Forgoing the cheese

If you follow this blog, then you will know that our post-holiday purges don't last long. The fact that I'm back to cooking pasta should make that perfectly clear. The simple truth is that I love to cook, and am tempted by the multiple cookbooks and magazine subscriptions to venture forth and do so with gusto (and butter, and cheese, and cream, and sugar....). Don't blame me - they put pictures next to the recipes. Resistance is futile.

We are not totally off the wagon yet though, as I did note with some small sense of pride, that last night's meal did not contain any cheese. Cheese is a staple around here - it is quite frankly, one of my favorite foods, and my apples did not fall far from my tree. Rarely is there a pasta dish in this house that does not contain, or is at least topped in abundance with, cheese of one kind or another. However, last night, there was no cheese on the plate. I'm not saying that this meal was a healthy one. I don't think I could possibly argue that, but I did try to exercise sense with portion control, and we ate it accompanied by a green salad (which wasn't over-dressed, I swear!).

Again, my over-zealous and rapid snipping means that I failed to note the source of this gem, but I do know it was a British magazine, since everything is in grams :-) I have tweaked a little (and reverted to ounces).

Penne with Sausage, Lemon and Mustard
Serves 7

1lb penne
2 lbs Italian chicken sausage (uncooked, if not bought bulk, then remove casings)
olive oil
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) white wine
3 TBSP grainy mustard
zest of 1 lemon
8 oz crème fraiche
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook the penne according to directions/preference, and when draining, reserve a few TBSP of the cooking liquid and set that aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it is no longer pink.
3. Add fennel seeds and cook for a further minute, before adding the wine. Let the wine get hot enough to bubble up, and then stir in the mustard, lemon zest and crème fraiche.
4. Bring the mixture back to boiling point and then simmer until it thickens. If it gets too thick, add some of the pasta cooking water.
5. Mix with cooked pasta and parsley and serve with a green salad.

Back with a salady vengeance

Yes, after a bit of a hiatus over the summer months, I am back. Two out of three kids are back in school (counting down the days until number 3 starts back on Monday...counting them by the second, with gritted teeth in fact!). Whilst my family has been eating, and hasn't starved over the summer (an injudicious step on the scale this morning is telling me quite the reverse, in fact), having all three kids at home seriously hampers one's blogging capabilities. We also had a month away from home, which while fabulous, meant that I didn't cook at all for nearly 4 weeks - yikes!

Now, however, normal service is resumed, by which I mean, normal post-holiday service, which must by definition include at least one Sheesh-how-could-I-have-eaten-so-much-must -purge-NOW salad. And here it is. Since our stomachs are used to way more than being fobbed off with a couple of lettuce leaves though, I wanted something that would fill up bellies, to keep the whining level down. And this recipe more than fit that bill.

The original recipe comes from Family Circle magazine. I can't quite believe that I am old enough to subscribe to this, since they have ads for meds to combat osteoporosis and for incontinence aids, but hey, they offered it to me for $5 for two years, so I could hardly say no! And the recipes are good!

Greek Chicken-Quinoa Salad
Serves 4

3 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 English cucumber (seedless), chopped into bitesize pieces
1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 large red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
4 cooked chicken breasts, diced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1. In a small bowl, soak the red onion in some cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in cucumber, tomatoes, onion and dill. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Stir quinoa and chicken into the tomato mixture, divide among serving plates and top with feta.

Quinoa travels the world

It wasn’t so long ago that I had no idea what quinoa was, let alone how to pronounce it (we may first have been introduced to KWIN-OH-UH in this house, I’m afraid to say). However, it has fast become a staple, both as an alternative to pasta, rice or couscous (which, along with pasta, youngest son also eschews – how can you dislike couscous, for heavens sake?) underneath something stew-y and saucy, and as a base for salads for when the weather is too hot for something stew-y or saucy. This week we have had plenty of the latter, so I experimented with a new quinoa salad recipe I found.

I am always amused when a recipe starts with something like ‘Asian-style’ – it smacks of an amendment made by editors fearful of being sued for inaccuracy if the word ‘Asian’ is used without qualification. I always imagine hordes of Asians all ready to revolt and send in letters, only to see the appending ‘-style’ and stand reluctantly down, remaining ready for the next potential offender to arrive in print. And alongside this army of indignant warriors is another one of real Italians, Indians, Frenchmen, Mexicans, you name it, there’s an army, the wrath of which editors have to avoid inciting. Makes cooking ethnically diverse food all the more exciting, doesn’t it!

Anyway, I digress. This particular quinoa recipe gains its qualified moniker from the use of ingredients like sesame oil, oyster sauce and ginger in the dressing (although anyone truly hailing from Asia would probably be horrified at the addition to this dish of Canadian bacon and a seed originating from the Andes – yes, this quinoa is a world traveler indeed). The original recipe (from Grain Mains by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough) also has black bean chili sauce in it, but clearly that is all too Asian-style for my local supermarket, so I substituted this for a spot of regular chili sauce. You could equally well add some chili flakes if heat is your thing. I served it alongside the baby bok choi I blogged about earlier this month (see recipe here).

 

Asian-Style Quinoa with Canadian Bacon and Mushrooms

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa

2 TBSP toasted sesame oil
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
8 oz canadian bacon/cooked ham, diced
4 scallions/green onions, finely chopped
2 TBSP oyster sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar
1 tsp sambal oelek or 1 red chile finely chopped
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
 

1.       Cook quinoa according to directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.

2.       Heat a large skillet over medium heat and sauté green onions and red chile in sesame oil. Add mushrooms and cook stirring often until mushrooms give off their liquid and most of it evaporates.

3.       Stir in drained quinoa and Canadian bacon/ham. Pour into a large bowl

4.       Whisk together the scallions, oyster sauce, rice vinegar and ginger, then pour into the bowl and toss with the quinoa to mix.

5.       Allow to cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve (should be served cold).

Chicken nuggets and fries redux

I went to college with a woman who had previously had a summer job at a chicken nugget factory. The stories she told were not pretty. In fact, I’m kind of amazed that I listened to her and we remain friends to this day. It was soul-destroying, to anyone who appreciates crispy, greasy, chicken goodness with a pot of ketchup on the side (and don’t start telling me what they do to tomatoes to make ketchup – I can’t take it). To be honest, anyone with an even vaguely sensitive disposition would have been put off chicken nuggets for life by Julie’s tales of what’s really in those nuggets, and feel righteous in their subsequent life of self-denial. But why do they make them so delicious, dammit?! They are crispy, greasy, and chickeny – the golden trifecta. Sheesh.

Now I wish I could tell you that I have come up with a way of creating the same trifecta of deilciousness and made it take only as much effort as it takes to drive up the window, place your order, hand over some crinkled bills and then indulge in some finger-licking munchery. Not quite. Although, let’s be honest: most drive-through take-out trips seem to involve a long queue, an intercom that makes the person on either end sound like a drunk with a heavy foreign accent, minimal English, and an anger problem, resulting in placing your order at least 5 times, and then not being entirely sure that you’re going to get what you wanted, AND the obligatory ketchup down the front of the shirt and ensuing session in the laundry room with a bottle of Zout and a Tide Pen,  so it isn’t exactly time-saving, is it. If you add up all of this time expended, then the recipe below seems quite speedy to put together, now doesn’t it?

And what to have with your chicken? Well, you’ve got to have fries, if for no other reason than to make your car smell like a deep fat fryer for the next few weeks, and to leave a greasy fingerprint trail all over the steering wheel. Ah the joys of drive-through! Well, fries are all very well, but I am going to go out on a limb here and claim that the potato recipe below is way tastier. And all you need to go alongside these two dishes is a green salad and something to dip the chicken in. Now, you could go all traditional , ignore the stories about those poor mistreated tomatoes in factory farms, and bring out the ketchup, but personally, I love this chicken when dipped in a dollop of ranch dip on the side.

Crispy Chicken Strips
Adapted from Doris Christopher’s Stoneware Sensations from Pampered Chef
Serves 5

2 cups seasoned croutons, crushed to small crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
2 egg whites
1 TBSP water
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
Prepared ranch dip

1.       Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). NB, if you are cooking this alongside the potatoes below, then 400 degrees is fine for both, just cook the chicken for 5-10 minutes longer at the lower temperature.

2.       Cut each chicken breast into 3-4 pieces, and then place pieces, one by one, between two pieces of plastic/cling wrap and pound to ½” thickness.

3.       Put the egg whites and the water into a bowl and whisk to combine.

4.       In another bowl, mix together the crouton crumbs, cheese, parsley, onion and garlic powder.

5.       Dip each chicken piece first into the egg white mixture, and then into the crumb coating, patting them so that the coating sticks all over.

6.       Place the chicken pieces on to a baking sheet sprayed with oil spray.

7.       Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

 

Roasted Potato Salad with Creamy Dijon Vinaigrette
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine
Serves 6

3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½” wedges
3 TBSP olive oil, divided
3 large garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar
2 TBSP finely chopped shallots
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp chopped fresh tarragon

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2.       In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 1 ½ TBSP oil, garlic, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and thyme so that potatoes are coated.

3.       Arrange potatoes on a large baking sheet, and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until brown and tender, turning once after 20 minutes.

4.       Combine remaining 1 ½ TBSP oil, remaining ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of pepper, vinegar, shallots, mustard and tarragon with a whisk in a small bowl.

5.       Drizzle dressing over cooked potatoes and toss to coat.

Spicing up the grill...just a little!

I am sure I have waxed lyrical (and indeed tunelessly) about my children’s abhorrence of the word ‘spicy’ and the heat that it so often connotes. I live in hope that they may one day learn to appreciate a curry with more than half a chile in it. In the meantime, however, I try to find recipes which satisfy their need to be protected from any sensation of tongue-burning heat, AND meet my need for food with a rich taste and substantial flavor. This dish fit the bill perfectly – it is delicately spiced with Indian-style flavors, and yet is about as far as you can get from Vindaloo-style heat short of just giving up and ordering a cheese pizza.

The original recipe comes from a fabulous book that (in a fit of sheer altruistic and completely selfless generosity… obviously) I bought for my husband last year for Father’s Day. Every recipe we have tried from this book has been fabulous, and I highly recommend it: The World of Kebabs  by Aband Prakash. I decided it needed some chutney because….well, I like sauce, so the recipe below is for a simple, delicious, and only slightly hot (!) chutney that was delicious dolloped on top (the original for which, I found on Allrecipes.com)

I served these kebabs accompanied by a couscous salad I have blogged about before (click here), but I left out the feta cheese, since it just didn’t seem to go, somehow. And alongside that, I served the Indian-style Collard Greens I just blogged about here. All in all, a delicious meal, and one which the spice-lovers and spice-averse all enjoyed – miracle!

Creamy Chicken Kebabs – Murgh Malai Kabab
Serves 6 as an entrée

½ cup heavy cream
2 TBSP lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground nutmeg
24 chicken breast tenders
24 presoaked bamboo skewers
melted butter for basting

1.       Measure the first 8 ingredients into a large bowl (up to and including nutmeg), and stir to combine.

2.       Add the chicken tenders and stir to coat.

3.       Set aside and refrigerate for 5-6 hours

4.       Insert wooden skewers along the length of each chicken tender (weave the skewer in and out like a rough running stitch).

5.       Grill over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, basting with melted butter.

6.       Serve with mint and cilantro chutney (see below)

 

Mint and Cilantro Chutney

2 cups fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 ½ cups fresh mint leaves
1 green chile pepper (jalapeno), seeds removed and roughly chopped
½ tsp salt
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 TBSP lemon juice
up to ¼ cup water

1.    In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients except the water. Process until they form a fine paste.

2. Add water gradually until desired consistency is reached

A little summer on the side

I’ll let you into a secret – I love salad (that isn’t the secret). Really I do, and my kids eat it too, which I know makes me luckier than average. While I don’t underestimate the value of these two facts, particularly during the summer months, my secret is that I get bored when I can’t cook. I know, earth-shattering. Salad is all very well, but the fun of making salads is limited to a spot of stirring cold ingredients together. This just isn’t as satisfying as creating the kind of scientific transformation that can be achieved with the addition of a stove-top flame or an oven. Yes, I know it’s hot out there, but sometimes, you just got to cook.

So sometimes, even if the main part of our dinner is grilled, or even cold, I like to at least make a cooked side to exercise my cooking chops, lest they get rusty before fall arrives. The two sides below are good examples of sides that require cooking, but which don’t require an excruciatingly long wait, watching over a hot stove or allowing your oven to heat the house. No, on the contrary, they are reasonably quick, delicious and will pair marvelously with that beautifully grilled filet, the smell of which is driving all your neighbors (and their dogs) wild J

 

Indian-style Collard Greens and Spinach
Serves 5 as a side

1 TBSP canola/vegetable oil
½ tsp whole mustard seeds
½ tsp finely chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green jalapeno chile, finely chopped
¼ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp garam masala
pinch ground nutmeg
1 bunch collard greens (around 8 large leaves), spines removed, rolled up and then finely sliced
3 cups finely chopped baby spinach
lemon wedges to serve

1.       Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2.       Add mustard seeds, and cook stirring, until they start to pop.

3.       Add shallots, garlic and chile to the pan and cook, stirring until onion is softened. Add turmeric, garam masala and nutmeg and continue to cook for a further minute.

4.       Add collard greens and stir to coat. Cook stirring until starting to wilt. Add spinach, stir to combine and continue to cook just until spinach is wilted.

5.       Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top.

 

Zucchini Parmesan Chips
Serves 6 as a side

Canola oil spray
4 zucchini/courgette/summer squash, sliced into ¼” thick rounds
2 TBSP olive oil
¼ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1.       Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C)

2.       Put zucchini slices in a large bowl, and toss with olive oil to coat.

3.       In a wide bowl, mix together parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt, paprika and black pepper.

4.       Dip zucchini slices into breadcrumb mixture to coat on both sides, and then place (not overlapping) on a large baking sheet coated with canola oil spray.

5.       Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

 

I cooked it, I never said I could pronounce it...

I recently started ordering one of those CSA boxes. For those of you in the UK, I'm not sure if this is an American idea, so I'll explain. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. An interested consumer (e.g me), can buy a membership to a local organic farm's CSA program and pick up a box of whatever is in season, being picked, etc each week. And you never know what you're going to get until you pick it up. My aim here was to branch out of our comfort zone. To be honest, I wander around the grocery department in our local supermarket, and despite my good intentions to shop seasonally and buy a large variety of different vegetables, I tend to gravitate towards what I know we like, and thus seem to eat every week. So I do like the idea of getting a box of farm fresh goodies each week, and not knowing what will be in there. Thanks to the Age of Google, you can always find something to do with them, and it forces me to be a bit creative. This week was no exception when I discovered a bunch of Mei Quin Choi in my box. Hmmmm... Don't ask me how to pronounce it, but I bought it, so by heck, I had to do something with it.

Don't get too excited, Mei Quin Choi isn't that 'off the wall'. It looked like the baby bok choy, I've seen in stores (and never bought...) and a brief search in the land of Wikipedia confirmed that it is a variant of that. So, given that I'm a baby bok choy 'virgin', I went looking for a good recipe. Seriously, I don't know what people did before google. I am not the bravest of cooks - I rarely invent a new recipe from scratch, but give me a starting point, and I'll tweak it around until it fits our palates and the ingredients we have available. And thus was born the following dish:

Sherry and Lemon Roasted Baby Bok Choy (or Mei Quin Choi)
Serves 4-6 as a side

3-4 heads of baby bok choy or mei quin choi
4 tsp canola oil/vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp dry sherry
pinch of golden caster sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Cut off the base of each bok choy head and pull the leaves apart to separate.
3. Arrange in a large baking tin.
4. Toss in the oil, salt and garlic.
5. Bake in oven for 8 minutes by which time it should be wilted and starting to brown on the edges.
6. In the meantime, whisk together the lemon zest, juice, sherry, sugar and pepper in a small bowl.
7. Pour the sherry and lemon dressing over the hot bok choy and toss to coat.