Out of hiatus, for now.

Hello!!!
Sorry for the hiatus on my cuisine. I have had very little time and energy to cook, unfortunately. However, I had the desire to concoct an interesting asian inspired dish tonight! I like to call it "pad thai spring rolls". They aren't really spring rolls, and they don't really have pad thai in them, but the taste is very reminiscent of pad thai. Anyways!! Here's the recipe that I created:

2 massive chicken breasts
4 tbsp olive oil
1/8 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 large carrot grated
a couple leaves of lettuce

bean or rice vermicelli, prepared to the package instructions
rice paper for wrapping the rolls

Cut the chicken into either strips or chunks, cook in the oil on med-high heat. Once cooked most of the way through, add the fish sauce, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Allow to simmer at low-med heat until chicken is finished cooking and then add the peas. Place a lid on and allow to cook at low until peas are tender. Can add 1/2 cup water if needed to increase the amount of sauce. Turn off the heat, strain peas and chicken from the sauce and place in a separate bowl. Retain the sauce in the pan.

Prepare the vermicelli according to instructions, and then place strained noodles into the retained sauce and stir.

Prepare (one at a time) the rice paper according to instructions on package.

Lay rice paper flat, then place a piece of lettuce, some shredded carrot, a few pieces of chicken and some peas, and then a generous portion of the noodles onto the rice paper, then wrap it up! There you have it, an easy "pad thai spring roll". I made my rolls quite large, so I had 8 when I was done. You can easily make more by limiting the chicken and noodles. Just depends on what you like!!!

Enjoy!!!

Indian Butter Chicken

Hello all my fellow foodies :)

Last weekend I chose to make Indian Butter Chicken. My boyfriend's mom was down visiting us and she's all gung-ho for my cuisine project, so I figured I'd try making something that I have made and eaten many times in the past, but have always just used the jarred sauce. I found a recipe on allrecipes.org, but I changed it around a decent amount to make it my own. I hope you guys enjoy it, I know I sure did!! This is probably one of the yummiest recipes I have made so far. It's pretty easy to make, and doesn't take that long to cook! Let me know how you guys enjoy it!!

Chicken Makhani (Indian butter chicken)

1 tbsp peanut oil (omitted, used olive oil instead)
1 shallot, finely chopped (omitted)
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp garam masala (garam just refers to the level of heat, I used a pre-mixed Indian Masala for this recipe)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used 1/2 PC greek yogurt, 0% fat)
1 cup half and half (I used 1 1/4 cup 18%)
1 cup tomato puree (I used tomato sauce)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch salt, pinch pepper
I also put in about 2 tbsp fenugreek seeds, added a wonderful flavour!!!

1 tbsp peanut oil (omitted, used olive oil instead)
3-4 chicken breasts (thighs of the same weight amount can be used too), cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp Indian Masala
1 pinch cayenne
1 tbsp cornstarch combined with 1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, sautee the onion until soft. Add butter, lemon juice, ginger and garlic, masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook and stir for one minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook/stir for another 2 minutes. Add yogurt and cream, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Heat oil in large frying pan or skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until lightly browned. Reduce heat and season with masala and cayenne. Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced and chicken is cooked. Stir this into the sauce that was set aside.
 Add the cornstarch and water mixture into the sauce and cook until thickened, 5-10 minutes.

Served over rice. I should have made up some pappadums to go with it, but I totally forgot I even had any!! Definitely a must for the next time I make it. It was so good I'm actually tempted to make it again this weekend!! But I shouldn't, I should go for another nationality.

Please, let me know how this recipes goes for you, if you like it, if you'd change anything. I like input!!

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!!

Moroccan Chicken

Hello my fellow foodies!!

A couple of weeks ago I was having a hard time deciding where I wanted to cook from, and while I was perusing my photo albums on my computer I noticed that I had taken a picture of a recipe for Moroccan chicken. Upon reading the ingredient list I realized that I had everything I needed for the most part, and could easily omit the items I didn't have. It's an easy dish to make and very very tasty. Makes great leftovers as well!! Once again, I'll post the pictures to this post once I get them off my phone.

3 Boneless chicken breasts
1 large onion
4 cloves or garlic, minced
1 tsp each of cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg (nutmeg was omitted as my other half doesn't like it)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1 tbsp liquid honey
3 carrots thinly sliced
1 cup couscous (I used rice instead as couscous doesn't like me)
4 green onions (omitted)


Slice onion into thin wedges and stir in a large frying pan with garlic, spices, broth, juice and honey and add the carrots. Place chicken on top and boil gently over med-high heat, uncovered until onion is softened (approx 10 minutes). Turn chicken halfway through. Partially cover and reduce heat to med-low. Simmer, turning chicken occasionally until it is cooked all the way through (25-ish minutes). Remove chicken to plate and cover with tinfoil. Stir in rice, and add juice and broth as needed until rice is cooked, and then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Serve.

It was a DELICIOUS meal. Just make sure your actually adding orange juice and not orange DRINK. I made the mistake of buying Minute Maid orange drink thinking it was juice. It still tasted good in the meal, but I think the actual juice would be that much better!!

Thanks for reading, and happy cooking! Next post: Butter Chicken :)

Good Greek Eats!!!

Hello my fellow foodies!! I apologize in the delay of my blog posts. Life has been incredibly busy and I've also been under the weather. But FINALLY I am able to post some of the creations I've been making :) For the first in this series of posts, I'll talk about the Greek dinner I made. Moussaka and traditional greek salad.

Moussaka:
3 eggplants (two if your using the large ones) cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp butter
ground black pepper
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp (total) of oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten

sauce:
4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter (reduced from the original recipe)
6 tbsp flour (I used amaranth flour for the gluten free part)
salt and pepper

1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp nutmeg (omitted)

Place eggplant slices on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. let dry 30 minutes and then broil in oven until they are lightly browned on both sides. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown the ground beef, and then add salt, pepper, onion, garlic during the browning process. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg, herbs and parsley. Combine well. Pour in tomato sauce and wine. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and stir in the egg. Set aside.

To make the beschamel sauce: the initial recipe says to scald the milk. I don't know what that means so I skipped that step.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Reduce heat, and gradually pour in the milk whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9X13 baking dish. Cover eggplant with all the meat mixture and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining eggplant and sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan. Pour the beschamel sauce over the cheese, sprinkle with nutmeg (optional) and the remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 1 hour (I baked an additional 5 minutes).

I highly recommend letting it sit for about 10 minutes before serving as it is quite runny coming out of the oven. I made the mistake of cutting into it right off the bat and ending up with a meaty-eggplanty stew instead of a well formed piece of Moussaka. That being said, it was still quite delicious.

Now onto the salad (nice and simple to make!)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tomatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/2 cucumber ( I used a whole cucumber)
1/2 green onion (I omitted)
feta cheese
kalamata olives

put olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, peppers and oregano into a jar and shake well. Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl, pour in dressing. Toss and serve.

I LOVED the salad. It tasted so light and healthy, and I had enough for a few days. It kept very well as there was no lettuce to get soggy.
I got both of these recipes from epicurious, but altered them a little bit for my liking. I hope you enjoy them!!! I will post pictures up once I get them off my phone :) My next post will be Moroccan Chicken!!

Thanks for reading and happy cooking! :)

Italian, cheesecake, Vietnamese, OH MY!!

Hello all my food-loving friends!!! I hope everyone is doing well and eating lots of good food. This weekend I made up for my lack of international cuisine last weekend by making two international dishes, plus a cheese cake. My boyfriend is italian, and his birthday was this week so I spoiled him by making an Italian dish and cheesecake on Friday. Allow me to start with dessert first!

Gluten Free Marble Cheesecake
1 1/2 cups gluten free graham crackers smashed into small pieces and crumbs
6 tbsp butter, softened
1-2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 ounces)
2 pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into the bottom of a pie dish, preferably glass/pyrex. Bake for 10 minutes.
Melt chocolate either in microwave or in my case double boiler until smooth. I also added approx. 2 tbsp of cream to keep it smooth.
Combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of mixture and combine that with the chocolate in a separate bowl.
Spread plain batter into crust. Add chocolate mixture in random spots and swirl with a knife to create marbled effect.
Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. I actually ended up baking it for closer to 40 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight before serving.

SOOOOOO yummy!!! The crust ended up tasting almost like a caramel-butterscotch candy layer instead of a crust. I don't know if it had to do with the gluten free crackers and the quantity of butter, but it was amazing.

Now onto the main meal for that day.

I made a delicious pasta alfredo with prosciutto and pancetta with a side of prosciutto wrapped asparagus and peppers.

Alfredo pasta (made with gluten free corn pasta)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
2.5 cups cream (whatever fat content you chose, I used 18%) and milk (total, not separate)
1 tsp grated lemon zest (I had to use lemon juice)
200g chopped prosciutto
100g chopped pancetta
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped
4-5 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 package pasta
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp salt, pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic

Over medium heat in a large skillet heat oil. Add onion and garlic, sautee until tender.
Stir in cream and milk and lemon. Cook and stir for about a minute, and remove from heat.
Prepare pasta according to instructions. Cook until just tender. Drain.
Return skillet to medium heat, add pancetta, prosciutto, herbs, and parmesan. Allow to cook for a minute or two, season with salt and pepper. Add pasta. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Just before preparing this meal, preheat oven to 350 or 375, wrap asparagus and pepper slices with prosciutto and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until starts to brown at the edges.

I really enjoyed this meal. The pasta is a heavy, rich dish so it's only really a treat, but definitely heavenly.

Now onto the meal I made today!!! Today I went for Vietnamese, mostly because I seem to just have an obsession with asian food and also because I purchased a bunch of Basa fillets and since I know that Basa is a vietnamese fish, it would be smart to do todays international meal based on that theme. I found a lovely simple recipe for Vietnamese fish simmered in caramel sauce (Ca Kho To). The recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 lb Basa fillet (or other dense white fish) cut into 4 inch pieces
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
4 shallots (in my case, 1 small white onion, didn't have any shallots in my fridge) thinly sliced
2 small green chilies, chopped
1 2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced or julienned, grated would probably work as well
ground black pepper

In heavy 2 quart saucepan, cook sugar over low-med heat swirling pan and/or stirring regularly until sugar is brown and caramelized.
Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce. I was concerned at this stage because it smoked a lot and made a candy "crust". But it all worked out. Read on.
Return to low heat and gently boil while stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.
Stir in shallots (onion), chili, ginger and fish. Sprinkle with peppers.
Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cover pan. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, turning fish occasionally and carefully.
Serve over rice.

I apologize for the quality of the pictures of this meal. The first one is just after I added the fish, so it was still raw. The second was after my boyfriend and I had dug in, and the third one is obvious haha! I also served it with roasted broccoli and asparagus with salt, pepper and garlic powder and olive oil. Yumm!!!

I hope you all enjoy these recipes!! Any suggestions on alterations or other recipes would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks everyone, and happy cooking!

Pad Thai and Beef Rendang.

Hello fellow foodies :) I apologize for the lengthy delay in my posting of recipes. I've been a busy gal, and the time I have had to post, I've just been lazy. That being said, I have the recipes from last week and the week before for this week's post.

Two weeks ago I made an old favorite: Pad Thai. Super simple, I didn't even follow a recipe from a cookbook. I just went from memory from prior batches.
1 package vermicelli (I use Rooster brand, made of bean starch)
1 sm onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 chicken breast, or 1 lb shrimp (cooked or raw, whichever you prefer)
1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1-2 eggs (depending on how much chicken or shrimp you use)
2 tbsp tamarind sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce

Cook vermicelli according to directions (or with Rooster, boil water, add vermicelli, boil 1 minute, turn off burner and keep noodles in water until just barely cooked through)
In wok (or deep frying pan) sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. Add chicken (or raw shrimp) and cook through. Add vermicelli and peanut butter. Stir. Add tamarind sauce and soy sauce. Push all to the side of pan or wok and crack in egg(s). let eggs cook most of the way through, and then mix in with all other ingredients in pot. If using pre-cooked shrimp, add now. Remove from heat, top with green onion and cilantro for garnish.
I know this recipe is not authentic as it's missing some vital ingredients such as tofu and peanut oil and probably a few other things. But it's a nice easy throw together recipe. If you have any suggestions, I'd gladly accept them.


Beef Rendang - Indonesia.
This recipe I got courtesy of friends of my boyfriend's family.

3 lbs beef (either steak or roast meat, I used roast)
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger
4 sm chilies (recipe calls for red, I had green on hand so used those)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp tumeric
2 tbsp tamarind sauce
10 curry leaves
1 stem lemon grass (couldn't find fresh, so got stuff in a bottle, used about 2 tsp)
2 cans coconut milk.

Remove fat from beef and cut into cubes, place in deep pot (or deep frying pan). In food processor, blend onions, garlic, ginger, chilies and water. I also added the coriander as I have whole coriander seeds instead of ground coriander). Blend until smooth, add mixture to beef. Add tamarind sauce, tumeric, curry leaves and lemongrass. Mix until everything is evenly combined, add coconut milk and stir. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer over medium heat, UNCOVERED for approx an hour, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to very low, simmer for another 30 minutes (I simmered another hour), stirring frequently until meat is very very tender. Serve over rice or potatoes ( I chose rice). Suggested to serve with Raita - sliced cucumber, pat dry and sprinkle with salt. let sit 30 minutes and toss with plain yogurt.

I Really enjoyed this meal. The biggest thing I noticed though was that I needed to add some extra tamarind sauce. Another thing I noticed is that the dish smells AMAZING, but on day one the flavour isn't really there, as in it's still good, but the flavour isn't the same as it smells. However, given a day or two to sit in the fridge the flavours merry and boy oh boy... is it ever an amazing dish!!! I highly recommend giving it a try. I will post a picture once I get it off my phone.

Thanks for reading!! Happy cooking :)

Mexicano!! Enjoy some Enchiladas!

Greetings to all my foodie friends!! Here's the latest instalment of my project. Today I thought I'd give some mexican food a go, but nothing like that Tex-Mex stuff. I made chicken and steak enchiladas this time around. I must say, they turned out FANTASTIC!! I will definitely be making these again, and I'll definitely experiment with other fillings such as beans or maybe try some seafood enchiladas. The recipe for the one I made today is a variation of a recipe I found on the website www.mexicanfoodrecipes.org.

6 large tortillas (original recipe called for 12 corn tortillas)
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (recipe calls for 3), shredded
1 small to medium sized stead (I used it as there was leftovers instead of the 3rd chicken breast)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted this as I didn't have any and forgot to purchase some)
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 med onion, minced (recipe calls for 3/4 cup)
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese ( I eyeballed it)
1/3 cup chopped green chilies (recipes calls for 4 oz)
1/4 cup butter (salted)
1/4 cup all purpose flours

Please note: If using the corn tortillas, they will need to be fried for 5 seconds per side in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil until pliable, drained on paper towel and kept warm.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine shredded chicken, steak, 10 oz of cheese and minced onions and divide between the tortillas. Roll/wrap tortillas and place in baking dish seam side down. Set aside.
Melt butter in pan over medium heat, then add flour. Whisk until boiling and add chicken broth. Stir continously. Add chilies and sour cream. Stir continuously, do not allow to boil. Once thoroughly heated through, pour mixture over enchiladas and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove, top with remaining cheese and green onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes.  If so desired, sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with a smile and a Mojito.

I throughly enjoyed this meal. It's fairly easy to make, and absolutely delish!! It's a little heavy, so I think the next time I make it I'll have to wait for a cooler day, or use this as a winter meal. But I'd have to say... SUCCESS!!

Thanks for reading, and happy cooking!