We’re back from our mini staycation and this means, back to our frugal or tipid mode. Many people think that having a green diet is expensive, I used to think that too until I convinced myself otherwise. Vegetables are readily available in neighborhood stores, just like Kangkong which can cost just around 8 to 10 pesos. I use kangkong also known as the local water spinach in my green smoothies every morning, interchanging with lettuce, camote tops, pechay, and more.
This post will show you how to use kangkong in two different ways without wasting any part of it, stems and leaves. First, I mentioned last Valentines how I served Mac n Cheese with Kangkong.
How to cook this: Boil macaroni according to instructions on the box. Arrange the kangkong leaves and pour the pasta water over it, straining the macaroni at the same time. Put the macaroni mixed with kangkong leaves in a big bowl. Pour milk, butter, and cheese powder (just follow the instructions on the box). Below is the latest mac n’ cheese with kangkong I made, this time with leftover mozarella cheese that Tita Delia gave us. She had a lot of these but she’s returning to the US and needs to dispose them.
I’m so happy to receive this “cheese donation”. Mozarella is really expensive here but now I have about a pound of it in the fridge. This reminds me of an extreme cheapskate who goes around the neighborhood asking people for ingredients or food that they’re not eating and want to get rid of. I’m not in that level yet but that sounded cool to me. Imagine how many tons of food are wasted everyday!
What to do with the stems? Gising-gising! This is a Bicolano dish made out of Kangkong stems that are cut small, ground pork, coconut milk, and some deadly chili peppers or siling labuyo. Azrael and I only discovered this recipe on YouTube. We always thought this dish was made out of green peppers. So, I saved the stems until I was ready to cook them. Many frugal moms love freezing vegetables so that they’re not wasted. I now freeze everything from bananas, green leafy vegetables, and anything that is leftover. I use them for my daily green smoothie.
How to cook this: Saute garlic, onion then add ground pork. I add some salt at this point to taste. Next, stir in the kangkong stems and pour coconut milk. I use the instant powdered type and follow the instructions at the back. Then, grab a red chili pepper, cut it into bits and mix into the dish. Just wait for the stems and coconut milk to cook. Tada!
We can’t wait to eat this for dinner. I’m going to try one of these days, to grow my own water spinach. My neighbors are growing tomatoes, lettuces, eggplants, etc. I am so jealous but a happy recipient of their harvests. I can’t wait to grow my own produce in time and share them with others too.
What’s your favorite vegetable and how do you make the most out of it? Please share your tips below 🙂
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Mommy Lace is a blogger from the Philippines. She started this blog to share information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childcare, family, and health.
