Monday 30 April 2018

Greek Chickpea Chicken Salad

Ambitious Kitchen
Greek Chickpea Chicken Salad

Healthy Greek Chickpea Chicken Salad loaded with chickpeas, grilled chicken, feta, kalamata olives, red onion, tomato and a homemade light greek dressing. This light and simple salad includes mediterranean flavors that infuse beautifully together. Toss it all together in a bowl, layer in a mason jar or put in meal prep containers for the week! [...]

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Cookie and Kate
Loaded Veggie Nachos

loaded vegetable nachos recipe

Are you enjoying these Mexican-ish recipes as much as I am? I could really eat fresh Mexican food all day, every day.

I’m sharing these fully loaded veggie nachos with you today, to serve at Cinco de Mayo or your next get-together, or to appease your weeknight nacho craving (been there, often).

nacho ingredients

My ideal nachos are topped with golden, bubbling cheese, not drizzled with nacho cheese sauce that often goes cold in three minutes. I prefer a mix of cheddar, for max flavor and golden edges, and Monterey Jack, for its more melty, creamy texture.

I like to layer in beans for extra protein and fiber, and pinto beans are perfect for that. They’re creamy and hefty enough not to dry out in the oven like black beans do, as long as you layer them underneath the cheese. You could spread refried beans on each chip instead, but I feel like making nachos should be more throw-together than tedious. Right?

Continue to the recipe...

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A Sweet Pea Chef
Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Need a reset?  This tasty, detox Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing is packed with fiber, protein, and lots of healthy goodness – a real treat for lunch or dinner!

Quinoa and Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette | This tasty, detox Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is packed with fiber, protein, and lots of healthy goodness – a real treat for lunch or dinner!| A Sweet Pea Chef

A few years ago, we went to California for a few weeks to enjoy the beach, hit up Disneyland for the kiddos, and just enjoy one of our most beloved places to visit.

One of our favorite things to do — on trips and in general — is to find new restaurants to try and test them out.

There’s just something about being on a trip that makes it feel like you can put more effort into trying new things, at least it feels that way for us.  Is it that way for you, too?

Bowls of cooked quinoa, brown lentils, and lemon vinaigrette to be used in quinoa lentil salad recipe : Close up of cooked lentils in glass bowl, ready to be used to make quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing

On one of our first days after arriving in Los Angeles, we met some good friends in Laguna Beach <— LOVE BTW.  They suggested we meet at this place called Active Culture that is a mix between vegan bowls and frozen yogurt.  It’s a small little cafe on the corner of the main street and is right by Laguna Beach’s breathtaking ocean.

That was definitely a good call.

I ordered the Quinoa and Lentil Bowl and anxiously awaited it. We had just traveled for 2 1/2 days with the kiddos in the car across the country so I was very much excited to get some healthy FRESH food.

Lemon vinaigrette dressing poured over quinoa lentil salad High angle photo of quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette, can see the kale, tomatoes, quinoa, garbanzo beans, and lentils, topped with sunflower seeds.

When my salad bowl came out, it was piled high to the sky.  I made a comment like, “Wow, that’s a lot of food – I’ll never finish this.”

To which I immediately regretted saying because that pretty much guaranteed I’d be licking the bottom of the bowl after devouring it.

So I took a bite.  And another one.  And several more.  It was SO good.

The flavors were vibrant and complimentary.  It was crunchy, chewy, and tender, all at the same time.  The kick of the lemon vinaigrette was amazing and really made everything pop.

It was everything I wanted.

Close up of quinoa lentil salad in a serving bowl with lemon vinaigrette in the background.

We wound up driving back out to Laguna Niguel a second time on our trip to grab another salad for me so I could take note of everything in the salad to recreate it later.  And to see that amazing ocean.  Swoon.

Once we got back home to Austin, I took a shot at it and made a very comparable salad that is so easy to make at home.  Yay.  While it’s not the exact same because it doesn’t have the original “slammin’ sauce” like the original, it is still incredibly yummy and like detox in a bowl.  I’ve made it a ton already and it never gets old.

Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Is Quinoa Good for You?

Quinoa is an amazingly healthy addition to this salad because it is packed full of yummy goodness, like protein, fiber, vitamins, and all nine essential amino acids, which most other grains lack. Combined with leafy greens and iron-and-magnesium-rich lentils, this quinoa lentil salad is seriously one of my favorite things to eat right now.  It’s so tasty, filling, and good for you.

What To Season Quinoa With

Just like with most grains, quinoa can taste quite bland without the right seasonings. That’s where this recipe comes in, which shows you how to make a lemon vinaigrette that goes great with the textures in this salad.

Serving bowl of quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing, ready to be enjoyed by a hand with a fork, taking a bite.

How To Make A Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Can we please talk about this lemon vinaigrette dressing?  Tangy, versatile, and so easy to make, it is JUST what you need to make all those grains and veggies pop.  All you need is a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, raw honey, Dijon mustard, sea salt, ground black pepper, and olive oil.  It’s salad making gold.

I like to make this quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette in bulk so I can grab it as a lunch or side to a dinner.  It’s packed full of protein, fiber, and other yummy healthy goodness and one of my favorite things to devour, especially when I’m feeling like I need a detox.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

P.S. If you can’t get enough lentils, you can also check out my yummy Cold Lentil Salad, too! 🙂

Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This tasty, detox Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is packed with fiber, protein, and lots of healthy goodness – a real treat for lunch or dinner!

For the Quinoa Lentil Salad 1/2 cup cooked quinoa* 1/2 cup cooked lentils** 1/4 cup kale, (packed) 1/4 cup cooked garbanzo beans, (drained and rinsed) 1/4 cup cucumber, (peeled and diced) 1/4 cup carrot, (1/2 carrot, diced) 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, (quartered) 1 tbsp red onion, (finely diced) 1/2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds For the Lemon Vinaigrette 1/2 tsp lemon zest 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tsp raw honey 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/8 tsp ground black pepper 3 tbsp olive oil
If cooking the quinoa and lentils, see notes for how to cook. To prep the kale, remove the leaves from the spine and then break the kale into bite size pieces. Toss the kale with a little olive oil and rub all over the kale, massaging it until the kale reduces in volume and becomes less stiff. (This makes a huge difference in the texture of the kale.) To make the lemon vinaigrette, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, raw honey, dijon mustard, sea salt, ground black pepper, and olive oil in a small mixing bowl, and whisk together until well combined. To assemble the salad, combine the cooked quinoa, cooked lentils, kale, garbanzo beans, diced cucumber, diced carrot, quartered grape tomatoes, finely diced red onion, and raw sunflower seeds in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Drizzle over a few tablespoons of the lemon vinaigrette, and toss once more. For garnish, sprinkle a few more sunflower seeds over the top.

*To cook the quinoa, combine 1 cup uncooked quinoa with 2 cups water, bring to boil, then simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Once all the water is absorbed, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool as well.
**To cook the lentils, combine 1 cup dry lentils with 3 cups water, bring to boil, then simmer, covered for 30 minutes until tender. Once they’re cooked drain and set aside to cool.
***Cook time does not include cooked lentils or quinoa. Add 35 minutes if cooking.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

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Celebrate! 9 European Festivals Worth Traveling For


By Unknown Author from NYT Travel https://ift.tt/2rbRUYy

See the Sights in the Southwest and California Like a Rock Star


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Sunday 29 April 2018

Best BBQ Chicken Pizza

A Sweet Pea Chef
Best BBQ Chicken Pizza
Best BBQ Chicken Pizza

Combine a whole wheat pizza crust, homemade clean BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, sliced red onions, and fresh cilantro for the Best BBQ Chicken Pizza ever! This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.

Best BBQ Chicken Pizza | Combine whole wheat pizza crust, homemade clean BBQ sauce, seasoned chicken, and fresh red onions and cilantro for the Best BBQ Chicken Pizza ever! | A Sweet Pea Chef

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t like pizza?

Is there…really? If so, I’ve certainly never met that person.

Pizza is simply the best. There are so many different styles, from Neapolitan, thin-crusted, deep dish, and so on.  I love that, when it comes to toppings, you can put WHATEVER you want: meats, veggies, fruits, seafood… and your favorite cheese and sauce!

By now, you probably already know that I love combining two (or more) of my favorite things into one flavorful combo. Duh.

Ingredient needed to make homemade whole wheat pizza crust for the best bbq chicken pizza, which include whole wheat pastry flour, olive oil, baking powder, sea salt, and water. Mixing bowl with the whole wheat pizza crust being formed for the best bbq chicken pizza, ready to be kneaded and then baked.

So, I decided to give it a go one more time.  What better way to do it than to experiment with pizza toppings, right?

I’ve always really liked the combo of chicken and barbecue sauce so I figured I’d try it out on my own homemade pizza recipe and make a barbecue chicken pizza using homemade clean barbecue sauce.  Problem with most store-bought barbecue sauces is they all have TONS of sugar and unnecessary processed ingredients — I’m looking at you, high fructose corn syrup.  Sigh.

Brushing the whole wheat pizza crust with olive oil to then bake for the best bbq chicken pizza. Overhead view of a sauce pan with spoon stirring the homemade clean bbq sauce for the best bbq chicken pizza recipe.

Is Pizza Crust Bad For You?

It’s probably not a surprise that the most unhealthy part of most pizzas is the crust.  That’s because most pizza crust is made from refined flour so you’re really just eating a bunch of highly refined, low protein, low fiber, high carb flour.  No thanks.

Now, you could make your own cauliflower crust if you’d like, but I also love a wheat crust.  I made this super simple whole wheat pizza crust using Bob’s Red Mill’s Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.  More on this later in this post!

The toppings ready to be added to the whole wheat pizza crust for the best bbq chicken pizza, which include clean barbecue sauce, sliced red onion, fresh mozzarella, and shredded chicken. Side view of the best bbq chicken pizza on the pizza stone, ready to be baked in the oven.

Guys, this homemade pizza crust is redonk easy — it just takes about 15 minutes to prep and doesn’t require any yeast.  Just add all the ingredients together and bake to pizza crust perfection.

I said all of that to now say this: Get ready for the best BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe everrrr!

What Goes on a BBQ Chicken Pizza?

Looking for what the heck goes on a BBQ chicken pizza?  The answer is quite simple, really.  Let’s go over the pieces:

Your favorite BBQ sauce (thank me later for the homemade clean BBQ sauce in this recipe) <– seriously this is seriously the best BBQ sauce for a BBQ chicken pizza Chicken (I like mine shredded, but any chicken will do) Cheese (you can make a combo of two (or more) different types of cheese, but I prefer just fresh mozzarella – if going non-dairy, you can leave the cheese out easily) Thinly sliced red onions (for texture, flavor, and color) Chopped cilantro (for a little bit of freshness)

If you want to spice things up a bit, add some jalapeños as well!

Overhead view of the best bbq chicken pizza which is now baked and topped with fresh cilantro. Slicing the best bbq chicken pizza with a pizza cutter.

How To Make Healthy Pizza Crust

To make a healthy pizza crust, you can make it out of cauliflower rice like this cauliflower pizza crust or you can choose higher nutrient value flour, like whole wheat pastry flour.

Whole wheat pastry flour is high in fiber, unrefined, and has a lighter texture than whole wheat flour so it’s perfect for this pizza crust.  Plus there’s no need to use yeast with this easy pizza crust recipe so you can make it within less than 20 minutes – no excuses!  You can grab a bag and see for yourself here.

The best bbq chicken pizza is sliced and ready to eat and is next to a bag of whole wheat pastry flour.

Do You Have to Cook Chicken Before Putting it on a Pizza?

I strongly recommend you cook your meats before putting them on the pizza. The time the pizza is in the oven isn’t typically enough time for the chicken to become fully cooked on its own so it’s a good idea to cook it through before adding it to the pizza.  This also avoids cross contamination of raw meat with the other ingredients.  I season and cook my chicken and then shred it before adding to the BBQ chicken pizza – it doesn’t taste tough at all and works perfectly on this pizza.

Hand grabbing a slice of the best bbq chicken pizza, which is topped with shredded chicken, fresh mozzarella, homemade clean bbq sauce, sliced red onions, and fresh cilantro.

What’s The Best Cheese For BBQ Chicken Pizza?

Your favorite one, of course! Duh.  That’s the whole point of making your own pizza, right?

If you’re looking for the common cheese options for BBQ chicken pizza, one is always gonna be mozzarella. Mozzarella is the perfect cheese for pizza. Its high water content allows the proteins to break apart in the short amount while the pizza is cooking which results in stretchy, gooey deliciousness that we all love so much. Mozzarella melts, bubbles and browns better than any other cheese out there and adding it on top of your pizza is a must. P.S. Have you tried fresh mozzarella – try it and you’ll never go back to the other stuff.  It’s amazingly good.

If you’d like to mix the mozzarella with a different cheese, you could also try cheddar to give your homemade pizza a tasty kick.

Best BBQ Chicken Pizza

Best BBQ Chicken Pizza

Combine whole wheat pizza crust, homemade clean BBQ sauce, seasoned chicken, sliced red onions, and fresh cilantro for the Best BBQ Chicken Pizza ever!

For the Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Crust: 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp sea salt 1 cup water 1 tbsp olive oil For the Clean Barbecue Sauce: 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, (minced) 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1/2 tsp granulated onion 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 tbsp molasses 1 1/2 tbsp raw honey 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper For the Best BBQ Chicken Pizza: 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast ((1 large chicken breast)) 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/2 red onion, (thinly sliced) 2 tbsp olive oil, (to coat the dough) 6 oz fresh mozzarella, (grated/chopped/sliced) 1/4 cup cilantro, (chopped (optional))
Line either a baking sheet or prep your pizza stone and start pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder and sea salt, and whisk together until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, combine water and olive oil in and stir to combine. Slowly add water mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to incorporate.

Slowly mix together until a dough forms. The dough should be soft, but not sticky.  You can add a little more water if it’s too dry, a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too sticky, just add a little more flour.

Once the dough has formed into a ball, knead the dough for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out into a large circle using a rolling pin, and then place onto your prepared baking dish or pizza stone. 

Lightly brush the dough with olive oil, and then transfer it to the oven for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned. While the crust is in the oven, we can prep our chicken and bbq sauce.

To cook the chicken, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet and add the boneless, skinless chicken breasts,

Season the chicken breasts with a little sea salt, ground black pepper, and granulated garlic. Cook the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side, until cooked through and browned on both sides. Then, remove from heat and shred into small, bite-size pieces. Then, set aside.

To make our homemade BBQ sauce, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauce pan and then add a couple cloves of minced garlic. Cook for one minute, until the garlic is fragrant, then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, molasses, raw honey, apple cider vinegar, granulated onion, sea salt, and black pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until heated through.

To assemble our bbq chicken pizza, spread out our homemade bbq sauce over the pre-baked whole wheat pizza crust, leaving about 1/2 an inch for the outer crust. Then, add our shredded chicken breast, followed by shredded fresh mozzarella cheese, and thinly sliced red onion.

Place back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown, and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with fresh chopped cilantro, slice, and serve.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.  This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.

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Ambitious Kitchen
54 Seasonal Recipes to Make in May

I see you, May! I feel like May is the turning point in Spring where we can start talking about Summer. Yes, I’m currently getting my summery beach fix in Cabo this week, but I’m already pumped for all things Chicago summer. Morning walks, bike rides by the lakefront, cute patios on every corner – [...]

The post 54 Seasonal Recipes to Make in May appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.

Kitsune Udon きつねうどん

Kitsune Udon is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth, topped with seasoned fried tofu, narutomaki fish cake, and scallions.  This hearty Udon soup is one of the most popular, classic Japanese noodle dishes.

A dark bowl containing udon noodles in dashi broth topped with deep fried tofu, fish cake, green onion, and sprinkle of shichimi togarashi on the table.

Whether you feel under the weather or just really cold from the weather, I can’t recommend enough cooking this bowl of hot Kitsune Udon (Noodle Soup) (きつねうどん).

The rich broth, the chewy noodles, the fried tofu – everything just comes together so nicely in the bowl that you just want to hold your face above it and let the aroma envelop you.  It’s the ultimate Japanese comfort dish.  And it’s quick to make, so there is no excuse not to try it!

Watch How to Make Kitsune Udon

Kitsune Udon is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth, topped with seasoned fried tofu, narutomaki fish cake, and scallions. This hearty Udon soup is one of the most popular, classic Japanese noodle dishes.

What is Kitsune Udon?

Kitsune literary means ‘fox’ in Japanese.  Why do we call the dish – fox udon?  There are a few theories about the origin of the name.

One theory says aburaage (deep fried tofu pouch) often appears as a fox’s favorite food in some old Japanese folktales, so people started to call the udon noodle soup topped with aburaage as “kitsune udon.”

Another theory is that people call aburaage by “kitsune” because the color of the deep fried tofu pouch is just like the color of a fox.  I think this makes the most sense since in Japanese cooking, we express “golden brown color” by saying “cook till fox color”.

So what is kitsune udon?  The noodle soup consists of chewy thick udon noodles, clear dashi broth, and aburaage seasoned well with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.  Kitsune udon is served as a hot noodle soup, but in the steamy summer months, it is also served chilled with a little bit of dashi based sauce poured over the top.

A dark bowl containing udon noodles in dashi broth topped with deep fried tofu, fish cake, green onion, and sprinkle of shichimi togarashi on the table.

3 Key Ingredients for Kitsune Udon

To make the perfect bowl of kitsune udon, you need high quality ingredients, starting with these three – dashi, udon, and aburaage.

dash in the measuring cup with different type of dash stock ingredient on the back.

1. Dashi Broth

I can’t stress enough about having a good quality dashi.  The dashi broth gives the dish that rich, umami flavor that will have you sipping up the last drops.
Dashi is so important, which is why I have previously shared three ways to make dashi – using dashi powder or a dashi packet, and making dashi from scratch.

For this kitsune udon recipe, I only recommend making dashi using a dashi packet or making it from scratch.  Making it with dashi powder doesn’t have the depth needed to make a flavorful enough broth for this dish.  Please don’t get intimidated with making dashi from scratch since it doesn’t take a lot of time compared to using dashi powder.  Spend the extra 20 minutes to make a super tasty broth – trust me, it’s worth your time, and it’s easy to make!

I recommend making awase dashi (kombu + katsuobushi/bonito flakes) or katsuo dashi (just bonito flakes) for udon noodle soup broth.

For vegetarian/vegan dashi, please continue reading below.

sanuki udon in the packages on the wooden table.

2. Udon Noodles

Udon noodles are getting very popular outside of Japan, so you can easily purchase the noodles in regular grocery stores in the U.S.

However, if your local Japanese or Asian grocery stores carry frozen udon noodles, or packaged udon noodles that say “Sanuki”, try one of those options.  They are more chewy, and won’t easily break into pieces, unlike refrigerated udon noodles that fall apart and just don’t have the right texture.

Inari Age | JustOneCookbook.com

3. Packaged vs. Homemade Aburaage

Living abroad (outside of Japan), it’s interesting to realize that raw ingredients can be harder to find than prepackaged foods.

In this case, I’m talking about the aburaage (deep fried tofu pouch) and prepackaged inariage (seasoned aburaage shown below).  You can easily find inariage – packaged or canned – because we use inariage to make Inari Sushi/Inarizushi.

Packaged Inari Age on the wooden table.

If you are the lucky one who can find aburaage, try making Homemade Inariage to top your udon noodle soup!

Kombu Dashi in the white bowl and Kombu on the wooden table.

Vegetarian/Vegan-Friendly Kitsune Udon

There is a misconception that dashi is not vegetarian/vegan; however, that’s not completely true.  Most well-known dashi are made with bonito flakes and kombu, but in our daily Japanese cooking we also use Kombu Dashi, which is 100% vegetarian/vegan.

To make vegetarian/vegan kitsune udon, make kombu dashi and skip those spiral fish cakes as garnish.  And as simple as that, you have vegetarian/vegan kitsune udon!

A dark bowl containing udon noodles in dashi broth topped with deep fried tofu, fish cake, green onion, and sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.

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Kitsune Udon

  • 2 pkgs Udon noodles ((I like sanuki udon, see Notes))

Dashi:

  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 1 kombu (dried kelp) ((2" x 5" or 5 cm x 12 cm))
  • 1 ½ cups katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) ((15 g = .5 oz) (skip if vegetarian/vegan))

Noodle Soup:

  • 1 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp usukuchi Soy Sauce (light color) ((or regular soy sauce))
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt

Toppings:

  • 4 Inariage (seasoned fried tofu pouch) ((See Notes for homemade recipe))
  • Narutomaki (fish cakes) ((skip for vegetarian/vegan))
  • 1 green onion/scallion
  • Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice)
  1. Gather all the ingredients.

Make Dashi

  1. Put the kombu and 2 ½ cup water in a measuring cup for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, soak for 3 hours or up to half day. Kombu’s flavor comes out naturally from soaking in water. If you don’t have time at all, skip soaking.

  2. Transfer kombu and water to a saucepan.  Slowly bring to a boil over medium low heat. 

  3. Just before boiling (you will see bubbles around the edges of the pan), remove the kombu. If you leave the kombu inside, the dashi will become slimy and bitter. Now this broth is Kombu Dashi (vegetarian/vegan). Add 1 ½ cups katsuobushi and bring it to a boil again. 

  4. Once the dashi is boiling, reduce the heat, simmer for just 15 seconds, and turn off the heat.  Let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Strain the dashi through a fine mesh sieve set over a saucepan.

Make Udon Soup

  1. In the saucepan that already has dashi, add 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and ½ tsp kosher salt and bring to boil.  Once boiling, turn off the heat and set aside.

Prepare Toppings

  1. Squeeze excess liquid from the inariage (or you can keep it as it is).  Cut the green onion into thin slices.  Slice the Narutomaki fish cake into 1/8 inch (3 mm).

Prepare Udon Noodles

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for udon noodles.  When everything is ready, start cooking udon noodles.  Frozen udon noodles (my favorite kind) takes only 1 minute from putting into boiling water.  If you use dry noodles, follow the package instructions.  Heat up the noodle soup.

  2. Pick up the noodles in a strainer or drain hot water.  Make sure to remove excess water (which will end up diluting your soup).

Assemble

  1. Serve udon noodles and soup in serving bowls and top with inariage, narutomaki, green onion and sprinkles of shichimi togarashi.

Dashi: It’s really important to have good flavorful dashi for this recipe.  Although you can make dashi easily with dashi powder or dashi packet, I encourage you to make your own dashi because the broth tastes so much better and it only takes less than 30 minutes to make.  For vegetarian/vegan, please use Kombu Dashi.

 

Udon noodles: You can use any kind of udon, but I like frozen sanuki udon from Asian/Japanese supermarkets. If you use frozen udon, you don’t have to defrost prior to cooking.

 

Inariage: Homemade inariage recipe, click here.

 

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on May 25, 2011. Pictures were updated in November 2017.  The new video was added in April 2018.

The post Kitsune Udon きつねうどん appeared first on Just One Cookbook.

Tanda-Tanda Perempuan Sudah Hilang Dara Sebelum Kahwin


Disini ingin dikongsikan beberapa tanda seorang perempuan atau anak gadis yang sudah pun kehilangan dara. Sememangnya dara amat penting untuk menentukan kesucian wanita.

Tanda-tanda perempuan sudah hilang dara ?

1. DAHI

Gadis yang masih suci, dahinya licin. Bila selalu melakukan hubungan seksual, licinnya hilang, malah yang timbul kedutan (garis2) yang kadangkala nampak kadangkala tidak ketika sedang bercakap. Kedutan kerana sudah tidak suci, tidak sama dengan kedutan wajah yang disebabkan faktor usia. Kedutan suci yang telah hilang, tidak begitu ketara dan tidak begitu nampak, kecuali ketika muka menunjukkan reaksi tertentu seperti sedang ketawa dan bercakap, manakala kedutan disebabkan faktor usia sentiasa nampak jelas dan kekal.

2 HIDUNG

Gadis yang masih suci atau tubuhnya belum disentuh oleh lelaki, hujung hidungnya berwarna kemerah-merahan, jika disentuh hujung hidungnya nampak merah. Gadis yang tidak suci hujung hidungnya merah tetapi merah pucat, terkadang warna merah tidak nampak, yang nampak hanyalah pucat. kalau tak percaya, cuba lihat hujung hidung anak gadis, merahkan.? Bagi lelaki yang suka merosakkan kesucian wanita, hidungnya berbelang, oleh karena itu disebut lelaki hidung belang. Wallahualam..

3. MATA

Dari mana datangnya cinta? Dari mata turun ke hati….. Kita menggunakan mata untuk memandang dan melihat seseorang, cantik ke, seksi ke, menghairahkan ke, dan lain-lain. Selalunya kita memandang wanita cantik hanya dibahagian luar saja, tapi bahagian dalamnya sudah rosak, untuk mengetahui wanita itu masih suci atau tidak, cubalah tengok matanya. Bila bahagian bawah kelopak terlipat sedikit dan terdapat tanda lebam bererti gadis itu sudah tidak suci lagi, mungkin sudah bersuami. lebam yang menunjukkan tidak suci nampak seperti garis-garis hitam di bawah kelopak mata di samping warna hitam di bawah kelopak mata sedikit kelihatan berkedut (berkeriput).


4. BUAH DADA

Peranan buah dada memang banyak, bukan sekadar menggoda nafsu lelaki saja, tapi buah dada sebagai bukti bahawa gadis itu pernah disentuh atau tidak. Buah dada gadis yang belum pernah disentuh, sentiasa tegang. Tetapi kalau sudah kena sentuhan, buah dada itu tegangnya berkurang dan membesar sedikit daripada ukuran asalnya, lebih kerap disentuh, lebih kendur. Perhatikan gadis ketika berjalan atau berlari, bergerak-gerak dan melambung jatuh (ke bawah) dan berbuai sekali bererti ketegangan sudah hilang. Kalau belum pernah kena sentuhan, walaupun buah dada berbuai disaat berlari tetapi buaiannya tidak terlalu melambung-lambung bererti ketegangan masih ada.

Puting buah dada yang pernah kena sentuhan menjadi panjang dan terjojol (keluar) sedikit dari tempat persembunyiannya. Buah dada yang selalu kena ramas akan menjadi lebih besar, dan jangan menuduh gadis yang berbuah dada besar itu kena ramas. Sebab, buah dada yang besar kena ramas dan yang besar kerana faktor semulajadi (alami) memang berbeza.

5. GARIS TAPAK TANGAN

Gadis yang berkulit tebal dan kasar, cuba perhatikan kedua tapak tangannya, jikalau retak (pecah urat, urat-urat yang menyerupai retak), bukan kerana disebabkan tidak tahan bahan pencuci yang mengandung kimia (alergiC), bererti gadis itu sudah hilang kesuciannya. Gadis yang masih suci, kedua tapak tangannya halus dan licin. Jika kesuciannya telah hilang, kedua tapak tangannya ketika di tekan warnanya pucat tidak merah, jika dipicit terus ia menganjal balik. Satu cara lagi, cuba perhatikan tapak tangan kanan, jika ada garis putus-putus dibahagian tengah bererti kesuciannya telah hilang, bila tidak terputus-putus bererti ada harapan kesuciannya belum hilang. setelah melihat tapak tangan yang kanan, cuba genggam ibu jari tangannya sekejap kira-kira satu minit. bila disaat mengenggam terasa panas (hangat) dan ibu jarinya merah ketika dilepaskan, bererti ada harapan masih suci. Perhatikan pula ibu jarinya, bila nampak pucat sangat walaupun ada rasa panas (hangat) bererti kemungkinan besar kesuciannya sudah diserahkan pada lelaki lain.

Cuba pegang erat jari kelingkingnya kira-kira satu minit, kemudian lepaskan. tanyalah bagaimana rasanya ketika dipegang erat dan dilepaskan? Kalau ia menjawab tak ada rasa, mintalah maaf sajalah, kemungkinan ia sudah tidak suci lagi. Tetapi kalau ia menjawab ada rasa rangsangan, jantungnya berdebar-debar atau ada rasa sakit seperti berdenyut-denyut. nampaknya masih suci. (Yang menguji adalah orang laki-laki) ..(Pakai Sarung tangan.. aurat nak kena jaga ( ^_^ )

6. JARI TAPAK TANGAN

Dengan jari-jari lah lelaki suka memegang dan menggoda perempuan. perempuan juga begitu. jari-jari adalah kawasan yang paling mudah untuk mengetahui gadis yang suci atau tidak. Caranya cukup mudah. terlebih dahulu berjabat tangan, ketika berjabat tangan ramas-ramaslah tangannya, kalau lelaki bukan mahramnya boleh memegang tangan seorang gadis, itu menunjukkan dara kecil dibahagian tangannya sudah ternodai. Apabila tangan dan jari-jari gadis itu boleh di ramas-ramas bererti peluang untuk memegang tempat-tempat yang lain sudah terbuka luas. Cuba jari-jari gadis itu di belai-belai dan di ramas-ramas dengan lembut, bagaimana perasaan gadis itu?

Sentuhan lelaki dijarinya memang memberi satu rasa yang nikmat dan berahi yang tersendiri. Sentuhan tangan sentuhan ajaib, dari tanganlah akan menjalar ke daerah-daerah yang lain. Sentuhan tangan memang syahdu, kalau tak percaya cubalah betapa bahagianya berjalan sambil berpegangan tangan. Bila anda ingin mengetahui gadis itu sudah terbiasa disentuh atau tidak, Cuba hulurkan tangan dan bersalaman dengannya, ketika bersalaman genggamlah tangannya dengan lembut dan cuba sentuh jari kelingking gadis itu. Ketika menyentuh jari kelingkingnya tengoklah wajah gadis itu, apakah dia nampak gelisah dan resah?, kalau dia terkejut dan berubah wajahnya, berkemungkinan besar dia masih suci. walaupun mungkin dia pernah berasmara (ringan-ringan), tapi mungkin belum sampai tertebuk daranya. Jika ketika jari kelingkingnya disentuh kemudian dia nampak macam biasa saja dan tak mahu bersuara, kemungkinan besar kesuciannya sudah tiada. Wallahualam..

7. PERUT

Peribahasa menyebut, biar pecah di perut jangan pecah di mulut. begitulah kata peribahasa, tapi tubuh wanita bukanlah peribahasa. Kalau pecah daranya, pasti pecah perut. Bila seseorang gadis pernah melakukan hubungan badan, maka perutnya akan menjadi mengembang dan menjadi buncit sedikit.

8. RAMBUT

Rambut merupakan mahkota wanita tetapi juga berperanan dalam menentukan gadis itu masih suci atau tidak. Gadis yang masih suci, rambutnya kelihatan rapi, segar dan tidak kasar. manakala gadis yang sudah hilang kesuciannya, rambutnya kelihatan tidak bersemangat (kuyu).

9. BIBIR

Percaya atau tidak bahawa bibir gadis yang pernah dicium lebih menarik dan cantik. Apabila bibir bertemu bibir, maka akan membuat pergerakan darah akan mengalir ke bibir dan membentuk bibir yang baru. Lebih kerap dicium, lebih cantik pula bibirnya. Tapi ada juga gadis yang mempunyai bibir mulut yang cantik walaupun tidak pernah dicium. Gadis yang belum pernah dicium bibirnya kelihatan berwarna merah jambu dan tidak ada garis pucat atau hitam di sekitar bibirnya. Bibir gadis yang tidak pernah dicium tidak nampak lebam dan bibirnya licin dan basah. Bibir yang pernah dicium akan nampak lebam-lebam sedikit walaupun hanya sekali saja, dan juga dapat mengubah bibirnya dimana terdapat garis-garis kasar yang memperindah bentuk bibir. Bila gadis itu tidak suci lagi, bahagian tengah bibirnya nampak retak, seakan-akan terbahagi dua, retaknya tidak begitu jelas, akan tetapi boleh dilihat jika diperhatikan betul-betul.

10. FARAJ

Ini sudah tentu hanya akan diketahui setelah bernikah. Permukaan gadis yang pernah melakukan hubungan badan, pintu kemaluannya tidak tertutup rapat, agak renggang sedikit dan lebih kembang. Kalau gadis yang masih perawan, kemaluannya sentiasa tertutup rapat. Sebenarnya selaput dara boleh dilihat terus kedalam kemaluan gadis. Bila kemaluan masih tertutup bererti gadis itu masih suci. Kalau lubang itu terbuka sedikit bererti gadis itu sudah tidak perawan lagi.

11. LEHER

Leher juga menjadi salah satu tempat yang dapat menunjukkan gadis itu masih suci atau tidak. Bila leher perempuan itu nampak berkedut-kedut, ertinya perempuan itu pernah disentuh lelaki. Garis kedutnya bukan seperti garis kedutan akibat dah tua, garisnya kecil-kecil, pendek-pendek dan putus-putus, bukan garis yang panjang. Kalau ingin melihat dengan jelas tunggulah gadis itu menundukkan kepalanya. Lihatlah dengan cepat dan cermat.!. apabila gadis itu kerap keluar dengan lelaki, maka lehernya terdapat tanda-tanda hitam kecil diliang romanya dan warna pucat kecil seperti bintik-bintik. Adakalanya lubang dibulu roma nampak jelas di leher, ini juga bererti gadis itu selalu disentuh. Kalau gadis itu berleher panjang, cuba perhatikan dibahagian lehernya, jika terdapat garis-garis urat yang bersilang ertinya gadis itu masih suci. Jika terdapat garis-garis yang melintang, bukannya urat yang melintang, ini bererti perempuan itu sudah pernah beranak….


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Cara Claim Duit Perjalanan Balik Mengundi Sempena Pilihanraya PRU14


Cara claim duit balik mengundi sempena pilihanraya. Untuk info, hanya sesetengah kawasan sahaja yang memberikan kemudahan elaun atau claim kos perjalanan ketika mengundi. Ini bergantung kepada parti yang bertanding dikawasan tersebut. Kami yakin bahawa terdapat beberapa kawasan diberikan elaun kepada pengundi sempena mengundi nanti.

Cara Claim Duit Balik Mengundi

Anda boleh claim daripada parti yang bertanding ditempat atau kawasan anda mengundi.


Notis Dari SPR

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) tidak menyediakan elaun perjalanan untuk pengundi balik ke kawasan mengundi masing-masing, kata Pengerusinya Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof. SPR hanya menyediakan elaun kepada petugas SPR yang perlu bertugas pada hari pengundian berlangsung sahaja. Bagi parti politik yang memberikan elaun, harus membayar dengan ikhlas dan tanpa sebarang syarat.

Duit Mengundi Dari Parti

Parti politik yang menyediakan elaun kepada pengundi untuk balik mengundi, elaun itu tidak akan dianggap rasuah sekiranya diberikan tanpa syarat. Kalau bagi elaun ini lepas itu suruh pilih parti-parti tertentu ia adalah rasuah.

Sumber: Melvister


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Saturday 28 April 2018

How To Make Sweet Potato Fries

A Sweet Pea Chef
How To Make Sweet Potato Fries
How To Make Sweet Potato Fries

Learn how to make sweet potato fries – delicious, oven-baked, healthier, and cleaner than regular fries.  Plus super easy to make!

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries | Learn how to make sweet potato fries – delicious, oven-baked, healthier, and cleaner than regular fries, plus super easy to make! | A Sweet Pea Chef

Hi guys!

As you can probably imagine, I’m always looking for healthy, new ways to enjoy food.

Or…is it that I’m just always thinking about food?

Yep, probably that one is more accurate.

Side angle photo of whole, uncooked sweet potatoes resting on a chopping board, ready to be used for sweet potato fries recipe to show how to make sweet potato fries.whole, uncooked sweet potatoes on a chopping board, ready to be sliced for how to make sweet potato fries

But, healthy and fun new ways of changing up schtuff is still a close second.

Sometimes, even the simplest of substitutions can make a world of difference.

Some of my fave recipes are just a new healthy way to approach comfort food.  That’s the best!

Take, sweet potatoes, for example.  I LOVE sweet potato fries – they make the perfect side to burgerssteak, chicken, and even pork chops, in case you’re looking for what to eat with sweet potato fries.

Raw sweet potatoes cut into fry-shaped pieces, ready to be used - showing how to make sweet potato friesBaked sweet potato fries on a baking sheet, ready to be plated and served. Showing how to make sweet potato fries.

First off, I looooooove sweet potatoes.  I love them roasted, in casseroles, in hash, mashed, and so on. You can read more about all the amazing recipes you can use with sweet potatoes here.

And, yes, I really, really love them as fries.

Oh my, the goodness: fries.

I just can’t.

Two large baskets of oven baked sweet potato fries, showing how to make sweet potato fries in the oven.

But I digress.  We were discussing all the healthiness.

Are Sweet Potato Fries Better Than French Fries?

Sweet potatoes have more vitamins and nutrients than regular potatoes and are incredibly delicious when baked as fries.

Not only does that make this baked sweet potato fries recipe a great change-up to regular fries, it also makes them healthier, cleaner, and more guilt-free.  WOOT!

This all makes me one happy camper.

Close up of baked sweet potato fries placed on parchment paper. How to make sweet potato fries - photo of baked sweet potato fries placed in serving bowls against a royal blue background.

Sorry regular potatoes, you know I still love you.  (Especially you, garlic fries) <— pssst these are fried and definitely worthy of a cheat meal.

But — dare I say — I may love oven-baked sweet potato fries even more?

Sweet Potato Fries

Bold statement, I know.

Try these out and see how tasty these baked sweet potato fries are.  You just might be inclined to change your potato loyalties as well.  😉

How To Make Healthy Sweet Potato Fries

Interested in learning how to make healthy sweet potato fries?  Awesome.  The good news is they’re shockingly easy to make.  First, you bake them in the oven, instead of deep-frying them.  Easy. And, honestly, less clean up so this is a big win-win.

Place the sweet potato fries in a bowl and toss them with a bit of healthier coconut oil (olive oil would work well, too), sweeten them with a little raw honey, and sprinkle some paprika, cinnamon, and sea salt to spice things up.  Easy peasy.  No need to soak them at all – just cut, season, and bake.

How Long To Bake Sweet Potato Fries

Once you have your sweet potato fries prepped and seasoned, all you gotta do is to place the sweet potato fries on a lined baking sheet and set the timer to about 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees F, until the sweet potato fries are baked to crisp, lightly browned, heavenly perfection.

Easy, healthy, yummy AND satisfying —what’s not to love?  

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If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating it. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #asweetpeachef on Instagram! I LOVE seeing what you come up with. Enjoy!

How To Make Sweet Potato Fries

Learn how to make sweet potato fries – delicious, oven-baked, healthier, and cleaner than regular fries, plus super easy to make!

3 large sweet potatoes, (unpeeled) 1 tbsp coconut oil, (melted) 1 tbsp raw honey ((can sub for pure maple syrup)) 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp paprika
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) and set aside. Cut off both ends of the potatoes and slice in half, lengthwise, and then into 1/4-inch (fries) batons. Try to make the fries as even in thickness as possible, as this will help them to cook evenly. Place the cut potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the coconut oil, raw honey, sea salt, cinnamon, and paprika. Toss well to evenly coat. Spread the potatoes in a single layer over the baking sheet. If they are too crowded, you can use an additional baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until well-browned, turning every 15 minutes for even baking. Baking time will vary depending on the size and thickness. Serve immediately – if desired, you can drizzle with a little extra honey of the top (UNREAL goodness!).

This post was las updated on September 1, 2016.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

The post How To Make Sweet Potato Fries appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

Minimalist Baker
Cultured Vegan Sour Cream
Cultured Vegan Sour Cream

Tangy vegan sour cream is here! Let us show you how.

This 5-ingredient recipe starts with soaked cashews. Cashews create the perfect creamy, thick base that’s neutral in flavor. Once soaked and blended, add your probiotics to get the culturing process started.

This sour cream does best with a 48-hour rest/culturing time. The longer it rests at room temperature, the thicker and tangier it will become (just like our 2-Ingredient Coconut Yogurt!).

Cultured Vegan Sour Cream from Minimalist Baker →

Gaya Dan Gelagat Calon PRU14, Penyokong Curi Tumpuan..


PROSES penamaan calon sudah melabuhkan tirainya. Selain barisan calon yang bertanding, busana yang dikenakan penyokong mereka turut mencuri tumpuan lensa pada pagi Sabtu.

Misalnya, personaliti kontroversi, Azwan Ali yang bertanding sebagai calon bebas bagi kerusi DUN Bukit Antarabangsa hadir dengan busana serba merah dan dipadankan dengan cermin mata hitam yang sinonim dengan dirinya.

Walaupun rata-rata memilih untuk mengenakan baju Melayu atau kemeja bagi calon lelaki, manakala gaya calon wanita majoritinya sopan berbaju kurung.


Berikut adalah antara gaya dan gelagat yang mewarnai sekitar proses penamaan calon sebelum rakyat Malaysia memilih pada 9 Mei ini.


Penyokong Barisan Nasional melemparkan senyuman di luar Pusat Sivik Petaling Jaya.


Akbal Singh, 55, menggayakan pakaian yang diperbuat daripada bendera DAP, PKR dan Amanah.


Penyokong PKR menyaksingan tarian tradisional Barongan pada hari penamaan calon di Yong Peng, Johor.


Penolong Setiausaha Wanita DAP (dua dari kiri), Young Syefura Othman (dua dari kiri) bergambar bersama Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob. - Twitter


Nurul Izzah Anwar (kiri) disertai oleh Dr Norlela Ariffin meninggalkan pusat penamaan calon di Dewan Perdana Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara di Bukit Mertajam, pulau Pinang.


Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (tengah) dan Datuk Shake (dua dari kanan) bersama penyokong di Dewan Kejora Bandar Penawar di Kota Tinggi, Johor.


Azwan Ali bertanding di kawasan DUN Bukit Antarabangsa menentang abangnya Datuk Seri Azmin Ali. - Bernama

Sumber: mStar Online


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In Stockholm, a Hotel That’s Solid and Social


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