Fruity Green Salad with Chicken & Mustard Vinaigrette

A wholesome, filling side dish that can double as an entree, this salad has fruits, greens and chicken. I like using mango and blueberries when they're in season, and good apples are available anytime of the year, but you can use any fruits of choice. To save time, you can buy one of those spit-roasted chickens available in supermarkets, and just flake the meat--you'll have enough leftovers to make a soup, a nice chicken salad for sandwiches, or just eat the rest of it off the bone. If you want less calories, try using a reduced-fat cheese for the topping. The home-made dressing is a snap to make, so try to avoid the temptation of buying processed dressing because they invariably contain preservatives, among other unhealthy things.

Vegetables en Croute (Vegetables in Puff Pastry)

As you can see from the photograph, this dish makes for an awesome presentation, and you get all that delicious creamy flavor of the vegetables inside and the nice crunch of the puff pastry, a great combination of texture. It's really not that difficult to make, especially if you have handled puff pastry before. Try to handle the puff pastry while it's still a little cold (but not frozen) because it gets too soft and limp to handle once it gets to room temperature.

Glazed Eggplants

A simply heavenly side dish for eggplant lovers, easy and quick to make. You'll need to go to an oriental or Asian supermarket to get the Togarashi spice -- it makes all the difference in the flavor of the eggplants.

My Culinary Education

MY EPIPHANY

     I owe my “reincarnation” as a formally-trained cook to a beloved sorority sister, Rose G., who unwittingly served as the catalyst for my life-changing decision to switch careers and plumb the mysteries and embrace the vicissitudes of the culinary world. I am also very very lucky to have a husband and children who are my most avid fans, and who have given me their unfailing support and encouragement from the get-go.

     After taking early retirement from the IMF, I spent the first couple of years coasting along (bumming around would be more apt), luxuriating in my long-awaited freedom from the grinding stress of my job, and enjoying every moment of my well-deserved reward after more than 30 years of working. But then, I would soon spend many moments worrying about what I would do with myself when the boredom from doing nothing started to set in.

Easy Chicken Adobo (No Frying!)

This is the easiest chicken adobo you will ever make. I adapted it from a recipe by Millie Reyes (of the famed Aristocrat Restaurant in Manila) -- she combined chicken and pork, but I did not have any pork at hand. I also held back on the vinegar (her recipe called for 1 cup) as I didn't want the sauce to be too sour. The adobo actually tasted very good, and it was simple and quick to prepare since you don't have to fry the meat like you would in the traditional adobo way. I actually like my adobo a little bit on the dry side, as a result of the sangkutsa step (frying), but if you like your adobo saucy (or even soupy), then you will love this.

Chicken Adobo sa Buko (Young Coconut)

I was looking for a recipe for a savory dish using young coconut (buko), and I was intrigued by this one. One can buy fresh buko in some oriental supermarkets here in the D.C. area, but you'd need to crack it open with a cleaver, which I didn't want to do. I used instead frozen buko juice drink, and I found a couple of brands with good bits of buko in them. Both had added sugar though, and I should have omitted the sugar called for in the recipe, but it skipped my mind. So, my adobo came out a little bit on the sweet side, but it was still delicious, especially with steamed rice. The finished dish is very pale, and doesn't look anything like our typical Philippine adobo, but it had just the right amount of vinegary taste, as any good adobo should.

Steamed Sea Bass in Thai Curry with Asparagus & Shiitake

If you love curry and seafood, then this is the dish for you. It is a healthful meal because the fish is steamed and infused with the wonderful aromas and flavors of lemongrass, cilantro, mushrooms and ginger. I would prepare the curry sauce first before cooking the fish, then have all your ingredients prepped and ready, so you can finish the dish in a short time. Serve with steamed rice, to soak up the delicious curry sauce. (You can substitute any firm-fleshed fish; for the curry sauce, you can use lite coconut milk instead if you're concerned with calories.) [Note:  The dish in the photo has gnocchi in the vegetables, which I had prepared before and sauteed in butter before adding to the mix; omitting the gnocchi won't affect the flavor of the dish.]

"Smoked" Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Tomato Salsa & Spinach Sauce

This dish never fails to impress, and it's delicious to boot! I like plating it on top of steamed rice (great with the spinach sauce), or you could use mashed potatoes if you wish. Don't be intimated by the long recipe -- you could prepare the glaze and spinach sauce well ahead of time, and you could make the tomato salsa while the pork tenderloin is braising in the oven. By the time it's cooked, you'll have everything on hand, ready to be assembled into a beautiful serving.

Chicken Afritada

It remains a puzzle to me that this Filipino dish is called "afritada" because the Spanish word "fritada" means "fried," and this dish is not fried at all, but rather sauteed/stewed. As the founder of the Culinary Historians of the Philippines (CHOP in Manila), I need to do some research on this. Stewing or braising in a tomato-based sauce is widely common back home, and different kinds of meats are cooked this way -- among others, Pork Menudo (small cubes of pork mixed in with cubes of pork liver); Beef Mechado (where the beef is "larded," or a piece of beef fat is inserted inside the beef chunks, for flavor enhancement); Beef Kaldereta (chunks of beef, with the sauce thickened with liver pate); Beef Pochero (with a more soupy rather than saucy liquid, often served with leafy vegetables and saging

Tinolang Manok (Chicken in Gingered Broth)

This is a beloved comfort food back home in the Philippines, and it does not matter if the weather is hot and humid--a steaming bowl of Tinola will always be welcomed at the table with a wide smile, especially when served with a large bowl of steaming rice and some good-quality patis (fish sauce) on the side. The wonderful aroma of the ginger while you're cooking will permeate the kitchen, and perhaps the entire house, and everyone at home will be able to guess what's cooking and lick their lips in anticipation. This dish, partnered with rice, offers a complete meal of proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables -- eat healthy!!! [Note: This dish is traditionally cooked with dahon ng sili (leaves of chile plant), which is not easy to find in the U.S. Spinach is also a good substitute.]

Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnut Butter

This is one of my "keeper" recipes, and I have made it many times for family dinners. I know that some people do not like Brussels sprouts, but I feel confident that once they taste this they will be converted! I make a good amount of the butter, and freeze the rest -- it lasts for months, and I can have it ready quickly. I also use it for other vegetable dishes.

Sugar-Free Stained-Glass Jell-O (a.k.a. Cathedral Jell-O)

My sister Ada made this Jell-O in Manila for an afternoon tea with her friends. She based it on one that I had made a year ago, which had a slight variation (see photo below). It's a great guilt-free dessert, especially for those who are watching their diet.

In my version, which I made for one of the meetings of CHOP in Manila, I added some slices of jarred peaches, which gave a touch of sweetness to the dish. I also used a bigger mold, which was actually a bundt cake pan, which provided the finished dish with some height.(Note: The packs of gelatin have Manila measurements; it would be different here in the U.S., so you may need to tweak the amount of water needed.)

Easy Veggies in a Blond Roux

I was making macadamia-breaded tilapia for dinner last night, and scrounged around the fridge for some veggies  to make this easy dish. The lemon juice added a nice tang to the flavor, and made the dish a perfect pair for the fish. You can use other vegetables -- whatever you have available in your fridge. I know that blanching the veggies adds to the cooking steps, but this not only makes green vegetables greener, it also pre-cooks them so you can toss them quickly in the sauce at the end of cooking so they are not overcooked. (Come to think of it, I should have added some edamame beans or green peas to it!) By the way, a roux is a mixture of equal parts butter and flour, used to thicken sauces (you can cook it longer until it's brown to thicken gravy or brown stews).

Zucchini & Chocolate Bread

I adapted this recipe from the one I found on the Food Network website, and it was a big success. Like the gluten-free zucchini bread that I made previously (posted in this blog), I would consider this more of a cake than a bread -- I served it tonight as a dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side -- delicious! The zucchini provided good moisture to the cake, and I love the idea of including the peel of the vegetable (healthy!) -- it's nice to think that you are eating a vegetable while indulging in the deliciousness of the cake. The chocolate chunks and the cocoa powder added a lot of zing to the flavor, and the nuts gave it a wonderful finish.

Balsamic Chicken Drummettes

These drumettes were so delicious!! I had intended them to be appetizers, but they can very well serve as an entree. This dish has an Asian flair, and they're very more-ish -- you can't stop nibbling on them! Pair with a nice fresh vegetable salad, and a cup of steaming rice, or orzo, or even couscous if you want something that's quick and easy to prepare.

What is GLUTEN?

Gluten is a special type of protein found in foods processed from wheat, barley and rye. It helps dough rise and gives bread its structure, shape and texture. When the proteins in the dough absorb water, and they are pulled and stretched when the dough is kneaded, the gluten is developed into flexible strands, which trap the gas bubbles produced by the yeast--this is what

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Another steal from Elana Amsterdam's gluten-free cookbook! I made this for dinner tonight -- it tasted great but I thought it had been over-baked a little. I would have preferred the peaches and blueberries to be more firm after the cooking, and not almost mushy like this one turned out. Perhaps I should use peaches that are not nearly as ripe as the ones I used. I will certainly test this recipe again.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

I like using Yukon Gold potatoes for any mashed potato dish because of their nice golden color when cooked. The wasabi adds a delightful kick to the taste -- just be careful that you don't put too much as it can be overpowering. You can adjust the consistency of the potatoes, whether you prefer it more, or less, moist, by reducing the milk or adding more, until you get the desired consistency. If you're not too concerned about the calories, you could use whole milk and regular sour cream.

Beets & Baby Carrots Delight

I love beets. Iserved this as a side dish for a steak dinner tonight, and it was excellent! Try to use both the red and golden beets, to make an attractive dish.The crumbled goat cheese added an extra dimension to the dish, and it went very well with the steaks and the wasabi mashed potatoes (I'll post the recipe for the potatoes).

Eggplant Parmesan (Gluten-Free)

Here's another successful gluten-free recipe adapted from Elana Amsterdam's gluten-free cookbook (see my related posting about her book); it's like a lasagna but without the pasta, just delightful eggplants. It was delicious, and very filling! The tomato sauce is made from scratch--the separate recipe calls for 14 ounces of tomato paste, and I found the sauce too tangy for my taste, perhaps because the tomato paste is too concentrated. Maybe I'll add a little bit more water next time.

My First Gluten-Free Cookbook

I’m so happy to have discovered Elana Amsterdam’s “The Gluten-Free and Almond Flour Cookbook,” (click here for her website). I have just recently started doing some research on gluten-free cooking, because a couple of friends and relatives are highly allergic to gluten and I wanted to look for some recipes that I could share with them.

Salmon Dill Burgers

Once you taste this easy-to-make salmon burger, you will wonder whether it really is a healthy dish (gluten-free and dairy-free), because it is so super-delicious and flavorful. I served it with a healthy green salad with endives, grapes, tomatoes, dried cranberries, and walnuts, lightly tossed in my favorite parsley-apple dressing (find the recipe for the dressing under "Endive Salad with Parsley & Apple Dressing"). The dressing was also excellent on the salmon patties. (Recipe from Elana Amsterdam's "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook;" see my related post about her book.)

Zucchini Bread

I adapted this recipe from Elana Amsterdam's "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook," (see my related post under the general info section on gluten-free cooking). The bread (well, actually, to me it was more of a cake than a bread--it was quite filling) came out so delicious and moist, and made a wonderful dessert after the Salmon Dill Burgers, another Amsterdam recipe, that I tested on the same day. This dish is gluten-free and dairy-free, and totally guilt-free. Read my related blog posting, mentioned above, regarding the ingredients.