Taco Stuffed Peppers

I made this stuffed peppers recipe with my partner in mind. Since he is a vegetarian, I have to stuff them with something that would hold the flavor of taco seasoning yet has the same texture as cooked ground beef so I crumbled firm tofu to mimic the texture and consistency.

10 green peppers, halved and deseeded.
1 package firm tofu, crumbled (19 oz.)
1 can corn (11 oz.)
1 can small red beans (29 oz.)
2 package taco seasoning (1.25 oz. each)
2 cloves garlic, chopped.
1 medium onion, chopped.
1 can tomato sauce (29 oz.)
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil and add in garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent and then add in crumbled tofu. Add tomato sauce, water, taco seasoning and chili powder. Mix and cook in medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add in corn and beans. Stir and cook until the mixture is dry. Add chopped cilantro. Set aside and let it cool.

Stuff peppers with cooled mixture. Bake in a covered casserole dish at 400 °F for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 10 minutes. You can serve stuffed peppers with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese or just eat them as is if you want to make this vegan.

Ray's Easy Cocktail Sausages

One of the two appetizers I made for the Pride potluck.

3 bags cocktail sausages (450g each)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil

Combine everything in a baking dish. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and sausages are browned.

* Some cocktail sausages are very high in sodium. If they are, substitute 2 tbsp of soy sauce with 2 tbsp of water. You can omit sesame oil if you don't have them, it's really just for the flavor.

Ray's Baked Chicken Wings

I made this for a party and it was great! If you can't find Chinese five spice powder, you can omit it but it gives it a more complex flavor.

5 lbs chicken wings (disjointed, discard wing tip)
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup curry powder
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder (optional)

Combine everything except the chicken wings. Pour the marinate mixture into chicken. Cover and marinate overnight, or at least 3 hours.

Arrange chicken in a baking dish. Bake at 425ºF for about 20-30 minutes, baste frequently until cooked.

Grandma's Vegetable Soup

My grandma used to make this soup for me when I was a kid and she would tell me that if I finish them I'll grow up to be a handsome kid. Of course I was 6 so I bought the idea and would look forward to her making this soup. She wasn't really wrong, this soup is packed with nutrients and vitamins from the vegetables. She made this soup with chicken but I'm modifying it to be vegetarian recipe. If you were to add chicken into the soup, cut vegetables into larger chunks and increase the cooking time to an extra hour. Serves 5.

• 8 medium sized potatoes (cut into large chunks)
• 6 medium sized carrots (cut into large chunks)
• 8 stalks of celery (cut into 2" sticks)
• 1 medium onion (quartered)
• 2 medium sized tomatoes (quartered)
• 2 quartz of water
• Salt to taste
  
• *1 tablespoon white peppercorn (optional) [White peppercorn gives the soup a spicy kick. If you can't find them, you can just add some grind pepper before serving.]
  
• *2 pieces of skinless chicken thigh or a piece of skinless chicken breast (optional)

Add all the ingredients into a pot and let it boil on high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium. Cover the pot. Let it simmer for about 3 hours, 4 hours if you add chicken. Add salt to taste.

Macaroni and Veggie Casserole

I made this with cauliflower and broccoli to bulk up the macaroni casserole. It's one of those days when I try to make something quick with things in my pantry yet trying to keep it low calorie. This recipe serves 6, about 285 per serving.

• 1 bag frozen broccoli (16 oz.)
• 1 bag frozen cauliflower
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 3 cups water
  
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoon margarine
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoon paprika
• 2 tablespoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Microwave frozen broccoli and cauliflower on high for 10 minutes. Cook and drain macaroni. Combine broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and macaroni in a casserole dish.

Heat saucepan on medium heat and put in the margarine. Add garlic and onion and saute until onions are translucent. Add in dried basil. Add flour into mixture and stir constantly. Be careful not to burn the flour, stirring constantly. Cook the flour mixture for about 2 minutes. Add water and milk. If the mixture becomes lumpy, use a whisk to smooth it out. Add in shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce mixture on top of the vegetables and pasta. Mix evenly. Sprinkle bread crumbles and paprika on top of the casserole. Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

I love a good Black Forest Cake but most of the time the ones they have at the diner or the Italian bakery near my house is pretty gross. I modified the recipe by putting cherry pie filling into a chocolate cake mix for an easy, quick and lower calorie twist. I'm using "light" cherry pie filling to reduce the calorie but regular cherry pie filling would do just fine. This recipe makes 20 servings, 131 calories each.

• 1 box Devil Foods Cake Mix
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups water
  
• 1 can 20 oz. Cherry Pie Filling
• Whipped cream

Preheat oven at 350 °F. Mix ingredients and pour the batter into a greased loaf pan or a cake pan. Bake for about 60 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Ray's Easy Pineapple Cake

I first made this cake when I threw a party and wanted to make a dessert but I'm short on time. So I mixed yellow cake mix with crushed pineapple to give a plain old yellow cake some flair. I am, and still are a huge fan of Rachel Ray so just like her I hate baking. This recipe is quite easy even for someone who hates baking like me. It's a fairly low calorie and moist cake. Makes 10 servings, each slice has 275 calories.

• 1 (18.25 oz.) box any yellow cake mix (I’m using French Vanilla)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with pineapple juice (instead of heavy syrup)

Preheat oven to 325 ºF. Grease the sides and bottom of pan or bundt with nonstick spray. Dust a little flour on the sides and bottom as well.

Mix all of the ingredients except crushed pineapple in a large bowl for about 2 minutes. Add in the crushed pineapple and mix.

Pour batter in pan or bundt. Bake for about 55 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool for about 20 minutes before you take the cake out of the pan or bundt. Make sure the cake is completely cooled. This is a really moist cake so no need for frosting or icing. Enjoy!

Omusoba

My first Omusoba was at Go Japanese Restaurant in Astor Place. For those who doesn't know what it is it's an omelet with yakisoba filling topped with Tonkatsu sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, dried seaweed flakes, bonito flakes and gari (pickled ginger).

This is a fairly simple recipe, you can substitute yakisoba noodles with ramen noodles and bean sprouts with julienne carrots and cabbage. You can also add in julienne pork or chicken. Just use 1/2 cup of vegetables 1/2 cup of meat instead of a cup of vegetables. To make this a vegetarian recipe, just omit the bonito flakes.

• 2 packets yakisoba noodles
• 2 packets yakisoba seasoning (comes with the yakisoba noodle)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon oil
• Tonkatsu sauce
• Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie brand)
• Dried seaweed flakes
• Bonito flakes
• Gari (pickled ginger)

Add 1 teaspoon of oil in the wok. Turn it on high heat. Add in the yakisoba noodles, the seasoning, bean sprouts and soy sauce. Fry the noodles for a few minutes, if it is too dry add some water. Add in some Tonkatsu sauce (add more if you like your noodle saucy). Set aside the yakisoba.

Add the remaining oil into the wok. Break 3 eggs into the wok on medium heat to make an omelet. Put the yakisoba on the omelet and fold it into a semi circle.

Serve the Omusoba with more Tonkatsu sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, dried seaweed flakes, bonito flakes and gari. Dig in!