Chicken Flautas with Black Beans

CINCO de MAYO IS HERE! SO HOW ABOUT A LITTLE MEXICAN! Enjoy it with a CORONA...if you are legal!

Ingredients
6 10-inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cooking oil
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 ozs.)
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro or oregano
Cooking oil for frying
3 cups shredded lettuce
Purchased guacamole (optional)
Bottled salsa (optional)
Dairy sour cream (optional)
Cilantro leaves (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Heat in oven about 10 minutes or until heated through.

2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in the 1 teaspoon hot oil until tender. Stir in chicken, black beans, 1/2 cup bottled salsa, the cheese, and 2 tablespoons cilantro.

3. For each flauta, spoon about 1/2 cup filling across each warm tortilla about 1-1/2 inches from one edge. Roll up tortillas as tightly as possible. Secure with wooden toothpicks.

4. In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1-1/2 inches of cooking oil to 365 degrees F. Fry flautas, two at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Keep fried flautas warm in a 300 degrees F oven while frying remaining flautas.

5. To serve, remove toothpicks. Halve flautas crosswise. If desired, serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro.

6. Baked Flautas: Prepare filling and shape flautas as directed. Place flautas on a large baking sheet and brush with 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and heated through. Serve as directed.

7. Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare filling and shape flautas as directed. Cover; chill for up to 24 hours. Fry or bake as directed. Makes 6 flautas.

Peanut Butter Cake

INGREDIENTS
· 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
· 1/2 cup butter, softened
· 4 eggs
· 1 (18.25 ounce) package butter cake mix
· 2/3 cup water
·
· 1 cup peanut butter
· 1/2 cup butter, softened
· 4 cups confectioners' sugar
· 1/3 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Combine 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Cream until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each one. Add cake mix alternately with the water. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until cake tests done.
5. Allow cakes to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Assemble and frost with Peanut Butter Frosting once cool.
6. To Make Peanut Butter Frosting: Combine 1 cup peanut butter, and 1/2 cup butter or margarine cream together until light and fluffy.
7. Add the confectioner's sugar. Mix in enough cream to make the frosting of a spreading consistency. Apply to cool cake.
8. Makes 12 servings.

Review
This is a perfect treat for peanut butter lovers, like me. Have this instead of a peanut butter shake for dessert. I know that having peanut butter cake does not sound so appealing, but try it. It will blow you mind. Best served with milk or coffee.

김치볶음밥 (Kimchi Fried Rice)

This dish is the one that anybody can easily make. It requires little effort to make but the end result is a tasty meal. I like to make this food when I am at my house alone. The rice mixed with hot sauce, meat, and kimchi give it a spicy, meaty and tangy taste. Also a suggestion of mine is to slightly overcook the rice to have a more crunchy tasting dish.

Recipe Ingredients (Yield: 2 Servings)

• 2 cup of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup of kimchi with liquid (pickled fermented vegetables)
• 50g of minced pork or ground beef
• 2 roots of green onion
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 egg
• Vegetable or olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Cook rice as directed in a rice cooker or in a pot.
2. Chop kimchi into small pieces. Save kimchi liquid to add to rice, if desired.
3. Dice and mince green onions, onions, and garlic.
4. Season the minced pork or beef with soy sauce, minced garlic and powdered pepper.
5. Saute the pork (or other substitutes) with vegetable or olive oil in frying pan.
6. When the pork is cooked, add chopped onions, kimchi and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add minced garlic and green onion. Cook a little more and turn off the heat.
8. Add cooked rice and mix all ingredients well.
9. Add 1-2 tbsp of sesame oil and re-heat again.
10. Add salt and pepper to meet taste.
11. Cook egg sunny side up (or scrambled).
12. Put rice on a dish and place a fried egg sunny side up on top.

Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
· 1 banana
· 6 strawberries
· 1 kiwi
· 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt
· 3/4 cup pineapple and orange juice blend
Directions
1. Put banana, strawberries, kiwi, vanilla frozen yogurt, and pineapple and orange juice blend in a blender
2. Blend until smooth.
Review:
This kiwi strawberry smoothie is one of my favorites. The hint taste of kiwi adds a unique flavor to the strawberry smoothie. Make sure to add the frozen yogurt to add texture to the smoothie. This is a perfect drink for the summer season.

Soon Tofu

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Oil		2 tablespoons
Garlic	minced	2 tablespoons
Korean pepper powder		1 tablespoon
Beef stock		4 cups
Cabbage kimchi	shredded	1 cup
Soy sauce		1 tablespoon
Soft tofu	cut into 1" cubes	4 cups (2 pounds)
Clams	chopped, with juice	1 cup
Scallions	chopped	3-4
Sesame oil		1 tablespoon

METHOD

Basic Steps: Sauté → Simmer → Garnish

1. Heat the oil over medium flame in a clay hotpot or large saucepan. Add the garlic and pepper powder and saute until garlic just starts to brown.
2. Add the beef stock, kimchee and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until the kimchee softens.
3. Gently stir in the tofu and clams with their juice. Adjust seasoning with soy sauce and Korean pepper. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with scallions and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve piping hot in bowls with steamed rice.

Review:

This traditional Korean dish is a delicious way to eat the nutritional food, Tofu. This soup can come in non-spicy, mild, and spicy flavors. Also, the clams can be substituted with other meats or taken out for all the vegetarians out there. Lastly, I recommend adding a raw egg to the soup when its boiling to give it some extra flavor.

Baby Back Ribs

INGREDIENTS
· 2 pounds pork baby back ribs
· 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
Directions

1. Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum large enough to enclose each piece of the ribs.
2. Spray each foil with vegetable oil.
3. Brush the ribs with the barbeque sauce.
4. Place each rib with its own piece of foil.
5. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
7. Bake ribs in tightly wrapped foil at 300 degrees for 2 ½ hours.
8. Remove from oil and more sauce to desired taste.
9. Makes 4 servings

Review

Having Baby Back Ribs during the summer is a necessity, not a choice. These baby back ribs are best smothered with Barbeque sauce. I recommend using the Bullseye Barbeque sauce. Honestly, baby back ribs are not complicated to prepare. So simple that even college students can make them! College students can take a break from the old macaroni and cheese dinner and have this mouth watering dish instead. It does however require your time to make.

Pat-Bing-Soo

This Korean summer favorite is something that I enjoy very much as it cools you down during a hot summer day. I learned how to make it while I was working part-time at a local Boba cafe in Garden Grove. It has a cool icy taste which is complimented by a variety of optional ingredients.

1 large bowl of ice cubes, and a working electric ice shaver
1 can mixed fruit cocktail
1 ripe kiwi, sliced
Other fruit (optional)
1 pouch red bean paste (found in Asian markets)
1 package mochi (rice cake) pieces (also found in Asian markets)
1 pint green tea or vanilla ice cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. Shave ice into a large container, using the electric ice shaver on the finest setting possible (on ours, it's "smoothie"). Put a small amount into individual serving bowls, so they are half full (aren't I the optimist?).

2. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the ice.

3. Proceed to arrange the fruit on top of the ice, covering one half. Put a small amount of red bean paste next to this, and then a small pile of mochi pieces and one scoop of ice cream.

4. Finish with another small drizzle of sweetened condensed milk over the top.

Delicious Baked Apples

Looking for a healthy dessert? This one will have you baking nightly. This recipe is warm, delicious and even--healthy. I hate to give it away but its always a favorite in my family.

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

1. Start with 4 Granny Smith Apples. Peel and core them.


2. Place them in a 12"x12" glass baking dish.


3. Drop in 1 tbsp. of brown sugar and cinnamon each into the center of the apples.


4. Pour apple juice in the bottom of the baking dish. Just pour in about 1/2".


5. Bake! 35-40 minutes.


6. SCOOP one large spoonful of low fat vanilla bean ice cream into the center of each apple and serve warm!

This recipe is easy, delicious, and always a favorite!!

Marinade...

So, I just cooked and ate a delicious dinner in which I marinated four thick chicken breast fillets for 48 hours! I marinated them in teriyaki sauce, fresh garlic, and Italian seasoning. Delicious. Then, baked them for about 15 minutes at 375-degrees Fahrenheit. Here is a delicious marinade for Orange Beef or Orange Chicken, which is one of my favorite marinades. . .

Orange Beef Marinade

Ingredients
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Grated Orange Peel (zest)
1 cup Orange Juice
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 lb Beef, Pork Or Lamb
DirectionsFor Beef, Pork, or LambServings : 4Preparation Time : 6 HoursDirections:Combine marinade ingredients in a glass or metal bowl.Pour over beef, pork or lamb.Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.Prepare and heat the grill.Cook meat to desired doneness.