Tortang Talong Minis with Corned Tuna

I got so inspired to cook lunch (with the intent of sharing the recipe in my blog), despite a very busy day.  One of my good friends commented in Facebook, that she considers my blog her recipe book!  I am of course, flattered, and got me motivated to do more innovative, healthy dishes.

Ingredients: 5 mini eggplants (2-3 inches in length), 3 eggs, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 cup milk, dried oregano, garlic powder, canned corned tuna, 1/4 cup corn-carrot-peas frozen veggie mix, 1 small potato diced, 1/2 small onion diced, 1 tsp minced garlic, vegetable oil, Italian bread crumbs (or any would do - panko would be good too), salt & pepper

Steps:

Wrap the washed eggplants in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350F for about 20 minutes.       

Fry the potatoes in vegetable oil and oil of the corned tuna.  When cooked, drain some of the oil and sauté the onions and garlic in the same pan.  Add the corned tuna and veggie mix.  Season with garlic and pepper.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cornstarch, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  

Slit open the baked eggplant and spread out to form a bowl.  Dip in the egg mixture and place in a plate.  Fill with 1 heaping tbsp of the tuna filling and more of the egg mixture.  Top with bread crumbs.

Deep fry in vegetable oil.  You can see below that I had varying levels of precision, hehehe.  As always, the last one is the perfect!

Oh, and serve with ketchup and steamed rice.

Per 1 torta:

Calories: 130 Calories from Fat: 50

I had two for lunch, without rice!

Soy Honey Glazed Mahi-Mahi

Soy Honey Glazed Mahi-Mahi

I've been watching "Chopped" lately, and I'm very fascinated by the creativity of the chefs!  It's such a challenge to come up with food network superstar judge-worthy dishes out of outrageously disconnected ingredients in 30 minutes!  I always imagine myself being in that situation, but I'd probably be the first to get chopped, with my nerves getting the best of me.  At least cooking at home with limited ingredients is a good way to live the fantasy!  Hehehe.

Last weekend, we went to Costco with some friends.  As I have been trying to lose weight, I'm always on the lookout for healthier ingredients, mainly fish and vegetables.  So I got some frozen mahi-mahi, which is quite expensive compared to tilapia, cod, or even salmon, but I thought, why not?  At 96 calories per serving, I'm sold!  Here's how I cooked it... Pretty quick and easy at 30 minutes.  And I got a "mmmm good job wifey" so I guess it was quite good. :-)

Make a marinade with soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and pepper.  Add your mahi-mahi fillets and marinate for 20 minutes.  Heat vegetable oil and pan fry the fillets for 3 minutes each side.  Set aside the fish and remove the oil from the pan.  Add back the marinade and drizzle with japanese cooking wine.  Drop a bunch of spinach and cook for 30 seconds.  Arrange in plate and serve with rice.

Calories: 280 Calories from Fat: 88

Longman & Eagle

Intriguing Menu.

Crab Benedict (Creamy, Fresh, Large Chunks of Crab Meat)

Orange French Toast (Not overwhelmingly sweet, amazing orange flavor)

Super Happy Diners.

Face Pig Sandwich - Tasty, Savory, Rich, Crispy, Flavorful Porky Goodness!

Chicken & Waffles with Pork Belly Hash (think adobo flakes) - Who would have thought of this combination?  Juicy, Tender, Screaming Buttermilk goodness.  Not to mention, comfort food to the highest level!

May seem so, but this place has insanely delicious food.  

For the first time, I would actually want to go back!

Malunggay, Miswa, & Pompano

I realize, every time I attempt to make healthy meals, it's nowhere close to Filipino cuisine.  Well, that's because I couldn't really think of a single healthy pinoy dish!  Even our veggie dishes are sinful - pinakbet (hello chicharon and bagoong) and laing (hello coconut milk)!  

Last weekend, we went to our favorite market, Fresh Farms, and what do you know, they have malunggay!  Ahhh... childhood memories - I remembered how our "Ate Carmi" would cook tinolang manok or munggo with malunggay.  I never disliked this vegetable even as a young kid, and I guess that's because it doesn't have that distinct unlikeable veggie taste.  And now I realize how much of a miracle vegetable it is with all its countless vitamins and nutrients and health benefits.  I thought, I could definitely use this...

As I worked from home today, I thought of bringing on more of the nostalgia by cooking malunggay with misua!  Usually, misua is cooked with patola and liver (at least in our family), but I did it differently and cooked with shrimps, carrots, and of course, malunggay.  I had this for lunch and hubby had it for dinner, I'm happy he loved it.  For dinner, I had my usual salad with vinaigrette, but added fried pompano flakes, which gave that extra "linamnam" kick.  

Misua na may Malunggay & Hipon

Ingredients:

1 Pack of Misua Noodles, Couple Bunches Malunggay Leaves, 1/2 Cup Diced Carrots, 1 Small Onion Diced, 3 Cloves Garlic, 1 Cup Beef Broth, 1 Cup Chicken Broth, 3 Cups Water, Salt & Pepper, Patis

Steps:

Saute Onions, Garlic, and Carrots.  Add the shrimps and cook until slightly orange.  Add the broth and water and bring to a boil.  Drop the misua and simmer for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the malunggay leaves.  Season with salt, pepper, and patis.  Serves 4.

Calories: 185 Calories from Fat: 23

Lechugas at Pipino na may Hinimay na Pompano

Ingredients:

Salad Mix (Lettuce & Spinach), Baby Cucumbers, Diced Onions, Fried Pompano Flakes

Dressing: Rice Wine Vinegar, Lime Juice, Olive Oil, Honey, Salt, and Pepper

Steps:

Toss everything together!

Calories: 250 Calories from Fat: 90

Summer Flowers

Finally, Chicago Botanic Garden.  If not for a friend who's going home soon, we wouldn't have come to this beautiful place.  And I love macro shots, so this was the perfect opportunity.  I mostly used our Canon S100 p&s, and I couldn't be happier.

Macros by Hubby, using Canon 400D DSLR:

Various Photos using the DSLR:

And S100:

Who says only SLRs can take great photos? :-)