Thai Stir Fry (Pad See Ew)

I really wanted Chinese food...but I really didn't want to eat out either. So.... Here we are.

Lots of people think Thai food is always spicy, and that's simply not true. I adapted this recipe from an old Thai cookbook I found at a thrift store.

Thai Stir Fry (Pad See Ew)

4 tbsp Traditional Balsamic
4 tbsp Oyster Sauce
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
     or, dry white wine
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 bunch basil leaves, torn
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1lb chicken breasts, very thinly sliced
1 pkg wide noodles
4 cups leafy greens, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, or spinach

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Flat rice sticks are traditional, I used wide egg noodles. Rinse and keep warm.

Stir together the first 4 ingredients and set aside.

In a wok or large shallow skillet heat the olive oil to a high heat. Add the ginger paste and the chicken. Cook, stirring constantly. When cooked through, add the basil and greens. Stir to wilt and reduce the heat to a medium.

Dump in the noodles and stir to combine. Then add the sauce and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Toss the ingredients to make sure everything is well coated with sauce.

Serve.

Turkey Tacos

I hope everyone is recovering from the cold. Yes, I know it's still cold...but it's just spring-ier. No, I don't know how to explain that. It just is.

I wanted to make something themed for the Oscars, but all I could think of was Golden Beets for the golden Oscar and something with chicken for Birdman. This year's movies weren't exactly lending themselves to recipes.

So I went with this instead. It's not themed or season-appropriate. Except that every season is the season for tacos and all themes could be taco if you like.

And I do. This recipe has more steps than most of the ones I post. And as I look over the steps, well, huh, that's not a lot. You guys have been getting off easy with one or two step meals. We may have to change that! So be prepared to dirty more than one pan for this one!

Turkey Tacos

2 lbs ground turkey
2 tbsp Taco Blend Seasoning
2 tsp Garlic Pate
1 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil
1 tbsp Traditional Balsamic
1 tsp Cumin Olive Oil
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
2 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
Pepper Citrus Sea Salt
Avocados
Sour Cream
Tortillas

Put the tomatoes and chilies into a bowl, draining, but saving about half the liquid out. Set aside.

Heat a large saute pan to medium heat with the Chipotle and Cumin olive oils and the liquid reserved from the tomatoes and chilies. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring often to break up into small crumbles. Cook through and stir in the Taco Seasoning. Set aside.

In a smaller pan, heat the Lime Olive Oil and Garlic Pate. Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Rinse and drain the black beans and add them gently. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Top with the Pepper and Citrus Salt and Traditional Balsamic and remove from the heat. Mash lightly with a spoon, muddler or fork.

Fill your taco how you like, but don't forget the creamy avocados!

If you want it spicier, please feel free to sub in the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil. I also chose a pretty medium can of tomatoes. When tomatoes are back in season, I'll give you my recipe for diced tomatoes and chilies that will knock this out of the park! 

Or, I'll work on a roasted tomato one....

Okay. Now I have ideas.

Pork Loin with Balsamic Mustard Sauce

At the grocery store the other day, I noticed a great sale on pork loin. It was half off. I was tempted to buy them completely out, but stuck with just two instead. If it had been seventy-five percent off, we would have pork loin all month long. Instead, I have this one and then, one more later this month. 

I decided to use one of our rubs on this. One of my favorites, the Prime Rub. It doesn't really add too much flavor, it seems more to bring the flavors out. It is not available on the web yet, but just come in or call for it. 

Pork Loin with Balsamic Mustard Sauce

3-5 lb pork loin
2 tbsp Prime Rub Basiks Seasonings
1 tbsp Salonika Greek Olive Oil

Sauce:
1 medium onion
4 tbsp Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Salonika Olive Oil

Preheat your oven to 350degrees.

Rub the olive oil all over the pork loin. Sprinkle the spices to cover the whole piece. Put the loin into a deep sided roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil and place in the oven. In the last ten minutes, remove the foil. Depending on the size of your roast, it takes about an hour. Make sure that you cook it to an internal temperature of 145degrees.

To prepare the sauce, chop your onion thinly. I like tiny bits, but larger chunks are great. Saute with the olive oil over a medium high setting until they start to lightly brown. Add in the balsamic and the mustard. and stir to combine.

Turn the heat down to just medium and let the mixture simmer away until it thickens slightly. No longer than 7 minutes, or it may burn.

Let the meat rest for 3-10 minutes before slicing it. Serve with sauce on top.

Mushroom Teriyaki with Balsamic Vinegar

I am so so so excited. I love our Toasted Sesame Oil! I love Asian foods, so it's perfect for so many things I like to cook. And sesame is a very hard flavor to get in an olive oil, I know, we've tried.

Mushroom Teriyaki with Balsamic

1/2 pkg of fettuccine noodles

2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 pint sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp Traditional Balsamic

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil with Garlic and Ginger

Salt

Cook the fettuccine a minute less than al dente. Set it aside.

Heat the Sesame Oil in a large saute pan to medium high heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 5 minutes or so. The onions should be soft and starting to caramelize. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the noodles to the pan and the teriyaki sauce and Balsamic. Toss everything to coat. Cover and let cook for another 2-4 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!

mushroom chicken with couscous

I have had a package of whole wheat couscous in the cabinet for way too long.

I keep looking at it and choosing rice instead. Or mashed potatoes. Or stuffing. But couscous is really tasty! I know this and keep passing it by.... Silly me.

I made this just for me the other night. Scale it up as far as you want.

Mushroom Chicken with Couscous

1 chicken breast, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 tbsp Butter Olive Oil

1/4 cup chicken broth, low sodium

Couscous

Follow the directions for 1 serving of couscous. If they call for butter, substitute the Butter Olive Oil for real butter in equal amounts. Cook and set aside.

In a medium pan, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil to medium heat. Saute the onions and mushrooms until they get nice and soft and the mushrooms start to brown. 5-7 minutes.

Add the chicken and stir to combine well. Add the chicken broth and bring the heat to medium high. Cover and let simmer until the chicken is done, about 8-10 minutes.

Cook uncovered an extra 1-2 minutes. Spoon over couscous and serve.

(I drizzled a little Traditional Balsamic over this a little bit later. It was good.)

Stuffed Portobello Caps

I had some of my friends over this past weekend. One of them is vegan, so I picked up some things to make stuffed mushroom caps for her. While I was at the store, I picked up some crackers and things for appetizers too, but I kept circling back to the vegan 'meats'. 

I found vegan chorizo crumbles. And I figured, what the heck? Lets try that.

This was awesome! You can always unvegan it. But either way, it can feed all your friends and you won't be sad if there are leftovers. And you can size this recipe however you like it. This is set up for 4 people.

Stuffed Portobello Caps

serves 4

4 portobello caps

1/2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup 'Cheddar Cheese' shreds

1/2 lb 'Chorizo' crumbles

3 tbsp Citrus Habanero Olive Oil

1 onion, finely sliced

Preheat your oven to 400degrees. Clean your mushrooms and chop the stems. Brush them with some of the olive oil and set aside on a baking tray.

Heat the olive oil to medium high heat in a large pan. Add the onion slices and the mushroom stems and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add in the 'chorizo' and stir to combine. Most of the vegan 'meats' are precooked, check your packaging on this. I just browned mine for about 3 minutes, but if yours needs to cook longer, please follow your package directions.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the rice and 'cheese'. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the mixture onto each mushroom cap. Bake for about 10 minutes. The mushrooms should be tender and everything should be nice and brown.

Drizzle with Traditional Balsamic before serving.

Honeydew Melon with Bacon and Balsamic

Tonight has been a late night at work and I really don't feel like cooking. Since I also don't want to get take-out, I either have to starve or, well, cook something.

I decided on this snack/meal. It's great for any time, but tonight, it is dinner.

Honeydew Melon and Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 honeydew melon, sliced, seeds removed
2-3 strips thick cut bacon
2 tbsp Traditional Balsamic

Broil the bacon  for about 2 minutes, flip them and broil for another minute or two. You can remove this step by using pre-cooked bacon. Crumble it over the melon and stream on the balsamic.

Dinner!

Marinated Mushrooms and Squash

This recipe is mostly a make ahead recipe. A blessing on those crazy cooking times, like now. But it's also great as long as squash is in season.

Marinated Mushrooms and Squash

2 cups Meyer Lemon Olive Oil,
     or 1 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, and 1 cup Varietal Oil
6 garlic cloves
1 lb mushrooms
2 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 acorn squash
Traditional Balsamic for drizzling

Heat your oven to 400degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush the insides with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, sprinkle with black pepper and score the insides in a diamond pattern. Roast in a pan for 1 hour. Make sure the pan has 1/4 inch of water in the bottom so the skin doesn't burn.

Once the squash is cool, scoop out the flesh. Toss squash, mushrooms and seasonings together in a large dish and let it marinate at least 6 hrs or overnight.

Heat your oven to 350degrees. Bring the mushroom squash mixture to room temperature before baking. Bake 5 minutes. Drizzle with Traditional Balsamic and return to the oven to bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce and Pasta

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce with Pasta

1 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
1 28oz can plum tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces or
       2 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp Traditional Balsamic
1 pkg twisty pasta, I used our Maestri Pastai Torchietti

Cook the pasta and set aside. Keep warm.

Heat the Olive Oil in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted peppers and cook 1 minute.

Crush in the the canned tomatoes and the sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the tempurature to medium and let simmer about 10minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs.

Let cool slightly. Pour into your blender or food processor(leave your vent open!) and pulse until mostly smooth. If you have an immersion blender, that would be even better.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve!

Sausages with Grapes

This recipe is something I found to cook just for me. I was unsure about the pairing of grapes with sausage, but don't let that scare you off. It's awesome! So nice and savory. This will be making it into rotation on the days my husband works late. And if adding grapes to sausage is great, I wonder what I can do with grapes and chicken?

Sausage with Grapes and Onions
Adapted from Oui, Chef

2 packages Italian sausage, any kind.
1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
3-5 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil
4 tbsp Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable broth
1 large bunch seedless red grapes
Oregano for topping

Heat 1-2 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil over medium high heat. Prick the sausages though with a fork. This will keep them from bursting their skins. Add them to the pan and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove sausages and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan and saute the onion until it softens and begins to lightly brown, about 7 minutes. Add Balsamic and chicken broth.

Reduce heat to medium-low and stir the sausages and grapes into the pan. Cover, loosely, and simmer for around 25-30 minutes.

Top with oregano. Serve with bread and salad. (Or mashed potatoes like I did)