AirFryer – Projects

June 9, 2021June 9, 2021

Never enough Falafels

I learned today the plural of falafel is filfil according to wikipedia who knew. Well however, I can never have enough. I occasionally make them as a meal prep as they freeze well and can be hot and delicious from the air fryer in the time it takes to heat up a #10 tortilla to make a wrap. I just never make them often enough.

2 cups dried chickpeas soaked 24 hours
1 1/2 onions
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
juice and zest of 2 limes
1 tbsp-ish turmeric powder
1 tsp of cumin
2 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup gram flour or besan as a binding agent instead of wheat flour.

Note: I always borrow the best parts of other people’s recipes, but as recommend everywhere. Stick to dried chickpeas or you will be in for disappointment.

It is just that easy. Throw it all in the food processor and blitz until it is the desired texture. This batch was a little smoother that I prefer because, I almost forgot the garlic. How could the king of never enough garlic almost forget. haha… I also add a touch of Besan or gram flour as a binder as needed instead of wheat flour. It is not gluten free if you put it on a flour tortilla to make a wrap, but could be, if served as not a wrap, since chickpea flower is gluten free. Remember to let the mix sit for a minimum of 1 hour in the fridge to set up. It helps prevent falling apart during frying. The 2 oz portion scoop from the Ace Mart restaurant supply makes the perfect size falafel, and drops them right into the hot oil with minimal splash.

I eat them as a simple wrap with baby dill slices and bean sprouts. a side project of hydroponics was sprouting mung beans for sprouts to have on hand. They keep better than store bought if you sprout your own. I have also been digging Hellman’s roasted red pepper sauce. It has a great pepper flavor without the heat of sriracha or sambal. It is a great change of pace. Since I have been on a fermentation kick maybe hot sauce is on the project plan…

August 28, 2020

Chipotle Chicken Revisited

I had toyed with a recipe for this in the past, but have been on a SousVide kick lately and realized that this could be done as a bulk meap prep. Sous Vide foods are pre-cooked and freeze easily ready to defrost and eat. I decided on a Honey Lime Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Lime rice and some Pico De Gallo and three Bean salad. Just like my recent discovery of air frying to reverse sear Sous Vide cooked BBQ. I gave the chicken 5 minutes at 400 degrees to get a texture on the outside post Sous Vide cooking. This can be done after defrosting the frozen meal prep for the hot off the grill flavor and texture.

Pico De Gallo

I love Pico De Gallo as it is a simple salad that can be converted into salsa with a stick blender. Here is what I use for mine. Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Limes, White Onions, and Cilantro with only a touch of salt and black pepper to finish it off.

I just cut everything up and mix it in a bowl. I then just put it in mason jars to keep. Normally I make Texas caviar too at the same time since it uses the same ingredients, but only had one can of black eyed peas so 3 bean salad was made instead.

Honey Lime Chipotle Chicken

1/2 can of San Marcos Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce including sauce
1/2 bunch of cilantro including stems
2 tablespoons honey
5 teaspoons of liquid smoke
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 teaspoon of dried oregano
2 teaspoons of dried cilantro
2 tablespoons minced garlic
The juice and zest of one lime
2 tablespoons cooking oil

I use the mini chop food processor to blitz all the ingredients into a paste and then put boneless skinless chicken thighs in the paste to coat. I vacuum sealed it into bags ready for Sous Vide. I then placed the bags in the Sous Vide at 165 degrees for 2 hours.

Cilantro Lime Rice

I did a simple Cilantro lime rice by taking 1/2 bunch of cilantro and the juice and zest of one lime and mixing it into a rice cooker of freshly cooked rice. This is as simple as a flavored rice side can get.

Finishing it off

HoneyLimeChipotleBurritoWrap — HoneyLimeChipotleBurrito

The chicken can be cut up and added to Burritos. My favorite local tortilla company La Ranchera not only makes great corn tortillas, but burrito wrappers that make about the perfect size burritos.

I have a feeling that I’m about to air fry some of La Ranchera’s corn tortillas into chips and make me some Honey Lime Chipotle Chicken natchos soon. I quit buying premade tortilla chips once I found out that the air fryer makes better ones from fresh corn tortillas with less oil that deep fried.

September 16, 2019

Picadillo

Lots of cultures have a Picadillo, It can be found in Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Filipino food. I have been making a batch weekly to have different flavors added to my rotation.

Sazon Seasoning.

Picadillo starts with Sazon seasoning. I stole the basis from skinnytaste and as usual made it my own. I did not want to get a store bought one. I’m not adverse to MSG but want to control my intake.

Garlic powder
Onion powder
dried cilantro
dried coriander
dried cumin
dried oregano
anatto powder
paprika
salt
pepper

equal parts of all the above added to the mini chop and blitzed until uniform in texture. This dried seasoning blend keeps well in an air tight container.

Making the Picadillo

Ground chuck
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup chopped carrots
1 onion
6-10 cloves of garlic
Sazon seasoning (see above)
cubed potatoes are optional. I omit them.

Brown the beef and then add the onions garlic and saute until tender. The Sazon seasoning is added and bloomed in the oil until fragrant. The peas and carrots are added and water or beer to cover. Simmer until the carrots are tender. Potato cubes can be added for a more traditional blend.

Picadillo Empanadas

The filling once cool can be added to pie crust to create empanadas.

Picadillo Empanads in waiting
Picadillo Empanads air fried
Picadillo Empanads with ready made pie crust
Picadillo Empanads meal prep

August 23, 2019

Stuffed Bell Peppers Meal Prep

I tested these last week and they were delicious, so I made a second batch again this week.

1 small head of cabbage
6 Bell Peppers
3 large carrots grated
1 whole onion sliced
6 large cloves of garlic chopped
1 thumb sized piece of ginger pealed and grated
2 small cans of mushrooms
Precooked brown rice
2/3 # ground low fat(90/10) chuck or other protein
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup Mirin (rice wine) or rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons Oyster sauce to taste
salt and pepper

Prep all the Vegetables as this is cooked stir fry style so time is quick. Top the bell peppers and remove the seeds and white membrane to have then ready for stuffing. The tops can be chopped up and added to the stuffing or eaten as a cook’s snack.

Brown the protein and set aside. I browned the ground chuck with salt and pepper. Shrimp or tofu could be used as well. Stir fry the onions until tender and then add the garlic and ginger. Once the garlic is fragrant add the tops of the bell peppers chopped and stir fry for about 1 minute. Next add the carrots and cabbage. Add the juice of one lime and the mirin with a bit of water if needed to steam/stir fry the carrots and cabbage until slightly softened. Once it is at this point return the protein set aside and precooked rice and drained cans of mushrooms. Toss until warmed through and add the Oyster (stir fry) sauce and toss. Turn off heat and place filling in containers as it makes way more that the 6 bell peppers can hold.

Stuffed Bell Peppers 2/3 pound
Stuffed Bell Peppers browned
Stuffed Bell Peppers Stir Fried

Stuff the bell peppers and “bake” for 10 minutes at 250-300 degrees after brushing a light coat of oil on the pepper’s skin. Each pepper can be a meal in itself, so pack accordingly. I had to cook in shifts as my air fryer only holds 3 at a time. Seal the tops of the meal prep containers right away to “steam” the peppers so they are tender, but crisp.

Stuffed Bell Peppers air baked
Stuffed Bell Peppers meal prep
Stuffed Bell Peppers meal prep2

The extra filling can be refrigerated and used in other dishes. Pie crust from the grocery can be stuffed with it to make tasty empanadas. I was told while sharing these that the stuffing would make a great lumpia filling, and I may source some wrappers and give it a go.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Empanadas delicioso
Empanadas delicioso

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

non-vegan gobi manchurian

I have been testing air frier recipes still and this second try at “fried” cauliflower for gobi manchurian is pretty close to perfect. It never made it into the sauce as I snacked it all up. My first attempt was good but I had some difficulty with the coating, so this time I cheated and used an egg white to help the coating stick. therefore this is not vegan like most Indian dishes can be.

3 tbsp potato starch
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp 3 chili blend from supreme
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 egg white beaten

Mix all the dry ingredients and beat the egg white to a foam with a pinch of salt. I added oil to the egg white to assist with the browing in the air fryer. Clean the head of cauliflower and prepare into bite sized chunks. Dry completely the chunks and then toss them in the egg whites to coat. Sprinkle the dry ingredients on the chunks at this time and load the air fryer. Spray oil can be added in addition to aid in the browning. cook for about 15 minutes tossing every 5 minutes to ensure uniform cooking. tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

the spices show their true color in the egg
one head makes a full load

NOTE: I will add a sauce recipe once the cauliflower last long enough to add to a sauce.

February 3, 2019February 3, 2019

Air Fryer Chicken Kara-age Test

I have a weakness for fried chicken, and I found that Japanese style Chicken Kara-age is the best. I got hooked on the appetizer at Samurai Noodle here in Houston. I feel they have the best ramen in town and their Chicken Karaage appetizer is almost a meal in itself. Sadly I don’t work on that side of town anymore, so I cannot just pop in at lunch and get my grub on.

I gave this a try before based on this recipe, but wanted something a bit healthier, so I migrated the recipe to the air fryer. Here is my first test which came out pretty good, but I think the coating is not up to my standards. I like a heavier coating, but batter type coating does not play well with the air fryer. It did have a light crunch and tender chicken bites as I used dark meat.

3 boneless skinless chicken thighs.
1 thumb size piece of ginger grated about 1 tablespoon.
2-3 cloves of garlic grated.
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of mirin rice vinegar.
about 1/2 cup of potato starch
spray canola oil

Make a marinade with the grated ginger and garlic mixed in the soy sauce and mirin. Cut the chicken thighs into 1-2 inch pieces, which is easier to do when slightly frozen. coat the chicken pieces in the marinade and let sit at least 1 hour, but over night is better.

Lightly dust the marinaded chicken with the potato starch and add to pre-heated air fryer. Spray liberally with the canola oil and cook for 8 minutes about about 375 degrees. Toss the chicken and spray the other side and cook for an additional 5 minutes until done. I served it with some garlic yogurt as I’m still not a mayonnaise fan.

January 19, 2019January 28, 2019

White Cabbage

I have been on a bit of a cabbage kick lately. Always trying to add vegetables to my diet and cabbage has a great texture if you don’t over cook it. Sweet and crisp flavors that can be a great addition to any meal, or sweet and tart like sauerkraut.

Mock Coleslaw

1/4 head of white cabbage shredded.
1 carrot shredded.
1/4 white onion
1 clove of garlic minced
3 tablespoons Chobani non fat Greek yogurt.
fresh basil
fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil.

It is pretty simple add yogurt, garlic, basil and cilantro to a small bowl and mix completely. Add in vinegar and olive oil ensuring it emulsifies and does not separate. Once mixed add to vegetables and let sit at least an hour for flavors to mingle. Over night is best. I don’t really like mayonnaise so the yogurt is a great substitute for creamy slaw, and has a slightly lighter mouth feel that other slaws.

Serve with Air fried potato sticks and Gorton’s fish.

Mock Okonomiyaki

White cabbage
shredded carrots
onion
garlic
soy sauce
Oyster sauce
eggs
rice flower optional

Stir fry vegetables in wok until slightly tender. Add soy and oyster sauce and toss to coat. Add beaten egg with optional rice flower and a touch of hondashi instant dashi. Allow to firm up in wok or on griddle until a “pancake” forms.

June 2, 2018

AirFryer Doughnut/Donut holes.

I have a weakness for donut holes. I like donuts, but if there are holes I would rather eat them. I got a Phillips Air fryer to replace my aging Aroma turbo cooker, and found some donut recipes online. Why make donuts when you can skip right to the holes. It is so easy they will make you fat.

Donut holes

1 can of 5 count jumbo buttermilk biscuits
1 tsp of light cooking oil.

Glaze

1/4 cup lightly packed powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp half and half.

Cut biscuits into quarters and add light cooking oil directly on cutting board and toss to coat. Add 1/2 of them to the air fryer on 375 freedom units for 5 minutes or until lightly brown. Turn out onto cooling rack and cook the second 10 bits.

While the first half cooks add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and half-n-half to bowl larger enough to contain all the holes. wisk until smooth.

When the second batch is done throw all holes into bowl and toss to coat.

Enjoy hot or let cool slightly.