Quinoa Caesar Salad

This recipe comes from Post Punk Kitchen and is fabulous as-is. Mimi stopped by to see the kids and we were having this for dinner and she said it was good too. J We will definitely be having this again.

Quinoa Caesar Salad

For the Breaded Tofu:
3/4 cup fine storebought breadcrumbs (I use whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed between your fingers
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder

14 oz extra firm tofu, sliced into 8 slabs widthwise
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

For The Briny Caesar Dressing:
1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
1 head roasted garlic (about 10 cloves, see tip)
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 cup capers, with some brine
3/4 cup water
Several dashes fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

For the rest:
6 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
8 oz chopped romaine
4 oz baby arugula (or chopped arugula)
1 avocado, cut diced into 1/2 inch pieces

Make the Breaded Tofu:
Preheat a large non-stick pan, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. On a dinner plate, use your fingertips to mix together the breadcrumbs, dried herbs and garlic. On a separate plate, pour the soy sauce.

Place a tofu slab in the soy sauce, and toss to coat. Then dredge them in the breadcrumbs, tossing to coat. (Use your dry hand to handle the tofu in the breadcrumbs, otherwise you’ll get a crumb mitten on your hand.) Put coated tofus off to the side of the plate and continue until all tofu is coated. Put a thin layer of olive oil in the pan, and then transfer tofu cubes to the pan. Let cook for a few minutes then flip, using a thin metal spatula so that you don’t scrape off the breading. Cook for about 7 minutes total, adding a little extra to the pan as needed, and flipping occasionally until browned on most sides.

Once browned, remove from pan and slice on a bias into 1/4 thick pieces.

Make the dressing:
Simply add all of the ingredients to a small blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides every now and again to make sure you get everything. Thin with a little water, if necessary. Keep tightly sealed and refrigerated until ready to use. Keeps for up to 5 days.

Assemble:
Assemble the salad in a very large mixing bowl. Toss the greens with the quinoa, and then add the dressing. Serve topped with tofu and avocado!

Crock Pot Taco Soup

I adapted this recipe because I couldn't find some of the ingredients here. It turned out wonderful. I especially liked it with Ritz crackers dipped into it. Super easy to make.

Crock Pot Taco Soup:

1 lb. shredded chicken (I used the leftover chicken from the double batch I made for the enchiladas)
1 can pinto beans
1 can white beans
1 can corn
1 can tomato and chilies
2 can diced tomatoes (or one large can)
1 TBSP green chili paste
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1/2 bottle of your favorite Ranch dressing (I used Delightfully Light)

1) Add all ingredients to Crock Pot (for the cans of beans and corn I drained the liquid and then filled them back up with water, but you can just dump them in). Stir to combine well.
2) Cook on low for 4 hours.

Garnish with sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or drain some of the liquid off and eat it inside of a tortilla.

Enjoy!

Sydney's Bruschetta

We just got back from Italy last week and while we were there, we fell absolutely in love with the bruschetta. In the UAE, we cannot compare with the quality and freshness of the ingredients we found in Rome's food, but I wanted an easy and still tasty way to make this appetizer. What I came up with was definitely good. Using as many fresh ingredients as possible is the key to making this dish perfect.



Sydney's Bruschetta:



3 vine-ripe tomatoes (the fresher, the better)
Good quality olive oil
1 teaspoon good Balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, and basil to taste
fresh, crusty bread, thickly sliced


Seed and chop tomatoes. In a bowl, combine tomatoes with vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add basil to taste. Do not go overboard on the spices, let the tomatoes be the star.

Toast bread and then drizzle with plenty of GOOD olive oil. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread and heat under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Creamy Cheese and Onion Grits

These were awesome. If you like grits, give this recipe a try! :) This is only for one person since I was having dinner alone.

Creamy Cheese and Onion Grits:

1 cup of milk (I used fat free)

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon of butter

3 Tablespoons of uncooked grits

2 Tablespoons of grated cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons of chopped green onion

1) Bring the milk, salt, and butter to a simmer SLOWLY, being careful not to scald the milk.
2) Stir in the grits and gently simmer on low for 10-15 minutes or until thickened and cooked.
3) Stir in the green onions and turn off heat. Add cheese and stir to combine.

I served it with scrambled eggs. My son kept asking for bites. It was very good and simple to make. Enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup

Last night I made this hearty soup and it was a family hit. My son absolutely loved it and the hubby and I ate ever bite in our bowls (Stu even went back for seconds). Here it is:

Baked Potato Soup:

4-5 medium-sized baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter (I used low-fat spread… it works just fine)
2/3 cup flour
6 cups low-fat milk
A few shakes of garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
6 green onions, chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled (low sodium J)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F and bake the potatoes until fork tender, about 1 hour. (I did the potatoes in the late morning and let them cool so they were easy to handle by the time I was ready to start dinner.)
2) Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly blend in the flour with a whisk until thoroughly blended. Cook the roux until a very pale golden.
3) Gradually add milk the milk, letting it thicken. Add garlic powder and season with salt and pepper to taste, whisking constantly.
4) Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the interior and set aside.
5) Chop up half the potato peels and discard the remainder.
6) When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potato.
7) Add green onion and potato peels. Whisk well, and then add the sour cream and bacon.
8) Add cheese a little at a time, whisking until all is melted.

I served this with buttered rolls and a side salad. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Grits

Embracing a small part of our combined heritage, Stu and I decided to have Shrimp and Grits for dinner. Below if the recipe I used, which was described as being “Carolina Shrimp and Grits”. It was pretty good we decided. Try it!

Shrimp and Grits:

2 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup quick-cooking white grits
3 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons half and half
1/2 cup chopped green onions1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

COOKING:Combine chicken broth and 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Stir in grits. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix cream cheese and half and half into grits. Cover and simmer mixture until almost all liquid has evaporated and grits are tender, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Stir in green onions. Remove mixture from heat.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté just until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Remove skillet from heat.

Spoon grits onto center of plate. Top with shrimp and drizzle with lime butter from skillet.

(During the cooking process I also seasoned the shrimp a tiny bit of salt and a decent amount of pepper… so if you like your shrimp more flavored, that’s a good way to go!)

Potato Cakes

Last night we had Baked Pepper Chicken, which I've already posted the recipe for here. I also made potato cakes and just some frozen mixed veggies on the side. The Potato Cakes are always a big hit, here is the recipe:

Potato Cakes:

2 cups grated potatoes, the water squeezed out (I literally just pick up a small handful of them and squeeze as much of the water out as I can)
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
oil for frying

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add about 2 Tablespoons of oil to the pan, let it heat up. Drop spoonfuls of the batter to the oil, cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side, flip, fry until golden brown. Remove to paper towels. Kaden and I eat them as they are, Stu likes them with ketchup.

Enjoy!

My Creation: California Rice Balls

This is another one of my thrifty knock-off meals. I’m a sushi fan of the California variety. There is something heavenly about the flavor combination of crab, avocado, and the nuttiness of sesame. Since I don’t have a bamboo mat, and my husband doesn’t like seaweed, I decided to create a new take on the California roll. These were so easy to make and were a big hit with Crab Rangoon for dinner last night!

California Rice Balls:
1 cup Jasmine rice, uncooked
1 ½ cups water
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 avocado, peeled and cut into small chunks
5 crab sticks, sliced into small pieces

1) Put the rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
2) Let rice cool enough to handle then transfer into a large bowl. Add the vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce and stir hard (you want the rice to come apart a little bit so it is sticky enough to stay together). Have a small bowl of water nearby to moisten your fingers to handle the rice.
3) Take a small amount in your hand and flatten it out to about 2 inches in diameter. Place a piece of the avocado and a piece of the crab in the center and fold the sides up around it. Put as much rice as is needed to enclose the filling on the top and form rice into a ball, using a little more water on your hands as needed.
4) Place balls on a tray and refrigerate for at least an hour to cool completely.
Serve with soy sauce if desired. (Or even pickled ginger and wasabi if you’re really craving sushi!)

These really were great and totally hit the spot for sushi… If you like cucumber like is traditional in typical California rolls, add that too. I’m just not fond of cucumber and this was my recipe! Haha.

Here is my Crab Rangoon Recipe from last night:

¾ cup crab meat, flaked
2 green onions, chopped
½ cup cream cheese, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon each, Worcestershire and soy sauce (optional)
Wonton wrappers (I actually used sambosa wrappers this time because it was all I could find [I live in the Middle East] so experiment!)
Oil for frying
Sweet and Sour sauce, for dipping

1) In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients.
2) Lay out the wonton wrappers and put a small amount of the filling in the center of each, fold over and seal with water, pressing firmly so the filling doesn’t fall out.
3) Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about a quarter inch of oil to the pan. Add the wontons a few at a time, making sure they are not touching each other. Fry about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with your favorite sweet and sour sauce.

Enjoy!

Full Disclosure: I had the leftover rice balls for breakfast!

Egg Drop Soup and Pot Stickers

I am beginning to wonder if I wasn't born the wrong race. I discovered the fabulousness that is Asian food right before we moved to Abu Dhabi. I tried my hand at Pot Stickers and Sweet and Sour Pork and realized Asian food wasn't nearly as daunting as the strange and plentiful ingredients lists suggested.

I realized I don't have to fear Asian food, I can embrace it, change it, and make it better! Which is what I did with both my Egg Drop Soup and my Pot Stickers recipes. I have yet to find a perfect single recipe for either dish and it has been frustrating to me.

Well folks, this is our dinner tonight (along with some Fried Rice from last week leftover) and here are the perfected Sydney-style recipes!

Egg Drop Soup (so easy it's sinful):

3 Cups Chicken Stock (I make my own stock every so often and freeze it in portions for later use… this was one of those occasions)
½ teaspoon ground ginger (add more or less, depending on your taste)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 green onions, chopped (use both the green and white parts)
¼ teaspoon each, garlic powder and onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Here are a few key tips for this recipe before we even begin:
- do not overbeat the eggs, just wisk them enough to be combined, not enough that they start to bubble, this screws up the stringy texture of the eggs in the soup.
- This one is IMPORTANT: Don’t add the eggs while the heat is still on. Again, you can make perfect soup easily, just follow the directions! :)

1) In a medium saucepan, boil the stock, onions, and soy sauce.
2) Add the remaining ingredients except the eggs and let this all simmer together for about ten minutes, covered, so the flavors can combine.
3) Turn off the heat and remove the lid. In one direction begin stirring the soup. SLOWLY drizzle the egg into the pot as you keep stirring. Stir about 30 seconds, slowly, and always only in one direction. This helps create the wonderful stringy texture we all love in egg drop soup. If you stir randomly or pour too fast, you’ll get large clumps, and who wants clumpy soup? :)

Sydney's Chicken Pot Stickers:

As I mentioned, I have adapted this recipe over about 8 months now. Other recipes just never seem to get it right.

Ingredients (Pot Stickers):

1 large chicken breast, uncooked
2 scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
salt and pepper
wonton wrappers
canola oil

1) Slice chicken breast into strips, place in bottom of a pan. Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to cover. Put on lid and bring to a boil. Cook until chicken is no longer pink (only about 5-10 minutes).
2) While chicken is cooking, slice vegetables and add to a small bowl. Add the soy sauce, and ginger.
3) Let chicken rest until it is cool enough to handle. Chop very finely, add to mixture. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. This is your filling.
(I make my own wontons, but if you don't, there are plenty of good ones available at the store.)
4) Place a scant teaspoon in the center of each wrapper and wet edges to seal. Mine are never perfect looking, don't worry if they are lop-sided or weird looking, they'll still taste just as good!
5) Place prepared pot stickers on a baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth to keep from drying out while you prepare the rest.
6) Heat about 1 Tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat, arrange 8-10 pot stickers in the oil at a time, don't let them touch each other. Cook them for 2 minutes without touching them.
7) Add 1/4 cup of water (or a little more, depending on the size of the pan you are using... the water should come up no more than half-way on the pot stickers, but should be touching all of them.
8) Turn the heat down to low and immediately cover. Cook additional 2 minutes. Remove them to a plate placed in the oven to keep warm while you repeat with the remaining wontons.
9) Easily clean the pan between batches by adding water and letting the pan deglaze. Pour out and wipe clean. Serve with fabulous dipping sauce.

Sydney's Fabulous Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 green onion, chopped
dash of sesame oil

combine all ingredients, stir well. Can be served warm or cold.

Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions about any of my dishes. I'll be happy to answer any!

Broccoli Soup

All of my recipes that I post will be adaptations from other recipes. I almost never like how recipes turn out when I follow them to the letter, so I have changed, simplified, and perfected my recipes so you don't have to!



Broccoli Soup:

1 Pound of fresh broccoli florets
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 large garlic cloves, chopped or minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

1) In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and cook over moderate heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender.

2) Add the broccoli and water and bring to a boil. Simmer of moderate heat until the broccoli is tender, about 10-15 minutes.

3) Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper, blend again and taste. Add more as needed.

Tips for this recipe:
- Serve with canned Grands biscuits for a complete, filling meal.
- Stu likes this soup to be a little more chunky so try pulsing the ingredients in the blender to get a nice chop, without pureeing. It is good too.
- Kaden Approved and Tested: Serve to young children on a split open biscuit, spread on like a jam. Cut up for the younger ones. Mine loved it!

Sydney's Fried Rice and Egg Foo Yung

These were posted on the other blog but I decided they should go here too in case you wanted to try them!

Sydney’s Fried Rice:

2 cups cooked white rice
½ small white onion, or two medium scallions, chopped
¾ cup frozen mixed vegetables
2 TBSP olive oil
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
Soy sauce
Salt and pepper

1) 1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and rice. Stir and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

2) Reduce heat to medium and add vegetables to rice mixture. Cook 2-4 minutes until veggies are warmed through.

3) Spread the mixture out to the sides of the pan, leaving space in the middle for the eggs.

4) Add the eggs, and scramble until cooked firm.

5) Mix the eggs with the rice and vegetables, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir.

6) Sprinkle very lightly with soy sauce and stir well, taste to see if it needs more. Do not add too much, it really needs very little.

Sydney’s Egg Foo Yung:
6 Eggs
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cups chopped mushrooms
½ cup already cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
1 TBSP soy sauce
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Egg Foo Yung Sauce:

½ cup water
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 chicken bouillon cube

1) For the sauce, heat the water and soy until hot, crumble the bouillon cube into the water, stir. Keep warm over low heat.

2) Wisk the eggs in a large bowl, add salt and pepper to taste, soy sauce, stir.

3) Add onions, mushrooms, and shrimp (or any other meat you have on hand) to the mixture and stir to combine.

4) Heat a small pan over medium heat, add about 1 TBSP olive oil and then add half of the mixture to the pan, allowing eggs to set.

5) Cook about 4 minutes until the eggs are slightly brown. Flip with a spatula. Cook until eggs are fully cooked. Repeat process with the remaining mixture. Makes two large servings.

Serve with or over the fried rice, spooning the sauce over the dish, as desired.