Edamame & Veggie Salad with Noodles

With the temp hitting the 90s today, I was in the mood for something that would be satisfying but refreshing. Tonight's dinner was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in Plenty for Warm Glass Noodles and Edamame. I've been smitten with the recipes in Plenty. A dear friend gifted me the book this week, and it's been on my nightstand - the last thing I read before I go to bed. Gorgeous photos and plenty of inspiration.

This "recipe" is just a guideline of sorts. You can experiment with different veggies that are languishing in your fridge. I had some week-old chard and sugar snap peas, so I threw those in, both to increase the veggie quotient and also because I hate to waste produce. Ottolenghi uses glass (cellophane) noodles, but I had some special rice noodles on hand, gifted by my mother from one of her trips to Taiwan. You can find both types of noodles fairly easily these days, but the rice noodles from my mom are super fine and delicate, thinner than capellini. I'll have to do some research to see if I can find them closer to home.

Hubby and I loved the dish. Katie asked for seconds, but sheepishly admitted that she did not like cilantro. Amanda (not so sheepishly) scolded me for forgetting that she does not like the taste of cilantro. Okay, so next time I'll add the cilantro in separately for the grown-ups' portion.

Oh, and I had some turkey bacon that needed to be used, so I sliced some up to add color, flavor and additional protein, but you can add in diced tofu instead, or just omit altogether.

Will definitely make this again, but I would save it for a weekend night or do some of the veggie prep the night before. It is relatively easy to make, but it does take some time to prep the veggies and herbs.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
7 ounces glass or rice noodles (dried)

Sauce ingredients:
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
juice of 1 large lemon (or 2 medium)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp agave (or honey)
2 tsp guava jam (Ottolenghi calls for tamarind paste, but I didn't have any on hand)
1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
salt (optional)

Salad ingredients:
1 bunch chard (no need to chop)
4 slices turkey bacon, thinly sliced (short ribbons)
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed (I loved eating these, but you can pick out at the end if you wish; don't omit, because this adds a lovely aroma to the dish)
2 1/2 cups shelled cooked edamame (I used Trader Joe's frozen edamame - take 5 minutes to cook)
handful of sugar snap peas, sliced on the diagonal
3 green onions, thinly sliced (including some of the green)
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
salt (optional)

Directions:
1) Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water until soft (5-7 minutes). Drain and leave to dry.

2) For the chard, bring a large pot of water to boil. Throw the chard in and make sure the water covers all of it, especially the stems. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool. After it has cooled down, squeeze and drain. Finely chop and set aside.

3) While the chard is boiling, make the sauce by whisking together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside. Add salt to taste (I found it unnecessary).
4) Rinse and dry the large pot you used for the chard. Heat the sunflower oil in the pot and add the garlic. Once it turns a bit golden, add the turkey bacon. Once the bacon crisps up, turn off the heat.

5) Add the sauce and noodles. Stir together.
6) Add the chard, edamame, snap peas, green onions and herbs. Stir together and taste. Add salt if needed.

mint, cilantro and green onion

sugar snap peas

7) Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

Holy Grail Granola

Obsessed, I've been, with this granola recipe since the fall of 2012. And it's been utterly selfish of me to have waited this long to share with you. I hadn't been a huge granola fan, as I've found storebought versions to be cloyingly sweet and clumpy, but then I was introduced to Blue Bottle Coffee's house made granola, and it was a revelation to me - perfect balance of sweet and savory, and not all clumpy, with crispy-shattery shards of yummy goodness. And then I came across Molly Wizenberg's granola recipe, of Orangette fame; she adapted the recipe from Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Foods - you can find the original recipe at Food 52. I daresay this recipe blows Blue Bottle's granola out of the water.

I've tweaked Molly's recipe a few times to reduce the sweetness more to my taste, and have found this recipe to be very forgiving. The pecans are wonderful, but I found myself completely out of pecans during one try, and walnuts are a great substitute. This will last at room temperature for a month, but I'm pretty sure it won't last that long in your household. This is one of Katie's favorite breakfast meals - granola mixed with some greek yogurt and berries. And it's also a very addictive snack. Oh, and the smell while it's baking - forget baking an apple pie during your open house - this is the thing to stick in your oven. Makes for great holiday gifts for neighbors and teachers, too. The dried fruit is optional, but I highly recommend the combo of currants and golden flame raisins - the tiny currants and the plump raisins add another level of deliciousness. I've tried dried cranberries and dried cherries as well, and it turned out perfectly adequate, but there is something magical about the currants and golden flame raisins - trust me! The heat of the granola makes parts of the currants and golden raisins browned, slightly crispy - and yet parts are still chewy. The texture and the faint sweetness add another dimension to the granola.

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
1 1/4 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped (you can choose to keep them whole, but the smaller pieces make for a better texture)
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (Maldon)
1/4 cup maple syrup (any grade will do) - if you prefer more sweetness, increase to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup olive oil (need not be extra virgin, as you are baking the granola - save the expensive stuff for your dressings) OR melted coconut oil (further enhances the coconut flavor)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup Zante currants
1/2 cup golden flame raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat.

In a large bowl, mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut chips, pecans, light brown sugar, salt and cinnamon (if you choose to add cinnamon) together. Add the maple syrup and olive oil, and stir until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be wet and a bit clumpy at this point.

Spread the contents of the bowl onto the baking sheet pan. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is golden brown - about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the granola from the oven. Stir in the currants and golden raisins. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Makes about 7 cups. Try not to devour in one sitting.

Coconut Curry Spinach, Chickpeas & Cauliflower

It's a new year, and as much as I love food, I'm ready to leave the excesses of the holidays behind for a bit and indulge in some healthier fare. I'm trying to incorporate at least one meatless meal for dinner each week, and this is my first vegetarian foray for 2013. A total experiment, and it turned out to be a hit. I love it when that happens. It's always fun to experiment, but I tend to feel deflated when the results don't quite measure up. What I love about this is how quickly and easily everything comes together - seriously, this was my first time and it took about 30 minutes. I think with practice and knowing what to do, this could come together in even less time. This makes a huge pot, which will provide many a meal. It tastes even more flavorful the day or two after, as the flavors get to know each other better (many thanks to my friend Richard, who introduced me to this phrase back in the '90s!) and deepen. This recipe freezes beautifully, so you get a lot for pretty minimal effort.

The key to saving time for yourself is to defrost a 16-oz. bag of frozen spinach the night before. Just take it out of the freezer, plop the unopened bag onto a plate, and let it sit in the fridge. Alternatively, you could defrost it in the microwave.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons curry powder (or more, to your liking - I kept it mild for the kiddies but would add more next time)
1 16 oz. bag of frozen spinach, defrosted overnight
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
Salt
Pepper

Steps:
1) Steam cauliflower until tender.

2) While cauliflower is cooking, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a big pot over medium heat. Toast curry powder until fragrant.

3) Add spinach, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes (with the tomato juice) and coconut milk. Simmer.

4) When cauliflower is tender, add to pot and mix well, breaking up the cauliflower into smaller pieces.

5) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6) Serve atop grain of your choice. Some ideas: basmati rice (white or brown), quinoa, millet, bulgur. (Trader Joe's recently introduced these 10-minute grain packs for farro, barley and bulgur and they are easy and delicious!)

Verdict? It's going to be a repeat in my repertoire of weekday dinners. The girls enjoyed it, and the hubby enjoyed it, too. I think he was a bit suspicious at first, peering at the pot, stirring the wooden spoon inquisitively, as if in search of something. "Is there any meat in here?" But now he's on board with my idea of incorporating more meatless meals into our weekly meal routine. Here's to your health, happiness and nourishment in 2013!

"Slow-cooked" Kale

I love kale, and this may be my favorite preparation of it yet, especially in these cold winter months. (Yes, it's cold here in southern California, at least for this weather wimp!)

This is inspired by Suzanne Goin's recipe for a dressing/stuffing, of which the base is comprised of slow-cooked Tuscan, or lacinato (or dino) kale. And despite the title, it really doesn't take all that long. It just takes longer than your usual sauté of kale, and I promise you that the extra minutes are well worth it.

For my girls' still developing palates, I've removed Chef Goin's chile de arbol and I've added zante currants for a little sweetness.

The key here is the stirring of the kale and a little patience. I normally would have taken the pan off the heat at the stage it is in the above pic, but just wait and stir a little bit more...

Et voila, it cooks down to this unctuously silky and luxurious blend of caramelized onions and chewy yet crispy-in-some-spots kale. Perfect for vegetarians if you're looking for a toothsome dish. And if there is anything left over, save even a tablespoon of this good stuff, as it is divine over creamy scrambled eggs.

I served this with my faithful slow-cooked chicken standby, along with Rancho Gordo ayocote morado beans (purple runners) and some leftover ratatouille quinoa. Verdict? Seven year-old Katie loved the kale, as did hubby and I. Four-year old Amanda? Not so much - "Too chewy!" pronounced she. Well, she'll get plenty of practice chewing on this dish, because this is at the top of my list!

Slow-Cooked Kale

(adapted from Suzanne Goin's recipe, Bon Appétit, November 2012)

Ingredients

Kosher salt

1 lb. Tuscan kale (no need to remove center ribs, but chop off tough stems at bottom)

1/4 cup olive oil (no need for EVOO, since you're cooking this for a while)

1/2 sprig rosemary

1 cup sliced yellow onion

Ground black pepper

2 garlic gloves, smashed and minced

1/4 cup zante currants (or raisins), optional

Preparation (you can do steps 1 and 2 somewhat simultaneously to save some time)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch for 2-4 minutes, until a light emerald green. Drain in colander, let cool, and squeeze out excess water. Coarsely chop and set aside.

2. Heat a large pan over medium heat for a minute. Add the olive oil and rosemary sprig, and let the rosemary infuse the olive oil for a minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the sliced onion. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes, and then add the garlic. Keep cooking until onion is tender and golden-brown.

3. Add the coarsely chopped kale to the pan, sprinkle a little more salt, and reduce heat to low. Keep stirring, about 20-30 minutes, until kale turns from emerald green to a dark, dark green. (see photos above). If you wish, add in the currants, stir. Taste and season more if needed.

Chicken Corn Soup

Yet another quick dish that the slow cooker chicken will yield for you on a busy day. It's a great bang for your buck kind of dish, in terms of both time and effort. And it gets raves, every time, from both of the girls and the hubby. If you have homemade broth on hand (another gift from the slow cooker chicken), it really adds a nice depth of flavor. But, in a pinch, chicken broth from the store will work fine as well.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth

16-oz. bag of frozen corn

3 or 4 eggs (beaten)

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken

Salt

White pepper (optional)

Soy sauce (optional)

Toasted sesame oil

Chopped scallions and/or cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

Bring approximately six cups of chicken broth to a simmer and then add a 16-oz. bag of frozen corn kernels into the pot. If you have an immersion stick blender, then blitz here and there - the effect that you are aiming for is a creamed corn blend, while still leaving some corn kernels intact. If you don't have an immersion stick blender, then scoop up two or three cups of the corn broth into a regular blender, let cool and then blend (again, with the idea of getting a slightly chunky creamed corn blend - don't liquefy it). If using a regular blender, then return the blended corn broth into the pot.

Beat three to four eggs and then gently and slowly add the eggs to the pot in a figure eight motion. Add the shredded chicken to the pot. Add salt and white pepper to taste, with a tidge of soy sauce if you'd like. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil - this really makes the dish sing. And top with chopped scallions and/or cilantro if you'd like. Comfort in a bowl! And it beats Chinese take-out's version every time!

Chawanmushi (aka Steamed Egg Custard)

This is one of the top dishes in my girls' book. Amanda even went so far to proclaim: "Dis is dee best deener in my life!" Granted, she's only four years old, but still, she's had over 1,400 dinners in her lifetime! It's magical, what some eggs and chicken broth can do, and then atop rice or quinoa? Total comfort. And it's easy for a certain someone to eat when she is missing two front teeth!

I start out by beating four eggs, and as you can see, I'm not the smoothest operator when it comes to cracking eggs!

Meanwhile, I have my flavor-packed broth from the bottom of the slow cooker chicken. This pic is before I strained the broth. Also, I have two big handfuls of thawed bay shrimp (no pic, sorry).

Then I strain the four beaten eggs and two cups of broth into a bowl. I didn't add any seasonings because the broth was already so flavorful and had plenty of salt. If you are adding chicken broth from a can or box, you may want to add salt and white pepper to taste.

If you have a steamer, go for it. I don't have a steamer, so I place a steamer insert on top of a ramekin in a pot, and then I add some water to the pot.

Pour the egg/broth mixture into four bowls or ramekins. And here is where you can get creative. You can leave it be, or you can add chopped up fishcakes, sliced shiitake mushrooms, gingko nuts, pieces of chicken. My girls don't like too much texture, as it can offset the smoothness, so add according to your tastes. I added some bay shrimp to this dish. (Note: whatever you add will sink to the bottom, and that's okay).

Steam for about 20 minutes and let rest about 5 minutes. The great thing is that this can be done from start to finish in about half an hour, making it pretty doable for a weeknight dinner. I scooped it over some brown rice and served with some braised yellow squash. The girls inhaled this, and Katie claimed the leftovers for the next day's lunch. It may not be the prettiest dish, but the velvety, smooth custard is addictive. Katie had four helpings!

Slow Cooker Chicken aka Manna From Heaven

This is the dish that keeps on giving. And the best part is what a wonderful result you get for such little effort. Honestly, the hardest thing for me has been to remember to push the on button before I leave for work. It was a woefully sad moment the day I forgot to turn on the slow cooker, and lo, when I came home expecting the aroma of chicken, lemon, garlic and thyme, I was faced with having to throw away an uncooked chicken. Do not let this happen to you! So, after a year or so of tweaks, I've settled into my routine for this dish. You can prep the night before, stick the chicken in the fridge and then cook in the morning. In fact, I like it better this way, because the salt has a brining effect, making the chicken more flavorful and tender.

I like to use an organic whole chicken; it's worth the price, considering how many meals this provides, along with the chicken stock you can make from the bones. Rinse and pat dry. Be sure to remove the gizzards, liver, heart and neck from the cavity. (If I were more ambitious, I'd save the liver to make chicken liver mousse, but that's for another phase of my life, maybe after the girls have left for college.) GENEROUSLY salt with kosher salt (I use Diamond or Morton's) and add freshly ground pepper. Rub, rub, rub - outside and inside the cavity.

Add half a lemon, a few unpeeled cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

When you are ready to cook, set it on low for 6 to 8 hours. 

(For reference, I use a nearly decade-old Rival slow cooker - am coveting a fancy schmancy stainless steel cooker that I can brown food in, but can't justify buying a new one when this one works fine. And it was a wedding gift, and I am ever the sentimental loyalist.)

And this tip is mainly for me: TURN THE SLOW COOKER ON!

Leave the house, twirl around and tra la la, be prepared to be assailed with the wonderful aromas of chicken, citrus, garlic and herbs - and behold wondrously tender meat. Seriously, the meat falls off the bones. And the top part yields crispy skin that is not fatty at all - such a treat. 

(Apologies for my shadowy iPhone shot!)

The slow-cooked lemon infuses the chicken beautifully - it has that preserved lemon yumminess that you enjoy in some Middle Eastern dishes. And the cloves of garlic? They are like buttah - spread those little gems on some of the meat or on pita bread - unctuously velvety decadence.

And the possibilities! So good atop some rice or quinoa and some steamed broccoli or green beans. Awesome in quesadillas, chicken tacos, chicken salad... And oh so good in my chicken corn soup, which will be in my next post. 

Freeze the bones if you don't have time to make stock right away. And don't dump the broth that pools under the chicken! Put it in a container and put in fridge overnight. Then use a spoon to scoop off that layer of congealed fat. Use the broth as a base for soup, to flavor rice or pasta, or.... use it for one of my girls' faves: chawanmushi - steamed egg custard. It makes all the difference in this dish, which I'll write about soon. Please try this slow cooker chicken dish. It is SO easy and healthy! And best of all, tasty!