Breaded Chicken, Caprese Salad, and Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

As I previously mentioned, I have begun cutting back on my meat intake and have been experimenting with other filling options for my meals. This recipe was inspired by the fresh tomato based salads I enjoyed while in Italy. You can dice the tomatoes and use the same Caprese salad recipe for your bruschetta, add Parmesan cheese on top, or use this recipe with angel hair pasta, increase the white wine reduction, and stir for a great fresh pasta!

Ingredients
Chicken

Flour
Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Garlic Powder
Pepper
1 chicken breast cut in half

Caprese Salad

Three Roma tomatoes
Two cloves of garlic
Grapeseed Oil
White Wine Reduction
Basil

Red Potatoes

5 red potatoes
Olive Oil
Oregano
Sea Salt

1. Prepare the flour and spice mixture
2.  Set the oven to 450 degrees and bake the red potatoes for 20 minutes
3. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the Caprese salad ingredients and cover to absorb flavor
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and finish cooking on the stove  
5. Saute the chicken in garlic and olive oil for 6 minutes per side

Cosa buona cucina!

Meat Free-A Tortillas!

Greetings food lovers!

As I continue my journey of eliminating meat from my diet, increasing my vegetable intake, and introducing alternatives into my diet, I have created a new must-have dish that everyone will enjoy!

My Meat Free-a Tortillas are easily adaptable for the non vegetarian however I think once you try this dish you will find you don't need meat for a fulfilling meal!

I initially made this dish as I was having a strong craving for food similar to what I ate on my trip to El Salvador (check out my next entry for a look at a few dishes I enjoyed on my journeys). The cuisine in El Salvador incorporates lots of beans, tomatoes, and queso blanco or queso fresco. Enjoy the following recipe and I hope it triggers a desire to visit Latin America as much as it triggers your taste buds!

Ingredients
Queso blanco or Queso Fresco
Refried beans
Pico de Gallo (I used my Salsa de Nuno which you can find here)
Corn tortillas
Sour Cream
Lots of lime!

1. Take a corn tortilla and wrap it in a moist towel then microwave for a few seconds to soften (I wish I had another way of doing this!)

2. Heat the refried beans on the stove and stir until softened - usually you will see them boil a bit in case you cannot tell if they are ready

3. Place the refried beans on the tortilla and smear to cover as if making a pizza

4. Add the sour cream on top of the refried beans in the center, this will aid in holding the salsa in and is a great combination of hot and cold on top of the beans!

5. Place a small spoonful of the Salsa de Nuno on the layer of sour cream. I suggest using a straining spoon as I find the salsa will begin to run due to the lime and make for a very messy but fun meal!

6. Sprinkle the queso blanco on top

Espero que disfrute su comida!

Green Papaya

One of my favorite restaurants is Green Papaya, a Thai restaurant located in Hyde Park, Cincinnati, Ohio.

I can start with the good as it far outweighs the bad with this hidden gem. The main room of the restaurant has a sushi bar with a fantastically colorful array of rolls. The decor is very fascinating and everywhere you look you will see a piece of art, a fountain, or a hidden Koi fish statue tucked away. The second you receive your menu, you will recognize the long list of fantastic options, each sounding more flavorful than the last. You will find the "lunch box" will allow you to get an affordable set of options (think "Pick 2 from Panera").

The sushi is fantastic, fresh, and unique - it is hard to be disappointed with anything at this restaurant. If you are a soup lover, or frankly even if you are not, try the Green Papaya soup. This soup, loaded with Holy Basil, prawns, mushrooms, coconut milk, and lemongrass is not only sweet and spicy, but fantastically flavorful and will touch taste buds you didn't know existed.

I will share my review of two of my favorite dishes on the menu, Crispy Pad Thai and the Panang Curry. The pad thai is a crispy mix of your favorite dish full of green onions, crunchy noodles, and loaded with sauce. I have attempted to made this dish numerous times and it's difficult to replicate the perfect amount of crisp without under or overcooking the noodles.

The Panang Curry is full of vegetables, rice, and an amazing coconut based sauce that is extremely sweet. It is very different from Indian curry so do not get confused however Panang is a must try for sure.

As this restaurant is affordable, local, and has fantastic service I can say few negative things about Green Papaya but I will try as to create a balance in the amazing experience I have described. The lot for Green Papaya is small so parking can often be an issue however the walk back to your car will help you burn the very few calories consumed in your meal. When the restaurant is full there may be very little elbow room at your table as without a booth seat you will find yourself in close quarters with your neighbor. Look on the brightside, for eavesdroppers it will make it easy to listen in on the couple next to you chatting about their date night plans! Finally you will find that the single bathrooms are in a narrow hallway and it may be a cramped wait.

All in all Green Papaya is an amazing choice for a night out, a sweet date, or a lone munch for lunch.

*Update*

It's been a while since I have written but after undergoing a move and having to adjust to an electric stove (eep!) I had to restock my supplies before I was blog ready.

I have also changed my eating habits in the last few months as "single girl" eating means a very different menu. I should mention, I have a LOT of friends that are vegetarians, actually, the majority of my close circle practices healthy eating habits or lives a vegetarian lifestyle.

After consulting my friend Katie, who is currently working as a Yoga Instructor and Wellness Coach, she suggested I simply eat more vegetables and less meat since I am not committing to being a vegetarian necessarily for moral reasons.

I was a vegetarian for a year and enjoyed how healthy I felt, how energized, lighter, and though I stopped, I still do believe in a vegetable heavy lifestyle. Most meals I used to eat, I opted for the meat option in my pastas, salads, tacos, everything!

So, my compromise has been, during the week I consume no meat however, on the weekend I can treat myself to what I want. Though this was never about losing weight I must say, I have shed pounds and gained energy and it has been a great inspiration for trying new meals!

My blog is back in action and my recipes are getting all mixed up. My meals will be more influenced by ingredients that are easily replaceable by vegetarian options as well as meat free altogether! Don't worry, my weekend dishes will still fulfill any meat-lover's cravings.

Shanghai Soup Dumplings

In my family, March is the busiest month of the year and also the most fun! My grandmother, sister and mother all were born in March and as our circle has grown, my boyfriend and my sister's boyfriend also have March birthdays!

A friend of mine kept mentioning Shanghai Soup Dumplings. He explained to me that it's not any ordinary dumpling, the soup broth that you might think Soup Dumplings sit in, is actually INSIDE the dumpling.

Now I will tell you the truth, I was terrible at Chemistry and meidiocre in Physics in high school but I was pretty sure this wasn't possible to contain a liquid inside a dumpling long enough to cook it without a huge mess on your hands.

Readers, prepare for a culinary magic trick that when unveiled to your friends  will truly delight. He told me that my soup dumplings tasted exactly like the ones in China. This is one dish that I attempted expecting failure as I have never heard of, seen, or tasted this dish but I must say - even I was impressed.

Enjoy!

I suggest you purchase a bamboo steamer before attempting this dish. It's perfect for steaming veggies and dumplings and they only cost about $14 on amazon. Trust me, you'll love this thing and it looks cool!

Ingredients

1 package of dumpling wrappers (or these can be made from scratch with flour and water)

Napa Cabbage

Sauce

Soy Sauce

Hot Chili Oil

Dumpling Filling1lb ground pork

1/2 cup of green onions (mostly the white is used)

1 tablespoon finely minced or grated ginger

1 garlic clove minced

1 cup diced ham

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon rice wine or rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Soup

1-2 lbs of pork cut into strips or cubes (I actually used boneless pork and just cut it, you can get creative here!)

1 & 1/2 cups of cubed ham (you can also use fresh if you'd like)

4 slices of ginger (you can purchase any piece of ginger & cut off 4 pencil width and inch long slivers)

2 cloves of garlic sliced

1 cup of geen onions chopped (white parts only)

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of rice wine or rice vinegar

10 cups of water

***To be used after soup is cooked - 2 or 3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

1. Begin by combining the dumpling filling then covering with saran wrap and refrigerating. I left mine overnight to absorb flavors

2. Combine soup ingredients excluding the gelatin and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce soup to a simmer. I allowed to cook for about an hour. Disregard "overcooking" the pork because all solids will be discarded. Strain the soup.

This is where I disagree with some recipes. They sail to boil the broth until it is reduced however I found it to be so flavorful that honestly it could be a soup on its own. I had about 4 - 5 cups of broth and decided to double my recipe instead. Trust me, this is a good idea.

3. Combine gelatin in a seperate bowl with 3 tablespoons of water. Add the broth then place in a glass dish and refrigerate overnight. To speed up the process you can place in the freezer for a little bit and then transfer to the fridge.

4. Cut your gelatinous soup mixture into very tiny cubes, the smaller the better as you will need small ones!

5. Boil water and place bamboo steamer on top.

6.. Now place a small amount of filling in the center of the dumpling and places 2-5 cubes of broth (depending on how yours are sliced) into center.

7. Moisten your fingers and fold the dumpling up then pinch or pleat the edges into a dumpling. If dumpling gets too moist, use flour to dry. Twist the top a little bit to make sure it is sealed.

8. After getting about 10 dumplings ready, place cabbage leaves in steamer and place dumplings on top.

Cooking time varies depending on dumpling size but about 7 minutes is a good rule of thumb. Your dumplings will be a golden color and you'll see the broth is liquid again.

Grab chopsticks, dip them in your sauce and poke a small hole in the dumpling to suck the soup out then eat! Personally I like popping the whole thing in my mouth but my friend insisted I try it the authentic way.

You can freeze the dumplings and simply steam them in the future when you have a craving. Trust me - you'll crave these soon enough.

Food of all Sorts for Watching Sports

Superbowl Sunday was a busy day for grocery stores and cooks alike. With plans of attending a friend's Superbowl party, an empty fridge, and just 2 hours to get to the store, get cooking, and get out the door, I knew exactly what I needed to do to make sure I brought delicious but two easily prepared snacks for the party - Salsa de Nuno and Party Pinwheels. I must say the salsa was a bigger hit than usual and the pinwheels flew off the plate so today I will share these quick and easy recipes with all of you.



Salsa de Nuno
The name of this dish is derived from the 9 ingredients used to make it and "Nuno" being the root of my last name which in Portugese means nine.

Ingredients
Three cloves of garlic
1/2 a large sweet onion
1 green pepper
1 serrano pepper
1 habanero pepper
8 roma tomatoes
1 cup of cilantro
2 limes
1 tsp. sugar

1. Dice the first 7 ingredients and mix in a bowl

The colors of the ingredients are so beautiful!

2. Squeeze the two limes over the salsa and add a pinch of sugar. Stir, cover, and refrigerate - after bout 30 minutes the salsa will have absorbed the lime and be delicious!

Optional: Additional sugar to sweeten the salsa as well as salt can be used to fine tune the flavor. Another option is using cilantro paste to make a "creamier" salsa.

Party Pinwheels
These pinwheels are perfect for any party - only some assembly is required!

Ingredients
Deli Salami
Deli Pepperoni
Large tortillas
Whipped cream cheese
Romano cheese
Pesto
Pizza Sauce
Crushed Red Pepper

Pepperoni Pinwheels
1. Lay out the tortilla and spread whipped cream cheese as a base
2. Spread pizza sauce over the cream cheese and sprinkle crushed red pepper on top

3. Place pieces of pepperoni across the tortilla - leave the edges clear as you will most likely have to discard edges of the wrap. I used large sandwich size deli meat so I placed 3 across the tortilla
4. Tightly roll the tortilla, starting at the furthest end and tucking it under until completely rolled.
5. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and let sit for at least 10 minutes
6. Unwrap the saran wrap and with the seam facing up, cut 1/2 inch pinwheels.

Salami Pinwheels
1. Lay out the tortilla and spread whipped cream cheese as a base.
2. Spread pesto over the cream cheese and sprinkle romano cheese on top
3. Place salami across the tortilla
4. Tightly roll the tortilla, starting at the furthest end and tucking it underl until completely rolled.
5. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
6. Unwrap the saran wrap and with the seam facing up, cut 1/2 inch pinwheels.

Feel free to try different ingredients and make these your own!