Tuesday, October 21, 2008

[recipe] Jade Celery

Finally figured out how to make Jade Celery that taste almost as good as Mei Long Villages'.

[ At the grocery store ]
- Celery (no need for celery heart. just the cheap kind will do)

[ Direction ]
- With a vegetable peeler, peel celery to remove the outer stringy layer (quite annoying work but absolutely critical step)
- Chop into 2 inch pieces
- Boil for 2 minutes (gives the celery a gorgeous green)
- Rinse in cold water until completely cooled (makes them crispy)
- Mix with salt and sesame oil to taste

[ Stats ]
- Prep time: 15 min
- Cook time: 5 min
- Clean up time: 3 min

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

[recipe] Beef with Lime and Honey

Thought of another way to combine my favorite ingredients into an artery-friendly, low-carb, and fast-to-make one-dish meal.

[ At the Grocery Store ]
- Beef, 0.85 pounds pre-cut into strips for stir fry ($5)
- Cilantro, one bunch ($1)
- Cherry tomatoes, one bag, about 12 oz ($4)
- Mushrooms, one box or just a handful ($3)
- Onion, one small size ($0.25)
- Lime, one ($0.25)
- ----------
- Honey (or sugar)
- Cumin

[ Direction ]
- Marinade beef with:
   - Half cup chopped cilantro
   - Half an onion, thinly sliced and separated

   - Generous salt and pepper
   - Generous honey (~2 tablespoons)
   - Juice of half a lime
   - Cumin (~1 teaspoon)
   - Drizzle of olive oil
   - Hot pepper flakes to taste

- Halves about 1/3 of the bag of tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice up a handful of mushrooms

- Oil on high heat
- Pour everything in: Beef + Cilantro + Onion + Tomatoes + Mushrooms
- Stir-fry for just a few minutes
- While stir-frying, chop up the rest of the cilantro
- Fold in all chopped cilantro at the last minute and then serve

[ Stats ]
- Serves: 2
- Prep time: 15 min
- Marinade time: Flexible
- Cook time: 5 min
- Cleaning time: 5 min

Sunday, October 12, 2008

[recipe] Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Usually make crab hand-roll with similar recipe, but thought this way would make good appetizers -- bite-sized and don't get soggy

[ At the Grocery Store ]
- One can of crab meat
- One box of mushrooms sized "for stuffing"
- One bunch of Italian parsley or cilantro, whichever you prefer
- One small lemon
- Light Mayonnaise

[ Direction ]
- Pre-heat oven to 400F
- Make an 8"x8" aluminum foil baking dish

- Clean (rub surface with damp towel), de-stem, and place mushrooms in baking dish. Stem side up (so they look like little bowls)
- Coat with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake 15 min

- Meanwhile, combine crab, mayonnaise, juice of half lemon, chopped parsley, hot sauce to taste in a bowl
- Mix with spoon until smooth
- Cover and put back in fridge

- To serve: Transfer mushrooms onto place (pour out any mushroom juice)
- Spoon crab over mushrooms. About one generous tablespoon can fit per mushroom.

[ Stats ]
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Cleanup Time: 3 min

[recipe] Baked Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes

Took a recipe and made some simplifications. Healthy and easy.

[ At the Grocery Store ]
1. Two pieces of 6-oz portioned skinless salmon from the seafood counter ($8)
2. A box/bag 12-oz of cherry tomatoes ($4)
3. A small onion ($1)
4. A bunch of Italian parsley ($1)
5. A small lemon ($1)

[ Direction ]
1. Pre-heat oven to 400F
2. Make a 10" x 10" baking dish out of aluminum foil (fold the sides and corners to keep the juices in), then set it on a baking pan (to transport the dish easily without having to do dishes afterwards)

3. Halve all the cherry tomatoes and spread in baking dish
4. Halve the onion, then very thinly slice the halves. Break up the onion slices by hand and spead in baking dish
5. Take the parsley bunch and thinly chop until you have about 1/2 cup worth. Spead in baking dish.
6. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and mix the ingredients.
7. Bake for 5 min

8. Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towel
9. Make space in the baking dish and lay in the salmon
10. Add juice of half a lemon over salmon
11. Salt and pepper over salmon
12. Bake for 10 min

13. Cut 6 very thin slices from the other lemon half
14. Chop about another 1/4 worth of parsley

15. To serve, use a spatula to transfer salmon to plates
16. transfer the tomato, onion, parsley and place on top of salmon. Do this slowly to make the tomatoes stay on the salmon
17. Pour the juice from baking dish over the plates
18. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley
19. Add another little squeeze of lemon

[ Stats ]
- Serves: 2
- Ingredient cost: $15
- Prep time: 10 min
- Bake time: 15 min
- Clean up time: 3 min
- Calorie: 275 per serving