Arroz Caldo

Whew! I'm finally caught up with all the meals and I'm now up to date.  October has been a really busy month and I didn't even make a meal plan for that month either.  The first week of November has already passed and I haven't started one for this month either so I'm kind of behind already.  I'll try to get on it with a meal plan for this month in the next few days. 

In any case I have a recipe that isn't on the meal plan at all.  With the fall weather already starting it's soup season for us.  One of my favorites to make is something called Arroz Caldo which is pretty much like a chicken gruel soup made with rice.  This is something that I make with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or from stripping a Costco rotisserie chicken.  When it's all done, this fills you up with warm goodness and it's a major plus since my toddler loves it.  I just made a big pot of that today since we hosted UH Warrior football game at our home and the pot's all empty.  This is so simple to make that I'm sure one of you will enjoy.  Here is my modified recipe and picture to share.

ARROZ CALDO
Ingredients:
1 Costco rotisserie chicken stripped and meat shredded
4 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 medium piece ginger, cut into chunks
1/2 onion, sliced
4 cans chicken broth
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4 tbsp. patis
pepper
oil

Directions:
Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in some oil til onions are tender.  Add shredded chicken and patis and mix.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add rice and green onion and mix well.  Season with pepper and simmer until broth has thickened.  Add more broth if needed if you want it to be more soupy.

September 2010 Meal #26: Taco Crescent Bake

I skipped over to Meal #26 which was as Taco Crescent Bake since it was too soon from when we ate chicken for dinner.  I also eventually decided to scrap the whole Beef Wellington idea since I didn't realize how much a beef tenderloin cost.  Anyway I chose this recipe from my casserole cookbook that I've been experimenting with and this was too was really easy to make.  Here's the recipe and picture to share.

TACO CRESCENT BAKE
Ingredients:
1 tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cups crushed corn chips, divided
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 envelop taco seasoning
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Unroll crescent dough into a rectangle; press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 13"x9"x2" baking dish.  Seal seams and perforations.  Sprinkle with 1 cup chips; set aside.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomato sauce and taco seasoning; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.  Spoon over chips.  Top with sour cream, cheese, and remaining chips.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

September 2010 Meal #23: Baked Salmon w/Crab Replaced w/Baked Salmon w/Mushrooms

For Meal #23 I had planned to make Baked Salmon with Crab topping but the only "crab" I had was imitation crab.  This reminded me of the Baked Crab Casserole I made a little while ago and wasn't really feeling on making something like that as a topping.  So I just went to my go to Baked Salmon recipe with mushrooms and onions.  I forgot to take a picture but it's really yummy and I'll try to remember to take a picture next time I make this.

BAKED SALMON W/MUSHROOMS & ONIONS
Ingredients:
2 lbs. salmon fillet, skin off and without bones
1/2 cup onions, chopped
3 cups white mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
garlic salt
lemon pepper
shoyu

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place salmon fillet into a 13"x9"x2" baking dish.  Season with garlic salt and lemon pepper.  Spread mayonnaise evenly all over salmon.  Sprinkle with onions and mushrooms.  Drizzle shoyu all over.  Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

September 2010 Meal #22: Pinakbet

I guess I've been getting in touch with my inner Filipino self and been making a lot of Filipino dishes recently.  For Meal #22 I decided to make Pinakbet for dinner since this as well I haven't made in a while either.  I think the reason why I don't make it often is because I have to trek to the Asian/Filipino grocer that isn't close to my home.  But since I had to go to that part of town I figure I make this for dinner.  My toddler actually liked eating it and didn't really notice of all the veggies he was eating.  It doesn't quite taste the same as home cooked pinakbet from back home in Hawaii but it was close enough.  Oh one funny thing happened while I was preparing this, the tomatoes that I thought I had had rotted and I really didn't want to run to the store for fresh tomatoes.  So I searched my pantry and actually found a can of diced tomatoes and it worked just as fine as fresh ones.  No taste difference at all :o).  So here's the recipe and picture to share.

PINAKBET
Ingredients:
2 lbs. pork chuck steak, chopped
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 bunch long beans, ends cut off and thrown away, break bean into about 3-4 inch pieces
2 medium sized Japanese eggplant, sliced into bite sized pieces
2 cups okra, cut in halves
2 medium sized tomatoes, sliced
2-4 tbsp. patis (fish sauce) depending on taste
1/2 cup dried shrimp
2 cups chicharon, broken into pieces
oil
water
salt and pepper


Directions:
Brown pork in oil with garlic.  Add onions and cook til tender.  Add about 1 1/2 cup water bring to boil.  Add patis and all veggies. Mix and let simmer.  Add dried shrimp and chicharon  and mix.  Add more patis and/or water to taste if needed.  Season with some salt and pepper.  Cook til veggies are tender.

September 2010 Meal #21: Chicken Long Rice

This is also one of my favorites to eat and make especially during our cold fall and winter months.  Meal #21 which is called Chicken Long Rice is a local Hawaii favorite and is pretty much like a "Hawaiian Chicken Noodle Soup".  This is really easy to make and I'm sure that your family will enjoy it.  The "long rice" are bean thread noodles that are clear and can be found at at Asian grocer or in the Asian foods aisle at your local grocer.  Here is a recipe that I've modified over the years and I'm certain there are other variations of this recipe as well.

CHICKEN LONG RICE
Ingredients:
3 lbs. chicken thighs, cut into pieces
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 medium piece ginger, cut into chunks
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water & sliced when soft or 2 cups fresh white mushrooms, sliced
2 cans chicken broth (more maybe needed since noodles soak up liquid)
2 pkgs. long rice (bean thread noodles)
oil
pepper
shoyu

Directions:
Brown chicken and garlic in some oil.  Add onions and cook until slightly tender. Add chicken broth and ginger and bring to boil.  Add long rice and let it soak in broth to get soft.  Add more cans of broth if needed.  Add mushrooms and green onions stirring to mix.  Add pepper and shoyu to taste.

September 2010 Meal #20: Shrimp Scampi

I got Meal #20 which was Shrimp Scampi from one of my favorite Hawaii local cookbook "What Hawaii Likes to Eat".  Another easy and quick meal to prepare and my little one liked it alot.  Here's the recipe and a picture to share too.

SHRIMP SCAMPI
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 clove butter, crushed
7 shrimp, shelled and deveined leaving tails on
3 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can (14.5 oz.) whole tomatoes
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste
1/2 tbsp. white wine
2 oz. dried fettuccine, cooked according to package directions

Directions:
Heat butter in pan with garlic.  Add shrimp and cook until shrimp curls.  Add mushrooms and tomatoes.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic slat to taste; simmer 2 minutes.  Add wine and reduce.  Serve Scampi over cooked pasta.

September 2010 Meal #19: Pork & Balatong (Mung Beans)

I rarely make this Filipino dish and is one of my faves to eat when we visit a Filipino restaurant back home in Hawaii.  For Meal #19 I made something called Pork & Balatong (Mung Beans) that tastes good with some hot rice.  I've seen three different kind of packaged mung beans which are available whole, split, or split and peeled.  In this dish I ended up using the split and peeled beans since this is what available at the nearest Asian grocer near me.   Here is the recipe to share with you.

PORK & BALATONG (MUNG BEANS)
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. pork chuck steak, chopped
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cup split & peeled mung bean
patis
water
pepper
1 cup chicharon (pork rinds), broken into pieces
1/2 cup dried shrimp

Directions:
Brown pork and garlic with some oil.  Add onions and cook until tender.  Add 4 cups water and mung beans.  Add patis and pepper to your liking.  Add  chicharon and dried shrimp.  Let simmer until beans are cooked through adding more water if needed.  Enjoy!

September 2010 Meal #18: Pot Roast & Veggies Replaced By Beef Curry Stew

Meal #18 was supposed to be Pot Roast and Veggies that I wanted to cook in  the crockpot.  When I gathered my ingredients I realized I was missing some Lipton Onion Soup seasoning.  So at the last minute I decided to make a Beef Curry Stew.  This is actually something that my hubby admittedly makes better than me but after 10 years of watching him make it I figure I can make it just the same.  It actually turned out just as good as he makes it and it's super yummy and easy to make. Sorry again no picture to share.

BEEF CURRY
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs. chuck roast, cut into cubes
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup carrot, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups potato, cubed
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
1 large or 2 small pkgs. S&B curry sauce
shoyu
pepper
water

Directions:
Brown meat with flour, some shoyu, pepper, and some oil.  Add all veggies and cook til semi tender.  Add enough water according to the curry packaging. Break apart curry blocks and add to pot.  Stir until curry has been dissolved.  Let simmer till soup base has thickened and veggies are tender.  Serve over hot rice and enjoy!

September 2010 Meal #17: Miki

Meal #17 which was a Filipino dish called Miki is one of my favorites that I've only learned how to make in the recent years.  I loved eating the Miki that my BFF's mom would make at family gatherings and she would never divulge her recipe.  For some reason I never thought of searching for a recipe online or elsewhere until I happen to stumble upon it on the HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) website while looking for another recipe.  The recipe I found is really simple and tried it for the first time a few years ago.  I've since then modified it a little to my liking and have become a favorite to make at home. Sorry I forgot to take a pic but will try to remember the next time I make it again.

MIKI
Ingredients:
1 pkg (9 oz) dry udon (wide Japanese noodles)

1/2 lb thinly sliced lean pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb shrimp, cleaned, shelled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces*
1 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 tablespoon patis (clear fish sauce)
1 teaspoon achuete (lipstick plant) powder
2 cups hot water
3 cans (14.5 oz size) chicken broth
2 pkg (2 oz size) long rice, soaked in water and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped chives

Directions:
Cook udon noodles according to package directions; drain. In a large wok or sauce pot, brown pork and garlic. Add shrimp, chicken, and patis; stir-fry until shrimp turn pink. Dissolve achuete powder in the hot water; add to wok. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. To wok, add chicken broth and bring to a boil; add cooked noodles, long rice, salt, and pepper. Stirring frequently, cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Add chives just before serving. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
If desired, slivered shiitake mushrooms can be substituted for the shrimp.

September 2010 Meal #16: Shoyu/Sesame Ahi

I haven't eaten or made this particular meal in about 10 years, which means since I've moved away from home in Hawaii.  For Meal #16 I made Seared Ahi w/a Shoyu & Sesame Oil sauce and it turned out as good as it could get.  The only reason I say that is because since we live in Oregon we don't get fresh ahi like we would in Hawaii.  I have to settle for frozen ahi which can be a little pricey.  I found some decent ones at the grocery store that I frequent and it looked really pink for being frozen.  So I decided to experiment with that and made this dish.

SEARED AHI w/ SHOYU & SESAME OIL SAUCE
Ingredients:
2-4 lbs. ahi steaks
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
garlic salt
pepper
shoyu
sesame oil
oil for frying

Directions:
Heat oil in pan.  Season fish with pepper and garlic salt.  Sear on each side for 30 seconds.  Drain on paper towel.  Drizzle with shoyu and sesame oil.  Garnish with green onions.

September 2010 Meal #15: Roast Pork w/Gravy

For Meal #15 I decided to make Roast Pork with Gravy since I hadn't made it in a while.  Really easy to make and doesn't take much effort either.  Here's my easy version that I learned from my dad and mom.

ROAST PORK
Ingredients:
5-6 lbs. boneless pork shoulder or butt
2 tbsp. garlic, ,minced
pepper
garlic salt
water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Massage garlic entirely onto pork. Season with pepper and garlic salt.  Place into 13x9x2 baking pan.  Add about 3/4 water.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 2 hours.  Cool when done and slice into serving pieces.  Serve with pork gravy (I just used packaged gravy).

September 2010 Meal #14: Beef Broccoli

Meal #14 which was Beef Broccoli is really easy to make and in fact I don't know why I don't make this often.  Depending on my mood I make different variations of this with different kinds of sauces.  I sometimes use a packaged beef broccoli sauce or use some Yoshida sauce or make it from scratch.  This particular night though I ended up using a packaged sauce and I unfortunately can't remember what brand I used.  All I remember is that it required to be mixed with some water and shoyu in addition with adding the meat and veggies.  I don't have a picture to share this yummy creation but here is the recipe for what I made.

BEEF BROCCOLI
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs. steak, sliced
2-3 cups broccoli, cut into pieces
1/2 onion, sliced
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
2-3 cups white mushrooms, sliced
2 pkgs. beef broccoli sauce, prepare as directed
oil

Directions:
Brown steak with garlic in oil until meat is cooked.  Add onions and cook til soft.  Add broccoli and mushrooms and cook til semi soft.  Add sauce, stir and let simmer til veggies are tender.

September 2010 Meal #13: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

This was my first time making gumbo ever and it turned out pretty good.  For Meal #13 I made Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.  I strayed away from making gumbo before since I figured it took too long to make but with this particular recipe it didn't take much time. I found this recipe in the cookbook "Garden of Flowers" which was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Playmate School on Oahu.  I found this cookbook of all places at a Powell's Used Bookstore here in Oregon and never used it til now.  Here's the recipe to share.

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO
Ingredients:
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1" slices
4-6 lbs. chicken, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
4 tbsp. oil
1 stick butter
4 tbsp. flour
1 box frozen okra , thawed
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. green onion, chopped
3-4 cups water
1 cup chicken broth
salt, black pepper, & cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Make a roux by melting butter in a heavy pot; add olive oil and flour, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture turns golden brown.  (Will take 10-15 minutes)  Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper, and cook on low heat unit onions are soft.  Stir in garlic and green onions to mixture and cook until soft.  Add water, chicken broth and season to taste.  Bring to boil.  Mix in chicken, sausage, and okra and simmer 1-2 hours.  Serve in soup bowls over rice or by itself.  Some like it thick as stew and others prefer it thin as soup.  To thicken, add more flour and to to thin, add more water.

Here is how it turned out.