Ramen Noodle Salad

My cousin made this fabulous salad for Easter this year and I had to have the recipe. I made it tonight as a side dish with my pork tenderloin.

Ingredients:

10 oz. pkg. angel hair coleslaw

1pkg. Beef Ramen noodles (raw ramen noodles)

1/2 c. toasted sliced almonds

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

2 sliced green onions or chives (I didn't use any this time for my salad tonight)

1/3 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. canola oil

1/2 c. Splenda or sugar

Beef flavoring packet from noodles

Combine the coleslaw with the raw ramen noodles.

Add the sunflower seeds. I think I added a little more than what it called for, since I didn't have any almonds.

Mix the sauce ingredients together with a whisk to evenly combine everything.

Pour sauce over salad and combine. Enjoy!

Tuna Salad

My mom makes this really good chicken salad in the summer, along with deviled eggs. I changed it up a bit and added tuna instead of chicken and took out the chunks of cheese and added tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. ring noodles (a small box)

About 1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 cup sliced tomatoes (or more if you would like)

2 (6oz.) cans of tuna chunks

1 cup Real mayo

2 tsp. yellow mustard

2 tsp. Splenda or sugar

Sprinkle paprika

Chop up and slice the celery & tomatoes.

Boil the ring noodles for 7 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop them from further cooking.
Combine the noodles with the celery and tomatoes.

Combine the 2 cans of tuna with the mixture and mix with hands until combined.

Mix together the mayo, mustard and sugar to taste. You shouldn't be able to taste too much of the mustard. (Sorry, I don't use measurements, so these are estimated)

Pour dressing into salad and mix until combined. Add a sprinkle of the paprika on top of the salad. Refrigerate. If the salad looks dry, you can add more mayo to make it moist. Enjoy!

Sausage Kebobs

Wanted to try something new and lately I've been obsessed with kebobs. I also read somewhere on the Food Network website that apples have been popular lately mixed in with meats. Sounded interesting. And with the maple syrup, it created a nice crunchy glaze that went well with the sausage.

Ingredients:

1 Granny Smith apple, cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 orange bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 pkg. Kielbasa sausage (I used Jenny-O Turkey Sausage)
3/4 cup real Maple syrup
4 wooden skewers

Soak the wooden skewers in cold water for about 20 minutes. Thread the 1st four ingredients onto each skewer. Brush with maple syrup.

Fry or grill (I used a grilling pan) kebobs until heated through and sauce becomes glazed, about 10-15 minutes. Continue to brush with maple syrup during cooking.
Enjoy!

Fried Polenta

I've never tried polenta before, until about a month ago. I'd seen all kinds of recipes that included it, but I was always a little leery to try it. I mean, it can be fixed in so many ways that it kind of grossed me out. The definition of polenta is basically mushed cornmeal. Sounds appetizing right?

So one day, while at Trader Joe's, I ran into this version of polenta and decided it was time to try it out. I decided to fry it in a pan on the stove and add some salt and pepper and some cheese.
The first time I made it, I put too much salt in it so it wasn't that good. The second time I made it, I added less salt and more cheese and kinda mashed it up. It was really good! I ended up eating the rest of the 3/4 of the roll I had. I think it tastes kind of bland but with cheese, it's a good side dish. Next time I make it, I want to try baking it in the oven and then adding some tomato sauce....

Chirimoya

So, I love to try new foods, at least once anyways. When I was at the Asian store looking for ingredients for my egg rolls, I came across this fruit at the checkout counter. I asked the salesgirl what it was and she had no idea, so of course I bought it. I didn't think it was quite ripe yet so I let it sit out for a couple of days. I also didn't know how to eat it or what it was supposed to look like on the inside.
While at my parents, I convinced my mom to try it with me. Here's what it looked like on the inside.

After some research online, I finally figured out it was called a Chirimoya. I can't even begin to tell you what it tasted like. It was kind of custardy and soft, with just a hint of a sour/fleshy flavor. I didn't think it was that good. It's also a Spanish fruit, which is a little odd that it was at an Asian market. Here's a good link I found online about it: http://spanishfood.about.com/od/seasonalspanishfoods/a/chirimoyas.htm

My mom is going to try and plant the seeds at her place just to see what happens. I'll keep you updated!

Pork Egg Rolls & Peanut Sauce

I received this recipe from my best friend Mandi and try to make them often, as they are addicting! It's a pretty simple recipe but a little time consuming...but oh so worth it! I found some of these ingredients at my favorite Asian store-Shuang-Hur Oriental in Uptown.

Egg Roll Ingredients:
1 pgk. egg roll wrappers. Below is the image of what I like to use:



Vermicelli-cellophane noodles-image below of what I use

2 pgks. of Cole Slaw mix with lettuce, cabbage and carrots
1 bundle cilantro (minced or chopped finely)
5-6 stems of green onion (minced or chopped finely)
5-6 eggs
1 lb. ground pork (or whatever meat you would like to use)
Salt & pepper to taste
Vegetable oil (enough to fill up a pot half way)

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup mashed or finely chopped peanuts
1/2 cup or more Fish Sauce-found in most supermarkets in the Asian isle
1-2 limes
2-3 pieces Thai Chilis (more or less depending on how hot you want the sauce to be) finely chopped-below is an image


Soak the vermicelli in hot water for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Strain and cut the strands in half. Mix noodles, cole slaw mix, cilantro, green onion, ground pork, salt and pepper and 4 eggs in a large mixing bowl (it works best if you mix it with your hands). You may need more eggs, depending on how dry the egg roll mix is. You want the mix to be soft, not too runny from the eggs. If need be, you may need to add more cole slaw mix. Your mix should resemble something like this:


Put the frozen pkg. of egg roll wrappers (unopened) in hot water for 2-3 minutes until soft and pliable. Crack the last egg and empty the egg white into the egg roll mix. Set aside the yolk in a small bowl.

Peel an individual wrap and set a handful of mix on one of the corners. Wrap by rolling diagonally half-way, and folding in side corners. Continue wrapping to opposite corner and seal shut using the set-aside egg yolk.


Heat oil in a non-stick pot. Deep-fry in veggie oil in 1-layer batches. I usually cook between 3-4 at a time.


The egg rolls are ready when the outside of the wrap is light-golden.


Place cooked egg rolls in a strainer to drain excess oil.


Normally, I would cook one egg roll to test the oil and to test if there is enough salt & pepper before I would wrap the rest of the batch.


For the sauce:

Place chopped peanuts and Thai chilis in a medium bowl. Add enough Fish sauce to coat the peanuts. Add the lime juice to taste. It should resemble a soup-like texture. Dip and enjoy!


The batch makes about 40-50 egg rolls. Leftovers can be stored in the freezer or fridge. To reheat, put in oven to warm or heat in microwave. Store the sauce in the fridge. If the sauce dries out at all, add more fish sauce and lime juice.