Mexican Chicken with Cumin and Garlic

This same night I decided to attempt some Mexican chicken as well because I had no idea if either would taste good. This is also from: Anne Lindsay's New Light Cooking, and tasted just as nice although I don't like chicken much. This recipe was also doubled.

Ingredients:
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lb skinless chicken pieces
3 cloves garlic minced
2 whole cloves (optional)
2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or parsley

Directions: Combine cumin, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken on all sides. Sprinkle cumin mixture over chicken; add 1 cup water, garlic, whole cloves, and lemon juice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard cloves. Remove chicken and keep warm. Boil remaining liquid for about 5 minutes or until reduced to about 1/4 cup is left. Stir in coriander. Spoon over chicken. Serve.

Changes: I did not really make changes to this recipe apart from using olive oil, ignoring the whole cloves and choosing the parsley and lemon juice.

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

My sister had a panic attack that out family was eating unhealthy so she bought the cook book: Anne Lindsay's New Light Cooking, which I decided to give a whirl tonight. I am so happy, it was good.

Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
1 pkg cheese tortellini
1 can undiluted chicken broth
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables and/or corn
3 green onions chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: In large saucepan bring 4 cups water, garlic and Italian seasoning to boil over high heat. Add tortellini, stirring; return to boil. Reduce heat an simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add undiluted broth, frozen vegetables, green onions and mushrooms; simmer for about 5 minutes until tortellini is tender and vegetables are hot. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

Changes:  I foregoed the mushrooms and green onions. I added both mixed vegetables and corn. Also, I doubled the entire recipe because we had guests.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

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These Muffins make a good healthy snack! I found the recipe here. The only changes I made was not making the maple cream cheese spread because that would defeat the purpose of making it healthy.

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnut halves
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
Maple Cream Cheese Spread:
• 1/2 pkg (8oz/250 g pkg) cream cheese or light cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) icing sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) vanilla

Preparation

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or grease; set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves and nutmeg; mix in 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the walnuts.

In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree oil and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Bake in centre of 375°F (190°C) oven until golden and tops are firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool. (Make-ahead: Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

Maple Cream Cheese Spread: In bowl, beat cream cheese until light; beat in icing sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until blended. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)Serve muffins with spread.

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Sandwich

This may sound kind of strange tasting but it was actually pretty good! I decided to find a recipe that I had never tried before and it ended up turning out pretty good. I found the recipe here.
It was really quick and easy to make, it took me around 5 minutes total.


Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated orange zest
• 2 slices of thin whole-wheat bread
• 2 medium strawberries, sliced

Instructions:

1. Combine cream cheese, honey and orange zest in a bowl. Spread bread with the cheese mixture. Place sliced strawberries on 1 piece of bread, top with the other.

Nutrition (per serving):

128 calories; 4 g fat ( 2 g sat , 1 g mono ); 8 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 2 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 191 mg sodium; 63 mg potassium.

Changes:

I wouldn't change anything, I think it tasted really well.

 

Kale Chips

I normally just do my own thing when I make kale chips, so I tried to find a recipe closest to how I do them! Here it is! (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-kale-chips/#&panel1-2)

Kale Chips 

(makes approximately 6 servings) 

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
1 tbsp olive oil (I use grape seed oil)
1 tsp seasoned salt


Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Mock Asian Noodles

I like to make Asian-ish style noodles at my house when we have vermicelli, and that's exactly what I did here. I don't get the recipe from anywhere I just throw together what I like. I tried to measure as I went along so I could invent a recipe.

Mock Asian Noodles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
3 stalks of chopped celery
4 scrambled eggs
2 cups chopped mushrooms
250g brown rice vermicelli
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp grape seed oil (or olive oil if you prefer)

Instructions:
Leave water to boil in a pot. Chop the carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Then saute the chopped ingredients. After they are mostly sauted set them aside in a dish. Put the vermicelli noodles in the boiling water and put in the oil (so the noodles don't stick). Scramble the eggs and chop them with the spatula to your preferred size of pieces. Add to the sauted ingredients to the eggs in the pan. Add 1 tbsp of soya sauce. Drain the vermicelli noodles and add them to the pan. Add the other 2 tbsp of soya sauce 1 at  time. Mix the ingredients and let them cook together for a few minutes. Enjoy.

Tuna Casserole

The recipe for tuna casserole I found here.Once again the tuna lured me in, and I only had to change up a few ingredients to feast on my fish.

Ingredients: 
8 ounces egg noodles
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 chopped small onion
1 tsp black pepper
1 can tuna (with juice)

Directions: Boil the noodles. Preheat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, reserving half the cheese. Place mixture in a 4 serving casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve.

Changes: The changes that occurred during this cooking experience were with the choices of food. For the noodles I used a little over 1 cup of rotini. Instead of cream of celery soup I used the broccoli alternative. For grated cheese I sprinkled more over the top. I neglected to put celery or onion in my casserole because of their revolting taste, however I sprinkled a large amount of onion powder into it. Lastly I admit i drained the tuna without thinking about it. BUT I promise this one actually tastes good.

Also is anyone REALLY desires to see the outcome, I have photos on my phone but I lost the connector so I can't download them. This applies for my other recipes as well. I will not repeat this message.

Crepes

I found the recipe here, This was super easy to make and it was delicious. 
Ingredients 
2 eggs
1 cup milk 
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil  

Combine all the Ingredients and process it until smooth, put in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After the hour is done Pour 1/4 cup into a skillet and cook for 2 to 5, turn once until golden brown. 

Yogurt drops

I found this on pinterest and thought this was perfect for our blog. 

Flavored yogurt into a plastic bag. Squeeze dots onto cookie sheet 

and place in freezer. ready in about an hour.

Lasagna

Lasagna

I found this recipes in one of my Mom's cookbook.
1 Small Onion
1 1/4 lb hamburger
28 oz can tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder and salt
1 Tbsp parsely flacks
9 lasagna noodles ( oven ready)
1/2 lb cheese shredded
500 g cottage cheese
parmesan cheese, optional

Brown hamburger with chopped onion, Add all of the tomatoes and sauces also add all the species. Let is simmer for a 1/2 hour. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, if not oven ready. layer sauce, cottage cheese, noodles and cheese, continue until finished  Sprinkle with parmesan
 cheese. Bake for 1/2 hour at 350 F 

Curry Bacon Stir-Fry

http://www.pork.co.nz/recipes/pork-curry-stir-fry/

• 500g NZ Trim Pork fillet or trim pork leg rump steaks cut into strips
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 - 4 tbsp curry paste
• 1 green pepper deseeded and diced
• 400g can tomatoes in juice, chopped
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander or parsley

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
2. Add the onion and cook 2 - 3 minutes until soft.
3. Add the pork and curry paste and cook 2 - 3 minutes.
4. Add the green pepper, tomatoes and pepper to taste.
5. Cook 1 - 2 minutes until heated through.
6. Stir in the fresh coriander.
7. Serve immediately with naan bread and curried vegetables                           I did not put all the ingredients in, i put carrot instead, and potatoes

California Roll Maki

California Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 3/4 cup imitation crab
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups Japanese rice
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)
• white sesame seeds

* you will also need a bamboo sushi mat! it looks like this:

Preparation
Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it with cold water. Repeat washing until the water becomes almost clear. Drain the rice in a colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Place the rice in rice cooker and add water. Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 minutes. Start the cooker. When rice is cooked, let it steam for about 15 minutes.

Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.

Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Please use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. It's best to use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.

Peel an avocado and cut it into strips or mash it. Tear imitation crab into a bowl and season with salt and mayonnaise. Cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. Put a sheet of dried seaweed on top of the mat. Spread a quarter portion of sushi rice on top of the nori sheet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the sushi rice. Turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed is on top. Place avocado and crab horizontally on the seaweed. Roll the bamboo mat forward, pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi. Press firmly the bamboo mat with hands, then remove the rolled sushi. Make more rolls. Wipe a knife with a wet cloth before slicing sushi. Cut the sushi roll into bite-size pieces.

Turkish food: Menemen

I found this recipe in a recipe binder at my house, so I don't know where it's originally from. It is a Turkish street food, and it tastes great! Changes I made: I used chilli powder instead of the fresh red chilli. I also used fresh tomatoes instead of the canned tomatoes.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 red onions, cut in half length ways and sliced along the grain
1 red or green (bell) pepper, halved length ways, seeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1-2 tsp Turkish red pepper, or 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and sliced
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp sugar
4 eggs
salt and ground pepper

Serves 4

Instructions
1. Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Stir in the onions, sliced pepper, garlic and Turkish red pepper or chilli and cook until they begin to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes and sugar and mix them in well. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Crack the eggs over top of the tomato mixture, cover the pan and cook until the eggs are just done.
4. Top with parsley and serve.

Chicken Fried Rice

I found this rice recipe here.  My family always orders Chinese food for special events so I thought I'd try to make some just because.  The rice was a big hit, and enjoyed by everyone.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cold cooked rice
• 8 ounces cooked chicken (or substitute cooked turkey, etc.), chopped
• 2 eggs (more if desired)
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green onion, diced
• Seasonings (add according to taste):
• Light Soy Sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:

Beat the eggs lightly with chopsticks, add a dash of salt (Add a bit of oyster sauce if desired).

Chop the chicken meat and dice the onion and green onion. 
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the wok and cook over medium heat, turning over once.  Cook the other half the same way.  Cut the egg into thin strips, and save for later.

Stir-fry the onion on high heat for a few moments, remove and set aside. Do the same for the green peas.

Add oil, turn down the heat to medium and stir-fry the rice.  Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper and oyster sauce.  Add the chicken, onion and green peas and combine thoroughly. Serve chicken fried rice with the strips of egg on top and the green onion as a garnish. (Alternately, you can mix the green onion and egg in with the other ingredients).

No changes

Oliebollen (dutch donuts)

Oliebollen has been made in our Dutch family for years- my oma makes it all the time. Unfortunately I couldn't find the original recipe so I found another here.

Ingredients:

• 1 (0.6 ounce) cake compressed fresh yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup dried currants
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1 granny smith apple- peeled, cored, and finely chopped.
• 1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying

Instructions:

1. Break up the compressed yeast, and stir into the warm milk. Let stand for a few minutes to dissolve. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir the yeast mixture and egg into the flour and mix into a smooth batter. Stir in the currants, raisins and apple. Cover the bowl, and leave the batter in a warm place to rise until double in size. This will take about 1 hour.
2. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer, or heavy deep pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Use 2 metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil.
3. Fry the balls until golden brown, about 8 minutes. The doughnuts should be soft and not greasy. If the oil is not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy. Drain finished doughnuts on paper towels. Serve hot if possible. Serve with confectioners' sugar.

Changes:

I didn't change anything. Although this was a different recipe then usual it happened to turn out real good! :)

Mexican Casserole

Mexican Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef

2 cups salsa

1 can chili beans, drained

3 cups tortilla shells, crushed

2 cups sour cream

1 can slices black olives, drained

1/2 chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in beans, and heat through.
3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread crushed tortilla chips in dish, and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over beef, and sprinkle olives, green onion, and tomato over the sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Choodles

I am so proud because last night I made choodles, a family recipe from the dutch side, and for the first time I didn't burn them and they were extra fluffy!! : )

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/4 cup butter
2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Directions: Preheat the oven to 300 F. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Next, mix both bowl together (if not opposed it's messy but easiest with hands). Take a small amount of dough and roll into a ball then roll in a bowl of sugar. Note: this bowl of sugar is not considered part of the ingredients, you must grab more sugar.  Place balls on a pan and then put into the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Changes: The only changes I can think of are to roll the dough balls into bigger or smaller pieces depending on preference. My personal changes were that these were the best ones I have made so far. Although after making them I remembered I don't like cookies that much.

Alfredo Pasta

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

For this meal, I used bowtie noodles and added chicken, but you can use any type of pasta and add shrimp as well 

Orange Sorbet Smoothie

When I arrived home this evening I looked for beverage recipes and couldn't find any that seemed interesting. Alas I simply threw in delicious ingredients for an ice cream smoothie. I would have a lovely picture but I forgot and drank it all. I confess I usually do not share my cooking.

Ingredients:
orange sorbet ice cream
around 2 Tbs of milk
1 cup of water
4 Tbs of vanilla yogurt
1/2 a banana (optional)

Directions: This is not complicated. Simply place each ingredient in any order into a blender then blend together.

Changes: I can't say I changed anything because it was delicious but after tasting it I added some banana too, which may taste better with vanilla ice cream but it was alright nonetheless  With a more bland vanilla it can also be complimented nicely with more fruits such as an orange or an apple. If Ice cream is a big no-no I suggest using vanilla extract, ice cubes and more yogurt.