More of that Filipino stuff

There are a few things I purpose to do but haven't quite put my whole heart to them yet, so I decided to take a blogging break again. I've figured, if I catch up on favorite blogs 2 or 3 times a week, I'd be alright! I also plan to update mine once a week.

Having said that, here's the cassava suman Aliyah and I made last week. She blogged about it, so if you're curious, check it out.

We've been gulping up smoothies and sorbets lately. Here's a favorite: mangoes, pineapples, banana and fresh squeezed orange juice. No sweetener needed. We usually use soymilk in the colder months, but a juice base seems to be a better choice in warmer days. We also have frozen peaches on standby.

Frozen fruits work out for me, otherwise, I know I'd keep procrastinating. So we keep a freezer full of them!


A peek inside a papaya. This takes me way back home where we would pick papayas from the trees and eat them right on the spot. I also remember my older sisters picking them while still green to make atchara or pickled papaya. I was always ready to extend a helping hand when it came to grating them.


Simple dishes seem to work out for us better than complicated meals. Here I just sauteed fresh green beans with garlic, onion, a few tomatoes, mung bean sprouts and veggie broth, seasoned with light soy sauce and freshly ground pepper.

Below is my veganized version of a Filipino breakfast eat that my family enjoyed before we gave up eggs. Only, this is much better!

2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed
cilantro or green onions, chopped, to garnish

Sautee the garlic until light brown. Add the onion and sautee until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tofu and sautee for a few minutes. Finish with a garnish of chopped cilantros, or green onions, or both.

This is good with sinangag, which is Filipino-style fried rice with lots of browned garlic and seasoned with either salt or soy sauce and optional ground pepper. Keep in mind that browning the garlic before adding the other ingredients makes these dishes distinctly Filipino.