Lemon Asparagus, A Barrowed Recipe

Asparagus and I, we have a love affair. But like any other love affairs, it gets tiring at some point. Frying and steaming doesn't excite me anymore. But thanks to Two-Tarts, the affair's been ignited once more with this lovely and uber-easy asparagus preparation. Yumminess guaranteed!

Ingredients :
- thin asparagus
- 1 medium sized lemon
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- slices of orange (optional)


1. Thinly slice the lemon, make about 6-8 slices. You can add about 3 slices of oranges too just for added flavor. Arrange it in a baking pan.
2. Wash the asparagus thoroughly and drizzle it with olive oil and coat it evenly.
3. Arrange the asparagus on top of the lemon and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Then off to the oven and let it sit there for a few minutes on high heat, until roasted.

The flavor of lemon (and oranges) seeps in the asparagus as it broils.

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The Green Monster Drink

In the hopes to free my belly from gathering fats, I've been thinking of how I can lessen my carbo intake. It all started with my beach bod dreams. I dream of having nice toned arms and legs, with a fat-free, well-defined tummy. So many summers has passed, and summer's yet here again - and here I am, still dreaming :P.

Realistically speaking, I'm not aiming for fat-free tummy, it's just close to impossible specially that my only regular work out is to mop the floor, wash dishes and scrub the bathroom. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to give it a try for as long as I'm not starving myself. To start my carbo cut down, I said I'm not going to eat carbo loaded breakfast... except when I want to take nice breakfast photos of my own cooking :P.

Today, I tried the Green Monster drink. I got this idea from a presentation I was testing a few weeks ago and got curious what it would taste like.

The Green Monster!

Ingredients:
- 2 handful of fresh spinach leaves, plucked and washed thoroughly
- 1 medium size banana, sliced
- 1 medium size apple, chopped
- 1 peeled orange
- 20-30 pcs. seedless green grapes (or whatever you can get)
- 1 cup water
- some ice cubes (optional)
- 1 Tbsp honey (optional)

1. Dunk everything in your blender.
(my blender apparently is not powerful so I had to dunk it gradually).

Add more water if you think it's too thick. If you think it's not sweet enough, add some honey.

I have never blended spinach in a drink before so it felt weird to me by just looking at it, and was a bit scared to taste it. But I'm happy it turned out to be yummy! I finished the glass and kept the rest in the fridge later when I feel hungry :P.

My cat however, thinks otherwise... (click to get the story).

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Rose Flavoured Jelly with Black Currants and Strawberries

OK just an FYI - the normal gelatin (Jell-O for example) we know and we grew up with is NOT vegetarian. Pardon my ignorance but I thought it was :P. So I'm telling now and don't be a victim like me :P.

I used to make gelatin sweetened and mixed with milk, then pour it on pineapple chunks or fruit cocktail and chill. Today, I thought it would be nice to make it a little bit more elegant and romantic. I checked my fridge and I still have black currants and strawberries from the Saturday Market so I figured it would be a nice touch rather than using canned fruits.

Ingredients:
- powdered gelatin (for vegetarian, use Agar-Agar)
- sugar
- rose water flavour
- black currants
- strawberries

1. Prepare the gelatin according to the instruction in the box. Normally, it's just dissolved in hot water.
2. Add sugar according to your taste. Add about 3 drops of rose water flavour.
(Note : You can use any flavour you wish like vanilla, pandan or almond, just make sure it matches whatever you dunk in the gelatin.)
3. Get a good looking glass and pour the gelatin mixture.

4. Here's the tricky part:

a. You can either dunk your stuff all together, or
b. You can wait a bit longer, let the gelatin slowly set as it cools down, and then carefully dip the fruits, pushing them to the bottom, suspended at the middle, or wherever you want them when the gelatin is partly set. I do this because when i dunk everything together, the fruits either floats or settle at the bottom. But be careful not to wait to long because the gelatin might firm up and you can no longer push down stuff without breaking the form.

5. Chill in the fridge and serve!

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Bitter Gourd In Mashed Tofu and Tomatoes

My husband asked me a few days ago if I knew any vegan recipe using bitter gourd. It wasn't really his favorite but he'd like to share the recipe in reddit because there's a post asking about it.

When I was young, the only use of bitter gourd to me was just for art work. I slice the bottom, dip the tip in water color, and make nice prints on white paper. But as I get older, I developed a relationship with vegetables I would never eat in my childhood. One of which is the bitter gourd or amplaya in Tagalog. It wouldn't be named bitter if it wasn't for its reputation, I suppose. I tell you it's  bitter as hell and I don't think I know any child who likes it, not even much of adults. But I guess you just have to prepare and cook it right to be likeable.

The secret to bitter gourd is to rub it with salt, let it sit for a while, and then rinse. Some people soak it in salt water, but rubbing works for me. This makes the bitterness milder. I love bitter gourd with eggs and tomatoes, but since Mark's requested vegan, I experimented today with mashed tofu. Here it goes.

Ingredients:
- firm tofu, halved
- 2 pcs ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium sized bitter gourd
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. white sugar (optional)

1. Cut the bitter gourd in 3 parts, and then lengthwise. Remove the white middle flesh by scraping it with a spoon.
2. Rub it with a good amount of salt and set aside for 15 minutes. This will make the bitter taste milder.
3. Divide the firm tofu in to two. Mash half of it with your hand, but not too much because it's nice when it's a bit chunky. Refrigerate the other half.
4. Rinse the bitter gourd and slice it cross-wise, making like little Cs, but not too thick.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Sautee onions until it's soft. Add in the garlic. Sautee til it's golden brown.
6. Toss in the mashed tofu and fry it for about 3 minutes.
7. Toss in the bitter gourd. Mix it altogether until the bitter gourd is soft and cooked. I personally like it al dente.
8. Add tomatoes and continue cooking. I added the tomatoes last because I like it half cooked and still juicy. But you may add tomatoes before the bitter gourd.
9. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce for flavor. Add some salt and pepper according to your taste.
10. Add about a teaspoon of white sugar, but this is perfectly optional. I just like a bitter-sweet twist.

Makes 2 servings. Best served with steamed white rice.

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Support Pet Adoption

For a change, I'd like to share something other than cooking (and hopefully this will excuse me from not posting any recipe for more than a week).

I volunteered in an pet adoption event held by CARA Welfare Philippines last Saturday and covered it in behalf of Mark who's a member and their designated photographer. CARA (Compassion and Responsibility for Animals) is a non-profit, non-government organization ran by dedicated volunteers who aim to educate citizens in regards to responsible pet ownership, animal welfare and rights, promoting spay/neuter/TNR to control animal population. CARA offers low cost spay/neuter program and veterinary services to help low-income households be able to afford medical assistance for their beloved animals. A common misconception about the organization is that it is a shelter. Unfortunately, it isn't. The facility CARA have is a clinic. The rescues are fostered by members, and when they are ready, they are sent up for adoption.

I could write a whole lot about the sad facts about the lives of cats and dogs stray population in this country, why it happens, how people neglect them, how the majority of citizens are apathetic, and how much people feel sorry but never make a move to help be part of the solution. I could go on and on but that's another story.

Looking at the bright side, I'd like to share heart warming photos of people who dedicated their time to get these less fortunate animals find a loving home, and people who went to either adopt and open their homes to them, or donated for this cause. Even when I lose hope on people at times, there's still a tiny bit part of me who believes that there are still a lot of good people among us.

It was nice to see that there were a lot of people who have shown interest in the adoption. They may not all have adopted, but it's a great chance for us to educate people why we do what we do,  responsible pet ownership, and why it is important to consider adoption first rather than buying a pet companion.

Tireless volunteers assist people with questions how to go about adopting a cat from CARA.

Potential Adopters are interviewed and are asked to sign up an adoption sheet. Just like any adoption centers, CARA ensures that the animals will get to a home where they can be supported and cared for, provide appropriate food and medical assistance when necessary. CARA also makes follow up visitation to the adopter's home as part of the adoption policy. 

Here are the adorable rescued dogs that also came in the hopes that they will find a family and forever home . They are very healthy, well behaved, friendly and very loving.  The lovely girl on top is their foster parent who have at least 13 rescued dogs under her care. 

The two little girls were very excited to bring home these two cute cuddly tabbies. (Right) Handsome Antonio the cat was one of my favorites and I'm truly happy for him that he got adopted too by these two young ladies :).

The cats are very grateful to these wonderful families who opened their hearts and homes to them.

It was an eventful Saturday. I was tired but it was worth it. After the event, Gerry, Anton and I went to dinner and then had a full body massage after. Nice eh?

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Tonight's Dinner

A few of my friends are dropping by tonight to return a few stuff from each other. To make the visit fun, we decided to have dinner together. But in this shack, everything that is cooked and served is vegetarian, so I hope they like what's in my menu.

Fingers-crossed for my carnivore friends :P. I hope I still get a chance to take some photos.

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Sunday Lunch at Sonya's Secret Garden

Sonya's Garden, a place I consider very special, a place I would go back to over and over again. I have shared so many special moments with my friends and loved ones in this place, and over the years, it has not disappointed me. It's a long drive from the city but the trip is always worth it. Well, at least the trip going there. I don't really appreciate the trip going back because I just hated the bad traffic conditions there on the weekends.

Sonya's garden is sort of a retreat place. They have a huge land covered in lush vegetation, where people are free to explore. There's bed and breakfast, a spa, country store, bakery, and their famous restaurant that I noticed they have expanded. They have a number of dine-in rooms now that can cater for events, as well as just people who'd like to dine. The restaurant looks sort of a huge green house, filled with beautiful colorful chandeliers, Hispanic and native interior. Tables are dressed with delicate embroidered cloths. The ambiance is just healthy and relaxing. The food they serve is all organic. They grow their own vegetables! How about that? They have a la carte menu, but the most famous is their set menu where both meat lovers and vegetarians can enjoy!

1. The first course is salad. It is served with a collection of organically grown green and leafy vegetables, various salad toppings - all refillable. You can eat as much as you can. Toppings were consisted of mango, turnip, melon, mushroom pate, sliced black olives, white cheese, chopped hard boiled egg, anchovies, and a sort of tapenade. The dressing they serve tasted like ceasar dressing.


2. I arranged my salad and kinda like the taste of this green rounded leaves. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called.


3. The main course is pasta served also with different topping and sauce. They serve 2 sauces; tomato based red sauce and creamy chicken white sauce. It comes with capers, ratatouille, black olives, shiitake mushrooms, and the famous salmon belly.


4. We had 2 servings of salmon belly since my friends are just crazy about it.


5. The desserts were bite size turon (banana wrapped in lumpia wrapper and then deep fried), sweet potato, and the yummy (my favorite) chocolate cake. It is served with taragon tea.

And before I forget, they serve fresh dalandan juice!

After lunch we took a lot of photos in the area, bough some goodies in their country store and bakery, and then left with a full stomach. Every year I visit this place. I just wish that the traffic condition there improves soon as I'd like to go often. I don't mind the long drive.

Oh, and I brought home a souvenir (it's not a cat) that i'll tell you about soon.

Stomachs full and just enjoying our dessert

Some nice area in the secret garden.

Look what I found! A thirsty cat with a class. Isn't it cute?

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Goat Cheese Wrapped in Roasted Eggplant

If you are tired of tortang talong or plain fried eggplants, here's another way you can cook and prepare them - with an added glamour. It's easy to make, just a bit challenging to wrap (at least to me).

Ingredients:


- 3 long eggplants, washed thoroughly
- olive oil
- Goat cheese (or kesong puti for a cheaper local version)
- culinary string
- salt and pepper to taste


Garnish:
- minced parsley or corriander leaves.
- toasted bread

1. Chop off the stalk. Thinly slice the eggplant lengthwise on both sides removing its skin. Then make 2 slices (depending how thick your eggplant is). This will be your pair of wrapper. Do the same with the rest of your eggplants.

2. Brush olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle salt and pepper, and grill it. If you have no grill, then frying is fine. Turn to the other side when it's browned and cooked. Set aside.

3. Slice cubes of goatcheese, just enough to fit the width of the eggplant slices.

4. When the eggplant has cooled down, lay 2 slices on top of each other making a cross. Lay the goat cheese at the center and wrap it with the eggplant slices. Then fasten it using a culinary string.

5. Heat it in an oven toaster of 3 minutes.

Makes 3 pcs.

To serve:

Lay it on top of a sliced toasted bread and sprinkle some parsley or corriander leaves. Best served with a green leafy side salad.

Great suggestions for some variation of this dish:

a. Use courgette instead of eggplants if you aren't a fan of eggplant (trust me I know people who wouldn't dare take a bite on an eggplant).

b. Use feta cheese as a filling.

c. Coat the goatcheese with sesame seeds or poppy seeds for an added texture and flavour.

d. Maximize the enjoyment of this dish by pairing it with other superb, healthy dishes like stiry fried mushrooms and brocolli or a nice kale apple salad.

Big thanks to the suggestions on improving the dish, J. Roper and an anonymous commenter I'll call Lekker Friend :), and for sharing your experience trying out this recipe!

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