Pad Thai and Back for the New Year

Hi - After a long hiatus, I have decided to post recipes again.  I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post but I will attempt to post a recipe a week.  One of my New Year's Resolutions!  I'll try to post the pictures, too. :)

We had this fabulous recipe for dinner last night.  Yum!  Hope you enjoy it.

Pad Thai
(Adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

16 ounces pad thai noodles (flat rice noodles)

• 3/4 cup tamarind juice *
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup chopped Thai palm sugar **
• 1/3 cup Thai fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 3 carrots peeled and grated
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast thinly sliced
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten

For Garnish

• Lime wedges
• Cilantro sprigs
• Sriracha
• Bean sprouts
• Chopped Fresh Tomato
• Sliced Green Onions
• Roasted Almonds

Directions

1. Pour boiling water over the rice noodles and soak for 20 minutes, drain, and reserve.
2. In a small saucepan, combine tamarind juice, soy sauce, palm sugar, fish sauce, and Sriracha. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and remove from heat.
3. Saute the onions and carrots and remove to plate.  Then fry up the beaten eggs and remove to the same plate. 
4. Saute the chicken until done and remove to the same plate. 
5. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a boil, deglaze the pan, then stir in the noodles and cook until the noodles are hot and the sauce is absorbed.  Add the reserved carrots, onions, chicken and egg and toss to combine.

   
   

   Serve with any (or all) of the above garnishes.

   
   

   * tamarind juice can be substituted by combining 1 tblsp of lemon juice with the remaining 3/4 cup orange juice.
   
   ** palm sugar can be substituted with an equal amount of brown sugar

Fire Roasted Tomato, Chilaca, & Chipotle Pepper Salsa

This is a repeat but let's be honest...  Great things bear repeating and this is great!  I made it again tonight to put with a meal that I took to a family that had a new baby.  Good thing I made a bunch because it is fabulous. 


You can find GarLic It! at Whole Foods and Fresh Market and many other retailers - just look at their website.  The website is www.GarLicIt.com and Llance and Lori who are the owners and creators of this great product could not be more wonderful!  I am always an advocate of supporting small businesses.

Second Place Fire Roasted Tomato, Chilaca, & Chipotle Pepper Salsa 
½ white onion chopped
1 tsp vinegar
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (such as Muir Glen Brand)
1 whole chilaca pepper
2 heaping tablespoons of Spicy Chipotle GarLic It! Garlic Finishing Sauce
Kosher Salt to taste

After chopping the white onion, place in 16 oz bowl with vinegar and cover with ice cold water.  Allow to soak for ten minutes, then drain without rinsing.  While the onion is soaking, roast a pasilla pepper until the skin is black and blistered.  You can do this on the stove top if you cook with natural gas.  Cover the pepper allow to steam while cooling so the skin is easy to remove.

Meanwhile, put the tomatoes in a bowl with the GarLic It! and allow to sit until the other ingredients are ready.  Once the pepper is peeled, finely chop and add to the tomato mixture.  Add in the onions and refrigerate for at least one hour for the flavors to marry.

Pork Pozole

Pork Pozole

(adapted from Parents.com)

6 servings

1  can (10 oz.) mild green enchilada sauce

1  large onion, chopped

3  cloves garlic, minced

2  teaspoons ground cumin

1-1/2  pounds boneless pork shoulder

1 cup of chicken broth

1 can (14 oz) of fire roasted tomatoes

1 small can of green chilies

1/2  cup chopped cilantro

1  tablespoon lime juice

1 pound of frozen corn*

For Serving:

Tortilla Chips

Tortillas

Diced Avocado

Diced Tomato

Diced Red or Green Pepper

Candied Jalapeno
Cheddar Cheese
Black Olives

Directions

1. Combine the enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, and cumin in a large zippered bag and add the pork and put in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.  The next morning, put the pork marinade mixture in your CrockPot and add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and green chilies.  Cook on low for 8 hours or until the roast will easily pull apart with two forks.

2. When the roast is done, pull the pork apart and add chopped cilantro and lime juice.  Stir in 1 pound of frozen corn and cover the CrockPot to cook for 20 minutes or until the corn is warmed through.  Serve in bowls with any of the accompaniments listed above or your own.

*Notes - Pozole is traditionally made with hominy but my family does not like it at all so I substitute corn.  If you would prefer hominy, add it in at the beginning when you put the roast in the CrockPot.  

Cornbread Without the Sand!

Cornbread is not a personal favorite for me.  I really don't like the texture since it reminds me of eating beach sand.  However, my Mr. Eastside Girl Friday loves it.  And so, I make it for him because I love him.  So, I have found a recipe that will satisfy both of us.  He likes sweet and I like savory.  Compromises.  I will eat cornbread if I don't have a beach experience along with it.

Here's my Sandy-Less Cornbread and I hope you like it as much as I do.

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 can of green chilies
1 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare a 9 x 13 pan by spraying it with olive oil spray.  In a small bowl mix together the milk, buttermilk, and the cornmeal and let rest for five minutes.  After the five minutes, add the oil, eggs, cheese, and chilies to the cornmeal mixture.

Whisk the dry ingredients together and add the wet ingredients then stir until they form a smooth batter.  Pour into the pan and put into a preheated oven.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of pan comes out clean.

Corn & Bean Sopa

On cold and wet days I like to make soup.  Well, on any day I like to make soup but I digress.  Anyway, this is one of out favorites and is vegan/vegetarian friendly.  Please post and let me know how you enjoy it.

Corn & Bean Sopa

Mix together in a small bowl. Then add hot water to form a paste and set aside:

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons cumin

Sauté in a little olive oil in a large pot:

1 large roughly chopped diced onion

3 cloves minced garlic

When the onions are soft, add the spices above, and saute for a few minutes longer to bloom the spices.

Add to pot the following ingredients and heat to a slow boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes (or you can put it in the crock pot at this point):

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

4 15 oz cans any style beans (drained)

1 48 oz can vegetable juice (like v8)

Right before serving, add 1 lb of frozen corn to the pot (or crock pot) and heat through.

Hot Crab Fondue

Yum, Yum, Yum!  This is a great dish that I have made several times.  I got it from the Babycenter Cooking for Your Family board but I don't honestly remember the author.  Sorry for not recognizing you.

We had this on New Year's Eve and I served it with roasted vegetables, fresh vegetables, and thinly sliced multi-grain bread.  Did I mention it was good?  Yum!


Hot Crab Fondue 
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp minced shallots
3 Tbsp dry vermouth or white wine or seafood stock
1 cup half and half or light cream
8 oz cream cheese cut into cubes, room temperature
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb crabmeat, flaked and picked over
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Hot Pepper Sauce, to taste

Directions: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the vermouth and bring to a boil.  Add the half and half and bring to a simmer.  Gradually whisk in the cream cheese, whisking until the first addition is smooth before adding another.  Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted.  Stir in the crab, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay seasoning.  Season with hot sauce. Transfer to fondue pot to keep warm.

GarLic It! Changing the World one Kitchen at a Time

Hi, It's been awhile.  Life has been nutty busy.  Isn't it for everybody?  I thought I would introduce you to one of my favorite products in the kitchen.  GarLic It!

What is it, you ask?  It is a finish sauce that was created by my good friends, Llance & Lori Kezner.  This was the brainchild of Llance who made salad dressing for his wife and Lori told him that he should bottle the "junk" at the bottom of the jar because it was so yummy.  Llance listened because he is a good husband and GarLic It! was born.

GarLic It! is a triple blanched sliced garlic that has been marinated in oils and spices.  It comes in five delicious flavors and an award winning private reserve Caramelized.  (yum!)  You can use it all kinds of ways but my favorite way to eat it is with a spoon!

Kandi, you will revolutionize cooking for me.  Where can I get this product?  (I know that's what you were thinking, right?)  You can find it at Whole Foods, QFC, the Fresh Market, and so many other retailers. It's taking on the world.  Here's a page that shows you where you can get this amazing, life changing product.



Now I have a lot of this on hand, Kandi, what do I do with it?  Recipes are located here so once you get this great product in your hot little hands you can go nutty.  Spicy Garlic Quesadillas, Garlic Pot Roast, Baked Brie with Garlic, Garlic Pot Roast, Mussels with Coconut Garlic, and on and on.  It's good for you, too.  Yum.

Get some GarLic It! today.  Order directly from Llance or get it at a local retailer. It's all the same, hand made GarLic It!

Lessons to learn:  Listen to your wife & buy GarLic It! it will change your life (or at least your cooking.)  You will thank me.  You are welcome.  :)