Rasheeda's Travel and Food Blog

Rasheeda's travel and food blog

Category: Food Blog

Cream of Broccoli Soup / Food Blog / Soups

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Brocolli Soup

Cream of Brocolli soup is creamy, comforting, delicious. It can be served before a meal, or as a meal with a sandwich, toasted Panini, or grilled cheese. It is a quick meal for those who are looking for a hot, healthy meal.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Appetizer, light meal, Soup
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons diced celery
  • 2 tablespoon diced onions
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup Chicken broth or water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose-flour
  • 1 ½ cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoon sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon chopped scallion for garnish

Equipment

  • medium sized saucepan

Method
 

  1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, and sauté onion, celery, and garlic until tender. Add broccoli florets and broth. Cover and simmer until broccoli is very tender.
  2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend it to a puree and return to a clean saucepan. 
  3. In another saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons flour and cook on a low heat to make a roux. Add milk and continue to cook, stirring until it is thick and bubbly. Add the broccoli soup to it and cook stirring until it is incorporated into a delicious soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make sure not to overseason. 
  4. Top each serving with a teaspoon, or more if desired, sour cream and chopped green onion.

Chicken pot Pie / Food Blog / Poultry

Chicken Potpie

Chicken potpie

Delicious comfort food for any family.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cooked chicken, skin and fat removed
  • 1 packet store-bought pie crust
  • 2 tablespoos olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 ribs celery, peeled and chopped
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 Idaho potato, peeled and cubed
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup frozen green peas, corn, and green beans mixture
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg beaten with one teaspoon water for egg wash

Equipment

  • 1 Deep dish pie plate

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Heat oil and butter in a saucepan. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and saute until soft and shiny. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add potatoes, and garlic and cook stirring until potatoes are partly cooked.
  4. Add all-purpose flour and cook, stirring to remove the raw taste of flour and make it slightly golden.
  5. Add broth and heavy cream slowly while stirring to avoid lumps and form a smooth sauce. Let it simmer for ten minutes to cook the potatoes until tender.
  6. Stir in peas, corn, and bean mixture along with thyme and oregano. Stir and let it simmer to get all the vegetables fully cooked.
  7. Sprinkle chopped parsley and stir well. Transfer the saucepan to a rack and bring the filling to room temperature.
  8. Meanwhile, grease a deep-dish pie plate and sprinkle some breadcrumbs to keep the bottom crust dry, then line it with one sheet of pie crust. and adjust well.
  9. When the filling is at room temperature, add to the crust-lined pie plate. Cover with the remaining pie crust. Seal and crimp well to prevent leakage during cooking.
  10. Brush with egg wash thoroughly. if the crust is warm while you work with it, refrigerate for 10 minutes to prevent it from sagging.
  11. Bake for one hour until golden brown. Also, make sure to cover the edges with foil from becoming too dark. Also, know your oven temperature. some ovens are hotter than others

Food Blog / Japanese

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

When I first started making Teriyaki chicken, it was with a sauce from a bottle. There are several brands of teriyaki sauce in the market that are very different in taste. Although the taste of teriyaki from the mall’s food court was quite popular with my grandkids, I wanted to learn to do it myself with complete control on taste and appearance each time I made it. I also learned some of the techniques by watching teriyaki done online.
I think I eventually nailed it by trying different recipes. I found out that the Japanese-style teriyaki is the best with fewer ingredients and easy techniques. The most important part of making it with complete success is to know the technique. 
Print Recipe
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons oil
Marinade
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sake
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the sauce
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sake
  • 3 tablespoons mirin
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Method
 

  1. The first step is to select boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut them into bite-size pieces. The next step is to marinate the chicken pieces in soy sauce and sake and refrigerate for 20 minutes or more. When ready to cook, drain the chicken through a sieve to remove all the marinade. Stir it with a spoon to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and sprinkle cornstarch and toss well. Cornstarch helps the sauce stick to the chicken.
  2. To make the sauce stir together soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar well. And set it aside.
  3. Heat a non-stick skillet, add oil until moderately hot. Hot skillet and hot oil will prevent the chicken from steaming and give it a good sear. Add chicken pieces to the skillet making sure not to crowd them. Let them sear without jiggling or moving with a spatula for 3 to 4 minutes or until they start to brown. When browning starts, pieces will be released from the skillet. At this stage, flip them over and cook on the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a platter and clean the skillet well before using it again.
  4. Stir the prepared sauce and add to the cleaned skillet. Continue to cook on medium heat while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in grated ginger and continue to cook on medium heat. Add the chicken and continue mixing on medium heat until the sauce is reduced to a glaze and the chicken is well coated with it.
  5. Serve cooked sticky rice in a serving bowl, and top it with a generous portion of teriyaki chicken. Sprinkle thinly sliced green onion over each serving. Serve cabbage salad on the side.

Teriyaki Chicken

Bejiing style noodles / Chinese / Food Blog

Bejing Noodles

Bejiing Style Noodles

This recipe goes under different names. But whatever you call it, it is a straightforward dish. It has ultra-savory meat sauce, which goes over lomein noodles. The best part is that it is garnished and tossed with fresh, slivered vegetables.
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Servings: 4
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound Lomein needles (or eight oz. Fettuccini cooked according to packet directions.
  • 8 oz ground beef
  • light pinch baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • ½ English cucumber julienned ( cut in strips)
  • 6 oz. bean sprouts
  • 1 bunch green onions separate green and white for divided use
  • 3 tablespoons white miso
  • 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ inch fresh ginger root, minced
  • 5 shitake mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or peanut oil

Equipment

  • A heavy skillet or a wok works for making this noodle dish.

Method
 

  1. Add ground beef, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, and two teaspoons water in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  2. 1. Add ground beef, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, and two teaspoons water in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  3. Separate the green and white parts of the scallions. Cut the green part of the scallion on an angle and place it on a platter along with bean sprouts and julienned cucumber to garnish the finished dish to serve.
  4. Put the cut-up white parts of the scallions in a food processor. Add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms and process them for use as aromatics.
  5. In a saucepan, heat one tablespoon of oil. Add the meat and chopped aromatics and cook stirring until the water cooks out. 
  6. Add the prepared sauce and cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, cook lomein noodles in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes (or fettuccini noodles according to packet directions). Meanwhile, cook fettuccini noodles according to packet directions. Toss cooked noodles with the sauce. Arrange the vegetable around the pasta. When ready to eat, toss everything together and serve. When ready to eat, toss everything together and serve. 
  8. When ready to eat, toss everything together and serve. 

Food Blog / MISO BASED BUTTERNUT SQUASH / Vegetarian Recipes

Miso Based Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Miso Based Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

A healthy recipe made of leeks, squash, and miso paste. Miso is an ingredient regulaly used in Japanese recipes. It is not commonly known in American or other world recipes. But it is becoming increasingly popular because of the vegetartian and recent vegan diet trends.
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Course: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon Avocado oil, or vegetable oil
  • 1 leek, cut along its length, washed under running water to remove all the dirt before it is finely chopped. Chopped leeks also should be washed thoroughly.
  • ¼ butternut squash cut in a small dice
  • 1 pinch salt leek to help wilt
  • 1 cup milk if vegan, you can use plant base milk such as, oatmeal or almond
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste, dissolved in hot broth
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, green parts of scallion, chopped

Equipment

  • Heavy bottomed suacepan

Method
 

  1. Place a heavy bottom pan on the stove. Add olive oil in a cold pan. 
  2. Add chopped leeks, stir and then turn on the heat. This method is used so you don’t over heat olive oil. Overheating olive oil makes it lose flavor.
  3. Sprinkle pinch salt on leeks to help them wilt, and sweat for a few minutes before sautéing them.
  4. Add prepared squash and cook stirring until squash is shiny, about 30 seconds.
  5. In a jar stir together milk and water, before pouring over the vegetable. Make sure that the vegetables are covered with the liquid, add water if not enough liquid.
  6. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lower the heat until the boil is down to just a simmer.
  7. When it comes to a simmer, take some of the hot broth to dissolve miso in a bowl making sure that it becomes a smooth paste free of lumps (biting on a lump of miso would be unpleasant).
  8. Pour the dissolved miso back into the soup, mix and simmer on very low heat for a few minutes. Don’t boil after adding miso. 
  9. Use an immersion blender or blender of choice to blend the soup imto; smooth.
  10. Add corn to the finished soup to give it a texture. 
  11. Ladle soup into a serving bowl and garnish with chopped parsley, or scallion to serve. 

Notes

Things to know about some of the ingredients: 
 Leeks have a lot of sand in  its layers, therefore thorough washing in runnig water is a must.
Do not heat olive oil before adding vegetable. Overcooking olive oil makes it lose its flavor.
Butternut squash does not need to be peeled. But cutting it can be somewhat difficult. Cut it into two equal parts vertically. Then cut each half into two horizontally. You only need a quarter for the recipe.
Miso is a Japanese paste made with a mixture of  soy beans, salt, and a grain and has peanut butter texture. It is fermented, therefore, has live enzymes and bacteria. That is why it should not be boiled. Boiling will destroy all the bacteria which are good for digestion.
Information on Miso
Why miso is incredibly healthy? It is nutritious and linked to a variety of health benefits. The most important is better digestion and a stronger immune system. It is considered to be world’s healthies foods. 
It is a traditional Japanese condiment made by fermenting soybeans with salt and grain. Fermentation process promotes the growth of probiotics, good bacteria, which improves digestion, reduces gas and constipation.
It is a paste with peanut butter consistency and comes in three different colors; white, yellow, and red depending what grain was used, darker the color, it is saltier and has stronger
 

Food Blog / Spices and Herbs

Flavors and Tastes of India

Spices and Herbs

  • Red chili powder
  • Curry Powder
  • Turmeric
  • Garlic cloves
  • Ginger root
  • Coriander seeds
  • Annie seeds
  • Fennel seeds
  • Black mustard seeds
  • Negella seeds ( Kalonji)
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Cloves
  • large cardamom pods
  • Green cardamom
  • Mace
  • Nutmeg
  • Saffron
  • Cilantro
  • Curry patta
  • Mint
  • Green chillies
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Bay leaves

Food Blog / Vegetarian Recipes

Pasta Mediterranean Style

Pasta Mediterranean Style

Pasta Mediterranean Style

Easy, delicious pasta for lunch, or dinner. you can store the leftovers in refrigerators for later use.
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Servings: 6
Course: light meal, Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Italian egg plant, cut into 1×4 inch diagonal pieces, lightly salted
  • 1 cup button mushrooms, quartered
  • 8 ounces angel hair pasta, or thin spaghetti
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes or your choice
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 pitted Kalamata olives
  • 1 cup vegetables broth or water
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened,
  • ¼ cup parsley, freshly chopped

Method
 

  1. Remove stalks from mushrooms and cut in halves. Wipe them down thoroughly with a wet cloth. If washed, mushrooms absorb too much water.Pan fry them and set them aside.
  2. Cut eggplants into 1×4-inhes long, diagonal pieces and pan fry them until tender but not mushy. Set aside to toss in the pasta.  
  3. Boil 4 to 5 cups water in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon salt.
  4. When water comes to a boil, add pasta stir and cook for 4 minutes or until al-dente.
  5. Reserve one cup pasta water, and drain pasta in a colander.
  6. While you are cooking the pasta, heat oil and butter in a large skillet. 
  7. Add ½ cup onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until onion is soft and cooked down.
  8. Add tomatoes and let them softened stirring on and off. Crush them partly but maintain their integrity. 
  9. Add tomato paste and cook to caramelize, about a minute Add salt, pepper, and Kalamata olives.
  10. Add broth or water bring it back to a boil before adding drained pasta to the skillet. 
  11. Stir to coat the pasta with the sauce while still on slow heat.
  12. Add lemon zest and  juice and mix.
  13. Transfer to a serving bowl and add fried eggplants, grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon softened butter. Mix well and season to taste.
  14. Scatter fried mushrooms and sprinkle parsley on top to serve.