Asian Vegetables & Chicken w. Udon Noodles

A healthier alternative to take out!

Asian Vegetables & Chicken with Udon Noodles

1 red bell and 1 yellow, sliced into 1” strips

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced 

1 cup edamame, out of pod 

3 cups kale - thick stems removed, torn into 2" pieces 

1 napa cabbage, chopped

2 gloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil*

1/2 tbsp Grapeseed Oil*

1-2 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce*

1-2 tsbp Blackberry ginger vinegar or Rice Wine Vinegar* 

Sriracha

Toasted sesame seeds 

10 basil leaves cut into ribbons - chiffonade 

Chicken (I used 6 chicken tenderloins), cut into bite sized pieces

Udon Noodles - they should be a thick round noodle

*You may need more of these ingredients depending on how long you cook your vegetables and/or how much water they release. You should have a small amount of "sauce" in the pan. Be careful with sesame oil amounts while delicious the flavor can take over a dish. 

Coat a large sautéed pan with sesame oil and grapeseed oil (or any neutral flavor oil) and add a few splashes of soy sauce.

Add chicken pieces cook over med high heat until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside keep cooking liquid in pan. 

Add peppers, garlic and ginger and sauté for about 3 minutes on medium low heat. Note: you may need to deglaze your pan if the liquid has turned more solid and is sticking to pan - if so just throw in a few splashes of your vinegar with a few tbsp of water and stir this will loosen the liquid from cooking the chicken.

Now add mushrooms and edamame cook another 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to release liquid. Add kale and drizzle with

blackberry ginger vinegar and sriracha and stir together well and cover for 1-2 minutes to allow kale to wilt.

Cook your Udon Noodles - to package directions.

While noodles are cooking, uncover veggies, reduce heat to low and add napa cabbage mix together well.

Drain noodles and return to pot add splash of soy sauce and sesame oil to prevent noodles from sticking and give a quick toss.

Place a small nest of noodles in a bowl and top with a lot of vegetable mixture. To garnish add a sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and basil!

Milly-Bones aka Carrot & Peanut Butter Dog Treats!

These dog bones cookie cutters are so cute! The recipe is easy, cheap and I'll admit pretty tasty for a dog treat! They are also healthy and preservative free! 

Milly has been on a diet/workout regime for the past few months. She gained a few more lbs. last year than our vet liked...the culprit was Chew gave her peanut butter pretty much everyday. The peanut butter spoons have stopped, she's been getting a lot of exercise and Milly Treats! It was amazing how quickly she dropped weight (it was about 5 lbs). I walked with her so I'm confused why I haven't lost weight too hmmm maybe my culprit is wine!

Milly-Bones

Carrot & Peanut Butter Treats

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp. Dry Milk

2 1/2 Cups Flour 

plus some extra for rolling (Whole Wheat Flour makes it healthier)

3/4 Cup Carrot Puree*

1/2 Cup All Natural Peanut Butter 

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Blend eggs and carrots, then add salt, dry milk and flour

3. Add water to make it workable, if needed, but keep the dough stiff

4. Once the dough is well mixed and stiff roll into a layer that is a little shorter than your cutter (or about 1/4")

5. Cut with any shape cutter you choose and place on an un greased cookie sheet

6. Bake 20 mins, flip cookies, and bake for another 20 mins.

*You could also sub pumpkin puree for the carrot puree.

Cookie Cutter from Name That Cookie on Etsy

Meet Milly our Goldendoodle! 

Sriracha Kale Chips

I definitely bought a seat on the Kale train! It's so versatile and healthy and you can add it to almost any recipe. I love that it doesn't cook down to mush like spinach. The pre-cut pre-washed bags from Trader Joe's are a staple in our fridge. I have requested that Chew has kale in the winter garden plan again this year. I love having veggies right out the back door and for free! 

 Sriracha Kale Chips

A great side to a sandwich or as an afternoon snack!  

1 Bunch Kale (or 1 bag), torn into chip size pieces and large stems removed

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 - 6 tsp of sriracha 

Coarse Salt

Pre heat oven to 300. Wash and dry kale, I like to use a salad spinner, then place in a large bowl. In another bowl mix together oil and sriracha then pour over kale and toss to coat all leaves. Place kale in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets and sprinkle with salt. 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until edges start browning, tossing chips every 10 minutes. Once cool store in a tubberware or plastic bags at room temperature. Spicy, salty and healthy!

"The How Not to Miss the Cocktail Hour Cookbook"

A few months ago on a trip to Sanford, NC I found an amazing little gem from 1964 entitled "The How Not to Miss the Cocktail Hour Cookbook".

Not only does this allow you to socialize with your guests, if you have company, but it's also wonderful for weeknight meals to assemble in the morning or the night before. This week on Tuesday before work I made Pork Chops and Beer! This recipe was delicious and SO easy! I did have to make a few substitutions, for example, the orginal recipe called for 2 tsps MSG! 

Pork Chops & Beer

Healthy and Husband Approved 

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

2 tbsp. Melted Butter

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

3 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced

4 pork chops (I used a lean center cut), seasoned with S&P and browned

2 tablespoons flour  

1 tbsp salt

12 ounces of beer (I used New Belgium's Fall Tour)

Layer sweet potatoes in a large greased (I did a coconut oil spray) casserole dish with a cover, like a dutch oven, sprinkle with brown sugar. Then layer pork chops and cover with apples and onions. Next mix your flour, salt and melted butter together into a "slurry" and then mix into the beer. Don't skip this part because if you mix flour into the beer directly it clumps - trust me! Now pour over the chops and cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour, remove lid and bake for another 20 - 30 mins. 

Plenty O' Time for a cocktail!

Note: I made this in advance and it was baked 5 hours later - if you do this I would suggest pre mixing the "slurry" but not pouring over until baking time. 

Additions/Substitutions: Anything that reminds you of fall or winter would do well in this dish! I am thinking fresh sage, rosemary, a hearty winter squash or brussels sprouts! 

Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup

Chew and I's schedules have drastically changed over the past few weeks. Its been a bit weird and disorganized! Chew started his Graduate School program and I started working more events (at night) than usual. Most weeks we do not see much of each other except the hour before work and maybe an hour before bed. In response to this new schedule I am trying to cook all of our weekly meals on Sunday or Monday so that we are set for the week. I love making soups it is so easy to double the recipes and freeze for those nights you don't want to cook! They also typically require one pot which equals fewer dishes to wash...win, win.

Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup

1lb Ground Sausage
(I used half turkey, half sweet Italian because thats what I had on hand)

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 c. Chopped Onion

1 1/2 c. Baby Carrots, diced

2 Zucchini, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced

1 can Garbanzo Beans, rinsed

1/2 c. White Wine (preferably dry)

5 c. Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 lb. Italian Plum Tomatoes (fresh or canned), peeled and rough chopped

2 tsp. Dried Basil

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Fennel Seed

1 lb. of a Tiny Pasta (I used Gluten Free Rotini)

Brown the the sausage in the bottom of a large stock pot over a medium heat. I use a splash of olive oil here because turkey sausage is so lean I think it helps it brown better. Once the sausage is cooked through, remove sausage to a paper towel to drain. Leave at least 1 tbsp. of fat in pan and add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Then toss in your carrots, zucchini, green pepper, wine, broth, tomatoes, basil, oregano and fennel. Bring to a medium boil and cook for 20 minutes (I covered with a lid but left it cracked). Once the veggies are cooked to your liking, throw in the pasta, turn down the heat a bit to a low boil/simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of Romano or Parmesan Cheese!

This recipe was adapted from The Junior League's Centennial Cookbook with changes to reduce fat, sodium and gluten.