Easy Radish Kimchi

I've become addicted to Kimchi.  Its just a great way to start a meal and super healthy.  Remember the SARS scare in Asia everyone stocked up on Kimchi because of the health benefits. This is the easiest Kimchi ever and its because the Radish does not take ages to brine initially.  The most difficult part of making Kimchi is getting the first brining ratio rite.  Even Koreans need help with getting that ratio right when making Lettuce Kimchi. So this is a great beginners recipe!

Ingredients:

1 Korean Radish

2 Tablespoon of Salt

2 Green Onions

For the Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Sweet Rice Flour

1 Teaspoon of Ginger

2 Garlic Cloves

3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

4 Tablespoons of Korean Red Pepper Powder

1 Tablespoon of Sugar

1 Teaspoons of Salt

Directions

Peel and chop your radish into cubes.

Toss your salt over the radish and let sit for at least 30 minutes (brining). 

While you wait chop your green onions.  Then finely chop your garlic and ginger.

After brining, rinse your radish with cold water and drain.  Set aside.

Then get your Sweet Rice flour (binding agent). 

In microwavable bowl, add water and rice flour.  Mix well to get rid of clumps.  Then put mixture in microwave for 1 minute.  It should come out with a gluey texture like below.

Stir mixture so one spot isn’t more clumpy than the other.  Then put back in microwave for another minute. Let it cool.

Then add all your sauce ingredients and mix together.  

And lastly add the radish and green onions and stir till all radishes is covered by mixture.

Move to containers (glass is best because doesn't stain). Let mixture sit at room temperature for at least 2 days.  Then move to fridge for at least 5 days.

Enjoy!!!!!

White Bean Chilli via Crockpot YUMMO and super easy!!!

I just have to say I LUV LUV my crockpot!!!!!! So I spent 10 minutes this morning prepping this dish and came home to the most amazing dinner ever!!!

White Bean Chilli

Ingredients

2 Medium Sized Tomato's

1 1/2 lb Chicken Breast (raw)

1/3 Bag of Dried  Great Northern White Beans

8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese (Mines was Kraft and had Jalapeno)

1 Tablespoon Ginger or Wine

5 Cups Water

Directions:

Dice Tomatos.  Cut up some Ginger if you didn't have wine like me.  I had big chunk of frozen Chicken Breast ( you don't need to cut up).  Toss everything in slow cooker, Chicken on top.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  When you get home and chicken looks done.  Take out and shred with fork.  Put back in to Crockpot and mix around.  You can let it cook for a little or EAT!!!!!!  Salt and Pepper to taste.

You could just eat this as soup alone with Whole Wheat Toast or some kind of italian like bread.  And this tastes great with Brown Rice.  Or you can do what I did since I had left over Veggie Pasta in the fridge.

I just sprinkled some dried basil from my stockpile since it was pasta.

Super excited to finally use the stockpile of frozen cheese I had!!!!!!  I think the Jalapeno which was totally not intentional on my part really gives this an extra kick that I need to duplicate next time.

Pathmark Sale starts April 20

Pathmark is having a 3 day sale on Chicken Breasts at $1.49 /lb!!!!!! Definately time to stockpile this is the all time low price for Chicken Breast!!!! And they have Pork for $.99/lb with limit of one pack and minimum purchase of $15 which is totally doable if you buy some Chicken Breasts.  And for those of you low on pasta they have past at less than $1 a pack all week!

Rite Aid Deal Look Ahead Sale Starting 4/1

A freebie is still a freebie, great to get these for free! I'd reuse the up to get some milk.

After the Caramelized Onions... I made Veggie Soup

So I hate hate cleaning dishes so whenever I can reuse the pot for another recipe I do! Cause I am that lazy.  Plus I discovered this buy accident some of the taste in not washed pot remains.  So in this case I wanted the Caramelized Onion Flavor to infuse into my Soup.  Keep in mind, I am not big fan of rich and overly flavored soups.  This is more of a Veggie Broth super healthy and low in fat.

Ingredients

 I used 3 cups of the leftover water from boiling my Veggie Pasta.

2 Carrot Sticks - Chopped 

2 Celery Sticks - Chopped

2 Peeled Potato- Chopped

1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Teaspoon Adobo Powder

Directions:

Toss everything in Crockpot.  Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.  Salt to taste.

Keep in mind the less salt you add the better and this is super low fat and high in vitamins.  You are not adding anything bad or artificial really. It's like eating veggies in a comforting way.

Variations

If you add just a little bit of the Caramelized Onions the whole soup will change flavor.  So yummi and magical.

Like I said before I hate the overly seasoned soups, so if you find this soup too bland you can instead use it as a soup extender for a broth like Canned Soup like Italian Wedding Soup from Campbell's. And you instantly can double the quality of your soup this way.

Caramelized Onions Easy Disaster Free Method

So I have been reading Kathleen Flinn's "The Kitchen Counter Cooking School" and in one of her chapters she says that one of the easiest ways to add lots of flavor to a dish is by using Caramelized Onions!! She's a Le Cordon Bleu graduate so when she described how she'd make big batches and even freeze them.. I was kinda shocked.  I just didn't expect that from a Le Cordon Bleu graduate.  But that must mean Caramelized Onions retain their quality really well after being frozen !!!

I've never been able and patient enough to successfully make them on stove top because you literally have to be at the stove for about 40 minutes constantly at attention.  And this is why I love love my Crockpot since its a great way to slowly cook something.  I did a test batch and it worked!!!!!!!! It filled the kitchen with the most amazing aroma while cooking and I didn't burn it!!!

Easy Disaster Free : Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

4 Onions

 1/3 Stick Butter

Directions

Peel off your Onion really well. I'm naturally frugal so I made the mistake of trying to slide the top layer with some skin and that portion burned.

Chop your onions up to your shape preference, (try to cut up same size so they can cook evenly).

Toss in all your Onions into the Slow Cooker.

And slice your butter thinly to put on top of onions.  

Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours or low for about 8 hours.

They will be done when you see them brown and reduced at least to 1/3of  its original volume.

Take them out with slotted spoons so you can leave liquid in Crockpot (I'm going to use the leftover for making soup).

You can serve immediately or put them in freezer/fridge for storage after they have cooled down.

Note: I am actually going to reduce the butter next time to 1/4. 

I love this!! Carmelized Onions are so delish!!!!!! And this is a great way to reduce food waste (sometimes I forgot to use all my Onions since they come in big bag). Also it takes about 5 minutes of actual work... you just have to chop the onions and add slices of butter in your Crockpot.  

Kabocha Squash aka Japanese Pumpkin

What is Kabocha Squash aka Japanese Pumpkin?  It's a squash that tastes nuttier than a sweet potato and sweeter than a butternut squash.

Why did I buy it at $.98/lb ? Typically they weigh about 2-3 lbs so it can cost you about $3 for a whole pumpkin which is more of the expensive side but it's so worth it!!!!!!

- ONE cup is about 40 calories!

- One cup is about 7g's of Carb's which is less than half of what a butternut squash offers for the same amount of squash.

So .. on top of being super low calorie, a lower carb squash alternative its packed with beta carotenes, vitamins and fiber!!!

And best part its so easy to cook.

You cut the Kaboocha in half and scoop out the seeds.

Then continue to slice how you like...

And then you steam it for about 20 minutes.  When its done its so soft and still has retained moistness.  You can easy just eat with the skin.  Or cut off skin. 

After I steamed ..I easily ate it all... No sugar needed, it actually tastes good as is.  

***The second half I wanted to try baking in the oven.

It came out super dry and not even soft.  I think I was  suppose to wrap it all in Foil like you do with Sweet Potato's but I got lazy.  So to rescue this I re-steamed and mashed with spoon and mixed it with a Brown Rice Porridge and a teaspoon of brown sugar.  And I mixed it together to get Kabocha Brown Rice Porridge.  

The result was a super light, low calorie, high fiber comfort food.  Asian people in particular love eating porridge for breakfast and when their sick because its really easy to digest.

**NOTE --- This would be a great emergency, meal to have in the freezer in case you get sick or feel like something warm and healthy.  Porridge is suppose to be mushy so reheating after freezing in Microwave would be super easy!!! Or could tosh it in stove top with some additional water and recook. And its great to make for a friend coming out of surgery... I heard that Korean Newbie mom's eat a bunch of Kabocha after giving birth to reduce their swelling.