Chop, Chat and Chomp

    Having read so much about kale being a superfood and a cancer-fighting vegetable, I began to search for recipes to see how kale looks. Fortunately, my supplier of organic vegetables sells kale. I ordered a quarter of a kilo initially, to try if it's good. And it's good, this will be a regular fare from now on.     I have this dried cranberries which I got recently from Healthy Option and I know this will go well with my Kale Salad.     I added chicken breast to make this dish a complete meal. It was a refreshing meal, filling and fitting to eat on a hot weather.     Kale Salad with Pan-fried Chicken and Cranberries 1/4 kilo kale 1 chicken breast 1 pc. onion, chopped 2 pcs. tomatoes, sliced 1/4 cup dried cranberries 3 tbsp. olive oil sea salt freshly-ground pepper     Steam kale and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pan-fry seasoned chicken. Set aside. In a large bowl, pu...

    I was glad to see my plants growing abundantly in my garden after more than two weeks of not seeing them. Thank God for my household help who tended my garden while I was away. cuban oregano pansit-pansitan basil, my poor basil, leaves were eaten by insects     I decided to try making spaghetti using carrots as pasta (Erich taught me this idea) so I can make use of these plants. Paleo Tuna Spaghetti with Pansit-pansitan     I have not cooked spaghetti since I turned Paleo and Tommy's eyes brightened when he saw what I was serving him. Spaghetti was his favorite and still is. I didn't tell him it was carrots, I just let him eat. He liked it! He consumed half of it, I ate one-fourth, the remaining we will bring to my kids for them to taste.  We will be going there in their apartment in a few hours.     I would love to share the recipe:) Paleo Tuna Spaghetti with Pansit-pansitan 2 big car...

    One dish that became my favorite was Hainanese Chicken Rice. I first tried this dish when I was in Singapore with my husband, Tommy and my daughter, Cham. Tommy's cousin who was based in Singapore that time, introduced this dish and instantly it became our favorite. I remember ordering this dish during our 3-day stay there in every restaurant we went trying which one is the best and we never got tired eating it.     Back home, I bought a cookbook with Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe just to be able to eat again this dish. But I never tried cooking it because the procedure is quite complicated.Then I remember cooking a dish similar to this which I got from a very old cookbook I bought when I was starting family. The taste is very similar to Hainanese Chicken Rice but the way of cooking it is so easy that even a neophyte in the kitchen can successfully cook it. I would like to share this and I will call it Hainanese Chicken Made Easy. Hainanese Chicke...

    Browsing the new cookbook that was given to me as pasalubong, I came across a recipe with unfamiliar name, tapenade. Tapenade , ( French pronunciation: ​ [tapənad] , Occitan : tapenada [tapeˈnadɔ] ), according to wikipedia is a Provençal [1] dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives , capers , anchovies and olive oil . [2] Its name comes from the Provençal word for capers, tapenas ( pronounced  [taˈpenɔs] ). It is a popular food in the south of France , where it is generally eaten as an hors d’œuvre , spread on bread. Sometimes it is also used to stuff fillets for a main course.     Curious, I decided to make one, with pan fried pork steak. It's something different from the usual pork dish we serve. The olive tapenade goes well with the Greek marinated pork steak. I prepared coleslaw as side dish made of shredded cabbage, juliened carrots, chopped onions, pineapple chunks with vinaigrette. Pan fried Pork Steak with Olive Tapenade ...

    From a busy, busy schedule, I am back and it's again the two of us (Tommy and me). I so miss my kitchen and my cooking and because Tommy loves Turbo Chicken (chicken cooked  in turbo broiler), I looked for a recipe that can be cooked in a turbo broiler but different from my usual chicken seasoned with salt and pepper.      And I found this: Easy Peri Peri Chicken  http://www.iskandals.com/eats/?p=8532.  Peri peri according to wikipedia is African Birds eye chili http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piri_piri Siling Labuyo (Philippine version of peri peri)     I remember loving this dish in one of the restaurants we've tried with family. And this is my version of that dish, Peri Peri Chicken. Paleo Peri Peri Chicken     Instead of putting the marinated chicken on a grill, I placed the chicken with the marinade in a pyrex dish and broiled it in a turbo broiler. The outcome was fantastic, juicy inside ...

    Because I was too lazy to go to market, I have to make do of what was left in the vegetable compartment  of my refrigerator. I found a small piece of squash and some tomatoes and thought of making cream soup as I remembered I stored coconut milk in the freezer and chicken broth I made a few days ago. That would also be perfect for my baked daing na bangus. Squash Cream Soup serves 2 1 cup chicken broth (recipe below) 1 cup squash, cut into cubes 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 medium onion, sliced 1/8 tsp.turmeric powder 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/8 tsp. chili powder 5 pcs. coriander seeds (optional)  2 tbsp. pure coconut milk (kakang-gata)  Put everything in a pot except coconut milk. Let it boil. Add coconut milk and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Puree in a blender and serve. Garnish with pansit-pansitan. Homemade Chicken Broth 1 kilo chicken soup bones or leftover roasted chicken...

Cream Dory Paleo Piccata     Piccata is a method of preparing food: meat is sliced, coated, sauteed and served in a sauce . The dish originated in Italy using veal (veal piccata). In the United States, the most well-known variant is chicken piccata. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piccata     I don't have veal and  I don't have chicken, all I have is cream dory. Found this recipe in my very prized possession for 2013, Everyday Paleo cookbook, and excitedly tried it. Tweaked a little and with a few mistakes, it tasted oh so yummy. My helper in the kitchen directly fried the fish fillet which I seasoned with salt and pepper but I haven't coated it yet with anything. I immediately sprinkled coco flour on the fish but still she had a hard time turning the fish. Next time I will coat the fish with beaten egg and coco flour.     Here's the recipe: Cream Dory Paleo Piccata 2 pcs. cream dory 1 tbsp. coconut flour  1 egg, s...

    Second day of Paleo and I'm again excited as to what to cook for lunch. Found these chicken thighs in the freezer and started to look for a recipe for chicken in this awesome cookbook, Everyday Paleo.     I found this recipe, Chicken with Mushroom Basil Cream Sauce and was glad to see that all the ingredients are available in my pantry. Tommy and I love this so much Chicken with Mushroom Basil Cream Sauce     I remember cooking this similar dish using cream of mushroom soup then, but we all know that cream soups are not paleo. Thanks to Sarah Fragoso for sharing this recipe, I will definitely include this on my everyday menu. I served this with plain lettuce and I would say that that was a very satisfying meal. CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM BASIL CREAM SAUCE 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( I used thighs, bone-in) sea salt and black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoon chicken broth (recipe here )...

     This morning as I wake up, I whispered to my husband that I will not be cooking rice today because I have been  noticing his hard fat belly for several weeks now. After all the feasting during the holidays, consuming every non-paleo food that was served, and feeling bloated and acidic for several weeks, I decided to go 100% paleo again, with my husband of course. Easy Spinach Salad by Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo Spinach Salad with Fried Tilapia Fried Tilapia     For lunch, I prepared Easy Spinach Salad, recipe taken from Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo book. I paired this with Tilapia fried in coconut oil.     For dinner, I cooked Sirloin Dijon from Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo. I used broccoli instead of kale. Paired this with cucumber with leftover dressing for Easy Spinach Salad. Sirloin Dijon with Broccoli EASY SPINACH SALAD by  Sarah Fragoso 5 ounces spinach, washed and draine...

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,  neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,  will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 3. Because He loves us. Our early years of marriage had been a difficult one. Everything was wrong. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong situation. It was like hell for me and the only thing that kept us going is our (or should I say my?) love for each other. So many times I wanted to quit and sometimes I just wanted to die. And we know that in all things God works  for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 I then realized that if life is like hell, where should I go? I searched for that place, a sanctuary, a refuge, where I can rest, where there is someone who would understand me, whose shoulder I could cr...

  2. Because He is our Heavenly Father. When my father died, a part of me died also. He was a famous dentist of his time, who made a mark in the history of Bataan. I have known him to be a jolly person and a very loving father who wanted the best for us, his family. I can say that he loved us unconditionally and was always proud of his children. He would always say good things about us and I had not heard him say even one bad thing about us.  I was given the opportunity to be with him the last years of his life (when I opened a business in Bataan). He gave me moral support and he became my number one customer.  He was a very supportive father till the end. How I miss him. I praise God for giving me such a wonderful father. I realized then, now that Daddy's gone, I have our Heavenly Father who is much, much greater than my earthly father. He provides everything I need, loves me unconditionally and eternally, always there for me, and will never leave me nor forsake me...

 We had this for lunch on the 28th day. Picadillo (sauteed ground beef with upo and talinum). Dinnertime, we had pechay baguio and carrot soup,...  ...pan-fried pork steak with toasted garlic toppings... ...and Kimchi which I prepared several days ago. The following day, the 29th day, I cooked chicken adobo (with coco aminos, tastes great!) for lunch...  ...and sauteed patola with okra. It was Sunday, we had dinner at our favorite place, S&R. As usual the same chicken rotisserie and caesar salad. Tommy loves this. On the 30th day, our last of the 30-day diet, I prepared Sweet and Sour Chicken with pansit-pansitan as garnishing. Tommy brought as pasalubong 2 pieces pineapple, we ate the whole piece, the other one was not as sweet so the half I added to this dish,... ... the rest I made into jam. I used coco sugar and cinnamon with a pinch of sea salt. It was good. Now I'm getting used to coco products :) We ate the same dish for di...

Tommy and I went back to our house on the 25th day, bringing home some of the organic vegetables I ordered.     This is Kilawing Labanos (sauteed radish with chicken heart, garlic, onions, tomatoes, vinegar, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper). Paired this with...  ...fried fish for lunch.  Dinner we had spinach sauteed in garlic and olive oil, sprinkled with shrimp-garlic flakes and... ...Chicken with Patola. I wonder why dishes taste more delicious with organic vegetables :) That's Salmon Belly Sinigang with eggplant, Chinese kangkong, finger chili, tomatoes and onions with juice of calamansi as souring agent. We had this for lunch on the 26th day. That afternoon, after Tommy and I attended our Bible study, I met up with Alvin of Kusina ni Lakapati for my coco aminos (to replace soy sauce) and coco sugar which I ordered on-line. Dinnertime in the foodcourt, we had Garlic Chicken and Chop Suey. On t...

 We're still in the apartment of my kids and for breakfast, I cooked  hard-boiled eggs, boiled saba and camote, and the talbos ng camote and okra which our helper from muntinlupa harvested before we left yesterday. This is the 23rd day.  That's the turbo broiler my mom gave Tom, my eldest son. I decided to cook the pata I bought at S&R weeks ago. That cut was supposed to be for pata tim but Tommy wanted crispy pata, it's his birthday, remember?  I have overcooked the crispy pata, but for Tommy and Tom, it was not that bad, it was crispy and both of them enjoyed the meal. Next time, I will buy the whole pata, uncut, so it will be tender and juicy inside, crispy outside. I made cucumber relish and served this with the leftover talbos and okra.  I love these organic produce which I ordered from the supplier of my newly-found FB friend . I came to know about her when she guested at DZAS. She loves to share everything she knows about fo...