Tomato Cucumber Garlic Sauce

Tomato Cucumber Garlic Sauce

This sauce was originally made for panko fried fish, but it was really good that was later turned into a creamier version for pasta. It is very easy to make, and you can adjust the level of heat/saltiness as you like. This sauce is great for Summer, and the cucumbers make it very refreshing. It's also very healthy because of the fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:
Fresh tomatoes - I used cherry tomatoes here because I have a mini food processor. If you have larger food processor, you can use bigger tomatoes as well.

Fresh cucumbers

Garlic - I used three cloves and it's quite strong so use less cloves if you don't want overpowering garlic taste.

Olive Oil - add just enough to coat the bottom of the food processor. Add more if you want the sauce to be thinner.

Sea Salt

Ground black pepper

Tobasco sauce - just a dash, but you can substitute with fresh red pepper flakes if you want to add a hint of spice.

Worcestershire sauce - add along the way as you blend/grind everything together in the food processor. This sauce adds just the right balance of acidity, saltiness, and spice to elevate the flavor.

Instruction:
Place everything in a food processor and blend/grind until smooth. I originally wanted the sauce to be a bit chunky for the panko fried fish. When use it for pasta, just add some heavy cream and blend it to a smoother consistency.

Enjoy!

Orange Mint Rice Salad

I got this recipe from an e-mail, and decided to try to make it for Memorial Day weekend. I bought a small bag of balsmati rice from Trader Joe's, and it was good for 4-6 servings. It's super simple to make, and tastes great. I forgot to include raisins, but it was still good. I can see how raisins might add a different texture and sweetness to the rice salad. Lightly toast the walnuts before mixing into the rice so that you can get the full flavor and crunchiness. This dish is great for the Summer, and pairs well with meat/fish/seafood! Click for the original recipe

Homemade Creamy Cheesy Tomato Pasta sauce

Creamy Cheesy Tomato Pasta Sauce

- fresh medium sized tomatoes (here I used four for a regular box of ziti)

- butter

- salt

- black pepper

- red pepper flakes

- sugar

- Italian seasoning

- dry basil flakes

- medium spice salsa

- heavy cream (here I substituted with Almond milk)

- sharp cheddar

- Mexican cheese

- Asiago cheese

- Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, melt about 1/5 of a regular stick butter. Before butter melt completely, drop in the tomatoes that are sliced into to six panels from each. You can cut it in half if you are trying to save time. You can also pre-peel the tomatoes before you dump them in the pot to avoid fishing for peels later on like I did. Sprinkle some salt to soften the tomatoes quicker. Turn the heat to medium-low, and start adding all the rest of the ingredients but not the cream and cheeses yet. Cover the lid to let the sauce simmer. Stir it occasionally. Add some cream, and if you want to go lighter, you can use almond milk like I did which is still rich and healthier. Stir and simmer with closed lid on low heat. Then add in the cheese and mix them in with the sauce. Cover the lid and simmer more. Now just have to wait until the sauce gets to a good consistency. Occasionally stir and crush the soft tomatoes with a wooden spatula. 

In a separate pot, combine water with a little salt and olive oil. Bring to boil, and dump in the pasta of your choice (I used ziti). Once water boils again, turn off the heat, close the lid, and let pasta cook for itself in the hot water for 10-12 minutes depend on your preference of the texture. Once the pasta reaches your desired level, mine is al dente, drain out the water, and drop it into the sauce pot. Instead of mixing and stirring, you want to fold the pasta by flipping the pasta on the bottom where the sauce is to the top. You want to do this several times until the pasta gets well coated with all the sauce. Additional vegetables or meats can be diced and thrown in with the pasta, and I used some leftover hotdogs here. Now it's time to eat!

Prologue > Mint Pesto Pasta sauce

Pesto sauce is mostly made with fresh basil and olive oil, but I decided to use mint instead. I bought a bunch of fresh mint in my local supermarket for the Cinco de Mayo Mexican inspired feast I made for my mum, boyfriend, and I. None of us are Mexican or Hispanic, but we love all cuisine. I used mint for homemade mojito which was also my first time making it. Wait, maybe I should change my blog name to "First Timers" or something instead because I just realized I attempted to make a lot of food for the first time. Homemade mojito and margaritas receipts will come shortly after this:)

I had lots of mint leaves left in the fridge, and I was afraid they would go bad, so I decided to make a pasta sauce from scratch. Now, I love pasta and make pasta constantly because it's simple, fast, and you can make so many varieties/versions of your own. I watch a lot of Lydia's Italy, Rachel Ray, and many other cooking shows on Food Network as well as WLIW's Create. I always wanted to make my own pasta sauce with fresh ingredients instead of the usual pre-made pasta sauces in a bottle/can, which saves a lot of time but considered processed food. In a world, country, and city that sells so many processed food that are unhealthy and generic, it's important to stay grounded and make healthy choices. I understand that most of us don't have the time to enjoy and make a good meal at home due to work and other activities, but it's nice to spend at least one or two days out of a whole week to indulge the joy and pleasure of cooking and eating at home. I have never read a cook book nor follows a recipe word for word. I never liked to taste my food while cooking because it usually blurs my taste buds. Although it is very important to taste your food while cooking according to Gordon Ramsey, I consider myself the one odd ball. I've tried to taste my food during cooking, and food came out usually over seasoned because my mind tricked me into believing it's not enough seasoning. Now that's just me so when I talk about recipes here on my blog, I'm not going to tell you exactly how much of a tablespoon, teaspoon, or cups of ingredients you need to put in. I'm almost like Rachel Ray who eyeballs everything. I guess you can call that cooking with instinct. Oh, another brilliant title. Great, I should really consider changing my blog title at this point! (be right back)

Ok. I just changed my blog name to Cooking with Instinct. I think this is much more appropriate consider the way I cook. I'm also bad with plating, and believe very much in family styled servings/presentation due to my Chinese background. Asian people like to eat together family style so everyone gets to enjoy all the food. Sharing is caring! I apologize beforehand of the pictures of my food for some of them may not look particularly appetizing, but I assure you that they all taste delicious!

Mint Pesto Pasta Sauce (great for Summer pasta dish) Vegetarian/Vegan friendly!
- bunch of fresh mint
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt (I used Himalayan coarse salt from Trader Joe)
- black pepper
- onion powder
- red pepper flakes
- tobasco hot sauce
- ponzu sauce (Japanese citrus soy sauce)
- sriracha sauce
- worcestershire sauce
- sugar
- fresh parsley (optional)

Gently wash all the mint leaves and tearing them into pieces as you put them into a blender. Pour olive oil in 1/4 or 1/3 ratio to the amount of mint you have in the blender depending on the consistency of your sauce for the pasta. Combine everything into the blender and blend until smooth. Taste as you blend.

For pasta of your choice (I used bow tie here), boil water in a pot with some salt and olive oil. Dump in the pasta, stir to prevent sticking, and wait until water boils again. Then turn off the heat and close the lid to let pasta sit and simmer in the pot. The hot water and heat will cook the pasta itself. After 10-12 minutes depends on your preference of the texture of the pasta, al dente is better, and drain out the water. Rinse your pasta in cold water to cool it off, or you can place it in the fridge if you have more time on hand. Combine mint pesto sauce and cooled pasta in a large salad bowl to mix. Add additional diced tomatoes and small yellow/orange sweet peppers, olives, or antipasto style with some meats for more textures and flavors. Now it's time to eat:D