Gram's Deviled Eggs

In honor of my Papa, today I'm posting my Gram's deviled eggs. They are a favorite of our family and quite addictive.

Ingredients:

Eggs

Sweet Pickle Relish

Mayo

Paprika

Place the eggs (however many you want) and 2 tsp. salt into a large pan with hot water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. After the water is boiling, take the pan off the heat and cover the pot for exactly 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up, place the hot eggs in a bowl of ice water. Hard boiling eggs this way will give you pretty yellow yolks without turning the outside of the yolk that sickly gray.

Peel the eggs carefully and cut them in half. Scoop out the yolks with a spoon and put the yolks into a bowl. Scoop into the bowl sweet pickle relish and mayo to taste. Mash it all up and put the mixture into the hollow of each cut in half egg white. Sprinkle the tops of the eggs with a little paprika and eat them up.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

This salad is easy, refreshing, and delicious. It takes no time at all, but it's really really good. I don't have much else to say about it, because its simplicity should speak for itself.

Ingredients:
1-2 cans black beans
1-2 cans corn
Diced red pepper
Diced yellow pepper
Minced cilantro
Red Wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
Lime juice
Salt and pepper

Drain the beans and corn and dump them in a bowl. Throw in the diced red and yellow peppers and cilantro. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, and pour red wine vinegar and lime juice over the salad to taste. Salt and pepper to taste as well. Mix it all together and eat it in a big bowl with a fork and healthy appetite.

Stir Fried Zucchini

I know I know, it's been quite a while. I always think I'm going to post more often but then life gets in the way, but considering I have maybe 6 followers, I'm sure you will forgive me.

This stir-fried zucchini is quite the simple yet delicious little side dish (Mom you might not remember but you loved this one). I'm pretty sure my family didn't just eat it...they inhaled it like oxygen. Enjoy.

2 pounds zucchini

2 tsp. salt

4 garlic cloves

1 scallion

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. sesame oil

2 Tbs roasted sesame seeds

Wash and trim the zucchini and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut the halves into 1/4 inch slices and put the slices into a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and mix it up. Let this sit for 30 minutes, then drain it thoroughly and pat it dry. While the zucchini is sitting, peel and mince the garlic. Cut the entire scallion (white and green parts) into small rounds.

Set a skillet over high heat. When hot, put in the olive oil and the minced garlic. Let cook for about 40 seconds. Add the zucchini and stir fry until just done (4 to 5 minutes only; you don't want mushy zucchini). Pour in the remaining salt, scallion, and sesame oil and stir once or twice. Remove from heat and add the roasted sesame seeds. Stir once and serve. The beautiful thing about this dish is it is easy, quick, and can be served hot or cold.

Tip: Salting and letting the zucchini sit before frying is important because it releases many of the juices and makes the dish less watery/soggy.

Sichuan Green Beans

I first became obsessed with green beans done Sichuan style when I had them for the first time in Chinatown, NYC. A friend of a friend recommended that we order them and they were a.m.a.z.i.n.g! I came straight home and tried to find a recipe. This recipe isn't the exact same as the dish I had in Chinatown, but they are pretty close.

Cooking note: Be careful not to overcook the beans. You want crisp and not mushy beans.

Sauce:

4 Tbs water

4 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs cooking sherry

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and set aside for the moment.

Beans:

2 Tbs olive oil

2 pounds fresh green beans trimmed

1/2 pound ground pork

6 med garlic cloves mined

2 Tbs minced fresh ginger

6 scallions green parts only sliced thin

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan until shimmering. Add the beans and cook until the beans are slightly browned/blackened on medium-high heat. Transfer the beans to a large bowl.

But wait wait don't turn off the heat! Add the ground pork to the skillet and break it up while it is cooking until it is completely browned. Make a little hole in the middle and add the garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute. Re-stir the sauce to recombine and add the sauce to the frying pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir the contents of the skillet into the bowl with the green beans. Toss the beans, pork, etc. with the scallions and the sesame oil and serve immediately.

Even if you don't particularly like green beans I promise you will like this dish!