Filipino Food Recipes and More

Pork Giniling (Sauted Ground Pork Pinoy Style)

2010-04-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I added a recipe to my blog.
Pork Giniling is one of my favorite filipino dishes. I love eating it with rice and tomato ketchup. Ketchup? You say. Yes, ketchup. Try it and maybe you'll like it too.
We have moved back to Manila and all my previous entries were written in the States. This means that I can be authentic with my ingredients but I will still try to cater my dishes to those that I know don't have access to Filipino ingredients.
I have been craving rice for meals since we moved back to Manila. I thought that I have already been "Americanized" in that I can live without rice in my diet. Anyway, today, I decided to make Pork Giniling (or Sauted Ground Pork Pinoy Style). I think it is similar to Pork Picadillo.

I know that some add diced potatoes to this dish but I don't just because I think you will already get enough starch from the rice which this dish is served with.

Pardon my ingredients list but some of them are approximations because I find myself adjusting my ingredients to taste.

Here are the ingredients that I used:
Vegetable Oil - You can use whatever oil you have. I only used a little bit just to grease the pot because the pork will give out a lot of grease as the dish is being cooked.
Onion - 1 medium and diced (With the one I made, I just sliced the onion)
Garlic - approximately 1 tablespoon
Ground Pork - 1/2 kilo
Tomato Sauce - approximately 2 tablespoons
Carrot - 1 piece diced
Raisins - approximately 1 tablespoon
Salt and Pepper to taste

To start, I greased the pan with some oil and then waited for it to get hot over medium heat. Once hot, I sauted the garlic and onion until they started smelling good. And then, I added the pork. I tried to flatten the ground pork in the pan to make sure it doesn't bunch up as one big piece as it cooks. I then added the diced carrots. Midway through the cooking process of the meat, I added the tomato sauce. After the meat is cooked, I then seasoned with some salt and pepper. I serve this dish with rice.

Potato Skins - Baked

2009-04-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Again, I hated to waste our idaho potatoes going bad so I thought about making this baked potato skins. I found this recipe from recipezaar and by some accident I didn't fully follow the recipe but still it turned out really good. Here goes the recipe.

These baked potato skins are great with grilled burgers. I love them because they are baked and not deep-fried.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized baking potatoes - baked (see baked potatoes recipe), cut in half and with the inside of potato scooped out (You can leave as little or as much potato you like - quarter thick. In our home, we leave a lot of potato)

3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese - grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cups Cheddar cheese - shredded

2 tablespoons Bacon bits (or more if you like)

1/4 cup chives - sliced (or yellow onoins)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Combine vegetable oil, parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Brush all over the potato skins (top and bottom).

3) Lay potatoes upside down (skin on top) for 8 minutes.

4) Top with the cheddar cheese, bacon bits and chives/onions and bake for another 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Filipino Egg Pie

2009-04-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

For my 1st LaPiS entry I made a Filipino Egg Pie. Thanks to Manang for the recipe. This was the first recipe that came to mind given the Easter Egg Hunt theme. It's such an eggy recipe but you can barely taste that eggs are in it (that's what I think).

First time I did this recipe, the taste of honey became overpowering and the top didn't really brown but on this second attempt, it was perfect (soft, moist, not too sweet, just right) even if I forgot to add the cornstarch. Next few times I make it, I will try to experiment with the use of condensed / evaporated milk instead of fresh milk. There is a different kind of sweetness to the egg pies sold in the bakeries in Manila. The use of canned milk might make that difference.

As a kid, egg pie really wasn't one of my favorites although my mom often buys some for our merienda. I rarely ate it when I was still in Manila. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Having no access to this kind of pie (and many other Filipino dishes), I missed it and it became one of my favorite pies / comfort food.

Spinach Lasagna

2009-04-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Making lasagna is tedious that is why I really would rather use the frozen and ready to cook kind. However, I think this recipe is simple enough. Plus, it's much healthier than the beef kind. Each lasagna roll is so filling. A piece would probably even be enough per person. (Sorry for the photo. Forgot to take one right after it was cooked so all the pieces where the filling sort of pop out in the side have already been eaten and this was the only piece left.)

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles (I use whole wheat kind)

2 tablespoons butter

3 teaspoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup ricotta cheese (add more if desired)

10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, for filling and 3 tablespoons for topping

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper

1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded

1 cup Marinara sauce (whatever kind you like)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Bechamel Sauce:

Melt the buter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and slowly add the milk. Let simmer and let the sauce thicken. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Lasagna Filling:

Combine egg, ricotta cheese, spinach and parmesan cheese in a bowl.

Noodles:

Cook noodles based on instructions in box but add a tablespoon of oil in the water used to cook the pasta. Drain and lay individually in a tray with paper towel to prevent from sticking together.

Assembly:

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and spoon bechamel sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling in each end of the lasagna noodle. Roll the noodle up to the other end. Lay in the bowl. Do the same thing with the other noodles and have them lay on the bowl alongside each other but not touching each other. Cover with marinara sauce when done. And then top with mozarella cheese and a little bit of parmesan. Tighly cover the baking dish with a foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. And then remove the foil cover and let cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and let stand for another 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Salmon on a Bed of Greens

2009-04-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Whats for lunch?

Lately, I've been usually eating pan-fried salmon and some greens. It's very easy to make, healthy, and I really like the clean flavor. To cook the salmon, I just season both sides of the fish with salt and lots of pepper. The salmon I'm using is fillet style and skinless already. And then I pan-fry it in a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. I give both sides around 3 minutes or until they've browned. And then, while hot, I put it on top of a bed of spring mix greens. They've been pre-cut and washed. I like the peppery taste that those greens have and then I squeeze in some lemon to the fish and greens. On the bottom of the plate, before putting the greens in, I also squeeze in some lemon so there's a bit of lemon flavor all over. It's filling and at the same time healthy so I really love this dish.

No Mushroom Beef Stroganoff

2009-04-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Beef stroganoff is another one of my favorite dishes. This is such a heart warming dish.
I don't like ground beef on my stroganoff though so this calls for beef strips. And then my husband doesn't like mushrooms, so this recipe doesn't have mushrooms in it. But since I like mushrooms, I sauted some mushrooms on butter for me and added them to my plate. I think this is a picture of my plate where I have a little bit of mushrooms added on. But here goes the recipe of beef stroganof without mushrooms.

Ingredients:
Egg noodles, cooked and drained (as much or as little as you want)
1 pound sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons salt, for seasoning
1 tablespoon pepper, for seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
All-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can beef broth
1 can cream of celery soup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
1) Mix the salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl and generously season the meat with it.
2) Dredge the meat with a little flour.
3) In a large skillet, melt butter on olive oil then brown both sides of the meat.
4) Remove meat from pan then add onion slices on the same pan. Saute until tender and then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour.
5) Add the meat back into the pan.
6) Add celery soup and beef broth.
7) Cook covered on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
8) Mix in sour cream and then the egg noodles. Serve and enjoy!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with ham

2009-03-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

It's the classic American comfort food. When I first came to the US, I wasn't a fan of American food but after being here for a while I have started loving the new taste and food textures. Anyhow, here is one recipe that I learned and kept on making because it's very simple, delicious, and my husband loves it.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup milk (I use fat free milk)

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper

2 cups cheddar cheese

8 ounce package elbow macaroni, cooked

2 pieces of cooked steak ham; cut into cubes (whichever kind you like)

1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 F.

2) Mix flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

3) Melt butter in a large saucepan.

4) Add flour mixture into pan with melted butter and whisk together.

5) Pour milk and cream gradually and constatnly stir.

6) Let mixture boil. After it boils, reduce to low and let cook for another 10 minutes.

7) Add cheddar cheese little by little and let simmer until cheese melts

8) Add ham and let warm for at least a minute.

9) Turn off flame and add the elbow macaroni into the sauce.

10) Transfer macaroni into a baking dish. See to it that dish has non-stick cooking spray for easy clean up.

11) Top with bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes.

Adobong Kangkong

2009-03-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite vegetable dish. Even as a small kid, I loved adobong kangkong. Kangkong or River Spinach is a vegetable that I haven't really seen in groceries around here. I've seen some in the Filipino store in Layton, Utah but not here where I live now. The closest Filipino store here in Post Falls is about 45 minutes away so I'd rather substitute than drive that far. Since I found out that kangkong and spinach are in the same family I thought of substituting spinach for adobong kangkong and I couldn't even tell the difference in with their taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup pork, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 pound spinach leaves

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon garlic

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon oil

Directions:

1) Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.
2) Add pork and let it saute for about 3 minutes.
3) Add the soy sauce and vinegar and let simmer until pork is cooked.
4) Finally, add spinach leaves and let cook until the leaves have wilted a little. Serve and enjoy with white rice!

Paksiw na Pata (Stewed Pork Knuckle)

2009-03-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a week since I my last post because it's been such a tiring week with my 6 month old who doesn't sleep well at night. Anyway, the other week I made paksiw na pata.

Paksiw na pata is another dish that I often had with my family in Manila and so again I wanted to recreate that here. Since pork knuckle mostly has pork skin and fat I opted for the leaner meat part and that is pork shoulder. I followed the same procedure and ingredients in cooking paksiw na pata and it tasted great. Like all other Filipino dishes, paksiw na pata also has vinegar and soy sauce as its base.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork shoulder
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup dried banana heart
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1) Place pork in a pot with water and bring to a boil.
2) Add vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaves and garlic. Reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes or until pork is tender and sauce has thickened.
3) Add the banana heart and let simmer for another 30 minutes.
4) Season with salt and pepper and serve. Enjoy with steamed rice!

Shrimp, Mango and Spinach Salad

2009-03-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

I had some spinach and mangoes that were going bad soon so I thought I better do somehing with them. I hate throwing away food. I figured some salad with boiled shrimp, ripe mangoes and spinach would taste good. I couldn't find any salad recipe for these ingredients online so I wasn't sure what kind of dressing would be the best match. I had few bottles of ready-made dressing in the refrigirator so I just tried each one. Surprisingly I thought that the Raspberry Vinaigrette tasted good with these salad ingredients. I will still experiement with a different dressing to find one that will best match my salad.

Missing Pinakbet No More

2009-03-03T21:43:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I last had pinakbet. Way back home Pinakbet is often served at our dinner table but since I moved to the U.S. for some reason I haven't cooked this dish.

Thank goodness I still have some precious-as-gold-bagoong in my pantry!

Instead of using FRESH okra, I had to use the canned one. I've never seen that vegetable fresh in any of the groceries here. I wish I also have bittersweet melons (ampalaya) added to this dish though I don't think it's available or sold in this area. Anyway, here is how my pinakbet turned out. I used Barrio Fiesta bagoong (which I brought over from the Philippines), green beans (because there's no sitaw here), eggplant (I cannot find the Asian kind so I used the humongous eggplant), shrimp, pork (I used pork shoulder), okra, squash (I used acorn squash because getting the bigger variety would mean food going to waste), and tomatoes.

Chicken Enchilada

2009-02-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

Our love for mexican food is what inspired me to cook this dish. I got this recipe from Kraft. It is quite different from the usual enchilada recipe because this does not call for enchilada sauce. I think it tastes refreshing because of that. When I make this again, as suggested by my husband, I will use some green enchilada sauce as topping and see how that works.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cooked small chicken breasts (about 1 lb.), shredded
1 cup Salsa (thick and chunky kind), divided
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup cheddar & Colby Jack cheese, divided

4 oz . jalapeno pepper, diced
4 flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat large skillet spayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add chicken, 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, and cumin; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.
Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy with guacamole and sour cream topping!

Korean Beef BBQ

2009-02-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

I've been missing the beef bbq in kimchi in Manila so I prepared some for dinner tonight. It is always served with some beef soup and bean sprouts and so I also did a side of bean sprouts as well. I wasn't sure how they prepared their bean sprouts so what I did was just to saute the bean sprouts with a little vegetable oil and minced garlic. My husband loved this dish and that means it's really good.

Ingredients:

1 lb top sirloin, very thinly sliced into strips

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tablespoons minced and roasted garlic - you can get them in jars in the produce section of the grocery)

2 tablespoons ginger, minced

Directions:

TIP in slicing sirloin: Put the meet in the freezer for an hour before slicing so that it will be easier to cut the meat into very thin slices.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and let the meat marinade in the mixture for at least an hour. Store in refrigirator. After the marinading the meat, heat a large frying pan. Be sure to spray some non-stick cooking spray on the pan before using. Over low-medium heat cook the meat turning regularly so each side is cooked evenly. Cook the meat until dark brown. This will take approximately 10 minutes to cook. Do not overfill the pan with meat. If needed, cook in batches. Serve with white rice and a side of bean sprouts.

Baked Ziti

2009-02-23T22:57:00.001-08:00

I just made baked ziti for our dinner and it was so good.

Ingredients:

1 lb ziti pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb Italian Sausage; skin removed and crumbled

3 tablespoons onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

28 oz can Hunts whole tomato (basil flavor); diced

1 lb fresh mozarella; cut into half (1/2 diced and other half cut into thin slices)

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon thyme

1 sprig fresh basil

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Directions:

Cook ziti pasta until tender. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Create the sauce: Heat olive oil in pan. Add Italian Sausages and brown. It will take about 3 minutes. Then, add the garlic and onions. Saute for another 3 minutes. Then, add the can of tomatoes, thyme, basil, cayenne, and pepper. Let the mixture simmer and then cover and let boil for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Preparation and assembly of baked zitiL: Spray PAM on a large baking dish. Combine and toss the ziti, sauce, diced mozarella and 1/2 of the parmesan cheese. Top with the sliced mozarella slices. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheeses have already melter. Serve and enjoy!

Taho, Arnibal, and Sago

2009-02-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Manang for her Taho Quick Fix. Unfortunately, I didn't find any Silken Tofu in the grocery store here so I just picked a soft tofu that says in the label that it's good for custard and shakes. For the syrup (arnibal), I combined 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1/2 cup water and let the mixture simmer. To prepare the sago I let 1/2 cup of the tapioca pearls (I used small tapioca pearls) soak in 2 cups of water overnight (I actually left them there for 18 hours). And then I drained the water and cooked the tapioca in a small sauce pan with 1 1/2 cup water. I let the water simmer with the pot uncovered. After it simmered I removed the pot from the stove and covered it just to let the sago cook a little bit more with the heat of the water. After the sago has cooled I drained the water. And the sago is done! Here are images of the raw tapioca soaking and the sago after it has been cooked. To serve the taho, I put everything together (tofu, arnibal, sago) on a microwaveable bowl and let them warm up on the microwave for 30 seconds on high.

I only wish I have nata de coco to add to this taho. I've had taho with nata de coco in Shopwise Cubao. It was gooood!

Baked Potato

2009-02-19T22:18:00.001-08:00

We've had a whole bunch of Idaho potatoes at one time and didn't know what to do with them. They sure didn't taste good when mashed so one time I tried to bake them they turned out really good.

Ingredients:
4 Idaho Potatoes
Vegetable Oil
Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray pan with pam and cover with aluminum foil for fast clean up. Prepare the potatoes by scrubbing them and making sure they're clean. Rub potatoes with oil and then poke all over with a fork to be sure they don't explode while in the oven. Season with salt when done. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, bacon bits, parsley, butter, and grated cheddar cheese on the side. Enjoy!

Spinach Salad

2009-02-13T15:11:00.001-08:00

After having a baby, a neighbor of ours volunteered to bring over food. This is what she brought and since then I've fallen in love with this salad.

Ingredients:
4 cups spinach
2 cup strawberries, quartered
raspberry vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Combine spinach, strawberries, feta cheese, and red onion in a large bowl. Top with the nuts and serve with dressing on the side.

Malagkit (Rice Cake)

2009-02-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

This recipe has been on draft for a long time. It's been a while since I last blogged. I have just been too busy and too tired whenever I had time. Anyhow, since then, I had also continued cooking and trying new recipes. Being away from home and not having access to my favorite delicacies, I am forced to improvise and make them in my kitchen. Here is one of my favorite Filipino delicacies that I just took forgranted when I was still in Manila because they can easily be bought from the fresh market. This is easy to make and for me it tastes like home. I have tried baking the malagkit with egg but it just doesn't end up the way I want it to.

Ingredients:
1 cup malagkit (sticky rice) - I bought mine at an Asian store in Seattle, WA but I have seen this available at a Filipino store. They have got to have this.
2 1/2 cups water
1 can (12 oz) coconut milk - You can use whatever brand you like. I used the LOW FAT kind because I'm on a diet. This is one of the amazing things here in the U.S. Almost everything in the grocery has a lowfat or nonfat kind. =)
1/4 cup brown sugar - Or you can add more depending on how sweet you want your malagkit to be. Recently, I have been in the Filipino store in Utah and got myself some palm sugar. I will use that next time.

Procedure:
Cook rice in rice cooker. While waiting for the rice to cook, in a pot, bring coconut with sugar to a boil while stirring constantly. After it boils, lower heat and let simmer for a few minutes until the coconut milk reduces to half. Continue stirring so that sugar doesn't burn. The sugar mixture should turn into brownish color. When rice is done, add the steaming hot rice into the sugar mixture. Mix well and transfer into a well-greased (with butter or PAM) deep-dish and just spread the rice into the dish. It's great served warm or chilled in the refrigirator.

Salmon Salad with whole-wheat spaghetti and lemon

2009-02-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

This is a very light, refreshing and healthy dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb salmon, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 lb whole-wheat spaghetti pasta, cooked
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups arugula and baby spinach

Procedure:
Add the garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, basil, lemon zest and lemon juice to warm pasta. Toss to combine.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Pan fry the salmon in olive oil over medium high heat until done.
To serve, divide the veggies into 4 plates, top with the pasta and 1 salmon each. Serve immediately.

Chicken Parmigiana

2009-02-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

I love chicken parmigiana and I started to appreciate it when one of our neighbors brought some over right after we had Davey. After that I thought I'd like to learn to make it. Here's a very easy way to make chicken parmigiana. It is a Kraftfoods recipe.

Ingredients:
1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce (about 1-1/2 cups)
1-1/2 cups shredded Italian Five Cheese Blend, divided
1/3 cup seasoned Italian dry bread crumbs
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour spaghetti sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside. Dip chicken in butter, then in the bread crumbs and then in the 1/2 cup cheese. Be sure that both sides are coacted. Place over spaghetti sauce in baking dish. Bake chicken for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over spaghetti.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

2009-02-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is one of my husband's favorite. He especially likes it when the cheese melts and overflows on the baking dish. He uses it as a gravy/sauce for the chicken. Cordon bleu is great with my Idaho baked potatoes.
Cordon bleu has been my favorite dish since I was in college. I discovered cordon bleu in La Casita. It's a small restaurant right across DLSU-Taft. I wonder if they're still there.

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded into 1/4 inch thickness
2 teaspoons savory honey mustard
8 slices of thin sliced smoked ham
4 slices of KRAFT Milk Swiss Cheese Slices
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup seasoned/italian dry bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spread the bottom side of each breast with 1 tsp. mustard then top with 4 ham slices and 2 cheese slices. Starting at one of the short ends, tightly roll up chicken and secure the rolls with toothpicks. Dip each chicken in egg and then roll in bread crumbs until evenly coated on all sides. Place, seam-sides down, in single layer in shallow baking dish (don't forget to spray PAM on the dish before placing chickens). Bake for 50 minutes covered with a foil or until chicken is coocked through. Be sure to remove toothpicks before serving. Serve with baked potatoes and green beans. Enjoy!

Tip for pounding chicken breasts: Place 2 of the chicken breasts in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with the side of a heavy can, rolling pin or meat mallet until chicken is 1/4-inch thick.

Bistek Tagalog (Beef Steak Filipino Style)

2009-02-07T14:16:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:
1 pound sirloin beef, sliced very thinly
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tbsps, calamansi juice / lemon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, cut into rings
2 tablespoon cooking oil

PROCEDURE :
Combine beef, soy sauce, calamansi, and black pepper. Cover the bowl and let the beef marinade for least 2 hours. Do not discard the soy sauce marinade. In a frying pan, saute the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes. Then add the beef and pan fry it until done. After which, pour in the marinade into the pan and let it boil for 1 minute. Serve with rice.

Carrot Cake

2009-02-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

This is a very easy carrot cake recipe. If anything will eat up your time, it is grating the carrots but if you have a food processor or blender, use it! If you use a blender, work your way up to grate. I used a combination of baby carrots and ordinary carrots since those are what I had in the refrigerator. It is really moist and the sweetness is just right. It will stay good for a week when kept in a refrigirator. It actually tastes better after a day or two that it has been made. I love this recipe. This is actually the 1st cake that I have ever baked and it's a great recipe for starters like me. (Based on: Barnes and Noble Basics in the Kitchen by Pamela Richards 2003 - Because this recipe turned out well, I am going to try all the other recipes on this book. I didn't really think that I would be using this book when we got it as a present for our wedding. I'm glad we did.)

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsps ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups grated carrots (use food processor or blender to have carrots grated in no time!)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup plus 2 tsps crushed pineapple, drained (but save juice for icing)

Cream cheese Icing-
1 lb or 2 sticks of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tbs pineapple juice

Directions for the cake:
Preheat overn to 350 F. Spray two 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl and stir until combined.
Combine sugar, oil, and eggs in another large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, beat them together for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the carrots, walnuts, and pineaple. Then add the flour mixture.
Pour cake batter into cake pans and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove pans from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Then remove cake layers from pans and put them in a rack to finish cooling.

Directions for icing:
Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Beat confectioners' sugar into cream cheese mixture slowly and making sure that everything is combined. Add pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon at a timeto the cream cheese mixture and beat well. If icing becomes too runny, add more confectioners' sugar and if it is too thin, add more pineapple juice.

To assemble cake, place one cake layer upside down on a serving plate and spread some icing on top of it. Place other layer right side up on top of the iced lower layer. Two layers should meet perfectly. Spread remaining icing on top of cake and on sides. Serve.

Pork Adobo

2009-02-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
1 tbs cooking oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 tbs pepper

Procedure:
Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add pork, soy sauce and vinegar and let simmer until pork is done. Segregate pork and leave sauce in pan. In a different pan add 1 tsp oil and pan fry pork for around 3 minutes. Add pork back to sauce and let simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Giniling na baboy (Ground Pork)

2009-02-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 lb ground pork
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 potato, diced
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 tbsps soy sauce
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf

Procedure:
Saute garlic and onion in vegetable oil. Add pork and saute until cooked. Add in onions, raisins, carrots, potatoes, red bell pepper, tomato sauce and bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce and let simmer until potatoes are done.