Green Bean and Pepper Stir Fry

Stir fries are a great weeknight meal because they are fast, easy, and relatively healthy.  I kicked up the health factor of this simple stir fry by using a wild and brown rice mixture rather than white rice and really piling on the vegetables.  This recipe contains green beans, peppers, onions, and cucumbers.  Cucumbers seem like an odd choice for a stir fry but they really absorb the sauce well and maintain a nice crispy crunch while just warmed through so long as you don’t add them until the last few minutes.  The sauce I quickly whipped up is an excellent blend of sweet, salty, and acidic and really worked well with the light heat from the jalapeño and hot pepper.  All of the fresh vegetables from the CSA really made this dish sing, and it was excellent heated up in the microwave as leftovers for lunch the next day.

Green Bean and Pepper Stir Fry

2 cups wild and brown rice mix, cooked according to package instructions (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)

3 cups green beans, trimmed

1 tbs. canola oil

1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips roughly the width of the green beans

1 hot pepper, ribs and seeds removed, sliced into thin strips roughly the width of the green beans (I believe this was a Hungarian hot – we received it from the CSA, so I can’t be positive)

1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, sliced into thin strips roughly the width of the green beans

1 large sweet onion, sliced about 1/4″ thick

1 medium cucumber, sliced about 1/4″ thick

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs. lemongrass, sliced

1 tbs. hoisin sauce

1 tbs. rice wine vinegar

2 tsp. fish sauce

2 tsp. soy sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch green beans 3-4 minutes.  Drain and rinse in cold water.

Meanwhile, whisk together hoisin, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large wok over high heat.  Add green beans and cook, tossing frequently, 2-3 minutes until some spots begin to show a deeper color.  Add peppers cook, tossing frequently, 3-4 minutes until slightly tender.  Add onions, garlic and cucumbers and cook, tossing frequently, 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent and cucumbers are warmed through.  Add hoisin mixture and toss to coat vegetables evenly with the sauce.

Serve immediately over rice.

Browned Garlic and Yellow Squash Gnocchi

This dish was easy, relatively fast, quite healthy and absolutely delicious.  The sweetness of the browned garlic was a lovely pair with the delicate yellow squash and pillowy browned gnocchi.  I love to crisp up gnocchi a bit on the outside, lending to a slight chewy crunch that works as an excellent foil to the soft pillowy dough of the inside.  The olive oil in which all of the ingredients were cooked soaked up tons of delicious garlic flavor as well as the light heat of the crushed red pepper flakes.  Combined with the salty romano cheese, all of the flavors really sang and made for a satisfying, easy meal.

Browned Garlic and Yellow Squash Gnocchi

1 package gnocchi, cooked according to package instructions and drained

2 tbs. olive oil

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced

5 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. marjoram

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 cup romano cheese, thinly grated, divided

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a 10″ cast iron pan.  Add yellow squash and garlic.  Season with crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, until yellow squash is tender and garlic is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Raise heat to high. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring once, until gnocchi, squash, and garlic is browned, about 6 minutes.  Stir in half of cheese and serve immediately, topped with remaining cheese if desired.

Breaded Pan-fried Cod with Roasted Vegetable Israeli Couscous Salad

I finally got around to making the Israeli couscous and vegetable mix I’d been talking about for weeks and weeks.  While it was so good I was kicking myself for waiting, it was so good because it was paired with the gorgeous cod fillet Zak picked up at the grocery store – so I couldn’t really kick myself too hard.  I breaded the cod in a tomato-bread breadcrumb, which tied everything together, as the Israeli couscous also contained tomatoes.  The fish was crunchy, crispy, juicy, and delicious – an excellent companion to the soft, sweet, room temperature couscous and roasted vegetables.

We both really, really loved this.  Zak wanted me to go back and edit his top ten favorites from last year, but I told him there was always next year.  He went back for seconds, and I am currently salivating thinking about the fixings I have for a crispy cod sandwich with some bread and butter pickles and a side of the couscous for lunch.  In fact, this post is actually a two-for-one, because I included the link after the jump.

Truth be told, I could have made an entire post about the delicious bread that made up the bread crumbs that coated this cod.  The light tomato flavor was the perfect partner to the slightly smokey, slightly salty flavor of the proscuitto.  The bread was a gorgeous reddish-pink color and perfectly soft and fluffy.  It was excellent as a snack or a sandwich bread, so if you’re thinking about making this dish, I high recommend you include the tomato-breading, since you will definitely scarf the rest of the loaf.  If not, I’m sure any old bread crumbs will do.

Breaded Pan-fried Cod with Roasted Vegetable Israeli Couscous Salad

Breaded Pan-fried Cod:

1 1 lb. wild-caught U.S. Alaskan cod fillet, cut into 6 pieces

1/4 cup all-natural, whole wheat flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup tomato bread crumbs (see below)

1/4 cup canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 tbs. plain Greek yogurt, for serving

2 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves only, for serving

Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs on three separate plates or shallow bowls.  Season all with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Coat cod fillets with flour, shaking off excess.  Repeat with eggs.  Roll in bread crumbs.  Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to allow mixture to set.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron pan.  Add fish with like-size pieces and cook, without touching, about 3-4 minutes for smaller pieces and 5-6 minutes for larger pieces, until breading is golden brown and crispy.  Flip and cook an equal amount of time on the other side.

Work in batches to ensure even cooking, changing out oil if necessary.

Serve with roasted vegetable Israeli couscous salad with plain Greek yogurt and cilantro.

Roasted Vegetable Israeli Couscous Salad:

3 cups homemade chicken stock

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1 medium yellow squash, roughly chopped

1 large tomato, cut into about 8 wedges

4 tbs. olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tbs. balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400º.

Cover a medium baking sheet with tinfoil.  Toss squash and tomato with 2 tbs. olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Roast in oven about 30 minutes or until caramelized and cooked through.

Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan.  Add couscous, reduce heat to low, and cover.  Cook about 8-10 minutes until stock is absorbed and couscous is cooked through.

Toss together couscous and vegetables.  Whisk together balsamic vinegar and remaining 2 tbs. olive oil.  Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper and toss with couscous mixture.  Let cool to room temperature.

Tomato Bread:

1 cup crushed canned tomatoes (we used homemade from my dad, so if you use store bought, make sure you squeeze them through your hands a few times)

3 tbs. tomato paste

1 slice proscuitto

1 tbs. olive oil

3 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tsp. gluten

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dry active yeast, proofed/re-hydrated

Non-stick cooking spray

In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil.  Add proscuitto and cook until deep golden brown.  Drain, reserving oil, and mince.

Place reserved oil, proscuitto, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, flour, gluten, salt, and proofed yeast in the bread machine pan.  Set cycle to dough.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 200º.  Turn off heat.

Spray bread pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Place dough in the bread pan and let rise in oven for 45 minutes to an hour until it doubles in size.  Remove from oven.

Preheat oven to 375º.

Bake bread for 30 minutes.  Let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Use about 3/4 of the loaf for any desired purpose.  Use remaining end, preferably very slightly stale, to make breadcrumbs by pulsing in food processor until very fine.

Collard Green Macaroni and Cheese

Being a member of a CSA means getting a lot of greens.  A lot.  I eat leftovers and a salad or a really big salad most days for lunch, but I’m always looking for more ways to use them up.  I had considered making some creamed collard greens for myself for dinner, but realized I didn’t have enough left to fill myself up.  So, I decided to add the cooked greens to a delicious baked macaroni and cheese for some extra vitamins and nutrients (holy Vitamin A, batman!) to get the same tender creaminess but a more substantial and filling dish.

This delightful mac and cheese was definitely successful in its goals.  This mac and cheese was creamy, decadent, and filling with a lovely saline, slightly bittersweet flavor from the collard greens.

Collard Green Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups whole wheat pasta of choice, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups collard greens, ribs removed, roughly chopped

3 tbs. butter, divided

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup Romano cheese, shredded

1/2 cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

1 cup homemade roasted garlic bread, cubed

1 tsp. Brummel & Brown

1 tsp. Tony Chacereries seasoning

Preheat oven to 375º.

Heat 1 tbs. butter in a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add collard greens and sauté 5-7 minutes until slightly tender.  Add chicken stock and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until most of stock has evaporated and greens are tender.  Remove greens from pan with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, place bread, Brummel & Brown, and Tony Chaceries in food processor.  Pulse until well combined and bread crumbs form.

Heat remaining butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter melts.  A little bit at a time, whisk in flour to form a smooth paste  While whisking, slowly add milk.  Simmer 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened, whisking continuously.  Whisk in shredded cheese, whisking until smooth.

Return collard greens to the pan.  Add pasta and stir to combine.  Top with bread crumbs and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown.

Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

This creamy risotto was colorful, flavorful, and full of good-for-you vegetables.  The lemon flavor was very pronounced and brightened up the whole dish to transform this risotto to a summer-appropriate dish.  I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light, swapping out several of the vegetables in the original recipe for what I had on hand and was freshest.  I was very impressed with the variation in texture from the slightly crisp carrots to the ultra-creamy Arborio rice.  The real tricks here are almost constantly stirring the risotto to release the starch of the rice, never allowing the rice to become overly dry or overly soupy, and adding the butter and cheese at the end for a creamy finish.

Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

Adapted from Cooking Light, July 2011 edition

1 tbs. olive oil

2-3 cloves heirloom garlic

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

1/2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2″ slices

1/2 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

1 small carrot, peeled and diced

5 cups homemade chicken stock

 3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice

1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

1 tsp. lemon zest, grated

1 lemon, juiced

1 tbs. unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan.  Cover and reduce heat to low.

Heat a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil to pan and heat.  Add zucchini, carrot, mushrooms and whites and light green parts of green onion.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 10-15 seconds.  Use a slotted spoon to remove vegetables from heat.  Set aside.

If necessary, add another splash of olive oil to the same cast iron skillet in which vegetables were cooked over medium heat.  Add rice and cook for 2-4 minutes until very slightly golden brown.  Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed, about 30 seconds.  Stir in another cup of broth.  Cook 5-7 minutes until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring almost constantly.  Reserving at least 1/4 cup broth, add remaining broth 1 cup at a time, stirring almost constantly.  Wait until each portion of broth is nearly absorbed before adding next batch.

Stir in the vegetables.  Cook 2-3 minutes until thoroughly heated.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of broth, cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, greens from green onions and butter.  Taste for seasonings and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper as necessary.