Chinese Fried Rice Recipe and Leftovers Blog Hop

Fried Rice Recipe

Leftovers get a bad rap. It wasn’t until I got out on my own that I realized the value of leftovers, both from an economical standpoint and a creative one. Repurposing yesterday’s meal into something new and appetizing is one of the great tests of a home cook, and many of our favorite dishes the world over originated as just that: a way to disguise and stretch leftover bits of food. Putting leftover rice to good use presents a particular challenge since it doesn’t reheat well on its own. Fried rice is the perfect way to use up leftover rice, with delicious results. Continue reading “Chinese Fried Rice Recipe and Leftovers Blog Hop”

Coconut Chicken Fingers with Tamarind Ketchup

Coconut Chicken with Tamarind Ketchup

I don’t have children, but I have lots of friends who do and I know how challenging preparing meals for picky eaters can be. This recipe for coconut chicken fingers with tangy tamarind ketchup is the ultimate solution since it’s as adult-friendly as it is kid-friendly. Instead of the typical breadcrumbs, these homemade chicken fingers are coated in a mixture of ground coconut and flax seeds for a healthy, tasty, gluten free twist on an old standby.

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Sope de Albondigas and a Cinco de Mayo Blog Hop

Sope de Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

With Cinco de Mayo approaching, it’s time to celebrate Mexican and Mexican-American culture. I wanted to do something beyond tacos to demonstrate the country’s rich and varied food culture, and so I present Sope de Albondigas, or Mexican Meatball Soup. In Spain albondigas are often simmered in tomato sauce and eaten as tapas. Because of Spanish colonization in the Americas, meatballs are also called albondigas in Mexico, Columbia, Nicaragua, and other parts of South and Central America, where they are typically served with rice and vegetables in this mildly flavored soup. Continue reading “Sope de Albondigas and a Cinco de Mayo Blog Hop”

Easter Lamb Chops with Mint Gremolata and Lentil Salad

Lamb chops with mint gremolata and lentil salad

I have to admit that Easter isn’t such a big deal in my house any more, but growing up it was the best. Decorating and then finding eggs, baskets of candy – what’s not to like for a child? But if I were to do an Easter dinner, I’d probably serve something traditional like these (gluten free!) lamb chops. I don’t cook or eat lamb often, but I’ve acquired a taste for it in recent years and occasionally splurge at my local butcher. I marinated the lamb in mustard, lemon and rosemary but they’d be just as good just seasoned with some salt and pepper and grilled.

 

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Shortcut Red Beans and Rice for the New Year

Red Beans and Rice

The theme for this month’s World on a Plate is auspicious foods for a prosperous year. Since I represent America in this global get-together, the first thing that came to mind was Hoppin’ John, the famous southern dish of black eyed peas and ham hock. Being short on time and ingredients, I settled instead on a Cajun-inspired shortcut red beans and rice with smoky andouille sausage. Feel free to soak dried beans overnight, but if you need a quick supper this recipe is your answer. Continue reading “Shortcut Red Beans and Rice for the New Year”

Noodle Salad with Poached Chicken and Peanut-Lime Dressing

Ingredients for Noodle Salad with Poached Chicken and Peanut-Lime Dressing

I’m going going to lie to you: this noodle salad has a few steps and a fairly long ingredient list. But, besides the fact that it’s totally worth it, this is also really three recipes in one. The peanut-lime dressing is one of my favorites, and is excellent over any salad. I like to toss it with shredded cabbage to bring to potlucks. If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just short on time you can skip the chicken all together and serve the noodle salad as is, or with some cubed tofu mixed in. Continue reading “Noodle Salad with Poached Chicken and Peanut-Lime Dressing”

Sweet and Sour Stuffed Onions

Before I moved to Israel, the extent of my experience with stuffed vegetables was peppers and cabbage, and it was limited even at that. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine has opened me up to a whole world of vegetables that can be stuffed with a variety of meat or vegetarian fillings and simmered in any number of sauces. Stuffed peppers and cabbages appear, but not nearly as often as stuffed zucchini, eggplant, artichokes, and even carrots. And onions – what a revelation stuffed onions are! They’re not stuffed whole. Instead, the entire, skinned onion is simmered until tender, and the individual layers are separated and wrapped around a savory filling.

Sweet and Sour Stuffed Onions

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Beef Rendang and a Beef Blog Hop

Ingredients for Beef Rendang ~ Malaysian Beef Curry

You know those recipes that immediately pop out at you, that you bookmark or pin on Pinterest and you just can’t forget? Beef Rendang – a Malaysian beef curry – was one such recipe for me. I pinned two different recipes for this tempting, coconut-infused beef curry on my Asian Inspiration board, each with a slightly different method and equally enticing result. It’s just that kind of dish. It had a similar effect on Manu of Manu’s Menu: “When I saw this recipe at Not Quite Nigella’s website,” she wrote in her post, “I knew I HAD to make it.” And so when I saw it over at Manu’s Menu and No Recipes, well, I also knew I HAD to make it. Continue reading “Beef Rendang and a Beef Blog Hop”

Healthy Baked Chicken Recipe with Flax Seeds

This is one of those rare recipes that are easy, delicious, quick, and healthy. I know! I’ve been obsessed with protein-rich flax seeds lately, which I typically put in my oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies in the morning. I got to thinking about how to incorporate it into my dinners and came up with this simple breaded, baked chicken breast. I used a mixture of bread crumbs and ground flax seeds so it wouldn’t be too heavy, and the result was just perfect, and somewhat akin to pecan-crusted chicken in texture.

Flax Seed Chicken ~ KatherineMartinelli.com

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Asian Lettuce Wraps

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This is a first for me: Two posts in one day! Ay-yay-yay. But hopefully you’ll have as much with both of them as I have! Although I usually have a tough time picking a recipe for the Secret Recipe Club, this month it was no contest. These Asian Lettuce Wraps called to me. Not that Veronica’s Cornucopia doesn’t have a million recipes that I want to try – I’ve bookmarked this Watermelon and Black Bean Salsa, Avocado Chocolate Pudding, and General Tso’s Chicken, to name a few. But I’ve had Asian Lettuce Wraps on the brain for a while and these looked just perfect. I was thrilled to be assigned Veronica’s Cornucopia this month – please stop by and check out her gorgeous blog if you haven’t already! Continue reading “Asian Lettuce Wraps”