Eat Laugh Love

Asian Fried Quinoa - Secret Recipe Club

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:30:00 +0000

This month’s Secret Recipe Club led me to Juanita's Cocina, a delightful blog packed with terrific recipes, lots savory (my kind of recipe blog!) and sweet alike. I’ve been noticeably absent from blogging these last two months, and Jen’s blog, her diligence, and passion are inspirational. Maybe I will get back in gear! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her family, and her recent Mother’s Day post talks to how her wife, Uncle R, so warmly embraced her son, J, like her own and is quite touching (scones look good, too). Like most of us who cook a lot, Jen has definite opinions, and the post about Mexi-CAN’T restaurants is pretty funny – and very true. With stunning photography, great use of props (how many ramekins do you own, and in every color of the rainbow?), I marked a number of possibilities, including creamy radish dip, spicy chicken ranch dip, green chile cheeseburgers, and spicy Bang Bang shrimp tacos – I’m a sucker for any kind of fish tacos especially with Sriracha.

However, since Craig loves KEEN-wah so much – maybe just saying it – I settled on the Asian fried quinoa, which may tie with our Buffalo chicken(less) quinoa as THE best quinoa recipe ever. The recipe below is Jen’s original recipe. The changes I made were to prepare half a cup of dried red quinoa since 1½ cups would make a ton, and I used a Napa cabbage in lieu of green cabbage and omitted the snap peas and eggs. True to form, Craig suggested I add a few shakes of Sriracha since we like spicy. As Jen points out, this is so healthy and is delicious room temp or warm. It can be eaten as a vegetarian entrée as I did for lunch, and we originally ate it as a picnic side dish with baked chicken. Try it. You will really enjoy it. I know this will be on our picnic rotation more than a few times this summer.

Asian Fried Quinoa

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups veggie stock
3 Tbs. grapeseed oil (you can also use olive oil)
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 large shallot, finely minced
1/4 cup finely minced garlic
1/4 cup finely grated ginger (I used the fresh ginger in the tube)
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
2 cups baby bok choy, shredded finely
1 cup celery, chopped into small pieces
2 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 cup snap peas, coursely chopped
3 Tbs. soy sauce (plus some for service)
2 large eggs, beaten

In a large skillet heated over medium heat, toast the quinoa until it turns light golden brown, stirring occasionally (4-6 minutes). Once toasted, add the veggie stock to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook until all liquid is absorbed (16-20 minutes). Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and set aside.

Wipe out the skillet and heat 1 1/2 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook until onions are well caramelized, making sure to stir frequently (15-20 minutes). Add the shallots to the skillet and cook for 2 more minutes. Then add the garlic, ginger, and green onion, cooking for another 3-4 minutes, allowing everything to soften. Add the carrots, bok choy, celery, cabbage, and snap peas. Cook just until the bok choy and cabbage are wilted. Add the soy sauce, and mix ingredients well. Transfer the veggies to another bowl.

Heat the other 1 1/2 Tbs. of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the quinoa and warm through, stirring frequently. When quinoa is heated through, drizzle the eggs over the surface of the quinoa. Once eggs have “set to cook”, gently incorporate them into the quinoa in pieces large enough that they are visible. Add the veggie mixture to the skillet and mix well. Taste for seasoning and serve

English Muffin Bread and Secret Recipe Club

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:46:00 +0000

For April’s Secret Recipe Club, where food bloggers are paired and reveal their partner (and what they prepared) on a designated day, I was assigned Lynne’s 365 Days of Baking and More. She started her blog with the sole purpose of baking for 365 consecutive days. Wow. Craig would love that. (Sorry, babe, it ain’t happenin’.) Lynn continued blogging beyond a year and although she does have an extensive list of all kinds of baked goods, she also has a variety of savory foodstuff as well.

Her English muffin bread, something on my culinary to-do list, caught my eye. Craig eats a Trader Joe’s British muffin every day, and as of late, even though we don’t eat a lot of bread, any thing with yeast is of interest because of the challenge it presents. So baking this was an easy decision. Because I have limited bread baking experience, I cut Lynne’s recipe in half to make one loaf, and I substituted white whole wheat flour for half of the all purpose, and I had to add a quarter cup more water to get the dough smooth. One of her comments suggested increasing the baking soda to get the nooks and crannies typically found in commercial English muffins, which I also did. The recipe below reflects the changes I made.

The result? Success. I even surprised myself how tasty it turned out, and it’s very simple to make. I’m pretty excited to find something else on Lynne’s blog to continue boosting my baking confidence.

English Muffin Bread

Butter and cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cups milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup water

Prepare an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan by greasing it with butter and cover with cornmeal; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together half the flours, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda.

In a small saucepan over low, heat the milk and water to very warm, between 120 - 130 degrees F. Add to the flour mixture and thoroughly combine. Gradually add the remaining flour. Place the dough in the prepared loaf pan.

Cover the pan with a towel and place in a draft-free, warm spot to rise for 1 1/2 hours. (I heated the oven to 170 degrees F. and then turned it off and placed the pan in the oven to rise.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place pan in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Immediately remove loaf from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

It turns out English muffin bread is tasty more than just for breakfast. Craig used it for garlic cheese bread, and it was perfect.

Healthy Country-Fried Steak

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:25:00 +0000

Yes, you read that right. Less guilt, not fried, and you no longer have to go to Cracker Barrel to satisfy your craving for this classic, Southern comfort food (not that I would ever step food in CB).

Also known as chicken-fried steak (CFS) because it looks like fried chicken and similar to wiener schnitzel (pounded, breaded, fried), CFS is much cheaper because it uses such an inexpensive cut of meat – that otherwise you’d have no idea what else to make with it. That would be cube steak, typically pulverized round steak, a very tough cut of meat. Traditional CFS would be off-limits in our house: it’s fried; it would make a huge mess to prepare (because it’s fried); it’s highly caloric, loaded with saturated fat and sodium; and white gravy is tasteless.

All that changed when I saw a recipe for lightened CFS in Cooking Light years ago. This version is pan-fried in a tiny bit of oil, the mushroom gravy is flavorful and earthy, a nice foil to the slight crunch of the CFS, and comes together quickly for an easy weeknight dinner. The recipe below reflects the changes I’ve made over the years. Since this is one of Craig’s all-time favorites, I gladly indulge him and make it nearly every year on his birthday.

Serving CFS with mashed potatoes is a must, and the corn in the photo is from one of the kazillion bags of the 12 dozen (locally grown) ears of corn that Craig grilled and we froze last summer. It's terrific, especially in the middle of the winter (or spring).

Country-Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Serves 4

3 tablespoons fat-free milk

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 4-ounce sirloin cubed steaks, preferably grass-fed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 cups mushrooms, quartered, preferably portabello or criminis

2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, low-salt beef broth

A splash of sherry

Combine 3 tablespoons milk and egg whites in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/3 cup flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Working with 1 steak at a time, dip in egg mixture; dredge in flour mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining steaks, egg mixture, and flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add steaks; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove steaks from pan; keep warm.

Add onions to the pan; sauté until softened. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add mushrooms, sautéing an additional 3 minutes. Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and broth, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture and sherry to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 15 minute, stirring constantly, to thicken. Spoon over steaks.

Print recipe here.

My Culinary To-Do List

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:36:00 +0000

A number of months ago I decided to formally develop a compilation of things I want to prepare sometime (and publish it to keep me accountable and blog more frequently). I’ve seen younger bloggers do it with the number of items to reflect their age (I’m non-disclosing that), and I decided to simply compile my list and what results is the number of items I have – 25. I like the roundness of it and to get through all this will be an attainable challenge.

I don’t consider myself much of a baker so I was surprised at the number of items that fall in the baking and dessert categories. Even thought I don’t bake routinely, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience of preparing slightly demanding baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, baklava, Julia Child’s pate a choux with crème patissiere (cream puffs), baked Alaska, soft pretzels, and pop tarts. It got me thinking of other things I’ve made without much thought – ricotta, gnocchi, raviolis, beef Bourguignonne, roasted chicken, cioppino, fried chicken, crown pork roast with dirty rice, pickles, jam – and I do cook a lot and have made a lot of interesting, often complicated things. I’m really looking forward to new adventures with the list I’ve amassed.

I've color-coded the entries I've crossed off the list, meaning I've made them, in BLUE and you can link to the post.

Baking

English muffin bread
Graham crackers
Marshmallows
Sourdough bread

Beverages

Limoncello

Breakfast

Baked grapefruit

Condiments

Mayo
Pickled watermelon rinds
Worcestershire sauce

Desserts

Boston creme pie
Lavender rosemary short bread
Macaroons
Whoopie Pies
Zabaglione

Ethnic

Bulgogi with kimchi
Molè sauce
Pho
Vindaloo

Entrees

Beef Wellington
Coquilles Saint Jacques
Lobster Thermador
Salt and pepper shrimp
Standing rib roast (with popovers, which I’ve already made)
Whole fish baked in salt

Soup

Julia Child’s French onion soup

White Pizza with Shrimp, Ricotta, and Veggies

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:23:00 +0000

For March’s Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Rachel’s The Avid Appetite. What a delightful blog full of sooooooooo many wonderful recipes. Rachel states she couldn’t boil water just a few years ago, but she certainly has come a long way. Her inspiration was her grandmother and the desire to ensure she and hubby, Shaun, dine well, whether in their kitchen or in Manhattan. (Check out the great photos from Katz in NYC; we’re heading there next month when we visit Connor in Manhattan). Congrats, too, on the new baby!

It was a challenge to decide what to make with so many healthy and fun choices. I was particularly drawn to some of the appetizers (pear, gorgonzola, and bacon toasts, spinach-bean dip), as well as a few of the chicken recipes (Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps and provolone stuffed chicken with pesto quinoa). Choices, choices. Finally, I settled on the zucchini white pizza, a vegetarian recipe, but since I made it when we were at the south house (Sarasota), I couldn’t resist the addition of local shrimp and other veggies as she suggests.

Of course it was a hit. This is one rich pizza, and we loved the ricotta-based sauce as a nice change instead of a traditional red sauce. It comes together quickly, and definitely bake it until the cheese browns slightly. This will stay on our pizza rotation. It’s a keeper. Thanks for such a tasty pizza recipe, Rachel!

The recipe below is Rachel’s original, and my additions we sautéed shrimp, mushrooms, caramelized onions, red bell peppers, and fresh basil in lieu of dried.

Zucchini White Pizza

Pizza dough

1 C part skim ricotta
1 egg white
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
olive oil
flour, whole wheat or all-purpose
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, or whatever your package suggests. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg white, salt, basil and oregano with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

Layer the ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, parmesan and zucchini on top. Drizzle the zucchini with just a bit of olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes, or as directed on your package of dough.

Print here.

Random Cooking – Preserved Lemons and Homemade Peanut Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 22:42:00 +0000

I feel a little guilty blogging about these two, but both are so good – and super easy – that I decided to get over my self-reproach and share these gems.

I really enjoy Moroccan recipes, which often call for preserved lemon. I’ve never seen preserved lemons in the grocery store, and anyone who knows me understands my proclivity for making it myself any way, so I decided to give it a try. These are quick to put together and just require patience for them to mature. Don’t be concerned about the amount of salt in the preparation, which along with the acid, act as preserving agents.

(I got black and white back boards to improve my photos, a step in the right direction. Next I need to work on the lighting.)

Preserved Lemons

8 or so lemons, scrubbed very clean with a vegetable brush

1/2 cup kosher or sea salt, more if needed to cover lemons – my research indicates that iodine salt will ferment the lemons, so don’t use it!

A bit of fresh lemon juice if needed to cover lemons

Cover the bottom of a sterilized quart canning jar with kosher salt, about two tablespoons.

For each lemon, cut off any protruding stem and about 1/4-inch from the top of the lemon. Cut the lemon in half length-wise but don’t cut all the way through, keeping the lemon attached at the base. Turn the lemon and make another similar length-wise cut, again, not all the way through the lemon, so now it is cut into quarters. Gently open the lemon and liberally fill the lemon with salt.

Pack the lemons into the jar and smash such that the juice draws from the lemons, continuing to press the lemons down to fill the jar. Once the jar is full, top it off with a few more tablespoons of salt and enough fresh lemon juice to fill the jar. Seal the jar, and that’s it.

Let the jar sit at room temperature for a week or so, shaking it every day to distribute the salt and juice. Move it to a cool dark place and allow the lemons to ripen for 30 days.

When you are ready to use a lemon, remove it from the brine and rinse thoroughly with a lot of water to remove the salt. Remove the seeds, and some sources indicate to remove and discard the pulp.

My research indicates these keep indefinitely and do not need to be refrigerated. The longer they mature, the softer the lemons get and eventually with the help of a knife, they can become be made into a paste, great for use in an aioli. Preserved lemons are great in tagines, couscous, with chicken, fish, pasta, in salad dressing, marinades, the list goes on and on.

Moving on to homemade peanut butter. Since mid-summer, I’ve been making the peanut butter we eat. “Making” feels like an exaggeration since it’s so simple. Combine a few cups of lightly salted peanuts (from Whole Foods) and a tablespoon or so of peanut oil into the Vitamix blender, slowly increasing the speed, processing no more than a minute at a time, tampering as needed, until the peanuts have processed to the desired consistency. Voila, you have amazing peanut butter.

Is it worth this (little) effort when it’s easy to simply buy peanut butter? Yes! You know exactly what is in your peanut butter (no artery-clogging trans fats, hydrogenated oil, and no sugar). As long as you have peanuts in your pantry, you’ll never run out of peanut butter again, and it takes five minutes to prepare it. It doesn’t separate into oil and a glob like commercial, natural p-butter. And best of all is the taste. While it may not be as creamy as the commercial stuff, it tastes like you’re munching on a handful of savory peanuts (it still has little flecks of peanuts). Sometimes I use more peanuts than oil, and it’s a little thicker and crunchier, or like when I made a batch on Saturday, it is a bit smoother and creamier. Either way, appreciably better than anything you’ll ever buy in the grocery store and much cheaper. I cannot attest that you can make p-butter in other blenders, but I’d imagine you can if your food processor is heavy duty.

February Foodie Pen Pals

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

What a great month for me as a participant in the Lean Green Bean Foodie Pen Pal exchange. This is where foodies (bloggers and non-bloggers alike) are assigned a pen pal who you correspond with to understand food likes and dislikes, then fill and send a box of goodies (around $15) to your pen pal, and reveal the contents of the box on the same day.

This month Ashley from My Cats and I (Cooking) in Chi had my name. She sent a terrific box with many homemade treats. Ashley is a relatively new but rather prolific blogger who is a grad student in Chicago and enjoys healthy cooking – and lovesssssssssss her cats! Reading her blog was *almost* as much fun as the content of her box, and I especially appreciated her kind note and a recipe for a barley and red bean bowl salad. With no further ado, the goodies in my box were:

Trader Joe’s organic red quinoa, one of Ashley’s preferred grains (ours, too) that she likes to add to salads (I need to try that)

Yellow curry powder, one of her fave spices

Valrhora dark chocolate

Homemade winter spice granola

Homemade Candied mixed nuts with rosemary that are so good we had to get them out of sight, a delightful combination of slightly spicy with a hint of sweetness

Homemade gardener’s scrub, which she noted is perfect for dry winter hands as well as hands battered from playing in the dirt – and I agree. This was lightly scented and not in the least greasy unlike the lavender one I got a while ago at Trader Joe’s. I even slathered it over my arms and legs in the shower for a sensational full body dry skin cleanse.

Thanks again, Ashley, for a thoughtful box that thoroughly enjoyed!!

Pâte à Choux with Creme Patissiere (Cream Puffs!!)

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:30:00 +0000

As much as I eschew dessert making, I do seem to volunteer to make it often when we have a dinner to attend. Perhaps it’s because no one else likes making dessert. Or I secretly love hearing the gushes, “oh my gosh, wow, this is SO good!!”. And I do have my partner baker husband. We’ve made homemade pop-tarts filled with (homemade) apricot jam and lavendar ice cream for my book club couples’ dinner last year, French vanilla ice cream and cherry cobbler for a July 4^th party that was swoon-worthy, boozy Brennan’s bananas Foster for this year’s book club couples' dinner, and most recently cream puffs for friends' New Year’s Eve party.

Cream puffs have been on my culinary bucket list for a long time. When I was a kid, I recall my mom making them for family dinners, and I was given the job to slit the baked puffs to let the steam escape (I wasn’t that smart then; I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time). Now that I’ve made them myself, I won’t disclose my mom’s secret HOW easy these are to prepare. They are truly delicious, somehow very light but rich with the uber-easy crème filling, and extraordinary.

Perhaps it’s because people don’t want to invest the (minimal) time in the kitchen to make something old-fashion like this, or they’ve never tasted homemade crème puffs. Next time you need to take something impressive to a party, think pâte à choux with crème patissiere. You and everyone at the party will be happy you did.

Pâte à Choux with Crème Patissiere (Cream Puffs)

35 – 40 small puffs

1 cup water
6 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of nutmeg
¾ cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 220º

Bring water to a boil in a pan with the butter, salt, sugar, and nutmeg. Boil slowly until butter has melted. Remove from heat and immediately pour in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for several seconds to blend thoroughly. Beat over a moderately high heat for 1 to 2 minutes more until mixture begins to leave the side of the pan and forms a mass.

Remove pan from heat and make a well in the center of the mixture. Break one egg into the center of the well and beat thoroughly until blended. Continue with the remaining 3 eggs, beating in one by one until combined and smooth.

Place a silpat or waxed paper on a baking tray. Spoon mixture into rounds approximately 1" in diameter and ½" high onto the baking sheet. Space the mounds about 1" apart to allow for spreading.

Put the trays into the upper and lower thirds of the preheated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until the puffs have risen and are golden in color, firm and crusty to the touch.

Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each puff with a sharp knife to let the steam out. Put the trays back into the turned-off oven and leave the door ajar for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and put puffs onto a cooling rack.

Crème Patisserie

1 cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup flour
2 cups boiling milk

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and forms "the ribbon". Beat in the flour.

Beating the yolk mixture, gradually pour on the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.

Pour into a saucepan and set over moderately high heat. Stir with a wire whisk, reaching all over bottom of the pan. As sauce comes to a boil it will get lumpy, but will smooth out as you beat it. When a boil is reached, beat over moderately low heat for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour. Be careful custard does not scorch in bottom of pan.

Remove from heat and beat in the butter, then vanilla extract. If the custard is not used immediately, clean it off the sides of the pan, and dot the top of the custard with softened butter to prevent a skin from forming over the surface.

(Apparently, crème patisserie keeps for a week under refrigeration, or may be frozen.)

Print here.

Individual Banana Baked Oatmeal for Secret Recipe Club

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

I was pretty excited about this month’s Secret Recipe Club because I moved to a new group. This is where food bloggers are assigned another foodie’s blog, select and prepare a recipe, and then share our experiences on the same day. This month I had Christina’s Mis-Cakes Oven Adventures, a blog dedicated to baking, sweets, and desserts. Since I am having trouble this winter keeping the same unwanted three pounds off (and on and off and on and off), I perused her blog with an eye for something healthy. I must say that the maple bacon cinnamon buns looked like something we’d love, and being a peanut butter-aholic, the peanut butter cookie blueberry bars caught my eye as well. Not being a baker, I enjoyed reading the tips and tricks section too.

I finally decided on the individual banana baked oatmeal, super healthy and easy, and next time I make these, I will add more cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and blueberries. Her recipe calls for cookie butter (no idea what that is), but I slathered mine with a spoonful of peanut butter as soon as it came out of the oven, which was a nice boost of good fat and protein. Thanks for the recipe, Christina!

Individual Banana Baked Oatmeal

Makes one serving

1 medium ripe banana

1/3 c milk (I used almond milk for mind, skim milk for Craig’s)

1 egg white

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 c large flake oats

1/4 tsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp all spice

Move oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 F.

In a small bowl mix together oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and all spice. Set aside.

In a medium bowl mash banana, add egg white and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add in your oat mixture. Once combined pour into an oven safe bowl such as a large ramekin.

Bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Print here.

Secret Recipe Club - Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:00:00 +0000

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Julie’s Little Bit of Everything blog. I enjoyed perusing her blog because we have a lot in common: 50-something Midwesterners who love to cook (and collect cook books), enjoy traveling, gardening, and spending time with our hubbys. And, Julie lives in Omaha, where I lived for many years.

A number of things jumped out at me (peach caprese salad, but December is not the time for fresh peaches in St. Louis), baked acorn squash with apple filling, and lots of sweets that Craig would have loved (but not our Weight Watchers point counting), including mint filled brownie cupcakes and spicy chocolate pots de creme. I have noticed a number of bloggers, Julie included, have a “My 50”, a culinary bucket list of things they intend to make and proceed to then cross them off. I was inspired to join in the fun and challenge myself, which resulted in me making Julia Child’s pate a choux with crème patissiere for a New Year’s Eve party. Now I need to come up with my other 49 things!

I digress. I settled on her molasses coffee marinated pork chops. Since I rarely make pork chops, and I’m not sure why I don’t since these were a big hit, pretty healthy, quick aside from marinating, and very easy. From an Alton Brown recipe, the glaze on the grilled chops is rich and thickens nicely as it cooks down. Thanks, Julie, for sharing!

I made the recipe with only one change. St. Louis is enough of a “Southern” town that I always have local sorghum in the pantry, and I substituted it for the molasses. When he was home from New York over Christmas, Connor shared that his classmates at the CIA didn’t know what sorghum is, and if you don’t know either, you should. People think of it as synonymous with molasses, but not true. Sorghum is the syrup produced when the extracted juice from the sorghum is boiled down, whereas molasses is a leftover, by-product of the sugar industry. Sorghum is highly nutritional and contains iron, calcium, and potassium. It has uses beyond baked in ginger snap cookies or as a topping for buttermilk pancakes, and it is a tangy/sweet addition in savory dishes like these pork chops, stir-frys, and tremendous in baked beans. Seek it out, and as always, local is best.

Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops

Serves 4

1 cup cool strong coffee
6 ounces sorghum, by weight
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 to 8-ounce) bone-in, 1-inch thick pork chops

Place all of the ingredients into a 1-gallon zip top bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade.

Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced to about 1/2 cup liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the thyme stems after the glaze has reduced.

Meanwhile, grill pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Allow the pork chops to rest 4 to 5 minutes before serving with the glaze.

Lentil Sloppy Joes – THE best vegetarian dinner for a carnivore

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In my never-ending quest to find tasty, real-food** vegetarian entrees, I hit on one that was simply terrific. Lentil sloppy Joes, which carnivore Craig aptly named “Faux Joes”. These are absolutely delicious, nicely spiced, great texture, and easy because you throw everything in the slow cooker and you’re done.

**I’ve read recommendations to use fake meat products to ease a meat-eater into the world of acceptable vegetarian, but if you read those labels, these kinds of “food” violate my rule of only eating what you can pronounce. Typically soy-based protein, they are chocked full of sodium, chemicals, preservatives, and the like. No thank you. If I can’t make real-food vegetarian that Craig likes, we will eat continue to just eat animal proteins.

I digress. Back to the faux Joe recipe. It’s simple to prepare because you likely have everything in your panty called to prepare these. And it’s flexible for serving. Craig ate his on one of those thin 100-calorie wheat flats (bun?), and I had it over faux cauliflower rice. You may be sensing a faux theme, but it’s only because we’ve been purposely increasing our vegetable intake and reducing wheat and carbs. I’ve known how to substitute spaghetti squash and grated zucchini/yellow squash for this purpose, but recently we’ve learned how flexible cauliflower is used in lieu of mashed potatoes, rice, risotto, even pizza crust (a forthcoming blog post).

Even if you are cooking for a conventional meat-and-potatoes eater, you will have success because these are that good. Aside from the orb shape of the lentils, your taste buds will deceive you into thinking you are eating real sloppy Joe’s.

Tasting notes: Craig enjoyed a few spoonfuls of homemade beer BBQ atop his (which would also be a nice addition while simmering in the slow cooker), as well as a wedge of Laughing Cow bleu cheese on his bun. Chopped green onions are good, too.

Lentil Faux Joes

4-5 servings

1 cup dried lentils, picked over (not red lentils; they would get too mushy)

1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

15 ounce canned tomatoes

1/4 cup + 1 table spoon tomato paste

3/4 cups onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cups)

1T apple cider vinegar

1T garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1T chili powder

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more depending on your tastes)

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir until well combined and cook on high, covered, for 3 to 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low, depending how fast your device cooks.

Taste test to ensure lentils are cooked through. If not, cover and cook in 30 minute increments until soft.

If too much liquid remains, cook on high without the lid for 30 to 60 minutes, keeping in mind these thicken as it sits.

Restaurant Reviw – Vida Cantina

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:39:00 +0000

One of those gorgeous Saturdays last month (a 70+ degree day), we grabbed lunch on the patio at Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina at the St. Louis Galleria. And it was good. Before going there, I googled to check if it’s chain restaurant, and from what I could find, the only other Vida Cantina is in Charlotte, so it would be on the non-chain Evans' approved list.

Its menu is an interesting blend of traditional Mexican and American Mexican fare. Known for its tequilas, with over 100 varieties (!!), its margaritas, while on the small side for the price (too much ice), were pretty tasty thanks to the zip of lots of fresh lime juice. Our server, Kellie, knew the menu inside and out and advised that since the Skinny Margarita (that costs $2 more) is only minutely less in calories, go with the real deal. Appreciated the honesty and advice. Service was extremely attentive in an unobtrusive manner.

We started with chipotle queso, a blend of cheeses with chorizo that was good, not a huge portion for the money, but certainly substantial enough to share. The housemade, nicely salted, warm tortilla chips are addictive, and the salsa is very fresh, chunky, heavy on onions and cilantro, which was fine by us.

We also had the HUGE guacamole trio – traditional guac, a mango-based one, and the third was poblano that was our favorite – which Craig rated as terrific, and this is from a guy who doesn’t like guac (yeah, I know, how can this be?).

We shared two entrees, the first being taco al pastor – roasted pork in manchamantel sauce, with grilled pineapple, a house blend of cheeses, onions, and cilantro. I researched manchamantal (“tablecloth stainer”) and learned this red sauce is a blend of fruit (pineapples, bananas, apples) and chiles from central Mexico, similar to Cantonese sweet-and-sour sauce. The pork was tender but slightly crispy. The corn tortillas were absolutely outstanding, and I’ve since read they are made by a local purveyor on Cherokee Street. Vida prides itself on using local vendors as much as possible, a plus for those of us who like to eat local.

We also had the chicken and spinach enchiladas, which we never would have chosen other than when we asked Kellie what she liked, she highly recommended them. These were good but not something we’d order again, not that exciting when compared to the tacos, pretty ordinary.

Vida is a pricey for Mexican but a nice alternative if you find yourself at the mall around meal time, and you appreciate freshness.

Sausage and Bean (and Kale) Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I am celebrating my 14^th participation in The Secret Recipe Club, a food blogger recipe exchange where bloggers are paired and reveal their partner and what recipe they prepared on a designated day. For this month’s club, I was assigned to Fake Ginger, named for the author's "unnaturally red hair" (her words) and her extreme dislike of fresh ginger - hilarious. Amanda is mom to three little boys, and her husband is proudly serving our country overseas. Her blog is full of recipes and beautiful photos of what she cooks, bakes (LOTS of baking going on at her house!), Thirsty Thursday libations, and her kids and dog. A fun read. I had trouble selecting a recipe as a number made the short list: zucchini fritters, lentil and collard soup, chicken with cranberry mustard sauce, but I finally decided on sausage and bean casserole because I had a ton of (homemade baked) beans to use. I don’t know how I got the notion in my head that greens go so well with sausage and beans, but I do, and we had kale from the last farmers’ market of the season that was screamin’ to be sautéed and thrown in the dish for good measure.

The result? We both declared it a winner, a keeper for sure, and we wholeheartedly agree with Amanda that it’s reminiscent of a quick cooking cassoulet, one of Craig's faves. Like other fall dishes, this is warming, hearty comfort food at its finest and easy peasey. It’s tangy, slightly sweet, and the breadcrumbs give it nice texture. And it has a lot of flexibility in terms of what kinds of beans you use. Since my baked beans were prepared similarly to the beans in this recipe, they worked well with no changes. If you're using plain cannellini beans, you would want to look at Amanda's original recipe. I also threw in a few canned roma tomatoes that I diced, and the kale provides a wonderful nutritional boost to this homey, one dish meal (I did roast some green beans too to round out our meal). The recipe below reflects the changes I made.

Sausage, Bean, and Kale Casserole

Serves 4 and could be easily doubled

A big bunch of kale

Chicken stock

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 links chicken or turkey sausage, about 9 ounces (I used Trader Joe’s spicy chicken sausage), cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup prepared baked beans, preferably homemade

1 cup diced tomatoes with their juices (canned is fine)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Homemade bread crumbs or panko

Preheat oven to 375F.

Remove stems from kale and coarsely chop. Wash kale (residual water will help steam it).

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add kale, and sauté 1 minute. Add enough stock to steam and soften the kale, cooking about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove kale and set aside.

Add olive oil to pan and heat. Add onion and sausage to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes.

Stir in beans, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes until any liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Mix in kale and stir to combine.

(At this point, I transferred the bean mixture to a baking dish coated with cooking spray.) Sprinkle with enough bread crumbs to evenly cover the bean mixture, and spritz with olive oil (or cooking spray) to moisten the bread crumbs.

Bake at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.

(Leftovers with roasted green beans)

Print here.

Chicago Restaurant Review - TRU

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +0000

This article continues to chronicle our recent dining experiences in Chicago. Thursday was our splurge night and did we ever.

TRU

The only other meal we’ve had comparable with our dinner at TRU was years ago when Alain Ducasse had his restaurant in the Essex House in NYC. TRU lived up to our expectations - and more. The dining room is very open, décor sleek and contemporary, but still welcoming for a romantic dinner. We opted for the Chef's Collection nine course tasting menu, which ended up being more like 14 courses. Every dish was creative and simply fabulous, stunning presentation, and service matched the food - impeccable. Executive Chef Anthony Martin (who looks like he’s 12) has a visual arts background, which you recognize when you see what arrives at your table.

Highlights of the meal included TRU’s signature white sturgeon “caviar” served in a tin. It’s not caviar, but sturgeon that has been smoked, pureed, and immersed by drops in liquid nitrogen to form beautiful snow white balls that are served with avocado puree and hazelnut crackers. This was a fun and easy introduction to the concept of caviar for newbies like us.

We also really enjoyed the ancho cured duck breast served with tangerine slices, sour cherries, and frisee served atop a STONE.

The superbly seared foie gras with “10 grapes” (the wine-colored dots) made Craig take notice (he doesn’t do foie). Perfectly caramelized on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth buttery, creamy on the inside, the perfect descriptive of unami.

Next up was jidori chicken roulade with petit cabbage and banyuls gastrique presented on a tree trunk. I kid you not. WOW factor aside, this was likely the course I most enjoyed and by far the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. Really? Chicken? Yes. Translated, jidori means “from the ground,” this Japanese free range chicken was perfectly executed with robust, earthy flavors.

The prime beef ribeye, served with wasabi potato puree and maitake mushrooms, was presumably dry-age, prime beef based on its bursting, rich flavors, almost full-bodied, juicy, with just the right amount of marbling.

I am a cheese course girl and we had at least 10 to choose from, a mix of cow, goat, and sheep milk cheeses accompanied by clover honey, fruit nut bread, and berry fruit compote.

Next up was the “linens out to dry”, resembling a clothesline with pins that held house made fruit leathers that melted bursts of sweet and tart flavors in your mouth.

Finally, dessert. I had read about TRU’s deconstructed campfire of s’more and even though it is not currently on the menu, our server was more than happy to have it prepared for me – grahams, chocolate, and luscious homemade marshmallows. What a treat.

Craig’s dessert, lemon sorbet, geranium consommé, was dramatically served “Compliments of George”.

I must give credit to Craig for providing a few contributions to this review that include noticing the "synchronized" serving of every course where the servers surround your table and present the dish at the EXACT same time to each diner – and – the impressive feat of selecting our wine, Coho Michael Blackburn merlot, from the 1,800 wines in their 61 page wine list.

TRU was on my culinary bucket list, and it’s a bitter sweet to cross it off. If you’re in Chicago, treat yourself and a loved one and dine at this American icon.

Next review we late lunched at Sable Kitchen & Bar

Chicago Restaurant Reviews - Trenchermen

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +0000

After dropping Connor off at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY to start his new adventure, we headed to Chicago to see Barbra Streisand at the United Center and eat our way through Chi-town, or at least as much as our stomachs and wallets would allow in three days. The Windy City is such a foodie mecca, quite challenging to narrow down where to go with a limited number of meals. Over the next few days I will be posting our reviews of where we ate. Hope you enjoy.

Trenchermen

Trenchermen, a relative newcomer to the Chicago restaurant scene, is located in Wicker Park in an old Turkish bath house and owned by veteran Chicago restaurateur/chef brothers Michael and Patrick Sheerin. The interior is urban cool, loud, but still classic. The service was simply impeccable. The right about of attention and the waiter was helpful in describing the dishes and making recommendations.

The cocktails were fun, full of unexpected and seasonal flavors. Craig started with a celery gin and tonic, which he loved and proceeded to tell our server he next wanted a gin fun. No clue what was in it, but also enjoyable. Being a whiskey girl and campari lover, the Pioneer - Pine Needle whiskey, campari, citrus – was a perfect starter for me, quite fresh considering its base. The wine list was small and very reasonably priced (we had a 2010 Farbre Montmayou Cab from Mendoza that was nice).

The highlights of the evening included the much raved about pickle tots, a cross between fried pickles and tater tots served with thinly sliced, smoked, and cured chicken bresaola atop a big schmear of beet-sweetened red onion yogurt sauce – very pink!

The hake was our other personal fave, served in a piquant piquillo pepper broth with a leek and hazelnut slaw and lemon custard.

We also shared the milk braised pork shoulder, served with spaghetti squash and which was tasty but frankly too much like nice chunks of Easter ham, and in hindsight we regretted not trying the short ribs instead. Next time.

Up next - TRU.

Monkfish Provencal

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 22:18:00 +0000

Have you ever seen a whole monkfish? It is ugly, ugly, primitive-looking. Scary bad. But have you ever tasted monkfish? It is one of my favorite fish, and one I hadn't eaten in many years because, similar to oft-compared to lobster, it can be very expensive (much of the time, lobster can be picked up cheaper than monkfish). Our local Whole Foods had monkfish on sale last weekend, and we grabbed two filets. Swoon. Ambrosial. Delectable.

When properly prepared, monkfish has a firm, meaty texture like lobster and is buttery and subtly sweet, well, similar to lobster dipped in butter. Monkfish is an easy fish for fish haters to like because it doesn’t have the fishy, gamey, assertive, in-your-face taste like salmon for instance. Mark Bittman refers to monkfish as the “veal of the sea,” because of its versatility. It works nicely cut into medallions, breaded, and sautéed or braised, which is the preparation I used. As with most fish, do take care not to over-cook it unless you enjoy eating rubber.

I was in the mood for polenta so I decided to make a simple Provencal sauce with garlic, onions, last of this season’s garden tomatoes, capers (no olives since Craig doesn’t eat them), white wine, and I threw in a few spoonfuls of homemade pesto at the end to add brightness to the dish (and it was too dark to head to the garden for fresh basil). We had a few strips of prosciutto in the frig, and I started by crisping those in the pan and sprinkled it atop the fish after it was done, which lent an understated saltiness as a foil to the sweetness of the tomatoes. This dish comes together in minutes, exceptionally easy without a lot of chopping or fuss. The monk fish melted in our mouths, and I was (almost) licking my plate. Beauty is only skin deep, and this is one luscious fish.

Monkfish Provencal

Serves 2, but easily doubles

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

A few slices of prosciutto (Costco now sells La Qercia prosciutto, which is outstanding)

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 good sized tomatoes, cored and chopped (I did not peel or seed)

1/2 cup good white wine

2 tablespoon capers, minced

2 tablespoon pesto

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 ounces monkfish, cut into “large” bite-sized pieces

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large, deep skillet. Add the prosciutto and sauté until well-browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Crumble when cooled.

Heat the remaining olive oil. Add the onions and cook until they’ve softened, about five minutes.

Increase the heat and add the garlic and tomatoes. Stirring occasionally, cook until it starts to thicken and the juice from the tomatoes cooks off.

Add the wine and cook for another five minutes. Add the minced capers, the pesto, salt and pepper. Let the sauce cook for a minute or so and submerge the fish and cook until tender about seven minutes.

Garnish with the crumbled prosciutto.

Print here.

Fragrant Moroccan Meat Sauce with Gnocchi

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Today is Secret Recipe Club reveal day. Secret Recipe Club is a gathering of food bloggers who are assigned a food blog from another member of the club, select and prepare a recipe, and on the designated reveal day, share who’s blog we were secretly assigned and post about the recipe. It’s an interesting way to meet other bloggers and find new, proven recipes.

This month I was assigned Heather's It's Yummy to My Tummy blog. She is a mom to two young children who lives in Chicago and journals about her cooking and baking adventures and her family. Being a busy mom, many of her recipes are just good food. As her daughter said, and the reason behind the name of her blog, food that’s yummy to your tummy. After looking around for a while on her site, the recipe I kept coming back to was the Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Moroccan Meat Sauce.

Last winter, I made velvety, melt-in-your mouth ricotta gnocchi, a recipe that appeared in February’s Bon Appetit from one of our favorite restaurants, FIG in Charleston, SC. They were used in a dish that was decadent, comforting, but definitely not your grandmother’s Chicken and Dumplings. But it makes A LOT of gnocchi, and we had some leftover in the freezer that needed to be used. As with Heather, this was the first time I made gnocchi, and it’s the easiest pasta to make from scratch that freezes well. While I’m sure the butternut squash gnocchi in Heather’s recipe is divine, the conclusion is any good gnocchi works with this meat sauce. However, we did not find it could serve four, and we are careful about portions, unless her gnocchi portions were much larger than what I served. I changed the spices by adding coriander, allspice, and cayenne, and added tomato paste to thicken the sauce.

Before tasting it, Craig was a bit perplexed why I was so excited about something that looks like marinara (with zucchini and yellow squash, of course, thanks to our abundant CSA box). But one bite and you’ll know why. The cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, allspice, and cayenne add brightness not found with a typical tomato-beef sauce. For such a simple preparation, it has complex flavor, and it’s so colorful. I typically think of lamb or chicken in Moroccan cooking, but the ground beef works fine (next time, with appropriate planning, I will use lamb). The sauce would also be great over couscous, barley, or millet, traditional Moroccan grains. The spices in the sauce perfume your home with warmth and make it a perfect dish for a cool autumn evening. Thanks for sharing this, Heather.

Moroccan Meat Sauce

Serves 2

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 pound ground beef or ground lamb

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

14 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons no salt tomato paste

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 small yellow summer squash, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooked gnocchi, couscous, or millet

Method

Heat the olive oil, onion, and minced garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes, just until the onions start to get soft. Add in ground meat and cook until browned. Add the spices and stir until fragrant.

(The allspice was a last minute addition after I took this photo.)

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped zucchini, and squash.

Simmer the sauce, uncovered until it starts to thicken, 30 minutes. For the last few minutes, add gnocchi to heat in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Print here.

Beer-Glazed Sausages with Apples and Green Beans – A Perfect Fall Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:47:00 +0000

When the leaves start to turn colors and temperatures head south, my palate changes. Dramatically. Soups, stews, chili, hot dishes (aka casseroles), gratins, hearty mac & cheese, and pumpkin pie. I crave rich flavors and spices. Things that warm from the inside out. And the foods I want are specific to the season. Pumpkins, apples, root vegetables, "super food" greens, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, apple cider. Even dark beers and smoky sausages, things I usually don’t eat. Meals full of hearty, filling, comfort food. Dishes that evoke nostalgia. And certain smells are those of fall, such as apple spice cake just out of the oven loaded with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

I was really impressed with the recipes in last month’s Better Homes & Gardens. I made two dishes from the magazine that highlight the best of fall, the first being butternut squash posole with chicken and kale that was full of flavor and quite easy, and the other beer-glazed sausages with apples and green beans. It was a one-pot wonder that comes together in half an hour. Simmering sausages in beer is a classic preparation, but in this recipe, the beer first forms a caramelized, ever-so-slightly sweet, and savory glaze thanks in part to a bit of cider vinegar and another fall flavor, sage, and then they are browned to form a wonderful crust on them. Apples are sautéed in a bit of butter and the green beans are also steamed in the beer until tender-crisp. Make sure you use a robust beer. The recipe recommends a Belgium-style wheat beer, with its coriander and orange notes, compliments the smoky sausage (I used Shock Top Belgian White). I served it with homemade, melt-in-your-mouth (Weight Watchers!) buttermilk biscuits – something I’ve never made before and they were so easy and so tender, which I will post about soon – and buttermilk coleslaw.

Beer-Glazed Sausages with Apples and Green Beans

Serves 4

1 12 ounce bottle Belgium-style wheat beer

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 package smoked turkey kielbasa, cut in 2-inch pieces

1/2 pound fresh green beans

2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 medium cooking apples, cored and thinly sliced (leave the skins on)

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sage, finely minced

In a large saucepan combine 1/2 of the beer and the crushed red pepper; bring to boiling. Add sausage and green beans. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes or until beans are tender. Drain. Set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter; add apples. Cook, turning occasionally, until apples are just tender. Transfer to a platter.

Add sausage to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add to platter; cover. Drain fat from skillet.

Carefully add remaining beer to skillet because it will; stir to scrape up browned bits. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and sage. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return sausage and green beans to skillet to coat in glaze. Fold in apples. Return to serving platter.

Print here.

Healthy and Heavenly Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:06:00 +0000

Gumbo defines Cajun cuisine. Gumbo is soulful, rich, and so satisfying. It is hearty, comforting. Gumbo transcends seasons, and my family enjoys eating it any time I make it. Traditionally gumbo is a welcomed Holy Thursday meal, a feast to enjoy before the Good Friday fast. While often seafood-based, recipes are as varied as the ingredients you have on hand, and every family (and chef) has its version. Google "gumbo recipe," and you'll get over 1,050,000 hits. But a few must-haves include a nutty roux that provides gumbo's thickness and distinct color and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell peppers, similar to the French mirepoix. But arguments abound if okra is essential (absolutely! Gumbo translates to okra), if tomatoes are a no-no (I use them because I use okra and I like the hint of sweetness they add to offset the slight spice of the dish), is filé necessary (sometimes I use it as a condiment sprinkled on at the end, but okra sufficiently thickens it), and is andouille a necessity (if I’ve planned ahead and have it in the ‘frig, it’s my sausage of choice)?

Unfortunately gumbo is not the healthiest of fare, full of fat from the preparation of the roux and often sodium-laden depending on your selection of sausage. But we love this stuff, and I didn’t want to think we had to give up one of our favorite meals in the name of healthy eating. Some years ago, I came across a recipe in Cooking Light that provides a great base for a really healthy gumbo. It is every bit as tasty as a traditional recipe thanks to an ingenious method of preparing the roux. No oil. No butter. No fat! But as it browns, it still has that very distinct, sharp, almost earthy roux aroma that fills your whole house. Do pay attention. You need to stir like crazy and don’t let it burn because then you must start over. This gumbo has a healthy dose of vegetables, and you can vary the proteins to your liking, using shrimp, a firm white fish such as red snapper, crayfish, chicken, or sausage. This recipe below reflects the changes I made to the original, using additional spices, just shrimp and chicken andouille sausage. Enjoy!

Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

8 – 1 cup gumbo and 1/2 cup rice

1 cup all-purpose flour (I've successfully used white whole wheat flour)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper – green is traditional, but any color works

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sliced okra

1 cup chopped tomato

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (Penzey’s Spices has a nice one)

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

A few shakes Worcestershire sauce

5 cups fish or chicken stock

2 bay leaves

3/4 pound sliced chicken andouille sausage

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste

4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Place flour in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; cook over medium heat 20 minutes or until browned, stirring constantly with a whisk. (If flour browns too fast, remove it from heat, and stir until it cools down.) Remove from heat; set aside.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté sausage, breaking up clumps with the back of a spoon, until cooked through. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Wipe out the pan. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil and add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add okra and tomato; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Cajun seasoning, spices, Worcestershire sauce, stock, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil.

(Be sure to cut the okra smaller than what I did above.)

Gradually add browned flour, stirring with a whisk. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add green onions and shrimp; cook 10 minutes or until shrimp is done. Add in the sausage and cook until heated through. Stir in hot sauce; discard bay leaves. Serve gumbo over rice.

Print recipe here

The Best Quick & Easy Indian Potatoes in Red Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Indian food sounds so exotic to Americans, and it is. Indian has not been adapted and Americanized like other ethnic fare such as Italian, Mexican, or Chinese – which is a good thing! Indian food is terrific, although it often has a bad rap – it’s too spicy, it’s greasy, it’s high in fat and unhealthy, I hate curry. Well, let me debunk some of these fallacies. Indian food is healthy in its extensive use of fresh vegetables, whole grains, and non-meat proteins. It is cheap to prepare and recipes are easy. Often recipes fit the bill for comfort food. And it's fun and interesting to eat something out of your comfort zone. To prove that, here is a recipe for the best potatoes that uses the bounty of the season – fresh potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs. Just don’t tell your family you’re serving “Indian” but do expect compliments.

The source of the original recipe I used came from this month’s Secret Recipe Club where I was assigned Jayasree’s Samayalari Cooking is Divine blog. SRC members are assigned another participant’s blog, select a recipe, make it, then blog about it, with all entries posting on the same day. This blog is rich in traditional Indian dishes, and the biggest challenge was deciphering what the ingredients are (thanks, Google!). But, I learned Indian foods uses pretty basic stuff common in most cuisines – potatoes, rice, tomatoes, spinach, onions, garlic. While Jayasree's blog is vegetarian (and eggless), Indian dishes can contain meat. I also enjoyed learning a bit about her culture and family. Thanks for the education, Jayasree!

I decided to make on potatoes in a red coriander sauce frankly because it didn't sound too Indian and I thought everyone would like it. And we did! This side dish is quick and easy and can be made with ingredients common to an American pantry. And these are likely the best summer potatoes ever. Never would I have ever thought to mix potatoes with tomato “gravy”, but it works. The creaminess of the potatoes compliments the bright flavors of the spices and tangy sweetness of the tomatoes. The spice mix you grind uses coriander seeds, a spice that rarely get used in my kitchen but will going forward. Coriander seeds add a subtle, floral citrusy flavor. I substituted fresh lemon verbena from my garden for the curry leaves. And there seems to be a lot of debate among foodies if fresh coriander leaves are the same as cilantro, which I used because I had it. We had leftovers which I plan to eat tomorrow with a poached egg for lunch.

Here is the original recipe, and the recipe below reflects the changes I made to it.

Potatoes in Red Coriander Sauce

4 generous servings

1 pounds new red potatoes, skin on and cut into bite sized pieces

1 teaspoon oil

1 1/2 teaspoon tamarind extract (or equal amounts lime juice and brown sugar)
1 cup fresh tomatoes, pureed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon verbena leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
3 to 4 sprigs cilantro leaves

Spice paste:
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
2 garlic cloves
1/2 medium onion
1 teaspoon red chili powder

Cook the potatoes.

Combine all the ingredients for the spice paste in the bowl of a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Set aside.

In a large skillet heat oil over a medium high flame. Add the ground paste, tamarind extract (or lime juice/brown sugar mixture), tomatoes, lemon verbena leaves and allow it cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Add the broth and cover the pan with a lid. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to cook five minutes.

Once the potatoes have absorbed the masala gravy, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Print recipe.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes for Secret Recipe Club

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000

For this month's Secret Recipe Club, I knew Buffalo would be the recipe. SRC is where each member is assigned another participant’s blog, selects a recipe, makes it, then blogs about it, with all entries posting on the same day, I was assigned Debbi Does Dinner. Debbi’s blog is full of dinner recipes that are not only delicious and filling but nutritious. I debated between the Buffalo chicken stuffed shells, the Buffalo chicken shepherd’s pie, Buffalo chickpea patties (how cool!), and sloppy Buffalo Joes. Are you sensing a theme here? She and I (and those we cook for) obviously share a love of hot and spicy! Being a Weight Watcher, I appreciate that Debbi focuses on easy, healthy recipes.

Buffalo Sloppy Joe

With it being 100+ degrees in St. Louis for nine consecutive days and counting, I finally decided on something simple for lunch and went with the sloppy Buffalo Joes. No matter how sophisticated your palate, sometimes nothing hits the spot like a sloppy Joe. Total comfort food. Even Garde Manger Chef Connor asked me to set some aside for him to have when he gets off work tonight. This was a good choice. Actually, a great choice. These have a nice amount of smoky spicy kick from Frank’s Wing Sauce, and next time I may add a bit more of it. Based on a Rachael Ray recipe, Debbi cautions the original directions result in a soupy mess, so I reduced the liquid (tomato sauce and omitted the chicken stock altogether) even further from Debbi’s recipe because we like our sloppy Joes thick thick. I used grass-fed ground beef (but ground chicken or turkey would work well too) and sure wished I had celery in the house to add to give it a bit more crunchy and authentic “Buffalo” style. I added the optional ingredients of diced homemade dill pickles and half a wedge of my new fave Laughing Cow blue cheese. I'm don't know if this was one of Rachel Ray's 30 minutes meals, but it qualifies. Very easy to pull together for a fast and dinner or lunch. Thanks, Debbi for such a tasty, healthy, and super simple sandwich!

The recipe below reflects my changes.

Sloppy Buffalo Joes

Makes 8 4-ounce sandwiches

2 pounds grass-fed ground beef (or ground chicken breast or ground turkey breast)

1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T brown sugar

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1/3 C hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)

1/2 C tomato sauce

8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted

1 wedge Laughing Cow cup blue cheese wedge per sandwich

Dill pickles, chopped

Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, onions, and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more.

Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

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Southwestern Chicken and Veggie Rollups

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 23:03:00 +0000

We were invited to a casual, all-appetizer dinner party recently. We decided we needed to take something substantial since it would be the meal after all. In searching through the appetizer file, I came across an old Southern Living recipe I made years ago for a “parent party” when Connor was in middle school. Those were the kinds of events where we’d take a thoughtful, delicious, homemade dish, and everyone else brought cheese and crackers. We learned short of having to drive through Steak ‘n’ Shake on the way home to take a hearty hors d’oeuvre. These rollups were devoured then and when I made them most recently. They pack a lot of veggies (spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, and corn), protein (chicken, black beans, and cheese), and fiber. The cheese melts beautifully and gives them a slight gooey, nacho-like flair.

While these make lovely starters, they also make a nice lunch and can easily become a vegetarian meal by omitting the chicken. We are once again overflowing in squash thanks to our weekly CSA box, and I threw in shredded zucchini and yellow squash. The original recipe uses pre-flavored Southwestern chicken strips, but not in our house (it violates a cardinal rule of our eating – what’s in that seasoing mix, most likely something unpronounceable?? I sautéed chicken I seasoned with Penzey's Arizona Dreamin' mix and also used the mix in lieu of grocery store-packaged fajita seasoning, which is loaded with chemicals and sodium. Feel free to use your favorite Southwestern spice mix. The recipe advises against overfilling the tortillas and rolling them tightly for easier cutting. Good recommendations. These are party-friendly in that you can make the filling in advance, even the day before, and assemble 30 minutes prior to slicing them.

Southwestern Chicken and Veggie Rollups

Generously serves 8 to 10

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 small zucchini, shredded

1 small yellow squash, shredded

2 T Southwestern seasoning mix (or 1-ounce envelope fajita seasoning mix

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 pound of chicken, seasoned with 1 T Southwestern seasoning mix, cooked and chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can yellow corn with red and green bell peppers, drained

1 can fire-roasted, diced green chiles (mild or spicy, depending on your taste)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

6 10-inch flour tortillas

Your favorite salsa

Combine spinach, shredded zucchini and yellow squash, and two tablespoons seasoning mix in a large skillet; add broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, five minutes. Stir in chicken and next four ingredients; simmer until cheese melts.

Spread one cup chicken mixture on one side of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Don’t overfill the tortillas.

Roll up tortillas tightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes.

Unwrap rollups, and cut slices on the diagonal. Serve with your favorite salsa.

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Sadly, the Last of this Season's Cauliflower

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:03:00 +0000

The heat in St. Louis has done in all remaining cool weather crops. So long greens, broccoli, and cauliflower, which had a much too short growing season.

Like its cruciferous cousins Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and turnips, cauliflower is wholly unappreciated. When prepared properly, it is such a versatile vegetable. It can be served raw, steamed, pureed, stir-fried, roasted, broiled, boiled, braised, and transforms lovely into a silky soup sans cream, cut into and grilled as “steaks,” and makes scrumptious faux low-carb “mashed potatoes.” Almost all cultures with the exception of the US embrace it in many dishes (when was the last time you were served cauliflower at a nice dinner party or in a fancy restaurant?). The classic Indian dish Aloo Gobi, potatoes, cauliflower, and turmeric, comes to mind or an Italian salad, cauliflower roasted with olive oil, garlic, capers, and red chili flakes. Delish.

And this humble veggie is a nutritional power house. One cup fulfills almost your entire daily Vitamin C requirement and provides protein, thiamine, riboflavin, phosphorus, potassium, fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, folate, manganese, and develops phenethyl isothiocyanate when cut, a key cancer inhibitor.

With so many choices, what did I make with our last head of cauliflower? A French-inspired creamy (but dairyless) soup that is as delicious served cold as it is warm. It gets is texture simply from pureeing it with an immersion blender. You can increase the vegetable content to whatever you have to use up in your frig, but I kept it pretty simple and this is a cinch to prepare. While entirely unnecessary, but really nice additions, I topped the soup with a crumble of bacon and homemade garlic croutons. And now, a drum roll please….

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Serves four to six, depending on the size of the head of cauliflower

1 – 2 t olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 large shallot or 1 medium onion (about 1/2 cup), chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 T fresh thyme, finely minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 T butter

1 T all purpose flour

1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped

4 cups fat free vegetable or chicken broth

In a medium pan over medium heat, warm olive oil and add garlic. Cook one minute. Add shallot or onion, celery, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables have softened. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan over low heat, melt the butter. Add flour and stir about two minutes. Add broth, cauliflower, and cooked vegetables, and return heat to medium. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and carefully puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

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Two Updated (Weight Watchers) Summer Salad Classics

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 19:33:00 +0000

Thursday evening we took in the concert at Ellisville’s Bluebird Park after the Ellisville Community Farmers’ Market (local readers – GOGOGOGO if you haven’t been! And come every week! And buy delicious Baetje Farms artesian goat cheeses and Marcoot Jersey Creamery cows milk cheeses from me!! I’m beside the beer/wine tent.)

We always pack a picnic dinner, and since we’re following Weight Watchers during the week, I looked to lighten some old favorites, German potato salad and broccoli salad (gorgeous broccoli was in this week’s Lee Farms CSA box). The resulting salads were so flavorful that we didn’t miss the full-fat versions. The potato salad is a modified Weight Watchers recipe with a funny name for such, “Enlightened German Potato Salad” – I guess it is new age compared to a traditional recipe for it. I tweaked the recipe by using slightly more potatoes than the WW recipe called for and adding one of my new faves, Laughing Cow blue cheese (1 Weight Watchers Plus point per wedge). It still has great tang and the requisite saltiness and smokiness from a (little bit of) bacon. We ate it at room (well, outdoor concert) temperature, and I’m sure it would be tremendous a slight bit warmer.

And the broccoli salad. Well, this is the bomb – because – the broccoli is the star of the dish since it isn’t swimming in mayo. The salad is super fresh and very light. The recipe, which I based off one from my friend Alanna’s A Veggie Venture blog, interestingly has you finely dice the stems for added texture and crunch.

Both salads are winners even if we’re not following Weight Watchers.

Light German Potato Salad

3 generous 1 cup servings

1 pound uncooked red new potatoes, medium-size

Dressing

1 1/4 ounce bacon, diced

1/3 of a medium red onion, chopped

1/8 C white wine vinegar

1/3 t Stevia or 1/4 t sugar

1/4 t celery salt

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1 wedge Laughing cow blue cheese, chopped (or regular blue cheese to taste)

In a saucepan, bring the potatoes to boil in enough lightly salted water to cover the potatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes; drain but reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Let the potatoes stand until they are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Cook bacon in a large skillet (I used the Dutch oven) over medium-high heat until crisp, about six minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings.

Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about five minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the potatoes to the pan and gently toss to coat. If needed, add the reserved potato cooking water (by tablespoons) to make enough “sauce” to coat the potatoes. Sprinkle with the bacon and blue cheese. Stir until the blue cheese slightly melts. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Broccoli, Bacon, and Raisin Salad

Serves 6 (1/2 cup serving)

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1 - 2 broccoli tops, about 1 pound, washed and dried

Dressing
1/4 C Hellman's Light mayonnaise
1/4 C plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1 T or sugar substitute (I used 1 t Stevia)
1/4 C red onion, chopped

1/3 C raisins

While the bacon cooks. Cut the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Finely dice the stalks. If the skins are tough, peel the stalks.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Add the broccoli and stir until the sauce completely and evenly covers all the pieces. Stir in the raisins and cooked bacon.

Refrigerate for two to three hours so the dressing softens the broccoli and the flavors meld.

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Icebox Strawberry Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Denise Evans) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:24:00 +0000

A few weeks ago while strawberries were still in season in the St. Louis area, we went a bit crazy and picked quite a few pounds. Quite a few, about 45 pounds to be exact. They were just so sweet and tasty, I couldn’t stop. Unlike grocery store berries, which I refuse to buy, homegrown berries are diminutive, fragrant, and much juicer. My fingers and nails had a red hue for a day or two, but that was okay. We froze most of them, and I successfully made and canned delicious, sugar-free strawberry jam. My last jam making experience was a disaster when I attempted it with no pectin, significantly overcooked it, and crystallized the sugar, which resulted in strawberry CONCRETE. Chalk it as an experiment gone awry.

I also made an amazing icebox strawberry pie based on a recipe I saw on the Cooks Country website. It was described as “diner style,” and it sure it. When I was a kid, we went to the local Elby’s Big Boy restaurant for dessert, and they served a pie similar to this. It was my absolute fave, and I always got it. This is even better. It’s so fresh berry-ish. No surprise since it uses three pounds of strawberries, and part of the intense flavor comes from cooking two pounds to thick jam that is mixed with gelatin and more (fresh) berries. The original recipe calls for a pasty crust but I threw together a quick cinnamon graham cracker crust. This easy pie is a snap to make and perfect when you don’t want to be slaving over a hot oven on a hot summer day – the beauty of an icebox pie. I also skipped the whipped cream topping. I wanted the berries to shine. And they do.

The recipe cautions you need to be precise cooking down the berries to measure exactly two cups and no more, otherwise the filling will not set up or slice neatly.

Icebox Strawberry Pie

Serves 8

2 pounds strawberries, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 cup sugar

Pinch salt

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled, either pastry or graham cracker crust

Cook berries in large saucepan over medium-low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jamlike, about 25 minutes. Measure the mixture to no more than two cups. If it’s more than two cups, continue cooking longer.

Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.

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