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Farmer’s Market Day – Historic Park @ the Irvine Ranch

| Doyd

We are very lucky to have a number of local farmer’s market around where we live.  Going to a farmer’s market makes me remember memories of going to the wet/dry markets of Manila with my parents when I was young.  The picture below was taken during our last vacation in 2009 at a wet market in Pasay City, Manila.

This place is called “Dampa Seafood Market.”  It is located alongside rows of restaurants that cooks the freshest seafoods (according to how one wants it cooked) purchased at stalls like the one in the photo below.  This is another story I will explore on our next visit to Manila (this year) and will definitely share to all my readers 🙂


It was a beautiful morning today so I decided to bring my daughters to the Farmer’s Market located behind the Katie Wheeler Library in Irvine.  This particular farmer’s market is open on Tuesdays only from 9AM to 1PM.  I’ve been going to this place for many years now.  It’s only a small group of local sellers but every time I go there, I get to buy everything that I need.

The best inspiration to a good meal are fresh organic ingredients readily available and affordable.

Fond memories are created each time I bring my children to this place.  When they grow up, they will always remember the happy times we shared going to farmer’s markets and the library 🙂

Related Articles:

Orange County Farmer’s Markets Information

Katie Wheeler Library – Great library for the family!  I’ve been bringing my children here since it opened in 2008.  This library shows a great history of the Irvine family.  I specially love the Children’s department at the library where I can relax and read books with my daughters.

My new Japanese Nakiri-bocho (菜切り包丁) vegetable knife

| Doyd

To me, what’s  more important when cooking are not just the ingredients nor the pots but the knives I use to carefully and craftily carve, chop, slice, dice, mince and cut my fresh ingredients.  I’ve been wanting to have one of these traditional Japanese vegetable knife to partner with my ceramic santoku but I couldn’t find one at the local stores except online.  I wanted to hold and feel the knife before purchasing it because it’s critical for me to hold and feel the grip and weight of the knife before I actually use it in my kitchen.

One can read more about the history of this oldest kitchen knife from Japan from lots of resources online.  I have compiled a couple of sites I have visited myself and I am truly awed by the beauty of this hand-crafted tool. Precision is the key…. I love my Santoku and my new Nakiri-Bocho knives 🙂

Someday, I want to have my own authentic hand-crafted Japanese forged knives straight from Japan.

Related Articles:

Purchase Nakiri-Bocho here

Nakiri-bocho on Wikipedia

 

 

 

Looking-glass River

| Doyd

Break from cooking…

This song was played by my daughter during her nightly piano practice. It’s a joy listening to how well she has developed her skills over the years.

I hope you enjoy this simple song as much as I did.

Massaman Tofu Curry with eggplants and mushroom (แกงมัสมั่น)

| Doyd

Enjoying the rich flavor of curry is like diving into the enticing food culture of the East. The depth of flavor, the goodness of the combination of different spices and the bright color is simply appetizing.

I used to not like curry at all.  I didn’t like the boring flavor I get from the kind I ate when I was young because I only knew one kind of curry then and it wasn’t the kind of curry I now know of.  I’ve tasted chicken curry of many sorts but by the looks of it, it was as simple as adding instant curry powder to cut-up chicken, mixing coconut milk, potatoes, carrots and a few other variety of extenders.

This recipe I am sharing was inspired by my brother who loves to create his own vegan cuisine in his healthy kitchen.  He always gives me ideas on how to cook vegetarian dishes.  This version is a twist of my own taste and choice of ingredients.

I hope you like it!

Ingredients:

  • Block of firm organic tofu, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 270 ml. of Light coconut cream
  • 3 pcs. Indian eggplant, washed and sliced in chunks
  • 2 tbsp. Massaman curry paste
  • 1 Zucchini, washed and sliced half-moon
  • 1 can Black beans, washed and drained
  • 1 Shallots
  • 1 bunch Spinach with stems, washed and drained
  • 1 cup Mushrooms, sliced in half
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

In a shallow pan, heat olive oil on medium high then sauté the curry paste and shallots.  Add the tofu, mushrooms and zucchini and continue cooking for a minute or two.  Stir in the coconut cream then add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water (depending on consistency desired).  Cover the pan and cook until the veggies are almost cooked.  Add the eggplants, spinach and beans then season with salt and pepper.  Close the lid and let everything cook according to how you want it done.

 

Basa Fish Fillet cooked in Lemon sauce

| Doyd

Something smells fishy and savory…

I love fish.  Don’t you?

Instead of eating red meat or poultry, I’d rather eat seafood.  I enjoy the light flavor and the variety of dishes I can make out of the many kind of seafood in the market.

I grew up eating fish because my Dad loves to eat fish.  Growing up, I remember going to the “Palengke” or wet market.  Fresh caught fish, shellfish, octopus, crustaceans and even sea cucumbers and sea urchins can be bought.  It’s simply a delight learning easy fish recipes but what makes me extra happy about this particular recipe is that my family gave me a high score on this 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 3 pcs. Basa fish fillet
  • 3 tbsp. Capers, washed and drained
  • 1 Lemon
  • Ginger, julienned
  • Shallots. thinly sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Cut the Basa fish fillet into bite sizes.  Cut the lemon in half.  Juice half of the lemon while slicing the other half into very thin round slices.

Into a non-stick pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Saute the ginger and shallots until fragrant.  Add the fish, some salt and pepper, the capers and the sliced lemon.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat.  Add in the lemon juice and drizzle with some more olive oil.  Cover the pan and cook for another minute.

Very easy!!!!

Low-Calorie Dukbokki 떡볶이

| Doyd

Low-carb, low sodium, sugar-free, low fat, low-calorie, all the lows and frees in the world.  But nothing beats eating your favorite Korean spicy rice cake (Dukbokki).  The original recipe calls for Korean rice cakes made of glutinous rice flour.  For people who are on a low-carbohydrate, low-sugar diet, each bite of Dukbokki seem sinful but really, it’s not.  I’ve searched online that Dukbokki is naturally low in calorie if eaten in moderation.  However, for people like my husband, a small bowl is not enough 🙂

Inspired to cook a guiltless version of spicy rice cake for my husband, I created this recipe and because it does not use the original ingredients, do not expect the texture to be the same.  The best thing about it is it taste as great as my original Dukbokki.

My key ingredient is Konnyaku.  I first used this type of ingredient when I made sukiyaki, another family favorite.  I use a similar type of ingredient called Shirataki noodles.  Both are very low carbohydrate and very low calorie.  To learn more about these ingredients, please read related articles below this post.  One thing for sure, konyakku is guilt-free and it helps normalize blood sugar levels.  One of my favorite vegan substitute for meat.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pack of Japanese Konnyaku, thinly sliced according to your liking
  • 4 cups Water
  • 10-12 pcs. Large korean anchovies, head and innards removed
  • 3-4 pcs. Flat fish cake sheets, sliced diagonally
  • 1/4 cup Chopped red bell pepper
  • 3-6 tbsp. Hot pepper paste
  • Sliced green onions
  • 1-2 tbsp. Sweet rice flour
  • 1 tbsp. sugar substitute (stevia or splenda)
  • Sesame oil

Boil the water and dried anchovies in a shallow pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the anchovies (i leave a few pieces for texture) then add  the konnyaku, hot pepper paste and sugar substitute.

Add fish cake, red bell pepper and green onions.  Make sure to mix the sweet rice flour in cold water before adding to the pan.  Cook until the spicy sauce thickens according to liking.  Finally, add sesame oil.

Great eaten when freshly cooked!

I hope to hear from readers who will try this recipe.  It’s super easy and satisfying.

Related articles:

Konnyaku

My original Dukbokki

Maangchi‘s Dukbokki recipe

Kale Stir-Fry

| Doyd

I first learned about Kale when I was reading recipes for baby food back in 2004 when our eldest daughter was still a baby.  It was intimidating at first because I never used or tasted this type of vegetable which was not available at the local markets when I was growing up in Manila.  That’s why in my many years of learning to cook, I barely had any interest with Kale.

Making baby food out of Kale was challenging.  At first, we thought the kids will not like it but actually, they did!  They really did and it was their favorite homemade baby food and since our children like it so much, we should learn to eat it too.  This is the start of my Kale challenge:

Here’s an easy recipe that’s not only appealing to the taste, but also appetizing to the eyes.

Ingredients:

1 Block firm tofu

1 lb. Kale

1/2 Large eggplant (North American Variety)

1/4 cup Low sodium vegetable stock

Sliced garlic

Olive oil

Chili pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper

Heat olive oil on medium low heat.  Sauté garlic with a dash of salt until light brown and crispy.  Add chili pepper flakes.  Add a little more olive oil then cook the eggplant and tofu.  Stir in the vegetable stock then turn up the heat to medium high.  Lastly, add the kale and cook for a few minutes until cooked to desired texture.  Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Related Articles:

The Truth about Kale

The World’s Healthiest Foods dot ORG

 

Oat Bran Flax Banana Nut Muffin

Image | | Doyd

I first learned a similar recipe from my sister-in-law whom I consider to be the “best” when it comes to making creme brûlée.  I’ve made her version many times for years but after a while, I tried to change the ingredients according to what I have in my pantry, who will eat the muffins, what fruits are in season or simply depending on my mood.  Here’s one of my favorite that’s really easy to make:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Oat Bran
  • 1/4 cup Flaxseed Meal
  • 1 Tbsp Baking powder
  • 1/4 cup Raw sugar (or less if using sweetened dried fruits)
  • 2 Egg whites or 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • 1/4 cup Raw slivered almonds
  • 2 Ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
  • 1 1/4 cup Soy milk, unsweetened
  • 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
  • Baking milk chocolate chips (optional)
  • Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Start by putting in the dry ingredients into a large bowl.  That would be the Oat bran, flaxseed meal, sugar, baking powder and nuts.  Add the egg whites, olive oil, soy milk and bananas.  Mix together.

Spray your 12-piece muffin pan with olive oil spray then evenly distribute the muffin batter.  Top each muffin with raw almonds.  I put a few baking chocolate chips for my daughter’s muffin so she will enjoy this healthful muffin with a treat of sweetness from the chocolate chips.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Let is cool for a few minutes before removing each muffin from the pan.  Enjoy a minimum of 2 pieces per person for breakfast 🙂

This muffin is so easy to make, one can change the kind of nuts depending on what you like to use.  I also use other fresh fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, dates, and figs.  I also use dried or frozen fruits depending really on what I have in my kitchen.  In addition, if I am in the mood for a guilt-free muffin, I even use sugar substitute (i.e., Stevia or Splenda).  Create endless versions.  The important ingredient is to use oat bran.

Share your recipes, versions and photos to me…  Feel free to leave me a note!

Related Articles:

8 Week Cholesterol Cure

Oats

 

Vegetable Minestrone

| Doyd

I have this feeling that this Vegetable Minestrone will not be a sellout at home because my family is not into eating over-cooked veggies like the mixed greens I put in this soup. Let’s see what they have to say.

 

Anyway, it’s tough learning about cooking healthful options for our family’s menu but I am trying my best to change our eating habits. Hard as I thought, it was difficult to throw away almost all the processed food from our pantry but after slowly changing our supply with only the fresh, wholefood and necessary – I feel more challenged as the mother and the “cook”.

I am responsible for what my family eats. Eat healthy and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Brown onion, chopped
  • 1 Large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 4 Celery stalks, chopped
  • 5 Cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 Lb. of Swiss chard or Kale, coarsely chopped (I used mixed greens on this recipe)
  • 1 Medium Potato, peeled and cubed
  • 15 Ounces of canned diced tomatoes (unsalted)
  • 1 Fresh rosemary sprig
  • 1 Piece of parmesan cheese rind
  • 2 Cans (14-ounce) Low-sodium beef broth or vegetable broth
  • 1 Can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Can black whole olives, drained and roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp of chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt and Pepper

Heat the olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, carrots and celery. Saute until the onion is translucent. After a few minutes, add the potato and the greens. Saute for a few minutes then add the canned tomatoes and the rosemary. Simmer until the greens are wilted, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 1/2 of the beans with 1/4 cup of the beef or vegetable broth until smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining of the broth and the parmesan cheese rind into the pot of vegetable mixture. Simmer and stir occasionally, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the rest of the cannellini beans, olives and parsley. Simmer until the beans and olives are heated through. Season with salt and pepper, according to taste.

Jade’s score: 9.8 (out of 10) 🙂