Sauteed swiss Chard

This is a nice accompaniment to any main dish which is ot only delicious but also healthy. Swiss chard, in my opinion, taste best when it is simple and not piled up with a lot of seasonings. I just simply sautee it with onions and garlic then season with salt and pepper. Very straightforward yet packs some really yummy punch.

Swiss chard is a leafy vegetable that are cultivated for its leaves which are consumed either raw (young leaves) or cooked (mature leaves and stalks). When eaten raw, it can have a slightly bitter taste to it but that mellows down once it is cooked. It is known to be high in Vitamins A, C, and K. To me, sauteed swiss chard's taste is almost the same as sauteed bok choy but a little tastier. I served this sautedd swiss chard as a bed for my walnut crusted tuna. Together they both tasted amazing.


Ingredients:

1 bunch of swiss chard, washed thoroughly
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely


1. Slice stalk from the leafy portion of the chard. Trim the stalks of the chard, discard any hard portions then slice into 1 inch sizes. Take a bunch of the leafy portion, roll into a log-like shape and cut into 1 inch strips. Set aside. NOTE: Make sure that you keep the stalk separated from the leaves because their cooking time varies.
2. Heat pan over nedium heat and add oil.
3. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant and translucent
4. Add chard stalks and saute for about 5-6 minutes. NOTE: do not add water, it will produce its own juice while you are sauteeing it
5. When stalks are slightly tender, add the leafy portion and mix a little bit. Lower the heat to medium low and cover pan. Cook until leaves are tender; mixing and stirring occassionally during the cooking process.
6. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
7. Remove from heat and transfer to serving platter or plates.

Easy Mango Salsa

I have a lot of mango again because they were on sale at thisgrocery store that I went to. At 2 for 99 cents, they are a bargain compared to $1.60 +++ a piece at Pavilion's. I made this as an accompaniment to my baked porkchop with sinigang mix rub. The two was perfect together. This can also be used as topping for fish or chicken as well as a dip for chips. The only thing that i would change is to diced the mangoes finely if intended to use as a dip.

Salsa, not to be confused with the dance bearing the same name (whhahaha), means sauce and is Latin American in origin. In America, we are used to the salsa that has the Mexican and Central American influence and is usually made of tomatoes,onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime or lemon juice. Salsa though refers to a huge variety of sauce such as pico de gallo, salsa taquera, salsa verde, salsa negra, and guacamole to name a few. Salsa is traditionally blended using mortar and pestle producind a chunky sauce-like appearance. Blender has taken the place of mortar and pestle which has really taken a lot of the hard work.

This salsa is a variation which uses mango, tomato, shallots, cilantro, philippine chili pepper (I did not have any jalapeno), and a combination of lemon and lime juices. I used mangoes that are a little underripe so it is a little sweeter than the green ones with flesh that are firm compared to the soft texture of the ripe mangoes.The result is a slightly sweet and slightly tart flavor with a hint of spiciness.


Ingredients:

1 mango, diced coarsely
1 tomato, diced
1 shallot, diced
a small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper or 3 philippine pepper, chopped
1 Tsp freshly squeezed lime juice.
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let is stand in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Kinilaw nga Rabanos ( Radish Salad)

Kinilaw nga Rabanos is a side dish that my mom used to make. This goes well with fish or grilled pork ribs. We used to have this a lot when I was growing up in the Philippines and one of the few veggies that I eat. I learned making this dish while watching my mom make it as I was growing up. I remember the process to be very tedious as it requires a lot of patience to slice the radish very thinly. I opted to julienne the radish though instead of slicing thinly using my mandolin slicer. The mandolin can also slice it thinly but it wasnt as thin as I'd like it to be.


Ingredients:

1 radish, peeled and julienned or slice thinly
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1 tomato, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup cane vinegar
salt and coarsely ground black pepper
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1. Place julienned radish in a bowl and sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt, mix well and set aside for about 15 minutes.
NOTE: The salt will draw the water out from the radish.

2. Using a cheesecloth, squeeze all of the water from the radish. Discard the liquid.

3. Addtomato, onions, garlic, pepper flakes, and vinegar to the radish and mix well.

4. Let it stand for about 30 minutes to marinate and then serve with meal.