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Tag: vegetarian

  • Fried Okra | Fried Okra with Green Sambal

    Fried Okra | Fried Okra with Green Sambal

    This recipe for fried okra is easy to prepare but packs a lot of flavor.

    From one of the recipes in this blog:

    Okra, also known in English speaking countries as  Lady’s Finger or Gumbo, is always used in common Filipino vegetable dishes and every vegetable stall in the markets should always have this. The health benefits of okra include:

    its ability to lower total cholesterol levels
    improve digestive health
    improve vision
    boost skin health
    protect infant health
    prevent certain cancers
    strengthen bones
    improve cardiovascular health
    aid the immune system
    lower blood pressure
    protect heart health

    Aside from the fried okra, this recipe also comes with green sambal.  Green sambal is a spicy Southeast Asian sauce made with chili peppers.  The sambal ingredients used are green chilies (green peppers such as Anaheim (mild) or jalapeno (spicier)), garlic, shallots and olive oil. Since I am from the Philippines, instead of Anaheim Chilies, I used a combination of siling haba and green bell pepper.  WARNING:  This could get spicy!!!

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    You could also buy Green Sambal if you wish:

    For frying, I like to use cast iron skillets because they offer superior heat retention and even cooking.  Cast Iron Skillets look like this:

    Ingredients:

    • 2 bundles okra
    • Olive oil
    • 4 siling haba
    • 2 small green bell pepper
    • 3 green bird’s eye chilies (siling labuyo)
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 10 shallots
    • salt to taste

    Instructions:

    1. Heat olive oil over high heat, and fry the okra (lady fingers) briefly until they are bright green in color, but still crisp. Remove the okra from the pan and set aside.
    2. Add the peppers, green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, shallots, salt and enough olive oil to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth.
    3. Reheat the oil in the pan, and sauté the blended paste.
    4. Serve the green sambal with the fried okra.

    Fried Okra | Fried Okra with Green Sambal

    This recipe for fried okra is easy to prepare but packs a lot of flavor.  Aside from the fried okra, this recipe also comes with green sambal. Green sambal is a spicy Southeast Asian sauce made with chili peppers.

    • 2 bundles okra
    • Olive oil (for frying)
    • 4 pcs siling haba
    • 2 pcs green bell peppers (small)
    • 3 pcs green bird’s eye chilies (siling labuyo)
    • 1 clove garlic (minced)
    • 10 pcs shallots
    • salt to taste

    1. Heat olive oil over high heat, and fry the okra (lady fingers) briefly until they are bright green in color, but still crisp. Remove the okra from the pan and set aside.

    2. Add the peppers, green bird’s eye chilies, garlic, shallots, salt and enough olive oil to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth.

    3. Reheat the oil in the pan, and sauté the blended paste.

    4. Serve the green sambal with the fried okra.

    fried okra

    Other recipes may be found HERE.

  • Easy Green Bean Recipe (with Maple Syrup)

    This easy Green Bean recipe could be a treat if you like eating green beans. These beans sautéed in butter and maple syrup are tender, sweet and delicious.

    What are green beans?  From Wikipedia:

    Green beans are the unripe, young fruit and protective pods of various cultivars of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).  Immature or young pods of the runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus), yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), and hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) are used in a similar way.

    Green beans are known by many common names, including French beans, string beans, snap beans, and snaps.

    They are distinguished from the many differing varieties of beans in that green beans are harvested and consumed with their enclosing pods, typically before the seeds inside have fully matured.

    This practice is analogous to the harvesting of unripened pea pods as snow peas or sugar snap peas.

    Easy Green Bean Recipe

    The photo above are of whole green beans packed for sale (photo from Wikipedia).

    What is maple syrup?  From Wikipedia:

    Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species.

    In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring.

    Maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.



    This easy Green Bean recipe only takes a few minutes to prepare and is very tasty.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups green beans
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
    • Salt and pepper

    Instructions:

    1. Steam green beans until softened.
    2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
    3. Add the maple syrup and green beans saute for a few minutes.
    4. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

    Easy Green Bean Recipe

    Easy Green Bean Recipe (with Maple Syrup)

    This easy Green Bean recipe could be a treat if you like eating green beans. These beans sautéed in butter and maple syrup are tender, sweet and delicious.

    • 2 cups green beans
    • 2 tbsps butter
    • 3 tbsps maple syrup
    • Salt and pepper

    1. Steam green beans until softened.

    2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.

    3. Add the maple syrup and green beans saute for a few minutes.

    4. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

    Check out the other recipes HERE.

  • Oven-Baked Summer Squash Fries

    This Oven-Baked Summer Squash Fries is very easy to do.

    A summer squash has a strong resemblance, in flavor and texture, to a zucchini. You can, in fact, substitute zucchini in this recipe, but it will probably bake a bit more quickly.

    There are many variants of summer squashes.  What are they?

    What is a summer squash?  From Wikipedia:

    Summer squash are squashes that are harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible. Nearly all summer squashes are varieties of Cucurbita pepo, though not all Cucurbita pepo are considered summer squashes. Most summer squash have a bushy growth habit, unlike the rambling vines of many winter squashes.  The name “summer squash” refers to the short storage life of these squashes, unlike that of winter squashes.

    Summer squashes include:

    Cousa squash, pale-colored zucchini varieties purportedly of Middle Eastern or West Asian descent. Not to be confused with cushaw, a type of winter squash.
    Pattypan squash (scallop squash)
    Tromboncino or zucchetta, unusual among summer squash as being a vining plant and a Cucurbita moschata variety.
    Crookneck squash
    Straightneck squash
    Zucchini (courgette)
    Immature ridge gourd luffa is used as a summer squash in India, where it is known as turai or dodka.
    Aehobak (Korean zucchini) belongs to the species Cucurbita moschata.

    summer Squash fries
    Photo from Wikipedia

    Ingredients:

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
    2. Cut your summer squash into wedges. Remove the seeds if they are quite large and set wedges aside.
    3. Whisk the eggs in a dish and set aside.
    4. In another dish, combine the bread crumbs, paprika, mustard powder and salt and pepper.
    5. Start by dipping the wedges, one by one, into the egg mixture and then the bread crumb mixture. Place each wedge on the greased baking sheet. Continue until all the wedges are done.
    6. You can bake the wedges as is for about 30-40 minutes (until soft inside and golden brown on the outside), but if you want a more golden texture, drizzle or spray some olive oil on top of the wedges. Flip half way through baking.
    7. Serve with ranch or another favorite dip.

    Go try this Oven-Baked Summer Squash Fries recipe!

    summer squash fries

    Oven-Baked Summer Squash Fries

    This Oven-Baked Summer Squash Fries is very easy to do.  A summer squash has a strong resemblance, in flavor and texture, to a zucchini. You can, in fact, substitute zucchini in this recipe, but it will probably bake a bit more quickly.

    • 1 piece summer squash (medium)
    • 2 pieces eggs
    • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (try panko breadcrumbs for a crunchier texture)
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tsp mustard power
    • Salt and pepper
    • Olive oil

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.

    2. Cut your summer squash into wedges. Remove the seeds if they are quite large and set wedges aside.

    3. Whisk the eggs in a dish and set aside.

    4. In another dish, combine the bread crumbs, paprika, mustard powder and salt and pepper.

    5. Start by dipping the wedges, one by one, into the egg mixture and then the bread crumb mixture. Place each wedge on the greased baking sheet. Continue until all the wedges are done.

    6. You can bake the wedges as is for about 30-40 minutes (until soft inside and golden brown on the outside), but if you want a more golden texture, drizzle or spray some olive oil on top of the wedges. Flip half way through baking.

    7. Serve with ranch or another favorite dip.

    Check out the other recipes HERE.

  • Simple and Delicious Vegetarian Dinner

    Simple and Delicious Vegetarian Dinner

    If you’re looking for a meatless meal that satisfies, look no further. This simple and delicious vegetarian dinner isn’t exactly a recipe, but is meant to inspire you for your next veggie-only dish.

    vegetarian dinner

    All you do is preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Then chop up some veggies, herbs and toss them in some olive oil. In the  photo above, we have pattypans, peppers, onions and tomatoes.

    Pattypans?  From Wikipedia:

    Pattypan squash (or ‘patty pan’) is a variety of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo) notable for its small size, round and shallow shape, and scalloped edges, somewhat resembling a small toy top, or flying saucer. The name “pattypan” derives from “a pan for baking a patty”. Its French name, pâtisson, derives from a Provençal word for a cake made in a scalloped mould. The pattypan squash is also known as scallop squash, peter pan squash, sunburst squash, granny squash, custard marrow, custard squash, ciblème in Cajun French, white squash, button squash, scallopini, or simply “squash” in Australian English, or schwoughksie squash (pronounced “shwooxie squash”), especially if grown in the Poughkeepsie, New York, area.

    Patty pan squash comes in yellow, green, and white varieties.  The squash is most tender when relatively immature; it is generally served when it is no more than two to three inches in diameter. In fine cuisine, its tender flesh is sometimes scooped out and mixed with flavorings, such as garlic, prior to reinsertion; the scooped-out husk of a patty pan also is sometimes used as a decorative container for other foods. Pattypan is a good source of magnesium, niacin, and vitamins A and C.  One cup contains approximately 20 to 30 calories and no fat. It is often sliced, baked, or coated and fried until golden brown, or simply boiled. In Polish cuisine, they are pickled in sweet vinegar.

    They can be stored in a fridge for up to 3 days.

    You don’t exactly need pattypans for this vegetarian dish.  Almost any variant from the squash family will do.  Zucchini is a good alternative.  Add some fresh herbs like basil, parsley and oregano or whatever you like. Mushrooms, eggplant, garlic and plenty of other veggies also work well.

    Mix all your ingredients and wrap everything in foil on a baking dish. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 40 minutes or so. Drizzle with your favorite balsamic reduction and serve over rice, quinoa or just have it by itself.

    Voila!  You now have a simple and delicious vegetarian dinner!

    vegetarian dinner

    Other recipes are HERE.