'Breakfast Daily' archive

Puto (rice cakes)

Where did I buy the rice cakes? In the market, like I said. There is a section outside the market where long tables are laid out and vendors of rice cakes and native delicacies tempt shoppers with the goods. The cakes are laid out in large bilao (shallow baskets) and covered loosely with plastic. Considering the location and the setup, the rice cakes are actually sold as street food.

Are they hygienic? I must admit that they were quite exposed. Many foreigners balk at the setup of street food vendors but, in Asia, they’re part of the streets. Of course, the hygiene issue has raised some controversy.

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Liver pate, butter and toast

Leftovers from last night’s dinner at Vieux Chalet was today’s breakfast. There’s some roast chicken, osso buco and rosti… for me — liver pate, butter and toasted whole wheat bread.

Liver? Isn’t liver fatty? Actually, you can trim all visible fat from liver. And making your own pate gives you more control over the amount of [...]

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Olympic breakfast

Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase “Breakfast of Champions” by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.

He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

A 4,000-calorie breakfast, no less. Well, I’m no athlete and I’m certainly not on a quest for an Olympic gold but if there were Olympic Games for cooking, I’d enter this dish and be hopeful for a gold.

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The hidden egg

Not, not a hidden Mickey. A hidden egg. There’s an egg under the cheese in each of these two slices of bread.

Traditionally, a poached egg is used to make this breakfast dish. The poached egg is placed on a piece of toasted bread and topped with a slice of cheese. A few minutes under the grill to melt the cheese and the result is a tantalizing breakfast that takes the boredom of out plain bread, egg and cheese. Honestly, there’s so much that a cheese can do to transform an ordinary dish. In fact, add cheese to just about anything and the most picky child will likely declare it to be yummy.

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Omelet cupcakes

How to make these omelet cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 375^oF.

Lightly brush 10 cupcake tins with vegetable oil (I used silicone cups so I skipped this part).

Chop a large onion and 2 bell peppers. Saute in a tablespoonful of vegetable oil until they start to turn soft, about 3 minutes.

Beat 6 eggs in a large bowl. Stir in a jar of well-drained sardines in oil…

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Ham, potatoes and eggs

Breakfast can’t get more traditional than this — traditional American, that is. Ham and eggs, served separately, or stirred together along with chopped onions and potato cubes. It’s a breakfast that is rich in protein and carbs that any active person will appreciate.

For Olympic athletes who are looking for that extra boost, however, a traditional breakfast may sound too tame…

Things like deer’s penis may sound out of this world for Westerners but in Asia where cuisines and health cures range from plain to exotic, there’s nothing unusual about such things…

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Buttered toast with grated cheese

… today’s reading of health news and articles leads to something quite controversial. According to an article at eDiets, there are seven foods we must absolutely avoid.

Here goes.

7 Foods to NEVER Eat!

1. Doughnuts
2. Cheeseburger with fries
3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets
4. Oscar Mayer’s Lunchables
5. Sugary Cereal
6. Processed Meats
7. Canned soup

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Noodle soup, not instant

My family went through the instant noodles craze too but the last time we bought instant noodles was when typhoon Milenyo hit the country almost two years ago, and we only bought them because power was down for days, we were waterless and cooking was a headache. For over two years (or is it three?), when we crave for lo mein or noodle soup (with pork, chicken or beef), I cook the real thing with real meat, fresh vegetables and home-made broth. Like I did for breakfast this morning.

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Sandwich dilemma: white bread or whole grain bread?

It sounds simple enough: you buy bread, eggs, some cold meat and vegetables from the supermarket and you use them to make sandwiches. But the dilemma starts right there at the supermarket. White bread or whole wheat bread? Whole wheat bread or multi-grain bread? The problem extends to your choice of eggs and vegetables. Organic or not?

In a generation obsessed with health, we are told that white bread should be avoided because it increases the risk of cancer and contains the kind of carbohydrates that make us fat.

But what is white bread exactly and why has it become anathema to the health conscious?

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Fried fish, egg and rice: the classic Filipino breakfast

I don’t enjoy my bangus (milkfish) unless it comes with the belly. To be more precise, the fat in the belly. I’ve been scouring the web for health information on bangus belly fat and found nothing. There is an article in Medscape Today, however, that mentions a study that says fish fat may help fight against Alzheimer’s Disease.

The traditional version of this classic fish, egg and rice breakfast uses bangus marinated in vinegar, garlic, salt and chili peppers. I find it too strong for breakfast. I prefer the fish lightly salted…

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