Yesterday while I was shopping I came across a fantastic product: veggie pasta. What the heck is that, you might ask? Veggie pasta is regular pasta with concentrated veggies added to the dough, like tomato, spinach, mushrooms, and more. the picture on the box inspired me to make pasta salad, which I think is a great way to get in all the veggies that make this comfort food into something healthy too. For the gluten free and lactose free constituency I made quinoa pasta and just cut out the feta. To accompany the pasta I made prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe, a delicious blend of salty and sweet.
Pasta Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 12oz boxes of rotini veggie pasta (or other shaped pasta you have lying around)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
2 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jar julienned roasted red peppers, drained
2 cans of green olives, drained
1 bag of super greens, chopped
1 package of crumbled feta
Preparation:
1. Cook the pasta and drain it according to the directions on the box.
2. In a container with a lid combine vinegar, water, and oil. Place lid on and shake until emulsified.
3. Mix together all ingredients so that everything is evenly coated with vinaigrette. Serve cool or warm.
Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cantaloupes, seeded rind removed and chopped
3 packaged of prosciutto
Toothpicks
Preparation:
1. Wrap mellon in a small amount of prosciutto and skewer with a toothpick to hold meat in place.
2. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Showing posts with label dairy free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dairy free. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Simmered Chicken Breast, Sautéed Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Brown Rice
A request has been made for more meat heavy meals, so I made over 6 lbs of chicken. I'm not sure if you knew this, but a serving size of meat is 3 oz, or about the size of a deck of cards. At half a pound per person todays meal is almost three times the recommended serving of meat. To balance this abundance of meat I have paired the chicken with caramelized onions, sautéed kale and brown rice.
Simmered Chicken Breast
Makes 6 lbs
Ingredients:
6 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs sweet and spicy marinade
2 Tbs liquid aminos
pepper to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup cold water
Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add chicken, marinade, and liquid aminos to the pot, stir frequently until there is no visible pink on the chicken.
3. Turn to low and cook until the largest piece is no longer pink in the middle.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces from liquid.
5. Boil liquid stirring constantly until desired amount of sauce is reached, pepper to taste.
6. Add cornstarch slurry and stir over heat until sauce thickens, pour over chicken.
Sautéed Kale
Serves 12
Ingredients:
5 lbs chopped kale
olive oil
everyday seasoning (can be found at Trader Joe's)
Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add kale until pot is 3/4 full so there is still room to stir. Stir constantly.
3. When kale has become a more vibrant green and cooked down a bit, add a few grinds of everyday seasoning and set aside covered in tinfoil to keep warm.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until all of the kale is used, serve warm.
Caramelized Onions
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
4 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
Preparation:
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter has all melted.
2. Add onion and stir occasionally until onions are glassy.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until the onions turn a lovely caramel color and have become nice and sweet.
Makes 6 lbs
Ingredients:
6 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs sweet and spicy marinade
2 Tbs liquid aminos
pepper to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup cold water
Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add chicken, marinade, and liquid aminos to the pot, stir frequently until there is no visible pink on the chicken.
3. Turn to low and cook until the largest piece is no longer pink in the middle.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces from liquid.
5. Boil liquid stirring constantly until desired amount of sauce is reached, pepper to taste.
6. Add cornstarch slurry and stir over heat until sauce thickens, pour over chicken.
Sautéed Kale
Serves 12
Ingredients:
5 lbs chopped kale
olive oil
everyday seasoning (can be found at Trader Joe's)
Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add kale until pot is 3/4 full so there is still room to stir. Stir constantly.
3. When kale has become a more vibrant green and cooked down a bit, add a few grinds of everyday seasoning and set aside covered in tinfoil to keep warm.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until all of the kale is used, serve warm.
Caramelized Onions
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
4 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
Preparation:
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter has all melted.
2. Add onion and stir occasionally until onions are glassy.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until the onions turn a lovely caramel color and have become nice and sweet.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Patricia's First Meal
Good morning gang. Today is a special treat: Patricia will be cooking her first meal for you guys and it smells fantastic. While I'm abroad there still needs to be someone to cook delicious and nutritious meals and Patricia is testing the waters to see if it will work out for you and for her. Today's meal is roasted chicken breasts with a wonderful spice rub, stir-fried veggies over jasmine rice, and a spinach salad. Let us know what you think.
Roasted chicken breasts
Serves 12
Ingredients:
5 lbs bone in skin on chicken breasts
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 Tbs dried marjoram
1 Tbs lemon thyme
2 Tbs dried sage
1 poof garlic powder over each piece, top and bottom
1 poof sweet smoked paprika over each piece, top and bottom
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven 425 degrees F.
2. Cover a baking sheet in tinfoil and place the chicken breasts on it, trim any large globs of fat.
3. Combine black pepper, marjoram, lemon thyme, and sage to make a rub and apply liberally to chicken on top, bottom, and under the skin. Apply poofs of garlic and paprika. Squeeze the lime over the chicken to add just a little extra zing.
4. Bake for 15 minutes to seal in juices.
5. Lower temperature to 350 and bake until no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear, about 1 hour.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Stir-Fried Veggies
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 baby bok choy, bulbs and leaves separated and chopped
3 fist sized broccoli florets, chopped to bite size
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 bag baby carrots
2 bunches spring onion
1/2 inch finger of ginger, peeled and minced
1 bag spinach
1 bunch asparagus, wooden bits snapped off and chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 to 1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos (optionally replace with soy sauce)
4 cups jasmine rice, cooked according to package
Preparation:
1. In a large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the chopped wooden bits of the asparagus to break them down.
3. Add the peppers, spring onions, and bok choy bulbs.
4. Grind pepper over cooking veggies to taste.
5. In a separate pot steam the broccoli and the main part of the asparagus by adding an inches of water to the bottom of the pot and heating over medium heat until the veggies have turned a richer green and become fragrant.
6. Wooden asparagus ends are done when able to be pierced by a fork.
7. Set aside cooked veggies and in the large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
8. Saute the snow peas until they are slightly floppy yet still a little crunchy.
9. Combine rice, raw bok choy leaves, snow peas, and 2/3rds of the liquid aminos.
Spinach Salad
Served 12
Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach
1 head butter lettuce, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
juice from 1.5 lemons
4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs eucalyptus honey
1 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a jar with a lid, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, liquid aminos, and pepper.
2. Close jar and shake dressing to emulsify, adjust to taste.
3. Combine spinach, lettuce, and pear and serve with dressing on the side so that people can dress their own salads as they like.
Roasted chicken breastsServes 12
Ingredients:
5 lbs bone in skin on chicken breasts
1 Tbs ground black pepper
1 Tbs dried marjoram
1 Tbs lemon thyme
2 Tbs dried sage
1 poof garlic powder over each piece, top and bottom
1 poof sweet smoked paprika over each piece, top and bottom
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven 425 degrees F.
2. Cover a baking sheet in tinfoil and place the chicken breasts on it, trim any large globs of fat.
3. Combine black pepper, marjoram, lemon thyme, and sage to make a rub and apply liberally to chicken on top, bottom, and under the skin. Apply poofs of garlic and paprika. Squeeze the lime over the chicken to add just a little extra zing.
4. Bake for 15 minutes to seal in juices.
5. Lower temperature to 350 and bake until no longer pink in the middle and juices run clear, about 1 hour.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Stir-Fried Veggies
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 baby bok choy, bulbs and leaves separated and chopped
3 fist sized broccoli florets, chopped to bite size
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 bag baby carrots
2 bunches spring onion
1/2 inch finger of ginger, peeled and minced
1 bag spinach
1 bunch asparagus, wooden bits snapped off and chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 to 1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos (optionally replace with soy sauce)
4 cups jasmine rice, cooked according to package
Preparation:
1. In a large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the chopped wooden bits of the asparagus to break them down.
3. Add the peppers, spring onions, and bok choy bulbs.
4. Grind pepper over cooking veggies to taste.
5. In a separate pot steam the broccoli and the main part of the asparagus by adding an inches of water to the bottom of the pot and heating over medium heat until the veggies have turned a richer green and become fragrant.
6. Wooden asparagus ends are done when able to be pierced by a fork.
7. Set aside cooked veggies and in the large skillet heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat.
8. Saute the snow peas until they are slightly floppy yet still a little crunchy.
9. Combine rice, raw bok choy leaves, snow peas, and 2/3rds of the liquid aminos.
Spinach Salad
Served 12
Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach
1 head butter lettuce, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
juice from 1.5 lemons
4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs eucalyptus honey
1 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a jar with a lid, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, liquid aminos, and pepper.
2. Close jar and shake dressing to emulsify, adjust to taste.
3. Combine spinach, lettuce, and pear and serve with dressing on the side so that people can dress their own salads as they like.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Rare Steak, Brussels Sprouts, and Two Salads
Today I felt like salad, but I had the dilemma of wanting two different kinds. Suffice to say, I made them both. To try and make up for my salad mood, I made steak, which has been requested and since I had a little left over in the budget, I decided to splurge and got you guys $50 of meat. To accompany the steak is a mushroom gravy that I made from the reserved liquid from yesterdays meal and sauteed brussels sprouts. Enjoy!
Salad #1
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 big box of spring mix
2 persimmons, peeled cored and chopped
2 handfulls of snap peas
white wine pear vinaigrette
Preparation:
1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.
2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 big box of spring mix
2 persimmons, peeled cored and chopped
2 handfulls of snap peas
white wine pear vinaigrette
Preparation:
1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.
2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.
Salad #2
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 big box of fresh herb mix
1 butternut squash, roasted peeled and chopped (left over from yesterday)
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup roasted squash seeds (see recipe bellow)
sesame ginger vinaigrette
Preparation:
1. Coat leaves with dressing in small batches.
2. Layer heavy items on top of dressed greens.
Roasted Squash Seeds
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 cup raw acorn and butternut squash seeds
salt
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry squash seeds, a colander is useful for this.
3. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.
4. Lay out dry seeds so that none are overlapping, bake for 25 minutes or until the seeds puff up.
Rare Steak
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless New York steaks, thick cut
salt and pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
Preparation:
1. Season steaks with salt and pepper on both sides, with good quality meat that's all you need.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until fragrant.
3. Place the steaks in the skillet and leave them be until they start cooking up the side, it will change color about half way up.
4. Flip the steaks and cook until they have a good caramel build up on both sides (that means they have a nice brown crust instead of just the gray of cooked beef).
5. Let rest for at least 5 minutes to allow juices to settle into the flesh before slicing the steaks. Serve with gravy.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless New York steaks, thick cut
salt and pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
Preparation:
1. Season steaks with salt and pepper on both sides, with good quality meat that's all you need.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until fragrant.
3. Place the steaks in the skillet and leave them be until they start cooking up the side, it will change color about half way up.
4. Flip the steaks and cook until they have a good caramel build up on both sides (that means they have a nice brown crust instead of just the gray of cooked beef).
5. Let rest for at least 5 minutes to allow juices to settle into the flesh before slicing the steaks. Serve with gravy.
Mushroom Gravy
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
juices from yesterdays chicken and mushroom dish
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Heat juices over high heat, stir constantly.
2. Add wine and boil until the alcohol has all evaporated, salt and pepper to taste.
3. When the liquid is tasty, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to make everything equally thickened.
4. Remove from heat and serve with steak or other plain meats or mashed potatoes.
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
juices from yesterdays chicken and mushroom dish
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Heat juices over high heat, stir constantly.
2. Add wine and boil until the alcohol has all evaporated, salt and pepper to taste.
3. When the liquid is tasty, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to make everything equally thickened.
4. Remove from heat and serve with steak or other plain meats or mashed potatoes.
Brussels Sprouts
Serves 12
Ingredients:
brussels sprouts, ends removed and quartered
2 Tbs olive oil
Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium to high heat in a large pot.
2. Add the brussels sprouts and stir frequently until they turn a deeper color.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
brussels sprouts, ends removed and quartered
2 Tbs olive oil
Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium to high heat in a large pot.
2. Add the brussels sprouts and stir frequently until they turn a deeper color.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Mushroom Kale Chicken, Squash, and Quinoa
Happy New Year! Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break, I know I did. But it is back to work and back to cooking. Today I wanted to welcome people back from the holiday glut with something healthy. Everything is made with simple and healthy ingredients. The two dishes bellow are served with quinoa to round out the meal, but feel free to pair with brown rice, bulgar, orzo pasta, fresh baked bread, or any other grain.
Mushroom Kale Chicken
Serves 12
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bag kale (this avoids having to wash and chop it)
2 Tbs olive oil
Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat until it becomes fragrant.
2. Add chicken and saute until no pink is visible.
3. Add mushrooms and continue sautéing until the mushrooms start to change color.
4. Add kale and carefully stir contents of pot so that the kale is under the mushrooms and chicken.
5. When the kale has wilted and turned a brighter green, remove pot from heat and drain off liquid. (I'm reserving this for a mushroom gravy for another meal.)
Squash
Serves 12
2 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
Pinch everyday seasoning (from Trader Joe's) to taste.
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
2. Cut the squashes lengthwise.
3. Scoop out seeds and anything stringy. (I'm reserving the seeds for another meal.)
4. Cut squashes in half widthwise.
5. Place on a tray with 1/2 cup of water.
6. Bake until able to be easily pierced with a fork, 30-35 minutes.
7. Remove rind with a spoon after the squash has cooled enough to touch.
8. Chop squash and season with everyday seasoning to taste. Alternatively, use salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 12
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bag kale (this avoids having to wash and chop it)
2 Tbs olive oil
Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat until it becomes fragrant.
2. Add chicken and saute until no pink is visible.
3. Add mushrooms and continue sautéing until the mushrooms start to change color.
4. Add kale and carefully stir contents of pot so that the kale is under the mushrooms and chicken.
5. When the kale has wilted and turned a brighter green, remove pot from heat and drain off liquid. (I'm reserving this for a mushroom gravy for another meal.)
Squash
Serves 12
2 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
Pinch everyday seasoning (from Trader Joe's) to taste.
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
2. Cut the squashes lengthwise.
3. Scoop out seeds and anything stringy. (I'm reserving the seeds for another meal.)
4. Cut squashes in half widthwise.
5. Place on a tray with 1/2 cup of water.
6. Bake until able to be easily pierced with a fork, 30-35 minutes.
7. Remove rind with a spoon after the squash has cooled enough to touch.
8. Chop squash and season with everyday seasoning to taste. Alternatively, use salt and pepper to taste.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Ratatouille over Brown Rice with Heart Salad
Last night I had a dream that had a rat running around the kitchen in it and when I woke up I was inspired by the Disney movie involving an adorable rat who loves to cook. I went for one that has a bit more cohesion than some of the super stewed versions because that was what I was in the mood for. The thing I really like about ratatouille is that it is a one pot meal, plus a large bowl, and you just keep reusing the pot over and over. Be prepared to do quite a bit of chopping to prepare this dish on your own. At the store I decided that there needed to be some sort of side salad in case someone didn't like ratatouille, so I made a heart salad.
Ratatouille over Brown Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced into half rings
1 clove garlic, minced
4 large chinese eggplants (or japanese eggplants), sliced
5 zucchinis, sliced
6 yellow squashes, sliced
6 grey squash, sliced
1 cup white wine
2 large cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat. Saute onions and garlic until they smell really good and the onions have changed from opaque to semi-transparent, stir constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid burning and things sticking to the bottom.
2. Set aside onions.
3. Return pot to heat, if there is anything a medium brown color stuck to the bottom, deglaze with 1/4 cup of wine (that's just a fancy word for scraping off the good stuff on the bottom of a pan using a liquid, like wine, over heat; you'll know you're done deglazing when all of the stuff has come up and the alcohol has evaporated, which means you no longer get a buzz when you slick your head over the pot) and pour deglaze over cooked veggies. If anything has burned, turn down the heat on the next batch and wash out the pot before cooking in it again.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each of the fresh veggie individually, setting them all aside together.
5. Return everything to pot and add tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer until things start to smell and taste fantastic, about 30 minutes; salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, add herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme to give it a more rounded taste.
Heart Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 cartons of grape tomatoes (I had one carton yellow cherry tomatoes and 2 grape tomatoes, mix it up with pretty colored tomatoes of you can), cut in half
2 cans of heart of palm, drained and sliced
2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
4 Tbs pear vinaigrette
Preparation:
1. Combine all ingredients and toss to combine thoroughly.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced into half rings
1 clove garlic, minced
4 large chinese eggplants (or japanese eggplants), sliced
5 zucchinis, sliced
6 yellow squashes, sliced
6 grey squash, sliced
1 cup white wine
2 large cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over high heat. Saute onions and garlic until they smell really good and the onions have changed from opaque to semi-transparent, stir constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid burning and things sticking to the bottom.
2. Set aside onions.
3. Return pot to heat, if there is anything a medium brown color stuck to the bottom, deglaze with 1/4 cup of wine (that's just a fancy word for scraping off the good stuff on the bottom of a pan using a liquid, like wine, over heat; you'll know you're done deglazing when all of the stuff has come up and the alcohol has evaporated, which means you no longer get a buzz when you slick your head over the pot) and pour deglaze over cooked veggies. If anything has burned, turn down the heat on the next batch and wash out the pot before cooking in it again.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each of the fresh veggie individually, setting them all aside together.
5. Return everything to pot and add tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer until things start to smell and taste fantastic, about 30 minutes; salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, add herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme to give it a more rounded taste.
Heart Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 cartons of grape tomatoes (I had one carton yellow cherry tomatoes and 2 grape tomatoes, mix it up with pretty colored tomatoes of you can), cut in half
2 cans of heart of palm, drained and sliced
2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
4 Tbs pear vinaigrette
Preparation:
1. Combine all ingredients and toss to combine thoroughly.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Spicy Pepper Soups
What a gross day it is out, cloudy and cold, unlike yesterday which was sunny and warm and beautiful. The only good thing about a gross day is that it calls for hot and delicious soup. Todays soups are a bit on the spicy side (yes, I'm really white, so when I say spicy it's not that big of a deal for most people, but if you have delicate taste buds, just cut out the spicy bits or be prepared for a bit of burn). Soup is served with sliced french bread (leave this out if you can't handle gluten) and a mixed greens salad featuring shredded carrots, dried cranberries, and a honey dijon mustard dressing. If you are lactose intolerant, enjoy the red soup and stay away from the green. If you are vegetarian, simply replace chicken and beef stock with veggie stock.
Red Spicy Pepper Soup
Makes 12 small servings
Ingredients:
olive oil
6 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced (remember to wear gloves when handling spicy peppers and don't touch your eyes)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery
2 quarts (aka 8 cups) beef broth
1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used white rice, but if you have time, use brown rice)
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 Tbs fresh thyme, if you have it)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Lightly coat bell peppers in olive oil and place them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (this makes for easy cleanup, which is a big deal if you don't use tinfoil).
3. Broil peppers until the skin is blackened and blistered.
4. Place peppers in a paper bag, close it up tight to keep the steam in, and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove skins by rubbing with a paper towel or peeling off with fingers. This bit is kinda messy.
6. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, garlic, habanero pepper, and celery until the onion starts to turn glassy. If the garlic burns, start over using lower heat because the burnt garlic will make the whole dish taste nasty.
7. Add bell peppers, broth, rice, thyme, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes, bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
9. Use an immersion stick blender directly in the pot or a regular blender in batches.
10. Salt and pepper to taste.
Green Spicy Pepper Soup
Makes 12 small servings
Ingredients:
olive oil
6 green bell peppers, seeded and cut in quarters
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Lightly coat peppers in olive oil and place them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (this makes for easy cleanup, which is a big deal if you don't use tinfoil).
3. Broil peppers until the skin is blackened and blistered.
4. Place peppers in a paper bag, close it up tight to keep the steam in, and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove skins by rubbing with a paper towel or peeling off with fingers. This bit is kinda messy. Seed and mince the jalapeno pepper.
6. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, and celery until the onion starts to turn glassy. If the garlic burns, start over using lower heat because the burnt garlic will make the whole dish taste nasty.
7. Add bell pepper and chicken stock, bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Use an immersion stick blender directly in the pot or a regular blender in batches.
10. Stir in half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste.
Red Spicy Pepper Soup
Makes 12 small servings
Ingredients:
olive oil
6 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced (remember to wear gloves when handling spicy peppers and don't touch your eyes)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery
2 quarts (aka 8 cups) beef broth
1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used white rice, but if you have time, use brown rice)
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 Tbs fresh thyme, if you have it)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakessalt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Lightly coat bell peppers in olive oil and place them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (this makes for easy cleanup, which is a big deal if you don't use tinfoil).
3. Broil peppers until the skin is blackened and blistered.
4. Place peppers in a paper bag, close it up tight to keep the steam in, and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove skins by rubbing with a paper towel or peeling off with fingers. This bit is kinda messy.
6. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, garlic, habanero pepper, and celery until the onion starts to turn glassy. If the garlic burns, start over using lower heat because the burnt garlic will make the whole dish taste nasty.
7. Add bell peppers, broth, rice, thyme, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes, bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
9. Use an immersion stick blender directly in the pot or a regular blender in batches.
10. Salt and pepper to taste.
Green Spicy Pepper SoupMakes 12 small servings
Ingredients:
olive oil
6 green bell peppers, seeded and cut in quarters
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Lightly coat peppers in olive oil and place them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil (this makes for easy cleanup, which is a big deal if you don't use tinfoil).
3. Broil peppers until the skin is blackened and blistered.
4. Place peppers in a paper bag, close it up tight to keep the steam in, and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove skins by rubbing with a paper towel or peeling off with fingers. This bit is kinda messy. Seed and mince the jalapeno pepper.
6. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over medium heat and saute onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, and celery until the onion starts to turn glassy. If the garlic burns, start over using lower heat because the burnt garlic will make the whole dish taste nasty.
7. Add bell pepper and chicken stock, bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Use an immersion stick blender directly in the pot or a regular blender in batches.
10. Stir in half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Tacos with Spanish Rice
Buenos dias, amigos. Inspiration for todays meal comes from the infamous street taco. The typical street taco (as far as I'm concerned) is a corn tortilla with meat, salsa, cilantro, and topped with queso fresco, maybe come lettuce and tomato if you're lucky enough to get veggies. While the typical street tacos are great, I wanted to mix it up a bit and get some delicious veggies in the mix.
Tacos
Serves 12
Ingredients:
Mushroom Corn Salsa:
2 bags of sliced mushrooms
4 ears of corn with the kernels cut off
4 anaheim peppers
2 habanero peppers
1/2 onion, roughly diced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Beef Taco Filling:
4 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
The Rest of the Taco:
1 bunch cilantro
1 package of queso fresco, broken up into small bits
1 iceberg lettuce, shredded
8 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
corn tortillas (I chose the 70 pack instead of the 30 pack because I had a sneaking suspicion that some people would have more than 2)
Preparation of Mushroom Corn Salsa:
1. Wash and pat completely dry the peppers, then rub down in a small amount of olive oil to coat the entire outside.
2. Roast the peppers over an open flame using metal tongs until the skin is fairly evenly blistered and browned, then transfer directly to being wrapped up in paper towels.
3. Use the paper towels to gently rub away the tough layer of skin, revealing delicious smoky pepper flesh. Remove stem and seeds from pepper before chopping, anaheim peppers should be about the size of the roughly diced onion pieces and the habanero should be minced.
4. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over high heat and add peppers, corn, and onions. Stir often.
5. When onion is glassy around the edges, add the mushrooms. Continue stirring until the mushrooms have changed color. Remove from heat and salt & pepper to taste.
Preparation of the Beef Taco Filling:
1. Heat a large skillet over high heat, brown beef on both sides.
2. Break up the meat with wooden spatula as it cooks. Sprinkle spices over meat and stir to get even coverage.
3. When meat is no longer pink on the outside and there aren't any huge chunks, remove from heat and drain off excess fat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation of the Taco:
1. Place 2 tortillas on plate, side by side. Optionally, heat tortillas in a small stack in microwave wrapped in a towel for about 15 seconds (until just warmed) or individually in a frying pan until warmed.
2. Layer ingredients using a small amount of each. From bottom to top, the order is: beef, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese. For dairy free, leave off cheese. To make vegetarian, leave out beef. To make vegan, leave out beef and cheese. Optionally, serve with avocado slices.
Spanish Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups chunky salsa (I chose medium because I wanted a little kick to the dish)
Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium to high heat, whatever you're comfortable with. Saute onion until tender (it will start to get glassy, which means transparent).
2. Add rice and continue stirring until rice starts to brown.
3. Stir in broth and salsa.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, let simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Fluff with fork before serving to keep it from getting too gloppy.
Tacos
Ingredients:
Mushroom Corn Salsa:
2 bags of sliced mushrooms
4 ears of corn with the kernels cut off
4 anaheim peppers
2 habanero peppers
1/2 onion, roughly diced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Beef Taco Filling:
4 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
The Rest of the Taco:
1 bunch cilantro
1 package of queso fresco, broken up into small bits
1 iceberg lettuce, shredded
8 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
corn tortillas (I chose the 70 pack instead of the 30 pack because I had a sneaking suspicion that some people would have more than 2)
Preparation of Mushroom Corn Salsa:
1. Wash and pat completely dry the peppers, then rub down in a small amount of olive oil to coat the entire outside.
2. Roast the peppers over an open flame using metal tongs until the skin is fairly evenly blistered and browned, then transfer directly to being wrapped up in paper towels.
3. Use the paper towels to gently rub away the tough layer of skin, revealing delicious smoky pepper flesh. Remove stem and seeds from pepper before chopping, anaheim peppers should be about the size of the roughly diced onion pieces and the habanero should be minced.
4. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs olive oil over high heat and add peppers, corn, and onions. Stir often.
5. When onion is glassy around the edges, add the mushrooms. Continue stirring until the mushrooms have changed color. Remove from heat and salt & pepper to taste.
Preparation of the Beef Taco Filling:
1. Heat a large skillet over high heat, brown beef on both sides.
2. Break up the meat with wooden spatula as it cooks. Sprinkle spices over meat and stir to get even coverage.
3. When meat is no longer pink on the outside and there aren't any huge chunks, remove from heat and drain off excess fat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation of the Taco:
1. Place 2 tortillas on plate, side by side. Optionally, heat tortillas in a small stack in microwave wrapped in a towel for about 15 seconds (until just warmed) or individually in a frying pan until warmed.
2. Layer ingredients using a small amount of each. From bottom to top, the order is: beef, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese. For dairy free, leave off cheese. To make vegetarian, leave out beef. To make vegan, leave out beef and cheese. Optionally, serve with avocado slices.
Spanish Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups chunky salsa (I chose medium because I wanted a little kick to the dish)
Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium to high heat, whatever you're comfortable with. Saute onion until tender (it will start to get glassy, which means transparent).
2. Add rice and continue stirring until rice starts to brown.
3. Stir in broth and salsa.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, let simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Fluff with fork before serving to keep it from getting too gloppy.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Watermelon Salad, Ceviche Verde with Corn Chips, and Herb Salad with Pistachios
With the sun shining today I wanted something with a really fresh taste. My original intent was to have everything raw, but the ceviche was taking too long to acid cook (that's where you cook meat through the use of an acid rather than heat) so I just popped the cubed fish into a pot with all of its liquid and simmered for a couple minutes until cooked on the outside.
Watermelon Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 seedless watermelon, rind removed and cubed
1 cantaloupe, seeded with rind removed and cubed
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
3 Tbs lemon juice
Preparation:
1. Combined all ingredients and drain off liquid.
Optional: Liquid can be used to make a fantastic melon margarita (2 parts vodka, 2 parts melon juice, 1/2 part simple syrup, 1 part lemon juice; shake with ice, strain into martini glass and serve with a bit on melon in the glass.)
Ceviche Verde with Corn Chips
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 lbs fresh snapper (or other firm fleshed white fish), cubed
3 tsp salt
9 Tbs lime juice
6 ripe avocados, cubed
2 large cans green olives, sliced
6 kiwis, peeled and chopped
2 lbs tomatillos, leafy bit removed and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (remember to wear gloves when handling hot peppers)
Preparation:
1. Sprinkle fish with salt and lime juice, let sit until the fish turns color (if it doesn't change color, dump into a pot over medium heat and gently stir until fish is mostly cooked).
2. Combine fish with other ingredients and gently mix.
Herb Salad with Pistachios
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 large box herb salad mix
Vinaigrette
1 carton golden cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 package shelled pistachios
Preparation:
1. Dress greens with vinaigrette to lightly coat leaves.
2. Layer tomatoes and pistachios so heavy items don't fall to the bottom.
Watermelon Salad
Ingredients:
1 seedless watermelon, rind removed and cubed
1 cantaloupe, seeded with rind removed and cubed
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
3 Tbs lemon juice
Preparation:
1. Combined all ingredients and drain off liquid.
Optional: Liquid can be used to make a fantastic melon margarita (2 parts vodka, 2 parts melon juice, 1/2 part simple syrup, 1 part lemon juice; shake with ice, strain into martini glass and serve with a bit on melon in the glass.)
Ceviche Verde with Corn Chips
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 lbs fresh snapper (or other firm fleshed white fish), cubed
3 tsp salt
9 Tbs lime juice
6 ripe avocados, cubed
2 large cans green olives, sliced
6 kiwis, peeled and chopped
2 lbs tomatillos, leafy bit removed and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (remember to wear gloves when handling hot peppers)
Preparation:
1. Sprinkle fish with salt and lime juice, let sit until the fish turns color (if it doesn't change color, dump into a pot over medium heat and gently stir until fish is mostly cooked).
2. Combine fish with other ingredients and gently mix.
Herb Salad with Pistachios
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 large box herb salad mix
Vinaigrette
1 carton golden cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 package shelled pistachios
Preparation:
1. Dress greens with vinaigrette to lightly coat leaves.
2. Layer tomatoes and pistachios so heavy items don't fall to the bottom.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Roast Chicken, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Roasted Beets and Fennel, Baked Yams, Sauteed Greens
Baking and roasting are two (of many) very similar techniques for using the oven that I'm utilizing to make the dishes bellow. The original recipes were within 25 degrees Fahrenheit, so I just put them all into the oven together at 400 degrees F because that's close enough. If the temperature had been 50 or more off, then I could not have done this. Also, certain items that cook for short amounts of time or are large and solid have a hard time going to a different temperature. The greens I just sauteed in a pan, though I think that if I do this again in the future that I will make 2 to 3 times as much due to the unexpected amount the greens cooked down. Everything is gluten free and dairy free except for the yams, which are deliciously terrible for you.
Roast Chicken
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 pound whole chicken with neck and gizzards removed (that's all the bonus stuff inside that can be used, along with the carcass, to make chicken stock)
6 sprigs fresh rosemary to stuff inside of chicken
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, removed from stem and minced (that just means chopped really small)
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stuff chicken with whole sprigs of rosemary and garlic cloves to add aroma and help keep the chicken moist
3. Run your hand under the skin covering the breast meat to make a pocket for the chopped rosemary and place chopped rosemary evenly under the skin of the breast.
4. Cover all of the skin in olive oil to allow it to crisp nicely without burning.
5. Grind salt and pepper over the skin to taste.
6. Lay on a bed of root veggies, like the carrots and parsnips listed bellow.
7. Roast until the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 170 degrees F, about 1.5 hours.
8. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving to allow juices to settle, this will keep it nice and moist on the inside and the skin will be lovely.
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 large carrots, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
6 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until slightly tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. If making with the rest of the dishes listed here, make sure they still have a bit of texture to them so that not everything is mushy in the meal.
Roasted Beets and Fennel
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 large beets, peeled and cut into fork size pieces with greens reserved for Sauteed Greens listed bellow.
2 large fennel bulbs, chopped into fork size pieces with stalks and tough parts discarded
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. Dish is done when fennel can be easily pierced with a fork.
Baked Yams
Serves 12
Ingredients:
12 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed
12 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 packages marshmallows
Preparation:
1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar, ginger, all spice, and clove, mix until everything is combined.
3. Pour sugar mixture over yams and toss to coat. (Wash your sauce pan right away, or at least, leave it to soak or it will be impossible to clean later.)
4. Bake at 400 degrees F in a baking dish until tender, about 1 hour, stirring the yams every fifteen minutes to coat with sugar glaze.
5. Cover yams in marshmallows and increase oven to 500 degrees F, bake until marshmallows are golden, about 3 minutes.
Sauteed Greens
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 huge bag of Power Greens
Leaves from beets, chopped into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a skillet over high heat, warm oil until fragrant but not smoking.
2. Add greens, you might need more than one round but they cook really fast so it shouldn't be a problem.
3. Stir constantly until the greens have wilted and turned a deeper green.
4. Put into serving dish. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 pound whole chicken with neck and gizzards removed (that's all the bonus stuff inside that can be used, along with the carcass, to make chicken stock)
6 sprigs fresh rosemary to stuff inside of chicken
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, removed from stem and minced (that just means chopped really small)
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stuff chicken with whole sprigs of rosemary and garlic cloves to add aroma and help keep the chicken moist
3. Run your hand under the skin covering the breast meat to make a pocket for the chopped rosemary and place chopped rosemary evenly under the skin of the breast.
4. Cover all of the skin in olive oil to allow it to crisp nicely without burning.
5. Grind salt and pepper over the skin to taste.
6. Lay on a bed of root veggies, like the carrots and parsnips listed bellow.
7. Roast until the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 170 degrees F, about 1.5 hours.
8. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving to allow juices to settle, this will keep it nice and moist on the inside and the skin will be lovely.
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 large carrots, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
6 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until slightly tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. If making with the rest of the dishes listed here, make sure they still have a bit of texture to them so that not everything is mushy in the meal.
Roasted Beets and Fennel
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 large beets, peeled and cut into fork size pieces with greens reserved for Sauteed Greens listed bellow.
2 large fennel bulbs, chopped into fork size pieces with stalks and tough parts discarded
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. Dish is done when fennel can be easily pierced with a fork.
Baked Yams
Serves 12
Ingredients:
12 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed
12 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 packages marshmallows
Preparation:
1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar, ginger, all spice, and clove, mix until everything is combined.
3. Pour sugar mixture over yams and toss to coat. (Wash your sauce pan right away, or at least, leave it to soak or it will be impossible to clean later.)
4. Bake at 400 degrees F in a baking dish until tender, about 1 hour, stirring the yams every fifteen minutes to coat with sugar glaze.
5. Cover yams in marshmallows and increase oven to 500 degrees F, bake until marshmallows are golden, about 3 minutes.
Sauteed Greens
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 huge bag of Power Greens
Leaves from beets, chopped into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a skillet over high heat, warm oil until fragrant but not smoking.
2. Add greens, you might need more than one round but they cook really fast so it shouldn't be a problem.
3. Stir constantly until the greens have wilted and turned a deeper green.
4. Put into serving dish. Salt and pepper to taste.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Polenta topped with a Mushroom, Bacon, Greens Compote
Good morning. On my hunting through the world of food porn I stumbled across the idea to make polenta, which I adore. This is great because I have a ton of cornmeal and recently made corn bread, but managed to forget to use any of the huge bag of yellow corn meal to do so. This means that I've made more of a corn mush than a traditional polenta, the difference being the grind of the meal being fine rather than corse, but I'm still calling it polenta. Because it sounds tastier.
Polenta
Makes way more than I intended for 12 people
Ingredients:
3 cups cornmeal
3 cups cold water
9 cups boiling water
4 1/2 tsp salt
Preparation:
1. Bring larger portion of water and salt to a boil.
2. Mix corn meal and equal amount of cold water together in a bowl, then add to boiling salted water.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid scalding the bottom.
4. Serve immediately or pour into a pan to set.
Optionally: cool in fridge overnight, then cut into cubes and fry in butter or olive oil until golden brown.
Mushroom, Bacon, Greens Compote
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 carton of yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2 packages of bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped discarding whites
1 bag of Super Greens
1 cup of marsala wine
2 Tbs cornstarch mixed in 2 Tbs cold water
Preparation:
1. In a very large skillet (or multiple batches for a large skillet) over medium to medium high heat, start cooking bacon pieces until there is some grease in the pan.
2. Add the spring onion and mushrooms. Saute, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have started to change color.
3. Add the wine and continue cooking until the alcohol has all evaporated (put your face over the pan and inhale through your nose, if you feel a little buzz, the alcohol is still being cooked away).
4. Add the tomatoes and greens, cook until the greens have wilted.
5. Remove all of the solid stuff to serving bowl, reserving the liquid in the pan.
6. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir with a wooden or silicone spoon until the liquid thickens evenly.
7. Mix the solids and the gravy together. Serve with polenta.
Polenta
Makes way more than I intended for 12 people
Ingredients:3 cups cornmeal
3 cups cold water
9 cups boiling water
4 1/2 tsp salt
Preparation:
1. Bring larger portion of water and salt to a boil.
2. Mix corn meal and equal amount of cold water together in a bowl, then add to boiling salted water.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid scalding the bottom.
4. Serve immediately or pour into a pan to set.
Optionally: cool in fridge overnight, then cut into cubes and fry in butter or olive oil until golden brown.
Mushroom, Bacon, Greens Compote
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 carton of yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2 packages of bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped discarding whites
1 bag of Super Greens
1 cup of marsala wine
2 Tbs cornstarch mixed in 2 Tbs cold water
Preparation:
1. In a very large skillet (or multiple batches for a large skillet) over medium to medium high heat, start cooking bacon pieces until there is some grease in the pan.
2. Add the spring onion and mushrooms. Saute, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have started to change color.
3. Add the wine and continue cooking until the alcohol has all evaporated (put your face over the pan and inhale through your nose, if you feel a little buzz, the alcohol is still being cooked away).
4. Add the tomatoes and greens, cook until the greens have wilted.
5. Remove all of the solid stuff to serving bowl, reserving the liquid in the pan.
6. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir with a wooden or silicone spoon until the liquid thickens evenly.
7. Mix the solids and the gravy together. Serve with polenta.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Beef Stir Fry Over Rice and Blackberry Rocket Salad
As an experiment I tried out cooking at the office today. Amazing stove, very little counter space. The lack of counter space is perplexing to me because there could be plenty if things were put away into drawers, like the tea collection on the counter could become a tea drawer. Perhaps I will take the initiative to make that kitchen more usable through reorganizing and labeling with a label maker.
Onto the food, stir fry is an amazingly versatile dish that is fun to play around with. Have vegans, cut out the meat and add extra firm tofu, have someone who loves mushrooms, pop those suckers right on in, want chicken, no problem, rice noodles make your taste buds sing, in they go. The secret is to cook over high heat with an oil with a high smoking point (I used sesame oil because I wanted an extra bit of chinese flavor, but olive oil would also work) and to constantly stir. What this means is that you prepare everything ahead of time and when the stove is on, just toss everything together and stir it so nothing burns. If serving for only a few people, a wok is a wonderful thing because it keeps the oil at the bottom and allows for very quick cooking without drowning the food in the oil. There are industrial sized woks, but I happen not to have one, so I just used a large pot and made extra sure to stir like I meant it.
Beef Stir Fry Over Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs minced ginger
1 clove garlic minced
1.5 lbs beef cut into strips (I found "stir fry beef" but try to stick to thin cut loin if your store doesn't have this)
2 cans water chestnuts, drained
2 cans bamboo shoots, drained
2 cans baby corn, drained
4 handfuls snap peas
3 baby bok choy, chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1/3 cups stir fry sauce
1 package of chopped extra firm tofu
Preparation:
1. In a large pot or giant wok, heat oil over high heat. Add ginger and garlic, cook until fragrant.
2. Add rest of ingredients, stirring constantly until the meat is cooked all the way through.
3. Serve warm over rice.
Blackberry Rocket Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 boxes of rocket
2 packages of blackberries
1 cup sliced almonds
rose vinaigrette to taste
Preparation:
1. Dress the rocket with the vinaigrette so that the leaves are coated, but you salad isn't drowning in dressing.
2. Layer on top berries and nuts.
Onto the food, stir fry is an amazingly versatile dish that is fun to play around with. Have vegans, cut out the meat and add extra firm tofu, have someone who loves mushrooms, pop those suckers right on in, want chicken, no problem, rice noodles make your taste buds sing, in they go. The secret is to cook over high heat with an oil with a high smoking point (I used sesame oil because I wanted an extra bit of chinese flavor, but olive oil would also work) and to constantly stir. What this means is that you prepare everything ahead of time and when the stove is on, just toss everything together and stir it so nothing burns. If serving for only a few people, a wok is a wonderful thing because it keeps the oil at the bottom and allows for very quick cooking without drowning the food in the oil. There are industrial sized woks, but I happen not to have one, so I just used a large pot and made extra sure to stir like I meant it.
Beef Stir Fry Over Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs minced ginger
1 clove garlic minced
1.5 lbs beef cut into strips (I found "stir fry beef" but try to stick to thin cut loin if your store doesn't have this)
2 cans water chestnuts, drained
2 cans bamboo shoots, drained
2 cans baby corn, drained
4 handfuls snap peas
3 baby bok choy, chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1/3 cups stir fry sauce
1 package of chopped extra firm tofu
Preparation:
1. In a large pot or giant wok, heat oil over high heat. Add ginger and garlic, cook until fragrant.
2. Add rest of ingredients, stirring constantly until the meat is cooked all the way through.
3. Serve warm over rice.
Blackberry Rocket Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
2 boxes of rocket
2 packages of blackberries
1 cup sliced almonds
rose vinaigrette to taste
Preparation:
1. Dress the rocket with the vinaigrette so that the leaves are coated, but you salad isn't drowning in dressing.
2. Layer on top berries and nuts.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Chicken Fennel Quinoa, Persimmon Arugula Salad, and Baked Pears
Hope that everyone is chowing down with delight. For lunch we have a hearty, yet healthy, quinoa dish that features chicken, fennel, celery, and onion that is reminiscent of chicken noodle soup. This sturdier dish is contrasted with a lighter salad that has an arugula (also called rocket) base with sliced persimmons and prosciutto bits and a light champaign vinaigrette. For dessert there is baked pear that is spiced with clove and ginger as well as a splash of amaretto. Alas, the pears baked down a bit more than I anticipated, so if I do make this dish again I will double and possibly triple the recipe.
Chicken Fennel Quinoa
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 small onion, roughly diced
2 bulbs fennel, diced to the size of onions
3 stalks celery, diced to onion size
2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
6 chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup cooking sherry
4 Tbs olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat half of the olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the onion, fennel, and celery until the onion is glassy.
3. Add quinoa and saute for 2 more minutes, this helps to bring out the nutty flavor of the quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add water and reduce heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, in a skillet heat the remaining oil over high heat.
6. Saute the chicken, when it is half way cooked add the sherry.
7. Saute chicken until it is cooked all the way through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
8. Combine the chicken and quinoa once everything is finished cooking.
Persimmon Arugula Salad
Served 12
Ingredients:
2 boxes of arugula (or 4 bags)
3 persimmons, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 package of prosciutto, broken into small pieces
Champaign dressing
Preparation:
1. Dress the arugula with the dressing to fully coat all the leaves.
2. Layer on top persimmons then prosciutto.
Optional: This salad would also do well with the addition of a light cheese like mozzarella , pomegranate seeds, or nuts.
Baked Pears
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
6 pears, peeled, cored, and diced (choose ones that are less sandy, like the brown skinned pears rather than the green ones)
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish place pear pieces, evenly cover with clove, ginger, and brown sugar, stir to combine. Dot with butter to prevent sticking.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until they smell so good you can't wait any more. the goal is to have them be a little mushy without falling apart.
4. Top with walnuts for garnish and added richness.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 small onion, roughly diced
2 bulbs fennel, diced to the size of onions
3 stalks celery, diced to onion size
2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
6 chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup cooking sherry
4 Tbs olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat half of the olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the onion, fennel, and celery until the onion is glassy.
3. Add quinoa and saute for 2 more minutes, this helps to bring out the nutty flavor of the quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add water and reduce heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, in a skillet heat the remaining oil over high heat.
6. Saute the chicken, when it is half way cooked add the sherry.
7. Saute chicken until it is cooked all the way through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
8. Combine the chicken and quinoa once everything is finished cooking.
Persimmon Arugula Salad
Served 12
Ingredients:
2 boxes of arugula (or 4 bags)
3 persimmons, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 package of prosciutto, broken into small pieces
Champaign dressing
Preparation:
1. Dress the arugula with the dressing to fully coat all the leaves.
2. Layer on top persimmons then prosciutto.
Optional: This salad would also do well with the addition of a light cheese like mozzarella , pomegranate seeds, or nuts.
Baked Pears
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
6 pears, peeled, cored, and diced (choose ones that are less sandy, like the brown skinned pears rather than the green ones)
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish place pear pieces, evenly cover with clove, ginger, and brown sugar, stir to combine. Dot with butter to prevent sticking.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until they smell so good you can't wait any more. the goal is to have them be a little mushy without falling apart.
4. Top with walnuts for garnish and added richness.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tented Salmon, Parboiled Asparagus, Mini Sausages, and Rice
Healthy is the name of the game today. Salmon is a flavorful fish that I absolutely love. The steam baking by foil tenting leaves the fish moist by locking in the juices. Parboiled asparagus compliments the salmon quite well and the jasmine rice provides a nice base. For those that don't like fish, I provided mini apple chicken sausages, just fried them up in a pan. Here's how I did it.
Salmon
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 lbs salmon (1/2 lbs per person)
3 lemons sliced into disks
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
tinfoil
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Tear a large sheet of tinfoil and place the salmon in the center.
3. Cover the salmon in olive oil, then salt and pepper, then a splash of apple cider vinegar, then cover the salmon in lemon slices.
4. Seal the tinfoil to form a pouch, place the pouch on a baking tin to catch any leaks.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the salmon has turned a lighter pink all the way through.
Parboiled Asparagus
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 bunches of asparagus, cut into bite size chunks on a diagonal
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
2. Boil the asparagus for 2 minutes, then drain all the water.
3. Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 lbs salmon (1/2 lbs per person)
3 lemons sliced into disks
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
tinfoil
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Tear a large sheet of tinfoil and place the salmon in the center.
3. Cover the salmon in olive oil, then salt and pepper, then a splash of apple cider vinegar, then cover the salmon in lemon slices.
4. Seal the tinfoil to form a pouch, place the pouch on a baking tin to catch any leaks.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the salmon has turned a lighter pink all the way through.
Parboiled Asparagus
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 bunches of asparagus, cut into bite size chunks on a diagonal
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
2. Boil the asparagus for 2 minutes, then drain all the water.
3. Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Sandwiches, Raspberry Salad, and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Since I'm going to be out of town tomorrow, I have prepared lunch early and left the items for a lovely sandwich bar in the fridge. the cookies turned out a bit more *ahem* crispy than I intended, so I have altered the recipe below to reflect the changes I would have made. There are gluten free cookies in a box in the fridge.
Sandwichs
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:
Bread (there is also gluten free bread in the fridge too)
Mayo
Mustard
Lettuce (there is a small box with the rest of the sandwich fixings)
Tomato (these will need to be sliced)
Cucumber (this will need to be sliced)
Red onion (this will need to be sliced, remember to cut from the top and to peel away the papery skin on the outside)
Sliced meat (there are 3 kinds, go nuts)
Sliced cheese (there are 3 kinds, mix and match)
Preparation:
1. It's a sandwich, just layer the stuff inside making sure that the condiments are on the bread and the tomato isn't touching the bread and you'll be fine.
2. Stuff your gob with deliciousness.
Raspberry Salad
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:
1 large box of herb salad mix
2 containers of raspberries
1 bag of mixed seeds
raspberry salad dressing
Preparation:
1. Place a bit of each of the ingredients on your plate so that you get a good amount of each yummy thing. Feel free to use some of sandwich items to make your salad even better.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 60 small cookies or fewer large cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cups evaporated cane juice (or regular sugar if you must)
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (I like the mini ones)
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until everything is combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated before adding the next egg.
5. Add the flour mixture a bit at a time to insure that there isn't flour all over your kitchen.
6. Once all of the dough is combine, add the chocolate chips (this is where you would also add other goodies if altering the recipe, like nuts or dried fruit or other candy).
7. Drop cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet using a spoon, spacing them to try to avoid them merging together.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown. If wanting to have extra crispy cookies, bake for 20 minutes or until darker brown. Remove cookies to cool on a wire rack.
Sandwichs
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:
Bread (there is also gluten free bread in the fridge too)
Mayo
Mustard
Lettuce (there is a small box with the rest of the sandwich fixings)
Tomato (these will need to be sliced)
Cucumber (this will need to be sliced)
Red onion (this will need to be sliced, remember to cut from the top and to peel away the papery skin on the outside)
Sliced meat (there are 3 kinds, go nuts)
Sliced cheese (there are 3 kinds, mix and match)
Preparation:
1. It's a sandwich, just layer the stuff inside making sure that the condiments are on the bread and the tomato isn't touching the bread and you'll be fine.
2. Stuff your gob with deliciousness.
Raspberry Salad
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:
1 large box of herb salad mix
2 containers of raspberries
1 bag of mixed seeds
raspberry salad dressing
Preparation:
1. Place a bit of each of the ingredients on your plate so that you get a good amount of each yummy thing. Feel free to use some of sandwich items to make your salad even better.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 60 small cookies or fewer large cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cups evaporated cane juice (or regular sugar if you must)
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (I like the mini ones)
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until everything is combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated before adding the next egg.
5. Add the flour mixture a bit at a time to insure that there isn't flour all over your kitchen.
6. Once all of the dough is combine, add the chocolate chips (this is where you would also add other goodies if altering the recipe, like nuts or dried fruit or other candy).
7. Drop cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet using a spoon, spacing them to try to avoid them merging together.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown. If wanting to have extra crispy cookies, bake for 20 minutes or until darker brown. Remove cookies to cool on a wire rack.
Broccoli Beef Over Rice with Chinese Salad
Today was a little hectic because I had to prepare 2 meals due to my being out of town for Thanksgiving, leaving tomorrow morning at 6am. For Tuesday lunch I felt like chinese food, so I looked up a recipe for broccoli beef which I will share with you all. One thing to note is that my sauce had some difficulty thickening because cornstarch is not always cooperative with my agenda, but it should work if you let the bits cool enough and mix in the right proportions.
Also whipped together a chinese inspired salad. This salad would also work really well with shredded chicken or shrimp added to the mix, but since the meal was already pretty meat heavy I decided to skip on the animal bits.
Broccoli Beef
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 Tbs cornstarch dissolved into 6 Tbs water mixed with 2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup soy sauce
6 Tbs brown sugar
3 tsp minced ginger
3 Tbs cornstarch dissolved into 1 1/2 cups water
3 lbs boneless round steak cut into bite sized pieces
12 cups broccoli florets
1 bunch of spring onions chopped
vegetable oil
Preparation:
1. Dredge the beef chunks in the cornstarch garlic mixture.
2. In a bowl mix together the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and cornstarch mixture and set aside.
3. In a large pot or wok, heat 1-2 Tbs of vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook the beef until there's not more pink showing. Remove the meat and keep warm.
4. In the same pot/wok, heat 2-3 Tbs of vegetable oil and cook the broccoli and onions until the the broccoli has changed to a darker green, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Return the meat to the pot/wok and add the set aside sauce from earlier.
6. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.
Chinese Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 large box of mixed greens
2 cans of mandarine orange slices, drained
2 cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 large handfuls of snow peas with the strings removed
chinese inspired salad dressing (I used Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing)
Preparation:
1. Dress the mixed greens with the salad dressing, making sure that the dressing is well mixed as it tends to separate easily.
2. Layer the orange, water chestnuts, and snow peas on top of the salad so that the heavy items don't all fall to the bottom.
Also whipped together a chinese inspired salad. This salad would also work really well with shredded chicken or shrimp added to the mix, but since the meal was already pretty meat heavy I decided to skip on the animal bits.
Broccoli Beef
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 Tbs cornstarch dissolved into 6 Tbs water mixed with 2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup soy sauce
6 Tbs brown sugar
3 tsp minced ginger
3 Tbs cornstarch dissolved into 1 1/2 cups water
3 lbs boneless round steak cut into bite sized pieces
12 cups broccoli florets
1 bunch of spring onions chopped
vegetable oil
Preparation:
1. Dredge the beef chunks in the cornstarch garlic mixture.
2. In a bowl mix together the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and cornstarch mixture and set aside.
3. In a large pot or wok, heat 1-2 Tbs of vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook the beef until there's not more pink showing. Remove the meat and keep warm.
4. In the same pot/wok, heat 2-3 Tbs of vegetable oil and cook the broccoli and onions until the the broccoli has changed to a darker green, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Return the meat to the pot/wok and add the set aside sauce from earlier.
6. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.
Chinese Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 large box of mixed greens
2 cans of mandarine orange slices, drained
2 cans of sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 large handfuls of snow peas with the strings removed
chinese inspired salad dressing (I used Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing)
Preparation:
1. Dress the mixed greens with the salad dressing, making sure that the dressing is well mixed as it tends to separate easily.
2. Layer the orange, water chestnuts, and snow peas on top of the salad so that the heavy items don't all fall to the bottom.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Pea Soup with Mango Avocado Chicken Salad
This morning I felt a desire for something sweet and a little spicy, so I decided to make a salad featuring a sweet and spicy dressing as well as mangos. To accompany the salad I decided on a fresh pea soup and some french bread to make for a healthy and light lunch with a little bit of sweet, a little bit of spicy, and a fresh taste. Both dishes, minus the bread, are gluten free. The salad is also dairy free, but the soup had very low lactose due to the butter being such a small part of a large dish.
Fresh Pea Soup
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped spring onion
9 cups of fresh unshelled peas (frozen will work if nothing else is available)
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
2 Tbs lemon juice
salt
pepper
mint leaves
Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat the butter over medium heat until melted.
2. Saute onions in the butter, stirring constantly until the onions start to smell good, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add peas and saute until partially cooked.
4. Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil.
5. When the soup starts to boil, reduce heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until peas are tender.
6. Mix in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Blend the soup in a blender a batch at a time or with a stick blender.
8. Serve with a garnish of mint and, optionally, fresh bread to dip into the soup.
Mango Avocado Chicken Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 box of spring mix
2 mangos cubed
2 avocados cubed
1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders
the juice of 2 limes
2 Tbs of sweet and spicy chili marinade
Preparation:
1. Boil chicken in water until no longer pink in the middle, then shred the chicken and set aside to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the chili marinade and lime juice to make a dressing.
3. Dress the salad in small batched to get even coverage.
4. Top the salad with chicken, mango, and avocados.
Fresh Pea Soup
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped spring onion
9 cups of fresh unshelled peas (frozen will work if nothing else is available)
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
2 Tbs lemon juice
salt
pepper
mint leaves
Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat the butter over medium heat until melted.
2. Saute onions in the butter, stirring constantly until the onions start to smell good, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add peas and saute until partially cooked.
4. Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil.
5. When the soup starts to boil, reduce heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until peas are tender.
6. Mix in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Blend the soup in a blender a batch at a time or with a stick blender.
8. Serve with a garnish of mint and, optionally, fresh bread to dip into the soup.
Mango Avocado Chicken Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 box of spring mix
2 mangos cubed
2 avocados cubed
1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders
the juice of 2 limes
2 Tbs of sweet and spicy chili marinade
Preparation:
1. Boil chicken in water until no longer pink in the middle, then shred the chicken and set aside to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the chili marinade and lime juice to make a dressing.
3. Dress the salad in small batched to get even coverage.
4. Top the salad with chicken, mango, and avocados.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thai Green Curry Chicken over Thai Jasmine Rice and a Kiwi Asian Pear Macadamia Nut Salad
Thailand is on my bucket list (that's the list of things you want to do and see before you kick the bucket) and in honor of getting tickets to go to a friend's wedding in Thailand in the new year, I decided to be inspired by the food of Thailand. This may not be a very traditional version of the dish, but I think that it is the light combination of spices, fish sauce, coconut milk, and veggies that makes this dish really say "Thailand, here I come" (though the deliciously tender meat doesn't hurt matters). As with most asian food, serve with rice, I chose Thai Jasmine Rice to try to be more authentic. Prepare that as per the package directions.
A request was made for more salads, so I decided to make a light salad to pair with the delicate flavors of the curry. Fruit and nuts make a salad taste special to me.
Thai Green Curry Chicken
Served 12
Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat and cut into bite-size pieces
3 14oz cans of coconut milk
4 Tbs of green curry paste
5 Tbs of fish sauce
5 Tbs brown sugar
1 cup chicken stock
2 handfuls of fresh baby corn
2 handfuls of fresh snap peas
3 cans of chinese stir-fry veggies, drained
A request was made for more salads, so I decided to make a light salad to pair with the delicate flavors of the curry. Fruit and nuts make a salad taste special to me.
Thai Green Curry Chicken
Served 12
Ingredients:
6 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat and cut into bite-size pieces
3 14oz cans of coconut milk
4 Tbs of green curry paste
5 Tbs of fish sauce
5 Tbs brown sugar
1 cup chicken stock
2 handfuls of fresh baby corn
2 handfuls of fresh snap peas
3 cans of chinese stir-fry veggies, drained
Preparation:
1. In a large pot simmer the coconut milk and green curry paste over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, and chicken stock and stir until combined.
3. Add the chicken and veggies.
4. Simmer until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (about 10 minutes of simmering) stirring occasionally.
Kiwi Asian Pear Macadamia Nut Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 large box of mixed greens
apple poppyseed dressing
2 asian pears, cored and cut into small pieces
4 kiwis, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
1 handful sunflower seeds
1 handful macadamia nuts
Preparation:
1. Dress the greens in a small side bowl a handful at a time to insure an even and light coating.
2. Top dressed salad with all of your yummy bits so that the heavy things don't all fall to the bottom.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Lasagnas
Hello all. Today I decided to go old-school and make lasagna. Well, not that traditional because I made one of them gluten free, dairy free, used butternut squash sauce instead fo the usual tomato, and included mushrooms, zucchini, and ground beef in the layers. For the second one, I made a vegetarian green and white lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts, spinach, and green beans. These are two great ways to mix up the usual lasagna and make it something different.Gluten Free, Dairy Free Lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 packages of gluten free no boil lasagna noodles (check out gfgrocery.com)
2 packages of dairy free shredded mozzarella substitute (gfgrocery.com)
2 zucchinis sliced
1 package of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 jar of butternut squash pasta sauce (I used Dave's Gourmet)
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms, zucchinis, and ground beef. Brown the beef.
3. Add wine and simmer until liquid has reduced and zucchinis are slightly soft.
4. In a large baking dish layer sauce, noodles, meat & veggie mixture, and cheese-like substitute.
5. Repeat step 4 until out of ingredients, ending in a layer of noodles, then sauce, then cheese.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Vegetarian White and Green Lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 lbs of lasagna noodles
2 jars of alfredo sauce
2 cans of quartered artichokes, diced
1 bag of baby spinach chopped
1 bag of steamed green beans
1 large carton of ricotta cheese
8 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (2 large bags)
Preparation:
1. Prepare lasagna noodles according to directions on the box.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large baking pan layer noodles, ricotta cheese, sauce, veggies, and mozzarella cheese.
4. Repeat step 3 until all of the ingredients are used, end with noodles, then sauce, then mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.
6. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel and Apple with Spinach, Strawberry, Honey Mustard Salad
Today the windows in the kitchen were being replaced, so I made sure to concoct a dish that would be unlikely to get any dust or debris in it because it would be contained during the construction. The workers made many comments about it smelling really good in the kitchen and I felt bad that I couldn't offer them any. On a positive note, the dish was pretty easy to make, I managed to get everything from my cooking cleaned up before I had to drop off the food, and there are new windows in the kitchen so it won't be freezing in there when it gets cold outside.
Though the pork was delicious, I think that next time I will have to reduce the sauce to make a lovely gravy rather than leave drippings at the bottom of the pan to drizzle. Find out how to do that yourself in the optional side note. Also, carrots and celery might make a lovely addition to the roasted veggies, so gauge the veggie level to your group
Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel and Apple
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs pork loin (or 2 average size loins)
4 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 fennel bulbs quartered with ends removed
1 large white onion quartered with ends removed
6-8 medium sized potatoes and yams cut into fork sized pieces
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cloves of garlic, smashed to release scent and flavor
6 small apples, cored and quartered
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple cider
2 Tbs grainy mustard
Optional gravy:
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 Tbs cornstarch
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly coat the pork in freshly ground salt and pepper.
3. In a large cast iron skillet heat half the olive oil over high heat until it smell like olives, but not to smoking.
4. Sear the pork loin in the skillet to seal in moisture. Be careful not to let the pork burn, just have a nice crust of brown on the 4 long sides. Use strong tongs to turn the meat, try not to pierce the meat.
5. Set aside the seared pork to let it rest.
6. Add the remaining oil to the cast iron pan and saute the fennel, onion, potatoes/yams, rosemary, thyme, and garlic, stirring frequently until the veggies are browned and the whole kitchen smells good.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, apple cider, and mustard.
8. In a large baking pan, place the apples and veggies at the bottom, then gently lay the pork on top, coat everything in apple mustard sauce.
9. Cover the baking pan in tinfoil and bake until the internal temperature of the meat is 140 degrees F (about 30-45 minutes).
10. Set aside the meat and tent with tinfoil. Return veggies to the oven until fennel and potatoes are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
11. Slice the meat and serve over the veggies.
Optional: To make gravy, transfer all but 2 Tbs of drippings from the bottom of the baking pan into a measuring cup so it is easy to pour later. Put the pan on the stove top over medium heat and deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine (that means scrape off all the stuff from the bottom while cooking it in a liquid). Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 1/4 cup of water to make a thin paste. Whisk the cornstarch and the deglazed pan drippings together until the gravy has formed a thick roux, then slowly add 2 cups of pan drippings you had set aside and whisk until combined. If you don't have enough drippings, use veggie stock to make up the difference. At right is a video on how to do it with flour, which is more traditional, but if you need gluten free, then the thickening power of cornstarch is what you will substitute for flour.
Spinach, Strawberry, Honey Mustard Salad
Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 large box of baby spinach (or 2 bags of baby spinach)
1 bag of shredded kale
1 bag of shredded cabbage
1/2 carton of strawberries, sliced with tops removed
1 pomegranate, seeds carefully removed (or a couple of handfuls of already separated pomegranate seeds, less work but use what you have)
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 large cucumber diced
1 bottle of honey mustard dressing (I like Brianna's Dijon Honey Mustard Dressing because it's delicious and gluten free)
Preparation:
1. Combine the spinach, kale, and shredded cabbage by placing a handful of each into a medium size bowl with about a Tbs or two of dressing, mix thoroughly before transferring to serving bowl; repeat with all of the greens.
2. On top of the greens layer the heavy items: pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, strawberry slices, and cucumber bits.
3. Serve with extra dressing on the side so that people can put more on if they like.
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