Asian Spinach Salad (Two Ways)

How does one simply say, "Hello again!" after over two months of silence?  With this recipe of course!!  I could eat this spinach salad ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT.  Yes... you heard me right... SPINACH SALAD!  (You know how I feel about spinach, right?!) This was seriously incredible.  I am so excited to share... and yet there is just a little naughty part of me that wants to keep this one to myself to be the dish of all dishes at the next potluck. :)  This one is from my friend, Whitney, who was kind enough to share it with me, so I better follow her example and over come my selfishness.  ENJOY!  You are so darn lucky I am sharing!  You are going to love it.

Asian Pasta Spinach Salad
Asian Dressing:
1/2 c oil
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame seeds
3 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated garlic
*Whisk ingredients together in medium size bowl until well blended.

For the Salad:
1 package bow-tie pasta, cooked and drained
Package of fresh spinach
2-3 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 c sunflower seeds
*Toss lightly with Asian dressing, or reserve for individual servings.

Asian Spinach Chicken Salad
Package of fresh spinach
1 cup bean sprouts
2-3 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 c sunflower seeds
cooked chicken breast seasoned with lemon pepper
Asian dressing (recipe above)
*Toss lightly with Asian dressing, or reserve for individual servings.

Nanaimo Bars

You know I love food, but have I ever mentioned how much I love to devour... books?  Good food, good books... I could die happy.  I usually have to find the audio version or I'll never get through it with the FREQUENT kid-interruptions.  It is a fantastic motivator for doing dishes!  You know I'm in the middle of a good book when I have no dishes in my sink... or sometimes it can have the opposite effect and I'm cooking and baking everything, all over the place; I won't leave the kitchen, because I have to finish the book. (I'm embarrassed to admit Harry Potter did that to me.)
I am part of such a delightful book group.  I love these ladies dearly!  We talk books, we laugh and cry together... then we eat Nanimo Bars. (Well, not every time, we just happened to be lucky enough to have our Canadian friend, Melinda hosting, and she whipped these up; which, after examining the recipe, was no small feat!)  They are quite delicious- I liked the little creamy layer.  They were saying you can find that vanilla custard powder at most grocery stores.
Happy reading... I mean eating. :)

*A little history, thanks to Wikipedia:

The Nanaimo bar is a dessert item of Canadian origin popular across North America. It is a bar cookie which requires no baking and is named after the West Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a wafer crumb-based layer topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavored butter icing which is covered with melted chocolate made from chocolate squares. Many varieties exist, consisting of different types of crumb with different flavors of icing (e.g.,mint, peanut butter) and different types of chocolate. Two popular variations on the traditional Nanaimo bar involve mint- or mocha-flavored icing.

Nanaimo Bars  

INGREDIENTS

Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Middle Layer:

1/4 cup butter, room temp.

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream

2 cups confectioners (icing) sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder (Bird's) or vanilla pudding powder

Top Layer:

5 ounces semisweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Line a 9 x 9 inch pan with a single sheep of parchment paper, leaving enough room that you can grab the paper on two sides so you can lift the bars out when they are finished. This makes it MUCH easier to cut.

Bottom Layer: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).

Middle Layer: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

Top Layer: Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Then, in a heatproof bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water (or a double boiler if you have one), melt the chocolate and butter. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the filling and refrigerate for about 10 minutes or just until the chocolate has set.

When the bars are sufficiently chilled, lift the parchment paper and put on a large cutting board. Remove the paper. To cut the bars, press down on the bars with a sharp knife.

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup dried coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Do not use a sawing motion. From time to time, rinse your knife under hot water and dry quickly with a paper towel. You will get much cleaner edges by pressing instead of sawing.

Asian Pork Soup

 

This was a great way to give the pork chop felt-overs new life.  You don't even need that much.  A tasty, healthy soup with lots of flavor!  I even considered trying to cut out the pork next time and just making it a meatless soup... leaving me with "Asian Soup"?  Hmmm.  Either way- quite lovely!

Asian Pork Soup (Everyday Health)

cooking spray

12 ounce(s) pork, lean boneless, cut into thin bite-size pieces (This is a good meal for pork left-overs.)

2 cup(s) mushrooms, shiitake, sliced

2 clove(s) garlic, minced

3 ounce(s) broth, chicken, less sodium (I used ramen noodles and the broth mix it came with.)

2 tablespoon sherry, dry (I used apple juice.)

2 tablespoon soy sauce, less sodium

2 teaspoon ginger, fresh, or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon pepper, red, crushed (Don't get too liberal with the flakes!)

2 cup(s) cabbage, napa (Chinese), thinly sliced

1 scallion(s) (green onions), thinly sliced

1. Coat an unheated large nonstick saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat saucepan over medium heat. Add pork to hot saucepan  cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly pink in center. Remove from saucepan; set aside. Add mushrooms and garlic to saucepan; cook and stir until tender.

2. Stir in chicken broth, sherry, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling. Stir in pork, Chinese cabbage, and green onion; heat through.

Ratatouille with Eggplant and Zucchini

I have been a food blogging slacker!!!  I am seriously about 50 posts behind and I just can't seem to find the time to catch up.  I'm not so vain as so suppose that the world might stop or anything if I don't get a post in every week... but maybe if it would just slow down a bit that wouldn't be so bad. :)  I am coming off of a busy summer and then busy back to school.  Blast those priorities! :)  Anyhow- here was a SURPRISING DELICIOUS veggie-filled dish that I REALLY liked.  I quite like the pixar movie, and I can see why this was the "winning" dish in the show.  It does somehow conjure up "homey happiness."  It was super easy to make (this was certainly not the "gourmet" version featured in the show but probably just as tasty) and it was just loaded with good-for-you foods. I even added some red cabbage I had on hand.  This is a great one for the harvest coming on!  A very family friendly practical meatless meal. It got my stamp of approval, for what it's worth. :)

Ratatouille with Eggplant and Zucchini (about.com)

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with juice
• Red, yellow, and green bell pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces, about 1 to 1 1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, about 12 large leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Dash dried leaf oregano
• 3 small zucchini, halved lengthwise then sliced
• Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Preparation:

Peel eggplant and cut in 1-inch cubes; put in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Let stand in the sink for about 20 to 30 minutes to drain.

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, pepper, and oregano. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add zucchini and eggplant; cover and continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Taste and add salt, if needed. Serve with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serves 4 to 6.

Carne Asada Torta

Happy Veintidos de Mayo!... I missed "cinco," so here it is a bit late.  I love Mexican food--however I'm shy of heat--oxymoron? Yes, I know.  I recently ate at a local Mexican restaurant and was delighted to find the perfect dish for me.  It was not too hot, not over-priced, not too big, but substantial, lots of flavor and texture, and basically just AWESOME!  So of course, after eating there twice and closely savoring this dish, I set out to recreate... because I'm cheap like that. :)  Here is what I came up with, and besides the melt in your mouth bun they had it in and the avacados, I'd say I came pretty close.
Beef Carne- I found it a while back, reduced at WINCO.  I cooked some of it up to make taco meat, but was disappointed by the fatty texture, so I froze the rest of it and tried to forget it was in my freezer.  THEN,  it came to mind when I set to recreating this dish. I definitely came a little closer to what I think beef carne was intended to become.  Something about that texture and flavor is perfect for this.  It's hard to get an exact recipe because I did a lot of "that and that" experimenting, but I got some ideas from here and hopefully this will give you the general idea in case you want to recreate a bit of heaven on your plate at home, too... because you're cheap like that. :)

Carne Asada Torta (By Lyd)

2 lbs beef carne (basically shredded skirt steak)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 Serrano chilies, de-seeded and minced (to taste) (If you don't love that inevitable pepper burn in your eyes or somewhere, you can use cayenne or Tabasco, but sauteing the pepper with the onions would really enhances the flavor.)

1 tablespoons minced garlic

1 onion chopped

juice of 1 limes (I ended up using about 1/4 cup lime juice)

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1 teaspoons honey or sugar

1/2 teaspoons coriander

1 teaspoons oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoons ground cumin seed

2 teaspoons kosher salt

black pepper to taste

Saute chilies, onion, and garlic in heated oil. Add beef and other ingredients, simmer on medium low heat for at least 15-30 minutes until meat is cooked and has absorbed the flavors. (I simmered on low for longer- I think almost an hour.) 

Assemble meat on bun with condiments and watch while your wildest dreams come true... in your mouth.

toasted bun, buttered with a bit of garlic salt (I used french bread, because it's what I had, but it didn't work real great for wrapping your mouth around. :)

mayo

fresh salsa

beans (pinto, black, or re-fried)

cheese

lettuce or finely chopped cabbage

avacado (which I was dreaming of, but alas was missing... but it was pretty much the only thing.  Mmmmmm...)

Fresh Mexican Corn Soup

After seeing all that corn I froze, I felt like I needed to feature it in a dish, and this is the yummy recipe that I found. This was a fun soup, and a great way to use up some of my frozen corn. I thought it had a good flavor. I actually came across it first by watching her video- that is always my favorite, because they make it look so easy and do-able.

Fresh Mexican Corn Soup (Ingred Hoffmann, Foodnetwork)
4 ears fresh or 3 cups frozen, thawed corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup queso fresco, fresh farmer's cheese, feta cheese, or sour cream, optional
Tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips, optional

If using fresh corn, scrape kernels from cobs using small sharp knife or spoon. Place half of the corn kernels in blender with tomatoes, 2 cups of broth, and oregano. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon, turning once until brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside. Add onion to bacon fat in saucepan and cook, stirring frequently until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
Add tomato-corn puree to saucepan with remaining 2 cups of broth. Bring to a low boil and add remaining whole corn kernels. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and remove any foam as it develops with a large flat metal spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix in half of the parsley and cream, if desired, and heat through.To serve, garnished with crumbled bacon, remaining parsley, crumbled cheese and tortilla chips or strips.

Easy Traditional Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe

We had a really fun Relief Society activity where my friend Michelle, a native of the Caribbean, shared a few recipes with us. She adds her own twist of spices to this dish, but this is the basic recipe she used. We also had some delicious “rice and peas” on the side. It was all so yummy! I can’t handle too much heat, but she made a mild version, and it was perfect. Just a mouth-watering mixture of flavor! So fun to add some culture to the mix! Thanks for sharing Michelle!

Homemade Jamaican Jerk Chicken (Suite101.com)

• 1 whole chicken, sectioned and with each piece containing a few ½ inch deep slashes
• 1 chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 seeded and finely chopped habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper for a very hot flavor or a jalapeno pepper for a milder spice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Cooking Directions for Jerk Chicken

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a food processor and blend into a smooth puree to form the jerk marinade.
2. Place the sectioned chicken in a large bowl and cover each piece completely with the marinade.
3. Cover the chicken and marinate for at least six hours. Leave overnight for best results.
4. When the chicken is fully marinated, remove it and grill it over a hot grill until the chicken is fully cooked.

If one does not have a grill, the chicken can also be baked in a 425° oven until it is fully cooked. (Michelle bakes hers in the oven in a casserole dish.)

For the perfect meal, pair this jerk chicken with a cold, crunchy coleslaw or salad and Jamaican rice. Make sure to have plenty of cold drinks on hand as this recipe is spicy. For a less spicy version, leave the hot pepper out all together. This marinade can also be used with pork if desired.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I’m just a bit behind on my “Cinco de Mayo” post. I am certainly not of “Mexican” origin, but growing up, we used to beg my mom to make us these cookies, so you could just about consider me a "danged native". They are one of my favorites. They are kind of a shortbread cookie… with lots of butter as you can probably see… chalk it up as another reason I'm quite partial. :) My husband said he was surprised at how good they were, because he was just expecting little “dough balls”. My daughter did the powdered sugar dipping, so they weren’t “perfect” but I thought they tasted great, and I was happy to find a quick recipe that worked well and brought back lots of happy memories!

Mexican Wedding Cookies (kraftrecipes.com)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Beat butter, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and pecans, beating on low speed after each addition until well blended.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 1-1/2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 14 to 15 min. or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Roll warm cookies in remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar until evenly coated; place on wire racks. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Make it Easy: Use a blender or food processor to finely chop the pecans. Just be careful not to overprocess them or you'll end up with nut butter!

Daring Cook's Challenge: Cold Soba Salad & Tempura

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com

Might I add that my own dear husband was thrilled about this challenge. He served an LDS mission in Japan for two years, so any time I attempt to make Asian food, he's a happy man. :) I have made tempura before, but I have always used a package mix, so it was fun trying to make the mixture from scratch. The batter consistency was thinner and different then I have had it turn out in the past, however, I thought the vegetables were delicious! I think part of my mistake was trying to add too many veggies to too little mixture, but it was still great. I'll just be sure to make more next time.

*Teryaki Chicken: I also made a yummy teryaki chicken to go with it by slicing 1-2 chicken breasts into strips, heating about a tablespoon of oil in a pan and pouring about 1/4 cup of teryaki sauce over it. Stir and make sure both sides are cooked through and the sauce reduces down and almost caramelizes. Serve with veggies.

Tempura Batter
1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 cup (240 ml) iced water
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) cornflour (also called cornstarch)
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (2½ gm) (0.09 oz) baking powder
oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable
ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)

Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choice ie:

• I chose the use broccoli, zucchini (which is especially good!), and mushrooms. I wanted to do asparagus and carrots, but didn't have time.
• Sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced, blanched
• Carrot, peeled, thinly sliced diagonally
• Pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced blanched
• Green beans, trimmed
• Green bell pepper/capsicum, seeds removed, cut into 2cm (¾ inch)-wide strips
• Assorted fresh mushrooms
• Eggplant cut into strips (traditionally it’s fanned)
• Onions sliced

Directions:

1. Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320°F/160°C; for seafood it should be 340°F/170°C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.

3. Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that won’t leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.
4. Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.
5. Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.

Soba Noodles:

Ingredients
2 quarts (2 Liters) water + 1 cup cold water, separate
12 oz (340 g) dried soba (buckwheat) noodles (or any Asian thin noodle)

Directions:

Cooking the noodles:

1. Heat 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. When the water returns to a full boil, check the noodles for doneness. You want to cook them until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.
2. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool. This not only stops the cooking process, but also removes the starch from the noodles. This is an essential part of soba noodle making. Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.

Enchilada Pie

I came across this recipe a while back, and for some reason I just never got around to making it, so I'm really glad I stumbled across it twice because this makes a great healthy meal that feeds a big crew. (Not to mention, it is quite delicious.) I like that is holds so many veggies, but you don't feel like that is all you are eating. This is a great one!

Enchilada Pie (Women's Day Magazine)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped green or red pepper
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can (14-1⁄2 or 15 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1⁄2 cup enchilada sauce
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3⁄4 cup canned sliced black olives
Four 6- to 8-in. corn or flour tortillas
1 bag (8 oz) shredded light 4-cheese Mexican blend
Toppings: sour cream, and chopped tomato, onion and scallion

1. You’ll need a round 3-qt glass baking dish (casserole).2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pepper; sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Add turkey; cook, breaking up chunks, 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in cumin, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and chiles.3. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes to develop flavors. Off heat, stir in corn and olives.4. Heat oven to 350°F.5. To assemble: Line bottom of baking dish with 2 tortillas. Top with 1⁄2 the meat mixture, then about 1⁄3 the cheese. Top with a tortilla, the remaining meat filling, 1⁄2 the remaining cheese, then remaining tortilla. Cover with foil.6. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 10 minutes or until filing bubbles. Cool 5 to 10 min. before cutting in wedges. Serve with toppings.

Gyoza Japanese Potstickers

I made gyoza a while back with a lot of help from my friend Jill. I thought I would see if it was something I could actually do on my own and I wanted to experiment with a different recipe. I added quite a bit more cabbage and some grated carrot as well. It seemed like a good mix. I like gyoza because you steam them rather then deep fry them. They were quite tasty, but let me tell you... it was a labor of love. These guys take FOREVER to make. I'm am used to throwing a meal together pretty quick, but this was a ton of scooping and sticking together, and simmering, etc. It was a bit tedious, but it was worth it, because Doug came home THRILLED and couldn't stop popping them into his mouth. He thought they were perfect, so I guess all that hard work paid off. :) Sorry Doug, but it is going to be quite a while until I make these little beauties again, but they were delicious while they lasted... which wasn't very long, unfortunately. :)

Gyoza Japanese Potstickers (About.com)

• 1/3 cup chopped cabbage (boiled)
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsps soy sauce
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 20 gyoza wrappers
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• *For dipping sauce
• soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot pepper oil

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients other than oil in a bowl and mix well by hands. Place a teaspoonful of filling in a gyoza wrapper and put water along the edge of the wrapper by fingers. Make a semicircle, gathering the front side of the wrapper and sealing the top. Heat oil in a frying pan. Put gyoza in the pan and fry on high heat until the bottoms become brown. Turn down the heat to low. Add 1/4 cup water in the pan. Cover the pan and steam the gyoza on low heat until the water is gone. Serve gyoza with dipping sauce on the side. For the dipping sauce, mix a 1:2 ratio of soy sauce to rice vinegar and add some hot pepper oil if you would like.

Egg Drop Soup

My cute sis-in-law and my brother stayed with us for a few days and TALK ABOUT A GOOD DEAL-- she totally cooked for me! She made some of the best dishes I've ever sampled! It was completely wonderful. Those are the kind of guests I'll keep around! One night she made incredible fried rice (posting soon) and she even kicked it off with Egg Drop Soup- it was quite tasty! I've never had it done "properly"- I always throw an egg or two in our Top Ramen and call it "Egg Drop Soup", but that will just never do now that I know what the real thing is. :)

Egg Drop Soup (Simple and Delicious)
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 green onion, sliced

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil over medium heat. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat. Drizzle beaten egg into hot broth, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in onion. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (3/4 cup) equals 39 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 714 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Recipe

I know what you need to make for Cinco de Mayo!!! This one is a winner! It packs some great flavor and fresh avocados and tomatoes dress up any dish! Beautiful and delicious! (I did want to note that my rice wasn't cooked all the way through when I followed the directions, and were I to make it again, I would probably make the rice mix ahead and add it prepared.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Recipe (Simple and Delicious)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 tablespoons butter
1-3/4 cups salsa
1 envelope (5.4 ounces) Mexican-style rice and pasta mix
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
1 medium tomato, chopped

In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter. Stir in the salsa, rice mix, olives and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until rice is tender.
Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with sour cream, avocado and tomato. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 617 calories, 32 g fat (16 g saturated fat), 133 mg cholesterol, 1,478 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 33 g protein.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I used my traditional enchilada recipe, but I made a few swaps that I thought turned out well.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
· 1-2 Chicken breasts, diced (I nuke & chop them or do my Crockpot Italian chicken)
· 1 can cream of chicken
· 1 can enchilada sauce (instead of the red sauce, I used the green.)
· 1 can chilies (optional-too spicy for me :)
· 3-4 tbs sour cream
· 1 cup grated cheese
· Flour tortillas (I swapped for corn tortillas)
· ½ can of olives, slices
· 1-2 Green Onions, chopped
Chopped tomatoes

*Cook chicken. Mix cream of chicken, chilies, chicken, sour cream, and ½ can enchilada sauce in a bowl. Layer casserole dish with tortilla, sauce mixture, cheese, etc. End with tortilla, then put more enchilada sauce, and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. (you can also do individuals, just put sauce and cheese inside, roll up and place in dish. Top with remaining sauce and cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes.)

Feijuada for Cinco de Mayo!

I am posting this in honor of nearly Cinco de Mayo. It just so happens that I appropriately have a couple Mexican/Latin dishes on their way, quite by chance--how it that for perfect timing. :) I have my friends Duane and Jessica to thank for this one. I was visiting her once and Duane had put this together for dinner. I knew the moment I walked in and the smell hit me, that I needed this recipe. :) This is a good one- simple and savory! Doug thought it was perfect for us- I love beans and he loves pork and rice... perfection! Thanks Duane- the name alone makes me feel much more cultured (seeing as how I can't say it)! :) He told me, but I can't remember what part of South America it comes from. Anyway- good stuff! Made a great Sunday dinner!

Feijuada (pronounced "fay-jew-ah-dah") From Duane Elgan

1 pound black or red beans
1 small chopped onion
4 garlic cloves
1 pound pork (I sliced up a pork roast)
1 pound hot sausage

Soak beans overnight then rinse
Put everything into a Crockpot
cover in an inch of water
Cook for 3 hrs on low or until beans and pork are tender (I let mine cook about 5-6)
Serve over rice.

Cafe Rio Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend Megan- an amazing cook! She is always experimenting with something fun. One time she brought over fudge made with black beans. (How cool is that? I still need to get the recipe- it tasted great- you would never know!) I'm such a Cafe Rio fan, that anything with that name is a must try. (If you haven't tried the cafe rio pork, it is time!!!) This is a super simple recipe using the beloved crock pot. :) I thought it was great! We made ours into kind of a Mexican Pita, using flat bread and rice, beans, and lettuce. It was delicious! I'll be making this one again!

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing (8 oz.) (I used the packet mix and prepared as directed but used less oil.)
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic (minced)
5 lbs. chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot on high for 4 hours. Shred meat and cook one additional hour.

Chinese Pork Chops

You know how I love a good crockpot recipe. This was a hit! It was so easy to throw together and it tasted fantastic!

Chinese Pork Chops (Taste of Home)
6 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cups hot cooked rice

Place pork chops in a 3-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the onion, ketchup, brown sugar, water, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender. Serve with rice and cooking juices. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 pork chop with 1/2 cup rice and 3 tablespoons juices equals 305 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 55 mg cholesterol, 496 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch.

Tonkatsu

My husband about had a heart attack for joy when he found out I was making this for him. I even made it a complete "Asian" meal by serving some "Miso Soup" at the begining. He spent two year serving an LDS mission in Japan, and he loves Asian food. A couple weeks ago, we ate out at an Asian restaurant. The food was so good (this was one of the things I ordered), but pretty expensive, so I decided I would give it a try at home. I was excited to find that I would I made the whole meal and a bit for left-overs for about $8. That was half the cost of one plate at the restaurant. They weren't perfect, but they could definitely compete! Doug was delighted! I have to admit that they were a bit more labor intensive- maybe that's because I'm not used to frying things, but I thought it was well worth it. I also think now that I know how this works, I could easily make a good country fried steak as well. It is about the same process. I didn't realize how important the "tenderizing" was. Anyway- this one sounds fancy, but it is pretty simple and VERY delicious- especially if you like Asian food. We both really like the "Katsu" sauce- it is like Japanese A1 sauce- I think I like it better. Just a fun unique flavor- but it is esential if you are making this. You might have to shop for a few unusual ingredients for this one, but it will be worth it! :)

Lyd's Tip: I purchased an inexpensive, fairly lean pork roast for about $1.38 per pound. That is pretty cheap meat (from Winco). Then I cut it up at home and was able to make it stretch a little further and do the "portion size" I wanted. I think that is a whole lot cheaper then buying pork chops for over $2 a pound, and not much more work.

I got this recipe from "Sook the Cook" She makes some great Asian dishes! I really enjoy her site! Her is what she had to say about the dish:
Tonkatsu is a very popular lunch among younger folks in Korea. Tonkatsu is originated from Japan, meaning "Pork cutlet". It is super easy to make as long as you have "panko". Panko is a little bit different from the normal bread crumbs. It's got a little more flavor, I think. I use panko for everything. I usually buy a Korean brand panko but you can get Japanese ones at any local grocery stores. They usually come in a little box. Another great thing about this dish is the katsu sauce. We get Kikoman's katsu sauce and it tastes wonderful. Just drizzle it over fried pork cutlet and you will be able to enjoy an authentic Japanese tonkatsu at your home. If you don't like pork much, you can use chicken instead. Just make sure to tenderize the meat before cooking.

Tonkatsu

Ingredients:

4 pieces of pork loins
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko
Canola oil (about an inch thick in the frying pan.)
Cabbage or lettuce to garnish

Directions:

In a large ziplock, place the pork loins one by one, and pound the meat on both sides with a tenderizing hammer. (*Or buy a pre-tenderized pork meat. Any local grocery store should tenderize it for you if you ask.)

In separate bowls, place the flour, eggs, and panko.

Coat the meat lightly in flour, then dip in eggs, then cover in panko.

In a large skillet or a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. (Drop a small amount of panko in the oil and if it bubbles, it is ready.) Place the breaded pork in the pan and fry until the edges of the breaded pork are golden brown, flip it to cook the other side. Remove the pork from the pan when it's cooked through. (It usually takes about 3-5 minutes to cook it.)

Drain oil on a paper towel.

Serve the pork on a bed of chopped cabbage or lettuce to remove extra oil. Serve with rice and tokatsu sauce.

Enjoy!

Beans by a Mexican

I LOVE BEANS! My family wishes I didn't like them as much as I do. :) But some things are worth the sacrifice- at least that's what I think . :) I have always wanted to learn how to make authentic Mexican Beans, and my friend Susana was willing to share her recipe and teach me some tricks. I think it is fairly similar to the Crockpot Beans I posted a while back. This one just seems to add the ingredients after the beans are cooked. The recipe is fairly simple, so it is surprising how much flavor comes as a result. I thought they were excellent- my girls seriously gobbled them up!

Beans by a Mexican (She called it that, just so you don't think I'm being racist. :)
1 lb. dry beans (pinto or black)
1/3 cup chopped onions or more if desired
1/4 cup cooking oil or less
1/2 to 1 pepper (Serrano or Jalapeno) (Now I'm not big on heat, but I was surprised that I could handle this much spice, and I think it is pretty important to the flavor.)
2 tsp salt

Clean beans. Soak in about 6 cups of water for at least 4 hours, overnight works perfectly.

Rinse the beans a couple of times for better digestion. (This is really supposed to make a difference.) Put beans in a slow cooker plus enough water to cover the beans; about 6 cups. Do not add anything else at this point. Can replace slow cooker for pressure cooker which would cut time substantially. Cook on high for about 4 hours. Beans should be soft but not destroyed.

In a medium pan,. heat oil on medium or low setting. Add chopped onion and chopped pepper according to preference. Include seeds if you prefer a spicier flavor. Saute onions and pepper until onion is clear and tender. Add beans and salt and bring to a boil on medium heat until beans have absorbed the flavor. Boil longer for a thicker consistency. Then simmer and enjoy! If you prefer re-fried beans use a blender (or an immersion blender) Make sure you separated the water first and add as needed or your beans will be too runny.

Baked Shredded Beef Taquitoes with Cilantro-Lime Bean Sauce

I have had quite a few extra corn tortillas in the fridge, and I was excited to find a good use for them (that uses a lot! :) This was a pretty good recipe too, (from http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/04/baked-shredded-beef-taquitos_14.html) but I did feel like it was pretty dry by the end, so I came up with my own sauce to pour over top or dip in. (Of coarse you can always use the typical sour cream, guacamole, or salsa.) This was pretty good though, and baking rather than deep frying, makes it a lot healthier! Save yourself some money by making a big batch and freezing some for a quick meal later. (Then you don't have to buy the high fat store version! :)

Shredded Beef:
1 1/2 lbs of round roast (chuck roast is flavorful but isn't as lean)
1 7 oz can of whole green chiles reserve the juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried oregano
4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
1-2 cups of beef broth

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Combine seasonings and rub onto the meat thoroughly. Sear the meat in the olive oil on all sides. Spread the green chiles over the roast. Add beef broth, reserved green chile juice and chopped garlic. Cover pan and place in oven. Cook 4-5 hours until the beef shreds easily. Check on roast every couple of hours to make sure there is plenty of liquid... if it's low add more broth. You can also cook this dish on the stove top or in a crock-pot. Shred the meat and mix into the remaining liquid. Taste and re season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.Baked Taquitos:
Corn Tortillas (I ended up going through almost 2, 16 oz. packages)

Baked Taquitos:
Corn Tortillas
Shredded beef
Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towels for 1-2 minutes in the microwave to soften. Place a bit shredded beef in the center of the tortilla then roll. Place, seam side down, on a baking sheet that's been coated with cooking spray. Finish rolling the rest of the taquitos, then spray each of them with cooking spray and bake for 5-6 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Cilantro-Lime Bean Sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can Mexican Fiesta Tomatoes Diced with Lime Juice and Cilantro (they have a kick)
1 (14.5) can Refried Beans
1 cup plain yogurt
(or ½ cup sour cream and ¼ cup milk)

Stir together over medium heat.