CHECK THIS OUT!!!
It's my first YouTube video! Get excited! I'll upload the full directions tonight.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Recipe #7: Vegetarian Spinach Ravioli
Hey everyone! I hope some of you have tried these recipes. PLEASE leave them on the comments if you have! I want to see how they turned out for you.
So I got a request to start posting some vegetarian recipes. I finally got my faaaaaavorite vegetables (carrots and green peppers) so look out for more vegetarian recipes in the near future. In the meantime, here's one of the best vegetarian recipes I've ever made. My dad actually gave me this recipe and we love to cook it. Good luck and happy cooking!
Ingredients:
2 bags of frozen ravioli
1 bag of fresh spinach or 1 package of frozen spinach (I prefer the fresh stuff because it has a better taste, but frozen works just fine)
2 teaspoons of minced garlic (I used jarred garlic but feel free to press your own)
EVOO as needed (about a quarter cup throughout the dish)
Parmesean and/or Romano cheese(s)
Preparation: If you have fresh spinach, you want to rinse and de-stem it first. Dump the whole bag in a colander and rinse off the leaves. Keep the bag, because once you rinse, you need to de-stem. Just sift through the spinach and rip off all the stems you can find because they make the spinach taste bitter.
Also, cook the ravioli first. Follow the cooking directions on the bag, and don't forget to rinse.
Cooking:
Heat the garlic up in about 2 tablespoons of EVOO on high in a wok or other giant frying pan. Once that garlic starts to pop, turn the heat down to medium-high and dump the spinach in (it's okay if there's still a little water; it'll boil away). Add a bit more EVOO. Sautee the spinach until it starts to wilt (the spinach is going to turn dark green and stringy and take up much less of the pan). Then pour in your ravioli (again, don't worry about the extra water because it boils away). Add about 3-5 tablespoons of EVOO and sautee until the spinach is completely wilted. Top with parmesean and/or romano and eat!
So I got a request to start posting some vegetarian recipes. I finally got my faaaaaavorite vegetables (carrots and green peppers) so look out for more vegetarian recipes in the near future. In the meantime, here's one of the best vegetarian recipes I've ever made. My dad actually gave me this recipe and we love to cook it. Good luck and happy cooking!
Ingredients:
2 bags of frozen ravioli
1 bag of fresh spinach or 1 package of frozen spinach (I prefer the fresh stuff because it has a better taste, but frozen works just fine)
2 teaspoons of minced garlic (I used jarred garlic but feel free to press your own)
EVOO as needed (about a quarter cup throughout the dish)
Parmesean and/or Romano cheese(s)
Preparation: If you have fresh spinach, you want to rinse and de-stem it first. Dump the whole bag in a colander and rinse off the leaves. Keep the bag, because once you rinse, you need to de-stem. Just sift through the spinach and rip off all the stems you can find because they make the spinach taste bitter.
Also, cook the ravioli first. Follow the cooking directions on the bag, and don't forget to rinse.
Cooking:
Heat the garlic up in about 2 tablespoons of EVOO on high in a wok or other giant frying pan. Once that garlic starts to pop, turn the heat down to medium-high and dump the spinach in (it's okay if there's still a little water; it'll boil away). Add a bit more EVOO. Sautee the spinach until it starts to wilt (the spinach is going to turn dark green and stringy and take up much less of the pan). Then pour in your ravioli (again, don't worry about the extra water because it boils away). Add about 3-5 tablespoons of EVOO and sautee until the spinach is completely wilted. Top with parmesean and/or romano and eat!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Recipe #6: Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Hello there ladies and gents! I just made this about 15 minutes ago and it is honestly the best stir fry I have ever made. I could eat it for ever, I swear. I'm really excited about it, so I figured it was blog time. The recipe is a bit complicated. Comment if you need clarification on anything. Happy cooking!
Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, thawed
1/2 teaspoon ginger (I used a ginger paste that you find in a glass container; you can use whatever ginger you have)
1 bag of frozen broccoli OR 1 full head of broccoli, cut into small pieces (I cut each floret into 2-3 slices)
1 julienned carrot (I didn't use this but I would've if I had any carrots)
2 cups and 1/4 cup of water, separated
2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons of soy sauce (I used reduced-salt organic tamari sauce)
crushed red pepper flakes
vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of rice
Preparation: Cut up the chicken breast into evenly-sized pieces. Take a small coffee cup or dish and mix the corn starch and 1/4 cup of water until it's free of lumps. Put 4 cups of water and a bit of salt on the stove for your rice and get it boiling. Get a large mixing bowl and have it ready.
Cooking:
Once the water for the rice is boiling, cover and cook the rice for 20 minutes. Make sure you stir it every few minutes so it doesn't stick.
Put some veggie oil and ginger in a wok. Once the oil is hot (it'll look like it's bubbling around the ginger), sautee the chicken until you can't see pink. Put it in the large mixing bowl. Add a little more veggie oil, broccoli, and carrot. Sautee those up until the broccoli turns a dark green, and then put that in the bowl with the chicken.
In the same wok, pour the 2 cups water, poultry seasoning, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Once you bring that to a boil, add the chicken, broccoli, and corn starch/water mixture from earlier. Cook that about 10 minutes until the sauce boils again and the chicken is fully cooked. Put some rice in a bowl and then just scoop this fantastic stir fry on top of it.
The best part about this entire recipe is the taste of the ginger against the crushed red pepper. The ginger gives it a sweet, rich taste, while the red pepper adds a dark, roasted, spicy contrast. It's fantastic. Like I said, I honestly could eat this stir fry every meal of every day.
Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, thawed
1/2 teaspoon ginger (I used a ginger paste that you find in a glass container; you can use whatever ginger you have)
1 bag of frozen broccoli OR 1 full head of broccoli, cut into small pieces (I cut each floret into 2-3 slices)
1 julienned carrot (I didn't use this but I would've if I had any carrots)
2 cups and 1/4 cup of water, separated
2 tablespoons of poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons of soy sauce (I used reduced-salt organic tamari sauce)
crushed red pepper flakes
vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of rice
Preparation: Cut up the chicken breast into evenly-sized pieces. Take a small coffee cup or dish and mix the corn starch and 1/4 cup of water until it's free of lumps. Put 4 cups of water and a bit of salt on the stove for your rice and get it boiling. Get a large mixing bowl and have it ready.
Cooking:
Once the water for the rice is boiling, cover and cook the rice for 20 minutes. Make sure you stir it every few minutes so it doesn't stick.
Put some veggie oil and ginger in a wok. Once the oil is hot (it'll look like it's bubbling around the ginger), sautee the chicken until you can't see pink. Put it in the large mixing bowl. Add a little more veggie oil, broccoli, and carrot. Sautee those up until the broccoli turns a dark green, and then put that in the bowl with the chicken.
In the same wok, pour the 2 cups water, poultry seasoning, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Once you bring that to a boil, add the chicken, broccoli, and corn starch/water mixture from earlier. Cook that about 10 minutes until the sauce boils again and the chicken is fully cooked. Put some rice in a bowl and then just scoop this fantastic stir fry on top of it.
The best part about this entire recipe is the taste of the ginger against the crushed red pepper. The ginger gives it a sweet, rich taste, while the red pepper adds a dark, roasted, spicy contrast. It's fantastic. Like I said, I honestly could eat this stir fry every meal of every day.
Recipe #5: Spicy Roasted Potatoes
Howdy ladies and gents! Tis summertime again (even though it's 40 degrees outside my house right now) and time to fire up those gas grills! I did for dinner last night. I made grilled salmon and these spicy roasted potatoes. You can adjust them to your level of spiciness; my mom hates spices so I only put a little bit on. Here you go!
Ingredients:
3 potatoes (for 2 people)
Pam
olive oil
cayenne pepper
salt (optional)
Procedure:
Heat up the grill and one of these sprayed with a bit of Pam. Inside, slice up your potatoes into roughly .25" slices. Put them in a bowl. Add enough olive oil to cover the potatoes lightly and sprinkle as much cayenne pepper as you're comfortable eating. I didn't do this, but you can also add a bit of salt. Grill the potatoes until they're golden brown and cooked through.
I really really loved these. I wish I'd made more, honestly. The cayenne pepper replaced the salt for me and actually made the potatoes taste like fire-grilled potatoes. Especially since I prepared this on the grill, the cayenne pepper really had the time to roast into the potatoes. I imagine that the salt would just enhance the flavor of the cayenne pepper. All over delicious. The only thing I regret is burning a few of them (it was freezing outside and I forgot the grill was on, haha).
Ingredients:
3 potatoes (for 2 people)
Pam
olive oil
cayenne pepper
salt (optional)
Procedure:
Heat up the grill and one of these sprayed with a bit of Pam. Inside, slice up your potatoes into roughly .25" slices. Put them in a bowl. Add enough olive oil to cover the potatoes lightly and sprinkle as much cayenne pepper as you're comfortable eating. I didn't do this, but you can also add a bit of salt. Grill the potatoes until they're golden brown and cooked through.
I really really loved these. I wish I'd made more, honestly. The cayenne pepper replaced the salt for me and actually made the potatoes taste like fire-grilled potatoes. Especially since I prepared this on the grill, the cayenne pepper really had the time to roast into the potatoes. I imagine that the salt would just enhance the flavor of the cayenne pepper. All over delicious. The only thing I regret is burning a few of them (it was freezing outside and I forgot the grill was on, haha).
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Recipe #4: Omelet Fit for a Queen
Hey ladies and gents! As my best friends in the entire universe know, my favorite meal in the entire world to cook is breakfast. My pancakes and french toast are nothing to brag about, but my scrambled eggs are almost legendary. Scrambled eggs were always a weekend staple when I grew up. Like a lot of things I learned how to make the perfect scrambled egg as I grew up. But that one thing I could never really get was omelets. First off, I'm not particularly patient. Second off, I never figured out how to flip them right. Third off, they always broke on me. Something was always wrong. I've been working the past few years on my omelet-making skills. They've markedly improved, so I figured I would share an omelet recipe with you!
Preparation: Crack your eggs in a bowl [Like I said, I used 1 full egg and 3 egg whites for health reasons; you could use 3 full eggs instead]. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk. Mix with a fork until the consistency is even. Keep that to the side.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 egg, 3 egg whites
2-3 tablespoons of milk
3 slices of deli ham, shredded
1/4 cup broccoli
1/4 cup spinach
vegetable oil and butter
your favorite cheese
your favorite cheese
Preparation: Crack your eggs in a bowl [Like I said, I used 1 full egg and 3 egg whites for health reasons; you could use 3 full eggs instead]. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk. Mix with a fork until the consistency is even. Keep that to the side.
Process:
Turn your burner up to medium (about halfway up the warmth scale). Put a little pad of butter (like however much you would put on an ear of corn) in the pan. Once that has melted, put in the veggies and meat. Cook those for about 3-5 minutes until they're done. Add no more than a teaspoon of vegetable oil, then add the egg mixture from before. Turn the heat down to low (3/10).
Here comes the part that needs practicing, so don't feel bad if you don't get it the first few times you try. You want to swish all of the egg juice around the outside to build up a wall against the frying pan. Then, once that gets cooked, peel it back with a spatula and tilt the pan so the extra egg juice gets into the little pocket you're making for it. Once there's barely any egg juice left, try to get your spatula under the omelet, just to make sure it hasn't stuck to the bottom of the pan.
After the omelet was totally cooked, put however much of what kind of cheese you love. I used 2.5 slices of American on my version, but I have used mozzarella as well. As soon as the cheese melts, you can fold the omelet and enjoy!
Turn your burner up to medium (about halfway up the warmth scale). Put a little pad of butter (like however much you would put on an ear of corn) in the pan. Once that has melted, put in the veggies and meat. Cook those for about 3-5 minutes until they're done. Add no more than a teaspoon of vegetable oil, then add the egg mixture from before. Turn the heat down to low (3/10).
Here comes the part that needs practicing, so don't feel bad if you don't get it the first few times you try. You want to swish all of the egg juice around the outside to build up a wall against the frying pan. Then, once that gets cooked, peel it back with a spatula and tilt the pan so the extra egg juice gets into the little pocket you're making for it. Once there's barely any egg juice left, try to get your spatula under the omelet, just to make sure it hasn't stuck to the bottom of the pan.
After the omelet was totally cooked, put however much of what kind of cheese you love. I used 2.5 slices of American on my version, but I have used mozzarella as well. As soon as the cheese melts, you can fold the omelet and enjoy!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Recipe #3: No-Bake Chicken Pot Pie
Howdy ladies and gents! I made this recipe for dinner tonight. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into short thin strips
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 10.75-oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1 10.75-oz can of chicken broth (I used chicken broth from a box and measured it in the soup can)
3/4 cup water (I filled up about half the can with water and dumped that in)
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
1 cup of uncooked white rice
1 chicken bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
Sauté the garlic in the oil in the same pan as Recipe #1 until the garlic starts popping. Turn the heat on the burner down and brown the chicken on each side. Once you can barely see any pink, add the rest of the ingredients. Put the timer on for 25 minutes. Make sure you stir it often because the rice will stick if you don't.
What I liked about this dish: It's super hearty, like pot pie, without all the calories of the crust. It also stays well in the fridge.
Room for improvement: This really wasn't the dish I was going for when I started out. I wanted more of a fancier risotto-type dish but I ended up with this recipe. There also isn't a whole lot of flavor. I think you could improve it by adding some white wine instead of water and a little plastic container of chopped mushrooms instead of the bag of frozen mixed veggies.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into short thin strips
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 10.75-oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1 10.75-oz can of chicken broth (I used chicken broth from a box and measured it in the soup can)
3/4 cup water (I filled up about half the can with water and dumped that in)
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
1 cup of uncooked white rice
1 chicken bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
Sauté the garlic in the oil in the same pan as Recipe #1 until the garlic starts popping. Turn the heat on the burner down and brown the chicken on each side. Once you can barely see any pink, add the rest of the ingredients. Put the timer on for 25 minutes. Make sure you stir it often because the rice will stick if you don't.
What I liked about this dish: It's super hearty, like pot pie, without all the calories of the crust. It also stays well in the fridge.
Room for improvement: This really wasn't the dish I was going for when I started out. I wanted more of a fancier risotto-type dish but I ended up with this recipe. There also isn't a whole lot of flavor. I think you could improve it by adding some white wine instead of water and a little plastic container of chopped mushrooms instead of the bag of frozen mixed veggies.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Recipe #2: Tangy Vinagrette Dressing
Hey ladies and gents! Making salad dressings is one of my favorite things to do, especially during the summer. I love to experiment with spices in oil and vinegar to make a nice, light dressing for my salads. But one of the problems I always face is trying to get the oil and vinegar to mix right. They always separate! Then I have to spend 10 minutes trying to shake them together before I put them on my salad and it's just a huge pain. I found a recipe on the internet that I altered a bit and I really enjoy it. I hope you do, too!
I only made a little bit to start; this recipe made enough dressing for two large salads. It's easy to multiply for a bigger container.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons of brown spicy mustard
a little bit of water
4 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
oregano, basil, and cilantro flakes
Procedure:
Mix the mustard with a tiny bit of water to thin it out so it mixes with the oil and vinegar. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until mixed. Refrigerate overnight before use.
What I liked: This dressing tastes great. It's light because of the olive oil and vinegar, and spicy because of the mustard. This dressing also doesn't take a lot of time to prepare. It's also extremely versatile. You can put basically anything on the salad, and this dressing will taste great on top.
Room for improvement: The original recipe for this dressing used red wine vinegar, but I didn't have any. I think the red wine vinegar might provide a sweeter contrast for the spice of the mustard.
I only made a little bit to start; this recipe made enough dressing for two large salads. It's easy to multiply for a bigger container.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons of brown spicy mustard
a little bit of water
4 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
oregano, basil, and cilantro flakes
Procedure:
Mix the mustard with a tiny bit of water to thin it out so it mixes with the oil and vinegar. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until mixed. Refrigerate overnight before use.
What I liked: This dressing tastes great. It's light because of the olive oil and vinegar, and spicy because of the mustard. This dressing also doesn't take a lot of time to prepare. It's also extremely versatile. You can put basically anything on the salad, and this dressing will taste great on top.
Room for improvement: The original recipe for this dressing used red wine vinegar, but I didn't have any. I think the red wine vinegar might provide a sweeter contrast for the spice of the mustard.
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