Brothy Chinese Noodles

This one is pretty easy. It comes from Eating Well Feb. 2010 issue pg 26. I took liberties with the garnish and added sweet red pepper to give it more color.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp hot sesame oil (olive okay)
1 lb ground turkey
1 bunch of scallions (green onions)
2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (tastes sooo good)
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup water
3-4 cups Bok Choy, sliced thin
8 oz Chinese egg noodles
3 Tbsp soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 small cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 sweet red pepper sliced into matchsticks

1. heat 1 Tbsp oil in deep pan (I use a 6 qt pan) over medium heat. Add ground turkey, all but 2 Tbsp of scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring to break up the turkey, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
   
2. Add broth, water, bok choy, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar and the remaining 1 Tbsp oil to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 3-5 minutes. Return the turkey mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Serve garnished with the reserved 2 tbsp scallions, and red pepper and cucumber.
   

Salmon with Mushroom Tarragon Sauce

This is a very tasty sauce, and a pretty easy recipe to prepare.
Ingredients for 4 servings

4 tbsp butter
4 salmon steaks (6 oz each)
1 shallot (small onion) finely chopped
6 oz mushrooms, sliced (can use an assortment)
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 c sour cream (low fat or fat free okay)
3 tbsp fresh tarragon (or 1 tbsp dry)
1 tsp rice vinegar
salt and dash cayenne pepper
boiled or microwaved new potatoes
1. Melt butter in skillet season the salmon and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes turning once. Cover and transfer to warm oven.
2. Heat remaining butter and gently fry the shallot to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook until the juices begin to flow. Add the stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Combine the cornstarch and mustard and blend with 1 tbsp of water. Stir into the mushroom mixture and bring to a simmer stirring to thicken. Add the sour cream, tarragon, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce over each salmon steak and serve with new potatoes and green salad.
Everything tastes better with a glass of red wine!

Note: Plan to grow the herb tarragon this summer. You can chop up fresh leaves and put them into ice cube trays with water, and have them on hand in the freezer.

Tarragon Beef Over Zucchini Strips

This is one that Beulah reminded me of and suggested I share it. It is from an old paperback Pillsbury book. It has strips of zucchini and carrots instead of pasta. A nice change!

1/4 lb stew meat cut into 3/4" cubes
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 cup of beef broth (canned)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp tarragon
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup of beef broth
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 to 4 medium zucchini, cut into long thin strips

In large saucepan, brown meat with garlic in oil. Stir in sugar, tarragon, 1 cup of broth, and vinegar; cover and simmer 1 hour . Add carrots cover and continue cooking for 15 minutes. You could put it in a crock pot set on low 4-6 hours, but you will want to add the carrots first and the meat on the top. Before serving, put 1 Tbsp cornstarch into the 1/4 cup of broth left in the can (or water). Stir them together and stir them into the meat mixture to thicken. Nuke the zucchini in the microwave for a couple minutes until they start to get soft. Spoon zucchini onto a platter or shallow serving bowl, then spoon contents of crockpot or baking dish and garnish with the sliced onions.
Makes 4 servings (with 4 zucchini)

Things to think about - salt

When cooking a meal, many traditional recipes call for salt. Many foods already have salt in them, like pickled or brined vegetables. A lot of Mediterranean recipes don't call for salt, but use spices to season the food.
Have you ever had a bunch of cilantro in your vegetable drawer that turned slimey before you had a chance to use it? A good way to have fresh herbs on hand all year is to buy or grow your own herbs, chop them up and put them into ice cube trays full of water. When they are frozen, store them in labeled bags in the freezer. They are easy to use and the color is great too.
I heard this idea from Chef Doughty at Boise State University.

Love in the Time of Pasta

This book is one I found several years ago. James Beard is a well-known chef who published his first cookbook in 1930. I think he died about 15 years ago. Anyway, you know how I am. Starting with the fish, I used King Salmon Burgers, which have a smoky flavor, that I buy from Costco. The Olives I used are Kalamata, which is what the recipe calls for, but you could use the bland black olives in a can if you prefer. The pasta- you can use twists, shells or ridged ziti for this dish.

1/2 lb (swordfish, salmon fillets) or two burgers, thawed
3/4 finely chopped Greek Olives
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup thinly sliced Onion
2 lg cloves Garlic (I used one)
1 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp Capers (these are pickled juniper berries found in the pickles aisle)
1/2 lb pasta

1. If you are making the dinner with fillets, broil them first, or cook them in a skillet and crumple the meat as it cooks
2. Saute onions and garlic until they are soft. Add the oregano and Capers. Move the onions to the side of the skillet and cook the crumpled fish burgers.
3. Cook and drain the Pasta
4. When pasta is done, combine with the fish-onion mixture. Add olives, toss in a bowl.

Serve with a nice leafy salad. CostCo has really nice tiny lettuce heads in a package, that are very tasty and easy two work with.