Late summer Baby Shower

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Dorothy

Carmelized Honey Peaches & Nectarines with Grilled Haloumi & Arugula


Harissa Shrimp with Chervil-Caper Aioli


 
Personal referrals are the best way to develop business. Let clients know how much you rely upon them to spread the word about your business. I’m fortunate to have outstanding clients who always keep me in mind for events and parties. This past weekend I catered a baby shower for a client who received my name from her friend. My client was pregnant and another friend wanted to coordinate a baby shower her. That shower was for 70 people in May and it was so successful the hostess rehired me to cater her friend’s baby shower. It was a gorgeous sunny day in Atherton, California where 20 guests had a marvelous time.

The menu was seasonal, light and delicious. I served: Crostini with Carmelized Honey Peaches & Nectaries, Grilled Haloumi & Arugula; Grilled Shrimp with Caper-Chervil Aioli; Farmers’ Market Tomatoes stuffed with Red Grape & Tarragon Chicken Salad; Fattoush and Fruit Salads; Grilled Hangar Steak Sandwiches with Carmelized Onions, Farmers Market Tomatoes, Sun-dried Tomato-Basil Aioli and Mixed Greens on Acme Buns; Lemon Meringue Tarts and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. Absolutely delicious menu, see for yourself! Checkout the pool furniture too, love the colours.

Grilling steak & shrimp


 

Pool lounge area

Farmers Market Tomatoes, Red Grape & Tarragon Chcken Salad

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Easy Chicken, Brown Rice and Red Chard Stir-Fry

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Dorothy

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Chicken, Brown Rice and Red Chard Stir-Fry

Sometimes after I’ve spent all day cooking I don’t have energy left for cooking at home. That’s when my Blissfully Quick© strategy saves me a lot of time but still allows me to have a delicious and nutritious meal in minutes. It’s a simple strategy; cook multiple portions of a staple at the beginning of the week and use it in different ways during the week. Typically, I’ll cook 2-3 cups of brown or wild rice on a Sunday. I’ll also wash and slice several bunches of kale and chard to use for the following three or four days. I might also precut chicken and marinate it for up to two days in this marinade. That’s how I was able to make this delicious stir fry in about 20 minutes.

Chicken, Brown Rice and Red Chard Stir-Fry
1.5 pounds boneless chicken thighs cut into small chunks or thinly sliced
4 tablespoons Kikkoman Light soy sauce
1 tablespoon black soy sauce
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 Tablespoon canola oil
1 cup shredded carrots (I like Trader Joe’s brand)
2 tablespoon thinly sliced ginger
3 cups washed and thinly sliced red chard
2 cups cooked brown rice (reheat in microwave)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Put the soy sauces and garlic in a medium size bowl, mix and reserve two tablespoons of sauce to use to add to with the rice. Add chicken to the sauce and marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to two days. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add canola oil and ginger, then chicken and sauté until brown about 10-13 minutes. Add the carrots and chard and cook until tender, about five minutes. Put the reserved sauce in the pan then add the warm cooked rice. Cook for a minute or two tossing to mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste then mix in sesame oil.

Makes 4 main course servings

Chef’s tip: Crusing rather than chopping the garlic produces a mellow flavor and cooks faster.

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Cooking from Tyler Florence’s Family Meal cookbook

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Dorothy

Tyler Florence at book signing with Chef Dorothy

Because I’m a professional chef, I don’t become giddy around “celebrity” chefs. I’m much more interested in determing if the “celebrity” chef applies good techniques and has an even better understanding of flavor. I can’t say that a lot of “celebrity” chefs do these days and of course, if you’re considered to be even slightly attractive nobody cares about your techniques or flavors.

However, I raced out to meet Tyler Florence at a local book signing because he really does apply good techniques and his sense of flavor is evolving into interesting combinations reflected in his menu at Wayfare Tavern, his first San Francisco restaurant. The Bay Area is a tough turf to work in. We’re incredibly food saavy, very critical and there’s so much competition, you need titanium nerves and usually deep pockets to make it here. So, I thought it would be interesting to buy his book and check out his recipes.

You can see from my picture, I’m thrilled to be sitting next to Tyler. You get exactly one minute to chat, take the picture, and have him sign your book. My strategy was to get there early because after the onehundredth book signing, I’m sure he’s ready to go and could care less about chatting. I was number 20 in line. So, I was mid-word when the photo was snapped as I rattled off my name, career, culinary point of view and gave him my card, all in one minute. Oh and as a bonus, I told him that I grew up in Mill Valley and that I’d love to cook with him. I’m still waiting for his call but I did try one of his recipes and it worked fairly well.

Now, I’ve known chefs who’ve had books published and it’s a daunting endeavor. The end product is often not fully in your control. I chose Creamed Spinach from Tyler’s Family Meal cookbook. After reading the recipe, I knew that I had to modify a technique because the recipe required you to cook the spinach until dry in a large pot. I used a large sauté pan because I know that a pan with high sides is going to evaporate liquid much slower than a sauté pan which has low sides. I suspect because of the large volume of spinach required, the editor decided a pot rather than sauté pan would be available in the average home. Nonetheless, even in a massive sauté pan over medium high heat it was difficult to cook the spinach dry. I drained the spinach and added less cream because I wanted to reduce the fat. The recipe was still delicious and I’ll try a few more from the book. Overall, Tyler Florence’s Family Meal cookbook is an easy to follow, well planned cookbook that you can use every day.

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Getting ready for Back to School Week

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Dorothy

Freezer ready Beef and Spinach Lasagna

If your child attends school in the San Francisco Bay Area and you’re a mom responsible for that child, chances are good this week you’re charging full speed ahead. During Back to School Week, mothers are running around on fumes buying everything for school, dealing with tweens and teenagers wants and demands for school clothing and accessories, not to mention books, Ipad covers and every other thing the child either needs or wants.

It can be a miserable week. But, sunlight is on the horizon because when the little darlings return to school, we mothers can reclaim our schedules and the illusion of order should return to our lives. In spite of the whirlwind of preparations required to return our children to school, there is one way you can ease pressure the first month. We know it takes a few weeks for the family to adjust to kids returning to school and resuming regular mealtimes is part of that adjustment.

This is an area where you can really restore some sanity to your routine. Plan and make two weeks’ worth of meals this week and freeze them. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t if you plan and it will save you a lot of time during the first week weeks of school. Here are some suggested main courses that I’ve made for clients as freezer options. The idea is to have the main course ready so you only need to add a starch, vegetable and or a salad for a complete meal. If you have a crock pot or pressure cooker you can quickly make stews or soups. Simply use one of your favorite recipes or select one online and start freezing this week!

Beef and Spinach Lasagna (I made this one for a client’s freezer)
Beef Stew
Beef or Chicken Stroganoff
Macaroni and Cheese (don’t freeze with breadcrumb topping, it gets soggy)
Sausage and Broccoli Casserole (use homemade or good quality marinara, mozzarella, pasta and broccoli)
Meat Ragu (marinara sauce with your favorite meat)
Meatballs
Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Pot Pie (freeze the filling and buy puff pastry dough topping to have on hand)
Chicken Tetrazzini
Turkey Chili
Chicken Curry
Chicketn Tagine

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Blissful Eggs Benedict

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Dorothy
http://www.blissfulkitchenblog.com/blissful-eggs-benedict/

Blissful Eggs Benedict with Goat Cheese, Zucchini, Spinach and Tomato-Tarragon Salsa

There’s nothing like a delicious brunch any day of the week. I’m a big fan of poached eggs. A gorgeous sunny golden yolk oozing out of a white cocoon, flowing over an English muffin with Canadian bacon is what I like most. For me, rich hollandaise sauce is a a creamy crown on this delicious brunch staple. Unfortunately, according to my calorie counter book a typical serving has a whopping 860 calories and 56 grams of saturated fat! My waistline can’t take it these days, so I had to come up with an alternative because I look forward to poached eggs on the weekends. I had to figure out a way to get most of what I love about my calorie-bloated favorite but substantially reduce the saturated fat and calories.

Now, I’m not saying I’ll never have the traditional version again, I’m just saying having an alternative gives me an option for satisfy my craving. In case you were wondering how much lower my version is, two eggs have 140 calories and 8 grams of fat; 1 ounce goat cheese has 70 calories and 3.5 grams of fat; and 1 teaspoon of olive oil has 45 calories and 5 grams of fat. That’s 39.5 grams of fat lower than the traditional version!

Thus, Blissful Eggs Benedict was born. She’s the lower fat, lower calorie distant cousin of classical Eggs Benedict and she’s delicious! You can use an English muffin or any baguette style toasted bread for the base. A smear of soft goat cheese gives me the creamy texture and tang from hollandaise, a bit of extra white vinegar in the poaching liquid gives some acidic flavor, and sautéed vegetables boots the nutrtional value. Finally, a topping of quick tomato-tarragon salsa brings all the flavors together. Honestly, I didn’t miss the hollandaise but let me if you did.

Blissful Eggs Benedict
2 whole omega-3 or large AA eggs poached (add an additional teaspoon of vinegar in the poaching liquid)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Nonstick spray
2 medium zucchini (each sliced lenghtwise into three slices each)
2-3 cups washed spinach
1 whole clove of garlic sliced in half
1 cup baby tomatoes
Fresh tarragon
1 inch slice of red onion
1 toasted English muffin or two one-inch slices of toasted sweet baguette
1 ounce soft goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Salt and pepper both sides of the zucchini slices. Heat a medium size sauté pan with nonstick spary and one teaspoon olive oil. Cook the zucchini on both sides until brown and tender then remove from pan. If necessary, add more nonstick spray and add garlic, spinach, salt and pepper to taste. Sauté spinach for 3-5 minutes until cooked. Turn off heat and move the spinach to one side of the pan and add zucchini to the other side. This allows you to quickly reheat the vegetables before assembling the dish.

Poach eggs using these instructions and set aside. Put tomatoes, red onion, salt to taste and tarragon in a small food processor or blender. Blend until you get the consistency you like. Poach the eggs according to these instructions and set aside.

Toast muffins or bread and smear with goat cheese while still warm. Reheat vegetables for one minute then place two slices of zucchini trimed to fit the bread. Add spinach, then poached eggs. Garnish with tomato-tarragon salsa.

Makes one main course serving (salsa will be enough for two servings)

Chef’s tip: if your tomatoes are very juicy and you have too much liquid in the salsa, drain off the excess.

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Banana Carrot Ginger Bread

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Dorothy
Low Fat Banana Carrot Ginger Bread

Low Fat Banana Carrot Ginger Bread

When I was growing up tea time was a daily tradition. My mother would sometimes make currant scones, tea sandwiches, cheese straws or pine tarts. When she didn’t bake, there were always cream or sweet biscuits in our pantry. Pine tarts are traditional tea time snacks in Guyana, my mother’s birthland. When I lived there with my grandmother, I looked forward to my daily delicious cup of tea at 4:00 p.m. along with a homemade pastry and afternoon conversation. Her pine tarts were flakey pastry triangles filled with homemade pineapple jam.

Tea time is a great British tradition I haven’t been able to continue with my son. He’s not interested in having tea in the afternoon. But, he does like pastries just like most kids. Banana bread is one of my favorite quick breads and I often think about making it whenever I have at least three bananas blackening on my counter.

One day after cleaning out the refrigerator, I discovered a limp bag of shredded carrots . I also had five black bananas on the counter so naturally, I felt compelled to bring them together. I also wanted to reduce the fat in traditional banana bread so I substituted applesauce for some of the fat and added chopped carrots and powered ginger. The result was a deliciously moist quick bread that your kids will love and if you’re lucky enough to be able to sit down for a cup of tea in the afternoon, you won’t feel guilty eating it.

Banana Carrot Ginger Bread
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup apple sauce
2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium)
1 cup diced shredded carrots
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups white flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 8×4 inch bread loaf pans with nonstick spay and lightly flour. Shake off excess flour. In a medium bowl, use a whisk to mix wheat flour, white flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

Using a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy then add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, apple sauce, bananas and vanilla. Blend on low speed until fully combined. Using a spoon, stir in carrots and mix thoroughly then add flour mixture until well combined. Evenly pour batter into the loaf pans.

Bake on the middle oven rack for 45-55 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Set a timer to check the breads after 45 minutes and adjust time accordingly. Cool the breads for 20 minutes before removing from pans.

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Blissful Kitchen 5 Day Detox Menu

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Dorothy
http://www.blissfulkitchenblog.com/blissful-kitch…day-detox-menu/
Beautiful red chard

 
One of the biggest issues facing my clients today is reducing and eliminating processed foods. This challenge affects working professionals, athletes, and entertainers alike because they’re focused on improving their health and managing their weight for different reasons. Often, it’s the main reason a professional athlete will retain my services. For entertainers and celebrities, their bodies define their brands and almost always dictates how successful they will become. Working professionals frequently have long work days and need to be sure they’ve got enough energy left for their families.

I’ve got a super easy and quick way to jump start your Indian summer shape up and help you make a transition from processed to whole foods. Although it’s best to use predominately organic ingredents, the menu works very well if that’s not possible. With only five days, easy to find ingredients and minimal shopping and cooking you can implement this plan. To ensure I’ve created a balanced menu, nutritionist, super mother of five, and Blissful Kitchen contributor Khristine Holterman reviewed it and said this:

No matter how hard we may try to eat a balanced, healthy diet we live in a world full of processed foods that are difficult to avoid.
While the body is highly efficient at detoxifying our system, the Blissful Kitchen 5 Day Detox Menu is a great way to kick-start a plan that includes only healthy, natural foods, in essence, retraining your taste buds and your psyche. The menu includes a mix of complex carbohydrates; healthy, essential fats; protein and a wide variety of vegetables and fruits noted for their especially high profile of antioxidants, phytonutrients, minerals and vitamins. It is also low in sodium and saturated fats. Most importantly, it is easy to follow and easy to prepare.
By the end of the five day program you should feel more energetic and ready to continue eliminating refined and processed food from your diet. What a great way to start some healthy habits!

Blissful Kitchen’s 5 Day Detox Menu will help you feel better and manage your weight by eliminating processed foods. The plan is adapted from Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman’s Fat Flush and Dr. Dean Ornish’s Spectrum diets along with my own experience, research and practical applications my clients have used over the past seven years.

The foods in the plan are nutritionally dense and combined to help you feel full and reduce bloating. Elimination of toxins is the goal so for the first few days you will see changes in that regard. Don’t be alarmed, just stay with it. If you’ve been following my Light and Healthy week recipes, you’re already prepared to begin a detoxifying menu. However, you might find easing into a detox plan is better for you so start with Light and Healthy Week and then transition to the Detox Menu. Let me know how you feel after five days, so let’s get started!

Getting started tips: Plan your menu in advance, create a shopping list, wash and precut vegetables, cook extra meats or fish to use during the plan, make your lunch the night before, and enjoy the experience!

Blissful Kitchen 5 Day Detox Menu
Copyright © 2011 Dorothy Whittenburg
All rights reserved

Every morning before breakfast:
Drink one cup room temperature water with the juice of half a lemon followed by one cup cranberry water (recipe below) with one teaspoon psyllium husk or powdered psyllium. Quickly mix the psyllium into the water and swallow the drink as it tends to expand fast in liquid.

Note: Medications should not be taken within two hours of taking psyllium.

Daily cranberry water: Mix twenty eight ounces of water with four ounces unsweetened cranberry juice. You’ll need 64 ounces of cranberry water per day. Reusing 33 ounce water bottles works well.

Breakfast:
Choose one from below in addition to one cup of nonfat milk, regular soy or almond milk:
One small container of nonfat fruit flavored yogurt and small banana or 2% plain Greek yogurt and small banana or substitute ½ cup fresh berries for the banana.
One or two whole eggs either hardboiled or made into a vegetable (see below for vegetable list) omelet.
Two egg whites and vegetable scramble with one slice plain live grain toast.
One cup cooked oatmeal (not instant) with one tablespoon chopped walnuts & 1/4 cup fresh berries.  

Snacks: Choose one
Fresh vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, carrots, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, or any vegetables in any reasonable amount from the vegetable list below.
Fruit: One apple, two plums, one cup fresh berries
½ cup cubed plain or flavored tofu or tempeh
One serving raw flax crackers
Two tablespoons sunflower seeds
One serving toasted kale chips (check package or ½ cup of homemade chips)
One slice toasted live grain or fitness bread
Tofu smoothie: In a blender mix ½ cup silken tofu with ½ cup 100% apple juice and 1/3 cup fresh berries.

Lunch everyday: (This is a daily salad)
One cup thinly sliced kale, one cup baby spinach, grated carrots, tomatoes, radishes, red onion, cucumbers, 1/4 cup wild rice or ¼ cup kidney or black beans, two to three tablespoons salad dressing (recipe below).
Four to five ounces cooked lean chicken, low sodium turkey or salmon (no-salt canned or fresh) or canned (no or low salt) sardines in water.
Vegetarian option: Add ½ cup plain or flavored tofu or tempeh.

Salad dressing: Two tablespoons flaxseed oil, one teaspoon coarse grain mustard and one to two tablespoons apple cider vinegar. If you prefer a sweeter vinaigrette add up to one teaspoon agave syrup.

Fruit snack (choose one): One apple, two plums or one cup fresh berries

Dinner:
Four to five ounces cooked lean chicken or turkey or salmon, unlimited cooked or raw vegetables mixed with ½ cup brown rice or ¼ cup wild rice along with salad below.
Kale Salad: Same as Lunch salad with two tablespoons dressing but without protein, rice and beans.
Vegetarian option: Substitute ½ cup plain or flavored tofu or tempeh for protein.

Snack: any fruit from Fruit section with 23 almonds or a 100% frozen fruit juice bar with 23 almonds.  

Bedtime: One teaspoon psyllium husk mixed into eight ounces of cranberry water.

Fats: Have three tablespoons of fat per day. Two tablespoons flaxseed oil and one tablespoon canola, not olive oil. Cook your vegetables in up to one tablespoon canola oil or use nonstick spray.

Vegetables: any green leafy vegetable, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, celery, cabbage, cucumbers, red onion, letucceses, arugula, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, snow peas, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli slaw and any non-starch vegetable.

Caffeine: Unless you feel you’re going to go mad, try to eliminate coffee but you can cheat with one cup of regular or decaffeinated coffee preferably without cream or sugar but since I’m not looking, have it your way! You can also try a blackberry black tea, green tea or any other antioxidant tea of your choosing.

Seasonings: Use any dried or fresh herbs or spices you like. Try to use a minimal amount of salt.

Do not eat: anything not indicated above. Remember, this is only for five days!

Chef’s Tip: Trader Joe’s brand unsweetened cranberry juice is the least expensive. They also sell sliced kale, broccoli slaw, apple cider vinegar, shredded carrots and most of the foods included in this menu.

Copyright © 2011 Dorothy Whittenburg
All rights reserved

Posted in Poultry, Recipes, Salad, Seafood, Shopping, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quinoa goes with Chicken or Salmon

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Dorothy
Salmon, quinoa, corn, carrot, edamame, cucumber-lime raita

Salmon, quinoa, corn, carrot, edamame, cucumber-lime raita

Quinoa, lemon-thyme chicken, hummus, tomato salsa and red cabbage
Leftover lunch: quinoa, lemon-thyme chicken, hummus, tomato salsa and red cabbage

Light and healthy week is working, I’ve lost two pounds and I feel great! I worked out at the gym five days this week and tomorrow will take one hour exercise boot camp class. So, today when I returned from the gym I felt ravenously hungry and didn’t have the patience to wait until I finished this recipe post. Racing to the refrigerator, I flung open the door to whip up a five minute meal.

I had a meal in mind today before I left to work out. It’s the most popular dish on my personal chef menu because clients love the mix of flavors and the high nutritional content. It’s a super-food meal and the star is quinoa. Quinoa is a Peruvian grain which is high in amino acids and a complete protein. The dish features salmon, quinoa, corn, edamame, carrot, herbs and a cucumber-lime raita with few dashes of togarashi, a Japenese chili spice mix. I made it a few years ago in my Next Food Network Star video that nobody watched. Nonetheless, it’s an outstanding dish and you can serve it happily to vegetarians.

But, let me get back to my crisis at the refrigerator door. I don’t like to waste food so although I’d overcooked (you can see the flecks of brown in the photo) some quinoa before I left for the gym, I put it aside for future use. In the fridge I had leftover lemon-thyme chicken, tomato salsa and some sautéed cabbage with garlic and balsamic vinegar. As I started putting together my plate, I also thought about hummus because I put a littleof it on almost everything and voila! A new delicious dish was born because I never thought about putting hummus and salsa together. They’re really complementary and are excellent on chicken.

Seared Salmon with Quinoa, Corn, Edamame and Carrot with Cucumber-Lime Raita
4 five ounce pieces of skinned salmon
Nonstick spray
Sea salt and pepper to taste

2.5 cups cooked quinoa (prepared according to package directions, for liquid use half water and half low-salt chicken or vegetable stock and season with salt to taste)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 whole shallots diced
3 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 cup medium diced carrots (see Chef’s Quick Tip)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (See Chef’s Quick Tip)
2 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Zest of one lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa: heat a large size sauté pan with sides over medium heat and add oil. Add shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes then add crushed garlic and carrots. Sauté carrots until tender but firm then add corn and edamame. Season the vegetables with sea salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add warm quinoa, thyme, parsley, lemon zest and mix thoroughly and set aside.

Salmon: season both sides of fish with sea salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray. Add fish and cook about 2-4 minutes per side depending upon the thickness of your fish. Prepare sauce while salmon is cooking. Place salmon on top of quinoa and garnish with Cucumber-Lime Raita.

Makes 4 main course servings

Cucumber Lime Raita
4 ounces non-fat Greek style yogurt
Zest of one lime
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup seeded and diced cucumber
Chopped cilantro to taste
A few shakes of Japenese togarashi or cayenne pepper
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Open the yogurt and using a microplane, zest the limon over the yogurt. Put the diced onion in a small bowl and add enough lemon juice to coat the onions along with a pinch of salt. Let the onions sit about five munutes then add the yogurt-lime mixture. Add cucumber, cilantro, a few dashes of togarashi and mix thoroughly. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Chef’s Quick Tip: for quick diced carrots, use Trader Joe’s brand of shredded carrots and dice them. A half a cup will do for this recipe. To quickly defrost frozen edamame, put them in a strainer in the sink and run hot water over them for a minute or two. Drain and add to the pan.

Posted in Poultry, Recipes, Sauces, Dressings, Spreads & Salsas, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Easy Thai Mussels with Lemongrass, Garlic and Tomato

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Dorothy
Thai inspired mussels with red chilies, lemongrass, garlic and tomatoes

Thai inspired mussels with red chilies, lemongrass, garlic and tomatoes

My waistband is barely beginning to loosen so I have to stay focused. The vacation pounds are hanging on like barnacles on rocks along the shoreline. Salmon was on my mind today but mussels sang to me from their icy bed in the seafood case. In the spirit of light-and-healthy-week, they seemed like a good idea paired with a mixed green salad. Under different circumstances (loose pants), I’d add some coconut milk to this recipe. But, today I’m keeping the calories low and the flavor high so Thai inspired mussels are a great idea and very easy to make anytime. Often, the biggest challenge with mussels is figuring out how clean them and then wondering how to cook them.

This dish has a nice balance of traditional hot and sweet Thai flavors. The flavor star is roasted red chili paste that’s a blend of ingredients including tamarind, fish sauce, shrimp, garlic, peanuts, red chilies, and sugar. It gives you a lot of flavor for only 50 calories a tablespoon. Be sure to check the Chef’s tip at the end of the recipe.

Thai mussels in the pot

Thai mussels in the pot

Easy Thai Mussels with Lemongrass, Garlic and Tomato

1 teaspoon peanut oil (or any vegetable oil except olive)
1 whole shallot thinly sliced
2 inch piece of lemongrass finely diced (use white part after trimming end)
2 whole garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon roasted red chili paste (Thai Kitchen brand)
5 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 pound washed and cleaned mussels
1/2 cup bottled clam juice or 1/4 cup white wine
Juice of half a lime
Chopped cilantro and/or mint to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup coconut milk

Heat a 2 quart pan with a lid over medium heat and add oil, shallots, lemongrass, and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes without browning. Add the red chili paste and saute for up to one minute. Add the tomatoes, mussels, clam juice or wine. Stir to combine all the ingredients and cover. Cook covered for 4-5 minutes then stir the mussels to ensure all of them have opened. If necessary, recover and cook for another minute. If using coconut milk, add just before removing from the stove and stir. Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or mint, lime juice, and stir. Transfer the mussels to a bowl and serve with the broth.

Makes one main course portion or three appetizer portions.

Chefs’s tip: be sure to use a pot that fits the quantity of the mussels. If the pot is too large, the liquid will quickly evaporate and you’ll lose most of your sauce. If it’s too small the mussels won’t cook evenly.

Posted in Recipes, Seafood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lemon-thyme Chicken with Mushroom and Parmesan Salad

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Dorothy

 

Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Mushroom Parmesan Salad

Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Mushroom Parmesan Salad

Honestly, I’ve never met a mushroom I didn’t like. When I was in culinary school, I had a final exam in an Asian cuisine class that required me to memorize 40 or 50 ingredients including a lot of mushrooms. That’s when I became familiar with an amazing assortment of fresh and dried Asian mushrooms. So began my lust for mushrooms. This salad was inspired by a dish I had during happy hour at Palomino Restaurant in San Francisco. It’s so simple to make and a delicious light meal. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts which I don’t prefer but had available. I prefer a boneless skin on breast because skinless can be dry without brining.

Sometimes people ask me why I add canola oil to some of my salad dressings. I know its very popular to put extra virgin olive oil on everything and lots of it. When I lived in Italy it would have never considered putting anything other than evo on a salad. The food grown there complements the oil. However, for the most part American food doesn’t taste like Italian food in Italy so I don’t follow the pack on this one. Sometimes, olive oil overpowers flavors in a salad and canola oil is lower in saturated fat and higher in omega-3 fatty acids than olive oil.

Don’t miss the tips for variations at the end of the recipe.

Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Mushroom, Reggiano-Parmigiano Salad and White Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 boneless skin on chicken breast
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 whole garlic cloves cut in half
A few thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste

6 medium size whole brown button mushrooms, brushed clean and stem cut but don’t remove
1 whole garlic clove cut in half
2 cups mixed salad greens
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Shaved Reggiano-Parmigiano to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Makes one serving

For the chicken, marinate the chicken in lemon juice, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes. Heat the olive oil on medium high heat and add garlic. Cook until brown and remove then add chicken and juices. Sear the chicken until it’s brown, turn and add whole spigs of thyme to the pan. Cover and continue cooking chicken until done, about 10-12 minutes. Covering the pan creates a quick pan sauce to which you can add the juice of half a lemon.

Trim the stem of the mushroom down to the cap but don’t remove the core. It’s needed to give the mushroom texture. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Cook until brown and then remove. Increase heat to medium high and add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms until brown on both sides and liquid has evaporated. The mushrooms are cooked when they’re soft but still have texture in the center. Remove from pan and set aside.

For the dressing, put the vinegar in a small bowl with a pinch of salt, whisk in canola and olive oil. This will make extra dressing for another use. Use a potato peeler to shave off a few slices of cheese.

Place the greens in a bowl with two tablesoons of dressing, pinch of salt, and mushrooms. Mix together and serve alongside chicken breast drizzled with pan sauce. Peel the thyme leaves off and sprinkle over chicken, garnish salad with parmesan curls.

Variations: this salad works great with medium soft goat cheese and grilled bread or a goat cheese crostini.

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