Lentil Salad with Grapes and Feta

Lentil Salad with Grapes and Feta
Everyday Food, September 2011


2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup French or brown lentils
 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 ounces feta, crumbled (1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, bring 21/2 cups water to a boil. Add lentils, reduce to a simmer, and cover; cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and honey. Whisk in olive oil.

Stir in lentils, walnuts, grapes, celery stalk and thyme. Add feta and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Root Vegetable Farro Salad

Root Vegetable Farro Salad

Daily Garnish

For the Salad

4 medium carrots, peeled and cubed

3 large golden beets, peeled and cubed (reserve greens)- I used red beets, because I couldn't find golden

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1.5 cups farro (or other grain)

3 cups waterbeet greens (reserved from beets)- my beets didn't come with green, so I used spinach

1 clove garlic, minced

kosher salt, to taste

For the Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

pinch of salt

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Add 1.5 cups of dry farro (or other grain of your choice, but I highly recommend farro!) to a saucepan or rice cooker, and combine with 3 cups water to cook.

While the farro cooks, peel and chop the carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces. I chose these three root vegetables because they are all earthy, but slightly sweet. I find golden beets to be a little bit sweeter and softer than red beets, but you can use red if that is your preference (just be prepared for your salad to turn purple!).

Rinse and reserve the beet greens, and tear the leaves into bite sited pieces (discard the stems).

Toss the veggies on a sheet pan with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway. They should be soft and browning when ready.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, and salt – whisk to combine into a dressing.

Once the farro is fluffy and the vegetables are cooked, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the beet greens and cook for a few minutes until wilted.

When the greens have wilted, add the farro, vegetables, and dressing, and combine all components until well mixed.

Season to taste with any additional salt, if needed.

Green Beans with Tomatoes, Olives and Eggs
Everyday Food

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 pound green beans, trimmed, until crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water. Halve beans and place in a bowl; add 1/2 cup each grape tomatoes, halved, and Kalamata olives, pitted and halved, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper; serve with lemon wedges.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas

Fannetastic Food

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 jalapeño, chopped

1 bell pepper (any color), chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

2 cups fresh spinach, packed

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 12 oz. package (or can) green enchilada sauce

6 whole grain or corn tortillas

1 jar salsa (will not use all of it)

1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Hot sauce to taste (optional)

1) Boil the chopped sweet potato until tender (~10 minutes), then mash. While the sweet potato is cooking, prepare the rest of your ingredients!

2) Preheat oven to 350. In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the olive oil, garlic, black beans, jalapeño, bell pepper, mushrooms, fresh spinach, cumin, and chili powder for about 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.

3) In a deep baking dish, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce. One by one, fill the tortillas with the mashed sweet potato and the black bean mixture, add a spoonful of salsa, and roll them up, seam down, so they are side by side.

4) Cover the tortillas with the rest of the enchilada sauce, the cheese, and the fresh cilantro. Bake 20 minutes, or until enchiladas are hot and the top is bubbling. Serve immediately with extra hot sauce or salsa on top, if desired.

Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

1 tablespoon canola/vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (28-oz) diced tomatoes (used one 15 oz can regular and one rotel)

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed

1 cup water

4 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, chili peppers and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes until softened.

Add tomatoes, beans, water, chili powder, cumin and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes until thickened. Top with you favorite chili toppings. I added some monterrey jack cheese.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan

1 red onion, chopped

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

1 cup chopped carrots

7 bell peppers (1 cored, seeded and chopped; tops removed and reserved from remaining 6 then cored and seeded)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 pound baby spinach

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until transparent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes more. Add carrots and chopped peppers, cook until just softened, then add parsley and spinach (in batches, if needed). Let spinach wilt then stir in cinnamon, cumin and cooked quinoa and toss gently to combine. Add salt, pepper and cashews and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.

Set aside to let filling cool until just warm. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking pan with oil then set aside. Divide quinoa mixture evenly among remaining 6 bell peppers, gently packing it down and making sure to fully fill each pepper. Top each pepper with its reserved top then arrange them upright in prepared pan. Cover snugly with foil and bake, checking halfway through, until peppers are tender and juicy and filling is hot throughout, about 1 hour. Transfer to plates and serve.

Farro and Wild Rice Salad

Farro and Wild Rice Salad

Eating, Etc.

The Salad

1c farro, soaked in water overnight

2c water

1c cooked wild rice

15oz can kidney beans

1c Trader Joe’s fire-roasted frozen corn

1c cilantro, finely chopped

2 fresh jalapenos, finely chopped

half of a red bell pepper

1/2c onion, finely chopped

1) In medium saucepan, place farro in water over medium-high heat. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes until tender. Drain & rinse.

2) In a large bowl, combine farro, wild rice, kidney beans, corn, cilantro, jalapenos, bell pepper,
& onion.

3) Toss in dressing (recipe below). Refrigerate until time to serve.

The Dressing

1/4c red wine vinegar

1/4c olive oil

juice of half of a lemon

1/2tsp Italian seasoning

1/2tsp ground black pepper

1/4tsp fine sea salt

1/4-1/2tsp onion powder

fresh garlic clove, minced

1) In a small measuring cup or bottle, combine all ingredients and whisk or shake well.

Lentil Tacos

Staying with my parents while I'm in a transitional period and my stepmom and I have become quite the vegetarians. Haven't been taking pictures, but lots of veggie-tastic recipes to follow.

Lentil Tacos

AllRecipes

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup salsa

12 taco shells (used sprouted corn tortillas)

1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.

Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese.

Winter Farro Salad

PCC Winter Farro Salad

Adapted from PCC

2 cups farro
4 cups water
3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/4 pounds butternut squash or sweet potato, peeled, seeded and diced into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/4 pounds portobello mushrooms, stems removed, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (I used cremini)
1 cup roasted red peppers, diced into 1-inch pieces (used sauteed red peppers)
1/4 cup roasted garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
3/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (used a mix of blackberry balsamic and white vinegar)
1/2 pound chard and kale mix (equal parts green kale, red kale
and red chard, stems removed, cut into 1-inch pieces)

Soak farro in water overnight. Bring water, pre-soaked farro and 2 teaspoons
salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Drain in a
colander and let cool slowly at room temperature. Do not rinse. Refrigerate
farro when cooled.

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Toss squash or sweet potato pieces lightly in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and
1/2 teaspoon pepper and roast in oven until brown on the edges and soft, about
20 minutes.

Toss mushrooms and red peppers lightly in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2
teaspoon pepper. Saute on stovetop with 1-2 cloves of garlic. During final minutes, add the kale and chard and let steam until soft.

In food processor, puree roasted garlic with thyme and rosemary. With the
machine running, first drizzle in vinegar and then remaining olive oil until
dressing is blended. Toss farro with dressing, sauteed vegetables and
squash or sweet potatoes.

To serve, toss equal parts farro mixture and loosely packed chard and kale
mix in individual bowls.

Sausage and Rice Timbale

Timbale

Food Network

Kosher salt

2 1/2 cups arborio rice

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 pound Italian pork sausage (preferably luganega), casings removed

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 to 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups grated pecorino romano cheese (about 3 ounces)

2 ounces deli-sliced provolone cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring once or twice, until the rice is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, shaking the colander to remove any excess water. Spread the rice on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place a baking sheet on the middle rack. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Tear the basil and add to the skillet along with the garlic and tomato paste.

Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste browns, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Coat the pan with the breadcrumbs, tapping to remove any excess. Put the eggs and all but 3 tablespoons of the pecorino cheese in a small bowl and beat with a fork.

Put the cooled rice in a bowl; add the egg mixture and stir to combine.Transfer about two-thirds of the rice mixture to the prepared springform pan. Using moist fingers, pat the rice onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a 1/2-inch-thick layer. Place the provolone slices over the rice in the pan. Spoon about three-quarters of the sausage filling over the provolone, filling it to 1/2 inch from the top. Pat the remaining rice mixture on top to enclose the filling, then sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons pecorino cheese.

Put the pan on the hot baking sheet and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool, 5 minutes.

Run a small knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the timbale, then remove the side of the pan. Slide a spatula under the timbale and transfer it to a platter. Thin the remaining sausage filling with a splash of water and reheat. Serve with the timbale.

Felafel

I love felafel along with almost all other Greek/Mediterranean food. I finally made some felafel and froze the extras for another day. These were perfect for throwing into lunch, whether it be a salad or in a sandwich.

Felafel
Sugarcrafter

• 1 (15 ounce) can chick peas


• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced


• 1 tsp onion, finely minced


• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped


• 1 tsp lemon juice


• 1 tsp crushed red pepper


• 1 Tbsp flour


• 1 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, divided

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain the beans completely, and then place them in your food processor along with all ingredients except for the breadcrumbs. Pulse a few times just until well-blended, and then spoon into a medium-sized bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and combine.

Form the mixture into small balls and flatten them slightly. Bake for 12 minutes and then flip and bake for another 12 minutes.

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi

I've been on a gnocchi kick lately. These were very good. LOVED the spinach in them. I made the recipe a bit healthier by using part skim ricotta and whole wheat flour. I also served it with broccoli mixed in. Loved the simplicity of the sauce that really let the gnocchi dominate. This was really pretty easy and the only time consuming part was forming the gnocchi. But, well worth it!

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
Simplyrecipes.com

Gnocchi

• 3 ounces fresh or frozen spinach


• 1 egg


• 2 teaspoons salt


• 1 1/2 pounds part skim ricotta cheese, drained of excess moisture


• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese


• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour


• Pinch of nutmeg

Sauce

• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or whole tomatoes that you shred as you add to the pan)


• 4 Tbsp olive oil


• 2 garlic cloves, peeled


• Salt

Gnocchi

1 Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and heat until simmering. Add spinach and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Let spinach cool enough to touch, then squeeze as much moisture as you can out of it. You can also use a potato ricer if you have one to squeeze the excess moisture out of the spinach.

2 Add the spinach, egg, salt, and half of the ricotta to a food processor. Pulse until completely blended. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, mix in the remaining ricotta and the Parmesan cheese. Stir a pinch of nutmeg into the flour. Add the flour in by hand, starting with a half of the flour. Mix everything with your hands until the mixture holds together as a dough.

3 Put the dough out on a lightly floured smooth, clean surface. Knead lightly for about a minute, adding additional flour if needed, if the dough sticks too easily to the board or your hands. (At this point, if you wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour, it will be easier to roll out.) When the dough is smooth and pliable, and still just a little bit sticky, divide it into 4 portions, each the size of an orange.

4 Flour your hands lightly. Using both hands, and a light touch, roll the dough out with a back and forth motion, starting at the center and stretching the dough out, to form a roll. This is the tricky part. You don't want to put so much pressure so that you compress the dough, but you do need enough pressure to create a rope of dough. The trick is to stretch the dough sideways as you are rolling. Once the segment you are working on gets to be about a foot long, you may find it easier to cut it in half, and then start working on that smaller segment.

Roll the dough out until the roll is about the size of a middle finger. (Note that if your hands or the board is a little too floured, you may not have enough traction between your skin and the dough to easily stretch it sideways.) Cut each roll into 1-inch pieces.

5 Hold a fork at a 45% angle with its tines facing down on the work board, the curved part of the fork facing away from you. Starting with the curved outside bottom of the fork, press each piece of dough up along the length of the tines. Let the gnocchi fall back down. This is a pretty quick motion, the result is an indentation of the fork tines on one side of the gnocchi, and an indentation of your fingertip on the other side.

I just squeezed a small indent in the middle of the gnocchi without making the fork indentations. Its worked well for me in the past and, well, if its not broke, don't fix it!

Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured cookie sheet. At this point they can be cooked, or kept in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.

5 To cook the gnocchi, fill a large wide pot half-way with water. Bring to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water. Once the salt has dissolved, gently drop the gnocchi in the water, one by one. Try to do this in a way that the gnocchi are not falling in on top of each other, but rest on the bottom of the pan in a single layer. As the gnocchi cooks, they will rise to the surface of the water after a couple minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the risen gnocchi from the pot, place in a serving bowl. As you remove the gnocchi, add more to the pan.

The Sauce

1 Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the tomatoes (include any juices from the can) all at once (careful, they may cause the oil to splatter as the tomatoes hit the pan). As soon as the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt. Stir occasionally. Use a potato masher to break up any solid pieces of tomato, you want a rough purée.

2 Once the sauce reduces to a medium thick consistency, add the goat cheese, stirring until it is well blended. Add more salt to taste.

Serve gnocchi with the sauce and extra grated Parmesan. Serves 4-6.

Curried Lentils

I made these lentils awhile ago, after being inspired by a Sri Lankan friend cooking for me. They were so good and such a great protein addition to just about everything, I fell in love. I didn't realize I hadn't posted it yet, until I went looking to make them for the third time and couldn't find the recipe!

What a dingbat. Sorry I held these out on you. Make lentils.

Curried Lentils
The Fig Tree 

• 2 cups of red lentils (rinsed)


• 1 teaspoon of olive oil


• 4 cloves of garlic; minced (or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder)


• 1-28 ounce can of diced tomatoes


• 2 cups of vegetable stock


• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin


• 1 teaspoon of turmeric


• 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (optional)

Rinse the lentils well and soak them for 5 minutes in warm water. Drain.

Add olive oil to a large pot. Sauté garlic on medium heat for about a minute.

Add canned tomatoes to garlic. Add cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Add 2 cups of vegetable stock. Bring mixture to a boil and add the drained lentils

Reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes until lentils are tender. If you find that the lentils are becoming too dry, add an additional 1/2 cup of water or vegetable stock.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter

I've been talking about Gnocchi for awhile now. I was begging Spice to make it for me, but she hasn't gotten around to it yet. When I was home for Christmas, however, LadyJayPee pulled out an article in the Seattle Times for Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter and with a few pumpkins still fresh from her garden, I knew what my dinner project was going to be!



This was no doubt a time-consuming project, but SOOOO much fun! And the finished product...WHOOOO! Boy! Have I been missing out on the gnocchi train!



Although I followed the recipe this time, next time I will make pumpkin puree the "easy" way, by cutting the pumpkin in half and baking before scraping out the insides and pureeing it in a food processor. I also drained the puree a bit through a strainer to remove the access liquid. 

My pumpkin was approximately 3 lbs instead of the recommended 1 1/2. It still worked out perfectly though!



According to Atkinson, pressing the gnocchi dough into simple discs that are thinner in the center than around the edges allows them to cook evenly, like the hole in a doughnut. Many other versions are made by rubbing the gnocchi against the tines of a fork to create shell-like nuggets.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter
From The Seattle Times, Greg Atkinson

For the Gnocchi:
1 1/2 lbs fresh pie (sugar) pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, or to taste

For the sage butter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
24 fresh sage leaves

For the garnish:
2 ounces parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

1. Pile the pumpkin cubes onto a rack over a cup of water in a medium-size saucepan. Steam over medium-high heat until the pumpkin is soft and tender, about 10 minutes. Lift the rack from the saucepan, discard the cooking water and allow the pumpkin to cool to room temperature. 

2. Force the steamed pumpkin through a food mill or press it through the holes of a colander. Put the puree back in the pan and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the pumpkin has thickened and dried, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and when the pumpkin puree has cooled almost to room temperature, stir in a cup of the flour, the egg yolk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. You should have a very sticky dough. Stir in another half cup of flour, then sprinkle the remaining flour onto a clean, dry surface and scrape the dough onto the flour. Knead the mixture gently, incorporating just enough flour to make a soft dough.

4. To form the gnocchi, divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a rope about an inch thick and cut the rope into 12 pieces. Gently pinch each piece of dough with a well-floured thumb and forefinger to make a concave dumpling. Place the formed gnocchi in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you're not going to cook them immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the gnocchi for up to 4 hours or freeze them for several days.

5. When you're ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a gallon of water with a tablespoon of salt to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in several batches (I did about 15 at a time) in the boiling water until they rise to the surface of the water, about 3 minutes. Life the gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon and hold them on a warm platter. Toss with gnocchi with the butter sauce. Use a vegetable peeler to cut curls of Parmesan over the top of the dish and top with a few grinds of fresh pepper.

6. To make the butter sauce, melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the sage leaves and simmer until the butter turns golden.

Broccoli Slaw with Oranges and Crunchy Noodles

This is a great salad that I have made several times now and bring to work for lunch most days as well. You could really add anything you want including meat, any other kinds of beans, or veggies. I think I've added tomatoes and zucchini to this. The more veggies the better!



Broccoli Slaw with Oranges and Crunchy Noodles
Cooking Light November 2010

Slaw:
6 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage (I've used napa and purple and both work well)
1 cup diagonally sliced celery
1 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup grated carrot (I chopped the carrot and liked it that way too)
1 cup chopped spinach 
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seed kernels
1 5-ounce can whole water chestnuts, drained and chopped (I've substituted black beans and chickpeas)

Dressing:
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup canola oil

Remaining Ingredients:
1 cup fresh orange slices
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 3-ounce package ramen noodles, crumbled and toasted (discard seasoning packet)

To prepare slaw, combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl, toss well to combine.

To prepare dressing, combine soy sauce and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil to soy sauce mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over slaw, tossing gently to coat. Top slaw with oranges, almonds and noodles.

Boneless Buffalo Wings

I am suuuuuch a sucker for buffalo wings. There are several places here in New York that consider themselves to have "the best" wings and of course, I've had to try out most of them. It also doesn't help that co workers are always ordering them for lunch and I smell that spicy tang and immediately want to head out and find some wings of my own!

These are a great alternative to the usual fried and harshly breaded wings. The breading uses whole wheat flour and they are pan fried as well. These turned out nice and spicy and I instantly fell in love. I used a blue cheese dip that I made with greek yogurt and topped off the wings with several extra splashes of hot sauce! 



Boneless Buffalo Wings with Spicy Blue Cheese Dip
Eating Well

• 2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream


• 2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese


• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar


• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 3 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk


• 3 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot, divided


• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, divided


• 2 pounds chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)


• 6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour


• 6 tablespoons cornmeal


• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1. To prepare dip:Whisk sour cream, blue cheese, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


2. To prepare wings: Whisk buttermilk, 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken; toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.


3. Meanwhile, whisk flour and cornmeal in a shallow dish. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.


4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until evenly coated. (Discard remaining marinade and flour mixture.) Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne.


5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken, placing each piece in a little oil. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and chicken, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Transfer to the platter. Drizzle the chicken with the reserved hot sauce mixture. Serve with carrots, celery and Spicy Blue Cheese Dip.

BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken is one of my favorite meals. When I went through a particularly picky eating period in my life, my dad had to make me either BBQ chicken or lemon chicken every night for dinner. What a boring existence! I also had to have the chicken be boneless and skinless (which I still prefer, even with BBQ chicken). In college, I had limited access to my obsession and it quickly fell out of popularity for me.

Good thing this popped up on Eating, etc. awhile ago. I have since been making it quite regularly and this summer was no exception, although I am just now getting around to sharing it. Spice and I both agree this makes the most tender, flavorful BBQ chicken we've ever eaten. As a native Syracus-ian, Spice always has Dinosaur BBQ Sauce around, so we use that most of the time when we make this.

BBQ Chicken
From Eating, etc.

1lb-2lb chicken pieces

favorite spice rub, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

1 large onion, sliced

3/4c port wine ( we use any red wine)

favorite bbq sauce

Rub chicken pieces with spice rub, salt, & pepper to taste.

Sear chicken on preheated grill on each side for 5-15 minutes (10-30 minutes total, depending on whether using bone-in or boneless chicken).

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Transfer chicken pieces to oven-proof covered pot (we use a cast-iron dutch oven), adding sliced onion, port wine, & barbecue sauce.

Bake at 325° for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Salmon Turnovers

I am obsessed with fish at the moment. By "at the moment" I mean for the past few months. Needless to say, when I saw this recipe from Alton Brown for Salmon Turnovers, I knew they were going down in my kitchen toute de suite.

They turned out delicious, but lets be serious here, anything you wrap in puff pastry dough is bound to be yummy. Now, if you want to get really funky with your bad self, try making your own puff pastry, which I have yet to do (but don't worry, its on the list!). I loved how this was pretty much an entire meal  in itself and how easy it was!  This will definitely be on my make again list!



Salmon Turnovers
Alton Brown

1 sheet puff pastry

Flour, for dusting

1 can boneless, skinless, salmon

1/2 cup Sauteed mushrooms

1 to 2 tablespoons sour pickle relish

1 cup cooked white, brown or fried rice

2 to 3 chopped scallions

1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly flour the countertop. Roll puff pastry so there are no seams. Cut into 4 squares.

In a bowl, combine salmon, mushrooms, pickle relish, rice, scallions, parsley, salt, and pepper. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each square. Brush inside edges of puff pastry with egg wash and fold over to make a triangle. Using a fork, seal the edges. Poke a slit or two in the top of each turnover. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Lettuce Wraps

There's a world called P.F. Chang's where everyone is happy and food is always delicious. It is one of my favorite restaurants and my favorite thing on the menu is the lettuce wraps. I can never get enough of them! I'm not sure if its the texture of the meat and vegetables together, or the fact that you wrap it in a lettuce leaf, or the sweet and slightly spicy sauce, but I go nuts over these.

Thank goodness Steamy Kitchen recreated them, or I would be up the creek without a paddle because no P.F. Chang's are in the city! Gulp!

It has been awhile since my last run in with my favorite restaurant, but these lettuce wraps certainly got the craving out of my system! I loved the muted asian sauce and especially the green apple that was in these!

Instead of appetizer portions, I served a heaping pile of the meat/vegetable mixture on a large lettuce leaf and called it a night.



Lettuce Wraps
From Steamy Kitchen

The Sauce:
1-1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

Filling:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 stalks, scallions
1 pound ground turkey or chicken
2 cups mixed vegetables (frozen pea/carrots, finely diced bell peppers, etc.)
1/2 green apple, finely diced

Toppings/Wrap:
1 head boston bibb lettuce, leaves washed and separated
2 medium carrots, Use vegetable peeler to peel cut carrot into paper thin strips.  Use knife to further cut into super duper thin strands.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Heat a wok or large frying pan on high heat with cooking oil. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add the turkey or chicken (I used ground turkey) and fry until cooked almost through. Add the vegetables and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the sauce ingredients and stir. Let simmer for 1 minute to thicken slightly. Add the apples at the last second and toss to coat. Remove from heat.

Serve over the lettuce cups, with carrot shavings.

Pad Thai

My obsession with pad thai started out innocently enough. My friend India and I wanted to go get sushi one night. So we went to Lili's on 57th, which they call "Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar". If you like Asian food I highly recommend going here if you are in the city. It is super fresh and the variety of food on the menu is overwhelming.

Anywhoo, India and I are ravenous and checking out the menu for which rolls we want (which is silly because we always get spicy tuna of some kind) and we decide we want some noodles to go with it. So we order some pad thai. I took one bite and decided it was my new favorite food. And from that day on, India and I would go to Lili's at least once a week and order spicy tuna rolls and pad thai. And lived happily ever after. The end.

Just kidding!

I finally mustered up some courage to try my hand at pad thai one drizzly night. I couldn't find rice noodles in my grocery store (which was poor planning because there are several other grocery stores I could have tried at), so I used whole wheat linguini noodles. I also didn't include shrimp, because, saddly, I am allergic. Actually, not that sad, shrimp is too fishy for me. And I added some broccoli because its delicious. And please don't forget/leave out the lime juice. It really gives the dish the final kick it needs! And we all want a final kick, right?

This was a very basic pad thai recipe, but sure did the trick for me. Even with the whole wheat noodles, which definitely made it a bit heavier, the asian flavors definitely shined through! Which was exactly what I was looking for. I was slightly nervous to use fish sauce because it just sounds gross, but I persevered and it was worth it!

Pad Thai from Family Fun

1/2 pound dried rice noodles, linguine width (or whole wheat linguini)

1/4 cup Asian fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (optional)

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup shredded carrot

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1 cup cut broccoli

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and turn off the heat. Let them stand for 10 minutes, using tongs or two forks to separate the strands as they soften and turn from translucent ivory to white. Drain the noodles, rinse them well in cold water, and drain again. Set them aside. If using linguini noodles, cook as directed on package until slightly underdone.

In a small bowl, stir together the Asian fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, water, and chili flakes if desired, until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the egg and scramble it as it cooks just until it is no longer runny, about 30 seconds. Transfer the egg to a plate.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and toss well. Add the chicken and cook it until the edges have mostly changed color, about 1 minute. Toss it well and continue cooking to brown it, about 30 seconds, then push it to the sides.  Add the carrot and broccoli and cook everything about 1 minute. Scoop the chicken, broccoli, and carrot into a bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.

Swirl the last tablespoon of oil in the pan. When it's hot, add the noodles, spreading them to the edges. Cook for 1 minute, until the oil sizzles. Scoop up the noodles and turn them over in a big mass. Cook them another minute, then turn them again.

Pour the sauce mixture around the sides of the pan. When it sizzles, place the cooked chicken, carrot and broccoli on the noodles, along with the bean sprouts, scallions, and cooked egg. Gently scoop the noodles from the bottom and turn them over. Continue tossing them to mix in the chicken, carrot, broccoli and egg. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lime juice and toss the noodles well. Serve the Pad Thai hot or warm. Serves 4.