Pineapple Fried Rice with *Summer Salmon*

I made this pineapple fried rice with my summer salmon a little while ago, then I put it in a pineapple bowl! (oohh yes, now I'm getting real creative)

Cut your pineapple in half, and dig out the middle.  I grilled the pieces and ate them with my salmon!

Ingredients:

1 pineapple (make into a bowl. use some pieces of this, and chop them up into tiny pieces, or if you want to be lazy, just use a small jar of crushed pineapple, drained. *keep the juice*)

2 servings of cooked white rice

1 TBSP of butter

Sesame seeds

2 TBSP of chopped green onion

2 TBSP of yellow onion

2 TBSP of chopped red peppers

Your own desired serving of soy sauce

Put the red pepper and yellow onion in a skillet and saute them a little with the butter. Add the rice and pineapple.  Let this saute for about 4 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, green onions and drizzle some pineapple juice on.  Saute for another couple of minutes until everything looks done.  Sometimes I like to brown the rice just a little.  Top with sesame seeds and SERVE!

Noodles stuffed with WHAT!?

You can stuff noodles with ANYTHING.  I tried something new...and I thought I'd share it with you!

1/2 Cup Basil Pesto
1 TBSP of olive oil

Mix together in a bowl - set aside

1/2 Zucchini chopped
1/2 Red pepper chopped
1/4 White onion minced (chopped up real tiny)
1/4 Cup Mushrooms chopped (optional)
1 TBSP of garlic
1/2 Cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese
1 TSP Basil
Large pasta shells

Preheat oven to 350*

Cook shells accordingly

Saute the veggies with olive oil and basil
Add garlic towards end of saute-ing and turn heat up
Mix cheeses, basil pesto, and veggies

Put the mixture into the cooked shells
Place the shells into a pan that is foiled and sprayed with cooking oil
Top with extra basil pesto and cheese

Cook for about 15 minutes (or until cheese is melted/browned a little)
SERVE AND NOMZ!

Along side the shells, a tomato and mozzarella salad is good and light.  Chop fresh tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese, add a little basil and balsamic vinaigrette. toss and EAT!

Tatos on Fajitas?

When I went to Santa Fe Mexico last year - I ate breakfast burritos like it was my job.  They all had potatoes in them and they were DELICIOUS.  

So I thought to myself..."Self...Make a dinner fajita with potatoes!"  So I did.

1 Green pepper

2 Chicken breasts

2 Red potatoes

1 TSP of cilantro (fresh or sprinkle kind)

Green Chile salsa (or enchilada sauce)

Southwest Chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash is my hero)

1/2 red onion

Cheese

Cut chicken into thin strips and cook in the skillet with butter and southwest chipotle seasoning

Slice the green pepper and onion into thin strips

Cut the potatoes into smaller chunks

Toss all of this into a skillet with butter and saute with a little garlic

When to chicken is cooked, throw it in the veggie skillet

Put the cilantro in, turn up the heat and finish saute-ing

Warm your tortilla and fill it.  Add the green Chile sauce.

Top with cheese and sour cream....FIESTA IN YOUR MOUTH!

 

Sushi Time!!

Before I start this "recipe", let me just tell you how I USED to be one of those people that made a nasty face every time someone said sushi.  The thought of eating raw fish disgusted me in more ways that you can imagine.  I barley enjoyed eating cooked seafood...so I wasn't about to touch something raw!

I was introduced to sushi with a couple of my friends (Chelsea and Riley...U r awesome!) about 6 years ago...and I fell in love.  They started me out with just fresh fish laid over a ball of rice...I ate everything on my plate EXCEPT the octopus. (Still refuse to have eel or octopus)

I am no sushi expert, I just know that I like it...and I recently found a love for making it myself at home.   Usually when I go to eat sushi out somewhere, I'm spending an easy 50 bucks only to leave the place still wanting more food!  Now that I make it myself, it has proven to be SO MUCH CHEAPER!!

After going to a friends house to have homemade sushi, (Thanks Jen and Bryan!) I was determined to learn to make it myself.  So for Christmas my Mom and Dad got me sushi making tools and a rice cooker!  

I know everyone makes sushi their own way, but I will share with you how I like to do it in my HOME.  I like to add chicken in the mix...so for everyone who hates seafood, try a chicken roll!  You can almost put anything into sushi that you want.  This is why its so fun to make it at home!

I have found these tools essential for sushi making...

*Rice cooker - A small one works just fine.  Mine is a 1-6 Cup Aroma rice cooker/steamer

*Bamboo mat - You can find them online for less than 6 bucks!

*Sushi knife - Really any SHARP knife will work, but I love my little sushi knife!

*Large cutting board

I buy rice in a big amount, partially because I eat sushi often enough to have a big bag!

First off, I'm a HUGE fan of spicy things.  So the spicy mayo is a MUST HAVE when I'm making sushi.

Spicy Mayo

1/2 Cup mayo

2 TBSP Siracha hot sauce

1/3 TSP Lemon juice

1/4 TSP Sesame oil

Mix in a bowl and then store in the fridge!

Right now, since I don't own a squirt bottle...I dump it into a plastic baggie and cut a tiny piece of the corner off.  Then I can squirt it onto the sushi rolls!

After the mayo is made, I start the rice in the rice cooker.  If the package of the rice doesn't inform you, WASH the rice before you cook it!!  I bought a small strainer from the Martha Stewart collection.  It collapses and fits in my cabinet perfectly.  After rinsing the rice, pour  water (your desired amount of servings) into the cooker...then add the rice.  Mine usually takes about 20 minutes.  I use 1 cup of rice for about 4-6 rolls.

I cut all of my veggies and prepare my fish while the rice is cooking so that when I'm ready to make the sushi, I just grab whatever I want from the plate.  Cutting all of the veggies and fish is probably the most time consuming part.

In the photo above - 

On the left plate, I have Battered shrimp (homemade), cooked shrimp (cold), crab, and spicy crab (Just regular crab mixed with spicy mayo and EXTRA Siracha hot sauce).  

Battered Shrimp

Cold cooked shrimp

Flour

Panko breadcrumbs

Eggs

Cooking oil

Dip the shrimps in the egg, then flour, and then breadcrumbs.  Toss in the heated oil and fry them until browned!

In the middle, Spicy sauce and teryaki chicken strips

On the right plate, cucumber, carrot, avocado, cream cheese, pineapple, and red pepper.

Now the fun part...Making the sushi ROLL!

First - It's less messy if you wrap your bamboo mat with cling wrap, or throw it into a plastic zip lock bag.

Lay the Nori shiny side DOWN.  Some people put rice on the whole thing, I like to use a little more than half so there isn't as much rice.  I always have a small bowl of warm water to dip my fingers in.  This keeps the rice from sticking all over your fingers.  Make sure the layer of rice is thin.

Next, lay your ingredients down.  Shown in these photos, is my version of a spicy crab roll. 

Can't hurt to have a helper! :]

Pull the Nori wrap to the edge of the bamboo mat.  Roll the edge and tuck it under all of the ingredients and squeeze with both hands to make sure it sticks.  (I found that it is hard to make sushi and take photos yourself so this is why I'm only using one hand...I'm not THAT skilled!!)

Check to make sure that the Nori is tucked well under the ingredients.

Continue to the roll the sushi with one hand, while the other pulls the bamboo mat along with the roll.  You don't want to get your mat rolled up IN your sushi!!

Roll the sushi to the end

Because there is no rice at the end, the Nori will not stick.  You can just cut the leftover off and toss it.

Pull the roll to the beginning of the mat again and roll it all the way up, using both hands squeeze and roll the sushi 

For this part, it works easiest if you run your sushi knife under HOT water.  Cut through the middle of the roll.  Continue cutting the roll so that you get 8 pieces.

Place the rolls on a plate and top with spicy mayo and sesame seeds!

Some of my favorite rolls to make - 

Spicy Crab

Red pepper

Cucumber

Cream cheese

Spicy crab

Topped with spicy mayo and a drop of Siracha

Caribbean Chicken

Teryaki chicken strips

Pineapple

Red pepper

Cream cheese

Topped with spicy mayo and a slice of jalapeno

Crunchy Shrimp

Battered shrimp

Carrot

Cucumber

Avocado

Cheesy Crab

Crab 

Extra cream cheese

Avocado

Benihana soup...MY WAY!

2 Boxes of Swanson's chicken broth
4 Celery sticks
2 White onions
Sprinkle of parsley
2 TBSP of salt
1 Cup of water
1 Cup of mushrooms (Sliced incredibly THIN!)
2 Cups of flour
Cooking oil
1 Cup of chopped green peppers
2 Cups of milk


Soup:
Chop celery and onion into large chunks (leave about 1/4 of an onion for the fried onions)
Heat your crock pot on high and pour water and Swanson chicken broth in
Put the chopped veggies into the broth
Sprinkle parsley and add salt
Cook on HIGH for 5 hours
Fish out all of the chunks of veggies so that JUST the broth is left
Add the sliced mushrooms and green peppers...let this sit in the crock pot until its ready to serve

 
Onions:
Slice onions in little sticks (as shown in picture)
In one bowl, place flour...and the other bowl, the milk.
Heat your skillet (please use a splatter guard!!) filled with vegetable oil
Dip onions in milk and then flour
Put the onions into the skillet and cook until browned
Place on a paper towel to drain oil

Add the onions to the soup when you serve it...

DEEEELISH!

That's a tostado...MY WAY!

Everyone always raves about my guacamole...so here you go peeps...MAKE IT!!  The portion size is for two people, if you want more...just times everything by TWO! :]

Guac:
2 Avocados
1 Lime
2 TSP minced garlic
1/4 TSP black pepper
1/2 TSP margarita salt
1/4 Red onion finely chopped
1/4 of a cucumber finely chopped
2 TSP of chopped jalapenos (Spicy to tastings!)
2 TSP cilantro (chopped fresh or from the spice section)

Cut and SMASH them avocados!
Bang the lime on the counter...BEAT IT!  This gets the juices loosened up!
Cut the lime in half and squeeze all of the juice in
add the rest of your ingredients...and mix together!

Enjoy...promise it will be the best guac ever..if it's not...YOU MADE IT WRONG! ;]


The rice...simple favorite of mine...southwest from steam fresh!


Tostados:
Preheat the oven to 400*

What do you like in your Mexican dishes?  There are your ingredients!
I put refried beans, rice, jalapenos, and mexican blend shredded cheese in mine!

Place tortillas in a muffin pan...and then fill them up!

Put them in the oven and back for about 7 minutes, or until your tortilla shell is hardened.

OLE!

Teryaki Skewer with Avocado salsa

Skewer:
2 Chicken breasts (Thawed)
1 Zucchini
1 White onion
Rice
Teryaki sauce
1 Green pepper


Chop chickens and marinate in teryaki sauce for 30 minutes
Chop zucchini, onion and green pepper into large pieces
Place above on to a skewer
GRILL TIME!!

Cook rice accordingly and drizzle with soy sauce

Avocado Salsa:
1 Avocado
1 Small can of pineapple chunks
1/4 TSP of sugar
Cilantro

Chop the avocado into chunks and mix with the pineapples
Add a little excess pineapple juice and sugar to the chunks
Top with cilantro

NOMZ!