Thai Flank Steak

I was craving a Thai style marinated steak last week.  I like it best with flank steak but a skirt steak would be great too.  I prepared this with a side of steamed veggies but it would also be great main component in a salad, bahn mi or asian style tacos.    

serves 4.

Thai Steak Marinade

1 flank steak, 1.5 - 2 lbs

juice of 2 limes

4 inches of lemon grass, smashed, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

2 tablespoons tamari (for gluten free) or soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

s + p

Give the steak a few pokes with a knife tip.  Combine all remaining ingredients together, in a large ziplock freezer bag.  Place steak in bag and seal.   Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.    

Remove steak from bag and discard marinade.   With high heat cook steak to desired temperature.  I suggest grilling but a lightly oiled cast iron skillet or grill pan are perfectly fine.

To test the steaks doneness, give it a poke.  If it's squishy, it's on the rare side and if it's firm, its medium well to well done.  

Let steak rest a few minutes and slice thinly and against the grain.  

Spaghetti Squash Dinner Bowls

I like when a food is its own bowl or dish.  Like soup in a bread bowl, or coconuts you can drink directly out of, oysters, twice baked potatoes and so on.  This one is kind of like that.  

Spaghetti squash is a great thing.  If roasted in the oven for a bit the flesh can be raked with a fork to form 'spaghetti'.  Still tasting like a vegetable but with a firm texture that holds up as a gluten free and healthier substitute for pasta.  

I say this recipe serves 2 people because I can eat a whole squash but realistically, it makes 4 servings.

Spaghetti Squash Bowls

2 spaghetti squashes

4 cloves garlic, minced

dash olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 lb ground lean turkey breast

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

red pepper flakes, to taste

few fresh basil leaves, chopped

8 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 28 oz tin diced tomatoes, pureed in blender

s + p

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse and dry squashes.  Cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds and lightly rub with olive oil and sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake about 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

While the squashes are roasting, saute garlic and onion in a medium pot.  Add turkey, red pepper flakes and oregano and cook until turkey is cooked.  Add mushrooms, basil and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer.  Season with s + p.

Switch oven to broil and adjust a rack to a higher position.  

Flip cooked squashes over.  With a fork, scratch and loosen squash flesh, it will look like spaghetti.  Fill with turkey mushroom sauce.  Top with mozzarella slices and any extra basil.  Cook under broiler until cheese it melted, about 10 minutes.  

Chicken Lettuce Cups

This is really just a chicken stir fry served in lettuce cups but it's also good eaten on its own, over a salad or over rice.  (To keep things lighter, I like to use a spray bottle of olive oil to coat the pan before cooking chicken or veggies.)  Makes about 4 servings.  

Chicken Lettuce Cups

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cup into thin strips

2 tablespoons soy/tamari + 2 tablespoons soy/tamari

2 tablespoons rice vinegar + 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

dash olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 small bunch scallions, white part, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cup into strips

1 carrot, peeled, grated

1 cup red cabbage, thinly chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup peanuts, lightly crushed

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

juice of 1/2 lime

about 12 lettuce leaves, rinsed, dried

Marinate chicken strips in 2 tablespoons soy and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar for 15 minutes in the fridge.  Remove from marinade and cook in a hot skillet 10 minutes, pouring out liquids as needed.  (I like very well cooked and slightly caramelized chicken so i cooked mine for an extra 8 minutes or so.)  Set aside.  

Wipe out skillet and add a small amount of olive oil.  Saute onion 5 minutes.  Add scallions, ginger, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, cabbage, red pepper flakes and peanuts.  Cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently so veggies don't burn.  

In a small bowl, combine sesame oil, fish sauce, remaining soy sauce and remaining rice vinegar.  Add this and chicken to skillet.  Add lime juice and stir to combine.

Serve in lettuce leaves.  

Chipotle Turkey Chili

This chili is spicy, satisfying and healthy.  Makes about 8 servings.  

Chipotle Turkey Chili

olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey breast

s + p

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1 poblano pepper, diced

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 large tins whole peeled tomatoes, blended smooth

1 cup water

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chipotle powder

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tin black beans, drained, rinsed

1 tin kidney beans, drained, rinsed

3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed a bit

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a skillet, cook turkey 10-12 minutes.  Set aside.  

In a large pot, sauté onion in a dash of olive oil about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, jalapeno, poblano and carrots.  Cook 5 minutes more until onions are clear and vegetables are glossy.  Add blended tomatoes, water, bay leaves, oregano, cumin and chipotle powder.  Simmer 25 minutes.  Stir in bell pepper, turkey, black beans, kidney beans, corn and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread aka Nutella

I don't know about you but I can't be trusted around Nutella.  I took a trip to Paris a few years ago and I think the 6 or so pounds I gained on that trip is due to the fact that I was helpless to resist the street side windows of creperies and their Nutella and banana crepes.

 Nutella + Banana is possibly my favorite food combination.  

This recipe makes about 4 cups, so plan accordingly.   (Most of this batch is going to friends and co workers.)

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

10 oz hazelnuts, blanched + skinless

1/4 cup sugar

1 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 stick butter

1 cup cream

pinches of salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast about 30 minutes until medium brown.  Turn pan once during roasting for evenness.  Remove from oven and let cool.  

Combine sugar and roasted hazelnuts in the smaller bowl of a food processor and process with the multi purpose blade for 12 minutes of so.  Mixture will have to consistency of melted, oily, creamy peanut butter.  

Meanwhile, set a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt chocolate.  Add butter, stirring to melt and combine with chocolate.  Stir in cream.  Stir in hazelnut/sugar mixture and salt.  While warm, pour into clean jars.  

Will keep at room temperature of 4 days or in the fridge for a month.  

Roasted Garlic

These are great for casual dinners or anytime there is crusty warm bread to smear the roasted cloves all over.  Also put to good use on pizza or in sauces or salsas.  I love garlic and it is always on my shopping list.  I put it in everything I cook and would even eat these little things as is if no one was looking. 

Roasted Garlic 

Whole heads of garlic (as many as you need)

olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per head

s + p

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove outer layers of papery covering, leaving individual cloves in their skins and chop off tops of the garlic to expose the cloves.  Place garlic heads each on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap up in foil and roast/bake for 30-40 minutes.  Head will feel soft when pressed and will have become very fragrant.  

Spicy Lentil Soup + Parmesan Toasts

Perfect soup for a snowy day, hearty and healthy with a spicy kick.  Also good served with rice or a side of sautéed leafy greens.

Spicy Lentil Soup

1 cup french green lentils

1 cup red lentils

drizzle olive oil

1 medium onion or leek, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced

2 bay leaves

few sprigs fresh thyme

1 dried guajillo pepper, sliced in 1/2 and seeded

2 quarts vegetable stock

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 - 2 parmesan cheese rinds

s + p

splash red wine vinegar, as needed

Parmesan Toasts

baguette bread, sliced

olive oil

parmesan cheese, grated

black pepper

For the Soup:  Rinse lentils thoroughly in cold water and carefully pick through for stones and other debris.  Set aside.  In a large soup pot sauté onion, carrot and celery in a drizzle of olive oil over med high heat until onions are clear, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, poblano, thyme and bay.  Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.  Add stock, guajillo, cumin, coriander, parmesan rind and lentils.  Wait to add salt until the lentils are almost done.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until green lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and maybe a little red wine vinegar.  Serve hot.  (Chopped fresh parsley and a small drizzle of olive oil are nice garnishes.)

For the Toasts:  Slice as many pieces of bread as you like.  Brush with oil and toast in a dry pan over medium heat.  Flip once and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Turn off heat.  Season with a turn or two of fresh black pepper.  Remove from pan.  Serve with soup.  

Chickpea Salad

My husband, Cameron, is very good at making smart, healthy things to eat and I wanted to share this tasty chickpea salad he made. 

I wouldn't tell anyone else to do this but after the chickpeas were cooked I went through and removed what I call the 'pants' off almost each individual chickpea.  The 'pants' are the soft, clear skins.  I hate them so I remove them (do you do this?)  but feel free to leave them with their pants on.  

Chickpea Salad

12 oz dried chickpeas

several sprigs fresh thyme

zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon caraway seed

1 bay leaf

2 shallots - one, peeled, ends trimmed and one diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled, lightly crushed

1 carrot, peeled, halved

small bunch fresh mint, chopped

small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

drizzle olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 carrot, blanched, peeled, diced

s + p

Soak dried chickpeas over night in plenty of water.  Drain and transfer to a large pot.  Create a bouquet garni by tying thyme, orange zest, mustard, caraway and bay up into a cheese cloth pouch.  Place in pot along with peeled shallot with ends trimmed, garlic cloves, and carrot halves.  Cover with lots of water (chickpeas will soak up a lot of water while cooking.  Bring to a boil and simmer mostly cover with lid slightly ajar for about 1 hour until cooked through and soft but still with some firmness.  Drain and discard everything but chickpeas.

Toss chickpeas with mint, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, shallot, bell pepper and carrot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.