Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Zippy Green Beans

I was first drawn to this recipe because of the name, specifically "Zippy." It seems like the perfect way to bring some zip to an otherwise delicious but same-ol' same-ol' Thanksgiving dinner. It was a winner so a couple weeks later I served Zippy Green Beans to some friends and one comment was how much easier they are to eat than "regular" long green beans (The Week magazine, where I found the recipe, says this is an Indian-style cut). I agree, much more civilized. And, the best part, you can do all the prep ahead of time, including cutting and blanching the beans, so at the last minute it's very quick and easy. Oh, and I cut the recipe in half and still have enough delicious beans to serve 6-8 people. The full recipe will feed a crowd. Hope you like them!

Kosher or sea salt
4 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and cut crosswise intro 1/2-inch pieces
5 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/4 tsp black mustard seed (or 1 tbsp prepared Dijon mustard0
1 cup minced shallots
2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger root, grated
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Set a large pot of water over high heat and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. When water in pot boils, add a generous few pinches of salt, then green beans. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute—just until the beans are a brighter green. Drain and immediately transfer to the ice-water bath; drain again once they are thoroughly cooled.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add mustard seed; as soon as seeds start to pop and sputter, stir in shallots. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shallots are lightly browned on edges; reduce heat as needed so they don’t burn or scorch.
Add ginger and red pepper flakes, then green beans. Toss to coat evenly and cook until just warmed through. Taste, and add salt as needed. Serves 8 to 12.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Aren't these one of everyone's favorites? I made these for our Mexican-themed party on Sept 1, 2018 and they were a hit! SueV said they were the best she's every had! I mixed part walnuts and part pecans and double the whole recipe for 20 people. Also, I used the food processor to finely chop the nuts. After the discs of dough are chilled you can easily cut them with a long knife in a grid to make even pieces to roll into balls. Best way to "roll" the balls in powdered sugar... put powdered sugar in a ziplock bag and add about 5 little balls of dough at a time. Gently tumble until coated. I got about 70 cookies. My leftovers are now in the freezer :-)
  • 1 cup (115 g) pecan pieces
  • 1 cup (225 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (85 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cup (145 g) powdered sugar, to coat the cookies
1 Toast the nuts on the stovetop: Place the nuts in a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until they darken slightly and smell fragrant and nutty, about 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and let the nuts cool in the pan.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
2 Crush the nuts: Once the toasted nuts are warm to the touch, but not hot, pour them into a quart-size sealable freezer bag. Seal the bag, and then use a rolling pin to roll and crush the nuts until they are crushed into a chunky powder. Set aside until needed.
(Alternatively, pulse in a food processor until powdery. Be careful of over-processing or the nuts will turn into nut butter!)
Mexican Wedding Cookies Mexican Wedding Cookies
3 Mix the butter and sugar: Place the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat together on medium speed until the sugar is absorbed into the butter and the buttery paste clings to the side of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 30 seconds to incorporate.
4 Add the flour and salt: Mix on low speed. As the dry ingredients start to absorb into the butter-sugar mixture, you can increase the speed back to medium. Once all the flour is mixed in and a dough has formed, stop the mixer.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
5 Empty the crushed nuts into the bowl with the dough: Mix on low speed to incorporate.
6 Chill the dough: Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until the dough is firm.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
7 About 10 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
8 Remove the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and form into 1-inch balls of dough. (If your dough chilled longer than 1 hour, you may need to let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature.) Roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar and place on the baking mat, spaced slightly apart.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
9 Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown slightly on top and are golden brown on the bottoms. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes after baking.
10 While the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in the powdered sugar again. Return the cookies to the cooling rack and let cool completely before serving.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Store at room temperature in an airtight container. They will keep well for at least a week.

Monday, April 9, 2018

The Best Chicken Soup

We are all convinced that this is the best chicken soup recipe we have ever had! It's Paleo and, it's so easy! Thank you to our friend and excellent cook, Sarah Waldron, for the recipe and her variations, which we think make it that much better.

1 small whole chicken (4-5 pounds) We've been using the new "smart" chicken at New Seasons
1 leek, white part only, diced
8 crushed cloves of garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
5 large sprigs of thyme
1 golf ball size knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 Tbsp sea salt
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry sherry

Place your leek, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, and ginger in the bottom of a 6 qt or larger crockpot. Place your whole chicken on top of the vegetables, add stock and sherry and salt. Cover and cook on igh for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours (until the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone). Remove the chicken from the crock pot to a large plate or backing sheet, let cool slightly and then shred all the meat with your hands (discard bones, skin, cartilage, etc.) Add the meat back to the broth and vegetables and serve warm. It's also delicious to add a bit of diced avocado to each bowl before adding the hot soup.