What's for lunch? Smoked herring on top of toasted bagel downed with a combination of green/earl grey tea

Smoked herring on toasted bagel with tea. Yukky for some but healthy, cheap, and delicious to me. Cost - $1.50. I buy my smoked fish in a dollar store. Benefits - Omega-3 in the herring which is good for the heart and anti-oxidants and diuretics from the tea which is good for high blood pressure. If you are Asian, just put the smoked herring on top of left over steamed rice. Sardines will work too.

Fish Sinigang (Filipino Sour Fish Soup)

My goal is always cheap, easy, and delicious, so I just use what I can find around the kitchen. As I’m writing this menu, my mouth is already drooling, so keep away from the pot while you are cooking this. 

Prep time: 7 minutes
Cooking time: 23 minutes
Cost: $8-10 
Will serve 4-5 peopleIngredients: 
2 lbs frozen fish fillets (I use haddock but whiting also works and is cheaper)
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs lemon juice (Sinigang powder is not available everywhere so I use lemon)
I cut up onion
1 Tbs minced garlic or 4 cloves chopped garlic
1 Tsp black pepper
2 potatoes cut in cubes
1 lb of your favorite frozen veggies

Boil and simmer all the ingredients except the fish and frozen veggies for 13-15 minutes
Put the fish and frozen veggies in and let boil and simmer for 10 minutes

Serve with brown or white steamed rice. 

Now my mouth is really watering thinking of sour it is. If you accidentally drool on the pot, just boil for another 5 minutes to kill the germs.

Broiled Whiting with couscous and veggies

Here we go again – cheap, easy, healthy and delicious

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 people
Cost: $8 including the side dishes. That’s 2 bucks per person

Ingredients:

2 lbs frozen whiting
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper or 1 tbs chicken rub
4 tbs Italian dressing
3 tsp minced garlic

Cooking: Put all the ingredients together in iron skillet or any thick pan and broil for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with couscous ( follow instructions on box), cut up fresh tomatoes (organic if possible) and kale sautéed in oyster sauce – cut the kale very finely and cook it on high in the microwave. Then sauté it in 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1 tbs oyster sauce for 3 minutes

Your guests might say, you’re cheap, but hey, if it tastes good, who cares. Just light a candle and it will look elegant and expensive.

Shrimps with Couscous

What’s for din din tonight? Mediterranean Shrimp with couscous and veggies. Cheap, healthy and easy to cook.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

I love shortcuts that taste as good as fresh

Ingredients:
1 lb cooked shrimp ($5 in Wal-Mart)
I box couscous
I 16 ounce stewed tomatoes without the juice
3 cloves chopped garlic (I just use minced garlic in a bottle)
1 medium onion diced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 tsp black pepper


Sauté the shrimp in the olive oil and butter with the onions, garlic, and black pepper for 5 minutes.
Then pour the stewed tomatoes without the juice and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Follow the instruction on the box on how to cook the couscous
Serve with fresh tomatoes (ours come from our garden) and frozen French cut beans cooked in the microwave or any of your favorite veggies.
This serves 3-4 people. There, wasn’t that easy. With the time you saved you can spend more time cuddling with your spouse, or significant other, or your dog if you don’t have any of the two.

Tinolang Salmon (Filipino Salmon Soup)

Salmon Tinola (Filipino soup)With daikon (Asian radish) and string beans and collard greens from our garden. This is one of the easiest recipe to cook. It's very healthy and sooo goood! 

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes


Ingredients:
1 lb fresh or frozen salmon
1 daikon sliced in strips
2 diced fresh tomatoes (from our garden) or a can of diced tomatoes
1 chopped large onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
A bunch of green beans and collard greens (from our garden too) or kale
3 cups chicken broth

Put all ingredients except the collard greens or kale in a pot 
Boil and simmer for 15 minutes
Put the collard greens or kale and turn off the stove. The greens must not be overcooked
Serve with steamed brown rice

Will serve 4 people

Cito’s serendipitous salmon sauté

I say serendipitous because I don’t what it is. I just concocted it and it came out so sumptuous.

Prep time- 7 minutes
Cooking time – 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh or frozen salmon cut in cubes
1 large chopped yellow onion
4 cloves chopped garlic ( I use one heaping tbs of minced garlic in a jar)
¼ tbs black pepper
Two medium size chopped tomatoes
2 tbs olive or vegetable oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup chicken broth


Sauté all ingredients except egg in oil for 10 minutes
Pour chicken broth and simmer for three minutes
Pour beaten eggs , mix and take out of the hot stove
Serve with rice or bread. It’s so good you might want to cook it again the next day. Even our senior citizen dog loved the leftovers and ate it all up.

Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk and Veggies

This is different from regular chicken curry because it’s richer and creamier

My philosophy in cooking – easy, deliriously delicious, and fun


Prep time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 40 minutes
Serves 4-6 people
Cost – about $8

Ingredients:
2-2 ½ Lbs cut up chicken 
I can coconut milk
2 1lb package of your favorite frozen veggies
4 heaping Tbs Korean curry ( or Indian curry if you want your tongue to dance)
2 tbs olive or vegetable oil
I large dice onion
6 cloves crushed garlic or 2 heaping tbs minced garlic
3 cups Chicken broth

Cooking:
Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for 3 minutes
Pour the chicken, curry, chicken broth in the pan and simmer for 30 minutes
After simmering the chicken for 30 minutes, put the veggies and coconut milk in 
Let it boil and turn off stove right away so the veggies will not overcook

Serve over steamed rice 

I cook dinner for 30-35 foreign students every Friday night and this is their favorite
If your husband does not salivate over this, I don't know what will. You, maybe?

Cito's Easy Shrimp-Rice Curry

Prep time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 25 minutes
Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:
2 cups rice
4 cups water
2 tbs Olive oil or vegetable oil
1 lb frozen peeled shrimps
4 cups chicken broth
I large chopped onions
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 one lb packages of your favorite veggies ( I use winter squash and mixed vegetables)
2 tbs curry


Boil 4 cups of chicken broth in a separate pan
In a thick cast iron pan (or any thick pan), sautee onions, garlic, shrimps and bullion cubes in olive or vegetable oil for 2 minutes
Pour boiling chicken broth and curry
Pour the rice and frozen vegetables and let it boil and simmer for 20 minutes till rice is cooked


If your girlfriend or boyfriend does not like it, find another one. You can not cook any better than this. My wife (and daughter) loved this and she did not change me for another

Laswa, A Southern Philippine Dish

In the Illonggo area of the southern Philippines there’s a dish called Laswa which is very common among the poorer part of the population. But just because poorer people eat it does not mean that it has no extra ordinary taste or even nutritious. Don’t believe that. It’s so good and full of nutrition because it has more vegetables and no meat at all. I’m sharing my American version to make it easier and more available for all. 


Cost: About $10 and serves 5-6 people or more
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 20-25 minutes


Ingredients:
3 lbs packages of frozen veggies which includes whole leaf spinach (I did not have any, so it’s not in the picture), French cut beans, corn, lima beans, okra, or any of your favorite frozen veggies.
1 lb peeled shrimps
1 large diced onion
1 can 16 ounce diced tomatoes
I heaping tbs minced garlic or 6 crushed fresh garlic cloves
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 cups chicken broth


Pour all ingredients in a pot and wait for it to boil which might take 15 minutes. When it boils, turn it off after 5 minutes so the veggies will not be overcooked. 

Wasn’t that easy? 
Serve with steamed brown rice mixed with sweet rice to make it tenderer, or any steamed rice. If your kids don’t like it because of the veggies, give them peanut butter and jelly or let them starve.

Clam and Fish Stew

Clam and Fish Stew from Cito’s Maine Kitchen

Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb fish fillet cut 2 inches (Any fish will do)
1 lb clams
2 tbs chopped garlic
I large chopped onion
1 tbs shredded fresh ginger
2 large chopped tomatoes
4 medium cut up carrots
4 medium cut up potatoes
1 dozen fresh Asparagus or 1 package frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbs olive or vegetable oil



Cooking:
Sauté garlic, onions, ginger, potatoes, carrots for 5 minutes
Pour chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes
Put fish fillet and simmer for 5 minutes
Put clams and asparagus or frozen veggies and simmer for another 5 minutes
Turn off stove and let stay for 10 minutes before serving over steamed rice.

In Maine they would say, "It's wickedly scrumptious"!  

Easy Summer Soup

Prep time – 5 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Cost – About $9
Serves 4-6 people


Ingredients:
1 lb package of frozen diced butternut squash
1 lb package of your favorite frozen veggies
1 lb frozen peeled shrimps (I use salad shrimps because it’s cheap)
1 32 ounce chicken broth
One large onion diced
6 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbs mild Korean curry or 1tsp Indian curry (for a kick)
1 tbs fish sauce (optional)

Put all ingredients in a pot and let it boil (5 minutes)
Simmer for 10 minutes and turn off stove


Serve over multi-grain, white, or brown steamed rice. I tried it with cinnamon raisin bread with butter and honey and it tasted fabulous
See, didn’t I tell you it’s easy?

Mediterranean Chicken with Pasta

Will serve 6 (use half of the ingredients for 3 people but you do not have to skimp on the veggies)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lbs cut up chicken

I cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

3 tbs olive oil

1 can (26 ounces) chunky spaghetti sauce or better yet two cups chopped tomatoes

2  tbs chopped garlic

4 cubes or 2 tbs chicken bullion

1 chopped onion

Tsp ground black pepper

½ cup combined chopped cilantro and parsley

2 cut up carrots

2 stalks cut up celery

1 cut up eggplant

1 cut up zucchini

1 chopped green pepper

Cooking:

Brown chicken on olive oil for 10 minutes or until brown

Saute garlic, onions, carrots, celery for 5 minutes

Pour wine, chicken broth, spaghetti sauce or tomatoes, black pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes

Pour and mix the rest of the ingredients, let boil and simmer for another 10 minutes

Serve with whole wheat pasta or brown rice mixed with white rice or sweet rice

If your wife or husband does not like it, give him 5 bucks to eat at McDonald’s

Cito's Broiled Salmon marinated in honey, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic.

Ingredients:

1 ½ Lbs Salmon fillet

¼ cup vinegar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup sesame oil

¼ cup Soy sauce

Mix vinegar, honey, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a cup or small bowl

Pour it on Salmon and marinade for at least two hours

Broil for 15 minutes

(I keep the excess marinade for chicken or other fish fillets)

Serve with red or brown rice with sliced tomatoes and your favorite steamed vegetables

Will make 4 servings

Drooling before serving it is an indication that it’s going to taste good!