Favorite Asparagus

Oh my golly goodness this is delicious! I love serving it over brown rice or quinoa. Also beautiful as a simple side. my kids go crazy for this veggie! boo ya

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 small white onion fine dice
no salt seasoning (costco has a great one)
3 tbs Bragg's liquid amino's (find it at the health food store or health section) or 1/4 cup soy sauce (but soy sauce is not clean)
3 tbs honey

In large saute pan add 1 tbs olive oil. Over medium heat saute garlic and onion. While cooking trim asparagus into bit size pieces. Here are all my hints for asparagus... keep in fridge upright in a glass of water with a couple inches water. This helps it keep longer. Then before you trim the tough ends bend one asparagus holding the bottom and top and the asparagus will naturally break at the perfect spot. Discarding all the rough bottom but keeping the yummy rest. Smart huh? Then use that asparagus as a guide for trimming the rest.  Add asparagus to pan and saute over medium heat until it is cooked through but very crisp, about 4 minutes.

 Add no salt seasoning just a dash or two, Bragg's (warning this is saltier then soy sauce, but it is such an incredible product. It is amino acids derived from soy. It is amazing and delicious I use it with and on everything! You should try it.) or soy sauce and honey. Mix all together and let cook another minute.

Serve as a side or over brown rice or quinoa.

Be happy be healthy KCL

*Make Ahead* Mashed potatoes

I am so excited about this idea! I wish I could claim it as my own but I just can't. I love mashed potatoes, they are a home comfort food for me. My dad "the author" makes the most delicious garlic mashed potatoes. Sometimes it's just to much of a hassle to have hot mashed potatoes come out right before serving dinner. The beauty of this dish is you can make them ahead of time and they keep in the refrigerator for several days.Think of how easy I just made your Thanksgiving dinner or even a fancy Sunday dinner!

Ingredients

5 pounds potatoes (*I used red potatoes skin on and baking idaho potatoes. This works great with all red potatoes but this particular time was making a meal for a friend and wasn't sure of their potato taste. The only thing is if using different types of potatoes cut all to a unifor size for the boiling process. Long story short use what comforts you.
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream (low fat is fine)
8 ounces cream cheese softened (low fat is fine, but we are making remember we are making creamy mashed potatoes here)
4 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Scrub, peel and rinse the potatoes, and cut into 2 inch pieces. Place in large stock pot and cover with water. Boil until fork tender, approx. 18-20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and place in a standing mixer or have hand mixer ready. Melt together in microwave butter, sour cream, garlic and cream cheese stir until smooth and combined then add hot mixture to potatoes. Thoroughly mix the potatoes to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, I start with a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper, then taste and re season as needed.

Transfer potatoes to shallow baking dish and cover with foil. Potatoes can be kept warm in the oven at this point or refrigerated. If using later you can also divide the potatoes into 2 dishes if you family will not eat 5 pounds of potatoes. Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.


Enjoy an easy holiday dinner KCL

Sweet mango over coconut sticky rice (one of my all time favorite desserts!)

Luckily I married into a family that has taught me much about food. Especially when it comes to THAI food. Oh how I love it! Even my kids first choice is "The thai restaurant", yes seriously over McDonald's!

Here is such a sweet sinful dessert. It is by no means an "authentic" recipe, but it is just as delicious. I took a short cut and learned how to make delicious sticky rice in the microwave. I don't know about you but I seriously do not have room for one more gadget (in this case a rice steaming basket) in my kitchen.

This is one of a few things that I tend to overeat, I simply can not put it down MMM!

Here is what you'll need:

package sticky rice (found in oriental markets)

1-2 ripe mangos, peel and sliced into strips (look for mangos that are fragrant and squeeze easily )


1/2 cup sugar

1 can good-quality coconut milk

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. coconut flavoring/extract

1 tsp. vanilla (this will tint the sauce lightly, you may omit)

2 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water

Microwave method for sticky rice

Soak the sticky rice for 10 minutes in warm water in a bowl. Soaking the rice is very important. I have tried this method without soaking the rice first and it was disastrous. The rice was undercooked and inedible. The water level should be just above the rice, which comes out to be 1 cup of rice and a little over 1 cup of water (about 10% more). I recommend using a non-plastic container because you may melt the plastic in the microwave. I used corning ware with a glass lid. Cover the bowl with a dish and cook in microwave at full power 3 minutes. Stir the rice around to move the rice from the top to the bottom. You will notice that some of the rice is translucent or cooked and some still has white center or the uncooked portion.


Heat it up again for another 3 minutes. Check and see if it is done. When cooked, all the rice should be translucent no longer stark white. I prefer it to still have a good texture. If it needs more cooking, I recommend heating up and checking every 3 minutes or so. How long it takes to cook really depends on your microwave.

For the coconut sauce

To make the sauce, warm the can of coconut milk together with 1/2 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 tsp. coconut flavoring (optional) and 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring over medium heat (5 minutes).


Add cornstarch (dissolved in the water) to the sauce and stir to thicken it slightly. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. When thickened, remove from heat. Tip: Do not boil the sauce, or you will lose that wonderful coconut flavor.

Before serving, taste-test the sauce for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. If too sweet for your taste, add a little more coconut milk.

Place scoops of the sticky rice in bowls (Note that sticky rice can be served cold, warm, or at room temperature, as desired). I like it warm. Ladle a generous amount of warm coconut sauce over the rice (creating an “island” of sticky rice). Add slices/pieces of ripe fresh mango.
Don't be angry at me when you to can not put it down!
Enjoy KCL