Miracle Meals

As we prepare for our move we are cleaning out the cupboards and I swear that each meal is a miracle after it comes together. Here are two meals I have made in the past week that at first seemed impossible and at the end were pretty tasty! Note that amounts are estimates and I have already packed my dry spices.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 280z cans of tomatoes (I had diced Italian and crushed)

1 small jar of capers (seriously, I had capers in my fridge?)

1/2 a small jar of sun dried tomatoes

1/2 small jar of minced garlic

1/2 small jar of roasted red peppers

1 tbsp olive oil (from my Mr. Mister because I am out of olive oil - I tell you, we are getting creative)

Squeeze basil

Squeeze parsley (these last two were a great way to save $$ on herbs - they were also both at least 1/2 full)

Combine in large saucepan because you have already packed the stock pots (really? what was I thinking?). Combine with Bettie's beef and serve over combination of random pasta left in the pantry.

Asian Slaw Salad

This is one of my favorite dishes but because of Addie's soy intolerance I haven't even ventured to make this... until today because it is hotter than hades and I am having my mommy vacation day. So, no soy sauce, no hoisin sauce, oh, and no rice wine vinegar because we ran out. I eyeballed the whole recipe, so just keep tasting it. :)

Broccoli slaw (okay, I bought this today but was going to use it as a garnish on a lettuce salad)

Apple cider vinegar

White wine vinegar

Sake (good stuff, too good to be cooking with, but hey, it's got to be used)

Fish sauce

Sesame oil

Brown sugar

Peanut butter

Tamarind sauce (bought to recreate our cooking class recipe - only did that once)

Toasted sesame seeds

Ramen noodles

Fresh grated ginger (so glad I keep this in the freezer!)

I am so excited to restock a new pantry in a few weeks!!!! Maybe this time I will be more conscientious of what I have already.

Indian Butter Chicken

Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

6 pieces boneless skinless chicken, cut into bitesize pieces
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cardamom
2 limes, juiced
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup butter
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream
basmati rice

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream just before serving over Basmati rice.

Notes:
1. The onions, butter, and chicken looked (and tasted) really delicious on their own. You could leave out the tomato step if you wanted.
2. For a more Thai flavor, this would be good with coconut milk instead of whipping cream. You could also use half and half for a lighter fare.
3. I added some frozen stir-fry veggies in the last 10 minutes of simmering just to make this a more complete meal. The original recipe didn't call for them, and the picture was beautiful! I think I found this meal on foodgawker, and the recipe is from Tasty Kitchen.
4. You can serve with cilantro, which for the second time I've wanted to use it, was unavailable at the grocery store I was shopping at.

Asian-inspired Vermicelli

I got this recipe from my Godmother, who makes this dish often for her family. I had it the first time and fell in love with it. It's a nice meal because the turkey is lean and there are so many flavors in the sauce. This is the basic recipe (with my tweakings), but I've also made it and added in vegetables which is tasty too. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 tsp ground ginger

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 c white wine

1/3 c Hoisin sauce

1/4 c soy sauce, reduced sodium if possible

1/2 c chicken broth

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c green onions, chopped

1 lb vermicelli, cooked and drained

Process

Medium hot pan (I used a dutch oven, but you could also use a wok or a large saute pan). Add olive oil, onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until translucent. Add meat and cook thoroughly. At this point I remove the excess grease and dispose of it. In a bowl, mix all liquid ingredients (not cornstarch) and add into pan/d.oven. Cover and let cook about 20 minutes. Uncover and remove some of the sauce to a small bowl and mix it with the cornstarch. Pour back into meat mixture and stir. When sauce has thickened to your liking, it is done. Add chopped green onions and vermicelli into mixture, stir until combined and serve.

This recipe serves between 2-4, depending on how hungry you are. ;-) Generally you'll have enough for 4 servings, and maybe even leftovers!

Butternut Squash w/Coconut, Lime, & Cilantro

Psych! I know, there may be tears shed over the gametime substitution of butternut squash for pork stirfry, but there was a meat ordering error (umm, it wasn't delivered and I didn't follow up). But, what a treat this meal shall be! You should be able to taste a little bit of Oberlin goodness - the butternut squash is from the farm share (it stays good for 3+ months), the veggie broth in the sauce is made of farm share veggies, and the rice was cooked broth made from a H.A. chicken. The recipe is a modification of "Butternut Squash and Noodles w/ Coconut, Lime and Cilantro Sauce" from Bon Appetit, May 1998. Modifications include the use of Thai House Red Curry Sauce (couldn't find paste) and serving it over rice rather than with udon noodles. Recipe was doubled.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili
1 tablespoon minced garlic
.5 cup canned light unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
7 oz Thai red curry sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth, jalapeño and garlic; bring to boil. Cover; cook until squash is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice and curry sauce. Simmer uncovered until squash is tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Cook rice. according to package (I used brown basmati). Serve squash mixture over rice and top with cilantro.

* I think that this could also be good pureed as a thick soup.

Mu Shu Pork & Beef

From Wei.ght Watc.hers "Take Out, Ton.ight"
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into thin strips
6 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp + 2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp + 1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 c hoisin sauce
6 flour tortillas
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb Chinese cabbage thinly sliced (I added bok choy, too)
6 scallions, chopped

Directions:
1) Combine the pork, 2 tbsp of the sherry, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and the sesame oil in a medium bowl; toss well to coat and set aside.
2) Combine the remaining 4 tbsp sherry, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp cornstarch with the hoisin sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
3) Stack the tortillas on a microwaveproof plate. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute; set aside and keep warm.
4) Heat a non-stick wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on the surface. Swirl in 2 tsp of the canola oil, then add the pork mixture.
5) Stir-fry until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes; transfer to a plate.
6) Swirl the remaining 1 tsp canola oil, then add the mushroms, ginger, and garlic.
7) Stir-fry until softened, 3-4 minutes.
8) Add the cabbage and 2 tbsp water; stir-fry until the cabbage wilts and is crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes.
9) Add the scallions, pork, and sherry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
10) Spoon about 2/3 cup of the pork mixture onto each tortilla, roll up, and serve.

NOTE: I tripled the recipe and also used 2 lbs of strip steak to supplement the pork. Thanks to Courtney for the sherry!

Just for kicks, here are the nutritional facts in 1 roll: 272 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 716 mg sodium, 27 g carb, 3 g fiber, 22 g protein, 69 mg calcium