Veggie Tales

Kale and Pepper Stir-Fry with Orange-Ginger Salmon
My book club is currently reading Michael Pollan's Cooked. Pollan, I will point out, is a very engaging writer and, so far, the book has been an enjoyable read. His central thesis, lamenting the apparently dying kitchen arts, however, is absolutely preaching to the choir of our food-obsessed club. I have very little interest in consuming bad food, and I find so much "fast food" is simply "bad food." I like to take the time and care to cook a good meal I know will taste good. I want to eat good food, and honestly, what I cook at home usually tastes better (and is less expensive and healthier) than I would typically get eating out. So why bother? There's a great line from one of my favorite movies, Ratatouille, uttered by the menacing food critic, Anton Ego to Linguini: "I don't like food - I love it! And if I don't love it, I don't swallow." So rarely does a fictional character capture my feelings so precisely. I absolutely LOVE food, but I am not going to bother ingesting crap just because it's there when there are so many delicious and nourishing options I can easily make myself. Does this way of life come with challenges? Sure. It takes planning each week and a willingness to give oneself over to the delightful rhythms, sights, smells, and textures of the time in the kitchen. I have come to find food-planning and preparation relaxing, a welcomed stress-relief at the end of a day. I look forward to it. Preparing dinner for me and my husband while sipping a glass of wine and listening to music is bliss. I see this "work" or "chore" as a expression of creativity and love for my family. But I am realistic - I get it. Really. I work a more-than full-time job, my schedule can be erratic and demanding (especially when I'm directing), there are always meetings, chores, laundry, animals to take care of, and errands to run. Spending hours each evening simmering complicated sauces or slow-roasting a juicy cut of meat would be lovely . . . but that simply isn't an option for "everyday" cooking. Many evenings things need to be fast and easy. But that doesn't mean defrosting a microwavable lasagne or ordering a pizza. Enter . . . the stir-fry. Packed with veggies and quality protein, versatile, and FAST. Stir-fry is so easily tailored to one's taste and dietary needs - a little lime juice and fish sauce and it's Thai-style or heavier on the ginger and more soy sauce, it's got a Chinese flair. It's whatever you want it to be! Tonight's Orange Salmon with Sesame Kale came together simply because those were the fresh ingredients I happened to have in my fridge. As far as creating a go-to stir-fry arsenal, check out the Asian section of your supermarket and do a little experimenting. Swapping one ingredient for another is a perfect way to keep your pallet engaged - just keep elements within the same flavor-realm - acid for acid or aromatic for aromatic. Prefer rice to buckwheat noodles? Go there! Don't like salmon? Try chicken instead, you crazy maverick! The point is to have fun and to satisfy your appetite! Yum.

Ingredients
- 2 6-7 oz. salmon fillets
- salt and pepper
- juice from one orange
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
- 1 Tbsp. grated garlic
- 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
- 1 tsp. hot Chinese mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 6 c. chopped fresh kale
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 3 oz. soba noodles, cooked and drained, lightly rinsed in cold water
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1/2 avocado, peeled and sliced
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, mustard, Sriracha, and olive oil. Season salmon filets on both sides with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lay fillets side-by-side in a shallow dish and cover with orange juice mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes - 2 hours.

While the fillets marinate, chop remaining veggies and cook noodles. Rinse noodles in cold water and set aside. Whisk together 1 Tbsp. cooking sherry and remaining soy sauce and set aside.

After fillets have marinated adequately heat 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in two separate, heavy pans. (This takes a little coordination, but it is possible to cook two things at once.)

In one pan combine garlic, jalapeno, and pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add chopped red bell pepper and stir over heat until pepper begins to soften slightly. Add kale and soy sauce-sherry mixture to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the kale is bright green and slightly tender. Remove from heat, toss with cooked noodles and sesame oil. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place salmon fillets in second pan, reserving marinade. Sear until a slight crust appears on outside of fish, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove fillets to a plate, turn up heat and add remaining sherry to the pan. Deglaze pan by scraping up bits with a wooden spoon. Splash reserved marinade into the hot pan and mix together to make a very quick pan sauce. Remove from heat.

Divide veggies and noodles between two plates and lay a piece of salmon over each. Pour pan sauce over fillets and garnish plate with avocado slices and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. So, so good!

All Stir (Fried) Up!

Stir-Fried Pork with Kale and Orange
Stir fry is one of the fastest, easiest, and tastiest ways to get a meal well balanced with protein and veggies. My recent kale obsession drove me to put together this leafy green into a Chinese-style stir fry dish with noodles and marinated pork. The sweet, orange citrus is a great compliment to kale's slightly bitter tones. Just throw the pork in the marinade the night before and then cook up this stir fry in about 20 minutes. It's fast to put together and really, really yummy.

Ingredients
- 2 1" thick cut pork chops, sliced across the grain to about 1/4" thick
- 6 oz. chow mien noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and discarded, and leaves torn into about 2" pieces
- 6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
- juice and zest from 1 orange
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 1 large clove garlic, grated
- 4 large coves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
- 1/4 c. vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. cooking sherry
- salt and pepper
- 4 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
- 1 Tbsp. chili hot sauce, such as Sriracha
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. corn starch
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

ORANGE AND GINGER MARINADE
Sprinkle sliced pork with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish. Whisk together 1/2 the orange juice, 1 Tbsp. orange zest, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, grated ginger, hot sauce, grated garlic clove, and olive oil. Pour over the sliced pork and toss to make sure the meat is covered completely with marinade. Cover marinating meat and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight to infuse the flavor.


STIR FRY

When you are ready to stir fry, make the sauce by whisking together remaining soy sauce, orange juice, cooking sherry, honey, and corn starch. Set aside and cook the chow mien noodles according to package directions. Set aside when cooked (they usually cook very quickly, 4-5 minutes). Meanwhile, heat a wok or large non-stick pan over high and add vegetable oil. Fry the minced garlic and chili pepper flakes for 1 minutes, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add pork with marinade and fry over high about about 3 minutes, until pork is cooked through. Remove pork from wok with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add vegetable broth to hot wok and then add scallions and kale. Cover wok with lid and steam vegetables for about 1 minute until the kale is bright green. 

Return pork to wok with cooked noodles and prepared orange and soy sauce mixture. Toss ingredients together with tongs and allow mixture to warm through completely and sauce to thicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. Yum!

 

Stirring the Soul

Quick Salmon and Soba Noodle Stir Fry
The weather around here is trying desperately to resemble something like summer. You remember summer, don't you? Blue skies? Barbecues? Other fun outdoor activities? While consistent blue skies remain elusive at the moment, the air around here is hot, thick, and muggy. It's the air that makes it impossible to sleep and unpleasant to eat. Lighter, quick-cooking recipes are definitely in order and so I went to my favorite go-to fish for help. There's nothing like a belly full of salmon to make everything seem right in the world . . . grey skies or otherwise! It's just good for the brain and the soul! This recipe for two is a snap to whip up. Dinner was on the table in about twenty minutes. Perfectly paired with a glass of crisp white wine or a frosty bottle of your favorite lager.

Ingredients
- 2 6-7 oz. salmon fillets
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 3 small bunches of baby bok choy, rinsed and chopped
- 6 green onions, trimmed and cut crosswise into 2-3" pieces
- 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. grape seed or vegetable oil, divided
- juice from one lemon
- 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- large garlic clove, grated
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 c. edamame beans
- 1 tsp. sesame seeds
- 3 oz. soba noodles
- 2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
- salt and pepper

SOY GINGER DRESSING
In a small bowl, whisk together ginger,  lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, and 2 Tbsp. of the oil. Set aside and save for the stir fry. This is also a great dressing for a cold salad!

SALMON FILLETS
Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon fillets and sear about 3 minutes per side until fish is slightly browned on the outside and cooked through. Remove from heat and place fillets on a plate tented with foil to rest while preparing the stir fry.


STIR FRY
While cooking the salmon bring a heavy-bottomed pot of water to a boil and cook soba noodles according to package directions, usually about 3-4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Meanwhile, heat remaining Tbsp. of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and bok choy and cook in oil for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked soba noddles and soy ginger dressing to the skillet,  combining ingredients with a pair of tongs. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for another 3-5 minutes until noodles are heated through and vegetables are softened and bright green. Divide stir fried noodles among two plates, top noodles with salmon fillets and brush each fillet with about a Tbsp. of teriyaki sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and edamame beans. Eat up! It's good for you!

Stirrin' It Up

Spicy Ginger-Soy Shrimp Stir Fry With Soba Noodles

I come by my foodie ways honestly. My parents are foodies. My mother is the most amazing cook ever . . . I get that everyone says that about his or her own mother, but in my case it's really true. Growing up she always exposed my brother and me to different sorts of foods- Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Russian, whatever. And it was always delicious. While we never lacked for variety at the table, there were certain recipes that would pop up more often than others and a stir-fry was among these frequent dinner time guest stars. Usually chicken, pork, or beef with some kind of vibrant green vegetable, water chestnuts, bok choy, and a heaping scoop of steamed white rice. I loved it. I have many memories of sitting around the table making feeble attempts to use chopsticks while my dad coached me: "No, Liz. Hold it like you hold a pencil."

It wasn't until several years ago when my dad outfitted my brother and me with our own stir fry gear for Christmas that I attempted it on my own. Flipping through the simple cookbook accompanying the wok, chop sticks, wooden paddle, and other related accessories I realized the elegant simplicity of stir fry. Protein, vegetables, starch, and some sort of sauce. Poof! That's it. Fast, cheap, and easy. It's magic.

For my first attempts I stuck with the cookbook and the recipes that sounded familiar. Beef With Broccoli. Pork and Snow Peas. Then strolling up and down the Asian foods section of the supermarket, I realized what a tasty adventure stir fry could be. Elegant jars of duck sauce, bottles of rice wine, new varieties of noodles and rice inspired me to go off-book. I threw this together the other day after picking up a bottle of Sriracha sauce (the bottle with the picture of the rooster). I hope you like it!

Incidentally, if you don't have a wok . . . any large non-stick skillet will do!

Ingredients
- 1 lb. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb. broccoli florets
- 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp. plum sauce
- l bunch of scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 8 oz. whole wheat soba noodles

In a medium bowl, whisk together ginger, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, and Sriracha. Add shrimp to bowl and toss to cover with sauce. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together plum sauce and rice vinegar in a separate bowl. Set aside. Chop scallions and garlic. Bring large pot of water to a boil for soba noodles.

After shrimp have marinated. Heat vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over high, swirl around to distribute oil. Add shrimp and stir fry 2-3 minutes until shrimp are pink and nearly cooked through. Remove shrimp from wok, add 3 Tbsp. water and broccoli. Cover and steam 2-3 minutes until broccoli is tender and bright green. Meanwhile, add soba noodles to boiling water and cook 6-8 minutes (see package directions).

When broccoli is cooked, turn off heat. Add garlic, scallions, and cooked and drained soba noodles. Toss to combine. Add plum sauce and rice wine mixture and shrimp. Toss until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Eat with chopsticks! Serve with extra Sriracha sauce if you like things spicy!

Thai Me Up!

Avocado Curry Noodles

In the most blessed kingdom of cheap/fast/one-dish meals- few things can beat an old fashioned stir fry. Packed with crisp, colorful veggies and a generous helping of lean protein over your starch of choice- these meals are healthy, filling, and delicious. This recipe was devised based on an unusual dish I found at one of my favorite Thai restaurants. When I first saw Avocado Curry Noodles on the menu, I thought, "Really? Avocado curry? Weird." But being the intrepid foodie that I am, I had to try it- and I'm glad I did. This dish has all the elements of a great stir fry- but with the surprising creamy twist of the avocado. Seriously good. I hope you like it!

Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, sliced thin diagonally across the grain and sprinkled with salt
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
- 1 onion, peeled, halved, and sliced thin
- 1 bunch of broccoli, trimmed and separated into florets
- 2 medium avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 3 Tbsp. green curry paste
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- salt
- 8 oz. rice noodles

In a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pan, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add rice noodles and cook 3-4 minutes until noodles are tender. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Add 1 Tbsp. curry paste, cardamom, and chicken. Stir fry over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Add remaining oil to pan, heat, and add onion and bell pepper. Stir fry 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to soften. Sprinkle with salt and transfer to bowl with chicken. Return pan to heat and add broccoli and 2 Tbsp. water. Cover pan and let broccoli steam 2-3 minutes so that broccoli is tender-crisp. Transfer to bowl. Add coconut milk, pepper flakes, fish sauce, and remaining curry paste to same skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook on stove top about 3 minutes for sauce to thicken. Return chicken and vegetables to skillet and stir to combine. Add rice noodles to mixture and toss until sauce and ingredients are well combined. Remove pan from heat, top with avocado slices, and toss gently to distribute. Eat up! I know you're hungry.