Chinese-style lettuce wraps with minced chicken, tofu, and shiitakes

We tried this recipe from Andrea Nguyen: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2012/08/chicken-tofu-and-shiitake-lettuce-cups-recipe.html. We used 6 oz chopped water chestnuts in lieu of pine nuts as well as five fresh shiitakes instead of two dry. We also used romaine lettuce instead of iceberg. (June 2016) Source: Andrea Nguyen, author and teacher, Vietworldkitchen.com.

Armenian eggplant and minced turkey casserole

The original recipe calls for minced lamb, but we tried to make it more low-fat with turkey. Preheat oven to 350. Heat a Dutch oven on medium-high heat, then pour 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped and seeded bell pepper (here, a serrano pepper) and sauté until onion is translucent.… Continue reading Armenian eggplant and minced turkey casserole

Bucatini with bacon sauce and meatballs

This is a Beau Macmillan recipe that I have been meaning to try for a few years. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bucatini-with-bacon-sauce-and-meatballs-recipe.html. It is a great recipe, but it does not specify how much salt or pepper to add to either the sauce or meatball mixture. I added a touch of sugar to offset the acidity of the sauce.… Continue reading Bucatini with bacon sauce and meatballs

Thai chicken fried rice with holy basil leaves (khao pad krapow gai)

Heat 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok, add 4 minced garlic cloves. When fragrant, add 3 minced Thai chiles, 1 lb minced chicken, 2 Tbsp each soy sauce and fish sauce, and ½ tsp sugar. Stir-fry on high heat until chicken is cooked, then add 30-40 fresh Thai holy basil leaves (about 1… Continue reading Thai chicken fried rice with holy basil leaves (khao pad krapow gai)

Minced beef and red cabbage soup

We had 1 lb of minced bison and a large head of red cabbage in our pantry, so we tried this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/cabbage-and-ground-beef-soup-339284. Our modifications: we used ¼ bunch minced parsley in lieu of celery, increased the beef broth to 6 cups, added 1 chopped tomato, ½ tsp cumin, a dash crushed red pepper, and… Continue reading Minced beef and red cabbage soup

Japanese-style beef and potatoes (nikujaga)

We often increase the minced beef to 1 lb based on our pantry and sometimes add one additional small carrot. Recipe here: http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/japanese-style-meat-and-potatoes (Jan. 2016) Note: This recipe is flexible and can be modified. For ex, we have used ¼ cup sake instead of white wine. We also have used a mix of daikon (½… Continue reading Japanese-style beef and potatoes (nikujaga)

Sloppy lasagna, pressure-cooker style

This marked my first time using a pressure cooker to make lasagna, both the sauce and cooking the lasagna sheets. The recipe is from the Hip Pressure Cooking cookbook by Laura Pazzaglia. Here is a similar recipe she posted on her Hip Pressure Cooking blog: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-pasta-casserole-a-cheesy-meaty-mess-mezzemaniche-pasticciate/. The sloppy lasagna was very tasty, but I burnt… Continue reading Sloppy lasagna, pressure-cooker style