Chicken Adobo

Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines..and funny enough even though every household makes it,  almost no one makes it the same.. its always left up to a persons taste.. adobo is a stew or a simmer of meat or vegetables cooked with vinegar, and pretty much always flavored with garlic and soy.. so here is my take on it!

Chicken Adobo (248 Calories/ 9.5 grams fat/5 servings)

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar ( I used cane)
• 4 peppercorns crushed
• 1/4 cup onions,  chopped

Marinate all ingredients except onions for a few hours. dump marinade and chicken in a deep pan with 1/2 cup water ( more or less depending on how it takes to evaporate) and add onions. simmer  for 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is soft and tender.

Banana-que

Hubby was excited when I said I was going to make this.. then he started spouting some spoofy song to the Philippine nnational anthem that mentions banana-que.. I tried to find the song on-line but all I could come up with some 80's Pinoy song with really bad hair and clothes..but anyway..!!

I still don't understand why this is called what it is..Its deep fried.. and never gets anywhere near a grill..I seriously had to ponder why it the world its named after the traditional BBQ.. I just got laughed at for thinking to long and hard about this.

I don't have the nutritional info on this.. other than the fact that fruit is involved it isn't good for you.. i have no concept of how much sugar ended up being eaten.

Banana-que (????)

• 1 Plantain. sliced ( but I'm sure you could use a banana..like the name suggests!)
• brown sugar
•  oil

Fill oil about 1 inch deep in a non stick pan.. add brown sugar ( maybe 1/2 cup?) to the oil and heat until the sugar is floating and browning on the top. Fry bananas about 1-2 minutes.. flipping it over if not completely covered by oil.

Beef Caldereta

This is one of my favorite Filipino dishes.. This is the first time I have made this without a pre-made seasoning packet! Go me! Next time I will  use a leaner beef.. but stew meat is what I had on hand so the fat content is defiantly high in this dish. This is one of those meals where the leftovers taste even better so if you can make enough for lunch the next day! :) Original recipe here.

Caldereta (436 Calories/23 gms fat/3 gms fiber/4 servings)

• 1 lb beef stew meat, cut into chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 t soy sauce
• 4 canned tomatoes crushed, and a little of the juice
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 red pepper chopped
• salt and pepper

Salt and pepper beef... Brown on all sides. Add garlic, onions, tomatoes, soy and broth. Cover and Simmer for about 2 hours until beef is tender. Add coconut milk, chick peas, potatoes, and pepper and simmer an additional 20 minutes until potatoes are soft and sauce is thickened.  Serve with rice.

Brinner day 2: Beef Tapa and Sinagag

My 4 year old was so excited.. " Look daddy we are eating Filipino breakfast!" " I am Filipino!" So cute! I was in breakfast mode the last couple of days.. so here is brinner day two! Original recipe here.

Beef Tapa (8 points/322 Calories/4 servings)
1lb beef stew meat, cut into chunks
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
liberal amount of crack black pepper
half a head of garlic, peeled and chopped ( but if you wanted more go for it!)
Salt to taste
1 T oil

Put all ingredients, except oil, in a zip lock bag and swish it around.. Marinate in refrigerator for about 24 hours. Put oil and entire contents of bag in a non stick pan and cook on medium heat until beef is tender and marinade is evaporated.

Sinagag ( garlic rice) (2 points/ 110 Calories/4 servings) recipe
2 cups cooked brown rice (although this is usually made with white)
1 t oil
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 t garlic salt
pepper

Heat oil in pan, brown garlic until fragrant, add the rest of the ingredients and cook until heated through.