General Tsao’s Vegetables

I learned how to make most Chinese take-out sauces from my Asian purveyor Kathy.  Whenever I wanted to make any Asian dish, she always had insight on how it should be done.  What’s more, one of my cooks was Chinese and had worked previously  in Hong Kong resulting in a firm grasp of how to make many Cantonese specialties.  There are many recipes on preparing General Tsao Sauce but I will give you my version based on what I’ve learned.  In an effort to cut back on the fat  often associated with stir fry, I recommend seasoning the vegetables with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper then roasting them in the oven until they are firm to the bight or simply steaming them.  Once your sauce is complete all you have to do is toss the vegetables in the desired amount of sauce.   I needed to clear out my refrigerator so these are the vegetables I used.  You are free to use what ever vegetables you like.

General Tsao’s Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/3 cup slices shallots

¼ chopped ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ sherry or Chinese rice wine

½ cup sherry vinegar

1 cup hoisin sauce

1 cup oyster sauce

¼ cup mushroom soy

½ cup orange juice

1 cup water

¼ cup brown sugar

¼  cup cornstarch slurry

2 tablespoons sambal

2 teaspoons orange zest

Directions

Heat sesame oil in a medium sauce pot; add shallots and ginger; when shallot start to brown add garlic and simmer until garlic starts to brown.

Add vinegar and wine; reduce by half

Add hoisin, oyster, soy sauce, orange juice and water

Simmer for about 15 minutes

Whisk in slurry until sauce reaches desired consistency

Simmer for 5 minutes more

Strain; stir in sambal and zest.

Store in a jar; keep in the refrigerator.  Sauce will keep for at least two weeks

This is what I had in my refrigerator

I added a little tofu seasoned with five spice.  I recommend that you make your own five spice, if you have the time. You will never use the powdered stuff once your try this. Equal part of the five spices--Szechwan pepper corns, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks--toasted and ground

Toss prepared vegetables in the desired amount of sauce 

Gently heat and serve

Cornish Hens with a Coconut Curried Sauce

Today was a day that I would rather forget.  I took part in a competition and completely bombed.  What makes this experience so frustration is that I know that perfect practice makes perfect performance and my practices were never perfect.  I also find it very disconcerting that I clearing am not the cook that I was in my 30's.  Having not worked in the daily grind of a kitchen for a few years’ now- my sense of timing and coordination are clearly lacking.  I've never felt the inconvenience of getting old in my 40’s but this morning as I pulled my burned vegetables out of the oven, I couldn't help but long for, "the good old days" of my younger years when a hand full of practice dry runs would have been more than enough.  Although cooking is the last thing I want to do right now, I thought I’d share a modified version of the dish I attempted.    Cornish Hens with a Coconut Curried Sauce-- you can use chicken if you like; it will work just as well.  Just remember to cook the chicken breast a bit longer.

The way you cut your chicken is purely up to you.  I removed the backs and winglets for stock and cut the meat off the legs and thighs for the braised part of the dish.

This dish aims to please.  The Cornish hen is prepared two ways—roasted and braised.

Cornish Hens with a Coconut Curried     

Ingredients

2 Cornish Hens

2 tablespoons curry paste plus 1 teaspoon

¼ cup light coconut milk plus ½ cup more

1 cup chicken stock

½-teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon olive oil

¼ cup peeled pearl onions

1/4 cup red pepper medium diced

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chopped ginger

1 stick lemongrass

2 kefir leaves

 1/4 cup cut carrots

1/4 cup cut parsnips

1/4 cup fresh water chestnuts

2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

¼ cup scallions greens

Directions

 In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons curry paste and ¼ cup coconut milk for marinade.  Marinade the chicken for at least 4 hours.  For best results let it sit overnight

Preheat a medium saute pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil

Remove breast from marinade and sear on skin side. 

  

When the skin is brown, flip over and finish cooking it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Season parsnips and water chestnuts with a little olive oil and salt.  Place in a small pan a roast until tender

While the breasts are cooking, heat another skillet add olive oil, onions, garlic, ginger, red pepper, lemongrass, and kefir leaves.

Saute for about 2 minutes then add marinated thigh meat. 

Add chicken stock; bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. 

Simmer for about 20 minutes

Add ½ cup coconut milk, parsnips and water chestnuts; simmer for about five minutes more

Finish with cilantro and scallions

If you roasted the breast whole like I did, cut them down the center once you have removed them from the oven and they have cooled.  

Serve and present as desired. 

I find that I don’t need rice with this because the variety of vegetables are enough.

Freekeh

For the past month or so, I’ve eaten quinoa every day as either a cereal for breakfast, a salad for lunch or a warm grain for dinner.  Yesterday I went out in search of another grain that would give Quinoa a break.  I am having okra and tomatoes tonight for dinner and I don’t want brown rice or the ubiquitous Mother of Grains.  Growing up my Mom would prepare okra and tomatoes with a piece of smoked pork.  Since I have gotten older and more health conscience, I leave out the pork.    As I walked through the Middle Eastern section of the supermarket, I came across a grain called Freekeh.

Freekeh is a green wheat.  An ancient grain used in the Middle East, it is harvested while still young resulting in a highly nutritious alternative to rice.  Freekeh is high in  protein and fiber which  can make you feel more satiated.  What ’s more, this grain is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin both of which have been positively associated with prevention of age-related macular degeneration. Since freeheh is slightly roasted, it takes on a smoky nutty flavor and the texture similar to bulgur wheat.

It is very easy to prepare and cooks in about 20 minutes.  One of the things I really like about freekeh is that it has great flavor on its own.  I didn’t have to add carrots, celery, onions and herbs the way that I do to many of the other grains I prepare.  I simple added scallions and garnished it with young celery leaves and that nutty smoky flavor really held its own.

Freekeh

Ingredients

1 cup freekeh

1 cups chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 teaspoon olive oil

Young celery leaves garnish

Directions

In a small pot heat olive oil, add scallion; saute for 1 minute

Add freekeh, chicken stock, bay leaf and salt

Simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. 

Enjoy this grain as you would a rice. I was having okra and black beans tonight. 

Since the freeheh had a smoky flavor, I didn't miss the smoked pork in the okra. 

The black beans were the perfect addition.  It all came together very nicely.

Hoisin Long Beans

Although I have gotten away from Chinese take-out because of its high sodium and fat content, I still find that I enjoy many Asian style vegetables. In order to cut down of the unwanted calories,  I've learned to make healthier Chinese food by using less sodium and fat.  I love Asian Long beans; typically stir-fried, this dish can be high in fat.  One of the ways I avoid using lots of oil to prepare these beans is by blanching them first.    Blanching the beans beforehand, partially cooks them and therefore  cuts down significantly on the fat you would normally use to cook them.  I also add fresh water chestnuts for that extra crunch.

Hoisin Long Beans

Ingredients

1 pound Asian Long Beans, blanched and shocked

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and julienne

1” piece ginger peeled and julienne

2 teaspoons garlic, julienne

¼ cup hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

¼ cup water

Directions

Cut beans into 5 inch pieces

Heat saute pan add sesame oil

When pan is hot, but not smoking, add water chestnuts, ginger and garlic.  Saute for 2 minutes

Add long beans

Then hoisin, soy and water

Gentle toss and simmer for five minutes

Remove from pan garnish with sesame seed if desired

Lunch

I didn’t really cook anything today because I spent the day in a Customer Service seminar at my church.  In order to volunteer, everyone must complete this class before they are eligible to serve.   Yesterday's email reminder said, “Lunch will be provided.”  At this point in my life, that statement always makes me feel a bit uneasy, especially when attending an all day meetings.  Thoughts of cold sandwiches and chips filled my head as I brushed my teeth this morning.  Not willing to compromise on my regimen, I packed a lunch and this is what I made.   

Greek chicken salad, dried fruit and nuts and Mary’s Gone Crackers an organic, gluten, dairy and wheat free cracker that is delicious!

For those of you who may be dieting or are on a special food plan, I recommend packing a lunch.  Why leave the nourishment of yourself to someone else if you are unsure of what you will get? It takes a few minutes out of the morning but I assure you it will be time well spent. 

Quinoa

Two years ago, I would have been challenged to find quinoa in my local supermarket but today not only can it be found among the now large selection of specialty grains, it is also on the impulse item shelf at the checkout counter.  Times have changed.  Perhaps it is because the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officially declared  the year 2013 as "The International Year of the Quinoa”. 

Historically, this native grain of South America has been around since 1200 AD.  Along with maize, quinoa was one of the two mainstay foods for the Inca Empire

I am happy to see folks embrace this powerhouse grain.  Often considered the Mother of Grains, quinoa contains enough of the 20 amino acids to make it a complete protein with one cup of quinoa providing 8g of protein and 5g of dietary fiber. What’s more, the presences of these two macronutrients make quinoa perfect for regulation of blood sugar.     

Often I will recommend quinoa as a substitute for rice or cous cous. Most often people will typically prepare rice by steaming or boiling it, but I suggest giving quinoa a little more love.   Make it  pilaf style and use it  in salads, soups or as a replacement for other starches.  Try preparing quinoa this way and I am sure you’ll think twice before reaching for the rice or potatoes again.

Quinoa

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup diced carrots

1/3 cup diced celery

½ cup diced onions

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 cup quinoa

3 cups chicken/vegetable stock or water

¼ cup sliced scallions (optional)

Directions

Heat olive in a medium saucepan

Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and salt; cover and cook until onions become translucent; add thyme

 then quinoa and liquid

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer

Cover and allow cooking until all liquid is completely evaporated

Remove from pot and garnish with scallions if desired

ENJOY!

Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

This is Super Bowl weekend and my sister is preparing roast pork for dinner and asked me to bring the starch.  I am sure there will be plenty of nachos, chips and guacamole to snack on during the game.  With that in mind, I thought something wholesome perhaps.  She asked for something, “different” since she typically serves buttered noodles or potatoes with roasted pork. Then the ideal came to me as I walk in the produce section of a market in Flushing.  Okinawan Sweet Potatoes!

Hard to believe that something so…beige on the outside,

can be so beautiful and vibrant on the inside. 

Okinawan Sweet Potatoes are plentiful in Asian markets this time of year. These tubers are actually native to the Americas and believed to have made its way to Japan after 1492.   The Japanese people quickly embraced the Okinawan sweet potato where it is found in tempura, purees and some pastries.

The radiant purple hue is not without its health benefits.  Like most fruits/vegetables high in the purple-blue pigment, Okinawan Sweet Potatoes are rich in a flavonoid know as anthocyanin. Like blueberries, red cabbage and eggplant the Okinawan Sweet Potato is a powerful antioxidant that’s been shown to have positive affects on brain health and Alzheimer’s. It is also high in fiber and vitamin C. 

So, I decided to roast my Okinawan Sweet Potatoes making it easier to serve on a buffet.  The hint of citrus helps bring out the flavor of the potato and the ginger is a nice complement.

Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

3# Okinawan sweet potatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

½ teaspoon salt

Orange zest (optional garnish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F

 Peel potatoes

Cut by hand or with a mandolin ¼ inch thick

Place in a large bowl; add olive oil, juices, ginger and salt. 

 

Toss until potatoes are well coated. 

 

Place on a cooling rack in a sheet pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft inside

Remove from oven allow to cool 

Garnish with orange zest if desired.