It's a phenomenon ladies!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/dining/23coop.html

Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Peanut sauce

A modification of recipe from Cook's Illustrated magazine. Serves 4 to 6 as a main dish.

1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted in skillet until golden

1/4 c. chunky peanut butter

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 T. fresh ginger, minced

5 T. soy sauce

2 T. rice vinegar

1 t. hot sauce (I used Tabasco in this recipe)

2 T. brown sugar

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or buy a whole roasted chicken if you are short on time)

1 T. salt

1 lb. fresh Asian-style noodles or 12 oz. dried spagetti (I often just buy fresh linguine noodles if fresh Asian noodles aren't available)

2 T. sesame oil

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled & grated

1 red bell pepper, cut in match sticks

1. In a blender or food processor, puree 3 T. of sesame seeds (reserving the rest for garnish later), peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce and sugar until smooth. With machine running, add hot water 1 T. at a time until sauce has consistency of heavy cream (approx. 5 T.) I usually double the peanut sauce recipe because, well...everyone loves peanut sauce. Plus, I add a LOT more hot sauce to give it a good kick.

2. Heat broiler and place rack 6 inches from element. Spray broiler pan with vegetable cooking spray and add chicken. Broil breasts 6-8 minutes on each side. Let rest on cutting board 5 minutes then shred chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.

3. Boil 6 qt water, add salt and boil fresh noodles until tender, 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water until cool to the touch, drain again. Transfer to a large bowl & toss noodles with sesame oil until coated. Add shredded chicken, bell pepper, carrots, scallions and top with remaining sesame seeds. Serve peanut sauce on side.

Yum factor on scale of 1-10 = 9.5 (will be a 10 if you're not the one doing the cooking)

Note: the peanut sauce is always better the next day. Super great dish for parties and picnics. If you want to make this vegetarian then omit the chicken, sub in some cucumbers and top with cilantro leaves.

Chicken fajita burritos with feta crema (Sunset June 2010)

Yummy & quick recipe from Sunset magazine this June. Serves 4.

2 t. smoked paprika

1 t. each garlic salt, pepper & cumin

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-in. chunks

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 jalapeno chile, seeded & minced

1/2 c. feta cheese crumbles

1 T. lime juice

3 T. olive oil

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 bunch spring onions or green onions (I used just the white parts and also used shallots)

4 flour tortillas, warmed

2 C. green cabbage, shredded

1/2 C. cilantro, chopped

1. Whisk seasonings together in bowl. Add chicken and coat.

2. Stir sour cream, jalapeno, feta and lime juice together.

3. Heat oil on med high and cook chicken about 7 min. Add tomatoes & onions and squeeze of lime. (I cooked the tomatoes and onions together for a few minutes then added lime juice.)

4. Divide chicken mixture among tortillas, top with cabbage, cilantro and feta crema. (I also added avacado slices). Wrap up and serve.

Avocado Curry

serves 2

Saute some onion and garlic in a little oil
Add 1/2 to 1 whole red bell pepper in hunks and cook a bit longer

Add one can of Coconut Milk
2 T brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lime
Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste to taste - 2-3 teaspoons

Cook on low for a little while and then add 1 to 2 avocados, cut in chunks
Cook until warm and then serve over rice
Cilantro is nice on top

The best hippie granola ever!

Ingredients

12 cups rolled thick oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1 cup of dried fruit of choice! (raisins, dates, dried cherries, apricots

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Toast almonds for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Toast coconut flakes for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Grind flax seed in spice grinder or coffee grinder. Do not over grind, for it can turn to a paste from the oils (whole flax seeds are not digestible, so I would avoid putting them in the granola if you can't grind them).

In very large bowl, mix together Oats, almonds, coconut flakes, ground flax seed, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, salt. Make a "well" in the middle of the mix.

In saucepan, place coconut oil, honey and maple syrup and turn to medium high, stir often. Cook until oil and sugars become well mixed together. The mixture will start to become frothy, remove from heat. And pour into the "well" of the dry ingredients. Immediately mix oil/sugar mixture into dry ingredients. Stir well. It is important to that all oats are covered with the oil/sugar mix, to get crispy granola instead of stale cardboard granola :)

Spread granola evenly onto baking sheets. Bake in oven at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until dark brown. Check often to see if the edges are getting burnt. If so, turn granola so that the edges fold into the center of the pan. And place back in oven.

Meanwhile, prepare your dried fruit (chop up large fruit into smaller pieces). After baking all granola, return to large bowl and mix dried fruit into granola.

This recipe makes heaps of granola, store in refrigerator to keep it fresh!

Naan Bread

Ingredients

1 package active yeast (2.5 Tablespoons)
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablesppons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup melted ghee or butter

Directions

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (105 to 110 degrees). Let stand for 10 minutes until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes on floured surface or until smooth. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover, and set aside to rise. Let rise for 1 hour until dough has doubled.

Punch dough down and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls and place on tray. Cover with towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Heat large fry pan or griddle to high heat. Lightly oil griddle or pan. Roll (or by hand) balls into flat circle, one at a time. Place in pan or griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with ghee or butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with ghee or butter and cook until browned, another 2-4 minutes. Continue until all naan has been cooked. Keep naan in a dish covered with foil to keep warm, as you cook remaining balls.

Serve with currries, or whatever. Yum!

Massaged Kale and Currant Salad

Makes 6 servings

1 bunch kale
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 c diced red onion
1/3 c currants
3/4 c diced apple
1/3 c sunflower seeds, toasted
1/4 c olive oil
2 Tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/3 c Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

De-stem kale by pulling leaves away from stems. Wash leaves. Pat dry. Stack leaves, roll up, and cut into thin ribbons. Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, and massage it into the kale with your hands for 2 minutes.

Stir onions, currants, apple, and sunflower seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar. Taste for salt and vinegar, add more to taste if necessary. Toss in cheese. Keeps for several days!

Enjoy!
~Ava-Honey