Tag Archives: shallots

Fresh Herb and Tofu Curry

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Seattle, Soups, Vegetarian

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Herb and Tofu CurryOne of my later-in-life food discoveries was yellow curry. I had never really had it, or thought to order it, until my first job out of college. We ordered a lot of takeout…one of the places down the street was the diviest looking joint ever. Like, I would never go in there on a whim. BUT we had a “house account” there where we didn’t even have to use a credit card, they would just send us a bill in the mail…weird, right?Herb and Tofu Curry

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Spicy Garlic Green Beans

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Entertaining, Healthy, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Spicy Garlic Green Beans

I have a hard time with green beans. They have so much potential, but many of the recipes I see out there are uninspiring. Hello, green bean casserole (gross). The best green beans I have are usually at restaurants – namely, Din Tai Fung. So simple, but they are just cooked and seasoned so perfectly and man…I think I could eat them everyday.

When I found this recipe on What’s Gaby Cooking it was everything I wanted – simple, quick, easy, and looked damn near close to the deliciousness I have experienced while dining out.

Aaand yep – no disappointments here! I threw this dish together in minutes and had it alongside a simple chicken stir fry. It’s addicting – but that’s ok because it’s guilt-free! I really don’t know if I will ever make any other green bean dish again!

Spicy Garlic Green Beans

Recipe
Spicy Garlic Green Beans
barely adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking
serves about 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

  • 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (less if you aren’t that into spicy)
  • squeeze of lemon juice (about 1-2 lemon wedges)
  • flaky salt and lemon zest to garnish

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  2. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the green beans and set aside.
  3. In a large heavy bottom skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the green beans and mix everything together, making sure the garlic and shallots are evenly distributed amongst the green beans.
  4. Squeeze lemon juice over green beans, season with salt and the lemon zest and serve immediately.

Thanksgiving and Mom’s Birthday

23 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Entertaining, Events, Healthy, Holidays, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

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Jake loves turkey. and butter.

Yesterday we celebrated my Mom’s birthday, and what was the most relaxing and successful Thanksgiving ever. We had a quiet day, where every dish turned out wonderfully, most likely because there was no stress built around anything.

The meal: Turkey with Madeira Gravy, Tzatziki mashed potatoes, green beans with caramelized shallots, brussels sprouts with bacon, and mom’s stuffing.

I am Thankful for so many things, but this year the highest gratitude goes to spending the day with the people (and animals) I Love the most.

We dove into that Turkey right away, barely any time to catch a photo! Everything is already gone, leftovers are being prepped for a delicious soup…

Of course I can’t forget a few of our Thanksgiving recipes! We made 2 great veggie dishes this year, both from Southern Living. Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Brussels Sprouts with Applewood Smoked Bacon.

Madeira Gravy, Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots, and Brussels Sprouts with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Recipes

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots

Delicious Shallots, caramelizing away!

From Southern Living

Makes 8-10 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds haricots verts (tiny green beans), trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation

  1. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.
  2. Melt butter and brown sugar with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add shallots, and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vinegar, and sauté 10 minutes or until shallots are golden brown and tender.
  3. Increase heat to medium-high; add green beans, and sauté 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Brussels Sprouts with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Brussels Sprouts with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Recipe

From Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, halved
  • 5 applewood-smoked bacon slices, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

  1. Cook Brussels sprouts in boiling salted water to cover 4 minutes; drain. Plunge sprouts into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.
  2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet.
  3. Melt butter in hot drippings over medium-high heat; stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until sugar is melted and sauce thickens slightly. Stir in Brussels sprouts; cook, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Asparagus with Mustard Vinaigrette

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Easy, Grilling, Healthy, Sauces, Side Dish, Weeknight Meals

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Easy enough to make for a beach BBQ, and almost too elegant for paper plates…

I remember back in the day when I hated asparagus (there was a point in my young age when I pretty much hated everything except for toast and milk). The day I finally decided to man up and give them another shot was a new beginning. My aunt made the super skinny spears with just a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and everything changed.

I realized this vegetable wasn’t the devil, and not only were they good with just a little EVOO love, there were so many other asparagus recipes out there! I still refuse to buy asparagus if they are really thick…maybe I am an asparagus snob.

This recipe is pretty standard – cook the asparagus in whatever way works for you, then pile on this amazing mustard sauce. The sauce will go well on other things too – pork, chicken, fish, etc….but it is really damn good on asparagus.

RECIPE

Asparagus With Mustard Vinaigrette

  • 1 1/2 pounds large or medium asparagus
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely cut chives.

1. Snap off and discard the tough bottoms of each asparagus spear. If using large, thick asparagus, peel the lower ends with a vegetable peeler. Medium asparagus will not need peeling.

2. Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, place the shallots, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let shallots soften for 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, then whisk in the olive oil to make a thick dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Heat grill to medium. Brush olive oil on asparagus, and grill until tender, about 6-10 minutes depending on your grill. If you do not have a grill: In a large stainless-steel soup pot bring 4 quarts of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until just done. Remove asparagus with a large strainer and spread out on a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel. Asparagus may be served warm or at room temperature.

5. To serve, place asparagus on a platter or individual plates. Spoon the vinaigrette over the asparagus. Sprinkle with chives if you wish.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from the New York Times.

Rosemary-Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Easy, Grilling, Main Dish, Pork

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I really don’t know what to say about this…except it was so incredibly tasty. I want to put the rosemary-balsamic sauce on EVERYTHING. Seriously, so good. Jordan gets all the credit for grilling the pork tenderloin perfectly, it was moist and juicy…I wish we had leftovers.

This was so good I could honestly see myself making this for guests again and again…That is, when I have my own place to entertain guests. (For those of you who are wondering, I currently live with my 85-year-old grandpa. That’s possibly a story for another time…)

Anyways, you should make this ASAP! You can follow the directions on cooking the pork in the oven, or you can grill it on medium-low, checking it and flipping it when necessary…Sorry for the vague instructions, but Jordan is the grill-master. I don’t think he had a method. He just kept an eye on it and it magically was grilled to perfection.

Rosemary-Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4
From Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

  • 2 (12-16 ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle tenderloins evenly with salt and pepper, rub seasoning into meat. If time allows, season tenderloins up to 30 minutes at room temperature ahead of time for most flavor.

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place both tenderloins in skillet and sear until well-browned, 3 minutes. Rotate tenderloins 1/4 turn and sear until well-browned, 1-2 minutes. Repeat until all sides are browned. Transfer tenderloins to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven until tenderloins register an internal temperature of 145 degrees, 10-16 minutes.

While pork roasts, add 1 tablespoon butter to the still-hot skillet. Add shallots, water, and sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until shallots are browned and caramelized, 7-10 minutes. Set skillet aside off heat.

Transfer tenderloins to carving board and tent loosely with foil, let rest 10 minutes.

While pork is resting, set skillet back over medium-low heat and add vinegar. Simmer, scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to release browned bits, until mixture is thickened slightly, 5-7 minutes. Add rosemary and any accumulated pork juices, continue to simmer until syrupy and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes longer. Off heat, whisk in mustard and remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut tenderloins into 1/2-inch thick slices and serve with sauce.

Thai Beef Salad…from a model

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Healthy, Main Dish, Side Dish, Steak

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Ok, time for me to go on a huge tangent (I guess it’s not really a tangent since it’s my first sentence…) but this is how it all started:

I joined Twitter for “professional” reasons about a month ago. I still have no idea what I am doing on there, nor do I know if I even like it that much…but anyways, my friend Morgan told me I *HAD TO* start following Chrissy Teigen. I didn’t recognize her name, but I instantly knew she was super hot and liked food. Pretty good combo. A few days passed, I got on Twitter again, and was like, “Who IS she?” Then found the link to her website, and oh my god, it is basically my dream blog. Food…recipes…obsessed with Pioneer Woman…holy shit, is that John Legend?!? WHAT IS GOING ON!!!

So then I go to wikipedia, and find out that not only is she some awesome swimsuit model, BUT SHE IS FROM SNOHOMISH. Which means we were basically neighbors and therefore would probably be best friends if we met in real life. Then I finally make the connection that she was the model in almost all of the Alloy catalogs I used to get back in the day (aka two years ago…but nevermind that) and I am just super in love.

So I made a few of her recipes this weekend.

And they did not disappoint. The steak may have gotten a little overcooked (those damn limes…) and we may not have had all the fancy ingredients, but this still turned out so good! I always figured the first thai dish I tried to make would be an epic failure, but no! If you have never made a thai dish before, this is a great place to start! And low carb and totally healthy in my book. If I eat this everyday, I am hoping my body will morph into a double of Chrissy’s.

Recipe
Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua)
from So Delushious

Ingredients

  • Good steak, cooked preferably on a grill to rare or medium rare (the lime will do some additional cooking). Allow to rest at room temp before slicing.
  • 4 Shallots or 1 small red onion, sliced into skinny wedges
  • 1 bunch Cilantro, coarsely chopped, no stems
  • Tomatoes, cherry (1/2 c sliced in half) or 1-2 vine ripened (cut into wedges)
  • 2 Limes
  • 1 tbs Palm sugar or brown sugar (I used brown)
  • 1-2 tbs Fish sauce
  • 1tbs Thai chili powder or regular chili powder if you go to lame grocery stores like me
  • Fresh Thai chili peppers or jalapenos, sliced thinly

Grill the steak as directed above and slice into thin strips after allowing to rest for 15-20 min.  Add to a large mixing bowl. Add palm or brown sugar to a small bowl and add some of the lime juice and mush into a thick liquid form. The non-vegetable ingredients go first into the steak bowl, lime, fish sauce, chili powder, sugar. Toss with your hands to incorporate all over the steak. Add the rest of the veggies, toss and taste. Tasting as you go is the most important part. Mine tasted amazing right off the bat, so no adjusting required.

NOTE: It is highly likely you will be seeing more posts relating to Chrissy Teigen, she is a girl crush (and blog crush) that I don’t see going away anytime soon. ❤