The famous Thai hot and sour, spicy prawn soup, Tom Yum Goong authentic recipe is here. Do I really need to tell more?

Alright, I can tell you just a bit more. This is only for people who never taste the soup. Tom Yum Goong broth is full of herbs, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leave. It’s spicy but refreshing with the lime juice, fresh chilies, cilantro and more secret ingredient.

If you don’t know what it is, do you want to know how to cook it now? If you already tasted it before, how can you resist?

From the original site:

Tom Yum Goong is voted one of the most delicious and most favorite dishes among both foreigners and Thais. It always in the top ten list of not only most delicious but also most famous and most popular foods in the world as well. Tom Yum is one type of soup in Thailand. It consists of soup stock with herbs, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf and a choice of meat and vegetables. In this case the choice of meat will be “goong”= shrimp. The soup is normally seasoned with fish sauce, lime juice and chilies. There are also optional add-ons, such as Nam Phrik Pao (chili jam), and sometimes milk or even coconut milk.

Get the Recipe: Tom Yum Goong

Today’s post is about a tea cake with tons of fresh citrus, sweet butter and eggs. But wait…there’s more! Act now and you get toasted walnuts and a shiny, orange glaze too. So, do I have your attention? Sounds good, huh?
I like this recipe because at 4pm each day I stop what I’m doing and sit down and have a cup of tea to reflect on what I’ve accomplished that day, and to contemplate what tasks are still on my agenda. What civilized person would have a cup of tea without a slice of a proper tea cake? This particular Orange Walnut Bread is one of my all-time favorites as it’s not overly sweet, and the bits of fresh orange rind give this cake it’s bright citrus-y flavor. The toasted walnuts add that much needed earthy crunch.

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
grated rind of 1 large orange or 2 small oranges
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Orange Syrup
Orange Glaze

Instructions:

Directions
Adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. What I find that works best is to melt a little butter and using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter inside the pan in all the nooks and crannys. Then dust it with flour, shaking out all the excess.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the 3/4 cup sugar gradually, beating until light. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, and the grated orange rind.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the batter alternately with 1/2 cup orange juice, beginning and ending with the flour. Gently mix in the walnuts. Transfer this mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.
Wash out your mixer bowl and dry completely. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, set on the middle rack and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until lightly golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean.
While cake is baking make the syrup mixture. When cake is done, using a wooden skewer or toothpick, poke holes in the top of the cake and spoon the hot syrup over the bread. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Orange Syrup

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 granulated sugar
Combine the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a light syrup forms.

Orange Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
3-4 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
Place these ingredients in a small bowl and whisk or stir with a fork until you achieve the desired consistency for the glaze. If you like a thicker glaze add more sugar, if you prefer a thinner glaze, add more orange juice.

I lived in Kuwait for a few years and had the opportunity to taste some authentic Arabic food. Out of all, hummus is my favorite but I am also a huge fan of the falafel wrap or sandwich. The Arabic food varies throughout the Middle East. Lebanese food is different from the food that I used to eat in Kuwait. The falafel recipe is more or less the same but the wrap is very different. This falafel can be used to make many different types of wraps or can be savored on their own.

Ingredients:

1 cup garbanzo beans, soaked overnight

1/2 cup black chicpeas (kala chana), soaked overnight

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

1 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup fresh parsley

6 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tbs ground coriander

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp baking powder

salt

oil for frying

Instructions:

Makes about 12 nos

In a food processor pulse the soaked garbanzo beans till it gets crumble-y. You don’t want a paste, just crumbles. Repeat the same process for the black garbanzo beans. In a large mixing bowl mix both. Add cumin, coriander, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, sesame seeds and give it a quick mix.

In a food processor, add parsley, cilantro, onion and garlic and mix till it forms a smooth paste. Add the green chutney to the bean mix and mix till everything is well incorporated. Add a little bit of water (about a tbs) if you feel that the mixture is too dry. Add baking powder.

Using your hands or two spoons or an ice cream scoop – whatever you feel comfortable with, make falafel and deep fry them till it turns a dark color on both sides. Serve warm with hummus or tahini sauce or in a wrap.

Originally published Aug 2012

Delectable delicious moist crab cakes! It is a perfect blend of spices that leave a little tang on your tang.

Get the Recipe: Crab Cakes

I’m a huge fan of peanut butter. Peanut butter cookies, pie, ice cream, candy, etc… Even straight out of the jar. When I found this recipe I have to admit that I was skeptical. Only 4 ingredients (5 with chocolate chips)? And no flour? No way!! Ohhhhhhh YES!! These easy treats are my new favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. And my gluten-free-eating hubby can even enjoy them.

Ingredients:

Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar (+ extra sugar for sprinkling)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
**can add 1 c. choc. chips if desired, I couldn’t resist

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

2. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

3. Use the tines of a fork to press the cookie flat and create the criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with extra sugar.

4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until the edges become golden brown.

Source: “mooched” and adapted from Bakers Royale

Who doesn’t love coleslaw at a picnic, or at any gathering? Ranch dressing gives this recipe a nice twist to the classic side dish.

Ingredients:

16 oz bag of coleslaw mix
2 T diced onion
1/2 cup creamy salad dressing (like Miracle Whip)
1/3 Ranch dressing
1/2 cup white sugar
1 T white vinegar
1/4 salt
1 T celery salt
1/2 t poppy seeds

Instructions:

With the warmer months approaching, coleslaw is going to be a staple for many picnics and parties. We are going to have a barbeque for Easter and also celebrate out grandson’s birthday. We were at the grocery store looking pre-made coleslaw dressing to go with bag of coleslaw mix and did not find anything we wanted. So we decided to make our own dressing. We pulled out of smartphones and looked up a recipe and came up with this recipe. Leave it to my husband to put his own spin on a recipe, so here is the recipe for coleslaw:

Any carrot, cut any style, tastes great in this delicious, Paleo and Bariatric friendly recipe that’s the perfect healthy side dish. The recipe is so simple, it begs to be made, again and again.

By using basic ingredients, this mix of carroty sweetness and balsamic tanginess is great for introducing vegetables to kids.

Get the Recipe: Balsamic Roasted Carrots

I love a good baked potato but when I get home at 6 PM, I don’t have time to “bake” my potatoes. I do want that restaurant-style skin though. The secret: ice cubes! Confused yet? Check out this delicious baker – time is cut in half!

From the original site:

Ever wonder how restaurants get their baked potatoes so amazing delicious? After many potato fails, I discovered the secret!

Get the Recipe: How to Make a Restaurant Style Baked Potato at Home

This recipe is super easy, full of flavor and goes great as a dinner side. It’s easy to transport – especially if you use frozen pasta – so you can take it to potlucks and picnics and you’ll be the hit of the party.

From the original site:

For my baby shower, my mom used a similar version of this recipe and made tortellini skewers. I eliminated the skewer step, changed a few ingredients and added a few for personal taste.

Get the Recipe: Tortellini Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing