First of all, ignore this entire recipe except for the peanut sauce. It just might be the best peanut sauce recipe ever.

The veggies were an utter failure. I wouldn’t even be posting this recipe if the peanut sauce hadn’t been so darn good. We don’t have a grill, so maybe they would have been better cooked that way (feel free to try it and let us know how it tastes), but we sautéed the veggies, and the zucchini got way over done (ie: mush) and the kale was still bitter and chewy. Next time, we’ll use the sauce and add some tofu and maybe some properly cooked zucchini and/or bok choy.

Noodles with Peanut Sauce, Kale, and Zucchini

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients
1 cup super-chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup (or more) water
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
1 12-oz package dried chow mein udon noodles
4 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
8 ounces green curly kale, thick stems removed
olive oil (for brushing)
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Blend peanut butter, 1/3 cup water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and chili sauce in blender until smooth, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if too thick. Can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.

Cook udon noodles according to package directions. Drain, Run under cold water to cool. Drain again.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush zucchini and kale with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill zucchini until tender and slightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. Grill kale until brown around edges, about 1 minute per side.

Toss udon noodles, green onions, and cilantro with peanut sauce in large bowl. Divide noodle mixture among 6 bowls. Top noodle mixture with zucchini and kale and serve.

No Comments

 Print Recipe  

Share

This was a delicious pasta with a ton of flavor! Healthy too (we consider olive oil to be healthy, no matter in what quantity it is used). The original recipe called for swordfish, which didn’t work for us because 1. we couldn’t find it in Kroger, 2. we wouldn’t have wanted to pay the price even if we did, and 3. even if you were going to splurge and buy a nice piece of fish, why chop it up and put it in a pasta that is plenty good without it?

Hence, I give you, Sicilian Penne WITHOUT Swordfish. :)

(If you really wanted some meat, try chicken. It’d go great with this dish).

Sicilian Penne Without Swordfish

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (plus more to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 cup
4 eggplant, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups halved teardrop or cherry tomatoes (red, yellow or a blend)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Lay eggplant flat on a cookie cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. Salt generously and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Flip, salt other side, and let sit for another 10-15 minutes. This step draws out much of the liquid as well as the bitterness in the eggplant. Cut into cubes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, place a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside. Season the swordfish cubes with salt and pepper.

Using the same pan, over medium-high heat, add 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil and white wine, let simmer and reduce for about 2 minutes (this is where you’d add the chicken/swordfish/etc to the pan). Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, eggplant, cooked pasta, the remaining 1/3 cup parsley and stir. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

1 Comment

 Print Recipe  

Share

Take two on our lentil adventure. This one had a very good flavor, but not enough of it. Try tripling the recipe for the dressing with the same amount of lentils, maybe? We tripled the garlic anyway, but that’s not unusual for us. :) We lessened the parsley, added some fresh basil, and served it on a bed of baby spinach instead of the radicchio leaves (who can find those, anyway?)

Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients
1 1-inch-thick slice red onion plus 1 cup chopped red onion
3 fresh parsley sprigs plus 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried brown lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
8 radicchio leaves or 1 bunch baby spinach

Directions
Bring medium saucepan of water to boil. Add onion slice, 3 parsley sprigs and 1 minced garlic clove and bring to boil. Stir in lentils. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Discard onion and parsley.

Stir oil, vinegar, mustard and remaining garlic in small saucepan over low heat until just warm (do not boil).

Place warm lentils in bowl. Add chopped onion, chopped parsley and warm vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon salad into radicchio leaves; place 2 leaves on each of 4 plates. Serve warm or at room temperature.

No Comments

 Print Recipe  

Share

Taylor loves his curry. It seems like it’s a complicated thing to make, but really, it’s one of the simplest things we cook. Just be sure to taste as you go… depending on what brand of curry paste you get, it can either be mild or very spicy. Add as much or as little as your mouth can take. The curry paste we used was super spicy, we left out the thai chilies altogether (actually that was because we couldn’t find them), but the curry was almost too spicy as is.

Also, Kaffir lime leaves aren’t something we’ve found at any normal grocery store, or anywhere for that matter (short of buying a Kaffir lime tree!). We just used the juice of one lime.

Thai Red Curry with Green Beans and Tofu

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from this book.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons palm sugar or light brown sugar
3 1/4 cups button mushrooms
1 cup green beans, trimmed
6 ounces firm tofu, rinsed,drained,and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2-4 fresh hot red chilies or Thai chiles, chopped (amount to taste)
fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
If you like softer green beans, steam them in the microwave for 2-4 minutes, more if you like them really soft. They don’t cook much at all in the curry itself, so I’d highly recommend pre-cooking them for a bit.

Heat approximately 1/3 of the coconut milk in a large pan. When it starts to separate (an oily sheen will appear on the surface), add the curry paste, fish sauce, and sugar and stir to mix well. Add the cleaned mushrooms and cook 1 minute.

Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and tofu, then reduce heat, and simmer gently for about 4-5 minutes. Add the kaffir lime leaves and hot chillies. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Serve with hot cooked rice, if desired.

3 Comments

 Print Recipe  

Share

The BTL’s weren’t great… putting them in the Panini maker wasn’t the best idea (hot, wilted lettuce=not so good). But, the potato salad was excellent. Next time we’d reduce the dill (we’re not huge dill fans), but the vinegar and lemon really add a nice kick to the potatoes. Mmmm.

Creamy Potato Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs

Makes 8 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients
3 pounds baby red potatoes
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
11/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

Directions
Bring potatoes to boil in large pot of water. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 17 minutes. Drain; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Place 1 layer of potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle with some of vinegar and salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add all remaining ingredients; toss. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

No Comments

 Print Recipe  

Share