Cassie’s Ruminations

Beef and Veggie Stir Fry

This was a quick meal thrown together with some veggies I had to use up. It turned out quite well.

Beef and Veggie Stir Fry
Serves 2 generously alone, or 4 when served with rice

24 oz thinly sliced beef steak
1 medium broccoli crown
1/2 medium cauliflower crown
1 lb small button mushrooms
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
2 tsp sesame oil, divided

For the sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp finely minced ginger (1 little knob)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch

Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets and slice the stems thinly. Cut any especially large mushrooms in half.

Heat 1 tbsp canola oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Pan fry the beef slices in batches, with each batch being just big enough that each slice can lie flat in the pan and get nicely browned. As the beef is cooked, set it aside in a bowl.

When all the beef is cooked, add the second tbsp of canola oil and tsp of sesame oil and let heat again. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes or until starting to brown. Add the broccoli and cauliflower and stir to combine. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan. Steam the veggies for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Remove the lid and return the beef to the pan. Add the sauce and toss to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil to thicken. Serve hot.

Posted in Asian, Beef, Food, Vegetables | No Comments »

Tortilla de Patatas – Spanish Egg and Potato Omlette

This is classic Spanish home cooking at its best – simple ingredients come together to make a dish greater than the sum of its parts. I’ve been seeing recipes for these around a lot recently, and finally decided to make one myself. My primary inspiration came from Elise of Simply Recipes, especially the comments on her recipe, which were very enlightening. This is a very cheap, hearty, and tasty meal that makes great leftovers. Many of the comments spoke of Bocata de Tortilla, which is a sandwich made with leftover tortilla and fresh tomatoes. Yum! I added 6 oz of chopped Canadian bacon for a bit more protein, browning it slightly after the onion was cooked. Chorizo or prosciutto would be great too.

Tortilla de Patatas
Serves 4

1/8 cup olive oil
1 lb yukon gold potatoes
1 very small yellow onion
8 eggs
kosher salt

Beat the eggs lightly in a large bowl and set aside.

Dice the potatoes into small bite-sized chunks. Grate the onion. Pour the olive oil into a 12 inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat. When hot, add the potatoes and cook until they are tender and are nicely browned on all sides. Add the onion and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to caramelize.

Remove the potatoes and onion to the bowl with the eggs, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible, and stir to combine. The heat will start to cook the egg. This is just fine. It will help to suspend the egg and onion nicely throughout the tortilla as it cooks.

Pour the whole mixture back into the skillet. Season with kosher salt to taste and gently stir until you see the eggs forming curds. Let cook until the edges are browning and the middle is somewhat set. Place a large heat-proof plate over the top of the skillet, and carefully invert the whole thing to remove the tortilla to the plate. Immediately slide the tortilla back into the pan, now with the cooked side up. Cook for another 5 minutes or until it is nicely browned on the bottom and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Posted in Easy, Eggs, Food, Potatoes, Spanish and Portuguese, Vegetables | No Comments »

Chicken “Cherryaki”

Yeah, cheesy title 😛 I’m not sure when Shaun and I first heard the word “cherryaki,” but the internet says it’s from a pepto bismol commercial, which rings a jingle bell in my memory, and at any rate it’s been a running joke with us for some time now. The more I thought about it, though, the more I thought it might well be something tasty. I poked the internet for recipes with little response, and then made my own way from my own teriyaki sauce and some vague ideas about things that go well with cherries. This turned out amazingly well. I used cherry preserves in the sauce this time, but they lent a bit of an artificial flavor that was just the slightest off note, so next time I’m upping the amount of whole cherries to 1.5 cups or even 2 and adding a splash of kirschwasser. I’ve written it as made below, but if you make my changes above, let me know how it goes! Some steamed broccoli and cauliflower rounded out the meal.

Chicken “Cherryaki”
Serves 4

For the sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/8 cup mirin
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup cherry preserves
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup frozen or fresh sweet cherries, pitted
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water

For the rest:
2 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil

Put a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry and bring to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and preserves into the sauce. Add the cornstarch slurry and return the sauce to a boil, stirring well. Let simmer until fully and evenly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to low and keep warm.

Heat the oils in a large skillet or a wok over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Let cook for 1-2 minutes or until starting to brown nicely. Stir and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.

Pour the sauce into the wok with the chicken and toss to coat well. Turn off heat and serve hot.

Posted in Asian, Food, Fruit, Poultry | No Comments »

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

This is a quick and easy meal. I’d ordinarily have made some pasta, but today we just had the shrimp along with some sauteed zucchini. I was going for scamp and based this off of an Ina Garten recipe, but while this was good, it didn’t match up with what I think of a scampi, and I’m not sure really where to go from here. I think I just need to find a completely new recipe to start from. I saved the excess sauce and I’ll be having it with some little pre-cooked baby shrimp for lunch tomorrow.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Serves 2

4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Zest of 1 small lemon
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

Place the butter, olive oil, and garlic in a large skillet. Turn the heat to medium and melt the butter. When the garlic starts to sizzle and turn golden and fragrant, add the shrimp in a single layer. Season with the salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until pink on the lower side. Flip all the shrimp over and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until pink on the other side and opaque throughout. Turn off the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Serve warm.

Posted in Food, Seafood | 1 Comment »

Cuban Pork Chops with Black Beans and Zucchini Shreds

The recipe for the pork chop rub was strongly inspired by the Betty Crocker website. Their recipe jumped out at me as a new and interesting way to try pork, and I was very pleased with how my version turned out! I made some quick refried black beans to go with it. I also very thinly julienned some zucchini with my mandolin and sauteed in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. The three parts of the meal had a great chemistry, and I’ll be having leftovers tomorrow in a tortilla, which I’m sure will be outstanding 😀

Grilled Cuban Pork Chops
Serves 4

For the rub:
2 tbsp lime zest
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, pressed

For the rest:
8 thinly sliced boneless pork chops, about 1.5 lbs

Preheat a grill or grill pan to a medium-high heat.

Mix together all of the rub ingredients in a bowl and dredge the pork chops generously. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and cooked through.

Posted in Beans, Food, Latin, Pork, Vegetables | No Comments »

A First Taste of Summer

Today I saw some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store. Not local, but I couldn’t resist. I cut them into wedges, sprinkled lightly with kosher salt and black pepper, and enjoyed 😀

Posted in Easy, Food, Fruit, Salads, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Quick Roasted Vegetables

Broiling is a quick and easy way to make tasty roasted vegetables. The real flavors of the veggies shine with nothing to mask them. Tonight I made some brussels sprouts and zucchini to go along with some galbi. All I did was trim the brussels sprouts and cut the zucchini into quarters lengthwise, spread them out on a baking sheet, and sprinkled with salt and pepper – I didn’t even use any oil. I then popped the sheet under the broiler for about 15 minutes, stirring the brussels spouts at about 5 minutes in and removing them to a serving plate at about 10 minutes in. The zucchini then finished up, and I removed them to the same plate and covered with foil to keep them all hot while I cooked the galbi. Dinner in about half an hour!

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Lemon Garlic Chicken

This tasty chicken recipe is inspired by one I found on Elise’s Simply Recipes. I modified it to include some side veggies in the same pan and for our tastes. The potatoes are a little bit on the carb-y side for our month-long protein and veg health kick, but since there is nothing processed about them, we decided that they’re on our okay list 🙂 I liked the lemon-y broccoli, but Shaun wasn’t much of a fan, so I’ll roast it separately if we make this again and just drizzle mine with some of the pan juices.

Lemon Garlic Chicken
Serves 2 generously

For the marinade:
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 1 large lemon’s worth)
2 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 large lemon’s worth)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

For the veggies:
2 large russet potatoes
1 large broccoli crown
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

For the rest:
4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs, about 1.5 lb

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut 3 diagonal gashes into each chicken thigh on the skin side into the meat, about 1/4 inch deep. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and place in a zip top bag. Add the chicken pieces, seal, and squish around to coat well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (refrigerate if going longer than 30 minutes).

Cut the potatoes in half cross-wise and in quarters lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place in a microwave safe dish and cover with saran wrap. Microwave for 6 minutes or until just turning tender. Toss with the broccoli, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Dump the veggies into a large baking dish and spread evenly. Place the chicken thighs on top and dump the marinade over the top.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the internal temperature is 170 degrees and the skin is nice and crisp. Serve warm with pan drippings (minus any fat) drizzled over the top of the chicken.

Posted in Food, Potatoes, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »

Local Veggies and Fruits

I’m impatiently waiting for my local farmer’s markets to open for the summer, and I’m already enjoying some local veggies such as asparagus from the grocery stores. Much to my delight, in an email with local happenings at work, I learned about a Community Supported Agriculture program that delivers boxes of veggies and fruit right near my office, Growing Washington. I signed up and will be getting a weekly box of veggies and a box of fruit starting in June. Hurrah! I’m going to make an effort to tell you what all I get each week and how I use it. Wish me luck 😛

Posted in Food, Fruit, Product Review, Ramblings, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Kale Chips and Baked Salmon

This is a fast, easy, and healthy meal. I finally decided to try the kale chips that were all over the food blogging world a few months ago. Next time I’ll spread them out on a larger baking sheet – the super dried crispy ones were the best, but even the ones that ended up just roasted and not quite crispy were good. Make sure to check on these regularly, as I’m sure they can go from not there to perfect to burned quickly.

The salmon I just seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, layered lightly all over with fresh dill and thinly sliced lemon, and baked for the same time and temperature as the kale, and then finished off with 5 minutes under the broiler to get a nice final browning on top.

Kale Chips
Serves 2

1 bunch kale
2 tsp olive oil
seasoned salt (I like Lawry’s Seasoned Salt)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Gently rip the leaves of the kale from the thick stems and tear into large bite sized chunks. Rinse and dry very well. Toss with the olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly season with season salt.

Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the leaves are getting dry and crispy.

Posted in Food, Seafood, Vegetables | No Comments »