Archive | September, 2016

Beef and Broccoli

22 Sep

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I love any kind of Asian food but it is hard to find a good restaurant.

This recipe is really good but takes a little prep time. After forty years of Chinese cooking I finally realized this is very important because everything is cooked at a high heat.

2 tablespoons corn starch

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

4 tablespoons water

2 cloves minced garlic

One pound thin sliced lean London broil steak

One teaspoon sesame oil

Two tablespoons canola oil

6 cups broccoli cut into bite size pieces

2 cloves chopped garlic

One large sliced onion

One heaping tablespoon brown sugar, do not use white

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

One teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Sesame oil

canola oil

White rice or lo mein

Combine the 2 tablespoons corn starch,water, soy sauce and garlic and mix well. It will be thick.

Add the sliced beef and coat the meat well. Set aside.

Mix the 1/2 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch.  Set aside.

Heat a large non stick wok with the 2 tablespoons canola oil and one tablespoon sesame oil.

Place the beef in the pan and don’t move it till you have a nice brown crust on one side and then stir fry the rest till medium well.

Take out of the pan and set aside

Add another tablespoon oil in the pan and stir fry the onion till they are still crisp about two minute . Place over the beef

Stir fry the broccoli with one tablespoon oil and one teaspoon sesame oil till bright green and crisp.About 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside in a separate bowl

Put the beef and onion in a pan and add the reserved soy sauce mixture and cook on medium high till it thickens

Add the broccoli at the end to just heat it up again

Serve with rice, eggrolls or wontons

I added the broccoli into the meat the first time I made this and it was too mushy as you can see it the picture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lemon Quinoa

19 Sep

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Saveur magazine has done it again.

This magazine has the best recipes and this is a keeper.

I did change it a little and it is spectacular

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 3/4 cups chicken broth

Season with salt and black pepper

4 diced shallots

One diced onion

zest and juice of one lemon

1/2 cup chopped parsley

3/4 cup diced french feta cheese

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the quinoa, salt and pepper

Reduce the heat to low

Cover the pot and cook until the liquid is absorbed.  About 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork after 5 minutes

Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the shallots and onion till they are soft and lightly colored about ten minutes

Do not burn them

Stir in the lemon zest and juice

Add the cooked quinoa, parsley and feta and toss

Serve warm or cold

It can be made the day before because it stays great in an air tight container

I took this to the beach  for lunch and it was fabulous.

I added my little garden tomatoes.  WOW

 

 

 

 

Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Meatballs

16 Sep

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These do not have any meat in them but they look like meatballs so this is why I call them that.

One pound of defrosted chopped spinach. Squeeze it dry.

Two cups ricotta cheese

Three large eggs

1 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

9 Tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of turmeric

32 ounces of your favorite tomato sauce

Mix the spinach, all the cheeses, flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg and tumeric until everything is incorporated

Use a tablespoon take one spoonful and roll in extra flour to form into a ball

Place all the balls on a sheet pan and chill ,covered for an hour or more.

I made mine in the morning and cooked them for supper

Bring a pot of  salted water to a boil and then a simmer.

Drop about eight balls in the pot at a time and wait till they float to the top.

Drain with a slotted spoon and place into the tomato sauce

Repeat this till all the balls are cooked.

Take the sauce and meatballs and cover it with more cheese and heat in the oven till all the cheese is melted

This is a great make ahead recipe

Make sure you drain the balls before you put them inside the sauce because if you don’t the sauce will be watery

If you make them teaspoon size  you can put them in soup

Avocado Salad dressing

15 Sep

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I love this stuff.

Its like liquid guacamole

I have been putting it on everything like fish, chicken, vegetables, potatoes.

I even used it instead of mayo on my sandwich but it is a salad dressing.

It only lasts about a week so enjoy all of it.

One ripe large avocado, peeled and pitted

One tablespoon fresh lime juice

Two cloves of fresh garlic

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup cilantro

3 Tablespoons  olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper

6 drops Tabasco sauce

8 drops green pepper Cholula sauce

Put everything in the food processor and blend till smooth

Sometimes this needs 1/2 teaspoon honey but it is optional

Keep in an airtight container

Stuffed Portabella mushroom

14 Sep

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Portabella mushrooms can be an appetizer, main corse or side dish.

I like to use them as a main dish because I load them up with anything

6 portabella mushrooms

I do wash the mushrooms because everyone in the store has been touching them.

Dry them well on a paper towel

Take out the stems and mix them with the filling

You can also scrape the brown underside and mix it with the filling

Sometimes I do this and sometimes I don’t

One pound of sweet Italian sausage , crumbled and taken out of the casing

One large diced onion

Two cups of cooked anci de pepe pasta, cooked rice, quinoa or potatoes. Whatever you have leftover.

1/2 cup fresh parsley

Two cups fresh spinach

Place the mushrooms on a baking pan sprinkled with seasoned breadcrumbs

The mushrooms ooze when baked and the bread crumbs absorb the liquid

Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper

Brown the sausage and onion in a pan till it is brown and cooked threw

Drain any excess oil out of the pan

Take off the heat and add the fresh parsley, pasta and spinach

Place one slice of any cheese  on top of each mushroom

Separate the filling equally among the mushrooms

They will be really stuffed

Top with three to four tablespoons of the white garlic pizza sauce

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes

Serve with a huge salad

Orzo with Asparagus

12 Sep

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This can be a main dish or side dish.

One pound of orzo

Two bundles of asparagus

4 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

One lemon zested and juiced

1/2 cup lemon garlic salad dressing

Boil the orzo in salted water till it is slightly underdone

Sauté the garlic and oil together

Cut the asparagus into one to two inch pieces and stir fry in the garlic oil till crisp tender

Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest

Add the cooked, drained orzo.

Add the lemon juice and salad dressing.

Mix well.

Watch it disappear

I had six adults for dinner and served this as a side dish and just had one small cup leftover.

You can add feta or parmesan cheese if you like.

It was a delicious meal. Grilled steak, orzo with asparagus, corn on the cob and a big salad with balsamic dressing and goat cheese

Simple Sangria

8 Sep

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Never throw out the bruised fruit.

Today I made sangria and a peach pie.

Cut up and peel two peaches

Slice one lime and one orange into thin slices

Cut up a container of strawberries and mix with four tablespoons of sugar.

Let all the fruit sit with the sugar for about ten minutes

Get a big pitcher and mix one bottle of good white wine with about

four cups of cranberry raspberry juice

One can of fresca or sprite

Mix all the fruit together with  their juices into the wine mixture

Serve with crushed ice and a cherry on top.

Sliced pineapple, raspberries, plums or apples are also great but use what you have.

 

 

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