Sauteed Cucumbers

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium-size English cucumber 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• Chopped fresh dill, or parsley

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Peel cucumber, and cut into large chunks.

STEP 2
In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add cucumber and salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill or parsley.

Cucumber salad with miso dressing

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons white miso (soybean paste) or lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 cups thinly sliced seeded cucumber


Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Add cucumber; toss to coat.

Almond Jello

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin powder
• 2 cups almond milk
• 1/2 cup sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
• 1.5 teaspoons almond extract

Directions

• Heat 1 cup water in pan till boiling.
• In separate bowl, pour 1 cup of water and sprinkle gelatin over water. Stir until the gelatin is partially dissolved. 
• When water is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and add gelatin mixture, milk, sugar, and almond extract to pot and stir to dissolve everything.
• Refrigerate until firm, 3 to 4 hours. Cut into small squares to serve.

Mexican Zucchini Stir Fry (tacos without the carbs)

Ingredients:
2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 T finely minced fresh garlic
1 lb. ground beef (10% fat or less)
12 oz. ground turkey (10% fat or less)
1.5 cups corn (optional)
1-2 tsp. accent seasoning (optional)
3 medium size tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown meat, drain fat.
2. Sautee onion, peppers, and garlic in a pan till onions are translucent with some olive oil and add meat when onions are translucent.
3. In another pan, sautee zuccini, chopped up into small squares.
4. Add ground beef and onion/pepper mix to zuccini and add seasoning (I used one package of taco seasoning)
5. Cook till zuccini is tender (can add frozen corn), add cut up tomatoes if desired, and serve hot.

**tastes great if you top with some salsa or guacamole**

Egg Drop Soup

1 quart chicken stock
1 chinese spoon of corn starch
1 pinch of salt
3-4 eggs
1 scallion

Bring 1 quart of chicken stock to rolling boil (keep about 1/2 cup of chicken stock aside)
Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl
Use fork to gently stir boiling chicken stock while you slowly pour in the beaten eggs.
Add a pinch of salt.
Mix unheated chicken stock (1/2 cup from before) with corn starch and stir till blended
Add corn starch mixture to boiling chicken stock
Chop in scallion (I use food scissors because I'm too lazy to take out a chopping board and knife)
Let sit for 2-3 minutes to cool and then serve.

Zuccini and chicken stir fry

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
8 -10 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium zucchini
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions:


Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.

Slice zucchini into rounds and slice rounds into semi-circles.

Heat oil in small to medium saucepan.

Salt and pepper chicken to taste, and add to oil along with garlic.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a slight boil.

Remove from heat when chicken is no longer pink and zucchini is tender, but still crisp.

Garlic Zuccini Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

Preparation:

1. Cut the ends off the zucchini, and cut diagonally into slices about 1/4-inch thick.
2. Pre-heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the oil, swirling it around the pan.
3. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until it is aromatic. Add the zucchini. Sprinkle the salt. Stir-fry for a minute, then stir in the rice wine or dry sherry.
4. Stir-fry the zucchini until it turns dark green and is tender-crisp (about 3 minutes total). Serve hot.

Southern Kale with Bacon and onions

INGREDIENTS
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Several dashes hot sauce
1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
1 cup chicken broth (or water)*



1 Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Cook the bacon in the skillet until it just begins to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and cook until they have softened and are just starting to brown.

2 Add the garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and hot sauce. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about a minute. Add the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

3 Add the collard greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the temp to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the collard greens have wilted and have lost their brightness. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce. Serve with some of the pan juices from the pan.

Southern Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
6 ounces grated Parmesan


Directions

• Boil potatoes with skins on until they fall apart when poked with a fork
• Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.
• Add bacon, salt, and chives to taste (I used half a package of cooked bacon and 2 chives, finely chopped. I used about 1.5 teaspoons of kosher salt.

Slutty Brownies

Ingredients
1 package of chocolate chip cookie dough
1 Package Oreos
1 pakcage brownie mix
Eggs
Oil
Walnuts and chocolate chips optional


Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
Make brownie batter according the package. Set aside.
Grease glass pan and press cookie dough on bottom.
Line your Oreo cookies on top of cookie dough
Layer brownie batter on top of oreos and add chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes.
Let cool slightly and then enjoy!
(they taste best warm)

Bean Sprout Salad (Sookju Namul)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb mung bean sprouts, rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1 finely chopped scallion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp soy sauce

Preparation:

Parboil bean sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Rinse in cold water.
Use a salad spinner to get rid of excess water.
Toss the bean sprouts with seasoning ingredients and serve immediately or refrigerate.

Some other fun and interesting ways to cook bean sprouts:
http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Bean-Sprouts

Pizza Rolls

Ingredients

1 (13.5) package of Pillsbury classic refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced (diced is less messy)
6 ounces sliced pepperonis, coarsely chopped
pizza sauce for dipping
(optional) additional pizza toppings of your choice


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly spray a baking dish or large pie plate.
2. Unroll pizza onto a lightly floured surface and press into a 12" X 8" rectangle. Cut rectangle into 24 squares. Place pepperoni and cheese (or desired toppings) into the center of each square. Gather the sides of each square up and pinch closed to create a ball. Place each ball seam side down in the baking dish.
3. In a small ramekin stir melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings together. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter mixture using a pastry brush. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over rolls.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
5. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Basil and cheddar cauliflower

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups small fresh cauliflowerets
1/4 cup water or chicken stock
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Stir fry garlic in olive oil until browned
Add chicken stock, cauliflower, and salt and cook 10-12 minutes until tender
Add basil and stir
Add cheese and stir again. Serve warm.