Working moms doing the best we can, one moment at a time
Salad: romaine lettuce, oranges and pecans in homemade dressing (orange juice, olive oil, semillon, salt and pepper)
Pasta: Turkey meatballs with pear; bok choy sautéed in pecans and pear, plus chicken stock added towards the end. Add cooked meatballs to bok choy mixture, then combine with cooked angel hair.
Night 1: boiled spaghetti in low sodium chicken broth; added spinach towards the end. Meanwhile, sautéed sliced zucchini in olive oil. Served zucchini over pasta with Parmesan.
Night 2: sautéed broccolini and bok Choy (cut into 1-2 inch slices) in olive oil; covered and steamed until slightly tender. Added soy sauce and leftover noodles from night 1 and cooked until warmed through. Voila!
When I see kale in my fridge, I immediately think of soup. It’s the easiest way to tame the beast – those tough and rough leaves. So, tonight I made a satisfying, hearty and healthy soup.
First, I sauteed one chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. Next I added diced Yukon Gold potatoes, and chopped kale (stripped off the spine). Once kale was sufficiently wilted, I added two cups of chicken broth and two cups of water. I brought it back to a boil for a few minutes, then added two cans of white beans.
Delicious and I didn’t feel guilty about having multiple seconds!
Last year we attended a charming heirloom tomato tasting in the oak tree-shaded garden of a picturesque farmhouse at Picchetti Winery in Cupertino. It was a picture-perfect Indian summer afternoon, with the added bonus of tasting a rainbow of delicious, organic heirloom tomatoes, olive oil and inspired appetizers.
TomatoBash is back this Saturday, September 24 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. – registration details here.
It doesn’t hurt that you can pick up a bottle of wine in the tasting room and bring it over to the garden – just keep an eye out for wandering peacocks on the property!
We are getting gorgeous heirloom tomatoes from Farm Fresh to You, so I worked them into our breakfast this morning. Note: make sure the tomato is on the sweeter side, and don’t forget to butter your toast! I also lightly salted the fresh cut tomatoes and eggs while cooking.
After you’ve drained the noodles, toss in the canned tuna in the same pot
(cooks it slightly); finish with chopped tomatoes, olive oil and salt/pepper.
We had an abundance of zinfandel following our weekend away, so I decided to put it to work in the kitchen by braising pork tenderloin in one of the leftover zins. I made sure to pull it out of the bubbling liquid while still pink, and left it to rest for a few minutes. That final move made it nice and tender, plus the purple-stained skin created an interested marble effect.
I served it over rice, but mashed potatoes would be a more decadent option if you’re feeling zin-ful. Pretty simple!
In the third and last chapter of desperation in the kitchen, I used my stash of white beans, frozen chicken breasts, onion and spices to make an amended version (for spicy weaklings) of Epicurious’ White Bean Chicken Chili. You’ll see some suggestions at the end on how to make it vegan or vegetarian, as well.
It’s pretty simple when you break it down. I sauteed onion, oregano and cumin; and added the frozen chicken breasts directly on one side of the pan. They required more cooking time since they were frozen, but easy regardless. Next, you basically add the beans and water (I didn’t have chicken broth) and it thickens over time. Note: I don’t think chicken is necessary; you could skip that step and I don’t think you’d miss it.
David and I are both sensitive to spicy foods, so I skipped the green chilies, red pepper and cilantro. Also, a tablespoon of cumin was too much; I almost wondered if it was a typo. In order to cut down on heat, I added about 3/4 a stick of butter towards the end, and it did the trick. (I skipped the whipping cream, so that may have had something to do with it.)
So to summarize, if you cut down on cumin and skipped the chicken, chicken broth and butter/cream, you’d have a vegan, dairy-free white bean chili.
I had the pleasure of gorging on shrimp at FoodSpotting’s Wok + Wine event last week. Part networking, part slurping, sucking and biting – it was a delightful way to change up the weeknight routine and rub shoulders with some fellow FoodSpotting geeks.
Here’s proof in a photo of me slurping and/or looking for splatters on my silk shirt. (Not the best thing to wear, but alas.)
Check out this neat time lapse video – and keep your eyes peeled for the short blond ponytail rotating around the room. That’s me. 😉
For Part II of this week’s cleaning out the fridge installment, I used the remaining dried porcini mushrooms (see Porcini Couscous) and added Wine Forest Dried Lobster Mushrooms for an adaptation of Epicurious’ Fettuccine with Wild Mushroom Sauce.
For my replication, I soaked both sets of dried mushrooms before adding them to a pan with sauteed onions (instead of garlic). I also swapped water for chicken broth, simply because I didn’t have any, and served it with spinach fettuccine.
It was absolutely delicious, especially when paired with the bacon-licious and smoky Syrah Bacon Reserve from Oreana Winery.