You should make this curry after you hire me.

As usual, the new year has brought some changes around my house…Hubby's still busting his ass, getting paid far less than he's worth, E's been requiring more and more attention (and therefore requiring more nanny hours), and this exhausted mama has officially gone freelance, meaning way more flexibility, way more new work needed, way more say over the projects I do choose to work, and unfortunately, (for the time being, anyway) way less regular income. In other words, we're broke asses, and having to meal plan again.

And this is where I ever so gracefully segue into telling you how to reach me for any freelance design projects you may need: Pamhuberdesigns.com. And I'm currently working on jobs in Cali (branding, packaging design and a direct mail campaign), Kentucky (logo), and Florida (wedding invites) so I'm freakin' national right now. Email and Skype are my BFFs. Fingers in the hang loose sign, wiggling by my ear. Call me! 

And so I've been trolling the usual sites, looking for new ideas. I'm hoping that when they do work, I'll be lucid enough by the end of the day to actually write them down for you.

This original recipe is actually called Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice, so when my basmati-obsessed Hubby walked into the kitchen, saw me measuring brown rice and subsequently glanced at my recipe, he of course so helpfully offered, "It says Basmati…?"

1. Read the ingredients, buddy. It says OR brown rice. 2. I'm cooking, you're eating. Shhhhhh.

Also awesome as leftovers with cooked red meat heated up with it. We used leftover tri-tip, but next time Hubs wants to try lamb.

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry
Cooked brown rice (Get a bag, follow directions for 1 cup. Heads up: it takes about 45 minutes)
Canola oil (about a tbsp)
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp garam masala
2 tsp madras curry
 large pinch (fresh white) pepper
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed/drained
1 29oz can crushed tomato
1 6oz package baby spinach
About 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
Large handful chopped cilantro
Salt to taste (1/2 tsp or so)
Good squeeze fresh lemon juice

In large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high. Add shallot and saute a couple of minutes. Add garlic, cook another minute or two. Add garam masala, curry and pepper and saute 30 seconds or so.

Stir in chickpeas and tomato, and cook about 4 minutes over medium heat or until hot. Gently stir in spinach until wilted, a minute or two. Turn off heat and stir in yogurt, cilantro and salt. Stir in lemon juice. Serve over rice.

Vietnamese Pork Salad

Ok, I promised easy this week, but I actually made this last week, so no calling me a liar. The recipe was described as pork bun, but this is actually more like the other Thai/Vietnamese salads I make and less...bun-ish. I know only those of you who are familiar with Bun can make any sort of sense of that, but oh, well.

It really is pretty easy, though. Cutting the veggies is the hardest part of this-once that's done and prepped it all comes together really quickly. Oh, and the longer you marinate the pork, the better. Overnight, ideally, but an hour will work in a pinch.

Vietnamese Pork Salad
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
A little less than 1/3 cup lime juice
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz rice sticks
Romaine lettuce
Half an english cucumber, peeled and match-stick cut
About 20 baby carrots, match-stick cut
About a cup of bean sprouts
handful fresh mint, chopped
about 20 basil leaves, chopped
about a tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dry roasted chopped peanuts
Pork:
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 4oz boneless pork chops

To marinate the pork, combine soy sauce, hoisin, honey, chili paste, garlic and chops in a large zip lock bag or covered bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring water to a boil in small sauce pan. Add sugar, and stir till dissolved. Turn off heat and stir in lime, fish sauce, chile paste and garlic.

While that cools, cover rice sticks with boiling water and let sit 10-30 minutes or until they are soft to the bite. Drain and let cool.

Remove pork from marinade and then grill over high heat about 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

On plate, spread desired amount of romaine lettuce. Arrange noodles, veggies and herbs on top, then top with pork slices. Serve 1/4 cup or so of fish sauce mixture alongside each plate to use as dressing.


375 cals/4 servings
500 cals/3 servings

Some days the grocery store hates me.

I planned ahead and did my shopping for four dinners at once this week, planning to make some gooey spinach and cheese stuffed shells the first night. But then I got home and realized I hadn't bought shells. Or sauce....or cheese. I stomped around for a minute, pouting, until I realized I had three other perfectly good options; Hubby opted for this one, a super easy and filling pasta based soup I dressed up just a bit. I wanted to use refrigerated tortellini, but there was a reduced fat ravioli option, so that won out.

I also intended on making Pepper Garlic Flatbread to go with it, but the dough somehow didn't make it from the grocery conveyor belt to my house. I have a feeling the woman in line behind me now has no idea what she's going to do with refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough. Some days the grocery store hates me, what can I say.

I didn't get any, but the hubby swears it was also delicious as lunch leftovers. Double score.

Cheese Ravioli Soup
1 package fresh light 4 cheese ravioli or similar (tortellini, etc.)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp butter
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1/4 cup chopped basil, plus extra for garnish
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
Asiago or parmesan to top
Fresh ground pepper to top (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm. In large soup pot, saute garlic in butter about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and tomato and bring to a boil. Add pasta, then remove from heat and stir in basil. Top with 1 tbsp cheese, pepper and fresh basil.

235/4 servings
313/3 servings
470/2 servings

I need easy right now.

I'm tired, I'm lazy, and my freakin' belly hurts when I'm on my feet too long. Round Ligament pain. It's awesome.

Plus, I'm gaining weight right now just looking at food. I've been trying to do yoga more regularly, which really does seem to help me sleep better, but it's not exactly burning a ton of calories. I was walking a half hour after work, which felt great, but then we had the shift to winter that seriously happens overnight around here, and I'm a big pansy about working out outside when my nose is cold. (It hurts, ok?) My point is, I'm not burning as many calories as I should be, and while I'm "supposed" to be gaining weight right now, I'm trying not to over do it.

So back to depending on Cooking Light, where I can generally find recipes that are short on ingredients and prep time, and long on possibilities (I never seem to use their "as written" directions.) Oh, and their portion sizes are totally decent, so I've been better about having my one helping and then getting to give the eyeball to the hubby when he goes back for more.

This week we're doing easy. There will be some chopping, of course, but I'll keep it to a minimum, I promise. Oh, and if I haven't recommended the Garlic Zoom before, stick it in your own stocking this year. It's probably my most used kitchen tool, and makes anything with garlic a breeze. No knives, no mess.

First up—Thai Beef Stir-fry, which was delicious. I bought pre-sliced meat and frozen beans, which sped this up quite a bit. Flavors were great-tasted pretty hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant to me. Didn't take much time, either, just make sure and have everything ready to go as soon as you get the wok (or big fry pan) heated up.

Thai Beef Stir-fry
1/2 tsp salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili paste
about a 1 inch section ginger, minced
1 tbsp lemongrass (from a tube)
zest from one lime (quarter the lime as garnish/to top)
cooking spray
1 lb stir fry beef steak (or flank steak, sliced thinly)
1 package frozen cut green beans
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp cider vinegar
About a cup basil leaves, whole
Cooked jasmine or white rice, to serve

In small bowl, combine salt, garlic, chili, ginger, lemongrass and zest. In another small bowl, combine sugar, fish sauce and vinegar, stirring til sugar is dissolved.

In hot wok, coat with cooking spray, then add paste and stir fry quickly, about 30 seconds. Add beef, and continue stir frying another two minutes or so. Add beans and about a tsp water, and cook about 3-4 minutes, moving everything the whole time until beans are hot. Pour in fish sauce mixture, and cook another minute or until meat is cooked (Mine came out medium, so it may take longer if you want it more cooked). Turn off heat and stir in basil leaves until they begin to wilt. Serve over hot rice with lime wedges and sriracha to taste.

Per serving (add another 150 for 3/4 cup rice):
258/4 servings
345/3 servings

That's it, no more turkey.

Literally, every piece of tupperware we own is currently in our fridge, and somehow there's still nothing I want to eat. Probably because I need green things at this point, not meat. Or pie. Seriously, I sauteed up brussel sprouts and baby tomatoes and called that dinner last night. (Actually, it was delicious. A little light butter with microwave steamed brussels, halved cherry tomatoes, then topped with a bit of parm, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), salt and pepper. 10 minutes total.)

With two turkeys, two racks of ribs and 10 people, I'm actually surprised we didn't have more meat left over. I'm totally sick of turkey at this point, but I feel bad just trashing it, so I'm trying my best to use it up. But I'm also trying not to cook too much, seeing that my fridge is FULL and cooking is starting to make me tired...I'm apparently a bit of a frenetic cook—I work fast and multi-task, and I just don't have the energy I had 28 weeks ago.

Speaking of 28 weeks, I finally feel like I look pregnant. Or else I just ate way too much pie this weekend. (Shaking fist at my mother for bringing—and leaving—a ginormous, delicious Costco apple pie.) Which makes me scared to see how enormous I am by the time Christmas rolls around. If I don't post any photos, it's because my face has caught up with my ass and I'm refusing to have it documented. Just a heads up.

Anyway, we had some broccoli in the fridge, so I decided to do something easy with it. It's similar to chicken divan, but easier, quicker, and heavier on the broc. Not much prepping here, and even though it looks and seems a little down-homey and rich (just enough to spread out Thanksgiving a little more?) it's really not. I based it off a vegetarian Cooking Light recipe, but got rid of the mayo and threw in some turkey for some extra protein. And because it has to be used somehow.

Broccoli Casserole
12 oz bag of steam-able broccoli (or 3/4 lb loose broccoli florets)
1 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp flour
good pinch each salt and pepper
1/3 cup sharp cheddar
2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
2 shallots, chopped
1 can sliced water chestnuts
about a cup shredded cooked turkey or chicken
bread crumbs

Cook broccoli. In saute pan, combine milk, flour, salt and pepper, and whisk over medium heat until thickened. Add cheese and cream cheese, whisking til smooth. Stir in shallot.

In medium casserole dish, layer broccoli, shredded turkey, and water chestnuts. Pour cheese sauce evenly across the top. Sprinkle top evenly with breadcrumbs. Cook at 400 for 20 minutes.

Roughly 850 calories total. (213 for 1/4 casserole)

Are you still full?

So, did everyone have a fantastic turkey day? Hopefully, you're like me, and got to spend it with friends and family, gorging yourself on a completely inappropriate amount of food and sugar over the course of four days. And are now dying for something different, like Vietnamese food and chocolate popsicles. Or...you're not pregnant, and are just fine reheating comfort food for another week. Either way, cheers.

We hosted again this year, but my father-in-law was incredible and did the bulk of the cooking at his house before hauling it over. Which meant all I was responsible for was cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and I threw in a quinoa salad for something different. (Plus I based it off a recipe from a kosher recipe collection, so I figured it was a shout-out to the hubby's mom and step-dad, who we don't get to see until Hanukkah this year.)

I did a little twist on the mashed potatoes, which was using roughly peeled yukon gold potatoes (6 lbs), and once cooked til soft in salted water, I drained them, added 1 cup 1% milk, salt, pepper, and a container of chive flavored cream cheese. And they were fantastic—I didn't miss the butter at all.

But I really loved the quinoa dish. Ill definitely be making it again, and I won't be waiting for a special occasion—it has a great mix of sweet and citrus and grain with some great textures all thrown in together. It was also good the next day over some mixed greens and leftover turkey breast.

Oh, and by the way...remember the episode of Friends where Joey borrows Phoebe's maternity pants to wear for Thanksgiving? Brilliance. These waistband-less dreams are a fat kid's best friend. And I promise I won't bust them out again next year. But I'm definitely going to be wishing I did.

Cranberry Pistachio Quinoa Salad
1 3/4 c uncooked quinoa
olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 cups water
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from one lemon
1/4 tsp fresh pepper
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint

Rinse and drain quinoa. In large sauce pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat, and add shalllots. Cook about 3 minutes, then stir in water, wine and salt. Bring to a boil.

Add quinoa, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

In small bowl, combine 1 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. When quinoa is cool, add olive oil mixture and toss well. Gently stir in cranberries, pistachios, parsley and mint. Chill until ready to eat. Good room temperature or cold.

African Potato Peanut Stew

It's been under 80 degrees for like 4 days in a row, so I'm going to go ahead and assume it's finally fall around here. (Please? I have a growing stomach to cover, and sweaters help a ton.) We'll see how it goes, but in the meantime, I'm still going to make cool-weather food and try and coax it along.

This stew is fairly simple, really, with a medium amount of prep, so it was good on a week night. The original recipe calls for it to cook for over an hour, but I checked it after 40 minutes and the potatoes were perfectly cooked...I think I may have chopped them smaller than intended, but the bite size pieces make more sense. So just check it along the way...when they're done, you're done. Easy as that.

Hubby commented that lamb would be a good addition, so if you want to meatify this, go ahead and throw some bite sized chunks of lamb or beef in after the garlic and brown for a couple of minutes before continuing. I did use chicken broth instead of veggie broth, but other than that, I thought it was great as a vegetarian dish. Oh, and you can use all peanuts for this (use up to a cup), I just ran out and liked the addition of the almonds.

I love how colorful it is once you get over it and just stir in the topping. Which you should do, by the way.

African Peanut Stew
1 cup 0% greek yogurt
1/4 cup minced chives
splash of olive oil
half a yellow onion, halved and sliced
1 shallot, sliced (optional)
half a large bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, halved
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tsp salt
1 minced red chile or 1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 lbs peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (I sliced about 1/2 in thick widthwise, then quartered those)
3/4 lb baby red potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size
2.5 cups fat-free broth
28oz can diced tomatoes

Combine yogurt and chives, chill.

Heat oil in dutch oven or stock pot over medium high. Add onion, shallot and bell pepper, saute 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, saute until fragrant, less than a minute. Add peanuts, salt and chile. After a couple of minutes (stirring often), add potatoes, broth and tomato.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover. After about 35 minutes, test every 10 minutes or so to see if the potatoes are soft. When they are, turn off heat and let sit 5-10 minutes.

Top with a dollop of yogurt mix to serve. (Serves 6, roughly 350 cals per serving)

Well, this was not what we expected.

Before yesterday, this was exactly how much I knew about chicken tetrazzini. Which, really, was plenty, because it's been an ongoing joke in our house for no particular reason other that it's just fun to say.



Is it southern? Is it pasta? Is it a casserole? Why is it named after an opera singer? I just don't know.

But what I do know is that this is some cheesy, delicious, keep-a-man goodness. Hubby took a bite, looked at me, and said exactly what I was thinking, "Well, I had no idea what to expect, but this was not it. Thumbs up."

Chicken Tetrazzini
2 tsp butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
large pinch fresh ground pepper
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup vermouth
1/4 cup flour
1 and 1/3 cup chicken broth
1 cup grated parmesan
4 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 box vermicelli or thin spagetti noodles (8 oz)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked (375 for 25 min. or so)

Break pasta in half. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta about 4-5 minutes. When done, drain. Chop the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot (make sure it's big...a stock pot or dutch oven will work well). Add onion, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper. After about a minute, add mushrooms and peas, and stir fry everything for about 4 minutes, stirring often. Add vermouth and cook about a minute.

Add flour a bit at a time, stirring constantly. It's going to get crazy thick and will seem impossible, but keep whisking and stirring and try and get out all the lumps. After a couple of minutes, add broth slowly, stirring constantly. It should still be really thick, so bring to a boil then reduce to low and still stir often, making sure the lumps are gone, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add in cream cheese and parm cheese, stirring gently until melted.

Rinse drained pasta, and add to mixture. Add in chicken, and stir everything until combined. It will take awhile...make sure all is coated and evenly mixed.

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray, and pour in the mixture. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Note: Substitutions don't always work as planned.

I think my mouth is still on fire from this one.

While on my marathon Cooking Light recipe search this week, I found this recipe for spicy salmon that looked like a winner...It calls for 2 tbsp of chili garlic sauce, which we don't have…so I figured I'd just use 2 tbsp fresh chili paste (Sambal Oelek) mixed with 2 minced garlic cloves. Um, no. I'm pretty sure that was a dumb assumption on my part. I know CL recipes, and they tend to lean on the bland side, so I can only assume their version is not supposed to be so. ridiculously. spicy. Eh. You live and learn. Substitutions don't always work.

The flavor was delicious, yes, but so incredibly en fuego that I ended up having to scrape most of it off before I could eat. (I can handle heat, too, so this amused Hubby to no end...he totally iron-stomached it.) So if you do need to go this route and substitute, just brush the glaze on ONCE, not twice, or just use garlic plus one tbsp chili paste instead of two.

I served with CL's recommended Sugar Snap Peas.These were meh. Fine, not OMG Best Peas Ever!, but easy, especially when you buy the steam-in-the-bag peas. (Which admittedly may have had something to do with their meh-ness, but come on. So much easier.)

I also threw together some couscous at the last minute-1/2 cup couscous, 1/2 cup hot water, which I covered and let sit about 4 minutes, then stirred in about a tsp of butter, a tsp or so of orange zest and a squeeze of orange juice, a sprinkle of chopped green onion I had been saving to top the salmon with, and salt and pepper.


Chili Garlic Salmon
2 6-8oz salmon fillets
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
one green onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp marmalade
Squeeze of orange juice (about 1/8 of the orange I used for the zest)
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Rinse salmon and pat dry. Cover broiler pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Arrange salmon, skin side down. Turn on broiler (Or you can grill this, if you prefer)

Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl. Brush about half the mix over salmon. Broil for 5 minutes, then brush on remaining mixture. Broil another 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve hot.

Shredded lettuce does not a salad make.

I love Taco Salad, but restaurants almost always mess it up for me. I hate the giant fried shell thing they always insist on using as a "bowl" (Just use a bowl!!), or the meat is too greasy, the beans are too lardy, it's caked with guac and sour cream, or they forget that the base to taco salad should be lettuce. A handful of shredded, limp lettuce like you normally get is not gonna cut it, I'm sorry.

And so, as with so many other dishes I'd rather just do my damn self, I'm generally better off making it at home. I found this recipe on Cooking Light while I was trolling around for shrimp tacos (I got a little sidetracked), and used it for my base, as usual switching things up a lot..mostly out of necessity, since I wanted to use up some ground turkey, only had icky brown cilantro (yet 3 bunches of parsley...?), and was almost completely out of cumin.

This isn't exact... you're making a salad, so top with as much or as little as you want of these toppings. For two of us, we used about a 1/4 of a small onion, two small tomatoes, half an avocado, a handful each of chips (small for me, big for him), a spoonful each of yogurt, and about 1/3 cup cheese. And we had quite a bit of meat/bean mix left over. I'm planning on trying the leftover dressing on spinach tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping well...that stuff is awesome. I'm sure it would be good with the cilantro, as the original recipe calls for, but I didn't miss it at all.



Turkey & Black Bean Taco Salad
Splash of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
About 1/2 tsp cumin
About 1 tsp Tapatio hot sauce (optional)
About 10oz ground turkey (half a package)
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained
Bagged romaine lettuce
juice from 1/4 lime
thin red onion slices
tomato slices
avocado slices
reduced fat tortilla chips
0% greek yogurt or sour cream
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese


Dressing:
About 1/4 cup tomato slices or chunks
1 large garlic clove, quartered
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
zest from one lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


In small food processor or blender, mix all dressing ingredients on high until smooth.

Over medium heat, saute garlic, oil, cumin and chili powder. Add meat, stir until crumbly and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add beans, hot sauce, and lime juice, then saute another minute or two or until beans are hot.

Arrange as much lettuce as you like on a plate, then top with a scoop of bean mix and drizzle with dressing. Top with any or all of the onion, tomato, avocado, chips, cheese and/or yogurt (and more Tapatio, natch).

Almost summer...and you know what that means...

Summer food! Bright colors and flavors, oven-free cooking, sitting outside...I loooove cooking this time of year. And I have got a new one just for you, courtesy a little gem from Cooking Light.

It's vegetarian (and could easily be vegan if you swapped out the cheese and mayo), but got a big thumbs up from hubby, though I shouldn't be surprised—he's usually a good sport with meatless meals. We both thought it was crazy tasty...plus minimal clean up is always a plus. I used the Il Fornaio burger buns from Fresh & Easy, which are hands-down my favorite kind, even though they're pretty hearty and therefore not the lowest in cals. But I figured we made up for it by going meat-less, so I got over it.

Served with microwave-roasted sweet potatoes (wrapped in damp paper towels and cooked about 6 minutes, flipped over and cooked 6 more). Color and flavor (and fiber!) galore, let me tell you.


Portabella Cheese Burgers (for two)
1 large clove garlic, minced or finely sliced
cooking spray
2 large Portabella caps, gills and stems gently removed
Worcestershire Sauce (Or balsamic would also work)
S&P
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
1 roasted red bell pepper, sliced thinly (Use jarred to save time)
thinly sliced red onion
Arugula, washed and trimmed
2 sets of burger buns

Drizzle worcestershire over cleaned mushroom caps, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat large saute pan over medium, coat with spray. Add garlic, stirfry til softens a bit, less than a minute. Remove to small bowl. Add cheese and mayo to garlic, stir well to combine. Set aside.

Coat pan with spray again, and add mushrooms. Cook about 4 minutes a side or until tender. Turn off heat.

Toast buns (if you like), spread mayo mix onto the bottom buns. Top with mushroom, cap side down, and top with arugula, onion and peppers, and top with other bun. Or do it whatever order you want—Cooking Light says to put the mushroom on top of the veggies. I don't follow directions either...

Roughly 250-300 cals a serving, depending on bun type and mayo brand.

I've been holding out.

I know about something awesome, in so many ways, and I haven't gotten around to telling y'all about it. So for that, I apologize.

Man, I just got myself on the edge of my seat with that intro. No, people, it's not THAT kind of announcement (one of these days, just hold your horses)…what it is, however, is something delicious and special and virtually unknown in this part of the world: Kampot Pepper.


The boss lady and her husband are quite the world travelers, which is awesome in and of itself, namely cause they always bring me back a little something (xo!)…but it seems that they have finally chosen one place—Cambodia—as one, if not the one, of their favorite places to visit, learn from, and form a lasting bond with. They fell in love with the people, the culture, and the country's stories of perseverance, and decided to dedicate a large part of their own lives to bridging the gap between Cambodia and the rest of the world. Starting from their home in the OC.

Seriously, I can't ever write those two letters together without hearing "Californniiaaaaa" in my head. I wonder what Mischa B. is up to these days…and now I also apologize for getting that song in your heads, too. You know it's there and will be for hours...my bad. Sigh. I miss Seth.

Anyway, all that being said, let me introduce you to something that really is worth thinking about, and my whole long-winded point: The Pepper Project. The site explains what and why, but here's the gist, in their own words:

"The Pepper Project is a not-for-profit enterprise devoted to introducing the unique products of Cambodia to the United States. Pepper from the Kampot region of southwestern Cambodia is our primary offering. The pepper has long been used in the finest restaurants of Europe and our goal is to make it available at an affordable price in the U.S.

We are working with various groups, such as the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) and Starling Farm to make this a reality. The packaging is created by Daughters of Cambodia, a fair trade organization that reaches out to victims of sex trafficking and teaches them the skills needed to live independently and achieve a higher quality of life."

In other words, my boss and her hubby are a selfless, amazing couple. Especially since they know how much I cook and sneak me some samples now and then (I can make anything about me, it's amazing...and I will be paying for my pepper next time, I swear). I have pretty much completely replaced my 'regular' pepper with kampot, and for good reason…it's so fresh and interesting tasting—far better than the store bought stuff.

If you're interested in learning more or trying some out for yourself, visit their website at pepperproject.org or find their page on Facebook. They also offer a wide range of Cambodian cooking and beauty products, so make sure and check out the products page.

They also have quite a few recipes on the site, a few of which I have tried, but for the most part, I just use kampot for my everyday cooking (I grind enough for a week or two at a time in a coffee spice grinder to keep it fresh). Especially good when you're using quite a bit of pepper in something…it's mild yet flavorful enough to actually inspire me to use more than I normally would. Last night, for example, was filet mignon with a light mushroom/stroganoff style sauce, and I used lots of pepper both as a rub on the steaks as well as in the sauce. And all was fantastic.



Filet with Mushroom Sauce
(based off of Cooking Light's Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy )
Cooking spray
2 6-8oz cuts of filet mignon
Fresh ground pepper
Sea salt
1 package presliced mushrooms
1 medium brown onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
broth (about a 1/2 cup or so)
About 1/3 cup 0% greek yogurt or fat free sour cream
small handful minced fresh parsley

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with pepper and salt, rub in just a bit. Add steaks to pan; cook about 5 minutes a side or or until cooked—we like filets rare; do the finger test to get it how you like it. But if you purposefully overcook a good piece of steak, I will hunt you down and remove your eating rights.

Remove meat from pan and loosely cover with foil. Add onion to pan, and move around a couple minutes until it begins to brown just a bit. Add mushrooms and garlic to pan, and stir in a good pinch of pepper. If it seems too dry, add a splash of broth. Add more broth now and then until the veggies are cooked—there should be a bit of liquid still in the pan when everything is done, so if there isn't, add about 1/3 cup or so before you turn off the heat.

Place yogurt and parsley in a medium bowl. Gradually add mushroom mixture, stirring the whole time until all is combined and it thickens just a bit. Season with more S&P, and serve with the steak. Good with simple mashed red potatoes.

Serves between 2 and 4 servings depending on cut size. One 4oz serving is about 200 cals. Not bad at all for steak and sauce!

Going All American

In honor of Super Bowl week, (AKA, 'I don't have to watch football for months and months' week.) I thought we'd go a bit more traditional than normal.

I somehow stumbled across a tasty little recipe for tomato soup the other day while perusing Cooking Light for cheap recipes (not only are we on a diet, but a budget as well), and figured I'd play with it a bit and try my hand at an "all American" meal.

Why does tomato soup go hand-in-hand with grilled cheese? I know that tends to be the norm, but I never ate them together growing up, as far as I can remember, so I figured I'd try it out for myself with some grown-up homemade versions of each.

I'm going to go ahead and interject that I'm, as you probably have realized, off the wheat-free kick. I have two reasons:
1. Vitamin D. I take a boatload of it a day. My mom insists it's just a placebo effect, but my dermatologist recommended it, so I'm gonna go ahead and go with it.
2. CeraVe lotion. I got so hooked on their cream that I also have the night and day face lotions now, too. It's fantastic.
Between those two things, I am hardly itching and quite the happy camper. And had I not needed a second opinion from a second dermatologist (Kaiser=Fail, CBCC=Win) I'd still be back in miserable I-hate-gluten land.

And so, without further ado, low-fat, grown-up grilled cheese and tomato soup. Hubby didn't have a grilled cheese, but his official soup review was, "Wow, you can make this anytime. Was it hard? This is better than Fresh & Easy's."

*Blushing*

Grilled Cheese (per person)
2 slices sourdough
dijon mustard
one slice provolone
2 thin slices of ham
a few thin slices of green onion, separated
small bit of shredded sharp cheddar or other cheese
cooking spray

Spread dijon on each slice. Stick everything else in between (you know how to make a sandwich). Spray skillet or griddle with cooking spray, cook about 3 minutes a side.

Tomato Soup
One peeled brown onion, chopped coarsely
Olive oil (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp flour
1.5 cups chicken broth
Large can crushed tomatoes (the kind with basil is great)
6 tbsp fat-free half & half (a bit less than a 1/3 cup)
S&P (good pinch each)
Small pinch of cardamom (optional)

Saute onion in oil a couple minutes until soft. Add flour, mix in well for about a minute. Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Turn off, and either blend in batches until all is smooth, or use an immersion blender (buy one.) to blend in the pot. Add half and half and return to simmer. Turn off and add S&P, etc. to taste.

See? Not hard. In fact, super, super easy. And yes, better than Fresh & Easy's...and I do love me some Tomato Basil from F&E.

Herbed Roasted Butternut Squash

I keep hearing that people don't like squash. And I have to say...really? If you're one of said squash-haters, please share your beef (so to speak, you probably like beef). Cause I don't get it. I think most types of squash are quite delish, especially when cooked with herbs and/or spices. Yum. So when I was searching for something interesting to do with butternut squash as a side, this one jumped out at me. Roasted with whole garlic and thyme? Done.

And wow. It's not often dinner smells amazing right off the bat. But literally, this one started beckoning my nostrils after...well, how much time does it take to change laundry from the washer to the dryer? I popped my squash in the oven (adjacent to the back door, which is three steps from the garage door, which is two steps from the washer/dryer), changed the laundry, and what, two minutes later? The house smelled fab. I'm guessing it's more the smell of the chicken in the oven, but even the monsters were hanging out in the kitchen. Yuh-uh-um.

Super easy, too, if you do it the Pammy way (aka the Sandra Lee/cheat it way). Try it. Especially if you don't "like" squash. Trust me here, ok? Roasting makes it caramelize just enough to add a tad of sweetness, while the herbs and garlic give it big-kid flavor.

Oh, and I used the convection/toaster oven for this, so I only cooked it for 35 min total at 375. If you are using the regular oven, follow the given directions.


Bay and Thyme Roasted Butternut Squash
1 lb package pre-cubed butternut squash
1 package pre-peeled whole garlic cloves (aka, about 8 of them. If you're not hugely into garlic, remove before serving)
olive oil
good pinch pepper (1/8 tsp ish)
salt (1/2 tsp or more) kosher salt
3 or 4 springs of fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves

Preheat oven to 450. Combine all in bowl, tossing to coat. Spread onto small pan (in one layer), and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and put back in oven for another 25 minutes or until cooked.

Remove bay leaves and big thyme stems before serving. Great with roast chicken (totally store bought, btw) and a green veggie. Yes, I'm back on a diet. Even Ramona wanted some. Though, really, when doesn't she...

Moroccan Beef and Butternut Squash Tagine

I'm still not feeling great, but after spending 18 hours in bed, I had to at least try and be productive. So I vacuumed, I cleaned the bathroom, I washed sheets...the essentials.

As a sidenote, I've also been putting the new TiVo Premiere to good use. This thing is amazing, and it's not even hooked up to cable yet! (apparently only 4 service guys in Kern County are familiar with TiVo Premiere, which requires a special cable card instead of the normal cable box. I am not joking. Couldn't get an appt for 3 weeks.)

You know I love Netflix. And I also love my TiVo. So the fact that this combines the two makes me oh-so-happy. (It streams Netflix and blockbuster on demand, pandora, YouTube, picassa, etc. etc. etc.)


Ramona helped set it up. Good god, every cat toy we own made it in this shot. Spoiled little shits.

Anyway, I have discovered the show Bones about 6 years late, and since Netflix carries the entire series on demand...it's embarrassing/disgusting how many epis I've watched this week. So to sum up, I love Netflix, I love TiVo, and I love Bones...and I'm not entirely sure what my point was there. And I love making the most of being sick? Sure. Moving on.

Being sick also means soup and not cooking. But since I bought meat for stew 3 days ago, I figured I better use it asap. So the Moroccan Beef and Butternut Squash Tagine I saw in Cooking Light it is.

I wish you could smell my house. It's cinnamony and spicy, garlicky and meaty.


(Yes, I shot from this angle so you can see my new adorable kettle. Everything in my kitchen is becoming orange and red and I love it.)

Here is the recipe I took this from. My only changes were pre-cut butternut squash, a bit of extra garlic and all spices, parsley instead of cilantro, and using a cheaper cut of meat. Problem with cheap meat, however, is that you've got to cook it differently.

Instead of only cooking 5 minutes once the tomatoes boil, I turned the heat to low, covered it, and let it cook slowly til soft for about an hour. Then I put in the squash and cooked until they were done. I also added a small mixture (a tbsp or so) of cornstarch and water to thicken it before I added the squash.



I chopped some extra shallots and garlic when I was prepping the stew, and sautéed them quickly for a couscous (below) to serve.


Herbed Couscous
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup broth
1 chopped shallot
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 thinly sliced green onion
About a 1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
Small handful chopped Italian parsley

Add the broth to the sauteed shallots and garlic, bring to a boil, then add couscous, turn off heat, cover, and let stand 10-15 minutes.

Add herbs. Add salt if you'd like (or are having it on its own), but with the Tagine it really doesn't need it.

I'm in love...

with my new favorite toy, a shiny, speedy, sinfully delicious 15in Mac BookPro. Best part? It's wireless. Yes, I understand all laptops are...unless you have been putting off buying a new battery and have been attached to the wall for the past year. Anyway...yuh-uh-umm. It's so purdy.

As hard as it was, I tore myself away from playing long enough to make and feed myself eggplant parm. (side note: I LOVE my toaster oven...I totally used it for this.) I used this cooking light recipe, with some minor changes...made half a recipe, so I just did one layer of eggplant, topped with sauce, the cheese mix, more sauce, then torn fresh pieces of small mozzarella balls (an oz or so) and 2 provolone slices. Baked for 45 minutes total, but it could cook a bit longer. Served with chicken-broth cooked rice.
Also yum.


Oh, and I think I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating...after you slice the eggplant, sprinkle both sides with salt, layer between paper towels, let sit 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse before using. It makes them less bitter.

As long as my cooler's on, I'm making summer food.

This got a "this is good" not once, but twice during the meal. Agreed. I intended on making it with steak, but decided/was persuaded to leave it in its marinade and BBQ some chicken instead. Summery, no?



The original recipe calls for pine nuts and haricot verts...but my bank account said nuh-uh. One day I'll try it and compare. Til then, this will do just fine.



Green Bean, Tomato and Basil Salad
(adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

Package green beans (about 12 oz)
Package grape tomatoes, halved
One shallot, finely chopped
Juice from half a lemon
Lemon zest (1 lemon)
1 tbsp honey
About 2+ tbsp 0% Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper
Large handful chopped or ribboned basil
About a tbsp slivered almonds, toasted or plain

Cook beans until almost cooked, rinse with cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, mix juice, yogurt, honey, salt (1/4 tsp or to taste) and a bit of pepper. Add tomatoes and beans. Toss. Sprinkle with basil, zest, and nuts. Toss gently to serve.



-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

Figtastic

Well, I embraced the kitchen last night, triple digit temps and all. I've heard figs go bad rather quickly, and I wanted to use them before they got smooshy or whatever it is that happens to them.

Gotta say, I'm a fan. When they're fresh they have a super weird texture—soft but with tiny crunchy seeds...just like a fig newton, obviously, but when you braise them the contrast between skin, flesh and seeds is even more pronounced. In a good way, or at least I think so. Hubby wasn't around last night, so I don't have any more feedback. His only comment when viewing the leftovers was a slightly accusatory, "how much wine is in here?"

Harrumph. Not that much...the figs helped turn the whole thing a lovely shade of purple, too. Anyway, if, like me, you've never cooked with fresh figs, this is an easy one to start out with. Serve with some sort of starch...rice, quinoa, pasta, whatever you've got. Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.



Braised Chicken and Figs
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
4 bay leaves
olive oil
water (about a 1/4 cup)
large shallot, chopped
1/3 cup red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
squirt of honey
About 8 fresh figs, cut in half lengthwise (remove stems)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place 1 bay leaf on each piece of chicken. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken, bay leaf sides down, in pan. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 3 minutes.

Add water; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

Add shallots to pan, saute about 2 minutes. Add chicken, wine, vinegar, and honey to pan and bring to a boil. Cook about 1 minute, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Add figs, then cover and simmer 5 more minutes or until figs are tender.

Daring x3

Daring Kitchen time!

I gotta say, after last month's pate/bread debacle, I was wondering if this was the group for me. Yes, it was weird. But I like weird food. It's not like I'm used to making boxed mac and cheese for dinner every night. I guess I just like making weird food that sounds good, not weird food that my husband won't eat.

And so I got over it. Told myself to buck up, put the control issues aside, and make something I have no say over a whole once a month.

Or maybe it's just cause this month's theme didn't involve animal innards.

Either way, here we go. Daring Cook for the month of July. (How is it July???)

The required stuff:
The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

Since I may have a love affair with Cooking Light, I went with their option, a deliciously creamy Chicken with Pecan Cream and Mushrooms (If an Asian/typical me option is more your style, the parallel bravely took on Asian Noodle Salad.)

With the exception of my well-known inability to read directions, I followed the recipe exactly, so I won't repost it. I didn't process the nuts quite long enough, I guess, cause they never got past this stage:


Which ended up being ok, cause once I added the water to make the "cream," this was the result:A little bit more texture than I probably should have had, but it worked out. Final review?
Hubby: It's a good sauce. The pecans are sweet...that's good...I dunno, babe, I'm not a food reviewer!
Pammy: Well...do you like it? Not like it? Should I make it again?
Hubby: Yeah, I like it. It's good...I like it. I do. It's like dressed up stroganoff.

Agreed. I'd make it again.