Wednesday 31 October 2012

There Is A Good Chinese Noodles Recipe

It's no secret that I love cooking Chinese noodles, but sometimes it can be hard to find a good side dish to prepare with the meal. Luckily, I found this delicious looking recipe for Asian noodles from the Pioneer woman. What I really like about this recipe is how easy it was to prepare. The sauce and green onions are simply tossed with the cooked noodles and the dish is ready to serve. The sauce ingredients include soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil, and canola oil. You could turn this into a main dish by adding some cooked sliced chicken or cooked shrimp to the mixture. If you are looking for a delicious side-dish to go with your favorite Chinese meal, give this one a try.


Ingredients:
  • 12 ounces thin spaghetti
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon pure sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon hot chili oil
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil
  • 4 whole green onions
Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add thin spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil, and canola oil.

Step 3: Pour sauce over the warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

How To Cook Fish In The Easiest Steps

For good health, it is recommended by the USDA to eat 2-3 servings of fish and seafood a week, but the preparation of fish can be intimidating to many of us. Maybe you have previously tried fish that wasn't cooked in a tasty way, or was just broiled plain, without the compliment of good flavor! Fish can be very tasty, it just needs the right flavoring and cooking technique! Today, I'm sharing a simple how-to recipe for those of you who would like to cook more fish for your family, but aren't sure just how to do it.


Ingredients:
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1½ lbs tilapia, cod, or other fish
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ sweet onion, chopped or sliced
  • Fresh herbs (basil, thyme, or cilantro)
  • Dark greens (baby spinach, collard, mustard)
  • Sea salt, cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 14.5 oz. can low-sodium diced or stewed tomatoes
  • 1 lemon
Instructions:

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the fish, garlic, and onion to the hot oil, sear for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add tomatoes. After adding in the tomatoes, place lid over the pan, and allow fish mixture and tomatoes to simmer over low-medium heat for about 5 more minutes.

Step 3: Turn heat to low, add the greens, herbs, and squeeze all the juice from lemon over the fish.

Step 4: Cook one more minute, then remove finished dish from heat and serve over rice or pasta.

Fish can actually be one of the quickest, easiest dishes you fix for your family! Serving it with brown rice or pasta, over a bed of crisp greens, or with steamed lemony veggies will win over even the pickiest eaters in your house! Here’s to more omega-3's on your family’s dinner table!

Friday 19 October 2012

There Are The Top 4 Ways To Cook The Wonderful Steak

Steak is one of the simplest, most delicious and most impressive meals to serve. Start with a great piece of steak, such as Lone Mountain Wagyu, and treat it right – it won't let you down! With any method of cooking, you may defrost your steak in the refrigerator, but be sure to bring to room temperature on the counter for the last half hour. For cooking with a meat thermometer: 145°= medium, 170°= well done. Without a thermometer, pierce with a meat fork to judge by pinkness of juices. With that out of the way, let's review your options:


Searing: When beginning to cook, make sure the whole side begins to cook at the same time. Searing steak seals it, trapping juices inside. Listen for the sizzle and the steak after cooking! Do not cut into cooked steak for at least 7 – 10 minutes. Juice and tenderness are increased during this resting stage. If you’d prefer to bake, you can also start by searing the meat in a cast-iron skillet on your regular burner. Then simply place the pan in the oven at 350° until done. There are many recipes available for baking steaks; if yours calls for dipping in batter, this should be done before the searing. Let rest before cutting.

Frying: A cast iron skillet is unbeatable for frying steak. Many love a good marinade for the flavor added by garlic and herbs; others feel that a marinade should be used only on tougher cuts of steak. If you decide upon marinade, only lightly oil the pan. A marinade does not have to take long. Pop your thoroughly defrosted steak into a Ziploc bag with olive oil, vinegar, fresh salt and pepper and herbs of your choice for about an hour. Your pan should be on highest heat and truly hot when the steak is dropped in. As soon as it is seared on one side, turn it over. When seared on second side, immediately reduce heat to finish cooking to desired doneness. If you should decide against marinade, use a bit more oil in the pan. Rub fresh salt and pepper into your steak. Add herbs such as garlic if desired, but rub thoroughly into the meat. With your pan at highest heat, drop the steak in so the entire surface is seared. Turn to sear other side and reduce heat to complete cooking. Add sauce items, such as onions or mushrooms. Complete your sauce. Allow dish to rest.

Broiling: Prepare for marinade or non-marinade. You may use a cast iron skillet for this or any service dish certified to withstand broiling. 4” from heat is about right. When seared, turn and reduce heat until cooked. Let rest.

Grilling: Prepare by marinading for a little while or just throw it on the grill. Either way, grill the steak on both sides and immediately remove it to rest. But be aware, this method has been known to get your testosterone flowing!