Monday, April 26, 2010

Spicy glazed carrots


This recipe is served as a side dish...

Ingredients:
- 6 carrots
- 1tsp olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger (white and orange)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tsp brown sugar

Preparation:
Peel carrots and cut into pieces.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add ginger and chile flakes. Cook stirring until the ginger is very fragant (about 1min.) Add carrots and salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until carrots are just turning barely tender (about 4min.)
Add sugar, stir to combine and cook, stirring, until sugar melts and forms a glaze on the carrots (about 2 min.)
Cook, stirring frequently, until carrots are as tender as you like (about 3 to 5 minute range).

BUEN PROVECHO =)

Maria

Stuffed tomato


I found this recipe a few years ago in a Spanish cook book. I must admit I had never seen it back home, but all the ingredients are used in my home country cuisine!

Ingredients:
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- Broccoli
- 3/4 cups sliced abd peeled almonds
- 1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice
- 1 handfull of raisins (soaked in hot water)
- fresh mint
- fresh parsley
- paprika

Prepararion:
Stir fry the onion and garlic. Stir in most of the almonds and broccoli. Add cooked rice, tomato pulp, raisins, mint, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Stuff the tomatoes and peppers with the rice mix.
Bake it for 20-25 min. at 190C. Put the rest of the almonds and chopped parley on top. Add a table spoon of olive oil on top. Bake for anothe 15/20min. or until almonds are gold.

BUEN PROVECHO!!

Maria

Cambodian Vegetable Stew



As resquested, here is one my Oriental soups... sorry for the delay!! It has been a while, so I don't remember exactly which vegetables I included, they can vary as you wish :)

Ingredients:
- Regular ginger
- Orange ginger (I bought it in Thailand and it dies my hands yellow everytime I use it, but I don't know the name of it!)
- tumeric powder
- Paprika
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Lemon grass
- 2 cans of coconut milk
- 2 cups of water
- 2 eggplants (cut into cubes)
- 2 zucchini or squash (cut into cubes)
- 1 lb fresh spinach
- Mushrooms
- salt and pepper

Preparation:
Put the 1st six ingredients along with the coconut milk and water into a blender and puree well. Put the eggplant in a large pot, pour the coconut mix over it, cover and cook for 10 min. Add the zucchini or squash, cover and cook until vegetables are tender.
Add the spinach, mushrooms and season well. Cook just until spinach is brightly green and wilted. You can serve it over brown rice.

BUEN PROVECHO =)

Maria

Monday, April 12, 2010

Tropical Chicken Salad



The Cheffettes5 recently took a trip to the Philippines, where we enjoyed exquisite beaches, amazing sunshine, and even more amazing food. Returning to the dreary weather of Korea was a great challenge! Feeling the need to bring a little tropical paradise to the table, I decided to make something on the tropical side.

I made this up as I went, so no measurements are available, but I am confident anyone can make it work- just go by your preferences.

Tropical Chicken Salad Ingredients:

1 chicken breast per person
dates to taste
pistachios, chopped
dried coconut flakes
about 10 crushed coriander seeds
3 TBLSP coconut cream powder
1 TBLSP "Better than Bouillon" chicken stock

Sauce:
1/2 container plain white yogurt per chicken breast (about 1/8 cup)
coconut cream powder
about 1/8 cup mango juice
1/8 cup orange juice
yellow curry powder to taste
1/2 TBSLP dijon mustard
1/2 TBSLP honey

Boil chicken breast in chicken stock with coriander seeds and 3 TBSLP coconut cream powder. When chicken is fully cooked, remove from mixture and immediately slice chicken into bite sized pieces cutting against the grain. Let cool. Mix the juices and coconut powder of the sauce ingredient list. Add curry to yogurt, and add coconut mix to yogurt. Stir well. Add all other sauce ingredients. Pour over cooled chicken, adding the other ingredients with it. Mix well. Serve over a bed of lettuce or with toasted bread of your choice. Enjoy!

Yours in Sunshine,

Erin

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast with Strawberry Salsa


Two flavors remind me of my days living in the southern region of the good ole' USA: pecans and strawberries. Both were abundantly available in the freshest way possible, and both remind me of "togetherness."

My best friend in Georgia lived on a lovely pecan plantation, and so racing on our pink Huffies to her house after school and stepping into her back yard to grab a snack right off the trees was a normal daily ritual. Her father would cook up some of the most scrumptious dishes with those pecans: pecan rolls for breakfast, pecans in your salad at lunch, and pecan crusted chicken or fresh caught catfish for dinner.

When Kristy came to my house, we painted our lips red and stained our fingers with all of the strawberries growing like weeds in my family's back yard garden. On the weekends, that garden was tended to with exceptional care and precision , my parents working side by side in waltz like unison. I would whip up lunches and fresh squeezed lemonade whilst they pruned the strawberry beds, snapped off green beans, and tidied the perfect ditches that surrounded the garden. The amazing red that came from a vine ripened strawberry presented a hard case for the divinity of nature, and made every dinner plate a festive experience for the eyes to feast on.

Later in life, when I moved to Germany, I was dismayed by the colorless, bland, less than romantic meals often found on German dinner tables. When late spring rolled around, by which point I was homesick beyond belief, I was thrilled to discover that Bonn turned into Strawberry olfactory heaven- the strong waft of strawberries from the many farmer's fields over taking the city. I ate baskets- neigh- bushels- of strawberries every day, and must say that I became a far more joyful person with some Strawberry color on my plate!

Strawberries and pecans... Always a source of happiness! It is with great pleasure that I bring these two healthy ingredients together for you to enjoy. The strawberries are loaded with anti-oxidents, and the pecans are a healthy person's dream food: also loaded with anti-oxidents, they are known to lower cholesterol, help with weight loss, and boost the immune system.

Enjoy a little bit if southern joy on your plate today ladies!
Love, Erin


Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (1-1 1/4 pounds), trimmed
1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces
1/4 cup plain dry wholewheat breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large eggwhite
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided


PREPARATION
Working with one piece of chicken at a time, place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Place pecans, breadcrumbs, spices in a food processor and pulse until the pecans are finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish. Whisk egg white and water in a shallow dish until combined. Dip each chicken breast in the egg-white mixture, then dredge both sides in the pecan mixture.

Place in a lightly oiled baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Strawberry Salsa


15 strawberries, diced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 jalepeno or other spicy pepper finely diced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tblsp honey
Dash of ground red pepper and salt

Mix all ingredients together, If you have cilantro and fresh mint available, they add a lovely finishing taste to this zesty topping.

Spoon strawberry mix over chicken and you are all set for a yummy meal!

Wholewheat Pita and Hummus




Today I was craving the fresh flavors of Mediterranean fair. Hummus is a favorite healthy meal, and I love to eat it with pita bread, but couldn't find pita anywhere! You know what they say when you are an expat and you cannot find what you are craving: "make it yourself!" And boy am I glad I did- I think I like the homemade better than any I have purchased before! AND it was super easy.

Here is the Pita Bread Recipe: (As a side note, I used one cup white flour and 4 cups Organic Wheat Flour and used olive oil instead of vegetable oil)

Whole wheat pita bread is perfect for those looking to add more wheat to their diet. This recipes contains both white and wheat flour and is so simple to make!
Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups wheat flour
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Preparation:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine white flour, wheat flour, and salt in large bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.

Slowly add warm yeast water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until dough becomes elastic.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated with oil. Allow to sit, covered, in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.

Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.

Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.

Storing Pita Bread

Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.

Pita bread dough can also be refrigerated for up to one week in the refrigerator.


Hummus:

Hummus Recipe
INGREDIENTS
4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Paprika and olive oil to garnish

METHOD
1 In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika!

This is a great base recipe for adding anything you wish to your hummus. I like to add pesto or jalepeno peppers to mine.


Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.
Makes about 3 cups.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Lettuce Wraps


Do It Yourself Lettuce Wraps
A salad you can grab on to...
I use a variety of different vegetables and protein each time I make it.
I find it to be filling but it is not easy to eat quickly. Plus it is full of delish vegetables.
Sometimes I need a crunch so I eat it raw. Others time I like it warm so I stirfry the vegetables.

TED
Erin inspired me to check out the TED podcasts. Here is one that I wanted to share with you by Jamie Oliver. He talks about a food revolution. The fact of the matter is that unhealthy bodies kill more people than all the other scary things we worry about.
Good motivation to keep learning more recipes and eating food that is good for us.



http://vodpod.com/watch/3036570-tedtalks-jamie-olivers-ted-prize-wish-teach-every-child-about-food-jamie-oliver-2010

Nat