Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

This salad is light and refreshing and of course also delicious.  It's great served at room temperature which makes it the pefect summer salad.  I think you definitely can substitue different vegetables to suit your taste.  Next time I make this I'm going to omit the red peppers and add edamame and scallions and maybe some jicima for crunch.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 ounces rice stick noodles (maifun)

4 large garlic cloves

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 shredded chicken breasts from a purchased roasted chicken

3 cups shredded Napa cabbage

1 cup coarsely grated carrot

1/3 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/2 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise

1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts

*other additions

1/2 cup edamame, blanched

1/3 cup chopped scallions

1/2 cup cripsy wontons

Preparation:

Cook noodles in small pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; place in a large serving bowl.

Puree next 7 ingredients in blender. With machine running, gradually add oil and blend until dressing is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chicken, cabbage, carrot, pepper, onion, and cucumbers to the noodles in large bowl. Toss with dressing to coat, sprinkle with peanuts, and serve.

 

Potato Chip Crusted Salmon

This salmon dish is delicious.  I LOVE the use of kettle chips instead of breadcrumbs for the crust, so yummy!  Very easy recipe to prepare and cook.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of salmon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 5.5 ounce bag of kettle cooke potato chips

zest of half a lime

1/3 cup chopped dill

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  Place salmon skin side down in the center of the baking sheet.  Season salmon lightly with salt and pepper.  In a bowl crush kettle chips and add in lime zest, dill, and olive oil. Coat the salmon with a think layer of the potato chip mixture and pat gently to help them stay in place.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the chip coating is nicely browned.



Asian Slaw

It's about time for BBQ season so I'm pulling out all go to grilling recipes and side dishes.  I love this version of Cole Slaw, Asian style. 

Ingredients:

1 - 24 oz package Cole Slaw (cabbage, carrots and red cabbage)
1 package Oriental flavored Ramen Noodles (separate the flavor packet from the noodles, you will need both for this recipe)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preparation:

In a large bowl add the contents of the Oriental Ramen Noodle Seasoning packet, sugar, vinegar, oil and soy sauce.  Stir with a wire whisk until combined well.  Add whole bag of cole slaw and toss to coat evenly.  Add in sunflower seeds and almonds and toss again.  In a small fying pan break up the Ramen Noodles and toast over med/hi heat stirring often until noodles are golden brown.  Remove from heat and add toasted noodles to the slaw right before serving.

Gefilte Fish Cakes

This year for the jewish holidays I wanted to come up with a new starter instead of the traditional gefilte fish which not everyone in our family likes. One of my favorite new kosher cooking websites is joyofkoshercooking.com. I found this really creative twist on gefilte fish that is sort of like a crab cake and it was a huge hit. It was very easy and I will be adding it to my holiday menus in the future!

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen gefilte fish defrosted (22 0z)

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 small red onion diced

2 celery stalks diced

1 1/2 C mayo divided

4 T chopped dill

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

1 C coarsely crushed matzo (I used matzo farfel)

1 C canola oil

1 lemon juiced

4 T prepared horseradish

Preparation:

In large bol combine fish, peppers,onion, celery, dill, 1/2 C mayo, salt, pepper, egg, and matzo, and stir well to combine. With wet hands scoop 1/4 C and form into patties. Place on sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes before frying.  Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Fry patties in batches 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.  In small bowl combine remaining 1 C mayo, lemon juice, and horseradish and stir.

To serve, plate 2 cakes on a small plate and garnish with 1 T sauce.

Cauliflower Puree

We starting making cauliflower puree for Holiday dinners in place of mashed potatoes to have a more healthful alernative to all the potato dishes that we usually make.  We all really LOVE this recipe, well the adults do but the kids are still requesting mashed potatoes so I guess we will start making both.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter *optional

Preparation:

Cut cauliflower into small pieces and place in a stock pot.  Add chicken broth almost to cover and cook over med/hi heat for about 30-40 minutes until cauliflower is for tender.   Drain cauliflower reserving some cooking liquid on the side.  Using an immersion blender blend cauliflower until smooth.  If it's too thick add back in a little stock to help loosen it up.  Season with salt and pepper and some butter or margarine if desired.

Sweet n' Sour Meatballs

I got this recipe from my high school Home Ec. class. I loved that class. These meatballs have become a family staple over the years. We make this recipe all the time for family gatherings as well as for weeknight dinners. It is such a simple recipe and totally fool's proof. I made this for our Passover Seder this weekend. I just substituted out the bread crumbs for matzo meal.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1- 1.5 lb. pkg. ground beef or ground turkey
bread crumbs (Italian or plain)
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Sauce:
1 large jar of spaghetti sauce
2 cans of jellied cranberry sauce
garlic powder (to taste)
red pepper flakes or ground red pepper (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation:

Combine meat with bread crumbs, eggs and salt and pepper. Roll into balls.
Combine sauces simmer over medium heat. Add spices to taste. Drop raw meatballs into simmering sauce. Cook covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Matzo Apple Pudding

This is a favorite recipe that we have EVERY year for Passover.  It makes a delicious side dish for our Passover Sedar dinner.  Usually either our Mom or Karen makes this every year for our family.  It re-heats beautifully so we often make a double or triple recipe and have it two days in row for both Sedars.

Ingredients:
3 squares of matzo
3/4 C. water
1 jar (15 oz) apple sauce
1/2 C. slivered almonds
3/4 C. raisins
3 T. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 C. brown sugar
4 eggs beaten

Preparation: Break up matzo in bowl. Pour in water and toss. let stand until matzo is soft and water is absorbed. add applesauce, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, salt lemon rind, brown sugar, and eggs. Pour into 1 1/2 quart greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Matzo Brie with Warm Cinnamon Apples

In my house, Springtime brings flowers, warmer weather and Passover.  Good thing my kids LOVE Matzo and lots of it!  There are so many recipes you can make using Matzo instead of flour, bread or rice.  Matzo Brie is a traditional breakfast to eat during Passover.  It's made with Matzo and eggs and cooked with butter in a frying pan very similar to french toast and pancakes.  Traditionally it's served  topped with granulated sugar or maple syrup but I decided to change it up a bit and spoon warm cinnamon apples over the top instead.  It was a nice change from the usual.

Ingredients:

Matzo Brie:
6 sheets of Matzo
4 eggs
pinch of salt

Warm Cinnamon Apples:
3 apples, diced into small 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan add cubed apples, water, sugar and cinnamon.  Cook over med/hi heat for about 20-30 minutes until apples are tender but not mushy.  You don't want to make applesauce.  Cover with foil to keep warm and set aside.

Next, break Matzo up in to small pieces and place in a collander in the sink.  Run warm water over the matzo moving the collander around to allow the matzo to soften.

Once Matzo is softened drain off excess water and place in a large bowl.

Put eggs and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and beat with a whisk.  Add eggs to large bowl with Matzoh and combine with a wooden spoon.

In a large skillet/frying pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine.  Add Matzo and eggs to the pan spreading out evenly to the edges.  Allow the bottom of the Matzo Brie to cook for about 3-5 minutes over med/hi heat until slightly brown. 

You are ready to flip once the bottom is browned and you are able to lift up the entire "pancake" in one piece using two spatulas.  I often get nervous and slice the "pancake" down the middle and flip in two sections.

Flip over and allow the other side to cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Slice Matzo Brie into triangle pieces like a pizza pie and serve topped with warm cinnamon apples!

Happy Pesach

Toffee Coated Chocolate Covered Matzo

A spin off of the all time favorite Salted Toffee Chocolate Squares but kosher for Passover!

Ingredients:

3 pieces of matzo
1/2 cup of chopped almonds
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
small bag of chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place matzo in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle almonds over matzo.

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over matzo. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate over matzo. Let sit to melt and then spread melted chocolate in thin layer over toffee. Place in refrigerator to set up. Break into pieces. Or, if you want uniform squares, before placing in refrigerator.......with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

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