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Vegetable Green Curry

By kerry · Comments (1)

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

On Sunday, I did a bunch of cooking — and part of that was making a huge batch of green curry paste. Green curry is one of my favorites when I get Thai food. It’s not difficult to make on your own, but making the paste necessary for the curry does require quite a few ingredients and a little bit of time to whiz them together in the food processor. You can buy it in a jar at the store, but fresh tastes so much better.

I found the recipe that I used on Instructables.com It made A LOT. I froze the curry paste into 30 pucks using my mini-cupcake tins. Now I have at least a year’s supply.

Tonight, I went out for drinks with some co-workers. It was a really fun evening. I didn’t get home until 9:00 — thankfully, I was able to throw together a batch of vegetable green curry in minutes and we were having a healthy albeit late dinner by 9:30.

Vegetable Green Curry
Makes 2 Big Servings

Thank you green curry pucks!

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, sliced into strips
2-3 tbsp. green curry paste
1 can light coconut milk
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Thai fish sauce
1 large sweet potato, diced large
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 can of chick peas
2 cups steamed white rice

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and green peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, salt, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables. Cover the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and tender. Add the chick peas and cook for another minute.

Serve over white rice.

Comments (1)

Categories : Asian, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cuisine, Healthy, Main Dish, Peppers, Recipe, Sweet Potato, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Dinner Tonight: Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin

By kerry · Comments (0)

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Hey there! It’s my second post tonight — and my second post in over a year. I’m resolving to keep this blog up-to-date with lots of updates small and large. I hope I can keep this resolution!

So, how was your weekend? Mine was a nice mix of friends and productivity. On Saturday we went to a birthday tea party at Upstairs on the Square in Harvard Square. It was a great afternoon tea with lots of delicious bites. I think I drank my weight in tea! I also helped my mother with her new business website. Busy day!

Sunday was the first day in WEEKS that we didn’t have any plans. It was fantastic. Sean, Barley, and I went for a long walk. Sean and I planned our weekly menu, went to Penzey’s for a major spice shopping spree, and did our grocery shopping. Then I spent the evening cooking for the week and watching a few episodes of Psyche. There might have been a few glasses of wine in there, too.

Tonight, I made this honey mustard pork tenderloin. This was super easy, very quick, and really tasty. The whole thing was done in 25 minutes.

Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Smashed Carrots & Parsnips and Mac & Cheese

1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup honey mustard
1 pork tenderloin
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together the panko bread crumbs with the butter so that all of the bread crumbs are coated with butter. Transfer the bread crumbs into a shallow baking dish.

Season the pork tenderloin by sprinkling with salt and pepper. Then rub with the honey mustard so that the pork is evenly coated.

Dredge the pork into the bread crumbs so that the entire tenderloin is coated with bread crumbs.

Place the pork tenderloin on a pan lined with parchment or coated with cooking spray. Cook for about 20 minutes until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees and the bread crumbs are browned; let the pork rest for 5 minutes and then carve into slices for serving.

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Categories : Healthy, Main Dish, Meat, Pork, Quick & Easy, Recipe

This Week’s Lunch: Turkey Black Bean Chili

By kerry · Comments (2)

Monday, January 9th, 2012

A couple of months ago, I decided that I’d test out a new way of dealing with lunch. Throughout my professional career I’ve gone back and forth with bringing lunch and eating out. Over the past year, I’ve gone mostly in the direction of the latter. It gets expensive to eat out all of the time and can be less than healthy. My plan was to start making one big entree on Sunday and portion it out for the week.

This has been one of the best ideas I’ve had in a long time and has stuck as a new habit. I’m saving money and eating better. It takes a couple of hours on my Sunday, but it’s time well spent.

This week, I made this turkey black bean chili perfect for these cold winter days.

Turkey Black Bean Chili

All of our lunches packed up for the week!

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
4 poblano peppers, diced small
3 jalapeno peppers, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
6 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 lbs. dried black beans, soaked overnight
1, 10 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchinis, diced small
12 oz. dark beer
4 cups chicken stock

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they get soft.

Add the tomato paste and spices and stir together. Everything will combine together and look like a paste. Stir in the ground turkey and break it up.

Add the beans, tomatoes, zucchini, beer, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 2-4 hours until the black beans are soft.

Comments (2)

Categories : Comfort Food, Healthy, Main Dish, Meat, Recipe, Soup, Turkey

Fish Taco Wraps with Simple Slaw

By kerry · Comments (0)

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Sean and I headed to Albany this weekend for a pre-Thanksgiving celebration while his sister was in town from Reno. We spent Saturday at the New York State Harvest Fest where we sampled lots of NY State wine and foods. Then we had dinner with the family — roast pork, cabbage, latkes, and homemade applesauce.

On the drive home on Sunday morning we discussed our dinner plans. We decided to make fish taco wraps to use up a lot of the stuff we had in the fridge and freezer. Far from a gourmet meal, I bought frozen fish sticks at Whole Foods a few weeks ago (way better than the fish sticks you remember as a kid!) and used those.

Way better than Gortons!

Fish sticks, chimichurri sauce, simple slaw, and avocado. Yum!

I also had a quarter of a head of cabbage and a zillion carrots and red onions, so I whipped up this simple slaw to go with the tacos. I love a little cabbage on my tacos — and it’s fairly traditional when you get tacos from authentic taquerias. I also love slaw on sandwiches for an extra crunch and tang.

A note: I use a special vegetable peeler to shred my carrots. It’s a pretty awesome tool. But you can also just julienne the carrot with a knife — or just buy a package of pre-shredded carrots (I won’t tell!)

Oh yeah, I also baked a whole bunch of cupcakes for work — food porn below.

Simple Slaw
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 medium head of cabbage, thinly shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and honey with a small whisk. Slowly whisk in canola oil.

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage carrots, and red onion. Pour the vinaigrette over the shredded vegetables and toss well to combine.

Simple Slaw for Tacos

Cupcakes -- yellow with chocolate icing by popular demand.

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Categories : Cabbage, Carrots, Cuisine, Healthy, Mexican, Recipe, Side Dish, Tools & Equipment, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Crispy, Oven-fried Eggplant

By kerry · Comments (12)

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Recently, I had an eggplant hanging around and I had some leftover spaghetti sauce, so it made sense to make eggplant parmesan. I didn’t really want to take the time to fry it — plus, I really hate the mess that frying makes. And, while I do LOVE fried foods, I’m also trying to be more conscious of what I’m shoving into my face.

So, I decided to oven-fry my eggplant — and it came out DELICIOUS! It made for fantastic eggplant parm. And tonight, I decided to oven-fry another eggplant and stuff it into pitas with hummus and call it dinner.

Ok, ok, I know you’re wondering, “What the hell is oven-frying!?!” Basically, by oven-frying, I’m referring to breading a product and then cooking it in the oven at a super high heat so that it gets a nice, crispy texture that’s somewhat close to the texture you’d get when frying. I do this a lot with poultry, fish, and veggies — this is the first time I’ve tried it with eggplant.

I think it might actually be the best version of oven-frying I’ve tried. It was super crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Aside from eggplant parm, and pita stuffing, I this eggplant would also be great on homemade pizza or just munching on as a snack.

Crispy, Oven-fried Eggplant

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4” rounds
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup egg beaters (or a few eggs, beaten)
1/2 – 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Spread the eggplant out over a cookie sheet. Sprinkle liberally with salt and wait 15-20 minutes. The salt will draw out water from the eggplant and you will see water start pooling up on top of the eggplant. After 15-20 minutes, use a paper towel to dry off the water — this will also remove some of the excess salt.

Set up a breading station — flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. Dip the eggplant into the flour and shake off the excess. You only need a thin layer of flour. Then dip into the egg and then the bread crumbs. Evenly coat the eggplant with breadcrumbs.

Place the breaded eggplant slices on a cookie sheet that you thinly coated with oil (or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Flip the eggplant and bake for another 10 minutes. Eggplant should be brown and crispy.

Comments (12)

Categories : Appetizer, Eggplant, Healthy, Main Dish, Quick & Easy, Recipe, Side Dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Ginger Orange Chicken with Green Beans

By kerry · Comments (0)

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Sean and I just joined Boston Organics. It’s a really great deal for organic fruits and vegetables — and they deliver, to boot! I was pretty excited about it because they send a basically random box every week. I figured it would help me be creative every week in what I make for dinner.

This week, we got green beans and some organic oranges. I’ve noticed those two items go bad fast, so I wanted to use them. We also received 5 pounds of carrots last week and a huge bulb of ginger. Since one of our favorite Chinese take-out dishes is spicy string beans, I decided to try and make something similar with all of these ingredients we need to use up.

Ginger Orange Chicken with Green Beans
Serves 4

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
2 large carrots, sliced on the bias
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger, divided
1 tbsp. rice wine vineger
4 tbsp. soy sauce, divided
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce or siracha
2 tbsp. honey

Ginger Orange Chicken with Green Beans Mis En Place

Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes. Put into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce to season the chicken. Toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Mix together half of the ginger, orange juice, orange zest, rice wine vinegar, the rest of the soy sauce, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and honey. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add the chicken and cook until it’s cooked through — about 7-10 minutes. Remove from skillet. Set aside.

Once you remove the chicken, make sure the pan is still very hot, and add the onions, rest of the ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and carrots. Stir fry until the carrots and green beans are al dente, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken back to the pan and pour in the sauce. Cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce is mixed into the chicken and vegetables well and starts to thicken. At this point, if you need to cook the vegetables a little more, cover for a couple of minutes to let the vegetables steam.

Serve over rice.

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Categories : Asian, Carrots, Chicken, Cuisine, Fruit, Green Beans, Healthy, Main Dish, Meat, Oranges, Quick & Easy, Recipe, Vegetables

Corn and Poblano Chowder

By kerry · Comments (2)

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

Poblano peppers are my favorite type of peppers. They add heat, but that heat doesn’t get into the way of their great slightly-smokey flavor. I thought that they would work well in a vegetarian corn chowder since I was losing the smokey flavor from bacon that I’d normally use. A touch of cumin also helps create a smoky flavor. The sweetness of the corn plays well with the heat from the poblano.

The secret, I found, is steeping the corn cobs in the milk. I was really amazed at the intense corn flavor the cobs brought to the chowder! I also didn’t use a ton of butter or cream in this chowder. The creaminess came from reducing the liquid by simmering the soup and by blending the peppers with some of the corn kernels to give the chowder a thick, creamy texture without cream or a roux.

It would be awesome with some chopped avocados for garnish — but I didn’t think of that until it was too late this time!

Corn and Poblano Chowder
Serves 4

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 cup leeks, cleaned thoroughly and chopped
2 poblano peppers, sliced into Â½ strips
4 ears of corn
1 quart whole milk
Â½ tsp. cumin
salt, to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the leeks, and poblano peppers. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the leeks and peppers are soft.

Meanwhile, take the husk and silk off the corn cobs. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and reserve. Cut the cobs each into three pieces. Add to pot once the leeks and peppers are soft.

Add milk. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the corn cobs and discard. Add 3/4 of the corn kernels and simmer for about 10 minutes uncovered.

Then, use a stick blender to blend the corn, peppers, and leeks until smooth.

Add the remaining corn kernels, cumin, and salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes uncovered. Serve and garnish with chopped avocado.

Comments (2)

Categories : Appetizer, Corn, Cuisine, Healthy, Leeks, Main Dish, Mexican, Peppers, Recipe, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Red Bean and Rice Cakes

By kerry · Comments (0)

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

It’s been awhile. I know. I get so behind with blog posts. There have been lots of dishes cooked and places visited since my last post. But for now, here’s a recipe that I created for a dinner that I cooked for our friends Josh and Melissa. They watched our dog when we went to New Orleans in March and asked us only to repay them in food. Great deal for us!

Since we were in the Big Easy, I was inspired to create these red bean and rice cakes. They combine everything good about red beans and rice in a compact little package. Because Melissa is vegetarian, I used a soy sausage, but meat eaters can certainly substitute a good andouille sausage.

Red Bean and Rice Cakes
Serves 4

3 tbsp. olive oil
Â½ large onion, chopped small
1 large green pepper, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning*
6 oz. soy smoked sausage (andouille preferable, but I could only find soy chorizo), crumbled
1 can, red beans, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup bread crumbes
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook on medium to medium-low heat until soft, but don’t let the mixture get brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, and sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Add red beans to the pan and stir to combine.

Put half of this mixture into a food processor and process until it’s a smooth paste. Return to pan and stir to combine with the remained, unprocessed mixture.

Stir in brown rice and bread crumbs.

Let this mixture cool in the refrigerator for about an hour. Portion into 8 servings and create round cakes out of each portion

Set up a breading station with flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. Cover each cake in a thin layer of flour then egg then bread crumbs.

Add about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to a deep sided pan. Heat to about 350 degrees. Shallow fry each cake by cooking to golden brown on each side. Drain on a rack with paper towels below. Serve with remoulade sauce.

* I like Joe’s Stuff cajun seasoning mix, but there are tons of different mixes out there. Just use your favorite. Joe’s Stuff has less salt than other cajun seasoning mixes, so if you have a salty one, use half of the seasoning listed in the recipe and add more to taste if needed.

Remoulade Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Whiz all of this up in a food processor or whisk together in a bowl (make sure you chop the parsley fine if you use this method.)

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Categories : Appetizer, Cajun, Comfort Food, Cuisine, Healthy, Main Dish, Recipe, Rice, Starch, Vegetarian

Meyer Lemon Salmon Tartar

By kerry · Comments (2)

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Once in awhile I like to make really fancy stuff for my friends. I won’t lie — sometimes I just cook for the ooohs and aaahs. The shocker about this dish is that it’s incredibly easy. The hardest part is finding sushi grade salmon (and, well, paying for it!) I was able to get mine at Whole Foods, but any good fish monger should have it. One thing is for sure, now that I know how simple it is to make a tasty tartar, I won’t be ordering it in any restaurants!

Meyer Lemon Salmon Tartar
Serves 4

8 oz. sushi grade salmon
Juice of one Meyer lemon*
Zest of one Meyer lemon
1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp. shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes for garnish

Dice the salmon into about 1/4 inch cubes.

To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, shallot, honey, mustard, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the diced salmon in a bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and mix together. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing and stir to combine. Let this mixture sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours.)

To plate, use a round mold or cookie cutter (a tomato paste can would work well for this, too.) Put the mold on the plate you will serve on and fill the mold with 1/4 (about 2 oz.) of the tartar mixture. Pack in tightly and then lift the mold.

Garnish the plate with avocado, tomatoes, and mixed greens. Use the remaining dressing to spoon over the greens when serving.

* If you can’t find Meyer lemons, use a regular lemon but you might need to add more honey as Meyer lemons are more sweet (and less tart) than normal lemons. Just add extra honey until the dressing tastes balanced.

Comments (2)

Categories : Appetizer, Cuisine, Fancy Pants, Fish, Healthy, Meat, Recipe

Parmesan Pasta with Peas

By kerry · Comments (0)

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

Sean and I were driving home from Albany the other night and we were hungry. Of course, I had to make a pit stop at the one rest area on the Mass Pike that only had McDonalds. So, instead, we got some Chex Mix to tide us over. By the time we got home, there was only time to throw together something quick and this did it. It was super easy to make with basic pantry items — and it was super delicious. Just what we needed after a long drive.

Sidebar: I love frozen peas. As a kid I always hated peas — I grew up with canned peas and I hated the mushy mouthfeel. Imagine my surprise when I tried fresh peas for the first time as an adult. They were so delicious. I find that frozen peas taste closer to fresh peas than canned peas. They are easy to always keep on hand, cheap, and good to toss into everything from rice to soup to pasta. An easy, peasy way of getting some veggies, too.

Parmesan Pasta with Peas
Serves 2

6 oz. pasta of your choice*
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a big pinch of salt and the dried pasta. When the pasta is about 1-minute from al dente, toss in the peas. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add the shallots and cook 2 minutes or until soft. Toss in the cooked pasta and peas. Add parmesan cheese, parsley, and pine nuts. Stir to combine. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

* I used a combination of angel hair and pasta shaped like little snails because that’s what I had. Anything tubular or shell shaped works particularly well with this because it gives the peas a place to settle so you get peas with every bite. However, in a pinch, any pasta will work.

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