by jphilo | Jul 22, 2015 | Recipes
Well, I jumped straight from the family camp frying pan into the helping with the 3-monty-old grandbaby fire. Which means that while the Gravel Road kitchen remains closed, this grammy is flexing her cooking muscles on a daily basis. Especially today which is the birthday of the baby’s mommy.
The birthday mommy requested shrimp scampi for supper and cherry pie instead of birthday cake. Because all the adults at the table couldn’t eat dairy, I jimmied the original scampi recipe to make it non-dairy. Also, we didn’t have dried cranberries, so I substituted fresh sweet cherries. They were a worthy stand in, but the tang of cranberries is even better.
Non-Dairy Shrimp Scampi
1 ½ pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped parsley leaves
¼ cup lemon juice (fresh-squeezed, if possible)
¼ cup dry cooking sherry or dry white wine
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped, sweet red pepper
1/8 cup dried cranberries
Wash shrimp and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and place on serving platter. Sauté garlic, green onions, and sweet peppers for about a minute. Add sherry or wine and lemon juice. Cook and stir until liquid boils, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Stir in lemon zest, cranberries and chopped parsley. Pour sauce over shrimp and serve over rice or linguini.
by jphilo | Jul 3, 2015 | Recipes
Tis the season for grilling and stir fry. We’ll be eating this delicious meal over the fantastic Fourth of July season. What about you?
Last week and this week, our CSA share has included one of my favorite summer treats – sugar snap peas. Often, I stir fry them solo in olive oil, with a dash of crushed garlic and kosher salt added at the last minute.
But I also like to make them part of a main course, so last week I threw together this peanut-lemon dish using whatever was in the fridge. My, oh, my it was so tasty that we’re going to have it again tomorrow night. I’m already drooling at the thought. So give it a try and leave a comment about what you think.
Peanut-Lemon Stir Fry
1 chicken breast, cut in bite-sized pieces
2 cups sugar snap peas, with tops cut off
1 medium onion cut in wedges or 2 bunches green onions, cut in small pieces
1 sweet red pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Thai peanut sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate in refrigerator for 1/2 hour or longer.
Put peanuts in a small cake pan and roast in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool.
In a small bowl mix together the broth, peanut sauce and corn starch. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in skillet or wok, medium high. Add peas and stir fry for 1 minute. Add pepper and stir fry for another minute. Do the same with the onions. Pour all veggies into a bowl. Heat remaining olive oil and add chicken (but not the marinate). Stir fry until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
While chicken is cooking, add 1/2 cup of marinate to the broth mixture. Stir well. Add mixture to the skillet, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and turns clear. Add vegetables to the skillet, stirring until they are hot and coated with sauce. Sprinkle peanuts on top and serve over rice.
by jphilo | Jun 10, 2015 | Church Newsletter Columns, Recipes
June isn’t usually considered soup weather. But I’d been wanting to try this recipe for Red Thai Soup with Ginger Meatballs ever since a friend posed it on Facebook. The ingredient list included fresh parsley, basil, and cilantro, all of which are ready for harvesting in my herb garden. So we had soup one night, and it was good.
The meatball prep took some time, but the soup went together quickly. Since the recipe makes enough meatballs for 4 batches of soup, several bags of frozen meatballs are ready for quick soup suppers when the weather turns cool again. Both the Man of Steel and I found the soup delicious and filling.
Red Thai Soup with Ginger Meatballs
Ginger Meatball Ingredients:
1 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoonground black pepper
Heat oven to 425 F. Mix all the ingredients by hand in a large bowl. Form into 1-inch balls. (Makes 35–40) Place at least an inch apart on broiler pan. prepared cookie sheets. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Divide into 3–4 quart freezer bags and freeze.
RED THAI MEATBALL SOUP
2-4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1-2 cups stir-fry vegetables•
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
9-12 juicy meatballs
2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 can coconut cream
Chopped cilantro or basil leaves
Sauté onions, potatoes and mushrooms in coconut oil over medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add stir-fry vegetables* and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, meatballs, curry paste, salt and white pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add coconut cream, cook on medium-low until hot enough to serve. Stir in cilantro or basil right before serving.
*I used sweet red pepper and broccoli. The broccoli was a bit overpowering.
by jphilo | Jun 3, 2015 | Uncategorized
The beginnings of this week’s dish can be traced to a recipe called Healthy Veggie Noodle Bowl with Peanut Sauce. The ingredient list for the peanut sauce made my mouth water, but I knew the Man of Steel wouldn’t go for the tofu, so I used chicken instead. Also, I couldn’t find edamame and used pea pods. Then, when I went to get the broccoli from the crisper there was none (a side effect of being 59), so kale went into the dish instead.
The end product was delicious, though as the Man of Steel said, the strong flavors mean it should only be served now and then to avoid getting tired of it. So that’s what we’ll do, which should give me time to locate a produce department with edamame and to forget whether or not there’s any broccoli in the vegetable crisper .
Healthy Chicken Noodle Bowl with Peanut Sauce
Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter stirred well (not stabilized peanut butter with additives)
2 – 2 1/2 tablespoons tamarii
2 1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 – 3 tablespoons water
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed
veggie bowl Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz box pad Thai brown rice noodles noodles, prepared according to package directions
1 cup pea pods, washed and cut into thirds
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, julienned
2 cups broccoli florets or 1 bunch kale, veined and torn into pieces
1/2 cups raw peanuts
- Combine all dressing ingredients (except the garlic) in a jar or gravy shaker. Seal and shake until mixed. Add the smashed garlic, stir gently and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Remove garlic after it sits. The dressing thickens as it sits. Add more water and/or lime juice to thin it out if needed.
- Heat a large frying pan with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add the raw peanuts and cook until they begin to brown. Remove with slotted spoon and place on paper toweling.
- Add chicken to frying pan and cook until it’s cooked through and slightly browned. Place on a plate.
- Add remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Add broccoli or kale and cook for 7-10 minutes for broccoli, 5-5 minutes for kale. Stir frequently until it is lightly brown. Add the peppers and pea pods. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Shake the dressing and add more water/lime juice if needed.
- Add chicken to the pan and toss with a few tablespoons of the dressing.
- Toss the noodles with about half of the dressing to coat well and then add to vegetables and chicken. Add the carrots and toss well to combine all ingredients and cook until heated through. Add more dressing as needed.
- Serve hot and top with peanuts.
by jphilo | May 20, 2015 | Recipes
This recipe is another that comes compliments of the allergy elimination diet that’s ruled my life for the last month. The good news is that the reintroduction part of the diet is now in full swing, and rice, whole wheat, corn, carrots, potatoes, apples and bananas are now fair game. However, most sugars, all yeast, and alcohol (including vinegars) are still off limits. So to ease my hankering for whole wheat spaghetti noodles topped with marinara sauce, I made up my own version because the prepared sauces contain sugar. I’m still playing with the ingredients, which received the Man of Steel’s coveted seal of approval, to make it even more tomato-ee, but this recipe has added some much needed variety to our menu.
Way Too Healthy Tomato Sauce
1 pound ground beef, pork, or turkey, browned (I used pork)
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 Roma tomatoes, peeled* and diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced thin
1/2 cup sweet pepper, diced (optional)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Brown meat in large dutch oven. Drain off grease, if needed. Add garlic, onions, and peppers. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, salt and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer. Simmer on stove for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve hot over whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
*Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute before peeling and they will peel much more easily.
