Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from a recently published cookbook (Sam Zien's Sam the Cooking Guy), but found it too heavy in its original make up. So here I have lightened the whole recipe, allowing to be lower in fat and higher in fiber.

Ingredients
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup of store-bought salsa verde (green salsa)
One 4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup light whipping cream
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (about 8 inches in diameter each)
2 cups shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro, chopped fine for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, ix the chicken, salsa, and green chiles. Pour half of the cream into bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Then pour chicken broth into a wide bowl and submerge a flour tortilla until well moistened. Remove and place about 1/8 of chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Wrap it up like a cigar and place it, seam side down, on the cream in the baking dish. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled and side by side in the dish. Spread the cheese over the enchiladas and pour the rest of the cream over the top. Bake until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. When you are ready to serve, sprinkle each portion with some cilantro.

Southwestern Meatloaf

This meatloaf, which packs healthy ingredients such as bran, soy milk, and 5% ground beef (the latter full of iron yet low in fat), has a Mexican/Southwestern twist. I am grateful to a cousin for teaching me this recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (5 percent)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup unprocessed wheat bran
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup salsa

Mix all ingredients except mustard and salsa. Place in 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Shape into loaf. Mix mustard and salsa, and spread it evenly on top of loaf. bake in 350 F oven for about 45 minutes. Makes 3 large servings.

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks

This Indian-inspired dish is perfect for a cocktail party or a football game get-together. You can also serve this as the appetizer for an Asian-influenced dinner.

Ingredients
4 lbs chicken drumsticks (about 15-18)
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup plain yogurt

1. Remove skin from the drumsticks. Make some semi-deep slits into the each drumstick, as this will quicken the cooking.
2. In a bowl, combine garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, red and black peppers, sugar, lemon juice, salt, cilantro. and yogurt.
Setting aside a small bowl as the sauce, add the chicken to the rest of the marinade, and toss. Cover the bowl and leave in
the refrigerator for 5-6 hours, preferably overnight.
3. Prepare the grill or broiler of the oven. Grill each side for about 7-8 minutes. If using the broiler, use only about 6-7
minutes on each side.
4. Serve with the reserved sauce.

Simple Black Bean Chili

Chili is very popular as it works for most palates. And it is very easy to make. It is also rich in protein and fiber whilst low in fat and carbs, and thus, is perfect for folks on a diet. If I am serving this dish to guests, I make it with beer, but at other times, I skip it. Beer gives the chili a slight buzz and sweetness, but it is empty carbs, admittedly. This dish can be paired with a large salad on a weekday for a complete meal. If you need some bread, I recommend whole wheat warmed pita bread which is great for dipping into the chili.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lbs ground beef (7% fat) or turkey or chicken
1/2 large onion
3/4 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 cup light beer
1 can (14 oz) whole crushed peeled tomatoes, pureed
1/8 cup chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
3/4 cups chicken stock
1 (16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt and pepper
1/2 chopped cilantro

1. In a large skillet heat the oil until almost smoking. Saute ground meat until browned, about 7-8 minutes. Drain the meat to
remove the fat and then return meat to the skillet.
2. Add the onion and garlic and toss for about 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until it has almost evaporated.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add tomatoes, chili power, and cumin. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Stir in the lime juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with cilantro, and if you like, cubed avocado.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes
ESTIMATED CALORIES PER SERVING (1 BOWL): 300 calories

Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Chili Sauce in 30 minutes

This dish is "disgustingly" healthy plus scrumptiously delicious. It is healthy because salmon as you know, is rich in omega-3 fat acids. And such acids can only be produced by consuming certain foods. These acids are necessary to prevent unwanted inflammation and maintain the well being of our immune and circulatory systems. This dish also have a "wow" factor and so consider serving this as the main course of a dinner party.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
Juice of 1/2 lemon (substitute: 1/8 cup orange juice)
1/4 olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon of chili sauce (buy from Asian grocery stores)
1/4 cup of cilantro leaves (no stems)
1 lb. salmon (cut into 2 equal pieces)

1. In a blender or food processor, blend garlic, shallots, and lemon/orange juice. Add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar if you need your sauce to be more tart.
2. Gradually pour the olive oil into the mixture even as the blend or processor is still working. Blend until oil is just barely incorporated into the mixture.
3. Add sugar, salt, and chili sauce. Blend for just 15 seconds or so.
4. Add cilantro leaves, and blend until the leaves have been chopped up but not pulped.
5. Boil frozen peas until el dente. Rinse, and add to sauce.
6.Grill salmon at medium heat, usually 4-6 minutes on one side, and 3-4 on the other, if you want medium (i.e. the inside is still pink). Add just enough sauce to cover most of the salmon, but not all of it. You will have some extra to use for a salad on another day. Garnish with wedges of lime or lemon and a sprinkling of scallions. Serve the dish with brown or jasmine rice.

Variation: Omit chili sauce and cilantro leaves. Instead, use 1/4 cup of chopped parsley. Also add 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. You can also mix in some cooked peas into the sauce. This will turn the dish into a "western" one, and now, you can serve it with potatoes and a salad.

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Estimated Calories (based on 1/2 lb of salmon and 1/4 of prepared sauce): 250

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

I have a lot of single friends, both men and women, and again and again, one of their woes is, why is my scrambled eggs all dried up or hard?

In this blog entry, allow me to share with you my secret, which I learned from my one of my late maternal granduncles, who was the chief chef at the British High Commission (the equivalent of embassy) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for many years.

Let's assume you are on a diet, and so all you want are the egg whites. Use four eggs, minus the yolk. Actually, without the yolk, the entire eggs are going to be fluffier (Secret no. 1).

Heat your non-stick skillet or pan to medium heat. Spray it thoroughly (go around twice) with your cooking spray.

Now beat them vigorously for about 15-20 seconds or so. You need to incorporate some air into the eggs, but for heaven's sake, don't try to save your energy by using an electrical mixer. Such a mixer is going to overdo it, and make your eggs "hard" (Secret no. 2). Just use a whisk or a fork to beat.

Before you wrap up the beating, drop 1/2 tablespoon of non-fat milk (or soy milk). This will keep the eggs moist (Secret no. 3). Also, add kosher salt and black pepper.

Test the heat of your skillet or pan. If you drop a few drops of water onto the skillet, and they evaporate right away, your skillet is too hot and that is not what we are looking for (Secret no. 4). Remove your skillet or pan from the heating element or gas for about 15 seconds to let it cool down a little. An overly hot pan is a sure killer for your eggs.

Place your skillet back onto the stove. Gently slide the eggs into the skillet. Turn the heat immediately down to the lowest possible, and for the next 15 seconds, I actually lift the skillet a little off the heating element or gas, so as to limit the amount of heat reaching the eggs (Secret no. 5). Then I put the skillet back onto the stove.

Cook the eggs using a plastic spatula (a wooden cooking spoon might overdo it), but use very gentle stirring movements. Do not beat the eggs, or else you will expel the air from the eggs and make them hard.

Before the eggs actually coagulate, and there is still a lot of liquid, remove the pan or skillet from the heat (Secret no 6). The heat from the pan or skillet will continue to cook the eggs, and you can remove the scrambled eggs from the pan when you see most, but not all of the liquid, has evaporated.

Enjoy your scrambled eggs with some easy-to-bake bread. Click on bread category in this blog for more recipes.
ESTIMATED CALORIES OF 4 LARGE EGG WHITES: 120

Wanton Soup in 20 minutes and 4 Steps

Have you ever been in a Chinese or Thai restaurant, and ordered wanton soup, only to be disappointed by how few wantons you get in your soup? My family used to run a restaurant in Asia, and let me tell you this, restaurants make a bucket full of cash from soup orders. It cost pennies (well, almost) to put together a small bowl they give you, and then they go and charge say, over $2.00-$3.00 per bowl. The other problem with restaurant orders is that they overuse sodium, and for the meat filling, use fatty pork.

So here is a quick way to make lots of wantons for your own homemade soup. Also, remember this is a versatile soup--you can add some buckwheat Japanese soba noodles, some cut up fish balls (both purchased from Asian grocery stores), and spinach or any other vegetable of your own choice, and presto, you have a great lunch or even dinner.

Ingredients:
Wanton wrappers (bought from Asian or mainstream grocery stores; avoid picking up a packet that is almost frozen solid)
1/2 lb of ground chicken (if you must use ground pork, then use 1/2 of this and 1/2 of chicken)
2 1/2 tablespoon Light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon White pepper (use black pepper as substitute if you must, but white pepper has a slight "burn in the mouth" taste that makes the filling taste better)
3/4 cup of chopped scallions
3 cups of homemade stock (or use canned chicken stock)

1. Mix, using clean hands, the ground meat with soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and 1/2 cup of scallions. Make sure all are mixed thoroughly.
2. Place half a teaspoon of meat filling onto the center of each wrapper. Bring two of the corners of the wrapper together, sealing all edges with some water (use very little, as you are not trying to bathe the wrappers!). You should create a triangle out of each wrapper at this point. Press the edges again a little to remove all trapped air.
3. Now bring the other two remaining corners together, sealing the tips with some water. Press a little on the tips to make sure they do indeed stick together. If you are hard pressed for time, or don't care much about aesthetics, just skip this step and your wantons will taste just as good!
4. Now, with the stock at boiling point, drop the wantons gently into it. Within slightly under 5 minutes, your wanton soup is ready. Garnish with scallions, and if you like, a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce.

This recipe can make three bowls (3 servings) of about 8-9 wantons in each.

Tips: Do not overcook the wantons. They toughen up if you did that. Remember that they continue to cook even after you have removed them from the heat. Also, you can freeze the wantons per se for up to one week. They can go straight from the freezer to the boiling stock without any thawing necessary.

Finally, if you are using this soup as the basis for a hearty meal, i.e. adding noodles, veggies, and so on, then do not cook all the latter in the same pot that holds the wanton. Cook the other ingredients separately; otherwise, your wanton will be overcooked.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes
ESTIMATED CALORIES OF 1 BOWl (8-9 WANTONS): 200 CALORIES