Cuisine Diva

Chaiyo Thai Bistro - Delray Beach

My husband and I do a lot of bike riding, so as part of our Valentine's Day celebration we did a 25 mile road bike ride, along with a friend of ours that had just purchased her very first road bike. We were kind of tired after the ride, and I had gone for a 8 mile run the day before, so I was also pretty sore.

Thai Food To Go

The Olympics had started just a few days before, so we decided between being tired from the bike ride, and wanting to watch the Olympics, that we would get take out from a local restaurant for our Valentine's Day dinner. The Chaiyo Thai Bistro is located just down the street from our house, in western Delray Beach. I didn't think my husband would be interested in trying Thai food, but he said he heard a lot of positive comments about the restaurant. I love Thai food, so we decided to get Thai take out for our Valentine's Day dinner.

Chaiyo Thai Bistro used to be a Miami Subs-Arthur Treacher Fish fast food restaurant, so I didn't think the atmosphere was going to be too appealing for dining in. But my husband was pleasantly surprised when he went to pick up our order. He said it was very elegant, filled with people enjoying their meals, and the staff was very friendly. We will definitely try eating there in person next time.

Delicious Thai Food

Since my husband and I had never eaten at Chaiyo Thai Bistro, and my husband didn't know too much about Thai food, we decided to order a bunch of food to sample off their menu. When ordering any of their soups, curry or noodle dishes, you get to choose your protein from tofu, chicken breast, beef, prawns, squid or scallops. I like that they have a tofu option for many of their menu items, our daughter became a vegetarian about a year ago, and I'm always looking for food options for her picky palate.

My husband and I ordered the following items from the menu:

Appetizer platter - 2 each of spring rolls, prawn rolls, chicken satay, beef satay, golden flowers and crispy tofu. Golden flowers are little wonton-like pockets filled with a mixture of ground chicken, potatoes, onion and yellow curry. The platter came with three dipping sauces; plum sauce, spicy peanut sauce and a sweet vinegar sauce which had finely diced cucumber in it. Besides the the rubbery tofu chunks, we really enjoyed the appetizer platter.

I got the Tom Ka soup with scallops. Tom Ka is a coconut milk based soup with fresh mushrooms, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro, tomatoes and your choice of protein (tofu, chicken breast, prawns, squid or scallops).

For his main dish, my husband ordered the Pad Thai with prawns. Pad Thai is stir-fried rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, green onion and special Pad Thai sauce. It is served with fresh bean sprouts, limes, ground peanuts, carrots and cabbage. I tried a bit - it was a nice mixture of hot noodles/shrimp with crunchy cold vegetables. Pad Thai is a classic Thai food dish.

For my main dish, I ordered the Green Curry with chicken. That was a mixture of a slightly hot/spicy green curry paste with coconut milk, eggplant, bell peppers, peas and Thai basil. Served with your choice of Jasmine or brown rice. You definitely need to serve this dish with a generous portion of rice, to help cut down on the heat. Not too hot, but it definitely built up in the back of your throat and mouth as you continued eating the dish.

Additional Information

Their menu is listed on their website, so you can get an idea of the type of food they serve: www.chaiyothaibistro.com. Chaiyo Thai Bistro is located on the southeast corner of Military Trail and Atlantic Ave. There is a BP gas station, Bed/Bath/Beyond and CVS in the plaza where the restaurant is located.

Chaiyo Thai Bistro is my new favorite restaurant, I look forward to dinning in the next time we get the craving for Thai food. And I really like the fact that it less than a mile from my house.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Caprese salad plate

Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad is also known as Caprese Salad, or Insalata Caprese. I wrote an article on how-to make a caprese salad, for the Herbs & Spices section of Suite101 on September 14: Insalata Caprese; How-to Make a Classic Italian Salad Platter.

Lunch Salad
I had a caprese salad for lunch yesterday, which is shown in the photo at the top of this blog post. I used perfectly ripe, campari greenhouse tomatoes, layered with marinated mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. The mozzarella had been lightly coated in olive oil, then rolled in a finely chopped mixture of garlic, parsley and red peppers. That must have been red pepper flakes, because the cheese was a bit hot and spicy. I sprinkled the salad with a fruity extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, freshly cracked black pepper and a bit of sea salt.

Platter of caprese salad kabobs

Balsamic Vinegar VS Lemon Juice
I found the balsamic vinegar to be a bit too sweet for my taste. So for today's salad, I used a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice instead. That was the secret, the tangy lemon blended perfectly with the fruity olive oil. Lots of yummy dressing to sop up with my big chunk of crusty Italian bread.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

How-to Make Caesar Salad Dressing

Individual serving of Caesar salad

Caesar salad can be ordered at most any restaurant. Fancier eating establishments will make the salad table side, which makes waiting for the rest of your meal to arrive not quite so boring. Authentic Caesar salad dressing should be light in texture, yet rich and tangy in taste, and not a gloppy, mayonnaise clogged mess.

 

Making homemade breadcrumbs for Caesar salad

To make an authentic Caesar salad, first you will need to make homemade breadcrumbs. While the breadcrumbs are toasting in the oven, begin to make the dressing. Once the breadcrumbs and dressing have been made, you can assemble the salad.

This recipe calls for a raw egg, which has been coddled in hot water. If you have an aversion to using raw eggs, look for pasteurized eggs in the grocery store. Or you can substitute a tablespoon of mayonnaise for the raw egg if absolutely necessary.

 

Ingredients for making a classic Caesar salad

To make a vegetarian version of the Caesar salad dressing, omit the anchovy fillets. I used to be afraid of anchovies, thinking they were nasty little fishy beasty things, but after making pasta with homemade puttanesca sauce for the first time, I am no longer afraid of this classic, gourmet ingredient.

 

Anchovy fillets packed in olive oil

Making Breadcrumbs

Use leftover Italian or French bread to make the breadcrumbs. I used leftover sesame coated Italian bread that I had purchased a few days earlier at a local Italian market. The bread was pretty much dried out when I went to make breadcrumbs with the leftovers. Fresher bread will require less oil, and a longer toasting time, while staler bread will require more oil and a shorter cooking time.

Ingredients for the Homemade Breadcrumbs

• 4 cups cubed, day old/stale Italian or French bread
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic - minced, or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions for the Homemade Breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the bread into 1 to 2 inch cubes.
3. Place the cubed bread into a large mixing bowl.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, oregano and salt.
5. Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil mixture, until all the bread is well coated.
6. Place the seasoned bread cubes onto a baking sheet.
7. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, and crisp.
8. Remove to a wire rack to cool until ready to use in the Caesar salad.

Coddle egg in hot water

Caesar Salad Ingredients

1. 3-4 teaspoons minced garlic or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
2. 4 anchovy fillets - finely chopped
3. 1 teaspoon capers - drained
4. 1 teaspoon grainy, Dijon mustard
5. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
6. 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
7. 1 egg - room temperature
8. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
9. Freshly cracked black pepper
10. Grated Parmesan cheese
11. 2-3 heads Romaine lettuce - chopped

Caesar Salad Dressing Directions

1. Place the garlic and anchovies into a mortar, and grind into a fine paste with a pestle.
2. Add the capers, and mustard and continue grinding until a smooth paste is formed.
3. Use a spatula to scrape the paste out of the mortar, and place it in a mixing bowl.
4. Whisk in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Place the egg in a large coffee mug, or other heat proof container.
6. Pour boiling water over the egg, and let sit for 3 minutes.
7. Drain the hot water off the egg, and cover with cold water.
8. Whisk the coddled egg yolk into the mixing bowl with the other Caesar dressing ingredients (discard the egg white).
9. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, until well blended. The dressing should have a consistency which is just a bit thicker than heavy cream.
10. Add the Romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl.
11. Toss with a bit of the Caesar salad dressing, then garnish with Parmesan cheese, freshly cracked black pepper and a few of the homemade breadcrumbs.
12. The salad should be well coated, but not drowning, with dressing.
13. Because of the raw egg that is used, any leftover dressing should be discarded.

 

Garlic, anchovies, capers and mustard processed with mortar and pestle

 

The complete Caesar salad dressing

Cardini's Original Caesar Salad Dressing
Read the story about the origin of Caesar salad: Cardini's Caesar Dressing. The salad was invented circa 1924 when Italian born Mexican Caesar Cardini started making the salad in his Tijuana restaurant.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Quesadillas; Homemade Corn Turnovers

 

Two corn turnovers topped with mild, creamy green chile cheese sauce

Wow, I can't believe I actually made these all by myself yesterday. They aren't complicated, but are a bit time consuming. I could have used another set of hands, or a short order cook to help me out, but I did it all on my own. Besides making the turnovers with the pork filling, I also made a few with some leftover picadillo I made a few days ago.

 

Cooked, shredded pork

Prep Work
I made the filling and cheese sauce ahead of time. I actually thought I would wait until the next day to make the quesadillas, but decided to make them later that same day. I blew off my regular Wednesday night bike ride and run (BRICK workout) to stay home and make these delectable corn treats. It's a good thing they are so time consuming, otherwise I'd probably make them every week. And then I would weigh 1,000 pounds by the end of the year.

 

Jar of achiote paste, and small dish of achiote paste which has been blended with hot water

Mex Grocer
I got many of my ingredients from Mex Grocer including:

• Tortilla press
• Queso cotija
• Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
• Achiote paste
• Masa harina

You should be able to find most of the ingredients at your grocery store or gourmet market.

 

Quesadilla filling: pork with spicy red chile sauce

Multiple Step Recipe
There are three items that need to get made, before you can begin putting the quesadillas together. The filling and sauce can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. To reheat the cheese sauce, I stirred in 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, and heated it up in the microwave for a few minutes. You could also reheat it in a small pan, placed over medium low heat, but that will take longer.

1. Filling - pork with spicy red chile sauce.
2. Sauce - mild green chile cheese sauce
3. Quesadilla dough

Pork with Spicy Red Chile Sauce
Queso cotija is a very salty, Mexican cheese which is a bit like feta. Use feta if you can't find queso cotija. Chipolte is a smoked jalapeno pepper, they can be found in most grocery stores, packed in small cans of a vinegar based sauce, AKA adobo sauce. Achiote paste is a combination of achiote seeds, vinegar, salt, garlic and spices. I bought achiote seeds before, they are hard as a rock, it's much easier to buy ready made paste.

I had some leftover pozole in the refrigerator. I strained out the pork, and shredded it with a fork. The pork was already well seasoned from when it was cooked in the pozole. You could use chopped, cooked chicken or cooked ground beef in place of the pork, if desired.

Ingredients for Pork with Red Chile Sauce

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded pork
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 chipolte in adobo sauce - minced
• 1 teaspoon achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso cotija

Directions for Pork with Red Chile Sauce

1. Place the shredded pork into a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the garlic and chipolte.
3. In a small cup, blend the achiote paste with the hot water. Stir the mixture into the pork.
4. Stir in the cumin, coriander, paprika and cheese.

Shredded, drained zucchini

Green Chile Cheese Sauce
The pork filling is quite spicy. The mild green chile cheese sauce is a nice compliment to the spicy filling. I have a HUGE Mexican oregano bush growing near my front door, which I can harvest a few stems from whenever I need it. Regular oregano can be substituted for the Mexican oregano if necessary. 

To prepare the zucchini, first I peeled it, then I grated it. Then I wrapped it up in a clean, kitchen towel and squeezed the excess moisture out of it.

 

Mild, green chile cheese sauce

Ingredients for Green Chile Cheese Sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated, drained zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2/3 cup mild, green chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup shredded cheese such as Monterey jack, cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro leaves

Directions for the Green Chile Cheese Sauce

1. Add the oil to a large frying pan placed over medium heat.
2. Add the zucchini and green onions to the pan, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the oregano, salt and nutmeg.
4. In a small cup or bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the green chile sauce. Whisk the mixture into the frying pan of zucchini/green onions.
5. Whisk in the shredded cheese. Continue whisking the sauce, until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick and creamy.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cilantro.

Ingredients for the quesadilla dough

Quesadilla Dough
There are two ways to make the quesadilla dough, either using the traditional ingredients, or using the modern ingredients. I used the modern method. Masa harina is a dried corn flour, which is specifically processed for use in tortillas and tamales. Do not substitute corn meal!

 

Quesadilla dough

Traditional Quesadilla Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 7/8 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons pork lard

Modern Quesadilla Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 7/8 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons margarine - melted

Quesadilla dough waiting to be pressed flat in the tortilla press

Directions for the Quesadilla Dough

1. Place the masa harina in a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat the chicken broth in the microwave, using a microwave safe container.
3. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and melted margarine into the masa harina using a large fork.
4. Form the dough into a ball, and knead a few times with your hands.
5. Set the dough aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place filling in center of flatted quesadilla

Assembling the Corn Turnovers

• 1 recipe filling
• 1 recipe sauce
• 1 recipe quesadilla dough
• Tortilla press
• Gallon size plastic freezer bag - cut in half
• Comal or large frying pan
• Vegetable oil

Fold corn turnover in half, sealing edges

Directions for Making Corn Turnovers

1. Place one half of the plastic freezer bag on the bottom of the tortilla press.
2. Place a 1 1/2 to 2 inch ball of quesadilla dough on the middle of the tortilla press.
3. Place the other half of the plastic bag on top of the quesadilla dough ball.
4. Press the dough flat.
5. Open the tortilla press, remove the top plastic bag.
6. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the quesadilla.
7. Fold the bottom plastic bag in half, forming a turnover, or what I like to call, a giant Mexican ravioli.
8. Seal the edges of the turnover using your fingers, making sure not to rip/poke a hole in the dough.
9. Place 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large frying pan placed over medium to medium high heat.
10. Add 3-4 quesadillas to the pan and cook until lightly browned on both sides.
11. Place the cooked quesadillas onto a large serving platter.
12. Add additional oil to the pan if necessary, and continue making, filling, cooking the turnovers until all the filling and dough has been used.
13. Place 1-2 quesadillas on a small plate, and cover with the sauce.
14. EAT - EAT - EAT!!!!!

Pan fry homemade quesadillas

Vegetarian Quesadillas
My almost 14 year old daughter is a vegetarian. If I were to make the corn turnovers again, I would use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth, so I could make a few quesadillas that she could eat. For the filling I might try heating up some soy crumbles, mixing them with taco seasoning and adding a bit of shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend. I think she still eats cheese, but I'll have to check to make sure she hasn't gone to the extreme of becoming vegan.

 

Platter of homemade quesadillas, AKA corn turnovers

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Pozole; Pork and Hominy Stew

 

Bowl of pozole garnished with queso cotija, cilantro and lime juice

Pozole is a traditional Mexican dish, which features lots of pork, chile peppers and hominy. Hominy is corn that has been treated with the mineral lime, to remove the outer hull, AKA the pericap. It sounds a bit weird, but think of hominy being like tiny little dumplings. They add a bit of texture to this classic comfort food. Hominy is also called pozole.

I saw pozole soup featured on an episode of Dinner's, Drive-in's and Dive's and thought it looked pretty tasty. Now that I'm on a Mexican cooking streak, at least for this month, I thought I'd try making homemade pozole.

 

A plethora of Mexican ingredients from Mex Grocer

Pozole Soup or Stew
Depending on how much liquid is added to the recipe, the pozole can be a soup or stew. I was worried about all the chile peppers that were added to the recipe, so I added a bit more liquid to make mine like a soup. Any kind of pork can be used in this recipe; stew meat or pork shoulder or even thick cut pork chops. My husband had some thick cut pork chops in the refrigerator, which he donated for the pozole. As long as he was being fed, I don't think he really cared what the pork chops were being used for.

 

Pozole AKA hominy

Interesting Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for the pozole should be available at local grocery stores. You may have to hunt around a bit, my local stores all have an ethnic food section, where they lump together all the Asian and Latin American ingredients. You can also purchase the ingredients from an online retailer such as Mex Grocer. I got the hominy, chile peppers, chipolte and queso cotija from Mex Grocer.

Pork cubed and waiting to be added to pozole

Ingredients for Pozole

• 29 ounce can hominy
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 pounds pork - cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes 
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes - any kind of chunky tomato sauce can be used too
• 4-6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon toasted Mexican oregano
• 2 toasted bay leaves
• 2 toasted, dried chile peppers - I used one chile negro and one chile pasilla in my pozole
• 1-2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce - chopped fine

Chile pasilla, on the left, and chile negro on the right

Directions for Pozole

1. Drain the water from the can of hominy, and place the hominy in a medium sauce pan.
2. Fill the sauce pan with fresh water and bring to a boil.
3. Turn the heat down to low, and let the hominy simmer for 30-45 minutes.
4. Add the oil to a large stock pot, or dutch oven placed over medium heat.
5. Add the pork, and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
6. Remove the cooked pork to a bowl.
7. Add the onions to the pan, and let cook in the pork fat/vegetable oil mixture until they begin to turn translucent.
8. Stir the garlic into the onions and cook for another minute.
9. Add the pork back into the pan.
10. Stir in the cumin and allspice.
11. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.
12. Lightly dry toast the Mexican oregano and bay leaves in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the toasted herbs to the pozole.
13. Lightly dry toast the dried chile peppers in a frying pan over medium heat. Remove the toasted peppers to a plate, and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and inner membrane. Roughly tear the toasted chile peppers into small pieces, and stir into the pozole.
14. Stir the chopped chipolte into the pozole.
15. Bring the pozole to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1/2 hour.
16. Strain the hominy, once it has finished simmering, and stir it into the pozole.
17. Let the pozole simmer for another 1/2 hour.
18. Remove the bay leaves, and serve the pozole with the garnishes of your choice.

Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce

Pozole Embellishments
Pozole should be served with a tray full of ingredients, so that each person can add the garnishes of their choice to their individual serving. My favorite combination is a bit of crumbled queso cotija, chopped cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

 

Pork browning, hominy simmering, herbs toasting

• Crumbled queso cotija - a semi-hard, salty Mexican cheese, which is a bit like feta.
• Shredded cabbage
• Chopped onions
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges
• Sliced radishes
• Chili powder and/or hot sauce - only if you like REALLY spicy pozole. I thought the pozole had a little bit more heat than I'm used to, but I am trying to get a bit more adventurous.

Lime wedges, fresh cilantro leaves, queso cotija

 

Pot full of pozole, simmering on the stove

Have you made pozole before? I'd like to hear about your method for making this classic Mexican dish.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

How-to Make Steamed Chinese Dumplings

 

Platter of steamed Chinese dumplings

I love Chinese food, and I especially LOVE Chinese dumplings. It doesn't matter what else we are ordering, we always have to add an order or two of dumplings to the order if we're getting Chinese takeout. We usually get pan-fried dumplings, which are simply dumplings that have been briefly pan-fried after they are steamed.

Chinese dumplings are traditionally filled with pork, but one of our local restaurants also offers a vegetarian dumpling. I decided to fill my dumplings with a mixture of ground, dark meat turkey, shrimp and vegetables.

Wonton Wrappers = Dumpling Wrappers
I used wonton wrappers to save time, instead of having to make dumpling dough from scratch. Although making homemade Chinese dumplings is not difficult, it is time consuming, so they certainly don't qualify for the quick and easy recipe category. You can even make the filling the day before, and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the dumplings.

 

Blanching and draining cabbage in preparation for Chinese dumplings

Ingredients for Chinese Dumplings

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 inch piece ginger root - peeled and grated
• 4 green onion bottoms - cut in half and sliced thin
• 4 ounces mushroom tops - diced
• 1 1/4 pounds ground dark meat turkey
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 12 ounces shrimp - peeled, de-veined and chopped
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons soy or Ponzu sauce
• 1/4 cup cilantro - chopped
• Wonton wrappers
• Small bowl of water

Green onions sliced, mushroom diced

Directions for Chinese Dumplings

You only use a level tablespoon of filling for each dumpling. You need to make sure all the dumpling ingredients are chopped fine, so the sides of the wonton wrappers don't blow out as you are filling the dumplings.

 

Cooking Chinese dumpling filling in the wok

1. Prepare the cabbage by blanching it in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately plunge into a bowl filled with ice water. Drain the blanched cabbage in a colander, and squeeze out all the excess moisture.
2. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
3. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the green onions and mushroom and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
6. Stir in the blanched cabbage and cook for 1 more minute.
7. At this point, check the mixture for excess moisture. The mushrooms and cabbage contain a lot of water, which they release during the cooking process. You might have to drain off the liquid if it is more than just a spoonful or two. You don't want a soggy filling, or the wonton wrappers will disintegrate before you finish filling them.
8. Add the shrimp, and cook until they just begin to turn pink.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch with the soy sauce. Ponzu is a thin, citrus flavored soy sauce. We also use ponzu as a dipping sauce for the completed Chinese dumplings. Stir the sauce into the wok and cook for another minute or two.
10. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
11. At this point you may refrigerate the filling and make the dumplings the next day, or continue with the recipe.

Wonton wrapper filled with Chinese dumpling mixture

Directions for Filling the Chinese Dumplings

1. Let the filling cool slightly so that you don't burn your fingers while filling the dumplings.
2. Open up the package of wonton wrappers.
3. Fill a small bowl with water and place it near the wonton wrappers.
4. Peel off 1 wonton wrapper from the package and place it on your work surface.
5. Use your fingers to wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with a bit of water.
6. Use 1 level tablespoon of the filling and place it in the center of the wonton.
7. Fold the wonton in half.
8. Crimp the edges of the wonton wrapper, making sure to completely seal the dumpling.

 

Bottom of steamer basket covered with perforated waxed paper

Directions for Steaming the Chinese Dumplings

1. The traditional method of steaming the Chinese dumplings is to use a bamboo steamer placed over boiling water in a wok. While I do own a wok, I don't have a bamboo steamer, so I used my metal vegetable steamer instead.
2. I cut out a circle of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the steamer. I poked holes through the waxed paper so the steam will reach the dumplings as they are cooking. I filled the steamer basket with dumplings, approximately 1 dozen at a time. Then I placed a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the steamer, added the dumpling filled steamer basket to the pan, placed the lid on and turned the heat onto high.
3. As soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and let the dumplings steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove the basket from the steamer and carefully remove the dumplings to a platter. Be careful, the dumplings will be hot. If you let the dumplings cool too long, they will begin to stick to the waxed paper, so remove them ASAP. I used a set of bamboo tongs to remove the cooked dumplings from the steamer.
4. Serve the dumplings right away with your favorite dipping sauce. The cooked dumplings will also keep a few days in the refrigerator. I made 2 dozen dumplings, and still have enough filling leftover to make another 2-3 dozen dumplings. I like to make small batches of dumplings, as they are going to be eaten. Nothing like freshly steamed, homemade dumplings!

Steamer basket filled with Chinese dumplings, ready to be steamed

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Asian Style Vegetable Wraps

 

Veggie wrap in flour tortilla with ponzu dipping sauce.

On Friday I blogged about rice and bean thread noodles. I used rice noodles as part of the filling for Asian style vegetable wraps I made for my daughter, who has recently become a vegetarian. She was looking through one of my vegetarian cookbooks, The Best Ever Vegetarian Cookbook by Nicola Graimes (Barnes & Noble Books, 1999), where she saw a recipe for a vegetable wrap.

 

Ingredients for Asian style vegetable wraps. The alfalfa sprouts never made it into the wraps, thought we had enough veggies without them. I kept the veggies a bit on the crisp side, but you could cook your veggies a bit more then add sliced water chestnuts for a bit of crispness.

No Chickens Allowed
The recipe was for cilantro omelet packages with oriental vegetables. She liked the idea of mixed vegetables being stir-fried and wrapped up somehow, but she isn't a big fan of eggs. We decided to use flour tortilla's as our wrap, and we even used whole wheat pita pockets for some of the leftovers the next day.

 

Broccoli, carrots and snow peas prepared for veggie wraps.

New and Improved Recipe
I drastically changed the original recipe, and came up with an all new recipe for Asian style vegetable wraps. My daughter and I both thought this recipe was super delicious. She took a bit of the leftovers with her for her school lunch the next day. She placed the vegetable wrap filling, in a small plastic container, and wrapped up a couple of tortilla's in foil. I think she added a small container of mandarin oranges, and a carton of chocolate soy milk for a complete and delicious vegetarian meal.

 

Shredded cabbage.

Easy on the Seasonings
Ponzu sauce is a thin, soy sauce which is flavored with citrus. My daughter doesn't like overly flavored or spicy foods, so I kept the seasonings a bit on the light side. If I were making this just for myself, I would probably increase the amount of hoisin sauce and chili oil a bit, or even add a fresh Thai chili or two. My husband and son would even like this dish, if I added a bit of shrimp or chicken to it.

Ingredients for Asian Style Vegetable Wraps

• *1 bunch softened rice thread noodles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon chili oil
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger root - peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 4 green onions - sliced thin
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup pea pods - cut into thirds
• 3 cups Napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage - shredded
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves - chopped
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Ponzu sauce

Ginger and garlic in the sizzling wok.

*To Soften Rice Thread Noodles

1. Remove one bundle of rice noodles from the package.
2. Place the bundle in a large bowl.
3. Cover the noodles with hot water.
4. Let the rice noodles soak for 10 minutes.
5. Drain off the water.
6. Cut the softened noodles into 2-3 inch long lengths.
7. Continue following the Asian style vegetable wrap recipe.

Variety of vegetables stir frying in the wok.

Directions for Asian Style Vegetable Wraps

The vegetables should still be a bit crispy, and not mushy, after cooking. The cooking times given in this recipe are just guidelines. I have one of those induction top stoves, but a gas stove would be much hotter, thus a shorter cooking time will be necessary.

 

Completed veggie wrap filling, with rice noodles and sauce added.

1. Heat the vegetable oil and chili oil in a wok, or a large frying pan.
2. Stir the ginger into the wok, and cook for 1 minute.
3. Stir the garlic and green onions into the wok, and cook for an additional minute.
4. Add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in the carrot and cook for 1-2 minutes.
6. Stir in the snow peas and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Stir in the Chinese cabbage and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
8. Stir in the cilantro leaves.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, water and ponzu sauce.
10. Stir the sauce mixture into the pan full of stir fried vegetables.
11. Cook for another minute or two, until the cabbage has wilted, and all the vegetables are well coated with the sauce.
12. Remove the wok from the heat.
13. Serve immediately. Use rice paper wrappers (i.e. spring roll wrappers), flour tortillas or pita pockets to make vegetable wraps. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Flour tortilla, on the left, and whole wheat pita, on the right, used for Asian style vegetable wraps.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Rice and Bean Thread Noodles

 

Rice noodles, on the left, and bean noodles, on the right.

Vegetarian Recipes
My 13 year old daughter decided to become a vegetarian a few months ago. I let her look through my two vegetarian cookbooks to see if there were any recipes she wanted me to make for her. She saw a recipe for sauteed vegetables wrapped in an omelet. She said she would like something similar, but without the omelet.

 

One bundle of rice thread noodles. They are very stiff and need to be soaked in water before adding to recipes.

Vegetable Wraps
I made a shopping list, and we went to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients. I originally thought I'd use rice paper wrappers for the wraps, but I couldn't find them at Albertson's. I'll probably make a trip to Wholefoods in the next day or two, but for now, I decided to use flour tortilla's instead.

Rice & Bean Thread Noodles
I thought the wraps would need something a bit more substantial than just vegetables, so I decided to see if I could find rice thread noodles. I found both rice sticks and bean threads on the ethnic food aisle. The rice sticks, AKA rice noodles, come three bundles to a package and are made from rice, cornstarch and water. The bean threads, AKA bean noodles, come three bundles to a package and are made from mung bean starch, potato starch and water.

 

Soaking rice thread noodles in hot water.

The rice noodles are very thin, like an angel hair pasta, while the bean noodles, are a bit thicker, almost like spaghetti. Both varieties are wheat-free, making them perfect for anyone following a gluten-free diet. The preparation method is the same for both types of noodles.

Soaking Rice and Bean Thread Noodles

1. Remove one bundle of rice or bean noodles from the package.
2. Place the bundle in a large bowl.
3. Cover the noodles with hot water.
4. Let the rice noodles soak for 10 minutes, and the bean noodles soak for 20 minutes.
5. Drain off the water, then use the noodles in your recipe.

Drain softened noodles in colander.

Frying Rice and Bean Thread Noodles

1. Fill a stock pot with vegetable oil, until it is at least 2 inches deep.
2. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.
3. Remove one bundle of rice or bean noodles from the package.
4. Carefully place the noodles into the hot oil.
5. The noodles will immediately expand in the oil.
6. Remove the noodles from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate before adding to your recipe.

We wanted a soft noodle, to add to the vegetable wraps, so I used the water soaking method. I soaked the noodles as I was chopping, preparing all the vegetables for the wraps. Rice and bean thread noodles don't really taste like anything. They absorb the flavors of whatever recipe they are being added to. I used a citrus flavored soy sauce, AKA ponzu, and hoisin sauce to flavor the veggie wraps.

 

Veggie wrap filling on flour tortilla.

On Monday I will post up the recipe and lots of photographs of the vegetable wraps being made.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Turkey Taco Salad with Blue Corn Chips

 

Turkey taco salad with blue corn chips

I have a problem with high cholesterol, despite all the exercising I do. A few years ago, I decided to stop eating red meat. While I do cave-in and have a beef burger a few times a year, I no longer purchase red meat products for the house. My daughter has recently turned vegetarian, so she doesn't miss not having red meat at the house. But my husband and son are true carnivores, so I had to figure out a way to keep the cavemen happy.

 

Ground white meat turkey

Ground Turkey VS Ground Beef
I discovered that ground white meat turkey can be used in a variety of dishes that I used to use ground beef in. And most people don't notice the difference until I tell them they are eating ground turkey. I've made lasagna, hamburgers, meatballs, meatloaf and more using ground turkey in place of ground beef.

I occasionally use ground dark meat turkey, which is moister than ground white meat turkey, due to its higher fat content. But that's kind of defeating the whole lower-fat eating program I'm trying to follow, so I try to stick to using white meat turkey.

 

Store bought taco seasoning mix

Spiced Taco Meat
I started making my own taco seasoning mix a few years ago. Prepackaged taco seasoning can be found in the ethnic food section of most grocery stores. Commercially made taco seasonings contain a bit too much salt for my taste, so making your own taco spice blend lets you reduce, or completely eliminate the salt.

 

Ingredients for homemade taco seasoning mixture

Here's a quick recipe for creating spiced, ground turkey meat, that can be used in tacos, enchiladas, taco salads and other Tex-Mex style dishes. Use ground chile pepper, such as ancho or chipolte, not chili powder spice mix in this recipe. Chili powder spice mix is usually a mixture of ground chile, garlic powder, cumin, salt and oregano.Ground chili pepper is 100% ground chili pepper.

Taco Spice Seasoning Mix

• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon salt, if desired
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground chile pepper
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, or Mexican oregano

Cook meat until no longer pink in center

Using Taco Spice Mix

1. Add 1 pound of ground meat to a large frying pan, placed over medium heat.
2. Cook the meat until no longer pink in the center.
3. Sprinkle 1 recipe of taco spice mix over the cooked meat.
4. Pour in 2/3 cup water and still until well blended.
5. Cook over medium high heat, until most of the water has been evaporated.
6. Use the spiced taco meat as desired.

Taco spice mix added to cooked ground meat

Turkey Taco Salad with Blue Corn Chips

1. Add 1 cup shredded lettuce to the bottom of a medium bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup of turkey taco meat on top of the lettuce.
3. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons grated cheese, such as cheddar or Monterey Jack.
4. Add additional toppings as desired, such as sliced black olives, diced onion, chopped tomato, sour cream or hot sauce.
5. Serve with your favorite type of corn chip. I have a preference for blue corn chips.

Seasoned turkey taco meat, ready to eat

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Instant Homemade Pizza

I like making pizza at home. It's less expensive then ordering pizza from a restaurant, and you can control the ingredients used to make the pizza. You can either make a large pizza for the entire family, or let everyone make their own individual pizza. My husband and son are meat eaters, my daughter is a vegetarian and I like interesting topping selections, so it works out better to let everyone at our house make their own, personal size pizza.

 

Perforated pizza pan, helps make a crispy crust. Available at kitchen supply stores and the kitchen department of larger department stores.

 

Individual Boboli pizza crust, spread with olive oil and minced garlic. The olive oil helps create a crispier crust.

Pizza Crust Options

1. Visit your local pizza restaurant and buy pre-made pizza dough from them. I cover a large cutting board with corn meal, and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough before placing it on a pizza pan.
2. Pillsbury pizza dough. Available in the refrigerated section of grocery stores, along with biscuit and cookie dough. This pizza dough unrolls into a rectangular shape. Spread the dough out onto a medium to large rectangular cookie/baking sheet.
3. I can sometimes find fresh, pre-made pizza dough at my local grocery store. Check the bakery department of grocery stores to see if they have pizza dough available.
4. Pre-made pizza crusts such as Boboli. I like Boboli individual pizza crusts, which are available in a package of two, at most grocery stores.

Add your favorite toppings, such as sun-dried tomato paste, sliced green onions and black olives. 

 

Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs such as thyme and oregano. I always have fresh herbs growing in my garden, so I can simply run out to the garden and snip a few herbs to add to all my culinary creations.

 

Bake the pizza according to the pizza crust directions. If you are using pizza dough from a local restaurant, ask them for their cooking recommendations. I use a pizza cutter to make quick work of cutting through the pizza.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva