Category Archives: Cooking

Asian Meatballs

August 21, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I’m thinking about doing the South Beach Diet. The problem is, I love pasta and noodles. I had a hankering for gyoza tonight, so I thought I’d just make the filling in the form of meatballs and ditch the noodle.

Turned out I didn’t really miss the won ton wrapper after all. This meal is quick and uses common fridge ingredients. Put whatever veggies you prefer in the stir fry. I happened to find a tasty edible mushroom in my yard right before dinner, so I tossed that in at the last minute.

Ingredients (I eyeball everything):
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup panko flakes (not South Beach friendly, so omit if needs be)
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
2 green onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper

For the sauce:
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbs. rice vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/2 tsp. corn starch (again, not South Beach friendly)
1 Tbs. oyster sauce (optional)

Broccoli, tofu, zucchini, and other stir fry veggies

Directions:
If using tofu, drain it and cover in paper towels. Place a heavy pan on top to get more liquid out. Mix together the meatball ingredients thoroughly, cover and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Form meatballs and place on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet so the fat is allowed to drain away while they cook. Bake for 30 minutes or until they are browned and cooked all the way through. Set aside.

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut the tofu into cubes and cut your stir fry veggies up into bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 tsp. cooking oil in a wok over high flame until the oil shimmers. Add the tofu and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Add another teaspoon of oil to the wok and reheat. Add the veggies and half the sauce. Mix well, cover and let cook for about seven minutes or until veggies are tender.

Uncover, add the rest of the sauce, the tofu, the meatballs and toss till everything is thoroughly coated.

Serve alone or with brown rice or farro if you aren’t in Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet.

breakfast, Cooking, recipes

Waffle Iron French Toast

August 11, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I’m sure this isn’t a new idea and that there are hundreds of other blogs out there with similar posts, but it doesn’t mean this isn’t a totally great idea.

What’s that idea? Well, french toast on the waffle iron. It’s faster than cooking it in a pan because both sides cook at the same time and it browns evenly and leaves you with a cool waffle pattern on the bread.

Here’s my waffle iron French toast to contribute to blogland.

Ingredients:
Day-old challah or French bread, sliced on the bias 1-inch thick (six slices)
3 eggs
3/4 cups whole milk (I eyeball it)
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250. Plug in waffle iron and spray with cooking spray. In a pie pan combine the milk, eggs, honey, zest and vanilla. Place two slices of bread into the pan and let soak for 30 seconds. Flip and soak another 30 seconds. Transfer these slices to a cooling rack so any excess egg mixture will drip away (place a paper towel under the rack). Sprinkle slices with cinnamon. Repeat with remaining bread slices.

Place one to two slices at a time into waffle iron and let cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a plate in the oven to keep warm while cooking the other slices.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

breakfast, Cooking, recipes

Mini Breakfast Soufflés

August 4, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I despise scrambled eggs. Something about their boogery texture makes me almost sick. Give me fried eggs over medium any day. I can take my toast and dip it into the yolk — oh yeah, that’s the best.

Well, I’m trying to eat fewer carbs lately so I have to rethink my egg preference. I recently saw a recipe in Cooks Country Magazine for muffin tin breakfast souffles. The recipe is for 12 soufflés and I’m cooking just for my lonesome self, so I decided to wing it and make my own recipe.

Sorry the photo is so bad, the only mini muffin tin I have is shamrock shaped, so they looked pretty weird. My breakfast was not only delicious but also carb free (except for that glass of OJ I drank, hehe).

Here’s roughly how I made them. Keep in mind I eyeball nearly everything, so these measurements are approximations. Use your own judgement, and best of all — add the ingredients you like!

Makes 6 mini soufflés.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk or half and half
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, frozen spinach
2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
goat cheese

Directions:
Preheat your oven (or better yet, toaster oven) to 425 degrees. Spray your 6-muffin tin liberally with cooking spray. Thaw out your spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set aside. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium high. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook till onions are translucent — about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the spinach and tomatoes and cook till heated through. Evenly distribute these ingredients in your muffin tin. Crumble in a little goat cheese.

Gently whisk together the eggs and milk and evenly distribute in muffin tin so that egg mixture is not quite reaching the top edge (they will grow in the oven). Sprinkle a little more cheese on top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes. If you have a silicone muffin mold, just pop out the souffles gently onto a serving plate, otherwise use a knife to loosen the edges.

If the egg is still a tad runny, pop in the microwave for 30 seconds.

alaska, cocktails, Cooking

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade

July 14, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Mid summer in Alaska means you and your neighbors probably have rhubarb coming out your ears. I never know what to do with rhubarb other than make a pie or crumble, which I don’t actually love. Yesterday my friend brought over some rhubarb syrup and I suddenly had a delicious idea. I’d been wondering what to do with the wild strawberries I picked earlier this weekend and again wasn’t into the pie or crumble idea.

Strawberry rhubarb lemonade was born!

It’s tangy, sweet and perfect for a sunny day.

Here’s what you’ll need:

12 oz. chopped rhubarb (by weight)
about 1.5 cups water
1/8 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
1 thingie of frozen lemonade, pink or regular, prepared according to package instructions
fresh, ripe strawberries
lemon slices for garnish

So I actually started this recipe by squeezing my own lemons, but after about three lemons and only a half a cup of lemon juice, I remembered I had some frozen lemonade so I went that route (still using the lemon juice I already squeezed).

To make the rhubarb syrup, place the chopped rhubarb in a small saucepan and fill the pan with water till rhubarb is just covered. Add the baking soda and sugar and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let cool and pour through astrainer, pushing on the rhubarb with a spoon to get all the liquid out. This stuff should store in a jar for about a week or so in the fridge.

Place a few strawberries in a glass and muddle them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add ice and pour 2/3 up with lemonade. Top off with rhubarb syrup. Add lemon slice for garnish.

If you wanted this drink to be fizzy, you could add some sprite to the mix. It’s delightful!

Cooking, recipes, salad

Grilled Caesar Salad

July 14, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Yes, I just used “grilled” to describe salad. I made grilled casear salad last night before our steak dinner and not only was it tasty, but it delighted my guests that I put the lettuce on the grill. I used whole heads of romaine lettuce cut down the middle. The char added an extra dimension of flavor to the salad and didn’t compromise the texture at all.

This recipe is from Cook’s Country Magazine. I particularly like it because it doesn’t call for raw eggs. I recommend using romaine from Costco because they’re not loose leaf like what I was finding at the grocery store.

Serves four

Ingredients for dressing:
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

For the salad:
Two romaine hearts, halved lengthwise through the cores
1 baguette, sliced on the bias into 12 slices
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
1/4 cup parmesan

Directions:
Combine the lemon and garlic and let marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add to a blender the mayo, cheese, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, anchovies, salt and pepper. Toss in the lemon juice and garlic and process for about 30 seconds. While blender is still running, slowly add the olive oil. Place in the fridge till you’re ready to grill.

Heat the grill to super hot. Brush your “croutons” with olive oil on both sides and toast on the grill. Scrub the cut garlic clove on the toasts and set aside. Prepare your romaine hearts by painting dressing on the cut sides. Place cut side down on grill for 1-2 minutes till you see grill marks.

Serve with croutons and remaining dressing. Top with parmesan cheese.

Cooking, recipes

Shepherd’s Pie — Comfort Food at its Best

July 11, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I love easy recipes, especially if I can use leftovers. Shepherd’s pie is no exception. If you have ground meat and leftover mashed potatoes, you are just a few steps away from a delicious, filling dinner the whole family will love.

Ingredients:

1 lb. combo of ground beef, pork, veal or lamb
4 cups or so of leftover mashed potatoes (or make some fresh)
1 egg yolk
1 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tbs. flour
2 tbs. red wine
3 Tbs. fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme and rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas

Shepherd’s pie is versatile. Throw in whatever veggies you love. Use whatever meat you prefer.

Directions:

Season your mashed potatoes to your liking with milk, butter, salt and pepper. Heat up in the microwave if cold. Stir in the egg yolk. This makes the pie have a nice crust.

Preheat oven to 375. In a sauté pan, heat some oil and add the meat, onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook till meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Drain fat and sprinkle in the flour, cooking for about 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste. Deglaze with red wine and cook for 1 minute. Add stock, tomato paste, herbs and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the peas.

Grease a casserole dish and add the meat filling. Top with dollops of mashed potatoes. Spread the potatoes across the top, trying to create a seal around the edges. I recommend putting a cookie sheet under the dish when you bake it in case anything bubbles over.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, until potatoes start to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Cooking, Italian, recipes

Pesto Chicken Lasagna Roll-ups

July 3, 2013 alaskaknitnat 3 Comments

I’m in love with the lasagna roll-up. It’s simple, it’s customizable and it’s delicious. I also love pesto. So it only makes sense to combine my two loves to create something super amazing tasty.

Chicken pesto roll-ups!

They were indeed super amazing tasty, but they were more like stuffed shells than lasagna. They weren’t as gooey and cheesy. I would consider using cottage cheese next time or adding some milk to the filling.

Ingredients (I eyeballed everything):
Lasagna noodles
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup pesto sauce (Costco has the best store-bought kind, but nothing beats homemade)
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for topping
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook noodles according to box directions.
Meanwhile, mix together all the rest of the ingredients. Lay the cooked noodles out on your counter and spread some of the filling on each noodle. Roll up the noodle and place it seam side down in the casserole dish. When all the filling is used up, top the roll-ups with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Yum!

breakfast, Cooking, recipes

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

June 9, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

In an attempt to make less messy breakfasts for my 13-month-old son, I came up with a tasty pancake recipe that’s healthy and delicious. I’ll never understand why my mom always had pancake mix in the cupboard because homemade pancakes still only take minutes to make. And if you have leftover pancakes, bag them and freeze them for another day when you don’t have as much time. Just pop them in the microwave to reheat.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. sugar or agave nectar
1 egg
1 Tbs. cooking oil or melted butter
1.5 cups milk
1/4 cup canned pumpin purée

Directions:
Mix together the dry ingredients. Measure the milk in a large liquid measuring cup and add the rest of the wet ingredients. Whisk gently to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir till just combined. It’s ok if there are lumps.

Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Coat with cooking spray. Ladle batter into pan, forming three flapjacks at a time. Turn when edges are cooked and bubbles form in middle. Cook on other other side till brown. Repeat with rest of batter. Serve with butter and syrup or honey.

Cooking, mexican, recipes

Chicken Taquitos with Spinach & Wild Rice

May 19, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

In my ongoing quest for quick and somewhat healthy dinner ideas, I came across a tasty recipe for chicken flautas today. Usually my decision to try a recipe is based 90 per cent on whether I have all of the ingredients already. This one passed the screening and sounded tasty as can be. Since I never know what type of vegetable to serve alongside Mexican food, I tweaked the recipe slightly and added chopped frozen spinach. I also healthified it more by adding a wild rice/quinoa blend that I’d made earlier in the day and saved in the fridge.

Both boys (husband and son) gobbled this up. I think I’ll have to make these a staple dinner in our house.

Ingredients (I eyeball everything, so measurements are approximations):

8-10 taco-sized flour tortillas

1 chicken breast

olive oil

1/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa

1/2 cup frozen spinach

1/2 brick Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese

nearly one cup Monterey jack cheese

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/8 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Place frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for two minutes. Drain thoroughly, squeezing with your hands to remove as much water as possible. Place in a medium mixing bowl.

Butterfly the chicken breast and coat both sides with salt and pepper. Coat a frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high flame. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Once chicken is thoroughly cooked, shred with two forks and add to mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients but the tortillas and combine thoroughly. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling onto a tortilla and shape it into a narrow log. Roll up the tortilla tightly and place seam-side down in a casserole dish. Do the same with the rest of the tortillas and coat the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden and crisp on the edges.

Cooking, mexican, recipes, Uncategorized

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

April 17, 2013 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

We recently spent two and a half weeks in Mexico where I spent a good deal of time watching the housekeeper cook. She used to run a restaurant from her home and one of her specialties is a dish called chilaquiles. It’s fried corn tortilla strips steeped in a red chile sauce. I thought the sauce would transfer well to an enchilada dish. I made a few twists and it turned out almost as well as Moña’s in Mexico. I wasn’t able to find the exact same dried chiles she used, but I used the kind from the Hispanic food section of the grocery store and it worked just great. Add in a little bit of slow-cooked beef, some rice, black beans and cheese and you’ve got yourself some amazing enchiladas.

Oh, and if you’re totally lazy, you could buy the sauce and just follow the enchilada recipe below. That’s what I did to obtain this pathetic photo. Trust me, it’s waaaaay tastier than it looks.

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce with Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef

Ingredients:

3 plum tomatoes

4 medium-sized dried red chiles

3 cups water

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped fine

3 Tbs. flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbs. chile powder

salt to taste

1 Tbs. chiles in adobo sauce, chopped finely

Directions:

Break the tops off the dried chiles and toss as many of the seeds as you can. Bring the water, tomatoes and chiles to a boil in a saucepan. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

Place one clove of garlic in a blender. With a slotted spoon, add the tomatoes and chiles, cover the blender and start blending. Slowly add the water from the saucepan and blend on high for a minute or so.

Mince the remaining clove of garlic. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook till onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and mix into a paste. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Turn down the heat and add the blended mixture, chicken stock, chile powder, chiles in adobo sauce and salt. Bring to a simmer, turn to low and let bubble for 10 minutes or so. The sauce will be thinner than gravy.

If you prefer it thick, make a slurry with 1/2 cup chicken stock and 1-2 Tbs. flour and pour it in. Stir and let simmer for five minutes or so till it thickens.

Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe for beef enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 thin, cheap cut of beef; about 1/2 lb.

olive oil

salt & pepper

dried oregano

smoked paprika

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1 can black beans, partially drained

2 chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped fine

leftover brown rice (optional)

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (for the top, optional)

tortillas (flour or corn)

Directions:

Coat the beef in olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, paprika and oregano. Place in a slow cooker and add the onions. Cook on low for 5 hours or so. It’ll be so tasty you might have a hard time getting it into the enchiladas. Shred the beef and set aside.

When it’s near dinner time, preheat the oven to 375′. Add the beans to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mash with a potato masher and add the chopped chiles and some salt. Cook for five minutes or so. Heat up your leftover rice, if using. Coat the bottom of a square or rectangular baking pan with enchilada sauce.

Pour about a cup of sauce in a pie pan. Set up a little assembly line with the tortillas, sauce, work surface, beans, beef, rice, cheese and baking pan. Soak a tortilla in the sauce and place it on your work surface. Add small amounts of all your ingredients, roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the pan. Repeat till the pan is full. Pour a cup or so of the sauce all over the enchiladas. I never put enough and they end up drying out on the edges, so really saturate the baking dish. The tortillas suck up a lot. Top with remaining cheeses. Place, uncovered, in the oven for 30 minutes, or until it’s all bubbly.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving, or, if starving, risk lava-hot amazingness.