Southeast Asian Shrimp with Tropical Salsa

Happy Sunday! San Francisco was blessed with really warm weather this weekend (brace yourself…77 degrees… that’s pretty much SF’s heat plateau that we get to experience on a very rare occasion.) We all traded in our hoodies and rain boots for sun dresses and flip flops (who even owns flip flops here anymore?!?) Our beaches were packed with the vitamin D deficient and pale bodies of San Franciscans, all of whom were greased up in SPF 100 in attempt to soak in every last possible ray of sunshine. I wonder how many of us are suffering from a near 3rd degree sunburn today? Sunny SF > inevitable sunburn, in my opinion. That being said, we were craving tropical weather food. Carpe Diem, right? Tonight, we whipped up a delicious and light tropical shrimp dish.  The flavors are wonderful; tangy lemongrass and lime, with the heat of the chiles and ginger and the sweetness of the honey added a complex bite to each shrimp.  I am definitely keeping this recipe for our next warm day, which will hopefully be before 2013! Bon Appetit!

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

Grated zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon Asian chile garlic sauce

1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 lb jumbo shrimp

Tropical salsa (recipe will follow)

To make the marinade, combine the garlic, lime zest and juice, ginger, chile sauce, lemongrass, soy sauce, olive oil and honey in a bowl and whisk well to combine.  Add the shrimp to the marinade, and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. (the longer the better!)

If you have a barbecue, definitely use it. Otherwise, you can pan sear the shrimp like I did.  Remove the shrimp from the marinade and drain them in a strainer. Arrange the shrimp on a grill and grill until cooked through, or pan sear on a scorching hot pan until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve the warm shrimp with the tropical salsa!

Tropical Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 kiwi, peeled and diced

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

grated zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystalized ginger

1 avocado, diced

1 tablespoon fresh minced cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon honey

Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours for the flavors to develop.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Life has been pretty hectic recently, which has resulted in a lack of culinary creativity in the casa di Smith (hence the lack of blogging.) The other night, though, Jared and I both had a strong craving for his famous Wild Mushroom Risotto so we dusted off our pots and pans and got to work. The risotto is his trademark dish, so I let him take over the kitchen and I sat back and drank vino. You can use any mushrooms you like, but I believe in getting mushrooms of good quality because you can taste the difference. We like to use dried porcinis, shiitake, portabellos, creminis and truffle oil.

This risotto is healthy, hearty, pretty easy to make, and tastes even better the following day.

1 Lb Mushrooms, mixed (shiitake, cremini, portabello, etc)

1 Oz Dried Porcinis

4-5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

64 Oz Vegetable broth

1 Yellow Onion (finely diced, divided in half)

1 Garlic Clove (diced)

1.5 Cups Dry White Wine

1.5 Cups Arborio Rice

1/2 Cup Wild Rice

1 Teaspoon Truffle Oil

Boil the vegetable broth and then turn off the heat. In a second pot, mix the dried porcinis with 1 cup of the boiled vegetable broth to let the porcinis reconstitute. In a large pan, carmelize the first half of the diced onion in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add half the garlic clove, cook for one minute. Add both the arborio and wild rices, stir and let toast for 1-2 minutes (toasting the rice before adding the liquids helps keep the rice from getting mushy.) Add the wine. Once the wine reduces, add 1 cup broth and let reduce, stirring constantly. Repeat until all broth is used.

Meanwhile, add the rest of the olive oil and garlic, and carmelize the onions. Add all of the chopped mushrooms, and drizzle with more olive oil. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and cook the chopped mushrooms until soft. We like to drizzle with balsamic vinegar, but that’s optional. Pour the porcini/vegetable broth mix in with the mushrooms, and cook for a couple more minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

Once the rice is done, pour the mushroom mixture over the rice and let it cook until all liquid is reduced (about 10-15 minutes), stirring constantly. Drizzle truffle oil over the top, stir in, and add 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan, stir and serve!

Detox Monday: Green Juice Cleanse

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Saturday was my best friend’s bridal shower, followed by a celebratory night on the town with a group of friends. We drank amazing wine (made by the talented Dan Fitzerald), beer, greyhounds, a tequila shot or two, and I may or may not have indulged in a burger and fries at 2 in the morning. I am still in denial about the burger splurge. I like to pretend that never happened.  I woke up feeling like a gluttonous blob from said indulgences, and decided to do a day of cleansing.  Before I became a graduate student and actually had the money to spend, I would do 3 day juice cleanses from Urban Remedy (which I highly recommend if you have the cash!) Now that I am on a tighter budget, I make my own cleanses at home. Depending on the amount of days I want to cleanse, I make different juices. Juice cleansing is a great way to flush toxins out of your body, purify the skin, and keep your liver and other vital organs working properly. The longer I cleanse, the better I feel, the brighter and clearer my skin looks, and the better I sleep at night.  All you need is fresh, organic produce and a juicer!

This time around I am only doing a single day cleanse, so I whipped up my favorite Green Juice. This recipe makes a pretty large batch, so it is sufficient for a day’s worth of juice. While it is recommended to avoid any other foods during a cleansing period, you can eat almonds or avocado if you get too hungry. Here’s to cleansing and to re-toxing myself all over again this upcoming weekend! Life’s all about balance, right?

Green Juice:

3 cucumbers

2 bunches celery

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch rainbow chard

3 lemons

2 green apples

2 fennel bulbs

Do not remove any parts of the vegetables of fruit. Just juice it all! Voila! (It tastes a lot better than it looks, I promise!)

 

 

 

(No Cream) of Mushroom Soup with Cashew Sour Cream

Just as I was getting used to 70 degree weather in February, winter decided to show up uninvited. Doesn’t it realize that it is 3 months past schedule? Rude. Alas, I decided to take Mother Nature’s queue and made a belly warming soup. I love cream of mushroom soup, but most of the time it is loaded with fat and sodium. I searched for a way to make a healthier version of my favorite soup, without losing any of its richness and creamy consistency. The answer? Blended tofu and cashew sour cream! Weird, yes, but the end result is delicious indeed. Cashews (or any nuts, really) make for a great vegan cream base, and they provide a nutty (no pun intended) and deceivingly rich consistency to any dish.

Despite the plethora of ingredients, this soup was very simple to make and it fed a lot of people! We had the soup for dinner for 2 nights, and we gave a large container of it to our neighbors, Shelley and Eric, to finish. The first night we paired the soup with a roasted beet salad and a warm loaf of crusty pugilese bread, and the second night we used the soup as a dipping ground for grilled cheese sandwiches.

No Cream of Mushroom Soup:

4 red onions, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick crescents

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup dry red wine

2 teaspoons unrefined sugar

2 pounds cremini mushrooms, sliced (I also used fresh Shiitakes… highly recommend!)

1 ounce dried porcinis, soaked in warm stock

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

8 ounces low-fat silken tofu or low-fat firm tofu

sea salt and ground pepper

Cashew Sour Cream:

1/2 cup raw cashews

2 teaspoons light miso

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup water

sea salt

In a soup pot, combine the onions, garlic, wine and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are reddish brown (about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms, including the porcinis and their soaking liquid. Stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add the herbs, nutmeg and stock. Simmer the soup for about 40 minutes.

Add the tamari and vinegar. In a blender or food processor, blend the soup in batches and return to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cashew Sour Cream:

In a blender, combine the cashews, miso, lemon juice and nutmeg and 1/2 cup of the water. Blend to make a thick, coarse puree. With the machine running, gradually add the remaining water and blend until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.

Top the soup with as much cashew cream as you like (I like a lot!) and stir!

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce, Fried Brown Rice & Comice Pear, Spinach & Walnut Salad

When I crave fried rice I usually venture to a neighborhood spot on Clement Street because authentic restaurants always trump my home attempts at Asian fare. However, the other night I was too lazy to get out of my pajamas and I figured that I could omit some sodium and fat if I recreated fried rice and Asian meatballs in my own kitchen. I used Turkey instead of Duck to cut down on fat (although I bet Duck would be amazing!) and I used brown rice to add fiber and selenium. This dish is simple and fast, and is great for a weeknight dinner. The next night I had leftover meatballs, so I  experimented again and made a ‘fried rice’ with quinoa. I added green peas, snow peas and Sriracha to the mix. Both the brown rice and quinoa were great, but I wish I had added the peas, snow peas and Sriracha to the original rice batch because they added a wonderful texture and flavor to the dish.

I always like to have a salad accompany my dinner, so I whipped up a delicious spinach salad with comice pears and walnuts. The secret to this salad is the dressing: pears are pureed into the dressing, which adds a smooth and sweet flavor to the spinach.

Naturally, no dinner is complete without a wine, beer or cocktail pairing.  I decided to open one of my beloved bottles of 2010 Cyprus Pinot Noir. I savored every drop of this wine, and it took a lot of willpower to not open up a 2nd bottle. If you like Pinot, you are sure to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with this wine. Bottoms up!

 

Meatballs:

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1.25 lean ground turkey (I suggest ground thighs for flavor)

1 egg

1 tbsp ginger, minced (the squeeze tubes of fresh ginger puree are great for this)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 scallions (green onions), chopped

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce:

4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp water

1 scallion, chopped

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Mix turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until well combined. Shape into meatballs and transfer to a baking dish. Bake until brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce, mix together the lime juice, water, soy sauce and oil in a bowl. Add scallions before serving.

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir the sauce and drizzle over the meatballs.

Fried Rice:

1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice

1 large egg, 1 egg white,  scrambled

4  scallions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1/2 cup frozen green peas (optional)

1/2 cup frozen snap peas (optional)

Sriracha to taste

Cook brown rice according to package directions. When rice is cooked, spray a nonstick pan with oil and add the eggs and cook a minute or two until done. Set the eggs aside. Spray more oil to the pan and add the scallions, garlic, green peas and snap peas. Saute for a minute and add the rice. Add the soy sauce and fish sauce and Sriracha and stir to mix all the ingredients. Keep stirring for a few minutes and then add the scrambled eggs.  Cook for another 30 seconds.

Comice Pear, Walnut & Spinach Salad:

(This yields a lot of dressing. I make it and store it in a container to keep in my fridge, but you can reduce the recipe if you are only using it for one meal.)

2 Comice pears, cored (1 sliced, 1 roughly chopped)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp German mustard

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon honey

red or white vinegar to taste

spinach

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Put chopped pear, oil, mustard, garlic, wine and honey into a blender and puree. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vinegar. Put spinach, walnuts and remaining sliced pear into a bowl and toss with the dressing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Veggie Burger Ever. (I promise).

For many of you San Franciscans, the Plant Organic Cafe’s famous “Plant Burger” is a regular part of your routine. There is something so delicious about the soft and nutty texture of the mysterious red patty, especially when it’s topped with sautéed mushrooms, avocado and melted cheddar cheese. My carnivore husband, who was adamantly against the concept of a veggie “burger”, even found himself craving that unique red veggieliciousness. The only glitch? Each burger weighs in around $12. So, finding the recipe for the Plant Burger became a household priority. Low and behold, I stumbled across an amazing blog, Weekday Gourmet, which listed the exact recipe for the famous Plant Burger. We tested the recipe and it was absolutely perfect! Just as good as the $12 version, if not better! The recipe yields around 5 burgers. Double the food at half the price? Yes Please!

We paired the burgers with brussel sprout chips. They are easy and delicious, and incredibly good for you!

 

1/2 cup quick-cooking bulgur (soaked in piping hot water for about 15-20 minutes)

1/2 cup red lentils (soaked in piping hot water for 15-20 minutes)

1/2 cup roasted cashews (crushed to a powder)

2 cups beets

8 oz white mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and diced

sea salt

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

optional toppings: sautéed mushrooms, goat cheese, sliced avocado, sautéed onions

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Meanwhile, soak the lentils and bulgur in the piping hot water for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Bake beets for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Once cool, peel and dice the beets.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and sautee the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat.

Drain the bulgur and lentils and remove any excess water.

Combine the beets, bulgur, lentils, cashew powder, mushrooms, garlic, cumin and sea salt in a food processor, and pulse until the chunks are gone and the consistence is smooth.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Form patties tightly with your hands (it can help to refrigerate the patties for 30 minutes) and cook the burgers until crisp on each side, flipping once (carefully, because they can fall apart easily!)

Place burgers on toasted bread and the toppings of your choice. I highly recommend goat cheese, sliced avocado and sautéed mushrooms!

Brussel Sprout Chips:

1 lb brussel sprouts, washed and trimmed

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon for juice and zest

salt and pepper, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350. Trim brussel sprouts, and remove leaves. Place the brussel sprout leaves on a baking sheet, and top with olive oil, lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste. Bake for 25 minutes, or until crispy. Garnish with lemon zest.

 

 

Tortilla Soup with Chicken, Lime and Smoked Chilies

Husband and I whipped up this bowl of deliciousness last night. This soup is surprisingly simple yet robust in flavors and is quite filling. This soup is a feast for the senses: the chipotles add a rich smokiness, the tortilla strips and bell pepper provide texture while the the sour cream and avocado deliver a soothing creaminess. We like our food spicy, so we added some sriracha rooster sauce at the final stages of the cooking process, but that is entirely optional. Best part of this soup? There are leftovers for tonight! Enjoy!

2 dried chipotle peppers

1.5 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for frying tortilla strips

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1.5 teaspoons dried oregano

one 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained well

6 cups chicken stock

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and stemmed and cut into strips

2 tablespoonsfresh lime juice

Sriracha (optional)

6 corn tortillas

sour cream

chopped fresh cilantro

sliced avocado

Put the chipotle peppers in a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let it sit until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain pepper, discarding water, and pat dry. Cut slit into peppers and remove the seeds. Coarsely chop pepper and set aside.

Heat 1.5 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook, stirring 1 minute more. Add chopped chipotle, cumin, oregano, tomatoes and stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender, and return the soup to the pot.

Bring pureed soup to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken and yellow peppers. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and peppers are tender. Stir in lime juice, and season with salt as needed. Add Sriracha, if using.

Stack the tortillas and cut into strips. Set a skillet over medium heat and generously coat with olive oil. Fry tortillas until golden-brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a handful of tortilla strips, dollop of sour cream, cilantro and fresh avocado slices.

serves 4