Tempura craving

I was a little off track today with the diet but still with the program - No rice, bread, potatoes and red meat.

I don't know why I suddenly had this craving for tempura today.  I was willing to go all the way to Dampa in Macapagal or Ortigas Home depot just to eat.   I was surfing the net where to eat the best tempura in town, some suggested Dampa, Tempura Japanese Grill, Inaguki - Makati Shangrila Hotel and a few more restos.

I was so desperate I went to Rockwell, prepared to eat at Zaifu even if I find their Ebi Tempura just so - so.  When I got there, the place was full.  I just decided to go to Rustan's and buy medium sized prawns. 

I have to admit, I make one of the best tempuras in town but I rarely serve it to my guests unless I LOVE them very, very, very, very much! hahahaha  Because it is so hard to prepare and I get so hot and sweaty while frying.  The only person I would wholeheartedly  cook it for is my nephew, Nicky. 

Ebi Tempura

Prawns, underside slashed in zigzag to prevent curling
Kasugai Tempura Batter mix (available in SM, Rustan's or Landmark)
ice cold water
cooking oil for deep frying

Prepare batter when the oil is hot.  Sprinkle tempura batter mix on the prawns and roll until completely covered.  I do not follow the recipe at the back of the box because the batter is too thick.  I just combine ice water and the batter mix until I get I a thin to medium consistency (pourable and not thick like pancake batter).  Dip the batter mix covered prawns in the batter and drop slowly into the frying pan.  Drizzle  little of the batter over the prawns to get the lacy effect.

Tempura sauce

1 tsp. dashi powder (Rustan's or Japanese grocery)
1/2 C. water
1-2 t. mirin
1 T. Kikkoman

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until it ALMOST boils.

1 T. radish, grated and squeezed
1 t. ginger, grated and squeezed

Turn off heat and add the grated radish and ginger.

Since I can not eat the tempura with rice (Oh so yum with white sticky rice!!!), I cooked mixed vegetables using my iron stove top grill-flat side as opposed to the ridged side of the griller.

1 t. cooking oil
1 t. butter or margarine
garlic, chopped
onion, sliced
togue
carrot, julienned
red and green pepper strips
cabbage
1 t. Kikkoman

I already know how to make omelette!  Hahaha  I mean omelette that does not fall apart.  I had Asparagus Cheese Omelette for breakfast.

Inasal Skinless Breast, Lumpia Hubad and Oatmeal with Banana and Almonds

Day 5 of my Low-Fat, High Fiber and High Protein Diet  (with a little cheating)

I marinated my skinless chicken breast Inasal last night.  I researched the internet and just mix matched the recipes.

Inasal

400 grams skinless chicken breast
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. rock salt
black pepper
4 stalks lemongrass, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pc. kalamansi

Marinate overnight and grill over hot coals or indoor stove top grill (which I used, my house smelled so bad afterwards).  You can adjust the taste of the marinade by tasting it BEFORE adding the chicken.

Basting oil

2 T. cooking oil
1 T. atsuete seeds
1 T. Star Margarine

Heat cooking oil in wok, add seeds.  When the oil is orange, remove atsuete and add the margarine. 

Chicken Inasal dipping sauce

Vinegar
kalamansi
soy sauce
sili

Lumpiang Hubad in Lettuce cups with Hoisin Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 small sweet potato, julienned
green beans, sliced thinly diagonally
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 C. togue
1/2 C. cabbage, shredded
2 T. water
1 t. magic sarap
1 t. Thai Patis
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Lee Kum Kee Hoisin sauce

Saute garlic and onions.  Then add the sweet potatoes, when half done, add the carrots, green beans and water. Stir and toss for a few seconds then add the cabbage and togue.  Season with Magic Sarap and patis.

Scoop the vegetables into the lettuce cups and add a little Hoisin sauce and eat like a "lumpia" or tacos!!!

I cheated a little during lunch at HK Choi in Megamall, I had siomai.

 The Seafood Beancurd hot pot was ok but that was all protein. 

When I got home I had a bowl of oatmeal with banana and almonds before heading to the gym to complete  my fiber requirements for lunch.

I'm really trying my very best.  I hope I get good blood test results on Wednesday.

New Diet - day 4

Did I survive day 4?  I think I did.  I made some good choices and the cheat factor is way below. 

I've had too much protein for lunch so for dinner it was just Salad made with Sweet Butter lettuce with sliced bananas and pomelo segments.

 I had my first bite and it tasted .... BLAHHH... so boring... no dressing.  I thought of adding a slice of Vintage cheese and the taste improved a lot! 

One lettuce leaf, a slice of banana, shredded pomelo and a pinch of cheese, then I rolled it up and ate in one swoop.  So Much Better!!!

My lunch was pan fried daing na bangus and Shrimps with Tokwa, Kinchay and Tausi.

 I did not cook my lunch, Hermie did, because I just came from the park, watched the Pacquiao match with Mayette, Jon and Mon.

My breakfast was not so great, probably because the chicken ham was so bland.  It was supposed to be an "omelette" but cooking eggs is not one of my greatest skills...  so it became "scrambled". 

I bought the Omega - 3 enriched eggs from Landmark with lots of "added" vitamins and minerals.

Mona slept over tonight, around midnight we got a "little" hungry.  She had chips for snacks and I had a slice of chicken ham and 1 triangle of Laughing Cow cream cheese.  Not really that good but it was good enough to appease my hunger pangs or craving for a midnight snack.
 

"NEW" diet - day 3

Yes! It's working!  I was so surprised when I took my blood sugar test this morning it was only 139!!!  It has always been high for the past 3 years, 324 just 3 months ago.  So... yes, I could say it is working.  I know this won't be  a complete lifestyle change but I am glad I am doing something that has positive results.

Mona and Corry were my guests tonight, they were inviting me to have dinner in Rockwell but told them we will just eat at home.  Since I'm on a "diet" I just prepared Nilagang Baka with lots of vegetables...

Pechay, beans, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, corn and sweet potatoes.  I only had the broth and a plateful of vegetables... I didn't eat the meat.

We also had grilled bangus.  I never did like grilled bangus  with onions and tomatoes inside the stomach cavity.  I prefer grilling the fish open faced (daing style) with just rock salt and black pepper.  I saw this in Boracay last time I was there.  My guests loved it!  The meat was fresh and moist but a bit crunchy on the outside... looked like it was deep fried but it was grilled.

I added more "colors" to my breakfast this morning.  Instead of plain scrambled eggs, I asked Hermie to prepare it with garlic, onions and peppers.  She forgot to put tomatoes.  And I ate the last of the bananas I bought the other day.

It is another challenge for me to think of different ways of preparing vegetables, chicken breast, fish and shell fish.  I hope I don't run out of ideas.  I also hope I can sustain good and healthy eating habits until my blood sugar level has normalized.

"NEW" diet - day 2

I am now trying to follow  a diet by Dr. Michael Dansinger. http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/10/eating-for-diabetes-reversal-part-7.html

Today is my second day... no red meat and almost no bread.  I'm still not able to follow the diet religiously but trying... one step at a time.  Even God took 7 days to create the world.

Ideally, I should eat 3 meals a day with a serving of protein (6 oz.), 1-2 cups of vegetables/fruits and different kinds of condiments.

I'm still not used to the amount of servings because they are huge!  I can't eat a heavy breakfast yet so I just had 1 egg, scrambled, a slice of Vintage cheese and 1 big Banana.



I could call it, The Yellow Breakfast!

I  met with Tita Portia and Kuya after mass at Cibo in Rockwell.  I only ordered Squash soup, potato chips with mayo - I know ... I shouldn't have ordered it but I can cheat, it's only my second day, plus I shared my chips with them.  I also had a quarter of Shrimp sandwich.

Dinner was Boneless Bangus - Beefsteak style

Marinate the fish in 2 pcs. calamansi and 2 T. soy sauce for 5 minutes.  Pan fry in 1 T. oil.  Set aside the fish.  Saute the red onion rings slightly, add the reserved marinade with 2 T. water. Pour over the fish.

Pinakbet with no pork

garlic, chopped
onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
2 T. raw alamang
leftover shrimp heads
1 C. water
eggplant, sliced
sitaw, cut into 2 inch length
okra, cut into 2
squash, sliced thinly then cut into squares

Saute in little oil the garlic, onions and tomatoes.  Then add the alamang and the shrimp heads.  Add one cup water, when it boils, layer the eggplant, sitaw, okra and squash.  Cover and cook until vegetables are crisp tender.

It's already 11:00 pm and I don't feel the need to eat a midnight snack.  Hopefully, this diet works.  Wish me luck! 

Home - Made Chocolate Chip Cookies for Tita Portia

The first time I tasted homemade chocolate chip cookies was a gazillion years ago, baked by Americans at a bazaar in Manila Peninsula.  It was really so delicious, I may have forgotten my first kiss but not my very first taste of the cookies.

Tita Portia asked me to bake chocolate chip cookies for her open house tomorrow.  She serves her guests light snacks and refreshments.

Chocolate Chip cookies are so easy to bake.  I usually ask my nieces to "help" but they were busy with school so I just did it myself.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (hehehe found it at the back of the Hershey Chocolate chip package)

2 1/4 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 C. butter, softened (I put mine out of the fridge for 1 hour)
3/4 C. brown sugar
3/4 C. white sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F.  (If your oven is fan assisted like mine, 325F)

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Cream butter, brown and white sugar using the paddle attachment of the Kitchen Aid. 

Add vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time.

Add the flour mixture all at once, beat until well blended but do not over beat.

Add the chocolate chips and beat for a few seconds.

Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes if you want it crunchy or 10-12 minutes at 300F if you want chewy.   I like my cookies crunchy.

Let cool before storing.  I did not wait to cool before eating though.  It was so delish straight from the oven! The chocolate was all gooey and melty.  I only had a few pieces, saved some for Mona.

Wriggly, patiently waiting for the last batch because the last few pieces do not have chocolate chips in them.

See how easy?????  I was able to make 100 pieces using the smallest scooper (bought it in Unimart). 

My "NEW" diet.

I'm always ready to try anything just to lower my blood sugar.  I was surfing the net and found a website about reversing diabetes through diet.  Seems easy so I followed it today.  The website said, about 8 oz. (224 grams) of skinless breast or fish or shellfish and 3 cups vegetables per meal i.e. lunch and dinner.

Sweet camote is good for diabetes... but you have to eat it with a little fat for it to work!  It is considered vegetables and not classifed under starches such as white potato, rice or bread.  I made mashed sweet potato with a "pat" of butter and about a teaspoon of low fat milk to moisten.

Finally, I found a brand of butter I really like,  President, salted.  But I am not eating bread at the moment :(

I had the skinless chicken breast marinated together with the pork barbecue over night then had it grilled for lunch.

Boiled the sliced carrots in water with a little Magic Sarap.  Too salty because I added 1/2 t.  Next time will only add 1/4 t.  Then when the carrots were half done, I added the broccoli florets.  I know the author of the diet didn't mean for me to add a pat of butter to the veggies but I did.

It took me an hour to finish my lunch!!!  It wasn't bad but it also wasn't sinigang na baboy with rice!!!

The trainer at the gym told me I should just eat the salad greens without the dressing .... so that was what I  did tonight.

Then pan-fried in very little oil 2 pieces of small sized Sole.  I saw in the vegetables section of Rustan's oyster mushroom, so I got a pack, rinsed it and sauteed with little oil and butter with chopped garlic and 1 t. Kikkoman soy sauce.

I survived the day without eating bread or rice!!!  But I am cheating as I'm writing this post.  I'm eating cheese flavored clover chips :(

I hope when I wake up my blood sugar will be lower than today's.

Char Kway Teow

I was exercising at the gym earlier when I was imagining what I was going to cook for dinner.  In between sets of reps... I could hear in my mind the sizzling of the garlic and can already visualize step by step how I'm going to cook the Char Kway Teow which I researched in the internet this afternoon.
I liked the recipe from the rasamalaysia website.  I tweaked it according to my taste and I must congratulate myself.  It was very good!  For a first attempt.  And so easy to prepare... less than 15 minutes.

Char Kway Teow

Lard
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pcs. shallots, sliced into rings
1 piece Chinese sausage, sliced diagonally
12 pieces shrimps, peeled and deveined then soaked in ice cold water with 2 T. sugar for 30 minutes
1 C. bean sprouts
1 T. roasted chili paste
1 egg

Sauce

2 T. Dark soy sauce
2 T. Light soy sauce
1 T. brown sugar
black pepper

chives, cut into  2 inch lengths
200 grams broad rice noodles, boiled and drained

Heat the pork cubes until fat is rendered in a wok. 

Saute garlic and shallots.

Add the shrimps and sliced Chinese sausage. 

When the shrimps are cooked, toss in the bean sprouts and chili paste.

Push everything to the side of the wok, add a little cooking oil and add the egg.

Toss in the noodles and the sauce, stir and toss continuously for about a minute or two. 

Garnish with chives.