Lor Bak Go (Radish Cake) & Chicken Bao

Normally, Sunday mornings are a time when my family likes to go out and eat dim sum. But, since my parents are still on vacation and my sisters and I didn't want to miss the Olympic Men's Hockey Gold-medal Game, we decided to make dim sum at home! I had some zongzi in the freezer from Chinese New Year, so we steamed up a couple of those as well as some gai lan. But, we wanted to round out the meal with at least 2 other dim sum dishes. So, we chose Lor Bak Go and Steamed Chicken Buns.
Lor Bak Go

Ingredients:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 2 links of lap cheong (Chinese sausage), diced
- 3 cups daikon, grated
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- vegetable oil

Method:
1. Combine rice flour, tapioca starch and salt in a large bowl.
2. Boil the daikon in a heavy-bottomed pot for 10minutes. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid. Set the liquid and cooked daikon aside
3. Heat some oil in a frying pan and cook the lap cheong, garlic and onions for 2 minutes. Set aside. (You do not need to wash the frying pan yet! You will use it to pan-fry the lor bak go)
4. Add the daikon to the flour mixture and slowly add in 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Mix until no dry clumps are visible.
5. Add the lap cheong mixture to the batter and continue to mix.
6. Pour the batter into a greased, steam-proof 8x8inch square, or 9inch round, tray. Steam for 45minutes. When finished cooking, let lor bak go cool completely.
7. Remove the lor bak go from the steaming tray and slice it into 1/2-inch slices.
8. Heat up the frying pan again to medium-high heat, adding more oil if necessary. Pan fry the lor bak go slices until crispy and golden brown on both sides.

This dish has got to be my sisters' most favorite dish at yum cha. We always order 2-3 servings of it when we go to dim sum. The final result of this recipe was gladly gobbled up by my Lor Bak Go loving sisters and they said that they could hardly tell the difference between mine and the ones we eat at the restaurant! *blush* They're so sweet...

But now, onto the chicken buns! My middle sister loves these, even more so than Char Siew Bao. Actually, she told me that she dislikes Char Siew because of the fatty, flubby and tendon-ness of the meat... too hard to chew, she says. So, with this in mind I decided to use a really nice chicken breast for the filling of the buns. The chicken breast had no flubby skin and no tendons or cartilage pieces, so there would be no risk of my sister getting picky about the meat... YAY!

Chicken Bao

Dough Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 3/8 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 egg white

Filling Ingredients:
- 250g chicken breast, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 1inch knob of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Blend in the margarine, until they are well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together the vinegar, water and egg white.

Add water mixture to flour mixture, knead until dough comes together and is smooth.

Roll the smooth dough into a thick log shape, roughly 1.5 inches in diameter.

Cover dough in cling-wrap and let rest in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Make the filling: mince the chicken breast, garlic and onions and combine. Add in soy sauce and salt + pepper to taste.

When dough has rested, remove from cling-wrap and cut log into 10 equal sized pieces.

Roll dough into flattened circles, fill with 2 tbsp of chicken filling and shape the buns.

Prepare a steaming plate by laying cabbage leaves on it. Arrange the chicken buns on the cabbage leaves and steam the buns for 30minutes.

Enjoy!

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/steamed-chicken-bun-bao-no-recipe-r340420#ixzz0gs3yxVfV

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Blend in the margarine, until well incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the vinegar, water and egg white.
3. Add water mixture to flour mixture, knead until dough comes together and is smooth.
4. Roll the smooth dough into a thick log shape, roughly 1.5 inches in diameter.
5. Cover dough in cling-wrap and let rest in fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. Make the filling by mixing together the minced chicken, garlic, ginger and onions. Then, add in soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste.
7. When dough has rested, remove from cling-wrap and cut log into 10 equal sized pieces.
8. Roll dough into flattened circles, and fill with 2 tbsp of filling. Shape the buns.
9. Prepare a steam-proof plate by laying cabbage leaves on it. Arrange the chicken buns on the cabbage leaves and steam the buns for 30-40minutes.
10. Serve!

The buns were also a success! Even my youngest sister, who normally hates to eat bao bao enjoyed these buns and devoured TWO! Now, that's saying something. I quite enjoyed the buns as well. I liked the recipe because the dough was fairly simple to make, and didn't require yeast or raising time. Without the yeast to make the dough fluffy, the texture of this bao was more like a tasty noodle or a giant xiaolong bao. I will definitely have to bake this recipe again, for my parents... because I don't think there will be any left by the time they come back :P

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Blend in the margarine, until they are well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together the vinegar, water and egg white.

Add water mixture to flour mixture, knead until dough comes together and is smooth.

Roll the smooth dough into a thick log shape, roughly 1.5 inches in diameter.

Cover dough in cling-wrap and let rest in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Make the filling: mince the chicken breast, garlic and onions and combine. Add in soy sauce and salt + pepper to taste.

When dough has rested, remove from cling-wrap and cut log into 10 equal sized pieces.

Roll dough into flattened circles, fill with 2 tbsp of chicken filling and shape the buns.

Prepare a steaming plate by laying cabbage leaves on it. Arrange the chicken buns on the cabbage leaves and steam the buns for 30minutes.

Enjoy!

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/steamed-chicken-bun-bao-no-recipe-r340420#ixzz0gs3yxVfV

Mmm... the delicious bao. Hehehe... look at the mini one (on the right) I made with the leftover scraps :P it looks so gibbled

Asian-Cajun Chicken Salad

Making meals for one is sometimes a task, but individual chicken breast pieces make dinner-making way easier. For dinner yesterday I was craving something a little healthier than cup-o-noodles, mac 'n cheese and canned soup... so I opted for a salad. And to get my protein kick I decided to top it off with a marinated chicken breast. This recipe was basically a hodge-podge of amazing spices and Asian sauces that I had lying around my kitchen... and I call it Asian-Cajun chicken salad.

Asian-Cajun Chicken Salad
Serves 1

Ingredients:
- 1 frozen chicken breast, thawed
- 1 tsp each cayenne pepper, paprika and red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon, cumin and coriander
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced finely
- Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 bed of your favorite greens

Method:
1. In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken breast, toss in the chicken with the spices, pepper flakes, vinegar, hot sauce and hoisin sauce. Let sit in the fridge, and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours.

2. Just before cooking, add the finely minced garlic and allow chicken to sit for another 30minutes.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste and place on a pre-heated grill plate or barbeque. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes, or until done to desired tenderness.

4. Once cooked, remove chicken from the grill and let sit for at least 3 minutes. During this time, prepare your salad.

5. After the chicken has rested, and the juices have settled, slice the chicken breast to strips of desired thickness and place on top of your salad. Add a dressing of your choice if you wish to have a more flavorful salad.

Optional: For my salad, I added a home-made salad dressing by combining: 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp Frank's Red hot sauce, 1 tsp sweet relish and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar.

This chicken was delicious! I made mine on my George Foreman grill and it was cooked to perfection, nice and juicy just the way I like it. The Hoisin sauce gave this chicken a real kick, and the red wine vinegar tied the Asian spices and the Cajun tastes together nicely. I will definitely be making this recipe again. It's perfect for a nice, light and healthy dinner or even for a lunch! Super easy and definitely delish!

Brown Rice with Chicken and Sausage

So, it's Spring Break for my little sisters and my parents decided that they'd jet-off to Mexico, leaving me to take care of the silly girls. Alas, I wish I were Mexico-bound and tanning on the beautiful beaches but I am stuck here in BC with the crazy Canadian weather pelting me (literally) with a melange of weather conditions. This morning, my sisters and I woke up to a fairly decent day... the sky wasn't blue per-say but at least it was clear and there were no grey clouds. But then came noon, and the weather gods decided to grace us with a couple hours of rain... and then they showed us some more love by following the rain with snow (would you believe it!??! In mid-March!!?!?). After the snow let up, the weather changed drastically again. The sun came out around 4pm and my sisters even asked to play outside. Sadly, they only managed about 30mins of fun in the sun when the clouds rolled in AGAIN!!. I didn't think that the weather could be any more strange than it was already, but then came the hail! Seriously??? Mr. Weatherman, what are you doing to us Vancouverites?? We just want the blisteringly cold weather to disappear... it is SPRING break after all.

Well, to cheer up my sisters from some really bum weather and the inability to spend their well-deserved Spring Break outdoors I decided to cook up a hearty meal that would warm them. I prepared For more information visit this recipe from Saveur.com and it turned out to be spectacular! It reminded me of jook from some really great HK restaurant or something, except this recipe contains sausages and is more of a paella-style dish rather than congee-soup.

My sisters loved this rice. They helped themselves to 2-3 bowls of it!! I will definitely be keeping this recipe for future use, and I will have to prepare it for my parents sometime when they get back. Those lucky bums... I can just see them now, dancing to some Mexican music and enjoying their fruity cocktails :P Wait until I tell them about our crazy weather, they will not believe me.

Malaysia Day: Dinner and Dessert

With Malay Day just around the corner (September 16), I've suddenly just felt the urge to brew a South-East Asian storm in the kitchen. My friends wanted to have a get together, before summer drew to a close and figured that it would be really cool to have a theme to the food. I don't know if I'm biased, but I immediately threw out the option for South-East Asian cuisine. Everyone else seemed cool with the idea, although some of them were unsure of what to make. I said that it was okay if they just cooked whatever they felt like and I would bring most of the South-East Asian goodies... and hey, it worked out :)

For the main course, I didn't want to scare my friends away with very exotic dishes (i.e. Assam Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Sambal Sotong) and thought that roti and spring rolls would be too simple and just not exciting enough. So, I stuck with a very Malaysian dish that I think anyone would love to eat... Chicken Satay! I followed a recipe from malaysianfood.net and it turned out very tasty. The aroma throughout my kitchen as I grilled these spicy skewers was heavenly.

I served the Satay on a large platter, covered in banana leaves and accompanied the chicken with cubed cucumbers, red onions, spicy peanut satay sauce and compressed rice cubes (I tried to make Ketupat, but it didn't work out... just left me with a jumbled mess of coconut leaves).

When I unveiled my contribution to the dinner, everyone was very impressed. Some people even commented by saying "I didn't know you could cook!" <--- WHAT! who are these people and why do I even hang out with them?! I'm just kidding, the thing is that they only know me for my baking skills... but when I revealed the satay on the decorative platter, I must have finally shown them my savoury-culinary side.

So, after everyone had filled them tummies with the goodness of grilled chicken, spicy peanut sauce and rice, it was on to what I'm really known for... my yummy sweet treats :)

Again, I didn't want to spook them with some really exotic flavors and textures, but I did want them to experience REAL South-East Asian desserts. And what could be more South-East Asian than KUEH!!??! I followed this recipe from Kuali.com and made a Red Bean Kuih Talam for dessert. I was a bit unsure if my Caucasian friends would take to this very ethnic sweet, but to my surprise they gobbled down the cute trapezoids and hardly left any for me!

I should have given my friends more credit and trusted them to be adventurous in the food-tasting realm. But alas, I'm such a skeptic, which is why I whipped up another Nyonya dessert for them (in case no one wanted to eat the Kuih Talam). I used this recipe to make ang ku kueh (which actually shouldn't be called that seeing as their not "ang"/red)... and it also gave me a chance to whip out my mooncake/kueh molds :)

Actually, it was a good thing that I made both the Kuih Talam and the Ang Ku Kuih because both of them disappeared fairly rapidly. I'm so glad that my friends liked the food I made them... the fact that they ate every morsel of the meal meant more to me than any thank-you ever could! I really hope to do this again, it was so much fun. (But maybe we'll try a different theme next time)

Lunch-time Delights: Chicken and Basil Salad Sandwich

I opted for a simple, simple lunch yesterday. Sandwiches are both easy and delicious, especially when you don't really feel like cooking up a storm. This sandwich is basically a chicken salad sandwich (as the title of the post suggests), I simply took the filling, placed it between two pieces of tastey-grilled bread and then layered on the veggies! Yum

Chicken Salad Filling
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chicken, shredded/diced
- 1/3 cup mayo (more or less, depending on how mayo-y you like it)
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1/4 cup basil, minced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, minced
- salt + pepper to taste

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together. Plain and simple!

Lunch-time Delights: Lazy Tostada

What do you do when you don't feel like cooking? Personally, I get up and scream "How can this be!" Jkjkjk... I just tell myself that I've gotta eat and there's only one way to do that, and it's by cooking. Albeit, it doesn't have to be the most elaborate meal in the world, it just has to taste yummy! So for lunch today, I decided that I wouldn't dwell on "what would I make" and I just grabbed random leftovers that were sitting in my fridge. And this is what came out of it...

Jo's Lazy Tostada (serves me)

Ingredients:

- 1/3 cup chicken, shredded

- 2 tbsp tomato sauce

- 1 tbsp bbq sauce

- 1 tsp louisiana hot sauce (optional)

- a couple pickled jalapenos

- 1 kraft cheddar "singles slice"

- 1 6-inch corn tortilla

Method:

1. Toss the chicken with the sauces and mix well.

2. Place a good dollop of your chicken onto the corn tortilla.

3. Top with the jalapenos and cheese.

4. Place in the oven at 325F for 15-20mins or until the tortilla is nicely browned and crispy.

5. Enjoy being lazy and eating your lazy meal :P

It sure did taste good, and it also felt good not having to contemplate what I would be eating that day. I just love relaxing and doint absolutely nothing... sadly, I have summer school starting up on Monday! Philosophy... hm, hopefully all goes well.

Lunch-time Delights: Coconut Lemongrass Noodles

I felt like using some coconut milk and noodles to make a yummy soup for lunch. So, I scoured my cookbook-full shelf in search of the perfect recipe. I finally settled on this recipe from "Cooking Smart for a Healthy Heart"... an amazing book that I had purchased at Winners quite a while back, but had not used before. Well, it's never too late to make something new...

Chicken with Lemongrass (serves 4)
Adapted from Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart

Ingredients:
- 1 small red chili, split open but left whole (I used 2 dried red chilies that had been soaked in hot water for 10mins)
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half
- 1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 4 slices
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut in half
- 1 cm piece of galangal (my addition to this recipe)
- 650g bone-in chicken pcs (I used chicken breast)
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 250g green beans, trimed and cut into bite-sized pcs
- 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- grated rind and juice of 1 lime
- salt + pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped (garnish)
- 200g uncooked egg noodles (or whatever noodles you like)

Method:
1. Boil 4 cups of water in a large saucepan over high heat. Spear chili, garlic, ginger and galangal on a skewer and add it to the pan with the lemongrass. Continue boiling for 1 minute, remove from heat, cover and set aside to infuse for 30mins.

2. Return liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low. Add chicken, shallots and green beans; poach for 12-15mins or until chicken is cooked. Add in the zucchini slices for the final 2 mins of cooking.

3. Transfer chicken, beans and zucchini to a warmed bowl. Add a little of the poaching liquid to keep them moist, cover tightly and keep warm.

4. Return liquid to a boil and add the coconut milk, stirring until it dissolves. Continue boiling for 5-6mins, or until liquid has reduced by 1/3rd.

5. Remove chicken meat from bones and shred it. Return chicken, beans and zucchini to the soup and stir, reheating briefly. Add in grated lime rind and juic, season with salt and pepper.

6. Cook the noodles as directed and divide them amongst your serving dishes. Divide the chicken and vegetables amongst the 4 soup bowls, spoon the liquid over the noodles and meat, discard the lemongrass and skewer. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.

I was a little disappointed with the taste of this dish. I was expecting something very strong, sour, savory and coconuty. But instead, this dish was far from rich, not spicy enough and lacked the strong tang of "real" thai food. Alas, I will have to search for a better recipe next time... oh well, at least this recipe's healthy for my heart.

Crispy Noodles

Okay, so the first few days of school weren't that demanding. Whew! That gave me some time to make dinner. Yay! I really enjoy the crispy noodles from Hon's, but it seems that whenever we go there it's not on the menu :( What's a girl to do? Make it herself, of course! I got the recipe from Singapore Cooking Vol. 2 by Mrs. Leong Yee Soo. The book is amazing, 26 years old but still aiding me in my quest to become a Nonya expert (I wish!). So, here's the recipe...

Crispy Noodles
Adapted from Mrs. Leong Yee Soo's Singapore Cooking

Ingredients:

- 600g chicken, cut into cubes (recipe calls for prawns)

- 1/4 tsp salt (recipe calls for msg)

- 1 tsp ginger

- 1 chicken cube

- 2 tbsp oil

- 200g dry egg noodles

- oil for frying

- 4 tbsp lard

- 6 slices ginger

- 1tsp pounded garlic

- 4 dry Chinese mushrooms (soaked/sliced)

- 285g Chinese mustard greens (cut into 3cm lengths)

- 455ml chicken stock

Seasoning:

- 1 tbsp soya sauce

- 1 tbsp oyster sauce

- 1/2 tsp sugar

- 1 tsp salt (recipe calls for msg)

- 1/2 tsp sesame oil

- 4 tbsp water + 2 tbsp cornstarch for thickening

Method:

1. Place chicken cubes in bowl and season with salt and minced ginger.

2. Prepare noodles by bringing 565ml of water to a boil with one chicken cube and 2 tbsp oil. Put in noodles and cook till noodles separate and become soft (approx. 3-4mins). Pour noodles in colander, immerse in cold water and drain immediately in a steel colander. Allow to cool and dry for 1/2 hour before frying.

3. Heat aluminum/iron wok till hot; pour in oil and heat until hot. Put in noodles, a little at a time according to the amount of oil in the pan. Fry till crispy and light brown. Scoop out with wire ladle on to absorbent paper. Keeps the noodles warm.

4. Heat iron wok till very hot. Heat 3 tbsp lard and fry ginger and garlic until brown. Add mushrooms and mustard stalks and fry. Add mustard leaves (I also add a variety of other vegetables to this dish), chicken stock and seasoning. Bring to a boil.

5. Arrange the chicken over the leaves, cover pan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes (until chicken is cooked). Remove lid, gradually pour in the thickening, stirring as you pour. Lower heat, wait for sauce to boil once again and add the last tbsp of lard. Transfer noodles to serving plate, pour sace over noodles. Serve hot.

My sisters quite enjoyed this special treat. When we eat this dish at Hon's we usually end up fighting for the crispy noodle, leaving the "soggy"-sauce-soaked noodles behind. But when I served it, I placed the sauce on the side. That way, they could control the soggy-ness of the noodles. Yum! Well, it seems the upcoming week is going to be a busy one for me. Don't think I'll plan on making anything. Bye for now!

Lunch-time Delight: Easy Peasy Quesadilla (that's cheesy)

My sisters simply love that old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwich... I too enjoy a good cheesy lunch every now-and-then. To my surprise, my sisters had never feasted on the mexican version... the oh-so-delicious cheesy chicken quesadilla. It's simple enough to prepare and just as tastey as the traditional grilled cheese. I usually use shredded KFC chicken (since there's never a shortage of it in my house :P) and a healthy handful of grated marbeled cheese.

Easy Chicken Quesadillas (serves 3)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup shredded chicken

- 1 1/2 cup grated marble cheese

- 6, 8-inch tortillas

- 1/3 cup diced onions (optional)

Method:

1. Grab a tortilla (any size will do but we prefer the smaller 8-inch ones... easier to handle in the pan and in the hands) and place it on a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.

2. Mound the cheese on top of the tortilla, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge (as the cheese will melt and spread).

3. Sprinkle on some shredded chicken, and onions (if desired).

4. Place another tortilla ontop and continue to cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla is brown (but not burnt).

5. Flip over the quesadilla and continue to cook until the other side is brown and crispy.

6. Serve immediately, with salsa and sour cream.

My sisters quite enjoyed the quesadillas. It's a truly simple meal, and the kids really love it. Try making it for yourself and you too will fall for it's cheesy goodness!

Lunch-time Delight: Chicken Fajitas

I was feeling super lazy for lunch today! What to do, what to do? I have been working 6 days a week at KFC and closing each night means that I have tons of chicken to bring home! You may think that I am a chicken-lover (which I am), but after a while you grow weary of the Kentucky Fried variety. I wanted to use up some of my KFC chicken but was unsure of what to do. Then I remembered that I had a whole bag of peppers to use up, and a bunch of mini-tortillas... that means "Fajitas Time"! I went out to Save-on-Foods and bought the Taco Time brand Chicken Fajitas seasoning, and voila... instantly delicious and semi-healthy lunch! My sisters weren't too keen on the veggies, but they pounced on the chicken. Yeah! This was actually the first time my sisters had ever eaten Fajitas. (They've only ever had burritos with their tortillas, but I'm trying to ween them off beef :P)

Corn-doggies

Alright, so they're not the most nutritious lunch in the world... but corn dogs are super tasty and bring back a wave of childhood, fair-ground memories. They also solve that age old question "What to do with extra hot-dogs, since they's sold ten to a pack when buns are sold eight to a pack?" <-- corn-dog 'em of course!

I got the recipe off of allrecipes.com, the reviews were right on the ball. I omitted the bacon fat (because I didn't have any) and used chicken dogs instead of pork dogs... still the recipe was a success. These corn dogs turned out nice and fluffy, with the perfect sweetness and a wonderfully moist texture. After dipping in the hotdogs I had quite a bit of batter left over, so I ended up making a couple hush-puppies. These also turned out fantastic, and I couldn't resist gobbling up a handful.

My sisters hadn't eaten corn dogs in a long time, and the Pogo brand ones sold in the grocery stores are quite pricey. Seriously, it is better, cheaper, more fun and tastier to make your own corn dogs than to spend your money on them (and at $7 for a package of 10, they aren't too cheap). My sisters approved of this recipe, so I think it's safe to say that kids will love you if you prepare these corn dogs. I love mine with mustard, and my sisters had their's with ketchup... but any way you dress them up, they're delicious!

Japanese Dinner

I guess that bento making has caused me to expand my cooking repertoire... that's a good thing right? Of course it is! Today's dinner would be japanese-inspired. Here's all the stuff I whipped up!

#1. Chicken Katsu

#2. Various Tempura-Battered Veggies

#3. Tempura & Panko-crusted Shrimp, Cucumber Rolls and Tuna Salad Rolls


1. The chicken katsu recipe can be found on allrecipes.com and is really simple. Being a KFC employee you'd think that I'd be sick of fried chicken... well, I'm not and don't think I ever will be. Even my boss isn't sick of chicken... I don't think it's possible to hate chicken, not when it's soooo goood! The katsu turns out nice and moist, not too greasy (unless you fry it wrong :P) and with just the right saltiness. I also made my own tonkatsu sauce by following this recipe. Eaten on a bed of rice with home-made tonkatsu sauce drizzled on it, this chicken katsu is actually a meal in itself... if I had known I probably wouldn't have made so much stuff for dinner... oh well :P

2. The batter I used to make the tempura was really simple (from chooseveg.com) and it even has a video showing you how to make the tempura. The vegetables I used were: carrots, zucchini (my family's favourite... we always fight over these ones, so I made extra), acorn squash, broccoli, sweet potato and some onions.

3. We just happened to have a sushi roll mat in the house, so I decided to try my hand a making both cucumber rolls and tuna-salad rolls. The cucumber rolls were basically made with sushi rice, nori, mayonnaise and thin cuts of cucumbers. The tuna-salad rolls were made with sushi rice, nori and tuna salad. Sushi making is so fun and simple. My sisters really enjoyed the sushi and my parents loved the shrimp. The panko-crusted ones tasted like popcorn shrimp from DQ (only better :P) and the tempura ones were also very tasty.

Indian Inspired Dinner: Part 2

... as promised, here's my continuation of the Indian-inspired Dinner I prepared.

So, in addition to the naan and spicy chicken kabobs I planned to make some chicken pizza's. I made them by taking 3 of the largest naan dough balls (uncooked), rolling them out and placing them on a baking sheet. I baked the bread for 10 minutes at 325F; just enough time for the bread to slighly brown, but not cook through fully. I then took out the semi-cooked bread, slathered on some barbeque sauce and topped the pizza with grilled chicken slices and grated marbeled + gruyere cheese. Pop the pizza's back into the oven until the cheese is all melted and goey... and there you have a quick, Naan-bread Chicken Pizza.

The Three Pizzas... the front two are bbq, and the back one is basil mayo.

I also decided to try out a wacky version of a chicken pizza using the basil mayo (from my basil chicken pita post) instead of barbeque sauce. OMG that pizza turned out so good. It was very moist and basil-y and was the perfect compliment to the naan-bread base.

A close-up of my soon to be famous, Basil-mayo Chicken Pizza

Funny thing... my sisters actually fell in love with the chicken kabobs that I had made and weren't to excited about the pizza! I was so surprised, I guess you never really know what you like until you eat it, eh?

NOTE TO SELF: I must market my new Basil-mayo Chicken Pizza... maybe Panago will sign me on :P

Indian Inspired Dinner: Part 1

The other day my dad asked me if I wanted to make dinner... what do you think my answer was? Well, you can probably guess by the pictures that I answered "YES!"

I'm always looking for ways to experiment and improve my culinary techniques... this time I was rarin' to try something Indian inspired. Having been intrigued by the Thai Chicken Tacos at Milestone's (pictured here) I really wanted my family to have a taste of this amazing dish.

Step 1: Finding the perfect kabob recipe...

I wanted to pick the perfect recipe to use in this Indian-inspired Chicken Taco and I found it in the Reshami Kabob recipe from kabobandcurry.com. So I prepared/marinated the chicken the night before... and stuck them on skewers (which had been soaked for 30 minutes) just before grilling them on the George Foreman Grill.

Step 2: Finding the perfect Naan recipe...

This one was pretty easy to figure out. I went to allrecipes.com and found the naan recipe with the best review. Here it is... Naan Bread. I was a little afraid that this recipe wouldn't turn out. Not because I don't trust allrecipes, but because I don't trust yeast. Me + Yeast do not equal good times... for some random reason (maybe my impatience) it doesn't seem to rise properly in my presence :(

Luckily, this time the story was different. The Naan rose perfectly.

After shaping and frying the naan in my well-greased skillet they turned out beautifully.

Step 3: What do you garnish with?

I settled on garnishing this dish with my thai peanut sauce and some warmed Tikka Masala sauce from Patak's.

Step 4: Assembly

To make the Indian-inspired Chicken Tacos you take one piece of naan, layer on a handful of chopped garden greens (lettuce, cabbage, carrots, scallions etc.), place one skewer on top and then drizzle the taco with the peanut sauce.

Continuation... I wasn't too sure if my sisters would enjoy the spicy chicken kabobs, so I decided to prepare a couple different options for their dinner... Part 2 is to come!

Lunch-time Delight: Basil-Mayo Chicken Pita

Okay, here's my 3rd healthy lunch recipe... I'm actually pretty impressed with myself for sticking to this healthy lunch thin. Maybe I'll make it permanent. Eat rotten food all-day, but then opt for a well-balanced lunch :P <-- that just sounds horrible.

Anywho... the recipe goes like this. Take your favourite brand pita pocket and cut it in half. Slather on some good home-made basil mayonnaise (recipe to follow) and then line the pita with romaine lettuce. Add in some grilled chicken, chopped up into nice thin strips. Eat your pita and enjoy.

Basil Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

- 5 stalks of basil, finely chopped

- 2 tsp garlic, minced

- 1 cup mayonaisse

- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

1. Whisk all ingredients together and enjoy.

Recommended: Make the mayonnaise at least 1 day ahead, that way the basil and garlic flavors will infuse into the mayonnaise... making it even more flavourful.

Dinner #4

Man, I've been pretty busy. Going to school and starting clinical for my nursing class has been hectic to say the least. But I managed to squeeze in a bit of time this week to prepare dinner on Thursday. I decided on this great recipe I have (forget where I got it from) for citrus chicken and a delicious Jamaican Rice. Oh... and I also used the recipe from My Kitchen: My Laboratory for tuna croquettes, they were so easy and really flowed with my dinner's theme of curry infused dishes.














Now let's start with the...

Citrus Chicken with Pepper and Corn Relish (serves 4)

Ingredients:
-4 6oz (I used 3oz) skinned chicken breast
-2/3 cup fresh lime juice
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp chili powder -1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground red pepper (more or less, if you like it mild or spicy)
-Non stick cooking spray
-1 cup frozen corn + 1/2 cup diced red peppers + 1/2 cup chopped onions
-2 tsp chopped cilantro
-8 fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

Method:
1. Place chicken in a heavy-duty, zip-top plastic bag. Reserve 1 tablespoon lime juice; pour remaining juice over chicken. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour; turn bag occasionally.

2. Combine cumin, chili powder, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Sprinkle chicken with cumin mixture.

3. Coat rack of a broiler pan with cooking spray. Place chicken, skinned sides down, on rack; broil 8 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) 25 minutes. Turn chicken, and broil 15 additional minutes or until done. Set chicken aside, and keep warm.

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn mixture and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper; sauté until corn is lightly browned and tender. Spoon corn mixture onto individual serving plates; top with chicken. Drizzle with reserved 1 tablespoon lime juice; sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information: Calories 237; Carbohydrate 20.2g; Protein 29.1g; Fat 4.1g; Fiber 1.5g; Cholesterol 72mg; Sodium 226mg

Now for the delectable...

Jamaican Curried Rice (serves 8)

Ingredients:
-2 tsp olive oil
-1 cup diced red peppers
-1/2 cup sliced green onions
-2 tbsp curry powder
-3 cups hot cooked rice
-1/8 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1/4 cup... I though this to be too much)
-2 tbsp lime juice
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 can pineapple chunks, drained
-1 can black beans (I omitted these, as I believed them to overpower the subtle sweet curry flavor)
-1/2 cup salted cashews (optional)

Method:
1. Heat oil in medium skillet. Cook and stir bell pepper and onions 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add curry powder; stir 30 seconds.

3. Combine cooked rice, sugar, lime juice and salt in medium-size bowl.

4. Stir in cooked vegetable mixture, pineapple and black beans (if using).

5. Rice may be served warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with cashews just before serving.

Nutritional Information: Calories 196; Carbohydrate 31g; Protein 6g; Fat 3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 474mg

Don't forget my croquettes!

Dinner #3

Making my family dinners is becoming much of a tradition for me. The other day, my mother asked me what I was planning to make for my next big meal... I thought to myself, "What! You actually want me to cook for the family again!" I'm glad that she likes my dinners (even though they are all mostly the same style... old fashioned, southern foods.)

This time she wanted me to make the pumpkin soup that I had prepared once before. I was glad that she made a request; at least I now had a dish to base the rest of my meal around. This pumpkin soup recipe can be found at hungry-girl.com and it really is simple, healthy and delicious. This soup turns out to be more like a chili and with the cumin and salsa added it has a really great kick.

I then decided on a quick and easy chicken recipe from kraftcanada.com (pictured above) and a recipe for twice-baked potatoes from kraftfoods.com another one of my favorite recipe websites. I got one of my sisters to give me a hand with this big meal. She enjoyed mashing the potatoes and spooning the filling back into the potato skin shells. With the topping of melted cheese, the potatoes turned out nicely... in fact both dishes turned out really well and my family was all asking for seconds.

I also chose to accompany the meal with a wonderful cornbread recipe that I spotted while on my routine search for interesting recipes from allrecipes.com Although the cornbread was good, I still preferred the carrot and herb (cornmeal) biscuits that I had made in my previously prepared dinner.

More Hot Dog Adventures

Left with 7 hot dog buns to devour, before the devilish sun and cruel humidity cause all of them to mold, our hero decides that sandwiches must be made!

My sisters, like most young kids, love the creaminess of good old fashioned grilled cheese sandwiches as well as mexican quesadillas. So I decided that since we were out of bread loaves and had no tortillas to play around with that I would grill up some cheesy chicken paninis and use up 3 more hot dog buns!!! hooray!

My dad bought a george foreman grill, and if you don't have one... man you're missing out. It saves so much time and you don't have to be constantly watching your burgers/chicken fillets/veggies or paninis to make sure they don't burn. I love it and everyone should be forced to own one (although it is kind of a pain to clean up). Anyways... to make the paninis, I just set the grill to low (level 1 or 2) sliced some marble cheese, shredded some KFC chicken (oh yeah... did I mention that I work at KFC... hehehe) you can use any type of chicken here. I then layered my cheese and chicken onto the hot dog buns, which I spread with Hellman's mayonnaise and grilled them for around 1 1/2 minutes or until the cheese was goey and melty.

They flattened out really well and my sisters loved them.

My sisters and I also love the novelty of ICE CREAM SANDWICHES... being that it's been a scorching summer and the heat is simply unbearable I decided to use up the next 3 buns to make some wonderful I.C.S.s and my sister had no complaints. The heat was so intense that they started melting right away so we had to scarf them down as quickly as possible before we were left with a disasterous mess to clean up. But here's a pick of what it would have looked like (I got it from Appon's Thai Food Recipes website). Of course our sandwiches looked a little less majestic... but you get the picture.

Now if you're a math genius... or at least have completed math at a grade 2 level you will have noticed that 7 buns minus 3 minus 3 equals 1... Bravo. I still have one lowly bun that is all alone... what to do?

My Second Dinner

For my second family dinner, I decided to make something a tad more complex than the quiche lorraine. Chicken seemed like the perfect choice... and I settled for a delicious recipe for honey mustard chicken that I picked up from the grocery store (Safeway to be exact). Those stores provide some really great recipes for breakfasts, dinners and just about everything in between. This dinner was to be a good old fashioned southern meal... so I chose to glam up the chicken with a side of mixed buttered veggies (Green Giant Brand), home-made potato wedges and some carrot and herb biscuits. Yum, yum!

Honey Mustard Chicken (serves 4)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsps chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel
1 (2 1/2 lb) chicken, quartered <-- I used 2 lbs of chicken legs

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. combine mustard and honey in a small bowl. Stir in dill and orange peel.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place chicken, skin-side down, on prepared pan. Brush sauce on top of chicken; coat well.
3. Turn chicken over. Gently pull back skin and brush meat with sauce. Gently pull skin back over sauce.

4. Brush skin with remaining sauce. Bake until juices run clear when thickest portion of meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.

Finishing touches:
1. Garnish with some fresh dill sprigs and lemon wedges.

Variation: For a tangy taste, add 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade to the marinade sauce.

Easy Potato Wedges (serves 4)

1. Cut 4 medium sized Russet potatoes into good sized wedges.

2. combine 2 tbsp melted butter, 1/2 tsp. basil, 1 tsp crushed garlice and 1/2 tsp fresh parsley.

3. Place potatoes on non-stick cookie sheet and brush on butter mixture.

4. Set oven to 375ºF.

5. Sprinkle w/ parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Flip over, brush and sprinkle other side, bake for another 30 minutes.