After waiting out a week of high sixties and sunshine just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I think it’s safe to declare that summer is coming, which means it’s time to put away those hearty meat and potato meals of winter and break out the snacks! For me, nothing feels like summer more than a cold drink in one hand and a light appetizer in the other. Drunk with sunshine and overall good feels, I broke out the deep fryer and rummaged through my freezer to dig up nibbles that I didn’t get to last summer. What better way to celebrate the triumphant return of the sun than with some mini corn dogs! Growing up, I could always rely on corn dogs making an appearance at the kid’s table at family barbecues and always looked forward to the times when my father bought them for my brother and I at theme parks and carnivals.
But why does the fun just have to be for kids? Try these adult corn dogs by adding a little curry powder into your cornbread batter and a dash of garam masala into your ketchup. You and your guests won’t be able to stop munching!
I’ve just emerged from a week long hibernation binge watching new episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix. In one scene, Maria, one of the Hispanic women rescued from a cult leader, begins selling “mole sauce” after realizing the media coined term “mole women” provides an opportune marketing tactic. Always thinking about food, I suddenly began craving some enchiladas and scoured the internet for mole recipes. In doing so, I learned that mole sauce had chocolate in it; no wonder why it always had the most delicious smoky, sweet flavor! When I made that connection, I realized that perhaps other spicy and sweet sauces would make an excellent substitute for mole sauce. Cue hoisin sauce. This barbecue flavored sauce, made from mashed fermented soy beans, is a staple in any Vietnamese household. While it’s primary place in a Vietnamese kitchen is in a piping hot bowl of pho, it makes for a great marinade and overall dipping sauce. It certainly impressed me atop my enchiladas!
In a pan, saute minced garlic, red onion and Thai basil in sesame oil. Add in chicken strips, chicken broth, Sriracha and salt. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll sauteed chicken into tortillas and place the open side down in a casserole dish. Add shredded cheese on top of rolled enchiladas and bake for 10 minutes.
While enchiladas are baking, fry minced garlic cloves in sesame oil. When garlic cloves become golden and crispy, add in hoisin sauce, water, and Sriracha. Stir for 2 minutes.
Remove enchiladas from oven and coat in hoisin sauce. Garnish with additional Sriracha, sour cream and green onions.
Notes
Feel free to use any kind of shredded cheese, but a milder cheese will really complement the bold hoisin and Sriracha flavors.
Happy Easter! I actually don’t celebrate the holiday but I am a sucker for bunny rabbits and anything with eggs. Decided to make something healthy and light for lunch and voila a shiitake mushroom and baby bok choy quiche. It’s even (gasp) vegetarian! Light and savory and suitable for any meal of the day.
Pro tip: If you like a little more crunch in your quiche, I recommend using regular bok choy, which has a higher stalk to leaf ratio. I personally prefer the taste and flavor of the leaves so I went for some baby bok choy instead. Experiment and let me know how it goes!
Bake premade pie crust according to package instructions.
Chop shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and onion into quarter inch slices. Saute ingredients in sesame oil until onions become translucent. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper. Add cooked mushrooms, bok choy, and onions to the egg mixture.
Pour quiche mixture into the baked pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
Notes
Use regular bok choy if you prefer more crunch in your quiche. Make sure pie crust is fully baked and cooled before adding in quiche mixture or else the crust becomes soggy.
Do you ever find yourself at a restaurant where the complimentary bread basket turns out to be the best part of the meal? I am ALWAYS in search of those gems because I absolutely love bread. I love bread on its own and also as a vehicle for dipping sauces. One of my favorite kinds of breads that I could literally munch on for hours, is the Chinese scallion pancake. Savory, slightly sweet and oh so flaky, Chinese scallion pancakes are more often found at street vendors and Chinatown bakeries than at your average Chinese restaurant, although I have had luck finding them at Dim Sum shops.
I found myself craving them this week after having them at a local Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area a few days ago. Although I could have easily zipped over to the frozen food section of my local Asian grocery store, I was up for the challenge of making them from scratch. After scouring the internet for recipes, I found that they are actually incredibly easy to make. While they are delicious on their own with a little bit of soy sauce or chili paste, I decided to make my meal a little heartier by adding some cheddar cheese that I had leftover in my fridge. One thing led to another and I realized that scallion pancake quesadillas were my genius fusion idea for the day. I devoured them up within 10 minutes (isn’t anything that’s cut up into bite sized pieces so easy to nosh up?) and immediately began crafting a second batch to share with friends, and you!
With my second batch I learned quite a few tips and tricks:
• The secret to flakier pancakes is to repeat the rolling and flattening process 2-3 times.
• If you want to double or triple this recipe (this recipe yields 4 pancakes), make them in small batches instead of doubling all the ingredients. A large ball of dough is difficult to knead evenly.
• Add the cheese while the pancake is cooking. Don’t make the pancakes first and then fold them into quesadillas – the bread will become too burnt
• These taste pair amazingly with soy sauce, salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
• Make extra, they’ll go quickly. 🙂
Slowly drizzle in boiling hot water into flour mixture and mix together.
Knead dough for 10 minutes and cover with a moist dish towel for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into four equal balls.
Flatten out dough balls to form an 8 inch circle.
Drizzle sesame oil and scatter scallions generously (about 1/4 cup per pancake) on the flattened dough.
Tightly roll up circle with scallions on the inside.
Coil the dough roll into a pinwheel. Flatten out the pinwheel and repeat steps 5-8 another two times. Repeating these steps creates those flaky layers!
Use a round bowl to cut pancakes into perfect circles.
Place pancake into a nonstick pan, brushed with remaining sesame oil, and add cheddar cheese. Fold in half and fry for 3-5 minutes each side.
