Pork Ribs with Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

Serves 6

Besides being finger-lickin good, these ribs can be baked or grilled – if its not grilling weather where you are or neither you or hubby is a grillmaster,  then preheat oven to 400〫F. Bake ribs, covered, about 30 minutes or until just tender.  Uncover and turn ribs meat side up; bake until ribs are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 35 minutes more. Cut meat between bones to separate ribs and serve with rice and crisp salad for an Asian flair.

Follow Bobby Flay’s instructions for ribs year-round!

With the arrival of spring, I’ve been jazzing it up in the kitchen with some exotic spices. To wit, the Moroccan Swordfish and now a savory Chicken Curry with a Mango Twist.  The secret is in the sauce and this one is made easy with two ingredients that I purchased at one of my still-favorite stores, Trader Joe’s. Your palate will delight in the complementary flavors of the sweet chutney, creamy coconut milk, and robust curry.

Chicken Curry with a Mango Twist

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

red pepper flakes

½ onion, chopped

1 med. red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

1 tablespoon curry powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 c. light coconut milk*

3 tablespoons mango chutney*

salt and pepper

cilantro for garnish (optional)

Serves 4

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Cook the chicken until lightly browned, stirring to cook evenly.

Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add the onion and red pepper, sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Add the curry and cumin, stir into the vegetables. Add the coconut milk and mango chutney, stirring to blend all ingredients. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve immediately over brown or white basmati or jasmine rice.

Enjoy And, leave a comment – I’d love to hear from  you !

* I buy these two items at Trader Joe’s, but they may be available at some supermarkets.

The secret is in the sauce....

I’ve been posting a lot of fish recipes lately because we’re trying to eat less red meat and this weekend was no exception, especially since The Don returned from a very successful show in Fort Worth, TX where beef rules (just ask Oprah). Fort Worth’s visitors bureau boasts “Cowboys and Culture: an unmistakable mix of preserved Western heritage and unrivaled artistic offerings” and has the only twice-daily cattle drive and a rodeo every night.

So, when in Rome…, he enjoyed the succulent steaks at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House where they serve up prime aged, corn fed beef straight from the Midwest and the most tender BBQ brisket he’s ever had at a place called Riscky’s BBQ, part of Riscky family of restaurants which began in the heart of the stockyards and where ranchers, cattlemen & cowboys have been eating since the 1920’s.

He is now on a double dose of Lipitor *kidding* and welcomed a fragrantly-spiced, grilled swordfish steak.  I adapted this recipe from one found in Cooking Light.  Cumin, cinnamon, and ginger are common spices in Morrocan cuisine, so I have dubbed this delicious dish:

Moroccan Swordfish

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon, fresh ginger, minced

2 teaspoon, grated orange rind, divided use

2 teaspoons, extra virgin olive oil, divided use

2- 8 ounce swordfish steaks*, about 1-inch thick

Sauce:

½ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon honey

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of swordfish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining the orange juice, remaining teaspoon of the orange rind and olive oil, walnuts, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Set aside; keep warm.

Heat grill on high. Lower heat to medium-high, grill fish until it flakes easily, about 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook or the swordfish will be tough and dry. It’s always better to undercook fish – it continues to cook after being removed from the grill.

Drizzle with sauce. Serve with couscous – if you never prepared couscous, you’ll wonder why; it’s so easy and only takes 10 minutes (5 minutes to boil the water and 5 minutes for the couscous to cook). Trader Joe’s carries regular, wheat, and Israeli couscous (pictured).

Serves 2.

Enjoy

*I’ve also been very conscious about buying only sustainable fish. If you’re confused by this term, here’s a good source that contains a list and explains what sustainable means.

Chicken and Corn Enchiladas Verde

Add a little crunch with a bit of romaine along with creamy avocado and your taste buds will be doing the salsa!

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

½ red or sweet onion, finely chopped

1 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed

½ c. sour cream

1 t. ground cumin

½ c. purchased salsa

1 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese

2 c. green enchilada sauce

½ c. purchased salsa

12 6-inch corn tortillas

Spray 15×10x2 inch glass baking dish with oil.  In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, onion, corn, sour cream, and cumin. Mix in the salsa.

Variations:  add ½ c. chopped fresh cilantro or 4 oz. chopped green chilis (fresh or canned)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Set up an assembly line with the tortillas on a cutting board, pour half of the enchilada sauce into a rimmed plate, cheese in a bowl, and the chicken mixture.

Begin by softening the tortillas over a gas flame, in a skillet, or 3-at-a-time in the microwave, wrapped in a paper towel for 20 seconds. Dip in the enchilada sauce, place on cutting board, fill with a spoonful of the chicken filling, sprinkle with grated cheese, roll up, and place seam side down in the baking dish.

Repeat with remaining tortillas. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate enchiladas and remaining sauce separately).

Spoon remaining sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes until heated through. (Up to 45 minutes for refrigerated enchiladas.)

Serve topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, shredded romaine, and sliced avocado.

Enjoy

One day, while surfing Foodbuzz’s “Daily 9”, a photo called the Greatest Vegetable Lasagna in the World caught my eye. I clicked on it and scanned the recipe, the blogger was from Iceland (if I remember correctly) and linked to two sites that inspired her adaptation. The photo at Ezra Pound Cake resulted in a Pavlovian response of instantaneous salivation and made me determined to develop my own mouth-watering rendition.

Preparing all the components for lasagna can be time-consuming, but if you love losagna, it’s totally worth it! I had a rainy afternoon to dedicate to it and there are shortcuts* that can save you time, yet don’t sacrifice taste. This dish is meatless but is chock-full of flavor with a bit of a punch from the Arrabiata sauce.

Veggie Lasagna with Arrabiata Sauce

1 pkg. organic oven-ready lasagna*
2 -25 oz. jars prepared organic Arrabiata Sauce*
(one for additional sauce at the table)
1-16 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
½ c. prepared pesto sauce
2 T. olive oil
8- oz. grated mozzarella

Vegetables:
2 medium eggplants, cut crosswise into ½ inch rounds
4 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
2 red or yellow peppers, cored and seeded
½ onion, sliced
¼ c. olive oil
1-16 oz. pkg. prewashed spinach, steamed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two cookie sheets with oil. Brush the vegetables with olive oil. Roast in batches, turning once – about 5 minutes per side or until softened. The peppers need to roast until the skin is blackened. Allow to cool, then remove the skin and slice into strips.

2. In a glass bowl, mix the ricotta with pesto sauce and 2 T. olive oil.

3. Spray a 13×9 baking or lasagna pan with oil. Spread sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Layer with lasagna, overlapping the pieces. Then a layer of ricotta – use a rubber spatula to spread. Followed by a layer of vegetables, then topped with half of the grated mozzarella. Spoon more sauce on top and repeat layering, ending up with mozzarella and spoonfuls of sauce.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, allow the lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

I served the lasagna on a bed of spinach which was meant to be included IN the lasagna Heat additional sauce to spoon over lasagna at the table.

Enjoy

* Note: these are shortcuts that can make preparation of this dish less labor intensive. Also, I always suggest buying organic for all ingredients.

Have loved you for so long!  Fragrant dumplings, velvety with broth, tastebuds trigger faint memories of crisp winter nights growing up in the boonies pastoral beauty of the Ozarks.

Chix and Dumplings

(adapted from Comme C̹a via Tasting Table)

For the soup:

2 T. butter

1 T. canola oil

3 carrots, chopped *

2 celery stalks, chopped

½ onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ c. Wondra flour

2 quarts organic, free-range chicken broth

2 c. frozen peas*

2 c. cooked chicken breast, chopped into bite-size pieces

¼ c. heavy cream *

* Changes I made: We like lots of peas & carrots, so quantity here is double the original recipe. I eliminated the cream – gave it up in my home cooking a long time ago (the flour in the dumplings will thicken the soup a bit).

Heat the butter and oil n a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, cook for another minute. Stir in the flour until it coats the vegetables, stirring continuously, about 2-3 minutes until the roux is golden-brown.

Add the broth a cup at a time, stirring. Add the peas and chicken, bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer until the soup is slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, in a glass bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dumplings:

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 c. buttermilk

1 t. dried thyme or ¼ c. fresh thyme leaves   *Chop some fresh parsley with the dried thyme – doing this  ”refreshes” dried herbs.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the soup and cook for 6-8 minutes, until light and fluffy looking. To serve, scoop out a few dumplings and top with soup. Then, drop more spoonfuls of batter in the remaining soup for another batch of deliciousness!

Enjoy

In my Blog Talk Radio interview yesterday, I emphasized being able to improvise with what you have in your fridge or pantry and creating something delicious for dinner.  I mentioned the Salmon and Bow Tie Pasta with peas that I had made the night before, so here it is.  Since I didn’t write it down that evening (that’s the most difficult part), and its basically a “no recipe” creation, I’ll do my best to recall it here.

1 lb. wild salmon fillet

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon dill

1 tablespoon sweet onion, finely chopped

8 oz. Barilla multi-grain bow tie pasta

8 oz. frozen young peas

½ c. prepared pesto sauce

⅔ c. lowfat milk

2 ounces cream cheese, or Neufchatel*

Serves 4. *Neufchatel is slightly lower calorie than cream cheese and is sold in the same section of the market.

Prepare pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. You can use the pasta pot that has been lightly sprayed with oil to keep the pasta warm.

Preheat broiler on high. Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with a paper towel. Dot with butter, sprinkle with dill and chopped onion. Place on baking pan lined with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed with oil. Broil for 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness, until salmon is lightly browned and crisped on top and flakes with a fork. Do not overcook – it’s better to be underdone – the fish continues to cook after its removed from the oven, plus it will be cooked again when mixed with the pasta. Allow the fish to cool and use a fork to flake off bite size pieces.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over med-high heat, mix the pesto and milk, bring to a gentle boil, whisk in the cream cheese or neufchatel to thicken. Feel free to increase these quantities if you prefer lots of sauce.  Microwave the frozen peas for 2½ minutes, drain. Combine all the ingredients with the pasta in the large pot. Mix well to coat with sauce. I topped with carmelized onions (half an onion, sliced onions and sautéed in a little butter until browned) but this is optional.

Enjoy

You don’t need a wok to throw together a quick stir fry for dinner.  And, if you’ve avoided stir fries because you don’t want to chop all those veggies, prep time can be minimized by purchasing packaged coleslaw or broccoli mixes.  Always, looking out for you – cooking a homemade meal does not have to be labor intensive.

Stir-Fried Pork with Hoisin Sauce

4 thin-cut boneless pork chops, thinly sliced into strips
1 pkg. brocooli slaw
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
2 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal
1 T. canola or vegetable oil
1 T. sesame oil
red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce*

I love eggplant parmesan but detest the deep-fried, heavily breaded kind that you get in a lot of restaurants.  I’ve experimented over the years and this is about as low calorie as you can make this traditional Italian dish without sacrificing taste.  Eggplant soaks up a lot of oil in the traditional preparation, so I brush them with olive oil and bake them instead!

Eggplant Parmesan “My Way”

2 med. eggplants, cut into ½” rounds

2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ t. Cajun spice (optional)

Italian-style bread crumbs

Purchased spaghetti sauce

8 oz. thinly sliced mozzarella

½ c. grated parmesan

Sprinkle both sides with salt and place between paper towels. This draws out the moisture and any bitterness – leave them for about 30 min.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of the eggplant rounds with olive oil. (I put a dash of Cajun spice because I like a little more zip in about everything.) Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake, turning once, until the eggplant is softened and golden brown, about 30 minutes total. (Remember, they get baked again.)

In a 9½” x 13” baking dish, spread spaghetti sauce to cover bottom of dish, cover with first layer of eggplant,

then layer mozzarella on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Dot cheese with sauce and repeat with another layer of eggplant, mozzarella, grated parmesan and sauce.  Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly. (You may put it under the broiler to brown, but watch carefully!)

Do as the Italians do and enjoy with  a bottle of Chianti Classico!

Enjoy

Sausage and peppers is a classic comfort food and it’s so easy to make. Sometimes I add chopped tomatoes to have more juice that soaks into the roll, mmmm. This time I added tiny portabella mushrooms because I had them in the fridge and they add a “meatier” taste – you know, cuz I’m trying to go meatless.  All the ingredients are from Trader Joe’s – they need to hire me – don’t you think?  I’m one of their best customers and promoters, yet Sprouts is opening in Huntington Beach on January 29th, so I might defect – hear that Trader Joes?

Sassy Sausage & Peppers (Vegan style)

1 pkg. Trader Joe’s Sausage-less Italian Sausage*, sliced on the diagonal

1 red pepper, cored and sliced

1 green pepper, cored and sliced

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

1 pkg. mini portabella mushrooms, sliced

2 T. olive oil, divided

1 t. butter

red pepper flakes

4 Panne Rustique Rolls (it’s all about the roll, folks)

Serves 4. * Of course, you may use real Italian sausage if you’re not vegan. I’ve had it both ways and its delicious either way!

Preheat toaster oven to 400 degrees. Cover toaster oven tray with aluminum foil and spray with oil so sausages don’t stick. Brown sausages in toaster oven turning once. Slice on the diagonal and set aside.

Heat 1 t. olive oil in large skillet, sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Add the peppers and onions and sauté, stirring every few minutes to evenly brown. Add more olive oil as needed to prevent vegetables from sticking.

Meanwhile, in a smaller skillet heat 1 T. olive oil plus 1 t. butter over med-high heat and sauté mushrooms, stirring to brown evenly, about 5 minutes or until the juices have cooked off.  (I do this in a separate pan because the juices from the mushrooms can make the pepper mixture mushy.) Add mushrooms and sausages to pepper mixture.

Warm the rolls in the toaster oven, slice in half and fill with sausage and pepper mixture.