Farfalle with Tuna

Niko : "What's for dinner, mama?"
Me : "Pasta!"
Niko : "Spaghetti?"
Me : "No, Farfalle with Tuna!"

Sounds fancy ha? Saying the word "farfalle" makes you feel like a top chef.  It'll impress your family.

Well, "farfalle" is just another word for bow-tie pasta. Don't get intimidated by the name of the dish. This is as easy as making spaghetti with meat sauce.


INGREDIENTS :

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2  14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
1/4 cup dry white wine (you can substitute with chicken stock or water)
1  14.5oz can black pitted olives, drained and sliced
3 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2   6oz cans tuna in olive oil
1 lb/16oz dried farfalle/bow-tie pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions until onions are tender and translucent.
2. Add the canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the dry white wine and simmer for a minute. Stir in the olives and oregano. Cover pan and let it simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook the farfalle per instructions on the package. Save 1/4 cup of the water used to boil pasta. Drain the pasta and transfer to a bowl.
4. Flake the tuna (you can drain the tuna to remove excess oil if you wish) and add it together with the 1/4 cup pasta water to the simmering sauce. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Let the sauce simmer for few more minutes until the tuna is heated through.
5. Pour the tuna sauce over the pasta and toss. Garnish with fresh oregano or parsley to make it look like a professional chef made it.
6. Serve, say the name of the dish (Farfalle with Tuna!) and let your family enjoy your fancy pasta!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

One of any mom's challenge is what to feed our kids. I am lucky to have kids who will eat almost anything I put on the table. Yet I still ran out of ideas on what to feed them. I have to admit, I am sometimes guilty of feeding them with chicken nuggets from a fast food chain. Well, they never say "no" to chicken nuggets.

So I thought, how would I make it homemade and a little bit healthier? I used chicken breast on this recipe and baked them. The only not so healthy part is the little butter I used. You can use eggs to substitute the butter.

I hope your little ones will love this.

INGREDIENTS

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into nugget size pieces
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tbs dried basil (or Italian seasoning)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup melted butter
olive oil

1. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 deg F.
2. Meanwhile, mix parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Dip chicken nuggets in butter and then coat them with bread crumbs mixture.
3. Place coated chicken nuggets in a single layer on the greased baking sheet.
4. Drizzle some olive oil over the chicken nuggets.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

TIP : You can make a big batch, place in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze them. When you need them, just heat them (yes no thawing needed) in a preheated 375 deg F oven (I use my toaster oven most of the time) for 12 to 15 minutes. It'll be as good as when they were freshly baked.

Asparagus and Beef Stir-fry

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetable. I would buy it as often as I could. I usually roast them  seasoned with salt and pepper but it gets boring after a while. This vegetable is a bit pricey. On my weekly food shopping last Sunday, price was at $0.99/lb. It was a bargain. I had to include it in my dinner menu and so I came up with this dish. It is a fuss-free healthy recipe as a roasted asparagus and the result looks better than a Chinese take-out.

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 lb thinly sliced beef sirloin

1 lb asparagus, sliced into 2 in length

1 orange bell pepper (you can also use red or yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1/2 of a medium onion, sliced thin

1 medium carrots, sliced thin

4 medium fresh shitake or white mushrooms, sliced

2 stalks of scallions (white and greens separated)

2/3 cups of water

2 tbs soy sauce

1 small (3.7 g) beef bouillon

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp of water

1 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp sriracha or sambal oelek (optional)

1. Mix water, beef bouillon and soy sauce in a bowl and set aside.

2. Heat 1/2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet at high heat. Add onion and stir-fry for a minute. Add carrots, asparagus and bell pepper. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir-fry until cooked but still crisp. Transfer stir-fried vegetables in a bowl.

3. Add the remaining olive oil in the skillet and heat. Add beef and whites of the scallions.Stir-fry until beef is just about to turn brown.

4. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce mixture and sriracha or sambal oelek . Let the sauce boil. Adjust seasoning according to taste.

5. Return the stir-fried vegetables to the pan and mix. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce thickens.

6. Turn of heat. Transfer to a plate and garnish with the remaining green parts of the scallions.

7. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Saucy Soft Tofu

Tofu is a good source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and  iron. It is also low in fat and calories. It is a healthy alternative to meat. Since tofu does not have a strong flavor like meats do, the challenge is how to make it taste good. Firm tofu is delicious when it's deep-fried or added to stir-fried dishes. So what to do with soft tofu? I like adding them to stir-fried dishes like the firm tofu. They are also yummy on soups.

Saucy Soft Tofu (I just made-up the name) , sweet and savory, will hopefully delight your taste buds on tofu.

INGREDIENTS:

14oz soft tofu, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs rice wine
2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water
1 stalk green onions plus additional for garnishing, sliced diagonally
1/2 inch ginger, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, chicken stock and sugar. Set aside.
2. Put soft tofu in a pan in one layer. Top with the ginger and green onions. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the pan.
3. Turn on the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the cooked soft tofu in a plate.
5. Add the cornstach dissolved in water to the sauce. Stir until it thickens. Turn off the heat. Drizzle the sesame oil into the sauce.
6. Pour the sauce into the cooked soft tofu. Garnish with green onion.
7. Serve and enjoy a healthy meal.

Beef Tacos

Tacos for dinner? Why not? It is a great way to bring fun in the dining table and deviate from the usual dinners.

This is so easy and fast to make. You only need to cook the beef which will take you less than 10 minutes. Serve the beef mixture and toppings in separate bowls and let everyone build their own tacos.

INGREDIENTS :
1 lb ground sirloin beef (I use 90%lean/10% fat)
12 jumbo taco shells (corn tortillas can also be used)
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
shredded lettuce (I recommend using the pre-shredded ones.It will save you the trouble of slicing, rinsing and drying it)
1- 8oz light sour cream
salsa
cheddar cheese, grated
canned refried beans as a side dish (optional)
avocados, diced (optional...sprinkle with lime or lemon immediately after cutting to prevent discoloration)

1. Heat oil in medium high heat. Saute onion until it becomes translucent. Add beef and cook until no longer pink.
2. Sprinkle with oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Cover plate with aluminum foil to keep it warm.
4. Warm taco shells or flour tortilla according to package direction.
5. Place the rest of the ingredients in separate bowls and lay them on the table.
6. Let everyone have fun in building their own tacos.
7. Serve with refried beans on the side, if desired.

Sauteed Green Beans

Simple is better.

I learned this dish from my mother-in-law. She would serve sauteed vegetable in almost every meal. It is a good side dish to accompany a meaty course.

The flavor is in the vegetable itself. This method of cooking enhances the sweetness of the green beans. My 4 year-old son loves this. He would munch it like he was eating french fries.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lb green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tbs of olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of water

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add shallots and saute until it turns translucent.
2. Add green beans and stir until they are well-coated with oil. Sprinkle with salt and stir.
3. Add water and cover.
4. Cook until green beans are tender.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Variations : Napa Cabbage, bokchoy, green mustard, cabbage, asparagus...just about any vegetable.