Thought for Food

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns (or you can substitute other peppercorns)
• 4 tablespoons whole cloves
• 4 tablespoons broken cinnamon sticks
• 4 tablespoons fennel seed
• 12 whole star anise

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a dry non-stick fry pan and toast lightly over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Place in spice grinder and pulse until finely ground. You may need to grind in batches.
4. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The following marinade is great on beef, but would work well with chicken breasts. This is a good marinade for barbecuing, but would also work for meat grilled in the oven or on an electric grill.

Cooking times will vary depending on the style of cooking, cut of meat, required doneness, etc.

Ingredients:

• 2 green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1 tablespoon of five-spice powder
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

Directions:

1. Place the ingredients in food processor and whiz until blended.
2. Pour over meat and marinade for at least 2 hours.
3. Remove meat from marinade a grill until cooked.

Technorati Tags: Marinade, BBQ, Grilling, Recipe, Beef, Chicken, Ginger, Orange

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  pounds boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4  cup sherry
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
• 12 ounces cooked vermicelli

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except noodles, in Crock Pot.
2. Cover, cook on Low 8 to 10 hours (High: 4 to 5 hours).
3. Serve over noodles.

NB: May be doubled for 5 quart models.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yield: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 x 4 inch ball of prepared dough, let rise to room temp.
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
• 2 grilled skinless chicken, breasts, diced
• 4 scallions, finely, sliced
• 2/3 cup lightly packed cilantro, leaves, stems discarded before before measuring
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes discarded, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• salt, and, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Sprinkle your rolling surface with a handful of flour or cornmeal.
• Place dough directly in the middle of the surface.
• Roll out the dough gently into either a 12-inch rectangle or circle, 1/4-inch thick.
• Brush both sides with olive oil and set aside until ready to grill.
• Place dough in the centre of the cooking grate, directly over the heat for one to three minutes, until the crust is well marked and
  browned.
• Flip dough and spread Hoisin sauce evenly over cooked side of crust.
• Spread chicken, scallions, cilantro and bell pepper evenly over crust.
• Sprinkle cheese over top.
• Move to Indirect heat (for charcoal: the side of charcoal grill that has no coals. For gas: turn off burner directly under pizza).
• Cover grill and cook for 5 -10 minutes, or until bottom is well browned, and cheese is fully melted.
• Remove from grill, season with salt and pepper, and slice. Serve immediately.

Technorati Tags: Cooking,, Recipes,, Pizza,, Italian,, Chinese,, Chicken,, BBQ

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With Easter a couple of weeks away, store shelves are full of that sugary marshmallow goodness known as Peeps. There’s something about those brightly-coloured confections that brings out the creative in people.

Along with decorating your vehicle and “science” experiments, there are numerous Peeps-based recipes. I once made a somewhat macabre pan of Rice Krispies Treats using the yellow Peeps chicks. I cut off and reserved the heads of 24 chicks. I then used the bodies for the marshmallow requirement of the recipe (giving a yellowish tinge and an extra sugar hit to the final product.). After the squares had cooled in the pan, I heated the necks of the reserved heads and attached them evenly-spaced on the top. I then used some red food colouring to create blood running from the severed necks over the top of the squares. Just gruesome enough to make people want to eat them.

This Peeps-variation on sweet and sour sauce comes from the PeepBlog.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Peeps Bunnies
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. chili sauce
• Dash ground red pepper
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Dice Peeps into 1/4 inch chunks
2. Mix all other ingredients in a saucepan and place over medium heat
3. As sauce gets hot, stir in Peeps
4. Cook, stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Sauces, Sweet+and+Sour+Sauce, Asian, Marshmallow+Peeps

[composed and posted with BlogJet]

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 08:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From Busy Cooks @ About.com

• Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
  This simple and delicious recipe is a perfect dish to introduce you to the flavors and techniques of stir frying.
• Beef and Vegetables
  Use leftover roast beef for this super easy recipe, or buy some sliced beef from the deli.
• Asian Apricot Chicken
  Apricot jam is the secret ingredient in this colorful, healthy, and delicious stir fry meal.
• Kung Pao Pork
  Purchased broccoli slaw and Szechuan stir fry sauce combine with pork loin for a hot and spicy super easy meal.
• Vegetable Stir Fry
  This elegant and simple recipe uses fresh vegetables and is topped with cheese, making it a bit different from traditional stir fry recipes.
• Orange Chicken Stir Fry
  I love this easy recipe. All you have to do is cut the chicken into strips, then cook, and dinner's ready in 10 minutes.
• Beef and Snow Peas
  If you're really into stir frying, try different brands and flavors of purchased stir fry sauce to find your favorite, then keep it on hand for instant meals, like this recipe.
• Stir-Fried Chicken and Peppers
  Frozen peppers and onions are the shortcut ingredient in this colorful and healthy recipe.
• Pork and Onions with Orange Glaze
  Orange marmalade and chili sauce are the secret ingredients in this easy stir fry recipe.
• Chicken Fried Rice
  Stop off at your local Chinese restaurant and buy some cooked rice to make this colorful stir fry even easier!
• Chicken and Vegetables Stir Fry
  Enjoy your time in the kitchen and cut up the vegetables yourself, or stop by a salad bar and buy prepared vegetables for a really fast meal.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ingredients

• 375 g Catelli Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Linguine
• 75 mL (1/3 cup) hoisin sauce
• 45 mL (3 tbsp) chicken broth
• 2 chicken breasts, boned and skinned
• 90 mL (6 tbsp) roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) canola oil
• 1 bag (171 g) shiitake mushrooms
• 1 red bell pepper, in strips
• 3 green onions, in fine strips
• To taste salt and pepper
• 75 mL (1/3 cup) fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

Instructions

• Cook linguine according to package directions; set aside.
• In a bowl, blend 15 mL (1 tbsp) hoisin sauce with 5 mL (1 tsp) water. Use to baste chicken breasts; salt and sprinkle with 30 mL (2 tbsp) roasted peanuts.
• Cook in oven preheated to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) for 15 minutes; set aside.
• Meanwhile, clean mushrooms and remove stems. Cut bigger mushrooms.
• In a skillet, heat oil and sauté mushrooms around 1 minute. Add pepper strips and continue cooking another minute.
• Add chicken strips, remaining hoisin sauce and chicken broth, then bring to a boil. Add pasta and green onions, mixing well to coat pasta.
• Sprinkle with remaining peanuts and fresh coriander.

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Technorati Tags: Pasta, Main+Dish

Posted by at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)