Chocolate Muffins with Coconut Milk

I love to make muffins because it is an easy way to serve guests when they show up unexpectedly. The fastest way is to have already-made or store-bought cake mix on hand. Today, I will present a recipe using coconut milk instead of cream. Coconut milk is light in calories but delicious in taste. The chocolate inside the muffin is a surprise when one bites into it.  I think this muffin could also be presented as a dessert.

Ingredients:
12 muffin tin and paper liners 
Dried ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 oz. semisweet chocolate
 Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line the muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. 
Break the chocolate equally into 12 pieces.
In a Vitamix® container, add all the wet ingredients and blend for 15 seconds.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the blended wet ingredients mixture into the center. Stir gently until just combined (do not overmix).

Spoon the batter into the paper liners until half full. Place a piece of chocolate into the center of each and then pour in the remaining batter to cover the chocolate.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Green Tomatoes Salsa

It is the end of the tomato season in the Pacific Northwest, and my remaining numerous green tomatoes still on the vine make me to think about creating some good new recipes for all these tomatoes. The small green tomato reminds me of the Mexican tomatillo salsa.  Salsa is the soul of Mexican food that can be served alone with corn chips or on top of fish or chicken to create different dishes. The small green tomatoes that are in my garden will now be just perfect to do the job.

Ingredients:
5 lbs. green tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
2 Jalapeno peppers
1 medium white onion
Seasoning ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Italian dressing
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions:
Wash the green tomatoes. Peel the garlic. Peel the white onion and cut into wedges. Place the preceding items on a baking pan and bake in a preheated oven set to 350° for 30 minutes. Let pan cool off.

Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Place all the baked green tomatoes, baked garlic, and baked onion wedges in a food processor or blender and blend a few times until the mixture becomes the consistency that you like. Pour blended mixture into a mixing bowl. Pour the combined seasoning ingredients into the mixing bowl with the blended mixture (adjust the salt or spicy seasoning to your taste).

If the salsa will be consumed within a week, place salsa in a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator. If the salsa is expected to be consumed over longer periods of time, it should be canned by those who are familiar with the canning method.

Green Tomatoes Sauce using a Crockpot

Every year, my garden produces quite a lot of tomatoes. We usually enjoy fresh tomatoes from our garden throughout the summer months. However, this year the Pacific Northwest weather was not quite nice with fewer sunny, warm days and more rain than usual. It was hard for the tomatoes to fully develop and ripen. Now that it is at the end of the tomatoes season, I have many green tomatoes left. I could let them slowly ripen in the house by placing them in paper bags with an apple in each, but I decided that I make green tomato sauce for my family this year. According to a new study, the green tomato is healthier than the ripe one. There are so many recipes that show how to utilize the green tomato from the Southern fried green tomato to the pasta sauce. I will follow the easiest recipe that I can find using the ingredients that I have on hand to create this sauce recipe. The sauce is easy to prepare, and it can be canned or frozen and enjoyed throughout the whole year. A Crockpot® will make this recipe even easier and the flavor is unbelievable.

Ingredients:
5 to 6 lbs of green tomatoes
1 white onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs sugar
1/3 cup total combination of fresh thyme and oregano, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup white wine
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup oil

Directions:
A 6 qt. Crockpot® is needed.
Wash and clean the green tomatoes and roughly chop them into pieces. Place the chopped tomatoes into the Crockpot®.

 

In a sauté pan, heat oil. Cook the onion and garlic for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Drop in the fresh herbs and white wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half. Pour into the Crockpot®.
Add the remainder of the ingredients.

Cover the Crockpot® and cook on low 4 to 5 hours or until the tomatoes are as tender as you like them.
Uncover the Crockpot® in the last 30 minutes to make the sauce thicker. Also, you can use a handheld blender to blend the sauce to your liking. Adjust the seasoning with more or less salt or sugar for your own taste

Serve this sauce with your favorite noodles or use to bake with fish or chicken.

Vietnamese Barbecued Pork

The barbecue normally means the preparation of meat outdoors as the main food for the celebration of events like the 4^th of July. The Vietnamese have a barbecued meat recipe for grilling on a stovetop or baking in an oven. Pork and beef are two kinds of meat used for this recipe. This meal can be served with rice noodles, rice, and sandwiches. If travelers visit Vietnam, barbecue sandwiches are a snack street food and are very famous. Today, I will share this recipe with reduced size portions, so anyone can prepare and enjoy this dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb. pork butt, sliced against the grain but not too thin
Marinade ingredients:
2 shallots,
3 garlic cloves
1 tbs minced lemongrass
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp honey
2 tbs fish sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp mushroom seasoning
1/4 cup oil

Directions:
Combine the shallots, garlic, and lemongrass into a mini food processor and blend into paste. Remove and place into a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients and mix well.
Marinate meat in the shallots-garlic-lemongrass mixture for at least an hour or overnight.

For baking:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a baking pan with foil. Arrange the pork on the foil in overlapping slices.

Bake for 20 minutes on one side and then turn over to bake the other side for another 15 minutes.

For grilling:
Heat a cast-iron pan or a nonstick pan with very little oil. Place pork slices on the pan and grill each side for 5 minutes.

Serve with sweet Vietnamese dipping sauce using the following ingredients:
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs coconut water or water
2 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1 red hot chili slice

Mix all together (adjust for your taste with more or less sugar, lemon juice, and chili).

 

 

Asian Style Braised Lamb

Braising is one of my favorite methods of cooking. I think it is hearty and healthy because the meat for braising has gelatinous characteristics for this method. The meat can be beef, veal, or pork. I use lamb shoulder, but lamb shank is a much better choice for this braising method. Root vegetables can also be used. I like daikon and carrot because daikon, when added to the braising stew, will bring out the sweet taste as do the carrots and turnips. Serving this dish with wild or brown rice will make this dish a complete healthy choice for dinner.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lamb shoulder, cut into 4 big chunks
2 tbs flour
2 tbs oil
Braising liquid ingredients:
1 inch knob ginger, smashed
1 tsp five spice
2 pieces of dried tangerine, peeled
1 tbs mushroom sauce
1 cup chicken broth
Vegetables:
1 carrot, cut into chunks
One 4 in. piece daikon, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 turnips peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, mined
1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine
Other ingredients:
2 green onions cut into strips (about 2 inch lengths)
Brown or black rice

Directions:
To prepare the vegetables, peel and cut into equal size pieces, so they will cook evenly.
Dredge lamb pieces in flour until well coated. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet and brown the lamb on all sides.

Combine the braising liquid and add to the pan . Bring to boil . Simmer for 30 minutes .

 

Heat 1 tbs oil in a nonstick skillet and add shallot and garlic. Stir and cook until fragrant. Add the rest of the vegetables and white wine. Cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Add the vegetables into the lamb and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the lamb and vegetables are tender when tested with a fork.

Add green onions and serve with black rice.

 

Easy Healthy Salmon Belly Braised with Coconut Water

I have a friend who frequently goes fishing, and he often gives me whole salmon or salmon bellies. The salmon belly is the part that has most of the fat. Most Asian grocery stores carry salmon belly. I know this for the fact that when the fish monger fillets the salmon, this part is sold for less. Economically, this part of salmon is very healthy and inexpensive. The best way to use this part of the salmon is to braise it with coconut water; the Vietnamese call this "ca kho". However, there are so many recipes for fish stew. Today, I will share one of the easiest recipes for braising the salmon belly and getting the best of its taste and health benefits. Serve with rice like all Asian families do or by itself.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. salmon bellies washed and cleaned
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
Bunch of scallions cut into 2 inch lengths
Fresh hot chili slices
1 tbs peanut oil
Braising sauce ingredients:
12 oz. coconut water
1 tbs blackstrap Molasses
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp cayenne powder

Directions:
In sauté pan or cast-iron pot, add oil and fry the shallots and garlic until fragrant.

 Add salmon and fry for a few minutes. I do not use a lot of oil because the fat from the salmon belly will be enough.

 Combine the braising sauce ingredients. Mix well and pour onto the salmon. Bring to boil.

 Turn the heat down and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

 Remove the lid and let the sauce reduce to less than half. Adjust the seasoning at this point with fish sauce. Add the green onions and fresh hot chili.

 

Make a quick stir, and it is ready to enjoy!!

 

 

Vegetarian Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is a large part of Vietnamese cooking. It is included in many Vietnamese recipes from a marinade to dipping sauce. Real fish sauce is made from fresh anchovies and salt, layered in huge wooden barrels for a few months. I am not here to share the recipe for making real fish sauce. I will leave that to the professionals and manufacturers with all the right equipment. They are normally located near by the coastline of Vietnam. However, for the vegetarian mock fish sauce which is very important for many recipes, I have many recipes that use this mock fish sauce. This is one of my favorites, and it is tasty and easy to prepare.  Here it is.

Ingredients:
One 64 oz. apple juice
2 oz. rock sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 tbs mushroom seasoning
1 tbs dark soy sauce for dark amber color

Directions:

Combine apple juice, rock sugar, salt, and the mushroom seasoning in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour into a glass jar with lid, which can be refrigerated for months. This "fish sauce" is used for so many dipping sauces or salad recipes.

Quick Masa Sweet Corn Bread

I think corn bread is the easiest quick bread that I like to make for breakfast. The cornbread is packed with so much flavor and can be a cross between sweet or savory bread, depending on each cook. With so little work, this bread can be served in the center of the table. For this recipe, each cook can make some changes to personalize it.  The cornbread can be made in a cast-iron or regular baking pan and into little muffins. This recipe is for basic cornbread, and I use Masa corn tortilla ready-made flour, some yellow cornmeal, and all-purpose flour. Maybe, the next time I will try omit the flour to make this recipe completely gluten-free.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup masa flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
2 tbs softened butter

Directions:
Grease a cast-iron pan with butter. Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.

Combine the wet ingredients in a medium cup. Use a handheld mixer to beat the wet ingredients well.

Pour the beaten wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat to combine.

Pour the batter into the cast-iron pan. Bake in the preheated oven to for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Halibut Fillets Baked in Parchment Paper

The special technique for this cooking is known in French as en papillote, which means wrapping the fish fillet and the sauce in parchment or foil and baking until done. I love to prepare this recipe using this technique due to the fact that it is easy to clean the baking dish afterwards, and the fish is moist. This dish can be served either in its baking dish by cutting out an opening on the top of the parchment paper or by transferring the food onto some fancy, decorated plate. I posted a few recipes using this technique before. Today, I will present this recipe with an Asian flair with very few ingredients for the busy cook. This recipe serves two.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz. Halibut fillets
1/2 cup cored and seeded orange bell pepper, cut into strips
2 pieces Napa cabbage, cut into sections
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Sauce ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red vinegar or rice vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut four pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil (about 12 inch lengths).

 

Combine the sauce ingredients and mix well.
Place the parchment paper on a flat surface.
Place the Napa cabbage, the fish, and the rest of the vegetables top of the parchment paper.

Dividing the sauce equally, pour sauce over the fish.

Place the second piece of parchment paper to cover the fish and fold and seal all edges securely.

Arrange the packages on one or two baking sheets.

 Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Serve with rice.