Steaks:
Two steaks, marinated for the day - haven't decided in what yet. Maybe a ginger-sesame dressing, or teriyaki sauce. To prepare, I'll pan-saute them with a little salt and pepper. I'll also make some sauteed mushrooms to put on top.

Vegetables:
I have brussels sprouts, radishes and carrots ready to go. (I tend to prep veggies on days when I have a little energy burst, and then store them in the fridge until I'm ready to use them). I'll oven roast the vegetables with a little olive oil, garlic and a few pine nuts. I've never roasted radishes before, but I heard that they were delicious cooked, so we're going to try it!

Rice:
I only recently found the joys of a rice cooker. I often use a little bit of bouillon to cook it in, and I use brown rice as I like it much better than white (plus it's cheap in bulk!) You can easily just add everything to the rice cooker, and give the rice a lot of good flavor while it all cooks together. I like to add freeze-dried mushrooms, herbs and diced various vegetables to my rice.

The poor are always the hardest hit and the first to feel the direct impact of problematic conditions. I know this is true of the Philippines. The people are challenged by violent conflict, government land-use policy and turbulent weather.

The direct result is increased hunger and malnutrition for the most vulnerable.

Here's a rundown of some of the challenges Filipino families face in their daily lives:

1) Violent conflict: Terrorist activity and four decades of fighting over economic and land rights issues has prevented the Mindanao region from fulfilling its promise as "the rice bowl of the Philippines." Natural resources are vast in Mindanao, but not much agricultural development has taken place due to the ongoing conflict.

Mindanao still ranks lowest in the Philippines in all areas - education, health and economy. The failure to realize Mindanao's promise as the rice basket for the Philippines has meant more hunger for the poor throughout the country.

2) Land use policy: Similarly, government policy on land use - allowing prime agricultural land to be turned into shopping malls, condominiums and golf courses - has meant that the Philippines, once self-sufficient in rice production, is now the world's biggest importer of rice.

With food prices rising dramatically all over the world and rice prices reaching record highs, this has translated into less food for the poor.

3) Severe weather: The Philippine islands are at the mercy of the weather. They are impacted by as many as 25 typhoons or tropical storms each year. These storms destroy property and crops, interrupt the livelihoods of fishermen and kill or displace thousands of people. The recent Typhoon Fengshen damaged an estimated 246,000 hectares of rice farms, which drove up the price of rice and decreased the ability of the poor to afford it.

Rice is the staple food of the Philippine diet. Poor Filipinos rely on rice to feed their families. Whether it's because of violent conflict, goverment policies or damaging weather, the poor are the first to feel the effects of reduced rice production. 

Please visit these blogs from the CFCA community also participating in Blog Action Day '08:

Bart and Annie's Big Adventure

Nothin' But SocNET

Around the World with CFCA

Walk with the Poor

Chicken Sweet & Sour Stirfry, originally uploaded by lose56lb.

15th Oct 2008 - 1:15pm. For lunch I have just had Sweet & Sour Chicken Stirfry. I only eat about half the rice - to keep the carbs down (although I probably should have had none of the rice!). I feel a little over full - which is one of the things I need to be very aware of; learning to stop eating as soon as I start to feel full! I come from the time when parents told you to eat everything on the plate so now I am a bit of a dustbin.

I grew up in the world of rice. My grandfather owns a rice farm and I am well aware of the process, the labor and the love that goes into cultivating rice. I have never experienced rice shortage. My grandfather makes sure that we are supplied with rice from his harvest. I never knew rice was expensive and I prefer eating bread.

I became a rice researcher. My adviser in UPLB assigned me to do my experiments in IRRI for my thesis. At first it was just a task that I need to accomplish, a requirement for my graduation. But IRRI cast a spell on me. For more than a year that I was doing my thesis, I fell in love with rice research and its importance for humanity. My advisers in IRRI opened up my eyes to the bigger picture of what I was doing.

I did not apply to any other job or company. I know what I want. I want to work for IRRI. I want (and I am) to pursue graduate studies on rice. I love rice. 

So when this rice crisis/rice shortage happened, I was devastated. How is this happening? 

The poorest of the world’s poor are the 1.1 billion people with income of less than a dollar a day. Around 700 million—almost two-thirds—of these people live in rice-growing countries of Asia. Rice, the dominant staple in Asia, accounts for more than 40% of the calorie consumption of most Asians. Poor people spend as much as 30–40% of their income on rice alone.  Ensuring sufficient supplies of rice that is affordable for the poor is thus crucial to poverty reduction. Given this, the current sharp increase in rice price is a major cause for concern. - Source

Long ago, my grandfather told me that the government and private buyers do not want to pay an adequate amount of money to the farmers. Do you know that the farmers spend a fortune on cultivating rice? They devote all their time and effort but nobody wants to recognize. The tendency is for the farmers to stop cultivating and to instead plant another crop which is more in demand or in many cases, sell their land to become subdivisions. 

Do you know that the Philippines used to export rice? Do you know that we can produce rice twice a year compared to other countries? But why are other countries supporting us?

And how about IRRI? People are throwing stones at us, the rice researchers. The International Rice Research Institute is based on the Philippines and yet the country is experiencing rice crisis?! What is IRRI doing? What are the rice researchers doing all this time?

Dr. Robert Zeigler, IRRI chief, explains that the rice shortage is  due to a convergence of events such as rapid population and economic growth in Asia, decrease in farm lands, and decrease in water supply. He calls for another green revolution and increased investments in rice research. - Source

I simply sigh. IRRI has been doing their best not just for the Philippines but for the whole world. The whole world needs to cooperate to achieve the goal. Let us not blame one for the fault of many.

Let us all remember that the one suffering from all these are the poor people, which is a very large part of the world's population. They are the ones who doesn't have enough money to just shrug this issue off. They are the ones dying of starvation. 

So what can we do?

IRRI's goal

How about you?

• Let's try to help by eating just enough rice. You don't need to eat a plate-full every meal. 
• Finish your food and let's not make left-overs. So many people are not eating and you would just throw away your food?
• Try to give to the poor. There are many people in need of our help. Let us reach out to them. 
• Be involved. We share the same world. Let us reach out to one another.

It was basically a random thing to go to this foodcourt, as I don't pass by Ponsonby Food Court that often. If you don't know where it is, it's located on Ponsonby Road, near-ish to Burger Fuel. Actually, I had the opportunity to dine here many times about 2 years ago when I "lived" there. Couple years down the track, it hasn't changed, except the new addition of the Mexican place.

The night we dined, it was packed so it must be good. We tried two dishes, a Japanese and Vietnamese dish. The foodcourt has various other cuisines, check out their website. Some pictures below:

Chicken Donburi.

Ginger Chicken on Rice.

The chicken donburi was actually not bad for $10 (from Dami Sushi). It's an all-time favourite. Unfortunately, I thought the dish could do with less salt/soya sauce. Perhaps, a majority of people like it salty, like most people like their coffee with sugar (baseless conclusion FYI). The ginger chicken on rice was also very nice for $11.50 (from Mekong Vietnamese). Apparently, it's quite a popular dish in the foodcourt. However, I'm not a big fan of crispy skin chicken, and thought the meat was a bit dry. Anyway, for $11.50, it's quite a large dish.

I didn't try the other stuff, the Indian and Chinese stores looked a bit plain. The Italian kinda isolated. The Malaysian store is well-placed, perhaps might try it. The Mexican and Thai seems popular. And last but not least, the guys in the middle doing the drinks - raking all the cash with their overpriced drinks and so-called juices.

Overall, Ponsonby Foodcourt is not bad. I haven't been there for a while. It definitely has variety and it's cheap in an "uptown" suburb. But I think the "authenticity" of the food here has been modified to suit. For this particular night, 7/10. There are better foodcourts out there I think.

I may have just the thing(s) for you...

 Adobo Fried Rice and Mushrooms al Ajillo (Mushrooms in Garlic)!

Whipped these up a couple of days ago on a particularly lazy weekend morning when I just didn't feel like cooking (in the strictest sense of the word) and hubby just didn't feel like going "take-out".  Pretty neat compromise, huh? ;)

Good thing there was some leftover adobo sauce and four chicken adobo pieces in the fridge which I just mixed together with some sauteed garlic and (you guessed it!) leftover rice!  Happy that after this cooking episode, there just wasn't anything "left over" - yey! :cool:

As for the garlic mushrooms, let's just say that hubby was "instrumental" in me preparing this dish.  For the related story and recipe, click on hubby's account here. 

A close-up of my Mushrooms Al Ajillo

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! :D

Chicken Fajita With Spanish Rice

Chicken Fajita

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1/4 cup Caesar dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons southwest marinade (1/2 package)
one 10-ounce package refrigerated cooked chicken strips
8 ounces (1/2 bag) frozen pepper stir-fry
4 flour tortillas
paper towel

Steps
1. Chop cilantro. (Prepare any toppings for fajitas and set aside.)
2. In mixing bowl, combine dressing and marinade seasoning (use 1/2 package). Mix well. Add cilantro, chicken and vegetables.
3. Preheat sauté pan on medium-high for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add chicken mixture to hot pan. (Mixture will sizzle.) Sauté for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. When 2 minutes of cook time remain, place tortillas on paper towel and microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, to make warm and pliable.
6. To serve: add chicken mixture to center of each tortilla. Add desired fajita toppings. Fold bottom edge up, then fold one side toward middle and, using a rolling motion, continue until fully enclosed. Repeat for all fajitas.

Spanish Rice

Ingredients
one 6-ounce box Mexican fiesta rice
1 cup salsa
1 cup water

Steps
1. Place rice (including seasoning packet), water and salsa in 2-quart saucepan; cover and bring to boil on high.
2. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until desired consistency. Stir before serving.

On Saturday, I went with my AFS chapter to do inekari, also known as rice harvesting. We got on a free bus to the place, which was full of little kids and their parents

After arriving, this friendly man explained to us how to cut the rice and put it into bunches so you can tie it up. It was pretty straight forward if you ask me. (A hard working labourer knows his way around a rice field anywhere in the world)

Anyway, after about an hour or so (not intense, just touristy lets have a go at this then style labour) it was finished and we went and had a BBQ - kanpai.

Later that night I went with Mitchell to this local shin dig, it was more classical style than what I expected. I was a little suprised to see it in the local shrine - it seems that it should be kind of taboo for them to set up in there. You'll notice the solid gold behind them, I don't know if it is cheap plastic gold or real. They're playing right in front of the shrine, poor buddah.

To the far left of the photo you can see peoples ashes, obviously dead people, all lined up along that wall. Someone had left a beer next to one of the pots of ashes, I'm thinking it was an offering (like flowers at a grave). Still, the show must go on, and go on it did. They even did the whole encore thing, walk off and then come back on, except everyone was already quiet by the time they came back. Awkard...

It's easy. You log on to their site, choose a subject, answer multiple choice questions in order to get rice donated.The subjects include:

• Famous paintings
• Chemical Symbols (Basic and Full)
• English Grammar
• English Vocabulary
• Identify Countries on a Map
• World Capitals
• French
• German
• Italian
• Spanish
• Multiplication Tables

Ok, yes the last one is a little too basic, but hey, that means you'll get more right and therefore donate more rice. However, most of these subjects are part of the core curriculum in  most high schools. I'm going tot guess that the most popular one is English Vocabulary. Why? The answer is SAT tests.

For every question you get right, the site donates 20 grains of rise to the UN World Food Program directly. I know it sounds like an insignificant amount, but it's better than nothing. In less than ten minutes playing the English Vocabulary game, I donated 2900 grains (*applause*). There's nothing to lose. I learned over twenty words, (Guessing is ok, when you get one question wrong, they tell you the answer and ask it again) and I made it to level 20 out of 60.

So, if you are one of the following (check all that apply)

a) a person longing to help people, but tied down by lack of resources, time, or restraint of society

b) a nerd (it's ok, you can admit it.)

c) a geek (I know it's the same as nerd, but some argue there is a difference)

d) a philanthropist

e) someone who does not know the definition of "philanthropist"

f) someone who loves helping people

g) someone who is addicted to computer games

h) a procrastinator who looks for and uses any excuse not to do schoolwork

i) anyone with at least five minutes of free time during which they can open their heart and click on the right answer

If you qualify for one or more of the items listed above, congratulations! You may log on to FREERICE.COM and help the world one question at a time (*fanfare, cheering, confetti*) However if you did not qualify for anything on the list, please do not feel left out and log on the FREERICE.COM!

Thank you all. And remember, "about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children" (Free Rice: FAQ)

I never knew I could last this long after trying this diet again after 2 years. :) But I'm proud. My only motivation was the fact that I really want to lose weight. And now that I've achieved my target date, it's now time to start Phase 2 of my diet - No Dinner Diet!

Not eating rice was difficult enough. For sure not eating dinner will be even more challenging. Again, I'll try doing it for a month - and see if it affects my health. Because before, when I had this no-rice diet, I used to faint all the time. I was hypoglycemic then. My blood sugar was low because I wasn't breaking down any from my minimum intake of carbohydrates. This time, I've been compensating for my carbs with pastas, noodles, bread and potatoes. Moreover, I'm also not missing out on any meals, and I still have my snacks. A lot of people had been telling me that this diet has no effect whatsoever because I still eat a lot. In fact, I find this diet effective because I can now have lighter meals and be contented unlike before. Rice can really make us feel so full, and I also break it down quickly. So whenever I feel that I'm not as full anymore, I immediately think I have to eat because I'm going hungry.

These days, I'm getting contented with light meals. :) Oh well, except that time of the month when my hormones go crazy and then I get PMS. I never could really actualize my diet at that point.

I really hope that the no dinner diet, commonly known as after-six diet, would work and help me lose more inches and pounds!

I'll also try to have a better sleeping patter so that I will wake up early and have some time for exercises!:)

Thai Flavoured Chicken Risotto

Heat oil  in pan and cook chicken till brown all over and cooked through.
Heat oil in pan and fry 1/2 brown onion and 2 level teaspoons Thai Red curry paste, until fragrant,  add 1 cup aroborio rice, stir to coat in oil mixture    Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 200 ml of coconut milk, bring to a boil.   Reduce heat simmer 15 mins or until cooked.   Stand 10 mins.
Stir in cooked green beans, chicken and chopped coriander.

This is interesting in light of last week's assertion from the CEA that TVs and other A/V hardware weregoing to grow 4.7% this year despite a looming recession. If I had to bet, I'd bet on zero growth for the category.

Zero growth is not as drastic as it sounds. This is a category that's notoriously elastic in a down or up economy, according to Current Expenditure Survey data that I'm citing in my piece later this week. However, specific subcategories and even brands can still grow. Take Vizio, which will be the low-cost substitute to which more people will turn. The Wii will sell out again (though fewer games will sell than hoped, while game rentals will go up a notch). Maybe the enormously popular Wii Fit balance board will slow down, but that's a big maybe (have you tried it? sooooo cool). And I've already written about the Flip camera's likely ability to weather the storm. 

So bad news it not bad news all around. The people who sell rice are thrilled right now. Rice always goes up in a down economy.

I can't cook rice. No matter how hard I try and even if I use a rice cooker, the rice comes out either too hard or too soft. (Lugaw anyone?) Some people say that's the easiest thing to do – to cook rice. Every Filipino is supposed to know how to cook it. So, I guess I just have to try harder. Practice makes perfect. Will volunteer to cook rice at home.

And then there's another supposedly-easy-thing-to-do-in-the-kitchen: fry food.

Recently tried cooking something as “easy” as fried chicken and I failed. The chicken pieces were burnt beyond recognition. (Burnt on the outside. Pale and bloody on the inside.) The recipe promised CRISP fried chicken. Must have done something wrong. I think I put in a little sugar and ketchup in the marinade even if they’re not included in the recipe. Oops. Or maybe the chicken was not defrosted properly?

I just read another fried chicken recipe with cornflakes as coating. Will try that one.

But first, the rice....

Directions:

Cook rice and let sit 10 to 20 minutes.  Add the chili, dried shrimp, peanuts, cucumber, cilantro leaves, basil and mint.

Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, oils, and sugar, and mix into the rice. Toss in the black pepper and shrimp. Serve on a bed of greens.

2 of cloves garlic, chopped
1 can of canned mushroom or 250g of fresh white mushroom (I so miss being in the UK), sliced
2 cups of rice (cook just one cup; should be enough, I think)
2-3 tablespoons of butter
Pepper and chicken stock for taste (or salt or vegetable stock if you're vegetarian)

Method:

Heat pan, but not too hot as butter melts and burn very easily. Put in butter, 2 table spoon first, then immediately garlic if to brown it, just a bit. Put in mushroom and fry till mushroom's cooked. When using fresh mushroom, if the juice comes out (happens when low heat is used), dry the water a bit. When mushroom is cooked, put in the rice and fry a bit. Add more butter if needed. Add salt and chicken stock to taste.

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Servings - 2 people

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice

Ghee 2 tblsp

Hing one pinch

Zeera 1 tblsp

1 Tejpatta (curry leaves)

1 large potato

1 large onion

A handful of peas

3 cloves

Salt 3 tblsp

Red chilli powder 1 tblsp

Haldi 1 tblsp

Rinse and soak the rice in water for half an hour. Cut potato into 1 inch pieces and soak in water. Dice onion. Heat the cooker and add oil, zeera and hing. When zeera starts to sputter, add tejpatta and cloves. Add the onion, potato, peas, salt, red chilli powder and haldi. Add rice with 2 cups of water. Put the gas on low flame after one whistle for 12-15 minutes.

Tips - Cut carrots into thin one inch pieces and add. You can also add cabbage or fried cauliflower. If you want to increase the nutritional value of pulav, you can also add soya beans. To make it rich, nuts can be added.

By Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A worsening economic crisis in Pakistan is pushing millions more people into poverty, and experts fear that it could help Islamic extremists recruit new converts.
.
 
A Pakistani money-changer counts US dollars in Islamabad on October 8, 2008. Already nearly broke when the global financial crisis took hold, Pakistan now faces further woes that could take the nuclear-armed nation's security situation closer to the edge, experts said.(AFP/File/Aamir Qureshi)
.
The crisis began early this year, as democracy was restored after more than eight years of military rule. Now Pakistan's hard currency reserves have shrunk to $3.5 billion , and without an international rescue package, America's key ally in the fight against al Qaida is likely to default on foreign debt repayments in the next two months, economic experts said.

Inflation is running at 25 percent, according to official figures, electricity is in short supply, and Pakistan's currency, the rupee, has been devalued 25 percent against the dollar. Investor confidence has fallen so low that on Monday, police had to surround the Karachi Stock Exchange to protect it from angry investors. The Exchange already had lobbied the government unsuccessfully to be allowed to close for two weeks.

Terrorist acts by Islamist insurgents have accelerated capital flight and discouraged foreign direct investment. Depositors are lined up at banks to withdraw their money or to send it abroad.

"The canvas of terrorism is expanding by the minute," said Faisal Saleh Hayat , a member of parliament and a former interior minister under Pervez Musharraf , the U.S.-backed former president. "It's not only ideological motivation. Put that together with economic deprivation and you have a ready-made force of Taliban , al Qaida , whatever you want to call them. You will see suicide bombers churned out by the hundred."

"In Pakistan , there are a huge proportion of people just above the poverty line. A slight shock in their income can push them below the poverty line," said Sadia Malik , director of the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Center in Islamabad , the capital. "This is the kind of shock that would have pushed a huge number of people into the poverty trap,"

The prices of wheat, rice and milk have more than doubled in the last year. The price of flour used to make roti bread, the food staple, has jumped from 12 rupees ( 15 cents ) a kilo last year to 28 rupees ( 35 cents ). Economists warn that prices would spiral even higher if Pakistan defaulted on its foreign debt.

Before the crisis, an estimated that 56 million Pakistanis, around a third of the population, already were living below the poverty line....

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20081013/
wl_mcclatchy/3071426_1

Along with some raisin cinnamon sesame bread from Avanti.

This recipe was an interesting one -- I was idly googling up ideas combining kale, carrots and rice, and came across this recipe. I was struck by the sound of it, but also by the way the recipe was presented. As it turned out, this was very intentional on Kira Ryder's part (Ryder being the blog author), as you can see from the description provided:

I love to cook. But I only recently started to write about it which I have found to be really hard. As I began to try convey recipes, I realized that I do not pay very close attention when cooking to amounts and measurements. This inattention is okay when speaking to another cook, but when trying to share instructions with a novice, specifics are useful.

This blog is designed as a place for me to practice being clear. It's also a place to share recipes with pals after delicious dinners at my house.

And why not? Recipes with clear measurements and full details are excellent for learning, as she says, and the vast majority of recipes I try fit into that category. But there's something to be said for latitude, and I found this recipe struck a fine balance between overall direction and inspiration -- in essence, it lets you find or decide the amounts or approach to consider. So I'd say both a novice and a practiced cook could enjoy this recipe as presented.

So without a photo to go by -- and without basmati rice prepped as indicated (I had some basic jasmine rice ready that I spiced up a bit with salt and seeds) -- I went right ahead, and here's Ryder's recipe:

---

1. Basmati Rice with Spices
Heat up some fat (today I used ghee). Once hot, add some spices. Today I used mustard seed, cumin seed and coriander seed. Add soaked basmati rice. Stir and toast rice a bit. Add the right amount of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat. About 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, peel and slice up some carrots. Mince up some ginger. Slice up some kale.

3. Heat some fat in a pan. Add the ginger and stir for about 30 seconds, and then add the carrots. Allow carrots to cook in the fat, stirring every so often, until they start to brown a little. Add 1/2 a squeezed Orange, cover and allow carrots to steam and soften.

4. When rice is done, remove from heat and let sit.

5. Add kale to the carrots, stir and cover for only about a minute to wilt the kale.

6. Today I added the rice into the pan with the carrots and kale to stir it all up and soak up the extra orange ginger sauce.

7. I put it in a bowl, added a little salt and ate the whole thing.

If you want to see more pictures of the festival, visit the Festival Set on Flicker.

Bacalaitos

Arroz con Gandules

Pernil

Yucca

Pastelillos

Ensalada de Pulpo