Recipe for Asian Salmon Patties over Sauteed Veggies

One of Mr. ELEB's favorite meals lately is my Sesame Salmon and Spinach which I usually serve over whole wheat pasta.  I wanted to do something similar but wasn't in the mood for pasta.  Hmmm.  I had book marked a recipe for salmon sliders a while back and used that as additional inspiration for this meal.

Recipe for Spiced Coffee Rubbed Pork with Cauliflower and Bean Puree-Daring Cooks

Once a month I join a group of adventurous cooks online in cooking up something new.  It might be preparing an unusual or unfamiliar recipe from around the world or trying out a specific cooking technique.


Our April 2012 Daring Cooks hosts were David & Karen from Twenty-Fingered Cooking. They presented us with a very daring and unique challenge of forming our own recipes by using a set list of ingredients!  The challenge was to cook using 1 ingredient from each list:


List 1: Parsnips, Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower
List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle peppers
List 3: Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

Recipe for Curried Chicken with Peanuts

As I recently mentioned, we've been eating a fair number of Asian themed meals lately.  They are quick to put together-usually from stuff on hand.  They are also tasty and healthy.  So I find it's hard to go wrong!  Take this recipe for example. Tender chicken, salty peanuts, a subtle curry/coconut milk background and a little pop from the green peas stirred in at the end.  Simple and pretty perfect!

Recipe for Chicken Curry

I've been cooking a fair number of Asian themed meals: stir fries, curries etc. This recipe is based on one that a group of us used to make on the weekends in the dorm back in the 70's.  We were poor and had very little in the way of utensils.  We cooked on an illegal hot plate and used inexpensive canned chicken.  We sure didn't have access or means to acquire fresh herbs or coconut milk. And the only seasoning we had was Martha's curry powder her family sent her from India.   But we turned out a mean chicken curry.  The whole floor of the dorm smelled lovely and we ate well! So here's to the girls on the 12th floor!

Recipe for Pork and Peanut Stir Fry

I've yet to make a Mark Bittman recipe that I didn't like.  This recipe was adapted from one of his in "The Food Matters Cookbook" which I have and love.  The recipe can also be found on line. 


The flavors in this dish are Asian fusion in my estimation.  Sort of a fried rice, pad Thai, stir fry cousin.  The recipe originally called for chicken but I used pork. The basic recipe can be customized to your preferences and ingredients.  I made the rice in a rice cooker the day before and kept it in the fridge until needed.

Recipe for General Tso's Chicken

Have you found the terribly addicting website "Pinterest"?   If not, I suggest one of two things:  If you're a visual person and have some time every day to dawdle and browse around a really fun website, check it out.  If you're a super busy person who already wastes too much time on-line, stay away!  Seriously though, it is a great place to see all sorts of things from food and recipes, to ideas for decorating, funny pictures and sayings and so much more.  I found the inspiration for this recipe there.

Recipe for Char Sui Bao - Daring Cooks

Do you love dim sum?  We do and always try to go to our favorite dim sum restaurant when we get back to San Francisco (Yank Sing-a top 100 SF Restaurant in 2011).  They call it deem sum...they probably know better than I do, but I've always seen it written as dim sum, except on their website.  Anyone know the correct spelling?  Anyway, I digress.  I love the steamed pork buns-Char Sui Bao-but never gave a thought to trying to prepare them at home.


Turns out they are a challenge to make, but not an insurmountable one.  That's why I really enjoy participating in The Daring Kitchen challenges.  The challenges so far have pushed me in to culinary experiences I wouldn't have picked on my own and are presented with very detailed instructions, priming the pathway to success.  Our Daring Cooks’ December 2011 hostess is Sara from BellyRumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Sui Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Sui, and filling from scratch – delicious!

Recipe for Ahi Edamame Nachos

One of our go to snacks is chips (usually a “healthy” variety-whole grain, multi-grain, baked, lower fat etc) and a dip of some sort.  Maybe hummus, maybe edamame purée, or perhaps a wickedly rich jalapeno and artichoke spread when we’re feeling like a treat.  So I was pleased when the folks at Tostitos asked me to try their new Artisan Recipes Flavored Tortilla Chips.  I haven’t seen them yet on Maui.  We always get new stuff later than you do on the mainland :-{

The two flavors I received from Tostitos were Fire-Roasted Chipotle and Roasted Garlic and Black Bean.  Today, I’m trying out the Chipotle flavor.

Recipe for Asian Marinated Pork

Here’s one of our favorite marinade recipes adapted from “The Weber Big Book of Grilling” (Chronicle Books, 2001, p. 181).  It is versatile, tasty and easy-how could you go wrong?  My intent was to cook pork tenderloin but, as sometimes happens here on Maui, “the shipment didn’t come in”, and so I subbed boneless pork chops which worked fine.  I just sliced them up for serving (and forgot to take a photo of them coming off the grill!).

I have marinated for a few short hours or overnight, both with good results.  The longer the meat marinates the more tender and flavorful.

Makes 6 servings, each approximately 302 calories, 12.4 grams fat, 0 grams carbs, 3.5 grams fiber, 44 grams protein, 7 WW Points+

Recipe for Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This recipe for sweet and sour meatballs is easy to make but it does take a bit of time, so I think it is best suited for a night when you have plenty of time. Don't let that dissuade you though, it really is easy and straightforward and a very tasty asian flavored dish that is under 300 calories (not including the rice).