SMOOTHIE: Pineapple & celery

RECIPE: Broccoli Salad

I COMBINED THESE 3 RECIPES:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/broccolisaladrecipes/r/bl30321j.htm

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/broccoli_salad/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/broccoli-salad-recipe/index.html

1 Bring a large pot of water, salted with a teaspoon of salt, to a boil. Add the broccoli florets. Cook 1-2 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the broccoli. 1 minute will turn the broccoli bright green, and leave it still pretty crunchy. 2 minutes will cook the broccoli through, but still firm. Set your timer and do not cook for more than 2 minutes, or the broccoli will get mushy. Drain the broccoli and immediately put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Let cool and drain.

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup raisins..I substituted with sweet corn
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon..I substituted with beef jerky
• 1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
• 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed, optional...I could have used canned beans
• .
• Dressing:
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste...or 1/4 cup honey

And this is the TicoFusion(tm) DELIGHT:

- Boil the broccoli

- It's hard to get good bacon in CR...so I used beef jerky

- No peas

RECIPE: Fish with butter, lemongrass and ginger

I liked this dish because of the fine flavors, it's a simple taste (but not boring, though it took a lot of time to chop), and it's healthy!

I used this recipe:

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cuisine/seafood/recipe/fish-cooked-with-butter-lemongrass-and-ginger-20111019-1m4w9.html

Then did my TicoFusion(tm) variations:

- I sued Cabrilla which is a type of grouper. Turns out Cabrilla might be better for baking because it was breaking up. I did like the texture.
- Microwave the carrots for 2 minutes in butter, so that it is soft
- If the fish cooks quickly because it is thin, then cook everything but the fish, almost-reduce the sauce before cooking the fish in the almost-reduced sauce. Let the fish cook in the sauce to get the fine flaovrs.
- I doubled the sauce because I like sauce, and added extra carrots to have more veggies.

You might be interested in this:

RECIPE: Hainanese Chicken Rice

This meal is so healthy, and the flavor so simple, I can eat this for many days without getting bored.
I learned about this dish from my mom, but since she didn't really follow a recipe, I decided to look it up:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/hainanese-chicken-rice-recipe/index.html
http://steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese-chicken-rice.html
http://www.filipinorecipe-tv.com/hainanese-chicken.html

CHICKEN

Ginger, 3 inches grated

Garlic, 6 cloves, diced in food processor

Cilantro leaves - the long ones - 6 chopped

1 tsp salt

VEGETABLES TO BOIL WITH THE CHICKEN

Chayote - boil at the same time

Broccoli - boil 20 minutes before

SAUCE

I may try to puree in my food processor next time, but I'll do it the way I think my mom did it, which is finely chopped.

• green onions diced, 2 stalks without the dark green parts
• garlic diced, 2 tsp, about 5 cloves, equal part to the green onions
• Easy on the ginger until you are sure you like this taste
• 20 shakes of salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Lime juice

Other ideas:

http://andrealynnfoodwriter.com/garlic-scallion-sauce-two-ways/

http://casaveneracion.com/steamed-chicken-with-ginger-garlic-sauce/

RECIPE: Cabbage, ginger and sesame stir fry

I used this recipe:
www.taste.com.au/recipes/15622/cabbage+ginger+and+sesame+stir+fry

I don't think I like the ginger.
Good article on Coriander Substitute (Cillantro / culantro):
http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makeyourowningredients/qt/Coriander-Substitute.htm

We will be using this cabbage with the Fish Tacos, and as a side dish with the Hainanese Chicken.

GARDEN2TABLE RECIPE: Garlic Rosemary Roast Chicken

I used this recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Garlic-Rosemary-Roast-Chicken-237569
I used Rosemary freshly picked from the garden!

Silly me...I put the garlic and rosemary in softened butter thinking I would make it tastier, but now I have a lot of fat since the chicken skin also produced lots of oil juice. So next time, I will just follow the recipe.