This Moment

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Inspired by Soulemama

What I Cooked Last Week - Beef "less" Broccoli

I don't know if this is true for everyone, but for me, "what's for dinner?" is an ongoing everyday question asked by my family and the one I ALWAYS have in my mind.

So, I like to share what I made last week, for Mrs. C and for us. Maybe it helps for you to decide what to eat tonight?

Beef "less" Broccoli (recipe to follow)
Vegan Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce (this recipe)
Tortilla Soup
Quinoa Salad (this one -I substituted rice wine vinegar with red wine vinegar, and skipped red pepper flakes)
Cuban Black Beans
Homemade Salsa
Vegetarian Pizza
Fried Pollack with grilled vegetable salad

BEEF "LESS" BROCCOLI

One thing about cooking for another family is that I would cook something I would not cook if it weren't for the request that I receive. That includes cooking with "fake" meat. A while ago, Mrs. C. requested me to make Broccoli Beef with fake meat. I was not too excited about this request, to be honest, because I have always felt that if you are to become vegetarian, why "fake" it? However, I do understand that sometimes we miss what we used to eat; chicken nuggets, hamburgers, or lemon chicken. However, every time I made something with "fake" meat, I was left with huge disappointment. It is just not the same. The first time I made Beef "less" Broccoli, I followed this recipe. Mrs. C. suggested that I use beefless tips from Gardein brand . The result was okay, but it was not something that I would cook for my family. Mrs. C. suggested that I cut the beefless tips into smaller pieces and marinade it before cooking. She suggested another recipe. I did use Gardein fake meat with this recipe. This time, I combined the two recipes and made my own. The result was so good that I told Mrs. C. that I would eat this Beef"less" Broccoli with steamed Jasmine Rice.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp cornstarch divided (1 tbsp and 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp  grated fresh ginger divided (1tbsp each)
2 tbsp green onion minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp peanut oil (vegetable oil works fine, too)


1 package beef "less" tips (I used Gardein brand) cut up to the size you like
4-5 cups of broccoli head cut up into small pieces
1/2 red onion sliced

Direction:

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce, minced garlic, 1tsp grated ginger, and minced green onion. Add beef "less" tips and toss to coat them. Marinade them for 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine water, remaining cornstarch, soy sauce, grated ginger and brown sugar, and stir until smooth. Set it aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat), add beef"less" tips, and cook until desired doneness. Stir them gently, and not too much, as they can break up easily. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil and stir fry onion and broccoli for 4-5 minutes. I covered the pan to steam cook broccoli a little bit. Add half of the soy sauce mix and coat broccolis and onion. Return Beef"less" tips, and add the remaining soy sauce mix. Stir for 2-3  minutes

Enjoy with steamed Jasmine rice.

This Moment

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Inspired by Soulemama

Back to Routine ... or Not?

My husband went back to work this morning after three weeks of vacation. I was a bit worried before the vacation how this three weeks would be. We (the girls and I) had a good routine, and I did not want it to get disrupted. After three weeks though, I am happy to report that we enjoyed having him around, and he got to spend a lot of time with the girls, especially Little Peanut. Now that he is back to work, we have to re-establish our routine with just three of us. Today, however, we are still in the vacation mode. The girls are still in bed sleeping at almost 9am, and I let them. Why not?

In the kitchen, I made our regular yet delicious Black Beans Nachos for lunch the other day.

Ingredients:

3~4 cups of cooked black beans (you can use canned black beans, too)
one tomato diced
2 cups of sliced black olives
1/2 cup of chopped peperoncini
1/2 cup cilantro minced
2~3 cups of shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
Salt
Chips

sour cream and salsa of your choice (optional, but recommended)

Direction:

Heat oven at 375 degree

Place chips in one layer in an oven safe dish
Add a half of black beans, sprinkle some salt over it
Add 1 cup of cheese
Repeat the layers of chips and black beans
Add sliced black olives
Add peperoncini
Add diced tomato
Add cilantro
Add the rest of cheese

Bake in the over for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.

You can add grilled chicken or browned ground beef if you like, but black beans only give good taste and texture.

Serve it with sour cream and salsa of your choice.

{this moment}

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

Vision Collage for 2014

Inspired by this blog post, I have been working on my vision collage. It is not at all finished, and I keep adding pictures and words to it. It looks like my energy is focused on home and family this year; making a cozy and inspiring nest for the family. You may realize that it does not have much cooking or food. I assure you that when I was cutting pictures and articles from magazines for this project, more than half was pictures of food with recipes. I actually have a folder full of recipe cut outs that need to be filed somehow. But I just did not think that those belong on this vision collage. Maybe I should make one just with food and cooking pictures.

Today, I worked on Ely and Little Peanut's room. I (secretly) sorted toys and clothes, and put them aside for Goodwill visit this week. I also put up some frames that I bought at thrift stores on the wall, also inspired by this blog post, and added some of Ely's old and new art work. Initially, Ely protested this change because I did this without asking her, but when she learnt that I am planning to change the pictures frequently as she creates new art, she brought her papers and markers, and started drawing. That is exactly what I wanted; to inspire creativity in my little artist.

In the kitchen, roasted butternut squash and sauteed kale has been a hit with my family. 

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups of kale chopped into bite size

3 tbsp of olive oil decided

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp of smoked paprika

Direction: 

Heat the oven at 400F

In a medium bowl, combine squash cubes, paprika and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Coat the squash with oil and spread the squash in one layer on a baking sheet. Roast the squash for 20-30 minutes until cooked but not too soft. 

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a fry pan. Add kale, sprinkle some salt and pepper, and saute until soft. You may want to cover the pan for a minute or so to soften the kale. Add butternut squash and sauté for just 2-3 more minutes. Add more salt and pepper to your taste. 

Serve immediately.  

My new addiction: Cover Buttons and Enchiladas

I just returned from a fabric store and I am giggling like a little kid. I bought a "Cover Button Kit" on sale for $3. I have been wanting to buy this and make buttons at home for my girls. It came with three buttons, and I already made two with fabric scraps. So easy and so cute, for hair accesories, clothes, accents... the possibility is endless.

In the kitchen, I have been a little bit addicted to enchiladas. It is, again, so easy and so delicious. You can vary your fillings. We have made it with cheese, black olives & mushrooms, black beans, or potatoes. Potatoes were okay. It needs more flavor. My favorite is olives & mushrooms. 

The recipe is from this site. I add a bit of smoked paprika to it. I skip the straining step because I use my wonderful Vitamix. But if you use a regular blender, I would definitely recommend not to skip this step. I also substitute Chicken Stock with Vegetable Stock made with Vegetable Bouillon cube. When adding the sauce to heated oil, be aware that it will splatter. The sauce will keep well for several days in the refrigerator and for a few weeks frozen. I think I need to keep this in stock at all time for a quick lunch or dinner.