Thursday, January 31, 2013

Food Trip: My Version of Ramen


Chicken Noodle Soup
(Serves two people)

Ingredients:
Onion (diced)
Garlic (minced)
Celery (diced)
Dried Mushroom
Carrots (thinly sliced)
Spinach
Chicken broth (homemade is always ideal)
Chicken breast thinly sliced and sautéed in salt and pepper or Cajun seasonings
Shrimps (optional)

Procedures:

Soak the dried mushroom in a cup of hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.  The amount depends on how big the mushrooms are.  Dried mushrooms have stronger taste so you don’t want to use too much that way, it won’t take over the taste.  If it’s me, I don’t mind because I love the rich taste it brings to noodle dishes.

Cook the noodles in the chicken broth. Instead of using Asian noodles, I often use angel hair and cook them al dente.  Set aside and save the broth.  You could also add sesame oil in the broth when cooking the noodles. 

Around 5 minutes before the mushrooms are done soaking, sauté the onion and celery for a minute or two in a deep pan then add the minced garlic.  Then season with Cajun seasoning.  You can buy one without msg and low sodium in your local grocery store.  There’s even one in Safeway that cost less than $2 (small jar, though).  Since it already has some salt, you really don’t have to add salt anymore.  But then again, it’s all up to you.

Add the shrimps and 4 cups of chicken broth and the water used to soak the dried mushrooms.  This is the same chicken broth you used to cook the noodles. Add the mushrooms and let boil.  Blanch the spinach (with stems and all but make sure to wash them well) and put aside.  Season for taste.

Turn the heat off and get ready to assemble your soup for a beautiful presentation.

Assembly:
Put the noodles in the bowl. 
Near the side position the spinach just so.
Place the carrots next to the spinach and the other toppings:  chicken slices, shrimps (optional), cooked dried mushroom, and thinly sliced carrots.
Add a little bit of sesame oil.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Food Trip: Chicken Tinola


Photographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

Chicken Tinola
            Tinola is a Filipino chicken dish.  Traditionally it is cooked with lemon grass.  The lemon grass gives it a really good relaxing aroma.  However, lemon grass is not always available in our local grocery store.  In my case, I would have to drive to Seafood City in Seattle just to get one. 
            In addition to lemon grass, green papaya and leaves of chili or dahon ng sili (capsicum frutescens) some of the traditional ingredients.  This doesn’t mean though that everyone cooks tinola with these ingredients.  Even in the Philippines, people cook it using other leafy vegetables like pechay or bok choy.  I remember my mom would cook tinola with malunggay or Moringa Oleifera.  It is another leafy vegetable that is pack with nutrients like calcium, vitamin c, and potassium.  It contains three times more iron than spinach; ounce per ounce, it has more calcium than 2 glasses of milk, the vitamin c of 7 oranges and potassium of 3 bananas.  It has 4 times more vitamin A than carrots.  These and more!  If you would like to learn more about its nutritional value, visit http://www.edlagman.com/moringa .  I do know that sometimes moringa or malunggay is available in some farmer’s market in California or sometimes Seafoof City. 
            If there is one ingredient that should not be taken out, it would be ginger.  It is the ginger that gives tinola its unique taste.  This healthy concoction is a good alternative to your usual stew on cold evening or day.  In my case I prefer its warm broth in the morning for breakfast instead of coffee.  Since in this dish you use a good amount of ginger, the broth is just as good as fresh ginger tea.  It is commonly eaten with rice but who’s to say you can’t enjoy it by itself? J
            What I will share with you is my tinola recipe using green leafy vegetables that are commonly available in my local grocery store- spinach.  It’s a good alternative.  You can even add potatoes, if you want.  Before, I tried brussels sprout and its nutty taste blends well with ginger.  In my entire recipe (or even my other recipes), I never use MSG or any seasonings that have MSG in them.  It’s a personal choice because I believe that MSG is not good for you.  They’re saying there isn’t really enough study that it can cause cancer but in my opinion, if I could make my food taste good using natural ingredients (without it) the better.  I hope you enjoy the recipe! J
Chicken Tinola (2 servings)
Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs (you can also use chicken breast)
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 small onion chopped into fourths
1/3 cup freshly sliced ginger
Spinach  
Salt and pepper

Procedure:

1.       Trim the fats off of the chicken.  If you prefer, you can remove the skin.
2.      Place the chicken and vinegar in a deep pan.  Turn the heat to medium high and let the vinegar evaporate.  Don’t stir nor cover the pan.  Just flip the chicken once you noticed that one side has turned opaque.   The vinegar takes that raw chicken smell or what the Filipinos call “lansa”.
3.      Once the vinegar evaporated, you’ll notice that the natural oil from the chicken comes out especially if you didn’t trim the skin off during preparation.  Add, the ginger and onion and sauté the ingredients together with the chicken, then cover the pan.  At this point, I usually leave it the way it is for 5 minutes.  This way, the chicken absorbs the ginger and onion taste.  Then I sprinkle a little bit of salt.  Cover the pan again and leave it for another 5 minutes.  If during preparation, you trimmed the skin off, you might want to add a little canola oil.
4.      Add 2 1/3 cups of water.  Turn the heat to high until the water boils.
5.      Once the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked or even longer (in this case reduce the heat to low).  Check the taste.  Add salt and pepper if necessary.
6.      Lastly, add the spinach.  I usually buy baby spinach that still have their stems and dunk the leaves and stems altogether.  Turn the heat off and cover.  The heat inside is enough to cook the spinach.


Food Trip: Rotini with Genovese Pesto


Photographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com


Rotini with Genovese Pesto

            Here’s another simple pasta recipe for everyone!  This very simple yet tasty pasta dish will surely be a delight to both vegetarian and meat lovers.  To vegan diet enthusiasts, this can be a full meal by itself.  To the no-meat-no-eat type of people, this dish is an ideal appetizer. 

I want to say I hope you like it, but no.  I know you’ll love this!!!

Rotini with Genovese Pesto (two servings)

Ingredients:

Genovese Pesto
Pasta Rotini
Onion
Garlic
Olives (with jalapeño or red pepper stuffing)

Procedure:

1.      Cook the pasta according to packaging instruction.
2.      Heat the pan and pour a teaspoon of canola oil.  Sauté onion and garlic.
3.      Add the olives.  Sauté for about 2 minutes.
4.      Add the pesto and lightly stir for a minute.  Turn the heat off.  Depending on how much pasta you cooked, 3 table spoons should be a lot.  So even a small jar goes a long way. 
5.      Mix in the pasta.  That simple!  Enjoy!!!








Monday, January 14, 2013

Berry Picking

                During winter, there are two things I miss the most—spring and summer! By April, I make sure that my little garden is almost ready for planting and by middle of May, I am already bookmarking places where I could go berry picking.  One fun advantage of living in Washington State is that there are still berry farms that allow U-pick.  You can go to the farm, grab a crate and have fun picking berries.  Berries can’t get any fresher than that!  Plus, they are cheaper that way than buying them from grocery stores.  There are 3 places my husband and I go to for berry picking.  We go to Remlinger and Harvold Farms for strawberries and Raspberries, and Bybee-Nims Farms for blueberries.
                Today I will take you to a picture tour of our berry picking experience and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  For me, there are things that malls and high technologies can’t offer; there are human needs that shoes or any of that cannot satisfy; and there are feelings of satisfaction that only farms and old school fruit picking activities can give.  So I say, for as long as there is an opportunity for me to enjoy this simple joy of living, I will not waste any minute of it.  If you haven’t tried it before, I suggest you should.  It is definitely worth your time.  Every time we visit a farm like those three I mentioned, we feel like we are in a different world.  People are not in a hurry or pushy, families are together with their children and children get the opportunity to learn where their favorite fruits come from and we hear different languages being spoken.  The  farms are like a big hall where people from different backgrounds gather together and enjoy the simple yet priceless moments that can only be experience while in it. 

Photographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com


 

                  This is Remlinger Strawberry Farm in Carnation, WA. The strawberries were big and sweet!  We went there really early in the morning around 8:30 a.m.  If you want to get the best berries, you pretty much have to come as early as 8 a.m. 

 
Photographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

These are the beautiful rows of strawberry plants in Remlinger Farm.
Photographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

                A close-up!  If you notice these are not as big as the California strawberries but these are packed with flavors.  You’ll never be disappointed which explains why people here still flocks the berry farms.
Photographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

                These are the strawberries we picked from Harvold Farm.  The thing with strawberry picking is patience and strong lover back.  If you don’t know or can’t squat, it is advisable that you bring some knee pads.


Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

For all these 3 boxes, we paid around 40$.  Cheaper, isn’t it?

 

Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com


                 These succulent, mouth-watering strawberries are from Harvold Farm, in Carnation, WA.  When I get home, I classify them according to ripeness and size.
Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

                This is the Remlinger Raspberry Farm.  The raspberries are big and really tasty!  If you haven’t tried Washington raspberries, you really should and you will never regret it.  They are the best!!!

 

Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

                These raspberries are from Harvold Farm.  They have a better system because  for each person, they assign a row that only you can pick so you don’t feel like you have to rush which makes the whole experience more relaxing and fun.  Just the same the berries are magnificent!  We pay $2 per pound for the raspberries.



Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

                 Now, my favorite berry of all—blueberries!!! Around middle of July, I watch out for farm updates about blueberries at the Bybee-Nims Farms website.
                These are Blue Crop.  It is a kind of blueberries that are big and have loose clusters.  They have very high dessert quality.  Bybee-Nims Farms started growing this kind together with Blue Ray in 1983.  Both Blue Ray and Blue Crop are large varieties but their color is light blue and are resistant to cracking.  I noticed kids like these because they are large.  Those blueberries you are used to seeing in your local grocery stores are nothing compared to these in terms of size.

Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

                 My favorite among the blueberry varieties available in Bybee-Nims Farms is the Pemberton.  As you can see, they are dark blue although they are a little smaller than Blue Ray and Blue Crop.  They say, the darker the color the more anti-oxidants it contains so even if Pemberton is harder to get because the rows are almost surrounded by prickly blackberry bushes, I face the challenge head on.  I make sure I am all geared up for this battle every year! J
                They planted this variety in 1946. The Pemberton is known for its very productive, very loose fruit cluster. The berries are large, dark blue, firm and slightly aromatic. They have a good desert quality and ripen slightly earlier th an the Jersey variety.
Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com
                 Another variety that will surely satisfy your taste bud is the Jersey.  It was planted in the said farm in 1946.  The Jersey is known for its productive and loose fruit cluster. The berries range from medium to large, that are firm with a medium blue color.  They are resistant to cracking and ripen later in the season.  We pay $1.95 per pound.
Phtographed by: Lea Lei
http://hennypepper.blogspot.com

 

 Below are the addresses of the farms we visit during U-pick season.  Once again, thank you for reading J J J

Remlinger Farms
32610 Northeast 32nd Street, Carnation, WA 98014
(425) 333-4135

Harvold Farms
32325 Northeast 55th Street, Carnation, WA 98014
(425) 333-4185

BYBEE-NIMS FARMS
42930 SE 92nd Street
North Bend, WA 98045


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Road Trip Part 3: Where I Found My Peace

Where I Found My Peace
            There is one thing I realized about myself.  I don’t really need to go very far to have fun.  A short hike on a nearby mountain or a walk in the park is just as satisfying as flying halfway around the world to witness the sunrise or the sunset in a remote island is some country in the tropics.

            The weather here in the Northwest is tricky especially in Washington State.  By April, you’d think winter is over but then you could wake up one morning and everything around you is covered with white fluffy snow.  It’s not that I don’t like snow.  Don’t get me wrong.  I LOVE snow!  For someone like me who was born and raised in a tropical country, the sight of snowflakes falling from the sky is like looking at shavings of vanilla ice cream falling from heaven.  They are overwhelmingly beautiful they almost look sweet and tasty too.   For some reason, when it is snowing, it feels more peaceful.  It is quieter.  The view while sitting at your window, while sipping your coffee in the morning or in my case enjoying a bowl of soup, is spectacular.
           
            In the spring time, the daffodils and tulips on the lowland and the wild flowers on the cascade are blooming.  The display of colors only gets better during the summer time. 

            Last year we drove to different places to find bear grass we use to restore Native American baskets that are more than a century old.  One day, I will share more about our restoration projects.  Anyways, we drove over Chinook Pass and by Mount Rainier National Park and the drive was an experience in itself that’s worth keeping.  We saw all these beautiful wild flowers next to the road and by the lake.  The site was breathtaking; bewitching!  The yellow, purple, white, orange and red flowers are a common scene.  The melted ice is flowing so freely on the sides of the mountains forming small waterfalls here and there.  And the rocks are bragging their rust, gold, red, blue and green colors to anyone the drives by.    Mount Rainier, of course, once again proved captivating charms haven’t died despite global warming.  And when fogs came in, it felt like driving on the road to heaven!

            Below is slide show of the pictures I took using my old digital camera.  Definitely not your art gallery kind of pictures but nonetheless a representation of a wonderful road trip experience!  Enjoy!
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