Potato and Corn with Coconut Milk Soup

The potato and corn soup is easy and a comfort food. I use coconut milk instead of cream for a healthier version. My garden is still full of fresh herbs at this time of the year in the Pacific Northwest. It is best when I can get some fresh corn at the farmers market, but today, I use frozen corn from Costco. Most potato soup recipes use leek; instead, I use sweet onion and garlic for intense flavor. Add some other protein food, such as shrimp or fish, after the soup is done or simply serve as is. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. of potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups corn
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Coconut oil

Directions:
In a medium pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Stir in chopped onion and cook until the onion is tender.

Stir in garlic and herbs and cook until fragrant.

Stir in potato, corn, and the broth. Bring to boil and cover.

Simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Add coconut milk. Remove 2 cups of the soup and blend well (this is another way to thicken the soup without using flour).

Season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp or fish at this time. Bring to boil again and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve.

Braised Beef with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

In a few days, I will once again donate blood to the mobile blood bank at the local shopping mall in my city. It is time for me to add more iron, which I normally avoid eating, in my diet. This is one of my basic dishes that I always want to prepare and the recipe serves one or maybe two. This is a simple dish, but the taste is amazing for people love to enjoy beef braising in a liquid with tomato and herbs.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chuck steak, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
Salt and black pepper
1 cup button mushrooms, cut in half
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup green olive
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup red onion, cubed
1/4 cup total fresh herbs: rosemary, oregano, and thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs all-purpose flour

Directions;
Sprinkle beef with salt and black pepper to taste.
Heat oil until almost smoking in a medium-size pan. Add beef and stir often. Cook until the beef is brown all over.

Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in onions and mushrooms.

 Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the beef and the mushrooms. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil.

Season again with salt and pepper, and, if you like, add 1/4 tsp of chili flakes or cayenne.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until the beef is tender.

Serve beef on a platter and sprinkle with more fresh parsley.

How to prepare steamed potatoes for a side dish
1/4 lb. small red potatoes (about 5 potatoes)
Dressing ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar
1 small shallot, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash and rinse red potatoes and place them in a pot with water. Bring to boil. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain.
Peel and cut potatoes into quarters.
Combine the dressing ingredients and pour over the warm potatoes and serve alongside the braised beef.

Salmon Baked in Foil

Most Asian families like mine have many children, but the next Asian generation of families is getting smaller. Preparing a meal for one or two people sometimes is hard to utilize the ingredients in an effective way. Most of my nieces and nephews are still in college and are still single. They always call me for a healthy recipe for one or two, and it gave me ideas to start creating healthy recipes for just one or two. I use only good fats from plant-based oil, such as olive, coconut, canola, sunflower, flaxseed, and sesame seeds. Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, trout, and sardines, are the protein sources that I must have daily. Today, I will introduce an easy recipe for everyone who has only a small space for cooking in his or her apartment. This recipe needs just foil and a few ingredients to create a simple healthy recipe.

Ingredients;
One 6 to 8 oz. salmon fillet
1 piece of foil
1/4 cup sliced white onion
Sauce ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh herb, such as thyme or parsley, cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne

Directions;
Cut a piece of foil to form a baking basket large enough to hold salmon (about 8 inches x 8 inches).

Mix sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Place the white onion slices into the foil baking basket first followed by the salmon and topped with the sauce. Seal the foil to cover the salmon completely.

Bake in a toaster oven or NuWave® oven set to 350° for 10 minutes. Serve with steamed broccoli, asparagus, or your choice of vegetable.

 

 

Eggplant and Mushrooms Curry

Eating healthy and easy cooking are now big parts of my everyday preparation of food, which is a joyful part of life. Every bit of preparing food is enjoyable and a spiritual experience in the kitchen as in all other aspects of life. We are living in a fast-moving society, and we forget how to slow down and enjoy the beautiful things around us. Sometimes, a simple meal can make healthy and happy faces while serving it. I hope that people who sometime stop by my blog can feel the love that I intend to share every day in my cooking.

Ingredients:
1/2 eggplant, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups okra, fresh or frozen
5 mushrooms, quartered (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped white onions
2 tbs oil
Spices:
1 tbs curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs lemongrass
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs soy sauce
Sauce ingredients:
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups kelp stock or water

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:
In a medium sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in chopped white onions and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.

Stir in turmeric, curry powder, garlic, and lemongrass. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and season with sugar, salt and soy sauce.

 Cook for 5 minutes and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil.

Turn down the heat to simmer. Cover and continue to cook for 30 minutes or until the eggplant is
 tender. Adjust the seasoning before turning off the heat.

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Serve with rice.

Easy Chocolate Muffins

One easy sweet recipe for entertaining guests, especially kids, is for chocolate muffins.  A basket of freshly-baked muffins is so inviting to everyone. It is easy because it is quick to prepare. I always have cake mix ready, and the rest of the ingredients are either nuts, dried fruits, or frozen fruits that will complete the basic muffin recipe. For someone, like me, that is not a professional baker, baking muffins and giving them to a neighbor is always a welcome gift. The chocolate muffin is a safe bet to give away as a gift because nobody refuses to eat chocolate muffins. Here it is an easy muffin recipe.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 ½ cups cake mix
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Wet ingredients;
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a Vitamix container, add eggs, milk, and oil and blend for 15 seconds.

 

 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten wet ingredients into the well.
Stir gently until just combined (do not overmix).

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin liners (2/3 full) for each muffin.

 Bake in the preheated oven (for about 20 minutes) until golden or firm to the touch.
Let cool and serve.

The Smartest Man in the World

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute and yelled to the passengers that they better jump, and he himself bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.

The doctor grabbed one and said “I’m a doctor, I save lives, so I must live,” and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, “I’m a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live.” He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I’ve lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace.”

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worry Father. The smartest man in the world just took off with my back pack.”

Moral: Your job doesn’t always define you, but being a good human being does.

Posted on 26 Tháng Tám 2016 by Huynh Hue

Semi-Homemade Tomato BBQ Sauce

For easy cooking, rotisserie or BBQ is the easiest method to create a meal for large or small groups. I have been cooking for quite sometime now and the best way to create a wonderful meal is to have a ready-made sauce. I like to make BBQ sauce at home because most of the BBQ sauces in bottles that are sold in stores are way too sweet for my taste. However, I like to use some of the BBQ sauce flavors to add into my sauce.  It works for me. With ready-made sauce, I think meals can be ready using either meat or seafood. Today, I will demonstrate this tomato BBQ sauce recipe. This sauce is a life saver.
Ingredients:
1/4 cups olive oil
Two 14.5 cans tomato stew, blend in  blender
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tbs blackstrap molasses
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup total of fresh herbs, oregano, thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cups BBQ sauce, your choice
Directions:
Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until softened and fragrant.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients uncovered, and simmer until the sauce has thickened.

 Season with some salt, if needed. Let cool and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Use the handheld blender to give the sauce a smooth textutre