Soba Noodles with Garlic Chives

I change my blog address to a dot com, so I hope this doesn't mess you up in google reader or however else you might follow my blog! Thanks for sticking with me on this.
I found some of these flowering chives at the Vietnamese store near my husbands work. I like to get the different vegetables that I see there and don't see in the supermarket, and then try them out in a dish. Lately I have seen flowering chives, also called garlic chives on a few different blogs, so I got some ideas and was all set to go. Of course I usually would just end up using most of the with noodles or a stir fry.

From this store they came in a good size bunch, but it does seem to hold up well in the fridge. I like the mild garlic flavor and have been adding them to scrambled eggs, potatoes, and chicken salad so far...
...for this dish I used some cooked chicken and a few other veggies that I had little bits left in the fridge.

Ingredients:
8 oz cooked chicken
a small bunch of garlic chives
2 packets soba noodles cooked
4 oz snow peas
4 oz bok choy or carrots, or whatever other vegetables you might have
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil

Prepare the vegetables, by washing and chopping into uniform sizes..cut the chives in about 2"-3" size pieces...use the buds, but get rid of the tough ends. Remove the strings in the snow peas, you can cut them or leave them whole. If using carrots julienne cut them about the size of the chives.

In a heated wok or skillet add a little oil then toss in the veggies that take the longest to cook first, add a little water if needed to help steam them...add the garlic and chives, then the rest of the seasoning. You could add the garlic first in the heated oil for about 30 seconds, but I'm always afraid it's going to burn...and you know how bad burnt garlic tastes. Since the meat I was using was already cooked you are just...

...heating it through. If you are using greens that are bitter add a splash of Chinese black vinegar or Chinese cooking wine.

Place a serving of the noodles in a bowl (I like to add a little toasted sesame oil to the noodles)...then the chicken veggies on top. You could toss it all together in the pan first if it works better for you.

As with many of the dishes that I make they are so versatile and you can adjust the seasoning and additions to suit your family. I just want you to get out there and try some new-to-you ingredients and have some fun in the kitchen! Then of course those of you who use these all the time can give me some more tips and ideas!!

French Chicken and Root Vegetables

Whew!! I am finally able to put up a new post. Blogger has been blocking me out for days now...I couldn't get to my own blogs or comment on my friend's blogs from my home computer. It is very frustrating. I don't know if they got it all fixed now...but I think I am still having trouble commenting on some blogs. I could do this from some other computers, so I don't know what's going on. But here I am now!

This post was long overdue and to Bo I do apologize for the delay. I was absolutely thrilled when Bo from Bo's Bowl notified my that I was the winner of a 3 1/2 qt. Le Creuset Fennel Wide Oval French Oven on his blog giveaway!!

I love it! I have always wanted one, but haven't been able to get it just yet! Did I tell you I was so happy?!!

I can't believe how lucky I have been...just look how pretty it is. I know this will get a lot of use, and look pretty doing it's job in the kitchen. Did I tell you how excited I was to win this?!!

I have used this several times already, but for the first meal I did make a French style chicken and root vegetables to break it in properly. It is so nice you can brown the meat in this pan and finish it in the oven, or as I did, finish it stove top.
I used chicken thighs and I had a couple of boneless chicken breasts so I threw them in there too.

2 tablespoons oil for browning
1 large shallot chopped
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (I used Penzey's)
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup broth
handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
3 tablespoons cream or half and half

Wash and pat dry chicken on med-high heat pan with a little oil, season chicken with salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence and brown chicken on each side. I added the thighs first because they were bone in and would cook a little longer than the boneless breasts.

Turn down to med heat and add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, squeeze the lemon juice over it then add garlic, mushrooms and broth, cover and simmer for 40 - 45 minutes until done. You could finish in the oven if you prefer. You can add the root vegetables and cook them with the chicken, but I didn't want to crowd my new pan just yet I had to get the feel for it.

Remove chicken from the pan and skim the chicken fat off. On low heat add wine
and cook until the alcohol cooks off (or skip it) add dijon and cream stirring until well blended, cook until heated through. Serve over chicken.

Yum! This was so good with the root vegetables and veggie noodles. So simple yet so good! I was going to post the veggies here too, but it has taken me forever!!! So next post you'll see how easy it is to do the veggies.

Did I tell you how much I love this Le Creuset French oven?!! Thanks Bo!

Cilantro Rice

My daughter loves to get the hand selected burrito at Chipotle's. They have the best cilantro rice and black beans, (which we both like) and the freshest guacamole that they make throughout the day. Since I figured out how to make cilantro rice I've made it several times. Maranda will always finish the leftovers for a snack the next day. It works great in a bento lunch too. I even made it in my rice cooker and brought it along with some black beans to the Super Bowl party. It was not on my mom's menu...so we had plenty of leftovers...which are great! Both the beans and rice.

Cilantro Rice:

1 cup long grain or basmati rice
2 cups water
1 tbsp oil or butter
1 bay leaf
2 tsp or more fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 fresh lemon or lime or half and half (I didn't use all my lemon it was quite large)
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Rinse the rice. In a 2-quart heavy sauce pan, heat oil or butter over low heat, saute the rice in oil until almost translucent.Add water and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is tender and water is absorbed. Set aside and let is set for about 30 minutes to steam, or fluff rice with a fork.




Remove bay leaf and mix in salt, citrus juice, and cilantro, you may want to transfer rice into a mixing bowl for this step. You can add a little more oil at this point if you like. The cilantro is the last thing that I would mix in to keep it nice and green.

I used a fresh lemon just picked from my tree...just look how large this one got!

I love having a lemon tree, it was a nice juicy lemon. I don't care for Meyer's lemons, to me they taste like sour oranges instead of a lemon...but that's just my opinion. I know there are a lot of Meyer's lemon lovers out there.

Here with the grilled shrimp and scallops I did add a little vermicelli to make kind of a pilaf. This rice goes well with anything. I have served it with anything from seafood to black beans.

Another way to use Chickpea flour ~ Cabbage Fritters

I think Indian households aren't the only ones that should have chickpea flour as a regular staple in their pantry. I have really enjoyed using it. Also known as gram (besan) found in Indian markets, or garbanzo bean flour that can be found in your health or natural food markets and even in some supermarkets. Many use it in gluten - free diets. I am keeping it on hand in my pantry from now on!
I have been using Bob's Red Mill brand and have found it in many stores near me. I think Walmart carries one that is garbanzo bean and fava bean blend. I haven't tried that one yet.
I found another recipe from Jay's blog Tasty Appetite this time she uses shredded cabbage. I happened to have a cabbage on hand and tried it right away. Cabbage Fritters are easy to make and oh-so-tasty!
I had some savoy cabbage so I sliced it thin, then cut it crosswise, in a nice loose chop. I made just a little adjustments to the original recipe. In a bowl I mixed:


1/2 cup chickpea flour
2 Tbsp rice flour
1 tsp green chili powder (New Mexico green Chile)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp celery seed (more or less)
a pinch of asafetida
salt and pepper to taste
oil to fry

To that add some water to make a thick batter. Then ...


...add the shredded cabbage about 2 cups, and mix well...


Heat oil in a skillet or frying pan. I made them into little patties and dropped them in the hot oil, I like to pan-fry rather than deep-fry, that is just my preference. Fry the fritters until they turn golden brown.
Drain the excess oil by placing the fritters on paper towels. Sprinkle a little sea salt over them while they are hot if desired.

Here is another yummy snack or side that you don't feel so guilty eating. It's a great way to get your kids to eat their cabbage or any veggie, my daughter liked them. So quick and easy and tasty. They went almost as fast as I made them.

We ate them just as they were like this, but I'm sure you could find many thing to dip them in.

I wanted to see how they would be it I just dropped then into the oil and fried them like this.

It was good that way too, but I think I prefer the first way in the little fritter patties.

Of course doesn't frying make everything taste good? This is a double goody with the benefits of garbanzo bean flour and cabbage so I think it balances out don't you?

My sister and niece are flying in to night for a week long visit. My parents rent a place out on the key for a month, so they stay with them. I know it only takes 4 minute to drive there from my house. They are right there at the beach. It will be nice for them to get out of the snow for awhile. I hope the weather keeps up like it has been for them, it's been in the 70s F. It's nice having family around.

Oven Roasted Chickpeas

Recently I've seen two blogs post about roasting chickpeas. They looked so good when I first saw Heavenly Housewife made some and posted her recipe on Donuts to Delirium. Then more recently Jaden Hair posted her version on her Steamy Kitchen blog.

So after I saw Heavenly housewife's I thought I'd give it a try, and you know me I have to put my own spin on it. I tried to make a teriyaki version, and....well it just didn't turn out. Then after seeing Jadens post I think I figured it out. The chickpeas had to be pretty dry first, and with the teriyaki it was just too liquid.
After opening and draining the can of beans rinse them well. I made sure to dry them with some paper towel when I layed them out.

Then spread them out on the stoneware bar pan, then drizzled on a little oil. I salted them a little. In a 400 degree oven roast for 30-40 minutes until nice and crispy. Watch them so they don't burn!

Once out of the oven I sprinkled on some sea salt and chipotle chili powder. You can find it at Penzey's Spices, or I have seen it at whole foods, I think McCormick even make has it. I have been so into this seasining lately. It gives it a nice spicy, smokey flavor without making it too hot. If you have a favotite curry powder you'd like to use this would be great too...or garam masala.

A warning though...they are addictive! At least it's a nice healthy snack!

Try something new - Cactus

I am always game to try something new. You all know that, if I see something in the store that I haven't heard of I want to try it. In the produce section, something I've seen several times, but walked on by....cactus. When I saw Nathan post all about cactus on his blog La Cocina De Nathan: Cuban, Spanish, Mexican, Cooking & More I wanted to take a second look. I have a large prickly pear cactus in my front yard, but I wasn't sure if that was the eating kind. The cactus Nathan was using was from his friends yard, but looked a little thinner than mine. So the next time I was in the produce section of the store I saw them in I picked some up to try.
First off you have to clean them up without getting poked with the thorns, trim around the edges just cutting all around the pad. Then laying the pad flat scrape with the knife on a slight angle cutting off all the poky things. Rinse well, then pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, or your favorite seasoning. His mom used a meat seasoning with a little orange juice, so that's what I tried. I didn't have the kind she had and either did he, I guess it's from Mexico. I used a meat seasoning that I had. Drizzle with some oil...

Then pan fry it around five minutes on each side, until done (ha! like that one? How do you know when it's done?) Just kidding...he said 4-5 minute per side.

It had a very unique flavor yet seemed familiar. It is tangy, like a lime or lemon, almost like it was pickled. It was okay, but I think it would be better in something, like a stew or salad. If you use it in a stew you boil it first with onions, sliced in strips. I've seen it sliced and jarred in the store, but haven't tried it that way either. Of course the most difficult part is cleaning them, but once you get used to handling them it was OK. I didn't get too many photos of it, I guess I was too engrossed in the job to take more clicks. It wasn't the prettiest when all was done, but it was fun and I glad I did it. It seems my cactus is edible too...maybe next time I try that!
Try something new and let me know!

Green Pea Soup

This is another quick and easy mid-week dinner. It's nice because you would usually have the ingredients on hand. I had it all ready to go, and then we took the dog for a walk and went to see the sunset on the beach. So it had to wait, but it still tasted good!

Ingredients:

1 lb of green peas

4 cups of broth

1-2 stalks of celery (chopped)

1-2 shallots (chopped)

2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)

4-5 leaves of mint

1/2 tsp curry powder

salt & pepper

Method:

In large pot heat the olive oil and add the shallots and chopped celery until soft, about 5 minutes or so. Then add the garlic, you don't want to burn the garlic because then it will become bitter. Add the peas with curry powder, mint leaves, stir it around a little warming the peas, salt and pepper it. Add the broth, you can use 3 cups if you like a thicker soup, you can always add more if you like. As always you can adjust the seasoning to your liking and omit any, like the curry powder. I used such a small amount it didn't over take the mint in it.

Once the broth is added cook until everything is heated through and the peas are cooked.
In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth, being careful with the hot liquid not to splatter yourself. I used my immersion blender, but it didn't get it real smooth. The garlic was minced small enough so I didn't get big chunks of that, and I liked it with a little texture to it.

This is such a quick, easy and tasty dish! It would be a brighter green, but I didn't have any chicken or veggie broth, so I used beef broth. I was surprised it still turned out nice and fresh tasting. You can top it with yogurt, fresh mint or like I did with some crisp pancetta.

I saved some of the pancetta that I used making Pancetta Fontina Biscuits. We had the biscuits with the soup, I'll post that recipe later. Maranda liked it, she even had seconds. I always like to judge if the recipes are a success on her. Wade likes most everything except cucumbers and green peppers, so he doesn't count. (You know what I mean)

What would you serve with this soup?

You could serve the soup cold. I'm not a big fan of cold soups, so mine was hot!

Saturday Farmer's Market-Downtown Sarasota

It is a beautiful day here in Sarasota! Crystal clear, blue skies, high today of 77° F, a great day to be outside and enjoying anything! Maranda and I were up early and went downtown to the farmer's market, about 7 mile from where we live. The have it every Saturday rain or shine. This morning was full of shine, but still not too hot yet!

We still have lots of strawberries. The cold didn't get all of them. I think they held up fairly well.

We picked up some locally organic ones that are pretty small. Maranda says "Oh those are perfect to make my smoothie". Perfect for her lunch too.

We like the variety of veggies and sizes. Any size potatoes, perfect for anything you want to do with them.

We headed over to the organic tent, not here....

On the way we pass several areas doing up some good smelling street food. Here they serve ribs, sausages, and other meats grilled to perfection! We just ate breakfast so we kept on going.

Yum! but they were too busy just now!

Everyone likes to bring there dogs to show them off. You wouldn't believe how many different breeds we saw.

They were so cute! I guess they need to socialize too!

I usually get my fennel at the farmer's market. Love it!

They have several booths of goods to sell. Flowers, candles and essential oils. Spices, cheese, and jewelry.

All sorts of tropical plants.

Now I know why it was so crowded. I know it was a nice day and all, but last Saturday was gorgeous too. They had an art festival going on downtown too!

On to the organic booth!

We got some butter lettuce, watermelon radish (for Wade bento lunch) kumquats too. Swiss chard (now I have to figure out what to do with that). Carrots, lemons, sweet potatoes, broccoli, champagne mangoes, strawberries... Good thing I'm off all week, and that we have an extra fridge in our garage!

We had a lot of fun, Maranda even said so!

All the color, and smells, and people! Not that the people smelled, it was the booth selling seafood! After that I took Maranda to the mall to meet her friend, then I went to the Italian shop for some cheese, pasta and sausage. Then to the Asian shop which is just yards away. I am eating my veggie Korean sushi right now while I'm posting, but I have to save some for Maranda, it's her favorite!

This week I'll be working on making a bento that is worthy of posting about. See this one needs help. I did give him some broccoli in another container, that would of looked good if I shoved some in here. This container has an ice pack that fits right over this, then the top cover.

Overall it's been a good start to spring break. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and Monday (Wade's days off). So I'll get to cleaning the house when it rains. I think I'll go out and sit on the lani, and enjoy!

You all have a great Saturday!