Going bananas over Elvis

Breakfast these days consists of oatmeal with bananas, Nestle Fitnesse cereal with soy milk.  I haven’t cooked an omelet since my surgery, not because I eliminated eggs on my list of things to eat.  It’s more because oatmeal and cereals are no brainer, no fuss way to eat breakfast.  I surely miss having an omelet for breakfast.  It’s one of my favorite breakfast fares…aside from bacon.  But alas, I have omitted any pork, beef from my diet.   I could still eat my omelets, but with less egg yolks (one egg yolk /3 egg whites ratio for a 3 egg omelet).  I have yet to try an alternative, a tofu scramble using an Indian black salt that gives that eggy taste.

But if I wanted something more substantial to last me until lunch time, I would have a sandwich.  And one of my favorite sandwiches is the Elvis sandwich, so-called because this was Elvis Presley’s favorite sandwich. The original recipe has bananas,  peanut butter, butter, bacon & honey.  But since I am on a low fat diet, I tweaked the recipe to cater to my taste and nutritional requirement.  Gone are the bacon & butter.  I use whole wheat bread with raisins, which I love so much.  And since this is already sweet enough for me, I omitted the honey too.  Just plain bananas and reduce fat peanut butter.  Grill on a Teflon pan or in my case, in a cheapipay panini grill to get that toasty texture & pretty grill marks (though most days, I don’t bother with grilling)

Spread peanut butter on one side of a whole wheat raisin bread.  I used reduce fat creamy peanut butter.  The crunchy variant would give more texture. 

Arrange banana slices on top.

How hard can that be? 

This is good with a glass of cold soy milk  :)

Healthy Cooking: Pan Grilled Herbed Chicken Breasts

It’s been two weeks since my surgery.  I can now go up and down the stairs. And that means… I am able to fix & cook my own food.  There were days when I just want to lie in bed, watch cooking shows (this helps in motivating me to cook again) and eat oatmeal or cereal.  There were days when I crave for something sweet.  But overall, things are getting better. I can’t go to work yet so I have to enjoy my laid back life as I recover.  Next month would be hectic.

Last Saturday,  I ventured out and went to work, though not as shooter, but to assist G in our photo booth venture.  G & I decided to make healthy eating a part of life. We agreed that we bring our own food during shoots.  

Most days, I’m online searching for low fat recipes.  It’s been over a month since I had pork or beef.  My protein sources now are chicken (white meat without skin), fish, soy milk, nuts. Though one medical test showed I have high levels of uric acid, my choices became more limited.  Gosh…. Old age is catching up fast on me.

Aside from fat, I had to reduce my sodium intake. So that means, less salt. Less salt = bland, no flavor = boring…. But of course it doesn’t have to!   Herbs can enhance and give flavor to food.

For my first healthy recipe entry, I will feature the chicken dish I cooked for our baon last Saturday, which G liked so much…

For those who know me, I don’t measure when I cook.   Most people find this chicken breast part bland. And seasonings can’t easily penetrate the thick part.  One way is to pound the thick part to flatten a bit and even the meat out before seasoning.  Rubs are also a great way to season meat.  Even with less salt, herb rubs can enhance or give flavor to meat.  Thyme is one of my favorite herbs to use for meats. I buy them fresh and let them dry out in their containers for future use. 

  

PAN GRILLED HERBED CHICKEN BREASTS

2 pcs chicken breasts  without skin

Apple cider vinegar (a few tablespoons)

Juice of  ½  a lemon (or  2 calamansi)

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Herb rub  -  crushed rosemary leaves, Spanish paprika, thyme, oregano, finely minced garlic

Freshly milled pepper

Salt (optional or you can use a salt substitute*)

Mix the herb rub in a bowl including the salt (if using) & pepper. 

Pat dry the chicken breasts.  Rub the chicken breast with the herb rub.

Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil  & lemon juice

Marinate inside the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Heat a Teflon pan. Make sure pan is very hot.  Sear the chicken breasts, three minutes each side.

In this photo, I made a dish of mashed sweet potato, added a few dash of cinnamon & simple salad  to go with the chicken.

recipe: Mixed Berry & Banana Smoothie

I’ve been sick for the past few days.  Getting wet in the rain during work made things worst. As much as I could, I stay away from taking medications.  

A few days ago, I bought 4 1-liter packs of fruit juices.  I really love Tipco’s 100% guava juice.  

The other day, we were in Shangrila Mall and went to Healthy Options to buy pistachios, a staple snack item at home.  I bought a pack of frozen organic mixed berries which I planned to make into a smoothie. 

Berries and bananas are good sources of vitamin C. They help boost one’s immune system.  

I am sharing with you my recipe for mixed berry and banana smoothie.  I still can’t get enough of Jamba Juice Banana Berry smoothie, so I am making one at home.  This is a no brainer actually.

Mixed Berry & Banana smoothie

1 cup of frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)

2 medium sized bananas

½ cup mixed berry juice

½ cup orange juice (I used Tipco’s 100% blood orange juice)

Crushed ice

Slice bananas in small pieces.  Place in a blender. Add the other ingredients and blend well.  Take note I didn’t put sugar. The berries are a bit sour, so add sugar if you prefer your smoothie sweet.

enjoy! 

Sinigang na Lechon

Tomorrow I will start on a low-carb, low-fat diet.  I only have 5 days more before my Palawan trip with my girlfriends.  And I still need to lose a few more inches on my tummy area. 

As I bid farewell to carbs, albeit, temporarily for the next few days,  I’d like share with you the sinigang recipe I did using the lechon I bought at Mercato Centrale last weekend.  Isn’t this entry ironic? ^_^

As written in my earlier entry about Mercato Centrale, I bought a half kilo of Cebuana Native Lechon from Abub which I meant to cook as sinigang as opposed to the usual lechon paksiw.  

Sinigang is my kids’ comfort food.  They tend to eat a lot when there’s hot and sour sinigang.  

Lechon Sinigang

½ kilo Lechon

2 pieces ripe tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

1 medium size red onion

1 pc labanos, cut into diagonal slices

1 bunch Kangkong leaves

1 bunch string beans

1-2 siling pangsigang

Souring fruits like sampalok, kamias,  (I used the commercial sinigang mix powder)

4 cups water

Salt & pepper to taste

  In a pot, bring to a boil the 4 cups of water.  Add garlic, onion and the tomatoes.

  Add the sinigang mix, lechon and labanos.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.

  Add string beans, kangkong and sili (for spice-optional). Let boil for 2 minutes.

  Serve piping hot.

Next time, I’ll use fresh  corned beef like the one in Sentro 1771  ^_^

Garlic Parsley Finger Sandwiches

Another recipe Pipay did in cooking class is  Garlic parsley finger sandwiches.  They first made the cream cheese spread which is so easy to make.  From the basic cream cheese and garlic recipe, you can vary the ingredients to add. You can remove the garlic and add fruits, jams or nuts for a sweet filling.

Last night Pipay replicated the cream cheese recipe as filling for her sandwich baon for school.  She made two kinds of spreads – the creamy bacon and the second one she put mixed herbs like basil and parsley and bacon.

These spreads go well with melba toasts, potato chips, biscuits or as filling for sandwiches. 

Creamy Garlic Cheese spread

1/2 c cream cheese

2 garlic cloves minced

Parsley, chopped

Garlic Parsley finger sandwiches

5 pieces wheat bread

1 piece tomato, sliced

Basil leaves for garnish

Procedure:

For the Cream cheese spread, combine cream cheese, parsley and minced garlic

Cut bread using small round cookie cutter

Spread cream cheese mixture on top of each bread, topped with a slice tomato.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garnish with thinly sliced basil leaves.

Potato Skins with mixed herbs

In my previous entry, I wrote about Pipay’s cooking lessons.  They made simple dishes like biscuits, sandwiches & potato skins with mixed herbs.  The latter was my favorite.  And I am sharing here how it’s done.  ^_^

Potato skins with mixed herbs

Ingredients:

4-5 pieces potatoes

½ c grated quickmelt cheese

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

¼ c mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup bacon bits

2 tbsp olive or melted butter

1 tbsp each of chopped rosemary, thyme and basil

Procedure:

Boil potatoes until done.  Hollow out the top of potatoes, forming a small boat shaped shell.

Mash the scraped out potato pieces with fork.

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients with the mashed potatoes.

Brush the potato shells with melted butter.

Fill each shell with the cheese-herb mixture.

Assemble potato shells in a tray. Top with bacon bits.

 Bake until cheese melts and potatoes are heated through, about  8-10 minutes.

Serve immediately with herbed sour cream on the side.

Recipe courtesy of 
CCA Kitchen 
Eastwood Mall

Healthy Cooking: Couscous with Chick peas Salad

My friend who is into healthy living (my running/walking mate every Thursday at BGC) requested me to post healthy recipes. 

Last night, I bought a box of Casbah  Toasted Couscous (giant pasta pearls) with wild mushroom (P156) from Healthy Options. 

Couscous is a granular pasta made from semolina flour. It’s a staple in North Africa and is one key  ingredient  in Mediterranean cuisine.

I got the pearl ones, larger and shaped like a pearl compared to the usual small granular couscous.  Cooking method is also a bit different.  With regular couscous, you just steam or add boiling water/broth and let it sit till it’s done and fluffed to separate the grains.  With pearl couscous, it’s like cooking risotto but easier and less cooking time.  Flavor is nutty, with smooth, chewy texture.  

I used this type of couscous to make a vegetarian salad – with chick peas, Taiwan bokchoy, tomatoes, olive oil.  Things I found in my refrigerator.  This would make a perfect mate for grilled meats and fish.  I ate this on its own for breakfast this morning. 

COUSCOUS WITH CHICK PEAS SALAD

1 tbsp olive oil

Half pack of Casbah Toasted Couscous

1 stalk Taiwan bok choy, sliced into ½ inch pieces

1 tomato, deseeded & diced

½ cup canned chick peas, drained

1 Tbsp calamansi juice (or lemon)

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Cook couscous according to package directions.  Just before turning off the fire, add the chick peas and bokchoy.  Heat just enough to cook the bokchoy.  Remove from the fire and add the tomatoes, olive oil and calamansi juice.  Season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Pasta Carbonara ala Jo

As promised in my previous post, here is my take on the classic carbonara.

I woke up feeling sluggish and tired.  I decided to forego my zumba classes today to rest.  Yesterday’s whole day shoot at Manila Ocean Park made my body ache all over.  What better way than to feed my body with much needed sustenance and a whole day of pampering in a spa (wish ko lang!).  Since the spa massage is not possible, I’d take the sustenance part instead.  

 

This morning, I cooked pasta carbonara for breakfast. 

Here’s my version of the classic carbonara

Linguini noodles

2 Tbsp cream

1 Tbsp butter

½   cup bacon bits

2 eggs  ( 1 whole + 1 eggyolk)

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Salt & freshly ground pepper

lots of  grated parmesan cheese

Render bacon till it’s crispy. Discard bacon fat (leave some as this is full of flavor).

Melt butter and sauté garlic till slightly brown.  Remove garlic.

Add cream.  Add bacon.  Season with salt.

Cook pasta according to package directions till al dente.

While pasta is cooking, slightly mix the eggs.

Drain pasta and let cool slightly (warm enough so as not to curdle the eggs). 

Mix in pasta noodles with the egg. 

Stir in cream/bacon mixture.  Add parmesan cheese.

Top with crispy bacon bits and more parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.