Thai Steak Noodle Bowl

I mentioned in my blog the other day that I'm kind of on a "try new things in the kitchen" kick for 2016. I feel like I manage to incorporate a good variety into the meals I offer my family, but I can always do more. I love learning about new ingredients and new cooking techniques (and how to use them), and I really want to learn more about balance and nutrition in general. I'm looking forward to doing that this year.

Today's recipe includes an ingredient I'd never used before: red curry paste. I'm so glad I tried it! It smells SO good, for one, not to mention the vibrant color it added to this dish. Since the recipe doesn't call for a TON of the stuff, the overall flavor is mild (slightly, pleasantly spicy to me, while not spicy at all to my husband who loves ridiculously hot stuff and therefore thinks anything less than a ghost pepper carries no heat). You can find red curry paste on the international foods aisle, along with the coconut milk that's also called for in the recipe.

Thai Steak Noodle Bowl

Adapted from Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2016

2 cups baby arugula

1 tbs lime juice

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

8 oz pad thai noodles (uncooked)

12 oz sirloin steak, sliced thinly

1 1/2 tsp canola oil

1/2 cup water

2 tbs red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand)

1 13.5 oz can coconut milk

 

Mix arugula, 1 tsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp sugr and 1/2 tsp salt and toss well to coat. Set aside.

 

Prepare rice noodles as instructed on package. Set aside.

 

Sprinkle steak with 1/2 tsp sugar. Heat skillet over high heat and add oil, swirling to coat. Add steak and cook 2 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 30 seconds or until browned. Remove from pan and keep warm.

 

Add 1/2 cup water, curry paste and coconut milk, stirring well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.

 

To plate, divide noodles into four bowls, then add steak to each dish. Ladle broth over each serving and top with arugula. Sprinkle remaining salt over each bowl.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!

 





Mushroom & Chicken Marsala Bowls

So far in 2016, I've made it a point to try some new things in the kitchen. The other day, for example, I poached eggs for the very first time (they were perfect - I'm sure I won't be able to replicate that experience the next time I try, lol). Today's recipe includes an ingredient I've never tried before. That ingredient? Chicken thighs.

I've never made them myself, and I can't even be 100% confident that I've actually eaten them before, either. Perhaps unknowingly? Unintentionally? I just don't know. I do know, however, that my husband is extremely picky when it comes to chicken, and, because of that, I've always steered clear of recipes that call for chicken thighs in the past (or I made them anyway and simply subbed chicken breasts). Not this time, though. This time I figured, heck, why not try it? This recipe seemed like the perfect one to use as an experiment, seeing as how it calls for more mushrooms than it does chicken (and my husband loves mushrooms). I'm so glad we tried it. Not only was it good the first night I made it, it was also successful as leftovers, believe it or not. We'll definitely be making it again!

 

Mushroom & Chicken Marsala Bowls

Adapted from Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2016

 

2 1/2 tbs butter

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tbs canola oil

1 package fresh baby spinach

8 oz sliced white mushrooms

8 oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh thyme

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup dry Marsala wine

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 black pepper

 

Melt 1 1/2 tsp butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add quinoa to pan and saute 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup stock and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt.

 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add spinach and cook for 1 1/2 minutes or just until wilted. Remove and set aside.

 

Melt 1 1/2 tsp butter in pan and add 1 1/2 tsp oil. Swirl to coat. Add mushrooms and cook for 8 minutes, stirring to brown on all sides. Remove mushrooms and set aside.

 

Add remaining oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add chicken and saute 4 minutes, stirring to brown on all sides. Add shallots, thyme and garlic and saute for 1 1/2 minutes. Add wine and remaining chicken stock. Cook until liquid is reduced and becomes slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining butter, mustard, pepper and salt. Stir constantly until butter melts, then stir in mushrooms and spinach. Serve over quinoa.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!



Ginger Chicken, Shiitake and Scallion Soup

After a mild December, it's finally gotten cold here in Georgia. In fact, as I write this, it's sleeting outside. Yuck.

There's nothing I like more in the winter months - both to make and to eat - than a good homemade soup. Today's recipe is light, flavorful and super aromatic - my house smelled SO good as it was cooking!

As a tip - I'd never used star anise pods before, and I wasn't exactly sure where to find them. I eventually located them on the international foods aisle (which is also where you can find dark sesame oil and brown rice noodles). I removed them from the soup before serving.

Ginger Chicken, Shiitake and Scallion Soup

Adapted from Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2016

 

6 green onions

2 tsp dark sesame oil

4 oz shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced

4 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 star anise pods

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 oz brown rice noodles (pad thai)

Dash kosher salt

Dash black pepper

 

Cut white parts of onions into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add white parts of green onions and half of the sliced mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock, garlic, anise and ginger to the pan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes.

 

Add chicken to pan and reduce heat; simmer for 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from heat.

 

Prepare noodles according to directions. Cut green parts of onions into 2-inch sections. Add onions, cooked noodles, salt, pepper and remaining 2 oz mushroom caps to the soup. Remove star anise pods and ladle into bowls.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!



Grapefruit, Avocado and Prosciutto Salad

Prosciutto is one of my all-time favorite foods. I love it in salads, on sandwiches, wrapped up with some melon (if you haven't tried that combo, do it - do it now), as part of a cheese plate or simply on its own. My husband loves it, too. It's not exactly cheap, so we don't buy all the time. We do, however, splurge every now and then.

Recently, my store had prosciutto on sale, so I eagerly grabbed some. I used it in several different recipes, including the one I'm giving you today. This salad will definitely go into my lunch rotation - it's SO yummy. It takes hardly any time at all to throw together, which is perfect when I'm juggling feeding, naps, snacks and playtime with my little ones!

Grapefruit, Avocado and Prosciutto Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2016

1 small grapefruit

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Dash of black pepper

Dash of kosher salt

1 cup baby arugula

1/2 peeled and sliced avocado

1 slice prosciutto

 

Peel grapefruit and cut sections over a medium bowl. Gently squeeze membranes to yield about 1/2 tbs juice. Set sections aside and add oil, pepper and salt to the juice. Stir gently with whisk until mixed.

 

Add greens to the juice mixture and toss to coat. Add to plate and top with grapefruit sections, avocado and prosciutto.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!

 

Chicken & Bell Pepper Saute with Lemony Kale Quinoa

I can't really express how much I love cooking, especially when it comes to doing so for my family. There's just something about making a delicious, healthy dinner for my loved ones that makes me really happy.

More often than not, my husband will go out for eat for lunch during the work week; while there's nothing wrong with that (when I worked full-time, I needed that hour out of the office just to maintain my sanity, not even gonna lie about that), it's even more motivation for me to ensure that he has a home-cooked meal for dinner.

Tonight I'm giving you not one but two recipes, and I'm doing that because these two go SO darn well together. You certainly don't have to serve them that way, but I know you'll be happy if you do. We actually had this meal for dinner tonight, and I'm proud to tell you that, much like the Italian Turkey Orzo Soup I posted the other day, Zoey gobbled hers right up! She was a particularly big fan of the quinoa. That girl surprises me every day! 

These recipes both came from Cooking Light, though I've done a bit more "adapting" than normal just to suit our tastes. I hope you enjoy!

Chicken & Bell Pepper Saute

Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2014

 

1 tbs olive oil

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup sliced orange bell pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until done, about 7 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and add bell pepper, oregano and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken and stock and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add olives. Stir. Transfer to serving bowl or onto plates and sprinkle with feta cheese.

 

 

Lemony Kale Quinoa

Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2014

 

1 cup of quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 1/4 cups water

2 tsp butter

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup stemmed, chopped kale

2 tsp lemon juice

 

Add quinoa, water, butter and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Combine quinoa, kale, and lemon juice in a medium bowl and toss to coat.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!

 



Roasted Grape and Feta Salad

As promised in yesterday's post, today I'm giving you the recipe for a super flavorful salad that I really think you'll love. I've served it as a side for soup (as you saw yesterday and as is shown in the picture) but I've also paired it with sandwiches and alongside grilled meats with great success. As always, it's easy, and it's a healthy option as well. I love that the "dressing" is light and simple, and, thanks to the balsamic mixture that's used in roasting the grapes, the flavor is extraordinary.

If you don't like walnuts or have allergies to them, you may omit them from the recipe - the first time I made this salad, I realized last minute that I'd forgotten to pick them up at the grocery store and so I left them out (and it was still amazing!).

Roasted Grape and Feta Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light, December 2014

 

1 cup seedless red grapes

1/2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 ounces baby spring mix greens

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. combine grapes, 2 tsp olive oil and vinegar and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Toss grapes, walnuts, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, salt, pepper and greens in a salad bowl until well-mixed and sprinkle with feta cheese.

 

 







Until next time...

 

Cheers!

Italian Turkey and Orzo Soup

You may have looked at the title of today's blog and thought - really? Soup? Alright, I KNOW it's been ridiculously, uncomfortably hot lately (especially for those of us who are 28 weeks pregnant...not naming names or anything), but honestly I LOVE a good homemade soup - no matter what time of year it is. Maybe I'm weird. After all, I did get the recipe from the December 2014 edition of Cooking Light, so...there you go. Either way, I'm giving you the recipe today, and you can make it now or wait until there's a bit of a chill in the air to whip up a batch. Whatever works for you.

As many of you know, I have a toddler at home; if you know anything about toddlers, you might know that they can be a tad picky at times when it comes to food. Their "taste tolerance" level, if you will, can vary greatly over time (by the way, I'm not necessarily talking week to week or even day to day here - meal to meal anyone? Yep, it happens). That being said, I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when my daughter practically devoured the small portion of this soup that my husband shared with her the other night. I'd actually heated up leftover spaghetti and meatballs for her that night and didn't even bother serving her any of the soup because I figured there was just no way she'd go for it. Of course, I was wrong - she "asked" to try some of her dad's as he was eating it, and it was clear how much she liked it once she did.

At that point, I considered it a fluke...I thought that the only reason why she liked it was because her daddy was eating it. I just knew that if I tried to give it to her again, she'd reject it without so much as a "no-thank-you" bite.

Wrong, again. She LOVED it. It was the first thing she tasted on her plate, and the ONLY thing she completely finished (although she did do well with her peas, which made me quite happy). I couldn't believe it. You better believe I was doing a happy dance, a victory dance if you will. Hey - when you're a parent, it's the little things that count.

So here you go - a healthy, homemade, EASY soup recipe that I can officially say receives Zoey's stamp of approval. Now that's saying something.

By the way, the side salad shown below is a roasted grape and feta salad. It's AMAZING, and I'll be sharing the recipe with you later this week - so stay tuned.

Italian Turkey and Orzo Soup

Adapted from Cooking Light, December 2014

1 tbs olive oil

1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)

1 tbs chopped fresh oregano

4 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used a blend of cremini and shitake)

5 garlic cloves, chopped

3 cups chicken stock (I use Simple Truth Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth)

2 cups water

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained (I use the no salt added version)

3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta

2 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 tsp lemon juice

 

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add turkey and cook for 6 minutes or until browned. Add oregano, mushrooms and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add stock, water, salt, red pepper and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add orzo. Cook for 7 minutes. Add spinach and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes. Serve.

 

Until next time...

 

Cheers!