Two Month Old Menu

So, things have been a bit busy for us lately, lots of traveling, bathroom remodeling, and commuting to DC. The last menu I started to post is from August, I think, and after losing a finished draft, I gave up on it for a bit. So here's that menu:

• Chicken marinara
• Pinchos Morunos
• Thai Chicken Soup
• Grilled Green Chicken
• Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce
• Beef Tacos with Egg White Tortillas

The pinchos morunos were pretty delicious, as I recall. We had extra Thai chicken soup, so we froze some, and have since used it up. Jon was a huge fan of the grilled green chicken, and we've made that again since the first time, and plan to make it next week as well. We still haven't managed to try the pork chops with mustard sauce, but I had some of it when Erin brought it in for lunch, and it was good. Beef tacos have become something we crave now, with or without tortillas. When we made them last week, we made 10x the original amount of the taco seasoning recipe, so that we just have it on hand for emergencies.

So, back to the past:
While we were waiting on paint to dry some afternoon last month, we also decided to try some new snacks:

• Snacks: Kale chips
• Snacks: Baked chicken wings (half plain, half with cashew butter sauce)
• Snack: Paleo tortilla chips

The tortilla chips were just ok, they actually don't need all the spices if all you want is a salsa delivery vehicle. We've made the chicken wings on an almost weekly basis since then. They're pretty wonderful to have post-WOD, or while we're waiting for a long dinner to be ready. As I'm typing this, we have another batch in the oven (half cashew butter sauce, half easy buffalo sauce). We're having a serious cooking afternoon while I catch up on some football, so we've actually also made another batch of kale chips. These are also pretty wonderful, and the recipe is very accurate, in my experience so far. I would only add, make sure the kale is very dry, and don't overdo the oil. They'll come out soggy and undelicous. It's not fun.

In all of this cooking melee, we've also tried a little sweet stuff. I'm pretty much in love with Nom Nom Paleo and all the recipes she finds or creates; I'm pretty sure her blog has persuaded us to get a Sous Vide for Christmas. Last week we tried the Roasted Broccoli & Bacon; today it was Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from Primal Palate and Apple Cinnamon Cookies. We're also giving her Cauliflower Fried Rice a try tonight.

Jon really enjoyed the roasted broccoli. It had a pretty bitter taste to me, very similar to dark greens. I'm looking forward much more to the cauliflower tonight. The sweets were definitely a hit for us. After a few strict months of Paleo, the chocolate chip cookies are almost too sweet for me, but I absolutely adored the apple cinnamon cookies.


For the upcoming week, we're planning on the following meals:

• Meatballs and zucchini noodles
• Meat curry (chicken and turkey, this week)
  
• Ridiculous burgers (lamb and bacon, this week)
  
• Balsamic glazed pork chops
• Pistachio-crusted flounder fillets
• Beef satay

These are things we've all made before, so hopefully the week won't be too rough, cooking-wise.

Soups!

Coconut Chicken Soup

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced (about 2 lbs)

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

8 oz mushrooms sliced

2 cups Swiss Chard sliced into ribbons

2 Tbsp. lemongrass

2 Tbsp. ginger, minced

1 can coconut milk

3 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1 lime zested and juiced

1 bunch green onions sliced

1/4 cup basil chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1) In large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt coconut oil. Add chicken pieces ad lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. When pieces are halfway cooked, about 3 minutes, stir in mushrooms and chard. When mushrooms are no longer dry, add lemongrass and ginger, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, chili-garlic sauce, and lime zest. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

2) Just before serving, stir in lime juice, green onions, basil and cilantro. Ladle into bowls. Serves 4

Curried Beef Stew With Coconut Milk

3lbs of beef for stew, cut into 1-2 inche pieces

5 tablespoons of coconut oil

2 medium onions, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of ginger, minced

2 teaspoons coriander

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp red pepper flakes

4 cups beef broth

1 cinnamon stick

1 can coconut milk

6 carrots peeled and diced

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and brown the beef chunks in small batches. Remove beef to a bowl and add the remaining coconut oil, onion garlic ginger and spices. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, then return the beef and add broth. Bring to a simmer then cover and place in oven for about three hours. Check periodically to ensure there is enough liquid. If it looks dry, add a little water to cover. After three hours, add the coconut milk and carrots. Replace cover and leave in oven for one more hour. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon stick. Salt and peppeper to taste and serve, garnish with cilantro.

Teriyaki Sauce

This recipe makes about 1 1/4 c of teriyaki sauce. You really don't have to be so stringent about mixing everything - it comes out fine when you mix it all together to begin with, as we found out last night.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c sweet wine or rice wine
• 3/4 c coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp + 1/4 tsp coconut vinegar
• 3/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 c honey (optional)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 1/4 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• dash red pepper flakes
• black pepper to taste

Directions
Bring wine to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 min. Pour in coconut aminos, vinegar, sesame oil and honey. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 min.

Beef Satay with Cashew Butter Sauce

We re-worked this recipe to our liking from a Williams-Sonoma recipe. It's especially delicious with fresh green peppers, or at least it was last night :) We also make our own teriyaki sauce, but that's something everyone should make to their liking.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs flank steak
• 2/3 c teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 2 green or red sweet peppers
• 6 Tbsp cashew butter
• 6 Tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 4 Tbsp teriyaki sauce

Directions
Cut steak diagonally across the grain in thin slices. For marinade, combine 2/3 c teriyaki sauce and 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min. Drain steak, reserving marinade. If grilling on skewers, alternate steak strips and peppers. Brush skewers with remaining marinade. For peanut sauce, combine 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, cashew butter, water and 4 Tbsp teriyaki sauce in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through; keep warm.

Grill, saute with marinade, or broil steak and pepper mix until steak is cooked to your liking.

Back From a Cruise, Time for Better Eating

So... Last week, we shouldn't even discuss. When all food is free and buffet-style or room service, and you're on vacation, it's really hard to be good. In fact, we didn't even try. So this week, we're being fairly strict and really good, and so far, it has paid off.

For Father's Day Sunday night, we had absolutely amazing balsamic glazed pork chops, with the inch-thick pork chops from the farmer's market, and a spinach and bacon salad that I nicked from Paladar.

Then Monday night, we gave two new recipes a shot: Coconut chicken nuggets and Egg Drop Soup. The nuggets actually kept the breading and stayed crispy, and the egg drop soup looked like anything you might order from your favorite guilty pleasure Chinese place. And, incidentally, both were delicious. For guilt-free soup, we did lard instead of butter, coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and arrowroot instead of cornstarch.

Tuesday night, we re-worked an old recipe from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook: Beef Satay with Cashew Butter Sauce. I love it even more than the original recipe, I think the cashew butter comes out much better than peanut butter. Also, the fresh green peppers from the farmers market were so soft and sweet!

A few gym-night standards for the nights to come:
Chicken pesto - yay for frozen pesto cubes! We made a double batch last time, so no blending tonight!
Beef curry
Chicken thighs w/ creamy tomato sauce

Pad See Eaw

Ingredients

• 2 T honey
• 2 lbs of flank steak, cut into strips (we've also used venison, and the original recipe used pork)
• 6 T coconut aminos
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 pack of kelp noodles
• 2 eggs
• Head of broccoli, chopped or bag of florets

Directions
Heat skillet or wok to high and add some oil. Add in chopped or minced garlic and stir. Add the sliced meat. Stir to cook the meat. Add coconut aminos and honey. Mix in any desired seasonings. Open a spot in the middle of the pan and drop the eggs in. Scramble until almost all cooked. Add in broccoli and noodles, and stir until broccoli is cooked.

Tuna Casserole

This is one of about three meals in my regular repertoire, and unfortunately for Jon and me both, one that he doesn't enjoy very much. Still, he indulges me every now and then, or I make it when he's gone. That was my intention last week, but I never got around to it, so we had this last night. This was my first time attempting something more Paleo with the recipe (it used to have rotini in it), and it turned out better than I would've thought. Even Jon had a full portion :)

Ingredients

• Cooked broccoli (either 8oz frozen, or a couples handfuls fresh)
• 2 zucchini, peeled (this will replace the noodles)
  
• 8oz raw sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cans tuna (haven't experimented with other options here yet; one change at a time)
• Homemade mayonnaise, to taste (I used 2 heaping tablespoons)
  
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Use vegetable peeler to peel off thin slices of zucchini. Grate about 2/3 of your cheese. Mix zucchini, broccoli, cheese, tuna, mayo, salt and pepper. Grease 9x9 pan with olive oil or butter, add mix to the pan. Grate remainder of cheese on top. Bake for 20 min covered with foil, then an addition 5-10 to melt any remaining cheese. This probably makes about 3-4 portions, and is a bit heavy on the cheese.