Slam Chops and Powerkraut

With six weeks of school behind us, cooler weather snuck it's way back into Reno.  The last pool play dates were had, and the summer is succumbing to the seduction of fall. Our family moved here in 2005 and this summer has been the mildest and shortest we have seen. With hopes of garden grandeur dashed, I decided to embrace the coming of fall with this one-pot meal. The recipe comes form 'The Healthiest Meals on Earth' written by  best selling author Johnny Bowden.  I found this book at Costco, and I've really enjoyed it.

Ok... Drum roll please...

The meal is lamb chops with sauerkraut and a side dish of stemmed broccoli tossed with almonds.
Lamb is a staple in countries throughout the world, especially in the middle east.  Technically, the term "lamb" is reserved for meat of a domestic sheep a less than one year in age (older sheep are called either hogged or mutton). Lamb is great source of protein; one 4-ounce loin chop has 27g.  It has half the saturated fat of beef with the other half monounsaturated - the same kind of healthy fat you find in olive oil.

Lamb Chops and Sauerkraut

Ingredients

6-8 small loin or rib lamb chops, 1/2 inch thick (loin chops are less fatty than rib chops)
1 teaspoon almond oil
2 medium leeks
3 cups of sauerkraut drained
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 apples, cores and sliced


Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 4 hours (on high); 6-7 hours (on low)

Trim all of the visible fat off the edges on the lamb.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. carefully pour or wipe excess oil from the pan.  Briefly sear each side of the lamb and set aside.

Cut most of the tough greens off the tops and about 1/2 inch of the bulb off the bottom of the leeks. Slice the leeks lengthwise down the middles and cut them in 1-inch sections.  Immerse leeks in a sink of water and separate them to clean thoroughly. Drain the leeks and place them in the slow cooker, covering the bottom.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sauerkraut, broth, garlic powder, caraway seed, thyme, salt and pepper.  Pour half of the mixture over the leeks. Place the lamb on top and poor the remaining half of the mixture over the lamb.  Top with the apple.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4 hours. The butcher at Whole Food suggested a low cooking tempt is preferred.

Yield: 4 servings

Steamed Broccoli & Nuts

Ingredients

4 cups of Broccoli or any green vegetable.  Steamed and tossed with 1/4 oz of almonds.

I also toasted a french baguette. Yummy!


Verdict? Really good! Super simple and delicious.  Happy Halloween!

Back to School Blues

Well the kids are back to school and we've reconvened our cooking group.  However, this year we're only going to meet twice a month.  We were meeting every week but as the kids get older (all our kids are a whopping six years old) , our lives are getting busier.  In between ballet, karate, gymnastics, softball, piano lessons, swim lessons, it's becoming difficult just finding a time to meet.  But, maybe, just maybe,  our meals will be even MORE  fantastic and MORE delicious now that we have more time to think and prepare.  =)

This week I chose the menu of Baked Parmesan Tilapia, Polenta with Cheese, Garlic & Chard and a Mixed Green Salad with Grapes, Fennel, Gorgonzola, and Pecans.  Wow!  Did I have trouble getting started.  I settled on Tilapia and then I toiled over the accompaniments.  My first inclination is to always go Asian but I didn't really think soy would match well with Parmesan cheese.  So next I pulled out all my Sunset magazines and Cook's Illustrated magazines.  Those are pretty much my go to magazines and cookbooks.  When I first got married my brother gave me a decade of hardbound Cook's Illustrated magazines. To this day it's one of the best presents I've ever received as almost everything I've made from those magazines has been amazing.  Sure enough I found the Salad in the November/December 2006 issue of Cook's Illustrated.  The Polenta recipe was from a William Sonoma Slowcooker cookbook.  Last week I had made polenta, for the first time, for a gourmet dinner club that I am part of.  Yes I was intimidated cuz what does a Korean know about Polenta?  It was delicious and I knew the ladies would probably enjoy it.  AND, since it was a slow cooker recipe, it wasn't as labor intensive as most polenta recipes.  Finally, I chose a Tilapia recipe.  I find that Tilapia is a forgiving fish to cook.  It's hard to overcook and it's usually a crowd pleaser.  It's kind of like the Golden Retriever of fishes.  Everyone likes it.  I also make it a lot as my whole family gobbles it up.  When you have 6 year old twins, it can be hard finding something everyone likes.

Enjoy, 

Jeanne

Baked Parmesan Tilapia from Food.com

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs tilapia fillets
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2/3-3/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley

Directions: 

1. Spray baking pan(s) with nonstick cooking spray.  ( I actually prefer to use parchment paper.)
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Place beaten eggs in a shallow dish.  Stir in mayo and lemon juice.  Stir until well-combined.  
4. In a separate shallow dish, stir together breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and he herbs/spices.  Mix well.
5. Dip each fillet into the egg/may/lemon juice misture (coat both sides).  Let excess drip off, then dip into breadcrumb/cheese mixture to coat both sides.
6. Place coated fillets in prepared backing pan(s).  Bake, uncovered at 400 for 20-30 minutes of until fish is white and flaky inside.

Mmmmmmmm..... my uber heath conscious husband nearly gagged when he saw me dipping the fish in the mayo mixture but come on... it's not that much mayo and at least it's baked, not fried.  Plus it tastes sooooooooo good.  

Baby Mixed Green Salad with Grapes, Fennel, Gorgonzola, and Pecans adapted from Cook's Illustrated, November & December 2006. This salad actually called for Arugula but selfishly I substituted Baby Mixed Greens as I prefer them to straight Arugula.

Ingredients:

•  4 teaspoons apricot jam
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, mince very fine (1 tablespoon) 
• Table salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 small fennel bub, cored, trimmed of stalks, and sliced very thin (about 1 cup); fronds chopped coarse (about 1/4 cup)
• 5 ounces lightly packed baby mixed greens or arugula (8 cups)
• 6 ounces red seedless grapes, halved lengthwise (about 1 cup)
• 3 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup) 
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I used the spicy candied pecans from Trader Joes.  They are so yummy.)

Directions:

Whisk jam, vinegar, oil, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.  Toss fennel with vinaigrette; let stand 15 minutes.  Add mixed greens, fennel fronds, and grapes; toss and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.  Divide salad among individual plates; top each with portion of Gorgonzola and pecans.  Serve immediately. 

Serves 6

Polenta with Cheese, Garlic & Chard from William Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (32 fl oz/1 l) chicken stock
• 1 cup (7 oz/220 g) stone-ground polenta (I was unfamiliar with polenta and was not quite sure what I was looking for in the supermarket.  I ended up buying Red Mills Corn Grits Polenta and it came out great)

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (I used Rainbow Chard from Whole Foods.  Delicious!)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup (6oz/185 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup (2 oz/60 g) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 lb (125 g) fontina cheese, cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped ( I prefer them whole and was too lazy to chop so they're whole in my salad).

Directions:

In a slow cooker, stir together the stock, polenta, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper. Cover and cook on the low setting for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. (The recipe called to cook it for 3 - 3 1/2 hours but I found mine cooked it much faster).  Stir 3 or 4 times if possible.  The liquid should be absorbed and the polenta should be thick and soft and no longer gritty.

About 20 minutes before the polenta is ready, cut off the stems from teh chard leaves.  Chop the chard stems crosswise into small pieces.  Cut the leaves crosswise about 1 inch (2.5cm) wide.  In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic, cherry tomatoes, and chard leaves and season well with salt and pepper.  Stir well, cover the pan, and cook until the leaves are wilted and tender, 4-5 minutes more.

About 5 minutes before the polenta is ready, stir in the Parmesan and dot the top with the fontina, then re-cover.

Spoon the polenta into warm shallow bowls and top with the chard mixture.  Scatter the pine nuts over the top. Serve at once.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers with Garlicky Quinoa and Garbanzo Bean Salad

Yikes!  The weather is starting to change.  It will soon be hot which means saying so-long to heavy warm meals and hello to bar-b-ques and salads.  It also means we need to shed those winter pounds to prepare for life without sweaters! 

This week we've made the Mar-a-Lago Turkey burgers made famous by Oprah when she highlighted them on her show.  She discovered the burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach.  They are awesome, and this recipe makes so many burgers that you can freeze some for later.

To accompany the burgers, I chose to make a quinoa salad.  I was first introduce to quinoa (which is not a grain rather a whole seed) at a kudalini yoga camp.  Quinoa is a staple in the vegan/vegatarian lifestyle.  It is ideal for a meal because it is one of the rare complete protein source amoung plant foods.  I originally had it as a mush for breakfast, but prefer it in this dish that reminds me of a couscous salad. 

Hopefully the weather keeps getting better!
Eat, Energize, Enjoy!
Anna.




Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers, from Oprah.com
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 4 lbs ground turkey breast
• 2 Tbs salt
• 1 Tbs black pepper
• 2 tsp Chipotle pepper sauce
• 1 lemon, juiced and grated zest
• 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Directions:

Saute the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender.  Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.  Add suteed items and the remaining ingredients.  Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers.  Refridgerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper.  Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill.  Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve on your favorite toasted bread, pita or chibatta roll.

Garlicky Quinoa and Garbanzo Bean Salad, adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste (we doubled up on the yummy garlic!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon coarse-grain mustard
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring Quinoa and broth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the broth has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

Scrape the cooked quinoa into a mixing bowl.  Add the garbanzo beans, broccoli, garlic, lemon juice, tarragon, mustard, and olive oil.  Stir until evenly mixed.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper before serving.

Jerk chicken & Jamaican rice and peas

Over a decade ago, when we still lived in Gainesville, my husband and I used to go to this great little place (I can't remember the name) for their jerk chicken. It came on a plate of beans and rice, and it was divine.

When I was trying to figure out what to make for this week's cooking group, my husband suggested Jerk chicken. It's still a little chilly out, so I was thrilled to find that people make this in the crockpot with good results; I'm not ready to bbq. I pored over various recipes and finally decided on a marinade that sounded good. And I found a recipe for the beans and rice to go with it.

I had high hopes, but the outcome was just okay. The beans and rice could have used a little less liquid (but that was my mistake~I soaked the beans overnight, but didn't reduce the amount of liquid in the cooking recipe, which called for unsoaked beans). The chicken was moist and tasty, but since it wasn't grilled, it didn't have authenticity. If I were to redo it, I would not presoak the beans and I would probably just marinate/grill the chicken. I'll retry this summer.

On the upside, the vegan corn muffins rocked. (Vegan because my son's allergic to eggs.)

Here are the recipes.
~ Nanda

Jamaican Jerk Chicken an adapted version from Allrecipes.com

This is what it looked like in the crock pot.


(I added the soy sauce, vinegar, cinnamon, and cloves based on other recipes)

INGREDIENTS:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks 2 limes, juiced 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup vinegar 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp cloves 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onions, chopped 3/4 cup chopped green onions 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 habanero peppers, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place chicken in a medium bowl. Cover with lime juice and water. Set aside.
2.	In a blender or food processor, place allspice, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, black pepper and vegetable oil. Blend well, then mix in onions, green onions, garlic and habanero peppers until almost smooth.
3.	Put it all in the crock pot and cooked for 6 hrs on low. Then broil, while basting with butter/marinade until browned. For a more authentic result, I'll do this next time: 3. Pour most of the blended marinade mixture into bowl with chicken, reserving a small amount to use as a basting sauce while cooking. 4. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 5. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Brush grill grate with oil. 6. Cook the chicken slowly on the preheated grill. Turn frequently, basting often with the reserved marinade.

Jamaican Rice and Peas (Red beans and rice) from Food.com

 This was our least mushy result (Anna's), perhaps because of Anna's awesome pot!
(Don't presoak the beans like I did. It'll get too mushy.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans
• 1 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 cups water
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups coconut milk
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 small onions, minced (optional)
• 1 scallions, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 fresh hot pepper
• 2 cups uncooked rice

Directions

1. Combine the kidney beans, garlic, water and salt to taste in a saucepan. Cook, covered over medium heat until tender, about 2 hours.
2. Add the coconut milk, pepper to taste, scallion, onion, thyme and whole fresh pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, remove the hot pepper. Then add the rice and stir.
4. Return to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until all the liquids have been absorbed. Serve hot as a side dish.
   
   Vegan Agave Cornbread muffins from Allrecipes.com(I reduce the agave by about half because it's too much like a dessert otherwise.)
   
   INGREDIENTS:

   1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

   1/2 cup applesauce 1/2 cup soy milk 1/4 cup agave nectar 2 tablespoons canola oil

   DIRECTIONS:

   1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a muffin pan.
   2.	Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir in the applesauce, soy milk, and agave nectar. Slowly add the oil while stirring. Pour the mixture into the muffin pan.
   3.	Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick or small knife inserted in the crown of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Diamond Date Bars

This week a friend is moving away and she surprised me and delivered  three bags of her pantry items that couldn’t be taken on the move (Thank You Myrna). A little on my friend she is an amazing Lebanese cook. On her many visits home to Lebanon. She packed her suitcase full of regional specialties. One of the bags was full of baking dates.

I contemplated, I checked my cookbooks, I searched the web and wasn’t happy. Nothing was really appealing to me.  I’ve never cooked with dates.

I keep my favorite recipes in a file at my desk. I started sorting and ran across Diamond Organics Diamond Date Bars. Years ago I belonged to their monthly cooking club,  along with the box of fresh organic vegetables. They included a monthly menu and recipes. I decided this was it!  
Enjoy!!
Noel

Diamond Date Bars

            1 Cup Dates (Chopped & Pitted)

            1 Cup Flour

            1Cup Rolled Oats

            1Cup Walnuts (chopped)

             ½ cup Maple Syrup or unprocessed Sugar

            1/3 cup Canola Oil

            ¼ Baking Soda

            ½ cup Water

            1 Tbsp Cornstarch, arrowroot or kudzu

Cook dates water and cornstarch on stove and stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, oats, walnuts, maple syrup, oil and baking soda. Stir until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside ½ of this mixture. Press remaining mixture with your fingers into a 9”x9”x2” baking pan. Spread date mixture evenly over that then top evenly with the remaining crumb topping. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top in golden. Cool and cut into diamond-shaped bars.

It was easy to make and really delicious. Not too sweet and the nuts make it a hearty treat.

Veggie Time!

Ready to chow down shaved brussels sprouts.

Fries!

Rib Prep

Anna prepped the ribs by pulling off the membrane, then cutting the rack in 4-5 bone sections. Crock pot friendly.

Anna giving the ribs a rub, then off to the crock pot. Cover ribs with a onion and 1/2 a coke. YUM! 

Ribs Menu, ingredients

Ribs, by Anna

Menu:
Smoky-Flavored Barbecued Ribs, (Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 1999)
Garlic Fries, (Cooking Light Magazine, April 2002)
Shaved brussels sprouts w/ pancetta, (The Sunset Cookbook, Oxmoor House, 2010)


Special tools:
Crock pot
Mandoline slicer


Recipes:
Smoky-Flavored Barbecued Ribs
3 1/2 lbs pork loin back ribs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup cola
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

1. Remove inner skin from ribs. Mix brown sugar, pepper, liquid smoke, garlic and salt; rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into about 4 inch pieces. Layer ribs and onion in slow cooker. Pour cola over ribs.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until ribs are tender. Remove ribs from cooker. Drain liquid from cooker and discard.
3. Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl. Dip ribs into sauce. Place ribs in cooker. Pour any remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low heat setting 1 hour.

Garlic Fries
3 lbs baking potatoes, use mandoline slicer to cut into 1/4 ince strips
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 Tablespoons butter
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top bag, tossing to coat.
3. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning after 20 minutes.
4. Place butter and garlic in a large nonstick skillet, cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring contantly. Add potatoes, parsley, and cheese to pan, tossing to coat. Serve immediately.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 lb pancetta, cut crosswise into 1/4 ince wide strips
salt and freshly ground pepper

1.  Trim brussels sprouts at base and remove any damaged outer leaves. Using a madoline (see quick tip below), thinly slice brussels sprouts crosswise. (The resulting sprout shavings should resemble confetti.)
2.  Heat oil in a large pot or wok over high heat until hot but not smoking; add pancetta and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; add brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often, until sprouts are bright green and tender 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Quick tip: A mandoline works well for "shaving" the sprouts. Use a fork stuck in the core end of the sprout to keep your fingers away from the blade.2 lbs brussels sprouts

It started with Korean egg rolls

Our group began as a typical playgroup with our (now) kindergartners. We progressed to crafting, where we rotated homes, with the host providing a kiddie craft each week. One day, we were all complaining about having to go home to make dinner. We joked that we should cook rather than craft together. Jeanne had already planned on making egg rolls, but was missing her mother and long evenings spent rolling huge batches of egg rolls. She asked Anna and me if we wanted to learn how to make them. Anna and I were all up on that! The following week, for what was to be the first of our cooking playdates, Anna and I filled in for Jeanne's mother. Jeanne provided the ingredients and taught the skills, and we got to take home some of the most delicious egg rolls I've ever had.

After the egg rolls, we never looked back. The gals wanted to learn some Indian dishes, so we made chicken tikka masala and spinach paneer (palak paneer) at my house the following week. Anna's first meal was a delicious turkey burger that has become a summer staple at my house. A year and dozens of dinners later, we are now four, sharing our various backgrounds in cooking and experimenting with new dishes all the time:

Jeanne (Korean) and Anna (gourmet American)

Me, Nanda (East/West Indian)

and Noel (our Southern belle).


We love cooking together and expanding our repertoires with the dishes from each other's backgrounds. We've learned so much and have had so much fun doing it, we wonder why others don't cook this way.

We'd love to start a revolution in cooking, a wave of cooking clubs across the country. Moms shouldn't be isolated in kitchens, slaving over the same meals over and over again. They should get together to chop, chat, and chew!