Beef Bulgogi

We live on the Korean side of town. Our neighbors are Korean, our school mates are Korean- the paper work sent home in school folders has instructions on the back in Korean, our stores are Korean, we are surrounded by quiet, intelligent Korean's. So why not try Korean food?
At Sydney's school there is a school barbecue coming up- on the menu is Beef Bulgogi. Nate saw the flyer over the weekend and decided the HE, himself, wanted to make Beef Bulgogi. He researched some recipes and made a quick shopping trip. Then he marinated the meat and BBQ'd it. It was so yummy, and really very simple.
We paired it with rice, fresh green beans and a few won tons

Here is what he did:
1 lb flank steak thinly sliced
(while flank steak is an good cut, it is also pricey. feel free to browse your steak section and get a 1 lb steak that looks good for a lesser price tag)
5 T soy sauce
2 T  red wine vinegar
2 1/2 T sugar (brown or white)
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 T sesame seed oil
2 T sesame seeds
2 T minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Combine above ingredients in gallon size bag (or shallow dish)
refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight

heat grill to high,
quickly grill beef on hot grill till slightly charred and cooked through on both sides. About 2-4 minutes per side.

our pic, the night of...

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Do you ever have those days where there is nothing in the fridge and you don't have time to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients needed for a particular kind of dinner? I have them ALL the time and this recipe is my go to meal for last minute planning. Why? Because you almost always have all the ingredients in your pantry!

Here is the recipe: Serves about 6-8 adults

4 cans Black Beans (do not drain)

1 8 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

3/4 cube of vegetable bouillon (If you're not vegetarian chicken broth works)

1/2 a package of taco seasoning

1 yellow onion (chopped)

4 carrots (diced)

garlic (to taste)

Directions:

Saute your garlic and onions until the onions turn translucent. Add your carrots and saute for about 3 minutes. Pour in all four cans of black beans. Do not drain. Stir. Pour in both kinds of tomato sauces. Stir. Add vegetable bouillon and taco seasoning. Stir. Let cook on medium low for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Garnish with avocado and sour cream

I promise it is filling and sooooo yummy. My husband is not vegetarian so he had some chicken breasts as well. Enjoy!

in the mood for chocolate?

I recently made 2 recipes from this blog and neither of them had pictures of our own so I snapped some.

this scotch chocolate cake is the devil. I made it for a dinner with a small family- which left us with like a half a sheet cake. NOT GOOD. finally finished it off yesterday. It was hard work.

No bakes are a classic eh?
We added some cadbury eggs for seasonal fun.

and These breadsticks are a staple. They are easy, fast (making bread is hardly ever fast, but these are!)  fluffy and everyone always loves them. You have probably tried them if you have ever lived by me- cause I make them ALL the time.  I finally took a pictures of them, maybe it will sell ya on making them.

{the basic} roasted red potatoes.

We love sweetness of red potatoes.....I usually buy a bag of them, which means I need to come up with a few ways to use them so that I actually use them and not let them go bad. ;) 

variety. 

This an easy meal for me. It can be paired with anything...grilled chicken, sunday roast or something a little less fancy like frozen meatballs (heated of course) hey- we all have those nights. 

wash and quarter potatoes

place in cooking pan. 

Most of the time I do this on a cookie sheet lined with foil

drizzle (you don't need much) olive oil  

sprinkle sea salt and fresh ground pepper

add seasoning salts 

1tsp of dried thyme

1 tsp of dried rosemary

handful of carrots or peppers

Toss together

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

~you can make these into Cheese Potato Fries by drizzling over the sour cream sauce and cheese, place in oven for a few more minutes to melt cheese.~

Chicken Bellagio ~ Cheesecake Factory

Have you ever been to the Cheesecake Factory? And tried the Chicken Bellagio? {my mouth is watering}. 

Divine.

Every bite of that dish just works in harmony together. The flavors compliment and entertain~ basil, lemon, garlic, Parmesan! {oh my...}

The first time I ate this dish, I left thinking about it. I though about it the next day. When I would drive by, I would remember how good it was. That good. So I went on another occasion and ordered it again. This time I ate slowly, determined to taste every flavor and examine every aspect of the dish to see if I could bring some of this goodness home. 

This is a cell phone picture of the actual dish at Cheesecake. 

I think I am pretty close and its a hole lot cheaper ;)

SO... 

We will start. 

Pasta and Sauce 

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 C Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves Minced

Juice from 1 lemon

salt and pepper

1 pkg. Spaghettini (thin spaghetti)

Whisk heavy cream and garlic in sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to thicken. Add in Parmesan cheese and whisk til incorporated. Lower heat to medium-low careful not to scorch. Add in basil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk thoroughly and reduce to a low heat to keep warm. When ready to serve toss with Spaghettini that has been  cooked at pkg directs. 

Chicken 

3-4 Chicken Breast

1 C Flour

2 Eggs

1 C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 C Parmesan Cheese

Oil {Vegetable oil works great, but olive or grape seed oil is a nice alternative}

You will need 3 bowls. In first bowl place flour. The second whisk the eggs and third combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside. If chicken is frozen, allow to thaw completely. Butterfly the cutlets, or cut them in half by cutting through the middle of the meat so you have 2 thinner pieces. Then place in a large sturdy zip-lock bag and with a meat mallet gently hammer chicken so that the piece is an even and thickness. 

About this time, begin to heat your oil in a large skillet over medium -medium/high heat. You will want to fill your skillet about 3/4 inch deep with oil. You will know when ready if you flick a few drops of water on the oil and it crackles. Take each piece of chicken and first coat them with flour, then dip in the egg, then last coat with bread crumb mixture. Do this to each piece.

 Then place 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time in skillet. This will depend on how big your skillet is. Don't over crowd. Allow to cook a few minutes, sides will start to turn a golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side. When finished remove and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining pieces. 

Garnishes

Prosciutto at room temp.

Arugula Lettuce washed and dried (Pictured is baby Arugula)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Lemons

Assembly

To assemble this dish in true Cheesecake Factory Style.. 

Place generous serving of pasta in middle of plate. Layer with two pieces of chicken side by side. Ribbon 1-2 pieces of Prosciutto over top of chicken. Then place a generous handful of arugula over prosciutto. Drizzle a little evoo over arugula followed by juice of a lemon half. 

Oh lovely lemons. Can't get enough! 

 And complete. Try not to eat it before the dinner party starts. 

Enjoy your Chicken Bellagio. 

ps... 

.... Try not to short cut on the Arugula. I am currently OBSESSED with arugula. I don't even buy lettuce any more. Just Arugula, baby arugula because that is what my grocer carries. It just has a wonderful nutty flavor. Seriously nutty. Try it.. you will think, hum... nutty? Then try it will a little lemon juice and S/P. How healthy and tasty is that!? I've been partnering my lovely arugula topped with some Pico  and grilled chicken. So lean and so tasty. 

Gluten Free Black Bean Tacos

Hi Delicioso readers!

I'm Erin, one of Aubrey's friends.

We met while our husbands were attending optometry school. 

Let's just say we became fast friends, and I knew we would!

We ran together, crafted together, play-dated with the kiddos together.

It was great.

But now, I live in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

I'm excited to be apart of this community of foodies.

You see, I love to cook.

Mostly because I love to eat.

Now, there's one thing you have to know about me if we're going to be friends.

I have celiac disease.

No, no, it's nothing major....

I live the gluten free lifestyle, 

therefore all my recipes are gluten free, 

meaning no wheat, barley or rye.

Not a big deal right.

It seems as though in these last few years celiac disease, or gluten free people have become so common, everyone has it or everyone knows some one who has it.

There's been many times when I have been told, "I would love to have you over for dinner, but I don't know what to feed you", or "I tried to make something gluten free, but I didn't know what to make."

Well, I'm here to help you.  Those of you live GF and those of you with GF friends.

I promise, nothing weird or crazy.

You won't see the word xanthan gum, or sorghum bean, or you won't need to know the difference between potato starch or tapioca starch...

(if you want recipes like that check out my GF blog, Taming of the {Celiac} Sprue)

but I solemnly swear every recipe will be easy, delicious and gluten free.

One of our favorite family dinners are these tasty Black Bean Tacos.

They are healthy and full of flavor.

The cabbage and feta cheese might seem like a weird combo, but trust me, you'll want to make these once a week!

Hope you like them, and I'll be posting again soon.

Nice to meet you and come visit me at the Taming of the {Celiac} Sprue!

Gluten Free Black Bean Tacos

1 15-oz can black beans, drained

1/4 cup fresh salsa (you know, the refrigerated kind found by the cheese)

1 t. cumin

2 t. olive oil

1 T. fresh lime juice

Zest of 1 lime

2 cups shredded green cabbage

2 green onions, chopped

Corn Tortillas

Crumbled Feta Cheese

Diced Avocado

Bottled hot sauce, your favorite

Place beans, salsa, and cumin in a small pan.  Simmer until warmed through.  Partially mash.

Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, and zest in a medium bowl.  Add in the cabbage and green onions.  Toss to coat.  

Warm corn tortillas in a pan until bend-y or cook in olive oil for 1 minute per side, or until crisp.

Fill tortillas with black beans, cabbage, feta cheese and avocado.  Drizzle with hot sauce if desired.

Jesse's Banana Cookies

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Okay this is a really big recipe!! Makes tons of yummy banana cookies....so probably a good idea to make and share with neighbors. ( they will love you for it) :)
2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
7 1/2 cups flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups bananas (mashed)
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Add 3 1/2 cups of flour, add baking powder, soda, and salt. Mix in milk and bananas and vanilla. Add the rest of the flour. Add 3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips. Cook on greased cookie sheet at 350 for 10 minutes.

The browner the bananas the better the cookies!!

Enjoy them!!!
Recipe courtesy Jesse Harding


cell pic got a little messed up in the process?