Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, and Rice Soup

Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, and Rice Soup

adapted from skinnytaste

Ingredients

1 TBSP butter

1onion

1 TBSP flour

4c chic broth (I always use low-sodium)

3c water

1 cup chopped carrot

3 garlic cloves

3 celery stalks, chopped

2-4 boneless chicken thighs or breasts

2 cups rice

4oz shiitake mushrooms

Rosemary, parsley, salt & pepper

1. Saute butter and onions until soft, add flour and sauté another minute.
2. In a large pot, add chicken broth, water, carrots, garlic, celery, chicken and simmer for 20 minutes. Add rice, mushrooms, and spices and simmer covered for 25minutes.
3. Remove chicken and with forks, shred chicken; add it back into the soup. Serve!

Some suggestions are adding sour cream for creaminess and half white rice, half wild rice for variety. Next time, I would have added more carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms.

Mmmm, Cauliflower Steak and Indonesian-Style Fried Rice

We had a good, flavorful dinner tonight with lots of fresh ingredients. I made cauliflower steaks and fried rice.

To make the cauliflower steaks, I literally took the head of a cauliflower and sliced two meaty cross sections out of the middle of the head, it was about half of the cauliflower. The other half, I used in an earlier recipe of cauliflower mac n cheese. Then rubbed on some olive oil and spices (I used oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper) and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping once and baking until tender. Other flavoring suggestions are: tomatoes, olives, onion, basil, parsley sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, and olive oil or olive oil, lemon juice and paprika. Patrick even said he wanted to try it with a gravy, like salisbury steak.

I found a recipe for Indonesian-Style Fried Rice, well actually I watched a video on it (from America’s Test Kitchen) and my own version with the ingredients I had readily available. My version: Saute half a chopped onion in olive oil and add 2 chopped serrano peppers. Add some garlic, then add leftover cooked rice, soy sauce, sugar (they called for molasses, fish sauce, and dark brown sugar but I only had sugar). Meanwhile, Using 4 eggs (I used 3 whole, 2 whites), add some milk, salt, and pepper and mix. Then cook the eggs in butter in two batches, forming 2 omelets. When the omelets have cooled for a min or two, roll them up (like a crepe) and cut into strips/spirals. Now time to serve. Put some fried rice on the plate with egg spirals and garnish with tomatoes and cucumbers.

The meal was so delicious. The flavor combination was surprising with the warm rice and steaks mixed with the cold tomatoes, cucumbers, and pear, but it was great!

Mushroom Steaks and Risotto with Parmesean Green Beans

Wednesday, we ate a potpie that I had made previously and froze. That was good and filling, but this Thursday, I tried something new and it became another of my favorite meals! The mushroom steaks were delicious and but the risotto was my favorite! The texture and flavor were awesome combinations in this dish!

Sweet Corn Risotto

Yield: 6 – 8 Servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 ears fresh sweet corn, cut off cob
1 cups arborio rice
½ cup sauvignon blanc wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup Romano cheese (parmesan), grated
2 tablespoons minced parsley

1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed pot, over medium-high heat butter. Add olive oil and garlic, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook till soft.

Add corn and arborio rice, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add wine, stirring constantly, until almost completely absorbed, 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring constantly, until the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring the risotto until the stock is absorbed before adding more. It is important to add the next cup only after all of the last has been absorbed in order to make the starch form a nice sauce. The risotto is done when the rice is tender (begin tasting after 12 minutes).

Stir in the cheese, parsley and butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately!

Marinated Portobello Mushroom “Steak”

Ingredients:

2 Portobello Mushroom Caps (3-4 oz. mushroom cap)
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Fresh Garlic (minced)
2/3 tsp. Basil
2/3 tsp. Oregano
2/3 tsp. Thyme
1/2 tsp. Rosemary

Directions:

Measure Oil and Seasonings, Mix, and Marinate

Measure your olive oil and seasonings, and pour into a microwave-safe cup.
Heat the oil and seasonings for about 20-25 seconds in the microwave. This is to warm up the oil and draw out the seasoning flavors. Cover and set the oil aside, in room temperature, for approximately 6 hours. Once every couple hours, microwave the oil/seasonings for 20-25 seconds. I find this to be a lot of work and not completely necessary to do for such an extended period of time.

Set the mushroom out a couple hours ahead of time so it can get to room temperature.

Prepare and Marinate Mushroom
Remove mushroom stalk.
Place the mushroom cap in a bowl, smooth side up.
Brush a very small amount of the oil onto the smooth side of the mushroom cap.
Turn mushroom upside down (smooth side down/gill side up).
Pour the remaining oil and seasonings into the cup-shaped mushroom cap.
Allow to marinate for approximately 20-30 minutes.

Broil or Grill
Place the mushroom, smooth side down, into your broiler.
Broil for approximately 4-5 minutes. Keep a close watch on it to avoid burning.
Remove from broiler. Once the mushroom comes out of the broiler, it won’t stay hot for long, so be ready to eat immediately.

Patrick experimented by putting the finished mushroom and cooking it a little in a pan. He preferred this crispiness to the mushroom.

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

Skinnytaste.com
Ingredients:

• 12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp shredded parmesan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. (Line a baking sheet with aluminum for easy clean-up.)
Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss to evenly coat.

Spread them out on the sheet so that they all lay flat and place on the lower third section of your oven. Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn; bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Indian Remake

Today I made an Indian dinner. I like spicy food :-) I like spices. I try to not use too much salt. I only have a select amount of spices that I carry around and occasionally I buy fresh. This meal was created because 1. I purchased a tandoori spice mix and 2. I had leftover rice that was left sit in extra water creating a “sticky” rice. Therefore i made Tandoori chicken, Chickpeas/Hummus, Peppers and Onions, and Mango Sticky rice for dessert.,

I coated the chicken in the spices mixed with yogurt and a little olive oil. For a side dish, I didn’t want to make rice since we were having that for dessert an since we were eating leftovers with rice. So what I ended up finding was a chickpea side dish recipe. It was satisfying meal!

Chickpea and Pepper and Onion Salad

• 2 cans chick peas, drained
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup tahini paste
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced or 1/2-inch dice
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced or 1/2-inch dice
• Hot banana pepper rings, drained and chopped plus 2 tablespoons juice
• Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced, plus 1 lime, for garnish

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove grated garlic. Pulse chop the chick peas in food processor then add to garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Mash with chicken stock and tahini and reduce heat to low.

Combine red onion, bell peppers, chopped hot peppers, to taste, 2 tablespoons hot pepper pickle juice, cilantro leaves, lime juice. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wedge the remaining lime, reserve.

Mango stiky Rice!

Beet and Bean Burgers

By now, you may have noticed that I live veggie burgers. This time I made burgers using red beets and they were so good! This is something that I’m sure not many are brave enough to try but I made it and it was great! I would make it again. I would even make it for friends and family that I thought were daring enough to try it.

Best-Ever Beet and Bean Burgers
Inspired by the veggie burgers at Northstar Cafe in Columbus, Ohio
makes about 6 burgers

1/2 cup brown rice (doubled if you want more rice)
1 onion, diced small
3 large red beets (about 1 pound), diced small*
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons parsley, minced
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
thin slices of provolone or monterey jack cheese (optional)

* The key is to dice the beets very small and then cook all the ingredients until they’re very tender and soft. Don’t be tempted to use a food processor – that would give you the mushy texture we’re trying to avoid.

(I didn’t have vinegar, or parsley, coriander, thyme, and used an Italian spice mix instead and mozz string cheese.)

Bring a large amount of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and the rice, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the rice until it’s a little beyond al dente. You want it a little over-cooked, but still firm. This should take about 35-40 minutes. Drain the rice and set it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the onions are translucent and softened. Stir in the beets. Cover the pot and cook until the beets are completely tender, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan using the cider vinegar.

Empty the black beans into a large bowl and use a fork to mash them up a bit. Add the cooked rice, the beet and onion mixture, the lemon juice, the olive oil, and all the spices. Stir to combine and then taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once it tastes the way you like it, add the flour and stir until you see no more dry flour.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over the highest heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil – the oil should completely coat the bottom of the pan. When you see the oil shimmer and it flows easily, the pan is ready.

Using your hands, scoop up about a cup of the burger mixture and shape it into a patty between your palms. Set it in the pan, where it should begin to sizzle immediately. (If it doesn’t sizzle, wait a minute or two before cooking the rest of the burgers.) Shape and add as many more patties as will fit in your pan. Once all the patties are in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high.

Cook the patties for 2 minutes, then flip them to the other side. You should see a nice crust on the cooked side. If they break apart a little when you flipped them, just reshape them with the spatula – they’ll hold together once the second side is cooked. If you’re adding cheese, lay a slice over the burgers now. Cook the second side for another 2 minutes.

Serve the veggie burgers on soft burger buns or lightly toasted sandwich bread along with some fresh greens.

Cooked burgers should be eaten that same day. You can also save leftover mix in the fridge for up to a week and cook just one or two burgers as you want them.

Long days

Yesterday, Patrick worked a 14 hour day. It was also conveniently leftover night (because I didn’t know when he would be home). Today was another long day, but not that long. our dinner is mentioned below. Note, I made Beet Hummus, and I wouldn’t try that again. The combination of the sweet/savory beets, lemon juice, and tahini was a little much for my tastes!

Corn and Roasted Tomato Grilled Flatbread Recipe

2 flatbreads

1 small package smoked mozzarella

Store bought pesto

Store bought roasted tomatoes (I found these at Trader Joe’s near the pesto)

Handful of arugula

1 ear of corn cooked, kernels removed

Parmesan cheese

Preheat your grill to medium low. Place the flatbread on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes (more or less depending on thickness of the bread). Flip and grill for another 3 minutes or until both sides are crisp. Remove from the grill and add the mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes, arugula, corn, and parmesan in that order. Place the flatbreads back on the grill for 5 minutes. Remove from grill, slice and serve!

(I used whole wheat sandwich rounds, homemade pesto (thanks Patrick’s parents!), corn, farmers market cherry tomatoes, and string cheese)

Spicy Rainbow Rice and Beans

• 1 cup uncooked brown or basmati rice
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1.5 cups frozen peas
• 2 cups fresh cooked corn (or frozen)
• salt to taste

1. Cook the rice in a medium pot according to package directions.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add sweet onions, garlic, and spices. Sauté 4-5 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Add the black beans, soy sauce, peas, and corn to the skillet. Heat on medium-low for 6-7 minutes, until hot, stirring often.

3. Stir in the cooked rice. Add an additional splash of soy sauce if necessary.

(This wasn’t a really exciting dish., but it is a good filler dinner for Patrick. Like usual, I didn’t have all the ingredients… like coriander or soy sauce.)

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

After laying out in the sun and relaxing by the pool on this wonderful Sunday, I came in to make wonderful dinner. Mmmm, I knew Patrick would like it!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 1 large onion, medium diced
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
• 1 quart vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (5-ounce) package pre-washed baby spinach
• Rice (well I added the rice and only one can of chickpeas)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent; lower heat if browning starts to occur. Add spices and saute a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, and sugar. Season with a couple pinches of salt and 10 grinds fresh pepper. Stir well. Chickpeas should be just covered with liquid. If level is shy, add some water so the chickpeas are just covered.

Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to low and gently simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. Stir in the spinach and let heat through until wilted, just a couple minutes.

Season again, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve soup, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

Oh, and I made Roasted Garlic and White Bean Hummus (It was really good)!

Ingredients

• garlic
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil (plus extra to drizzle on top)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• Salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

In a food processor, combine the white beans, cooking liquid or water, olive oil, tahini, salt and pepper, garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice. Blend well. Serve with roasted or raw vegetables, pita chips or pita bread, or a loaf of crusty whole wheat bread.