The Good, The Bad, and The Curry

Okay, curry is not supposed to be pretty, is it? This shrimp and snow pea curry dish I made for dinner didn't look as photogenic as I would have liked for my post, but what the heck. It sure tasted good! This was perhaps one of the simplest and fastest meals I've made all summer and it got rave reviews from my shrimp-loving boyfriend. To make the job even more convenient, I used frozen jumbo shrimp that I bought at Trader Joe's. Simply serve this over some steamed white rice and you and your tummy will be happy.

Snow Pea and Shrimp Curry (adapted from Eating Well Magazine, June 2007)

ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 tablespoon mustard seeds (optional)

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound snow peas

1 cup "lite" coconut milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the mustard seeds if using until they start to pop. Then add the curry (if not using the mustard seeds then add the curry once the oil is heated). Cook and stir the curry until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and peas, and continue to stir until the shrimp are almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the shrimp have cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

Serves 4

Do You Fideo?

I had never heard of the word Fideo until I saw an episode of Top Chef several months back where one of the contestants prepared a dish using this pasta. Here’s the definition from Wikipedia: Fideo is the Spanish word for a noodle of any type. In Mexico, its name refers to a type of pasta similar to angel hair spaghetti. It is also known as vermicelli. In Spain it refers to very short noodles used in place of rice in some dishes.

Since I love trying out new ingredients I eagerly looked for fideo in my grocery store and came home with a couple of bags. I used a recipe I found on Allrecipes that had minimal ingredients, was simple to do, and more importantly, was pretty darn quick to make. All in all, I enjoy fideo. I found the pasta to be hearty, versatile, and easily adaptable. It's certainly a nice alternative to your more traditional pasta and I can see many uses for it in dishes like casseroles or soups. Let me know what you think.

Cooking Lamb The Slow Way

The first time my boyfriend tried lamb Osso Bucco was at a restaurant called Vert in the Hollywood and Highland complex on Sunset Blvd. I remember the night clearly because we had only been dating for a few months and we were still learning about each other’s likes and dislikes in the food department. That evening I learned that a big “like” for him was lamb, and the delicious shank that Vert served up fit the bill perfectly. Unfortunately, the menu at Vert has changed since that memorable dinner date and the restaurant no longer offers this savory dish. So what’s a girl to do? Well, how about try cooking it herself? I reached for assistance in the form of my hand dandy slow cooker and one of my most used cookbooks, Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook. I was happy to find several lamb shank recipes and even one that didn’t include garlic (my BF isn’t too crazy about the stuff). I think the most challenging part of preparing this dish was finding a store that carried lamb shanks. There were certainly plenty of legs of lamb, and lamb chops but the shanks were a little trickier to come by. I finally found my bounty at my third grocery store and happily bought 6 shanks, totaling about 5 pounds. I cooked the meat for an hour less than what was instructed because from previous experience, I’ve overcooked meat in my slow cooker before when I followed the directions exactly. The end result was a flavorful and tender lamb with meat falling off the bone. The carrots also cooked up perfectly in the pot and took on a lot of the juiciness from the lamb as well. I think this dish would have been wonderful with some plain white rice or even a hearty thick slice of bread to mop up the juices. Needless to say, my boyfriend enjoyed his meal and I’m pretty confident he doesn’t miss Vert’s version of lamb shanks one bit!

Lamb Shanks With White Wine (adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook): Ingredients:
4-6 lamb shanks (depending on size but totalling about 5 pounds), trimmed of visible fat
1/2 cup AP flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium size onion
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken or beef broth as needed
8 large carrots, cut into thick slices
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Using the tip of a knife, pierce the lamb shanks several times. On a large cookie baking pan or platter, roll the shanks in the flour to coat completely. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and brown the shanks on all sides, 5-7 minutes in all. I had to do this in batches because my skillet wasn't large enough. As they brown, transfer the shanks to the slow cooker. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until lightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan; pour the onions and wine into the cooker. Add enough broth to cover the lamb and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 and 1/2 hours.
2. Add the carrots, cover and continue cooking on LOW until the lamb is very tender when pierced with a fork and falling off the bone; this is approximately another 3-4 hours depending on your slow cooker.
3. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Notes: Use a medium or large round or oval cooker; cooking time may vary but is generally around 6-7 hours.
Serves 4-6 (or if you're like me, two of us with plenty of leftovers for the work week)!

Super Natural Soba

I was looking for a side dish to go with some panko crusted chicken the other night and decided to try out a recipe from Heidi Swanson's newest cookbook, "Super Natural Cooking." This is a delightful book in which the author emphasizes the use of "whole and natural" ingredients into one's lifestyle and cooking.

Heidi provides a nice synopsis and guide on what she considers "natural" and "whole" foods and how to incorporate such products into your day-to-day meals.

This simple recipe called OTSU includes both soba noodles and tofu and can be eaten either warm, at room temperature, or my favorite way, cold, right out of the fridge.

I found that the flavors of this dish improved after a day or two. It's light, flavorful, refreshing and perfect as a side or a main course.

Otsu (courtesy of Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson):

Ginger-Sesame Dressing-

grated zest of 1 lemon

1-inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 teaspoon cayenne

3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (I used regular sea salt)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup unseasoned brown rice vinegar (I used regular rice vinegar)

1/3 cup shoyu sauce (soy sauce)

2 tabelspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles

12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu (I couldn't find the extra firm tofu so used firm tofu instead)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 green onions, sliced thinly

1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced

1 small handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped, for garnish

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions for the dressing:

combine the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, shoyu and pulse to combine. Drizzle in the oils while the machine is running.

Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.

While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (1/2 inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the 1/4 cup cilantro, green onions, cucumber, and about 2/3 cup of the dressing and toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4 to 6

Mmm Mmm Hummus!

How could something so creamy delicious also be pretty healthy for you? That's what I wondered to myself as I dipped my celery stick into the mound of garbanzo bean delightfulness I whipped up the other day. Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, have been called the "fiber all star" because they are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Basically, this means this stuff is good for you. This recipe is easy as pie (or as hummus, in this case), and comes from my How To Cook Everything cookbook by Mark Bittman. The nice thing about hummus is, you can alter the amounts of ingredients any which way you'd like depending on your own personal taste. And don't think hummus is only for eating with veggie sticks either. How about spreading some on a warm tortilla and rolling it up? Or, stirring a tablespoonful into some hot pasta and sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top? See how versatile hummus is? Enjoy!

Hummus recipe:
2 cups canned chickpeas, well drained
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup sesame oil or olive oil
1 small clove garlic, peeled (I used 1 teaspoonful of garlic powder)
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
About 1/3 cup water or as needed
1 teaspoon olive oil, approximately

1. Place everything except water and 1 teaspoon olive oil in container of a food processor and begin to process; add water as needed to make a smooth puree.
2. Taste and add more garlic, salt, lemon juice, or cumin as needed. Serve, drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of cumin.
3. Eat joyfully!

Baby Back Ribs on Game NIght

As promised, I wanted to share with you a recipe I tried out on my new slow cooker. I previously mentioned that I had to buy a replacement after sadly dropping my old Rival Crockpot and breaking it. Well, I purchased a basic, oval, 5.5 quart slow cooker and finally "broke" it in the other day. We had some friends over for a fierce game of Password and Taboo (two of our favorites), and I thought that some baby back ribs were in order. Once again, I turned to my trusty Not Your Mother's Slowcooker Cookbook for some inspiration and decided on a barbecue recipe. It's quite simple to throw together and does not require a lot of ingredients which is a huge plus for me. After all, cooking in a slow cooker is all about convenience and saving time right?
The results? Meat that was so tender and juicy that it literally fell off the bones. I think I would have liked the sauce to be a little thicker the next time though as it seemed to thin out a bit during the long cooking process. Otherwise, the ribs had that wonderful BBQ, tangy flavor without being too sweet, and everyone seemed to enjoy them.
Oh, in case you were wondering, I was on the winning teams for both games. Woohoo!
Barbecue Pork Ribs (courtesy of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger):
notes-
-Use a larger round or oval slow cooker
-Cooking time--Low for 8-9 hours
Ingredients:
2 cups barbecue sauce of your choice (I used Bullseye)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
4 pounds pork baby back ribs cut into 3-4 ribs each (can also use spareribs or country style ribs)
1. Combine the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, and brown sugar in the slow cooker. Add the ribs, submerging them in the sauce. If you have a round cooker, stack the ribs with sauce in between (I had to do this even with my oval cooker).
2. Cover and cook on LOW until tender and the meat starts to separate from the bone--approx. 8-9hours
3. Transfer the ribs to a platter and serve with any extra sauce that remains in the slow cooker.
(serves 4-6)

The Slow Enchilada

Today was our Cinco de Mayo potluck at work. Sure it’s only Dos de Mayo but what the heck, it’s never too early for a party, right? I decided to put my trusty old slow cooker to work and made enchiladas. I adapted this recipe for meat enchiladas from a cookbook I was given called, “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook” by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. It’s so convenient and easy to slow cook, especially when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. I threw all the ingredients into the cooker the night before, stuck it in the fridge, and brought the whole apparatus to work the next morning to slow cook until the party started at noon. This way, the dish stays nice and hot, and I don’t have to use any extra serving bowls since the enchiladas are served right out of the crock. Now how cinchy is that?

Tex-Mex Enchiladas (adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook):

Ingredients:

1 24oz can red enchilada sauce

1lb each of ground beef and ground pork

1 med size white onion, chopped

1/2 tspn salt

1/2 tspn black pepper

9 white corn tortillas

8oz can of drained canned whole-kernel corn

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

Two 2.5-ounce cans sliced black olives, drained.

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over high heat cook the ground beef and ground pork together with the onion until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is limp. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat; add the salt and pepper.

2. Coat the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place 2-3 tortillas on the bottom of the cooker (you may need to break apart the tortilla to fit the pot). In layers, add one-third meat, corn, sauce, cheese, and olives. Repeat the layers 3 more times, beginning with the tortillas and ending with the olives.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.

4. Serve straight out of the cooker and accompany with sour cream and guacamole.

Weekend Summary--Trying Some New Recipes

I enjoy having my little brother over for dinner. Even though he only lives 30 miles away from me, it's not often that we get together, especially on a Saturday night (he is after all a twenty-something bachelor with a very packed social calendar of his own). Well, this past Saturday my bro paid a visit to his big sis and her boyfriend and we all sat down and broke bread together. Okay, bread wasn't even on the menu, but nonetheless, we shared a wonderful meal. I was eager to test out several new recipes I came across recently. One was a panko encrusted chicken that a fellow blogger, the cookbook junkie, raved about some time ago. This was truly a hit with the boys. My boyfriend exclaimed that the chicken thigh he was devouring had to be one of the best he's eaten in a long while! My brother and I nodded in agreement. The chicken, with its tangy, crispy, crunchy coating, was indeed juicy on the inside and oh-so-delicious! This recipe is one I will definitely be making again in the near future.
I also made a sugar snap and green peas side that had some lemon and mint in it which I found on the culinary in the desert site.
Refreshing and light, I think the next time I make this I'll add a little more mint to make the flavor come out even more. My second side for the night was braised red cabbage with applewood bacon, one that my brother and I really dug, though my BF wasn't too crazy about it (he says he was concentrating so much on the awesomeness of the chicken so I forgave him). And finally, I prepared a lovely farfalle pasta dish with pistachio cream found here. I personally love pistachios and thought this pasta dish was decadent and rich without being heavy, if that is at all possible. I loved the flavor, the creaminess, and the texture.
Bon appetit!

Not Just Your Average Joe

My boyfriend surprised me the other day with a brand new cookbook from the Nettle Creek School PTO titled, “50 Years of Fox Family Favorites.” Like other community cookbooks, it is very sweetly compiled with many recipes contributed by the teachers, parents, students, administration, school board and community that make up Nettle Creek District 24C. I love these type of cookbooks because they give a person a chance to peek inside a community that one may never have a chance to visit. It’s a wonderful example of how food is a universal language that can connect people from all over the country as well as the world.
I was eager to test out several of the recipes when I peeked inside, but my BF had a special request—he wanted me to make the Jurak Joes. These are basically a variation of your traditional “sloppy Joe” sandwich, named after the author of the recipe, Laura Jurak.
So, guess what we had for dinner on Thursday night?
This was probably one of the easiest and quickest meals I’ve prepared in awhile not to mention quite tasty. I cut back on the brown sugar and the taste was still on the sweet side. We ate these on toasted buns with plenty of accouterments for me, like shredded carrots, tomatoes, pickles and lettuce. My boyfriend doesn’t like having all these extras on his Joe’s so he kept his simple with just a slice of Havarti cheese.
Whichever way you decide to eat your Jurak Joe’s, I’m positive you will enjoy every bite.
Jurak Joes by Laura Jurak
3 lbs ground beef (I used extra lean)
1 onion (I omitted this)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 and 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp soy sauce

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain all the fat. Add all the other ingredients and heat thoroughly. Serve on hamburger buns, eat and enjoy!

Is It Pasta Or Is It Rice?

Orzo is an elusive pasta. First off, I literally had to search in several supermarkets before finding it in my local Pavillion's. I couldn't believe that even my ever-so-faithful Trader Joe's did not carry this item. What a disappointment that was. I soon got over it though and trekked on over to the grocer that would be my saving grace. I was so elated when I found the little box that I ended up buying two of them. I originally wanted to make a pasta salad using gnocchi. This was soon ixnay'd however because I learned that cold gnocchi doesn't do a pasta dish any good. It gets too "gummy" I was advised. So, several foodies recommended that I try an orzo salad or why not a tortellini salad? I chose the orzo. When orzo is uncooked it can very well pass for rice. Once it's cooked, it can very well pass for rice! It's not rice though. It's a pasta. In Italian it literally means "barley" and to make it even more confusing, it's known as the rice shaped pasta. In any case, my orzo pasta salad turned out beautifully. It had a lot of flavor to it and tasted even better the next day. I found the recipe on Epicurious. Easy to prepare ahead of time and perfect accompaniment to our leftover Easter ham.