Pesto Crusted Tofu with Cheese

I absolutely love pesto. Its so simple to make and so tasty. In my family, I'm the only who has acquired the liking for it. They find the basil flavor too overwhelming. In my opinion they're missing a lot, but on the other hand it's a good thing that they don't like it -- more pesto for me!

Looking for ways to bring more excitement to the subtle flavor of tofu, I decided to experiment and combine the two; the boldness of pesto and the mildness of tofu. It's an East-meets-West recipe, and I was pleasantly surprised with the result. I was expecting a strong herb flavor but the tofu subdued the intensity. The cheese brought the flavors together with just the right amount of salt and creamy texture.

Ingrdients:
tofu, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slabs
pesto sauce
grated or sliced quick-melt cheese

Procedure:
1. Marinate the tofu in the pesto sauce for 5 minutes.
2. Heat pan and place tofu with some of the pesto sauce coating it.
3. Pan fry one side of the tofu for 2-3 minutes.
4. Flip it to fry the the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
5. While still frying the other side, place cheese on top and let it soften a bit or completely melt based on your preference.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Potato Cheese Croquettes

Mashed potatoes is one of the most popular comfort food in the US. It is also greatly appreciated here in Manila and is usually served as a side dish to fried or roasted chicken.

But what to do with leftover mashed potatoes [if any] when everyone has had their fill and no longer yearns for the comfort it brings? Make croquettes out of it!

Croquette came from the French word croquer, which means “to crunch”. The dish is a French invention which is usually made of mashed potatoes and minced meat, dipped in egg, rolled in breadcrumbs then deep fried. It became so popular that almost every country now has their own version of preparing the classic favorite.

My version is very similar to the European tater.

Ingredients:
leftover mashed potatoes, chilled
1 whole egg, beaten
quick-melt cheese, cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
cooking oil

Procedure:
1. Scoop 1 tbsp of mashed potato onto your palm.
2. Flatten it to make a patty.
3. Place 1 cheese strip in the middle of the patty.
4. Roll patty using palms to cover the cheese all over with the mashed potato.
5. Dip the roll in the beaten egg.
6. Roll it in panko and make sure that it's evenly covered.
7. Heat oil in a pan.
8. Fry potato rolls until breadcrumb coating turns golden brown.
9. Remove excess oil with paper towels.

Adobo Flakes Rice Topping

Ingredients:
leftover chiken from adobo, flaked
adobo sauce
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cooked rice
pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Remove chicken from adobo sauce.
2. Set aside sauce.
3. Remove chicken from bones and flake the meat.
4. Heat oil in a pan.
5. Fry the flakes until brown and crispy.
6. Remove from pan and drain excess oil with paper towels. Set aside.
7. Heat adobo sauce in the pan.
8. Mix in cooked rice.
9. Season with a little salt and pepper.
10. Stir to evenly coat the rice with the sauce.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Mound rice in bowls.
13. Top with fried chiclen flakes and chopped tomatoes.

Veggie Spring Rolls

This is a repost of this recipe which was first featured in my other blog.

Spring Roll Filling

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
leftover chicken sausage, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped into strips
1/2 can of young corn, chopped into strips
1/2 cabbage head, chopped into strips
2 tablesppons oyster sauce
sal and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons water
*snowpeas, bell peppers and mushrooms are optional but great additions to this dish

Procedure:
1. Heat EVOO in a pan with sesame oil.

2. Brown the chopped sausage. Let the spices of the sausage come out.

3. Add the carrots and corn. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the cabbage.

5. Add the oyster sauce and stir to evenly distribute.

6. Pour in the water.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Cover the pan for another 2-3 minutes, allowing the cabbage to soften but do not over cook.

9. Remove from heat and drain any liquids left.

To make the spring roll:

Ingredients:

spring roll wrapper
drained vegetable mixture (recipe above)
vegetable or corn oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Drain any excess liquids from the filling.

2. Scoop about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture on to the wrapper.

3. Roll it firmly.

4. Heat the oil

5. Fry the rolls until golden brown. Do not over crowd your pan so as no maintain even temperature.

6. Drain excess oil from fried rolls with paper towels.

7. Serve hot as is or with dipping sauce.

To make the dipping sauce:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

dash of pepper

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients.

2. Pour into a dipping bowl with fried spring rolls.