Saka-Mushi (Japanese style veggie and salmon packets)

So last night I got around to making Saka-Mushi, a delicious and healthy Japanese meal that consists of fresh fish and a hearty serving of colorful vegetables. Jose and I both enjoyed the fact that this dish was simple but flavorful; it was also nice that we didn't have much to clean up after consuming every last bite! The original recipe called for only 5 ounces of salmon, but we used 8...and the original recipe also said that it would yield enough food for 4...but, between just the two of us, we ate it all! That just goes to show how tasty this meal was. I'm not a huge salmon fan, the fishiness is usually too much for me, but the flavor was a bit milder this time around; I think the sake/soy sauce marinade had something to do with it!

Anyhow, if you're tired after a long day at work, but don't feel like paying the closest fast-food joint a visit, then this is the recipe for you. The only thing you really have to do is chop a few ingredients and roll them up in a piece of foil, you don't even have to dirty many dishes! As Guy Fiere from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives says when he's come across a tasty meal: Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner! (Ooh, how I'd love to own a fun diner similar to the ones he visits; except it'd have to be pink, of course ;). Don't all the meals featured on that show look incredibly mouthwatering?!)

Tomorrow I'm making the ice cream cupcakes! I'm so excited! I'm thinking of using a very fun ingredient for these frozen treats. I'll give you a tiny hint as to what I'll be using: What makes a warm winter drink taste even better? :)

Oooh...I bet you're thinking I forgot to post the recipe! Nope, you'll find the instructions and ingredients posted in the digital recipe card below :)!

Hearty Breakfast

I love making hearty, filling breakfasts on the weekends. My favorite meal of the day is definitely breakfast, especially when it consists of more than just cereal. For about a week I was craving hashbrowns, strange but true - there is something so wonderful about simple, salty little potato patties - so I made sure to add them to last Saturday's breakfast menu.


Here is the hashbrown recipe I used. I didn't follow it to the T (didn't include the onion), but they came out really tasty with salt and pepper.

Egg Sandwich Ingredients:

Toasted hot dog buns

A tiny bit of mayo to spread on the buns

Spinach

Tomato

Sweet onion and mushrooms sauteed in extra virgin olive oil

1-2 hardboiled eggs per sandwich

Cheese (to sprinkle on top)



Jose actually got up early to help me with breakfast on hashbrown day (he is not a morning person :)! It reminded me of the couple of times we cooked together while dating, it was so much fun! I thought it was so cute that he actually followed my recipe for french toast until he decided it needed to be "tweaked"; he added more cinnamon and about 1/4 cup of non-fat milk - it was delish. I'm glad I married a man who knows his way around a kitchen! Anyhow, on Sunday morning I made veggie egg sandwiches. We had a ton of left-over wheat hot dog buns from the day before, and I try to avoid wasting food, so I toasted the buns and used them for the sandwiches.

Always make time for breakfast! It'll give your metabolism and mind a wake-up call, even if the rest of you is still half asleep :).

baked "fried" chicken

First off, this is not fried! It may resemble fried chicken in taste and texture, but these little drumsticks were actually baked in a 350 degree oven for about an hour (oh, and I covered them in aluminum foil for half the time while they baked). It's a healthy alternative for those that want the taste of fried chicken without the grease. The secret to make this baked chicken taste good is Mayo! I know it sounds gross, but it works a lot better than dipping the drumstick in egg and milk before covering them in the bread crumbs; I actually got the idea from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com about 6 months ago. It works great--the mayo actually helps "lock in" the moisture, which is a must when baking chicken; it also helps the bread crumbs adhere a lot better. So here is the recipe, this makes enough for about 8 drumsticks:

1/2 cup mayo (there's actually a canola oil version now!)
8 chicken drumsticks
1 cup garlic and herb bread crumbs
1 tsp savory
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt and pepper

This is a great alternative that will not disappoint! Even Jose said he could it eat every day! That's a pretty big claim to make :).

fast tacos: college friendly food!

Every once in awhile, either out of pure tiredness, lack of time, or hunger, I need to make something fast. Putting this together reminded me of my college days, when I could eat a bag of Pepperidge Farm Snickerdoodles for dinner, (this was before I had my gallbladder removed) and when eating healthy wasn't a major concern, obviously! But now that those days are over, I'm realizing that even though college kids don't necessarily have much time to cook on a day to day basis, there should still be more recipes available to them that are healthy while also fast and easy to make. The almost-ideal meal would be one that could be prepared in 20 minutes or less while still including more flavor and nutrients than the average college student's boiled water and ramen noodle "specialty" :). (I tended to lean more toward peanut butter and honey sandwiches, but even that wasn't "healthy" since that alone was my dinner when I got tired of dorm food!)

I think these "fast tacos" are both easy to make and healthy to eat. Though a kitchen is required, and sadly they aren't always available in dorms, it's still a generally low-key dish as far as preparations are concerned. I basically used:

about 1 1/2 cup shredded pre-crock-pot-made chicken
1 organic potato, diced
1 roma tomato, diced into squares
1/2 a small green bell pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp epazote
1/4-1/2 tsp cilantro
1/4-1/2 tsp oregano

I cooked the potato cubes first, then added the rest of the ingredients; cooking them all together for about 10 minutes over a medium flame. I also added beans, and even though I usually make my own beans, I didn't have 3 hours to do that today so I used a great organic alternative. Then I just added about 2 TBSP PACE (this stuff is good, I never mind using it :), a pinch of pepper, and a few shakes of mesquite McCormick seasoning. After that, I heated the beans up in the micro and rolled them up with the cooked chicken/spices/potatoes and cheese in a warm whole wheat tortilla! This meal came together fast and it was pretty good; this is my kind of fast food :).

bbq chicken sandwich

We've been buying a whole chicken every time we've gone grocery shopping for the last couple of weeks because it's a great way to save money. The chicken lasts us half the week, and this last one I purchased for only $3.50! It's amazing and I love the feeling of saving money. Today I used the last bit of the chicken to make bbq chicken...it's not really barbecue, considering there wasn't any fire involved...liquid smoke came to the rescue instead :). I made a bunch of quick meals, like stews and pasta dishes, earlier in the week, but this is the first new thing I've made that's semi-exciting because I've never made my own bbq sauce. I've always seen various chefs on Food Network make their version of a good barbecue sauce, so I always made sure to pay attention to the ingredients they added. I don't know why, but barbecue sauce fascinates me because there are so many types of sauce, and a lot of them are pretty good. What I don't like is when anything I'm eating is drenched in sauce, to the point where I can't even taste the meat. So here is a recipe for a light barbecue sauce that's enough for about 1 1/2-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken:

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
3 TBSP brown sugar
3/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 TBSP water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TBSP dried bell pepper

I mixed these ingredients in a small sauce pan with the chicken, then, while mixing, I let the flavors blend with the meat over a medium flame for about 7 minutes.

I also made a southern-tasting bell pepper/onion topping for the sandwich, here's what that consisted of:

1/2 red bell pepper sliced
1/3 small sweet onion also sliced
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp garlic and herb spice

This recipe makes enough for about 4 people :)