Recipes

[KCFoxy]

As a child I was a picky eater and found out later it was because apparently having about 20% more tastebuds are the culprit. Works in my favor these days but cannot say members of the squash family are huge favorites. With plenty of Spaghetti Squash around, did find what sounds like a lower calorie spin on a take-out favorite and not the same old same old tomato sauce or meatball spin...

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

(recipe courtesy of SunnyDaysNora, allrecipes.com)

2 medium spaghetti squash halved and seeded

1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

3 Tablespoons peanut butter (may sub non-tree nut butter such as sunflower)

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 Tablespoon Chili Garlic paste

1 teaspoon mirin (sweet rice wine vinegar, unseasoned)

1 Tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce (Kikkoman)

1 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 Tablespoon Oyster sauce

1 teaspoon minced ginger (I use jarred)

1 to 2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

2 Tablespoons cold water

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Cups cooked, cubed chicken

2 Cups favorite veggies, such as julienned zucchini, slivered carrots, onion wedges or green onion, chopped/seeded red pepper, chopped cabbage

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

Bake halved and seeded spaghetti squash flesh side down on lightly oiled baking sheet, 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool then shred flesh with fork, discard skin and reserve.

Combine sauce ingredients in medium saucepan over medium low heat, stirring frequently until nut butter is fully incorporated. Combine cold water and cornstarch; slowly add slurry to sauce mixture, increase heat to medium high and cook a minute longer, until thickened. Reserve.

In large skillet combine oil and veggies over medium heat, sauteeing about 3 minutes or until just tender.

Assemby: (4 large or 6 medium portions)

Layer beginning with spaghetti squash, veggies, cooked chicken then sauce. Pasta bowls work well for this. May garnish with chopped green onion or basil, lime slices and peanuts as you like. Also nice in 9 x 13" baking dish to serve buffet-style.

Next ingredient: yellow cornmeal

[godi]

Sorry no recipe for yellow corn meal I just had to tell KcFoxy what a great recipe. Thank you so much for sharing. 

Next ingredient YELLOW CORNMEAL 

[Zhills]

Fried Cornbread 

1 C cornmeal
1 T flour
dash of salt
1 - 1 1/2 C water

Mix meal, flour, salt and water.

Fill frying pan with 1/4" oil. Drop batter by spoonfuls and fry until golden brown, turn and brown other side.

Next ingredient:  Soy sauce

[GenXmuse]

Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sliced green onions (or more to taste)

Sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic , minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1/3 cup apple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Place chicken in slow cooker, pour sauce over top. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 3 hours.

Remove chicken and chop into bite sized pieces and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine 3 tablespoons water with cornstarch. Turn slow cooker up to high. Whisk cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Cover and allow to thicken, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes). Stir chicken back into the sauce and add in green onions.

Serve over rice.

Note: The sauce can also be thickened on the stove top. Create the slurry as above and whisk over medium heat until thickened. Return to slow cooker with chicken and stir in green onions.

Next Ingredient: Gran Padano or Parmesan cheese

[KCFoxy]

Recently had some Parmesan Crusted Sole from Macaroni Grill. The fish was tasty, but definitely overcooked...such thin, delicate fillets only need a couple minutes per side! I decided to recreate this dish using my own ingredients/proportions. This can be either baked, pan fried or cooked in new air fryer, (we have the Cook's Essentials version).

Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillets

4 fish fillets, 4 to 6 ounce each (tilapia, sole, cod or snapper)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 Cup finely crushed round crackers

1/3 Cup Parmesan cheese (we like Trader Joe blend)

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon granulated or powdered garlic

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon wedges

Method: brush each fiillet lightly with olive oil. Dredge fillets in cracker-cheese herb mixture. We pan fried these in large skillet with the butter and leftover olive oil (about 2 teaspoons) over medium high heat, 2 minutes per side. Thicker fish would require correspondingly longer times.

If baking fish, use foil lined baking sheet srayed with pan spray.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 325, again depending on thickness.

Serve with lemon wedges. Works well with chicken thighs, legs/quarters or even cube steak. Can substute Italian seasoning for other herbs if desired. Cooking times will vary.

Next ingredient: Coconut Syrup

[KCFoxy]

In the interests of moving things along, I will handle the Coconut syrup recipe. We love trips to Hawaii and keep a small bottle of Coconut Syrup on hand for special weekend treats like Macadamia Nut Pancakes or French Toast made with (King's) Hawaiin Bread, which is basically a Portuguese Sweet bread.

Found an online recipe for French Bread Sticks with Homemade Ccconut Syrup which received very low ratings...some ingredients were omitted or otherwise wrong. Here is my own Island spin on a tasty brunch time favorite...

French Toast Strips with Coconut Syrup

4 slices state bread, (King's Hawaiin preferred), cut into long strips

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 Cup milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon canola butter (such as Land O Lakes)

Homemade Coconut Syrup

14 ounce can coconut milk

1/3 to 1/2 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

(slurry: 1 Tablespoon water, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch)

dash salt

Dip bread strips into egg wash then fry in medium skillet with canola butter-about 1 minute per side. Should have 16 to 20 strips, depending on how you cut up the stale bread.

You can drizzle sticks with preoackaged coconut syrup or proceed to make your own:

In small saucepan over medium low heat combine coconut milk, brown sugar, butter and extract, stirring until brown sugar is dissolved. Gradually add water-cornstarch slurry and increase heat to medium, stirring until nicely thickened.

Love this with chopped macadamia nuts sprinkled over strips. A local butcher makes Aloha sausages, with pineapple...much better than they sound...sometimes we will have a couple of these, or some sliced pineapple on the side.

Smoothies made with plain kefir or yogurt, pineapple chunks and a couple teaspoons of leftover Coconut Syrup are outrageous yet healthy Pina Colada Smoothies. Syrup will keep coverered, up to a month in your Fridge.

Next ingredient: Green Tomatoes

[GenXmuse]

Raw Ice Cream Sandwiches

Raw banana ice cream sandwiched between two raw chocolate cookies and dipped in pure raw chocolate.

Ingredients:
Cookies:

Raw Walnuts – 1 cup
Raw Almonds – 1 cup
Medjool Dates – 1 cup, soaked 5 minutes
Raw Cacao Powder – 1/4 cup
Water – 2 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Seeds – 1 tsp extract, or seeds of one vanilla bean
Himalayan Pink Salt – A pinch

Banana Filling:

Frozen Bananas – 3, cut in chunks
Cashews – 1/4 cup
Raw Honey – 1/4 cup
Coconut Oil – 1 Tbsp
Himalayan Pink Salt – A pinch

Dipping Chocolate:

Coconut Oil – 1/4 cup, melted
Coconut Syrup – 1/4 cup
Raw Cacao Powder – 2 Tbsp
Himalayan Pink Salt – A pinch

Instructions:
Cookies: Process all ingredients together in a food processor until mixture starts to ball up. You want the mixture to be smooth, but have chunks of nuts in it. Remove from food processor and roll out into a 1/2 inch thick layer. Freeze 30 minutes. Cut out cookie shapes with a cookie cutter. I used a 2-3 inch round cookie cutter. Place back in freezer as you prepare the rest.

Banana filling:
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Place in freezer.

Dipping Chocolate:
Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
Take two cookies, and sandwich a scoop of banana ice cream between them. Place in freezer until hardened. Prepare chocolate mixture, and dip frozen sandwiches into them. I like to cover just half the sandwich in chocolate. Place back in freezer. You may let the chocolate harden and then re-dip for a thicker layer. 

Next Ingredient: KIDNEY BEANS

[GenXmuse]

@KCFoxy Oops! We must have posted close to the same time!

I guess we'll give either option of next ingredient or a recipe using green tomatoes and kidney bean! Lol

Next Ingredient: Green Tomatoes or Kidney Beans

is that okay with you?

[vabreeze]

This is a good dish for a potluck, cookout or any grilled meat

Fourth of July Bean Casserole

½ lb bacon chopped

½ lb ground beef

1 large chopped onion

1 can (28 oz) pork and beans

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can lima beans, drained

½ cup bbq sauce (your flavor choice)

½ cup ketchup

½ cup granulated white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 TBS prepared mustard

2 TBS molasses

Salt and pepper to taste

Chili powder to taste

In large oven proof saucepan cook bacon, beef and onion until beef is no longer pink. Stir in all other ingredients and cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Next ingredient: Green tomatoes

[KCFoxy]

On the West Coast, we are lucky to have fresh tomatillos, also known as Mexican Green Tomatoes, readily available in most larger supermarkets. Also found canned, (try Mexican aisle), they are used interchangeably with regular green tomatoes, the kind typically breaded and fried up, sometimes with a nice bacon gravy.

My DH is a former professional Cook, while I'm a Registered Nurse and bonafide Foodie. We love Mexican, Chinese and Italian cuisines among many, and I love re-creating some comfort food favorites such as homemade tamales, mole, enchiladas and here, my own streamlined

Chili Verde with Mexican Green Tomatoes 

 

3 pound boneless pork roast, trimmed and cut into 1" dice

2 to 3 Cups water-enough to cover pork while cooking

2 to 3 teaspoons pork base* (Minor's) may use chicken

1 large can tomatillos or 2 Cups fresh, peeled tomatillos or green tomatoes

1 large can green enchilada sauce (La Victoria preferred)

1 large white onion, chopped (may sub sweet yellow)

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon oregano, (Mexican preferred)

1 or 2 bay leaves (optional)

1 teaspoon sugar

Slurry of 2 Tablespoons water and 1 Tablespoon flour or cornstarch

Method: We enjoy making this in our Ninja slow cooker, especially in warmer months. Add all ingredients except slurry and slow cook 4 to 6 hours, until meat is fork tender and tomatillos no longer solid.

When making this on the stove, in large saucepan place prepared pork and water over medium heat, cook about 1 hour until just tender. Add remainder of ingredients, as above, and continue cooking 1 to 2 more hours over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Finish by removing bay leaves, gradually stirring in slurry until thickened. At this point taste for seasoning. We like mild enchilada sauce, but you can use medium, and add hot sauce, chopped peppers, whatever.  My DH, and kids in general (!) might prefer a spoonful of sour cream stirred into their chili verde right before serving.  I have left out cilantro as neither of us like it, but add if you will.

Meanwhile prepare cooked rice, allow 1/2 Cup per serving. Recipe makes about 8 good sized serving chili verde.  Since we are a family of 2, we freeze half and also have enough to enjoy as leftovers.

*Pork base is amazing stuff, as are all bases IMHO, much tastier than bouillon cubes/granules and often less salty overall. Keeps up to a year in refrigerator, and comes in a wide variety of flavors: beef, chicken, turkey, ham, pork, shrimp, lobster, clam, seafood, vegetable, mushroom et al, with several very good lower sodium ones as well.

Next ingredient: Avocados