Thai Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Anna Papoutsakis

As I get the Accidental Pantry Project underway, I made my first dish tonight with stuff in my pantry and fridge. Recently I went a Thai restaurant with some girlfriends and fell in love with the Pineapple Fried Rice. I tried to recreate the same at home. Overall I am pleased with the dish, but the rice turned out stickier than I would have liked. Next time I am going to cook the rice itself (meaning single ingredient, not whole dish) with a bit more oil and let it cool before mixing it into the stir fry.

My project is still in its early phases, and I have not taken full inventory of the food I have here at home, but I will add the food cost/savings at a later date.

THAI CHICKEN AND PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

1 cup Thai-style Jasmine rice
1 pound chicken, cut into strips or cubes
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks, thawed and chopped into smaller chunks
1/2 onion, diced
3 scallions, chopped – white divided from green
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
1 tablespoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons ginger paste
1/4 cup sesame oil, divided
1/4 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
2 eggs, raw

Prepare rice according to package directions, set aside to cool
In a wok or large skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, add chicken and stir fry until browned and about 75% cooked (do not overcook because it will get cooked again later). Remove from skillet and set aside
In same wok, heat about another tablespoon of sesame oil. Add onions, white scallions, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned
Add cashews, ginger paste, and curry paste. Cook about another minute
Add rice, rest of oil, liquid aminos, and chicken. Stir fry mixture about 3-4 minutes until rice starts to take on a golden brown color. Adjust seasonings to your preference
Crack eggs above mixture and stir into the rice, cooking about one more minute
Garnish with green scallions. Dish serves 4

S’Mores Cheescake Bars

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Anna Papoutsakis

Since I recently have not been working as much, I had my girlfriends over for dinner as a late Christmas present. Rather than buying gifts, I cooked for them. For dessert, I winged this S’mores Cheesecake Bar recipe and I was overall happy with the results. I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe to improve it for future use and for you, my dear 5 or 6 readers 🙂

When I made this I used an 8×10 glass pan, but I recommend doing this in an 8×8 square pan instead.

S’MORES CHEESECAKE BARS

For crust:
12 graham crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt

For cheesecake and topping:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 block)
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips, optionally divided
1 1/2 cups marshmallows (or enough to cover top layer of bars)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease an 8×8 baking pan
Mix graham crackers, butter, sugar, and pinch of salt. Texture should resemble wet sand
Pour cracker mixture into pan. Using wax paper, firmly press it down into one uniform layer on bottom of pan
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool while you prepare filling
Using a hand or stand mixture, beat the cream cheese about one minute. Add marshmallow fluff and sugar and mix until well blended
Add egg, vanilla extract and salt, beat until smooth
Fold in chocolate chips. You may choose to reserve some for the top
Pour batter into pan. Add layer of marshmallows on top, enough to fully cover the mixture
Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheesecake is set, but do not over bake
Marshmallows should have a golden brown color. For a deeper, toastier look, switch your oven to the broiler setting and brown marshmallows for approximately one minute. You may do this with the door open so you may monitor and pull the pan before marshmallows burn
Remove from oven. While still hot, you may add extra chocolate chips on top, if desired
Allow bars to cool before cutting. You may also refrigerate for up to a week

Lobster and Asparagus with creamy Prosecco Cheddar Polenta

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Anna Papoutsakis

Whole Foods was having a national one-day sale on lobster tails. I have never been the biggest fan of lobster because of the work involved, but I appreciate it. I am also intrigued by what a lean protein it is. Since with the sale the tails were only $4.99 each, I decided to buy some and play around. My first instinct was lobster rolls, but I wanted something a bit more hearty. Instead I played around with what I had in my fridge and pantry already – asparagus, polenta, and this yummy prosecco cheddar. Yes, cheddar made with the tasty bubbly wine. It’s super creamy and melts like butter – no grating required.

My vision for the dish was surprisingly easy to execute. The whole meal maybe took half an hour to prepare, including baking time. I prepared this just for me, but feel free to up the quantities for guests.

Here is what you’ll need:
2 3-4 ounce lobster tails, thawed
5 ounces asparagus (about 10 sprigs), cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
1/3 cup De La Estancia organic polenta
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup nonfat milk
2 ounces Somerdale prosecco cheddar
white pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line a baking sheet with foil. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with the asparagus, sprinkle with salt and pepper – rub the spears with the seasoning to fully incorporate. Line up spears on half of the baking sheet.
Flip the thawed lobster tails over. Using a paring knife, slice down the middle of the cartilage. Crack open the tail and gently remove the meat from the shell, leaving intact. Repeat this process for both tails. Mix the tails with the olive oil, salt, and pepper just as you did with the asparagus, and lay on the other half of the baking sheet.
Bake asparagus and lobster for about 10 minutes. The lobster should be firm and opaque, but not stiff. Asparagus should be slightly browned and tender. It is possible the lobster may be cooked before the asparagus. Simply remove from oven using tongs, and place on a plate until asparagus is cooked through.
Meanwhile, prepare the polenta. I used the De La Estancia brand because it is quick-cooking. In a small non-stick saucepan, simmer the chicken broth and milk over a low flame until very hot, but not boiling (you do not want to scald the milk). Slowly whisk in the polenta and stir frequently. Mixture should start to thicken in about a minute to two minutes. Remove from heat and mix in cheddar until well incorporated. Add white pepper and cayenne pepper to desired flavor/heat.
This dish is best served immediately. To serve – cut the asparagus into 1-2″ pieces, reserving the tops of the spears for garnish. Mix the remainder into the polenta and pour into a shallow bowl. Slice the lobster meat into 1/2 slices and shingle the meat over the polenta – garnish with the spears.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Chimichurri Aoli

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Anna Papoutsakis

At work we have a lot of One Day Sales. I often find myself taking advantage. This past weekend we had a ODS on Coho Salmon, so I bought close to two pounds of filet. After I got home to cook one of my favorite recipes (Salmon with Mustard-Dill crust), I inspected the package more closely. It had a use-by date of today (January 27) but then I didn’t realize that when I made my purchase the product had been previously frozen. I reserved half of the package and decided I would figure out today what I was going to make.

I thought of all the ways I enjoy salmon, such as smoked, sushi, broiled, etc., but half those options I cannot feasibly do at home safely or affordably. I started tinkering around some websites and saw a photo of salmon cakes. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that sooner? I played around with ingredients in my fridge and pantry and came up with this recipe.

The first thing I decided to do was cook the salmon. Whenever I have made crab cakes, the crab meat is always ready-to-eat, so I felt it wise to do the same with the salmon. I decided steamed or poached would be best in keeping the fish moist and flaky. Poaching seemed smarter.

To poach I used some water, dry white wine (Pinot Grigio), dill, and onion. I brought the liquid to a low boil and then reduced to barely a simmer and then added the fish filet, whole. I poached the fish about 10 minutes, to the point it was opaque but had a little give.

Poached salmon cooling on cutting board

For the rest of the recipes…

SALMON CAKES
12 ounces salmon, poached and cooled
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup dill, chopped
1 heaping teaspoon Colman’s mustard powder
1 heaping tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
2 eggs, raw
Vegetable oil for pan frying

Remove skin from salmon and discard. Crumble the meat into a bowl.
Add onion, dill, mustard powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Stir ingredients until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Taste the mixture and adjust any seasonings. The mustard powder may make the mixture taste very hot/spicy, but that heat will be muted in the cooking process.
Add eggs and knead the mixture with your hands. If it seems a little dry, you can add more lemon juice.
Form the mixture into 8 patties (approximately two ounces each).
Allow the patties to rest as oil heats. In a large skillet, coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Heat to about 350 degrees for frying. If you do not have a thermometer and are not sure if the oil is hot enough, use a small piece of one of the cakes or a piece of onion to test.
When the oil is ready, fry the cakes, four at a time, two minutes per side. The color should be a deep golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Serve cakes with the Lemon-Chimichurri Aoli and garnish with lemon wedges and fresh dill. Salmon Cakes can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature.

LEMON-CHIMICHURRI AOLI
Make as little or as much as you would like with store-bought ingredients. I used equal parts ready-made chimichurri and low fat mayonnaise and thinned the mixture with lemon juice. For an even brighter, more lemony sauce, add some lemon zest.

Miso-Chicken Noodle Bowl

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Anna Papoutsakis

I had a noodle bowl craving the other day and decided to experiment. I looked at a couple of recipes and was inspired to create my own. The results were low-cal (353 calories in a generous sized serving), flavorful, and filling. Even better, it maybe took half an hour to prepare. My only criticism is the miso itself is high sodium, so something to keep in mind.

MISO-CHICKEN NOODLE BOWL

INGREDIENTS
FOR BROTH:
1 large sweet Onion, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 cups chopped Carrots
2 tablespoons Sesame Oil, divided
1 pound Chicken Breasts, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 boxes (32 ounce) Miso Broth

FOR NOODLES
1 8-ounce package wide-style Chinese or Japanese noodles
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

METHOD OF PREP
For best results, prepare the broth and noodles separate.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot. Add onions and garlic, saute until slightly translucent, but not brown. Add carrots and ginger and saute until carrots are tender-crisp. Add a little water to keep vegetables from browning.
Add miso broth, bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer.
In a medium to large frying pan, heat one tablespoon sesame oil. Add chicken, stirring frequently until no pink remains. Add chili garlic sauce and stir until all pieces are coated.
Transfer chicken to broth and continue to simmer as you prepare the noodles.
Cook noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and transfer to pot with one tablespoon sesame oil to prevent noodles from sticking.
To serve – in a large bowl, add about half a cup of noodles. Pour 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the broth mixture over. Garnish with scallions and serve with chopsticks, if desired.

Broth mixture and be refrigerated and reheated as needed up to one week.

Chipotle Bacon Cheddar Cornbread

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Anna Papoutsakis

Today is International Bacon Day! In honor of the festivities, I decided it was an excuse to add bacon to one of my faves – Chipotle Cheddar Cornbread. Super easy recipe, semi-homemade style.

CHIPOTLE CHEDDAR CORNBREAD
5 strips thick-cut bacon
2 packages Jiffy Cornbread Mix
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup grated onion cheddar
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook the bacon to crispy but still chewy. Reserve some bacon grease (about two tablespoons) drain remainder and diced into small pieces. Set aside.
Mix cornbread mix, milk and eggs until well incorporated.
Mix in onion cheddar, chipotle peppers, and bacon.
Take bacon grease and use to grease a 4″x8″ loaf pan.
Pour bread batter into pan, and transfer to oven. Bake about 1 hour, until top is golden brown and you can insert a toothpick to the bread and it comes out clean.
Let cool about one hour, remove from pan. Serve plain, or with butter and honey.

Oil-Free Chicken Tetrazzini

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Anna Papoutsakis

For some reason I have several varieties of mustard in my home and in significant quantity. I decided I wanted to make a mustard flavored sauce, and then I remembered how my mom used to make turkey tetrazzini on occasion. Her recipe was light and used grain mustard. I researched a few recipes, but did not quite find what I was looking for, especially as most of the recipes had a lot of cream and were baked in a casserole. So I decided to experiment and was quite happy with the results.

As I started cooking I took things a step further and did not use any oil in the recipe. When necessary, I substituted water or broth.

The dish is made in three parts, utilizing a large saute pan in all three steps – chicken, then spinach, then sauce. Serve over egg noodles or your favorite pasta.

OIL-FREE CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

CHICKEN:
1 pound chicken breast, pounded thin and cut into two-bite pieces
salt and pepper

SPINACH:
2 or 3 10-ounce packages baby spinach
1/2 small onion, finely chopped

SAUCE:
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup grain mustard
2 tablespoons flour, mixed well with water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup finely shredded Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese

Heat a large nonstick pan (only use nonstick) and add chicken ( you may need to two this in 2-3 batches). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on each side about 2-3 minutes. If chicken sticks to pan, add about a tablespoon of water. When cooked through, remove from pan (do not overcook, if chicken is slightly pink in the middle it is ok) and set aside.
Using same pan, add onions. There should be a little chicken fat in the pan. Saute, add a little water, and cover for two minutes until onions soften. Add spinach and cover again for about 30 seconds to wilt spinach. Cook the spinach about one more minute, and remove from pan. Set aside with chicken.
Deglaze pan with chicken broth. Add mustard and bring mixture to a boil.
Add flour mixture and reduce heat to low. Simmer the sauce for about five minutes, stirring frequently to ensure no lumps – sauce will thicken and become slightly opaque.
Add nutmeg and yogurt. Once yogurt is mixed in thoroughly, add cheese. Cook sauce about two more minutes – taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Add chicken and spinach back to the pan and mix thoroughly with sauce. Cook all ingredients together about two more minutes (this will ensure chicken is cooked through without overcooking it). Remove from heat, and serve immediately, or reserve for later.

Sauce can be cooled and reheated.

“Pantry” Chicken Pozole Soup

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Anna Papoutsakis

Probably about two years ago, I was introduced to the deliciousness that is pozole (or hominy). I have always like grits, but I had never had pozole in this form. As defined, “Hominy is a food made from kernels of corn which are soaked in an alkali solution of either lime or lye. The corrosive nature of the solution removes the hull and germ of the corn and causes the grain itself to puff up to about twice its normal size.” Apparently, it is fairly nutritious as well, which after hearing of the process you almost would not expect. However, it is rich in carbohydrates, low in fat, rich in fiber, and much less caloric than other grains and starches. I like the texture.

In any case, my mother saw a segment on the Today Show featuring Michael Lomonaco’s recipe for Turkey Pozole Soup. It ended up being way too spicy for her liking, but the flavor and heartiness stayed with me. Lately I had been craving some sort of Mexican style soup, so about two weeks ago I was playing around in my kitchen and I ended up modifying his recipe utilizing what was in my pantry and freezer (I had bought hominy a couple of weeks earlier). Since I work crazy hours, I do not keep a lot of fresh food in my apartment, I instead rely on my freezer and shelf-stable goods to whip up meals. It was a fun test of my skills, and I ended up loving the results.

Pantry Chicken Pozole Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound frozen chicken breasts, thawed and roughly cubed
1/3 cup dried chopped onion
1 tablespoon dried sliced garlic
1 quart turkey stock (can use chicken or vegetable stock/broth)
1 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 26 ounce box Pomi strained tomatoes
1 10 ounce can tomatoes with green chiles
1 29 ounce can hominy
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
1 packet True Lemon lemon powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cholulah hot sauce
Optional – shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream for garnish

In a stock pot, heat olive oil and add chicken, brown on all sides, about five minutes (don’t worry about fully cooking it, the chicken will cook while the soup is simmering). Add onion, garlic, and about a half cup of the stock to help reconstitute the seasonings. Cook for about two minutes. Add the rest of the stock, tomato products, hominy, and remaining seasonings. Bring ingredients to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired (I did not add any salt, as the tomatoes already have a good amount of sodium). Simmer for about half an hour. Soup can be served immediately, or can be cooled down and reheated. Serve with optional garnishes, if desired.

Quick Birthday Brunch

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Anna Papoutsakis

My boyfriend’s birthday celebration weekend went beyond Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake. I also surprised him Saturday morning with a quick brunch for two. The whole meal took less than an hour to prepare, as it utilized a mix of from-scratch and pre-made ingredients. And all this was done as he was still snoozing away.

On the Menu:
Scrambled Egg Muffins
Bacon Hearts
Banana Berry Smoothie
Sea Salt Caramel Blondies
Fresh Fruit
Coffee

For the Egg Muffins:
I lowered the the oven temperature to 350 degrees (it had been at 400 degrees for the bacon). I beat about four eggs and mixed in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. I sprayed a few molds in my muffin tin (I did not need all twelve molds), and filled each about halfway with the egg mixture. Because of how much eggs leaven when they bake, it was important not to overfill the tin, even though they eggs collapsed a bit after baking. The eggs baked for about 20 minutes, until they were just starting to turn golden and were firm in the center (use a toothpick or knife to check – if it comes out clean, the eggs are done). What is great about this method is that you have portion control and you can play around with ingredients in your eggs.

For the Bacon Hearts:
Since David’s birthday is just after Valentine’s Day, Pinterest and the blogosphere were full of cute recipes. I found this one at The Paper Mama. I did deviate from her recipe slightly, by brushing the bacon with some maple syrup and brown sugar for a hint of sweetness.

For the Banana Berry Smoothies:
I love smoothies. I have one almost every day for breakfast. I usually mix in chia seeds and greens powder, such as Green Vibrance, but for this brunch, I kept it simple. I mixed a cup of frozen berries, a cup of frozen bananas, a cup of berry juice, in this case I used Tropicana Farmstand Pomegranate Blueberry, and a cup of unsweetened almond milk. I blended it all in my blender until smooth, about one minute.

For the rest:
The rest of the menu was pretty much ready-made items. The blondies were Dancing Deer brand that I bought on sale at work, and I cut them in to smaller pieces, we also had clementines, and coffee was made in my Keurig.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Anna Papoutsakis

My boyfriend just celebrated his birthday this past week. Like many men, getting an answer out of him in terms of what he wanted for a birthday cake and what he wanted to do to celebrate his birthday was like pulling teeth. Through a painful text message conversation, I narrowed down that he’s not a big cake person, is anti fruit flavored cakes, not a big ice cream fan, likes cheesecake, and said that anything that combines chocolate with peanut butter is good.

So I narrowed it down to a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. I brainstormed some ideas – peanut butter flavored cheesecake with fudge, peanut butter cheesecake with peanut butter and chocolate swirl, cheesecake with peanut butter cups, etc. The only thing I was certain was that it would have an Oreo crust, as opposed to graham cracker or another type of cookie.

In recent months, I have become a fan of the mini peanut butter cups, the ones that are a bit larger in size than an M&M. It came to me that it would be fun to fold those into cheesecake, almost like chocolate chips, and in lieu of chopping up full sized peanut butter cups. So finally I had the cake narrowed down – vanilla flavored cheesecake with an Oreo crust, mini Reese’s mixed in, the top decorated with hot fudge and full sized peanut butter cups. Since, you know, nothing says love as much as making the most fattening cake imaginable.

And of course in doing so, everyone wanted the recipe, so here you go…

PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHEESECAKE

For the filling:
3 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 bag Reese’s Minis

For the crust:
20-24 Oreo cookies, crushed fine in a food processor
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

For topping:
1/2 cup hot fudge, room temperature or warmed slightly
About 8 full sized Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, cut in half

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9-inch spring form pan with a bit of cooking spray.
Combine crushed Oreos, melted butter and sugar until well blended. Press mixture evenly into pan, both on bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake about 10 minutes. Remove and cool. Lower oven temp to 325 degrees.
Meanwhile, using a hand mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar until well incorporated. Add eggs and mix in thoroughly. Then blend in sour cream and vanilla.
Fold in mini peanut butter cups. Add filling to pan with cooled crust, and bake for about 50 minutes to one hour. Top of cheesecake will crack slightly. Cheesecake is done when you can dip a toothpick in the center and it comes out mostly clean (do not over bake – if top of cheesecake is golden brown, it is overdone).
Remove cheesecake from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for one hour. At this time, you can evenly spread the fudge in the center to decorate. After the hour, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of three hours, up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cooled, decorate with the full sized peanut butter cups. Carefully remove from spring form pan and transfer to a plate – enjoy!