Grab Bag

Cauliflower Soup With Orzo & Shrimp Salad

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Today’s post on “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”

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Week One – Thursday Dinner
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“Cauliflower Soup With Orzo & Shrimp Salad”
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Click here to see all pictures and Cooking Instructions
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At first I had planned to make a whole-baked cauliflower “Mornay“, but then I decided to prepare something a bit more exiting and I came up with this Beauty 🙂
I actually had it twice –
The first time, (inside, with the a/c blazing as usual) freshly prepared, with the slightly warm salad added to the piping hot soup .
The second time, (outside on the porch in the hot sun) both salad and soup chilled and refreshing.
Both versions were very tasty and satisfying, absolutely fit to be added to my list of all time-favorite soups.

Note: In order to be perfect, the soup must be blended until perfectly smooth and silky.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Cauliflower Soup With Orzo & Shrimp Salad

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Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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If this dish looks too spicy for you – relax 🙂
– The amount of chilies you can see in the pictures are good for my personal palette, but you should add the type (heat level) and quantity you prefer. I suggest you add chilies which are slightly milder than you can tolerate, so that you can add more of them and get that rich, fruity capsicum taste which you can only get by biting into a whole, fried or sauteed chili.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: season ground pork with five spice powder, salt and black pepper, saute in peanut oil

: add lots of sliced onions, stir fry until onions are translucent

: add chilies of your choice, garlic paste

: add ponzu seasoning, soy sauce

: add hoi sin sauce, oyster sauce

: add water, a dash of sugar, chopped cilantro, simmer for three minutes, check / adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, soak rice sticks in water for ten minutes, cook in boiling water for three minutes, drain, mix with sesame oil

: serving dish

: plate noodles

: top with chili-pork, sprinkle with cilantro

: Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

: Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

: Chili-Pork Rice Sticks

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Week One – Tuesday Dinner

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Today’s post on “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”

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Week One – Tuesday Dinner
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Chicken Noodle Soup
(Cornish Hen, Whole Grain Pasta, Broccoli)
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Bon Appetit ! Enjoy a Healthy, Happy Life !
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Salad Tessinoise

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: brush a large, thin slice of whole wheat bread with garlic oil, sprinkle with grated swiss cheese

: dress arugula with honey/mustard vinaigrette, plate

: add gratinated bread and sliced swiss cheese

: sprinkle generously with sliced radish, mixed diced dried fruits and toasted cashew nuts

: Salad Tessinoise

: Salad Tessinoise

: Salad Tessinoise

click here for an extensive list of natural sweeteners

click here for high fiber fruits (and other high fiber foods)

click here for a selection of leafy salad greens

click here for an extensive list of vegetables

click here for a selection of leafy salad greens
ion Home Page >
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EASY DOES IT # 21 – Blueberry Delight

Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes which otherwise might seem complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go.
Enjoy :-)
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Yesterday when I was shopping for groceries on my way home from work, a wicked craving for sweets took possession of my body and mind 😦
When I got home, I found these things in my shopping bags –
Fresh blueberries, blueberry yogurt, pound cake, dried apricots, whipping cream and chocolate sauce.
I quickly put these little sweet buggers together and enjoyed this lazy no-cook dessert with a glass of hot chocolate and a great dose of guilt 😦
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Bon Appetit ! Repent !!! 🙂
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Link to more “ Easy Does It ”
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Hans’ Blueberry Delight & Hot Coco

Hans’ Blueberry Delight

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: Pound Cake

: Pound Cake

: Hershey’s

: Blueberries

: Blueberries & Blueberry Yogurt

: Hans’ Blueberry Delight & Hot Coco

: Hans’ Blueberry Delight

: Hans’ Blueberry Delight

: Hans’ Blueberry Delight

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Tostadas De Camarones

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I am not sure if I should call the this dish “Tostadas”, “Shrimp Salad” or “Shrimp Cocktail”.
It is actually all of the above, so pick the name that best suits you 🙂
All I know is that this was a great dinner after a long day at work , followed by a few hours of running errand’s.
Since I was very hungry and it was already late when I got home, something quick and light was appropriate. After all, at 3.00 am the alarm will sound again and I’ll have to be ready for another long, hard day. I already have started to have my breakfast and lunch according to the “Hans’Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” Plan, which will start in full on Monday, January 19th. If you are interested, you might want to go to “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” for more details. These “Tostadas”, “Shrimp Salad” or “Shrimp Cocktail” would be a typical example of a dinner Item on my monthly “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Shrimp Tostadas

Shrimp Tostada

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: Make a salad of lettuce, baby corn, chilies, radish, onion, cilantro, salt, garlic paste, olive oil and lemon juice

: Salad

: marinade cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp with garlic paste, olive oil, kosher salt and lime juice

: serve shrimp and salad with fried tortillas (totopos), sour cream Thai chili sauce

: Shrimp Tostada

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

: Shrimp Tostadas

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The Slammer

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It is great to have the liberty to name the dishes one creates, even using somewhat goofy but fitting names, such as “The Slammer” 🙂
This is one of the dishes which owe their creation to the fact that sometimes I think I have nothing in the fridge to prep a great meal and going to the shop is not an option. Out of this familiar dilemma, sometimes a wonderful dish finds the light of day, as happened with this mouthwatering, sexy sandwich.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to Hans’ Homemade Buffalo Sauce
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The Slammer

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: grill a thick and a thin slice of whole wheat bread which you generously brushed with garlic paste

: spread both slices of bread on one side with Hans’Homemade Buffalo Sauce

: season chicken breast with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, soy sauce and granulated garlic, saute in canola oil

: slice tomamto and radish, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: add sliced avocado tothe thicker slice of bread, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

: add the sliced tomatoes

: top with cucumber shavings

: top with parmigiano reggiano shavings

: top with sliced chicken

: top with radish

: top whith second, thin slice of grilled bread

: The Slammer

: The Slammer

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Gebratene Schweinehaxe, Saure Linsen & Schnittlauchkartoffeln (Roast Pork Hock & Sour Lentils)

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This was the third and final Dish I made from the leftovers of the Roast Pork Ham I prepared on 25th December.
(I’ll post # 1 next week) 🙂
It brought back memories of spit-roasted pork and veal hocks on food , beer and song filled evenings with friends, spend in “gemuetliche” (cozy) rustic restaurants in Swabia and Bavaria 40 years ago when food like this could be had in most of the simple restaurants (Gaststätte, Gasthaus, Gasthof, Wirtshaus) in the South of Germany and in Austria, any day of the week, usually accompanied by potato dumplings or bread dumplings and sauerkraut.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to original dish – ROAST FRESH HAM WITH CARAWAY JUS
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Link to the first leftover dish – RÔTI DE PORC AVEC SAUCE AU CÈPE PORCINI
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Link to the second leftover dish – THE GERMAN DIP
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Gebratene Schweinehaxe, Saure Linsen & Schnittlauchkartoffeln (Roast Pork Hock)

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Preparation:
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: saute chopped smoked hamehocks and diced onions in porkfat, add washed lentils and chickenstock, simmer slowly until tender but not falling apart

: season with rice vinegar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, simmer another 2 minutes, check/adjust the taste

: add fully cooked pork hock to the lentils, brush generously with melted butter, cover and bake in oven until pork is heated on it’s thickest part to 165F

: saute cooked small potatoes in olive oil , add sliced chives, season with kosher salt. To serve, add potatoes to lentils, brush pork with olive oil

: Gebratene Schweinehaxe, Saure Linsen & Schnittlauchkartoffeln (Roast Pork Hock)

: Gebratene Schweinehaxe, Saure Linsen & Schnittlauchkartoffeln (Roast Pork Hock)

: Bella – Iron Will 🙂 Look but don’t touch……

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Pollo En Escabeche (Fried Chicken In Vinegar And White Wine)

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Like so many other “classical / original dishes, there is a million and one ways to prepare “en escabeche”, which in Spanish simply means marinated or pickled.
As usual, I have picked my favorite one to be featured on ChefsOpinion.
Of course you can also do vegetables, seafood, and other proteins “en escabeche”. (For my German-speaking friends, how about “Brathering 🙂
But today we are going to savor one of the goodies which I used to serve many times in our house to my family and friends in times past.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more on Escabeche
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Pollo En Escabeche

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Preparation:
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: season chicken parts with kosher salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic, dust in flour and fry until internal temperature reaches 165F

: when chicken is fully cooked, remove to absorbent paper

: meanwhile, mix 1/3 water, 1’3 white vinegar and 1/3 white wine, olive oil, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, garlic paste, bay leaves, sliced peppers and onions, bring to a boil, add chicken, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature

: Pollo En Escabeche

: Pollo En Escabeche

: Pollo En Escabeche

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“The German Dip”

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This is the second dish I prepared with the leftovers from the roast pork ham I prepared on the 25th. It turned out to become a masterstroke of a sandwich, and since I have not heard of a national German sandwich, I hereby declare this sandwich the “Official German Sandwich”, also known as “The German Dip”.
(Without the dipping jus, it shall simply be known as “The German”).
You are welcome Germany, glad to help 🙂
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Guten Appetit ! Das Leben Ist Wunderbar !
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“The German Dip”

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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Link : Löwensenf
Link : Allgäuer Bergkäse
Link : Rotkohlsalat
Link : Schweinebraten

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: brush halved rye sub liberally with melted garlic butter, toast on both sides

: smear one half with “Löwensenf”, the other half with horseradish

: add sliced cooked ham, sliced cucumber, sprinkle cucumber with kosher salt

: add sliced roast pork (schweinebraten), sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper

: top with red cabbage salad (rotkraut salat)

: top with sliced bavarian cheese (allgäuer bergkäse)

: top with German salami

: heat in 400F oven until outside of sandwich is hot and crispy

: “The German Dip”

: “The German”

: “The German Dip”

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Pork Soup With Pork & Leek Dumplings, Baby Bok Choy And Scallions

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This will be my last meal in 2014. It fit’s the occasion of a New Years Eve Diner well for me, since I adore pork dumplings in soup and it is the perfect dish to devour while watching TV . Bella and I are spending the evening watching movies and every hour on the hour the fireworks from around the world. It started of with Sidney a couple of hours ago, which, as usual, had one of the most spectacular displays. Later when the clock strikes midnight here in Florida, we’ll go outside and watch the fireworks at the nearby airport live from our backyard. Not as glamorous as the one in Sidney, but………..
After that we will enjoy a night cup of hot chocolate and doughnut holes with caramelized pineapple and banana.
Boy, how things have changed for me from just a few years back :-).
Nowadays, I leave the wild partying to the kid’s and the kid’s at heart. Strangely enough, I don’t miss the partying a bit. (Yet?)
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Happy New Year ! God Bless !

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Pork Soup With Pork & Leek Dumplings, Baby Bok Choy And Scallions

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: for dumpling filling, mix ground pork, grated ginger, garlic paste, finely diced water chestnuts, salt, cayenne pepper and sesame oil, wrap with dumpling wrappers, simmer in pork broth until done, about 4 minutes