Shrimp and Vegetable Rice noodles

 I fell in love with these noodles years ago while working with a lovely Thai girl, I didn't, however, love their appreciation for hot food!

Rice sticks or "noodles" are extremely simple to cook and flavor. In fact, if you know how to boil water you know how to cook these crystal clear goodness.

As always the use of herbs and naturally flavorful ingredients is a plus, so here we use cilantro, ginger root, soy sauce and sesame oil to liven up the dish.

An arrangement of vegetables can be used based on your taste, I have a big crush on mushrooms so if you are a constant follower of the blog you will realize it sooner or later; might as well tell you now.

As always feel free to contact me with any questions. Enjoy!


Recipe

1/2 of a package of Rice sticks (easily found in most grocery stores)
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 of large onion, small diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled and devien and seasoned with 1/4 salt and pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp ginger root, grated
3 scallions, chopped



1/2 cup cold water, chicken stock or pineapple juice
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
Chopped cashews or peanuts (optional) 








In a large pot bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add 1 tsp of salt, turn off the heat and add the "noodles" cover and let rest in the hot water for 10 minutes, drain.






















In a separate large sauce pan at medium heat add 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the mushrooms, saute for 5-7 minutes or until reduce in size by half, add onions and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for 7-10 minutes. Add shrimp, scallions, ginger and garlic, mix well

Mix the water (or other liquid of your choice) soy sauce, and cornstarch and pour it over the vegetables and shrimp. Let it boil until it forms a thick sauce, add the noodles and coat them well. Add cilantro, sesame oil and nuts if using. Check seasoning.
Enjoy!



.


 PS: I use a product called Liquid Aminos which is made of Non-GMO soy beans and it doesn't have added salt, reason why I didn't give exact amounts of salt in the recipe other than to taste as this product is slightly different in taste.

By Paula Thomas

A word about Lentils

Lentils are and have been one of my favorite foods since I was a little girl. The smell of lentils cooking brings back many memories and the same recipe has been part of my family for generations, a way to teach the young their first cooking lessons.

Lentils have an invaluable nutritional make up: high in protein, fiber and iron, and low in sugars and fat. There are many ways to cook this beautiful legume and there are different varietals to chose from.
The tiny orange colored Massor Dal lentils are quick cooking and use widely in Indian cooking. The brown lentils are easily found in grocery stores and are great for soups or salads and these are the ones I use the most.

Lentils cook fairly quick compared with other legumes or beans. I do, however, like to soak them for a couple of hours in cold water to speed up the cooking process. Even if you skip this step you will have them cooked in about 45 minutes.

If you plan to use them as part of a salad then make sure to cook them in a nicely flavored water (add salt, pepper, bay leaf and a whole garlic clove) which will enhance their flavor. In a 1-3 ratio (1 part lentils 3 parts water) boil for about 30-45 minutes based on how firm you like them.
For a "soup" or stew of lentils if you will put all the ingredients together and cook on medium for 45 minutes or depending again on how firm you like them.

The following recipes are very easy to make just be aware of the cooking time as that will determine how late you will be eating dinner!

Lentil Salad
1 cup brown lentils (soaked for a couple of hours or overnight)
3 cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp mint, chopped
1/2 small red onion, small diced ***
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1 small diced radish ***
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil and cook until the lentils are tender, 30-45minutes. Mix all the following ingredients in a bowl and mix in the drained lentils when they are still warm but not hot. Let cool and correct the seasoning. Enjoy!
*** if you would like to take some of the spice from the onion soak (after diced or sliced) in salted water for 5 minutes, rinse and use.

My mother' Lentils
1 cup lentils
3 cups water
1 medium potato, small diced
1/2 medium onion, small diced
1 small tomato, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Cook all the ingredients over medium heat with the lid half way on, mix a couple of time during cooking, for about 30-45 minutes or until the lentils are tender and "stewy"

By Paula Thomas

Almond-Cherry Biscotti

Each week we will feature a recipe, which you can later find hidden in the blog. Enjoy!

Almond-Cherry Biscotti

Biscotti can sometimes be a hard item to make successfully, even-though it is one of the most simple baked goods to produce it has certain key steps that if missed can make your life a miserable journey of bad biscotti eating.
I have been trying different recipes and techniques over the years and think that finally found the one that makes sense for me.
Almonds are my favorite nuts and are always found one way or another in my baked goods, salads or just an afternoon snack.
This recipe is adapted from one of the very first baking books I bought, The Baker's Dozen Cookbook, page 204 Pistachio-Golden raising Biscotti. I use slivered almonds, dried cherries or cranberries chopped, instead of the pistachios and raisins, and orange zest as I love the lovely citrus fragrance it gives to every bite.

The Pork and I

Last weekend was the opening of the summer Farmers market at Old south Pearl and as you should know I simply love going to this market every week.
As I was perusing around I encountered a new vendor Four Sisters Farm, from Hotchkiss CO, these ladies have the goods...Pork! Well, they also have beef, chicken and eggs, but I was pretty stoked to have found a local vendor with organically raised piggy.  
Chatting with them you can sense how well their animals are raised, they explained to me that their pork is not the leaner kind you will find at the grocery store because it has not been genetically altered to be learner, as they said "Our pork is not your other white meat", fine by me!
I dove in head first into their Country Style Ribs, which aren't technically ribs as they come from the top end of the ribs closest to the shoulder or Boston butt. These are bone-in, but many times you will also find them boneless at the store. I personally prefer the bone in because the bone imparts a good amount of flavor.
Another confession is that I am not a grill master, in fact, I never grill! That is "husband territory" and he wasn't around when I was testing the recipe, so I did what I do best, used the oven!
Long ago I had seen Alton Brown make some baby back ribs that looked spectacular and have been wanting to use his techniques as it involves the oven. 
So I did and this is what we had for dinner that night, enjoy!

Country style Pork Ribs

Warm vegetable and Quinoa Salad

An ancient grain forgotten in the Andes mountains for a long time gets a makeover and it is now in almost every restaurant's menu, Quinoa. I first encountered this tiny round goodness in culinary school when taking a Nutritional cooking class years ago, that sentence made me feel old.

Back to the quinoa, we were learning how to create delicious, nutritionally balanced meals and this mysterious grain was one of our go to ingredients. It is very pleasing to see it become part of the shopping list in many households. A great gluten free substitution with a heavy dose of protein for the vegetarian in your life.

Easy to cook and dress, this nutty little treat is great in salads, warm or cold, soups and even cereals.

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious and I hope it gives you an introduction to a long and loving relationship with Quinoa. Enjoy!