Asian Style Balsamic Glazed Drumsticks

These Asian inspired drumsticks would also be great using chicken thighs or wings.  We suggest serving with steamed vegetables to make a complete low fat meal.  You can drizzle the remaining glaze over the vegetables, or over rice.

ingredients:

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• olive oil spray
• 1 cup water
• I tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1/3 cup Pastamoré Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoon chives or scallions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and Sriracha and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes.  Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes thick, turning chicken occasionally.

Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it starts becoming thick.  Transfer chicken to a platter and ladle sauce on top. Sprinkle with chives and sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

Lomi

Lomi is my  favorite thing to order at  a snack house near my school during college days with my classmates during break.  We always have a hard time before snack break in the afternoon because of the Math subject (laugh out loud) lomi is always there to give us comfort. The yummy noodles and its hot soup is so comforting, that's why I prepare it every now and then.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
300 grams lomi noodles
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup ground beef or pork
1 piece onion
1/4 kilo shrimps ( cleaned)
4 cups water ( add if needed)
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup sliced cabbage
1/2 piece bell pepper
1 small carrots ( strips)
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1 beaten egg
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground meat and continue to saute until pinkish color is gone then add the shrimps and simmer for a minute.
2. Add the water, soy sauce, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, when boiling add the noodles and simmer for a minute then add the carrots, cabbage and bell pepper, simmer for  a minute
3. Add the dissolved corn starch and stir well to thicken evenly then the beaten egg and simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
4. Sprinkle with spring onion and serve it hot  and do not forget to smile :-).

Honey Glazed Roasted Chicken

A very simple recipe of roasted chicken that you will surely enjoy with your loved ones, specially if you love a little sweet taste in your viand.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken ( around 1.5 kilos) cleaned
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
salt to taste
1/2 cup honey

Procedure:
1. Evenly massage the  lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and ground pepper to the chicken
2. Preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 180C. Then put the chicken and  roast for 45 minutes while basting it with honey every 15 minutes. After 45 minutes flip the chicken so that we can roast the other side for another 45 minutes and baste it with honey every 15 minutes, after this, it is now ready to be served.
3. Serve and enjoy.

Pork Sinigang sa Miso

Filipinos really love sinigang, my family loved it with a strong "kilig asim" effect when you sip the soup. There are different ingredients to make the sour flavor of sinigang like, tamarind, calamansi, guava, tomatoes, miso, etc. I am going to share the one with miso.


Ingredients:
1/2 kilo pork
4 cups water
1/4 cup miso ( boil in 1/2 cup water)
1 bunch kangkong ( swamp cabbage)
6 pods okra
2 tomatoes
1 onion
3 pieces chili ( silng haba)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1.In a pot put the tomatoes, onion and pork then cook over medium heat until the pinkish color of the pork is gone, add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer the pork until tender.
2. Add the okra and simmer for a minute then the kangkong, chili, salt and pepper then simmer for few seconds and add the miso mixture then simmer until done and turn off the heat
3. Serve hot with rice.

You can add more vegetable sinigang for this recipe.

Lato Salad ( Grape Seaweed Salad)

Lato salad is one of the seaweeds salad that I like a lot, I love popping it inside my mouth, yummy! Adding the vinegar few minutes before you eat it, will spoil the freshness of the "lato" it will not be juicy anymore. This seaweed is abundant in Davao regions of  Philippines and the neighboring regions.

Ingredients for 6 servings:
1/2 kilo lato ( grape seaweed)
1 tomato
1 small onion
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

Procedure:
1.. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Make sure that you do this when it's already time to eat because if not it is better to separate the vinegar to maintain the freshness of the seaweeds. Putting the vinegar more than 5 minutes before you eat it, will make the seaweeds sagged.
2. Serve with  grilled or fried fish or meat.

Beef Pares

Pares means pair, that's why this popular beef dish is always serve with either steamed or garlic rice and extra broth, that is the pares (pair) for this.

 Ingredients for 4 servings:
1/2 kilo beef brisket
7 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce ( add if needed)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 minced onion
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 cups broth ( add if needed)
2 pieces star anise
2 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Procedure:
1. Put the water and the beef in a pot then boil it for 2 hours or until really tender, if pressure cooker is available you can boil it for 30 minutes. When it is tender remove the beef, set aside and reserve the broth.
2.Saute ginger, garlic and onion then add the beef , soy sauce, black pepper and sugar then stir well and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Add 4 cups of beef broth, anise and salt to taste, then bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cornstarch mixture while stirring to avoid it from forming lumps, then simmer until it thickens and turn off the heat.
5. Serve it with rice and extra beef broth, enjoy!

Homemade Lite Caesar Dressing

It’s another quick and oh-so-easy recipe to eat well and stay healthy!  Here is a salad dressing that is much better for you than the off-the-shelf (what-the-heck-is-in-it) fare you find at the grocery store.  If you do not know about ‘Grapeseed oil’, it has some super health benefits and a lighter, ‘cleaner’ taste than olive oil.

ingredients

• 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon Nan’s Honey Roasted Garlic Mustard Blend (a good Dijon will also work)
• 2 good quality anchovy fillets
• 1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil
• 1/3 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt

In a small bowl of a food processor add the cheese, lemon juice, chopped garlic, mustard and the anchovies.  Pulse the machine until well combined, 15 to 20 seconds.  Add the oil and yogurt and let the machine run for another 15 seconds.

Makes 3/4 cup.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Pork

This is an easy recipe for those of us who love the convenience of a crock pot or slow cooker.  A pork sirloin roast can be used instead of the shoulder roast.  This shredded pork makes for one heckova slider!

ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
• Kosher salt, to taste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup Pastamoré Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Pastamoré Barrel-Aged Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey

Season pork all over with salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and place in the slow cooker.  Mix together the broth, vinegar & Worcestershire and pour it over the pork,  Finally drizzle the honey over the pork and set the timer for 4 hours on 'high' or 6-8 hours on 'low'.

Once the pork is cooked and tender (it should fall apart easily with a fork), remove from slow cooker onto a serving dish.  Shred lightly with two forks.  Drizzle ½ cup of the remaining sauce over the shredded pork and keep warm until ready to eat.  As Nan says, “super easy…”!

Cheese and Hotdog Roll

A simple to make snack, that's good to serve once in a while. The light toasted bread is crispy in every bite.

Ingredients:
6 pieces Sliced Bread
6 pieces hot dog ( cooked)
liquid cheese

 Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven at 200C.
2. Spread liquid cheese on the sliced bread then put the hot dog then pull both ends of the bread and tuck at the center  then secure with toothpick.
3. Bake for 5 minutes then remove and top with liquid cheese, remove the toothpick then serve.

Rice Bibingka

One of the best Filipino dainties is bibingka.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 cup rice flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1 beaten egg

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients then sift.
3. Combine the coconut milk and egg then mix well and pour into the dry ingredients and mix well until fully combined.
4. Pour in a molder with banana leaf and bake for 25-30 minutes.

5. When it is done remove from the oven, spread with butter and sprinkle with sugar and serve.

Chocolate Ice Candy

A delicious ice candy with soft ice by adding a corn starch to the mixture.

Ingredients for 1 dozen Ice candy:
1 cup water
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch ( dissolved well)
2 tablespoons Milo or Ovaltine

Procedure:
1. Boil  1 cup water, then add the water with dissolved corn starch ( mix well before adding to avoid lumps) stir very well until it boils, then add the Milo and mix well until dissolved, add sugar and simmer until dissolved then turn off the heat.
2. Add the evaporated milk then let cool.
3. Use a funnel then wrap and freeze until frozen.
4. Serve and enjoy.

soft ice, yummy!

Buttered Vegetables

This is a perfect side dish for your meat or fish.

Ingredients 4 servings:
1/4 kilo broccoli
1/4 kilo cauliflower
1/4 kilo carrots
1/4 kilo shrimps
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Boil all the vegetables until half cooked then drain and set aside.
2. Heat the butter then add the garlic and saute until brownish then add the shrimps and saute for a minute then add  all the vegetables and stir  well.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste then stir until done.
4 Serve it hot with fried fish or meat. Enjoy.

Pancit Sinabaw

The not so popular pancit sinabaw from Davao region of Philippines, I do not know if other provinces or regions in the Philippines also have this, let me know. The usual pancit is guisado which is dry, this one is sinabaw that's why it is soupy because sinabaw or sinabawan is a Visayan word for soup or something that is soupy. I like this way of cooking pancit specially during rainy days.

Ingredients for 3 servings:
1/4 kilo pancit ( washed and drained)
100 grams ground beef
3 cups water ( add if necessary)
1/2 cup sliced green beans
1/2 piece bell pepper
1/4 kilo cabbage
1 small carrot
4 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the ground meat, stir well until the pinkish color is gone.
2. Add the soy sauce and simmer for 30 seconds then add the water and bring to a boil.
3. When the water is boiling increase the heat to high and put all the ingredients then simmer for 3 minutes or until done.
4. Serve it hot.

Lumpia Ubod

Our viand yesterday afternoon was ginisang ubod ( sauted coconut pulps), and there are some leftover so I decided to make it into lumpia.

Ingredients:
ginisang ubod ( Click here for the recipe)
Lumpia wrapper
oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Spoon a portion of the ginisang ubod, then wrap well with a lumpia wrapper, repeat the process until everything is done.
2. Deep fry until golden brown.
3. Serve with dipping sauce and a sweet smile :-).

Don't waste food!! It's part of God's blessings. Learn to recycle the leftover.

Banana Delight

A delicious dessert that is very easy to make, how about surprising your loved ones this weekend with banana delight after a meal?

Ingredients for 8-10 servings:
3/4 kilo sliced banana ( you can use lakatan, cavendish, latondan)
1/2 cup condensed milk or according to your taste
1 1/2 cup Nestle Cream
Some Hershey Kisses chocolate

Procedure:
1. Combine the milk and cream then add the sliced banana, and mix well.

2. Top with shredded chocolate, cover and refrigerate before serving. If you have some extra Chocolate kisses, you can top each serving with it.