WIAW: Kal Bi Short Ribs and Potato Mac Salad

Happy New Year, and Happy WIAW!

It’s the first WIAW of the new year, be sure to check out what Jenn at Peas and Crayons and other bloggers are featuring today, you just might find some inspiration in their delicious foodie features!

I’m not really great at making New Year’s resolutions. I do like to make short-term goals (particularly with exercising) which seem to be more attainable for me. If I had to make one for the whole year, I’d say my resolution will be what I strive to do most days of the week: eat healthy and exercise!

My daily meals have been a bit mediocre and sporadic, but I finally have a couple of recipes that I felt were a change from the norm and a great way to share a couple of Hawaii-style comfort foods. But before we get to that, here’s what I’ve been ingesting for breakfast and lunch the past few days:

Yep, yogurt smoothies! My digestion has been a bit off, so I needed something that would be easy on the stomach but still be nutritious. This morning’s concoction consisted of frozen OJ, fresh strawberries, half a frozen banana, unsweetened almond milk and protein powder. I get about 20-25 grams of protein, half of my calcium requirements, and a fair amount of fiber from the fruits. Plus, it tastes like a strawberry-orange bang!

Now, on to New Year’s Eve dinner!

We went over to my brother-in-law’s parents’ house and brought some Hawaii-style food with us. My sister made somen salad (cold Japanese noodles topped with shredded lettuce, kamaboko (fishcake) thin slices of egg, and sauce),  shu mai (pork dumplings), sushi rice (sushi ingredients in a layered casserole form), potato-macaroni salad, manapua (char siu bao or meat buns), and suman or bud-bud, a Filipino sticky rice dessert cooked with coconut milk and palm sugar. My brother-in-law made a HUGE venison neck roast that was incredibly tender and just fell of the bone like nobody’s business! I made egg rolls, kal bi (Korean bbq short ribs), and potato macaroni salad (this plus rice is a staple in Hawaii plate lunches).

Me, grilling in the New Year!

Front to back: somen salad, sushi rice, potato mac salads, egg rolls.

Manapua (char siu bao or meat buns). Tastes pretty close to the ones you can get in downtown Honolulu!

Super tender venison neck roast.

Kal Bi short ribs!

I don’t know how familiar you guys are with beef short ribs, but here is the cut that you want to use to make the kal bi:

image source: http://www.marksdailyapple.com

Wegman’s didn’t have them, but Sam’s Club did here in Upstate New York. Other places might have a chunk of short rib meat the size of your fist, but that’s better for braising, not barbecuing! Be sure to get this cut. If you can’t find it, that’s okay. The marinade will work for whatever cut of meat you have for grilling, even for seasoning and basting burgers!

Kal Bi (Korean style barbecue)
Marinade great for bone-in chicken thighs, too

3 lbs short ribs, 1/2″ thick, thinner if you can get ’em
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sugar
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large pan, soak ribs in water for 15 minutes. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onion, sesame oil and chili pepper flakes.

Rinse ribs and place in a clean baking dish, no more than 2 layers high. Stir marinade and pour over ribs. Refrigerate overnight, flipping ribs around so all pieces get their fair share of marinade.

Cook ribs over a grill until medium, about 3-4 minutes each side for 1/2″ thick slices. Top with chopped green onion, serve with steamed white rice and potato mac salad.

This recipe is for the one in the back (w/out olives) but you can top it however you like.

Potato Mac Salad
this version has a tangy flavor thanks to mustard, dill, and vinegar

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon salt
2 lbs white or red potatoes
1/2 cup elbow macaroni or pasta shells
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 cup frozen peas
3 hard-boiled eggs*

Directions:

Boil potatoes in salted water, skin-on, for 30 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Add macaroni to water and boil according to package directions. Drain, rinse in cool water and set aside. When potatoes have cooled down, remove skins and dice into 1/2″ chunks.

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, vinegar, and dill. Add potatoes and macaroni, stirring well to coat. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Add frozen peas and stir to combine. Top with sliced egg and serve. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

*To get nice, yellow yolks for hard-boiled eggs: put eggs in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat immediately, cover and let sit for 12 minutes. Rinse in cool water, remove shells and slice.

So…what are you New Year’s resolutions? Did you stick to the ones you made last year?

Be sure to check out what other foodies are featuring on Jen’s WIAW right here!

 

WIAW#22, Featuring Red Cabbage and Apples–Apfel Rotkohl

Happy WIAW, and HAPPY HALLOWE’EN! Wish I could share some of my Hallowe’en decorating and planned festivities, but I have none! It’ll be a pretty quiet evening with pizza, wine, and whatever scary flick’s on the tube. ;)

My featured recipe is a side dish that’s great to accompany roasted meats, a main veggie course, and tastes great hot or cold. But before we get to that, here are some dishes from the past few week, in no particular order:

Sunday brunch was a pretty nice spread. Maura at My Healthy ‘Ohana had a great idea for 100 calorie egg cups, which came out fantastic:

Bacon and onion quiche and turkey egg cup with fresh fruit (egg cup recipe from Maura at My Healthy ‘Ohana.)

Lunch on Tuesday was quick and easy. I was baking gluten-free versions of  pumpkin brownies and chocolate brownies in the morning and sampled enough pieces to make me say, “Enough!” For lunch I craved veggies:

I love celery, and I love peanut butter!

No salad, just some celery sticks followed by salty potato chips and an apple. :)

Dinner last Monday was rosemary chicken with red cabbage and apples:

Mix plate: rosemary chicken, apfel rotkohl and steak fries. Where else can you get this eclectic mix of flavors but at home?

I recently experimented with red cabbage to make a German dish called Apfel Rotkohl (red cabbage and apples.) After looking at a few recipes I saw one from epicurious.com that sounded pretty good. I did make a few changes, like increasing the vinegar and sugar and adding apples and currants, and the end result was pretty good! Feel free to start with less sugar or vinegar, depending on whether you like it sweet, vinegary, or nice and mild.

Braised Red Cabbage and Apples, makes 6 servings
modified from original recipe at epicurious.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (do NOT substitute cumin, totally different taste!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup apple juice (or shred 2 med apples with box grater, squeeze juice & save apple pulp for baking)
2 tablespoons – 1/4 cup amber agave nectar or white sugar
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped into 1″ chunks
1/4 – 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (I like a strong vinegar taste, so start with 1/4 cup if you prefer it mild)
1/3 cup currants or raisins

Directions;
In a heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add allspice, caraway seeds, salt, apple juice, and cabbage. Stir well. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 10 minutes add apples, raisins, and agave or sugar. Stir then cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until apples are tender.

Uncover pot, stir in half of apple cider vinegar. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. If you want a definite vinegar taste, add remaining apple cider vinegar, stir. Serves 6.

Are you having a quiet Hallowe’en? What was your favorite Hallowe’en costume? This can be your own costume, or your dog’s, your children’s, something you saw on the street…here’s what I was last year:

For Hallowe’en last year I was super buff!

Have a great Hallowe’en, everybody!

 

WIAW #21, Featuring Biscotti and Borrowed Cookbooks

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Jenn at Peas and Crayons is hosting another WIAW with this month’s theme of healthy– and possibly spooky–snacking!

Today I have a delicious and un-spooky recipe for biscotti from my mom’s cook book, Biscotti and Other Low-Fat Cookies by Maria Robbins. Since the holiday season of giving and receiving goodies is slowly coming upon us, any recipe from this book would be a great way to treat yourself (and your friends!) to something sweet without going overboard on the fat and calories.

I’ll do a quick run-down of some foods I’ve enjoyed this past week, starting with breakfast that my husband prepared for us on Sunday:

German breakfast: baked pretzels and sausages.

Here’s another delicious breakfast I tried as soon as I read the recipe. Created by Regan at The Professional Palate, It’s not really a breakfast, but it turned out that way after I drank my fill of this quick and easy dairy-free eggnog made with silken tofu:

Creamy and delicious!

I haven’t taken may photos of my lunches since they’re usually the same thing day in, day out (Chobani plain nonfat yogurt mixed with vanilla protein powder and fresh fruit). But since I was experimenting with tofu recently, I did have this the other day:

Tofu and steamed grated cauliflower make the bulk of skinny tofu patties.

And last night’s dinner after a tee-rrific run was pannekoeken:

Pannekoeken–Dutch pancakes–topped with sauteed apples, currants, and soon to be drizzled with dark amber agave.

I’ve been experimenting with pannekoeken for the past several weeks and will post a recipe later this week, so stay tuned!

Now…on to the biscotti!

mom’s biscotti book

I borrowed this cook book from my mom a few years ago and–like many of you moms and daughters know–it may take a while to make it back to its original owner. I know I should give it back because I certainly wouldn’t like it if someone didn’t return something they borrowed from me. But there’s sentimental value to this book that makes it difficult to part with. I love books in general, particularly second-hand books (browsing thrift stores is like a treasure hunt!) There’s already history to the book, it made fond memories for someone else (and really, can any of us associate a bad memory with our treasured books?) Pages might be marked up or dog-eared, and you might even find a memento like a receipt or business card used in place of a book mark…or something else:

Dukie (left) and Bear doing her business at the pond, circa 1989.

I made only four biscotti recipes so far, here is one of them. Biscotti are no more difficult to make than regular cookies. They use no butter so contain a LOT less fat, and are great for dunking in your coffee or tea. Aside from being a great coffee break snack, biscotti are perfect for sending to friends and family, just be sure to pack them tightly wrapped in foil and sealed in a ziploc bag.

I tried making them with spelt flour, which made them very crumbly:

Spelt flour biscotti: more crumbly, not good for shipping.

Not good for shipping, but still good for eating!

Below is the recipe for biscotti from Biscotti and Other Low-Fat Cookies by Maria Robbins. I hope you try it!

Chocolate Chip and Almond Biscotti

Chocolate Chip and Almond Biscotti

1 cup almonds, toasted (preheat oven to 350 F, spread nuts in a single layer on baking pan & roast until nuts are very hot and start to have a definite aroma, about 10-15 minutes, then cool.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips mixed with 2 tablespoons flour (I skip the flour-mixing step!)
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place 1/3 c of the toasted almonds together with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process to a fine meal. Remove to a small bowl. Place the remaining toasted almonds and 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar in the food processor and pulse on and off to a coarse meal. Add this mixture to the other ground nuts.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix together the ground almonds, remaining sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, egg whites and vanilla extract and mix at low speed until you have a dough that holds together. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.
   

   brushing biscotti logs with egg white wash

4. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two, until the dough feels smooth. Divide into 4 equal pieces and shape each piece into a log about 12 inches long. Arrange the logs on the baking sheet, flatten the tops gently with the palm of your hand and brush the tops with the beaten egg white.
5. Bake the logs for about 20-25 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly colored. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
   

   Bake, cool, slice, then bake again.

6. Slide the baked logs, one at a time, onto a cutting board. Use a long serrated knife (bread knife) to cut each log diagonally into ½-inch slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut sides down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti for 5 minutes on each side. (Note: I increased time to 7 minutes on the 1^st side, then checked after 7 minutes on 2^nd side. They will get crisp after a couple minutes sitting out of the oven, but if they are still not crisp, put them in for 2-3 minutes more and check again.)
7. Transfer the biscotti to wire racks and let cool completely. Store the biscotti at room temperature in airtight containers. They will keep for about a month.

Yield: about 48 biscotti.

Don’t forget to check out what other WIAW bloggers are sharing at http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2012/10/what-i-ate-wednesday-92-even-more.html.

 

WIAW#20, Featuring Tuna Noodle Casserole

Happy WIAW! Busy, busy is what I’ve been, but I’m back with a very cozy casserole recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, some fall pictures, and even something pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Thanks once again to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting a very awesome virtual get-together.

It just started getting chilly around these parts, and though the leaves are dropping, there’s still lots of fall color. Here’s what the scenery looked like in front of our house the past couple of months:

August 10, 7 a.m., 60s.

September 25, 7 a.m., mid-40s.

October 4, 6 p.m., low 60s.

Why do I take a picture of the road and why at these times? Because I think it’s pretty for one, and also because that’s when my husband leaves for work and when he comes home. :)

After seeing my husband drive off, I headed back in to do some of my own work (feed cats, check fun email, do regular work, maybe laundry). One day I had to run errands and stopped into Best Bagels in Town to get some of their featured flavored coffee as a treat. I noticed some new bagels that morning–PINK bagels! 25% of the proceeds from these pink bagels will go toward breast cancer research. I couldn’t resist, so I got one with pumpkin cream cheese:

Maybe a strawberry cream cheese would have looked prettier, but this tasted great!

If supporting a good cause can be delicious, then I’m all for it!

Over the Columbus Day weekend we did some shopping at Waterloo Premium Outlets. I am glad that my husband enjoys shopping, and he actually has better fashion sense than I do (he gets it from his stylish mom!) With lots of store sales and discount coupons to get the most bang for our buck, I was looking forward to this shopping trip.

But of course, we needed sustenance! Ithaca was on the way and we stopped at our favorite brunch spot called Simeon’s. I always get their quiche, my husband likes their pulled pork sandwich, and we always order steaming mugs of deliciously dark coffee:

Quiche of the day: sausage, roasted peppers, fontina, mozzerella. Last time it was bacon and caramelized onion. The time before that…I can’t remember, but it was delicious!

Savory pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and sweet pickles.

After our wonderful brunch we headed up to the outlet mall. The place was packed, but we were able to slowly make our way around to our favorite stores and picked up a few sweaters, jackets, and small housewares.

It was a great day: beautiful drive, delicious brunch, shopping trip, and another beautiful drive back home!

Dinner that night was leftover chicken enchiladas (delicious recipe found here) but the next day I made my first non-box tuna noodle casserole. I used to like making the box mixes of Tuna Helper, but I won’t ever eat that again after making this homemade casserole! I especially love the addition of Dijon mustard, and after reading a great tuna tip from Whatever is in the Kitchen, using a generous squeeze of lemon helped to brighten up the flavors very nicely. Use whatever cookable vegetables you like, use whatever noodles you like. I love celery but my husband hates it, so I just chop enough for myself and add it to my fresh spinach greens.

Tuna Noodle Casserole, adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe
Serves 4. With side salad, serves 6. :)

Ingredients:

4 ounces dry noodles (anything goes: spaghetti, shells, rotelles, elbows, made of spelt, sprouted grain, or buckwheat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion or leek
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup broccoli and/or cauliflower florets
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/ 4 cup flour
2 1/4 cups lowfat milk
1/4 cup dijon mustard (add more to taste)
2 5oz. cans water-packed tuna, drained
1 lemon
1/2  cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large stock pot, boil noodles according to package directions. Drain, set aside.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat until frothy. Add onion or leek, cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add broccoli and peas, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Sprinkle in flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring around until it gets thick and sticks to the veggies before adding more. Slowly add 1/4 of milk, stirring until thickened and heated before adding more. Add 1/4 more milk and stir until it gets thick again. Add 1/4 more milk PLUS mustard, stirring well before adding remaining milk. Stir until heated through.

Adding the milk gradually will make it nice and creamy. I used orange cauliflower, leeks, peas, broccoli, and sprouted grain spaghetti.

Remove from heat, add zest of one lemon to pot, stir. Add tuna fish and stir until incorporated. Stir in juice of 1/2 lemon. Add cooked noodles, stirring gently to coat well. Put in a 8″x8″ pan or 9″x13″ pan (depending if you want thick pieces or thinner ones). Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

I poured about 2/3 of the noodle mix into this 8×8 pan and topped with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden. Serve with fresh spinach or a side salad and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve it up on a bed of spinach (no dressing needed.)

Do you have a favorite noodle casserole recipe? (Speaking of casseroles, I wonder if anyone has ever found out what really is in Julie Kotter’s famous Tuna Casserole…)

 

WIAW#19, Featuring Chicken Enchiladas

When was my last WIAW post, two weeks ago? And it’s Wednesday AGAIN?? My how time flies!

Jenn at Peas and Crayons continues to show us how great it can be to Fall into Good Habits this month, and the habit of trying new things (such as a delicious Chicken Enchilada recipe I’ll be talking about) can be habitual, especially when you know how much fun it is not only learn something new, but to EAT something new!

But before we hit dinner, let’s start off with a look at my early morning meal. Breakfast is sometimes peanut butter toast but this morning I nibbled on some peanut butter-chocolate chip rice krispies treats I made over the weekend. I used a couple tablespoons of powdered peanut butter, but the flavor wasn’t too strong. I still enjoyed it, though, especially with all those chocolate chips:

A small heart-shaped dish was the mold for these crispy treats.

Lunch was my usual favorite: yogurt bowl mixed with vanilla protein powder, a rib’s worth of finely chopped celery, 1/4 apple, 1/3 mushy banana, and fresh pineapple:

I keep the pineapple stored in a plastic bag and slice off what I need. Stays nice, fresh, and neat!

Experimenting with new recipes can be a good way to break up your usual cooking repertoire, and I enjoy checking out what’s new at REM Cooks. His recipes are delicious and versatile, often making sauces that can be used in two or more recipes. He recently posted a recipe for a deliciously spicy salsa verde, but it was the photos of his chicken enchiladas that won me over. The next day I got all the ingredients I needed and made one of the most delicious and easily scarfed chicken dishes I’ve made in a long time.

Mexican food isn’t something I’ve experimented much with, but this is an easy recipe even if you are not an avid cook. “Some assembly required” is the key here, but all you have to do is read his easy-to-follow directions and you’ll be sitting down to a delicious Mexican dinner in no time. NOTE: the salsa verde recipe is SPICY, so if your’e like me and will grab anything within reach to quench the fire, stick with two serrano chiles for a medium heat (Richard also suggests using the milder jalapeno chile). Or, make it full-strength and have some ice cold cervesas ready and waiting!

These chicken enchiladas are amaaazzzziing!!!

If you are hungry for delicious Mexican food, please try this Chicken Enchilada with Salsa Verde recipe. You can also turn them into tacos:

My two tacos with shredded chicken, refried beans & cheese with salsa verde on the side.

My husband seemed to love it twice as much as I did:

FOUR tacos topped with a medium-spicy salsa verde.

In addition to these four tasty tacos, he also ate one cold leftover enchilada, which I was hoping to save for lunch the next day. Oh, well. :(

With the chilly autumn weather we’ve been having recently (low 30s this morning!) these heat-packing enchiladas and tacos will definitely be on my regular menu rotation. What are some of your favorite spicy comfort foods? (We also love  pho, and miss eating at Ha Long in Kalihi!)