Weekly Obsession - Pickle Party

I have fallen for pickling - hard. I have invested in a large processing pot and enough jars and grosgrain ribbon to open a store. I decided to start my pickling adventure with the classic cucumbers - my coworker is very pregnant and I thought it would make a cute gift. She'll have to provide her own ice cream!

1. Bring 4 cups rice vinegar, 2 cups water, and 3 tbs salt to a boil in a medium pot, stirring the salt to dissolve.

2. Fill 8 sterilized jars with 2 tbs minced garlic, 2 tbs grated fresh ginger, and 1 thai chile.

3. Cut 6 lbs of cucumbers and tightly pack each jar.

4. Pour in boiling brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, making sure the cucumbers are submerged in the brine.

5. Check for air bubbles, wipe the rims, and seal. Process for 10 minutes.

6. After the jars have processed turn off the heat and wait for the water to stop bubbling before removing the jars. Place the jars on a cooling rack and leave them until they are cool to the touch.

Sunday Supper - Brown Rice with Chicken and Peas

I was having a serious chicken craving but still wanted to go on the healthy side. (Since starting next Saturday I will be binging on margaritas in Mexico.) I found this rice side dish and added grilled lemon and herb chicken. It came out really tasty - fresh but filling!

1. Cook 1 cup brown rice.

2. Dice 1 onion and saute in olive oil with 1 tbs fennel seed, salt, and pepper.

3. Cook 1 package frozen peas.

4. Dice three lemon and herb grilled chicken breasts and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Adventures in Baking - Banana Blueberry Buttermilk Bread

I decided to bake something less sweet this week. I thought this bread would be a hit with the coworkers because it is naturally sweet from the fruit and has a nice tang from the buttermilk. Buttermilk also allows you to cut way back on butter and oils.

1. Whisk 3/4 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 canola oil, and 2 eggs. Add 3 mashed up bananas.

2. Whisk 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 nutmeg. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet. Add 1 1/4 cup blueberries.

3. Transfer the batter to a 9x5 greased pan and bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing. 

Adventures in Baking - Milk Chocolate Cookies

These delicious cookies are oversized, chewy and loaded with chocolate. I like making them for my apartment super's family whenever he fixes something in my place.

1. Whisk 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt together.

2. Melt 4 oz good quality milk chocolate with 1 stick of unsalted butter in a double boiler.  Let cool slightly.

3. Combine chocolate mixture, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in 4 oz milk chocolate chunks. Add dry ingredients.

4. Cook for 15 minutes.

Sunday Supper - Orzo and Spinach Salad

I wanted a hearty, meatless salad for the week so I decided to try this one. It's super versatile and can be made ahead - just let it sit at room temp for an hour before serving.

1. Saute 2 cloves garlic in olive oil until lightly golden. Transfer to a small bowl and add the juice from a lemon.

2. Cook 1 lb orzo, drain and set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl mix orzo, dressing, 4 oz goat cheese, 1/4 cup red onion and dill.

Weekly Obsession - Kimberly Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie

I recently bought celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder's book The Beauty Detox Foods. Some of her ideas on nutrition make sense to me and some seem a bit radical - as with most diet/life style books. One thing I love about her diet is the Glowing Green Smoothie recipe. It promotes clear skin, strong hair and nails and an overall beauty glow. I've started having one every day for breakfast. The below makes enough for 6. I make the large batch on Sunday and freeze in BPA free plastic water bottles. Each night I take one out to thaw for the next day. Easy!

Ingredients
4 cups cold, filtered water
2 heads of romaine lettuce
2 bunches of spinach
4 celery stalks
2 apples (cored)
2 pears (cored)
2 bananas
1 juiced lemon
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley

A Vitamix is recommended but I used a Cuisineart Standard Blender and it worked fine - just roughly chop everything before you blend.

Sunday Supper - Lo Mein with Shitakes and Snow Peas

The secret to this tasty vegetarian dish is to use fresh pasta - not dried! I think the shitake mushrooms add enough to the dish but feel free to add shredded chicken or shrimp if you want more heft.

1. Cook 12 oz fresh linguine or spaghetti. Drain and rinse.

2. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup low-sodium chicke broth, 2 tbs oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, and 1 tsp Chinese chile-garlic sauce.

3. In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Add 1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, stemed discarded and caps thinly sliced. Stir until brown. Add 1 tbs fresh, minced peeled fresh ginger and 1 minced garlic clove. Add 6 oz chopped and trimmed snow peas.

4. Stir in the sauce and 3 sliced scallions. Briefly cook until warm and serve with exta Chinese chile-garlic sauce.