Shrimp Kabobs

This is a quick and easy meal to make that only takes half an hour from start to finish. The white soy sauce is a light brown soy sauce that barely colors the marinade but adds just the right amount of flavor. I adapted this recipe for Fish Kabobs from the South Beach Diet cookbook. So delicious!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon Colman's mustard powder
1 tablespoon white soy sauce
36 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, with tails (large shrimp is okay)
9 bamboo skewers (not necessary to soak them)

Preheat oven to 450˚F. Lightly oil a grill and place it over a pan lined with a sheet of aluminum foil for easy clean up.

In a medium glass baking dish, add the oil, lime juice, mustard, and soy sauce. Blend well with a spatula. Add the raw shrimp and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes.

Thread 4 shrimp per skewer and place them in slightly overlapping rows. It's okay for the tails to touch. Put the shrimp kabobs in the oven to bake for 5-10 minutes, slightly longer if you are using large shrimp. The shrimp are cooked when they turn pink on both sides and are no longer translucent. Serve immediately.

The shrimp can also be grilled or broiled and will be cooked in half the time.

Balsamic Chicken and Surprise South Beach Mashed "Potatoes"

Dinner was light--but filling! To go with oven baked balsamic chicken, there was sugar snap peas with tomatoes, cole slaw, pickled vegetables, and a creamy delicious mashed "potato" made from cauliflower.  Both recipes for the chicken and the cauliflower come from the South Beach Diet book.

Balsamic Chicken (adapted from the South Beach Diet Cookbook)

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more or less
1 teaspoon salt, more or less
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 tablespoons white wine, optional
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Marinate the chicken, preferably overnight. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Mince the rosemary leaves (I didn't do it and  I think it would have tasted better without the big leaves of rosemary). Mince the garlic. Combine rosemary, garlic, pepper and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and rub with the herb mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 10 hours.

Bake the chicken. Preheat the oven 450˚F (200˚C in my convection oven). Spray a heavy roasting pan with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the pan and bake for 10 minutes (7 minutes in the convection oven). Turn the chicken once. If the dripping sticks to the pan, stir in 3-4 tablespoons water or white wine (if using).

Make pan drippings. Bake about 10 minutes more (7 minutes in the convection oven) or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 160˚F. If the pan is dry, stir in 1-2 tablespoons water or wine to loosen the drippings. Drizzle the vinegar over the chicken breasts.

Serve. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate or serving dish. Stir the liquid in the pan and drizzle over the chicken.

Surprise South Beach Mashed "Potatoes"(adapted from the South Beach Diet Cookbook)

4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 1/2 heads)
1 ounce butter (tastes better) or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1 ounce fat free half and half or fat free milk
salt and pepper to taste

Steam or blanch the cauliflower until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Puree in a food processor, adding the butter or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and the half and half or milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Curried Cashew Shrimp with Garlic Cilantro Rice

It's a cold evening in New York and it wanted warming up with a dish that's got echoes of the tropics with coconut milk, garlic, cilantro, shrimp, and rice. With a rice cooker to cook the rice, you can whip up this meal in half an hour.

Heat the oil to fry the minced garlic

Brown the rice in garlic and oil

In a bowl, toss shrimp with curry powder, ginger, and salt

Zucchini half-rounds, chunks of red sweet pepper, and shrimp

Brown the cashew nuts whole

Add he shrimp to the cashew nuts

Add the zucchini and peppers

Pour in the coconut milk

Adding the Greek-style yogurt

Some brown sugar and fish sauce

Garlic cilantro rice ready to serve

Curried Cashew Shrimp with Garlic Cilantro Rice

For the rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups (3 rice cooker cups) uncooked Thai jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using chicken broth)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

For the shrimp
1/4 cup cashews, whole or pieces, roasted or raw
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 pound or 2 cups shrimp, shelled and deveined with tails on
4 teaspoons curry powder, hot or mild
1 tablespoon or more minced ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds and halved
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce

Preparation
For the rice
Brown the rice. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil and fry the garlic 30 seconds until golden brown. Add the uncooked rice to the pan and fry until the rice grains are coated with oil.
Cook the rice. Scrape the browned rice grains into the rice cooker. Add the broth or water until it comes up to the first knuckle of your finger dipped into the top of the rice, about 1 1/2 cups liquid. Add salt, if using. Cover the rice cooker and press the button to start. Just before serving, mix in the cilantro leaves.

For the shrimp
Season the shrimp. In a medium bowl, put the shrimp. Add the curry powder, ginger, and salt. Toss to coat thoroughly. Set aside.
Stir-fry. Heat a 12-inch skillet. Add the cashews and brown until lightly golden. Spray cooking spray on the cashews and turn.  Add the oil and heat until shimmering, turning the nuts frequently. Add the shrimp, peppers, and zucchini. Cook on medium high heat until the shrimp turns pink.
Make the sauce. Add the coconut milk to the shrimp mixture in the pan. Turn the heat to low and allow to come to a slow boil, about 5-6 minutes. Add the yogurt and combine. Stir in the sugar. Sprinkle fish sauce on top, or add more to taste. Serve hot with garlic cilantro rice.

Herbed Pan Fried Pork Chops

With Pan Roasted Asparagus, Tomatoes and Black Olives and Basmati Rice

I always like to try new recipes. This one is from America's Test Kitchen, which seldom disappoints. It had good flavor without being either too salty or too oily. The only question I had was, what do I do with the crisp bacon bits?

Blended spices (or use your own blend)
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sage
pinch of ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour
3 strips of bacon, chopped
4 center cut, bone-in pork chops
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil


Make the spice blend. Pour blended spices in a shallow pan or pie plate. You may find you will need to make another batch after two pork chops. I did. Pour flour into another pan or pie plate.

Season the pork chops. Dip each chop in the spice blend, then lightly dredge in the flour. Let the pork chops rest in a plate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fry up the bacon in a large 12 inch skillet. When crisp, remove the bacon to drain but reserve the bacon fat. Start wth 1/4 cup of oil to the fat and heat until just smoking. Add more oil if necessary.

Fry the pork chops. Put each pork chop in the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side. Mine came out over done so I would reduce that to 2-3 minutes per side instead. Drain on a greased wire rack set over a baking tray in a warm oven. Don't discard the pan drippings.

Still no idea what to do with the bacon bits but since I was making pan fried asparagus with tomatoes and black olives, I decided to dress that up with the bacon. Ta-dah!

Pan-fried Asparagus with Tomatoes and Black Olives (and bacon bits)
2 pounds thick asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup black olives, chopped
2 -4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tablespoon bacon, chopped and fried until crisp, drained (optional)
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (optional)

Trim the asparagus. Hold up one spear and snap off the end. Cut all the other spears to the same length.

Make the tomato-black olive dressing. Use the pan drippings from the pork chops to make the dressing. Over medium heat, fry the garlic in the pan drippings until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and olives. Cook until the tomatoes "spring" water and become wilted. Pour the dressing into a bowl, cover with foil, and reserve.

Cook the asparagus. Rinse out the skillet and dry it with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil. Lay half the spears in the pan in one direction. Lay the other half in the opposite direction. Cover and cook over medium heat until the asparagus turns a bright green, about 2-4 minutes. Remove to a serving dish and pour the dressing on top. Top with cheese, basil, or bacon bits.

Easy Peasy Jamaican Black Bean Soup with Dumplings

Black bean soup with boiled dumplings

I found this recipe on a website called ethnic spicy food and more.com. I know Jamaican foodies would say, where is the oxtail? Where is the salt beef? And they would be right. But for a quick and easy meal with that authentic taste and is ready in 20 minutes--well this is it.

2 15-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped fine
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (add more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 small scotch bonnet pepper, minced and seeded (for more heat, use seeds at your discretion!)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 teaspoons dried thyme (I didn't have any. Oops!)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (increased from 1/2 cup)
2 Italian sausages (sweet or hot), fried and sliced (my addition, and this is optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped finely (tastes better than dried parsley in the original recipe!)

Cook the vegetables. In a 12 inch sauce pan, heat the oil. Sauté the onions, sweet pepper, garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet pepper for 3 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. I watch the onion. When it wilts and turns transparent, then the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the broth, thyme, and the drained beans. Bring to a boil. Then simmer 15-20 minutes. Add the salt.

Puree the vegetables. While the soup is simmering, fry the sausages. Chop cooked sausages into chunks and set aside. When the vegetables are cooked through, spoon half of the pot into a blender or food processor. Pulse until the vegetables become a thick purée. Return the purée to the pot and mix with the remainder of the vegetables. The soup will become that characteristic red-brown color that we call Stew Peas on the island.

Add the finishing touches. Add the coconut milk, sausage chunks, and cilantro. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with dumplings.

All right. That was easy. And so far, the soup was fairly low in calories and fat. But dumplings? Are all those carbs necessary? Well, you can leave out the dumplings if you want, but authentic Stew Peas must have dumplings! This recipe is my mom's and it's oh-so easy to make!

Boiled Dumplings
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all vegetable shortening (sure, less guilt!)
water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Put the shortening in a glass one-cup measure and fill with water to the top of the line. Microwave for about 60 seconds. Stir. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add 2/3 of the shortening-water mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Add about 1 tablespoon of the reserved water to the mixture to make a sticky dough. 

Boil about 4 cups of water. Pinch off about 1/2 tablespoon of dough and roll it between your hands to make a short  stumpy cigar. Put each dumpling in the boiling water and return the water to the boil. When cooked through, the dumplings will rise to the top.

Banh Mi: Vietnamese Submarine Sandwiches

What has savory Asian flavors sandwiched between two pieces of French baguette? I am describing banh mi the Vietnamese version of the sub sandwich. The original recipe from Bon Appetit/ Epicurious  called for daikon the Japanese radish, but I didn't have time to go to Chinatown to buy it. So I substituted celery and green pepper, which is what I had on hand. I think cucumber would also do. The important thing is to combine vegetables for their texture and color.

Vegetable Pickle
 2 cups coarsely grated carrot
1 cup coarsely grated celery or cucumber
1 cup coarsely grated sweet green pepper
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Toss all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside for at least 1 hour.

 Meatballs
1 pound ground pork or ground chicken (I used chicken)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 scallions, finely minced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I recommend Sriracha Sauce)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Scoop up an even tablespoon of meat and roll into a 1 inch ball. Place on a baking tray. One pound of meat will make 24 meatballs.

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

In a 12 inch skillet, heat the sesame oil. Brown the meatballs, turning frequently, for 10-15 minutes. Cover the skillet and put it in the oven to keep warm.

Hot Chili Mayonnaise
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I recommend Sriracha sauce)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate. This can be made a day ahead.

Assembling the Sandwiches
Split the bread horizontally. Using your fingers, dig out the center of the top and bottom of the bread.

Spread the hot chili mayonnaise generously on both sides of the bread. Put the cilantro on the bottom.

Layer the meatballs on top of the cilantro. About 6 meatballs per sandwich. Use a pair of tongs to lift out the pickled vegetables, lightly shaking off any excess liquid, and spread the vegetables evenly over the top of the meatballs. 

Close the "lid" and eat!

Butternut Squash Risotto from America's Test Kitchen

A risotto is an Italian rice dish very similar to a Chinese rice porridge, a soft boiled rice that's easily digestible. As I'd like to add more vegetarian dishes to my repertoire I thought I'd try it out. This one is made with chicken soup, however, it can be made with a vegetable stock. I left out the nutmeg because I thought it was a rather strange addition to a savory rice dish. I also found the sage to be unpleasantly bitter. Most meat-lovers are suspicious of vegetarian dishes thinking they are not hearty enough, but this one is surprisingly filling. The texture was soft but not al dente, and the taste was tangy and a bit on the salty side because of the chicken broth.  AJ pronounced the risotto "okay"--he had two helpings-- but I'm not sure I'll ever make it again. Click on this link for the Butternut Squash Risotto recipe. 

Sixteen BR Yakisoba

I saw fresh Japanese noodles at the Whole Foods Market.  I already had a carrot, celery, half a cabbage, a cup of broccoli, a stalk of scallion, and a whole sweet pepper. Seasoned with soy sauce (organic) and black pepper and inspiration!

Cilantro Chicken with Italian Sausage and Black Olives

I enjoy making skillet dinner recipes because they are so quick and easy to make. I found this recipe on about.com and thought it needed dressing up. Here are the basic steps to give you an overview.

Season the chicken. Seasoning the chicken breasts with salt and pepper was boring so I decided that since I had cilantro, lime juice, and fish sauce on hand that I'd use it to spice up this chicken. I cut the breasts into thirds for faster cooking but you can cook the breasts whole.

Chicken cilantro marinade

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, whole or cut into thirds 
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil, for browning

Cook the sausages. I bought these spicy Italian sausages at Whole Foods that didn't have any nitrates in them. I browned them in a teaspoon of olive oil then cooked them in wine and chicken broth until the liquid was reduced. The sausages don't need to be thoroughly cooked as they will undergo more cooking later. Remove sausages from the pan and cut into 1 inch pieces. Set aside for later.

Italian sausages
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine

Brown the chicken. After removing the sausages, add a tablespoon olive oil to the same pan and sear the chicken breasts on both sides. They don't need to cook through since they will undergo more cooking later. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.

Make the vegetable sauce. Using the fond or the browned bits left in the pan from cooking the sausage and searing the chicken, makes a flavorful sauce. First, cook the vegetables that will take time: onions, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms. Once the peppers and onions wilt, add the chicken and sausage, the chopped tarragon and oregano, and the black olives.  It looks like the sauce will not be enough, but the vegetables, chicken, and sausage "spring their own water,"  as we say in Jamaica. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, if the chicken breasts have been cut up into thirds, and 10-15 minutes for whole. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with hot cooked rice. Cooking with fresh herbs is amazing!

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, cut into strips
1 sweet yellow pepper, cut into strips
8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced thickly
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, leaves only, chopped
1/2 cup chopped black olives
Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro chicken with Italian sausage and black olives

When Anna came to dinner...

Dinner ingredients (the grapes are a snack)

Anna, Diana's daughter was coming to dinner. Anna is a vegetarian so tonight's menu had to include tofu as well as meat for the rest of us who choose to eat meat. Tonight's menu included Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Meatloaf Roll with Spinach and Feta Cheese, Green Bean Medley, Asian Avocado Salad,  and for dessert, Almond Lake with Mandarin Oranges (that's just rice pudding, people). 

Extra firm tofu cut into triangles in preparation for pressing out the water

Tofu press

Martha Stewart, whose recipe this is, recommends using canned goods to  weight down the tofu. But this is the Teeny Tiny Kitchen here and I don't keep cans of food on hand. The only can in the cupboard was a tin of spam I inherited from a previous tenant. But we have LOTS of books. Looking at the spines, you can tell what we're reading (and studying) these days...

Tofu with Broccoli Stir-Fry (adapted from Martha Stewart.com)

1 package firm tofu (I used extra firm)
1 1/2 pounds or 3 cups broccoli florets
salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup cashews, toasted (optional)
Salt and pepper or Maggi seasoning to taste

Cut off the tough broccoli stems and trim the florets. Boil 4 cups of water with a little salt. Put the broccoli florets in the water for 2 minutes or until they turn bright green. Remove broccoli with a slotted skimmer and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

This is the easiest way to cut the tofu into uniform triangles. First, cut the tofu cake in half. Cut each half in half then cut each quarter in half.  Place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with 2-3 layers of paper towels. Top with another layer of paper towels. Either put another baking tray on top and weight it down with canned goods (or books). Or, as I did, put a layer of plastic beneath the books. Let stand for 20 minutes. Discard the paper towels.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry the tofu triangles 5-6 minutes on one side until golden brown. Carefully turn and fry for an additional 5-6 minutes on the other side. Set aside to drain on a paper towel. Pat the top with another paper towel. Set aside. Or keep warm in a low oven.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and cornstarch. Set aside. To the pan, add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and toss to coat. Add the tofu and toss gently. Add the cashews, if using. I adjusted the seasoning by adding salt and pepper. Anna drizzled a little of the wasabi/rice vinegar dressing for the salad on it and said it tasted great!

Tofu with Broccoli Stir-Fry

Meat Loaf Roll with Spinach and Feta Cheese (from grouprecipes.com)
This meat loaf is moist and full of flavor. It isn't necessary to cook the spinach first. It looks and tastes better when rolled up using fresh spinach. 

2 pounds lean ground meats (preferably a meat loaf mix of beef, lamb, and pork)
3/4 cup finely ground bread crumbs (I used Panko crumbs processed in a blender)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 carrots, finely grated
1 onion, finely grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon or more dried herbs (I used dill and oregano)
1 pound fresh spinach, chopped
2 oz. feta cheese

Preheat oven 350˚F. Line a baking tray with foil (for easy clean up). Line 9x13 inch baking tray with waxed or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine meat, bread crumbs, milk, egg, carrots, onion, salt, pepper, and herbs. Turn out onto the waxed paper. With your fingertips, spread out the meat as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the chopped spinach on top, leaving an inch border. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the spinach.

Roll up the paper, jelly-roll fashion. Lift up the paper at one of the shorter edges and gently roll away from you, not too tight but not too loose either,  easing up the paper as you roll the meat and the filling into a log. Moisten your fingers and seal the edges closed. Smooth the seam and any cracks closed. Gently roll the meat log onto the foil lined tray, sliding the paper away. It won't need any oil. I rolled it seam-side down on the baking tray. Bake 45 minutes or until the inside temperature is 160˚F. Turn off the oven. Let the meat loaf rest in the oven for 5 minutes.

I was afraid the meat loaf might be dry so I made a gravy. I poured the pan drippings into a small saucepan. Then, I added 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 3/4 cup of water to the drippings. Next, heat until the gravy begins to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. It turned out I didn't need it but some people might like a gravy with meat loaf.

Meatloaf Roll with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Green Bean Medley
This vegetable dish is from the Betty Crocker Cookbook and it's a family favorite.

1 pound fresh string beans, cut into 2 inch lengths
2 carrots, cut into 2 inch sticks
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 medium red onion (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil 4 cups water with a little salt. Boil the carrots 2 minutes or until bright orange. Use a slotted skimmer to remove and rinse in cold water. Repeat with the green beans. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil, add garlic and onion, if using. Cook until just fragrant. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring for two minutes. Add carrots and green beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Green Bean Medley

Asian Avocado Salad (adapted from: Epicurious.com)
Originally called Asian Avocado Salsa, I adapted this recipe into a salad. It has a fiery wasabi dressing. Here's a tip to keep the apple and avocado from browning: sprinkle with lime or lemon juice.

Salad
2 cups coarsely chopped and trimmed romaine lettuce hearts
1/2 cup apple, chopped
2 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup grape tomatoes
Scallion and cilantro, chopped (optional)

Salad dressing
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon wasabi paste (optional)

Asian Avocado Salad

Almond Lake with Mandarin Oranges (from a Chinese cookbook by Alison Burt)
This dessert is a lightly sweet and creamy rice pudding with the crunchy taste of almonds. 

1/3 cup white rice, ground finely
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup almond flakes, toasted
1x15 oz. can Mandarin oranges in syrup

In a medium saucepan, add the rice, milk, sugar, and almond extract. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to simmer, and stir occasionally until thickened. Cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with mandarin oranges, syrup, and almond flakes.

Almond Lake with Mandarin Oranges and Almond Flakes

Personalize a collage

Chicken with Dumplings and Miami Beach Birthday Cake

It was Richard's birthday today, a special one, his fourth cycle birthday in the Year of the Tiger. I wanted to make something hearty but flavorful. Fall, regretfully, is here, and it has been raining all week. This recipe for Chicken and Dumplings just hit the spot. Now, mind you, these are not Jamaican nor Chinese style dumplings. This is all-American Chicken and Dumplings from America's Test Kitchen--with some variations. My departure from ATK included using seasoning salt, onion and garlic powder to season the chicken, and increasing the thyme to two teaspoons.

5 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots, washed and scraped and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 ribs celery, washed and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
10 tiny onions, whole, peeled with ends trimmed
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)

First, I trimmed the chicken thighs of excess fat and skin. Then I patted the chicken pieces dry and liberally seasoned each one with seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. I put 2 tablespoons oil to heat in my Calphalon Everyday Pan over medium-high heat. In the heated oil, put half the chicken pieces in, skin-side down for five minutes to brown up. Then I turned them over and let them brown for 5 more minutes. I put the chicken pieces in a plate then I poured off the excess oil, leaving the browned bits, or fond in the pan. I added more oil and repeated the process with the remaining chicken. Then I removed and discarded the skin then set aside the thighs to cool. Reserve the chicken fat, if you wish, to make the dumplings.

To the pan, I added the butter and the  prepared vegetables.  Cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside. To the pan, stir in the flour and whisk in the sherry, incorporating any fond. Add broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Whisk until smooth. Nestle the chicken in the sauce and return the vegetables to the pot. Cover and simmer for one hour.

Discard bay leaves. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and, using two forks, shred the chicken into pieces. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Discard the bones. Make the dumplings.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or reserved chicken fat

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a small bowl, put milk and butter. Microwave about 1 minute to melt the butter. Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until the dough is soft and sticky. Using a teaspoon, drop golf-ball sized dumplings on top of the stew, spacing them about 1/4 inch apart. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until dumplings have doubled in size, about 15-18 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice or steamed vegetables.

Vegetable side suggestions:

• Steamed broccoli with lime juice and fresh ground black pepper
• Steamed sugar snap peas with sweet red pepper sprinkled with soy sauce and pepper

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops and Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Peas

The Hearty Bread

Like any good foodie, I went to check out the new Trader Joe's that opened at 72nd and Broadway. Looking for what America's Test Kitchen calls "a hearty white bread" I chose this one as a likely candidate. In the package the slices were 1 inch thick and were substantial, without that Wonder Bread softness. When the cashier told me it makes excellent French toast I knew I was in the neighborhood. The menu tonight was entirely from America's Test Kitchen. I had to make some adjustments since Fairway, just 2 blocks up Broadway from Trader Joe's, does not sell center cut pork chops 2 to a pack but 3 to a pack. This recipe requires you to make your own breadcrumbs but after that, the pork chops cook very quickly in less than 20 minutes. In this recipe you must soak the meat in brine before baking.

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

 3  center cut boneless pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat

Brine

4-6 teaspoons table salt (down from 1/4 cup)

4 cups water

1 gallon size ziploc bag

Dipping Mixtures:

breadcrumb mixture

3 slices of "hearty white bread", shredded into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup onion

3 large cloves garlic

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (parsley in the original recipe but I like cilantro)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

flour

1/4 cup 

egg white mixture

6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

3 large egg whites

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 lime wedges for garnish

Combine all the brine ingredients in the gallon ziploc bag. Put the pork chops inside, close it, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from the bag and pat dry. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

The reason why the pork chops crunch

While the pork chops are brining, prepare the bread crumb mixture. Pulse the bread pieces in a food processor or blender until you get coarse crumbs. If using a blender, do a handful at a time. Spread the bread crumbs on a tray. I like onion and garlic, so I increased the amounts from 2 tablespoons onion to 1/4 cup, and I used 3 large cloves instead of 2 medium. Pulse the onions, garlic, and oil together, about 6 times. 

Clockwise from left: egg white mixture, flour, and breadcrumbs

Add the onion mixture to the breadcrumbs and mix well. Bake until golden brown and dry, about 20 minutes, stirring twice. Remove the breadcrumbs from the oven but do not turn it off. Let the breadcrumbs come to room temperature. Toss the crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and chopped cilantro. Transfer to a pie plate and set aside. In another pie plate, pour 1/4 cup flour and set aside. In a third pie plate, add the egg whites, mustard, and 6 tablespoons flour. Whisk until there are pea sized particles. 

Three little pork chops are ready to go in the oven

Increase oven temperature to 425˚F. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and put it in a baking tray. Dip each pork chop in the following sequence: flour, egg mixture, and breadcrumb mixture. Place about 1 inch apart on the prepared wire rack. Bake 17-25 minutes. I baked the 3 chops for 17 minutes and they came out juicy and slightly pink but cooked through. According to ATK, the internal temperature should reach 135˚F. Then let the chops rest 5 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 150˚F. Now ATK did not say resting inside or outside the oven, but I turned off the oven and left the chops inside for 5 minutes. They were indeed crunchy, as promised, and not at all salty.

Simple avocado and lettuce salad, pasta with etc. etc. and the crunchy pork chop

Here's the recipe for the pasta. Now, when I cook, I don't run and and buy everything exactly as the recipe says for one very simple reason: economy. I make substitutions especially if they won't alter the taste or the appearance of the finished product. Instead of pasta shells, I used an open package of elbow macaroni from my pantry cupboard.

Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Peas
2 cups pasta shells
1 cup frozen green peas
3 large cloves garlic (up from 2 cloves)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I didn't increase this because these pepper flakes are potent--they're home-made by my sister-in-law's cook in Bangkok)
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1  8.5 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained, rinsed, and chopped coarsely
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 teaspoons fresh mint, chopped thinly
salt and black pepper to taste

Boil the pasta according to package directions. In the last 15 seconds, add the frozen peas. Drain and return to the pot.

In a small skillet, heat the garlic, oil and pepper flakes until sizzling but not browned. I accidentally browned the garlic, but I think it tastes better that way. I like the strong burned flavor. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, mint, salt and pepper to taste, and the garlic oil mixture. Add to the pasta and peas and mix thoroughly.

Tomatoes, ricotta, mint, salt and pepper

Popeye-Green Salsa Burgers

Juicy sliders!

A long time ago when Taranee was very little, I bought a book called Healthy Snacks for Kids. The point of the book was to feed healthy foods to kids but all the appeal was in the presentation. One of the recipes was called Popeye Burgers. It was a basic hamburger patty with chopped spinach inside. The recipe was an instant hit not only with Taranee but with Andy and AJ as well. Now that the children are grown up, so has this recipe.

1 pound lean ground meat (beef, chicken, pork, or turkey)
1 cup chopped spinach
1/3 cup green salsa (mild or spicy)
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
salt and pepper to taste
1 slice of Cheddar cheese folded in quarters

In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well. I like to use my hands because it really helps to combine all the ingredients. I added the almonds partly to soak up the extra liquid and partly to add flavor. I also happened to have leftovers from Sunday's pad thai. 

On high heat, heat a non-stick skillet. Make patties about as big as the palm of your hand. I got 6 patties out of a pound--sliders! I put the sliders in that wonderful Everyday pan (no oil!). Turn the heat to medium high. I let the patties cook about 10 minutes on each side. I turned the patties once and topped four of them with the cheese quarters.They're juicy, as you can see from the picture above.

Popeye burger on a whole wheat sourdough bun

Potato-Spinach-Bacon Frittata

Frittata

My Calphalon Everyday Pan is so versatile and perfect for making one-pot meals. Tonight's light supper was a frittata consisting of eggs, small red, white, and blue potatoes, bacon,  and spinach. Served with a salad it's perfect for brunch too. I got this recipe from about.com and made some adjustments to it.

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped (don't you just love garlic and eggs?)
1 cup chopped spinach
6 eggs (1 1/2 cups liquid egg substitute in the original recipe)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
salt and pepper to taste
Scallion and cilantro, chopped, for garnish
6 strips of bacon, fried, drained, and crumbled (I used uncured pepper bacon)

Boil the potatoes. Let them simmer for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic and cook until the onion and garlic become fragrant. Add spinach and cook until wilted.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture over the potato-spinach mixture and reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle the bacon on top. Cover and let the eggs set, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Use a spatula to gently loosen the edges of the frittata. Cook until completely set about 5-7 minutes.

Wedge of frittata with Sriracha sauce and a Greek salad