Iron Chef Ramen

The following is a blog I did on 360 called Iron Chef, which was basically a recipe sharing blog. this is the first one I did.

Ok...by now everyone knows my love for reality TV...even if some of you HATE it! But this is my little, tiny tribute to my favorite cooking show.

I would like to know if anyone has any recipes they would like to share with my secret ingredient. Now being a single mother, you won't find any Alaskan King Crab here in my stadium kitchen.(also a seafood hater!) But please if you have a recipe to share I would appreciate it.

Now this ingredient is loved by college students and single moms nationwide, what else can you buy by the case for under $4.00. My mom gave me this kick ass recipe and I am not sure if it is Thai...I do know it is vegetarian and delicious. So first I will reveal my secret ingredient...and then my mom's recipe.

My secret ingredient is:

Ramen Noodles!!

Allez Cuisine!

Now Here Is My Mom's Recipe:

Spicy Peanut Sauce and Ramen

2 pkgs. Ramen (throw the spice packets away)

1 pkg tofu (don't ask me what size...I am assuming small, I never buy it...my mom makes it and I eat it.

Peanut butter. (to taste)

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Just a little soy sauce (to make it more "saucy", or you can use water)

chopped cucumbers and green onions (to serve as a topping)

I am sure you all know how to cook the noodles, so I will leave that alone. (Just remember to drain them :)

In a sauce pan on medium heat you add the tofu and half a jar of peanut butter...let cook , adding the soy sauce or water to break it down a little and let simmer.

While simmering add peanut butter and cayenne pepper to taste. Remember this is to be kind of spicy.

When it's saucy baby, pour over cooked noodles and sprinkle on the chopped cucumber and green onion. YUMM!

Ok, if you don't think this sounds good, just try it. I am not a vegetarian...just a wannabe but hey, I love this. I'm so cheap I eat it at my mom's house!

If you have a creative, original Ramen noodle recipe give me a holla...cuz times is hard! Times is hard! lol

PS-if you post it on your blog let me know, so I can link it or you can post it in the comments.

Wow! You people are awesome, so here is a list of the recipes in the comments so far;

• Rala with Ramenroni and Cheese
• Kimmie with Top Ramen Pizza
  
  
  
• AL with Chopped Hot Dog and Ramen Stew, of course!
• Mrs. K with Cheesy Ramen with Chicken and Veggies
• Alissa with her brother's Secret Ramen Omelette
• bigdaddycc with Better Than Sex Homemade Brownies (Sans Ramen Noodles mind you!)
• Janelle with Oriental Salad...it looks good.
• Jeff with Ramen Noodles, with Veggies and Scallops
• I knew if I begged Joe he would come up with a masterpiece so here is the chef of 360's Ramen Frittata with Ham and Cheese
• Miss T with an Unnamed Authentic Greek Noodle Recipe
• Karin, "Miss 12 steps Ahead of Me"...already posted one in her blog so click on it to try -Poor Folk Recipe #1, Ramen with Assorted Goodies.
• Eddo's Famous Lazy Noodles with poached egg and milk (in comments)
• And check out whip's link to 101 recipes.
  
  
  
  
• Any in blogs I will link.

free hit counters

See the recipes here

Indian Tacos from the lil Indian Girl

Sorry to repost this on yet a third blog, but I really feel the need to contribute something here.

Before I start...let me say this. If you are on a diet, don't attempt. If you don't eat meat..don't attempt. If you avoid carbs...bye. If you don't eat beans...see you later. If you are watching your cholesterol level...keep blog hopping.

Now because I blogged my whole blog yesterday and it went poof in thin air...bear with me and try not to comment. I am blogging this is pieces. I also have to warn, I don't use measuring cups. I have some, but I just make my bread, tha way I do. So...this is very untraditonal for a very tradional recipe. Ok that was a lie, it's not traditional at all. Fry Bread was invented after Indians were forced on to reservations and were issued rations of flour, lard, etc. And the taco part, c'mon...not traditional. Just the most wonderful invention ever (besides Derek S. Jeter.)

OK Neddy, I will shut up and get on with it.

First this pic is everything you need for the bread part of the recipe. This is what makes the Indian in Indian taco.

See how easy that was...I didn't have to write down anything.

Now this is everything you need for the Taco part. Note the avacado, not needed, I love them. The sour cream, black olives and hot sauce, are up to the eater. The 6 pack was just mine to make the experience more enjoyable. Also there was some game on at the time. I forget who was playing though.

First off you mix half the bag of flour, 4 palmfuls of instant milk, 2 palmfuls of sugar (forgot that in the pic) and 2 pinches of salt. Mix it well then make a well in the center of the flour mix. I use the bottom of a glass to do this.

Next pour warm water in the well. I don't know what temperature, if you work with yeast you should know. I just know really warm not too hot. something you would bathe in. I added 2 and 1/2 coffee cups which 1 coffee cup equals 1 1/4 cup in your world...do the math.

Next you mix 2 packet of yeast in the well of water. Stir this carfully as to not get any flour from the sides into this. I also put a capful of vegetable oil in this, a sort of FryBread Softener. Stir the yeast well. then you wait for it to activate.

It took one whole inning of the baseball game for me to wait until the yeast activated. If you don't know how it looks activated just think of the foam on top of beer when it is poured in a glass. Next you mix in the flour slowly from around the side. There will not be enough water to make a good dough, so you have to add more warm water. this part always ends up different, every time i make it. So I add more water to make the mixture more sticky at first. When it gets to the point of being too sticky you can then add flour. Don't add too much, but just enough to make it look like this. (This pic was kneaded a little and put in a bowl that I coated with veggie oil.)

Too much flour will not allow the dough to rise correctly so remember less is more. And yes your hand will be full of the dough. this is where the beer comes in. I watched about 5 and 1/2 innings of baseball before my dough was ready. I covered the above pic with a dish towel and put it in my oven (the oven was not on.) After 5/12 innings of baseball, it looked like this.

You will need to add more flour as you knead this time. you can choose to let it rise again, i don't know what that does but my kids were hovering and I had to cook them. Now I rolled mine out pretty thin, because I trusted my dough. I knew they would fry up thicker. I don't know if you can see in the pic, but the dough looks bubbly, that is when you know you have good bread and it will fry thicker. I make mine plate size and will show a pic of one frying. Remember your shortening has to be hot before you start. As for how much let me show you a pic. It is alot, if you think it's gross then you never worked fast food.

You will know it is hot enough when you throw a little flour in and it sizzles and disappears. Here is the bread frying...hence Fry Bread.

I don't know how long you cook them, to about this color. the hamburger mixture was easy, brown it, add the taco seasoning and chili beans. My kids grandma soaks her beans all night and has them ready the next day...me I don't have time. I add two cans of chili beans.

My sous chefs...uh I mean kids did all the slicing, dicing, and chopping.

And Alas...there it is....The Infamous Indian Taco

So not healthy for you...but your family will be nice to you, their bellies full, their faces shiny, greasy and happy!

It took me years to develop this recipe for the bread, a little of this woman's recipe, a little of my in-laws, a little of my aunt's. But Halleluah I got it right! So if your great grandma who was a Cherokee Princess didn't make it that way, fine stick to your own recipe!

Thank you and have a good day!

Taste Buds now open!

Missy A sent me an email from Down Under that titled Nutty Idea and it said this.

"I just had this crazy nutty idea
you know how you can have another blogger right weeeeeellllll
If I made a cooking one for recipies and made it so others could post under the permissions thingy like you and Webby and Alissa anyone else we can think of who has a blogger and cooks, then everyone can post on it then
They don't even have to sign in it comes up on the dashboard when they sign into thiers."

I was like OMG that is awesome!

What a wonderful idea.
A bunch of us virtually signing into to recipe sharing.
So maybe I can't get togther with Missy A for a shrimp on the barbie and a Foster's, but we van get together and share the one thing that makes people connect, makes people smile and makes everyone happy.

Food.
Like Emeril says "It's the love of food and food of love. Yeah baby."

So, I am not sure how Missy A adds people but please let us know in the comment section here if you would like to be added. I am able to post this just by signing into my blogger. I have so many ideas I think I would like to continue with Iron Chef here.
So thanks to Missy A, we now have a place to gather, share a recipe or two and celebrate our love for food.

Cheers,

-Dana for Taste Buds For Life