Thai fish curry with brown rice recipe

Last night I was reminded why I cut back my consumption of processed food.  Michael Pollan gave a lecture on campus, and he came on stage with bags full of groceries that he picked up at Meijer (he got extra points in my book for making fun of Meijer!).  He had boxes of sugary cereal claiming to be health food, fat free yogurt with more sugar than the full fat counterpart, and splenda with fiber.  But the one that caught my attention was the Tropicana Healthy Heart orange juice.  Sounds innocent enough, right?  Well, it contains tilapia, anchovies, and sardines.  I almost gagged.  Guess who will not be drinking store bought orange juice for a long time.

I would rather drink juice that I've squeezed myself (or at the very least has no sea creatures in it).  And I'll eat my fish with a fork, thank you very much.  Here's a great recipe in case you need ideas for ways to eat fish in its solid form.  I did have trouble finding a firm white fish that's sustainable but still affordable, but I finally came across cod from the U.S. Pacific, which is at least a "good alternative" according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's standards. The flavors in this dish were mellow - I suggest adding a minced jalapeno if you're looking for something more dramatic - but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  The crunch of the water chestnuts was the perfect contrast for the flaky fish, and I wouldn't recommend making this without them.  It doesn't necessarily live up to "real" Thai food, but considering that it took about 10 minutes to make, it was a great substitute.


Thai fish curry with brown rice (adapted from Whole Grains for Busy People)
(Printable version)

1 can (13.5 oz.) light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp green Thai curry paste
pinch of sugar
1 cup corn kernels (frozen are fine)
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 lb. firm white fish (I used cod, but halibut also works), cut into bite-sized chunks
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
zest of one lime
3 cups cooked brown rice

Combine coconut milk, water, fish sauce, curry paste, and sugar in a large saute pan, and bring to a boil.  Then stir in the corn, water chestnuts, and fish, making sure that the fish pieces are almost completely submerged in the sauce.  Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the fish is cooked through (about 4 min), stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cilantro and lime zest, and serve over rice.  Serves 4.

Broiled salmon with mushrooms and spinach recipe

Sometimes I'm in the mood to cook something elaborate with complex flavors and new techniques, but most of the time I prefer to use extremely simple ingredients.  There's something amazing about putting a few basic foods together and having something fabulous in mere minutes.  That's all I could think about when I was making dinner tonight.  It took all of 20 minutes (and I was moving slowly), yet it was an extremely satisfying meal.

Broiled salmon with mushrooms and spinach
(Printable version)

2 salmon fillets (about 10 oz.)
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus a spritz for the salmon
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 large handfuls spinach

Place the salmon, skin side down, on a baking sheet, spritz with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the baking sheet close to the heating element (about 8" away) and broil for about 10 minutes, until salmon easily flakes.  While salmon is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet.  Add mushrooms and saute until they're tender.  Set mushrooms aside, and add garlic to skillet (you may need more oil).  A minute later, add spinach and cook just until it wilts.  When the salmon is done, remove the skin and place each fillet on a bed of spinach and top with mushrooms.  Serves 2.

Tuna and red rice salad recipe

The last two months, I've tried out fantastic cookbooks, so this month's book has big shoes to fill.  I wanted The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook since the day I read about it almost a year ago, and luckily I won a copy of it (and 9 other books) when I received first prize in the Whole Grains Council photo contest in the fall.  Immediately upon opening the book, I was excited to find that many of the recipes have alternate instructions for the crock pot (it finally hit me that the author, Judith Finlayson, has written numerous slow cooking cookbooks).  Unfortunately the book and I got off to a rocky start.  I tried the recipe for gluten-free pizza crust, and it had a really weird texture and was a bit tough (it wasn't horrible, just disappointing).  However, this salad has redeemed the book for now.

I always have a few cans of tuna in my pantry, but almost never eat it.  Occasionally I'll have some if I'm desperate for a protein-packed post-workout snack, but I usually work out in the morning and the thought of eating tuna before noon is repulsive.  I also have a bag of Bhutanese red rice hanging out in my pantry (right next to the tuna, by coincidence), so I was excited to find this salad that combines the two.  The salad was really tasty, especially the next day when the flavors had blended.  It's more of a summer salad, but I still enjoyed it.

Tuna and red rice salad (adapted from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook)

(Printable version)

1 cup Bhutanese red rice (or use brown rice, and adjust cooking instructions)

1 1/2 cups water

1 can (6 oz.) tuna, drained

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, grated or smashed

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place rice and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is tender (about 25 min).  While rice is cooking, combine tuna, bell pepper, green onions, tomatoes, and parsley in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate small bowl, stir together vinegar, oil, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.  When rice is cooked, let it cool for a few minutes and then stir it into the large mixing bowl.  Pour dressing on top and mix well.  Serves 4.

Greek plaki-style snapper and zucchini recipe

I don't cook fish very often, even though I really enjoy it when I do. Perhaps it's because I feel odd eating fish in the middle of Michigan, after spending the first 17 years of my life within 60 miles of the ocean. More recently, I've neglected fish because it's hard to find sustainable options in the Lansing area (unless you're willing to shell out the big bucks). But as I was walking through Whole Foods in Ann Arbor last week trying to find the remaining gluten-free flours that do not exist in the Lansing area, I noticed that they had snapper on sale, and it looked amazing. I brought some home, not quite sure what it would become.

I had already decided to make this month's cookbook of the month "The Olive and the Caper" by Susanna Hoffman. As you might guess from the title, this book is filled with Greek recipes, as well as stories and histories of Greece and Greek food. My dad found this book for me for my birthday last year, and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. I just didn't feel right making Greek food in the winter, although this might be because I've only been to Greece in June, and remember sweating quite profusely. It was originally going to be the cookbook of the month for July, but given that I was just figuring out how to do the whole gluten-free thing, I thought I should wait a little while to start experimenting with a new cuisine. Plus, I really wanted to make phyllo dough from the book's recipe, and that was obviously out (and after some reading, it looks like it's virtually impossible to reconstruct with gluten-free flours).

But now I've stocked up my pantry, feel more comfortable making gluten-free substitutions, and am ready to try some of the non-phyllo recipes in this book. I was delighted to find a recipe that combined the snapper with zucchini and tomatoes that I had from the market.

Greek plaki-style snapper and zucchini (adapted from "The Olive and the Caper" by Susanna Hoffman)

(Printable version)

1 lb. skinned snapper filets (or other type of fish)

juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, white and light-green parts thinly sliced and washed thoroughly

1 large zucchini, sliced thinly

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 tsp dried sage

1/2 cup white wine

3 egg yolks, whisked until frothy

juice of 1 large lemon

Season fish on both sides with juice of 1/2 lemon and salt, and let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook for 2 min. Then stir in zucchini, tomatoes, sage, and wine. Saute until the zucchini is tender (6-8 min). Then put the fish into the skillet, covering it with some of the veggies. Cover the skillet and cook until the fish gets flaky (mine took 10 min, but it will depend on the type and thickness of fish). Remove the fish and veggies from the pan, leaving the sauce behind, and set aside. Mix the egg yolks and lemon together, and then whisk this into the sauce in the skillet. Let cook over low heat until sauce is thickened (about 5 min). Pour the sauce over the fish and veggies. Serves 4.

This was a really good way to cook fish - it came out perfectly flaky, but still very moist. The veggies were also very good, and the tomatoes melted into the sauce nicely. The only change that I would make next time is to slightly reduce the amount of lemon added to the pan sauce. I know it's supposed to be lemony (it is Greek, after all), but it slightly overpowered the other flavors. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it. The other nice thing is that this seems to reheat fabulously, unlike many fish recipes.

Braised bok choy with seared salmon

I think I should be on cabbage commercials. I can eat plate after plate of the stuff, which would be a very helpful skill if multiple takes were necessary. Oh wait, I don't think the cabbage industry can afford advertising. It's a real shame because I feel that cabbage is often overlooked. Anyway, I was excited to get bok choy in my CSA share. I rarely buy bok choy because it's so much more expensive than green or purple cabbage (unless I venture to the Asian market), but it's fun to have for a change. I tried out a recipe sent in my CSA newsletter, and then topped it with seared salmon.

Braised bok choy with seared salmon (boy choy recipe adapted from "From Asparagus to Zucchini")

1 large head bok choy

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 stalk green garlic, chopped (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

2 tsp seasoned rice vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp olive oil

3 small salmon filets (about 3 oz. each)

1 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

Separate leaves and stalks of the bok choy and chop each separately. Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Then add bok choy stalks and stir-fry until tender (about 5 min). Stir in green garlic and let cook for an additional minute. Then add bok choy leaves, stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and let cook until the leaves are tender (about 8 min). Then remove cover, increase heat to medium, and let simmer until remaining liquid evaporates. Stir in the sesame seeds.

While bok choy is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet. Add salmon skin-side down and brush top with soy sauce. Let it cook for about 5 min, then turn over and let cook until it becomes flaky (3-5 min). Serve salmon on top of bok choy. Serves 3.

Bok choy is fun because its stalks are a bit harder than that of green cabbage. As a result, even after cooking, they stay a bit crunchy and contrast nicely with the soft leaves. I also really liked the combo of bok choy and salmon. It's been a great first week of my CSA so far, and I can't wait to see what I get next time!

Chile and cilantro stuffed tilapia

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet. However, gluten-free bread crumbs could be easily substituted.**

If I haven't already convinced you to visit my blogging mentor Julia's site, Grow. Cook. Eat., hopefully this will twist your arm. Last weekend I was thinking about cooking the rest of the tilapia that was hanging out in my freezer, but I couldn't decide on a recipe. I've tried a few, but none have turned out as good as a simple saute. I wanted to do something new and different, though, and was incredibly excited when I woke up the next morning to find that Julia had just posted a tilapia recipe.

Chile and cilantro stuffed tilapia (adapted from Grow. Cook. Eat.)

1 tsp chopped jalapeno

1 green onion, chopped

1 tsp parsley, minced

1 tsp cilantro, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I toasted and crumbled a piece of homemade bread, but Julia used panko crumbs, which sounds even better)

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

3 small tilapia filets

salt and pepper to taste

1 lime

Combine jalapeno, onion, parsley, cilantro, and garlic in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and oil together. Season fish with salt and pepper and place it on a baking sheet. Squeeze lime over the filets, spread jalapeno mixture over them, and then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for about 12 min, or until flaky. Serves 2-3.

This was fabulous. The flavors were great, but didn't overwhelm the fish (I love a good pure fish taste). I'm glad I didn't cook my tilapia last week... but a little freaked out that Julia can read my mind :).

Tilapia with cornmeal chipotle crust

I was in the mood for some fish, and already had some in the freezer. Usually I saute tilapia with simple herbs or spices (Italian herb blend or Greek seasoning are my favorites), but I was up for doing something a little different this time.

Tilapia with cornmeal chipotle crust (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

3 tilapia fillets (about 3 oz each)

1 Tbsp canned chipotles in adobo sauce, minced

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cornmeal

Combine chipotles, oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and salt in a shallow bowl. Place cornmeal on a plate. Rinse and dry fish, dip in the sauce (making sure to cover on all sides), then dredge in cornmeal. Place prepared fish in baking dish and bake at 375 for 20 min, or until fish flakes easily. Serves 3.

I liked the kick that the chipotles gave the fish. It was the perfect amount of spice - definitely noticeable, but not overpowering. I wasn't too impressed with the cornmeal coating, but I think that's because I used a medium-grind cornmeal. It would have been much better with a finely ground meal that could have adhered better to the fish and wouldn't have been so crunchy. Oh well, you live and learn.

I think that I'm also getting tired of frozen fish. It's not bad, but it's nothing like what you get at a seafood restaurant that's right on the coast. Perhaps I need to make more trips to the ocean to satisfy my cravings :)

Thai green curry prawns

I was in the mood for some Thai food and happened to have shrimp in the freezer. This was the result:

Thai green curry prawns (adapted from "Simple Thai Cookery" by Ken Hom)

2 tsp peanut oil

1 Tbsp Thai green curry paste

1/2 Tbsp lime zest

1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

1 tsp raw sugar

1 cup light coconut milk

1/2 lb raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined

Heat oil over medium-high heat in saucepan. Add curry paste to pan and cook for 2 min. Add lime zest, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 min. Add shrimp and cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally. Serves 2.

This was delicious, and I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing. I served it over brown rice with spinach on the side, and the spinach was great for soaking up the extra sauce. The original recipe called for lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves (instead of the zest), and Thai basil, but unfortunately the Asian market that I stopped at doesn't carry Thai foods, so I had to do without. I bet it would have been even better if I could have used those.

Now that I've used up the shrimp that I had, I need to find some that comes from the US. I'm trying to make more sustainable seafood choices, too, and that seems to be even harder than finding local meat and dairy. There's a shrimp place at my farmers' market, so I suppose I might have to wait until the summer to get my fix again...

Salmon Algiers

I still have salmon in the freezer, so I figured I would pull some out for tonight.

Salmon Algiers (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

2 salmon fillets (4 oz. each)

dash of salt

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

dash of cayenne pepper

1 Roma tomato, sliced

Place salmon fillets skin side down in a baking pan. Sprinkle with salt. Place tomato slices over salmon. In a small bowl, whisk together cumin, oil, lemon juice, garlic, and cayenne, and pour over fish. Cover pan and bake at 375 for 20 min, until fish flakes.

This was good. Subtle, but good. It wasn't a whole lot different than baking salmon on its own, but the tomato was a nice addition. Perhaps it would have had more flavor if I added the sauce before the tomatoes.

Artist's Arrabbiata with grilled tilapia, eggplant, and zucchini

I was planning to make miso soup tonight, but the weather gods did a good job of preventing that.  When I left my apartment this morning there were a good 6" of snow on the ground, but the roads were fairly clear so I thought it would be fine to run a few errands after my volunteer info session at the zoo.  During the 1.5 hr info session, it snowed a couple of more inches (and has been snowing ever since), and this turned the roads into complete slush.  Days like this make me hate snow even more, because the only way to get where you're going is to turn the steering wheel and hope that you manage to slide far enough (but not too far!) to go in the direction you want to go.  It's a truly frightening experience.  Anyway, I cut down my list of errands to the vital ones, and as a result didn't make it to the asian market.

My meal started out with Artist's Arrabbiata from the cold weather cookbook that Dad gave me.  At first I didn't realize how appropriate this was -- "arrabbiata" means angry in Italian, which is exactly what the snow made me, and the recipe was from the section of the book with ideal dishes for storms.  It's one of the most simple dishes you can make (basically you saute garlic and crushed red pepper in olive oil, add coarsely chopped roma tomatoes and let it simmer for a while, then pour on pasta), but it was so good.  I love the heat from the pepper, and even though most of the tomatoes in the grocery store are pale pink, the romas still have some flavor in the winter.  I can see this becoming a staple for me - it's quick, easy, and cheap.

To go with the pasta, I decided to pull out the grill pan again and cook some veggies.  I found some edible-looking eggplant and zucchini at the grocery store, and decided to go against my better seasonal/local judgement and buy it.  I also grilled some onions, but apparently didn't cook them long enough because only the outer petals were tender and delicious (I'll fix that tomorrow).  Let's just say that I'm not sure I'll be putting my grill pan back in the cabinet because I'm going to be using this thing to death.

And at the last minute I decided that I could probably use more protein than what was in the whole wheat pasta, so I grilled up some tilapia that I had in the freezer.  To make it go along with the Italian theme, I sprinkled an Italian herb mix on it.  It was very good, although the highlight of the meal was definitely the pasta and veggies.  

And now for dessert I have a sweet potato (sprinkled with cinnamon) baking in the oven.  I suppose it's not so bad being stuck inside :)

Crock pot jambalaya and a roasted vegetable marathon (carrots, rutabaga, potatoes, cabbage, butternut squash)

I've done a lot of cooking in the last few days because starting tomorrow I'll be in the lab until at least 8 every night for the next 4 days, and I need to have leftovers ready.  This weekend I made chicken and shrimp jambalaya in the crock pot.  I screwed it up a little bit, but it tastes really good.  While it still had a little while to cook (according to the recipe), most of the liquid had been absorbed by the rice.  I wasn't thinking about the fact that maybe it was almost done, so I added more water.  Of course the rice had absorbed all that it could and I couldn't make any evaporate.  So, it turned out somewhat gummy, but the flavors are still great.  I think that my crock pot cooks faster than the one they used for that recipe book (the grits were done faster, too), so I need to keep that in mind next time.

Then yesterday I went crazy with the roasting.  I did a medley of root vegetables - carrots, rutabaga, and potatoes - tossed in olive oil, thyme, and rosemary.  That took forever to cook, but it's very hearty and is the perfect winter food.  I also did some green beans (a repeat of Thanksgiving) and some cabbage.  The cabbage is super tasty this way.  I cut it into small wedges, tossed it in olive oil and salt and pepper, and then poured some balsamic on it once it was cooked.  The only problem was that some of the outer leaves fell off of the wedges and cooked a lot faster than the big chunks.  They started to get burnt before the other was even tender.  Next time I'll probably separate all of the wedges a bit more.  I highly recommend trying this, but keep an eye on it and stir it frequently.

And today I roasted more butternut squash for the program's holiday party.  I forgot about the fact that my hand peeled all day after cutting up the squash for Thanksgiving, but quickly remembered when it got bad today.  After a few google searches, I found out that it's a very common reaction.  Perhaps next time I should use a glove while cutting it up.  Anyway, I thought I had made too much, but was excited to bring home leftovers.  Apparently I was wrong because it was one of the first things to go at the party.  Oh well, at least people enjoyed it!

recent concoctions

I finally got around to making my spaghetti squash on Monday.  I was originally going to do each half a different way, but I ended up putting spaghetti sauce (with tons of mushrooms, onions, and garlic) over the whole thing.  It's such a good substitute for traditional spaghetti, but I also can't wait to try it other ways.  I'll definitely be buying a few at the market this weekend.

Today I made more baked salmon, and I wanted a side dish that incorporated mushrooms and feta because I had some of both that needed to be used.  After searching around for a while, I found a recipe for Spinach and Couscous with feta.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly - I used a little less broth (and it was plenty), a little more spinach, and fewer mushrooms.  It's very good, but I'm glad I like oregano because it definitely doesn't hide.  It doesn't quite match up to the kale dish, but that's tough competition.

Lesson #1: You can never have too many veggies

Shopping at the farmers' market has been a learning experience... but a good one.  I never know how much to get.  I usually think about how much I'll need, and then walk around and buy the stuff that looks really good (unless I need something specific).  Unfortunately that backfired this Saturday.  I already had a lot of veggies, so I decided that I shouldn't buy too much.  I failed to consider the fact that I've been eating 6 or 7 large servings of veggies a day.  So by Monday I was almost out, and had to resort to the grocery store for some back-up supplies.  So now I've learned that I can basically buy unlimited veggies and I'll end up eating them all.  Luckily my grocery store veggies lasted me until today, when I went to the Select Michigan festival on the steps of the capitol.  There was a ton of local produce, honey, maple syrup, cheese, oils, yarns, pickles, etc.  I picked up some olive oil from a local family that has a farm in Lebanon (run by their daughter, an MSU grad), my first honeycrisp apples of the season, more peaches, and some winter squash (a spaghetti and a delicata).  Along with my leftovers, I should be able to last until Saturday morning.

After eating a lot of leftovers from the weekend, I was definitely in the mood to cook tonight, and I ended up making one of the most delicious (and easiest!) dinners I've had in a while.  I finally got around to cooking some of the salmon that I got while Mom was here.  I spritzed it with oil and sprinkled a little bit of salt and pepper on top, then baked it, and it turned out perfectly.  I'm glad I have a freezer full of salmon to enjoy :).  I also made a super easy version of creamed spinach.  You make a little bit of bechamel sauce, boil spinach for about 30 sec., then drain it and add it to the sauce.  It was amazing.  And finally, I tried my delicata squash.  I had never had one of these before, but everyone at the festival was raving about how sweet they are.  I baked it whole and took it out when it was really tender, but I think it could have cooked a little longer.  I added a little butter and some cinnamon, and it was definitely tasty.  I'm looking forward to cooking the spaghetti one this weekend.