Asian Stir Fry

Today's recipe is a great one after a long day of work. This past week has been a bit crazy for me, a lot of late nights and early mornings which means less time  in the kitchen. This is one of my favorite go to recipes when I have a time crunch, it's quick and tasty plus waistline friendly. It doesn't get much better than that and I always seem to have these ingredients in the house.

I used Quorn Tenders for the protein in this meal. Quorn is my favorite "meat" substitute, the texture is wonderful the flavor is great and it truly provides a mouth feel of chicken. Quorn is high in protein, low in fat and not made from soy products like most of your vegetarian options. All Quorn products are mycopretein or made from fungi, they taste completely different from other "meat free options". This is not a Vegan option as the product does contain eggs.

Vegetarian Asian Stir Fry
1 Bag of Quorn Tenders
1/2 Onion (chopped) 
1 package or 3 handfuls Green Beans
(cleaned and cut in half) 
3 Cloves of Garlic (crushed)
2 tbs Sesame Oil 
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 tsp Cornstarch
1/4 c Veg Broth or Water 
2 tsp Rice Vinegar
2 tbs Wine
2 tbs Soy Sauce


I paired our stir fry with brown Jasmine rice. Start your rice first so everything will be completed at the same time. Cook as per the directions on the package but a good rule of  thumb with rice is 1 to 2 ratio, meaning 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid. Most whole grain rice will take 40 minutes to an hour to cook.

Heat the oil in a wok or large deep pan. Add garlic and chili flakes for about 30 seconds. Then add Quorn cook for about 2 -3 minutes until slightly brown. Add green beans and onion, sprinkle all ingredients in pan with ginger. Remember when using a wok it is best to use High to Medium heat, tossing ingredients frequently.Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and remember, all ingredients will continue to cook when you add the sauce. Add soy sauce, wine and rice vinegar and toss, coating all ingredients in the pan. Finally, mix broth and cornstarch in a separate bowl stir to combine, then pour over all ingredients. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 1 to 2 min. Serve over a bed of rice and enjoy.

Twisted Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is really easy as you are in and out of the kitchen in no time. At my house Sundays equal FOOTBALL, I am a huge Chicago Bears fan and try to never miss a game. So when I was deciding on what to make for dinner Sunday this was the perfect choice. Plus on a cold Chicago day what is better than a piping hot bowl of soup.

This recipe is a twist on a classic as I do not use a whole chicken but rather Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods. I am in love with this Chicken Sausage made by The Original Brat Hans. They make all different varieties and all their products are natural and organic. Their website says, they work with small family farms throughout the U.S. who have the same conviction as they do for natural and organic animal raising practices. So not only are you enjoying their delicious products, you are supporting family farms and putting quality, all natural food into your body. This time we tried the Spicy Cilantro and it did not disappoint.

Twisted Chicken Noodle Soup
1 Package of Chicken Sausage
1 Package of Noodles 
1QT Chicken Stock or Broth
2 to 3 Celery Stalks
2 to 3 Carrots
1 Medium to Large Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1/3 Jalapeno Pepper
1 Dried Bay Leaf
1/2 tbsp Marjoram
1/2 tbsp Basil
1 Handful of Fresh Cilantro
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste

Place a large soup pot over medium to low heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add your chicken sausage. Brown on all sides, cooking for about 15 minutes. In the meantime chop celery, carrots, onion, jalapeno and garlic. It's best to cut celery, carrots and onion around the same size. Once the chicken sausage has been cooked remove and set aside. In the same pot, add all your chopped vegetables and spices. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, until your vegetables are soft (not browned). Then add stock or broth and bring to a slight boil. Slice the sausage, return it to the pot and bring back to a boil. Then turn down and simmer for 45 minutes to 2 hours, the longer it cooks the more developed the flavors become. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remember unless you're using low sodium chicken stock there is already a good amount of salt in the soup.




10 Minutes before serving fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Add a pinch of salt and noodles, cook for about 7 to 8 minutes until soft or per the directions on package. I prefer egg noodles for this recipe but I do not always have those on hand. This time I used Fusilli noodles with a few Rigatoni thrown in. * Please note you can cook your noodles in the same pot as your soup but I prefer to keep them separate as the noodles do not hold up well (when sitting in soup) for leftovers.*

Whether it be a serving bowl or your favorite soup bowl, place desired amount of noodles to soup and then sprinkle with cilantro. I served with garlic toast as my husband always request some type of bread with every meal. If your soup is thicker than you desire you can always thin it out with a cup (or less ) of noodle water, start with less and move up to desired taste.

Enjoy and stay warm

Simple Fish Dinner

It's been a long week for me, not sure why really but when it came to dinner last night I was up for something simple and easy. I had de-thawed some fish the night before so I knew that was going to come into play somehow. My husband and I have always been health conscious, eating whole grains, lots of vegetables and of course limiting our red meat in-take. Living on the West Coast we ate a lot of fish and the options were just amazing. Now in Chicago, it's not as easy to get the same quality fresh fish so I have been purchasing more frozen options, which to my surprise have been delicious and easy to prepare.

After watching a special on today, regarding the quality of Seafood outside the U.S. My decision in purchasing local when ever possible was reaffirmed. The special stated that 80% of the Seafood consumed by Americans is imported and a study done by Department of Agriculture in Alabama showed that 40% to 50% of that fish contained chemicals that are so toxic to humans they are banned in all foods in the U.S. So check your labels and support U.S. companies.  When buying from local companies, you not only receive food at it's peak of freshness you also help the small local farmers.


WILD TURBOT FILLETS - Turbot is a white, delicate fish and is perfect for a light, healthy meal.
4 Fillets
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Mustard Seed
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper  
1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt

Mix all spices together then evenly sprinkle on both sides of each fillet. In a large saute pan, coat bottom of pan with olive oil. Heat the pan to low to medium heat. Once the oil is hot (if you are not sure if the oil is hot, sprinkle a drop of water into the pan, if it sizzles the pan is ready to go) place the seasoned fish into the pan and leave for 2 to 3 min, carefully flip the fish and cook for the same time on the other side. When the fish is ready it will become flaky and easily break apart. You should have a nice golden color on each side.

Tonight I served the fish with steamed baby carrots, seasoned with just salt and pepper and a whole grain couscous. By starting my carrots first, then the couscous and then the fish everything was finished and ready to serve at the same time. Perfect choice for a quick and healthy dinner, the entire recipe including prep time only took about 20 minutes. 

Have a great weekend everyone.
GO BEARS!

Out and About

As many of you know I hurt my ankle only two weeks after we moved to Chicago, so exploring the City has been put on hold since I was on crutches. Finally 12 weeks later I am walking without any assistance. So last week was my first week to venture out of the house in quite some time.

Being new to the area I have joined a few Meetup's. If you have never heard of Meetup you should check it out. It's a great place to meet people with common interests and hobbys. I recently joined a Book Club and I attended my first Meet up last week. The host picked a Moroccan Restaurant: this would be my first time trying Moroccan cuisine and had no idea what to expect. So I made my way to Andalous Moroccan Restaurant and was pleasantly surprised. Upon walking into the restaurant the atmosphere is very inviting and warm, with lots of color. The overall space is on the small side but the layout and table settings make for easy conversation. This is a BYOB place which is always nice and to add to its appeal NO corking fee. My group of 6 started out with a white bean dip appetizer that was accompanied with pita bread. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to rank this a 3. The dip was bland, looked unappealing and cold, which might be authentic but a major turn off  to me. Plus, the pita bread was definitely not homemade nor fresh. For my main course I ordered the Kefta Kabob, seasoned beef accompanied with a couscous and vegetables. The beef was very good, it had a mild spice to it and grilled to perfection. I also enjoyed the couscous, it was light and fluffy with a nice nutty flavor. My only complaint is that the grilled vegetables as they called them, were just a few pieces of onion and red pepper, not exactly what I was expecting. Overall, the service was great, the atmosphere was inviting and the food was decent. For my first Moroccan experience I give it a 5; maybe next time I will venture out of my comfort zone and try something a little more daring.

My second adventure last week was Saturday afternoon. Much to my husband's dismay, I was itching to get out of the house and run some long needed errands. Since I am still not able to drive nor did I want to run the errands by myself my husband was enticed to come along. After dragging him to numerous stores, I thought it was time for lunch and a cocktail . We were near Old Town so what better place to stop for lunch. After driving up and down the street, we noticed O'Brien's. From the outside it look liked an average Irish Pub and they had free parking to boot! We were SOLD. We parked and made our way inside, upon entering we realized this place was not a typical Irish Pub. The decor is a bit out dated but overall the place was very clean. We sat in the bar area and reviewed the menu. The menu was eclectic to say the least, offering Irish favorites, American and Seafood to name a few. After reviewing the menu, we both decided on the Black Angus Burger, which came with parmigiana cheese, arugula and white truffle oil. I ordered a Beer and my husband a Bloody Mary. As Bloody Mary's go this one was a 10 and my husband considers himself Bloody Mary expert. It had just the right spice, celery, olives and lemon plus celery salt around the rim! And for only $5! How could you go wrong! Our server was prompt and pleasant. Our burgers were cooked perfectly but next time I think I would ask for the truffle oil on the side as it really took over the flavor. I expected to taste the saltiness of the cheese and the peppery bite of the arugula but all I could taste was the truffle oil. Overall I would rank this place a low 6. With all the options available not sure that I would visit O'Brien's again anytime soon but my experience was a good one.

For all my home cooks out there keep tuning; in a recipe will be coming shortly!
Enjoy your Wednesday

Happy New Year...Let's make 2011 Memorable

Happy New Year!
The Holidays are over and in the Licari Robertson household this is bitter-sweet. Both my husband and I really enjoy Christmas, it is my favorite time of year. This was the first year in many that we didn't have to board a plane and take vacation days to spend some quality time with our families. Though it went by fast, we are very appreciative for great family. 

We spent Christmas Eve with my family, getting all the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins together. We haven't all been in the same room since 2007. We had great food, lots of wine and good company, my only regret is that we didn't get a picture of all of us together. We really should get together more often. Then bright and early we were off to spend Christmas morning in Michigan with my husbands family. We took the train to Ann Arbor, what a great experience. If you have never taken the train, it is a must and should be on your 2011 to do list.

Then all the sudden New Years was upon us, as newbie's to the area we were unsure of what to do for New Years. Plus, I'm just finally off crutches and not quite walking normal so we didn't want to venture to far....so a night in it was. I decided to make us a smorgasbord to choose from for dinner and after stuffing ourselves and opening a bottle of Prosseco (we brought back from our trip to Italy this summer) we were ready to ring in the New Year. 

Here is a peek of what we had that night.

SWISS FONDUE 
1/2 cup Gruyere
1/2 cup Jarlsberg
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 garlic clove
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 tbsp Jamison
pinch nutmeg
freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut cheese into small cubes, toss together with cornstarch. Heat in heavy saucepan, rub inside with garlic. Add wine and 2 tbsp of Jamison (I also add the garlic clove whole to the pot, once the liquid is about to boil remove the garlic clove, this step can be omitted if sensitive to garlic.) Once liquid is almost to a boil reduce heat to low - medium and add a handful of the cheese mixture. Constantly stirring until mixture is hot and smooth, continue to add cheese by the handful until all the cheese is incorporated. Add remaining Jamison, if mixture seems thick. Season with nutmeg and pepper and then transfer to your fondue pot. It is import to heat up for fondue pot before transferring the hot cheese.

Serve with cubed Italian or French bread, veggies and granny smith or any tart apples. I usually purchase the bags of pre-cut, pre-washed veggies just makes it that much simpler.

Spicy Beef Kabobs

1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin ( I made 1/2 Beef, 1/2 Chicken) 

3 cloves garlic 

2 tsp smoked paprika 

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

1/2 tsp ground turmeric 

1/2 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp sea salt 

1/3 cup red wine vinegar 
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
 the juice of two small limes 

If using wood skewers make sure to soak them for 20 to 30 min before grilling. Cut beef into cubes. Either in a blender or food processor combine garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice and red wine vinegar. With the processor going pour the olive oil in. Once all ingredients are combined pour marinade over the meat and toss. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, if you have the time 4 hours really makes a difference. Skewer meat three to four pieces to a skewer, do not over crowd the skewer you want this to be a fast cooking time. On a pre-heated grill (medium to high) cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on your preference. Remove from heat and wrap in foil, let meat rest for 3 minutes AND ENJOY.

The Beef Kabob recipe originated from Alton Brown, though I have changed a few ingredients to our liking I must give credit where credit is due. Thank you Alton Brown.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spicy-beef-kebabs-recipe/index.html

Felice Anno Nuov