Strawberry Marshmallow

On a recent trip to Wholefoods Supermarket, something caught my eyes and stop me in my tracks of finding the perfect sweets.  STRAWBERRY MARSHMALLOW! I was willing to pay up to $3 for a small package of it but the price was just ungodly! It was $6.99  for 6 small cubes of marshmallow so I had to leave my first strawberry marshmallow experience behind.  A couple of month later I saw that Jet Puffed made strawberry flavor marshmallows and I must say I was overexcited over it.  I love the flavor, it does taste like strawberry!

Chicken Wrap

NYC had about 2 weeks of unbearable heat during this July.  I have never seen New Yorkers so subdue, the usual quick pace and nastiness was replaced with a look of defeat.  The heat was so intense that the mechanical clocks in the underground train stations stopped working. My method of surviving was keeping myself hydrated with semi frozen Gatorade.  Then during the hottest hours when I am out, I have a frozen bottle of water place against my skin.  Yes, people have stared at me and their eyes brightened with my method of trying to stay cool.  Usually this would have been met with strange condescending looks but it have been truly brutal because of this heat. 

So cooking in the heat is out of the question.  But one have to eat and take out is not an option when you do not feel like greasy food.  This wrap is so easy and pair it with chips makes it a satisfying meal! I did not think that a wrap filled with veggies and a chicken breast will fill me up but I was fulled! Let me tell you, I am a very big eater and it surprises people when I eat.  I am always asked "Where do you put it all?"

Recipe for each wrap:

Ingredients

• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 2 romaine lettuce leaves
• Half Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 tbsp Mayo
• 2 tsp Vegetable oil
• Salt & pepper
• Spinach Wrap (or whatever flavor you prefer) 

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then sear it in a pan. Sear both side until it is slightly brown.  Put a lid and cook until juices runs clear.
2. In the mean time, cut the lettuce and tomato into small chunks.
3. Spread 1/2 tbsp of mayo on the wrap and disperse the vegetables over half the wrap.
4. After the chicken is cook through, let it stand for 5 minutes so the juices will be disperse. If  you cut it right away, the chicken will come out dry.
5. Add chicken to the vegetable mixture and wrap.

If I have bacon on hand, I would add 2 strips of it because it makes it tastier.  I always pair it with kettle cooked  Utz Potato Chips, they are much crispier and less greasy.  You can season the chicken however you wish, like cayenne, garlic powder, cumin, etc.  Instead of plain mayo, you can add chipotle mayo or even miracle whip. Like I always say, play around with your food.  I have made many mistakes and some of my food actually came out disgusting but I learned from my mistakes and can only improve upon it.

Pan Seared Salmon

Salmon is one of my favorite fish because it is so easy to cook.  You can steam, pan sear, broil it in the over or even make it into patties.  I seasoned this with a touch of garlic powder, salt and pepper.  You can not use too much of garlic powder because it is very strong and can easily over-power your food.  I pan seared the salmon on both side until it is done ( about 8 minutes each side) and served it over a bed of spinach and rice. I like my fish well done, I can not eat fish that is a little bit raw on the inside. 

BLT Wrap

 

Due to the intense heat of this summer, I have been trying to find different recipes that require little heat to cook. When I open a package of bacon, I cook the whole package.  I cook it in the oven because it is much cleaner than cooking it over the stove top.  Also I hate how bacon look after a week it is opened.  Beside why not cook it all in one shot and save from turning on the oven again and again to cook one the same thing.  Cooked bacon can be kept in the fridge for 2 weeks and I actually like to reheat bacon over the pan to make it crispier.  However you can not keep it in the fridge for too long because it would taste frost bitten. I know this because I ate some 3 weeks old bacon from the fridge and although it was still safe to eat after reheating, the taste was off.

Here is a low carb version of the BLT. I For this recipe I used Tomato Basil Flavor wrap. I used a Spinach flavor wrap for a previous recipe and that wrap has no flavor.  It does make a very pretty picture though.  This Tomato Basil wrap not only taste good and it is also pretty in picture.  I love Roma tomatoes because the taste is sweeter and much tastier and Romaine hearts because it is sweeter and crisper.  Do not over-stuff the wraps as I did because you will not be able to wrap it properly

Pan seared Lamb chop

Lamb chop has a strong flavor so I paired it with the Tomato and Cilantro sauce (recipe is also in my blog). 

For each lamb chop:

 Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

1.  Season the chops on both side with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2.  Heat the oil in a cast iron pan on medium heat.
3.  Sear the chops for 7 minutes each side.
4.  Serve over the Tomato and Basil sauce with Jasmine rice.

I always serve the lamb chops with extra sauce on the side because I like my meat drowning in sauce. However not everyone do, so I give them the option of either more or just as I serve it.

Blueberry Waffle

It is summer time and blueberries are in season.  This is great for Sunday brunch, I suppose it is great for breakfast too but I am never up before noon on Sunday. I added 1/3 cup of blueberries to my Aunt Jemima Pancake mix that is enough for two waffles.  I know I added too much blueberries because when it started to cook, hot blueberry juices started spewing out from the side! Made a small mess but the clean up was definitely worth it because it was delicious! I served it with real Maple syrup and a few fresh berries on it.  Pair it with scramble eggs and bacon, and you will be full for hours!

A Heart in a bouquet of Vegetable

As I was washing the Choy Sum (Chinese vegetable), I found a leaf that resembled a heart. I just had to take a pic!

Cast Iron Corn Bread

Pasta Kale Soup

Bacon Red Potatoes Salad

Potato salad is great by itself but when you add crunchy bacon on top it taste even better! I try to make it a little healthier by not adding all the yolks from the hard boiled eggs I used for this dish.

Ingredients

• 4 Red skin potatoes, diced
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 6 strips of bacon
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup mayo
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Put diced potatoes in a pot of cold water and boil for about 20 minutes until it is tender.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, submerge the eggs into cold water and boil for 10 minutes.
3. After the eggs are done, place them into cold water until they are cool enough to peel.
4. I usually discard half of the egg yolks and dice the eggs into small pieces.
5. When the potatoes cool, add mayo, eggs, mustard and onion into the potatoes.
6. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
7. Sprinkle chopped bacon on top.

Cast Iron Frittata

 There was not much in my fridge in the form of fresh vegetables.  However I always have tomatoes, cheese and onion.  So that is what is in my frittata.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons shredded cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt butter in the cast iron pan.
3. Pour eggs into the pan, let it cook on stove top for a minute before adding tomatoes and onion.
4. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Pair it with bacon and toast and you will have a filling breakfast.
 

Cole Slaw

I recently bought groceries for my dad and he specifically asked for Pre-made Cole Slaw and the dressing.  After making him a delicious feast, I loaded everything to a car service car to bring it to him.  Of course I forget the only thing he specifically asked for.  So I was stuck with a bag of Cole Slaw with no dressing.  So I looked up a recipe online for the dressing. I looked on Allrecipes.com and chose this recipe because of the rating: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-restaurant-slaw/detail.aspx. 

I left out the onion and poppy seeds because I do not care for either. I also used Hellmann's mayo instead of Miracle Whip.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Hellmann's
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Mix it until the sugar disolve.
2. Drizzle the dressing over the Cole Slaw mix.
3. Refrigerate the Cole Slaw for 2 hours so that the flavor combine.

I do not like Cole Slaw much because all the NYC deli ones have put me off but this was great.  I did drizzle the dressing just enough to coat it and not drench the cabbage.  I discarded the rest of the sauce but some like it with a lot of dressing whereas I like it lightly coated.  This dish is light and refreshing, great for a summer day.

Tomato and Cilantro Sauce

I got this recipe from a cookbook titled "The Low-Carb Gourmet" by Karen Barnaby.  The original recipe is a vinaigrette but I altered the recipe to my liking. Here is the original recipe from the book:

Recipe

•  2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
•  3 tbsp white wine vinegar
•  2 garlic cloves, minced
•  1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•  1/3 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, vinegar, and garlic. Process until smooth. 
2. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil.
3. Add the cilantro and pulse to combine.

I do not like to use that much oil when I am cooking or making sauces.  I only use 2 tablespoon of oil and instead of olive oil I used vegetable oil.  I did not have white wine vinegar so I used rice vinegar.  It turned out great! This sauce is great with pan seared lamb chop or chicken.  I suppose it would be great with pork chop too but I have yet to use it on pork.

Pickled Snow Cabbage and Pork

The Chinese love their pickled items.  I grow up with fresh vegetables and meat at every meals but there were always some sort of pickled items on the dining table because my grandfather love them.  They pickle anything from mushroom to vegetables to fruits.  

The pickled snow cabbage was a bit salty so I recommend that you rinse it under the faucet.  I wish I had took a picture of the can but I forgot to do so.

Ingredients

• 4 slices of thin cut pork chops
• 2 7 oz pickled snow cabbage
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• salt and white pepper

Directions

1. Cut the pork cutlets into thin slices and season with a sprinkle of salt and white pepper.
2. Evenly coat the pork in corn starch.
3. Pour the cabbage into a strainer and run it under cold water and drain.
4.  Saute the pork in vegetable oil until it is cooked through.
5. Then add the snow cabbage and saute for another 5 minutes until the flavors are combined.

I served this with rice.

Grilled Ham, Tomatoes, and Cheese Sandwich

Sometimes a cold sandwich will not do to satisfy my cravings. 

Ingredients

•  1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
•  8 slices of deli styled ham
•  6 slices of American cheese
•  4 slices of white bread
•  Butter

Instructions

1. For each sandwich, I layered 1 slice of cheese on the bread, 2 slices of ham, 3 slices of tomato, 2 slices of ham, 2 slices cheese, then top it with the remaining bread.
2. In a non-stick pan, melt some butter and place the sandwich.
3. Cover with lid but do vent because you want it to sear, not just steam.
4. Repeat for the other side with more butter.

I like to cut it diagonally and either serve with tater tots or chips!  I love the toasty buttery taste of the bread.  The melted cheese on both side of the bread keeps everything in place that's why I did not put all the cheese together.