Let's eat a rainbow!

There are many health articles out there encouraging us to eat lots of different colors throughout the day. This is because different colors mean giving our bodies an array of vitamins and minerals. I try to add lots of colors in most of my meals because it's nutrious and it's beautiful to look at.

Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Sides of Roasted Butternut Squash and Vegetables

Ingredients
1-2 lb Flank Steak
1 cup Fresh Parsley (chopped)
5 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Mix parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, red pepper flakes, pepper and salt together.
2. Reserve 1/4 cup to use as dipping sauce
3. Marinate steak in the rest of the marinade for up to 8 hours (minimum 3)
4. Heat a grill pan on high heat
5. Grill each side 3-4 minutes
6. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing
7. Serve with reserved chimichurri sauce

*Roasted Butternut Squash is a very easy side to make not to mention lots of nutrients and fiber. The hardest part is peeling the squash which can be done with a vegetable peeler. Once you cut the squash into 1" cubes, it can be refrigerated and roasted in batches when you need it (up to a week).
- Toss squash cubes in a little olive oil, salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Roast on a baking pan for 30-45 minutes

Healthy Yet Flavorful

Fresh produce is so affordable and beautiful this time of year. I picked up some grape tomatoes and asparagus for a pasta primavera dish. It's basically a very light pasta dish with onions, garlic, vegetables and olive oil. I breaded some pork tenderloin with panko bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

The breaded pork was baked in the oven so it was healthier than frying it in a pan. It came out crispy and juicy. It was perfect with the healthy pasta dish. I used whole wheat pasta for added fiber, nutrients and protein.

Parmesan Breaded Pork w/ Pasta Primavera

Ingredients
4-6 oz Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/8 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 T dried parsley

1 cup Grape Tomatoes (halved)
1 cup Asparagus (cut into 2" pieces)
1 T Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onions (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (minced)
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

1/2 cup - 1 cup Cooked Pasta (use package directions)

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F
2. Pound the pork with a mallet until it's 0.5" thick
3. Season pork with salt and pepper
4. In a shallow baking dish, mix parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper
5. Dip it in the egg beaters
6. Dip the pork in the breading mixture. Pat and pack the breading around the pork
7. Allow pork to rest for 3 minutes to set
8. While pork is resting, spray a baking dish with nonstick spray (PAM). Leave the baking dish in the oven to allow it to get a head start to warm up
9. Place pork on the baking dish and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes

10. Heat a deep skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil
11. Add onions and garlic in the oil to infuse flavor throughout the oil
12. Add tomatoes and asparagus. Saute the vegetables
13. Add the Worcestershire, spices, salt and pepper
14. Cook for 2-3 minutes
15. Add cooked pasta and mix thoroughly
16 Serve Immediately

*Feel free to add more parmesan cheese to the pasta

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients
3 eggs
3 cups skim milk
1 T Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 T Cinnamon
4-5 cups Italian Bread (thick cubes)
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

For dusting: 2 T sugar, 1 T cinnamon

1) Cube Italian bread to fill up a deep casserole dish (approx 8x10)
2) In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and stir in milk, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup
3) Pour custard mixture over italian bread to soak it in. Stir carefully and pack in the bread to make it dense (no floaters!)
4) Add chocolate chips and mix evenly (carefully)
5) Cover and refrigerate until needed (I left overnight)

6) Pre-heat oven @ 350 degrees
7) Mix sugar and cinammon. Dust mixture of the top of the casserole
8) Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes (or until the top is nicely toasted)

Serve with a large spoon or spatula! It can feed at least 4-6 people. My leftovers were still crowd pleasers 3-4 days after making it.

Thai Lemon Red Snapper

Thai Red Snapper


Ingredients
1 lb Red Snapper
1/2 cup Rice Wine
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
2 T Fish Sauce
2 T White Sugar
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/4 cup Scallions
1 tsp Chilli Garlic Paste

1) Heat pan to high heat
2) Sear red snapper approximately 3-4 minutes each side
3) Mix wine, lemon juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, garlic paste and scallions together
4) Turn heat down to medium
5) Pour mixture over fish and cover with lid
6) Alllow to simmer for an additional 4 minutes or until fish is cooked
7) Garnish with lemon slices

*Serve with a simple salad and rice
** Feel free to add serrano peppers or other spices to add additional heat!

Quick and Cheap

I bought 4 lbs of Chicken Legs for $2.40. I only used 3 lbs of it so this dish only used $1.60 of meat! It's plenty to serve 3-4 people (e.g. lots of leftovers)

All in all, I would approximate this dish to be under $5!

Korean Inspired Chicken/Tofu Stirfry!



Ingredients
3 lbs Chicken (de-boned, cubed)
1 pkg Tofu
1/2 Sweet Onion (diced)
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
2 T Red Pepper Paste
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
1/2 pkg Dried Chicken Bouillon (~2 cubes)
1/4 cup Rice Wine
1 tsp Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Season chicken with poultry seasoning
2) Heat a wok on high heat and add oil
3) Saute chicken about 1-2 min on each side
4) Saute onions and garlic with chicken
5) Mix in red papper paste and chicken boillon
6) Finish off with some rice wine, cover with lid and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
7) Serve with rice and Kimchi!

Slow cooking

Today I was in the mood to cook two new things I've NEVER made before. Thankfully, no one died of food poisoning!

I made Pork Carnitas in Tacos and Fresh Shrimp Ceviche

Even though the dishes were time consuming, both could be left alone for the majority of the time so I was free to do other things.

The Pork Carnitas (meaning small pieces of braised pork) could be used in sandwiches, fajitas, tacos, quesadillas... etc. I bought a giant hunk of pork butt for $8.40 (approx 5.2 lbs) so I cut the meat in half. I cooked half of the meat and froze the rest for another day. This was plenty of meat for 2-3 people. The pork was very juicy and flavorful. Don't be turned off by how fatty the cut of meat is because most of the fat gets rendered out in the braising/baking process.

Pork Carnita Recipes

Ingredients

2-3lbs Pork Butt (Shoulder Roast)
3 cups Chicken Stock
Water
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
3 tsp Tomato Paste
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Red Pepper
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
5 cloves Garlic (peeled)
1 Onion (roughly chopped)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)




1) Pour the chicken stock into the pot
2) Add the spices, tomato paste, garlic and onions into the liquid and mix
3) Place meat in the chicken stock
4) Pour water until braising liquid is covers the meat
5) Bring the pot to a boil then turn the heat to low heat
6) Allow the meat to simmer for 3 hours
* occasionally check on the meat and flip if necessary



7) Pull the meat out of the pot and shred with 2 forks
8) Preheat oven to 450F
9) Lay the meat evenly on a baking pan
* feel free to leave the fat with the meat because the oven will render out the fat (creating flavor)
10) Evenly sprinkle salt and pepper over the meat
11) Bake the shredded pork for 15-20 minutes or until pork caramelizes



12) Serve with fresh salsa, avocado, cheese, sour cream (whatever you like with your tacos)

Fresh Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients
1 lb Shrimp (cleaned & deveined)
3/4 cup Lemon Juice (fresh)
3/4 cup Lime Juice (fresh)
1/2 Red Onion (diced)
1 clove Garlic (minced)
1 Serrano Pepper (seeded, minced)
1 Cucumber (peeled, diced)
4 Plum Tomatoes (seeded, diced)
1 Avocado (diced)
1/4 cup Cilantro (finely chopped)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1) Chop each shrimp into 4 even pieces (tiny morsels)

2) Put shrimp on a serving dish allowing them to lay flat

3) Pour lime and lemon juice over shrimp and allow shrimp to sit for 3 hours

4) Mix the rest of the ingredients with the shrimp and citrus

5) Allow ceviche to rest for another hour or more

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Eggplant Tower w/ Spaghetti Bolognese



Beef Roast w/ Seasonal Vegetables

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I hope everyone finds the time this week to cook something at home. Quick and easy doesn't have to mean boring and tasteless.

The eggplant towers were very easy to make.
1)Slice an eggplant into 1/2" slices and salt each side.
2) Allow water to be drawn out of the vegetable for a 10 minutes then pat it dry.
(This will allow the eggplant to brown easier in the skillet.)
3) Heat a skillet to high heat and spray some nonstick cooking spray
4) Sear the eggplant 2 minutes on each side then set aside
5) Preheat oven to 400F
6) Assemble the eggplant lasagna style by layering eggplant, marinara, cheese, basil and repeat!
7)Shave some cheese on top with a microplane
8) Bake the towers for 15-20 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly
9) Garnish with some freshly chopped parsley

Yummy goodness!

Saturday Lunch

I went grocery shopping today and the chicken legs were 24cents/lb, which was a steal. I bought a bunch of packages to freeze separately. Four large chicken legs only cost $2.40.
The following recipe is a great handsoff recipe because you can leave the chicken in the oven and basically forget it for 35 minutes.

I served the dish with a simple garden salad and a parmesan orzo. The tartness from the salad dressing added brightness to the tender chicken.

A little salad + a little chicken + a little orzo = the perfect bite!

Roasted Chicken with Herbs
Ingredients: 1 Chicken Leg, 1 tsp Thyme, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
(1) Preheat Oven to 375F
(2) Mix spices together
(3) Without pulling off the skin, separate the skin from the meat of the chicken with finger
(4) Season the meat with the spices (underneath the skin)
(5) Season the top of the skin
(7) Roast chicken for 35 min until juices run clear and skin is crispy

*You will see rendered fat in the pan so this dish is relatively low-fat. You can also eat the chicken without the skin but keep it on during the roasting process to keep the chicken tender

Sides to accompany the Chicken -->
Creamy Orzo with shaved Parmesan
Fresh Garden Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Other ideas for cheap chicken legs is roasting a large batch of them well seasoned with herbs and salt/pepper. Allow the chicken legs to cool, shred the chicken and save the chicken for later during the week for quick sandwiches, wraps, salads, or spring roll wraps!

These came out so tender and flavorful. I purposefully used the red plate to make the meat standout.

INGREDIENTS

1.5-2lbs Sirloin Steak (1" cubes)

1/2 thinly Onions (thinly sliced)

4 cloves Garlic (minced)

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Rice Wine

1/4 cup Red Pepper Paste

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Water

3 T Rice Wine Vinegar

Bamboo Skewers

Scallions (garnish)

STEPS
(1) Mix the onions, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine, red pepper paste, sugar, water and vinegar together in a bowl

(2) Add the cubed steak and massage the marinade into the meat (mmm...)

(3) Marinate 8-12 hrs. (It is slightly acidic so don't overmarinate or you'll cause the meat to start cooking like a ceviche lol)

(4) Soak skewers for 30 minutes in water

(5) Brush marinade off the beef and skewer 3-4 pieces per bamboo skewer

(6) Allow skewers to sit at room temperature for 20 min (allows for even cooking if the middle of the meat isn't ice cold)

(7) Heat a pan on high heat and grill 1-2 min on each side of the skewer (don't overcrowd the pan or it'll bring down the tempature of the pan. Caramelized skewers = flavorful skewers as opposed to boiled dry meat)

(8) Rest the skewers on a plate covered with foil to allow the juices to redistribute.

(9) Serve and garnish with thinly sliced scallions

TAH-DAH! ~

When a cheese meets a cake..

I was hosting a luncheon the other day so for a dessert I decided to bake a cheesecake from scratch.

Some people were asking me for the recipe I followed and this is what I came up with reading several sites with cheesecake recipes and putting together what I think will be disaster proof!

Some important tips before I write out the recipe.

@ Cream cheese should be at room temperature before you start creaming (to avoid lumps)

@ Wrap the bottom of the pan SECURELY with aluminum foil to avoid the water bath flowing into the cracks

@ Avoid opening/closing the oven door to peak at your creation. This messes up the even temperature. Leave it ALONE it will be FINE

@ Melting chocolate can be disasturous if you burn your chocolate. You can use a double boiler, boil hot water and melt the chocolate above the hot steam in another mixing bowl. Another option is melting the chocolate in a heatsafe container in the microwave. Heat in 10-15 sec intervals and stir the chocolate to get to desired consistency.

@ When slicing the cake, it's easier if you clean the knife with a clean towel after every slice so you don't make a mess and drag residue to another slice (I experienced this lol!)

INGREDIENTS
Crust
2 cups Crushed Graham Cracker
1/2 cup of Butter
1 9"-10" Springform Pan

Filling
4 (8-oz) Packaged Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Whole Milk
4 Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 T Cocoa Powder

STEPS

(1) Melt the butter in a microwave approx 30-40 sec at high (watch closely so not to burn the butter)
(2) With a fork, mix butter and graham cracker crumbs thoroughly
(3) Pour mix into pan and spread evenly (use the bottom of a measuring cup)
(4) Put the pan in the freezer until ready to use (I did it the day before and it was fine)

(5) Preheat oven to 350F
(6) Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil so water cannot seap in the bottom (double or triple layer if necessary)
(7) Allow creamcheese to get to room temperature
(8) Mix creamcheese in a mixing bowl until evenly whippped. Add sugar and mix until smooth.
(9) Use a rubber spatula to fold down the sides and mxi thoroughly for a no-lump cake
(10) Blend in milk and incorporate 1 egg at at time (just mix until smooth, no need to overbeat)
(11) Mix in vanilla, sourcream, and flour until smooth
(12) Set aside 2 cups of filling and pour the rest in the pre-made crust

(13) Melt semi-sweet chocolate using a double boiler or microwave
(14) Pour chocolate slowly into the filling you set aside. Add the cocoa powder and slowly mix until the batter is a chocolately color
(15) Pour the batter onto the cheesecake in small dollops or thin ringlets
(16) Using a skewer or chopstick, carefuly swirl a design on top of the cake. An easy way to get examples is youtubing videos of people doing it.

Note: I only wanted the design but not necessarly strong chocolately taste. If you want the proportions to be 40/60, feel free to set aside more batter and increase the amount of chocolate added.

(17) Set the cheesecake carefully into a larger pan (lasagna, casserole..etc) that allows room for a waterbath
(18) Place the cheesecake in the oven and carefully pour water in the outside pan until it immerses 3/4"-1" of the cheesecake.
(19) Close the oven and allow cheesecake to bake undisturbed for 60 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for 4-5 hours
(20) Chill the cheesecake for at least 3-4 hours before you attempt to remove it from the pan. (I baked the cake the day before and didn't touch it until the morning after). Cut along the sides of the cake with a clean knife before you remove it.

Revival

Hey everyone!

Wow, I haven't updated this thing in a LONG time.
I'm going to continue posting again so thank you for PATIENTLY waiting!

I'm actually hosting a luncheon tomorrow for 9 people (including myself) so I spent the whole week cleaning, organizing, shopping, prepping, planning ...

You will notice some of the things I am preparing are my favorites in previous posts and recipes.
I was going to cook completely new things never served to guests but I realized I should play it safe since it is my FIRST time cooking for these people. I will test my new dishes on smaller crowds :)

The Menu

Starters
Double Tomato Bruschetta
Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Main
Miso Glazed Salmon (Miso Yaki)
Korean Style Beef Skewers
Chicken Panang Curry

Sides
Roasted Butternut Squash with Thyme
White Rice (lol)
Sauteed Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

Dessert
Marbled Cheesecake (made from scratch)
Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons
Fresh Strawberries

I'll post pictures of everything once I am done!

Chinese Take-Out Craving?

I've been craving Chinese food so I decided to make my version of some common dishes!

Some common ingredients that I always have on hand for simple chinese cooking are
ginger, garlic, corn starch, flour, salt, pepper, onions (or green onions), rice wine, soy sauce

... with these ingredients you can spice up any dish as well as lay a foundation for many dishes

Chicken and Egg Stir Fry

Ingredients
2 large boneless chicken breasts, cubed
3 T rice wine
1 T corn starch
1/8 tsp flour
1 T soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
2 scallions

1) Coat chicken breasts in rice wine and soy sauce
2) Mix flour and corn starch then sprinkle evenly over cubed chicken
3) Heat a wok on high heat and add 1-2 T vegetable oil (coat evenly)
4) Stir fry chicken 3-4 minutes until done. Remove from heat and set on plate.
5) Reheat wok and evenly coat with vegetable oil
6) Beat the 4 eggs and cook in wok over high heat.
7) Put chicken back into wok and space evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste
8) Scramble with egg. Garnish with sliced scallions

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple and Red Pepper

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 T corn starch
1 tsp flour

1/2 cup sliced pineapple
1 sweet red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Sauce:
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine
4 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T corn starch

1) Cut chicken into equal pieces and sprinkle with cornstarch, flour mixture
2) Heat a wok on high heat. Coat evenly with vegetable oil
3) Cook off chicken on high heat for 4-5 minutes
4) Add in pineapples, mushrooms and red peppers
5) In a glass measuring cup, mix sauce ingredients evenly
6) Pour sauce over hot contents and allow to simmer until sauce thickens
7) Add salt and pepper to taste accordingly

Korean Perfection

We just had 2 days of flurries last week and it was really cold. Thankfully the ground wasn't cold enough to freeze over but we definitely saw our first round of snow.

I'm looking forward to my Vegas trip in November where it will be warmer! My flip-flops are on hold until then ...

I made Korean food last week to warm up our tummies from the cold weather.

Sirloin Bulgogi

Ingredients
1 lb sliced sirloin
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine
1 T granulated sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions
2 T red pepper paste

1) Beat the sirloin with a meat mallet to break down some of the connective tissue. Slice sirloin into smaller pieces
2) Marinate sirloin for 4-8 hours with the ingredients listed
3) Heat a hot pan on high and coat with vegetable oil
4) Cook off the beef for 1-2 minutes
5) Pour reserved marinade over beef, cover, allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes

Kimchi Jigae

Ingredients
1/2 lb thinly sliced pork
2 T rice wine
1-1.5 cup kimchi
2 tsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 zuccini, 1/4" slices
1 pkg firm tofu
1 box chicken stock
1/8 cup red pepper paste

1) Massage rice wine into thinly sliced pork
2) Heat a large pot (with lid) over high heat
3) Drizzle hot surface with 1-2 tsp vegetable oil
4) Add ginger, garlic and onion to hot oil. Saute until fragrant
5) Add sliced pork and cook for 2-3 minutes
6) Cut kimchi into smaller pieces Add kimchi, zuccini and tofu. Mix evenly with pork
7) Thin out red pepper paste with a little chicken stock. Pour remaining chicken stock and red pepper paste mixture into pot
8) Bring to a boil then lower heat allowing soup to simmer

Tip: Red pepper paste can be bought in most asian super markets. It is basically a paste made from red pepper, flour, corn syrup with a thick consistency. It isn't very spicy but brings some heat to a dish and gives Korean dishes the signature reddish color

Mango-a-go-go

I love mangoes especially when I'm back in Taipei during the summer.


One favorite dessert in Taiwan is my sweetened mango over shaved ice drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. This is an absolute indulgence




Recently, I bought some mangoes from the grocery store and decided to make a mango chutney to serve with my simply grilled ahi tuna.

Ahi Tuna with Mango Chutney

Ingredients
1 lb fresh ahi tuna
salt and pepper to taste

Mango Chutney
2 ripened mangoes, diced
1 serrano pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
2 T lime juice
1 tsp minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced

1) To make mango chutney, diced mangoes into small cubes
2) Heat a small saucepan over medium high heat
3) Add 1 tsp vegetable oil and add ginger & garlic
4) Remove seeds from serrano pepper and finely mince
5) Add pepper, mangoes and orange juice to saucepan
6) Allow to simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat
7) Add lime juice to brighten up the chutney
8) Serve warm or cold

9) Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over ahi tuna
10) Heat grill pan on high heat
11) Grill ahi tuna 2-3 minutes on each side (do not over cook)
12) Slice thinly and serve with mango chutney

Tip: To speed up ripening process of produce, put desired produce like avocado or mangos in brown bag with apples. The apples give off ethylene that encourage ripening in surrounding produce

Halloween Madness!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Diana and I carved some pumpkins a week ago for Halloween! I hope our next carving is more successful! Mine is a "cat" and hers was a spider web. I hope you guys can tell.



Here are some cute ideas to add something extra when people come for dinner!

I bought some little black spider rings ($1 for a huge bag) and some orange napkins. I folded the napkins (fan-style) and slipped a ring over it to hold them together. The rings are very small so I cut the spider ring so that it became a clasp to hold the napkin. Make your incision directly on the opposite side of the spider so the slit is right in the middle.



With the remainder spiders, I cut off the ring all together (leaving the spider) and put them in ice cube trays with water to give my sisters a "spooky" surprise in their drinks.

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients
3 bags butterless popcorn, pop in microwave according to directions
2 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg

1) Preheat oven to 250 oF. Put popped corn in a large mixing bowl or two mixing bowls
2) Melt butter in a medium saucepan
3) Stir in brown sugar, cornsyrup and salt until it boils. Stir the entire time to prevent burning
4) When it's boiling, leave alone to boil for 3 minutes
5) Remove from heat and stir in baking soda, and spices
6) Pour slowly over popped popcorn a little at a time until the caramel is well encoporated into the popcorn
7) Place parchment paper over two baking sheets. Spread popcorn mixture evenly over the two sheets
8) Bake for 1 hr, stirring (gently) with a spatula every 15 minutes

Orange Chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts, cubed 1-2" pieces
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 T black pepper
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 cup flour
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T rice wine

Orange Sauce
3 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp water
1/4 tsp chilli powder
5 tsp rice wine vinegar
5 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1 orange

1) Mix egg, salt and pepper. Mix into chicken pieces evenly.
2) Sift flour and corn starch into a bowl and pour onto chicken pieces until evenly distributed
3) Heat up oil on high in a wok until 300oF. Fry chicken pieces 5-8 pieces at a time for 3 minutes.
4) Leave chicken on paper towels to dry
5) When all pieces are fried, empty out oil safely and heat wok for 15 seconds on high
6) Pour in one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add in garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and onions
7) Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes before adding the orange sauce mixture
8) Allow sauce to boil before readding chicken pieces again
9) Juice the orange and stir in 2 tsp of cornstarch with orange juice (Add orange zest for more orangey flavor). Add orange juice into sauce and allow to thicken

Teriyaki Steak w/ Grilled Pineapple

Ingredients
1 lb sirloin steak
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice wine
2 tsp honey

8 slices of pineapple

1) Marinade steak in teriyaki, soy sauce, rice wine and honey mixture for 3-4 hours. (Don't overmarinade or the steak turns tough)
2) Heat up the grill on medium high heat
3) Grill up the steak until desired done-ness
4) Grill the pineapple on the hot grill and lay the slices ontop of the steak

Asian Tail-Gate Food

Chinese Pork Spare Ribs


Ingredients
1 lb spare ribs
1/4 cup hoisin
2 T honey
2 T light soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground chilli

1) Mix marinate and rub over spare ribs. Refrigerate for 4-6 hrs
2) Preheat oven to 350oF
3) Spray non-stick spay over a foiled baking sheet. Place ribs on the baking sheet. Reserve marinade
4) Roast for 30 minutes and brush on marinade over the meat
5) Roast for an additional 30 minutes or until meat cooks and shrinks up
6) Let ribs sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing into individual portions
7) Serve over steamed spinach or other vegetables

some-more-sas!

My first samosa was in high school at our World Food Fair that had a booth where Indian food was featured made by our Indian parents.

A samosa is basically like a Chinese Spring Roll. It's filled with potatoes and peas and sealed with a light dough. It is fried and served with a light herb dressing.

Samosa

Ingredients
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup frozen sweet peas
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
phyllo dough, defrosted in the fridge
flour and water, for sealing

vegetable oil for deep frying

1) Boil pototoes in water until fork tender (15-20 minutes). Drain and put in a large mixing bowl.
2) Boil peas in water for 5 minutes.
3) Mash potatoes with fork then mix in peas
4) In a small pan, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium high heat. Add ground spices, ginger and garlic. Stir with oil and sprinkle with 2 T of water. Heat until aroma fills the air (3 minutes).
5) Mix spice mixture with potato and peas mixture until well combined
6) Take one rectangle of phyllo dough. Place a tsp of potato mixture in the top corner and fold into a triangle down the long length of dough. Fold until it makes a triangular cup and fill it with 1-2 tsp of potato mixture. (Do not overfill)
7) Seal dough with flour and water. Cut off additional dough
8) Heat vegetable oil in a deep wok until its 375oF. Add the samosas into the oil (2-3 at a time). Phyllo dough is very thin so they will take less than 1 minute on each side. Remove when brown.
9) Leave samosas to drain on paper towels

Tip: Serve with chopped mint, coriander, fish sauce, lemon juice and yogurt.
Tip2: Phyllo dough is very fragile so cover with dampened paper towel on dough not being used while rolling samosas (prevents drying out)

Picture Perfect

Seared Sirloin Beef w/ Reduced Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
4 - 8 oz of your favorite cut of beef

1 cup of heavy cream
1 shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup white wine
2 T all purpose flour
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper (to taste)

1) Heat up a pan on high heat. Drizzle surface of pan with olive oil.
2) Season sides of beef with salt and pepper
3) Sear the beef about 8 minutes per side (for medium rare)
4) Remove the beef and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest at least 5 min before slicing.
5) Using the same pan that the beef was cooked in, pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Be sure to stir in the brown beef bits into the wine to capture the beef flavor
6) Put mushroom and shallots into the mixture and allow to sautee
7) Stir in heavy cream and allow to simmer
8) Sprinkle sauce with flour and allow to thicken (stir constantly to prevent chunks)
9) Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over sirloin steaks

Tip: The juices that come from the steaks when it is resting shouldn't be tossed out! Dump the juices back into the sauce. ALL OF THAT IS FLAVOR!!!!

Tip2: The reason steaks are allowed to rest before slicing is because it allows some of the juices to remain in the steak while it is cooling. If you automatically start slicing, the juices run free and a lot of the moisture is taken out of the meat. Also even when taken off the grill, the steaks are still cooking because the temperature is still high. Take that into account when you are looking to cook your steak perfectly to (medium, rare, well done) because the meat is still cooking after being taken off!

Garlicy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 medium sized pototoes, peeled
4 cloves garlic
2 T butter/olive oil spread
1/4 cup cream or milk
salt and pepper to taste

1) Cube the potatoes into even sized portions (approx 1.5"x1.5")
2) Peel garlic
3) Emerse potatoes and garlic with cold water
4) Boil contents for at least 15 minutes (or potatoes are fork tender)
5) In a large mixing bowl, mash the potatoes and garlic
6) With a spatula, mix in butter and cream
7) Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste

Tip: By boiling the garlic, the pototoes still have the nice garlic aroma without being too overpowering or leaving garlic breath!

indian inspiration

Recently, I invested in an Indian recipe book after perusing the International recipebook aisles of Barnes and Nobles. After looking through several, I picked up Meena Pathak's Complete Indian Cooking. Since I only know a few Indian recipes, I wanted a book with pictures that I can strive to make my own food look like. Pictures are a must!

Here are a couple of dishes I attempted to make with twists of my own. Most of the time recipe books serve as a springboard for inspiration. I try to make my weekly dishes interesting, adventurous for myself and the people eating them. I rarely follow a recipe step by step. I get the "gist" and I go from there. I'm hoping I can try all the recipes in the Indian recipe book so it becomes 2nd nature to me.

For lactose intolerant people, coconut milk is a great cream/yogurt/milk substitute in most of these dishes. It gives the creamy texture you are looking for minus the "eww" factor that comes with dairy products.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Peas


Indian Coconut Chicken


Chicken in Tomato and Onion Sauce


Spicy Indian Meatballs (Beef not Lamb =P)


Samosas with a Cilantro/Mint Yogurt


Chapati (Indian Flatbread)

Fail-Proof Cookies

If I had to name my one weakness besides shopping, it would have to be my ginormous sweet tooth. I cannot turn down dessert. A meal is not complete unless you have something sweet to munch on.

I had an event recently where I decided to bring some cookies. These two recipes are permanently in my brain. I don't even need to consult a recipe during this process. This can mean one of two things: I am a brilliant master baker OR these recipes are ridiculously easy. I'd like to believe it's the first but sadly, it's the latter of the two.

These recipes are crowd pleasers for any situation. The first one is dairy free so it's less fatty than the 2nd recipe. The second one is a heart attack waiting to happen. MODERATION IS KEY

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons (Dairy Free)

Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1) Pre-heat oven to 325oF
2) In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. (It'll look almost like whipped cream.
3) Add in the salt and beat a little more with the mixer.
4) With a plastic spatula, fold in the sugar, vanilla extract and coconut flakes. (Folding is the idea of using big circular strokes that prevents the whipped substance from losing its fluffiness)
5) Fold in chocolate chips
6) Put parchment paper on two large baking sheets. Place 1 tablespoon of mixture on to the baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches between the spoonfuls.
7) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the cookie become golden.
8) Take the cookies out and do not attempt to remove until the cookies have cooled.

Florentine Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/3 stick butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 375oF
2) Melt the butter in a saucepan or put in a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave. (I normally use the defrost setting and slowly melt the butter stirring every minute to prevent burning)
3) Pour butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix in oats, milk, flour, corn syrup, and vanilla extract.
4) Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Measure out teaspoon-fuls of the mixture and place on the parchment paper (approximately 6-8 per large baking sheet). Please leave at least 2-3 inches between placements because the mixture will spread out a lot in the oven.
5) Spread mixture evenly in a circle with a butter knife or spatula
6) Bake for 7 minutes or until edges are brown

Tip: The cookie will be extremely soft when it comes out. Do not attempt to move until the cookie has cooled and hardened. The parchment paper makes it an easy clean up.

Inspiration: Melt some semi-sweet or milk chocolate morsels and spread evenly between 2 florentine lace cookies (sandwich style). When cooled, the cookies look very pretty and gift-worthy.