Thai Chicken Peanut Pasta

Thai Chicken Pasta

When I go to  Disneyland, I have many inspirations when it comes to food and one of them was Thai Chicken Skewers with a peanut sauce  I thought to my self I bet I can create a dinner out of this idea and that is exactly what I did.
Chicken tenders, finely shredded and peeled two carrots, Shredded one Granny Smith apples after peeling it. Chopped up 6 Green Onions then made a peanut dressing.

Thai Chicken Pasta Ingredients:

2 cups cooked pasta
1 pound Chicken Tenders chopped in bite size pieces
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic finely grated.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 Finely Shredded Carrots.
1 Largely grated  Granny Smith Apple
6 green onions chopped.
½ cup peanut butter
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon’s Yuzu sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey

Grate and Chop all fruit and Vegetables 1st (cooking will go fast)

Boil Water and place pasta in cook according to directions.

Next Take Olive Oil and Garlic and cook until golden and  add Chicken Cook Thoroughly

Now make peanut sauce by adding last 5 ingredients into a large measuring cup until smooth.

Add Vegetables to Chicken then cook until tender.

Last add noodles

Then add Peanut sauce.


Let sit in sauce covered for ten minutes.


Enjoy and Bon Appetit!



Sheila Fretz


                               

Pasta with a Balsamic Ginger Glaze

I love making pasta that can be served Hot or Cold and with the weather lately across the country I thought to myself what a refreshing way to have a pasta dish. So I hope you enjoy this as mush as we do.

Pasta Ingredients:

1 Bag of Gluten Free Penee Pasta
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Beef Bullion Cube Gluten Free

Balsamic Ginger Glaze

4 Table spoon Brown Mustard
2 teaspoons crushed ginger
3 Cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcheshire Sauce
1/4 cup aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pasta with a Balsamic Ginger Glaze Ingredients:

Cooked Gluten Free Penee Pasta
Balsamic Ginger Glaze
8 small vine ripened 2cups chopped
1 Cup Chopped Cucumbers
1 Cup Marinated artichokes
1 Cup cubed Mozzarella Buffalo

Take a large Stock pot fill 3/4 full add bullion and Tablespoon of Olive Oil and Bring to a boil.
Add Pasta stir constantly for 7 minutes.

Next Turn Off and let sit for 3 minutes.

 In a large bowl while pasta is resting make













Sauce/Glaze first eight ingredients whisk together












Now emulsify slowly with Remaining Olive Oil

Strain Pasta and rinse thoroughly
Next add Vegetable, Cheese and Sauce to pasta

Serve hot or cold.


Enjoy and Bon Appetit


Mrs Mix It

The Desert Where a lot of Vegetables are grown except Tomatoes and Capresi Salad

So the other day a dear friends and neighbors of mine asked me to stop buy. I had just gotten home from the Coachella Valley , Palm Springs to La Quinta then back to Los Angeles after 3 days in the desert  and on top of all that the High was 122 and the low was 92 and raining. Did you know that they grow a lot of different fruits and vegetables out in the desert like table grapes, citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit; onions and leeks; and peppers. The Coachella Valley grows alfalfa, artichokes, avocados, beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, corn, cotton, cucumbers, dandelions (salad greens), eggplant, figs, grains (i.e. barley, oats, rye and wheat; plus rice fields kept wet or moist in the Salton Sea area), hops, kohlrabi, lettuce, mangoes, nectarines and peaches, persimmons, plums and prunes, pomegranate, potatoes, radishes, spinach, strawberries, sugar cane, tomatoes, a variety of herbs and spices, and other vegetable crops.

So by the time I got home I was exhausted. So I asked my friends if it could wait and they said NO! So even though they live 5 houses away, I drove to their home. Which I was happy I did because look what I was lucky enough to score! These beautiful Tomatoes that were born not in the Coachella Valley but in Camarillo, California at Houweling's Tomatoes in  the County of Ventura.   Where they also grow a variety of fruits and vegetables including celery, tomatoes,  blueberries, raspberries strawberries and a lot of other fruits and vegetables just to highlight a few. My friend Scott visited there farm and see what they were up to plus bring back a wealth of tomatoe knowledge and shared some of it with me. Like did you know that in a green house you can grow a variety of tomatoes 52 weeks a year. 

So This week with my abundance of Tomatoes I'm going to share a couple recipes that are quick and easy and include these beautiful tomatoes.

Capresi Salad Ingredients:

3 to 4 Tomatoes thinly sliced of your choice

Fresh Mozerella thinly sliced

Fresh Basil chopped 

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Balsamic Glaze (optional)

    

Slice Tomatoes

   

Next place a varied amount of colors on a plate.

Then cover with Freshly sliced Mozerella cheese and fresh basil and drizzle either olive oil of Balsamic glaze 

Enjoy

Sheila Fretz

Salmon Rolls just like Lobster rolls but with Salmon

As you know we had Salmon week last week on Cooking Underwriter and I love to share my Gluten Free recipes with you and all of my readers. So I have created this recipe for all of my readers who are wondering what to do with that left over Salmon. Or if you are like me who is allergic to shell fish and can't have Lobster Rolls make these quick and easy Salmon rolls they are quick easy and just as flavorful.


So this is what you will need:


Salmon Rolls Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked and shredded Sockeye Salmon ( if you don't have leftovers use 2 cans of Sockeye Salmon )
1 cup of celery finely chopped
1 cup of onions finely chopped
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons Cilantro Chive Yogurt Dip ( I buy this at Trader Joe's)
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise.
Udi's Gluten Free Hot dog Buns
Salt & Pepper 


Equipment:
Large bowl
Spoon
fork or knife to shred fish and chop vegetables
a Frying pan 

Shred Salmon 

Chop Celery finely

Chop onions finely

Add lemon zest

Next add Cilantro Chive Yogurt Dip and Mayonnaise 

Stir until looks like this

Next Take Hot dog buns out and butter

then grill in a frying pan.

Serve on Grilled Bun 


Salt and Pepper to taste


Enjoy


Sheila Fretz

Balsamic Glaze

Balsamic Glaze Ingredients: 

1 cup 10 year aged Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar



Next make Balsamic Glaze by taking the vinegar and the sugar and cooking down until a glaze forms.

This will make a syrupy consistency.

Salmon on a bed of steamed bacon spinach with Sweet Potatoes and A Balsamic glaze

If you haven't figured by now there was a huge special on Salmon this last week at Costco so I stocked up. This is a great tip when you see these kind of specials if you have a large freezer pick up those great pieces of meat or fish on sale. So this week we are in the midst of Salmon week and I will have one more Salmon recipe for you on Friday is called Salmon rolls, kind of a play on those fabulous Lobster rolls that we all love from the East Coast. However, today we are bringing you a new and a old recipe. Salmon on a bed of of steamed bacon spinach with Sweet Potatoes and A Balsamic glaze and Salmon with a Balsamic Glaze.  You will make the linked recipe however you will cook the spinach instead of serving on a wreath and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and Follow all directions on the Salmon with a Balsamic Glaze, except when you serve on a bed of mashed potatoes with a spinach ring.

Salmon on a bed of of steamed bacon spinach with Sweet Potatoes and A Balsamic glaze Ingredients: 

1 large sweet potato or yam
3 pieces of apple wood bacon
1 bag of cooked and cleaned spinach

Start about 20 minutes prior to salmon being done and about 10 minutes into cooking sweet potatoes start making balsamic glaze.

In a large frying pan cook bacon until golden,

 then remove bacon and set  aside. Do not remove grease!

Chop and peel a large sweet potato or yam in nickle size chinks place inside pan 

and cover so it will steam to for about 5 minutes. 

When golden brown on both sides add spinach when wilted serve salmon on top then drizzle glaze on.


Enjoy ,


Sheila Fretz 

Burgers and Fries

Do you ever just want a easy dinner where there is a lot of flavor and not a lot of work. Well I was craving that tonight after making 9 pies on Saturday afternoon. After all Its National Pie week! So tonight we had the simplest meal Burgers and Fries.

Burgers and Fries 
1 bag frozen french fries ( cook according to directions on bag)
1 pound of  80 /20 ground beef
Salt & Pepper
Garlic powder
Refrigerator Pickles
Cheese of choice
Tomatoes
Thousand Island Dressing ( Ketchup, Mayo and Relish)

Take meat and divide into either 1/3 pound burgers or 1/4 pound burgers Heat a frying pan

Season  meat, if you want to add cheese I add it on the inside not the outside. 

First divide patty in half and fusing together like this.

Place in hot pan

Next Cover with lid for 3 to 5 minutes.


Then flip and do not press down on burger no matter how tempting it is!!! Then cover again for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve on a Gluten Free bun with desired condiments and french fries.

Enjoy,

Sheila Fretz

Happy Forth of July + Hubby's Famous Potato Salad

Happy Independancel Day!  Thank you to all of our veterans of armed forces who have served our country or are currently serving our country. Thank you for keeping us the land of the free and the home of the brave.
The 4th of July, to me marks the middle of the Summer Season it generally involves grilling. I always pull out my red  white and blue  clothes, and we decorate our bikes and ride in the neighborhood parade. Yes, I am old school!.

When I think of  4th of July or any Summer Holiday , the first thing I think of is My Hubby’s Potato Salad. When ever we go to a Potluck or to a Back Yard Barbecue everyone always request this special salad. They also request this recipe but he has never been willing to part with it until now. So please enjoy it for now and Happy Independence Day.





Potato Salad Ingredients:
8 Cups of Red Potatoes scrubbed and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 Pot full of water
2 cups Celery Chopped
½ Onion Chopped
½ cup chopped chives (optional)
2 cups Hellman's or Best Foods Mayonnaise
½ cup Spicy Brown Mustard
1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 ½ Tablespoon Pepper
Paprika for Garnish

Potato Salad Equipment:
Dutch oven to boil Potatoes in
1 Chopping Block
1 Extra Large Mixing Bowl
1 Sharp Knife
1 Bowl for serving

Clean and chop all potatoes

Place in water

Rinse twice.

Then refill and salt water

Cook in Water for about 15 to 20 minutes until pierces with fork easily.

Drain and cool in refrigerator for about an hour

Chop celery

Chop Onions and Chives (Optional)

Place Onions, Celery and Chives in a Large Mixing bowl.

Add Cooled Potatoes,  add Mayo, Mustard, Vinegar,

Salt and pepper mix thoroughly taste and see if you need either more Mustard or pepper.

My husband generally make the salad the morning or night before; we serve and garnish with Paprika prior to serving.


Enjoy and Bon Appetit



Sheila Fretz