Hawaiian Chicken Wings

Summer is here! I love the beautiful weather we have been experiencing these past few days! The warm evenings make me feel like I am on vacation. Hawaii is one of my favorite places to visit.  The luau I went to a few years back had delicious chicken wings!  This recipe reminds me of that fun day and all the fond memories I had with my family.

Hawaiian Chicken Wings

Ingredients: 

1 dozen chicken wings

1 1/2 Cups BBQ sauce

1  20oz. can pinapple slices

1/2 Cup ginger salad dressing

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1.  Preheat broiler

2.  Cut chicken wings in half and then cut off tips

3.  Marinate in BBQ sauce, juice of pineapple slices, ginger dressing, soy sauce, and garlic

     powder for 30 minutes.

4.  Boil for 30 minutes turning every 15 minutes

5.  Garnish with pineapple slices

BeaNspiration:  May your imagination take you to your favorite vacation place!

Asian Kale Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

My husband received some home grown kale yesterday from a wonderful friend of his.  How thoughtful of him to think of my husband and family!  I have a cousin visiting from Japan that loves to try new things so I decided to make a healthy salad.  Wait!  I have pomegranate juice in the back of my refrigerator!  I'll make a dressing out of that!

Asian Kale Salad 
with Pomegranate Dressing

Ingredients:
12 oz bag of broccoli slaw
3 C kale cut into small pieces (remove hard center part of leaf)
½ C Cashews chopped
½ C dried cranberries
1 C spicy sprouts


Dressing:
¼ C Pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp. Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl put in broccoli slaw, chopped kale, cashews and cranberries
2.  Prepare dressing by whisking together all the ingredients
3.  Pour dressing on the salad and toss
4.  Set for at least 1/2 hour in the refrigerator
5.  If you're making the salad the night before, leave out cashews until the next day

BeaNspiration:  Be thankful for the gifts you receive and share these gifts with your family and friends!

Strawberry Dango Bundt Cake

Bachan (Grandma) wanted me to make Dangos (fried donut like desserts), however I did not have enough oil to fry the dangos.  My strawberries were extremely ripe, but I did not want to waste them. Bachan would say in Japanese...Mottainai! (what a waste!).  I decided to tweak my dango recipe and bake a cake with strawberries.  Bachan loved it!  She said it had the texture and taste of a cake she had growing up.  And the smell of yumminess!

Strawberry Dango Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

21/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

15 medium fresh strawberries (chopped)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

Pour mixture in a greased bundt pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min or when toothpick comes out clean

BeaNspiration:  The lesson of "mottainai" echoes from the past.  "No Mo' Mottainai" for me!

Happy Memorial Day!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

What a delectable dessert.  Hurry and catch the end of the strawberry season and prepare this inspired snack for the family!  Isn't dark chocolate heart healthy?  I'm digging in and having myself a few...and a few more...and...

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Ingredients:
1 bag or container of chocolate pellets for dipping fruit
3-4 baskets of strawberries

Directions:
1.  Wash, pat dry and let strawberries continue to dry on paper towels
2.  Follow the microwave directions to melt chocolate using a microwavable bowl
      Sometimes microwaves vary, so start out with less time and increase by small intervals,
      stirring with a fork.
3.  When chocolate is perfectly smooth take it out and dip strawberries, one at a time.
4.  Place on wax paper or parchment paper to dry
5.  When it's finished you can design a platter with the strawberries, even place them in
     small cupcake cups like Chef Azuki did.


Beanspirations: Enjoy the light sweetness of spring! 

Quick Spaghetti

What a busy day Chef Azuki has had so far, but loving it!  Dropped off her little BeaNs at school, went to her husband's office and did some major filing.  Noon came around and she went to an office luncheon, soon after she picked up older little BeaN from school then took him to the golf course, ran to the grocery store and picked up younger BeaN at the bus stop.  While younger BeaN was taking a piano lesson, Chef Azuki made her quick spaghetti! (Guess where she is going after piano....Her little BeaN's Baseball game!!!!!)

Quick Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz)Thin Spaghetti

1 lb Sage Pork Sausage

(2) 25 oz. Tomato and Basil bottled pasta sauce (any brand)

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp Onion powder

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Soy Sauce

3 T half and half (used to cut the tartness of the tomatoes)

Boil Thin Spaghetti as directed on box.

Saute sausage in a large skillet.  Add sauce.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Pour over the cooked spaghetti noodles and Enjoy!

BeaNspiration:  Life can be busy...enjoy the adventure!

Miso Honey Salad Dressing

It's been quite warm this week!  Too hot for Soup! Chef Azuki didn't have to cook dinner for her family so she decided to treat herself with a refreshing salad.  She found lettuce, tomato, avocado,green onions and left over chicken in her refrigerator.  Hmmmm... what kind of dressing?  Chef Azuki spotted the miso (fermented soy bean) paste in the back of her refrigerator and decided to create something tasty!

Miso Honey Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 T      Miso Paste

2T      Seasoned Rice Vinegar

1 T      Sesame Oil

1 T      Honey

1 tsp    Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Soy sauce

Whisk ingredients together and drizzle the dressing over the salad.  Enjoy!

Beanspiration:  Something sweet combined with something salty can create a honey of a treat!