Sunday, August 24, 2008

Sweet Simmered Beef With Onions

This Japanese recipe has a rich and complex sauce with fried rice.

Ingredients
1 1/2 C. (2 rice cooker C.) short-grain or medium-grain white rice
2 C. dashi stock (fish stock)
2 Tbs. sake
3 Tbs. mirin
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
1 medium onion, peeled, cut into thin wedges
7 oz. sirloin beef, sliced thin across the grain
3 Tbs. shoyu (soy sauce)
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water is clear. In a bowl, combine rice with 1 3/4 C. cold water (2 1/2 rice cooker C.). Soak the rice for 1 hour. Cook the rice in its soaking water in a rice cooker or a pot with a heavy bottom. When the rice is ready, combine the dashi, sake and mirin in a medium skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until it is soft, 3-5 minutes. Add the beef strips and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shoyu and cook 2-3 minutes more. Pour the eggs over the beef and onion and cook, covered, 1-2 minutes. Divide the cooked rice among large serving bowls and top with the beef, onion and egg mixture. Pour a generous amount of the remaining cooking broth over each serving. Serve the dish with chopsticks and a spoon.

Coconut Brownies

Spice up your normal brownie recipe with the addition of some flaked coconut.

Ingredients
1/2 C. butter
2 C. sugar
4 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 C. sifted flour
1/2 C. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. flaked coconut
1/2 C. chocolate chips
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 C. chopped walnuts, optional

Directions
Melt butter over low heat, then remove. Add 2 C. sugar. Beat. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend. Add flour, cocoa, salt. Mix. Stir in coconut. Pour into greased 9X13 pan. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool in pan and cut into bars. Do not overcook! The coconut in this recipe makes them nice and moist.

Pineapple Chicken

Rice and chicken dish that's sweet and yummy! It looks great and is very colorful and easy to make. I was playing around with pineapple and chicken and came up with this, it has all of my favorite items in it.

Ingredients
1 box instant five-minute rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
equal parts of olive oil & butter
salt & pepper to taste
1 red onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1-2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 large cans pineapple chunks
pineapple juice
cornstarch

Directions
Prepare rice according to box directions. In a large skillet add butter and olive oil. Salt and pepper chicken to taste, add to pan, and cook chicken until done and golden brown. In the meantime, prepare your other ingredients, by dicing them. In a different large skillet add butter and oil to the pan for the veggies. Add the veggies and cook, add pineapple and juice to veggies while they are still a bit crunchy.
Mix together a rue of pineapple juice & cornstarch to thicken the sauce, and add to veggies. Serve rice and chicken side by side, and place sauce over both or either side.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Zucchini Casserole

With shredded carrots and onions, this zucchini casserole is rich and satisfying.

Ingredients
4 to 6 C. zucchini, cubed and cooked
¾ C. shredded carrots
½ C. chopped onions
6 Tbs. butter
2 ½ C. Cheddar cheese croutons
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
½ C. sour cream

Directions
Cook zucchini and drain. Sauté carrots and onions in 4 Tbs. butter until tender. Remove from heat; stir in 1 ½ C. croutons, soup and sour cream. Gently stir in zucchini. Pour into 1 ½ quart casserole. Melt remaining butter and stir in remaining croutons; toss gently. Top the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Black Rasperry Cream Pie

Ingredients

1 purchased 9-inch graham cracker crumb pie shell
1 egg white, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 10-oz. jar black raspberry spread
Fresh black raspberries, lemon peel twist, and/or mint leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush pie shell with beaten egg white. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a medium mixing bowl beat whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add black raspberry spread. Beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Cover and freeze for 4 to 24 hours or until firm. Garnish with fresh black raspberries, lemon peel twist, and/or mint. Makes 8 servings.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Mango Medley Madness

The ingredients list may seem odd, but somehow they go together wonderfully and create a beautiful looking and delicious fruit salad that is truly refreshing.

Ingredients
5 mango, peeled and diced
6 fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 C. blackberries
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced

Directions
Combine mangos, strawberries, and blackberries in a bowl. Toss with cilantro and lime. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Chicken Taco Salad

This healthy salad is a Weight Watchers recipes, which means it's good for the diet and filling for the stomach.

Ingredients
4 serving olive oil cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
8 medium corn tortilla(s), cut into 4 wedges each
1/2 tsp. table salt
4 C. romaine lettuce, shredded
1 lb. cooked, skinless chicken breast, shredded
1 C. tomatoes, diced
1/2 C. shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese
1/2 C. fat-free sour cream
1/4 C. salsa
1/2 tsp. ground cumin, or Adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas on baking sheet; spray tortillas with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Arrange tortillas in bottom and up sides of 4 salad bowls. Place 1/4 of lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and cheese in each bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, salsa, cumin and pepper sauce. Drizzle about 3 Tbs. dressing over each salad.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

No Bake Peanut Butter pie

A delicious frozen dessert could not be easier.

Ingredients
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 1/2 C. confectioners' sugar
1 C. peanut butter
1 C. milk
1 (16 oz.) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

Directions
Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells. Cover and freeze until firm.

Mango Ice Cream

Ingredients
400 g packet frozen mango (if fresh mango is available, it is preferable)
300 ml. cream
1/2 C. caster sugar
1/4 C. mango or apricot nectar
mango slices and fresh mint sprigs, to garnish

Directions
Defrost the mango until it is soft enough to mash but still icy. If fresh, puree the flesh of 3-4 large ones in a food processor. Place the mango in a medium bowl and add the sugar and nectar. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Beat the cream in a small bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cream through the mango mixture. Spoon the mixture into a lamington tray; cover and freeze for about 1 1/2 hours or until half-frozen. Quickly spoon the mixture into a food processor bowl. Process for 30 seconds or until smooth. Return to the tray or plastic container; cover and freeze completely. Remove the ice cream from the freezer for 15 minutes before serving, to allow it to soften a little. Serve the ice cream in scoops with mango slices and sprigs of mint. Note: Storage time: Freeze the ice cream for at least eight hours before serving; can be kept frozen up to three weeks.

Crunchy Walnut Chicken

The crunchy and yet tender texture of the chicken will please you,and a nice punch of spice matches well with the nutty richness of the crust. Serve with toasted french bread and a herbed spinach salad.

Ingredients
4 8 oz. chicken breast (pounded thin, 3/4 inch)
2 C. walnuts
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. horseradish mustard
kosher salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Finely grate walnut, spread on plate, and set aside.
Mix mayonnaise and horseradish mustard together. Coat chicken with mixture and walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes, turning chicken halfway through