Grilled Marinated Swordfish and Pesto Pasta

Oh em gee...these are beautiful! *drool*

Pick your weapon...and dig in!

Pesto.  Yummy pesto!  Other than its loaded nutrients, we are impressed by it's versatility and deliciousness bringing a boring dish (pasta particularly) to a new level of goodness!  We try to keep pesto in our fridge at all times.  We just don't know when we need them, especially during busy days.  Once in a while we settle for store-bought jarred pesto, but most of any given time we make our own.  There's nothing compares to the fresh ones!  Last year, Sweetpea and I planted basil in the pots.  We delightfully had a lot of usage to it, from salad to pesto.  The next summer, we planted cilantro.  This is where I researched what other good use we can do to it other than incorporating in Mexican dishes.  Andre and I love cilantro so much that making a pesto out of it is such a genius idea.  I usually make tons of them that I segregate the leftovers into small servings, put in ziplock bags and freeze them.  Anytime I need them, just grab a pack, defrost and mix into a hot pasta and voila!  you'll get an instant pesto pasta!

In this case, we perfectly paired it with wild-caught swordfish steaks.  Swordfish is sort of a meaty, firm fish.  It has almost the same texture as tuna, to my opinion.  Grilling or pan-frying is a good option to cook them.  The marinade of the dish was just divine!  Serve along with homemade cilantro pesto pasta and some leftover white wine, it was a lovely meal that we truly enjoyed! 



Grilled Marinated Swordfish

4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 swordfish steaks
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
4 slices lemon, for garnish (optional)


In a glass baking dish, combine the garlic, white wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.  Mix just to blend.  Place swordfish steaks into the marinade, and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning frequently.  

Option 1: Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.  Lightly sprinkle swordfish with salt and pepper on both sides.  Grill swordfish steaks for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.  Serve with cilantro pesto pasta alongside.

Option 2: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Lightly sprinkle swordfish with salt and pepper on both sides.  Add swordfish to skillet.  Cook until browned, about 3 minutes.  Turn swordfish over and transfer to oven.  Roast until just cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.  Transfer swordfish to plates.  Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.  Serve with cilantro pesto pasta alongside. 


Cilantro Pesto Pasta 
*I try to make the pesto ahead of time, store in a tight container and refrigerate.

1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup almonds
3 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 salt

Combine the cilantro, garlic and almonds in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Add the parmesan , oil and salt. and puree to a smooth paste.  Stir into hot pasta and serve.


Yield: 4 servings (both recipes)

Grilled Marinated Swordfish recipe courtesy:  Allrecipes.com, MIKE T 007
Cilantro Pesto recipe courtesy: Food.com, Dragonshoes

 

Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza

First, follow the pizza crust (of your choice) instruction box.  Lightly brush pizza crust with olive oil, ladle pizza sauce on top (starting from the middle and work your way out leaving 1/2 an inch crust on the edges).  Next, spread mozzarella cheese all over the top, add slices of red onions and mushrooms.  Bake to perfection (refer to baking instruction box)!

So, here it is!  Once pizza is done, slice into wedges and put on your plate topped with seasoned arugula and prosciutto...enjoy!

Here we go...another super easy, delicious pizza recipe!  Every so often my dear hubby would request pizza for dinner.   If you're like me, there are occasions that I just don't feel like doing all the work  making homemade dough and pizza sauce from scratch (although they're the best!) simply because   it's one of my so-called "lazy days".   So, to my collection of "lazy recipes" I depend, and this is one of them.  I should call this "Lazy Pizza", right?  But no, because I think it deserves a lot of respect due to its goodness and somewhat nutritious (compared to typical pizza toppings).  If you have all the time to make homemade dough and sauce to go with it, I would suggest do so otherwise, go for this one.  I opted to use the store-bought pizza crust (thin) and jarred pizza sauce.  This may not be your typical pizza by the looks of it, but the combination of the arugula, its woodsy taste with a little spice and the saltiness of prosciutto meat is such a wonderful marriage of flavor!  Like I said, it's super easy...super fast...and super good!  Even little Sweetpea can do it!

Ingredients:

1 Mama Mary's pre-baked pizza crust (we prefer thin)

1 small jar pizza sauce 

mushrooms, thinly sliced

red onions, thinly sliced

1 cup cubed or shredded fresh mozzarella

prosciutto, very thin slices

2 cups fresh arugula

2 tablespoons extra virgin oil

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  

Mix together arugula, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Lightly brush pizza crust with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.  Spread sauce (about 1/2 cup for us, depending how saucy you want for your pizza) on the crust starting in the middle and work your way out using a spoon or spatula, leaving 1/2 inch on the edges.  Spread the cheese.  Lower oven temperature to 425 degrees, bake in the middle section of the oven until crust looks golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes.  When done, take pizza out of the oven, slice into wedges, arrange on your plate, put arugula mixture on top, and garnish with thin slices of prosciutto (I'd say, 1 prosciutto per slice).   Enjoy!

Pasta with Sausage, Peas & Mushrooms

If you know our family very well, we unapologetically consume a lot of rice (almost every other meal, to be honest).  I have to admit, I feel a sense of guilt at times for feeding my family too much grains, although my little Sweetpea does not really complain for the fact that she also has acquired the same taste bud as her Mama but as to hubby, it's a different story.  He has not eaten that much rice in his entire existence until we got married.  So, in fairness to him, i sporadically make him pasta dishes (out of guilt, mostly) as his "treat"(as what he calls it), and this particular one is one of them!

I tried the original version of this dish using the farfalle pasta countless times.  Unfortunately, there's something about farfalle and me that are not quite simpatico (although, hubby loves it), so the last time I made it, I literally substituted spaghetti noodles to suit the dish to my liking.  To our surprise, what a difference it made...it's like bringing a good dish to another notch!  The three of us really enjoyed it a lot!  We even split the leftovers the next day.  A warm baked baguette and some green salad would be a perfect combo to go with it.  That's the beauty of home cooking, you get to play, change a bit, adjust the recipe to meet your palate's needs.  Hope you enjoy!


Ingredients:

1/4 or more of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound turkey sausage or sweet pork sausage (our preference), casings removed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 oz. cremini or button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, slightly defrosted
1 pound spaghetti noodles (our preference) or farfalle pasta
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese


In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil.

In a large saute pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season sausage with salt and pepper.  Add sausage and saute, breaking any large lumps until golden brown.  Add a drizzle of olive oil if pan is getting dry, add chopped mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 5 minutes or longer.  Add the peas and saute for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

When the pot of water has come to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente (follow pasta box's cooking time instructions).  Drain in a colander.  Add pasta to sauteed sausage.  Combine thoroughly and gently cook over medium heat for few minutes more until pasta is completely cooked to your liking and fully incorporated with the sausage.  Drizzle in remaining olive oil.  If it gets too dry don't hesitate to add more oil, if necessary.  Check the seasoning.  Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese.  Stir well and serve in a large bowl.


Yield: 4 servings

*Recipe adapted from Foodnetwork, Giada de Laurentiis with our miniscule changes to suit our taste buds.

Mahi mahi + Salad Fixings + Homemade Asian Dressing

Ok, so there are no rules for the salad.  You pick the veggies of your choice.  However, we recommend adding mandarin oranges (we prefer using fresh ones over canned).  Give it a try and you'll know why...

The best homemade salad dressing ever!

We opt to a deconstructed salad over mix...yet, how ever you prefer the choice is yours.  Drizzle over a spoonful or more of the homemade dressing and enjoy your beautiful creation!

Friday.  There's something about friday that brings excitement to most of us.  Either it's the last work day of the week (if you work on weekdays) or what ever reason it may be....for us, friday (in the evening, particularly) means time for relaxation, the beginning of family bonding time that resonates throughout the whole weekend, or even party time (to others).  Thinking through the previous days how hard my dear hubby worked all week long,  I wanted to create something 'special' to put on the dinner table when he comes home.  I know he would request for something healthy (if I'd ask him) so I decided to make this meal that has all the elements that I knew he would savor and enjoy.  I wanted him to look forward to come home, kick off those shoes, unwind and enjoy some good homemade dinner with his loved ones!
This meal was very easy, very nutritious, so colorful...and did I say, flavorful?  My gosh...Yes!!!  Serve it with your favorite wine on the side this dish has the whole package that will pamper your guests from their first bite to last.  So funny that hubby and I actually found ourselves constantly uttering "hmmm..." as we voraciously savor the 'goodness' from our plates.   The mahi mahi steaks were marinated (same dressing) and grilled to perfection,  paired with your favorite vegetable salad, drizzled with this HOMEMADE asian salad dressing...I tell ya', it's out of this world!  This salad dressing is a Killer.  Yes, I have to admit I couldn't stop dipping my fingers in the jar for taste test (well, that's my excuse) because it was so finger-licken' good!!!  
Needless to say, our little family had enjoyed this beautiful meal very much.  By the end of the evening, there's this wonderful feeling of bliss and satisfaction knowing I've accomplished something ...a smile and a little 'thank yous!' from daddy and daughter melted a wife and a mother's heart.  What a great way to start the weekend!


Ingredients:

Mahi mahi steaks or fillets
Salad mix
Homemade salad dressing 


For the dressing:

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1 green onion, chopped
1/2  lime, juiced
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 rice vinegar


Mix everything in the blender/food processor, turn it on until smooth and voila!...you just made yourself a delicious homemade dressing!

Take about 1/2 cup of your dressing and put it in a ziplock bag along with your mahi mahi.  Zip it up, put in the fridge for about an hour or longer.  Be sure to refrigerate the rest of your dressing in a tight container.

When ready for dinner, apply some cooking oil or spray to your grill prior to grilling the fish to avoid sticking.  Heat the grill to medium high or high.  Grill mahi mahi for 5-10 minutes per side, flipping the steaks or fillets when color starts to turn white.

Grab yourself a plate of salad, drizzle with your homemade dressing (depending on how much dressing you like on it), display your beautiful grilled mahi mahi on top, grab a glass of your favorite wine and enjoy every single bite of it!


Recipe courtesy: Mommiecooks

Saute-steamed Bok Choy

 

One of the desired changes that Andre and I were making in our diet is as much as possible incorporating colors into our daily meals, like fruits and vegetables.  Unfortunately, he is more of a picky-eater than me when it comes to veggies.  So getting a variety of greens other than the usual suspects is quite of a challenge. On the other hand, it gives me the opportunity to be creative and resourceful to come up with something palatable for the kids.  This side dish, however, got a two thumbs up from him (yay!).  It's deliciously Asian inspired.   It's scary, that I can just eat the whole pan of it, thank goodness it's veggies! 

Ingredients:

1 pound bok choy

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce

dash of ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Cut 1 inch off the bottom of the bok choy and separate the stems and leaves.  Cut the stems and leaves into small bite-size pieces.  In a large pan saute the garlic and ginger in the olive oil for a minute over medium heat.  Add the bok choy stems (they take longer) and saute for 3-5 minutes more.  Add the leaves and water, and cook another 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste with soy sauce and pepper.  Stir in the sesame oil and serve while hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe courtesy: SparkRecipes, Ladyphoenix61

Sauteed Bitter Melon (Ginisang Ampalaya)

Every time my husband will go on his business trips for few days, I take the opportunity of cooking some very exotic Filipino dishes.  Honestly, I appreciate for his interest and eagerness to try new foods from my culture as some of them don't look as appetizing (not to scare you) but the thing is, only taking the bravery of trying out (or out of curiosity) with the unfamiliar is what makes us explore and discover better things.  Although, he loves most of my Filipino foods but this particular one is not one of them.   But one day, he will, I hope.  So, what I made today is called Ginisang Ampalaya, also known as Sauteed Bitter Melon.  It's very easy and simple.  Rhetorically, the dish has a bitter taste but not to be alarmed because the process of making the dish helps lessen the bitterness of the melon and being sauteed with other spices give balance to the flavor.   I like what Ray says on his blog, "either you love it...or hate it!" and it's true.  Growing up, I strongly disliked this dish simply because I never got used to the bitterness that I thought eating them would be torture...but as I got older the taste had slowly acquired in my palate.   However, to my surprise though, my little Sweetpea also joined digging into my plate as I was having them for meal...made me a very happy Mama!  


Ingredients
 
3/4 lb Ground Pork or Ground Turkey (about 340 grams)
2 medium Bitter Melons
1/2 small Onion – sliced to 1/4 inch strips
5 cloves Garlic – finely minced
1 medium Tomato – diced
4 eggs – beaten
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
2 tablespoon Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut bitter melon in half – lengthwise.  Remove the seeds by scraping them with a spoon.  Slice bitter melon to 1/4 inch thick.  In a bowl, place sliced bitter melon in 3 cups of lukewarm water, add 2 tablespoon salt then set aside for about 20 minutes. This process with lessen the bitterness of the bitter melon.

After 20 minutes, transfer bitter melon in a colander to drain.  Place colander under a running water.  Wring the sliced melons several times to get rid of the salt.  After the last wring, set bitter melon aside in a bowl.

Place wok or large pan over medium-high heat then add oil.  When the oil is hot, Add garlic, and tomato.  Stir fry until tomatoes are soft and almost mashed.  Add ground meat.  Stir fry until meat is golden brown.  Add oyster sauce and chicken broth.  Stir until it boils.  Lower heat to medium.  Add the sliced onions and bitter melons.  Stir for 2 minutes.  Set all the ingredients to the side of the wok.  Add beaten eggs in the middle of the wok.  Stir until softly scrambled.  Stir in all the ingredients back until fully combined with the eggs.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot with rice.

Recipe courtesy:  Wok with Ray

Crunchy Parmesan Chicken Tenders

We choose to serve this with rice simply because that's the way we are!

You cannot omit this sauce for this dish.  Without it, you'll be lost!

This dish claimed a special spot in our regular monthly menu.  Three reasons: it's super easy, super healthy and last but not least, super yummy.  But I have to warn that if you omit making the sauce you will be disappointed.  Italian style, these chicken tenders are perfectly paired with balsamic vinegar sauce.  It reminds me of marriage 'til death do us part', it won't be complete without the sauce...it definitely has a very important role when you indulge them. With the mild, subtle flavor of the chicken dipped into the sweet, tangy taste of the balsamic sauce makes this dish a happy marriage!  In our household, we enjoy having them with plain steamed rice, salad or veggies on the side.  Great for appetizer or serve as an entree, it's your choice!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (about 18)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan
3/4 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Brush 1 tablespoon of oil over each of 2 heavy large lined baking sheets. Place the buttermilk in a large bowl. Add the chicken tenders and stir to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mash the garlic with the salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and then the remaining 1/2 cup of oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with pepper. Transfer the vinaigrette to a small serving bowl.
Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a pie dish. Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk and dredge them in the bread crumb mixture to coat completely, pressing to adhere. Arrange the coated chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the chicken tenders and bake until they are cooked through and golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Transfer the chicken tenders to a platter and serve the vinaigrette alongside for dipping.
 
Yield: 6 servings

Recipe courtesy:  Giada de Laurentiis, Foodnetwork.com

Brown Butter Madeleines

"Oh madeleines, how scrumptious you are!"  This is our little Sweetpea's famous line every time she munches on these little delectable things!  A Lacour's favorite at home and on the go (and we go a lot!).  This is her most requested homemade snack.  These are very easy and fun to make that even little Sweetpea can help.  Originated in France, a very popular pastry, great for the "quatre heure" traditional afternoon snack, these little heavenly delights are somewhat little sponge cakes, airy and buttery molded in beautiful, tiny individual shapes.

Sweetpea gets fascinated watching the mixer incorporating all ingredients.  As sous chef, her job is adding the dry ingredients into it.  She loves being given responsibilities in the kitchen!

Carefully pour enough mix into each molds.

So, this is her favorite part...decorating!  I let her have fun with it.  In fact, this is her idea to put sprinkles on top...and I thought it's a great idea!

The beautiful finished product!  Some with sprinkles and some without...hmm, I already knew which one she will first dig into...

After having them cooled off in open air, I store them in a container with cover to help prolong freshness for days.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
Nice drizzle of honey (1 to 2 teaspoons)
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Salt
1/2 orange, zested
Special equipment: madeleine mold*
Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To brown the butter, melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, allowing to bubble and foam, stirring frequently. Once the foaming subsides, allow the butter to brown along the bottom and then remove the pan from the heat. Browning will take about 5 minutes total; do not burn.
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and honey with electric mixer until thick and pale. Add the browned butter and mix.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mix into liquid ingredients, along with zest, just until blended.
Fill the greased madeleine baking molds and bake until golden, 9 to 11 minutes.
*Cook's Note: you may substitute a mini-muffin pan for madeleine molds.

Yield: 10-14 madeleines

Recipe courtesy:  Melissa d'Arabian, Foodnetwork.com

Humba (Braised Pork)

Humba is a braised pork with sweet and salty taste and slow-cooked until tender.  It is one of my favorite Filipino comfort food growing up.  This dish sweetly reminds me of my dear father because it was one of his favorites, as well.  In fact, he was the one who influenced my life to love this dish because this was his specialty in the kitchen.  During my childhood, I still vividly remember our mother for the most part would take charge in the kitchen and rarely our dad for such reasons that either he was away working to provide our family or he was tending with important matters serving the people in our community.  He was quite a busy man who dearly loved God, his family and everyone else.  I'd say, he  probably just had a handful of recipes he enjoyed making every now and then but boy, when he cooked those dishes (mostly on special occasions) you would definitely feel the love while you eat!  Growing up,  everytime I see him cooking in the kitchen it gets me excited for mealtime because I knew there's going to be something 'yummy' on the table and this dish is one of them.  Thank you, Papa for your wonderful legacy!

2 pounds pork belly, chopped in 2 inches cubes or cut-up pork hocks (featured in this recipe)

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 8oz. Pineapple juice or Sprite

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 c brown sugar

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon salted black beans

1 star anise

5 small stems Spring onions

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Boil  meat in water to release some fats  for at least 10 minutes.  Remove from water.  Heat oil in medium high and stir-fry garlic and onions for 1 minute.  Add meat and sear on all sides.  Add all ingredients, cover and simmer until pork is tender about 1-2 hours (depending on the quality of the meat).  When pork is tender, raise heat to medium high, uncover until juice is mostly evaporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Lechon Kawali

 

Lechon Kawali is a pan-fried pork belly, a very popular dish in Philippines.  The traditional way of making it is boiling the meat in salted water, air-dried, then deep-fried in a very hot oil until meat is golden brown and skin will blister and crisp.  I have been craving for this dish for a while now.  Due to our location situated in a tiny town, I always have hard time searching for this specific cut of meat.  I know they are much easier to find in most Asian grocery stores in bigger cities where lots of different nationals reside.  But that does not mean I can't find a way....if there's a will there's a way, right?  So if the first option is not available I go for the second one, which is pork ham with skin on.  With pork ham you'll get more lean meat and less fat and I thought....hmm, this works well for my hubby being much pickier than me!

In this version, I tried experimenting of baking it instead of deep-frying for the obvious reason, to eliminate some fats instead of adding.  Don't get me wrong, my hubby and I love this dish very much but if there's any way we can do to make a dish healthier without sacrificing the flavor is always a bonus!  To be honest, we cannot tell the difference of the taste from the results between the two methods of cooking.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds pork belly or pork ham

4 bay leaves

2 tablespoons whole peppercorns

salt

Boil enough water in a large pot to cover the meat.  Carefully submerge the meat, add 1 tablespoon  salt, bay leaves and whole peppercorns.  Bring to a rapid boil then simmer with lid on until meat is fork tender (depending on the meat, some takes longer) about 1-2 hours.  When meat is tender, gently take it out of the pot, lay on a rack to drain.  Place rack on a baking dish or pan with foil to strain the excess fat.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Season meat with salt making sure all sections are flavored.  Bake for  20-30 minutes, or until skin is brown and crispy (internal temperature should read 160 degrees).  Note, if using pork ham it might take longer to cook due to its thickness, feel free to lower temperature and loosely cover meat with foil to avoid burning for the first 30 minutes, when inside meat is cooked through remove foil and turn up the temperature back up to brown the skin.   Remove from the oven.  Let it rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes, chop into bite size and enjoy with your favorite sauce and steamed rice!

Sardines Sotanghon Noodle Soup

 

It was close to 4 p.m. and my daughter already asked for food.   When I offered her some snacks, she demanded on eating 'real food', instead.  As her mother, I know what that means...she prefers to eat 'something' that goes with rice.  Yes, proud to say she's my little rice burner just like her Mama!  Had nothing in mind on what to prepare so to the pantry I went....contemplating as my eyes searched through the stored canned goods hoping to come up with something quick and easy to feed the tiny hungry mouth.  As I 'hunt' in the pantry, I spotted canned Sardines and some vermicelli noodles...and the 'light bulb' suddenly turned on!  Cooking this dish was a breeze...few minutes later, I had a one happy princess!  This happened to be one of her favorite Filipino dishes.  This dish is so versatile that you can adjust the liquid depending on your preference of consistency.  If you're like us, we eat this with rice (as most Filipinos are known for eating almost everything with rice, yes, everything!  And that includes any pasta or noodles!).  With that said, I normally put more liquid when I make them just for that reason however, if you prefer a little bit to the dry side, by all means adjust the liquid (lesser) until it completely soaked into the noodles and eat it as is.  Either way, it's a very good comfort food, rain or shine!

Ingredients:

1 4oz. canned Sardines in tomato sauce or olive oil

1 bundle 50 grams vermicilli noodles, soaked for at least 10 minutes

1 roma tomato, chopped

1/4 yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste (if using sardines in olive oi)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or a dash of sriracha sauce (optional)

1 stalk green onions, chopped (garnish)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 cups water (depending on the cosistency of the noodles according to your preference)

Heat oil in a sauce pan in medium high heat.  Add garlic until golden brown.  Stir in red pepper flakes, onions and tomatoes for 1-2 minutes.  Add sardines in tomato sause or (sardines in olive oi, plus tomato paste) breaking big chunks apart but not shredded for 1 minute.  Stir in water, bring to boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add noodles and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.  Serve hot over steamed rice sprinkled with green onions, or enjoy it without the rice!

Pico de Gallo

Coming from Philippines, I never get the taste of authentic Mexican foods until I came here in the U.S., and  Pico de Gallo is one of them that I came to love.  Every time I make this particular dish, it always bring me back to my old job in Texas.  It was first introduced to me by one of my closest co-workers (very sweet Hispanic lady) during our company potluck. Fortunately, Andre also enjoys it (I guess, that made the two of us).  We have tried so many different variations from different restaurants or making it from scratch.  This particular one has our own personal twist that I thought deserves a spot in my cookbook (yes, I created a personal cookbook which is composed of great recipes we've collected over the years.) since it has the right balance of ingredients and taste to our preference.
Pico de Gallo is like a salsa, made of chopped, uncooked condiments.  It can be used in so many ways in dishes like crostinis, tacos or fajitas, but we both prefer having them with tortilla chips (cilantro-lime flavor, yum!) as a side dish.  



Ingredients:

5 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
squeeze of 1 good size lime, or 2 small ones
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced, or 1 tablespoon diced jalapeno in a jar (this is very handy to me as I can always save the rest in the fridge for so many usage, and it works fairly well)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, cover and let it set for at least an hour before serving, for all the flavors to marry.  Serve over tortilla chips!