Slow Cooker Beef Nilaga

My childhood memories will always include Sunday dinner at my late maternal grandmother's house.  We would ride our jeep from Malabon to Quezon City where my grandmother's house was located. All six of us siblings somehow fitted in the vehicle.  The dishes we had those Sundays at my Lola Sefa's house included Beef Nilaga and a chicken dish either fried chicken or chicken curry.  These dishes were consistently served that one recipient of the family's generosity, the hueteng bookie, I heard one day complained that his free meal was always the same. Well, that was the way my late mother wanted it and we never got tired of it. Beef Nilaga spelled comfort and being home again for all of us, my family and all my uncles, aunts and cousins and my Lola.  It still does with my own smaller sized family now. My husband, an American, l notice relishes this dish with gusto every time I serve it.

I like to use beef chuck roast which has some fat in it.  You do not need beef bones like beef bulalo, a similar dish, so it is relatively less expensive and the ingredients more accessible.  The vegetables would vary depending on your preference and the availability of the ingredients.  I sometimes use carrots instead of butternut squash or both.  As for the leafy vegetables, I usually utilize plain green cabbage since they keep for a long period of time in the fridge so it would be available when needed.  If you have access to bok choy that would be even better.  I like to use green beans either fresh or frozen.  The potatoes give the starchy component and texture.  This dish is served with rice, lots of them, with the fish sauce as a side condiment where we dip the meat for added flavor while eating.

The slow cooker method is most convenient for preparing this dish.  The meat gets very tender without you boiling it to death over the stove or resorting to using the pressure cooker.  You just dump the ingredients in the slow cooker and go.  If you want the green beans to be crisp add it at the last 15 minutes of cooking.  If using bok choy, do add it also the last 15 minutes. This will be one of your family's favorite dinner on Sundays or any day.

Slow Cooker Beef Nilaga

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 onion sliced
• 2 potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 head cabbage, cut either in quarters or into 1 inch slices
• 1 cup green beans, fresh or frozen
• 3 cups water
• 3 tbsp fish sauce or salt to taste, plus more fish sauce as side condiment while eating

Place all the ingredients in the crock pot except the green beans.  Cook for 4 hours at high setting or 8 hours at low.  Add the green beans during the last 15 minutes of cooking. I used an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker and cooked the dish for 3 hours at slow cooker setting.  Serve with rice and more fish sauce as a side condiment for those who prefer to use it.

Slow Cooker Beef Mechado

This is the Filipino version of beef stew.  The beef is simmered in tomato sauce, tomato paste and onions. Vegetables like potatoes and green or red peppers are added.  I used the recipe given to me by my sister Bebeng, an excellent cook.  She came over for a visit this past August and she prepared this dish for my grandson Luca's baptism.  For flavoring, my sister uses soy sauce, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce. She also adds bay leaves and whole peppercorns, commonly used in Filipino dishes with Spanish origin.  Note water is not added at all during the cooking process whether done on the stove or in the slow cooker.  

My sister Bebeng.

                                       

My sister Bebeng's Beef Mechado she prepared for Luca's baptism.

I thought Beef Mechado would be a good slow cooker dish since it requires slow cooking step.  Except for the initial sauteing of the onion, garlic and beef, the rest of ingredients are dumped in the slow cooker with them and what would have been slow cooking on the stove under watchful eyes the slow cooker does the rest.  My sister loves to add canned whole button mushrooms.  I did not have any and had just bought fresh whole ones on sale which I used instead.

This is one of my favorite Filipino comfort food.  You will also fall in love with it once you tasted it over rice especially.  The sauce is delicious and will wash away your woes at the end of the day.  It is an excellent party dish also.  With the slow cooker method  this is a cinch to prepare and serve.

My other sister, Menchie, myself and Bebeng at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.

At the Royal Botanical Garden in Canada.

At Flowers in the Attic at Penn Hills, PA.  

Slow Cooker Beef Mechado

• 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1-15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/2 tbsp whole Peppercorn
• 8 oz whole mushrooms
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow or red pepper, sliced
• 4 small potatoes, cut into large cubes

Saute the onions, garlic and beef in vegetable oil till beef is browned.  Place the mixture in the slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients.

Slow cook for 4 hours at high setting or 8 hours at low setting.  I cooked mine in an Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.

Lumpiang Hubad or Filipino Lettuce Wrap

This is the Filipino version of the lettuce wrap.  This vegetable dish is actually the naked version of the Filipino Fresh Lumpia.  It is fresh since it is not fried like the Fried Filipino Lumpia or egg roll.

The regular Fresh Lumpia is the Filipino take on wraps.  We use either the spring roll lumpia wrappers from the frozen section of the Asian store or a crepe like egg wrapper made on a skillet.  Two very different wrappers with the same type of filling of chopped vegetables and if you wish meat or shrimps or both.

In this version of fresh lumpia, my sister Menchie made a naked version sans any wrappers during her recent visit in Pittsburgh.  In lieu of the wrapper, romaine lettuce is used.

Menchie with Fallingwater at the background.

This is a vegetarian dish. The essential vegetables in this dish is the green beans and sweet potatoes.  These two set this fresh lumpia apart from the other chop chop salads or lettuce wraps and give the dish its Filipino flavor. You can add chickpeas if you like for added protein.  The sauce we use has that slight salty mainly sweet flavor that brings out the flavor of the mixed vegetables used.

Lumpiang Hubad or Filipino Lettuce Wrap

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and julienned
• 1 cup baby carrots, julienned
• 3 cups green beans, sliced into small cubes
• 3 stalks celery sliced diagonally
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine lettuce leaves, separated and washed

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Saute the vegetables in the heated pan till cooked. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Place the sauteed vegetable in individual Romaine lettuce. Serve with the lumpia sauce. 

Lumpia Sauce

• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water

Mix the four ingredients in a sauce pan and allow to boil. Add the cornstarch in water to the mixture and allow to boil till mixture thickens. 

Pancit Canton with Sriracha Miso Sauce

The Filipinos have different types of noodles which are made either from rice, flour or mung beans. Rice sticks are called Pancit bihon, the flour noodles, pancit canton and the mung bean one, sotanghon.  I am using the flour stick noodle type, pancit canton, in this dish.  Originally pancit canton (and it is still available in select stores in Chinatown in your neighborhood) was made using eggs also.  Fortunately for me who is plant based, they have stuck to just using flour.

Seasoning the pancit canton varies from using soy sauce or fish sauce or both with citrus like the native calamansi or the more readily available lemon or lime.  See a recipe I posted in the past using these condiments.  In this recipe I resorted to using miso paste in place of the fish sauce to flavor the noodle dish and I was very happy with the result.  Of course there is nothing like fish sauce but this miso paste comes pretty close in the tastiness satisfaction scale for me.  I even put more kick into the dish by adding sriracha sauce.  Amazing.  I almost ate the whole thing and I am pretty picky.

Pancit Canton with Sriracha Miso Sauce

Sauce

• juice of 1 lemon   
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 4 drops or more sriracha sauce

Vegetables and noodles                       

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/4 cabbage head, cored and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp dry garlic flakes or fresh garlic
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 16 oz flour noodles or pancit canton (from Asian Store) (note 1)
• pepper to taste
• 2 cups water or more as needed
• slices of green onions for garnish
• slices of lemon for garnish

Sauce:

In a small bowl mix the lemon, miso paste and sriracha sauce and set aside.

Vegetables and Noodles:

Place the vegetable broth, carrots, celery, cabbage, onion, garlic flakes and soy sauce in a wok or pot. Cover and allow to boil till the vegetables are cooked but still crispy.

Transfer the cooked vegetables into another container and leave any leftover broth in the wok or pot. Add the water to the broth and submerge the flour noodles or pancit canton in the liquid mixture while cooking at medium heat.  Let the noodle soften while stirring them.  Add more water if needed but do not add too much or the noodles will get too soggy.

When the noodles are cooked, add to it the cooked vegetables and the prepared sauce and mix.  Garnish with sliced green onions and lemon slices.

Note:

1.  You can substitute cooked spaghetti instead.  Just mix the cooked vegetables and sauce to it.  

Slow Cooker Jalapeno Chicken Adobo

Once you are used to eating dishes with jalapeno, you will be adding it to even those you had in childhood that you would never dream adding it to.  I was eating the chicken adobo, an iconic Filipino dish, without the jalapeno slices and my tongue wanted something to spice it up.  So I reached for the bottle of jalapenos and dumped 2 tbsp of it to the dish.  In this recipe I instructed it to be added at the beginning.

However, if you have Chicken Adobo purists in your family, use the jalapeno as a side.  Or just don't tell them it is adobo. They will just wonder to themselves or aloud, "This tastes familiar.." while eating with gusto and you just smile.

Slow Cooker Jalapeno Chicken Adobo

• 3 lb chicken legs or thighs 
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp jalapeno slices from a bottle or more

Place all the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook at low for 6 hours or at high for 3 hours.  I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 3 hours at slow cooker setting.

Note:

I did not add water at all.  The chicken gives off enough juice so that all the chicken pieces will eventually be in the broth.

Tinapa't Tops Salad

                


This recipe was taken from the glossy Filipino food magazine Breakfast Magazine and was prepared by Chef Kalel Chan. This was recreated for me by my talented and beautiful sister-in-law Pinky during my visit to the Philippines last year.

Pinky is on the right with her daughters, Roxanne and Bea and granddaughter, Gelay,  during their recent tour of Japan.  

One can substitute spinach or kale for all three unfamiliar sounding vegetables mentioned in the recipe, kangkong, kamote tops and alugbati. As for the salted eggs one can just use hard boiled eggs and add salt to the dressing. Tinapa is an example of salted fish you can use and is available in Asian stores.



Tinapa't Tops Salad

(Kalel Chan from Breakfast Magazine)

20 grams kangkong, blanched
20 grams kamote tops, blanched
20 grams alugbati, blanched
20 grams tomato, julienned
10 grams red onion, sliced
5 grams smoked fish meat (example tinapa available from Asian stores)

For the dressing
1 piece small salted egg
3/4 cup olive oil
White sugar to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients till smooth

Assembly

Pour a small amount of dressing on a plate.
Arrange blanched leaves in the middle.
Add tomatoes and onions randomly.
Garnish with roasted bits of small fish.

Five Ingredient Pancit Bihon (Rice Stick Noodles)

Pancit Bihon is the rice stick version of the whole repertoire of noodles in the Philippines.  We have egg (actually flour in some brands) noodles or pancit canton and sotanghon noodles made from mung beans. These three types of noodles are in almost every Filipino pantry even in the homes of those who have moved here in the United States.  I keep them in stock so I have them every time I have a craving for pancit, the Filipino general term for noodles.

In this dish I used the rice stick noodles to make Pancit Bihon, a very popular dish in the Philippines served for everyday meals as well as parties.  I had some guests yesterday and one of them has gluten allergy so Pancit Bihon came to mind.  I was preparing a lot of other dishes so I wanted a simple version of this dish and this is what I came up with.  Five ingredients but everybody loved it including my friend Linda who wanted the recipe.

Five Ingredient Pancit Bihon (Rice Stick Noodles)

• 1 lb rice stick noodles (available in Asian stores and the ethnic sections of large grocery stores)
• 1 box vegetable or chicken broth (4 cups)
• 6 carrots cut into disks
• 6 celery stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 whole cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces
• salt and pepper to taste.

Soak the rice stick noodles in water for 10 minutes for easy handling.  

Place the broth in a pot and place the cut vegetables and cook them till they are soften but still crunchy. Do not overcook.  

Remove the vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon. Place the rice stick noodles in the broth and cook the noodles till they are pliable and edible and the liquid has evaporated.  Stir while cooking the noodles especially towards the end when most of the broth is gone.  You may add more broth or water if you need it until the noodles are in the pliable and edible state.  Do not overcook it either or it will be soggy.

Mix the cooked vegetables with the noodles.  Season with salt and pepper.  You can use soy sauce or fish sauce instead of salt if you like.  

Note:

This is a large batch. You can freeze the leftovers.  It is one noodle that freezes well.

Easy Plant Based Filipino Pinakbet

I follow my cravings and that was what I was doing when I cooked this plant based version of another iconic dish from the Philippines, Pinakbet. It is a vegetable dish to begin with using the ones you might have on hand but there are some that are customarily used like okra and bitter melon. I luckily found okra in the grocery store which I used with the eggplant.  I added the cabbage for more bulk and nutrition but I would have preferred to have used green beans which I did not have at hand.

As much as possible I wanted the dish that I was preparing to match what I was craving. The vegetables I used were close to that criteria but I have the challenge to approximate the taste of bagoong, which is the heart of the dish.  It is made of either fish anchovies or shrimps that had been highly salted.  The shrimp variety are even sauteed in pork. Definitely not plant based.

I decided to use the combination of soy sauce, almond butter and miso paste to mimic the characteristic saltiness that the bagoong imparts on ones palate.  I am happy to say it worked.

We Filipinos like to undersalt our dish and use a condiment like fish sauce or more bagoong while eating the dish. That is what I did with this pinakbet but this time I used miso paste. I am happy to say my cravings for pinakbet have been satisfied with this plant version as I use this Filipino custom.

 Easy Plant Based Filipino Pinakbet

• 1 eggplant, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cups loosely packed okra
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp miso paste (need more as condiment when eating)
• 1/2 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a pot and allow the mixture to boil with the pot cover on.  Allow to boil gently till the vegetables are all cooked. Serve with rice or quinoa with a side of more miso paste to incorporate as little dabs with every bite of pinakbet with rice. This mixture is blissful.

Slow Cooker Plant Based Paella

Let me just out right say that my picky taster, my husband Bob, loved this and gave this dish two thumbs up. He did not even realized it was plant based.  When I served this to him, it was not even garnished with the lemon, chopped celery and olives shown in the picture and yet he ate with gusto.  I only told him it was meat free several days later.  The Tofurky sausage did the trick.  If however you do not have any, season the mixture with 1 tsp smoked paprika and one more tsp of cumin.

This can be a meal in itself with a side of salad or the garnishes and a piece of crusty whole wheat baguette. This can be a wonderful side dish with chicken or ham if cooking for carnivores.  As I said previously, a carnivore will not know the difference when serving this plant based paella to them.  My husband did not.

The trick with cooking rice in the slow cooker is knowing how much water to use.  If too little, you will have uneven cooking of the rice.  If too much it will be like rice soup.  This recipe gives uniformly cooked rice, a little bit on the risotto consistency.  It is good and comforting.  The test how good a dish is is when I hanker for it for breakfast the next day and I did with this one.  

Slow Cooker Plant Based Paella

• 1 -3.5 oz Artisan Tofurky Cajun Sytle Andouille Sausage, cut into bite sized pieces 
• 2 cups uncooked brown rice
• 5 cups water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
•  1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup minced dry onions
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorn
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook for 3 hours at high setting and 6 hours at low setting.  I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 2 hours.  Serve with the following optional garnish shown in the photos: lemon, chopped celery with leaves and olives.  

Slow Cooker Filipino Pork Talunan or Pork Defeated

I follow my cravings for dishes from my childhood in deciding what to cook for the day.  There was something about this dish that was calling me.  I remember the strong ginger and salty taste but had no clue how to make it.  I searched the web for the best recipe to match what I think would be close to what I crave.  I came upon the Luto Ni Lola website.  I was pretty surprise the blogger is from my hometown Malabon, Metro Manila.  

This dish holds many memories.  Our father who handled the grocery shopping and meal planning rotated different dishes.  I went home one day from high school to see my late brother Anton eating this dish for lunch.  I felt bad for two reasons, he just got defeated in his bid as a young high school freshman to represent his class in the student council election.  He was quiet and laid back but had this charismatic personality at the same time that made him likeable and popular.  I, her older bossy sister, who was a senior then, urged him to go for it when he was nominated.   I even wrote his speech! But Mildred his opponent who was equally popular and perhaps more ready won.  I felt bad when I saw him at lunch because he was eating this dish which is called Talunan,  the Tagalog word for Defeated.  Ouch.  It was just coincidental.  When I told my mother about his defeat, my mother was upset that I pushed him to run. She felt he was too young to experience defeat.  That was how protective and loving my mother was.  Little did she know then how resilient and strong my brother would be when he would be battling cancer for 7 years later on in his life. She would have been in awe like we all were.

Going back to Talunan, the Luto Ni Lola blogger explained the name.  He told the tale that the roosters that lost in the Filipino gambling game, cockfighting, usually ended up being the meat used for this dish, hence the name. Instead of chicken, I decided to use what I remember the meat the Talunan dish I ate the day my brother was defeated.  I recall it was either pork or beef.  I opted for the former since I just bought 2 or more kilos of pork loin from the Sam's Club.

This dish turned out to be a cross between two popular Filipino dishes, adobo (except without the soy sauce) and tinola (stew cooked with ginger).  Instead of the soy sauce, patis or fish sauce was used.  It was addictive due to the intoxicating combination of the saltiness of patis, the ton of garlic used, the ginger and vinegar.  Was it what I was craving?  Almost.  What I remember was the one I wanted did not have the pickle taste that this dish had from the vinegar.  But it was still awesome, I veered from my plant based diet because it is so hauntingly good. You would want to raid your fridge to eat it for breakfast.

Here is the easy recipe.

Slow Cooker Filipino Pork Talunan or Pork Defeated

(Adapted from Luto Ni Lola)

• 3 lbs pork loin, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup distilled vinegar
• 8 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp ginger, peeled, crushed and julienned
• 1 tsp peppercorn
• 4 pieces by bay leaf
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water

Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook for 3 hours at high or 6 hours at low setting.  I cooked mine in an Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker at slow cooker setting for 2 hours.  Serve over rice. (Caution the sauce is a rice guzzler).

One Pot Tofu and Green Bean Adobo

I prefer to do my cooking in one pot or pan as possible. This is the reason I love cooking using my crockpot.  During instances the dish is better cooked in a pan, lazy me, will still find ways to minimize using too many bowls and dishes.

I am happy to say I was able to do just that with this delicious dish.  I skipped browning the tofu in a separate pan and also the defrosting the frozen green beans in a bowl in the microwave. The result is acceptable.  The tofu was flavored completely.  The cooking of the green beans featured some being more green while others a bit more cooked but not soft like the ones from the can.  Not perfect but overall good.

This dish is not only convenient to prepare but it is also delicious.  Trying to stay plant based it helped satisfy my cravings for the iconic Filipino national dish chicken and/or pork adobo.  The tang from the vinegar is complemented by the saltiness imparted by the soy sauce. The garlic cloves and powder rounds off the intoxicating addictive taste adobo is famous for.

This is substantive enough for a plant based meal with brown rice.  It is a great side dish with fried fish, chicken or pork for the carnivores.

Tofu and Green Bean Adobo

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 8 oz tofu, drained and cut into large cubes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp  soy sauce
• 2 lb frozen green beans
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

Place the olive oil in a saute pan heated to medium low. Saute the garlic and onion in the heated pan.

Add the tofu cubes and sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper to the tofu cubes.  Stir fry the mixture till the tofu has a brown color.

Add the vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce and allow the mixture to boil.  Add the frozen green beans and the water.  Allow the mixture to mildly boil with stirring till the green beans are cooked.  You can add the 2 tbsp soy sauce according to your taste.  Then add the cornstarch slurry at the end of cooking.  

Quick and Easy Plant Based Arroz Caldo

Arroz Caldo is one of the Filipino's favorite soup which is served almost anytime of the day even during snack time or merienda as we refer to it at home in the Philippines.  My recipe of the slow cooker version is one of the most popular recipes in this blog.  It features rice (arroz in Spanish), chicken and the aromatics, ginger and garlic.  This soup is usually served with garnishes like green onions, fried tofu and pork jowls in a soy sauce marinade and calamansi (Filipino citrus).

I wanted a plant based version that is easy to prepare using ingredients in the pantry and no sauteing to avoid the use of oil even plant derived ones.  This latter ingredient is avoided as much as much as possible in this type of approach to eating.  Of course, the chicken will be skipped too plus the fish sauce and pork jowls.

I love to experiment in pushing the envelope and used no vegetable broth either or fresh ginger, garlic and onions.  I used instead dried minced onions, garlic powder and even ginger powder.  I wanted it to be an easy and quick recipe to prepare when I just have to satisfy this craving for this addictive soup and but have no energy or motivation to chop.  I also used leftover brown rice rather than cooking raw rice with the aromatics as in the regular recipe.

For the garnishes, I wanted the whole works.  I had to have the green onions, tofu in the soy sauce marinade and a citrus which was lemon in this case.  Green onions make everything taste better. The tofu in the soy sauce marinade offers texture and protein.  The citrus is a must in my opinion and really gives the dish a bright and refreshing zing. These three compensated for the short cuts and the ingredients in the soup that were avoided like chicken that I mentioned.

This is a convenient deconstructed version of the original recipe.  The verdict you may ask?  With the help of the garnishes, I would say it was as comforting as the original but next time I would add the fresh ingredients like onions, garlic and ginger with or without sauteing first to the cooked brown rice and water.  You can also follow the original recipe in this blog and just skip the chicken and fish sauce and use brown instead of white rice.  But on days you want arroz caldo to comfort you quickly this plant based version will suffice.  As I said the garnishes help.  Do add more of the dry aromatics like garlic powder or ginger and even dry minced onions to the finished product as you wish to intensify any flavor you want accented while you are savoring the soup.

Here is the recipe for the soup and the marinade for the tofu.

Quick and Easy Plant Based Arroz Caldo

(Adapted from this recipe in this blog) 

4 servings

Soup

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 4 cups water (Note 1)
• 2 tbsp dry minced onions (Note 2)
• 2 tsp garlic powder (Note 2)
• 3 tsp ginger powder Note 2)
• 1 tsp salt (Note 3)

Garnishes (Note 4)

• two stalks green onions, chopped
• 4 oz cubed and previously drained tofu (see note 5) in soy marinade (recipe below) 
• half a lemon, cut in wedges

Place all the ingredients in a pot and allow to boil and then simmer till the flavors blend.  Do later add more of the spices as your taste buds lead you as you savor the soup.  Garnish with green onions, tofu in the soy sauce marinade and lemon wedges which you drizzle before slurping the soup. 

Notes:

1.  You can use vegetable broth instead.

2.  You can use fresh chopped onions (small one), minced fresh garlic (1 or more cloves) and minced fresh ginger (around one inch, peeled) instead.

3.  Tamari or soy sauce can be added according to your taste instead.  

4.  If you have a carnivore in your family, you can have leftover cooked chicken pieces as one of the garnishes or you can also cook the chicken together with the other ingredients of the soup if preparing a separate batch for the carnivores.

5.  You can drain the tofu by wrapping it in two or more paper towels or you can use the method I gave in a previous blogpost on barbecue hoisin tofu.  

Soy Marinade for the Tofu

• 1 tsp dry minced onions
• 1 tsp garlic powder or minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tsp soy sauce.  

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and then pour over the cubed tofu.  Serve the tofu in the marinade on the side as a garnish.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 335 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 210 Calories from Fat 24

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2.6g 4%

Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 596mg 25%

Potassium 251mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 40.5g 13%

Dietary Fiber 2.7g 11%

Sugars 1.2g

Protein 6.6g

Vitamin A 5% • Vitamin C 4% Calcium 9% • Iron 9%

Nutrition Grade A-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sugar
• Very high in manganese
• High in magnesium

Bad points

• High in sodium

Slow Cooker Plant Based Chickpea Menudo or Filipino Sloppy Joe

Filipinos love to eat savory snacks for their afternoon break.  It could be chicken arroz caldo, pancit or ground beef or pork menudo.  I have featured all these dishes in my blog.  Now that I am into the plant based approach to eating, I decided to come up with the all vegetable version of menudo using canned chickpeas and other vegetables that usually are used with the meat version.  This plant based menudo has a delicious sauce that coats the bread pieces you use or rice if you prefer to use this as a main dish.  The chickpeas give it texture in every bite you do not miss the feel of ground meat.  The spices and the vegetables like red pepper, carrots, green peas flavor the sauce you do not need any chicken broth.  The raisins give the dish a delectable sweet taste characteristic of menudos in the Philippines.  This is a convenient recipe to have.  The dish can be used as a filling in your buns or sliders for a sandwich reminiscent of a Sloppy Joe. Or it could be one of your plant based dinner during the week.

Slow Cooker Plant Based Chickpea Menudo or Filipino Sloppy Joe

6 servings 

• 1 -15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large carrot, chopped into small cubes
• 1 large potato, chopped into small cubes
• 2 red or green pepper or both, chopped in small pieces
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup sweet peas from a can or frozen
• 6 tbsps catsup
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup diced tomatoes, from a can or fresh
• 1/4 tsp peppercorn
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
• 1/2 inch jalapeno pepper or dash of hot sauce
• 1 tsp cumin

Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook for 6 hours at low setting or 3 hours at high setting.  I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 2 hours at slow cooker setting.  You can use this dish as a filling in a hamburger bun or sliders or you can eat this dish with brown rice.  

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 158 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 113 Calories from Fat 4

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.4g 1%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 931mg 39%

Potassium 551mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates 26.1g 9%

Dietary Fiber 3.4g 14%

Sugars 10.6g

Protein 2.9g

Vitamin A 69% • Vitamin C 113% Calcium 3% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• High in dietary fiber
• High in potassium
• Very high in vitamin A
• High in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin C