Egg Drop Soup

Okay a little whinge here, we live in Georgia and waking to temperatures in the single digits and feeling like negative numbers should not happen!!  Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened this morning and we’ll be lucky to get up to 30F.  Not our favorite kind of weather!  So, with it being crazy cold outside we needed to warm our insides and for that, nothing is better than a steaming bowl of soup.  Today we decided it would be Egg Drop Soup, not only because it’s simple & quick to make and we had all the ingredients in the house, but also because Maisie has been cleared to have eggs as we test her tolerance and vasomotor rhinitis response.  This soup took minutes to make and got big thumbs up and smiles from Maisie and all of us.

Egg Drop Soup

• 4 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup or broth
• 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 TBS. fish sauce
• 2 TBS. coconut aminos 
• 1 TBS. arrowroot powder (can use corn starch, tapioca/cassava/yucca starch)
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS. water
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• salt to taste

In a heavy pot, bring the soup, ginger, pepper, garlic, sesame oil & fish sauce to a boil.  While that is coming to a boil, in a small bowl, mix the coconut aminos and arrowroot powder to form a smooth slurry.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 TBS. water together.  Once the soup begins to boil, stir briskly while slowly adding the arrowroot slurry.  Allow to boil for 30-60 seconds and then lower the temperature.  Still stirring the soup continuously, drizzle in the eggs allowing the strands of egg to cook.  Add the green onions and then season to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

Dan Dan Noodles ~ healthier~ low carbs but with Full Flavor!

I am not a huge pasta lover but I absolutely adore really spicy Dan Dan Noodles.  Recently I had a craving for them and instead of running out to my favorite Szechuan restaurant I decided to make them at home and to try and do a healthier version.  My concession to making them healthier was to replace the Chinese egg noodles with some no calorie/no carb Shirataki noodles and instead of pork (which I generally order) I decided to use some ground turkey breast. 

Holy cow this recipe rocked and had all the wonderful flavors found in the restaurant version and even better, I didn’t feel all full and bloated after eating it.  I just found a new winner with this recipe and I’ll be making it time and time again.  Oh and when Eammon tried it, he thought that I had brought in take-out ;-) 

Dan Dan Noodles 

• 1 lb. Shirataki noodles or 6 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles
• 1 TBS. peanut oil, or oil of your choice
• 6 ounces ground turkey, pork or beef
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped finely
• 2 dried red chili peppers, seeds and pods chopped finely
• 1 TBS. Shaoxing wine, Chinese cooking wine or Chinese rice wine
• 1 TBS. Chinese black vinegar 
• 2 ounces of Szechuan preserved vegetable/zha cai, soaked and chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 TBS. soy sauce 
• 2 tsp. Chinese sesame paste or tahini 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. ground Szechuan peppercorns 
• 2 TBS. chili oil
• 1/4 cup finely ground dry roasted peanuts 
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup, chicken stock or water
• 1 tsp. sesame oil 
• 1 tsp. Whey Low granular or sugar
• sea salt to taste
• 2 green onions, chopped ~ for garnish

If using the Shirataki noodles, drain and rinse very well.  If using the Chinese egg noodles, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Transfer the noodles to a serving dish.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the base and sides of the wok. Add the garlic, ginger and red chili peppers. Stir fry until lightly brown and fragrant.  Add in the meat, breaking it apart with a spatula. Stir-fry until the meat no longer pink and slightly browned. Add in the Chinese wine, black vinegar and Szechuan preserved vegetable and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add in the green onions, soy sauce, sesame paste, Szechuan peppercorns, chili oil, ground peanuts, chicken stock, sesame oil and sugar.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens. Check the seasonings and add salt if needed.  Spoon the cooked meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle the chopped green onions on top before serving.  

Enjoy!

Thai Massaman Curry for the Year of the Snake 新年快樂

I don’t know what it is this year, holidays are sneaking up on me before I realize but between being busy with Maisie and my not seeming to be able to get my act together, they are passing by without much fanfare here in the Cook Lisa Cook house.  This year for Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, we did…well nothing special.  Instead of going to one of the big celebrations Maisie chose to spend the day doing what she loves best, playing and doing gymnastics with one of her besties.  Since we were home, and it was a holiday, a delicious dinner was a must.  As it worked out I was contacted by Foodie Blogroll and Thai Kitchen and asked to make a dish using some of  the Thai Kitchen’s products.  If you follow this blog at all, you know that we’re huge curry lovers so that’s the direction I chose to go and thanks to the package from Thai Kitchen and my stocked pantry I had everything I needed in the house.

Though there seem to be a lot of ingredients in my Massaman Curry, it’s simple to prepare and came out creamy delicious with a nice bit of heat, a perfect Chinese New Year or any day comfort food meal.   

新年快樂 , Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

From Thai Kitchen:

“Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia offer a complete line of Asian ingredients and convenience items, including sauces, curry pastes, rice noodles, fish sauce, coconut milk, noodle bowls, and more. Most items are free of gluten, artificial colors/flavors and MSG – more reason to celebrate a New Year, and new you! Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine.”  Check out Thai Kitchen and explore their amazing Asian cuisine ingredients!  Follow Thai Kitchen on Twitter at @Thai_Kitchen

Thai Massaman Curry

• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin bite-sized pieces 
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 medium carrots, roll cut into chunks
• 2 TBS. coconut oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 TBS fresh grated ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 Thai red chilis, sliced, use more or less depending on your heat tolerance  
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup or low sodium chicken stock  
• 1  TBS. lemongrass powder 
• 1 tsp. turmeric 
• 1/4 cup ground, unsalted dry-roasted cashews
• 1 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper  
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom  
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste  
• 3/4 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian stores)
• 2 TBS. Thai Kitchen fish sauce 
• 1 TBS. coconut palm sugar, Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 
• 3 bay leaves 
• 2 14 ounce cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk
• 3-4 mini baby bell peppers, mix of red, yellow & orange, thinly sliced
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges each
• 1/3 cup whole unsalted dry roasted cashews
• fresh cilantro

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil and then the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes to release the fragrance.

Add the chicken stock, lemongrass, turmeric, ground cashews, coriander, cumin, white pepper, cardamom, tamarind paste, shrimp paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and bay leaves. Stir with each addition and bring to a light boil.

Add the coconut milk, potatoes & carrots. Stir and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat until you get a good simmer.  Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes & carrots are tender. Add the chicken, red pepper and tomato during last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

Taste test the curry, adding more fish sauce for increased flavor/saltiness, more chili if you want it spicier. If too sour, add a little more sugar. If too salty or sweet add more tamarind. If too spicy, add more coconut milk.

Stir in the whole cashews.  Serve over rice and add fresh cilantro if desired..

Enjoy!

At Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia, we’ve made your favorite Asian flavors available to enjoy anytime and anywhere. From noodles to sauces and seasonings, coconut milk to fish sauce, our premium products deliver restaurant-quality Asian cuisine in minutes. Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “Thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine. From mild to spicy, appetizers to dessert, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia have something for every taste bud, sure to please even the most discerning palates.

The aromatic essences. The exotic flavors. The abundant texture. There’s no culinary experience that compares to Asian cuisine – whether you’re preparing a meal for the whole family or looking for a quick snack, we’re here to bring the adventure to your kitchen.

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Foodie Blogroll who we have partnered with for this promotion.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Thai Kitchen products.

Chicken Dumpling Patties

Maisie adores dumplings but as she’s allergic to wheat, I make her special Pork Dumplings with Rice Wrappers which are delicious but extremely time consuming to make.  Maisie’s been asking for dumplings but life has been crazy and I just haven’t found the time to devote to making them.  I started thinking about her dumplings and realized that it wasn’t the wrapper which she loved, it really was the flavors of the filling.  It was sort of spur of the moment the night that I decided to make these patties and I happened to have boneless chicken breasts in the house so I decided to grind them up and use that meat instead of the pork, which I usually use in dumplings, and it worked out beautifully.  Since these were a last minute decision, I didn’t have any Napa cabbage so after checking my pantry I decided to add water chestnuts which worked out beautifully, providing a nice little crunch and wonderful additional moisture to the patties.  I chose to pan fry the patties to give them a little crunch on the outside and they held together well and cooked up easily & quickly. These patties really did have the flavor of dumplings and were totally delicious, super simple to make, healthy and loved by all.  I know that I’ll be making these Chicken Dumpling Patties again very soon as they’ll be a perfect Chinese New Year meal for my little allergy girl.  I also know that it won’t be the last time I make these patties as I see them becoming a regular menu item in our home especially as they travel well for lunches, freeze and reheat beautifully.  A perfect little snack or meal..

Chicken Dumpling Patties

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 – 5 oz. can whole or sliced water chestnuts, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBS. fresh grated ginger
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
• 1 TBS. Soy Sauce
• 2 TBS. potato flakes 
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• peanut oil or oil of your choice for cooking the patties

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except the cooking oil.  Form the mixture into six to eight, pointer finger thick, patties.  Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add enough cooking oil to just lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Brown the patties on both sides making sure to not over-cook the patties but making sure that they’re cooked all the way through.  Serve the patties with Dumpling Dipping Sauce.

Enjoy!

Top 12 for 2012 ~ Cook Lisa Cook’s Favorite Recipes

On my Moments with Maisie blog, each December 31st I do a year in review post of all the things that happened throughout the year.  It struck me that I should do a post of my favorite recipes from 2012, so here is my cooking year in review.

January ~  This was my busiest cooking month and there were many wonderful recipes but the one that I’m most thrilled with is my Pork Dumplings with Rice Wrappers.  My Maisie adores dumplings but when we found out that she was allergic to wheat, egg & dairy, she lost her favorite food.  So, when I finally thought to make dumplings using rice wrappers, and she loved them, well I was just thrilled beyond words.  I now make these in large batches and keep them in my freezer so that anytime she wants dumplings, she can have them.

February ~ There were quite a few recipes that I really loved, including my Baked Egg & Avocado and my Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake but the recipe that I made over-and-over again the most, so I’m going to call it my favorite, was my Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing.

March ~ My Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole has to be my March favorite because it’s simple, it combines two favorites, loaded potatoes and buffalo chicken and I have been making this dish for years and we never tire of it.  This is one casserole that I always try to keep some portions in the freezer for when we get a craving.

April ~ My favorite recipe this month came from my Secret Recipe Club challenge where I made a Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad.  I loved the combination of the sweet and tangy fruit and the crunch of the nuts and poppy seeds and and the creamy sweet & tangy dressing.  What I loved even more was that it was a delicious and wonderful way to use some of my “Rotisserie” Chicken.

May ~ I did very little cooking this month but I did make an off the charts, Totally Outrageous Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich which no one could get enough of, always wanting more and again & again.

June ~ I adore cheese and these one ingredient super simple Lacy Cheese Crackers were a huge hit and I have made them dozens of times since and with all sorts of different cheeses, all so delicious.

July ~ I love pizza but I don’t love all the carbs & calories so I was thrilled to make Cauliflower Crust Pizza which is great tasting, a lot healthier and in my opinion, even better than the high carb & calorie pizza.  This now is my go-to pizza when I have the craving.

August ~ These Mini Cheesecake Bites are a healthier version of the ones my Mom always made when I was growing up and they were always a favorite.  I love that my version are low carb, no added sugar, portion controlled and just as delicious.

September ~ Though I did very little cooking, what I did do all included veggies from our garden.  All the recipes this month were wonderful but I’d have to say that, much to surprise, my favorite was one of my Improv Cooking Challenge recipes, Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar.  This was an amazingly delicious dish and a great way to use the bounty of zucchini that arrives each summer.

October ~ As I mentioned in my March favorite, buffalo wings are a favorite in the Cook Lisa Cook home so when I made some fabulous Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings for my Secret Recipe Club assignment, they were a huge hit.  All the heat and flavor of the high fat, fried wings…just a little bit healthier.

November ~ I am not a stuffing lover but I do love stuffed mushrooms and my stand out recipe for November was my Sweet Italian Sausage & Roasted Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms.  A perfect little appetizer and if you eat enough of them, a nice little meal.

December ~ My favorite recipe this month is actually the final recipe posted for the year, Cranberry Almond Oat Breakfast Cookies.  No added sugar or fat and they’re egg, flour & dairy free, such a delicious, healthy, easy, grab-and-go breakfast or snack.

It’s been a delicious year in the Cook Lisa Cook home, hope that it’s been the same in yours.  Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and delicious 2013.

Pork Dumplings with Rice Wrappers

Happy Chinese New Year ~~ Year of the Dragon ~~ Gung Hay Fat Choy!!! 新年快樂

Maisie is my dumpling loving girl and how could I have her celebrate Chinese New Year without her beloved dumplings.  But now with her food allergies to wheat, egg whites and milk, I’ve had to find new ways of making her favorite foods so enter, dumplings made with rice paper wrappers.  I didn’t have to make any changes to my filling recipe, it was only replacing the traditional wheat based dumpling wrapper with the rice paper wrapper.  I couldn’t make traditional shaped dumplings so I tried cigar and rectangular shaped and both worked out well as far as wrapping went.  I then tried steaming the dumplings and though they were wonderful, the wrapper just didn’t want to stay on so I tried pan frying and it was a success.  The dumplings were absolutely delicious and we all love them so these are the dumplings which the Cook Lisa Cook household will be enjoying from now on.  I made a huge tray of dumplings, fried them all up and then on a Silpat lined baking sheet I froze them (don’t allow them to touch one another.)  I then was able to transfer the fully cooked individually frozen dumplings to FoodSaver zipper bags and then I vacuumed out all the air using my FoodSaver .  This way whenever Maisie wants some dumplings I can easily pull out as many as she wants and heat them up and then easily seal up the rest so to keep them fresh and freezer burn-free.     

Pork Dumplings with Rice Wrappers

2.3 pounds ground pork
1.5 pounds Napa cabbage, shredded
3 TBS fresh grated ginger
6 large scallions, whites & greens sliced
12 TBS soy sauce 
3 TBS Shaoxing wine
3 TBS sesame oil 
1 package rice paper wrappers, round 16 cm

In a large bowl combine the ground pork, shredded cabbage, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil and mix well.  To make the dumplings, one by one quickly soak a rice paper round in some warm water until pliable.  Lay the wrapper on a work surface and place some of the pork mixture in the center of the round.  Fold the rice paper around the pork as you would for an egg roll or wrap sandwich.  Lay the wrapped dumpling on a Silpat or oiled parchment paper lined baking sheet.  When ready to fry, heat a very thin layer of peanut oil (or oil of your choice) in a large fry pan.  Fry up both sides of the dumpling until the pork is cooked through and the wrapper is golden brown. 

Serve with Dumpling Dipping Sauce

Dumpling Dipping Sauce

2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup seasoned soy sauce for seafood (bottle will say "ideal for steamed fish")
3 TBS Shaoxing wine or rice wine
1 TBS rock sugar
2  teaspoons grated peeled ginger root
1 clove garlic, minced finely 
1 small chili pepper, thinly sliced into "coins"
4 TBS cilantro, medium chopped
1 scallion thinly sliced, mostly into rings and then some longer thin strips from the green end

In a pot over medium heat stir everything but the scallion together until the sugar melts and then allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in scallion.  Allow to cool.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  I have kept this for a month and it's still great.  (I usually double this one as it keeps for so long)

Enjoy!!