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Open Sesame…Noodles that is!

14 Feb

Happy Valentine’s Day! This post has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day other than that’s when I’m writing it. Although now that I think about it, I will dedicate it to livestock animals, as this post is a recipe for a vegan dish.

Asian food is a favorite of mine and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to recreate what I have eaten in restaurants…restaurants in China. Yes, I have been to Shanghi, China many years ago when I was working in the world of fashion. Truth be told I was terrified to go and not for the reasons one might think (there was no Corona Virus scare then either). It wasn’t fear of going thousands of miles away to a strange country by myself, it was a fear of starving. My co-workers had told me horrid stories of the food and how bad it was. I was told about monkey brains, snake and the like.

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Well, I didn’t see any monkey brains on the menu but I did see snake, duck tongue and noodles. Oh yes, the noodles that were oh so good! And everything I ate was delicious, I most certainly did not starve.

This is a quick recipe that tastes great and easy to make. You can add* protein to make it more a of complete meal or serve it as a side dish, either way it is sure to please. Another great thing about this dish is that it can be served warm or cold. I like mine room temperature.

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Ingredients:

1 lb noodles **see note

1/2 cup scallions or green onions, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

1 tbs sesame seeds, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup light soy sauce or tamari

2 tbs rice vinegar

2 tbs sesame oil

2 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1 tsp powdered

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbs peanut butter

1 tbs light brown sugar

2 tsp sriracha  or chili paste (more or less to your taste)

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, julienned

Directions:

  1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain when done cooking and rinse with cold water briefly to keep them from sticking together.
  2. While the noodles are cooking place the remainder of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl except the cucumbers and red peppers. Mix well with whisk.
  3. Once the noodles are drained, toss with sauce mixture until well coated.
  4. Serve with red peppers, cucumbers; sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Serves 4 as main dish, 6 as side dish.

*Add-ins can be shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, edamame, tofu, shredded chicken, etc.

**You can use just about any type of noodle: egg noodles, spaghetti, rice noodles or ramen.

Peace and good eats!

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Rustic Stuffing with Mushrooms and Leeks

1 Dec

Stuffing (or dressing, as it is not cooked in the turkey) is always a favorite at holiday meals and as much as I love traditional, I’m always on the lookout for something new.  Well, for Thanksgiving I made this version that I found in the Williams-Sonoma catalog and it is definitely a keeper. I always love getting that catalog, especially for the holidays, it is so beautiful and I’ve found several recipes over the years that have become favorites. This recipe is great not just because it is delicious, but it is also vegan.

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Now, the recipe calls for wild mushrooms, I used button mushrooms and baby portobellos, that’s what my grocery store had and with everything else I had to get done I didn’t feel like driving around to find wild mushrooms…I’m sure you can relate. And one other thing, I forgot to take a photo of my final product so the image is from Williams-Sonoma…oops!

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter for greasing (I used plant based)

1 large loaf rustic country bread, cubed (about 9 cups)

7 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary

1 1/2 lb. mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 large leeks, thinly sliced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

3 1/2 to 4 cups vegetable stock

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and the rosemary. Toss to coat the bread evenly with the oil. Spread the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until dry and firm but not browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour (the amount of time will vary depending on the type of bread and how fresh it is). Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the bread cool to room temperature.

3. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.

4. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and salt to taste and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

5. In the same sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil. Add the leeks, celery, onion and salt and pepper to taste and sauté until the vegetables are soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the leek-onion mixture to a very large bowl. Add the bread cubes and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in the stock 1/2 cup at a time, making sure it is completely absorbed into the bread cubes and does not pool in the bottom of the bowl. Taste a bread cube, it should be moist throughout but not mushy. You may not need all of the stock. Fold in the mushrooms.

6. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10 to 12.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Peace and good eats!

 

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Corn Salad with a Spicy Twist

2 Jul

With the 4th of July just 2 days away, I needed to try something new, I always love the standards like coleslaw and potato salad but like to add something different each year. As I was scrolling my Instagram I came across a beautiful photo of a corn salad with avocado posted by Bon Appetit Magazine and knew I had to try it! It has a Mexican flair with serrano chile, cilantro and lime juice…delicious! Corn Salad with Hot Honey Lime Dressing for the win!

Now, the recipe calls for grilling the corn but I wasn’t going to start the grill for 4 ears of corn (we only have a charcoal grill) so I pan roasted mine in the cast iron skillet, just as good as grilled.

Also, you may not want it to be too hot, spicy that is; I used a mildly hot yellow pepper from my garden instead of the serrano chile. It’s really up to your personal taste and what you think your friends and family like…you can always add more heat but you can’t take it away.

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Ingredients:

4 ears of corn, husked and kernels cut off

2 Tbs unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbs fresh lime juice

2 Tbs honey

1 1/2 Sriracha

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 avocados, cut into bite size pieces

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

Heat butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat, add corn kernels. Cook about 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. I let mine brown slightly. Remove from heat, let cool.

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While the corn cools, whisk lime juice, honey, Sriracha, garlic and 1 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl to combine. Add corn, avocados, serrano chile and cilantro to vinaigrette; toss gently. Season with salt and fresh pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

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Enjoy! We had it with crab cakes but it would be a great addition to any BBQ.

*To make this dish vegan just cook the corn in vegetable oil.

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Spring Vegetable Tart

6 May

It is asparagus season, this makes me very happy. Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables because it tastes great and can be used in so many different types of recipes. Asparagus is great all by itself, in a salad, hot or cold, roasted or steamed…I could go on forever.

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Now when most people think of tarts they think dessert, I know I always did, until I began to cook and opened my mind to all kinds of new things in the world of food. According to Wikipedia “a tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry.” So when I was looking for something to bring to my sisters that was a bit different than the usual, I found a recipe for an Asparagus Leek Tart, it was perfect.

Ingredients

4 small leeks or 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and rinsed well

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into small pieces

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1 heaping tsp of fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme if you don’t have lemon thyme

1 tsp of fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp concentrated balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or line with foil and grease lightly with shortening or butter. Set aside.

 

Melt butter and olive oil together in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add leeks and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes and remove from heat and keep to the side. While the leeks are cooking blanche the asparagus for two minutes in boiling water and then put into ice water to stop the cooking. Add asparagus to the leeks and set aside.

 

On a lightly floured surface roll out puff pastry dough into a rectangle and transfer to the prepared cookie sheet. Using a fork score around the edges to create a crust and pierce the dough all over so that it doesn’t puff up too much in the middle.  Bake for 10 minutes.

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While the pastry is cooking whisk together the eggs and milk in a mixing bowl until well combined. Add cheese, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

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Once the 10 minutes is up, remove the puff pastry from the oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees. Using a fork gently push the air out of the center of the dough so that it flattens in the center.

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Scatter the asparagus and leeks evenly on the dough, pour the egg and cheese mixture over the vegetables. Bake for 20 to 25 until set. Remove from oven and let cool. Drizzle with concentrated balsamic vinegar, serve and enjoy!

 

Thank you The Life Jolie for this delicious recipe!

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Stuffy Dressing or Dressy Stuffing?

13 Nov

So, which is it? I only just found out what the difference is between stuffing and dressing, perhaps you already know and it seems pretty obvious now that I do know. Dressing is stuffing that is not “stuffed” into the cavity of the bird and stuffing is dressing that is “stuffed” into the cavity of the bird! There you have it.

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I love traditional stuffing but came across a recipe that seemed too good not to try (which is why I love Pinterest)! Rosemary Mushroom Stuffing, which is ironic because the recipe is vegan so clearly it is dressing and not stuffing. For those of you who are not vegan of course you can use regular butter and chicken stock but I urge you to try it the way it is written, you will never the know the difference.

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Ingredients

half loaf rustic, artisan bread*

1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced

3 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cup currants (they are by the raisins)

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

pinch of sea salt

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 tbs vegan butter

2 tbs olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cube and toast artisan bread in oven.

The rosemary and fennel seeds need to be ground up, you can use a mortar and pestle if you have one. I put mine in a small bowl and used the handle end of a large knife to crush them and it worked just fine. Put aside.

In a large saute pan, heat butter and oil over medium low heat. Add onions and celery, stir until onions become soft and translucent. Add mushrooms, cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the fennel and rosemary mixture, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Stir to cook for 3 or 4 minutes more then remove from heat.

Pour vegetable stock and currants into the pan and stir.

Add toasted bread cubes to pan and mix well. Transfer to medium size baking dish.

Bake dressing covered with foil for 45 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

Let dressing stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving and enjoy!

*The original recipe calls for rosemary artisan bread, I used plain as I thought it might be too much rosemary but obviously you can use what you like.

**Recipe adapted from canned-time.com

 

 

 

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Chapter 3: The Best Mac n’ Cheese

17 Jan

I almost can’t believe it. I have been on the search for the best macaroni and cheese recipe for what seems, ever. And apparently it has been; my last blog post on my search for the best mac n’ cheese was on May 23, 2011! I started a 3 chapter post and chapter 2 was all the way back then….

Well, I have found it. This is the recipe that will be the base of all my future mac n’ cheese recipes. Thank you Martha Stewart. (Of course.) I did change it slightly after reading and researching what makes the best mac n’ cheese. (How many times can I say mac n’ cheese?!) I did use some cream instead of milk and I used dry mustard instead of nutmeg. I DO NOT like nutmeg in recipes that are supposed to savory but I do like it in desserts. My husband thinks I’m crazy but I can detect the slightest bit of nutmeg and it just grosses me out.

Also, in this recipe Martha does a bread crumb topping which I omitted, just not a fan.

6 Tbs unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream (yup!)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar

2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere

1 pound elbow macaroni (I used shells, holds the sauce better)

1/4 cup pecorino Romano cheese

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Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil. Cook macaroni according to package instructions but about 3 minutes less, until it is just underdone. Drain in colander, rinse and set aside.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish;set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk and cream. Melt remaining 6 Tsp butter in a high-sided skillet or large saucepan over medium heat. When butter is completed melted, add flour. Cook, stirring 1 minute.

Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove the pan from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, mustard, cayenne pepper, 4 cups cheddar, 1 1/2 cups Gruyere; mix well. Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce and then pour into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving….Enjoy!

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I have big plans for future mac n’ cheese recipes….

 

 

 

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Tangy Twangy Slaw

7 Jun

I love coleslaw but am trying to lose a few pounds so I was looking for healthier version and found this tangy slaw recipe.  This is great alternate and it’s vegan, dairy and gluten free. My husband loved it and even asked to me to make it again!

Slaw fixin's

Slaw fixin’s

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

4 tablespoons medium red onion, thinly diced

1 grated carrot

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seed

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Refrigerate and allow slaw to chill for at least at an hour or two before eating. Enjoy!

Serve it up!

Serve it up!

 

 

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