Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

(You can use any vegetables you like)

Bell pepper (red, green, yellow)

Carrots

Onion

Egg plants

Asparagus

Mushrooms

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp. Thyme Leaves

2 tsp. Rosemary Leaves

2 tsp. Basil Leaves

1 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Salt

Directions

1. Place vegetables in a baking dish. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, rosemary, basil, salt and pepper, tossing to coat well.

2. Roast in preheated 450 F oven 20 minutes or until vegetables are browned and tender.

Green bean Stir-Fry

Recipe from my Mother in law.

Ingredients

Green beans

Minced garlic

Soy sauce

Directions

Heat oil in a pan, add in minced garlic, saute for 1 minute, then add in green beans and soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes then serve. 

Chuck Roast

Ingredients

1 Chuck Roast (4-5 lb.)

1 large Onion, sliced

4 medium cloves of garlic, cut it into 8 slivers

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steak seasoning, if desired

Salt & Pepper

Any herbs you like (I use herbs de provance, which contains  rosemary, basil, thyme, sage, savory and marjoram).

Directions

1. With a sharp knife, make 8 small incisions around the roast (4 on each side). Place a sliver of garlic into each incision.

2. Spread Olive Oil all around the roast.

3. Sprinkle around the roast with salt and pepper, steak seasonings (if desired) and herbs.

4. Place the roast in a baking dish. Sprinkle sliced onion around the roast. You can add potatoes too if you like to eat with potatoes.

5. Preheat oven 500 F. Brown the roast for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 300 F, continue to roast to desired doneness. If you're using meat thermometer, cook until the inside temperature of the roast is 150 F for medium well and 160F for well done.

6. Serve with steamed or stir-fry vegetables and mashed or whole potatoes.

Asian Style Grilled Beef Ribs (Iga Panggang)

This is a really delicious Indonesian dish. One of my favorites. Recipe from one of my best friends, Anna T. Ardiansyah.

Ingredients
2 lb. beef ribs
3 kaffir lime leaves (this is very rare, I can't even find it in any asian grocery store here. You can buy online or substitute it with lemon zest)
2 short stalks of lemon grass, pounded
1 inch of fresh ginger, pounded
8 tbsp. sweet soy sauce (you can find this in asian grocery store, the one I use is called Kecap Manis, product from Indonesia)
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. oil
Spice paste:
To make spice paste, ground and blend this following ingredients
8 cloves of shallot
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp. whole coriander
2 tsp. cumin


Directions

• Place beef ribs in slow cooker, add in a little bit of water and cook undisturbed on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. If you don't have slow cooker, you can boil the ribs in a medium heat, for a couple hour or until the ribs are tender and start to come off of the bones).
• Mix spice paste and all the ingredients in a large pan. When the ribs are done, add in beef ribs and toss to coat well, let it sit for 15-30 minutes. Add in a little bit of water, cook and bring to boil or until the sauce is absorbed. 
• Remove ribs from the sauce and grill on medium-high for 3 minutes.
• Spoon sauce over the ribs and serve with steamed vegetables and fries or jasmine rice, if desired.

Szechuan Beef

Recipe from the book: McCormick 3-step Cooking With Flavor.

Ingredients

1 lb. flank steak, cut into thin strips
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/8 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup shreded carrot
1/4 cup chopped scallion
3 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. sherry or dry white wine
2 tbsp. sesame oil (I use premium sesame oil)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. Sesame Seed


Directions
1. Stir together soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, Ground Ginger, Garlic Powder, Ground Cloves and Crushed Red Pepper. Add steak, toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Heat vegetable oil in skillet or wok over high heat. When very hot, add bell pepper and carrot. Stir fry 1 minute. Remove beef from marinade, discard any remaining marinade. Add beef in skillet, stir fry for 4 minutes or until beef is just cooked. Sprinkle with scallions and Sesame Seed. Serve with white rice and Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce.

To make Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce: 
Stir together 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper and 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger until blended.

Chicken Marsala

Recipe from the book: McCormick 3-step Cooking With Flavor.

Ingredients
3 boneless chicken breasts fillet, you can thinly slice it into 6 fillets, if desired
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Oregano Leaves
3/4 cup Marsala or slightly sweet white wine
1 cup Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 tsp. Lemon Pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Parsley Flakes


Directions
1. Mix flour and Lemon Pepper on a large plate, lightly coat chicken with mixture.
2. Heat olive oil with 2 tbsp of the butter in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook about 5 minutes, turning once or until lightly colored. Remove chicken from skillet.
3. Add mushrooms and oregano to skillet, cook until mushrooms are soften. Stir in wine and lemon juice, bring to boil. Scrapping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Stir the remaining 1 tbsp butter, and cook for 2 minutes. Add Parsley Flakes and remove from heat. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with roasted vegetables.

Pepper Steak

Recipe from the book: McCormick 3-step Cooking With Flavor.

Ingredients
2 lb. top round steak, cut into thin strips
1 Package Pot Roast Seasoning Mix
¾ cup tomato juice
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips


Directions
1. Stir together Pot Roast Seasoning Mix, tomato juice, soy sauce, tomato paste, onion powder and garlic powder in a small bowl until blended.
2. Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat, add steak and cook for 2 minutes or until no longer pink. Add onion, bell pepper and seasoning mixture and bring to boil.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6 minutes or until meat is cooked through and sauce is slightly thick. Remove from heat and serve over rice, if desired. 

Grilled Herb-Mustard Chicken

Recipe from the book: McCormick 3-step Cooking With Flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. basil 
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Directions
1. Stir together oil, mustard, italian seasonings, basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.
2. Grill over medium-high heat, turning frequently, until chicken is cooked through. Serve with roasted vegetables and french fries.

Pepperoni 'N Tomato Pasta

Recipe from Taste Of Home magazine.

Ingredients
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Large Green Pepper, Chopped

1 cup sliced fresh mushroom
1 tbsp. Olive oil

2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce
2 cans (14 ½ oz. each) stewed tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. basil
½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. fennel seed, crushed
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. pepper
1 package (8 oz) sliced pepperoni, quartered
4 cups uncooked ziti or bow pasta

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Sautee onion, green pepper and mushroom in oil until tender.
2. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, bay leaves, sugar and seasonings, bring to boil. Stir in the pepperoni, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 15 mins.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions and drain. Discard the bay leaves from the sauce, stir in parmesan cheese, pour over pasta, toss to coat and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Steak with Brandy Sauce

Ingredients

Beef steaks

Gourmet Sea Salt  (or you can use regular salt)

Black Pepper

2 tbsp. butter

30 ml Brandy (You can use Rum if you don't have Brandy)

125 ml whipped cream

Directions

1. Season the steak with  salt & pepper. Melt butter in a pan and sear the steak  on a pan until both sides are lightly brown, then transfer the steak to a baking dish and bake in 375 F for 45 minutes or until desired doneness. 

2. In the same pan with the remaining melted butter and steak juice, add in the whipped cream and brandy or rum, stir bring to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the steak. 

3. Serve with potatoes and steamed vegetables.