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.

Mushroom Pocket

This is going to be very tasty...

Saute until golden brown...

I love Pillbury's Pie Crust, they make things so much easier.

Press the side and use the fork to crimp the edges.

Golden brown...

 So yummy!

Ingredients

• 8 oz. button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• half a sheet of Pillbury Pie Crust
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Melt butter and oil and saute mushroom until it is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Season with sprinkle of salt and pepper.
3. Add garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Add onion and saute for another 5 minutes, season with a little more salt and pepper.
5. Taste the filling to see if you need any more seasonings. Cool the filling for a few minutes, then place filling on one end of the pie crust.
6. Crimp the edges and bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

I absolutely love mushroom, they are so tasty if it is cooked right. This is exactly like the Mushroom Tart I made months ago but in a pocket form.

Tomato "Cobbler"

I absolutely love this tomato cobbler recipe.I changed it enough that it is no longer a cobbler but I love this as a side dish so much.  I got this recipe from SeriousEats.com, so if you want the original recipe, you can look at the site. The first thing was definitely the amount of butter.  I am not Paula Deen and do not love butter the way she does. The recipe asked for 1 stick of butter, I only used 2 tablespoons which was more than I like. I also used one garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeno pepper. I also cut back on the cumin because the flavor is really strong, so I used 1/8 teaspoon. If I have a fresh lime or lemon, I would definitely use it but I usually only have the lemon concentrate and it works for me.

Last change would be the tomato part, I used one big plum tomato or 4 Campari tomatoes. I love the Campari tomatoes because they are sweet, juicy and the acidity is low. I guess after all the changes, this is no longer a cobbler, so here is my recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe plum tomato or 4 Campari tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon diced jalepeno 
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon lemon concentrate
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine tomatoes, jalepeno, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lemon juice. Sprinkle salt and pepper and toss together.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, cornmeal and baking powder together. Add milk and mix into a smooth batter.
4. Melt butter in cast iron pan, and coat evenly so that the "cobbler" will slide out in one piece.
5. Then pour the batter into the pan and let it stand for couple minutes.
6. Pour the tomato mixture into the batter and spread evenly.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until the middle is set.

If you compare my recipe to the original recipe, I do not use canned tomatoes because that would make it too wet. I suppose that is the reason why my recipe is not a cobbler. I also changed the proportion of flour and cornmeal because the first time I made it with 50/50 cornmeal and flour, I like the cornmeal part better.


I absolutely love this recipe and I am so happy that I came across the original recipe!

Pita Chips w/ Hummus

 

Pita chips are so easy to make.  All you need to do is cut up a pita however you like and toast them in the oven like you would with toasts.  There is no reason to add oil or anything else. Do watch the pita closely because they burn easily since they are so thin.  I turn it over once so that both sides can be browned. As for the hummus, I love the Sabra's brand. Yummy and healthy!

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Guacamole (California Avocado)

I was in the mood for some guacamole and was looking for avocados in the supermarket.  Next to the regular size avocado I am so familiar with was these giant apple green avocados.  They were the California avocado and were definitely intimidating for someone who has never used it. It went on sale this week and I decided to experiment with it.  It was only a few cents off but nonetheless on sale.  I am genuinely surprise by the taste.  This behemoth avocado was lighter in flavor compared to the regular avocados.  It tasted more fruity, less creamy and the color was more yellow.  I would definitely buy it again and try it in a sandwich.  However, I would still prefer the smaller avocados because the taste is creamier.

Ingredients

• 1 California Avocado
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mash avocado and lemon juice together.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combined.

I served this with tortilla chips and added it to my chicken enchiladas.  It was great as a dip and a side for my entree.

Egg Tofu with Dried Shrimp

Egg Tofu plus...

Dried Shrimps

Makes a scrumptious dish!

I remember eating this when I was a kid in Malaysia.  It was one of my favorite tofu dishes. This dish has a contrast in flavors and texture. The tofu is soft and mild while the fried dried shrimp are crunchy and salty.  

Ingredients

• Egg tofu
• 1/4 cup dried shrimps
• scallion
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Ingredients for the sauce

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Directions

1. Soak the dried shrimp in hot water for about 20 minutes until they softer.
2. Drain, pat it dry and chop it into small bits. 
3. Fry the shrimp in vegetable oil for about 2 to 3 minutes until they are crispy. Be sure you have a lid or splatter guard while frying because these shrimps do not stay in the pot.  Do not cover completely because you want it to fry not steam.
4. Drain excess oil on paper towel and set aside.
5. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce until the flavor is well blended and the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
6. Cut the egg tofu into 8 slices then assemble everything on a place by sauce with the tofu on top.  Sprinkle fried shrimp and scallion over the tofu and serve right away.

Cast Iron Corn Bread

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.

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.

McCain Curly Fries

The secret to making crispy fries if you are not frying them is to broil it for couple of minutes after it is done.  Frying things in a lot of oil is really tasty, but it is a hazard for me because I am so clumsy and it is so unhealthy for you.

Green Bean Omelette

 

I recently came back from Malaysia where I spent Chinese New Year with my family there.  My mom is the greatest cook and cooked whatever I requested.  I had a lot of food that I have not have in years.  When I came back, I realized that I did not ask her to make me the green bean omelette.  Naturally I look this recipe up online and found not only the recipe but pictures of the omelette being made.  I loved the blogger's site, her pictures are amazing and her instructions for her recipes are easy to follow.  This is her site: http://www.soyandpepper.com/2010/01/green-bean-omelette.html .

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

 

The only thing I like from Red Lobster is their biscuits.  They are absolutely delicious but it is kind of silly just to go to a mediocre place that is overpriced and overcrowded for their biscuits.  So I decided to try to make them myself.  These are made from Jiffy's biscuits mix, sharp cheddar cheese, parsley and garlic powder.  They are good but not nearly as good as the restaurant because I can't bring myself to add the amount of butter as the restaurant do.  It is so easy to eat out because the food is so delicious and you don't really know how much of the bad stuffs are in.  However when I am cooking, I can not bring myself to add so much sugar, butter or oil into my food.