A Soulful Twist » how to http://asoulfultwist.com Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:28:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1 How- to Chinese Dumplings http://asoulfultwist.com/how-to-chinese-dumplings/ http://asoulfultwist.com/how-to-chinese-dumplings/#comments Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:23:47 +0000 http://asoulfultwist.com/?p=2866

 

Pot Stickers oh how I love thee! I call them Chinese dumplings, but I see many call them pot stickers, and I kind of like that name too.

When I first made Pot stickers they took all day…literally. I made everything including the Wonton wrappers from scratch.

We were instantly hooked.

As much as I love my favorite Chinese Spots Pot Stickers, the fact that my recipe and technique came so close to the original thing had me hooked.

I was making these things left, right, side, and up.

I mean we were having Chinese dumplings at least twice a week for months.

I would make the wrappers all at one time so that when I was ready for a new batch they would be ready for me. 

Well to say that got old is not saying enough. I quickly learned the best and most time efficient way to turn out these delicious morsels were to buy the wonton wrappers already made, and that’s just how I do it. 

The fun thing about pot stickers are you can mix-match ingredients, and use exactly what you like and none of what you don’t like! I love using Napa Cabbage, ground pork, fennel, and carrots. The recipe below uses Bok Choy which is also a favorite of mines. I like a bunch of veggies in my pot stickers, but it gives them a green color which can initially turn off a picky eater.  My little one in particular. Seriously though the color doesn’t affect her, she loves Pot Stickers and eats them as if her plate is running away from her. They are totally worth the effort!

Is there any dish that you make totally worth the extra effort for just one bite!

 

Chinese Dumplings
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Ingredients
  1. For Filling
  2. ½ pound ground pork
  3. 3-4 stems bok choy
  4. Bunch of cilantro
  5. 1 egg
  6. ¼ cup soy sauce
  7. ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  8. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  9. 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
  10. Wonton wrappers
  11. About 2 cups chicken broth
  12. For Dipping Sauce
  13. 1/2 soy sauce
  14. 2 Tablespoon apples cider vinegar
  15. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  16. 1 green onion finely chopped
  17. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  18. 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  19. 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Mix up all filling ingredients in food processor.
  2. With Wonton wrappers wet the edges with a bit of water.
  3. Add a drop of the filling and fold over.
  4. Heat about a tablespoon of canola oil in pan.
  5. Add prepared dumplings to hot oil.
  6. Let dumplings cook for about 4-5 minutes or until browned on bottom.
  7. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken broth to pot.
  8. Put top onto pot and let simmer on low for about 10 more minutes.
  9. Dipping sauce
  10. Mix all ingredients together. Simple as that :)
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]]> http://asoulfultwist.com/how-to-chinese-dumplings/feed/ 5 Spicy Chili Cheese Sticks http://asoulfultwist.com/spicy-chili-cheese-sticks/ http://asoulfultwist.com/spicy-chili-cheese-sticks/#comments Wed, 12 Feb 2014 15:45:27 +0000 http://asoulfultwist.com/?p=2848 Hey y’all, I’m going to keep this post real short and sweet, we have a winter storm coming and I’m bracing for school closures.

 These cheese sticks are seasoned with chili flavors  and instead of the classic mozzarella cheese I used jalapeno  and red pepper string cheese to kick up the spice. 

My family loved them and they weren’t at all too spicy for the kiddies to enjoy. This is a super easy treat that I’ll most likely be making this week if they do decide to close schools.

They make a perfect afternoon snack, and my kids love snacks. 

Stay safe in this cold weather and if you need a little warm me up try this spicy treat. 

 

 

 

 

 

Spicy Chili Cheese Sticks
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 cups canola oil
  2. 1 Package Jalapeno Red Pepper String Cheese
  3. 1 egg
  4. 1/4 cup milk
  5. 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
  6. 1 teaspoon chili powder
  7. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  8. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  9. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Cut the cheese sticks in half.
  2. Mix together egg and milk in small bowl.
  3. In another bowl mix together bread crumbs, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder.
  4. Dip cheese in egg, next bread crumbs, back to eggs and back to crumbs again.
  5. Put cheese sticks in freezer for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Heat oil to 350-370 degrees.
  7. Fry cheese sticks for about 30 seconds or until they are golden brown.
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]]> http://asoulfultwist.com/spicy-chili-cheese-sticks/feed/ 2 Jerk Pulled Pork Tacos http://asoulfultwist.com/jerk-pulled-pork-tacos/ http://asoulfultwist.com/jerk-pulled-pork-tacos/#comments Sat, 01 Feb 2014 21:23:42 +0000 http://asoulfultwist.com/?p=2685

For Sale Meat!!!

Earlier this week I scored a major deal at the grocery store, I paid 9 bucks for an original $16 piece of meat!!! Yippee!!!

I ended up getting a huge bag of honey coated pecans, enough to last me the rest of the week which is quite expensive, but I didn’t care because 7 of those dollars were saved on this pork shoulder ( I guess the cats out the bag that I’m extremely cheap. Oops)

I know my enthusiasm over a piece of meat may be a bit much, seems these days I’m getting more excited about a score at the grocer than the department store, honestly speaking,  if you see me on a daily basis, you would think all I owned were an assortment of tired cargo pants, a pair of raggedy Tom shoes and a vest a really bad-looking and distressed vest! :/

Yeah so I just got all off topic, and I’m not sure how, but don’t judge me off my recent decline collapse in style, what’s more important are my culinary inhibitions which have been greatly appreciated around these part and I’m sure you will appreciate this one too!

Jerk Pulled Pork BBQ

Now I’m not into dethroning anyone but this recipe may give the current BBQ Pulled Pork King (my dad) a run for his money! This was juicy, tender and beautifully seasoned.

The one I’m giving to you today is the Jerk Pulled Pork BBQ Tacos, ump hmm and they were perfect.

The Jerk Pulled Pork Tacos paired with traditional red beans and rice makes a perfect meal with classic Jamaican flavors.

I personally like the strong taste of aged white cheddar on a taco with the sweet and tangy pulled pork. Plus a quality Pico de Gallo is awesome.

I use 1 tomato, one small onion, cilantro, lime juice, a drop of honey and sprinkle of cayenne pepper. 

Plus avocado never hurt a thing, so of course I included them on my tacos.

There’s so much meat, you can put out a bunch of random ingredients and have a taco party. 

One more thing, always pick quality tortillas (homemade are the BEST) they really can be the deciding factor in whether a taco is OK or GREAT!

Get red beans and rice recipe here!

 

 

Jerk Pulled Pork Shoulder
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Ingredients
  1. Marinade
  2. 3 Tablespoons Jamaican Allspice
  3. 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  4. ¾ cup brown sugar
  5. 1 ½ Tablespoons Kosher salt
  6. 2 Tablespoons freshly chopped thyme
  7. 1 Tablespoon Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
  8. 7.5-8 lb. Pork Shoulder (adjust ingredients for size, I used a 7.8 lbs shoulder this time)
  9. Jerk Sauce
  10. 1 cup Brown sugar (not packed)
  11. 3 Tablespoons Soy sauce
  12. 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
  13. 1-3 tablespoons Scotch bonnet sauce (depends on how spicy you like it)
  14. 2 Tablespoons Jamaican all spice
  15. 4 Tablespoons Butter
  16. ¾ cup Ketchup
  17. ¾ cup water
  18. 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
  19. 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  20. ¼ cup chopped thyme
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients.
  2. Rub the marinade all over the meat and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
  3. Let the shoulder marinate for at least 2 hours, I usually prepare mines the night before I go to bed.
  4. When shoulder is finished marinating, take plastic wrap off.
  5. Heat oven to 325ᴼ
  6. Wrap meat tightly with aluminum foil.
  7. Place wrapped shoulder in a roasting and place top over aluminum wrapped meat.
  8. Bake at 325ᴼ for 5.5 hours
  9. I set the timer and let the meat sit until the ovens cooled a bit.
  10. For Sauce
  11. Mix everything except water in a pot and melt.
  12. When everything is melted and well incorporated add the water and mix.
  13. Pour over pulled pork and mix it up!
Notes
  1. To cook overnight set cook time on oven and when the 5.5 hours are finished the oven will turn off! Leave it in until the morning it will stay warm but will be cool enough to pull apart by hands.
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]]> http://asoulfultwist.com/jerk-pulled-pork-tacos/feed/ 1 Red Beans and Rice http://asoulfultwist.com/red-beans-and-rice/ http://asoulfultwist.com/red-beans-and-rice/#comments Sat, 01 Feb 2014 21:21:41 +0000 http://asoulfultwist.com/?p=2683  

This is a simple and easy recipe for Red Beans and Rice that goes with the Jerk  Pulled Pork Tacos. 

My babysitter was from Puerto Rico and according to the peeps, we went together like  no pun intended, red beans and rice! I have remnants of memories which include Ms. Arlene ( her name) her beautiful smile and her delicious food!After extended stays with Ms. Arlene all I wanted to eat were beans and rice, being that she was from the islands I’m sure hers were both authentic and heavenly, unfortunately with me and my awful memory, Ms. Arlene’s beans and rice are just a figment of my food imagination… …fortunately I make some heavenly beans and rice myself!

These won’t disappoint, and they make a quick and easy side in a snap!   

Here’s the Jerk Pulled Pork BBQ recipe to go with the dish!

 

 

Red Beans and Rice
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Ingredients
  1. 2 slices of thick Applewood smoked bacon chopped
  2. 1 clove garlic minced
  3. 1 small onion chopped
  4. 1 cup extra-long grain rice
  5. 2 cups warm water
  6. 1 ½ Chicken Base
  7. 15.5 oz. can red kidney beans
  8. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  9. 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Add bacon to skillet.
  2. Fry and render fat from bacon.
  3. When bacon gets crispy add minced garlic mix in.
  4. Add chopped onion.
  5. Cook for 1 minute.
  6. Now add rice.
  7. Mix in and let the rice cook for a bit.
  8. Add water, chicken base, cumin, beans, and butter.
  9. Bring to a boil while stirring.
  10. Turn heat down to low and put top onto pan.
  11. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
  12. Serve warm
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]]> http://asoulfultwist.com/red-beans-and-rice/feed/ 2 Corn Beef Hash http://asoulfultwist.com/corned-beef-hash/ http://asoulfultwist.com/corned-beef-hash/#respond Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:18:05 +0000 http://asoulfultwist.com/?p=1418 Want something different for breakfast? 

You don’t know what to do with that can of corned beef?  

Here’s a delicious and simple recipe that will make you forget the meat came from a can. 

Serve with eggs and toast. This is an easy and delicious breakfast, brunch or whenever you like to eat it.

 

Corned Beef and Hash
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Ingredients
  1. 12 oz can corned beef
  2. 4-5 medium white potatoes cut into cubes
  3. 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
  4. 1/2 onion chopped
  5. 1 clove garlic
Instructions
  1. Chop and clean potatoes. Emerge them in a bowl of salt water.
  2. Let potatoes sit in salt water for 15 minutes.
  3. Add olive oil to hot pan and sauté onions and garlic.
  4. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to sautéed onions and garlic.
  5. Allow potatoes to brown on the bottom of the pan, tossing periodically.
  6. Drain can of corned beef, crumble up into pan.
  7. Toss everything together.
  8. Place top on pan turn heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender.
  9. Salt and pepper to taste
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