For the love of cooking

Sugar Snap and Beef Stir Fry

Monday, July 20, 2009 by Pam

I found this recipe in my newest Cooking Light magazine. I adapted it just a bit by adding some chili sauce, garlic and sesame oil to the marinade as well as some extra veggies to the stir fry. The beef turned out extremely tender while the vegetables were slightly crisp. It was a light, healthy and really delicious meal that my entire family loved. I liked how quick and simple the recipe was to make and that it had very little clean up.

Flank Steak Marinade:

1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili sauce
1/4 tsp white sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a large zip lock bag and place in refrigerator for 1-6 hours.

Stir Fry Veggies:

Sugar snap peas, trimmed
Broccoli florets, steamed until tender
1/4 cup of shredded carrots
2-3 baby bell peppers, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
2-3 green onions, sliced (divided)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Steam broccoli florets. Clean and chop all vegetables then set aside until ready to cook.

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp chili sauce

Combine all ingredients and whisk until mixed thoroughly. Set aside.

Remaining Ingredients:

Sesame oil (to cook meat and vegetables)
Sesame seeds (garnish)
Brown rice, prepare according to the directions

Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add beef to the pan; stir fry for 2 minutes or until done. Place beef in a bowl and set aside. Add the last remaining teaspoon of sesame oil to the pan. Add onion and sauté 1 minute. Add the remaining vegetables along with half of the green onions, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and freshly grated ginger, cook stirring continuously for 45 seconds. Add beef and stir fry sauce then cook for an additional minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve over brown rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Posted in: Asian Dishes, Beef | 4 comments | Links to this post |

Coffeecake Muffins

Sunday, July 19, 2009 by Pam

My kids really wanted muffins for breakfast so I found a recipe for coffee cake muffins on a website called CookiePie. They looked really delicious and sounded like the perfect breakfast treat. The recipe was really easy to follow - the only change I made was to add a bit of cinnamon to the muffin mixture. They were quick to make with little clean up. My kids and husband LOVED the muffins...I drooled and watched my family gobble them up while I ate my fiber cereal. I hate trying to eat healthy - UGH.

Coffeecake Muffins
Recipe and photographs by For the Love of Cooking
Original recipe from CookiePie

Streusel:

8 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pulse 5 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter in food processor until just combined. Set aside 1/2 cup of this cinnamon mixture for muffin filling.

Add pecans and the last 3 tablespoons of sugar to food processor with remaining cinnamon mixture and pulse until nuts are coarsely ground. Transfer to bowl and set aside for streusel topping.

Muffins:

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, cut into chunks and softened

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray. Whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla in bowl. Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and butter in food processor until mixture is nice and crumbly. Transfer to large bowl. Using rubber spatula, gradually fold in egg mixture until just combined. Place 1 tablespoon batter in each muffin cup and top with 1 tablespoon cinnamon filling. Using back of spoon, press cinnamon filling lightly into batter, then top with remaining batter. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until muffins are light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for awhile before moving them to a rack to finish cooling. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Shredded Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas

Friday, July 17, 2009 by Pam

I had some leftover chicken breast to use up so I decided to make tostadas. I normally use the plain shredded chicken but this time I decided to flavor it up a bit - I am so glad I did. I will never use plain chicken again! I shredded the chicken then added the juice of one lime, finely chopped red onion, cilantro and a bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. It tasted so good! I baked the corn tortillas in the oven so they were crunchy without being greasy. My kids both loved these tostadas and so did my husband and I. It was quick, healthy and delicious with very little clean up. I used the leftover ingredients to make a burrito for my husband's lunch the next day and he said it was excellent.

Shredded Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking

2 cups of cooked chicken breasts, shredded
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste and re-season if needed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place 6 corn tortillas on the baking dish then spray the top of each tortilla with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes then turn over and continue to bake for a few minutes until golden brown.

Heat the rinsed and drained black beans in a pan over medium low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Other ingredients:

Sour cream
Lettuce, chopped finely
Black beans
Shredded chicken mixture
Diced cherry tomatoes
Cotija cheese, grated
Green onions, diced
Cilantro, garnish
Guacamole
Salsa

Layer the sour cream on top of the cooked tostada shell next comes lettuce, black beans, chicken mixture, diced tomatoes, green onions, cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve with fresh guacamole and salsa. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

Thursday, July 16, 2009 by Pam

My father in law is a huge fan of desserts, so he is very lucky that his wife Coleen is an excellent baker. When we were visiting them in Idaho a few weeks ago, Coleen made several mouth watering desserts - this oatmeal cake was my very favorite. It's a moist and delicious cake with the best frosting ever - toasted coconut pecan. We were heading to a friend's house for dinner recently and I wanted to bring something fun and sweet so I instantly thought of this tasty cake. It's extremely easy to make. My son helped make the cake portion and my daughter made the frosting. It was a huge hit with our friends and a VERY HUGE hit with both my kids...they gave it a double thumbs up and asked for seconds. If you like coconut pecan frosting, you are sure to love this cake. Coleen got this recipe from a lady my father in law used to work with named Julia. Thanks for the excellent recipe Coleen and Julia.

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking
Original recipe from Coleen Nelson and Julia

1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
3/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/4 cup of shortening

Mix the oatmeal with the boiling water, stir and cover. Mix the remaining ingredients then stir in the oatmeal mixture. Grease and flour a 9x9 pan. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 for 23-25 minutes.

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

3 tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Carefully spread frosting over the top of the cake.

Broil until coconut is just brown. Watch very closely – it doesn’t take long. Cool, slice and serve. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Posted in: Dessert | 63 comments | Links to this post |

Asparagus Summer Salad

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 by Pam

I found a really delicious looking recipe for a summer salad in Sunset Magazine and instantly knew I would make it. I adapted the recipe a bit by using the fresh herbs I had on hand and reducing the olive oil. I really, really loved the flavor of the salad dressing with the cool and crisp asparagus. The cheese gave the salad a bit of creaminess and the nuts and onions gave a nice crunch. My husband, son and I loved this salad while my daughter thought it was "okay". If you are looking for a tasty new way to make asparagus - try this recipe.

Asparagus Summer Salad:

Recipe and photo by For the Love of Cooking
Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine June 2009

Dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 tsp shallot, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients except for oil in a food processor. Pulse until well mixed then slowly drizzle olive oil in while pulsing. Taste and re-season if needed.

Salad:

1 lb asparagus spears, ends removed and cut into thirds
Dressing
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin
Feta cheese (I used low fat)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Drop asparagus into the water and cook for 1-2 minutes, until bright green and slightly softened. Drain asparagus and place in an ice bath immediately. Drain and place asparagus spears in a large bowl. Toss spears, pine nuts and red onion with the dressing (I used a little at a time so I wouldn't over dress - there was still quite a bit leftover). Toss to coat evenly then sprinkle feta cheese on top. Enjoy.