Sweet Potato Cakes with Black bean and Corn Salsa

I know it's been a really long time since I posted.  During the past year I have had some personal challenges going on in my life so I was not very interested in posting on this blog. My camera also decided to break, well actually I think it's the memory card so I will be buying a new one.  My husband took this picture with his I-phone.  Not as good as a regular digital camera but it will do. I hope to be posting more recipes on a semi regular basis once I get my camera back in working order.

Anyway, on to the recipe.  I found this recipe while I was looking for some Latin recipes.  My favorite foods are still Latin and Asian.  I never thought that Latin food involved sweet potatoes but this recipe looked really wonderful.  I found it at The Yuca Diaries  I think you will enjoy it as much as myself and my family did.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Black bean and Corn Salsa and garlic cream

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the sweet potato cakes:

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1 cups flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. baking powder

4 tbsp. butter (I used canola oil)

1 green onion stalk, sliced into thin rounds

1 pinch cumin

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. black pepper

salt to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees/ Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Next add the mashed sweet potato to a deep mixing bowl.  Next add in the eggs, butter and green onions.  Combine all of the wet ingredients, before adding in the dry ingredients.  Once all of the ingredients are in the same bowl, combine well, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and place a dollop of the mix onto the surface of the cookie sheet- it should look like the size of a lemon (in diameter).  Flatten them down a little with your spatula and bake for 25-30 minutes.

For the salsa:

1 can black beans, drained

1 cup corn kernels, thawed

5 strips turkey bacon, diced (I left this out as I didn't have any)

1/4 cup red onion finely diced

1 tomato cubed

1 stalk  green onion, plus more for garnish

1-3 garlic cloves, grated

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. cumin

salt to taste

Add the corn, tomatoes, black beans, onions, garlic and green onions into a bowl. Cook the bacon in the oven at 400 degrees until it is crispy.  Slice the bacon into thin pieces and add to the bowl.  Next add in the lime juice, olive oil, black pepper, cumin and salt and combine every thing well.

For the garlic cream:

2 tbsp light mayo

2 tbsp. light sour cream

1 garlic clove grated

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

salt to taste

Combine all of the ingredients well.  Making sure to remove any lumps- you want a velvety smooth cream.

Enjoy!

Chinese Orange Chicken

I love Chinese orange chicken and I decided to make it since my older son is home from the university for Thanksgiving weekend and he loves Chinese food.  I found a recipe online that didn't look too difficult to make even though it has a lot of ingredients. Although it was very time consuming so only make it when you have a lot of time to spare.  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Chinese Orange Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups oil for frying
1 cup cornstarch (for coating chicken)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Some chopped green onion for topping

For the Marinade:

1 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
A few drops sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the Sauce:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
A few drops sesame oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger minced (can use powdered)

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt to taste

Directions

Marinate Chicken

Combine the ingredients for the marinade.
Add chicken and marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Make Sauce

In a small to medium sized pot add chicken broth, a few drops of sesame oil, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes.
Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger and garlic
Stir in cornstarch and water mixture until sauce thickens, then season with salt to taste.
Check sauce for the desired thickness. If it is too runny for you then you can add a bit more corn starch and water.
Set sauce aside and keep warm.


Cook Chicken

Take chicken out of marinade, shaking off the excess and toss cubes in the 1 cup cornstarch.
Shake off excess cornstarch and place on a plate.
Heat up the 3 cups oil in a pot or wok.
When oil just begins to smoke, add the first batch of chicken cubes and deep-fry until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Reheat orange sauce and add fried chicken cubes.
Mix until well-coated.
Place the chicken servings on two plates and sprinkle sesame seeds and green onion on top.
Serve with side of white rice and vegetables

Enjoy!

Bruschetta

Bruschetta

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 Italian semolina bread sliced into 1" slices

6 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp. chopped shallots

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

splash balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (approx 200 degrees Celsius). Slice the bread into 1" slices and lay out on a sheet pan.  Place the bread in the oven for 5 minutes per side.  Rub the raw garlic on one side of the bread. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes,  olive oil, vinegar, basil, shallots, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the bread slices and serve.


Enjoy!

Shrimp Cakes with a Grain Mustard Remoulade

I was watching Robin Miller the other day on Quick Fix and she was making these shrimp cakes that looked really great so I tried them last night.  They weren't difficult to make at all and they tasted really good.

Shrimp Cakes with a Grain Mustard Remoulade 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp. Olive oil
Cooked shrimp, about 2 lbs*
2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs (more if needed)
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grain mustard remoulade:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grain mustard

* I just sauteed the shrimp with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, about 3 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper and some paprika and then I took the mixture and put it in a food processor as I thought it would be easier to shape into cakes.

Directions

Heat  nonstick skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and set over medium-high heat.
In a medium bowl, with a spoon, combine shrimp, mayonnaise, egg, bread crumbs, chives, salt, and black pepper. Mix well and shape mixture into 4 cakes, each about 1-inch thick.
Place cakes in skillet and cook 3 minutes per side, flipping with a spatula, until cooked through and browned. Remove.
While cakes are cooking, in a small bowl, with a spoon, combine mayonnaise and grain mustard. Mix well. Serve shrimp cakes with remoulade spooned over top.

Enjoy!

Arroz con Leche (literally translates to Rice with Milk but this basically is Mexican Rice Pudding)

I was watching Mexican Made Easy the other day with Marcela Valladolid and she was making Mexican rice pudding that looked so good. It is made with three different types of milk; whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.  Needless to say, it is extremely rich and creamy and delicious.

Arroz con Leche

Serves 4

Ingredients

7 cups water
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup golden raisins
Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

Put the water, rice, and cinnamon stick in a medium-size heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and cook until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Strain out the liquid, discard the cinnamon and reserve the rice. Return the rice to the saucepan. Stir in the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 20 minutes. Add the raisins, and stir well. Transfer the pudding to a serving bowl. Dust the top of the pudding with ground cinnamon and serve.

Enjoy!

Rosemary Grilled Potato Packets

I got this recipe from Pam of Sidewalk Shoes and they looked really easy and really good and they are.  I served them with my Tuscan Lemon chicken and an Arugula, red onion and mango salad.

Rosemary Grilled Potato Packets

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large potatoes sliced thin (I left the skin on)

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions

Lay the slices of potatoes on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and lay a  rosemary sprig on top. Close up the packet and grill for 30 minutes (15 minutes per side)...and that's it....real simple!

Enjoy!

Asian Lettuce Cups

I was looking through the new issue of Cooking Light Magazine and I came across this recipe that looked really good and easy to make so I figured I would try it.  I changed it around a little bit.  You can make it with ground beef as well or even ground pork would work well....whatever ground meat product you have in your freezer is fine.

Asian Lettuce Cups

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 cups coarsely chopped shiitake mushroom caps (about 1/2 pound)(I used regular mushrooms)
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 4)
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
12 Boston lettuce leaves
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)(I used sweet chili sauce which is a little bit hot but more on the sweeter side)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Place mushrooms in a large bowl. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey, garlic, and ginger to pan; cook 6 minutes or until turkey is browned, stirring to crumble. Add a bit of soy sauce...about 1-2 tsp.   Add mushrooms, green onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the turkey mixture and add a bit more soy sauce. Stir.

2.  Combine hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the turkey mixture into each lettuce leaf. Serve sauce with lettuce cups.

Enjoy!