Seared Steak and Mushrooms on Mixed Greens with Asian Ginger Dressing

We really enjoyed this salad.  We got great quality (expensive) ribeye steaks from Whole Foods.  They were amazing.  And I used Alton Brown's method for cooking them.  They came out perfect.  

This asian ginger dressing is also delicious.  It is very strong, so dress the salads lightly.  And I like having the mushrooms on the salad (as long as they are cooked!)  

Sorry vegetarians for showing red meat in all its glory.  (If you are going to cheat, go for the steak!  :)

Seared Steak and Mushrooms on Mixed Greens with Asian Ginger Dressing

adapted from Bon Appétit and Alton Brown

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus extra for steak and mushrooms

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, grated

Sriracha, to taste

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 ounces crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced

2 12-ounce rib-eye steaks

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

8 cups mixed greens

salt and pepper

*Rib-eye steak is also known as Delmonico steak, Spencer steak, or New York strip. It's sometimes called a boneless rib eye, because the steak is a sliced prime rib with the bone removed.

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature.

Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, grated ginger, grated garlic, Sriracha, and sesame oil in small bowl. Add cilantro and stir to blend. Set dressing aside. Heat vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer sautéed mushrooms to plate.

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over medium heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steaks in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time

is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.) Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 3-5 minutes.

Transfer steaks to cutting board. Slice steaks. Toss mixed greens with dressing in large bowl; divide greens among plates. Top with steak slices and mushrooms and serve.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  2/10

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Chicken Lo Mein

I am kind of relieved that all the election hullabaloo is over.  No.  Extremely relieved.

As you probably could guess, I am not exactly into politics.  Maybe I could be.  But I am so turned off by:

1.  The ridiculous amount of junk mail, flyers and stuff hung on my door.  

2.  The phones calls.  Oh...the phone calls.  And the millions of recorded voicemail messages.

3.  The radio and TV commercials.  All they talk about is why I should NOT vote for certain candidates.  All they taught me is that Ken Buck is super annoying.  

4.  And finally, the many people who came and knocked on my door and reprimanded me for not sending in my mail-in ballot yet.  (I mean, I guess I appreciate the citizen volunteer's hardwork...)

Election season makes me feel like I am in kindergarten.  Except I have 300 different moms, dads and teachers telling me what to do.  And making me feel bad for being the worst citizen ever.  

It makes me wish I could choose someone else to vote for me.  Then I realize that is exactly what I am doing by voting.  Dang.  Why does it have to be so hard?  Why can't they explain the issues in real life language?  I am a fairly educated person but I got a headache trying to read through all the issues.  Not to mention, I don't care much about them.  I don't care who is treasurer of the secretary of the city of the state OR if taxes should be raised .00004% for the people who have horse farms and make more than $98, 456 per year.  

Anyways, I voted.  But barely.  And I didn't even feel good about it.  

And I also made this Chicken Lo Mein.  And I did feel good about that.  Good transition!  Yes!  Score!

I found out the past weekend that Scot didn't know what lo mein was.  I mean he did but he didn't.  That is kind of always the story with him.  It makes me sad when I have made something for him and he doesn't remember (this is the way it is about 75% of the time).  But I usually get over it because I know it hard for him to remember all the new foods he eats.  Most of the things I have been eating all my life, plus I am obsessed with food, so I remember every detail about every crumb I eat.  Anyways, that is why I wanted to make lo mein for him.  This was a delicious recipe.  Much better than take out.  It is fresh, the noodles can be perfectly cooked, and there are a lot more veggies!  

Chicken Lo Mein

from Joy of Cooking

Stir together in a medium bowl:

  1 tsp cornstarch

  1/2 tsp salt

  1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Cut across the gain to make very thin slices (more easily done if the chicken is partially frozen):

  1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 ounces)

Toss in the cornstarch mixture and let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes. Stir together in a small bowl:

  1/4 cup chicken stock or broth

  2 tbsp oyster sauce

  1 tbsp soy sauce

  1 1/2 tsp sugar

Cook in a pot of boiling unsalted water just until tender:

  6 ounces Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti

Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Drain again and toss thoroughly with:

  1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. When hot, pour in:

  1/3 cup peanut oil

Swirl the oil around the pan until very hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and stir-fry, flipping it in the oil to separate the slices, and cook just until white. Drain in a sieve or colander and discard the oil. Heat the pan again until hot. Pour in:

  3 tbsp peanut oil

Swirl and heat until very hot but not smoking. Add:

  2 heads of baby bok chop cut into 2 inch pieces

  3 scallions, chopped

  1 cup of shredded carrots

  1 cup of sliced mushrooms

Stir-fry until the vegetables are well coated with oil, about 45 second. Pour the stock mixture down the side of the pan; stir and cover to steam the vegetables in the sauce for 1 minute. Uncover, add the noodles and chicken, and stir and toss

for about 30 seconds. Add:

  1/2 cup bean sprouts

Stir for about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

(Servings: 3, Prep time: 30 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes, Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Balsamic Reduction

We lived in Switzerland for about two months.  Not sure if that counts as "living".  But, I think so.  We were working at ETH in Zurich with our advisor.  Scot and I had an amazing time.  We wanted to stay forever.  Except that we missed our dog way too much.  I think we have an unhealthy attachment to him.  Sorry...he is the best dog in the whole world.  

Now, the food in Zurich was basically forgettable.  Mostly because it was so expensive we didn't eat any.  We lived off of bread, nutella, yogurt, and butter.  And this pasta!  

See, the cafeterias at ETH were amazing.  Better than most restaurants in America.  The cafeteria in our building (and, therefore, the one we mostly ate at) was different from most because it only served pasta and rice dishes.  However, they did it so so right.  First, the pasta was homemade and freshly prepared.  Can you believe it?  Homemade pasta at a cafeteria?!?!  And there were several different sauces to choose from.  My favorites were this salmon dish and the bolognese sauce.  And even though I ate one of the two, pretty much every day, I actually never got sick of them.  And I had to try my hardest to eat all of it because I needed to get the calories in, because who knew what our dinner would be.  

I have made my own version of this pasta a few times.  It is a short cut pasta with a light cream sauce (with some finely chopped veggies in the sauce).  It is topped with plenty of grated parmesan, smoked salmon and a balsamic reduction. I chose this time to make a flourless white sauce.  And I really liked it.  It is much thinner than a traditional cream sauce.  Instead of making a roux, you just reduce the liquid to thicken the sauce.  Once the sauce is combined with the pasta and parmesan, I think it is the perfect thickness.  I apologize for the four pans and pots.  But nothing gets that dirty so it isn't too bad to clean up.  

Lastly, if you can't find a bottled balsamic reduction, you can easily make your own.  Just reduce balsamic vinegar over medium high heat until it has reached a syrupy consistency.  I would start with about a cup.  

Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Balsamic Reduction

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

salt and white pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of finely diced carrots

1/4 cup of frozen peas

1 lb short cut pasta like Campanelle

handful of grated parmesan

4 ounces of smoked salmon

drizzle of balsamic reduction

Fill a large pasta pot with water, cover, and bring to a boil.

In a large, deep skillet heat the chicken stock over medium high heat. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and reduce to about 1/2 cup.

In a separate small saucepan, add the heavy cream. Over medium to medium high heat, bring cream to a simmer and let it foam up. Reduce by half, whisking often to prevent burning.

Add cream to the chicken stock and whisk to combine. This will be thinner than a traditional cream sauce, but it will all work out when you add the parmesan when serving. Season with salt and white pepper.

While the sauce is going, add the butter and olive oil to a skillet. Add shallots, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add carrots, cook for 2 minutes. Add frozen peas, leave skillet on burner and turn off heat. Stir occasionally.

Once pasta water is ready, add pasta and cook until done.

Add vegetables to white sauce. Drain pasta well and add to sauce and veggies. To serve, place pasta and sauce in shallow bowl. Sprinkle with a generous amount of grated parmesan. Put 1 ounce of smoked salmon on top. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 25 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Oxtail Soup

Happy Halloween!

Even though chili is what halloween is all about, I have already made chili twice in the past several months.  So, I didn't even think of making it really.  Instead, I decided to try some oxtail soup.  I love oxtail soup.  I have had it lots of times, but this is the first time I have made it.  SO good.  

I have to admit, I thought oxen were some sort of special animal.  Turns out, they are just cows.  Let me break it down for you US style (wikipedia).  

-cattle:  kind of the general name for what we call "cow"

-bull:  intact adult male

-cow:  adult female who has had a calf

-heifer:  female who has not had a calf and is under three years of age

-calf:  young male or female cattle (as they get older they are called weaners, then yearlings)

-steer:  castrated male

and finally, 

-ox:  a castrated male kept for draft purposes (sometimes a female or bull will be kept for this too).  

What is a draft animal?  Well, ever played Oregon trail?  Remember the oxen that pulled your wagon?  Yeah, draft animals do stuff like that.  You keep them around to be useful instead of to eat.  However, we still eat their tails???  Kind of rude.  

Well, traditionally, these oxtail soups were made from tails of ox.  But now, oxtail just refers to the tail of cattle.  Some people think the oxtails from ox (older, working cattle) are better because the have more flavor and muscle and whatnot.  But, I am sure I couldn't tell one way or the other.

I got my oxtail from Whole Foods.  I checked several other places with no luck.  They showed me the entire tail (before cutting it), when I was ordering it.  Pretty cool.  I mean, it looks like a big fat tail without hair.  Kind of awesome.  

I really love this soup.  I am a broth fanatic.  I could eat it every day.  And the oxtail really does give the broth a delicious and interesting flavor so different from your typical beef broth.  And the soup is served with a squeeze of lemon juice, which for me, seriously brings the whole thing together.  

PS:  Anyone (Pioneer Woman included) please feel free to correct me on my cattle lesson.  I know nothing more than what wikipedia tells me.  

Oxtail Soup

slightly adapted from Joy of Cooking

Heat in a soup pot:

  2 tbsp olive oil

Add and brown:

  2 lbs oxtails, 2-inch sections

  1/2 cup sliced onion

Add:

  8 cups water

  1.5 tsp salt

  4 whole black peppercorns

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially uncovered, about 4.5 hours. Add water as necessary to keep the meat covered. Strain the stock and chill, then remove the fat. If desired, remove the meat from the bones and dice. To serve, reheat the stock and add:

  1 cup diced celery

  1/2 cup diced carrots

  1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes

  1/4 cup pearled barley

  1 tsp dried thyme

  1 bay leaf

Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Brown in a skillet:

  1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Add and stir until blended:

  2 tbsp butter

Slowly add to the stock, then add the reserved meat. Season with:

  Salt and pepper, to taste

Serve soup with:

  Lemon slices

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 5 hours, Cook time: 1 hour, Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Apple, Sausage and Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pizza

I wanted to make another version of the pumpkin pizza since the dough recipe makes two pizzas.  This combination is more similar to Joanne's version.  I topped mine with apple, sausage, caramelized onions and goat cheese.  

Like last night's version, I love the combination of something sweet like apples with something really salty and savory like blue cheese or goat cheese and bacon or sausage.  I, of course, prefer this version since it has goat cheese on it.  

Apple, Sausage and Goat Cheese Pumpkin Pizza

adapted from Eats Well With Others

for pumpkin pizza dough (makes 2 pizzas):

1 tbsp yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp salt

3 cups white flour

3 cups wheat flour

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

for one pizza:

1/3 lb of sausage

1 small onion, sliced

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced

1 tbsp of olive oil

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the yeast, 3/4 cup water, and the brown sugar. Let sit for about five minutes or until it starts foaming. While the yeast is proofing, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine butter, salt, and 3/4 cup water. Heat mixture in microwave until the butter is melted. Let it cool until you can stick your finger in it without getting burned. Pour this into the yeast mixture. With paddle attachment, mix everything on low for a few seconds. Add pumpkin puree and mix on low until combined. Add all the white flour. Mix on low until well combined.

Switch to a dough hook and add most of wheat flour. Start on low until well combined and then increase speed. Continue to mix and add flour until dough pulls away from the sides and is mostly stuck to the dough hook. Cover the bowl of the stand mixer with a damp paper towel and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about one hour.

Place pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 475.

Cook sausage in a skillet until browned. Rinse and dry skillet. Add some olive oil and caramelize onion slices, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from pan and add more olive oil and apple slices. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

After the dough has risen, cut off half of it. Sprinkle the half with flour and mold it into a ball. Place on a clean surface that's covered in flour and roll out to a desired thickness. Place dough in oven on the pizza stone, and prebake for two minutes.

Brush prebaked crust with olive oil and top with apple slices, caramelized onions, sausage, and goat cheese. Slide onto pizza stone and bake for about 10 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 75 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Everything Autumn Pizza

I was super excited to try out this pumpkin pizza dough recipe I found on Eats Well With Others.  I was curious, does it taste like pumpkin bread?  Will it be too sweet?

Turns out, this pumpkin pizza dough has a very subtle pumpkin flavor.  It is slightly sweet.  I made mine with half wheat and half white flour.  I did that because I wanted to make it healthier.

That is a lie.  I actually just ran out of AP flour.  But, I thought this dough would lend itself well to some wheat flour.  And it really did.

I topped mine with brie, sauteed apples and caramelized onions.  To cut some of the sweetness, I added some blue cheese, bacon and pecans.  This is such a hearty pizza.  In fact, I was almost full after one piece!  I loved the combination of flavors.  And, of course, Scot loved it even more.  He loves these fall flavors.  

Everything Autumn Pizza

pizza inspired by and pizza dough slightly adapted from Eats Well With Others

for pumpkin pizza dough (makes 2 pizzas):

1 tbsp yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp salt

3 cups white flour

3 cups wheat flour

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

for one pizza:

4 slices of thick cut applewood smoked bacon, diced

1 small onion, sliced

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced

1 tbsp of butter

1 tbsp of olive oil

4 oz brie, thinly sliced

1 oz of blue cheese, crumbed

1 small handful of chopped pecans or walnuts

olive oil

In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the yeast, 3/4 cup water, and the brown sugar. Let sit for about five minutes or until it starts foaming. While the yeast is proofing, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine butter, salt, and 3/4 cup water. Heat mixture in microwave until the butter is melted. Let it cool until you can stick your finger in it without getting burned. Pour this into the yeast mixture. With paddle attachment, mix everything on low for a few seconds. Add pumpkin puree and mix on low until combined. Add all the white flour. Mix on low until well combined.

Switch to a dough hook and add most of wheat flour. Start on low until well combined and then increase speed. Continue to mix and add flour until dough pulls away from the sides and is mostly stuck to the dough hook.

Cover the bowl of the stand mixer with a damp paper towel and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about one hour.

Place pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 475.

Cook bacon in a skillet until it is about 80% done. Rinse and dry skillet. Add some olive oil and caramelize onion slices, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from pan and add more olive oil and apple slices. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

After the dough has risen, cut off half of it. Sprinkle the half with flour and mold it into a ball. Place on a clean surface that's covered in flour and roll out to a desired thickness. Place dough in oven on the pizza stone, and prebake for two minutes.

In a small dish, melt 1 tbsp of butter and mix in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Brush prebaked crust with butter/olive oil mixture and top with slices of brie (leave the rind on), apple slices, caramelized onions, and bacon. Slide onto pizza stone and bake for about 10 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown. When the pizza is still hot, right out of the oven, sprinkle with blue cheese and nuts.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 75 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10
Scot (taste):  9/10
Effort:  4/5
Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

I am kind of in love with these.  a.  They are so so good.  b.  They are pretty cheap.  c.  They are too easy.  d.  Healthy and vegetarian.  

The perfect weekday meal.  I am for sure going to make these again.  And often.  

I know this is something my sister, Jen, will love.  She is a vegetarian and in college.  I would have been all over this recipe in college.  

However, this is not just for the struggling student.  ;)  I would say that this recipe is perfect for two people.  I made 6 tacos instead of 4 (and we each ate 3).  

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

5 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 cups coleslaw mix

2 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 white or yellow corn tortillas

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 10 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  1/5

Dishwashing Effort:  1/5