2009-03-31 Tuesday - leftover carbonnade on rice and roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts

beef and lamb carbonnade (from Sunday)

• served on jasmine rice

roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts

• toss with olive oil and roast in 420F:
  
• ~1/2 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
• about equal amount brussels sprouts, quartered lengthwise
• check and toss and add more oil every 10 minutes or so
  
• takes about 30 minutes to be nicely done, a bit longer is okay
  

2009-03-30 Monday - spring mix salad with turkey

spring mix salad with turkey

• defrosted hunk of turkey breast from thanksgiving!
• sliced thick and sautéed with leftover white wine mustard shallot sauce
• served on salad:
• spring mix
• hard-boiled egg
• avocado (his)
• red onion
• Fuji apple
• carrot (grated)
• Ken's french dressing

Papa liked the salad, with all the different things mixed together. The turkey recovered very nicely from being frozen. Very pleased!

2009-03-29 Sunday - beef and lamb carbonnade & roasted cauliflower and potatoes & salad

beef and lamb carbonnade

• recipe: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000865carbonnade_beef_and_beer_stew.php
• 3+ lbs chuck pot roast
• 1 lb lamb ("for stew")
  
• 4 white onions (3 small medium, 1 medium)
• 2 leeks
  
• 2-1/2 cups ommegang abbeye ale
• 1-1/4 cups beef juices (from browning) and beef broth
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 2-1/2 bay leaves

• everything only JUST fit in large le creuset!
  
• next time try different ale

roasted cauliflower and potatoes

• toss with olive oil and roast in 420F:
  
• ~1/2 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
• after about 20 minutes, add:
• whole new potatoes, canned (cut if too large)

salad

• spring mix greens
• red onion
• tomato
• balsamic vinaigrette
  

2009-03-28 Saturday - roasted vegetable (and kielbasa) salad & baked pakoras

roasted vegetable (and kielbasa) salad

• toss with olive oil and roast at 400F:
  
• 1 large zucchini, seeded and cut into strips
• 4 large brussels sprouts, quartered
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• corn, raw, cut from cob
  
• 10 garlic cloves (needs longer than 30 minutes)
  

• add to roasting vegetables when 15 minutes left to cook:
  
• handful of green beans, cut into thirds
• 2 portabella caps, sliced and marinated in balsamic vinegar
  
• ~1/4 kielbasa, cut into thin strips

• serve with:
• spring mix greens
  
• balsamic vinaigrette
• red onion, sliced thin
  
• tomato, sliced

baked pakoras

• Papa made it with red onion, zucchini, potato, baby spinach
• very tasty, but texture wasn't quite right
  

2009-03-26 Thursday - spicy kielbasa with vegetables

made-up recipe, spicy kielbasa with vegetables

• 3/4 turkey kielbasa
• 2 portabella caps
• handful of green beans
• 1/2 red onion
  
• 3 carrots
• brussels sprouts
  
• 1 chipotle
• 2-3 tbsp adobo sauce

• chopped everything up into small cubes and cooked it
• ate it on rice
• was a bit too spicy for Papa (to start)
  

2009-03-24 Tuesday - stir-fried soba noodles

stir-fried soba noodles

• 1 packet soba noodles (buckwheat and wheat)
• 1 lb chicken tenders, sliced and chopped
• marinated with:
• soy sauce
• white pepper
• tapioca starch
  
• large chunk (~1"x3/4"x3/4") of ginger, minced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 4-5 large brussels sprouts, sliced (about 1/3 more than carrots in volume)
• 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten

1. boil water and cook soba noodles -- remove when still a bit undone, takes only a few minutes, less time than pasta
   
   
2. cook garlic and onions, add carrots and brussels, cook till soft (add broth if necessary), remove
   
   
3. cook chicken
   
   
4. push chicken to sides, add egg to middle of pan, cook a bit
   
   
5. add noodles, mix with egg
   
   
6. add vegetables, mix
   
   
7. taste, and add soy sauce and/or broth if needed

Notes:

The key ingredient was the ginger, and lots of it. I put in what appeared to be too much -- but there was a lot of chicken and vegetables and noodles, and it was perfect.

Egg was a good addition for texture.

Next time, try rinsing the noodles before putting them in the pan. They had stuck together from sitting in the colander.

Next time, add something green and leafy, like spinach or gai-lan or bak-choi. (I forgot to add the arugula this time.)

2009-03-23 Monday - broiled tilapia with white wine mustard sauce, sautéed spinach, and (leftover) SR Dad's Fish Stew with crab

broiled tilapia with white wine mustard sauce

• i made it up!
• tilapia, seasoned with salt and pepper, broiled
  
• sauce:
  
• 1 large shallot, minced
• ~1/2 ~3/4 cup white wine
• 1 small spoon Dijon mustard
• dash of water
• dash of milk
  
• very winey! (but went well with the fish.)
  
• next time try adding broth or cream or more milk
  

Sautéed spinach

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• baby spinach
  

Dad's Fish Stew

• added packet of lump crab :)
• served on jasmine rice
  

2009-03-22 Sunday - Simply Recipes Dad's Fish Stew

Dad's Fish Stew

• Recipe: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000048dads_fish_stew.php
• Macon-Villages white wine -- used 1-2/3 cups wine instead of 2/3 ! (Papa said it was perfect...)
• other changes: less onion, leeks, more garlic, no parsley, fresh thyme, white pepper.
• ingredient list:
  
• 1/2 cup onion
  
• 1 cup leeks
• 4 cloves raw garlic
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 tsp tomato paste (from freezer)
  
• no parsley
• clam juice + wine
  
• 1 lb mahi-mahi
• 1/2 lb swordfish
• seasonings: fresh thyme, 2 pinches of dried oregano, 1 pinch of white pepper, black pepper, salt
  
• tabasco, added at table

Served with a little bit of rice and fresh bread.
Fish was from Market Basket.
Lovely, easy recipe -- took about an hour.
Papa said the broth was subtle and delicate -- he liked it a lot. :)

2009-03-19 Thursday - leek potato soup, ginger ground pork with portabella and spinach

leek potato soup

• inspired by this recipe: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000044potato_leek_soup.php
• 2 leeks, chopped fine and rinsed, cooked in pat of butter with 1/2 tsp white pepper and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and lots of black pepper
  
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped, cooked with leeks
  
• 3 medium potatoes (2 white, 1 red), chopped small
• 3 cups broth/stock
  
• needed about 2 big pinches of kosher salt
• simmered about 30 minutes
  
• very peppery!
• good with tabasco and/or worcestorshire sauce (added at table)

ginger ground pork with portabella and spinach

• 1/2 lb ground pork, seasoned with ginger (~1" x 1/2" x 1/2" piece, minced), garlic (~3 cloves, chopped), soy sauce, white pepper, korean red pepper flakes, tapioca starch
  
• 2 portabella caps, chopped into 1/2" cubes, semi-marinated with soy sauce (next time use less soy sauce)
  
• 1/2 large clamshell baby spinach
• cooked portabella first, removed from pan, cooked pork, mixed in portabella, then spinach
  
• lots of ginger = good!!!
  

2009-03-18 Wednesday - (all leftovers) steak, collard greens, roast chicken garlic linguine, chickpea salad

steak

• sliced diagonally, then reheated in microwave, covered, ~1.5 minutes

collard greens
roast chicken garlic linguine
chickpea salad

everything yummy tasty good as leftovers :)

2009-03-17 Tuesday - steak, collard greens, and chickpea salad

steak

• black angus top sirloin from trader joe's
• marinated for two hours at room temperature, in garlic olive oil, white pepper, ancho powder, worcestershire sauce (2 small spoonfuls), balsamic vinegar, random steak spices (includes paprika)
• cooked on iron grill (preheated for ~20 minutes)
  

collard greens

• 2 bunches of collard greens
• 1 dried arbol (?) pepper, toasted and soaked in hot water and minced
• 1 dried ancho pepper, toasted and soaked in hot water and minced
• 1 large chipotle pepper, minced
• 10 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  
• ~1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine

chickpea salad

• http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/panfried-chickpea-salad-recipe.html
• has chickpeas, leeks, cilantro, yogurt, curry powder, red onion, cilantro
  

2009-03-16 Monday - roast chicken garlic linguine

1 packet fresh linguine
1 portabella mushroom
28 cloves garlic, roasted in olive oil
1 head garlic, roasted in chicken
2 shallots
baby spinach (about half a large clamshell)
1 tablespoon pesto
~2 cups roast chicken, chopped/shredded

* * *

14 cloves per foil packet, set to roasting

sliced shallots (halved lengthwise, then sliced widthwise)
peeled head of garlic (roasted in skin) and chopped up the cloves
sliced portabella (halved, then sliced thin widthwise)
black pepper

boil water
pasta cooked before water returned to boil
drain pasta and set aside

smash roasted garlic

pour into emptied pot -- oil from garlic roasting
sauté shallots and chopped garlic until soft
add sliced mushroom
add spinach
add roast chicken
sauté until spinach starts to wilt
add cooked pasta
put smashed garlic on top of pasta and mix
add olive oil from garlic (mix, add more, mix, etc)
add pesto and mix
black pepper

YUM.

2009-03-12 Thursday - green salsa pork with ancho tortillas, and mango avocado salad

green salsa pork

• pork from the freezer, crockpotted in January (cooked a pork shoulder in salsa, removed and shredded it, returned half to pot, froze half), defrosted in microwave
  
• cooked 2 shallots, chopped, in olive oil and black pepper
  
• added pork
  
• added about 1/4 jar Trader Joe green salsa (enough for juicy, not soupy!)
  
• added about 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro at the end
  

ancho tortillas

• regular tortilla recipe with 2 teaspoons of ancho pepper

mango avocado salad

• mango
• avocado
• red onion
• grape tomatoes
• fresh lime juice
• thought about adding cilantro, but wanted the flavor without
  
• served on spring mix
  

Papa liked it a lot! He said the ancho tortillas were lovely, but not as easy to repurpose as the plain ones.