Friday, July 18, 2008

Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich

This is one of my favorite sandwiches, it is the sandwich I consume most and usually on a daily and weekly basis. It is filling, healthy, and nutritious. It can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or late nigh indulgence .

I remember I would pack these for school on a daily basis, that's how much I loved it. People always looked at me wierd for eating for consuming everyday that sandwich, gosh some teacher even questioned me about it... she asked me what I had in the fridge besides that... geez BACK OFF I LIKE IT OKAY! I obviously have alot considering that I cook often...

Anyways another reason I made it is because I rather eat anything than the GARBAGE SERVED AT SCHOOL HERE IN CALIFORNIA THAT SOME KIDS ACTUALLY LIKE! BARF TASTIC.

Sometimes I would take different kinds of sandwiches though and foods though but thats a different story.

I consider it to be a truely "American Food" (meaning from USA) so I will label it as so. It's probably one of my favorite things from American cuisine (whatever that means)...

Ingredients:
-2 slices of any type of American Sandwich Bread (I use 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Kirkland)
-4 tablespoons more or less of peanut butter of any brand (popular brands here are Jiff and Skippy. I use Kirklands Organic Peanut Butter made only with dry roasted peanuts and salt)
-1 regular banana

Directions:
(1)Toast bread in a toaster.
(2)Spread peanut on both slices as much or as little as you want
(3)On one place small pieces of banana all over.
(4)Close sandwich, cut diagnally if desired
(5)Serve with a tall glass of milk, or with nothing.
NOTE VARIATIONS:
-If one doesn't have banana it is delicous with strawberry, grape, raspberry, and blueberry jam or preserves. (It is very popular to consume with strawberry jam, Smuckers brand. And using white bread but I like this recipe best)
-You can enjoy it with only honey and peanut butter to or drizzle honey on the banana prior to closing.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Mojarra Frita a la Mexicana (Tilapia a la Mexicana)

In this dish fish is seasoned, lightly fried, and simmered in a very light sauce (if it can be called that), I am not a fan of whole tilapia, my mother really enjoys it and many Mexicans love tilapia (which they call "Mojarra" pronounced "mo-ha-ra" but you got to roll the "r")

Anyway I'm sure you'll get really good results using any fish you enjoy. I think this would be great with a "Red Snapper", "Black Pomfret", "Catfish", "Sockeye Salmon" cut in segments, "Rainbow Trout" or simply "Trout", "Pollack" etc. you get the point.

Ingredients:
-2 medium with slits cut on the side whole tilapias (opened up, cleaned, scales removed by scraping in opposite direction with a knife, remive all guts with hand, and those wierd things in the gills. Then with a knife scrape of anything greyish black inside it will make the fish bitter also don't cut or rip a sack near the head it will make it bitter just remove it whole rinse fish well don't be afraid to use your hands be SAVAGE)
-6-8 cloves or more crushed minced garlic preferably mashed to a paste
-salt 1 teaspoon or more to taste
-ground black pepper 1 teaspoon
-1 large or 2 small tomatoes minced
-1/2 onion minced
-1 serrano chili pepper or jalapeno minced or sliced into thin rounds
-1/2 cup cilantro minced

Directions:
-Mix garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper together, rub all over the fish, and fill the slits with it to.
-Heat generous amount of olive oil on medium high in a pan and add fish pan-fry fish brown on both sides about 3 minutes on both sides and set aside
-In dripping sautee onions and chili pepper until translucent and fragrant. Add diced tomato and cilantro season with a little of salt
-Add fish back and cover with sautee. Cover and steam for about 5-1o minutes until tomatoes release some juice. It is not suppose to be a saucy dish.

Tortitas de Carne de Puerco (Pork Paddies)

This is a a very delicious Mexican dish. It is paddies made with ground pork topped with a sauce. You can eat it with fresh corn tortillas or anything. It makes a great meat dish to any meal.
Ingredients for paddies:
(1) 1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
(2)1/2 onion finely minced
(3)6 cloves garlic crushed and minced (you may use less but in my household we love garlic)
(4)1/2 cup minced cilantro
(5)1 teaspoon ground black pepper
(6)salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon or 1 1/2 teaspoons)
(7)1 cracked whole egg
(8)1/2 cup bread crumbs or ground saltine or unsalted crackers (I just put crackers in a bag and mash it with a cup)
(9)A little oil for griddle


Ingredients for sauce:
(1)1 whole tomato minced
(2)1/2 onion minced
(3)1/2 cup minced cilantro
(4)1 spicy chili pepper (any if you want mild use Jalapeno or kinda spicy use Serrano chilies and so on)
(5)salt and pepper to taste
(6)2 -3 tablespoons water

Directions:
(1)Mix all paddie ingredients together, incorporate everything well.
(2)Heat a hot griddle or pan lightly oil and brown on 1 side 3-5 minutes and same on other side. Set aside as your finished.

(3)Heat a pan with some oil, sautee onions and chili peppers, when onions are translucent season with salt and pepper add cilantro and tomato, sautee until tomato is kinda cooked and some water until it is a kind of thick salsa like when the tomato has released some of its liquid. Set aside in a bowl.
(4)When serving spoon some sauce over the paddies.


PLEASE NOTE: You can do this recipe with ground turkey, beef, chicken, veal even by grinding your own fish fillets and using ground shrimp. It is very flexible. You can get any meat in your fridge grind it and use it to.