Homemade Stir-fry Sauce

In Asian restaurants, this is the sauce that they use to make most stir-fry dishes.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup Oyster sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
1/4 cup sesame oil

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and bring to simmer. Stir and cook until the sugar dissolves. Let sauce cool and place in a glass jar to store in the refrigerator, where it can remain fresh for months.
Use this sauce for stir-fry and to marinade meat or fish.

 

Easy Cookie Dough

I have been looking for an easy cookie dough recipe for quite some time. Today, I am very happy to share this recipe . With this cookie dough, other ingredients can easily be added to create different cookies to satisfy guests.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine wet and dry ingredients in two separate bowls.
Sift the dry ingredients.
Use a wooden spoon to beat the wet ingredients until well mixed. You can use a hand-held mixer to do the job.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
If you do not use the dough now, then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze until you need it.

Add-ins:
1/2 cup mixed nuts ( I grind the nuts) .
1/2 cup raisin or any dry fruits that your choice
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

All the add-ins to the dough that you create on your own should not be more than 1/2 cup total.

Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread

This is an easy recipe for making garlic bread that I found when I went to search YouTube. The One Pot Chef is one of the listings. Garlic bread is a type of snack that will make you eat it nonstop. The Olive Garden restaurant always serves garlic bread as an appetizer, and it is really great. When making this garlic bread, people often think of yeast, flour, and the time that it takes for the dough to rise is too troublesome.  However, this recipe will cut through all those steps by using self-rising flour and nonfat Greek yogurt. This recipe is the breakthrough recipe for people who have very little skill at making bread, and I am one of them . The dipping sauce can be marinara, tomato, or salsa. Most of the dipping sauces can be purchased ready-made at the grocer, and they are not bad at all. I have also included below a garlic butter recipe, which I find easy to keep in the refrigerator to create this easy recipes .  This bread also reminds me of the garlic bread that is served at a Pizza Hut restaurant .

Ingredients:
1 cup self rising flour
1- 5.2 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup of cheese (your choice)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tbs melted garlic butter

Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the self-rising flour, yogurt, olive oil, sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix until well combined. This process can be done in the food processor with a few pulses, or until it forms a ball.
Roll dough out about 1 inch thick using a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface.
Brush dough with melted garlic butter. Spread the cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated oven set to 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.
The bread can be cut into strips before baking..

 
Garlic butter
1 stick butter softened
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
Combine all the ingredients and wrap it in a foil. Label and refrigerate. Use whenever needed to make garlic bread or other recipes that call for garlic butter.

9 toxic habits you need to avoid

Staying positive isn’t always easy, especially in difficult situations. But there are several habits and behaviors that may be sabotaging your efforts. Recognizing these negative thoughts can help you put an end to self-inflicted negativity.

To keep a positive mindset, here are nine toxic habits you need to avoid:
1. Taking Things Too Personally
Sometimes you can’t help but get your feelings hurt by other peoples’ words or actions. But taking everything personally will constantly bring you down. It’s important to remember that what others say and do is a reflection on them, not you. If someone around you is constantly hurting you, it’s probably time to cut them out of your life.
2. Being Judgmental
Judging others on their appearance, gender, social status or anything else is toxic behavior. Being judgmental is almost always an indication of a problem within us, not the other person. Judging others invokes negative thoughts and behavior.
3. Holding On To Pain
Letting go of pain or loss is never easy. But it’s the best way to move on. The longer you hold onto pain, the more it will negatively affect your thoughts and emotions. Find a way to work through it and release the negative thoughts that you’ve been holding on to for so long. You’ll feel like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders, and you’ll be able to replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.
4. Being Jealous Of Others
Being jealous of other people robs you of being able to appreciate your own blessings. Jealousy is an unproductive and wasted emotion. If you admire someone for their success, set your own goals that will help you work harder for what you want. Working toward your own goals will allow you to be sincerely happy for those around you.
5. Playing The Victim
Constantly complaining and playing the victim can negatively affect every aspect of your life. It can wreak havoc on your relationships, your work life and your sense of self. Life happens to all of us. Things pop up unexpectedly. The way we choose to handle them makes all the difference. Stop looking at yourself as a victim. Instead, realize that you have the power to overcome any situation with a positive mindset.
6. Being Cruel
People who are cruel lack empathy, respect and compassion for others. Being cruel to others is indicative of inner issues. Unfortunately, cruelty is one of the biggest problems we face in the world today. It’s never productive or acceptable.
7. Lacking Self Control
If you don’t practice self control, you’re setting yourself up to make poor and irrational decisions. You might lash out at others who don’t deserve it and give way to other impulses, no matter how harmful they may be. Self-control is a valuable tool that’s necessary for making good decisions.
8. Trying To Impress Others
The sooner you learn that you don’t need to impress others, the sooner you will open yourself up to living a positive and authentic life. Being true to yourself is what matters. Stick to your morals, live your passion, follow your dreams and respect yourself enough not to let others bring you down..
9. Acting Immorally
Lying, cheating, stealing or any other kind of deception is toxic behavior. Almost every time you choose to act immorally, someone else is susceptible to getting hurt. We all face temptations, but being strong enough to make the right decision can help keep your conscious clear and your thoughts positive.

Source and courtesy: David Wolfe

Easy Chickpeas Curry

Vegetarian curry chickpeas is a very popular dish of the Middle East. For vegetarians, like me, this is a delicious, nutritious vegetarian dish. Not only that, the processing method is extremely simple and most kitchens will have the ingredients available to prepare this dish. The curry powder used for this dish, if processed according to the recipes of the Middle East includes a lot of spice ingredients to create it, is very special in the Middle East. However, in the markets today there are ready-made curry powders for us to save time, which is also very good. We are living in a fast moving society now, and timing is everything, so this is the best and easiest way to create an authentic Middle East curry dish for vegans or vegetarians.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

Spice Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tbs chopped ginger

1 tomato finely diced

1 tbs curry powder (Middle Eastern :turmeric, cumin, coriander, or fennel,)

1/4 cup oil

Others:

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth or water

Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro

Serve with white rice

Directions:

Drain the soaked chickpeas; place in the instant pot with 2 cups water. Turn to pressure cook for 7 minutes ( follow the safety instructions when for cooking with an instant pot).. Drain again and set aside. You also can use the chickpeas in a can .

In a deep sauté pan, add oil, sliced onions, ginger, garlic and then sauté in low heat for 10 minutes or until the onion is caramelized.

Add curry powder and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add chopped tomato and cook for 5 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper.

At this time, add chopped fresh chili if you want to add a kick to your taste.

Add coconut milk, broth, and chickpeas.

Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Now the curry is ready to serve.

Garlic Shrimp and Rice

This is a dish dedicated to you who love garlic. Garlic is an indispensable spice in the world of Asian cooking because garlic is always an option to add to any dish as an Eastern medicine. You can use butter, but you can replace butter with other healthier cooking oils, such as olive or grape seed oil . By using oil in this recipe, this dish can be added to my list of nutritious foods. In addition, this is a recipe that can be made very quickly, so it will be suitable for housewives who do not have much time yet can still ensure good quality for their family meals.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Medium shrimp with tails on

7 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 tbs lemon juice and zest

3 tbs olive oil

2 green onions, cut into 1 inch

Salt and pepper, soy sauce to taste, and a pinch of sugar

 Korean hot chili flakes

Cilantro as a garnishment

Serve with rice

Directions:

Heat oil in a deep fry pan and add garlic; turn heat down to medium.

Continue to stir the garlic but do not let garlic burn.

When the garlic turns brown, stir in shrimp and hot chili flakes, if using.

Season with salt, a pinch of sugar, and black pepper.

Cook until shrimp turn pink; then add lemon juice and green onions.

Do not overcook shrimp.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over rice.

(cooked pasta or Ramen noodles are suitable for this dish too).

You can remove the tails on the shrimp if you do not wish to eat the tails.

Easy yogurt blueberry cupcakes

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
6 oz non fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Other :
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberry

Directions:
Preheat oven to  350°
Greased or paper-lined muffin tin and set a side
In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, combine the egg, yogurt, oil and milk, blend in blender for a few seconds. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
Fill  muffin cups three-fourths full.
Bake in the preheat oven  for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan . Serve warm.