Mushroom Sauce

Vegetarianism is also known as having a plant-based diet, strictly speaking, meats, such as red meat, poultry, seafood, etc., are avoided. People who follow this diet usually only eat foods derived from plants, like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, etc. In addition, there are still vegetarians who eat products derived from eggs, milk, butter, cheese, or cream. In the past, this diet was for religious people, mainly Buddhists. But today this is no longer a frugal eating habit only for monastics. This diet has become a movement to live a healthy and happy life. It is a healthy diet, which is being encouraged by scientists around the world. However, vegetarianism without understanding, eating the wrong way, will lead to bad health consequences. For that, I will now present an easy and healthy recipe to use with most main meals. This is the mushroom sauce that can be used for baking, steaming dishes, or with cooked rice or noodles. The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen as well too.

Ingredients:

4 oz. of a combination of dried mushrooms, such as Shitake, King mushrooms, morels, etc.

12 oz. fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup oil

2 tbs sesame seeds

2 tsp fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white onion, diced

1 tbs chilli Korean powder

Sauce ingredients:

2 cups coconut water or water

1/4 cup vegan oyster sauce

2 tbs Hoisin sauce

1/4 cup honey or sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tsp mushroom seasoning

1 tsp. black pepper

Thickening sauce ingredients:

2 tbs cornstarch + 2 tbs water

Directions:

Soak the dried mushrooms for 1 hour. Drain and roughly chop

Slice the fresh mushrooms. 

Place the fresh mushrooms and roughly chopped dried mushrooms in a blender and use the pulse button to chop both types of mushrooms. Do not overdo the blending of the mushrooms. 

Combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

In the large sauce pan, heat oil; then add the diced onion, minced garlic and ginger. Stir and cook until fragrant. Stir in Korean chilli powder. Cook for 1 more minutes

Stir in mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms seem to dry out. Add the sauce and bring to boil. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to your liking and stir in the thickening ingredients. Let the sauce simmer for few minutes. 

Pour the sauce in a jar with lid and refrigerate.

Salted Sticky Rice

Sticky rice is a savory or sweet Vietnamese dish made from glutinous rice and other ingredients. Sticky rice is a common on-the-go breakfast item and a popular snack. Although it is often served as a breakfast or dessert, people also eat it at lunch or dinner as a main dish in many areas in Vietnam. Today, I will introduce the salty sticky rice used in combination with rotisserie chicken. According to each region, there is a slight variation in the ingredients for filling. This easy recipe that I will share is in addition to the series of posts already my blog to help people who have the budget for cooking.  I also use ingredients that are usually available in the kitchen to make this dish on the list of other fast, delicious and budget friendly dishes.

Ingredients:

1 cup sticky rice  

2/3 cup rotisserie chicken cut into small pieces

1 Chinese sausage

1 tbs dried shrimp 

Seasonings:

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp 5 spice

1/2 tsp mushroom seasoning

1 tsp hoisin sauce or oyster sauce

Other ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp sliced green onions

1 tbsp oil

Pinch of salt and sugar

Equipment : Rice cooker and sauté pan

Directions: 

Wash the rice until the water runs clear and the rice soaks for an hour. Drain. 

Soak the dried shrimp for 15 minutes and then dice.

Blanch the Chinese sausage in a hot water for 2 minutes. Then dice.

Put the rice in a rice cooker with 3/4 cup of water and add 1 tsp soy sauce or salt (you can omit the soy sauce nut you have to flavor the rice in this step). The water should just barely cover the rice. Close the lid and turn the rice cooker on. Follow the directions of your rice cooker.

While the rice is cooking, make the filling as follows:

Add oil to the pan, then add the minced garlic, shrimp, sausage, and chicken and fry for 2 minutes. Add seasonings and adjust to your liking. Add about 2 tbs water and cook until all the water is absorbed.

When you see steam come out of the rice cooker, add all the filling and mix well. Close the lid and continue to let the rice cook. When the rice cooker is turned to the warm function; leave it run for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, make scallion oil by combining the sliced onions, oil, and pinch of salt and sugar. Microwave this combination for 20 seconds.

To serve:

 Put the sticky rice on a plate. Add scallion oil and some fried onions on top. Serve with chilli sauce or soy sauce for the best experience.

Tips: You can fry an egg and cut into strips to serve with this dish.

Other ingredients that can be used are dried shiitake mushrooms or another fungus. If choosing these dried mushrooms, soak them before using.

Easy Pound Cake

There are so many easy pound cake recipes, but this is the easiest one that I will now introduce into my blog. This cake can be served by itself or with a scoop of ice cream. 

Ingredients:

Dried ingredients:

1 cup self-rising flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

Wet ingredients:

1/4 cup milk

3 eggs

1 ½ sticks of softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Equipment:

One 8” x 5” loaf pan

KitchenAid® mixer 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Butter the loaf pan and line the bottom of it with parchment paper.

Using a KitchenAid® mixer with the Wisk attachment, add butter, sugar, and eggs. Wisk for 10 minutes or until the egg mixture is light and fluffy. Add vanilla.

Stir in the cornstarch and flour slowly. Stir lightly to combine until there is no trace of flour. 

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Easy Steamed Chicken

                                                    

Currently, chicken is a food with a cost that is not too expensive with today's prices. I would recommend a very easy steamed chicken dish if you don't have time to cook. This recipe can be classified as a one-pot meal, if you use the rice cooker to steam the chicken. This chicken dish uses similar ingredients like the steamed chicken or pork sold in dim sum Chinese restaurants.

Ingredients:

2 chicken legs, skin and bone removed

Marinade ingredients:

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 Hoisin sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp vinegar

1 tbs cooking wine

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbs cornstarch

Other ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 piece fresh ginger with skin removed and julienned.

1/2 white onion, sliced

Sliced scallions for a topping

Directions:

Wash chicken with salt and vinegar and cut into bite-size pieces.

In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Mix the minced garlic and julienned ginger as well with the other marinade ingredients.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and mix well. Marinate the chicken for 1 to 2 hours. 

Place the white onions on the bottom of a baking dish and pour the marinated chicken over the onions. 

Place the baking dish in the steamer and steam the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes; Top with the sliced scallions.

Serve with rice. Because there is a lot of sauce, use this sauce when serving.

Tip: use a baking dish that fits into your rice cooker to steam chicken while cooking the rice. 

Rotisserie Chicken Spring Rolls

“Goi cuon" is a Vietnamese dish once voted by many food critics to be on the list of the "50 most delicious dishes in the world" in 2011 and is not too complicated to make.  Just by preparing all the ingredients and a few simple steps, you will have a delicious salad and dipping sauce at home. Today, I will share this recipe by using rotisserie chicken the for meat instead of pork. In particular, a shrimp and mead roll is a frugal, non-greasy dish, suitable for those who are on a diet or want to lose weight. Normally, just 3 rolls serve as snack to be eaten with a main dish or just eating more of this roll is a complete meal. Making the spring roll using rotisserie chicken will put this dish in the category of a low-fat, budget friendly recipe.

Ingredients:

3 shrimp, peel the shell and devein

1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

1 oz. rice noodles

3 spring roll wrappers

Lettuce, cucumber, herbs, chives

Crushed peanuts

Directions:

Preparing the fresh vegetables:

Wash the lettuce, herbs, chives... and drain to dry

Wash the shrimp and marinate with 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp cooking wine, and 1/4 tsp. sugar. This method of doing will ensure that the shrimp will have rich flavor and not be smelly or fishy.

In a sauté pan on the stove, turn on the heat and cook the shrimp. Stir until the shrimp turns pink. Then remove the shrimp, split the shrimp, and set aside.

Cook the rice noodles as directed on the outside of the package. Then drain.

Rolling the spring rolls:

Arrange the rice paper and ingredients on the table to prepare the rolls. After wetting the rice paper, you put vegetables on top and arrange vermicelli, meat, shrimp, along with chives and herbs to decorate and then roll it firmly. Continue repeating the operation until you run out of ingredients. Serve Spring rolls with dipping sauce, then sprinkle with peanuts .

To make the dipping sauce:

It has so many recipes for the dipping sauce . This sauce is much simple to make

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup rice vinegar

⅓ cup reduced sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced, to taste

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling

2 to 4 tablespoons water or coconut milk, or as necessary to reach your desired consistency

Optional garnishes: sprinkling of chopped roasted peanuts and additional red pepper flakes

Directions:

Bring 1 1/2 cup water to boil and add all the ingredients to the boiling water. Adjust the seasoning to your liking ie more honey or vinegar. You can decide that you like thick or thin sauce.

Budget Friendly Chicken, Quesadilla

In times of war, epidemics and inflation were increasing day by day. Surely everyone has faced this situation for quite some time. I was surprised that Costco’s rotisserie chicken was still selling at a very good price. It is still around 5 dollars for a whole chicken. If you want to make a rotisserie chicken like this at home, it can be tastier, but it will be much more expensive and also be time consuming to bake it. I think that with this chicken there will be more recipes created from it. These recipes save time and earn the title of being budget friendly. An easy recipe from this chicken is chicken quesadilla; this can be served as breakfast or dinner. I will have more recipes using this chicken in a future blog entry.

Ingredients:

2 medium tortillas

1 cup grated cheese (your choice)

About 2 cups total of roasted chicken, red & yellow green bell peppers and red onions

1 tsp taco seasoning

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1 tbs oil or butter

Other ingredients: chopped cilantro

Directions:

Chop the red, yellow, and green bell peppers, red onions, and chicken into dice sized cubes.

Add taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

In a small sauté pan, add 1 tbs oil and cook the chicken filling for about 5 minutes and then turn the heat off.

In another non-stick pan, add oil . Place the tortillas into the pan and divide the filling equally for each tortilla. 

Grill the tortillas until golden brown or crispy to your liking. Fold the tortillas and remove from the pan.

Enjoy!!

Tip ; the leftover chicken can be used to make pizza following this recipe on my blog . The title is Pizza in a cast-iron pan.

Low-fat Baked Salmon with-Almond Sauce

I had the idea to use almond milk in making the cream for the sauce used in many kinds of dishes. This low-fat cream will help your family to shed some pounds. It is very easy to make the sauce and to keep it in the refrigerator for weeks. This sauce will save time for busy people who want to create healthy meals. Adding cheese to the sauce will create a taste like Alfredo sauce for pasta.

Ingredients:

1-6 oz. salmon fillet

1 cup almond milk (plain unsweetened)

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ red onion, chopped

1 tbs all-purpose flour

1 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

Fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

To make the almond cream:

In a sauté pan, heat oil; add minced garlic and chopped onion. Then stir-fry until fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook the flour for 1 minute. Add almond milk and bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens. Remove the sauce and store in a glass jar with lid.

To make the salmon dish:

In a baking dish, place the salmon. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp salt on the salmon and pour 1/3 cup of the cream over the salmon. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes; top with fresh parsley.

Tip: if using cheese, add to the sauce while cooking.

To make almond milk at home: 

1 cup dried almonds, soaked overnight

5 cups water

In a Vitamix or blender, blend almond and water until smooth. You can add dates or vanilla to the milk. You can drain the milk or drink as is.

Stir-fried Chicken with Zucchini and Yellow Squash

 Zucchini and yellow squash are great vegetables that boast a number of health benefits. Zucchini has a high water content, which makes it a very low calorie vegetable. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol and is packed with Vitamin C, A, folate, magnesium, protein and fiber. In addition, zucchini contains more than three times the potassium of the average potassium supplement, such as a banana, which helps in muscle growth and maintaining a healthy nervous system and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Not only is summer squash low in calories, but it also has little to no cholesterol, fat, and sodium—all nutrients we should be limiting. On the flip side, both zucchini and yellow squash boast vitamins A and C, potassium, plus fiber. The best way to eat zucchini is to consume it raw.  However, salads and raw dishes are not the only way to enjoy this healthy summer squash. Zucchini can be added to muffins, bread, cakes, soups, tacos and other entrées. Another entrée presented here is stir-fried with chicken. I think if all the other types of vegetables that can be used to make a wonderful stir-fried dish, then zucchini and yellow squash should be added to this group of recipes.  I add some sugar sweet peas. However, carrots can be used for this recipe to make this dish a more healthy stir-fried recipe. For vegans, replace chicken with tofu.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. chicken breast or thigh, sliced

Marinade ingredients:

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cooking wine

1 tsp vinegar

2 tsp cornstarch

Vegetables:

1 cup sugar snap peas

1 zucchini, cut into 2 inch thick strips

1 yellow squash, cut as same size as the zucchini

1/2 white onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 peace fresh ginger, minced (about 2 tsp)

Stir-fried sauce ingredients:

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs light soy sauce

1 tsp mushroom seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sugar or honey

Thickening ingredients:

2 tbs cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Other ingredient:

2 tbs oil for stir-frying

Directions:

In a bowl, combine chicken with the marinade ingredients and mix well. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the sugar peas, yellow squash, and zucchini for 1 minute and drain.

In a wok, heat oil until smoking. Stir in the chicken and cook for 2 minutes; then add the garlic, ginger, and white onion. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add all the zuchini, yellow squash, and sugar peas to the wok. Add the sauce and bring to boil. Adjust the seasonings and add the thickening sauce. Cook further for 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve with cooked brown rice or white rice. Sprinkle with cilantro.

 

Lentils and Beans One Pot Meal

Lentils and beans are sources of protein. Protein is a vital nutrient that plays a key role in maintaining and repairing the body with all their vital nutrients including folate, antioxidants, reduced risk of cancer, and also controlling appetite and being full of fiber, they are very healthy foods to be consumed daily. The time in which we are living now is so busy and not many of us have time to prepare a good healthy meal in a little time.  I created this recipe after doing some research into many good reliable chefs with similar recipes. The lentils and beans can make a good pair for salad. However, today I will introduce a one pot meal with plenty of protein and fiber. 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well

1/2 cup lentils, soaked overnight and drained

1/2 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight or use canned beans

1/2 cup white or red onions, diced

1 tomato, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 piece fresh ginger, minced (about 2 tsp)

2 tbs spice mix **

2 tsp salt and black pepper 

1 and 3/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tbs coconut oil or oil of your choice

Other necessities:

Chopped cilantro, green onions

Rice cooker 

Directions:

Cook the beans in the rice cooker in the morning for 10 minutes. Drain. You can use any beans that suit your taste.

In a sauté pan, add oil and then heat the pan. Add garlic, ginger, and onions. Stir and cook until fragrant about (3 minutes). Stir in lentils, rice, and spice mix. Cook for 5 minutes.

Pour all the above mixture into the rice cooker. Stir in cooked black beans, salt, and pepper and mix well; top with fresh tomato and broth. Close the lid and turn the cook function on. Follow the instructions for your rice cooker. 

When the rice cooker is done, adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Top with cilantros and green onions before serving.

For vegans, just enjoy as is.

Serve this rice on the side, and accompany it with grilled fish, shrimp, or chicken.

Spice mix recipe:

2 tbs turmeric

2 tbs chili flakes

1 tbs paprika

2 tbs cinnamon powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp clove

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Store in a jar with a lid.

Pico de gallo

Pico de gallo, also called salsa fresca or bandera, is a combination of diced tomatoes, white or red onions, and cilantro that is found in numerous items at some Mexican restaurants, such as Taco Bell. Items found in some restaurant menus have cheese and/or sour cream will be replaced with pico de gallo. Pico de Gallo is a type of salsa commonly found in Mexican food.  I like to share this easy pico de gallo to serve as a side dish, and it goes well with fried fish, chicken, or shrimp. I like to top it with salad. 

Ingredients:

7 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1/2 red or white onion, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin 

1/2 tsp clove powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt, black pepper, chili flakes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup Italian dressing

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve.

Lemon, Poppy Seed & Zucchini Bread

The tiny sweet-spicy seeds called poppy have a secret source of calcium. It is used in cooking and baking many popular recipe, such as cakes, muffins, or bread. It goes very well with zucchini and other ingredients, like cranberries or raisins by adding more flavor to the results. I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens, but I changed the recipe for me and my blog followers for a simple and easy life. This recipe is more like a cake than bread because I use self-rising flour. 

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 tbs poppy seeds

1/2 cups cranberries or your choice of dried fruits

Zest of one lemon

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetables oil

3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

Juice of one lemon

Equipment:

9” x 5” cake pan 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Use coconut oil to grease the cake pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.

In the Vitamix blender or any kind of blender that you have, combine all the wet ingredients and blend on low speed until it is light.

Pour the wet mixture into a dried mixture and mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let the bread cool for 20 minutes before serving.