Chinese style chicken with cashews and Chicken sweet and sour with kumquat sauce, Date, tahini and apple turnovers...Photos of prep for the Chinese New Year of the Goat

The secret to better flavor is to marinate the thinly sliced skinless breast meat in fresh ginger,scallion greens, garlic, sake and a bit of tamari overnight

The chicken for the cashew dish is just sauteed in hot oil and veggies added, then fresh chicken stock and thickened w/ cornstarch

The sweet and sour chicken meat is dipped in cornstarch and quickly deep fried before adding to the piquant sauce featuring kumquat preserve, Asian eggplant, fungi and ginger

The filling for these is soaked dates, tahini and fresh apple..processed and marinated overnight, then bake ( traditionally fried). I also added walnut pieces for texture.

Happy Chinese New Year

Egg Drop soup; Hot & Sour soup; Mustard Greens and 5 spice Powder, the soups for the Year of the Goat/Sheep, Chinese New Year Begins tonight..photos

This year everyone has chose soups and either chicken sweet and sour with kumquats (own grown) or with Cashews and fresh bamboo root.
Here are the soups, and I will make the other dishes tomorrow, for dessert  tahini-date turnovers, and almond cookies.

Trumpet Mushrooms, Scallions, Asian Eggplants, Dried shitake mushrooms, Bamboo shoot

Fresh Bamboo Shoot

own grown bean sprouts

previous 2 the egg drop soup with greens

previous 2 the Mustard Greens and chicken soup

Hot and sour soup finished with scallion sand sesame oil

 Sake is used in the soups and the entrees

Beef and Turkey "Rock Star" meatloves with mashed yams and potatoes....PHOTOS and tips

I can honestly not make enough of these little loaves, the lower photo is made with grass fed, organic ground beef and the middle one is organic ground turkey.
Both contain chopping carrots, celery and onion, parsley, bread crumbs and eggs and I have added rubbed basil to these and cooked them in a marinara sauce.
They will be served with mashed yams and potatoes, the secret for success with this, is to cook and mash them separately then combine.Yams tend to hold more water than potatoes.

These ARE the meat and potatoes for my delivery tomorrow, all the other vegetarian/vegan dishes can be seen on today's blog on http://www.goodeliphe.blogspot.com

Chicken & Vegetable Egg Rolls with dipping sauce recipe for Year of the Goat, Chinese New Year Feb 19th 2015

Getting  "a head start" for the Chinese New Year and also a great way to make pancakes/Spring Rolls from scratch without buying the wrappers, so you control the ingredients and can make them wholewheat!


This  recipe makes 12, very healthy filled, rolls.

The whole process takes 2 days but the results are fantastic

Filling
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
 2 stalks celery chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage
2-3 minced scallions (optional)

1 inch fresh ginger root chopped
2 cloves garlic

2tbsp soy sauce
1 cup cooked, chopped chicken (or ham, beef, white fish, salmon, 1 cup crumbled tempeh)

2 tbsp cilantro or parsley (optional) 
2tsp oil

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the vegetables  for 3 mins, covered, (sweat).
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Process with the cooked chicken,ginger root, cilantro  and raw garlic until fine.
Empty into a bowl
Add soy sauce and set aside/refrigerate.

Pancakes
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
1 tsp salt

wooden toothpicks

peanut or grape seed oil for frying

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy.
Add the water and beat for until foamy, then add the flour and salt and continue to beat  slowly until smooth batter is formed.

Allow this to rest for 1 hour.

Heat 8 inch skillets until smoking hot, adding 1 tsp peanut oil and 1/4 cup batter for each pancake .
Swirl around to make a smooth pancake and cook, until the top appears dry, remove to a cloth towel and allow to cool, stack between cotton towels, don't use paper as they stick.
And only cook one side of pancake.

When ready to fill.
Add 1/4 cup filling just off center on the cooked side of the pancake and fold short end over the filling. tuck in the sides, then roll up jelly roll fashion.
Secure the seam with wooden toothpicks and set in a shallow dish.
When all filled, cover and chill overnight.

next day cooking.

heat 2 inch oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven.
place 2-3 rolls in smoking hot oil and cook each side until golden.
Remove and drain on wire rack or paper towels.
These are very crisp rolls.
Keep rolls hot in oven  300f and when ready to serve, remove toothpicks an serve with a dipping sauce and or lemon-orange wedges



Dipping sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup plum jam or orange marmalade
2tsp soy sauce
1 tsp hot sauce( optional)
2tsp toasted sesame oil
whisk together well and store in sealed jar, shake well before serving.

 

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Chicken Noodle soup; Rock Star Meatloaves with Italian Tomato sauce photos for toomorrow's deliveries

Chicken carcass with legs and breast meat removed, cooked for 3 hours with carrots, onions and celery. Then remove bones and scum, simmer for 1 hour,then add the chicken legs, and cook for 1 hour. Strain then chill overnight. Poach the breast meat in the stock and add chopped carrots, onions, celery, herbs salt and pepper. Cook the Noodles separately and add to the soup with the cooked vegetables.

Vegetable and noodles for the soup, will add cut up breast meat and hot reduced broth

Chicken and Vegetable Rock Star meatloaves ( recipe is on this blog)  with an Italian tomato-basil sauce,  and topped with olive oil, bake 45 mins - 1 hour, add more sauce and cook just 10 mins..serve with mashed potatoes

COWBOY BEEF STEW WITH CLOVES & ORANGE WINTER Recipe

This is a wonderful Winter dinner...hearty and very warm flavors with a kick.
Goes great with rice, any steamed grain or baked potatoes, pinto beans, any vegetables.
This is made with beef short ribs and feeds 4

4 pounds beef short ribs, fat trimmed
3tsp chili powder
whole cloves ( the spice not garlic)
2 cups sliced onion
1 x 1 pound can chopped tomatoes win their juice
1tsp sea salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup orange marmalade*
1/4 cup safflower oil
2tbsp all purpose or wholewheat flour
1/2 cup cold water


Stud each shot rib with 2 cloves.
In a Dutch oven  (covered roasting pan).
Place the studded short ribs and cover with the sliced onions.
Top with the chopped tomatoes and juice.
Sprinkle with chili powder and seasonings.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven , covered for 1 1/2 hours ( this may also be cooked in a crockpot for 1 hour on high and 2-3 hours on low), until meat is almost tender.

Remove the meat from the oven and then remove it from the liquid and place on a rack above a roasting pan, increase oven to 400f 

Pour the liquid from the braising into a pan and remove 1 cupful.
Mix this with the oil and marmalade.
Brush this mix over the ribs and bake in 400f oven on rack for 30 mins  or until richly glazed,and meat is tender.

While the ribs bake heat the remaining sauce in a saucepan and thicken with either cornstarch and water or all purpose flour and water.
Check seasonings and skim off any fat.
Serve with the  ribs to  be poured over, when served.

This is also great with ginger or lemon marmalade.

Feeds any wild bunch ..and keeps the house nice and warm too.