Kung Pao Chicken

I don't know about the rest of you, but MSG wreaks havoc with my nervous system . . . So, as much as I enjoy Chinese Cuisine, at least the American version with which I'm familiar, I pretty much have to enjoy Chinese food at home.

Kung Pao Chicken is a favorite and of course except for the rice, all goes in one pan.  I don't have a wok any more, so I use a skillet.

3 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Red Peppers cut or broken in half
Tad of Garlic
2 Boneless Chicken breast cut in small pieces
1 medium Onion sliced lengthwise
3 stalks of Celery chopped
1 small Zucchini sliced
3 Cups vegetables.  I have used kale, snow peas, radish pods, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots. 
(I get creative with what I have on hand)
1/2 C Peanuts

Heat oil in skillet with red peppers and garlic.  When piping hot, add chicken pieces.  Stir in hot oil til just browned, add onion and celery.  Cover and cook 5 minutes, stir and cover for 5 more minutes of cooking.  Turn heat down to medium and leave cooking 10 minutes.  Add vegetables and peanuts with a bit of water.  Simmer 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender but not soft.

Serve over rice. 

BBQ Ribs

For those who are new to keeping kosher, and searching for new entrees for the BBQ season, let me share the deliciousness of beef short ribs.  When I was a kid, we'd always get to have our favorite meal for our birthday and my request was BBQ short ribs.  I was truly saddened and dismayed when years later I was offered those odd little slab ribs that looked so greasy and didn't appear to have any meat on them . . .

Beef short ribs are wonderful, they just require a bit of cooking before the grill.  I've even prepared them completely in the oven.

5# Beef Short Ribs
Water
Liquid Smoke
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Ground Mustard
Dashes of Ground Turmeric
Salt & Pepper
Favorite BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 300°.  In oven safe pan that will hold 5# of ribs, place just enough water to cover the bottom.  Add a few drops of liquid smoke.  Sprinkle spices on each piece of meat and arrange in pan, leaving room for steam to saturate the meat.  Cover and bake for 4 hours.  Turn off oven and leave pan in to cool about 30 min.
Remove from oven.  If you want to finish cooking in the pan, drain liquid and cover in BBQ sauce.  Place back in oven in covered pan for 2 hours @ 250° or place in outdoor smoker for 2-3 hours.  Meat will fall off the bone . . . 

Kale Chips

I realize I'm running amok with this kale, but it truly is wonderful stuff and grows so easily and abundantly. It makes a simple side dish or as I've already shared, can be worked right into the main entree. This time, though, I had to try the kale chips. It sounded easy enough and obviously healthier than potato chips. Every year about the end of May, I just crave hot dogs. There are some wonderful kosher hot dogs available these days, so I feel quite free to indulge every now and again. Even though hot dogs are made from beef or turkey, they still contain a ton of things I don't need to be eating, so I indulge the craving.

Here's the recipe. I'm thinking this might be one of those things, even anti-veggie kids would consider trying if they got to help make them!

One bunch of kale - washed, stemmed, and drained
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
Salt
Cookie Sheet

Preheat oven to 400°. Tear kale into large pieces. I make two to three pieces of each leaf. Place on cookie sheet in a pile. Drizzle olive oil over the leaves, gently toss the leaves to cover in oil and spread out over the cookie sheet. Place in hot oven for 5-7 minutes. Flip and bake 5 more minutes. Let cool and enjoy. This entire recipe contains fewer calories than one serving of regular potato chips. And they are good for you!

Spicy Kale & Beef

3 Tbs. Oil
1 dried Red pepper
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 1/2 lb. Sirloin, sliced
1 Onion slced or wedged
2 Beef bullion cubes
2 Cups Water
2 Tbs. Corn starch
1 bunch Kale stemmed and torn
Sesame sticks

Place oil in skillet on medium heat, break pepper and add with soy sauce. Add beef and stir til all is coated in oil, add onion. Cover skillet and cook for 10 minutes, stir cook ten more minutes, turn heat down to medium low, add beef bullion, and 1/2 cups of water. Mix corn starch into remaining 1/2 cup of water, and add to skillet, stirring well. Turn down to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add kale, but don't stir in. Place lid on skillet, and allow to simmer 10-15 minutes.

Stir before serving over rice and garnish with sesame sticks

Egg Noodles

In the spring time eggs are abundant and potatoes are still growing, so noodles make a lovely side dish. They really are pretty simple to make, although there is just a bit of clean up involved, it's well worth it to have good fresh ingredients in the dishes you prepare.

6 Eggs well beaten
2 + C Flour
2 C Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper
2 C Water

In 5 qt. kettle, heat chicken stock and 2 C Water.
In mixing bowl, make a well in flour and add beaten eggs. Add salt and pepper and mix, thoroughly. On floured board, roll dough to 1/8 to ¼ inch thick. If dough is sticky, add a bit more flour as you roll out the dough. Once dough is desired thickness, sprinkle flour across the top and roll up. Cut through entire roll of dough, every ¼ of an inch. Unroll while still on board, in flour. Increase heat to boiling point and drop in noodles a few at a time, making sure they don’t stick together. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. Check level of broth, and add water if needed, but only if needed.

*** I have discovered only recently that these can be made in water without stock and simply served buttered.

Steamed Veggies

Garden season is just about here. That means fresh locally grown produce will be readily available. Most vegetables are perfectly healthy and delicious when eaten raw. Many folks, however; prefer their vegetables cooked.

Just a few reminders when preparing fresh vegetables. They really don't need seasoning or toppings. Some folks like just a little salt, but the fresh flavor of home grown or locally grown produce needs little to be added.

Steamed or blanched is best and if you haven't tried it, I would encourage you to do so. Just a little water in the bottom of a saucepan. Add your fresh veggies and a lid. Bring to a boil on high heat. As soon as steam begins to escape, turn off the burner, but leave the lid in place. Vegetables should be firm but tender and they will still contain most of the nutrients our Creator put in them.

Don't cook the goodness out of the veggies!

Taquito Poppers

I almost made work out of this simple, very simple recipe.

I hope you enjoy the ease of preparation as well as the flavor of the end results!

Ingredients

8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 whole canned Jalepeno peppers - fresh ones if you choose, but they tend to be hotter.
16 corn tortillas
3 Tbs. Oil

Place oil in 8X11 baking dish or small cookie sheet

With butter knife, spread 1/2 ounce of cream cheese in center of tortilla about 3 inch strip, split one jalapeno lengthwise and lay on cream cheese. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of peppers and roll up the tortilla.
Lay it flap side down in baking dish.

Repeat with all tortillas.

Bake for 7 minutes @375° then turn and bake another 5-7 minutes. Great for dipping in salsa or guacamole.

* Just between you, me, and the fence post, you don't need to measure the cheese . . .
Pan is easy clean up and butter knife is a snap!