Movin’ on up!

Hello all,

I have moved to a dedicated site at http://inthiskitchen.com . There is a slight name change due to the fact that I couldn’t get my old website name – in this kitchen is the new site. Enjoy!

stir fried singapore noodles with garlic ginger sauce

NOTE: I have moved! My site is now http://inthiskitchen.com . There is a slight name change due to the fact that I couldn’t get my old website name – in this kitchen is the new site which has this post and more. Go there and enjoy!

I don’t think I can ever get enough stir fry. It is so easy, economical, and consistently one of my favorite meals. From start to finish these noodles took less than 30 minutes which helps preserve sanity on a late night after a long work day (or after hours of apartment hunting, like I did today).

I didn’t find mung bean sprouts in my grocery, so I subbed in celery for that added crunch. I used my old favorite soba noodles because, I repeat, I love them and my boyfriend and I just tend to use them in every noodle dish we make. The sauce on this is super super good and can easily be made vegan. And as usual, I always like to mention that this would also be fantastic with strips of beef, pork, chicken, or with shrimp, so feel free to stir fry them up first and then add them in as well. Versatility for the win!

Stir Fried Singapore Noodles with Garlic Ginger Sauce
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
Serves 4

For the Stir Fry:
3.5 ounces soba noodles
1 tablespoon oil
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 shallots or 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
sliced scallions for topping

For the Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make this vegan)
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger (I used a ginger paste)
sriracha or chili garlic sauce to taste

Boil noodles in salted water according to package directions (the soba noodles I buy call for 4 minutes of boiling). Wash and cut all the vegetables. Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the peppers, shallots, and bean sprouts, and curry powder; stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the peas; stir fry for 2 minutes. The vegetables should be bright and tender-crisp.

Add the strained noodles to the pan with the vegetables. Add a little splash of sauce – about 2-3 tablespoons – and stir fry, moving the noodles around in the pan continuously so they don’t stick together in one big lump – they should move freely and easily. After a few minutes of stir frying, remove the pan from heat.

Once off the heat, add the sauce in small increments, tossing/stirring the noodles in between each addition, until the desired “sauciness” level is reached. The goal is for the sauce to thicken slightly when combined with the other ingredients and cling to the noodles instead of soaking into the noodles. Top with scallions and more sauce.

vanilla & chocolate ganache cupcakes

miso sweet potato & broccoli bowl

cowboy caviar

The first time I had cowboy caviar was about 4 years ago and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t had anything like it before. It is so fresh and flavorful yet dead simple. You can throw it together with whatever beans you have in the cupboard, some chopped up tomatoes, frozen or fresh corn, onion, avocado, and cilantro (unless you are one of the legion cilantro haters in the world – just leave it out. It’ll still be great.).

It’s good with chips, but I honestly think it would be fantastic wrapped into a burrito with some cheese thrown in (now I want that…..) Make it the night before a party or get-together and people will love it (especially any vegan/vegetarians).

Cowboy Caviar
adapted from Krysta Steen

Serves 8-10 as a side dish/dip

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 cans beans of your choice (I used 2 cans black beans and 1 can black eyed peas)
1 red pepper, chopped (optional – I did not use)
½ medium red onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Bring 1st four ingredients to a simmer on the stove until sugar dissolves. This will be your dressing. Drain and rinse the beans put in large bowl. Add fresh ingredients. Pour cooled dressing over vegetables and stir. You may not need all of the dressing. Refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours for flavors to combine.

sundried tomato & herb buttermilk bread

I had a bit of buttermilk left over from a different recipe and decided to try making a buttermilk quick bread. I was going to aim for something sweet and delicious, but as I listed the 10 options on this Kitchn article, my boyfriend got super excited when I mentioned the savory sundried tomato option.

I honestly have to say that yeast-based breads are still my preference, but when fresh out of the oven, this bread was good, and very crumbly and soft.

It dries out pretty quickly if left unwrapped, so wrap it up in plastic or tupperware to keep it soft and fresh. I was cavalier as usual and just left it out unwrapped overnight, which made it a little dry – totally my fault. But warmed up and with a little butter it could be saved!

Sundried Tomato and Herb Buttermilk Bread
from The Kitchn

Makes one loaf

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar and parmesan)
2 tablespoons minced sundried tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, olive oil, or vegetable oil

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray a standard 9×5 loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cheese, sundried tomatoes, baking powder, baking soda, oregano, thyme, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Melt the butter, if using. Whisk it in a separate bowl with the buttermilk and the egg.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently stir and fold the ingredients until all the flour has been incorporated and a shaggy, wet batter is formed. Be careful not to over-mix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and pat it into the corners. Bake for 45-50 minutes. When finished, the loaf should be domed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and slicing.

Wrap baked loaves tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Baked loaves can also be wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.

healthy whole wheat blueberry muffins

dijon braised brussels sprouts

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked from Smitten Kitchen for many months now and finally made it tonight. I actually really like brussels sprouts, and I certainly love anything cooked with white wine, chicken broth, onions & dijon.

First, the brussels are seared in equal parts butter and olive oil, until browned on one side.

Then they get combined with the broth, wine, and shallots (I used onions) to simmer for 20 minutes and get nice and soft.

The wine/broth is then mixed with a bit of cream and dijon to make a sauce, and the result is absolutely delicious. The mustard is not overly strong and it mixes perfectly with the dish. Make this now!!

Dijon Braised Brussels Sprouts
from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 pound brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I use salted all the time and its fine)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 to 3 shallots or onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon smooth dijon mustard (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Trim sprouts and halve lengthwise. In a large, heavy 12-inch skillet heat butter and oil over moderate heat. Arrange halved sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. [Updated to note: If your sprouts don’t fit in one layer, don’t fret! Brown them in batches, then add them all back to the pan, spreading them as flat as possible, before continuing with the shallots, wine, etc.]

Add the shallots, wine and stock and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low (for a gentle simmer), cover the pot with a lid (foil works too, if your skillet lacks a lid) and cook the sprouts until they are tender can be pierced easily with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, and scoop out brussels (leaving the sauce behind). Add cream and simmer for two to three minutes, until slightly thickened. Whisk in mustard. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with more salt, pepper or Dijon. Pour sauce over brussels, sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve immediately.

sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms

I used to shy away from sundried tomatoes. My aversion to them began when I ordered a sundried tomato pizza at an Italian restaurant and got a pizza *covered* in the things, which were so strong and flavorful that they overpowered the entire pizza.

Since then I’ve come to love them, as long as they are in small quantities and used as a highlighted flavor rather than the main one. These stuffed mushrooms are the perfect place for them.

Technically, these are meant to be hors d’oeuvres, but we ate them just as dinner. I imagine they’d be really great as a side to steak or grilled chicken.

Sundried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms

From Smitten Kitchen

1/2 ounce dried tomatoes (about 5, not packed in oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
18 white mushrooms, stems pulled out and chopped fine and caps reserved
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 large egg yolk, beaten lightly
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, washed well, spun dry, and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl soak tomatoes in hot water to cover 5 minutes. Reserving 1 tablespoon soaking liquid, drain tomatoes well and chop fine.

Lay mushroom caps, stems removed, face down on baking sheet either lightly sprayed with cooking spray or parchment paper. Bake them approximately 10 minutes, or until their liquid puddles underneath. Remove from the oven. Carefully pour off liquid that has gathered in the bottom of the pan, and then again, carefully, turn mushroom caps over so they are ready to be filled.

In a small skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook chopped mushrooms stems, shallots and garlic, stirring until shallots are softened. In a bowl stir together mushrooms mixture, bread crumbs, tomatoes, reserved soaking liquid, yolk, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing in reserved mushroom caps and arrange caps in a lightly greased shallow baking dish, or the same parchment-lined pan you’ve roasted your mushrooms in. Sprinkle mushrooms with Parmesan and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes.

Makes 18 hors d’oeuvres.

sesame soba noodles

After buying sesame noodles from the grocery store on a weekly basis, I thought it was about time to make them at home. It seemed simple, and it absolutely is – cook the noodles, heat up the sauce, and combine. I used soba noodles instead of linguine due to soba’s magical nutritional content, and added carrots for crunch.

These should keep well for about 7 days and be great as a weekday lunch.

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:
2 (9.5oz) packages soba noodles
6 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons olive or safflower oil
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons chili sauce
6 green onions, sliced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks (optional)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Boil soba noodles for 3-4 minutes or as long as package indicates. Drain, and transfer to a serving bowl.

2. Meanwhile, place a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce over soba, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions, carrots, and sesame seeds to serve.