Review of Believe!

Now, it's time for us to review the recipes on BELIEVE!

1. FRENCH TOAST

I shared the recipe here: FRENCH TOAST

Liven up old bread this way. No worries, this recipe can also be used with new bread, of course! :-)

2. TUNA SALAD

I shared the recipe here: TUNA SALAD

Super easy to prepare and very healthy! :-)

3. HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

This week proved to be interesting. I got to prepare three yummy soups -- this one, #4 and #8! :-)

This dish really warms the heart and fills your tummy. :-)

Tip for future cooking: Cut the vegetables in smaller dice unless you want the soup really chunky. Use an assortment of colors for your vegetables. The different hues on the bowl will make it look appetizing!

4. HAM AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

I shared the recipe here: HAM AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

The crunchy asparagus provides a different taste and texture in this creamy broth. :-) Worth a try! 

5. CHICKEN THIGHS WITH LEMON IN FOIL

The recipe for this said it's a chicken dish with a twist. Uhmmm, a twist alright, but I didn't like it. I'm sorry. Hahaha! I perhaps did not cook or flavor it right. It just tasted like sosyal na sinampalukan! Hahahahahaha! Oh well, this definitely is not on my immediate to-cook-again list. :-P

Tip for future cooking: Put only half a lemon to flavor this dish. Using one whole lemon seems to over-flavor it.

6. ADOBONG PUSIT (SQUID)

I have always been a squid fanatic. Anything squid, I eat. Oh wait, just not the raw one. Yech! Hahaha!

I discovered/learned 3 things in cooking this dish:
1. I always thought this was cooked in BOTH vinegar and soy sauce. This rendition of it just uses vinegar. 
2. Interesting that the squid "cooked" while it was marinated in the vinegar. :-)
3. I saw how the innards of the squid look like and learned that the ink sac of the (baby) squid is just pulp-sized! Hahaha!

Tip for future cooking: Do not prepare it last minute. Remember that this dish needs marinating for an hour!
 
7. TUNA FILLETS IN TOMATO COULIS

This is one lycopene-and-omega3-enriched dish! Healthy! 

Tip for future cooking: Add steamed carrots, beans, young corn, asparagus, broccoli (you get the picture) on the side to make it more exciting. Tuna with just pureed tomato can be a bit boring. ;-)
  
8. FRENCH ONION SOUP

I have nothing to compare it to. I do not even know how the real French onion soup should taste. I liked this one though -- or maybe I liked that it has red wine. Hahaha!

Tip for future cooking: Use sweet red wine. The darker-flavored ones add a bitter taste to it.  Easy on the wine too, especially if your alcohol tolerance is low.  You might want to prepare this for dinner or during a weekend, where you do not expect to function "coherently" after having it (e.g. lunch on a work day). :-)

9. SKILLET STUFFED CABBAGE

It seems that food I love I got to prepare this week. Here's another. I'm fond of all things wrapped too, and this reminds me of California Pizza Kitchen's Lettuce Wrap. Yummm! :-)

Tip for future cooking: Choose big-leaved cabbage. It's quite a challenge to do a wrap using medium-sized ones. Manageable, but again, quite a challenge. Also, drain the canned diced tomatoes a bit. Using more sauce will mean that the filling is more runny than needed. It is hard to wrap a runny mixture. Do not over-drain the tomatoes either. You don't want the filling dry.

10. MIXED SEAFOOD WITH OYSTER SAUCE

 

 
I shared the recipe here: MIXED SEAFOOD WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Try this Asian-inspired seafood medley.


See, what did I tell you? We can conquer the kitchen, we just have to BELIEVE!

Cheers to more recipes!