Eats: Chicken in Tomatoes and Veggies

I am a big fan of quick, easy-to-prepare meals and this is one of those. It's a simple dish: chicken & tomatoes with vegetables. What we have in our kitchen are carrots and string beans but potatoes and cabbage would be great for this too. It's been a busy day, we're washing laundry and cleaning the house, I didn't notice that's it's almost lunchtime already. Good thing, it took me less than thirty minutes to prepare and cook so we were able to enjoy lunch before we got too hungry.

Ingredients:
500 grams Chicken
4 large red, plump tomatoes
1 large white onion
2 pcs green bell pepper (roasted)
3 pcs carrots
string beans
crushed pepper corns
3 tbsps tomato ketchup
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 globs rice wine or white wine

 

How to Cook: 

Heat pan and sear chicken in both sides. I didn't use cooking oil because the chicken produces its own juice when cooked. Just be sure that the fire isn't too high. Add the tomatoes, onions,roasted garlic and crushed pepper corns. Cover the pan and adjust the fire into low heat to allow the chicken to cook and absorb the flavors. 

After about 10 minutes, pour at least two globs of wine to scrape off all those flavors from the pan. Add water, fish sauce and ketchup. Give a slight stir. Place back the cover until the liquid comes to a boil. Then let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Add carrots and string beans. Cover the pan and allow the veggies to half-cook for another 5 minutes. (If you're going to add potatoes, be sure to dump them in the pan along with your liquids because they take a longer time to cook.)

 

And here you have it:

Enjoy it with a steaming cup of rice! 

Happy eating :)


Linked up with: YOLO Mondays

Eats: Homemade Hamburger

I know, no fries??? I'm imagining crisp, potato wedges on the side but I ran out of time for the preparations and my shift starts in less than an hour.  So, this is all for tonight's dinner.  But it is yum-OH!  This is burger the way my mother cooks it. She uses flat leaf parsley for this but since I didn't have that in my kitchen today, I used green bell pepper instead.  For this burger, I simply used mayonnaise & ketchup for spread.  And the toppings - grilled tomatoes, cheese and fresh, green iceberg lettuce!

 

Ingredients: 

500 grams ground beef 

1 whole garlic (minced) 

2 white onions (minced)

1 medium carrot (very finely chopped) 

1 medium bell pepper (finely chopped) 

2 whole eggs 

1 cup soy sauce 

3 tbsp oyster sauce 

breadcrumbs 

pepper 

How to prepare:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Make sure that everything is evenly mixed and let it sit for at least 30 minutes or longer.  Yes, you are allowed, encouraged even, to use your hands!

 

How to cook:

In a hot griddle or non-stick pan, place beef patties and grill for about 5 minutes. Check the color.  You want it to be golden brown before turning it over.

In the same pan, toast the buns and tomatoes. 

Then you're ready to assemble your burger. 

Bon Apetit!

ps,

I've been working all day designing the mini banners (on the sidebars) for my blog's Features and I'd love to know what you think.  If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.  Thanks:) 

Eats: Spinach & Cheese Omelette

Here's a quick, easy-to-do recipe that can be served for breakfast, brunch or any time of the day ~ Spinach Omelette!  I have to admit that I had a hard time flipping them over in the skillet so instead of the perfectly round omelet or a half-flipped omelet, this is what I have on my plating.

 

Here's the step-by-step + snapshots on how to make this.  

Ingredients:
baby spinach leaves
2 whole eggs
1/2 tsp mayonaisse
salt & pepper
cooking oil

 

How to Prepare: 

Tear off the baby spinach leaves from the stems. Wash and drain. Beat 2 whole eggs in a bowl. Add salt & pepper, cheese, and a dollop of mayo for that extra fluff. 

How to Cook:

Heat the skillet and drizzle with oil. Put all the baby spinach leaves until a bit wilted. Add the leaves to the bowl of beaten eggs. If you're not using a non-stick pan, drizzle the pan with oil again before pouring the combined eggs and spinach. Once the other side is cooked, flip it over and after a couple of seconds, turn off the heat and your omelet is ready!

Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and happy eating =)

Do you like spinach omelet or do you have other spinach recipes to share?  

Eats: Bell Pepper Cheese Rolls

I often make bell pepper cheese rolls at home.  My hubby loves them and so do our dogs! Bell pepper cheese rolls or bell pepper cheese sticks (the skinnier versions) are ideal for parties.  These yummy sticks make a delightful starter and they're pretty easy to make too.  Even if you don't cook, you can try to make these.  All that needs to be done is slice the cheese and the bell pepper into thin strips and roll them together inside each wrap.  Wrapping takes some time but it can be done while watching your favorite tv sitcom.  They can be wrapped at least a day earlier and cooked a few minutes before your guests arrive.  Just be sure to place the rolls in a sealed container if you plan to prepare them early. If you love cheese like me and if you love bell peppers, I'm sure this would be a treat!
 

Ingredients: 

cheddar cheese 

fresh green bell pepper 

spring roll or lumpia wrappers

To Prepare:

Cut cheese and bell pepper into strips.

Wrap 'n Roll them together.

To Cook: 

Deep fry the rolls in hot oil until golden brown and crisp.
Be careful not to burn them.  They cook very quickly so you need to keep a close eye on them.
As soon as they turn golden, take them out of the pan and place them in a strainer to drain excess oil.

Eat them while they're hot and crisp, dipped in mayonnaise or ketchup. Mayo is really good!    

Eats: Seafood Pasta in Malunggay Pesto

One of my favorite dishes to cook is pasta. This is Seafood Pasta in Malunggay (horseraddish) Pesto which I served to my family for lunch upon their arrival and they love it!  It's very easy and quick to cook.  I have steamed the seashells a day earlier so I didn't have to do too many things at once.  You can also make the pesto in advance to cut down preparation time.  

You can mix in all kinds of seafood for this particular pasta dish.  I used clams, mussels, shrimp and squid but you can also include fish, crab meat or other sea shells.  After the shells have been steamed, remove the shells and for the mussels, don't forget to take out the feet or roots as well.  

~Malunggay Pesto~

ingredients:

1 cup fresh malunggay leaves

1 cup fresh basil

1 cup pine nuts

1 cup olive oil

salt & pepper

to prepare:

In a food processor, mix in all the ingredients.  

Add a few glubs of water or balsamic vinegar to make it easier to grind.  

~Seafood Pasta~

ingredients:

500 grams pasta  (cooked al dente) 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

1 medium sized onion

clams & mussels (steamed)

shrimps (removed from the shells and deveined)

squid (sliced into rings) Malunggay Pesto

Parmesan cheese

How to Cook:

In a hot pan, pour olive oil and sautee garlic and onions.  Add shrimps and squid and let them cook for about  a minute.  The shrimp and squid will turn pink as they cook.  Add the steamed clams and mussels, and the malunggay pesto.  Toss in the pasta.  I used spaghetti pasta but fettuccine would be perfect too! You can substitute the horseraddish pesto with traditional basil pesto. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil . 

What's your favorite pasta dish?

Eats: Steamed Mussels & Clams

I wanted to cook Seafood Pasta with Malunggay Pesto but these clams and mussels have been bought a day in advance so I can prepare them ahead of time.  I simply steamed them while they're fresh so I can save some shells for my pasta the next day.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

1 small ginger 

1 medium sized red onion 

1/2 cup water or vegetable stock 

1/4 cup white wine 

1/2 kilo clams 

1/2 kilo mussels 

freshly ground black pepper

 fresh basil leaves

How to Prepare:

Place the mollusks in a colander and wash them with running water.

Place the clams in a large bowl filled with water.  Leave them for about 30 minutes to an hour.  This is to make sure that the clams would purge the sand inside their shells.  

With a brush, clean each shell and rinse them well.

How to Cook:

Heat pan and add oil. Sautée garlic, ginger and onion.  Add the shells. Pour white wine and add the liquid stock. Add pepper. Let it come to a boil.  It takes about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the shells.  You'll know that the shells are cooked when they begin to open wide.   Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves.  Serve hot!