Lentil Soup

James declared this green lentil and vegetable soup “one of the best soups he’s ever made.” It was perfect for what ended up being quite a frigid and snowy week here in Richmond! He used a base of chicken broth, then added some green lentils (great source of protein that can usually be missing from a veggie soup), mushrooms, fresh green beans, chopped potato, carrot, onion, a little fennel and of course garlic. The only spices he added were salt, pepper, and a couple from our favorite local spice shop – Penzy’s – that I gave him for Christmas: Vindaloo and Turkish spice… both of which gave it a subtle Indian flavor. It was deliciously heart-warming!

Penne with Kale

Kale has pretty much become a staple in our kitchen, which I assume our bodies thank us for after some of the other things we enjoy. It’s a very versatile green which is nice since we like to cook a variety of things throughout the week, usually incorporating vegetables of some sort. On this evening, James and I were both craving pasta and probably could have been perfectly happy just eating it with a little garlic and olive oil, but to boost the health benefit I threw some veggies we had on hand in with it. The kale has a bit of a bitter taste and a really great texture to it which lent itself well to the dish. I sautéed it in a pan a few minutes with some garlic, onion, and some of the Organic Basil olive oil we recently acquired (see previous post of “Oils and Vinegars” for reference – though James received about 6 more for his birthday since then – they’ll pop up on here in time for sure). 🙂 After the pasta was done cooking, I threw it in the pan with the kale for a couple minutes so the flavors would meld, then served it with some halved cherry tomatoes, fresh grated parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper, cracked black pepper, and of course a glass of heart-friendly red wine.

Green Curry

This dish had to be one of the hottest things that James or I have ever had. We weren’t quite expecting that, and it seems that maybe we should have added an entire can of coconut milk instead of only half (that is what the directions on the curry paste can called for anyway) to have saved ourselves the heat sweats. I mean this stuff was down right hot…. but one of those types of heat that you almost crave the more you eat it (if you like hot/spicy food). This was the case for me, and I even went back for a second helping…. my stomach wasn’t too happy about that later though, ha. We’ve used these curry pastes before – Masaman is one of our favorites – and they couldn’t be easier. They come in a can about the size of can of tuna fish, can be found in the ethnic food section (though the ethnic food stores have a much larger selection). You simply stir-fry some chicken until cooked thoroughly, then vegetables… we used carrots, celery, onion, red pepper, and baby corn this time, then add the curry paste and a (whole – especially for green curry!) can of coconut milk. Serve it over some rice (we used brown this time), top with a few peanuts for crunch, and you’ve got a quick, simple, delicious, and hopefully not so incredibly hot that you can’t eat it dish!

Chicken and Waffles

James received a waffle maker for Christmas, one of the few kitchen appliances we didn’t own yet. We were both excited to use it, as we love to make a good, big breakfast on the weekends when we can. We really did it up this particular weekend. We had some chicken leftover from a previous meal that week, so we decided to create our own version of the latest brunch trend… fried chicken and waffles. The waffle recipe is one of my family favorites… going back to my dad’s grandmother. They are so fluffy and not too filling after a few bites like some you get in restaurants sometimes can be.

It took a couple tries to get the waffles just the right consistency, but luckily we came out with a couple perfect ones for that meal (and a couple not-so-perfect ones that we ate the next day, as we don’t have a dog to feed them to 🙂 The “fried” chicken was super easy and VERY delicious. We cut a couple chicken breasts up into bite-size pieces, dipped them in a little flour, then egg, then rolled them in some panko bread crumbs with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice. Then we dropped about 6 pieces at a time into a pot of hot peanut oil (just what we had on hand) and let them cook until golden brown (about 4 minutes).

The prep/cooking of everything ended up taking a lot longer than we expected, so we’ll have to be better prepared next time for that (AKA, mimosa or bloody mary on hand for the cooking phase). After topping the waffles with the chicken, we drizzled a little honey over top for a subtle sweetness to bring it all together. The juiciness of the chicken combined with it’s cajuny crunch, fluffy waffle, and hint of honey made for one amazing meal that kept us full all day long!

Mexican Fiesta

One of my most favorite weeknight traditions since I lived with friends, lived by myself, and now live with James has been Mexican Fiesta night! It’s basically what some people may just call “making tacos for dinner tonight” night, but it’s something I will look forward to all week…. there’s just something so fun to me about making tacos – and it’s so easy! Usually I use ground turkey for the meat filling, but this time we used chicken. After James chopped it into bite size pieces, I browned it in a pan with not much more than onion and Penzy’s (our local spice store) “Bold Taco Seasoning” spice that James gave me for Christmas. We threw some crunchy taco shells in the oven for a few minutes to get them warm and crispy, then filled them with the chicken, fresh avocado and jalepeno, a little cheese, homemade salsa from a friend, and of course, cilantro. I think the fact that we both ate about 4-5 tacos made this another successful Mexican Fiesta night!

Old Fashioned

One of James’ favorite drinks is the Old Fashioned. Great any time of the year, but there’s something especially nice about it in the winter time. Maybe it’s that orange slice garnish that makes you feel like you’re boosting your immune system when it needs it most, or maybe it’s just that warming effect that bourbon always seems to have on a chilly night. When we try new restaurants or bars – in our city or while traveling – James is likely to try the old fashioned, in search of the best one around. On this particularly cold day (temps in the teens – unseasonably cold for Richmond!), we decided it was time to try to concoct the perfect ‘at home’ old fashioned. It looks very red, yes, due to the maraschino cherries that were muddled and the Cajun bitters used. While this isn’t necessarily my drink of choice, I did think it turned out pretty well. James also received a nice cocktail shaker since making this, so we’ll have to try using that next time!  Cheers!

Peanut Butter Pie Cookies

I was really craving a peanut butter cookie when I made these, and decided I wanted to try a new, somewhat different recipe than just your typical flour, sugar, etc. cookie recipe. Well this one sure was that! This cookie recipe was gluten and refined-sugar free, consisting of only a few ingredients: peanut butter, cream cheese, honey, vanilla, baking soda, an egg, and a little sea salt. The cream cheese definitely made for a very creamy dough, more like a batter (see image above) and a very chewy cookie – much like a pie! The recipe also called for creamy peanut butter but we only had crunchy which ended up being the perfect balance to the cream cheese. I would use crunchy peanut butter over creamy again if I made this recipe again. Not surprisingly, they didn’t turn out as sweet as a regular peanut butter cookie, but they also weren’t loaded down with sugar. And surprisingly, we didn’t really miss that sweetness.

 

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Veggies

This pork tenderloin made for a simple and delicious winter dinner. James cooked it to just the right point – an hour or so – so that it came out tender and mouth-watering. Some seasonal veggies (carrots, onion, fingerling potatoes, fennel and celery) were the perfect side and made a great bed for the pork to roast on in the oven. We of course sprinkled some salt and pepper on and a little olive oil, but other than that, let the natural juices of the pork take over.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Just hearing the weather forecast for the next few days and that it was going to be a high of 11 degrees made us feel cold… and when I feel cold all I can think about eating is a warm bowl of soup. Particularly, one of James’ heart-warming homemade soups. We had a number of veggies in the fridge that needed to be used, so James threw them in a pot, roasted them in the oven for a bit, then added some chicken broth, garlic of course, and some spices, pureed them with a handheld immersion blender, then let it warm on the stove top. The concoction consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, onion, carrot, and celery. We also had some of his homemade bread leftover from the day before, which combined with some cheddar and parmesan cheese made an amazing grilled cheese. The other item on the plate is some sliced hard salami (we do love our meat). The soup was a bit thick due to the cauliflower and broccoli, but was a nice change of pace from the usual more brothy types that we make. It tasted wonderful I must add… I think that roasting those veggies together for a while beforehand really allowed their flavors to come out.

Sautéed Sesame Shrimp

While this image may not do this post justice, the flavor of this shrimp was to die for! There was barely time to snap a quick pic before this dish was empty. James made a marinade using the Toasted Japanese Sesame Oil (see “Oils & Vinegars” post for more info), a little garlic, fresh ginger root, and cracked black pepper, then let the shrimp soak in it for a bit before sautéing them in a pan on the stove for a couple minutes. So easy, and SO GOOD. The first time he did this we just ate the shrimp by themselves. This time he cut them each in half and we used them in spring rolls – a great flavor addition.