I thought I'd try something a little different and this was excellent. I love the flavor and saltiness of fish sauce. I made this a bit healthier by using chicken breast and running it through the cuisinart after I chopped it into cubes.

Mix together in bowl:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (I ran mine through the food processor after cubing)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (Or vegetarian fish sauce, or regular soy sauce if vegetarian)
1 Tbsp. regular soy sauce + 2 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 heaping Tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch powder
1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), peeled and grated
1/3 cup sherry or white wine (regular or cooking versions)

Other ingredients to add should equal the mass of the protein portion and can include:
2 shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilli, sliced (and de-seeded, unless you like a lot of spice)
1/2 cup cabbage, thinly sliced or grated
4-5 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
Bamboo Shoots, Brocolli, Carrots, Peppers...

1 pkg. fresh wonton or gyoza wrappers
place 1-2 tsp filling into a wrapper, wet the outer edge, and pinch it shut into a half moon or any other shape.

Posted by Maggie at 01:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I saw this in NYTimes and would like to try...

Recipe: The Best Spinach Dip With Chipotle and Lime
2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8 ounces cream cheese (about 1 cup), softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream (see note)
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips, for dipping.

1. Bundle spinach in a clean dishtowel and squeeze very tightly to remove all excess moisture.

2. In a food processor, blend together all ingredients except spinach until very smooth, about 90 seconds. Pulse in spinach until just combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips.

Yield: About 3 cups.

Note: You can omit the sour cream and increase mayonnaise to 1 cup.

Posted by Maggie at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saw this on a food network show... maybe I'm getting over my salmon distrust...

6 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
2 (15-ounce) cans salmon, drained, skin and bones removed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
5 scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped canned water chestnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce, recipe follows

Remove crusts from the bread, break into pieces, and process in a food processor until you get a fine bread crumb. In a large bowl, flake apart the salmon with a fork. Add the egg and mix well. Finely chop 4 of the scallions and add to the bowl. Add the water chestnuts, cilantro, pepper, and the bread crumbs and mix well. Shape the mixture into 12 patties.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Add 6 patties and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked patties to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil to the pan, and cook the rest of the salmon cakes, 5 minutes on each side.

Chop the remaining 1 scallion. Serve salmon cakes with the sauce and garnish with scallion.

Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce:
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, or 6 tablespoons nonfat Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
If using regular yogurt place the yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel. Put the strainer over a bowl and place in the refrigerator to drain and thicken for 30 minutes.
Place drained yogurt or Greek-style yogurt into a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Whisk until smooth.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving Calories 396
Carbohydrates 18 g Total Fat 20 g
Saturated Fat 4 g Protein 35 g
Fiber 3 g Sodium 1010 mg

Posted by Maggie at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Made this using up some eggplant. Pretty good! Didn't use anywhere near the amount of oil called for though.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place eggplant in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium-high 3 minutes. Turn eggplant over and microwave another 2 minutes. The eggplant should be tender, cook another 2 minutes if the eggplants are not tender. Drain any liquid from the eggplants and mash.
Combine cheese, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, onion, garlic and salt with the mashed eggplant. Mix well.
Shape the eggplant mixture into patties. Heat oil in a large skillet. Drop eggplant patties one at a time into skillet. Fry each side of the patties until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes on each side. Patties can be frozen before frying and cooked later.

Posted by Maggie at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I had an abundance of onions from Mom and Ken's farm so I made this soup tonight. I used olive oil instead of butter and less than 1/4 c. I also used 1/2 beef broth and 1/2 chicken stock. This was our appetizer to some of Sebnem's Kufte and it was a glorious meal!

Found the below recipe on recipezaar #7751

1/4 cup butter
4 cups cooking onion, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 slices day-old French bread
2 cups swiss cheese, Grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, Grated
paprika

In large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter.
Add onions and sugar.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes or until onions are tender but not colored.
Uncover pan, increase heat slightly and continue to cook, stirring regularly until onions are rich caramel colour (10 to 15 minutes) DO NOT LET ONIONS BURN.
Stir in flour until well blended.
Gradually add wine; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens.
Stir in beef broth and pepper; bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low.
Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Ladle soup into 6, 1-1/2 cup oven proof bowls.
Top each with bread slice; sprinkle with swiss cheese and parmesan cheeses and paprika.
Place bowls on jelly roll pan.
Broil until cheese melts and bubbles.

Posted by Maggie at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm fond of the Cooks Illustrated Best Light Recipe cookbook lately and when I had a couple girls from work over I decided to test a few recipes out. I served with toasted pita chips and this spread was my favorite of the night!

1/4 c. walnuts
1 2/3 cups jarred roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
2 slices wheat bread, torn into quarters
3 tbsp juice from 1 large lemon
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp mild molasses (I used a "bold" molasses bc that's what was in my cupboard, still fine)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking occasionally for about 5 mins.
Process the nuts and remaining ingredients until smooth, transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour (I made it a day ahead and it was great).

Posted by Maggie at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Made this and skipped the tomato. Was good, maybe a little too garlicky though. will make again!

1 eggplant
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 medium-sized tomato, seeds discarded and diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
Salt
Pepper

Before putting in the oven, make holes on the eggplant with a fork so that it will soften and cook better. Then place on an oven tray and roast for about 35 minutes on broil. Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened. Then peel it, remove any seeds and place in 2 cups of water with 1/2 lemon juice. Leave in for about 10-15 minutes. After draining, cut into small pieces with a knife. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a spoon. Place in service plate and keep refrigerated.

If you don't want to bother with roasting the eggplant, you can skip the step above and instead just use approximately 350 gr of Roasted Eggplants in a jar. Just mix all the ingredients together and you're good to go.

This recipe goes well with any kind of meat, Kofte or Kebap on the side.

Posted by Maggie at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Olive oil Turkish dish that I've been meaning to try. Soo good! Didn't have tomato and just used tomato paste - was still tasty. I used white onion, not green. I felt that white suited this dish.

1 can kidney beans, drained, washed
1 cubanelle pepper, cut in bite sizes
2-3 green onions, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
75 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Place all the ingredients in a pot except the kidney beans. Add 1/2 cup water. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat with the lid on. Then add the kidney beans and 1 cup of hot water. Cook for another 10-12 minutes on the same heat with the lid half covered.

Place on a service plate and let cool. Sprinkle some lemon juice on top and serve cold after your main dish with fresh French or Italian style bread.

Posted by Maggie at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From recipezaar. I think I might be obsessed with peaches right now... tis the season. I might have to throw a party so I have an excuse to make this!

Berry Peach Sangria Recipe #36741
Very refreshing summer beverage best enjoyed from large wine glasses, filled with ice and garnished with fruit.
3 cups dry red table wine, such as a burgundy
1/2 cup orange juice (or juice of 2 large oranges)
1/3 cup lemon juice (or juice of 1 large lemon)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1 cup raspberries or blackberries, fresh or frozen
2 peaches, quartered and sliced
12 ounces club soda or sparking mineral water
ice

4-6 servings Change size or US/metric
Change to: servings US Metric

10 minutes 10 mins prep

In a punch bowl or 2 1/2 quart pitcher, stir together first 5 ingredients.
When sugar is dissolved, add berries and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours to allow flavors to mingle.
About 1 hour before serving, add peaches.
Add soda/mineral water to sangría just before serving.
Pour into glasses filled with ice.
Garnish with berries and fruit slices.

Posted by Maggie at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm going to make an attempt at this tonight I think. I had some feta cheese in the fridge and thought this would make good use of it. So I walked to Titan, a great greek grocery in Astoria, to get the fillo (or phyllo) pastry and they had about ten different kinds! None of the recipes I read mentioned a specific dough, so I just picked a random #4 fillo dough and I'm hoping for the best. Oh, and every recipe calls for frying the "cigars" in oil, but I think I'll spray and bake them. I hate frying things in oil...

ooh, I found a picture of what I'm supposed to do! Was a little hard to visualize it before.
http://www.geocities.com/ftcookery/recipes/2_mezeler/sigara_boregi_muska_boregi.htm

http://home.hvc.rr.com/tekbens/pilav.htm#Sigara%20Börek

So I guess I'll just cut the pastry into triangles, mix some cheese, parsley, and dill together and spoon it at the wide end and roll it up into a cigar shape. Will report back on the outcome...

Ok, made my first attempt tonight (5/7/06) and I've learned a few things. Having never worked with Fillo, I had no idea what to expect. I read about covering the layers that were waiting to be used with a damp towel, so I was prepared, but even then they dried out quickly. The style of fillo I bought was a thin one, and I think next time I should use a thicker one, which after a little research, seems to be a "country style" fillo. I used the #4 nonetheless, but the next issue I had was how to cut the sheets and how many layers of dough to use. I just cut the 12" x 17" sheets into 2 triangles and used 3 layers of dough. Looking back, I think I should have cut the sheets into many more triangles, maybe the short way instead, and perhaps 5 or 6 of them. I think maybe 1 or 2 layers of dough would have been sufficient. Not sure if only 1 layer would hold up, but it's something to experiment with for next time!

Posted by Maggie at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

wanted to make a vege only version - might go along my mundo recipe. Saw this on recipezaar. Similar, I think I'll just use chinese cabbage...

So I made these and they were pretty good and easy. A nice vege alternative to my usual dumplings.

Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman's show, episode Home Cooked Take Out. Tasty little things!
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed (or minced)
1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
1 head napa cabbage, finely shredded
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 medium carrot, finely grated
24 wonton wrappers

Heat 2 tablespoons of veg. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the leeks, garlic and mushrooms and cook until leeks begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cabbage, vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger and cook, stirring, until cabbage is soft, about 3-4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the carrot. Allow the filling to cool.
Transfer cabbage mixture to a mixing bowl and work together until fully incorporated. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
To make the potstickers, lay a wonton wrapper on the work surface and put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center. Dip your finger in a little water and wet the edges of the wonton wrapper; this will help the potsticker seal when cooking. Bring the outside edges of the wonton wrapper together over the filling and press it together to form a pouch. Continue with the remaining wrappers and filling.
To cook the potstickers, heat the remaining oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Place all of the potstickers upright in the pan and cook, without disturbing them, until browned on the bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and immediately cover. Allow the potstickers to steam for about 3 minutes, then remove the skillet lid. Continue cooking until the water is completely evaporated.
Transfer to a platter and serve with a dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Yield: about 1/3 cup.

Posted by Maggie at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cooking light thread again. Melik loves scallion pancakes and I failed with my first attempt at creating them (although he claimed they were great). Maybe this one will be a success...

ok, made these last night and halved the recipe. I thought they needed an extra egg, so I added 2, but I think I should have stuck with 1 - too much egg. They were pretty good though...

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=88429

Shredded Carrot-Ginger Pancakes

2 1/2 cups coarsely shredded carrot (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (I used 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (omitted...don't like garlic)
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup egg substitute (I used 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg)
3 tablespoons cracker meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
Cooking spray
Green onion strips for garnish, optional

To prepare pancakes, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine egg substitute, cracker meal, and salt in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to carrot mixture; stir to blend.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a non-stick griddle or a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Using about 1/4 cup batter per pancake, spoon 4 pancakes onto hot pan, spreading each to a 4-inch diameter. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until bottoms are lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat procedure for remaining batter.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 pancakes).

Posted by Maggie at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yummy. I made this recently but forgot to post it. made it again tonight for my parents and my brother Ian who are visiting. I just threw the eggplants over the flame on the range of the stove since the oven was taken, roasted on all sides, and cooled them in water. I also roasted the sesame seeds a bit.

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of cold water. Remove from water, and peel skin off.
3. Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer eggplant mixture to a medium size mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Posted by Maggie at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Looks like an easy recipe, might attempt it tonight. Yah, I tried it on 1/30 and it turned out well! I haven't had much luck with bread, so this was a victory. Was pretty simple and I used much less oil than it called for and just had fresh rosemary and chopped onion. Will make again - different toppings would be fun.

2 cups (or more) bread flour
1 envelope fast-rising dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup hot water (125°F. to 130°F.)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons
olive oil
Cornmeal
2 tablespoons minced fresh
rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Blend 2 cups flour, yeast, salt and sugar in processor. Combine hot water and 1 tablespoon oil in glass measuring cup. With machine running, add water mixture through feed tube and process until elastic and uniformly moist dough forms that just cleans inside of work bowl, about 40 seconds. If dough is sticky, add more flour by tablespoons, incorporating each addition before adding next. If dough is dry, add water by tablespoons, incorporating each addition before adding next. Gather dough into ball. Transfer to greased bowl, turning to coat entire surface. Cover with damp towel and let rise 30 minutes.
Grease 12-to 14-inch pizza pan or baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch dough down and knead until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface pan. Dimple surface with fingertips. Spread remaining 2 teaspoons oil over. Sprinkle with rosemary and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake bread until golden, about 20 minutes. Cut hot bread into wedges and serve.

Per serving: calories, 82; fat, 2 g; sodium, 138 mg; cholesterol, 0 mg
Serves 16.

Posted by Maggie at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a recipe from Aunt Min Tzu and we used to make it all the time growing up. My brother and I had the job of filling and sealing the skins while my mom cooked them up - yum!

2/3 lb ground meat (ground pork, turkey, or chicken)
1/2 c. chopped bamboo shoots
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms

Put the veges in the food processor and pulse to a rough chop. The veges can be changed according to preference or what's already in the fridge/cupboard - suggestions are broccoli, water chestnuts, etc.

In a large bowl place the meat and veges - there should be a mixture of 1/2 meat and 1/2 veges.
Add to this mixture:
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced ginger root
1 tsp salt, a dash of pepper
2 tsp dry sherry
1 egg white - beaten
2 tsp cornstarch

Let the mixture stand for at least 30 mins
Put 1-2 tsp of filling into korean gyoza skins or small wonton skins, seal the edges with water and fold in 1/2.
Fry in oil until bottom is golden over medium heat. Pour 1/4-1/2 c. water into frying pan and cover. Steam until filling is done and water evaporates (about 5 mins).

Serve with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and sherry (5:1 ratio).

Posted by Maggie at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)