Thursday, August 28, 2008

Steak And Peppers in black bean sauce- adapted from Closet Cooking


Another great dish find is this Steak and peppers in black bean sauce. I've made this several times now and adapted the recipe from Closet Cooking. I improvised using black bean garlic sauce found in the Asian section of the grocery store instead of the fermented black beans. Kevin has informed me fermented black beans can be found in the Asian supermarkets. I also used two tablespoons of chili pepper flakes and two tablespoons of chili garlic sauce for an extra punch.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Healthy Cooking Tonight


I'm on a health kick for dinner tonight. I decided to make something very low in calories and fat. I grabbed this recipe from a very old issue of Cooking Light, it's simply called Marinated Grilled Drumsticks.

All you do is throw together in a large size ziploc bag:
8 pieces of drumsticks skin removed
1 cup Orange Juice
2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 tsp Soy Sauce
1 TB Dry Sherry
1 tsp Onion Pwdr
1 1/2 tsp of Balsamic Vin
1 1/2 tsp of Basil or Olive Oil
1 tsp dark sesame oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 hot pepper sauce (I used Asian Chili Garlic Sauce 2 TB)
I also added a few dashes of Tapatio hot sauce not called for in the Cooking Light recipe.

Marinate for at least two hours. Throw on the grill. Keep brushing the chicken with the sauce as it cooks. Chopped up some green onions and toss with chicken when done. I made this with a side of sauteed vegetables in just 1 TB of oil and 1 TB of chicken Broth.

I've been drooling over the use of blueberries in recipes as found at Closet Cooking, but that is one fruit in my house that never lasts. My husband, the baby and myself gobble them up before I can get them into anything. :) Every time I open the frig with the baby in my hands she goes, "num..num..." and points to the blueberries and if I don't reach for them she will.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

BBQ Chicken With Corn On A Cob


I grew up on BBQ Chicken with Corn on a Cobb. There are many similar recipes out there for BBQ Sauce the only difference for me is I like to add pancetta, garlic along with cayenne and paprika spice to slow cook in it, I love Tyler Florence's version of BBQ Sauce . It gives it a nice smoky flavor to the sauce. The corn on the cob I love with melted butter and Parmesan cheese.

Mahi Mahi Coconut Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish



I grabbed this recipe from Cooking light. I thought it tasted good, but I would change it up next time and use some cayenne spice to give it a slight kick. It's a sweet and crunchy tasting recipe and I prefer hot and sweet combinations in my food palate. The pinneaple salsa was good too, I also would add cayenne spice to that. It's good but a little bland in the spice for my taste preference.

I'll get pictures and recipe up shortly.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Almond Crusted Fish



I love fish and I use whatever I can find fresh in the market. There is this restaurant by my house that makes the best macadamia nut crusted Halibut I've ever had in my life with a side of baked mac n cheese. It is an expensive place to eat at and I rarely ever eat there for that reason, but oh so good. :)
I wanted to do a nut crusted fish, the best nut for your health and weight is Almonds. Most nuts are fattening but almonds are pretty good for you. So, I found an Almond Crusted fish recipe, I used Tilapia because that is the fresh fish in my market right now. I don't know the location of this recipe, but I did some research and it is very similar to this one. Just note I dipped it in egg instead of butter.

Coffee House Scones


There is nothing better than a buttermilk scone with some chai. I'm not a breakfast person, unless I'm straining for a cup of mocha or tea at 5am in the morning. Scones or biscotti's are a must with my caffeine intake. I nabbed up this delicious recipe from Stephanie Jaworski.

Ribs...mmmm...


These were really good ribs, I adapted the recipe from the food network star Rori. Season 3?

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookies



I've made chocolate chip cookies so many times that I have learned what texture of the dough I like my cookie at, so I can fix it before popping them in the oven to get the right consistency. I know how to make them thin, puffy, chewy and crunchy. I personally love them plump and chewy. There are so many ways to make a chocolate chip cookie, it's all about your taste preference. I've seen so many recipes with small changes. I'm not even going to bother with posting the recipe because I think it's fair to say every baker knows how to make a chocolate chip cookie. I think I used Ghiradelli's version, which is the same as any other chocolate chip cookie recipe found on your search browser with the exception of using ghiradelli chocolate chips. I'm always trying different versions though, I just like to experiment.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Bhaji- Spinach Indian Dish


This is one dish that doesn't photo very well. No matter what angle. I know it's not appealing looking, but it does taste good.

I love Spinach, it is one of my favorite vegetables to eat, this is a delicious Indian dish when I came across it, It's called Paji, basically just spinach fried with Indian spices. I don't cook Indian food that often because most of the dishes are fried. :) I learned Indian cooking because my husband is Indian. I know my mother in law has showed me to make this dish several times, but I'm not even sure If I make it the way she does. I might be using a recipe I found online. All you do is, dice a small onion, 1 tbsp of garlic and saute it. Once onions get soft you add 2 tablespoons of Coriander powder, 1/4 tsp of chili powder, a pinch of cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric pwdr, 1 tbsp of salt, (you will probably need more if using fresh spinach and not frozen) and 1/4 tsp of garam Masala. Fresh spinach tends to create lots of moisture in the pan which is good because you don't use that much oil but bad because it takes away from the salt. If you use frozen you use more oil and less salt. Once you stir fry the spices and let them darken just for a second or two, (don't burn the spices!) Than toss in 2 to 3 bundles of spinach and one diced boiled potato and let it shrivel up. I like to cut the spinach up with a spatula in the frying pan once it becomes soft. Once done, heat up some Wheat Flour Tortillas, ( they are better for you) and if you can pick yourself up a jar of Mango Chutney or some Thai sweet and chili sauce you just dip it in there with the tortilla and enjoy the combination of hot and sweet spices. This serves 3 people.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Almond sugar Cookie- A good for you cookie


I wanted to do a healthy dessert, so I came across this Almond Sugar Cookie recipe that surprisingly amazed me. I mean, if I had a choice of a chocolate chip cookie and this almond cookie I wouldn't hesitate for the chocolate chip but if you are dieting or want dessert but need it to be a healthy choice I would go with these Almond cookies they are not half bad for the ingredients that the recipe calls for. I read the reviews on this and made it the way the first reviewer made them using both almond and wheat flour also added some baking soda and powder in them.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Cherry Crumble Crisp




The latest food magazines on the stores shelves have cherry desserts all over the cover. I had to try the cherry crisp. Since I picked up a huge box of cherries and between the two of us and a baby and a frig full of colorful fruits I had to do something with the cherries. I can't stand throwing food out, there are people out there that can't even get enough food to eat and that is why. So, from Cooking Light I nabbed up that recipe and made a very tasty dish out of my cherries that were quickly disintegrating. This is a very tasty dish, it worked for me as a great breakfast treat . The topping has a nice granola taste with soft sweet cherries under, very yummy. Found the recipe here, this is the one I used.

Coconut Macaroons



One thing I love to find when baking is the most healthy way I can bake it without it tasting like a leaf from the backyard. I came across a very tasty Coconut Macaroon recipe from an old issue of Gourmet magazine. It's very simple just 2 cups unsweetened coconut, 2 egg whites, vanilla ex.., and 1/2 cup sugar (splenda can be used lessen the amount to half). whisk it all together and pop them in the oven for 20 mins or until golden on top at 350'. These are so tasty!

Coconut Shrimp with a Sweet and Chile Sauce



I was excited when I came across Closet Cooking's take on Coconut Shrimp with an Apricott Chile sauce. I always order this Coconut shrimp dish as an appetizer when I see it on a menu. Thought it would be exciting to give it a try. I got so full on them, I'm use to having them as an appetizer, but I had so many I got full. This got a little messy for me in the kitchen. Before I know it I had sticky fingers gue all over my pans handle and cocunut and bread crumbs dropping's on the floor. I know for the next time I should have everything dipped and ready for the sauce pan instead of doing in batches. These came out so tasty!!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Spicy Indian Fish



I got some nice flavors out of this spicy fried fish recipe I found at Malabar Spices, the only difference was I like crunch to my fish so I sprinkled some Semolina flour on them and rolled the fish in Panko Bread crumbs. Very tasty and spicy, the bread crumbs help take away the spicy hot taste in this dish. If you don't like it so hot I recommend to cut out a spoon on the chili powder because it comes out pretty hot with the directions given. I also squeezed some lemon on it to give it a nice spicy tartness to the bite.

Don't forget dessert!

Sopes For Dinner with a Cold Pale Ale

Last Night for dinner....

Here's a dish I grew up on and I still haven't grabbed the recipe from my mom on it. She makes the best Sopes ever! She learned the recipe from my Dad's mom. She makes it with shredded chicken that cooks slowly in BBQ spices. She adds some flavor to the sopes also using consume. I will post once I learn how to make it. I had a craving for them yesterday but since I don't have my mom's recipe yet, I found one by Guy Fieri and they came out really good. Not as good as my mom's and her recipe takes about 4 hours to complete while Guy's takes maybe 2 hours or less to complete. Have it with a nice cold Pale Ale! Oh, and I added some Queso Fresco to the top of this, which makes all the difference in my opinion, the recipe doesn't call for it but my mom has always used it on hers so out of habit of taste I used it on mine.

Don't forget dessert! I still have some mango kulfi left, my husband is eating it up faster than I can.