CARROTS AND ZUCCHINI STIR-FRY WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Posted in Veggies by

Five days without our faithful goofy companion. I want to thank for all the comments in my previous post. I read each one, but cannot bring myself to answer them. Please consider yourself hugged.

This key to this recipe is slicing the carrots in ribbons, which is a bit of a labor of love, but worth it. Couple that with spiralized zucchini, and you’ll hit a jackpot. If you do not have a spiralizer, slice the zucchini very thinly and that will do. It is surprisingly hearty, and would be a great vegetarian meal if you add perhaps some farro and a slice of bread.

CARROT AND ZUCCHINI STIR-FRY WITH PEANUT SAUCE
(inspired by many sources)

3 carrots, sliced in ribbons (with a large veggie peeler)
2 large zucchini, spiralized fine
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
grated ginger to taste
1 shallot, minced
salt and pepper

for the sauce:
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp or more Sriracha sauce
drizzle of agave nectar
juice of 1/2 lemon
water to adjust consistency

Heat the oil in a non-stick large wok. Sautee the ginger and the shallot until fragrant. Add the veggies, stir-fry for a couple of minutes in high heat. Drizzle the sauce, you might not need the full amount, so that the veggies are not drenched. Cook for a couple of minutes more, stirring constantly to distribute the thick sauce well into the veggies.

Add the peanuts, and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you want to make a bigger amount, you might have to stir-fry the veggies in two batches, then join them and finish with the sauce. As I mentioned, slicing the carrots is not the most enjoyable activity in the world, but it is a game changer. Just incorporate the Zen and go for it. The sauce is pretty delicious and would be awesome added on top of grilled pork tenderloin, which I intend to do soon.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cookie Therapy, Anyone?

TWO YEARS AGO: The Quasi-Vegan Quiche

THREE YEARS AGO: Not Quite Moqueca

FOUR YEARS AGO: Roasted Butternut Squash with Cashew Nuts

FIVE YEARS AGO: Mississippi Roast and the Open Mind

SIX YEARS AGO: Walnut-Raisin Bran Muffins

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Star is Born!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Chestnut Flour Sourdough Bread

NINE YEARS AGO: Kinpira Gobo and Japanese Home Cooking

TEN YEARS AGO: Walnut Sourdough

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Thai Chicken Curry

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Zen and the art of risotto

A MOST PAINFUL GOODBYE

Posted in General by

There is no easy way to break the news. Our beloved Bogey left us, to cross the Rainbow Bridge and join the many beings that live in our memories. I cannot quite describe the pain, how broken we are inside, but at least he is not suffering anymore, and will stay with us forever. Wagging his tail. Being mischievous. Being Bogey. Bogey Quit That.

(note added after publication: I normally try to answer every single comment left on my blog. I just cannot bring myself to do it for this post. I love each comment left, but it’s just too hard to address them at the present time)

Bogey
January 4th, 2009 – April 20th, 2022

LOW-CARB SUPER FAST CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Posted in Air-Frying, Poultry by

Air-fryer to the rescue again… I will give you pretty loose instructions, because how you make it will depend on your carb goals. If you want to do close to zero carbs, omit the bread crumbs. The texture will suffer a bit, but it will still work. If you want to do moderate carbs, use the mixture I did. I am quite surprised by how much I liked the texture of the meat, and the fact that frying the chicken breast on the stove top before baking was not needed at all. A leap of faith was needed for me to try it the first time. I’ve made it three times ever since.

LOW-CARB AIR-FRYED CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, lightly seasoned with salt
2 eggs, whisked with a teaspoon of water, salt and Herbes de Provence to taste
50:50 mixture of bread crumbs and almond flour
(lower carb alternative 50:50 mixture of almond flour + finely grated Parmigiano cheese)
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese

Dip the chicken breasts in the seasoned whisked egg mixture, coat both sides with your choice of “breading.” Spray the basket of the air-fryer with a little olive oil. Carefully place the pieces of meat side by side in the basket. Turn the air-fryer to 390F and cook for 10 minutes. If you are using very large breasts, cook for 12 minutes, but the recipe works best with smallish pieces of meat.

Gently flip the meat over, add tomato sauce and cheese. Air-fry for 6 additional minutes. Remove the meat and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: There are three little issues that might annoy you with this method. You know I never lie…

First: if you go real low in carbs, the coating is on the soft side. It will be very hard to flip the chicken piece without losing part of it to the basket. Even with the bread crumbs a little bit is lost. I am not sure if the flipping of the piece is necessary, and intend to try without doing it next time.

Second: it makes a bit of a mess in the basket once the cheese melts. I am a neat-freak and that means I spend quite a bit of time cleaning it up and inspecting every little corner. It still does not prevent me from making it, but keep that in mind and don’t get mad at me…

Third: if you have a smallish air-fryer like I do, you can only do two pieces of chicken at a time. It turns out that when I make this, I do the regular kind (stove-top, fried then baked) for the husband, and this lower-carb version for me. But if you are feeding a family of four, this is not a good option.

ONE YEAR AGO: Sundried Tomato Spelt Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: A Duet of Chocolate Bonbons

THREE YEARS AGO: Chocolate Tartlets with Honey-Caramel Filling

FOUR YEAR AGO: Zucchini Soup with Tahini

FIVE YEARS AGO: Black Sesame Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Fine Tuning Thomas Keller

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Tortillas

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Majestic Sedona, Take Two

NINE YEARS AGO: Secret Ingredient Turkey Meatballs

TEN YEARS AGO: Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Italian Easter Pie

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Black Olive Bialy

HAPPY EASTER!

Posted in Cookies by

I invite you to stop by my cookie blog to see several designs of cookies for the occasion…

CLICK HERE TO VISIT

SUNFLOWER SEED “RISOTTO” WITH EDAMAME

Posted in Rice and Grains by

It is not often that a recipe blows my mind and I get so excited about it I can hardly wait to share here… This is not rice-based. There is no rice at all. The whole concoction is made with sunflower seeds, soaked for several hours. It is absolutely delicious, hearty but considerably lower in carbs. The starting point for my version was a recipe from Naturally Nourished, by Sarah Britton. I was not sure the husband was going to like it that much, but he thought it was one of the tastiest side dishes I’ve made in the recent past. So there you go!

SUNFLOWER SEED “RISOTTO” WITH EDAMAME
(inspired by Naturally Nourished)

2 cups raw, unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds
1 tsp salt, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 fennel bulb, diced small
2 cups vegetable stock (you won’t need the full amount)
frozen edamame, about 1/2 cup or amount to taste

Soak the sunflower seeds overnight or all day with the sea salt in a large bowl of water. Drain and rinse the sunflower seeds.

In a high-power blender (I used a Vitamix), add 1/2 cup of soaked seeds and half a cup of water. Blend util fully smooth, remove and set aside.

In a non-stick skillet or small stockpot, heat the oil, add the fennel, season with salt and pepper. After about 2 minutes, add the soaked and drained whole sunflower seeds, stir to coat with the oil, then add vegetable stock to completely cover the seeds. It will depend on the size of your pan, but you will probably need less than 2 cups. Add a little salt and pepper if so desired.

Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved sunflower seed cream, stir, then add frozen edamame, spread all over the surface, and cover the pan again. Cook gently for 5 minutes, then check that the seeds are tender and the edamame warm. If needed, add more vegetable stock, or alternatively remove the lid and let the excess liquid evaporate.

Serve the “risotto” right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I fell in love with this dish at first bite… The cream of seeds made in the Vitamix has a strong taste, and gives the grain a luscious texture without the need for butter. You won’t use all, but it is hard to make less in the Vitamix. I am saving the leftover for next time, because it will happen again very soon… You can add different veggies, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, whatever you feel like, adjusting the timing or cooking the veggies before incorporating in the “risotto.” Sometimes it is hard to find raw sunflower seeds, but when we have them available in our grocery store, we buy several packages. Now that this dish will be part of our regular rotation, I cannot afford to run out of them!

ONE YEAR AGO: Russian Icing Tips, a Shortcut to Insanity

TWO YEARS AGO: Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Parsnips

THREE YEARS AGO: Fresh Take on Farro with Roasted Veggies

FOUR YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club Reunion 2018

FIVE YEARS AGO: Parsnip and Tomato Soup

SIX YEARS AGO: A Retro Dessert

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Tortillas: Going low-carb and loving it!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Clementines in Cinnamon Syrup

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2013 

TEN YEARS AGO: Thrilling Moments

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Maple-Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Pork Trinity: coffee, mushrooms, and curry