Mongolian Noodles

Hubby and I enjoy Mongolian bowls. This recipe is as close as I can get like the ones that we eat at a Mongolian place at the food court. I love all kinds of noodles, so this is comfort food for me.

Mongolian  Noodles

2 small packs of vermicelli noodles (sotanghon), soaked in cold water.
Assorted vegetables, cut thinly (I use whatever is left in the crisper - carrots, sayote, Baguio beans etc.)
Choice of meat (sukiyaki cut, chicken fillets, cut in thin strips, squid etc)
Cooking oil
Chopped peanuts (optional, but highly recommended)

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup soy sauce (Kikkoman or any Korean brand)
2/3 cup brown sugar (or adjust to taste)
1 1/4 cup chicken broth (more, if your noodles feel a bit dry)
4 cloves or garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, sliced
Red pepper flakes, optional

Procedure:

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside. Let marinate for at least 15-20 minutes to infuse the garlic taste in the sauce.
2. In a wok, saute the meat/s in a bit of cooking oil and some of the sauce.
3. Add the vegetables and saute until vegetables are half done. Add the remainder of the sauce and simmer quickly. (I pass the sauce through a strainer, to remove the bits of garlic and ginger)
4. Drain the noodles and add to the pan.
5. Cook the noodles and add chopped peanuts.
6. Serve immediately.

This is nowhere authentic to a real Mongolian bowl,  but this is how we like it.

I've been cooking a lot lately but have not taken any photos of my experiments. I make recipes that are quick easy and with ingredients easy found in supermarkets.

Tuna Pesto Quesadilla

I felt hungry. It was midnight and hubby's still at work. I look into whatever is available in my fridge and pantry. Here's what I came up with:

Tuna Pesto Quesadilla

2 small flour tortillas
Pesto Sauce (I used Barilla)
1 small can Century Tuna, drained well
1 Tomato, seeded and diced
Cilantro leaves
Mozzarella Cheese (Skim, if you have it)
Bottled salsa


1. Spread a thin layer of pesto sauce on the tortilla.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients on one side (for easy flipping later).
3. Place the tortilla in a hot non-stick skillet. When tortilla starts to bubble, fold in half and then flip and toast until your desired doneness. Maybe 1 to 2 minutes per side. Slice in half before eating.

Best dipped in salsa. If you don't have it like I did, I just added more tomatoes and cilantro inside the quesdilla.

This Tuna Pesto Quesadilla recipe so easy to make and it's quite healthy too.

I had to make two batches since the first one had too much pesto in it which made it a bit salty and soggy.

Now, I'm too full. Gotta burn some of it off before going to bed!

Hmmm..should I call a home service massage?.............

Macaroni Aioli with Kielbasa

I came home surprisingly early today. I even had time to whip up a quick pasta dish for myself with whatever I could find in my pantry. The basil in my garden feels a little bit neglected since I haven't used it in a while so I added it here. Tomatoes and basil, marriage made in heaven, right?

Last Minute Macaroni Aioli Pasta with Kielbasa Sausage
Good for one



You will need
1 small handful of dried macaroni (or any pasta you like), cooked shy of al dente (about 6 to 7 minutes)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 to 2 pinches of anchovies in oil
2 Tomatoes, diced
Kilebasa, julliened
Handful of basil, sliced into ribbons

1. While pasta is cooking, saute the Kielbasa in olive oil until slightly curled. Reduce heat and add the garlic, anchovies and tomatoes. Do not brown the garlic.
2. Add the cooked macaroni and a little bit of the pasta water.
3. Turn off the heat and add the basil.

This dish was surprisingly good. As I was developing this recipe in my mind on my way home, I wasn't sure how the flavors will compliment each other (I was supposed to add bell peppers but I was fresh out). I think I'll make this again. You can certainly add cheese here but it doesn't really need it. The anchovies and sausages provide just the right amount of saltiness and the tomatoes balance the aioli quite nicely.

Hubby's Favorite Pizza

I made hubby's favorite pizza today. It's my version of Shakey's Friday's Special. Easy to do with just the simplest ingredients.

Shrimp Pizza



You will need
5 Flour Tortillas
1 Small pack of tomato sauce
1 Yellow Bell pepper, diced (you can use green)
1 Tablespoon Pizza Seasoning
1 Small can sliced button mushrooms, drained well (fresh mushrooms are better if you have them)
10-15 Pieces of shrimps, peeled, deveined and sliced in half
Anchovy fillets
Mozzarella Cheese

Procedure:
1. Pre-heat aven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix the tomato sauce and the pizza seasoning, set aside.
3. Place about 1-2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce mixture on each flour tortilla.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients.
5. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes.

Needless to say, hubby liked this pizza, no surprise there. He loves shrimp pizzas.

I prefer using a flour tortilla when making pizzas at home because flour tortillas are easily available in any grocery store. No need to proof the pizza dough. I am so bad with recipes with yeast so, if I can get away with not using it, that's great. Flour tortillas are also great for pizzas because they make a fabulous crispy thin "crust". Whole wheat tortillas are available now in major grocery stores, so if you want to make this easy recipe even healthier, you can use the whole wheat variety.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Crab Meat

I saw a similar recipe of stuffed tomatoes in a magazine many months ago and I have been meaning to try something similar. I am trying to revamp the menu that we have at home and I miss cooking. Hubby and I have polar opposite working schedules and we only share meals on weekends which saddens me a lot. Anyway, I got the chance to cook again today and tried putting my own spin on this recipe.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Crab Meat



3 Salad tomatoes
350 grams of fresh crab meat
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Cilantro, chopped
Lime juice
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure.

1. Preheat your over to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the top off of your tomatoes. Reserve the "cap". Hull. Sprinkle the insides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
4. Stuff the tomatoes with the crab mixture and sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top. Cover the tomatoes with the "cap".
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

I have to be honest though. Hubby wasn't very fond of this because the crab mixture is a bit wet due to the juices from the tomatoes. Oh well, at least I tried.

The filling makes a great crab ball if you add egg and more bread crumbs.

The Nekkid Recipes

One of the things that I regretted in my life is not living on my own, prior to getting married. I often wondered what it was like living alone, no curfews, no rules and certainly no pesky little brother sharing the bathroom with me :-)

Hubby's off to Shanghai for the week for a business trip. During his trips abroad, I live out my single woman's fantasy of living on my own. One thing that ruins that lovely fantasy is the cooking part, what would a single, fabulous woman make for herself?

This reminded me of Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef philosophy of paring down his recipes to their bare essentials. I take no pleasure in making an elaborate meal (meaning 5 major ingredients or more) when it's only me who will eat it. It's simply easier and more cost effective to just dine out. Although being the only one without a dining companion in a nice restaurant makes me feel a bit conscious (just a tad).

This week, with hubby off to another country, I'll be a bachelorette again! Well, in terms of eating that is.

Here are two recipes that are pared to their barest essentials. They're very simple food made in less than ten minutes, slicing and dicing included. The ingredients are very cheap too!

Pan-grilled Eggplant with Soy-Calamansi Glaze



1-2 Eggplants
1 Part Calamansi juice
2 Parts soy sauce
Pinch of Salt
Olive Oil

1. Toss eggplant in olive oil and salt to coat well.
2. Grill eggplants on a non-stick pan. Pour soy sauce and calamansi to the same pan and let boil for one minute.

Tomato Egg Goo



2 Eggs, slightly beaten and lightly salted
1-2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Clove garlic, finely chopped
Vegetable Oil
1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Teaspoon sugar

1. Mix sauce sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Make sure it has the right balance of saltiness and sweetness.
2. In a non-stick pan, saute garlic and tomatoes in oil until the tomatoes are just wilted.
3. Pour eggs to the pan, scramble and add the soy-sugar mixture.

This would go well with bell peppers too. Just add them together with the tomatoes. I love to eat them with buttered toasts or garlic fried rice.

Nekkid Recipes? Totally!