Last Wednesday we had a small work potluck and I was assigned to bring salad. This is my opportunity to show y'all how to prepare a simple salad, that is both delicious and healthy!
Preparation is the key. Topping
a can of corn
halfs of small cherry tomatoes
carrot peels (I used the peeler and peeled the carrots to the core)
pack an avocado (its better to cut up fresh avocado on the spot... black avocado is gross)
pack fresh Parmesano Reggiano or you can bring regular Parmesan
dressing (scroll down for recipe)
Lettuce
You can just chop up your own lettuce or get them in pre-chopped packs. I like to chop my own, it's crunchier and fresher.
The Dressing
Mix (whisk) the following ingredients in a bowl
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of mustard
i/2 tablespoon of agave syrup
Chicken (optional)
I used two large chicken breasts, butterflied and marinated with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. This is actually a perfect chance for you to develop your "eye-balling" skills... Trust me, you can't really mess up the seasoning on this one... just few pinches of salt and pepper... drizzle olive oil... squeeze one lemon... that's it!
My favorite marinating technique is zip-lock bag the meat and marinate... push out the air... zip and refrigerate... in this case, refrigerate minimum 3-5 hours or overnight.
When the marinating stage is done, pan grill the chicken in an oiled grill pan. 3-4 minutes on each side on high heat, cut into strips and serve.
It is basically a smaller version of Whole Foods... less expensive. Inside Trader Joe's you will be able to find almost all your everyday needs from food to booze. Although sometimes you may not be able to find things you actually need and may find at other stores... but with what they actually have in the store... I think it's better than the traditional Ralphs, Vons or Albertsons. Tastes better and less expensive :)
Beth was able to make this yummy Mushroom Arugula Spinach Pizza Topped with Ricotta Cheese and Tomatoes! ALL made from ingredient bought at Trader Joe's.
well, first you start with Trader Joe's Low Fat Thin Crust Spicy Spinach Pizza
Layer with sauteed spinach and mushrooms... topped with tomato and ricotta cheese.
Then place the pizza in a toaster oven 350 degrees for 5 minutes. DONE!
This is a twist from my mother's recipe. There is no secret ingredients or fancy spices... the key component for this home cooked curry is a pack of S&B Golden Curry sauce mix!
(you can pick up a pack of the curry sauce mix in most Asian supermarkets, but you might be able to find some in your local supermarkets in the Asian foods isle)
There are a lot of prepping for this recipe... so keep in mind that it might take up to an hour to complete this dish... takes less than 5 minutes to eat it :) this will feed at least 4 people and its THAT good.
1. Cook rice
Click here to learn how to cook a batch of proper rice!
2. Yam and Greens
Peel and cut one yam or sweet potato in 1/2 inch slices... placed them in a baking sheet covered with tin foil (easier to clean) with cooking spray already applied. Sprinkle some salt and pepper... bake in 400 degrees for 20-30 mins or till golden brown.
Blanch about 1/2 lbs of pea sprouts... To blanch you boil the pea sprouts in slightly salted hot water for about 1-2 minutes then you soak the sprouts in ice cold water... drain and done! (you can substitute pea sprouts with other greens like broccoli or beans)
3. Curry Sauce
Every S&B curry sauce mix contains two packets in the box. Use ONLY one pack (4 curry cubes). Mix with a cup of hot water in a sauce pan... stir in low heat until the sauce is completely dissolved.
4. Vegetables (chopped and dice to medium bite size)
1 large carrot
1 onion
4-5 mushrooms
1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1/2 cup hot water
Cooking Instructions:
Heat up one tablespoon of cooking oil (canola or olive) in a deep skillet / pan. Start with the chopped carrots cook for about 2-3 minutes or till its slightly golden brown. Pour in the onion and mushrooms... add about 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce for taste. Stir evenly, cover and let it simmer in medium heat for about 2-3 minutes... Once the vegetables a completely cooked through, pour in the curry sauce mix and add about 1/2 cup of hot water to balance out the sauce consistency... if the sauce is still too thick, add another 1/2 cup of water.
5. Add the Shrimp
Once the sauce mix has been simmered for about 10 minutes...go ahead and add the shrimps... stir till it's cooked or when it turns red. Remember, don't cook the shrimp too long... overcooked seafood is NO BUENO!
6. Time to Eat
Garnish the dish with some chopped Thai basil :)
LEFT OVER SAUCE is perfect for lunch the next day!!! Beth made some multi-grain brown rice and baked some white tilapia fish... and we added some green peas to the curry sauce... simmered for a few minutes then poured over the fish and rice... TA DA !!! LEFT OVER SAUCE IS AWESOME!
Beth has been craving turkey burgers... so she invited a few lab rats over :)
Here is a quick recipe:
This baby is packed with Beth-made pesto, arugula lettuce mix, one slice of tomato, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, sliced avocados and one turkey patty.
*The turkey patty (green onions, spicy mustard, worchestire sauce, salt and pepper), i know its not a fancy patty recipe, but along with the rich veggies and Trader Joe's bun I can't describe how good this burger WAS... damn it was soooo good !!!
Warrior Dash is coming up and we need to eat healthier food. I looked in the fridge and there's not much left to cook with... All I could find was tofu, tomatoes, asparagus, onions, and eggs. Well we got our carb and protein... now lets mix em up!
Start with rice... Since it takes about 30-50 minutes to cook a batch of rice with the rice cooker, you should make rice first!
I've decided to experiment with brown rice mixed with multi-grains! Multi-grains are awesome! it contains vitamins and minerals. And it also help us prevent things like heart disease, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup multi grains
Mix the rice and grains together in a rice cooker, add 2 cups of water and press the "cook" button.
If you don't know how to use a rice cooker you can find the instructions here.
Step 1 Prep
2 tomatoes, cut them up like orange slices
1 onion, sliced
1 pack of tofu, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
1 bundle of asparagus, chopped into little pieces
2 eggs, beat evenly in a separate bowl
11/2 teaspoon of salt (add more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil (for the egg)
1 tablespoon canola oil (for the vegetables)
1 cup of water or chicken broth
Step 2 Cook The Eggs
For this dish you have to cook the veggies and eggs separately, then mixed them together later.
Place a deep skillet/pan on the stove and turn on high heat. Pour the canola oil into the pan, wait about 1-2 minutes or until the oil is hot. Then you can slowly pour the beat eggs into the pan... Let it sit for about 30 secs, scramble the egg roughly... once it's solidified then you can pour the eggs into a separate container.
Step 3 Stir Fry The Veggies
Place the same pan back on the stove and turn on the high heat. Pour the canola oil into the pan, wait about 1-2 minutes or until the oil is hot. Start with onions and asparagus, let it sit in the pan for about 1 minute then you mix in the tomatoes and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt together. Cover the pan and let everything steam for about 1-2 minutes.
Remove the lid and pour in about 1 cup of water or broth, I used water in this case... to make it more vegetarian :) let it come to a boil... reduce the heat to medium then cover again... for another 1-2 minutes
Remove the lid again, add the scrambled eggs and the tofu and the rest of the salt. stir everything up gently... cover for another minute... remember in medium heat.
You are almost done! now remove the lid and add the black pepper... stir one last time and DONE !!!
Step 4 Eat
Get a plate, scoop in some rice, and pour the mix veggies and tofu on top of the rice... now EAT!
The left over food came with me to work the next day :) this makes a great lunch too!
First of all, I'd like to congratulate the Green Bay Packers for winning Super Bowl XLV! And me being a Packers fan since 1995, I have a perfect recipe for this special event! Let's deep fry again!!!
Green Bay Panades
Panades is a Belizean street food that is very similar to South American's empanadas. In Belize, the panades are usually stuffed with fish, beef or beans and it is probably my favorite authentic Belizean food. Since this recipe is going to reflect my passion for the Green Bay Packers, I've decided to fill my panades with peas and corn! Green and gold baby!
Step 1 - Gather and Prep
To make an authentic panades you need a tortilla press. Fresh made tortilla is worth the $20 investment on a tortilla press. Once you have corn tortilla mix and a tortilla press in your life, you will never ever have to buy pre pressed tortillas!
Corn masa mix or any corn tortilla mix. You can find them in any grocery store, if not, try to hit up one of those hispanic markets, you'll definitely find some there!
One can of whole kernel corn
Frozen peas
Ground beef
String cheese
Garlic powder
Paprika
Ground cumin
Salt
Black pepper
Like spicy food? you can't eat Belizean food without a bottle of Marie Sharp Hot Sauce, its magical!
To make panades you need to do a lot of prepping. Start by preparing 4 main bowls of ingredients: Corn dough bowl, peas and corn bowl, beef bowl and cheese bowl
Corn Dough Bowl
1 cup of corn masa mix (corn tortilla mix)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of paprika
Directions: Mix the dry ingredients, then pour in 3/4 cup of water... mix again (don't be afraid to use your hands) You should end up with a dough that has a semi firm consistency :)
Peas and Corn Bowl (Green and Gold Baby!)
1 can of whole kernel corn
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Directions: Strain the corn, then mix everything in a bowl
Beef Bowl
1/2 pound of ground beef
1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of butter
Directions: Mix the meat and the seasonings in a bowl. Preheat a large skillet with 1/2 tablespoon of butter on high heat. Once the butter is melted, place the seasoned meat in the skillet. Break up the meat and stir every 30 sec till the meat is fully cooked. Once the meat is cooked, pour the cooked meat into a large clean bowl.
Cheese Bowl (you can't make Green Bay Panades without cheese)
4 sticks of string cheese
Directions: Cut and dice the cheese, yup thats it :)
Step 2 - Mold the Panades
So you bought the tortilla press and you are ready to make your first panades! Grab the corn dough bowl, place it next to the tortilla press... now start by rolling a 2 inch tortilla ball in your hands. Put wax paper on each side of the press, so the dough doesn't stick to the press. Place the ball in the middle of the press... close the press... now press the dough flat... like a tortilla!
Put about 1-2 teaspoons of cooked ground beef and come of the peas and corn mix in the middle of the flattened corn dough... then fold over the dough... close up the edges by pressing the dough together, if the dough starts to crack... just gently pinch it together :)
To make the cheese panades, instead of stuffing it with beef, put in the diced string cheese. Mold the panades then place all of them in a wax paper layered baking sheet.
If you want to be more adventurous, feel free to add the beef and cheese together :)
Step 3 - Fry the Panades
Pour cooking oil into a medium size pot... maybe pour in about 2-3 cups, depends on how many panades you want to fry at a time. Heat the oil to about 350-375 degrees F (don't over heat the oil, or else it'll get very smokey and burn the panades).
If you don't have a frying thermometer, you can flick some water into the oil, if it starts to sizzle... It's ready to fry.
Once the oil is about 350 degrees F, fry the panades about 1 minute on each side or until its golden brown :) Cool down the panades for about 2-3 minutes after it's removed from the fryer. Then its time to serve!
There are more photos of ingredients in this slideshow! Click the play button!
This recipe takes a lot of preparation and it's very labor intensive. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions or suggestions on this recipe! contact me at eatwithjoe@gmail.com
