Glass Noodle Stir Fry

It's been a year since I've added some recipes here. It's not that I've been cooking less though. I just had way too much fun this summer to sit inside and blog recipes. But it's a 10 cm and counting snow day in Calgary and I'm feeling under the weather, literally and figuratively. A perfect day to share with you some of the recipes that I've come up with in the recent months. Both the Glass Noodle Stir Fry and the Shrimp Pesto Pizza are my own.

Glass Noodle Stir Fry

Glass noodles are something I’ve discovered since working downtown. They serve them as a side at Koryo in the food courts in the +15 system. It’s actually a noodle made from sweet potato. So for all you glu-tards out there (and I mean that in the most affectionate way!) this should be a G Free recipe. Watch your soy sauce though-often has gluten added. Glass noodles can be found at Super Store in the international aisle. They are kind of a grey color, almost look like a rice noodle but are translucent.  

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

½ white onion, chopped

1 tbsp chicken stock paste or concentrate or a bouillon cube

¼ package of glass noodles (or more if you want)

1 cup snow peas

½ red pepper, chopped

1 chicken breast, cubed

1 cup dehydrated or fresh mushrooms (I like the texture of the dehydrated ones that you rehydrate)

Sauce:

4 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp agave nectar or other liquid sweetener

1/8th tsp ground ginger

In a large frying pan or wok sauté the garlic, onion, oil and chicken stock.

Mean while, place your noodles in a very large bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit for 20-25 minutes.

Add your cubed chicken breast to the sauté.

In a separate bowl combine the snow peas, red pepper, mushrooms and all of the ingredients for the sauce. Mix until the veggies are coated in the sauce. Add to the frying pan.

When chicken is looking cooked and the veggies are about 80% cooked, drain your noodles and add them to the frying pan. Stir frequently until noodles are hot and have absorbed most of the sauce.

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top!

Shrimp Pesto Pizza

This pizza is something that I re created from one of my favourite dishes at Phoenix Grill. If you like Mediterranean cooking you will like it too I think.

Ingredients:

Medium sized pizza crust (I buy whole wheat pizza crust at Safeway, but you can certainly make your own. If you have such time and ambition-I do applaud you.)

1 ½ cups of shrimp, cooked and tails removed

¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled

¾ cup  fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Pesto Sauce:

1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves

½ cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

¾ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 C

In a food processor combine all of the pesto sauce ingredients until it has a creamy consistency. Spread on the pizza as you would a regular tomato sauce.

Throw on your cooked shrimp, sprinkle both cheeses to cover the shrimp and season with a little bit of black pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheeses just start to brown.

Let it sit out to cool for 10 minutes and slice it up!

Turkey Chili

As I was roaming the grocery store I was spontaneously inspired to make a chili. I suppose it's that time of year right? If you are a cilantro fan-you'll like this one.

I stopped cooking with ground beef about a year and a half ago. I went to turkey for about a month, bought some ground beef after and was absolutely disgusted when it seemed like I was deep frying my meat in it's own oil. Ground turkey is a tad more expensive but worth it in my opinion. If you really are impartial to ground beef then there's nothing stopping you from using that instead of turkey. Entirely up to you-I just prefer turkey.

Ingredients I used were:

1 pack ground turkey
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 can of beans, rinsed and drained (I used a bean medley of kidney, garbanzo, and something else that I can't remember)
1 1/4 cups chopped  fresh cilantro (not the stems though)
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. chili powder (maybe 3 tbsp if you like your chili strong)
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne powder (more if you should be so daring)
1 large handful of spinach if you have it (for extra calcium!)

Brown your turkey in a large soup pot, add the chopped onion, garlic and salt. Cook until onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, beans, chili powder, garlic salt, cayenne, and cumin-cook for another 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, spinach (if applicable) and cook on a low to medium heat for another 10 minutes while stirring frequently.

I should also mention that I have made this before with diced butternut squash. Very yummy and a perfect fall dinner idea. Just expand your cooking time to make sure that the squash is cooked all the way through. ALSO-if you like to spice things up you can add some diced jalapeno. Pairs very nicely with the cilantro! And a dish with cilantro and jalapeno will always pair nicely with a lime margarita on the side.

This should serve 4, but for me it makes dinner, lunch the next day and 3 freezer meals.

As always, chili is best served with some grated cheddar on top. Delish!

Rasberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

These are the perfect size for a cheesecake fix. I never want a whole slice, just a couple bites. Problem solved. These cupcakes have now been firmly fixed in my baking repertoire for a good many years I'm sure. Unless there is something really wrong with you-you will LOVE these. Promise.

I found these via google and came across this awesome blog that I now follow. This gal is a doctor, mom, cook and photographer. Amazing:

http://annies-eats.net/2010/08/06/raspberry-swirl-cheesecake-cupcakes/



Ingredients:
For the crust-
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar

For the topping-
6 oz. fresh raspberries
2 tbsp. sugar

For the filling-
2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar.  Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. (I use the end of a small glass to do this-just something round, flat, and small enough to fit into the cupcake liner.) Bake until just set, 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

To make the raspberry puree, combine the raspberries and sugar in a blender or food processor.  Process until smooth, then pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy.  Blend in the sugar until smooth.  Mix in the salt and vanilla.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

To assemble, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner.  Dot a ½ teaspoon of the raspberry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling.  Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect.

Bake until the filling is set, about 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  (They will look quite puffed initially but will return to normal quickly.)  Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.  Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

I know that this is a very summery dessert, and we are (insert sad face here) past that glorious time of year. However these are so good that I couldn't bear to not impart them to you.

I find it fun to present these with a fresh raspberry on top of each cupcake on a cupcake stand. You will squeal with delight when you see how cute it looks. Or maybe just I do that.

Kale Chips

Can't even BELIEVE that I have found some time to sit down and post a few new recipes. Of course not without a little pinot noir, a candle and some Adele to sing along to. You'd almost think that this was like romantic for me or something. Whatever-I'm just beyond pleased with myself that I'm crossing one more thing of my ever growing 'to do' list. Blogging about cooking brings me joy though. As for everything else on my 'to do' list... please, enjoy the new recipes!

Kale Chips, my new friend when I'm craving to munch on something salty and crunchy in the evenings. Super easy and fast. You can find various ways to season and  prepare Kale chips but this is how I do it:

Ingredients:
2-3 bunches of kale.
1/2 tsp of sea salt
Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Wash and dry your kale. You want to remove the leafy goodness from the thick stem. It needs to end up in potato ship sizes. You can chop it up with a large knife, but I just rip it with my hands. Try it-it's kind of satisfying.

Get out a large cookie sheet and pile your kale pieces on it. Drizzle the olive oil over top and mix with your hands to make sure that it spreads evenly. Less is more with olive oil here. I start with a tiny bit and add more if I think it needs it. Spread the kale out so that the pieces do not overlap. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake in the oven for about 12-17 minutes. You really need to watch it close after 12 minutes because there is a fine line between it being under baked and very burnt. Once all the chips feel crispy to the touch they are done. They should be a little brown on the edges as well. If they seem a bit soggy still, give them a few more minutes.

The first time I made this I thought that I had started a fire. Eeeps! You will see a plume of steam coming from your oven because of the water content in the kale and the olive oil that is evaporating. Don't call the fire department.

Peanut Butter Dip

I am passionate about peanut butter, and if there is a way to use it creatively I'm all over it. This recipe is from my dear friend Susan at work. Typically I have this dip with a cut up apple or a banana.

This dip is really just as easy as mixing:

5.3 oz Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp natural peanut butter

1/2 tbsp honey

1/8 tsp cinnamon

You can use any kind of plain yoghurt you want, but Greek yoghurt will give the dip the thickest consistency. I use 1% Balkan style natural yoghurt by Astro. It's a happy medium between non fat plain yoghurt (which I find to be not thick enough), and the Greek yoghurt (which is too thick for me). You just use whatever yoghurt makes you happy!

Plain yoghurt is something that I always have around. I love making my own yoghurt parfaits with berries, almonds, honey, and of course the yoghurt. It's also a great alternative for mayo when making tuna or chicken salad sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Pink Pancakes

Curious? You should be. The pink in these pancakes comes from beet purée. I found this recipe in one of my favorite cook books 'Deceptively Delicious' by Jessica Seinfeld. Every meal incorporates a veggie purée into it. I especially love this recipe because it is packed full of protein making it a great lunch or dinner option too. I'm forever thankful to one of my besties Annelie for introducing me to this cook book.

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup beet purée

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pancake mix

1/4 cup of grated apple

Non stick cooking spray

1 tbsp oil

In a blender or processor, combine the water, ricotta, beet purée, vanilla and cinnamon. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple. Stir until just combined. Batter should be slightly lumpy.

Coat a griddle or non stick frying pan with cooking spray and set on medium- high heat. When hot add the oil. Spoon the batter on to the pan or griddle using about 1/4 cup of pancake mix for each pancake. Cook pancakes until until bubbles form on the top and the batter is set (1-2 minutes). Flip the pancake and cook until golden brown on the other side (2-3 minutes).

You can use whatever syrup you like or whatever syrup is on hand. I live alone and don't make a habit of having pancakes or waffles so the first time I made this I realized after the pancakes were cooked that I had no syrup in my pantry. I did however have frozen blueberries in my freezer so I topped my pancakes with this:

1 cup blueberries ( fresh or frozen)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

Cook blueberries with sugar and water until thick