Recipe: Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Teriyaki Chicken

May 21, 2013 By 1 Comment

I love both the crunch and light flavor of bok choy. It does a great job of soaking up whatever flavors you cook it with, in this case oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Pair it with some easy, grilled teriyaki chicken for a healthy, low carb meal that won’t have you slaving in the kitchen all day.

If a protein and a veggie aren’t enough to tame your appetite, add some rice to bulk up the meal.

Note: The chicken will need to marinate a while, so get it started well in advance.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Teriyaki Chicken

  • 1 1/4 pounds bok choy (6 baby bok choy)
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce ( preferably Lee Kum Kee brand)
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • kosher salt
  • 2 bunches of green onions (white and light green parts only) cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/2- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  1. Rinse bok choy well and dry. Cut each bok choy in half lengthwise.
  2. In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Whisk until cornstarch is dissolved.
  3. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bok choy and lightly season with salt. Stir fry, tossing frequently, until bok choy stems are soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add green onions, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and continue to stir fry for another 2 minutes.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add the sauce to the pan. Once the sauce thickens (should only take a few seconds) remove pan from heat and serve.

Teriyaki Chicken

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup teriyaki sauce
  • juice from ½ a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  1. Combine all ingredients in a ziptop bag. Toss to coat chicken. Marinate in refrigerator for 2-6 hours.
  2. Preheat gas grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from bag, discarding marinade. Grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in middle.
  3. Serve with bok choy.

Yield: 4 servings

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Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux and Broccoli Cheddar Soup

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Broccoli Cheddar Soup, papa Renny's Thickening RouxPappa Renny’s Thickening Roux is a new(ish) vendor at Atherton Market in Charlotte. I’d never seen a product like it before, so of course I had to purchase some and give it a try. It consists of solidified pieces of roux that look like beige colored dominoes. They are made from unsalted butter and organic all-purpose flour. There is also a gluten-free option that is made from brown rice flour. They need to be stored in either the refrigerator or the freezer.

Papa Renny's Thickening Roux Broccoli Cheddar SoupWith Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux, making soup, sauce, or gravy becomes a snap. You’ll never have to worry about lumps again and having a premade roux can greatly reduce cooking time and clean up.

Pappa Renny's Thickening Roux

The uses for Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux are virtually endless and Pappa Renny himself is a wonderful source of ideas. He normally provides a recipe each week and the week I went it was- you guessed it! Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Having the already formed roux blocks to just drop in the soup made cooking the soup so much easier. Plus it really did it’s job and the soup had a nice thick texture, but no flour taste.

Broccoli Cheddar SoupCurrently Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux can only be purchased in the Charlotte Metro area. But who knows. Someday you may see it nationwide. Pappa Renny is at Atherton Market on Saturdays from 9am-2pm and the Thickening Roux can also be purchased at Reid’s Fine Foods on Selwyn Ave or Organic Marketplace in Gastonia, NC.

Atherton Market Pappa Renny's Thickening Roux

I altered the recipe just slightly, reducing the called for 1 tablespoon of dried thyme to 1 teaspoon. One tablespoon of thyme is a whole lot of thyme and I was worried that may have been a typo. I also reduced the red pepper flakes from 1 teaspoon to ½ teaspoon and it still had plenty of kick to it.

If you’d like to make this soup without thickening roux, I suggest adding 4 tablespoons of melted butter to the Dutch oven after adding the garlic. Once it is melted, add 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually add in the chicken broth, whisking very well to avoid lumps and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Those of you who live outside the Charlotte area, have you ever seen a product similar to Pappa Renny’s Thickening Roux?

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

  • 6 cubes Pappa Renny Thickening Roux
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup onion, cut in a small dice
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • ¼ cup light cream
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Place a Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add chicken broth and broccoli and bring to a boil. Add thickening roux and whisk until dissolved.
  4. Adjust heat to keep a strong simmer and cook uncovered 25-30 minutes.
  5. Using either an immersion blender or regular blender, blend soup until smooth.
  6. Add cream and 1 cup of cheese and simmer an additional 5 minutes, stirring often
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Serve with remaining 1/2 cup flour sprinkled on top.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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Recipe: Crawfish Omelet

May 12, 2013 By 1 Comment

Crawfish Omelet

Most people outside of Louisiana think the thought of eating something referred to as a mudbug is a little strange if not repulsive. But to Louisianans and those who have lived in Louisiana (that’s me!), crawfish are not only a food to be savored and devoured, they are a way of life. Many a relationship has been formed and strengthened around a good crawfish boil. Many would argue that a crawfish boil is a social gathering foremost and an act of food consumption secondarily.

crawfish boilA recent Tulane Alumni Boil in Charlotte, NC

For some reason, a shrimp boil just doesn’t have the same effect. Partly because crawfish are so much more difficult to peel than shrimp. A good crawfish boil goes on for hours and hours, includes multiple pots, and the consumption of large amounts of beer.

Crawfish and Andouille Omelet

This recipe is meant to use leftovers from a boil, but you could replicate it by using frozen crawfish tail meat, cooked potatoes and corn, plus andouille sausage (or another smoked sausage) sautéed in a pan. You’ll want to add a good amount of cajun seasoning to these ingredients since the products of a boil are spicy.

If you’ve never had a crawfish boil before and you’d like to, you don’t have to live in Louisiana to have one. You can order them from the Louisiana Crawfish Company and they’ll ship them live to your house. It’s a little pricey, but you can feed the whole neighborhood (or your block anyways) with them and create memories everyone will be talking about for years to come.

leftover crawfish boil recipes

Crawfish Omelet
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Recipe type: Breakfast
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Serves: 2
A cajun-style omelet overflowing with crawfish, andouille sausage, potatoes, corn, and mushrooms. Breakfast never tasted so good.
Ingredients
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ cup diced cooked red potato (preferably leftover from crawfish boil)
  • ¼ cup diced andouille (preferably leftover from boil)
  • ¼ cup crawfish tails (preferably leftover from boil)
  • ¼ cup corn kernels (preferably leftover from boil)
  • 4 mushrooms, sliced (preferably leftover from boil)
  • 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 2 sliced green onions
Instructions
  1. Whisk together eggs, milk, and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. Mix potato, andouille, crawfish tails, corn, and mushrooms in a small bowl. If they are cool from being in refrigerator, warm in the microwave.
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in skillet and add egg mixture. Tilt pan so eggs spread out evenly.
  4. Once eggs begin to set on bottom, one section at a time, lift up edge of omelet with a rubber spatula and let uncooked egg run underneath.
  5. When omelet is mostly set, sprinkle crawfish mixture evenly on one side of omelet.
  6. Sprinkle cheese and green onion on top of crawfish mixture. When omelet is almost all the way set, fold in half and remove from heat.

More Crawfish Recipes

Crawfish Tacos

Crawfish and Cauliflower Soup

Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls

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Grilled Ginger Yogurt Chicken

May 8, 2013 By 1 Comment

Grilled Ginger Yogurt Chicken

Do you stress about turning your grilled chicken into a dry, hard to chew hunk of meat that is capable of choking even the best of chewers? No need to worry with this delicious ginger yogurt marinade. Marinating chicken in yogurt is a great trick for producing super tender and moist grilled chicken.

The longer you marinate, the better. I’ve put 1-4 hours, but you could easily start the chicken marinating in the morning and let it soak up flavor all day.

Serve with a baked sweet potato and grilled zucchini and squash sticks or Parmesan Roasted Broccoli for an easy-peasy weeknight meal that’s healthy and flavorful. You may even want to cook a few extra to make chicken sandwiches or to throw on top of a fresh green salad studded with seasonal fruit.

Grilled Ginger Yogurt Chicken

Grilled Ginger Yogurt Chicken
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Recipe type: chicken
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Serves: 4
A marinade of yogurt, garlic, ginger, and lime juice produces tender, moist, and flavorful chicken.
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ¾ cup lowfat plain yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt, garlic, ginger, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and cilantro.
  2. Add chicken and coat well with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
  3. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Grill 5 to 6 minutes per side or until cooked through.

 

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Recipe: Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

May 4, 2013 By 3 Comments

Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

If you’re not currently in the habit of making homemade salad dressings, you will be after making this one. The flavor is the perfect mixture of sweet and spicy and it couldn’t be easier to make. Plus it will keep for days in your refrigerator.

The flavor of homemade dressings is so much fresher, without those horrible preservative aftertastes so many bottled dressings have. Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes to make a great tasting dressing. Have you taken a look at all the ingredients in some of those fat-free dressings? Scary Stuff.

Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

I’ve adapted this recipe from Southern Living, cutting down on the amount of oil. I like a salad dressing that’s a little heavy on vinegar. That way I use a lot less of it because of the strong flavor. And when you factor in that there are fewer calories per tablespoon because you are using less oil, it’s a double win.

It may take some getting use to if you are used to oil-heavy dressings, but give it a try. It’s an excellent way to keep your calories low when consuming salad. Because that’s probably the reason you’re eating salad in the first place. Right?

If red pepper jelly is a condiment you’ve never tried, I suggest you get a jar right away. It’s one of the most versatile and under-utilized condiments out there. It tastes great as a marinade, as a topping for appetizers, and even in margaritas!

Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Recipe: Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette
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Recipe type: Salad Dressing
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Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette contains the perfect blend of sweet and spicy to jazz up your salad greens. You won’t ever want bottled dressing again.
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons red pepper jelly
  • 1 small shallot, minced (1-2 tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk well. Will keep in refrigerator for at least a week.

Recipe Source: adapted from Southern Living

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Best Southern Cookbooks For the Mom Who Likes to Cook

May 2, 2013 By 1 Comment

If the Mom in your family enjoys cooking, a cookbook can be a wonderful Mother’s Day Gift. Listed below are a few of my favorite Southern cookbooks that I find myself cooking from again and again. Whether its classic southern recipes or innovative New South Dishes, you can pretty much find it all in these cookbooks.

Tupelo Honey Cookbook I love, love, love the Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville’s New South Kitchen Cookbook as well as the restaurant(s) in Asheville. This cookbook has it all- beautiful photography, original recipes that turn out great in the home kitchen, and nice little snippets of interesting background information.

This is southern food with modern twists, a little more upscale than your typical mac and cheese and pecan pie. Thankfully though you won’t have to go search every store in town for hard to find ingredients. Some of the recipes require a little work, but there’s nothing in this book that the average home cook can’t accomplish.

Some of my favorites from this book include Southern Fried Chicken Breasts with Cremini Sweet Onion Gravy, Peachy Grilled Chicken Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette, and the Reuben with ChowChow. And the Tomato Pie is to die for!

Other recipes I can’t wait to try are the Sweet Potato Pancakes with Peach Butter and Spiced Pecans and Griddled Blackberry Breakfast Pudding. This cookbook does a wonderful job of combining fresh, local ingredients into inventive and delicious meals.

Fresh Every Day Sara FosterFresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market is a cookbook I find myself going back to again and again. The recipes are just so appealing.

No one does seasonally inspired recipes better than Sara Foster. If you ever find yourself in the Research Triangle Area of North Carolina, take a little detour to one of her 2 restaurants (Foster’s Market) and you will be well rewarded.

Sara is so down to earth, but her food always has a refined quality to it. Fresh Every Day is full of wonderful, satisfying recipes for the home cook. The recipes are easy to follow and the techniques are sound. The Pot Roast recipe and Chipotle Maple BBQ Beef Brisket Tacos with Sweet Potato Salsa are two of my favorite recipes in the book.

The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe is the perfect gift for anyone who has a sweet tooth and likes to bake. Rebecca Rather is a genius when it comes to sweets. And in true Texas style, her culinary creations are of the go big or go home variety.

You’ll find basics in this cookbook like sugar cookies and pecan pie, but also some over the top, one of a kind desserts like Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Meringue Tarts with meringue piled almost sky-high and White-on-White Buttermilk Cake with Jack Daniels Buttercream.

There are also a few savory recipes such as All Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pies and Nuevo Texas Waldorf Salad. My all-time favorite scone recipe is from this cookbook. You won’t find a richer, more heavenly scone with a fabulous light and moist texture than this one. It made a scone lover out of me.

My favorite thing about The Pastry Queen cookbook is the gorgeous photography, not just of the food but of the Rather Sweet Bakery and the Texas Hill Country. It really tells a story and transports the reader to the beautiful southern town of Fredericksburg, Texas.

The Lee Brothers of course have become icons in the world of southern cooking. They have more than a few cookbooks published now and The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-be Southerners was their first. In this mammoth cookbook, you’ll find all the southern classics, including less mainstream ones like pickled peaches and Sally Lunn Bread.

What I like about this cookbook is it is well-researched and all the basics of southern cooking are covered. Plus in addition to the recipes there are lots of southern stories and background information on recipes included.

Pictures are a little lacking in this book, but besides that it’s a great addition to any cookbook collection.

Louisiana Cookin’ (1-year auto-renewal) is a magazine, not a cookbook, that celebrates the food and culture of New Orleans.  If you love cajun and creole food, a subscription to this magazine is a must have. It’s full of gumbo, etouffee, crawfish, and beignet recipes that will have you yearning for a trip to the Big Easy.

I can’t get over how good these Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls were that I made from a recent issue. In addition to a nice selection of recipes, each issue has articles on Louisiana restaurants, chefs, and festivals and can be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the area.

Disclaimer: Fort Mill SC Living is an amazon.com affiliate

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Recipe: Artichoke Hummus

April 26, 2013 By 7 Comments

Artichoke Hummus

I’m a little bit of an addict when it comes to making hummus. Rarely do more than a few weeks go by without me mixing up a batch. It’s so easy to make, only taking mere minutes, and there are tons of variations to keep you interested.

I’ve made sweet potato hummus, butternut squash hummus, roasted carrot hummus, black bean hummus, tuscan hummus, edamame hummus, and peanut butter hummus. Still have some variations I’ve been wanting to try but haven’t gotten around to yet including zucchini hummus and boiled peanut hummus.

Artichoke Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite snacks and is a go-to for me whenever I do an Advocare-style Cleanse to help shed a few pounds. It’s great on sandwiches and pita chips, but when I’m in weight-loss mode I eat it with crudites. Red pepper strips, cucumber slices, celery sticks, and carrot sticks are all good choices.

If you’re a fan of artichokes, you will really love this artichoke flavored hummus. It’s the perfect hummus for Spring.

Artichoke Hummus

Recipe: Artichoke Hummus
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Recipe type: Dips and Spreads
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Artichokes give hummus a fresh and delicious taste that will have you going back for more and more.
Ingredients
  • 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 (13.75-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
  • ⅓ cup tahini paste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon Sriracha sauce
  • Pinch of ground white pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. If mixture is too thick for your liking, add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.

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