Foodmomiac

Me? Cooking? Whaddayaknow (Chicken Milanese and Pasta)

Chicken Milanese with Pasta
Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

I know myself better than to promise anything, but today begins July's NaBloPoMo (posting every day in a month), and the topic is food. I gotta at least try, no?

Last night we had Chicken Milanese. I sliced chicken breasts very thinly, dredged them in egg and panko (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder) and then pan fried them in extra virgin olive oil. Once they were cooked, I popped them into the oven on low to keep them warm. Then, Dylan stepped up to help.

We grabbed a few leaves of basil from the garden along with some cherry tomatoes. These were all thrown into a wooden bowl with some capers and some baby arugula. She chopped everything up and then I added a bit of olive oil. No vinegar was needed due to the capers. I also threw in a bit of shredded cheese (an Italian blend that was lurking in the fridge).

The kids ate the chicken breasts plain. The adults topped them with the arugula mix for a delicious Milanese.

On the side, we had gemelli tossed with raw, chopped cherry tomatoes, black pepper, olive oil and chunks of fresh mozzarella. Such a nice summer meal.

Vegan Curry

  Steamy Vegetable Curry 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

When I was a junior in college, I was a miserable person. I spent the first semester in Paris, which sounds very romantic, but in reality, it was pathetic. Instead of exploring the city, I sat in my depressing ground-level apartment, smoking endless cigarettes and pining for my boyfriend back home (with whom I broke up a day after I returned home).

Second semester, I was back at school, but still in a funk. I moved off campus, tried to teach myself guitar, and spent a lot of time sitting in my tapestry-heavy room, just brooding and listening to the Grateful Dead.

It's probably a good thing that I stayed in that room so much. The house I moved into was disgusting. (Seriously, ask my dad. He still has nightmares about the compost heap we had stewing IN OUR KITCHEN.) At the time, though, I thought it was amazing. I lived with a bunch of vegan hippies, and despite the filth that surrounded us, we managed to make some amazing meals.

My veganism lasted just a couple of months, but I still make this recipe. Back then it was part of our weekly menu. These days, I make it less often, but you've gotta love a recipe that uses up leftover veggies, is loved by kids (Dylan helped herself to a second bowl when I served it Monday night), and is super healthy.

Vegan Curry
Olive oil
1 apple
1 onion
2 Tb. curry powder (at least)
3 small potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced (you can also just cut some baby carrots in half, if that's all you have)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tb. apricot jam (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Saute the onions and apples in the oil until the onions are translucent and the apples start to soften up a bit. Add the curry powder and combine well. Quickly add the potatoes and carrots, stirring the entire time. You don't want the curry powder to burn, but you do want to release all of the fragrance. Add the vegetable broth, chickpeas and raisins. At this point, you'll want to taste your concoction. The potatoes will still be firm, but you will get a sense of the seasonings you need to add. If it is too bland, add more curry. I added the apricot jam the other night, because I wanted it to be sweeter. You can also add salt and pepper at this point. Once it is seasoned properly, turn the heat to low and cover. You'll probably need to cook it for another 30 minutes, but this will vary based on the type of potato you used and how small you diced it. The dish is done when the apples have melted into the sauce and the potatoes are no longer raw.

This dish is GREAT over basmati rice, but I didn't plan ahead the other night, so we had it with Garlic Naan from Trader Joe's. (The Naan is NOT vegan - it is made with yogurt.)

Roasted Vegetable Risotto (with a story)

  Roasted Vegetable Risotto 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Jen was my roommate in college for both our sophomore and our senior years. Actually, (and this is probably one of the reasons we still keep in touch), we never had to share a room. Our sophomore year, we had the very best dorm room at Vassar. It was called the Rockefeller suite, and legend had it that it was built for the Rockefeller girls. I'm not sure if that's true, but the room ROCKED. There were two bedrooms, a full bath (seriously!) and built-in bookcases. We were living the life.

Senior year, we shared a townhouse with three other roommates, and did a ton of cooking. Towards the end of the year, we decided to invite one of our professors over for dinner with his wife. I can no longer recall what inspired us to do this, but I remember working so hard on a risotto dish. I'll need to pull out that recipe sometime, but it wasn't a true risotto (I'll explain what that is in a minute). It was basically rice, veggies and LOTS of cheese. It was really good, though. So good, in fact, that a couple of months ago, Jen emailed me asking for the recipe and for tips on how to make risotto!

As is often the case with me, I don't use a recipe. But, trust me, this is easy. I made this last night with Max literally hanging from my back pocket. (I don't recommend that, by the way. TOTALLY annoying.)

Risotto alla Danielle

Stock
Onion, chopped finely
Arborio Rice
White wine or dry vermouth
Stuff (roasted vegetables, cooked chicken, sauteed mushrooms, whatever you want)
Parmigiano Reggiano

Pull out two pots (one bigger one, one smaller one). In the small one, heat up some stock (chicken or vegetable), and keep at a low simmer (I used almost an entire 32 oz. box). Heat the large one over medium heat, and add some olive oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Put in the rice. For a family of four, a cup of raw rice is sufficient. Saute the rice for a minute or two. Add a splash or two of the wine (I used dry vermouth since I didn't have a bottle of white open), and cook until it evaporates. Then, using a ladle, add a 1/2 cup or so of stock and stir it into the rice. Continue stirring until the rice absorbs the liquid. Once it's absorbed, add some more. You want to continue doing this until the rice is cooked. Arborio rice will still be kind of al dente when it's done. It will have a nice chew to it. When the rice is NEARLY done, you can add your "stuff." I added some roasted cauliflower and asparagus (roasted with olive oil at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes). You can add sauteed mushrooms, or cooked chicken, or whatever, really. A good idea is to Google "risotto" and find some ideas. The above formula will work for whatever risotto you make.

When the risotto is done, top with grated Parm and serve!

Chicken and Rice Casserole - A Not So Surprising Hit!

  Chicken and Rice Casserole 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Late yesterday at work, I realized that I had no plans for dinner, didn't want to take the kids out, and couldn't bear the thought of another home-cooked meal snubbed by my children.

After thinking things over, I decided to stick with a tried and true kids' favorite, the casserole. Now, I know this might be surprising to those of you who consider me a food snob, but sometimes we all crave comfort food, and sometimes we all need a dish that is easy to prep and leaves very few dishes in its wake.

The other day on eGullet, someone linked to the top 100 recipes piece on the Food Network site. Number six was this casserole, and something about it hit home for me. It just seemed like it would be so comforting and easy. It totally was, and both kids ate it. (Cue applause.)

I made a bunch of changes, so feel free to do so yourself. I used frozen Trader Joe's french green beans (broken up) instead of canned. I added frozen peas. I omitted the water chestnuts and pimentos. I used a touch less mayo. I used dehydrated minced onion instead of a fresh one sauteed. I used organic cream of celery soup. Oh, and I used Jasmine rice instead of a wild rice blend. To add to the ease of preparation, the rice I used was the precooked kind from the Trader Joe's freezer section - it cooked in 3 minutes. For the chicken, I didn't have any cooked chicken on hand, so based on a past recommendation from City Mama herself, I used the ultra premium canned chicken from Trader Joe's. And, it was perfectly good.

Chilaquile Casserole

  Chilaquiles Casserole 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Does this look gross? It was actually quite tasty, and also very easy to prepare. I wanted to make this for Tuesday's dinner, but the eggplant that was scheduled for Monday required brown rice, and I didn't set the rice cooker before work. (I am the WORST at making rice, and I now refuse to make it without the assistance of the rice cooker.)

This is a terrific weeknight meal. I got home from work at about 5:30 or so, and it was on the table by 6:30. You could also prepare it the night before or in the morning, and just pop it in the oven when you get home. The recipe is from Still Life with Menu by Mollie Katzen. This cookbook just arrived at my house. It was in the box of cookbooks that I got from Grandma Ana's apartment. (When she moved into a nursing home last year, my mom set the cookbooks, and some fun cooking tools, aside for me.) This cookbook isn't one of the older ones, but there are a lot of notes in there from Grandma Ana. I know she made this dish, because she made notes next to it in her messy cursive handwriting.

Max LOVED the dish, but Dylan refused to eat it. She is being a real piece of work lately, and spent part of the meal laying on the floor saying over and over again, "but I don't LIKE EGGS! but I don't LIKE EGGS!" She went up to her room for a five minute timeout, came down and apologized, and then had a leftover piece of pizza. UGH.

Chilaquile Casserole

12 corn tortillas
2 4-oz. cans diced green chiles (we used some pico de gallo)
2-3 cups grated cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 can beans (I used borlotti)
1 zucchini, cubed
salt and pepper
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk (I used milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar added)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9x13 pyrex dish. Tear half of the tortillas into bite-sized pieces and place them in the dish. Cover with half of the cheese, the chiles (or pico de gallo), the beans and the zucchini. Tear the rest of the tortillas and layer them over the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Beat the eggs and buttermilk well with the salt and pepper and pour it slowly and evenly over the casserole.

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. (I would let this sit for about 10 minutes before serving. It was kind of watery for a bit, but then set up very nicely.)

Featured Ingredient: Leftover Corn

I always get so excited when corn is finally in season. Excitement translates to more ears of corn than my family can possibly eat, so it's nice to have some leftover corn recipes in my pocket to avoid being wasteful.

My all-time favorite leftover corn recipe is Ubiquitous Corn Salad. You really can't go wrong with this, and everyone always loves it. In fact, I would have probably made it tonight, but the reason I had leftover corn in the first place was because I made the salad yesterday. It was requested that I bring a bowl of it over to our friend Dave's birthday party. (We had a great time, and loved getting the chance to spend time with our old buddy Howard.)

So, yeah, you can't make corn salad with corn that's leftover from corn salad. But, I made too much corn, and I needed to do something with it. Michael went to a Cubs game tonight, so it was just me and the kids. I wanted something simple, summery and healthy, but I didn't want it to seem so healthy that they'd refuse to eat it.

I am happy to report that this dish was a hit. Proof:

Pasta with Corn, Chickpeas and Cheese

1/2 pound small pasta (I used gemelli, but I think small shells or elbows would be even better)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
2 ears of leftover cooked corn, scraped off the cob
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons butter
1 scallion (white and light green parts), sliced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
small handful of fresh basil, julienned (cut into thin slices)

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds (don't let it get too brown). Add the corn and chickpeas and saute for two minutes. Add the butter and scallion and continue to cook for another minute or two. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and add to the pan. Stir to combine and then add the Parmigiano. Stir again. Top with the julienned basil. Enjoy!

Grilled Lamb Chop, Greek Salad

  Grilled Lamb Chop, Greek Salad 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

Finally, a nice home-cooked meal. It was almost like a dream sequence to be cooking in my kitchen. It has just been so long.

BUT, since Max was home sick, I took him to Costco after his nap (b/c chasing around a sick, rambunctious toddler through my cluttered apartment is just a nightmare) for some supplies. Top of my list was Ketel One Vodka. As we were getting ready to go, I said, "Let's go Max! Mommy needs to get some vodka."

Now, let me say that Max is not a talker. Well, he talks, but honestly, we have no clue what the hell he is saying most of the time. Everything sounds like "hota!" But, now you can add "vodka" to his vocabulary. I guess he liked the sound of it. A we walked through Costco, other shoppers were treated to my toddler yelling, "vah ka!, vah ka!" Good mothering, I tell ya.

Anyway, we bought lamb chops. I always buy lamb at Costco, because it always looks tasty. And, Amy Fanning (who just had her second baby - congrats!) sent me a fabulous lamb marinade a while back that is foolproof. Even when you TOTALLY mess around with the recipe like I did. Here you go (with my alterations in bold):

FANNING LAMB

4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup dry vermouth
1 tbsp. rosemary (I used dill, b/c I like making it Greek style)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (I used soy sauce, b/c I am allergic to anchovies, one of the main ingredients of Worcestershire)
2/3 cup dijon mustard

1 4-6 lb. leg of lamb (we like the boneless one at Costco, fat removed) (ha! I used chops, but I've also done this with the leg, and it was terrific)

Combine ingredients for marinade and mix well.  Place lamb in the marinade for 24 hours in the fridge, turning every couple hours (except when you are asleep!). (OK, I marinated the chops for 1/2 hour, and they were still incredibly flavorful, so if you don't plan ahead, don't worry.)

Place butterflied leg of lamb on grill over medium heat.  Sprinkle rosemary on coals for extra flavor.  Cook lamb for 20 minutes on each side, brushing with marinade as you go.   (With the chops, I think we cooked for 10 minutes total.) Remove from grill and let rest – cut into thin slices.  Serves 6-8.

Vegetarian Comfort Food - Eggplant Tomato Casserole

  Eggplant Tomato Casserole 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

This is another one of my mom's classic recipes that I have reworked a bit to make it my own. My changes, though, are very slight. I can not recall which cookbook this is from originally (Mom, if you know, can you put it in the comments?), but it was a frequent member of our holiday tables growing up. It was always served as a side dish, but a few years ago, it occurred to me that it would be a pretty spectacular vegetarian main dish.

The recipe itself is kind of goofy, in a 70's sort of way. It tastes vaguely Italian (especially if you use oregano), but uses cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella, and butter instead of olive oil. Analysis aside, it is pretty damn tasty, and was a great way to use the eggplant that I received last week from Fresh Picks. It is also a very good make-ahead dish. I prepared it Sunday afternoon, but we didn't eat it until Tuesday night. If you want to do the same, do everything but cook it, and just put it in the fridge covered with foil until you are ready to eat.

Eggplant Tomato Casserole

1 large eggplant
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I use panko)
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
paprika (I use smoked)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel and slice the eggplant. Put it in a pan with salt and about an inch of water. Boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and mash the eggplant well with a potato masher. Mix in the eggs, butter, pepper (to taste), onion, herbs and bread crumbs. Butter a shallow casserole (about 1.5 quarts). Cover the bottom of the casserole with half of the sliced tomatoes. Spoon in the eggplant mixture. Arrange the rest of the tomatoes on top and cover with the cheeses. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Serves 3-4 as a main dish, 5-6 as a side dish.

Trader Joe's Lentils

First of all, thank you all so much for your great suggestions for my weeknight dinner dilemma. Most of your suggestions were terrific, and I plan on trying most of them as I make my way through this new world of working long hours outside of the home.

The solution I tried tonight worked out very well. We left work early! Michael and I drive home together, and we were both ready to leave at 4:50, which is rare. Leaving just before 5pm makes a world of difference in terms of traffic. We were home before 5:15, and I think most of the time was spent traveling down in the elevator from the 64th floor!

I also left a note for our nanny on our white board. As soon as I started this job, I hung a giant white board in my kitchen. This is information central. I write down Dylan's daily activity (swimming, stage, dance), tell her about any errands that need to be done, etc. This morning I wrote, "I am making dinner tonight! Please try to hold the kids off with snacks (especially Dylan). Thanks!" Everything worked beautifully. We were home early, dinner came together in minutes, and we were eating dinner as a family before 6pm. I even managed to give both kids a bath before bed.

It should come as no surprise that I relied on Trader Joe's for my dinner. This place was custom-built for the working mom. The star of tonight's meal was their steamed lentils. Made by Melissa's, these are little French lentils, and they are pre-cooked and vacuum sealed. You just cut open the package with a pair of scissors and you are good to go!

Lentils and Greens

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 small package diced Pancetta (from Trader Joe's)
1 package Greens with Envy (a frozen mix of spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green beans and edamame from Trader Joe's), defrosted
1 package steamed lentils

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add the Pancetta and cook until it starts to render and brown. Put greens in the pan and cook until heated through. Add lentils. Cover pan and turn heat to low. Cook for another five minutes or so.

We served this over white rice and topped with a splash of soy sauce and some Sriracha.

I'm alive - (Moroccan Chicken and Lentils)

Just a quick note to say that I am alive and well. Just trying to get used to this working mom gig! I am finding that it is very tiring to do all of the things I have been responsible for at home while undertaking a new and very demanding job. BUT, I love, love, love my new job, so all will be fine, I am sure.

This was crockpot week, by the way. I made a very yummy Moroccan Chicken and Lentil dish that was emailed to me by Susan of Friday Playdate.

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

1 8oz package baby carrots
1 and 1/2 cup lentils, uncooked
1 and 1/2 pounds frozen chicken breast
2 T minced garlic
3/4 t salt
2 t salt-free Moroccan rub (or 3/4 t ground turmeric, 1/2 t ground red
pepper, and 1/2 t ground cinnamon)
1 box chicken broth

Place all ingredients, in order listed, in a 4- or 5-quart electric
slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high setting for 5 hours, or cover and
cook on high setting for one hour; reduce to low setting and cook for
7 hours.

Yield: 6 1-cup servings.

I also experimented with making my ribs in the crockpot. I sprinkled them on both sides with Old Bay seasoning and garlic powder and then I covered with water. I set them on low all day. When I got home, my plan was to throw them into the oven with BBQ sauce. They were delicious, but the "all day" part was just too much. The meat fell off the bones before the ribs even made it out of the crockpot. I think that 5 hours on low would be sufficient. Next time I'm going to have my babysitter turn the crockpot on for me after lunch.