Sweet and Tangy Mayo-less Coleslaw

It's been a while.

And it makes me wonder (a lot) how time flies by even when you are not doing anything.

If this year is a person, it would have been bipolar.

By that, I mean it takes pure wisdom and understanding just to go through it, to survive it...

and still be whole in the end.

And just like last year, I wish the last quarter of this year will be a gazillion times better than the rest of it.

This heavy theme deserves a light recipe, wouldn't you agree?

This delicious mayo-less side salad is both sweet and sour. Classic life metaphor.

To Willow and all other vegans out there.

Sweet and Tangy Apple Coleslaw
(derived from Cook's Illustrated June 2011)

You will need:

3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 large green cabbage (1 pound), cored shredded fine (loosely 6 cups)
1/4 cup sugar +extra for seasoning
table salt
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 large Granny Smitth or Fuji apple, cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or wansoy leaves
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard or 1 teaspoon Honey mustard (Clara OIe is a good inexpensive brand)

How to:

1. Combine vinegar, oil, celery seed (if you have), and pepper in medium glass or metal bowl. Place bowl in freezer/chiller until well chilled, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Toss cabbage with sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and cover. Steam or microwave for 1 minute. Stir briefly, re-cover, and continue to steam/microwave until cabbage is partially wilted and has reduced in volume, about 1 more minute.

3. Transfer cabbage to salad spinner to remove excess water or you may use a strainer and push cabbage with a spatula to drain its liquid.

4. Remove vinegar mixture from the fridge. Add cabbage, carrots, parsley, apples, and dijon or honey mustard. Toss to combine.

5. If desired, adjust flavor with sugar, salt, or vinegar.

6. Refrigerate until well chilled. Toss again before serving.

Enjoy with light toast or fried tofu. Of course, it goes well with meat and seafood, too!

Things will be better.


Till the next eats!

Tzatziki

I haven't been talking about my old non-paying job in a Greek restaurant last year. Not that there's nothing to talk about. In fact, there is a lot.

My family had a canteen twice in the past. Working in food production isn't new to me -- but the experience I've had in that specialty restaurant is a whole-world kind of different.

Whenever I think of it, studying in a culinary environment, lectures and laboratories -- I can say nothing beats the first-hand experience of hot busy kitchens, real customers with real expectations, bosses counting on you to deliver the best service you can give.

I confirm those three months of hustling and bustling stepped my game up a notch.

Here's one of my most favorite side/dip recipes I've learned (and tweaked a little) from that place.

It's very easy, very simple but so good it should be a staple in your home.


Tzatziki

You will need:

3-5 medium-sized Cucumbers
1 cup plain cold Yogurt
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Lemon or Calamansi Juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh dill or mint
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bowls, clean pieces of cheesecloth or paper towels, strainers, a grater, a knife, a spoon

- - -

1. Ready a piece of cheesecloth (katsa) or paper towel over a strainer and place the strainer over a bowl.
2. Pour cold yogurt on the strainer and set aside.
2. Wash and peel cucumbers and cut in half. Take out the seeds with the use of a spoon.
3. Grate the cucumbers and squeeze out its juices. Season it with salt and place it on a cloth-lined or paper towel-lined strainer.

4. Set the bowls of yogurt and cucumbers in the refrigerator for an hour.
5. After chilling, transfer the yogurt to a mixing bowl.
6. Squeeze the cucumber some more to take as much juice from it as you can and mix it to the yogurt.
7. Add the sour cream, vinegar, lemon or calamansi juice, olive oil, garlic, and dill or mint.
8. Season with salt and pepper.

Tzatziki is best served chilled.

I highly recommend it as an alternative for slaws or pickles.

It's perfect with steaks, grilled meats, burgers, pita bread, etc.



Till the next eats!

What You Can't Have

There are things I'm upset about like the sad fact that there aren't any onion rings available anywhere near me. And if there are, why does it have to cost as much as a quarter pounder when it's just onion? I know LOL I'm pretty cheap.

Not many people like onion.

Hunger brings the best [recipes] out of people.

I was starving a couple of hours ago so I fixed myself late dinner. Early this evening, I did a 4km walk around the sports center oval and just had water. Last year, I started walking 4 to 5 km a night for almost 2 months then stopped in mid-December when my sister and her family flew back into the country for a month's vacation. It was all downhill from there. Last night, after 3 months of being a couch potato, was my first time back on the track. Tonight, my second time. I'm pretty much determined to keep it up since school is almost over and work is about to begin (hopefully next month). I missed the tracks. The hour's worth of freedom and free-thinking just going round and round the oval. It's priceless.

This recipe right here, is so good and so simple, I asked myself why I haven't thought of it before. It reminded me of ages ago when a friend and I wrote a song. It was around lunch time and we could seriously eat a horse but we opt to finish the song. In 30 minutes, we've written an awesome pop song. After eating though, we tried to make another one, something even better than the first. It took us the whole afternoon to come up with something we didn't even cared to keep. Also, there are times when I wouldn't eat before a test. I find my mind work better when my tummy is empty. I have never looked it up before but now, I did and here's what I found.

Cool Beans

So I watched Juno for the 2nd time and I thought Diablo Cody did a pretty good job writing up the catchphrases in there and I thought it would be pretty awesome if I name one of my recipes that. Since I'm truly madly deeply in love with tasty stir-fried vegetables, I came up with this protein-rich treat - even people who are not that into veggies will love it.

Cool Beans

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Bean sprouts, washed and drained

1 cup Green beans, cut into slanted strips

1/4 cup Snow peas, cut into slanted strips

1 block Tofu, diced

1/2 can Corn kernels, drained

1 medium Carrot, cut into strips

1 green and 1 red Bell pepper, cut into strips

a handful Raisins (optional)

a handful Mushrooms (optional)

1 large Onion, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

Cooking oil

1. Take a frying pan and fill it with 2 cups oil, wait till it's hot enough and fry in the tofu. When the tofu turns golden brown, what I do is set aside the pan and scoop out the oil into a separate container. You can do it this way or you can also strain the tofu out of the oil and use a whole new pan for sauteing. I opt for lesser utensils used.

2. Saute the garlic and onions with the tofu and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the carrots, corn kernel, green beans and snow peas. Mix it well for 3 minutes in medium heat. If you have mushrooms and raisins and if you like that, you can add some (I love mushrooms and raisins!) but you can leave it out if you don't fancy those. 

3. Lastly, add the drained bean sprouts and bell peppers. Season it with salt and pepper. You can add a bit of paprika powder or chili oil if you have it. Cover it and let it sizzle for 3 minutes without mixing. Turn off the heat, lift the lid off, and then toss it lightly like a salad. This way, your bean sprouts will still be plump and juicy and not ooey gooey wilted little things.  

Serve it hot on top of rice or for those who want to cut out on the carbs, crumble a couple of whole wheat crackers on top of Cool Beans. Enjoy! :)

Yield: 4-6 servings

Till the next eats,

♥ChefShak

Special Scramble

Eggs can kill alright, but I love it. The day just seem drab and wrong without having eggs. I can't decide which is my favorite way of getting it done but I'd down those anytime of the day to clog me arteries.

So I was watching TV this morning and saw a chef make a breakfast burrito. I thought how it's not easy to find tortillas in the local markets and those aren't cheap but her burrito filling really turned me on. It's got eggs in her recipe.

Lightbulb.

It was 11am and my tummy's begging for brunch. Time for some really quick DIY eats!

Huevo y Chorizo Scramble

Ingredients:

2 Eggs
1 pc. Chorizo or Chinese Bilbao, minced
2 tbsp Button mushrooms, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp Evaporated milk
1 pc. ripe Tomato, diced
1 tsp powdered Seasoning (I love the garlic and pepper variety)
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 large Red Onion, minced
1 red or green Bell Pepper, diced
1 tbsp Butter

Curry up!

"Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices. The Egyptians were buried with their spices. I know which one I'm taking with me when I go.”


-Erma Bombeck (U.S. humorist, 1927-1996)

Just thought I should add a random quote about spice for today's post. I'm not a big fan of curry but I don't hate it either. It's just there is something so strong about it that sticks with you all throughout the day.

The way it clings to your breath and a hint of it every time you burp when you had curried food - it's distracting! But really, in a sweet way like when an old flame crosses your mind on a random Tuesday morning as you throw out the garbage. Haha. What in the world am I talking about?

Two weeks ago, I created a curried dish. It was a self-dare somewhat, because I've never had curried pork. It's always chicken anywhere. So I did it and it was pretty yummy. It was a hit in the dining table.

Icebreaker.

Hi! By now, you must have gone through a lot of food blogs and recipe sites (or not). So, what makes diy-eats different from those? Nothing much really. It's still about food. The only thing is, there's nothing in here that's hard to make or expensive to buy, so think of this as a poor man's gourmet wonderblog of sorts. And of course, everything's delicious.

If you're here, you most likely know me already somewhere or have stumbled upon my shameless self-promoting links. (I googled my page and it's not in there. Ha!)
Okay, let's skip all the small talk and get down to business.