FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Disaster Turned Delish

by

Sometimes BIG mistakes turn into something good, or in this case, something tasty.  I fully intended on following a recipe for some sort of Thai-ish dish tonight, but between the lack of fresh herbs available and my recipe carrying phone dying at the store, I was forced to go impromptu.  Eek!!!

My brain is certainly equipped for a great deal of impromptu dishes, but Thai?  It most certainly is not.  And although I’m still not entirely sure how this disaster turned delish came to be, it did.

Prepare the noodles per the instructions on the package.  Throw the pepper, green onions, stir fry vegetables, shrimp, and peanuts in a non-stick pan over medium heat until everything is warm.  Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Add the noodles to the vegetables and stir until the noodles soften and are able to mix well with the vegetables.  Pour the sauce over the noodles and vegetables and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

1/2 Pack of Rice or Bean Vermicelli Noodles (3 oz.)
1 Pack of Fresh Stir Fry Vegetables – Steamed (12 oz)
1/2 Lb. Cooked Shrimp – Tails Removed
1 Serrano Pepper – Minced
1 Bunch of Green Onions – Sliced
1/4 Peanuts – Crushed

Sauce:
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Roasted Red Chili Sauce
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Lime – Juiced

Games and Gumbo

by

The resurgence of elementary school fads is upon us and I like it.  I like it so much, in fact, that I’m going to take any opportunity to rock a romper, tie my hair to the side, and (most importantly) whip out a board game.  Tonight will be the first of many game night blog entries in which a theme and main course recipe will be posted.

The theme for tonight: Games and Gumbo.  The game has yet to be determined as my guest list, rather lack of guest list, is a bit disorganized.  The main course, however, is not disorganized and was prepared last night in total Type A fashion.
In my search for the perfect game night gumbo, I found the spectrum of recipes to be infinite.  Once again, guidance was provided by one of my go-to websites, cookinglight.com, where I found a Shrimp and Crab Gumbo that wouldn’t cause an instant coronary clog.

Wokin Wontons

by

The first blog entry after a brief hiatus better be a good one.  And because of this, the pressure for a blog worthy dish has been rearing its ugly head for entirely too long.  Solution?  A gift from my favorite (and only) uncle.

At first glance, bamboo steamers seem like they could be deceivingly difficult.  Not the case.  Just set atop a wok with shallow boiling water and you’ve got yourself a deal.

And homemade dumplings?  The closest I’ve ever come is plopping a few frozen nuggets in a traditional pot of boiling water.  And even though I’ve always purchased a “natural” brand, their contents have always been a slight mystery.

The following shrimp wonton recipe is heavenly.  They’re fresh, and there’s nothing mystery about them.

– 1/4 to 1/2 lb of cooked shrimp
– 1/2 cup mushrooms (I used baby portobellas)
– 3/4 cup green cabbage
– 1/3 cup green onions
– 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
– 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
– 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1 packet of Nasoya Wonton Wraps
– Ponzu Sauce

Finely chop all of the ingredients up until the ginger.  Use a cheese grater to grate the ginger.  Mix the shrimp, veggies, and soy sauce in a bowl.  Plop a spoonful of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper.  Wet the edges of the wonton wrappers, fold them, and firmly press the edges together.  Fill a wok with as much water as you can that won’t seep into the bamboo steamer and bring to a boil.  Place the wontons on cabbage leaves on each rack of the bamboo steamer (this will prevent them from sticking to the steamer).  Set the bamboo steamer in the wok and steam wontons for 6 minutes.  Serve with ponzu sauce for dipping.