Thursday, May 29, 2014

Basil-Lime Chicken

I don't know where this came from, it's just too good to not share it with you. Basil is growing at my house, limes are readily available, and who doesn't like chicken?
Basil-Lime Chicken
4 limes, juice and zest
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 green onions, chopped and divided
4 cloves minced garlic, divided
1/4 cup chopped basil
salt and pepper
3 lbs. chicken breasts
1 jalapeno
Combine juice and zest of 2 limes, olive oil, mustard, Worcestershire, soy, 3 green onions, 2 garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and mix well. Cut the chicken into even cutlets, place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Pour marinade over the chicken. Marinade for over 2 hours. better to do this overnight. Preheat your grill or grill pan. Grill 7 minutes, flip. Grill until internal temp is 170º
Let the chicken rest. Meanwhile, combine the juice and zest of 2 limes, evoo, 3 chopped onions,
2 cloves of minced garlic, jalapeno and basil. Slice chicken into bite-size pieces and pour the sauce on top. As Rachael would say, "yummo!"

Monday, May 26, 2014

Benefits of growing and eating kale

Kale: almost a miracle plant. I live with osteoarthritis and have been slowly finding out what triggers inflammation. Beef and some animal products so far seems to be the culprits. I'm not saying no one should eat beef, but for me, it seems to be a problem.
Browsing some medical journals that deal with diet, I discovered some evidence that the curly plant, kale, can replace beef easily in one's diet. No, it'll probably never taste like it but it has nutrients beyond. For example, it has more iron than beef, more calcium than milk, fiber, and a nice balance of the omega fatty acids. It grows to maturity in 55 - 60 days. I love it swiftly sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, in a tortellini soup, chopped in salad. Cut the leaves when they are the size of your hand or smaller. Cut around the rib, then chop for either a fresh salad or to put in soup. Here's my friend Ivy's tortellini soup. I love it because of all the vegetables in it.

 Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

1 lb. Italian sausage or chicken sausage
1 c. coarsely chopped onions
2 cups chopped kale
2 garlic cloves, sliced
5 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. dry red wine or water
2 c. (4 medium) chopped seeded peeled tomatoes
1 c. thinly sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. sliced zucchini
8 oz. ( 2 c.) fresh cheese filled tortellini
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

If sausage comes in casing, remove casing. Brown sausage in 5 quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove sausage; reserve 1 tbl. drippings in Dutch oven. Cook onions and garlic in reserved drippings until onions are tender. Add cooked sausage, kale, broth, water, wine, tomatoes,carrots, basil, oregano, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes.

Skim fat from soup. Stir in zucchini, tortellini, parsley and bell
pepper. Cover; simmer an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until
tortellini are tender. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.
8 (1 1/2 c. servings)

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Zucchini - Call me nuts

Yes, I'm talking about that vegetable you don't dare plant more than one in your garden. Even with one plant, you're begging your neighbors to take more because you have too much.

I went to a sale the other day, vegetable starts were 50% off. Great time to buy some veggies to put in the garden. I just want one zucchini plant, just one.... What the nursery had were those crazy looking round ones.  No idea what to do with the round ones. Do they taste the same? Do they shred nicely?
The search is on....other nurseries are out of zucchini plants. Really? you ask.

Traveling tomorrow out of town to continue the search. I really love to eat this recipe. I received it through an email from the famous lady (Gwyneth Paltrow) who experimented with a recipe and finally came up with this.

Fried-Zucchini Spaghetti


1 pound small zucchini, very thinly sliced crosswise
  1. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  2. Salt
  3. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  4. 3/4 pound spaghetti
  5. 1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  6. 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
  7. Freshly ground pepper
  8. Lemon wedges, for serving
  1. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the flour and a pinch of salt. In a very large skillet, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Add half of the zucchini and fry over high heat, turning once or twice, until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the zucchini to a paper towel–lined wire rack and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining oil and zucchini.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the 1 cup of cheese, the basil and a generous pinch of pepper. Add the reserved pasta water a little at a time, tossing well to coat. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and top with the crispy zucchini. Serve right away with lemon wedges and additional cheese.


Thursday, May 8, 2014

This weekend--daughter's birthday and Mother's Day


I will never forget giving birth to my daughter right before Mother's Day. This year, she's on schedule, her birthday is right before Mother's Day. We get to do two celebrations! Her favorite dessert is my carrot cake. I'm making it for her. Here's how it goes:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups shredded carrots
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained into a cup (so that you can drink it!)
1-1/2 chopped walnuts, or pecans

Frosting:
1 package 8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioner's sugar --you can even use less-I taste before adding anymore

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the oil, eggs, mix on low speed until well blended. Add the carrots, drained pineapple and nuts. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 300º for 60 minutes. Do a toothpick test. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan onto a cooling rack. Allow to coo completely.
Once cool, make the frosting: in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and well combined. Beat in vanilla and confectioner's sugar. Frosting will be soft but spreadable. Spread over top and sides of cake.
Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12 servings. This is kind of a joke. Daughter serves herself a very large piece, leaving perhaps 5-6 servings behind. :)
One of my Hawaiian relatives added the pineapple to this cake years ago. Just isn't as moist without it.
Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mothers I know.