This week is a short week because we're off skiing on Wednesday! The menu isn't THAT inventive, using a recipe from a few weeks ago (Baked Tilapia over Vegetable Quinoa) and a crock pot recipe, but that's okay! The following week may be a bust too because we get back on Monday and I may be doing some quick recipes throughout the week.
I'll keep you posted if I make anything CRAY-ZY.
Asian Beef with Vegetables
Adapted from Real Simple, March 2011
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons rie wine vinegar (I used sherry, didn't have rice wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I just did a shake or two... I don't like to cook too spicy!)
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (I had a pot roast in the freezer, so I thawed it and cut is similarly, so that's what I'm using, but yes, this recipe was originally for pork shoulder!)
12 ounces soba noodles (I had the 1/2 package left over from last week's recipe. Perfect!)
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
Chopped peanuts for serving
1. In a 4-6 quart crockpot, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, ginger and crushed red pepper. Add the meat and toss to combine. cover and cook until the pork is tender on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
2. 15 min before serving, cook the noodles according to the package and add the bell peppers and snow peas to the water during the last minute of cooking. (I do this step right away and portion the stuff out in glass containers (about 3-4 lunches). This way when the beef is done, I can follow the rest of the steps and just place/pour the remainder on top of the lunch portions!)
3. When meat is done, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Pour the cooking liquid into a lartge skillet and boil until slightly thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Add port and toss to combine. Serve over noodles and vegetables, sprinkle with peanuts.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Curried Chicken with Ginger and Yogurt, White Bean soup with Spicy Sausage and Collard Greens, Black Bean and Potato Soup, Edamame Shrimp over Sesame Soba Noodles
I know I know... this week looks like a LOT! The reason why I'm making a little extra is because Monday night we have Re$ervations for Valentine'$ Day and Wednesday night we're going out to dinner with friends, so we'll be spending a lot of money this week, thus I'm cooking a little extra. I made the Curried Chicken on Friday night (we had some for dinner), the White Bean Soup on Saturday night (has some for dinner that night too) and the last two dishes Sunday.
This year we made reservations at Spice Market in the Meatpacking District for V-Day. We eat across the street all the time at a burger joint and have always wanted to go there, so Monday night's the night!
Onward to what you're here for!
Curried chicken with Ginger and Yogurt
Adapted from my Real Simple March 2011 issue
Ingredients:
1/3 cup tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I used 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 2 chicken breasts, cut into nugget sizes)
1/2 cup plain whole-milk greek yogurt (I accidentally used 1 cup. Still tasted fine)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1. In 4-6 quart slow-cooker, whisk together tomato paste, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cumin and 3/4 cup water. Add onion and stir to combine. Place chicken on top and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4.
3. Just before serving, add yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Serve over rice and sprinkle with scallions. (scallions were actually a YUMMY touch to the dish).
White Bean Soup with Spicy Sausage and Collard Greens
Adapted from Real Simple March 2011
Ingredients:
1 pound bag dried white beans (we used Canellini)
1/2 pound sausage links, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise (recipe calls for andouille but that's too spicy for me. We used a "spicy" turkey sausage we buy at a farmers market which isn't too spicy for me)
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch collard greens, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1. In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine the beans, sausage, onion, celery, and thyme. Add the broth and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high from 4 to 5 hours.
2. Twenty minutes before serving, discard the thyme stems, add the collard greens, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Black Bean and Potato Soup
Adapted from my new magazine subscription, Vegetarian Times (March 2011)
1 medium onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
6 cups cooked or canned black beans, divided
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Sautee onion, bell peppers and garlic in saucepan with a little water or vegetable broth over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Add 3 cups beans and 6 to 7 cups water; puree until mixture is consistency of thick soup.
2. Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining beans, potatoes, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Edamame Shrimp over Sesame Soba Noodles
Adapted from my Flat Belly Diet book
Ingredients:
1 package (12oz) frozen, shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 dash hot pepper sauce (I used a shake of red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package soba noodles (I used 1 package (16oz) udon noodles- it's all I could find)
1/2 lb raw, peeled shrimp
1. Cook noodles according to package, set aside.
2. In medium saucepan over high heat, bring the soybeans, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. When a small amount of liquid remains, add the thawed raw shrimp and stir occasionally until the liquid has evaporated and shrimp is cooked.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the almonds, scallions, oil and pepper. Serve mixture warm over noodles and maybe steam some broccoli as a side.
This year we made reservations at Spice Market in the Meatpacking District for V-Day. We eat across the street all the time at a burger joint and have always wanted to go there, so Monday night's the night!
Onward to what you're here for!
Curried chicken with Ginger and Yogurt
Adapted from my Real Simple March 2011 issue
Ingredients:
1/3 cup tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (I used 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 2 chicken breasts, cut into nugget sizes)
1/2 cup plain whole-milk greek yogurt (I accidentally used 1 cup. Still tasted fine)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1. In 4-6 quart slow-cooker, whisk together tomato paste, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cumin and 3/4 cup water. Add onion and stir to combine. Place chicken on top and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4.
3. Just before serving, add yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Serve over rice and sprinkle with scallions. (scallions were actually a YUMMY touch to the dish).
White Bean Soup with Spicy Sausage and Collard Greens
Adapted from Real Simple March 2011
Ingredients:
1 pound bag dried white beans (we used Canellini)
1/2 pound sausage links, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise (recipe calls for andouille but that's too spicy for me. We used a "spicy" turkey sausage we buy at a farmers market which isn't too spicy for me)
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch collard greens, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1. In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine the beans, sausage, onion, celery, and thyme. Add the broth and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high from 4 to 5 hours.
2. Twenty minutes before serving, discard the thyme stems, add the collard greens, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Black Bean and Potato Soup
Adapted from my new magazine subscription, Vegetarian Times (March 2011)
1 medium onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
6 cups cooked or canned black beans, divided
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Sautee onion, bell peppers and garlic in saucepan with a little water or vegetable broth over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Add 3 cups beans and 6 to 7 cups water; puree until mixture is consistency of thick soup.
2. Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining beans, potatoes, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Edamame Shrimp over Sesame Soba Noodles
Adapted from my Flat Belly Diet book
Ingredients:
1 package (12oz) frozen, shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 dash hot pepper sauce (I used a shake of red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package soba noodles (I used 1 package (16oz) udon noodles- it's all I could find)
1/2 lb raw, peeled shrimp
1. Cook noodles according to package, set aside.
2. In medium saucepan over high heat, bring the soybeans, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. When a small amount of liquid remains, add the thawed raw shrimp and stir occasionally until the liquid has evaporated and shrimp is cooked.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the almonds, scallions, oil and pepper. Serve mixture warm over noodles and maybe steam some broccoli as a side.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Shrimp and Corn Chowder, Hungarian Pot Roast with Sour Cream and Paprika Gravy, Austrian Potato Salad
The eggplant with fish stir-fry was a HUGE hit from last week. I think I'll actually make those fish balls alone and figure out some funky stir-fry on my own. ANYWHO...
We have an abundance of tilapia pot roast in the freezer, so that's the focus of this week. We ate all the Salmon for dinners the past few weeks and we've had catfish a few more times that we'd like to admit. We actually do eat a few vegetarian things throughout the week, but rarely make them for lunches. Oh, and before I forget... we have a few dinner portions of the Tortilla soup I made in January, so we'll probably be thawing one of those out this week as well.
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
I've made this recipe before and we LOVE it. It's adapted from the Nook and Pantry blog and I've replaced a few things that the original recipe calls for, like broccoli (seriously, who wants to see broccoli in a chowder?).
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
1 box frozen corn, thawed
4 oz. bacon, chopped (you can use turkey bacon, but the flavor is better with real bacon
1 vidalia onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp of smoked paprika
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
4 C chicken stock
2 C skim milk
1 lb red potatoes (3), scrubbed and cut into 1/2 in cubes
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 sprigs of parsley
1 lb of medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 C heavy cream, room temp
2 Tbsp of minced parsley
Salt and ground black pepper
1. Saute the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, until the pieces are crisp and all the fat has been rendered. Spoon out the bacon pieces reserving the fat in the pan.
2. Reduce the heat to medium to medium low and add the chopped onions, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and saute until all has softened while scraping up the browned bits, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper and stir constantly while cooking for about 1 minute. Slow whisk in the chicken stock and milk.
4. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, parsley sprig, bacon bits, corn, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring up to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the shrimp and heavy cream, making sure the shrimp get stirred into the hot soup. If the chowder is too chunky for your tastes, add another cup of milk as well. Cover and bring up to a simmer again and cook until the shrimp are just pink, about 2 minutes.
6. Discard the bay leaf and parsley sprig, stir in freshly minced parsley and salt to taste.
Hungarian Pot Roast with Sour Cream and Paprika Gravy
NOM NOM NOM!!! This is all I can say. Recipe adapted from Kalyn's Blog.
2 tsp. + 1 T olive oil
1 rump roast, about 2.5 pounds
4 large yellow onions, cut into slices at least 1/2 inch thick
2 T sweet Hungarian or Spanish paprika (or more)
1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red bell peppers
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups homemade beef stock or low-sodium beef broth
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups lite sour cream (don't use fat free)
1. Rub roast on all sides with salt and pepper. You can use steak seasoning if you have it too. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in heavy frying pan, add roast and brown well on all sides. (Don't rush this step., it may take 15-20 minutes to get the roast nicely browned.) When roast is well-browned, place in crockpot.
2. While roast browns, peel onions and cut into slices at least 1/2 inch thick. Heat addditional 1 T olive oil in pan, then add onions and paprika and saute onions until lightly browned, turning often to brown all the onion slices. Put onions in crockpot on top of and around the roast.
3. Add 2 cups beef stock to frying pan, scraping off any browned bits and simmering until beef stock is reduced to about 1 cup. Pour in crock pot.
3. Drain jar of roasted red peppers, then cut into lengthwise slices about 1/2 inch thick. Put sliced peppers and canned tomatoes into crockpot, seasoning with black pepper.
4. Cook on high for about 4 hours, or until roast feels tender when pierced with a fork. When roast is tender, remove meat, let cool a few minutes, and then cut into thick slices.
5. While meat cools enough to handle, strain liquid into frying pan (catching the vegetables) and simmer over medium high heat to reduce for gravy. Add a small amount of the liquid to the sour cream and whisk together, then whisk that mixture back into the juice in the pan for easier combining without lumps.
6. Put meat and vegetables back in the crockpot (or deep skillet). Pour sour cream gravy back over meat and vegetables in crockpot and cook about 20-30 minutes more, or until heated through. Serve hot.
Austrian Potato Salad
This no-mayo recipe comes from my beloved Cooks Illustrated magazine. Make sure you cook the potatoes through fully so the "sauce" will be creamy! I made this on Sunday to take to the Super Bowl Party we were invited to. It's always a big hit!
Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 large)
peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2" thick slices
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
Table salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small red onion chopped fine
6 cornichons, minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons fresh chives
Ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Bring potatoes, broth,water, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar, and 1 tablespoon vinegar to boil in 12 inch heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes offer no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to high (so cooking liquid will reduce), and cook 2 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes in colander set over a large bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Set drained potatoes aside. Pour off and discard all but 1/2 cup cooking liquid (if 1/3 cup liquid does not remain, add water to make 1/2 cup). Whisk remaining tablespoon vinegar, mustard, and oil into cooking liquid.
3. Add 1/2 cup cooked potatoes to bowl with cooking liquid mixture and mash with potato masher or fork until thick sauce forms (mixture will be slightly chunky). Add remaining potatoes, onion, cornnichons, and chives, folding gently with rubber spatula to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
We have an abundance of tilapia pot roast in the freezer, so that's the focus of this week. We ate all the Salmon for dinners the past few weeks and we've had catfish a few more times that we'd like to admit. We actually do eat a few vegetarian things throughout the week, but rarely make them for lunches. Oh, and before I forget... we have a few dinner portions of the Tortilla soup I made in January, so we'll probably be thawing one of those out this week as well.
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
I've made this recipe before and we LOVE it. It's adapted from the Nook and Pantry blog and I've replaced a few things that the original recipe calls for, like broccoli (seriously, who wants to see broccoli in a chowder?).
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
1 box frozen corn, thawed
4 oz. bacon, chopped (you can use turkey bacon, but the flavor is better with real bacon
1 vidalia onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp of smoked paprika
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
4 C chicken stock
2 C skim milk
1 lb red potatoes (3), scrubbed and cut into 1/2 in cubes
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 sprigs of parsley
1 lb of medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 C heavy cream, room temp
2 Tbsp of minced parsley
Salt and ground black pepper
1. Saute the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, until the pieces are crisp and all the fat has been rendered. Spoon out the bacon pieces reserving the fat in the pan.
2. Reduce the heat to medium to medium low and add the chopped onions, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and saute until all has softened while scraping up the browned bits, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper and stir constantly while cooking for about 1 minute. Slow whisk in the chicken stock and milk.
4. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, parsley sprig, bacon bits, corn, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring up to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the shrimp and heavy cream, making sure the shrimp get stirred into the hot soup. If the chowder is too chunky for your tastes, add another cup of milk as well. Cover and bring up to a simmer again and cook until the shrimp are just pink, about 2 minutes.
6. Discard the bay leaf and parsley sprig, stir in freshly minced parsley and salt to taste.
Hungarian Pot Roast with Sour Cream and Paprika Gravy
NOM NOM NOM!!! This is all I can say. Recipe adapted from Kalyn's Blog.
2 tsp. + 1 T olive oil
1 rump roast, about 2.5 pounds
4 large yellow onions, cut into slices at least 1/2 inch thick
2 T sweet Hungarian or Spanish paprika (or more)
1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red bell peppers
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups homemade beef stock or low-sodium beef broth
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups lite sour cream (don't use fat free)
1. Rub roast on all sides with salt and pepper. You can use steak seasoning if you have it too. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in heavy frying pan, add roast and brown well on all sides. (Don't rush this step., it may take 15-20 minutes to get the roast nicely browned.) When roast is well-browned, place in crockpot.
2. While roast browns, peel onions and cut into slices at least 1/2 inch thick. Heat addditional 1 T olive oil in pan, then add onions and paprika and saute onions until lightly browned, turning often to brown all the onion slices. Put onions in crockpot on top of and around the roast.
3. Add 2 cups beef stock to frying pan, scraping off any browned bits and simmering until beef stock is reduced to about 1 cup. Pour in crock pot.
3. Drain jar of roasted red peppers, then cut into lengthwise slices about 1/2 inch thick. Put sliced peppers and canned tomatoes into crockpot, seasoning with black pepper.
4. Cook on high for about 4 hours, or until roast feels tender when pierced with a fork. When roast is tender, remove meat, let cool a few minutes, and then cut into thick slices.
5. While meat cools enough to handle, strain liquid into frying pan (catching the vegetables) and simmer over medium high heat to reduce for gravy. Add a small amount of the liquid to the sour cream and whisk together, then whisk that mixture back into the juice in the pan for easier combining without lumps.
6. Put meat and vegetables back in the crockpot (or deep skillet). Pour sour cream gravy back over meat and vegetables in crockpot and cook about 20-30 minutes more, or until heated through. Serve hot.
Austrian Potato Salad
This no-mayo recipe comes from my beloved Cooks Illustrated magazine. Make sure you cook the potatoes through fully so the "sauce" will be creamy! I made this on Sunday to take to the Super Bowl Party we were invited to. It's always a big hit!
Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 large)
peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1/2" thick slices
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
Table salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small red onion chopped fine
6 cornichons, minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons fresh chives
Ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Bring potatoes, broth,water, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar, and 1 tablespoon vinegar to boil in 12 inch heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes offer no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to high (so cooking liquid will reduce), and cook 2 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes in colander set over a large bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Set drained potatoes aside. Pour off and discard all but 1/2 cup cooking liquid (if 1/3 cup liquid does not remain, add water to make 1/2 cup). Whisk remaining tablespoon vinegar, mustard, and oil into cooking liquid.
3. Add 1/2 cup cooked potatoes to bowl with cooking liquid mixture and mash with potato masher or fork until thick sauce forms (mixture will be slightly chunky). Add remaining potatoes, onion, cornnichons, and chives, folding gently with rubber spatula to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
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