This is one of my favorite appetizers at a Japanese restaurant. It is so simple yet so tasty. There are plenty of variations that include chili paste or chili oil, but I used what I had at home! This recipe was made for 1 large cucumber, but you can easily do 2. It's best served cold, so pop it into the fridge for a few minutes before enjoying. And an extra tip, it tastes even better the next day when the cucumber can soak up all that goodness! Check it out below!
Ingredients: 1 large english cucumber 1.5 tbsp of rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar) 3 tsp of soy sauce 1tsp of sesame oil 1-2 packets of sugar (see directions for amount) Pinch of salt Pinch of garlic powder Sesame seeds Red pepper flakes (to taste) Directions: Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl. Slice your cucumber thin or use a mandolin for even cuts. Once mixture is made, add cucumbers to the bowl. Toss and enjoy! Extra directions/tips: I didn't have rice wine vinegar, so I used white wine vinegar which is a bit more acidic. To balance out the white wine vinegar I used 2 packets of sugar instead of 1. If using rice wine vinegar begin with mixing only 1 packet in and then taste to see if it sweet enough for you. I like mine a little spicy, so I added a decent amount of red pepper flakes, but that is optional!
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On my current fitness journey, I am eating a heck of a lot of chicken. Sometimes, it feels like all day every day. So I've been on the hunt for new-ish recipes that can give my chicken dishes a different taste but still stay within the lines of my diet. As many either know, or can predict, prepping for a bikini competition entails a super strict diet. Which means these dishes can't be too high in additives like sugar and sodium, which is most tasty marinades and dressings. But! We always have options. Moral of the story, everything homemade is better. Instead of buying marinades and dressings to dress up my chicken, I've chosen to make them myself as a healthier alternative (and cheaper, might I add).
Chicken adobo is one of my favorite dishes, along with a few other Filipino classics. Overall I love Asian style cooking, and could probably live off of Chinese, Filipino, Thai and Vietnamese food. While I know most of these delicious babies don't fit in my meal plan, I do know some variations I can make work! This recipe is great over rice, and served with veggies. I chose brown rice, but sticky white rice is always tasty, too! For vegetables I chose broccoli, that soaks up some of that marinade! Check out my recipe of chicken adobo below. Ingredients 1 package of chicken thighs (2lbs, no skin, no bone) 1/3 cup of water 1/3 cup of soy sauce 1/3 cup of white vinegar 3 bay leaves 6 cloves of garlic 1/2 tsp of black pepper Directions: Add all of your ingredients into a bag with your chicken. Allow to marinate for minimum 20 minutes and as long as over night. Place crockpot on high and add chicken with marinade for 3 hours. Done! A healthy way to get in your burger fix. Some easy swaps, healthier versions but still delicious! You can choose fresh or frozen burger patties, and whatever type of protein you prefer like chicken, beef, veggie, etc. You can change up your toppings too, depending on what you enjoy. Other variations I've made is with sautéed onions and mushrooms, for more of a savory burger. You can change it up with the fries too using sweet potatoes or yuca instead. Let me know what kind of burger you make below!
Ingredients: Burgers (Enough for 2 burgers) Frozen or fresh burger patties 1/2 red onion 1/2 tomato 1/2 avocado Lettuce head Fries (More than enough for 2 people) 2 large potatoes Salt/Pepper Garlic powder Olive oil Directions: You'll begin by washing your potatoes and then slicing or cutting to the size your prefer. I like thin crispy fries, which is why mine are cut as so. On a sheet pan, cover with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. When all potatoes are covered, bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The time can vary depending on how you like yours cooked, so check after 30 minutes. Then to begin your burger, I used fresh patties. I grilled both on my stove top griddle, within a few minutes. Then just simply slice up your red onion, tomato, and avocado for serving. Tear off 3 lettuce cups to create a sturdy like bun underneath. Once done, enjoy! Why do I love salads so much? Yes they're healthy, but genuinely they have always been one of my favorite foods. I was that kid that loved a good Cesar salad. I make salads from home all the time, not just because we're in a pandemic. But because it's so quick and simply, filling and doesn't take up too much time. I always try to keep fun toppings like olives and canned/jarred items like artichokes or roasted red peppers. This salad is a happy medium between fresh and some good old canned/frozen goods. This is also great for one person or you can make a huge batch for a family or party. If you are making for a larger crowd, I would recommend 1 can of everything listed, or 1 of that vegetables (i.e. 1 red onion). For one, I typically do 1/4 of every item.
Ingredients: Kalamata olives Green olives Red onion Green bell pepper Frozen shrimp Feta cheese Frozen broccoli Artichoke hearts Cherry tomatoes Chickpeas Arugula Greek salad dressing Pepper/Garlic powder for shrimp Directions: This one's real simple. Cut up your vegetables, cook your broccoli and shrimp. For your shrimp, I like to season it with pepper and garlic powder, to keep it simple and still enjoy the shrimp's natural taste. Mix it all together, add your dressing and call it a day! YUM!! Anything with seafood is my favorite. When the pandemic hit, so many of my favorite restaurants closed down. Some temporarily, some permanently. Because we weren't meant to leave home, I decided to get creative with some of my favorite foods by making them from home. I loaded up all with all the ingredients (that I could find) since most food stores looked ransacked. But I was able to make some delicious new recipes, that have now become at home staples for me. This poke bowl is so easy, really quick to make and requires minimum cooking. Ingredients: 1 tuna steak (thawed or fresh) 1 large carrot 1/2 cup of brown rice 1/2 cup of fresh spinach 1/2 cucumber 1/2 white onion 1/2 avocado Sauces: Hoisin Soy sauce Sesame oil Pepper / Garlic powder Sesame seeds 1 packet of sugar *Sesame oil, mayo, and siracha for spicy mayo* OPTIONAL Directions: Dice up all of your vegetables, and start building your bowl with brown rice and fresh spinach. Marinate your tuna in the sauces and sesame seeds, for 5 minutes before searing in your pan. You'll want to cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, to keep the inside medium/rare. To create the sauce, you want an equal amount of each. It is a taste as you go type marinade, depending on if you rather it be more sweet or savory. Make enough sauce to marinate the tuna in and some on the side for your finished bowl. Once tuna is cooked, cut up and add to your bowl, drizzling remaining sauce on top. Enjoy! *Spicy mayo is 3 ingredients, all the same amount. Also taste as you go if you prefer it more spicy or not.* If I could choose a dish to eat weekly, this would be in my top 5. This dish is so insanely delicious, healthy, hearty and filling. I love Mediterranean style foods, because they're typically on the lighter side with natural flavoring, which is what this dish is. With minimal seasonings, you can enjoy the flavors of the items you're eating. For a variation, you can swap out the brown rice and use quinoa. You can also swap out both and do it over a bead of spinach or arugula.
Ingredients: Shrimp raw or frozen Brown rice Spinach Roasted red peppers Tomatoes Chickpeas Feta cheese Kalamata olives Directions: Boil water for your brown rice, or zap a packet of brown rice (whichever you prefer). In a pan, sauté your spinach and shrimp, seasoned with black pepper and garlic powder. Once shrimp is pink, and spinach is cooked add to your dish. Chickpeas, roasted red peppers, olives, and feta cheese all come as you would serve. Dice up your tomatoes. Add everything together and you're ready to enjoy! If I'm being completely honest, this wasn't just a guilty pleasure breakfast. This was a painfully hungover, need something delicious breakfast. This one's pretty easy because you can always have these ingredients. I always have frozen sausage and frozen bagels, for in case of emergency situations. Load it up with your favorite cheese, add in some vegetables if you're feeling healthy and enjoy!
Ingredients: Everything bagel 3 eggs American cheese Turkey sausage Directions: Toast your bagel. Cook your eggs in a pan with 1 slice of American cheese cut up. Cook in a omelette fashion, to be able to fold over to fit on the bagel. Sausage you can cook on a skillet or in the microwave. Once bagel is toasted, add your sausage first then another slice of American cheese on top. Then add your eggs and the top of the bagel. ENJOY! The perfect quarantini, minus the martini glass. My "twist" on this cosmo is adding in orange juice for a more citrus taste. Try it out, let me know what you think! Oh and this a 21+ over recipe ;).
Ingredients: Titos vodka Triple sec Lime juice Cranberry juice Orange juice Directions: *This recipe makes 2* Add in a shaker with ice, 1/2 cup of vodka, 1/2 cup of triple sec, 1/2 lime squeezed, 1/2 cup of cranberry juice, 1/4 cup of orange juice. Shake and serve over ice! Yum!! All I can say is yum! With the pandemic, many Chinese/Japanese restaurants have closed down. With my craving for a greasy lo-mein, I had no choice but to make it myself. There are a few staples to a good lo-mein like the baby corn. Other ingredients I didn't include are cabbage and broccoli. I did noodle-less to enjoy a lower carb meal. If you choose to do it with noodles, I would recommend a spaghetti or a Chinese noodle you can find in your regular grocery store. You can also try a rice noodle, or udon noodle to change it up.
Ingredients: Chicken Zucchini Carrots Onion Water crescent Baby corn Soy sauce Oyster sauce Sesame oil Black pepper Directions: Begin by slicing your chicken and seasoning with garlic and pepper. While chicken is cooking add soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce to chicken as it cooks down. In separate pan cook your sliced vegetables, with same seasonings. Once chicken is cooked through, add to vegetables. Add extra sauces as needed, to taste. Enjoy alone or with pasta. If adding pasta, in a pan mix chicken, vegetables and pasta to mix all flavors. Another delicious late night meal! Or just a guilty pleasure snack/dinner. This was definitely made from taco meat leftovers and a late night craving. Nachos can be so diverse, adding whatever you have in your pantry or whatever you like. As long as you have the basics, you'll make a great nacho.
Ingredients: Tortilla chips Taco meat (Leftovers which has onions and peppers in it) Mexican shredded cheese Sour cream Taco bell mild sauce Directions: Lay out your chips on a pan, adding a layer of cheese and the taco meat. Rip open a packet of mild sauce and drizzle over. Then add another layer of chips and follow first steps. Top with cheese and put in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees or into the microwave for 3 minutes. Once cheese is melted, add sour cream and more mild sauce. Ready to eat! |
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