Oriental Ramen Broccoli Cole Slaw

This recipe is sort of a spin on the traditional oriental salad we all remember. I love it though. I am a fan of anything with broccoli slaw, and of course edamame!

2 (3 ounce) packages beef-flavor ramen noodles

2 (8 1/2 ounce) packages broccoli coleslaw mix

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 bunch green onion, chopped

1 cup edamame

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

Before opening noodles, crush into 1 inch pieces. Open packages and keep one flavor packet. Toast almonds and noodles in 2 tablespoons of oil, make sure not to burn. Let cool. Mix broccoli slaw, with noodles, almonds, sunflower kernels, green onions, and edamame.

In a separate bowl combine sugar, oil, vinegar, and flavor packet from noodles. Pour over slaw, cover and chill up to 24 hours. Toss before serving.

Fresh Pea, Herb and Cheese Salad

I don't know how else to describe this other than saying it was AMAZING. I don't really like peas, they are too squishy for my liking, but I loved this. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
2 cups freshly shelled peas (use frozen if you have to)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup fresh cheese (I used mozzarella, but I think feta or blue would be good too))
salt and pepper to taste
freshly chopped basil and oregano (or whatever you like instead)
splash of balsamic vinegar and oil (roughly 2 teaspoons each)

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Set aside.
Bring the water to a boil in large stock pot and cook the peas until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain them from the water, rinse under cold water and drain well.
In a large bowl, combine the peas, onion, garlic, fresh cheese, salt, pepper and the herbs. Mix until combined and add a few splashes of vinegar and olive oil. You're set! 


oh, and I think this could be really good with bacon, or even nuts added into it.


recipe and photos are from here: http://www.mytartelette.com/2010/06/recipe-fresh-pea-cheese-and-herb-salad.html

PRETZELS

If you stop everything you are doing and go make these RIGHT NOW, that is not soon enough.  They are so good.  They taste like mall pretzels.  I love mall pretzels. 

I made these last night and we used them as breadsticks with our fettucine alfredo.  I think I will never make breadsticks again and will always make pretzel sticks.  You might for a second think they have a lot of butter, but it is actually less than I use for my favorite breadsticks, so it's actually a healthy alternative ;)  It's actually probably less than I put on my toast.  It's for sure less than Ryan puts on his toast :)

Make. Them. Now. 

 

Recipe and picture from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

Makes 8 pretzels

Dough:

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

7/8 to 1 cup (7 to 8 ounces) warm water*

Topping:1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth, and quite slack. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it will make your pretzels splotchy.Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 6-8 minutes, or until they're golden brown. I only bake one baking sheet at a time and let the other rest while the first is in the oven.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

Cresent Roll Recipe

3 cups sour milk (add 3 big lids of vinegar to milk and microwave the milk for about 3 minutes or so to get it to a boil)
6 T butter
3/8 tsp baking soda
3 beaten eggs
9 T sugar
3 tsp salt
9 cups flour
3 pkg yeast (3 T)

Boil milk, pour into mixing bowl ( I use my kitchen aid.)  Add cold butter, sugar.  Mix.
Once the milk has cooled a little so it's warm and not hot, add the yeast with 1 cup of flour.
Mix together.
Let sit for a coupl of minutes to make sure the yeast activates.
Add soda and salt. Mix
Add pre-beaten eggs.  Mix
Add the rest of the flour.  Mix
let the dough stand for 5 minutes
Grease pans with butter.
Roll our dough, spread with butter, cut into triangles and roll up. ( you can also just roll them into balls if you don't want the "cresent roll" look.)
let raise 2 hours.
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes until light brown.

When I do the cresent roll I usually pour a little olive oil on the counter and on the roller to roll the dough out instead of using flour.   If you feel the dough needs more flour, then add more or roll out in flour instead of oil.  Roll the dough out in a long rectangle about 2 hand lengths tall and 4-5 handlengths wide.  Spread butter over the dough, then cut.  Cut the rectangles in half lengthwise, then I use my hand as a guide to cut the other direction into small rectangles, about 4-5 cuts.  Then cut each rectangle diagonally in to triangles.  Then roll starting with the big end and ending with the point, rolling the butter inside.  You can also pick up the triangle, holding it by the base and flip the dough to roll it up.  It will roll up tighter that way.

Chicken Pasta Salad

12 oz. bag of Bowtie pasta
12 oz. bag of colored rotini (it can be a 16 oz bag too)
20 oz. can pineapple tidbits
2 cups chopped celery
1 bunch of green onions
1 cup cashews
1 cup red grapes (I usually do more, I like them)
4 cooked ckn breasts (cut into small pieces)
1 cup mayo (could substitute plain yogurt to make it healthier)
16 oz. coleslaw dressing (I don't always use the whole bottle, it can make it too runny)
I have also added mandarin oranges to this

Cook pasta and chicken. Let cool completely. Mix all ingredients together and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.

This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day.


****Side note****
This makes a very large batch. I usually make this if I am planning on feeding more than just my little family.

Restaurant Style Salsa

(I'm sorry my posts always begin with a pointless story. Actually, I must not be sorry because I keep doing it...)

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, it's pretty much exactly the salsa I have been making for years, but I have never written it down and with my "just wing it" style, it always ends up just a little bit different. So I followed the recipe this time and it was excellent. I think I will use a recipe from now on.

I never use jalepenos, it is plenty spicy for me with the green chiles. I'm wussy. I know. And I only use one can of regular stewed tomatoes and one can with the green chiles.

If you like it chunkier, sometimes I chop a couple fresh tomatoes and dump them in.
*Please see my next post for Picante Chicken if you want to use this salsa in another excellent recipe.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time:

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• ½ whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Efrain's Salsa

I got this receipe from Krista and it is super good!

1 medium onion

2-3 colves garlic

1 bunch cilantro

2-3 jalapenos

salt to taste

half a fresh lime-juice squeezed in

2-3 tsp sugar

5-7 lbs Hunts stewed tomoatoes (I usually use 3-5 28oz cans)

1 tsp Taco seasoning

Chop onion and garlic. Chop cilantro. Chop jalapenos (I take out the seeds so it is not too hot) Set aside.

Blend tomoatoes in blender. Add these ingredients together-stir. Do not but in blender.

Add sugar, lime juice, salt and taco seasonings.

Put in fridge over night.

Potato Wedges

Wash potaoes.

Cut potatoes into wedges.

Toss with oil, butter, salt, pepper,and whatever else you like: galric, balsamic, spices etc.

Roast for 15 minutes.

Shake around. Stir.

Roast for another 20 minutes. Check them, keep cooking them.

When cooked to your liking remove from oven.

Sprinkle with herbs.

Serve immediately.

We have made these a number of times at our house. They are a great addition to any BBQ!

Angel Hair Pasta Salad

cook,rinse and drain 12 oz angel hair or vermicelli
add 1T season salt
3 T lemon juice
4 T oil
soak overnight
Add 1 c green pepper
½ c chopped onion
1 c olives
4 oz pimento
1 ½ c mayorefrigerate for 2 hours

Mexican Rice

1 cup of rice
1 T oil
½ tsp onion powder
1 chicken bouillon cube
2/3 T tomato sauce (I just use a little bit of ketchup, I think that it is only for color anyway!)
½ tsp salt or to taste
3 cups chicken broth (I usually don't have chicken broth so I use three cups of water and 3-4 bouillon cubes)Brown the rice in oil until light brown. Add remaining ingredients and stir occasionally until broth comes to a boil. Cover and simmer about 20 min. or until rice is tender.

Healthy Coleslaw

3 cups green cabbage,
thinly sliced1 carrot, grated
1 t rice vinegar
1 t olive oil
1/4 c chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl, add cabbage and carrots(I used the precut cabbage and carrot mix from the store, much easier). In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil and cilantro. Toss dressing with cabbage and carrots and salt and pepper to taste. I also used more vinegar. I thought that it needed to be a little stronger.

Potatoes AuGratin

1 package frozen, shredded hash browns
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 – 2 cups cheddar cheese
salt to taste
Combine all ingredients and stir together. Put potato mixture in a 9x13 inch or round casserole dish. Cover with tin foil or lid. Bake at 350° for 1 – 1-½ hours. Can top with corn flakes or bread crumbs then cook, uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.