kitchbitch.net

While perusing through my pile of recent magazine recipes I came across one from Food and Wine for “Crunchy Pork Kimchi Burgers” and I thought well, this sounds weird, but oddly good at the same time.  Then I went to the Northampton Tuesday Market  and there was a vendor sampling fresh kimchi which was nothing like the shelf-stable stuff that I had eaten in the past- a little less crunchy, a little less bitter, more sweet, and simply lovely.  Just a hop-skip-and jump up from her stand was Mockingbird Farm who had ground pork for sale and I just knew that I had to give this recipe a try.   I grabbed some baby spinach from Enterprise Farm and now had the makings for this lovely sounding dish, locally sourced.  Since I was on a roll, and they looked fantastic, I grabbed some white turnips too (from Old Friends Farm)- I figured they’d be great for roasting.

Since I’ve eaten primarily grain-free since the beginning of this year, I adjusted the recipe to omit the flour and panko and obviously had a different end product than what was advertized in the magazine.  I really loved the dish the way that I made it and will definitely make it again this same way.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 large garlic clove, pressed

2 scallions, chopped

1 lb. ground pork

3/4 cup finely chopped kimchi (I ran it through the food processor rather than hand-chopping)

Sprinkle of Kosher salt

Vegetable oil, for frying

10 oz. baby spinach

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

sesame seeds (for garnish)

Directions

• In a bowl combine the ginger, garlic, scallions, pork and kimchi with the salt

ginger, garlic, scallions, pork and kimchi with salt

• Form the mixture into eight small patties, about half an  inch thick (to get these all a uniform size, I used a number 2 scoop)

Add the patties and fry over moderate heat...

• In a large skillet (cast iron if you’ve got it), heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil. Add the patties and fry over moderate heat, turning once only, until you have a beautiful crisp on each side and there is no more pink visible from the outside(you want them to be cooked through)
• Set aside to drain on paper towels and let the juices finish distributing
• Pour off all of the vegetable oil from the skillet and add some toasted sesame oil and the baby spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium-high heat until wilted (about 1 minute)

baby spinach wilting in toasted sesame oil

• In a small dish, mix the mayonnaise, sesame oil and soy sauce
• Pile the spinach on plates and top with the sliders, drizzle with the sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy

Pork and Kimchi Sliders over wilted sesame spinach with roasted white turnips

I will admit to eating two left-over patties the next day, straight out of the fridge.  A different experience, but good still.  The sauce is a bit salty, so be sure not to over-do it.

J

Tags: asian, ginger, kimchi, pork, primal, scallion, sesame, spinach, turnip

Whether you’re looking for a meal that can be thrown together in the morning to cook off slowly throughout the day and be ready for when you get home from work/power-shopping/day-tripping or for a healthy chili recipe for game day, this could work for you.  Moist chunks of chicken flavored with smoky ancho chili powder, combined with sweet white corn kernels, and creamy cauliflower give this dish a heck of a texture profile.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 can kidney beans

2 anaheim chili peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

1 cubanelle chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

1 (16-ounce) bag white corn

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt, pepper, and ½ of each of the cumin & chili powder,  and cook, turning once, until golden, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside to cool a bit before chopping
• Add the onions to the pot and cook until they’re golden brown, about 10 minutes
• When the onions are done, add about ½ of a cup of chicken broth and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom
• Cut the mostly-cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks
• To the crock pot add the cauliflower, beans,  peppers, onions, corn, chicken and broth (including broth from deglazing), cover and set to low for 8 hours
• Season with sea salt to taste
• Dish up, dollop with sour cream and serve

Never in my life, until just over a year ago, had I known so many people with food allergies.  Now I have adopted an entire family full    (and I love them all) and have several friends with them as well.  There are allergies to spices, some to raw fruits and veggies, to gluten, to tree nuts, to peanuts, to dairy, and the list goes on.  Then there are the folks who make life choices to exclude certain foods- people who eat paleo, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc.  All of this adds up to challenge the “foodie” at each party.  You want to bring a dish that looks good, tastes great, and that everyone will be able to partake in.  It can be a little crazy, but I’m up for the challenge.

This particular recipe is an adaptation of the Rocky cookie which tastes a bit more tropical and uses no peanut butter.  It’s for Sheila and Michael as she loves her healthy foods and he doesn’t breathe so well when peanut products are near him

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup steel cut oats

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or oat flour)

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

dash of  nutmeg

Sprinkle of sea salt

Handful of bittersweet chocolate chunks

Handful of raisins

Handful of chopped dates

Handful of cashews

Handful of shredded coconut

Handful of dried pineapple

Handful of wheat germ

Handful of flax seed meal

Handful of sunflower seeds

1 egg

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

¾ cup plain, unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

a well-ripened banana

1 large scoop of Tahini

• Preheat the oven to 375
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix
• Scoop the batter by the tablespoon onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (cookies will not spread)
• Bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on your oven).  You want a finished cookie that is golden brown around the edges and a bit on top

Rocky cookies

Tags: banana, cashews, chocolate, coconut, cookie, dates, dessert, eggs, flax, maple syrup, molasses, oats, raisins, vegetarian

This just became my favorite warm salad.  A bite of this dish sports that earthy flavor of the cooked radish- which is somewhat akin to a roasted Brussels sprout, the saltiness of the bacon, the sweetness of the orange juice, the slight bitterness of the radish greens, and it makes mouths happy.

My favorite new way to cook bacon is in the oven.  If you have a thin cut, you want to use a lower heat, like 250 degrees, and thicker cuts can withstand 350 degrees.  You place a baking rack inside of a jelly roll pan and the fat just drips right down as the bacon cooks, and scrapes out easily once it’s cooled.  In my opinion the bacon still requires a patting down with a paper towel the remove the extra fat, but it’s much less significant than when it’s pan-fried.

And while we’re on the subject of bacon, may I just say that my entire life I have eaten commercial bacon- whatever was available in the standard grocery store.  Recently I bought into a couple of meat CSAs and have received bacon in my shares and Whoa!- what a difference.  Farm bacon is noticeably less salty and even the smoked varieties are much less smoky.  I love it!  You can typically also find farm bacon at farmer’s markets, and even at some farm stores which are set up inside of barns.  You aren’t going to find it on sale for $2.50, but your taste buds will thank you for the upgrade.

For more information on local MA organic farms, check this link out.

Ingredients:

1/4 pound bacon, cut into a 1-inch dice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bunch of radishes with their greens—radishes quartered lengthwise and greens chopped into ribbons

Salt and black pepper

3 large shallots, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

1 cup orange juice

Directions:

• In a 350 degree oven, bake the bacon to perfection on a baking rack in a sheet pan for 15-20 minutes.
• In a cast iron frying pan place 2 tablespoons of butter and melt over a moderately high heat
• Add the radish greens, season with salt and pepper and cook until wilted (about 3 minutes)
• Scrape the greens into a bowl and set aside
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet.  While the butter is melting, cut your cooked bacon into a 1-inch dice
• Add the radish quarters and let them start to brown up in the pan, solo, for a few minutes

• Add the shallots and bacon chunks and cook over a moderately high heat, until the radishes are golden brown (5- 6 minutes)

• Add the sugar (or honey) and cook for another 2 minutes, until it’s completely dissolved
  Add the orange juice and bring it to a boil, stirring a few times, until the radishes are just tender and the sauce is slightly thickened (about 2 minutes)
• Stir in the radish greens, season with salt and pepper and serve

We had this warm salad as a side to butternut squash soup and it was lovely.  The soup was very mild so the sweet and salty tones of the salad really stood out.

The inspiration for this dish came from this recipe in Food and Wine.

Tags: bacon, honey, orange, radishes, salad, shallots, side dish

If you’re in the market for a warm vegetable stew with luscious spices which will reheat well, then I’ve got a dish for you. This is a very mild curry (which you could heat up with some cayanne and/or crushed red pepper if that’s your preference) and it has notes of cinnamon from the garam masala. If that’s not your thing, you could use your favorite pre-made curry spice mixture rather than what’s listed here. This dish can easily stand on its own as a vegetarian main, or be served alongside some lovely spiced yogurt chicken (as Neil and I had it).

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils

1/4 cup tomato puree

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground dried turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths

1 cup mushrooms, sliced thickly

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated

4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

4 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

• Rinse the lentils well and place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes
• Drain and set aside
• In a bowl, stir together the tomato puree and yogurt. Season with garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and chile powder
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat
• Add the onion, green beans and mushrooms; cooking until the onion begins to brown
• Add in the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute- until you really begin to smell them
• Stir in the spinach; cook until it’s dark green and wilted
• Add the yogurt mixture and stir until incorporated
• Mix in the tomatoes and cilantro
• Stir the lentils and garbanzo beans into mixture until well combined and heated through, about 5 minutes

The inspiration for this dish came from this recipe.

Tags: beans, cilantro, curry, ginger, indian, lentil, low-fat, mushrooms, onions, side dish, spinach, stew, tomato, vegetarian