CHILLI CON CARNE

I found this recipie here and I am gonna try it today! Will post some pictures here later!

Ingredients

• 500g lean minced beef (10% or less fat)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1–2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml red wine or extra stock
• 300ml beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 400g can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

How to Make Chinese Noodles with Soybean Paste

How to Make Chinese Noodles with Soybean Paste

I learned one dish recently, Chinese noodles with soybean paste, also called Zha Jiang Mian, which is very popular when it comes to traditional Beijing cuisine. As an added bonus, it is not expensive at all.

Zha Jiang Mian is consists of three main materials. They are wide hand-tossed noodles, vegetable pieces as well as pork. Local Beijing people, especially elder ones like to eat hot noodles in the cold days and to eat cold noodles in hot weather.

Though the cooking method and the favor is varied due to the different area, the general materials and steps are same. Here I introduce the common way to make noodles with soybean paste.

Preparation:

Chinese Noodles with Soybean Paste materials

Ingredients: oil, salt, onion, ginger, garlic, cucumber (or other vegetable), water, sweet soybean paste, noodle, tomato and meat

Cut onion, ginger and garlic into chip
Cut cucumber into fine strips. Other vegetable can be used, too, such as cabbage, bean sprout. Sure, you can put them together if you like.
Cut the mean into chip.
Cut the tomato into small lump
Making sauce:

Put oil into the pan and heat the oil. Add onion, ginger and garlic and toss quickly for 1 minute
Add the tomato and stir fry for about 3 minutes till the tamoto becomes sauce
Add the meat and tir fry with the sauce for about 3mins
Add sweet soybean paste and tir fry
Add a little water to make sauce
Optional: Add a little MSG to make the sause more delicious. Taste the sauce and add some salt if the favor is light.
Cooking noodle:

put water into the pan to heat.you’d better add more water
Put noodle into the water once the water is boiling. Heat about 2-3 mins.
Take out the noodle from water to plate. Pour the sauce. Add the cucumber (or other vegetable) to mix. If you want to eat cold noodle, you just pour the cold boiled water on the noodle before you mix the sauce and vegetable.

variations of this delicious dish : pictures fro the web

Here are some good soya bean pastes that you can try :

                                Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce

costs less than $ 6 in Amazon! 

Click here to Check it out in Amazon 

                  Butterfly Crab Paste w/ Soya Bean Oil 

  Click here Check out in Amazon!

Fried Prawn with Salted Egg Sauce Recipe

I

ngredients (A) :

300g medium size prawns
1 cups oil for deep-frying

Marinade (B) :

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 tablespoon plain flour
dash of pepper

Sauce (C) :

2 salted egg yolk (steamed and mashed)
1 tablespoon curry leaf
1 teaspoon chili  (chopped)
200ml evaporated milk

Seasoning (D) :

1 teaspoon sugar
dash of pepper

Method :
Mix prawn with Marinade (B) and season for 1 hour.
Heat up oil for deep-frying, deep-fry prawn for 1.5 minutes until crispy.
Leave 1 tablespoon oil in wok , stir-fry mashed salted egg yolk, curry leaves and chili padi until fragrant.
Add in evaporated milk and Seasoning (D) and bring to oil.
Pour in fried prawn and stir-fry quickly until well mixed.
Ready to serve.

Tips :

Which Shrimps to use?

           Charleston Seafood Frozen Peeled & Deveined Shrimp

Click here to check this Shrimps in Amazon Grocery Store!

You can also use jumbo Shrimps for this recipe.

USA Wild CaughtJumbo Gulf Shrimp

Click here to check out these jumbo shrimps in Amazon grocery store!

Classic moussaka

Looks so yummy, so I thought I would share with you all! 

Ingredients
2 large eggplant, thinly sliced
Olive oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
800g lamb mince
420g can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup grated pizza cheese
Lemon wedges, to serve


Spray eggplant with oil. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a large plate.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned. Add tomatoes, cinnamon and allspice. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce is thick and liquid has evaporated.

Meanwhile, make sauce Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until bubbling. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease an 8 cup-capacity ovenproof dish. Place one-third of the eggplant, slightly overlapping, over base of prepared dish. Spread half the meat sauce over eggplant. Repeat layers, ending with eggplant. Spread white sauce over eggplant. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Stand 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Source: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/24751/classic+moussaka

Low carb Broccoli snack!

I was looking for some low carbs tasty recipies and found this !!

Low-Carb Broccoli Bites

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

16 oz Chopped Brococoli
3 Eggs
1 cup crushed French’s Fried Onions
1 1/2 cups 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients well, adding salt and pepper to taste. Line Cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using hands form into balls. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Yields 20.

FYI- Two Weight Watchers Points each. 

source:http://mysouthernaccent.tumblr.com/post/48477854408/low-carb-broccoli-bites-pre-heat-oven-to-375

Herb-Crusted Prime Rib

This is one of the recopies I have choose to make in this weekend. You can read the full article by following the link below the post!

Ingredients:

1 (3-bone) Beef Prime Rib Roast*, about 5-6 lbs.
4 cloves of garlic, peeled, divided use
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
• Creamy Dijon-Horseradish Sauce (recipe below)
• Au jus (recipe below)

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; line a baking sheet with foil.

-Make 8 small slits into the rib roast (4 on top and 4 on the bottom) about ½” – 1” deep; take two of the cloves of garlic, and quarter them creating 8 smaller pieces; stuff the pieces of garlic into the slits.

-Next, take the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, press them through a garlic press and add them into a small bowl; to the pressed garlic, add the chopped, fresh rosemary leaves and the remainder of the ingredients through the olive oil; with a fork, mix the ingredients until well combined, and rub this entire fragrant mixture all over the rib roast, covering it completely (at this point, if you had the butcher remove and reserve the ribs for you, you can now place the seasoned roast on top of the ribs); place the roast with it’s fat-side up and ribs down onto the baking sheet, and place the roast into the oven; cook for 45 minutes at 425, then reduce the heat to 375, and continue to cook for another 30 minutes at which point you will cover the roast lightly with foil, and allow it to continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes or so, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 135 for medium rare, or 145 medium; remove the roast from the oven, lightly tent with foil, and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes before carving the roast into roughly ½” thick pieces. Serve with the Creamy Dijon-Horseradish Sauce and Au jus on the side.

(**If you are looking for the results featured in the photos, here are my exact specifications for your frame of reference: my roast was a 5.28 lb roast, and cooked for exactly 1 hour 45 minutes, total, using the method described above; I placed an oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, into the center, before placing it into the oven; this way, I could observe the temperature as the meat roasted, and pulled it out at exactly 135 degrees.)

For the full article: http://thecozyapron.com/a-cozy-holiday-herb-crusted-prime-rib-and-savoring-the-flavor-of-a-holiday-splurge/

Best Sandwiches for guys!

From the molten yolk and bacon crunch of a hand-held breakfast, to the gooey charm of grílled cheese for lunch, nothíng matches the símple pleasures of well-made sandwíches. They're quíck to assemble, ínfínítely adaptable, easy to eat, and ímmedíately satísfyíng—the very defínítíon of good food.

The 25 sandwíches you're about to meet can be thrown together duríng the average basketball halftíme or, wíth practíce, duríng the seventh-ínníng stretch. (Who needs hot dogs, anyway?) Use each recípe as a basíc road map, but bríng your talent for fíndíng creatíve routes. You'll easíly reach your fínal destínatíon: a full belly and a satísfíed smíle.

pork-red-onion sandwich

Asian shrimp veg wrap

Turkish lamb pocket

Toasted almond

Fish chili lime dressing

source :http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/cut_dietary_fat/index.php

Steak sanwich

source: http://momsdish.com/recipe/260/steak-sandwich

This sandwich is the "bomb"! My husband loves steak and I am too bored with a simple slice of meat. To mix things up a bit, I made this sandwich for dinner the other day and it turned out heavenly.

Flavorful steak with sweetness from onions, some melted cheese and a kick of garlic, yumm!

Tips listed in this recipe:

An easy way to prepare a perfect steak that is moist and flavorful and you don't even need a grill.
Preparing herb butter spread that you can use for garlic bread or with stake.
- See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/260/steak-sandwich#sthash.xk3WSs9X.sjbaRicW.dpuf

Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Blackberries

Elegant, yet simple. Sometimes less is more and that is definitely the case with this recipe. With just a few simple steps and ingredients, you will wow your family and friends when you sit this down on the table!

Eight 3/4-inch, bone-in pork chops (about 6 oz each)
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups blackberries
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. Springle the pork chops with salt and pepper generously. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the butter and oil and swirl until the butter is melted. Sear the chops until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Be careful not to crowd the pan, doing 2 batches if necessary. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

2. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the wine, and return to heat. Simmer, scraping up the brown bits, until the wine has mostly evaporated. This should take 4-6 minutes. Whisk in the blackberries and honey and cook until they are soft and falling apart. This should take 5-7 minutes. Add thyme and salt and pepper for additional seasoning.

3. Adjust the heat to low and add the chops back in the pan, overlapping them. Baste well with sauce, and cover and cook until warmed through. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

General Tso's Chicken

While I've seen this dish on the menu of many Chinese restaurants, I've often wondered who was General Tso?  Evidently he was a highly-respected soldier in the Hunan region... a region that appears to have never heard of this recipe.  No matter.  Regardless of the origin of this dish, it is delicious, no matter it's name!


I came across this version on a wonderful blog called My Adventures in Food.  The recipe is fairly simple, using easily accessible ingredients found in your local grocery store.  And the flavor is outstanding, rivaling any found at your favorite Chinese restaurant.  I'll be making this again and again!

General Tso’s Chicken

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce*
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced**
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 large egg whites
1-1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Vegetable oil for frying

2 green onions, green parts thinly sliced

*I used a light soy sauce.  I found I needed to add about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt to balance all the flavors.
**I grated the ginger, using a medium-sized Microplane.

To make the sauce, whisk together the hoisin sauce, white vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and water in a bowl. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the hoisin mixture. Stir until the sauce is dark brown and has thickened. Remove from heat and cover.

Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks. Whisk the egg whites in a shallow dish until foamy. Combine cornstarch, flour, and baking soda in a separate shallow dish. (I whisked the dry ingredients to really blend them.) Toss half the chicken into the foamy egg whites until well-coated, and then dredge the chicken in the cornstarch mixture, making sure all sides are coated. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat oil in a fryer (or Dutch oven, or a large wok) until it registers 325ºF. Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning pieces over halfway through cooking. Transfer cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

Re-warm the sauce over medium heat until bubbling. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Garnish with sliced green onions


source: http://allthatsplatters.blogspot.de/2011/04/general-tsos-chicken.html

DIY Biscuit Bouquet

source: http://www.lovethispic.com/image/38745/diy-biscuit-bouquet

Healthy Halloween Snacks

source: http://spoonful.com/recipes/healthy-halloween-snacks

Cajun-Style Catfish Recipe

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cajun-style-catfish

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 10 min. YIELD: 4
Ingredients
4-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 catfish fillets (6 ounces each)
Refrigerated butter-flavored spray

Directions

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Spritz both sides of fish with butter-flavored spray. Dip one side of each fillet in spice mixture.
2. Place spice side down in a large skillet coated with butter-flavored spray. Cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Source: http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/689996032//

This is a copycat recipe from Olive Garden.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into a small dice

1 pound hot Italian sausage, ground or links with casings removed

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth or stock

3 cups Russet potatoes, cubed

sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper

2 loose packed cups kale, in bite size pieces

1 cup heavy cream or 14 ounce can evaporated milk

Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Directions

                    

Simple ingredients turn into something sensational! Crispy bacon and spicy Italian sausage give it tremendous flavor. Meaty potatoes and fresh kale round it out to make a completely balanced meal. With a finish of heavy cream it has an air of indulgence to it.

In a large soup pot or sauce pan cook bacon over medium until crispy. Add sausage and break it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled drain off the grease leaving a tablespoon or two to saute the onion.

Push the sausage to the edges of the pot and add onion to center - saute until translucent then add garlic and saute until fragrant.

Stir in broth and potatoes, season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, simmer for about 20 minute or until potatoes are tender.

Add kale and heavy cream or evaporated milk. Bring to a simmer. Taste and re-season as needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/689996032