Wontons

Fried Crab Wonton

I still remember the first time I had crab wontons at a Chinese restaurant in Wisconsin. I think I ordered them at every Chinese restaurant for a good two years. I, for one, have loved cream cheese, but I remember my dad griping about how there is no crab in the recipe.

This recipe has just the right amount of crab and cheese and everything else! It's absolutely scrumptious and a little dangerous--it's one of those rare foods that you can over indulge on without realizing that you're going overboard.

A year ago I actually had 32 of them in one sitting. Minimum. We weren't consciously keeping count, but my cousin had served me 10 in my first serving, I took 5 for seconds, stole 2 from my nephew and 5 from my niece. And then I ate the leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 cans (12 oz.) white crabmeat, drained, flaked

8oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened

4green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon all purpose flavoring (without salt)

24 wonton wrappers

Directions:
1. Mix the crabmeat, cream cheese, green onions and mayo until an even mixture is formed.
2. Place a bit of the crab mixture in the middle of a wonton wrapper
3. Line the edges of the wonton wrapper with water
4. Take all four edges of the wonton wrapper and shove them together as if you're forming a sack out of the wrapper.
5. Fry in oil until golden brown.

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

One of my best friend's sent me this recipe that she found and tried from recipezaar.com.

She adapted it so that it's an eggless recipe (and thereby, vegan-vegetarian friendly) and a healthier version. The original recipe calls for shortening and all-purpose flour, and she substituted those ingredients with butter and whole-wheat flour. Instead of eggs, she used 1 tablespoon flaxseed and 3 tablespoon water.

Although the modifications seem minor, they do make a difference health wise without compromising the taste of the cookies.

Whole wheat flour, in comparison to all-purpose flour, has more fiber and minerals (specifically, Vitamin B and E). While butter sounds unhealthy, it is relatively healthier than shortening. Shortening has trans fat (unsaturated) and butter is saturated. Unsaturated fat (the kind found in shortening) is what contributes to coronary heart disease and is significantly worse than the saturated fats found in butter.

So for a guilt-free healthy cookie--try the recipe below :)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 1/3 eggs (1 tablespoon flax seed + 3 tablespoon water = 1 egg)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup quick-cooking oat

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter, sugars and peanut butter together until there is a smooth consistency.
2. Add eggs (or the substitute) one at a time.
3. Sift flour, soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture.
5. Add oats to the dough. Mix well to fully incorporate the oats in the mixture.
6. Form 1.5 inch balls.
7. Bake at 350 Degrees F for 12 minutes on a lined cookie sheet.

Flan

Jell-O Flan (Eggless)

Today's entry is not a recipe, but a product review. Jell-O has a flan mix that is so easy and so good it's insane! Until I find a recipe for flan that I'm content with and tastes like authentic flan, I think this product suffices!

It's the perfect combination and balance of easy, cheap and delicious! The best part is that it's eggless so for anyone who is a strict vegetarian or has egg allergies--this is for you!

For a little background on flan...you can get the history below this video, or speed up to around 1:10 on the video below to a definition that sounds just about right to me--"it's a delicious custard"--and Becki Newton's reaction sums up my sentiments pretty well! Note in the video, it's pronounced FLAHN.

I always thought flan was conceived in Mexico, but turns out it was popular in the Roman Empire and the caramel custard found it's way to Spain. Christopher Columbus actually brought the delicious dessert to the Americas! The word Flan comes from the Latin word "flado" (translates to flat cake) which later became flaon in French.


Now, the recipe for this flan is pretty much on the box. However, I have experimented with the instructions by replacing whole milk with other supplements (evaporated milk, condensed milk, skim milk) and found the following:

• Evaporated Milk in place of whole milk produces a creamier flan. I prefer using evaporated in place of whole milk.
  
• Condensed milk is disastrous! The Jell-O does not set right and ends up like pudding with little sand granules.
  
• Skim milk works just as well, but it's not as firm
  

Because this is a recipe you refrigerate, you can put flan in a mold of your choice and place it on a plate with ease before serving.

Arugula Gorgonzola Crostini

Crostini with Arugula, Walnuts, Sun Dried Tomato & Gorgonzola

This is a really easy recipe and it's yummmmmy! Makes me feel like a classy adult every time I make it, eat it and serve it! This can be made ahead and set aside until you're ready to put it into an oven (if overnight, then refrigerate in an airtight container).

What is Crostini?
Crostini is an Italian dish that is now served as an appetizer. In Italian, the word crostini translates to "little toasts". In essence, it's a piece of toasted bread drizzled in butter/oil that is topped off with a few ingredients--in the case of this recipe, walnuts, arugula, gorgonzola, and sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:
Butter (at room temperature), or butter substitute
18 (1/4-inch thick) baguette
6 tablespoons toasted and chopped walnuts
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons finely-chopped arugula leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Arugula leaves

Equipment:
Cutting Board
Knife
Baking Sheet
Spoon
Medium Bowl

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Slice baguette into 1/4th inch thick slices
3. Butter one surface of the baguette slice and play on a baking sheet (butter side up)
4. Bake for 10 minutes

While baguette is baking...
5. Chop toasted walnuts (I didn't pre-toast my walnuts, and they were just fine!)
6. Chop Arugula leaves
7. Mix walnuts, arugual leaves and gorgonzola cheese in a medium bowl.

Once baguette's are removed from the oven...
8. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degree's F
9. Using a spoon, press spread the walnut-cheese-arugula mixture on the bread, pressing it with the spoon to make sure it adheres to the surface
10. Bake until cheese melts (approximately 6 minutes)
11. Garnish with sundried tomato (this is optional)

Jell-O Trifle

Another deviation from baking, and another form of trifle. I don't want to call it my creation because I'm sure someone out there has made something like this.

What's a post without a little history lesson? Jell-O was created by Pearle Wait, a carpenter in LeRoy, in 1897, when he was making a cough remedy and laxative tea in his home. He experimented with gelatine and came up with the fruit flavored dessert we all know and love, which his Wife, May, named Jell-O. He then sold the rights to this presently flourishing business for $450!

The first four Jell-O flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry; lime was introduced in 1930 and there was no turning back since with creations of new flavors and products!

And, just for your reference--fruits that float in Jell-O include fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, orange and grapefruit sections; sliced peaches, pears and strawberries; and fruit packed in light syrup. Fruits that sink--seedless grapes; fruits in heavy syrup such as apricots, cherries, fruit cocktail peaches, pears and pineapple.

Returning back to the recipe at hand, I named this Jell-O Trifle because of it's layers. I gotta say, it's a lot of fun to make and looks delicious and you can make it in any flavor you want! I made orange--rest assured no beef pea's in this one ;-). What? You don't know what I'm talking about? Then you must watch this:


In a nutshell, it's one layer of jell-o, a layer of jell-o with whip cream, a layer of fresh fruit (preferably the same as the jell-o or one that compliments the jello) and a layer of whip cream. It's hard for me to quantify the amount of each ingredient because this is really a recipe that varies by the person who prepares it.

Ingredients:
Orange Jell-O
Whip Cream
Canned Oranges

Equipment: Trifle Dish 1 Medium Bowl

Directions:
1. Prepare Orange Jell-O as per instructions on the box.
2. Pour Jell-O into trifle dish and refrigerate.
3. Drain and wash canned orange slices. The whip cream and Jell-O provide enough sweet taste so make sure the syrup cocktail is not on the oranges!
4. Set aside the perfect shaped orange slices for garnishing at the end.
5. Split orange slices in half and fold into the whip cream. Refrigerate until Jell-O is set.
6. Once the Jello-O is set, lightly place the whip cream mixture on top of the Jell-O evenly.
7. Add a thin layer of plain whip cream for aesthetic purposes and garnish with orange slices.

* I made the Jell-O and the cool whip mixture the night before and refrigerated both. The next day, I layered and garnished the dish. The cool whip mixture does not need to be made in advance.

Just to leave this post on an interesting note, in 1993, it was confirmed with a bowl of Lime Jello-) and an EEG machine that a bowl of wiggly Jello-O has brain waves identical to those of adult men and women. Bon Appetit...or not.