Join Me for Merienda: Vegan and Gluten Free Raw Sunflower Seed CreamCheese/Ricotta/Dip/Spread/Sauce

Hello again,

I started playing around with sunflower seeds a while back, but only recently tried making more things from them because the cost of  most nuts is pretty high (and probably always will be because of how long they take to grow and how they have to be harvested etc. Vegan Cheese and cream sauces made from cashews are heavenly, but you know that it can be pricey to buy those 16oz bags, even from the discounted places. Sunflower seeds however are always usually in a good price range and readily available. I normally pay 1.99 or less for 1lb of raw sunflower seeds at my local markets. Contrast that to cashews at a cost of 7-9 dollars per pound and it quickly eats up your grocery budget. I'm not saying not to buy cashews because, c'mon cashews, as long as you're not allergic to them; they are awesome. I mean cashew nut butter, so good!!!!

Honestly, I feel fancy when I can indulge in some of that ;p

Anyway, sunflower seeds are cost effective and with a bit of finesse you can create something pretty darn delectable with them.  This is also great for any of those who are allergic to nuts or simply prefer to avoid them due to various health issues.

Garlic and Dill version atop a slice of multiseed toast

Jesscafé Vegan and Gluten Free  Raw Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese/Ricotta/Dip/Spread/Sauce 

(All of these slashes are making Guns N' Roses nervous ;p

Ingredients:

1 1/3C Soaked Raw Sunflower Seeds

1/3C or less of a neutral oil like Canola etc.

1-2tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

1Tb Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

2-3TB Cold Filtered Water

So let's get into the method:

You absolutely need to soak the sunflower seeds and the longer they soak the smoother your end product will be. My preference is at least 3 days, I usually have a glass jar in the fridge with some soaking in them; so I'm ready to make some;if need be.

After 3 days the water looks like this

Soaked and rinsed

After soaking you'll notice that the water turns kind of dark and that's normal. You need to rinse them well and remove any excess water before using them in this recipe.

I use a nutribullet to process these, with the small cup and the whipping/grinding blade attachment.

You may need to adjust depending on your equipment, but most food processors should work well.

Make sure that you do not go over the 'Max Fill Line,' of the cup or you'll have a messy problem on your hands. 

You simply put all of the ingredients into the cup, screw on the lid and shake everything around for a few seconds and then let it come together for about 30 seconds. If it seems like the blades won't mix it well enough, you'll need to add a tad bit more of the cold filtered water, shake it around with the lid on and then let it go to blend into a smoother consistency. It should take less than 3 minutes total to get everything blended well.

Right after blending

It's pretty much done, once you've blended it, but you of course can build upon this base and add in other yummy components for sweet verisons like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chocolate or for savory verisons like garlic, nutritional yeast, scallions, red onions, sesame, dill, rosemary, oregano, mint,  roasted red peppers and so forth.

Super duper garlic, dill, smoked paprika, turmeric, black pepper with a dusting of chipotle on top

I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight before using; so that the flavors get a chance to bloom. The following day you'll also see that the texture of it will improve and have more body to it. 

As mentioned in my long title, you can use this for a myriad of things, I even have thinned it out to make a creamy sauce for pasta ( add in some extra garlic, black pepper and a dash of nutmeg for something reminiscent of alfredo sauce flavors). It's not going to be as smooth as a cashew cream would be, but the flavor of the sunflower is subtle, still present, but it's really tasty all the same.

I hope that you'll try this out and make some awesome recipes with it.

I know that I'll probably be bringing some to the next dinner party =)

Wanna come? ;p

I'm sure that you might even be able to make some air cured and aged vegan cheese with this mixture, with the right conditions. I unfortunatley cannot test it out at this time because I don't have a great space to set it out, where it wouldn't be disturbed, but I will be sure to post and update about it; if I ever get a chance to make some.

Wishing you all good health
and happy cooking as always <3

Love,
Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: V,GF- Malunggay and Turmeric Rice

Can you comprehend that this year is nearly over?

I think like most of us, we're not sure where the time has gone.

A lot has happened this past year for me personally and for the world. I have had so many stories to share with you, but I haven't been able to let all the flood gates open, just yet. They are coming, but for now, in my own way I am paying tribute and homage to the Philippines by sharing this simple recipe with you.

I was in the Philippines not that long ago, in Metro Manila,Baguio,Pangasinan, Cebu and Bohol. When I came back from my trip, not even a  week had passed when, the earthquake struck and it decimated a lot of the places that I had seen in Cebu and Bohol. The feeling of helplessness because I cared about the people in those places that I had just been to and spent time with was intense. It reminded me a lot of the dark pit in my being after the attacks of September 11th. I had been in NYC not long before the attacks and spent a lot of time there at the World Trade Center, and I just thought of all those nice people who I met who were probably all gone. How does your heart not break or just turn to dust when bad things happen? Then Typhoon Haiyan struck and it was just senseless. Again the feeling of helplessness and anger of not being able to be there to physically help. It is now a month after the typhoon struck and everybody is still struggling. I am upset about so many things about how things were mismanaged for the preparation, the answer to the calls for help, basic needs and so on. I will be writing more about this in the future, but for now in my own way by sharing a part of my culture and experience from my trip, I remind myself and the people of the Philippines that they are never forgotten.

If you are inspired to help by giving a donation; the one that I can assure you is a 100% donation going towards the peopl is through the greatergood network. Please take a moment and follow this link to the greatergood network.

My brother also posted an entry about his experience and feelings about the current situation in the Philippines and you can check that post out, by clicking on The Canary Files.

Mahal kita, Pilipinas <3 I love you, Philippines

There are so many recipes that will be shared with you all, but today it will be a Malunggay and Turmeric Rice. This recipe was inspired by a meal that I had while I was in Baguio City. We had arrived in Baguio at 5am and visited the Ben Cab museum (which is tremendous and anybody who visits Baguio; should definitely go there for the art and also the food in the restaurant below it) went to the local markets and then came back to the hotel to rest a bit. My cousin had wanted to try and take us to a Vegetarian restaurant, but she had to leave early; so we couldn't go with her. We walked to the restaurant she suggested and the place was very interesting in décor, but the food was a bit lacking and they didn't seem to want to adjust anything on the menu for us (so it was difficult for us to really have a true meal, specifically for my brother and I). Then we headed downstairs (yes, we had to walk 5 flights of stairs to the restaurant!) and I reminded my brother about a deli with the name 'Greens,' in it and asked him if he wanted to check it out before we headed back to the hotel. Thank goodness we did because it was a revelation. Night and day in comparison to the experience that we had at the restaurant 5 flights above us. The service was awesome, the servers were willing to do whatever it took to make sure that we had a good meal, answered all our questions and always had a good attitude. True we had 'eaten,' upstairs, but we truly had a meal downstairs at the wonderful Azotea Greens Resto and Café.

Aside from the main dish that we chose, (I think it was called Tokwa sa Tinuktok) they had a choice of different types of rice: malunggay, turmeric, garlic ( of course) and plain. If you know my brother or myself; then you know that we ordered both malunggay and turmeric rice. Soooooo goooooooood! They were a perfect compliment to the main dish that we ordered which was tofu steaks that had been stewed in a coconut milk with chili based broth wrapped in nori. Naturally, I also tried mixing the malunggay and turmeric rice together and another lovely combination was born.

And now a photo show:

My brother standing in front of some of the dining area in the 'upstairs,' restaurant that was interesting, but didn't fit our bill.

My Dad, standing near some of the interesting décor in the 'upstairs,' restaurant.

At Azotea Greens Resto and Café, interesting art everywhere you look.

We had supernatural service! =)

Alkaline water for the win!!!

I will take that and then some, thank you very much!

One of the lighting fixtures. So cool.

The stars of my inspiration: The main dish was called Tinuktok and you can clearly see which type of rice is which.

Gorgeous Tinuktok

This is a real, 'Happy Meal.' 

Yesssssss!!!!

Is my brother tweeting about his glee?

Incredible meal, service and really affordable. We of course, left an awesome tip for them!

 Now back to the recipe and such. While I was in Cebu, we had a kitchen to use at our hotel and quite a few times I made a version of Malunggay rice, quinoa and so forth, using fresh malunggay leaves, but we although tasty; it wasn't the same as the experience at Azotea Greens.

Naturally, I bought a myriad of native ingredients to take back home to my 'lab,' with which to create and experiment. One of those ingredients was malunggay in powdered form. It was simply dried maluggay that had been pulverized. It looks similar to the green color of matcha green tea.

Back at home, I decided to bring it out one day and make a special rice. I went to my fridge and pulled out my turmeric that I had previously chopped and kept in olive oil. I sauteed about a tablespoon of chopped turmeric with some minced garlic and then added in some cooked short grain brown rice, coating it evenly and seasoning it with some pink himalayan sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. To finish it I added a heaping 2 tablespoons of malunggay powder and stirred it in to coat each kernel and added in a few splashes of water to 'revive,' it. Voila, my malunggay and turmeric rice was born.

As I went to eat it, the memories of Azotea came flooding back. Hurray!

Oh and I should include some links to what Malunggay and Turmeric are, just in case you are not familiar with these ingredients. If you're able to; please thank Wikipedia by donating a few bucks. Everybody uses it all the time; so if you're able to give a little; you know you'll get a lot back in return.

Malunggay is my type of gulay!

'Harvesting,' malunggay from a local tree in Villasis =)

Darasem!

Malunggay!!!!

Turmeric is terrific!

Turmeric in its fresh and dried/powdered form

V,GF - Malunggay and Turmeric Rice

Ingredients:

2-3 C Cooked short grain brown rice
1-2Tb Olive or any neutral oil
1 Tb of chopped fresh turmeric*
1-2 Cloves of Garlic minced
1-2Tb of Malunggay powder
2-3Tb of filtered water as needed
Himalayan Pink sea salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

*A pinch of turmeric powder can be substituted, but the flavor will not be the same.

Method:

In a large skillet, sauté the turmeric and garlic together for a few minutes, just until you smell the turmeric and garlic. Immediately add in the cooked brown rice, moving it around to coat all kernels, seasoning it as you go. Let cook for a few minutes and then sprinkle the malunggay powder on top, stir it around to coat the kernels and then add in a few tablespoons of water to 'revive,' the rice. Stir around a few more times and then turn off the heat, leave on burner for a few minutes to settle and then it's ready to serve.

One of the most recent versions of my Malunggay and Turmeric rice. This one was made with an addition of scallions.

This is the current brand of Malunggay powder that I am using. I think I was able to buy it for less than 6  USD. You might be able to find this at Filipino/Asian markets, but if not; I guess you might be able to substitute chlorella or spinach powder, but it wouldn't be the same. Try it though!

One of the many versions of my Malunggay and Turmeric rice. Look at the gorgeous color and those toasted bits of turmeric and garlic dotted throughout it. Heaven =)

What can you serve this malunggay and turmeric rice with? The better question is, 'What can't, you serve this rice with? =)

I eat it along with any type of vegetables. A quick meal, I might add in some pepitas or sunflower seeds into it and mix it with some fresh salad greens etc. Yum, yum in my tum and it keeps me from feeling gutom (Gutom is Tagalog for 'hungry)!

So, this is my simple recipe for you that was inspired by the Philippines and their good will and upbeat attitude. I know that they are struggling right now, but they can never be broken. I will never turn a blind eye to them and I know that they can feel my love for them.

If, I don't post again before the end of this year; I hope that you all will have a wonderful new year filled with good health and lots of prosperity. Remember to always pay it forward and do whatever you can to help in whatever capacity that you can.

Wishing you lots of love and good health,

Jessica  <3

Join me for Merienda: Jess' 2 Kinds of Sweet Tamales: Almond,Pepita and Mulberry & Walnut/Sunflower, Fig and Cinnamon

Saludos Amigos!

You have entered Jess' Sweet Tamale Town. I hope that you enjoy your stay and of course, enjoy the food.

I was making corn tortillas from masa the other day and seeing as how simple that was; decided that I would try to make Sweet Tamales. I knew I wasn't going to make the traditional Mexican style Tamales because I didn't have any dried corn husks, but I did have banana leaves in the freezer. I don't consider this some kind of 'Nu-Asian' or 'fusion' cuisine because people in the Philippines do make Tamales wrapped in Banana or Palm Leaves.

This is a very easy snack to put together and the most time consuming thing is probably the time it takes to steam them, which is about 30 to 40 minutes depending on what kind of steamer that you're using.

Gracias por su ayuda!!!

Maseca! If you don't have the luxury of being able to purchase freshly made masa from a tortilla factory or local Latino market; the next best thing is to use Masa flour, also sometimes known as 'Maseca.' It's very easy to work with as you only need to add water and a pinch of salt to create your masa.

I only took photos of the batch that I made with the wild mulberry jam, almonds and pepitas; so those will be the ones that you see below. Once you have mastered this recipe; you can let your creativity run wild and come up with some really wonderful combinations for yourself. Right now, I'm thinking of making a batch of Chocolate Tamales; so that will be another interesting time in the 'lab.' ;p

Jess' Sweet, Almond, Pepita and 

Fresh Mulberry Jam Tamales-V,GF

Yields around 8 Tamales

Prepare your Steamer of choice

Ingredients:

*Freshly made Masa  for 8 Tortillas (Prepared according to the instructions on the package of the Maseca)

1/2-3/4C Organic Unrefined Sugar

Pinch Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

1/2 C coarsely ground almonds

Handful or two of organic pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/2 C Fresh Mulberry Jam

Pinch of Nutmeg

1tsp Baking Powder

4-5 Tb Organic Ground Flax Meal

1/3 C Neutral Oil such as Canola or Grapeseed Oil

Banana leaves cut into appropriately sized squares. Washed, dried and then oiled on the filling side.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jess' Sweet,Fig, Walnut/Sunflower Seed 

and Cinnamon Tamales-V,GF

Yields around 8 Tamales

Ingredients:

*Freshly made Masa  for 8 Tortillas (Prepared according to the instructions on the package of the Maseca)

1/2-3/4C Organic Unrefined Sugar

Pinch Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

1/2 C coarsley chopped Walnuts or  Organic Whole Shelled Sunflower Seeds

1/2 C Organic Fig Preserves or chopped reconstituted dried figs

1 tsp Cinnamon

1tsp Baking Powder

4-5 Tb Organic Ground Flax Meal

1/3 C Neutral Oil such as Canola or Grapeseed Oil

Banana leaves cut into appropriately sized squares. Washed, dried and then oiled on the filling side.

*I was just talking to my brother and asking him what a good substitute for masa would be (for those who want to avoid corn) and he said that he thinks that Amaranth flour might be a good substitute. I think it could work because Amaranth has a nutty and earthy flavor.

Method:

This is a very quick recipe if you have everything ready to go, especially the steamer and the banana leaves.

In a big bowl mix all ingredients together, being sure that all ingredients are evenly distributed. I like to add in the jam/preserves, once the dry ingredients have been mixed in because it seems to mix more evenly that way. Add about 2 to 3 tablespoons worth of filling in each Banana leaf. You want to wrap it as neatly snugly as possible without squeezing the filling out.

Banana leaf that has been washed, dried and oiled.

Homemade Wild Mulberry Jam. 

This is what the masa mixture looks like before I add in the Wild Mulberry Jam.

The Wild Mulberries have come to town!

Mulberry Jam has been evenly distributed throughout the masa.

Masa that has gotten the banana leaf wrap treatment and is waiting for the sauna

This recipe should yield around 8 tamales, but it depends on how big or small you've decided to make them. If you have any leftover filling; no worries, just use oil small oven safe ramekins and fill those in and steam those separately from the banana leaf wrapped tamales for the same amount of cooking time.

I start from the edge and then roll it up and then tuck in the two ends underneath.

You don't really need to oil your steamer basket; if you have a liner in there, but you might want to just lightly oil it just to be sure that nothing sticks.

I arrange them evenly  in the basket and then I set the timer for 30 minutes.

I use an electric steamer because it's more energy efficient and much easier to heat and clean up as opposed to the stove top version, but you can use whatever you have. However, if you have the money to invest in a premium rice cooker/steamer; I would highly recommend buying one. I cook so many things in my cooker/steamer, way beyond just rice and steaming vegetables and dumplings. There will probably be a future post about electric steamers, but let's get back to to the tamales!

Serving:  You can serve them as is, but if you're plating them I would open up the Tamale leaving the Banana leaf underneath it and slicing it on the bias in 3 or more sections and then topping it with more Preserves or fruit.

Naked tamale fresh out of the steamer.

Dressed tamale with more of the homemade Wild Mulberry Jam.

Storing: If you plan to eat them within a few days, I would store them in an air tight container in the fridge, but if it's any longer than a week; you should individually wrap them and freeze them in a zip top bag. Always label and date whatever you're freezing . To reheat them from the freezer, I would put them in the steamer for 15-20 minutes.

I shared both kinds with a friend the other day and they tasted just as good from the freezer as they did when they were freshly steamed for the first time.

So, that is all from Jess' sweet tamale town for now. Perhaps in the future there will be a visit from Jess' savory tamale town, but in the meantime; please do, give the sweet tamales a try and let me know what you think of them.

Wishing you all good health and happy cooking!

Love,

Jessica

Join me for Merienda: Omma's Kitchen inspired Collard Green V and GF, Bi Bim Bap Wraps

A nyoung ha sae yo! (That's the formal way to say 'Hello,' in Korean =)

I wasn't able to post the previous month due to some personal circumstances, but I am dedicating this post to the memory of my cousin Jojo. I know that she would've loved to have eaten this dish with me. She always had a great appreciation for food and for life. 

My cousin Jojo is on the right. She always had a smile on her face and was one of the kindest and most generous human beings that I have ever known in my life. 

Pinsan, these Bi Bim Bap wraps are for you =)  Mahal kita!  <3

Yes, we're going to be talking about Korean food today. I have long been a fan of Korean food because of its freshness and true flavors. I've been aware of Korean food since a very young age because of a local store that my family would frequent. Let's put it this way, I was more acquainted with Kim bap than sushi as a youngster. In subsequent years, the store would expand to include a tiny restaurant side to it as well. It's really nice to support a small and family run business and I still go to this same store/restaurant today. 

An example of lovely Jap Chae noodles =)

I think that this is somebody's idea of Kimchi heaven =)

Over the years, I've learned many different techniques of cooking from various cultures and adapted them to my taste and my personal regimen. I've been making my own Vegan (as well as Gluten Free) version of various types of Kimchi for the last couple of years as well. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a nice bowl of  Jap Chae, I just add in more shiitake mushrooms and omit the meat/seafood. 

Anyway, maybe I'll have some posts about that stuff another day, but today we're going to pay homage to Ommas Kitchen. This youtube channel features videos of a Korean Mom giving cooking lessons to her daughters. She speaks directly to them; telling them how to make their favorite dishes. It's so cute sometimes when you hear her banter with her husband in the kitchen too. In one video, she was showing how she makes Bi Bim Bap wraps with blanched collard green leaves and I wanted to give it a go myself. 

If you don't already know what Bi Bim Bap is; then you can check out the wikipedia link for it right here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibimbap

I like Omma and her kitchen. I can relate to her style of cooking because she's pretty liberal about it when it comes to ingredients and just using whatever you have on hand and adjusting it to your taste etc.

Here is the link to the original video on Ommas Kitchen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVY_m64AQiA

So, let's get down to business and show Omma, some love!

This is going to be a more show and tell type of entry as opposed to the regular recipe posts. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments section and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

Collard Green leaves you with a good feeling =)

The big difference between how I prepared the leaves, is that she blanches the collard green leaves, but I chose to steam the leaves instead because I didn't wanted to waste all that water. I washed the collard green leaves very well and then cut off the longer stem pieces and put those on the bottom of the steamer tray/basket and then carefully layered the leaves to cover the whole surface area. I then steamed the leaves for about 13 minutes. After steaming the leaves, I then put the leaves into an ice water bath for about 12 minutes and then removed them. The steaming worked well and made the leaves pliable for rolling.

I chopped up the stems of the collard greens and pickled them in a vinegar solution. I don't think that there's ever a time when I don't have some sort of homemade pickle in the fridge; so I will save the pickling liquid and use them for marinades. In this instance, I had pickling liquid leftover from some pickled garlicky daikon ribbons that I had made.

The other ban chans (vegetable side dishes that are traditionally served with Bi Bim Bap)  that I made for this version were fried tofu triangles, sauteed sesame carrots with green onion and garlic, homemade hijiki salad, a bit of korean short grain brown rice and homemade V,GF napa kimchi..

There are so many other ban chans that could've been made or gone into this version, but that's what makes it fun to eat and make. You can play around and figure out which combinations you like the best. I think that I'll probably make a marinated mung or soy bean salad and add in some shredded cucumber as well for the next version. 

Are the Ban Chan's related to Jackie Chan? =p

Another view of the Ban Chan's: Clockwise- Pan Fried Tofu Triangles, Sauteed  Sesame Carrots with green onions and garlic, Hijiki Salad, Marinated collard green stems and homemade V,GF Napa Kimchi.

Hey, we gotta go! Wrap it up, already!

The Ban Chan's at their daily meeting spot.

The two collard green wrappers: America's next top rap sensation?

Portable nourishment! Reach out and grab one! =)

If you encounter the problem of not having big enough collard green leaves to fully wrap your ingredients; you just simply overlap two leaves and problem solved! I am Jessgyver! =p

I should also,give a shout-out to some of the other Korean cooking channels on youtube that I also enjoy and those are:

Aeri's Kitchen

Korean Food with Maangchi

I hope that you try this style of Bi Bim Bap and also check out those youtube channels. I always find inspiration from everything in my life and from some of these culinary channels as well.

Wishing you good health and happy cooking =)

A nyong hee gae sae yo! (That's one of the formal ways to say 'Goodbye,' in Korean =)

Until next time....   

=)

Love,

                            Jessica

The power of Lugaw compels you!

Hello Everybody,

Depending on where you are situated it may be getting colder outside and you're starting to layer your clothes, but if you're not; then why haven't you invited me over to visit you yet???!!! ;p

I came home from work tonight not expecting to cook anything too complicated if anything at all, but I ended up making a very simple and common, but beloved Filipino dish called Lugaw (pronounced Lou-gow) or if you want to use the Spanish terminology it can also be referred to as Arroz Caldo. I guess you would call it a type of soup, but maybe also a type of porridge. It's based on a few ingredients: rice, ginger, vegetable stock or broth and a few seasonings. I made my own version as I do of almost everything I'ved cooked since the dawn of time; so of course this is a Vegetarian/Vegan version of Lugaw.

The traditional Lugaws do tend to have some meat in them; the most common one that comes to mind is chicken, but of course we're omitting that for my recipe. I actually didn't substitute anything for the chicken. I think that the few ingredients alone are hearty enough and definitely satisfy an appetite; especially on a cold winter's day.

Halle-luya! I <3 Ginger =)

If you love Ginger and hearty soups; then you will love this!

Here is what I used for the one I made earlier this evening:

Ingredients for Lugaw

4-5 Cups of cooked short grain brown rice
(It's better to use day old rice, but newly cook will do too)
6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 Handful of medium thick slice pieces of ginger
3 Small onions sliced
Pinch of Turmeric or Saffron/Safflower
1 Bay Leaf
2-3 Tb Soy Sauce or Tamari
2 Tb Nipa Vinegar
3 Tsp Sesame Oil
6 Cups of filtered water or  low sodium Vegetable stock
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste


Method:

In a large heavy bottomed pot saute the garlic slices in 3-4 Tb of oil until just golden brown. Add the rice being sure move the rice and break it apart if necessary; so that it is evenly coated with the garlic and oil. Then season the rice by adding in your soy sauce and sesame oil, mixing it around to evenly distribute it. Let it cook for a few minutes or until thoroughly heated through. At this point you will be adding in the water/vegetable stock along with the 1 bay leaf. Once you've mixed everything together add in your sliced onions,vinegar, ginger along with a little freshly ground black pepper. Check your soup for seasoning, stir and let simmer for 18-25 minutes on medium heat. Never leave the pot or stove unattended, stir it occasionally to make sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. It will thicken dramatically and once you start to see that there are tunnels of steam shooting out of the surface you know that the Lugaw is close to being finished.

A big pot full of love!

Once the Lugaw is done, turn off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes. It's best to eat this while it's hot and the flavors will only get better and better the longer you keep the soup. 

A bowlful of love that hugs you from the inside =)

It's truly a Filipino Comfort food. I guess the U.S. equivalent to this would be like a bowl of Grandma's Chicken soup. It warms you up and makes you release a happy sigh of 'ahhhh.'


I wish I had more photos to share with you for this, but it's not a super complicated recipe anyway. I hope you'll give it a try.



Happy Cooking and Good Health to you all.


Love,
Jessica