Food and Money

Butternut squash soup

2009-11-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

I got a butternut squash from my organic produce box. I had no idea what to do with it until I found this soup recipe. It's so easy and it's great for a lazy lunch.

1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed
1 leek or large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
dry white wine or vermouth
2 tbls. flour
3 cups soy milk
frozen corn (optional)

Put everything except soymilk in the soup. When veggie has soften, add milk and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Simple simple simple.

Chinese Spareribs

2009-08-02T20:53:00.001-07:00

I was in the mood for some ribs and decided to make it the Chinese way. It's very easy to make and it tastes very yummy!

Ingredients
2 lbs Spareribs
1 cup of sherry or dry wine
1/4 cup honey
2 TB chinese rib sauce or fermented soy paste (miso)
2 TB Hoisin sauce
2 tsp chinese five spice

1. Mix everything except the spareribs in a bowl
2. Heat a heavy bottom pot with a little oil, brown the spareribs
3. Pour all the sauce into the pot, bring to a boil.
4. Mix the rib well with the sauce. Simmer for an hour
5. Flip the rib a few times when it's cooking to make sure it is evenly flavored.

That's it!!!

Tomato soup

2009-08-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ever since summer started, my organic produce box is always packed with fresh tomato. Unfortunately tomato doesn't last very long and I could never seem to finish using them before they start to wrinkle. Today I decided to make a quick search and found a wonderful Tomato Soup recipe. It's very simple but very tasty and satisfying.

Ingredients
1/4 Cup butter
1/2 Onion, sliced
3 gloves of garlic
1 bay leave
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 TB tomato paste
3 big plum and ripe tomato, quartered
2 cups heavy cream or half & half or plain whole milk
salt and pepper
2 slices of bread
Olive oil
1/4 tsp of dried parsley

1. Heat a small pot over medium low heat.
2. Melt butter in pot, then add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf for about 5 min.
3. Add tomato paste and tomato, simmer for 30 min
4. In the meantime, cut up the bread to make croutons. Add a bit of olive oil to the cut up bread and bake at 350 degree oven for 5-10 min, until they are hard and browned.
5. Use a blender to blend everything. If you don't like to eat tomato seed in the soup, strain it. I'm too lazy to strain and the seeds don't bother me.
6. Add milk/cream and mix. Season with S&P. Remove pot from heat.

To serve:
Scoop out the soup to a soup bowl. Add a few croutons in the soup, and garnish with a sprinkle of dried parsley.

Shrimp stuffed zucchini

2009-07-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

So I had some really nice zucchini and I was tired of chopping it up to make stirfry or pasta dishes. I did a little digging online and found a very easy but good recipe.

Shrimp Stuffed Zucchini

2 pounds small to medium young zucchini
1 pound shrimp, in their shells
1/2 cup toasted, unflavored bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper in a grinder
1 large egg

-Soak the zucchini in cold water for 20 minutes.
-Drop the zucchini into boiling salted water. Remove when it boils and let cool.
-Half the zucchini length wise, scoop out the seed. Save it on the side.
-Turn on the oven to 450 degrees
-Devein and Deshell the shrimp.
-Chop Shrimp
-Mix shrimp with 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, the garlic, parsley, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, pepper and the seed that was scooped out.
-Seperate the egg, set aside the white, and add the yolk to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
-Grease the bottom of a shallow pan and place the zucchini on it cut side up.
-Sprinkle them lightly with salt. Beat the egg white lightly and brush the insides of the zucchini with it.
-Stuff the zucchini with the shrimp mixture.
-Sprinkle the top of each boat with the remaining bread crumbs and pour the remaining olive oil over in a thin stream.
-Place the boats in the uppermost level of the over for 10 minutes, until the top forms a light, pale golden crust.

Toddler bullying

2009-07-05T00:13:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with food or money saving tips. It has to do with parenting. My son and I attended a forth of July party with a bunch of good friends who also have kids around my son's age. We haven't hung out much since the kids turned 2, and honestly I didn't have much expectation when it comes to the kids playing.

Coming unprepared turns out to be a bad thing. My son used to be a little bully and I was spending more time telling him to not hurt others or take other people's toys. Finally my little bully is now a little angel. He doesn't bully or take other's people's toys or have tandrums if he doesn't get his toys.

Well that is apparently also a problem when other people condone bullying behavior or are still dealing with their kids' territorial issues.

We brought a ball today for the kids to play with together. My son was more than happy to throw balls with other kids, because what's the fun just to play by himself! I'm very proud that he likes to play with other. I was not as thrilled when one of the girls grabbed the ball, and refused to throw to my son. I made a point with the girl that if she doesn't play with my son, I'll take the ball away because the ball is for everyone to play with. Not to mention, my son kept saying "throw to me. I'll catch". After making a few comments, the girl finally threw the ball to my son, a couple times. And eventually she went off and held the ball. My son was a bit disappointed but he was ok with sharing. I didn't do much because my son wasn't too hurt by it. But thinking back, I realized that I should've follow through with my original comment.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just let the kids duke it out, but if there isn't an equal amount of parenting from both sides, I have to step in. Because my son needs to know how to defend himself too! Next time, if someone refuses to play together, I'll tell my son to stand up and say that the toy is for playing together. And the child that refuses to play together, don't get to play with it.

And there was also another situation where one child was playing with a toy for a long time, and my son really wants to play with it. When that child finally moved on to something else, I told my son that he can play with it. But then the other child came back and took the toy away. At the time, I said that "oh he's not done yet, so we'll wait for our turn". Again, thinking back, maybe I was being too nice to the other child. If the child isn't playing with the toy, he/she loses the turn. That's how I teach my son, and that's the rule that should apply on both sides. What I should have done is to teach my son to say that it's his turn now and he shouldn't have to give it back up. And since my son wasn't sure how to take it back, I should've stepped in and kept the other child from reclaiming it.

Bottom line is that with children, they should learn how to play fair. Even though I cannot teach other children what to do, I should teach my child how to be fair and defend himself when others are not fair, and be prepared to step in if my child's efforts aren't efficient. Being too nice to friends' children isn't necessary a good thing. There is a time for sharing and there is a time when it is okay not to share. A child may misconstrue my effort to be nice as teaching him that he should always give up, and that is certainly not a good thing.

So lessons learnt, I'll have to remind myself to read this blog before my son playdates!

Tomato sauce with hidden veggie

2009-06-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

So I was trying to figure out all the wonderful produce from my produce box. Then I found this little recipe and used almost everything from my produce box. This is so heavenly and healthy!

Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 TB veg oil
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup scallop squash(or whatever squash u have. I just happened to have these wonderful squash)
2 TB butter
1/2 white part of leek, sliced
2 lb cherry tomato, cut in have
1/2 TB dried basil (or double for fresh)
1/2 TB dried parsley (or double for fresh)
Pinch of sugar
S & P

Direction

Sautee onion and garlic in oil for 2 min
Add carrot and saute for 4 min
Add red pepper, zucchini for 2-3 min
Add butter, leek for 2-3 min
Add tomato, parsley, basil, sugar, S&P, 1/2 cup water and cover to simmer for 20 min
Blend all in a food processor

This tastes wonderful with some whole wheat angel hair pasta!

Scones

2009-06-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup margarine
1/8 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Choice of flavoring: one of mini chocolate, dried strawberry or dried cranberry
2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, the rest of the ingredients and enough milk to mix to a soft dough. Keep in mind that the sweeter the flavor (e.g. chocolate), the less sugar. But if you're making a plain scone, you probably will need more sugar.
Turn onto a floured surface, knead lightly and roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with milk to glaze.
Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

Potato Leek Soup

2009-06-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a chance to post since I have been feeling under the weather for a long time. Anyways, I'm back to cooking new dishes. My organic produce box is giving me new ideas and these freshly picked produce makes such good dishes!

First I highly recommend this hearty Potato Leek soup. It's great for lunch/brunch and light dinner!

ngredients

3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean.
1/4 lb ham
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)*
2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt & Pepper

Method

1 Cook ham, leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste.

2 Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add parsley, and thyme. . Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste.

Rachel Ray's clam stoup

2009-04-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is like a paella dish. It looks like there is a lot of stuff but I seriously managed to pull this off in less than 30 min. It's pretty much dump it all in and it's done.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound kielbasa, diced
4 cups (half a 32-ounce bag) frozen diced hash browns
1 large onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 rounded tablespoon seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
4 large ears corn on the cob or 3 cups frozen kernels
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
4 dozen littleneck clams
Hot sauce, to taste
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
4 jumbo sourdough English muffins, split
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions

Heat a large soup pot with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and brown for 2 minutes; add the potatoes, onions, celery, bay, thyme, and salt and pepper and let the veggies soften up 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pat shrimp dry and toss with a rounded tablespoon (a generous palmful) of seafood seasoning.

Invert a small bowl and place at the bottom of a larger bowl. Shuck corn and stand on end on the small bowl. Scrape off kernels. Add corn to soup pot.

Add the tomatoes and stock to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and clams and replace the cover. Cook until shrimp are pink and firm and the clams have opened up, 5 to 6 minutes. Finish stoup with hot sauce, lemon zest and juice and a handful of parsley.

While the seafood cooks, toast the English muffins. Soften the butter in the microwave. Mash the garlic cloves with a little salt and make a paste. Add the chives and garlic paste to the softened butter and mix. Rub hot toasted muffins with garlic/butter mixture and chop into large dice.

Serve stoup in shallow bowls with muffin croutons. Place an extra bowl at each setting to collect shells as you eat your Clam Bake Stoup.

Tuscan chicken

2009-04-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Who knew a recipe on the bag of Costco size chicken breast can be pretty good.

2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup basil
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup sliced mushroom
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 tsp of cooking oil in medium high heat. Cook seasoned (salt and pepper) breasts for 4 min on each side (if thick, cook for longer)
Add wine and wait for it to boil. Let simmer.
Remove chicken from pan.
Sautee mushroom for a couple of minutes. Add everything except the greens.
When the sauce is thickened, add basil and spinach and cook till it wilts.
Add chicken back to the pot and cook through.

Serve on pasta.

Mojito chicken

2009-02-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

I found this long time ago from Foodnetwork.com's Guy's Big Bite. I can't believe I didn't save it here before. It's such a great recipe for a very citrusy flavor.

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken or just chicken thighs with bones
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Marinade, recipe follows
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Mojito Glaze, recipe follows

Directions

Remove backbone of chicken with poultry shears; flatten chicken out by pressing firmly on skin part of chicken so it will sit evenly in a pan.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine all the dry spices and rub chicken with spice mixture, especially under the skin. Put into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade, then add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess marinade. In a large saute pan over medium to high heat, add 4 tablespoons of extra- virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, place chicken skin side down and sear.

When skin is golden brown flip chicken and add 1/2 cup of marinade into pan; place pan in oven and cook the chicken for 25 minutes or until chicken has internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the chicken from oven and brush with Mojito Glaze. Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from broiler, cut and serve immediately with more glaze on the side.

Marinade:

1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Mojito Glaze:

1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In medium sauce pot, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes, until 50 percent thicker. Keep in mind that you might not need all of it. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Baked chicken strips and baked yam fries

2009-02-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Chicken Strips

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Corn Starch
2 cups finely crushed cracker crumbs or plain breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt or kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning

Cut the chicken breast into small pieces.
Dip the chicken in corn starch, and then egg, and then the mixture of crumbs and seasoning.
Bake in 375 degree for 20 minutes

Baked Yam Fries

So I have tried tons of times to make baked yam and it always turns out soggy. I did a little digging online and turns out what I need to do is preseal the starch in yam. And viola, crispy baked yam!

1 Yam
Olive oil

Quarter the yam
Cut the yam further into 3-4 equal size wedges
Soak the yam in hot water for 10 minutes
Thoroughly dry the yam and mix it with olive oil.
Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Take them out when the corners are turning brown.

Korean Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-12-25T23:17:00.000-08:00

Most of the recipes I have found online is for Chicken Ginseng noodle soup, but since I am sensitive to ginseng and usually can't fall asleep after having it, I changed the recipe to plain Chicken noodle soup.

1 whole chicken
5 cloves of garlic
2 seaweed sheets (the kind used to wrap sushi)
3 big green onions
korean noodle (there is enough soup for at least 4)
2-3 cups of Bok choy/spinach or squash.

Get a big stock pot and throw the whole chicken. green onion, garlic in it.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour
Take out the chicken and pick all the meat. Toss everything back in. If you don't break up the chicken, the flavor doesn't get into the soup as well.
Simmer for another half an hour. Take out the carcass.
Add the seaweed sheets, noodle and vegetables.
Cook until the noodle is done according to the package.

I never knew chicken soup with seaweed can taste so good!

Chicken Donburi

2008-12-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

I totally have to save this cuz it's SOOO good.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons salad oil
1 onion (6 oz.), peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 pound boned, skinned chicken breast, rinsed and cut into 1/4" strips
6 cups (about 6 oz.) baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained
3 large eggs
6 cups hot cooked rice

Preparation

1. In a deep 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat, stir oil, onion, and ginger until onion is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

2. Add broth, soy sauce, and sugar. Add chicken strips to pan. Bring to a boil.

3. Add spinach, cover, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat eggs to blend.

4. Reduce heat to low, evenly distribute mixture in pan, and pour in eggs. With a spatula, push vegetables aside slightly so egg mixture can flow down through sauce. Cover and cook just until eggs are softly set, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, spoon rice into bowls. Top equally with egg-spinach mixture, including juices. Sprinkle with tomato.

Chicken Teriyaki

2008-11-18T16:44:00.001-08:00

I seriously just made the best chicken teriyaki. I found this marinade online and it's simple but good.

1 lb chicken thigh (chopped into cubes)
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup sake wine
2 tablespoons mirin wine
1 tablespoon white sugar
Marinade for at least half an hour.
Stirfry
Add some green onions or sesame seeds if you'd like.
That's about it.

YUMMY!

Turkey pockets.

2008-10-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

So my son was sick and won't eat anything that isn't crunchy. He managed to eat a good amount of Greek spanakepedis (something like that), so I made this dish for him. And he loved it!

Puff pastry
.75 lb ground turkey
8 oz mushroom
1/2 onion
1.4 tsp thyme
pinch of salt
1.5 TSP brandy
1/4 cup of whole milk
.5 tsp dijon or yellow mustard

Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry
Sautee mushroom, onion for about 3-4 min on medium high heat
Add turkey to the pan and the rest of the ingredients minus puff pastry
Cook until turkey is well done
Break the puff pastry in 3 following the crease of the sheet
Grease a baking pan
Place 1 small sheet of puff pastry in the pan
Add 1/3 amount of turkey mixture on one side of the sheet
Roll the sheet over to make a pocket/turnover. Make sure the edges are sticking well together.
Repeat for 2 more pockets
Bake in 425 degree oven for about 25 min or until golden and flaky.

Chicken and rice casserole

2008-10-27T16:56:00.001-07:00

I found this from foodnetwork! Paula Dean is very good indeed. I changed the recipe to make it a little healthier. Watch for the salt content though, those condensed soup isn't exactly the healthiest ingredient out there with all the hydrogenated oil and salt.

Ingredients

1.5 cup wild rice
1/2 lb shrimp, 1 lb chicken
1 TB butter, 1 TB olive oil
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups of broccoli
1 (10 3/4-ounce can) low fat condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups low fat grated sharp Cheddar
Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the rice in rice cooker.

Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper, broccoli and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Remove the veggies and sautee the chicken and shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glass casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Fish Congee

2008-10-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how it happened, but I copied a fish congee recipe for myself that I found online and somehow her entire post got here. I was going to modify it to my likings but I guess my modifications didn't make it here. Woops. Sorry to whoever that post was from. Anyways, here is a fish congee recipe that I made the other day that was really easy to make. Let's try this again.

Ingredients

1.5 cup of rice

1 slice of ginger

1 big fillet of cod), cut into cubes

salt

2 scallion

2 small bok choy, rough chopped

Marinate for fish

1-2 tbsp oysters sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp seasame oil

0.5 tsp white pepper

Method

1. Marinade fish.

2. Add rice and water as instructed on the the rice cooker for porridge level. Let porridge cook.

3. When porridge is finished (mine was too watery to eat then. Add the rest of the ingredients.

4. I know this is weird, but I turned the quick cooking setting on for my cooker. It cooks the rest of the ingredients and cook the rice some more to be of better consistency. It cooks for about another half and hour and that's all it takes to make congee!

Dumplings

2008-09-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

4 packs wanton skin (rounds)

1 lb ground beef

1 cup kimchi*

1 bunch bu chu (Korean chives)**

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

3 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp juice of ginger

1 egg, beaten (to seal wanton skin)

cho kan jang (soy sauce with rice vinegar) :

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp go chu ga ru (Korean chili powder)- optional

Wash kimchi lightly to get rid of spicyness and squeeze the water out. (or if you like it hot, don't wash it.) Chop finely.

Wash chives, grain, chop into 1/8 inch pieces. In a large bowl, add everything, mix well to combine.

Put some egg around the wanton skin, take about 1/2 tbsp of filling and fold into a half moon shape. Make some ruffles.

Boil a big pot of water, add man du, bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Drain, serve with cho kan jang (soy sauce with rice vinegar).

cool tip !
* You can substitute kim chi with blanched nappa cabbage, but I like the sourness of kimchi in dumpling. Try it.

** Chinese chives are fine. They are strong in flavor, a bit tough in texture.

Man du recipe is very forgiving. You can add blanched bean sprouts, chopped zucchini and mushrooms etc...If you like pork, chicken or turkey instead, use them. I personally don't like ginger pieces in dumplings, the juice of ginger blends much better with the rest of the ingredients. You can use finely chopped ginger if you like.

Jap chae noodle

2008-09-23T16:46:00.001-07:00

1 pack dang myun(Korean starch noodle), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained or Egg noddle

1 medium onion, thin sliced

1/2 carrot, thin julienne

1 bunch spinach, blanched, cut into 3 inches

10 oz thin slice beef

5 green onion

7 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, thin sliced

beef marinade : 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp minced garlic,

1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds

shiitake marinade : 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil

dang myon seasoning : 1 and 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce,

4 tbsp vegetable oil

oil to saute

salt and pepper

2 tbsp sesame seeds

In a non stick pan, add oil and saute vegetables.
All ingredients have to be cooked separately.
To use the same pan, start with light color vegetable.
An ideal order will be onion - green onions - carrot - shiitake mushrooms - beef.
The vegetables don't have to get any color, just need to be softened.
Saute and move to a big bowl to cool a little bit.

Put a non-stick wok or large pan on a medium heat.
Add dang myon seasoning, pour in dang myon.
Bring to a boil, stir occasionally for a few minutes until dang myon absorbs water.

In about 10-15 minutes they start to stick together.
From this point, stir constantly until the noodle gets soft and translucent.

Take off from the heat, let cool for a while.
If needed cut the length.

Mix with vegetables, sesame seeds, salt and pepper to taste.

Vegetable Beef soup

2008-09-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cooking oil
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes, broken up, with juice
10 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cups water
1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme, ground

Directions

1
Heat cooking oil over medium heat in large saucepan and add ground beef.
2
Scramble fry until browned and crumbly. You can drain the hamburger and add back to pot, that is up to you.
3
Add remaining ingredients and stir, bringing to a boil.
4
Cover and boil slowly, turning down heat as needed.
5
Simmer about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender but not too soft.
6
Serve with crackers, rolls or sandwiches.

Homemade Pizza!

2008-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Well not totally, I do use a box, but this took less than half an hour!

ZUCCHINI PIZZA

CRUST:

4 c. zucchini, grated
1 med. onion, grated
1 med. pepper, grated
4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated
4 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
3 tbsp. Bisquick
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

Combine all ingredients and pour into a 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

TOPPING:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 onion, minced
1 (14 oz.) jar Ragu Pizza Quick sauce
2 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated
2 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated

Brown the meat and onion lightly. Add the pizza sauce and spread on the crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Serves 6.

Cod Jeon

2008-07-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

All I have at home are some cod but I had to make a simple lunch. So I found this awesome recipe from Maangchi.com. I have to say her recipes really rock!

Cod filets (400 grams), flour, olive oil, garlic, salt, ground black pepper, eggs, a red chili pepper, soy sauce, vinegar

Prepare fresh or frozen cod. If you use frozen fish, thaw it out in the refrigerator.

Rinse the filets in cold water and gently dry them using a paper towel or cotton cloth

Slice it thinly and put it in a bowl.

Sprinkle 1 ts of salt, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 pinch of black pepper into the bowl of cod slices and gently mix it up by hand.

Pour 1 cup of flour into the bowl with the cod, and mix it quickly and gently with your hand so that the cod is lightly breaded.

Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl and add a pinch of salt.

Add 1 chopped green onion and red chili pepper into the beaten eggs.

Heat a pan on the stove over high heat.

Add 1 TBS of olive oil or vegetable oil on the pan.

Piece by piece, dip your breaded cod into the beaten eggs, and then place the pieces on to the heated pan.

Lower the heat to medium and cook it.

Turn it over using a spatula or spoon.

Add more oil if needed.

On a big plate, place green lettuce on the bottom and place the cooked fish (in Korean, we now call it “jeon”) on it.

Serve it with a dipping sauce.

* Dipping sauce: Mix 2 TBS of soy sauce and 1 or 2 TBS of vinegar

orange chicken

2008-07-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Never thought I'll say this, but Panda Express's orange chicken recipe was actually really good!

2/3 pound boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1/3 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
White pepper
Oil (for frying)
1/6 cup cornstarch PLUS"PLUS" means this ingredient in addition to the one on the next line, often with divided uses
1/3 tablespoon cornstarch
1/12 cup flour
1/3 tablespoon minced ginger root
1/3 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 dash crushed hot red chilies
1/12 cup chopped green onions
1/3 tablespoon rice wine
1/12 cup water
1/3 teaspoon sesame oil
***Orange Chicken Sauce***
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon water
1 2/3 tablespoon sugar
1 2/3 tablespoon white vinegar
Turn this recipe into a puzzle! [click]

Directions:

Cut chicken pieces into 2-inch squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees. Add chicken pieces, small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp. (Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add and stir-fry crushed chilies and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed. Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in 1 tablespoon oil and sesame oil. Serve at once. You may want to add grated zest of 1 orange to the sauce ! for flavor.

Note: You have scaled this recipe to serve/make 2 (originally serves/makes 6). Please adjust for pan sizes, cooking times, measurements in the directions, and divided ingredients accordingly.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Panda Express Orange Chicken serves/makes 2

Asian Salmon cake recipe

2008-07-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

Salmon Cakes:
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 to 2 red or green chiles, minced
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless salmon fillets, cut in small cubes
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (4 slices white bread with crusts removed pulsed in the food processor)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 large egg white
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oils

Bok Choy:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2-inch piece fresh ginger
2 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro leaves, and sliced green onion, for garnish

To make the salmon cakes: Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, and chiles; saute for a few minutes to release the flavor. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
In a mixing bowl, combine the salmon, bread crumbs, cilantro, mayonnaise, lemon juice and egg white. Scrape the garlic/ginger oil into the salmon mixture; season with salt and pepper. Fold the ingredients together gently but thoroughly, taking care not to mash the salmon too much. Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 salmon cakes, they should be moist and just hold together.

Coat a non-stick skillet with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and bring it to a slight smoke over medium heat. Fry the salmon cakes until brown, about 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully with a spatula. Keep warm on a plate lined with paper towels.

To make the bok choy: Return the skillet to the heat and coat with the 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and heat until almost smoking. Split the piece of ginger open with a knife then whack it with the flat side of the knife. Lay the ginger pieces in the oil, cut-side down to let it start to perfume. Pan-fry the bok choy, cut-side down, for a couple of minutes to give it some color. Add the water and cook another minute to steam the bok choy; carefully remove it to a plate. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Cook and stir for 3 minutes until the sauce is the consistency of syrup.

Serve the salmon cakes with the bok choy, and drizzle the brown sauce over the whole thing. Garnish the dish with the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and green onion.