Artisan Bread (Fool Proof)

I again got this recipe from my friend Jenny J.  She makes homemade bread for her family a ton.  Number one because they are picky eaters and she knows they will eat bread, and number two is because she is a rock star and cooks for her family every night.  This recipe is so easy because there is no kneading involved.  Because of that it's more of a bread to enjoy right when it comes out of the oven.  I usually cut the leftovers up and freeze it in the freezer and use it for toast.  The texture is chewy, with a crispy outside.  The bread is super flavorful. 

   

 Artisan Bread (Fool Proof)

1 1/2 tbs yeast
2 tsp sugar
3 C warm/hot water

Combine these ingredients in a bowl, and let yeast activate.

6 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 Tbs kosher salt
Any other mix ins (dried herbs, garlic, etc)

Add these ingredients to the yeast mixture.  Stir all together to combine and form a ball in the bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit on the counter for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a glass loaf pan or 9x13 pan on the lower rack filled with 1-2 cups water.  (This creates steam in the oven for optimal texture).

Pour dour out onto a well floured counter, form into 2 large rounds or 4 smaller rounds.  Place on a jelly roll pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Cut slits using a serrated knife on the top of bread for design.  Let dough rise for another 20-30 min. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven. Remove to a cooling rack. 

Southwest Quinoa Salad

I have the most delicious salad for you!  I was skeptical.  I haven't jumped on the whole quinoa bandwagon.  But, I have some baby weight to lose, and I have been looking for healthy alternative to eating carbs.  This recipe doesn't taste like "diet food".  I love all the fresh flavors in this salad, it does not lack any flavor.  Try it, you will love it!  If you don't know how to cook quinoa, here is an fabulous website that tell you how:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-63344
 

Southwest Quinoa Salad

1 c quinoa, cooked according to package directions (cooked in chicken broth)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup of frozen corn, defrosted or 1 can of corn, drained
4 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2-1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 c cilantro, chopped

Lime Vinaigrette:
1/3 c olive oil
juice from a large lime
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped finely

Cook quinoa, and let cool for 15 minutes.  Mix all ingredients for the vinaigrette.  Combine all ingredients for the salad, and then toss with the vinaigrette.  Let the salad sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Herb and Apple Stuffing

I got this recipe from my dear friend Becky who made it last year for our Thanksgiving meal.  I loved it, and fell in love all over again this year.  I had to make some modifications according to the ingredients that were available.  It turned out amazing!  It was so good to combine it with the turkey, and mashed potatoes.  I made it the day before, which I think really makes a difference in flavor and texture.  It may seem super liquidy to you, but trust me it won't be when you cook it up.  Its crunchy on top and soft on the bottom.  Delish!

Herb and Apple Stuffing

• 8 cup(s) sourdough bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup(s) (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 ounce(s) of bacon, cut up
• 2 cup(s) (about 1 large) chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cup(s) (about 3 large stalks) chopped celery
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, and chopped
• 1/2 cup(s) medium or dry sherry or white cooking wine
• 2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 5 extra-large eggs
• 2 cup(s) heavy cream or half n half
• 1 cup(s) chicken stock or broth
• 2 cup(s) (8 ounces) freshly grated Gruyère cheese
   
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange bread in single layer on 18-inch by 12-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned; set aside.  Needs to be like croutons almost.
• 1. While bread toasts, in 12-inch skillet, heat butter on medium-low. Add bacon; increase heat to medium and cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion, celery, and apple; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sherry/white wine, rosemary, 3-4 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in parsley.
  2. Meanwhile, in very large bowl, beat eggs, cream, chicken stock, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère. Add bread, then vegetable mixture, stirring until well combined. Let stand 30 minutes to allow bread to soak.
  3. Stir mixture well; transfer to 2 1/2- to 3-quart (13-inch by 9-inch by 2-nch) gratin dish. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère. (To make ahead, assemble bread pudding, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to 1 day before baking.)
  4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until top is browned and custard is set (when knife inserted in center comes out clean). Serve hot or warm.
  
  
   

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesean, Garlic, and Lemon

Tired of having the same old steamed broccoli?  Well this recipe is a great twist on the side that many of us love.  My kids LOVED this recipe, and they were begging for more.  When you roast the broccoli at a high temperature, it gets nutty, and not soggy.  Broccoli is super flavorful when roasted.  In our family we like vegetables to be tender crisp.  Heaven forbid if I cross the line into the soft baby food texture....no one will eat them.  When you roast the broccoli is comes out soft crunchy and we loved it.  By all means if you want  use fresh parmesan cheese and garlic.  I was just into simplifying my life tonight. My last comment, is that fresh lemon is a MUST!

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan, Garlic, and Lemon

1-2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/4 c grated Parmesan (I used the stuff in the can)
1 1/2 to 2 tsp garlic salt (more or less if you like)
1/2 lemon (I zested the lemon, and then used the juice)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  On a large sheet pan place broccoli, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.  Toss together with your hands and settle into an even layer.  Place into oven.  Every 10 minutes stir broccoli with spatula, and settle into a single layer.  Broccoli should be done with the broccoli tops start to turn brown.  Take out of oven, and add lemon juice and zest, toss to coat. Serve.

Mixed Berry Sauce

We miss fresh berries in Hawaii.  You can get them, but they cost a fortune.  So, I have resorted to buying frozen berries from Costco, which are delicious.  I originally made this recipe over father's day, when I made my husband pancakes with berry sauce.  He loved it.  This sauce is not too sweet, but just right.  My new favorite thing to do it make this sauce up, store it in the fridge and add it on top of my Greek yogurt, it is super good!  This sauce could go on top of cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, angel food cake, pancakes, yogurt, and probably many other things.  You can use any type of frozen berry for this recipe.

Mixed Berry Sauce

2 c frozen berries
1/3 c sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
zest of one lemon
pinch of salt
1 tbs cornstarch

Combine all ingredients into a medium pot.  Set heat to medium high heat.  Bring mixture to a boil until desired thickness.  Enjoy!

Pico De Gallo con Avocado

Do you like my Spanish? Look at me whipping it out...We eat Mexican a ton here in good old Hawaii.  Not alot of Mexican restaurants to choose from here, so I get my fix several times a week at home.  I love the fresh element that pico de gallo adds to tacos, burritos, tostadas, salads or even quesadillas.  The question is why make separate guacamole and pico de gallo?  Why not combine the two and save some time?  Plus, since avocados are so expensive, you actually don't need as much avocado as you would if you were making a full side of guacamole.  If you don't have the jarred salsa, add a few dashes of any kind of hot sauce, but make sure you season really well with salt and pepper. Love this!

 Pico De Gallo con Avocado

1/4 c. onion, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/3 c or 1/3 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Juice of half of a lemon
1/4 c jarred salsa (like Pace Picante)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together well.  Check for seasoning, and season with salt according to your liking.

Napa Cabbage Slaw

This is a wonderful slaw type salad that I have been making once a week for my family.  I guess the reason why I have been making it so frequently is because my kids devour this slaw, and ask for more.  What kid wants more salad? Seriously.  I also like it because it is inexpensive, and easy to throw together as a side.  It is very, very easy. The dressing is actually made from my recipe for Amazing Asian Dressing, so there is definitely an Asian flair. I half the dressing if I use only half of the head of cabbage.  Keep in mind that you could throw ANY type of veggie in this salad.  Sugar snap peas, bite size broccoli, carrots, zucchini, cilantro etc.  The recipe that I have listed is what I usually have on hand, but be creative and add your own spin to this one. I like to serve this with Spam Musubi (if you live in Hawaii you know what this is) or grilled chicken and rice.  The rice soaks up the dressing and it is delish.

Napa Cabbage Slaw

1 head of Napa cabbage, sliced thinly
1/2 onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 more tbs. of mayo added to the dressing
1 recipe for Amazing Asian Dressing (click on title for the recipe)

Combine all ingredients together, and let sit for 15 or so minutes in the fridge.  If you want a little more salt, add some soy to your desired taste.

Asian Style Green Beans

I had gotten some fresh green beans at the farmer's market this last week. So, I started looking for recipes to make these green beans go from blah to fab. Since I always have certain ingredients on hand, these were a cinch to whip up. Let me tell how good they were... I'm not a vegetarian, but eating these with some rice made me think I could turn vegetarian. These were really good, healthy and I will definitely make these again. This one's a keeper!

Asian Style Green Beans

1 tbs soy sauce
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
3/4-1 pound of fresh green beans, trimmed on the ends

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Heat 2 olive oil in a large skillet or wok, add green beans, and stir fry until green beans are crisp tender. Remove from heat, add sauce and stir to combine.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

YUM! I love this side dish during the holidays. I really only eat it this during the holidays because it is super rich, feeds a crowd, and goes amazing with ham. This recipe is nothing new to the general public. However, since it is one of my favorites, I thought I would add it to the collection. This can be served alongside any type of meat, its like a sped up version of potatoes gratin. Enough said, here is the recipe.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

30 oz. bag frozen, shredded hash browns
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c chopped onion

In a sauce pan, saute butter and onion until onion is transluscent. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl, and mix well. Pour mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan, bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and hot.

Thai Peanut Sauce

I have been busy! I have felt the need to post, but have not had the time lately. What can I say, living in Hawaii is rough! I have plenty of recipes to post about, but I wanted to get this recipe up first. My friend Kristi Collins made this incredibly awesome sauce to go with grilled chicken. This recipe is so easy and can really jazz up a boring meal. The sauce is also a healthy as it contains peanut butter, and no oil. My kids love it to dip chicken in because the sauce has the familiar taste of peanut butter. I sometimes like to use it as a salad dressing, thinning it out with water for the right consistency. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Thai Peanut Sauce

2 tbs smooth peanut butter
2 tbs coconut milk
1 tbs lime juice
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Serve with grilled chicken.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Living in Hawaii presents a dilemma when it comes to obtaining items for Mexican food...my favorite. Bread/tortillas are very stale by the time they get to the island, since they have been on a boat for who knows how long. So, I decided I would make my own. Intimidated the first time? Yes. But, after trying this recipe out, it was so stinkin easy, I probably would be making my own even if I still lived in California. I used my pancake griddle to cook these and turned the temperature up to 400 degrees. It worked beautifully. You are not looking for these to get crisp, you will be able to tell when they are done. They will bubble up on each side. You can divide the dough up into 8 portions for bigger burritos (or cafe rio salad bottom), or make 10-12 smaller ones for soft tacos.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c shortening
3/4 c very hot water

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add hot water, and mix until dough form a ball. Knead dough until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Place in a bowl and let rest for 1 hour. (The dough will not rise). Divide dough into 8 equal portions, and roll out very thin. Cook on a hot pan or griddle on each side, until bubbly. (Note: my tortillas were very rustic and were not perfect circles, so don't stress)

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch

I don't know about you, but salads are only good when the dressing is good. For Christmas Eve I made the Cafe Rio Salad re-creation, and it was awesome to have Mexican food in Hawaii. Hawaii does not have a good variety of Mexican products in the grocery store, and so I find that I don't have Mexican food as much. This is a bummer because it is my favorite food.
I really love this dressing to pieces, and for those of you that don't know about Cafe Rio, it is a Baja Mexican inspired restaurant in the western part of the United States. It started out in Utah, and now they have them in selected western states. This dressing is soooooo incredibly good, and I LOVE that when I make it, I have a whole container of it, instead of the little cup they give you at the restaurant. I serve this dressing with any of the following: meat, salad (of course), rice, beans, pico de gallo, or any other add in you like on your salad.

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch

1 packet Ranch dressing mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeded and veins removed
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. Store in a container, in the fridge.