'Healthy veggies' archive

Comfort food and home cooked meals

… home cooking is going to make a big comeback as people will eat out less often to save money. Fancy and gourmet ingredients and food items will take a back seat as the wise home cooks go back to the basics — less processed and more fresh meat and seafood, more vegetables and fruits, and hearty soups and desserts that can be made at home. Recycling leftovers is likely to be elevated to art form as home cooks rise up to the challenge of being less wasteful yet more creative and inventive. What can I say? The financial scares make some mope and gripe but for others it is an opportunity to reassess spending priorities and eating habits.

Cheese-topped buttered vegetables

Over two years ago, I posted a recipe for a side vegetable dish that accompanied fried whole tilapia. Cauliflower florets, finger chili and garlic were lightly cooked in olive oil, sprinkled with cheese then baked just until the cheese melted. Last night, I did another version of the same side dish — more vegetables and butter instead of olive oil. And, yes, I served it with fried tilapia too.

But before I go on to the recipe, let me tell you about the oval baking dishes that you see in the photo. There are actually four of them and the price was P400.00. Not P400.00 per baking dish but P400.00 for all four of them. They’re glazed, ovenproof…

The complete salad

We had enough leftover mac and cheese for lunch today but leftovers are hardly exciting unless recycled into a new dish or unless paired with something else. Unlike yesterday, I had a lot of options this time. I had just been to the supermarket and I was armed to the teeth with meats, seafood, cheeses and vegetables.

A salad would go nicely with the mac and cheese. By “salad”, I don’t mean those token servings of tasteless vegetables. I like my salad to be filling. And exciting. And tasty. No hospital food stuff. And no tasteless diet stuff either. I like salads with everything in it.

Stuffed zucchini

Last Friday, the girls had chicken burgers for their packed school lunches. I used the leftover chicken burger mix to cooked these baked stuffed zucchinis.

One thing I like about zucchinis is how little preparation they require. They don’t have to be peeled, for starters. And stuffing them is a breeze because even uncooked the flesh is soft enough to scoop out with a spoon. All the zucchini needs is a flavorful filling — and topping — and about 12 minutes of baking.

Chicken, squash and zucchini saute

…the launching of the breakfast blog will commence in a few hours. The templates need a few more tweaks then the links from this blog will be installed.

Now, the recipe for the chicken and vegetable dish that you see in the photo above. That’s what went into the kids’ school lunch boxes yesterday. What was left became our lunch. What’s in it? Strips of chicken thigh fillets, cubed squash and zucchini. With spices and herbs too, naturally.

Pasta primavera… with fresh tuna!

There are no hard and fast rules as to what vegetables can be used for making pasta primavera. Personally, I prefer a combination of tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers and carrots. I also like to add fresh basil because it goes so well with garlic and olive oil. In the past, I often added sardines in jars or canned tuna to what traditionally is a vegetable dish, but never fresh seafood. I never realized the difference it makes. The cubes of fresh tuna retained their shape, added flavor to the dish that did not have that overpowering fishy taste one gets from fish in cans and jars.

Capsicum halves stuffed with chicken, cheese and vegetables

This is my second attempt at making stuffed capsicum (or bell peppers, if you prefer to call them that) and I finally did it right. The first time, I stuffed the peppers with raw ground meat mixed with raw vegetables. The juices from the meat and vegetables soaked the peppers during baking, making it very soggy. This time, I cooked the filling first, stirred in lots of grated Parmesan and stuffed the sticky gooey mixture into the cavities of the halved peppers. I baked them only long enough to brown the tops and to cook the bell peppers just until they were tender-crisp.

Cooking for Father’s Day? Here’s an idea.

Many families gather together and eat out as a group on Father’s Day. Others hold mini reunions at home and potluck lunches or dinners are a popular way of celebrating Father’s Day. If you’re having one of those potluck lunches and wondering what you can cook in bulk without too much work, roast chicken is a good idea. The trick is to marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours prior to roasting to allow the seasonings to penetrate the thickest parts of the meat.

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House On A Hill

Love tofu?

• Tofu in oyster sauce
• Tofu and Vegetables Stir-fry
• Lumpiang tinapa at mangga (smoked fish and mango spring rolls)
• Beef con tokwa
• Lechon con tokwa
• Beef and tofu with three sauces
• Tuna and tofu stir fry
• Smoked salmon and tofu stir fry
• Another beef and tofu stirfry
• Sweet and spicy tofu

Chicken recipes

• Chicken tetrazzini
• Southern style fried chicken
• Turkey and potato salad
• Chicken and macaroni salad
• Cliff sandwiches
• Chicken and pesto quesadillas
• Cooking for Father’s Day? Here’s an idea.
• Baked creamy chicken and potatoes
• Chicken and potatoes in lemon-cream sauce
• Chicken a la king