Macadamia Nut and Enoki Salad with Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette

While I am by no means a food expert, it is rare that I find a new ingredient that gets my juices flowing.

It has been a long time since I used a new ingredient and really fell in love with it.

I guess it’s not really that odd that I had never been exposed to enoki mushrooms. It’s not like I grew up having them in our family favorites.

But these little suckers are damn tasty. They have a great little texture, have a great natural flavor and also hold seasoning really well.

When I threw this salad together, I didn’t think it was going to be a real winner, but this little guy knocked my socks off.

You will need…

½ cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

8 cups baby greens or mesclun

3-ounce package enoki mushrooms, trimmed and separated

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by toasting the nuts and seeds together over a medium high heat in a large pan. Heat them until they become fragrant and slightly browned. About 5 minutes.

Toss together the greens, mushrooms, seeds and nuts.

In a food processor, blend together the vinegars, soy sauce, honey, fresh ginger, garlic and sesame oil.  Blend until completely combined.

Drizzle over the salad, toss and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Macadamia Nut and Enoki Salad with Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette

½ cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

8 cups baby greens or mesclun

3-ounce package enoki mushrooms, trimmed and separated

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by toasting the nuts and seeds together over a medium high heat in a large pan. Heat them until they become fragrant and slightly browned. About 5 minutes.

Toss together the greens, mushrooms, seeds and nuts.

In a food processor, blend together the vinegars, soy sauce, honey, fresh ginger, garlic and sesame oil.  Blend until completely combined.

Drizzle over the salad, toss and serve. 

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Well hello there.

It’s been awhile my friends. I apologize my lack of culinary updates, but I’ve been DEAD tired.

Even though I’ve been home from sin city since Thursday, very early in the morning, it has taken me days to recover. There might have even been some blubbering due to exhaustion. Might.

But after about twenty hours of sleep, I’m feeling a lot like my pre Vegas self.

And pre Vegas me wanted to get her booty in the kitchen. I’m back and better than ever.

In Vegas, it’s hard to get certain things that are really good for you. Like home cooked meals, smoke free air and sunlight. So I jumped at the chance to make some salad dressing from scratch.

Worth all 3 minutes it took to make it.

You will need…

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon palm sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl or mason jar.

Either whisk or shake well until completely combined.

Once completely combined, serve. Save in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette 

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon palm sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl or mason jar.

Either whisk or shake well until completely combined.

Once completely combined, serve. Save in the refrigerator up to 3 days. 

Tangy Thai Grilled Chicken

There are few better things in this world for the soul than spending a great weekend away with your best friends.

Whenever I manage to get away with my friends for a couple days, I always feel energized no matter how crazy or adventurous our time together is.

No matter how bad my hips hurt from surfing, or how bad I’m bruised from a late night hike fall, the weekend has energized me to face this week!

But thank goodness this is only a four day work week. Because a system and warehouse switch at work is wearing down that friend buzz I have.

To celebrate our nation’s birth this week, I’m firing up the barbeque with some good friends to reenergize. And so should you!

You will need…

2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and diced

4 cloves garlic cloves minced

½ cup lightly packed cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons water

Salt to taste

In a food processor, puree the jalapenos, half the garlic, ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, olive oil sesame oil and season well with salt.

Pour the marinade over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Fire up your grill.

While your grill is warming, bring the vinegar, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Add in the garlic, remaining cilantro, and red pepper flakes and simmer for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the sauce into a small bowl and set aside.

Grill the chicken until it has good grill marks and is cooked through. About 5 minutes a side.

Serve the chicken hot, drizzled with the vinegar sauce.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

  

Tangy Thai Grilled Chicken

2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and diced

4 cloves garlic cloves minced

½ cup lightly packed cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons water

Salt to taste

In a food processor, puree the jalapenos, half the garlic, ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, olive oil sesame oil and season well with salt.

Pour the marinade over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Fire up your grill.

While your grill is warming, bring the vinegar, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Add in the garlic, remaining cilantro, and red pepper flakes and simmer for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the sauce into a small bowl and set aside.

Grill the chicken until it has good grill marks and is cooked through. About 5 minutes a side.

Serve the chicken hot, drizzled with the vinegar sauce. 

Chicken Teriyaki

Raise your hand if you worked a really long day.

Raise your hand if after your long day you had to come home and make a meal for your family.

Raise your hand if even though you had a really long day and have cook for other people, you still want to eat something yummy.

Crap, I’m out of hands.

I bet you are too.

So put your hands down, grab a pen and jot this down so you can have it on hand next time you are exhausted and you have to make something yummy.

You will need…

1 cup lemon-lime soda

½ cup soy sauce

¾ cup rice vinegar

1 onion, half grated, half thinly sliced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 pounds chicken breasts, skin on or off

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Steamed rice for serving

Start by combining the soda, soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated onion, grated ginger, garlic and sugar in a bowl and whisk it well.

Add in the chicken and allow it to marinate, covered in the fridge for 1 hour up to over night.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Reserve about 1 cup of the marinade.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet.

Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes a side.

Remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to cool enough to handle.

Toss in the sliced onion with the chicken drippings and left over oil.

Cook until the onions are softened, scrapping the chicken off the pan as you go. About 6 minutes.

Add in the reserved marinade and bring it to a soft boil. Simmer until the sauce has reduced.

Stir in the butter and the cilantro.

Roughly chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and add it back into the sauce.

Cook until heated through and then serve hot over a bed of rice.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Chicken Teriyaki

1 cup lemon-lime soda

½ cup soy sauce

¾ cup rice vinegar

1 onion, half grated, half thinly sliced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 pounds chicken breasts, skin on or off

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Steamed rice for serving

Start by combining the soda, soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated onion, grated ginger, garlic and sugar in a bowl and whisk it well.

Add in the chicken and allow it to marinate, covered in the fridge for 1 hour up to over night.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Reserve about 1 cup of the marinade.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet.

Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes a side.

Remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to cool enough to handle.

Toss in the sliced onion with the chicken drippings and left over oil.

Cook until the onions are softened, scrapping the chicken off the pan as you go. About 6 minutes.

Add in the reserved marinade and bring it to a soft boil. Simmer until the sauce has reduced.

Stir in the butter and the cilantro.

Roughly chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and add it back into the sauce.

Cook until heated through and then serve hot over a bed of rice. 

Calbi Short Rib Tacos

Well, all six ladies made it back from Vegas in one piece. There were a couple of touchy moments, but everyone survived. Not only did we make it out unscathed, but we also had an awesome time.

But after two days of not much food and too much booze, I was ready to get in the kitchen and make myself something tasty.

No matter how bad I just wanted to curl up and take the longest nap EVER.

You will need…

1 ½ to 2 lbs of short ribs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pear, pealed and diced

1 kiwi, peeled and diced

4 green onions, chopped

12 cloves garlic, minced

8 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil plus and extra tablespoon

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons plus rice vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 to 3 cups chicken stock

½ green cabbage, sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

8 grilled or heated flour tortillas

Start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees.

Then, in a Dutch oven or oven safe pot, heat the olive oil and the red pepper flakes.

Season your meat well on both sides with salt.

When the oil is nice and hot, add in the short ribs and sear them until browned on all sides. About 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and add in the pear, kiwi, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar and ginger.

Pour in the chicken stock just until the beef is covered.

Stir up the mixture, cover and place in the oven.

Cook for 3 to 4 hours. Till the meat pulls apart easily.

As soon as you put the meat in the oven, combine the cabbage, onions, remaining sesame oil and rice vinegar, and the sesame seeds.

Toss the mixture well and make sure to stir ever 20 minutes or so.

When the meat is done, pull all the meat  part.

Assemble the tacos with a warmed tortilla, ½ cup meat and ¼ cup of cabbage mixture. Drizzle with the sauce from the meat and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Calbi Short Rib Tacos

1 ½ to 2 lbs of short ribs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pear, pealed and diced

1 kiwi, peeled and diced

4 green onions, chopped

12 cloves garlic, minced

8 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil plus and extra tablespoon

¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons plus rice vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 to 3 cups chicken stock

½ green cabbage, sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

8 grilled or heated flour tortillas

Start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees.

Then, in a Dutch oven or oven safe pot, heat the olive oil and the red pepper flakes.

Season your meat well on both sides with salt.

When the oil is nice and hot, add in the short ribs and sear them until browned on all sides. About 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and add in the pear, kiwi, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar and ginger.

Pour in the chicken stock just until the beef is covered.

Stir up the mixture, cover and place in the oven.

Cook for 3 to 4 hours. Till the meat pulls apart easily.

As soon as you put the meat in the oven, combine the cabbage, onions, remaining sesame oil and rice vinegar, and the sesame seeds.

Toss the mixture well and make sure to stir ever 20 minutes or so.

When the meat is done, pull all the meat  part.

Assemble the tacos with a warmed tortilla, ½ cup meat and ¼ cup of cabbage mixture. Drizzle with the sauce from the meat and serve hot.