Arugula Part 2

SINGKAMAS- Jicama, Mexican yam, chop suey yam, yam bean. Singkamas or jicama is a very popular summer savory snack in the Philippines.

This is arugula seedlings after a few days of sowing them in the garden bed. They grow faster than lettuce. I like them in salads with different kinds of lettuce to add zing and interest to the palate. It has that distinct peppery flavor almost like radish or wasabi that makes the salad greens more…

Watercress is in the family of Brassicas like radish and mustard relating to their peppery flavor. It closely resembles the taste of nasturtiums and the name is the same but they are actually distant relatives and they are easy to grow. Watercress is not available in the Philippines when I was growing up so I…

Amaranth – Kulitis ( Amaranthus) is considered a very nutritious leaf vegetable in the Philippines.  The flowers are also edible and when the seeds are formed, the seeds are ground to make a healthy type of flour or eaten like a breakfast cereal.  The seeds of the amaranth is a good source of protein.  The…

Malunggay or Moringa leaves are having good reviews not only as a healthy food but also a solution to reduce world hunger. I just learned that the leaves can be incorporated in the making of noodles or pasta just like spinach for added health benefits. You can mix the dried ground leaves with the rice…

Bataw or Lablab is a relative of the purple-hyacinth bean. It is a very versatile bean because you can use it in almost all type of cooking that requires beans. I particularly like to cook it stirfry with pork and shrimp. It takes a while before the seeds germinate after sowing but when it does…