Monday, May 28, 2012
Chinese Chicken Salad
I first started experimenting with this recipe when I was planning for my New Years Day Brunch in 2000 which I called my I'm 2k, you're 2k, the totally Y2K compliant brunch. The food them was thai fusion and everything was picked specifically because it could be grilled on my propane gas grill and served at room temperature, just in case we didn't have electrical service. This is a great make ahead and assemble at last minute dish and great for a buffet style lunch. I have since modified it to swap out the rice noodles or spaghetti for whole grain pasta noodles, added the edamame and often use bottled peanut dressing/marinade if I am in a hurry or don't have everything on hand. This is a great example of a highly adaptable dish that is very forgiving on ingredients.
Cook boneless skinless chicken breasts at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes and allow to cool. My current favorite marinade is Raspberry Chipotle but a combination of 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate,
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1-2 T. finely grated ginger
1 chopped green onion
is my traditional marinade for this dish. I usually cook abour 4-6 chicken breasts with this method but you only need 2 for this salad. Shred 2 breasts after cooled and set aside for salad.
While chicken is cooking, but on a pot of water to boil for the noodles and start your dressing. I just add everything into the blender.
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 T dark sesame oil
1/3 cup each lime juice and orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice white vinegar
2 T grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili paste
For the main salad, you will need
1 box Barilla whole grain thin spaghetti noodles, broken in half and cooked to directions
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup edamame, shelled and drained
1 cup english cucumber, cut in quarters or matchsticks
1/2 c chopped green onion
1 cup mandarin oranges or finely chopped pineapples
2 T roughly chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups lightly steamed snow peas or sugar snap peas (thawed)
3-4 radishes, thinly sliced and cut into short matchsticks or quarters
1/2 cup chopped peanuts or 2 T sesame seeds, if desired for garnish
As soon as noodles are cooked, drain and immediately add about one half of prepared dressing. If you are making this the night before, mix thoroughly in a large ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight bringing back to room temperature before assembly. If making day of, just toss thoroughly in large glass serving bowl.
Assemble noodles with veggies, tossing to incorporate, adding shredded chicken and fruit last, garnish with cilantro and peanuts and serve at room temperature.
Reading this back the length of the ingredients is daunting but this is a very easy salad to assemble and sure to be a big hit with the family or friends.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Party favors
Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip
3/4 cup olive oil mayonnaise
3/4 cup reduce fat sour cream
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
fresh cracked pepper
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 cups chopped artichoke hearts
zest of one medium lemon
1 c. fresh shredded parmasean cheese
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic and pepper in medium-large bowl. Prep veggies: chop spinach and zap in microwave for 30 seconds, chop artichoke hearts, mince garlic and zest lemon.
Alternately add in veggies and cheese, stir well. Divide mixture between two shallow cermaic or glass baking dishes, sprinkle with more cheese and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with bagel chips, triscuits or cocktail toasts.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Spring Vegetables
My goal this spring has been to try to get 5-7 vegetables or fruits into our diet so I have been amping up on fresh fruits, planted pots of herbs and spending more time in the produce department. Easter practically begs for fresh salads, spring veggies and beautiful fruit salads. So, here is my spin on a great accompanioment for a pork loin or leg of lamb.
Roasted Spring Vegetables with Arugula Pesto
2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
1 lb. baby carrots
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 bag frozen pearl onions
1/2 c. Newman's Basalmic Vinegarette salad ressing
1/2 c. pesto (see previous post)
1 lb. arugula leaves
Rinse and drain all fresh vegetables. Cut potatoes in quarters (or eighths depending on size), place in large bowl and drizzle with half of vinegarette. Stir in carrots and onions. Snap of woody ends of asparagus stems, cut asparagus in 1 or 2 inch segments. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes. In large flat bowl, toss remaining dressing with fresh arugula, add veggies and pesto, toss and serve.
Roasted Spring Vegetables with Arugula Pesto
2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
1 lb. baby carrots
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 bag frozen pearl onions
1/2 c. Newman's Basalmic Vinegarette salad ressing
1/2 c. pesto (see previous post)
1 lb. arugula leaves
Rinse and drain all fresh vegetables. Cut potatoes in quarters (or eighths depending on size), place in large bowl and drizzle with half of vinegarette. Stir in carrots and onions. Snap of woody ends of asparagus stems, cut asparagus in 1 or 2 inch segments. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove from oven, cool 10 minutes. In large flat bowl, toss remaining dressing with fresh arugula, add veggies and pesto, toss and serve.
Friday, March 16, 2012
G-Free St. Patrick's Day
Looking for recipes for a family dinner this weend with my mother-in-law in town and found a fabulous Lemon Pound cake recipe and this up on Martha Stewart.
Are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day this weekend? Give the Irish holiday a nod (you just might get lucky!) with this easy allergen-free bread.
Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
Dairy-free and vegan
2 cups Elizabeth’s Gluten-free Flour Blend (see recipe here) or All Purpose Gluten-free Baking Mix from The Pure Pantry
½ cup amaranth or millet flour
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1/3 cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup currants
2 cups coconut milk
1. Preheat the oven to 375˚. Grease a baking sheet and lightly dust with baking mix or rice flour.
2. In a large bowl, combine baking mix with flax, flour, and rolled oats. Stir in baking soda and salt. Add currents and stir.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in coconut milk. Mix until all ingredients are moist--but do not over-mix. Turn out the dough onto the baking sheet and shape into a 4-inch-high round. Cut a cross on top of the bread with a sharp knife.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes.
Elizabeth Kaplan is the founder of The Pure Pantry, an allergen-free natural foods company that creates nutritious, great-tasting, and easy-to-use baking mixes. She is the author of Fresh from Elizabeth’s Kitchen: Gluten-free & Allergy-free Recipes. When she was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002, and subsequently her children were diagnosed with severe food allergies and gluten intolerance, she focused her passion for the culinary arts on gluten-free cuisine. Elizabeth teaches cooking classes that help others transition to a gluten-free lifestyle, lectures on topics related to gluten intolerance, and writes a lifestyle blog in which she shares recipes, nutrition tips, entertaining and travel ideas, and her first-hand knowledge about raising children with food allergies. Her husband and three children all enjoy being her official taste testers for the recipes and products she creates.
Are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day this weekend? Give the Irish holiday a nod (you just might get lucky!) with this easy allergen-free bread.
Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
Dairy-free and vegan
2 cups Elizabeth’s Gluten-free Flour Blend (see recipe here) or All Purpose Gluten-free Baking Mix from The Pure Pantry
½ cup amaranth or millet flour
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1/3 cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup currants
2 cups coconut milk
1. Preheat the oven to 375˚. Grease a baking sheet and lightly dust with baking mix or rice flour.
2. In a large bowl, combine baking mix with flax, flour, and rolled oats. Stir in baking soda and salt. Add currents and stir.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in coconut milk. Mix until all ingredients are moist--but do not over-mix. Turn out the dough onto the baking sheet and shape into a 4-inch-high round. Cut a cross on top of the bread with a sharp knife.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes.
Elizabeth Kaplan is the founder of The Pure Pantry, an allergen-free natural foods company that creates nutritious, great-tasting, and easy-to-use baking mixes. She is the author of Fresh from Elizabeth’s Kitchen: Gluten-free & Allergy-free Recipes. When she was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002, and subsequently her children were diagnosed with severe food allergies and gluten intolerance, she focused her passion for the culinary arts on gluten-free cuisine. Elizabeth teaches cooking classes that help others transition to a gluten-free lifestyle, lectures on topics related to gluten intolerance, and writes a lifestyle blog in which she shares recipes, nutrition tips, entertaining and travel ideas, and her first-hand knowledge about raising children with food allergies. Her husband and three children all enjoy being her official taste testers for the recipes and products she creates.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Buzz Buzz Buzz
Saw this great story (originally in the New York Times) on the beehives at the White House. Now all I need is a beekeeper for my house.
A new type of visitor came to the National Mall this year, flitting past monuments and museums in favor of trees, flowers and plants. But this wasn’t just some horticultural tour; no, this was work. Each day they were abuzz, gathering and pollinating before returning home to modest quarters with tremendous security near Lafayette Park.
Meet the White House honeybee.
Numbering more than 65,000 at one point, the bees produced a bumper crop of honey this year, the first time honey has ever been made on White House grounds. The hive, located on the South Lawn, is a key part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s organic kitchen garden project.
Basswood and cherry trees helped create a unique taste for White House honey.
The total haul was 134 pounds of honey, or roughly 11 gallons. Charlie Brandts, the White House beekeeper, couldn’t be more pleased. “I figured they would make 30 or so pounds of honey,” he said. “They surprised me.”
That access to the National Mall is one reason. “It’s just an abundance of blooms,” Mr. Brandts said, noting the local flowers, plants and trees were ripe with bee-attracting nectar. “The Ellipse and monument grounds are just a great source of clover. It’s like having a huge pasture.”
A White House carpenter for the past 25 years, Mr. Brandts started beekeeping in the backyard of his Maryland home three years ago.
The natural honey his hives produced drew the attention of White House chefs, who introduced him to Sam Kass, the Chicago chef who followed the Obamas from their hometown to the White House. Mr. Kass wondered whether beehives could be part of the White House garden.
Mr. Brandts secured the hive with straps one afternoon this summer. “I said ‘I think it would be very doable,’ ” Mr. Brandt said, recalling the conversation. “It was that simple. It just gets complicated after that.”
For one, the beehive sits in the flight path of Marine One, President Obama’s helicopter. “We don’t worry about just the lid blowing off, we worry about the hive blowing over,” Mr. Brandts said.
Mr. Brandts lent the White House bee swarms from his own backyard, setting up the new hive in late March. The bees –which travel as far as three miles from the hive– started bringing in nectar in April.
“These bees on the South Grounds are such sweet bees,” Mr. Brandts said. “I don’t know if it’s because they are down there by themselves or they are just the best bees.”
In June, Mr. Brandts collected 42 pounds of honey in the first extraction. (Since he uses a handheld smoker to placate the bees, he alerts the Secret Service beforehand.) At first, the bees produced a mild, delicately flavored honey lightly tan in color. The Mall’s cherry trees, which bloomed in early April, provided some nectar for that first batch. Clover, black locust and basswood could also be detected. As the summer progressed, the honey’s color darkened, with the fifth and final extraction revealing honey almost chestnut in color.
“We really only got two pounds of that, it’s a rarity,” Mr. Brandts said, noting that one flower on the grounds could have had an influence. “The whole fountain had red salvia planted around it, and it was always covered with bees. I suspect it was from that.”
To extract the honey, Mr. Brandts first had to carve off the beeswax cover.Now that the weather has cooled, the bees’ production has slowed, and Mr. Brandts hopes to keep them alive, however, sleepily, through the winter.
As for the abundance of honey, the White House has kept some for both the residence and for official events. During a Halloween party hosted by the White House on Saturday night, trick-or-treaters received a honey-sweetened shortbread cookie. And at Latin American concert last month, the menu included desserts made with honey.
In addition, spouses of world leaders received special jars of the honey as one of the gifts from Mrs. Obama at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh earlier this fall. Miriam’s Kitchen, a local food bank which serves meals to the homeless, has received honey along with produce from the garden.
“It doesn’t take a lot to make a difference,” said Steve Badt, kitchen operations director at Miriam’s Kitchen, where they have made fruit smoothies finished with a drizzle of White House honey. “Each blenderful gets a tablespoon or so. It’s a nice little touch, just like tea.”
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/white-house-abuzz-with-fir...
A new type of visitor came to the National Mall this year, flitting past monuments and museums in favor of trees, flowers and plants. But this wasn’t just some horticultural tour; no, this was work. Each day they were abuzz, gathering and pollinating before returning home to modest quarters with tremendous security near Lafayette Park.
Meet the White House honeybee.
Numbering more than 65,000 at one point, the bees produced a bumper crop of honey this year, the first time honey has ever been made on White House grounds. The hive, located on the South Lawn, is a key part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s organic kitchen garden project.
Basswood and cherry trees helped create a unique taste for White House honey.
The total haul was 134 pounds of honey, or roughly 11 gallons. Charlie Brandts, the White House beekeeper, couldn’t be more pleased. “I figured they would make 30 or so pounds of honey,” he said. “They surprised me.”
That access to the National Mall is one reason. “It’s just an abundance of blooms,” Mr. Brandts said, noting the local flowers, plants and trees were ripe with bee-attracting nectar. “The Ellipse and monument grounds are just a great source of clover. It’s like having a huge pasture.”
A White House carpenter for the past 25 years, Mr. Brandts started beekeeping in the backyard of his Maryland home three years ago.
The natural honey his hives produced drew the attention of White House chefs, who introduced him to Sam Kass, the Chicago chef who followed the Obamas from their hometown to the White House. Mr. Kass wondered whether beehives could be part of the White House garden.
Mr. Brandts secured the hive with straps one afternoon this summer. “I said ‘I think it would be very doable,’ ” Mr. Brandt said, recalling the conversation. “It was that simple. It just gets complicated after that.”
For one, the beehive sits in the flight path of Marine One, President Obama’s helicopter. “We don’t worry about just the lid blowing off, we worry about the hive blowing over,” Mr. Brandts said.
Mr. Brandts lent the White House bee swarms from his own backyard, setting up the new hive in late March. The bees –which travel as far as three miles from the hive– started bringing in nectar in April.
“These bees on the South Grounds are such sweet bees,” Mr. Brandts said. “I don’t know if it’s because they are down there by themselves or they are just the best bees.”
In June, Mr. Brandts collected 42 pounds of honey in the first extraction. (Since he uses a handheld smoker to placate the bees, he alerts the Secret Service beforehand.) At first, the bees produced a mild, delicately flavored honey lightly tan in color. The Mall’s cherry trees, which bloomed in early April, provided some nectar for that first batch. Clover, black locust and basswood could also be detected. As the summer progressed, the honey’s color darkened, with the fifth and final extraction revealing honey almost chestnut in color.
“We really only got two pounds of that, it’s a rarity,” Mr. Brandts said, noting that one flower on the grounds could have had an influence. “The whole fountain had red salvia planted around it, and it was always covered with bees. I suspect it was from that.”
To extract the honey, Mr. Brandts first had to carve off the beeswax cover.Now that the weather has cooled, the bees’ production has slowed, and Mr. Brandts hopes to keep them alive, however, sleepily, through the winter.
As for the abundance of honey, the White House has kept some for both the residence and for official events. During a Halloween party hosted by the White House on Saturday night, trick-or-treaters received a honey-sweetened shortbread cookie. And at Latin American concert last month, the menu included desserts made with honey.
In addition, spouses of world leaders received special jars of the honey as one of the gifts from Mrs. Obama at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh earlier this fall. Miriam’s Kitchen, a local food bank which serves meals to the homeless, has received honey along with produce from the garden.
“It doesn’t take a lot to make a difference,” said Steve Badt, kitchen operations director at Miriam’s Kitchen, where they have made fruit smoothies finished with a drizzle of White House honey. “Each blenderful gets a tablespoon or so. It’s a nice little touch, just like tea.”
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/white-house-abuzz-with-fir...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Early Thanksgiving
My mother-in-law was in for a visit from Chicago and we had an early Thanksgiving on Sunday. Courtney's only request was for marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, which normally is a no go as I love sweet potatoes in their purest form with just some butter and a little brown sugar. Found a recipe for marshmallow streusel which had a lot of appeal and here is what we ended up with.
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Streusel
Ingredients
12 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Scrub sweet potatoes and prick the sweet potatoes in a couple of spots to allow steam to escape during cooking. Place them on a foil covered cookie sheet and bake until soft, typically 45-75 minutes depending on size. Remove from oven and allow to cool before peeling.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together with a fork or pastry knife. Add cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows to complete streusel topping.
Whip sweet potatoes with 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup orange juice until fluffy. Place in 9x12 glass casserole and top with streusel topping, bake for 30 minutes and serve.
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Streusel
Ingredients
12 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Scrub sweet potatoes and prick the sweet potatoes in a couple of spots to allow steam to escape during cooking. Place them on a foil covered cookie sheet and bake until soft, typically 45-75 minutes depending on size. Remove from oven and allow to cool before peeling.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together with a fork or pastry knife. Add cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows to complete streusel topping.
Whip sweet potatoes with 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup orange juice until fluffy. Place in 9x12 glass casserole and top with streusel topping, bake for 30 minutes and serve.
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