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October 28, 2015

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Appetizers, Salads

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Shrimp Ceviche

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Anyone looking for a simple, healthy(ish), refreshing snack?  I was and had just bought some shrimp the other day, so I decided to make this recipe. I actually found this recipe sitting in my work’s lounge in a binder that was promoting healthier lifestyles/habits/eating (I work for a hospital) and while most of the recipes were a bunch of different salads (boring…) this one actually stood out to me. I don’t have the actual recipe as I kind of saw the ingredients and riffed off that, so here goes.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb peeled shrimp
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 small/1 large avocado, pitted and cut into small cubes
  • 2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
  • cilantro, chopped
  • juice of 5 limes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • In a pan over medium heat, add a tsp of oil and cook the shrimp thoroughly
  • Cut the shrimp into small pieces and place in a large bowl
  • Add the onion, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro and mix
  • Add the lime juice and mix
  • Salt and pepper to taste and mix again
  • Refrigerate for ~15 minutes before eating
  • Eat with tortilla chips or by itself (could potentially be a salad I suppose)
  • Enjoy!

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October 7, 2015

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Salads

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Corn and Asparagus Salad

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Since living in Fresno, it has been really hot, something that I am definitely not used to coming from the Bay.  I have also been trying to be healthier…”trying.”  I have been making a lot salads recently, but man salads suck.  So this one involves asparagus and corn, which let’s be honest, is so much better than lettuce.  I got the recipe from food network and Paula Deen.  Don’t worry though, there’s no butter in it.  It turned out pretty good, but you definitely don’t need all the dressing that this recipe makes.

Ingredients:

  • 6 ears of yellow corn, shucked
  • 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup basli, chiffonade
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

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Directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the corn for ~3 minutes
  • Pull the corn out and place in an ice bath
  • Blanch the asparagus in the same boiling water for ~1 minute
  • Pull out the asparagus and place in ice bath
  • Remove the kernels of the corn using a knife
  • Cut the asparagus into ~1in pieces
  • Place asparagus and corn in a bowl, along with the basil and onion
  • For the dressing, mix the sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl
  • Drizzle some of the dressing over the asparagus, corn, onion and basil until well coated
  • Mix thoroughly and serve!
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August 14, 2015

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Drinks

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Strawberry-Basil Lemonade

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Hey guys! So I recently moved to Fresno, CA, where it is ridiculously hot – like 100 degrees at 5pm hot, which is crazy. So I thought I would cool off and make myself a good, old-fashioned, lemonade because there are really few things better. But this time I also thought maybe I’d spice things up a bit. Also because I had some left over strawberries that I needed to use.  I really did not have any recipe and have no idea if this is bogus or complete bs, but it tasted good even if I ended up eating the strawberry chunks.

Ingredients:

  • Water
  • lemons
  • strawberries
  • sugar
  • basil

I made the lemonade by squeezing 2 fresh lemons and mixing it with a couple cups of water.  This turned out to be way too tart obviously, so I added sugar until there was still some tartness, but not too bad (I figured I would get added sugar with the strawberries).  Then I cut up the strawberries and basil as finely as I could and threw them in.  Added a few cubes of ice and viola! Enjoy the rest of what little summer we have left people!

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August 7, 2015

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Meat

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Hawaiian Hoisin Spare Ribs and Pineapple Slaw

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Hey, so it’s been awhile (2 months) since I have last posted, which when I think about it is a really long time. It’s not like I haven’t cooked in 2 months, but I guess nothing worthwhile?  This is a recipe I did awhile back and it turned out really well.  I got the recipe for the ribs here and made both the ribs and the slaw.  They complement each other nicely with the citrus and crispness of the slaw to contrast the sweet and savory of the ribs.  However, for the slaw, the recipe requires a lot of ingredients so I left a lot of things out, which didn’t detract from it at all IMO. Also, this requires a lot of stereotypical Asian ingredients, so thankfully I have most of this at home. But if you don’t, it does require a lot.

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Ingredients:

Ribs:

  • 5 lbs spareribs/baby back ribs
  • 1 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup chicken broth

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Slaw:

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onion/scallion
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups diced pineapple
  • 1 cup julienned red pepper
  • red and green cabbage shredded (I used the premade slaw mix from the market)

Directions:

  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the hoisin, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes
  • Bring to a boil and let simmer until a thick glaze. Remove from heat and let cool
  • @ 275 degrees, place a wire rack in a large baking dish and pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the dish
  • salt and pepper the ribs on both sides, wrap in foil, and place on baking rack
  • Wrap the whole pan in foil and bake for 1-1.5 hours
  • Let the ribs cool for ~15 min and then drizzle/coat the ribs with the glaze
  • Broil for ~5 min making sure not to burn the glaze
  • After removing the ribs and letting stand, drizzle a little more glaze
  • For the slaw, whisk together the honey, vinegar, and soy sauce
  • Slowly add the oils while whisking, and then add the cilantro, peppers, and green onions
  • Add salt and pepper to taste
  • In a bowl, mix the cabbage (or premade mix) and the pineapples
  • Toss in the dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve
  • Enjoy!

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June 3, 2015

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Fish, Recipes

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Black Bean Fish

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Hi everyone. So it has been awhile again. I actually didn’t realize how long it has been since I last posted. The other day I made a Chinese style black bean fish that came out pretty good.  It’s a dish I have never made and rarely order when I go out to a restaurant due to the usually awful ratio of onions and bell peppers to fish.  But, when you make it, you get to control things like that so it all works out.  I got the recipe from here.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb sole fish fillet cut into pieces and marinate with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch (I used Swai fillets)
  • 2 tablespoon Lee Kam Kee black bean sauce
  • 1 small onion (quartered)
  • 1 small green bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 5 slices fresh ginger
  • 1/8 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/8 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp water

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Instructions:

  • In a wok, add some cooking oil over medium heat
  • Add the onion, bell pepper, and ginger and fry until cooked and aromatic
  • Add the fish, fish sauce, sesame oil and black bean sauce and stir-fry until fish is cooked
  • Add the corn starch to thicken the sauce and stir in the green onions
  • Serve with rice
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April 25, 2015

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Appetizers, Meat

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Shiny Crispy Chicken Wings

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My mom gave me a Chinese cookbook a while back, but I have never actually opened it or used it. Now I cook a lot of run of the mill Chinese food, using a lot of pre-made sauces thanks to Lee Kum Kee. However, this time I decided to open the book and try a chicken recipe. This recipe is called “Shiny Chicken” and I was hesitant because of the name, but it actually turned out pretty well. It can be used as an appetizer, or serve it with some rice and call it a main dish.  However you want to do it! Have a crack at it and let me know what you think.

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 chicken, or chicken wings/legs
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce, separated
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • t tsp sesame oil
  • oil for frying

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Directions

  • Wash and dry the chicken
  • Rub the chicken with 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
  • Combine the green onion, ginger, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce in a bowl and set aside
  • Heat a wok and add the oil to fry (or use a deep fryer if you got one)
  • Fry the chicken wings until skin is golden and crispy (and the meat is cooked)
  • Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and feast!

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April 15, 2015

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Fish, Recipes

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Baked Honey Cod

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I have been trying to eat healthier recently.  More salads, fruit, and fish.  It is not really easy since i like meat so much, but it hasn’t been all bad either. I came across this recipe for a honey baked cod on Yahoo! Food that was taken from another blog and it seemed easy and delicious.  Turns out it is quite easy and tasty, but I couldn’t get the dark caramelization that they show in the picture. I am not convinced that you can get that by baking it. I think you have to broil it, but hey, I just followed the recipe on this one (kind of).

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup honey
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup sesame oil (seemed excessive but who knows)
  • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tsp freshly chopped ginger
  • 4 to 6 oz cod fillets

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Directions

  • Combine all the ingredients in a bag and marinate the cod for 24 hours (my slight change was I marinated it for ~5hrs)
  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and bake for ~8 min
  • Enjoy a nice healthy meal

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April 9, 2015

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Appetizers, Salads

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Caprese Salad

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Congratulations Jenn for getting into MBA school. As a celebration, I told her I would cook her something, and lo and behold she requested a salad…boring right? Well she also requested to have mozzarella cheese incorporated some how, so I immediately thought of a caprese salad. Now I have never made a caprese salad before, but was shocked how simple it really is. It’s not exactly my fave salad though, so maybe thats why. But interestingly enough, I told my sister what I was doing and she said she LOVED caprese salad…who knew? Definitely not me lol.  Anyways here it is!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 3 tomatoes on a vine, sliced
  • Fresh basil
  • Salt
  • Fresh cracked pepper
  • EVOO

Directions

  • Layer the slices of cheese and tomatoes with a basil leaf in between
  • Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked pepper
  • Drizzle EVOO over
  • You can also add balsamic vinegar or a reduction to the dish but I chose not to
  • Eat this super refreshing salad

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April 3, 2015

Posted under

Pasta & Noodles, Sides

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Glass Noodles with Pork

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I have been posting a lot of meat recently, well it seems that way anyway. So today I made a simple Chinese dish that my mom showed me how to make – glass noodles with minced pork. They are also referred to as cellophane noodles and are usually made of starch or beans and water.  I had a package of these glass noodles laying around from before and I know you can get them at most Asian markets, but I don’t know about regular grocery stores. I have never actually looked, but I assume they would be cheaper at Asian markets anyways. So this recipe comes courtesy of my mom and she gave me ingredients but no measurements, so nothing is exact as I am purely guessing/approximating what I used. But all in all, its fairly fast and easy and makes a nice side dish.

Ingredients

  • 8oz pkg of glass noodles
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chili paste/chili oil or to taste
  • 3/4 cup dark soy sauce, separated
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 4 cups of water or until softened
  • 3 green onions, chopped

Recipe:

  • Marinate the ground pork in 1/2 cup of dark soy sauce
  • Saute the pork with the garlic and chili paste in a wok or large sauce pan over medium heat
  • Add the glass noodles to the wok and add ~3 cups of water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and sesame oil
  • Add more water if the noodles are still absorbing it (they soak up a lot)
  • Top with green onions and enjoy

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March 26, 2015

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Meat

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Red Wine Roasted Chicken

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Like I said in a previous post, I pretty much spend free time trolling Yahoo Food and other food blogs/sites.  I came across this one for a roast chicken recipe and it looked good and easy, so I thought I would do it.  I have tried this dish twice now, and I have to say, the first time, I wouldn’t call a disaster, but it definitely didn’t turn out well.  Thankfully, I stuck with it and it was much better the 2nd go around.  A few of the flaws that arose were I didn’t use any potatoes and I also had way more chicken than the original recipe had.  As it turns out, you need those potatoes to soak up some of that water, and when you have about 2x as much chicken as the recipe calls for, it also takes a lot longer to cook.  Who woulda thunk?  Anyways, the 2nd time, I was much better about what I was doing ad while I still didn’t use potatoes, I put in less water and had a much better turn out. I think the one downfall this time around though was that it came out a little too oily in the vegetables from both the water and the chicken juice.

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Ingredients:

  • ⅔ cup red wine
  • 6 tbsp/100 g tomato paste
  • 3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
  • 3 sprigs marjoram, leaves picked, or ½ tsp dried
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I used chicken leg quarters)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 18 oz/500 g baby potatoes, washed (Didn’t do that)
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • 6 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
  • ½ cup water

Directions

  • Mix the wine, tomato paste, marjoram, thyme, and red wine vinegar
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper
  • Place the chicken in a plastic ziploc bag and pour the sauce over the chicken
  • Shake the bag to make sure each piece is well coated and let marinate for at least 30 minutes (I did about 2 hours)
  • Make a bed of vegetables at the bottom of a large baking dish/tray and pour in the water
  • Place the chicken pieces over the vegetables (skin side up) and pour the remainder of the marinade over the chicken
  • Cover with foil and roast in the oven for ~30 min at 400 degrees
  • Uncover the chicken and baste with cooking liquid and roast again uncovered for another ~15 minutes (I had to go ~30min)
  • Pour yourself a nice glass of red wine and enjoy!

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