Chicken Juk

 Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice, washed
• 4 cups water plus 1 can chicken broth OR
• 6 cups water plus 1 Tbsp Better Than Buillion 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• sesame oil and/or soy sauce to taste
• mix ins: cooked chicken, BBQ pork, pork fu, abalone, squid, calamari, green onions, kimchi, etc.

Instructions

Bring water/broth to a boil in a large pot. Once it is boiling, add the rinsed rice and stir once. Let it come to a boil and turn down the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a little gap and cook for 25 minutes. Do not stir during this cooking time.

After 25 minutes, if the rice seems tender, start whisking it. Whisk for 5 minutes, breaking up the rice until it reaches a porridge consistency.  Add salt, soy sauce, and sesame oil to taste.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Ingredients

• Canned food:
• 2 15 oz. cans canellini or northern beans (white beans), drained
• 1 15 oz. can sweet corn (or cream corn)
• 2 16 oz. cans low sodium chicken broth (or 1 32 oz. box container)
• Vegetables
• 1/4 cup (about 1 stalk) celery, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced (1 small or 1/2 large)
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-3 serrano or other chili peppers, chopped
• Spices
• 2 tsp chili powder (I use Chili Lime seasoning from Trader Joes)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Other Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 1/2 of a Costco chicken)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (optional)
• Toppings
• shredded cheese (Cotija, Mexican blend, etc)
• crispy tortilla strips

Instructions

• Saute onion, bell pepper and celery in olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until softened. 
• Add garlic, chili pepper, and spices, stir constantly and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 can of the white beans, corn, and chicken broth to the pot. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
• Puree the other can of white beans and add to the pot during the 25 minutes of cooking.  Use a hand blender to puree the soup to the desired consistency. Be careful while blending hot soup!
• Add the chicken and heavy cream.  Combine some hot soup to the sour cream or yogurt in another bowl to temper/thin it down so it will mix easily with the liquid soup.  Add the lime or lemon juice to the soup pot. Stir everything well and heat until combined.
• Serve with shredded cheese and crispy tortilla strips on top.

Potato Cheddar Soup

 Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs. russet or gold potatoes, peeled and diced into small pieces
• 1/2 carrot or 3 baby carrots, diced
• 6 strips of bacon, diced
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium (about 200 g) onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 4 oz cheddar cheese
• 1-2 chopped green onions

Instructions (I use a 4 qt pan):

Pre-cook the diced potatoes and carrots in salted boiling water, if desired.

Cook the bacon in a pan, remove to a paper towel, and reserve the bacon fat in the pan.

Add the onion to bacon fat and saute until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the butter to the onion mixture, then the flour and cook the flour for a couple minutes.  Add the salt, pepper, and chili powder. Stir in the chicken broth and milk, and the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender. 

Blend the soup with a blender or immersion blender. Add the cream, sour cream, and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.

Add the green onions and adjust the salt, chili powder and pepper to taste.

CAST IRON SCALLION PANCAKES

Yield: 4 to 6 appetizer servings 

These light and crispy pancakes are made from mung beans, a dried bean most often used to grow bean sprouts. They can be served as a light meal, appetizer or snack. Make sure to choose yellow mung beans which look like lentils and can be found in Asian markets. When soaked and ground, they give the pancakes a texture similar to cornmeal. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup yellow mung beans 

Water, for soaking 

2 large eggs 

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon Korean red pepper powder or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1 cup ice water 

8 green onions, white and light green parts only, cut into 3-inch matchstick-size strips 

Vegetable oil, for coating skillet 

Dipping Sauce: 

3 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 teaspoons rice vinegar 

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 

1/4 teaspoon Korean red pepper powder 

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 

Directions: 

1. Add mung beans to a medium bowl and cover with water. Soak at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. 
2. Drain mung beans in a fine-mesh strainer and place in a blender or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add eggs, flour, salt, pepper powder, and ice water. Process until batter is smooth. Pour batter into a medium bowl and fold in green onions. Set aside. 
3. To prepare the dipping sauce: Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, hot pepper flakes, and sesame oil. Set aside. 
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom with 1/8 inch of oil. Heat oil until hot but not smoking. Using a ladle, pour about 1/2 cup batter and tilt the pan to create a circle about 6 to 8 inches across. Cook until pancake is browned in spots, about 2 to 3 minutes, adding more oil as needed. Using a fish spatula, flip the pancake and cook another 2 to 3 minutes on opposite side. Transfer cooked pancake to a paper towel-lined plate and cover with another paper towel. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, stacking the pancakes on top of each other with layers of paper towel in between. 
5. To serve: Cut pancakes into wedges and serve with dipping sauce on the side as part.

JAPCHAE (STIR-FRIED GLASS NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES)

Japchae is a festive stir-fried dish made with colorful seasonal vegetables and sweet potato noodles. Sweet potato noodles, also known as starch noodles or Korean vermicelli, are made from sweet potato starch and water. When cooked, these dried gray noodles turn clear. Korean sweet potato noodles can be found in Asian or Korean markets. 

Ingredients 

1/2 package (8 ounces) dried Korean sweet potato noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps julienned
1 medium onion, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
1 red bell pepper, cored and julienned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
5 ounces baby spinach, stemmed
3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces, white and green parts
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, plus more to taste

Directions 

1. To cook the noodles: Bring a medium pan of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add noodles and cook until transparent and al dente, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. Immediately transfer cooked noodles to ice-water bath to stop the cooking and cool. Drain and toss well with 1 tablespoons sesame oil. Set aside. 
2. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add mushrooms, onions, carrots, and bell pepper; season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spinach, and green onions and stir-fry until aromatic, about 3 minutes. 
3. Add drained chilled noodles and remaining ingredients. Stir-fry until vegetables are completely soft and most of cooking liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

MARINATED CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SCALLIONS AND SESAME

Korean meals are not complete without Banchan: little side dishes of pickles, marinated veggies and kimchi served along with a typical Korean meal. These quick pickles are ready in no time and become more flavorful the longer they marinate. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups thinly sliced English or Persian cucumbers
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions or green onions

Directions 

1. To a medium bowl, add vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar; whisk until well combined and sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat; cover and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve pickling liquid. (The pickling liquid makes a great base for vinaigrette or more pickles!) Set aside cucumbers. 
2. In a mortar and pestle, combine the sesame seeds and salt; lightly crush and stir.
3. To serve: Transfer pickled cucumbers to a serving dish, toss with scallions, and generously sprinkle with sesame salt; serve.

Mexican Restaurant Style Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 2 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
• 1 can of chicken broth 
• 1/2 onion, diced (optional) or 
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (if not using chopped onion)
• 2 tsp minced garlic ( I use jarred garlic from TJs)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup tomato salsa ( I use Pace Picante Medium) or 1 can diced tomatoes like Rotel

Instructions

• Add oil or butter to skillet and saute onions (if using). Then add rice and saute until slightly golden.
• Add garlic, onion powder, chicken broth and 1 1/2 cans of water.
• Add tomato salsa.
• Bring liquid to a simmer and cook until rice is done.

Potato Corn Ham & Cheese Chowder

A good recipe to deal with leftover holiday ham.

Ingredients 

• 4 russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced 
• 1 can corn, drained 1/2 carrot, peeled and diced 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 cans chicken broth plus about 1/2 cup water 
• 1 cup half and half, or 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk 
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar 
• 1 cup diced ham 
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley 
• 1 tbsp oil 
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste 
• pepper to taste 

Instructions

• Cook the diced onion in the oil until soft and golden. Add carrot and cook for another minute. 
• Add broth, diced potatoes, 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cook about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. 
• Add corn and heavy cream (or 1/2 cup of half and half). Whisk the 3 tbsp flour into the remaining 1/2 cup half and half (or the milk) until completely mixed in without lumps, then add to the soup mixture. Stir and cook until thickened. 
• Add ham and shredded cheese, cook until cheese is melted. 
• Add parsley last. Adjust salt and add pepper to taste. Serve with more shredded cheese on top if desired.

Bruschetta

Major garlic breath warning!  Good for munching at a Super Bowl party ( but maybe not so much for a romantic evening.)

Ingredients:

• 12 to 14 Roma tomatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
• 2 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp minced shallots
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• about 1/4 cup additional olive oil, for toasting the bread
• Baguette of crusty french bread or rustic bread
• Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

• Dice tomatoes and toss with garlic and shallots in a medium bowl.
• Add basil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.
• You can do all this in a food processor as well, just like making salsa. Be careful not to over chop and turn it into tomato sauce!
• Slice the bread.  Brush slices with additional olive oil and toast the slices on a baking pan in a 350°F oven until warm and just starting to get crusty, but not brown. (unless you like it toasty brown, it's up to you). 
• To serve, spoon tomato mixture over bread. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired, and serve immediately. Store unused portion in refrigerator.
• The bruschetta mix gets more flavorful if you let it sit for a day in the fridge. Just let it get up to room temp. before serving.

Panera Style Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Our home copycat version of K's favorite Panera soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 lb fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 carrot, grated or fine julienned
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 8 oz grated cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Saute onion in oil or butter. Set aside.
• Melt 1/4 cup butter and cook with flour using a whisk to stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Stir constantly and add the half & half.
• Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Soup can be puréed in a blender but I don't.
• Return to heat and stir in cheese and nutmeg, if using.  Heat until cheese is melted and combined.

Source: Food.com #150384

Scalloped Potatoes w Enough Sauce

Many scalloped potatoes recipes online don't make enough sauce the way we like it so I'm writing this down for myself.
Ingredients

• 6 cups thinly sliced potatoes (about 1/2 of a 5 lb bag)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 3 cups milk or half and half
• 1½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 4 slices American or other cheese, optional

Instructions

• Sauté the onion in olive oil or butter. Season with salt.
• Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and whisk, cooking the flour for 1 minute. Add the milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking The sauce often. When it thickens, lower the heat and add the onions and cheese.
• Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Add half of the sliced potatoes. Pour half of the sauce over the potatoes, then add the rest of them. Pour the rest of the sauce on top. Top with French fried onions or grated cheese if desired.
• Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender and done.

Japanese Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients:

• Cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons salt (to sprinkle)
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• Place cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and let sit 5-10 mins.
• Rinse cucumbers under cold water to remove salt.
• Mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve.
• Pour over cucumbers.
• Marinate cucumbers overnight in refrigerator in sealed container.

Source: Japanese Pickled Cucumbers

Easy Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 12 oz bag of whole cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water or orange juice
• up to 1/2 tsp grated orange peel (optional)

Instructions:

• Wash off the cranberries and pick through them to discard any bad ones.  Add all ingredients into a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; turn down heat and simmer, covered, until sauce is thick and cranberries have popped.  The berries will pop, then collapse and get cooked down and incorporated into the sauce.
• Cook until desired consistency, adding more water as needed - the longer it cooks, the less chunky the sauce will become as all the berries get incorporated.
• Serve at room temperature.  Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

More Thanksgiving recipe links:
For Thanksgiving turkey recipe, go to Thanksgiving-Roast-Turkey-Recipe
For Chinese Sticky Rice Stuffing, check out chinese-sticky-rice-recipe
For Cyndy's Corn Pudding recipe, see corn-pudding-recipe
For Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mini-Tarts, try pumpkin-pasties-pumpkin-cream-cheese.html

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cyndy's Corn Pudding

Recipe contributed by Cyndy Ellis (my sister). She says, "I make this just about every Thanksgiving.  It's very easy.  Not very low-fat, though."

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (2 sticks) butter
• 2 cans creamed corn
• 2 cans drained regular corn
• 2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin mix
• 16 oz sour cream

Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients. Bake in casserole dish (9x13) at 375°F for at least 1 hr.

Low Fat Version:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 egg whites
• 8oz  fat free cream cheese
• 16oz fat free sour cream
• 2 cans creamed corn
• 2 cans drained regular corn
• 2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

Thanks, Cyndy!!

Chinese Sticky Rice Recipe (Lo Mai Fan)

Sticky rice is the main ingredient in "Eight Treasure Sticky Rice", a dish traditionally eaten at Chinese New Year banquets.  This is not that recipe, but this dish is great as a stuffing-type side dish for roast turkey or duck, or as a filling for sushi rolls, combining Chinese and Japanese flavors in one.

Ingredients:
most of the ingredients are  available at Asian markets

• 4 cups sticky rice (also called sweet rice or glutinous rice)
• 6 medium dried shitake mushrooms
  
• 4 Chinese sausages, diced (also called lop chung)
• 1/4 cup dried shrimp
• 1/2 cup cooked diced chicken, cured pork belly or char-siu (Chinese barbeque pork), optional
• 3 whole scallions, chopped
• 3-6 sprigs cilantro (also called Chinese parsley), to taste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• several sheets of nori (dried seaweed for sushi), optional
  

Cooking Instructions:

• Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 cup warm water until soft, about 30 mins.
  
• Soak the dried shrimp in 1/2 cup warm water until soft, about 30 mins.
  
• Soak the rice in plenty of warm water for 2 hours in a rice cooker bowl.
  
• Dice the sausages and chicken (or pork)
• Chop up the scallions and cilantro
• Squeeze the excess water from the mushrooms and save it in the soaking bowl.  Cut off any tough stems.  Dice the mushrooms.
• Remove the shrimp from the soaking bowl and reserve the soaking water.  Chop the shrimp finely.
• In a skillet, stir fry the sausages until the fatty parts turn from white to clear.  Add the diced chicken or pork, then the mushrooms, then the dried shrimp until all ingredients are mixed well and heated through.
• In the rice cooker, drain the soaking water from the rice. Combine the soaking liquid from the mushrooms and the shrimp with water to make 2 cups total.  Add this water to the rice, then steam the rice until soft.
• Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil.  Add this mixture to the steamed rice and stir until combined.
  
• Add the stir fried ingredients to the rice and mix well.   Stir in the scallions and cilantro.
• To make sushi, spread some warm sticky rice onto a sheet of nori, roll it up, and slice into 6 or 8 pieces.