Vladowsky’s kitchen

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo? Are you interested in adding a fast easy dessert that will finish off a great Mexican Fiesta? This Sopapilla Cheesecake treat will have your guests asking for the recipe and they won’t believe how easy this delectable dessert is to make when you give them the basic recipe. Make sure you have plenty of napkins handy as each slice will be overflowing with gooey cheesy goodness.

Equipment:

1. Start by using 9X12 cooking pan
2. Non Stick cooking spray
3. Spatula

Basic list of ingredients:

1. 2 Packages of Cream Cheese
2. 2 packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
3. 1/2 stick of butter
4. Cup of Sugar
5. Cinnamon

Process:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Warm Cream cheese to room temperature
3. Spray bottom of 9×12 baking pan with non-stick spray
4. Unroll crescent rolls inside bottom of pan
5. Spread Cream cheese over crescent dough
6. Unroll second roll of crescent roll dough over top of cheese
7. Spread melted butter over top layer of dough
8. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl
9. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mixture over butter
10. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes
11. Let cool for 3-5 minutes
12. Cut into squares and serve

Optional Ingredients:

1. Low fat cream cheese
2. Sliced Fresh Strawberries
3. Blueberries
4. Raisins
5. Walnuts
6. Brown Sugar

Even though this dish is easy to make is not typically categorized as a healthy dessert. You can make this a bit healthier by using lower fat cream cheese and reducing the butter poured over the top. You can even eliminate the butter and use brown sugar instead of basic sugar to change the flavor a bit. Adding fresh strawberries or blueberries over the cream cheese before adding the top layer may also be a welcome variation to the basic recipe.

Although rare, if you make enough and have leftovers, this dish can be served chilled the following day or reheated in the microwave for a special treat the next day.

The sopapilla cheesecake recipe can be enjoyed with a nice Mexican coffee to compliment the flavor of the dish and a special ending to the evening… Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Want to be vegetarian but just can’t give up on meat dishes altogether? Try great vegetarian recipes to fool your taste buds into going vegan! These great vegetarian recipes make use of completely of vegan ingredients. However, they taste nothing like vegetables whatsoever!

Don’t believe me? If so, you’ve obviously never tried oven baked barbecue ribs, barbecue country style ribs, vegetarian meatloaf, and the vegetarian faux chicken patties. These dishes do not have a shred of meat in them and are made with ingredients guaranteed to offend any cheeseburger lover. But they’re easy to whip up and taste so great even dyed-in-the-wool carnivores love them!

Vegetarian Meatloaf. This is made using bread cubes, onions, herbs, spices, and eggs. Toss in some carrots and potatoes and bake to perfection and you’ll have a vegetarian meatloaf that tastes like it’s made of ground beef!

Vegetarian Shepperd’s Pie. I first tasted this at a friend’s potluck dinner and was so bowled over by the taste I asked for the recipe. This is the perfect comfort food for cold winter nights. It’s made of russet potatoes, flour, toasted buckwheat groats, and other ingredients that do not walk on two or four feet.

Vegetarian Ribs. The name is misleading because ribs aren’t used in this dish at all! But this tastes as good as – if not better than – ribs. The main ingredient of this dish? Believe it or not, gluten. My husband polished his plate in seconds. When I told him it was gluten he had eaten, his jaw dropped! I am not exaggerating when I tell you these three great vegetarian recipes will change your life!

Of the three recipes above, the last one – vegetarian ribs – is what I recommend to friends who can’t cook to save their life. Vegetarian ribs is a very forgiving recipe. You can mess up many of the steps and end up with a mix that feels and looks like a huge mistake but once you’ve finished baking, you won’t be able to stop smacking your lips in satisfaction.

When you are in a real hurry, need a quick-fix meal or just want something on the smaller side, mini-meals are a great idea.

The variety is endless and can include just simple foods that you have in your fridge or cupboard.

These simple meals can take the edge off if you get really hungry but don’t have time for a full meal. Some people also tend to be grazers and eat several smaller meals throughout the day instead of the standard three bigger meals and that’s when having a variety of mini-meal ideas ready to go comes in handy.

Here are some ideas for quick and easy mini-meals that are not only delicious but are budget-friendly too.

Cottage Cheese: low-fat cottage cheese is a good base and can be combined with any of the following fruits or veggies (cut into bite-sized pieces) and a sprinkling of chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.

Here are is a suggested list of fruits and vegetables to add to your cottage cheese.

- Fruit:

blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples or applesauce, banana, mandarin oranges, diced mango, peaches or pineapple

spices and sweeteners for fruit: agave syrup, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup, nutmeg

- Veggies:

carrots, celery, chayote squash, cucumber,green beans, jicama, leeks, mushrooms,onions or scallions, frozen, thawed and drained peas, radishes or tomatoes

herbs for veggies: basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, thyme, rosemary

Soup: Soup is a great way to get more vegetables in your diet and if you take a good vegetable soup (either homemade or a store bought variety with natural ingredients) and add a little something extra to it you can have a meal in a bowl in minutes.

Here are some easy additions to try:

-cooked and cubed white or sweet potatoes

-cooked brown or basmati rice

-canned beans (rinsed and drained)

-grilled chicken, grilled salmon

-canned salmon or tuna (drained)

-baked tofu (cut into cubes and add to soup)

Fresh spinach is a nice addition, just stir it into the hot soup and the leaves will wilt into it. You might also like to try fresh chopped herbs like cilantro or basil for a nice topping for the soup. You could also add a small handful of grated fresh cheese.

Pita Sandwich: Here’s a simple idea that is so quick and can be made with practically anything you have on hand. I usually mix a few ingredients together, stuff the pita and then add a flavorful topping. Here are some of my favorite stuffings.

- mix together: tuna, a little mayonnaise, celery, tomatoes

topping: chopped fresh basil

- mix together: cooked chicken, low-fat Greek style plain yogurt, cucumbers, sweet red peppers

topping: sprinkling of chopped green olives

- mix together: Oriental style baked tofu, mustard, sliced scallions, water chestnuts

topping: alfalfa or radish sprouts

- mix together: spread some almond butter in the pita on one or both sides and add some diced strawberries or bananas

topping: a sprinkling of cinnamon or drizzle of honey

- mix together: cottage cheese, sliced leeks, capers, tomatoes

topping: walnut pieces

- mix together: cooked ham (diced), mustard, low-fat Swiss cheese cubes, shredded lettuce

topping: a sprinkling of diced apple

- mix together: spread a layer of whipped low-fat cream cheese inside one or both sides of the pita and add a mixture of diced apple and diced celery

topping: a sprinkling of cinnamon

- mix together: canned salmon (drained), thinly sliced red onion, low-fat Greek style plain yogurt, diced sun-dried tomatoes (no oil variety – softened in warm water)

topping: sprinkling of dried dill or chopped fresh dill

- mix together: diced hard-cooked egg, mayonnaise and spicy mustard, diced celery

topping: radish sprouts and grated parmesan cheese

- mix together: basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes (in oil, drained and chopped), diced black olives, shredded cabbage

topping: crumbled goat cheese

Simple Fruit Combos: Use these combinations and simply place in a bowl and enjoy or place in a container to take to work for a light lunch.

- cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon cubes combined with crumbled blue or feta cheese

- apples chunks with grapes and gouda cheese

- red and green grapes, celery chunks and goat cheese crumbles

- mango, papaya and sliced almonds

- nectarine and peach slices or chunks tossed in a little low-fat plain or vanilla yogurt topped with crumbled cinnamon graham crackers

- strawberries and blueberries tossed in lemon yogurt with whole grain crackers on the side

Mini Sandwiches (Open-Faced) – whole grain English muffins topped with:

- marinara sauce, thin sliced mushrooms, low-fat cheese slice

- thin layer of tomato paste, basil leaves, cooked chopped shrimp, grated parmesan cheese

- mashed black beans topped with salsa and grated soy cheese

- hummus topped with baby spinach leaves, thin slices of zucchini squash or yellow summer squash, thin slice of beefsteak tomato and salt and pepper to taste

- vegetarian refried beans, thinly sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumbers, vegetarian pepper jack cheese slice

- mashed banana, chopped dates and chopped walnuts

- low-fat mayonnaise, deli turkey slices, romaine lettuce and sweet red pepper slices

Other Quick Mini-Meal Options:

- String Cheese: another simple and quick idea and can be eaten with either sliced or cubed fruit of choice or vegetable sticks using carrots, celery, jicama, sweet peppers, cucumbers or chayote squash

- Fruit or Veggie Skewers: a simple idea and easy to make

For fruit skewers: try apple and pear cubes with green or red grapes skewered on small wooden skewers alternating with cubes of sharp cheddar cheese or choose your favorite fruit and cheese combos

For veggie skewers: try chunks of sweet peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini or even summer squash and your favorite cheese

Give these simple ideas a try when you need a quick mini-meal in a hurry.

Here is another meat dish that is widely enjoyed in the Korean community. It is called Dak Gal Bi. Dak Gal Bi is a spicy chicken dish that is pan fried with vegetables. It is served usually at dinner times and sometimes in bars as a side dish to the soju, or korean rice wine. There are many different ways to make Dak Gal Bi, such as by varying the level of spiciness or adding different vegetables to the dish, although the common vegetables include carrots and onions. Here’s how to make Dak Gal Bi.

Here are the ingredients that you will need to make this dish: a chicken, yam (or sweet potato), carrots, an onion, korean chili paste, korean chili pepper powder, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, honey, and black pepper.

The first thing you are going to have to do is prepare the chicken. Clean the chicken and cut off all the meat. Throw away the leftover bones and fat that you won’t need. Take the chunks of chicken and cut them into smaller pieces. Leave them aside for now.

Next, take the chili paste, chili pepper powder, garlic, soy, sauce, sesame oil, sugar, honey, and black pepper and make yourself a marinade for the chicken. The amounts of the dish are up to you because I don’t know how spicy or not you want the dish. After you finish making your marinade, put your cut up chicken in, make sure all the chicken is evenly coated, and let it sit for a good 10 to 15 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, cut up the yam into fry shaped pieces, and chop the carrots and onions into small pieces.

After the chicken is done marinating, grab a pan on medium high and start cooking the chicken. After the chicken has been cooking for about 10 minutes, add the vegetables. Continue to stir and cook until the chicken is done.

Although this recipe is very vague on how much to put of each ingredient, it is because it all depends on the eaters tolerance level of spiciness. After you fully master how to make Dak Gal Bi, you can teach your friends and family how to make this dish.

1 teaspoon shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pint milk

1/2 cup yeast or 1/2 yeast cake

flour as needed

clean dish towel and bowl with lid

1. In large mixing bowl, place 1 heaping teaspoon shortening, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar.

2. Pour over these 1 pint of milk which has been heated to steaming and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved, then allow to cool.

3. When lukewarm, add 1/2 cup yeast or 1/2 yeast cake dissolved in a little lukewarm water.

4. Stir in enough flour to make a rather stiff batter. (Add a little flour at a time until you reach the right consistency.)

5. Beat vigorously until the batter is perfectly smooth and full of air bubbles.

6. Cover with a cloth or dish towel and a lid to keep air out and set in a warm place to rise. (about 70 degrees)

7. When the batter doubles its bulk and is light and spongy, stir into it sufficient flour to make a moderately stiff dough (soft as can be handled makes lighter bread).

8. Flour a bread board. Turn out the dough and knead lightly and quickly until it becomes smooth and elastic and will not stick to the hands or board.

9. Return to the bowl, cover as before, and set to rise again.

10. When the dough doubles its bulk, place again on the bread board and separate into two loaves.

11. Mold and turn into well-greased bread pans.

12. Cover, and set to rise again.

13. When the loaves double their original bulk, bake at 325 to 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Let cool, remove from pans, slice and serve.