Boiled Cassava with Coconut Milk

Baked, steamed, or cooked cassava with coconut milk is a popular snack on the streets of Vietnam. This is a dish that I enjoyed all the time as my breakfast or with afternoon tea. Today, I will share a delicious, simple cassava cooked with coconut milk. Instead of steamed cassava with added coconut cream at the end, boiled cassava with coconut milk is much faster and easier, and, if some of fresh pandan leaves are added while cooking, it guarantees a fantastic result. This dish will warm the hearts of people and is not expensive to prepare. This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:
1 large cassava
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
A few pandan leaves

Directions:
Peel and cut cassava into 2 in. round pieces.

Soak cassava in water for a few hours and then rinse.

Place cassava in a pot. Place pandan leaves on the bottom of the pot, if using, then add cassava.

Pour the coconut milk, water, and, salt into a pot. The inserted it to a few Pandian leaves quantity of the coconut milk mixture should be 1/2 inch above the cassava (you can adjust the amount depending on the amount of cassava on hand).
Bring hot contents to boil and then turn the heat to simmer. Cook uncovered until the coconut milk has evaporated. Add sugar. Continue to cook until the coconut tries out.

Serve with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds.

 

 

To make roasted peanut and sesame seeds. The ratio that I use is;
1/2 cup roasted peanut
1/2 cup roasted sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
Place in a mini food processor and pulse a few times. You can add more sugar or salt for your taste site. Also, make it chunky or even coarser as your taste desires.
The left over cooked cassava can easily be turned into another dish, which is sweet rice with cooked cassava using the following ingredients and following the directions below.

2 cups cooked cassava, cut into bite-size chunks
2 cup sweet rice, rinsed
1 and3/4 cup coconut water
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Mix cooked cassavas and rice and place them into a rice cooker. Turn the rice cooker dial to cook – that is all folks!

Serve this dish with scallion oil and sweet soy dipping sauce with chili.

 

To make scallion oil:
You will need about 2 green onions. Slice onions and place in a microwave-safe dish. Add 1/4 cup peanut oil or any oil that your choice with 1,8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds.

Super Powerful Green Soup

More and more people will choose to live their life in a better way with more healthy nutrition. The best of all is the super green food. It can be consumed from smoothies with green apples, kale, and spinach blended with oranges, carrots, and bananas for a quick breakfast or some other way. However, it is also quick and easy to prepare healthy super green soup when the kitchen has a well-stocked pantry, which allows the cook to gather the necessary ingredients quickly and efficiently when needed. Most supermarkets now have all the green vegetables, such as asparagus, peas, or broccoli, in the freezer section. Another super green choice to create this recipe is the super green salad kit, which includes baby kale, spinach, chard, etc. I am very proud  to introduce this easy healthy green soup and hope it becomes your favorite one.


Ingredients:
 3 cups vegetables stocks*
1 cup kale
3 cups super salad kit
1/2 cup green peas
1 cup broccoli
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup almond milk
Combination of fresh herbs, such as mints, parsley, and chives
2 tsp lemon juice


Directions:
Heat 2 tbs oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until tender and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper; Add broth and bring to boil. Add all the green vegetables and slowly bring back to boil. Use a handheld blender to blend the soup until smooth. Add almond milk and lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if needed. To serve, garnish the soup with chopped herbs.

*To make a quick vegetable stock:
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 celery stalks
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
1 piece of pineapple
2 oz. daikon
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup white cabbage
1 tsp peppercorn
1 bay leaf
One 5 inch kombu
Handful of parsley and thyme
Salt to taste

 

 

Place everything in an 8 quart pot with water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and partly cover the pot for 30 to 45 minutes. Turn the heat off and let all the vegetables steep in the hot water for 30 minutes then drain.

Spaghetti Squash Spring Rolls

Vietnamese spring rolls are very popular because they are made with almost all fresh vegetables. Other than the vegetables, protein sources can be included, such as cooked shrimp, pork, chicken, fish, or tofu for vegetarians. Most of the spring rolls use steamed rice noodles or vermicelli noodles, and the ingredients are endless with many choices for creation of these spring rolls. There are many dipping sauces that suit this dish, such as sweet Vietnamese dipping sauce, Thai peanut sauce, or creamy yogurt dipping sauce. Westerners are familiar with spaghetti squash. This vegetable is super healthy with loads of beta carotene and fiber. I love spaghetti squash and prepare many recipes with this wonderful vegetable. Today, I will introduce easy spring rolls with the combination of both worlds, Asian/Western, of cooking. I use the fish patties that are sold in Costco, and this dish is delicious. These spring rolls have not only a wonderful taste but also are a very healthy meal when combined with other vegetables, such as carrots, jicama, and cucumbers.

Ingredients:
1/2 spaghetti squash
1/2 jicama, peeled and julienned
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/2 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
Herbs: mints and cilantro
4 fish patties (your choice)
1/2 cup crushed roasted peanuts
Salt pepper to taste or Japanese seasoning*

15 rice paper wrappers
Serve with peanut dipping sauce or Vietnamese dipping sauce

Directions:
Preparing the squash:
Pierce the whole squash with a fork and then cook the squash in boiling water for 30 to 40 minutes. There are so many ways to cook squash, but this is a simple one.

 After boiling, let the squash cool off, then cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and the membranes. Use the fork to scrape out the squash “meat” or "noodles".

Grill the fish patties with some oil. Divide the patties equally among the rice paper wrappers.

Heat a large sauté pan with some oil. Start cooking the carrots and jicama (just enough to soften them).

 Season with some salt and pepper or use the Japanese seasoning (the recipe as follow or the store-bought).

 

Assembling the rice rolls:
Have a warm big bowl of water ready to moisten the rice paper wrappers.

 

Immerse each wrapper individually in the warm water. Quickly remove and spread out flat on a dry counter-top or plate. Use a paper towel to pat the rice paper wrapper to get any extra water out from the rice paper wrapper. The rice paper will become pliable within seconds. Take one tables of spaghetti squash over the bottom third of the rice paper and one table of the rest of the filling.

 Roll up the paper half way into a cylinder. fold both sides the paper over the filling. Keep rolling the paper into a cylinder to seal. Continue to finish rolling. Place on a serving plate  with dipping sauce on the side

The dipping sauce:
2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice and rice vinegar
1/4 cup coconut water and 1/4 cup fish sauce
garlic  and fesh chili
 This quick  sauce can be use for many Vietnamese recipes for the dipping with fresh rolls or eggrolls etc..
 
*How to prepare the Japanese seasoning:
10 seaweed sushi roll, bake in preheat oven at 350° for 20 minutes or until crispy
1 cup roasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass, pan fry until golden brown
2 tsp salt, panfry until golden brown
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp chili flakes or caynene

Grind the seaweed in the food processor until become small pieces. Add the the rest of the ingredients and grind until they become the consistency that  you like, not too powdery.. Store in a shaker and use for many recipes that call for this seasoning.

Chicken Pot Roast

The one-pot cooking in a NuWave® oven is one of my favorite recipes now for a lazy easy weekend meal. This method is similar to French cooking called cassoulet, but much simpler. I am Asian, so I like to marinate my chicken with an Asian theme, which includes all Asian spices and coconut milk in the liquid. With this recipe, other root vegetables can be added depending on each cook’s taste. I like to use potato, carrot, and daikon for this dish. For me, I try to keep cooking as simple as possible, but still delicious enough to serve our families and guests, and I am happy to share a recipe today.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4 lbs.)
Spices:
1 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbs fresh chopped lemongrass
1 tbs fresh chopped ginger
4 garlic cloves
2tsp chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
Vegetables:
1 lb. potato, peeled and cut into big chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
1 piece of daikon, peeled and cut into big chunks
1 small onion, cut into wedges
Other ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 kiaffir lime leaves
2 cups water
1 can coconut milk

Directions:
Combine all the spices and blend well in a mini food processor.

Wash and rinse the chicken well. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Use your fingers to loosen up the chicken skin all around.

 Apply 2/3 of the spice mixture under the chicken skin.

In a large cast-iron pot, heat 2 tbs coconut oil until hot. Brown the chicken on all sides ( this step is hard because the whole chicken is not easy to maneuver, you can skip it, but I like my chicken to have a brownish color).

Add the water to the pot. Cover and place in oven set to 350° for 2 hour , which depends on each individual oven. Remove the lid and add all the vegetables and coconut milk.

 Cover and put the pot back into oven to cook for an additional 30 minutes to one hour or until the vegetables are soft and tender.

You also can partly cook the vegetables in microwave for 5 minutes, then the cooking time will be shorter.
Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot. Skim and discard most of the fat from the liquid.

 Adjust the seasoning again with the rest of the spice mixture. Add more sugar, if needed, for your taste.
Cut the chicken and serve on a plate with some broth.

 

Crockpot Marinara Sauce

The crockpot cooking method is now another easy lazy way to create a wonderful meal. I love to make tomato sauce, or whatever Italian cooks want to use the sauce for from pizza to pasta. I find each cook can create his or her own marinara sauce with basic and ingredients, such as fresh or canned stewed tomatoes, garlic, fresh or dried basil, oregano. Sometimes, I add red wine to the sauce, if I have an open bottle of red wine, but it is not necessary to add wine to the recipe. With my busy life, I like to make this sauce in a crockpot because it really saves time. Place all the ingredients in a crockpot and forget about it. How easy and simple it is. This sauce freezes well or last a week in the fridge. I make my sauce with fresh herbs because it is summertime in the Northwest with my full herbs garden. This sauce can be easily used to create more recipes for a quick dinner.

Ingredients:
Two 14, 5 oz. canned tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
1 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup fresh chopped oregano and basil

Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a crockpot. Cover and turn to high for 4 hours or low to 8 hour. Adjust the seasoning with more salt or sugar, if needed. Leave the sauce chunky or use a handheld blender to pulse a few times to make the sauce smoother. It is up to you. Ladle the sauce in glass jar with lid.

Read These Helpful Tips Occasionally to Remind Yourself

1. Do not take yourself too seriously. No one notices you.
2. Dream more while you are awake.
3. Being jealous is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
4. Forget the issues in the past. Do not remind your spouse to remember their mistakes in the past. This will ruin your present happiness.
5. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
6. Realize that life is a school, and you are here to learn. The problem is only part of the curriculum that appears and fades away like algebra class, but the lessons that you learn will last a lifetime.
7. Each day gives something good to others.
8. Forgive everyone for everything.
9. Spend time with people over 70 and under 6 years old.
10. It doesn’t matter what others think of you.
11. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Friends do it. Please always contact each other.
12. One of your smiles can bring happiness to anyone, even if they do not like you.
13. You are special and unique.
14. There is someone you do not know who loves you.
15. Whether or not you have committed a monstrous mistake, something good comes from it.
16. Just when you think the world has looked away, is then returned back to you – take another look.
17. Always remember the compliments you have received. Forget about the rude remarks. Always remember that when life hands you a lemon, always ask for sugar!
18. Good friends are like stars, you do not always see them, but you know they are always there.
19. I would rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend when I was here, than have a whole truckload when I am gone.
20. Happiness keeps you sweet. Trials keep you strong. Sorrows keep you Human. Life keeps you humble. Success keeps you glowing. But only the strong friendships keeps you continue going.

Persian/Asian Ground Turkey Meatballs

I created this recipe inspired by the Persian dish. They have similar spices as Asian recipes, and most of them are already in my kitchen. I use ground turkey for the lean meat, but ground beef or pork will work as well. The combination of herbs and spices are packed with vitamin C, cilantro, and mints. These meatballs can be threaded through a skewer to make as kabobs and then grilled. However, a simple way to finish these meatballs is to broil them in a high-heat oven or to pan-fry them. Serve with pita bread or rice with some dipping sauce*.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup grated white onions
1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 garlic minced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and gently mix them until the mixture holds together.

Form into 15 to 20 meatballs depending on the size of meatballs that you like.

 Spray the baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet. Bake in a NuWave® oven or regular oven set to 350° for 15 minutes. Serve.

 

 

*Ingredients for making sweet Vietnamese dipping sauce for these meatballs.
 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbs each sugar and lemon juice
Minced garlic and fresh chili

Combine and stir the dipping sauce ingredients.

*Ingredients for making Middle Eastern sauce:
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 tsp lime juice
Salt, pepper
Mash the cheese and stir in the yogurt, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Baked Salmon

I have posted many baked fish recipes on my blog so far. Today, although using only a few ingredients, this recipe is for a very healthy and hearty meal. The NuWave® oven is fantastic for baking this fish. I like the combination of lemon juice, nonfat Greek yogurt, and fermented miso paste. Mustard enhances this creamy marinade. Eating more fish is a prescription for good health with its low calories, high-protein, and abundance of omega-3 fatty acids. I also top this dish with fresh chives, and, I have to say, this is a million dollar dinner.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz. salmon fillets
Marinade ingredients:
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tbs miso paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
 
Garnish: chopped fresh chives

Directions:
In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Place fish on a baking dish and divide the marinade equally before brushing it over fish.

 Marinate the fish for one hour and bake in a preheated oven set to 350° for 20 minutes (I use a NuWave® oven because it takes only 10 minutes).

Eat as is or serve with grilled mushrooms and steamed baby bok choy. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

 

Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash has an elongated shape with a mild orange color and is rich in Vitamin A, C and as lots of fiber. With the many healthy benefits and and sweet flavor from butternut squash, I think this winter vegetable is at the top of my favorites list. Many wonderful recipes use butternut squash. One of my easy recipes uses butternut squash in a crockpot. For this recipe, I am not just using butternut squash, but I also use carrots, daikon, and kelp to improve the flavor of the soup. I find that the crockpot is the perfect kitchen gadget to make this soup. The soup can be served as a vegetarian soup or with added ground meat, fish, or shrimp to jazz up the flavor.  Place all the ingredients in the crockpot and forget it.

Ingredients:
4 cups cubed butternut squash
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
1 piece daikon, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
One 2” x 2” piece of kelp, cleaned
3 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups coconut milk
Other ingredients:
½ lb. ground chicken or turkey
1 tbs oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh chopped ginger

 Garnish with chopped cilantro

Directions:
If you buy fresh butternut squash, you need first to peel off the skin and remove the seeds and membranes and then cut.

Most of the grocery stores now sell frozen butternut squash, which makes it easier to handle.
Place all the ingredients except the coconut milk into the crockpot. Set crockpot on low from 4 to 6 hours or on high from 1 to 4 hours.

When the time is finished, use a trusted handheld KitchenAid® or other blender to blend the soup.

Add coconut milk and adjust the seasoning at this point. This soup is ready to serve. Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Adding ground meat into this soup:
While the soup is cooking, heat cooking oil in a sauté pan. Stir in shallots, garlic, and ginger. Cook until fragrant. Add meat and cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.

 Add cayenne to the soup at the same time as the coconut milk for a little kick.

Roasted Whole Chicken

I like to buy a whole roasted chicken at Costco or other large grocery store for a quick dinner. However, since I now own a NuWave® oven, it has changed the way I cook now. I began by first roasting just the chicken parts, and they turned out perfectly. So today, I feel confident enough to prepare the whole chicken. The NuWave® oven as proved what they claim by creating a good meal in less time. The NuWave® oven can save time necessary for cooking, is easily cleaned, and needs only a small space on the countertop. Many recipes for whole roast chicken start with a spice rub, herbs, and oil-butter. For people who are first attempting to roast a chicken at home, my advice is to buy the rub with a famous chef’s name and use that. I always make my own rub because I have a full herbs garden during the summer in the Pacific Northwest, and I want to take advantage of the summer season to enjoy my herbs. Anyway, if a NuWave® oven is not available, then a regular oven will work. The NuWave® oven uses the combination of convection, conduction, and infrared heat to brown the chicken and roasts the meat evenly. With that technique, the chicken will be juicy when it roasts. My recipe today will definitely help to assure you that they chicken will be juicy.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3 to 5 lbs.)
1/4 cup canola oil and melted butter
2 tsp of salt, black pepper, and paprika
Herbs and other ingredients:
1/2 cup of fresh chopped thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of one lime or lemon

Directions:
Wash and remove the giblets from the chicken. Use paper towels to dry the chicken.

Mix herbs, garlic, and lemon juice in a bowl.

Place oil and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute or until the butter has melted.
If you do not have a NuWave® oven, then use a baking sheet. Tuck chicken wings under and tie the chicken legs.
Rub the whole chicken inside and out with oil-butter, salt, pepper, paprika, and herbs-lemon mixture.
Preheat oven to 350° and roast the chicken for 17 minutes per lb.

I use some sliced onion on the baking pan and place the chicken on top. Place the chicken in the NuWave® oven as instructed. Breast side down and bake for 35 minutes.

Rotate the chicken breast side up and continue to bake for another 35 minutes. I ran out of kitchen twine, so I use foil to tie both legs. It works okay. 

My whole chicken is done in one hour and 10 minutes. Some of the roasted chicken recipes use pan juice to make gravy or dressing. My chicken is delicious as is.

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