Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Satay is one of my favorite Thai appetizers.  When we lived in Miami, our favorite Thai restaurant was called Tani Thai, and had the best chicken satay.  They brought the skewers on these mini hibachi grills where you'd place the skewers to keep them warm while you ate. Fast froward a few years later and we still haven't had satay as good as that one.  I tried making satay last night for dinner with a spicy peanut sauce.  This dish was easy and a great way to use up boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Serve with some refreshing cucumber salad and some Thai fried rice and you'll have a great meal.

Ingredients for the Satay:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 shallots
5 garlic cloves
3 tbsp. palm sugar (you can use dark brown sugar as a substitute)
2 tsp.ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 kaffir lime leaves (If you can't find this, use some lime zest- about 1 tsp. You can also use lemongrass.  Just the tender stalk, minced)
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 bird chilies (if you can't find this, you can substitute with your favorite red chili, just use about 1 tsp and remove the seeds.  You can also use chili paste)
2 tsp. salt

Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilies, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon juice to a mini food processor.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and then add in the turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, lime juice and sugar.  Whisk well and then add the oil and salt.  You should have a thick paste at this point.  Slice the chicken breasts horizontally to think out the slices.  You could also pound out the breast to make it thinner.  Begin cutting the chicken into long strips and adding it to a zip-lock bag with the marinade.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Skewer the chicken onto bamboo sticks.  Spray your grill with a little non-stick spray and turn the heat up to medium high.  Place the skewers down on the grill and let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes on each side, baste the chicken with any remaining marinade about halfway through the cooking process.

For the peanut sauce:
5 shallots
3 garlic cloves
2 bird chilies (red chilies)
1 tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp. ground coriander
3 tbsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coconut milk

First roughly chop the garlic, shallots and chilies and saute them in a non-stick pan on medium heat with the canola oil.  Add in the grated ginger and cook for about 2 minutes before adding in the peanut butter.  Using a spatula, begin stirring the peanut butter as it melts into the sauce. Next add in the coriander, lime juice, soy sauce , coconut milk and sugar.  Cook everything until the sugar dissolves. Transfer this sauce into a blender or food processor and add in the water.  Blend until you have a smooth and creamy consistency.  Serve with the satay.

Steak and Mushroom Flatbread with Spinach and Horseradish Cream

That title was a mouthful huh? I didn't want to leave out any part of the dish, but truly, I think this is one of those instances where the picture speaks a 1000 words. There are a lot of things going on in this dish, but they work beautifully together.  The warm and delicate dough, the smooth and creamy sauce that has just the right amount of kick, and the sweetness of the onions and mushrooms just melt in your mouth along with the steak- get ready to experience bliss in one bite.  If you're vegetarian or aren't into steak, you really could just omit it altogether- just bump up the the onions and mushrooms.

For the onions and mushrooms:
5 medium onions
3 cups button or cremini mushrooms
1/3 cup whiskey ( I used Dewar's 12)
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil or butter

Begin by slicing the onions into rounds. Not too thick or not too thin- about a 1/4" thick.  Add the butter or oil to a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to medium high.  Place the onions in the pan and saute, stirring periodically to make sure the browning is somewhat even.  The onions will go from being crunchy, to soft and translucent, to brown, soft and sweet but it will take about 25 minutes for them to cook down to this level.  Once the onions are soft but not fully browned, add in the Worcestershire sauce, the whiskey and the salt and pepper and stir around.  This will aid the caramelization process. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and set aside until you're ready to assemble the flatbread.

Repeat the same process for the mushrooms.

Side note: I made the onions and mushrooms separately, but they're made exactly the same way.  You could save time by doing them all in one shot, but I was scared that they'd stew (since mushrooms release so much water when cooked) instead of saute nicely.  If  you do make both at the same time, just make sure to keep you heat up high and stir around constantly to avoid stewing.  Add the butter or oil to a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to high.

Ingredients for the steak:
2 lbs. beef tenderloin
1 tbsp.  oil or butter
2 tsp. herbs de Provence
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

First, start out by trimming the tenderloin of any visible fat.  I ended up cutting the tenderloin into steaks about 3/4" thick. Add the oil or butter to a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to high.  Let the pan get really hot while you season up the tenderloin with the salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. It's important to get the pan really hot in order to achieve that nice sear on the outside.  Add the steak to the skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a holding plate and cover with foil.

For the horseradish cream:
2 tbsp.  grated horseradish
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Blend the horseradish and the mayo until it's well combined.  Next add the lemon juice, garlic, sugar and salt and whisk well.

To assemble the flatbread:

Bake the dough until it's nice and tender, but has a bit of firmness to it.  I used this recipe for the dough which I had frozen from the last time I made the California Flatbread.  If you don't have dough already made you could buy the pizza dough that comes in the tube or go to your local pizzeria and buy the raw dough there.

Once the dough is cooked, spread a layer of the horseradish cream on the bottom.  Next place some fresh baby spinach leaves or arugula all over the top of the dough.  Then top the dough with the mush rooms and onions.  Slice the steak into strips and place over the top of the flatbread.  Season with a little freshly cracked pepper serve hot.

Enjoy!

Sweet Tamale Cakes

Have you ever been to a restaurant and ordered something you loved and thought to yourself, '"I bet I can make this at home"?  One of the dishes I've been meaning to try my hand at is the Sweet Corn Tamale Cake from Cheesecake Factory.  I finally got around to making these this weekend and thought they came out EXACTLY like the real thing.  This was probably the closest I've ever come to recreating a restaurant dish at home.  I looked online for a few recipes and modified one that I thought sounded like it would turn out well, and I was not let down.  All in all, it was a pretty simple dish, but a little tedious since you have to make three separate sauces.  Totally worth the effort in my opinion.

For the Tomatillo Salsa:
4 tomatillos, diced
2 tbsp. green bell pepper, minced
2 green onion stalks, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1  tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chop up the tomatillo, pepper, green onion and cilantro.   Dump all of the ingredients into a food processor and gently pulse to get a smoother consistency.  Place the contents into a bowl and begin adding cumin, sugar and salt.   Stir well, cover with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the fridge to chill until you're ready to assemble the cakes.

For the Pico de Gallo:
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp. minced Spanish onions
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. green bell pepper or mild chili like pasilla, seeds removed and minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. light olive oil

Dice up the tomatoes and add to a small bowl.  Mince the onions and peppers and add to the bowl.  Next, finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.  Stir well, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool until you're ready to assemble the dish.

For Southwestern Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp.water
1 tsp.  granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 tsp.  salt

Add the mayo, ketchup, water and vinegar to a bowl.  Whisk well to combine the sauces and remove any lumps.  Next add in the paprika, cayenne powder, chili powder, salt and garlic clove and whisk to combine all of the ingredients. Cover and put in the fridge to chill.

 For  the Cakes:
3 cups frozen sweet corn
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2 tbsp. water
6 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup corn flour (masa harina)
1/4 cup regular flour

Start out by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.  Thaw out  the corn kernels.  They don't have to be completely thawed, just tender enough to where they'll blend in the food processor.  Add the corn and the water to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse chop.  Transfer the corn to a large mixing bowl and add in the butter.  Blend well with a spatula.  Next add in the corn flour and the regular flour, the salt and sugar and blend well.  You should have a sticky consistency.  If it feels too dry, add a little water.  Spray a non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray and begin forming the cakes.  You should have a  shape similar to a crab cake.  Place the cakes down on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes and remove the tray from the oven to flip the cakes.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

For the Garnish:
1 hass avocado
6 tbsp. sour cream
3 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

To Assemble:
Spoon the tomatillo salsa along the bottom of your serving platter.  Place the cakes over the tomatillo salsa and then top with the pico de gallo.  Next drizzle a little of the southwestern sauce over the top of the cake.  Cut the avocado into small chunks and place on top of the cakes.  Dollop one tbsp. over each of the cakes and sprinkle the top with some fresh chopped cilantro.

California Grilled Chicken Flatbread

Something about this flat bread just says "California" to me. I don't know what it is, maybe contrasting flavors and textures of the veggies and chicken with the spicy sauce.  Something I really liked about this dish is that it's a great way to not make the same ol' boring chicken.  Chicken breast is by far the protein I use the most and I am always thinking of new ways to re-invent it.  This flatbread is also topped with lots of fresh veggies like avocado and tomatoes which are great for you.  In fact, you could easily make this dish vegetarian by omitting the chicken breast and bacon.  It's also quite healthy in terms of fat content, the chicken is simply grilled  and the cheese and sauce were made using reduced fat ingredients- you'll feel like you're eating something really indulgent, but it's actually good for you too! I know I'm a little late for the party, but shoot, this would have been good for the super bowl! Oh well, summer is right around the corner.  I can just imagine serving this at a casual summer get together- I think it'd be a hit. I can always test out this hypothesis- any takers?

Ingredients:
4 lemon- size balls of pizza dough (I used this recipe, but if you were in a hurry you could use the store bought kind that comes in a tube or even buy the raw dough  from your local pizzeria.)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. herbs de Provence
6 slices bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1/2 a red onion
1 ripe tomato
1-2 ripe hass avocados
2 tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the reduced fat kind)
salt and pepper to taste

First, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  While the oven gets hot, butterfly your chicken breasts and sprinkle them with a little salt, pepper and some herbs de Provence. Take out your grill pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Don't oil the grill pan because it will only collect the oil in the grooves.  Instead, brush the chicken breasts with a tiny amount of oil and transfer them to the grill pan once it's hot.  Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side.  It shouldn't take very long since you'll cut the cooking time by butterflying the breasts.

While the chicken is cooking, begin rolling out the dough into rectangular shapes using a rolling pin. I like my flatbread a little on the thin side, so I rolled it out quite a bit, but you can roll it out depending on how thick you like your dough. Using a pastry brush, brush a little bit of oil on the flatbread and place it on a cookie sheet.  Now would be a good time to place the strips of bacon on another cookie sheet.  Transfer the cookie sheets to the oven and allow the flatbread to cook until it's nice and golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.  The bacon should be done about the same time too.  Remove the trays from the oven and transfer the flatbread to your platter.   While the flatbread cooks, make sure to keep an eye on your chicken breast, turning it once to cook on the other side.  Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a plate, and allow it to rest for about 4 minutes before slicing into thin strips. While you're waiting on the chicken to rest, and the flatbread to cook, let's begin cutting up our veggies.  Dice the tomatoes, thinly slice your onion and slice your avocado.  When the bacon is cooked, dice that up too.  Now let's begin assembling the flatbread.  Place the chicken over the flatbread, then top with your veggies and bacon.  Sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese over the top, and drizzle with the spicy sauce, (recipe below)

For the spicy sauce:
1/3 cup plain- non-fat yogurt
2 tbsp. reduced fat mayo
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. water
1 small garlic clove (or half a big one), grated
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce
a pinch of salt

Add the yogurt, mayo, ketchup, hot sauce and water to a little mixing bowl.  Whisk it well, removing any clumps, you'll want a velvety smooth sauce.  Next, sprinkle in the cayenne pepper, salt, lemon juice and the grated garlic clove and whisk once again until all of the ingredients are evenly combined.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Cake with Lemony Honey-Mustard Sauce

There are a few recipes I've come up with for days when I didn't defrost anything to make, need to clear some stuff out of my pantry, or have run out of most other ingredients and need to do groceries. This is an example of one of those recipes. Really the ingredients are pretty basic, and most of it is stuff you probably have in your pantry and fridge right now. I have made several variations of this dish, including a salmon cake, and a tuna cake too. The recipes are a little different, but basically the same concept. I typically make this version with turkey-ham but I didn't have any so I used turkey bacon (yes we're a kosher household). The sauce on top of the cake really makes this ordinary meal a lot more elegant and tasty.

Ingredients:
2 large cans chicken
9 strips of turkey bacon (or about 1 cup cubed diced turkey ham)
1 serving instant mashed potatoes (prepared following package directions)
1 cup milk (or whatever the instructions on the mashed potatoes say)
1/2 stick butter
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
6 stems scallions
1 cup cheddar-jack shredded cheese (really any shredded cheese will work)
1/3 cup bread crumbs (plus more for dusting when forming patties)
3 eggs
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste ( I like to add a generous dash of pepper to this dish)

First line a cookie sheet with foil and place bacon on it and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. They shouldn't be too crispy at this point because they will continue to cook once in the pan and in the cake itself. Next dice up an onion and grate or mince the garlic cloves. Add the butter to a non-stick skillet and add the onions and garlic. You can season them with salt and pepper if you like at this point. Next drain the cans of chicken and roughly chop it. Remove the onions from the pan and put the chicken in. Allow the chicken to brown a bit.

Next cut up the turkey bacon and add it to the pan where the chicken is. Add the onion and garlic in too. Combine these ingredients well and brown a little more on medium heat. Next put these ingredients in a large bowl.
Finely slice your scallions and prepare the instant mashed potatoes according to the package instructions.

Add the scallions and the the Dijon mustard to the mixing bowl. Add the eggs in too. Blend all of this well with a spatula. Don't do it with your hands unless you've allowed the chicken-bacon-onion mix to cool down a bit. I burned my hands a little yesterday- not fun.Next add the cheese and the breadcrumbs.

Now you will form the patties and once they're formed, just lightly dust them in bread crumbs. Do not egg and batter them, as it will create too thick a crust for this flaky cake. But that's just my humble opinion. Place the patties on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I served this dish with sauteed green beans, carrots, red onion, mushrooms and garlic. I also made a cheddar and chive cornbread. (I used the instant cornbread mix and just doctored it up a bit)
And lastly, here is the recipe for that glorious sauce...

Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. low fat mayo
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 lemon (the zest and juice of a whole one)
1 tsp. cider vinegar

In a bowl combine the honey, mustard, and mayo. Whisk really well to avoid little mayo clumps. You really have to put your back into this because no-one likes a clumpy sauce. Then add the water, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and whisk briskly again. Add the remaining ingredients and combine well. Serve over the cake or use as a salad dressing.

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri, Black Beans and Rice

 

So last night for dinner I made grilled flank steak on the bbq, chimichurri, black bean and rice and Key lime pie for dessert. You can put chimichurri on anything and it will make it taste good- let alone a nice juicy and tender piece of flank steak cooked over burning fire.... YUM! So here's how you make this dish:

For the flank steak
Marinade:
4 cloves garlic
2 limes
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Blend all the ingredients well and place in a shallow bowl big enough to hold the steak overnight or at least for 4 hours in the fridge

Turn on your grill to the highest setting- you want it SUPER hot before you place the meat down. Make sure to shake off the excess marinade and put the meat down on the grill on an angle so you get the nice grill marks. Let it cook for about 4 minutes and without flipping over yet, slightly rotate the beef to get criss-cross marks (thanks PW for this trick). Cook for another 4 minutes on this side. Flip over and do the same. Flank steak tends to be somewhat thick, but if your piece looks thin to you, you might want to cook it for less time to avoid overcooking. Overcooked flank steak is not pretty friends. In fact, it's pretty awful because it gets extremely tough. After the meat is cooked, remove it from the grill- WITH TONGS!!!! You don't want to pierce it with a fork because this will make all the juices run out, rendering the meat dry. You have to let the meat rest for a few minutes before you slice it thinly against the grain.

For the beans (short-cut, make- after- a -long -day -at work- version):
2 cans black beans
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1/4 green pepper
1/4 red pepper
1/2 a large onion or one whole small onion
4 large clove of garlic
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 dash garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Finely dice the peppers, onion and garlic and saute with olive oil in a pot. Once this mix has become tender, add the cans of black beans and water. Add the bay leaves and cider vinegar, allowing the beans to simmer over med-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and serve over white rice.

For the Chimichurri:
3 bunches flat leaf parsley
1/2 a white onion
6 large cloves garlic
1 lemon
2 limes
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/2 cup light olive oil

Thoroughly wash the parsley. In a food processor, grind the parsley well and set aside in a large bowl or tupperware. Next add the onions and garlic to the food processor. Combine until it becomes a fine paste. Strain this over a tight mesh sieve to remove the excess water from the onion and add to the bowl with the parsley. Next add the juice of the lemon and limes, the salt, oil, vinegar and sugar and combine well. Allow to set overnight. Serve over juicy steak.

Fish Fry

You can probably tell I've been watching episodes of Tyler Florence's food network show lately... as I was watching this episode my mouth was watering.  This meal is not exactly great for the ol' saddlebags, but definitely delicious!



(Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence)
Ingredients for the fish:
Canola oil, for deep frying
2 cups rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 (12-ounce) can soda water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 (8-ounce) cod fillets cut in 1/2 on an angle
1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
2 tbsp cornmeal

Heat 3 inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine soda water and egg and pour into the flour mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Remove the basket and drain the fish and chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt.


Ingredients for Hush Puppies:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup onion 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
1 egg, whisked
1/4 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk Directions:

Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees F. Mix all of the ingredients together and form into little balls. Fry until golden brown and crunchy.


Ingredients for cole slaw:
1 bag Cole slaw greens
¼ cup finely diced onions
1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper¼ cup milk
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
Mix all of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl along with the salt and pepper. Whisk until nice and creamy. Next add onions and the bag of greens and combine with the dressing. Add the poppy seeds and incorporate well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. I personally think it taste better the next day but that’s just me.

For the tartar sauce mix 1/2 cup mayo and 2 tbsp. dill relish. And for the cocktail sauce mix 1/2 ketchup, 1 tsp. horseradish and 2 tsp. lemon juice.
Phew! That sure was a lot of cooking!