Easy-to-make organic French green lentil soup sauteed in garlic, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes with sardines and organic kale. It’s clean eating, healthy, and delicious.
Category Archives: Starters
Pancit Lumpia (Egg Rolls)
Filipino Egg rolls filled with Filipino stir-fried noodles served with lemony savory dipping sauce. Oh, la la! So tasty. 🙂
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Skillet Grilled Pork Barbecue Skewers
Turkey Lettuce Wrap
Hello all!
I hope everyone had a fun Halloween.
I was asked to be a guest on Oh, My Glai to help celebrate her first anniversary in blogosphere world. I made this refreshing, tasty and delicious Turkey Lettuce Wrap filled with some of fall’s favorite ingredients such as butternut squash, apples, dried cherries, and glazed walnuts seasoned with Korean Barbecue sauce and Stir-fry sauce for her blog. Let’s help her celebrate. Please visit her blog at Oh, My Glai.com.
To get the recipe, click here.
Thank you for your support. Have a blissful week! ❤
~Anna
©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2014-2015) Other than personal use, unauthorized duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.
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My Grandparents Farm and My Mother’s Steamed Clams
MY MOTHER’S STEAMED CLAMS
One of my childhood favorites.
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Growing up I, was surrounded by rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, sugar cane fields, coconut trees, and tropical fruits. The best environment for a child to grow up in. My grandparents farm was mainly my playground growing up. During the last weekend of the month, I would always get excited because my mother would take us to visit my grandparents farm. She either took me or my sister with her. On the way to the farm, my mother and I would stop by the market to buy some fish and pastries. It became a family tradition.
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Seared Beef with Spicy Dipping Sauce
Here’s an excellent, super easy to make beef appetizer that’s definitely a crowd pleaser. Absolutely delicious! Seared beef with Korean inspired spicy dipping sauce so versatile, you can use it with other meats, seafood, vegetables , and tofu.
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I finally made the sauce I have been meaning to create. My children liked it so much, they wanted me to make this “again and again”. I had to remind them to leave some for their father and my eldest son said “I know, mommy, but it’s just so good. I can’t stop eating it.” He didn’t even mind the spicy dipping sauce. He doesn’t like to eat anything spicy, but he would not eat the meat without the sauce. What a compliment!
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FOR THE BEEF
- 2 lbs. Top sirloin beef
- ground black pepper
- olive oil or avocado oil for searing
- 6-inch wooden skewers (optional)
Wash the meat and pat dry with paper towel before cutting. Cut it in bite pieces about an inch thick. Season with black pepper. Do not season the beef with salt. The sauce is full of flavor, you would not need it. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil when hot. Add slices of beef to the skillet and sear. Try not to overcrowd the skillet, so you’ll have a nice seared meat. Turn over and sear the other side. Don’t overcook the meat. Remove and let it rest for the juice to settle before you skewer the cooked meat. Skewer the meat and place on a plate. Serve warm with the sauce.
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FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
- 1 1/2 heaping tablespoon soybean and hot pepper mixture for meat sauce (Sunchang Ssamjang; available at any Korean store)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Sesame oil
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Sesame seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 3 stalks of green onions, thinly cut
Combine and whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl until well incorporated. Refrigerate any leftover.
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If you do not like spicy dipping sauce, try soy sauce and lemon juice. Just mix 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce and juice of 1/2 lemon. Stir to incorporate.
You can either dip the meat and eat it right from the stick or…
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You can eat it like the Koreans do; lettuce wrap style! The best! 🙂
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Now Devour! Ahhh…so good! The lettuce was so refreshing and crunchy. Yes, I tried some. I had to. It was so good!
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Variation:
Tofu Wraps. My dinner. You can either eat the tofu raw or you can pan-fry it. Serve with the sauce.
You can also try it with vegetables such eggplant; pan-fried or stir-fried using the sauce, salt and pepper as the flavor. Served over quinoa.
Note: If any of these recipes inspire you to use as a guide in creating your own, please be considerate and credit annascuisine.wordpress.com. Thank you.
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©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013-2014), unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.
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Sweet and Tangy Meatballs
Hello, I’m back! Too long to explain why. So, without delay, here’s one of the recipes I promised to publish next. The easy, super speedy tangy meatballs you can serve at your next party. Just add all the ingredients in a pot and cook them over medium heat until the sauce thickens. You have more time to take care of the last details of your party rather than spending time in the kitchen until the guests arrived.
So many meatballs with pretty much the same flavors are out there, so I decided to give this very common appetizer a new flavor. I hope you give this recipe a try. It’s fast (if you cook them over the stove), simple and something different. I have and I would make them again simply because my children love this particular flavor. 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 can (6 oz.) pineapple juice
- 1 cup orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 3 tablespoons mustard
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 20-25 pieces prepared meatballs (beef, turkey, or chicken)
Combine and whisk the first seven ingredients in a medium pot until well incorporated. Add the meatballs and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Serve warm.
Note: You can also place them in a slow cooker and cook them in low setting until the sauce thickens. You’ll have a warm appetizer ready for your guests. My children had these meatballs for dinner and they loved them. My oldest said that they were yummy and flavorful and ate more meatballs than usual. Bon Appetit! 🙂
If you like this post or my blog, don’t forget to Subscribe or Follow to get the latest recipes. Please be kind and link back to source when you use or share any of my recipes. Thank you for stopping by. Until next time. Have an awesome day!
©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013) Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.
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Super Fast and Easy Pumpkin Soup
If you want an emergency soup or different pumpkin soup other than the classic soup made with heavy cream, this is it! The fastest, easy, and delicious pumpkin soup. I promise.
My son, Justin wasn’t able to go to school yesterday because he had an episode of severe stomach pain. I took him to his doctor and we were there until after lunch time. Justin repeatedly reminded me that he was famished. Since we live nearby the hospital, I took him home instead of dining out. Unfortunately, all he wanted to eat was soup…and fast because he was starving (he didn’t eat breakfast because he refused to eat). Just my luck, I ran out of his favorite noodles. The only thing I had was cream of chicken soup that I was going to use for the recipe I came up with. I looked at it for a moment and asked myself, how can I make this soup a little healthier without Justin chewing anything except sip? As I searched in my pantry, I saw the canned pureed pumpkins and I thought perfect! Wait! Chicken soup with pumpkin? Why not? The cream of chicken alone was flavorful enough, but I wanted to add some fiber. Justin loves broccoli, but not today. I asked him if he wanted pureed pumpkins added in the soup. A quick, repeated nod ensued. But just in case, I warned it might be too thick for his tastes (it wasn’t too thick or too thin. It was perfect). Well, he only wanted soup; thick or thin it didn’t matter. The result? Well, Justin said “I don’t just like it, I love it, mom! Ah, so good! Thanks, mom!”
Ingredients:
- 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) 98% Fat-free cream of chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom spice
- 2 cans of water (using the empty cream of chicken soup can)
- 1 cup of canned or homemade pureed pumpkin or butternut squash
- 1-1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (adjust according to your taste)
Garnish:
- a dab of sour cream
- breadcrumbs ( I used the leftover bread crumbs from making the Pandesal)
- shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese
- green onions ( see note)*
Preparation Methods:
- Empty can of chicken soup and add into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add water, cardamom spice, chicken bouillon, and pumpkin. Whisk until well mixed. Bring it to a boil. Turn off heat.
- Scoop the soup into a bowl.
- Garnish with sour cream, breadcrumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese and green onions.
…and slurp its goodness. Mmm…delicious!
For the leftover pumpkin, save it for breakfast or lunch. You can get the recipe here.
*Note: For adults, the green onions are delicious addition to the soup. It’s a must! Trust me, try scooping a pumpkin soup with all the recommended garnishes and you are in for a treat. Seriously! The combinations are so good you would want to keep adding all the garnishes listed in the recipe until you finish the soup. That’s what my son, Justin and I did. Well, I made him try it at first and he liked it so much, he actually savored the soup. The oohs and aahs were endless. 🙂
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Super Easy Tofu Salad
I want to share this super easy vegetarian dish I brought to a gathering three weekends ago. It was a very light, refreshing, and flavorful salad and everyone liked it. This salad is also great with spinach or Romaine lettuce, dried cherries and cheese.
Ingredients:
- 2 (14 oz.) firm tofu, cubed in bite pieces
- yellow and red cherry or grape tomatoes
- 3/4 cup prepared pesto sauce
- fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to incorporate. I told you it’s super easy. Enjoy. 🙂
©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2014-2015) Other than personal use, unauthorized duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.
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Pho At Home!
It’s noodle soup time!
Fall is officially here. It’s getting colder and I wanted something hot to eat. I went to an Asian store a few days ago and discovered they sold fresh Vietnamese noodles for making Pho soups. I had been searching for this! I was using the dry noodles which took longer to cook. I was so excited I wanted to go home and make a bowl of soup right away. Talk about perfect timing since I was craving for soup that day because I felt cold. I also found an excuse to use the meat we had in the freezer.
As I was making the soup, my children came home from school. My youngest mentioned that he was cold, so I asked him if he wanted soup. Both my children responded in unison and said “Oh, yes! Soup!” 🙂
The chilies you see were just a garnish. I had to removed them because they were too spicy for my children.
Anyway, I didn’t take a picture of the noodle package because my children wanted to have the soup right away, but I changed my mind when I put it all in a bowl. It looked so appetizing. My children could hardly wait to have the soup, but I told them I had to take a picture first 😀 It was worth the wait. We all enjoyed it although I had to give up the meat to them.
Cooking the meat, I used the cooking technique I learned when I was young making the popular Filipino soup, Bachoy.
Bachoy-Filipino noodle soup
Photo courtesy of rhysjuplo @ http://www.tumbler.com
Bachoy is a noodle soup with pansit mami (similar to Japanese noodles, Yakisoba) and meat garnished with green onions and fried garlic then adding soy sauce and lime juice to flavor the broth. The texture of Yakisoba noodles is different compared to pansit mami. Maybe because the Yakisoba noodles I had were previously frozen. The Pansit Mami noodles back home were made fresh. This soup is popular among Filipinos. It’s sold in roadside eateries and restaurants. I remember my mother would buy each of us a bowl after Sunday mass. It was one of my childhood memories I cherished very much. Looking at the picture makes me crave it, Oh, my goodness! Don’t you agree? I wouldn’t mind having soup for breakfast in a cold morning. 😀
Anyway, if you can’t find fresh Vietnamese noodles in your area, try using any noodles and just put all your favorite toppings. Or, you can make the Bachoy soup using the technique below for the broth without adding the Shitake mushrooms, spinach, salt and pepper.
Ingredients:
- Fresh Vietnamese noodles
- Beef, chicken, or shrimp
- bean sprouts
- Thai basil leaves
- Spinach ( optional)
- Shitake mushrooms
- Cardamom spice (to your taste)
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Methods:
- Before you start cooking the noodles, tenderize the meat by boiling it over medium heat for at least an hour or so. You will need the broth for your soup, so don’t throw it away. If you want the broth to be flavorful, add just enough water to tenderize the meat. Make sure you have enough water as water evaporates as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper, and Cardamom. Cover.
- Add the Shitake mushrooms 5 minutes before end of cooking time. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Remove the Shitake mushrooms and spinach. Set aside.
- Follow the directions on how to cook the noodles on the back of the package. Place the cooked noodles in a bowl.
- Remove the cooked meat and slice thinly in bite pieces.
- Arrange the bean sprouts, spinach, cooked beef, Shitake mushrooms, and Thai basil on top of the noodles. Pour the steaming hot beef broth into the bowl.
- Garnish with chillies and Thai basil leaves
Enjoy!
If you like this post or my blog, don’t forget to Subscribe or Follow to get the latest recipes. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!
~A. B.
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©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013) Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.
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