All posts tagged: recipe

Quickie Smoothie

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For this recipe there is not a lot of foreplay *cough* I mean before prep necessary. It is quick and easy, which is exactly what I am looking for when I drag my semi-awake body to the kitchen Mondays at 7 in the morning. I don’t want to be awake yet, much less be cooking at this hour. Which is why this smoothie recipe is great to start your week. Now if you want to freeze your own fruit, milk your own cows, or press your own almonds (for almond milk, get it?) be my guest. However this recipe is about convenience and speediness. About the constant struggle of mankind against the clock, against society’s preconceptions of what adult life must be like, against the cruelty perpetuated upon the individuals that are made to wake up at an ungodly hour after having a sleepless night thanks to their toddlers deciding to practice bed karate in their sleep… But I digress. For this recipe all you need is the following: -1 cup frozen strawberries -1/2 cup frozen blueberries …

Bento Series #11– Spring Rolls

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With spring around the corner, I felt it was time to post my recipe for SPRING Rolls (see what I did there?) With winter finally starting to fade (not really up North, and no real winter down here in Florida -_-) it is time to make some healthy food that will help us get in shape for bikini season, a.k.a. summer. This recipe is perfect for that, full of fresh veggies and delicious crab meat, it will satisfy the tastebuds while being gentle to your body. It is also great for a bento since everything goes inside the wrapper and you can eat it with your hands, no silverware necessary. Grab, dip, and enjoy! Bento Components: Spring Rolls Peanut Sauce Spring Rolls — Ingredients: -1 container (8 oz.) of fresh crab meat (can be found in the fish counter). -2 carrots -1/2 cucumber with all the seeds removed -3 green onions -1 cup cooked rice noodles -1 tsp sesame oil -1 Tbsp lemon juice -spring roll wrappers -salt and pepper to taste The first thing you …

Dumplings: Delicious Pockets of Goodness

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Dumplings, oh how I love thee!! Little pockets of deliciousness that make my heart soar. Every country has a kind of dumpling: Japanese gyoza, Korean mandu, Italian ravioli, Chinese shumai, Spanish empanadas, etc. It is very versatile, and since there are so many recipes from all around the world, the combinations are endless! The best part is that they are a great freezer food! You can make as many as you want on a free day and flash freeze them to be enjoyed at a later date. Not only that, they can be cooked in so many ways: fried, steamed, sauteed, baked, etc! A couple of months ago I invited my family over for the weekend and had them help me make a huge batch. Ha Ha! Entrapment! *Cough* I mean, a great family activity! We made gyozas, shumai, and crab rangoons, then I flash froze most of them to be divided among both households, and had a lot of them for dinner that night. We were in dumpling heaven! Freshly made gyozas, right before being …

Korean Inspired Pancakes, The Breakfast Of Champions!

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About a couple of months ago I decided to give Korean pancakes a try. They are salty, they are full of vegetables, and frankly they just looked exotically delicious. So I decided to make a classic; a green onion pancake. I printed a recipe from a reputable Korean cook, gathered my ingredients and went at it with extreme confidence, after all; How hard could it be? Well, I found out that there is a learning process to it. You can’t just add batter and fry, the onions release moisture, which make the pancake soggy if it is too thick. I learned that the egg has to be added at a certain time, that the green onions don’t always stick to the batter. Basically I made quite a few, but every try ended in me having to fix something since we Americans (at least the ones in my house) are not much for eating raw pancake mix, or raw egg, or slimy onions. So my first try ended in disappointment and me deciding that I had …

Bento Series #10 — Seafood Bake

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This is a great idea for a weeknight dinner or for easy entertaining! All you have to do is throw all the ingredients in a baking sheet and, you guessed it, bake it. After a little while you have a “one pot” (in this case sheet) meal! The bestest (is that a word?) part is that it is great hot or room temperature. Therefore it allows you to spend time with your guests instead of spending time with your pots and pans (God knows we already spend way too much time with them). Seafood Bake– Ingredients: -1 lb deveined shrimp -1 package golden baby potatoes -4 corn cobs -1 package baby bella mushrooms -1 lemon -4 stalks green onion -1 tablespoon chopped parsley -salt and pepper to taste -1 tsp old bay seasoning -3 Tbsp olive oil -3 garlic cloves diced Set oven to 400 degrees. Cut corn into 2 in. pieces. Rinse potatoes. Toss potatoes and corn with 1 Tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a baking sheet and …

My Mom’s Flan Recipe

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My mom is a great cook and she makes the best Cuban food recipes. She is famous among our family and friends for her flans. So of course I asked her to share her recipe with the world! Flan is a delicate, versatile, delicious dessert. One of my favorite kinds of flan is cheese flan. But I also love the original, or coconut flan. They are all great! Since flan is something my mom always makes for special occasions, family dinners, or holidays it will always be, for me, a symbol of home! Give this recipe for the classic flan a try, and impress your family and friends with your knowledge of Cuban cuisine! Ingredients: -5 eggs -1 can of condensed milk -1 can of evaporated milk -1/2 tsp salt -1 Tbsp vanilla extract -4 Tbsp sugar In a blender, add eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, salt, and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients come together. Strain mix through a fine colander. Set aside. Make the caramel by melting the 4 tablespoons of sugar over a low flame, stirring constantly …

Bento Series #9 — Turkey Pesto Sandwich

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This year I decided I was going to put all rumors of “black thumb of death” to rest, and actually start a garden that lived for more than a month. So far I would say my efforts have been a wash. I killed my mint plant, but my basil plants are holding on to life. Sometimes vigorously, sometimes by a thread, but they are still alive! Therefore, I decided to enjoy the fruits of my labor by making homemade pesto. I used the delicious mixture in pastas, sandwiches, chicken, and fish dishes. It is super tasty and pack a flavor punch! For this bento I used my own pesto (recipe below) but you can use store bought as well and it will brighten that good ol’ turkey sandwich! Bento Components: Turkey Pesto Sandwich Raspberries   Homemade Basil Pesto– Ingredients: -2 cups of gently packed basil (just the leaves, no stems!) -1/2 cup parmesan cheese -1/2 cup almonds (the classic recipe calls for pine nuts, I use whatever I have at hand, like almonds, or walnuts.) -3 …

Bento Series #8 — Jalapeño Poppers Salad

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Jalapeño poppers are a very easy treat to make. They are great for appetizers, as hors d’oeuvre at parties, as a dish to bring to potlucks or barbeques. They are little peppers filled with cheese wrapped in bacon. Now some people might be scared to try them because Jalapeños have fame for being spicy. However most of the spiciness is located within the seeds and ribs, so if you clean them really well there is nothing to fear! Some tips when handling Jalapeños. Use rubber gloves so that none of the capsaicin (the spiciness) gets under your nails, which will cause you some discomfort. Also DO NOT touch your eyes when handling the seeds and ribs or you will be in a world of pain and agony (queue sinister music). But other than that they are super safe ^_^ Bento Components: Jalapeño Poppers Salad Greens Sausage Octopus Radish Flowers Lemon Wedge Jalapeño Poppers– Ingredients: – 8 jalapeños (about 2 per person) -1 block of cream cheese at room temperature -3 green onion stalks, diced -bacon (1 slice per …

Bento Series #7 — Slow Cooker Brisket

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A slow cooker can be a huge help on very busy days. Wake up a few minutes earlier, throw everything in there, set for the whole day and “Forget About It.”(<– with a New England Accent) Now you might say: “Wake up a few minutes earlier? HA, HA, HA!” Well, to you I say; you can also set it up the night before and you will have a cooked meal when you wake up, like the food fairy visited and left you a delicious meal while you slept, just remember to turn off the slow cooker before you leave for work. You don’t want to burn that meal the food fairy slaved all night making for you! In this particular instance I made a brisket. Brisket is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef and generally tough, so it benefits from that long and slow cooking process. Bento Components: Slow cooked brisket Vegetables Rice with peas   Slow Cooker Brisket — Ingredients: -4 lb brisket -5 carrots -3 stalks of celery -1 onion diced -salt and pepper …

Vegetarian Fall Fried Rice

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A couple of weeks ago I decided to give Meatless Monday a try, a decision that met with many protests from my husband (I don’t like veggies, I like meat, I am a man! I need meat, But meat is delicious, I am not a rabbit, etc. were some of the arguments that arose). But I had some great arguments up my sleeve; Vegetables are good for you and this family, I am the one cooking! You will eat what I make, You are acting like a baby! Even our daughter is embarrassed for you! He ended up eating a peanut butter sandwich >_< still meatless though, Ha! Here is the recipe for the vegetarian fried rice that the rest of us enjoyed that day. It is great as a fall dish since it uses a lot of ingredients that are seasonal right now. Ingredients: -Cooked white and wild rice mixture. (1/2 cup pre-cooked wild rice to 2 cups white rice) -1 Zucchini chopped -2 Carrots diced (diced is smaller than chopped) -1 package of mushrooms …