Japanese Noodle Soup

 A rainy night calls for hot steamy soup! So when Glenn asked what he can have for dinner quickly, I rummaged our pantry to find some ingredients for some home made japanese noodle soup.

  I love going to Japanese restaurants for some ramen but what makes it great when you make it at home… you can put whatever you want! :-)

(I hope to make the egg slicing perfect next time. :-)) 

Good for 2 

  Ingredients:

For the soup:

1 pack bonito dashi

3 cups water

3 tbsp soy sauce

salt to taste

1/4 pack of japanese noodles (ramen or udon)

2 hard boiled eggs

1/4 cup bacon

4 nori strips

 Directions:

1.  Cook noodles based on package directions

2.  Put some water in a pot and add the bonito dash, soy sauce and salt. Let boil for 7-10 minutes.

3.  Fry the bacon

4.  Transfer the noodles in a bowl.

5.  Cut the hard boiled egg in half and put on top of the noodles

6.  Position the bacon and nori strips on top of the noodles

7. Pour soup and serve

ENJOY!

Five-Spice Beef Noodles

  From the July 2011 issue of Yummy Magazine, my first try for the month is Five-Spice Pork Noodles on p. 27. For my version though I used beef sirloin and native pechay coz I had those in my fridge then.

   I like the taste of this dish... It's a bit dry though but I enjoyed it. It's simple and easy to make. Try it out.

   Serves 2
   Ingredients:
    1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
    1/4 lb beef sirloin sliced
    1/2 tsp Chinese five spice poweder
    1/2 red onion, cut into thin wedges
    1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
    1/2 tbsp grated ginger
    1 clove garlic crushed
    100 grams egg noodles, cooked according to package instructions
    1 bunch pechay native chopped (separate leaves and stems)
    1/8 cup oyster sauce
    1/2 tbsp sherry

    1.  Heat half of the oil in a large wok or frying pan over high heat. Stir-fry beef and spice for 2 to 3 minutes or until well-browned.  Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
    2.  Heat remaining oil in wok over high heat. Stir fry onion, bell pepper, ginger and garlic, about a minute or until just tender. Return beef to to wok with noodles, pechay stems, sauce, and sherry.
    3.  Stir fry for about a minute, to heat through. Add bok choy leaves, tossing for 1 minute or until wilted.

   I found this bottle of sherry in Rustan's Makati for P189. I've been looking around for Shao Xing Wine but could not find it in Rustan's and Waltermart.

Beef Kaldereta (Slow Cooking)

We got a slow cooker a few weeks ago and I have been experimenting on different recipes but none made me and Glenn happy. So I'm trying this recipe right now (its slow cooking on low as I write).

Thanks to Sheryl Cababa for this recipe. I modified it a bit to add some cheese.

  Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
1/4 kilo beef shoulder blade
1/2 cup of tomatoe sauce
1/2 cups water
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (use a tablespoon balsamic vinegar if you don’t have tamarind) (optional)
1 tablespoons liver pate (optional)
2 small cubed, peeled red potatoes
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry the beef. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. In a pan, heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil over high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, doing this in batches to avoid crowding. Set it aside.

3. In the same pan, add a little bit more oil, and fry the onions over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tamarind, garlic, ginger and red pepper and stir for another minute. Dice the tomatoes (or, if they’re soft enough, shred them with your hands over the pot), and add them with the juice, and the liver pate, if using. Add the water, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.

4. Pour the sauce and the meat in the slow cooker. Set it to 8 hours in low.

5. Add the the potatoes and grated cheese on the 7th hour.

6. Serve with rice the next day.

*** I have to say, this is one of the best dishes I have cooked so far. So yummy!

Chicken Schnitzel

Making use of left over whole wheat bread, I cooked some chicken schnitzel. My inspiration... Junior Masterchef Australia. :-) And since my boyfriend wants to eat it with rice and sauce, I made chicken liver adobo on the side.

You can find the original recipe here, For the pinoy version, check below. :-)

Good for two.

Ingredients:

4 pcs. chicken thigh fillet

3 pcs whole wheat bread

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 tsp rosemary

salt and pepper

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1/2 cup plain flour

2 tbsps olive oil

Directions:

1. Process whole wheat bread and parmesan in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add rosemary and season with salt and pepper, process until finely chopped. Transfer to a plate.

2. Cut the chicken thighs horizontally into thin steaks. Place in between 2 sheets of cling film and lightly pound with the flat side of meat mallet to flatten.

3. Whisk egg and milk together in a bowl. Coat one piece of chicken in flour and shake to remove excess. Then dip the chicken into the egg mixture. Then coat the chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to coat. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken and crumbing mixtures.

4. Heat olive oil and fry chicken thighs for 4 to 5 minutes each side.

5. Serve with rice or salad.

Mini Quiche Lorraine

My pack of puff pastry has been sitting in my freezer for a few months now. I've been planning to make quiches but never had the chance. This weekend, I made it my experiment.

Ate Lilian, Kuya Marlon and Rosie, visited us (minus Glenn though coz he had to set up for Ate Lally's party) and I was so happy to serve them my Quiche Lorraine with freshly ground and brewed coffee. Thank you, Rose for mixing the coffee... pang Starbucks owner ka talaga! :-)

Recipe is from Yummy Magazine May 2010 but I doubled the recipe to make more.

Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (325g), thawed

1/4 cup butter

1 onion sliced

6 strips bacon, chopped

4 eggs

1 cup cream

1 cup grated tasty cheese (such as cheddar)

nutmeg

spinach leaves to serve

balsamic vinegar as sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Lightly grease muffin pans and pie tins

3. Using a rolling pin and sprinkling flour on the puff pastry, flatten the pastry

4. Arrange pastry into prepared pans.

I used 6 cups muffin pan, 4 mini tart pans

5. Fill each with either kidney beans or rice grains.

6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until pastry puffs a little bit (don't allow it to be golden brown)

7. Remove kidney beans or rice grains. Make sure that nothing is left.

8. Reduce oven to 350F

9. Melt butter in a frying pan on high. Saute onion and bacon until onion is tender.

10. Fill each prepared pastry with an even amount of onion mixture.

11. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Sprinkle some pepper. Pour into prepared pastry.

12. Sprinke with nutmeg and then cheddar cheese.

13. Bake for 20 mins or until firm and pastry is brown and crispy.

14. Garnish with spinach leaves

15. Use balsamic vinegar as sauce if desired.

Improvements:

1. I'll use kidney beans as weights next time. It was so difficult to remove all the rice grains from the pastry

2. Will bake the pastry puff longer on the ones on tart tins.

3. I won't put water in the pan while I'm pre-baking the pastry to make it puff a bit more

Notes:

1. Don't use too much salt since the bacon, butter and cheddar will give the needed saltiness.

Little Lemon Meringue Pie

So thankful that I was able to find a Lemon Meringue Pie recipe good for two people. We would not have been able to finish the whole pie. Found this recipe in http://allrecipes.com.

Glenn and I are not big fans of lemony desserts but this was pretty good. :-) Also, the colder it is, the better it tastes. Of course, its best to have it on the same day.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1 tablespoon cold butter (no substitutes)
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• FILLING:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• MERINGUE:
• 1 egg white
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening and butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 5-in. circle. Transfer to two 10-oz. custard cups. Press dough 1-1/8. up sides of cups. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown

Crust before I placed them in the oven.

2. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. gradually stir in cold water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir half of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice and butter. Pour into pastry shells.

3. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg white and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour; refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Things to improve on:

1. I would have used smaller custard cups (ramekins) so its not fattening in one meal.

2. Lesser sugar for the meringue

3. Use iodized salt for the crust

** For custard cups, you can get it in Landmark, Makati at P40.00 each

All Meat -Hand Rolled Pizza with Home Made Pizza Dough

After Glenn and I had a nice date in Mona Lisa, Alabang a few weeks back, he asked me if I can make the super yummy Pannize that we ate. I said I'll give it a try... and so I did. Here's the result! :-)

I did a combination of a Yummy recipe (Jan/ Feb issue p.44) and a cream sauce recipe I found online. No pizza pans were available but used our pyrex dish. I'm pretty sure the dough would have booked better in a pizza pan but it still tasted yummy according to my siblings. :-)

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

2 tsp instant yeast

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Combine flour, yeast, water, oil and salt

2. Mix until just combined

3. Transfer dough to a light floured surface and knead for about 5 mins until well-mixed. Cover with a kitchen towel. Set aside and let rise for about 10 mins. Punch the dough down and knead for another 5 mins.

4. Divide dough into 2 parts and form into 2 small balls. Knead for about 1 minute.

5. Dust a flat work surface with flour. Using a rolling pin, flatten the 2 dough balls and slowly roll into desired shape and lay out in a pizza pan.

Cream Pizza Sauce:

1/4 cup butter

3 cloves garlic minced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup all purpose cream

some Italian seasoning and oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat

2. Add garlic and saute for 3 mins

3. Stir in the cheese, cream, salt and pepper

4. Add Italian seasoning and oregano

5. Remove from heat

6. Spread on pizza dough

Pizza Topping

1/4 cup Pork sausage removed from skin

1/8 cup burger bits

1/8 cup pepperoni

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Spread pizza topping on pizza dough with cream sauce.

Preheat oven at 190C and place pizza for 5 to 10 mins or until the crust is completely cooked.

Toppings for a roll:

Alfalfa sprouts

Arugula

Olive oil

Chili oil

Parmesan cheese

Add a little bit of everything on the pizza slice and roll like paper. Stuff in your mouth. :-)

Areas of Improvement:

1. Use either a pan used for pizzas (stone or aluminum should be ok, I guess)

2. Make the pizza crust thicker (just a tad bit so that its easier to roll)

3. Since its a rolled pizza, maybe lesser toppings

Braised Caramel Pork

The secret of this dish is cooking it low and slow until the pork is so tender that the meat and pork fat is so soft it.

Warning: This dish will make you eat a lot of rice! :-) Enjoy!

Taken from Yummy Magazine January/ February 2011 page 37.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 kilo pork belly, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium red onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup light soy sauce

3/4 cup panocha (for this instance, I used brown sugar)

1 cup water

1 tbsp fish sauce

3 pieces star anise

1 tsp five-spice powder

8 shitake mushrooms, sliced into strips

1/2 cup green onions, divided

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the pork and sear for 5 minutes or until brown all over. Reapt with the remaining pork. Set aside.

2. In the same pan, saute onions until translucent.

3. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.

4. Add pork, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, fish sauce, star anise and five-spice powder.

5. Mix well and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours or until pork is very tender and sauce has thickened.

7. Add mushrooms and 1/4 of the chopped green onions. Mix well and continue to cook for another 10 mins.

8. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

9. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with remaining green onions.

Bibimbap

One of the highlights of our trip to South Korea is the food! Super duper good!

For Glenn's birthday, I cooked 4 Korean dishes - Bibimbap, Japchae, Bulgogi and Kalbi-jim. All (ok except for Kalbi-Jim.. hehehe!) received good reviews. :-) Too bad that I didn't take photos of those dishes but I'll try to post them as I cook them again.

Everyday and almost every meal we had in Korea, Bibimbap was part of our orders. So, whenever I want to re-live the fun conversations and the non-stop eating, I cook this dish. Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!

Oh... and make sure to buy the stone bowl. That makes the rice crispy. There are two major Korean groceries in Makati ave. area. Wang Mart at #37 Polaris St (in front of P&P Tatoo shop) and another one is near Hap Chan Restaurant, I forgot the name.

Ingredients:

Steamed white rice

Bulgogi (for some strips of beef)

1 carrot, julieneed

Cooked bean sprouts, sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with salt

Cooked spinach, sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with salt

4 shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with salt

1 egg, cooked over easy

1 tbsp sesame seed

1 tbsp dark sesame oil

strips of nori (japanese sea weed)

soy sauce to taste

Gochuchang paste (you can buy this from the Korean grocery too)

Directions:

1. Put cooked rice in a hot stone pot.

2. Place bulgogi (with juices from cooked meat) and veggies on top of rice but place seperately so you can see each ingredient beautifully placed on rice.

3. Put egg on top

4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce

When ready to eat, mix all ingredients together with some gochuchang paste to taste. The bibimbap should be moist and not dry. Add more sesame oil and gochuchang paste to taste.

Italian Chicken Burger

I've been buying Yummy Magazine since they released their first issue. I enjoy browsing through the pages and experimenting with the different recipes every month. Lots of women read fashion magazines on their free time, I browse through Yummy magazines. :-)

This is my first attempt in documenting my monthly cooking experiment using recipes from that magazine.

Mamang (Glenn's mom) gave me a meat grinder and I was so excited to use it. I found a perfect recipe on the front page of the January/ February 2011 issue. These burgers are a great alternative to the fatty beef burgers but it takes some getting used to also because it's herby. I didn't cook the french fries anymore.

Makes: 6 burgers

Preparation time: 1 hour and 45 minutes (including meat grinding, and 1 hour chilling time)

Total cooking time: 7 minutes

3 tbsps fresh rosemary

1 cup button mushrooms

1/4 cup white onion

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

2 heads roasted garlic roasted, mashed into a paste with 1 tbsp salt

freshly ground pepper

1 kilo chicken thigh fillet - remove the skin

olive oil for frying

1. Grind the thigh fillet using the meat grinder. You can also buy ground chicken meat already. Place in a large bowl.

2. Put rosemary, mushrooms, white onion, mustard, ground pepper into a food processor until chopped and blended

3. Mix garlic paste into the rosemary mixture

4. Add rosemary mixture into the meat. Mix well until all ingredients are well blended. Using hands to mix is the best way to blend everything together.

5. Form into burger patties and chill for an hour to let the flavor settle and blend together.

6. Fry in a nonstick pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp olive oil or until the juices run clear, about 2 minutes on each side. (I cooked mine in a George Foreman grill. Its less juicier but lesser fat too)

I'm not a fan of burger buns so I made garlic mayonnaise, spread it on whole wheat bread, placed cheese, burger and pressed it in a panini maker.

Pretty ok... not something I will cook often but it was a good try.

Oatmeal and Buttermilk Muffins

Super yummy and health for breakfast. You can even prepare it a day or two in advance and pop it in the oven on a busy morning before going to work.

Makes 12 muffins:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup buttermilk (if you can't find buttermilk, you can substitute this with 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and let stand for 10 minutes)

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/4 cup walnuts or raisins (optional)

1. In a bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk and leave to soak for 1 hour (I leave mine for 45 minutes)

2. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan

3. Preheat the oven 400F

4. With an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

5. Beat in the egg

6. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt

7. Stir into the butter mixture, alternate with the oat mixture. Fold in the raisins/ walnuts. Do not overmix.

8. Flll the prepared cups 2/3 full.

9. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, around 20 to 25 minutes.

10. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Deep Fried Bean Curd with Savoury Sauce

Just cooked this tonight and was a big hit! The ginger and sesame oil makes this dish so tasty. Try it!

Ingredients:
4 pcs. bean curd
1/8 kg. ground beef
2 small stalk spring onion
1/4 cup ginger
2 dried shitake mushrooms
2 oyster mushrooms
1/2 cup corn starch

Marinade:
1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

Seasoning:
1/2 cup stock
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsps. soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce

1. Cut bean curd into 4 thin layers. Dry with paper towels.
2. Soak mushrooms.
3. Using the marinade mixture, marinade the ground beef for 20 minutes
3. Mince the ginger, spring onions and mushrooms
4. Combine minced ingredients with ground beef.
5. Coat bean curd with corn starch.
6. With 4 tbsp. oil, fry the beef mixture until brown.
7. Fry bean curd until both sides are golden brown in the same pan you fried the beef.
8. Remove bean curd from pan and put the beef mixture on top
9. Return the bean curd with beef to the same pan. Add Seasoning and bring to a boil.
10. Dish up and serve.

Clay Pot Bean Curd

Got this recipe from the book Egg and Bean Curd. There are a number of really good recipes in this book and I've been trying each and everyone of them. One thing that I really enjoy about Chinese cooking is that you can easily modify the recipe to your liking and it still will give you your desired flavor.

For this recipe, make sure that you have a clay pot ready. It's amazing how cooking with this pot actually enhances the flavor of the dish!

Ingredients:
1 pack of fried bean curd (for Phil. residents, I was able to get this from SM Makati) or 1 long bean curd fried til golden brown
3 dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 carrot (I sometimes take this out... not really our favorite veggie)
4 pcs. chicken
2 stalks spring onion
4 pcs. dried oyster mushrooms
1/4 cup button mushrooms


Marinade:
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of corn starch dissolved in 1/2 tbsp of water

Seasoning:
2 tbsps oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
pinch of pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbsp of corn starch dissolved in 1/2 tbsp of water

1. Marinade chicken using the marinade mix for 30 minutes.
2. Soak shitake and oyster mushrooms until soft. Remove stem.
3. Boil carrot until done and slice.
4. Section spring onion
5. Heat 2 tbsps of oil. Stir fry shitake, oyster and button mushrooms. Add the chicken until it turns whittish. You can sprinkle some salt and pepper if you wish.
6. Add in carrot and Seasoning mixture.
7. Return bean curd to the wok and cook until the flavor of the sauce us absorbed.
8. When the sauce is reduced by half, pour the food into a claypot, add sectioned spring onion.
9. Reboil and serve with freshly cooked rice.

Note: You can also add vermicelli noodles but make sure there are double the amount of sauce. The noodles will absorb the sauce and will make the dish dry.

ENJOY!

Yogurt Honey Muffins

BAKING! I realized that I have been baking since I was 15 years old! Judging by the recipes that I have in my parents house and the loads of baking materials that are kept in the cabinets... unused of course, I've been baking inedible cookies and breads half of my life already. :-)

I've been experimenting with different cookies and muffins lately. Some successful, some of them met my trash can early enough. One of my favorites is the Yogurt Honey Muffins I made a couple of weeks ago. They are soft inside and healthy. You can make them into big muffins or make loads of mini muffins. Plus, you can put cream cheese (not the healthiest but completely yummy!) and some marmalade to make it the perfect breakfast or snack.

Got this recipe from an old recipe book I have given by my friend Yannie.

Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
4 tbsps butter
5 tbsps thin honey
1 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg, at room temperature
grated rind of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking soda
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

Procedure:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use paper liners. (I used paper liners but when I bake these again, I will just grease the pan and flour it a bit.)
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and honey. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, lemon rind and juice. Add the butter and honey mixture. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. (Whole wheat flour can't be sifted well, I just make sure that other than the wheat, all lumps are crushed).
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture just to blend. Don't overmix.
6. Fill the prepared cups 2/3 full. Bake until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: if you are using a 6 muffin pan, bake for 10 to 15 minutes. For mini muffin pans, 5 to 8 minutes.

Mushroom Patties

Since I have not eaten a burger for a year now, I've been wanting to make my own mushroom patty so I have searched the web for a recipe that will suit my liking. Unfortunately, nothing came close. So, I've decided to make my own and I'm loving it... of course Edgar loved it too. :-) It's healthy and yummy! What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:
3 cups of different kinds of mushrooms (shitake, oysters and button mushrooms) chopped
1/4 cup butter
3 tsps mushroom seasoning
1 medium sized carrots diced to small pieces
3 tbsps spring onions chopped
1 medium sized onions chopped
8 cloves of garlic diced
1 cup of spinach leaves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 tsps of soy sauce
2 large eggs
1 cup of breadcrumbs
salt and pepper


Procedure:
1. Saute the chopped mushrooms in melted butter until tender. Add mushroom seasoning for flavor.
2. Remove from fire and let cool.
3. Combine carrots, onions, spring onions, garlic, spinach and parmesan cheese in one bowl. Mix well.
4. Pour in the mushrooms to your carrots mixture.
4. Add in the soy sauce, eggs and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until the mixture is thick enough to be made into a patty.
5. Form into burger patties. Fry or grill and enjoy with your favorite hamburger buns. :-)

I made a lot already so I can just put them in the freezer and grill or fry as I want them

Mixed Vegetables with Japanese Dressing

If you feel like having vegetables with a Japanese dish taste, try this really appetizing recipe. It's healthy and very tasty.

Got this recipe from Asian Vegetarian Recipes Periplus Mini Cookbooks (of course, I've tweaked it a bit). :-)

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: around 20 minutes
For 4 people

Ingredients:
10 dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup Kikkoman
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup mirin - available in japanese groceries or in the Asian section of your favorite supermarkets
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic (add more if you love a more garlic taste)
1 tbsp mushroom seasoning - available in the Asian section of the supermarkets
1 c. of oyster mushrooms
2 pcs. medium carrots
1/2 cup cauliflower
1 red bell pepper
1 bunch spinach
salt and pepper

1. Soak shitake mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain but leave 1/4 c. of used mushroom water.
2. Cut the mushrooms in quarters.
3. Mix Kikkoman, ginger, mirin, white sugar and reserved mushroom water.
4. Add the mushrooms and stir well.
5. In a wok, sautee garlic and add the oyster mushrooms and mushroom seasoning.
6. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper.
7. Add carrots, cauliflower and bell pepper
8. Pour prepared liquid and bring to a boil.
9. Add spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Serve hot with steam rice.

Enjoy!

Meatless Marinara Sauce

This recipe is a must-try for people looking to have a easy and delicious marinara sauce without the meaty taste.

I got this recipe for Everything Cooking For Two book but altered a bit. There are a number of interesting recipes there that I'm hoping to try in the next few days.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes (30 minutes for simmering)
Good for two people

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of minced garlic - (could be lesser if you don't want much of a garlicky taste)
1 medium red onion chopped
1/2 c chopped parsley
1 tsp. chili powder
1 can of canned whole tomatoes - (I used Italian canned tomatoes that I got from Galileo but any canned tomatoes will work)
salt and pepper

1. Sautee garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes.
2. Add onion, parsley and chili powder. Sautee for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
3. Pour in the tomatoes. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Puree in a blender and adjust salt and pepper depending on your taste

Top with parmesan cheese and you're set. Enjoy!

Braised Chicken with Ginger and Sesame Oil

Here's another recipe that I got from Yummy Magazine November 2007 issue. I cooked this last night and Ed, being the ginger lover that he is, loved this dish. I don't eat meat but I still enjoyed the sauce topped on my rice.

The recipe in the mag is for 4 people but I adjusted it for me and Edgar.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
150 grams ginger sliced
1/4 kilo chicken (I used chicken breasts)
1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 chicken broth cube
salt to taste
spring onions to garnish

1. Heat up the sesame oil in a wok and saute the ginger until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken pieces and soy sauce.
3. Brown the chicken.
4. Add water and the broth cube.
5. Simmer in low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Add salt to taste.
3. Once the chicken is light brown,

Whole Wheat Pasta with Mushroom

This recipe is care of Yummy Magazine August 2007 edition. I'm telling you, I love this magazine. I just used whole wheat spaghettini rather than penne pasta and modified it a bit. It tastes fantastic!!! Meatless meal!

You can also lessen the mushrooms depending on how you want your sauce. I love them with a lot of mushrooms. :-)

Whole Wheat Spaghettini with Mushrooms
(serves 4)

340 g. Whole wheat spaghettini
Reserved water from cooked pasta
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons of margarine (or olive oil)
1/2 cup of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup oyster mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup shitake mushroomes, sliced
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 cup all-purpose cream (if you want to be extra-healthy, you can probably do away with using just a 1/2 cup of cream)
salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook the pasta based on package directions
2. Saute garlic in butter.
3. Add mushrooms. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes to bring out the flavor and soften the button mushrooms.
4. Add the all-purpose cream and cream of mushroom.
5. Let it simmer. Use the water used in cooking the pasta if you want a thinner sauce.
6. Toss in the pasta or serve with the sauce on top.
7. Put parmesan cheese on top! Enjoy!

Yummy Magazine

My friend from Summit Media, Meggy, gave me a copy of Yummy Magazine to try out the recipes there. Meggy loves to cook (and is seriously much better than me) so I took her advice and tried the recipes in it.

Seriously, I think this is the best magazine invented for people like me who is starting to enjoy the kitchen. The ingredients are not hard to find and the recipes are easy to do. I love it that they also put in the preparation time and cooking time. This helps me plan what I can still do before and after cooking. Fantastic!

I tried the White Adobo from the March issue and my boyfriend loved it. I also tried the Garlic Prawns Pasta. I need to improve on that though since my garlic was not enough. The salads especially the Chicken Hoisin Salad is a great starter.

The April issue is full of summer recipes. I love the different ways to make iced tea. I can't wait to make them this weekend. Also, the banana desserts. Yahoo!!! Their pastas also seem to be a must try. Oh... and the stuffed chicken breast and herbed rice also sounds interesting! YAHOO!!! I really can't wait to try them all.

You know how I say I love doing everything for the first time. Well, now, its applying to the recipes that I see.

Hmmm... I think Yummy will now be a staple magazine for me. Not only does it give me ideas on what to cook for the week (from their weekly menu), it also gives me the different mix and matches of food I can put together during different occassions.

Thanks, Meggy! Love you!