Easy Kale Chips

Kale is leafy green vegetable, that is very popular due to the nutrients that are contained in this green vegetable. Kale can make a healthy smoothie, stir-fried dishes, and soup, but there is a dish that I enjoy much as a snack instead of potato chips. Depending on the taste of each person, spice seasoning for this chip is as simple as a little oil and salt. Kale is a great snack for health. A whole bunch of kale turned into baked kale chips will disappear in minutes. Therefore, watch for kale on sale when planning to make kale chips.

Ingredients:
One bunch of kale
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 tbs melted coconut oil

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash kale and remove the tough stem. Cut kale into bite-size pieces or larger but they should be as uniform as possible. It helps to bake in an even.

Toss kale, salt, and oil well in a bowl.
Place kale on the prepared baking sheet one piece of the time (avoid overlapping kale pieces).
Bake for 10 minutes and then turn over and bake for another 5 minutes.
Let cool and place in a Ziploc bag or glass jar.

Tip:
I baked the first batch using parchment paper and it took more than 15 minutes. The second batch I baked without the parchment paper and it baked in just about 10 minutes. Adjust your baking time but be careful because kale is easy to burn.
I also make my own seasoning salt by combining salt with garlic powder, paprika, and sugar. If you do not have seasoning salt, just use salt. Adjust the saltiness for your liking.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Today is the beginning of the New Year, Tet Việt Nam. My family has a tradition of eating vegetables during the day for the beginning of the year. This New Year, I did not have the opportunity to visit family, but, I also want to keep my family's tradition. For that, I think about a dish that is simple and healthy with ingredients that are in my refrigerator. This dish is a Pad Thai and is very famous in Thailand and all over the world. I introduced Pad Thai to my blog so long ago, but today's is the first day of the year. I want to renew this dish with an easier method of cooking. I will use all kinds of vegetables that I have available. With this easy recipe, anyone can make delicious food for themselves. The vegetarian Pad Thai is very nutritious and does not use meat in the first day of the year, which also sends a positive message to all animal lovers.

Ingredients:
Pad Thai sauce ingredients:
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought*
Noodles ingredients:
6 oz. rice noodles
2 tbs oil
Vegetables ingredients:
Use about 2 oz. each of these fresh vegetables: carrots, cabbage, celery, Napa cabbage, baby bok choy, and bean sprouts (julienned)
1 shallot, sliced or 2 oz. white onions
1 garlic clove, mined
1 egg, beaten
2 scallions, white part
Garnish with fresh chopped basil and cilantro

Directions:
Soak the rice noodles for a few hours (if dried noodles), but if the noodles are fresh, soak in water for 30 minutes.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. The taste is sweet and salty your taste.
Heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil or peanut oil in a wok. Add egg and swirl to scramble the egg, do not overcook the egg. Remove from the wok.

Add the other half of the oil into the wok. Add shallot and garlic. Stir until fragrant (about 1 minute with high heat).

Start to cook the vegetables in order with the hard vegetables first. Carrots, cabbage, celery cook for 30 seconds.  Add Napa cabbage, bok choy and noodles.

Use two wooden spatulas to toss the noodles. Add sauce. Toss to mix well. Add green onions and bean sprouts. 

To serve:
Place noodles on a serving plate. Sprinkle with cilantro and basil. Slice some fresh hot Thai chili on top.
 

*To make Pad Thai sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice or tarmarin juice

1/2 cup water
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp salt
Mix all the ingredients well and store in a glass jar (can be refrigerated for a long time). Adjust the seasoning to your liking. I add 1 tsp mushroom seasoning to the sauce. If you do not have the mushroom seasoning, use vegetable broth to add more flavor.

Easy Fish Baked with Orange Sauce

I always stock up my kitchen pantry well, and it will make my cooking efficient. Lately, I am interested in preparing meals that are not just quick, but also provide nutrition well. Some people feel that they do not have time to cook or lack imagination to create a meal or reproduce an existing one. However, if they follow my blog, the excuse is over. This recipe will prove that.

Ingredients:
One 6 oz. salmon fillet or any of your choice of fish
 1/4 cup orange sauce (homemade or store-bought)
1/4 cup sliced white onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
A few mushrooms (your choice and optional)
1 tsp olive oil

Directions;
Place salmon on a baking dish. Top with onions. Scatter the mushrooms around. Add the oil to the sauce and pour over the fish.

Bake in a preheated oven set to 350° for 10 to 15 minutes (the time will vary depending upon each oven).

*Homemade orange sauce ingredients and directions:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tbs honey
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
Whisk sauce ingredients well and pour in a jar with lid (if not using all immediately). Adjust the sweetness with sugar. I like to make this sauce not too sweet so I use honey instead of sugar). Other ingredients that can be used for this sauce are chili flakes and green onions.

Tofu and Eggplant Stew

This recipe is the healthiest and easiest to make.  Actually, it is a vegetarian meal, and contains all the protein needs for daily body functions. I am pleased to share this recipe in my blog to help people who like to eat healthy and prepare home-cooked meals.
Ingredients:
 12 oz. cubed fried tofu
3 Japanese eggplants or large eggplants
2 cups frozen pineapple
1 /2 cup white onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs coconut oil
Stew sauce ingredients:
11.8 oz. coconut water
1 tbs honey
2 tsp blackstrap molasses
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste
Dried hot chili (your taste)
Other ingredients:
4 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
Directions:
Wash eggplants and cut into big bite pieces. Soak in salt-lemon water to prevent discoloring and to remove some bitter taste (your choice, I usually do not do this step).
Combine the stew sauce ingredients and mix well.
Heat coconut oil and add onions and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add stew sauce and bring to boil.

Add tofu and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Let the tofu absorb some of the sauce.

Add pineapple and cook the pineapple until almost wilted.
Stir in the eggplants. Mix well and cook until the eggplants are tender. Adjust the seasoning after the eggplants have cooked. Add more salt, black pepper, or sugar.

Stir in green onions. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Tips:
To save time – buy the deep-fried tofu in Asian supermarkets.
Use leek, the white part only, instead of white onions, and chop well, and omit the garlic if you are truly followers of Buddha.

Chicken Stew in Coconut Water (Gà Rôti)

Vietnam's cultural history is associated with the culture of France, either good or bad. French culture had a huge influence for a very long time, especially in cooking. I am talking about a dish that is very popular in France cuisine, known as poule roti. Even with the influence of Western dishes on the cuisine of Vietnam, the Vietnamese cooks change the recipes to create recipes with ideas to strengthening process to suit the taste for Vietnamese people. For that, the French poule roti becomes a Vietnamese chicken stew with coconut water and other recipes with the same principle.  One of the reasons I always liked this recipe is because the ingredients are always available to anyone and coconut water and coconut oil are now being considered as adequate supplies of medicinal substances necessary for the body.  For easy processing, I will share this recipe that uses chicken thighs and fresh coconut water that is now being sold everywhere on the market in US. I believe this dish will be present at the potluck meeting as well as the regular family dinner.
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
Marinade ingredients:
4 tbs chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp five spice
1 tsp mushroom seasoning powder
Other ingredients:
2 cups coconut water
1 tbs blackstrap molasses
2 tbs honey
1 tbs fish sauce
3 tbs coconut oil

Garnish with green onions

Directions:
Wash chicken thighs and cut into big chunks (I cut chickens in half).

In a mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and add chicken. Mix well. Marinate the chickens for a few hours or overnight.

In a large nonstick pan, add coconut oil. Seer the chicken skin side down (do not touch the chicken until the skin is brown). Turn the chicken and seer the other side.

Combine the coconut water with blackstrap molasses, fish sauce, and honey. Mix well. Pour onto the chicken and bring to boil. Cook partly covered for 30 minutes.

 Adjust the seasoning to your liking. Remove the lid completely for the sauce to thicken.

Add the green onions at the end (use the white part only about 4 green onions).

 

Serve with bread or hot cooked rice.
 

Easy Baba Ganoush

The Middle Eastern cuisine has a popular appetizer dish, called baba ganoush. This basic dish is gluten free if served without famous pita bread. The baba ganoush can be used as a spread for bread because of the creamy and fatty natural taste from the grilled eggplant. This recipe is a good dip for the vegetarian diet because it uses the baby carrot, celery, and other fresh vegetables. One tip I like to share when making this dip is to choose a fresh “male” eggplant because the male eggplant has fewer or no seeds and the meat is sweeter than the “female” eggplant.  To know the difference between the male or female eggplant, one should look at the bottom end of the eggplant. If the dried area is round or oval, it is a male eggplant, and if it is a slit. it is a female.. I think the eggplant is very healthy to eat and including this dish in our diet is a good thing.

Ingredients;
1 medium male eggplant 

2 tbs tahini sauce*
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp caynene
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs fresh chopped parsley 
1 tbs olive oil for topping

Directions:
Grill eggplant directly on a stovetop to chard the skin. Then place the charred eggplant on a baking dish and bake in a preheated oven set to 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted through the eggplant.

Let the baked eggplant cool off completely. Peel the skin off and discard the skin.

 

 

 

 

 

In a mixing bowl, place the eggplant meat in the bowl and use a fork to mash the eggplant meat with tahini and follow with the rest of the ingredients. Adjust the seasoning for your personal taste. Drizzle the dip with olive oil. 

*Tahini is sold in most grocery markets. However, it is easy to make it at home. Here is the recipe:
1 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup olive oil

Toast the sesame seeds in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the seeds from burning.
Place the roasted seeds in a food processor with oil and blend until smooth. Add more oil if needed to achieve the taste of creamy and glossy smooth texture. Place in a glass jar with lid and store in a refrigerator.
The eggplant dip flavor gets better by the next day, but it can be served right away.

Easy BBQ Ribs

BBQ ribs is a dish that I enjoy and so do many people. However, I do not make this dish more often because a rack of ribs is what 2 or 3 people normally consume. To enjoy this delicious meal at home, I had to create an easy recipe for this dish for my blog. Today. I will share this recipe, and it is easy to create at home. I have many nieces and nephews who are still single and live in a dormitory, and, I hope that with this easy BBQ ribs recipe they can make this dish for themselves without having to go to a restaurant. All the ingredients used in this dish are very simple and sell at most US supermarkets. With only a few ingredients easily purchased, the BBQ ribs will be ready and as good as it gets in popular restaurants

Ingredients:
1/2 of rack of ribs (2 lbs)
2 tbs spice rubs (your choice)
1/2 cup good BBQ sauce (your choice)
6 oz. of good beer.
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

Directions
Wash the ribs and sprinkle the spice rub all over. Marinate for a few hours.

Cut a large piece of foil . Place the rack of ribs on it and pour beer over the ribs with 1 tbs apple cider vinegar .

Cover rib and bake in a preheated oven set to 350° four 2 hours.

Open the foil and turn the oven to grill and constantly baste with BBQ sauce.

Serve with your favorite side dish, such as mashed potatoes or French fries.
The baking time will vary depending upon each oven. Adjust the baking time to your liking.

Vietnamese Chicken-Shrimp Meatballs

Vietnamese meatballs are similar to the Chinese meatballs which are served in a dim sum restaurant. The ingredients used in these meatballs is up to each cook. The Vietnamese meatballs are served by itself, with rice or breads. The meatballs can also be pan- fried and served with sweet Vietnamese dipping sauce or simmer with tomato sauce and served over a bowl of rice noodles. I will share my updated meatballs recipe today with ingredients that are easy to find and the cooking method is much simpler. I hope this recipe will be your keeper.

Ingredients;
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
½ lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 green onions, finely diced
Other ingredients:
1/2 to 1 cups jicama, shredded
2 tsp fried garlic cloves
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs cornstarch
Tomato sauce ingredients:*
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt, sugar, and black pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbs oil

Directions:
In a bowl, combine chicken,, salt, oyster sauce, sugar, black pepper and green onions. Mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a food processor, place the chicken-shrimp mixture and process for a few minutes. Place the mixture in the freezer and let it freeze for 20 minutes. Return the nearly frozen mixture into the food processor and process one more time until well mixed.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the jicama for 2 minutes. Drain, let cool, and squeeze out the excess water. Then dice.

Combine with the chicken-shrimp mixture, fried garlic, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Adjust seasoning at this point.
Oil your hands and then form this mixture into golf-ball-sized balls. Place meatballs on a baking dish.

Bring a steamer with water to boil and steam the meatballs for 10 minutes.

*How to prepare the tomato sauce:
Heat 2 tbs oil in a skillet. Add shallots and garlic and stir to cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

 Add chopped tomatoes; season with sugar, salt, and pepper.

 Add chicken broth and ketchup. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Place the steamed meatballs into the sauce and continue simmer for another 10 minutes.

Mix 1 tbs cornstarch with 3 tbs water. Mix well and add to the tomato sauce (optional). Sprinkle green onions and cilantro on top.

 The meatballs are now ready. They can be served with rice or stuffed inside bread.