Easy Tomato Soup + Mini Grilled Cheese = The Perfect Lunch

A few weeks ago I heard a lot about some very fancy grilled cheese (shoutout to YJP!). Let me tell you, you can only hear so much before you have to take action. Fortunately I had a day when I worked from home and was in dire need of a delicious lunch.

I wanted soup but didn't have any on hand so had to put it together on the fly with stuff from the pantry. I started out with a medium sized onion which I cut in slices and caramelized- this took about 20 minutes, so I just kept working and stirred occasionally. I also threw in 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic and let them caramelize as well. Once they were all nice and dark brown, I dumped in a large can of crushed tomatoes, and sprinkled in a little oregano and basil, salt and red pepper flakes. I covered it, and then waited until the tomatoes changed from bright to dark red. Once they seemed well cooked, I used the immersion blender and pureed it. 

Next come the sandwiches....

Usually I am a cheddar cheese on wheat bread grilled-cheese purist. However, this day I had a little baguette and muenster cheese, so that's what I used! I sliced the baguette into small pieces. I also sliced up an apple for crunch. After buttering the pieces with earth balance, I put on the muenster and apple, cooked and flipped.

I have to say, I loved the tiny sandwiches. First of all, they were good for portion control, second of all, they were just fun- they'd be especially good for kids. I also loved the quick and dirty soup- I think that even though there were only 3 ingredients (onion, garlic, tomato), caramelizing the onion helped give it a little extra depth, and since the tomatoes were tart it also helped mellow the soup out a little.

Overall, a perfect lunch on a cold day!

Cheater 'Eggs in Purgatory': Seriously, it Does Not Get Easier Than This!

You may remember this shakshuka (aka Eggs in Purgatory) from a few weeks ago:

It was delicious, and pretty easy, but it did involve some amount of chopping and having the right veggies on hand. I have now discovered a miraculous short cut that will change this from 'delicious brunch item' to 'emergency weeknight dinner'. What is this magical ingredient, you ask?

I bought this by accident, and it is now going on my grocery list forever. Here is what I did in version 2:
1. dump can of tomatoes in non-stick pan along with 1/4c water
2. sprinkle with smoked paprika (which is soooooo good) if you have it, or else cayenne. and salt.
3. cook tomatoes until they turn from bright red to darker, stirring periodically
4. make 2 holes, crack in 2 eggs.
5. cover pan and cook until egg whites are firm
(optional- grate some cheese on top)
6. Eat.

2 ingredients, 15 minutes, healthy dinner... this is what weeknight staples are made of!

Save Yourself from Yourself Post-Holiday Kale Salad

If you're like me, the last few weeks have been chock-full of deliciously terrible things, like fudge and toffee and cookies of every shape and size. Oh, it was glorious. However, by the end, I felt something like this:

So, I made this salad immediately upon arriving home from my holiday family visit, and have made 2 more batches this week already. I actually ate it so many times I googled what happens if you eat too much kale. (answer: people say you CAN eat too much raw kale and it'll give you hypothyroidism. I didn't verify that information anywhere legit, though so don't take my word for it). So, moderation in all things, even raw kale, apparently.

At any rate, this was super easy, extremely delicious, kept well until the next day, and is good for you. What else can you ask for?

The stuff:
-1 bunch curly kale
-1 lemon
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-craisins
-walnuts
-parmesan (optional)

What to do with it:
Take the kale and cut out the really thick bottom portion of the stems. Stack the leaves on top of each other, and cut it into thin ribbons (you might need to cut it once lengthwise down the middle if they are too long)*. Put them in a bowl and squeeze all of the juice from the lemon onto the kale. Use your (clean) hand to squeeze or massage the kale for a few minutes- it makes it just a bit softer and also gets the lemon well mixed in. If you can, let it sit there for a bit, if you can't just proceed onwards. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil over the leaves, add salt and pepper to taste, and toss with a fork. The, coarsely chop the craisins and walnuts and throw those in- these are the main source of calories so you can judge for yourself how much you want. I put in a lot of nuts because the dinner I was having was light and I wanted protein. If you'd like, you can grate in some good quality hard cheese (I used parmesan the first time and skipped it the other times). It does add a little something, but it is optional.

I ate mine with just a roasted sweet potato and it was delicious. The salad comes together extremely quickly, and if you microwave the sweet potato (roasted is better but microwaved actually is fine) you can have a very healthy dinner ready to eat in about 10 minutes. This may become a weeknight staple!



*note: for Christmas I got a very nice (VERY SHARP) chefs knife. I was really excited to use it, until about 30 seconds into my salad making experience I sustained an injury in the line of duty. Not to be thwarted, after taking important steps (like using half a box of bandaids and calling my Mom to tell her I got hurt) I took this picture with my left hand raised in the air above my head. I think it came out pretty well, all things considering. Lesson learned, when they say to curl your hands under while chopping, they're not kidding!

Coconut Carrot Curry Soup

This is a really nice soup that you can throw together pretty quickly, but that is really warm and delicous and tastes way more complicated than it really is.

1 can coconut milk (usually I use light, but this was regular and oh, it was so decadent tasting)
5-6c water
2 big leeks
10-12 carrots, chopped
1 tbsp oil
1 inch plug of fresh ginger, chopped
2-3 tsp red curry paste (or to taste)
pinch of salt

Chop everything up, you'll ultimately blend it so don't get too bent out of shape about how they look, but they should be approximately the same size so they cook at the same rate.

Heat the oil in a large pot, toss in the leeks and ginger, and let it brown just a little. Then throw in the carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then pour in the liquid. In general the amounts (like, of carrots/leeks/etc) don't matter so much, it isn't an exact recipe, but you want the liquid to cover the top of the veggies.

Add the salt and curry paste (I use the Thai Kitchen version, which they have in the ethnic section of my regular grocery store). If you like it spicier, add 3-4 tsp, less spicy, add 1. The only thing is, you don't want to overpower the taste of the carrots and end up with what basically just tastes like curry sauce, so I'd taste along the way.

Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, until everything is very soft. Then, blend with an immersion blender or else put it in a big blender. Continue to simmer a bit once blended so the flavors can really combine, then enjoy!

Given that it's basically just veggies and coconut milk it is amazing how rich this tasted, and the color is just amazing and bright. The only work is really the chopping, and then you just let it go- the whole thing takes about half an hour, of which 20 minutes is simmering. Definitely feasible for a nice winter week night dinner!

Oh, Zucchini.

I'm sorry to have been such a delinquent hostess around these parts... I was on a lovely vacation, which has been followed by what can only be described as a data analysis frenzy. As a result of said frenzy, by the time I finish for the day the last thing I want to do is look at my laptop, I'd rather do more important things like pander to Charlotte's whims and watch the first season of Game of Thrones. You know, the important stuff.

At any rate, boy do I have a lot of backlogged recipes for you! To get through them, I might get a bit thematic... so today's post is brought to you by our old summertime friend, zucchini.

Zucchini #1
First, I'm going to tell you how to make the best grilled zucchini ever. You might be thinking "meh, I know how to grill zucchini" and planning to skim right past. But, do you really want to be making sub-par grilled zucchini for the rest of your life? Do you? I didn't think so. Fortunately, it's super easy, and only has 1 secret ingredient.

Here's what you do... take your zucchini and slice into appropriate sized pieces- small enough to cook through, big enough not to fall through the grill slats. Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and... tumeric! It's the tumeric that does it. Much like when I used it in eggs, it doesn't give an aggressive flavor, but rather just adds another subtle level of taste that really really makes it delicious. Try it!

Zucchini #2
This recipe was borne of a need to put something together fast out of the things in my kitchen, but was actually delicious. It was inspired by this Egyptian style spicy couscous recipe, but here is my version.

The Stuff:
1c couscous
2c water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/3-1/2c carrots, grated
1/2 tsp corriander
3/4 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8c water
1 can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans

What to do with it:
Prepare couscous as usual (either according to package directions, or just boil the water, pour in the couscous, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit).

Heat oil, sautee onions, zucchini, and carrots until soft; add garlic, cayenne, cumin and corriander. Stir in beans, and add the extra water so the mixture is moist. Mix in with couscous, and there you go!

This was so simple, really flavorful, came together quick and reheated really well for lunch- what else can you ask for? Plus it's vegan, if you're into that kind of thing. Well worth a try!

Super Quick White Beans

This dinner was just a quickie, thrown together out of things that I had on hand, but it was pretty good, so I figured I'd share it just to show that you're never in quite as dire straits as you think...

What you need:

-1 can white beans (cannellini beans or white northern beans, or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed

-a few handfuls spinach, or if it is all you have, frozen spinach

-walnuts (toast them, seriously)

-half an onion, chopped

-1 sausage (I used Trader Joes chicken sausage)

-garlic, about a tsp

-a bit of olive oil

What to do with it:

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add sausage and cook until done or heated (depending on what kind of sausage you're dealing with, mine was cooked already). Dump in can of beans after draining/rinsing, including a few tablespoons water. Stir around and heat up. Toss in the spinach, heat until wilted (or melted if it is frozen). Serve, and top with toasted walnuts.

This entire process takes about 10 minutes, which seriously is not bad at all, and very handy for a week night. I think all of it went well together, but toasting the walnuts really makes it delicious and also makes it taste like something that took a lot longer to cook (of course, I'm also obsessed with toasted walnuts right now and am putting them on everything and keeping a big bag in the freezer at all times, so I may be biased, but, still, you should do it). Anyhow, if you have basic ingredients on hand, this could be your dinner! Also, obviously, you can leave out the sausage and vegetarian-ize the whole thing.

Kale Chorizo Soup

This recipe was made by special request of Feesh (my co-gardener across the city), who got extremely excited when kale appeared in my CSA box and immediately requested kale-chorizo soup. And, who am I to deny something that sounds so delicious?

The stuff:
1 onion, chopped
~3 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 lbs white potatoes, thinly sliced
8 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth (I used half and half)
.5 lb Spanish chorizo (spicy cured pork sausage), cut into 1 cm cubes*
a big bunch of kale, washed, with spines cut out, leaves roughly chopped

What to do with it:
In a large soup pot, start the onions, and add the chorizo. Once the chorizo is pretty much cooked, add the potatoes. Then add the liquid, and cook until the potatoes are tender- break some of them up to release the starch and thicken the soup. When everything seems ready, add the kale and just let it get soft. Then, serve!



*Ok, so here is the dilly with the chorizo. Basically, chorizo is not just chorizo- there is Spanish chorizo (which this recipe actually called for) and Mexican chorizo (which we used, because we are in LA, and you can't swing a stick in the sausage section of the grocery store without hitting some Mexican chorizo) and soy chorizo, which you could sub here, but I believe it is closer to the Mexican variety. What is the difference, you ask? Well, I'm not going to claim to be a chorizo expert and I'm certainly not interested in thinking too deeply about exactly what is in it, but I have learned this... Spanish, or Portuguese chorizo is firmer, and can be more easily chopped while Mexican chorizo is ground, has a softer texture and is spicier. Theoretically, you can't normally cross- substitute them (although, I did learn that in a pinch, you can actually chop up ham and season it with smoked paprika to approximate Spanish chorizo). However, in this recipe I'm here to tell you that the Mexican version worked just fine (which I assume means the soy version would also work just fine), so... do what you will!

Weeknight Cooking

This is very exciting, I've added a new tag for your sorting pleasure... this time... week-night dinners, which are things that don't take hours to cook and are well-suited to throwing together on a week night. They still involve cooking, but nothing extensively long. Enjoy!

http://yellowfishblog.blogspot.com/search/label/week-night%20dinners

Some examples of things in this category are...

Balsamic Lentils
Peanut Noodles
Squash Soup
Pineapple Chicken Tacos
Apricot Walnut Chicken
Chana Masala
Butternut Squash Pasta
Chickpea Tomato Quinoa
Chicken Chili
French Lentil Salad
Shredded Asian Beef
Rosemary Chicken with Lemon-Almond Bulgur

Some of the things that differentiate these from other recipes are that, for instance, you can marinate meat all day in the fridge (for instance, the Pineapple Chicken Tacos, or the Rosemary Chicken), or, some are slow-cooker recipes (like the Shredded Asian Beef, Apricot Walnut Chicken, and Chicken Chili), others use ingredients like lentils and bulgur that are very quick cooking, or pre-cooked beans (like the Chana Masala). Good luck!

Pineapple Chicken Tacos

I have developed a bizarre obsession with pineapple lately. I have NO idea where this came from, but its been a few weeks and shows no signs of fading, so I've decided to embrace it. Today's results? Pineapple chicken tacos!

The chicken:
I used my tried and true marinating technique of throwing frozen chicken breasts into a ziplock baggie, putting the marinade in there, and letting it sit there while the chicken defrosts (in the fridge, to avoid food poisoning). I threw mine on the grill, because it I live in L.A. and you can do things like grill in January. You could also broil it.

The marinade:
1/2-3/4c pineapple juice (this could be from the can of pineapple you'll be using for the salsa in a few minutes, mine was)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1tsp fresh garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger
(my garlic and ginger are from a jar. I think it is a good solution- much better than dried, but much less work than cutting things up)
Sriracha/rooster sauce/chili sauce (or in a pinch, red pepper flakes)- this depends on taste- more for spicier, less for not.

The salsa:
half a diced cucumber
half a can of pineapple, diced (or, I suppose, well drained crushed pineapple)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha/pepper flakes/etc
optional- diced red onion

I served mine on warmed corn tortillas, with the salsa on top, topped with avocado. Sour cream would have been good, too! This was relatively quick, healthy, and delicious!

Apricot Walnut Crockpot Chicken

I feel like in some ways I should call this "never give up" chicken, because I hate to admit it, but I almost did.

I am trying to learn to use my crock-pot, and there is a lot of variation in how well this goes (I nearly had a Thai-beef-curry induced meltdown a few weeks ago). I saw this recipe, which seemed easy and good, made some tweaks, and gave it a shot.

--11 oz jar of apricot preserves- it took me a while to find one without high fructose corn syrup, and surprisingly the grocery store brand is the one that won out

--1 T dijon mustard

--2 T soy sauce

--2 tsp ginger

--1/4 to 1/2 t red chili flakes, OR 2 tsp chili sauce (like Sriracha)

--6 chicken breast pieces or (thighs would work)

--1/4-1/2 cup walnut pieces

 Throw it all in there, and turn it on. I put it on low, and theoretically it should have taken 5-6 hours, but it took more like 4.5, probably because my chicken pieces were pretty puny.

Now, this is the point where I almost gave up.

My chicken did not look delicious like the chicken in the picture on the blog I read, it looked like flat chicken pieces in thin brown soup. Chicken floating in thin brown soup (chunky soup, because of the walnuts!) actually looks pretty gross. BUT, Charlotte reminded me that I am not one to back down from a challenge, and that cooking on a budget does not allow for throwing away large quantities of chicken, and I continued on. I took all the sauce, put it in a saucepan, and simmered it for a while until it was reduced into something thicker and more appetizing (see below).

It actually turned out! One note is, this was really sweet (I should have known something involving an entire jar of jam would be sweet), I think kids would like it as it is, but if I make it again, I'll double the chili sauce and soy sauce to jazz it up a little. Enjoy!

ps. I'd like to make a shout out to my sister-in-law Carmen, the Christmas-Elf who supplied me with some new and exciting plates to make my blogging photos more exciting... yay!

Ten Minute Pumpkin Soup

Now, I know that there are a variety of cooking levels out there, and sometimes more complex recipes can seem a little intimidating. I also know some nights you're in your jammies, and just want dinner already. But I'm telling you- anyone can do this! (I almost called this "You Can Do This Pumpkin Soup". but then I also almost named it "Easier Than Pie Pumpkin Soup" (get it? pie?). then I decided to calm down and be a little more literal). 

Anyways, YOU CAN do this. This is bound to become a go-to, quick-and-easy, stuff-from-your-cupboard type staple around here, its just that easy.

The stuff:
1 can pumpkin (not pie mix. pumpkin)
2 cubes bouillon of your choice (chicken or veg)
1c water
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
sprinkle of salt/pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2c milk product of your choice (I used almond milk because I had it on hand. The recipe called for half and half. Just don't use non-fat milk, it won't be creamy enough).

Now, a note about "the stuff". Pumpkin cans, brown sugar and bouillon cubes are excellent staples to keep on hand- they are versatile, and last a very long time. Your bouillon and milk selections can make this vegetarian or even vegan, or not.

What to do with it:
Put pumpkin, bouillon, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and pepper into a pan and boil it. Pour in milk, and bring back up to heat. Garnish with a "whisper" of cinnamon (not shown).

A few notes about the process. I found this just a tad salty- next time I'll either use 1.5 cubes, or not add any additional salt.

Overall, this was really good for something done in almost no time! It wasn't thick, like pureed soups are, but I think that was fine. I really enjoyed it- it was very hearty, but is actually (with almond milk subbing for half and half) pretty low calorie. I served it with a side of roasted green beans- just take some beans, toss with a little oil, salt, and pepper, and put on a cookie sheet under the broiler until browned and sizzling. Go ahead, give it a try!

Dinner from Three Boxes...

Sometimes, you get home at 8:30, and you want dinner, and you're not quite desperate enough for the ever classy bowl of cereal and glass of wine gourmet combo. Thankfully someone invented Trader Joes, which is fully equipped to let you feel like you're cooking something wholesome with the absolute bare minimum effort. Witness: dinner from 3 boxes. (ok, ok, fine. technically some of them are bags. that just doesn't have a good ring to it).

Now, for the very complex ingredient list:

(plus a sliced mango. because sometimes if you go to the store when you're tired and hungry, you somehow end up dazed and void of willpower, wandering in the mango section).

Here is what you do:
1. Throw the chicken on the BBQ (or oven according to package directions)
2. Throw the bag of rice in the microwave.
3. Heat a little sesame oil and ginger or garlic in a pan (I used ginger paste in a jar which is now my staple way of getting ginger), and cook the green beans for however long it takes for the meat to be done (not long).
4. Slice the mango.

and... voila!

 

The curry chicken tenders aren't quite my favorite of the marinated TJ meats, because I was hoping for them to be a little bit saucier, but the flavor was pretty good, and they cooked fast, so I was happy.

ps. there MAY have been a fourth box, which I can highly, highly recommend...

Squash Fries!

In yet another squash themed post, I present to you a super fast weeknight meal that is truly easy to just throw together in 20 minutes from deciding to do it to eating at the table.

The squash is another in my list of new-to-me summer squash varieties from the CSA box. This one is patty pan, or scallop squash. I'll give it this, it is the cutest one yet- it looks like a cross between a flower and a space ship, and that is something you don't see every day. Also, it has now been in my fridge for almost 2 weeks (in a ziplock bag in the crisper drawer) and it held up beautifully.

I cut it into lengthwise strips, about the size of thick cut french fries. These were pretty large (I think sometimes this variety can be fairly small) so it worked well.

I used just a little bit of my fancy butter (from the coconut cupcakes) since I have to do something with it (2/3 of a pound are in the freezer, for some special occasion, but I have about a quarter of a stick worth sitting around, so why not), a chopped clove of garlic, salt and pepper, and just a tiny sprinkly of dried rosemary. I just pan fried the squash and let it get a little brown. Summer squash and rosemary is one of my absolute favorite combination and is probably the way I most frequently eat it (although, usually it is steamed).

I had this with the now staple food item of Trader Joes chipotle chicken skewers, just because they are so easy! Over all, it was a quick, easy, and 95% healthy dinner. Yum!

Penne alla Vodka, minus the Vodka

I found this recipe in the Now Eat This! cookbook by Rocco DiSpirito, and he's used it all over the internet as an ad for the book, so given that it seems fine to actually post the recipe here.

Now the claim is that vodka is not actually a key ingredient in penne alla vodka, and it was perfectly delicious without it so maybe thats true. I'll leave it up to your imagination how to replace the vodka you're now missing in your life.

The stuff:
-whole wheat penne pasta
-a jar fat free marinara (they have some at TJ's) or other marinara. you can make it yourself, but then this becomes a whole lot less like something you can throw on the stove when you get home at 8:00
-red pepper flakes
-1 7oz contained low fat plain Greek yogurt
-1c chopped basil (fresh! FRESH!)
-salt/pepper
-parmesan cheese
-cooked chicken chunks (optional, minus which it is vegetarian)

What to do with it:
-Boil water, cook pasta (you can figure this out).
-heat the marinara sauce, adding red pepper flakes, simmer a bit
-now you have to mix in the yogurt, and I think this is a good trick, it keeps the yogurt from curdling. mix about half a cup of marinara with the yogurt, then stir it back in the sauce
-toss together the sauce, pasta, and basil, (and chicken) topping with the cheese.

Basically, this is ridiculously easy, and pretty healthy to boot- it really tasted creamy and good, it actually made me want to start adding yogurt to everything (so, watch out!!). If you can boil pasta and stir together pre-made sauce and store-bought yogurt, you're golden. I love recipes like this, that you can throw together at the last minute, but that still taste like you're treating yourself. Try it, you'll like it!

(note- this clearly also pre-dates the whole farm box thing.. be patient, I'm getting to it! my blog posts lag a little behind my real life unless I'm over the top excited about something: exhibit A, inaugural CSA box).

Roasted Cauliflower, Bulgar and Toasted Walnuts with Pumpkin Sauce

This recipe is perfect for a crisp fall evening- its light, but it is also very satisfying. It was borne out of the list of things that existed in my kitchen, but turned out surprisingly well. It's close to being vegan, but doesn't quite make it although I'm sure where there's a will, there's a way.

What you need:
1c bulgur wheat
half a head of cauliflower
1 cup mashed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix!!!)
1/2 large onion, diced
3/4 c broth (chicken or veggie)
3/4 c milk (I used plain almond milk)
1/4c parmesan cheese
2 tsp ground sage (or, fresh if you have it)
3 cloves garlic
1/4c fat free greek yogurt
walnuts
olive oil

What to do with it:
Cauliflower- cut into florets, toss in a little olive oil, roast in 400 degree oven, stirring a few times, until nice and brown

Bulgur - this is very easy to cook. You can actually just boil water, pour 1 c bulgur into a bowl, pour 2.25c water on it, cover,  and let it sit while you do everything else. Stir once while it sits.

Walnuts- for me, toasted walnuts are like crack. Seriously, I don't even like plain walnuts but when you toast them they turn into something amazing and decadent, and they added a really critically delicious crunch that you don't want to miss. So, toast the walnuts. I did this under the broiler, which resulted in an initial batch of blackened burnt nuts. The second ones... delicious!

Pumpkin sauce- this is based on a very delicious recipe that I found out in the Washington Post.  Saute the onions and garlic in a bit of the olive oil until soft and brown. Add sage and cook a few more minutes. Add the broth, the pumpkin, and the milk, and cook for about 10 minutes, letting it thicken a bit. When your cauliflower, walnuts and bulgur are ready, remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in the cheese. Then, at the last minute stir in the yogurt (the sauce shouldn't be boiling when you do this). You could do this without the cheese and yogurt to make it vegan, but I can't make any promises about the cheesy goodness in that scenario.

Assembly... basically, serve some bulgur, top with cauliflower, add sauce, and then the walnuts! I had my doubts about whether the sauce would be overly pumpkin-y, but it actually was amazing, and I plan to make it again. It would also be delicious on pasta. Enjoy!



(FYI, this post refers to a dinner prior to receiving my glorious CSA box, so despite all my hype about using that for the next 2 weeks, none of this was in there).

Cherry Walnut Spinach with Israeli Couscous

This is an interesting dish, it could be a side dish, or you could serve it over rice or pasta. I chose Israeli Couscous. If you haven't had this, #1 it means that you haven't had my Rosemary Couscous Chickpea Salad, and I'm going to tell you right now that means you are missing out. It is very different than regular couscous (which I also love)- its more like little balls, and has a really fun unique texture.

 What you need...
.25 cup dried cherries
.25 cup chopped walnuts
.5 onion
about 3 garlic cloves, chopped
10oz fresh spinach (baby, probably is best)
olive oil
a splash of chicken/veggie broth, white wine, or more oil
.5 -2/3 cup dry couscous
2oz soft cheese (goat cheese, feta would be best)

What to do with it...
First, start the couscous. Heat up a few teaspoons of oil in a sauce pan and lightly toast the couscous. I made .5 cup for a light dinner that served 2, if you're hungrier, make more. Once its getting brown, put in twice as much water as you had put in couscous, cover, and lightly simmer.

Now, start with the topping. First, heat a few teaspoons of onion and brown the garlic and the onion. Once the onion is about halfway done (so, sort of getting soft, but not brown), toss in the walnuts and the cherries. The walnuts will toast a bit, and the cherries soften and plump up. I put my cherries in right when I put in the onions, and I think they were a bit overcooked.

Now, dump in about half a cup of broth, and let it cook for a minute to get hot and start steaming, then throw in the spinach. If you're making this as a side dish for a bunch of people, put in more- there enough of the onion/cherry/walnut mixture that you could probably have almost twice as much spinach if you wanted. I never cease to be amazed at how much spinach shrinks up.

Once its all cooked toss in the crumbled cheese. Now, I had on my hands some super delicious soft cheese from the kind of friends who come and stay and leave the fridge stocked with multiple super delicious cheeses. Now, the thing is, I think that was a mistake. The original recipe called for goat cheese, and I think they were right- because, my cheese kind of melted away.

This was unique and tasty. I think mine would have been tastier with different cheese and less cooked cherries, but I will definitely be trying it again!



*note- this recipe would be veeeeery easy to make vegetarian (use veggie broth not chicken broth) or vegan (skip the cheese). you could even add small piece of firm tofu to add some protein.

Warm Kielbasa Spinach Salad

I'm a sucker for spinach, which I consume on a daily basis on one form or another (iron? calcium? folic acid? lets hear it for green leafy veggies!). So, obviously its my go-to basis for any form of salad, but I think it especially stands up well to salads with warm toppings. This salad was inspired by the French Lentil Salad and is similar; this version is very summery, light(ish), and all the toppings can be made on the grill.
Dressing (single serving):
-1.5 tbsp grainy mustard
-1.5-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
-pinch salt
-2 pinches pepper
-tad bit of garlic

Toppings:
-washed spinach leaves
-grilled bell pepper (I like yellow)
-Jenny-O lean turkey kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise, cooked on the grill until hot and splitting
-scallions, if you like, grilled
Basically, make a bed of spinach, top with some chunks of kielbasa, sliced veggies, and the dressing. It could definitely serve 4, and your choice of veggies is your own, but I like the simplicity of just the peppers. At any rate, you're done! Eat and enjoy!

(Whats that you ask? Whats the delicious looking bread product you see in the top picture? why, nothing but beer bread, made with Blue Moon!)

Korean Fusion Tacos- Trader Joes Style

Here in Los Angeles, sometimes it seems like you can't go 3 feet without running into a trendy lunch truck. You can't go 5 feet without one of those trucks selling some kind of fusion taco (like Kogi and Calbi and Bool). I initially had mixed feelings about this, in a city chock-full of awesome regular taco stands (which I partly love because they feed my very severe horchata addiction), but recently I've come around.

Given the profusion of Korean fusion tacos we, as a city, have been experiencing, its no surprise that when I saw Bool Kogi Sesame Marinated Boneless Beef Ribs (no, I'm not a paid advertisement), the first thing that popped into my head was tacos.

A delicious component of these tacos is some kind of vinegary slaw... to make mine, I used Trader Joes (of course) shredded broccoli slaw and some very thinly sliced red onions. I marinated these in seasoned rice vinegar and a tsp or so of sesame oil. (as a side note... my favorite cucumber salad is just thin sliced English cucumbers and rice vinegar- so refreshing!).

I was not in a tortilla kind of mood, so to continue with the fusion theme, decided to use the Trader Joes (you're getting the theme now, yes?) Middle Eastern flatbreads, which are soft and delicious. I lightly toasted them, but you don't have to. You can basically use any wrap-like material that you like.

Now, at just about this point, I realized my grill is either out of gas or in some other way non-functional, which was a shame. I was in too deep to give up, so decided to steal my my Mother's method for cooking meatballs- basically, take a cooling rack, put it over a baking pan, and put the meat on that. I used the broiler, she uses the oven. It works well because the fat is able to drain out as it would on a grill (see exhibit A, below. I apologize to my vegetarian friends for the meat close-up):

All thats left? Assembly!

 

 I served mine with corn (upcoming post) and the remainder of the slaw. I don't eat a lot of red meat, but when I do I like to eat it like this, in a scenario where there can be minimal meat in the context of a lot of veggies. This was really good! I don't know that it'll put the taco trucks out of business, but it would definitely be an interesting twist to throw at your next BBQ!

Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Lemon Almond Bulgur

Well, the cooking around these parts has been a little sparse. I'm working on a grant deadline, which basically means that I'm doing things like cooking mass quantities of chicken and bulgur and then proceeding to eat it for every meal. Fortunately for you, this was some freaking delicious chicken.

Chicken:
-1 ziplock baggie (I swear, this makes a difference)
-juice of 1 lemon (REAL lemon juice, people)
-a few sprigs fresh rosemary (I suppose dry would do, but fresh is exponentially better)
-boneless skinless chicken breasts (despite living alone, I used 4, because of the aforementioned plan to live on it)
-salt, pepper
-garlic (a few cloves, or if you're lazy like me and use the stuff in a jar, a teaspoon)

Bulgur
-1.5 cups dry bulgar
-2.5 cups water
-diced onion (2-3 tablespoons)
-garlic (a few cloves, or 2 tsp)
-red pepper flakes to taste
-chopped toasted almonds (I toasted mine in a dry skillet)
-just enough olive oil to saute the onions
-lemon zest (from the lemon you used for the chicken)- 2 tablespoons
-a squeeze of lemon juice if you have more

Basically, the chicken is the easiest thing ever- I dumped everything in the list in the ziplock baggie, pushed the air out of the bag, and stuck it in the fridge for 3-4 hours. The reason I swear by the baggie is that I think that it keeps the marinade closer to the meat. Also, periodically I go and squish around the meet to rearrange it. When I was ready, I popped it on the grill, and voila! I also tossed some zucchini and onions on the grill as long as it was on, as you can see- really, these could be any veggies you like.

The bulgur is also easy, I love bulgur because it tastes good and has a cous-cous like feel, but is more nutritious. Plus, it cooks incredibly quickly which is always a plus. Basically, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until a little brown, then pour in the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and dump in the bulgur. After 5 minutes, stir in zest and almonds, and make sure that there is still a bit of water to absorb. Let sit 5-10 more minutes, then fluff and serve.

This was simple, and delicious (and, healthy). Of course now I've had about 6 meals out of it in different permutations (it was a lot of chicken) so I'm a little sick of it, but still, it was good! Very light and summery, and I really enjoyed the texture of the almonds in the bulgur and the freshness that the lemon brought.

Slow Cooked Asian-style Shredded Beef

Ok, so this recipe deviates from the usual in 2 ways,
1. it involves beef!
2. it involves a crock-pot/slow-cooker!

It is, by the way, also delicious. I found it because I've been meaning to get more into the idea of slow cooking (previously seen here in the super easy chicken chili). One issue I've been having is that a lot of recipes cook for 4-6 or maybe 8 hours. Unfortunately, whatever kind of job it is that allows you to leave for work, get there, work, and get back in 6 hours, is not the job I have. So, I was searching for long-slow-cooked meals, and came up with this, from over at 'A Year of Slow Cooking').

Basically, I made some modifications- some of them are because I'm a slow-cooker newbie and didn't trust the idea that you could cook it all day with relatively little liquid in there and not end up with a burnt disaster when you got home. Here is my version...

The stuff:
2-2.5 pounds boneless beef*
1/4 cup low sodium free soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
6 tablespoons ketchup (or, one giant squirt, if you're me)**
4-6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder (I used allspice)
3 teaspoons pre-minced garlic from a jar***
2-3 teaspoons crushed ginger, also from a jar***
3/4c water (this was added when I panicked about the volume of liquid)

optional: juice of one orange (also added when I realized I didn't have enough honey, and was still panicking about liquid. I do think it added something, and diluted the strong flavor of the allspice and hoisin)
optional: a bunch of scallions- half chopped and added during cooking, half chopped and added half hour before serving
optional: red pepper flakes

*caveat, I know jack about buying beef, so I'm not even sure what kind I bought (I picked based on whether it was on the Ralphs Club Special), but mine was possible a bit too fatty for my taste, so, go lean if you can- there is plenty of sauce to make it moist.
*ALSO- I froze my meat over night, so it would take longer to cook.
**FYI 2 tablespoons=1/8 cup, if that helps make measuring less boring
*** feel free to use fresh, but I was being lazy

Stir up all the sauce ingredients, pour over meat. Sprinkle on scallions and red pepper flakes. Set on low, and leave it be!

So, I arrived home, having gone to work, worked at work, worked out, and battled the L.A. traffic in 2 directions, so about 10 hours after I left. Let me tell you, it smelled pretty good! The meat immediately was shreddable and very tender and moist, there was also a LOT of sauce. I turned it on warm, and probably ended up eating it 12 hours after I started it so it completely met my uber-slow-cooker needs.

There are a couple of ways to serve this- first, you can put it over rice, I used brown rice. You can also incorporate cole-slaw mix or shredded cabbage in a couple ways- either by stirring it in and cooking it for the last little bit, or by serving the meat on top of the fresh cabbage which would be a low-carb version. I did a halfway version, serving it on top of a combo of brown rice and uncooked cabbage, and I liked it that way. By adding the extra liquid I made it a little more saucy, and immediately after taking this picture ended up having to transfer it to a bowl to avoid disaster (technically, I moved it to the bowl after one minor sauce disaster by me and one by my co-diner).

Anyhow, this was good- the flavor is good, the sauce was yummy, I liked the cabbage/rice combo, and I would totally make it again!