Teriyaki Meatballs

Didnt forget about you all, just adjusting to changes here at our house.  I am back to work full time.  I have to get into the rhythm of my new schedule.  I could wax on poetic about change but I will spare you what you already heard a million times.  It just is what it is!

These are delicious!  Next time I will try pork mixed in with the beef.


TERIYAKI MEATBALLS

2 lb ground beef
2 large egg, well beaten
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 t ginger, minced
1 T soy sauce
2 t sriracha sauce, or hot sauce, optional
1 cup plus panko breadcrumbs

Sauce
2/3 cup soy sauce,reduced-sodium
1 1/4 cups water
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water, cold
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs, saving the panko crumbs as the last addition.  Form into small balls.  Bake in the oven in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

In a saucepan, combine soy sauce,  1 1/4 cups water, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, honey.  Heat until it comes to a boil.  In a small cup ix together cold water and cornstarch.  Pour into saucepan,  Keep stirring and bring to a boil.  Once thickened, turn off heat.  Add meatballs to sauce.

Garnish with sesame seeds.

Green Broccoli Spread

You can't even imagine the power house a flavor that is this spread.  Oh my.  A little goes a long way. This is some kind of delicious.  If you have it at a party, my guess, is it will disappear really fast! You could really get creative with it.  It would be great on pizza, replacing the sauce and just a little cheese sprinkled over top.  It would be great used like a pesto on some pasta.  Get creative- this stuff is delicious no matter where it goes.

Green Broccoli Spread
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, September 2014

6 ounces broccoli florets
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 basil leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 anchovy fillet or a teaspoon of anchovy paste

Cook broccoli in boiling water until crisp-tender.  Rinse and cool in a colander so that it can drain.

In a food processor place garlic in first, process. Then add the remainder of the ingredients.  Process until everything is smooth.  Chill and serve.  Yield: 10 servings- 2 tablespoons. 

Calories 36 per serving. Protein 1 g, carbs 3 g, fiber 1 g, sodium 142 mg and calcium 21 mg

Edamame Toasts

I had a little Craft Day here at my house a couple weeks ago and invited some friends over. We made a few things then had some lunch.  I made a few appetizer type things so people could get picky.  This here appetizer was one of the offerings.  I liked it but I would have omitted the lemon rind.  I find that in most savory things (especially the uncooked variety) I don't like lemon rind.  In baked goods its a totally different story.  Other than that I thought these were pretty good. 

Edamame Toasts

3/4 cup edamame (partially crushed)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 of a lemon rind
s and p to taste
1/2 cup parmesan
2 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Cut baguette into slices and toast in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes at 350F.

Mix all other ingredients together and spoon over toasts.

Tamale Cups

What is it about cute little cups of food or food on a stick?  Cute just makes it that much more tasty, doesnt it?

I love tamales.  I miss the lady in AZ who use to come to the office where I worked and sell us tamales for a dollar.  I would buy half a dozen when she would come in and stick five of them in the freezer.  They were a great dinner item for a single girl- delicious and inexpensive to boot.

These are a quick and miniature version of tamales.  You could stuff them however you want- pork, chicken, beef, beans.. whatever.
 

Tamale Cups

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth with 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed in
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces) OR
1 cup queso blanco
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
radishes

Mix the masa harina with broth and oil.  If you find it it too dry add more liquid. You want it to form when you press it with your fingers.  If it is not forming then add more liquid.  Make sure you cover the bowl with a damp towel to keep it from drying out too fast.

In a frying pan saute onions in oil until lightly golden.  Add in beef and brown.  Add in garlic and remaining ingredients. Cook until it comes to a boil and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray muffin tins with oil.  Press the masa harina mixture into the cups, evenly distributing the dough. Spoon filling into cup.  Place cheese over top.  Bake for about 20 minutes.

Garnish as desired.

Hushpuppies

I love that my husband is willing to try so many things.  He has never had hush puppies before so I was pretty excited for him and the kids to try these.  I dont do much deep frying around here.  Honestly, maybe one to three times per year.  These looked so good- had to make them. 

I seen these on Serious Eats and adapted them to what I had and how much I wanted to make.  To see the original recipe, click here.

My husband asked where hush puppies came from.  I told him it is a Southern thing but really didn't know more about it.  I Googled it.  One site says the Confederate soldiers would feed it to the dogs to quite them.  Another source, Wikipedia said they have Native American roots.  I am guessing both.

Hush Puppies

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
a good shake of granulated garlic powder (eh, a teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 dried minced onion
1 1/2 cup buttermilk ( mine is very thick)*
2 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped scallions 
Oil for frying




Mix the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, cayenne and dried onion.  Whisk it all together.  Better to combine it all now, rather than when the wet is mixed in.

Mix the wet ingredients: the buttermilk, melted butter, hot sauce.

Combine the wet and dry and add in the chopped scallion.  Stir until just combined. If it feels to dry add more buttermilk.

This is what it should look like when it is ready to go.

With damp hands grab a chunk and start making balls.  Gently place in 350F heated oil.  Fry until golden and turn over to other side.  It will puff so don't crowd it in the pan.  Leave some room for the heat to get up and around.

*Please note:  My buttermilk is very thick, I always have to use more than a recipe calls for. If your buttermilk is thin I would start with a cup and 1/4 of buttermilk before adding more.

Chicken Wing Balls

I love chicken wings, but probably more specifically, Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  Don't tell me anything bad about Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  I dont want to know.  I have had Franks over popcorn, pizza, wings, chicken, whatever for many years.

I dont do the wing thing too often anymore.  In my 20's, yes, but have since slowed way down with wings.  Too many calories.  I did a post about baked wings- they are very good, but honestly, I just dont think about buying wings when I go to the store.  Besides, they used to be inexpensive, now- not so much.

This chicken ball with Frank's is like wings- less calories and more substantial.  We loved it.  Dipped in a little of my home made blue cheese and I was totally loving it- a real treat. I served it along side some rice and a big plate of celery sticks and carrot sticks.

Chicken Wing Balls
Printable here.

2 pounds ground chicken
2 egg
1 3/4 cups Progresso panko breadcrumbs or more depending on consistency
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cups buffalo sauce
blue cheese dressing

Mix the ground chicken with the rest of the ingredients except the panko until it feels like you can ball it together. Add in the panko. If it feels sticky add more panko. If by chance you added a bit too much panko add a little water (tablespoon by tablespoon).

Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on parchment lined cooking sheet.  Bake in a 400F oven for about 5 (crock pot) to 10 minutes (Dutch oven).  Add the meatballs to a crock pot or a Dutch oven and pour in the Franks. Make sure the meat balls are covered.  If you don't have enough sauce you can use less just make sure you stir it periodically to ensure maximum yum coverage. Cook in slow cooker for about 2 hours.  In the Dutch oven for about 45 minutes to an hour on a very low heat.

Green Hummus

This was one of those, now you see it, now you don't type dishes.  My daughters don't necessarily like hummus.  My one daughter only likes Sabra.  I'd rather make it home made but she doesn't eat it when I do.  The other daughter doesn't even like hummus.  They both loved this.  Loved it.  And my husband who just adores hummus, of course, loved this.  I think this will be made a lot around here for school lunches.  So glad to find something other than the usual...

Green Hummus

Adapted from this recipe at the LA Times
Printer friendly version found here.

2 cups arugula (also known as rocket)
1/2 cup cilantro
3 green onions, diced
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups garbanzo beans
s and p to taste

In a processor combine arugula, cilantro, green onions, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil to the mixture. Once you get it mixed and it starts looking creamy, add in garbanzos. Blend until pureed.

Crab Stuffed Eggs

Not the prettiest as I was late getting dinner on and the natives were restless.

In another week or so there will be a lot of hard boiled eggs around this house due to Easter festivities.  Not that we don't usually have ahrd boiled eggs around because we often do.  Finding new and different ways to eat them is always fun.  This one is well worth any effort put forth.  They taste great.  You can use the canned variety of crab or fresh.  Obviously the fresher one will be amazing.  But the canned one is quite good too.

Crab Stuffed Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved
1 small can (6 oz) salad crab meat, rinsed and drained well
3 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoons very finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
½ teaspoon onion powder or more if you like
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Hard boil eggs.  I put my eggs in cold water and then bring it to a boil (I heard that prevents cracking).  Simmer three minutes and turn off the heat.  Let the water cool a little.  Generally I run a little cold water on it and peel and then run cold water again on it to rinse of any remaining shell bits.

Remove the yolks and place in a small bowl, mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, celery, mustard, onion powder, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix well. Fold in crab meat and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture.

Serve chilled or store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.
about 75 calories per half.

*Next time I will add some chopped chives.

Red Pepper Relish

Shelby from Grumpy's Honey Bunch contacted me to let me know she was a having a big giveaway and would I like to make something in celebration of her blog-o-versary. Yes, indeed I do. Yes its a busy time of year and I think I am a little late posting but I wanted to tell you about her giveaway- you still have time. It ends on January 7th. And what a perfect time to talk about little bites on the biggest appetizer day of the year. This is a wonderful appetizer that keeps for a while in the fridge, is easy to make and tastes outstanding. I first saw the recipe here at Savory Sweet Life.

Red Bell Pepper Relish

2 red bell pepper (or any other type of bell pepper), chopped in small pieces

1 cup onion, minced

1 1/3 cup of sugar

1 cup of white vinegar

1 teaspoon of aleppo pepper flakes

Add everything to a small sauce pan and stir all the ingredient together. Cook the relish on medium heat for 5 minutes and turn down the heat to medium-low for an additional 20 minutes or more, stirring occasionally until there is barely any liquid left. When you get toward the end of the cooking time be sure to keep a close eye on it and keep stirring- it will burn real fast if you leave it unattended. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.

Kickin' Kraut Rolls and Super Samosas

Armed with some egg roll wrappers, I went to town over the past month.  I bought the egg roll wrappers to make my Mother's idea for a Polish quick and easy appetizer.  Sauer kraut rolled up in an egg roll and fried.  I served it with duck sauce.  I have to tell you that when that sour taste hits the sweet taste of the sauce there is quite and explosion in your mouth.  So delicious.  I could have these over and over again.

However, after having fried 3 cans of sauer kraut down and filling egg roll wrappers I still had some leftover wrappers.  I certainly did not feel like frying up more kraut.  So a few days later I had an idea to use them for samosa wrappers.  This is the first time I have made samosas. I know the texture of the wrapper is a bit different but I tell you it was no less delicious than the restaurants version of samosa. In fact the flavoring in this particular recipe of filling was a total winner.

Kickin' Kraut Rolls
Recipe/idea courtesy of Mom

3 cans of sauer kraut
1 package of egg roll wrappers
duck sauce for dipping (next time I think I will concoct some sweet beet dipping sauce to make them even more Polish like)

Fry sauer kraut down until most of the moisture has been released and kraut is golden.  Roll cooled kraut in egg rolls and fry or bake (I have done both).  Serve warm with dip.  Enjoy.

Super Samosas

egg roll wrappers

Samosa filling:
To learn how to roll samosas into handy triangles watch this video.

2 1/2 cups potatoes (boiled until just tender)
2/3 cup peas
2 tablespoons oil or ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon armchur/ mango powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder

In a large frying pan heat ghee, add cumin seeds and wait until they crack and pop a little.  Add the remainder of the spices and heat one minute.  Add potatoes, cover and cook five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas.

Cut egg roll wrappers in half and roll according to the instructions in the video linked above.

Sun Dried Tomato Spread

This is really good stuff.  It disappeared very quickly.  We spread it on Rosemary Olive Spelt bread but really it would be fabulous on any bread.  Or by itself on a spoon.  It's real simple to whip up for an appetizer.

Sun Dried Tomato Spread

8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
6 sun dried tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

In a food processor whirl garlic and sun dried tomato until it forms a paste.  Add in cream cheese. Remove from processor and fold in walnuts.

Swedish Meatballs

Here is a really nice appetizer that you could prepare ahead.  I love to have appetizers for New Year's.  To be honest I really am not looking forward to New Years as that would mean that my brother has left and gone back home.  I hate for him and my Sister in Law to leave.  I wish they lived close by. 

I hope all of you are enjoying your Holidays!

Swedish Meatballs

1.5  pound beef
1.5 pound ground pork
1 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Gravy

1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black
4 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 whole bay leaves

Combine milk and bread crumbs.  Let sit while you gather the ingredients for the meatballs. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs except the vegetable oil.  Mix together and add in milk/bread crumbs.  Mix thoroughly.  Form into balls.

In a nice sized skillet or a soup pot, brown the meat balls in batches unbtil they are all browned nicely.  TO that skillet with the oil add the flour and stir until it browns lightly.  Add boiling water and stir well. Add bay leaves and remaining ingredients.  Then add the meatballs back to the pot.  At this point you could transfer it all to a slow cooker. 

Crappy Pics/Good Food

I have wanted to show you a few recipes but every time I go to post them I say to myself I just cant put this on my blog because the picture is terrible.  Well I decided to post them anyway because they are good.  So here are the ugly's. Do not let their appearance fool you- they were delicious. The first one here is easy-peasy to make and makes a stunning appearance.  That is if you have the time to take a picture before everyone gobbles it up.

Rosemary and Olive Pork Tenderloin
adapted from Flat Belly Diet Book ( I might add, without encouragement that this is a pretty darn good cookbook.  I have had many recipes out of it and they were purely delicious).

12 ounces pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon fresh rosemayr, minced
6 garlic cloves, more if you and your husband fight over them, as we do.
1 cup kalamata olives
2 red onions chopped into bite sized chunks, oh yeah!
1 tablespoon olive oil
s and p

Preheat oven to 375F.  Trim excess fat off tenderloin and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub olive oil over tenderloin.  Sprinkle rosemary and salt and pepper over roast, rub into meat.  Place cut up red onion, garlic cloves around tenderloin.  Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.   Take tenderloin out of the oven and place olives on the baking sheet.  Return to oven and cook for about 15 minutes more.  A meat thermometer should read 155F.  After you remove it from the oven, place a sheet of foil over it and let it rest for ten minutes before slicing.

Next up- this Choo Chee Fish and potatoes.  I know some of you are saying yuck, fish cakes, but if you like fish,  and you like Thai, you will love this combination.  We did.  (and might I add for all of you watching for me to keep my promise- this was from a cook book- at least the choo chee part).


Fish Balls
my creation

1 egg
2 pounds of whiting fillets, drained and squeezed of excess water
1/2 to 1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped chives or green onions
2 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt and pepper

In a processor quick pulse the fish fillets.  Make sure you squeeze as much water out as possible so that you don't have to use many crumbs to hold it together.  In a bowl combine other ingredients and add fish to that. Mix all together and form into balls. Drop into boiling water for about five minutes.  Set balls aside and continue with the remainder of the recipe below.

Choo Chee Potatoes
adapted from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott

1 can (14 ounces or about 1 /34 cups) unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 pound new potatoes
¼ cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons palm sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ cup basil
2 lime leaves

In a saucepan place 1 cup coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer 6 to 8 minutes.  When coconut oil begins to pool around the sides then it is ready to add the curry paste.  Cook two minutes more.

Add remainder of ingredients except fish balls. Continue cooking until potatoes are tender.  Add in fish balls and cook to heat through.

This is obviously not a recipe per say but I just had to share it with you. The flavor combination was WoW! My Aunt's fiancé, Uncle C, told me about this amazing sandwich he eats. He takes two slices of bread and puts bologna and apple butter on it. He loves it. Well, we had to try it. We didn't say "Wow" over it but we had some roundish crackers, placed some bologna on them and then a little dollop of apple butter. I must say- WoW! We liked them. A quick and silly appetizer.

Buffalo Wings Baked

One of the things I use to enjoy having when I was going out to bars and such were Buffalo wings. My friends and I, in our early twenties, use to head off to Buffalo to go to the Anchor Bar for Buffalo wings. It's about an hour and a half from here and we could eat the best wings around. They had live music- mostly rhythm and blues singers. The bar, though not in such a great neighborhood, was always a great place to go.

I dont have wings so much anymore. I really had a craving for them without the fried oil part though. Then I saw this great article on Serious Eats for baked Buffalo wings. I tried it. I was rewarded with pretty stellar wings. The key is to be patient enough letting them brown in the oven before finishing up. If you like wings but could do with out the oil- try these. They are worth all the effort.

Oven Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings
from Serious Eats, recipe found here.

4 pounds chicken wings
1 tablespoon baking powder (I use Rumford- aluminum free)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup of your favorite wing sauce (the classic is a half and half mixture of Frank's Hot Sauce and melted butter)
Blue cheese dressing for dipping
Celery sticks for cooling your mouth off

1. Toss wings with salt and baking powder. Place on grill over a baking sheet that has been lined with foil.

2. Place baking sheet with wings in refrigerator and allow to rest, uncovered, overnight

3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Add chicken wings and cook for 20 minutes. Flip wings and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer to large bowl, add sauce, toss to thoroughly coat.

And because I have kids and a husband that really doesnt dig hot stuff, I made garlic parmesan wings.

Garlic Parmesan Wings

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
24 chicken wings baked or fried

In a small glass bowl, melt butter in microwave.Whisk into butter the garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Arrange hot, fresh-baked wings on a serving platter and drizzle with butter mixture. Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Lori's Kickin' Queso and Kicking Habits

I made some queso for the party. I haven't had cheese dip in so long. I wanted one that utilized some cheddar that I had in the fridge. I am trying to decrease my grocery bill and utilize whatever I have on hand.

This was my splurge this week. Yes, I have been dieting or rather I have changed my lifestyle. I am eating 1500- 1600 calories a day. I didnt want to say anything on my blog because i said last year and managed to gain all of it back. Classic I know.

You know I am a fan of the Biggest Loser and have been watching it faithfully every season for a couple years now. It inspires me. I do go to the gym often. Really I have all my life. I am just fat anyway. It's funny, there are some things about Biggest Loser that irritate the pee out of me. One, is that fat people are portrayed as garbage/junk food eaters. While I understand that a lot of people in this country eat junk, both big and small, this is not the case for everybody. You see, I was raised in a family that went to the market and bought fresh fruit and vegetables regularly. I picked them and canned them as a child with my family as well.

Even though I was active as a child, I was plump. My Mother never bought junk food when I was growing up. No sugared cereals, no candy, no chips. I ate healthy and despite my activity level I was still chunky. (No, I don't have a thyroid problem, I have been checked ad nauseum and also for diabetes). I will admitedly say that I eat too much of the good stuff and I know that is my problem. You see, what I have found, through much dieting in my life (and exercising) is that the ONLY way I lose weight is to eat 1200 calories a day. And I get real hungry. And after some amount of time I can't stand it anymore and I overeat- because I hate being hungry. There, I said it. Look down on me if you want to. As my friends brother told me years ago, you lack will power and maybe I do, but it is real hard to be hungry. I did quit smoking 12 years ago. That's willpower isn't it?

One of these days... I wish there was a study that looked at what people really consume- calorie wise. Because those charts that tell me what amount of calories I should consume are WAY over. They say I should eat 1800 to lose slowly but steadily. 1800 is maintenance for me. 1600 is slow, as in weeks without loss. Maybe like a pound or two a month. How many calories do you consume on a given day? I am just curious.

Lori's Kickin' Queso
This is party size, so if you are making for a smaller group be sure to scale the recipe accordingly.

4 cups sharp cheddar, grated (if you grate your own, you will avoid nasty chemicals that help to keep the cheese from sticking together.)
1 teaspoon Tabasco or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, minced finely
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 small onion, minced fine
2 cups milk
1/2 cup beer
1 teaspoon Lawry's salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Brewer's yeast* (optional)

In a large bowl place grated cheese, pickled jalapenos and red pepper. Saute onions, until soft, cool and add to mixture in bowl.

In a saucepan melt butter, add flour, whisking frequnetly. Let the butter and flour brown to make you cheese dip more tastey. Golden not dark brown. Add the milk, whisking constantly to break up lumps. Stir in salt and garlic powder. Bring to a boil to thicken. Pour directly into cheese mixture in bowl. Stirring constantly to melt the cheese. Stir in beer.

If you find that it will not completely melt the cheese, cover and place int he microwave for a minute or two.

* Bench Notes- I recognize that most people will not have Brewers yeast in their pantry or may not even know what it is. I had the good fortune of finding out about it years ago. You can find it at Natural Food stores. It is in flake form or powder. It tastes a little sharp and nutty. I love to sprinkle it on my popcorn. (Thanks to my cousin Rosan for showing me that little trick). It is great in soups as well. If you are wondering why it is called Brewer's Yeast, it's because its used to make beer. "It also can be grown specifically to make nutritional supplements. Brewer's yeast is a rich source of minerals -- particularly chromium, an essential trace mineral that helps the body maintain normal blood sugar levels; selenium; protein; and the B-complex vitamins... Brewer's yeast has been used for years as a nutritional supplement." (University of Maryland Medical Center).

Daring Cooks: Satay

I actually have made some satay before on this blog, almost two years ago... time flies. It was chicken satay. When I saw satay for the challenge of this month's Daring Cooks, I actually was excited, even though I had made it before. It was a great excuse to make satay again. Really it is so delicious. I went with pork for this satay since I had done chicken before. I used pork loin.

This is one of those dishes that is really hard to photograph, especially during the winter months. I like natural lighting so really I have to wait until the next to do my shots. The reason why it is so difficult is because it just disappears. I literally had to act like a pit bull for the last piece of meat so I would have something to shoot in the morning. How funny is that?

The January 2010 DC challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day.



Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay Marinade

1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)
2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)
1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)
2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)
1 pound of pork (loin or shoulder cuts) (16 oz or 450g)

Feeling the need to make it more Thai? Try adding a dragon chili, an extra tablespoon of ginger root, and 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz or 15 mls) of fish sauce. (I keep some premature (still green) dragon chili peppers in the freezer for just such an occasion.)

Directions:
1. Cheater alert: If you have a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the pork and blend until smooth. Lacking a food processor, I prefer to chop my onions, garlic and ginger really fine then mix it all together in a medium to large bowl.
2. Cut pork into 1 inch strips.
3. Cover pork with marinade. You can place the pork into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill.

Chill Chart

Pork	Beef/Lamb	Chicken	Vegetables	Tofu (no oil)
4-8 hrs Up to 24 hrs	6-8 hrs Up to 24 hrs	1-4 hours Up to 12 hrs	20 min – 2 hrs Up to 4 hrs	20 min – 4 hrs Up to 12 hrs

* If you’re grilling or broiling, you could definitely brush once with extra marinade when you flip the skewers.

Peanut Sauce
based on this recipe from Tyler Florence

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup hot water

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, slowly pour the hot water to thin out the sauce. Thin to desired consistency.

Muhammara

This is one of those dishes that I saw on many blogs and really wanted to make. I never ended up making it during the summer. But I did roast and freeze a ton of red peppers. So for New Year's I pulled them out and finally made the muhammara!

I liked the dip but quite honestly I liked it better before the bread crumbs. THe chips you see in the picture are wontons dipped in an oil and soy sauce mixture and baked until crispy.

Muhammara
adaped from this recipe.

2 cups roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses*
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor blend together the peppers, the bread crumbs, the walnuts, the garlic, the lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses, the cumin, the red pepper flakes, and salt to taste until the mixture is smooth and with the motor running add the oil gradually.

* the pomegranate molasses was made by boiling down a cup of pomegranate juice with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the juice of half of a lemon. Boiled down until it thickened.

Recipes to Rival: Appetizers 2010

This months Recipes to Rival was hosted by yours truly. I chose appetizers because that's what is on a lot of people's mind come New Year's. I had a few that I was just wanting to try. I made them late in November to get ready for the challenge. But I am seriously thinking of doing the olive one again. They are absolutely delicious and wonderful for snacking on during a cocktail party.

I have two puff pastry recipes in progress as I write this post. You know after you make your own puff pastry you will never want the store bought one again. I used the store bought one for the olive recipe below because it was near Thanksgiving and with so much on my plate, pun totally intended, I thought I'd go the easy route. Ah, like, so not worth it. And c'mon don't give me that song and dance that puff pastry scares you. Honestly, if you really want puff, you can make it. It's as easy as, well, it's easier than cleaning your house. You mix up a dough, roll it, insert squared butter, fold over the butter, roll and chill. Take out roll, fold, chill. Then five more times. It's pretty time consuming but between all those rolling times there are plenty of moments to do the other things you want to do. Making those layered jello desserts is way more time consuming and messy. Wow, am I rambling?

So here are my choice appetizers.

Turkey Croquettes
(Thought for Food adapted this recipe From the Joy of Cooking: All About Chicken’s recipe for Chicken Croquettes)
This is my adaptation.
(Yield: 16 croquettes)

1/2 T butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 c shredded skinless, cooked turkey (I like to use a mix of dark and white meat for this)
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
Salt to taste
1 1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
Canola oil, for shallow frying
Lemon wedges, for serving
Salad greens, for serving

The Roux:
1 1/4 c chicken stock, warmed
1 1/2 TB butter
1 1/2 TB all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Roux: In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Turn down to low heat and cook (stirring constantly) until the roux is just slightly darkened and fragrant (about 6 minutes). Slowly whisk in the warm stock and simmer the sauce (stirring occasionally) until it’s thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small pan, heat ½ TB butter over medium-low heat; add the onion and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the onion is starting to soften and change color. In a bowl, combine the roux, cooked onions, shredded turkey, minced parsley, pepper, thyme, celery seed, breadcrumbs and salt to taste. Cover mixture and refrigerate until very cold and firm (at least 2 hours).

Put your flour and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls, and beat your eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Gather mixture into tiny balls or patties about the size of a large olive. Roll in flour first, then egg, then panko crumbs to coat.

In a large skillet, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom; preheat the oil on medium-high heat. Fry the croquettes over medium to medium-high heat until golden and crispy on both sides, then drain on a paper towel-lined plate.


Mini Pigs in a Blanket

I saw this recipe for biscuits and have been wanting to make these cute little wrapped dogs for ages. Kids usually love them. One of my children loved them (the one that doesnt like hot dogs- ha! and the other one not so much, she prefers a plain old hot dog.

Bride's Biscuits
adapted from Southern Sideboard, by the Junior League of Jackson Mississippi, 1978
*note- this is a large recipe purposely so you can use it as needed. If you are not big on biscuits or anything made with biscuits you can reduce the amounts.

5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening
2 cups buttermilk
1 package dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
5 tablespoons warm water
mini hot dogs, aka cocktail weiners

Sift dry ingredients, then cut in shortening. Add buttermilk. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add to mixture. Knead lightly. Cut squares and wrap hot dog at a diagnol.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 450F about 10 to 12 minutes. Store dough in refrigerator, pinching off as much as needed each time. It can also be frozen.

Olive Straws
I saw Michel Roux on Martha Stewart and knew I needed to make these. They are so cute!

The demonstration to make these can be found here.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/olive-straws.

All-purpose flour, for work surface
13 ounces Puff Pastry
15 large green pimento stuffed olives, about 1 1/4 inches long
1 medium egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Using a large sharp knife, cut the rectangle into a 5 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle and a 7-by-6-inch rectangle. Place both rectangles on a baking sheet and transfer to refrigerator; let chill 20 minutes.
2. Place the 5 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle on a baking sheet. Place 5 olives, end-to-end, in a straight line along the short side of the rectangle, leaving about a 5/8-inch border. Repeat process two more times to make three lines of olives.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk. Brush egg mixture on all exposed spaces between olives. Cover with the 7-by-6-inch rectangle of puff pastry, pressing the whole surface of the dough between the olives firmly with your fingertips. Transfer to refrigerator ( I think in the demonstration they said freezer); let chill 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a very sharp knife, trim edges of dough; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide straws. Lay flat-side down on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until pastry is golden and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer straws to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

To make your own rough puff pastry:
recipe from Martha Stewart- click here.

Makes 2 pounds, 10 ounces.

1 pound 2 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 pound 2 ounces very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup ice-cold water

1. Mound flour in center of a large work surface, and make a well in the middle; place butter and salt in well.
2. Using your fingertips, mix ingredients together in the well. Using the fingertips of your other hand, slowly incorporate flour, beginning with inner rim of well. When cubes of butter have become small pieces and dough is grainy, gradually add ice water until fully incorporated, taking care not to overwork the dough. Roll dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle. Fold the short ends over the middle (like a letter) to make three layers. This is called the first turn.
4. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll away from you into another 16-by-8-inch rectangle. Fold again into 3 layers; this is called the second turn. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat process in steps 3 and 4 to create the third and fourth turns. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days, before using. Dough may also be kept, frozen, for up to 4 months.

Asian Flavored Crab Cakes

These will delight you. Not just because they taste great but because everything can be done in advance. The only thing you have to do when you are ready to eat them is to pop them in the oven. That is my kind of entertaining.

Happy New Years everyone!

Asian Flavored Crab Cakes
adapted from this recipe.

16 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoons wasabi powder
zest of one lime
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons panko crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs

Flake crabmeat with a fork in a medium bowl; stir in mayonnaise, scallions, soy sauce, wasabi, and zest. Stir in 2 tablespoons panko crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap; chill 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and pepper; set aside.
In a small bowl, beat eggs with 1 tablespoon water; set aside.
In a shallow bowl, stir together sesame seeds and breadcrumbs. Form one tablespoon crab mixture into a ball; dip in seasoned flour. Flatten into a cake. Build up sides a little and rounding it out. Repeat with remaining crab mixture. Dip cakes in egg mixture, then roll in breadcrumb mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add half the crab cakes; cook, turning once, until golden and crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towel-lined plates to drain. Repeat with remaining cakes, adding more oil if needed. Let cool completely.

Transfer crab cakes to a baking sheet. Freeze (uncovered) until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container; freeze until ready to use, up to 6 weeks. To serve, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the crab cakes on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake until heated through, 10 to 14 minutes.

On New Years Eve, I will garnish these with pickled ginger as the recipe suggests.

Dippity Do Dah

Dips to me are one of those fun foods like meat on a stick or potstickers. Throw some homemade crackers next to it and wow but if you are in a hurry certainly store bought crackers work very well too. Really they are just a vehicle to get that dip into your mouth.
This is almost the same recipe as the one I received as part of the jam exchange. Here is the recipe:

Tomato Jam with a kick!

5 pound of ripened tomatoes, roma is the best but others will do
1 teaspoon chili pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
3 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt*

Combine all of the ingredients in a large sauce pan or a soup pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Let it cook down. When most of the liquid has evaporated start to stir almost constantly as it is prone to sticking at this point. You want the mixture to drop of the spoon in chunks rather than drips. It will also become glossy near the end.

*If you are canning, it is important to use kosher salt or salt that does NOT contain iodine.

While this one is not so pretty, it is tastey. Mine comes out different every time. The key to great flavor is in the roasting.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Split eggplant in half. Place skin isde up on a baking sheet. Roast in a 375 F oven until it is soft. When you touch it with a wooden spoon it should depress. Remove from oven and let cool so that you are bale to handle it comfortably.

In a processor, mince the garlic. Add eggplant, yogurt, tahini, salt and olive oil. Regrigerate. Mixture will set up quite a bit after it has been refrigerated.


Lemon Clam Dip

2 cans minced clams, drained, reserving juice
1 - 2 tablespoon of reserved juice from the clams
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sour cream

Beat cream cheese and mix in sour cream, tabasco, salt and pepper, lemon juice and clam juice. For a thicker dip skip the juice or reduce them. Fold in chives, garlic and minced clams. Refrigerate to set at least an hour or so before using. For best results let dip sit overnight to develop the flavors.