Macadamia Nut

Macadamia nuts grow on trees. They have two hard shells. Squirrels must have sharp teeth because it took me a while to open one. This was the first time that picked them off the trees.

When you pick the nut from the tree, it has a hard, green shell. After a couple days, the green shell cracks open...

When the green shell opens, it is fairly easily to get to the inside nut. You have a brown shell that is more difficult to crack that the outer one.

I had to clamp the nut down so that I could hammer the inside shell open.

After several hits, the brown shell finally feels the impact.

Here is a close up of the macadamia nut:

Out of the shell!!!

All that time and effort for one nut!! I go outside to crack one nut. After a minute or two, I attempt to crack another nut. Never timed how long it takes to unshell five nuts. They have machines that can crack hundreds of nuts within the amount of time that I cracked a few.

Just thought I'd share!!

Lentil Bean Vegetable Soup

So you want a meal that is filling, flavorful, and nutritious?

Lentil Bean Vegetable 'Soup'
Prep Time: 20 min        Cook Time: 50 min
Ingredients:
dried lentils + beans (I buy a mix of many different kinds)
1 diced onion
1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 small red potatoes (but use how many you want of whatever variety you choose)
8 mushrooms
1 large bell pepper
2 cups (1 can) chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
3 cups water

1 Tbsp italian seasoning
cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
Soak the dried lentils and beans in water for an hour. Rinse them in a colander.

Chop all your vegetables and set aside. If you can't do it all at the same time, I recommend dicing the onion first. In a medium sauce pan, heat oil, onion, garlic like in the last post. After you have created your onion-garlic mixture, you may all the rest of the chopped vegetables.  Continue to stir with a wooden spoon on medium heat. Set aside when cooked (about 5 minutes).

Pour the chicken broth and water into a huge pot. Add the lentils, beans, onion-garlic-veggie mixture, and seasonings (italian and cayenne pepper) also. Give it a stir or two. Cook on medium heat with the lid for about half an hour.

This recipe can be modified depending on what you have on hand. If you do not have bell peppers or mushrooms, don't worry about it. Chop some celery and carrots in. If you don't want to use italian seasoning, you can add cumin or basil/parsley. You can experiment to taste. Let me know which seasonings and veggies you prefer in the 'soup'. I have soup in quotation marks since mine turned out to be quite hearty and chunky, not so soupy. You may add another 2 cups of chicken broth and 3 cups of water if you like, but I try my best to cut as much sodium as possible (which is why I only use 2 cups of chicken broth). You can add more or less soup but I just scooped out the veggies.

Enjoy!!!

Snickerdoodles!!

*Just dessert. Not a modified healthy version. heheh.*

My baby cousin was here visiting since she is going to start college soon. She told me that she liked sugar cookies and cinnamon. So I made a batch of snickerdoodles just for her!!

Many recipes use cream of tartar. It is quite expensive at the store. A tip that a grocery store employee gave me was to use cornstarch as a substitute since the texture/consistency was the same. I decided to do without it altogether. I went with good ole Martha!

Martha Stewart’s Snickerdoodles
makes about 1 1/2 dozen

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
...and...
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 20 (1 3/4-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

I used an ice cream scooper to make the balls of dough even. My cookies were all about the same size. Lined my pans with silpat (non-stick silicone). I love using silpat since you can remove them from the pan. It leads to quicker cooling time.

These snickerdoodles were perfect...chewy cookies that were not too sweet. 

Enjoy!!! 

Light & Healthy Stuffed Mushrooms

I have made amazing stuffed mushrooms before. It is really quite easy. I don't remember exactly what I used last time since each time it depends on what is in my fridge and pantry.

This time, I was thinking about how I could make a version that was lighter and healthier. Many recipes call for cream cheese. After sifting through many recipes while thinking about what I had on hand, I concocted a recipe. I'll have to say that not only was it healthy but it was the best tasting!!

Light & Healthy Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients: 
6 Large Mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 cup chopped spinach
some walnuts (in pieces)
1 small onion (1/2 large onion)
dice some ham
salt, pepper, paprika
some crackers

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Clean and hollow out the large mushrooms. Set aside. (Note: When I hollow out the large mushrooms, I actually dice that part of the mushroom to put into the stuffing mixture. That way you don't waste it.)

In a skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add chopped onions. Saute for about four to five minutes. When onions soften, add chopped spinach. Stir well. Add shredded cheese (American, Swiss, or cheese of your choice), some ham and crushed walnuts. Add seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika) to taste.

Remove from heat. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps.

Put some crackers in a plastic bag. Crush it so that you create breadcrumbs. Top the stuffed mushrooms with the crushed crackers. 

Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

These stuffed mushrooms are simply delicious. It won't leave you feeling heavy like most restaurant stuffed mushrooms.

ENJOY!!! =D 

Mango Guacamole

Oh how I love California Avocados. Currently, mangoes and avocados are in season (among other summer fruits and veggies). I was looking at what I had on hand to see what we were going to have for dinner. I decided to make a mango guacamole.

Mango Guacamole
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 onion (diced)
1/2 mango (diced)
2-3 small avocados
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 
Chop onions, mangoes, and avocados. Place in a bowl and mix with a fork. Cut a lemon in half. Squeeze some juice from the lemon on top of the mixture. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste.

Our dinner was an open-faced sandwich.

Toasted the wheat bread slightly. Spread a layer of the mango guacamole. Then I put a layer of shredded rotisserie chicken. Topped it with sliced pieces of Toscano Cheese (specifically, Toscano Cheese soaked in Syrah from Trader Joe's).

A plate of strawberries, a bowl of orange cherry tomatoes, and the rest of the cut mango complimented our meal well.

My favorite tomatoes are the orange cherry tomatoes. They are only available in the summer for a couple weeks. They are a sweeter variety than other cherry/heirloom tomatoes. I first discovered them at the farmer's market a decade ago. That and rainier cherries (the white cherries) are two of my favorite fruits in the summertime, besides strawberries of course.

I love getting a 1-lb of basket of strawberries for 88 cents!! =) love in season prices!!

Enjoy!!

*Note:
To make regular guacamole, omit the mango.
To create your own flavors add what you want! Have fun!!

Cold Noodles

When the weather becomes hot, cold noodles are a great solution to an easy meal. I love making cold noodles because you can make it the night before. For the thicker noodle, I use Quon Yick Noodle Co's "Chinese Style Dry Noodle". For a thinner noodle, you can use soba noodles or other noodles of similar thickness.

Taiwanese Cold Noodles
Cook Time: 7-8 minutes      Prep Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
Noodles (This time I used 5 bunches of thin noodles.)
Sesame Oil
Persian Cucumbers
Bean Sprouts (Optional)
Carrots (Optional)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp sesame paste
Hot Water (1/2 cup is sufficient, you don't need to use it all)
Peanut Butter (but you can leave it out if someone has a peanut allergy)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp hot sauce

Depending on how many meals of cold noodle you wish to cook at a time or how many people you need to feed, the quantity will vary. I fill a big pot with water. Heat the water on medium or high heat. When the water begins to boil, throw in the noodles. Use chopsticks to move them around making sure they don't stick by stirring occasionally.

Instead of following the noodle package directions by reading how many minutes to boil the noodles, I grab a noodle with my chopsticks to taste it. This is how I know if it is cooked al dente or not. If it is a bit hard, I will cook it for two more minutes until I try it again.

Here is the trick to making cold noodles...

When the noodles are done, put a big strainer in the sink. Pour the noodles in. Immediately run the noodles with cold water. If you do not do this thoroughly, the noodles will begin to stick. Make sure all of the noodles are not warm anymore before turning off the cold water.

Next, after a good straining, throw the noodles into a bowl. Pour one to two tablespoons of sesame oil on the noodles. Mix well so that the sesame oil is worked into the noodles.

On to the sauce...
Boil some hot water. Place the sesame paste and peanut butter into a medium size bowl. Add two to three tablespoons of water. With a spoon, mix well until the sesame paste and peanut butter are in the sauce (this means to make the sauce as thin as possible). If you still have chunks of sesame paste or peanut butter, then you need to add more hot water to help you break up the chunks.

Add minced garlic, vinegar, and sugar to the sauce. If you like it spicy like I do, add hot sauce (I use Yank Sing).

Additions...
Wash some bean sprouts, slice persian cucumbers and carrots to add to your noodles. You may add shredded chicken if you like also.

I usually keep the noodles, sauce, and chopped veggies separate from each other. When you are ready to consume a bowl of cold noodles, you can add the amount of sauce and veggies to them.

Put it in the refrigerator. Any time you are ready to have your cold noodle meal, it will be waiting for you.

Enjoy!!!

Pineapple Water

There is nothing like having vacation dreams.. Last month, I was in Kauai and Oahu. If you go to the groceries stores there, pineapple and papayas are much cheaper than bananas and strawberries. When I saw a pineapple sale in HMart, I had to get in on the bargain.

Being back in Hawaii reminded me of how wonderful it was to have ice cold pineapple water in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel. Every time I would walk by, I would drink a couple small cups to hydrate. Perfect alternative to the typical lemon water. Wonderful for summer!!

Pineapple Water
Ingredients:
Pineapple
Water
Ice (Optional)

Cut up pineapple. Use about one pineapple per gallon. Add water and ice (if desired). I usually don't add ice since I let it infuse in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Refreshing!!

Notes:
You can do the same for many fruit and vegetables. Be creative!! Use what you love. =)

Here are some ideas:
Cucumber Water
Strawberry Water
Watermelon Water
Lemon Water