Carbonara

How would you define the creamy taste of a Carbonara? It's somewhat similar to cooking a traditional Spaghetti but it only differs with the sauce and the toppings. Carbonara consists of white sauce cooked together with mushrooms, cheese and bacon bits. This dish is usually served at some local cafeteria with different ways of preparing the white sauce. But what makes a special Carbonara is the simplicity of cooking it with just cream and milk. We'll show you how to prepare it. Here it is.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl Spaghetti Pasta

1/4 kl Bacon, cooked and sliced into small bites

3/4 c canned button mushrooms

1 tetra Pack All Purpose Cream

1 small can Evaporated milk

2 tbsp butter

1/2 c grated cheese

salt and pepper to taste

chopped Parsley for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1. Cook the Pasta until Al Dente. (see our Food tips).

2. Meanwhile, in a skillet over low heat melt the butter and saute the mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned. Don't overcrowd the mushrooms in the pan as this causes the mushrooms to water out. Add the All Purpose Cream and Evaporated milk. Give it a good stir until creamy.

3. Add the cooked bacon bits. Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add the grated cheese, mix well together with the salt and pepper for some added taste. 

5. Stir well until done and pour the sauce into the Pasta, mix and garnish with some chopped Parsley. Or just arrange the pasta on a platter and top it with the sauce and chopped Parsley. Take your camera. Click. Post. Eat. Enjoy!

Black Rice

In the Philippines, rice is recognized as the main staple food by Filipinos making the processed white rice as the main choice of many. However these days more and more Filipinos are now cutting the amount of rice they consumed for the aim of a more healthy diet. Switching to other types of rice such as the Black rice can give you more nutritional benefits aside from the fact that its low in fat and calories. Black rice has a higher content of Iron compared to brown rice. It's also rich in fiber, B Vitamins, Protein and Antioxidants which the processed white rice are lacking from those nutrients. Black rice has also a range of types. The photo shown above is a Thai Glutinous Black rice. My mother told me this is suitable to prepare a Filipino chocolate porridge or what we locally called as "Champorado." Another variety of Black Rice are from Indonesia and in China where Black rice is more darker in color.

Pan Fried Bananas

Fried Bananas are a healthy suggestion for a breakfast meal or as a snack. As a kid, my mom always cooks this for us. We like it very sweet and sticky. This dish was traced back during Spanish occupancy in the Philippines. It's a favorite among early Filipinos during that time. Until today it's still a preferred snack dish since this is very easy to cook.

Ingredients:

2 ripened bananas
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Procedure:

1. Cut the bananas at the center in half. Then slice each half lengthwise.
2. In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter and put the sliced bananas.
3. Cook each side for 1 to 2 minutes while sprinkling some sugar and salt. The sugar and salt balances the taste of each banana.
4. Turn the heat low when the bananas become sticky and caramelized.
5. Remove from the pan with a spatula and serve while it's still hot. Enjoy your snack! :)

Embutido

Embutido is a Filipino version of Meat loaf. It is basically composed of Ground pork rolled in a foil along with other ingredients like eggs, sausages, cheese, raisins and a lot more for a more appetizing experience. This dish was dated back during Spanish Colonization when Spanish introduced to Filipinos a delectable dish made out of sausages. Over the course of time, Embutido has evolved into different variations. And now Embutido got even more flavorful as Filipinos added more ingredients into it to suit their own taste. This is our version of Embutido.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl Ground Pork

1/4 c flour

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp Pickle relish, minced

1/2 c Raisins

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 small bell pepper, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

For the fillings:

2 hardboiled eggs, sliced

2 pcs chorizo de bilbao, sliced

1/2 c cheese, diced

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except for the fillings.

2. Grease the aluminum foil and place the meat mixture and flatten it.

3. Put in the sliced eggs, sausages and eggs alternately in the center of the meat mixture.

4. Roll and wrap the meat mixture until it covers up the fillings in the aluminum foil and locked it tightly.

5. Steam it for 40 minutes until well done.

6. Let it cool. Unwrap it, Slice and Serve,

Pancit Sinabaw

Have you ever wondered what would be the taste of a Pancit if you add a liquid into it? Well, if you wish to try it then why not cook Pancit Sinabaw (Egg noodles with soup). It's the same with the usual  stir fried pancit but with an added soup into it.

Ingredients:

100 grams pork, sliced in small portions
1/4 kl Pancit Miki (Egg Noodles), washed and drained
1 small carrot, sliced
1/4 kl cabbage, shredded
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 c water
4 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
chopped onion leaves
cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic and onion in oil for 30 seconds, then add the pork slices. Saute until brown.
2. Pour in the soy sauce and simmer for a minute then add water. Bring to a boil.
3. When the liquids boils up increase the heat to high and add the remaining ingredients, Season with some salt and pepper and mix well. Simmer for 3 minutes until well cooked.
4. Serve it hot. Enjoy!

Pancit Sinabaw (dry ingredients).

Sauteed Mushrooms with pork

There's always a good reason to eat mushrooms. This food from nature gives us enough nutrition to sustain our overall health. Adding mushrooms on your daily meal as a side dish can provide you nutritional contents like B Vitamins, Riboflavin, Niacin as well as Potassium and has an excellent source of anti oxidant. In addition, Mushroom is also low in Sodium and fat. When you don't want to eat it alone, serve it with some pork or other meat. Here's a recipe that will make you love this food. Make room for mushroom!

Ingredients:

1/2 kl fresh mushrooms, washed, drained and sliced
1/4 c pork, sliced in small servings
1/2 c water
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp soy sauce
black pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
cooking oil
chopped onion leaves

Procedure:

1. In a pan heat oil over medium heat then saute the garlic then add the pork. Saute until lightly brown then add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Pour in the water. Then Add the soy sauce. Season with some pepper and garlic powder to taste. Mix well and cook until all the mushrooms begin to brown. Stir in some chopped onion leaves.
3. Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Chicken Pastel

This is one of my mom's specialties. The Chicken Pastel. Why is it called Pastel? That means lightly colored and creamy. And so the soup is very creamy and tasty. Basically it uses milk and cream as one of the main ingredients. It's a good source of protein since we're just using just the lean meat of the chicken breasts. We removed all the skins in it. Any meat will do for this recipe however Chicken is still the best meat to use for this, And Did I mentioned that the butter also makes it more flavorful and appetizing? Yummy! Have one today.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl Chicken breasts, skins removed, sliced in small portions
1/4 c butter
1 small can evaporated milk
1 c all purpose cream
1 medium carrot, sliced in cubes
2 medium potatoes, sliced in cubes
1 c button mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 c water

Procedure:

1. In a pan, melt the butter and add onions and garlic. Saute it then add the chicken and mushrooms. Saute it until chicken turns light brown.
2. Pour the water then add the carrots and tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Pour the All purpose cream and Evaporated milk. Give it a good stir. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the red bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until all cooked.
5. Remove from heat. Arrange it in a platter and garnish with some finely chopped Parsley. Get your camera ready and snap a few good shots. Happy clicking and eating! Enjoy!

Tip:

For a more flavorful soup, substitute the water with chicken broth.

Lumpiang Shanghai

Whenever I attend birthday parties or some special occasions, this food will never go out of the list of  Filipino feast. This is a good suggestion for a low cost recipe in which you can fed a lot of your guests with this. I like it to be dipped with banana catsup. One thing about Lumpiang Shanghai is when you just leave it on the table over long hours, the spring roll wrapper will lose its crispiness when exposed to air so better consume it while it's hot.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl Ground pork
Spring roll wrappers
1 white onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 large potato, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients except for the wrapper.
2. Scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and place it in the wrapper, spread it evenly. Roll and wrap it.
3. After wrapping, heat oil in a deep fryer over medium heat. fry it until golden brown. Avoid burning the wrapper.
4. Place the Lumpia in paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot with banana catsup or your favorite dip. Enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Shake

Avocados are widely used in different cuisines usually combined with salads or it is used as a dip or spread but when you turn Avocados into a puree, you'll have a very smooth, creamy, buttery and refreshing drink perfect for hot summer days. My mom always makes this smoothie for us whenever this fruit is on its peak season. There are absolute health benefits you can get from an Avocado shake. A glass of Avocado shake will give you a good amount of dietary fiber as well as Vitamins, A, C, E and K. But somehow just be a little cautious as Avocado has also fat contents in it.

Ingredients:

4 Avocados, peeled and cubed

1/2 c white sugar or use Honey as sweetener

1 small can evaporated milk (147 ml)

1 c All purpose cream

1 tsp lemon juice

3 c ice cubes

Procedure:

1. Prepare all your ingredients. In a blender, put the Avocado cubes, white sugar, milk, cream and the ice cubes.

2. Shake until it becomes smooth.

3. Serve it cold and Enjoy!

3 Ingredients Nutella Brownies

I've got a bottle of Nutella Spread in our fridge and I'm thinking what are the best desserts I could make out of this ingredient? Then I found out that there's a very easy 3 ingredients Nutella Brownies! It's so easy and yummy you should try it too with your kids and loved ones.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c Nutella
2 eggs
1/2 c all purpose flour

Procedure: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl mix all the ingredients until smooth. If you don't want your brownies to be too sweet reduce a few tablespoons of Nutella.
3. Grease your baking pan. I use 6x4 pan. You can also use 9x9. Pour the mixture and smooth the top with spatula.
4. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the brownies, if it comes out clean then it means it's done. Let it cool before slicing it. Serve and enjoy!

Tip:

• You can also use other Chocolate Spread as a substitute.
• If you don't have an oven, you can also bake this through an oven toaster for 5 to 8 minutes. just make sure to check it occasionally.