Crisp Quinoa Cakes With Cilantro, Scallions and Sriracha

quina

INGREDIENTS

Red = my own modifications

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • Salt
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (I probably added 1 1/4 cup)
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions (I probably added closer to 1/2 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha (I added a little extra)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Lime wedges for serving
  • I added 1/2 onion and a green pepper

PREPARATION

  1.  Chopped onion and pepper finely chopped then fried in a little oil then set aside
  2. Put the quinoa, a large pinch of salt and 2 1/4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cover, and cook, stirring once, until the grains are very tender and begin to burst, 25 to 30 minutes. When they are starchy and thick, transfer them to a large bowl to cool for a few minutes.
  3. Heat the oven to 200. Fold the cilantro, scallions, and sriracha (also pepper and onion if you added them) into the quinoa, and add a (very) generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. With your hands, form the mixture into 8 patties.
  4. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, cook 4 cakes at a time until the bottoms are nicely browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip, and brown on the other side, another 4 minutes. Transfer the cakes to the oven to keep warm while you cook the second batch with another tablespoon of oil. Serve with lime wedges.

Korean Fried Chicken Tacos with Sweet Slaw and Queso Fresco

Korean Fried Chicken Tacos

Check recipe link for the original recipe.  I have posted my adapted recipe.

Korean Fried Chicken Tacos with Sweet Slaw and Queso Fresco
Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

Korean Fried Chicken
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons gojujang (Korean chile paste)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite size pieces

Sweet Crunchy Asian Slaw
bag cole slaw mix
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 lime, juiced
black pepper, to taste

Topping
4-8 warmed corn or flour tortillas or hard shell tacos
queso fresco
fresh cilantro

Directions:

To make the slaw:
In a medium bowl mix together cole slaw mix, pepper, garlic, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice and black pepper. Toss well to combine and place in the fridge until ready to use, but no longer than a few hours or the cabbage will get soggy.

Make the Chicken:
In a large bowl mix together minced or grated garlic, soy sauce, gojujang, rice vinegar, sesame oil and honey. Set aside.

Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy bottom high sided skillet or pot to 350 degrees F.

Whisk flour, cornstarch, and 2/3 cup water in another bowl. Add chicken chunks and toss. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden, 6–8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Return oil to 350 degrees F. Fry chicken a second time until crisp, 6–8 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Add the chicken to the bowl with the sauce and toss well.

To Assemble:
Divide the chicken among the warmed taco shells. Top with slaw. Add the cilantro and queso fresco.

 

 

 

Fauxreos (Oreo Clones)

I was very happy with how this came out. In my opinion they were pretty similar to Oreo’s and they were maybe a little better.

This is a mix of 2 recipes. I tripled the cookie recipe and doubled the filling recipe and I think that worked out just about perfectly. (may have been the other way around). Anyway in my opinion I over-stuffed a bunch of them (like double or triple stuffed Oreo’s). I think I used ½ inch round cookie cutter for this.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients

1 3/4 C (9 oz) all-purpose flour

1/2 C and 2 T (2 oz) brut or natural unsweetened cocoa powder. (I used Double Dutch Cocoa Blend which is apparently a dark blend of Dutch-process and black cocoas)

1/4 t Kosher salt

2 sticks (8 oz) room temperature unsalted butter

1/2 C granulated sugar 2 T light brown sugar 3 T honey

For the filling:

2 ounces shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature

5 ounces powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

To make the cookies

Whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt together in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, and honey together until fluffy, about four minutes. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, beating each until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half an hour and up to two days. The dough can also be made ahead and frozen for up to two months. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and working quickly, roll out the dough on a lightly (rolled in cocoa instead of flour) surface to 1/4 inch thickness. I roll the dough out on a piece of wax paper, and then flip it over onto another piece of wax paper and peel off the piece that is now on the top. This makes it easier to pick up the cookies intact to place them on the cookie sheet.

Gather up the scraps, roll them out, and make more cookies. You might have to put the scraps back into the fridge if it’s warm in your kitchen. Bake each sheet of cookies for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are firm. Transfer them to a wire rack and let cool completely.

  1. To make the filling: With a hand or stand mixer, cream together shortening/butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cream on medium speed for five minutes; use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl down periodically. The long mixing time aerates the filling, making it especially white and less gritty.

Using a spatula, transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip. Alternately, portion with a melon-baller sized ice cream scoop, or by using Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off as a makeshift pastry bag.

  1. To assemble the cookies: Flip half the wafers upside down. Onto each, pipe or scoop 1 teaspoon of filling (specifically: 1/4 oz for Double Stuf, 1/8 ounce for regular) directly into the center. To finish, top with remaining wafers and press down with your fingers, applying very even pressure so the filling will spread uniformly across the cookie.

Transfer cookies to an airtight container and refrigerate for several hours. This is crucial. After whipping the filling, it will be quite soft. Refrigerating it (especially if you’re using butter) will solidify the filling, restoring its proper texture, and bonding it with the wafers. Serve.