Coconut Quinoa with Strawberries and Bananas

I'm always looking for a new taste for breakfast. This was a nice one. I made it up.

Coconut Quinoa with Strawberries and Bananas
By Brooke Cheesman Hochstein

Ingredients:
1cup coconut milk
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup mashed banana
1 cup yogurt (optional)

Bring coconut milk to a boil (mine always overflows. Annoying.)
Add quinoa. Bring to a boil again.
Cover. Simmer for about 12 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients. The yogurt makes it really creamy.

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Cranberry-Mustard Pork Chops

Always looking for a new way to whip up a pork chop! These were scrumptious!

Cranberry-Mustard Pork Chops
Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops, about 1.5 lbs.
• Salt and pepper
• Dash of cinnamon on top of each chop
• 1 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries (or 1 15 oz. can)
• 1/4 cup spicy mustard
• 1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries,spicy mustard, sugar with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook at a rolling boil for about 20 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped and sauce begins to thicken.
3. (If using canned cranberries, stir together the cranberries, spicy mustard and half of the sugar in a bowl, then spread over the chops.)
4. Add the pork chops to the baking dish and season with salt and pepper and a dash of cinnamon to each chop. Pour the cooked sauce over the top of the pork chops and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until pork chops are cooked through. Cooking time may vary, depending on thickness of the chop.

Ginger Pork Potstickers

I've made these twice. I think the sauce is my favorite part.

Ginger Pork Potstickers
Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 packages wonton wrappers
• 1″ section of fresh ginger – peeled, minced
• 4 cloves fresh garlic – minced
• 4 scallions – chopped thinly
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce 

For Sauce: 

• 1.5 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1.5 tablespoons orange marmalade

Directions:

1. In a large pan, sautee garlic and scallions for a few minutes, but not too long. You don't want the garlic to turn bitter. Add pork, ginger, and soy sauce. Cook until meat is done.
2. To assemble dumplings: Place 1 teaspoon of meat mixture into center of wonton wrapper. Lightly dampen the sides of the wrapper with water. Fold wrapper into a triangle. Gently press the wrapper together to seal and remove any air.
3. Using the same pan as you cooked the pork mixture, place the potstickers in the oil (add some olive oil if needed) and cook for about two minutes on each side, until a little crispy. You'll need to do a few batches. 
4. Into a small bowl mix: Hoisin, honey, orange marmalade. Mix to combine. Serve alongside potstckers for dipping.

Mini German Pancakes

Love these German Pancakes. They came out looking more like muffins, but the tops collapsed and all was well.


Mini German Pancakes
Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup milk (you can use skim or low fat milk if you want)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Toppings: Powdered sugar and lemon juice, or maple syrup (or make it savory, the options are endless here).

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. 
2. Spray cupcake pans with no-stick cooking spray. 
3. Mix eggs, milk, flour and salt just enough to blend. (Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy.)
4. Pour batter in cupcake pans. Makes approx. 12-16 mini German pancakes. 
5. Bake 18-25 minutes depending on type of cupcake pan and the amount of batter in each cupcake tin. 
6. Remove from oven. Let cool for just a minute or two. 
7. Remove mini pancakes from pan. 
8. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can also serve with maple syrup if you prefer instead of using lemon juice.

Stuffed Sweet Potato Salad

So so good. And a nice change of flavor for our dinner table.  I rarely make my own dressings, so it was fun to feel a little more domestic by doing it with this salad.

Stuffed Sweet Potato Salad 
Adapted from this blog
 

Ingredients:

• 4 small sweet potatoes or yams, baked
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn*
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
For the Vinaigrette:
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (I used Sriracha)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, add the black beans, corn, onions, and cilantro. Stir to combine. 
2. In a smaller bowl, mix together the lime zest and juice, oil, honey, adobo, salt and pepper. 
3. Pour over the black bean mixture and toss to combine. 
4. Slice open the baked sweet potatoes. 
5. Stuff potatoes with the Chipotle Black Bean & Corn Salad. Serve.

Notes: I did not have adobo sauce, so I used Sriracha. It seemed to have similar ingredients. I also didn't want to wait to bake the potato, so I tried microwaving them. It turned out great! I poked holes in the potatoes with a fork, put a paper towel over them (always afraid of explosions), and cooked it for five minutes on each side (total of ten minutes). Justin didn't notice a difference in taste. 

Sweet and Sour Chicken (restaurant style)

This really tasted as good as what I get at an Asian food restaurant. Yum.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:
For the Chicken:

• 8 chicken breast
• 2 cup cornstarch
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

• 1.5 cups sugar
• 8 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 Teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1. Clean the Chicken from fat and dice to medium sized cubes.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with some salt and pepper, coat evenly with the cornstarch and dip into the eggs.
3. Add oil to a pan and heat it up, add the chicken and roast it evenly until it starting to brown.
4. Transfer to a baking pan.
5. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients and blend it well.
6. Spread it on the chicken.
7. Heat oven to 350F for and bake for 30 minutes  – Make sure to mix and turn the chicken couple of times during the baking to insure even cooking.

Slow-cooked Lime Chicken Tacos

Slow-Cooked Lime Chicken Tacos
Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds chicken breasts

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup chunky salsa

12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed

Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.
2. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Stir in corn and salsa.
3. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired. Yield: 12 tacos.