Sesame Stir Fry with Crispy Garlic (Primal/Paleo)

These vegetables are just crisp tender, and lightly flavored enough to taste fresh while perfectly complimenting my Asian Spiced Chicken. The crisp garlic gives a little more character than the average stir fry, making the meal feel more indulgent than just a mess of properly cooked vegetables.

Sesame Stir Fry with Crispy Garlic
primal / paleo / grain-free / gluten-free

Yield: 2 servings

2T sesame oil, divided

Salt

Pepper

8 large brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

1/2 onion, 1/4in crescent slices

2 carrots, peeled and 1/4in bias slices

2 stalks celery, 1/2in bias slices

1T cooking fat of choice

1c broccoli florets, half dollar size

One handful green beans, trimmed

1t coconut aminos

4 cloves garlic, minced

2t sesame seeds

Heat your wok over medium heat. Add 1T of the sesame oil. Once hot and rippling, place the brussel sprout halves cut side down. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, until the brussel sprouts are browned and beginning to soften. Remove the brussel sprouts. 

To the onion add the carrots and celery. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, until beginning to purge their water, then add the 1T cooking fat, broccoli, and green beans. Stir often, and continue cooking until the vegetables are crisp tender. Add the coconut aminos, toss, and add the vegetables to the brussel sprouts off the heat.

Drop the heat to low, add the remaining sesame oil to the wok along with the minced garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic becomes golden and crisp but not bitter and black. It should only take a few minutes depending on your stove top. Plate the vegetables and top with the crispy garlic and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy.

Perfect Protein Salad

I've been sick all week. I haven't been this bed ridden from sickness for a long, long time. Many, many years. Anyway, in the course of 3 days I got super sick with a high fever, got a cold sore, and had a panic attack. I'm guessing there are some stressors in my life? I was lying here for like the third day this week, thinking what would be really perfect for me, and this salad came to mind.
I love this salad. The inspiration came from that salad from (insert your grocery store's name here). All delis make a version of this. But, my version was far superior:) It's fresh, crunchy, tasty, and makes me feel wonderful. My body loves protein. My body loves LOTS and LOTS of protein. In fact, I really don't function without LOTS and LOTS of protein. And we all know I love vegetables... so this salad is perfect for me.
It's very versatile. It's awesome because you can really use any vegetables you have on hand. I could really go for some broccoli up in here. I wouldn't leave out peppers or celery for their crunch, or onion for it's flavor (obviously). You can mix up the amounts to suit your tastes, but this suits mine. Also awesome is the fact that it makes a huge batch, and it lasts forever, so you can eat it alllll week, and possibly a few days into the next. You can eat it as a side dish with a lovely turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with whole grain mustard, for lunch tucked into a piece of pita bread, over some fresh lettuce or cabbage, or just in spoonfuls straight from the fridge for a protein boost mid-afternoon.

Perfect Protein Salad

So many servings.

2-3 cups cooked wheat berries

2 cups drained garbanzo beans

1-2 cups cottage cheese 

(1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup feta cheese is great, too)

1 red onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2-3 medium carrots, shredded

1 cucumber, diced

1 pepper, diced

 3-6 green onions, sliced

3 or so cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the mother

3-5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

fresh parsley, chopped, to taste

1-2 teaspoons dried dill, to taste

1-2 teaspoons of your favorite mixed herb seasoning

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ok, I could add "to taste" after all of the ingredients. You get the picture.

While you cooked those wheat berries was a great time to prep all those vegetables ;) When you've magically done all of that, throw it all in a bowl.

Eat.

Errr... I can't leave it like that. I like to add the wheat berries to the vegetables, 'banzos, and cheese, then mix. Then I grate the garlic over the bowl with my microplane (this is really important). Then I add the vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, and seasonings. I taste it, and then I re-season accordingly. Don't OVER-season; keep in mind more flavor will develop after it has had time to hang out a bit. You can always re-season after the resting period.

It's best if you let all those lovely flavors meld together in the fridge for a few hours before consuming, or overnight if you can. Just put it in a huge tupperware, or several smaller ones, or better yet use your awesome pyrex mixing bowls to make it in, then pop the lid on.

Enjoy all week:)

Sesame Green Beans

Lately, I've really been into the recipes from the blog For the Love of Cooking. They're for the most part simple, straight forward, healthy and satisfying meals. I try a lot of recipes off of blogs, and from home cooks in general, because that's what I enjoy supporting. We made these sesame green beans the week before last, and then again last week. I love green beans--roasted, steamed, sauteed, you name it. These are addictive!

A few notes: The recipe calls for 1 lb of green beans for the amount of sauce. I had so much sauce left over. I mean, enough to coat two servings of rice and vegetables a few days later. So, if I were you, I'd make all the sauce, but reserve half of it for another meal. Or, if you're not into that, just cut the sauce recipe in half. Also, I choose to use haricot verts. Not just because they're French (ha... ha). They're thinner which means less cook time, longer which means more fun to eat, and they have a more complex flavor that I love. If you can't find haricot verts, any variety of green bean will do--look for ones that are as young and thin as possible, or just increase your cook time. I would not use canned green beans for this... The original recipe also calls for boiling them. I choose not to boil my vegetables. Also, sesame oil is expensive, but I think it's vital to this recipe - every ingredient usually is with an ingredient list this short. It's only expensive in American supermarkets--turn to your local Asian supermarket. I can buy about 8 ounces of sesame oil at QFC for $7-$12, or I can buy 56 ounces of sesame oil at H Mart for $19.99 :)

Sesame Green Beans

adapted from For the Love of Cooking

1 lb of green beans

2 tsp rice vinegar
2 1/2 tsp soy sauce (or to your liking)
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1-2 cloves freshly minced garlic (or to your liking)

Sea salt

Pepper

Sesame seeds to garnish

Trim your green beans. Line up the tough ends and just snip them off, leaving the long and pretty tails on the other end.

Fill a pot with 1-2 inches of water, place a steaming basket filled with green beans inside, and steam for about 4-5 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook them--not only does this result in a loss of flavor, but also a loss of important vitamins and nutrients.

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, oil, and garlic. When your green beans are done (with a crunch, but not too raw, and definitely not even close to being soggy!), toss them in the bowl with the dressing. Season with sea salt (at first I wrote seal salt) and pepper to taste, and garnish with sesame seeds.

Serves 2 in my veggie-fanatic-green-bean-obsessed household, but probably 4 in any normal household.

Use that leftover sauce! Cook up some rice in chicken broth, and steam some carrots, green beans, and broccoli. Toss the veggies in the leftover sauce, serve over the rice, and pour any extra sauce over the rice. Top with sesame seeds. It's delicious for lunch.

Easy Veggie Recipe #2: Vegetable Stir Fry

Sooo... I've been reminded that I've really slacked on this whole veggie recipe thing... but I've been moving! And sick! And it's the holidays! Yada, yada, yada...

Here's my way of easing back in.. a super easy, super versatile "recipe" that doesn't really involve a recipe, just a formula!

Stir fry is the easiest way to use up all your vegetables, or leftover rice, leftover pasta, whatever.. really.

My favorite combination is 1-2 crowns broccoli (sliced 1/2 inch thick from top to bottom of trimmed stem), 1 yellow bell pepper (thin slices), 1/2 onion (half moon style), 2 stalks celery (sliced on the bias), 2 medium carrots (sliced on the bias), and sometimes we add mushrooms or sliced water chestnuts. Also, we like to serve over rice, rice pasta, udon, or yakisoba, and top it with bean sprouts, or sesame seeds. If we're in the mood, we fry up some tofu or some chicken (or use leftover chicken).

The basic formula is to heat some sesame oil*/olive oil mixture in a wok until it's rippling, and cook whatever is going to take longest first. If you're doing a protein, cook it first, then set it aside while you finish the rest. I always start with the onion for flavor, let it wilt a bit, then add the harder stuff: broccoli/carrot/celery and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add softer stuff: peppers, mushrooms, and cook until crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes ish. Add the protein back in, add a 1/4 cup chicken stock, and cover for about 2 minutes to let everything warm through and steam finish. Season with soy sauce, stir fry sauce, or hot sauce. Serve by itself, or over rice or noodles. Top with bean sprouts and/or sesame seeds.

Like I said, it's not really a recipe. Just use whatever you have, and make it to your liking. Some good additions: red pepper flake, sriracha, brussel sprouts, tempeh, tofu, hoisin sauce, etc... Just whatever you have on hand.

*Sesame oil is worth it. It's expensive, but the flavor is worth it. You can use 1 tablespoon sesame oil mixed with one tablespoon of another oil, to make it last longer.

Easy veggie recipe #1: Quick Garlic Butter Green Beans

In my effort to make vegetables more approachable, the theme of these recipes is going to be simply, easy to remember, without the need for much measuring. This is as easy as it gets, in my opinion, while still being amazingly tasty. Also, very easy to customize and add on to to create a different flavor, or a "fancier" dish.

Quick Garlic Butter Green Beans

A handful of green beans per person, I usually make this for two, so two handfuls, I also prefer haricot verts over american green beans (About 1/2 lb)
1 spoonful of butter
A couple rounds of the pan of olive oil (About 1 tablespoon)
1 spoonful of minced garlic (About 1 tablespoon)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place a saute pan over medium to medium high heat. Add the butter and oil. Heat until rippling. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic and the green beans. Stir to coat. Saute openly for 3-4 minutes, then cover. Let cook another 2 minutes or so, stir and check for doneness. I like my vegetables very crisp-tender, so I'm usually done at this point, or another minute or two. But, you can cover for another two minutes, then check again for softer green beans. Or if you are using thicker ones. After the first time, you'll be a better judge of how long you need to cook them.

Sometimes I openly saute without covering, and let them get a little blackened. Other times, when using thicker green beans, I steam them for a couple minutes, blanch them to retain their bright color, then add to some garlic sauteeing in butter just to reheat and serve.

Sometimes I cook some chopped bacon first, then take out the bacon, add the garlic and green beans, and serve with the bacon over the top. Nuts are a lovely addition, as are herbs. Bacon and hazelnuts would be delicious. Pepitas would be fantastic. We've done pearl onions with them. I'm doing bacon, caramelized shallots, and pepitas with them for Thanksgiving. Whatever you want!

For a fancy presentation of simple green beans, try cooking the green beans in garlic butter until very crisp tender, and setting aside. Cook bacon until cooked through but not crisp. Wrap 4-5 green beans in a slice of bacon, secure with a toothpick, and bake for about 10 minutes to crisp up the bacon, and finish off the green beans. Take out the toothpick, and serve! Looks amazing, but is suuuuper easy.

On a side note, I'm a very precise and logical person. Not measuring things for recipes I'm sharing is totally out of my comfort zone. But, when I cook my simple veggie side dishes, I never measure, so I'm not sure why I feel the need to do so for the recipes I share.

I hope you enjoy. Although, how could you not... I mean, come on, garlic and butter!? You can throw that on anything...

Matzo Ball Soup

Besides those two days of 70 degree plus weather we had this week, it's been cold, windy, and bleak. To fight off some of the gray, tonight I'm making Matzo Ball Soup. :)

The first time I had matzo ball soup, my boss made it for me. I was sick, but she really needed me to nanny for a few hours. When I got to work, she had made me yummy matzo ball soup. I had some, it was amazing, I took it home, and ate it for the next 2 days. I felt better; it's true--it cures everything ;)

Matzo Ball Soup with Chicken and Vegetables
Serves 2 as main course, or 4 with a salad on the side

1 tablespoon butter
1 carrot, 1/2 inch dice
Half an onion, 1/2 inch dice
1 hearty stalk of celery (2 if it's thin), 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup white wine
4 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup shredded chicken
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, saute the onions, carrots, and celery in the butter until soft and just starting to brown -- about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine; let the wine cook off completely -- about 2 minutes. Add the stock and the chicken. Bring to a boil and let simmer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the eggs, oil, water, matzo meal, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then stick in the fridge for about 20 minutes while your soup base simmers.

With wet hands, pinch of ping pong size globs of matzo ball mix, form into a ball, and drop into the soup base. Continue until all matzo ball mix has been used. Cover and let simmer for about 25 minutes, or until matzo balls have almost doubled in size, and are all poking out of the top of the soup.

Serve :)

All Kinds of Squash

Wednesday, my sister, my husband, and I went to my third pumpkin patch this season. We went again, to Bob's Corn. There wasn't much to pick from; there were probably only a few hundred pumpkins left. After I exclaimed, "this is the one!" on at least seven separate occasions, to seven separate pumpkins, I went back to my first love. It was a good size, and the gradiation from orange to green was gorgeous. Candace's pumpkin was orange covered in green veins. Mikey's was also green and orange, and huge!

We came back to Slasher, popped dinner in the oven, and started carving.

Spaghetti Squash with Pine Nuts, Sage and Tempeh
Serves 6

for the squash:

1 spaghetti squash

1/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup grated grana padano, or parmiggiano reggiano

3 tablespoons chopped sage

2 tablespoons melted butter

salt and pepper to taste

Candace's Tempeh:

one package tempeh

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon mirin

1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise, and take out all the guts and seeds (save those seeds and roast them!)

Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silicone baking mat.

Pop into the oven and let cook for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts. Place the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, and toss until fragrant and lightly browned. Make sure to stir frequently so as to cook evenly and not burn any of them. Don't skip pine nuts in this recipe! They are expensive, but they taste fantastic, and they are fantastic for you.

Cut the tempeh into little thin rectangles. Bite size. Exact size is up to your preference. Mix together the garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar in a shallow dish. Toss the tempeh in, and stir well. Let marinate at room temperature until the squash is done cooking, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Gently scrape the flesh from the squash with a fork, perpendicular to the grain, to shred it into pasta like strands. Place all the spaghetti squash in a bowl and toss with the pine nuts, cheese, butter, sage, salt, and pepper. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium high heat until rippling. Add the tempeh. Cook until warmed through, and to desired doneness. I like it crispy! 

Pile the spaghetti squash on a plate, and top with the tempeh. Serve with a big, fresh salad, and there's dinner :)

My sister and I's pumpkins. Mine is in the background and hers in the foreground.

Our finished pumpkins on our creepy front steps :) From left to right: husband's, mine, sister's

 Happy Halloween weekend!

Root Vegetable Chowder and Pumpkin Pie

Sunday, we had a dinner date with some friends. I got to do the coordinating, planning, menu choosing, and job delegating, of course, which was lots of fun. I chose a seasonal Root Vegetable Chowder, alongside salad and bread. Wine and sparkling water to drink, with my Pumpkin Pie and my Pumpkin Zucchini Loaf (recipe coming soon) for dessert rounded the meal off nicely.

Root Vegetable Chowder
with adaptations for slow cooker

2-4 chopped slices of bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium leeks, trimmed, white and green thinly sliced
1 lb (about 2) parsnips, peeled, 1/3 inch dice
3 medium carrots, peeled, 1/3 inch dice
4 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 lb (about 2 large) russet potatoes, 1/2 inch dice (peeled or not)2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For stovetop:
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups milk
3 cups broth (or more, depending)

For slow cooker:
4 cups broth (or enough to cover)
1 cup half and half or light cream

Stove top directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon. Take out of the pan and reserve. Add olive oil to the pan and heat until rippling. Add the leeks and saute until tender, but not browned--about seven minutes.

Add the parsnips, carrots, garlic, and thyme. Saute for 5 minutes and then add the potatoes and flour. Stir to coat all--about one minute.

Gradually add in the milk and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occassionally for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the soup is thickened.

Optional: Take about 2 cups of vegetables out of pot, mash, and return to pot, mixing until combined.

Add the bacon back into the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve; sprinkle with parsley.

Slow cooker directions:In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon. Take out of the pan and reserve. Add olive oil to the pan and heat until rippling. Add the leeks and saute until crisp tender--about 4 minutes.

Pile the leeks and bacon mixture into the slow cooker along with the parsnips, carrots, garlic, thyme, potatoes, and broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are very tender.
Optional: Take about 2 cups of vegetables out of pot, mash, and return to pot, mixing until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in half and half, test temperature, and either serve with parsley, or heat through on high setting to warm sufficiently.


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Pumpkin Pie
For the filling:
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin puree (from scratch this is the yield from an 8 inch pumpkin)
18 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 tablespoon superfine sugar

Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and butter. Cut in the butter. I prefer to rub with my fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs (easiest way is to use the food processor).

Stir in the sugar and then add about 2-3 tablespoons of water and mix to a soft dough. Then knead the dough lightly on a floured surface. Flatten it out into a round, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.

Roll out the pastry thinly and line a 9-inch deep pie pan. Trim the excess dough from the sides and reserve. Prick the base of the pastry shell with a fork. Cut as many leaf shapes as you can from remaining pastry and make vein markings (I use the back of a knife). Brush the edge of the pie pastry with water, and stick the leaves all around the edge. Overlap slightly. Chill while you prep the rest. If you have enough remaining pastry, cut out some large leaves (I like three) or if you have extra leaves left over, set those aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a baking sheet inside.
Mix all of the filling together well in a stand mixer. Pour the filling into the pie pan and smooth the top. The filling will be quite runny, but don't worry :)

Place on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes then arrange remaining pastry leaves on the top in a decorative manner. Bake for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set (a tester comes out clean from the middle), and the pastry is golden.

Serve with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream.

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