Steamed Tofu with a Ginger Peanut Sauce and Roasted Vegetables

Day 3 - I was inspired by the steamer...dying to use it again - and Derek's gone, so I can try cooking with tofu!! I realized that my favorite kind of tofu is that custard-like soft stuff, known as "silken tofu" - it's WONDERFUL in miso soup and other Asian noodle soup dishes. Wanting to combing the silken tofu with the steamer, I typed in "steamed tofu" into Google, crossed my fingers, and hoped that I wasn't crazy for wanting to put this concoction together. Just my luck - it exists!! And as no one jumps at the idea of eating plain tofu, I knew I needed a sauce of some sort, and not wanting to exactly replicate Derek's Friday meal - the thought of a peanut sauce sparked excitement in my stomach!

To offset the slimy goodness of the tofu, I decided to roast up a medley of vegetables - adding a nice little crunch to the meal.

Here's what I did...

(Note: I made a full batch - 1 block of tofu, otherwise it would have gone to waste...guess what I'm having for lunch today!)

1 block of silken tofu, drained for about 20 min.
1 T. finely minced ginger (divided)
1 T. peanut butter
1.5 T. soy sauce, plus a little extra
2 t. peanut oil
1 T. water
1/2 t. hoisin sauce
dash cayenne

I lined the steamer with cabbage leaves and sat the tofu block on top. I cut a few slits into the tofu and lined them with a little ginger, then sprinkled a little soy sauce on top (just a little bit). Once the water in a large pan was at a boil and producing steam, I put the steamer in the water and closed the lid. I let the tofu steam for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I whisked together the rest of the ginger (maybe 2 t.) and the liquids until combined, then heated it up a bit before pouring it over the tofu.

To top it off, I scattered a little green onion on top of the tofu.


For the roasted veggies, I cut up some broccoli, bok choy, full baby carrots, a baby red potato, and a fingerling potato, misto-ed the mix, and then salt and peppered them and put it in the oven at 425 for varying times. The carrots and potatoes took about 30 minutes, broccoli about 20, and the bok choy, only about 5-7 minutes or so.

I used about a little over half of the block of tofu...it was a lot of tofu - but probably a good serving for dinner. I really enjoyed it, and I'm excited to try today's lunch that has the rest of the tofu marinating in the rest of the peanut sauce - should be tasty!! :)

Night 3 Entertainment: "Sex and the City: The Movie" - wonderful.

Quinoa with Chopped Salad, Hummus Toast

Day 2: Another old standby that I've made several times, it's wonderful - and great for lunch too.

Check out the beautiful base for the salad:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of red onion, diced (I put in a little too much, glad Derek was gone)
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 tomato (medium), diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (note: another learning from my cooking class, use all of the cilantro, don't separate the leaves, the stalk is the most flavorful part...just remove the very ends and then chop it all up!)
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable stock/water
1/2 lemon, juiced
1-2 T. EVOO
2 t. red wine vinegar
a few drops of hot sauce
salt and pepper

1. Rinse the quinoa, thoroughly
2. Bring vegetable stock/water to a boil and add quinoa. Return to a boil and turn heat down to low, simmer for 20 minutes covered. After cooked, removed from heat for 2 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Cool.
3. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and transfer to a bowl.
4. Mix the lemon juice, EVOO, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, salt and pepper until blended.
5. Add cooled quinoa.
5. Pour dressing over the vegetables/quinoa and mix thoroughly.
6. Optional: Top with some goat cheese (I did on my first day of leftovers - good!)

I served it atop a small bed of spinach, toasted up some of that great whole wheat bread and spread some of my Trader Joe's Cilantro/Jalapeno Hummus on top...wonderful!

The quinoa salad can be varied depending on the ingredients on hand. I think the addition of chickpeas could be great. Or perhaps go Greek with some feta, cucumber, tomato, chickpeas, and olives!

Or MAYBE a moroccan version with some cooked carrots, peas, golden raisins, curry, chickpeas...

Using the base of deliciously nutty, protein packed qunioa...

(Whole Foods Information on Quinoa: Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids.)

the salad options are endless!

Night 2 Entertainment: "Seven Pounds" - OK movie...Will Smith is great.

Steamed Black Cod with Bok Choy and Coconut Rice

Here's what I came home to on Friday! So beautiful, my favorite kind of flowers....and two glasses sitting out ready to be filled with wine - what a sweet boyfriend. (Note: not a normal occurance - not that it should be).



Finally a chance to use my bamboo steamer!! I've been really wanting to steam something lately - and Derek is actually the one who chose to do so! Here lies two pieces of black cod - fresh from the meat market...on a bed of cabbage...in the bamboo steamer...so peaceful. Just waiting to be steamed - just like going to a spa.

The wine for the evening - a Pinot Grigio - something we NEVER have. I'd say Pinot Grigio is probably my least favorite wine, in general. So boring, watery - and did I mention boring? However, we had tried this one during a wine tasting at our local Italian wine and cheese shop, and at $14/bottle, it's not so bad! It has more complexity than most Pinot Grigios that I am used to...it even had a slight effervescence. It was light enough to not over power the mild fish, but had enough interest to keep me, well, interested!

The actual meal had three components:

1) Steamed black cod, "dotted" with fresh ginger and green onion, topped with a heated up mixture of peanut and sesame sauce (poured directly on the steamed fish), and then topped with a soy sauce based sauce.

I don't know the specific recipe that Derek used, but the following seems to be pretty similar. It calls for a whole fish, which is what Derek tried to get, but had to resort to individual pieces (I was A-OK with that):

1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1/4 cup)
2 large green onions, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 whole 2-pound white fish (such as tilapia, snapper, or trout), cleaned
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Chopped green onions, for garnish

1. In a small bowl, combine ginger, 1/4 cup green onions, and garlic. Set aside.
2. Wash fish and pat dry with paper towels. Mix lemon juice with salt and rub into fish inside and out. Cut 3 diagonal slashes, each 1/2- to 3/4-inch deep, into both sides of fish. Using the knife tip, make 1/2-inch-deep cuts along the backbone.
3. Place fish on a glass pie plate or a steamer-safe dinner plate. Rub ginger-garlic mixture along fish skin, then stuff inside slits and cavity. Place plate into or atop a steamer in a pot with 11/2 inches water. Cover and steam until fish flesh is just opaque, 8–10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, stir together soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil until sugar dissolves. When fish is cooked through, carefully remove plate from steamer and pour soy sauce mixture over fish and inside cavity. Garnish with chopped green onions.

2) Steamed Bok Choy with Hoisin Sauce
For the bok choy, Derek simply added the baby bok choy bunches to the separate layer of the steamer, topped them with a bit of hoisin sauce, and let them steam until tender.

3) Coconut Rice "Pilaf"
A mixture of carrots and peas, and maybe onions too...went into the brown basamati based rice mixture. One thing we learned from a cooking class is to ALWAYS rinse rice - multiple times. This takes off the gluten and other dusty crap surrounding the grain, and leaves you with a pure product to work with. Make sure to "dry" the rice after rinsing by either laying it out on a cookie sheet or lining a salad spinner with paper towels and spinning them dry - you don't want the extra water in there. Derek started by sauteeing bits of carrot and onion (maybe garlic too?) in EVOO. Once tender, he added the rice so it was coated with the oil (same concept as when you cook risotto). Then, using a "just under 2:1" ration, he added 1 cup of coconut milk and just under 1 cup of water to the 2 cups of rice, brought it to a boil, and then let simmer for...ohhh...35 minutes or so. We've had difficulty with rice lately, this, not surprisingly, had a risotto-esque texture. Could be from the beginning method of preparation, or the creaminess of the coconut milk (Derek didn't stir before adding in, so we basically got all of the "coconut cream" in the rice) - healthy! Really tasty though. It wan't the fluffy rice he was hoping for - maybe due to the use to brown rice? Who knows. But the leftovers were not wasted...see next posting...

Valentine's Dinner at Farmhouse Restaurant (Forestville, CA)

Nothing says "I love you" like an incredible four course meal with wine pairing at a Michelin Star restaurant...at least when food and drink is one major way to your heart. This was Derek's approach to making me a happy girlfriend this Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day happened to on the same weekend that we were up in Russian River Valley (west of Sonoma), our Christmas gift to each other, and a wonderful wine country meal seem to perfectly fit the bill. We were lucky enough to be first on the "waiting list" for dinner at Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant, and the week before the trip we were told that they would be able to accommodate yet. This made me VERY happy....here's why....

The restaurant itself we this charming country style house that looked fancy yet comfortable at the same time.

To begin, the waiter brought us an amuse bouche of a potato blini topped with house-cured ocean trout, creme fraiche, chives...and perhaps something else....the trout was fantastic, a nice bite to start what was to be an incredible meal...

Katie's First Course: Oysters with Lime Crema (no image)

I decided I was going to go seafood 100% today (well, minus the dessert), and had heard something about oysters being an aphrodisiac, so even though I had only had them once before, I'd give it a try. Honestly, I appreciated the oyster for all of its ocean freshness, I really did. However, it's not a taste I'm fully accustomed to. The texture was right, the lime crema perfectly accented the oyster without overpowering it, but oysters aren't necessarily at the top of my favorite food list. I need to try them more!

Derek's First Course: Roasted Beet Soup with Caviar

This was basically like a really delicious vegetarian (besides the caviar) borscht. A beautiful red/purple color, balance throughout the soup. A slight sweetness melding with salty bits of caviar...really enjoyable.

Katie's Second Course: Seared Sea Scallop with a Berkshire Pork Belly and Mushroom Hash with an Apple Tarragon Vinaigrette

Wow. Perfectly cooked scallop, that was all I could ask for with my favorite variety of seafood. The tender scallop led way to a slightly crip combination of rich earthiness, toned down by fresh pea shoots and a refreshing yet complex vinaigrette, pleasantly containing little bits of crisp apple. Aaah...we could have stopped there and I would have been a happy girl.

Also...the wine that went with this, a local Chardonnay from Hanzell, retailing at around $50 was to die for. Russian River Valley is known for their Chardonnays and this one is no excepetion to the excellence! Buttery, smooth, balanced...would love to have another glass of this one again.

Derek's Second Course: Grilled Paillard of Tuna

Katie's Third Course: Red Snapper with a Warm Lobster Salad

How can something be rich and light at the same time? That is the only way I can describe this dish. Full of light components in the seafood and citrus, but with a heavy dosage of butter hidden in there (not so discretely, I knew it was sinful), to fully round of the dish. The sauce was a mustard butter sauce, balanced and really tasty. The skin on the red snapper was perfectly paperesque, thin and crispy without the sogginess or fat-like characteristics commonly causing me to scrape the skin away from the fish and leave it on the plate. This time, I actually ate it all. And the lobster, oh the lobster...a "side note" on this dish, but a true star...big, succulent pieces, perfectly cooked - probably the best I've ever had. Also in the lobster salad was a combination of grapefruit, fennel, and celery root. Ahhhh...

Derek's Third Course: Pan Roasted Guinea Fowl

Katie's Fourth Course: Trio of Meyer Lemon

Lemon sounded like a refreshing way to end a big meal. Plus, with a trio, I got the chance to try THREE different desserts...so this was a no brainer decision. The three components were a lemon creme brulee, lemon sorbet with a sugar decoration, and a lemon olive oil cake. The presentation was beautiful and each component was wonderfully executed. My favorite of the three was probably the creme brulee. A perfectly crisp top broken to a smooth layer of lemon spiked, creamy goodness. With the last bite, I was a bit sad that the experience was over...however my stomach thanked me as I don't know if I could have comfortably put anything else in it!!

Derek's Fourth Course: Chocolate Souffle

Coffee. Done. Food Coma.

Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Currants, Basmati Rice and Harissa served with a Carrot, Orange, and Radish Salad

Ingredients

Tagine:
1 pound lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1.5 teaspoons honey
1/8 cup olive oil
1.5 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Pinch of saffron threads
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper
1 potato, cut into chunks
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
3/4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup currants

Directions
Mix together the garlic, honey, olive oil, cilantro, saffron, paprika, cumin and tomato paste in a large bowl. Add the lamb and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put the meat and the marinade into a tagine or Dutch oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, carrots, onions, stock and cinnamon and stir together. Place the tagine lid on or Dutch oven lid and bake for 1 hour. Stir the chickpeas and raisins into the tagine and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and cook an additional 30 minutes to brown the vegetables. Garnish with cilantro springs.

Harissa:
3 oz. mild and hot chilies - dried mixture of Anchos, Chili de Arbol, and Guajillos (Guajillos are the most mild, then Anchos, Chili de Arbol are the spiciest)
1 clove of garlic crushed with 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. coriander - ground
1 tsp. caraway seed - ground
1 red bell pepper, roasted
1 tsp. fine seal salt
olive oil

Stem, seed, and break up chilies. Place in a bowl and pour boiling water over to cover.

Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain; wrap in cheesecloth and press out excess moisture.

Grind chilies in food processor with garlic, spices, red bell pepper, and salt.

Add enough oil to make a thick paste (added tomato paste, 1-2 T. to make it more of a paste).

Pack the mixture in a small dry jar; cover the harissa with a thin layer of oil.


Basmati Rice:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 cardamom seed, crushed
1 bay leaves
1 cup basmati rice, washed well and drained
1.5 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Ad the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardomom seeds and bay leaves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and toss to coat with the mixture. Add the water and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium low, cook for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender and water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.


Carrot, Orange, and Radish Salad:

Ingredients
4 carrots
6 radishes (or 4-inch piece daikon radish)
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
2 navel oranges
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon orange flower water
Kosher salt

Directions
Slice carrots and radishes as thinly as possible and add to a large bowl. Add mint and cilantro. Remove the peel and pith from the oranges. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut between the membranes to remove the orange segments; add them to the carrots. Squeeze the membrane to extract the rest of the juice and add the cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, orange flower water, and salt, to taste. Mix to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour over the carrot mixture and gently toss to coat. The salad can be served immediately but allowing it to sit for 1 or 2 hours will help the flavors to blend. Just before serving, taste and adjust seasoning.

Served with Etude Pinot Noir....

Bean Mish-Mash

REMINDER:


10 Cups - at least, of beans just sitting in my refrigerator following a bean making extravaganza for Super Bowl chili. When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When life hands you and un-Godly amount of beans....what do you do?

Bean Dip/Puree/Non-fried Refried Beans...whatever you want to classify it as. My goal for the night was to just use beans. Sadly, my whole batch used up only 2.5 cups...hardly putting a dent into my stash, looks like I will be making more this week - and probably tossing some into the food compost, as cooked beans do not last forever, and I don't feel like going on a total bean diet...somehow I don't think that's the right kind of body cleanse.

For my first use of leftovers, here's what I did based on a FoodNetwork.com recipe by Nigella Lawson...

Indredients:

3 T. olive oil
1 large onion, diced fine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2.5 cups of cooked beans (mixed white, pinto, kidney and black bean)
1/3 cup beef broth (recipe called for canned beans in liquid)
1.5 T. tomato paste
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
lime/lemon juice (equivalent to 1 lime)

Directions:

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until golden and soft.

Add the beans, beef broth, tomato paste, and spices and cook for another few minutes.

Add the lime or lemon juice and remove from heat. Once slightly cooled, place the bean mixture in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth or slightly chunky, depending on your texture preference.

Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve hot or cold.

Obviously we did not have just a big pile of bean puree for dinner, that would have been an interesting concept. Derek wanted fish tacos, I wanted a hearty salad. So here are two totally different meals based on similar ingredients.

Derek's Fish Tacos: Dover Sole seasoned with southwestern spices, pan-fried. Served in a corn tortilla - topped with avocado slices, tomatillo salsa, sour cream, and cilantro. Side of beans!



Katie's Southwestern Shrimp Salad: Shrimp seasoned with the same southwestern spices as Derek's sole, pan-fried. Over mixed lettuce green, topped with avocado, tomato, a pile of bean puree, sour cream, cilantro, tomatillo salsa.



Satisfying.

5 Bean Chili and Jalapeno Poppers (Super Bowl)

The Super Bowl; an American event filled with hearty, fattening American fare and beer, lots of it. Knowing a veggie tray wouldn't cut it as a party contribution (though it probably would have been a good idea in hindsight), Derek and I thought we'd opt for some good traditional beef chili and his famous Jalapeno Poppers that he first made last year for the Super Bowl when we hosted a big food-filled event at our place in New York.

My portion of the cooking was the chili. Last year I did a Cincinnati Chili, a no-bean, almost sweet chili with spices and chocolate - very tasty. However, this year I wanted to try something a little more traditional, something that would be great slopped over some nacho chips with guacamole and cheesey goodness on top. This year's recipe came from Emeril and included no short cuts on my part.

Emeril's 5 Bean Chili

Ingredients (with noted modifications)

• 1 pound ground chuck (Used 2.15 lbs!)
• 1 cup diced yellow onion (used 2 small onions, so probably 1.25 to 1.5 cup)
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper (also added one roasted poblano pepper)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Mexican style chili powder (Did about 1 T of ancho chili powder, 1.5 T regular chili powder)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander (1/4 tsp.)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (1/4 tsp.)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, broken up with your hands
• 3 cups beef stock or canned low-sodium beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained great Northern beans
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained pinto beans
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained kidney beans
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained navy beans (did not have, so used a little more of each other type)
• (Also added 1/4 cup chocolate chips :))

Directions:

Day before:
- Soak beans in boiling water (4 cups water per 1 cup beans)for one hour...



First lesson learned: When it says 1.5 cups of cooked beans, that is far less than the equivalent amount of dried beans. I cooked up about 7 cups of dried beans. I think that ended up making....ohhh about 16 cups of beans or so....we've got some beans to eat soon, that's for sure. (Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat the more you...")

- Simmer beans for about an hour, until they are cooked

Day of (obviously all can be done in one day, I just did not go this route given my social obligations)

- In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, cook the meat until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes.


- Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, and cinnamon, and cook until vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 minutes.

- Add the tomatoes, stock, and bay leaves; bring the mixture to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the beans (and chocolate), stir to combine, and continue to cook another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the flavors have come together and the chili has a nice, thick consistency (I probably did another hour).
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.(added some more chili powder, salt and pepper)


Yum. I got a lot of compliments - everyone said the smell was just awesome, I'd agree. It made enough to fill a whole Dutch Oven....fed everyone at the party and there are about 4 full servings left over...Keeper.

(pictures to be posted later)

Derek's Jalapeno Poppers (Baked...not fried)

Ingredients
• 15 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed (be careful to not burn your skin, do not, by any means, touch your eyes without first washing your hands!!)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 8 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 cup panko crumbs, or fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence.

In a shallow dish, combine the panko crumbs and remaining 4 teaspoons of Essence.

In a third dish, combine the flour and remaining 2 teaspoons of Essence. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half.

One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process.

Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer.



Baked means they're healthy...right? Regardless, they have a perfect touch of spice, crunch, and creaminess, without the guilt of the traditional fried jalapeno poppers.

Emeril did us well this Super Bowl. Sadly, the advertisers were a let down!

Coriander Pork with Black Bean Cakes

Wanting to make something from Derek's cookbook that he bought - apparently the "Chef's Bible" - I was immediately attracted to Black Bean Cakes as they are something that I have loved for quite some time. My Dad always made them with this Coriander Shrimp recipe, so respecting Derek's allergy to shrimp, we made Corainder Pork - fresh from the Marina Meat Market. Here's what we did...

Pork:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pieces of pork (Derek used Korobuta Pork, apparently the "Kobe Beef" of pork - I opted for the cheaper free range pork)

In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil and seasonings. Marinate the pork while you make the coriander sauce.

Heat a half butter/half olive oil mixture in a pan. Brown pork on both sides and then place into the oven, heated to 350 degrees. Cook until the internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees.

Coriander Sauce:
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Place the shallot, orange zest and juice, wine, vinegar, and coriander in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to 2 or 3 tablespoons. While it's still hot, whisk in softened butter by the spoonful until the sauce is emulsified (it will look thick and creamy). Stir in the chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm over low heat.

We wanted to use another "cheapie" to cook with so we picked up a $10 dollar Greg Norman Chardonnay from Cellar 360. In contrast to the Wente Chardonnay that I raved about in a previous post, this one was much lighter and fruity vs. rich and buttery. Not bad for a $10 bottle but I prefer the Wente, it's just fabulous for the price.

The finished product turned out just fine, though I prefer shrimp over pork, and a real black bean cake recipe vs. some screwed up one...but given that we know our way around the kitchen (at least well enough) - we managed!!

Wholesome Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

When I was younger, I made cookies religiously. Probably not the healthiest thing because my favorite part about making cookies is obviously eating the batter. Who cares about the cookie!? Without a Kitchen Aid and cookie eaters around, my baking episodes are few and far between. However, Sunday I was in the mood to do it. And I thought, why not try to make these guys healthy so I won't feel bad eating them! So I basically combined two recipes and I am SUPER thrilled with how they came out.

Here's what I did, and I promise, they don't even taste healthy!

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup flax seed, ground
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

Blend the rolled oats in a blender or food processor until flour-like.

Mix the ground oats, wheat flour, flax seed, salt and baking powder in a bowl, set aside.

In a separate bowl, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars. Mix in the egg, vanilla and milk - beat well.

Slowly mix in flour mixture until incorporated.

Stir in chocolate chips and coconut.

Drop cookies onto a cookie sheet (with a Silpat!) - normal size cookies, 2 tablespoons or so - fitting about 12-15 cookies on the pan, depending on the size. These cookies don't spread too much so you could probably pack them in more than some other recipes.

Cook about 15-18 minutes at 350 (my recipe was saying 12-14 but I had to keep them in for longer, just keep checking).

Enjoy and feel not-so-guilty about a Whole Wheat/Flaxseed/Oat cookie with organic eggs, milk, sugar, chocolate chips and coconut. Really, come to think of it, besides the vanilla, the entire recipe was organic. Cool!