Super Easy COOKING

 

Hashbrown Latkes with Citrus Applesauce

Recipe type: Hanukkah

Cuisine: Jewish

Serves: 12 medium latke

Ingredients

Latkes

• 1 pound Ore Ida Frozen Hash Browns
• 1 Large Sweet Onion
• ½ cup Flour
• 3 Eggs
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup oil (olive, vegetable or coconut)

Apple Sauce

• 1½ pounds McIntosh (or other sweet red) Apples
• 1½ pounds Granny Smith Apples
• 1 Navel orange
• 1 lemon
• 2 tblsp light brown sugar
• 2 tblsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• ½ cup water

Instructions

Latkes

1. Pour frozen hash browns into bowl. Set aside to slightly thaw and separate.
2. Peel and chop onion then pulse in food processor until smooth.
3. Place onion puree on a paper towel (or clean cloth) in strainer and press to remove excess moisture.
4. In a large bowl - combine onion, hash browns, flour, eggs, salt, baking powder and pepper.
5. Heat approx. 1½ cups oil in a skillet over medium high heat
6. Use hands to press latke mix into pancake shape and fry in oil until golden brown and crispy on the edges - turning as needed.
7. Transfer latkes to a wire rack or drying towel.

Apple Sauce

1. Peel, core and cube apples
2. Zest orange and lemon - set aside zest
3. Juice orange and lemon - set aside juice
4. Place apples in large pan with orange/lemon juice, zest, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, allspice and water
5. Cook on medium heat until soft - approximately 20 minutes
6. Remove from heat and stir vigorously before allowing to cool
7. If a smoother apple sauce is desired, use a wisk or potato masher once cooled to room temperature

Serving

1. Serve latkes hot or warm with apple sauce and a dollop of sour cream

 

Ingredients

1. 5 mandarin oranges
2. 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips
3. sea salt or coarse salt
4. 1 teaspoon shortening, optional

Instructions

1. 1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and set aside. Peel the mandarin oranges.
2. 2. In a microwave safe bowl or with the help of a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and add shortening, if desired. Adding shortening is optional - it helps make the chocolate super smooth and easier to work with. Using only melted chocolate will work fine as well.
3. 3. Dip each slice halfway into the melted chocolate and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and repeat until all slices are evenly coated and sprinkled with salt. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until chocolate has hardened. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Salted Chocolate Covered Mandarin Slices will keep up to 2 days in an airtight container or storage bag in the fridge. 

Parmesan Garlic Zucchini Chips

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb (about 4 cups) thin sliced Zucchini
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 ounce of finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove finely grated or ⅛ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

 

1. Note: I cut my zucchini on a mandoline slicer. Thin is the best.
2. In a medium bowl place the sliced zucchini
3. Add salt, Parmesan cheese, garlic and vinegar
4. Toss to coat.
5. Arrange slices on dehydrator trays
6. Dehydrate at 135 degrees for 5-10 hours or until crispy

   Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

   Ingredients:
   

1 lb large strawberries

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)

6 Tbsp powdered sugar (3-4 for less sweet)

1 tsp vanilla extract

graham cracker crumbs (1 graham cracker is sufficient)

Directions:

1. After rinsing strawberries, cut the top and clean out with a paring knife. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
3. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag (or ziploc with the corner cut off).
4. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture.
5. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs or sprinkle crumbs over the strawberries.
6. Optional: Slice bottoms if you want them to stand upright

 Chang's chicken lettuce wraps

• 1 pound chicken
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dry chili flakes
• 3 tablespoons soybean oil or vegetable oil, divided
• 2 heads romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 ounce scallions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

• Dice the chicken into tiny pieces. 

• Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons soybean oil or vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, chili flakes and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. 
• Mix together in a circular motion until well mixed. Let marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

• Mix together the citrus juices, remaining soy, and hoisin sauce with a whisk. Reserve until needed.

• Clean the romaine lettuce, chopping off the stem, peeling each "spear" and running under clean cold water. 
• Reserve in refrigerator until ready to use. Chop scallions into rings and reserve chilled.

• Coat a very hot saute pan lightly with soybean oil. Lay the chicken around the saute pan, being careful not to lay pieces on top of each other. Sear until the chicken until crispy and golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Once chicken is brown, toss gently in pan and sear another 2 1/2 minutes. (The pan may appear to “burn,” but that is the caramelization and where all the flavor comes from.) 

• Add 1/2 of the citrus-soy mixture to the saute pan and continue to cook, stirring, until sauce thickens into a glaze and coats the chicken. (Add additional sauce if you prefer a wetter mixture.)

• Spoon chicken onto a plate and serve with the romaine spears. 

• Wrap bite-size amounts of the chicken mixture in romaine lettuce and top with scallion rings. Serve and enjoy!

 note: This recipe can also be made with baby shrimp, fish or beef. 

 Nutella hot chocolate
The 10-Minute Happy Hour

 

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup Nutella
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 ounces bourbon, Frangelico, cacao rum, or chocolate liqueur, optional 
• Oven-toasted marshmallows, optional (instructions below)

In a pot over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Add the Nutella, stirring until it has melted and become incorporated. Add the cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer.
Ladle into mugs and serve with fresh oven toasted marshmallows. (If serving with marshmallows, toast on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler for 30 to 45 seconds, until golden brown.)


Hot pear and ginger cider

• 1 quart pear nectar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• Peel of an orange, pith removed
• Sliced Bosc and Bartlett pears for garnish

In a large pot bring everything except the pear slices to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, reduce heat to low for 20 minutes longer. Strain and ladle into mugs and garnish with sliced pears. 



Hot salted caramel cocktail
"The Cocktail Club"

• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
• 1 teaspoon soft unsalted butter
• 4 drops vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• Freshly whipped cream
• Pinch of sea salt

Add the rum, caramel sauce, butter, vanilla and boiling water to a heatproof mug or glass and stir to combine. 
Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle on sea salt.

El Guapo Old FashionedIngredients:

• 2 ounces Anejo Tequila 
• 1 Bar spoon of agave nectar
• 3 dashes of El Guapo Twig and Berries Bitters
• 2 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters
• 3 disks of lime (see below for instructions)
• Cherry for garnishes

To cut a disk of lime, slice off a corner of the lime about the size of a quarter.

Squeeze three disks into a glass of ice, then drop them in. Add the rest of the ingredients on top and stir to combine.
Garnish with a good cherry.


Strawberry Beignets Dry mix ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 pint diced strawberries 

Combine all dry ingredients and mix in berries. 
Wet Mix Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white

Combine all wet mix ingredients. Lightly blend in dry mix. Allow to rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Scoop and fry balls of dough (with the dough submerged for entire cooking time) at 350 degrees F until golden brown.