Honey Greek Yogurt & Banana & Granola

Another healthy breakfast with honey Greek Gods yogurt with almond and honey granola eaten along with a banana.

Curry Dinner for Two with Sage and Purple Peruvian Potatoes

To repay my baby for the wonderful soup, I decided to cook him dinner. Taking stock of what I had available, leftover purple potatoes, sage, sweet onions, carrots, and celery, I decided to these ingredients would make a good curry. I already had curry spices, garlic, and all I had to buy was the chicken, which I did. So for dinner, I cooked Sage, Purple Peruvian Potatoes, and Chicken Curry over rice with Baked Sweet Potato Fries for appetizer.

I browned the chicken, added the minced garlic (~4 cloves), and the rest of the veggies, along with the chicken curry sauce and cooked the whole thing until the chicken was cooked. Since I used chicken thighs and drumsticks, it took awhile to cook but were able to have dinner 1.5 hours after I started prepping the ingredients.

While the curry stew was cooking, I cut one whole sweet potato into fries and seasoned them olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I would've added paprika if I had it but I left that spice at my apartment and I cooked this whole dinner at Austin's. His kitchen is not as well stocked as mine. After cutting the fries, put them in a bowl. Then drizzle olive oil over the fries, sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder, about 1/2 tsp each of the seasonings. Then, place the fries on evenly on a baking pan and cook in 450 degrees until they're browned.

Bon apetit!

My Last Leftover Lunch of Austin's Exotic Soup

No words needed...because I've had enough of it for the next 2 days.

The Greeks Finally Made A Yogurt I Like!

I didn't want to give up on Greek yogurt (Greek Gods yogurt) just because of the awful tasting plain yogurt I had yesterday so I went to the store and bought a tub(3 servings) of honey flavored Greek yogurt which was on sale for $2.49.  Usually, the Greek Gods yogurts are $1.49 each so this was a really good deal. But most importantly, other than the great deal I got today, the yogurt tasted sweet and creamy. I loved that it was thick too. It did not make my stomach turn upside down when I took one bite. Every time I took a bite of that plain yogurt yesterday, I wanted to throw up. I forced myself to eat it but this time around, I loved every bite of it. I ate it with a banana, not because I needed the taste to cover the plain yogurt taste, but because Austin told me banana will make me feel better. Austin believes in the power of the banana so I try to eat it a lot more now.

I learned that the cheaper yogurts do not have probiotics and active live cultures, which are good for your immune system and digestive health. The cheaper yogurts have a lot of sugar and sugar feeds the bacteria already in your system. You don't want those bacteria to grow so you want to eat less sugar and eat yogurt that have probiotics, which are good bacteria that will help get rid of the bad bacteria. Because my immune system is shot, I am on a Greek yogurt kick because they're the only ones with the probiotics and active live cultures. When buying yogurt, make sure that there isn't a lot of sugar in it too.

I also ate my breakfast with some of Val's pita chips, whose salty taste went well with the sweet yogurt. This was a good breakfast and I am happy to have found a good, healthy yogurt.

Leftover Soup Lunch and Fast Food "Mexican"

Since Austin made soup for about 6-8 people and apparently allergic to one of the ingredients, I was left to finish all of the soup. Thus, I had soup for lunch and I noticed that the flavor was stronger but each of the ingredients, like the nutty and buttery beech mushrooms, had lost their individual flavors and instead, took on the combined flavors of everything in the soup. Although the soup was still very good, I was a little sad that I couldn't taste the mushrooms anymore. I finished off each bite with gatorade as part of my regiment when I am sick.

For dinner, since Austin couldn't eat the soup with me, he decided to eat Taco Time food. I went along with him even though I felt guilty about not eating the soup but the fast food, no matter how unhealthy, was a welcome taste to my buds because my taste buds ate the soup for dinner the other night, then lunch and snack the next day.

I ordered the baja beef combo because I read that beef is good for your immune system, specifically lean beef. The order came with Mexi-fries and coke. I didn't drink much of the coke because it's unhealthy and I think about the news story about a Quizno's in Tacoma that had mold and bacteria growing in its soda machine. I think twice everytime I drink soda from those machines because they don't clean the tubes that the soda goes through. The bacteria grows in the tubes. Gross!

However, dinner was good and I was quite full afterwards.

Greek Yogurt is Ill-tasting

Because I'm still sick, I am forcing myself to eat plain Greek yogurt. After taking one bite, I realized how bad it tasted so I added a teaspoon of blackberry jam but that still didn't work. Thus, each bite is coupled with a bite off my banana. It still tastes too sour but I am coping because I keep thinking that this is good for my immune system. My immune system seems shot since I started working full time over a year ago and although I've been unemployed, my health hasn't gotten much better. This Greek yogurt diet better work because it tastes ILL!

Breakfast also included gatorade which Austin bought for me. He is very sweet.

Third Anniversary Exotic Soup Dinner By Austin

I wasn't feeling well yesterday with another bout with another strain of the flu so Austin decided that instead of our planned dungeness crab anniversary crab dinner that we were supposed to make together, he would make soup for me to help me get better. He and I love shopping at Pike Place Market for produce and so he bought ingredients from the market including.........my flowers! I was thoroughly surprised when he came in the dark bedroom with a fragrant bouquet of fresh spring flowers! Instantly, my sickness went away and all that I felt was happiness.

Instead of writing a lot about this recipe, I decided to take pictures of the ingredients instead because I feel sick and don't feel like writing.

The ingredients:

A photo of the handsome and dashing cook preparing the leeks:

The veggies prepared and ready to meet the browned chicken thighs and drumsticks already in the soup pot.

From left to right: leeks, marjoram (herb), carrots, celery, spring squash, sage(herb), beech mushrooms(awesomely nutty and buttery flavor), purple peruvian potatoes, and sweet onions. For the herbs, use only a few sprigs of the marjoram and add leaves at the end of the cooking process and add only a few sage leaves at the beginning of the cooking process. Marjoram can't stand the long cooking process while sage can. Don't forget to add the pasta when you add the veggies!

On how to cook this recipe, follow the instructions on how I cooked my vegetable soup the other night. It is the same process.

Here is the final product, served with pan de sal, the Filipino dinner rolls.

The dinner was so good that I stuffed myself and forgot that I was sick until I stopped eating.

Thanks baby love :)

A Healthy Breakfast but a Very Carb-full Lunch

Ever since I found out that I can eat yogurt without being sick (I've become a Selective Lactose Intolerant), I've been a yogurt kick, eating yogurt for breakfast on most days. I usually add granola of some sort to it, which I did today. I added honey flavored granola to the peach and mango yogurt and ate a banana with it. It was a very good breakfast for a person with a mild fever. I hate being sick but at least I got to have a good breakfast and catch up on Lost.

I used what was leftover from last night, which was 1/4 cup of soup and one fish fillet for lunch today. I added rice to the soup and ate the fish fillet, which was topped with ketchup, with rice. So it was a carb-full lunch. Also, I drank a caprisun for the fun of it.

An Afternoon Snack and Dinner for Four

I started off with a snack before dinner with baked cheddar and sour cream ruffles to tide me over.

Then, I had my sister Janin come over to join us for dinner, us being Austin, my other little sister Virni, and I. Because I felt a little sick yesterday, I was too lazy to go to the store so I created a dinner out of what was left in my refrigerator. I made another version of one of my favorite soups, vegetable and noodle soup. We finished dinner with fish sandwiches.

I don't measure or write down my creations so it is always hard to cook them again exactly but that is also the fun part, trying to come up with it again. I love creating new dishes so I don't worry about writing things down. Anyway, below are the ingredients I used for dinner yesterday.

Bo's Vegetable and Noodle Soup (serves 4)

• Chopped organic carrots
• Canned red or pinto beans
• Bunch of coarsely chopped cilantro
• Sliced ginger, as much as you want of it
• As many stalks of green onions, chopped  ~1 inch in length
• Chicken broth, as many as you need
• Any type of pasta noodle and as much of it as you want (I used leftover spaghetti and broke them into smaller pieces)
• 1 whole onion, coarsely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped and cooked meat (I used left over turkey from Saturday, which was pulled apart in strips)

To cook it, saute the garlic until it's light brown. Then add the ginger and saute for about 1-2 minutes until the ginger smell is the strongest. Then add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Then add all of the vegetables, meat, spices, pasta, and chicken broth, making sure that the chicken broth covers all of the ingredients. Cover and cook until everything is cooked. Taste and bite into every piece to know if the food is done.

Fish Sandwich in Cilantro Mayo

• Frozen fish fillets, cooked accordingly
• Your favorite bread
• Mayonnaise, as much as you want of it
• Cilantro, minced well
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Lettuce and other sandwich toppings you like

Mix the cilantro into the mayonnaise and add the spices. Mix well and spread the mixture onto the bread. Add the cooked fish fillet and sandwich toppings.

Bon appetit!

Another Meal of Leftovers: Delicious!

Thanks to my mom, I got to eat another grilled pork and pansit palabok for lunch today. I had yogurt and granola for breakfast and very yummy. The pansit palabok was dry and I overheated the grilled pork so it was a little drier but still tender enough.

A Breakfast of Leftovers

Last night, my mother and Austin packed To Go food which consisted of the different noodle dishes, grilled pork, and rice. For breakfast, Austin heated up grilled pork which still came out tender and juicy, Tracy's pasta (angel hair with tomato, olive oil, green peas, and seasoning), and rice. We shared the big plate together so I didn't eat all of what you see in the photo. Some food are better as leftovers and this breakfast was really good, especially the grilled pork. I loved eating the fat along with the juicy meat. We finished off each bite with a glass of apple cider.

Mangan tayon!

Filipino dinner 4/24/10

Austin and I attended our Tita Nina's birthday party in Renton last night and there was a lot of Filipino and Italian food, courtesy of my Titas and Tracy, who is the manager at Borrachini's bakery, family friend, and great cook. Truthfully, the picture below does not show all that I ate last night because I forgot to take the pictures. I had a slice of a deliciously rummy tiramisu cake, Ate Chit's version of Jollibee's spaghetti, pansit palabok, and a beer in addition to the plate of food below. The plate contained tender grilled pork marinated with Kuya JJ's own concoction. Then there were Ilokano pinakbet and rice.

Mangan tayon!

Late Lunch @ Paladar's on Hwy 99 and N 90th St

I read an article in the Seattle Times about this "taco bus" establishment and their good Cuban food. So we tried it on a sunny but cold Saturday afternoon. The wait to get your food when it is busy is horrendous so if you go, bring a snack to tide you over. We waited about an hour to get our food and we were extremely hungry. However, the food was really good. We ordered Moros y Cristianos (black beans and rice), tostones (fried plantains), pan con puerco (pork sandwich), and 7 UP. Austin and I shared the Moros y Cristianos and tostones which were awesome. I really liked the sauce that the tostones came with which I think was made with mayonaise and minced cilantro. I had a little bit of Austin's mango shake which was better than most of the mango shakes I have tried and I have tried many since I try anything that says mango on it.

Buen provecho!

Daytrip to Vancouver, BC: Dinner and Dessert in Chinatown/Granville Island

After hiking in Capilano Canyon, we had dinner in Chinatown's Hon's Wun Tun House. The place is like any typical Chinese restaurant but they are known for their won ton soup and noodle dishes. Thus, we ordered dry, not fried egg noodle chow mein with bbq pork, won ton soup with udon noodles, and cashew chicken. The cashew chicken was average and needed more flavor. I liked that the egg noodle was not friend and loved it more when I added them to my soup. The bbq pork was average and not as good as Kau Kau's in Seattle's Chinatown. The only part I liked about that meal was the egg and udon noodles in the won ton soup, which was flavored with dried shrimp, yummy! We had the rest for breakfast this morning because three dishes were too much for us last night and it made a good, quick breakfast.

For dessert, we walked to New Town Bakery and Restaurant, which serves Filipino and Chinese food. Austin got a sesame ball which I don't like so much but I took a bite. I ordered an almond sponge cake, which was dry, and a swiss roll, which was yummy. Austin actually shared that one with me which was surprising because he's not into desserts. He'd rather have a second helping than dessert. It's good for someone like me who have a sweet tooth.

For the last part of our daytrip, we attended Vancouver's Theatresports Comedy show on Granville Island. I recommend this place to everyone and if you go, I hope that you have a chance to be a judge like we did. There are two teams of three people and we judged them based on how well their improvisations were. There is jar full of random words and they ask the audience questions and the audience's answers are used in the skits. It was really funny and the fact that you can have alcohol totally made the experience more enjoyable. Austin and I shared the local beer, Kokanee which to me tastes like San Miguel Lite, the local beer in the Philippines. I also had a gin(Beefeater) and tonic which was of good quality.

That was the end to our daytrip to Vancouver, BC. We ate well, hiked, and laughed a lot. A great vacation to me means I am with Austin, who is the perfect travel partner. It doesn't have to be a trip to the tropics or anything fancy. As long as I'm with him, I have a great time.

Thursday Night Sushi Night!

We like Sushi Maki on Capitol Hill because the rolls are bigger and taste good. The prices are also decent and the combos are awesome. Our favorite rolls are the tempura, rainbow, and california. The combo comes with savory miso soup that warms the soul, especially on a cold Seattle night.

Last Thursday  night, Austin ordered us Combo #1: california and tempura roll, inari sushi, the condiments (soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger), and miso soup. We also ordered the rainbow roll because 2 rolls aren't enough for the two of us.

Here was the dinner that followed the fabulous Cuban sandwich at Paseo's:

Bon appetit or as the Japanese say, douzo meshiagare!

Daytrip to Vancouver, BC with Mahal! Part 1: Lunch @ Granville Island

We did a staycation for our 3rd year anniversary this year because we're trying to save money. We left Seattle at 8 am yesterday and I had yogurt with some granola in it, a banana, and a caprisun during the ride to Vancouver, BC. So that's the boring part of my day in terms of food. But the good stuff is coming right up!

We had lunch at Granville Island's public market. I had a Russian meal because I wanted to eat something I had never eaten before. I had a piroshky before but that is just a snack. This was a real meal and you'll see why once I describe what was on the very filling and fulfilling plate of Russian goodness.


First, there was the potato latka with apple sauce on it. It was very good and was my favorite on the plate because I love any type of fried potatoes and adding the sweetness of apple sauce made it oh so very sumptuous. Second, the Russian plate of goodness had perogis, which are similar to raviolis to me. They were poached pasties that had a vegetable filling. The perogis came with their own condiment which was pickled onions. Third, it came with an assortment of pickled veggies like carrots, sauerkraut, celery, cabbage, etc. Lastly, for the main part of the meal, there was a big cabbage roll stuffed with beef, couscous, and spices. This was my second favorite part of the whole meal. I probably could have eaten all that was on my plate (ok, Austin was also eating some of my food but I could have finished it) but two naughty little boys decided to chase around the pigeons on the boardwalk and the pigeons flew over us. I totally lost my appetite because I imagined that their germs fell on my food so I stopped eating. I may have glared at one of the boys.

Total cost of the meal was $12 which wasn't too bad. I got to eat it outside and it was fun, albeit it was a little cold.

Buen provecho or as the Russian say, Priiatnogo appetita!

Lunch @ Paseo's with Austin

As part of our staycation this year instead of Hawaii and the Philippines, we decided to try a few local restaurants known for their awesome food, specifically sandwiches. On Tuesday, we went Salumi's in Pioneer Square for lunch and they are famous for their artisan cured meats. Anthony Bourdain featured their mom and pop establishment during his visit to Seattle and I knew I had to try Salumi's famous cured meats. Sadly, I didn't take a photo of my sandwich, Mufo, which had two different cured meats and an olive/garlic tapenade. Also, I shared their awesomely delicious, to die for gnocchi that the Grandma in the front of the store made right in front of the customers as we all walked in. It was the best but priciest lunch, with each sandwich costing about $10.


Now onto the main attraction for today...Paseo's Cuban Roast Pork sandwich which came with roasted corn slathered with their special sauce. According to their menu, it consisted of, "Pork shoulder coated in Paseo marinade & slow roasted 'til falling into succulent morsels." Those words were completely and utterly true, I guarantee you. As I write this blog, I am finishing up the remainder of my sandwich after a good tennis workout with Austin. He is currently playing God of War while I am writing about the wonderful lunch that we had. He is an awesome boyfriend.

We both thought that this cuban pork roast sandwich is very similar to the banh mi sandwiches, the Vietnamese sandwiches because it contained cilantro, jalapenos, meat, veggies(the lettuce and caramelized onions), and homemade spread. The differences I think are the bread and the Latin spices in the pork marinade and special spread on the bread.

Notice that they serve the sandwiches on cheap asian plates! That was interesting, along with what we thought were two health inspectors who showed up during the rush hour. According to Austin, they flashed their badges. Funny because it tickles my insides to think that they are the food cops.

So check out Paseo's in Fremont or Ballard. There is usually a long line though and they are open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 9pm.  Sandwiches cost $7.50.

Buen provecho!

Becoming a Foodie

A few weeks ago, I found an article in the NY Times about people who blog and post photos of every food that they eat, to the point of obsession. They won't take a bite unless they take the picture first and the world ends if they did not have a camera of some sort at that most important moment, whether it be their handy dandy digital camera or their crackberry..ahem blackberry or Iphone.

I love food and pictures so I thought that I should jump on the bandwagon. I don't know how well I will keep up this blog since I have other blogs that I haven't kept up but I'll give it a good try this time.

So here I go into my foodie adventure.

In the end, I will earn the great title of a Foodie...Doodie? Foodie doodie just rhymes but most people are called foodies, period.

Buen provecho!