Bacalao Blanco con Camote (Cod with Sweet Potato)

I love Bacalao! But I really am trying to stay away from eating too much salt. I  found some unsalted cod loins in my local supermarket and decided to to make some Bacalao Vizcaina for dinner. But at some point, I realized that I was on a diet, and that diet meant NO RICE or regular potatoes! So, I could not make the traditional Bacalao with tomato sauce so I had to think quick! Ah! Sweet Potatoes!

I was not sure if it would work, but I had to give it a try. And I tried...and it worked! So here my friends is my recipe for my bacalao Blanco con Camote.

Cod loin fillets, cut in medallions
Salt Pepper
Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in rings
Sweet potato starch
Olive oil
Pimientos, canned, cut in strips
Onions, cut in rings
Garlic Sweet Potato
Fish stock

Season the cod loin medallions in salt and pepper, dredge in sweet potato starch and pan fry in olive oil. Set aside after frying.

Do the same with the sweet potatoes.

Saute the garlic, add the onions and put everything back in the pan. Let it simmer without over stirring. Let everything cook, and let sauce thicken a bit. Season to your taste and serve with a sliced baguette. Enjoy!

LAMB ADOBO

According to Wikipedia, "A signature dish is a recipe that identifies an individual chef. Ideally it should be unique and allow an informed gastronome to name the chef in a blind tasting. It can be thought of as the culinary equivalent of an artist finding their own style, or an author finding their own voice. In practice a chef's signature dish often changes with time or they may claim several signature dishes."

A lot of people ask me what my signature dish is. I'm not really sure that I have one, but one of the dishes that most people request from me is my Lamb Adobo, so maybe that might be my signature dish.ni haven't made it in a long time, as Kevin does not like adobo. In fact, he does not like anything that has vinegar, because he doesn't like sour food. But today was an exception. My mom requested it. Here is my recipe. I hope you guys make it and let me know how you like it!

2 kilos cubed boneless lamb shoulder
1 cup peeled whole garlic cloves
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
5 pieces bay leaves
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
2 lamb bouillon cubes (Knorr has them abroad, if not available, replace with chicken cubes)
4 cups water

Boil everything together and simmer until the lamb is tender, and the sauce is slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with hot rice! Sooooooooo goooood!!!!

SPINACH AND ALMOND PENNE PASTA WITH GRILLED HERBED CHICKEN

Tonight I wanted to make a really light and simple meal. Something tasty, nutritious and healthy. I looked through my pantry and found an open pack of penne pasta, slivered almonds, and extra virgin olive oil. Ok, a pasta dish was coming to mind. Now, what was in my freezer? I found a Tupperware of chicken breasts and a bag of frozen baby spinach...hmmm....I think I know what to do! An olive oil based spinach pasta and grilled chicken sounded good! Here's what I came up with.

 For the pasta:
3 cups Penne pasta, cooked
1 1/5 cups frozen spinach, blanched and drained
2 Tbsps Almond slivers
Salt and pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 or 2 chicken bouillon cubes, with 1/2 cup hot water
Mix everything together and adjust seasoning and oil according to your taste.

For the grilled chicken:
Marinate chicken breasts in olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and thyme. Add some crushed garlic and a squeeze or two of lemon juice. Let sit for at least half an hour to marinate. Grill until done. Cut into thin slices and top on the pasta.

YOGURT HONEY DILL DRESSING

Ingredients:
Non fat yogurt
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Crushed garlic
Honey
Chopped onions
Fresh dill.

Mix all ingredients together, adjust seasoning to your liking, and let the dressing sit for at least 30 minutes for all the flavors to meld together.

5 SPICE PORK MEDALLIONS AND SALTED FISH FRIED RICE

I just arrived from a month long trip to San Francisco so I am still on a high from all the wonderful food I ate there! One place that really stood out was a chinese restaurant called Yuet Lee. They serve an awesome salt and pepper pork chop with five spice that I knew I could easily replicate at home, sans the MSG of course. So last night I was craving, and so I made the pork! Came out really good! And of course, I had to make some Salted fish fried rice and broccoli in oyster sauce to go with it.

I used pork tenderloin, cut them into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick pieces diagonally into medallions. Then I seasoned them liberally with salt and pepper. The 5 spice, I added the cornstarch which I added a bit of salt and pepper to as well.

Dredge the seasoned pork medallions into the seasoned cornstarch mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a shallow frying pan, heat some vegetable oil, about an inch deep is enough to deep fry these babies.

When the oil is hot, fry them up. Be careful not to overdo them because they cook fast. They come out really nice and crispy. Deelish!

For the rice:
Sauté onions, garlic, chopped carrots, chopped bell peppers, green peas and salted fish flakes (I used bottled daing).

Then add your rice. Season with salt and pepper.

Voila! While you're cooking the rice, sauté the broccoli in another pan with some oil and when almost cooked, add some oyster sauce for flavor. Easy Chinese food at home in less than an hour. Enjoy!

MUSHROOM CONSOMME WITH A POACHED EGG AND TRUFFLE ESSENCE

Being on a diet, it is sometimes so hard to think of something to eat in the morning that is filling without having rice, noodles, bread or cereal. This morning was one of those mornings wherein I needed something filling. Ok, more like, I was craving for something filling. There I was like a little mouse, scrounging around the refrigerator looking for some ingredients to stir my creative juices, when I found portobello mushrooms! Immediately, I thought, Mushroom Soup! but how could i make mushroom soup without cream? Ha! Mushroom Consomme!!!! So, here it is! And it was deelish by the way.

Mushroom Consomme

Saute slivered garlic and onions in a bit of olive oil. When slightly brown, add thinly sliced portobello mushrooms and saute until soft. Pour in enough water to make a soup, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Transfer the mushrooms without the soup into a bowl. Poach the egg in the mushroom stock. When done, place the egg in the bowl with the mushrooms. Adjust the seasoning the soup, then pour in the bowl of mushrooms and egg. Drizzle some truffle oil over it and garnish with spring onions.

Simple and filling! Enjoy!

KOREAN SESAME-GARLIC BEEF AND CABBAGE STIR FRY

I was in the mood for some korean food today. And since my pantry is newly stocked with korean ingredients, I came up with this recipe. I am on a diet so I can't eat rice, but this dish is so tasty that you HAVE to eat it with rice. Though i didn't, it was still so yummy and tasty! And it is such a simple dish to make, you only need 10 minutes from preparation to cooking it! Try it and let me know how you like this dish. 

Saute 1 teaspoon crushed garlic in a small amount of olive oil until golden. Add 100 grams of beef strips, until almost cook then season with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of Ssam-Jang korean paste. Then add 100 grams of cabbage cut in strips, a little water and simmer until everything is cooked. Add a few drops of sesame oil and mix altogether. Transfer to a bowl, top with roasted sesame seeds, Go-chu-jang (korean chili paste) and spring onions. Serve with steaming hot japanese rice! yummy!

100 grams cabbage, cut in strips

Check out this link, it tells you about the different korean pastes. 

http://jehankimaddiction.blogspot.com/2010/04/koreanize-your-mealkitchen-001-korean.html#links