A No Brainer Chopsuey with Shrimps

I buy frozen vegetables so I have them in stock whenever I need them. I have different kinds of frozen veggies like corn, peas, mixed veggies, and stir fry veggies. I also have a bunch of Mama Sita mixes and sauces in my pantry, so I can concoct a dish in a flash when I don't have much time to do it from scratch. I cooked Chopsuey with Shrimps using the frozen stir-fry veggies and Mama Sita's Chopsuey/Pancit Canton Stir Fry Mix. The stir fry veggies include corn, carrots, baby corn, broccoli, lima beans, green beans, peas, and sweet peas among others. This is a no brainer dish and is ready in no time.

CHOPSUEY with SHRIMPS

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups thawed Stir Fry Veggies
1 pouch Mama Sita's Chopsuey/Pancit Canton Stir Fry Mix
1 cup water
1 cup cleaned shrimps
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tbps minced garlic
1 medium onion
salt and peper

PROCEDURE:
1. Dissolve the mix in water and set aside.
2. Saute garlic and onion in 1 tbsp of oil for 3 minutes.
3. Add in shrimps and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for additional 2 minutes.
4. Scoop out shrimps and set aside. You don't want to overcook the shrimps otherwise they will get tough.
4. Pour the rest of the oil in the same pan and stir fry the veggies for 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the dissolved mix and cook until sauce thickens and the veggies are fork tender.
6. Mix in the shrimps and its done.

Tuna Salad Sandwich & Mushroom Soup

I made a very simple lunch for my father in law and myself today. I just prepared a sandwich of toasted wheat bread with tuna salad on a bed of crispy iceberg lettuce and a slice of American cheese. And just made a creamy mushroom soup out of a can.

TUNA SALAD SANDWICH & CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1 can Albacore Tuna
2 tbsp Mayonnaise
1/2 stalk celery
1 stalk scallion
salt and pepper
------------------
Wheat Bread
Iceberg Lettuce
American Cheese
------------------
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

PROCEDURE:
1. Just drain the tuna really good.
2. Slice celery and scallions finely
3. Mix all ingredients well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Toast the wheat bread, line with lettuce and cheese and mound the tuna salad on top.
5. Boil the Cream of Mushroom Soup with an equal part of water. Stir constantly until smooth

A Quick and Easy Tuna Casserole

When I run out of idea of what to make for dinner, I always do what is quick and easy. And on top of my easy and quick list is Tuna Casserole. I always stock any kind of Pasta, Albacore Tuna and Cream of Mushroom in my pantry, so it is very convenient to prepare this dish. In this dish, any pasta you may have in your pantry is just fine. I usually use Penne but this time since I want to make room in my freezer, I used the frozen Tortellini with cheese and spinach.

TORTELLINI TUNA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs frozen Tortellini with cheese and spinach
2 cans Cream of Mushroom
2 cans Albacore Tuna
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
1 cup green peas
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURES:
1. Boil pasta in salted water for about 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile in medium heat, saute onions and celery until tender.
3. Mix in tuna, cream of mushroom and milk. Stir until creamy.
4. Mix in green peas and 1/2 cup cheese. Stir for a minute then remove from heat.
5. Add boiled pasta and mix until incorporated.
6. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
7. Bake in a pre-heated 375 deg. F oven for 15 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.
8. Serve with toast or as it is.

Two Dishes For a Pack of Beef

I got a four pounder pack of boneless beef chuck and decided to make two dishes out of it. It's very seldom that I cook beef dish, if ever I usually do the slow cook Beef Stew that my husband grew up eating in England. Beef Stew will be for my later post but this time I would like to feature Beef Mechado with Green Olives, a recipe I got from my best friend Malou and Boiled Beef (Nilagang Baka), my family's long time recipe.

BEEF MECHADO with GREEN OLIVES

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs boneless beef chuck
1 lemon
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 pcs medium carrots
2 pcs medium potatoes
1 pc red bell pepper
1/2 cup Olives with pimiento
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic

3/4 can tomato paste
1 small can liver pate

PROCEDURE:
1. Boil beef chuck in juice of lemon and soy sauce. Once boiling point is reached, lower heat to simmer until meat is tender.
2. Meanwhile, pre-fry cubed carrots, bell pepper and potatoes, set aside.
3. Soak olives in water to wash to remove saltiness, set aside.
4. In the same pan, saute garlic and onions for about 2 minutes, then add tomato paste and liver pate.
5. When meat is already tender, pour into the pan with garlic and onion mixture, add the pre-fried veggies and boil for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the olives and remove from heat.

BOILED BEEF (NILAGANG BAKA)

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs boneless beef chuck
1 medium onions
1 tbsp pepper corn
2 tsps salt
2 medium potatoes
1 head of cabbage
2 cups of sliced green beans

PROCEDURE:
1. Boil beef in 4 cups of water or enough to cover the meat, with pepper corn and salt. Once boiling point is reached, lower heat to simmer until meat is tender.
2. When meat is tender, add potato and green beans and boil for 3 minutes.
3. Add cabbage and boil for another 2 minutes or until tender.
4. Serve hot with condiment of calamansi with patis.

Freeze Those Lemons and Limes

In the Philippines we use a lot of calamansi to flavor our dishes. Calamansi is an everyday all around fruit that is commonly used in cooking and just about anything. We use it to make sauces or condiments; to add citrus flavor to marinades; to drizzle on raw food like oysters; or just make a cool and refreshing juice to quench the thirst. The fruit of calamansi or calamodin resembles a small, round lime, usually bigger than the size of a thumbnail, 25-35 mm in diameter, sometimes 45 mm. It has very thin green or orange colored peel and sour taste but inviting odor. Like other citrus fruits, calamansi is also high in vitamin C.

Now that I'm based in US, I always crave for calamansi especially to make condiment for my Pancit Bihon. Calamansi mixed with soy sauce and drizzled on a freshly cooked Pancit Bihon really makes my mouth waters, yummy. I can only buy frozen pure calamansi in an Oriental store in Cranston, RI and it costs almost $3 a pack of 12 small packets and a pack doesn't last long. If I can't drive to Cranston I just find alternate ways to still enjoy and add flavor to food by using lemon or limes. Lemon and limes can be pricey at times so I buy them in bulk and then squeeze and freeze them. I freeze them in ice trays so that when I need them I just conveniently pop them out with each cube approximately measures a tablespoon.

KITCHEN TIP #1 :
I buy lemons and limes in bulk and
then squeeze and freeze them in ice trays for later use