Teriyaki chicken

I worked at a Hogi Yogi Teriyaki stixs for a total of 4 years, so I LOVE teriyaki chicken and this recipe tastes almost identical to theirs!

Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
5 TBS brown sugar
1-2 TBS honey
2 TBS cornstarch

Mix everything but the cornstarch in a pot and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch into a cup with 1/4 cup cold water, slowly pour in to boiling sauce. Stir until desired thickness is reached.

I usually make 2 batches of sauce, one to marinate the chicken in, and one to pour on top of everything. I marinate my chicken for 5-12 hours or up to a day, whenever you think about it. :) I then boil the chicken and the sauce in a pot of water for 15-20 minutes, or until your chicken is done. I servie it over brown rice and add steamed; carrots, broccoli, and water chestnuts. YUMMY!!

Southwestern egg rolls with avocado ranch

I found this recipe here and tweaked it for my family.

 First I made some egg roll wrappers from scratch.

2-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water
1/4 water

Sift flour in to bowl. In a separate bowl beat egg with salt. Stir in the 1/4 cup water, add this to the flour along with 1/4 of your ice water. Stir in as much of the ice water as you need to form a sticky dough. Knead for 5 minutes, I ended up adding more flour because it was just too sticky to work with. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Knead dough for a minute again, and cut in half. Separate each half in to 12 pieces of dough. Roll out as thin as you can get them, again I had to add more flour. I used my pasta press, which made it easier but it still takes awhile!

 This was as thin as I dared get my egg roll dough!

Filling
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice, I used cheddar because it's what I had.
1-7oz can diced green chilies, drained
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients together and fill your wrappers. I stuffed mine full!  Roll up your wrappers making sure to tuck the ends in, wet the seam and this will help keep it closed. Place on pan and spray the tops with non-stick spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes flipping once. We decided that next time I will add some shredded chicken, beef, pork, or even tuna fish.

Avocado ranch dipping sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbs buttermilk
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 green onion, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. A and B wouldn't eat the egg rolls, even though A did try them, but they LOVED the sauce! A asked if she could lick her plate off. :)

Tomato basil soup

I want to start by saying that the hubby doesn't like soup, but this one is ok. Only because he adds pieces of grilled cheese in it, he doesn't like "runny" soups. :) This one really is so yummy though, especially on a cold night.  And it's SO easy!! I found the recipe here.http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/tomato-basil-soup



4 cups canned crushed tomatoes
12 fresh basil leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick (1/4 lb) of sweet unsalted butter
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Simmer tomatoes in saucepan for 30 minutes. Blend the tomatoes with the basil in a blender. Return to saucepan and add cream, butter, salt and pepper while stirring over low heat. We eat this with grilled cheese. :)

Japanese curry

My dad served and LDS mission in Japan so I grew up eating Japanese curry and love it so much! I usually buy the prepackaged sauce mix from the grocery store, but of course had to try my hand and make it from scratch! It turned out awesome!!! I loved it so much I ate it for breakfast and lunch the next day! :) I found this recipe here.

For the Curry
2 tsp oil
2 large onions sliced thin
2 lbs chicken thighs cleaned and cut into chunks (you could also use beef, shrimp, or tofu)
2 carrots cut into chunks
4 C water
2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into large chunks
1 small apple peeled cored and pureed
1tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 C peas

for the roux3 Tbs butter
1/4 C flour
2 Tbs curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (use more if you like it spicier, though I wouldn't go over 1/2 tsp)
fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbs ketchup (or tomato paste)
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the onions. Saute the onions until they are golden brown and caramelized. Add the chicken and brown.
Add the carrots, and the water then bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or oil that accumulates at the surface then lower heat to medium and add the potatoes, pureed apple, salt and curry powder. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until you can pass a fork through the carrots and potatoes and the meat is tender.
While that's cooking start your roux. Melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and curry powder, stirring until you have a thick paste. Add the cayenne pepper and some fresh ground black pepper and incorporate into the roux. Add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and combine. Continue to cook until the paste starts crumbling. Remove from heat and set aside until the meat and veggies are ready.
To make the curry, just ladle about 2 cups of your vegetable and meat liquid into the roux then whisk until it’s smooth. Pour this mixture back into the other pot and gently stir until thickened. Add the peas and heat through. Serve over rice or noodles.

SO SO yummy!

Chicken enchilada's

I got this recipe from here and tweaked it a bit for my family. They really are the best enchiladas I have ever had!

1 medium onion chopped finely
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (the easiest way I've found to do this is the Rachel Ray way! Use a zester or small grater and just grate it.)
2 TBS chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp sugar
15 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups Monterrey jack and Cheddar cheese mix
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 tsp salt, and oil in large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar. Heat for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 435 degrees.
Add the chicken to the sauce. Reduce your heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through. Mine had to go for 30-40 minutes because it was huge! But normal sized chicken breasts should take 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl. Shred chicken and add to onions. Then add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.
Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until warm and easy to work with, 40-60 seconds. Spread 1/3 cup of chicken mixture in to each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam down in a greased 9x13 pan.
Lightly spray tops of enchilada with cooing spray. Place in the oven, uncovered for 7 minutes, or until they tortillas start to brown slightly. This will give them a bit of a crunch.
Reduce your heat to 400 degrees. Remove pan form oven and pour sauce on the top. Top with remaining cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with sour cream and salsa!

So SO yummy!! Even A and B loved them!