Tostadas

This is the recipe I make most often when Kiran's friends come over for dinner. It's easy, and very customizable so everyone can make their plates how they like. 

Tostadas

 

Ingredients:

-- 1 package tostadas (I get mine from the mexican store Fresh is Best on Broadway)

-- 1 can black beans or pinto beans

-- 1/2 clove garlic

-- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

-- 1/4 teaspoon cumin

-- shredded extra old cheddar cheese, or other cheese of choice

Toppings: 

-- diced tomato

-- shredded lettuce

-- sour cream

-- extra cheese 

-- salt and pepper

-- Any other toppings you like? But kids generally only like the above toppings, I have found. Adults like salsa or other spicy sauce. Meat eaters typically enjoy adding shredded chicken but it's not absolutely necessary.

Instructions:

-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-- Make your "refried" beans by blending the beans together with the garlic, oregano, and cumin. Taste and make sure they taste good, add salt if necessary. 

-- Sometimes I microwave the beans to make sure they will be hot before the next step. I'm not really sure if that is necessary.

-- Put 4-5 tostadas on a baking sheet. Ask everyone if they want beans and cheese, or just beans, or just cheese. Add a thin layer of beans and a regular layer of shredded cheese on each tostada, as desired. You would add the shredded chicken at this point if you are having that.

-- Bake the tostadas in the oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

-- Put each tostada on a plate and have each person add the toppings they like, including salt and pepper for the vegetables. 

-- Enjoy!

Mango cake

 Kiran had a craving for mango cake so he found this recipe and made it and it turned out great

https://teakandthyme.com/mango-chiffon-cake/#recipe

Big Mac Salad

 This was pretty darn good. I made it as a jarred salad. I am trying to eat more beef these days because I am low on iron and protein, but this could probably be made with fork-mashed chick peas instead or maybe tofu crumbles for vegetarians but it wouldn’t be as good. 

Adapted From :  https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/big-mac-salad-cheeseburger-salad-low-carb-gluten-free/

In each jar add: 

- 2T. Big Mac sauce (I used this recipe for 3 jars but might try another one with ketchup next time:

DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 2 tbsp dill pickles, diced
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar 

- 2/3 cup ground beef cooked with salt, pepper and chili flakes

- 1/4 c. Shredded cheddar cheese (I use extra sharp or extra old) 

- 1 T. Minced white onion (maybe try more onion next time I couldn't really taste it)

- 1/3 cup minced or small dice dill pickle 

- 1/2 c. Diced tomato 

- fill with chopped lettuce (I used romaine) 

- add sesame seeds (I didn’t do this but should make it more Big Mac-y) 

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

 These are really good and not as difficult to make as they seem. 

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

(makes 9 dumplings, not quite a dinner amount for 4) 

From Tiktok:

Ingredients:

 SAUCE:

- 4 T. soy sauce

- 1.5 T. rice vinegar

- 1 t. sesame oil

- 1 clove garlic, grated

- 1 t. ginger, grated 

- 2 scallions or green onions, sliced

- sesame seeds

- add sirraccha or chili flakes if you want it spicy

 

DUMPLINGS

- 1/2 block firm tofu, shredded

- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

- 1/4 head cabbage, sliced thin and chopped into lengths or shredded (these measures approx -- try to get roughly even amounts of tofu, carrot and cabbage)

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 18 rice papers 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix  sauce ingredients together in a bowl

2. fry veggies up in a pan with a little oil until cooked down. Near the end, add in some of the sauce to taste and cook it down -- I think I ended up adding 5 teaspoons or so? 

3. dip rice paper wrappers in warm water, put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each one and fold over the edges: bottom, top, left, right. Then dip one more rice paper wrapper and wrap it again, making sure the folds are on the opposite side. 

4. In your frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add your dumplings and fry until crisp. serve with more of the dipping sauce to dip into.

classic rice pudding

The original made such a tiny amount I am doubling it here. 

Classic Rice Pudding

INGREDIENTS

-- 2 large eggs

-- 1/2 C. white or light brown sugar

-- 1 t. vanilla extract

-- 1/4 t. cinnamon (optional)

-- 4 cups whole milk

-- 1 cup heavy whipping cream

-- 2/3 c. short grain white rice (I used arborio)

-- pinch of salt 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together the egg, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon if using in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Add the milk, cream, rice, and salt to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. 

3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

4. Slowly add about half a cup of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture, whisking quickly, to temper the egg mixture.

5. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining rice mixture. Stir everything together and continue heating on low heat for about another 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Don't boil. It will thicken quickly. Keep in mind that the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools, so you don't want it to be too thick before you take it off the heat. a touch soupy is still OK. 

6. Remove from heat and serve warm. 

Corn Dog Muffins

 One of the few things my picky kids will reliably eat for lunch. I make them with vegetarian hot dogs

Ingredients

- 1 cup yellow cornmeal (I like medium ground)

- 1 cup all purpose flour

- 1/4 cup white sugar

- 4 t. baking powder

- 1/4 t. salt

- 1/8 t. black pepper

- 1 cup milk

- 1 egg, beaten

- 8 hot dogs (veggie or meat)

 Instructions

- preheat oven to 350,  butter 12-muffin tin

- Mix dry ingredients into a bowl, stir

- add in milk and beaten egg, stir as little as possible to moisten batter

- cut hot dogs up into coins, mix them into the batter

- pour into greased muffin tin, bake 18 minutes or until brown on top and skewer poked in them comes out clean.

fettucini alfredo

 SO this is easy to make and my kids liked it. I added peas but you can add chicken, shrimp, spinach, etc.

INGREDIENTS

- 3 T. butter

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 cups half and half or heavy cream

- 1/2 t. salt

- ground black pepper

- pinch cayenne

- pinch nutmeg

- 1 egg yolk (optional)

 - 1 pound pasta

 

INSTRUCTIONS

- melt butter in a pan, cook garlic 1 minute or until fragrant

- add in cream and spices, heat until small bubbles form around the edge but don't let the sauce boil or it will separate! Cook like that for a few minutes or until thicker

- if desired, whisk in one egg yolk to thicken and enrich the sauce

- serve over 1 pound boiled pasta,