Easy Mexican Tortilla Soup

Easy Mexican Tortilla Soup 

Ingredients needed:

1 1/2 cup salsa (homemade or store bought, in desired level of spiciness)

1-2 fresh tomatoes

1 onion

1-3 stalks of cilantro/coriander

1-3 stalks of green onion/scallion chopped thin

1/2 container of black olives

1 container black beans

1/3 cup kernel corn

6-8 mushrooms, crimini or white button

Favorite type of protein: chicken, beef, pork, tofu, 1 package

1 container of broth to complement the protein: chicken, beef, pork, or vegetable

Also tasty/complementary additions: spinach, zucchini, bell peppers

Serves: 5-6 or 2 people for 2-3 meals.

Toppings: lime, cheese, tortilla chips to taste (chips will give the), chopped cilantro/coriander to taste, thin cut green onion 

How to make:

-Chop tomatoes, black olives, onions, mushrooms and meat/protein as necessary into bite size portions

-cook meat with onion, mushrooms and garlic powder if on hand, also salt and pepper to taste and sparing with oil (Approx 10 minutes)

-add stock and water 2-3 cups when the meat is browned and the flavors have been activated

-Add beans, salsa, olives, kernel corn and any other heat-sturdy vegetables (no lime, green onion, spinach)

-Cook 20 minutes

-Add quick cooking/garnish vegetables: green onion, cilantro, squeeze of lime will give a pleasant flavor.  Also allow picky eaters to choose these garnishes for themselves. Also have plenty of chips and cheese slices on hand to be added to the soup according to taste and needs of each eater! 

ENJOY! :) Nutritious and delicious! 

Salmon in Curried Celery Sauce

Tastes similar to Panda express. Naughty, but pretty nice.

Beef, Pork, Tofu, or Chicken could be nicely substituted.

Ingredients:

1-stalk celery, keep leafy top

2-1 hunk salmon, cut into bite size pieces

3-1/4 small onion

4- Just enough flour to coat the salmon chunks

Seasonings

1 tsp mashed garlic, 1 tsp mashed ginger

Salt, Pepper

3 tbsp vinegar (any kind)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp curry powder spices (turmeric, curcumin, fenugreek, fennel--your desired mix)

Steps:

1) Powder the salmon chunks and fill a pan with 1 cm of oil to tolerate med-high heat.

Grill until the salmon skin is crispy, or the meat is cooked through.

2) Drain oil. Reserve meat to the side.

Lightly cook the seasonings and celery in the same frypan and drizzle over the cooked meat.

I accidentally added the sauce ingredients to the meat, and the result came out ok. But it would look nicer if the sauce is made separately.

Cooking: Takoyaki

Max and I taught ourselves how to make takoyaki! It went well!

Appetizer: Boiled Lotus Root Gazpacho Salad

Sorry... another lotus root recipe! But it's the season!

source: http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/lotus-root.html

It worked out pretty well as a meal too

Boiled Lotus Root Gazpacho Salad:

(1) Prepare Lotus Root: Wash, peel, clean, and slice thin, about 2 mm thick. Boil enough water to boil the root in, add the pieces, and once it boils again boil for about 1 min or until the root is of desired hardness. Add dressing ingredients while it is warm, after straining. (3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/3 tsp salt, pepper to taste)

(2) Chop: cucumber (1), tomato (1), onion (1/4), and sashimi grade fish (tuna or salmon work well), and minced parsley (1-2 tsp), toss with 3 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve mixture over the root salad.

Thank you Orenji Peeji (オレンジページ2011 10/2)

About Lotus Root

Lotus root is the root of the popular lotus flower and used in a manner of ways: soups, stews, salads, stir fries. The uses are infinite, comparable to potatoes. It is a nutritional superstar, rich in Vitamin B1, B6, as well as choline (which is great for brain function) as well as minerals manganese, magnesium, and potassium. In the store it looks like a dirty potato, nothing like it does when prepared. If you're feeling adventurous, visit your Asian grocer and give this delectable root a try.

They are grown in swampy areas. If the root is covered in dirt it is easy to tell whether it is fresh or not, because the mud will dry after its harvesting.

Shrimp and Lotus Root Mayo Salad

Shrimp and Lotus Root Mayo Salad

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Renkon (Lotus Root) 1 cut ... 8cm 300g

Onion Stalk (the green part), 1 piece ... 150 g ... 1/2 of a small onion

Shrimp (1 tray)

Salad Oil, Mayonnaise, Salt, Pepper

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(1) Prepare the lotus root: Peel, clean, and quarter lengthwise, then cut into 1 cm thick pieces. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. You may also soak the pieces briefly in water with vinegar, wash, and dry. Also cut the onion into 1 cm thick pieces. Dust the faces of the shrimp with starch.

(2) Oil a pan and sautee the shrimp until cooked. Add lotus root and onion, sautee for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp alcohol , cover and steam 2 min. Add 3 tbsp mayo and salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Thank you Oreji Peeji! (オレンジページ2011 10/2)

Daikon Steak with Curry Meat Sauce Garnish

Daikon Steak with Curry Meat Sauce Garnish

This was served over daikon shoots. So it's kind of oya-ko daikon steak :D

Parent and child on a plate together ;)

Daikon Steak in Curry Sauce

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Daikon (large) ... 8cm 300g

Ground Pork ... 150 g

Minced Onion ... 1/2 of a small onion

Watercress (or sprout, salad vegetable) ... As Desired for Garnish or Crunch

Salad Oil, Tomato Ketchup Salt Soy Sauce

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(1) Oil a pan 2 tbsp. cooking oil, med. heat, sprinkle with salt, make incisions to speed cooking in hatched pattern and grill on both sides until the daikon is nicely browned. Then cover and simmer for 5 min or until daikon is of desired hardness.

(2) Set daikon on serving plate with watercress garnish (or sprouts, or salad vegetables)

(3) In the same frypain, sautee minced onions 3 min. Add ground meat or Tofu (and minced potatoes or carrots optional) When they are finished, add curry powder and 1/2 cup water. Simmer with a dash of ketchup and soy sauce. Cover, simmer 5-6 min, allow to thicken. Also delicious with some milk or soy milk or other milk substitute added.

(4) Pour sauce over daikon and serve.

Thank you Oreji Peeji! (オレンジページ2011 10/2)

Doing Low-Carb in Japanese Cuisine

My favorite Bento-Cooking Site:

http://www.justhungry.com/japanese-food-and-beverages-diabetics-and-low-carb-eaters

This blog is for those out there who just don't feel good on carbs or suffer from a variety of metabolic syndromes such as Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, PCOS, and general syndrome X issues.

Since I just returned from Japan, my experiences are fresh in my mind. I've been studying for so long there are not many cultural things that are shocking to me anymore, but one thing that shocked me (that did not shock me during my youth when I did not realize that carbs were negatively effecting how I felt) was the amount of carbs and in the inaccesibility of proteins that complicated folks such as myself need. Meals are large and abundant in noodles, rice, and starches without having much for someone who needs a cushioning protein in order to make energy. So I'm leaving this post here to help me and others who have this issue survive in Japan. It is possible but you have to get creative, and I will surely continue to loose weight as the heaviest staples in Japan give me crazy sugar spikes and the scary low-blood sugar crashes that surely contributed to my feeling insane the last time I went. With my new awareness of how these foods affect my system, I did just fine this time.

So that is a link I would like to rely on and keep stock of protein choices I have found in Japan.

Protein choices:

-tofu

-egg (hard boiled, tamagoyaki)

-fish cakes

-meats (hot dogs, ground meat patties, sizzled meats, ham)

-katsus aren't bad

And that blog was really good for talking about carb choices for those of us (considering even the buckwheat options probably contain a portion of white flour) who are a bit sensitive to white flours and white rice. It's like putting jet fuel in my system. It's hard to find a carb that looks like it recently came from a plant without being pulverized into refined flour.

Vegetables can always be relied on for your main carb, when coupled with small portions of rice.

Soy Milk Recipe: Link

I'd like to write a blog about the debate on soybeans: are they beneficial or harmful to health? (It's quite a debate, and quite confusing to me)

Anyway, there is a link to a recipe for soymilk. With all the ingredients added to commercial soymilk, it's nice to have the option to make it at home.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2019300/make_homemade_soy_milk.html?cat=5

Enchiladas

~Espinaca Edition~

I blanched some spinach breifly and lined the edges with it... I can eat for 3-4 days on this in a household of 2~

So one of the things I like to do when I'm feeling better is cook. Haha these enchiladas are a real favorite for me and oh-so-healthy (well, if you're not sensitive) I made them a little too spicy this time around and the lining of my stomach wasn't very happy with me today. Regardless it was quite a treat after living on my husband's cooking (bless his heart.)

Enchiladas (makes 4-5 large enchiladas)

1 onion, or 3/4 a large onion (cut roughly)

1-2 bell peppers

around 4 button cap mushrooms

black beans

sweet corn

black olives

2-3 small roma tomatoes, 2 round tomatoes (depending on size)

Enchilada sauce (whatever you prefer, I buy the all-natural organic local sauce... so it's probably not available everywhere but I would advise watching for hydrolyzed soy protein and MSG listed as ingredients and other preservatives)

Large-standard size tortillas of your preference

(1) About a pound and a half of protein (beef, chicken, buffalo, tofu, or even spinach and cheese filling, protein is cooked with taco seasoning (again, watch for preservatives and flavor enhancers if it's a concern) and onions and some of the mushroom, and reserved.

(2) put the chopped bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, mushroom, olive, beans, and corn in the bottom of the pan and spoon in some of the enchilada sauce

(3) take the reserved meat and put into tortilla, fold into long enchilada, cover with sauce (like painting) and put cheese on top if desired

(4) Bake for 30 minutes (covered) and garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro, bake for another ten (uncovered)

But really this dish is as personal as one wants to make it. Easily substituted and removed if there are any food distastes or sensitivities.

Detox Pesto

Not sure this will work out but it's worth a try... found it at http://www.offtheradar.co.nz/vaccines/need-help.html HEAVY METAL DETOX PESTO

This pesto is a very good detox for the body and it's so easy to make. Heavy Metal Detox Pesto Cilantro/Coriander Chelation Pesto Heavy-metal poisoning is rampant. It is a major cause of hormonal imbalances, cancer, thyroid problems, neurological disturbances, learning problems, depression food allergies, and parasites. Cilantro -- also known as coriander or Chinese parsley -- has been proven to chelate toxic metals from our bodies in a relatively short period of time. (The word chelate comes from the Greek word for claw, and describes a process which acts to engulf and then enable the removal of a highly reactive toxic mineral.) Combined with the benefits of the other ingredients, the following recipe for Cilantro Chelation Pesto is a powerful tissue cleanser. It is not only easy to make, but also really tasty. It's delicious on toast, baked potatoes, and pasta. Two teaspoons of this cilantro pesto daily for three weeks is purportedly enough to increase the urinary excretion of mercury, lead, and aluminum, thus effectively removing these toxic metals from our bodies. Consider doing this cleanse for three weeks at least once a year. a.. 4 cloves garlic b.. 1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium source) c.. 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine source) d.. 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium sources) e.. 2 cups packed fresh cilantro (coriander, Chinese parsley) (Vitamin A source) f.. 2/3 cup flaxseed oil g.. 4 tablespoons lemon juice (Vitamin C source) h. Bragg's Liquid Aminos Process the cilantro and flaxseed oil in a blender until the cilantro is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts, and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Add a squirt of Bragg's Liquid Aminos to taste and blend again. Store in dark glass jars if possible. It freezes well, so purchase cilantro in season and fill enough jars to last through the year.