Roasted Vegetables

My first time cooking and eating yellow zucchini. I love it. The yellow zucchini is the yellow one with the green stem. 

Toss everything with oil.

Ingredients

• 1 green zucchini 
• 1 yellow zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 large onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Dice all vegetables to about the same size
3. Lightly season vegetables with salt and pepper, then toss it with vegetable oil
4. Spread vegetables onto 2 baking tray and roast for about 45 minutes.

Never overload the tray with vegetables because you may end up steaming them.  I made that mistake before and I ended up with soggy vegetables. NEVER EVER roast mushroom because they are mostly water so you would end up with a soggy mess. I would saute the mushroom over the pan or you may want to roast them separately. 

I used very little salt for this dish because roasting them this way bring out the sweetness from the vegetables. I could eat them every week. Even though it was so hot during the summer, I still turn on the oven to roast the vegetables. I literally ran out of the kitchen each and every time I went in while the oven was on. It was worth it because I tried cooking the same vegetables over the stove but it was nowhere as good as roasting them. 

Turkey and fried egg sandwich

I had only 2 slices of turkey, way too little for a sandwich. I decided I would make a sandwich with a fried egg.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of turkey deli meat
• 1 egg
• a handful of spinach
• 2 Monterrey Jack cheese (or any melty cheese)
• 2 slices of slightly toasted bread
• Vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

 Direction

1. While egg is frying, place one slice of cheese on one toast. 
2. Place egg on cheese, then fry the turkey on one side of the pan while wilt the spinach on the other side.
3. Place turkey on top of egg, then turkey, the remaining cheese and the other piece of toast.

I love my cast iron pan, the egg fry beautifully in it. The turkey brown and heat up in less then 1.5 minute. Before eating, I suggest that you get the sandwich in half because the yolk will run onto the plate and you can sop it up with the sandwich as you go along.  If you eat it whole, you may be wearing the yolk instead of sopping it with your sandwich.

I used 100% whole wheat bread to make this sandwich and it was very filling. I really like white bread but they don't keep you full for long so I am trying different kind of bread to keep myself fill for a few hours.

Pink Lemon

When I was a kid, I thought pink lemonade came from pink lemons. I was shopping at Fresh Direct and came across pink lemons so I had to get it!  This lemon is $1.49 for one but I had to get it even though it is so expensive. The smell of this lemon is actually sweet which was surprising. Too bad the smell and taste is not the same because like all lemons, it is sour.

The inside is not pink but more grapefruit color instead.

YELLOW WATERMELON!

I have been looking for yellow watermelon for years. It is so hard to find them! Yellow watermelon has a different taste and smell then the red ones. It is sweeter and many says it has a honey like taste to it.

When I mentioned this quest to my two friends, they said one of their customer always bring them whole yellow watermelons. They brought this one over for 4th of July!

So yummy!

Golden Curry Chicken with Chinese Eggplants

I love Japanese curry. I usually go for the instant ones that is already in liquid form from a pouch. I used it in my Curry Pork Cutlet recipe. However this cost less and make so much more! 

I like to try new things and was shopping at the Japanese market when I stumbled upon these sticks that is labeled "Fish Sausage."  How different can that be from the Chinese fish balls? I was so wrong! When I opened the packages, I was shocked to see that the color was bubble gum pink! They were definitely different from anything I had before, I am not so sure I will buy them again.

I cut them into bite size pieces and also added some fried tofu skin to the mix.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 Chinese eggplants
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienne
• 1 fish sausage (optional)
• 3 fried tofu skin (optional) 
• 1 pack Golden Curry sauce mix
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

1. Cut the chicken and eggplants into bite size pieces.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear them in batches.
3. Then add the onion, peppers and eggplants, cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil and lower temperature to a simmer. 
5. Break the curry cubes into pieces before adding them to the pot. As the curry cubes dissolve, the liquid will thicken significantly. 
6. Simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally,
7.  Add the fish sausage and tofu skin and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Serve this over brown rice and you have a very tasty meal! Of course most of the credit goes to the curry cubes. I will still buy the instant Golden curry from the pouch but I will definitely start buying this one instead because it is so much more cost effective.

I Love Fresh Direct!

Hello all! It has been a very long time since I posted. I have been very busy with an estate cleaning, moving, settling in a new place and having a new job. I have been cooking new things but just haven't have the time and energy to post them. I absolutely miss my old neighborhood because of the Supermarket. The selection of meat and vegetables were amazing and very fresh. This new supermarket I am now currently next to is just sad! Then why did I move? I absolutely love my new spacious space and the commute is 100 times better than my old commute.

I still need to eat and correctly too! The new supermarket has nothing super in it. I don't think a lot of people here eat much fruits and vegetables. The meat selection is just scary. Since fruits and vegetables are not being bought, they just sit there. They sit there for so long that they start to rot. The chicken are abnormally large and you can see the fat all over it. The very small selection of fish is expensive and greyish. The beef is just OK. So what should I do?

This is where Fresh Direct comes and save my days. I order from Fresh Direct about once a month. People always think that they are so expensive but it is not if you go for the sale.  For about $80, I got two big boxes of incredibly fresh produce!

This is what was in the boxes:

- 4 mangoes
- 2 clear containers of organic Bok Choi
- 1 3 lb watermelon
- 1/2 gallon milk
- 4 baby eggplants
- 4 heads of organic garlic
- 3 ears of bi-color corn
- 4 peaches
- 1 chocolate milk
- 4 Fuji apples
- 1 lb organic carrots
- 12 oz organic cherry tomatoes
- Frozen peas
- 4 filets salmon
- 1 lb beef stew
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Cornish hens

I love opening the boxes and start cooking! I bought most of the produce on sale so it is cheaper then going to the store near home. Plus I did not have to carry all of those things myself! I always tip the guy delivering because my boxes are always so heavy. I once bought the big 9 lbs watermelon for $4.99 (among many other things) and the delivery guy never complain about the weight!

Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong) and Fried Egg Over Rice

Chinese sausage otherwise known as lap cheong can be found in many Chinese dishes.  I remember the only ones that I would eat was the ones that my grandmother made herself. I remember she would ground the meat and spices together then stuffed it into the natural casing. Her sausages were the best compared to others. The quality of the sausages vary and I do not like most of them but I finally found the one I like.

This is such an easy dish, the only thing you really need to do is watch for the rice.  Cook rice as you normally do and place the sausages onto the rice 10 minutes before it is completely cooked.  You can not place the sausages into the rice in the beginning because the sausages would sink to the bottom of the pan and burn. I like to serve this with a fried egg and soy sauce.

Baked Giant Scallops with Home Fries

Scallops are so expensive in restaurants and it is not always cooked correctly.  So I like to buy my own and experiment with different recipes.  I remember the first time I cooked them, it was a disaster.  If the pan is not hot enough, you will end up with steamed scallops.  So make sure the oven or pan is pre-heated before cooking scallops.


Ingredients for Scallops

• 8 giant scallops
• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sharp paprika
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions 

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F.
2. Pour 3/4 of the melted butter into a baking dish. Coat the scallops with melted butter in the dish.
3. Combine bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese and the rest of the melted butter together.
4. Sprinkle the mixture onto the scallops and bake for about 20 minutes or until the scallops are firm.

Ingredients for Home Fries

• 3 small red potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain completely.
2. Heat 1/2 the oil in a cast iron pan and saute onion until it is translucent.
3. Evenly spread the potatoes onto the pan and move it around so the onion is incorporated into the potatoes.  (If you don't, they will burn on the bottom of the pan)
4. Cook until the potatoes have a crust on the bottom.
5. Drizzle the rest of the oil on top of the potatoes and flip them so the other side can form a crust.

I used the cast iron pan for the potatoes because it heats up higher than the other pans and will fry up the potatoes faster.

Baked Tilapia with Roland Bruschetta Spread

Lightly season the tilapia.

Roland Bruschetta consist of red peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and eggplants.  It is sweet and tangy. It goes very well with crab cakes and apparently with my tilapia dish.

Tilapia is one of my favored fish, the taste is mild and it is not overly fishy.  This is an extremely fast and tasty dish.  It is also healthy!


Ingredients

• 2 filet of tilapia
• 1/8 teaspoon Hungarian smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Roland Bruschetta for topping

Directions

1. Season the tilapia with paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Rub oil over fish.
3. Broil for about 6 minutes or until the fish is done.  You know it is done when it flakes off.
4. Top it with as much Roland bruschetta as you like.

Banana Waffles

Smashed half a banana...

Add it into waffle batter that is enough for one waffle...

Ooopppssss...I put too much batter again and it over flowed.

Serve with sliced banana, butter and warm maple syrup on top. Yes that is bacon on the side!

Sweet Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella Pasta

Smoked mozzarella is very different from fresh ones.  The taste is intense and very meaty, whereas the fresh ones are sweet and very clean tasting to the palette.

The combination of dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and sweet sausages is amazing.

I like my smoked mozzarella to be cubed because this way some will still be in chunks.  The taste of this cheese is unlike all the other cheeses I have tasted.  This is now one of my favorite pasta dish because of the flavors.  These are all strong flavored ingredients but they somehow all work well together in this dish.


Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Penne
• 1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, cubed
• 6 dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
• 4 cooked sweet sausages, sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli 
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta as instructed, add the broccoli the last 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked.
2. Melt butter then add flour and cook for about 1 minute to get the raw flour taste out.
3. Slowly stir in milk and pasta water. Keep whisking until the flour is dissolved.
4. Add smoked mozzarella and simmer for about 6 minutes until half the cheese are melted.
5. Add dried tomatoes, sausages, parsley and broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes to combine the flavors
6. Add pasta and combine everything. Serve right away.

Ziti With Fresh Tomatoes

When tomatoes goes on sale and the color is that bright vibrant red, I tend to buy more of it.

Yummy lunch!

I work in midtown Manhattan in NYC.  There are many places for quick and tasty lunch.  However they are not exactly cheap and healthy.  Even the salad is loaded with dressing and cost more than $5.00.  So I bring lunch on most days.  One can eat so many slices of pizzas or other fast food before you get sick of it.  Beside a girl got to watch her waist line ; ).

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ziti
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/3 cup pasta water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Parmesan cheese 

Directions

1. Cook ziti as instructed and set aside.
2. Melt butter in oil, add dried parsley and oregano and cooked for 1 minute.
3. Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add pasta water then chicken strips to combine the flavors.
5. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine.
6. Add parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Channa Masala

The spices that makes this dish...

Chickpeas are very tasty!

Sauteing the spices wakes up the flavors and transform the dish.

I love chickpeas so when I keep seeing this dish on all the food network channels, I had to try to make them myself.  I found many recipes, so I took what I like from each recipes to make it my own.  Some of the recipes has way too many spices, which I don't have in my pantry.  I am sure the authentic ones are much more different than mine.  Nonetheless, this is a very tasty dish.  So easy and fast to make.


Ingredients

• 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinse and drained
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons, grated
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon concentrate
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Saute onion, garlic and ginger in oil until it is translucent then add all the spices and saute for 2 minutes. 
2. Add the tomato and cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas, water and lemon concentrate.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Ranch French-fried Onion Meatloaf

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com  but altered it slightly to my taste.

I did not think this recipe would turn out this amazing! It was so tasty and now one of my favorite meatloaf recipes.

I changed the recipes to what I like and what I have.  I substituted stuffing mix with seasoned bread crumb and since I find that ketchup to be on the sweet side, I use marinara sauce instead. I also use one egg instead of two and half the fried onion.

So this is my recipe.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
• 1/2 (6 ounce) French-fried onions

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine ground beef, egg, marinara sauce, bread crumbs and Ranch-style dressing mix in a large bowl.
3. Then add the French-fried onion and mix.
4. Shape the mixture to a loaf and add about 3 tablespoons of marinara sauce on the meatloaf.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

I like to put sauce on the meatloaf before baking because this keeps my meatloaf moist and add a tasty glaze to it.  I did not put the amount of French-fried onion it asked for because I felt that it was just too much.

Curry Lamb and Eggplant

I wanted curry something but didn't feel like chicken and curry beef stew takes way too long to make.  Since I had lamb chops and eggplant, I decided to make something different...

Beginning of a very tasty dish.

Finely chopped ginger. It is easier to chopped semi frozen ginger.  I live in an Italian neighborhood and ginger in the supermarket is expensive.  So when I am in Chinatown, I like to stock up on essentials like ginger.  I usually buy about 2 large roots and freeze them.

2 lamb chops...

Seasoned with salt and pepper...

Brown in vegetable oil...

I know many people do not care for lamb because of the gaminess of it.  However in this dish, the lamb taste is dulled and works very well with all the ingredients in this dish.  Just what I wanted for dinner! The eggplant goes great with this dish and cook down to nothing because it is mostly water.  Like onion, it may seem like it is a lot of eggplant but it really is not.



Ingredients

• 1 pound lamb, cut into one inch pieces
• 1 large eggplant, diced
• 1 inch ginger, finely minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tablespoon Indian curry powder
• 11/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• Cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Lightly season the lamb with salt and pepper and brown in oil.
2. Remove from pot and set aside, add more oil if needed to saute the onion ginger and garlic.
3. Saute for about 6 minutes until it is fragrant, then add the curry powder and cumin.
4. After cooking the spices for about a minute, return the lamb to the pot and toss everything together.
5. Add chicken stock and coconut and bring to a boil.
6. Add the eggplant and simmer for about 40 minutes.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with either naan or rice.