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: 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: 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: 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: 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

SAWCLicious: Salted Fish Fried Rice

Whenever I invite friends for brunch or dinner, I always end up having too much food in my fridge. So I always try to be creative in cooking new dishes based on the left-over food. Last time that I hosted a brunch, I got luck with the left-overs. I had a bowl of white rice in the fridge, dried salted mackerel fish (from the Stewed Mung Beans), lettuce (from the lettuce wrap), and chicken thigh fillet. I realized these are ingredients for a famous Chinese Fried Rice! What a delight as I missed this dish. So I've tried the dish with the help of some research from the Internet and came up with my own recipe. It was easy to cook it and I basically ate it for the next 2 days. What's good is I didn't have to cook any meat anymore as I can eat this fried rice as it is. It turned out to be really good and I liked the end result!

Salted Fish Fried Rice

SAWCLicious Recipe: Stir-fried Squid with Black Beans

Have you ever tried this out in a Chinese restaurant? I believe I was introduced with this dish in one of my trips to China. They always had the perfect stir-fry with crunchy vegetables, fresh and tasty seafood, and very shiny appetizing food. I had been craving this for a while and have tried it in some restaurants here in Brussels but did not get the right taste. So, I've tried it during a Sunday Brunch with my friends (previous blog entry) and it turned out to be really good!

Stir-Fried Squid with Black Beans

SAWCLicious Recipe: Sweet and Sour Fish

Last Sunday, I had some friends over at my place for brunch. A few of my friends only ate vegetable and fish and as such I planned for a menu that almost had no meat. So what did I prepare? I had stewed mung beans with salted fish soup and chicken lettuce wrap as starters and maja blanca for dessert. As for the main dish, I had squid with black beans, brocolli and tofu, and sweet and sour fish. Today, I'm sharing the recipe for sweet and sour fish. 

Being the obsessive-compulsive me, this is one of the recipes that I personally don't like to prepare. Although it is a fairly easy recipe, it is quite cumbersome to clean the pans and especially to clean the kitchen after deep-frying the fish. Nevertheless, it was worth it after seeing the satisfaction from my friend's faces.

It was also my first-time to cook sweet and sour fish. I would say the only thing I needed to improve is to ensure I don't forget to put the cooked fish in the oven so that it stays crunchy and warm before serving. 

Sweet and Sour Fish

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 Recipes: Shrimps and Mussels in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Tahong at Hipon)

Sharing another simple dish that I cooked for lunch in continuation to my previous blog.

Mussels with Shrimps in Coconut Milk 

SAWCLicious Recipes: Bittergourd with Shrimps and Eggs (Ampalaya with Shrimps and Eggs)

By chance, I happened to see bitter gourd (ampalaya) in one of the Asian stores at Den Haag, Netherlands. You should already know what I would have done, right? I quickly grabbed one and was already excited thinking what I can do with it. Bitter gourd or bitter melon, famously known as ampalaya in the Philippines, is one of the most bitter "fruits" that is widely grown in Asia.  Yes, it is a fruit amidst being brought up and taught by our parents that it is a healthy vegetable!

To remove the bitterness of the fruit, we would soak it in water with salt before cooking. It is one of the "vegetables" that my parents or grandparents would force any kids in our house to eat because of the nutrition that comes with it. Even worse, sometimes, bitter gourd will be boiled and the soup drank like tea. I hated drinking this until I grew up and learned to eat them. Once you get the hang of the bitterness, you'd actually enjoy eating it. Try drinking the soup from a freshly boiled bitter gourd and you will feel rejuvenated the next day. It seems to work in wonders! 

It's the first time that I cooked bitter gourd and my food testers enjoyed  it! I took half of the bitter gourd and prepared a twist to a commonly cooked Filipino dish. Wait for the next post where I will share how I cooked the other half. Here is my version of bitter gourd with shrimps and eggs.

Bitter Gourd with Shrimps and Eggs (Ampalaya with Hipon and Eggs)

SAWCLicious: Pan-seared Scallops & Shrimps

I was on the grocery last Friday to buy some meat in preparation for dinner with friends today, when I saw some fresh-looking scallops on promo! I quickly took them as it was the last set. So, how do I cook with them? I was thinking of either pasta or scallop gratin. I ended up with searing them in pan instead. Yes, even if I love food and cooking, I still prefer simple recipes that I can prepare in 5 minutes and cook in 10 (perfect on a work from home day).  This is one of those recipes. I think it's good to serve it as an appetizer or main. I had it as a main meal for lunch. 

Pan-seared Scallops & Shrimps

SAWCLicious: Potato Bites - Appetizer Ideas

I was able to finally find SOUR CREAM in Brussels! Yes, for some reason, it was difficult to find it here. So one Friday evening, I searched through some possible ideas for appetizers with sour cream dip and came across good ideas. I made the sour cream based on what I think will work and it went well. I was quite satisfied and so are my friends!

I made just one type of dip. I mixed through the following ingredients in a bowl.

• 1 pack of sour cream
• 1 tbsp. Philadelphia Cream Cheese with garlic and herb flavor (you can use ordinary cream cheese)
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tbsp. bacon bits (around 4-5 bacon crisps)
• 2-3 tbsp. of chopped ciboulette (chives)
• salt & pepper

I then prepared two appetizers: Bacon Wrapped Baby Potatoes, and Potato Stuffed with Shrimps and Sour Cream Dip. Here is how I did it.

Bacon Wrapped Baby Potatoes

SAWCLicious: Sinigang na Hipon (Sour Broth Soup with Shrimps)

This dish was one of the missed Filipino food that I always crave for. Not only is it very easy to cook but it always have this fulfilling feeling after eating it. Sinigang is a sour broth made usually with a tamarind base and can either be cooked with pork, fish, or shrimps and a mixture of different vegetables. The sour broth can also be made by other ingredients like guava, calamansi, or raw mangoes. For this post, I will share how I make them with shrimps. My European friends really likes this dish whenever I serve it to them.

My favorite ingredient to use for sinigang is the ready-made mix like below. You can easily find it in any Chinese Asian shops within Brussels.

Sinigang na Hipon

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: Fish Stew in Vinegar (Paksiw na Isda)

One of the things I really miss in Manila is the wide variety of fish and seafood at really cheap price. Especially, normal fish that you buy in the market such as Alumahan or Galunggong. I always love those fishes either fried with soy sauce, chili, and calamansi on the side or cooked in vinegar (paksiw).

I tried to cook paksiw with some boneless tilapia I found in the grocery. It turned out to be  good even without the head. 

Fish Stew in Vinegar (Paksiw na Isda)