Daring Cooks: Moo Shu

Blog-checking lines: The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

This, I think was my favorite Daring Cooks challenge so far. It was absolutely delicious! Not all of the ingredients made it into my Moo Shu, because I got a little frazzled, but it was so good that next time I make it (and trust me, there will be a next time) I won't even bother to add them. The hoisin sauce was AMAZING, easy to make, and made from pantry staples plus it provided plenty of leftovers that were consumed throughout the week. The Moo Shu sent me on a cabbage eating binge like you would not believe. Making the pancakes was a lot of work, and they didn't really taste like anything, they were a good conduit for the meat and sauce, but next time I would happily eat this plain, over rice, or on a store bought tortilla, which would also make this more of an everyday meal (less work). Can you guess when I actually made this, I have been sitting on this post, dying to share it for a bit of time. (Hint: look for lots of cabbage and something else with hoisin sauce). Anyway, enjoy the deliciousness!

Moo Shu Pork:
1 pork loin, about 3/4 lb
1/2 head of green cabbage
1 bunch of scallions
1 package of gourmet mushrooms
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of canola oil
salt, pepper, chili powder

Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Finely chop the pork and add to the oil, cook until browned slightly, about 1 minute. Chop the cabbage, scallions and mushrooms and add to the pan. Add the vinegar and soy sauce and cook until cabbage softens, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and chili powder to taste.

Hoisin Sauce:
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp (or more) of Sriracha
1 1/2 tbsp of molasses
2 tbsp of almond butter
2 tsp of white vinegar
2 tsp of sesame oil
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth and combined.

Pancakes:
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of wheat flour
1/2 tsp of canola oil
3/4 cup of boiling water

Put the flour in a food processor with the dough blade and pulse a few times. While the machine is running pour in water and oil. Remove the dough from the processor, roll into a ball and cover with a damp towel, let stand 30 minutes. Return to the food processor and run until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Dive in half and roll into a long log, cut each log into 7 pieces, keep dough covered when you aren't using it. Roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Roll the disks out into a 6-8 inch circle. Heat a pan on high heat, then put on medium-low, cook pancakes until light brown spots appear, do not flip. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Happy Eating.

Chicken Tetrazzini

I love a good casserole, they are so hearty and filling and can warm you from the inside. I was looking for something creamy and delicious, that wasn't a million calories, when I stumbled across this casserole from Cooking Light, which inspired me to make my own version. I added a substantial amount of broccoli to really stretch the dish and so that I could eat a gigantic portion guilt free. A piece the size in the picture below (1/6th of the casserole) is under 350 calories, a very reasonable dinner portion. So enjoy some deliciousness absolutely guilt free (and eat the leftovers for lunch).

Chicken Tetrazzini:
2 heads of broccoli, chopped and steamed
1/2 lb of angel hair pasta, broken in half and cooked
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I boiled mine)
1/2 tbsp of butter
1 small onion
1 package of mixed gourmet mushrooms
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 cup of sherry wine
1/3 cup of flour
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of reduced fat, shredded, mozzarella cheese
1/4 cups of plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup of Parmesan

First, prep work, cook the chicken, broccoli and pasta (this could be done in advance too). Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with non-stick and add pasta, broccoli, and chicken and mix together. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt butter, chop onion and add to butter. Chop mushrooms and add as well, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until onions soften, about 3 minutes, add sherry and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in flour, mixing constantly, cook for 3 minutes, stirring to ensure flour doesn't burn, this will be very thick. Stir in stock and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, stir until smooth. Add in mozzarella and stir until melted. Pour mixture over the noodle mixture and stir to combine. Top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Happy Eating.

Shrimp and Pasta Stir Fry

This week is an interesting experiment, it's called using up all the things in the fridge, freezer and pantry that I forgot I had. We didn't go grocery shopping this weekend because we were suppose to be getting a lovely vegetable box delivered from Pure Organics (I got a groupon). Then the day before the box was suppose to come, they are suddenly out of business (don't worry, I got my money back). I am extremely disappointed that I won't get my lovely fresh veggies, and too lazy to go grocery shopping during the week, so I will just have to see how much I can put the furthest and most forgotten corners of my pantry to work. Fortunately, I still have some leftover veggies. The tomatoes in this are actually from my garden (or the tomato jungle as I like to think of it). So here is a delicious and fridge/pantry cleaning hodge podge of pasta, veggies, and shrimp in an Asian-y sauce.

Shrimp and Pasta Stir Fry:
1/2 lb of spaghetti
1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbsp of flour
Canola oil
2 onions
1/4 of head of cabbage
1 can of fancy bamboo shoots, drained
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of hoisin sauce
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
2 tsp of sesame oil
Sriracha
Salt, pepper, and chili powder
Cook spaghetti to package directions for al dente. In the mean time, heat a thin layer of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Slice the onion and cabbage and add to the pan, when it's hot. Cook until cabbage wilts slightly and onions start to brown, about 3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until cabbage is soft, about 5-7 minutes more. Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and chili powder and toss with the flour. Remove cabbage from the pan and set aside. Raise heat to high and add a little more oil to the pan, cook shrimp until browned and pink, stirring once or twice, about 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage back to the pan, and add bamboo shoots, tomatoes, garlic, and cooked pasta. In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin, soy sauce, and vinegar and add to the pasta and veggies and stir. Add sriracha to taste and stir in. Sprinkle with sesame oil before serving.

Happy Eating.

Apple Quinoa Salad

It's been awhile since I've shared a delicious side dish. To be honest, I have been making this for lunch, where half the recipe makes a perfectly sized, wonderfully healthy, and amazingly yummy lunch for me. But it also makes a great fall side or salad, filled with the best of the season apples and mushrooms. Plus, I don't know if it's the color, but something about red quinoa absolutely screams fall to me. This salad is good hot or cold, although I prefer it cold. If you are serving it cold, it can be made in advance, just leave the lettuce out until right before you serve it. If you are serving it hot, stir the apples and the lettuce in right at the end, so they don't go soggy. Enjoy a wonderful, healthy, seasonal meal or side!

Apple Quinoa Salad:
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of red quinoa (raw)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of mushrooms, pieces
2 tablespoons of almonds, sliced
1/2 an apple
1 cup of lettuce
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt, pepper

Bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa and the garlic. Cover and reduce to a simmer, cook until liquid has absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove lid and add mushrooms and stir, cook until mushrooms are tender, about 3-4 minutes. Toast the almonds in the oven and stir into quinoa. Let the quinoa cool. Chop the half apple and add to the quinoa. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Chop the apple and the lettuce and stir into the cooled quinoa. Toss together, add dressing and toss again. Season with salt and pepper.

Happy Eating.

Braised Pork Chops

Fall... My absolute favorite season. Chilly weather, jackets, vibrant colors, and warming meals make this season so wonderful. It sneaks up on you overnight, and all the sudden it's time to bust out all those old cooking techniques that haven't been used since last Winter, like braising. Braising, it even sounds warm! This was a new way to cook pork chops for me, and I really loved it, they were absolutely infused with the flavor from the cooking liquid. It's the perfect dish for serving with some rice and roasted veggies!

Braised Pork Chops:
3 boneless pork chops
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup of sherry wine
2/3 cups of water
1/2 tsp of onion powder
salt, pepper

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown both sides. In the mean time stir together the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, and Dijon. Pour over the pork chops and add the sherry, water, and onion powder. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 40 minutes. Remove pork from liquids and turn heat to high, and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 3 minutes. Serve pork topped with sauce. Enjoy!

Happy Eating.

Tandoori Grilled Chicken

I haven't cooked a whole chicken in awhile, well that's not entirely true. It's just in a different form. Summer's version of the whole chicken, is grilling a whole, split chicken. A split chicken is a wonderful thing, it's just a regular chicken with the backbone removed and chopped in half. Then you can easily grill the two halves, which lie flat on the grill. This is my FAVORITE marinade for the chicken. The yogurt keeps the chicken super moist and it's got a lovely smokey, slightly spicy flavor. You can eat the grilled skin, or pull it off and the chicken tastes amazing either way. The leftovers make a wonderful lunch sandwich or salad topper.

Tandoori-Style Chicken:
1 Split chicken, about 4-5 lbs
3/4 cup of Greek yogurt
1 lemon
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of ginger
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and put in a freezer bag. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon and seasonings. Add to the chicken bag, and seal the bag. Shake, and press the bag until the chicken is coated. Marinate in the fridge overnight. Pre-heat the grill. Place chicken on the grill skin side down, and cook for 20 minutes, flip the chicken and cook on the meat side until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, but will vary based on the size of the chicken. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Happy Eating.

Roasted Garlic and Sausage Pasta

Do you ever just crave something really garlicky? I don't know what it is but for me that flavor is the ultimate in deliciousness and the ultimate in comfort food. As this extreme rain seems intent on keeping me away from the grill, I am back to the stove and the oven for dinners. So I decided to whip up some delicious pasta with a fresh "sauce" in honor of the beautiful head of garlic I was staring at, and the brand new bottle of truffle oil gracing my shelves. Roasting the garlic first, makes the flavor shine but not over power and it goes perfectly with mushrooms and delicious, wonderful truffle oil. Enjoy!

Also, congratulations to Deb from knitstamatic, for winning the Coconut Oil Giveaway!

Roasted Garlic and Sausage Pasta:
1/2 head of garlic
2 Pork Sausages
2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 lb of spaghetti
5 oz of gourmet sliced mushrooms (1 package)
1 lb of tomatoes
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese
salt, pepper
truffle oil (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Roast the garlic (whole and unpeeled) for an hour until the garlic is soft. This can be done ahead of time. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausages. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl. Peel 3 cloves of the roast garlic, smash them lightly and add to the oil. Make the spaghetti according to the package directions for al dente. Brown the sausage on all sides and cover with a lid to cook almost through, about 6 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan and add half the garlicy oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften, about 3-4 minutes. Chop the tomato and add that to the pan as well. Add the crushed red pepper. Thinly slice the rest of the roasted garlic and add to the pan. Slice the sausage and return to the pan, cook until opaque through out, then turn the stove off. When pasta is cooked, reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water and add to the sausage, drain the pasta and add to the pan. Pour in the rest of the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Happy Eating.

Short Ribs and Barley

This recipe is a little out of season, I'll admit it. It's a little more fall/winter comfort food, than light summer fare. But it's been raining almost non-stop here and somehow it feels like fall is right around the corner (I can't believe how fast this summer went). This easy, slow cooker feast is so incredibly delicious that I know I will be making it all fall and winter. I bought bone in short ribs by accident and I am so glad that I did, the bones add so much beefy flavor to the broth, and by the time it's done cooking the meat falls clean off the bone. So if it's wet and cold where you are, make this right now, and if it's still summery, definitely keep this deliciousness in you back pocket for when fall comes.

Don't forget to enter the Coconut Oil Giveaway before Friday!

Short Ribs and Barley:
1 medium yellow onion
1 shallot
5 oz of mushrooms, shitake or exotic blend (1 package)
2 cloves of garlic
4 cups of beef stock, low sodium
1/4 cup of dry sherry wine
1 cup of pearled barley, raw
1 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 lbs of bone in short ribs, 2 or 3 ribs
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper

Heat a small pan over high heat. While it's heating, thinly slice onions and shallots and add to a slow cooker. Add in mushrooms. Mince garlic and add as well. Pour in stock and sherry and stir. Add barley, salt and pepper and stir. Run the short ribs with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear in the pan on all sides until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add to the top of the slow cooker and press down into the liquid. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove meat from the slow cooker and pull out the bones, this will be extremely easy. Shred meat. Serve a bowl full of barley topped with some meat.

Happy Eating.

Sesame Chicken

One of my least favorite things about moving is having to figure out new take out places. You have your go to pizza place, and your never fail Chinese after trying every single place in a 5 mile radius, and then all of the sudden you move and you have to start over. We moved in May, and while we have the pizza situation under control, we are still working out the Chinese. So after a handful of disappointments, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This was delicious! Better than any of the take out places we've tried. I'm sure we will continuing questing for that perfect Chinese takeout (I haven't mastered lo mein yet), but in the meantime this is a pretty delicious (and much lighter) substitution.

PS: Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a 32 oz jar of Virgin Coconut Oil.

Sesame Chicken:
1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 egg whites
1/4 cup of corn starch
3 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp of sesame seeds
salt, pepper
Canola oil
Heat a large skillet over high heat, and lightly coat the bottom with canola oil. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Whisk together the eggs and corn starch in a medium bowl. When smooth, add chicken in and stir to coat. Pan fry chicken, in a few batches being careful not to over crowd the pan. Flip chicken occasionally, until golden all around and opaque throughout, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cook remaining chicken. Meanwhile, make the sauce by stirring together the soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. When all the chicken is cooked return it to the pan and stir in the sauce. Cook until the chicken has rewarmed and sauce is distributed, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice or veggies (or both). (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Daring Cooks Potato Salad

Blog-checking lines: Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

***This post won 3rd place in the Daring Cook's contest hosted by the United States Potato Board***

I could not have been more excited about this month's daring cooks challenge. I love potaotoes, and generally hate potato salad. The cold, creamy, mayoed up stuff hardly tastes like the glorious root vegetable that is it's chief ingredient. So as I was looking through diverse and mouthwatering potato salads in the daring kitchen, I realized, just becasue that thick mayo version is what I first think of when someone says potato salad, doesn't mean that is the only one. So I set out to make a completely delicious, non-creamy, warm potato salad, and the resulting recipe is simple, fresh, healthy and absolutely delicious.

Grilled Potato Salad:
4 medium-large red potatoes
1 bunch of asparagus
1 medium shallot
4 tsp of olive oil, divided
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp champangne vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.
Plus additional salt and pepper

Chop potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Fill a pot with water and season with salt. Bring water to a boil and add potatoes. Cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Let potatoes cool, or chill briefly, until they are around room temperature. Pre-heat the grill. Season potatoes with salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Cook the potatoes in a foil packet, or a vegetable basket on the grill until golden and cooked through. In the mean time, cut the ends off the asparagus and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place asaparagus on a vegetable griller, or directly on the grill and grill until slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Remove potatoes from grill and put in a large bowl. Chop cooked asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to the bowl as well. Whisk together the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes and asparagus and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Happy Eating

Grilled Salad Pizza

So you may notice an uptick in the number of grilling recipes in the next coming month, and yes it has to do with summer, but more so that I just got a brand new grill! I am absolutely in love with it, and everything that comes off it. Grilling just makes it better. So I decided to grill some pizza, which was the most fantastic idea because pizza (the restaurant kind) is cooked at extremely high temperatures, way higher than your broiler can go. The grill gets significantly hotter than the oven, so the pizza comes out delicious crisp with that amazing crustiness. I love thin crust pizza, and it happens to be easier (in my opinion) to make (you don't have to worry about the crust puffing up), so I make it every chance I get. I usually make the crust the night before and let it rise in the fridge, so I can spend the whole day dreaming what to put on it...

1/2 Wheat Crust:
1 packet of dry active yeast
3/4 cups of warm water, about 110 degrees
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt

In the food processor fitted with the dough blade, add water and yeast, let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Add olive oil, flours and salt and process until a dough forms. Continue processing until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-7 minutes. Lightly grease or oil a bowl and place dough in it to rise, cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter until doubled in size, 1-2 hours, or refridgerate overnight. Makes one large pizza.

Pizza:
1 batch of dough
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 large vidalia onion
2 oz of goat cheese
1/2 of part skim mozzerella
2 cloves of garlic
2 packed cups of spring mix salad (or spinach, or other salad greens)
Olive oil
salt, pepper

Pre-heat the grill. Bring dough to room temperature. Roll the dough out as thin as possible, so that it just doesn't rip. This will take some time, eventually the dough will stop "springing" back. My pizza was very thin, and a rough circle, about 15 inches in diametar. Place dough on a cutting board or pizza slider. Slice tomatoes and onions and spread evenly over the dough, sprinkle with cheeses. Transfer the pizza to the grill, and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Mince garlic. Add garlic and sping mix to the pizza, and cover and cook for another minute. Remove pizza from the grill using tongs/giant spatula to help. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Slice with a pizza cutter, makes 8 large slices.

Happy Eating.

Banana Oat Pancakes

This short week has me in a fantastic mood! Something about starting over on Tuesday, instead of Monday, just makes the week fly by. I turn around and it's almost the weekend! For me, that means one thing, delicious, wonderful breakfasts!!! I eat breakfast absolutely everyday, it's my favorite meal, but during the week it's usually a smoothie as I'm flying out the door. On the weekends I like to slow it down, and one of my favorite new ways to do that (with out slowing me down, or fattening me up) are these absolutely delectable banana oat pancakes. They are delicious and a super healthy way to start your moving. I like to serve mine topped with fresh fruit and maybe a drizzle of maple syrup, or I will cook down some cherries or blueberries to make a little fruit sauce. Enjoy!

Banana Oat Pancakes:
1 medium banana
1 cup of quick oats
1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup of liquid egg whites
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Sliced fruit and/or maple syrup for serving

In a blendor, combine the banana, oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend until a thick batter forms, it should be relatively smooth. Heat a griddle pan or a skillet over medium heat, and spray with non stick. Pour/scoop the batter out into silver dollar sized pancakes. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes, then flip and cook until golden on the other side, about 2 minutes more. This makes about 8 to 10 silver dollar pancakes, and serves two mindful eaters.

Nutrition Info:
1 serving (half of the batter, cooked, may vary by brand of ingredients used)
264 calories, 3g of fat, 18g of protein, 45g of carbs, 6g of fiber

Happy Eating.

Palella

It's Summer!!! Officially, and I have the sun burn to prove it. Do your eating habbits change in the summer? Mine definitely do. Something about the warm weather, makes me want to switch up everything I eat. So while all winter long, when I needed that saffron fix, I made risotto, now it's Palella time! Now that I have a grill, I would like to figure out how to grill this (because what doesn't taste better on the gril?!), but in the mean time, here is a quick palella that you can make in the oven and tastes just like your on the beach in Spain!

Palella:
2 chorizo style sausage links, raw
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 vidalia onion
1 bell pepper
1 garlic clove
2 cups of rice, medium grain
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp saffron
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 medium tomato
1 can of artichokes, drained and washed
1 lb of mussels
1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt, pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and position rack in the center. Grease a stone or metal baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and put in oven while pre-heating. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the chorizo into 1/2 inch slices and put in the pan. Cook until edges are charred and the chorizo is fragrant, about 2 minutes, set chorizo asside. Add remaining olive oil to the pan. Cut chicken into small chunks and season with salt and pepper. Add to the hot pan and brown on all sides. Lower heat to medium. Dice the onion, garlic, and pepper and add to the pan and cook until onions soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Add rice to the pan and "toast" until slightly opaque, about two minutes. Add stock, paprika, saffron, and sherry vinegar and stir. Pour the contents of the pan into the prepared baking dish. Cook for 15 minutes. Dice tomato, and cut the artichokes in half. Add the tomato, reserved chorizo, artichokes to palella, and gently stir to combine, trying not to disturb the very bottom layer of rice (so a crust forms). Cook until the all the stock is absoarbed, about 10 minutes longer. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Add mussels to the palella as well. Cook until the shrimp turn pink and the mussels open, about 3-4 minutes. Enjoy! (adapted from epicurious)

Happy Eating.

Turkey Enchiladas

I love Mexican food, and since Cinco de Mayo was right in the middle of my moving process, I've decided to celibrate a bit late, with an easy Cassorale, known as Enchiladas. I usually go for more of the crispy things, I usually pick hard taco shells, I'll take nachos over quesadillas any day. So I have always been a little wary of enchiladas, they are definitely in the soft family. However, they are amazing. The corn tortillas really absoarb the sauce and transform into the soft and delicious crust type thing, it's magical. I could just eat that part, but then you throw in cheese, meat, and sauteed veggies. Yum! I can't believe I ever had an aversion to this, I really need to expand my textural horizons, I wonder what else I have been missing? The recipe may seem a little long and complicated, but it's really very easy and comes together quickly, you could also use store bought enchilada sauce to save yourself some time.

Turkey Enchiladas:
For the sauce:
8 oz of canned tomato sauce, plain
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1 1/4 tsp of chili powder
1 1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/4 tsp celery salt (or regular salt)
1/4 tsp of pepper

For the filling:
1/2 lb of ground turkey breast meat
1 medium yellow onion
1 poblano pepper
1/2 bell pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 cup of chicken stock, low sodium

For assembley:
8 whole corn toritillas, small sized
1/2 cup of 2% cheddar cheese, sharp
1/2 cup of 2% Mexican blend cheese, divided

To make the sauce bring the tomato sauce and paste to a simmer, stir until the paste is disolved into sauce, add seasonings and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Cool and refridgerate until ready to use. (can be made up to a few days in advance, I made mine in the morning for dinner that night).

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the turkey meat in a big clump to brown. Dice the onion and peppers. Using a wooden spoon, brake up the meat in the pan, add the onions and peppers and stir everything together. Lower heat to medium-low. Add in the spices and stir so everything is coated. When turkey starts to stick, add chicken stock and stir. When the stock has been absoarbed, remove from heat. Coat the bottom of a small casserole dish with about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. Warm the tortillas in a microwave (or under hot water, or in the oven carefully) until they soften. Spread them out, and fill each one with 1/8 of the meat mixture (doing them all at once ensures all the meat gets used and evenness). Top the meat with a small spoonfull of sauce. Take 1/4 cup of the Mexican cheese and divide it between the enchiladas. One at a time roll each one, and place in the casserole dish seem side down (don't worry is a little escapes). Repeat until they are all gone, and the dish is full. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas, bake for 20 minutes, then top with the cheddar and remaining Mexican cheese. Return to the oven, turn on the broiler. Broil until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Enjoy!

I almost forgot to mention, but this adaptation is also very healthy. They were so tasty and tasted so sinful, I almost forgot they were also healthy and a very reasonable low calorie dinner option (with some portion control of course).

Nutrition Info:
Serving Size: 2 Enchiladas
313 Calories, 8g fat, 24g protein, 35g carbs, 4g fiber

Happy Eating

Chinese Beef Buns

I LOVE Chinese food. And not just your typical dumplings and lo mein. I love to try new things and try and find rarer and more authentic dishes. One of my favorites is dim sum, it speaks to my love of all things tapas, and you get to try so many different things. Not living in a city, there are not a lot of places to find these exciting and delicious dishes. So when I was there Beef Buns over at Anncoo Journal, I knew I had to try and make them. I am so glad I did, the pleating is a little difficult, and this is definitely more time consuming than whipping up a stir fry or fried rice, but they are so delicious and immpressive it is totally worth it. The dough is so versatile too, I can't wait to come up with new filling ideas and try it again. The recipe makes 16 buns, I made half and froze the other half (before cooking), that way I can just thaw them and have them again, maybe I will steam the next batch. They look like little presents when you serve them, and the outside is like a tender roll, hiding a delicious meatly punch on the inside! So whip up a batch, and try something new, it's easier than it seems!

Dough:
2/3 cup water, 110-120 degrees
1 /4 tsp dry active yeast
1 cup Bread flour
1 cup All purpose flour
1 tsp Icing sugar
1 tsp Salt
Canola oil for frying

Filling:
2 chard leaves and stems
1 handful of cilantro
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
6 oz Ground beef
1 tbsp Corn meal
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 tbps of soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

Mix the yeast and the water until yeast is dissolved, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Sift both flours, the sugar, and the salt into a large bowl. Add the yeast-water mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Form the dough into a ball and knead, adding in more water or flour as necessary to form a smooth but tacky dough (I needed 2 extra tablespoons of water). Knead for about 5 minutes until smooth. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. To test the dough for readiness, poke it with your finger, if the dent remains and does not spring back, the dough is ready.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a food processor, chop onion, garlic, chard and cilantro until minced finely. In a medium bowl stir together beef, chard mixture, egg, corn meal, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover and refridgerate until ready to use.

Cut the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a circle and place a spoonful of filling in the center of each pancake. Place a filled circle in your non-dominent hand and use your other hand to fold pleats in the dough to seal the buns, see this video for further instructions and a handy demonstration. I found that I got better with each bun. The hardest part is keeping the filling from touching the edges of the dough, if it does the dough does not stick as well and they are harder to seal. To cook the sealed buns coat the bottom of a pan with a thin layer of canola (or similar) oil and turn heat to medium. When the oil is hot and the buns, seam side down and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. (adapted from Anncoo Journal)

Happy Eating.

Daring Cooks Ceviche

Blog-checking lines: Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau. And Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.

I am so excited to be participating in my first Daring Cooks Challenge! And what I great first challenge for a fish lover! I have eaten fish cooked every way (or not cooked at all), but I have always been nervous to play around with alternate cooking methods for fish, for fear of not fresh enough seafood. This was just the kick I needed. Ceviche is fish that has been "cooked" in citrus juice. It was so easy to make and so amazingly delicious. It was also really cool to watch the fish cook, and change color from the citrus juice. I choose Corvina, because it's South American, and it looked incredibly fresh and delicious in the store, but any firm white and mild flavored fish, or scallops can be used. This was a fantastic challenge and here is my adaption of the recipe and the rest of my Peruvian inspired meal below.

Ceviche:
1 lb of Corvina or other mild flavor, firm texture white fish
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 garlic clove
2 limes
2 lemons
1 handful of fresh cliantro
1/2 small red onion
1/2 an avocado

Mince the garlic, cilantro, 1/2 of the onion and and jalapeno. Cut the fish into small bite size pieces. Mix the fish with the garlic, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon and lime juice in and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionly. Then chill before serving. Serve with sliced red onion and diced avocado. (adapted from Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes)

I also tried to make the papas rellanas, but forgot to crust the meatballs in potatoes (oops). What I ended up with was a giant (but still delicious) Scotch Egg and a side of mashed potatoes, making this a very unusual but extremely tasty meal.

Scotch egg:
8 oz of ground beef
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 cup of water
3 hardboiled eggs
1 egg
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of panko
salt, pepper
2 tbsp of canola oil

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add ground beef. Mince onion and garlic (no need to be exact you are going to food prosessor it later). Add the onion and garlic to the beef along with the spices. Cook for 3 minutes, then deglaze with water and scrape up the browned bits. Allow mixture to cool, then transfer to the food processor. Pulse until the meat is very fine and sticks together easily. Arrange a breading station. Beat egg in one bowl, have one bowl of flour seasoned lightly with salt and pepper and one bowl of bread panko. Take a peeled hardboiled egg and run it under water, then pack a handfull of meat around the egg to shape it into a ball. Roll that in flour, then in the egg white, and then in the panko. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry the meat encrusted eggs on all side until golden. Serve with mustard (or mashed potatoes and ceviche, if your me).

Happy Eating.

Mardi Gras Rice

I love spicy and cajun and the delicious flavors of New Orleans and Mardi Gras. I also love not weighing 300 lbs, and with my baking habbits that means eating some lightened up dishes during the week. That does not mean I am willing to sacrafice flavor at all, however. Or miss celebrating a random holiday! Food should taste good, better than good, amazing. This rice tastes AMAZING, you would never guess that it's healthy (assuming you don't eat the whole pot yourself, all things in moderation). So feel free to be festive with this New Orleans inspired rice dish, and lighten up your Fat Tuesday.

Mardi Gras Rice:
1 tsp canola oil
1 bell pepper
2 small onions
1 jalapeno
3 celery stacks
8 oz of chicken or lean turkey sausage
1/2 29 oz can of plum tomatoes, drained
3 garlic cloves
1 can of black beans, drained rinse
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
3/4 cup of uncooked rice
Salt, pepper

In a medium-large pot heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Chop the bell pepper (any color will do, I actually used half a yellow and half an orange because, amazingly that's what I had), into small squarish pieces. Add to the pot. Chop the onions the same way and add to the pan. Stir the pot occasionally and adjust heat as necessary so nothing burns. Dice the jalapeno and add to the pan (I used the ribs and seeds, but feel free to remove them to reduce heat, but this wasn't really spicy with it, just had a little kick). Chop the celery and add to the pan. Cadditional. Remove sausage from the casing and squeeze into the pan, stir in. Cook the mixture until everything has softened slightly, about 5-7 minutes. Chop the tomatoes and add to the pot, mince the garlic and add as well. Add the rinsed and drained beans and the broth. Stir in the rice and cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is fluffy, about 25-30 minutes. Remove lid and stir, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 as a main dish.

Happy Eating.

Pan Seared Swordfish

Part of my blog-a-versery goals for this year was more fish to makes it's way here. This goes amazingly with one of my New Year's resolution, which is to eat more fish. Hmmm... Cook more fish, eat more fish, that definitely goes well together. So far I have been doing very well with the eating more fish, and I am moving along nicely with the cooking more fish. Today I have this delicious swordfish steak for you. Swordfish is a great "beginner" fish, it has a very mild flavor and it cooks similarly to a steak. It is great for grilling, broiling or pan searing. I pan seared mine very simply, and served it with roasted potatoes, onions and turnips. Eating the side reminded me of the cold and how much longer there is left in winter, but the fish tasted very fresh and summery. I think the plate definitely reflects my weather attitude, that is if it is going to insist on being this cold, I would like some more snow, but otherwise bring on the warm weather! Either way, this swordfish is delicious and great if you are not a big fish lover. If you are a fish lover (like me) stay tuned because I have a more "advanced" dinner coming up.



Pan Seared Swordfish:
1 lb sword fish steak, about 1 inch thick
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1 lemon
1/2 lime
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper, squeeze with the lime juice, and the juice of half the lemon. When the pan is hot, place fish in the pan and cook for 2 minutes, lower heat to medium and cook an additional 3 minutes. Meanwhile dice the shallots and the garlic and add them to the pan. Flip the fish and cook for 5 minutes. Cut the fish into 2 steaks for serving. Serve with a lemon wedge from the reserved lemon half.



Roasted Potatoes, Onions, and Turnips:
1/2 lb of red potatoes
1 large turnip, peeled
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of chili powder
2 tbsp of olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the potatoes, turnip, and onion into large bite size pieces. Lightly grease a small casserole dish and put veggies in it. Mince the garlic. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and chili powder to the dish and toss together. Sprinkle with olive oil and toss until everything is coated. Bake until potatoes are tender on the inside and crisp on the outside, about 35 minutes, depending on the cut of your veggies.

Happy Eating.

Brown Sugared Pork Loin

This recipe is beyond simple. It's also beyond delicious. And the very simple reason for that is the meat thermometer. I am currently in love with my meat thermometer, it ensures that you have a perfectly cooked roast every time. I don't have any kind of fancy thermometer, just a cheap and pointy thing you shove into the meat every so often. So get yours out, or go buy one, check it obsessively, and roast something to to it's exact delicious temperature. Also remember, the internal temperature will rise a little while resting. I highly recommend reading/browsing the Field Guide to Meat for more information and temperature times, it also has really handy charts of pretty much every conceivable cut of meat. It is truly amazing how much better meat tastes when it's cooked perfectly.



Brown Sugar Pork Loin:
1 2-3 lb boneless pork loin
3 yellow onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 cup of chicken stock
2 tbsp of olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Chop the onions and mince the garlic, put them in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Mix together the sugar and spices. Rub the pork with the spice mixture so that all parts are covered, sprinkle any remaining mixture over the onions. Put the pork on top of the onions and drizzle pork and onions with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue cooking until a meat thermometer registers 150-155 degrees, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes, covered, before serving. This will yield a delicious and medium/medium-well cooked pork loin, with a slightly pink center. Serve in thick slices.



Happy Eating.

Surf and Turf Skewers

Sometimes, even though it is freezing cold and 100% winter, I need a little taste of summer to keep me going. I need to pseudo-grill, and I am willing to pay exorbitant prices for fresh herbs that I used to have in my garden (for free, well not free, but pretty much). Sometimes I really want fish, but the boyfriend really wants steak. And I think, hey I think there is a name for that, I believe they call it "Surf and Turf". No I don't have lobster for you, I wish I did, but it's a little harder to (and more expensive) to come by, but I do have a smaller shellfish cousin (and some steak) in a lovely herbaceous and garlicky marinade, to chase away all your winter blues.



Surf and Turf Skewers:
3/4 lb of shrimp
1 Strip Steak
1 green pepper
1 poblano pepper
2 onions
Marinade:
1/2 cup of parsley
1 cup of cilantro
1/2 shallot
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 lime, juiced
3/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

In a food processor pulse the parsley, cilantro, shallot, and garlic until finely chopped and slightly paste like. Add in the olive oil and citrus juice, and pulse a few times until incorporated. Stir in salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cut the steak into large bite size chunks, roughly the same size. Put them in a plastic bag, and spoon in about a third of the marinade, enough to coat the pieces. Marinade for at least 30 minutes. Soak bamboo skewers in water. Pre-heat the boiler with the rack in the upper third of the oven, and line the broiler pan with tinfoil and grease. Peel and devein shrimp, put in a container with an additional third of the marinade, stirring so all shrimp are coated. Cut the peppers and onion into large bite size pieces. Skewer the veggies. Place them on the broiler pan and into the oven. Next, skewer the meat. Add them to the pan when the veggies have been cooking for about 5 minutes. Finally, skewer the shrimp, and add them to the pan when the meat has been cooking for about 4 minutes. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until meat is cooked to desired level and shrimp are pink and curled. Remove from the oven. Serve with rice or your favorite starchy side.



Happy Eating.