Hot or Cold Creamy Tomato and Gorgonzola Soup

A sharp and spicy twist to a classic dish.

Now that the beginning of the end of Summer is upon us and Autumn is just around the corner (yay!), my internal food-loving clock is starting to crave those comfort foods that embrace you from the inside out. Soups are my favorite all year round, but tomato soup in particular is one that I enjoy most when it's nippy outside and for some reason never fails to put me at ease.

As I mentioned in the title, this soup is not only delectable hot for the colder months, but can be enjoyed cold as well for a savory refreshment during these past HOT HOT HOT couple of days.

I added some Sriracha for the spicy/sweet yummy flavor and gorganzola for a sharp cheesy and creamy texture. Gorgonzola cheese is not for everyone, so you can certainly substitute with blue cheese or even a sharp cheddar would be delightful.

Creamy Tomato and Gorgonzola Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (any kind)
• 2 medium sized onions chopped
• 1 large carrot chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 medium potato chopped
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 cup tomato juice/sauce
• pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
• handful gorganzola cheese crumbles (or taste)

Cooking Directions

1. Roughly chop all the vegetables and place in a pot of water.
2. Bring to a boil, then lower heat.
3. Simmer vegetables for 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
4. Using an immersion blender or a separate blender, blend until completely pureed (no lumps).
5. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.
6. Add gorgonzola cheese also taste.
7. Allow to continue simmering until cheese is melted in.
8. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and pork rinds.

To serve COLD: Chill in the refrigerator and add extra basil/cilantro for freshness and a dollop of plain Greek yoghurt

Storage: Freeze in chinese containers or any airtight container for up to 4 months!


I know I've been crap at updating my blog lately, but with a recent surge of inspiration (from what, I still don't know), I hope to be more consistent and rediscover my love of blogging...especially about yum yum's!

Get Your Feast On!

1st Attempt at Samosas!

As you can see, shaping the wrapper can be difficult at first but with practice only will you find success!

 
These deep fried flavor filled savory morsels of pastry goodness are simple, delicious, and satisfying-- A great snack to make for entertaining or as your contribution to a cook-out/bbq/picnic all of which tend to pop up in copious amounts during the summer months. But hey, who says you can't enjoy them all year round. No One! I love making these as well during the colder season as I liken eating these to getting a nice warm hug.

Not to mention, they're deep fried and vegetarian. Everyone wins! haha :o)

Simple and Easy Samosas

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter/canola oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 medium sized potatoes chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons ginger minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 small jalapeno pepper minced (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. For the wrapper: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Pour in water little at a time until dough-like consistency. Form a ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a disc then wrap with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.
2. For Filling: Saute potatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, spices, over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender and onions are very soft and translucent. In a separate bowl, mash everything together until well combined. Set aside.
3. Assembly: Preheat oil in a deep skillet or sauce pan to 375 degrees F.
4. Roll out dough, then divide into roughly 12-15 equal portions. Shape out circles using a cookie cutter or rim of mug/cup. Cut each circle in half, then roll each half into cones. Place dollop of filling (approx. 1 tablespoon more or less) into the cones. Press together the edges until thoroughly sealed (you may have to dampen the edges with water first)
5. Cook: Slowly submerge samosas, a few at a time, into preheated oil to fry until golden brown.

Overall first attempt verdict: A SUCCESS!!

Get Your Feast On!

Lumpia - Filipino Shanghai Style Eggroll

This is probably in the Top 5 most popular Filipino appetizers. You can't really go wrong with this dish. Almost everyone enjoys lumpia. Make it for movie night/tailgating or a potluck, it will be a sure hit! :o)

For this recipe, I stayed with a VERY basic version explained to me by my parents as this was more experimental/impulsive than anything. My brother doesn't eat seafood, so I omitted the ground shrimp.  This can be a little time consuming, yes, but can be prepared ahead of time for convenience. This is also a great dish to have your kids involved in the kitchen (and some extra sets of hands! hehe)

 

Shanghai Style Filipino - Lumpia

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 medium jicama chopped
• 4 carrot stalks chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 package spring roll wrappers (or wonton wrappers)
• 1 quart oil for frying
• optional: 1 lb shrimp ground
• optional:1 cup green onions chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Using a knife or food processor, mince carrots and jicama.
2. Combine with ground pork in a mixing bowl. Add seasonings. Combine thoroughly.
3. Assembling eggroll (refer to pictures below)
4. Deep fry 3 or 4 at a time in 350 degree F oil until golden brown on all sides (5 minutes)
5. Meat will still be slightly pink when ready. If too pink, double fry in lower heat.
6. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

The amount of filling is up to you and how big you like your egg roll.  (If unsure - the width of your thumb)

 I ended up cutting each wrapper in half, but the process is still the same. Use water to seal the egg roll.

I dusted the surface with a little bit of flour to prevent sticking while they wait to be fried.

Get Your Feast On!

Easy 5 Ingredient Potato and Spinach Casserole

BTW, for the 5 ingredients, I did not include the spices!

This easy casserole recipe was a result of a failed plan to make gratin. Unfortunately I didn't have enough spinach or potato to build a good "gratin" foundation, so instead I improvised and created a simpler casserole instead. Luckily, it came out delicious. My younger brother who is quite the fussy eater enjoyed it so much that he kept looking for it again the rest of the night haha.

I will definitely be making this comfort meal all throughout Autumn maybe even Thanksgiving! Not pictured above, is the ground beef I decided to add last minute for its flavor, but also for more substance.

Potato and Spinach Casserole

  
Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes thinly sliced
• 1 package (12 oz) spinach chopped
• 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1 can Progresso 3 Cheese Recipe Starter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or nutmeg)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• pinch salt and paper (or taste)
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• drizzle extra virgin olive

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Add sliced potatoes and allow to slightly cook (8-10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to broil setting 400 degrees F. Use 2nd rack from the top.
3. In a deep skillet, saute ground beef until brown. Add cumin and season with some salt and pepper.
4. Add spinach and 3 cheese sauce. Stir occasionally until spinach is fully wilted and cooked. Add cinnamon and thyme.
5. Turn off heat. Continue to stir and be sure to evenly distribute ingredients through out pan.
6. Layer slices of potato on top.
7. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil.
8. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over potatoes. Follow up with sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
9. Drizzle a little bit more olive on top top.
10. Place skillet in oven and broil until top is golden brown.

Get Your Feast On!

Avocado 2-Ways: Sweet & Savory

Savory.

Zingy Guacamole

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 medium sized avocados (the more the merrier!)
• 1 or 2 medium sized tomatoes diced
• 1 small small onion diced & caramalized (or cooked through)
• 2 teaspoons - 1 tablespoon Siracha (or to taste
• pinch of salt (or to taste)
• pinch of ground black pepper (or taste)
• optional: pinch of ginger

Cooking Directions

1. Simple gather ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Smash together until desired consistency.
3. Season and serve!

 Sweet. 

Chilled Avocado Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 medium sized avocado
• 1 banana
• 2 heaping teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• optional: milk (as much needed to reach desired consistency)

Cooking Directions

1. Gather ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth like pudding.
2. If it becomes too thick add a little milk to reach desired consistency.
3. Refrigerate until chilled and serve!

 Hope you enjoy!

Get Your Feast On!

Mongo Guisado Style Stew

Boston Strong. Just quickly, I'd like to give a shout out to the cities of Boston & Watertown who have been so resilient throughout the past week. Also if I could I'd hug every single law enforcement official who worked tirelessly since the explosions putting their lives on the line for the safety of the people. Condolences to those lost and injured from the attack. 

 I rejoice with you all as I was glued to the TV as well as twitter for hours following the coverage of the manhunt up until the very end as they captured the perpetrator. 

Cheers to Boston!

Visit the American Red Cross website for details on you can help the victims of Boston, Texas, as well as those in my home state of Illinois who recently experienced historic mass flooding.

^_^

No excuse. So it's been quite some time since I last blogged. To be honest, inspiration has eluded me. I know that's no excuse. Inspiration is everywhere if you just look.

With a new educational adventure to be had in just less than a month, I decided to post not only one of my favorite Filipino dishes (I seem to say that about every one I've posted so far bahaha), BUT an amazingly healthy dish that I also find quite comforting for those long nights of studying as well as traveling. .  It not only does the soul good, but the body as well.


Some health benefits of mongo (mung) beans include, but are not limited to the following:

• Low in cholesterol, high in dietary fiber
• Low glycemic index for those with diabetes or are moderating sugar intake
• Contains protease inhibitors, which work to prevent tumors from forming
• Great source of protein 
• Contains high amounts of potassium and very low sodium which is ideal for controlling blood pressure.

Preference. I've seen this mongo dish cooked many different ways. I've seen it in more of a soupy consistency. I've seen it cooked with shrimp. I've seen it used with different greens (more commonly spinach). My dad cooks this with collard greens as well, but my favorite so far has been kale. I also prefer this dish to be slightly thicker--almost like a stew, so if you're Filipino and you come across this post, you're probably thinking "Whaat??" lol If that's the case, go ahead and add more broth or water to thin it out a bit.

Mongo Guisado Style Stew

Ingredients

• 2 Cups (or 1 package) green mongo beans (mung)
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1-2 Cups pork diced
• 1 tomato chopped
• 3-4 Cups kale chopped
• 4 Cups water or broth
• 1 tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
• pinch of pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Cook mongo beans in boiling water until tender. Separate 1/2 Cup of cooked beans in a bowl and mash (to thicken stew).
2. In a sauce pot, saute onions and garlic in some canola oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and continue sauteeing. Once pork is no longer pink. Add water, patis, kale, and beans.
3. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and continue to simmer until desired thickness is reached.

Serve over white (or brown) rice or alone. Enjoy!

Get Your Feast On!

Homemade Chicken Pot-Pie & Nostalgia

Preface. Comfort and warmth: the 2 things I desperately seek for on a dark, dreary, winter day and 2 words  perfect to describe one of my favorite meals to have during times like this and that's the one and only, Chicken Pot Pie! I personally have grown up eating Marie Collander's Frozen Chicken Pot Pies, which are DELICIOUS! I've tasted homemade ones in the past and they're always good, but Marie Collander has set the bar pretty high! And yeah it could very well be a sentimental thing because we all know NOTHING beats a home cooked meal from scratch...right?? The only way I can describe it is....metaphorically lol. Each spoonful of Marie's frozen version is an anecdote; a feast not only to satiate the hunger, but a journey through memory lane and into complete nostalgic bliss. Don't judge me :D

We all do this--attach our memories, like post-it notes to certain things...everyday things: a story, a situation, a song, a day of the week, an hour in a day, a season, even a dish. And every time we touch, feel, hear, see, or in my case, taste that one thing, we remember. It's as simple as that.

 
I will never be able or even attempt to duplicate my favorite FROZEN chicken pot-pie, BUT I can certainly try and make my own version of it! :)

Chicken Pot Pie EZ

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium onion chopped
• 3 cups carrots chopped
• 1 cup cilantro chopped
• 3 cups eggplant chopped
• 3 cups mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• pinch of salt to taste
• pinch of pepper to taste
• 2 cans crescent rolls chilled
• 6 cups (more or less) chicken stock

Cooking Directions

1. Make the Filling: In a large pot, very lightly coat pan with oil over high heat.
2. Add and saute chicken until no longer pink. Take out and set aside on a separate plate/container.
3. In the same pot, saute together onions and carrots until tender. Add mushrooms and eggplant. Continue cooking (add more oil if it gets too dry). Add cilantro last.
4. Make a Rue: Add flour and continue stirring until flour is no longer powdery. Add chicken stock slowly and continuously stir. Mixture will start to thicken.
5. Lower heat to a medium-high and cover pot. Allow chicken to fully cook and until desired thickness.
6. Create Pot-Pie: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Take crescent rolls out of can. Take dough and line bottoms of 6 inch ramekins forming a thin crust. Bake for instructional time given (about 12 minutes) or until browned.
8. Layer filling on top of crust. Then take remaining dough and blanket on top. Bake again for 12 minutes (or a little longer for crispier crust) until browned.

Get Your Feast On!

 More photos after the jump!

Caramelized Onion Meatballs & Spaghetti

For New Year's Eve in Filipino culture long types of food is served in abundance to promote a long healthy life in the coming year and round foods welcomes good luck all year round. I contributed Spaghetti & Meatballs, which isn't Filipino, but a dish we enjoy in our family all the time and perfectly fitted for the occasion.

The meatballs were a hit and it was so good that I actually started craving them again a few nights ago haha.

Overall, I'm very happy with this recipe. Unlike the first time around, I decided to puree the onions and basil hoping to intensify the flavor a bit more and to ensure a nice juicy meatball. Good thing I did! Both versions are delicious though.

 Caramelized Onion Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup caramelized onions (click here for recipe)
• 1/2 cup basil leaves chopped
• 1 cup italian bread crumbs
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• hefty pinch pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter

Cooking Directions

1. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
2. In a blender, puree the caramelized onions, basil, salt, and pepper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg and puree. Add in meat and breadcrumbs.
4. Form balls to desired size. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
5. In a large frying pan coated with a little bit of butter, sear meatballs until brown on all sides. Make sure to drain all excess oil after each batch.
6. Continue cooking in oven or for this particular dish, spaghetti sauce for another 15 minutes.

Unfortunately we ran out of whole wheat spaghetti pasta, so I had to work with some canton noodles instead. You may be more familiar with these if you eat Chinese takeout like Lo Mein. It's very similar looking to spaghetti, but it's got a lot more wheat in it so it's a little more heavy.

For the meatballs, I created a puree of caramelized onions and basil seasoned with salt & pepper of course. I used just regular store bought Italian bread crumbs and eggs to bind the ingredients together.

As you can tell, we use this pan quite a bit! Might be a good time for a replacement haha!

After refrigerating meatballs for at least 10 minutes, I browned them in the pan. Be sure to drain/spoon out some of that excess oil from the meatballs as you fry them and before adding the sauce.

Normally, I stick meatballs in the oven to continue cooking, for this dish I wanted the spaghetti sauce to be infused with some of that meaty flavor, so instead I finished cooking the meatballs in the pan with the sauce.

Get Your Feast On!

2013 New Year's Smoothie Challenge - Days 6 & 7

 

Collard Green Hodge Podge Smoothie

So the past 2 days, I decided to use the same type of greens. I decided to try something completely different from what I'm used to and that's, COLLARD GREENS! As you may know, collard greens are much like spinach, but stronger in flavor, slightly bitter even, just overall more....green tasting lol. I mixed it with whatever fruits I had left, which included pineapple, grapes, apples, mango, citrus of all sorts. It was a hodge podge for sure! I just wanted to mask the flavor of the collards as best I can and thankfully I did just that. Out of all the smoothies I made, although still enjoyable, this one definitely was not my favorite at all.  I don't know if it's the copious amount of random fruits or the collard greens or both that put me off, but I didn't care for this one. I actually much prefer kale.

 I know. I feel a bit disappointed in myself, but hopefully the more I drink it the more I'll get used to it.

I'm not one to give up on a food just because I didn't like it the first time. Our taste buds change ever few years, so it's always a good idea to keep re-trying different foods because you may be surprised what you end up liking this time around.

Overall, this round of the Smoothie Challenge was as always super fun and informative. Thanks to Katherine for the invite!! I've been working out almost everyday since the holidays ended determined to take back my health and these smoothies have truly helped wonders to jump start a cleaner diet.

I'm not going to lie, I don't drink green smoothies outside of these challenges as often as I should, BUT the fact that I've included them in my diet is a step in the right direction. The more I experiment, the more I learn and I'll include drinking more green smoothies into the 2013 Resolution List! :)

Cheers to all the other participants as well! It was fun reading about your experiences :)

Get Your Feast On!

Torta! Filipino Omelette

 I love this dish for many reasons. It's easy and quick to make. You can switch up the ingredients depending on what you like: meats, vegetables, cheese, spices, etc. (I guess you can do that with pretty much all dishes hehe), and it brings back memories everytime I eat it. Since I usually have a sweet breakfast palette i.e. cereal, cinnamon/vanilla oatmeal, fruits, yogurt, etc. I prefer eating this for lunch, brunch, or dinner.

I first tasted this as a child when my parents would make them for us kids. They usually make this with onions and tomatoes, potatoes, or with eggplant. My favorite is Talong (the eggplant version), but I still have to learn how to make it as good as they do. I will share with you my parents recipe maybe in the future :)

In this version, I used tomatoes, potatoes, kale, topped off with mozzarella and basil. I also added some turmeric for color and flavor as well as its healthy benefits and cayenne pepper for some heat because I love spicy foods. Torta is delicious on its own or as a side.

Since I was young, I love to eat torta with banana ketchup. It tastes especially good with the potatoes. It gives it that extra punch of flavor.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe and try it sometime! If you do try it, please let me know!

Tortang Kamatis, Patatas, at Kale (Filipino Omelette)

Ingredients

• 6 medium/large eggs
• 2 tbsp water or milk
• 1 cup (roughly 3 medium sized) tomatoes diced
• 1 1/2 cup (roughly 6 or 7 medium sized) red potatoes diced
• 1 cup (roughly 1/2 a bundle) fresh kale chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 pinch salt (or to taste)
• 1 pinch black pepper (or to taste)
• handful grated mozzarella cheese
• handful fresh basil leaves 

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together egg and water. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a frying pan or skillet over medium-high flame, heat up a few tablespoons of cooking oil or butter.
3. Saute potatoes and kale until tender. Add tomatoes last and cook until softened. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and turmeric.
4. Place vegetables in center of the pan and poor whisked eggs over top.
5. With spatula/wooden spoon, slowly shift vegetables from center outwards, evenly spreading vegetables throughout egg as it solidifies.
6. When veggies are all spread out, leave it alone until bottom is completely cooked.
7. Cover skillet or pan and let top cook through over medium flame. Add cheese and basil and continue to cook. (You can also speed this up by placing underneath broiler. Just make sure your pan has metal handle if not wrap it in foil)
8. Top should be golden brown.

Get Your Feast On!

Hello Autumn! Bacon Infused Lasagna

I had originally planned on making just a very traditional style lasagna, simple enough. I saw a container of ricotta and immediately started prepping. The last thing I expected was to open the container halfway through layering to find dried fruits instead of cheese hehe. Luckily we still had a a lot of mozzarella, so problem solved. Not having butter was a different story. I wasn't sure if you could make bechamel sauce any other way. I figured fat is fat and bacon fat was the best solution hehe.

In the end, I did not make a traditional style lasagna, but a lasagna nonetheless.  It's funny because I don't even like ricotta cheese. My favorite lasagna recipe is by the Neely's. I posted about it a while back. I wasn't sure f the mozzarella on it's own would just taste bland, but the bacon flavor in the bechamel sauce made everything taste better. I also added fresh basil to cut through all the meatyness.

This is a great recipe to welcome the new season! Happy Fall!!

 I posted some pictures of the process. Hope you enjoy!

Step 1: Prepare bacon bechamel sauce and meat layer 

(browned ground beef and spahetti sauce)

Step 2: Prepare pasta sheets (Homemade Pasta Recipe)

START LAYERING!

Layer 1: Spaghetti Sauce

Layer 2: First pasta sheet

Layer 3: bechamel sauce and mozzarella cheese

Layer 4: FRESH BASIL! yuummmm

REPEAT LAYERING PROCESS!

Final Layer: Sprinkle top with extra cheese.

Then bake in 375 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes.
Top will be golden brown.

Get Your Feast On!