Milky Way Diner

Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin

2005-12-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a delicious pork tenderloin recipe I made the other night when Dana and Piero came over for dinner. Actually the tenderloins where buy one get one free so I had this twice that week.

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
1/4 cup dried apricots (chopped)
1/8 cup dried cranberries (chopped)

2 lb unseasoned pork tenderloin

1/4 cup port wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Heat the oven to 250. Mix the first five ingredients. Cut a lengthwise pocket in the tenderloin. Brush the pocket with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stuff the pork with the mixture.

On a baking sheet roast for about and hour till the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Increase the oven to 400. Set aside the drippings from the loin and roast until it starts to brown and temperature is 155 - 160. Let cool.

Meanwhile in a sauce pan medium-high heat stir port, broth and drippings, bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water. Whisk until gravy starts to thicken.

Cut loin in to piece and serve with gravy.

*Side note I did make several dishes for Thanksgiving, but I did not have the time to take the pictures or note all the recipes.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

2005-12-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

This is a tasty and healthy recipe that is pretty easy to make.

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 small lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh torn basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1 large eggplant (cubed)
1 bell pepper (seeded and coarsely chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1 package mushrooms (cut in half)

1 cup cooked whole wheat couscous
2 tomatoes (diced)
1 cucumber (peeled and diced)

1/2 cup grated feta cheese

Heat the oven to 500. Whisk the first six ingredients in a small mixing bowl. In a baking dish add the next four ingredients. Pour 2/3 of the sauce over the vegetables in the baking dish. Mix well and cook for 35 minutes.

In a larger mixing bowl mix couscous, tomatoes, cucumbers and the rest of the sauce. Once vegetables are finished roasting add them to the couscous.

Serve topped with feta.

Potato Jalapeno Soup

2005-11-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

2 jalapeno peppers (cut in half and seeded)
1 bell pepper (cut in half and seeded)
1 yellow onion (chopped)
olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 large potato (peeled and diced)
3 cups water
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 lemmon juciced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)

Place pepper on a baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes on the top shelf of the onion. Once pepper have cooled, scrape away the burnt portions and dice.

In a soup pot heat the oil and add the onions. Cook the onions for 10 minutes till translucent. Add the peppers and spices suate for a couple more minutes. Add water and potaoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and a stir in cream cheese, lemmon juice and cilantro. Stir until cheese is fully melted and evenlly mixed.

Tzatziki

2005-11-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Milky Way Diner,
I am looking for a good recipe for the Tzatziki cucumber sauce that is commonly used in Greek pitas and gyros.

Thanks
Tom

Here is my recipe. Adding fresh mint, dill and lemon juice are good variations.

1 cup plain yogurt
1 small cucumber (peeled, seeded and diced)
1/2 tsbp crushed garlic
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp stored bought greek spice
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients and refrigerate for 4 hours before using.

Butternut Squash Stew

2005-11-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

Here is another fall squash recipe. This one with a texmex flair.

olive oil
1 large yellow onion
1 tbsp crushed garlic
3 cups water
1 butternut squash (peel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and diced)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1 large green bell pepper (chopped)
1 10 oz package frozen corn
sour cream
1 block jalapeno Monterey jack cheese (cut into cubes)
1 cup brown rice (cook as directed)

In a soup pot heat oil, onions and garlic over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add water, squash, jalapeno and spices. Heat to a simmer for another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for 10 more minutes. Add corn and return to a simmer.

Serve over rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream, cheese and salt and pepper.

Butternut Squash Wontons

2005-11-06T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here is a cool recipe to use so fresh butternut squash.

1 large butternut squash halved and seeded
olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh sage (chopped)
1 tbsp garlic
4 oz goat cheese
1 package wonton wrappers

Brush squash with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Once cool scoop our the meat and set aside.

In a skillet melt butter. Add onion, sage and garlic. Saute for 5 - 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl blend onions, squash and cheese.

Start some water boiling and heat the oven to 200. Get out a cookie sheet.

One by one place wet a wonton wrapper. Place 1/2 a tbsp of filling in the middle the wrapper and fold (make sure you press the edges tight). When you have eight or ten place them in the boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes, scoop out and place on cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in the oven. Repeat till done.

Heat remaining stuffing with some water to make a sauce to place over the finished wontons.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2005-10-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

Here is a flavorful fall recipe. This can be served as a lunch time main dish as shown here. You can also scope out the squash meat and mix to serve as a diner side dish.

1 Pan cornbread cut into cubes
Olive oil
2 large acorn squash halved and seeded.
1 large onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped)
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)

Toast corn bread for 10 minutes at 400 and set aside. Brush Squash with olive oil. Place in baking pan filled water. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a saucepan heat 2 tbsps of olive oil and add onions, sage and garlic. Saute for 20 minutes. Add broth, nuts and apricots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and mixing the cornbread and parsley.

Stuff the squash (place and excess stuffing in baking ramikins) and bake for another hour at 350.

Salmon in Balsamic Sauce

2005-10-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a simple salmon recipe.

4 salmon steak
2 tsp oil (if sauted or seared)

Grill, saute (as I did here) or sear to your liking.

For Sauce:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove crushed garlic

In a small sauce pan add all sauce ingredients. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Placed salmon on plates and cover with vinegar sauce.

3 Squash Soup

2005-10-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

Fall is here and the store is stocked will all kinds of squash. Here is a simple soup that highlight some early fall flavors.

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 yellow onions (chopped)
1 small pie pumpkin (cut in half and seeded)
1 butternut squash (cut in half and seeded)
1 acorn squash (cut in half and seeded)
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 or heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. Place squash on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for one hour. After they cool. Scoop out the meat of the squash and place in a soup pan along with broth, cream, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat.

Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes and add to the soup. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for another 20 minutes.

Roasted Radish and Goat Cheese Pie

2005-10-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

I am so sorry I have been so slack at posting. Got busy. I probably made this a month ago. Luckily I wrote down what went into the pie so I could re-create this recipe.

This came out so good. The roasted radishes add a unique zing to this savory cheese pie.

1 bunch red radishes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 puff pastry
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
2 tbsp dry wine
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz fresh goat cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup fresh flat parsley

Clean radishes and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. Let beats cool and than dice.

Roll puff pastry into a pie crust and line a buttered pie pan.

Heat butter in a frying pan saute onion about five minutes. Add wine and radishes. Cook for another minute than add to the puff pastry.

Mix eggs, cream and pour over the radish and onions. Crumble goat cheese over the cream and bake for 20 minutes. Add walnuts and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes.

Top with parsley. Let cook at least 5 minutes before serving.

Fattoush

2005-10-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

I am falling a bit behind on my recipes here. I made this dish when Chris and Candy came over a few weeks ago. Back when it was still summer. Fall recipes are on the way.

This is simple Mediterranean dish with lots of flavor.

2 pita bread (few days old - crumbled)
1 cucumber (diced)
3 ripe tomatoes (diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1/4 cup flat parsley (chopped)
1/3 cup fresh mint (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh orangeno (chopped)
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix in mixing bowl and serve.

Simple Chicken Pie

2005-09-28T19:51:00.000-05:00

A few days ago my friend Eric came over. He had seen my post about Salmon pie and it reminded him of a simple recipe his mom would often make. So we gave it a try.

2 pie made crust.
3 boiled chicken breast
3/4 can cream of mushroom soup

Heat oven to 350. Tear chicken into a mixing bowl. Mix with soup. Pour mixture into pie crust. Top with second crust and pinch edges. Bake for 25 minutes (till crust brown).

Wine Tasting Results

2005-09-25T11:46:00.000-05:00

Last night we had our fourth annual wine tasting party. I asked people to bring food and we got some great recipes. Daniel brought a Thai curry, Tanya brought baked salami crisps, Eric brought dates stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts, Justin and Leanne brought dueling spinach artichoke dips.

Unfortunately no one took and pictures and I did not collect any recipes. There is always next year.

Here are wine tasting results:

Place	Order Served	Avg Rank	Avg Rating	Producer	Year	Grape	Region	Brought By
1	13	2.1	81.4	Little Penquin	NA	Shiraz	South Eastern Australia	Yvone
2	8	4.9	68.6	Waterbrook	2003	Merlot	Columbia Valley, Washington State	Dave
3	5	5	69.1	Biltmore	NA	Cabernet Sauvignon	Asheville, North Carolina	Dianne
4	6	5.5	70.5	Dry Creek	2001	Merlot	Sonoma County, California	Rajasimhan
5	12	5.6	70.9	Kunde	2001	Cabernet Sauvignon	Sonoma Valley, California	Kevin
6	11	6.1	65.0	Columbia Crest	2001	Merlot	Columbia Valley, Washington State	Min
7	1	6.5	64.6	Block 13	2002	Pinot Noir	Sonoma Coast, California	Leanne
8	9	6.6	65.8	Justin	2003	Cabernet Sauvignon	Paso Robles, California	Justin
9	7	7.1	62.9	Chateau La Louviere	2000	Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot	Bordeaux, France	Eric
10	2	7.5	61.4	Black Opal	2003	Black Opal	South Eastern Australia	Daniel
11	3	8.1	60.3	Castillo del Diablo	2003	Cabernet Sauvignon	Central Valley, Chile	Daniel
12	4	11.4	33.4	Duplin	NA	Muscadine	Rose Hill, North Carolina	Mutdoschs
13	10	11.9	36.9	Anakena	2002	Anakena	Rapel Valley, Chile	Maria

Pistachio Pesto Pasta

2005-09-16T20:22:00.000-05:00

I was listening to a food podcast last week (The Vegan Cooking School). They interviewed a pistachio farmer who had a cool tip, replace the pinenuts with pistachio in your pesto. I had to give this a try. It came out pretty good. I am not sure I would say I like it better than traditional pesto, but a very good alternative.

Coincidently there was another basil tip I found from a podcaster. During one of the ReMARKable Palate shows in August, Chef Mark gave this tip:

Here's a tip for you basil lovers out there: When basil is plentiful, as it is now, buy it up (or pick it if you're blessed with a garden of your own) and puree it with olive oil, then freeze it. This will preserve it so that you have plenty for the winter. Now a classic pesto has garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan, but if you plan on freezing it, leave out these other ingredients and add them later.

1 box whole wheat linguini
1/2 cup pistachio
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh, torn basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
Fresh cracked pepper
1 cup halved mini mozzarella balls
1 cup chopped campari (or other small) tomatoes.

Roast pistachios for a few minutes in a toaster oven. Cook pasta as desired drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Blend nuts, Parmesan, basil, galic and olive oil in a food processor. Mix pesto in to pasta. Mix in Cheese and tomatoes.

Grilled Vegetable Po' Boy

2005-09-16T07:47:00.000-05:00

I have been following Gourmet Survivor II: A Benefit for Katrina Victims. For their first challenge they are to make the worlds best Po' Boy sandwich (here is what they came up with). So in the spirit of this challenge I made a Po' Boy of my own. May not be the worlds best, but it was pretty damn good.

1 small eggplant
1 large summer squash
1 portabella mushroom
small jar roasted red peppers (drained)
olive oil
garlic salt
1 tbsp fresh oregano
sub roll
shredded lettuce
sliced fresh tomatoes

Cajun mayonnaise Dressing
1 /3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp worcestershire

Cut eggplant and squash in quarters length wise. Spray eggplant, squash and mushroom in olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Grill, turning often, to desired wellness. Cut vegetables in chunks.

Place vegetables in a mixing bowl. Mix in red pepper and oregano. Cut sub roll and toast on grill on a few minutes.

Mix mayo sauces in a a small bowl.

On each roll start with lettuce. Followed by tomatoes, veggie mix and spoon sauce on top.

Pineapple Green Tea Custard

2005-09-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

This post is for the Cooking up Custard Sugar High Fridays event.

I loved green tea ice cream, so I thought this event would be a good excuse to try green tea custard. Also check out my Mango Mouse recipe that could have qualified as well.

1 cup milk
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
3 bags of tea
3 eggs
1 can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix milk, cream, sugar honey, ginger, vanilla and salt. Hang tea bags off the side. Heat for 5 minutes or so and remove from heat

In the meantime beat eggs in another bowl. Place so water in a baking dish and arrange 5 custard cups in the dish.

Mix eggs in with the rest of the mixture. Pour mixture into the custard cups. Bake for 40 minutes.

Cool in the fridge for at least one hour.

Turn cups upside down and scoop onto serving plate. Garnish with pineapple and powdered sugar.

Salmon with cabbage and red onions

2005-09-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

I made this last night with what I had left in my fridge. I just through a bunch of stuff together so this is more of a guess at the recipe.

The recipe was not my best, but I did like the how the photo came out. I like the range of colors. So I want to add it here.

Stir Fried cabbage and onions:

1 tsp sesame oil
1 shallot (diced)
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 red onion (chopped)
1 cup red cabbage (chopped)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin

I started by heating the sesame oil in my wok. I threw in the diced shallot and the crushed garlic. I added the red onion chopped and the of chopped red cabbage. Added the soy sauce and mirin. Stir fried a few minutes.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
3 salmon filets

I heated the oven to 350. I coated a baking dish with olive oil. Rubbed both sides of the salmon and placed left it in the dish. Sprinkled garlic salt over the filets. Covered the filets with contents of my wok. Baked fish for 20 minutes.

In the wok I slightly stir fried cilantro and green onions really quick. I placed the fish on plates with the cabbage mixture in the side. Topped the fish with herbs, sesame seeds and hot sauce.

Chicken Parmesan

2005-09-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

This is a simple chicken parmesan Kalani made. It was hard to get the recipe from her since she just threw it together. The amounts may not be quite right, but there is lots of room for play here anyway. You can make the pasta with lots of other fresh herbs.

For the pasta
1 package spaghetti noodles (these are whole wheat)
2 large tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh parsley (or other fresh herbs)
3 tbsp olive oil

For the chicken
1 1/2 lb bones skinless chicken pieces
1 egg
1/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup Italian season bread crumbs
1/4 cup mozzarella (shredded)

Heat oven to 350.

Cook the pasta and toss with other ingredients.

Mix egg and cream in a bowl. Mix garlic salt, parmesan and bread crumbs and place on a separate plate. Dip chicken in a dish coat with bread crumbs and place in a baking dish. Repeat with reaming chicken. Top with mozzarella.

Cook chicken till done all the way through (about 30 minutes).

Serve on top of pasta.

Huli Huli Chicken

2005-09-11T07:31:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid Huli Huli chicken is so popular everyone I knew would often sell it for fund raisers . We would go around and sell tickets to the right to half a chicken. On certain day we would grill in the school parking lot or somewhere and people would come and go picking up the chickens they bought.

1 broken fryer, split or quartered
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup shoyu
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup pineapple juice.
1 tsp ground ginger.
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce.

Heat grill. Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in a bowl. Brush sauce over the chicken. Place on grill. If you have a spit that works with your grill use it, otherwise you will need to rotate and turn every 5 minutes. Brush with more sauce every 5 minutes as well. Cook till done (about 45 minute).

Baked Basa

2005-09-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

Basa is the sexy marketing name given to Vietnamese catfish (Pangasius bocourti). It is a very white and flavorful catfish. For this recipe I tried to give an Asian flair to an American breaded catfish. I also made a Nauc Mam dipping sauce.

4 Basa Filets
1 cup crused asian rice crackers (I used seaweed flavored)
1/4 cup chopped cliantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil

For Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh small chili pepper chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix crackers, cilantro and green onions in one bowl. Beat the egg and olive oil in a second bowl. Get a foil covered, slightlly oiled, cooking sheet ready. One by one dip the fish in oil/egg mixture, cover in the craker mixture place on baking sheet. Cook for 15 minute (or until fully cooked).

Serve with dipping sauce mixed in a bowl.

Honey Lemon Chicken

2005-09-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

My wife, Kalani, is a very good cook. She just does not really like to do it. When she does cook it usually is a recipe that has very few ingredients. I figured some people are looking for good simple recipes. So I will start posting Kalani's recipes denoted by the K icon to the left.

The first Kalani recipe is Honey Lemon Chicken. Very simple but tasty diner recipe.

1 1/2 lb chicken
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp lemon juice (fresh is always better)
1 tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh - again fresh is always better)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish arrange chicken. Mix the remaining ingredients. Brush the mixture over the chicken. Cook for an hour or so (until the chicken is cooked all the way through). Baste and turn the chicken every 15 minutes or so.

Food Blog Survivor to Benefit for Katrina Victims

2005-09-08T17:23:00.000-05:00

Check out The Amateur Gourmet food blog. He has set up a
Survivor like food blog competition with all proceeds going to Katrina Victims.

He is running a photo scavenger hunt now through Sunday looking for contestants. Once selected they will have New Orleans based food challenges and you can pay to vote for your favorite contestants. I think this is a very cool idea.

Caribbean Shrimp and Broccoli Slaw

2005-09-07T17:36:00.000-05:00

For the Shrimp:
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup beer
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1 lb shrimp
oil for frying

For the Slaw:
1 bunch broccoli
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp wildflower honey
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup firm yogurt
1/2 cup mayo

Beat egg in a bow. Add 1/2 cup of flour, beer and baking soda. Mix well. In another bowl add 1 tbsp of the remaining flour and a 1/4 cup of coconut. Set out a piece of wax paper over a cookie sheet (or two). One at a time dip shrimp in the batter, sprinkle with coconut mixture and place on the wax paper. When you run out of coconut mix (or when it gets too sticky), clean out the bowl and add another tbsp of flour and another 1/4 cup of coconut.

Heat oil in wok or fryer. Fry shrimp a few at a time. Place aside.

Break off the flowerettes from the broccoli. Steam them them and set aside.

Peel the broccoli stalks and cut the meat into match sticks. Mix broccoli with the remaining ingredients.

Mango Mousse

2005-09-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Finally for Kalani's birthday I made her a special treat, Mango Mousse. She loves fruity deserts so she was very happy with this as a replacement for birthday cake.

1/4 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 mangos
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 cups cool whip

Heat water in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix in gelatin. Stir till dissolved about a minute.

Sliced up mangos. Place half on one mango on the side. Puree the rest.

In a mixing bowl mix gelatin, mango puree sugar vanilla and yogurt. Fold in the cool whip. Chill for 3 hours.

Partition mousse in to individual containers. Top with remain mango and cool a dab of cool whip.

Hawaiian Kine Slow Cooked Ribs

2005-09-04T11:10:00.000-05:00

When we went to visit our friends Barry and Lisa a couple of weeks ago, Barry was making some great slow cooked baby back ribs. They were incredible, you know when they just fall right off the bone they are so tender.

So Kalani's birthday was this weekend so I figure I would take the opportunity to make some slow cooked ribs of my own. Ofcourse I added a good Hawaiian kine sweet and salty flair.

3 lbs baby back ribs
5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
pepper
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh ground ginger
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 tbsp Texas Pete or other hot sauce
4 green onion stalks (chopped)

Mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper. Place the ribs in Dutch oven or a baking dish covered in tin foil. Bush soy sauce over the ribs and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Mix remaining soy sauce, sugar, 1 cup of the pineapple chunks, ketchup, vinegar, ginger, garlic and hot sauce. Cover ribs with the marinade. Reduce the oven heat to 200. Cook for another 12 - 14 hours.

Top with remaining fresh pineapple and green onions.