Fuego and Fadi's...

I did a lot of traveling this summer (Houston, Detroit, Chicago, New Jersey, Philly, Virginia Beach) so this is why there has been a big gap in updates to my blog from June-Aug. During this summer I have had the chance to try out a some nice new places while I was on vacay! This pic here is from Fuego's is this awesome Halal Mexican restrauant in Dearborn Michigan. The food is so good and reasonably priced. I ordered a mixed sampler, wings, tortillas , stuffed mushrooms, jalapeno poppers. My brothers ordered tacos and quesadillas which were awesome. Cant wait to go back ! :-)






<----- This picture is from Fadi's Grill in Houston Texas. OMG this was so good. I had lamb almond rice, beef humus and artichoke salad. Fadi's is a must if your in the Houston area. They are 100% halal and serve many organic foods and everything is fresh and delicious. Also you can get a huge plate for around $9. Its a Mediterranean restaurant which everything is served cafeteria style but really fresh and good. They have about 6 different kinds of humus and a dozen different salads to choose from.

Pan Fried Catfish

Quick and easy for nice southern dinner. I made these with mac and cheese , corn bread and cabbage nice southern classic.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 (4 ounce) fillets catfish
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, cayenne pepper, paprika and onion powder. Mix well. Pour mixture onto a large sheet of waxed paper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Pour milk into a medium bowl. Dip catfish fillets into milk and hold up and let the milk drip off. Roll the milk-soaked fillet in the cornmeal mixture until completely covered. Set aside.
4. Fry the garlic in the hot skillet, but do not burn. Add the coated catfish fillets and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, sprinkling salt on the fish after each turn. Cook until golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork. Drain on paper towels.

Gourmet Chicken Salad

I wanted to make something light and quick with some leftover chicken breast I had. This was so good and perfect for lunch. I actually made this for dinner with sweet potato fries.

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chicken chunks, drained
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 (8 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 3/4 cup creamy cucumber salad dressing

Directions

1. Mix together chicken, grapes, nuts, celery, oranges, and dressing. Chill.

(Chicken can substituted for 1 1/2 grilled chicken breast cubed)

Banana Pudding ..an Eid favorite !!

This Banana Pudding recipe is so easy and good. We usually try to make it for Eid and for iftar dinners. We made some this year for our Eid dinner and it was gone in 60 secs. Another variation of this that I have tried is use shortbread cookies and vanilla wafers and mix as you layer. This is really good.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups cold milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 4 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.
2. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

I wanted to make a cheesecake for our anniversary since we had cheesecake on our wedding day and red velvet cake for our Walima. But ended up making this a few days after our anniversary today. This cake was really good but takes way to long to make. Plan on making a day prior to the day you plan on serving. The frosting was really good but got kinda messy was my first time using an icing bag. Note to self next time chill the frosting before icing the cake. Otherwise it still was really good but very rich.

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Crust Ingredients:

2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Red Velvet Filling Ingredients:

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, beaten slightly
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 (1 ounce) bottles red food coloring

Topping Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberries for garnish

Red Velvet Cheesecake Directions:

1. Mix together chocolate graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Add melted butter and mix well.

2. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes; cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl combine cream cheese and sugar and beat with a mixer until combined.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Add cocoa, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, vinegar and red food coloring and continue to beat until filling is smooth and well mixed.

6. Pour batter into prepared crust and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake looks almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool in pan. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight (in pan).

7. To make the topping: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beating until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Remove sides of spring-form pan and garnish if desired with fresh strawberries.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

These were so good. This recipe made a lot. The chicken and black bean combination is really filling. Made this with cilantro lime rice was amazing!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup prepared sweet corn salsa
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 1/3 cups shredded Monterey jack and or Cheddar
• fajita season or taco seasoning mix
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 minutes,Add taco seasoning mix , cook until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

In 2nd pan .stir in black beans, and salsa and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Arrange 4 tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture, and black beans, add cheese. Coat shallow baking dish with enchilada sauce. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with Enchiladas sauce and shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla).

Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!

Easy Chicken Stirfry

Yum yum and then some. This meal was super easy, quick and tasty. I used pre-cooked chicken, and store bought Teriyaki marinade. If you have the time to make your own marinade here is a simple recipe that I've used before that is pretty awesome. But since finals were coming up I went with the bottle.
Teriyaki Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Ingredients

• 2-cups chicken cut up
• 2 cups Asian vegetable medley stir-fry mix (wally world has huge bag for $5)
• Teriyaki sauce
• Basmati rice 1 1/2 cups
  
• 1 tablespoon Garlic ginger paste (from local Indian market)
• salt
  
• pepper
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon EVOO
  

Directions:
Make small pot of rice ~set aside.
Saute chicken in EVOO , add garlic ginger paste, bell pepper, onion, spices, and cook until chicken is done. Add veggies and Teriyaki sauce, cook another 10mins until veggies are done. Serve over rice. Viola. Using precooked chicken and marinade this only takes about 20-25mins tops. Enjoy!