Start off your salsa with three medium tomatoes, cut into pieces that are about the size of a kernel of corn, make sure to collect all the juice too.
Then, cut up half a yellow and half a red onion into about the same sized pieces.
Next, take a mango, yes a mango. Mangoes are a very sweet fruit and it is great having something to balance out the onion, and mango worked beautifully. The easiest way to cut up a mango is to cut the two meaty sides off as close as you can to the pit, then lay them flat and use a paring knife to cut off the peel. Then cut them into pieces that are about double the size of the tomato pieces.
Try to use mangos that have just a little green peel left. Think of it as an avocado, you don’t want it too hard because then it won’t be ripe, but you also do want it too soft because then it will be too mushy.
After that, add 1 teaspoon of really finely dices cilantro. If you really don’t like cilantro you don’t have to use it, but even the smallest amount does add something to salsa.
Then the lime and lemon, use about half a lime and 1/3 of a lemon. Make sure not to get any of the seeds in the salsa. To be safe, you can squeeze them out into a bowl so that if some seeds fall out, they won't get in your salsa.
Last is salt and pepper. Add about 1 teaspoon of pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Mix it all up and you’re good to go.
To let the flavors blend, chill the salsa in the fridge for about 30 minutes, but it is not necessary.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
sauted corn with chicken chunks
Last night I was in the mode for some late night grub, but all I found in my fridge was a piece of boneless chicken breast, that was cut up into chunks, an ear of corn, and an artichoke.
Normally, when I'm at home we just steam our veggies, but I wanted to take it up a notch.
I started with about 2 table spoons of garlic infused olive oil, the juice from a wedge of a lime and a lemon, then threw in the rest of the wedges into a pot that was filled with about 3" high of almost boiling water. Then I added salt, pepper, 3 bay leaves, 2 big pinches of dried challots, 2 pinches of crushed pepper flakes and about 4 whole cloves, then the ear of corn and the artichoke. I like to keep my artichoke whole, so I just cut about an inch off the bottom of the stem and throw it into the pot.
Once the corn is cooked, which should be about 7 minutes later, take the corn out, leaving the artichoke to continue to cook.
Once the corn has cooled down enough, cut the kernels from the ear and throw them into a frying pan. Add 2 table spoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 table spoons of teriyaki sauce and 1 table spoons of dried challots. Let the liquid boil off for about 30 seconds.
Next throw in the chicken chunks and let them cook, mixing it around every once in a while. Once the chicken is almost fully cooked add about 1/2 cup of the broth from the artichoke, but make sure not to get any of the bay leaves, cloves or wedges of lime and lemon.
Take out the artichoke and let it cool down.
Boil out most of the water of the corn and chicken mixture and you're good to go.
You can dump the artichoke broth, but I decided to save it and today I used it instead of plain water for some brown rice. I cant wait to taste it.
Normally, when I'm at home we just steam our veggies, but I wanted to take it up a notch.
I started with about 2 table spoons of garlic infused olive oil, the juice from a wedge of a lime and a lemon, then threw in the rest of the wedges into a pot that was filled with about 3" high of almost boiling water. Then I added salt, pepper, 3 bay leaves, 2 big pinches of dried challots, 2 pinches of crushed pepper flakes and about 4 whole cloves, then the ear of corn and the artichoke. I like to keep my artichoke whole, so I just cut about an inch off the bottom of the stem and throw it into the pot.
Once the corn is cooked, which should be about 7 minutes later, take the corn out, leaving the artichoke to continue to cook.
Once the corn has cooled down enough, cut the kernels from the ear and throw them into a frying pan. Add 2 table spoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 table spoons of teriyaki sauce and 1 table spoons of dried challots. Let the liquid boil off for about 30 seconds.
Next throw in the chicken chunks and let them cook, mixing it around every once in a while. Once the chicken is almost fully cooked add about 1/2 cup of the broth from the artichoke, but make sure not to get any of the bay leaves, cloves or wedges of lime and lemon.
Take out the artichoke and let it cool down.
Boil out most of the water of the corn and chicken mixture and you're good to go.
You can dump the artichoke broth, but I decided to save it and today I used it instead of plain water for some brown rice. I cant wait to taste it.
my kitchen survival list
While I continue to build up, what I like to call, my kitchen survival list, I have come to realize that everyone has pretty much the same nine or ten "tools" plus a few to fit their cooking style.
This is my list.
A chef's knife - Your chef's knife is your best friend in the kitchen. I use a 8" blade, but as important as the blade is, the handle is just that important. The handle should fit comfortably in your hand, you want your knife to be an extension of your hand.
A pairing knife - A pairing knife is used for more precision cutting, I use a 3" blade.
A wooden or plastic cutting board
Balsamic vinegar
Extra Virgin olive oil
fresh garlic
yellow and red onions
ground pepper
salt
Now, the next list are things I always make sure to have but aren't necessities in YOUR kitchen.
A Mandolin - A Mandolin is like the long blade on a cheese grater, but extremely sharp. I like to use a mandolin when I have to do a lot of precision cutting and I don't want to take all day. The one I have has three different sizes allowing for different size cuts.
garlic salt
crushed pepper flakes
teriyaki sauce
dried diced challots - I found these at Cost Plus World Market
dried oregano
a few cans of tomato sauce and paste
garlic infused olive oil, which I also found at Cost Plus.
Recently, I added a fish spatula and a cast iron skillet. I can't wait to break them in!!
My list is by no means finished, a good chef's list should be constantly growing and changing. I am always on the look out for that something to take my cooking to the next level.
This is my list.
A chef's knife - Your chef's knife is your best friend in the kitchen. I use a 8" blade, but as important as the blade is, the handle is just that important. The handle should fit comfortably in your hand, you want your knife to be an extension of your hand.
A pairing knife - A pairing knife is used for more precision cutting, I use a 3" blade.
A wooden or plastic cutting board
Balsamic vinegar
Extra Virgin olive oil
fresh garlic
yellow and red onions
ground pepper
salt
Now, the next list are things I always make sure to have but aren't necessities in YOUR kitchen.
A Mandolin - A Mandolin is like the long blade on a cheese grater, but extremely sharp. I like to use a mandolin when I have to do a lot of precision cutting and I don't want to take all day. The one I have has three different sizes allowing for different size cuts.
garlic salt
crushed pepper flakes
teriyaki sauce
dried diced challots - I found these at Cost Plus World Market
dried oregano
a few cans of tomato sauce and paste
garlic infused olive oil, which I also found at Cost Plus.
Recently, I added a fish spatula and a cast iron skillet. I can't wait to break them in!!
My list is by no means finished, a good chef's list should be constantly growing and changing. I am always on the look out for that something to take my cooking to the next level.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Hadar's waffle stack dessert
After we watched the Cerritos fireworks, this 4th of July, my friend allowed me to join in on her exclusive waffle party.
It is easy and simple, which i love, and is absolutely delicious.
What you are going to do is toast a waffle a little bit longer than your desired toastiness (if that's a word), but don't burn it, no one wanted to taste burnt when eating ice cream. When that's done, spread on a layer of of creamy peanut butter. Nwxt is the chocolate, we used regular chocolate spread, but I think it's better if you use melted chocolate. Then, scoop on a scoop of your favorite ice cream, preferably something that doesn't have any pieces in it. I'm a vanilla man, which works beautifully.
To melt chocolate, take two pots, one that fits into the other. Fill the bottom one with water, just enough so that the bottom of the smaller pot is touching the water, but make sure you have, at least, one and a half inches of water. Once the water is hot, add your chocolate. Remember to use plain chocolate, nothing that has a filler or nuts in it. You can also use chocolate chips. Mix it, with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, until it is completely melted.
The good thing about this is that it's sharable, you really done need to eat more than half the waffle to get the "aw ya" feeling.
It is easy and simple, which i love, and is absolutely delicious.
What you are going to do is toast a waffle a little bit longer than your desired toastiness (if that's a word), but don't burn it, no one wanted to taste burnt when eating ice cream. When that's done, spread on a layer of of creamy peanut butter. Nwxt is the chocolate, we used regular chocolate spread, but I think it's better if you use melted chocolate. Then, scoop on a scoop of your favorite ice cream, preferably something that doesn't have any pieces in it. I'm a vanilla man, which works beautifully.
To melt chocolate, take two pots, one that fits into the other. Fill the bottom one with water, just enough so that the bottom of the smaller pot is touching the water, but make sure you have, at least, one and a half inches of water. Once the water is hot, add your chocolate. Remember to use plain chocolate, nothing that has a filler or nuts in it. You can also use chocolate chips. Mix it, with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, until it is completely melted.
The good thing about this is that it's sharable, you really done need to eat more than half the waffle to get the "aw ya" feeling.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Hash Brown Fries
I love french fries, who doesn't, right? I've been making my own fries for a while now, because not only is it cheaper to buy whole potatoes than those frozen bags of ready made fries, but this way I make them just the way i like them and I get to control the amount of oil that goes in.
I call them hash brown fries because I make them in two different ways. the first way, they come out more like hash browns and the second way, they are more like french fries.
For both recipes, all you need is a potato or two, a little bit of oil, your favorite dried spices and a frying pan.
For the hash browns, cut the potatoes along the length of the potato (the short way) about 1/4 inch thick circles, then cut the circles into 1/2 inch strips. Place the potato strips into a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil per potato. Mix in your spices, I like to use garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder. Throw that into your frying pan, keep an eye it for the first minute or two so that the potatoes dont stick to the pan. When the potatoes start to clump together, dont worry, thats supposed to happen. Once that starts to happen you can either turn the heat way down and let it cook, or you can continue to watch it.
For the french fries, you are going to prepare the potatoes the same way, except for two differences. The first is cut the potatoes along the width (the long way) keeping them about 1/4 inch thick, then cut them into strips about 1/3 inch thick. The second thing you are going to do is once the potatoes are cut up in your bowl, fill the bowl up with water, then drain all the water out. That is going to wash off the "juices" from the potato that keeps the strips clumped together for the hash browns. Additionally, you need to keep an eye on the fries regardless of how high the heat is. Burnt fries are bad fries.
I call them hash brown fries because I make them in two different ways. the first way, they come out more like hash browns and the second way, they are more like french fries.
For both recipes, all you need is a potato or two, a little bit of oil, your favorite dried spices and a frying pan.
For the hash browns, cut the potatoes along the length of the potato (the short way) about 1/4 inch thick circles, then cut the circles into 1/2 inch strips. Place the potato strips into a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil per potato. Mix in your spices, I like to use garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder. Throw that into your frying pan, keep an eye it for the first minute or two so that the potatoes dont stick to the pan. When the potatoes start to clump together, dont worry, thats supposed to happen. Once that starts to happen you can either turn the heat way down and let it cook, or you can continue to watch it.
For the french fries, you are going to prepare the potatoes the same way, except for two differences. The first is cut the potatoes along the width (the long way) keeping them about 1/4 inch thick, then cut them into strips about 1/3 inch thick. The second thing you are going to do is once the potatoes are cut up in your bowl, fill the bowl up with water, then drain all the water out. That is going to wash off the "juices" from the potato that keeps the strips clumped together for the hash browns. Additionally, you need to keep an eye on the fries regardless of how high the heat is. Burnt fries are bad fries.
Home made Marinara sauce
I am a HUGE fan of marinara sauce. I would put it on everything I eat, if it wasn't for the looks people give me. I'm talking about everything, from breads to veggies. I can't get enough of it, it's so good!!!
There are plenty of decent jarred marinara sauces out there, but nothing beats some good old fashion homemade marinara sauce. The recipe I've been using for a while now is real simple and mmm mmm good.
I start off with two can of tomato paste, one can of tomato sauce, and if I'm feeling up to it, about three medium tomatoes, if not I use one can of diced tomatoes, including the liquid. If you decide to use fresh tomatoes, you have to get the peel off of them before you cut them up. The easiest way to do that is by blanching them. Once the sauce and paste are in the pot, turn the flame on to medium to high heat, mix it really well so that the tomato sauce and paste are completely mixed together, and cover it.
To blanch your tomatoes, what you want to do is bring a pot of water up to a boil. While the water is heating up, cut out the core (at the top) from each tomato and then cut an X out on the bottom, just deep enough to break the skin. That will help you peel the skin off when you're ready. Once the water is boiling, submerge the tomatoes in the water. Let them sit for about 2 - 3 minutes. After that, put them in a bowl of ice water, this will stop the cooking process. Once the tomatoes have cooled down enough, go ahead and pull the skin off with your fingers. If it's done right the skin will come right off. Then chop them up into small chunks and throw them into the pot.
Next, I like to add onions. I use one medium yellow onion and about a half of a red onion. I dice about half of the onions up really fine and the other half to about the size of my pinky nail. Then, throw that in to the pot.
And of course, what's a marinara sauce without fresh garlic? I use about 4 - 5 cloves of garlic, feel free to use less. and just like the onions I dice half up really fine and the rest into thin slices. and throw that into the pot as well.
By now your sauce is fairly hot, and you should start to see small air bubbles coming up. Now add your seasons, I like to keep it real simple, all I use is some salt, pepper and oregano. But again, feel free to make this your own and add whatever you like.
Reduce the heat to a medium to low heat, and let that sit until you get the desired thickness you want. I like it pretty thick, to the point where if I scoop some out with a spoon, I can almost turn the spoon upside down without it dripping. But if you like it a little liqiudy, mix in about 1/4 of a cup of water. Just keep in mind, if you add more water make sure you add more seasonings.
It should take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook. Don’t walk away from it, because if it burns on the bottom it will be a pain to clean.
There are plenty of decent jarred marinara sauces out there, but nothing beats some good old fashion homemade marinara sauce. The recipe I've been using for a while now is real simple and mmm mmm good.
I start off with two can of tomato paste, one can of tomato sauce, and if I'm feeling up to it, about three medium tomatoes, if not I use one can of diced tomatoes, including the liquid. If you decide to use fresh tomatoes, you have to get the peel off of them before you cut them up. The easiest way to do that is by blanching them. Once the sauce and paste are in the pot, turn the flame on to medium to high heat, mix it really well so that the tomato sauce and paste are completely mixed together, and cover it.
To blanch your tomatoes, what you want to do is bring a pot of water up to a boil. While the water is heating up, cut out the core (at the top) from each tomato and then cut an X out on the bottom, just deep enough to break the skin. That will help you peel the skin off when you're ready. Once the water is boiling, submerge the tomatoes in the water. Let them sit for about 2 - 3 minutes. After that, put them in a bowl of ice water, this will stop the cooking process. Once the tomatoes have cooled down enough, go ahead and pull the skin off with your fingers. If it's done right the skin will come right off. Then chop them up into small chunks and throw them into the pot.
Next, I like to add onions. I use one medium yellow onion and about a half of a red onion. I dice about half of the onions up really fine and the other half to about the size of my pinky nail. Then, throw that in to the pot.
And of course, what's a marinara sauce without fresh garlic? I use about 4 - 5 cloves of garlic, feel free to use less. and just like the onions I dice half up really fine and the rest into thin slices. and throw that into the pot as well.
By now your sauce is fairly hot, and you should start to see small air bubbles coming up. Now add your seasons, I like to keep it real simple, all I use is some salt, pepper and oregano. But again, feel free to make this your own and add whatever you like.
Reduce the heat to a medium to low heat, and let that sit until you get the desired thickness you want. I like it pretty thick, to the point where if I scoop some out with a spoon, I can almost turn the spoon upside down without it dripping. But if you like it a little liqiudy, mix in about 1/4 of a cup of water. Just keep in mind, if you add more water make sure you add more seasonings.
It should take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook. Don’t walk away from it, because if it burns on the bottom it will be a pain to clean.
Chicken Teriyaki Stir-fry
In keeping with the idea of keeping things simple, I thought I'd share a real simple recipe I have for some hearty stir fry.
As a mega meat lover, eating veggies is a big deal, so when I make stir fry it has got to be mmm mmm good. I like to start off with some of the frozen stir fry mix (you can use fresh vegetables, but I'm in college so I don't always have the time to be cutting up stuff). I add to it four or five white mushrooms, about half a medium red onion and half a medium white or yellow onion (depending on what I have available), I, also, like to add a jalapeno pepper for a nice kick, and last about a tablespoon of olive oil. Throw it all in a large nonstick pan, put a lid on it, set it to medium to high heat, and give it a stir every so often.
Next, in a small sauce pan, add about 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, and a table spoon of flour. mix so that the water and teriyaki sauce are mixed completely. the flour will clump together at first but once it started boiling it will even out. Set to low heat, stir occasionally, I like to use a rubber spatula, because once the sauce reduces to a paste it will get a little sticky and to me a rubber spatula is the easiest thing to use.
Lastly, the chicken, I try to get shnitzel, which is basically a piece of boneless white meat that was filleted, but if I can't find that I get the regular boneless. I cut the chicken into strips about an inch by half inch pieces (about the size of your thumb, well my thumb anyways). Remember, you don't want to start cooking your chicken before your veggies are done. I like my veggies to be cooked to where the broccoli has just a little crunch to it. Throw the chicken in to a pan (I like to throw in two or three pieces of crushed garlic because I'm a huge garlic fan, but it won't make or break your dish), allow the chicken to cook for about 30 seconds to a minute before seasoning them with salt and pepper. Once your chicken is done cooking, which should take about 3 to 5 minutes, add them to the veggies.
By now your teriyaki reduction should be ready for some sesame seeds. mix about a teaspoon into the sauce. mix the sauce into the stir fry and plate.
It's healthy, hearty and above all tastes great!!!!
Ingredients needed:
two handfuls of your favorite stir fry mix
four or five white mushrooms
half a red onion
half a white or yellow onion
one jalapeno pepper
one tablespoon of olive oil
one piece of boneless white meat chicken
two or three cloves of garlic (crushed)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup water
one tablespoon all purpose flour
one teaspoon sesame seeds
As a mega meat lover, eating veggies is a big deal, so when I make stir fry it has got to be mmm mmm good. I like to start off with some of the frozen stir fry mix (you can use fresh vegetables, but I'm in college so I don't always have the time to be cutting up stuff). I add to it four or five white mushrooms, about half a medium red onion and half a medium white or yellow onion (depending on what I have available), I, also, like to add a jalapeno pepper for a nice kick, and last about a tablespoon of olive oil. Throw it all in a large nonstick pan, put a lid on it, set it to medium to high heat, and give it a stir every so often.
Next, in a small sauce pan, add about 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, and a table spoon of flour. mix so that the water and teriyaki sauce are mixed completely. the flour will clump together at first but once it started boiling it will even out. Set to low heat, stir occasionally, I like to use a rubber spatula, because once the sauce reduces to a paste it will get a little sticky and to me a rubber spatula is the easiest thing to use.
Lastly, the chicken, I try to get shnitzel, which is basically a piece of boneless white meat that was filleted, but if I can't find that I get the regular boneless. I cut the chicken into strips about an inch by half inch pieces (about the size of your thumb, well my thumb anyways). Remember, you don't want to start cooking your chicken before your veggies are done. I like my veggies to be cooked to where the broccoli has just a little crunch to it. Throw the chicken in to a pan (I like to throw in two or three pieces of crushed garlic because I'm a huge garlic fan, but it won't make or break your dish), allow the chicken to cook for about 30 seconds to a minute before seasoning them with salt and pepper. Once your chicken is done cooking, which should take about 3 to 5 minutes, add them to the veggies.
By now your teriyaki reduction should be ready for some sesame seeds. mix about a teaspoon into the sauce. mix the sauce into the stir fry and plate.
It's healthy, hearty and above all tastes great!!!!
Ingredients needed:
two handfuls of your favorite stir fry mix
four or five white mushrooms
half a red onion
half a white or yellow onion
one jalapeno pepper
one tablespoon of olive oil
one piece of boneless white meat chicken
two or three cloves of garlic (crushed)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup water
one tablespoon all purpose flour
one teaspoon sesame seeds
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