Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Poached Eggs with Pea Shoots





From the Union Square Greenmarket; poached eggs with pea shoots, 
and prosciutto. You can toss the pea shoots in a lemon-vinaigrette or enjoy them raw like I did. 


If you want to learn more about pea shoots and their nutritional benefits I suggest you check out the following pdf




Thursday, February 4, 2016

Curry Lime Chicken with Coconut Ginger Rice


Curry Lime Chicken:

Due to a few injuries and illnesses, the past four months have been a whirlwind. It has basically just been me trying to guide chaos down a cattle shoot. 

This resulted in me needing simple, quick dinners that could easily feed a lot of people. The recipe for the curry lime marinade was originally found by one of my brothers. After reviewing the recipe I made a few tweaks to it and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I also decided to pair the chicken with grilled pineapple. 


Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (1 package) - Cut into thin cutlets if you would like the chicken to cook more quickly
Marinade Ingredients: 
3 tbsp Joyce Chen's Savory Ginger & Garlic Stir Fry Oil 
Zest of 1 large lime
Juice of 1 large lime
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp soy sauce (I used low sodium) 
1 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt
2 tbsp light agave syrup
2 tsp curry powder 
1 can of coconut milk 
 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro
Optional: Make it spicy, add 1/2 tsp spicy chili flakes

1. Make the marinade- Add all the ingredients together in a bowl
2. Add the chicken to the marinade. I've let the chicken marinade in the fridge both overnight and only for a few hours. The more time that the marinade is in the fridge the more it will thicken. 
3. After your chicken has marinated long enough; heat your pan or grill well
4. If using a pan spray with some nonstick cooking spray or oil
5. Cook your chicken in batches, be sure to cook all the way through. 
6. While the chicken is cooking you can take the rest of the marinade and put it in a small saucepan. Because uncooked chicken is no joke, make sure that you cook the marinade at a FULL BOIL for at least three minutes, this will make it safe to eat. If you would rather you can also just double the marinade recipe and reserve some of it to cook for "sauce" later on. We have a divided household on spicy foods, so I made the chicken sans spicy pepper and the sauce with the spice. 
7. Cut up some limes while the chicken rests and the marinade boils
8. Plate, Serve and Enjoy! 




Coconut Ginger Rice

This was surprisingly simple, I tweaked the recipe that I found online a bit by adding ginger to the rice. Personally I love the taste of ginger and have just started to learn a little bit more about its health benefits and anti-inflammatory properties. To read more about this click here. This recipe feeds about six people.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of jasmine rice
1 can of coconut milk
1 large clove of garlic 
1/4 tsp. of grated ginger
1/4 tsp. of pink himalayan salt 
1 cup of water 


Instructions:

Before you start cooking the rice, I suggest that you wash it first. I never used to do this, but then when I learned how to make Tahdig for the first time, I learned about washing the rice and have done it with every rice dish I make (except risotto) to remove the extra starch. I think that washing the rice gives it a better texture. To wash the rice place the rice in a bowl and add cold tap water. Swish the rice around in the bowl with your hand until the water becomes cloudy and sometimes foamy. Carefully pour off the water, or pour through a mesh strainer. Repeat this step until the water remains clear. You can need to wash the rice anywhere from three to five times, it really just depends on the rice you are using. 

Also, the coconut milk can separate in the can, if your coconut milk does separate, don't panic. Just make sure you stir thoroughly when you add it to your pot. 

1.  Pour your now washed rice into a pot
2. Mince the garlic and add the salt, garlic, and ginger to the pot. 
3. Add the coconut milk and water, stir thoroughly to combine all the ingredients. 
4. Cover the pot and bring the rice up to a rolling boil on high hear. As soon as the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to low. Allow the rice to simmer for about 30 minutes. 
5. Turn off the direct heat and allow the rice to rest with the lid on the pot for another 15 minutes
6. Fluff with a fork 
7. Serve and enjoy