Bermuda Triangle Spinach Salad

Obviously I have been on a cooking craze. At the beginning of this week I determined to plan out the meals and try new things. And I did it! One whole week of planned meals and lots of food in the house and no "it's five o'clock and I have no idea what to make for dinner AGAIN" moments. Yay. :-)

Well this salad is fantastic. I found the original recipe here, and below is my rendition of it. They had a brilliant idea for how to boil eggs (put the eggs in BEFORE you put the water in----practically GENIOUS!). And this dressing is divine. So lovely. Makes way more than you'll need for the amount of salad, great leftover!

SALAD: Boil the eggs. Cook the bacon, then crumble/chop. Chop the mushrooms. Wash the spinach.

Assemble everything in large bowl. Serve with dressing (below).

6 eggs

1/3 lb of turkey bacon

1-2 pounds of spinach

sliced fresh mushrooms

DRESSING: Blend the following ingredients

1 chopped onion

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp celery seed

1 Tbsp mustard (preferably Dijon)

Enchiladas

Made these tonight for dinner....yummy

Saute some onions, then add in a can of spaghetti sauce (24 oz). Add in some chili powder and oregano. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Take a pan (I used a 9x13 "), fill the bottom with half the sauce. Take flour tortillas, fill with refried beans (1/3 cup per torilla) and cheese. Roll, place in pan flap side down. fill up the pan in this manner (I used 6 tortillas total). Cover with the remaining sauce and 2 cups of cheese. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes (or until hot through).

So good!!

Vegetarian Chili

This is one of my new faves. Especially if you have a lot of RANDOM vegetables in your fridge that are on the edge of going bad....(maybe you're not one of those people, but I sure am).

Ok, here's the basic recipe (although this one is really fun because I totally improvise it whenever I make it):

-beans (this last time I used the refried beans I made the day before)

-other types of beans (garbanzo, kidney, black, whatever you have/want)

-cooked corn

-tomatoes (this one is important)

-green/red bell pepper

-chopped onion

-chopped garlic

-zucchini/squash

-green onions

-chili powder

-cumin

-salt & pepper

Serve with fresh bread or tortillas. Top with cheese.

Refried Beans

Apologies for the delay in posts.... :-) I've been doing other things besides cooking it seems. But this week I pulled myself together and decided to plan out a full week of meals. Man does it ever feel good to have leftovers in the fridge and food on the shelves and not have to scrounge and wonder what to make for dinner....spaghetti again? Ah, c'est magnifique.

I shall begin with:

REFRIED BEANS

(from scratch)

These were actually surprisingly easy (when planned in advance). Last time I tried to make them, I didn't plan it ahead and it took FOREVER and was way way way more work. So, note to self (and to you, reader), plan this one ahead.

(Day Before): Soak pinto beans overnight (2.5 cups water to every 1 cup beans)

(Day of) : Simmer beans (in water from night before) for 2- 3 hours (yes, hours). Once soft, add in 1/2 cup of lard/hot bacon grease/butter (or a combo of the aforementioned). Add in salt if desired. Simmer for a while longer (until it seems adequately mixed) and most of the liquid is absorbed, then mash beans with a potato masher (or a fork/spoon if you don't have a masher). If it's still runny, let it sit for a while. Yay! Makes a LOT of beans.

Malaysian Chicken Curry (Gulai Ayam)

It's been a while....

I am no longer able to cook boring meals without the great world wide web knowing, due to my absence in posting an exciting meal.

But, fortunately for you, I stepped beyond the mundane easy meals and attempted something new last night. Well, not exactly new. But worthy of a post at least.

So here we go.....today I bring you: CURRY (from scratch!).

Before you decide it sounds much too hard, I would like to say, it really isn't that hard. Does take about 45 minutes to get everything going but once you do, it just cooks itself.

Recipe:

-Cut chicken pieces (2 large) into bite sized pieces.

-Blend 5 Tbsp curry powder into 1 cup water

-Pound 6 shallots, 4 cloves of garlic, and 3 cm piece of ginger (or if you don't have a mortar and pestle, like myself, you can chop/grate them; also, I used ground ginger because I didn't have a piece of it)

-Heat 1/2 cup oil and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant. (optional: add in chopped chili pepper if you want it to be spicy). Add in the curry powder and fry further until fragrant.

-Add the chicken with a little bit of water.

-Add star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick.

-Stir slowly and add the coconut milk (2 cans), potatoes (5 chopped), and salt.

-Simmer until potatoes are cooked.

(I also added in chopped squash, which I added in once potatoes were slightly tender).

-Serve with rice and steamed green beans.

-Selakan makan!

Turns out I forgot to take a picture of the end product, but let me assure you that it is a delicious curry, not spicy (unless you add in a lot of chili peppers). Feeds about 10 people. Lots of leftovers.

Spinach Lasagna

see original recipe here.

-Mix 2 eggs, 16 oz of lowfat cottage cheese, 10 oz. chopped spinach, 2 cups of mozarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

-Pour thin layer of spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9x13'' pan. Layer 3 (cooked) lasagna noodles followed by half the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat layers (spaghetti sauce, noodles, mixture). Top with 3 noodles, a bit of sauce, and 1 cup of mozarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

-Bake 45 minutes at 350 F.

Curried Chicken Salad

Here is the recipe this is based on: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/curried-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html

I essentially followed all of their directions except I used plain yoghurt instead of mayo (much healthier).

Place 4 chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Rub olive oil on the top of them, then sprinkle on salt and pepper. Bake at 350 F for ~40 minutes (until done). Remove, let cool. Slice into chunks 1 inch long (approx.).

Meanwhile, combine dressing in blender: 1 cup plain yoghurt, 1/3 cup white wine (optional since yoghurt is quite moist as is), 1/4 cup mango chutney (you can find it at Trader Joes), 3 Tbsp curry powder, and 1 tsp salt (optional). Blend until smooth.

Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add in chopped celery, raisins, and chopped green onions. Let refrigerate for a few hours so the flavors can get to know each other well. Then add some cashews and serve at room temp. Ta-da! Delisioso. :-)

We served this at our open house and it was quite a hit. Not spicy but very yummy.

Scallops with Summery Squash

Ok you guys, I am SUPER excited to share this recipe with you! Because it is super fancy and fine (and you'll feel like you're an amazing chef in some expensive restaurant) but really easy to make! Not on the extremely cheap end, though, as scallops aren't the cheapest thing in the world. BUT if you need a splurge or want to impress someone, this is the recipe. Also you can lessen the cost by serving another main dish so this one isn't the only sustenance in the meal.

And now for the recipe. :-)

Directions:

-Take a large handful (1/2 cup?) of fresh parsley and a handful (1/4 cup) of chives. Either chop

first or place straight in blender. Blend until a coarse paste. Add in 1/2 cup olive oil, blend again until it is a smooth dressing.

-In a large skillet, heat up olive oil. Then add in chopped zuccini and squash (chop them in

halves). We also added in a few chopped red bell peppers for color and taste. (have on medium heat) Once almost done, put 2 Tbsp of the dressing in the pan and mix. Also put a tad of thyme. Keep warm.

-In a medium sized skillet, heat up olive oil. Add in scallops. Cook for about 5 minutes on high heat, turning once. The top &bottom should be a golden brown. Don't overdo the cook-time or they will be chewy. Skin should turn slightly opaque. Once done, mix in 1 Tbsp of the dressing and stir the scallops around in it.

-On three or four plates, divide up the squash evenly, then place the scallops on top. Top the dishes with the remaining dressing, then top that with thin slices of fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese.

-Viola! C'est finis. Serve and enjoy.

We had a big loaf of bread on the side as well.

Very delicious! :-)

Thanks to Lindsey Chan who helped me make it. :-) Thanks also to Food & Wine annual cookbook 2007 (and Shawn McClain) whose recipe this is an adaptation of. Speaking of, I recommend this cookbook. Lots of ideas in there.

Bubur Ayam (chicken porridge)

This is reminiscent of my childhood...definitely one of the better breakfasts out there in the world. The recipe is pretty good too. For the chicken and broth, I used leftovers from my whole chicken (see the recipe a few days ago)--awesome.

Directions:

Make rice (boil in water: 2 parts water to 1 part rice). Once rice is done, add in chicken broth (~as much broth as water you already used). Simmer on low until it is ready (no separation of liquid from rice). Add salt and pepper.

Garnish with sliced spring onions, fried onions, pieces of shredded cooked chicken, and sambal (spicy sauce). Optional: add drops of soy sauce. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

This was really fun to make! Next time I'll buy a bigger squash so I get more soup out of it... :-)

Directions:

-Buy a butternut squash. Cut in quarters, cut/peel off skin. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Put in pan.

-Add in 3 cups (amount is negotiable) broth (I used chicken broth with the leftovers from my whole chicken I made a few days ago...awesome).

-Season with: thyme, cumin, curry powder, ginger, pinch of cloves (all this to taste, use your discretion on amounts)

-other options: sautee onions/shallots and garlic in the pot before adding in the other ingredients

Bring all this to a boil then simmer until squash is tender.

Let cool, then transfer to blender and whizz it up into a delightful soup. Eat with fresh baked bread (more on that later) and a nice fresh salad.

Many thanks to Lindsey Chan for bringing us this meal right after we had our baby, leading me to remember and be inspired to try it myself last night.

Whole Chicken

Okay this is my first: cooking a whole chicken. This recipe is from my aunt Joelle, who never measures anything, so the measurements are just guesses and should really be completely disregarded.

Make marinade:

-2 lemons (sliced and juiced)

-2 Tbsp Paprika

-1 Tbsp Olive Oil

-salt and pepper

Pour over the chicken. Put in a ziploc bag, place in refrigerator. After a few hours of marinating, cook in oven at 350 F for 90 minutes (time depends on the weight of the chicken....google it for precise time). Viola, c'est finis.

We had it for dinner tonight and it was pretty good! I think next time I will use more salt and pepper...definitely not an adventurous meal for the taste buds, but a yummy staple. And hey, now I've cooked a whole chicken!

Savory Lentils

Disclaimer: I haven't taken any pictures of this meal BUT it is one of my favorites! It is super easy, simple, delicious, and inexpensive. (Hard to beat that!!) The recipe is as follows:

Combine and simmer for 15 minutes:

1 cup lentils

2 1/4 cup of cold water

Add and simmer for another 30 minutes:

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

2 cups chopped tomatoes OR 1 can tomato sauce

Fry separately:

1 large onion (chopped) in butter

Combine. Add in grated cheese to taste (1/2-1 cup). Mix.

Serve over rice. Greens on the side (I recommend broccoli or green beans or bok choy or squash).

Nasi Goreng

This recipe is entirely from my dear old friend Kahlia. Check out her cooking blog HERE. I won't recount the recipe here, since I took it from her. But I shall simply say this: what an awesome new way to cook an egg! I never knew... :-)

Also, a few pictures...I used the veggies we had in our fridge (which happened to be zucchini, squash, and bok choy). Also I picked the green onions from my new balcony garden! YAY. :-)

having successfully chopped my veggies.....

cracked the egg in the middle of the wok.....

And, if you are feeling exceptionally brave, try adding a child into the mix. Makes any eating experience that much more exciting. :-)

Pasta With Mushrooms and Squash in Cream Sauce

*this meal was inspired by "Fusilli with gorgonzola and mushroom sauce" in Perfect Vegetarian.

Ingredients:

1 box/bag of rotini pasta

1 yellow squash

1 jar of alfredo sauce (or you can make it your

self with heavy cream and cheese)

2 cloves of chopped garlic

fresh mushrooms

olive oil

chicken (optional)

basil to garnish

-Cook the noodles, then drain out excess water.

-Meanwhile, cook the chicken (we fried it in oil, but you could easily barbeque it). Set aside.

-Using the same pan, pour in olive oil, then fry the squash. Next add in the mushrooms. Then add in the chopped garlic. Let the flavors get to know each other. Pour in the alfredo sauce, bring to a boil. Simmer for a little bit, then take off the heat.

-Add in the noodles, garnish with fresh chopped basil.

I thought it was delicious! :-) The squash was from my mom's garden and the basil from mine. :-) So fun.

Enjoy! Serves 4.

Inspiration

I am creating this blog as a means of an outlet. I am not much of a chef, but I have been inspired to start caring more about the food I eat and incorporating creativity into my meals. So I would like to document this process, if only for myself, but also for any others out there who get bored with their repertoire of dishes and would like some variety, some new ideas, some experimenting, some inspiration.