Exploring Creativity with Food

Downtown Minneapolis Skyline at Sunrise from Jeremiah Peterson's photostream

I am going to see my sister this weekend in Minneapolis and looking forward to the drive. We will spend a lot of time laughing, and hanging out enjoying each others company.

We are both on a tight budget and decided that whatever we do needs to be free, and as much as we love to go out to eat it just won't fit into the budget . So the plan is to try a few new recipes and get creative with our food.

Here are a couple of recipes I found on the Food Network website that we are going to try this weekend, maybe you would like to give them a try too.

Fried Rice









Ingredients
1/3 cup plain vegetable oil, like soy, corn, or peanut
1/3 pound black forest ham, diced, or about 2 cups cooked, cubed or shredded meat
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced on the bias, white and green separated
1 1/3 cups (6 ounces) medley frozen corn, peas, carrots
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups cold cooked long-grain rice, white or jasmine rice, grains separated

Directions
Heat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the ham and cook stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Add the onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until onion is fragrant Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the frozen vegetables. Cook until just defrosted but still crisp. Transfer contents of the skillet to a large bowl.

Return the pan to the heat and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Stir the eggs constantly and cook until almost set but still moist, then transfer egg to the bowl. Break the eggs up with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the rice to the pan and use a spoon to break up any clumps. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry the rice to coat evenly with oil. Stop stirring, and then let the rice cook undisturbed until its gets slightly crispy, about 2 minutes. Stir the rice again, breaking up any new clumps. Add the scallion greens. Transfer to the bowl. Stir all the ingredients together with the rice, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve.

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was really easy and tasty. I did change a few things, I used a couple of cooked pork chops that I diced instead of ham and I cubed fresh carrots, celery, and peas instead of frozen. After all the chopping it only took a couple of minutes to cook.

Udon Noodles with Miso Poached Tilapia








Ingredients
1 (32-ounce) container vegetable broth
3 tablespoons miso paste
1 cup sake or white wine
3 1/2 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
3 scallions, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces, plus chopped scallions, for garnish
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound tilapia fillets
12 ounces udon noodles

Directions
In a large pot over high heat, bring water to boil for noodles.

In a large straight-sided frying pan over medium-high heat, whisk together all ingredients except fish and noodles. Bring to boil; reduce to simmer. Add tilapia fillets, cover, and poach for 10 minutes.

Add udon noodles to rapidly boiling water and cook for 6 to 8 minutes for thin udon and 10 to 12 minutes for thicker udon. Serve udon in a bowl with miso broth. Top with poached tilapia and chopped scallions.

This sounds really good, I can't wait to try it.

Do you have a favorite recipe? Share a link.