#177 Classic Ceviche

I finally learned how to make Ceviche! It's really easy, a first grader can prepare  it easily! It is similar to one of my most favorite Filipino dishes, the Kinilaw which is also featured in this blog almost 4 years ago. Like Ceviche, Kinilaw is a dish that uses raw fish as the main ingredient and it is "cooked" not by the use of heat  but with the acid from the lemon or vinegar, and then mixed with vegetables: cucumber, daikon radish, fresh ginger, onions and spicy chili pepper. I can say now that the two are actually very different dishes. The difference is in the flavor. This is due to the avocado, cilantro, lime and orange juice sweetness in the Ceviche and it's lack of what makes Kinilaw tastes great: the intense flavor of fresh ginger and chili with every bite. I also learned that there are many variations of the Ceviche from the Americas, and I made what is considered the "Classic Ceviche", the same way it is made in the country where it originated from: Peru. I used Tuna fish, because I am a tuna girl. Haha! I am just really loyal to tuna because I am very familiar with it, I grew up in a Philippine island where  Tuna was my main red meat, and so I know how to play with its flavor...oh how I miss eating tuna at fresh catch! Good old times. Here in California, I get my tuna from the Whole Foods Market, it is wild caught and imported therefore it is a little pricier, however, you can also use sea bass, halibut or snapper. Ready to make it? Here's how.

CLASSIC CEVICHE

Ingredients:

ocean fish, cubed (tuna, snapper, seabags or halibut)
1 1/2 cups lime juice
cilantro
onions
green olives, chopped
jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons orange juice
salt
pepper (optional)
ripe avocado, cubed

Directions:

1. In a small but deep bowl, add lime juice and cubed raw fish, mix gently to coat fish evenly. Cover and set aside in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
2. Using a colander, drain the lime juice from the fish.
3. In a big bowl, add the cilantro, onions, green olives, jalapeño or serrano peppers, orange juice and salt, mix well. Add the fish then mix. 
4. Before serving, add the avocado, gently mix. Add pepper to taste (optional). 
5. Enjoy!

It's very different from  what I expected but  is now also my favorite! I love it!

Hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, follow this blog as we will be posting 188 more recipes! 188 recipes to discover, learn to cook, take pictures and share to complete the goal of 365! 

Will I finish this task? Check back often to see my progress! xo Van

#150 How to cook Quinoa, the mother of all grains

Post #150. Today is the first day of September. I haven't blogged in 2 months! Cooking is time consuming, taking pics and editing then blogging takes A LOT more time than cooking. 215 dishes more to cook! That's a lot. :)

So where have I been for the last 2 months? LOL. Many things happened. We moved back to San Jose, California in early June. BVS is a beautiful place with 4 seasons, we love it there and we miss it, but it was time to leave to go back to Silicon Valley for work. A week later after moving back to SJ, I started training for a new position, and then after that, just got so busy day after day.  All summer, I drove atleast 150 miles every day for work, 200 + some days. I talk non-stop all day, and by the time the day ends, all I wanted to do was just rest and spend time with my daughter before I complete more paperwork. I worked 6 days a week, so cooking really was not something enjoyable with all the changes going on. So did I cook anything within the two months? Once in a while, yes. But we ate mostly take out..Ugh!. BUT, I also had good food made for us by my friend's Mom, we were invited to their dinners several times :), and we were blessed to receive home cooked meal almost every day from my dear friend A. But I do feel so guilty for not cooking, and blogging! I caved in to my busy schedule instead of rising above it!

Thank goodness, now I am well adjusted to my new routine. For me, driving all these miles everyday is  really, okay. I love what I do and have been doing it for almost 3 years now.  I like going to bed every night knowing that I am making money by  helping the environment and many homeowners save money drastically and live healthier. I must say, it has been a phenomenal summer filled with  changes, many challenges and many successes. All settled in, with most of our stuff organized in our new place, I now have all the space and time and excitement to finish my project.

Today I am blogging about Quinoa, a grain like crop  grown primarily for it's edible seeds. It was first domesticated by the Andean peoples around 3,000 years ago, and was considered holy as the  "mother of all grains" by the Incas. Today, it plays a huge role in global food security.  I wanted to share because I really love it, and hopefully you will check it out as well because it is very easy to cook, it tastes good and goes well with anything. I eat as a side dish much like how I eat rice. But I like it better than rice because it is highly nutritious, and considered a superfood. It is a source of complete protein, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, calcium and is gluten-free. Read more

HOW TO COOK QUINOA

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Place 1 cup Quinoa and 2 cups of water in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, for about 10 to 15 minutes. When done, the grain appears soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.

My big thank you to the Andean peoples for preserving Quinoa for us and the future generations to enjoy. I have a similar mission in life as the Andeans, and it is why I am passionate about energy efficiency and renewables: to preserve our  natural resources and live in harmony with nature, for the present and the future.

2013 is declared as the "International Year of Quinoa" by the United Nations General Assembly. The objective is to draw the world’s attention on the role that quinoa plays in providing food security, nutrition and poverty eradication, in support of achieving Millennium Development Goals. Source: fao.org

"Faced with the challenge of increasing the production of quality food to feed the world's population in the context of climate change, quinoa offers an alternative for those countries suffering from food insecurity" - Fao.org

#41 Potato and Smoked Sausage Skillet

 

We used a light smoked sausage for this recipe and the main attraction is the beer that is used to cook it. Once cooked, it did not really taste of the beer at all :) The potatoes cooked really fast I noticed. It's a great dish.

POTATO AND SMOKED SAUSAGE SKILLET

Ingredients:

1 ounce light smoked sausage, sliced

1 onion, cut in half and sliced

about 6 pieces of regular size red potatoes

1 cup fat free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup light beer
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, and cook for 4 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring often. Remove sausage from pan, and set aside.
2. Add onion and potato to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring often. Return sausage to pan. Add broth and beer; cook 9 minutes or until liquid is almost completely evaporated.

We learned that potatoes were first domesticated in the southern part of Peru and extreme northwestern part of Bolivia around 7,000-10,000 years ago. There are over 1000 varieties of potatoes, made possible by selective breeding for centuries. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), in 2010,  the largest producer in 2010 is China with 74.8 million metric tons, followed by India, with 36.6 million metric tons. The total global production of potatoes in 2010 is 324 million metric tons. That's a lot of potatoes!

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook, 2007