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Mrs. Samurai's Kitchen

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About this blog

Come on in for some good food and conversation!

Entries in this blog

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Here's a Thai-inspired chicken soup that is easy to make and bursting with flavor! It's healthy comfort food with an Asian twist. Ingredients 2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or butter 1 onion, chopped 1-2 pounds uncooked chicken breast, diced 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided 1 quart chicken broth (I use either homemade or a box of low sodium, no added MSG.) 1 can coconut milk (look for this in the Asian/Thai section of the grocery sto

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Hamburger Salad

Here's a great, quick meal that's perfect for summer. It requires only brief cooking (or grilling) and benefits from the fresh, local produce that's available. This is more of an idea than a recipe - a tasty and easy variation on the "cooked meat on a green salad" theme, such as taco salads or grilled chicken caesar salad. The general idea is to top a green salad with seasoned hamburger meat. The salad part basically mimics the toppings that you would put on a burger - lettuce, tomato, sweet on

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Enchilasagna!

Here's a hearty and very satisfying casserole that in its original form is vegetarian, but is easy to convert to meaty if you like - just see the note at the end. This would be a great centerpiece for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, and much easier than an assembly-style meal like tacos or burritos (although those are fun if you have the time!) Go from this... to this... It's so easy! Ingredients: 2 jars salsa (use a good quality salsa, and choose the spiciness according to your taste. I use one

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to wish everyone who celebrates Easter this weekend a very blessed day! ~ Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup

This is a yummy soup that can be either made vegetarian or with chicken. Delish either way! Don't let the long list of ingredients worry you - as with any of my recipes, it is easy to make. Scoop some cooked rice into each bowl if desired to really round out the meal. Ingredients 2 T. coconut oil or butter 1 large onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 2-3 carrots, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced, divided 1 T. fresh ginger, minced (The Ginger People company makes a nice jarred minced ging

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Southwest Slow-Cooker Stew

Here's a very easy and tasty beef stew with a southwestern twist. There are no potatoes in it, so it is low-carb for those of you who are cutting back on the starches! It's thinner than a typical beef stew, but chunkier than a soup. One could thicken the liquid at the end with some corn starch, but I've never bothered. Stirring in some sour cream to your bowl is highly recommended! Ingredients: 3 T. olive or refined coconut oil 2-3 pounds beef stew meat 2 bell peppers, any color, cut into 1 in

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Sausages with Peppers and Mushrooms

Some recipes are really mostly ideas of what to make for dinner - fairly simple combinations that aren't all that innovative, but just come together so well they are worth writing down. That's what I finally did after preparing this dish recently. There's not much to it, but if you use the right basic ingredients, it makes for a really tasty and easy dinner. The use of sliced mushrooms helps to expand the volume without spending more $ on sausage or sacrificing heartiness. See my ingredient note

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Death By Chocolate: what a sweet way to go!

This decadent dessert is a legend at our parish's Paschal (Easter) feast - the serving bowl is often literally licked clean when everyone is done! It's super easy because it relies on box mixes and Cool Whip, but somehow the combination of the various ingredients results in a surprisingly tasty and even elegant completed dish. Ingredients: 1 box brownie mix, prepared (should be over 20 oz. box and use a 9x13 pan - see Note) ¼ c. coffee, optional 1 box chocolate instant pudding mix, 4 serving

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Eggs-cellent!

We go through a lot of eggs here at the Samurai household - about 3 dozen a week.  We like 'em scrambled, fried, in omelets or frittatas, even raw!  The simple, humble egg has been much maligned in the press and by the mainstream "healthcare" establishment at times, but we don't let that bother us - we recognize it for the little nutritional powerhouse it is, and know that it's been a valued part of traditional diets for ages.  Eggs are an inexpensive source of a complete protein (in the white)

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Veggie Frittata and Baked Hash Browns

Here's an easy weeknight dinner that you can usually pull together from ingredients you have kicking around in your fridge. Since the food is breakfasty, it would also make for a yummy brunch. The only "thinking ahead" item is that if you are using frozen hash browns, it's helpful to pull them out and have them thaw (either a few hours on the counter, or all day in the fridge). But there's even a work-around for that. Read on!... Baked Hash Browns 1 bag frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, a

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Feeding time for the Samurai Pets

I was working at the kitchen sink, and suddenly felt 4 pairs of eyes upon me. I turned and this is what I saw. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XEfYkgST5RU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Let's Hear it for Healthy Fats for a Healthy Body!

Once upon a time the local medical establishment was concerned that the Samurai's cholesterol levels were too high. Rather than follow their advice, he followed the more cutting-edge nutritional advice we'd been reading on our own questioning the popular "cholesterol theory" of heart disease. He reduced the amount of processed and/or carbohydrate foods he was eating, and increased consumption of good quality fats, meats, and eggs. His cholesterol numbers went down, and he was pronounced very h

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Parmesan Crisps

Yum! I just saw this blog post and thought I would pass it along. Do you love crunchy, salty snacks, but are trying to avoid carbs and/or fried foods? How about some crispy disks of parmesan cheese? Sounds good to me. I used to do something similar to this with smoked provolone, but I think this would have a little more punch and crunch. Let me know if you try it, and what you think. This is from the excellent Food Renegade blog (click that link to see the whole entry). Parmesan Crisp Re

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Salsa-Dijon Chicken Stew

Here's a simple but very tasty quick chicken dish! It's fairly saucy, so plan to serve it with mashed cauliflower or potatoes, rice, or something else to sop up the yumminess. Ingredients 1 cup salsa 1/2 cup dijon mustard juice from one lime (about 4 T.) 3-4 pounds of chicken, skinless, boneless white or dark, whole pieces or cut up into bites butter, unsalted 1-2 bags frozen veggies, your choice, optional sour cream or yogurt lime Directions In a glass dish, combine salsa, mustard, a

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Thighs

The Samurai and I had this for dinner last night, and it was so good I had to get it up here to share with the rest of you! It's loosely adapted from a recipe from the online "Menu-Mailer" service. Enjoy! Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Thighs Ingredients: 1 large onion, diced 4 stalks celery, diced 4 medium carrots, diced 4 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skinless salt, pepper 1 can/jar crushed tomatoes, 14-15 oz., or tomato sauce 1 medium lime, juiced 2 chipotles (canned in adobo sauce)

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

It's Cold and Flu (shot) season! Here's some info to consider

Here's some thought-provoking information to keep in mind when considering getting the flu shot: Story at-a-glance A new study revealed that the flu vaccine prevents type A or type B influenza in only 1.5 out of every 100 vaccinated adults … but the media is reporting this to mean “60 percent effective” – the difference is due to a semantic sleight-of-hand: confusing the meaning of relative vs. absolute risk reduction Media reports that the flu vaccine is 60 percent effective does not mean

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Childhood vaccines - a thoughtful, dissenting view

One of the health-related issues I've been paying more attention to in recent years is vaccination. It tends to be a controversial topic, with vaccine opponents often portrayed as hysterical mothers who don't understand science, but here is a very thoughtful video of a medical doctor discussing her concerns about vaccines after spending 3 years researching them. It's worth adding her thoughts to the conversation! Many in the medical field treat vaccines as a "done deal" - they are safe and ef

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Some old-fashioned, healthy civil disobedience

Many people aren't aware of the growing "raw milk" movement going on in North America, and the resulting political fallout. Basically, many folks have come to realize that drinking milk in its natural, non-pasteurized state has many significant health benefits (plus the flavor is far superior). For many thousands of years, of course, humans drank milk this way and thrived on it. The only reason milk became a health problem in the late 19th-early 20th centuries is that as more people moved to

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Honey Laundering!

Of all the products on the grocery store shelf, would you suspect simple, golden honey to be controversial? Unfortunately, few food stuffs are beyond the reach of corruption, as this story illustrates. Click here to read the whole, sordid story.

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Mashed Cauliflower

This has become a favorite side dish in our house, and the only way the boys really enjoy eating cauliflower. This is super, super easy - if you have a food processor, especially. I started hearing about people using mashed cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes when I began to eat more low-carb this summer, and this is the recipe I came up with. I think it tastes great, and the mouth feel is creamy and amazing. And it's much healthier than potatoes! It's yummy on its own, or with some ki

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Tender Slow-Cooker Pork Chops

For me, cooking pork chops is often a bit frustrating because today’s pork is so lean that the result is often very dry. Here’s an easy way to create succulent chops and a yummy sauce all in your slow cooker with very little labor. I love having dinner cooking in my Crock Pot - gives me kind of a smug feeling all day (as opposed to that nagging “what am I gonna fix for dinner?” playing in the back of my mind). Ingredients 6-10 center-cut pork chops, trimmed (quantity depends on size of the c

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

My Food Filosophy

I have a few simple guidelines for the food I like to cook at home. 1. It should taste really good (duh) 2. Our meals should have some variety and interesting flavors 3. Nothing should be too time-consuming or difficult to prepare 4. The meals should largely be nutrient dense Number 4 is often considered to be the undoing of Guidelines 1-3, but I've discovered that's not the case, particularly when you consider what kind of food is truly nutrient dense. I'll write more later about what I co

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Graham Cracker Toffee

(Originally published at Fixitnow.com in September '10) All right, time for another of my highly requested recipes. This is great to make for a crowd, because if you have it sitting around for very long in your house you’ll eat so much that you’ll have to run a marathon to burn off the extra calories. Like the Corn Casserole, it’s very easy to make, and if anyone tries to discuss the nutritional makeup of it, plug yours ears and hum. Graham Cracker Toffee 2 packs of plain graham crackers (approx

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Corn Casserole

(Originally published on Fixitnow.com Sept. '10) This is probably my most requested recipe, which is a little embarrassing because it is so simple and relies heavily on canned/boxed ingredients. I normally like to cook with whole, unprocessed foods, but sometimes you need something quick and easy. This certainly fits the bill! Mrs. Samurai’s Corn Casserole Makes enough to feed a small crowd. 1 stick butter, melted 4 eggs, beaten 16 oz. sour cream 3 cans cream-style corn 3 cans whole kernel corn,

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

Krispy Kale

Here’s a recipe that takes a vegetable my kids don’t like very much and turns it into something they actually get excited about - a rare find! Why do we want to eat kale? I happen to think it tastes great, but also... Dr. Mercola recently named kale as one of the top-ten superfoods we should all eat (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/10/top-ten-best-superfoods.aspx ) - here’s a fun way to get more of it in your belly! Ingredients 1 large bunch of kale (if bunches are s

Mrs. Samurai

Mrs. Samurai

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