Baked Sweet Potato Fries

So today I decided to make some baked sweet potato fries.  Yes, they are not actually deep fried in oil like fries are normally.  Instead, I chopped a small sweet potato into slices, spread canola oil (1 tbsp) over them, sprinkled some salt on them, and popped them in the toaster oven to bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  

They make a nice snack, but I prefer to eat them with a sandwich or a taco, like the BBQ chicken taco recipe.  This is because they come out a bit soft and taste lightly salty and sweet at the same time.  I don't think they taste that great by themselves, but for some reason, whenever I eat them with my sandwich or tacos, I just can't get enough of them.  

An interesting fact:  Sweet potatoes are LOADED with Vitamin A.  Vitamin A plays a vital role in the growth and repair of body tissues, and is important in maintaining good eyesight and healthy skin, as well as aid in bone and teeth formation.  However, remember that too much of any nutrient may be harmful to the body.  This is where I got my information from: http://ask.yahoo.com/20001011.html

Simple Homemade Udon Noodle Soup

Today I am blogging earlier because I will be out late tonight.  My friend is visiting and we are going out clubbing.  I am pretty excited because it seems like a long time since I went out clubbing and a long time since I've seen these friends.  It's going to be fun just like old times!  I will update this tomorrow or when I get a chance to about how my night went :) 

Anyways, I am pretty full right now because I just ate too much Udon noodle soup.  The ingredients used in this Udon noodle soup are somewhat different than what I would normally put in my Udon noodle soup.  Usually, I would put a hard-boiled egg, button mushrooms, leeks or green onions, as well as the seasoned chicken breast strips in the soup.  But I decided to make this version according to what I had stocked.  

It tasted pretty good, but the soup lacked flavor because I estimated the seasonings incorrectly.  Usually, the soup would taste a little sweet and salty at the same time.  It goes well with the Udon noodles, which are thick, soft and a little chewy.  Well, if you would like to make this recipe, here it is:

You may need to visit your local Asian grocery store for some of these ingredients.

Serving size: 4

6 cups of water

1 piece of Konbu (a kind of seaweed) 10 x 10 cm

40 g dried katsuo bushi (bonito flakes)

1/2 cup Mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1/2 to 1/3 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

4 servings of cooked Udon noodles (follow directions on package)

1. Boil water with Konbu over medium heat.  When it is about to boil, add katsuo bushi soy sauce and mirin into the pot.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off heat, strain stock and discard the Konbu and katsuo bushi.

2. Mix salt and sugar in a big bowl, pour stock into bowl and spoon onto Udon or just add the sugar and salt to the pot of stock, then spoon onto Udon.  Garnish with any toppings you like such as lemon pepper chicken strips, green onions, leeks, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, etc.  Enjoy!

           

         

Chinese Fried Rice

Today I made Chinese Fried Rice for dinner.  I used chicken breast strips, the same ones I used for the BBQ Chicken Soft Tacos.  I seasoned with lemon pepper seasoning, but salt will work too.  This tasted pretty delicious.  It wasn't too greasy nor too salty like from some restaurants.  Truthfully, it could have used a little more salt, according to my housemate, who loves highly seasoned foods.  I thought it was just right, but will agree that I could have added a just a little more soy sauce.

A little FACT: There are people who are either super tasters, normal tasters, or non-tasters.  Super tasters, aka me, have sensitive taste buds.  We may not like drinking coffee because it is too bitter or eating spicy foods because it is too spicy.  Juice and other sweets may taste too sweet to our taste buds.  I actually dilute my juices with water so it's not too sweet.  Non-tasters, like my housemate, can handle bitter foods and spicy foods pretty well.  They typically prefer foods with higher seasoning and sweeter drinks and desserts.  Normal tasters are somewhere in between.  What do you think you are?

Anyways, back to my recipe.  Below is the directions and ingredients I used to make this delicious fried rice.

Serves ~ 4 (actually served only 2 for me; Housemate had a big appetite)

Cooked rice (Brown or White works):
1 cup rice
1 3/4 cups water
Chinese fried rice:
1 egg, beaten
~1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup diced meat cooked in ~ 1 tablespoon oil (with lemon pepper seasoning or other)
1-3 tablespoons oil
3 cups cold cooked rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce - I think I only used 1 tablespoon.
~1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning or salt
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, cooked
1 green onion, chopped

Cook Rice (if you do not have a rice cooker follow these directions):
Wash rice thoroughly in cold water several times until water is clear.  Add water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook 15 minutes. Afterwards, cool rice completely; preferable refrigerating overnight.

Chinese Fried Rice:
Fry beaten egg like a tortilla in <1 tbsp of oil and remove from wok.  Add a pinch of seasoning or salt.  Cut into strips.  Cook seasoned meat in ~1 tbsp of oil and remove from wok.  Cut into pieces if not already cut.  Add 1-3 tbsp of oil to wok.  Add cold rice into wok by small clumps and stir-fry until thoroughly heated.  Add soy sauce by dribbling over rice, mix well, then add lemon pepper or salt.  Add the cooked eggs, meat, peas, carrots and green onions.  Enjoy!

On a side note: I played Mah Jong today. I just realized I had a pretty Asian night.  haha.

Blueberry Scones

So today I decided to make blueberry scones.  They came out soft, warm, and moist.  I came upon this recipe while looking for a recipe that uses sour cream as an ingredient since I had some left over and wanted to get rid of it.  Yes, that's right, this recipe was made with SOUR CREAM.  Doesn't sound too appetizing, I know, but the scone actually turned out pretty good.  The scone itself isn't too sweet, that's why I recommend eating with some sort of spread, like lemon curd.  Lemon curd is not what it sounds.  It's almost like a lemon jelly.  I decided not to buy it because it was too expensive.  So, I settled for the apricot preserves.  I have not tried it with the apricot preserves yet but I will update you tomorrow when I do.  Well, here is the recipe if you would like to make a soft and moist blueberry scone, which is perfect for breakfast or a snack!

Serving size: 12 scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

2 cups light sour cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Do not use a mixer for this.  All you need is a wooden spoon and your hands.  Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Cut in softened butter and mix.  Fold in the sour cream and vanilla using the wooden spoon at first, then your hands. It will be very sticky at first.  After the dough forms, mix the blueberries in gently without squashing them.  Try not to overwork the dough to keep the scones light and delicate.  Scoop about 1/2 cup of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet or a parchment paper placed on the oven rack and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with lemon curd or any kind of jelly.  

This is where I got the recipe from: http://steamykitchen.com/5407-best-blueberry-scones-with-lemon-glaze.html.  It also includes the directions for making the lemon curd, which she calls "lemon glaze". 

*** I tried it with the apricot preserves and it was way too sweet.  May want to just eat the scone by itself or with some other jelly.  

BBQ Chicken Soft Tacos

Today I decided to make BBQ Chicken Soft Tacos.  I used artisan tortillas, which tasted like a thick tortilla, kinda like Chalupas.  It was soft and a bit chewy.  This is probably one of the most delicious tacos that I have ever tasted.  I was a bit surprised at how great it turned out because I wasn't sure how BBQ chicken would taste with salsa and shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses.  And I came up with this idea all by myself.    I used BBQ sauce and I made the salsa from scratch.  Below is the recipe for the salsa as well as the BBQ chicken.

My Simple and Mild Salsa Recipe:
3-4 Roma tomatoes (or regular tomatoes adjusting for size) -diced
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
~5 sprigs of Cilantro (chopped)
1 Key lime
1-2 Tbsp of Olive Oil (I used canola - it works)
Salt to taste
Other things can be added like jalapenos, green peppers, and garlic if you like.

First, you mix the chopped onions with the chopped tomatoes, mix in the chopped cilantro.  Careful not to squash the tomatoes too much when mixing.  Squeeze the lime juice into the mixture.  Add the olive or canola oil. Mix.  Then add some salt to taste and mix.  The salsa can be used to eat with tortilla chips as well.

BBQ Chicken recipe:
1-4 Chicken breast strips - depending on how many tacos you plan on eating
~ 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce

Add some oil to a pan and cook the chicken breasts on each side.  When it's almost done, spread the BBQ sauce on each side using a brush or a spoon.  Cook more on both side until done.  When done, place BBQ chickens on tortillas and spread the salsa on it.  Sprinkle some shredded cheese and Enjoy!

*Would taste great with some sliced avocados also.

Stay tuned to see what I will be making tomorrow.
                    

Strawberry Nutella Crepes

Hi everyone,

This will be my very first post on this blog.  I decided to create this blog because I want to share with everyone my new passion for cooking.  I've recently graduated from college with a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition and am not having any luck in the job market. Therefore, I decided to use my free time to discover what I'm really passionate about in life as well as do things that I like.  Notice I said "like" not "love".  I realized recently that I don't really LOVE any activity in particular.  I am not very passionate about anything in life.  I may have interests, such as reading, watching shows and movies, surfing the net for news, and going out dancing here and there, but what do I love to do?

I thought hard about this one and only one thing popped in my head; I love to EAT!  I love food!  Every time I see pictures of delicious sushi rolls or crepes on the internet, I drool over them.  So I started looking up recipes for a whole bunch of different things that I was craving.  Today, I decided to make Strawberry Nutella Crepe.  It was Mmm Delicious. :d  The crepe was soft and tasted a bit eggy and sweet at the same time.  The strawberry and Nutella made a perfect combination of chocolaty and tart yumminess.  The only thing that I didn't put in this recipe was whipped cream which would have made it perfectttt.  It was still yummy overall, however.  Anyways, if you would like to make this yummy dessert, here is the recipe I used:

Serving size: 4
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Amount per serving (estimate depends on what ingredients you use i.e. fat free milk, low fat butter, etc.):
Calories: 164 kcal   Total Fat: 7.7 g  Cholesterol: 125 mg

First mix the wet ingredients together then add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat.  Grease pan with small amt of butter or oil with a brush or paper towel.  Using a serving spoon, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into the hot pan, tilting pan to evenly coat the bottom surface. Cook over medium heat, 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Place on a plate, spread Nutella over it and sprinkle chopped, fresh strawberries or whatever fruits you like over it and fold.  Eat with a fork and butter knife and Enjoy!

Here is where I got the recipe and directions from.  The serving size in this website is 8 servings but you can change it to what you like.  You can find nutrition facts here as well.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dessert-crepes/detail.aspx

I will post a picture tomorrow since I forgot to take a picture before I ate my crepe today : )