LP 18: Oh My Gulay! Vegetable Parade (The Round-Up)

Welcome to the Lasang Pinoy 18: Oh My Gulay! Vegetable Parade! We have a terrific mix of entries that I am certain will whet your appetites and change how you feel about certain vegetables. For instance, ampalaya (bitter melon) has nothing to be bitter about; it was the veggie that was most written about! *clap now* Thanks to everyone who sent their entries in and made this Lasang Pinoy round a great success. Now, on with the vegetable parade!

Dhey of Never on a Sunday tells us how some kangkong leaves that didn’t meet Mom’s quality control ended up as a superb crispy, crunchy snack.

PurpleGirl invites us into her kitchen and shares how she’s made her Mom’s pinakbet recipe her own. She also whipped up some Fil-AM Monggo Soup just for you.

Batjay of Kwentong Tambay gives us good advice: “Mag food trip ng gulay.” With his usual wit and humor, see how the man with the yellow book is eating healthy.

Aloi definitely means yummy as she shares with us her Italianized version of Ensaladang Talong at Kamatis. Can you hear the veggies say “buon giorno”?

Chef KC proves to us that the root vegetable taro can be a yummy dessert! Taro rice cake anyone?

Leah of Mga Muni-Muni shares her friendly recipe for Red Cabbage Salad with Crispy Seasoning.

Meeya the domesticated party girl confesses about one of her childhood loves: sitaw. Also called kamangyang, she takes us down her sitaw-lined memory lane and shares with us the many ways she has enjoyed sitaw.

Rachel invites us to take a peek into her hearty home with lovely stories and dishes about labanos (Rach’s Mom ate this when she was in her Mom’s tummy), okra seeds and patani.

Cookie of Scrooch Chronicles shares with us how her Ginataang Pinakbet’s richness is a fusion of a variety of ingredients and things she’s learned from her mom and grandfather.

Zita gives Ginisang Toge a try and shares with us how her Mom would cook this for her when she was still in Manila.

iMom uses heart to get her veggiephobic kids and husband to eat vegetables — banana heart that is! Her Ginataang Puso ng Saging sa Sotanghon is her way of spreading some veggie love.

One of Hazel of Hazelnut Caramel Mocha’s favorite leafy green veggies is bok choy. She loves cooking Baby Bokchoy with Oyster Sauce for her family and shares the recipe with us.

Marvin of Burnt Lumpia grilled some bitter melon for Memorial Day Weekend. Ampalaya? Grilled? Yes, it is made possible in his Grilled Bitter Melon, Mango and Tomato Salad.

Ann of Apple of My Eyes gives two takes on spinach with her Spinach Omelette and Stuffed Chicken Breast, while also whetting our appetites with her vegetable salad. She also gives a tip on how to keep broccoli fresh.

Christine of Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul shares how sisterly love brought about her own love for squash. And who wouldn’t learn to love it with her recipe for Ginataang Kalabasa’t Hipon?

Iska shares her veggie memories, a tip on dealing with the natural bitterness of ampalaya and her very tempting Ampalaya con Carne.

Aggie tells of how her Dad’s strict rules on eating vegetables turned her from a vegetable hater to a vegetable lover, particularly for ampalaya.

Toni of Wifely Steps, oh wait that’s me, I wrote about my love-hate relationship with vegetables, played a Bahay Kubo game with you and wrote an Adobong Kangkong tribute to Pong Pagong.

Dr. Emer of Parallel Universes gives us the good facts on ampalaya which he aptly calls “the villainized vegetable” and surprises us with his photo-by-photo-step-by-step recipe for Ampalaya Surprise!

Em Dy of Pulse goes “Oh My Tikoy!” What do you get when you put together lumpia wrapper, tikoy and candied kondol? A sweet Chinese New Year delight!

Joey of 80 Breakfasts takes on the Oh My Gulay! challenge and discovers she can make peace with ampalaya after all. Check out how they made up with her recipe for Ampalaya with Egg.

Stef of Noodles and Rice writes about the classic Filipino spring roll: Lumpiang Sariwa. This roll wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be thanks to her friendly recipe. She also gives some tips to those who might need to substitute some ingredients (almonds instead of peanuts, yeah!) and want to go meatless.

Kaoko of Kitchen Cow puts a Pinoy spin to the Japanese appetizer Gyu Asupara Maki. Carrots take center stage with the asparagus this time. Indulge in her Beef, Asparagus and Carrot Rolls.

Ces updates a childhood classic that stars her favorite vegetable: cauliflower. If you know what the Tagalog name of the veggie is, drop her a note too!

Watson hails from Baguio and shares with us that there IS a place in his city called “O My Gulay.” He also shows us how different the veggies are in Baguio -in price, in taste, in the many dishes served in various Baguio food haunts and he tells us the story behind the expression “Go home and plant camote!”

The great Connie of Pinoy Food Talk delights us with her Pork, Okra, Squash and Eggplants in Sour Cream. Out of coconut cream, she experimented with sour cream and voila! A very intriguing dish is born!

Tanya of Transitions carries Pinakbet with her all the way to Seattle, and shares how she doesn’t mind at all if she ends up eating the same veggie dish for three whole days.

JMom of In Our Kitchen entices us with a list of her savory veggie dishes. The star of her post is her Grilled Vegetables which is a traditional ensaladang talong spin-off.

One of Ajay‘s writings on her wall is this delicious recipe for Pata Bihon. And if you’re vegetarian, just do away with the pork leg but still get to enjoy her flavorful noodles!

Marikit mother Tin writes about how she got into the vegetable habit and shares her recipe for Stir Fried Vegetables with Pork and Shrimp.

Mirsbin invites us into her kitchen and shares with us a dish that delights her but makes her sisters groan — Ginisang Sayote.

Anne discovers that vegetables can make her happy and shares a favorite vegetable dish of her Mom’s — Laing.

Christianne of Sleepless in Stockholm shares with us how even her favorite Tito, Vic and Joey could not keep her from saying no to kalabasa. She also shares toddler-friendly recipes that involve playing hide-and-seek with the veggies!

Anneski of Kitchen Conjugations woke up one day loving vegetables, and shares with us her first attempt in preparing the Ilokano vegetable dish Bulanglang.

And there you have it! The Lasang Pinoy 18 Vegetable Parade. If you’re running a bit late with your dish and still want to make the parade, I still have a few vegetables to spare.

I really enjoyed hosting this round of Lasang Pinoy.Thanks to everyone who marched along with us. *clap now* O game, kainan na!

Credits:
Thanks to H for the LP 18 icons, Pong Pagong illustration and kid-onion visuals, Icon Buffet for the veggie icons, and the Lasang Pinoy team for asking me to host!

Hi! I'm Toni Tiu, and I've been blogging at at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.