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Devils on Horseback

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Equal Measures: Devils on Horseback! The name itself is a conversation starter. I know, right. The colors themselves resemble the “dark side” of our personalities. The small savory dish is made with pitted dates, smoked almonds, and crispy bacon or prosciutto. It’s pretty simple to prepare and is often served as an appetizer at social gatherings. Popular as a finger food, this hors d’oeuvre is perfect for small conversation at backyard parties. Watch yourself. Eating too many may find you a little mischievous.

DEVILS ON HORSEBACK

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 cup brown sugar

24 pitted dates, whole

24 smoked almonds, whole

3-ounce package prosciutto, deli sliced and cut in half lengthwise or 12 slices thin bacon, cut in half width wise

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a baking dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine soy sauce and ground ginger. Mix well. In a second dish, place brown sugar. Take a pitted date, open carefully, and stuff it with a smoked almond. Wrap the date with a half slice of prosciutto or half bacon slice. Dip it into the soy sauce mixture. Roll it in brown sugar and place seam side down into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all dates are prepared. Bake in the preheated oven until the prosciutto or bacon is crisp, 15 to 25 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Kauaiian-Rub Pork Medallions

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Kauaiian-Rub Pork Medallions! Natural Pacific sea salt, combined with herbs and spices, lock in flavor for the most tender cut of grilled pork you’ve ever tasted. Don’t scrimp on the cut; it’s worth a little extra cost since there is no fat, no bones, and absolutely no waste.

KAUAIIAN-RUB PORK MEDALLIONS

Ingredients:

2-3 pound Pork Filet Mignon, sliced in 3/4″ portions

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons soybean seasoning sauce

1-2 tablespoons Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Rub*

Instructions:

Marinate at room temperature sliced medallions in a shallow dish with olive oil, soybean seasoning sauce, and gourmet rub on both sides of the pork. Preheat the outdoor gas grill to 500°. Place the tenderloins on the non-stick grate and lower the lid. The temperature should remain around 450°. After 4-5 minutes, turn medallions over, close lid, and grill for 5 minutes longer. To check for doneness, the internal temperature will register at 150°. Remove medallions and let them rest for 5 minutes in order for the juices to draw back inside.

*Available through Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts. (I receive no recompense for promoting their product.)

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter F

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Clean Plate Club: Firecracker Shrimp! Celebrations bring people together to share joy, laughter, and fond memories. They can be as elaborate as milestone birthdays and anniversaries or as simple as two friends supporting each other. Whatever the reason, emotions are involved to experience peace, harmony, and rapport. Hence, the explosion of bold flavors for shrimp-lovers everywhere. Let your celebrations include food that says “Wow! I’m really glad to see you.”

FIRECRACKER SHRIMP

Ingredients:

1 pound frozen jumbo shrimp, pre-cooked and thawed

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup natural honey

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili paste

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 green onion, snipped

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

Combine cornstarch, cornmeal, sea salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Place beaten eggs in a separate shallow dish. Coat shrimp in dry breading, one at a time. Dredge coated shrimp into beaten eggs, covering both sides. Heat vegetable oil in an iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add coated shrimp to pan; do not crowd. Cook until golden brown, approximately 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all shrimp is pan-fried. To make glaze, combine natural honey, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, chili paste, and ground ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce to Simmer for 2 minutes until thickened, stirring often. Drizzle honey mixture over pan-fried shrimp or use as a dipping sauce. Garnish with green onion snips and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter P

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Color of Food: Poke Tuna Bowl! Allow me to introduce you to the rice cooker. In a mere 10 minutes, sweet Asian rice is transformed into a steamy sticky rice that can be eaten with your fingers. Simply scoop it into a ball, dip it in your favorite sauce, and nibble away. It’s that good. And gluten-free. Join the craze of poke bowls by adding ahi tuna and avocado chunks. Basically, you can dress it up to match your taste buds. It’s healthy, it’s colorful, and most of all, it’s Yumolicious!

POKE TUNA BOWL

Ingredients:

2 ahi tuna steaks, skinless

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons furikake seasoning

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1 1/4 cup water

1 cup sweet rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into chunks

Instructions:

To prepare ahi steaks, combine olive oil, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in a shallow dish. Sprinkle with furikake seasoning and toasted sesame seeds. Marinate ahi tuna steaks ten minutes per side to coat evenly. Remove from marinade and set aside. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, warm oil mixture. Cook steaks 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Transfer ahi steaks to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. To prepare rice, combine water, sweet rice, and olive oil in a rice cooker. Secure lid with knob set to Pressure. Set timer for 10 minutes and press Start. Meanwhile, cut ahi tuna into 1/4” thick slices. Chop avocado into chunks. When rice is finished, turn lever to Steam on rice cooker; wait until steam is released and then carefully remove lid. Scoop sticky rice into bowls. Add sliced ahi tuna and avocado chunks. Serve with dipping sauce.*

*For homemade Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, follow the link.

https://snapshotsincursive.com/2017/04/17

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter J

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Color of Food: Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenders! Even though the weather won’t cooperate, you can still have that “just grilled” taste of tender pork in your own oven. Broil it instead. The blend of Jamaican spice creates a hot spice mixture that will jazz up any meal. Go heavy or go light. It’s not just for meats, “don’t cha know”. Dry rub fish, shrimp, veggies, or tofu. The diversity will amaze you.

JAMAICAN JERK PORK TENDERS

Ingredients:

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic wine vinegar

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

2 pounds pork tenders, cut into chunks

Instructions:

Combine cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme, black pepper, ginger, garlic powder, allspice, and sea salt in a shallow dish. Mix to blend. Using a mini chopper, combine green onion and yellow onion. Chop very fine. Add lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic wine vinegar. Purée until smooth. Add red pepper flakes. Mix with the spices in the shallow dish. Dredge pork in marinade, coating both sides. Cover and marinate for eight hours or overnight. Skewer pork tenders and place on a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet, with oven rack in the top position. Broil on high 5 minutes per side. Serve warm.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter Y

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Yakitori Chicken Skewers! Our dinner was supposed to be grilled outdoors. Thank goodness when the weather doesn’t cooperate, meat and vegetables can be broiled indoors with very tasteful results. The international marinade lends itself to an enhanced blend of aromatic soy, olive oil, and pungent ginger which is pleasing to the palate. The Japanese-style dish is a light and healthy alternative when mixed with fruit and vegetables.

YAKITORI CHICKEN

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and cut into small sections

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sake or vermouth

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, shaved

1 garlic clove, minced

6″ skewers

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup green pepper strips

Instructions:

Place chicken in a dish. Combine sugar, soy sauce, sake, vinegar, ginger, and garlic. Mix well to combine. Pour over chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Thread chicken, pineapple, and green pepper alternating on skewers. Preheat oven broiler on high setting. Place skewers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 5 minutes; turn and broil an additional 5 minutes on the other side. Cook until chicken is fully cooked. Remove from oven being careful of hot juices.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter B

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Bacon Bites! Get ready for a smokey, salty, crunchy all-time favorite appetizer. As the bacon sizzles in the skillet, your will-power needs to shift into high gear to restrain you from taste-testing before it’s finished. Trust me, this is worth the wait.

BACON BITES

Ingredients:

9 slices of bacon

1/2 pound chicken chunks, pre-cooked

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450°. Partially cook bacon; drain on paper towels. Combine chicken, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and water chestnuts. Marinate for 20 minutes. Drain. Wrap one piece of chicken and two water chestnuts in 1/3 slice of bacon. Secure with a wooden toothpick. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven 10-12 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter T

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Foodstuff Redefined: Thai Peanut Sauce! Known as a popular condiment for skewered meat or seafood in East Asian cuisine, peanut dipping sauce gets all the attention. Homemade Pad Thai is one example. After all, it’s no secret anyone can get addicted to peanut butter. Think about it. We add spicy chili peppers for heat, exotic curry for an earthy taste, coconut milk for authenticity. And depending on the day, there is no substitute for peanut butter and chocolate. Just saying. 
THAI PEANUT SAUCE
Ingredients:

1/2 cup natural peanut butter, creamy

3/4 cup coconut milk, unsweetened 

1/4 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
Instructions:

In a food processor, combine peanut butter, coconut milk, agave nectar, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, kosher salt, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Pulse until mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into a jar. Store in the refrigerator. 
*Serving Suggestion: Skewered Shrimp with orange wedges and cilantro. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter O

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Sunshine Eats: Overstuffed Pineapple Boat! If you’re looking for the WOW-factor for the next social gathering, bookmark this recipe for a standing ovation. It’s that good! Not only does it satisfy the meat and seafood lover in all of us, it also has “healthy” written all over it. You gotta admit, the pineapple presentation is a show-stopper. And the best part is, with a little planning, anyone can pull it off. 
OVERSTUFFED PINEAPPLE BOAT
Ingredients:

1 whole ripe pineapple 

1 pound frozen cooked shrimp; thawed, tails removed

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay Style seafood seasoning 

1/4 teaspoon dill

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup butter

1 cup instant rice, brown or white

1 1/2 cups fine home style noodles

10-ounce can chunk chicken breast, drained

14-ounce chicken broth

4 green onions, chopped

8-ounce can of slivered water chestnuts, drained

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup soybean seasoning sauce
Instructions:

Cut pineapple lengthwise; cut around the inside, following the edge to create a “boat”. Do not pierce the underside. Cut the pineapple flesh into chunks. Scoop out and place in a bowl. Set pineapple aside. In a deep skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add seafood seasoning, dill, and lime juice. Cook 1-2 minutes, turning once. Remove sautéed shrimp and place on paper towel-lined plate. Melt butter in the same skillet. Do not burn. Add white rice and thin noodles. Coat well. Cook them over medium heat 3-5 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Stir in chicken broth and chicken chunks. Cover. Simmer 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Add chopped green onion with tops, water chestnuts, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and soybean seasoning sauce. Mix well. Gently fold in sautéed shrimp and pineapple chunks, to taste. Refrigerate leftover pineapple in a covered container. Fill pineapple boats. Serve on platters. Garnish with cilantro leaf.