Amapalaya, also known as bitter melon, is a vegetable that is grown throughout the Philippines. I’ve been seriously craving bitter melon and in particular, a home cooked meal. Believe it or not, this was my first time cooking Ampalaya. I’ve never craved this vegetable before even when my Grandma cooked it. haha. I guess it’s these weird pregnancy cravings.
For this particular dish, egg is usually scrambled into it. Instead of using egg, I scrambled in Tofu : )
This is my ode to Jolly Bee’s Banana Langka Pie. hehe. Originally I wanted to make them into triangles but the way I cut the pastry crust was uneven so the dough wouldn’t have folded evenly into a triangle. This was my first time experimenting and making this so I still need to practice : )
All-in-all, my hubs liked it and it settled my cravings for Banana Langka pie! YEEEEE!
I’ve been craving for Chayote Guisado for a while. My husband can’t really cook for me because I’m so picky with my vegan food, especially with vegan Filipino food- it really has to taste close to the real deal for me to eat it. I decided to suck it up and try to cook the other day despite the fact that I still feel a bit nauseated with the smell of sauteed onions and garlic on top of that, my test buds are out of whack right now because of the pregnancy and I can’t really TASTE the food I’m cooking. If that makes sense at all.
Anyway, it turned out exactly what I was craving for…just like my parent’s cooking minus the pork.
If I can’t really handle the smell of cooking stovetop right now because of the pregnancy…there’s always baking : )
So… I’ve been experimenting with making an Ube Macapuno Cookie for the past year and I think I finally have a recipe down as far as texture and consistency ! YAY! I just feel like it’s missing one more thing….hmmm. At least I feel comfortable baking these for my friends now and I can ask what they think is missing as far as ingredients. My poor husband had to try every single test batch. haha. Will definitely keep you posted onto what the missing ingredient is! But so far so good and edible! haha.
I came across this new product at Trader Joe’s the other day and I had to try it. I used to buy the Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken when I ate meat and I was waiting for them to come out with a vegan version and they finally did.
It was fairly quick and easy to cook. I just popped it in the oven for 10 minutes while I heated up the sauce stove top that came along with chicken. To the sauce, I added my own little kick- sesame seeds and red chili flakes. When the “chicken” was finished, I tossed the chicken and sauce together. I then deglazed the pan that I heated the sauce in with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable broth and added sliced asparagus, which I then cooked for about 3-4 minutes. I added the cooked asparagus to the chicken.
As for the actual Trader Joe’s version of Vegan Manderin Chicken, I prefer the Gardein Manderin Crispy Chick’n instead. I actually wouldn’t recommend buying the TJ brand. They taste rubbery and ummmmm… gross. hehe.
It’s been A LONG TIME since I’ve lasted posted on my blog. Since I found out about my pregnancy back in November I haven’t had the stomach, taste buds, or the energy to cook, let alone post on my blog. My nausea has been the WORST! The smell of anything cooking in the kitchen, especially onions, garlic, and rice, intensified my nausea and migraines. GAG. I couldn’t handle it. I
But this week, I had some progress in the kitchen! YAY! I’m 16 weeks and 6 days into my pregnancy and my nausea has toned down a lot! WHOOHOO! I’ve been able to cook myself a grilled cheese sandwich! hehe. I don’t know if I can cook a full on meal yet, but this will do for now.
I added a little special something here- tofurkey and tomato slices. Time to finish up eating my late night craving : )
Vegan Ilokana 
