Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Country Cabbage Soup Recipe




12-14 Servings

Prep: 5 min. Cook: 45 min.







Ingredients

* 2 pounds ground beef
* 2 cans (28 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
* 1 medium head cabbage, shredded
* 2 large onions, chopped
* 6 celery ribs, chopped
* Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

* In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, cabbage, onions and celery; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Yield: 12-14 servings (3-1/4 quarts).

Be creative when making Country Cabbage Soup. For instance, stir in some shredded carrots or frozen mixed vegetables. For a more filling soup, add 2 cups of cooked rice or pasta.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 144 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 32 mg cholesterol, 172 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 13 g protein.

Easy Garlic Ginger Chicken


4 Servings










Amount Per Serving Calories: 197 | Total Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 68mg


Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 4 cloves crushed garlic
* 3 tablespoons ground ginger
* 3 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 limes, juiced

Directions

1. Pound the chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag combine the garlic, ginger, oil and lime juice. Seal bag and shake until blended. Open bag and add chicken. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for no more than 20 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from bag and grill or broil, basting with marinade, until cooked through and juices run clear. Dispose of any remaining marinade.

Beef and Barley Soup


4 Servings






Ingredients


* 1/2 beef soup bones
* 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1-1/4 stalks celery
* 1/4 onion, quartered
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 'bouqet garni' spice balls
* 2 ounces baby carrots
* 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
* 2-3/4 cloves garlic, peeled
* 1/4 cup barley

Directions


1. Place beef bones in a med size slow cooker. Add salt, celery stalks, onion, bouquets garnis, pepper, carrots, parsley and garlic. Fill slow cooker within 3 inches of the top with hot water and cook for 4 hours, covered on high heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Add barley and cook stirring occasionally until meat can easily be removed from bones.
3. Remove and discard onion, bouquets garnis, celery, and parsley.
4. Transfer bones to a dish and remove meat from bones, being careful not to take off cartilage or gristle. Place meat back into soup, stir, and serve.

Tom Yum Gai - Sour & Spicy Chicken Soup




4 Servings












Ingredients
400 grams (about 1lb) boneless chicken meat diced
3 cups chicken stock
100 grams (3.5 oz) straw mushrooms, halved 6 cherry tomatoes
1 fresh lemon grass stem cut into short lengths
2-3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp sugar
5-6 hot fresh Thai chilies, just broken with pestle

Preparation

Place the stock in a pot, add the lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, and bring to boil over medium heat. Add the chicken meat, mushroom, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar; cook slowly and uncovered for 10 minutes. Do not stir. Then add the tomatoes and chilies and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Thai Chicken Soup in Coconut Milk (Tom Kha Gai)






This recipe for Thai coconut soup with chicken is incredibly easy. The key is to use fresh lemon grass in your cooking. Dried galangal works very well in this coconut-based soup. Serve over steamed jasmine rice with a stir fry vegetable on the side for a complete meal.


Ingredients

2-3 pcs fresh or dried galangal slices
2 pcs of fresh lemon grass stalks
1 clove of garlic
A pinch of tamarind paste
3-4 fresh chilies (depending on how spicy you you like it)
Fish sauce to taste (Golden Boy Brand is preferable Thin soy sauce, optional
1/2 lb. chicken
1 (13.5oz) can of coconut milk

Preparation

1. Boil galangal, lemon grass, garlic and tamarind in 1 cup of water for 2-3 minutes to bring out the flavor.

2. Cut 1/2 lb. chicken (thighs are nice or breast) into approx. 2 inch pieces (best if you cut through the bone with a sharp cleaver, but also you can use boneless meat. Note: The bones give a richer flavor.)

3. Add chicken to the boiling water and boil for another 8 minutes until cooked through.

4. Add 13.5oz can coconut milk. Bring to the boil again and boil for another 3 minutes.

5. Add 1 tablespoon of Thai fish sauce (nahm plah), 1 tablespoon Thai thin soy sauce, 2 slices of white onion. And if desired garnish with 3-4 pcs of Thai fresh chilies (prik kee noo). Bring to the boil for one minute.

6. Remove from heat and serve over jasmine rice. Add fish sauce to taste. If fish sauce is not available sea salt is also very good.

Jerk-Crusted Tilapia with Banana Salsa

Ingredients

4 Servings

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes


1/3 cup prepared jerk seasonings I used Tone's Jerk Seasoning
4 4-ounce tilapia fillets
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 medium bananas NOT too ripe, peeled and minced
1/2 Serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
optional garnish: cilantro sprigs


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

Pour jerk seasoning onto plate. Dredge one side of tilapia into seasoning.

Heat oil in a 10" oven-proof skillet to medium-high heat. Sear tilapia with the spice side down. Turn fish spice side up and bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until fish is cooked through and flakes with fork test.

Combine the rum, sugar, molasses, vinegar and salt in a 1 Qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook this mixture until it is reduced into a syrup-like glaze stir frequently.

In a bowl, add the peeled and diced bananas, minced chile, chopped cilantro, lime juice and salt mix well.

To serve, pour some of the molasses glaze into center of individual serving plate. Place a tilapia on top of glaze and top with banana salsa. Garnish with sprigs of fresh cilantro if desired.

Thai Basil Chicken -Kai Kaprow




2 Servings











Ingredients

total of 430 calories in this dish without egg and rice

Ideally, this dish should be made with holy basil, which is not to be confused with sweet basil or even the purple-stemmed Thai basil. You'll know it by its scalloped edges and clove-like aroma, but you may have a hard time tracking it down. Regular sweet basil tastes just as good in this dish, if not quite so "authentic."
Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
Chilis, finely chopped (use 2-3 serrano peppers for a very mild heat; 2-3 bird's eye chilis for a medium heat)
1 large shallot, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 pound green beans, trimmed, chopped in 1¼-inch lengths
1/2 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tsp Oyster sauce
2 small kaffir leaves, very finely slivered ( optional)
1 bunch Holy basil, leaves only



1. Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or large frying pan. When you can see waves forming in the hot oil, add the chilis, shallots, and garlic and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the green beans and stir-fry until cooked but still crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the ground chicken, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into small pieces. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through.

4. Add the fish sauce and sugar to the pan, and stir to distribute. Taste, and add more fish sauce or sugar if desired.

5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the basil leaves, kaffir leaves and stir-fry until basil is completely wilted. Remove from heat.

Serve with boiled rice, fried egg (optional), and nam pla prik or lime wedges.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Pasta e Fagioli


8 servings











Ingredients

* 1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
* 1 (10 ounce) meaty ham bone or smoked pork hocks
* 10 cups water
*
* 1 (8 ounce) box elbow macaroni
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 1 carrot, diced
* 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
* 1 cup water
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place navy beans, ham bone, and 10 cups of water into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, from 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to chill, then set aside.
3. Once beans are nearly ready, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, celery, carrot, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of water; bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the carrot has softened, about 10 minutes. While the tomato mixture simmers, remove the ham bone from the beans. Separate the meat from the bone; dice the meat, and discard the bone.
4. To finish the soup, stir the beans, cooked macaroni, and diced ham into the tomato mixture; add additional water if needed to make a chunky soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper; simmer until the macaroni and beans are both quite tender, from 5 to 15 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley before serving.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 333 | Total Fat: 3.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Vietnamese Beef Pho




6 Servings














Ingredients
  • 4 quarts beef broth
  • 1 large onion, sliced into rings
  • 6 slices fresh ginger root
  • 1 lemon grass
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 pound sirloin tip, cut into thin slices
  • 1/2 pound bean sprouts
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages dried rice noodles
  • 1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 dash hot pepper sauce
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce

Directions

  1. In a large soup pot, combine broth, onion, ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.
  2. Arrange bean sprouts, mint, basil, and cilantro on a platter with chilies and lime.
  3. Soak the noodles in hot water to cover for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain. Place equal portions of noodles into 6 large soup bowls, and place raw beef on top. Ladle hot broth over noodles and beef. Pass platter with garnishes and sauces.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 527 | Total Fat: 13.6g | Cholesterol: 51mg