Sort-Of-Thai Noodles

This recipe comes from Ruth Reichl's novel Garlic and Sapphires. Check it out, if you're a foodie that is. It is a story about a food critic and is peppered with recipes throughout. The two that we've tried have quickly become favorites in our house. Enjoy!


Yield: 4 servings

1/2 lb. rice noodles (rice sticks)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 TBSP peanut oil
1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. ground pork or turkey
4 scallions, sliced into 1/2-inch lengths (including about half of green parts)
2 eggs
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Soak the noodles in hot water (I brought mine to a near boil) to cover for 20 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.
2. Mix the sugar, fish sauce and vinegar together and set aside.
3. Heat oil in wok till smoking. Saute the shrimp just until they start to change color, about 1 minute. Remove from the wok and set aside.
4. Add garlic, then the pork and half the scallions. Saute just until the pork loses its redness, then add the drained noodles and mix quickly. Add the reserved fish sauce mixture, reduce heat to medium and cook until the noodles have absorbed all the liquid, about 5-8 minutes.
5. Move the noodles to one side and crack one egg into the wok, breaking the yolk. Tilt the wok so you get as thin a sheet of egg as possible, and scramble just until set. Then mix the egg into the noodles. Repeat with the second egg.
6. Add the shrimp, remaining scallions and red pepper flakes and mix thoroughly. Add the lime juice and cook, stirring for another minute.
7. Transfer noodles to a serving plate or individual bowls, sprinkle with some of the peanuts. Serve with lime wedges, remaining peanuts and chili sauce and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Shrimp with Basil and Tomatoes

Ok, so you are getting a double whammy from me today, since I have a day off to catch up on things. This recipe was so easy to make, and it was very healthy as it does not call for a lot of oil or any butter at all (of course, you can add some if you like :) This was another great dish I found on Shine by Yahoo.

ingredients

* 12 ounces fresh or frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp
* 1 tablespoon cooking oil
* 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 cups chopped, plum or common tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
* 1 tablespoon drained capers (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 8 ounces spaghetti or other pasta, cooked and drained
* 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
* Fresh basil leaves (optional)

directions

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Set aside.
2. Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry onion and garlic in hot oil for 2 minutes or until onions are crisp-tender. Remove onion mixture from the wok.
3. Add shrimp to the hot wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque.
4. Return onion mixture to the wok. Add tomatoes, basil, capers (if desired), salt, and pepper. Stir all ingredients together. Cook and stir for 1 minute more or until heated through. Serve immediately over hot cooked spaghetti or other pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Pork Marsala

I tried this for the first time last week and thought it was too awesome not to share, mostly because it is SO easy. I got the receipe off of Shine by Yahoo. They have a lot of great quick meal ideas on their website.

ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, quartered, halved, or sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 4 teaspoons margarine or butter
• 8 ounces medium slices pork tenderloins
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup dry Marsala or dry sherry
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

directions

1. In a 12-inch skillet cook mushrooms and green onion in 2 teaspoons of the hot margarine or butter for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from skillet; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cut veal into 2 serving-size pieces. Place one piece of veal or one chicken breast between 2 sheets of clear plastic wrap. Working from center to edges, pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet to about 1/8-inch thickness. Remove plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining veal or chicken.
3. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. In the same skillet cook veal or chicken in the remaining hot margarine or butter over medium-high heat about 1 minute on each side or until light brown. Transfer to warm dinner plates; keep warm.
4. Add Marsala or sherry and chicken broth to drippings in skillet. Bring to boiling; boil gently, uncovered, about 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits. Return mushroom mixture to skillet; add parsley. Heat through.
5. To serve, spoon the mushroom mixture over meat. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings

I also made sliced potatoes and cooked them over medium heat with a little bit of butter for about 15 minutes. I used a vegetable mix for the other side. It was super tasty!

No-Kneed Bread.

I suggest you make this at some point in the near future. This no-kneed bread is simple, satisfying, and lasts for several days. The penne with roasted vegetables and italian sausage is easy to adapt to what you have in your fridge, and the leftovers are great! If you're not interested in the bread, just skip down to the pasta recipe!

First, you'll want to take care of the bread since it takes 12-18 hours to do its thing. This take forethought, but very little effort. This recipe is taken directly from Jim Lahey's My Bread: The Revolutionary no-work, no-knead method. You'll need:

3 Cups Bread Flour (or, if you're being precise, 400 grams)
1 1/4 tsps table salt (not kosher. 8 grams)
1/4 tsp instant or other active dry yeast (1 g)
1 1/3 C cool water (55-65 degrees F. 300 g)
wheat bran, cornmeal, or additional flour for dusting (I've only used flour as of yet)

Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Add water and using your hand or a wooden spoon, combine until you have a wet and sticky dough. If you've made other breads this will seem extremely wet for a dough. If your dough doesn't seem really wet, add a bit of water (by the Tablespoon). Cover that business with some plastic wrap or a tea cloth, and let 'er be at room temp for 12-18 hours. I've been leaving mine for at least 18 hours because we leave our house at 68 degrees which is a bit cool. If yours is warmer you could do less, but basically you want it to double in size. If your house is cooler, you might think about letting it sit for 24 hours. Bottom line: give it time!

You'll know it is ready when it is doubled in size, bubbly on top, and has a slightly darkened color to the top. You're letting the bread ferment over this time, and it gives a really nice flavor. The ingredients are simple, but that bit of yeast and the time you give it really make a difference!

When your bread is ready at this point, dump it out on a floured surface. You'll notice the dough clinging to your bowl with long threads of dough-- this is the gluten at work! Pull it out of the bowl with a spoon, bowl scraper, or hands (I use hands and a spatula), and do NOT add more flour. It is wet and sticky and you want it this way! Pull the edges under to form a round ball of dough.

Place a cloth napkin or tea towel on the workspace and generously dust it with flour (I put a layer of plastic wrap down because the last time I made it, though I dusted it thoroughly, it developed into the cloth). Lay the dough down and fold the wrap and cloth loosely over the dough. Let rise another 1-2 hours or until about doubled.

About a half hour before the second rise is done, preheat your oven to 450-475 (based on how your oven runs. I do 450) and place your 4.5-5.5 qt. heavy pot inside the oven. When the second rise is ready and your oven is too, pull out the pot (careful, that baby is HOT!). Dust the dough with flour or bran or your choice, and carefully move the dough into the hot pot, seam side up. Pop that sucker, covered, into the oven for 30 minutes. After 30, uncover and let cook another 15-30 until it is a "chestnut" color. I've been cooking mine about 10-15 more to get a slightly lighter crust. Pull it out when done and move to a cooling wrack (don't let cool in the pot or it'll continue to cook-- trust me). Let it cool at least an hour-- you'll hear it crackling, and according to Lahey, this is an important part of the cooking and if you cut it while it is hot you're destroying the loaf! So resist!

You'll have a pretty good looking loaf and can slice it how you wish. I found slicing it like this (below) is best because you get just the right amount of crust to bread. Lahey slices his like a pie, which is tasty too.

Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Penne.

Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Penne
Adapted from Melissa D'Abrabian's recipe of the same name

1 onion, cut into wedges
1 medium zucchini, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1 red bell pepper quartered, cheeks and core removed
1/2 pound button mushrooms (or portobellos, etc)
1 head of garlic, top sliced off
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, washed and dried
2 sweet or hot Italian sausages, casings removed and thinly sliced (if you don't eat sausage you could try turkey kielbasa, tofu, etc. Whatever you like!)
1/4-1/3 Cup white wine
1 or 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
12 ounces whole-grain penne, cooked. *Reserve 1/2 pasta water!
Freshly grated Parmesan

*Note, you can skip the sausage! You can also dice the garlic and saute it, then add the wine (instead of roasting a whole head, you'd do about 2 cloves).

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the vegetables together in a bowl (except the tomaties and garlic) with about a Tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper. You want to leave them in larger pieces to roast and then after they're roasted, you'll chop 'em up! Spread the onions, zucchini, red pepper, and mushrooms on a baking sheet (you may want to spray with cooking spray). Place the garlic on the sheet, sliced side up. Roast in over for 25-30 minutes, then add the tomatoes on and roast another 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye out to make sure they don't get too crispy! Take those babies out, let them cool a few minutes, and chop them up. Pull out the cloves of garlic and chop them too, or just smash them. If they get brown, don't add that part (it may be bitter). The whole clove may seem like a lot, but roasting it sweetens and lightens the flavor and it don't be overwhelming.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and saute until it is cooked through. Turn up the heat and deglaze your pan with the white wine. You can use a bit more or less than is called for. If you don't have white wine you could use chicken broth, but just keep in mind that you'll definitely lose some of the fantastic flavor that wine brings. Add 1-2 Tbsp. of tomato paste (I like the super concentrated Amore brand-- it keeps for quite a while in the fridge and comes in a hand tube) and stir in. (Note: If you've used sweet sausages or something other than hot sausages, you might want to add about a half tsp. or red chili flakes in-- it'll give it a nice subtle kick.)

Chop up the vegetables and add them to the pan. Let that all simmer together a bit and add some of the pasta water to loosen things up if you need to. Toss in some salt and pepper, and then add in your cooked pasta. If you are making this for two people (like I always am!) you can half the amount of pasta, but you may want to just make the sauce as is-- leftovers are delicious!

Now, serve and enjoy! Top with some salty parmesan cheese, and have at it! A slice of the no-kneed bread goes really well with it.

ENJOY! Let me know if you make it, how it turns out, and what you do to it to make it your own!

White Bean-Chicken Chili

(photo courtesy of Taste of Home)

I got a new cookbook for Christmas that I am loving so far. It is Cooking Light's Super Fast Suppers and they don't lie. All of the recipes are super fast and way easy. I feel like this will be a great cookbook for when we have kids someday and are busy but still want to eat well. Anyway, I made this chili tonight and it was delicious. Glendon liked it so much he requested I add it to the rotation. :o) The picture above isn't the exact recipe (I don't have a picture from the exact recipe) but you can get the idea from it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, undrained
• 3 cups cubed chicken
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican seasoning (I used taco seasoning that comes in a packet)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese, plus more for topping

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until cooked through. Place chicken in a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining oil in dutch oven. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes.
2. Add beans, chicken, chicken broth, Mexican seasoning, and salt to the pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add cheese; simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Top with additional pepper jack cheese and any of the following: low fat sour cream, chopped green onions, chopped fresh cilantro, salsa, or crumbled tortilla chips.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1.5 cups)

Nutritional Items:

Calories: 285

Fat: 8.3g

Protein: 28.3g

Fiber: 6.1g

Cholesterol: 58mg

Sodium: 920mg

Cheddar Chicken and Potatoes

I'm a sucker for fast, family friendly meals! I have come to love the Kraft Food and Family magazine because there are tons of easy recipes that my picky 3 year old will eat! I just tried this one tonight and it was delicious!

4 slices of bacon

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves

4 cups (1 lb.) frozen diced potatoes with peppers and onions, thawed

4 oz. (1 c.) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat for 5 min. or until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and discard bacon grease. Add chicken to skillet; cook 5 min. on each side or until done.(mine took longer than 5 min.) Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm. Crumble bacon. Add to skillet with potatoes; cook and stir 5 minutes or until heated through. Place chicken over potatoes; top with cheese. Cover, cook 2 min. or until cheese is melted.