Here are some photos from his winning entry:

Daddy Joey pls. dont forget to send me your complete name, address and contact number. You will be contacted within the week to let you know how you can claim your prize. Congratulations and keep drinking Real Leaf!

You all know how much I love cheesecake. I made a simple cheesecake, a chocolate cheesecake and now I have successfully whipped up a mocha cheesecake. This was inspired by the most perfect coffee cheesecake that my friends and I had while enjoying coffee and great conversation at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Surprisingly, my cheesecake proved to be the most perfect among all those that I have baked. No cracks, intense taste. So I am sharing with you my tried and tested recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cups crushed graham crackers
1 stick of butter

Filling

16 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup all purpose cream
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedures:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all the ingredients for the crust in a bowl and mix with a fork until evenly moistened. Coat the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with this mixture and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Mix the coffee with the hot water to make a coffee paste.

Beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute. Add in the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the sugar. Continue beating while you add the cream, vanilla extract, coffee paste and flour.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake in a water bath for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Leave inside the over for another hour. Cool overnight for best results.

Winners:
1. kahodin
2. bachuchay
3.Alvin
4. torque15
5. Gayz MB
6. Marizen Villamora
7. rem
8. Lei
9. Ann
10. Mae
11. Kim
12. Joanne Gonzales
13. Allan Reyes
14. gail
15. Pam

I will be sending emails to all the winners regarding details of their prizes so please watch out for those. Congratulations and thank you for making this contest successful!

** Special thanks to Discovery Travel and Living

The following recipe is inspired by one of my husband’s favorite fast food dishes, the Mongolian Barbecue. It is called Mongolian Barbecue but all it really is, is stir fried meat, seafood and rice mixed all together. Typically when you go to a restaurant here that offers Mongolian Barbecue, you are given a bowl for you to fill with tons of ingredients to choose from. There would be different meats, seafood, vegetables, rice and of course the create-your-own Mongolian sauce or you can choose from the restaurant’s default blend. The chef would then stir fry everything in a big grill or wok or whatever they use to cook your order. The result would be hot, steaming and delicious Mongolian barbecue. Because of all the ingredients they offer, eating out at Mongolian Barbecue places can be pricey. So I decided to recreate the same, if not similar experience at home.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of chicken thigh fillets
1/2 cup of pork tenderloin chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup of squid rings
1/2 cup of shrimp
1/2 cup of carrots sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup of chopped cabbage
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 cup of cooked white rice
1 large onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 tbsp sambal oelek (optional, you can omit if you don’t want the heat)
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
3 tbsp kikkoman soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper
spring onions chopped (for garnish)

Procedures:

Combine meat, seafood, vegetables, rice in a bowl. Set aside. Combine teriyaki sauce, kikkoman soy sauce and sugar in another bowl. Set aside.

Place wok or frying pan over high heat. When wok starts to smoke put in sesame oil. Then stir fry sambal oelek until the oil absorbs the spice (or until your eyes tear up). Then stir fry garlic and onion. Be careful not to let the garlic burn so keep stirring! Stir fry the meat until they are slightly cooked. Add the seafood and the rest of the ingredients including the condiments and keep stirring until everything is cooked.

Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with spring onions. Enjoy!

You can submit as many photos as you can as long as you leave a comment here in this blog about your entry with a link to your photo. This contest will run from December 28 to January 30. The winners will be chosen on January 31, 2010.

Contest Mechanics:

• This contest is open to all readers of Kubiertos.com from the Philippines.
• Take a photo of any person drinking Real Leaf Green Tea or with a Real Leaf Green Tea. Upload this photo at any photo sharing site, blog, Facebook, Tumblr or multiply account together with a short (or long) write-up about the photo (why, where, who or anything you want to write about the photo).
• Leave a comment on this blog post with a link to your entry.
• You can submit multiple entries but a participant can only win once.
• The contest will end on January 30, 2010  11:59PM Manila time.
• The most creative, funny, cute, heartwarming or interesting photo (and story) will be chosen as the winner. A similar contest will be run on About My Recovery, Starmometer, Our Awesome Planet and Yugatech producing one winner each. Coca-cola will then choose an overall winner from the 5 winning entries who will win a grand prize of Php10,000 and 1 year’s supply of Real Leaf Green Tea!
• Me, my family including my relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from joining the contest.

Go out with your DSLRs, point and shoots, camera phones, or disposables and capture those winning moments to get a chance to win an Ipod Nano and Php 10,000 cash! Merry Christmas!

The atmosphere is charged with Christmas spirit and all around everyone is doing their best to make this Christmas extra special. With all the difficulties the world has had to go through, what with the economic crisis that hit everyone across the globe, the natural disasters that claimed thousands of lives, the cruelty and injustice that many people have had to live with (or die for), it is admittedly difficult to keep our spirits high and happy. But I truly believe that no matter what happens in your life, you should find a way to make things better for you and your family.  This Christmas, let the world know what you plan to do to make this Christmas extraordinary. It may be a small thing or a big thing, but if it makes you or others forget all the problems in the world then that is truly great.

This year Discovery Travel and Living (DTL) is featuring 4 different shows as part of its Christmas programs to somehow make our Holiday season a little bit more special – Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen (on December 14), Willy’s Perfect Chocolate Christmas (December 23), Fun Taiwan (January 1) and The Relic Hunter with Ian Grant (January 2).

Kubiertos.com in partnership with Discovery Travel and Living is giving away 10 cookbooks 15 cookbooks by DTL’s famous chefs, Willie Harcourt-Cooze, Kylie Kwong, and David Rocco to 10 lucky readers 15 lucky readers of this blog. All you have to do is post a comment here about what you plan to do this year to make Christmas extra special. You can post as many ideas as you want as long as they’re unique. It would be understandable if the basic idea will become similar to others but the details should be uniquely your own. (Ex. Special Christmas dinner can be an idea of many people but you can make it unique by how you plan to do it or what dishes you plan to cook to make it special). The contest will run from December 13 to December 27.

Contest Mechanics:

• This contest is open to all readers who have valid Philippine mailing addresses. DTL will take care of delivering the prizes to the mailing address of all the winners
• Each comment will be considered as one entry to the contest. You can post multiple comments but each one needs to be of a different idea to be counted as separate entries. However, a reader can only win once.
• The contest will end on December 27, 11:59PM Manila time.
• The winners will be drawn by a third party web application – random.org.
• Winners will be announced on December 31, 2009.
• Me, my family including my relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from joining the contest.

Comment now and get a chance to win one of these prized cookbooks courtesy of Discovery Travel and Living!

Just past the commercial center where all the famous dining places are, and past the tall condominium (that I still think is an eye sore) is a place that offers coffee and the best cinnamon loaf I have ever tried. It used to be a small place with several tables under the trees and an enclosed dining area that will make you feel totally at home.

A couple of weeks ago, my hubby and I decided to have brunch over at Bag of Beans. We arrived there just before 9 am and we were met by a nice surprise. Instead of being led to a table in the gardens, we were led to a covered dining area that was new to me and seemed much larger than the old one. Although covered it was wide open and faced a courtyard where you will find some picnic tables. It was awesome. The place can now accommodate more people but it still did not lose the coziness and homey feeling that I know it for.

Breakfast was as expected, I mean who can go wrong with bacon and eggs and omelette? The one memorable dish though was the Daing na Bangus (aka milk fish marinated in vinegar and spices) with fried rice. It was cooked to perfection, somewhat crispy on the outside but white, hot and soft on the inside. The flavors too were intense like it had been soaked in vinegar for months before being served to you. I wonder how they did that or where they bought the fish. Hmm.

All in all, my family and I had the perfect brunch. Good food, great coffee and even greater place. Delicioso!

Bag of Beans
115 Aguinaldo Highway,
Mendez Crossing West,
Tagaytay City
Philippines

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo very thin strips of beef
1 cup of corn kernels
2 cups cooked white rice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
sesame oil
a LOT of black pepper powder

Procedures:

Put wok over high heat. Once the wok starts to smoke, put in the sesame oil. Stir fry the beef strips for about 1-2 minutes or until slightly cooked. Don’t forget to keep stirring or the beef will stick to the wok or worse get burned. Remove the beef from the wok. Add a bit more sesame oil to the wok and put in the rice, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Stir fry like there’s no tomorrow. Add in lots of pepper – depending on how much pepper taste you want out of the dish. Put back the beef and corn and stir until everything is cooked. Serve while piping hot.

Being so close to where I worked, many were surprised that I hadn’t even tried Charlie’s famous Philly Cheesesteak or their Buffalo Chicken Wings. I have long since resigned to the fact that there are certain expectations when people know you write about food. So my friends were supportive when I suggested we eat at Charlie’s and off we went and waited for a few minutes for a table.

About Php 175.00++

I, of course, ordered the house specialty, The Black Angus Burger with cheese, bacon and fries on the side.  We also ordered a half dozen Buffalo Wings, mild. We were able to sit at a table inside their air conditioned section with flat screen TVs and a remote control for every table. I could imagine trying to wrestle channels with another table. It would have been a funny sight.

The food came without too much fanfare. Instead, trying to fit everything into the tiny round metal tables caused so much ruckus as we had to put our food almost on top of each other’s so we could fit in everything we ordered on our table. 

I was so excited when I looked at my burger. The bacon strips were long and curly that I was literally dancing with joy as I went to bite into one. To my dismay, the bacon turned out cold and chewy. I had to pull with my hand and teeth just to get a piece of the bacon. Plus the bacon wasn’t the slightest bit salty. It was actually devoid of any kind of taste. I could not even sense the remains of the grease that I assumed was used to fry it.

So I turned to the burger for my order’s resurrection. Surely with so many people raving about it, I had made a wise choice. I chewed on a large piece of burger and bread and was silent for a few minutes as I pondered on what it was I felt about the house specialty. I could my friend’s eyes watching my expression. He was hesitant to blurt out what he wanted to say about his own burger, probably giving me first dibs on providing my feedback. When I uttered, “The burger is very salty.”, a sigh escaped and he immediately agreed and confessed that he first thought it was just him so he wanted to wait for someone else to confirm what he tasted. Funny, I used to be like that, as if the taste would change if someone else said sweet instead of salty. Taste buds vary so I try not to be swayed by how another person perceives the taste of a dish is.. and I am still trying.

Buffalo Wings Half Dozen Php 150.00

Disappointed with my burger, I turned to the Buffalo Chicken Wings in the hopes of getting a more delightful experience from them. And I did. The appearance of the chicken wings brought back memories of take out chicken wings in styrofoam containers that my friends and I order from the local bar in Phoenix. They were greasy and saucy and oh so spicy. We ordered mild but my mouth felt on fire with just 1 piece of buffalo wing. I knew I could finish more if only I drank soda at every bite but my stomach could no longer take the assault of tough bacon, salty burger and hot wings.

Without the hype and only the food, I must say that Charlie’s did not quite live up to the hype it initially came with. But you should take it as it is, a carwash cafe that offers something better than cheap pork burgers seasoned with a combination of mayonnaise and ketchup. I would still go back to Charlie’s if only to get myself through a half dozen wings. Maybe next time. Cheers!

Charlie’s Grind and Grills
16 East Kapitolyo Drive
Pasig City, Metro Manila
Tel No: 501-0137

I am never disheartened, so this time, I did my best to come up with something different to please my family’s ever changing taste buds. Looking for some pork or beef for stir frying, I wanted to do something like soy sauce based but creamy at the same time. Armed with an inspiration from one of my many Yummy magazines, I set off to cook something I was sure my family was going to love.

Creamy Pork Stew. For the photo above, I used thin slices of pork belly since at the time I cooked this, we ran out of tenderloin.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork tenderloin or pork steak cut into strips
1 small can of button mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce or soy-based seasoning
2 cups of pork stock (melt 1 pork cube in warm water)
1 cup of cream
a dash of pepper
chopped or dried parsley

Procedures:

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions until slightly translucent. Put in pork strips and stir fry until cooked. Lower heat and put in soy sauce and stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced and the meat has absorbed the flavors. Season with pepper. Pour in cream and let simmer for another 5 minutes or until sauce has reduced to desired consistency.

Remove from fire and sprinkle with parsley before serving. Perfect with steaming hot rice.

So here is my entry to Display Your Gadgets.

I naturally became a foodie because of my love affair with food. I love to eat, dine, and cook. It has also brought me to writing about my encounters with food and my experience cooking it. This is accompanied by a shelf full of Yummy magazines, a couple of cookbooks (I only started buying them), a collection of mixing bowls, wooden spoons, several baking pans, and a stock-filled pantry. I took this photo feeling sentimental about how far I have come in terms of my kitchen skills. I learned from the best, those who raised me – my dad (cooking) and my mom (baking).

Polvoron, is made with toasted flour, milk powder, sugar and butter, which is necessary to form everything into a candy. It is then wrapped in Japanese paper or cellophane wrapping paper. Here is a great post on the step by step in making this milky candy. My mom and siblings all loved polvoron. I don’t and I still don’t.

So it was quite a struggle for me to try out House of Polvoron’s (HOP) samples which is mostly why it took a while for me to come up with this post. I had to settle with what I do best considering my aversion to milk.

HOP’s polvoron is totally different from what I expected. I always thought it was supposed to be this powdery candy that literally crumbled once the packaging has been opened. This crumbliness is the reason why polvoron is perfect for that party game where you have to eat several polvoron candies and then try to whistle with all your might. LOL.

HOP’s candy surprisingly, stayed firm and solid. It was interesting how it doesn’t look milky at all. I pinched it a bit to see if it would crumble into powder as I had imagined it. It didn’t.  The polvoron came on moist and actually stuck to my fingers. It did not cause a mess and I can imagine it will not do for that party game I just mentioned as it does melt in your mouth when eat it. Maybe when you eat ten of these all at once, it will do but I doubt powder will spew out of your mouth.

House of polvoron is exclusively distributed by Motz Food Products, a specialty shop started by husband and wife Medardo and Rosalinda Caliwara. These candies can be bought in at leading supermarkets nationwide. To find them, just go into the local delicacies section or the local snacks section of your neighborhood supermarket. Available flavors are: Classic, Pinipig, Pili, Cashew, and Cookies and Cream.

Now, the last time I remember preparing hot chocolate, I used those instant powder types that have directions at the back of the labels. I really have not made one from scratch. And by scratch I simply mean something other than opening a bottle and mixing powder with hot water. Inspired by memories of Max Brenner and by one of my favorite foodies, I set out to the pantry to see if I had the items I needed to make myself some hot chocolate. The result was a thick, rich cup of creamy hot chocolate that soothed and warmed the throat and body. It is really easy to make. This recipe makes 4 servings (4 mugs of hot chocolate).

Ingredients:

600ml milk (I used carnation evaporated milk)
2 ounces milk chocolate
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Procedures:

Combine milk and chocolate in a saucepan and place over low heat. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. If you have a handheld blender, you can use that to further smoothen out the chocolate. I used a whisk which works as well.

So let me just request all my readers to spare a bit of their time and resources and help the survivors of Typhoon Ondoy. To help, you can visit any of the following relief centers that collect donations.

1. Victory Fort is opening its doors to those affected by the typhoon. Call 813-FORT.
2. ABS-CBN through Banco de Oro account number 56300-20111 account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Incorporation
3. Department of Social Welfare and Development donation drop off points: National Resource Operations Center, Chapel Road, Pasay City (Contact: Mrs. Francon Favian) / Quezon City Area Disaster Resource Operations Monitoring and Info Center (DROMIC). Contact Rey Martija or Imee Rose Castillo, Tel Nos. (+632-9517119, +632-9512435) or Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera Tel No. (+632918-9345625) / San Rafael corner Legarda Streets, Quiapo, Manila (Contact: Dir. Thelsa P. Biolna, Dir. Delia Bauan Tel Nos. (+632-7348622, +632-7348642)
4. Miriam Quiambao drop off point: One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood, or message http://www.twitter.com/miriamq for more details.
5. Move for Chiz is asking for volunteers and donations at Bay Park Tent, along Roxas Blvd., beside Max Philippine National Red Cross‘ different ways to Donate.
6. Red Cross Load Donations: Right now the easiest way to make donations from the seat of your chair is via mobile phone load. The Red Cross Rescue and Relief Operations. Text: RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)
7. Sagip Kapamilya hotlines (+632-4132667, +632-4160387) #13 Examiner St. West Triangle, QC. and Scout Mayoran, cor. Morato, near Alex III.
8. Tulong Bayan hotlines for donations and volunteers are (+632908-6579998) Marilyn, (+632939-3633436) Jenn (+632-9137122, +632-9136254 & +632-9133306).
9. TXTPower now accepts donations via SmartMoney 5577514418667103, GCash 09179751092 and Paypal http://is.gd/3GvuN
10. World Vision partners with Phil Coast Guard and kind individuals for relief distribution to 3k families. Call (+632-3747618 local 242) or text (+632917-8623209) to help.
11. Worldvision Foundation is also accepting donations/volunteers to pack relief goods in QC. For $-donations, BPI:USDacct #4254-0050-08
12. Ateneo de Manila University is now accepting donations for the victims of Ondoy. Donations can be dropped at MVP Lobby. For those stranded/those who need help: To all students who need help or know of people who need help. Please text the name, location, and contact number to (+6329088877166). ATENEO, which is now an open shelter, accepts refugees. Call (+632917-8952792)
13. La Salle Greenhills for Greenhills/Mandaluyong/San Juan Area, if you want to help out with the rescue and relief operations, you can drop off your donations (clothes, food, etc..) at LSGH Gate 2 or volunteer from 9am to receive, sort, repack the donations.
14. St. Pedro Poveda College is now accepting relief goods. call the Social Action Center (+632-6318756 loc. 121)

More information is available at: Sour Politics website

Photo courtesy of LA Lomarda

So now, 7 years later, at Chili’s Greenbelt 5, I go back to what is familiar. I order chicken crispers and my husband gets the Bacon Burger and for starters, we get the Grilled Shrimp Caesar.

Bacon Burger Php 280.00

Contrary to what I have heard and read, service was not too slow that day. Maybe it was because we dined there right after the lunchtime rush hour and there weren’t too many people around. I can smell the crispy chicken fingers from a mile a way and it looked as if it came right out of the fryer and into the plate in front of me. I almost burned my tongue as I excitedly took a bite out of it. Best of all is the honey mustard dip that came with it. Up to now, I have not been able to duplicate nor buy anything remotely similar to what they serve at Chili’s. Other places serve store bought dips while other attempt at a honey mustard that comes out less smooth and more biting than what I expect from my dip.

Chicken Crispers Php 250.00

Grilled Shrimp Caesar Php 285.00

After all these years I find that Chili’s has not changed much. Their dishes still satisfy my craving for deep fried dishes. Although I pledge my loyalty to TGI’s and CBTL’s Caesar Salad, I must say I have to add Chili’s to that list. The grilled shrimp popped as you bit into them and they were cooked perfectly so its juices were kept intact. I had to fight over the last forkful of salad with my husband, it was that good.

Sweetie and I were so full, we no longer had room for dessert. We had to settle for a box of Royce’ chocolates to take home.

Burp! These days make me say.. Life is good!

Thanks to Ajay, whose life I do envy, for this interview! Cheers!

Link to the article on Manila Bulletin: Apples-pie and Kubiertos: all about food and living.

So after 72 years of churning out donuts to feed the community, KK is rewarding its loyal customers around the world by giving away 12 dozen donuts (equivalent to a year’s supply) and a trip to the KK hometown in North Carolina, USA to the chosen customer. This winner will be chosen from each of the nine participating countries: UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

All you have to do is write about how Krispy Kreme has made your life special. A very engaging photo of you eating a Krispy Kreme donut or posing in front of a Krispy Kreme store submitted with your entry will surely improve your chances of winning.

If you are interested to join: Register online at www.krispykremefavefan.com and submit your story with accompanying photo.

Imagine getting the chance to compete against the winners from other countries to design your very own Krispy Kreme donut!

So all you fans (like me) out there, come and Join the Krispy Kreme FaveFan Promo and get to win fabulous prizes. Visit the KK fave fan site for more details or Join the Krispy Kreme FaveFan Promo Facebook page.

I am not really sure what triggered the frozen yogurt craze in Manila but 2008 brought out a lot of frozen yogurt stores in and around the metro. Frozen yogurt is not an entirely new concept as many ice cream or cold dessert places offer them as alternatives to their usual fare. However, I believe it was only recently that specialized outlets selling only frozen yogurt sprouted in abundance.

Personally, I never got around to jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak. To me, yogurt represents something healthy and therefore “not delicious”. I can never imagine yogurt as a dessert. I never attempted to put it in my cakes and I have never had the courage to make my favorite Greek sauces out of it.

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine encouraged me to try frozen yogurt by dragging me to Hobbes and Landes at Shangri-la Plaza Mall. I looked at him as if to say “Are you sure you want me to try this?” daring him to say yes. Which he did. Ok fine I will try it. But if I don’t like it, its not my fault.

The guy behind the counter at Yohgurt Froz asked me to choose my toppings. I knew you were supposed to choose fruit as this was apparently the best thing to mix with the frozen yogurt but I wanted chocolate. At least if I didn’t like the yogurt, I will not be able to say the same about chocolate. I chose chocolate balls and chocolate cookies with chocolate syrup.

The cup I was offered looked yummy (I have to confess). The white yogurt embraced by my all brown topping elicits an image of a dessert paradise. Alas, the image and chocolatey-ness does not overcome the expected sourness of this dessert. I made a good choice to smother my yogurt with enough chocolate to mask the sour taste. I’m sorry, my brain is not able to process that I am eating a cold treat that is not either creamy or sweet. If I wanted a cold sour treat, I would opt for a fruit shake.

No offense to all the yogurt lovers out there. I can understand the hype and the craze. If you wanted a healthy alternative without giving up your taste for dessert, frozen yogurt is the way to go.

Yohgurt Froz
Shangri-la Plaza, Level 4, inside Hobbes & Landes
** Special thanks to my hand model (Hehe).

Being a meal filled with all my favorite things, it was natural that I would be drawn to it. That was how it was when I first read about Elbert’s Cheesesteak opening at Rockwell mall. Too bad we had recently transferred office locations so it wasn’t that easy to sneak in lunch at Rockwell. When the chance presented itself, I grabbed it hoping to satisfy my curiosity about the place and because my friends keep telling me its soooo good.

I opted to share an American cheesesteak sandwich with a colleague as I wasn’t too sure how big the whole thing was and doubted I could finish it. That was a mistake. I soon discovered I was at my last bite of my sandwich and I was still craving for more.

The beef slices were oh so tender, almost melt in your mouth. The cheese did not overpower the taste of the beef and the onions! I cannot even describe how lovely the onions were combined with everything else. The one surprise I got was how soft the bread was. I was fully expecting to have my teeth gnaw on the bread and get my jaw locked while trying to consume my sandwich. But it wasn’t like that at all. The bread was definitely crusty and looked like your typical baguette but so much easier to eat making the overall experience totally awesome.

The downside I think to the whole thing is that on my next visit, I will now have to shelve out almost Php 400 bucks just to enjoy Elbert’s cheesesteak. I don’t mind but I am guessing not many will have the budget on it even if it does taste awefully good.

Elbert’s Cheesesteak Php 320.00

Elbert’s Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: 381-2450

So I tried to master my caesar salad dressing inspired by my favorite at Coffee Bean and Tea leaf cafe. Now I no longer have to settle for the bottled variety as it takes a few minutes for me to whip up my own dressing.

When I had the opportunity to try out Cyma’s Roka Salata, I was enamored. I fell in love with the flavor of the Greek dressing that came with it. I did some research to find out what made up what they call Traditional Greek Vinaigrette.

Inspired by the vinaigrette and an excuse to buy me some feta cheese, I whipped up my own green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, twice! One I prepared for dinner at home, the next one I brought to the office to share with my colleagues, who absolutely loved it, RIGHT?

Let me share with you this quick and easy to prepare salad that you can make at home when the scales are playing a mean joke on you or your pants start to cause redness around the waist or like me, you just want to enjoy something healthy and green for a change.

Salad Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Feta Cheese

Ingredients:
Salad Greens (Arugula or Romaine Lettuce)
1 large tomato (sliced into thin wedges)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic minced (grated is better)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
feta cheese

Procedures:
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and brown sugar together in a bowl. Whisk until mixed completely. Add in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Combine lettuce and tomato in a bowl and put in vinaigrette. Lightly toss and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.

Ain’t that yummy?