8 Servings
Carb: Spaghetti
Protein: Beef
Veg: Plum Tomatos
This is quite possibly the BEST pasta sauce I've ever tasted. Literally THE BEST. I've never made pasta sauce from canned whole tomatoes before, but now I don't think I'll ever be able to go back. Haha! I think it's the flavor combo of bay leaves, fennel and oregano. Also the texture of this sauce is just what I've been looking for! It's got bits of tomato all through it and it's not too chunky or runny.
Ingredients:
16oz package Spaghetti
4 28oz cans of whole peeled Plum Tomatoes
1 Onion, diced
2 Garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Tbsp dry Oregano
2 Bay Leaves
2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt or to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper or to taste
3 Tbsp Canola Oil
Meatballs (makes about 18)
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 cup plain Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Romano Cheese, finely shredded
2 large Eggs
1/4 Shallot, finely diced
1/4 fresh Parsley, finely shredded
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
The Recipe:
1. Mix Ground Beef, Breadcrumbs, Romano Cheese, Eggs, Shallot, Parsley, Fennel, Salt and Pepper together by hand.
2. Shape into 1.5 inch meatballs and place on large cookie sheet.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp Canola oil in large skillet.
4. Brown Meatballs in batches of 5-6 at a time. These will not be cooked through. Set aside as they will finish cooking along with the sauce. (Drain oil from skillet and set aside for later)
5. Start the sauce by heating 3 Tbsp Canola Oil in large a stockpot (stainless steel or enameled cast iron only) on medium heat.
6. Add Onion and Garlic and a pinch of salt. Keep stirring until softened. Do not let burn.
7. Crush tomatoes with hands and add with juices to the pot. Don't worry if it's not completely crushed to bits - they're going to cook down.
8. Raise heat to med-high. As soon as tomatoes comes to boil, add meatballs.
9. Carefully stir from the bottom of the pot to cover the meatballs. Let come to a boil again.
10. As soon as it comes to a boil again, immediately lower heat and let simmer for 30 minutes covered.
11. Uncover and add Fennel, Oregano, Bay Leaves, Sugar, Salt and Pepper. Let it simmer uncovered for 3 hours. Stirring every 30 minutes.
12. In the last 30 minutes of cooking boil spaghetti according to package directions. Do not add oil to the water it will make the noodles slippery and they won't soak up the sauce.
(Optional)
13. Heat skillet used to brown meatballs on low.
14. Add pasta sauce and spaghetti and gently stir with tongs to coat spaghetti. 
Plating:
1. Place pasta on plate and top with 2-3 meatballs per person.
4 Servings
Carb: Udon Noodles
Protein: Chicken Breast
Veg: Bell Pepper and Mushrooms
I had some Thai Basil and some Udon noodles I wanted to use so I just threw this together. I hadn't intended for it to become a noodle soup but I didn't realize the soup base would be so salty. I hadn't thrown out the water I used to boil the noodles and I used that to dilute the soup base. This turned out great becuase the gluten in the water helped to thicken the soup a bit.
Ingredients:
3 Udon noodle packets (7 oz each), boiled and drained
Water (about 3-4 cups), reserved from boiling udon noodles
1 lb Chicken breast, diced
1 Bell Pepper, sliced
4 oz white Beech Mushrooms, stem trimmed
4 oz brown Beech Mushrooms, stem trimmed
4 Scallions, sliced on diagonal
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Ginger, thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup Thai Basil leaves
1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce
1 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Japanese Soup Base
1/8 tsp Ground Coriander
1/8 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
Salt to taste
Recipe:
1. In nonstick wok, heat oil on medium-high heat.
2. Sprinkle ground coriander, Chinese five spice powder and salt on chicken(I just put the diced chicken on a plate and sprinkle enough to lightly coat 1 side of all the chicken pieces). Mix chicken around to coat.
3. Add chicken pieces to oil. Don't move chicken for about 20-30 seconds - just leave it where it lands. Lightly stir for 3 minutes.
4. Add Bell Pepper and a pinch of salt. Lightly stir for 1 minute.
5. Add Ginger and Garlic. Lightly stir for 1 minute.
6. Add Fish Sauce, Chili Garlic Sauce and Japanese Soup Base. Stir and add Scallions.
7. Mix in mushrooms and cover for about 1-2 min.
8. Add 2 cups reserved Water and then Udon Noodles. Mix to combine and turn off heat.
9. Taste and add more water 1 cup at a time if the soup is too salty.
Plating:
1. Using tongs or chopsticks lift noodles, chicken and vegetables into a bowl.
2. Ladle Soup over noodles.
4 Servings
Carb: Parsley Rice
Protein: Tilapia
Veg: Shallots, Broccoli and Carrots
This was just a midweek dish that I wanted to be quick, filling and nutricious. I got the inspiration for it when I was flipping through the channels on Saturday afternoon and came across a show where they were cooking tilapia and topping it with carmelized shallots.
It turned out quite nice! I wasn't expecting it to be quite so tasty so that was a nice surprise. The seasoning I used for the fish turned out to be a bit like a mild (very mild) version of Blackened Spice. Also, the rice was sooooo tasty! Probably because the flavor of the oil was built from the shallots and the tilapia - ooo it was sooo good!
Ingredients:
2 cups Cooked Uncle Ben's Rice
4 Tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2-3 Shallots, thinnly sliced
3 Broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size pieces
1.5 cup Baby Carrots
1/4 cup fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
3 cups Water
3 Tbsp Canola Oil (for shallots and tilapia)
2 tsp Canola Oil (for broccoli and carrots)
1.5 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
2-3 cloves of Garlic,
1/8 tsp of each - Cumin, Paprika, Coriander Seed
Salt & Pepper to taste
Recipe: Carmelized Shallots, Tilapia and Parsley Rice
1. Season both sides of tilapia with Cumin, Paprika, Coriander Seed, Salt & Pepper. Set aside.
2. In a non-stick skillet, on medium heat 1 Tbsp of Canola oil and 1/2 Tbsp of Butter.
3. Add shallots to oil. Season with a pinch of salt and lightly stir until sofened. Transfer to a plate.
4. Return pan to stove-top. On medium-high, heat remaining 2 Tbsp of Canola Oil and 1 Tbsp Butter.
5. Add tilapia fillets 2 at a time to the pan. Let cook for 3 min or until the edges of are done. Flip fillets and cook another 2 min. Transfer fillets to a plate.
6. Return pan to stove-top. Turn pan down to medium low and add cooked rice. Stir in parsley and turn off heat.
Recipe: Broccoli and Carrots
1. Boil water and add Baby Carrots.
2. In a non-stick wok, on medium heat 2 tsp Canola oil.
3. Add Garlic, Broccoli and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat Broccoli with oil.
4. Add 1/4 cup of Chicken Broth. Stir to coat Broccoli with broth and cover pan. Let steam for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add remaing 1/4 cup of Chicken Broth and another pinch of salt. Stir and cover again for 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove Baby Carrots from water and add to Broccoli.
7. Add another pinch of salt and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat.
Plating:
1. Plate rice and top with 1 Tilapia fillet.
2. Top Tilapia with Carmelized Shallots.
3. Plate Broccoli and Carrots next to Rice.
My good friend from Saudi wanted me to taste these cookies. I'm always eager to eat international sweets since they're usually not cloyingly sweet like the ones here in the U.S.
These cookies were great! The texture of the crust is soft and crumbly and the filling is similar to a preserve. There's not chunks of dates but you there's a light crunch from the seeds.
Ingredients
Nutrition Info
We were on our way to the London bridge and it was sooooooo cold! When we spotted this place selling fish 'n chips off to the side of the street, we dashed to get in line!
Here it is! Hot fish 'n chips with a spot of tea!
We stopped by La Madeleine yesterday night and they had madeleines packaged for sale. I was inspired to make my own madeleines and try out my new madeleine pan. I made a batch of traditional madeleines and a batch of chocolate madeleines. I'm not 100% happy with the results. I think the traditional ones are a little too dark and I didn't like how the chocolate ones are "hole-ly". Despite that they were still tasty and I think acceptable for my first attempt at madeleines.
