It really is easy being green

Don't get me wrong, Kermit is an intelligent guy, and he's admirably committed to his stance on most issues. For example, it is only now, after decades of effort, that he has given up trying to keep Miss Piggy happy, for example (see here, if the stunning Muppet news passed you by this summer).

However, about one thing, Kermit is sadly misguided. Green is easy. Green is also pretty darn tasty. We are still trying to eat vegetarian at least one or two nights a week in our house, and it isn't because of some health kick, or anti-bacon political stance (hell no), but rather because we are rather enjoying the veggie options we're trying out, and this dish is no exception. Basically, the reason I tried it is because, if something has the word 'pesto' in the title, my kids will pretty much snarf it up (table-manners be damned), irrespective of whatever else is hidden in its green depths. Witness the presence of asparagus in this dish, for example, and yet youngest son licked the plate clean without appearing to even notice the offending vegetable under its coating of green pesto-ey goodness. Ha!

And yes, I know if I were being true to the theme, I'd have eaten this up with a glass of Vinho Verde, or something suitably green-hued, but I decided Kermit might well be right when it comes to wine, and stuck to a lovely red Zin...

Summer Pesto Penne
Serves 6
Adapted from Good Housekeeping

1 cup packed parsley leaves (curly or flat leaf)
1/2 cup packed mint leaves
1/3 cup walnut halves
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lb wholewheat penne
1 lb bunch asparagus, tough stem ends removed and remainder chopped into 1" lengths
1 1/2 cups edamame (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Place the first 7 ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, gradually pour in the olive oil, followed by 1/4 cup of water until you get a smooth pesto.
2. Cook pasta according to instructions, but use more water, and a larger saucepan than you might usually, since you're going to add other things to the water. Four minutes before pasta is done, add asparagus and edamame to the pasta in the water. Once pasta is done, drain pasta and vegetables, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
3. Mix pesto with cooked pasta and vegetables. If you want a 'saucier' consistency, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Serve sprinkled with parmesan.

Dust off your slow cookers...

Yep, fall is apparently on the way, and despite the fact that we are still reeling (and, Ill admit, sweating just a tad) in 80+ temps in my adopted home, according to family back in Blighty, they are already getting soaking in rain and bringing out the wellies (rain boots, if you must). To be fair, I never allow my slow cooker to gather dust, and it gets quite a bit of use in summer as well as in winter. However, I know a lot of you will have stashed it away for a spell, so grab a swiffer, wipe the poor neglected thing off, and get cooking. Apart from anything else, now that the kids are back in school, it means that dinner will already be bubbling away so that you can spend some quality time overseeing homework later on.... come to think of it, that might not be a motivating factor....

This particular recipe came from my desire to recapture that teriyaki yumminess on my tastebuds after a recent trip to Hawaii, where Teriyaki everything seems even more ubiquitous than Starbucks is here. I've also included a side which should be tried if for no other reason than it is green rice, so that's pretty cool :-)

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin
Serves 6
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 TBSP olive oil
2 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh red chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 TBSP cornstarch (cornflour)
6 TBSP finely sliced green onions/spring onions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the tenderloins and brown on all sides (about 10 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, mix together the teriyaki sauce, broth, brown sugar, chiles, garlic, onion and black pepper in a bowl.
3. Once the tenderloins are browned, put them in the slow cooker stoneware. Pour over the sauce mixture.
4. Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
5. Remove the tenderloins from the sauce and tent them with foil on a chopped board for 5 minutes. Then slice into 1/2" thick slices and put on serving platter.
6. Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a small saucepan. Take out about 2 TBSP of the liquid from the sauce and mix it with 1 TBSP of cornstarch (cornflour) in a small bowl. Add mixture back to the sauce and bring to the boil. Allow it to simmer until it thickens to the desired consistency (should be pourable, but thick enough to coat the meat).
7. Pour some of the sauce over the meat on the platter to serve, then serve the remaining sauce in a pitcher, to be poured at the table.
8. Sprinkle green onions over meat to serve.


Cilantro Rice
Serves 8
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

3 TBSP olive oil
2 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 quart reduced-sodium chicken broth/stock
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring, until the rice starts to turn golden in spots (about 8 minutes). Stir in the onion and continue to cook (stirring), until the onion turns translucent (a further 4 minutes or so).
2. Remove the stem ends from the cilantro, and place the leaves and remaining stems into a food processor with the onion, 2 cups of the broth, and the salt. Process until smooth. Pour over the rice and onion mixture, and stir in the remaining broth.
3. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed (15-20 minutes).

Fusion gone gloriously mad

When I first saw this recipe in a magazine, it sounded like one of those bad jokes: An Italian and a Thai man walk into a bar.... How else would you get the combination of rotini pasta and peanut sauce? Some jokes are disappointing, but this dish was one of those dishes where you put the first forkful into your mouth, chew once, and then have to stop to ponder the sheer awesome tastiness of what you've just put in your mouth. Then you realize that you didn't even pick this off a menu and have someone talented prepare this in a restaurant. Oh no, you cooked this yourself. Yep, it's that kind of awesome. All it needs is an Asian-style side to go with....and then you realize that yes, you cooked one of those too, and it is also supremely tasty. Dinner-time slam-dunk.

So that you too may appreciate your own sheer awesomeness at the dinner table, I give you both recipes below. Now go forth and amaze.

Rotini with Ground Pork and Spicy Peanut Sauce
Serves 6

16 oz rotini pasta
2 TBSP dark sesame oil
8 scallions (green/Spring onions), thinly sliced, green and white parts separated
3 TBSP minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
4 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
3 TBSP unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP sambal oelek (sweet chili sauce)
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (preferably unsalted)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium limes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)

1. Cook the rotini according to package directions until al dente, and then drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the scallion whites in sesame oil until softened (about 1 minute). Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring for another 30 seconds.
3. Crumble in pork, and cook, breaking up the pork for five minutes, or until pork is no longer pink.
4. Stir in soy sauce, sambal oelek, vinegar and sugar and cook until bubbling.
5. Stir in peanut butter and incorporate evenly into sauce. Bring to a simmering point, and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes.
6. Mix sauce with pasta and scallion greens and add enough pasta water to achieve desired consistency. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and with lime wedges to squeeze over the top.

Asian-style Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli
from Food.com
Serves 6 as a side.

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP canola oil
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP minced fresh ginger
1 TBSP sambal oelek/chili sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
2. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the remaining ingredients.
3. Spread onto a large baking pan, coated with oil spray.
4. Roast for 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tinged with brown.

Back with a vengeance

Where have you been? I hear you cry. In case you've been wondering if I've eaten myself into a four month stupor, or just haven't cooked anything blog-worthy since April and am tending to a disappointed and starving family, no. I simply spent the last four months making far too many cupcakes through my business (www.bitesizebaking.com) to try many new recipes. Phew! So neither the spouse nor the progeny have starved, fear not.

With a commitment to not letting the cupcake extravaganza get out of hand, I am also committed to getting back to experimenting more often with dinner, hence the return to this blog.

Last night was a good example - I started with a recipe from the Skinnytaste Cookbook, and tweaked and twisted it to fit my family. We are not trying to lose weight, and all have...well...kinda large appetites, so I aimed to make it a tad more satisfying, lest the lack of satiation increase the whinging volume in the house to unbearable levels (and given that we are embroiled in the back-to-school-mourn-the-end-of-summer whinging already, that is a priority!). This fit the bill, served with a lovely lemon-vinaigrette-dressed green salad on the side for good measure.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Serves 5 (just...)

2 large chicken breasts
1 red onion, quartered
chicken stock
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
7-8 wholewheat tortillas
2 cups enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. Poach the chicken breasts - you can do this in a slow cooker (on HIGH for 4 hours) or in a large saucepan (cook 20 minutes after coming to boil). Whichever you choose, just put the chicken breasts and red onion quarters in enough stock to just cover them (you'll probably need 2-3 cups for this).
2. Once the chicken is cooked, discard the stock and onion, and shred chicken using two forks.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 C)
4. In a large saute pan, heat some canola/vegetable oil, and sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
5. Add tomato sauce, the shredded chicken, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and black beans. Stir and bring to simmering point. Cook for a few minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated.
6. Spray a large baking dish (about 9" x 13") with oil spray. Fill each tortilla with some of the chicken mixture and roll up, placing them in a row, seam-side down, in the baking dish.
7. Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and then sprinkle with cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro to serve.