Stuffed Zucchini

Rich flavored stuffed zucchini, the best anytime!

Ingredients for 4 servings:
2 Zucchini
200 grams ground beef
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 size small onion
1 piece carrots (minced)
1 small bell pepper (minced)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Any melting cheese for toppings

Zucchini

Procedure:
1. Slice the zucchini and remove the middle part  then boil the zucchini for 2 minutes or until it is half cooked then remove from pot and set aside.

Boiled zucchini

2. Saute the garlic, onion and bell pepper then add the ground beef and stir until the pinkish color is gone.Add the carrots, soy sauce, salt and pepper, simmer until done.
3. Put the filling mixture in the cooked zucchini, then top it with cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven for 5 minutes or until done at 190C.

5. Slice, then serve with a big smile :-).

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Amapalaya and sotanghon with Hipon

Yumminess overload :-)

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced ampalaya
200 grams shrimps
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small onion (minced)
200 grams sotanghon (cooked and drained)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the shrimps and stir until it changed color.
2. Add the bitter melon (ampalaya) then stir for a minute or until almost half cooked.
3. Add the cooked sotanghon, salt and pepper then stir until done.
4. Serve and enjoy.

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Chop Suey with Shrimps

Chop suey is a Chinese dish which literally means different pieces, making the dish looked attractive, that is why I like chop suey because it has lots of different vegetables. This is my first choice when it comes to vegetable dishes. It is believed that this dish originated in America from  Chinese immigrants and came out in an article  "Chinese cooking"  in 1884. The original recipe has sprouted beans and many Asian countries adopted the recipe and made different versions, my Pinoy version that I've learned from my sister in law. 

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo shrimp 
1 chuchu or chayote ( sliced)
1 medium size carrot (sliced)
1/4 kilo cabbage ( sliced)
1/4 kilo broccoli
1/2 cup button mushrooms 
6 pieces quail's eggs
1 glass water 

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic and onion
2. Add the shrimps saute for a while and add the water, let it boil.
3. Add the carrots and chuchu simmer for few minutes the add the rest of the vegetables and simmer until it is almost done, add the quails egg mix it well and simmer for a minute
4. Serve it hot.

You can dissolve 1 teaspoon flour in a water and pour it before it is done for a thicker sauce.

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Eggplant A La Lasagna

A simple eggplant dish that you will surely love.

Ingredients:
3 Chinese Eggplant
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
Sauce - see the recipe at the bottom of this post.

Procedure:
1. Slice the eggplant, then cut each slice into halves, like the picture below.

2. Put in a reheated oven for 5 minutes or until soften at 200C.

3. Make a 3 layer of eggplant and sauce in a baking dish then top it with a melting cheese ( I used mozzarella).

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until done at 200C. Allow to cool then serve.

Ingredients for sauce:
1/4 kilo ground beef
3 packs tomato sauce ( 250g)
1/2 cup nestle cream
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 med. size onion
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure for the SAUCE:

1.Saute garlic and onion, then add the ground beef and ground pepper then simmer for few minutes until the pinkish color of the beef disappeared.
2. Add the tomato sauce and sugar, simmer for few minutes, ( add salt if necessary).
3. Add the Nestle cream and simmer for a minute then turn off the heat. 

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Ginisang Ampalaya

Bitter melon or bitter gourd is known for its medicinal uses, but it can be serve as food too. Although it has a bitter taste there are still lots of people who love it, and I am one of them. One way of neutralizing the bitter taste of it is cook it with egg. It is the most common dish for it and easy to do too.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo bitter melon ( ampalaya) sliced thinly
2 eggs ( beaten)
3 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic then increase the heat and add the bitter melon, mix it well then put some salt
2. Stir in the beaten eggs then stir until done.
4. Serve it hot and with a smile :)

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Butter Roasted Potatoes

Simple yet satisfying. A perfect side dish.

Ingredients for 5 servings:
10 pieces potatoes ( peeled and cut into halves)
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Boil the potatoes until tender( around  10-15 minutes) then set aside
2. Melt the butter and when it is already hot, put the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper then increase the heat to high to give it a nice golden brown color and a crispy texture. Once the one side is roasted flip it to roast evenly.

3. Remove from pan when done then serve together with your main dish. I served mine together with my beef stew.

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Quick Buttered Veggies

This vegetable dish is a perfect side dish for your meat or seafood dishes, it is very easy to prepare and tastes really good. So I hope that your next meal you will prepare this to your loved ones :-) .

Ingredients:
5 Potatoes (sliced to your desired size)
3 carrots (sliced to your desired size)
1 head broccoli
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Boil separately the potatoes, carrots and broccoli until tender. ( I did mine for potatoes 12 minutes, for carrots 8 minutes for broccoli 2 minutes) the doneness of the vegetables depend upon your taste.
2. In a pan melt the butter, when it's hot put the vegetables ( if it's a lot you can cook it in 2 batches) increase the heat to attain a nice brown color and toss the veggies every now and then to cook evenly, sprinkle with salt and pepper according to your taste and continue cooking until done.
3. Now you have a delicious  buttered veggies, serve it and enjoy.

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Potato and Carrot Salad

This easy to prepare and budget friendly recipe will surely make your loved ones satisfied.A perfect appetizer.  Try it.

Ingredients 6-8 servings:
1 kilo potato (diced)
1/4 kilo carrots (diced)
3 hard boiled eggs ( diced)
1/4 cup parsley ( chopped)
1 cup mayonaise
1 cup all purpose cream
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Boil the carrots and potatoes until soft (around 8-10 minutes) drain after boiling and set aside until cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, then chill and serve.

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Pechay Guisado

Pechay can be grown easily in the backyard. My friends harvested their pechay today and shared some to me so I cooked it for our lunch, it's very yummy.


Ingredients for 3 servings:
1/2 kilo pechay
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 piece onion
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then increase the heat and add the pechay and soy sauce,  give a good stir to mix evenly.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste then stir until done and serve it hot.

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Ginisang Kangkong

 Ang kangkong ay masustansya at masarap, madali pang lutuin, kaya sabayan ninyo akong  lutuin ito.

Mga Sangkap
2 tali kangkong ( himayin at hugasang maigi)
2 kutsarang patis or toyo
1 sibuyas (hiniwa)
5 butil ng bawang ( pinitpit at hiniwa)
1 kamatis ( hiniwa)
asin at paminta ayon sa iyong panlasa

Paraan ng pagluto:
1. Gisahin ang bawang  hanggang maging brown at kumuha ng kaunti para ilagay sa ibabaw pagnaluto n aang kangkong. 
2. Idagdag sa pagisa ang sibuyas at kamatis hanggang sa lumambot, lakasan ang apoy saka ilagay ang kangkong, haluing maigi at ilagay ang patis o toyo, timplahan ng asin at paminta, haluin hanggang sa maluto.
3. Ihain kasama ang kanin.

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Chickpea Salad

Garbanzo or chickpea is a legume that is high in protein and a good source of iron. The first time I ate it I fell in love with its yummy taste, very creamy and nutty. You can use chickpea in different dishes but for now enjoy this delicious and nutritious salad :-). Below are the basic ingredients but you can add more when you serve it, like sesame seeds and basil leaves.

Ingredients:
250 grams chick pea
1 cup cherry tomato
1/2 cup black seedless olives
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Cook the chick pea until tender ( I pressure cooked it for 20 minutes) if pressure cooker is not available, just use a pot and boil until done.
2. When tender, drain and put in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes, olives, olive oil,  salt and pepper then mix well.
4. Serve with love and do not forget to smile :-) .

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Roasted Baby Potato

Simple yet satisfying. A perfect side dish and replacement for rice, I served mine with pork adobo, sprinkled it with sesame seeds, wow it was so good.

Ingredients:
1 kilo baby potatoes ( wash very well)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Sprinkle the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper then add the rosemary.
2. Preheat the oven at 210C then put the potatoes in a baking pan then roast for 20 minutes or until done.
3. Serve and enjoy.

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Fresh Lumpia

Fresh lumpia or lumpiang sariwa is a very good and affordable dish that you can serve for the whole family. This one is a recipe from Nanay Pining, she's making this when I arrived that's why I was able to take pictures and told her that I will post it for my blog. This is really delicious. She served some for me after she made it.Here is how to make fresh lumpia.

Ingredients for the filling:
1/2 kilo shrimps
1/4 kilo ground beef or pork
1/2 kilo carrots 
1/2 kilo potatoes ( french cut and fried)
1/2 kilo cabbage
1/4 kilo green beans
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 onion (minced)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure for the filling:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground meat and saute until the pinkish color is gone then add the shrimps and simmer for a minute.
2. Add the carrots and green beans then simmer until tender.
3. Add all the ingredients and simmer until cooked.

Ingredients  for the wrapper:
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups water
2 whole eggs

Procedure:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients then add the egg and water then mix throughly.
2. Cook in a non-stick pan for a perfect result.

Ingredients for the Sauce
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
5 cups water
5 cloves garlic ( minced)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients then bring to a boil over medium heat until thickens.
2. Remove from heat, then add the minced garlic and mix well.
3. This is now ready to be used :-).

To assemble:
1. Place the wrapper properly then put the lettuce and add the filling.

2. Wrap well and place in a plate. pour with a sauce and minced garlic and peanut then serve.

Contributed by: Nanay Pining

Nanay Pining

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Suam Mais (Corn Soup)

Suam Mais is a corn soup dish from Pampanga, Philippines. Delicious and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
4 pieces young white malagkit corn
1/4 kilo pork
3 cups water (add if needed)
2 cups camote tops ( talbos ng camote)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the pork, stir until it is brownish,  add the corn and simmer for a minute.
2. Add the water, salt and pepper, simmer until the corn is tender.
3. Add the  camote tops and simmer until done and turn off the heat.
4. Serve it hot.

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Simple Ratatouille

Ratatouille (/?r�t?'tu?i?/ rat-?-TOO-ee; French: [?ata'tuj]) is a traditional French Proven�al stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille ni�oise.[1]

Origin
The word ratatouille comes from Occitan ratatolha and the recipe comes from Occitan cuisine. Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Occitan Proven�a (French: Provence) and Ni�a (French: Nice); the Catalan samfaina and the Majorcan tombet are versions of the same dish.[2] The southern Italian ciambotta is a related spring vegetable dish.
To read more click the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille

Piperade Mixture/ Sauce:
 1 Onion chopped
 2 Carrots unpeeled and grated 
4 Celery sticks 
1 Tablespoons Minced garlic 
1 Red bell pepper Charred, peeled, seeds and ribs removed 
1 yellow bell pepper charred, peeled , seeds and ribs removed 
2 Red chillies charred, peeled, seeds and ribs removed. (Optional) 
850 grams tomato sauce
2-3 Tablespoons Olive oil 
6 Fresh basil leaves. 
Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetables:  
2 Zucchinis sliced 
2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants sliced 
6 Roma tomatoes sliced 

Procedure for the piperade mixture: 
1. Saute the onion with the olive oil until translucent ( do not brown). Add the celery, carrots, garlic and continue to saute until softened. 
2. Mix in the bell peppers,chillies and the tomato sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then simmer until done. Add the basil leaves. Set aside
3. In a blender, blend the whole mixture into a thick sauce. Pour the mixture into a large pan (oven proof) / casserole dish. 

To Assemble the ratatouille:
4. Take a slice of each vegetable, put them together and stick them half way in the sauce 
5. Repeat the process until the pan is full of vegetables in a circular or preferred design. 

6. Finally, drizzle some olive oil on top, salt, pepper and some dried herbs (basil, oregano and thyme). Cover with an aluminium foil. 
7. Bake it in the oven (300 F for about 2 hours). Remove the foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 F to caramelize. Serve and Enjoy.


Contributed by: Gabriel Eli Ndegwa

If yellow squash is available you can add it for this recipe

Now, it is time to watch the ratatouille movie :) 

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Stuffed Potato ( Relyenong patatas)

Affordable, easy and yummy. Try it.

Ingredients for 3 servings:
3 pieces potato Medium size
100 grams ground beef
1 carrot ( grated)
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 onion (minced)
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Boil the potatoes and remove the skin then cut into halves, remove some part in the middle to make a space for stuffing, then set aside.
2. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground beef and simmer for 2 minutes add the carrots and broccoli, stir well then add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
3. Get the potatoes and fill each slice with the  filling, put together each pair with a toothpick, dip in a beaten egg and roll over the bread crumbs, secure with a toothpick, then bake in a pre-heated oven for 13 minutes at 200C.

4. Remove the toothpicks, slice then serve and enjoy.

The potato parts  that I removed to make a space for stuffing, I also sliced it and add to the filling. :-)

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