Veggie stir fry

Veggie Stir Fry 
serves 4-6

* I always choose organic whenever possible

3- zucchini, chopped
1-pepper, yellow or red diced
1/2 pound pea pods
1-lg broccoli head, cut in bite size florets
1/2 fresh pineapple diced
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms sliced
3- carrots diced
3/4 c. tamari or low sodium soy sauce
3 Tb. hoisin sauce, Whole foods brand
2-tsp roasted red chili paste, Thai kitchen
2-tsp corn starch & a touch of water to create slurry( shake in covered container)

Preheat wok or large skillet over med high heat. Add coconut oil to coat pan & add all veggies, continue to stir for approx. 5-8 min. Turn heat down to med. & add soy, hoisin & chili paste. Stir until well combined. Then add cornstarch slurry & stir. Cover & simmer, stirring frequently until veggies are aldente. Serve with Jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Made with love,

Jodi

Garden Soba Noodle Soup

This is another recipe from Flavour Cooking School, I really enjoyed the asian vegetarian menu from this class. I'm anxious to make the sesame crusted tofu w scallions( it really tasted like fried chicken!) avocado salad w ginger miso dressing & the dessert we had ~mixed berries w ginger orange sauce. Yum!

Garden Soba Noodle Soup w/ Edamame

serves 4-6

* I always use organic ingredients when available

8-10 oz. soba noodles

2-tsp. sesame oil

6-c. vegetable stock ( 6 c. filtered water & 6 tsp. More than gourmet brand veggie stock)

1-tsp. dark brown sugar

1- star anise( bulk spice section at Whole Foods)

2-4 Tb tamari or soy

2- tsp. ginger, fresh grated

2- garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tsp. sambal ( thai chilies in vinegar)

2- carrots, peeled & grated

1-c. edamame, frozen

2- baby bok choy heads, thinly sliced

8-10 mushrooms, cremini or botton, very thinly sliced

2- Tb. cilantro, fresh & minced

2- green onions, sliced thin

1- lime, cut into wedges

Cook noodles following the package directions. Drain & drizzle with sesame oil & toss to coat. Set aside. Put stock, sugar, anise, ginger, tamari or soy, garlic & sambal in large soup pot. Bring to a boil & then reduce to a simmer. Add vegetables,& cook until aldente, 3-4 min. Remove star anise, taste & adjust seasonings. Add more tamari if it's lacking flavour. Add noodles to warm thru. Garnish w cilantro, green onion & a generous squeeze of fresh lime. Enjoy!

Made with love,

Jodi

Pappardelle pasta & grilled scallop salad

This meal was inspired by the romanesco, what a cool looking veggie! This was my first attempt at cooking romanesco & trying it. Let's just say, I'm now a fan. Serve with a crisp white wine~Cheers & enjoy!

Pappardelle Pasta w roasted romanesco & bacon

serves 4

2 pkgs-lemon pepper pappardelle( from Trader Joes) Thank u Melinda for introducing this yummy pasta to us!

1-head romanesco, gently remove exotic florets

1/2- pound peppered thick bacon,baked & chopped

1- lemon,squeezed

3-4 Tb. butter

1/4-c. parmesan reggiano,shredded

Prepare pasta as directed on package. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bacon on a cookie sheet & bake for approx. 25-30 min. or until evenly browned & cooked through. Spread romanesco on a cookie sheet & drizzle with olive oil & spread around, season with salt & pepper. Bake for approx. 15-25 min or until lightly browned & still aldente. Melt butter in a saucepan, add lemon juice & stir. I think I added a touch of crushed red pepper flakes to the butter sauce. Toss desired amount of lemon butter sauce with the pasta & add the rest of the ingredients. Top with the parmesan.

Grilled scallop side salad

serves 4

8-jumbo scallops, muscle removed

1- pea tendril bunch

1- sm. bib lettuce head

2- clementines or mandarine oranges, peeled

1/4c. sesame sticks

Preheat an iron skillet to med. high heat, coat with a 1/2 Tb. of butter, season scallops with salt & pepper & grill until nicely browned. It will be approx. 6 min on the first side & 4 min. on the other side.

Mango dressing

1-mango, ripe, peeled & sliced

1- Tb. grape seed oil

1/2 Tb. rice wine vinegar

1- tsp. lime juice

crushed red pepper, sea salt & pepper to taste. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste & adjust spices.

*I whipped up this dressing without a recipe or measurements so I'm estimating the measurements. I would add a smaller amount of oil & vinegar & taste as you go.

Toss the salad mixture & drizzle with mango dressing~enjoy!

made with love~

Jodi

Spinach, bacon & egg salad w lemon dressing with gouda grilled cheese

Spinach salad

serves 4

Organic spinach

1-lg. heirloom tomato, diced

1/2 pound peppered thick bacon, baked & chopped

1/3c. kalamata olives pitted & sliced

3-organic eggs, hard boiled & diced

1/4c. parmesan reggiano, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bacon on a cookie sheet & bake for 25-35 min. or until nicely browned & fully cooked. This is a no fuss way to make bacon, I will never cook it on the stove top again! It comes out evenly cooked & no hot grease splattering all over & burning yourself again..whew!

Lemon dressing

1/2 c. kalamata olive oil

1/4c. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 tsp. mustard seed powder

1-tsp. raw honey

salt & pepper to taste

*Slowly whisk olive oil into the rest of the ingredients to incorporate.

Grilled gouda grilled cheese

Sour dough bread, sliced

Gouda cheese, sliced ( I used my favorite called Van Gogh)

Butter, softened to spread on bread

*Grill until nicely browned & cheese is melted

*Toss salad & add lemon dressing to taste & top with the parmesan cheese~ enjoy!

made with love,

Jodi

Creamy polenta with grilled portabella & zucchini

This dish was created tonight on a whim, although I had the basic polenta recipe made with water. I added stock & cheeses for more complexity & richness. We enjoyed this meal with a crisp & refreshing wine called Opalla~one of our favorites & it's a great price too! Pick up at Whole Foods. Cheers!

Creamy polenta

serves 4-6

4-c. water, filtered

1-c. corn meal, fine

4- tsp. More than gourmet chicken stock

1/4 c. parmesan reggiano

shaved gruyere cheese to taste( I used approx. 3 Tb.)

1-tsp. sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Bring water & stock to a boil, turn down to med. low heat & slowly stir in corn meal. Stir frequently for approx. 40 min. Set a small pot of water on low to add to polenta as needed, if the consistency is too thick.

Grilled portabella mushrooms & zucchini

5- portabella mushrooms, large

5-zucchini, medium

3-garlic cloves, minced

2-Tb. olive oil

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Dash of thyme

Preheat large grill pan on med. high heat, wash veggies in filtered water, slice mushrooms approx. 1/4" thick & zucchini 1/4" julienne slices, brush veggies with canola oil & place on grill. Start a sauce pan on med. low, add olive oil, garlic & red pepper flakes & saute for approx. 3 min. & set aside.

Grill veggies until browned on each side but still aldente. Season with salt & pepper & toss in the olive oil garlic mixture.

Place a bed of polenta on a plate, top w parmesan reggiano & then add grilled veggies. Top with a sprinkle of more parmesan & a dash of fresh thyme.

Made with love,

Jodi

Grilled Shrimp with coconut rice

Grilled shrimp marinade & sauce

serves 4

1- pound frozen Whole foods deveined & shelled shrimp thawed

1/2 c. tamari, low sodium

2-garlic cloves crushed

1- Tb. ginger grated

1- Tb. sesame oil

2- Tb. rice vinegar

1- Tb. lime, fresh squeezed

2- Tb. sesame seeds, toasted

Stir ingredients until blended & pour 1/2 of the sauce over shrimp. Cover & marinade for at least 30 min. Reserve the other half of the sauce for the dressing.

Coconut jasmine rice

serves 6-8

2-c. Jasmine rice

4-c. water, filtered

Prepare jasmine rice according to directions~allowing approx. 20 min. to prepare the coconut

& pepper mixture.

1/3 c. red pepper, diced

1/2 c. white corn, frozen then thawed

1/4. c. carrots, finely shredded

1/4. c. coconut, unsweetened & shredded

3/4 Tsp. ginger, ground

3/4 Tsp. curry powder

1/8 Tsp. turmeric

1- Tsp. sea salt

1/4c. pine nuts, toasted

1- cilantro bunch, chopped for garnish

Saute all ingredients in coconut oil ( except pine nuts). Preheat a grill pan to med. high & lightly coat with coconut oil. Drain off marinade & discard. Place shrimp on grill & season with sea salt.

Toss sauteed ingredients in with the rice & top with the toasted pine nuts & fresh cilantro. Remove shrimp from grill when fully cooked & nicely browned. Place a scoop of rice on a plate & shrimp along the side of & drizzle with the reserved soy dressing.

made with love~

Jodi

Crab cakes with tex mex salad & avocado dressing

These recipes were selected from 2 different classes I took at Flavour cooking school. The salad is from the taste of tex mex class & the crab cake recipe was from a fat Tuesday fete class. They are a bit time consuming but easy. I recommend preparing the dressing & mixing up the crab cakes the morning of & dinner will be a snap to put together. Both classes were alot of fun & the recipes are delish~enjoy!

Blue Corn crab cakes

1 lb. Heron Point crabmeat( I used back fin from Whole Foods)

1/4 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined & minced

2 Tb. olive oil

1/2 med. red onion

1- lg. jalapeno minced

2- garlic cloves, pressed

1- 1/2 Tb. fresh horseradish

1- lemon (zest & juiced)

1- Tb. dijon mustard

3- Tb. sour cream

2- tsp cornstarch

1- egg whisked

2- tsp. chipotle tobasco

1-2 c. blue corn meal ( I used fine yellow corn meal)

4-6 Tb. canola or grapeseed oil

4-6 c. romaine lettuce

Pick thru crab to double check for shells. Place crab & shrimp in med. bowl & set aside. Heat fry pan over med. flame , add oil & saute onion & jalapeno approx. 2-3 min. Set aside to cool. Put garlic, horseradish, mustard, sour cream, tobasco, lemon juice, zest & corn starch in med. bowl, whisk to thoroughly combine. Stir in onion mixture & season with salt & pepper. Fold in crab & shrimp mixture gently. Refrigerate 1 hour or so to let flavors blend ( time permitting)

Adjust mixture with corn meal, add corn meal slowly until mixture holds together. Heat a large fry pan or grill over med. high heat & add oil. Scoop mixture with a cookie scoop & place on pan, flatten slowly so they don't fall apart & turn once nicely browned. Turn oven to 350 degrees & bake for approx. 10 min. Serve cakes atop tex mex salad & drizzle with the avocado lime dressing. Recipe to follow.

Tex mex salad with avocado lime dressing

1- Tb. canola oil

1- 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained & rinsed

1- c. grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed

3- heads of romaine, cleaned & julienned

4- scallions thinly sliced

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat a med. saute pan over med. flame & add oil, Add beans, tomatoes & corn & heat until warmed. Put lettuce, scallions & cilantro in a large serving bowl, toss with bean mixture & dressing( recipe to follow) Top with crushed chips.

Avocado lime dressing

1- ripe acocado

3/4 c. quality prepared salsa( I used Muir Glen organic)

1/2 c. low fat sour cream

2-3 Tb. lime juice, freshly squeezed

Chipotle tobasco to taste

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt & pepper to taste

Mash avocado with a potato masher or fork,add salsa, sour cream,lime juice,tobasco & cumin, whisk well to combine. Taste & adjust seasonings & toss with salad.

Made with love~

Jodi