Chicken Tempura Stir Fry

Here is what I made tonight for dinner. Mandi is out of town so I have not felt very inspired but today I went to the market and got some ingredients. I put this together and it was delicious. I will put up how I cooked it soon. And that is not oil that is giving off the sheen its the honey! Liberally apply and its so good!

Ingredients:
1/2 chicken breast
1 Tbsp Premium dark soy sauce
2 Tsp Regular low sodium soy sauce
Broccoli
Snap peas
Green bell pepper
Small cut rice noodles
Tempura batter
1 hand full peeled shrimp
1 tsp minced garlic
Any nut oil or high burn point oil
Honey (not clover)
1 tsp Tbsp Huy Fong sriracha sauce

A work in Progress Pepper and Campari with Gnocchi

Pepper and Campari with Gnocchi

I have to tweak this somewhat to get the flavor I was looking for. But it still turned out good. I am a perfectionist so I will keep cooking this until I think it is perfect.

Ingredients;
Campari Tomatoes
Cabernet sauvignon
Gnocchi
Oregano
Red Bell Pepper
EVOO
Sweet onion
Garlic
Fresh basil leaves
Sugar
Sea Salt
Black pepper
Heavy cream
Broccoli
Chicken

Some great recycling!!!

Hi guys it's Mandi here! I know Shane does most of the blogging, but I wanted to let you know what Shane and I have been doing lately! We haven't been throwing ANY containers away! Glass soda bottles, artichoke containers (pictured in Merlot Kissed Campari)chinese takeout soup containers, soy sauce bottle. They make AWESOME containers!

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Here is what I created tonight, very light, hearty, and delicious. I will put up all the info soon. Let me know what you think I should call it.

Easy to make and delicious

Sprinkle of Feta
1 hand full Red Bell pepper sliced
1 hand full Multi grain pasta
1 hand full Zucchini chopped
4 Tbsp sun dried tomato pesto
1 chicken breast chopped
1 Tbsp EVOO
Black pepper
Sea salt
Oregano

This should serve a few people.

Step 1:
Saute chicken and veggies with a dash of black pepper, sea salt, and oregano.

Step 2:
Boil pasta, drain, put back into pot, add chicken, and pest mix well. Keep the noodles hot!

Magnifico Creste Di Gallo

This is what I made Mandi for our anniversary. Recipe and ingredients to follow. Mandi says that this could be a feature dish in an upscale Italian restaurant. You decide once you cook it.

Ingredients:
1 lb Top sirloin fillets thick cut
Merlot kissed campari sauce
Fresh Creste Di Gallo pasta
Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs beaten
Creamy asiago cheese sliced thin
Asparagus
Sea Salt
A splash of heavy cream
EVOO first pressed
Black pepper

Have your pasta cooked and rinsed beforehand or to be done right as the steak is done.

Step 1:
Flatten each steak fillet out with a meat hammer to where the meat is about 1/4 inch thick. Lightly salt and pepper on both sides, dip in beaten eggs, then into bread crumbs, do not double dip, you only want one layer of bread crumbs. Place in about 1-2 Tbsp hot EVOO. Cook until steak is done to your likeness, place cheese on top, and melt.

Step 2:
While you are cooking the steak place pasta with campari sauce and simmer until hot. Add a splash of heavy cream 3-4 Tbsp or more if you desire. While this and the steak are cooking, place your asparagus in a saute pan, add a bit of water, and a pinch of sea salt, blanch until done. Plate the noodles and sauce and asparagus and then add the steak on top of the noodles.

Voila Magnifico Creste Di Gallo

Merlot Kissed Campari

Here is what I made just a few minutes ago. The flavor is out of this world and its easy to make. Recipe and ingredients will come soon.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups portobello mushrooms chopped
1 medium sweet onion diced
1 cup Merlot Wine
3 Tbsp EVOO preferably first pressed
2 lb. Fresh Campari tomatoes
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Litehouse freeze dried Italian seasoning
1 medium size zucchini squash chopped
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup pure organic cane sugar or more to sweeten
1 tsp Huy Fong Sriracha hot sauce
All measurements are approximate, cook to taste, this will yield one large jar of sauce.

Prepare all veggies beforehand ie the onions and mushrooms

Step 1:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Place the tomatoes in the water, keep heat on high, and let the tomatoes cook for about 40 seconds, place immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process. This will also make the skins wrinkle and easy to peel. Peel the skins and set to the side you will be using these later. Place the tomatoes and merlot in a blender or food processor and puree. Remove and place in a sauce pan and set on the burner but do not cook yet.

Step 2:
Add 3 Tbsp EVOO to a cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic and saute until the onions and mushrooms are cooked. The onions should be slightly carmelized. Now mix with the tomatoes and make sure you try to get every last drop as this is super flavorful and you want all the flavor you can get. Now turn your tomatoes on high heat until the sauce bubbles, leave at this temp for about 30 seconds, stir often to make sure it does not burn on the bottom of the pan, reduce heat to medium high and cook for roughly 5-6 minutes. While this is cooking take about a cup and a half of sauce from the pan, put it into the blender. Add half of your saved tomato skins, hot sauce, and the chopped zucchini, puree, now you should have a thick paste. Add this to the sauce and let it continue to cook until your 5-6 minutes are up. Add sugar the last minute and half and mix well, you want to add enough sugar to take away any bitterness from the tomatoes and the skins. You do not want too much sugar to make it too sweet! Your sauce should start to thicken once you put the paste in.

Ok here some things to consider:

The longer you cook the tomatoes the less nutritional value they maintain. You want a fresh taste not a canned, processed, pasty taste like most sauce out there.

Tomatoes have naturally occurring pectin which helps it to thicken, if cook too much the pectin will make the sauce very gummy and you do not want this at all.

Most people exclude the tomato skins because they will make the sauce more bitter, but thats ok. Sweeten with pure organic cane sugar until the sauce has a slight bitterness left to it but not too sweet. As it sits in the frig the sugar will mellow the bitterness even more. Do not add too much sugar!

Let the sauce sit overnight chilled the flavors will mix even more and mature or use it fresh on any pasta you like!

Enjoy!

Pacado Salad

This was a total experiment and we did not know how exactly it would turn out. After we put this together is was so amazing, the flavors of our ingredients meshed flawlessly, and their was an exotic flavor that is absent from most traditional salads.

Ingredients:
1 heaping cup cut Papaya
2 whole Avacodos diced
1 1/2 heads of romaine lettuce
1/2 dry roasted peanuts (NOT salted)
2/3 c fete cheese
Drizzle FF Raspberry Pecan dressig (Ken's)
Mix and serve!
YUM! DELISH!