CAFE WORLD comes to LIFE! Vegetable Lasagna!

Happy Memorial day everybody! I want to make something special today for my family and somehow, lasagna came to my mind and I thought it's going to be interesting to make one without meat for a change. I am going to use super thinly sliced  zuchinni, mushroom, fresh tomatoes and chopped olives for the filling. It's going to be delicious!

Here's how I made it today. (about 6 servings)

Ingredients:
Lasagna noodle (6-8 dried strips)
White mushrooms (about 8-10)
1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 Medium tomato
Marinara sauce (1 jar)
Black olives (3-4 teaspoons)
Ricotta mixture:
Ricotta cheese (can substitute with cottage cheese, about 16oz)
Parmesan cheese (shredded, 2 tablespoons)
Mozzarella cheese (shreddred, 2 tablespoons) 
Dried herbs (oregano, basil, and parsley, just a teaspoon of each)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 egg
Salt and pepper (just a few pinches)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Prepare lasagna noodles. Fill water to 3/4 full in a large pot, let it come to a boil and add lasagna noodles. Cook for about 10-15 minutes to el dente. Drain and let it chill in a large strainer.

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables. Wash and dry all vegetables. Thinly slice the zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes (be careful with your FINGERS!!). Chop up the whole olives roughly into big chunks (or small chunks - depending on your preference). Be more flavorful! (optional) Grill zucchini and mushrooms for a few minutes. Let cool in a bowl and we are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Step 4: Assemble the lasagna! In a medium carssarole dish, generously scoop and spread tomato pasta sauce in the bottom. Layer the lasagna noodles, then add tomato pasta sauce next and follow by zuchinni, mushroom, tomato slices and olives. Add a generous layer of the ricotta mixture. Repeat and do anther layer of lasagna noodles and the rest of the ingredients. Top with the rest of the ricotta mix and spinkle some Parmesan and mozzarella cheese and a little dried basil for garnish.

Step 5: Bake in oven with foil to cover for 30 minutes. Take out foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Step 6: Take it out and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!!!

CAFE WORLD COMES TO LIFE: Overstuffed Peppers

Aha, Overstuffed Peppers from Cafe World (Facebook game by Zynga). Such a colorful dish with so many Cafe points! I've been wanting to try to make this dish, today I finally put them together. They turned out pretty good with juicy yet crunchy peppers and cheesy meat rice fillings. Like other dishes that require "stuffing," the peppers can be filled with all other types of ingredients too. Today, I did mine with meat, rice and vegetables with a touch of Asian flavor. I'm thinking, next time, maybe I'll try doing a cream sauce, seafood filling. Mmmmm, fun to make and so appetizing on the table. Be creative and you will probably be amazed with how tasty they turn out.

Here's how I made them tonight:
(about 3 servings)

 

Ingredients:

- 1/2 Red Onion

- 3 large Peppers (green, yellow and red)

- 1/2 lb ground Lean Beef

- 1 cup Cooked Rice (chilled) 

- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese 

- 1/4 cup frozen vegetables (for more colors!)

- 3 tablespoons Parmesan Bread Crumbs

- 1 clove of Garlic

- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Sauce Mix:

- Salt and Pepper (a few pinches)

- Soy Sauce (2 tablespoons)

- Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon)

- Sugar (a teaspoon)

- Paprika Powder (1 tablespoon)

- Rice Wine (1 tablespoon)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Step 2: Prepare the pepper shells: Cut them open approx. 1/4" from the top of the pepper.  Wash them well, and using your fingers, remove the seeds and white membranes. Be careful not to break the pepper "bowls." 

Boil some hot water in a medium pot. Immerse the pepper shells into the water for about 5 minutes. Drain the peppers and let them cool on the side.

 

Step 3: Prepare the fillings: Chop onion and garlic to small pieces. Over medium heat, cook ground beef with garlic. Then, add rice and sauce mix (see above for ingredients). Mix well. Cook until meat is cooked through. Turn heat off. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

 

Step 4: In a greased oven-safe pan, stuff the pepper shells with rice filling generously. Top with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Put them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

 

Step 5: Take them out. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve with the stems for presentation. Enjoy!

CAFE WORLD COMES TO LIFE: Loco Moco!!

 

Aloha! Due to a Mun-chies fan request, we are returning to the Facebook game CAFE WORLD's menu from Zynga again! Instead of cooking them in order, I have decided to pick some of the most interesting dishes from the menu instead. 

Loco Moco is a soul food in Hawaii. From what I've read, Loco Moco can be made in many different variations. Essentially, it can be eaten any time of the day. Basically, it consists of a delicious beef patty sitting on a bed of steaming white rice, topped with brown gravy and a sunny side up egg! Sounds simple? Well, lets give it a try!

Here we go! This recipe makes about 5 servings.

Ingredients:

- Lean ground beef (l lb)

- 1 medium red onion (peeled and chopped into big chucks)

- 6 medium eggs (1 for mixing with the meat patties, 5 for frying)

- Dried parsley (1 tablespoon)

- Sugar (1 tablespoon)

- Bread crumbs (3 tablespoons)

- Garlic (2 cloves, peeled)

- Cooking oil (2 tablespoons)

- Jasmine white rice (2 cups)

- Beef Broth (1 can)

- Flour (for thickening)

- Worcestershire sauce (1 tablespoon) 

- Salt and pepper (a few pinches)

Step 1: In a food processor, chop red onion and garlic into small bits.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix meat with 1 egg, onion mixture, dried parsley, sugar and bread crumbs.

 

 

Step 3: Knead meat mixture into patties (makes about 5 large patties).

 

Step 4: Grill the patties.

 

Step 5: While meat is cooking, prepare the brown gravy. Heat up the beef stock in a pot. Mix flour in a separate bowl with some cold water for thickening. Slowly pour flour liquid into the beef stock while stirring. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Step 6: Pan fried the 5 eggs for the 5 meat patties in some cooking oil.

 

Step 7: Assemble the layers, rice on the bottom, then beef patty, gravy and fried egg... Yeah, done! Enjoy!

"Cafe World" comes to LIFE: Chips and Guacamole! (with Mango!!!)

 

HOLA AMIGOS!!! We're at the 6th dish from the CAFE WORLD menu! OK, you can hardly call this cooking, but it does require some time to prepare for the fresh guacamole! When I think of guacamole, I think of the time when I lived in Texas a few years ago... lots of authentic Mexican food and sunlight! Guacamole has a very fresh taste that goes with all kinds of food. I like to use it in place of butter for sandwiches too, it gives it a California touch! Yummy and good for you!

So, this is how I made mine tonight!

 

Ingredients: 

1 Small Clove of Garlic

1 Small Lime (juiced)

4 Medium Avocados

1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro

1 Large Mango

1 Small Yellow Onions

Serrano Chilli (chopped, 1 teaspoon-I like mine VERY MILD)

Salt (a pinch or two)

Step 1: Peel and pit avocados. Mash in a large bowl. Mix in 1/2 the lime juice

 

Step 2: Chop onion to big chunks. Peel and pit Mango.

Step 3: Put onion, garlic, chilli, cilantro and mango in the food processor. Blend well. Add salt to taste.

Step 4: Mix mixture from food processor into the mashed up avocado. Add a bit of fresh hand-chopped cilantro to add texture. Mix well.

 

Step 5: Plate guacamole in a dipping bowl and serve with tortilla chips! (can keep refrigerated for a few hours) Enjoy!!

"Cafe World" comes to LIFE: Spitfire Roasted Chicken!

5th dish from the facebook game CAFE WORLD "Spitfire Roasted Chicken"! This chicken has been roasted with asian spicy chilli sauce and red pepper flakes that would really bring some heat to the table! I've roasted chicken plenty of times but this is first time that I actually made it that spicy. I added some fresh lime juice to perk up the flavor! It's really tasty with some creamy side dishes, such as a potato salad or coleslaw.

Here's how I made it tonight:
Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
1 Lime
Butter (melted, 3 tablespoons)
Orange (sliced for garnish)
Marinade:
Garlic (minced, 2 cloves)
Red Pepper Flakes (crushed, 2 tablespoons)
Asian Chilli Sauce (1/4 cup)
Light Soy Sauce (1 tablespoon)
Sweet BBQ Sauce (any brand of your choice)
Rosemary (dried)
Salt and Pepper (a few pinches)

Step 1: Wash chicken and let dry. Rub chicken thoroughly with the marinade. Squeeze lime juice all over chicken, then stuff lime inside the cavity before going into the oven. Marinate for about 15 minutes.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease up the chicken with a little melted butter. Put chicken in the oven for about 30 mins (depending on the size of the chicken).

Step 3: Turn chicken over to the other side and bake it for another 25 minutes.

Step 4: Take chicken out when it is golden brown. Garnish with orange slices and ready to serve! Enjoy!