Recipes


Vietnamese Cabbage-and-Chicken Salad
Chicken with Chinese Fungi
Apple Crisp
Chocolate Banana Bread
Maple-Glazed Salmon
Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing

Vietnamese Cabbage-and-Chicken Salad

Prep/cook time: 1 hour
Serves 4-6

If you're a dark-meat fan, try boneless chicken thighs here in place of the breasts. They're just as easy to prepare, and add even more flavor to the salad. Let them simmer for about ten minutes rather than five.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN: OPTIONAL:
-2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
-1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced
-1 1-inch piece fresh ginger

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD: OPTIONAL:
-1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, cored and grated (optional)
-3 radishes, grated (optional)
-4 scallions including green tops, chopped (optional)

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING: OPTIONAL:
-2 tablespoons cider vinegar

*Available at Asian markets and most supermarkets

DIRECTIONS FOR CHICKEN: Rub the chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. In a medium saucepan, combine the jalapeno, ginger, and water. Bring to a simmer, add the chicken, and cover the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken steam for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the saucepan; when they are cool enough to handle, pull them into shreds.

DIRECTIONS FOR DRESSING: Meanwhile, in a small bowl or dressing bottle, combine dressing ingredients. Adjust to taste by adding more fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar, for saltiness, sourness, or sweetness, respectively. Set aside.

DIRECTIONS FOR SALAD: In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the cabbage with the 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Toss and let stand for 10 minutes. Manually squeeze excess moisture from cabbage. Add the carrots, radishes, scallions, 1-1/2 cups of the herbs, and the apple to the cabbage mixture. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Serve the salad topped with the chicken and the remaining 1/2 cup herbs.


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Chicken with Chinese Fungi

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes 4 servings

2 lbs. Chicken chunks
1/2 c Chinese Black Mushroom, soak, clean, remove stems and sliced coarsely
1/4 c Lily Flower, soak
1/4 c Cloud Ear or Wood Ear fungus, soak, clean, remove stems, and slice coarsely
1 or 2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Onion, sliced
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil, or olive oil
1-2 tbsp Light soy sauce, to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, to taste

1. Over medium high heat, fry chopped garlic and onion in oil until onion is slightly tender.
2. Add chicken and sear till slightly browned.
3. Stir in black mushroom, lily flower, and cloud ear. Add Soy sauce and black pepper and mix.
4. Cover and let simmer until juices permeate and flavours mix, about 15 min.  Taste and add more soy sauce/black pepper as needed.

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Apple Crisp

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour
Makes 4 servings

FILLING
4-6 medium apples, peeled and sliced (no larger than 1/4 inch thick)
1 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (can use juice of 1 lemon)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. blueberries, OPTIONAL
4-6 pears, OPTIONAL as substitue for apples

TOPPING
1/3 lb. butter, chilled, cut into small chunks
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rolled oats (quick or cooking oats)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 inch dish.
2. FILLING. In medium size bowl, place peeled and sliced apples.
Add lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and 1 tsp. cinnamon and stir in apples, coating them well.
3. TOPPING. In separate bowl, put chunks of butter, remaining sugar and flour and rolled oats and gentle combine.
4. Place apple mixture in buttered 8 x 8 inch dish. Crumble topping evenly over the apple mixture (make sure butter is evenly dispersed).
5. Bake for 1 hour.
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream!

TIP: If you find the topping is turning out floury after 45 minutes,
simple add chunks of butter to the floury spots and keep baking till topping becomes golden.

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Chocolate Banana Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Makes 2 loaves (32 servings)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 to 3 medium)
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
OPTIONAL: 1 cup toasted walnuts

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Add mashed ripe banana, margarine or butter, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
3. Add eggs and remaining flour; beat until blended.
4. Stir in chocolate and/or walnuts.
5. Pour into two greased 8x4x2-inch loaf pans.
6. Bake in a 350  oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean.
7. Cool 10 minutes.
8. Remove from pans; cool thoroughly on wire racks.
9. Wrap and store overnight, for easier slicing.

Make-Ahead Tip: Up to 1 month ahead, make and bake banana bread. Cool completely.
Place each loaf in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw for 1 hour at room temperature before using.

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Maple-Glazed Salmon

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings.

    * 1/4 cup maple syrup, or just a teaspoon or two on each serving of salmon
    * 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    * 1 clove garlic, minced
    * 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 1 pound salmon

DIRECTIONS:

   1. Place salmon in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, and black pepper over the salmon. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes (best if 4 hours, or even over night), turning once.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon 15 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered, until easily flaked with a fork.

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Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing


1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 lemon, juiced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 teaspoons honey
ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together all ingredients except oils thoroughly.
Whisk oil into mixture in steady stream until completely incorporated.
Pour into glass jar and chill dressing until serving.  Great over lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot salad, like in Japanese restaurants.


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