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.

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

I threw this together at the last minute one night to add a different taste to the table, and it hit the spot. So good! Justin liked it too. 

 

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Adapted from this blog

 Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup minced carrots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

 

Directions: 

Pour the water into a saucepan, and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, then pour in the quinoa, recover, and continue to simmer over low heat until the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until cold. Once cold, stir in the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion, curry powder, cilantro, lime juice, sliced almonds, carrots, and cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.  Notes: I didn't chill it all the way before serving, and it was good a little warm. The only pepper I used was a yellow one. Again, really, really, good.

 

Sweet and Spicy Pork Enchiladas

This was said to be as good as Cafe Rio. It's not. But it is the most delicious pork I've had at home. Justin loved it as well. You could serve this pork in more ways than enchilada-style. I'll be having it in a salad tomorrow. Mmmm.

Sweet and Spicy Pork
Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:

• 1 (2.5-3lb) pork loin roast
• 1 can yellow El Pato sauce
• 1 can green El Pato sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (I use no salt added)
• 3/4c brown sugar 

For Enchiladas:

• Rice (I flavored mine with cilantro, lime juice, ranch dressing mix, and the broth from the pork)
• 1 can black beans
• Green enchilada sauce.
• Cheese
• Tortillas

Directions:
Put roast in a slow cooker with about 2c water. Cook on high 8-10 hours. Remove roast and shred with forks, removing any fat. Drain and quickly rinse crock pot (don’t worry about getting everything out, just a quick rinse to remove any extra fat hanging around). Return shredded pork to slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine well and heat through till warm (about 1 hour on high).
To serve:
In a flour tortilla, add a layer of rice, pork, and black beans. Roll up like a burrito, and spoon green enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheddar (or other) cheese. Broil until cheese is melty.

Notes: I bought a huge can of green enchilada sauce and used a few spoonfuls. I need to just buy a smaller can. 

French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches
Adapted from Our Best Bites

• 1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
• 2 c. water
• 2 cans beef broth (I used vegetable, it was fine)
• 6-8 large buns (make sure they are thick, I just used thick slices of ciabatta bread.)
• White cheese of preference, I used vegan, Justin used swiss

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.
2. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You’re not cooking the meat, you’re just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.
3. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onions soup mix. Pour water and beef broth over roast.
4. Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. The longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. 
5. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.
6. Place meat in rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!


Notes: The boys loved this! Make sure to stand next to the bread when it's in the broiler, it can burn quick. I almost made that mistake...

Coconut Tres Leches

A sad effect of childbirth was my body decided dairy was no longer acceptable. I am always looking for substitutes for my favorite dairy foods now. This is a winner. I am not a vegan, but vegan recipes often fit my needs for dairylessness. I used a cake box with eggs for this recipe, so it wasn't vegan. And it was really yummy for all who tried it.

It's a little complicated, like you start doing some of these steps TWO DAYS before you actually want to eat the cake, but it's worth the effort.

Coconut Tres Leches
adapted from this blog

Ingredients:
For the milk topping:

• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
• 1 2/3 cups Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Original, divided

 For the cake:

• A box. Pick a favorite that would taste good with coconut.

For the whipped topping:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled in the refrigerator for 24 hours
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

 First, get a can of full fat coconut milk and chill it in the fridge for 24 hours.
Second, you have to make your own sweetened coconut condensed milk, as explained in this recipe. You can do this a few days ahead of time if you need. I think it lasts a couple weeks in the fridge.

Brown Sugar Sweetened Condensed Milk
adapted from this blog

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Heat coconut milk and brown sugar together in a medium sized pot over medium heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens and reduces to about 1/2-2/3 of original. This takes about 30 minutes. When milk is finished, it will coat the back of a spoon as seen in the above pictures. Let cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Note: When I made this I totally spaced putting in the brown sugar (only two ingredients, and I forgot one! Pregnancy brain). So at the end I squirted some agave syrup in and it was just fine. I'm curious to find out what it tastes like when I make it the way I'm supposed to. . . 

Third, you make the evaporated almond milk.
Evaporated Almond Milk   

• 1 1/3 cup unsweetened original almond milk (I use Blue Diamond)

Heat 1 1/3 cup Silk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 volume, whisking constantly. Set aside and cool completely. (Don't overcook it like I did the first time and leave yourself with an almond paste. Honestly. I can't believe this tasted as good as it did with all the mistakes I made. The second attempt at evaporated almond milk turned out great.)

Fourth, bake the cake in a square pan. Get a box. This is complicated enough. Cool cake completely.

Fifth, (so many steps!) assemble the goodness (some of this you can do while the cake is in the oven and cooling):

• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk, 1/3 cup evaporated almond milk, and remaining 2/3 cup almond milk. Pierce cooled cake several times with a fork (I recommend spraying the fork with nonstick spray), and pour mixture on top. Cover dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 24 hours. Place remaining can of coconut milk (for the whipped topping) in the refrigerator at this time as well if you haven’t already.

• To make the whipped topping, place a metal bowl and beaters in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. Turn chilled coconut milk can upside down and open. Pour out the liquid (you can save it for an other recipe!) and use a spatula to transfer the rest to your chilled bowl. Add 1 tbsp sugar and vanilla and beat on high until fluffy. Spread evenly over chilled cake.

Notes: Strawberries taste very nice on top of this. Or pineapples. 

Sesame Noodles

Whaaaaat?!?! A new post?! I know. My life has been bouncing around this country in single parent fashion for about a year. Now I am settled, husband is home for a while, and I have normalcy. That does not mean I haven't been cooking REALLY GREAT FOOD! Get ready to be buried in delicious recipes.

This particular recipe was super fast, delicious (I ate a serving or two before it actually made it to the table. I couldn't stop!), and it tastes like you're in a good chinese restaurant. We ate it with some grilled teriyaki chicken. Justin grilled it in a foot of snow.

Sesame Noodles

adapted from this blog

• 12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• ½ teaspoons Hot Chili Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

Notes: I used Sriracha for the hot chili sauce, I chopped instead of minced the garlic, and I wish I'd have minced it. I also did not find Thin Noodles, or "soup noodles" so I just used linguine and it did great. 

PJ Banana Bread

Banana bread from Deep Issue #1, Justin's favorite:

1 egg
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
3 bananas, mashed fine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Beat egg in bowl; add sugar and butter. Cream mixture together; add mashed bananas and vanilla. Mix all together. Sift flour, soda and salt; add to banana mixture and stir until well blended. Turn into 6 x 10 in. loaf pan. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

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Kale Chips! (yum)

This is how most of the kale disappeared. My almost 3-yr-old said it tastes like popcorn. We went through half of the huge bag in one meal. This stuff tastes 1000x better than it looks.

Kale Chips
by Brooke

• Kale leaves (1-2 inches wide)
  
• olive oil
• salt

Preheat oven to 300-325. In a bowl, toss kale in olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet. sprinkle with salt. Bake about 15 minutes, turning it halfway. It will turn dark green and very crispy.

Note: I added paprika to one batch, but couldn't taste much difference.

Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is from here. Thank you pinterest. I made it just for me but Justin ate half of it. I used coconut oil and it was delectable. I also used dried cranberries.

Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes

from She Cooks He Cleans

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ~3/4-inch dice
• Bunch of kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped
• butter/bacon fat/coconut oil (or your fat of choice)
• 2 T dried cherries and/or cranberries
• salt and pepper
• balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400F. In a small roasting pan, toss the sweet potatoes with salt, pepper and enough coconut oil to coat potatoes and pan. Cover with foil and roast 15 minutes; remove foil and continue to cook until potatoes are tender and slightly browned (shaking pan occasionally, about 10 minutes). Remove from oven. [This step can be done in advance and the sweet potatoes set aside until dinner time.]

In the meantime, heat ~2-3 T of butter/bacon fat in a frying pan over medium high heat. Start adding handfuls of kale and toss in pan until wilted. Keep adding kale until you have the amount you’d like, cooking until wilted and to desired tenderness. Add the dried fruit and a dash of balsamic vinegar and mix well.

Add the sweet potatoes to the kale and toss until heated throughout and well mixed. Adjust seasoning and serve!

Mashed Potatoes and Kale

This is how I often ate Kale on my mission. They added tons of butter.

I just steamed the kale like in my last post, added garlic as the spice, then mixed the kale into a bowl of already prepared mashed potatoes. Yummy! Easy! Something different!

Steamed Kale

I've noticed that kale is becoming a trendy food to eat nowadays, so I thought I'd bring it back into my life. I ate it all the time on my mission. Justin did the grocery run and came home with a HUGE bag of pre-washed kale, so I found a handful of ways to prepare it. I like them all. We'll be finishing the bag tonight. I'm excited to have kale back in my diet with all it's nutritional goodness.

Thanks to my ziplock steam bags, this is super fast and simple. It's another equation recipe.

Steambag + kale + spices of choice + splash of veggie stock = leafy green side dish

I zapped it in the microwave for two minutes and it came out perfect. For spices I've tried garlic and basil. Both were good.

Coconut Chicken Poppers

Inspired by this recipe. I changed the original enough that I just rewrote the recipe.

Coconut Chicken Poppers
by Brooke Cheesman Hochstein

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Mix eggs, coconut milk, and salt in one medium bowl. Mix panko crumbs and coconut milk in another medium bowl. Dip chicken pieces in the egg mix, then the crumb/coconut mix, being sure to cover the chicken entirely with the mix. Lay the chicken on a baking sheet (I cover mine in foil). Bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the coconut is toasted.

NOTE: I served this with a sweet chili sauce I made with agave and sriracha - wonderful. I tried turning the chicken halfway through to get an even bake, but the coconut just stuck to the tin and I stopped. The chicken still tasted fine without turning it.

I also mixed the leftover egg mix with the leftover coconut/crumb mix and baked them in a muffin tin and it made a yummy coconut treat.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Justin requested this twice in one week. A tip I learned recently: to make the perfect shredded chicken, bake the chicken and then put it in the kitchen aid using the flat beater. Let the mixer work it for a few seconds, watching for your desired consistency. For these sandwiches I like it a little chunky. It only takes about two seconds to go from chunky to finely shredded so you have to watch closely! Finely shredded is not bad either, Justin actually prefers it to chunky.
I can't call this a recipe, really, more of an equation, since I just use Lefty's Spices, LLC BBQ sauce. It's our favorite here in DC.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
by Brooke Cheesman Hochstein

shredded chicken + bbq sauce + hamburger bun = happy husband.

Easy Peasy

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I got this from under the cap of the Quaker Oats container. It works for me. I only made half a batch for our little family, and it was perfect. Mason helped me make them and it was adorable.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
from Quaker Oats

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350°. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Pour large bowl with sugar mix; mix well.

Add oats and raisins; mix well with spoon, not mixer.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Bar cookies: Bake 30-35 minutes in ungreased 9x13 inch metal baking pan.

Notes: In DC I baked these for 10 minutes one pan at a time, and they were perfect.