Breaded Zucchini with 2 easy sauces

Sometimes I like to take veggies and saute fry them.

The day after a Food Festival- I spent hours cleaning up and seeing some extra

zucchini in the refrigerator made me think of a snack my mom used to and still

cooks from time to time.  Fried zucchini.

Simply take one zucchini and after rinsing it, pat it try with a paper towel

and cut the zucchini into round slices. Not too thick but not too skinny either.

I decided to make half with Italian breadcrumbs mixed with Panko....

and the other half with a flour mixture. Both types were first dipped in a bowl with

2 beaten eggs. I dipped the zucchini slices in egg then the flour and then the egg again 

and then the flour again. I dip it twice simply to make sure there is a coating on it.

I did the same thing for bread crumb ones as well.  I turned on a saute pan

on medium-high (too high will burn them quickly and too low of heat will make them soft)

and added a little grape seed oil (any frying oil can be uses--- corn, canola, peanut, veggie)

I also made 2 super easy dipping sauces as well.

The first sauce is simply siracha mayo and that'w literally what goes in it.

Start with 3 TBSP of mayo and a squeeze of siracha sauce to your liking.

The 2nd sauce is just as easy-- use 2-3 TBSP of mayo, 1 TBSP of ranch salad dressing

and a squeeze of wasabi-- again- to your liking.

These were the bread crumb ones.....

and these were the flour ones.

It was an enjoyable snack after a long day of cleaning.

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Hearty Asian Fusion Veggie Quesadilla

When you take an ingredient or technique from one country or region
and fuse or bond it together --- you simply have something "fusion"

I took some veggies and sauteed them together adding teriyaki sauce
which is Japanese (Asian) and made it into a quesadilla which originated from
central Mexico.

In this SUPER easy Asian Fusion quesadilla:
there is --- 1 carrot,
about 3-4 crowns of broccoli,
5-6 stems of asparagus  ('sharpie' size),
a small zucchini,
a medium red or any kind of onion
some cheese (any kind that you favor)(shredded makes it easier)
and 2, 4 or 6 (basically an even amount for a top and bottom) tortilla shell

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute your veggies. Adding the onions and stems of the broccoli first is a good start because the longer that onions cook they will taste sweeter and extra delicious.

Once the onions have been sweating in the pan for about 5-7 minutes---

add the broccoli, asparagus and stir those all around for about a minute or 2.

Lastly add your shredded carrots and zucchini in last simply because it's the most delicate of all the veggies for this quesadilla and you don't want them to be overcooked, soft and mushy.

Stir in some teriyaki sauce.  (Teriyaki recipe)

and place all your veggies on a quesadilla shell on a large pan or cookie sheet depending on if you want to bake this off or toast it on the stove.

Add your cheese (I used provolone and shredded cheddar for this one)

Once the cheese is on top of the veggies-- add the 2nd tortilla shell.

I used a saute pan than has groves so it makes the marks and toasts them right in the pan on the stove.

Once the cheese has melted (you can tell when the top layer is stuck to the veggies/cheese)

simply flip it over or take it out of the oven.

You can use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadillas or a large sharp knife.

These quesadillas are super tasty, hearty and healthy. 

It's best when you spread a little sour cream on them!

Non-veggie lovers will even love this one!

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Buffalo Chicken Dumplings! (w/bacon)

Take 2 things you enjoy and fuse them together!
I enjoy lots of different foods but being Korean... Asian food come into
play quite often. So many dishes end up being Asian Fusion.
Not to mix that up with Pan-Asian which is.... for those who might mix them up-
for example- a Pan-Asian restaurant would serve foods from many different Asian
countries or regions whereas Asian Fusion or any fusion for that matter
is when you take a technique or ingredient that is known for a certain region
and mix/fuse them together.

ie: Chicken Teriyaki Burrito Wrap
http://letscultivatefood.blogspot.com/2011/03/chicken-teriyaki-wrap.html

Just like the way Rachel Ray is a self-pronounced queen of burgers...
I am pretty close when it comes to dumplings.
Here are my Buffalo Chicken Dumplings. Take a chicken breast and boil it on medium heat
just so it's almost done (maybe 80-90% done).  Rinse it with cold water and then
pull it apart with your fingers. Have a few strips of bacon cooked and cut up into small pieces
as well and set the bacon aside to add to the Buffalo chicken dumpling mix.

Take about 3-4 scallions, chop them up and throw them into the bowl of shredded chicken.

Take a pan to your stove and melt about a tablespoon of butter and add a heavy drizzle

of Frank's Hot Sauce. Once the butter melts, add a drizzle of Agave or any type of sweetener.

Once the Buffalo sauce has started to bubble in your pan, turn the stove off and

add the chicken and scallions to your pan of hot Buffalo sauce. 

I add a little bit of Panko bread crumbs to make the filling a little bit thicker 

so the sauce doesn't drizzle out the sides when I fold the dumplings. 

The chicken that you boiled to "almost done" will finish up cooking in the hot, hot sauce. 

(The reason I say cook it 80-90% is so that the chicken doesn't get over cooked and dry out). 

Now, is the time you would add the already cooked and cut bacon.

                         

Once the dumplings have been folded, you can pan or deep fry them. I recommend

deep frying these.  These dumplings are REALLY good with chilled Ranch Dressing.

(A taste test has been done with Ranch vs. Blue Cheese)

Since these dumplings are deep fried, maybe eat the dumplings with a side salad.
Balance the frying with something a little healthier...?  Is that girl reasoning?

Nonetheless, I am pretty sure you will enjoy these dumplings if you enjoy Buffalo sauce.

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Celebrating 75+ In-Home Cooking Classes !

It all starts with an inquiry, a Groupon purchase and most often a friend referral
to schedule an In-Home Cooking Class.

This year, we started with a heavy load of Valentine's gift classes along with
birthdays, birthdays and more birthdays!
We've also done showers, new home gift parties, classes won through
silent auctions, and of course.... just because for fun for no specific
reason than to learn a new food to add to the daily grind of food.

Nutritionists often say we eat the same 30 or so foods and simply
rotate them every 2 weeks.  We all get in a food rut.
Why not have a little fun and learn a brand new food or a food
that you frequently order at a restaurant but don't know how to make?!

This year- my sous chef and I started by trekking through the snow
and traveling to people's homes often in the city.
We were and still are always greeted by the greatest people.
Our new clients are so hospitable, eager to learn, eat and drink!

It often starts with...
"IS EVERYTHING IN THE BAG/S?!?"
"WHAT ABOUT THE EGGS?"
"WE GOTTA GO... THERE'S GOING TO BE TRAFFIC?!"
"WAIT, IS IT THE DUMPLINGS THEN THE THAI MENU?"
" OR IS THE CUSTOM MENU THEN THE INDIAN MENU?"
"CENTER CITY THEN MAINLINE RIGHT!?"
"WE GOTTA GO, ARE THE APRONS IN THE BAGS?"
"RICE COOKER NEEDED OR NOT NEEDED?"

The questions can be endless.
But with everything in life, once you do something
a few times, you get it down and you gain life experiences
which is the best part of life. The memories and experiences
you gain and if you meet some cool people along the way...
life is good!

It's really and truly awesome to travel to people's homes and be in their kitchens.
Every single kitchen is different of course - from the set-up to the equipment
to the kitchen accessories...  some people have had wine parings with their
menus, others have had some chips and dip to snack on as we arrive,
some people will play some jazz, salsa or Pandora.
Pandora stations and music through a Comcast channel are almost always
on which is nice simply because... who doesn't like some back ground music right!?

We most often start with how to properly dice an onion...
along with many tips and tricks to use in your kitchen.
Along the many tips... the favorited one is the- grow your own scallions.
We haven't come across anyone yet who hasn't been intrigued by being able
to grow and cultivate your own scallions along with some other veggies as well
but the easiest is the scallion!

We have currently reached way over 75 In-Home Cooking Classes.
phew, I need a new car!  hahaha  just kidding but not kidding!
Let's see we've been to... Center City, south Philly, north Philly, northeast Philly,
northwest Philly, Norristown, Plymouth Mtg, Jersey, Chinatown, Jenkintown, Bristol,
Paoli, Wayne, Bala Cynwyd, Radnor, Holland, Drexel Hill, Lansdowne, Media,
Roxborough, Manayunk, Newtown Square, Broomall, West Chester, Lansdale,
Northern Liberties, Doylestown, Ambler, Phoenixville, Bensalem, King of Prussia,
Conshohocken and back.

Check out the video if you haven't already through email or Facebook.

In-Home Cooking Classes VIDEO!    <----- click to view (best when viewed with the sound)




Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Grab the freshest BREAD!

If you're like me...
when it's food shopping time---
it usually goes something like this,
make & have your list, go through the aisles as quickly as possible
and if you have a basket, go to the express lane
and if you have a cart, it's hunting down the quickest line possible.

It's seldom that I go down every aisle to check out what might be new.

Well, with bread- I spend an extra minute-
to find the freshest bread possible according to when it was baked.

Now, I might be organized and have a good eye with certain things
but no, I do not look through all the loaves of bread and check each individual date.

Here is a quick tip I'd like to share with you!

Ok, so you see the bread all lined up nicely?
From the left....

 From the right...

Can you tell which one was baked when and which loaf is the freshest?
Are they all the same?

                      

 

Now, check out their twisty ties. You see some blue ones, green, red, yellow and white.

The date is printed on the bread but you can easily tell when it was baked by the

twisty tie color. Now, are you expected to memorize colors and their respective days?

OF COURSE NOT!  haha

So, assuming our brains aren't too fried from technology just yet...
You can tell what day of the week the bread was made in alphabetical order by color.
Color order meaning, B for blue, G for green, R, W & Y.
Blue-------- Monday
Green------Tuesday
Red--------Wednesday
White------Thursday
Yellow-----Friday

And guess what!?!?  Yes, it is universal with all bread bakers!  Ta-da!
Who said you can't learn something new everyday.

Mamma Mia, Pasta Pia....

Actually I mean.... pasta PIE!
but Mamma Mia, Pasta Pia just rhymes better.

Yes, I will stick to cooking and DIY-ing rather than trying to be a poet. haha.
Pasta pie.  I love pie. Bluberry, apple, pumpkin... you name it.

Since I can't get enough of cultivating food...
and taking everyday food and changing it up-
I shall continue to cultivate dishes and make it my own.

Pasta in the shape of a pie.  Who wouldn't like this right?

This dish is very easy to make as long as you have a smaller size cake pan.
Unless you are making it for a larger group-- then just use a regular size cake pan!

Boil an entire box of rigatoni in salted water. Once it is 90% cooked in hot boiling water--

pour the pasta noodles into a strainer/collander. Do NOT rinse the cooked rigatoni.

(you want to keep the starchy part of the pasta-- this simply helps the tomato sauce

adhere to the pasta.)  (Also boil/cook the pasta to 90% because you're going to finish

it off in the oven and you don't want over-cooked pasta!)

Carefully lay the rigatoni into the cake pan. I like to use the 'spring form' ones---

the cake pans where the side comes undone... but you can also make and just

serve it from the cake pan as well. Don't feel that you have to go out and buy

this type of cake pan.   

Sprinkle a little cheese (Parmesan cheese recommended--
about 1/2 cup) on top of the rigatoni.
Lastly, pour your favorite red sauce (with or without meat) and add a handful....
nah, add 2 handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese on top. (2 cups)

Bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.... 

basically until the cheese melts.

Take your pasta pie out and let it sit for 10-15 minutes so that all the cheese and sauce

gets a chance to settle and get their yum-iness on!

Mamma Mia.....  Pasta Pia-Pie is delicious!   

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

Produce CODES

When you buy your produce.....
do you ever look at the sticker?
More importantly - do you know what the sticker means?

I always say- knowing is half the battle.

Take a look at the image I created below to better
explain what the PLU codes really mean-----
you know, so you can be aware and get the produce that you want.

As you can easily see in the image above - 

conventionally (regularly) grown produce always start with a 3 or 4 plu code.

Organically grown produce items start with the number 9 in their code.

The ones that start with 8........... are not good at all for you.

They are genetically modified so that they are in completely controlled settings-

one might say that they look the most appealing at times... simply because

they are not grown naturally.  Please stay away from the genetically modified ones.

Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food

In Home Cooking Class Philadelphia        Birthday gift present activity cooking class