Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats

I just had to make Strawberry Rice Krispies Treats with the strawberry marshmallow.  It is best to spread it on a parchment paper because this was really sticky.  The strawberry flavor was really faint, if I had strawberry extract, I would definitely add that in to intensify the flavor.  I would add it to the soften strawberry marshmallow before adding the Rice Krispies.

Fage Greek Yogurt

This yogurt was on sale and decided to try some.  I never had Greek yogurt and these were really popular.  The first taste was not pleasant because I did not expect it to taste sour.  Andrew Zimmern always said to try things more than once.  So I decided to keep on eating it, I added the fruits and as I started eating more of it, I fell in love withe it.  It has the consistency of sour cream and tasted like mild cream cheese. It kept me full for about 1 hour and it is only 140 calories.  This may seem like very little fruits but it is definitely enough, any more would make it too sweet.  I already tried the peach and strawberry.

                                    

Panko Crusted Pork Cutlets Salad

Going low carb again! This is very fulfilling and tasty too. These pork chops are very thin which is great for quick cooking.  The problem is that it is easily dried out if it is not cooked properly.  I used panko because it creates a crunchy coating.

Per person

Ingredients

• 2 thinly sliced pork chops
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup panko
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Dip each pork chop into egg wash and then into the panko.
2. Make sure the oil is really hot before gently placing each chop into the oil.
3. Fry until it is golden brown, then turn to fry the other side until it is golden brown. About 4 minutes each side, depending on what kind of pan you have.
4. Place on top of paper towel to soak up excess oil and let it sit for about 10 minutes before thinly cut them into strips.
5. Serve with honey mustard sauce with salad for a low carb dinner.

This would be great as a snack, in a sandwich, with rice or even mash potatoes!

Honey Mustard

Honey mustard is 1 part mustard and 2 part honey. This is great over chicken nuggets or fried pork chops.

Chicken Parm

Ingredients

• chicken breast, halved
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumb
• 1/3 Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 4 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Season the chicken breast lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Dip each piece of chicken breast into egg and then bread crumb mixture. Coat evenly.
4. Pan fry the chicken until both sides are golden brown.
5. Bake chicken for about 15 minutes, spoon about two tablespoon of marinara sauce on the chicken then place two slices of mozzarella cheese on top.
6. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
7. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

I usually serve this with rice, but today I served it with spaghetti.  The chicken breast are huge given the fact that the chickens are pumped with steroids to fatten them up.  Therefore I halve the breast by butterflying it making it a two portion serving and it is also faster to cook when it is thinner.

Panko Crusted Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Cut chicken into one inch chunks and season with salt.
2. Dip each piece of chicken into egg wash.
3. Coat in panko and fry in oil. Do not over crowd the pan because you want the crust to be crispy.
4. Fry for about 3 minutes each side and place on paper towels to absolve the excess oil.

The nuggets were amazing by themselves with honey mustard sauce.  They were still moist and so tasty. They made a great meal on top of a salad.  I am trying to go low carb 2 days out of the week because I am no longer in my early twenties and I can no longer eat the way I use to eat and lose the weight.

Earl Grey Tea Waffle

I love Earl Grey Tea, there is nothing better than having a hot cup of tea with honey on a cold winter day.  This taste like hot tea with honey when you add the syrup on it.

I just added a whole Earl Grey Tea bag into my pancake and waffle mix. 

Lime Cilantro Rice

Got the recipe from Allrecipes.com.  This was great with my BBQ pork ribs. The sweetness of the ribs really go well with the sourness of this rice.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil; stir the butter and rice into the water. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir the lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro into the cooked rice just before serving. 

I copy and pasted this from Allrecipes.com, I changed the recipe to my liking.  I added just a little lime juice at a time because I did not want it to be too sour and I only zested one lime.  Must use fresh lime juice, I made the mistake of using concentrated lime juice once and it smelled like bathroom cleaners. Had to toss the rice away because I could not stomach it. 

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 chicken breast, cut into one inch chunk
• 2 cups Latin Blend Mix 
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring water and stock to a boil.
2. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for 40 minutes.

I served this with brown rice to make it more hearty.

Beef Enchiladas

I do not like my enchilada too cheesy so I really cut back on it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 4 tortilla
• 3/4 cup Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon Taco seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 can of enchilada sauce
• Sour cream

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Brown ground beef and onion with taco seasoning in vegetable oil.
3. In each tortilla put about a tablespoon of cheese and beef.
4. Roll tightly and place seam side down in a baking dish.
5. Pour the sauce over and let it runs between each enchilada and between the enchilada and the baking dish so it will not stick to each other or the dish.
6. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for half hour.
7. Serve with sour cream.

I made avocado sauce a day before and it would have been great with it.  However I ate it all with chips so the next best thing was sour cream.

Chicken & Mushrooms w/ Wine Sauce

This recipe tasted a lot like Chicken Marsala...


Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks and thighs 
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Season the chicken with half of the dried oregano, salt and pepper.
2. Place the flour in a plastic bag and place the chicken in bag of flour and coat evenly.
3. Heat oil in a large pan and brown chicken on both side.
4. Add mushrooms, oregano and garlic to brown with chicken.
5. When the mushroom is browned, add wine and bring to a simmer for 40 minutes.
6. Add water, when the sauce is too thick to thin it out.
7. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for another 20 minutes.

I made the mistake of getting boned in chicken.  I will try this again with boneless chicken and will re-post.



I made this recipe again using chicken breast. It is definitely leaner and less greasy, plus it cooked in half the time!

Japanese Take Out

Baked Mussels

Shrimps & Veggies Tempura

Teriyaki Salmon, Fried Shu Mai & Rice

California Rolls

When I get Japanese take out, I always get the baked mussels.  They are just so delicious and I don't even like mussels!  They are baked with Japanese mayo and masago (smelt roe). I mostly always get a Bento meal and this time I got the Teriyaki Salmon, it comes with 3 fried Shu Mai, 2 tempura shrimps and vegetables (one slice of zucchini, sweet potato, egg plant & a broccoli), and 6 California rolls.  I was so hungry that I ate 3 of the rolls before I took pictures. The bento box is about $13 and it really do come with a lot of food and I am always stuffed by the end of the meal.

Cast Iron Cilantro Chicken

Cilantro Chicken

Served with brown rice.

When ever I buy cilantro, I always end up throwing half of it away because I can never finish it. So I decided to put it in whatever I was cooking.  I had boneless chicken and after I seared both sides I sprinkled a hand full of cilantro on top.  It was great!

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of boneless chicken
• few sprigs of cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon smoke paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Season chicken with paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Sear chicken on both side in a cast iron pan.
4. Sprinkle cilantro over chicken and bake for half an hour or when the chicken is done.

I will definitely put more cilantro next time, I was not sure how it will taste but it would have been better with more cilantro.

Avocado Sauce

I bought cilantro and had so much of it that I started using all the ingredients I have around the kitchen to make new things.  I had a very ripe avocado and decided to pair them together.  This taste a lot like guacamole without the tomatoes.  I just love the color the avocado and cilantro produced.


Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 3/4 cup cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Direction

 Blend all the ingredients in a food processor.

Cape Cod Potato Chips

I love these potato chips, they are crunchy and not greasy like the others.  I also tried the Salt and Vinegar and that was great too.  I use to love the Lay's Salt and Vinegar chips but they are greasy and too sour.  The Cape Cod brand was not greasy nor too sour.

Grill Cheese w/ Capocollo

Capocollo is great in a grilled Mexican cheese sandwich because the taste can really stand up to it.  Capocollo taste almost like salami but less intense which is why I like it.  In a regular sandwich, I always pair it with turkey or chicken.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bread
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 2 slices of Capocollo
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided

Directions

1. Arrange half the cheese on a slice of bread.
2. Place the Capocollo on the cheese, then top it with cheese and then the bread.
3. Heat half the butter on the pan and put sandwich gently on the heated butter so the cheese will not fall out.
4. Put the lid on, but let it vent so the sandwich do not steam.
5. When the bread is crusty, add butter to pan and grill the other side.
6. Serve while it is hot with crunchy potato chips.

Saute Kale

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound kale
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• shavings of nutmeg for taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Tear the kale into pieces.
2. Saute garlic for about 5 minutes in medium heat.
3. Add kale and saute for about 6 minutes, add water and saute until kale is wilted.
4. Add nutmeg, sat and pepper to taste. 

I like kale because they hold up really well after sauteing or cook in soup.

Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced

Direction

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until desired consistency and serve with tortilla chips.


I also served this as a sauce to the Cast Iron Cilantro Chicken I made.

Peter Luger Steak House Sauce

I just do not get the appeal of A1 Steak Sauce.  The sauce that I like is from Peter Luger, an infamous steak house in NYC that I have yet to visit this place.  When I do, I will definitely take pictures and post about it.  For now, all I have is the Peter Luger's steak sauce.  I like this sauce because it is garlicky and very tasty.

Turkey Wrap

A great dinner when it is too hot to cook and it is pretty healthy too.  Serve with your favorite chips and you got yourself a meal that is tasty and filling.

Ingredients

• 3 slices of deli turkey meat
• half an avocado
• half a roma tomato, diced
• 2 lettuce leaves, torned
• 1 Spinach wrap

Direction

Just throw everything together and wrap!

Bonne Maman Preserves

I came across Bonne Maman at my local supermarket.  It did cost more than what I usually get but I really had to try the Wild Blueberry flavor.  It was the best preserves I have ever tasted.  I was in the mood for apricot flavor and decided to try it too.  It was really good but I still like the blueberry the best.  They both have fruits in both preserves.  The blueberry had whole blueberries in them and the apricots had chunks of apricots in it.  I also tried the raspberry flavor, only because I was in a rush and half read the label thinking it was blueberry.  I was not too crazy about the raspberry because I was never that crazy about raspberry.  It has too many seeds and so did this preserve.

Bonne Maman was on sale so I decided to try other flavors.  I bought cherry and marmalade.  I like the sweet tartness of the cherry but I had to give the marmalade to my dad because it was way too bitter! As you can see on the toast, the Cherry Preserves has tons of cherries in them.  I love this line of preserves!

Italian Seasoning

I decided to make my own blend of Italian seasoning because a recipe asked for it and I did not have any.  When I looked it up online, I realized that I had all the seasonings I needed for the blend.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons dried basil
• 4 tablespoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container.



There are different recipes for Italian blend seasoning.  I adjusted to how I like it, some do not add for red pepper flakes but I do like them and it gives it a little heat to the food I use it on.  Do be aware that some of the herbs are much stronger than the others.  Such as oregano, if you add too much to your food it will turn it bitter. 

Bacon & Fresh Vegetables Fritatta

Cooking the frittata in the cast iron pan brown the bottom and edge.


Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 strips of crispy bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup mushrooms, diced
• 1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/5 cup onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a cast iron pan saute mushrooms in butter for about 5 minutes.
3. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt then broccoli and saute for 3 minutes.
4. Add tomato, onion and bacon into the pan.
5. Add water to the beaten eggs, then add the egg mixture into the pan.
6. Sprinkle the cheese into the egg mixture and stir gently.
7. Take it off heat after 1 minute and bake it in oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Sunday’s brunch consisted of half a frittata and a toasted English muffin with apricot preserves really starts the day beautifully.

Basmati Rice with Peas

Cook Basmati rice as directed for four people, when it is done add 1/3 cup of frozen peas and 1/3 teaspoon of cumin powder.  Go easy on the cumin because they are really strong and can easily overpower any dishes.  I like yo serve this rice with a strong flavored meat like lamb.

Bok Choy

This Bok Choy recipe is so simple and delicious.  Unfortunately I was only able to take a before picture because my camera battery died prior to cooking it.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of Bok Choy
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 vegetable oil
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Saute garlic in oil for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the Bok Choy and saute for about 5 minutes
3. Add salt to taste.

This really cooks down to nothing.  Unlike the ones from the Chinese restaurant, this one is not heavily sauced. I like it both ways but like I always say, I try to eat a healthy dinner because I am a junk food addict for most of the day.

Gatorade Mix

Gatorade Fruit Punch is such a great drink.  During the summer time, I freeze the boxed ones until it is slush inside.  Then I head out the door with one in my hand and if it is especially hot I will have another in my bag. I am one of the many in NYC that takes mass transit.  The MTA is so unreliable that sometimes I actually wait 40 minutes for a bus and in the underground subway it can get really hot.  This past July have been so hot that even the electronics in the subway stations malfunctioned.  So one must stay well hydrated in the heat.  Therefore I can blow through a six pack of Gatorade in 2 days. I discovered Gatorade mix, this whole carton is only $10 and it makes 24 quarts! And you have the control of sweetness.

Herbs Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 small potatoes, diced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Season the potatoes with, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
3. Toss with oil and bake for 40 minutes or until the edges are browned.
4. Turn half way through.

This tasty and easy.  This was a great side dish, this would have been great with sour cream.  It tasted like whole baked potatoes without the long baking time.

Steak & Mushrooms

It was just one of those days when I craved red meat! Sometimes a good piece of steak will make everything all good.  However this piece of steak was a bit too lean for me, that did not matter because the mushrooms that I made with it was AMAZING!


Ingredients for Steak

• Steak
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Heat oil in a cast iron pan until pan is sizzling.
2. Season the steak with salt and pepper.
3. Sear the steak for 3 minutes on each side, or less if you like rare.  Longer if you want well done.
4. Cover with foil and let it rest for at least ten minutes.

Ingredients for mushrooms

• 12 button mushrooms, quatered
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.  In the same cast iron pan, melt butter and oil together.
2. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add salt and pepper and saute for another minute.
4. Add the wine and saute until it is almost dissolved.

The mushrooms were amazing, I will definitely make this again in the cast iron pan and serve it with chicken or pork chops.

Rosemary Lambchop & Roasted Tomatoes

Can you believe this is frozen lamb chops? 

This is another emergency meals where you just throw the frozen chops in the oven with herbs and this time I added some fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 Lamb chops
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Season the chops with rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 25 minutes and turn.
4. Add tomatoes to the chops and bake for another 25 minutes.

The tomatoes add a tart fresh flavor to the lamb chops. I served this with Basmati Rice and Peas.

Stuffed Baby Portobella

Sometimes when I see something on sale at the supermarket, I have to buy it.  The baby Portobello mushrooms were on sale and I could not resist putting them in my basket.  I was going to saute them but I forgot that I already had button mushrooms at home waiting for me.  So I decided to use whatever I have to make stuff mushroom. This was not the best stuffed mushrooms I have made but it was still good.


Ingredients

• 10 baby portobello
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 breakfast sausage patties
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 tablespoon bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Take the stems off the mushrooms and set aside.
3. Drizzle about half tablespoon oil into the pan and rub the oil onto the caps of mushrooms.
4. Dice mushroom stems and one sausage patty.  Slice the second sausage into 10 wedges and set aside.
5. Saute mushroom stems for 2 minutes with 1/2 tablespoon oil, then add sausage and saute for another 3 minutes.
6. While step 5 is in process, combine ricotta, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
7. Add the sausage mix into the ricotta.
8. Spoon the mixture into the caps.
9. Drizzle enough oil to wet the bread crumbs and sprinkle it onto the ricotta.
10. Bake for 20 minutes and top the mushrooms with a piece of sausage  and bake for another 10 minutes.

I used whatever that was in my fridge.  I usually used cheddar cheese and instead of bread crumbs I would have used Parmesan cheese but I ran out of that.  I had sausage left over from breakfast, you can substitute that with crispy bacon or no meat at all.

Chicken Enchiladas

My second batch of chicken enchiladas and it is not looking so good but it was definitely tasty.  I used the green sauce instead of the red sauce. 

Ingredients

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup Mexican blend cheese
• 1 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 can of Enchilada sauce
• 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/3 bell pepper
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Half the chicken breast and season it with chili powder, salt and pepper.
3. Sear the chicken and garlic in vegetable oil until the juices runs clear.
4. Remove chicken from heat and cube it.
5. Return the chicken to the pan, add 1/2 of the sour cram, 1/4 cup of cheese, bell pepper slices, parsley and oregano. Heat until everything is combined.
6. Spoon equal amount of chicken mixture into four flour tortillas and tightly wrap it.
7. Spoon some of the enchilada sauce into the baking dish before placing the tortillas seam side down.
8. Pour the rest of the sauce over the tortillas, make sure the sauce are between the pan and the tortillas and between the tortillas themselves. 
9. Cover the tortillas with the rest of the cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with the rest of the sour cream.