Indian Cauliflower

Today we got a ton of rain.  So much that it flooded and I couldn't get to the grocery on my way home from work.  I bought the cauliflower and chicken I made tonight intending to use it for other things, but since I couldn't buy any supplemental ingredients today, I made what I could with what I had.  I found this recipe for the cauliflower, and used this recipe for ideas for the chicken.  I should have let the chicken marinate for longer in the yogurt and spices.  The leftovers might be more flavorful tomorrow.  


1 medium head cauliflower, broken into medium florets
2 big cloves of garlic, grated
salt
1/2 cup thick drained yogurt or Greek yogurt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, chili powder, garam masala
1/2 tablespoon mirin
1.5 tablespoon lite soy sauce/or tamari sauce
a sprinkle of red crushed pepper 
scant 1/4 cup oil

Preparation:

Wash and drain the cauliflower florets. In a big bowl combine yogurt and seasonings. Stir well with a spatula so it is well combined.

Add the cauliflower florets in the the bowl and toss really well for the marinade to coat the cauliflower florets. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok/skillet till it shimmers. Add the marinated cauliflowers and everything else in the bowl in the hot oil. Cook at high heat covered for about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook  at medium heat till the oil starts to separate from the spice mix. If the spice mix sticks to bottom, add a splash of warm water and scrape out the pan. The cauliflower florets should be cooked through, but still hold the crunch. Some of the onions might crisp. There should be no sauce left. Whatever spice mix is there in the pan, should kind of coat the florets.

Serve warm as a side.

Chicken with Coconut Lime Peanut sauce

This is a recipe from foodgawker that I adapted tonight for dinner.  It turned out great.  I love anything with coconut milk in it.  I left out a few ingredients by accident, even though I had them, but I don't think it needed anything else anyway.  We have tons of leftovers and I'm assuming it will taste even better tomorrow.  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup light Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup natural Peanut Butter (I like crunchy)
• Juice from 1 Lime (about 1 tbs lime juice)
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce 
• 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne
• 1.5 pounds Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 shallot, chopped
• a few Garlic Cloves, chopped
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup steamed Asparagus Spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Optional garnish - Chopped Cilantro

Directions:

Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, & seasonings to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.  Chicken: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion & garlic cook until softened. Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally for even cooking. Stir sauce into chicken. Partially cover and simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. Meanwhile, steam asparagus.  Let cool slightly and chop.  Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time. Serve with another spritz of lime juice and cilantro.  Add Sriracha for a little spice.  

Spring Pasta

I threw this dinner together last night.  It was inspired by the look of this recipe, but they're not very similar.  Hopefully this meal was healthier.  I used no butter, very little cheese, and that Barilla plus pasta.   The best part of this was the oven roasted and marinated tomatoes that I bought for sandwiches, but thought to add to this at the last minute.

Boil pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a small pan.  Add a thinly sliced garlic clove and some red pepper flakes and cook until softened.  Turn off heat before garlic browns.  About 2 minutes before pasta is al dente, add frozen peas and artichoke hearts.  Drain well and return to pot.  Toss with garlic and pepper infused olive oil.  Add tomatoes with their oil if additional moisture is called for.  Top with parmesan and serve.  

Baked Portobello Fries and Warm Chickpea Salad

Both the recipes for the mushrooms and chickpeas were seen on foodgawker.  This was a quick meal to put together and very good.  I would definitely make it again.  I bought 3 portobellos, 2 of which were extremely large, so the egg didn't quite go far enough for all of it.  Next time I'll buy normal sized mushrooms so I don't waste any.  Also, next time I would add something crunchy to the chickpeas for texture.  I made the chickpeas first so that I could prep the mushrooms while they were in the oven.  

Mushroom Fries Ingredients:

• 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 2 Portobello Mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ slices
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Pesto for serving, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Dip the portobello slices in the beaten eggs, letting the excess drip off. 
6. Transfer to the bowl with the bread crumb mixture, coating boat sides of the mushrooms thoroughly.
7. Place the breaded mushrooms on the baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes, turning over about half way through.
8. Serve with Pesto, if desired.

Chickpea Ingredients:

1 large can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

crumbled feta

mint, chopped

salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Roast for about 15 minutes.  Let chickpeas cool slightly.  Mix with feta and mint.  Add additional seasoning and olive oil if necessary.  

Peanut Crusted Tilapia

I came across this recipe on foodgawker and thought it would be a good crispy fish dish for me to make for Blake.  He did like it, but I thought the peanut crust overpowered everything else.  Next time I would not put so much.  The sauce toned it down a little though.  Also, I did not use enough oil to sautee the fish in and it started to burn too quickly.  We pulled it out of the pan and finished it in the oven which saved it.  I made rice and steamed snow peas to go with it and topped it with some cilantro.

4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tilapia fillets
vegetable oil
soy sauce
mirin
sugar
dried chili flakes
fish sauce
honey

Directions:
Mix together the peanut butter, soy and ginger until smooth.  Season the fish with salt and pepper and spread peanut paste on top.  Then press breadcrumbs in to coat.  Heat the pol and then add the fish fillets, crumb side down.  Cook until crumbs are golden and then turn over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.  Stir together soy, mirin, fish sauce, sugar, chili and honey to taste.  Serve fish over rice with sauce drizzled on top.  Garnish with cilantro.

Slow Cooker Short Rib Stew

Yet another pre made and frozen slow cooker meal.  This one was pretty good.  I meant to serve it with rice, but burned it and ended up ruining the cooking vessel.  So we had couscous instead!  Oh well.

·      Ingredients

         2 medium onions, cut into wedges

·       4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

·       6 small carrots, peeled and cut in half crosswise

·       2 small parsnips, peeled and cut in quarters crosswise

·       1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

·       1 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut in half  lengthwise

·       1 small bunch sage

·       5 pounds short ribs

·       kosher salt and pepper

·       1 bottle red wine

Directions

1. In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, tomatoes, and sage. 
2. Add the wine.  Set the slow cooker to high and cook until the meat is tender and falls from the bones, 8-9 hours. 
3. Using a large spoon, skim off the excess fat and discard. 

Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms

This recipe came from Real Simple and was very delicious.  We loved the sweet potatoes and mushrooms.  It was very rustic and tasty.  I used just a bag of presliced baby portobello mushrooms and served it with my favorite rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 4-ounce chicken cutlets
• 1 tablespoon plus 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 pound mushrooms
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. Divide the potato, mushrooms, and thyme between 2 rimmed baking sheets; toss with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Roast, rotating the sheets once, until tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with the vinegar and toss gently.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in a large cast-iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat. Wipe the excess marinade off the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. 

Slow Cooker Asian Chicken

Here's another slow cooker meal I made.  It was just ok.  I served it with rice and a quick salad I made with edamame beans, water chestnuts, mandarin orange slices and chili from Ron's garden.  It was dressed with some honey, soy and sugar.

Asian Chicken

-- 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
--2/3 cup white wine vinegar
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5.
Serve over a bowl of white rice