Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes made from cake mix and simple frosting will easily please the taste buds. These will sell fast and bake sales.
Ingredients:
1 cup cake mix (homemade or store-bought)
2 tsp coco powder
1 tbs dried milk powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1 egg
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs chia seeds gel
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting
4 tbs soft butter
3 tbs milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup coco powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preparing the cake batter:
Combine hot water, milk powder and coco powder, and chia seed gel. Mix well.

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat egg, oil, and sugar until combined.

 Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add a thin stream of the hot-coco mixture into the egg mixture.

 Spoon cake batter into the cupcake liners to 2/3 full.

 Bake cupcakes in preheated oven set to one 350° for 30 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back slightly .

Let cupcakes cool on the rack before frosting.

Preparing the frosting:
Combine all the frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk by hand or by using an electric mixer to blend the all the ingredients until smooth.

Chicken Ragu for Two

Ingredients:
 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, finely chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups homemade marinara sauce
1/4 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 pound of penne or linguine pasta

Directions:
In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook until the juices from the chicken evaporate and the chicken is golden (about 7 to 10 minutes). Add chopped shallot, rosemary and garlic. Sauté until tender (about 2 to 3 minutes).

 Stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add wine and marinara sauce and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the flavors blend (about 20 minutes).
To cook pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add  penne; cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Add the penne to the ragu sauce and toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and serve.

Marinara Sauce

Marinara (mariner's) sauce, which originated in southern Italy, is a tomato sauce made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs – mostly fresh basil. However, there are many  variations depending upon the cook and region – capers, olives or anchovies are common additions. This sauce is widely used to flavor pasta, rice, or pizza. I think every kitchen should have this sauce available because a dinner can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. The acid contained in tomatoes will keep this sauce quite well in the refrigerator. If fresh herbs are not available, dry herbs will be fine as a substitute.
Ingredients:
2 cans 14.5 oz plum tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup red wine
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs sugar
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh sweet basil, julienned
1 tbs oregano, chopped

Directions:
In a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, carrots and sauté' until the vegetables wilt or the garlic becomes fragrant (about 5 to 7 minutes).

 Add red wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add entire contents of the canned tomatoes into saucepan,

Use fork to break up the tomatoes or use a hand blender to swirl for a few times. Add basil and oregano to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to boil. Turn heat down to simmer sauce for 1 hour. Season with sugar to balance the acid from the tomatoes. The sauce is ready to use.

Fish Chowder

With this recipe, even on a busy day, dinner will be ready in 30 minutes. Use the ingredients on hand and come up with healthy meal.
Ingredients:
Two-8oz cod,salmon or tilapia fillet
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup each of celery, carrots, and kernels of corn
1 cup potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 tbs fresh chopped marjoram, parsley or 1 tsp dry herbs
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1 tbs all-purpose flour
1 tbs butter and oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
In a 4 qt saucepan over medium heat, add butter and oil. Sauté' onions, celery, carrots and garlic until fragrant. Add flour to make a roux. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes and herbs. Bring to boil. Cook until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). Add milk, fish and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the chowder back to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a folk. Serve

Quinoa for Breakfast

Quinoa is a small white grain that lately gets a lot attention for its nutrition. This small grain is simple to cook when using a rice cooker and the right amount of water. Adding a variety of beans will make a healthy breakfast.
Equipment:
Small rice cooker

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 cup water, vegetable or chicken broth
3 tbs chia seeds gel
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cooked beans (your choice)

Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the cooked beans into the rice cooker.

Turn the machine on.

When it is done, add cooked beans

. Close the lid of the cooker and let beans warm up in the machine for10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Red Beans Paste

Red beans paste or azuki bean paste is a sweet, dark red beans paste originally from China. Also, they are very common among the Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cuisines for desserts. The red beans are cooked until soft and then sweetened with sugar or honey vigorously mashed into the paste. The red beans paste with smoother texture is boiled with water until it becomes soupy. The slurry soup is then drained through a sieve to remove the skin from the beans and then sugar or honey is added. This paste is then used as a filling for many dessert recipes, such as steamed baozi cake, glutinous rice balls, moon cake, Korean steamed rice cake. Recently, I have used red beans paste to make jellied soy pudding. I use a crock pot to cook red beans, and then make the paste using a simple cooking, mashing method, and the result is excellent. Doubling or tripling my recipe's ingredients to make a large batch of red beans paste is acceptable because it freezes well, and then will always be available.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried red beans (adzuki beans)
4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil or butter
1 tbs vanilla
Pinch of salt

Directions:
To cook red beans
In a 2 qt crock pot, add beans and water. Turn heat to low 5 to 6 hours.
To make beans paste
Drain the cooked beans and place into a sauté pan over low heat. Stir in sugar, honey and oil or butter;

 Using the masher to mash the beans and cook until the water has evaporated.

 Add vanilla, mix well and remove from heat.

Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Vegetables

A hearty chicken stew full of potatoes, vegetables, and herbs not only warms up the body on a chilly winter day but also makes a healthy dinner, even if only one bowl.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken, cut into cubes (about 2 chicken breasts)
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cooked beans (navy, white or black-eyed pea beans)
1/2 cup corn
3 medium-size potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
7 cups chicken broth
1 tbs fresh sage, chopped
1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs butter and oil

Directions:
In a 5 qt pot over medium heat, add butter and oil. Sauté' onion, garlic, carrots and celery until softened.

Add chicken, mushrooms and potatoes and cook for 10 minutes.

Add herbs and chicken broth.

 Bring to boil and turn heat down (any residue that floats to the top must be skimmed)

 Simmer the stew for 30 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Add corn and cooked beans.

Season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer the stew for another 10 minutes. Serve