SAWCLicious: Ricotta Pancakes in Tomato Sauce (Jamie Oliver Recipe)

It's been such a long time that I have not updated my blog. There had been a lot of stuff going on and was not able to blog what I've been cooking. Today, I have a few minutes to spare and create a short post.

I was watching Jamie Oliver's 30 minute recipes a few weeks back and saw an easy recipe that intrigues as I've never tasted one before. I was not able to catch the name so I named it as ricotta pancakes. It was easy to cook and a good appetizer to serve. It's light and taste really good (especially if you like ricotta cheese).

Ricotta Pancake

Ingredients for the Ricotta Pancake (4 small pancakes)

SAWCLicious: Baked Chicken Tenders

I am probably part of the large percentage who loves fried chicken. I never did like though the greasy feel of eating fried chicken. Of course, to add that it is very unhealthy. So browsing through Pinterest, I found a good way of preparing fried chicken or should I say baked chicken! 

Baked Chicken Tenders

Ingredients

• 4 pcs. chicken breast fillet, sliced into 2x2
• 1 large egg, scrambled with a fork
• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper
• Olive oil

First, heat oven at 200 degrees and lay the panko bread crumbs in a baking pan. Toast it in the oven until color turns golden brown. Next, prepare 3 bowls. Place the all-purpose flour in the 1st bowl, the scrambled uncooked egg in the 2nd bowl, and the toasted panko bread crumbs, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese in the 3rd bowl.

The chicken should be dry. Season with salt and pepper and dip in the flour. Shake the excess flour. Then dip it in the egg mixture and lastly on the bread crumbs. Place it in the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on each side at 180 degrees. It should come out crunchy and delicious. Eat it at once for best tasting results! 

Easy right? :)

SAWCLicious: Pan-Fried Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce

There is always a feeling, an urge, a passion... of having to start the new year right. Of course, sustaining that fire of passion is another question. For me, one of it is trying to eat healthy. I prepared salmon with asparagus for my lunch and dinner the other day. Look a the picture, so nice right? Delicious, easy to prepare, and healthy, this simply made my day!

SAWCLicious: Braised beef short ribs on Mashed Potatoes

Last December, I ate lunch with a friend in Bonifacio Global Street. We went to aFrench Restaurant who served braised beef short ribs as their specialty. It was really delicious and I thought to myself, I can try it. So I went to do my own research online and created my own version of braised short ribs. It turned out pretty well. I prepared it on our team's Christmas Party and they seem to enjoy this dish!

Thanks to my colleague Kara for taking the pictures.

French Beef Stew on Mashed Potatoes

SAWCLicious: Stir-Fried Asparagus with Chicken

It's going to be Christmas in 4 days! Unfortunately, I don't even feel it as I've been busy with a lot of work that I forgot vacation is starting tomorrow.

While the holiday eating season has not kicked in yet, I'm still into healthy cooking and healthy eating. Recently, I've tried an Asian recipe with my favorite vegetable - ASPARAGUS! Easy to cook and served well with white rice.

SAWCLicious Recipes: Grilled Chicken with Mashed Potato in Corn and Mushroom Cream Sauce

Today is a pampering work day. I took a vacation to destress myself after having to work very long hours for the past few weeks. Body massage - check! Hand nails polished - check! Foot spa and pedicure - check! Dinner with friends - check! and last, a blog post to end my night. 

This time sharing a very simple meal that I cooked which my colleagues really like.  I grilled chicken thighs through a pan with Corn and Mushrooms cream sauce I made. I also made mashed potatoes on the side and used the same sauce. 

Grilled Chicken with Mashed Potato in Corn & Mushroom Cream Sauce

I used an old recipe to make my mashed potato (http://ithinkicamefrommars.blogspot.com/2012/03/sawclicious-secrets-to-good-mashed.html).

SAWCLicious: Grilled Scallops with Pea Puree

Christmas is in the air! It's almost December and my weekends are already packed with so much activities. I am looking forward to reunions, food, gift-shopping and gift-giving. Not to even mention more holidays and vacation days....weee!

Anyway, I'm on to my cooking adventures... Yes, you heard me right. In spite having to work for 12 hours a day, I am still able to set some time to cook. My aim nowadays is to cook healthy and nutritious food.

This time I tried a Jamie Oliver recipe with a twist. Grilled scallops sitting on a bed of pea puree and topped with spinach sauteed in garlic can make a perfect refreshing appetizer on a weekday. In my case, a perfect breakfast before going to the office. You might be wondering, pea puree?!? I had the same reaction until I tried it. Eating just the pea puree is not that good but it is perfect with the scallops and spinach. What do you think?

Scallops with Pea Puree and Sauteed Spinach

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: Beef Pita

I am back with my cooking explorations. After taking time off for a few months, I've started cooking again and this time I wanted to focus on cooking some healthy food. I don't know how long this fad will last but I've started to eating a lot of fruits for snacks, avoiding rice, and trying out healthy and delish food. 

So, I've tried to cook beef pita. It's actually a lot more chopping and mixing than cooking. It turned out to be really good and very fulfilling too!

 Beef Pita

SAWCLicious: Tilapia Fish Cakes

It is already summer but if you are in the Benelux area, you are probably one of the people who would complain about summer. Simply because there is no summer in this side of town. I may be an exception cause I'm enjoying summer as it is: cold, cloudy, and rainy. People find me really weird. I guess, one of the things I learned when I moved to Brussels is how to appreciate simple things in life. I appreciate the cold as I never had it all my life unless of course I take a plane to another country or drive 10 hours to reach the mountain top. 

One of the things that I also appreciate is when I get to see local food that I'm familiar of. Don't get me wrong, I love Belgian food. Their fries, pasta, mussels, steak are really delicious but it is still different to eat a home-cooked meal the one that you grew up familiar with. So when I was in Delhaize for my grocery, I was so giddy to find they have frozen tilapia. I was too excited, I bought 2 kilos of it! I practically ran out of ideas to cook my tilapia considering that I'm eating alone.

So, the other day, I had some friends over and I thought why not try to make some fish cakes out of it. It turned out to be really good! I received a two thumbs up from my friends and I promised Pia, I will share this recipe. 

Tilapia Fish Cakes 

SAWCLicious: Tuna Dip

My mom used to make this easy tuna dip/spread that we all love. She would always make a big bowl and keep it in the fridge. We eat it for breakfast, mid-day snack and midnight snacks. I copied my mom's recipe and made it as a dip with nachos. One of my friends really loved it that I promised I will share the recipe in my blog and here it goes. 

Tuna Dip

SAWCLicious: Hawaiian Meatballs

To welcome summer in Brussels (What summer?!?), my friends have organized a Hawaiian themed dinner. I was all giddy to prepare Hawaiian food even with little knowledge I had. I went on a quest through the Internet to find out the top Hawaiian recipes and discovered a number of results with meatballs. So I decided to prepare meatballs, Hawaiian style! Here is the recipe to this easy dish.

Hawaiian Meatballs

SAWCLicious: Pickled (Salted) Vegetable Stew

Kiam Chai is one of my favorite chinese vegetable. Kiam Chai is the Fookien word for Chinese Pickled or Salted Vegetable. In Manila, you can find it in Chinatown soaked in basin and very smelly. You would know that a store sells one through your nose. I'm fortunate that the Chinese stores in Brussels sells it as well. Of course, they pack it in nicely sealed covers like the one on the right. In Wikipedia, it is called suan cai or Chinese Sauerkraut.

My family was not a fan of this and I think I'm the only one who loves to eat this. Most of the time, this is used as a side for noodles or congee (rice porridge). I like this as a stew and my mom cooks this really good. I adopted her recipe and sharing it in my blog. The key to making this dish delicious is to have a balanced taste of the sweetness, sourness, and saltiness.

SAWCLicious: Baked Parmesan Chicken

I'm very fortunate that my job allows me to work from home every Tuesday and Friday. While it is always nice to have this benefit, I also have to worry about what to eat especially since I'm alone. It's always bad when I don't have left-over in the fridge that you can reheat as it means I need to cook. Thus, I would normally find recipes that are easy to make. My favorite is to find dishes that I can just stick a pan into the oven and let it cook worry-free while I work. It also means less cleaning afterwards.

Baked Parmesan Chicken is a common recipe you find in the Internet. I changed a bit by using Japanese Bread Crumbs since that's all I got. I also used the Kraft Parmesan cheese that you can find easily in the grocery and I used thigh fillet since I got to find some in the grocery (which I rarely do here in Brussels!) I must say, I really love this dish! This could be my WFH recipe starting today!

Baked Parmesan Chicken

Asian Beef Brisket Stew the SAWCLicious Way!

I just said I'm going to cook fish, but look at what I'm cooking! I L-O-V-E beef, and just to give an excuse, this nice piece of beef brisket  has been in my freezer for 2 months now. So, I need to cook it and enjoy a good stew! I really don't know how to call this stew as this is just something that we cook at home. I can say that it tastes in the middle of Korean Beef Stew and the Chinese Beef Brisket. That's the reason why I just named it the SAWCLicious Way! Mind you that this is a recipe from my mom and not really my original recipe. It's easy too cook and the nice part is you can either eat it with steamed rice or noodle. You can even add it in your wanton noodle soup for a good kick.

Asian Beef Brisket Stew the SAWCLicious Way!

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: Pan-Fried Salmon with Mashed Potato

I have the privilege in my current job to work from home twice every week. This is always a pleasure but lunch time is always a challenge. Oftentimes, I do not even want to prepare any food and eat some bread/left-over food especially when I'm too busy. If I wanted to prepare something to eat, I had to make sure that I cook and eat within 1 hour.

One of the easiest recipe that I normally prepare during lunch is a crispy pan-fried salmon with mashed potatoes. Simply, place the quartered potato in a pot, boil, mash and serve. You can find the recipe of the mashed potato here. Once it is cooked, I would then season the salmon fish with coarse salt and pepper, then pan-fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side in high heat.

A healthy meal for a quick lunch!

SAWCLicious: Sukiyaki (What do I do with Tofu?)

I love tofu, for some weird reason I enjoy eating almost any dish with tofu. So, whenever I get the chance to visit the Asian store, I'd buy 3-4 packs of tofu and keep it in the fridge. Then I'd spent the next 3-5 days thinking what do I do with the tofu. Just when I had my last pack of tofu supply almost expiring last 2 weeks, I called my mom and asked her "What do I do with Tofu?" My mom suggested to cook Sukiyaki as it is an easy to cook dish for a weekday dinner..

It was a really good idea. My mom loves to cook this back home because it's so easy and delicious. It was a good suggestion, so I headed down to the gourmet shop and bought some beef. I asked them to slice it the "sukiyaki" style using the slicer machine. Good thing they know what sukiyaki is, else I wouldn't know how to explain it in French!

Beef Sukiyaki

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: Tomate Crevette (Tomato Crevette) Salad

One of my colleague was sent to Brussels for a business trip. So, before he went home, I invited him and some friends for dinner at my place. I know I had to serve mostly Belgian Food! So, I prepared Tomate Crevette for appetizer, Belgian mussels and Vongole pasta (Yes, it's Italian!) as my main. 

First to share is the easy appetizer that I've made. I used the grey shrimps (Crangon) which are the ones caught in the North Sea along the Belgian Coast. These small grey shrimps are normally bought in grocery in small packs and peeled. You can substitute with normal small shrimps instead. One of my Belgian friends told me that there is a cheap and expensive version of the grey shrimps. The cheaper grey shrimps are caught from the North Sea and shipped to Morocco. They are peeled by the Moroccans which have lower labor costs thus becoming cheaper. Those that are caught and peeled by Belgians are apparently more expensive. I don't know how true this is but I guess it should be a valid source. 

Tomate Crevette (Tomate Crevette) Salad