Food Friday

This week's Featured Food Friday player is ...

Ms. Czjai, with her post: Kalbi Taco, on her blog The Rebel Sweetheart.

It has been ages since I last had taco ... not because I don't like them, but because there seems to be something else in the menu that catches my attention. This kalbi taco shot looks real tempting and makes me want to make my own! Click on the shot above and see how you can make yours!

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This week's post is inspired by an instagram post (which she also shared here with us, two Food Friday weeks ago) by Teacher Julie, her Banana and Egg Pancakes. I was intrigued with the way she incorporated plantain into her pancake, and I know I just had to make mine, too. I did some modifications on my pancake, though, that's why am calling it Banana, Oats, and Cinnamon Pancake. Or maybe you can call it "Whatever-Is-Available Pancake", since I just used whatever I had at that moment. I had to buy the bananas, though. :P

Ingredients

• 4 bananas (i used ripe saba bananas)
• 2 teaspoonfuls honey
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt

Procedure

• Combine everything.
• Heat a pan and add a bit of oil. Put a tablespoon (or whatever is convenient for you) of the mixture into the hot pan. I chose to put a lid over mine and steam it at the same time - found out it cooks faster this way which lessens the time the other side touches the pan (and prevents burning).
• Warm, room temperature, or straight from the refrigerator, I liked it!

I actually cooked this as my brunch a couple of days ago. I wasn't able to eat everything all at once so the rest went to the refrigerator. Eating this reminds me of "nilupak na saba" (mashed unripe saba bananas with the meat of a young coconut), which my yaya used to make. I actually ate the rest as the day progressed, and every time I passed by the refrigerator, though. lol. Yes, it was gone before the day was done. :P

Appreciate much your taking the time to share and link your food posts here at Food Friday! :)
Please don't forget to add a link back to this site (you can get the buttons here; deciding to use text instead of buttons is fine also) to be able to add your posts below. Many thanks and hope everyone is going to have a great time this weekend!

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Food Friday

This week's Featured Food Friday player is ...

Mr. Nicholas with his post Easy Fruit Loaf, on his site: Intelliblog.

The recipe for this Fruit Loaf seems easy enough for someone like me who barely dabbles with baking. I would love to give this a try! Want to know how Mr. Nick made this? Click on the shot above!

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Last weekend we went to one of those weekend markets ... just to buy shrimps! Well, that was the main objective but of course when we got there I couldn't help but buy a bit of this and a bit of that. lol. It was raining when we got there, but still there was a bit of a crowd. The majority of the shrimp was cooked the way my youngest (and hubby) liked it (previous post) while around one-fourth was made into this: Shrimps and Long Beans in Coconut Milk.

Ingredients

• shrimp (cut the sharp rostrum tip and pull out the antennule)
• long beans (i happened to chance upon some gorgeous ones at the weekend market; cut into 1.5" sizes)
• wansoy/cilantro (as much or as little as you like)
• coconut milk (fresh or in powder form..whatever you have available)
• chili (i used two)
• ginger, onion, and garlic (all diced)
• salt, pepper, fish sauce, canola oil

some of the ingredients used

Procedure

• Put cooking oil on to a hot pot, then saute the diced ginger, onion, and garlic. Don't burn, please. It wouldn't taste nice (based on experience, lol).
• Add the shrimps and mix. Wait until the shrimp turns slightly orangey then add coconut milk. 
• Once it starts to simmer, add the long beans, chili, cilantro (leave some for garnish), salt, and pepper. Mix.
• Simmer some more until the long beans gets cooked (around 5 minutes, in my case), stirring occasionally. Add a few drops of fish sauce (optional, but this does give it more flavour, in my opinion) together with the remaining chopped cilantro, once done.
• Transfer to a serving plate. Delicious served hot.

I first tasted something similar back while I was in college (eons ago!lol), while dropping in on a friend. I really liked it, but haven't thought of cooking it myself (until now). This dish just brings back sooo many memories.

I liked biting into some of those ginger bits; I know, some might not like that. lol. So, you may opt not to dice your ginger into tiny bits but slice them big instead (you can avoid them that way). The dish actually tasted much better the next day since the flavours have all fused together (including the spicy chili!). I reheated it via a steamer. I tell you, I ate loads of rice the next day! :P

Appreciate much your taking the time to share and link your food posts here at Food Friday! :)
Please don't forget to add a link back to this site (you can get the buttons here; deciding to use text instead of buttons is fine also) to be able to add your posts below. Many thanks and hope everyone is going to have a great time this weekend!

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I have been reading so much about green smoothies, and it has really made me curious. I mean, it must be real healthy, right? Well, depends largely on the ingredients, of course. I read that spinach is usually the green ingredient of choice...

Just downloaded this free ebook ... let's see if this smoothie requires loads of spinach, too!

Food Friday

This week's Featured Food Friday player is ...

Chef Erwin, with his post Sliced Cold Beef in Chili Oil, on his blog: lamonsakusina.

I just love this recipe since you get to use the broth in another dish, too! But, am getting way ahead of you ... I highly encourage you to click on the shot above and see what I am talking about! :)

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This was the first time that I have seen frozen spinach (lol, yeah so true!) in the frozen section of the grocery, so I just know I had to grab a pack (they were all in 500g packs). Initially I had no idea what to do with it, so it sat in the freezer for about a week. Then while watching Rachel Ray on tv, I saw her adding raw chopped spinach to her mashed potatoes! She used fresh, while I had frozen. Still, I liked the idea. And .... here it is! I did some modifications, though. But I did get the idea from her. :)

This week's post is Mashed Potatoes with Spinach.

Ingredients

• Potatoes (I used 3 medium sized ones)
• Chopped spinach (around 125g, raw and frozen)
• butter, cheese, pepper, salt, nutmeg (ground)

Procedure

• Boil the potatoes (I chose to peel then boil mine together with some beef bones; totally optional).
• Once cooked and tender, remove then place in bowl big enough for mashing together with the other ingredients.
• While still hot, put the raw (and slightly thawed) chopped spinach in, then mash and mix. Add the butter (as much or as little as you like), cheese (I was trying to consume the cheese spread, so I used that; about five little squares of different flavors), salt and pepper, then just a sprinkling of ground nutmeg. Adjust seasonings to your liking.
• Delicious while still hot, or at room temperature.

I tell you, we all loved it! Though I think the spinach could have been chopped smaller. It was cheesy, which was perfect with the roasted chicken that we had. But I think this would be great with any dish! I even loved eating it as is...yes. Honestly.

Appreciate much your taking the time to share and link your food posts here at Food Friday! :)
Please don't forget to add a link back to this site (you can get the buttons here; deciding to use text instead of buttons is fine also) to be able to add your posts below. Many thanks and hope everyone is going to have a great time this weekend!

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My latest download ... nope, am not in a diet or anything. I just want to know and eat what's healthy (unfortunately, that doesn't mean inexpensive, either). Good thing this book is free! :)

Food Friday

This weeks's Food Friday Featured Player is ...

Ms. Jenn, with her post Kebabers (SM Fairview), on her blog: Tara, Let's Eat!

I love going on food adventures, and that is just what Ms. Jenn and her sister did on the post above. Want to know what she ordered for herself that day? Then I suggest you go and visit her post! :)

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My post for this week: Cheesy Squash-Macaroni Soup.

Ingredients

• squash (cut in any way you want; I sort of "diced" mine)
• macaroni 
• cheese (i used cheddar)
• ground pork (totally optional; you may use tofu instead or other protein source)
• milk (or cream)
• canola oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning

Procedure

• Saute onion and garlic then add ground pork, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Cook until brown and fat has been rendered. Remove fat if it is too much.
• Dump squash, mix a bit, then add water (or chicken/vegetable stock), macaroni and the Italian seasoning. Let it simmer until the squash gets soft, and the pasta is cooked. Mash some of the squash and add milk until you are satisfied with the creaminess. Add cheese.
• Adjust taste to your liking. Add some more cheese.
• Enjoy while still hot.

Am not sure if that milk and oats did anything different to the dish, but my eldest son said that it did. Maybe his taste is more sensitive than mine, lol. But this is one way of getting my youngest to "drink" his milk since he's not that fond of milk anymore. Good thing he likes yogurt! :)

All in all, a lovely afternoon snack for the three of us ... while watching cartoons on tv.

Appreciate much your taking the time to share and link your food posts here at Food Friday! :)
Please don't forget to add a link back to this site (you can get the buttons here; deciding to use text instead of buttons is fine also) to be able to add your posts below. Many thanks and hope everyone is going to have a great time this weekend!

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Never Too Early

I love seeing natural things incorporated into our daily lives and so I was completely taken when I saw one of the best burlap favor bags ever at a friend's anniversary party. It was elegant and rustic at the same time. I don't know how and where she got the idea, but am totally considering it as a Christmas gift "wrapper"!

Buying (or making) Christmas gifts for friends and family is never too early. For me, anyway. :P