Foodarrific

Remember I left behind my son’s favorite dishes in food storage containers before I left Cali. Well, here’s the recipe for my super easy, super tasty Sweet Sour Shrimp.

I used:

• 1 packet of large precooked shrimp
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 1 tomato, quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• tomato ketchup
• a few stalks of cilantro, roughly chopped

First, saute the garlic briefly in some cooking oil on high heat until fragrant but be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the onion and saute briefly till translucent.

Add shrimp followed shortly by tomato, ketchup and a splash of water. Allow to simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss in the cilantro just before serving.

And there you have it, a very simple yet tasty dish to go with steamed rice.

Filed under: RecipesSeafood by Chili Queen - No Comments →

This is one of the dishes that I prepared for my son and stored in the fridge to be eaten later. It’s so easy and so healthy you’ve just got to try it.

I used:

• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into large florets
• 0.5 bag of baby carrots
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 1 small slice of salmon
• mushroom/oyster sauce
• cooking oil
• salt and pepper to taste

First, I heated up some oil in a non-stick pan on medium to low heat.

Place the slice of salmon, lightly salted and peppered, in the pan and let it fry slowly first on one side, then flip over and allow to fry until cooked through and both sides are lightly brown. This should take roughly 10-12 minutes.

Remove the salmon to a plate. Using a fork, break up the salmon into flakes and remove the bones. Leave aside.

Add a bit more oil in the pan on medium heat and lightly fry the garlic for a 2-3 minutes till fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter.

Throw in the carrots and add a splash of water and leave it for about 5 minutes to soften up.

Add the broccoli, a dash of mushroom/oyster sauce and a sprinkle of pepper. Stir-fry for approximately 5-7 minutes till the broccoli is cooked. Watch closely to ensure broccoli is not overcooked or it will turn yellow.

Serve on a plate (or in my case, I placed in a Rubbermaid container for refrigerating) and top with the salmon flakes.

And that’s all there really is to it. It’s really tasty and goes well with pasta, noodles or rice.

My son had some fruits left over from the fresh fruit baskets we got for Christmas and he ate those for dessert.

Filed under: AsianFoodlish TalkFor College KidsHealthy EatingKid-friendlyQuick & Easy CookingRecipesSeafoodVegetables by Chili Queen - No Comments →

I have a half bag of spinach left from our spinach soup noodles two nights ago so I decided to use it up in a saute dish. It’s very easy and spinach, as you know, is very good for health and probably takes care of hormonal acne too if I’m not mistaken.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler.

• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3-4 fresh button mushrooms, sliced thickly (optional)
• spinach
• cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon/powdered flavoring
• a dash of soy sauce

Heat up a skillet on medium/high heat with a drizzle of oil. Add garlic and fry for a few minutes till fragrant. Add mushrooms and saute till slightly soften. Add spinach and continue saute-ing for a few more minutes till spinach is wilted down. You do not need to add water as the spinach itself will output liquid as it cooks.

Add chicken flavoring and soy sauce. And you’re ready to serve over rice. It’s really that easy.

Filed under: For College KidsQuick & Easy CookingRecipesVegetables by Chili Queen - No Comments →

Chicken Fingers are a perennial favorite in our household. When all else fails, chicken fingers to the rescue! I’m really not much of a stickler for recipes. I generally just make up the recipes as I go along depending on what I can find in my pantry or my fridge.

I created this version here when my oven refused to work.

It’s really simple and crunchy. You just need some chicken breasts cut into long strips and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for an hour or so. Heat up a good amount of cooking oil in a wok or deep skillet.

Beat up an egg (or two, depending on amount of chicken breasts you’re using). In a plate, combine 1 cup of flour and 2 cups of bread crumbs. Dip the chicken strips in the beaten egg. Dredge them through the flour and breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly. Deep fry till golden brown. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

You may also like to check out another recipe I posted earlier for Finger-Lickin’ Good Chicken Fingers. These are oven-baked and probably won’t have you running out to look for the most effective fat burners because they’re less fattening.

Filed under: Kid-friendlyLunchbox IdeasPoultryQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by Chili Queen - No Comments →

If you’re getting bored with eating white rice and would like to spruce it up a little, Mediterranean rice is an ingenious way to add a splash of color to your everyday plain white rice.

Mediterranean rice is so easy to make and not only looks but also tastes very good. Simply soak a couple of handfuls of frozen veggie mix, i.e. carrots, corn and peas, in water till defrosted.

Wash and strain your usual measurement of rice grains. Set aside.

In a wok on medium heat, add 2-3 blobs of butter. Throw in the veggie mix, add the rice grains and stir to mix well.

Scoop/pour into your rice cooker. Add your usual amount of water and turn it on. In 20 minutes, you will have beautiful Mediterranean rice to serve. Goes great with practically anything and because you’ll tend to eat more rice since it’s so pretty, you might just need the best diet supplement afterwards, hehehe!

Filed under: RecipesRice & Noodles by Chili Queen - No Comments →