Baba Ganoush or Caviar

                                 

I like Baba Ganoush, it is very light to eat as long as you eat it with whole grain bread. 
     Baba Ganoush Recipe:
          Ingredients

• 3 medium-sized eggplants
• 1/4 cup  tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/8 teaspoon chile powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

            Instructions:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Clean the skin of the eggplants, then slice them thin to bake faster. 
3. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft.
4. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Puree in a blender or food processor with the other ingredients until smooth.
6. Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Serve drizzle with olive oil, serve with toasted pita chips for dipping.

 

 

 

 Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days prior to serving.

I hope this was helpful. I always love reading your comment, thank you for stopping by.

Hummus with Garlic & Tahini

 

Hummus is a middle eastern food, that is a combination of Chickpeas and Tahini. Tahini, a sesame seed paste, is the second most important ingredient in hummus.

I love hummus, you can add any herbs or veggies to change the flavor. You can also add spices if you like your hummus spicy.

For me, I prefer simple hummus with lemon, garlic, tahini and olive oil.

Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus and pour another 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil.


Serve with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread.
Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 7 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to one month.

Have you prepared hummus before? If so, how do you prepare yours?
Happy Eating!
 

Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms

What can I tell you, this dish never fails you whether you cook it on stove top or slow cooker.
The taste of the garlic, chives and mushroom, it just delicious! I have made this recipe for about four years. I keep changing the ingredients, the reason is that, I cook whatever I have at hand.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

                           4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 8-oz. pkg. fresh button mushrooms, quartered

1/4 cup butter

 

1 cup, 4-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup

1/2 of an 8-oz. tub cream cheese spread

 

Pinch of fresh chives

 

1 medium onion, chopped

 

2 cloves of Garlic, chopped

 

1/4 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

 

1/4 teaspoons cumin

 

1 teaspoon salt

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

On stove top, Cook Chicken with butter for 15 minutes on medium heat. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic, cook it for another 10 minutes. Add mushroom soup, cream cheese, chives, cumin, salt and Cayenne pepper. Bring the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. 

Serve with brown rice or anything you have at hand.

I love reading your comments. Have you made this dish before? If so, I would love for you to share how you cook yours.

Happy eating!

 

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

This dish is one of my kids favorite. I love sneaking some veggies inside and my kids won't notice at all.

 

                                                                                        

 

Ingredients: 

 

1 ponds of chicken breasts, diced

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon chilli

1 cup of shredded cheese

1 can of refried beans

1 onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

 

1 teaspoon salt

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon Canola oil

1/2 can or

(10 oz.) Green Chile Enchilada sauce, optional

1/2 cup sour cream

10 Burritos

Directions:

On stove top, In medium pan, heat Canola oil and cook chicken, onions and garlic for 15 minutes on medium heat. Add Chilli and Cumin, cook 3 minutes and remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Dip each flour tortilla into Green Chile Enchilada sauce and spoon some of the chicken mixture, sour cream, 3/4 cup of shredded cheese and reffried beans into the tortilla. Roll up and place in pan. Repeat until mixture is gone.
Top with a little sauce and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes until the cheese ia all melted.

 

Stir-Fry Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love the color of this recipe. So many recipes add Ketchup and sugar for sweet and sour. Carrots & bell peppers are sweet, you don't need sugar. I try to cut any unnecessary sugar and white flour if I don't need to. 
This recipe is very simple and delicious! You can prepare it with in 15 minutes and 15 minutes to finish. I can call it 30 minutes meal.

Ingredients:

                   2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut thin
                   3 tablespoons soy sauce
                   1 teaspoon salt
                   1 teaspoon paprika
                   1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons Canola oil
3 medium carrots sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 pounds green beans
1/4 bounds broccoli
You can add scallions, bell peppers, add any veggie your family will love
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Cook noodles or brown rice, for serving (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 table spoon Hoisen sauce

Instructions:

In a large bowl, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and cornstarch, salt, and pepper.

 Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add your veggies, onions and garlic; cook over medium-high, stirring, about 4 minutes.

Whisk soy sauce sauce and hoisen sauce. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately over noodle or rice, if desired.



 

Baked Parmesan Popcorn Chicken

 

 

Home made Chicken nuggets are my family favorite. We decided to have finger food for movie night. I needed to add some veggies as well.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of Chicken Breasts
3 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 cup of Parmesan Grated Cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425.
Wash and cut chicken into small pieces like the picture.
Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil or you could also either use non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the top of the foil with extra virgin olive oil.
Mix all of the spices and the Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
Place all of chicken into a gallon size freezer bag, add olive oil and the Parmesan cheese/spice mixture to the bag.
Seal the bag and shake until the chicken are evenly coated.

In a small bowl, beat the 3 eggs. Coat the chicken on the flower and into the eggs, then roll it in to the bread crumbs, repeat the process.


Layer the chicken in the baking sheet that has been greased.

Bake 45 minutes until golden brown.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I always enjoy your comments.

You might also like this:
Perfect Baked Fries

Perfect Baked Fries

 

 

If you are like me, you always trying to change your recipe to feed your family little healthier. This recipe is very tasty and less fat from frying. And my kids loved it!

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (approx 3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon salt


Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.
Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8ths. 
Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil so that they will not stick, but you could also either use non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the top of the foil with extra virgin olive oil.

Add olive oil and salt, then dump onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.
 Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown. (Baking times will vary depending on the amount of fries that you make and the size that you cut them). 

I baked mine at 425 for 45 minutes. 

Home Made Tortillas

This is my simple recipe: It takes no effort at all. I make a batter using flour, water, oil and salt.

The batter needs to be thicker than a pancake batter. If it is ticker, you can use your spoon to spread it even to the side of your pan. But if it is thin, you will have a problem.

I add oil on the pan from sticking on the pan. Medium heat and stay close to the stove, it takes 2 minute for each side.

Here is a picture on one side, you can see I tried to spread it using my hand.

Then stuff anything you would like. I had Turkey left over, I added some bell peppers, onions, cheese and add any sauce.

 

Take time to have a meal once a day and enjoy your food and your family.

Pizza Recipe

Dough Ingredients: 

• 1 package active dry yeast(about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 5 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
• 1  cup warm water
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and mix them with water and oil. knead with your hands until it is smooth and elastic. Let it rise for an hour. Find a clean surface and sprinkle flour and roll your dough or roll it on the pan you are going to use to bake.

Pizza sauce Ingredients:

1(6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed


Mix together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil. Mix well. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Mix well and let stand several hours to let flavors blend. No cooking necessary, just spread on dough.
You can top your pizza any way you like.

Bake the pizza in a 450 degree oven for 10 - 14 minute.
I hope you enjoy your pizza!

Funnel cake recipe

My kids wanted funnel cake, they will pour chocolate on top. I am not crazy for fried food. When I eat, I top it with blue berries and some maple syrup.

Ingredient:

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup milk
Canola oil, for frying
1 cup confectioners' sugar
 for topping

Instruction:
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl whisk the egg and granulated sugar. Whisk the egg into the milk mixture. Gently stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture. The batter should be a little thicker than pancake batter. Add more milk if needed.

Heat 2 inches of canola oil in a pot with deep sides over medium heat until it gets to 375. Just heat it until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into the oil. pour 1/2 cup batter for about 30 seconds until the batter floats and the underside is golden. Use a spoon and flip to cook and hold the funnel over the oil and moving the funnel around in circles to create a web pattern. Cook for another 30 seconds or more, or until golden. Place the funnel cake on a paper towel and let cool for a minute. Top it with powdered sugar and serve.

Cranberry Sauce

A sweet and tart cranberry sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 table spoon orange juice
4 cups (1 12 ounce bag) cranberries

Directions:

1.Heat the water and sugar over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved.
2.Add the cranberries and bring to a boil.
3.Reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
Servings: makes 3 cups

Italian donuts

                                                                                             

There is nothing I love than to escape to the kitchen to cook, not so much the cleaning.

I saw this recipe on food network a year ago by Giada,

and I been baking it since then. My kids love it. This takes

about 25 minutes.

It makes 2 dozen doughnuts

Ingrediens:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (plus more for topping)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Roll in Sugar and cinnamon mix. 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the doughnuts: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, sugar, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Using a wooded spoon, quickly stir the mixture until all the flour is fully incorporated and forms a thick dough.

Return the pan to the heat and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment. With the machine running on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time until fully incorporated. Beat the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.

In a large bottomed saucepan, pour oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium  Using a small ice cream scoop carefully drop scoops(1 tablespoon) of the dough into the oil.  Cook for about 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until the donuts are golden and puffed. Make sure you don't crowd the pan.

When the donuts is cool enough to handle, roll in sugar and cinnamon mix. You can also dip in melted chocolate. Serve immediately.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cooking with my daughter

Emily is mixing Coleslaw, and grilling the burgers. Making the dough for the rolls. Setting up the table. She was so excited! She made the desert and the drink(float) without my help or supervision. It is easy for me to do it quick and clean my kitchen. But, teaching our kids with patient is a very rewarding at the end. Of course, she was tired at the end and I end up cleaning on my own. The food was delicious and we all enjoyed it.

Blueberry–Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Absolutely to die for! I ate most of the cake. I will definitely reduce the blueberry preserve and the sugar next time. This was for women's brunch, I think it is  OK that we enjoy sometimes. 　

             

                                                                                  

Ingredients:

              2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup blueberry preserves, plus 1 tablespoon melted preserves
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.
Spread all but 1/2 cup of the batter into the prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, make a trough in the batter, all the way around the pan. Mix the 3/4 cup of blueberry preserves with the reserved batter and spoon it into the trough.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour, or until it begins to pull away from the pan and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, remove the pan and let cool completely. Sift the confectioners' sugar over the cake, drizzle with the melted blueberry preserves and serve.

Breakfast in a Muffin

I saw this recipe at hertage school house blog. Easy to make and delicious!

Breakfast in a Muffin

Ingredient:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, divided
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

    In a large bowl, combine first four ingredients. Combine milk, oil and 1 egg; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining egg. Add cheddar cheese and seasoned salt; mix well. Stir in bacon. Spoon 2 tablespoons in the center of each muffin. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm and enjoy!

Stuffed bell peppers recipe

Ingredients:

6 medium-sized bell peppers, any color you prefer
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions
       Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, wash the bell peppers and slice off a bit of the bottom so they sit flat, taking care not to cut into the interior. Cut off the tops about one half inch down from the stem and carefully remove the seeds and white membrane. Set aside. Add the turkey to the pan and break apart with a spatula. When fully cooked through, add cooked rice, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Add the canned tomatoes and the raisins and stir well. Remove from heat. Place the peppers in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and stuff with the meat mixture, mounding slightly. Drizzle tops and sides of each pepper with olive oil. Return the peppers' tops and cover tightly with foil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender.This recipe is a very rewarding.  For me, it is a comfort food. Color and texture is amazing!