Cali Roll Salad To Go

Foodie Jr. LOVES California Rolls.  He would eat them all day, every day, if I let him.  He isn’t too fond of salad though.  This was my attempt to compromise with him on a very busy night that had us on the go.  We keep a pretty busy schedule around here and being able to whip these up while he was at school for quick assembly  at dinner time was a big help.  I normally would make these with real crab but I had the surimi on hand the day I made these and no time to get to the store to buy lump crab meat.  (Shrimp would be just fine to use as well.)   Foodie Jr. will eat them either way, so I luck out there.  I do not think this is an earth shattering recipe or anything, but it might be a helpful idea to some, especially busy families.  You could easily replace the crab with tofu or simply load it with more avocado if you do not like seafood.  Mr. Foodie and I enjoy these as well and they make for a great, light meal or a quick appetizer for a gathering.  I generally make a platter of them at a time but it is fun to let your guests make their own as well.

CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD TO GO

Ingredients:

-Lump Crab Meat (flaked) or Surimi (chopped), lightly tossed with Japanese or regular mayonaise.

-English Cucumbers, peeled, sliced thin and marinated in Mirin (or rice wine vinegar)  and black pepper for a few hours

-Avocado, chopped or slice per your preference

-Nori Komi Furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning)

-Hearts of Romaine, broken in half to form a sort of lettuce cup to hold salad

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients onto romaine lettuce cup, I usually go crab, avocado, cucumber and top with furikake.

KC Masterpiece Buffalo Chicken Lumpia

I recently received a bottle of the new K.C. Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker  Program.  Mr. Foodie and I both love buffalo sauce so I was excited to make something with this new marinade.  One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is to come up with fusion recipes, I love taking the unexpected and putting them together.  I decided to make some buffalo chicken lumpia, a Filipino version of the spring roll.  We generally abide by the ‘anything fried is good’ rule around here and this was no exception.  The crispiness of the lumpia wrapper collided with the creaminess of the filling and it worked.  We enjoyed it.  We used three different dipping sauces – ranch dressing, the K.C. Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade, and a combination of the two.  Mr. Foodie loved dipping them in more of the marinade and I really liked the marinade/rancho combo.  Thank you to Foodbuzz and KC Masterpiece for the opportunity!

KC MASTERPIECE BUFFALO CHICKEN LUMPIA

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Bottle of KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade

1 Packet of Ranch Dressing Seasonings

1 8 oz. Tub of Cream Cheese

50 Lumpia Wrappers

Water, for sealing lumpia

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1.  Mix about 2/3 of the marinade with one packet of ranch dressing seasoning, set aside.

2.  Place chicken breasts in crockpot, cover with marinade/dressing mixture and heat on high for 5-6 hours.

3.  Once chicken is done, shred finely with forks and let cool completely.

4.  Let frozen lumpia wrappers thaw for about an hour (or per package directions, which may vary from brand to brand.)

5.  Once chicken is completely cooled, mix in cream chese.  (I did this by hand to get it mixed in really well.)

6.  Place about a tablespoon of chicken mixture on one end of the lumpia wrapper, rolling and folding in sides until formed.  Seal with water.

7.  Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.

8.  Fry lumpia in oil until golden brown, let cool slightly before serving with desired dipping sauce.

Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad

I was lucky enough to be selected to try the Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken through the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program.  Sometimes things around here get busy on weeknights so I was really looking forward to having an easy go-to food like this to create  recipes for the family.

We love Thai Peanut Chicken  and this recipe would work well not just as a salad but also a pasta dish or even just the chicken mixed with the peanut dressing over rice.  The ease of the Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken makes it very versatile.

CRUNCHY THAI CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients for Dressing:

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

Juice and Zest of 1 Lime

2 Tsp Dark Sesame Oil

3 TBS Mirin

2 TBS Soy Sauce

3 TBS Light Coconut Milk

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 TBS Ginger, minced

1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

1 TBS Sriracha (or less to suit your spice tolerance)

Water

Directions for Dressing:

1.  Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.  Add water a little bit at a time to thin the dressing out to desired consistency.

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Package of Tyson Ready and Grilled Chicken

2 Cups Iceberg or Romaine lettuce, chopped

2 Cups Napa Cabbage Chopped

3 Carrots, Shredded

1 Cucumber, seeded and diced

3 Hearts of Celery, diced

Black Pepper Roasted Almonds (Available in produce section)

Ginger Garlic Wonton Strips (Available in produce section)

Directions for salad:

1.  Add lettuce, cabbage,carrots, cucumber and chicken to a large bowl.

2.  Add dressing a little bit at a time and toss so salad is lightly coated throughout.

3.  Top with desired amount of almonds and won ton strips before serving.

Spicy Pork – Korean Style

This isn’t really a recipe post.  Primarily because I did not make the spicy pork and have been sworn to secrecy about the recipe.  My recent food obsession is Korean food for some reason and I am lucky enough to have a friend that is not only Korean but also a lover of food whose family owns a catering business.  Talk about knowing the right people… She took pity on me since she knows Mr. Foodie does not love Korean food and I always want to eat it and brought me over some of her native dishes.  (The spring rolls pictured are also her creation, just maybe not so Korean!)  I’m not allowed to tell you the recipe but I can give you a list of ingredients, hopefully you can play with it and figure out the measurements.  I had to give my friend some props on this blog for feeding me a good meal!

SPICY PORK – KOREAN STYLE

Ingredients:

Sriracha

Sambal

Korean Fermented Pepper Paste

Corn Syrup

Dried Pepper Flakes

Sugar

Ground Ginger

Ground Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Lemon Juice

Sesame Oil

Soy Sauce

Directions:

1.  Call good Korean girlfriend and have her make this for you.

Ants Climbing a Tree

This is my take on the the Sichuan recipe for Ants Climbing a Tree.  I adapted this recipe for what I had on hand and was very happy with the results.  Most recipes for this dish call for cellophane/mung bean noodles and ground pork, neither of which I had on hand.  I substituted angel hair pasta and ground turkey.  Mr. Foodie does not care too much for cellophane noodles so the angel hair substitution was a good fit for him.  He really enjoyed this dish and ate several helpings of it.  Although I liked the ground meat with this dish and know that is part of the classic recipe, I also think the flavors would lend nicely to some thinly sliced chicken breast or even lean pork.

ANTS CLIMBING A TREE

Ingredients:

8 oz. Angel Hair Pasta

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1 TBS Sesame Oil

2 Tsp Cornstarch

6 Scallions, sliced

3 TBS Canola Oil

1 TBS Ginger Paste

1-2 TBS Minced Garlic (depending on your preference)

1 TBS Sriracha

3 Cups Shredded Cabbage

2/3 Cup Chicken Broth

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Directions:

1.  Bring salted water to a boil, add angel hair pasta and boil for 3 minutes.  Drain, rinse and set aside.

2.  Mix the ground turkey, with ½ the soy sauce, the sesame oil and scallions in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

3.  Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet.

4.  Add ginger, garlic and Sriracha to hot skillet and stir for about 30 seconds.

5.  Add the turkey mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes.

6.  Add the cabbage and remaining soy sauce and cook for about 2 minutes, cabbage should be slightly wilted.

7.  Add the pasta to the pan and continue to cook until turkey is cooked through.

8.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover pan, leaving the lid ajar just a bit.

9.  Lower heat to low and continue to cook until most of the broth is absorbed.

 

Stir Fried Bok Choy

Bok Choy is one of my favorite vegetables.  Technically classified as a cabbage, it is really popular in Asian cooking.  I love it’s mild flavor and texture.  It is a very versatile vegetable that can be used in soups, stir-fries or eaten just by itself.  I usually prepare my bok choy as a side dish to go with a meal.  It is pretty simple but we really enjoy it.  As a side note – this method can be used for other vegetables as well.

STIR FRIED BOK CHOY

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Bok Choy (about 1 lb.)  – cleaned and trimmed

2 TBS Peanut Oil

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1-2 Tsp Ginger, minced  (personal preference on how much ginger you like)

1/4 Cup Chicken Broth (you can use vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian)

Salt, to taste

Sesame Oil (optional)

Directions:

1.  In a wok, over medium-high heat, add the peanut oil, garlic and ginger.  Let cook as the wok heats up, until browned.  Be careful to watch this as you do not want it to burn.

2.  Add the bok choy and toss to coat.  Continue tossing constantly for a little less than a minute.

3.  Add the broth an cover. Let cook for about another minute.

4.  Add salt and sesame oil to taste, remember that a little sesame oil goes a long way!

Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodles

If you are familiar with Crustaceans or Thanh Long restaurants, you are likely familiar with this dish.  These restaurants, in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles are, are run by the An family and contain a ‘secret kitchen’ that is closed off to all employees except family members.  Many a Foodie has tried to figure out the secret recipe for this dish, the recipe I used is courtesy of RasaMalaysia and can be found HERE.

This recipe was simple and I generally have everything on hand to make it, except for the crab.  If you are a crab and/or noodle lover, of which I am both, you would enjoy this recipe.  I’m not sure if you would say it tastes JUST like the restaurant version but it is very good and extremely rich.   Definitely worth the try!

Happy Eating!

Bossa Nova Superfruit Juice

The good folks over at Bossa Nova were so kind as to send me a very generous supply of their Superfruit juices to try.  I was very excited  because I had never tried their product before and they used several fruits that I was not familiar with.  They sent me a wide variety of flavors:

• Original, Acai Berry
• Acai with Blueberry
• Goji Berry with Tart Cherry
• Mangosteen with Dragionfruit
• Acerola with Mango
• Mangosteen with Passionfruit
• Acerola with Red Peach
• Acai with Passionfruit
• Acai with Raspberry
• Acai with Mango

As a family we do not drink a lot of juice because of the sugar content, though Mr. Foodie and Foodie Jr. love juice.  We also never keep anything with artificial sweetener in the house.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn the Bossa Nova Superfruit Juices do not use white sugar but rather an agave nectar as a sweetener.  In comparison with some of the the other similar juices out on the market, these juices are considerably lower in sugar content – always a plus.  Our whole family loved them!  They all tasted wonderful and I personally really enjoyed the texture as some were thicker than others, especially noticeable with the juices containing mango.  These juices tasted like real fruit and tasted very fresh.  I loved seeing that the ingredient list only contained the fruit and agave nectar, no fillers or artificial anything.  As someone who is always looking for good things to serve her child, these juices made me happy!  Although they are available at some specialty higher end markets, I am happy to report that they are also available at my local Safeway grocery store so I do not have to go far to get them!  If you would like more information on the Bossa Nova juices, please visit them HERE.  Give them a try, you will not be disappointed!

I also created a little recipe using one of their juices that our family really enjoyed.  I hope you will too!

 

FURIKAKE CHICKEN WITH BOSSA NOVA ACEROLA MANGO SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

Ingredients For Chicken:

1 Lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces

4 Eggs, beaten

2 Cups Flour

½ – 3/4 Cup Nori Komi Furikake Mix

Vegetable Oil for Frying

Ingredients for Sauce:

½ Cup Bossa Nova Acerola Mango Juice

¼ Cup Ketchup

¼ Cup White Sugar

1 TBS (Heaping) Cornstarch

1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

½ Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Yellow Mustard

1 Tsp Fresh Ginger paste

Directions for Chicken:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat, oil should cover the entire bottom of the pan, about ¼ of an inch.
2. Mix Flour and Furikake mix well and put on plate, for dredging.
3. Pat chicken dry and place in egg wash.
4. Remove excess egg from the chicken and dredge in the flour mixture.
5. Fry chicken pieces in oil until golden brown and cooked through, turning only once.

Directions for Sauce:

1. Place all ingredients in saucepan and combine well.
2. Heat over medium high heat until mixture thickens and reduces a bit to your desired consistency.  Sauce should be on the thicker side.  Keep on low heat until ready to serve.

Serve chicken pieces with sauce for dipping.

 

Plum Chicken

This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite food bloggers, The Noble Pig.  Her recipe for Tangy-Sweet Plum Spiced Chicken really caught my eye.  I love recipes that pack big flavor with minimal ingredients, especially when I have all the ingredients on hand!  This recipe could not be more simple, I can probably teach Foodie Jr. to make it – assuming I would ever let him be in charge of a heating element…

Remember my previous post on the Homemade Plum Jam that I made with my cooking club?  Well, the overabundance of jam had me on the hunt for recipes I could use it in because toast gets old after a while!  In her recipe, The Noble Pig used Chinese Five Spice.  Although I think it would go really well with the plum, I opted not to use it because I generally do not care for it.  My version still came out really good and suited our family well – very kid friendly.  It is a good answer to homemade take-out.  We ate ours with rice and broccoli but I am thinking that it would be fabulous in some homemade crepes, in a pseudo mu shu way.

PLUM CHICKEN

Ingredients:

3 Large Chicken Breasts, cut into large cubes

1 Tsp Poultry Seasoning (I used a Salt-Free version from Trader Joes)

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

2-3 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 Tsp Chicken Boullion

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Plum Jam

2 TBS Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

1.  Season chicken with poultry seasoning and salt, toss in bowl.

2.  Heat olive oil  in large skillet over medium-high heat and then add chicken.  Once chicken is browned and cooked through, remove from skillet and set aside.

3.  To skillet, add chicken boullion, water, plum jam and balsamic vinegar.  Mix with flat whisk until all parts are well blended.  Bring to a boil and reduce sauce until you get a nice, thick syrup consistency, about 5 minutes or so.

4.  Add chicken back into skillet.  Toss to coat with plum mixture, about two minutes.  Serve immediately.

Fusion ‘Tacos’, Two Ways

I love the concept of tacos. I use the term ‘taco’ loosely here, mostly because it is a mainstream way for me to describe a little carb (tortilla, bao, etc…) wrapped around yummy goodness (meat, veggies, etc…) and some type of topping or sauce.  We make tacos at our house out of anything and love to experiment with different flavors, which is how the following recipes came about.

Both of these tacos were wrapped in steamed buns – bao, generically – Momofuku style inspired.  Before you applaud my awesomeness, know that I purchased pre-made folded buns at my local Asian Market.  For the record, I do have the ingredients on hand to make these from scratch and will be attempting that soon.  However, the craving for these was immediate so pre-made was the way to go this time around.  I did steam the buns myself though!

I did not serve either of these to Foodie Jr. fully constructed.  He did eat the filling and buns separately as his meal, but the sauces were a little too spicy for him.  Although he likes spicy food, Mr. Foodie and I like it really spicy so we opted to give him the milder version.  We were all able to eat the same meal, just had to modify for the little one.  I’m no short order cook so I have to do what I have to do to modify sometimes.

STEAMED BUN TACO #1

Korean Style Flank Steak with Cucumber topped with Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

Store bought folded buns, steamed per package directions

2 lb Flank Steak (you can also use skirt steak)

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

2 TBS Black Sesame Seeds

4 TBS Sugar

2 TBS Sesame Oil

3-4 Small Shallots, minced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

6 TBS Mirin

1/2 Large Cucumber, sliced thin on a mini-mandoline – becomes almost relish like

3-4 TBS Mirin

1 TBS Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/8 Cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce

1/8 Cup Sriracha (use less if you don’t like the heat)

Directions:

1.  Combine first 8 ingredients in a large freezer bag and refrigerate overnight, mixing and turning occasionally.

2.  Place cucumbers in a small bowl and cover with mirin, add red pepper flakes and mix.  Set in refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving.

3.  In a small bowl, mix BBQ sauce with Sriracha until well blended.

4.  Heat oil coated grill pan over medium heat.  Cook flank steak equally on both sides, about 8-10 minutes per side, depending on your desired doneness.

5.  Let the meat rest about 10 minutes and then slice thin against the grain.

6.  Assemble by placing a few slices of meat on the bun, top with cucumber and then BBQ sauce mixture.

STEAMED BUN TACO #2

Spicy Shrimp with Mango and Cilantro topped with Sriracha Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Store bought folded buns, steamed per package directions

1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined, boiled and cooled

Juice of 2 limes

3 TBS Patis (fish sauce) – you could probably use less if desired

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1 Large Mango, peeled and chopped

1/2 Cup Mayonaise

1-2 TBS Sriracha, depending on taste

1/8 Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Directions.

1.  Mix shrimp with lime juice, patis and cayenne pepper, refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

2.  In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise with Sriracha until well blended – it will have a light orange color.  (A little goes a long way but Mr. Foodie eats this on everything so I make a bigger batch at a time.)

3.  Assemble by placing a few shrimp on the folded bun, top with a bit of chopped mange, mayonnaise mixture and garnish with cilantro.