Buffet Spread for My Daughter's 5th Birthday

Ashrie celebrated her 5th Birthday yesterday and we hosted a simple dinner for close friends over the weekend. Along with her DIY birthday cake and cupcakes (both from The Icing Room), we served Mashed Potatoes, Pavlova, Baked Honey-Glazed Chicken wrapped in bacon, Seafood Salad Wrap, Roast Beef, and Roast Broccoli and Mushroom with Pine Nuts. All very simple and easy-to-make recipes.

So to my sweetie, Happy Birthday Ashrie! Daddy and I loves you very much!

Cheers!
Jane

Mason Jar Salad

Hi JK friends!

I’ve been making fresh salads in the past and I constantly have the problem of throwing leftover vegetables especially leafy greens. It’s always not good to serve it the next day because it doesn’t retain its freshness even you store it in the fridge. Just imagine the time it took from the farms to the grocery to my kitchen. Good thing I’ve discovered doing Mason Jar Salads.

 Placing the salad in mason jars will keep vegetables fresh and can save you time and money. It is also the best way to store other food items because it is endlessly reusable, easy to clean, and of course, BPA-free. When the lid is airtight, the salad can last even up to four days! There are just some easy guidelines that we need to remember and I would gladly share them with you.

1. In a clean and dry mason jar, place the salad dressing first followed by the heaviest veggies such as carrots, beans, etc.

2. Continue to add the remaining vegetables. The lightest should be on the top. Make sure the lettuce does not touch the dressing so that it will not be mushy.

3. Fill the jar with the salad until top, the less air pocket the better.

4. Close the lid tightly and place in the fridge.

There you have it! You can grab one salad jar anytime, bring it as a packed lunch or a healthy picnic treat.

Happy healthy eating!

Jane

Chicken and Pork Vermicelli

Chicken and Pork Vermicelli is a healthy and hearty dish which is rich in nutrients and history. It originated from China and is adapted to suit the Filipino palate. It is believed to bring long life (noodles are not cut prior to cooking) and is served at birthdays and special occasions. Though not necessarily a believer of that, we love this dish very much.

Ingredients:
1/4 kg sotanghon (glass noodles)
1 onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1/4 kg lean pork, diced
1/4 kg chicken breast, sliced
1 carrot, sliced thinly
100 g string beans, sliced diagonally
6 pcs shiitake mushroom, sliced
3 cups water
2 chicken stock cubes
2 tbsp soy sauce to taste
spring onions for garnish
fried shallots for garnish
vegetable oil for sautéing

Procedure:
1. In a bowl of hot water, soak the vermicelli for about 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a wok, sauté the onions and garlic in oil. Add the pork and chicken and cook until tender.
3. Add in the vegetables and stir-fry until half-cooked.
4. Pour water and drop in the stock cubes. Let it simmer. Drain the vegetables and meat from the soup mixture and set aside.
5. While the soup is simmering, drain the vermicelli from the water and transfer it onto the simmering mixture. Season with soy sauce.
6. Stir continuously over low heat until the liquid is almost absorbed by the noodles or until cooked. Add half of the drained vegetables and meat and mix well.
7. Serve in a platter, top with the remaining half of the vegetable-meat mix and garnish as desired.

Cheers,
Jane

Carrot Ribbons and Broccoli

The year is young and the time is perfect to start making healthy choices. I believe we must be intentional if we really decide to follow a healthier lifestyle, and it all starts with our grocery list. Because the food we buy are the foods that we will prepare, cook and eat. So, we are trying our best to fill our fridge with fresh fruits and green, leafy vegetables, avoid foods that are sweet, salty and oily, and to cut down on our intake of the Asian favorite, rice.

Today, I will share with you a simple side dish which you can pair with chicken pallard or a grilled fish fillet. Here it goes.

Ingredients:

2 carrots (peeled and sliced)

1 broccoli

1/2 cup green peas

Olive oil for frying

1 tbsp butter (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Slice the carrots using a peeler to create ribbons (as in the photo above). Cut the broccoli into big bite-size pieces.

2. In a skillet, heat the butter until melted and add the olive oil.

3. Sauté all the veggies until almost done. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Happy eating!

Jane

Cheesy Beef and Mushroom

Although my daughter Ashrie is not a beef fan, my husband loves beef dishes. Here’s an easy beef and mushroom recipe with a twist. I added cheese for a creamier and tastier dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg sliced beef

1 small pack of snow peas

1 pack fresh mushroom

1 small can of all-purpose cream

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

2 tbsp oyster sauce

150 g cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

cooking oil for sautéing

Procedure:

1. Heat the cooking oil in a skillet and sauté garlic and onion.

2. Add the sliced beef and fry until golden brown.

3. Add in the mushrooms. Stir in the oyster sauce.

4. Pour in the all-purpose cream and let it simmer.

5. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Top with grated cheese.

Serve warm with steamed white rice.

Enjoy!

Jane

Mixed Vegetables in Cream Sauce

I always have a pack or two of frozen mixed vegetables in the fridge. It’s an easy add-on for several quick dishes and a great side dish for steaks or even fried chicken, hotdogs and sausages. Speaking of sausages, here is a breakfast suggestion using mixed veggies, sausages and egg.

Ingredients:

6 pcs Japanese chicken sausages, sliced diagonally

1 pack of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, and peas)

1 hardboiled egg (optional)

1 cup all-purpose cream

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for sautéing

Procedure:

1. Sauté onions and garlic in a skillet of hot oil.

2. In the same pan, fry the sausages then stir in the mixed vegetables.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the all-purpose cream. Let it simmer until the veggies are half done.

5. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the eggs for garnish.

Serve warm with hot steamed rice. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Jane

Fish Ball and Prawn Medley

I prepared this for dinner yesterday because Ashrie loves fish balls. Whenever we buy “deep-fried delights” from Old Chang Kee, she would definitely request for fish balls. So, that is my inspiration for this Jane’s Kitchen original. I added prawn and vegetables to make this dish even more flavorful and nutritious! Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

15 pcs fish balls

12 pieces prawn, deveined; (heads and shells set aside)

1 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas and corn)

1 medium-sized onion

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Cooking oil for sautéing

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. With a mortar and pestle, pound the prawn heads and shells to extract the juice. Using a strainer, pour the extracted juice into a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a skillet with hot cooking oil, sauté garlic and onions. In the same pan, fry the fish balls.

3. Stir in the mixed vegetables.

4. Add the oyster sauce and the extracted juice from the prawns.

5. Add the prawns. Simmer for about two minutes and turn off heat.

6. Serve with steamed white rice.

 

Happy cooking,

Jane

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Pork Nilaga

Nilaga literally translates to “boiled” in Tagalog. It’s a very simple stew of pork, and some vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper. Nevertheless, it is packed with a savoury soup. To further enhance the flavor of this dish, we usually eat it with a condiment of fish sauce and calamansi. Folks, here is my recipe for a Filipino classic, Pork Nilaga.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork ribs

1 bunch green beans

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes

2 corn, cut in about 2” slices

1/2 cabbage, sliced into three

Whole pepper corns

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Boil the pork ribs in a saucepan of about five cups of water. Add a pinch of salt, and a few peppercorns, and the sliced onions. Let it simmer until pork is tender.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and corn.

3. Once the first batch of vegetables are cooked, add the green beans and cabbage. Let it simmer a bit and then turn off heat.

Serve hot with white rice.

Cheers,

Jane

Ginisang Mais

Here’s a recipe, actually one of my favorite dishes of all time. It’s healthy, packed with rich flavor, and most of all, delicious!

Ingredients:

4 pcs fresh corn, removed from cob

6 pcs string beans

1 cup pork, sliced into small pieces

1/4 slice medium sized pumpkin, cubed

1 onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp shrimp paste

1 tbsp oyster sauce

salt to taste

cooking oil for sautéing

Procedure:

1. Pour cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Fry the pork until golden brown. Set aside in the wok.

2. Sauté the onions and garlic. Add the shrimp paste.

3. Add the corn. Simmer until corn is almost ready.

4. Add in the pumpkin and string beans. Bring to a boil and reduced heat when the veggies are almost cooked.

5. Season with oyster sauce and salt to taste.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cheers,

Jane

Lumpiang Sariwa

Lumpiang Sariwa or Fresh Spring Rolls is a light, healthy, and summery dish that you can prepare. It involves a savoury ensemble of sautéed vegetables in a spring roll wrapper and then smothered with a thick and creamy peanut-based sauce. For pizzaz, some people like it topped with a bit of crushed garlic and vinegar, but we skipped that for this recipe. Hope you will like it.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork, cut into small pieces

1 large turnip, cut into strips

1 large sweet potato, cut into strips

2 pcs medium size carrots, cut into strips

1 bunch green beans, cut into strips

2 pcs tofu, cut into small cubes

1 garlic, minced

1 large onion, minced

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking oil for sautéing

For the sauce:

1/3 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Procedure:

1. In a wok with about a cup of water, let the pork simmer for a few minutes until it’s tender. Save the broth and set the cooked meat aside.

2. In the same wok, sauté garlic and onions in oil. Add in the tofu, followed by the pork. Pour in the broth. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Add in the vegetables. Season with oyster sauce. Simmer until vegetables (especially the sweet potatoes) are cooked.

4. Remove from heat and drain the broth.

5. Wrap about 2 to 3 tablespoonfuls in spring roll wrappers.

For the sauce:  In a small saucepan, simply mixed the water, flour and soy sauce and sugar over medium heat. Add the peanuts and bring to a boil.

Share and enjoy!

Cheers,

Jane

Fish Sarciado

In the Philippines, the fishes commonly used for Fish Sarciado are Dalagang Bukid, Tilapia, or Galunggong. There are two ways to prepare this, either you pour the sauce on the fried fish (this will give you a crispier fish), or put the fried fish on the sauce while it is being cooked (the fish will absorb more flavor from the sauce). It’s just a matter of preference.

For this recipe, I used Tilapia and the second procedure.

Ingredients:
2 large tilapia; gutted, descaled and rubbed with salt
5 large tomatoes, diced
3 fresh eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Fry the tilapia in cooking oil until golden brown. Once done, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
2. In the same skillet, reduced the cooking oil and then sauté the garlic and onions.
3. Put in the sliced tomatoes, then add the oyster sauce.
4. Pour in the beaten eggs. Stir constantly to avoid lumps.
5. Put the fried tilapia on the sauce mixture and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Serve it hot with steamed rice!

Cheers,
Jane

Pinakbet

The basic ingredients of this dish are local vegetables and shrimp paste, so even when one veggie is missing or you either use meat or seafood, you will still have that “pinakbet” vibe. It is very Filipino, from the manner of cooking to the ingredients employed. Usually it involves squash, eggplant, lady fingers (okra), and bitter gourd to say the least. But even having only half of the vegetables required, I decided to prepare Pinakbet the other day. And here is the result.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo pork, sliced into small bite size pieces
4 to 6 pieces prawn
1 large egg plant, sliced
6 to 8 pieces okra
1 piece onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp shrimp paste
1 cup water
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. In a skillet, fry the pork until golden brown. In the same pan, sauté the garlic and onion.
2. Add the shrimp paste and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
3. Check pork if tender then add the vegetables and prawns. Let it simmer.

Serve hot with rice.

Cheers,
Jane