HEALTHY LIVING

I was asked to contribute some recipes for a magazine publication some time ago and they requested for some healthy and low fat dishes. I gladly obliged and came up with two recipes. Here's one that's easy to make even for a weekday meal. Hope you get to try making this soon.

Seared Chicken Breast with Garlic and Caper Sauce Served with Couscous Salad

 Ingredients:

1            piece                                chicken breast

1/8            t.                                    salt

1/8            t.                                    pepper

Flour                                               for dusting

1            T.                                      butter           

1            T.                                      olive oil

2            cloves                        garlic minced

2            t.                                        capers               roughly chopped

1/4         c.                                       white wine or chicken stock

2            T.                                      parsley                chopped

Salt and pepper                                to taste

Directions:

1.   1.   Place chicken breast in between 2 plastic films and pound until1/4 inch thick all around.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour and set aside.

2.   2. In a non-stick sauté pan, heat butter and olive oil on medium high heat.  Add the chicken breast and sear the chicken for about 2 minutes per side turning the chicken only once.  Remove from pan when cooked and set aside.

3.   3. Add another T. of oil if necessary.  Saute garlic until fragrant, then add the capers and then the wine.  Allow to simmer for 30 seconds.

4.   4. Add back the chicken and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes.  Then sprinkle parsley over.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.   5. Place on a plate with couscous salad.

Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup                       couscous

1/2            cup                      chicken stock                        boiling

2               T.                        parsley                                  chopped

1               T.                        basil           

1               T.                        mint

1               pc                       lemon                                    juice

Rind of lemon

1               t.                         salt

1/4            t.                         pepper

2              T.                         extra virgin olive oil

1/4            c.                        Tomatoes                               cubed

1/4            c.                        cucumber                               cubed

2               T.                        kalamata olives                      pitted and sliced

Directions:

1.   1.  Place the couscous in a medium sized bowl.

2.   2.  Pour the boiling chicken stock over the couscous. Slightly mix with a fork then cover with a plastic film or plate and allow to cook for 15-20 mnutes.

3.   3.  Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous using a fork.  Allow to cool for 10 mintues.

4.   4.  Then in a separate bowl, combine the lemon, rind, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix until well blended.

5.   5.  Pour over the couscous then toss together with the herbs – parsley, basil and mint, and the vegetable – tomatoes, cucumber and olives.

 

 

THE FLAVORED CUP

Everyone is invited to the book launch of....

THE FLAVORED CUP ... these are 20 delightful recipes specially concocted for the coffee lover. 

Come join us on September 6, 2008 at 3 p.m. at Powerbooks Greenbelt.  See you all there!

Everyone is invited to the launch of my book... The flavored Cup. This will be on the 6th of September, at 3:00 p.pm at Powerbooks Greenbelt in Makati. We will have a brief demonstration on the introduction to coffee and sample some recipes from the book. Hope to see everyone there!

VIGAN ROAD TRIP

I received wedding invitation from a friend about a month ago and the venue was in Vigan. I had second thoughts whether to go or not because it was too far but my friend Val said that taking a road trip should be fun. So a few days ago, we packed our bags and left early in the morning and drove up there. We left Manila at 4:30 a.m. to avoid traffic and brought a basket filled with goodies to get us by while on the road. In our basket, we had freshly baked raisin scones, assorted cookies, couscous salad, grilled shrimp on skewers with mango salsa, yoghurt, a bag of cheetos and tortilla chips. for our drinks, we brought mineral water and some home made hot chocolate. We snacked on the scones and hot chocolate along the way and we got to Vigan by noon time.

We drove furtherdown to a place called Cabugao Beach Resort. Our first lunch was a variety of their special dishes such as Vigan longganisa, Puki-puki which is chopped up grilled eggplant, sauteed with eggs, tomatoes and onions, Bagnet - the famous deadly fried crispy pork, and Pinakbet - sauteed vegetables in shrimp paste.

We headed back to Vigan and checked in at Vigan Heritage Hotel which was right by Calle Crisologo. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the streets in slippers, a rain jacket and an umbrella. Here are some pictures from the old streets of Vigan.

Then as the sun set, we walked toward the stalls selling the empanadas. This is a must have when in Vigan. These deep fried treats are made of rice flour dough, filled with shredded papaya, longganisa and egg. They are deadly but they're worth a try.

Our day ended perfectly with a massage at La Mirada, a nearby spa. It was so relaxing that we forgot that there was a pre-wedding dinner hosted by the groom...ooops!

Bailey's Chocolate Pie

Tonight my cousin Marc and his girlfriend Evita are coming over for dinner. I made the menu this afternoon. I was thinking of doing something Italian but Marc was in the mood for something Asian. So the menu goes like this... Soup is clear soup with tofu, vermicelli noodles and cilantro, roasted chicken curry with lychees, garlic chili crabs and spicy kangkong. I also made pandan juice to match my menu. For dessert, I'm making them try my Bailey's Chocolate Pie. It's a whipped dark chocolate ganache spiked with Bailey's liquor on an Oreo crumb crust and decorated with a silky mocha flavored whipped cream. It was an experiment made in the commissary yesterday. I wasn't so happy about the Irish Cream Cake I made a few weeks ago. So, this is going to be my last minute Father's Day Cake to be out on display in the stores beginning Friday. I still don't know how much it will cost but I'll find find that out tomorrow. More stories to come tomorrow. My guests are arriving soon.