetable can taste truly yummy and quite more-ish! If you learn how to cook Brussels Sprouts properly, you will truly be rewarded with a delicious side dish that doesn't taste bitter or yucky but actually quite yummy and a little nutty (not the crazy kind!). :)

Broccoli Bacon Salad with Raisins and Almonds

The first time I have ever had this wonderful American salad was in our church potluck. I wasn't much of a salad eater when I first came to the US. We only had one type of salad in the Philippines and that was always made with iceberg lettuce and always with a thousand island dressing. For us, vegetables were always cooked with meat so eating it raw (which is better really!) wasn't typical at all. It's only recently I believe that we've had more exposure to different types of salad, well at least for me.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian-style Fried Rice)

Oh, Fried Rice - whatever the style of cooking, seasoning or its origin, I totally love it! I think it is one of the most versatile side dishes and when some meat and vegetables are added, it can be a one-pot meal on its own right. Moreover, it is such a big money-saver as you don't waste left-over rice by throwing it away, you can use it and make a delicious dish out of it.

Coconut Rice

This coconut-flavored rice is deliciously healthy and a great and versatile side dish!!

You already know by this time that we eat rice at least 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner though that would not necessarily stop us from having rice (cold rice even) as a snack and definitely as dessert, too. Yes, we do love rice. However, though we are surrounded by coconut  trees all over our country, I have never tried cooking rice with coconut milk except when it's cooked as dessert but not as a side dish. We often associate the coconut and rice combo with dessert and not so much as a side dish for a savory viand. Ha, I realized after cooking this dish that I have been missing a lot (I thought I had pretty much tried all types of rice dishes and realized I was wrong) so this week I corrected my mistake and made this delicious and flavorful Coconut Rice.

Cheesy Baked Broccoli Fritters

One of our family members suffer from gluten intolerance so I often have to devise recipes or adapt them so that he can still enjoy the food that the rest of us can eat without any problem. Often, it's just a matter of replacing the flour or bread called for in the original recipe with a wheat-free alternative. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't so I am always delighted when the substitution works well and the food comes out amazingly good and truly enjoyable.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (and Garlic)

My husband has always been a big fan of Brussels Sprouts and I wasn't. In fact, I have to confess I have never seen Brussels Sprouts until I went to England over a decade ago. I have never seen them in any of our groceries while growing up though perhaps nowadays with a more globalized market, they may already have arrived sometime ago.

Cavolfiore Fritto (Deep-fried Cauliflower)

When we went to Spain, in Barcelona to be precise, in 2010 hubby and I enjoyed the fried vegetables being sold at a vegetable fast food shop on La Rambla, a pedestrian street mall. We were there almost everyday while we were touring the city. It was just so good we kept on coming back. There was a variety of vegetables that they offer but our favorite was the cauliflower. And since then I really hoped that I could make it at home.

Sautéed Asparagus with Parmesan

This post has been updated. The photos (some) are new but the recipe is the same and I am retaining the step by step tutorial, too. Hope you try this yummy dish, if you haven't yet!

Festive Quinoa

I am truly Quinoa's number 1 fan nowadays! I love cooking it and enjoy it as my new found rice replacement. I thought it would be great to make it for the holidays. I experimented cooking it with some spices and see if it would work. I also added dried cranberries and raisins, pomegranate seeds and cilantro to the mix. I was truly happy with the result.  The raisins and cranberries added sweetness to the quinoa and you taste just a little hint of the spices. The pomegranate seeds gave extra crunch and the lovely cilantro added some lemony-mint flavor too! It was truly wonderful! The flavors just worked together so well. You can serve this warm, room temp or cold - whichever you prefer. I think it's great as a side dish for Roasted Turkey or Chicken. Needless to say - it's colorful and festive enough for the holidays! So, without further ado - here's our latest Quinoa creation.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked Quinoa (I used a blend of the white and colored quinoa)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Procedure

First, rinse the quinoa. Place the 1 cup uncooked quinoa in a fine sieve or strainer. Using cold running water, rinse it for about a couple of minutes. Drain really well.

Place the drained quinoa into the rice cooker or a sauce pan (big enough to accomodate about 3 cups of liquid). Stir in the cranberries, raisins, the spices and salt. Mix everything.

Pour in the 2 cups of water. Give it a gentle stir.

If using a rice cooker - how easy! - Cover then push the cook button and then leave it to cook. It will automatically turn to warm mode when it's done. Turn the cooker off and let the quinoa sit for about 10-15 minutes.

If using the stove top - first, bring to a rolling boil using medium heat. Once it begins to boil hard  (watch out 'cause you don't want liquid spilling all over) turn the heat to low. Cover then continue to simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the quinoa is tender approximately 15-18 minutes. A timer would be handy so you don't forget. Turn off the heat. Remove pan from heat and let it sit covered for about 10-15 minutes.

Fluff the quinoa gently with a fork to separate the seeds. You can transfer the quinoa to a bigger bowl to make mixing the rest of the ingredients easier. Mix in the cilantro and half the pomegranate seeds.  You can serve it as is or if you wish, you can form the quinoa mix into a mound - see photo below. Sprinkle the rest of the pomegranate seeds (and perhaps some extra dried cranberries and raisins)  around the mound. You can sprinkle a few more chopped cilantro on top to even the colors. Serve with your main dish. Yummilicious!

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