I love Arugula!

I really do not know what to call this salad because i just invented it.  it's pretty simple to make but it tastes so good.  i did not miss the cheese shavings nor the nuts i usually put in my salads to make them more tasty.

here's how i made it:

1. wash 3 oz. of baby romaine lettuce and about 1 oz arugula in running water.  pat dry with paper towels.
2. in a big bowl, put in 1 tsp of red raspberry preserves [i used the smucker's brand], 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, and the juice of 1/4 of a lemon.  blend well.
3. drop in the lettuce and arugula and with clean hands, coat the leaves with the dressing.
4. serve with slices of mango or any fruit of your choice.

you can pair this salad with chicken[in this case, rotisserie chicken], fish or any meat dish of your choice to make a light meal.

serves: 1

Basic Recipe for Sautéed Vegetables [for beginners]

i have a weight-loss champion who i follow over at tumblr who recently posted that she needs help with cooking.  and i remembered that i also have other friends who might want to learn to cook and eat healthy so i hope this will help them as well.

the main ingredients are:

2 cloves of garlic, chopped or sliced [or use bottled minced garlic, sold at supermarkets]
1 shallot or 1/2 of an onion, chopped or sliced [optional]
1 or 2 ripe tomatoes [optional]
1/2 bell pepper [optional]


a vegetable of your choice [or 2 or 3, or more], cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of chicken broth [optional]

procedure:

1. heat a pan [preferably non-stick for beginners] and add a tablespoon of canola or corn oil
2. adjust the fire between the low and medium settings, slide in the garlic and onions
3. when the garlic and onions are wilted, move them to the side and add the tomatoes and bell pepper
4. when the tomatoes and bell peppers are wilted, slide in the vegetables as well
5. sprinkle in a pinch of pepper and a pinch of salt
6. add in the broth if you want it to have sauce
7. switch off the fire as soon as the vegetables are cooked to your liking [either still crunchy or wilted]
8. enjoy with a siding of rice, pasta, or bread

Some examples:

2 kinds of vegetables: yard-long beans and straw mushrooms

 In this picture i used 2 kinds of veggies, when using two or more vegetables always put in first the thicker kind like beans or root veggies which need longer cooking time 2-5 minutes before you add the thinner ones like leafy greens.  this way, nothing will end up over-cooked and mushy or undercooked and unpalatable.

in this case, i added the mushrooms first.  some trivia: mushrooms can be used as a substitute for meat because of its earthy taste. 

1 kind: french bean

the picture above is the simplest to make, it only involves: a tablespoon of oil, a tablespoon of bottled minced garlic, french beans, and salt and pepper.

 

mixed vegetables: cauliflower, carrots, sweet peas plus cashew nuts

this is for when you get used to sautéing already.  you can actually add as many veggies as you want, and even nuts too.

other tips to keep in mind:

• there are no rules on what veggies to use, but i suggest you try the ones you are used to eating first as you will instinctively know when it is done, when it looks right.
• if you use non-stick pans, you can forgo oil or you can use oil-sprays or even a pat of your lite butter/butter substitute.  if you use butter, put it in the pan with a little oil so it won't burn up quick and always lower the fire
• as a beginner, never use nut butter as it has sugars that will easily burn and blacken what-ever you are cooking
• you can also add pre-cooked meat like shrimp or rotisserie chicken, put them in just before you slide in the veggie
• take note that i wrote optional even on the main ingredients, but know that the more ingredients you put in, the more flavorful the dish becomes
• MOST IMPORTANT of ALL, taste what you are cooking AS you are cooking.

learning how to cook is almost always trial and error.  if you don't  practice you will not learn.  so don't be afraid to make mistakes.  cooking can also be as quick as 5 minutes as there are already so many pre-cut veggies and pre-cooked meats being sold in the supermarkets.  to save money, you can even do the prepping yourself by cutting them up and storing them in air-tight containers and in the ref a couple of days before you plan to cook them.

couscous with stir-fried veggies

my first time to prepare and eat couscous was something so fast and yummy that i wish it weren't only sold in delis, which means - expensive! and that it was readily available in the local supermarkets at affordable prices.

i wanted to make a greek/mediterranean inspired dish with my left-over half-packet of couscous so i checked out what i had and made this:

prepare the following
2 shallots, roughly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
5 red ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 carrot, diced
1 can of shiitake mushrooms, drained, rinsed, drained again, and sliced
1 can garbanzo beans. drained, rinsed, and drained again
a handful of raisins
a handful of cashews

after the nifty mise en place you just made, melt a pat of butter in a small pot, pour in a cup of water and season with salt and pepper, as soon as it starts boiling, remove the pot from the fire, pour in 1 cup of couscous, make sure every tiny bit settles down into the liquid, cover and leave for 5 minutes.

while waiting for the 5 long minutes to end, stir fry what you prepped above, in a hot pan with 2 tbsps. of hot olive oil in it.  put in the ingredients one after the other in the same order as listed above.  season with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of dried parsley.  when the five minutes are up, switch off the fire.

fluff your couscous with a fork and pour it into your stir-fried veggie concoction, mix 'em up gently.  serve hot, preferably in bowl with a spoon and a drizzle of lemon.  start eating and marvel at the really hearty, really yummy, and unbelievably easy invention you just made.

you can substitute my ingredients with whatever you have, just make sure you stick to the sorta-greek/sorta-mediterranean inspired theme so as not to end up with anything bizarre.  but hey, sometimes, bizarre tastes great too!

home made basil pesto with pine nuts

i finally conquered my fear [or was it laziness] of making my own basil pesto with pine nuts from fresh ingredients.  my sister had just learned how to make fresh pasta and she asked me to make the sauce for it for our planned dinner that night.

i scoured the nearest supermarket for some pesto of the bottled kind but they yielded nothing.  i contemplated on going to another store but decided to check the fresh herb aisle for basil.  i negotiated with myself that if i found good-looking ones i would then try my hand at making the sauce from scratch too.

so i was able to buy 6 bunches of okay-looking basil leaves and hoped to the heavens that my rarely-used electric mini-chopper still worked.  i was not ready to chop them leaves with my knife for fear that my arm would ache so much i wouldn't be able to hold up a spoon and eat. =P i noted with delight that i had everything else i needed in the pantry, yes, even pine nuts [which have been perfectly preserved in the freezer for a secret number of years, can you believe that???]

it turned out a real hit.


because the ingredients were fresh you could inhale the pungent fragrance of the newly chopped basil leaves infused in the the deep, rich olive oil with every forkful.   and you get to bite into real pine nut bits and whole ones too.

it was a cinch to make [thanks to my trusty chopper].  i got the recipe from here. 

i tweaked it a little by warming it all up on the stove-top and stirred in freshly grated parmesan cheese [pecorino is hard to come by in my part of the world].

oh, i also dry roasted the pine nuts and only pulsed half of them for added texture.  i used the remaining half as topping with more grated parmesan.. and i did not follow the proportions [i'm lazy that way], i go by feel and frequent tastings, he he. =D you can check out my recipe version here.

all in all, this is what i have to say: you can find plenty bottled pesto in any well stocked grocer, plus you can stock up the ready made ones for longer.  but nothing beats the taste of fresh ingredients, so i urge you, go ahead make your own basil pesto.  it's fast, it's easy, it has a very short ingredient list and most of them you already have in stock!

and more importantly! you get the added bonus of being able to declare that you made it from scratch and then bask in the oohs and ahs of your guests, if they can manage it between mouthfuls. ;D

my pine nut proven fact: they say you can keep it in the freezer for a maximum of 6 months or so but i've had mine for probably 4 years now and they are as fresh as the day i bought them.  and they DO NOT freeze at all, they just stay crunchy.

pasta primavera

this is giada de laurentiis' recipe. but i made some substitutions as i lacked some of the ingredients and a lot of revisions in the procedure as i am a lazy cook. i like shortcuts, to make life easier. the picture is mine though, i prepared this recipe last year and it was a hit with my brother who is a pasta freak like me. i intend to cook this again soon as the memory of it makes my mouth water.


Ingredients

* 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
* 2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips [i used eggplant]
* 2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
* 1 onion, thinly sliced [and i added minced garlic too]
* 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence [i just used parsely and thyme]
* 1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)[i used spaghetti, my all time favorite pasta]
* 15 cherry tomatoes, halved [i used regular tomatoes]
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

my version: stir fry garlic, onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, squash, and eggplant in olive oil. add thyme and parsely when veggies wilt, sprinkle with salt and pepper. transfer to large bowl, add freshly cooked spaghetti and then grated parmesan cheese. toss to combine all ingredients. serve hot!

Brazilian Rice Salad

This, i learned from Cendi, a friend and great adviser in my younger years. We even became colleagues for a time and we used to eat lunch together whenever we could. When i tasted this dish, i instantly fell in love with it. I'm a rice-person and it was a nice change to the usual fried rice i prepare on lazy days.

the really interesting thing about it is the fact that you eat it cold, straight from the ref.

Ingredients:

cold rice
cheese cubes
sliced black olives
ham bits
mayonaisse or any salad dressing
diced carrots
green peas
a pinch of salt
a dash of pepper

procedure: mix all ingredients together until everything is evenly distributed and coated with the mayo or dressing

and by the way, i don't really know what this recipe's name is, i just call it that because Cendi said her brazilian friend taught her how to make it.

my version of potato salad

this is especially for my friend Faith. i hope you're not a pure vegan, if you are then leave out the eggs, cream, and mayo. Kaso, di ko na alam anong magiging lasa nito.

i love potatoes. anyway you cook them, i'll surely enjoy them. i was super hungry a while ago since i only took brunch and i remembered that i had left over boiled potatoes sitting in the ref.

so, i decided to make potato salad out of all the available ingredients i had. and again i was able to come up with a no fuss, no mess recipe that you can prepare in a jiffy.

plus you do not need to cook all but three of the ingredients. all you need is a big bowl, a serving spoon, your all around knife, and a vegetable-dedicated chopping board.

the trick is to not over mix it so you don't end up with goop. so start with all the solid ingredients first. chop the following into big chunks and scoop them into the bowl in no particular order: 2 large potatoes, 1/2 of a large capsicum, a handful of blanched green beans, 2 hardboiled eggs, 3 small pickled onions and a palmful of pickled baby cucumbers, if you have them [if not, then substitute with fresh ones]. then add 1 scoop of black olives, 2 cloves garlic -finely chopped, add a dash of salt, a dash of pepper, a dash each of dried tarragon, oregano and basil, a few drops of tabasco [if you want added zing], 2 big dollops of mayo[use the serving spoon], and about 1/4 cup cream. then slowly mix by folding in the ingredients together. voila! you're done.

because my potatoes were already cold, i didn't have to put the salad in the ref and wait for it to get cold.

it turned out really yummy, it had a bit of tartness because my pickles were not the sweet kind, it was creamy and not at all oily like when you only use mayo.

next to the fact that it's good, hearty and filling, the best part of this recipe is that you get a quick, yummy, healthy meal in 20 minutes tops!

enjoy!

p.s. this preparation is good for 2-3 people.