Beef in oyster sauce

I'm picking my mom up from the airport today, so I wanted to make something easy that I could just heat up in the oven for dinner. My answer came in the form of this beef dish, from the cookbook "The Essential Thai Cookbook."

I had never cooked anything with oyster sauce, and I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I figured it probably was used in dishes the same was fish sauce is, and that always just lends a subtle flavor to the meal.

Dan and I tried bites of this before cooling it and putting it away until the evening. We were both impressed and are now looking forward to a yummy dinner.

Need an idea for a side dish? Try this ultra-easy (but totally party-worthy) recipe: Kara's Asian slaw.

Beef in oyster sauce (serves 4)

4 tablespoons oyster sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound prime steak, sliced into thin strips

3-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

12 green onions, sliced diagonally

1 cup chicken stock

1.) Whisk together the oyster sauce, cornstarch, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the steak strips and stir, making sure they get coated in sauce. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

2.) Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add garlic, and stir-fry until golden.

3.) Add the beef and stir-fry about 3 minutes more, until beef is medium-cooked.

4.) Add the mushrooms, green onions, and chicken stock, and cook gently for about 2 more minutes. Don't overcook, especially if you have to reheat it later!

5.) Serve with rice or noodles.

Zesty egg salad

This is yet another recipe from my mom. Please note: This is very oniony! If you don't like onions, you can replace them with the same amount of finely chopped celery.

Zesty egg salad (makes enough for 2 sandwiches)

1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 small Roma tomato, finely chopped

2 finely chopped green onions

2 hard-boiled eggs, chilled and chopped

about 1/8 cup mayo

salt and pepper, to taste

optional: 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Mix ingredients together gently.

Pumpkin-pecan crumble

Here's another delicious dessert recipe from my sister-in-law Kristen. I tried it at her house over the holidays and have been wanting to make it since.

Kristen has a way with desserts; try her pear custard bars and famous sugar cookies! (Some day, I'll also post her sour cream apple pie.)

This recipe came from Kristen's mother-in-law, who got it from her sister. It calls for a box of yellow cake mix, but I decided to try a vanilla cake mix from Namaste Foods. It's got just a few ingredients -- including sweet brown rice flour and evaporated cane juice -- so that was more appealing to me than a box of cake that has tons of hard-to-pronounce ingredients and food coloring that clearly can't be good for you.

It tasted just as good as the recipe with yellow cake.

Pumpkin-pecan crumble (makes one 13-by-9-inch pan)

3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup would also do; this is a very sweet treat)

1-1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I used a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg)

2 eggs

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 bag of gluten-free vanilla cake mix (the size that makes two 9-inch cake layers) OR 1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1.) Combine sugar, spices, egg,s pumpkin, and evaporated milk. Stir together.

2.) Pour into ungreased 13-by-9-inch pan.

3.) Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture.

4.) Drizzle butter on top, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

5.) Cook 40-50 minutes, until golden brown on top, at 350 degrees. (Mine took the whole 50 minutes.)

6.) Chill, cut, and serve with whipped cream.

Food fact: The health benefits of eating walnuts is pretty commonly known, but did you know that pecans also offer plenty of good stuff?

According to the National Pecan Shellers Association, pecans are high in anti-oxidants.

"New research, published in the August 2006 issue of Nutrition Research, shows that adding just a handful of pecans to your diet each day may help inhibit unwanted oxidation of blood lipids, thus helping prevent coronary heart disease," reads the association's Web site.

The sweet nuts also are dense with nutrients and can help lower cholesterol.

So bring on that pecan pie!

Hot and sour soup

This soup is very low-calorie, low fat, high in protein, and packed with vegetables.

Another perk? The ginger and the shiitake are said to be a boost to the immune system.

Hot and sour soup (makes 4-6 servings)

1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes in hot water and drained

4 ounces seitan, cut into thin strips

a 6-ounce can of bamboo shoots, drained, rinsed, and cut into thin strips

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon hot chili paste

salt and pepper, to taste

2 eggs, beaten (vegans can just leave these out; they are not even in the original recipe)

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1.) Place all ingredients except the eggs (if using), peas, scallions, and sesame oil into a slow cooker.

2.) Cook on low for 6 hours. At the end of that, stir in the remaining ingredients.

Note: The original recipe for this comes from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

Honey-tahini dressing

Eating Well magazine never fails me. Every time a new issue arrives in the mail, I look forward to having some quiet time in the evening to pore over the informative articles, beautiful photographs, and countless recipes. I always see several I can't wait to try.

Last night I made a salad dressing from the current issue: Honey-tahini dressing. It is so delicious, when Daniel and I finished our salads, we devoured more of the dressing by dipping bread into it.

For those unfamiliar with tahini, it's a thick paste made of ground sesame seeds. It's an important ingredient in hummus, and it's the basis for the sauce on falafel sandwiches.

Honey-tahini dressing (makes about 1-1/4 cups)

1/2 cup lemon juice (I used 1 large lemon)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup tahini

2 tablespoons honey

2 cloves garlic, minced (Mom, if you make this, you'll want to use an extra clove!)

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a blender, a jar with a tight-fitting lid, or a bowl. Blend, shake, or whisk to mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

Food fact: Did you know honey is good for helping to heal minor cuts and burns? Really. Just smear a little bit on the affected spot.

According to Malcolm T. Sanford, a professor in the department of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida, "The sweet actively absorbs water from bacteria and fungi, retarding their growth and reproduction. Honey has been used successfully as a wound dressing because of its bactericidal properties, the result of hydrogen peroxide produced by the enzyme, glucose oxidase. It is also superior first aid for burns; the honey seals off the injured area to air currents, reducing pain and possible infection." (Read more from Sanford here.)

Honey also soothes a cough. Although children younger than 1 year old should not be given honey (infant botulism is a risk), children ages 1 and older can be given 1/2 teaspoon to soothe a cough or sore throat. Adults should double that dose.

I am a big fan of Hunter's Honey, located just about 25 miles from Bloomington, in Martinsville. This family business produces honey that is consistently good. If you ever get a chance to visit a honey farm, do it! The production process is a fascinating one.

Unfortunately, honey bees are dying off because of unknown causes; that essentially puts the growing of all fruits, vegetables, and nuts at risk. Scientists are busy trying to figure out why. Check out this "60 Minutes" segment to learn more.

Hey, you know what else honey is good for? Turning a piece of bland buttered toast into a little slice of Heaven.

Coming soon: Hot and sour soup.

Pecan-crusted chicken breasts

What can I say? I'm just nuts about nuts.

I've lately been on a roasted-and-salted nuts kick, but that's really the worst way to eat them. This chicken recipe will give you that nut fix without making you feel like you've nixed all their good properties by eating too many of them.

This is the second recipe I've made from The Wine and Food Lover's Diet, by Phillip Tirman. I previously posted an adapted version of his tasty and interesting tofu pockets with tahini sauce. Unlike that recipe, this one was a snap to prepare. And all you really need, equipment-wise, is a food processor or a chef's knife capable of finely chopping the nuts.

Pecan-crusted chicken breasts (serves 4)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, totaling about 1-1/2 pounds

1/2 cup pecans

1 tablespoon heavy cream

3 tablespoons chickpea flour, soy flour, or a nut flour

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

coarse sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1.) While the oven preheats to 375 degrees, pulse the pecans in a food processor until finely ground. (You can also chop them finely with a sharp knife.)

2.) Add the heavy cream, flour, cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir or pulse briefly to mix. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3.) Lightly salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, and place the breasts in a small baking dish. Spread the pecan mixture over the top.

4.) Bake until golden-brown, and the chicken is cooked but still juicy, about 30 minutes.

Michelle's gazpacho

Greetings, everyone! I am back and ready to cook. I hope I haven't lost any of my faithful readers over the past 6 weeks. I had a much-needed break from the kitchen and got some freelance articles done.

Well now, I realize tomatoes aren't in season, but when you have a craving for something -- especially something healthy -- I say go for it!

Enter Michelle's gazpacho, which I've been thinking about for a few days now.

As some of you know, Michelle is my sister. She lived in Madrid for several years, and I shared her awesome tortilla recipe in a previous post.

Her gazpacho is also delish. She keeps it very simple and leaves out any garlic and onions, both of which are optional. Ordinarily, I say the more garlic and onions, the better, but not here. With this recipe, simplicity is what makes it so good. It's so fresh and tasty, and I am always amazed at how flavorful a few ingredients thrown together can be. A very important ingredient is the bread, which thickens the soup ever so slightly.

Please note that these ingredient amounts are just estimates, and you can change them depending on your personal tastes.

Michelle's gazpacho (makes about 3 cups)

4 large Roma tomatoes

1 large cucumber

1 green pepper (I use a mild poblano, but just regular bell pepper will also do)

1 chunk of stale bread, soaked in water (I used a 3-inch-long piece of day-old French bread)

a couple splashes of vinegar -- balsamic or sherry vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Chop ingredients coarsely, and process until smooth in a food processor or blender. Strain. Serve chilled and topped with toasted croutons.

P.S. It's 72 degrees today! Hooray!