Product- Review: Mandoline, A Veggie Eaters Dream

I love this little kitchen gadget. I bought it on Amazon with free Prime shipping for under $16!

Even though it is plastic it is surprisingly strong and it came with several attachments.

This is the slicer attachment. The slice thickness can be set up and down.


 It is incredibly easy to switch out the attachments.

There are 2 knobs like this. One sets the thickness of the cut, the other sets the hight of the whole mandolin.

Easy to use, slicer is set to regular flat slicing.

Comes with a gripper for the item you are slicing so that you  protect your fingers. This part will also convert to a juicer (see below).

Just run the item thru the chosen slicing attachment.

See? Easy breezy even slices.

Using the shredding attachment......

Shreds evenly for slaws, salads, soups, etc.

This is the rippled attachment for crinkly veggies or potato chips.









As mentioned earlier  this gripping attachment converts to a juicer.

You can juice citrus fruits such as fresh orange, lemon or lime juices.

Nothing to assemble. All you have to do is choose the slicing attachment. Easy to clean; dishwasher safe.

Folds down for minimum space.

Great to make potato chips, scalloped potatoes, slice veggies for platters. Or shred a multitude of fruits and veggies.

Great product! Small investment!

How-To........Peel and Cut a Melon the "Easy Breezy" Way

Cutting a cantaloupe is really “easy breezy”.  I love cantaloupe. It is super healthy and delicious. This fruit is packed with Vitamin A and C and has lots of potassium. I will cut it up and eat it or put it in a fruit salad or on cottage cheese.

 I hate cottage cheese but it is so good for me that I am constantly trying to find things to put on top of it to make it taste better, LOL.

To cut a melon you cut off the ends of both sides. This way you have a steady base at the bottom to sit it on and on the top you have a clear view as to the thickness of the skin.

** Make sure you are using a good sturdy and sharp knife. Most accidents in the kitchen happen when the proper tools are not used. **

Once it is all skinned, cut in half.

 

Then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds in the middle.

Slice to desired size and shape.

Product Review: Chinese Food For Dinner Tonight! Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken Vegetable Fried Rice and Chicken Potstickers

 If you are luck enough to have a Trader Joe's store in your area, here is another amazing product review.

If you buy both the Kung Pao and the rice it is around $9 for both. Add the pot-stickers that are under $4 and you have an amazing meal. Tastes better than take out, cheaper and healthier!

The Kung Pao chicken came in 5 packages as shown. Chicken, veggies, sauces and peanuts separate.

Just a little oil on the bottom of the pan on med high heat approx 8-10 min till chicken starts turning a golden brown.

Once the chicken is browned add the frozen veggies.

I thought that the package looked small, but honestly it was a good veggie to chicken ratio. Although, I am a sucker for those veggies!! And I really loved the color that was added to the dish.



Add a little oil to another pan and on med/ high heat the rice 8-12 min.

* I cooked mine on high last few min to give it that "fried" rice taste and added crushed red pepper flakes, since we like things spicy.




You can stop here and add the Kung Pao sauce to the chicken and serve... or...

True to my nature.... I had to kick it up a notch. All great fried rices have fried egg in it, right?...

1 egg in a cup with little salt and pepper, beat quickly with a fork and poor into the pan you had the rice in and swirl the pan around, so you get this nice thin egg pancake.

 Just a minute or two on each side This is a very thin egg pancake.

When the egg is done. I chop it up. ( I use my kitchen shears.)

And add the egg to the rice.

If you get the pot-stickers, they are just around $4 depending on the kind you get. Mine are chicken.

Follow the directions of preference on the package, use either of the previous pans used filled with enough oil to cover the pot-stickers or do as I do.





I use my deep fryer and in about 10 min have beautiful crispy potstickers.

The sauce packets were frozen. I put them in a cup of warm water to thaw. Don't worry about adding it cold to the chicken in the pan. Add the peanuts if you like. Serve the chicken on top of the rice.

Better and less expensive than take-out!

Garlic Parmesan Spinach...... so good and sooooo healthy!

 

A trip to Costco resulted in this wonderfully large bag of spinach. We love love spinach and garlic. This recipe is garlicky and cheesy goodness, super easy, inexpensive, fast and healthy!




Ingredients:
Spinach 2-3 cups
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan or other melt-able cheese

Wash spinach, and mince the garlic. Add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and add the garlic on med heat. Once you smell the garlic add the spinach in handfuls.

It's ok to top the spinach into the pan as it will wilt. I use tongs to move the hot spinach from the bottom to the top.


Once wilted add the salt and pepper. I sometimes even add a little garlic powder here and your choice of cheese. Turn off the heat. Gently stir and serve.

                                         Hope you guys love this recipe as much as we do!

 Bon Appetite!

Potato Chip Topped Baked Tilapia

This is a really inexpensive, good for you "Easy Breezy" dinner.

Tilapia is easy to find and inexpensive. It's a great fish for a novice cook because it is easy to season and cooks quickly.

I am still learning to work with seafood. But this dish is so simple, fast and yummy.

You can put any seasonings on it. I will use any of these 3 usually. Lemon Pepper, Asian Lemon Ginger and Caribbean Jerk. You can also marinate in some orange juice or any of the store marinades that go on sale all the time.



Pat the fish dry.

Dry season or marinade at least 5-10 min before you cook. This allows the seasonings to soak into the fish.

I am using the dry jerk seasoning in this dish.

Preheat oven to 350. For easy clean up I lined the baking sheet in foil and lightly greased it.

For fun, I topped the fish with some crumbled potato chips. You can also crumble the chips and coat the fish this way on both sides for a crunchier coating.

Put in the oven for 15-20 min. You can also fry on each side for 2-3min depending on the thickness of the fish. I baked it to make it healthier.

15 min later you have a beautiful crunchy dish. I add a $2.00 bag of salad. Cut cucumber, tomato and an onion into it and walla! Dinner well under $10 and made in under 30 min. With the foil lined baking sheet, it's super quick clean up too!

5 min breakfast....Cream Cheese, Tomato and Onion Bagel ......sooooo good ....

This is quick, healthy and inexpensive yet fancy enough to be served at brunch and sooooo good!!

You can put the two together wrap in a paper towel and run out the door in the morning too!

Toast any bagel you like to desired crispiness. I am using an "Everything Bagel" and crispy.

Cover with cream cheese. I am using Fat Free.

Cover with onion. If you do not like onions skip this step.

*You can also add cucumbers with this and it's delicious!

Top with a slice of  tomato, salt and pepper to taste.

*If you have and like oregano you can sprinkle a little on top too!

Presto! Breakfast is served. " Easy Breezy"! : )

Bang Bang Shrimp deliciously sweet and sour....

There are many Oriental inspired restaurants that I have tried a similar version of these. They have been known as Bang Bang Shrimp, Mayo Shrimp or Sweet Chili Shrimp. They have a delicious creamy sweet and sour flavor.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs shrimp
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons shiracha or your favorite hot sauce
1/4 cornstarch or flour
oil to fry





Here in Vegas at Round Table Pizza they have a sweet chili sauce called "Polynesian sauce" that I am using in place of the grocery sweet chili sauce.

This is the perfect sweet, hot and sour. I buy these for $0.75 and use them in sauces and to dip a different bunch of options.








I use a baggie to coat the shrimp, it makes for easier clean up, just throw out the bag! I add a little flour at a time to insure that I do not over coat the shrimp and that would make them doughy.


I am using cornstarch instead of flour as many tempura and Oriental deep crispy fried items use cornstarch. And it worked great. Regular all purpose flour is just fine.













Heat enough oil in the pan on med/high heat to cover the shrimp.I am using my deep fryer. You are looking at about 3-5 minutes.






I put them on a paper towel to drain any extra oil.







In a bowl put all of them in and coat with the sauce of you can use the sauce for dipping.

Bang Bang! "Easy breezy" and all under $10! This would be at least $15 or more at the restaurant.

How-To: Peel a Cucumber Super Fast

Today on A FoodDiva we are going to try something different. Today I will show you how to peel a cucumber super fast. You can also do this with carrots. Hope you guys like it.

How-To: Stuff a Chicken Breast

You can stuff chicken with anything. Ham and cheese and veggies. In this post I am using goat cheese and kalamat olives chopped and stuffed.

Make sure the breasts are dry so they will not be slippery Using a sharp kitchen knife slice into the thicker breast part as pictured. Cut only about 2/3 of the way.
















It will look like this, ready to stuff once it is sliced.









Once cut, stuff with desired mixture and close. You can use toothpicks and even cooking wire to wrap around them as well. Depending if the stuffing will ooze or not.

                     Happy Stuffing!























Once cut, stuff with desired mixture and close. You can use toothpicks and even cooking wire to wrap around them as well. Depending if the stuffing will ooze or not.

                     Happy Stuffing!