Green Chicken Curry

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Gerardo Mendez

Green Chicken Curry by Nathian Mambru
Videography and Production by Gerardo Mendez

Nathian Mambru, a senior at St.Mary’s University, learned to cook from his mother at the age of four. He has since grown a love for cooking which can be enjoyed with his many dishes. In this video, Mambru prepares Green Chicken Curry, a delicious Indian dish with a kick.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs skinless chicken breast, diced
  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 half sticks of unsalted butter
  • 1 tbs ground marjoram
  • 2 tbs curry power
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1 tbs garlic powder
  • 24 oz premium coconut milk
  • 1 cup green diced chile
  • 1/2 cup jalapeno diced chile
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions

Basmati Rice: Melt half sticks of butter in saucepan. Once melted, add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of milk along with 2 cups of rice. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow it to boil, then let simmer for 15 minutes. Fold rice every 10-15 minutes.

Green Chicken Curry: Add butter to frying pan and allow it to melt. Coat the chicken with some butter and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Put the chicken in the frying pan and let it brown and then bring the heat down to medium. In a mixing bowl, pour the coconut milk, add the diced jalapeno chile, ground marjoram, salt and pepper, and mix throughly. Pour the mixture into the pan. Simmer for for five minutes then add the green onions. Allow to simmer for 10-25 minutes more, then serve with the Basmati rice and garnish with curly parsley. Makes seven servings.

Special thanks to Nate and Aldo for preparing the dish and to Bert for letting us use his kitchen. Thanks guys in ZAX!

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Fettuccine Alfredo

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Dania Pulido

Fettuccine Alfredo by Stephanie Flores
Videography and Production by Dania Pulido

St. Mary’s University student Stephanie Flores shows us how to prepare an exotic Italian dish quickly and efficiently with minimal ingredients. It’s the perfect sit down meal for the college student looking for a change from Easy Mac!

Ingredients

  • 4-6 quarts of water
  • salt
  • pure vegetable oil
  • Alfredo sauce (150z jar)
  • Fettuccine (1 lb)

Directions

Boil water (4-6 quarts for a 1lb box of fettuccine) in a pot, sprinkling 1 tablespoon of salt, until the water begins to bubble. Add fettuccine and stir it in with a wooden spoon. Let fettuccine cook for 12-13 minutes, or until noodles are soft. Drain in strainer and return the noodles to the cooking pot. Add 2 “caps” full of pure vegetable oil. Mix it in then add entire jar of Alfredo sauce. Mix that in as well and add more salt if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Chicken Piccata

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Austin W. Newton

Chicken Piccata by Katie O’Kelley
Videography and Production by Austin W. Newton

Freshmen Biology major Katie O’Kelley uses her culinary skills to prepare a lemon-zested chicken piccata dish.  O’Kelley has been cooking for less than three years, but her mother prepared her for making this delight viral for you to enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves.
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 can artichoke hearts (quartered)
  • ¼ cup drained capers

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add lemon juice, wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Add artichoke hearts and capers in separate pan and simmer 1 minute to heat through.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Crusted Baked Chicken

Posted on December 2, 2010 by tasteofstmu

Crusted Baked Chicken by Anna Plote
Story and Photo by Christopher Montemayor

One look at Anna Plote and the first word that comes to mind is: intelligent.

However, after taking the time to get to know Plote, one quickly learns that beyond her aura of intelligence lies a very humorous and passionate person who also happens to be a great cook.

Plote, a senior at St. Mary’s, currently majors in biology and hopes one day to become a successful doctor. She has been interested in the sciences since she was a child, but realized in high school that she wanted to save lives through medicine.

After graduating from St. Mary’s, she hopes to attend medical school and earn a doctoral degree.

At St. Mary’s, Plote is active in programs such as Tri beta, the Catholic Student Group, St. Mary’s College Republicans and SM friends. Plote also participates in Habitat for Humanity and serves as a tutor in the Learning Assistance Center.

What Plote appreciates most about St. Mary’s is community relationships that she experiences through the various groups. As a member of the Catholic Student Group, Plote recently attended a retreat at the HEB camp which she described as an “amazing experience” that she’ll never forget.

Of the foods that she enjoy, Plote prefers meals that are quick, simple, healthy and, most importantly, of good taste. Vegetables and fruits are at the top of her list of best foods, but they do not compare to her love of crusted baked chicken, which reminds her of being at home with her family where making such a meal was a tradition.

When preparing this dish, Plote recommends that the crust be made with cereal such Special K or a rice-based product; that way, the chicken can achieve the crusted-effect without altering the final taste too much.

Another tip for preparing this recipe is to check constantly the chicken before considering it officially cooked. This takes into consideration the kind of oven used, as well as the various chicken breast themselves, because some chicken breasts cook faster or longer than others.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 c of Milk
  • 3 c Special K cereal
  • 4 servings of green beans
  • 4 c of water

Directions

Open the chicken breast package and pt them on a plate. Once that is completed, take servings of Special K cereal and crush them into a bowl. Then, fill a pan with milk. Once the milk is placed, dip the chicken into the milk and let it soak for 30 seconds. Then, dress the chicken with the Special K cereal to make the crust. Once this is completed, place the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes.To cook the green beans, un-package them and place them in a pan of boiling water. Once they are cooked properly, they can be served next to the chicken. When serving the chicken, consider each breast as a serving. Therefore the final dish should have 1 serving of baked crusted-chicken with 1-2 servings of green beans.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

JB’s Chicken Salad

Posted on December 2, 2010 by tasteofstmu

JB’s Chicken Salad by JB Bolgren
Story and Photo by Oscar Maguregui

JB Bolgren, senior political science major, has prepared a low calorie dish that is easy to make and delicious to eat.

Bolgren has many aspirations. After graduating from St. Mary’s in 2011, he hopes to “attend graduate school and acquire my master’s degree in public administration, and, if there is time, go to culinary school,” he says.

At St. Mary’s, Bolgren is involved with many organizations including Lambda Chi Alpha and the music department.

“I really enjoy the small, close-knit community of St. Mary’s where everybody knows your name,” says Bolgren.

When it comes to cooking, Bolgren’s favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, cheese cake, salad, bread, popcorn, and any and all types of Italian food. He finds that cooking not only is a great way to relieve stress, but also to stay in shape, especially when running around the kitchen trying to find ingredients.

“My favorite chefs are Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagassi. Emeril is great at cooking Italian food and I do love Italian food. As for Bobby Flay, he has good recipes for all around good means,” he says.

One dish that Bolgren enjoys preparing is his salad and chicken because “it is very easy to make, it is delicious, and it is also a great dish to make for people who are on a diet.”

He gives some tips on preparing his dish, saying, “Make sure not to overcook the chicken and, if you are not too fond of onions, don’t overload the pan when you sauté the chicken.”

Ingredients

  • 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 medium white onion
  • 4 cloves of fresh garlic
  • 2 T of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 T of salt
  • 1 T of pepper
  • 1/2 T of garlic powder
  • 1/2 T of onion powder
  • 2 T of Mrs. Dash table blend
  • 1 c of cooking sherry
  • 1 head of romaine lettuce
  • 1 cucumber (sliced)
  • 1 carrot (shredded)
  • 1/4 c of red cabbage
  • 8 cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 2 T of your favorite dressing

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 25 minutes. Serves: 2.

Directions

Pour olive oil into the pan and place heat on high. Once pan is hot, place the chicken breasts on the pan and sear chicken for 2 minutes on high until lightly brown. Add onion, garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Mrs. Dash blend) and cook for 8 minutes. Reduce to medium heat, add cooking and sherry cook for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for remaining five minutes.

Plating:

Place lettuce around edge of plate and leave center open. Put chicken in center. Place tomatoes and cucumbers around edge of dish; sprinkle carrots and red cabbage over top, then drizzle salad dressing over the dish.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Jessica’s Shrimp Scampi

Posted on December 2, 2010 by robinjeanjohnson

Jessica’s Shrimp Scampi by Jessica Johnson
Story and Photo by Robin Johnson

Chef Jessica Johnson, graduate industrial engineering student at St. Mary’s University, has made an educational and soon professional career out of a love for numbers, equations and anything and everything having to do with engineering. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist-or engineer-to solve a hunger problem with one of Johnson’s favorite, and easiest, dishes: Jessica’s Shrimp Scampi.

Besides calculators and crunching numbers, Johnson loves one food above all else: pasta.  “My favorite place to eat pasta is Olive Garden; I’ve been going there ever since I can remember,” says Johnson.

With a childhood of pasta memories and a noted Italian restaurant as her inspiration, Johnson names her shrimp scampi as her favorite dish.

“I really like shrimp and pasta, so I would say it’s the perfect combination of the two. It’s also really easy to make,” Johnson says.

Just as she has recreated her favorite dish out of past delightful experiences at Olive Garden, Johnson plans to recreate her successful education experience and pass her love of math and engineering on to others in the same place it started, St. Mary’s.

“I would like to teach at St. Mary’s because I like the student/teacher ratio because it creates a better learning environment and I can connect more with the students,” says Johnson.

Johnson also likes the personalized atmosphere of her education.

“[My favorite thing about St. Mary’s is] that it’s small, and everybody’s really nice.  It makes me feel like a person and not just a number in the student body” Johnson says.

Johnson has created a formula for her happiness that requires a personalized, pleasant, and sometimes delicious experience in many areas of her life. In her downtime of long division, fractions and differential equations, Johnson enjoys a different type of ‘A’ grade in the form of the sizzling, lemon zesty Jessica’s Shrimp Scampi.

In creating this refreshing dish with the splash of lemon, Johnson has some extra credit tips for its preparation.

In boiling the linguine, she suggests eating one of the noodles before draining and adding them to the dish to make sure they are completely cooked as well as pouring a cap full of vegetable oil to the water to help it boil faster before adding the linguine.

The mathematical guru notes the easiest way to zest a lemon is to use a cheese grater and to flip the shrimp over frequently while sautéing for even pinkness.

Whether it’s solving equations or appetites, Chef Jessica Johnson always cooks up the right solution.

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 T kosher salt plus 1 1/2 tsp
  • 3/4 lb linguine
  • 3 T unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 T good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 Tminced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 1 lb large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 c chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/2 lemon, zest grated
  • 1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
  • 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds

Directions
Pour one cap full of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt to water for quicker boiling time, add linguine to boiling water and boil for 7 to 10 minutes, remove from heat and drain. While the pasta is boiling, melt the unsalted better and add olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and carefully sauté for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and sauté shrimp for 5 minutes until they start to pink, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp from heat and add the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice and toss until well blended. Add linguine to zesty shrimp and toss until well blended. Serve and enjoy. Serves: 3  Prep Time: 15 min

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Spaghetti

Posted on December 1, 2010 by emilyscruggs

Spaghetti by Analicia Perez
Videography and Production by Emily Scruggs

St. Mary’s University student Analicia Perez prepares a spaghetti dinner and reflects on her love of cooking.

Ingredients

  • bay leaves
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • hamburger meat
  • tomato sauce
  • spaghetti noodles
  • mushrooms
  • onions
  • bell peppers
  • garlic

Directions

Chop onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and garlic finely. Boil water, sprinkling in a pinch of salt. Saute chopped vegetables in olive oil. Saute meat, breaking up all chunks. Put noodles in boiling water to soften. Add meat and sauteed vegetables to pot of tomato sauce and let mixture heat up. Add bay leaves to sauce mixture. When noodles are soft, drain in strainer and place in bowl or on plate. Pour sauce over noodles. Serve in the company of bread and salad.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Vegan Pancakes

Posted on December 1, 2010 by tasteofstmu

Vegan Pancakes by Avery Saenz
Videography and Production by Matthew Rodriguez

Avery Saenz, a senior communications arts student at St. Mary’s University, cooks a lot of her meals with easier recipes. However, she doesn’t use eggs or milk for her meals, not even pancakes because she follows a vegan lifestyle.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 tbsp of sugar
  • 1/8 tsp of salt
  • 1 cup of soy milk
  • 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Directions

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until well-mixed. Mix in the soy milk and oil and beat together until batter is smooth. Drop 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto a hot-oiled griddle, or well-greased frying pan over medium high heat. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, at approximately 3 minutes, flip  and cook the other side for another two minutes.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Pasta Sauce

Posted on December 1, 2010 by tasteofstmu

Pasta Sauce by Jason Todd
Videography and Production by Erica Leal

Check out the interview I had with Jason Todd, a St. Mary’s Law alumnus. He explains his passion for cooking as well as the story behind his Pasta Sauce.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup of olive oil
  • 8 cloves of garlic
  • 3 29-oz cans of tomato sauce
  • 1 6-oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon of basil
  • 1.5 teaspoon of oregano
  • .5 teaspoon of cayenne
  • 1 cup of Parmesan
  • ¼ teaspoon of baking soda

Directions
Add ½ cup olive oil and 8 cloves of garlic to large pan. Cook garlic until it is light brown. If it becomes burnt start over as it will change the taste of the sauce drastically. Add 3 29-ounce cans of tomato sauce and 1 six-ounce can tomato paste to garlic and oil mixture. Stir to combine. Taste to get idea of how it should taste at this point. Add 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1½ teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon cayenne to sauce. Stir to combine. Taste to get idea of how it should taste at this point. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to allow sauce to simmer. Cover with splashguard (a screen that covers the top of the pot). Cook for approximately 1 to 1½ hours. The sauce should reduce by almost ¼ and a skin/sheen will form on top. Taste to get idea of how it should taste at this point. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda and stir. Sauce will foam as the acid in the tomatoes is released. This is essential for the sauce. Taste to get idea of how it should taste at this point. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat with pasta and great bread.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Chicken Tacos

Posted on December 1, 2010 by dreneediaz

Chicken Tacos by Valerie Mancias
Videography and Production by Darlene Diaz

Valerie Mancias had continued the tradition of making her moms chicken tacos by sharing them with her best friends. These easy to make, mouth watering tacos are an easy, fast and enjoyable meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 rotisserie pre-made chicken
  • 1 Roma tomato
  • 1 yellow onion
  • several limes
  • corn tortillas

Directions

Peel the chicken and shred it into tiny pieces getting rid of he skin of the chicken. Squeeze lime juice on the chicken once it is shredded so that it soaks up the lime juice. Meanwhile preheat the skillet and sauté the onions. After one minute add the tomato and chicken. Combine all ingredients in the skillet for approximately 5 minutes then serve onve tortillas have been heated.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes, Video Features | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

« Previous Page