Red Quinoa with Chicken

This is a very simple way to prepared quinoa. You have all you need in one bowl and it sure makes a great one dish meal. When making this dish I always take the leftover for the next day lunch. It is tasty and colorful so everyone around asks what I am eating…

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup red quinoa

1 cup of cubed carrot
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen soy bean

1 small onion, chopped

1 chicken breast in cubes
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon corn starch
½ tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

Cook the quinoa according to the instruction in the box.
In another pan cook the carrots, corn and soybean in a hot water. Set aside. In the meantime marinate the chicken with garlic, soy sauce, olive oil and corn starch for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a wok pan stir fry the chicken breast with olive oil, and set aside. In the same pan sautee the onion in olive oil, when slightly soft add the chicken, quinoa and the veggies. Mix gently, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Did you know that germinated quinoa has an even higher nutritional values than its raw form? To germinate the seed, just place them in a glass of water for 2-4 hours.

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Miso Marinated Scallops

I hope you all had a great weekend…today I want to share a very easy way to prepare scallops, if you like them. I say that because my husband does not eat scallops, therefore when I make this, it is just for myself…and I really hope that one day he starts to like scallops as he did with the roasted cinnamon almonds
Again, this is a very simple recipe. I used white miso for its mild flavor. You will be amazed of the gentle and yet flavorful combination of miso with scallop.

Ingredients:

1 lb of large scallops

Marinate Sauce

2 tablespoon white miso
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon cooking wine
½ teaspoon chili oil (you can omit this)
1 teaspoon olive oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients listed in the marinate sauce. Pat dry the scallops and cover each one of them with the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, wipe of the excess of sauce from the scallops, and place them in a hot fry pan with some olive oil. Fry them both side until golden brown.

Serve on a bed of salad. In this particular picture I used baby spinach leaves and strawberries drizzled with champagne vinegar and olive oil.

Did you know that miso is a product of fermenting rice, barley and soybean? White miso is mainly from rice and barley and small amount of soybean.

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Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

This recipe has a story…I used to buy this kind of almonds at Costco mainly during holiday time, and I’d go through many many jars. Initially my husband did not care for it, so I knew that the almonds were all for me and I had a sense of how long the almonds would last me. But one day he decided that he liked the almonds and I could see the almonds in the jars disappearing in front of my eyes very fast. That was not the issue…the issue was that Costco stopped carrying the product, and he even called the Costco buyer in Seattle. Well, that was the end of my cinnamon almonds until I searched the internet and saw many different versions of it. In the end, all worked for better. Not only I could manage the amount of sugar, the cost of these roasted cinnamon almonds came much cheaper than the Costco ones…so I am all happy again with my almonds. Be aware, these almonds are addictive! You cannot stop eating them once you start, so be careful…you have been alerted!

I took these almonds to work and a lot of people asked for the recipe, so here it is…

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups almonds
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven at 250F.

Add the vanilla extract to egg white and mix until slightly frothy. In another bowl mix the sugar, salt and the cinnamon, set aside.

Add the mix of egg white to the almonds and mix until all the almonds are covered with the egg white.

Add the sugar mix to the almonds covered with egg white and mix gently until all the almonds are covered with sugar.

Spread the almonds in prepared trays (I used 2 baking sheet) and bake for 1 hour at 250F, flipping the almonds every 20 minutes, so the almonds do not stick to the baking sheet.

Remove the almonds from the oven, let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Did you know that almond is not a nut but a drupe? A drupe is a fruit that has a fleshy part in the outside with a hard shell with a seed inside. So almond is mainly sold with shelled or unshelled.

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Spinach and Canadian Bacon Frittata

This is a very easy dish…it is a whole meal by itself. You have all you need in a meal tided up together. It is low in carbohydrates, has lots of protein and it is very simple to make. Another good thing… you just have one pan to wash :-)!

Ingredients:

½ red onion thinly sliced
6 slices of Canadian bacon (you can substitute with any cold cut)
1 bunch of baby spinach leaves
3 strings mozzarella cheese, sliced.
½ cup of frozen artichokes
4 eggs slightly beaten with ¼ cup of milk
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

In a hot fry pan, sautee the onion with the Canadian bacon with the olive oil. When the onion starts to get soft, add the spinach and the artichokes. In the meantime add to mixture of eggs, paprika, salt and pepper, mix gently. Pour the egg mixture on the pan, and gently layer the mozzarella cheese. Cover and lower the heat. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. It is done when the egg settles. Flip the pan on a plate and serve warm.

Did you know that Canadian bacon is known in Canada as back bacon? Canadian bacon or back bacon is a cut that comes from the loin. It is more like a slice of ham which is leaner and tender than bacon.

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Shrimp with Cilantro and Lemon

This is a very simple recipe for shrimps, it is tasty if you like cilantro. Now that the weather if getting warmer (at least for us living in Southern California) I like to make a nice salad and top it with these shrimps. It sure makes a great meal and it is very healthy…shrimps are low in fat ;-).

Ingredients:

1 lb of shrimp, clean and deveined
2 garlic clove finely chopped
½ lemon, juice freshly squeezed
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon cooking wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except the cilantro. In a pan heat the olive oil and fry the shrimps both side, when the shrimps are done add the cilantro and remove from the heat. Serve the shrimps on top of a green salad of your choice.

Enjoy this simple and easy recipe!

Not long ago I was honored with these awards:

From Kitchen Flavours, she is sweet and always share yummie recipes.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank them both and invite you all to visit their sites if you have not done already.

I want to dedicate these awards to all of you, so please feel free to collect them.

By the way, I am linking this post to Hearth and Soul.

Did you know that cilantro is also called Chinese parsley? Moreover, coriander is the dry fruits of cilantro which is used widely in curries.

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Cucumber Salad

First of all…ALOHA! Today I want to share a very easy, simple and refreshing salad. You just need a few ingredients and you have a very light, tasty cucumber salad.

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers or 3~4 Persian cucumbers
1 teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon thinly cut fresh ginger
1~2 tablespoons apple vinegar
Hot pepper flakes to taste

Method:

Wash and cut the cucumber (1/2 in), sprinkle with salt and let it sit for 5 minutes. Drain the water from the cucumber. In a small bowl mix the sugar, apple vinegar, ginger and hot pepper flakes. Pour on the drained cucumber, mix gently and serve.

And here are some pictures of our Spring Break…

Did you know cucumbers are flowers since they have enclosed seeds and were developed from flower?

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Beef and Barley Soup

Another soup recipe…since it has been cold…yes even here in Southern California. I’ve been making soup very often. This one is very easy, simple and so tasty. It is hearty and sure makes a great one dish meal, especially for a cold evening dinner. I used the pressure cooker, therefore the soup is ready in no time.

Ingredients:

¾ cup pearl barley rinsed and soaked in water for 6~8 hours (or overnight)
1 small onion chopped
2~3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1~1 ½ lb beef for stew
1 can stew tomatoes
3 carrots, cut in cubes
3 stalks celery, cut
2 medium potatoes, cut in cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1~2 dry bay leaves

Method:

In a bowl place the beef in cubes with the flour, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In the pressure cooker add the olive oil and sautee the onion and garlic, add the beef and let stir for a while, add the barley (drained) and the stew tomatoes.

Add 3 to 4 cups of water and the bay leaves.

Cook under pressure for 10 minutes. After the cooking time, remove from heat and let the pressure come down, once be able to open, add the potatoes, carrots and celery and cook for another minute under pressure.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Did you know that in Japan, tea is made from roasted barley and is served cold as a summer beverage?

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Meringue Kisses Cookies

This is a very simple recipe which gives you beautiful colors of cookies. These cookies are very light and non fat. I adapted this recipe from Desserts Magazine, December issues of cookies. In the original recipe raspberry Jell-O was used, I decided to make two tones of colored cookies, strawberry and lime. These meringue cookies taste so good… mainly because of the Jell-O flavor. It is not too sweet and slightly tart, you cannot stop eating them. It is sure a favorite among the kids and adults.

Ingredients:

Lime Meringue Kisses Cookies
3 large egg whites
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1 package (3 oz) lime Jell-O
1/3 cup fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberry Meringue Kisses Cookies
3 large egg whites
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1 package (3 oz) strawberry Jell-O
1/3 cup fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

Position one oven rack in the top third of the oven and the other rack on the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 275°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the egg whites and salt in a large bowl beat using medium speed until frothy , about 30 seconds. Turn the speed to high and pour the Jell-O and the sugar into the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 5 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the vanilla. Place the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a very large plain or star tip and pipe the cookies, each about 1V inches in diameter, onto the baking sheets.

Bake the meringues until they are firm on the outside but still soft on the inside, about 30 minutes. Remove the cookies from the parchment sheet and place on a wire rack and let them cool. These cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Did you know that whipped egg whites are more stable when cream of tartar is added to the whites? Moreover, cream of tartar serves as a binding agent and helps to denature the protein in the eggs whites in order to form firm peaks.

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Navy Bean with Sausage

This is a very simple and easy recipe for soup. It is comforting and hearty, and it makes a great one meal dish. I use the pressure cooker to cook the beans, therefore the cooking time was very short. This soup is so simple therefore makes a great weekday dinner.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup navy bean
1 bay leave
½ tablespoon olive oil

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion chopped
3 stalks celery
3 medium carrots
2 large Kielbasa smoked sausage

Sal and pepper to taste

Mozzarella cheese

Method:

Wash and soak the navy bean in water overnight. Place the navy bean into the pressure cooker with 3 cups of water, bay leave and ½ tablespoon olive oil. Cook in high heat until the pressure start, then turn to low and let it cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, sautee the onion with ½ tablespoon olive oil, add the sausage, the carrot and then the celery.

Add the sausage to the cooked navy bean, add salt and pepper to taste, cook for another 1~2 minutes.

When serving garnish with grated mozzarella cheese.

I hope you enjoyed this simple recipe

Did you know that beans are rich source of fiber and contain iron, potassiun, selenium, acid folic and vitamin B6? Moreover, Brazil is the top producer of dry bean.