Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

"Tasty strips of sirloin are seasoned with garlic powder, then slow cooked with onion, green pepper, and stewed tomatoes for this easy and comforting dinner."

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips garlic powder to taste 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cube beef bouillon 1/4 cup hot water 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup chopped onion 2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2.	Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
3.	Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

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General Tsao's Chicken II

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups vegetable oil for frying 1 egg 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 pinch white pepper 1 cup cornstarch   2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons chopped green onion 1 clove garlic, minced

6 dried whole red chilies 1 strip orange zest 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3 tablespoons chicken broth 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons peanut oil   2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.	Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
3.	In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
4.	Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.

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Vegetable Chow Mein/Hakka Noodles with Instant Ramen Noodles

Indo-Chinese food is the amongst the most popular cuisine in India. Indian’s who move out of the country miss this kind of fast food the most, because this cuisine is extremely difficult to find in restaurants. Noodles, fried rice, Manchurian – these are very uniquely Indo-Chinese dishes that evolved in the north east part of India (which is close to the China border). The people in this region borrowed flavors from both the countries and created a cuisine that is their pride now. These dishes are as famous as street food as they in fancy restaurants. I remember I was so excited when I saw chow mein on the menu of a Chinese take out here in the US for the first time. But then I discovered they were totally different from the yummy noodles that I am used to!

The recipe that I am sharing today is my favorite – chow mein. These are thin noodles that stir fried with some sauces and vegetables/egg/meat and are extremely delicious!! Chow Mein means fried noodles in Chinese. They can be stir fried (as we get them in India) or deep fried (as we get in the USA). These noodles are also known as Hakka Noodles in India. Essentially these noodles are stir fried with vegetables until they get an almost crispy texture. These are almost the not so juicy versions of the lo mein from a Chinese take out, but with more flavor! You can buy Hakka noodles in Indian grocery stores, Ching’s is the most popular brand.

But they are not readily available everywhere. So this time I thought of cooking these up with instant ramen (maggi) noodles. They are very inexpensive ($2 for a 12 pack!) and these noodles are the closest in consistency to the Indian hakka noodles. You can buy any brand of ramen noodles, any flavor. We are not going to use the seasoning that’s provided with the package. You could also use angel hair pasta, that would be fine too. The same recipe can be followed with rice noodles as well.If you are using instant noodles, cook them carefully because they cook really really fast! Boil a large pot of water as you would for cooking pasta. Bring it to a boil and add in the instant noodles, all at the same time. They cook in about a minute on high heat. Immediately drain the noodles and immerse them in ice cold water. This stops the cooking and helps in removing the excess starch from the noodles. This also ensures that the noodles don’t stick to each other. Drain the noodles from the cold water after 5 minutes and spread them in a large plate/bowl and let them air dry for a while, until your sauce is ready. These noodles can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and used whenever required!

Another important thing about this recipe is that the vegetables must be sliced/julienne very thin. The vegetables must not be soggy, but remain crisp and crunchy in the noodles. You can also use the pre-sliced coleslaw mix and add more veggies if you like. You may also add in some scrambled eggs and add them in while adding the noodles. This recipe is a brilliant way of sneaking in veggies into your kids diet.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

Instant noodles – 4 packs
Onion (sliced) – 1 medium
Green Pepper (julienne) – 1 medium (use red, yellow or orange peppers or a mix of all these for extra color)
Cabbage (julienne) – 1 cup (Substitute purple cabbage or napa cabbage)
Carrot (julienne) – 2 medium
Baby Corn (1 inch pieces)- 2 cups
French beans (julienne)- 1/2 cup
Mushrooms (sliced)- 1 cup (optional)

Use any vegetables that are lying in your fridge or freezer. Feel free to add in bean sprouts, broccoli, snap peas, chestnuts, bok choy and celery.

Spring Onions/Scallions – a small bunch
Garlic (chopped) – 6 large cloves
Ginger – 1 tsp (grated)
Salt – to taste
Pepper powder (preferably white pepper) – 1/2 tsp
Oil (preferably asian sesame oil) – 1/4 cup (use less if you are using a non-stick pan)

For the sauce:

Soy Sauce – 1/4 cup
Chilli Vinegar – 2 Tbsp (I’ll tell you a secret on where to find this in the method section below!!)
Hot sauce (I LOVE Sriracha brand) – 1 Tbsp (optional, substitute green chilli sauce if you can find it)
Duck sauce (I like to save the packets from Chinese takeouts) – 2 packs (optional)
Tomato Ketchup – 1 Tbsp

Method:

For the noodles:

• Boil a large pot of water as you would for cooking pasta. Bring it to a boil and add in the instant noodles, all at the same time. They cook in about a minute on high heat.
• Immediately drain the noodles and immerse them in ice cold water. This stops the cooking and helps in removing the excess starch from the noodles. This also ensures that the noodles don’t stick to each other. Drain the noodles from the cold water after 5 minutes and spread them in a large plate/bowl and let them air dry for a while, until your sauce is ready.

Tip: These noodles can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and used whenever required!

For the sauce:

• Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the sauce in a small bowl.

Tip: You can make your own chilli vinegar by immersing 3-4 slit  green/serrano chillies in 1 cup of white vinegar. Now here’s my secret – I save the water from the pickles jalapeno peppers. They are fabulous for recipes like this and various dips!!

To prepare the chow mein:

• Heat the oil in a large pan/wok on high heat. Add the ginger and the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then add in the onions, cabbage, carrots, french beans, baby corn and mushrooms. Add a pinch of salt and the pepper powder and sauet on high heat for about 4 minutes.

Note: The logic here is to first add the vegetables that take long to cook. The other veggies like bok choy and peppers need not cook that much, so they are added along with the noodles. The bean sprouts need not cook at all, so they are added in the end along with the scallions (spring onions).

• Then add in the green pepper (and other peppers if using) and the cooked noodles. Pour in the sauce and toss to mix everything together. You can use the pasta/noodles spoon or use two wooden spoons and toss the noodles like you would toss a salad.

• Once mixed thoroughly, let the noodles stir fry for 5 minutes on high heat. Stir every minute to make sure they fry evenly.

• Finish with bean sprouts (if using) and lots of chopped spring onions (greens only, use whites while adding large onions in step 1).

Serve immediately. I usually serve my noodles with Gobhi Manchurian or Mushroom 65 and Fried Rice. Make all these and you’ll have a Ind-Chinese feast ready for your family. I agree its not the healthiest of meals, but it sure is divine in taste!!!

Try this recipe and you will be hooked!!!

Source > http://ambikaskitchen.com/?p=3933

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Roasted Garlic Chicken Puffs.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts
2 oz pkgs cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Swiss
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 tbsp fresh chopped garlic
2 tsp chives
1/2 cup green onions

Cook chicken and shred into fine chunks. Add minced garlic to cooking chicken and cook until garlic is browned/reduced. Place remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, add warm chicken mix and incorporate. Spoon apps 2-3 tbsp of filling into canned crescent roll and cook as per directions. It is better to overstuff the rolls and have it ooze from the sides. I recommend buying at least 4 cans of the large flaky rolls as the mixture goes a long way. Enjoy!

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Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole
Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded ( you can use a store bought rotisserie chicken)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick of butter
2 cups Bisquick
2 cups whole milk
1 can cream of chicken soup (the herbed cream of chicken soup if you can find it)
3 teaspoons of chicken granules (Bullion)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt or more to taste

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Layer 1 - Melt 1/2 stick of butter in 9 x 13 casserole dish. Spread the shredded chicken over butter. Sprinkle black pepper and dried sage over this layer. Again do not stir.

Layer 2 - In a small bowl, mix the milk and Bisquick. Slowly pour evenly all over chicken. Again do not stir.

Layer 3 - In medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of chicken broth, the chicken granules and the chicken soup. Once all mixed, slowly pour over the Bisquick layer. Again do not Stir.

Bake the casserole for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown

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Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes Recipe

Cake Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 C white sugar
4 Tbsp pineapple juice
2/3 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick or 4 Tbsp)
2/3 C brown sugar
1-can pineapple rings
6-maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
BAKE TIME 10-15 min
In a mixing bowl, add eggs, white sugar, and pineapple juice. Beat for 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and turn mixer back on for 2 minutes.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the brown sugar. Stir on low heat for one minute.

Spoon a layer of the warm brown sugar mixture into the bottom of each muffin tin, then place a pineapple ring on top. Add a cherry in the middle of each pineapple. Pour cake mixture over to fill muffin tin 3/4 of the way full. If you are using regular muffin tins, you will need to cut down the rings to fit or just use pineapple tidbits

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Squash Croquettes Recipe

Nutrition Facts per Serving: Calories – 100, Total Fat – 5.5g, Sodium – 15mg, Total Carbohydrates – 11.1g, Protein – 2.7g

Looking for a simple side dish to use garden-fresh yellow squash? Try this straight forward version of fried squash.

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

       Ingredients

2 cups yellow squash, finely chopped

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

vegetable oil

      Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine squash, onion, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well. Stir in flour.

2. In a skillet, heat ½-inch oil over medium-high heat.

3. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into oil.

4. Cook about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown, turning once.

5. Drain croquettes on paper towels.

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