Fried Love!

I am in love with this new recipe, and I am not alone. It is a copycat recipe of The Cheesecake Factory's Avocado Roll appetizer. Mmmm, so good, kind of fattening (but mostly good fats!), wonderful.

dipping sauce

• 3-4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp (can substitute lemon juice with a little brown sugar)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 pinch powdered saffron (I did it without)
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green onions
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil

egg rolls

• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 egg roll wraps
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Stir together vinegars, tamarind, honey, and saffron in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute.
2. Stir until tamarind is dissolved.
3. In a blender, Puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin.
4. Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil.
5. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.
7. Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.
8. Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling.
9. Brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg, roll up from side to side, fold top corner over all and press to seal.
10. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
11. Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
12. Drain on brown paper bags.
13. Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and serve with prepared dipping sauce!
14. ENJOY!

February Menu

Hooray, I figured out a few more lunches than last time.

3-wed-Br:Donuts (A result of Audrey's persuasion)
Lun: Sandwiches
Din: Shrimp Linguine
4-thur-Br:Bagels
Lun:
Din:Southwest Chicken Salad
5-fri- Br:Egg breakfast sandwiches
Lun:Antipasti salad
Din:Rumbi bowls
6-sat- Br:Japanese style crepes
Lun:leftovers
Din:Spicy chicken and celery
7-sun- Br:Bagels & yogurt
Lun:
Din: Avocado egg rolls
8-mon-Br: Fruit & yogurt
Lun:
Din:Zucchini bake
9-tues-Br: Angeleah's Breakfast Bars
Lun:
Din:Taco soup/dip
10-wed-Br:Blueberry pancakes w/ added flaxseed
Lun:Chef salad
Din:Stuffed pasta shells
11-thur-Br: Breakfast bars
Lun:
Din:Double decker tacos
12-fri-Br: Smoothies
Lun:macaroni & cheese
Din: Shepherds pie
13-sat-Br: Huevos Rancheros
Lun:Grilled cheese & soup
Din: Valentine Party...yeah, I don't have to cook
14-sun-Br: Bagels
Lun: burritos
Din: Pressure cooker chicken and veggies

Szechuan Steak

We love this one. One word of advice though, cut and prepare everything before you start stir frying, because once you start it goes really fast.

1 lb steak (any kind) sliced thin, 1-2" long pieces
8 oz fresh sugar snap peas
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup cilantro chopped
2 Tbs dry roasted peanuts chopped

Heat oil in skillet (med-high heat). Add peas and stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove and put aside on a plate. Add beef, garlic, and pepper to skillet. Stir fry until meat is brown. Combine soy, water, sugar, and starch in a bowl. Return peas to skillet and toss with meat. Add soy mixture and stir fry until thick. Remove from heat and serve over steamed rice. Top with cilantro and peanuts.

Homemade pasta

2 1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 c water
1 tsp cooking oil or olive oil

1)In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. In a small bowl combine eggs, water, and oil. Add to dry mixture; mix well.

2) Sprinkle counter top with flour. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 8 min). Cover and let dough rest for 10 min.

3) Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 12-inch square (about 1/16 inch thick--or use a pasta roller). Let stand 20 min (you can skip this, but your noodles will turn out thicker and squiggly).

4) cut as desired. I used a pizza cutter and just cut thin strips.

Johnson Chicken Salad

As requested. Sorry for the vague amounts -- we add most ingredients to taste. Or whim.

3 lbs cooked, cubed (or shredded) chicken
1/2 of a 32 oz jar Best Foods Light Mayo - 2 cups?
juice of 5 or 6 limes (I like less lime, but Matt swears by this)
1/2 to 3/4 bunch finely chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (sometimes we do more since it's a good filler)
2ish Tbs sugar
garlic salt to taste - start with a teaspoon
green tabasco to taste - just a couple of shakes, or you could omit this

Mix and let flavors blend overnight for the best taste. Just before serving, add:

halved red grapes
cashew halves or pieces

Again, we don't measure the grapes or cashews. Just add as many or as few as you want. Enjoy!

Cheese Fondue

(Patti's Recipe)...I think all the recipes people want came from her :)
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup milk

blend and put in a bowl

Add cheese and salt
2 cups shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Microwave bowl until hot and creamy. Then put in a fondue pot (or crock pot) on low to keep warm.
Serve with: French bread, broccoli, pasta (we like penne), cooked baby carrots, cauliflower...