One egg-white for dessert!

Lunch for me is usually just vegetables and rice. If the veggies are not enough, or if I'm really hungry I stir-fry the rice in corn oil, with sauteed garlic and onions. Then I mix in an egg-yolk until its cooked. I avoid eating a whole egg since I always feel so full after the meal.
This time I thought of cooking the egg-white. Adding sugar to it, and a drop of vanilla essence is the simplest way of turning it into a dessert. But here's the trick - the egg-white has to be beaten. Manually with a fork, of course! You don't need power tools to do this. Besides, there's not much to clean up after enjoying your dessert ;)
After beating the egg-white stiff, add about 2 tsp. sugar, continue beating, then add a drop or two of vanilla essence. Pour the beaten mixture in a baking pan, and bake until just about cooked and browned on top. I just baked it in a toaster oven for a few minutes. Here is the finished product and its called a meringue. Maybe next time I'll add some cream of tartar to improve texture. Thought it probably won't make much difference if I'm making it for myself to be eaten at once ;)

P.S. I had to crop the photo since it looked like a gross sculpture :p

Make it at home - Kani Salad

I had Kani Salad at Omakase restaurant one time, and really liked it. I couldn't recreate the dish as well, since their ingredients come from Japan, and their presentation is delightful and authentic.
But here's my version.

Ingredients
Iceberg Lettuce - cut into bite-size pieces
Cucumber - grated
Carrot - grated
Ripe Mango - sliced into cubes
Kani - there are different brands, and prices. I settled for Sea Stix made in Thailand.
Caviar (optional) - I wasn't able to buy since it was too expensive. Though adding some would make the dish more authentic.
Sesame Oil - just enough to flavor
Light Mayonnaise

Separate the Kani into strips. Mix all ingredients together and you're done!

Egg, more nutritious and delicious

Interested in serving egg in a simple and delicious way? I've found one, inspired by Kopi Roti a Singapore franchise coffee shop. They serve soft-boiled eggs with black soya sauce. Their sauce might be a secret recipe, but I googled and found that it can be substituted with 1 part soy sauce and 1 part molasses. Of course, its good to have the best ingredients you can find. I used Kikkoman premium soy sauce and Brer Rabbit mild molasses. Its not really expensive since I only use 1 teaspoon each, for every egg. Its enough to give it that delicious taste...my sons love it, though I have to work on a better presentation.
Btw, I used only boiling water to cook the egg, the yolk is still soft inside, which we prefer.

Barley Vegetarian Soup

This is definitely a good tasting soup! I wonder why I haven't tried it sooner, I love the taste and texture of barley. Its not locally available though, and I got to try this with the pack of barley from my dear SIL in Australia.

We here at home are into vegetarian soups, which are easy and quick to make, tasty and nutritious. And we can only be sure of this by using mostly fresh ingredients. I only use canned veggies when fresh is not available or the price is too high.
My basic recipe for soup: don't follow a recipe!
Just make sure the following ingredients is in the soup and is fresh: onions, celery stalk, tomatoes, carrots, green or red bell pepper
Optional ingredients: garlic, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, potato, and many more
Seasonings: salt and pepper; (optional) bay leaf, basil

Carabao's Milk goodies!

The other day, my son went on a working fieldtrip to the Philippine Carabao Center in Munoz, Nueva Ecija. Lucky me, he came home with my favorite Kesong Puti (farmer's cheese) and Pastillas, also some Mozarella cheese and pulvoron - all made from carabao's milk.
I didn't have much time to search for recipes and to experiment, so I just made up a simple salad with a simple olive oil dressing. The cheese and tomato really go so well together...yum!

Asparagus Omelet with Tarragon Sauce

I made this based on a recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens book. As usual I was in a hurry to serve so I took a picture after we already ate some of it ;)

Its so good but seem a bit complicated at first. Its worth another try though, since it passed the test on my two not-so-easy-to-please sons. However, I served it with a fresh veggie salad with Asian dressing which complimented it so well. So I guess on its own it might not be so popular.
Following is the modified recipe from the book:


Asparagus Omelet Tarragon
Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus, bias-sliced into 1-inch pieces
6 eggs
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
Tarragon Sauce:
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp dry white wine
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (which I substituted for the vinegar)
1 Tbsp butter
3 tsps all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup fresh milk, and 1/2 cup water)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried Tarragon

Make the sauce first.
In a small saucepan cook sliced green onion in butter till tender. Stir in white wine and lemon juice and simmer till liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 5 mins. In another saucepan melt 1 Tbsp butter, blend in flour, then add milk. Cook, stirring constantly, till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, stir in salt and crushed dried tarragon. Return to low heat and slowly stir in onion mixture. Heat through, but do not boil.
Omelet:
Cook asparagus in a small amount of salted water, about 8-10 mins, until crisp-tender. Remove from heat and drain liquid. (Note: I would use this liquid in the sauce, next time)
Slightly beat eggs, water, salt and pepper with fork until blended but not frothy. In 10-inch skillet heat butter till it sizzles and browns slightly. Tilt pan to grease sides. Add egg mixture and cook slowly. Run spatula around edge, lifting egg to allow uncooked portion to flow underneath. Spoon asparagus across center of omelet, top with 1/2 cup of tarragon sauce. Tilt pan to fold omelet and roll onto hot platter. Serve with remaining sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Watermelon, Melon Juice

I have here some slices of watermelon and honeydew melon, for my son who's in a hurry to get to the office. So instead of slicing it up to pieces, I just squeezed them on a citrus juicer and it can instantly be served:

Its delicious and refreshing too! It can also be served with a few ice cubes.