Chickity China the Chinese Chicken

I'm tired. I'm broke. I'm hungry. A quick solution? Chinese food. However, I don't feel like getting the MSG sweats or eating mystery kitty cat meat. So, what's a girl to do? Make it at home, silly goose. Not only is it just as cheap, but it's gotta be better for you! I ended up using a lot of stuff I had around, so just remember: you don't ever have to follow a recipe 100%. Improvise with what you have and avoid a stupid trip to the grocery for 1 ingredient that won't make a difference. I got this recipe at a budget cooking class at Whole Foods a few years back. This is about as easy as it gets.

8 ounces whole wheat linguine (I used angel hair b/c it's what I had. You could also use rice)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I used a boullion cube + 1 cup water)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil, divided (i don't even know what this means - I used vegetable oil)
1 pound frozen Nature’s Rancher Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins, thawed and cut into strips (I used chicken breasts and just sliced & diced evenly in cubes)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 cups small fresh broccoli florets (from about 1 large crown)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips (I didn't have carrots but I did have water chestnuts and that adorable baby corn so I used this instead)

Cook linguine according to package instructions, drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, combine broth, soy, vinegar, pepper and cornstarch in a bowl. Heat a wok or heavy skillet over high heat. When very hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside. Add remaining oil, garlic and ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add broccoli and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and chicken, stir well, and cover. Lower heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Toss with linguine and serve.



This serving has way too much broccoli in it. Mom will be proud.

Got My Red Beans Cookin'

Ok, this was made last week especially for the Saints game on Monday night, but I am just getting around to posting. Seems like I should have made them yesterday instead...bad Saints, bad bad bad! No shortcuts were taken here ladies and gents.....I'm talkin authentic Monday red beans n rice. I brought some Camellia beans home with me from my last trip to New Orleans, and they kept taunting me every time I opened my cabinet. "Eat me, Lisa. Eat me," they would say. Adios red beans. Smell ya later.

1 pound red kidney beans, dry
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced

1 large smoked ham hock
1 to 1-1/2 pounds andouille sausage, sliced on the bias
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 or 2 bay leaves
As many dashes Crystal hot sauce or Tabasco as you like, to taste
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce

Tony Cachere's - a nice heavy pour makes me happy

Cayenne Pepper

Black Pepper

Some people soak the beans overnight, but you don't have to. Instead, bring the beans to a rolling boil. Make sure the beans are always covered by water, or they will discolor and get hard. Boil the beans for about an hour, until the beans are tender but not falling apart.

While the beans are boiling, sauté the Trinity until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. After the beans are boiled and drained, add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, then add the ham hock, sausage, seasonings, and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2 hours at least, preferably 3, until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. Adjust seasonings as you go along. Stir occasionally, making sure that it doesn't burn and/or stick to the bottom of the pot.

Serve generously over white rice. Tasted even better the next day!

Back to Basics: Southern Green Beans

I picked up some fresh green beans from the farm yesterday. I worked especially hard on these beans, weeding the beds one week and fertilizing another. I've never been so attached to a vegetable -sounds like I need to step up my love life. I didn't want to totally cook these down too much; I wanted to be able to taste the freshness. So I altered a basic recipe with ingredients I had on hand.

Green Beans - I grabbed a handful, probably 1/2 lb., trimmed and cut into pieces

1 piece bacon, cut into pieces

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. sugar

Cook green beans in 1-inch simmering water, covered, for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Return skillet to stove, add bacon and brown. Add chopped onions to the pan and cook until tender with the bacon. Add cooked green beans to the pan and turn to coat in bacon drippings and onions. When the beans are hot and bacon crisp at edges and onions translucent add vinegar to the pan and season with beans with sugar. Cook 1-2 minutes and serve.

Corn Chowder

I picked up some fresh sweet corn at the farmers market yesterday, along with some other goodies that you will see appear over the next few posts. I am a sucker for sweet corn; if I walk past it, I must buy it. However, I feel like I've cooked it every which way already this summer. UNTIL....I found this great recipe for corn chowder on simplyrecipes.com, which turned out to be delicious. You can really taste the great fresh flavor of the corn within the soup.




Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 strip of bacon
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large carrot, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs, cobs reserved
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups milk
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (I used green because my tummy hates the red ones)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (I used a little tiny bit of dried)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.

Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.

Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Just Beet It

Beets. Oh how I love you. I love you in salads, roasted all by yourself, and even just your greens. Even though beets have the highest sugar content of all vegetables, suprisingly they are very low in calories. Let's also not forget all the powerful nutrients they have to protect against heart disease and cancer.

My mom doesn't like beets, so I never grew up eating them, much less cooking them. Luckily, they are super easy. And don't even think about throwing the greens away - I recently started cooking them and am obsessed. You can cook just like any other greens, and they are delicious. The best part is that one vegetable makes 2 sides. I served with some chicken/feta/spinach sausage for a nice light meal.

For the beets:
Clean off any dirt with a paper towel, but do not wash. Trim the roots and stems to 1/2." Place the beets in an oven-proof baking dish and cover (foil works fine). Bake at 400 degrees for one hour, or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Then simply slip the skins and root off with your fingers.

For the greens: (from simplyrecipes.com)
1 pound beet greens
1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (I have made it without bacon and it is still good)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup of water
1 T, sugar
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat. Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occassionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar.

Katy's Catfish Gumbo

My friend Katy Simmons knows a thing or two about catfish. Her dad is one of the biggest catfish farmers in the Delta, so she knows more ways to cook with catfish than you can imagine. I grew up eating Simmons Catfish and thanks to Katy's sweet birthday present for me, I have a bag in my freezer! I made her catfish gumbo and took a big helping to the office for lunch - everyone kept coming in to see what the delicious smell was. I ended up sharing it with two co-workers, and they were wowed!. Katy and I both prefer to make a roux for more flavor, but that is the hardest part, which isn't hard at all, just a little time-consuming. So grab some catfish and get to stirrin...you won't regret it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups beef broth
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes
1 package (10 oz.) frozen sliced okra
1/2 t. thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. oregano
1 t. salt
2 1/2 lbs. Simmons catfish, cut into 1" cubes
Cooked rice


If making a roux: In a skillet over medium heat, mix 3 tablespoons oil with 3 T. flour and cook, stirring constantly, until roux turns dark brown, about 30 minutes.


If not making a roux, which is stupid and I don't recommend: heat oil in large stockpot.

Next step is to add celery, green pepper, onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add beef broth, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, oregano and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add catfish and continue simmering 15 minutes or until catfish flakes easily. Remove bay leaf. Serve over cooked rice.

The Perfect Saturday

I have absolutely enjoyed this beautiful Saturday 110%. The weather was perfect, and everything and everyone I encountered was cheerful. You have no idea how rare this is, so I took it all in and wore a smile the entire day.

The majority of my time was spent at the Red Hook Community Farm out in Brooklyn. My volunteer task today was weeding the green beans. My quads are going to hate me tomorrow, but it felt good to put my hands in the dirt and get a little sweaty. Everything was green and beautiful - hard to believe the picture below is in Brooklyn, right?

The best part of the farm is that I never go home empty-handed from a hard day's work. They have a great little farmers market where I can load up on goodies growing right where I've been standing all day. I can't even begin to put into words how delicious these tomatoes are....they are seriously like candy! I started eating them straight and finished half of the box immediately. Sure, tomatoes are in season, I know, but these seeds must be laced with crack or something - never tasted anything quite like it. Lesson of the day: Support your local farmers!!!

Since I was on a tomato-high, I bought some big boys too in order to make the best sandwich you will ever eat in your life. You don't believe me? Well, you are an idiot obviously. Make this NOW, while the tomatoes out there are so delicious.

Ingredients:

Mayo, no diet crap

2 slices bread (white bread is the best, but I didn't have any)

1/2 medium ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

1 BIG handful plain potato chips (i use kettle cooked because they are the bomb.com)

Spread mayo on both sides of bread....if you are on a diet, go with one, but whatever you do, do not leave off the mayo. Top with tomato sliced. Then season with pepper....keep going, keep going, yep that's perfect. Place a big handful of chips on the sammy and squash the whole thing together with your hand. Cut in half and enjoy the most delicious summer sandwich ever. Like I said, the perfect Saturday......