101 posts and a seriously life changing soup

I just noticed that the last post was the 100th! How great is that? I love this blog. Keep sharing the recipe love, everyone!

And on that note, the following recipe has some serious love to give if you are a fan of Thai food. A spinoff of the popular and delicious tom kha gai, this soup is to die for. If I could make all my favorite Thai dishes as easily as this one, and have them all turn out this yummy, I'd never have to venture to a Thai restaurant again. And I'm saying that after I didn't even succeed in my quest for lemongrass. Darn you, Asian market, for only selling a weird package of freeze dried lemongrass. (Well, darn myself, really, for waiting until the last minute to try to find some.)

Here it is.

8 c. stock (chicken or vegetable-- I used organic chicken stock)

2 shallots, peeled and halved

6 one-inch pieces of unpeeled fresh ginger

1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and cut into chunks (as noted, this soup will still be delicious sans lemongrass)

2 kaffir lime leaves, or 1 t. lime zest (I used lime zest)

1/2 t. sea salt

1 15 oz. can coconut milk (I used reduced fat coconut milk with great results)

3.5 oz. rice noodles, broken into 2" pieces

1 c. peeled and finely diced carrots

pinch of cayenne (or to taste)

1-2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/8" thick diagonal slices

2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

2 T. sliced scallions, for garnish (didn't have these)

Combine the broth, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, and 1/4 t. salt in a soup pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out all of the solids and discard. Stir in the coconut milk and continue to simmer, being careful not to boil, for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the rice noodles into a bowl of hot water and soak until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Stir the carrots and cayenne into the soup, simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 7 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir in the noodles, lime juice, and the remaining 1/4 t. salt. Do a taste test now and, if necessary, add a bit more salt. You may want to add a small amount of sugar-- I added 1/4 t.

Finish it off by serving it in bowls with the garnishes, if desired.

Variations: for an extra immune booster, add 1 c. of stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms when you add the chicken. Tofu can also be used in place of the chicken for an awesome vegetarian version.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 45-55 minutes.

Storage: refrigerator for 3-5 days, freezer up to 2 months.

Per serving: 290 calories; 15.5 g fat (13.5 saturated), 35 g carbs, 6 g protein, 4 g fiber

Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

Yum!

Ingredients: 4 cups cooked quinoa (or about 1 cup uncooked)

6 oz. baby spinach

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (don't bother using the expensive stuff)

1 medium onion, chopped (I didn't have an onion so I used a shallot I had instead. Yeah. I'm weird like that. No yellow onion, but I had a shallot.)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 large eggs

3 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (about 3/4 c.) (I didn't have Gruyere, so used Emmentaler instead. Turned out great. I imagine any kind of nutty-tasting hard cheese would probably work.)

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp. dried

1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 c.)

(The recipe didn't call for it, but I used asparagus as well, cut into 1 inch chunks)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil or spray a 2-quart gratin or baking dish (I used a 9X9 Pyrex).

2. Cook the quinoa, or it can also be prepared and refrigerated up to three days in advance. I used these directions, and used 1 c. of white wine for part of the liquid.

3. Heat a medium frying pan or a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Wash the spinach and without spinning dry, add to the pan and wilt in the liquid left on the leaves after washing. This may require two batches. As soon as the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop. Set aside.

3. Wipe the pan dry and heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Stir in the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa, the onion and spinach mixture, the Gruyere, and the sage. (Here, I also added the chopped asparagus.) Add freshly ground pepper and stir the mixture together. Scrape into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and drizzle on the rest of the olive oil.

5. Bake until nicely browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to sit for about 5 minutes, and eat. Duh.

Mediterranean Calzone

Yeah, when in doubt: encrust delicious ingredients in a bread product. Can't fail.

Crust: (Makes enough dough for 3–4 large calzones—easily halved)

2 c. warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 c. olive oil

~ 6 c. all-purpose flour

1. Combine water and yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer (much easier, but you can knead by hand, too). Let activate for about five minute.

2. Add kosher salt, olive oil, and two cups of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Add more flour, one cup at a time, and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic but not too stiff. Knead a minute or two in a stand mixer, or for about ten minutes by hand.

3. Let rise to double (if you have time . . . if not, you can cheat and go straight to the calzone making), or about one hour.

4. Split into four hunks of dough.

5. Roll out one dough ball into circle about 1/2 in. thick and about 10 inches in diameter.

Stuffing:

Pesto or marinara sauce

Artichoke hearts, chopped

Kalamata olives, sliced

Spinach, sweated on the oven in a bit of olive oil and salt

Mozzarella and any other melting cheeses you like (I used Gruyere—parmesan or parmigiano reggiano would be great, too)

Feta cheese

1. On the circle of dough, apply a circle of sauce, leaving at least an inch of naked dough on the edge.

2. On approximately one half of the dough, apply toppings as your little heart desires. Don't overstuff, or you will have difficult sealing the crust. You can riff on a traditional calzone like I did, or stick with pepperoni and cheese or sausage and cheese, or whatever.

3. Beat an egg in a small bowl, and with a pastry brush, apply a bit of egg on the edge of the dough to help seal.

4. Bring the side of the dough unladen with ingredients to join the other edge, forming a pocket.

5. Press the edges firmly together. You can use a fork to mash the edges together, or curl up the edges in a curly pattern. You just want to keep all the yummy ingredients inside.

6. Bake on a preheated pizza stone in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

7. Calzones can be refrigerated and eaten later, but allow to completely cool (will take at least an hour) before wrapping and refrigerating. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5–10 minutes or so.

Sugar Spiced Almonds

I made these for a yummy snack to eat on New Year's Eve. These are not your typical candied nuts-- the combination of spices is super good. Give these a try!

1 egg white + 2-3 t. cold water

1/2 c. sugar

1 3/4 t. cayenne pepper

7/8 t. garlic salt

7/8 t. chili powder

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

3 1/2 c. almonds

Put the almonds in a big ziploc bag. Beat the egg white and combine with the cold water, then pour in the bag and shake to coat the nuts.

Mix the spices in a small bowl before pouring in the bag and shaking again to coat.

Grease a rimmed cookie sheet or line with foil. Preheat oven to 250.

Spread almonds in a single layer on pan and roast in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Cool on pan before storing in an airtight container.