{WDH} Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

What do you eat when you aren’t feeling good?  What tends to boost your immunity when you have a cold or Flu?

Chicken noodle soup!  Besides being good, it is also good for you.  There is something about it that helps fight through that cold.  Runny nose.  Inflammation. Cough.  Yep!  Helps all of them.  Why?  Even Science doesn’t know.  But they do know, and report, that there is something about the combo of chicken and veggies that does the job.

Let’s see if it helps my cold.  Even tho’ mine doesn’t have a lot of veggies in it it does have three Chinese spices that are helpful during cold season – anis, cinnamon, ginger – which are antibacterial, boost immunity, and/or fight coughs.

 

This was really good.  The combination of the spices with the soy sauce and onions was spot on.    Definitely a keeper.

The recipe is from Donna’s off the shelf  page 58

More Soup?  Visit Wednesdays with Donna Hay.  And if you want to join in the themes are on the right.  The recipe is up to you.  Just blog and leave us a comment.  We’d love to have you.

We don’t publish the recipes.  We’d rather you buy a cookbook of Donna’s.

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{CC#9} AB’s Garlic Shrimp

IF you have read my blog you know that SHRIMP is probably my favorite food.  So now surprise that this shrimp dish from Alton Brown was one of the first things I made when I started to cook from The Early Years for Cookbook Countdown

Take 1 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp.  Seal in a plastic bag or container with 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 medium minced cloves of garlic  {I added some extra} , 1/4 tsp of kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a 10″ iron skillet for 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add the shrimp and all the other ingredients to the skillet.  Toss the shrimp etc constantly for about 5 minutes as the shrimp cooks and turns opaque in the center – about 3 or 4 minutes.

Serve immediately.

This is not an ingredient, at this point, to be added to anything.  Like shrimp scampi – good all by itself.

But I had plenty of leftovers since I made a double batch and mixed mine with some additional olive oil and some tan mien – Chinese egg noodles.

This recipe is from Alton Brown’s The Early Years page 379. Alton suggested using the leftovers in a Garlic Shrimp Casserole

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{EwE} Savvy Salad

This week’s theme, thanks to Kayte, is Salads.  Now, salad can mean just about anything – pasta, green, potato, fruit – so this was a wide open category.

We eat lots of green salads so I wanted something different.

Pasta tossed with celery, maters, carrots, and red cabbage (I left out the red onion) with a dressing made with Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and red cider vinegar.  The dressing was a lot like the one I used to use for my broccoli pasta salad but not sweet.  This would also be good with some sunflower seeds thrown in.  Or some squash, zucchini, shrooms.

I liked the salad.  But I would like it more if the dressing was sweeter.

The recipe is from Ellie’s Comfort Food Fix page 250.

For more salads visit Eating with Ellie – Savvy Salads.  If you want to join us just cook something from Ellie in the theme, blog, and comment.  Easy Peasy.  We’d love to have you.

 

{EwE} shrimp pad thai salad

One of the reasons I learned to cook was to be able to enjoy different dishes I have had in restaurants or heard about from friends. But I am also trying to eat healthier. Those two often don’t go together. Unless you cook with Ellie Krieger. I have often wanted to make shrimp pad thai but haven’t gotten around to it yet. While this ISN’T the pad thai I had in mind it is not bad. Regular pad thai is served hot after stir-frying most of the ingredients together. THIS, however, is a SALAD and served cold. All the same ingredients: fish sauce, sugar, sriracha, rice noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts, peanuts, etc but cold.

While it was tasty it just wasn’t what I was expecting and I really don’t like it enough to make it again. Sorry, Glennis {her pick this week}, but just not a fave here.

You can find the recipe on page 48 of Ellie’s Weeknight Wonders.

ANd see if the others liked the pad thai salad by visiting our ‘meeting place‘.

If you would like to join us cooking through Ellie’s book just leave a comment with one of us. The recipe picks are on the right side of the page and the dates we are blogging about them. Come join in the fun!

 

{IHCC} Comforting Food for Deb

There are times when our lives take a tumble. Time when we want what we cannot have. Times when we feel failure. Times when we lose someone important in our lives. Times when we feel sorrow for someone else’s loss. This was the case this week when we found out that Deb, one of our administrators in I Heart Cooking Clubs, had lost her Mom. So we are virtually sending her hugs with comfort food. Food that wraps you up and makes you warm inside. Food that brings back memories, feelings, joy. Deb – this is for you. It’s all we can do from afar.

If you look on page 30 of Donna Hay‘s Off The Shelf: Cooking from the Pantry you will see the recipe for baked carbonara. She lists it as ‘short order’. Presumably because it is quick. And it is. By the time the sauce is put together the pasta is al dente and ready to be mixed with some nice crispy bacon. What you end up with after baking the mixture for 30 minutes is….

…which you use as a main or a side. Either way, it is GOOD. The cream, milk, egg, and Parm cheese all comes together resulting in a creamy pasta.

I would not change anything except instead of just pouring the cream/milk/egg mixture over the pasta I would mix it all up in larger bowl with the the bacon and then put it into the baking dish. Good Stuff Y’all.

14 oz ziti or pasta of your choice
4 slies bacon
4 eggs
2 cps heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.

Cook pasta til al dente and drain.
Cook bacon until crsip
Whisk the eggs together with the cream, milk and Parmesan Cheese.
Place pasta in an ovenproof dish large enough to hold all the ingredients.
Top with the bacon and egg mixture.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until set.

What else is on the Potluck this week? I Heart Cooking Clubs is cooking for Deb this week.

 

{WWDH} spaghetti with lemon, capers, and rocket

I will be the first to admit Donna Hay comes up with some interesting flavor combinations. Pasta and lemons? Ehhhhh…. But, folks, wrap that spaghetti around your fork ’cause this is GOOD stuff!!

You bite into the pasta and a hint of lemon enters your senses. Then you bite into a caper and it bites back with a little salt, a little tart. The rocket adds a little bitter and the Parmesan adds a little sour. {And if I had used the chilies it would have added a little heat.}

I was not expecting to like this AT. ALL. I was so wrong.

Slip on over the Wednesdays with Donna Hay and see how the others liked this pasta – Sarah’s choice this week. The recipe is on page 130 of Donna’s modern classics: Book 1 and I found it on Michelle’s blog, too if you want to try it.

Any time you would like to join us just leave a comment on the WWDH site. Love to have you.

 

{WWDH} spaghetti and meatballs

There are always some foods that you remember eating for ever. Meatloaf! Tuna Casserole! {Child of the 60s.} Spaghetti! And when I got married I could make three things – meatloaf. tuna casserole, and spaghetti. My Mom’s recipe. And I didn’t do any of them very well. I am surprised The Man and I are still married – especially if the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I switched recipes many times for spaghetti. I am always looking for a ‘better’ recipe. I finally found one we really like and then along comes Donna.

I seldom make meatballs but that just changed. Donna’s mix of beef and pork with Parmesan and breadcrumbs results in a perfect meatball that holds together nicely and tastes great. Definitely making these again. And the sauce is super simple, too. Canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, beef stock, red wine. Super simple.

Check with

Gaye,
Chaya,
and Sarah

for their ‘sketti this week. And it was my choice so I hoped they liked it.

The recipe is from Modern Classics: Book 1 page 134.

I found her recipe for just the meatballs HERE.

 

{IHCC} Bittman’s Veggie Fried Noodles

It’s potluck week again with I Heart Cooking Clubs. I went with Bittman again. His recipes have so much flavor and they are healthy to boot. It’s a win/win!

There is just something about the flavors used in Asian food that always draws me in. Ginger. Sesame. When I saw this recipe in Bittman’s The Food Matters Cookbook I knew it would be perfect.

8 ounces any rice, buckwheat(soba){which is what I used}, or wheat noodles, preferably whole grain.
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 cup chopped green onions
2 large carrots chopped, sliced, or julienned
3 celery stalks, chopped, sliced, or julienned
2 cups snow peas
1/4 cup chicken stock or water (more if you need it, I didn’t.)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 egg, beaten {I left this out cause of the cholesterol. Next time I would add it in.}
black pepper
1/4 cups chopped peanuts for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package, but make sure they don’t get mushy. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water. Toss them with sesame oil to prevent sticking.
Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and scallions. Cook for about 15 seconds.
Add the carrots, celery, snow peas, and stock or water and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 5-10 minutes. If the mixture gets too dry, add more liquid a tablespoon at a time.
Stir in soy sauce and beaten egg(s) and let the egg lightly scramble in the pan. Add the noodles, sprinkle with pepper, and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning. I have found that I needed more soy sauce. Garnish and serve.

I added chicken to mine – a 6 oz breast. Slice up the chicken and brown in the oil before you cook the veggies. When the chicken is done set it aside and then start with the veggies, etc. Add the chicken back when you add the noodles.

This fits pretty well with the DASH way of eating. I used less oil than called for and the buckwheat noodles are better for you. Like I said – win/win.

I liked it better without the chopped peanuts.

<The recipe is on page 208 of his cookbook.

Visit with the other IHCC members for their Potluck picks. So many chefs to choose from!!

 

{WWDH}stir fried noodles and crispy chicken

There is just something about the flavor of Hoisin sauce. It is sweet but not SWEET. A little bit may go along way. But then, sometimes you cannot get enough of it in your dish. The balance in this dish of Donna’s was just right. Donna’s stir fried noodles called for 3 Tbl of hoisin and 1/4 cup soy sauce. I increased the hoisin just a tad and decreased the Soy sauce just a tad. PERFECT!

All you have to do is sautee some shredded ginger with some peppers, add the hoisin and soy and sugar and let it cook just a little. Then toss in the cooked wheat noodles {I used SOBA noodles} and let them ‘fry’ for a few seconds..

As for the Crispy chicken. Rice flour, 5 Spice and salt for the dredge with a quick fry in a little oil – shallow fry – to a golden brown. Serve it with the stir fry noodles.

Using rice flour instead of regular flour makes for a very light, almost tempura like fry. And with the addition of the 5 Spice adds tons of flavor. I only wish I had increased the amount of 5 Spice. But next time. There are also supposed to be Asian greens, which I could NOT find in Podunk, USA, so left them out completely. I found out later I could have used Bok Choy or other cabbage. Ah, well!

The recipe is on page 62 of Donna’s off the shelf

Click on over and visit with Gaye, whose pick this was, and Sarah for their noodles and chicken.

 

{IHCC} Use Your Noodle…

This week’s theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs is NOODLES!! Easy Peasy! Until I tried to settle on just one recipe. NOT so Easy Peasy!! But I finally narrowed it down and ended up with a rice noodle dish.

Donna called this ‘simple snack’. It is a serving for one which made it just perfect for me. Cooked Rice noodles (50 g) tossed with 1/2 tsp Sesame Seed Oil, 1 Tbl soy sauce and 1 tbl sweet chilli sauce. Topped with shredded green onions.

Okay. Not the flavor I was expecting. The next time I throw this together I will:

cut the Soy Sauce to, at the most, 1/2 Tbl,
double, at least, the Sesame Seed Oil and
increase the Sweet Chilli Sauce just a tad.

Craving noodles now. Then check out Noodles, Noodles Everywhere at IHCC.
And if you want to join in the fun — we are finishing up with Donna Hay the end of March and beginning 6 months with Nigel Slater. Great recipes are coming!!!! The rules are on…