Brazilian Cheese Rolls

These were fast, easy and great and a wonderful addition to our celebratory seafood boil!

We made 12 big ones and 12 little ones, the little ones needed to be pulled out of the oven at about 15 minutes, while the big ones cooked for about 20 minutes total. 

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sunflower oil

2 cups tapioca flour

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese preferably medium or sharp

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Combine in a blender milk, sunflower oil, tapioca flour, salt and eggs. Blend until smooth. 

2. Add in the cheese and blend for a few more seconds just until combined

3. Pour into sprayed muffin tins

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed up and DELICOIUS! 

What we liked:

Fun and easy! Yay!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, they were great! We made them with too little salt but the recipe above should adjust for it. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked it... Orion didn't. Astrid did. 

Next time:

No changes other than what is already noted above. 

Cheater Chicken Salad

This is a cheater chicken salad because it really only uses two ingredients and they are prepackaged.
We combined an Asian salad mix and pre cooked chicken strips for a super quick and yummy chicken salad. This seriously took give minutes to make and that's with frying the chicken strips.

Ingredients:

Precooked chicken strips
Asian salad mix

Directions:

1. Fry the chicken strips in oil until heated through.
2. Make salad according to instructions.
3. Top salad with chicken.

What we liked:

Super quick, easy and yummy.

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was good.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He preferred his burger left over from lunch. Astrid, however, at only 4 months old, loved the chicken taste. We let her tongue at a chicken strip and she really enjoyed it.

Next time:

No change.

Fiesta Quinoa Salad with Grilled Shrimp

This was a wonderful colorful salad. The dressing was really great and the shrimp were simple, yet delicious. It is fairly quick to throw together and can be prepared in advance. This would be great for a party,perhaps with some other meat, such as chicken stirred in.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/fiesta-quinoa-salad-shrimp.aspx

Grilled Shrimp with Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup white quinoa
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 medium cloves garlic, mashed to a paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. extra-jumbo (16 to 20 per lb.) peeled, deveined shrimp
1 can fire roasted corn
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced - small cubes!
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare a medium-high (400°F to 475°F) gas or charcoal grill fire.
2. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender and all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar, combine 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and whisk or shake until combined.
4. Thread the shrimp on metal or wooden skewers. Brush them with 1 Tbs. of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the shrimp until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
5. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, corn, beans, bell pepper, cilantro, and scallions. Toss with the dressing, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the shrimp with the quinoa.

What we liked:

Quick, easy, light and good! 

What we didn't like:

Could have used more shrimp. If serving more than 2 people, definitely get more shrimp. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He really is not into foods that are not homogenous... He loves beans and corn, but by themselves without any suspicious "salad" (cilantro) around. 

Next time:

More shrimp - maybe some additional spices on the shrimp.

Miso

This is an easy, simple, go to dinner recipe. When we went to Japan we loved their miso soup that we found in little cafes at every corner. The little ramen shops were about the size of our kitchen, and that included their kitchen and seating/eating area, which was more like bar seating with barstools surrounding a counter behind which the ramen was made. Anyways, we tried to re-create their ramen at home. It's not as good as the Japan ramen, but it's good and quick and easy. We are still looking for the perfect noodles to use. We have bought an assortment of noodles at our local international market - Talin Market - and are trying to see which noodles we like best.

This recipe is very adjustable to your tastes. The amounts below are our favorites but everything can be adjusted up and down to your liking!

Served!

Kaspian's First Helping (he requested soup)

Cooking

Ingredients (for 2):

Noodles (Any kind of Raman noodles, we have used the super cheap top raman noodles all the way to fresh refrigerated Asian noodels)
2 Tablespoons Miso Paste
1 Can Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon Tahini
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Dash of Dashi
2 Chives

Directions:

1) Boil water in a pan for the noodles.
2) While the water boils, heat another pan over medium high heat with the chicken stock.
3) Add the Miso paste to the stock and stir until dissolved.
4) Add in the Soy sauce and Dashi to the stock
5) Let boil for a few minutes.
6) By this time the water pan should be boiling, Add the noodles and cook according the Raman package instructions (Every noodle package seems to be different!)
7) Add the Tahini into the chicken stock mixture and reduce heat to low until the noodles are done.
8)  When the noodles are done, drain the water and pour the noodles into the stock/miso mixture.
9) Top with chives and serve! 

What we liked:

Quick and Easy dinner. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He LOVED the noodles AND the soup. He even asked for seconds and third. He usually does not like soup, but miso - he loves. 

Next time:

Try different noodles. We have "nests" and "wavy" noodles to try next.