Hi Everyone!  Today we will be having Ginger Steak Salad.  It really delicious!  I absolutely love it and it’s a lot easier to make than you would think!  I hope you enjoy it.

Breakfast: Make Ahead Muffins

Lunch: Ginger Steak Salad

Snack: Graham Crackers and Fruit

Dinner: Chicken Crunch

Dessert: Oreo Cheesecake Squares

Ginger Steak Salad

Ingredients

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Sherry
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
• 1 whole Rib-eye, Strip, Or Sirloin Steak
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

FOR SALAD DRESSING:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 2 cloves Garlic, Finely Diced
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
• ½ whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Diced

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

• 2 whole Green Onions
• 8 ounces Salad Greens

Preparation

1. Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag.
2. Mix and place steak into bag.
3. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
4. Combine salad dressing ingredients and slice green onion.
5. When steak is finished marinating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet.
6. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare.
7. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly.
8. Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing.
9. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly, then pour juices from the plate over the top.

10.  Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place sliced steak on top of salad.

11.  Pour remaining salad dressing over the top.

12.  Sprinkle green onions over the salad

Happy Wednesday!  Halfway into the week, only a few days to the lovely weekend.  Today we will be having Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce- yum!  I love Seafood I had it at least three times a week growing up so there will be quite a few fish recipes here.

Breakfast:  Maple cinnamon apple sauce

Lunch:  Meatloaf Burrito

Snack:  Kid Friendly Sushi

Dinner:  Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Dessert:  Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. Chinese black bean garlic sauce or black bean chile sauce
• 1 Tbs. oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 lb. tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, preferably jasmine
• 1 Tbs. peanut oil
• 2 small bunches scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 Tbs. Asian chile sauce, such as Sriracha

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, stir the black bean sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.
2. Add the fish and stir gently to coat.
3. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
4. Cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm.Heat the oil in a well-seasoned wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and a piece of scallion dropped in the pan sizzles vigorously.
5. Add the fish all at once, distributing it evenly around the pan.
6. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes.
7. Add the scallions and stir gently.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally and gently, until the thickest part of a piece of fish is opaque throughout (cut to check), 2 to 3 minutes more.
9. Serve with the rice, drizzled with chile sauce.

And Voila! This recipe is just mouthwatering.  From the first bite to the last you will experience bursts of flavor.  I prefer my fish served with yellow rice but steamed vegetables are also a good choice.

Happy Sabroso Saturday, Everyone!

What is Sabroso Saturday?   It’s undoubtedly the best day of the week! Every Saturday, thousands flock to twitter and share their most delicious Latino recipes with the rest of the world.  By adding or searching #SabrosoSaturday on twitter you will be amazed at what great recipes and kitchen secrets people share.  If you have a twitter you should definitely check it out- it is quite an event!  While you’re at it, you should follow me as well!  I’m always tweeting fun and interesting updates with KidsFunPlaza.  It’s a great way to stay on top of what’s going on in our offices.  Just add KikiLightbourn

Here is today’s menu:

Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito

Lunch: Go Out For Lunch!

Snack: Fruit and Sting Cheese

Dinner: Sea Soup

Dessert: Dulce de Leche

It’s an easy menu today with very little cooking, but that’s because of the Sea Soup!  While it is still mild outside, I thought it might be a great time to introduce the sea soup- a beloved Colombian dish.

Sea Soup

It sounds weird, trust me, it is the tastiest soup you will find!  A Columbian soup packed with herbs, spices seafood and even coconut milk, this is a great way to sneak some nutrients in to dinner for your kids while they enjoy a unique treat.

Ingredients:

• · 2 tablespoons olive oil
• · 1 cup diced onion
• · 1 cup grated red bell pepper (grated on the large holes)
• · 2 pounds raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• · ½ pound raw squid rings, cleaned
• · ½ pound piangua or clams, cleaned
• · ½ pound raw conch pieces or oysters
• · 1½ fish bouillon cubes
• · 2 tablespoons garlic paste
• · 1 teaspoon color or Sazón Goya with Saffron
• · 1¼ teaspoons salt
• · ¾ teaspoon pepper
• · 4 cups coconut milk
• · 2 cups milk
• · 4 tablespoons flour
• · ¼ cup white wine
• · 1½ tablespoons minced cilantro
• · 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Preparation:

1. heat, place the oil, onion, red pepper, seafood, bouillon cubes, garlic, color or saffron, salt, and pepper In a large, heavy pot over medium-low.
2. Cook for 12 minutes.
3. Mix the coconut milk, milk and flour together to a smooth consistency.
4. Add them to the pot;
5. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes more.
6. Add wine and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and parsley and serve.

Voila!  A beautiful creamy soup for you and your family to enjoy.

On with our super easy recipes while the kids are at home.  I try to introduce fish to our diet at least twice a week.  It helps the kids a lot because of the high level of proteins, but also to expose them to new and different flavors.

Breakfast: Baked Apple – Cinnamon

Snack1: Whole Grain Toast with Apple Butter

Lunch: Burritos (using the rice and meat from yesterday)

Snack2: Matcha Shortbread

Dinner: Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce

Dessert: Ginger Yogurt with Fruit

Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce

This is super easy to cook and decorate.  You can serve it on pasta (as shown on the top) or alone with some veggies.  The kids can have a lot of fun with the decoration.  I tell my kids that scallops are fish nuggets! so they eat it with even more pleasure.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 800 g scallops
• 5 tablespoons  of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons white wine

Preparation:

1. Take a flat pan and add the butter
2. When the butter has melted and it’s warm, add garlic, parsley, wine, salt and pepper
3. If serving with pasta, this is a good time to start boiling your pasta
4. In the meantime, move the mix for 5 minutes and add scallops
5. When scallops are mixed, add the cream and move for another 5 minutes
6. Keep moving until the scallops are well cooked (it takes about 5 to 8 minutes based on how fresh your scallops are).
7. If served with pasta, serve the plates of pasta and pour the scallops on top.  Otherwise, you can serve them alone with spinach or baked potatoes.  You won’t go wrong with this.

Enjoy it!

October’10 – Week 3

Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros

Morning Snack: Fresh Fruit and String Cheese

Lunch: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (made with last night’s leftovers.)

Afternoon Snack: Banana Bread and Mango Lassi

Dinner: Soba Noodle Bowls

Dessert: Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Recipe of the Day:

Soba Noodle Bowls

It never fails, whenever I’m at any kind of noodle or Asian fusion place, from The Pasta Factory to Pei Wei back in Arizona, I always order a soba noodle bowl. The sugary soy, green onions and lime combine to create this masterful sauce that I could eat forever. Cabbage, tofu and buckwheat soba noodles make this dish as healthy as it is tasty.

Ingredients:

1 Package Buckwheat Soba Noodles, (found in Asian supermarkets or the Ethnic aisle.)
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
1 Wedge Bok Choy Cabbage, cut into shreds
3-4 Green Onions, whites and light greens sliced
1 qt Beef Stock
1 t Freshly Grated Ginger
1 Garlic Clove, crushed and minced
1/4 C Soy Sauce
2 T Sugar
Several Limes

Directions:

Set a pot of water to boil for the soba noodles and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, pat the brick of tofu dry. In a small skillet, sear the brick of tofu on all sides, adding just a touch of oil if necessary to prevent sticking.

Whisk together ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and the juice of one lime. Once tofu is browned, add half of this mixture to the skillet and continue cooking until tofu darkens and takes on those flavors.

Once Soba has finished cooking, drain it of the water and add the beef stock and remaining soy sauce mixture back into the pot of noodles, heating until very hot. Remove tofu from skillet and slice into thin slices, toss with what’s left in the skillet to coat every piece with sauce.

Assemble bowls with a serving of noodles, covered over in broth. Add several tofu slices, cabbage and green onions on top. Serve with an extra wedge of lime.

October ’10 – Week 2 – Thursday Dinner/Entree

I discovered the secret to a killer cheesy shepherd’s pie, and the answer might surprise you. Save time and calories by using boxed potatoes au gratin instead of using a layer of mashed potatoes. The cheesy sauce cooks down into the meat and veggies, completely changing your perceptions of what a shepherd’s pie is supposed to be.

Ingredients:

1 Package Potatoes Au Gratin
Water
Milk
Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Onion, diced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Frozen Vegetables of choice (I usually use peas.)
Worchestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Add a touch of olive oil to a med-large skillet and heat to med-high. Cook onions and garlic until translucent and tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Cook beef in the same skillet until browned WELL. Drain off any fat before reincorporating the onion mixture and adding your veggies, worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Add contents of the skillet to a casserole dish. Prepare “sauce” for potatoes au gratin (cheese packet, water and milk,) omitting the butter component. Arrange potato slices across the top of the beef mixture in the casserole dish, then pour the cheese sauce overtop. Sauce will thicken and potatoes will cook as the casserole bakes.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until the top has browned and potatoes are cooked through.

September ’10 – Week 4 – Wednesday Lunch

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion, diced
2 Carrots, diced
3 Ribs of Celery, diced
4 cloves Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
3 lbs Ground Beef
2 C Tomato Paste
3 C Red Wine
3 Bay Leaves
1 bunch Fresh Thyme
1 lb Spaghetti
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions:

Mince onions, celery, carrots and garlic finely into almost a vegetable confetti. Add to a saute pan with olive oil heated to med-high. Saute vegetables with salt until softened and lightly browned.

Add the beef to the pan and allow it to brown deeply. Add tomato paste and cook until caramelized and brown, about 5 minutes.  Add red wine and let reduce by half.

Add enough water to the pan to cover the meat by one inch. Add thyme and bay leaves, tied into a bundle (or bouquet garni.) Cook for at least an hour, allowing flavors to develop. Season well and add water as needed. Once thick and tasting perfect, remove bouquet garni and serve on pasta.