Herbs de provence

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

2 tbsp dried rosemary

1 tbsp fennel seed

2 tbsp dried savory

2 tbsp dried thyme

2 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp dried marjoram

2 tbsp dried lavender flowers

2 tbsp dried Italian parsley

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried tarragon

1 tsp bay powder

Instructions:

1. Grind rosemary and fennel seed in a spice grinder, transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in all other ingredients and store in an air-tight container between uses.

Creamy garlic herb mushroom spaghetti with clams

Source: www.pinchofyum.com

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta

4 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

16 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp herbes de province 

1 1/2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup fresh parsley

2 cans clam (baby or minced)

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to packages. Add a little oil to prevent sticking.

2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Add one clove of garlic and sauce for a minute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauce for 5-10 minutes until golden brown and softened. Set aside.

3. Add the remaining 2 tbsp butter to the pan and melt again over medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauce for a minute until fragrant. Add the flour and herbs de provence. Stir fry for a minute to cook out the flour taste. Add the milk slowly, whisking to incorporate. Let the mixture simmer until thickened (about 15 minutes). Stir constantly to avoid flour clumps. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Toss the sauce, pasta, and mushrooms together. Add the clam juice as needed to keep the sauce from getting too thick. Stir in clams and parsley about 2 minutes before serving. 

Note:
1. If you don't have herbes de provence, just any mixture of herbs would do. I normally mix whatever I have on my pantry, such as dried parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and etc. 

Korean BBQ Steak Bowls

Source: www.pinchofyum.com

Prep time: 20 mins

Marinade: 1/2 hours

Cook time: 10 mins

Serving size: 4 

Ingredients:

Spicy sesame dressing:

2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin (can be replaced by 1/4 cup white wine and 1tbsp sugar)

1 tbsp fresh minced or crushed ginger (can be replaced by 1 tsp ground ginger)

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2-3 tbsp brown sugar

1-2 tbsp sambal oelek (spicy chili paste) (can be replaced by 1-2 tbsp gochujang)

2 cloves garlic

Korean BBQ Steak Bowls

1 lbs beef, cut into very thin pieces

2 bell peppers (red and yellow), spiraled or cut into strips

Asparagus (can replaced with other vegetables, such as broccoli)
Wonton strips, scallions, and sesame seeds for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine all sesame dressing together.

2. Put half of dressing in a zip bloc bag. Place the steak in the bag and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. (Would taste much better if refrigerate overnight).

3. Heat a pan over high heat. Add about 1 tbsp olive oil and wait till the oil is hot. Pull the steak out of the sauce and discard remaining sauce. The beef should sizzle once place in the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes to get a golden brown sear, stirring frequently.
4. Toss all the veggies and the second half of dressing. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes.

Chili Lime Chicken

Source: www.rasamalaysia.com

Prep time: 15 mins
Marinate: 2 hours
Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
2-2.5 lbs chicken thighs
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tsp fresh lime zest (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped finely
2 jalapeños, chopped finely
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
3. Combine all other ingredients together. Normally i would put the marinade in a ziplock bag for easy storage.
4. Add chicken to the marinade, make sure to stir and coat the chicken evenly. Marinade for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
5. Bake the chicken for about 20-25 minutes or until the skin becomes brown and charred.

Easy Sukhothai Pad Thai

Source: Modified from Sukhothai Pad Thai, allrecipes.com

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serving: 6 people

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind pulp (optional, but recommended for authentic taste)
1 package dried rice noodles (12 ounces)
3 tbsp peanut oil (can substitute with canola oil)
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
4 eggs
6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or shrimp, or totu)
1 1/2 tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups ground peanuts
1/2 cup pick;ed oriental radish
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions:
1. Soak rice noodles in cold water until soft (about 20 minutes), drained.
2. Marinate chicken with salt and pepper, with a dash of fish sauce.
3. To prepare Pad Thai sauce: In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, blend sugar, chicken stock, vinegar, fish sauce, and tamarind pulp.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and stir fry chicken until cook. Add noodles and stir until cooked.
4. In a small sauce pan, scramble eggs until partially cooked, transfer to the skillet.
5. Stir in Pad Thai sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Close the lid for about 5 minutes until the noodle soaked up almost all of the sauce. Stir in peanuts and radish and bean sprouts. Mix well. Add chives and chili powder.
6.Serve with lime on the side.

Note: If desire, can serve bean sprouts as a side for crunchy texture. When cooking tofu, add soy sauce for color and taste. The dish should be quite sweet, a bit tangy, and salty. Make sure the peanuts are unsalted, dry roasted.

Arroz Con Pollo (Spanish Chicken and Rice)

Source: simplyrecipes.com

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serve 8 people

Ingredients:

Chicken

8 pieces of chicken thighs

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of flour for dredging

Salt

Pepper

Paprika (or red chile powder, or chipotle chile powder)

Rice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups of white rice

6 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of diced fresh tomatoes (or 1 cup of salsa)

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp salt

1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables

Instructions:

1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. In another bowl, whip two eggs well. Dredge the chicken pieces in the egg mixture and then lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. (This part can be skipped, you can just marinade the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika for at least 1/2 an hour). Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned, Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let the rice brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown (about 1-2 minutes). Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic, and rice mixture, stirring frequently until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes.

3. Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of the rice.

4. In a separate bowl, mixed together the chicken stock, tomatoes, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done.

5. Remove the chicken, fluff the rice with a fork. Mix in the frozen bag of vegetables and close the lid for about 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. 

Note: Add in crushed red chili pepper for additional spice, Put the chicken back and sprinkle with diced fresh red bell pepper for beautiful presentation. 

Meatball Nirvana

Source: allrecipes.com

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic or 1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 dash hot pepper sauce (~1-2 tbsp) or sriracha sauce
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Instructions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the beef into a mixing bowl and season with salt, onion, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 25-30 minutes.