Chicken Soup with Quinoa

- Posted in Chicken, Leftovers, Quinoa, Soups, Vegetables

chicken soup quinoa
1 T. (or more) fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 T. olive oil
5 cups chicken stock (see recipe below) or broth
1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup fully cooked chicken, shredded (usually leftovers from beer can chicken)
Handful or more of raw spinach, rinsed
1/2 cup frozen peas, rinsed to defrost
Salt to taste

Heat soup pot while chopping ginger. Add oil and when shimmering, add ginger. Stir and cook about 1 minute. Add chicken stock or broth; bring to a boil, add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 15 minutes. Add shredded chicken, spinach, and peas. Bring to boil and then remove from heat and let cool.

Note: Instead of spinach and/or peas, I’ve used Chinese winter squash or bittermelon.

Chicken Stock
I freeze the carcasses from beer can chicken. When I have 3 or more, I put them in a soup pot and add just enough water to cover the carcasses. If I have celery that is still edible but limp and unattractive, I throw that in the water.

Bring this to a boil, cover and then turn heat down to simmer for three hours. When the stock is ready, let cool then remove and discard the bones and celery.

I put the stock in storage containers in the refrigerator until the fat has congealed on the surface. In the past I’ve skimmed as much fat as I can before using or freezing the stock. But with the soup shown here, I removed about 2/3 of the surface fat, and the soup was tastier and had the nice mouth-feel that only fat can provide.

If I’m not ready to use the stock, I divide it into one-cup portions and place into small plastic bags and freeze.

Mexican Kine Quinoa with Corn and Beans

- Posted in Local

Mexican Quinoa

As I promised I would share some more quinoa recipes.

2 cups of quinoa
3 1/2 cups of water
1 tbsp of olive oil
1-2 tbsp of taco seasoning (depending on how zesty you like it)
2 minced garlic cloves
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1/4 cup diced shallots
1 cup of largely diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of diced bell peppers (optional)
1/4 cup of diced pepperoncini ( optional)

Place water, taco seasoning, minced garlic, and quinoa in a pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the water is gone. Turn off the stove. Let quinoa cool. For more detailed directions, see quinoa recipe.

In a frying pan, heat up oil over medium heat. Add shallots and corn.  Cook corn until slightly charred. While the corn is cooking; dice the peppers, pepperoncini, and tomatoes. Put the pepperoncini and tomatoes aside.  Watch the corn carefully so that it does not burn- you want a mild smoky flavor from a slight char of the corn. Add bell peppers and beans. Turn off heat once beans are warm.  Mix quinoa, corn and bean mixture, pepperoncini and tomatoes.

Green Pea Salad

- Posted in Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables

30 ounces frozen peas
1/3 cup salad or olive oil
5-1/3 T. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 T. or more of minced fresh mint
1/2 cup, slightly more or less, of finely chopped bermuda onion
1/4 cup, slightly more or less, of greek yogurt or sour cream
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Optional: bacon, fried crisp

pea salad
Adaptation of Green Pea Salad in Sunset’s “Salad Book”

Microwave peas until heated through. Do not add water.  Drain peas and save any water that may be remaining and add to the salad oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and mint.

Pour dressing over peas, cover, and chill. (Do this early in the day.) Just before serving, mix in the onion and yogurt or sour cream.

Spoon onto a large lettuce-lined serving tray or bowl and border with tomatoes, sliced or in wedges. Sprinkle the top with crumbled bacon.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Background: The original recipe says to boil the peas in water and then reserve and add 1/4 cup of water to the dressing, but this made for a runny salad. The original calls for celery instead of bermuda onions, but celery is dull: the red onions not only make it a prettier dish but they add some zip. The original certainly doesn’t mention bacon. That was a friend’s suggestion. Thanks, LP!

Stir Fry

- Posted in Beef, Chicken, Pork

3/4 pound boneless beef or pork or chicken
1 T. each dry sherry (or any dry red wine) and soy sauce
2 T. water
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
3-1/2 T. salad oil
garlic (at least one clove)
1/2 tsp. or more of minced fresh ginger
Vegetables*

Cooking Sauce:
Stir together 2 T. oyster sauce, 1 T. cornstarch, and 1/2 cup regular strength chicken broth.

Source: “Oyster Beef” recipe from Sunset’s “Wok Cooking” (1994)

stir fry pau

Cut beef with the grain or for other protein, at a slant into 1-1/2 inch-wide strips; then cut each strip into 1/8-inch thick slanting slices. In a bowl, stir together sherry, soy, 1 T. of the water, sugar, and cornstarch. Add beef or pork or chicken to coat, then stir in 1-1/2 tsps. of the oil and let marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare Cooking Sauce and set aside.

Place a wok over high heat; when wok is hot, add 2 T. of the oil. When oil begins to heat, add garlic and ginger and stir once.  Add beef or pork or chicken mixture and stir-fry until meat is browned; remove from wok and set aside.

Pour remaining 1 T. oil into wok.  When oil is hot, add vegetables sequentially until they’re cooked to your liking.

Serve over hot rice.

As usual I doubled the recipe and used 1-1/2 pounds of pork. The vegetables for this version were:
3/4 of a red pepper
about 1-1/2 cups fresh kale, stripped from their spines
about 6 ounces raw bean sprouts
6 sliced mushrooms.
I  sauteed them in this order, making sure the heftier vegetables got some extra cooking time.  (I have a family member who cannot tolerate fibrous vegetables and so I tend to cook most vegetables until they are soft.)

veggies in stir fry

Background: Two things make this a great recipe: (1) versatility in the protein and vegetables you can use, and (2) economy:  you can use an inexpensive cut of protein since the marinating guarantees that the beef, pork, or chicken will be soft and tender.

 

Aunty Ina’s Gandule Rice

- Posted in Local

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1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 lb. chopped pork or ham
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 achiote packets  (Sazon Goya with Coriander and Annatto)
1 can of Green Pigeon Peas
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. oregano
1 can (15 oz.) Green Pigeon Peas
1 can of Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of black olives

Modified from Gandule rice recipe on the back of Goya Green Pigeon Pea Can with Aunty Ina’s tips

Heat oil over medium-high heat in medium size pot. Add chopped pork to pan andcook until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in onions; stirring occasionally, scraping up the brown juicy bits from the bottom, about 10 minutes. Add Sazón achiote packets, garlic, cilantro and oregano. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add rice to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until coated in oil and toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in pigeon peas, tomato sauce, olives and 1½ cups water; using a wooden spoon, stir and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Gently stirthe  rice. Be careful not to burn the rice too much on the bottom, but if you burn it a little ; the toastiness ( I think I made that word up) on the bottom is ono.  We are  not done yet.

Lower heat to medium low and cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Check periodically to be sure not to overcook the rice. Cover pan and let  it stand 5 minutes.

One of the hardest things about this recipe is finding the ingredients. I can usually find Goya Brand pigeon peas at most grocery stores. I usually buy it at Times Supermarket. The Sazón achiote packets are little trickier, but recently I found them at K-Mart in Honolulu!! I use to ask Aunty Ina to send me some from Maui.

So whoʻs Aunty Ina? One of the most loving Aunties I have in my life! Aunty Ina is a friend of mine’s mother who makes the ultimate comfort food from beef luau, chili, to one of my personal favorites her gandule rice. Mahalo to her for sharing this recipe and always giving me tips and tricks to making onolish grinds. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

- Posted in Side Dishes, Vegetables

2 medium orange-flesh sweet potatoes, washed (about 1 lb.)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup (4 T.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 T. molasses
1 T. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups nonfat milk

sweet potatoSource: “The Electric Kitchen,” Hawaiian Electric Company’s weekly feature in the Honolulu Star Advertiser

Scrub potatoes and prick several time with fork. Microwave potatoes on high for 6 to 7 minutes until they are easily pierced with a fork OR bake potatoes at 350 degrees until they can be pierced with a fork. (Unless I’m really pressed for time, I prefer slow baking to microwaving.) Slit in half lengthwise to cool, then peel an discard skin. Set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking or cooling, in a large mixing bowl, sift flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.

When the potatoes have cooled slightly, add butter, and mash until relatively smooth. Add eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract, and mix by hand until completely blended. Stir in milk.

Add potato mixture to dry ingredients and mix with spoon until just moistened (batter will be lumpy), about 50 strokes. Set aside to rest.

Preheat lightly greased (I use butter) skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour batter onto heated skillet or griddle. Turn pancakes once with spatula when surface begins to bubble. Cook until golden brown.

sweet pot pancakes

Serve hot with your choice of pancake toppings. We tried maple syrup and ginger syrup. Both were good.

Yield: about 24 pancakes.

Background: I stopped making pancakes several years ago even though my family is fond of them. Pancakes seemed like a bad way to start off the day: nothing more than fried processed bread with a sugar syrup. However, these pancakes have merit — sweet potatoes, whole wheat flour, molasses, nice spices, and they really don’t require syrup. I served them with turkey burgers for dinner. Leftover cakes can be served at room temperature or toasted (don’t microwave) to give them a nice crust.

Overnight Soak Oatmeal

- Posted in Local, No Bother, No Fail

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1 cup of oatmeal (I like using Coach’s Oats because it offers more texture.)
1 cup of milk of your choice (I use almond milk.)
2 tbsp of greek yogurt
1 -2 tsp of honey (depending on your desired sweetness)
1 tbsp of cinnamon
1 cup of toppings of your choice (apples, coconut, sliced almonds, blueberries, bananas and so on)

Mix the dry oatmeal and cinnamon together. Add the milk and yogurt. Stir the mixture making sure the yogurt is evenly distributed. Soak overnight in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, drizzle honey on top and add toppings of your choice.

Tip: You can prep as far in advance as you like. I often prep two or three small containers of the oatmeal deliciousness on Sunday for the week and then add different toppings different days. If you want to keep the crunch to your toppings wait until right before you eat to add them. Items such as bananas are fine soaked overnight with the oatmeal. I find overnight soaked oatmeal more appetizing than hot oatmeal – try it out! By all means you can adjust this single serving by soaking more oatmeal; just remember to keep a one to one ratio between the oatmeal and milk.

Artichoke Nibbles

- Posted in Side Dishes, Vegetarian

2 jars (6 oz. each) marinated artichoke hearts
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced or mashed
4 eggs
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs or panko
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. each pepper, oregano leaves, and liquid hot pepper seasoning*
1/2 lb.sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2 tbl. minced parsley

Grease 7 x 11 inch baking pan. Set oven at 325 degrees. Baking time about 30 minutes or until set when it’s touched.

Yield: about 6 dozen appetizers.

Source: Sunset’s Ideas for Cooking Vegetables (1973)

Drain marmalade from 1 jar of the artichokes into a frying pan. Drain the other jar (save artichokes marinade for other uses). Chop all the artichokes; set aside. Add onion and garlic to frying pan and saute until onion is limp, about 5 minutes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add the crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, and hot pepper seasoning. Stir in the cheese, parsley, artichokes, and onion mixture. Turn into greased baking pan. Bake.

Let cool in pan, then cut into 1-inch squares. Serve cold, room temperature, or reheat in the pan in a 325 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.nibbles

* Awamori  is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa.  Made from long grain indica rice, it’s not a direct product of brewing (like sake) but of distillation.  A friend awamorigave us this bottle of awamori with red peppers and vinegar, so I used this instead of the usual tabasco or homemade sauce.  Directly on the tongue awamori is very hot, but when added to this dish the heat was barely perceptible (a disappointment for some, a relief for others) but gave the dish a lift and slight sweetness.  I heard that a few dashes of awamori into a bowl of ramen is excellent.

Background: Artichoke Nibbles has been my standard contribution as a pupu for many years.  An attractive dish, it makes a good vegetable alternative to crudites and because of the cheese, has that nice creamy feel in the mouth. They make good leftovers, although I don’t reheat them, but rather eat them cold or let them warm up to room temperature.  Quiche without the crust.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)

- Posted in Vegetarian, Whatevah

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One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
Salt
Curry or spices of your choice

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Drain chickpeas and pat dry.  Drizzle with olive oil and spices.  Place on cookie sheet or 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes then toss and bake for another 20 minute. Let cool and place in airtight container.

I love to snack. I am constantly eating and love salty crunchy snacks; thus I love chips. In an effort to eat a little better, I started having roasted garbanzo beans as a snack instead.

Baked Teri Chicken

- Posted in Chicken, Local

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8 chicken thighs
1/3  to 1/2 cup shoyu (soy sauce) – depending on how sweet you like your teri chicken.
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minger
1-2 tablespoons ginger, grated or minced

Marinate chicken for an hour (put aside 1/2 cup of the marinade for basting).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil for easy clean up. Place chicken in pan with thin layer of the marinade at the bottom. Bake covered for 20 minutes skin side down. Uncover and flip the chicken. Bake for another 10 minutes. Baste chicken with the marinade you set aside earlier and bake for another 10 minutes.  If you like your chicken more well done, bake for another 10 minutes.

This recipe satisfies my craving for shoyu chicken. I tend to add a little more shoyu to this recipe because I do prefer savory dishes.  Donʻt think about the oil in the picture – the sauce is ono on rice, quinoa, or noodles.