Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Finishing out my CSA bundle for the week, I decided to make a stir fry that had both bok choy and mushrooms as ingredients. (The recipe for Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy and Mushrooms originally called for oyster mushrooms, but I went with the button mushrooms I had from the vegetable share. Food & Wine had a recipe that sounded right up my alley so I tried it out.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)

1 tablespoon sherry

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar (I only had seasoned, so I used that)

1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pack of button mushrooms, sliced (feel free to use the pre-sliced kind)

1 pack of chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 bunches of bok choy, thickly cut crosswise

1 small red bell pepper, sliced with seeds removed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

To make the sauce, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, dissolved cornstarch mixture, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper in a medium-sized jar.

Shake well and set aside. Prepare all your vegetables, ginger, and garlic.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 6 minutes.

Transfer the mushrooms to a large plate or bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add another 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan. Once heated, add the chicken and cook until just barely cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Transfer to the same dish as the mushrooms. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the bok choy and red pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Transfer to the dish. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons to the saute pan. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan. Shake the sauce in the jar and add to the pan.

Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

I really liked this dish, but I was hoping for more vegetables overall, especially more bok choy. I don’t honestly think that this would be much better with oyster mushrooms, so don’t go crazy looking for them if you can’t find them; button mushrooms were good enough. The sauce had some nice heat without being too spicy, so I will definitely try this recipe again with more veggies.

Chickpea and Spinach Stew

A friend sent me this recipe from Food & Wine, and I somehow had all of these ingredients on hand (yes, including the saffron and golden raisins… don’t judge me). This recipe said it would take 30 minutes, so I thought it would be a great weeknight meal, plus any time I can make something somewhat healthy, it’s a win.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
10 ounces baby spinach
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
Kosher salt
Pinch of saffron threads
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas with their liquid
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
Crusty bread, for serving

To cook the spinach, boil the water in a pot and add the leaves. Stir frequently until wilted (about 2 minutes). Drain the spinach in a strainer, pressing the leaves against the sides to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Coarsely chop the spinach and set aside.

In retrospect, I feel like using frozen chopped spinach that has been defrosted would work just as well, and save some time.

Using the flat side of a knife, mash the garlic into a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the saffron.

kind of coarse, but oh well

In a small bowl, mix the garlic paste, paprika, cumin, cloves, and black pepper and mash until combined.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid.

To seed the tomatoes, cut the tomato in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds.

I decided not to peel the tomato because I wanted the pieces to retain their shape. Feel free to peel them, it will make for a more soft and more incorporated into the dish.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a dutch oven or pot. Heat over high heat and add in the onion and tomato, (I forgot about the onion, oops) and stir occasionally until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add the spiced garlic sauce to the pot and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chickpeas and the liquid they came in to the pot. Add the raisins and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the spinach, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top and serve with some crusty bread.

This didn’t have as much hit-you-over-the-head flavor as I was expecting (when cumin is in a recipe, I tend to prepare for some kick). But, the more I ate, the more I really enjoyed it. If I make this in the future, I will probably use more tomato, I was really craving more. Also, I hope to remember to use onion next time! Darn me. This is one of those dishes that will probably taste better the next day, when all the flavors have time to meld. (Update: it was delicious the next day!)

it’s great as an appetizer too

Shish Kabobs with Rice

This weekend I was given quite the culinary challenge: make a meal for ten people without breaking the bank. I would be feeding everyone at the beach, so my mind immediately went to Shish Kabobs with Rice (I want summer and barbecues to be here so badly!). This is a great option for vegetarians as well, always a plus.

Living in the city does not mean you can’t enjoy this recipe. If you have a little indoor grill, that will work just fine. Due to the poor weather we had this weekend, we actually ended up broiling the shish kabobs in the oven, which worked just fine.

Ingredients (serves 10):

3 pints cherry tomatoes
1 bag of pearl onions, peeled (quick tip below)
2 green bell peppers
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
2 8 oz packages of whole mushrooms (I used cremini)
1 large zucchini
2 large summer squash
5 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into cubes
10 cups chicken stock (ideally, use vegetable stock to keep veggies truly vegetarian)
5 cups rice

Ingredients for marinade:

1 tablespoon salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 heaping tablespoon of the following dried spices: thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 2/3 cup red wine (an inexpensive table wine is fine)
5 bay leaves
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6-8 drops tabasco sauce

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Pan-Fried Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette

If you haven’t picked up on this yet, I’m quite the fan of salmon. It’s easy to make, tastes great, and is good for you. To add to my lovely salmon repertoire, I thought I’d give Food & Wine’s Pan-Fried Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette (and Asparagus) a try.

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, stalks trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets

Ok. So I cut corners & bought OJ. shh

1/4 cup lemon juice ends up being about 2 lemons

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice is equal to about one lime.

Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. When the water is boiling, drop the asparagus in, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry and transfer to a plate. Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus and toss.

In a small saute pan, mix the orange, lemon, and lime juices and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the shallot, chives, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper

Add to the saute pan, skin side up.

Cook for 3 minutes and flip. The salmon should have a nice browned sear.

Cook for another three minutes until cooked through in the center. Transfer the salmon to plates and spoon some of the citrus vinaigrette on top. Serve the salmon with the asparagus.

Ah. I love any kind of citrus with asparagus and salmon, and this was no exception. It was a quick and easy recipe too, easily made on week days. The citrus vinaigrette would be great on raw spinach as well.

Broiled Tenderloin Steaks with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

There were a couple of parts to this recipe that made me nervous to try it out: working with fresh ginger and using the broiler. The latter ended up being the more difficult part, but that was due to my all-encompassing fear of burning the beef tenderloin steaks. Overall though, this dish was a lot easier than I made it out to be. I followed this recipe almost exactly, but the original is linked here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free

1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee or Huey Fong)

3 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)

Cooking spray

1/8 teaspoon salt

Hoisin sauce and the chili garlic sauce can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. Getting to a supermarket for me is kind of a pain but I was able to find the sauce in my corner store.

Before doing anything, preheat your broiler to high. If you’re like me and have zero clue what the broiler even is, chances are it’s within your oven and you just need to press the “broil” setting. Be sure to remove everything from the oven before turning it on.

Broiling is basically the opposite of grilling—the heat source is coming from above instead of below. Because the heat is so high, really keep an eye on anything you are broiling; it can burn very very quickly. Also be sure to have an oven mitt that can withstand high temperatures. The broiler may cause some smoke so be sure to turn your exhaust fan on during cooking. Ok, time to actually start cooking…

Ginger root is much easier to work with than I imagined. It looks so intimidating but I’m glad to have this ingredient on hand—it can be used to treat nausea and is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties. The root can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated or frozen for long term use.

Boo! …See? Very intimidating

To work with ginger root, use a peeler to peel off the bark-like outer layer for the area you’ll be using. You will begin to smell ginger almost immediately. Yum.

Cut the peeled area off. You can either mince the ginger root with a knife or use a grater. As a warning, the root has a lot of juice to it and can get a bit slippery so be careful of your fingers. I may or may not have lost a piece of ginger when it slipped out of my hands and few across my kitchen. Whoops.

Fresh Grated Ginger

To prepare the hoisin glaze, combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, honey, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl using a whisk to combine. Set this aside.

Hoisin Glaze

The original recipe suggested putting the steaks on a foil-lined broiler pan. I somehow ran out of foil, so I just put them on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray but for cleaning purposes, I’d suggest using the foil. Sprinkle the steaks with salt.

Place the pan into the oven 5 inches from the heat (so 5 inches from the top of the oven… probably around the middle rack). Cook for 2 minutes and turn over. Broil for another 2 minutes and turn steaks over again.

Not that appetizing yet. Just wait…

Brush steaks with half of the glaze and broil for one minute.

Looking better…

Turn the steaks over and brush with the remaining glaze and broil for 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

So, I ended up putting mine in for a good 5ish more minutes, turning the steaks half way through. They came out a bit too rare for me with the original time suggested, but I think this is really up to the person cooking it. I was so fearful that it was going to burn that every 2 minutes I was checking on the steaks, which probably wasn’t helping the whole cooking process.

When it was finally cooked to my liking though, this was one tasty dinner. When making the glaze, I was afraid it might be a bit on the spicy side but it actually ended up having an almost caramelized taste to it, which was a pleasant surprise.

The hoisin glaze would be great on a number of different proteins: chicken, salmon, perhaps even scallops. Using the broiler still makes me a bit nervous though, so I may consider whipping up a batch of this glaze for use on the grill, if it ever warms up in Philadelphia (today is March 28—almost April—and the high is 45. Super.) I hope you enjoy this meal with less stress about broiling than me!

Smoky Asparagus and Mushroom Saute

The April 2011 Issue of Cooking Light included a seemingly simple side dish using a type of mushroom I have yet to work with: Smoky Asparagus and Mushroom Saute. Morels are a wild mushroom; efforts to cultivate this mushroom have been mostly unsuccessful. Because they need to be “hunted” (those that collect morels are called mushroom hunters, I kid you not), they are super expensive– the market I went to was selling them for $69.99/lb., ouch. So this recipe can get pricey fast. I substituted in some hen of the woods (“Maitake”) mushrooms to save my wallet a bit. I ended up spending about $4 on the morels and a $1 and some change on the hen of the woods.

I had some left over asparagus from making the Orzo Risotto with Buttery Shrimp dish a few days ago so this dish was perfect to use ingredients I mostly had on hand.

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
1 tablespoon butter (omit to make dairy free)
3 oz quartered fresh morel mushrooms
3 oz chopped hen of the woods
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped chives

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Vegan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Apple with Candied Walnuts

New York Times recently had an article with a recipe from Carmen Quagliata, the executive chef at Union Square Café. The recipe was for a perfect winter dish: Vegan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Apple with Candied Walnuts. Usually when searching for Brussels sprouts recipes, bacon is almost always included, so I was happy to find a somewhat healthy alternative. I thought Ash Wednesday would a great to try out this recipe for dinner.

Ingredients for Brussels sprouts:

1 ½ cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch asymmetrical chunks

2 cups (about 1 large) Honeycrisp, Cortland, or Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1-inch asymmetrical chunks (my local market was out of these options so I used two Pink Lady apples)

1 shallot, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 fresh sage leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While it is heating up, prep your Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, apples, and shallot. To trim the Brussels sprouts, cut off the rough white stem and then cut the sprout in half. If any outer leaves fall off discard them as well.

This was my first attempt at cutting and peeling a butternut squash, and I found the blog A Veggie Venture to be super helpful. The blog has a lot of great tips about veggies in general, so I suggest checking it out. If you’re not up for cutting your own butternut squash, Trader Joe’s sells already cubed pieces. However, they are a bit more dried out than freshly cut squash so keep that in mind.

I only needed the top half of the butternut squash

I used an apple corer to prepare the apples, and then cut the slices in half.

Keep the skins on the apple

Toss the Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, apple, and shallot with the olive oil and sage leaves in a shallow baking dish.

So many colors!

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375 until vegetables and apple are wrinkled and slightly brown, about 45 minutes to an hour. Do not disturb or mix the dish while it’s cooking.

If you don’t have time or are just apprehensive about making the candied walnuts, you can purchase them already made.

However, the recipe is below in case you’re feeling adventurous. (Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult!)

Ingredients for walnuts:

6 cups vegetable oil

6 ounces walnut halves

2 cups confectioners’ sugar (I ended up using less than a cup and they were fine)

kosher salt

To make, place a deep fryer or high-sided saucepan over high heat (I ended up using my pasta pot; my saucepans were all dirty from previous cooking adventures). Add the oil making sure there is at least 3 inches from the top of the pot. (When the walnuts are added, the oil bubbles and rises so you need room for this to happen) Heat to 375 degrees.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in another pot. Add the walnuts and boil for 10 seconds. Drain well and immediately toss with confectioners’ sugar. Spread flat on a baking sheet to allow to dry.

Walnuts after tossed in powdered sugar

The original directions suggest having a baking sheet lined with paper towels nearby. Mine stuck to the paper towels (boo) so I’d suggest maybe using parchment paper. Working in batches if necessary, add the walnuts to oil and stir once or twice. Fry until amber-brown or about 30 seconds. Using a wire skimmer or a heatproof slotted spoon, remove walnuts and move to baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

To serve, drizzle maple syrup over roasted vegetables and sprinkle with walnut pieces.

How good does that look??

This dish was really great. It had the feel of a comfort food dish without the leftover heaviness.

I was sort of hoping the Brussels sprouts would play a bigger role in the dish, but the butternut squash was what I kept going back for (nothing wrong with that). The walnuts add a lot of sweetness to the dish so don’t go overboard on topping the dish with them. The best part though, was that with so much flavor, I didn’t even miss not having meat for dinner!

Note: If you want something to pair with this to make a more hearty meal, the recipe suggests serving it with walnut bread.

Wilted Spinach with Garlic Vinaigrette

Most sides are a bit of an afterthought. I tend to just whip something up really quick to give my dish more color, or to make me feel like I’m being healthy because there is some green on my plate. But this Wilted Spinach with Garlic Vinaigrette side dish is so good, I’d be happy to have just this for dinner. I am not the biggest fan of mustard in general, but the small amount of Dijon mustard really ups this side from good to great.

Ingredients

1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 garlic cloves, minced (or thinly sliced, whatever makes you happy)

6 cups baby spinach leaves

¼ cup sliced red onion

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl (up to salt) combining with a whisk. Heat the vinaigrette in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add the spinach (it will shrink up a lot!) and toss to combine. Remove from heat when wilted (1-2 minutes).

The spinach ended up stealing the show when I made it (I had a pasta/chicken dish along with it). It was a very quick and easy side; I cannot wait to make this again!

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

I have quite the aversion to pig products (pork, ham, pancetta, etc) and my poor boyfriend usually just has to suffer through dinner without these ingredients. But the January/February issue of Cooking Light had a recipe for Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca that looked delicious, so I decided to finally treat him to a little bit of prosciutto. (I hope he doesn’t get used to this!)

Ingredients:

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
Extra dried sage (if you want a bit more sage taste)
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 oz angel hair pasta

Almond Chive Salmon

Everyone knows how amazing salmon is for you: lots of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D… so whenever I can, I try to make some. Salmon with butter and lemon is delicious and quick, but all that butter seems to outweigh the health benefits of the fish (at least in my mind). I’ve tried to alternate that with this Almond Chive Salmon.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

4 tablespoons panko (breadcrumbs)

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 pound salmon fillet

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

2 lemon wedges

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine the almonds, chives, parsley, and lemon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor (I use my Magic Bullet). Pulse until finely chopped.

Add the panko to this mixture, stir to combine.

Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle the panko mixture over the salmon evenly, pressing to make it stick. Place salmon on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

I put A LOT on mine; use as much/little as you’d like

Bake for 15 minutes or until is flakes easily. Serve with lemon wedges.

This is one of my go-to recipes: beautiful, quick, flavorful. It’s also a great introduction to fish:.The almonds and spices make it a bit less “fishy” to those who aren’t fans of seafood.

Salmon BLT

I’m not the biggest fan of sandwiches in general. PBJ, BLT, Turkey and Cheese… they just don’t cut it. I recently saw the last 3 minutes of a cooking show where they were making Salmon BLTs and couldn’t get the idea out of my head. It seemed easy enough (I didn’t catch their actual ingredients and preparation) so I tried it out for myself. Apparently these types of sandwiches usually come with mayo or some other condiment, but I left that out. There was still plenty of flavor!

Ingredients:

10 oz salmon fillet (or two 5 oz salmon fillets)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 slices of bacon

3 slices of bread (I used rye)

1 beefsteak tomato, sliced

A handful of raw baby spinach leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Note: this is for 2 servings

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My Attempt at Afghan Cusine

There are two Afghan restaurants near where I live, and I love them so much that not one, but both restaurants know me by name. That’s when it hit me that I should probably attempt to recreate some of these delicious meals myself, to help my poor empty wallet. So, here’s my attempt at Korma-E-Murgh (at least that’s what it is called on their menu). The dishes are usually made with lamb or chicken, and the lamb far surpasses the chicken. But making lamb still intimidates me, so I’m trying this with my trusty chicken. On the menu, this dish is described as “delicately seasoned boneless diced chicken with tomatoes, onions, and selected Afghan spices, served with white rice”… here goes..

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 cup water

For the chalow:

1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Chicken

Continue reading My Attempt at Afghan Cusine

Bacon Braised Brussels Sprouts

I made my weekly trip to Reading Terminal’s Iovine Brothers Produce and noticed huge display of Brussels sprouts. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had Brussels sprouts and felt the need to try them out. I always feel bad for Brussels sprouts, everyone always hates on them. Essentially tiny cabbages (in look and taste), Brussels sprouts are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins C and A, and cancer fighting properties. I may or may not have negated a lot of the benefits of these little guys in my cooking preparation though, so I hope to make a healthier version in the coming weeks.

As a heads up, Brussels sprouts should most certainly not be overcooked; they begin to release a sulfur odor which will really ruin your appetite.

This recipe for Bacon Braised Brussels Sprouts is a good introduction to Brussels sprouts in my opinion. It includes bacon, and honestly, what isn’t better with bacon? I used a recipe from foodnetwork.com as a base, and just changed the recipe to fit my tastes and what was in my fridge. The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb Brussels sprouts (washed & quartered. stems removed)
- 2 slices of bacon cut into smaller pieces
- 3 cloves minced garlic, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup grated or shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- Extra-virgin olive oil

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