Sweet Plus Savory: Sugar Snap Peas with Soy and Sesame

Greetings and salutations!  I hope you didn't think that I had forgotten you!  Somehow life just keeps getting more and more complex, but I am deep into food more than I have ever been!  I am now working part-time at Williams-Sonoma on their Culinary Team, and that has opened up a new opportunity for me to learn more about food.  In addition, I have been working with some local caterers on some television shows, so that has been very exciting.  Lastly, I have a new client that has requested low carb, high taste options for the family.  The good news?  You all get to benefit.  At the same time that all of this excitingness has taken place in my culinary life, my trusty camera died.  And a blogger is nothing without her camera!  :)  Anyway, it's high on the "to be purchased" list, so that should help increase my output to you! 

Many of you know that I am a carnivore.  Through and through.  But recently, I have backed off the flesh and am focusing on my inner vege.  With that said, I'm happy to share with you an easy preparation for sugar snap peas.  Right now, they are available in abundant supply.  Costco even has them.  You can eat the whole thing, or if you are fussy, you can string them.  You decide.  I like the expeditious approach...I eat the whole thing. 

Well, I was in a quandary about what to do with them.  I was thinking about stir-fry, but wasn't into the hassle.  Then I had an "ah-ha" moment:  Why not make THEM the stir fry.  I heated up a skillet with canola oil (or any other vegetable oil), and added the snow peas.  About a minute later I added soy sauce, a little sesame oil (a little goes a long way), a little fresh ginger and some minced garlic (you don't want to add garlic too early on high heat, because it will burn).  I tasted one, it was crunchy, yet soft (al dente, I guess) and that was my easy-breezy side dish.  Serve it with steak, grilled chicken or even pork and fish. The peas are sweet, the contrasting soy sauce is salty and savory. 


This dish is high in vitamins A, C, K, B6 and fiber.  The fiber means that it will help you feel full faster.  For those of you that follow the Glycemic Index, this dish is estimated to be extremely low on the Index.  That means it will not cause a significant spike in your blood sugar. Yummy goodness.  Enjoy! 

Grilled Veggies: Not just for Summer Anymore!

I must first say, please excuse my hiatus!  It's not that I haven't been thinking about you.  I've had the wonderful opportunity to explore the world of Gluten-free with a cient of mine.  It's a challenging task to make things taste good despite a long list of restrictions.  I will share some tips in the future.  Now on to the subject at hand...grilled veggies!

As a child, I must admit that grilled vegetables was not my idea of a party.  In fact, if you have children, try to expose them to as much of this kind of thing as you can while they are still young.  I encourage you to at least have them TRY everything.  If they don't like it, don't force them to eat it....just move on and let them know that in a few weeks they may like it, as their tastes evolve so much over time.

Grilled vegetables are really a simple thing.  And believe it or not, you don't even need a grill!  Just buy one of those square or round pans that has those "speed bumps" to create the grill or "hash" marks.  Pick the veggies of your choice...eggplant, zuchini, summer squash, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes......  Marinate them for about an hour in the fridge using olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, Kosher salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence. 

Heat your grill to really hot.  Layer the veggies so they have enough room and are not touching eachother.  Once they have cooked on one side (peek underneath and look for that black grill mark), turn them over.  Once they are done on the other side, remove them and put them in a dish and cover with foil until all the batches are done.  They will "weep" and express water.  That's ok.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with omeletes, steak, chicken or fish.  They are also nice over cous cous. With your indoor grill pan, it will feel like summer all winter long!!!!

Pan-fried Filet of Sole with Butter and Lemons

In 2011, I have purposed to eat more fish.  These days, I never eat fish.  It's actually a very strange phenomeon.  You see, I grew up in New England.  We ate fish about once a week.  Lobster, scallops, swordfish, bluefish, clams...the typical stuff.  Although, interstingly, no shrimp.  I'm not sure what that was about.  I will have to ask my mother.

But as I matured into busy adulthood, seafood has been in my diet less and less.  I guess I would attribute it to three things.  First, my favorite preparation of seafood is simple:  lemon, butter, salt, pepper.  Done.  But as you can imagine, that can get a bit monotonous.  Second, seafood is one of those things that is best eaten fresh.  And sometimes we get busy and don't have time to prepare it that day.  So it goes bad or goes in the freezer until we throw it out 3 months later.  I also regret that I did not put extra emphhasis on seafood when I had my children.  Now, they are reluctant seafood eaters, and that pushes seafood further down the dinner list.  Well, NO MORE, I say.  in 2011, I vow to experiment with and present new (to me) recipes with seafood.  If you have any suggestions of recipes that I should make or makeover, please let me know.

This first dish is made with some of those key favorite ingredients I mention above.  It has a nice, subtle flavor and is packed with good stuff: omega 6 and 9 fatty acids (essential fatty acids.  They are called essential becuase your body can not make them for itself and HAS to get them from food), antioxidants and FLAVOR!!!!

Ingredients


•1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each

•6 tablespoons unsalted butter

•1 tablespoon olive oil

•1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

•6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)

•1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

•1/4 cup rinsed capers (optional)



Directions

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fish filets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, capers, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

Beat the Chicken Doldrums with Tarragon Chicken

It's a challenge.  I get it.  We love chicken, but we find ourselves cooking it the same way each and every week.  And then we get tired of that which we love so dearly.  Enter Indulge Me to rescue you and the chicken (well...sort of....the chicken probably wouldn't agree!).

Chicken and tarragon pair wonderfully together.  There are a few other of my favorite ingredients:  fresh chives, proscuitto and wine. 

Here we go:


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless breast halves
1/2 cup AP flour for dredging
2-4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. button mushrooms or white mushrooms
3 oz. proscuitto, sliced (if you don't eat pork, omit it)
1 cup dry white wine, like a Savignion Blanc or low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. Minced Chives

Instructions: 
Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dust each breast with flour, shaking off the excess.  
Saute chicken in hot oil in a saute pan until lightly browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.    Remove chicken and set aside, covering or tenting with foil to keep warm.
Add mushrooms and proscuitto to the pan.  Cook until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, about 2-3 minutes. 
Add wine or broth and cream to the pan.  Return chicken to the pan, reduce heat and summer until sauce thickens slightly, about 7 minutes. 
Stir in tarragon,  and vinegar and cook for 1 minute.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.

Guiltlessly Perfect Summer Pasta

A friend of mine was coming over around dinner time and I remembered that she was a vegetarian.  I looked in my pantry and in my freezer to figure out something that both she and I (your resident carnivore) would enjoy.  I happen to love peas.  Not the shriveled, canned variety that tastes closer to Elmer's glue, the petite fresh or frozen kind.  Truth be told, growing up, my sister and I used to fight over peas because I tended to eat them as snacks after school and before dinner, leaving nothing for her. 

This is a wonderfully simple recipe that is as good in the summer as it is in the winter.  It calls for basil.  Did you know you can take your summer basil harvest and freeze it for gloomier days in the fall and winter?  Just stick your basil surplus in a freezer bag, eliminate all the air and put it in the freezer.  Take out what you need, chop it up and put the rest back in the freezer.

I also suggest low carb pasta, such as Dreamfield's.  It takes all the guilt out of this tasty meal. 

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs minced garlic
4 Tbs chopped fresh or frozen basil
The juice from a half of a fresh lemon
1 lb. petite peas (I like C&W or Bird's Eye frozen)
Salt and pepper to taste
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1/2 lb. spaghetti
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1 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Boil the water for the pasta and add salt so the water tastes like the ocean.  Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box, al dente.  In a separate pan, saute garlic in the butter and olive oil for a few minutes without color. Turn heat to medium. Add chopped fresh basil. Add warm petite peas, add 1/2 lb of cooked pasta. Add the juice of a half a lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine it all and serve with fresh grated Parmesan to taste.

Summer Shrimp with White Wine, Lime and Jalapeno

It's hard to beat shrimp in the summer.  I don't know what it is.  Somehow, shrimp just begs to be consumed outside, on the porch, with friends and a light breeze!  Although this is a very light recipe, it has that "stick to your ribs" factor that won't leave you hungry two hours later.  Also, a few points of edification...those numbers in the shrimp department (16/20, 21/25) refer to the average number of shrimp per pound.  The lower the number, the larger the shrimp.  Also, this recipe calls for fresh lime juice.  To get the most from your limes, select limes that have a smooth, shiny skin.  Roll the limes on the counter to tear down the fibers.  Micorwave the limes for 30 seconds.  Careful, the lime juice may be hot when it first comes out of the mirowave.  

Ingredients:

1 lb. Jumbo Shrimp (21/25 or 16/20 ct), peeled and de-veined

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Marinade:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The juice of one fresh lime (see above for maximum juice)

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

3 Tbs. cilantro, chopped

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1/2 cup shaved parmesan  (more if you are a cheese-head!!!)

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1 lb. low carb linguini, like Dreamfields.

Marinate shrimp in marinade for 1-2 hours.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put shrimp in glass dish with marinade and cook for 7-10 minutes (depending on your oven and the size of the shrimp), until JUST pink throughout, turning shrimp after 5 minutes.  Serve over linguini and top with shaved parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.  You can also serve this in tortillas with pico de gallo and cotija cheese.