I’ve decided to pick our favorite meal from each week and post it, and I’m already a week behind, so I have a couple recipes to post, and they’re both soups!  I love soups…they’re usually quick to make and they’re great to take to work the next morning!

This is one I found while reading one of the 800 food blogs I follow, and it was surprisingly good!  It’s from Nigella Lawson, who may love food even more than I do, so even though the recipe seemed a little weird, I gave it a try.  You should too!  Matt spiced this up with his favorite, chile garlic sauce.

Vietnamese Pork Noodle Soup

Serves 2-4, depending how hungry you are

• 10 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into thin discs and then fine strips
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 8 ounces ramen noodles
• 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil
• 6 thin or 3 fat scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh (or frozen) gingerroot
• 1 quart chicken broth (good-quality carton, can or cube is fine), preferably organic
• 3 cups (10 ounces) bean sprouts
• 2 small baby bok choy, torn into pieces
• 2 teaspoons chopped red or green chiles

Put the strips of pork tenderloin into a bowl and add the lime juice, soy sauce, paprika and fish sauce, but don’t let this stand for more than 15 minutes.

Cook the noodles following the package instructions and then refresh in cold water. Heat the chicken broth until almost boiling.

Heat a wok or a deep, heavy-based frying pan, then add the garlic flavored oil and fry the scallions and ginger for a minute or so. Add the pork and its liquid to the wok, stirring as you go.

Cook the meat in the pan for another 2 minutes, then add the hot chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
Check that the pork is cooked through, then add the bean sprouts and baby bok choy. Add water if the soupy base has evaporated too much – about ½ cup of freshly boiled water should do the trick, but you may not need it.

Arrange the drained noodles equally in 2 large or 4 small warmed bowls, ladle over them the pork and vegetables, and finally the soupy stock. Scatter the chopped chiles on top and serve.

Stolen 100% from Smitten Kitchen.  This dish is fantastic and vegetarian.  I made bread last week, so we toasted it up in the oven with some garlic and had poached eggs on top.  So good.

1 pound Swiss chard (can also swap kale, spinach or another green), ribs and stems removed and cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots
1 cup (5 ounces) chopped celery
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) chopped shallots, about 4 medium
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
1 cup pureed tomatoes (from a can/carton/your jarred summer supply)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Toasted bread slices, poached eggs (tutorial), chopped herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chives or grated Parmesan or Romano to serve (optional)

Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard (or any heavier green; no need to precook baby spinach) for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Coarsely chop chard.

Wipe out medium pot to dry it, and heat olive oil over medium. Add carrots, celery, shallots and garlic and saute for 15 minutes. Barber warns not to brown them but I didn’t mind a light golden color on them. Add wine (scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot) and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as is drizzled with sherry vinegar. Or you can ladle the stew over thick piece of toasted country bread or baguette that has been rubbed lightly with half a clove of garlic, top that with a poached egg and a few drops of sherry vinegar and/or some grated cheese.

I made these a couple weeks ago and they are good!  The green sauce is the keeper here.  I think it would go great on chicken enchiladas.  (So much for my foray into vegetarian cooking…)  I should note that we made these lasagna-style, and didn’t bother with microwaving and rolling the tortillas. 

I just looked up “suiza” and apparently it means “Swiss.”  I didn’t know the Swiss had enchiladas, but if Rick Bayless says it, I’ll buy it. 

Enchiladas Suizas

• 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
• 1 medium white onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 serranos, stemmed
• 3 ½ tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• ½ cup Mexican crema (or creme fraiche)
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and seeds scooped out, flesh cut into ½-inch cubes
• 12 corn tortillas
• ? cup chihuahua cheese (or other Mexican melting cheese)

For Garnish

• ¼ White onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1. Adjust oven racks to lower middle and upper middle positions and preheat broiler. Toss tomatillos, onion, garlic, and serranos on large baking sheet and place in oven. Roast for four to five minutes, or until tomatillos soften and start to turn black. Flip everything over with pair of 12-inch tongs. Return to oven and cook for another four to five minutes. Some black is okay, but adjust vegetables if they simply start to burn. Remove and let cool. Adjust heat in oven to 400 degrees.  
2. Transfer all contents on baking sheet to a blender. Process until smooth. 
3. Pour 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil into large dutch oven set over medium-high heat. When hot, dump contents of blender in. It should immediately start to sizzle and bubble. Cook, stirring often with wooden spoon, until darker, about three minutes. Pour in broth and crema, turn heat to medium-low, and stir until mixture is smooth. Partially cover dutch oven, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt.  
4. Toss carrots, red onion, mushrooms, and butternut squash with one tablespoon oil on a baking sheet. Season with a pinch of salt Place on the lower-middle rack in oven and cook for about 25 minutes. Toss with pair of 12-inch tongs after 10 minutes, and after 20. Vegetables, and especially carrots, should be tender. Return to oven for another five minutes if they are not.
5. Pour remaining tablespoon of oil into a bowl. Using a brush, coat both sides of each tortilla with oil. Stack them up, and then place in a large plastic ziplock bag. Do not close bag. Place in microwave and cook for 1 minute.  
6. Pour one cup of sauce into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Scoop about two tablespoons of the roasted vegetables into each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam-side down in the sauce on the baking dish. Repeat 11 times. Pour remaining sauce over them, and then sprinkle cheese evenly on top.  
7. Place baking dish in oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until warm. Remove from oven, and using a spatula, transfer three enchiladas to each dish. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro. Eat immediately.

Made this tonight in my new wok.  Recipe from Steamy Kitchen.

1 lb (460 g) top sirloin or flank steak, sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thin strips

For the marinade
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cooking oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons black vinegar

For the Broccoli
1½ lb (700 g) broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Marinate the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of oil for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients (I added 1 teaspoon of chile garlic sauce for some kick!).

In a wok or large frying pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Heat the pan over high heat and when hot, add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

This came from Eatingwell.com.  Served it with rice.

• 1 pound fresh or frozen okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced, or 1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon harissa, (see Ingredient Note) or hot sauce, or to taste

Directions:

1. Place a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add okra and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the okra with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Drain.
2. Tie cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string.
3. Heat oil in a tagine dish set over a heat diffuser or a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
4. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, 3 to 6 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, broth, cumin, the okra, cilantro sprigs and half the bell pepper. Reduce heat to medium; partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and salt; cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the cilantro sprigs. Stir in harissa (or hot sauce). Serve sprinkled with the remaining bell pepper and cilantro leaves, if desired.

I found this recipe on Eating Well’s website, but couldn’t find Watercress and wanted to adapt the recipe a bit.  Here it is!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Russet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 2 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch of spinach (4-5 cups), cleaned and stems removed
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the Gnocchi:  Prick potatoes all over with a fork.  Bake the potatoes in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they are fork tender.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Alternatively, cook potatoes in microwave until fork tender. Peel the potatoes. Grate potatoes on a box grater or push through a food mill.  DO NOT MASH (it breaks down the structure and releases the water from the potatoes, so the gnocchi do not turn out right).

Gently combine the potatoes with the lightly beaten egg and salt.  Gradually begin to add the flour, a quarter cup at a time, until the dough is not sticky.  Avoid over-mixing, again this will ruin the consistency of the gnocchi and they could come out chewy.  Put dough on lightly floured surface and need 3 to 4 times.  Divide dough into six parts, rolling each part into a rope.  Cut rope into desired gnocchi size (usually about 1/2-3/4 inch thickness).  Set aside.  You can add ridges to the gnocchi if you want, but I never do.

For the sauce:  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add salt to the boiling water.  Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden brown. Add tomatoes, sugar and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are almost completely broken down, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt. Remove from the heat.

Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float, 3 to 5 minutes. Place spinach in a colander and drain the gnocchi over the spinach.  This will wilt the spinach just enough for the pasta. Add the gnocchi and spinach to the sauce in the pan; toss to combine. Top with Parmesan.

Here’s a good vegetarian meal that I recently made.  If I did it again, I would make half the recipe (it makes a lot).  We really enjoyed it!  Thank you, Tyler Florence!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 acorn squash, halved and roasted
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed and cleaned
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley and mint, for garnish

Directions:

Mmmm…fish. Okay, so not my favorite food. However, I went to a fish market where I could literally see the ocean from their back window (though it was night when I was there, so not really). This was a fantastic fish recipe! And of course, I’m sure the fresh fish did not hurt at all (pretty sure it was caught the same day I bought it…yesterday!). Mmmm…

(recipe courtesy EatingWell.com)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 ounces Spanish chorizo or turkey kielbasa, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine, divided
1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/4 pounds white fish, cut into 4 pieces
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, chorizo (or kielbasa) and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are broken down and the wine is almost evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in beans and 1/4 teaspoon salt and remove from the heat.
Sprinkle fish with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; place in the prepared baking dish. Top each piece of fish with equal amounts of the tomato mixture (about 1/2 cup per fillet). Pour the remaining 1/4 cup wine into the pan and cover the pan with foil. Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the fish with the sauce spooned over the top.

Will and I have been trying some recipes from EatingWell.com in an effort to eat healthier.  Actually, it all started because we are trying to eat vegetarian twice a week since we are surrounded by so many amazing fruits and veggies.  Anyway, this recipe was great and I love using the Crock Pot.  I know there are many great kitchen tools out there, but Crock Pot is in the top five for me (with my Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer, food mill, and my knives!).  Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Eating Well.  I served it with spaetzle.

My first Sunny Anderson recipe, and it was a good’un!!!   We found the ponzu sauce at an Asian market.  You could sub soy sauce, with a little lemon or orange juice if you have it, and it would probably be pretty similar.  I followed this recipe to a T, except I used less oil.  These are GOOOOOOD.

Shrimp Potstickers

Ingredients

Potstickers:

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 egg
• 40 round wonton or gyoza wrappers
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil

Dipping sauce:

• 1/3 cup ponzu
• 1 scallion, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce (recommended: Sriracha)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions