Beef with Veggies - Asian

Beef with Veggies - Asian

 

 

We're in the States this Fall, but will return to Ethiopia in January.  This will probably be my last post until we get back to Ethiopia. 

I've wanted to try this recipe for a while now & it did not disappoint!!  It was delicious!  This recipe is adapted from the Beef with Snow Peas recipe on pioneerwoman.com. 

 

Ingredients:

1 Kilo Beef (cut into small pieces like tibs)

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Water

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger

1 Cup broccoli (cut into small pieces)

1 large carrot (sliced thinly)

1 Cup mushrooms (I used the fresh ones from Fantu)

2 Onions (cut into large slices)

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

2 Cups of uncooked rice (cook this)

 

Instructions:

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, water, bouillon cube, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger.  Pour half the liquid over the sliced meat in a separate bowl and toss with your hands.  Reserve the other half of the liquid and set aside.

 

Heat oil in a heavy skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) over high heat.  Add the broccoli, carrots and mushrooms and let it cook until the broccoli is tender, but still a little crunchy.  When the veggies are cooked, move them to a plate and set aside. 

 

Allow the pan to get very hot again.  With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl.  Add half the onions.  Spread out the meat as you add it to the pan, but don't stir it for a good minute.  Turn the meat and cook until the meat is done.  Remove to a clean plate.

 

Repeat with the other half of the meat, allowing the pan to get very hot again first.  After turning it , add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade and the veggies.  Stir over high heat until all the meat is done.  Turn off heat .  The mixture will thicken as it sits. 

 

Serve immediately over rice.

Cinnamon Toast

Cinnamon Toast

 

This is an easy breakfast that we like to make around our house.  I buy the local sliced toast from the grocery store.  Spread melted butter on the bread.  Sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon.  Place in a 350 degree oven until the bread is toasted.  Serve warm.

 

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

 

 

Ingredients:

9 Cups chicken broth

3 Cups dry noodles

10 carrots, chopped

5 celery stalks, chopped

2 Cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Heat the broth to a boil.  I like to use homemade chicken broth, but I still had to add 5 chicken bouillon cubes to my broth to give it more flavor.  Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the pasta is done.

 

This recipe came from www.100daysofrealfood.com

 

Crock Pot Chicken Broth

Crock Pot Chicken Broth

 

 

I found this recipe on www.100daysofrealfood.com.  I love making this when I have leftover chicken bones.  Put the raw or cooked chicken bones in the crock pot.  Fill the crock pot to the top with water.  Add 2 bay leaves, a few carrots, a few sticks of celery, a couple of onions, some parsley and some thyme.  Cook on low overnight.  In the morning, strain the broth and freeze it until you are ready to use it.

 

Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

 

 

This recipe came from myrecipes.com.  It's an easy salad that tastes really good.

 

1 Cup of thinly sliced red onions

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of fresh lime juice (this takes 2 1/2 Ethiopian Limes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 Cups of torn lettuce (I like to use the lettuce they call "Freeze")

1 Cup sliced avocado

2 Tomatoes (chopped)

 

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.  Let it stand for 10 minutes.  Add the lettuce, avocado and tomato.  Toss gently.

 

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

Part 2 of the 2 Dish Dinner

 

 

Crumble the reserved savory meatloaf into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Top with the reserved gravy.  Layer on 1 drained can of corn on top.  Spread 1 Cup of mashed potatoes on the top.  Sprinkle with 1 Cup of cheese.  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

 

 

 

Savory Meat Loaf

Savory Meat Loaf

Part 1 of a 2 Dish Dinner

 

 

I don't think this picture really does this meatloaf justice.  It doesn't really look delicious in the picture, but it is delicious when you eat it.  This recipe came from a Gooseberry Christmas recipe book I have.  It is supposed to be a part of a 2 dish dinner where you eat half of the meatloaf and then reserve the other half for a Shepherd's Pie.  I've found that if I want to make a 2 dish dinner out of this for my family then I need to double the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

1 Kilo ground beef

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 Cup breadcrumbs

1 egg beaten.

1 1/2 Cups brown gravy (I use 1 batch of this brown gravy)

 

 

Mix all ingredients except the gravy together in a medium sized bowl.  Pour the meat mixture into a loaf pan.  Reserve half the gravy for the Shepherd's pie.  Pour the other half of the gravy over the meatloaf.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Eat half of the meatloaf and save the other half for the Shepherd's Pie.

 

 

 

 

 

Brown Gravy

Brown Gravy

 

Rub a sauce pan with 1 clove of garlic.  Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter.  Stir in 4 Tablespoons of flour.  Stir in 2 Cups of water and 1 1/2 beef bouillon cubes.  Add 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. 

 

This gravy is good on meatloaf , mashed potatoes, etc. 

 

Banana Cake

Banana Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 1/2 Cups mashed bananas

3 Cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (high altitude - 3/4 teaspoon baking soda)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup Softened Butter

2 1/8 Cups White Sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk (or 1 1/2 Cups Milk mixed with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar)

 

 

Icing:

1/2 cup of butter softened

1 box of cow cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

 

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com .  It takes a bit of time to prepare this cake, but it is well worth the time!  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix the mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside. 

 

In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup of butter and 2 1/8 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Stir in the banana mixture.  Pour batter into the pan & bake for 1 hour (mine took about 1 hour and 20 minutes) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove the pan and place in the freezer for 45 minutes.  This will make the cake moist.  If you don't have freezer space, you can let it cool on the counter.

 

This is the cake just after it came out of the oven:

 

 

Mix the frosting in a large bowl.  Cream 1/2 Cup of butter and the cow cheese until it is smooth. This is what we call cow cheese.  You will use the entire box of cow cheese in this recipe.

 

 

 Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until it is combined & then high speed until the frosting is smooth.  Spread on the cooled cake.

 

 

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

 

 

Hot Chocolate !!  This is one of my favorite parts of rainy season.  Cool nights, sitting around in the evening drinking a cup of hot chocolate.  I love this recipe! It is an Alton Brown recipe from Good Eats.  You can make a big batch of dry hot chocolate and then use it whenever you want. 

 

2 Cups of Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Cocoa

2 1/2 Cups Powdered Milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

 

Mix together real well and then store in an air tight container.

 

Fill a coffee mug half full with the mix and then add boiling water.  Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 Kilo ground beef

1/4 Cup chopped onion

Chili Powder or Taco Seasoning

3/4 Cup chopped green peppers

1 Can chopped Tomato's (or 1 1/2 Cups of chopped fresh tomato's)

Cheese

 

Biscuit Topping:

1 1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (High Altitude - 1 teaspoon)

1/2 Cup melted butter

2/3 Cup milk

 

Brown the meat with the onion and season with the chili powder or the taco seasoning.  Prepare the biscuit topping and spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Top with the hamburger. Evenly sprinkle on green peppers and tomato's.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Hummus Dinner

This is what we had for dinner.  What did you have??

 

 

I used this hummus recipe .  I cut up red and yellow bell pepper, cucumber, pickles, carrots, cheese and broccoli.  I boiled some eggs and then sliced some tortillas and bread.  We even had some mint to wrap up with the veggies.  Grab a few veggies, a mint leaf or two, wrap it in bread or tortilla, dip in the hummus.  Yum !  Our family devoured this entire tray of veggies for dinner.

 

Ice Cream Cake

Ice Cream Cake

 

I've had more people ask me for this recipe lately, so I thought I'd post it on the blog.  This recipe takes a bit of advanced planning, but it is a fairly easy and fun dessert. 

 

I start out by making one recipe of this chocolate cake.  I have two round cake pans.  I line the cake pans with parchment paper or foil.  I pour one batch of the chocolate cake batter into the two pans.  If you don't have two cake pans, you can make this in a regular cake pan and then just cut the cake in two so you have two square halves.  Bake the cake and then freeze the cake.  Once it is frozen, take the cake out of the cake pans, wrap with foil and keep the cake pieces in the freezer.

 

I like to make my own ice cream, but if you don't have an ice cream maker you can buy ice cream and follow the same recipe.  Make a batch of this ice cream.  Layer the same pan/s that you cooked your cake in with foil or parchment paper.  Spread the ice cream out smoothly in the cake pans and put it in the freezer until it is frozen hard and then remove it from the pan.

 

Take a plate or a cutting board that is covered with foil and lay out the ice cream cake layers.  Start with a layer of cake on the bottom.  Then ice cream.  I find it nice to put a layer of something a little crunchy on top of this ice cream layer.  It could be chocolate chips, crushed cookies, nuts, etc.  Layer another layer of cake and then top with the last ice cream layer.

 

 

Make two packages of dream whip (you can get this on and off at Fantu and Shoa).  Make the dream whip according to the package instructions and then cover the cake with dream whip.  I usually sprinkle chocolate chips on top just to make the cake look nice.  If you can't find dream whip, you could make a regular batch of icing and ice the cake with that.  This makes a fun and special dessert.  It's a big hit in our household.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Ice Cream

Ice Cream

 

 If you have an ice cream machine, this is a GREAT vanilla ice cream recipe.

 

1 Cup whole milk

3/4 Cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 Cups Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

 

Whisk milk, sugar and salt together until the sugar is dissolved.  Stir in the cream and vanilla.  If you need to make it in advance, this can be made ahead of time and refrigerated overnight.  

 

Pour into an ice cream maker and let it churn until the ice cream thickens.

 

 

 

For chocolate ice cream:   Add 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar and 5 Tablespoons of cocoa powder.  Mix together with the milk, sugar and salt and then pour into the ice cream maker.

School Lunches

School Lunches

School finished up the end of last week & I thought I'd post the last of my school lunch posts for this year.  Here's what we made for school lunches the last week or so of school:

 

Popcorn for snack time.  Grilled Cheese, Carrots with honey mustard dipping

sauce and a smoothie to drink.

 

 

Banana for snack time. Quesadilla, sliced tomato's and a reeses peanut butter cup.

 

Banana for snack time.  BLT wrap, leftover salad, chocolate cake and chocolate milk to drink.

 

This is my daughter's favorite lunch.  She asks for this lunch almost every day.  I have my house worker make the fir fir the night before and then I heat it up and mix injera into it before I pack her lunch.  This is cheese for snack time.  Fir Fir and a boiled egg with injera to eat it with, Broccoli with honey mustard and milk to drink.

 

Pudding cup (that we found at Fantu) for snack time, Leftover pizza, carrots and broccoli with honey mustard dipping sauce, 2 sugar cookies and milk.

 

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

 

 

In honor of my Brother's birthday, I thought I'd post our favorite Chocolate

Cake recipe.This is a really moist chocolate cake.

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour (High Altitude - add 2 more Tablespoons)

2 Cups Sugar (High Altitude - only use 1 2/3 Cups of Sugar)

2 teaspoons baking powder (High Altitude - 1 1/2 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons baking soda (High Altitude - 1 1/2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 Tablespoons Cocoa

7 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons coffee (already made) (High Altitude -3 Teaspoons)

2 Cups of boiling water (High Altitude - add 3 more Tablespoons)

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the dry ingredients.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.  The batter will be thin.  Bake for 30-40 minutes. 

 

Chocolate Icing

1 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup butter

1/4 Cup milk

1/4 Cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

 

Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat; boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add the vanilla and salt.  Pour the icing evenly over the cake.

 

This cake is a great cake to use with buttercream icing as well.  It is great for making birthday cakes.    I'll post my buttercream icing in another post.  It's not really an Ethiopia friendly recipe because it takes lots of imported ingredients. Here are some cakes I've made with this cake recipe:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Salad

Egg Salad

 

 

This recipe is adapted from Ellie Krieger's egg salad recipe.  It makes 4 servings.

 

8 hard boiled eggs

4 teaspoons mayonaise

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons chopped onions

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional:  2 pickles (chopped small) & 1 teaspoon dill

 

Dice 4 whole eggs & 4 egg whites.  Mix them together with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Add the mayonaise, dijon mustard and stir with a forkm mashing somewhat for desired consistency.  Stir in the onion, pickles and dill.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put the egg salad on bread or in a tortilla, add lettuce, onion and red bell pepper.  It is delicious!

 

School Lunch

School Lunch

 

Here's what we packed for lunch this week.  What did you make?  I'm always looking for new ideas!

 

We had some Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato left over from BLT night, so I made a BLT wrap with mayonnaise, a hard boiled egg, sliced cucumber with honey mustard drizzled over the top & a smoothie to drink. The strawberries were for snack time.

 

 

I packed a smoothie pop for snack, although my daughter informed me this week that she doesn't want smoothie pops for snack anymore. Apparently they take too long to eat and they take up too much of her recess time. :-) For lunch she had quesadilla, sliced tomato's, a hard boiled egg and chocolate milk. The brownie was for dessert.

 

 

 Smoothie pop for snack. Egg Salad sandwich, banana and mango, cheese slices and chocolate milk.

 

 

 

 

Double Chocolate Cookies

Double Chocolate Cookies

 

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup butter

3/4 Cups brown sugar

3/4 Cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 Cups flour

3 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda (high altitude - 1/2 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Cups of Chocolate Chips (or broken up chocolate pieces)

 

Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Add the vanilla.  Stir the dry ingredients together and then add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Add the chocolate chips.  Roll into balls and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Makes 80 cookies.

 

Chips

CHIPS

 

 

Do you need an easy side dish for a sandwich?  Try this, but don't try it if you've just come back from the States.  Give yourself a few weeks to get acclimated to food in Ethiopia again & then give it a try.  These are not like Lay's potato chips . . . they have a bit of a crunch to them, but we enjoy them.

 

Buy a package of chips at the store (the kinds at Shoa are much better than

 the ones you get at a local souk)

 

 

Add a little salt and pepper and enjoy!

 

 

BLT

BLT

 

 

Do you need an easy dinner?  Try making a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.  Toast the bread and butter it.  Put mayonnaise on the bread and then layer cooked bacon, lettuce and tomato.  It's delicious & easy for those nights you need a quick dinner.  Serve it with chips for an easy side.

 

Lasagna / Zucchini Lasagna

Lasagna

 

 

We love lasagna around our house!  We eat it at least twice a month.  The thing I love about lasagna is that it makes two meals for our family.  I can make two pans of lasagna on Friday and we will eat one on Friday night and have plenty for leftovers on Sunday night. 

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Ricotta

3 eggs, beaten

2 balls of Mozzarella (about 2 cups)

6 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese

1/4 teaspoon oregano

3 dashes of garlic powder

1 package of lasagna noodles (I like the no-cook noodles

 they have at Shoa, it doesn't take the entire box of noodles)

1 batch of Marinara Sauce

 

Combine ricotta, eggs, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano and garlic powder.  In 2 bread pans, layer pasta, cheese mixture and sauce.  I make 4 layers.  Sometimes I sprinkle a little bit of provolone on top of the lasagna.  Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

 

You can also make this recipe with Zucchini instead of noodles.  Use the same ingredients.  Slice the zucchini real thin and then grill the zucchini.  Layer the zucchini, cheese mixture and sauce.  I have found that zucchini lasagna does not tend to absorb all the sauce, so it can have a lot of liquid.  It still tastes good like that, but if you add a layer of noodles in the middle, it will soak up a bit of the liquid.

 

Zucchini Lasagna

 

 

Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate Syrup

 

 

My kids LOVE chocolate milk! Chocolate syrup is so easy to make & it is much cheaper to make it yourself than to buy chocolate syrup in the store. 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 Cups sugar

3/4 Cups hot water

Dash of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Mix sugar, salt and cocoa in a saucepan.  Add enough water to make a paste, stir & then add the the remainder of the water.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.  Take it off the heat and add the vanilla.  Pour at once into a jar.  When cool, cover and store it in the fridge.

 

 

 

Brownies

Brownies

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup butter

1/2 Cup margarine

1 2/3 Cups sugar

4 eggs

3/4 Cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup and 2 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (1/2 teaspoon high altitude)

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Blend butter, margarine and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add vanilla.  In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Mix well.  Bake in a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.   

 

Resurrection Rolls - Easter

Resurrection Rolls

 

 

We made these Resurrection Rolls at Easter and since Ethiopian Easter was this past weekend, I thought I would go ahead and post this.  This is a great activity to do with your kids on Easter Weekend.  The sweet roll recipe is adapted from the sweet roll bread machine recipe on allrecipes.com.

 

 Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of warm water (110 degrees)

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 cups warm milk

1 egg

1/3 cup of butter, softened

1/3 Cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

 

Dissolve the yeast in the water for 5 minutes.  In a bowl, mix the milk, egg, 1/3 cup of butter, sugar, salt and flour.  Add the yeast mixture to the main mixture.  Mix the dough together and then knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes. 

 

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and place in a warm place (I put mine inside my oven with the oven turned off).  Let it rise for 1 hour.

 

Punch the dough down.  Divide the dough in half.  Roll each half into a 12 inch circle.  Cut each circle into 8 wedges.  In a small bowl, melt 1/4 cup of butter.  In another small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon.  Take a large marshmallow (you can get these at Bambis) and roll it in butter.  Dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Place the marshmallow in one wedge of dough and wrap the dough totally around the marshmallow.  Make sure you pinch all the holes together because if there are any holes, the marshmallow will leak out while it is cooking.  I used a little water to help pinch all the holes together.

 

Place the rolls on a baking sheet, cover with a cloth and place it in a warm place and let it rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

 

When I did this I used this story with my kids:

 

When we punched down the dough, it represented the soldiers beating Jesus and hanging him on the cross.  After he died, the people put spices on his body (sugar/cinnamon mixture) and wrapped him in cloth (the dough).  They put him in the tomb (we covered the rolls with a cloth and put them in an unheated oven).  After you cook the rolls, the marshmallows will be melted, so the rolls will be empty on the inside (representing the empty tomb and Jesus' resurrection).

 

 

 

 

Smoothie / Smoothie Pop - Strawberry Banana

Smoothie / Smoothie Pop - Strawberry Banana

We love smoothie's around our house!  They are super easy & we love to freeze any leftovers so the kids can have "smoothie pops."

Ingredients:

2 large containers of plain yogurt*

4 bananas

1 1/2 Cups strawberries **

4 Tablespoons of Honey

1/4 Cup of milk powder

1/2 Cup of water

(optional:  fresh spinach)

Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  If you are using spinach, put one yogurt in the blender, then add the spinach and blend.  Add the other yogurt and blend again until smooth.  Then you can add the rest of the ingredients.

*  I buy a lot of yogurt at once and then I freeze it.  When I want a smoothie for lunch, I pull 2 yogurts out of the freezer that morning and let them defrost on the cabinet.

**  I buy 4 containers of strawberries at a time.  I wash them and have my houseworker cut them up into small pieces.  Then I lay them on a cookie sheet and put them in my freezer.  Once they are frozen, I put them in a ziplock bag and pull them out each time I need them.