Archive for the “Vegetables” Category

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Cream Cheese with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and White Wine Vinegar Dressing

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Cream Cheese with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and White Wine Vinegar Dressing

The name of this dish says it all. This is my come back entry for FTF. I missed Mommy Willa and the rest of the FTFters..

This is very easy, very healthy and you can get the kids help. They’ll surely get excited to taste what they made without knowing that they are having something healthy. Remember that Asparagus contains no cholesterol and is low in calories and sodium. And because it’s green, it’s healthy.


INGREDIENTS:
6 pcs asparagus
3 bacon , preferably rashers
few pieces of iceberg lettuce
3 tbsp. cream cheese
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

METHOD:
1. Blanch the asparagus. To blanch, bring a pot of water in a medium high heat and cook the asparagus until it becomes very green. It should only take 3 minutes if the asparagus is thin and about 5 minutes for thick ones. The spears should just barely bend when they are picked out of the water. While it’s cooking, get a bowl half filled with iced water and place the cooked asparagus on it to refresh and to stop it from continuing to cook.

2. When the asparagus has been refreshed, lie 2 asparagus on each bacon rashers and spread the top with cream cheese (kids can help in this process). Roll the bacon to cover the cheese and asparagus and fry on a non-stick frying pan. There’s no need to add oil because the bacon will release its excess oil when cooking. At this stage, you can already smell the aroma of the cheese and bacon.

3. While the bacon is cooking, prepare the lettuce on the plate and in a small bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar. When the bacon’s done, lay them on the bed of lettuce and pour the vinegar dressing all over it. Done.

My Alyssa enjoyed munching on this as much as preparing it. I hope your kids would love it too. Happy home-cooking!
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January 21, 2010 Posted Under Featured Posts, Pork, Vegetables

Chicken Fillet with Braised Peas

Chicken Fillet with Braised Peas
I posted this ahead and planned to make another post for FTF, but just this morning my dear lappy gave up on me.. *sigh* so I’ll just make this my FTF entry because I can’t afford to miss it again. Please click the badge to join us and exhange recipes with other FTF members.

We’ve got one can of peas in the cupboard so I thought of using it up and make one great dish out of it. I then stumbled to one recipe using corn-fed chicken legs and seems so easy, so since what I only have was a chicken fillet, I thought of using that instead.

INGREDIENTS:
4 pcs. chicken fillet
1 1/2 cups of peas (canned or frozen)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed, skin on
1 1/2 tbsp. dried thyme (fresh is good, just add a little more)
1 medium onion, sliced

METHOD:
1. Season the chicken fillet with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the fillets for about 2 mins on each side. Add the garlic, 1 tbsp of thyme, 1 tbsp. of butter and stir until aromatic. Add about 1/2 cup of water and braise for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

2. While waiting for the chicken, melt the remaining butter and tip in the onion. Toss well until about the onion reach it’s transparency stage. Add in the remaining thyme and peas, toss until well incorporated. Add about half a cup of water and steam just until the peas are cooked.

3. You can arrange them the way I did or you can serve them in individual platter with your favorite rice, potato wedges or bread.

I can say, the chicken turned out really tasty. Now, I love garlic crushed with skin on. I do this process to add flavor to my chicken in other recipes. Love Love!!! Yum!!! Happy Home-Cooking!

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November 19, 2009 Posted Under Chicken, Featured Posts, Poultry, Vegetables

Steak in Mushroom Gravy Sauce with Veggie Side Dish

Steak in Mushroom Gravy Sauce with Veggie Side Dish

Hubby Dubby’s al time fave is STEAK! Yes!!! STEAK! And I’ve tried once already during our 3rd wedding anniversary and I failed. LOL! Then after more than a year, my passion for cooking again bloomed and so I started experimenting again. Watching all the videos I can get and browsing all steak recipes I can find, I now came up with the EASIEST steak in the world. ;P

Oh, and please always consider than I’m cooking in a budget, so I make use of what’s only available. I used quick fry steak here about less than 1 inch which was supposed to be about 2-3 inch thick. So, if you can afford buying quality beef steaks, the better. ;)

Here we go…

3 RECIPES IN 1 BLOG

INGREDIENTS:
For the steak:
2 pcs, beef rump, sirloin or ribeye steak at least 2″- whatever you prefer
1 tbsp. olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the gravy:
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. mushrooms, I used closed cup

1 tbsp. Knorr cream of mushroom soup powder

2 tbsp. gravy granules
2 cups water

For the side dish:
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups mixed vegetables
1 tsp. Ginisa Mix or just salt and pepper

METHOD:
1. Pat the beef with a kitchen towel to dry, set aside.

2. Heat a small frying pan in a medium-low heat and tip in the oil and butter together, the little oil avoids the butter from burning. Add in the garlic, brown and don’t let it burn. Tip in the mixed vegetables and saute for 1 1/2 minutes. Season with Ginisa Mix or salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add in the mushrooms and saute for 1 min. Sprinkle the cream of mushroom soup powder and mix with the mushroom. Once incorporated, add in the water. Just before it boils, add in the gravy granules and stir constantly until thick. You may adjust the water and gravy granules to your desired thickness. Set aside.

4. Heat the grill pan in a high heat. Brush the beef with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the beef into the pan when it’s really hot and grill once side until the bottom is crispy and brown. You can tip the beef a little to see how the crust is building up. Don’t ever turn the meat more than once as it makes it very tough. After turning, reduce the heat to medium and let the other side cook.

*The cooking time will depend on the type of pan used, the thickness of the steak and how well done you like your steak.

TIP:
* To test for readiness, open the palm of your hand in a relaxed manner. For a RARE STEAK, gently press the fleshy part just under your thumb. It must have the same consistency as your beef. For a MEDIUM, press halfway down the rare point. And for WELL DONE, press onto the bone. Compare by prodding the steak with your tongs.

5. When ready, remove the steak from the pan and place immediately onto a wire rock. This will stop the meat from steaming and it keeps just the way it’s cooked. Let it sit for about 1 minute or so to allow the juices to disperse all over the steak which will enhance it’s flavor.

6. Arrange the steak, mixed vegetables and mashed potato or rice on the plate. Serve.

We’ve had this recipe for more than 3 times now and it’s still a hit both for Daddy and my little Alyssa. Happy Home-Cooking!

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October 8, 2009 Posted Under Beef, Featured Posts, Sauces, Vegetables
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