Mock Salmon Pate: Fast, Fresh, Delicious

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Amy @ Progressive Pioneer

Spring is in the air and I’m in the mood for light, refreshing snacks. This raw, mock salmon pate appetizer is one of my go-to party snacks. It’s a snap to whip up and people love it. I don’t really think it tastes all that much like salmon, that would be weird… But it does taste 100% delicious! And I promise, the platter will be cleared moments after you set it on the table.

Mock Salmon Pate on Cucumber Rounds

2 cups raw walnuts
2 stalks celery
1 red pepper, seeded
1 scallion, roots trimmed
1/2 tsp sea salt you can add up to a tsp, but taste as you go
English cucumbers, probably 2-3 depending on the size peel if you like, not necessary
capers for garnish
extra red pepper if you want to shave off thin slices to garnish, this looks pretty

Directions

Put all the ingredients but the cucumbers, capers and extra red pepper into your cuisinart and blend until you have a nice, thick paste, scraping down the sides as you go.
Let the pate chill in the fridge while you slice up your cucumbers.
Top each cucumber round with a dollop of pate, a caper and a sliver of red pepper.
Arrange on a platter and enjoy!

View recipe at plantoeat.com

Basic Red Sauce

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Erin

Okay, I know this may not be the most exciting recipe I could have chosen to kick off our new cookbook tour. But this is an essential recipe–a building block, if you will–for several other recipes in the book. I found this out by getting partway through a different recipe that called for this sauce, then realizing that I had to make this recipe before I could make the one I was trying to make. I thought I’d save you from my own mistake, and start you out at the very beginning.

You’re welcome.

The sauce itself can be used in preparing other main courses in the book, or you can use it in any recipe that calls for a simple red sauce. You can also use the sauce itself on pasta, adding any meat or veggies you desire. It’s simple, and flexible, and tasty.

Basic Red Sauce (Large Batch).

Source: Fix, Freeze, Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik

Grocery List:

48 oz tomato paste
8 cups hot water
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 Tbs salt
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
106 oz tomato sauce
102 oz diced or crushed tomatoes
1 gallon freezer bags

1. Mix tomato paste and hot water in a very large stockpot until smooth.

I pulled down the largest stock pot on my pot rack and added the tomato paste and water, hoping it would be big enough (read on to see how that turned out).

2. Stir in parsley, onion, garlic, sugar (or honey), salt, basil, oregano, and thyme.

I was a little confused by the note in the cookbook beside the garlic–the one that says to use 36 cloves of garlic. I used about 5 cloves to arrive at 1/4 cup, and decided that it must be a typo. Maybe it’s supposed to say “3 to 6 cloves of garlic”. In any case, don’t go peeling 36 cloves of garlic unneccessarily.

** Friends, the author assures me that the garlic measurement isn’t a typo. Maybe my cloves were extra large Just measure your garlic before adding it, and if you’ve chopped to much you can pop it in the freezer for next time.

If you don’t already, it might be a good time to start buying your herbs and spices in bulk. You can find common spices in bulk at warehouse clubs, but I prefer to buy mine at our local natural grocer. It’s fresher, and often cheaper, than the warehouse spices. I get an entire bag of dried parsley (about one cup) for around a dollar fifty. And you can’t beat that with a stick.

I chose to replace the sugar called for with honey. I get so irritated reading labels of spaghetti sauce in the grocery store trying to find one without sugar. It’s nearly impossible! So I have this thing against putting sugar in my tomato sauces. You can certainly use the sugar if you don’t have the same “thing” that I do.

2. Add tomato sauce and diced (or crushed) tomatoes; mix well. Do not cook.

For some reason I was thinking crushed tomatoes while I was doing my shopping, so that’s what I bought. Then I got home and realized it called for diced tomatoes. Anyway, I like the results I got just fine, so feel free to use either one.

This was my first time buying those huge cans of tomatoes at the warehouse store. My children were so impressed. We felt Very Important with those big cans in our cart as we cruised through the aisles. I had a moment’s deliberation over the BPA in the can liners. But not coming up with any feasible alternative, short of processing my own tomatoes or paying six times as much for tomatoes canned in glass, I bought the BPA tomatoes. I hear that Muir Glen’s tomatoes are supposed to be going BPA-free, but this news has been circulating for a few years with no real assurance of the transition. Anyway, for the record, I added the BPA tomatoes into the stock pot….

And this was the point at which I realized my pot, which seemed so big, was actually too small.

I ended up bagging some of the sauce pre-maturely in order to make room to add the remaining tomatoes. Next time I plan to use my huge pressure-cooker pot. But the lesson here is to decide on a pot that you think is big enough, and then grab the bigger one.

3. Measure sauce into desired portions (I like six cups sauce per freezer bag). Seal, label, and freeze the bags.

I’ve used plastic bags in my kitchen for food storage ever since I had a kitchen. I’m not brand loyal, but the warehouse store carries Ziploc brand freezer bags, so that’s what I bought. Since BPA was on my mind from the canned tomatoes, I thought I should look into the freezer bags. I was happy to read this statement from Ziploc that they don’t use BPA in their plastic products.

I learned a trick to filling bags from my cake-decorating days (yes, I did once decorate cakes). Folding down the top edge of the bag not only creates a sturdy opening that will stay open, but also means any drips just end up inside the bag. I like to place my bag inside a bowl, which also helps to keep it upright.

But of course, for every problem there is a patent. I couldn’t help myself. I Googled “Ziploc bag holder” to see what would come up. It seems that there are a myriad of solutions for this problem of filling plastic bags. If you feel you need a little more assistance than what I’m able to offer, you might try this.

I label all of my bags with the date, the quantity, and what’s inside. Since we deal with food allergies in our house, I also note whether the food is allergen-friendly since I can’t always remember what ingredients I’ve put in.

Freezer Tally: 7 bags of Basic Red Sauce

View recipe at plantoeat.com

Chicken Thighs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Erin

My Sweetie Pie husband has this thing for Chinese sweet and sour dishes. He always gets excited when he orders them, and then is always disappointed when his plate arrives, glowing with sauce a shade of red not found in nature. So I had my eye out for a homemade, “natural” sweet and sour equivalent.

Then, a few years ago, I went on a cookbook binge at the library and cleared the shelves of any book with the words “quick”, “easy”, or “cheap”. This was when I had three babes and my oldest was four-years-old. I was feeling stretched a little thin.

Anyway, this great book from America’s Test Kitchen was one of the ones that I brought home. I was so thrilled to find this recipe. I copied it and am so glad I held onto it. It’s wonderfully delicious and everyone loved it (especially the Sweetie Pie).

I made just a few ingredient changes to make it allergen-friendly and refined-sugar-free. I used coconut oil instead of butter, and honey instead of brown sugar. I was pleased with these changes. My family couldn’t seem to get enough of the sauce, so I’d consider doubling the sauce next time.

I also simplified the cooking method just a bit. I know that America’s Test Kitchen is, in fact, a test kitchen and that surely they’ve tested every single way to make a recipe. But in my opinion, the best way to make a recipe is also the most efficient one. Some of the instructions felt a little fussy, so I just simplified it a little bit. Everything worked out just great.

Plan to Eat users, click on the recipe title to import it into your account.

Chicken Thighs with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

Source: The Best Make Ahead Recipe

Serves: 6

Ingredients

CHICKEN
6 Tbs coconut oil, melted
4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
12 organic chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
SAUCE
1 Tbs coconut oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup rice vinegar
4 scallions, sliced thin

Directions

For the chicken: Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a rack in the center of the oven.
Mix 4 Tbs of the coconut oil, ginger, five-spice powder, and 1/4 tsp salt together in a small bowl. Gently separate the skin of the chicken from the meat. Rub the spice mixture under the skin. Place the chicken, skin side up, on a broiler pan (with the drip pan underneath).
Melt the remaining 2 Tbs coconut oil and brush the chicken with it. Season with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken on the middle rack about 30-40 minutes, until done.
Remove chicken and preheat the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, until skin is crispy and browned.
For the sauce: While the chicken is baking, cook the remaining coconut oil, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan until fragrant, about 3 minutes Stir in the honey and vinegar and simmer until smooth. Let cool slightly and add the scallions to the sauce.
Serve chicken and sauce together.

View recipe at plantoeat.com

Sri Lankan Curry

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Erin

When the Sweetie Pie and I were newlyweds, we would get a craving for curry. We’d head to the closest Indian restaurant, get our curry fix, and then head back home where we’d eat Pasta-Roni for the next three weeks. At that time, all curry seemed the same. Sometimes we’d get curry with peas and potatoes, sometimes we’d get zucchini and cauliflower, but it was all the same to us.

I know better now. I don’t know a whole lot about which regions create which curries, but I do know that they’re all different. And this one is Sri Lankan. Now I don’t really know what makes a curry Sri Lankan, but it seems to me that some of the spices in this curry come from India, and others from places like Thailand or Cambodia. And since Sri Lanka sits kind of in between these two places, that makes complete sense.

Anyway, whatever the origination, this curry is darn good.

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. They’re mostly spices and they all go in at the same time. This dish really comes together in no time.

You can find curry leaves at your local ethnic grocery. You could probably find them at some hoity toity gourmet grocery too, but they’ll cost you five times as much. Go to your ethnic grocer, buy a whole branch of curry leaves for a couple of bucks, and keep them in your freezer. They’ll keep for ages. If you’re opposed to tracking down obscure ingredients, you could just leave them out. But you’re going to miss out on some of the subtle flavor.

The same thing goes for the lemongrass. It will be so much cheaper from your ethnic grocer. The last time I made a trip to the Indian grocery I found a jar of dried lemongrass, which is what I use. It’s not a fresh tasting though (think of dried basil vs. fresh basil) so I recommend the fresh if it’s available to you.

I served this over rice, with this yummy cucumber salad, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. If you prefer your veg mixed in, you could add some green beans, cauliflower, or other veg to the curry itself. You may want to consider doubling the sauce if you add veggies.

Plan to Eat users, click on the recipe title to import it into your account.

Sri Lankan Curry

Source: Healing Foods by Sandra Ramacher

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 Tbs ghee or coconut oil
10 fresh curry leaves
2 cups onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground fennel
2 tsp ground paprika
2 tsp salt
2 Tbs GF rice vinegar
3 pounds organic chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks
2 tomatoes, peeled and choppeds
6 cardamom pods, lightly crusheds
1 stick cinnamon
1 stalk lemon grass, minced
1 can coconut milk

Directions

Heat the ghee or coconut oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the curry leaves until they turn brown.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook until onions are golden and tender.
Add spices (through salt) and vinegar. Stir until well-combined.
Add chicken and stir until thoroughly coated with the spices. Add the remaining ingredients, except the coconut milk, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 40-50 minutes. Uncover and add coconut milk. Stir and cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
Serve over rice.

View recipe at plantoeat.com

Chicken Mole

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Erin

I can’t figure out to get an accent over the “e” in the title. This is not “Chicken Mohl”. This is “Chicken Mohlay”. And it is worthy of your attention.

I have an old mole recipe that I made before babies. It’s quite complicated and involves roasting chiles and melting chocolate in a double boiler. It’s amazing, of course, but not practical for this season of life. So I was thrilled when I saw this recipe that looked oh-so-much easier. Easier it is. It’s also really tasty.

Everything came together in a jiffy. The chicken goes in the crockpot, the rest of the ingredients in the blender. Add what’s in the blender to what’s in the crockpot and you’re done.

I omitted the chiles so that I wouldn’t get complaints from the kiddos at the table. I put in a teaspoon or two of chili powder just for flavor.

Buying chocolate can be a tricky proposition if you have food allergies. Most chocolate will have traces of peanuts. Most chocolate will also have soy and dairy. I don’t have to worry about the trace allergens, so I usually buy a high quality dark-chocolate bar (which are more likely to be made without soy and dairy) and use that for any recipe calling for bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. If you have to be more careful, I’d recommend this dark chocolate bar by Enjoy Life foods. I’ve not tried this one, but have tried other chocolate by Enjoy Life and have found it pretty good.

We served this over rice, with some steamed veg on the side. My kids complain about green things scattered across their food, so we left off the cilantro.

Plan to Eat users, click on the recipe title to import it into your account.

Chicken Mole

Source: Everyday Foods

Ingredients

4 pounds organic chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
sea salt
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmeds
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins
3 ozs bittersweet or dark chocolate (dairy- and soy-free), chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smasheds
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
fresh cilantro, for serving optional

Method

Season chicken with salt and place in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
In a blender, puree all remaining ingredients, except cilantro until smooth. Add tomato mixture to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on high until chicken is tender, about 4 hours on high (8 hours on low).
Serve with rice and topped with cilantro.