Spring chicken soup before spring is over!

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I saw this awesome spring chicken soup recipe while browsing my Facebook and I HAD to make it!

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19992009/spring-chicken-soup-recipe/

Ingredients: (of course, as y’all know, I modified the recipe.)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 c. low-sodium organic chicken broth
1 whole chicken, shredded
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 cans of Southwest corn
Lemon slices, for garnish
My ingredients for this awesome soup!
Directions:
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, and asparagus, and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add oregano, salt, and pepper.
  2. Pour in chicken broth and thyme. Bring to a boil then add chicken and lower heat. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks. Add chicken, lemon juice, and corn to pot. Cook until warmed through, 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley to serve.
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This soup was amazing! It lasted my family and I for three days!

I made pesto grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the hearty soup.

The homemade pesto recipe is super simple:

  • Basil (Thai basil is also fine to use)
  • Pine nuts
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic cloves

Blend ingredients in a food processor or blender. It is so good! The best pesto I’ve ever eaten!

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I wanted to try Muenster cheese. It reminds me of Swiss. It was very yummy!

A family affair of froyoz!

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Remember when frozen yogurt used to be the dessert to get? There were froyo places popping up all over the island and then they slowly starting closing down. I’m glad Cherry on Top in Pearl City is still around. This place is DA BOMB!

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What an assortment- for the fam!

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These were the flavors that evening. I’m sure they change out the flavors every so often.

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Each of us chose at least one flavor per station, and what was cool was that they all mixed well together in our individual bowls.

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I LOVE their toppings bar. So diverse and so much variety to choose from!

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More toppings to choose from!

Cherry on Top
1140 Kuala St.
Pearl City, HI 96782
https://www.yelp.com/biz/cherry-on-top-pearl-city

Good ol’ pasta & steak

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Happy Sunday!

I love experimenting and making different and unique dishes. This time, I made pasta with vodka sauce. Yes, vodka! 😏

I was inspired by this recipe: https://shewearsmanyhats.com/pasta-vodka-sauce-recipe/

I, of course, altered the recipe, as I always do, to make it my own.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound pasta
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
  • 8 cloves garlic, grated
  • 32 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup vodka
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish (or Gruyere)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • garnish: fresh chopped parsley, grated Parmesan
  • I added arugula to the dish. I added about three handfuls of the batch.
Instructions:
  1. Begin cooking pasta to al dente stage according to package instructions.
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chili flakes and grated garlic, cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes and vodka, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Stir in cream, Parmesan cheese, plus ¼ cup of pasta water until smooth. If needed, add more pasta water a little at a time until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Drain pasta, add to pan with sauce and toss until coated.
  6. Serve with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.

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Mmm! I may have put a wee bit more cheese than anticipated. Still, it was yummy!

I was in the mood for steaks to pair with the pasta. I was dying to use honey and balsamic vinegar again. So I made this: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/balsamic-glazed-sirloin-steak-10900

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound 1/2-inch-thick boneless sirloin steak
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

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Doesn’t this look mouth watering?

Eating for charity!

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Last weekend, my girlfriends and I attended the 40th Annual Charity Walk. We love this walk because while you’re getting your walk on, you get to eat some good food along the way, provided by the various hotels. The Charity Walk’s donations benefits the Hawaii Visitor Industry. It’s super fun! Food really drives your motivation to walk and cross the finish line. Though, I swear the walk is getting shorter and shorter every year- haha! This year’s walk was 5.25 miles. The first time I participated in this walk was in 2012. It was around 10 miles then. Holy moly! That was a workout! My feet and legs were extremely sore the next day, but it was worth the workout! This year, the Charity Walk raised over $2.5 million! Whoo hoo! Beats their record in 2017, which was over $2.27 million. Way to go!

See website for more details: http://www.charitywalkhawaii.org/oahu.html.
The Charity Walk also occurs on the neighbor islands. The walk usually occurs in mid-May on Oahu. Look out for next year’s event. Form a team to raise money, walk individually, or walk with a small group.

Here are some of the foods we enjoyed.

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Spam musubi from Alohilani Resort. Mmmm!

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Crab slider with a fried coconut-cake dessert, topped with a fire-roasted marshmallow topping from the Halekulani & Waikiki Parc Hotels. This was amazing!!!

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Yummy fried rice from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

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Kalua pig (aka pork) with a hint of lime over tortilla chips from Price Waikiki.

I was so full after the we crossed the finish line. They provided a free lunch after, but I was too full. I happily gave my ticket away to someone who could have used another lunch plate.

Does this food make you inspired to join next year? Haha!

Have a great week!

x

Quinoa is amazing!

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I’m excited to say that I made a dish with quinoa in it, and it was so yummy! Quinoa has been my new addiction- like literally! I’ve always enjoyed quinoa, and now, I enjoy incorporating it into my dishes.

I made a quinoa enchilada casserole dish. It was easy and quick to make. See below for the details.

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Ingredients: (I altered the original recipe)

  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 2 trays of ground turkey breast
  • 1 (12-ounce) can of red enchilada sauce
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar of green chile cooking sauce
  • 2 cans of southwest corn
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of pinto beans
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • Himalayan pink salt
  • Garlic salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Taco cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

  1. Cook ground turkey breast meat thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili pepper
  2. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray pan with cooking spray.
  3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
  4. Spread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses and chips. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and cheeses have melted, about 15 minutes.

Inspired by: quinoa enchilada casserole recipe

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Whoo hoo! Adios for now!

Oodles and noodles of Chinese cuisine!

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A few weeks ago, I was inspired to whip up some delicious Chinese dishes.

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I’ve always wanted to replicate California Pizza Kitchen’s (CPK) Kung Pao Spaghetti dish. I didn’t realize how simple it was. Here it is! I did replace some ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I used Himalayan pink salt)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts  (I used pine nuts)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (I used chives)

For the sauce

  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 2 tablespoons red chili paste with garlic, or more, to taste
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Source: Kung pao spaghetti w/ chicken.

Next, I made lemon garlic sautéed bok choy as a side dish.

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It was very simple. I used garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and lemon/zest. Tossed the bok choy with the ingredients. Voila!

Recipe: lemon garlic bok choy

Lastly, I made my famous stir fry with some leftover chicken. Good ol’ stir fry.

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This sauce is amazing!

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The ingredients…

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Doesn’t this look tasty?

Have a wonderful Aloha Friday and weekend.

FS x

Bringing out an old friend… Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

In honor of this holiday, I was inspired to make some grinds with tequila! This time, with lamb shanks, baby!

I made orange-tequila lamb shanks.

I tweaked the recipe, as I always do.

Ingredients (Foodnista Soul’s way):