Unplanned Chewing Gum!

I had plenty of reasons to ditch my cooking assignment today. After all, I was tired after 4 hours of playing table tennis in the morning, endured a grueling exam in Economics in the afternoon, and then spent two hours wandering the aisles at the grocery store. But, I figured, I should still push through with my cooking experiment, otherwise I might have some other excuse next Saturday and before you know it, I would quit the whole commitment to 52 Saturdays altogether. So while paying at the cashier, I made my decision: "It's OK, kitchen is my friend now! I can do this!"

You are probably wondering what dishes made it to my menu tonight, so I better share my recipes. But first, let me ask you this: Did you ever have soup with peanut butter, or a peach beef stir-fry? No? Well, this was my first time too. I have to say these strange mixtures are yummy. The soup is absolutely 5-star.

Dish # 1 - Greek Tomato Salad

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Ready in 10 min

• 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup and 2 teaspoons thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings
• 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped green pepper
• 3-1/4 tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges
• 4-3/4 pitted ripe olives, halved
• 2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, oregano, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Add red onion and green pepper; toss to coat. Stir in tomatoes, olives and cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with pita bread.

My experience: Last night we ate at a Greek restaurant in our neighborhood, so I thought of bringing some of Greek flavor to our home tonight. It did not take long to make. Basically, just get everything ready and follow the simple instructions. This salad is a winner.

Our verdict: The whole mixture of ingredients is great. It's a refreshing salad that will make it onto our table many times in the future.

Dish # 2 - Peanut Butter Vegetable Chicken Soup

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 35 min

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1/2 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced zucchini
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 
  
• In a large stock pot, combine the broth, chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, till vegetables are tender. 
• Add zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Simmer for about 8 minutes. 
• Add peanut butter, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir until peanut butter is fully blended. Simmer for 3 minutes longer.

My experience: Well, Matet saw how tired I was tonight, and had mercy on me. She did this soup while I worked on the main dish.

Our verdict: Who would have thought that peanut butter would do well in a soup???!!! This soup is outrageously delicious. Definitely one of the best soups we have ever eaten. Wow!!! We finished eating our dinner, and I sat down to write the blog, but writing about the soup makes me want to go back to the kitchen and have some more! Perfection in a bowl!

Dish # 3 - Peach Beef Stir-Fry

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 10 min

• 4 peach halves from a can
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round or sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• Hot cooked rice
• 
  
• Drain peaches, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Cut peaches in quarters and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, broth, soy sauce and reserved peach juice until smooth; set aside.
• In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil for 3 minutes. Add broccoli and onion; stir-fry 2-3 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir sauce and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add tomatoes and reserved peaches; heat through. Serve over rice.

My experience: If you've been wondering why tonight's blog is entitled "Unplanned Chewing Gum", here is the explanation. Last Saturday I learned that I should read and follow the instructions. Well, this Saturday I learned that my wife knows better than what the recipe says. So today's lesson for all the guys out there: "Listen to your wife/girlfriend/partner!" Having learned the value of following instructions, I followed this recipe to the letter. Turns out, Matet was right when she said that there is no way that beef is going to be tender in 3 min. I should have marinated or cooked it longer. Everything was perfect (the sauce, the peaches mixed in with beef, etc), but the beef was like a chewing gum! Darn it! Live and learn. Thankfully, Matet cooked it a bit longer and made some more sauce, and the leftovers are now perfect.

Our verdict: Beef definitely needs more time in the wok or needs to be marinated for some time before frying. Other than that, it's great. The sauce is very good. Broccoli and peaches go really well with beef. Another strange recipe, worth the try.

Dish # 4 - Gloomy Day Smoothie

Serves 3 Time to Prepare 10 min Ready in 10 min

• 1 mango - yellow, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1 banana, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt

Place mango, banana, orange juice, and yogurt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve in clear glasses, and drink with a bendy straw!

My experience: Cooking doesn't get any easier than this. Really simple and quick. Throw the ingredients into the blender and voila!

Our verdict: The recipe says: "This smoothie is so bright, cheerful, and delicious, it is like a blast of sunshine on even the most rainy, windy days!" Well, it's bright, cheerful, and delicious on even the sunniest of days. :) We think chilling it, or adding some crushed ice, would make this smoothie even better.

Another memorable Saturday is over. I am learning so much. More than anything, my attitude towards cooking is beginning to change and tonight's dinner, with the exception of that hard-to-chew beef, was actually fun. I had fun in the kitchen! Never thought I would ever be able to say that! Cool!