Chino Bandido, A Chinese, Mexican, Jamacan, Cuban Fusion resturant

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Chino Bandido is a great restaurant. It is not fancy at all (The tables are fold up tables and the chairs are not fancy either) but the restaurant focuses on great tasting and original food. They have somewhat of a complicated ordering sheet which they have you fill out but only after they give you free samples of the menu items and train you how to fill it out. Their menu consists of menu items which can be served “Strait Up”,  or in a Burrito or Quesadilla. They have a combo that is two menu items served as you choose with your selection or rice and beans (There are more than one type of each). They also offer a single item bowl which is just one menu item and rice. Some of the menu items are Emerald Chicken, Jerk Chicken, Pollo Diablo, Jen Red Pork, Jade Rd Chicken, Egg Foo Young and more which you can see on their website.  My Favorite is a combo with the Emerald Chicken in a Quesadilla and the Pollo Diablo “Strait Up” along with white rice and black refried beans. Another popular fusion menu item is the Jerk Fried Chicken which can replace the white rice for a little extra charge. The combo with a drink will fill you up and it will end up costing about $10. It is located in Phoenix at 15414 N. 19th Ave. They used to have a location in Chandler close to me but it was shut down more than a year ago 🙁 . Here is a link to their website (Chinbandido.com ). This is a must for out of town visitors.

If you are curious about the name, I talked with the owners before, who are a very nice friendly couple and they told me the name came from the husband, who dated his wife’s sister before actually ending up with his wife. The two women are both Chinese, so he ended up being called the Chino Bandido (Spanish for the Chinese Bandit).

Article from: gastronomy.ddns.net

Awesome Grilled Chicken Breast

This is the most flavorful grilled boneless skinless chicken breast I have eaten. People who have tried them have said this is better than I can get in most restaurants. One trick is to make sure and slice the chicken breast in half or thirds long wise to make them thinner so the marinade soaks in properly.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons Coarse ground prepared mustard
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • ground pepper
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 bnls sknls chicken breasts sliced into half or thirds.

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and marinate for about 8 hours can do as little as 2 hours. Grill till it has a slight char, serve and enjoy

Recipe from http://gastronomy.ddns.net

 

Portobello Pablano Tacos

This is a great tasting easy to make taco recipe that just happens to be vegetarian or vegan. When you bite into it provides a satifying meaty texture and mushrooms absorb all the flavor of the taco seasoning with the sauce providing an extra richness. I am sure vegetarians, vegans, and meat lovers alike will all enjoy this dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 container mushrooms
  • 1 poblano Pepper diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 to 1/2 packet of Taco Seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons Mayonaise or Veganaise
  • 2 Chipolte Peppers in adobo sauce
  • Corn or Flour tortillas

Directions

Heat pan and add olive oil, onion, poblano peper and saute till tender. Add mushrooms, water, and taco seasoning and boil down till water is gone and a thick sauce remains. While boiling down liquid take the chipolte peppers and put into a bowl and mash until in small pieces then add in mayonaise or veganaise and stir together. Take mushroom filling put into tortilla and add sauce on top along with lettuce or any other toppings.

Recipe from http://gastronomy.ddns.net

Chino Bandido Style Emerald Chicken Quesadilla

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I used to frequent a restaurant called Chino Bandido. I loved their food it is a fusion of Mexican, Chinese, Jamaican, and Cuban. Unfortunately they closed the location near me and the other one is a 45 minute drive, so I figured out how to make my favorite, this quesadilla which is very close to what they have.

  •  Ingredients
    • 1 package of Flour Tortillas
    • 1 package Medium Chedar Cheese Shreaded
    • 3 Green Onion, finely minced
    • 1 T. Fresh Ginger, peeled, finely minced
    • 1/2 tsp. Salt
    • 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
    • 1/4″ Sliced Chicken Cooked
  • Directions

Combine onion and ginger in small bowl. Add salt. Pour vegetable oil to cover mixture. Stir. Combine with Chicken, put into a frying pan in batches and fry until chicken is cooked. Set aside in a bowl. In a clean frying pad heat on medium high heat till pan is hot. Set a tortilla in the pan, add cheese till evenly spread across tortilla. Now add some of the Chicken mixture and add more cheese on top. When the bottom tortilla is golden brown flip and brown the other side. Remove from pan, slice into quarters and serve. Do this until all the chicken is used. Enjoy.

Recipe from http://gastronomy.ddns.net

Healthy Blueberry Pie Oatmeal

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Oats are a healthy breakfast and can be really good also, you just need the right recipe. I really like to have this in the morning, it is like you are eating something you shouldn’t it tastes so good and it is something you can put in the microwave while getting ready.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup of Coach Oats Coach’s Oats 100% Whole Grain Oatmeal, 4.5 lbs
  • 1 cup water
  • 10-20 fresh blueberries
  • 1 tsp unpacked sugar (about 16 calories or 4.2g carbs) add more for sweater or substitute maple syrup to lower glycemic index.
  • pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

  • Combine ingredients and stir in a 1 Qt bowl to avoid overflowing and microwave for 6 minutes at 40% power. Let cool for 3-5 minutes and eat.

From: http://gastronomy.ddns.net

Wonton with Red Chili Sauce

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The best wontons that I have had previously were ones my wife made. Maybe I have not gone to the right restaurant yet and I have tried quite a few, but I haven’t tasted any this good. I like when they have a little more meat to them and a really good sauce. I went through several recipes on the internet and tried to see if I could make even better wontons than hers, of course with my wife’s help, I combined ingredients from several recipes and these are the best yet. It is really good if they are served in a bowl with enough sauce they can soak in it. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Wonton:

  • 50 wonton wrappers
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 10-15 slices of water chestnut minced finely (From a can)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp finely minced ginger
  • 1 tbsp finely minced green onion

Chili Oil Sauce

Directions

Mix last 6 ingredients for wonton in a bowl. Take a wonton wrapper and add about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp on the filling to the center of the wonton. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edge of the wonton wrapper and then fold into a triangle and pinch edge together. Then take the two opposite ends of the triangle and moisten the tips and bring together and pinch. When you have made all the wontons you can begin cooking them. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add wontons into the water. Do not over crowd the pot with the wontons. Boil for about 5 minutes. They will float and then around the meat area will wrinkle slightly. Remove from the water and set aside. Continue till all are cooked. They can also be frozen raw and cooked later. Just don’t clump them when they are freezing. When cooking the wontons mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and when wontons are cooked put about 6-8 wontons in a bowl and put about 2 tablespoons of the sauce in the bowl with them and serve. I am sure you will enjoy, I did.

From: http://gastronomy.ddns.net

 

Bean with Bacon Soup

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When I was growing up my Dad used to make a can of Campbells bean with bacon soup and we would both enjoy it together. I am trying to eat more healthy now and avoid the canned soups since they are loaded with sodium. This recipe tastes even better since the vegetables are fresh and you can control the amount of salt you add.

Ingredients

  • 1 can white beans, rinsed drained (navy or cannelini, I used low sodium)
  • 2 – 3 slices thick cut bacon
  • 1/2 carrots, minced fine
  • 1/2 stalks celery, minced fine
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Chop bacon and Fry until most of grease is rendered, but not crispy and set aside. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pan an fry in bacon grease until they are tender. Add beans broth, water and bay leaf and some pepper. Simmer on low for an hour or two. Add tomato paste and cook for another hour. Use an immersion blender to beak up about 2/3 of the beans to thicken and blend the soup. Add salt to taste and server. This makes about 3 bowls of soup.

Red Curry Lentils

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Indian food always seem to take a lot of work and time to cook, but this recipe is pretty easy to make. When I feel like having Indian food, but don’t want or don’t have a lot of time for cooking, I make these. You can serve them with rice or naan, which can be bought at some stores.

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the lentils till just tender. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes until golden brown. Add all the spices (curry paste, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, sugar, garlic, ginger) and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce; stir and simmer about 10. Add back the lentils and cook on low for another 5 minutes.