Hawaiian Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Where has the time gone? It has been almost three weeks since an Asian recipe was cooked. The last two were hit and miss. The table counterparts did not like the Chicken Mushroom Asparagus Stir Fry and I not the Shrimp Stir Fry. Sticky Pineapple Chicken seemed like the perfect way to get back on track with a winning stir fry.

Modifications Made:
Chicken breasts replaced chicken thighs and raw cashews replaced roasted, salted cashews.

To lessen the sugar, the juice stayed the same but the hoisin and brown sugar were reduced by half and soy was regular strength sodium.

Three ribs of sliced green onions were added directly before the sauce.

Scaled for Likability: Great
This table (teen counterpart excluded) is not a fan of sweet Asian meals. No to Sweet and Sour Beef/Chicken/Pork/Shrimp. No to Lemon/Orange/Sesame Chicken. Just no. Understandably, most Asian stir fry sauces are almost equal parts sugar to soy. Something about the sugar to salt ratio balances each other out and then there is the heat element from the chili sauce or Sriracha. This recipe called for half cup pineapple juice, third cup of hoisin sauce, and half cup of brown sugar to a measly third cup of reduced salt soy. Not to mention the pineapple in the dish itself! Having reduced the hoisin and brown sugar, the sauce was not to sweet to eat over rice and it was just sweet enough to be eaten with a splashing of Sriracha. Next time, I would reduce the brown sugar to only an eight of a cup and the hoisin sauce would increase to say four tablespoons or so instead of a heaping two.

This recipe was fabulous when paired with a vibrant, bright green veggie. It would have been fabulous as leftovers since it was pan fried and not deep fried. But alas, there was none. I could have lived without the pineapples but the table counterparts said it rounded out the whole meal.

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes). Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft. Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water). Bring to a boil and then add po...

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almos...

Cold Corn Bean Salsa

Nothing says junk food like chips and salsa, chips and cheese dip, chips and guacamole. Over the years I have perfected my salsa. It's good on tacos, on nachos, on enchiladas, and of course on chips. Just because I have the best salsa doesn't mean I don't like to try new salsa's like this Best Black Bean and Corn Salsa. Modifications Made: Shoepeg corn was replaced with one can of standard yellow corn with no salt added. Petite diced tomatoes were reduced by half. Italian dressing was swapped for half teaspoon comino, half teaspoon of chili powder, and two tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Salsa was made and let rest for two hours before eating. Scaled for Likability: Good Salsa this was not. Good it was however. It was too much for chips by themselves but was great served over a soft beef taco.

Eating Waffles

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