Onion Soup with Corn and Pasta

Knowing what to do with ingredients in the kitchen is extremely important to become a great cook at home. Knowing how to make the most of what you have on hand is a great skill to have. When you are down to a variety of random food items that seem to not go together, improvisation with those ingredients can separate you from making a delicious homemade dinner and calling for take out. For this recipe I had to improvise with my available ingredients. With them I made a onion noodle soup with some leftover corn.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of corn
pasta(any kind will do)
three onions chopped
three cloves minced
two teaspoons of thyme
teaspoon of cumin
teaspoon chili flake
tablespoon of chicken base
water
1/4 cup of soy sauce
salt
pepper
olive oil

Method:

In a soup pot  cook the chopped onions in olive oil until they become caramelized. This should take about 20 minutes. Make sure to cook them at a medium to medium low heat. Stir the onions ocassionally for even cooking. If the onions begin to stick add so water to the pot. After the onions having caramelized, add the minced garlic, cumin, thyme, chili flake, salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic and chili flake is fragrant. This should take about 2 minutes. After that add enough water to the pot to cook the pasta. Now it will start to look like onion soup. Bring the soup to a boil. When it is at a bowl add the soy sauce, chicken base, and pasta. When the pasta is almost done cooking add the corn to heat through. When serving, garnish with mint. I hope this recipe makes you excited to do some kitchen improvisation of your own. Enjoy!

Braised Chicken with Chick Peas, Eggplant and Rice

You can never have too many recipes for chicken. It is such a versatile food that the possibilities are endless when it comes to recipes for chicken. This recipe calls for braising the chicken. For this preparation, I would suggest using chicken legs or thighs. Legs and Thighs have the dark meat of the chicken that takes well to braising. chicken breast does not take well to braising because it does not have the fat content to keep it moist during the long cooking time.

Ingredients:
chicken legs
olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine
one cup of water
two teaspoons cumin
two teaspoons coriander
teaspoon cinnamon
three cloves of garlic minced
one medium onion diced
teaspoon chili flakes
teaspoon of thyme
teaspoon of basil
one can of whole chick peas that has been drained
1/2 cup of eggplant cut into quarters
salt
pepper

Method:
In a large pot, brown the chicken legs in some olive oil. When both sides of the chicken are browned, take out of the pan. Add a little bit more olive oil and saute the diced onions. Cook for three minutes and then add the garlic. Cook for about a minute. Next add the cinnamon, chili flakes, basil, coriander, cumin, and thyme. Cook until the herbs and spices are fully incorporated in the onion. Add the liquids next and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, add the chicken and simmer for about half a hour. After 30 minutes, add the eggplant. Cook the eggplant for about 10 minutes. When the eggplant is tender and done cooking, you can add the canned chick peas. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the chick peas are heated through. After about 40-50 minutes of cooking the chicken should be done. Serve with white rice and you have a delicious dinner. I hope you try this recipe and add it to your library of recipes. Enjoy!

Fried Eggplant

Eggplant is a ubiquitous item in the Israeli kitchen. From roasted eggplant in tehina to sabich. Eggplant can be found on menus everywhere. A simple preparation found at falafel stands and other restaurants is fried eggplant. The preparation is ridiculously simple. First you slice the eggplant into slices. Then you place olive oil or any neutral oil like canola oil in a frying pan. When the pan is hot add the eggplant slices. Cook until the eggplant is tender and golden brown and delicious. Salt them when they come out of the oil as they will soak up the seasoning. Serve with a variety of salads and dips to create a fantastic lunch or a light dinner. You can also serve the eggplant as a side dish for a barbecue. Cook up some kebabim or chicken kebabs and you have a great meal. It is amazingly simple to make so give it a try. Enjoy!

Tuna and Fried Eggplant Pasta

There are many ways in which you can create a simple pasta dinner. One of these ways is using whatever is on hand in your kitchen. I looked in my kitchen to see what I could throw together for a simple sauce. I had eggplant, canned tuna, and tomatoes. With these ingredients I made a simple tomato sauce with canned tuna and fried eggplant.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of eggplant, cut into fourths
cup of cherry tomatoes
one can of canned tuna
one small onion diced
two cloves of garlic minced
teaspoon of chili flakes
tablespoon of dried basil
tablespoon of dried thyme
olive oil
pasta, whatever kind you like
chopped fresh parsley
black pepper
salt
tablespoon of tomato paste
water

Method:

In a pasta pot, heat up water to boil the pasta. While the water is coming to a boil, fry the eggplant slices in olive oil. Cook until both sides are golden brown. This should take about 3 to four minutes per side. the eggplant is ready to remove when they are golden brown and a fork can go through the flesh without resistance. Set the fried eggplant aside for later use. In the same frying pan, cook the diced onion in a little bit of olive oil for about 4 to 5 minutes. After 4 to 5 minutes, the onions should be soft. Next add the garlic and the chili flake. Cook until the chili flake and garlic are fragrant which should only take about a minute or two. Next add the cherry tomatoes. Cook the cherry tomatoes for about 3 minutes or until they become soft. Add about a half cup of water to the pan and start mashing the tomatoes. This will create the basis for your sauce. When the tomatoes are fully crushed, add the tomato paste and mix to combine thoroughly. Add salt and black pepper to taste. The finishing touch for the sauce is the canned tuna which adds some protein to the dish. Make sure to drain the tuna so that none of the liquid remains. Add the tuna to the sauce and set aside while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. For serving, place the pasta and sauce in a bowl. Garnish the pasta with the fried eggplant and chopped fresh parsley. If you would like to serve the pasta with a side salad and garlic bread be my guest. This is an easy dish to make and I hope you try it soon. Enjoy!

Tuna Cakes

This is a simple recipe that is an interesting way to use canned tuna. 

Ingredients:

one can of canned tuna

one large potato mashed

one small onion diced

two cloves of garlic minced

1/4 cup of red bell pepper diced

three eggs

flour

bread crumbs

salt 

pepper

hot sauce 

oil 

Method: 

First you should cut the large potato into chunks and put in a pot of water to cook. When the potatoes are cooked, drain the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher. Next prepare the onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. In a saute pan, cook the vegetables and garlic for about 5 minutes or until they are soft. In a mixing bowl, combine the can of tuna, mashed potato, two eggs, about a cup of bread crumbs, the sauteed vegetables, garlic, teaspoon of hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Combine all the ingredients until all of the ingredients are combined. Next step you should make a frying station. In one bowl you should put some flour. In the second bowl you should whisk one egg. In the third bowl you should place the bread crumbs. To make the tuna cakes, form the mixture into a patty and place first into the flour, then the egg, and finally into the bread crumbs. When you have used all of the tuna mixture you are ready to fry them. In a frying pan with enough oil to cover about a fourth of the way up the patties you may begin to fry the tuna cakes. Fry the tuna cakes for about 3 minutes per side, or until each side is golden brown. Serve with a nice side salad and you have an easy lunch or a light dinner. Enjoy!

British Classic: Beans on Toast

With your no bake baked beans, you can use the leftovers to make a British comfort food classic. Besides fish and chips, baked beans on toast is a British classic. Beans on toast is easy to make because it takes minimal skill in the kitchen. You first warm your beans in the microwave. Then you place a piece of toast in the toaster. When both the toast and beans are ready, place the beans over the toast. There you have it, beans on toast. A simple way to enjoy your leftover beans that also evokes the British kitchen. Enjoy!

no bake baked beans

Baked Beans are a great side dish for any barbecue or cookout. I wanted to make baked beans for a barbecue my apartment was throwing, but the problem is that I have a very unreliable oven. We usually bake most of our food in our toaster oven. I created a recipe that would yield similar to baked beans without putting the beans in the oven. 

Ingredients:

dried white beans

parsley

three tomatoes chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

two onions chopped

tomato paste

a cup of brown sugar

half a cup of silan(date syrup)

salt 

pepper

canola oil 

two tablespoons of cumin

water

Method: 

You will need to soak the dried white beans for between 6 hours to a full day. Make sure to switch the water occasionally because the beans will soak up the water as they soften. After six hours or a full day of soaking, the beans are ready to cook. Chop the two onions and add them to a large pot to saute on a medium flame. When onions are soft, you can the can add the chopped tomatoes. Cook the chopped tomatoes for about 2 minutes. Next add the garlic. Cook the garlic until it becomes fragrant. After the garlic add the cumin, silan, pepper, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Make sure that everything is incorporated thoroughly When the sauce is ready, add the beans and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and then return to a simmer. Cook for about 3 hours. You will notice during the cooking that you will need to replenish the water. When you need to replenish the water, make sure to put enough water to cover. Over the three hours of cooking, the beans will let out some of their starch which will help create a thick sauce. Add salt at the end of the cook because if you add the salt at the beginning the beans might toughen. If it is not sweet enough for you, add more brown sugar. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve as a perfect side at your barbecue this summer. Enjoy!