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SWEET & SAVORY RICE

I'm the kind of person who likes lots of "extra stuff" in my rice; Picky-Picky Hubby is not. He likes plain white rice...period!! So, when I created this dish, I designed it for ME...rice, apples, golden raisins, toasted pecans...yum. You can imagine my shock when Hubby (with cheeks packed full) exclaimed "this is excellent!!" I almost fell off of my chair!!
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2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup raw white rice
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large cooking apple
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped toasted pecans
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Peel and chop the apple into small bite-size pieces. Place everything (except the pecans) in a medium size saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat to a low simmer and put a tight fitting lid on the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the toasted pecans. Put the lid back on and let it sit for another five minutes.
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That's it!! The dark brown sugar and fruit lend a mildly sweet flavor to the rice and the ground cumin gives the flavor a little depth. This is a great side dish for chicken, ham, etc. and it would make an excellent buffet dish since it stays warm and tastes great at room temperature. I hope you will try it.

NOTE: I first posted this about a year ago. Since then it has become one of our favorite side dishes for outdoor grilled meat, it seems to go with just about everything.
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Tempe Goreng Tepung Recipe, easiest way how to cook tempe

The easiest way to make food made ​​from tempeh is to fry, tempeh cut to the size of  2cm x  4cm or to taste, then input tempeh, into a spice blend that had been prepared beforehand
Spices are : 2 garlic, 1 tablespoon coriander,  ½ teaspoon salt
All the ingredients blended and then given sufficient water, soak for 2-3 minutes tempeh pieces into the concoction of spices, then fry it ,now, you done. 


and now I will try to share the recipe to make fried tempeh flour, the recipe is almost the same, the difference is only in the addition of ingredients
such as: 5 tablespoons flour, scallions sliced,
add 1 egg, a little turmeric paste, to make the dish more colorful and evocative tastes bright,
how to make:
mix flour, green onion, turmeric and mashed egg, mix well, add water seasoning blend of garlic and coriander are used to soak tempeh
input tempeh pieces one by one into the batter of flour,
fry in hot oil, lift the dough at flour look yellowish, serve when it hot with rawit chili
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Menu 5/2 - 5/8

 With the bright colorful azaleas and the blossoming dogwoods in bloom, our neighborhood is bursting with color and beauty.  I feel my energy returning and I find it's getting harder and harder to stay indoors each day.  Springtime in the DC area has got to be one of the loveliest times in the world...except maybe for DC autumns.  :)    Now  I just need to figure out how I can get the spring organizing done, while I spend as much time outdoors as possible.   

Now here is this week's menu getting lighter and easier with each passing week: 

Monday--Chicken and Slaw Sliders--Perfect for the warmer weather....we love the dill pickle flavor in the slaw! 


Tuesday--Asian Chicken Salad (new)


Wednesday--Breakfast:  Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits and Fresh Fruit--My favorite biscuits!

Dinner:  Double Decker Tacos (new)


Thursday--Chicken Mango Rice Salad--I haven't made this one since last summer and my sister keeps asking when I'll make it again....so I'm hoping this will give her a good excuse to come to dinner that night!  :)

Friday--Breakfast:  Whole-Grain Oatmeal Waffles (made into pancakes) with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup


Make-Your-Own Personal Pizza--Simple, easy, and everyone gets just what they want....win, win, win!


Saturday--Daddy Grilling! 

Dad's Coleslaw--My Dad's specialty....this is one of the few ways my kids will eat cabbage. 


Sunday--Breakfast:  Mom's Breakfast Cake---This was one of my favorite breakfasts to wake up to when I was a kid!  The delicious aroma of this cooking would sometimes be the only thing drag me out of bed before 10:00 on weekends when I was a teenager!  :)


Dinner:
Pretzel Rolls--I just got a sudden craving for these chewy rolls, reminiscent of a homemade pretzel!

Quinoa Wilted Spinach Salad--This is our favorite new way to use healthy quinoa! 

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage--pasta and sausage is a family favorite of ours....YUM!



Go check Organizing Junkie for lots more Menu Plans!




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Musical Monday: Monkey Eats Bananas

So - there hasn't been much going on here lately - we were all struck down by illness last week, which meant the long-awaited royal wedding bash didn't happen and I watched it from underneath a blanket on the sofa, drinking diluted lemonade instead of champagne. Oh well. Did you have a party? Go on, make me envious. In the meantime, here's my new favourite princess...
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The Good Food Festival & Market

The theme: The Good Food Festival & Market
The highlight: Chef Dustin Gallagher
The goodies: Camelina Oil and Terra Chips

Canadians might recognize the man featured above. Dusting Gallagher is an acclaimed Toronto Chef that currently works the kitchen of Grace Restaurant (part of my "to visit" list) in Little Italy. He also happens to be one of Food Network's Top Chef Canada contestants. He is known as the adorable one from the bunch and if I may say, rightly so. I got the chance to see him up close at a cooking demonstration at the Good Food Festival in Mississauga. He is definitely all about smiles and pleasing the crowds. I was both excited and star-struck when seeing him execute a chicken liver pate that was extremely tasty (I got to try it!), as well as meet his mom, whom he thanked for being his inspiration to become the man he is today. Kudos to you Dustin and good luck on Top Chef!

The Good Food Festival is a show featuring some of Canada's most amazing food entrepreneurs offering a taste of their best products. From wine-makers coming from the Niagara region, to farmers, cheese producers and much more, one gets to indulge in an array of tastings, demonstrations and conversations, that are worth coming for. 
Being my first time at the Good Food Festival, I was very cautious to not do a lot of impulse buying, but instead taste, review and then decide on what to take with me. That said, I was more than once tempted to buy all of the samples from the show...they were all so good. One problem I did notice is that show demonstrators were pricing items in bulk and at times did not sell them individually, something worth considering next time they are at the show.

From what I saw, there were two main products that caught my eye and my palate. The Camelina Oil from Three Farmers and the famous healthier version of potato chips, Terra Chips.

Camelina Oil is an artisan oil long touted for its rich flavour and vibrant colour. This oil has a unique pairing of Omega-3 and Vitamin E. Anyone with an appreciation for naturally nutritious foods will be captivated with the simple yet tasty nature of this oil. The oil is grown by Saskatchewan's own Three Farmers and will be available in the next few months in specialty food stores. In addition, you can buy it online straight from their website at the reasonable cost of $15/bottle. What's neat about this company, is that they added some great digital interaction with the product. Each bottle has a QR code that you can scan with your smart phone, which then gives you a number that you can enter online to see where your oil comes from, when it was produced, which farm, etc. They call this traceability....what a fantastic idea. 
From my perspective, this oil delivers on both flavour and texture. The fact that its light and not heavy at all, makes me want to drink it straight from the bottle! The people at the Food Festival made a mix of basil, garlic and oregano with the oil and had little pieces of bread to dip it in, giving its original earthy and nutty flavour a delicious taste. This week for lunch? Salads & Baguettes!

The last item on my shopping bag at the festival, my precious Terra Chips. Although I don't have quite the story on these chips for you, and neither did the show demonstrators, I will say that these chips are the only kind I eat when in need of a snack fix. They are healthy, low in cholesterol and sodium and high in fiber. They use a ton of vegetable products to make the chips, hence why they are a healthier option. I like the sweet potato ones, however they have a mix of everything, from cassava, to beets and even parsnip. Highly recommended.

So, if you ever want to get to know some of Canada's most special food entrepreneurs, make sure to check out the Good Food Festival. I believe this takes place only a few times a year.

Until next time Foodies!

Buen Provecho,
Foodies Inc.
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Tea with Cecilia



Over the past 15 years or so, I have enjoyed high tea at most every tea shop in northern California.  Most of those pretty meals were shared with two good friends, Esther and Cecilia. 

Esther (top), Cecilia (left), Glory (Me) (right) enjoying tea- 2005

Last week Cecilia was in town (she lives 8 hours away), and I took the opportunity to prepare a special tea party, just for us. (Unfortunately Esther- who also lives out of town, was unable to join us).

It was a busy week, so I wasn't able to make everything from scratch, but I made some delicious tea sandwiches, mini fruit salads and mixed in several store bought treats. 


Did you notice, the table cloth has cupcakes and polka-dots on it!!  How cute is that?!  Mine was a gift from a friend, but I found them online here.

~Menu ~
Peach-Apricot Tea
Cranberry Scones
Cucumber Tomato Tea Sandwiches (recipe below) 
Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches (recipe HERE) 
Fresh Fruit Salad
Lemon Bars
Chocolate Dipped Madeleines
Giant Pastel Malt Balls
Chocolate Toffee Almonds

The scones, lemon bars and toffee almonds (all delicious) were from Trader Joe's.  The chocolate dipped Madeleines were from Starbucks. 

~Cucumber Tomato Tea Sandwiches ~
These simple sandwiches are a delicious variation on the classic cucumber tea sandwich, and are always on the menu when I host a tea party.

English cucumber, thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced
Garden vegetable cream cheese (or another savory variety of flavored cream cheese)
Nice quality, fresh wheat bread

Spread a thin layer of flavored cream cream on bread, add slices of cucumber and tomato and top with another slice of bread (also spread with cream cheese).  Trim crust off edges of sandwich and cut into four small squares.  Serve immediately, or if needed, cover with a very slightly moist dish towel and refrigerate up to one hour.

The next time I prepare a special brunch I may try this delicious looking Banana Bread Pudding recipe from Reader's Digest as an addition to the menu.
 
One of my favorite things about tea parties is eating beautiful food in smaller portions, so you can enjoy lots of different treats.  And sharing a meal with a good friend is always extra special. 

I'd love to hear about the places you've enjoyed tea with friends.
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Musical Monday: Monkey Eats Bananas

So - there has been much going on here lately - we were all struck down by illness last week, which meant the long-awaited royal wedding bash didn't happen and I watched it from underneath a blanket on the sofa, drinking diluted lemonade instead of champagne. Oh well. Did you have a party? Go on, make me envious. In the meantime, here's my new favourite princess...
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Healthy Green Veg Soup

With the exception of a little light chopping this has to be one of the easiest soups to make, just two speedy stirs and leaving it to cook overnight just could not be simpler.

Although it is not one of my more attractive soups, when it comes to taste, vitamins and pure goodness in a bowl this does take some beating.

I often put this into a flask and take it with me for lunch when I know that I am going to be busy and not have time to stop.

I have been known to pour it over pasta for a hearty evening meal with some toasted pine nuts sprinkled over the top when the fridge is looking a little empty & looking back at me from the depths of the deep freeze is the lone frozen soup bag which takes mere minutes to heat up & gives such great nutritional comfort when curling up on the sofa for a tv dinner once the kids are in bed.

Makes 8 generous portions

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 small bunch of Asparagus chopped into 1 inch peices
  • 1 head of brocolli cut into small florets
  • 1 leek chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1.5 litres/2 pints 13fl oz good vegetable stock - depending on the size of your slowcooker you may need a little more to almost cover the vegetables.
  • a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper 
  • 2 bay leaves
  • large bunch of greens (kale, cabbage or shredder spring greens)
  • 1 handful of barley
  • 1/2 handful dried peas
  • 1 teaspoon natural yoghurt for dressing (or use olive oil for a vegan version instead)

Preparation method

  1. This is the easiest soup to make.
  2. In a slow cooker add all of the ingredients with the exception of the natural yoghurt, give a good stir and cook for 6 hours (overnight works for me).
  3. Remove the bay leaves & give the soup a good stir
  4. In the morning with a stick (emersion) blender blend until smooth
  5. Freeze into single portions (without the yoghurt) - they lay flat if put into sealable freezer bags to save space.
  6. Heat to serve, excellent with a drizzle of olive oil as a Vegan lunch or add the natural yoghurt for a vegetarian healthy option.

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Different types of Sicilian Recipes

If you like good food, Sicilian cuisine is well worth knowing about. Sicily is famed for its seafood. Finnochio con sarde, or fennel with sardines, is popular. Grilled swordfish is typical and small fish like red snappers are often cooked in a sweet vinegar sauce. Cuttlefish is served in its own black sauce, with pasta on the side.

An eggplant, olive, celery and caper salad called caponata is very popular as an appetizer in Sicily and there is also a version of this dish using artichoke instead of eggplant. Panella is a fried paste made from powdered or crushed garbanzo beans. You can also make maccu, a Sicilian soup recipe, with garbanzo beans. Arancine are meat or cheese stuffed rice balls, which are then fried.

Meat is very popular in Sicily, especially goat and lamb. Veal marsala is a famous Sicilian recipe and you can use chicken instead of veal for a similar result. Veal spleen sandwiches are also typically Sicilian, but these do not sound quite so tempting!

Delicious Sicilian Pizza:
Sicilian pizza is a type of pizza from Palermo in Sicily. With Sicilian pizza, or sfinciuni as it is called in the Sicilian language, the cheese goes under the toppings, rather than on top. An authentic Sicilian pizza recipe will feature chopped anchovies and pecorino cheese. Focaccia alla messinese is a variety of pizza from Messina in Sicily and this is topped with anchovies and endive.

A Sicilian pizza in the United States is normally square and has deep dough. This kind of pizza is also known as tomato pie. It is popular in Italian-American parts of New Jersey and New York, especially Utica, New York, where most of the large Italian-American population is Sicilian. Tomato pie is often served in an aluminum baking sheet.

Sicilian Gelato and Other Desserts:
Cassata is a sugary cake with a sweetened ricotta filling. Cannoli is tubular crusts with the same filling. Ricotta in Sicily is made from sheep's milk so it has a different taste from the ricotta available in the United States.
Sicilian style gelato is an intense flavored ice cream recipe which is made simply with milk, sugar, cornstarch and flavoring. The following recipe for Sicilian chocolate gelato serves six people and you will need an ice cream maker to make it.

Chocolate Gelato Sicilian Style:

You will need:
4 oz roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons cornstarch, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 cups whole milk

How to make it:
Warm 2 cups of the milk over a medium heat and remove it from the heat when it starts to simmer. Add the chocolate and stir until it melts. Mix together the cornstarch, sugar and the rest of the milk, and then pour this mixture into the hot milk and chocolate mixture.

Bring the pan to a slow simmer and cook, stirring all the time, until the mixture is thick. This will take about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then put it into a bowl, cover it and refrigerate it overnight. Process it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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Different types of Toddler Finger Recipes

Making your toddler finger food recipes is a great way to get them to try new flavors and textures, learn new skills and even keep them entertained when you are out and about! This article offers a variety of fun finger-food recipes for your toddler introducing healthy eating and making meal times enjoyable for all the family.

Make Finger Food Yourself:
Young children need to eat more often than adults. They tend to graze rather than eating large portions so there is a lot of wasted food. Processed foods are expensive which impacts on your food budget. They are also high in salt and sugars and can promote bad eating habits and tooth decay from an early age.
If you choose to make food for your baby and toddler yourself you can be sure of the exact ingredients and fresh food always tastes better. Mixing up the flavors, although they might get spat out at first, will give your child a varied palate and make them less fussy as they get older.

Fruit and Vegetables:
Fruit and veg should be the staple of your toddler’s diet. Pureed fruit and vegetables can be given from weaning onwards. As they grow make the chunks bigger. Cut up cucumber or celery into strips or cooked veg like carrots, asparagus, green beans, sweet potato are fun. Cooked and diced yellow, orange and red peppers add some color.

Banana pieces are great as are pieces of (soft) pear, apple, pineapple or peach. Add natural yoghurt.
Meats and Protein:
Well cooked pieces of chicken, fish or meat accompany vegetables well. Hard boiled egg can be sliced or chopped.

Seeds and Dried Fruit:
Dried fruit such as raisins, apricots or prunes are good as a treat as they contain a lot of natural sugar, they usually come in small boxes which are handy for trips out. Sunflower seeds are good for the older toddler.

Toddler Sandwiches:
Use easily spread able fillings such as soft cheese, peanut butter (the natural variety), mashed banana or almond spread. Cut the crusts off the bread and cut into 'fingers' to make them easier to hold.
Toasted 'soldiers' are also great with dips such as soft cheese, avocado, vegemite, hummus or guacamole...watch out, this is where it gets messy!

Cheese:
Grated cheese keeps toddlers entertained as they love grabbing the small bits. Full of calcium, cheese is vital for bone growth. Cut cheese into strips if you are out and about.

Cereals:
Dried cereals such as cheerios or cornflakes are great, avoid the sugary cereals though.

Pasta:
Well cooked pasta shells or macaroni are an interesting texture for toddlers as well as a good source of complex carbohydrates. Create home made Bolognese sauce for more flavors.

Choking Hazards:
Always supervise your child when they are eating. They will have to learn how to chew food so make sure everything is soft and chopped up into small chunks. 

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Barbecued Chicken Wontons

Try this reciperecipes ...the Barbecued Chicken Wontons

recipeRecipe INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup cooked diced chicken
* 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
* 3 green onions with about 3 to 4 inches of green, coarsely chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* Dash black pepper
* 3 tablespoons purchased or homemade barbecue sauce
* 24 to 30 wonton wrappers
* Oil for deep frying
* Barbecue sauce for dipping

recipeRecipes INSTRUCTIONS
In a food processor, a food chopper, or by hand, finely mince the chicken and onions with seasonings. Add 3 tablespoons of barbecue sauce and process or mix well to combine. Put 1
teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush water all around the edge of the wrapper. Fold over and press the edge all around to seal or follow instructions on the wonton wrapper insert for folding.

Keep filled wontons covered with a damp dish towel to keep them from drying out, and keep the unused wrappers covered.

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 370°. Fry the filled wontons, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Serve with barbecue sauce. This great recipes makes about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen appetizers. Great taste ! Enjoy it !
appetizer-ham-ball
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Arroz Con Pollo

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 2 1/2-3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, with skin on, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/2 cup of flour for dredging
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Paprika

Rice

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
  • 3 cups* chicken stock
  • 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
  • Pinch of oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

Method

1 Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. (You can skip the flour dredging part if you want. It just makes a nicer coating for the chicken.) Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside.

2 Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let it brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic and rice mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes.

arroz-con-pollo-1.jpg arroz-con-pollo-2.jpg
3 Place the chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the rice. In a separate bowl, mix together the stock, tomato, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done. Fluff the rice with a fork. If you want you can sprinkle with some peas. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

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