Getting Busy in The Kitchen

I love dining out in this city…my list of restaurants to try is never ending and there are even more not even on the list. But I also enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen…quite the conundrum I know! So after a few good dinners on the east side of town, I decided it was high time for some good homecookin’. For the amount of restaurants I have on a word file on my computer to try (yes, I have a word document titled “restaurants” and I write a little note next to the name after trying it out…doesn’t everyone do that??), I also have a very large amount of bookmarked recipes I’ve found online or pulled from the many food magazines I read. After seeing this recipes on Bon Appetite, I was inspired to finally use up that half box of udon noodles sitting in our cupboard, and created my own version of a salmon noodle stir fry.

Avocado topped salmon, vegetable, and noodles stir-fry

Salmon

1 pound skinless salmon fillet

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp chili paste

Mix ingredients together and rub all over salmon. Roast in 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Flake in large chunks

Stir fry

Noodles, enough for four people (we used udon but soba would also be really good)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp sriracha sauce (or to taste)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ginger, finely chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 bunch asparagus, cut in pieces

1 package frozen, shelled edamame

handful or two of snow peas, chopped

handful or two of spinach

handful or two of mushrooms, chopped

2-3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 avocado, diced

Extra sriracha for drizzling

Preheat wok over medium high heat and add sesame oil. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant. Add onion and red pepper and stir-fry until soft. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until tender. Meanwhile, boil pasta according to package directions and in the last 2-3 minutes, add the asparagus and edamame. Drain and add to wok with spinach, soy, honey, rice vinegar, and sriracha. Add salmon and toss to combine. Top with sesame seeds and avocado. A really delicious and healthy noodles dinner. The different textures from the avocado and edamame work so well! Also really tasty served over some more spinach. And the best part was that it lasted us for two more lunches and one more dinner. Love when that happens!

Cinnamon Babka

Despite these delicious leftovers, we had company coming for dinner…so that meant more cooking! Adam’s cousin graciously brought over this delicious cinnamon babka for dessert, so I made sure to cook an equally scrumptious dinner. Starting with this soup from Smitten Kitchen…one of the many bookmarked recipes from the very many food blogs I read. Simple and delicious with a great depth of flavor from the miso, it was a hit at our dinner table.

Whatever you do, do not leave out the sesame oil. It really puts takes this soup from Good to GOOOOOOD! Besides bookmarked recipes I find online, I have a lot of foodie friends and family that pass along recipes they find. This Million Dollar Chicken, passed along from my cousin, is very aptly named as it really does taste like a million bucks! (or what you would imagine that would taste like!)

I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and cut them into pieces. I also doubled the sauce, except for the water, and used half raisins and half dried cranberries instead of the currents. Served over Israeli couscous…I think it looked just as good as it tastes! Like a million bucks!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not normally a baker, but Adam’s cousin coming for dinner was special occasion enough for me to put my baking skills to work (not knowing I would have to compete with a babka that is…because nothing can match that!) I went with a simple apple crisp…it’s actually quite healthy that I think it would make a perfect breakfast with some Greek yogurt. Or dessert with ice cream, or by itself…really, when should warm apple crisp NOT be eaten?!

Apple Crisp

6 apples, thinly sliced

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup oats

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp margarine, melted

1 1/2 tbsp orange or apple juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2-3 tbsp toasted, chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix together first 4 ingredients and place in dish. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and crumble over top and bake for about 40-55 minutes (mine took on the longer side) until apples are soft. Enjoy HOT!

You would think after all that cooking I’d be done for the weekend…NOPE! I generally try on Sundays to cook a big batch of something that would freeze well so that we have back up meals in case we are working late or really just lazy! Chili is one of those things that is so comforting in the winter, freezes well, and is a complete meal in a bowl. Perfect for a weeknight meal. I had some canned pumpkin leftover from a recent batch of pumpkin pancakes and after some googling, found some inspiration for a turkey pumpkin chili. A great way to add bulk to chili, squeeze in some extra veggies, and most importantly, it tastes delicious when mixed with the cinnamony-cuminy-spicy chili base.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili (Adapted from this recipe)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 green peppers, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 pound ground white meat turkey

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 small can diced green chilis

1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 14 oz can diced tomato

1/2-1 cup water

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat and add onion, peppers, garlic, and zucchini and saute until tender. Add ground turkey and cook until browned. Add spices and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

So that’s what a week of home cooking looks like for me! What have you made this week??? I need to add to my ever growing “recipes to try” collection!