Chicken Tenders

You're lying to yourself if you say you are truly OK with always choosing grilled over crispy chicken. Don't get me wrong, a marinated chicken breast on a squishy roll with lettuce, tomato, and a smear of mayo (and maybe a couple slices of avocado or bacon) can be as refreshing as a glass of iced tea, but nothing beats a juicy chicken tender in a crispy golden crust all by itself.

I don't reserve the "treat yo'self" mentality exclusively for the weekends. I prefer to spread treating myself throughout the week, e.g. once a week doughnut mornings, and adhere to a strict everything in moderation including moderation policy. That is why on Monday night, after a tough HIIT workout, I came home and set up a bowl of beaten eggs and Panko breadcrumbs, threw some vegetable oil in my All-Clad over medium high heat, lit some candles, and turned on a fan in the kitchen (not really necessary for my apt to smell like Mcdonald's).

Pan Sauce

Adult

I don't follow a recipe when I make chicken tenders, but here are a few tips that you can apply to whatever recipe you Google:

• Use enough oil. If you think a couple tbs of olive oil in a pan is going to achieve a crispy, even, golden crust, you are a fool and should go back to crying over chicken on your non-stick grill pan. 
• Also, consider using vegetable oil for frying. The oil should come at least halfway up the pieces of chicken. I stamped my tenders out a bit so they were quite thin, but if you are using thicker tenders, adjust the amount of oil carefully.
• Season your chicken tenders with salt and pepper before coating in egg/breadcrumbs.
• Add some seasoning to the breadcrumbs, or just buy already seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs if that feels too complicated (I like Progresso. Don't even act like you're too good for that) I added salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne to my Panko. 
• Shake off the excess and dip more than once. It's going to be messy, but that's why there is a sink in the kitchen. Once the coating is all fried up, it looks great and the mess won't even matter because you're eating chicken fingers. 
• Make a sauce. Homemade honey mustard is easy like Sunday am. Or, do what I did and make a pan sauce. Once I dumped the oil from frying the tenders into my excess oil coffee can I keep below the sink, I wiped the pan out with a paper towel. I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added chopped green onion, capers and heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half. I then poured in some white wine and let it simmer for a few minutes. 

For posterity, a picture of my niece because we face-timed while I cooked this:

Moroccan Meatloaf

Growing up, I remember eating beans on three distinct occasions. When burgers were on the grill, a crock of brown sugary, molasses coated, bacon lardon laden beans was sure to be nearby. On New Year’s Day, a ceramic dish of black eyed peas was served for good luck and posterity. Finally, at Tippi’s Tacos, I am nearly positive there were refried beans under the pools of cheese in the enchiladas; although I very well could’ve been eating straight cheese, “gravy”, and corn tortillas for all I know. 

I don’t remember cans of garbanzos, frijoles negroes, or canellinis lining my mother’s pantry. We ate a lot of fresh fruits and veggies alongside pork tenderloins, steak, and roasted chicken, but beyond the occasional Vegetable Lasagna, there were minimal vegetarian meals served in my house. Seeing as beans are a vegetarian meal staple, there wasn’t much opportunity for beans on my mother’s menu.  I am ashamed to admit I didn’t really know what hummus was before college. I am certain I ate it, but did not have a clue about what I was eating. My first taste of falafel, at L’as du Falafel in Paris no less, was mind blowing. 

Fast forward to study abroad when budget was tight and the dollar to euro exchange was abysmal, I had to find an alternative to what was suddenly “pricey” meat. My roommate was a vegetarian and after observing some of her cooking and eating habits, I began replacing beans for meat in stir fry, stews, and other standard student meals. As I transitioned to being a full-time vegetarian for a brief period, beans replaced meat full time. Chick peas replaced grilled chicken on top of a Greek salad; black bean replaced Carnitas in tacos; and beef chili became 4 bean chili. I learned to love, and appreciate, my new friend beans.

Beans and legumes provide a lot of health benefits. High in fiber, they keep you fuller longer and aid digestion (duh). They are full of nutrients and low in fat. They are also cost-effective. A couple of cans of beans cost about $2 while a lb of ground beef or chicken breasts runs over $5.  Dried beans are even cheaper; and taste even better when cooked fresh. 

Somewhere deep down inside of me lives a girl that wants to stick to a budget and eat healthy and every once in a while I let her step up and do the decision making when I’m in the grocery store and staring at the fridge. To that end, in addition to meat in the fridge, I always have a several cans of beans on the shelf. My new habit is to “cut” meat, particularly ground beef and turkey, with beans. What I end up with are meals that cost less per serving, are more filling (fiber!), feel lighter, and have an interesting twist in textures and flavors. Some of my favorite combinations are ground beef with black beans, ground chicken with cannellinis, ground lamb with chicken peas, and most recently, ground turkey with chickpeas. 

I’ve had a yen to make B’Stilla, but with a new long commute out of the city every day, I don’t exactly have time or energy to come home and prepare elaborate meals of weeknights. I decided I would figure out a way to feature the Ras el Hanout that makes B’Stilla so flavorful in a more weeknight friendly fashion. I decided to go with meatloaf because it makes great leftovers and being out in the ‘burbs all day without a car means I need to pack lunches. Also, I wanted to get a spin class in, and I knew the hour or so it would take for the meatloaf to bake fit right in so I could arrive home dehydrated and wobbly legged to a good meal. 

I got out everything I needed for the meatloaf and made this up, proportions and all, as I went along. I served it with sautéed potatoes and kale. It might go well with a yogurt sauce. 

Moroccan Meatloaf

1 lb ground turkey

1 can chickpeas

½ large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

¾ cup of breadcrumbs (I always use panko)

2/3 cup milk

1 XL egg

½ tsp cayenne

2 tbs ras el hanout

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs butter

1 tbs salt, plus more for seasoning along the way

Preheat oven to 325.

Heat butter and oil together in a pan over medium high heat. Add onions. Season with salt, and stir to coat with butter and oil. Reduce heat to medium/medium low and sweat onions for about 10 minutes; but do not let them brown. Add garlic in last couple minutes to let it sweat with the onions. 

While the onions are going, gently combine turkey and chickpeas in a large bowl (probably easiest to use your hands at this point). Add salt, all the spices, tomato paste and gently combine. Beat the egg in to the milk in a separate small bowl and add bread crumbs and egg/milk combo to turkey mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients. Don’t put everything in the bowl at once and combine. Be gentle. Once the onions are done, let them cool slightly then add and complete your final mix in. GENTLE. 

Prepare loaf pan with oil, butter or non stick spray. Add turkey mixture to loaf pan and smooth out top. You can also just pile the turkey mixture on a baking sheet and mold into whatever shape you’d like.  

Bake for an hour to one hour and fifteen minutes. Thermometer should read 160 degrees when done. Let loaf sit for ten, or at least five, minutes before serving.  

Mexican Lasagna

I’ll admit it. I spent a recent period of my life turning my nose up at Trader Joe’s. After surviving on a Trader Joe’s diet through grad school, and adhering to a strictly budgeted weekly visit that never amounted to more than $50 and included ingredients for just about all 21 meals and 7 snacks for the week, I was done with TJ’s. As a full-time working adult, I could treat myself to $25/lb soft cheeses, organic Rainier cherries, and $8 gluten free personal pizzas from the Whole Foods 2 blocks away from my apartment.  I felt it was far too plebeian and I was too much of a cosmopolitan career woman to waste time and energy schlepping myself to the Trader Joe’s over a mile away to save on my grocery bill.

Yup, I was an asshole. I drank the Whole Foods kool-aid for several years and only occasionally found myself in TJ’s if it happened to be on my way to an event or if I was really craving kettle corn. Now, with my new residence and place of work both only a few blocks from TJ’s, I’m back to reality.

One of the things I have always liked about TJ’s is the variety of products that facilitate a semi-homemade kitchen and weekday menu at a reasonable price i.e. not living off a $10/lb salad bar. I would love to spend evenings steaming my face over pots of coq au vin and watching dough rise for homemade pizza dough, but that’s not feasible. I must balance my time limitations with my personal goal of preparing no more than one meal a day in the microwave or toaster oven, meaning I can’t go too overboard in the TJ’s freezer/prepared food section.  Also, although their pre-packaged salads and meals are a good deal, I often find I can buy all the ingredients and make enough salads or bowls of curry for more than one meal for roughly the same price.

Last time I made enchiladas, I made Enchiladas Suiza. Although I use a rotisserie chicken when I make them, I make the sauce from scratch, and there is quite a bit of labor in terms of frying each corn tortilla, rolling the filling up, assembling, etc. I wanted to make a simpler enchilada, and I wanted to do it on a weeknight. Weeknight meals to me never require more than 20-30 min of prep and 20-30 of cooking, often, they take 10 minutes. My goal Monday-Friday is that I will eat within an hour of my first chop of an ingredient.

 I purchased a can of refried beans, a can of corn, a bottle of enchilada sauce, and a pack of corn tortillas from Trader Joe’s. A lover of olives in my enchiladas and on my nachos, I also purchased a tub of olive tapenade for good measure. Not exactly a Mexican ingredient, but a great flavor booster.

I try to stick to a vegetarian/semi-vegan diet during the week as well. I won’t elaborate on specific reasons for this, it’s just something I do (although I rarely pass up on a Monday wing night). Enchiladas didn’t feel right without cheese, though, and I had about a ½ cup of cheddar leftover from brunch in my fridge. That much cheese over an entire dish was not going to break the calorie bank or my digestion.

I decided that I was not willing to spend time frying each corn tortilla before assembling the enchiladas. It was also a Sunday after a weekend of rose indulgence and I was feeling I could go without frying for a few days.   Quickly, the dish turned into a Mexican Lasagna, with layers of corn tortillas, rather than traditional enchilada roll ups. I don’t regret this decision at all.

My Mexican Lasagna turned out great and I was able to check off all my weeknight meal needs--- vegetarian, painless, and tasty. I used a 7 x 10 baking dish and ended up with 4 large portions. Four hot, healthy meals taken care of for < hour work? Perfecto.

You could easily make this a little more sophisticated by using fresh corn, or sauteeing some chopped onion and garlic to throw in the filling. You could also put cheese between all the layers, or use something different than cheddar, like Cojita or Pepper Jack to bump up the flavor.

Note: I ate a piece of this for breakfast with a fried egg on top after a tough am workout. Delicious! Lots of protein and flavors. 

Vegetarian Mexican Enchiladas

1 can refried beans
1 can of corn, drained
1 package corn tortillas
1 jar of enchilada sauce
1/2 cup - 1 cup shredded cheese
chopped black olives or olive tapenade (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the refried beans and corn in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Apply a layer of enchilada sauce to the bottom of a ceramic baking dish. Place a layer of corn tortillas on top of the sauce (some will overlap). Drizzle with more enchilada sauce (about a 1/3 cup each layer). Top with another layer of bean and corn filling and more sauce. Repeat layers as desired. After final tortilla layer, top with sauce, and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until browning on top and bubbling around the edges.

Let the dish stand for 10 minutes to set up. Serve topped with a heaping spoonful of chopped olives and/or tapenade. Sliced avocado or sour cream would also be tasty! 

  

Sorta Seder

If you have eaten brisket more than once, you have probably had it prepared in more than one style. Smoked, braised, grilled, in a taco, on a sandwich, in a bowl of pho, or with a side of kugel. Brisket is versatile and tastes just as delicious nearly naked with a minimal rub just off the smoker as it does after hours in a hot oven smother in sauce--- or eaten chilled straight from a ceramic dish in the fridge two days later. 

before going under the broiler

after broiling

I love brisket off the smoker, Texas Style.  Even more, though, I love braised brisket. Tangy, tender, smothered in a sauce of it’s own juices, red wine, and spices. I can’t pinpoint where I first had this kind of brisket, or when I became so fixated on it. Most of my early memories of brisket are at a Jewish deli or a BBQ joint, where the brisket is served with some sauce or jus, but mainly on the side.  The brisket of my dreams have always been made of is the kind someone’s grandmother would serve. The kind there wasn’t even a real recipe written down for---just a list of ingredients and sage kitchen wisdom.

brisket in a sea of vegetables

I don’t know, maybe it’s one of those I loved you before I met you situations.  Growing up, we had sour beef and pot roast, both similar dishes.  Maybe I had a Bubbe in a past life and enjoyed a lifetime of Seders. I don’t know, but whatever it is, I’ve been dying to prepare my own brisket for some time.

Brisket is a great meal for a crowd, so the weekend I would be down in Maryland with my immediate family, brother in law, and sister’s mother in law seemed like the perfect opportunity to test my chops of the cut of meat I had mostly held in my hands between a roll before.  It was also the weekend of Passover, and being that we would be eating together on Saturday and not Friday when most celebrated the holiday, I dubbed this meal my Sorta Seder.

brisket in a graveyard of veg

Being that it was a Sorta Seder and not a real Seder, I Googled Passover menus and recipes with a selective mindset.  I wanted a bright, festive plate with lots of vegetables and a light starch option, not just a square of Kugel and a rabbit’s helping of bitter greens. Everyone in my crowd loves Middle Eastern food, but I didn’t want the meal to mimic a typical plate at the neighborhood Mediterranean BYO.

hubba hubba

arms trembling post barre

This is the menu I decided on:

• Green Salad (mache, endive, and baby arugula) with radishes, orange segments, and green onions. Shallot vinaigrette.
• Roasted carrots and parsnips served over radicchio with a sweet fig dressing, topped with toasted pistachios.
• Israeli cous cous with lemon and parsley.
• Middle eastern spiced brisket with leeks and apricots
• Pavlova with whipped cream and tropical fruits (mango and kiwi)

Anne showed me proper cutting technique, although maybe a dessert fork wasn't the best stabilizer here, it was next to the cutting board

Every plate had lots of vegetables---were we eating country ham, grits, and pineapple bake the next day, after all---and there were a lot of bright notes among all the fruity elements.  We even ended the meal with ginjinha my Dad brought back from Portugal that week, and the cherry flavored alcohol rounded out many of flavors perfectly (as well as our digestion). 

le plat

I followed the recipe to a T, as I try to do whenever I make something the first time. My timing was a littttttllllle off if you read the recipe word for word,though. I let the brisket marinate about 12 hours, woke up at 5 am the next day, got it in the oven, went to Barre, came back and waited a few more hours to take it out of the oven (about 3.5 hours of cook time).  It was out of the oven by 10 am, so it had time (about 8 hours before dinner) to sit and let the flavors meld together. I stuck it back in the oven about an hour before we ate to slowly reheat.   Maybe it would have tasted even better if it had another day to sit, but I’ll figure that out next time. It definitely would've been easier to have it done the night before and not have to spend so much time with it the kitchen day of, but it was worth it! (link to recipe below picture of the gorgeous pavlova)

Spiced Brisket with Leeks and Apricots

B'Stilla

When I have a free day in the kitchen, my menu is often comfort food driven.  As much as I love classic American comforts like mac and cheese, chili,rotisserie chicken, and potpie, I also enjoy seeking out new comforts.  Easier said than, done, however, as part of the comfort of a lot of comfort foods is that they do not often require a big trip to the store, or a long list of ingredients. There are often not enough hours in the day for home cooked meals, let alone comfort food full of foreign ingredients

#teamdarkmeat

top dusted with sugar and cinnamon

My new job has afforded me a wealth of new holidays, including Veteran’s day. I had no plans for the day because I didn’t even know I had it off until a few days before, so I had the entire day to do as I pleased as I had assumed I would be at work.  Besides going for a run, the only thing that I really wanted to do was cook. I had time to go to the store and pick up new ingredients and not take shortcuts, how lovely.  Anyone that enjoys food, and more importantly cooking, knows there is no greater comfort than spending a day without rush or pressure in the kitchen.

This recipe appeared in the most recent issue of Saveur.  Saveur is one of my favorite places for finding new foods from different cultures because the accompanying articles are beautifully written and outline in detail the cultural significance of foods.  They often include meals that are served in regular homes, not just restaurants or for purposes of luxury travel bloggers.

When I came across this recipe, it was like Alexander Siddig was standing next to Ryan Gosling (there was a roast turkey recipe in the issue that as also a contender for the day) and I decided I would rather have a bit of fun and go with the former.

I purchased my first jar of Ras el Hanout for this recipe. A Moroccan spice blend, every blend is a little different. I contemplated making my own blend, as I had a lot of the spices on hand, but I also looked at the date on a lot of those spices and ended up completing a purge of my spice basket before I started cooking (I couldn’t believe how many times some of those jars had moved with me).  Ras el Hanout translates to “top of the shop”, and is very similar to curry. It can contain upwards of a dozen ingredients, including clove, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and fenugreek.

the filling

I followed the Saveur recipe pretty closely as it was the first time I made it and I always try to do it unless I find comments online that consistently say double this, or reduce that. I did double the ras el hanout, and added a little extra saffron and red pepper flake, because I more or less always double the spices. Also, I just want to say, with all the “skinny taste” and weight watchers crock pot recipes out there that call for boneless, skinless breasts, or extra lean ground beef, nothing feels more bad ass than walking into WF and purchasing a 3.5 lb package of bone-in, skin-on thighs (again, I was feeling more Siddig than Gosling on this day).  #teamdarkmeat.

finally got a piece of the pie

http://www.saveur.com/article/kitchen/not-so-humble-pie

The B’Stilla was elegant, and a stunning centerpiece for the table especially once it was dusted with sugar and cinnamon. I would make this again for a special occasion, when I want to treat a friend… or for Alexander Siddig. 

                                             

Basic Behavior

Pumpkin has gotten a bad rep over the past several months as an epidemic of basic has smothered the 18-30 year old female demographic.   Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin baked goods, and afternoons spent instagramming pictures of pumpkin patches are some of the most recognizable symptoms of the basic disease.  Once just something that got carved a few nights before Halloween and left for raccoons to ravage after, pumpkin has taken center stage this fall as the gateway drug to basic.

This should not come as a surprise. Each fall, gourds get their 5 annual minutes of fame, and as social media has evolved, gourds have been bestowed with layer upon layer of photo filters and #fall #autumn #happy #warm hash tags.   As a cousin to pumpkin, butternut squash can also be a symptom of the basic disease, and what basic bitch doesn’t love a bowl of butternut squash soup with half smoked gouda grilled cheese? (on multigrain, of course)

I know Ebola is all anyone can talk about these days, but my recent trip abroad brought to light just how far the basic monster has spread it’s claws. In Stockholm and Copenhagen, not only did I see multiple gourd displays, but also I had to stop and take a breather when I almost caught myself taking a picture of some young Swedes taking a picture of a gourd display. The opportunity to take an insta of and insta abroad was so enticing, visions of a viral insta and brilliant caption flashed through my mind, but I caught myself in the act, and calmed myself with two small sips of my $8 cappuccino.

mis en place

Despite it's basicness butternut squash soup is very good --- but I really had no desire to get a blender dirty . On my one day of unemployment before my new job started, and as I recovered from jet lag, my goal was to do as little as possible but also be able to tweet that I had a productive day off.  Also, the refrigerator I returned to contained six kinds of mustard, 4 eggs, an avocado, and smoked salmon, so I knew I had to go to Whole Foods, and I also recognized I needed to give thought to what I was going to eat for the week.

I settled on a root vegetable curry.  Post consuming multiple pastries a day on vacation, things needed to be turn around diet wise but I wanted something that was actually going to be filling and warm because it’s just that time of year. 

soft and golden and spiced

I bought the butternut squash already peeled and chopped up because it seemed like the right thing to do on a day like today, and it really was not expensive. This recipe used one cutting board and one pot, except I toasted my spices so that got a small frying pan slightly dirty, as well as a mortar and pestle. I topped the stew with toasted cashews and served it with a seed bread I got at Meyer’s Bageri in Copenhagen. It would also be good with Naan, or topped with yogurt. I made this up as I went along.

Basic Root Vegetable Curry

3 gloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs of fresh ginger, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

½ large head of cauliflower, chopped

1 potato, cut into one 1 inch pieces

3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 cups stock (chicken or veg)

2 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs curry powder (pick your favorite)

1 ½ tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

½ cup half and half

Toasted cashew pieces for topping

Note about the spices -  I like a lot of spice. I always add more than what recipes call for.   If you are not so into the spice, maybe cut each of these back and taste the curry while it simmers to perhaps add more. I probably used a bit more than what is listed above, but I was not measuring. Also, I used whole coriander, cloves and cumin and toasted all the spices together for a few minutes in a fry pan before grinding them all together with a mortar and pestle. Using ground is fine, too.

In a couple tbs of butter and oil, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and celery for 10-15 minutes until softened and golden.  Remember to season with salt and pepper at this point, too. While this is happening, measure out all your spices into a small bowl to combine. Add the tomato paste, spices, bayleaf, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the stock, and scrape up the bottom of the pan. Add all the chopped vegetable and bring back to a simmer over med-high heat.   Once simmer is reached, turn the heat down, and let curry go at a lower simmer for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through. If you chop the vegetables in larger pieces, they may need to cook longer. Remove bay leaves. Add half and half, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with toasted cashew pieces. 

Basic product

Keep it Simple, Stupid.

“Sometimes simple is better.” That’s what my mother texted me when I told her the Velveeta dip I put out for my friends for our first night at the beach last week was a hit (I sent her a pic of the empty bowl).

I think she is right, and historically, my mother has proven herself as the queen of simple, elegant food. No laundry lists of ingredients, no fussy cooking instructions; just good food. Of course, one’s ability to do this happens over time, and there are extensive periods of trial and error and major cock ups along the way, but eventually you just know what do and when in the kitchen and you can put together a whole lot without a lot.

Over the past couple months as work hours have increased and many weekends have been spent out of town, I have been veering towards simple---one could even say beyond simple.

 I always bring something to get together. I cannot bare showing up empty handed. More bottles of wine have been purchase en route to soirees than I would like to admit lately, but I refuse to show up empty handed.

In high school, we had an out of bounds play when the ball was under the basket called K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid). As complex as series of screens can get, this was a run across the paint, set a screen, and then open up and show your hands. Someone always got the ball, and 90% of the time, that someone scored.

Here are some of my favorite K.I.S.S items to bring to a party, that I have also brought to parties over the past couple months:

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – Cook shrimp tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper in an oven at 400 degrees for 7- 10 min (depends on size of shrimp). Serve with cocktail sauce (prepared horseradish and ketchup).

Chocolate Chip Cookies – always a hit. Get fancy and put some ice cream between them. My favorite recipe is here : http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014826/quintessential-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

*Tip: Milk chocolate chips. I prefer dark chocolate, in general, but the crowd goes wild over milk whether they are secure enough to admit it or not. Be bougis. 

Pimento Cheese Dip – block of cheddar, block of monterey jack, jar of pimentos (drained), couple tbs mayo, a pickle (chop it up first so you don’t end up with huge chunks) tbs Dijon mustard, tsp hot sauce, salt, pepper. Blend cheese, mayo, mustard and hot sauce to desired consistency in a food processor. Add pickle and pimentos and pulse a few times. Season to taste.

*Tip: Serve with a STURDY cracker, or, spread on pieces of cheap white bread, cut off crusts, and slice diagonally for a tea sandwich. Does not take long, but do this before putting in fridge or it will be very difficult to spread on flimsy bread. 

Oh, and let’s not forget – Velveeta Dip.

1 block of velveeta, cut into chunks. Add cheese to sauce pan over medium heat. Melt down, add  just over 1 cup (or more) of salsa (or can of Rotele), and hot sauce as you wish. Stir and continue to melt to desired consistency over medium heat.