Recipes For Cooking

Stupidly fast and simple, but very nice with those delish snap peas! Put some rice on to cook just before you start this to give it a bed to rest on once it is ready. (Or start it 20 minutes before you start this if it is brown rice.)

2 servings
30 minutes prep time



4 cups snap peas
2 onions, greens and bulbs
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
250 grams (1/2 pound) ground beef
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup water

Wash and trim the snap peas. Cut the greens off the onions, and chop the greens. Set them aside. Peel and chop the onions, and set them aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and ground beef and cook until browned, stirring constantly and breaking up the ground beef into fairly small pieces. Add the hoisin sauce and water. Add the peas and continue cooking and stirring, until the water is absorbed and the peas are bright green and crisp. Add the onion greens and stir them in until they are well wilted. Thats it; there you go.




Last year at this time I made Vegetable Fried Rice. Hey! Make extra rice and have that tomorrow. Thats what I did!

Featured in the photograph:  One Red and one White  Wild Alaska King Salmon fillet...

Serving: (2 to 4)
Prep: 5 Mins. |
Pan-Sear: 13 to 15 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Remoulade Sauce:
1/3 cup ketchup (Max only uses Heinz)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Ground pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon freshly lemon juice

***Salmon Fillets:
4 (8 oz.) boned, skin-on king salmon fillets, 1-1/2” thick (red and/or white)
olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
--1/2 fresh lemon, cut into 4 wedges for serving

***Max’s Dinner included:
--2 cups of steamed rice, prepared according to package directions
--Ginger/soy sauce (Max’s favorite is the House of Tsang)
--2 ripe roma tomatoes, sliced
--Fresh sprigs of parsley for garnish

METHOD

Make ahead: First, the steamed rice. Also, separately prepare the remoulade sauce by whisking all ingredients in a small decorative bowl, and place in refrigerator for flavors to meld.

Meanwhile, when the steamed rice is about halfway done, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the entire flesh side of salmon fillets with olive oil, and equally season them with garlic powder, sea salt; plus, rather generously with ground pepper. Place the salmon fillets into hot skillet presentation side down (flesh side), and sear, uncovered, for about 4 to 5 minutes without disturbing, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, turn salmon fillets over so they are skin-side down, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, just until fillets are cooked through and flake easily with a fork.

To serve, place a salmon fillet on each of the four serving plates, and squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon over each of them. Place a mound of steamed rice on each plate, along with slices of fresh plum tomato, and a sprig of parsley for garnish. Place the ginger/soy sauce on the table for individuals to season their rice, as desired. Don’t forget the remoulade sauce to serve as an accompaniment for the salmon fillets. – Enjoy!

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Tip: Cooking times may vary, depending upon thickness of salmon fillets. The ‘general rule of thumb’ is 10 minutes total per 1" thickness of fillet.

Parchment or wax paper
baking spray or grease 

Youll be making this cake often  during the summer and fall apple season...

Servings: (12)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Bake1 hr. 30 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Cake
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine-grained kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups apples, peeled and finely chopped (about 3 medium apples)
1 cup shredded coconut (I prefer to slightly brown mine in a dry skillet beforehand)
1 cup raisins

***Sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bundt pan with baking oil, and set aside.

In a large bowl, with a hand mixer combine the sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice, flour, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract; and mix until combined. With a wooden spoon, fold in apples, coconut, and raisins into batter. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Adding the sauce  so it absorbs into cake...

Meanwhile, just before the cake is done, begin making the sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to boiling point while stirring constantly, and then boil for 1 minute, and remove from heat. With a long skewer, poke holes into the hot cake, and then pour 1/2 the sauce over it - to help the sauce absorb into the cake use a pastry brush until sauce disappears.  Pour the remaining 1/2 of sauce over cake and continue letting it absorb using a pastry brush until sauce is fully incorporated.  Let cake stand in bundt pan for 1 hour, and then remove the cake by flipping it onto a rack to finish cooling. - Enjoy!


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Tip: I like to serve this wonderful cake with french vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream.  You can also make this cake using alternate dried fruits, mixed nuts, and so on.

Children would love to help  you make these festive cookies...

Yields: 5 Doz.
Prep: 10 Mins. |
Bake: 10 to 12 Mins.

Posted by: Sandra at

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine-grain kosher salt

--Red, green, and yellow decorating sugar; each mixed with a pinch of cinnamon

METHOD:

Mix each of the three colored sugars into separate, small bowls; add cinnamon, and toss to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Silpat liner.

With a hand mixer, blend together the butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and mix to incorporate. Sift into another medium bowl the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, until incorporated.

Roll the dough into 1” balls, and alternately coat the outside of each with the different colored cinnamon/sugars (see photograph above). Place cookies onto a baking sheet spaced 1” apart, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes; remove to a cooling rack, and repeat until dough is gone. – Enjoy!

Pumpkin is quite a staple in my parents home, where it is used generously in Kootu (Gravied vegetables), Sambhar, Thalagam etc. Not being too fond of the vegetables on the sweeter side, pumpkin is usually not on my shopping list. Not unless I want to make Dhansak or Bisi Bele Huli Anna.

The pumpkin used in this is the golden variety (shown in picture) which is more nutritious and anti-oxidant rich compared to the white pumpkin. Whites are used in Avials- which is one of my hot favourites.

Parsis are members of the Zoroastrian community that migrated from Persia to India over 1000 years ago to escape religious persecution. Most of them concentrated in the state of Gujarat, adapting the local language and culture as their own. Their cuisine is a unique blend of the vegetarian Gujarati food and the meaty cuisine of Persia. Dhansak is one of their much-loved dishes, which is usually made with lentils, vegetables and meat into a spicy curry that is had with brown rice.

Vegetarian that I am, my dhansak is meatless but any meat eater would confirm that it is as tasty ( Atleast let me assume so! )

Method:

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large pan. Fry the onion slices with a few grains of sugar (less than 1/8th tsp). Sugar makes the onions brown faster. Saute for 3-4 minutes till nicely browned.

Add the masala paste and saute for 3-4 minutes, until it emits a rich aroma.

Put in the chopped tomatoes, chopped fenugreek leaves. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until tomatoes are cooked and leaves have wilted.

At this stage, add the boiled dals and pumpkin. Add around 2 tsp of salt. Stir well and check for spices and salt. In case the tomatoes arent sour enough, you can add a teaspoon of tamarind pulp.

Serve hot with plain rice or traditional Parsi Brown Rice.

(Pumpkin image courtesy: Getty Images)