Mustard Greens Salad

Mustard Greens salad is one of my favorite salads served with any Filipino viand. It goes well with everything that it can enhance the food and the mix of flavors even more, making one's food experience extraordinary, fun and unforgettable.

I learned to make mustard greens salad thru my dad, who grew mustard leaves in a small vacant lot beside our old house when I was a kid.

Eating organic has been in our diet since I was a little girl. We practically ate whatever vegetable was grown from our yard. It's one of the things I enjoyed in my life. I experienced and witnessed my dad plant, harvest and cook those simple greens which in a way, kept us all healthy.

Here in the Philippines, the local name for it is Mustaza. It is often added to any Sinigang dish. We also love to pair Mustaza with Burong Hipon (fermented rice with shrimp).

One famous way of serving Mustaza is as a salad. Mustard Green Salad is easy to prepare. By the way, a bunch may cost 8-15php in a regular grocery store. But if you'll buy from the market (palengke) it's cheaper and fresher.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Mustard leaves ( Mustaza)
• 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp cane vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
• drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Procedure: 

• Remove the roots and wash the leaves well.
• Chop the leaves with the stems into thin strips, set aside in a  bowl.
• With a little water massage and squeeze the juice from the leaves to lessen its bitter- spicy flavor.
• Set the squeezed batch in a serving bowl.
• Toss the rest of the ingredients (including the lemon juice and olive oil or anything you want to add)  and mix everything evenly.

Personally, I don't squeeze the leaves anymore. I like it a bit bitter, because it goes well with the tomatoes, onions and lemon juice. Then, I prepare an amount that will last us for a week then store it in the fridge. My goal is for every meal, there should be a little to go with whatever viand I cook. Makes me feel secure that my family is getting a dose of fiber everyday.

Chicken Katsu with Wasabi Mayo and Mustard Greens

Health Benefits:

Lowers the risk of Cancer. It acts as a strong antioxidant, detoxification, anti- inflammatory agent. Studies have linked mustard greens to the prevention of bladder, colon, breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers. -source-

Food Trip Friday: Shirazi Salad

It's been a long time since I last joined FTF.  It feels great to be back. Though there's no assurance if I can join on a regular basis like before, I'm just excited and very happy that among the food blogs I came across with in my years as a blogger, Food Trip Friday has remained active. Kudos!

I became familiar with this dish not too long ago. I was surprised with the extraordinary taste this simple salad have. It all started with lunch at Kebab Korner. I just randomly picked something off the menu to match my Special Kebab mix. Though there was an image of this in the menu, still the name Shirazi got me curious.

Shirazi salad is a Persian dish composed of diced cucumber, tomatoes and onions mixed in lemon juice and olive oil.

This week, I made a bowl for our eating pleasures. Of course, I made an improved version of what I had at Kebab Korner. My recipe followed the basic, only, I added a little cilantro and served it with mayonnaise.

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium cucumber (diced)
• 3 medium red tomatoes (seeds removed and diced)
• 1 red or white onion (diced)
• 1/4 tsp chopped or dried cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Just mix everything together then refrigerate.
• Serve with mayonnaise or just plain Shirazi.

It's a refreshing take on salads. Most of the time we go for lettuce, mixed greens and fruits combined. Shirazi is made of 3 main ingredients that can be found anywhere. Simple vegetables but if mixed together, it comes out with "that distinct" taste I can't explain. It's delicious. It matched not only my kebab perfectly but also the Lumpiang Shanghai I cooked. It can be paired with any grilled, steamed, fried dish.

Rocket Salad

Arugala has been part of my salad bowl since late 2009. I was looking on salad greens in the grocery store, and at the same time my palette was also looking for something new. I got attracted to the name itself. That's when I discovered it. It became my favorite since then.

I always serve it with some homemade honey- mustard.

Arugula is mainly used as a salad green. It has an spicy and peppery flavor.  It is an annual herb, grown for its mustard-like leaves. Use it to add a little kick to salads and other dishes. Also known as 'the rocket' (Italian Cress). A leafy green herb of the mustard family. 

-photo source-

Arugula is very low in calories and is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, and magnesium. Can be eaten raw or cooked. It is excellent when added to pasta dishes or accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats.- source-