Recipe series #2

These are some recipes/experiments I've recently passed on to my best friends. A couple of them have tried too and it's confirmed--the recipes are do-able and fool proof:) hhahahaha. I'm basically doing a copy-and-paste from emails, so hope you understand the recipe narratives for some instead of the usual standard recipes. hahaha

Sorry no pics this time!

BANANA BREAD (this has been in my notebook and I don't know where I got it)

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (the original recipe called for 1 cup white sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla (I use McCormick pure vanilla extract)
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cup flour

1. mix melted butter into mashed bananas.
2. add sugar, egg, and vanilla. mix until well blended.
3. sprinkle baking soda, salt
4. add flour and mix (I just used a fork for all of this!!! no need for mixer!)

Pour into loaf pan (fill pan about 3/4 because it will rise) or muffin pans. Bake for 1 hour (or until golden brown) at 350F. If you bake in smaller portions (like if you cook in multiple smaller loaf tins), then definitely it will take less time to bake. Use the toothpick test to see if it is cooked. Insert toothpick at thickest part of bread and it should come out clean. John's fave way to eat this is with coffee and vanilla ice cream--especially when it is right out of the oven.

OVEN BAKED CHICKEN (tossed this together for dinner one day. It ended up tasting a bit like lechon manok! Sana I had some Mang Tomas!)

I thawed some chicken thighs and drumsticks. While in the ziploc, I added some soy sauce and orange juice (siguro 1:1. Nadine didn't have orange juice so she used pineapple juice. She said it tasted good rin). I let that marinate while I was thawing. When it was ok na, I emptied the chicken and marinade into the bowl and rubbed some steak seasoning and black pepper on it. I wrapped each one individually in foil (parang yung pagbalot kung sandwich)--give a bit of room for the juices. Then I threw it on a baking pan, 400F, 45 minutes. The foil kept it moist. Plus since may konting fat, parang na fry/bake sya in its own juice kaya sarap! If you like the skin a bit crunchy, open the foil the last 15 minutes and then broil for last 2 minutes (Gladys tried this and it was good).


HONEY MUSTARD COLESLAW (got tired of making the mayo-based coleslaw, so I tossed this together instead)

Mix the following ingredients:
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp mustard
3-4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (eyeball this depending on how sharp you want it)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 dashes celery salt
salt and pepper to taste (freshly cracked black pepper is best)

Toss dressing with 1/2 fresh cabbage, thinly sliced into strips and about 2 Tbsp of raisins.


THAI-ish CHICKEN WRAP/SALAD [wala akong maisip na name eh]

Ingredients:
1 cup pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts strips
1/4 onion, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil/low cal butter, etc
sesame seeds (optional--kakikayan ko lang to)
salt & pepper to taste

flatbread wraps (or any type of wrap pwede) and/or
salad greens (today we used the Mediterranean blend. I think any lettuce/spinach blend will do)
mandarin oranges (depends how much you like it)

Dressing: (some left over so you may want to cut recipe in half)
1/2 cup A-1 steak sauce
2 tsp peanut butter (any kind will do--you may want to adjust this depending on how crunchy, creamy, etc your peanut butter is)
1 Tbsp honey (can probably use brown sugar--may also want to lessen this depending on taste. I suggest add 1 tsp at a time)
1 tsp tabasco (adjust according to taste)
chili flakes (optional--for extra umph)
3 dashes powdered ginger
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp sesame oil

Procedure
Sauce: basically mix all ingredients and adjust taste.

Filling: Saute chicken and onion in oil/butter (or heat in 2 tbsp of water if you don't want oil). Season with salt and pepper. Toss in about 2 tsp of sauce. Set aside.

Assembly (may be served as a salad or a filling for a wrap):
On a bed of lettuce/salad greens, add mandarin oranges, and top with chicken. Serve with dressing on the side. Labas nya parang asian style chicken fajita. hehehe

In fairness masarap sya...the spicier the better! hehehe. Siempre experiment lang to, I modified a recipe I saw. hehehehe. I wrote naman the changes I made, but yung iba, depende na sa taste. so make sure you taste along the way!

If you modify, tell me what you do, hokey?


MOCK PEKING (thanks to my buddy Dawn for the original recipe. I've modified a bit since then, but she's the one who introduced this to me.)

2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 chicken breast fillets, minced/ground
1/2 lb ground lean pork (if ground pork is not lean, decrease olive oil or render/drain fat)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 cup carrots, minced
1/2 cup shiitake, minced
1/2 turnip, minced (if you don't have any, you can use about 1 cup water chestnuts, minced)
2 Tbsp soy sauce (adjust as needed)
3Tbsp Hoisin sauce
Iceberg or romaine lettuce cups

1. Saute turnips in 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil until semi-dry and crunchy. set aside.
2. Saute onions, garlic, pork, and chicken in remaining olive oil.
3. When meat is brown, add back turnips, and other ingredients (except hoisin sauce)
4. Season with soy sauce, ground pepper, and 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until meat is fully cooked. If meat is too dry, try to add a bit of water--like a Tbsp at a time. Adjust seasoning to desired flavor. Set aside.
5. For sauce, mix remaining hoisin sauce, 2Tbsp water, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and sesame oil.

To serve: scoop filling (about 1 Tbsp or more if you want) onto lettuce leaf. Top with sauce.


PESTO (John's bandmates' ultimate favorite request...hahaha)

Throw the following into a blender (or if you have a magic bullet, that's even better):
-2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves--if you go to the produce section in WalMart, this is roughly equivalent to one pack of the fresh basil)
-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (or substitute walnuts, cashew, or peanuts)
-2 cloves garlic crushed (or more. depends on how strong you want the kick)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/3 cup grated parmesan

This serves 4 so adjust accordingly:) Also, sometimes I like to finish it off with a bit of heavy cream after I've tossed the pesto with the pasta (personal choice is angel hair, wheat if you can find it).

If you have extra pesto sauce, you can save it and use on toasted bread as a side to your traditional red or white sauce pasta. You can also toss some grilled chicken breast cubes in a bit of the sauce and serve over green salad.

You can keep the sauce in the ref in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week. If you don't think you'll use it that fast, freeze it. It will last up to 1 month.

Ok, that should keep you busy for a while:) Next time I cook something yummy, I have to remember to take a photo. hahaha

happy cooking!