April 26 - Red Kidney Bean Stew

Except for the canned baked beans, I do not normally serve beans or legumes at home. But lately, since we are trying to eat healthier, I have been serving more dark green vegetables and legumes.

This red kidney bean stew dish is simple and the taste is not exotic. Use fresh tomatoes and peppers to give this dish some zap.


Red Kidney Bean Stew

Ingredients
1 package (12 oz) dried red kidney beans (soaked in water for at least 5 hours, then drained)
10 cups water
3 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 lb pork loin cubes
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced





Cooking Time (2 hours)
In a large pot, cook the beans with 10 cups of water.
Let it simmer for an hour.
Add the garlic, onion, pepper, tomatoes and pork cubes.
Add the salt and pepper.
Let it cook for another hour until much of the liquid is gone.
Serve warm with white rice.

April 6 - Dare to Serve Steamed Fish

For a family (that means my kids and husband) who irk at the sight of fish head, I am bound for some scorn serving a whole striped bass for dinner. I do not expect my kids to voluntarily get a serving of it, but just the same, I cooked it.

Although this is a recipe for steamed fish, I cooked the fish in the oven. If you have a big steamer, then that's a better alternative.

Steamed Fish

Ingredients

1 whole striped bass (about 4 lbs)

1 bunch of scallion

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 ginger, thinly sliced

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

crushed chili pepper

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 cups water

Cooking Time (45 minutes)

Pat the fish dry.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper on one side.

Place a rack on a large pan.

Add two cups of water on the pan.

Lay the scallions on the rack.

Place the fish, with the salted side at the bottom.

Pour the soy sauce on the fish.

Sprinkle some salt, pepper and crushed chili pepper on the top of the fish.

Lay the garlic and ginger on top of the fish.

Bake the fish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

When serving, carefully place the fish on a large plate.

Place the scallions on the side.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the fish.

April 2 - Yellow Split Pea with Kale

When my kids ordered Lentil with Chili soup, I realized that it's time to serve lentil dish at home.

I grew up being served with mung bean soup (ginisang munggo) together with grilled chicken and white rice. Mung bean soup is normally prepared with dark green vegetables, like bitter melon leaves (ampalaya) or moringa leaves (malunggay).

The North American version of this dish is the split pea soup. Yellow split pea with kale is thicker than soup, though. Like the Philippine version of mung bean soup, it is best serve on top of white rice.

Yellow Split Pea with Kale

Ingredients

11 oz yellow split peas (soak in 5 cups of water for about 5 hours)

3 cups of chicken stock

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large onion, minced

2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cups of kale leaves, chopped

optional seasoning:

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1.2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Cooking Time (1.5 hours)

In a large pot, cook the yellow split pea together with the 5 cups of water that you used for soaking.

Add the 3 cups of chicken stock and let it boil until the pea is soft and mushy, about 45 minutes.

Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes and kale.

Continue to cook in low heat.

To add more flavor, add the optional seasonings of caraway, coriander, mustard and cumin seeds.