Cereal and Fruits

I've been extra busy so I haven't been able to post much and experiment much on food lately.

This is just a quick post and view on what one can come up with for breakfast. Since May of last year, I have decided to not skip breakfast and make it my main meal of the day. This was primarily because I read somewhere that eating breakfast will jumpstart one's metabolism and help you avoid gaining weight fast. I think it's quite effective because I was able to lose weight after a few months and am now maintaining a healthy weight according to my BMI.

Anyway, I haven't really kept that promise because when I wake up late (which is 30% of the time), I would settle for water or a piece of bread. Then, I discovered that our local mall sells pre-cut fruits. To make the long story short, this is what I came up with - a quick and healthy breakfast.

What I used:

-Corn flakes cereal

-Pre-cut fruits (pear, watermelon & grapes) that I bought in a local supermarket

-Instant milk and cereal

What I did:

I just mixed them all up. Lol!

Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

I've been craving for pasta these past few days but I didn't want to spend too much money and effort in making one so I looked for some recipes online. I came across a recipe for eggplant lasagna but since we don't have an oven in our office dorm, I decided to just make the eggplant and tomato sauce and choose a pasta that's quick and easy to cook. Angel hair is a kind of pasta that is really easy and quick to cook. You just need to cook it for around 3-4 minutes (some brands may require less cooking or a bit more but 3-4 minutes is the average time). Since I wanted a quick-and-easy meal, I cheated a bit and chose an instant pasta sauce.

Ingredients used:

• eggplants, diced
• oil (around 4 tablespoons, I used a lot because eggplants tend to soak up a lot of oil)
• salt
• pepper
• Clara Olé Chunky Tomato and Three Cheese
• angel hair pasta
• hot water
• Thyme or Italian Seasoning (Mc Cormick dried and bottled herbs)

What I did:

I sliced the onions into 1/2-inch cubes and sauteed them in oil that I previously heated on a pan. When the onions turned a bit translucent, I added the eggplants and sauteed them a bit. I added a few tablespoons of hot water and let it simmer for a while. Then, I added the pasta sauce. I let it simmer for a bit until the eggplants are thoroughly cooked. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and thyme. You can add a pinch of brown sugar to make it tastier. I set this aside and in another pan, I boiled a liter of hot water, added a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil.  Bring the water to a roiling boil (this means that the water will not stop boiling even if you stir it). Cook pasta based on the instructions written on its packet. Once it's cooked, serve pasta with the sauce.

Ham and Cucumber Ciabatta Sandwich

Ham and Cucumber Ciabatta Sandwich

This is one of the quickest meals that I can make in the morning before I head to school. Sandwiches are really easy to make and can be healthy depending on what you put in it. I brought these to school today for my lunch.There's a bit of protein, carbs, and veggie so I think it's healthy. (Back me up on this please... Haha!) I'd be experimenting more with sandwiches. If you're a big fan of sandwiches, feel free to to check this blog again soon or maybe suggest some combinations via the comments or you can send me a message, too.

Anyway, I also brought the remaining cucumber which I cut into sticks and sprinkled with a bit of salt for a bit of flavor.

Ingredients used:

• ciabatta bread
• ham
• hot water
• cucumber
• mustard
• black powdered pepper
• cooking oil
• iodized salt

What I did:

I just pan-toasted the sliced ciabatta bread on a non-stick pan over medium heat. When I was done, I added a few tablespoons of hot water. Then, I cooked the slices of ham in it. When most of the water had evaporated, I added some cooking oil, waited for a bit and was done with the cooking part.

I placed the ham and thin cucumber slices onto the bread, added some mustard and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.

Chicken with Lemon and Ginger Sauce

Chicken with Lemon and Ginger Sauce

Another chicken dish. When I was not yet allergic to chicken, I loved cooking with chicken breast fillets. I heard it's healthy and it really cooks fast. I also love the taste of ginger and lemon (I love the tea as well). I thought of this dish while walking through the condiments aisle of a supermarket. I saw the instant lemon sauce and then my hand just took one and placed it on my cart. When I got home, I thought that using lemon sauce alone is quite plain so I decided to use peppercorns and ginger.

Ingredients used:

• chicken breast fillet cut into 1 inch strips
• egg, beaten and seasoned with salt
• Japanese breadcrumbs ( I used this because I love the texture it gives after it is cooked)
• cooking oil
• Lemon Sauce (I used the Lee Kum Kee brand)
• ginger, julienned
• peppercorns
• salt

What I did:

I dipped the chicken breast fillets in a bowl containing the beaten egg. Then, I coated it with Japanese breadcrumbs. If you want to add more flavor, you can season your Japanese breadcrumbs with a sprinkle of paprika or chili powder. Deep fry the chicken fillets until they're light golden brown. It's easy to overcook so you really have to be careful when cooking them. In a separate pan, saute the ginger until its aroma is released then add the lemon sauce and peppercorns. Turn down the heat and add the chicken strips that you previously fried. Season it and you're done. Really easy, right?

Twist from the typical mango float

 

 I'm sharing what I made for our family's Christmas dinner last December 2011. Instead of using the typical Graham crackers/biscuits, I used white bread.

Ingredients used:

• All-purpose cream 
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Sliced white bread (crusts removed)
• Ripe mangoes (sliced thinly)
• Cinnamon powder (optional)

What I did:

I mixed the cream and sweet condensed milk in a bowl (the ratio depends on how sweet you want this to be, do consider that the mangoes are also sweet so careful with the sweet condensed milk). Then I just layered the bread, cream mixture, and mangoes in a 2-inch deep tray (you can opt for a deeper container if you want). Finally, I just placed them in the fridge and let it cool for more than a few hours before serving. Sprinkle the cinnamon a few minutes before serving.


I still got loads of pictures of the foodie experiments (which I'd like to call experifood) that I've done over the past year. It's just a matter of me being able to write the back-stories for each of them. I hope you'll come back to see them. ^_^

Chicken with Celery and Pistachios

My first post! ^_^ I decided to make this blog because I saw loads of pictures of the food experiments that I've done and I wanted to share them. I'm a picky eater, mostly because of my food allergies, but that doesn't mean I can't be a foodie, right?
Way back 2011, I wasn't allergic to chicken yet so this post is to reminisce those days when I enjoyed eating chicken without having to worry about being rushed to the hospital! :D

This experiment, which I did in the last quarter of 2011, was because I had lots of pistachios and I didn't know what to do with them. I bought them when my Besty and I went to  Mercato Centrale at Bonifacio Global City in Manila. I had a great time bonding with my best-friend catching up over great food. I love Mercato Centrale and until now I'm wishing that Iloilo City could have something like that soon!

We didn't want to just eat the pistachios on its own so my Mom and I decided to cook them. We used chicken because it was really easy to cook and then the celery because it would enhance the dish with its aroma.

So here are the ingredients we used:

• Pistachios
• Chicken breast meat, cubed
• Celery
• Garlic, minced
• Oil for frying
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

What we did:

We just sauteed the garlic. After that, we added the chicken and sprinkled in some salt and pepper. Once the chicken is a bit cooked, we added the pistachios. Adding a few tablespoons of hot water would help make the nuts a bit tender. Let them simmer over low heat then add the celery (it's better to add them last to avoid overcooking them).

Thanks for spending some of your precious time to read this. I hope you enjoyed reading this first post. I'll be posting another one soon. ^_^

P.S.
If you decide to try and make this dish, feel free to let me know how it turned out by commenting on this post or by sending me a message. ;)