Whole-Grain Pasta Soup with Greens and Parmesan

After getting home at 10:00 at night, I really didn't feel like making anything for dinner but was starving. This recipe did the trick. It was super quick, easy, and yummy. The cheese was a bit of a splurge (about $5.50 for 5 oz. of Parmesan-reggiano), but all the other ingredients were so cheap, it made the cheese worth it. For such a simple recipe, it had a lot of taste. The recipe also says that the soup is meant to be made just before serving; after a few hours in the broth, the pasta will turn soft and gummy.

• 10 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock)
• 3 cups very thinly sliced kale leaves (stems removed)
• 8 ounces whole-grain angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti, broken into small pieces
• 6 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Red chile flakes (optional)

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add kale, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook 2 minutes. Add pasta and cook until tender but not soft, 4 to 7 minutes or according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to shave cheese into strips about 3 in. long and 1/2 in. wide (strips do not need to be exact).
2. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice, then divide soup among 6 bowls. Top each bowl with cheese and a sprinkling of chile flakes, if you like.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Source: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1575586

Roast Chicken with Wilted Lettuce, Peas, and Beurre Blanc

Roast chicken is one the easiest things you can make. It always tastes great (as long as you don't overcook it) and lasts the whole week. The chicken for this recipe as super easy and turned out really juicy, even with minimal basting. The beurre blanc was also yummy, but I ended up using arugala instead of butter lettuce because I couldn't fine it (what is butter lettuce anyway?)

FOR THE ROAST CHICKEN
Ingredients:
• 1 whole chicken
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 head of garlic, cut through the equator
• 2-3 fresh bay leaves
• ½ bunch of fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Clean chicken and season cavity well with plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Stuff cavity with lemon, garlic, thyme and bay leaf.
3. Tie bird up with kitchen twine.
4. Rub skin with olive oil and season with plenty of kosher salt and pepper.
5. Roast in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 90 minutes.

FOR THE WILTED BUTTER LETTUCE, PEAS, AND BEURRE BLANC
Ingredients:
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ stick cold unsalted butter, cut up into cubes
• kosher salt
• 1 large head of butter lettuce
• 1 cup frozen garden peas, blanched in salted water

Directions:
1. Add white wine, shallot, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt to a saucepan and simmer until it is syrupy and just coats the bottom of the pan.
2. Add butter cubes, a little at a time while stirring with a whisk to thicken the sauce and give it a shine.
3. Give it a final season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut off the root of the butter lettuce and separate the leaves.
5. Place the leaves in a large mixing bowl with blanched peas, then dress with warm beurre blanc and toss so the leaves wilt a little.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Source: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819754_1819753_1819810,00.html

Spicy Indian Chicken and Mango Curry

This tasted great and again was so easy. I served it with rice noodles instead of rice and a little bit of naan. The leftover curry is great for just dipping naan in. I used Tandori curry paste but would probably use something a little spicier next time like Masala paste.

• 2 medium mangoes, peeled and sliced, divided
• 1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons spicy curry paste
• 14 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
• 4 medium shallots, sliced
• 1 large English cucumber, seeded and sliced

1. Place half of the mango slices into the bowl of a blender with the coconut milk. Blend until smooth and reserve for later.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the curry paste, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and shallot; cook until the chicken is done and the shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the mango puree, and cook until heated through. To serve, stir in the remaining mango slices and cucumber.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Spicy Turkey Wraps with Strawberry Salsa

These were so easy and so good. The strawberry salsa is great for summer. I changed the recipe a little. I used just normal taco seasoning for the turkey, sun dried tomato and basil wraps (didn't have any jalapeno ones at the store), and Gorgonzola cheese (was a lot cheaper than blue).

• 2 pounds turkey tenderloins, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 (1 ounce) package Southwest marinade seasoning
  
• 1 pound strawberries, diced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 (10 inch) jalapeno and cheese flavored tortillas
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. In a medium bowl, toss the turkey with the Southwest marinade seasoning to coat, and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a strawberry salsa by stirring together the diced strawberries, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, and lime juice in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey, and cook until firm and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Once done, microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds.
4. To assemble, evenly divide the cooked turkey onto each tortilla. Top with spinach, blue cheese and strawberry salsa, and roll into a wrap.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is one of my favorite recipes so far. It was absolutely delicious, especially with the naan to dip in the sauce. I don't have a grill so I just cooked the chicken in a pan on the stove instead, and it turned out great. I got the naan from Trader Joes. They have normal and garlic flavored. The garlic flavored naan is terrific.

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  
• teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalepeno pepper, finally chopped
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  
• 2 teaspoons paprika
  
• 3 tablespoons salt, or to taste
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Cook chicken on skewers on lightly oiled grill or saute in pan on stove.
3. Melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno pepper for 1 minutes. Season with cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream, and simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Thai Basil Eggplant (Pud Makau Yow)

This is one of the easiest dishes I've even made. Make sure you salt the eggplant for an hour or so before you cook it so it is not bitter. The basil and fish sauce were a nice combination. Next time I might double the amount of sugar and fish sauce in order to make sauce. I also didn't use 5 cups of eggplant--I used just 1 eggplant total. I served the eggplant over rice noodles. Very easy and tasty.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh basil (recipe suggests thai basil)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 5 cups eggplant
• 2 chili peppers
• 3/4 cup water

1. Slice the eggplants into irregular shapes for easy turning in pan. Mince garlic and chili peppers. Pick the basil leaves from the stem and chop.
2. Heat a pan or wok over medium heat. Add oil, chili peppers, and garlic. Stir until garlic turns golden brown and add eggplant and stir. Add the water and cover the pan with lid. Keep lid on until eggplant is done, about 5-7 minutes. The eggplant turns from white to translucent when done. Almost all over water should be evaporated. If eggplant is not cooked, add a little bit more water and cover for 1-2 more minutes.
3. When eggplant is cooked, add fish sauce and sugar and stir. Add basil and quickly stir (do not allow basil to lose its color). Turn off heat.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

My favorite wine

I have been moving, and my parents have been in town so I haven't been cooking much. Last night we saw Julia and Julia (fantastic!) and then went to Murphy's for Tollhouse Pie and a glass of Elio Perrone Moscato d'Asti. This is the perfect summer wine if you like light, sparkling, fruity (peaches and melons) wines. They sold it in the restaurant's wine shop for $21.99 a bottle, but I haven't had the chance to look for it in a liquor store to see if it is cheaper.

Creamy Mustard and Tarragon Chicken

This dish is a yummy dish with simple ingredients. The hardest part was probably making sure the chicken was cooked through. It smelled delicious was cooking and tasted great.

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
  
• 1 Tsp olive oil
  
• 1 Tsp butter
• 1/4 cup shallot, finely chopped
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 Tsp whole grain mustard
• 2 Tsp sour cream (I used fat free)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1. Place flour on rimmed plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken in flour.
2. Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Brown chicken in hot fat, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil.
3. Reduce pan heat to medium and add shallots and garlic. Cook until softened. Deglaze pan by pouring chicken broth into pan and scraping off any brown bits stuck to the bottom the pan.
4. Add wine and bring to simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
5. Remove chicken from pan to serving platter. Whisk mustard and sour cream into sauce, and stir in tarragon. Season with salt and pepper, and spoon over chicken.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Cook/13757341/BlogEntry.aspx?postid=80042

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets

Easy and yummy--definitely recommended. I served this with breaded portabella mushrooms also cooked in the glaze. I rolled them in flour, egg, and bread crumbs/parmesan cheese.

• salmon fillets (I used about a pound and a half)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 dgrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered until slightly thickened.
3. Arrage slamon filets on baking hseet and brush with balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with oregano.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brunsh filets with remaining glaze and season with salt and pepper.

Rating 3 1/2 stars our of 5

Grilled Chicken Salad with Mango

This salad was really easy to make, and the flavors were wonderful. The spiciness of the curry chicken and the sweetness of the fruit went really well with the crispness of the greens. I made the vinaigrette and defrosted the chicken before I went to work in the morning so the prep when I got home was very quick. I ate the salad with a dry white wine--Smoking Loon pinot grigio.

• ½ tsp curry powder
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 mangoes, pitted, peeled, and cubed
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6 cups mixed greens
• ½ cantaloupe peels, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 small apple, cored and sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced

1. Combine curry powder, pepper, and salt; sprinkle evenly over chicken. Grill chicken until cook through. Allow chicken to rest 2-3 min and slice into strips.
2. In blender or food processor, combine 1 cup of mango, orange juice, vinegar, honey and mustard. Blend until smooth and chill covered for up to 2 hours.
3. Arrange greens and cover with fruit and chicken. Drizzle salad with vinaigrette and sprinkle with scallions.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Movie Food

Film Food, Ready for Its ‘Bon Appetit’

Read this article about food styling for movies (Julie and Julia) today. Very interesting.

Warm Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Sesame Seeds, and Honey

I love finding easy shrimp recipes, and this seemed to fit the bill. The magazine also suggests that it can be made with scallops.It was pretty simple, and I loved the dressing, however it might have been a little too much cabbage for me. Next time I make it, I will probably use less cabbage.

• 8 jumbo shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined or 8 scallops
• 4 oz multigrain spaghetti (I ended up using 6-8 oz whole wheat pasta because I love spaghetti)
• 6 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage (I used 5 cups of savoy)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 4 tbsp white wine or rice vinegar
• 6 tsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tsp honey
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (I used a bit more, about half a tbsp)

1. Rinse scallops or shrimp and pat dry. Cut each in half and set aside.
2. Cook spaghetti, rinse, and drain. In a serving bowl, combine pasta, cabbage, carrot, and onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, 2 tsp oil, soy sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
4. Heat 4 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook scallops or shrimp 3 to 4 minutes. Place scallops or shrimp over cabbage mixture. Add dressing and sprinkle iwth sesame seeds, then gently toss to coat.

Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5

Source: Ladies Home Journal, July 09

Quinoa and Black Beans

I've been hearing about the health benefits of quinoa for a while and finally picked it up at the farmers market a few weeks ago. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein (all nine essential amino acids). Quinoa is especially well-endowed (har har) with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair and has a host of other health-building nutrients, including manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.
For the quinoa, I followed recipe below. I ate it with pan-fried salmon filet seasoned with cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro (Serves 10).
   

Source: allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-and-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Cooking Experiment

I am a third year PhD student living in Atlanta, and I love to cook. My recipes consist of mostly salads, chicken or fish entrees (I don't eat red meat or pork), and yummy desserts. I love to try new things, and my goal each week is to make at least one new recipe. Here it goes...