Hot Dog Stew

Rafi wants to make this one tonight, so I’m posting the recipe. Maybe you’ll decide to make it too! It’s quick and doesn’t make a big mess. Bonus!

Ingredients:

• One package of hotdogs
• One onion, chopped
• Four carrots
• Four – six potatoes

Steps:

1. Sauté the onion with some oil in the instant pot
2. Meanwhile, chop the hotdogs into medallions that are about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick
3. When the onions are starting to caramelize, add in the hotdogs and stir occasionally
4. Meanwhile, chop the potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces
5. When the hotdogs have browned, add in the carrots, potatoes, and a cup of water
6. Seal the instant pot and pressure cook for 15-20 minutes
7. Note: If you are using a regular pot, you will simmer until the potatoes and carrots are soft
8. Release the pressure, and enjoy!

We like eating this with sautéed kale on top! Yum!

Kale Quiche

The secret to this super easy and tasty quiche is premade spinach dip! I used the kind from Trader Joe’s, but I’m sure any brand would work just as deliciously. This makes one quiche. (I made a broccoli cheddar quiche with the second piecrust, since most frozen premade crusts come in two-packs. It was also delicious, but nothing amazing.)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 container of spinach dip (about 1/2 cup)
• About 2 cups finely chopped kale
• 8 eggs
• 1/4 cup cream
• Parmesan cheese
• Premade pie crust

Steps:

1. Steam the kale in the microwave for 2 minutes
2. Stir in the spinach dip, eggs, and cream
3. Pour a layer of parmesan cheese on the bottom of the pie crust
4. Pour in the kale/egg mixture
5. Sprinkle the top of the quiche with parmesan
6. Bake in a 350 oven for 45-60 minutes

This goes great with roasted potatoes and a salad. Enjoy!

Super Fast and Yummy Indian Pizza

I found some Trader Joe’s cookbooks and then this happened and it was the most delicious dinner ever. Instead of making your own toppings like I did, I suggest just buying some Palak Paneer or other veggie dish and dumping that on top. Luckily we have leftovers I can eat for breakfast. Mmmmmm… Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Frozen Garlic Naan
• Jar of Masala Simmer Sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Toppings
• • I made curry peas by simmering fresh peas and adding curry powder, garam masala and pureed ginger, and also stir-fried red onion (that had been soaked in lime juice, because I was trying to get a bit of sour in there) with frozen spinach and ginger. As I mention above, next time I’ll probably skip the hassle and just buy a few Indian vegetable pouches to put on top.

Steps:

• Put the naan on baking sheets.
• Top with masala sauce, cheese, and desired toppings.
• Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the naan is crispy.
• Try not to eat it until it has cooled. I burnt the top of my mouth because it smelled so good I couldn’t wait.

Instant Pot Chicken Porridge

Besides the fact that I made a total mess of the kitchen today at every step (starting with accidentally forgetting to put water into the oatmeal this morning before I put the bowl into the microwave), this came out fabulously and is worth making now while it’s wintry somewhere – although here it’s 70 degrees, but, whatever.  I will definitely make this again and again.  Everyone inhaled it, veggies and all.

Ingredients:

• Three boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 an onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 parsnip, (yes, you guessed it), diced
• 1 smallish turnip, diced
• bayleaf, herbs de provance, salt, pepper
• 2 cups arborio rice

Steps:

1. Saute the onion and aromatics using the “saute” feature on the pot until onions are browned
2. Add everything else
3. Add 10 cups of water
4. Set the pressure cooker feature on high for 20 minutes
5. When it’s done, use slow release.  I tried using the fast release and it just added to the list of things that made a total mess of my kitchen for the day, squirting ricey broth everywhere.
6. Shred the chicken (it will just fall apart)
7. Serve piping hot (unless you have kids, in which case, pop an ice cube in there before serving).
8. Enjoy!

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

I end up in a lot of morning meetings abounding in bagels and muffins.  Not healthy.  Since I don’t always have time to eat breakfast before I leave the house, I decided to try making something healthy to-go.  This is what I came up with – and I ate the whole first batch the first day I made them.  Yeah, they’re that good and that “healthy.” This recipe requires a food processor, although I’m sure you could figure out a work around.

Ingredients:
– Two cups of oatmeal (uncooked)
– One zucchini
– One or two carrots
– One small apple
– One tablespoon chopped ginger
– One ripe banana
– One container vanilla or maple yogurt
– Two eggs
– 1/2 cup raisins
– Cinnamon and nutmeg
– One tablespoon of honey (optional)
– A dash or two of juice
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Steps:
1. Use a food processor to grind up the oatmeal
2. Use the shredding blade to shred the zucchini, carrots, and apple
3. Put the regular blade back on and add the rest of the ingredients. Process until you have thick batter.  Add more juice if it seems too thick.
4. Pour the batter into 48 mini-muffin tins or about 18 regular muffin tins
5. Bake in a pre-heated 350 oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Have a great morning!

Beef Wontons

One of our local grocery stores has fresh wonton wrappers.  Usually I make veggie and tofu wontons (maybe I’ll post that recipe sometime), but today I felt like trying beef wontons.  They were DELICIOUS!  If you don’t have easy access to wonton wrappers, you can just make these as meatballs and serve them over rice with some sauted broccoli or bok choy or drop them into a ginger-mushroom broth with some noodles.

Ingredients:
– 1/2lb ground beef
– 6 cloves chopped garlic
– 2 stalks of green onions, finely chopped
– 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
– 1 tablespoon chopped/grated ginger (you know I like the kind in the jar)
– 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
– 1/4 teaspoon chinese five spice
– salt and pepper
– wonton wrappers

Steps:
1. Mix everything (except the wrappers) in a bowl with your hands until fully integrated.
2. Put a spoonful of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper. Fold in half to form a triangle, pressing down the edges until sealed. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
3. Heat a skillet with vegetable oil until hot enough to sizzle.
4. Working in batches, fry wontons on each side until golden brown (about 1 minute), but not burnt.
5. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

I also made a quick dipping sauce, although these were so tasty, you really don’t need to.  Mix a tablespoon each of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a bowl.  Add a teaspoon of chili paste (such as Sambal Olek) and viola! Try them and let me know what you think!

 

Rice and Bean Nests

My husband keeps asking me to make this dish (and for the recipe so that he can make it for himself), so here it is!  Works as well for breakfast as it does for dinner.  Super quick and delicious.  Serve with a salad.  Mmmmm.

Ingredients:
– 2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
– A can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
– 1/2 cup chopped onion
– Chipotle chili powder (1 teaspoon, or more for more heat)
– Four eggs

Steps:
– Saute the onions until golden in a bit of olive oil in a frying pan
– Add beans and chili powder, stir
– Add rice and stir until combined
– Create four holes in the rice mixture with a spoon, so that you can see the bottom of the pan
– Crack an egg into each hole
– Cover the pan with a pot lid and cook until the eggs are how you like them (runny on the inside for me, please!)
– Add salt and ground pepper to taste

To serve the “nests,” scoop out the eggs along with the rice mixture that is now stuck to them. Best served hot!

Pupusas with Curtido

If you’re lucky, as we are, to have an excellent Pupuseria in your neighborhood, then you might not have as much use for this recipe.  However, sometimes you just want to have pupusas at your own table, and these are SO EASY HOMEMADE!  No joke, they barely take longer than a batch of pancakes once you get the hang of it.

Ingredients:
– 2 cups Masa Harina (corn flour, not to be confused with corn meal – look for it in the baking section of your local chain grocery)
– 1 cup Grated cheese (I used jack, queso fresco is more typical), refried beans, loroco, or other fillings
– 2 cups each shredded cabbage and shredded carrot (I bought the pre-shredded versions at Trader Joe’s)
– Half of a small onion, sliced thinly
– Two tablespoons apple cider vinegar
– A pinch of oregano and a pinch of chili flakes
– Salt

Steps:
1.  Make the curtido at least a few hours in advance.  Mix up the shredded cabbage and carrots with the onion, vinegar, oregano, chili flakes and salt.  Let it sit in the refrigerator, stirring it up every so often so the whole thing marinates.
2.  Mix the Masa Harina with 1 and a third cups of water and a pinch of salt.  Form into a dough.  Add water or more flour as needed to get the consistency of play dough.
3.  Form the dough into a dozen balls, then push your finger into the center of each ball to make a big indent.
4.  Fill the indent with cheese or other fillings, and close the hole up by pulling the dough over the top and pinching it together.  Roll the ball in your hand a few times so it’s round.
5.  Slap the dough ball in your palm until it is flat like a pancake.
6.  Fry the dough patty in a pan with oil until it is golden brown on each side.  It’s more than OK if some of the cheese melts and oozes out.  Mmmm.

Serve hot topped with curtido (and salsa if you like)!  Such a great alternative to pancakes for dinner!

Fried Rice (for breakfast)

Happy Anniversary So Easy Homemade!  You are two years old this week and have enough recipes to makes something new each week for a whole year.  Yum.

This recipe is a riff on a dish my mother-in-law showed me how to make.  It requires two special ingredients that you can find at Ranch 99 or, for those of you that (gasp) don’t live near a Ranch 99, at a well-stocked Asian grocery store.  The first is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce called “Kecap Manis.”  The second is a “Chili Pepper Sauce” by the company Yank Sing.  It’s really worth seeking these ingredients out because I’ve been eating this breakfast every day for the past month or so and am still not tired of it!

Ingredients:
– 1 tablespoon Kecap Manis
– 2 teaspoon
– 1/4 cup chopped onion
– 2 teaspoons Chili Pepper Sauce by Yank Sing
– 3 eggs (or one egg per cup of rice)
– 3 cups cooked brown rice
– A big handful of greens
– Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:
1.  Heat the oil in a frying pan until sizzling, then add the onions and cooked until just getting browned
2.  Add the eggs and fry for a few minutes until starting to set
3.  Add the Chili Pepper Sauce and stir up the pan
4.  Add the brown rice and mix in
5.  Add the Kecap Manis, greens, and salt and pepper, stir and cook until greens are wilted

I like to eat this with a spoonful of pickled vegetables on top (see the guest blog post on Kraut).

This will easily keep you going until lunch time!  Enjoy!

 

Roasted Vegetable Breakfast

This is what I have been eating for breakfast lately in an effort to eat more veggies and less grains (breakfast tended to be very carb-heavy for me).  Try it and let me know if you feel a difference!  If not, at least you’ll look forward to getting out of bed each morning to eat this.  Prepare the roasties beforehand, so all you have to do is heat them up while the eggs are cooking.

Ingredients:
– Root vegetables chopped into bite-sized pieces (choose three or four:  red beets, golden beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, red radish, daikon)
– One red or yellow onion, chopped
– 6-8 cloves garlic, halved
– 2 eggs
– Greens (such as Trader Joe’s “Power Greens”)
– Kraut (optional)
– Tabasco/hotsauce (I like my breakfast spicy)
– Vinegrette (also optional – I make one with just balsamic, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2.  Stir the root veggies with the onions, garlic, and about a tablespoon of olive oil, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, until coated.
3.  Pour into a pyrex baking dish and bake, uncovered, until the veggies start to brown (about an hour), stirring occassionally.  When done, remove pan from oven and allow to cool.  Store until breakfast time.
4.  In the morning, put a bowl of veggies in the microwave.  While they are heating, fry two eggs over-easy (or however you like them).
5.  Top the veggies with the eggs, sprinkle with tabasco.  Add a big handful of greens on top, drizzle with vinegrette and/or top with kraut.

GOOOOOOD MORNING!!!!