[Cooking] Rick Bayless' Mojo De Ajo

This is Mojo de Ajo or Liquid Gold as Chef Rick Bayless calls it.  I came across this recipe while watching his cooking show.  This is the second time that I made it and it's a hit!

Recipe adapted from Chef's Frontera.

Ingredients:

4 heads of garlic - I used the large ones 

2 cups olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili flakes or chili powder

1/2 cup fresh lime juice or calamansi juice

Steps:

Heat the oven to 325.

Break the heads of garlic and peel off the skin.

Stir together the garlic, oil and salt in a pan.  Slide it into the oven and bake until the garlic is soft and lightly brown, about 45-55 minutes.  Add the lime or calamansi juice and return to the oven for 20 minutes for the garlic to absorb the line and turn brown.

Using a potato masher, mash the garlic into a coarse puree.  The mixture is ready to use and will stay good for 3 months.

You may use mojo de ajo in making stir fry vegetables or pasta sauce.  It is very flavorful and aromatic.  Try it!

Enjoy!
♥ michelle

[Cooking] Mung Beans Soup / Ginisang Monggo

Let me share with you one of my favorite dishes from the Philippines:  

Mung Beans Soup or "Ginisang Monggo."  

Ingredients:

Mung beans or monggo beans

garlic, chopped

onions, chopped

tomatoes

chicken, shrimp or pork (i used chicken)

Moringa oleifera or Malunggay leaves

salt and pepper

Mung beans are a good source of protein.  It is cooked by boiling for several minutes until tender.  Rinse the beans, add water and bring to boil.  I used 1 of beans in 3 cups of water and it took about 15-20 minutes.  Set aside and do NOT drain liquid.

Mung Beans or Monggo Beans

Procedure:

1.  Saute the garlic, onions and tomatoes 

plus a thumb-sized ginger if you're using chicken).

2.  Add the chicken meat, shrimp or pork

3.  Add the mung beans and bring to a boil

4.  Add the moringa leaves

I was given fresh-from-the-garden Moringa Oleifera or Malunggay leaves and tomatoes... yum!  You must have heard of the benefits of Moringa:  rich in nutrients, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants.  It can be eaten raw - in your salads or shakes.  My husband adds about 1 tablespoon to our morning vegetable shake.  The challenging part is taking the tiny leaves of the stem but it's worth it.  Do it while watching tv or a relaxing movie.

Moringa Oleifera or Malunggay leaves

 5.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Some use fish sauce to season.

Mung Bean Soup with Malunggay leaves

Serve with a cup of warm rice and enjoy!

I especially enjoy eating this when it's cold or raining outside.  It's a comfort food for most of us Filipinos.

Cheers!

♥  michelle  ♥ 

[Tuesday Tute] Recipe: Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

Hello friends!  Today's Tuesday Tute is on cooking...

STUFFED GREEN BELL PEPPERS.

We love fresh vegetables... fresh from the garden and grown naturally.  We have a churchmate, his name is Tatay Romulo (Tatay means father) and he always gives me homegrown fresh produce.  Last Sunday, he gave me green bell peppers.

They were smaller compared to the humongous ones that you see in stores but they are sweeter.  Two years ago, I shared a RECIPE that my mother-in-law taught me.  This is a revised edition.

Ingredients:

Green bell peppers, sliced into half and seeds removed.

Ground meat - I used lean

Chopped Garlic, Diced Onions

Diced tomatoes - I used Hunts Basil, Garlic, Oregano

Tomato paste

Salt and pepper

Procedure:

1.  Wash bell peppers and preheat oven to 400 F.

2.  Place meat in a clean bowl and add the garlic and onions.  

3.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Season to taste.

4.  Spoon the meat mixture onto the green bell peppers and top with the tomato sauce mix.  Add a little water to the bottom of the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.  

Enjoy!

♥  michelle 

[Baking] Pinipig Cookies / Immature Glutinous Rice

We are halfway through July and that means summer is almost over for those in school.  I have fond memories of summer.  My mom is a professor in the college of nursing so summer meant that she was also on vacation.  Yay!  

One of my fondest memories is baking Pinipig Cookies.

Pinipig is immature glutinous rice that is harvested and pounded into what look more like light green flakes.  It can be eaten raw but it is most often toasted.  A friend of ours gave this to me when we had our 4th of July barbecue where she served a Filipino dessert called halo-halo (more about this next time) that used pinipig as one of the toppings.  

Pinipig / Immature Glutinous Rice

I have been craving for Pinipig Cookies and I finally got the chance to bake it tonight!  I was invited to have dinner with friends and since I didn't have anything thawed to cook and bring, I decided to bake.  This took me 50 minutes to make and that included the time spent with google. 

Pinipig Cookies

 I used the recipe from Apple Pie, Patis Pate'.  

All of the ingredients were readily available in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Pinipig (you can find this in Asian stores) - lightly toasted and cooled

1/2 cup All purpose flour

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1/8 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Unsalted butter

1/3 cup Sugar

1 Large Egg

1/4 tsp Lemon zest

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 175C or 350F.

Combine the dry ingredients:  APF, BP and salt.  Set aside.

Beat the soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add the lemon zest (*or 1/2 tsp of lemon extract - edited by me).

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 175C or 350F.

Combine the dry ingredients:  APF, BP and salt.  Set aside.

Beat the soft butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add the lemon zest (*** or 1/2 tsp of lemon extract - edited by me).

Carefully add the dry ingredients and mix well.  The mixture will be sticky then add the pinipig.

Gently scoop the pinipig mixture into the cookie sheet - I didn't line mine because I used a coated cookie pan.  I used a round measuring spoon (1/2 TBSP size) and dropped the cookies in the pan.

Pinipig Cookies

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the base is lightly brown.  Transfer in a cooling rack to cool.  

I was able to make 20 cookies.

Nothing tastes better than freshly baked homemade cookies.  My hosts said it was good and I thought so too.  Try it - it's soft with bits of crunch and this particular recipe is not sweet at all.

Bon apetit!

♥  michelle  ♥

[Cooking] Mashed Cauliflower

We love mashed potatoes and because we are trying to eat healthy-er, we had to find better ways of satisfying our craving.  Presenting... Mashed Cauliflower.  Mashed what?

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable, along with brocolli and cabbage.  It is very low in calories and is packed with nutrients and anti-cancer phytochemicals.  

"MASHED CAULIFLOWER"

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, washed

Garlic cloves, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Chili powder

Cumin

Garlic salt powder

Salt and black pepper

Procedure:  

1.  Cut the cauliflower florettes and place in a steamer with boiling water.  Add the chopped garlic and season with salt and pepper.  It took about 10 minutes to soften these babies.

 2.  Once cooked, place in a ninja or a food processor and season with garlic salt, pepper, chili powder, and nutmeg.

3.  Pulse the mixture and drizzle a little EVOO.  I used between 1-2- tablespoons.

4.  Once the vegetables are completely mashed, season again.  Just sprinkle a little of each condiment.

5.  Serve while warm.  You can add chopped parsely too.  I didn't have it so I just used cilantro for garnishing - it surprisingly tasted good.

I paired this with a small baked seasoned milkfish (bangus).  Yum!

It could also be paired with a delicious steak or porkchop... well, we saved on calories and fat anyway, right?

Try it and let me know how it went.

Bon appetit!

♥  Michelle  ♥

[Recipe] Zuppa Toscana

Happy New Year!  

Husband and I ushered in 2013 with much thanksgiving and excitement as we look forward to this year.  We have faith that the Lord will continue to be faithful to us, 

no matter what circumstance we are in.

We had a simple New Years Eve dinner at home.  It rained the whole day and it was cool in the evening - very timely to  prepare the warm and delicious soup that we always order and eat at Olive Garden and at our friends house:  

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes - sliced thinly (1/8 inch)

Garlic, onions

Italian sausage

Chicken broth

Kale - sliced in bite-sized pieces

Heavy whipped cream

Salt and pepper

Chili powder

Zuppa Toscana

I sauteed the whole package of Italian sausage until it was brown, drained the excess oil and set aside.  You must think that we are voracious sausage lovers.. haha.  We used 1/3 of the pack for one  recipe and saved the rest.  Notice that I didn't put the amounts in the list of ingredients - it depends on you.

Saute' garlic and onion.  Add the sausage.

Pour 1 can of chicken stock.  I used Swanson chicken broth and though the label says not to dilute it, I did, 1 can broth:1cup water.  You may add more water if you want it more "soupy."  Bring to a boil.

Add potatoes and cook for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slice.  You wouldn't want it to be too soft as it would crumble apart.. unless that's what you prefer.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the Kale. Do you know that eating kale is healthy?  Sources say that it has cholesterol lowering properties, risk lowering benefits for cancer and aids in detoxification.

Finally, add 2 Tablespoons of heavy whipped cream.

Serve hot and with a smile.

Zuppa Toscana

 Bon appetit!

We would like to wish you a wonderful Year 2013:  love, joy, peace and good health for you and your family.

Know that you are blessed!

Michelle

[Cooking] RECIPE: ToBingCab's Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Welcome back to The Cabby Crafter!

I was surprised when I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner and he replied:  

"Is it alright just to have salad?"  

Oh my.. I had to touch him and make sure he wasn't sick or in a state of delirium.

We have been eating healthier these days since we were finally on our own, in our cozy hideaway.
 It feels nice not to eat too much meat and rice (which is a staple for us Filipinos).  

I scoured our ref for stuff to use and came up with this:

"ToBingCab's SPINACH STUFFED MUSHROOMS"

Ingredients:

          Fresh Whole mushrooms (7 was enough for both of us)

          3 cloves of Garlic

          1/4 segment of white onions

          Fresh Spinach leaves

          Sargento Shredded Monterey Jack, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheese 

          Bragg's Liquid Aminos Seasoning

          Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1.  Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.  If washing gives you a sense of being extra clean, do it quickly as mushrooms absorb water.  Cut off the stems and set aside.

2.  Chop the garlic, onion and the mushroom stems.  Saute in a little extra virgin olive oil.

3.  Add the spinach leaves and season with Bragg's liquid aminos, salt and pepper.  Don't overcook the spinach so as not to lose it's superpowers.

4.  Scoop a small amount of the sauteed spinach mixture onto the mushrooms.  Top with shredded cheese.  Arrange mushrooms in a pan and bake at  350C for 15 minutes.

5.  Serve while hot but be mindful of the steamy hot cheese.  Enjoy!  

My friend Sandi mentioned in her blog that eating "meat free" can be fun and delicious too.  

It's not just all cold leaves and dressing.

Try this recipe, make your own variation and share it with me.  

Mr. Cabby Crafter told me it was "NAMIT!" (delicious).

Happy cooking!

♥  Michelle  ♥