Chinese Chicken Salad

serves 2 *6 times a year in the summer

 12 3-inch wonton skins, sliced into 1/4″ strips 1/4 cup canola or corn oil for frying
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 chicken breast, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted lightly
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cups cooked fusilli pasta noodles, cooled dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil
6 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil (add more to taste if you prefer a strong sesame taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

 1. Heat canola or corn oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil starts to shimmer, fry wonton skins in batches of 5-7 strips for 30 seconds each side or until lightly browned, working quickly so they don’t burn. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels until cooled.
2. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, chicken breast, green onion, almonds and pasta.
3. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well until sugar dissolves. Dress lettuce mixture with 2-3 tablespoons of sesame dressing and top with sesame seeds and wonton strips and serve.

Sweet Pork Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Cilantro Lime Slaw

1 package red cabbage or 1/2 head shredded
1 c. Mayonnaise
1 c. Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. minced Garlic
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper or a dash of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Lime Juice
1/2 tsp. Cumin

 Combine all but slaw in a mini food processor or chop and combine yourself. Mix desired amount of dressing with slaw mix no more than 30 minutes before serving.

Roasted Sweet Pork 6 (approx) pounds

Pork butt/shoulder
1 19 oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce
1 can Dr. Pepper (20 oz)
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin 1 tsp. salt
1 Clove Garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 Combine all ingredients into your crockpot and cook on low overnight or until meat is tender.

 Then she placed the meat on top of a tortilla (we used grilled corn tortillas…….but I’m sure flour would be good too) and then the slaw on top of that. Fold in half and take your first mouth-watering bite. She also suggested using the meat in burritos or tostadas as well. Or heck, you know this stuff would be good on a sandwich, or even just by itself…….with a fork. Just sayin’. ;o) Enjoy.  Can freeze meat!

Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup regular rolled oats or steel-ground oats (such as McCann’s Irish Oatmeal)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup heavy cream, half-and-half or milk (using lowfat milk will make it less creamy but still delicious)
6 cups water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup ripe raspberries
1 cup ripe strawberries, quartered
OR
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and lightly drained

DIRECTIONS:
In a rice cooker (or large pot) add all the ingredients, except the fruit. Cook until done in a rice cooker. If using a pot, bring the mixture to a quick boil and then lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the raspberries and stir to combine. If using fresh fruit, stir in the strawberries and continue to stir until the berries have turned the risotto slightly pink, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately. If you are planning on saving leftovers and heating up in the morning, only add berries to each individual serving the morning of and not to the whole batch.

Naan – Indian Flatbread

*Note: as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeast may help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.

*Makes about 12 pieces of naan
*Take 2 1/2 hours to rise.....then plus some for prep & cooking
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon sugar
3-4 tablespoons, melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
Pour the milk into a liquid measure and heat in the microwave until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). If using active dry yeast, mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has activated. Once the yeast/milk mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour (proceed with the second paragraph of the recipe). If using instant yeast, pour the warm milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar, instant yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Proceed as directed below.

Mix well to combine. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.

After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface (I like to use my roul’pat for this) and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan – you’ll have to experiment with cooking times but I’ve seen either of those methods used with cooking naan also.)

Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thin or thick you want your naan. Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water. Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with a towel and let the naan cool completely or serve warm.

Coconut Shrimp Curry

*could do chicken instead of shrimp
*Serves 6
*Kevin said 8 times a year in the colder months

INGREDIENTS:
For the shrimp marinade:
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1-2 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, from about a 1-inch peeled piece of ginger
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can coconut milk, light or regular
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Hot cooked rice for serving, if desired

DIRECTIONS:
For the simple shrimp marinade, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice in a resealable large bag or in a bowl. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until rippling and hot. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pepper, ginger, salt, garlic, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is very fragrant and the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the undrained tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, for about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the shrimp and any accumulated juices from the marinade. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled, lightly pink and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over hot, cooked rice, if desired.

Fresh Fruit with Honey-Yogurt Dip

printed from melskitchencafe.com
*Makes about 2 cups of dip

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cup honey (decrease to 1/4 cup if using vanilla yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Assorted fresh fruit like apples, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, honey and cinnamon. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve on a platter with fresh fruit. The dip keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients:

1 can tomato paste
1/4 c water
2 T sucanat sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 T cider vinegar

Preparation:

In a small bow mix all ingredients together. Place in a tightly sealed container.

From Clean eat mag=
Serves: 1
Makes: 1/3 cup
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp onion, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp raw honey

INSTRUCTIONS:
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Ketchup can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in refrigerator in a sealed container for about 1 week.

Sloppy Joes Clean

4 sandwiches Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

1/2 c. low sodium chili sauce or clean ketchup or 1/4 1/4
2T tomato paste
1T Worcestershire sauce
1tsp cumin, sea salt, pepper and chili powder
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T dried, crumbled oregano
1 T olive oil
1/4 c finely chopped sweet onion
1/4 c finely chopped celery
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 ground lean ground turkey or bison
3/4 c cooked brown rice
Handful chopped scallions
4 multi-grain buns or wraps
1/4 homemade hummus

In a small bowl combine chili sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, spices, vinegar and oregano. Mix well. Set aside

Heat live oil in a med skillet. Saute onions, celery and garlic for 5 minutes. Add ground meat, let brown for 5 minutes. Drain excess oil.

Combine brown meat with spice mixture, cooked brn rice and scallion and mix gently.

Spread each side with a T of hummus. Spoon about 1 c of the meat mixture on to one side of the bun. Top with the other and cut in half.