SAWCLicious: Zucchini Spaghetti in Bolognese Sauce

Catching up with friends have been a priority past time lately. Not only as a result of being away for 18 months from my home country but also because I recently lost a friend. A friend who I was supposed to meet 2 months back but didn't have the time to do so because of work. I promised to meet her when she comes back after her US vacation which didn't happen because she passed away during her vacation. She was my college classmate and we majored on the same course. We are not very close but we do meet for dinner or drinks to catch-up. It is difficult to see someone my age pass away but it was reassuring to know that she lived a good life and has now joined our mighty God. 

So, let me go back... catching up with friends, yes. I caught up with a close office colleague who I haven't seen for (guess what?) 18 months! To my surprise, she is so SEXY! She went for some diet that worked and she gave me an idea to use Zucchini as spaghetti as a means of lessening carb intake.

I know it sounds bizarre. I am not a fan of zucchini myself except when served as a soup.  Yes, I eat it but there is something with this vegetable that I didn't like nor will I crave for it. I hesitated trying it and was even having second thoughts after I prepared it. But, tasting this instantly changed me (isn't the picture below enticing?). Nowadays, zucchini is something I would look for in the vegetable section. 

I simply used my bolognese recipe and substituted spaghetti with zucchini. I used a melon scraper to shred zucchini which I then washed and allowed to dry for a few minutes. Then I poured over the bolognese sauce topped with parmesan cheese and served with toasted garlic bread on the side. 

On one occasion I tried blanching the shredded zucchini in chicken stock for 2 minutes and it tasted even better!

 Loving Zucchini....   Try it and let me know what you think!

SAWCLicious: Salmon & Spinach Pasta

Hello to my readers... If I do have one! It's been a long time that I haven't posted anything. That's because I was in Manila for 3 weeks and it also means 3 weeks without having to cook for anything. Thanks to my brother and mom who prepares excellent home-cooked meals and to friends and family who I've been with on dinners and lunch. I just arrived in Brussels and I'm back to C&B (Cooking and Blogging!).

After pigging out in Manila, I have to come back to healthy eating so the first thing I did was to stuff the fridge with fish, vegetables, and fruits. Expect a lot of fish dishes on the way...  Today, I'll share a very simple  pasta recipe, easy to cook and very delicious.

Salmon and Spinach Pasta  

SAWCLicious: Pasta Vongole

I had been longing to cook this pasta dish simply because I love clams and pasta! I found a good recipe from Jamie Oliver and had to try it. My friends enjoyed it!

Pasta Vongole

SAWCLicious Recipe: Spaghetti with Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Ricotta Cheese, Spam, Bottom Mushrooms, & Shrimps

Another very easy recipe that I've prepared in less than 30 minutes! :) Easy to do and a delicious pasta meal!


Spaghetti with Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Ricotta Cheese, Spam, Bottom Mushrooms, & Shrimps


Ingredients

• Spaghetti
• 3 tbsp. Ricotta Cheese
• Diced spam (Note: I had some left-over span and I thought let's use it!)
• Sliced bottom mushrooms
• Grape Tomatoes
• 8 pcs. of peeled shrimps
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Grated Cheese

Procedure

1. In an oven-proof dish, place the grape tomatoes and drizzle generously with olive oil, coarse salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for around 20 minutes.
2. Cook the spaghetti according to package instruction. 
3. In a separate pan, add some olive oil and pan-fry spam in low-medium heat until it is crispy outside but still soft inside. Set aside the bacon. Then, add the bottom mushrooms and set aside once cooked.Use the same pan with the bacon oil and saute garlic and shrimps. Season with salt and pepper and set aside once cooked.
4. In a big bowl, toss the tomatoes, spaghetti, spam, bottom mushrooms, shrimps, and ricotta cheese.  Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with grated cheese. I think a combination of parmesan and emmental is very nice for this dish. 

SAWCLicious Recipes: Spaghetti with Mussels & Shrimps in Tomato Sauce

I just came from San Francisco and my apartment is still a mess since I have to arrange my things after living in a suitcase for 2 weeks. So today, I quickly went to the grocery and grabbed some seafood and fresh tomatoes as I planned to cook a quick healthy pasta dinner. Fresh tomatoes simmered in garlic and some herbs topped with mussels and shrimps sauteed in garlic. Easy to cook that makes a delicious warm meal.

Spaghetti with Mussels & Shrimps in Tomato Sauce

SAWCLicious: Spaghetti Bolognese

One of French friends got to try my version of Spaghetti Bolognese and he really likes it. I thought he was joking. I only got to prove that he really liked it when he finished the left-over pasta for 3 consecutive days!

For those who wanted to try it out, it's an easy recipe.

Spaghetti Bolognaise

SAWCLicious: Tagliatelle Pasta with Ham and Tomato Basil Sauce

I've been working from home a lot in the past few months. Although this has been a benefit that we have in our company even when I was in Manila, I was never excited to work from home as I still prefer to be seated in an office environment away from any temptation (TV) and noises. Recently, I have been enjoying this benefit as I figured that I can sleep for an additional 1 hour and do a lot during lunch time. Normally, lunch would just be sandwich, salad, or left-over food from dinner so that I can still have some time to handle some chores. On one of my wfh days, I'm able to cook a quick lunch for 30 minutes and still enjoy another 30 minutes to savor my food. 

What did I prepare? It's a pan-grilled cervelat sausage (around 10 minutes cook time); arugula salad on the side drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper; and a tagliatelle pasta. I used the fresh tagliatelle pasta so that it is easier to cook.

Tagliatelle Pasta with Ham and Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce

SAWCLicious: Chicken Macaroni Soup (Chicken Sopas)

My friend Pia here in Brussels loves this Filipino soup. Last February, the weather was so cold in Brussels and this soup was just perfect for dinner on a cold night. Not only is it delicious but it is also very easy to prepare the dish. Let me share my version of this macaroni soup.

Chicken Macaroni Soup a.k.a. Chicken Sopas

SAWCLicious: Shrimp & Chorizo Pasta

I'm writing a post from Lisbon! I took some vacation off this week and had planned to go to Lisbon with HT Couple and Rhea. This week was busy with work, I was in all day meetings at the client site and was working during the night. Every time I go back home, I was dead tired already. Pasta is the perfect combination for a quick dinner when such situations arise. 

I was not able to go to the grocery to buy meat and my favorite broccoli. Good things I still had some food in the pantry and freezer. Taking out different ingredients that I felt will work, I whipped something out and I show you Shrimp and Chorizo pasta! While writing this post, I tried to Google and found that this recipe exist also somewhere out there. Let me share my version here.

Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta

SAWCLicious: Potato Salad with Sausage & Pan Fried Salmon Fillet served with Spinach & Carbonara

Since I moved to Brussels, I have been cooking or should I say experimenting a lot with food. I decided even if I'm living alone, I wanted to be able to eat good food. I had to depend on my artistic brain to prepare food I like. 

I normally don't have a recipe that I follow. I would go to the grocery, look at what's fresh, contemplate about what I can cook with it, and decides to purchase it. Yes, it is a long process and I can spend 1/2 a day in the grocery. So last week, I went to the grocery to refill my fridge coming back home from the US, I saw a very nice fillet of salmon and just had to purchase it. I initially thought I can cook Penne with Salmon and Spinach in Cream Sauce. The salmon was too fresh that I find it a waste to flake the fish. So here is what I got.

Starters: Potato Salad with Sausage