Spicy California Roll Sushi Nachos

I got an email from Lee this week saying, "This is happening this weekend." I took one look at I Wash, You Dry's blog about these, and my answer was, "YES!"

I bounded into my office to tell everyone the genius of sushi nachos and reaction was split 50/50 between yum and gross.

Lee whipped these up on Saturday night, and my verdict is that they're definitely awesome.
You've got the delicious consistency of nachos, the flavors of a California Roll.  East meets Southwest.  Talk about fusion.

The ONLY downside to this dish is how many dishes it requires.  And that eventually, you run out of the sushi nachos, making you sad.

Here's the ingredients:

For the Sushi Rice:
1 cup sushi rice (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt

For the Spicy Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp sriracha
dash of sesame oil

For the Nachos:
1 package of won-ton wrappers
canola oil for frying
1 package imitation crab meat
1 can crab meat
1/4 cup carrot matchsticks
1/3 cup cucumber, cut into thin slices
4 tbsp chopped roasted seaweed wrappers/ Nori

For the Soy Sauce Drizzle
2 tbsp mayo
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

1. Rinse the sushi rice really well. Then put it in a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water.  THEN bring it to a boil with the rice in the pot.  Stir it every now and then so it doesn't stick all over your pot.  When it starts boiling, cover it and let it sit for 15 minutes.

 2. In another pot, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir on medium high until the salt and sugar is combined.  (Your pot won't have brown stuff at the bottom of it, Margy perma-burnt ours trying to make oatmeal.)

 3. Combine the spicy sauce ingredients.  Adjust the amount of sriracha to how spicy you want your nachos.  

 4. Cut the wontons in half and fry them a few at a time. Dry them on a bed of paper towels.  Salt to taste.

5.  Stir the rice and the rice vinegar mixture together.

6. Take the crab meat and mix it with the spicy sauce. 

7. Mix the soy sauce and mayo.  (Weird, I know, but it's awesome.)  If you like breathing fire, here's a good place to add wasabi... we did not. 

 

 8. Slice the carrots up, or buy them already in matchsticks (looks like cheese!)  We got really tiny cucumbers so they pose as jalapenos... but they're not....

 9. Put the wontons down as a base, then the rice, then the rice, then your carrots and cucumbers.

10. Finish it off with the crab mixture, the seaweed and then the soy sauce drizzle.

11. Eat... with a fork.

No Fear Beer Cheese Soup

Lee's a Ram's fan, and I'm a Packers fan.  So obviously, we're cheering for the commercials during this year's Super Bowl.  Still, this time of year, I think it's ok to pull out our favorite football soup of all time, especially when we're going to stay below freezing the entire week!  Beer Cheese Soup, or what I like to call, Wisconsin in a Bowl is just the ticket.  Our original one is delicious, and you can find the recipe here.  

But as our regular readers know, we're trying to clean up Lee's cooking and Margy's eating.  That brought us to our next step in slimming up our Super Bowl!  

Lee whipped up No Fear Beer Cheese Soup. Now, I'm a sucker for a good beer cheese soup and this one was no joke! It's a little thinner than your traditional beer cheese soup, and I thought that was actually a good thing.  In the original soup, the carrots got lost, you kind of wondered if they were there or if Lee used them just to make the ingredient picture look better.  In this soup, they're front and center, giving a delightful burst of flavor.

If you're ready to make it, here's what you need:

3 Carrots (peeled and diced)

1 White Onion (diced)

3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

1 Shallot (diced)

2 Jalapenos (deseeded, diced)

2 bunches of Green Onions (sliced)

1 Stick of Butter

1 can of Beer (we live in St. Louis, so a Bud product was a must... sorry Milwaukee!) 

1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock (We made our own and used no salt)

4 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

2 Cups Gruyere Cheese (shredded)

3 Cups Half and Half 

2 Cups Flour

Resolution Jalapeno Poppers

So Jalapeno Poppers have become Lee's signature party take along.  Our favorite recipe is probably not the healthiest thing around with all the cheesy bacony goodness.  If you're throwing caution to the wind this year, you can check out the original recipe here.

We've been doing pretty good the last few weeks, moderating our calories and logging on My Fitness Pal (feel free to friend us over there!)  However, something was hovering in the distance that was sure to derail our resolve if we didn't plan ahead.  We knew we had to do something to slim up the Super Bowl!

Lee took a stab at the jalapeno poppers.  This might bring a tear to your eye... no bacon.  But they're still really delicious!!

He beefed up the filling with mushrooms and onions and covered them in panko bread crumbs to bring in just a little crunch.  If you're looking for something to slim up your Super Bowl, these are it!!

First, you'll need:

1 Package Mushrooms (Chopped)

1 Bunch Green Onions (Chopped)

1 Package Light Cream Cheese (Softened)

½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ Cup Shredded Italian Cheese

6 Large Jalapenos (Cored, Deseeded and Cut in Half)

2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

Seasoning Salt to taste (I used a Salt Free Variety)

1 egg white/water mixture

Lighter Jambalaya

It's the new year and time to get back on track. Lee whipped up a little comfort food to warm our bones as the Polar Vortex was on it's way out.  

Part of this year’s  blog is going to be focused on healthier foods and our spin on making dishes healthier.  

We're cutting back on our sodium, so premade jambalaya seasoning was out for sure. Lee used a variety of the seasonings we had on hand to make it delicious!  It still has quite a bit of sodium, mostly because of the Old Bay Seasoning.   

To lighten it up a little further, Lee used brown rice for a healthier option along with the use of fresh vegetables and quality meats with no filler.  It's a meaty dish for sure, but if you stick to the serving size of 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of Jambalaya it’s still really filling.  

Ingredients:

Instant Brown Rice

1 can Tomato Sauce

3 cups Chicken Stock

3 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

5 tablespoons Paprika

1 tablespoon Thyme

a pinch of Salt (I used Spanish Infused Sea Salt)

1 Red Onion (Chopped)

1 bunch of Scallions (Chopped)

2 Jalapenos (Chopped)

3 cloves of Garlic (Chopped)

2 Tomatoes (Diced)

1 bag Jumbo Raw Peeled and Deveined Shrimp

1 pack Chorizo Sausage (Diced)

1 pack Andouille Sausage (Diced)

1 pack Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Cut into small pieces) 

1 small Lean Pork Roast (Cut into small pieces)

3 tablespoon Olive Oil

Labor Day BBQ

We know it's been awhile since our last post but it's been a busy summer.  Now that the summer is winding down we figured a Labor Day BBQ post would be fitting, Another plus.... all three dishes use 4 items or less.......We have all three recipes in one post so Enjoy!!!

First up:  Slow Smoked BBQ Ribs

I smoke my ribs for 1.5 - 2 hours on the grill then wrap in foil and finish in the oven for another 1 - 1.5 hours on 225 degrees.

All my ribs I prep a day in advance by covering the ribs in yellow mustard and then rubbing with your favorite BBQ rub.  Wrap the ribs in foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge till the next day.


Here's what you need:
The spray bottle just has a mixture of lime soda and apple cider vinegar. 

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork

Just in time for summer, we have a great slow smoked BBQ Pork recipe.  This does have a bunch of steps and does take 18 hours but the actual time you have to work on it is about 45 minutes . Just make sure to leave some time for this.

It is worth it.

We sliced it for dinner the night I fixed it and chopped up the leftovers for sandwiches later in the week. 

There's many steps and smaller recipes to this so I will be listing them all in the order you need to use them.

 

Shrimp Scampi and Grits

So a couple of months ago, you tried polenta with us, right?  And it was good, right?  So you trust us now.  Ok.  Grits.  I know that if you live north of the Mason Dixon line, you're scared of this weird Southern food.  I was too.  The first time I actually saw someone eat grits we were in West Virginia meeting some of Lee's family.  Until then I thought it was the type of food that people made up to make their kids feel better about what they had on their own plates.
Since then, grits have been making a culinary resurgence. Maybe it's just starting to migrate north, I don't know, but what I do know is that pretty frequently, I'll find them on a restaurant menu, paired with something tasty like shrimp or scallops.  I've found versions I love and versions I hate.

This is a version I love. It might have something to do with the cheese involved.  But this is Southern cooking, right?   Either way, when you take a bite of the grits they literally melt in your mouth.  It's like spoonfuls of heaven.  So yummy. But warning: Grits will fill you up!!
And then those shrimp!  Wow!   Buttery, lemony and so fresh! I couldn't get enough!

Oh and in case you're wondering, you find grits by the oatmeal in the grocery store.