Peanut Noodles with Kale and Cannellini Beans

After a fun afternoon enjoying the Cherry Blossoms with the Monkey Scientist and my old camp friend, I wanted to throw together a quick and healthy dinner.  I picked up some kale at the farmer's market downtown and a can of beans from our local grocery store, but I had just about everything else at home.  My coworker had given me a few special peanut butters from Spread, so I used the Golden Raisin Curry peanut butter to give this recipe a little more flavor.



I am absolutely digging the chow mein noodles that I used.  You can just use spaghetti (whole wheat please!) but these add a new dimension of texture.  They're a little bit gummier than regular spaghetti, but in a good way.  I'm excited to find new ways to use them!  I bought mine at World Market, but I'm sure you could find them at an Asian grocery store or perhaps even in the Asian aisle of your regular supermarket.  They cost about the same as a regular box of spaghetti.



I loved that this recipe was vegetarian for my camp friend, but the Monkey Scientist and I did throw a little bit of cooked chicken breast on top for added protein.  We only needed to split one breast between the two of us though because the beans added nice protein as well.  We've been adding white beans to our salads and pastas frequently lately and I'm enjoying the flavor a lot.  They complemented this dish perfectly.



I like this recipe a lot!  In the recipe below, I decreased the acid a bit from the amount I used, as ours was a little bit too acidic.  If you are using regular peanut butter, try adding a little bit of curry powder - I think it complements the flavors nicely.  This recipe was originally in the Self Magazine Drop 10 menu plan, but I did add a bit more oil than they had called for.  If you want to decrease the oil for health reasons, it should still work well.  This is a great meal to throw together on a weeknight and a fun way to have a new and different type of pasta than the typical spaghetti with marinara.



Peanut Noodles with Kale and Canellini Beans
Adapted from Self Magazine, April 2012

Ingredients
1 package chow mein noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (can be flavored with chiles or curry)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 bunch kale
1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Instructions
1. Prepare noodles according to package instructions, but do not rinse in cold water.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, orange juice, and soy sauce and whisk until smooth.
3. In a pan with high sides, heat oilsovr medium high heat. Add kale and sauté until wilted.
4. Combine noodles, cannellini beans, and peanut sauce and stir until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Served topped with scallions.

Indian-Spiced Lentils and Lamb

One of the many things I love about the Monkey Scientist is that he's really willing to try just about anything I tell him to eat.  Even if he doesn't like it, he'll at least give it a shot.  I once made him try tripe in a Chinese restaurant (without telling him what it was) and even though he will never try it again, the fact that he did made me smile.  Case in point was this meal - I told my Mom I was making Indian lentils and lamb for dinner and she said "oh, interesting" (which in our family means "please don't expect me to be eating that").  The Monkey Scientist, on the other hand, was excited!  It makes cooking for him so much fun!



Despite this recipe not being my usual style of cooking, I knew this would be a recipe we'd like because of the spice factor.  Curry powder + cayenne + jalapeno is a spicy combo.  Right up our alleys.  Fortunately for me, the greek yogurt cools the palate back down.  Also, by serving this on top of rice, it made the whole dish a lot more mild - definitely something I'd recommend if the spiciness scares you (and to add more substance to the whole dish).



I liked that this recipe was fairly low-cost.  Although lamb can be expensive, you don't need that much of it in this meal.  Lentils are one of my favorite money savers because they are filling and tasty, but only cost about 89 cents/bag (which is enough to make this recipe 2-3 times!).  My biggest cost-grief is the coconut milk.  My grocery store only has 1 brand and its nearly $4/can.  Do you know where I can buy it cheaper (and maybe in half cans)?



This was one of my favorite low cost, healthy recipes I've made in a long time.  Bold flavors do so much to make up for lower fat content in dinners.  The spicy flavor combined with the sweetness of the coconut milk and tomatoes elevated inexpensive lentils.  The little bit of lamb brought an otherwise vegetarian dish to an new level - but could be left out if you wanted to keep it vegetarian.  The tang of the Greek yogurt was the perfect finishing touch.  The color of the whole dish is gorgeous from the curry powder, tomatoes, and coconut milk.  We both loved this one!



Indian-Spiced Lentils and Lamb
slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground lamb
1 teaspoon red curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeds removed
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup brown lentils
2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped (I actually added the juice too)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or fat free)
white rice, cooked (optional)

Instructions
1. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium high heat then add lamb, curry powder, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown.
2. Add onion and jalapeno and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until the lamb is fully browned and the onions are soft.
3. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minute more until fragrant.
4. Add tomato paste, cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
5. Add lentils, cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
5. Add chicken broth, water, coconut milk, and tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils are tender.
6. Serve either in a bowl or over white rice and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa

Do you ever have those nights when you're just craving something super healthy, but still chocked full of flavor?  I was the other night, and I happened to find some quinoa in my cabinet.  I used my favorite - foodblogsearch - to look for a good recipe, but everything seemed to be vegetarian.  I wanted to use shrimp since I hadn't had seafood in a little while, so I added it to my search and came across this recipe.



Now normally, I am not a kale fan (aside from the kale salad my best friend makes).  Kale chips? Not my style.  Remember when I made the Tomato Braised Chicken with Kale?  I told you all I just was not feeling the kale. It can be really bitter and I just don't like it that much.  But, as long as I was going to eat healthy, I needed my dark leafy green.  But, I thought I'd give it another shot.  Everyone else seems to love kale these days, why can't I?

I think the trick here was cooking the kale down with a little oil and butter until fully cooked.  I honestly just think it may have been a bit raw last time I made it, and maybe that's why it was so bitter.  This time a huge bunch cooked down by probably 70%, and it really wasn't bitter at all - in fact it was juicy and loaded with flavor from the lemon and tomato sauce.



One of my favorite parts of this meal was the cost.  All of the ingredients cost $5.84.  It could easily serve 2 for dinner or 4 for lunch. I ate it for dinner and then for lunch for a couple of days.  Even if you are trying to save money, I recommend you get a nicer brand of tomato sauce.  A can of off-brand tomato sauce was 33 cents, while Tuttorosso was on sale (by surprise, it didn't even have a sign!) from 60 cents to 40 cents.  The difference in flavor is totally worth the extra 7 cents.



I sort of surprised myself, but I completely loved this recipe.  The kale was delicious, there was just a little bit of shrimp for some seafood (tastes like New England) and substance, and the quinoa was nutty and made the meal feel complete.  I liked it better when the quinoa was really mixed in with the kale and shrimp so that it could absorb all the flavors from the lemon, tomato sauce, and red pepper flakes.  Of course, I use way more red pepper flakes than the original recipe called for - and to be honest it wasn't even very spicy still.  If the Monkey Scientist had eaten this, I probably would have had to throw some cayenne in, but he was busy working late again.  I thought this was a delicious meal full of all sorts of healthy and delicious things.

Also - sorry that these photos are pretty out of focus.  My camera was not cooperating.  Some day I'll buy my DSLR and self-focus, but for now I just deal with what I have.



Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa
slightly adjusted from Healthy Green Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup white quinoa
pinch of Himalayan or sea salt (I used garlic salt)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
5 small garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pound shrimp
1 bunch kale, chopped fine
8 oz can tomato sauce (I used Tuttorosso)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
course sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer (this is important or it will be bitter). Bring 1 1/4 c water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook until all water is absorbed (about 12 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to sit in covered pot for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. In a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, being careful so it doesn't burn.
3. Add the shrimp and kale and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the shrimp have just turned pink and the kale is cooked through.
4. Add tomato sauce and cook for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
5. Serve over quinoa.

Buttermilk Roasted Drumsticks

The Monkey Scientist was really busy this week, which meant I had to motivate myself to cook for one.  I ended up inviting a friend over one night, and as long as I was prepping that dinner I also decided to start marinating chicken for my next meal.  I had seen this recipe earlier in the day and it sounded so amazing and juicy, I just had to try it.



The marinade couldn't have been simpler to throw together - and was super inexpensive.  I dumped in a 14 oz bottle of low fat buttermilk (99 cents at the grocery store), some garlic (maybe 50 cents?), seasonings I already had in the house, and marinated the drumsticks in it (on sale for $4.20 or so for about 2 1/4 lb).  I ate it for dinner with some roasted cauliflower (on sale for $2.99 a head), and actually had leftovers for lunch the next day and for the Monkey Scientist to eat for dinner the day after.  Definitely a great value!



This was some of the juiciest, most delicious chicken I've ever made.  I really love drumsticks, but this could be great with any part of the chicken.  The skin was crispy, just a bit spicy (except when the MS made the last 2 drumsticks for himself with extra cayenne...they were quite spicy) and the inside was tender and moist.  There's really nothing not to love about this one - just make sure you plan ahead so that you can prep it and let it marinate for a day or two before baking!



Buttermilk Roasted Drumsticks
every so slightly adapted from smitten kitchen

Ingredients
14 oz (1 1/2 c) buttermilk (I used low fat)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, plus extra for sprinkling (I used sweet, but I wanted to use spicy Hungarian)
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks (you can use any part you like)
Drizzle of olive oil
Flaked or coarse sea salt and cayenne pepper, to finish

Instructions
1. Whisk buttermilk with garlic, table salt, sugar, paprika and lots of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl.
2. Place chicken parts in a gallon-sized freezer bag (or lidded container) and pour buttermilk brine over them, then swish it around so that all parts are covered.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 but preferably 24 and up to 48 hours.
4. When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5. Line a baking dish with foil. Remove chicken from buttermilk brine and arrange in dish.
6. Drizzle lightly with olive oil (honestly, I think I skipped this step and they were fine!), then sprinkle with additional paprika, sea salt, and a little cayenne to taste.
7. Roast for 35 minutes, until brown and a bit scorched in spots. Serve immediately.

Lentil Pot Pie

I know, yet again, it's been a while.  I know you've felt neglected, and I'm sorry. I have some excuses.

For one, I had some terrible stomach thing going on where I'd be starving, I'd eat 2 bites and be full.  It was not fun.  Then, I had to enjoy my last few times going out to eat in DC with one of my favorite coworkers, who's left me to move to New Haven and work from home. We also had to go out to dinner to say goodbye to the Monkey Scientist's roommates, some of whom have left us for med school.  It was a big Chinese-food-in-Rockville week. And after all that, the Monkey Scientist has been moving into a new apartment and I've been trying to help him.  There was lots of packing and box-carrying.  I really hadn't cooked anything since my roast chicken.



That's not entirely true, I did make one meal...but it wasn't exactly blog-worthy and I didn't exactly have time/energy to take photos.  The night we moved the MS into the new apt, at 10 pm when we were exhausted and starving, I cooked with the only food he moved from the old house.  Which was frozen fish, Ritz crackers, and spices.  I defrosted the fish, crushed and seasoned the crackers with Caribbean jerk seasoning, coated the fish with the crumbs, added some olive oil and baked.  See, not blog-worthy. (But yes, I was impressed with myself for throwing that one together!)



To be honest, I wasn't even really going to cook dinner again last night, but I had this great idea.  Really, my idea was to make up my own recipe with lentils and puff pastry, which I already had at home.  I was going to cook the lentils with onions and then add tomato paste and somehow wrap them up in puff pastry... well I wasn't quite sure.  So I googled "lentils puff pastry" and this is what came up.



When I made it, I realized it looked a lot like pot-pie, so that's why I named it that.  Plus, my Lentil Sheperd's Pie was such a hit, I figured this could be like a follow up post.  If you liked that you'll like this - it also is a great way to use lentils, is SUPER inexpensive to make, has a warm, comfort food feel, and tastes great!   And of course, I kicked the spice factor way up in both recipes.  If you're not a spice person, you can leave out all the cayenne and red pepper flakes I added here (but that'd be bo-ring!).  The one comfort food joy it does lack that goo (...err gravy?) inside a real chicken pot pie.  I need to work on that.



So some caveats.... The puff pastry was left over and the box was already open, so it was a little dried out.  It tasted fine, but that's why it looks crackled in the pictures.  Also, the original recipe called for French green lentils.  Being the good American I am, I used American brown lentils.  I think they cook a lot quicker than the French green ones, so I adjusted the recipe that you see below from the original - mainly that I didn't soak them.  The lentil bag said I didn't have to! Just be aware depending on the kind of lentils you use.  Finally, I added bacon because...well like I said I'm a good American.  If you're a vegetarian, you can totally take it out. But then it won't taste at all like bacon...which may be a crime.



The MS was working pretty late, so I prepped the filling earlier in the evening and then brought it over to the new apartment to add the dough topping and bake them.  This worked out perfectly (can you see his new kitchen in the background of some of the photos?).  The filling filled all the ramekins I have (2 big, 4 little) with some leftover.  The puff pastry only covered the ones I filled, but I probably could have rolled it out thinner to cover one extra.  The MS ate 2 big ramekins, and I ate 1 little for dinner, in case you're wondering how many portions you'll get.



This one was a pretty good recipe.  When they were fresh out of the oven, I was thinking some cheese probably could have helped this.  If you make your own puff pastry, maybe add some shredded cheddar into the dough.  As I mentioned, I would have liked a little more liquid as well.  There has to be some way to imitate the gravy in pot pie for these.  I think the extra spice was totally necessary to give it good flavor. I enjoyed this one - and the little pies are super cute! A big version would be a good thing to bring to Thanksgiving (and man that's coming up sooner than I'd like to believe!).



Lentil Pot Pie
adapted from Whole Foods

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 dried bay leaf
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
10 baby carrots, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 pieces turkey bacon (you can use pork bacon, but then you probably don't need the oil)
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine (I used Manischewitz)
1/2 package puff pastry, defrosted (you can make your own if you like!)

Instructions
1. Put lentils in a medium pot with 3 cups water, bay leaf, and 1 tsp cayenne pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender but still hold a little texture, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a larger pot. Add shallots, carrots, bell pepper, bacon, salt, pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 7-8 minutes.
4. Add garlic and tomatoes, stir well, then add wine to deglaze.  Scrape up all the bacon goodness.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Add lentils and any remaining cooking liquid to pot with vegetables.  Simmer over medium low heat, uncovered, until sauce has thickened, 10-15 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes.
6. Pour lentils into individual ramekins (or one deep pie dish).  On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut into circles just slightly larger than the tops of the ramekins. Place dough over lentils and make a few slashes over the top to allow steam to escape.
7. Bake until golden brown and piping hot, 25-30 min (ramekins on the higher oven racks will be done faster).

Poor Man's Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

I've mentioned before that I'm all about budget grocery shopping and using coupons.  For me, just the idea of saving money can be inspiration.  And this recipe is the ultimate low budget dinner.

The whole shepherd's pie - which fed 4 of us and I ate for lunch the next day - only cost $5.17 (not including pantry items like spices, milk and butter).  Seriously - 4 dinners and 1 lunch for $5.17.  How amazing is that?!  The asparagus I served with it cost almost that much!

One of my closest friends in DC is an old friend from summer camp.  She happens to be a vegetarian/pescatarian, so I wanted to make a dinner that I could feed her.  I loved the idea of taking an unhealthy, meaty comfort food and turning it into a healthy, low cost comfort food.

One of the major ingredients in the low-budget, high-nutrient version were sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are actually cheaper than white potatoes (at least at my grocery store) and they're full of great nutrients including carotene.  Plus, they have so much more flavor!

The other alternative ingredient of course are the lentils.  Lentils are $0.89 for a 16 oz bag at my grocery store.  And I never thought I liked lentils - I'm not that into lentil soup - but they are SO good when you prepare them well!

I actually ended up mixing about 70% sweet potato and 30% white - but next time I definitely could go all sweet potato.  I think this just made it a little more mild.

Also, I don't own a potato masher, so I used my pastry blender to mash the potatoes.  I realize more people probably own a potato masher than a pastry blender, but if you love baking like me this is a great way to have more than one use for a single tool.  And it worked great!!

I also got the frozen corn on sale for $1.  I may have even used a little more than the recipe called for.  I realize corn doesn't have the MOST nutrients - so you could replace with something like peas if you wanted to step up the nutrients.  Still, I just love corn and it makes it taste like the Shepherd's Pie you remember from childhood.

I am absolutely obsessed with this recipe.  It is so darn delicious I could have eaten the whole pan.  It has tons of flavor - sweet, spicy, and salty - and I didn't miss the meat at all.  It was even wonderful heated up the next day.  Definitely as comforting as the original but I think I like it even better.  The only complaint I might have had was that it wasn't as filling as the meat version (or maybe I was just starving from a long run) so I ended up eating a good amount of it.  I think this also was because I made it in the flat dish rather than a round casserole so what looked like a portion was actually pretty small.  I will absolutely make this again!!

Poor Man's Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
very slightly adapted (to be spicier) from Simple Bites

Ingredients

1 cup lentils, green or French, rinsed
2 lbs potatoes or sweet potato (I used 3 sweet potatoes and 2 very small white potatoes)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried Herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, divided
1 teaspooon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon ketchup
5 drops hot sauce (I used Chulula)
1 cup frozen sweet corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place lentils in a medium pot and cover with an inch of cold water. Add a pinch of salt, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes until cooked. It is okay if they are not completely cooked, they will cook further later. Drain.

While lentils are cooking, peel and roughly chop potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes and mash. Add butter and milk and season with 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set aside.

Heat oil in a medium pot and add chopped onion. Sautée for a few minutes until soft. Add cumin, Herbs de Provence, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, cooked lentils, vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

Add 1/2 cup of water and bring lentils to a simmer. Cook for another five minutes or so, stirring often, to let the flavors come together.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place seasoned lentils in the bottom of a medium baking dish. Spread to cover the bottom. Top with corn kernels. Add mashed potatoes on top and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes until heated through. Serve hot.

Serves 4.