We served this over Israeli couscous - which is a bigger grain than "normal" couscous and which we prefer.
North African Chicken
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp honey
28oz crushed tomatoes (I prefer Pomi)
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
Heat oil in a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Add onion - cook, stirring occasionally, until golden - 5-10minutes.
Add spices, salt, pepper, honey, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 min.
Add chicken & cook 5-10min more, until chicken chunks are cooked through.
- 380 calories per serving. 15g fat, 39g protein, 23g carb, 5 g fiber
For the first time in, well, ever, I am going to "decorate" a room. I'm most likely not going to paint or change the ceiling fixture or do anything major to the layout, but I'm going to do a bunch of the finishing things I too often ignore. I'll post before and after pics here soon!
I have a couple of books, but will blog them together tomorrow night, after a book club discussion.
Otherwise, I'm going back to the 30day shred workout. I'm continuing to try new recipes (also made cheesy, spicy, popcorn corn bread this am). And I'm whittling away at my massive at home to-do and organizing list. Things are good.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Mushroom Gruyere tarts, flaky style
Last night I made these Flaky mushroom gruyere tarts from Real Simple.
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 tbsp oil
10 oz mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot (I subbed in onion)
1.5c shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4c white wine (I subbed in cider)
Preheat oven to 400
Unfold pastry and cut into four pieces. Place these on parchment lined baking sheet. Prick surfaces w fork.
Heat oil in large skillet. Saute mushrooms& shallot 4-5min. Add white wine, cook til largely evaporated, 1min or so.
Cover pastry w 1/2 of cheese, leaving some room@ edges. Layer on mushroom mix then remaining cheese.
Cook 20minutes, until pastry is golden.
Recipe included a side salad to serve alongside, good idea.
Book #1: Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti. *spoiler alert* I usually don't include spoilers, but it's impossible to write about this book without at least partially spelling out the end. So it all begins with 2 lonely, grieving Swedes run into each other in the cemetary. The couple that would never go together actually connects. The impulsiveness and strength of the pull between them makes you think they'll work out their differences and come around. Nah. There is never enough emotion for either to bend from their respective lifestyle/ habits and they part. In the end, their biological clocks are their only tie as they decide to have a kid, and "only that" together.
Is this a dose of reality slap in the face that that strong pull is just lust and not enough? I don't know. I walked away thinking they both needed to grow up and get lives.
Book#2: Absolute Sandman: Volume I by Neil Gaiman. Ahhhh, refreshing. The huge format is fun, but not great for reading in bed. Loved the creativity, storytelling, and mythos of this.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Four Years
Four years ago, J and I chose each other and tied the knot! Our anniversary was earlier this month, but the celebration is being drawn out. In part due to a shipping mishap. In part because J is so swamped with school.
The traditional gifts for the 4th anniversary are fruit and flowers, so I decided to give J miracle fruit. Looking like elongated cranberries, these berries coat your tongue with a substance that changes the way things taste for about half an hour. You get a bunch of berries when you order them, so we organized a quick tasting party with a few friends.
We had a full table of food to taste (and J raided the fridge for other flavors at one point) and berries enough for at least 2 per person. To taste:
Lemons
Limes
Onion
Salt & vinegar potato chips
Tabasco
Balsamic vinegar
Bread & butter pickles
Dill pickles
Sour cream
Goat cheese
Blue cheese
Strawberries
Kiwi
Grapes
Cranberries
Raspberries
Pineapple
Watermelon
Guinness
Tequila
(phew!)
The experience was fascinating! Reactions varied across the group. Some things now had no taste (grapes, unanimous), some had subtler flavors. Lemon & lime burnt our lips and the inside of our mouths, but were sweet on our tongues. Strawberries, pineapple, and raspberries had a wave of flavor that was a subtle sweet with more depth than normal.
We had a really good time experimenting and I'm seriously considering exploring miracle fruit as an alternative sweetener (you can find this in the crunchy section of Wegmans).
The traditional gifts for the 4th anniversary are fruit and flowers, so I decided to give J miracle fruit. Looking like elongated cranberries, these berries coat your tongue with a substance that changes the way things taste for about half an hour. You get a bunch of berries when you order them, so we organized a quick tasting party with a few friends.
We had a full table of food to taste (and J raided the fridge for other flavors at one point) and berries enough for at least 2 per person. To taste:
Lemons
Limes
Onion
Salt & vinegar potato chips
Tabasco
Balsamic vinegar
Bread & butter pickles
Dill pickles
Sour cream
Goat cheese
Blue cheese
Strawberries
Kiwi
Grapes
Cranberries
Raspberries
Pineapple
Watermelon
Guinness
Tequila
(phew!)
The experience was fascinating! Reactions varied across the group. Some things now had no taste (grapes, unanimous), some had subtler flavors. Lemon & lime burnt our lips and the inside of our mouths, but were sweet on our tongues. Strawberries, pineapple, and raspberries had a wave of flavor that was a subtle sweet with more depth than normal.
We had a really good time experimenting and I'm seriously considering exploring miracle fruit as an alternative sweetener (you can find this in the crunchy section of Wegmans).
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Oatmeal breakfast bars
This recipe came from an issue of Country Living. It's a bit of a PITA, but yummy.
1 3/4c flour
1 1/4c oats
1/2c wheat bran
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp salt
1/8tsp nutmeg
1c butter, soft (need to blend w/ sugar)
1/2c plus 2tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
Applesauce (jelly also works,but we like applesauce better)
Dough:
Combine flour, oats, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, & nutmeg in med bowl.
Using mixer, beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one @ a time. Add vanilla.
Mix in dry ingredients. Divide dough in half, wrap in Saran *NOTE - dough is VERY sticky, I usually use the plastic to grab half the dough and then try to neaten it up once contained.
Chill at least 1 hr.
Assembly:
Roll out 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets floured parchment paper to an 8x10 rectangle. (Usually works better if it's sat out of fridge for long enough to soften, but not long enough to get sticky again)
Cut out 2X5 strips. Place on parchment on large baking sheet. Put filling down center.
Roll out/ cut other half of dough. Top the bars on the sheet - crimp or press to seal edges.
Cover w/ plastic - chill at least 20 min.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25. Transfer to rack to cool.
1 3/4c flour
1 1/4c oats
1/2c wheat bran
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp salt
1/8tsp nutmeg
1c butter, soft (need to blend w/ sugar)
1/2c plus 2tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
Applesauce (jelly also works,but we like applesauce better)
Dough:
Combine flour, oats, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, & nutmeg in med bowl.
Using mixer, beat butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one @ a time. Add vanilla.
Mix in dry ingredients. Divide dough in half, wrap in Saran *NOTE - dough is VERY sticky, I usually use the plastic to grab half the dough and then try to neaten it up once contained.
Chill at least 1 hr.
Assembly:
Roll out 1 portion of dough between 2 sheets floured parchment paper to an 8x10 rectangle. (Usually works better if it's sat out of fridge for long enough to soften, but not long enough to get sticky again)
Cut out 2X5 strips. Place on parchment on large baking sheet. Put filling down center.
Roll out/ cut other half of dough. Top the bars on the sheet - crimp or press to seal edges.
Cover w/ plastic - chill at least 20 min.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25. Transfer to rack to cool.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday food prep
I took time while J was on a school field trip Sunday to prep some fave foods for the week.
First, soda bread. I use a recipe from Williams Sonoma - it's a simple bread using plain yogurt for the liquid and has no sugar or dried fruit in it. I realized today, when trying to figure out calories for it, how many different kinds of soda bread are out there. Love this.
Next up, fresh spring rolls to encourage us to munch veggies more (with a bit o plum sauce). Yum. Just wish I had more time - could have rolled for a while longer.
Finally, J's favorite breakfast food - oatmeal bars filled with homemade applesauce.
The horrible track lighting in our kitchen not only makes it impossible to work on the counter without throwing your shadow on your creation, but also leaves no spot where you can take pics without throwing a shadow also. Can't wait til we can remodel lights, counter, paint in that room!
First, soda bread. I use a recipe from Williams Sonoma - it's a simple bread using plain yogurt for the liquid and has no sugar or dried fruit in it. I realized today, when trying to figure out calories for it, how many different kinds of soda bread are out there. Love this.
Next up, fresh spring rolls to encourage us to munch veggies more (with a bit o plum sauce). Yum. Just wish I had more time - could have rolled for a while longer.
Finally, J's favorite breakfast food - oatmeal bars filled with homemade applesauce.
The horrible track lighting in our kitchen not only makes it impossible to work on the counter without throwing your shadow on your creation, but also leaves no spot where you can take pics without throwing a shadow also. Can't wait til we can remodel lights, counter, paint in that room!
Monday, February 01, 2010
Pecan Soup
*from Healing Foods Cookbook by Vegetarian Times
Native American Toasted Pecan Soup
Recipe says it serves 10, I halved it and got 4 servings
2 1/2 cups pecans
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
1/4c agave nectar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3c veggie broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme**
1 bay leaf**
1c soymilk (I used real non-fat milk)
1/2c shredded cheese or an imitation of it, for garnish
1/4c chopped green onions, for garnish
**I used dried thyme and I think it overwhelmed other flavors a bit. Next time, I'll try a bouquet garni, instead.
1 - Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans on baking sheet - toast 7-10 min, until fragrant. Cool 10 min, then coarsely chop
2 - Heat oil in saucepan over med heat. Add onion, saute 5 min, until soft. Stir in pecans, agave/syrup, chili powder, and garlic. Cook 2-3 min, until fragrant. Add broth, thyme/bay leaf, 4c water, and salt/pepper to taste - cover. Boil. Reduce heat to med-low & simmer 2 hours.
3 - Remove thyme sprigs/ bay leaf & puree soup in blender or w/ hand blender. Stir in milk/ soymilk. Reheat a bit & serve w/ cheese & green onion.
Native American Toasted Pecan Soup
Recipe says it serves 10, I halved it and got 4 servings
2 1/2 cups pecans
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
1/4c agave nectar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3c veggie broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme**
1 bay leaf**
1c soymilk (I used real non-fat milk)
1/2c shredded cheese or an imitation of it, for garnish
1/4c chopped green onions, for garnish
**I used dried thyme and I think it overwhelmed other flavors a bit. Next time, I'll try a bouquet garni, instead.
1 - Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans on baking sheet - toast 7-10 min, until fragrant. Cool 10 min, then coarsely chop
2 - Heat oil in saucepan over med heat. Add onion, saute 5 min, until soft. Stir in pecans, agave/syrup, chili powder, and garlic. Cook 2-3 min, until fragrant. Add broth, thyme/bay leaf, 4c water, and salt/pepper to taste - cover. Boil. Reduce heat to med-low & simmer 2 hours.
3 - Remove thyme sprigs/ bay leaf & puree soup in blender or w/ hand blender. Stir in milk/ soymilk. Reheat a bit & serve w/ cheese & green onion.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Two quick food bytes
I had a couple of recipe requests on Twitter - so I'm posting them here quickly. I owe 2 books - hopefully this weekend...
J's simple pho
(note, J does not cook by recipe and is uncertain of volumes. Use best judgement)
Broth: veggie broth ~1/2 strength. Oyster sauce. onion, garlic, hot pepper. Powdered ginger. Dry lemongrass.
Cook shrimp in the boiling broth. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes early (if using dry - if using ones packed in oil, add at end w/ peas)
Make rice noodles in another pot (the ones we tried fell apart too easily; need to find sturdier noodles)
Combine stuff in bowls, add pea pods broken into bit-sized bits. Serve with basil, lemon balm leaves, and hot sauce.
Bulgar w/ peas, sun-dried tomatoes, & mint
Melt 1tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add 1c bulgar, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic. Toast briefly.
Add 2c water, frozen peas, and some dry ginger.
Let simmer until most liquid is gone. Meanwhile re-hydrate sun-dried tomatoes (if you have dry (same as above) - place in 1c water and heat in microwave til boiling - let sit 5min.
Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh mint leaves, and a bit more dry ginger.
J's simple pho
(note, J does not cook by recipe and is uncertain of volumes. Use best judgement)
Broth: veggie broth ~1/2 strength. Oyster sauce. onion, garlic, hot pepper. Powdered ginger. Dry lemongrass.
Cook shrimp in the boiling broth. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes early (if using dry - if using ones packed in oil, add at end w/ peas)
Make rice noodles in another pot (the ones we tried fell apart too easily; need to find sturdier noodles)
Combine stuff in bowls, add pea pods broken into bit-sized bits. Serve with basil, lemon balm leaves, and hot sauce.
Bulgar w/ peas, sun-dried tomatoes, & mint
Melt 1tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add 1c bulgar, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic. Toast briefly.
Add 2c water, frozen peas, and some dry ginger.
Let simmer until most liquid is gone. Meanwhile re-hydrate sun-dried tomatoes (if you have dry (same as above) - place in 1c water and heat in microwave til boiling - let sit 5min.
Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh mint leaves, and a bit more dry ginger.
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