Vegetable Ragout

Lagu or French ragout is a dish from France, but today, when it comes to Vietnam, it has been Vietnamesed and has become a familiar dish on the tables as well as the daily meal of Vietnamese families. For a vegetarian cuisine, lagu is like a love song of vegetables. It is a combination of many types of vegetables and depending on the taste of each family, use whichever vegetables are appropriate. This dish can be served with vermicelli or rice, but it is especially suitable for bread. For this recipe, because I like white beans, I added them here to give this veggie some extra protein.

Ingredients: 

12 oz  bls of combination of fresh mushrooms 

baby Portebela mushrooms, button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms

5 dry shiitake mushrooms

Vegetables:

2 carrots

1/2 chayote

1/2 cup sweet peas

1/2 white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 taro or potatoes (optional) 

Broth ingredients:

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

6 cups water or vegetable broth

2 cups cooked white beans

Seasonings:

Salt, sugar, mushroom seasoning, soy sauce, and black pepper

Garnish with chopped cilantro

Directions:

Soak dry mushrooms for 1 hour. Then drain. Cut into quarters.

Cut fresh mushrooms into quarters.

Peel carrots and chayote and cut into 1 inch thick chunks.

Peel potatoes, then cut into quarters and steam.

Put oil in the pan on the stove. Heat the pan for onions and garlic and fry until fragrant, then add the diced tomatoes and stir well.

When the tomatoes are soft, add the tomato sauce to the pan.  Start seasoning with adding 2 teaspoons of vegetarian seasoning + 2 teaspoons of soy sauce + 1.5 teaspoons of sugar to the pan.

Add 6 cups of water and some of the water that was used to cook the beans. Add carrots.

Bring to boil for 5 minutes and add the rest of vegetables and mushrooms. Bring back to boil; Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Cook for 20 minutes, then add cooked beans and cooked potatoes or taro.

Turn off the heat.  The lagu is ready to serve. Ladle the ragu into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Tips:

Carrots or any root vegetables can be cut to have the shape of flowers. Cut into pieces as you like. Sliced ​​​​potatoes can be cooked first.

If serving lagu with bread, then mix 1/4 cup cornstach with 1/4 cup water and add this thickening at the last minutes of cooking time. 

Greek Raisin Almond Cake

Are you looking for an easy cake recipe?  You have come to the right place because this is a blog that has many easy recipes for making cake for people that baking is not their strong suit. I am one of them, so I have been looking for easy recipes to make muffins, etc..that don't require professional skills but are still delicious and that will surely bring a lot of compliments.  If you already have yogurt and milk that are nearing their expiration dates, instead of having to throw them away, this recipe will solve this problem.

 Ingredients:

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup nonfat milk

3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8” x 8” baking dish and spray the paper with vegetable oil. 

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and use a handheld beater to beat them well.

Sift the flour and baking soda into the wet mixture and use the beater on low motion to combine them well.

Add the raisins and mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with almond slices.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy.

Easy Soy Sauce Chicken

Chicken is one of the easiest foods to prepare; it can be combined with many spices and vegetables that can transform it into many delicious dishes, especially steamed chicken. Today, I will introduce you to a new recipe - steamed chicken with soy sauce and simple ingredients, but it is extremely easy to make. The steamed chicken is a Chinese dish that uses the whole chicken. However, the sauce, which is also called the master sauce, used to marinate the whole chicken will be reused many times in the Chinese restaurant. In the home kitchen, the soy sauce chicken should be much easier to prepare, so everyone can make it in a small kitchen. It is also fairly simple. Just marinate the chicken with soy sauce and then steam it to have a very attractive dish with tender meat and a rich taste for your family meal. However, to make it simpler, chicken thighs can be used as a substitute for a whole chicken for a small group of your family members. Even though, with a smaller version of this recipe, the results are also very delicious. This dish can be steamed, baked in the oven, or boiled in a small pot. Sauce after steaming or boiling can be used with this chicken as a dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

3 chicken thighs

1 tbs blackstrap molasses*

1 tsp salt

Sauce ingredients:

1 cup water

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs cooking wine

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 small piece ginger, peeled and sliced

3 stalks of green onion, cut into 2 inch lengths

2 star anise

1 small cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

Directions:

Wash and rinse the chicken well and pat dry.

Rub the chicken with salt and molasses and let the chicken marinate for 1 hour.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, grill the chicken on both sides (about 3 minutes on each side).

Then pour the sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to simmer; cover the pan with the lid and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is done. 

You can try to poke a sharp knife into the meat, and a liquid should come out clear.

Serve with cooked rice.

One Pot Chicken with Yellow Rice and Herbs

Chicken rice and herbs is a recipe that I think even when busy is a recipe for a delicious and nutritious dish for the family. In this recipe, you can use chicken breasts or thighs, but leave out the bones and skin to make sure the dish doesn't have a lot of fat. I often use the herbs that I have in my garden.  However, not many people can grow a lot of herbs, so you can use herbs that can be easily purchased in supermarkets. More or less herbs will not change the taste of this dish. 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati

Rice or long grain rice

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Herbs:

1 cup total combination of herbs that you can find, such as oregano, dill, mints, sage, parsley, roughly chopped

Vegetables:

1 carrot, diced

1 chayote, peeled and diced

1 cup button mushrooms, diced

Seasonings:

Salt, pepper, and mushroom seasoning

1 tsp yellow food color 

Other ingredients:

Chicken broth or water (less than 2 cups because of the vegetables that you are using)

Directions:

In a rice cooker, heat the olive oil. 

Cook the onions until soft and translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes).

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds additional).

Add the cubed chicken and seasonings to taste and cook until the chicken is cooked (about 5 -7 minutes). Stir in chopped herbs (save some for garnish).

Add the rice and cook with the chicken to lightly toast (about 1-2 minutes).

Add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper again, then pour the chicken broth on top. Add the yellow food color. 

                                         

Close the lid and turn to cook function.

Fluff the rice when the the cooking process is done.

Serve with fresh herbs 

Tip:

You can choose the vegetables of your choice. I am Vietnamese so I like to use chayote for this dish.

Easy, Healthy Coconut Sugar Cookies

According to many scientists, there is an incredible health benefit in the unique group of saturated fats found in coconut oil. The coconut and coconut oil are used in many medical areas especially for skin care products. Some other studies have shown that the coconut oil's direct effect onto blood cholesterol has generally been shown to be neutral, it may indirectly lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL(good) cholesterol. You are here to find an easy recipe to make, so I will not waste your time to discuss scientific matters. Many web sites introduce the coconut oil as a new miracle food for this century; you can do some research before making this recipe as a snack for your family.  I like butter sugar cookies, but adding butter and sugar for these cookies does not make a healthy snack. When I try to use coconut oil for this recipe, I like it because it is the most important ingredient in this recipe. I add some other dried fruits into this recipe as well. The result is perfect.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flower

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup powdered sugar or granulated sugar

1/2 cup dried fruits, roughly chopped into small chunks

Wet ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

Equipment: 

Baking sheet, parchment paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.

In a blender (any brand is acceptable), add the wet ingredients and blend well.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well to form the dough.

Use an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 1 inch balls and place onto the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Flatten the balls to about 1/2 inch thickness. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven until becoming a golden pale tan. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Stir-Fried Chayote and Carrot with eggs

Chayote is one of the foods that are often used in daily meals because of its delicious taste and is also very good for health. Also a carrot adds to the sweetness to this dish. Combining these two vegetables with catchy colors to the scrambled eggs will make this dish attractive and delicious. In today’s busy life, this is the dish that can easily accompany with everyday meals because it is simple and nutritious for everyone.

Ingredients:

2 chayote

1 carrot

 3 eggs

 4 scallions, about 4 branches

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs peanut oil or canola for stir frying

Stir-fried sauce ingredients:

1/4 cup water

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp mushrooms seasoning or chicken powder

2 tbs soy sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Peel the chayote. Then cut in half, remove the seeds, slice, and then shred.

Peel the carrot. Then cut into 2 pieces, slice, ​​and then shred.

Wash the scallions. Cut into small pieces. Separate the white and green parts of the scallion and set aside the onion heads and onion leaves.

Break eggs into a bowl. Whisk well and season with salt and pepper. Add the white scallion with the eggs.

In a pot, bring water to boil. Blanch chayote and carrots, and then soak them in ice cold water. This method will keep them crispy.

Combine the stir-fried sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat; stir in shallots and garlic. 

Add eggs and crumble eggs.

 Add blanch chayote and carrot. 

Make a quick stir to combine with eggs and stir in the sauce. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. Cook further for 2 minutes and stir in the rest of the green onion. Turn the heat off.

Serve with cooked rice

Tip for buying chayote:

How to choose to buy fresh chayote

Chayote is delicious when the stalk is fresh, the skin is glossy, and there are many spines. The fruits of chayote are much greener and if you click on them, they will feel soft, and the young fruit will taste better. You should choose chayote fruit with few notches to make it easier to process.

Do not choose the chayote that is wilted, deformed, or has stinging bees.

Because chayote has a certain amount of latex inside, to avoid getting pus onto your hands and causing discomfort during preliminary processing, prepare a bowl of water. When peeling, you must soak the chayote in a bowl of water for about 1-2 minutes to let the latex inside out, so it won't stick to your hand anymore.

After soaking the chayote, take it out and split it in half. If chayote still has latex on your hands, continue to soak for 1-2 minutes and then cut the chayote into small pieces or your choice of shapes.

Use glove to avoid the pus on your