Cheesy Tuna Sandwich Spread

Though the Catholic Church only requires 14 years old and older to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, on all Fridays of Lent, and on Good Friday, my parents let me and my brother join the fun even when we were below 14. I really don't remember my exact age when I started doing seafood and veggie Fridays during Lent. All I remember is that my mom was very strict about it. There were even times when she made us abstain from meat for the whole period of Lent which means 40 days straight. But my brother and I have always loved seafood and veggies so it wasn't like a big torture for us. We were actually fine with that. 

It's very much the same with my daughters now. They love seafood and (some) vegetables so Ryan and I don't even have to force them to abstain from beef, pork and poultry. They've learned from church about the importance of this Catholic tradition and though they know that they are not yet required to observe it, they are very willing to. They are actually the ones who remind me that it's Friday so I will have to pack meat-free lunch for them.

Most of the time, my daughters prefer to eat sandwiches and fruits for lunch in school, and this Cheesy Tuna Sandwich Spread that I am sharing with you today is one of their favorite fillings. Like the Salmon Sandwich Spread that I have featured last year, this is not any ordinary fish sandwich spread.  It's very flavorful and it has cheese!!! Clarise and Cherlin love how cheesy and healthy this is...and they find eating it in sandwich rolls so much fun! I'm sure you'll love it too.

Fish Pochero

If you have read my guest post at The Exquisite Niche or if you've been to my Filipino Cuisine page, then you know how much influence my country's cuisine got from Spain. The Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for almost 400 years, so many of our dishes are of Spanish origin. Today, I'm bringing you another one of those. It is called Pochero...Fish Pochero in particular. 

The term Pochero is from the Spanish word Puchero which means stewpot. According to Wikipedia, It is a kind of stew prepared in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and in Andalusia and the Canary Islands of Spain. Just like Spanish Puchero, Filipino Pochero is usually cooked with a wide assortment of vegetables and meat like beef, chicken and pork, but Filipinos have come up with another version using fish. Beef, Chicken and Pork Pochero are the popular versions for special occasions like fiesta and Christmas, while Fish Pochero is commonly served during Lent. Regardless of the meat used, Saba banana is a must-have ingredient in Filipino Pochero. The dish won't be the same without it.

 

I remember how much my mom loved cooking pochero (all versions of it)! Instead of tomato sauce, she would sometimes use pork and beans. I really loved the sweetness it adds to the dish. So whenever she uses tomato sauce, I would ask her to add a little sugar so it would still be sweet...and I would always ask her to put lots of fried bananas which I really love!

For my pochero, whether I cook it with beef, chicken, fish or pork, instead of using pork and beans, I use tomato sauce, banana ketchup and a little sugar to attain the sweetness I remember from my mom's version. Aside from Saba bananas, freshly cooked kidney beans are a must-have for my pochero.

Check out my version of Fish Pochero for Meatless Friday and let me know what you think.

Sarciadong Isda

It's Friday again...and today, I'm bringing you this fish recipe from the Philippines called Sarciadong Isda which simply means "fish cooked in sauce". 

Though in some regions Sarciado is cooked with scrambled eggs, in the province where I grew up, it has no egg. The one with egg is what we call Cardillo. Anyway, they are basically the same. In both dishes, fried fish is simmered in a sauce which consists mainly of garlic, onions, ginger & tomatoes. The only difference between them is that Cardillo contains scrambled eggs mixed to the sauce while Sarciado is cooked without the eggs. Both dishes are very popular due to their simple preparation. Filipinos find them to be the best ways to recook/reuse left-over fried fish.  But whether using leftover or not, fish is fried beforehand to prevent from falling apart while cooking in the sauce. 

Ryan & I like adding a little kick to it, so I often cook my Sarciado with Jalapeño. I always remove the seeds to make it kid friendly for Clarise and Cherlin. If you don't like it hot, it would be totally fine to omit this ingredient. :)

Hope you'll like this Meatless Friday recipe! 

The next time you have left-over fried fish, you should try either this or the Cardillo.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with your loved ones! Enjoy!

Seafood and Vegetable Medley in Oyster Sauce

It's the first Friday of Lent! As promised, I'm bringing back Meatless Fridays wherein I'll be sharing meat-free recipes every Friday during the 40-day period of Lent. This is my way of helping those who are trying to abstain from eating meat (beef, pork & poultry) as a form of sacrifice during the Lenten Season.

Today, I'm sharing with you a very easy and flexible recipe which I call Seafood and Vegetable Medley in Oyster Sauce. For this, I just made use of some veggies and seafood that I have in the refrigerator which I simply sauteed in garlic and seasoned with oyster sauce.

For the vegetables, I used Napa cabbage, bottle gourd and carrots...but regular cabbage, celery, chayote and green beans will also work well. For the seafood, you can use clams, mussels, scallops, as well as fish and shrimp balls in addition or as replacement for the shrimps, squid, crab sticks and squid balls that I used.


This is a very simple and quick recipe but really healthy and delicious! You should try it!

Paksiw na Bangus

Blogger went back online around noon...but I was in the middle of eating lunch with Cherlin that time then we had to go to Clarise's Field Day, so I didn't have enough time to do my post. When I got back home and was all set to do it, I found out that even the recipe that I already typed on Blogger last Wednesday night is gone, so I have to start over again! It really is Friday the 13th hah!

But I know technical glitches like that can happen regardless of the platform you use.  I was so annoyed with Blogger since last night that I considered moving my blog to Wordpress.  So I registered and started designing my Wordpress blog...then this question suddenly popped into my mind: "Am I sure that this won't happen to Wordpress?". I must admit that I like the layout on Wordpress better. But isn't blogger more stable because it is owned by Google? I'm really having second thoughts about moving to Wordpress. I would greatly appreciate if anyone who has done the swap share some thoughts on this with me.

Going back to my Meatless Friday post...

This recipe that I'm going to share with you is the easiest and most common way of cooking Bangus (Milkfish) in the Philippines. It is called Paksiw na Bangus (Vinegar Stewed Milkfish). Milkfish, by the way, is the national fish of the Philippines. Our country contribute around 55 percent to the total world bangus production. Because of its  mild, sweet flesh and its melt-in-the-mouth belly fat, many Filipinos love bangus. But there's one thing that some people don't like about it - it has so much bones. It is said that the flesh of bangus is shot through with about 180 thin spines. But fortunately the spines are in bundles so you don't have to deal with each one individually.  It can easily be removed to produce Boneless Bangus which is preferred by many. But for this dish, bangus with bones on works best.

I really love Paksiw na Bangus! It has a flavor that bites, especially when cooked with bitter gourd and chilies! I just love pouring its sauce over hot, steaming rice. Because the bangus calls for industriously removing its many fishbones, it is best eaten using your bare hands! I can hear non-Filipinos already saying "ewwww". Oh well, that is the traditional way of eating for us Filipinos. We sometimes eat with bare hands, especially with seafood and dry dishes such as inihaw (grilled) or prito (fried). Maybe you should try it sometimes! :)

*I'm sharing this on Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck@EKat's Kitchen, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday and Feed Me Tweet Me Follow Me Home.

Prep Time: ~15 mins               Cook Time: ~20 mins                Servings: 4            

Ingredients:

• 1 big bangus, cleaned, scaled and cut into 5 to 6 slices
• 1 head garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, crushed
• 2 finger chilies (I used Jalapeño pepper)
• 2 ampalaya (bitter gourd), sliced
• 3 pcs small, round eggplant, quartered
• 1 cup vinegar (I used ½ cup cane vinegar and ½ cup spicy white vinegar)
• ½ cup water
• 2 Tbsp fish Sauce
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns

Procedure:

1. Wash and clean your bangus. Remove the gills and the scales. Rub them with salt. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

2. In a large saucepan, put half of the garlic, onion and ginger and some peppercorns.

3. Arrange sliced bangus on top.  Add the remaining garlic, onion and ginger. Add water, vinegar and fish sauce. Sprinkle peppercorns on top. Cover and let it simmer for about fifteen minutes. 

4. Add the bitter gourd, eggplant and Jalapeño pepper. Continue simmering for another five minutes or until vegetables are cooked.

5. Remove from heat. Serve with hot rice!

Rellenong Tahong (Stuffed Mussels)

When I was blog hopping last week, my attention was caught by a recipe  that I found on one of the blogs I recently discovered, Jenn Valmonte's "I Live To Eat". Jenn is also a Filipina Foodie who shares her food trips and other related food articles on her blog including her own cooking adventures. Last April 29, she featured a recipe called Mussels Relleno (Stuffed Mussels). Though I've heard about it, I haven't had it before. All I remember my mom cooking were rellenong manok (stuffed chicken), rellenong bangus (stuffed milk fish), rellenong alimasag (stuffed crabs) and rellenong talong (stuffed eggplant). Because making rellenong manok and rellenong bangus is quite complexed especially the deboning part,  I never tried making them...but I've cooked rellenong alimasag and rellenong talong several times. Jenn's recipe intrigued me enough that I promised myself to give rellenong tahong a try this week.

Relleno comes from the Spanish word "rellenar" which means "to stuff". In the Philippines, ground pork and vegetables like green peas, carrots and bell pepper are used as extenders for relleno. Jenn's recipe called for ground beef, green peas and raisins. Because I intended to post my mussels relleno for my Meatless Fridays, I decided to totally alter her recipe. I thought of just combining mussels with vegetables. I kept on thinking what would be the perfect vegetable for this. I don't want the other ingredients to overpower the taste of mussels. After some serious thinking which lasted for about 30 minutes (LOL), I came up with the idea of using spinach. I've tried using spinach on my Mussels Tinola and I found it complementing the flavor of mussels very well. I was confident that it will work the same way on Mussels Relleno...and it did!

Ryan and the girls loved it. So here I am, sharing the recipe with you. Thanks to Jenn for the idea of Mussels Relleno! I wouldn't have come up with this if not for her post! Do visit her blog, "I LIVE TO EAT" for a lot of mouthwatering recipes!

*I'm sharing this on Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck@EKat's Kitchen, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday and Feed Me Tweet Me Follow Me Home.

Prep Time:~15 mins                 Cook Time:~10 mins                  Yield: 24 pcs.        

Ingredients:

• 24 pcs. cooked mussels
• ½ cup yellow onion, minced
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• ½ Tbsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp ground parsley for garnishing
• Vegetable oil for frying

Salmon and Shrimp Curry

Lent is over I know...but I decided to keep doing Meatless Fridays. “Meatless” for me means no beef, pork, poultry, and full-fat dairy products. Seafood is acceptable.  About 3 months ago, my family started going meatless two to three times a week. I can say that  this somehow helps Ryan and I not to gain more weight and in keeping our cholesterol low. I want to keep doing it for the health benefits that my family could get, and I want to devote a day on my blog for it. I know many bloggers are doing Meatless Mondays in support of the Meatless Monday Campaign...I guess it doesn't really matter what day you want to go meatless. No matter what day it is, it will still make a difference to you and the planet. :)

Today, I'm going to share with you my Salmon and Shrimp Curry. It's one dish that I cook often because Ryan and I love it so much. Curry is derived from the Tamil word kari, which means sauce. It has been a generic word used to describe a variety of spiced dishes. 

In the Philippines, a typical curry would usually be pork or chicken cooked with potatoes, bay leaf, and sometimes carrots to complement. I grew up with my mother always cooking chicken curry using curry powder. After Ryan's series of trips to Japan when he was still with NESIC Phils., I was introduced to Japanese curry, the curry sauce of which is most commonly made from instant curry roux which is available in block form and was first introduced by S&B Foods. He used to bring home boxes of S&B Foods' Golden Curry Sauce Mix from Japan, and he would cook curry rice or beef curry for me. Since then, Golden Curry Sauce Mix has been part of my pantry, and I've tried it with almost everything...from pork, chicken and beef to vegetables and seafood! But we love it best with salmon and shrimps! 

Here's the very simple recipe...which is oh SOOO YUMMY!

*I'm sharing this on Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck@EKat's Kitchen and  Feed Me Friday.

Prep Time: 15 mins               Cook Time: ~25 mins                Servings: 4-6                    

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. salmon fillet, cut into 1x2” rectangle pieces
• 12 pcs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized yellow onion, quartered
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into triangles ( I used ½ green and ½ orange bell pepper to add more color)
• 2 pcs. carrots cut into ½ “ thick
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1 ½” long
• 2 cubes Golden Curry Sauce Mix
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 can coconut cream (14 oz.)
• 3 Tbsp light olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, fry salmon pieces in olive oil until light brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.

2. In the same skillet, sauté shrimps just until they turned pink. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Sauté garlic and ginger in the same skillet until light brown.

4. Add onion and curry cubes. Sauté until curry cubes are melted. Mix well.

5. Pour in fish sauce and coconut milk. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Lower heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

6. Add celery, bell peppers and carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes or until vegetables are almost cooked.

7. Add cooked salmon and shrimps. Gently cover with sauce. Cover and simmer for another 3 minutes.

8. Remove from heat. Serve with hot rice!

Baked Salmon with Asparagus & Mushrooms and a Very Busy Friday

I've been crazy busy since Wednesday preparing for my eldest daughter's birthday party tomorrow. It will be a Wizards of Waverly Place themed party. Not a big party though...she's just expecting 5 of her classmates and 2 of her friends from her old school. But just as always, I want it to be special by putting my personal touch in everything. I made her personalized party invitations, piñata and give-aways. I'll be preparing all the food, except for the pizza. (I don't have the courage to make my own yet.) I'm done with all the decorations...so today until tomorrow morning will be all about cooking!

Personalized Party Invitation

Piñatas, Party Give-aways and Game Prizes

Party banner

I'll be baking a chocolate cake and some cookies & cream cupcakes. I'll share the rest of the menu and some more pictures with you next week. For now, I better do my Meatless Friday post so I can start cooking for the party. LOL.

This dish that I'm going to share with you today is another one of those recipes that I came up with in search of new ways to cook salmon which is Clarise's most requested fish.  I simply call it Baked Salmon with Asparagus and Mushrooms. It has become my family's favorite since the first time I cooked it. 

Check it out! A truly quick and easy recipe that you won't regret trying! 

*I'm sharing this on Simple Lives Thurday, Feed Me, Tweet Me, Follow Me Home Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck@EKat's Kitchen and  Feed Me Friday.

Prep Time: 5 mins               Cook Time: ~35 mins                Servings: 4                         

Ingredients:

• 4 pcs. Salmon fillet
• 2 cups fresh button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 12 pcs. asparagus, washed and trimmed
• 1/8 cup butter for sautéing
• 2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• Sea Salt & Pepper
• 1/8 cup melted butter
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Ginisang Upo at Hipon

Ginisang Upo at Hipon (Sauteed Bottle Gourd and Shrimps) is a simple vegetable dish that my mother usually prepared for lunch or dinner. She usually had it served with fried tulingan (baby skipjack tuna). Bottle gourd was one of her favorite vegetables maybe because it is low in fat and cholesterol yet high in dietary fiber. It contains 96% water and is rich in iron and also has vitamins C and B complex.  It's rarely available here in Texas, so whenever I see some in Asian stores, I never fail to buy a piece or two.

Let me share with you how my mother used to cook bottle gourd. This is one of her simple, easy-to-cook recipes that I love cooking especially on Meatless Fridays.

I'm sharing this on Simple Lives Thurday, Feed Me, Tweet Me, Follow Me Home Friday, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck@EKat's Kitchen and  Feed Me Friday.

Prep Time: 10 minutes                    Cook Time: ~20 minutes                       Servings: 4 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized upo (bottle gourd), peeled, seeds and spongy interior removed and cut into approximately 1”x1’’ cubes
• 1 big roma tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 small-sized onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 pcs. shrimps, peeled and deveined (set aside shrimp heads)
• ½ cup shrimp juice
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper