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Archive for the ‘easy’ Category

This was one of my favorite dishes growing up, and is a good way to eat a lot of fresh veggies. The name is just what my mom used to call it, it most closely resembles chow mein.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

      • 2-3 lbs chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
      • 2 carrots, julienned*
      • 1 red pepper, thinly slices*
      • 1 bunch green onions, sliced to ~1inch pieces on the diagonal (both white and green parts)*
      • 1-2 cups sugar snap peas, stringed*
      • 1-2 cups bok choy, roughly chopped*
      • 1 cup bean sprouts*
      • 6-8 servings Chinese egg noodles, get the kind that looks like this (I have had good luck finding them in Asian markets).
      • 1.5 cups chicken broth
      • 3 Tablespoons corn starch
      • ~1/4 cup soy sauce, to taste
      • 1 egg white
      • Neutral cooking oil (such as vegetable or canola)

*Note, you can leave out or change the amount of any of the veggies to suite your taste

 

Directions:

  1. Prep veggies and chicken.
  2. Start a large pot of water to boil and preheat the oven to 350F.
  3. In a bowl combine the egg white with 1 tablespoon corn starch, once well mixed stir in the chicken and then cover and set aside. (Note, you can do this step several hours/a day in advance and then keep refrigerated.)
  4. Add egg noodles to boiling water and cook them according to the instructions. Once done cooking strain and toss with 1/8-1/4 cup oil, until the noodles are well covered. Spread noodles out on a baking sheet in an even layer. Put noodles in the oven, check every 10 minutes until the start to become crispy. Once they begin to become crispy toss/stir them and then spread in a thin layer again and put back in the oven. When they get close to your desired done-ness, start checking them every 5 minutes. While the noodles cook move on to the rest of the cooking, this way everything is done roughly at the same time. Once the noodles are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside.
  5. On high heat add ~1 Tablespoon oil to a wok. Once very hot add chicken, stirring often cook until brown bit start to form on the chicken. Once done remove chicken to a bowl and set aside. Return wok to high heat.
  6. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, once very hot add all the veggies except for the bok choy and bean sprouts. Stirring frequently cook until veggies are almost done and still crispy.
  7. While veggies cook, make the sauce by combining the chicken broth, soy sauce and 2 Tablespoons corn starch, mixing until corn starch is dissolved.
  8. Once veggies are almost done add the bok choy and cooked chicken and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  9. Once bok choy leaves are wilted add the sauce, and stir to coat. Then add the bean sprouts and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat.
  10. To serve, in a large dish arrange the noodles around the platter, breaking them up into smaller chunks to make for easier serving, leaving a whole in the center. Then add the chicken and vegetable mixture to the middle. By not covering all the noodles on the serving platter they will stay crispy longer. Serve immediately.

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Thai Inspired Butternut Squash Soup

Thai Inspired Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 4-5 cups Butternut squash (1-2 squashes), cubed (I usually use I container of pre-cut squash form whole foods)
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 can light coconut milk
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, halved
  • salt and pepper
  • scallops (optional)

Directions

  1. Add squash, both coconut milks, lemon grass, salt and pepper to your crock pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
  2. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove the lemongrass stalk and the using an immersion blender blend until creamy. (Or cream in batches in a regular blender.)
  3. Sear scallops in butter or olive oil on high heat. (Optional)
  4. Serve in a bowl with scallops on top.

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Carnitas

 

carnitas

Spicy Carnitas in a Crock Pot

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • Pork Shoulder (3-4lbs)
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tablespoon Oregano
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 small can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (use less if you prefer less spicy)
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Salt, to taste (~1 teaspoon)

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on high for 6-8 hours
  2. Remove meat from crock pot and shred on a baking sheet. Add some of the cooking liquid until moist (about 1.5 cups)
  3. Broil meat until crispy on the outside but moist in the middle, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Add more cooking liquid if necessary

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Eggs for Dinner

This fast and hearty dish was inspired by a recipe for fried eggs topped homemade chive olive oil from one of my latest cookbooks. However I wanted something more substantial that I could eat for dinner, so after rummaging through my fridge this is what I came up with. The chickpeas become nice and crunchy, the kale gives a great salty flavor, served with thinly sliced and lightly toasted french bread you have yourself a fantastic meal in less than 30 minutes!

Eggs for Dinner

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 eggs (depends on how hungry you are)
  • 1 bunch kale or chard, washed and roughly chopped
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 1.5 ounce pancetta (or bacon), roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chickpeas
  • olive oil
  • herb blended/infused oil* (optional)
  • French bread, sliced and toasted for serving

Directions:

  1. Heat a large pan (preferably cast iron) on medium high heat and add the pancetta. Give a few good stirs and add shallots. After 1-2 min, before shallots start to brown add the chickpeas and cook for another few minutes until shallots and chickpeas start to brown. If pancetta is not fatty enough add a little bit of olive oil so that the chickpeas have a bit of crunch.
  2. Once everything starts to brown add the kale (or chard) and a little more oil if needed. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Cook until kale is throughly cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Divide between two plates.
  3. Add oil to the pan and coat. Crack eggs into pan and cook until desired firmness (I prefer mine sunny side up, but you might like your flipped). Drizzle with herb oil while cooking.
  4. Top the chickpeas and greens mixture with eggs and serve immediately.

Notes:

*While you can buy herb infused oils at the store you can also make your own, just combine 1/2 extra virgin olive oil with 1 cup chopped herb of your choice and some salt in a food processor until well blended. (I made my herb oil with chives!)

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This is a great appetizer that is relatively easy to make and really impresses people I got the idea from Trader Joe’s feta cheese puff pastry cups my friend Kaitlyn served at a pumpkin carving gathering (I think I might have single-handedly put down half of those). I went home thinking that I might have found a use for the 5 jars of plum jam I had made a few weeks before. I tinkered in the kitchen and this is what I came up with, though I used raspberry jam here since that is readily available in the grocery store. I plan on making this dish as an appetizer for our family’s Christmas gathering.

Savory Feta Pastry Puffs

Makes 24 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 package phyllo dough (usually contains 2 sheets of many layers)
  • 3 onions, sliced
  • 1 large jar raspberry jam, or any jam you prefer (I actually prefer plum jam)
  • 16 – 24 ounces crumbled feta (depends on how much you like cheese)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to as instructed on the phyllo dough package. Spray the cups of 2 muffin tins so that phyllo dough does not stick and set aside.
  2. Spread out one sheet, cut into 4 squares. For each square divide the layer sheets into 3 and mold each division into a cupcake tin. (Before dividing the sheets into layers you can cut them into a large circle if desired to make them look slightly neater.) Repeat this process with the second sheet of phyllo dough. Now all your muffin tins should be lined with phyllo dough cups.
  3. Add about a table spoon of feta to each cup (make sure there is a little left over.) Divide all the onions between the cup and then add about 2 teaspoons of jam. Sprinkle the remaining feta on top.
  4. Bake for at least as long as the phyllo dough package indicates. Then continue baking until the dough has crisped and the contents of the cup are bubbling.
  5. Let rest at least 10 minutes before trying to remove from muffin tins. They will be very hot (I know from personal, tongue burning, experience.)

Note:

  • This dish can be taken to the next level by adding bacon or using bacon jam.
  • These are great reheated, just pop back into the oven for about 15 min (or even the microwave if you don’t have the time.)
  • 2 paired with a salad makes a great lunch, it has that quiche-y sort of vibe

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