Eat Posts

Lobster Mushroom Bisque

  OMG…. Heaven in a bowl!!! I seriously couldn’t get enough of this stuff. When are we going mushroom hunting again??? Unfortunately lobster mushroom season is slowly coming to an end in the Pacific Northwest. This was my first season going mushroom picking and we had such a great time wandering in the woods! None of us got lost and we had a great haul (although we didn’t really get any of the really large chanterelles). We collected tons of yellow and white chanterelles, lobster mushrooms, and chicken of the woods. We pretty much ate mushrooms everyday of the week and we still have chanterelles in the freezer. The lobster mushrooms were definitely my favorite, but we had fun with the chanterelles and chicken of the woods too. We made this lobster mushroom bisque from One Tomato Two Tomato with only a few changes… mostly just to accommodate what we already had in our kitchen. The bisque turned out fantastic! You … Continue reading →
blood_orange_asparagus_tofu_header

Blood Orange Roasted Tofu and Asparagus

Spring is here!!! Which means asparagus is super cheap at the market. I dug and dug all over the internet for an asparagus recipe that wasn’t the same old same and came across this recipe from Eating Well. I loved … Continue reading →
Prosciutto Fennel Grapefruit Salad Header lighter

Prosciutto, Grilled Fennel, & Grapefruit Salad

Thank you Martha Stewert for this amazing salad!!!! My husband is now hooked on grapefruit… and it used to be a struggle to get him to eat it. The salad we made was pretty similar to Martha’s but we made … Continue reading →
East Meets West Red Curry

East Meets West Red Curry

I made an AMAZING curry for Steve and I last week. He was craving braised beef short ribs and I was craving Thai curry and Indian curry…. I really couldn’t decide. So I decided to combine them all into one … Continue reading →
lentil soup header

Healthy Lentil Soup

I’ve gotta be honest. I haven’t been eating alot of meat lately and I’ve been feeling a bit tired. And the weather has been pretty shitty, so I made a GIANT batch of lentil soup hoping that it would give … Continue reading →
phiphiboat.jpg

Spicy Thai Yellow Curry

After two weeks of craving curry, we finally took a Sunday evening to make our own curry paste….why did we wait so long? Ingredients for Thai Yellow Curry Paste Serves 3. 4-5 dried chilies (soaked in water for 10-15 minutes) … Continue reading →
Cauliflower hazelnut soup header

Toasted Hazelnut and Cauliflower Soup

Steve and I are always trying to find ways to incorporate more veggies into our diet and we’ve been on a cauliflower kick lately. We’ve made a cauliflower pizza crust…yum; and now we’ve made this AMAZING soup…I think it’s just … Continue reading →

Spicy Vietnamese Beef & Noodle Soup

Posted on by
Reply

I just found this buried deep within the archives of my blog….forgotten, unpublished and without a pic, but I figured I’d just post it anyway, since we’re in Vietnam right now….and it’s kind of a westernized version of Vietnamese Pho.

This is one of our favorite recipes from Beverly Leblanc’s recipe book called Soups: 365 Delicious and Nutritious Recipes. It’s fairly easy to make, pretty healthy, and hearty enough to call a meal. The only changes we make are substituting beef broth instead of beef stock, we add thai chilis to the simmer, and we add basil as one of the herbal garnishes. This time we forgot to throw the red peppers into the simmer, so we ended up adding them at the end…it was still good, but I’d definitely not forget them again.

Recipe

Serves 3-4 hungry people.

2 cartons Pacific Foods Organic Beef Broth
1 1/2 pounds top sirloin, cut into thin strips (against the grain)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 inch section of gingerroot, peeled and minced (we usually do a little more than this)
4-5 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom  seeds
1- 1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 package of rice noodles (pad thai size…vermicelli rice noodles work fine too)
3 thai chilis
lime cut into wedges
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
handful of mint, chopped
handful of thai basil (or regular), chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large jalapeño, sliced
1 cup of beansprouts

Instructions:

1. Soak bean sprouts in cold water until ready to use.

2. In a large soup pot combine beef broth, thai chilis, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom seeds and fish sauce, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add bell peppers for the last few minutes until they have softened.

3. Pre-cook noodles according to package.

4. Remove spices from pot with chopsticks, slotted spoon, or other utensil.

5. In deep serving bowls combine beef (uncooked), noodles and bean sprouts. Pour boiling (or near boiling) broth over the top and garnish with cilantro, mint, basil, jalapeño, green onions and lime.

We love our asian condiments, so we usually also serve it with sambal, siracha, spicy black bean sauce…you get the picture….anything spicy we have in the fridge will usually end up in the soup, but it’s also delicious when served a bit more mild.

We’re soup addicts and usually make soup(from scratch) atleast once a week, so we’ve loved using Beverly LeBlanc’s Soups: 365 Delicious and Nutritious Recipescookbook. I don’t think it is being published anymore, but I’ve seen used copies for cheap on Amazon.

Food Coma

Posted on by
1

Steve and I stuffed ourselves silly during a full day cooking course at Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School. We ate so well in Chiang Mai….mostly we ate tons of Khao Soi (Khow Soy), a delicious yellow curry with egg noodles, chicken, fresh red onion, crispy noodles and lime.

Between stuffing ourselves to oblivion we enjoyed plenty of mojitos at Griffin Bar. I have a sweet spot for Griffin Bar…Egg and his friends are always welcoming and they don’t mind practicing their English. They’ll help you plan a moto trip, whip up a mean mojito (for only 50 Baht), and if you’re lucky they’ll treat you to some live music. Griffin Bar’s street front is completely nondescript and without their sign advertising 50 baht mojitos you probably wouldn’t give it a second look(on Soi 7 off of Moonmaung). Before you know it you’ll be helping Egg hold up the bar and you’ll be many mojitos deep…and each one is stronger than the last.

Mojitos, reggae and impromptu jam sessions…

And about that cooking school induced food coma….or maybe it was a mojito induced coma…

Sawat, our cooking instructor at Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School, was AWESOME!!! He was hilarious, his english was nearly perfect and he was patient…far more patient than I would have been. They had a menu of about 18 different dishes so we could choose our favorites to learn how to make. Everything was delicious. For about $30-35 a person we each learned how to make 6 dishes including how to make our own curry paste and Sawat made one of our favorites….green papaya salad.

chiang mai cooking class1

From the top left: curry paste at the market, my homemade curry paste, yellow curry ingredients and the finished product.

We were stuffed after the first three dishes. Steve made: green curry (the paste and the dish), tom yum soup, chicken basil stir fry, fried spring rolls, and bananas in coconut milk. And I made chicken coconut galangal soup, yellow curry (the paste and the dish), cashew chicken, fried big noodles, and mango sticky rice.

Here are some more pics from our day of cooking class.

chiang mai cooking class2

From top left: Sawat (our cooking instructor), Minced chicken for Steve’s Chicken Basil, Cashew Chicken, and sauces and seasonings from the market

chiang_mai_cs_tom_yum_soup

Steve’s Tom Yum Soup

chiang_mai_cs_chicken_basil

Chicken Basil Stir Fry

chiang_mai_cs_coconut_soup_ingredients

For all of our dishes we used super fresh ingredients from the market and their garden.

chiang_mai_cs_roselle

Roselle at the cooking school’s garden.

If anyone is interested in any of the recipes just shoot me a message and I’ll forward a copy to you.

Hershey’s Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

Posted on by
Reply

After weeks of craving chocolate one of my girlfriends convinced me to make this ridiculously easy chocolate pudding cake. You probably have everything you need in your fridge and pantry…we had everything, but the milk, so we used heavy cream instead…not quite healthy but absolutely delicious. We served ours with French vanilla ice cream and it was perfect. The recipe is found over at Hershey’s Kitchens and here’s a picture of our ooey-gooey chocolaty dessert.

hersheys chocolate pudding cake

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!!!

Chipotle Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

Posted on by
Reply
chipotle black bean and sweet potato tacos

Super quick and easy gluten free, vegetarian tacos!!!

Recipe

Serves 2-3.

1 can organic black beans, strained
2 small-medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1 cup red cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons
1 avocado, sliced
cilantro
1/2 cup pico de gallo (diced tomato, red pepper, jalapeño,onion, lime, cilantro, salt and pepper toss them all together)
6 corn tortilla shells
2 teaspoons grapeseed oil (veg oil work too)
crumbled feta or cotija cheese
cumin
chili powder
salt and pepper
lime

 

 Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan combine black beans and chipotle and heat over low-medium heat.

2. In a saute pan heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat and add the sweet potatoes. Saute until tender and golden. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.

3. Warm your tortillas and dress them the way you like.

 

 

Creamy Potato and Kale Soup with Parmesan Garlic Toasts

Posted on by
Reply
creamy potato and kale soup

Yum…I can’t wait to eat the leftover soup!!!

Soup Recipe

Serves 6 as entree.

1 bunch of kale, rinsed, stems removed and chopped
5 medium potatoes, rinsed and cubed
1/2 cup half and half or cream (optional)
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 smallish-medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 leek, rinsed, tough green parts removed, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound italian sausage (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized soup pot and add onions and leeks (set aside 1/4 cup). Cook until tender and slightly translucent.

2. Add garlic for a couple of minutes, then spices, and broth. Bring to a boil and then add potatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add kale and simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. In a saute pan cook the italian sausage along with the remaining 1/4 cup of leeks until golden. Drain on paper towel and cover with foil to keep warm.

5. Add half and half or cream and then puree contents with an immersion blender until desired consistency

6. Ladle soup into soup bowls and garnish with the italian sausage and parmesan garlic toasts.

Toast Recipe

Baguette or artisan bread, sliced into 12 1/2 inch slices
olive oil
1 head of garlic
parmesan cheese, grated
dried basil
chili pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Cut off top of garlic head and drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400°F.

2. Brush toasts with olive oil.

3. Remove garlic from foil and allow to cool. Once cooled enough to handle press the cloves out of the garlic and smash them into the bread toasts until evenly covered, about one clove per toast.

4. Add cheese, and sprinkle chili pepper flakes and dried basil.

5. Broil toasts a few minutes until edges are golden brown and cheese has melted.

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Posted on by
Reply

I have tried MULTIPLE pumpkin cheesecake recipes and none of them even come close to the Almost Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Food Network Magazine. Yes, it’s time consuming, but it turn out perfect every time….the filling has a whipped texture and the crust is crispy/crunchy and deliciously caramelized (think brittle). Over the years I’ve only made small changes to the original recipe, mainly just to make the pumpkin pie spices a little stronger otherwise I don’t change a thing. Tip: Follow the recipe to a T (ie. make sure cream cheese and egg whites are room temp, use the water bath)….I know it’s time consuming, but so worth it. Every year people are always talking about the pumpkin cheesecake days after Thanksgiving, so I’m finally posting the recipe. Enjoy!!!

pumpkin cheesecake

I forgot to take pics of the first couple of neatly sliced pieces, but my wonderful mom twas able to get a couple of decent pics for us.

Recipe

Serves 12.

Crust

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 3/4 cups sugar
pinch of salt

Filling

4 8-oz. packages of cream cheese (the full fat variety), room temp.
1/4 cup sour cream
1 15-oz. can of organic pumpkin puree
6 eggs, room temp and lightly beaten
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I use a little bit more…just because I like the flavor)

Whipped Cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

2. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until they become crumbs. Combine melted butter, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and a pinch of salt then press the crust into a buttered 9-10 inch springform pan. Make sure the crust is firmly and evenly pressed against the bottom and up the sides of the springform.

3. Bake the crust until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

4. Allow crust to cool on a cooling rack. Once cooled wrap the outside of the springorm pan in foil and place in a roasting pan. Important: Make sure to use a wider, heavier duty foil, not the 12 inch wide roll. If you use a 12 inch roll water can seep into the bottom of your springform and into the crust….it will still be edible, but messier and the texture will change.

5. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. While the water is boiling begin making the filling. Beat the cream cheese in a KitchenAid stand-up mixer until it has a smooth texture. Add 2 1/2 cups of sugar and beat until just light. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters with a silicone spatula or scraper. Beat in the sour cream followed by the pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, and spices. Beat until smooth and pour into the springform pan.

6. Gently place the roasting pan on the center rack of the oven. Do NOT pull the oven rack out. Once the roasting pan is resting on the oven rack carefully add the boiling water to the roasting pan taking extra care to prevent splashing. The water level should be about halfway up the side of the springform pan. I like both my Kaiser 10-inch springform pan and also my Cuisinart 9-Inch Nonstick springform pan, they both work great and haven’t warped or gotten weird.

7. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 45 minutes until the outside edges of the cheesecake are set but the middle is still loose (I usually have to cook mine a little longer).Tip: Don’t jiggle it to see how much it has set….you’ll end up with cracks on the top of the filling. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let some heat escape. Then allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for another hour or so.

8. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and allow to cool on a sturdy cooling rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cheesecake, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 8 hours.

9. Remove cheesecake from fridge atleast 30 minutes before serving. While cheesecake is warming to room temp whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.

Note: Make this a gluten free cheesecake by substituting ginger snaps and pecans that have been pulsed together in a food processor. Also, make sure your vanilla is gluten free too.

  

Salmon Carrot Cauliflower Burger

Posted on by
Reply
curried salmon burger

Our curried salmon burger with fried green tomatoes and baked sweet potato fries

The patty itself is gluten and dairy free and is AWESOME on a bed of arugula greens. Steve and I came across this recipe when trying to find a recipe for a friend with gluten and dairy intolerances and fell in love with it ourselves. This recipe from Sprout is one of many delicious ones on her site. She also has lots of info about eating healthier and about cleanses that are both healthy and safe.

Recipe

Makes 6-8 patties.

3 carrots, peeled
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 cup almond Flour
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 pound salmon, cooked
1 tablespoon high heat coconut or grapeseed oil

Instructions

1. Pulse carrots and cauliflower in food processor until evenly grated.

2. Combine carrots, cauliflower, salmon, almond meal, curry, and cinnamon and stir well.

3. Heat oil in a medium saute pan on medium-high heat.

4. Form patties and cook in the pan, 8-10 minutes on the first side and 5-8 on the second side. These patties have a tendency to fall apart if handled too much, so make sure to not mess with them too much after they’ve been put in the pan.

5. Serve on a whole wheat or onion bun with fresh arugula, onion, and a dollop of lemon curry remoulade or on a bed of arugula with a simple lemon vinaigrette. We had a few green tomatoes in the garden and had gotten a few sweet potatoes in our Organics to You shipment, so we whipped up some fried green tomatoes and baked sweet potato fries.

Lemon Curry Remoulade

4 tablespoon mayo
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
dash of paprika
1 garlic clove,minced
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste.

 

Fried Green Tomatoes

Posted on by
Reply
fried green tomatoes

fried green tomatoes served with curred salmon burgers and baked sweet potatoes

A southern favorite, Steve and I finally tried our hand at these and made our own. They were delicious.

Recipe

Serves 3-4 as side dish.

3-4 firm green tomatoes, cut into slices
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour or almond meal
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
cayenne and garlic salt
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
salt

 Instructions

1. Arrange sliced tomatoes on paper towels and sprinkle with salt to draw out some of the moisture. The breading will have a hard time sticking if you forget this step.

2. In three separate bowls combine flour and garlic salt in one, egg and milk (beaten) in another, and cornmeal and panko in the third.

3. Heat the oil on medium heat.

3. Dip the sliced tomatoes into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture and finally into the cornmeal mixture.

4. In batches fry the tomatoes for a few minutes on each side.

5. Arrange fried tomatoes on fresh paper towels to drain.

6. Serve with a spicy dipping sauce.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Posted on by
Reply
salmon_burger_sweet_potato_fries

Baked sweet potato fries served with a spicy dipping sauce and served alongside a curried salmon burger and fried green tomatoes.

Recipe

3 servings.

3 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
cumin, paprika, cayenne, sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Line baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.

3. Toss fries in olive oil and seasoning.

4. Spread fries evenly on baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, take them out and mix them up, then bake for another 10 (or so) minutes.

5. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Spicy Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup mayo
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sriracha
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
cayenne, curry, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients and adjust to taste.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Posted on by
Reply
caramelized brussels sprouts with toasted pecans

caramelized brussels sprouts with toasted pecans

My first experience with a brussels sprout was steamed with a giant spoonful of mayo….YUCK!!! No wonder it took me nearly 20 years to try brussels sprouts again. Thankfully our organics to you shipment had brussels sprouts in it last winter, so I was forced to find a recipe. And now brussels sprouts are a regular occurrence in our house and we’ve turned plenty of friends into brussels sprout fans. This is one recipe that can get the pickiest eater begging for more brussels sprouts.

Recipe

Serves 3-4 as a side dish.

1 1/2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
15 brussel sprouts, sliced into thin ribbons
1/3 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt, to taste
dash chili pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in a large saute pan and add brussel sprouts and garlic. Saute until bright green then add the brown sugar, stir and let caramelize for a few minutes then toss in the toasted pecans and season with sea salt and chili pepper flakes.

Makes a great side dish for grilled salmon, steak or pork tenderloin. This would also make a great Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish…it’s delicious and it cooks so quickly!!!