Archive for December, 2009
Buffalo Wings Risotto
Dec 16th
Recipe: Buffalo Wing Risotto
Summary: Delicious re-use of buffalo chicken wings
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove – crushed
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 4 tsp. red curry paste
- 4 tbs. buffalo wing sauce
- 6-8 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
- 1 tsp. garlic red chili sauce
- pepper – to taste
- salt – to taste
- 3 tbs. vegetable oil
- 3 tbs. butter
- 1-2 cups chopped buffalo wings
- 1/4 cup onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 2 cups risotto
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1 cup zucchini – finely chopped
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place chicken broth, dijon mustard, red curry paste, 1/4 cup ponzu sauce, garlic red chili sauce, garlic, pepper, buffalo chicken sauce in sauce pan over medium heat.
- In large soup pan heat oil, when oil is hot add the chopped buffalo chicken. Cook for 5 mintes. Add 1/4 cup of mirin, 1/4 cup ponzu sauce and 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Scoop into bowl and set aside for later.
- In same pan that chicken was cooked in add 2 strips of bacon. Wait for fat to render – about 5 minutes. Place bacon in bowl with chicken for later.
- Add 2 tbs butter, when butter is melted add onion and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes. Add rice, stir. Add 1/4 cup mirin and cook till reduced. Start adding 1/2 cup of hot broth at a time. Cook and stir constantly until broth is gone, then add another 1/2 cup. Continue until the rice tastes close to done (note: it goes from not done to done pretty quickly – so pay attention).
- In small saute pan with oil and 1 tbs butter – add zucchini, 1 tsp red curry paste and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes and set aside.
- When the rice is almost ready to eat, add the chicken zucchini, bacon and parmesan. Continue stirring and adding 1/2 cup broth at a time – until it’s ready to eat.
- Place risotto in bowls and top with grated parmesan and pepper.
Cooking time (duration): 45
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: dinner
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Tostones Stackable
Dec 13th
Recipe: Tostones Stackable
Summary: great stuff
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains
- 1 red onion – chopped
- 1 tomato – chopped
- 2 tbs. red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- black pepper – to taste
- salt – to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil vegetable oil
- 2 zucchini – 3/4″ slices
- 6 boneless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup ponzu sauce
- 4 tbs. adobe sauce – i get mine from can of chipotles
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 4 tbs. butter
- 2 tbs. garlic red chili sauce
- 1 tsp. red curry paste
- 1 large onion – sliced into 1/8″ slices
- 4 garlic cloves – minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- ~1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tbs. dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Mix red onion, tomato, red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a container of some sort. Set aside and let marinate.
- In large ziplock bag or tupperware add chicken breasts, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp red curry paste, 1 tbs. dijon mustard, 1/4 cup ponzu sauce, pepper and salt. Mix and let marinade as long as possible in refrigerator.
- Heat large skillet over med-high heat (I have an electric range and turn it to 6). When the pan is hot add 5 tbs. vegetable oil and add chicken from marinade. Cook chicken until seared on each side. Place chicken in oven dish and place in oven at 350 until chicken is cooked and ready to eat.
- Add onion and garlic to pan that cooked the chicken. Cook until the onion is softened, add 1 tbs. dijon mustard and 1/4 cup of ponzu sauce, salt and pepper. Add chicken (when the chicken is done cooking) and mix up. Take out the chicken, onions and garlic and set aside.
- Turn heat to high and add white wine and mirin. Bring to a boil and scrape the bottom of the pan to get the flavor. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth and 4 tbs. butter. Stir constantly until the sauce is thick like a syrup. Set aside and let cool.
- Place saute pan over medium heat. Add 3 tbs. vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add zucchini. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 4 tbs. of adobe sauce from chipotle can, salt and pepper. When zucchini is al dente, place inside of a sealable container.
- Peel the plantain, I cut off the ends and score the plantain skin pretty deep. Then I peel the plantain using the scores that I made. Cut plantain into 1 inch slices. Heat 1/4″ vegetable oil in small skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add plantain – turning once – about 1 minute per side. Take plantain off the heat and set on paper towels to drain oil. Smash the plantain using a heavy bowl, pan, utensil – anything heavy and flat on the bottom. You want the plantain to be smashed down to 1/4″ tall. Now add the smashed plantain to the hot oil and flip once – cook about 1 minute on each side. Take out of oil and place on paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Mix 1/8 cup of greek yogurt with 2 tbs. garlic red chili sauce. Now it’s time to plate it.
- Place plantains on plate. Add a dollop of greek yogurt, then a slice of zucchini, splash of zucchini sauce, slice of chicken, small dollop of the red onion salsa, splash of the wine syrup, and a splash of the yogurt / chili sauce. Splash the plate with chopped tomato and chopped cilantro.
Quick Notes
Sauce is very nice with this one, so make sure to give people the ability to add more sauce – both the white wine and the spicy yogurt.
I prefer to eat them with my hands. The plantain is strong enough to pick up and eat like a tostada.
Cooking time (duration): 45
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: dinner
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Haddock with Bacon and Onions
Dec 13th
Recipe: Haddock with bacon and onions
Recipe based on Rachel Ray’s recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/haddock-with-bacon-and-onions-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
- 2 lbs haddock
- 2 tbs. lemon juice
- salt – to taste olive oil
- 7 tbs. softened butter
- 6 slices smoked bacon – chopped
- 1 medium onion – chopped
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1/2-1 cup italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
- 2 tbs capers – chopped
- 2 plum tomatoes – chopped
- 2 tsp. red curry paste
- 1/2 chicken bouillon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F Rinse fish and pat dry. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and salt. Coat oven safe large skillet with olive oil and softened butter. Set portioned fish in skillet (skillet must be oven safe at 400°F.
- Heat small skillet over medium heat. Render fat for 7 minutes. Add onion and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add crushed garlic, red curry paste, 1 tbs garlic red chili sauce. Mix. Cook until the bacon is cooked, but not crunchy.
- Add bacon, onion, garlic mix to a bowl along eith 3/4 or the rendered fat, add breadcrumbs – mix. Add parsley and capers – mix. Top the fish with the bacon mix. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Heat up the remainder of the bacon fat in a skillet. Add mirin and stir constantly. Turn heat to high. Add water and 1/2 chicken bouillon. Stir. Add 1 tsp of chili paste, 6 tbs. stick butter. Stir constantly until the sauce takes on a syrupy consistency. Take off heat occasionally if it starts to boil too much.
- Plate fish filet. Drizzle with the sauce.
Quick Notes
I like to add this to the curried couscous.
Cooking time (duration): 40 min
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: dinner
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Curried Couscous and Vegetables
Dec 13th
Recipe: Curried Couscous and Vegetables
Summary: Delicious
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 8 oz couscous
- 12 asparagus spears – cut to 1/4 in. pieces
- 1 zucchini – chopped
- 1 yellow squash – chopped
- 2 large red peppers – chopped
- 1/4-1/2 cup kalamata olives – pitted and chopped
- 2 tbs. basil leaves – chopped
- pepper – to taste
- 4 shallot – minced
- 5 tbs. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 4 tbs. red chili paste
- 2 tsp. ponzu sauce
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan.
- Roast couscous in skillet for 5-10 minutes on medium heat – stirring constantly. Add 2 tbs. garlic chili sauce. Stir for 1 minute. Add couscous to boiling water, stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Saute vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash and red peppers). Add 2 tbs. garlic red chili sauce, 2 tsp. ponzu sauce. Cook until the squash is ready to eat. Take off the heat.
- Mix couscous, vegetables, cilantro and kalamata olives.
- Let sit for 10 minutes. Mix in 1/4 cup ponzu sauce and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix well and serve.
Quick Notes
Add more or less of the red garlic chili sauce depending on how much you like spicy food.
Topping this with a protein and a sauce is awesome!
Cooking time (duration): 30 min
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: dinner
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Tortilla Soup
Dec 13th
Recipe: Tortilla Soup
Summary: Delicious hot soup
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- vegetable oil
- 2 onions – chopped
- 4 hot peppers – chopped (be smart here and taste the peppers as you use them to make sure that you’re soup isn’t too spicy for you)
- 4 chicken bouillon
- 4 garlic cloves – crushed
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 3 tbs. ancho chili powder
- 3 tbs. smoked paprika
- 1 chipotle pepper
- 3 tbs. adobe sauce (from chipotle can)
- 5 cups water
- corn tortillas (6 whole tortillas, 2 tortillas cut into 1/4 inch strips)
- 1 medium tomato – chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro – chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese – grated
- 1 avocado – chopped
Instructions
- Heat saute pan to medium high and cook chicken thighs until juices run from the top of the chicken. Set chicken aside and let cool. Shred chicken when it has cooled.
- In small saute pan (big enough to fit a corn tortilla) add vegetable oil so that the oil is 1/2 inch deep in saute pan. Turn heat to medium high. When oil begins to faintly smoke add a corn tortilla. Let the tortilla fry until it is golden – then flip. Cook until the other side is golden. Take out tortilla and place on paper towel on a plate to let the oil drain. At the end – add the corn tortilla strips and these will fry up quickly – so keep a watchful eye.
- Heat wok on high heat. When hot add 3 tbs. vegetable oil. Add onion and hot peppers. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Add crushed chicken bouillon, crushed garlic. Cook for a minute. Add cayenne, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika and chipotle. Cook for a few minutes. Add water bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add crushed tortillas. Cooked for 1 minute. Blend soup. Dump soup back into wok and add shredded / chopped chicken.
- Place soup in bowls.
- Top soup with chopped tomato, cilantro, shredded cheese, corn tortilla strips and chopped avocado.
Quick Notes
For avocados I halve the avocado and take out the pit. Then using a not too sharp knife I slice the avocado both ways. Then using a spoon I take scoop it out of the skin. Then it’s ready to add to the soup, salad – whatever.
Be generous with the toppings that you add to the soup. It adds texture and flavor contrasts to your soup.
Variations
Add more or less hot peppers depending on your love of spicy. I like spicy – but if i’m serving it to anyone besides me, I have to tone it down for my guests.
Cooking time (duration): 60 min
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: Mexican
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Quick Healthy Salad
Dec 13th
Recipe: Quick Healthy Salad
Summary: Salad with a lemon / oil base
Ingredients
- 1 head of lettuce – broken into bite sized pieces
- 1 tomato – chopped
- 1 avocado – chopped
- protein (optional) – chicken, pork, steak – cubed
- 5-6 tbs. flax oil (or olive oil)
- Juice of 1 lemon 5-6 tbs.
- ponzu sauce pepper – to taste garlic
- red chili sauce – to taste – i put in1 tsp., and i like spicy.
Instructions
- Mix the oil, lemon, ponzu, pepper and garlic red chili sauce in a bowl or jar. Mix well.
- Place lettuce, tomato, avocado and protein (if used) into a large tupperware or ziplock bag. Shake up the salad vigorously.
- Add dressing (use you’re own discretion on how much of the dressing to use) and shake vigorously.
Quick Notes
I make this at lunch frequently and skip mixing the dressing up separately. I just throw all of the vegetables, and dressing items into a tupperware or ziplock bag and shake it all up together vigorously.
I also usually use a leftover meat from the previous day and chop it up cold and add to the salad – if i do add a meat.
I use flax oil because it is extremely good for you and you cannot taste it in this dressing. So you get the benefit of flax oil without the taste.
Variations
Add zucchini, cucumber, red onion (if you like the onion bite), crumbly blue cheese, chopped cilantro or chopped basil
Cooking time (duration): 15
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: lunch
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Buffalo Wing Stir Fry
Dec 10th
Recipe: Buffalo Wing Stir Fry
Summary: Great way to re-use buffalo wings
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (white, brown, mixed – whatever you like – any grain will do)
- 1-3 tbs – chili garlic sauce
- 1/4-1/2 tsp premium fish sauce
- 6 tbs – ponzu sauce mirin
- 6-8 chicken wings
- 1/8-1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 bottle of beer – I used Corona
- 1 large tomato – chopped
- 6 large basil leaves – chopped finely
- 1 onion – chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper – chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – finely minced
- 1 medium sized zucchini – chopped
- 5 tbs vegetable oil
- 4-7 tbs butter (modify based on your love of butter)
Instructions
- Place skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and butter. When butter is melted add onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add 3 tbs ponzu, 1 tbs chili garlic sauce and a pinch of pepper and onions. Cook until onions have softened. Spoon onions and peppers into a bowl for later.
- Place wok or skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil. When hot – add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add beer, 1 tbs chili garlic sauce, 3 tbs ponzu sauce and 1/4-1/2 tsp fish sauce. Cook until the liquids have reduced to about 1/4 cup.
- Add zucchini. Cook until the zucchini tastes al-dente but delicious to you.
- Add the onion and garlic from the bowl – mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the rice and mix over heat for 1 minute.
- Take off the heat. Plate it. I use bowls to place the rice on the plates – because you can leave the bowl on to keep it hot while you make a sauce.
- Place skillet used to cook the buffalo chicken on high heat.
- Add mirin, 1 tbs chili garlic sauce. Stir furiously as the mirin boils off. After 2 minutes of having the mirin furiously boil. Add 2 tbs butter. Continue stiring furiously. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock. Continue to let the liquid boil off. When the liquid is holding to the spatula or spoon and looks like molasses take it off the heat.
- Add chopped tomato and basil on top off the rice and plate.
- Spoon the mirin sauce over the rice and on the edge of the plate (to allow people to dip their rice into the sauce).
Quick Notes
I was surprised it tasted as good as it did. Play with proportions based on how spicy, salty, sweet you like your food.
Variations
Try substituting rice with millet, quinoa or couscous.
Cooking time (duration): 40
Number of servings (yield): 3
Meal type: dinner
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Spicy Miso Soup
Dec 8th
Recipe: Spicy Miso Soup
Summary: Miso Soup with Flair
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 zucchini finely chopped
- 2 ground up chicken broth bouillon
- 1 tbs korean spicy red chili paste pepper – to taste
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 cups water
- 3-5 tbs miso paste
Instructions
- Place wok on stove over high heat.
- Add onion, carrot and zucchini. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add chicken bouillon, spicy chili paste, pepper and cayenne. Let cook for 1 minute.
- Add crushed garlic cloves. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add water. Bring to a boil. Take off heat when boiled.
- Place miso in separate small bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup of the boiled water into the miso bowl. Mash and mix the miso up until smooth consistency.
- Add miso slowly to taste.
Quick Notes
Fun soup and very fast to cook. Throw in other vegetables to make it interesting – bell peppers, hot peppers, greens (bok choy, kale, collard – finely sliced)…
Cooking time (duration): 15 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: lunch
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Spiced Red Quinoa
Dec 8th
Recipe: Spiced Red Quinoa
Summary: Delicious Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
Red Quinoa
Red Quinoa
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 red onion – chopped
- 1 large zucchini – chopped
- 2 tomatoes – chopped
- 1 cup parmesan cheese – grated
- 2 tbs thai red chili paste
- 2 tbs butter
- 2-3 tbs ponzu sauce
- black pepper – to taste
- salt – to taste
- 1 beef bouillon – crushed
Instructions
- Heat wok over high heat. Add red onion and zucchini. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add black pepper, thai chili paste, cayenne and 1 beef bouillon. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions have softened.
- Add butter and ponzu sauce. Let butter melt.
- Add cooked quinoa and place in wok on top of the vegetables. Let cook with the quinoa on top for 1-2 minutes.
- Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of parmesan. Mix it all up and cook for a few minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat. Place quinoa on the plate.
- Add additional grated parmesan cheese to the top of the quinoa.
Quick Notes
This dish is great with a meat and sauce over the top of it, such as fish with a butter, garlic and lemon sauce.
The picture includes a pan seared pork chop with a mirin reduction.
Variations
Try out different vegetables in this meal. You can also add something spicy like spicy peppers, or korean red chili sauce.
Cooking time (duration): 30 min
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: dinner
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