Small Plates

For Kiran

This dinner was planned for Friday, but my cousin Kiran was a little impatient. So I switched things up just for her! So here it is, Smothered Chicken over Mashed Potatoes.

Ever-flexible Stir-fry

This plate only vaguely resembles the original recipe in Going Solo in the Kitchen. But it sure was tasty.

The original recipe is called Beef with Peppers, and called for 3/4 cup sliced onion, 1 cup red peppers, 1/2 cup green peppers, stock ,and soy sauce. Well, I hate green peppers, and had other ideas.

2 t vegetable (or canola or peanut) oil
4oz steak (I had sirloin on hand), sliced thinly on the bias (diagonally)
3/4 cup sliced onion
3/4 cup diced red bells (that's all I had, pre-chopped)
1 carrot, sliced thinly
handful of sliced mushrooms
pinch of cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup stock (beef or chicken--I had chicken on hand)
1 T soy sauce
squirt of sriracha

Heat oil in a pan until nice and hot. Add steak strips and cook for about 30 seconds. The steak is so thin, it should cook very quickly. Remove steak using a slotted spoon to another dish. (I just used the bowl I would eventually eat in.)  Add in onions, bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms and cook until a bit tender. I added a pinch of salt. Add stock and soy sauce and cook until vegetables are done to your preference. Add in sriracha, mix. Add beef, and then finally add in the chopped cilantro.

With most of the vegetables pre-sliced, this done in less than 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Enjoy.

As someone who's always been a raging carnivore, it's interesting to see that I don't need a lot of meat to be thoroughly satisfied.

Basta Pasta

I can't believe it's only 8:30. It feels like the middle of the night. After all the prepping, I just wanted to go to bed. But it was only 6pm. Bears are so much smarter than we are. Why can't we hibernate, too?

ANYHOW. This Asian Peanut Chicken Noodle recipe is from the CIA cookbook, and was really quick and easy. Omitting the chicken would make this an easy vegetarian option! Also, very easy to double or triple this recipe.

2 oz soba or whole wheat noodles
1 1/2 t sesame oil
4oz chicken thigh, boneless, skinless--cut into strips
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper (I had some chopped left over, so that's what I used)
1 heaping T peanut butter
1 T soy sauce
1 t rice wine vinegar
1 t sriracha (i.e., rooster sauce)
1 T cilantro, chopped
more scallions for garnish
rough chopped roasted peanuts for garnish

Boil water and cook noodles. When noodles are al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain noodles.

Heat sesame oil in a pot until it shimmers and then add the chicken thigh. Sautee until cooked, then remove chicken to a plate.

Add scallions, ginger, and garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add red bell pepper, cook another 30 seconds. Add peanut butter and soy sauce and mix into vegetables. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water and mix until creamy. Add vinegar and sriracha. Add back the chicken and noodles, combine. If sauce is too thick, use pasta water to thin. Toss in cilantro, stir, and then transfer noodles to bowl, garnish with scallions and peanuts.

It didn't take very long to cook, and it was very satisfying. I used angel hair whole wheat noodles. The only thing I would change is that I would salt the initial veggies next time. The soy sauce is almost salty enough, but not quite.

Also as someone with a bottomless appetite for pasta, I just stopped making it at home.This pre-portion-controlled recipe is a really exciting way for me to have pasta again. And the whole wheat noodles makes the thing feel as nutrionally sound as a bushel of kale.

Pot Pie Salvation

I'm sure everyone's had a day like this. Things start out crazy and skid downhill.

Work is insane. Freaking zombie documentation--I keep killing it, but it just comes back uglier. Trying to release three products, two of which are new, by Friday. Cannot wait for this week to end already.

Time kept passing, and I knew there was no way I could make dinner tonight. 7pm. 8pm. 9pm. I felt petulant. Screw dinner, I thought--I just want to go to bed.

Finally, as things started to get a bit fuzzy, I stopped and decided that a day like this couldn't end in desperation and a frozen burrito. Not when I had the ingredients for a chicken pot pie prepped.

I could do this. I WOULD do this. And I did. (Queue "We Are the Champions.")

Dinner may have been at 10pm, but it was worth the wait.

Verdict: Will repeat. Possibly weekly.

It was pretty easy, really. Leftover chicken from last night's dinner. Some chopped and briefly boiled root vegetables (I omited the turnip because turnip is made of gross.) A quick roux and some homemade chicken stock. Sauteed onions, garlic, herbs. Peas. Because peas MUST be in all chicken pot pies. It is the law. Salt. Peppers--black and red.

I did use some premade dough, but I can't say I feel too bad about it. Maybe I'll get some homemade pie dough into the freezer, but really, for a weeknight meal--this was great. A quick egg wash and into the oven.

The things I'd change: more sauce, I would double the butter and flour and would have reduced the sauce less. And that's about it. Outside of wanting more sauce, this was a treat for any night. But especially tonight.

Adapted from Going Solo in the Kitchen

2/3 cup diced potato (1/2 inch pieces)
2/3 cup diced carrot (1/2 inch pieces)
1/3-1/2 cup onion, diced
1/8 tsp minced sage
1/8-1/4 tsp minced thyme
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp butter
2 tsp flour
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken
Salt/Pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne to taste (optional)
handful of frozen peas
pie dough, cut to just a bit bigger than your baking dish
1 egg + 1 Tbsp water for egg wash (optional)

Preheat oven to 425.

Put potatoes in a small pot, cover with water, and heat until boiling. Reduce heat, boil gently for five minutes, then add carrots and take off heat. Let vegetables sit in water while doing the rest. (And basically make sure the potato isn't raw.)

In another small pot, melt butter and add onions, saute briefly. Add garlic and herbs, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or two. Add flour, and stir, cooking for another minute or two. Add stock, stirring constantly--it should thicken, though not by a lot.

Add drained vegetables and frozen peas. Add cooked chicken. Stir and then taste the seasonings.

Pour everything into a 2-cup oven-proof dish. Cover with pie dough, cut a hole in the center and make a few slashes for ventilation. Brush with the egg wash. Place dish on a cookie sheet (to catch any spills) and bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.

Let sit for 5 minutes and try not to burn your mouth.

I don't care if Monday's blue

There are two things that are hard about plans:

1. Making the plan.
2. Executing the plan.

This is an utterly brutal week at work, so maybe it wasn't the best time to start on a new cooking plan. But then again, having an actual plan worked out rather beautifully for me tonight--something to look forward to. With everything prepped over the weekend, there wasn't much labor required for tonight's meal: pasta shells with sausage, peppers, and zucchini.

(Terrible picture, I know. I am so effing tired, though. I'll do better next time. I swear.)

I had the pasta cooked over the weekend, extra from another meal. I sauteed onion and bell pepper, then added the spicy Italian chicken sausage. Then, I added the chopped zucchini and a tomato (de-seeded). And that was largely it. Everything sauteed together and then I added the pre-cooked pasta. A healthy dose of Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end, and it was a really quick and satisfying meal. I thought I would miss having a more saucy-sauce, but I didn't miss the marinara at all. The recipe made enough for two meals and this way tomorrow's lunch is dealt with. (And I don't have to eat a vat of pasta all week long.)

For vegetarians, it would be easy to substitute some meatless sausage, too.

See Food

I'm really trying to eat fish a couple of times a week. It's hard, because I'm picky and want fresh fish the day that I prepare it, but I'm working on it.

I got this intriguing recipe from a friend, and just had to try it today. Off to Greenwood Market (while it still exists) and I ended up buying more than I expected.

Most days don't call for such a feast, but today just did!

I decided I had to have caramelized shallots.

 
But what to put them on? I bought a Tall Grass baguette and made some crostini, bought some chevre, and roasted some grape tomatoes. Voila! You can't see the shallots on the bread, but believe me they're there.

 

And next up, the main course. Parmesan-puffed Tilapia.

Everything Tastes Better with Sriracha

Well, maybe not cake. But read on. The original purpose of this blog was to motivate me to eat healthier and talk about it, and not become a shrine to cake. (Not that that's a bad thing.)

Speaking of, here's my latest effort. A German chocolate cake for my friend Kelly. It was exciting. Recipe courtesy of the amazing David Lebovitz. Everything I make by him gets me hugged.

But now, less cake and more green things. And hopefully more regular postings with me proudly showing off plates full of antioxidants and flavonoids. (Don't worry; there'll always be cake, too. I haven't lost my mind or anything.)

When Love Hands You Lemons

The alternative title to this post could easily be, "It's Hard to Photograph Glass Because of All The Stupid Smudges."

Also maybe, "Don't Take Pictures By Pointing Your Lens Directly Into The Sun."  Anyhow, my sarcasm about photography aside, I have an awful lot of glorious lemons. And I can't bear that even a single one go wasted or unused because my dad sent them to me from his tree and they are delicious.

Watching Olympic athletes sweat always makes me thirsty, so I thought some lemonade was in order. I would never have been industrious enough to juice these by hand, but I did buy a simple citrus juicer awhile ago and was sure Ina Garten or Alton Brown could tell me how to make a really good batch of lemonade.

Ina did, in fact, though I modified her recipe of blending superfine sugar and water with the juice by taking the additional step of making simple syrup.

I can't believe how much excitement the blender added to this recipe. Instead of clear, the lemonade was almost frosty in appearance and absurdly delicious. I thought it would end up like a slushee, but it wasn't at all. Just very nicely cold. Suddenly, I don't seem to have an excess of lemons after all...

Fresh Lemonade

~5 lemons (should yield 1 cup of juice)
3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar (to your own taste)
1 cup crushed ice
4 cups water

Boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water until sugar dissolves. Cool.
Blend sugar-water mixture with juice from lemons, ice, and 3 cups of water.
Serve over ice. Resist drinking entire pitcher by yourself. Bon Appétit!

Small Triumphs

You know how you just don't do some things very well? Well, for me that has always been carving up roast birds. I generally watch, seethingly, as cooking pundits glide through the process, making it sound as easy as slicing bread.

But, lately, I've started roasting whole, free range organic chickens more and more. I love them, they taste great, and they last me for many days. I bought yet another free-range, organic, air-chilled bird on sale, and roasted it with my favorite recipe from my favorite, sauce-splattered French cookbook. 

This time I was determined to find those damn joints--and I did! I carved off the whole breast to slice into pieces. I found all the joints and only cut through a small portion of bone on one leg.

Apparently They are right. It does just take practice. Lots and lots of practice.

The lemons I used are from my father's tree in Los Angeles. Nothing makes me happier than when he sends me some. They taste amazing.

Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

1 bird, 3lbs-ish (any gizzards in cavity removed and discarded)
2 lemons
bundle of fresh thyme
salt and pepper
4-5 T softened butter

Preheat the oven to 450. Bring bird to room temperature. Thoroughly dry the bird and then salt and pepper liberally--inside and out. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Slice 1 lemon into two haves, squeeze the juice and pour into the cavity, and then stuff cavity with lemon halves and thyme bundle. Rub the butter over the chicken breasts. Finally, squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon over the chicken and put the chicken into the oven.

After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 400. Check after about another 40 minutes, and make sure the juices run clear when a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, or use whatever temperature measurements you go by. (Standard safety measurement for chicken thigh is 170.)

Sometimes I find that even though the temperature is fine, when carving the bird, there may be some pinkish to red parts around the dark meat. I carve the chicken, and just stick the pink pieces back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes. This way, you avoid overcooking the chicken breast.

Next up: When USPS brings you lemons, you make lemonade!

Poor Man's Biryani

So, last night I had this defrosted bit of ground beef, and I'd overloaded on bolognese recently. (Which, I didn't even think was possible.)

I really couldn't let the beef go another day, and I remembered that I had some frozen peas, too. I decided to make Keema Muttar (perhaps unsurprisingly: ground beef and peas).

I didn't have serrano peppers, but figured that would be okay to exclude. I didn't have any yogurt, though. And that was tragic. I hate eating Pakistani food (with very, very few exceptions like nihari or haleem) without yogurt. But, I was also lazy and it was late, so no yogurt for me.

This was my mom's recipe. And generally this is eaten with bread, not rice. But I wanted rice, and I didn't have any paratha or naan in the house. (A situation I need to correct soon.)  My mom was brilliant with leftovers. She knew that I was picky picky about eating anything more than two days in a row, so by the third day she would brilliantly combine things into makeshift biryani or tahiri. And that's what I did last night, to make up for the horror of not having yogurt in the house (my logic is not our earth logic). My mom would be shocked that I did this, because you wouldn't believe the fuss I'd kick up if there was no yogurt in the house. I was quite the little diva with her, wasn't I?

It's not the prettiest dish of food, I know. But it was really comforting and tasty. And today, I'm going to be sure to pick up some yogurt at the market.

Keema Muttar

Note: I think ground beef looks better, because the beef browns up so nicely. But I also love this with ground chicken.

vegetable oil, about a quarter cup
1 large onion, sliced pole-to-pole into thin strips
salt to taste
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t caynne pepper
1/4 t turmeric
1 t minced ginger
1 t minced garlic
2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
1lb ground chicken or beef or turkey
1 14 oz can of tomatoes with juice (or 2-3 chopped fresh tomatoes)
frozen peas, about a cup or more
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (can be omitted for cilantro-haters!)

Heat oil in pot. Add onions and spices and salt and cook until brown. Add garlic, ginger, and serrano peppers. Cook for a few more minutes. Add ground meat. Stir and brown until cooked. Add tomatoes and continue cooking over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tomatoes have cooked down. Add frozen peas, combine. Cook until peas are heated through and finish with cilantro. This is a little juicy, but there isn't a sauce with this.