Asparagus Cashew Stir-Fry

There are lots of things I love about a trip home to East Texas. Pretty rolling hills, big pine trees, family dinners, untapped thrift stores, swimming, but it's hard to beat the haul of home-grown produce my folks send me home with: bright bundles of asparagus & greens in the spring, blueberries, squash & ears of corn is the summer. Sadly their green thumbs weren't inherited. Right now I'm doing well to keep my little cherry tomato plant & a few herbs alive. In the mean time, I'm more than happy with their garden goodies.

Asparagus Cashew Stir-Fry, for 2-3

1 bundle asparagus, cut in 1" pieces

1 small nub of fresh ginger, minced

1 16 oz. carton of tofu, sliced in 1" strips

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly

1 small bunch of fresh mint, julienned

1 small bunch of fresh basil, julienned

1 c. fresh spinach

2-3 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

4 tbsp. hoisin sauce

1 lime, zested & juiced

Prepare white rice (I like Jasmine) according to package directions. Meanwhile, if your tofu comes packed in water (most does) drain it on a few paper towels or a dish towel. While the tofu drains, heat some sesame oil over medium heat in a pan or wok. Throw in the tofu & cook until golden tossing occasionally, about 4 minutes. You may need to do this in batches. Once cooked, set the tofu aside.

If needed, drizzle in a bit more sesame oil then add your asparagus, green onions, red pepper flakes & ginger. Once cooked through, about 2 - 3 minutes, add the garlic & cook 1 minute more. Add the spinach & cashews & cook until spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Throw the tofu back in then add hoisin sauce, lime juice & lime zest. Toss to combine. Top with fresh basil & mint & serve with rice.

Spicy Green Bean & Tofu Curry

I used to be a vegetarian. For five years I was meat free. With the exception of the first week. I thought tuna fish didn't count, so I ate it. Every day. For a week. I never missed meat much. Every now & then I would get pangs for a good eel roll or brisket sandwich, but who doesn't? During my veggie tenure I plowed through many a box of tofu, but since I haven't paid much attention to the stuff. I missed it.

Spicy Green Bean & Tofu Curry, for 2 - 3
1 block extra firm tofu, cubed
1 medium handful green beans, steamed
1 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. gram marsala*
1 tbsp. curry powder*
1 tbsp. cumin*
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, sliced with seeds
1 small nub ginger, peeled & minced
salt to taste
2 c. cooked jasmine or basmati rice

Plus:
1 - 2 tbsp. yellow curry paste
1/4 - 1/2 c. coconut milk
OR
1/2 c. prepared yellow curry sauce (such a Trader Joe's Yellow Curry)

Cube & drain the tofu in between a few paper towels (weight it on top with a plate or cutting board for the best drainage). Menwhile, in a medium saute pan heat the oil with all of the cumin, curry powder, gram marsala & a bay leaf. *This may seem like quite a lot of spices, but they absorb into the oil making a sauce of sorts. Once the oil is heated, add the tofu cubes & fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Set aside.

While the tofu is frying, blanch the green beans in a bit of boiling water. While the green beans are blanching, add the garlic, ginger & jalapeño to the oil & cook for about 1 minute. Drain the beans then add them to the oil. Add the spinach as well. Cover & cook until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes, then add the tofu, & either coconut milk & curry paste OR prepared curry sauce. Serve over rice.

One year ago today: Pastel Azteca & Buttery Basil Eggplant & Mushroom Stir-Fry

Simple Supper: Ginger Turkey Lettuce Wraps

P.F. Chang's China Bistro is a nice family restaurant. It has an approachable menu with things like Sweet & Sour Pork. It looks fancy. Great place to take a date or a mother-in-law. People like it there. I don't. Okay, well maybe with a little arm twisting I'd saddle up for a plate of lettuce wraps.

Ginger Turkey Lettuce Wraps, for 4 - 6
1 lb. ground turkey
1 medium nub of ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small shallots, minced & divided
1 tbsp. soy sauce, plus more to taste
1/2 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. garlic sriracha sauce (or other chili sauce)
salt to taste
2 carrots, shaved
1 green onion, slivered
1 small head of iceberg or bibb lettuce

In a medium bowl, mix the ground turkey with the garlic, ginger, half of the shallots, soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha sauce & sesame oil. Brown in a skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, shave slivers of carrot with a vegetable peeler or mandolin & set aside. Peel off whole lettuce leave from the head & use each leave as a "wrap." Fill each "wrap" with a bit of turkey & top with shallot, green onion & carrots.

Kitchen to table time: 15 - 20 minutes

One year ago today: Cornbread Stuffing Meatloaf with Honey Glaze & Checca Penne

Simple Supper: Spicy Soba Noodles with Kale & Mushrooms

Weather doesn't exist here. 70°, sunny, sparkly. Sunny always. It kind of throws you off. In January you'd expect to need a jacket or gloves or something. You don't really though. It's like living in an imaginary world. A Beach Boys/Eagles sort of world where everyone harmonizes & smiles a lot. I kind of like it. I kind of hate it. When chowing down on a bowl of spicy noodles a chill in the air helps. Chill or no, they were good.

Spicy Soba Noodles with Kale, for 4
1 package soba noodles
1 bunch of kale, chopped
2 spicy peppers (jalapeños, habañeros, etc.), minced
1 small nub of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
4 - 6 large white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. dried cilantro
salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil & cook the soba noodles, about 4 - 5 minutes. Drain & reserve a bit of the water.

Remove the stems from the kale & dice them. Coarsely chop the remaining kale leaves. Mince the ginger, peppers & garlic. Slice the mushrooms & dry saute them with a bit of salt in a heated pan until they've lost moisture, about 5 minutes. Then, toss in the remaining ingredients (kale, peppers, ginger, garlic, oil, soy sauce, fish sauce & cilantro). Cook until the kale is wilted then toss in the noodles. Add 1/8 c. of the reserved water & reduce over medium heat.


Kitchen to table time: 20 minutes

One year ago today: Blueberry Smoothie & A Fresh Pantry

Chao Yardlong Beans & Spicy Pork

Every time I set out to make a stir-fry Ray & I have a debate. Spicy v. savory. Spicy always wins. It wins to such an extent that I've nearly run through an entire jar of sriracha garlic chili paste in under 6 months. This may not sound like a long time, but just a tiny teaspoon of this stuff packs a serious punch. Enivatably I wind up tossing in a tablespoon or so. With cold beers in hand, we sweat our way though spicy heaps of stir-fry with smiles across our faces. We can't help it, we're Texans.

Chao Yardlong Beans & Spicy Pork

1 boneless pork chop, sliced in 1" strips
1 - 1/2 dzn. yardlong beans*
1/4 head purple cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 baby boc choy, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, cut on the bias 1/2" thick
1 c. white mushrooms, sliced 1/2" thick
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small nub ginger, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp. soy sauce + 1/4 c. for marinating
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp - 1 tbsp. sriracha garlic paste (depending on how spicy you like it)**
1 tsp. dried basil
6 - 7 fresh basil leaves, minces
salt to taste

Marinate the chop in 1/4 c. soy sauce for one hour prior to cooking. Meanwhile, saute the onion, garlic, & ginger in 1 tbsp. vegetable oil & a pinch of salt in a large pan or wok until soft & fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add the carrots & cook until they begin to soften (about 4 minutes).

At this point, add a bit more vegetable oil & 1 tsp. sesame oil. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan & add the pork & dried basil. Cook for about 4 minutes until the pork is almost cooked through. Add the mushrooms & cook for a minute or two longer. Finally, toss in the cabbage, boc choy, yardlong beans, sriracha , remaining sesame oil, remaining soy sauce, fresh basil & a pinch or two of salt.

*Also refered to as snake beans or Chinese long beans. They can be found in most large markets or in specialty stores.
**Typically stocked on the "Asian" aisle at most markets.

Chili Mint Noodles with Pork, Eggplant, & Edamame

It's tough having Ray out late every Wednesday night for his graduate studio critiques, but that being said, I cherish that extra time in the kitchen.  When left to my own devices for a while I wind up spending extra time experimenting with & tweaking favorite recipes & dishes.

After going out with friends for Thai over the weekend this dish has been stuck in the back of my mind all week -- wide flat rice noodles stir fried in red pepper and mint.  It was an astonishingly simple dish but the flavors were quite complex.  With all of this Wednesday time on my hands I decided to get cooking and attempt to cultivate my own version.

Chili Mint Noodles

with Eggplant, Pork, & Edamame

1 medium Chinese Eggplant, cut into spears

3 small pork chops (no bone), cut into 1" strips

1/2 c. edamame beans, frozen

1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 piece candied ginger, finely minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. syracha chili sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. peanut butter (organic), room temp.

1/4 c. basil, minced

1/4 c. cilantro, minced

1 tsp. dried mint  

Marinate the sliced pork momentarily in 1 tbsp. soy sauce while bringing a pan 1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar & 1 tbsp. olive oil up to medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, toss in the pork and brown evenly on all sides (about 5 minutes). You may need to do this in two rounds to keep the pan up to heat.  Over crowing it will bring the overall cooking temperature down.  Once cooked, remove from the pan & set aside.

While the pan is still warm, add the eggplant, remainder of the olive oil, soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes & 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar.  Cook until the eggplant is limp then add the herbs, onion, ginger & garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes longer.

Finally, add the pork, edamame, peanut butter & dried mint.  Let simmer for 10 minutes longer.

Serve tossed in rice stick noodles & season to taste.

Simple Supper: Buttery Basil Eggplant & Mushroom Stir Fry

This week has been rough. Early mornings, achey backs, late nights, and way too much work in between. Ray, my husband, has been in the studio late every night in preparation for an upcoming show at and/or gallery in Dallas. There are only so many meals you can scrounge up late at night and most involve a dollar menu. So, for a bit of a break, I made a batch of warm buttery eggplant and mushroom stir fry and packed up a studio picnic.

Buttery Basil Eggplant & Mushroom Stir Fry

2 Chinese eggplants, sliced 1/4" thick lengthwise

1 yellow onion, roughly diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 scallions, chopped

3/4 c. white mushrooms, sliced

8 basil leaves, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 piece candied ginger, minced

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. sriracha sauce

1 tsp. salt

Serve with:
1 c. basmati or jasmine rice

In a sauce pan bring 2 c. of water to boil for the rice. Meanwhile, heat the olive & sesame oil in a large skillet & soften the onions. Once the onions begin to sweat, add the garlic & saute a moment longer. Your water for the rice should be boiling at this point; go ahead and toss in the rice, bring the heat down, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or so. Add the sliced eggplant & mushrooms and saute until soft & somewhat translucent (appx. 10 minutes). At this point you should add the soy sauce and salt to taste. Finally, when the dish is nearly cooked through, add the basil, scallions, & sesame seeds. Saute just a moment longer until warmed through.