Tag: cooking classes

Chinese Style Chicken and Broccoli

Much better than take out…

1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

Marinade

One egg white, beaten
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 inch ginger, grated

Add the egg white to a small bowl. Beat well and add the cornstarch. Continue beating until incorporated. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Mix well and transfer to a medium bowl with the chicken. Mix well and marinate for an hour in the fridge.

Sauce

½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons black bean sauce

Mix the two ingredients together and keep aside.

4 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, about 3 cups
1 medium yellow onion, sliced

Heat a wok like pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions and sauté on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and sauté for another minute. Cover with lid and lower heat to medium and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out of pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and reheat pan. Add the marinated chicken and sauté on high heat for a minute. Add the orange sauce and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and onion and mix well. Cook with lid on for another 2 to 4 minutes or till the chicken is cooked through. Check for seasonings and serve with brown rice.

Roasted Cilantro Cauliflower

Cauliflower is my ‘go to’ vegetable… easy to make, delicious and quick… I made this as side dish.

1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup cilantro, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat broiler to high.

Par boil the florets in boiling water for a 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the water and pat dry the florets and transfer to a lined cookie sheet.

Add the oil, cilantro, garlic and salt into a mortar and pestle. Grind till a smooth paste is formed- a processor can be used instead. Add the paste to the cauliflower, mix well and roast under the broiler till the florets are golden brown. Serve as a side dish.

Vegetable Lasagna

This is a great way to get some veggies into your kids. They may not notice all the greens while they enjoy the yummy noodles, cheese and sauce. Eliminate the pancetta if you want to keep it vegetarian. If not then it is great way to infuse some great flavor without adding a lot of meat.

9 to 12 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup pancetta, chopped (eliminate if making vegetarian)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 10 ounces Shiitaki mushrooms, sliced
4 cups mixed greens (I used a combination of kale, green cabbage, red cabbage & Brussels sprouts), shredded
1 cup ricotta
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 cups fresh tomato sauce, preferable homemade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the lasagna noodles until they are soft and pliable, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the pasta and lay flat on a sheet tray to cool.

Add olive oil and pancetta to a large frying pan. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the greens and cook for another 5 minutes until they are wilted. Check for seasonings and turn heat off and let cool.

In a small bowl, add the ricotta, garlic, parsley, salt, egg, and ½ cup of cheese. Mix well and keep aside.

In the bottom of a 8 by 8 baking dish, add a half cup of sauce. Spread evenly. Arrange three to four noodles to completely cover the sauce. Spread ½ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Add ½ of the mushroom mixture and spread evenly. Repeat with noodles, sauce, ricotta and mixture. Finally add the last batch of noodles and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano and all of mozzarella on top. Cover with foil. Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in oven for an hour 15 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Beef and Pork Ragu with Spaghetti

If it was up to my daughter, I would be making spaghetti bolognese once or twice a week.. this is twist on a true bolognese..

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ pound ground grass fed beef
½ pound ground pork
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups milk
Salt

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the ground beef and pork. Saute on medium high heat while breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon and brown for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the thyme, onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Add a teaspoon of salt. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the red wine and bring to a boil and add the tomato sauce and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer with lid on for an hour. Take lid off and cook for another 20 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt. Serve with spaghetti.

Banana Bread with Coconut Oil

This is the most delicious banana bread. I changed up my regular recipe to included coconut oil and coconut sugar. If you want to indulge.. definitely make this recipe. The great thing is that it is not completely bad for you…

1¼ cups unbleached white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup coconut oil, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
1 cup coconut sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
½ cup toasted walnut pieces
½ cup milk or dark chocolate, chips or grated

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9X5X3 inches loaf pan with coconut oil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and chocolate pieces and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out. Cool completely before serving.

Cilantro Cole Slaw

I served this healthy, delicious cole slaw with the fried fish. It was an amazing addition to an already yummy dish…

2 cups broccoli slaw (Trader Joes has it)
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup green onions, chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek Yogurt
¼ cup cilantro chutney
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Salt

Mix the mayo, yogurt and chutney in a small bowl. Transfer the slaw, cilantro, cranberries and green onions to a serving bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and mix well. Add salt if needed. Mix well and serve.

Cilantro Chutney

3 cups cilantro, washed and chopped roughly
4 green onions
2 limes, juiced
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup water

Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend till everything turns into a smooth sauce.

Cilantro Fried Fish with Oven Fries

This was an amazing dish- fish and chips Indian style. My daughter absolutely devoured it all…

4 cod fish fillets
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Salt
¼ cup plain flour

Sprinkle the fish with coriander and salt. Dredge with flour and keep aside.

¾ cup plain flour
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 small 8oz can club soda

Heat about 2 cups oil in a heavy saucepan.

Add the flour, coriander, garlic, salt, cilantro and green onions to a medium bowl. Slowly add the club soda, while whisking with a whisk until you have a thick coating batter- you may have about a bit of soda left over. Dip the fish fillets into the batter completely and immerse into the hot oil. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. Take out the fish in a paper towel lined platter. Serve with hot oven fries.

Tartar Sauce

1 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon cilantro chutney
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped

Mix all the ingredients and serve with the hot fish.

Oven Fries

5 to 6 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into small wedges

Transfer the wedges to a medium saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for a minute on a roaring boil. Drain the water and transfer wedges back to the saucepan and let them dry for ten minutes. Transfer to a lined cookie sheet.

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle the oil and salt all over the potatoes and toss well with fingers. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or till the wedges are golden brown. Take out and check for seasonings. Serve hot with fish.

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