Cucumber Salad
Topic: Salad
Our all time favorite salad in the house, always present in the fridge, I cannot remember a week in our life here in Kuwait withour eating cucumber salad, of course with many variations. Sometimes I made it into, Tuna Cucumber Salad, Cucumber with Coconut Cream, Cucumber with Thousand Island Dressing, Cucumber with vegetables, Cucumber with Olives, etc.

Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, sliced into small cubes
1 tomato, sliced into small cube
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Few slices of lettuce, small and large slices

Directions:
1. Combine cucumber and tomatoes.
2. Combine olive oil, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, lime juice and salt. Mix well with the cucumber and tomato mixture.
3. Refrigerate for an hour.
4. Mix in the small slices of lettuce leaves and serve on top of large slices.

Shrimp Stew with Water Spinach
Topic: Shrimps
This is one of my favorite recipe when I want the soup to be very natural and shrimpy taste. Sometimes I used cabbage instead of water spinach.

Ingredients:
500 g medium shrimps
1 small bunch, water spinach (kangkong)
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced thinly
1 ripe tomato, quartered
1 stalk green onions, cut into 1 inch length
1 tsp. whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 long green pepper, sliced
2 cups water
1 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a pan, saute garlic until brown, add onions, tomatoes and ginger and stir until smooth. Add shrimps, bay leaf and peppercorns. Cook until the shrimps' color turn pink.
2. Add water, long green pepper, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add fish sauce. Cook until the shrimps are done.
3. Add the water spinach and green onions, cook for 1 minute. remove from heat and serve immediately.

Crispy Egg Sandwich
Topic: Breakfast Recipes
Aside from fried rice, this is one of my father's favorite breakfast and sometimes snacks. My husband likes it also, actually he was the one who prepared the eggs mixture for these sandwiches yesterday.



Ingredients:
Sliced Bread
2 eggs, beaten
1 tomato, chopped
1 small bell pepper,chopped
2 pinch salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 tomato, sliced into thin rings
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp. butter, melted
cream cheese
Cucumber, sliced thinly (optional)
Sweet pickled cucumber for garnish

Directions:
1. Combine beaten eggs, chopped tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper and bell pepper. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Heat butter in a non-stick frying pan. Cook the egg in omelet style. Pour half of the egg mixture on it and swirl the pan around to make sure that the eggs spreads evenly around it. Cook over low heat. Turn over and cook the other side. Remove from pan and set aside. Cook the other half following the same procedure.
3. Brown both sides of the sliced bread into a toaster. Spread cream cheese on 1 side of each bread.
4. Put some of the egg omelet to the creamed side of 1 bread, add sliced tomato and cucumber on it,cover with another sliced bread, creamed side facing down.
5. Slice the egg sandwich into 2 diagonally. Remove the crust if you like. Garnish wit pickled cucumber, secure with toothpicks. Serve immediately while crispy.

Tips: You can add tomato ketchup and mayonaise to the filligs if you like.

French Crepes
Topic: Breakfast Recipes
Crepes are popular throughout Europe, and in some other parts of the world. The common ingredients include flour, eggs, milk, butter and a pinch of salt.Crepes may be rolled or folded, and filled with different ingredients. Common fillings include cheese, asparagus, spinach, eggs, meat, chicken, jam, melted chocolate, dairy, ice cream, bananas, berries, nuts, etc. This is good not only for breakfast but also for anytime snacks. The picture below had not been filled yet, I let everybody filled their own crepes.



Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pinch of salt
Butter cooking spray
Fruit Jam

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients except the butter spray to make a thin batter. Blend until smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Spray a little butter on a non-stick frying pan. Heat the pan.
3. Pour about 2 tbsp. batter in hot pan and swirl pan around to make sure that the batter spreads evenly around it.
4. Cook until lightly brown, turn over and brown the other side.
5. Remove from pan, fill with your favorite fruit jam and roll up the crepes. Serve warm.

Mongo with Coco Milk
Topic: Vegetables
This is very classic Filipino dish and very common in the provinces where fresh vegetables are abundant. Usually cook with seafoods, chicken or meat. My mother always cooked it with smoked Tuna or Salmon and it was one of our favorite recipe until now.

Ingredients:
1 cup mongo (mung beans),washed and soaked in water for 1 hour or more
1 eggplant (big variety) sliced
100 g squash sliced
1 small bunch of camote tops or water spinach
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 onion,sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. ginger, shredded
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. fish sauce
200 g chicken, sliced
1 long green pepper, sliced
2 tbsp. cooking oil
chicken broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Drain mongo and discard the water. Transfer it to a cooking pan and cover with enough water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
2. While simmering the mongo, heat oil in another pan and stir fry the chicken until golden brown. Add garlic, onions, ginger and tomatoes. Stir for about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup broth or water and simmer until the chicken is done.
3. When the chicken is done, pour the cooked mongo on it with its liquid. Bring to a boil.
4. Add eggplant, squash and pepper on the mixture, add more water if desired and cook until the vegetables are done.
5. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, salt and pepper, let boil, then add the camote tops. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve hot.