Healthy Chicken Salad

Sorry for not posting much since I have been back. This week has been crazy, but it will finally calm down on Friday so I hope to get caught back up on everything! I am still in process of getting some posts up about our food in Spain and I am behind on some new recipes posts too. Hopefully soon life will be back to normal and I'll get my posts caught up. Life has been so crazy that I actually forgot that I had a cooking class last night and missed it! I didn't realize it till it was an hour after the class! Bummer!

I found this super easy and delicious (plus healthy) chicken salad recipe. I decided to put it in a croissant since we had some and it was so good that we had it two lunches in a row. There isn't any mayo like typical chicken salad, but it's a little bit like guacamole with chicken. The second day that I made it, I added some cucumbers and used a lemon instead of lime (since I didn't have a lime). I am sure that some red onion would be great and you can mess with the recipe, so that it fits your needs.

Avocado and Chicken Salad from Serious Eats

- serves 4 - Adapted from Cooking Light and Mrs. Micah

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, filleted

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

1 Hass avocado, chopped

1 large beefsteak or slicing tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 bunch scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 lime

Procedure
1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. While oil is heating, salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Add chicken to pan and sear 4 or 5 minutes per side, until browned and just cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. While chicken is cooling, combine avocado, tomato, scallions, and cilantro in a bowl. Then cut the lime into approximate halves, with one slightly bigger than the other. Squeeze larger half over ingredients in bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Once fairly cooled, chop chicken into 1/2-inch chunks. Squeeze remaining lime over chunks and add to avocado mixture. Stir until combined. (Avocado should cover everything, but shouldn’t itself be annihilated.) Salt and pepper to taste.

Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup

The interesting thing about getting a CSA meat subscription is that sometimes we'll get something that I have no idea what to do with. I am still trying to get through meat from January (I write the date on the labels so that I know when I got it) and slowly, we are going through it. We'll sign up for another one later in the summer when the meat finally dwindles down, but we'll go for a smaller monthly package because we'll be trying out some of the other meats from the farmer's market (elk, lamb, bison, etc).



When I received a shank bone, I didn't know what to do with it. After some research online, I came across this soup recipe that was perfect for all the gloomy, rainy days that we have had lately. I really loved the flavor of this soup and the stew meat (also something that I had in the freezer from Amy's Meats), but I found the shank meat a little tougher than I liked. The meat bone did bring out more complexity to the broth, so I think that omitting it would be a problem.
But I loved the hot pepper sauce in this soup and ended up adding more to my own bowl. Great idea!


Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup from Bon Appetit magazine February 2001
serves 8



2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef stew meat
1 pound meaty beef bones (such as beef shank bones)
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup pearl barley
4 cups water
2 14 1/2-ounce cans beef broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels
2 cups frozen sliced okra
2 small bay leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce



Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add stew meat and bones; sauté until beef is dark brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer beef and bones to plate. Add celery, onion, and barley to pot. Sauté until onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups water, beef broth, tomatoes with juices, corn, okra, bay leaves, and garlic powder. Return beef and bones to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until beef is almost tender, about 1 hour.
Add peas and 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce to soup. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Mee Ga-Ti Rice Noodles with Coconut-Bean Sauce

This recipe comes from my cooking class that I took last month where we received a cookbook along with the class fee. When I first heard that Chef Nancy was making this, I have to admit that I was leery. Afraid that the sauce would be too sweet because of the coconut milk, I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the dish and it ended up being my favorite dish that she demonstrated that night.

Mee Ga-Ti Rice Noodles with Coconut-Bean Sauce from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott

8 oz dried rice noodles, either wire-think or about the width of linguine or fettuccine (I used the wider ones)
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (MAKE SURE THAT IT'S UNSWEETENED!)
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/3 cup Asian bean sauce (you will need to go to an Asian grocery store for this)
8 oz firm tofu, cut into slender 1-inch long rods
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into thin half-moons, or cut into slender 2 inch long rods
2 tbs Tamarind Liquid or freshly squeezed lime juice (I used my Tamarind paste--about 1 tbs)
2 tbs Vegetable stock
2 tbs sugar
1 teas salt
1 teas freshly ground pepper
1 teas red chili pepper flakes
A handful of fresh garlic chives, cut into 2-inch lengths, or 3 green onions, white part thinly sliced crosswise and green part cut into 2 inch lengths
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut lengthwise into 6 wedges

Put the dried rice noodles in a bowl, add warm water to cover, and let stand until limp and liable, 15 to 20 minutes. Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of egg added to the pan sizzles at once, about 1 minute. Add only enough of the eggs to coat the pan, swirling to make a thin sheet. Cook until the egg sets, about 30 seconds. Flip it to warm the other side, and then turn it out onto a cutting board to cool. Repeat with the remaining egg, When the egg sheets are cool, shred them into fine strips and set aside.

Drain the noodles and add them to the boiling water. Cook until tender but still firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Pour the coconut milk into a medium skillet, place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until it gives off a sweet aroma and thickens a little, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the shallots, bean sauce, tofu and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the tamarind or lime juice, vegetable stock, sugar, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the noodles, the garlic chives or green onions, and most of the bean sprouts, reserving a handful for garnish. Toss well to coat everything with the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the cilantro. Garnish with the reserved bean sprouts and the lime wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

When I decided to go pick some asparagus, I knew that I wanted to make some cream soup. I LOVE cream soups and I LOVE asparagus, so it was a no brainer when I found this simple recipe from Elise's wonderful website. I didn't have any vermouth, so I omitted it. I do see how it would have brought out more flavor though. It's probably not worth buying an entire bottle for just this, but use it if you have some in your liquor cabinet.



Creamy Asparagus Soup from Elise of Simply Recipes

Ingredients
2 lbs asparagus
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
5 cups chicken broth
Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp dry vermouth
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1) Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

2) Cook onion in butter in a 4 or 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3) While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

4) Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. If you want a very creamy texture, you can put the purée through a food mill or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in cream. Stir in vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with asparagus tips.

Serves 4-6.
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet magazine

Red Cabbage with Apples and Honey

I love cabbage. But for some reason, I don't eat it that much. While reading the Serious Eats newsletter today, I came across this amazing recipe for red cabbage with apples & honey. I was making Italian beef sandwiches for dinner, so it was a great side to make. Super easy and delicious. It braised in the oven for a couple of hours and makes your houses smell amazing (the bacon in there probably helps). Yummy!

Dinner with Friends Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, we had Jackie and Bruce over for dinner. I served them Moroccan chicken with couscous. It was a time consuming meal, but well worth it in the end. There are multiple parts to this, so you won't be able to just whip this up after work. This is menu from another one of my wonderful classes with Chef Nancy.

To start, you will have prepare some preserved lemons a week ahead of time for the chicken tagine. You won't want to miss out on these since they add a delicious salty element to the tagine that you will not have otherwise.

Preserved Lemons

4 large lemons (use organic ones because you'll be eating the peel part!)
2/3 cup kosher salt
1 cup fresh lemon juice
olive oil

To make preserved lemons, scrub 4 lemons and cut each into 8 wedges. In a bowl, toss the wedges with 2/3 cup kosher salt and transfer to a 6 cup glass jar. Add 1 cup fresh lemon juice and cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Let lemons stand at room temperature for 7 days, shaking the jar every day to redistribute the salt and juice. If you are going to keep these for a long time, place a small film of olive oil on the top of the lemons after the week is over. Store in the jar and refrigerated for up to 6 months.

Cumin Scented Couscous

1 cup quick-cooking couscous
1 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 shallots, peeled and minced
3/4 teas. ground cumin
1/4 teas. crushed fennel seeds
1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, canned or homemade
3 Tbs. minced flat leaf parsley

Place the couscous in a medium sized bowl, set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, cumin and fennel, cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and salt to taste. Bring to a boil.

When the seasoned broth is simmering, pour it over the couscous, stir and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand until the couscous has absorbed the liquid--about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the plastic and add the parsley; fluff the couscous with a fork. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

6-8 medium carrots, julienned

2 teas. paprika

1/2 teas. cinnamon

1/2 teas. cayenne

1 teas. cumin

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. sugar

5 Tbs. light olive oil

salt to taste

Blanch carrots briefly in boiling salted water. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Drain carrots and add to dressing while still warm. Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature. Serves 6.

Brussels Sprouts

I really love brussels sprouts as long as they aren't boiled and mushy which makes them smell like stinky feet. I decided to buy a bag at Costco and used Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe twice with the contents. The first time, I realized that the brussels sprouts were smaller than what she used because they ended up burning slightly (still ended up tasty), so I had to adjust the time when I made them again.



Roasted Brussels Sprouts from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

serves 6

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts

2 Tbs good olive oil

3/4 teas kosher salt

1/2 teas freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn them out on a baking sheet and roast for 35 to 40 minutes (Note from Grace: the time will need to be adjusted if you have smaller sprouts by about 15-20 minutes. check them from time to time to make sure that they aren't browning too quickly), until crisp outside and tender inside. Shake the pan, from time to time, to brown the Brussel sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve.

Chopped Salad

Another delightful recipe from my last cooking class. It's easy, healthy and delicious. She didn't give out exact measurements, but I have given her estimations that she gave in class. You can toy with the ingredients and figure out what works best for you.

Chopped Salad from Chef Nancy

Cucumber, preferably hothouse, peeled and diced (if you use a hothouse or English one, you don't need to peel if you don't mind the skin. but if you have to use a regular one, you should peel the skin)

Tomato, diced

Red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)

Garlic, minced (about one clove)

Jalapeno, finely minced, seeded if wanted (about 2 Tbs. This ingredient is optional)

Cilantro, chopped (half cup)

Scallions, chopped (half cup)

Olive oil (1/4 cup)

Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (3 Tbs)

Cumin powder (teaspoon)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

***Tips--Do not skip the fresh herbs! The ratio of cucumber to tomato is supposed to be roughly 2/3 cukes to 1/3 tomatoes.

Toss all the vegetables together in a large bowl. Use lots of cucumber and tomato and little of everything else. Then dress with oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper, and toss very well.

Farfalle with Broccoli

One of the things about buying produce at Costco is that you are stuck with HUGE bags of one item and you have to be creative about what to make with all of the bag. This week, it's broccoli and brussel sprouts that I have to figure out what to make with all those veggies!

With the broccoli, I made some cream of broccoli soup for lunch tomorrow and this pasta dish tonight. I still have 3/4 of the bag left, so I'll need to look for more broccoli recipes. There is anchovy fillets in this sauce, but they will melt when cooked so that you won't be able to tell that they are there. They add an salty flavor to the pasta which you won't be able to obtain without them.

Farfalle with Broccoli from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta

4 to 6 servings

1 lb farfalle

2 heads of broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 4 cups)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 tbs unsalted butter

3 garlic glovers, chopped

5 anchovy fillets, chopped

1/4 teas. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teas. salt

1/2 teas. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta, stir, and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, pasta, salt and pepper and toss. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a light sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

February Cooking Class

Last night, I took a cooking class that was taught by Chef Nancy (again) called Recipes from the Late, Lamented West Side Cafe. West Side Cafe was a Kansas City restaurant that she was a partner/chef at years again. I was very impressed with her recipes once again and can't wait to make all of them!

I did make one of them tonight. It's a great Persian dish that can be made as a dip with flatbread or a side dish with meats and rice.

Mast O Esfenaj (Persian Spinach and Yogurt Salad) from Chef Nancy Stark

6 oz baby spinach

1 T. finely minced onion

1/4 c. chopped walnuts (you can substitute almonds, if you want)

1/4 t. finely minced garlic (about a clove)

1 cup best quality, full-fat plain yogurt (do not use non-fat, it won't taste the same)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a pot large enough to hold all the spinach. Add spinach, cover pot and cook until wilted, about 1 minute or less. Drain and immediately rinse in cold water to stop the cooking and hold the color. When it is cold enough to handle, squeeze spinach dry using your hands, then finely chop. You should have about 3/4 cup. Place spinach in a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Be generous with the pepper! Serve with flatbreads or as a side dish.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Chris and I have always loved spring rolls, but I wasn't sure that Nathaniel would like them. But he loved them! I need to work on the wrapping of my spring rolls (not super pretty), but they

were really delectable. I used pork this time per the recipe, but I think that I'll try out some shrimp next time. The hoisin-peanut sauce was also well received in my house. I had halved the recipe for the sauce, but realized that Nathaniel could have eaten it with a spoon and I'll have to make the full amount next time.

Spring Rolls

Another Jayni Recipe

I also made this Friday night for company. It's supposed to be for an antipasto, so servings are smaller than if you used it as a salad.

Jayni's Shrimp w/Zucchini, Green Onions and Lemon Dressing

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined (you can use smaller ones or bigger ones. If you use the bigger ones, be sure to cut them up into bite size pieces)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup zucchini, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/8 teas salt
2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, fined chopped

Rinse and drain shrimp on paper towels. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook, turning frequently, until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the skillet (reserving oil in the skille) and place it in a large bowl. Add the zucchini and green onion to the bowl.

To make the lemon dressing, whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice and salt into the reserved oil in the skillet. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Pour the lemon dressing over the shrimp and vegetables. Toss to coat. Serve warm, or cover and chill before serving. Garnish with Italian parsley.

Serves 6.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

There are two vegetables that Chris dislikes; broccoli and cauliflower. But when we were in Indianapolis and I ordered cream of broccoli soup, he couldn't keep his spoon away from my bowl. With the fall starting, I decided that it was time to make some soups and I already had a huge carton of heavy cream in the fridge right now. I looked through some cookbooks, but ended up finding one online that sounded easy and delicious.

If you haven't heard of Allrecipes.com yet, it's really nice because they will adjust the recipes to the serving size that you want. I adjusted the recipe to 4 servings, which worked out well because I had just enough potatoes and broccoli for that and then I invited over Melanie and baby Luke to have lunch too. I ended up having enough soup for us and Chris (with no leftovers). I did "sweat" the veggies like the recipe called for, but I am not sure if it's really necessary or not. I might try it without doing it next time and see how it goes. It's not like it was difficult or anything, but some of you might not have parchment paper in your pantry. We all had a bowl (plus some) of the soup. I just used the florets of the broccoli and I kept the stems for another use (blog to follow later). We had grilled BLTs to go along with the soup and it was a nice delicious, simple lunch. This soup will be great for those long, cold winter KS days coming up!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Bolognese Sauce

Last night, we had a softball game to go to and I decided to invite over Megan and Paul for dinner after the game. I had to think of something quick (at 4 PM, I was still pondering the dinner menu--I had dessert done, but that's it) and easy. I also had the challenge of having to make something that would keep till we were home from the game. But the biggest obstacle was to make something that Paul would eat because I didn't want to become a dinner nightmare story of his. Ask him about eating over at Chris' parents' house when he was younger---Paul still hasn't gotten over the eggplant lasagna and spinach stuffed squash!



I scoured my cookbooks and decided on something that I didn't have to go to the grocery store for and would not prevent me from missing the softball game. I found it in Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook, Everyday Italian. I do love her show (because she can actually cook!), but I have often wondered if she really needs that much cleavage to cook. What I mean is that sometimes she'll be deep-frying and breast skin & hot oil is not a good combo....heck, any skin on your body and hot oil isn't a good combo!



It seemed to go over well with my picky eater, Paul (well, at least, I didn't see him heel over or anything), who even had a second serving. I am going to make this for Nathaniel one of these days since the veggies are cut up small and not super noticeable (great way to get those kiddos to eat them). It's super easy and with many ingredients that you might already have on hand. The other great thing is that you could use just about any pasta and it would still be delicious.

Simple Bolognese from Giada De Laurentiis' Everyday Italian

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 lb ground beef
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 teas salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teas pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Percorino Romano cheese (don't even think about omitting this---totally makes the dish!)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the beef and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil and 1/2 teas of salt and pepper. Cook over medium low until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cheese, then season with more salt and pepper to taste.


P.S. No picture--I forgot!

Gloomy Days Need Soup

After complaining about all the gloomy (and lots of rainy) days that we have had all month, April sent me a wonderful recipe for Wild Rice Soup. Chris and I both loved it and enjoyed it with some Wheatfield's ciabatta (with some Irish butter--I'll post about that some other time. It really deserves a separate post). I didn't include the almonds since I was going to use mine for a granola recipe, but I am sure that they would have really added an extra goodness to this recipe. Thanks, April!

Wild Rice Soup-5 servings

2T marg. or butter

2 med. stalks of celery, sliced

1 med. carrot, coarsely shredded or grated

1 med. onion chopped

1 sm. green pepper, chopped

1/4 C. bisquick

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 C. water

1 can (10.5 oz. can) condensed chicken broth

1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice

1 C. half and half

1/3 C. slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt margarine in 3qt. saucepan over med. high heat. Cook celery, onion, carrot, and bell pepper in margarine for about 4 min., stirring occasionally until tender.

2. Stir in bisquick, salt and pepper. Stir in water, broth, and wild rice. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently; reduce to low. Cover and simmer 15 mins., stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in half and half, almonds and parsley. Heat just until hot, do not boil.

Strange Sounding But Delicious

I am sure that there are plenty of readers out there that think tofu is hippie food. Funny thing about tofu is that the Asians were eating this stuff long before it was the cool thing to eat with the hippies. It's really hilarious to me to hear my meat and potato eating friends (well, maybe really only one) bitching about tofu since tofu doesn't actually taste like anything and picks up the flavor of what you are cooking it with. Anyway, I was looking at a cookbook of mine (Megan--I am working on it!) and found an interesting sounding recipe for the green beans that I got on Saturday. It's from Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven, which I bought when Nathaniel was a little preschooler on the recommendation of another mother. It looks like many of her recipes are on her website including the one that I just tried, so if you like peanuts and green beans, try it. It's delicious!

Green Beans And Tofu with Thai Peanut Sauce

P.S. The picture might not be the most appetizing looking thing, huh? I promise it's better than it looks!

Things Are Back To Normal In The Kitchen

I am still not 100% healthy, but I was ready to make a decent meal after last night's not-so-great one. I decided to try my hand at a something that my mother has perfected and could probably make with her eyes closed. Pork cutlets (Tonkatsu in Japanese) are simple and delicious, but I had never made them at home. It's one of Nathaniel's favorite dishes that my mom makes and he has told me before that my mother's cooking is the best home cooking ever (I am not offended--it's true). My maternal grandmother is half Japanese, which makes Nathaniel 1/16th but he acts like he is full-blooded Japanese. Nathaniel loves everything Japanese--toys, cartoons, video games, culture, Tokyo but especially the food--it's his favorite.

The recipe is simple, but it does require some deep frying. But trust me, it's not like deep frying American style. The crust isn't dripping with grease and the pork ends up juicy.

Pork Cutlets (Tonkatsu) adapted from Quick and Easy Japanese Cuisine for Everyone by Yukiko Moriyama

1 lb pork boneless tenderloin or shoulder sliced about 1/2 inch thick (I used boneless pork loin chops)

2 eggs plus 1 tb water

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs or panko (I used the panko which you may or may not be able to find in your grocery store since it's becoming a more common Food Network ingredient. Panko will result in a crispier, lighter crust and I recommend it if you have never used it)

All purpose flour for dusting

vegetable oil for deep-frying

salt and pepper

Tonkastu sauce--it's a sweet/sour sauce (you might be able to find bottled sauce at your grocery store in the Asian food aisle)

4 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs Ketchup
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1) Flatten out the pork slices. I found the cookbook funny because the author has a potato masher looking tool and is nicely flattening the pork. I took a meat mallet and beat the tar out of the pork, but then that's just me. The thinner the pork, the faster it will cook.

2) Trim off any excess fat. Mine were pretty trimmed, so I didn't have to do this. Salt and pepper generously both sides of the meat. Let sit for 4-5 minutes.

3) Prepare flour, beaten eggs and crumbs in separate containers (I got my neat little set of trays from Pampered Chef. The plastic tongs that are included are pretty worthless, but the trays are great for breading meat). My eggs are looking a little scary in the pic because the trays are pretty big and there is only two in there.....haha. Dust pork with flour, dip in egg and coat with bread crumbs. It's easy.

4) Heat the oil to 340 degrees. Fry pork until done. It's best to do this one at a time. The pork

will sink to the bottom and rise up to the top. You'll need to turn the pork a few times and cook until golden brown. Watch out and don't burn it!

5) Drain in a paper towel lined plate. Slice and serve.

6) Mix sauce ingredients and serve on side for dipping.

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I decided to step up the meal with some curry and rice. These pork cutlets are frequently served on curry and rice in Japanese restaurants. Japanese curry is different from Indian curry in the fact that it's thicker, not as spicy and is slightly sweet. The great thing about Japanese curry is that it's super easy to make due to the fact that you can buy curry sauce mix in many regular grocery stores' Asian section. Heck you can even buy it on amazon.com! S&B Golden Curry is the most common brand and the one that I like the best (it's not as sweet). I get the hot version, but it also comes in mild and medium heat too. It's super easy to make because all you do is cook up some veggies (and/or meat), add water, cook for awhile, then add the curry and cook a bit longer. I added carrots, onions, celery and potatoes to mine tonight. I was thrilled that Nathaniel loved this stuff. It was his first time trying it and he was hooked. It was a great way to get him to eat his veggies too!

***Anyway, I am still sick because I have accidentally deleted my third picture six times since I tried posting this and I am about ready to throw the computer against the wall. So sorry, you won't be seeing the other pic of the pork cutlet by itself!

I Believe That I Was Italian In My Past Life

I could live on pasta 3x a day, everyday of the week. I keep a decent stash of pasta in my pantry (there is around 20 boxes or so right now), including some more obscure types. I always have canned Italian tomatoes on hand for a quick tomato sauce. I should have been Italian. Even when I was majoring in history and art history, I focused on Italian Renaissance with both majors.

I always wonder why people complain about not having time to eat fresh foods. This dish took a whole 15 minutes to prepare, cook and get to the table. It's just something that I threw together and you can adjust everything to your tastes.

PASTA (serves 2-3)

1/2 package (lb) of Angel Hair Pasta, cooked according to package directions
about a lb of small tomatoes, your choice (or cut up larger ones like Romas)
1-2 zucchinis (I only used one, but wished that I would have used another one), cut up
at least 3 cloves of garlic (or more if you want)
as much as you feel like of grated Parmesan or Percorino (I used Percorino. Under no circumstance are you allowed to use Kraft Parmesan in the green bottle! It's not the same!)
olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil (use your own judgement on how much--you are an adult, you can do it!) in pan (large enough to throw in your pasta later). Add garlic and saute, but be sure not to burn it (it will be bitter if you do). Throw in the zucchini (add more oil if needed), saute till tender and add tomatoes. Don't cook the tomatoes too long or they will get mushy. Salt and pepper the veggies to taste. Add pasta & cheese and toss.

Fast, delicious and easy. NOTE: You can change the veggies and pasta type to whatever you have on hand. Seriously, it's easy.

Okra

I had been eyeing the okra in the Farmer's Market for weeks now, but hadn't figured out what to do with it. I finally asked Justin what he did with his. He told me that he had been eating it raw (something that I never thought of) and that a friend of his said to fry up bacon, batter it and fry it. I had read his comment weeks ago, so I had totally forgotten the whole "batter" part of it when I was making dinner last night. I was already almost finished making dinner, so I decided that I would just throw them in the bacon grease without batter. Great idea! I just sauteed them for a short period of time and drained them on a paper towel. They were delicious with a slight hint of the bacon. I know that a lot of people think that okra is super slimy, but when cooked this way, it wasn't at all.

P.S. I saved the bacon for salads. Soooooo much better than those fake bacon bits!

Eggplant!

Today, I made it over to the local Farmer's Market in Lawrence. For those of you who aren't from here, there is also a Tues/Thurs smaller version of the Saturday one. It's a good day to pick up stuff like onions, corn, garlic, basil, you know the more basic things. I was hoping that the same old couple would be there with their terrific heirloom cherry tomatoes (sooooo good) that I bought on Tuesday. But I was disappointed that they weren't there, so I settled for a bag of green apples, a carton of HUGE blackberries, a couple of regular tomatoes, some basil and a perfectly beautiful eggplant.

I just started reading a book last night called Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant where the editor asked various authors & chefs to write about their experiences on cooking for one. http://www.amazon.com/Alone-Kitchen-Eggplant-Jenni-Ferrari-Adler/dp/B0015VT2K2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217555350&sr=8-1 One of the stories was about how the author lived on eggplant while living alone. It must have stuck because once I saw the perfect eggplant, I had to have it.

I came home with no idea of what to make with the eggplant, so I used the cookthink website to devise a plan. Fried eggplant-genius! Who doesn't like to make a mess in the kitchen with oil (oh, wait, I forgot that my kitchen cleaner is out of town!). I decided to whip up a homemade tomato sauce to go with the dish. I just threw together the tomatoes, some leftover onion, basil and a couple extra dried herbs & a pinch of hot red pepper flakes. I had already planned on making la stomach's corn recipe that had me drooling awhile back with the fresh corn from Tuesday (I had bought a dozen!). I wish that I could find the second camera because I really need to take pictures to post (I promise that I will in the future) because maybe some of you might start salivating at your computers. I did use panko breadcrumbs instead of fresh ones (I didn't feel like making any) , which turned out excellent. Right now, Chris is in Butte, MT kicking himself for missing out on this wonderful meal. Anyway, thumbs up for my first cookthink recipe and super thumbs up for Justin's corn recipe. Try them out!

http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/4071/Fried_Eggplant_With_Basil

la stomach's Corn Recipe…
Husk the ears, making sure to remove all the silk and cut the kernels off the cobb. Now we have a special device for corn cleanup in our kitchen, but for those without furry friends, try place the cob in a large mixing bowl to cut kernels (the bowl will catch the errant suckers). When you’ve got all your golden goods ready, make some brown butter (which is basically separating the milk solids from the butter). Fry up a generous pat of butter, swirling around over high heat until it turns a light brown hue and gives off a nutty aroma. Add corn and saute for 3-5 minutes until cooked, then chifonade a handful of basil and throw on top to finish. Doctor with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.