Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Chicken

This is a new recipe that we tried tonight.  It is based on an old Cooking Light recipe for Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Chicken.  We love having noodles and could use a healthier option.  We love soba noodles and this is a dish that we can easily reduce the noodles while increasing the veggies and protein.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
6 oz Soba noodles (buckwheat noodles), uncooked
1/4 cup Cooking sherry
4 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Rice vinegar
1 tsp Honey
2 tbsp Canola (or peanut) oil, divided
3/4 lbs Chicken breast, cut into thin slices
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
1 1/2 tsp Sesame oil
12 oz Mushrooms, stems removed, cut in half (or quartered if large)
3 cups Broccoli florets
2 Bell pepper strips, cut into thin strips (red and another color pepper)
1 tbsp Ginger, minced

Directions
1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.
2. Combine cooking sherry, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic, and then stir-fry 4-5 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm under foil.
4. Heat remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil and sesame oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, and ginger.  Stir-fry 4-5 minutes.
5. Return chicken to pan and stir in sherry mixture. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve over cooked noodles.

Enjoy.

Tuna Skewers with Salsa Verde

This was a fun new recipe that we tried a little while back.  I adapted this from Food & Wine's recipe for Swordfish Skewers with Salsa Verde.  This was from Chef Chad Colby.  I had tuna and wanted to try it.  I made the mistake of using the metal skewers - and they did not work perfectly on the grill pan.  I will use wood skewers next time.  I loved the way this turned out.  It is a nice healthy and tasty meal and one that we will make over and over again - for sure!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
1 cup Parsley leaves
3 tbsp Garlic, chopped (or 10-12 cloves)
Kosher salt, pinch (to taste)
Black pepper, pinch (to taste)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tuna steaks, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (just over a pound)
1 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandolin to 1/8" thick)

Directions
1. In a food processor, pulse the parsley, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil to a thick puree.
2. Onto each of 3-4 skewers, alternately thread a piece of fish, and a slice of zucchini (folded over as show in the picture).  Repeat until all the fish and zucchini are on the skewers.  Season the skewers with salt and pepper and brush all over with the parsley sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the skewers over moderate heat until the fish is lightly browned and cooked through.  Cook around 5 minutes on the first side and then around 4 minutes on the other side. Add remaining parsley sauce from the plate when you turn the fish over on the pan.

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry

This was a new recipe that we tried out today.  This was adapted from the Cooking Light recipe for Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry.  I played with this a bit and added some favorites like water chestnuts.  This was really delicious and very easy to make.  We served this over brown rice and it was a great meal.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

1 lbs Shrimp, peeled and deveined (anywhere between 30-50 count)
1 tbsp Cornstarch
3 tbsp Canola oil, divided (or peanut oil)
8 oz can Water chestnuts, sliced
2 tsp Ginger, minced
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or three cloves)
2 cups Broccoli florets
1/4 cup Soy sauce
2 tbsp Rice vinegar
1 tsp Honey

Directions

1. Combine shrimp and cornstarch in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
2. Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add shrimp and stir-fry 4 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan and place in a medium bowl.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan.  Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry for 90 seconds.  Add ginger, and garlic to pan and stir-fry around 45 seconds. Add water chestnut mixture to shrimp in the medium bowl.
4. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan.  Add broccoli and stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp mixture, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey.  Cook 1 additional minute.

Enjoy!

Maple Chicken

I found this recipe for Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken on Cooking Light and I have been carrying it around for a while.  The incentive to give it a whirl came from a gift of some real maple syrup and the real desire to cook with it.  My wife does not love sweet dishes - so it will not go in quick rotation.  But I tweaked it a bit and loved the way it came out.  I will try to figure out when to make it again - maybe when company is coming over.  This was also a good opportunity to use my cast iron pan (since it need to be ovenproof).  You have to be careful - those things can get hot - and heavy!

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

3 (6-ounce) Chicken breast halves (skinless & boneless)
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
2-3 tsp Olive oil
1/4 cup Chicken broth
1/4 cup Maple syrup
1/2 tsp Thyme, dried
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
1 tbsp Cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt.
3. Heat olive a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and sauté 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.
4. Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to pan.  Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard and stir constantly for an additional minute.
5. Return chicken to pan, and spoon sauce over chicken. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes.
6. Remove chicken from pan and let stand around 2 minutes.  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Enjoy!

Muffin-Tin Crab Cakes

This is a recipe that I wanted to try for some time.  It was adapted from a recipe in Eating Well Magazine and came out great.  The best part is that they were not fried - which means they are a treat that actually is not that bad!  I loved the way these turned out and served them with green beans.  Additionally, they were not that hard to make - so it is perfect all the way around.

Ingredients (Makes 8-9 crab cakes & serves 3-4) 
Cooking spray
2 6 oz Crabmeat, canned
1 cup Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Red bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk Celery, chopped
1/4 cup Mayonnaise (olive oil or reduced fat)
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Generously coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray. (Do not skimp with the cooking spray)!
2. Mix crab, breadcrumbs, bell pepper, celery, mayonnaise, eggs, Kosher salt, pepper and lemon juice in a large bowl until well combined. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups. Using a spoon, push the mixture firmly into the muffin cups.  Bake until crispy and cooked through, 23 to 25 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Broccoli and Mushrooms with Rosemary

Another recipe that is long overdue for my blog!  This recipe was adapted from the Garlic-Spiked Broccoli and Mushrooms with Rosemary. This is a great side dish and is a perfect replacement for a starch.  We loved this and I will be making this again.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
4 tsp Olive oil, divided
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
8 oz Mushrooms (White or Baby Bella), cut in half.
3 cups Broccoli florets
1 tsp Rosemary, dried
1/4 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
Pinch of Pepper (adjust to taste)

Directions
1. In large skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
3. Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes
4. Add broccoli, rosemary and remaining 2 tsp of olive oil and cook 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Season with  Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Corey's Chex Mix

There are 100 recipes for variations on the classic Chex Mix, this is mine.  You can use any of the Chex or Chex-like cereals.  We always love this and it is the go to comfort snack for us at our home.  We use a big roasting pan for this and it works great.  We use our roasting pan more for this than anything else!

Ingredients (serves many - or one....)
6 tbsp Margarine or butter
5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp Seasoned salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp Onion Powder
9 cups Cereal (any mix you want - we normally go 3 cups each Wheat, Corn and Rice Chex)
2 cups Bagel chips or rye chips
2 cups Pretzels

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Slowly melt the margarine or butter in a microwave (no more than 20-25 seconds at a time).  When melted, mix in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder and onion powder.  NOTE: Adjust ingredients as desired.
3. In a large roasting pan, mix the chex cereal, bagel chips and pretzels.  Add the butter mix to the cereal and gently mix together so the cereal mix is well covered.
4. Cook for around 60 minutes, mixing every 15-20 minutes.
5. Let cool to room temperature before eating.

Enjoy!

Special Chicken with Coconut

This is a really great recipe that too me over a year to get into the blog.  I will definitely make this again.  We adapted this recipe from Tim Ferriss' Crisp-Baked Sesame-Coconut Chicken. This was relatively simple to make and very tasty.  The best part was that it came from the Dr. Oz show - so you know it is good for you.  This would be good as a chicken entree, and I can also see this as something we would put on salad.

Ingredients (4 servings)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (we used olive oil mayonnaise)
1 egg
1 tsp Sesame oil
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 tsp Mustard powder
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken (around 3-4), cut into 1" chunks
7 tbsp Sesame seeds
6 tbsp Coconut flakes

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, egg, sesame oil, mustard powder, salt, and pepper.  Add chicken chunks and toss to coat.
3. Mix the sesame seeds and coconut flakes on a plate.  One by one, take a chicken chunk and place it in the sesame seed-coconut mixture.  Then, sprinkle some mixture on top of the chicken.  Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.
4. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 20–22 minutes.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes and then serve.

Enjoy!