Chicken Yakitori with Bok Choy

Chicken Yakitori (Adapted from Cooking Light)

• 1 cup sake
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 36 (3/4-inch) cubes
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 cilantro sprigs
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1-2 red bell peppers, cut into pieces for skewers
• Cooking spray

Soak the skewers, if wooden in a bit of water for about 20 minutes. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Remove ginger with a slotted spoon, and place in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce mixture, pepper, chicken, garlic, and cilantro to ginger in bowl; toss well. Cover and chill 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Bring remaining soy sauce mixture to a boil; cook 10 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat; slowly add vinegar and oil, stirring with a whisk. Divide soy sauce mixture into 2 equal portions (about 1/4 cup each); set aside. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken and red bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Place the skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Cover and grill for 8 minutes or until done, turning after 4 minutes and basting occasionally with 1/4 cup reserved soy sauce mixture. Place skewers on a serving platter; serve with remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce mixture.

Bok Choy (Adapted from Steamy Kitchen Blog)

• 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (using the jar of ginger works too)
• 3 tablespoons water + 3 tablespoons white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by trimming the stem off - don't trim too much - just the end. Cutting the thick stem off will ensure that the bok choy cooks evenly. Separate out the leaves, keep the tender center intact and clean under running  water. Drain. Place wok or saute pan on your stove and pour in the cooking oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Turn the heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle in the oil. When the aromatics become fragrant and light golden brown, add the bok choy leaves. Toss very well to coat each leaf with the garlicky, gingery oil for 15 seconds. Pour in half of the water and wine. Immediately cover and let cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle a bit of sesame oil on top. Top with remainder of the water and wine. Cover and simmer for another couple of minutes.

Ham, Eggs & Avocado

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Well, I just got back from Las Vegas, where I have been for the the past 9 days, so I apologize for the lack of activity! On a plus side, I visited MANY amazing restaurants while there.  My wallet may not appreciate it, but my taste buds sure do! I took today to get my life back in order, which means I cooked something :) This is a super easy dish to make...and fast!

1 ham steak
2 eggs
Cooking spray
1 avocado
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tb salsa verde
salt & pepper to taste

The ham steak should be pre-cooked, so this really only involves a bit of heating and browning. Spray a skillet and cook on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and keep warm. Spray the skillet with more cooking spray, if needed, and crack two eggs. Cook for about two minutes, flip, and cook for another two minutes. (Cook to your preference). In the meantime, dice up an avocado and mix with lime juice. Top the ham steak with the eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with the avocado on the side and top with salsa.

Vinegar Glossed Chicken

Courtesy of Wives with Knives Blog

I admit, I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts to be healthy...but this go around, I had to go for the chicken thighs with the skin on! The recipe really caught my attention, again, because I love vinegar :) I must say -- cooking with bone in and the skin on sure does give it a lot of flavor! This dish was yummy and wasn't over the top with vinegar. I highly recommend it!

1 cup best-quality red wine vinegar
3-4 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

At least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours before cooking combine the vinegar, garlic and rosemary to marinate chicken.

Thoroughly season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat and swirl enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down.  Don't crowd the chicken; leave space around each piece.  Work in batches if necessary.  You should hear an immediate sizzle when the chicken pieces hit the pan.  Don't move them.  It takes a few minutes to sear the chicken so it doesn't stick.  Brown all sides; this can take up to 10 minutes per batch.  Regulate the heat so it stays high but does not burn the chicken.  Place all the browned chicken back into the skillet.

Add chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lower the heat, simmer, and reduce for 15 to 20 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and pour in the vinegar mixture.  Swirl the pan and stir around as the vinegar evaporates to form a simmering glaze, 8-10 minutes.  Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat with some extra broth.

Herb Marinated Green Beans

Courtesy of One Perfect Bite Blog

This would make a really great side or snack! My Mom made something similar to this recently and I loved them -- probably because they have vinegar in them :) My Mom used to catch me on the counter drinking vinegar with a spoon as a kid...doesn't sound as appetizing now, but I do still love vinegar! This is easy - I used canned green beans for this and it was so easy.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 pound green beans
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste (Kosher or sea salt)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Choose a large bowl and place parsley, basil, oregano and vinegar in it. let it steep for 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic and mix well. Let steep for another 30 minutes.
2) Snap off ends of green beans, rinse in cold water, and drop them into boiling salt water. Drain string beans while still very firm. Add warm green beans to bowl with vinegar and herbs. Marinate for a minimum of 1 hour and as much as 5 or 6 hours. Mix thoroughly from time-to-time. Serve beans at room temperature, adding olive oil and salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Salmon Burgers (version 2)

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake Blog

Yes, I already have a recipe on my blog for salmon cakes - and that was adapted from my Dad's recipe. They were tasty! I then came across this other recipe, so figured I'd give it a whirl. This time I used fresh salmon, which I think I'd recommend if it's possible. If not, canned/packaged definitely works too!

• 1 pound skinless, boneless salmon
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 shallots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice from half of 1 lemon
• few dashes of Old Bay seasoning
• Remoulade sauce, for topping

1. Cut the salmon into large chunks, and put about a quarter of it into the container of a food processor, along with the mustard. Turn the machine on, and let it run – stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary – until the mixture becomes pasty.
2. Add the shallots and the remaining salmon, and pulse the machine until the fish is chopped and combined with the puree. No piece should be larger than a quarter inch or so; be careful not make the mixture too fine.
3. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the bread crumbs, lemon juice, old bay, capers and some salt and pepper. Shape into four burgers.
4. Place the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, cook the burgers for 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once. Alternatively, you can grill them: let them firm up on the first side, grilling about 4 minutes, before turning over and finishing for just another minute or two. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside. Be careful not to overcook. Serve on a bed of greens or on buns or by themselves with remoulade.

Skillet Eggs with Squash & Zucchini

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (July/August 2011)

I'm ashamed that I haven't posted anything in as long as it's been! This usually means that I've been bad by eating out, going to too many happy hours, and most likely going out of town on the weekends! However, a lot of fun has been had in the past couple of weeks, but now it's back to the grind and cooking! I decided to make a new breakfast dish since the weekend seems to be the perfect time to do this. One note - your life will be a lot easier if you have a food processor with the shred attachment. This is now my new favorite toy :)

INGREDIENTS:
4 medium summer squash and/or zucchini (I used 2 of each)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 leek, sliced thinly (white and about an inch of the green portion)
1 dash ground red cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated smoked gouda

DIRECTIONS:

Grate the squash into a colander using the large holes of a box grater (or use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment). Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then let drain in the sink, 30 to 40 minutes. Squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as possible.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside 3 tablespoons scallion greens. Add the remaining scallions (white and green parts), the leeks, the cayenne pepper, and salt to taste and cook until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the shredded squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes.

Spread the squash evenly in the skillet. Make six indentations in the mixture with the back of a spoon; put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each one. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour into an indentation. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes. Scatter the reserved scallion greens on top.

Red Snapper with Leeks & Tomatoes

Courtesy of Epicurious

Red snapper is a tasty fish and whenever it's fresh at the grocery store, I tend to take some home! I wanted to try something different and found this recipe on Epicurious' website. I did halve the recipe, and I also made some measuring adjustments (aka I eyeballed everything and made a change or so). The below is what I went with, but you can find the original recipe on Epicurious' website. Mmmmm seafood...I can never get enough!

• 2 red snapper fillets
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• canned Italian seasoned, peeled plum tomatoes, chopped (I took these out the can, about 5, and cut through them)
• 1 tb balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle fish on both sides with salt and pepper; place in baking dish (preferably glass). Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, tomatoes and a spoon full of the tomato sauce to skillet; stir until tomatoes are combined, about 2 minutes. Mix in vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon leek mixture over fish fillets. Bake until fish fillets are just opaque in center, about 20 minutes (depending on thickness of the fish).