Soba + Shrimp + Peanut Sauce = Love

I cook two ways around my house. There are times when I'm cooking to impress... trying something new and exciting, that I hope to blog about, share with friends, or just feel accomplished after making. Daring Bakers/Cooks, exotic dishes, multi-element Sunday dinners, you know that type of menu. But I can't cook like that every night, so there are plenty of nights when my goal is to make a tasty, fresh, low-fuss meal.

This was just a regular every night dinner. I was making some of the leftover frozen potstickers from last month's Daring Cooks, and I wanted an interesting side dish to serve with the potstickers. I was flipping through some old recipes from Cooking Light, and I came across this recipe for Soba and Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing. I really like trying different slaw recipes, and I knew I had some leftover soba noodles in my pantry, so I decided to give this a try. WOW! It was simple to prepare, and tasted amazing! The peanut sauce was just the right amout of hot and salty, the cabbage had a nice crunch, and the soba noodles really soaked up the sauce. Every ingredient contributed to the final flavor, and it was pretty darn healthy, too. Not to mention I only had to turn on the stove top for a few minutes to cook the noodles, which means this is a good option for dinner on a hot summer night. This would have been a good stand-alone dish, and the red cabbage stayed crunchy long enough for a couple leftover lunches. Keep an eye out for good prices on shrimp, and use that as your excuse to try this delisious weeknight meal.

Soba and Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing

from Cooking Light, June 2005

Ingredients
6 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat) noodles, broken in half
6 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups grated carrot
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
1/2 pound coarsely chopped cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons Thai chile paste with garlic
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; rinse with cold water.

Combine noodles, shredded cabbage, carrot, 1/2 cup green onions, and shrimp in a large bowl.

Combine soy sauce and next 4 ingredients (through chile paste) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add soy sauce mixture to noodle mixture, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions and peanuts.

Classic Cookout with Palm Leaf Plates

Have you seen the Marx Foods website before? It's an amazing collection of exotic and hard to find meats and gourmet foods. They even have a blog, which I enjoy reading for culinary inspiration! A few weeks ago I saw an offer on their website that I had to respond to-- they were looking for bloggers to test out their eco-friendly palm leaf plates. I said I would love to review them, and a few days later the plates arrived.

Dig in!

I consider myself a pretty green person, and I try to avoid disposable plates, silverware, and napkins whenever possible. Having a smaller city condo helps, because we rarely have more dinner guests than we have plates! We use cloth napkins instead of paper, and I only use paper towels on extra-dirty messes. The palm leaf plates are a dream-- they are made from palm leafs that naturally fall off the trees, and it's a renewable process. The plates are biodegradable, so you can feel totally guilt-free when you pull out a stack for your next get together! I also thought they had a kind of eco-chic look, and I could picture them as part of a stylish outdoor spread. They are more expensive than typical paper plates, but if they fit in your budget I would totally recommend these plates. You can find them at this link: http://www.marxfoods.com/Eco-Friendly-Plates. And check out the whole Marx Foods site while you're at it-- there is a lot of cool stuff to buy and send to me :)

I wanted to test the plates with some heavy-duty food, so I figured American Cookout food would fit the bill. I made BBQ sauce from this recipe on Pithy and Clever, and used it for BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches. The sauce was a good first attempt, but I would like to try other recipes. I also made fantastic baked beans, which are one of my favorite foods of all time. I was ashamed to say I had never made baked beans from scratch before this night, but I think this recipe was darn close to perfect. It didn't take much time, and the flavor was spot on. I recommended them to my mom for the 4th of July, and she reported back with rave reviews. I also made a German Potato salad from Emeril on Food Network, and my friends liked it so much that I made the same recipe three days later for a 4th of July cookout. This whole menu was one I will gladly repeat again and again.

German Potato Salad
From Emeril Lagasse on foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
2 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and medium diced
Salt
6 oz raw bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped onions
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ to 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup whole grain mustard
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
¼ cup chopped green onions

In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and drain well. Keep warm. In a saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Add the onions. Season with black pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, crispy bacon/onions with fat, vinegar, to taste, mustard, eggs, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Using the back of a spoon, mash the mixture together. The salad should be well blended but with some lumps.

Baked Beans
From Dave Lieberman on foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
8 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 twenty-eight ounce cans red beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put a heavy-bottomed pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the fat renders and bacon begins to crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the ketchup, tomato puree, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and cayenne and mix well.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the beans until well coated, cover, and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the lid and continue baking until sauce thickens and the beans begin to brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Book Club Savory Loaf

I got the Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook a while back, and value it for creative, french recipes with an international touch. Some of the recipes are familiar parts of French cuisine, like quiche or Steak Tartare. But Clotilde is so creative, and offers innovate creations alongside french classics passed through generations. I've enjoyed the recipes I've tried in the past, and I realized a couple weeks ago that this book had been gathering dust on my bookshelf for longer than I would like!

The perfect occasion to pull the cookbook back out came along last weekend, when I was choosing a recipe for my book club get together. Our book had some Spanish references in it, so I decided to make something with a Spanish flavor to complement the Sangria our hostess was serving. I remembered a recipe for Chorizo, Sun Dried Tomato, and Pistachio loaf, decided the chorizo was enough of a Spanish spin for my tastes. This recipe was perfect for book club-- easy to hold in one hand, interesting and exotic, yet not too strange for the more cautious palates in the group. Everyone really loved it, and I was pleased with the results. I think this would be an ideal pre-dinner snack to serve along with a glass of white wine, like David Lebovitz recommends.

Tomato, Pistachio, and Chorizo Loaf

From Chocolate and Zucchini, by Clotilde Dusoulier

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp sesame seeds-- one for the pan, one for the topping

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (I used greek 2%)

3 1/2 oz Spanish chorizo, skin removed, diced

12 sun dried tomato halves, packed in oil, drained and finely diced

3/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

3/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, sprinkle half the sesame seeds onto the bottom and sides, and shake the pan to coat.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a small mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, wisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper. Pour in the oil and yogurt, and whisk again. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. Don't overmix- a few lumps are ok. Fold in the chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes, pistachios, and parsley. Stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the surface with a spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes our clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then unmold and cool completely on a rack. Cut into slices or cubes just before serving.

St Louis Pizza-- No Provel Allowed!

Wow, the last week has flown by! I've been adjusting to my new schedule, which involves a part time nanny job, a part time job at a cooking/kitchen store, and part time school. It is crazy, with a different schedule every day, but I have to say I'm much happier than I was at my old job. And I'm excited about getting back into teaching, so I continue to feel I made the right decision when I quit my job to go back to school.

As you might have guessed, this new schedule has not left me much time for cooking. My part time job is mostly evenings/weekends, and my summer class meets two nights a week. This means a home cooked dinner has been happening about once a week, if I'm lucky! We've also been doing the typical summer road tripping, which meant we spent last weekend visiting my parents in their new home base of St Louis. It's just a 5 or 6 hour drive from Chicago, which is a lot easier than flying to the Netherlands!

The best pizza in StL, at least in my opinion :)

We always eat well when visiting my family, and this trip was no exception. My mom made a huge Mexican spread including these tortillas, and made two tasty cakes to help my sister and I celebrate our birthdays. Then on Father's Day we ended up near Pi Pizza, which we've been dying to try. Apparently Barack Obama loved Pi when he was campaigning in St Louis, and we had to see what the big deal was! It didn't look very crowded, so we thought we'd see if they had space for our party of 8. They had a big table up front that was perfect for us, and I am so glad they did! This place was fantastic! They're into being "green, local, etc", which you see a lot of these days. But that mentality doesn't always mean great food, right? We had four pizzas, two thin and two deep dish, and loved them all. The deep dish was true Chicago style, with some of the best crust Joe and I have ever had. We figure the owner or chef must have some Chicago roots, because some of the pizzas were named after Chicago neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Bucktown. The toppings were fresh and well matched, and only a couple slices lasted long enough to be boxed up for the next day's lunch. The $4 PBR pitchers were like the icing on the cake, and I can promise you I'll be visiting Pi again on a future trip to St. Louis!

The whole gang. Happy Father's Day!

Thin crust samplings. We had them bring the thin ones while the deep dish was still cooking, just in case someone would starve in between... Good call :)

My cute sister and her finace, all excited for true Chicago style Pizza.

Does this even need a caption?

And can I please get a slice, ASAP?

Bulgur Veggie Burgers

Lately we've had a lot of success around here with eating less meat. While Joe and I are not becoming completely vegetarian, we have been limiting our meat to probably 2 or 3 dinners per week. This leaves us a lot of time to experiment with vegetarian cuisine. We're getting used to the different grains and protien sources used frequently by vegetarian cooks, but I think we still have a lot to learn.

We've loved veggie burgers as long as I can remember, and always have a box or two in the freezer for busy nights. More than once we've attempted homemade varieties, but the mushy texture has distracted us from the great flavor of previous tries. We made cannellini bean burgers and spicy lentil burgers, and both times the mixture squished out of the sides of the bun. No matter how good they tasted, that is a texture issue I can't look past. I didn't blog about either attempt, because I couldn't figure out how to make these burgers worth trying.

Finally, Joe stumbled across this recipe for Bulgur Burgers, and I think we've struck gold! They burgers held their shape AND tasted good... what more could I ask for? You could play around with the type of beans or the seasoning, but I think the bulger wheat is the key to keeping the burgers together.

Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayo

from epicurious.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup water
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
4 slices multi-grain bread, toasted

Equipment: a perforated grill sheet (we did them straight on the grill)

Accompaniments: lettuce; sliced tomato (napa cabbage leafs leftover from Potstickers were good too!)

Directions

Cook half of onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and soy sauce.

Pulse bulgur mixture, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into 4 (31/2-inch-diameter) patties. Chill at least 10 minutes.

While patties chill, stir together mayonnaise, zest, and juice.

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas). Put perforated grill sheet on grill and preheat 10 minutes. Brush patties all over with oil. Oil grill sheet, then grill burgers on grill sheet, covered only if using a gas grill, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total.

Serve burgers open-faced on toast with lime mayonnaise.

I served this with leftover Couscous with grilled zucchini and chickpeas, a fantastic side dish.

Daring Cooks: Potstickers and dumplings!

This month the Daring Cooks tried their second recipe, and I have to say I had so much fun with it! Jen from Use Real Butter was our host, and she picked an authentic Chinese recipe for us to try. Potstickers are something I love to eat out (who doesn't!), but I had not yet tried them at home. Even if I'd been inspired to try them, I have a feeling I would have picked up pre-made wrappers. Making potstickers was a challenge in terms of the time it took, but the process was enjoyable, and the results were so authentic and addictive! The recipe made a TON, so I am pleased to now have some extras in the freezer waiting for a rainy (or busy) day.

If you're looking for a fun weekend activity, give these a try! Just budget your time accordingly, or invite lots of helpers, because it does take a while to get everything chopped, rolled, pleated, etc. If you want some helpful advice, check out Jen's original potsticker post at Use Real Butter. Also go to the Daring Kitchen website to see pictures of everyone's creations, and while you're at it go ahead and join our group!

See how I did the pleats?

For my potstickers I made two batches of Jen's dough. I did a batch of potstickers with her shrimp filling, which was fantastic! I also made a vegetarian version, which I've listed below. It was not as flavorful as I'd hoped, but they were still good. I think next time I'd skip the tofu and just add more veggies. See what you think.

Vegetarian Potstickers with Mushrooms and Tofu

From Jolinda Hackett on about.com

Ingredients:
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 1 block tofu, well pressed, and crumbled
· 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced small
· 1/2 cup Napa cabbage, diced small
· 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 3 scallions, diced
· 2 tbsp soy sauce
· 1 tsp sesame oil
· dash red pepper flakes (optional)
· 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation:
Sautee the crumbled tofu, mushrooms and cabbage in olive oil along with ginger and garlic for a few minutes. When the tofu and mushrooms are almost done cooking, add the scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes, stirring well to combine.

Allow to cook for one or two more minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the fresh cilantro.

Fuss-Free Empanadas

I used to work as a class assistant at The Wooden Spoon, a great kitchen store in the Andersonville neighborhood here in Chicago. It was such a fun job, and I loved being an insider in this food-centric neighborhood. Andersonville is known throughout Chicago for it's great restaurants, and there was a strong community within the area. The owner at the Wooden Spoon was always sharing insider information she learned from the restauranteurs in the neighborhood, and the trick for these empanadas was probably the best tip I heard during my time at the store.

I was surprised when I came to work one day and found out we would be making empanadas using pre-made dough. This seemed like a Sandra Lee shortcut, and not the way a professional would do things. I came to find out that one of my favorite restaurants in Andersonville made their amazing empanadas using this pre-made dough, and I was very intrigued. At the end of class I got to taste the final result, and I was sold! The dough tasted fresh and authentic, and could be fried or baked.

Recently I stumbled across this empanada dough at the Mexican grocery store by my house, and I figured it was time to try my hand at making empanadas at home. I picked two recipes online, and went to work. I figured since it was my first attempt it was best to start with a recipe someone had already created, but now that I'm more comfortable I think empanadas are the type of thing where you can invent your own filling combinations. I would highly recommend these fillings-- both were very flavorful! Even if you can't find these empanada dough discs around where you live, I recommend you try to make you own. Either recipe yields great results!

Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Empanadas
By Emeril Lagasse from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
2 slices of yellow squash (1/2-inch thick, sliced vertically)
2 slices of zucchini (1/2-inch thick, sliced vertically)
2 slices of eggplant (1/2-inch thick, sliced into rings)
1/2 head of endive
1 red onion ring (1/2-inch thick)
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
2 green onions
Olive oil
Essence, recipe follows
3 small tortilla rounds, julienned (I skipped)
1/2 to 1 cup goat cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup roasted garlic puree
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

Directions

Preheat the grill. Preheat the fryer.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, toss the vegetables with olive oil and season with Essence. Place the vegetables on the hot grill. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the vegetables from the grill and dice. Place the diced vegetables in a mixing bowl. Fry the tortilla strips for about 2 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the fryer. Stir in enough cheese to bind the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the roasted garlic and crumble the tortillas into the filling. Stir in the parsley.

To assemble, spoon about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the filling in the center of each empanada dough rounds. Fold over to form a half-moon pie shape and crimp the edges to seal. Place the empanadas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.

Roll out each disc so it's a bit bigger.

Green Chile Chicken Empanadas
By Tyler Florence from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
8 medium tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds), husked and rinsed
1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed
1 Spanish onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 lime, juiced
Salt
2 cups finely shredded, cooked chicken, preferably dark meat
1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, and garlic. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatillos are soft. Drain and cool slightly. Combine the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice in a blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and process to a coarse puree; season with a generous pinch of salt. You should have about 3 cups of this salsa verde.

Combine the shredded chicken and queso fresco in a large mixing bowl. Pour in 1 1/2cups of the salsa verde and fold the ingredients together to moisten. Use as a filling for empanadas. Serve the remaining salsa verde on the side.