SunButter Dan Dan Noodles

Homemade Chinese Food!

or

MAKE AND CONSUME 4 BATCHES OF THESE NOODLES RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

(From Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking)

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. gluten-free linguine

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

2 tbsp finely minced or grated ginger

2 tbsp coconut amino acids (Worcestershire Sauce is also useable for allergy-folks, soy sauce is fine otherwise)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp sriracha

1/3 cup smooth SunButter/sunflower seed butter (non-allergy-folks, peanut butter can work)

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp salt

3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds, plus more for garnish

1/2 English cucumber, peeled, quartered, and diced, for garnish.

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to box.

2.) In a large bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, coconut amino acids, oil, sugar, vinegar, and chile sauce. Mix well. Add the SunButter, chicken broth, and salt. Stir until smooth.

3.) Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce, tossing to coat. Mix in the green onions, cilantro, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.

4.) Serve garnished with the diced cucumber and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.

NOTES:

-SO easy!! Complex flavors make it seem so much fancier/harder than it actually is!

-Recipe has a good kick, so follow it without embellishment first...

-I didn't use cilantro and honestly, I don't think it needs it...

-Second go round included some chopped greenery and chicken chunks sauteed in the sauce. I recommend those additions.

Hot Sauce Pasta Salad

No idea how I happened across this recipe, but it stood out for (1) a hearty, healthy-looking dish that would keep for multiple meals, and (2) hot sauce!

Recipe

Pasta
1 lb cooked pasta: e.g., shells, ziti, penne, rotini
2 c tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 c artichoke hearts, quartered
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 c black olives, sliced
2/3 c red onion, chopped
2/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil

Cook the pasta, drain, drizzle with olive oil, and mix in the other ingredients.

Dressing
1 c red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 c olive oil
1 1/2 c tomato sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 c basil, chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice
salt

Heat the olive oil and garlic, then add the red pepper and cook a couple minutes.  Remove the garlic, then add the tomato sauce and hot sauce.  Simmer for five minutes.  Add basil, lemon juice, and salt, and pour over the salad.

Top with Parmesan.

Notes

There's a good bit of chopping and other prep involved here.  I took most of the measurements as whatever was convenient with what I had.  I aimed for about a half portion overall, but I also reduced the olive oil - a whole cup?!  I also upped the hot sauce considerably.  I felt a little bad for not using Cholula brand, but somewhat better about supporting Hot Sauce 4 Good.

Here's my finished product, topped with some popcorn shrimp(!) - they also suggest regular shrimp or chicken if you want more protein.  Didn't really need it though.  Pretty good, tangy, and hopefully the rest will keep for a bit.

Chicken Hash

Upstate cooking lab is in full swing.  Today's afternoon session was a nice Martha Stewart brunch option:

Recipe

1/2 a chicken breast, cut into 3/4" cubes
12 oz small red potatoes, boiled and quartered
2 ears-worth corn kernels
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, minced
4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c chicken (or veggie) stock
salt, pepper, evoo

Step zero is to get your potatoes boiling...  Heat a skillet up high.  The first thing in is your chicken; brown for a few minutes, then set aside.  Add a few tsps oil, then the potatoes go in until golden-brown, a few minutes, then set aside.  Add another tsp oil, then the corn, scallion, and jalapeno, just a couple minutes until the corn is dark brown in spots.  Next, add the tomatoes and cook a minute or so.  Then add the stock and chicken, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add the potatoes, and you're ready to go.

Notes

Martha's hash is a little upscale - you don't just plop things into a skillet one-by-one (or all at once) - you'll have some extra bowls to clean.  That said, this was a really nice one.  Everything browns up nicely to appropriate degrees...  I didn't follow the measurements too closely, eyeballing the amounts for pretty much everything.  Didn't effect the final product.  Fresh corn is a great element (I'm less of a tomato fan, but realize that's just me).  When I added the stock, whoosh it boiled almost immediately, but kept things from drying out too much.  All in all, Martha knows what she's doing.

One-Pan Pasta

Cannibal Stew is apparently late to the viral sensation on this one...  Supposedly it came from Martha Stewart originally:

Recipe

12 oz linguine
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 sprigs basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 1/2 c water
red pepper
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Start with most of the ingredients in one large straight-sided skillet - pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil, some red pepper, salt & pepper, and the water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring pasta frequently.  Cook about 9 minutes, until the pasta is ready and most of the water absorbed/evaporated.

Serve with Parmesan and more salt & pepper, olive oil, and basil.

Notes 

Twelve ounces is a strange quantity of pasta - since boxes are usually a pound, you either leave yourself an inconveniently small uncooked portion or you round up or down.  I went up and increased the water to 5 cups, which may not have been necessary.  In any case, it's a pretty quick, not too difficult pasta recipe, a good alternative to carbonara.

Korvgryta

Pronunciation unclear, korvgryta is a Swedish sausage casserole.  Like other Scandinavian dishes, it's straightforward meat-and-potatoes; it may not be as tempting to poor Jansson, but that's a matter for a future post.  Here you go:

Recipe

1 lb sausage meat
2 onions, sliced
2 apples, sliced
4-5 potatoes, cooked and sliced

Start by boiling your potatoes.  Remove the sausage meat from the casings and brown in a heavy skillet.  Remove sausage but leave drippings; cook the onion.  Once they're golden brown and transparent, add the apple slices and cook briefly.  Butter a casserole dish and layer the potatoes, sausage, and onion/apple.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Notes

Everything cooks separately, but it's the half-hour or so baking in the casserole that lets the flavors meld together wonderfully.  I don't think you have to be too selective with your choice of sausage; our jalapeno-cheddar added a nice spicy and (obviously) salty element to the mix.  The original recipe said it made four servings; we one-and-a-halved everything, and it stuffed four people nicely with a little left over.

Not much green in the recipe, so it needs a side for a well-rounded meal:

Chili Mac

Allergies and intolerances SUCK! But they don't have to stop you from eating ridiculously creamy, cheesy, comforting fare.

Case in point, CHILI MAC! From the amazing Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking by Cybele Pascal.

INGREDIENTS:

-1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
-1 cup diced yellow onion
-2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
-1 tbsp chili powder
-1/4 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 lb. ground beef, bison, or dark meat turkey
-1 tbsp brown sugar
-salt
-2 cups water
-1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
-8 ounces gluten-free elbow macaroni
-2/3 cup shredded Daiya vegan pepperjack
-2/3 cup shredded Daiya vegan cheddar
-2/3 cup shredded Daiya vegan mozzerella
-freshly ground pepper


DIRECTIONS:

-Preheat the broiler on high.

-Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy, oven-safe pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, until slightly softened.

-Add the spices and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more, until aromatic.

-Add the meat and cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking it up into a small crumble. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt, stir, and cook for 1 minute more.

-Add the water and tomato sauce, increase the heat to medium-high, add the pasta, and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium again. Simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Meanwhile, toss together the three cheeses. Add 1 cup of the cheese mixture to the pasta. Stir, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Top with the remaining cup of cheese. Broil 6 inches from the heat source for about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is just starting to brown. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Let rest for a few minutes.

-DEVOUR MERCILESSLY.

Crockpot Flank Steak

Cannibal Stew's first corporate sponsor!

It's always nice when work overlaps and gives you something nice for your personal life.  Browsing Bank of America's social media properties for a project, I took note of a link to some money-saving crockpot recipes, and bookmarked them for a closer look later.  Here's the first one...

Recipe

3 lbs flank steak, each steak cut into thirds (if necessary - I overlooked this part with my one steak)
1 1/2 c broth
1/4 c sherry (or apple cider) vinegar
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
salt & pepper
extras: tortillas, cilantro, jalapeno, rice, couscous, etc.

Do the crockpot thing: combine it all.  The meat should be submerged or close to it, so get the veggies and stuff out from under if necessary.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Shred the meat (let it sit 10 minutes first if you can) and serve.

Notes

It seems a pity to eat flank steak not from the grill, but no regrets about this one.  The recipe says the cut has a "meaty" flavor, which, well, how could it not be meaty?  (They also describe the whole dish
as "fragrant.")  But yeah, the flank steak really was good (if on the expensive side).

I got distracted and forgot to prep anything else to go with, so I enjoyed it as a paleo stew-type dish.  Very good, but I'd try it as tacos or over rice or, as per a reader comment on the original, couscous, which sounds even better...