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.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner which makes me crave Mexican food and Coronas for a few weeks! I am a big fan of chips and salsa, especially around this time of the year when you can sit down anytime of the day and turn on a baseball game or basketball playoff game. So here is one of my favorite salsa recipes--Corn and Black Bean Salsa. This salsa uses ingredients you can obtain year round--corn, beans, red bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and cilantro.

Ingredients:
1 14 oz can corn, drained
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium red onion, medium dice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, small dice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Add corn and beans to a medium bowl. Add pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to corn and beans then fold together. Now add lime juice and olive oil along with salt and pepper.Notes: This beautiful dish can be used as a dip on anything or can be enjoyed as a refreshing cold relish on the side. Any color pepper can be substituted.
Number of servings: 10-12 as dip

BEST SERVED WITH TOSTITOS WITH A HINT OF LIME CHIPS!!

Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breast

Here is a delicious recipe. This recipe is fun as well. But chef beware, it is cheesey!!

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 2 tablesoons melted butter

1. After washing hands thoroughly, gently separate the chicken skin from the meat of the breast halves along the rib edges.
2. For stuffing, in a small bowl combine the cheeses, basil, oregano, and lemon-pepper seasoning. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of cheese mixture under the skin or each breast half. Place chicken, bone sides down, in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Brush chicken with melted butter. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until no longer pink.