Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

I've been breaking out my Lux Multi-Cooker more often these past few weeks, today I put it to use in slow cooker mode to make up some easy Mongolian Beef. 

I really like the multi-cooker because it has replaced my rice cooker, slow cooker and pressure cooker...i highly recommend getting a multi-cooker..be it a the Lux by Fagor or one of the very popular Instant Pots.

Here is the recipe for the Mongolian Beef

In your slow cooker add the following:

• 1 pound beef sliced across the grain (flank steak works well)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 cup shredded carrots

set you slow cooker to low for 6 hours, or high for 4
when you have 15 minutes left mix 2 Tbsp corn starch with some water in a bowl and then pour it into the slow cooker and recover for the last 15 minutes

and that's it...like I said...super simple!

Serve with rice, sliced green onions and sesame seeds

Baked General Tso's Chicken

My favorite Chinese takeout dish is General Tso's chicken, now lets lighten it up a bit and switch from fried to baked.

Here are your ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless chicken (breast or thighs) cubed
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2 cups cornflakes - crushed
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp siracha sauce
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Tbsp water

Here is the process:

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Put eggs, flour and cornflakes in separate bowls
3. dip chicken in eggs...then flour..then cornflakes, place on parchment lined sheet pan
4. Bake chicken for 13-15 minutes
5. Combine the following in a sauce pan: chicken stock, soy sauce, tomato paste, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and sugar
6. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat
7. Mix corn starch and water in a small dish and whisk into the sauce pan
8. Cook for a minute to thicken sauce.
9. Put cooked chicken pieces into a large bowl and pour sauce over, toss to coat the chicken
10. Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

Honey Soy Glaze

Here is a nice quick glaze for pork or chicken

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove

Mix all in a bowl and brush and its ready to brush onto your pork/chicken

Pane Bianco

I recently received an email from King Arthur Flour announcing their new monthly Bakealong Challenge series...so each month they release a new recipe and encourage everyone to try it out and post their results.  The first entry is Pane Bianco (italian for White Bread)...In place of the sun dried tomatoes i roasted some cherry tomatoes from the garden with a little balsamic vinegar and the rest follows the recipe as provided.  I do enjoy baking, and nothing makes the house smell better than bread in the oven...I made two loaves today...one was split between some neighbors and another went to my parents to go with a lasagna dinner.  I asked my little taste tester next door if he liked it and he said no..he loved it, so if it gets his stamp of approval you know it has to be good.

I look forward to what they have in store for next month.  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/bakealong/

4 types of cherry tomatoes with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

All dough ingredients go into the mixer at the same time....

letting the gluten rest a bit before rolling it out.....

rolled out to the proper dimensions....

add the fillings....

roll, seal, slice, fold.....

and success!!!

Arancini

Part 2.....

So I finally got around to getting the pictures off my old phone!

This will probably be my shortest post, because if you have leftover risotto turning it into arancini is a really simple process.  What you end up with is a classic Sicilian street food.

Here is what you need to do...

Take the cold risotto and scoop it out into balls

Grab 2 bowls...in the first beat up a few eggs and in the second add some bread crumbs

Next, roll the risotto balls in the egg, then roll in the bread crumbs

Put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool

While they are cooling heat up some oil...either in a dutch oven or a deep fryer to 375.

Drop the risotto balls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown

Place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt

Now all that's left to do is eat them!

Risotto

This will be part 1 of 3 posts...each leading into the other

I recently picked up a Fagor Lux Multi-cooker which I will discuss more about in part 3.  The first dish I prepared with the Multi-cooker is a risotto which takes roughly 12 minutes

8 ingredients is all that stands between you and a nice creamy risotto

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot diced

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced parsley

When using the Multi-cooker you just use the saute setting to brown the rice and onion, then toss the rest of the ingredients in the pot, lock the lid, set the timer and walk away for 7 minutes, once it's done you open the lid, stir in the cheese and parsley and you are done!

In part 2....I will cover Arancini 

Homemade Hamburger Helper

I'm always checking out recipes for homemade versions of the boxed and processed meals that come from the grocery store that are easy to make and use real food ingredients!  I'm sure almost everyone at one time or another has had Hamburger Helper...the most popular and my favorite was always the Cheeseburger Macaroni.  So here is a good tasting version that takes about the same amount of time to make the boxed counterpart.

12 ingredients is all you need....the milk didn't show up for the photo op!

Brown the beef...

Add Milk, spices and dried pasta....

Cover and simmer until pasta is tender....

All that is left to do is eat!!

Here is what you'll need

• 1 pound lean ground beef (93/7 works well)
• 1/2 of a small onion diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayeene (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups uncooked large elbow macaroni
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese (not pre-shredded)

And this is how you make it all come together...

• Large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, brown the beef, onion, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Add the milk, beef broth, macaroni and tomato sauce and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover until pasta is tender...usually about 10-12 minutes (be sure to stir is occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan)
• Stir in the shredded cheese until melted