Food for Thought

By Froilyn Naparan


This semestral break, instead of merely stuffing you face with every edible morsel you can find in your refrigerator, why not try your hand at a little cooking? Not only will you come up with more delicious dishes, but will also beat boredom and get just a little exercise. You can even cook for a picnic on a sunny day or a slumber party on a rainy night with your family and barkada. Here are some easy and affordable recipes that you can try.


Corned beef burger

Ingredients:
Patty
150 grams corned beef
200 grams potatoes, grated and squeezed to remove liquid
1 egg
3 tablespoons onions, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cooking oil
5 pieces hamburger buns
3 large lettuce leaves, cut in half
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
5 cheese slices

Procedure
Combine patty ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Form ¼ cup of the mixture into a patty.
Pan-fry in oil for three minutes per side.
Slice buns in half and spread mayonnaise. Place a piece of lettuce leaf, corned beef patty and a slice of cheese.


Chicken fingers

Ingredients:
Honey-mustard dressing
¼ cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon mustard
2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced into ½ inch strips
salt and pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg white
¼ cup flour

Procedure:
In a small bowl, mix well all ingredients for honey-mustard dressing and refrigerate.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
Dip each strip into beaten egg white and then into the bread crumbs.
Fry or bake in an oven toaster until golden brown. Serve with rice and honey-mustard dressing on the side.


Marble potato salad

Ingredients:
1 kilogram marble potatoes
½ cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons mustard
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh dill

Procedure:
Wash and scrub marble potatoes in running water. Boil until fork-tender and slice in halves.
In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and chopped dill.
Toss in potatoes until well-coated.
Store in a clean, dry container with lid and refrigerate overnight.

Tuna melt

Ingredients:
2 slices of wheat bread
3 tablespoons tuna in water or brine
tomato slices
low-fat cheese

Procedure:
Place tomato slices on two slices of bread.
Top this with tuna and put second layer of tomato slices.
Top this with cheese.
Put them in the oven toaster for five to eight minutes. Serve hot.


Chocolate muffins

Muffins:
60 grams butter
1 egg
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
125 grams soft brown sugar
100 grams milk chocolate, chopped
180 ml milk

Icing:
100 grams butter, softened
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons icing sugar

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 180o C. Lightly grease a muffin pan (5 cm) with vegetable oil or softened butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and chopped chocolate. Mix well. Stir in the milk, melted butter and beaten egg and mix well. Pour in the prepared tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until risen and spongy.
To make the frosting, sift the cocoa powder and icing sugar into the softened butter and whisk until well combined. Spread a little on top of each muffin.


Feel free to experiment. Give these recipes a personal touch by substituting some ingredients to suit your taste and mood. Load up. You'll need the energy for next semester.