Shrimp Jambalaya

Lately, I have found a lot of new Southern food restaurant opened up in Seattle.  I can see why people like Southern food, they are delicious and mostly comfort food.  Jambalaya will be a good example, rice with a delicious sauce, perfect for cold days!

 

Ingredients 

*1 tablespoon canola oil 

*6 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces 

*1 medium onion, diced 

*1 bell pepper, cubbed

*3 celery stalks, diced 

*2 garlic cloves, minced 

*Coarse salt and ground pepper 

*2 teaspoons paprika 

*8 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 

*1 cup long-grain white rice 

*1 pound medium shrimp (about 30), peeled, deveined, and tails removed 

*1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in paprika; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add tomatoes, rice, and 3 cups water to skillet; cover, and simmer over medium heat until rice is cooked and has absorbed all water, about 15 minutes.
3. Add shrimp to skillet, and cook, covered, until shrimp are opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve hot, garnished with scallions.

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa

I am a big meat eater, but this black bean burger was so easy to make and very delicious.  I got the ciabatta bread for the burger for a twist.  If you want to make a mini-version, you can also use dinner rolls.

Ingredients

*2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 

*3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided

*3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

*1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 

*2 teaspoons ground cumin 

*1 teaspoon dried oregano 

*1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

*1/2 medium jalapeño pepper, finely chopped 

*2 large egg whites 

*Cooking spray

*1 1/4 cups chopped peeled mango (about 1 medium)

*3 tablespoons chopped shallots

*1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

*1 avocado, peeled and chopped 

*1 garlic clove, minced

*6 ciabatta bread, lightly toasted
*6 green leaf lettuce leaves

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and the next 7 ingredients (through egg whites). Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.

3. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl. Place a patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1/3 cup salsa, and top half of bun.

Grass fed rib steak with mushroom vodka cream sauce

If you get grass fed steak, remember the cooking time is always less than normal steak due to the lower fat content. I found this recipe from Healthy Green Kitchen. The vodka cream sauce enhanced the flavor of the steak and the perfect cooking time makes the steak very juicy.




Steak:
Ingredients
*1 rib-eye steak, preferably grass-fed
*olive oil
*coarse sea salt

Direction
1) Preheat gas grill to medium-high (or prepare charcoal grill for cooking over moderate direct heat).
2) Pat steak dry. Rub with olive oil and then season both sides with course salt.
3) Grill steak for approximately 4-6 minutes on each side, until thermometer registers about 120°F for rare (fyi I never check the temperature).
4) Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5-10 minutes, tented with foil, before slicing (the internal temperature will rise a few degrees while steak stands). Serve with vodka cream sauce.

Vodka Cream Sauce
*3 tablespoons organic butter, divided
*1 small onion, peeled and chopped
*1 cup clean organic button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
*1/2 cup organic chicken stock, preferably homemade
*course sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
*1/4 cup vodka
*1/4 cup raw or organic cream (or whole milk)

Preparation:
1) Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.
2) Add mushrooms and cook for another minute or two.
3) Remove pan from heat and pour in the vodka.
4) Return pan to heat and allow flame to burn off the alcohol, if desired.
5) Add stock to pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6) Turn heat to low and whisk in the remaining one tablespoon of butter and the cream.
7)Keep at a simmer until ready to serve, adding a little additional stock or cream to thin it out or thicken it, if necessary.

Homemade caesar dressing

Mr.S and I love Caesar salad. We have it almost every night at dinner. This homemade recipe is very delicious and creamy, and definitely no preservatives!



Ingredients
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 egg yolk
2 anchovy filets
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

Directions
Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth

Pre-Valentine's celebration + restaurant reviews: Fonté Café & Wine Bar, Wild Ginger and BlueBird Microcreamery

Mr. S and I decided to celebrate Valentine's day with exploring around Seattle. First stop at Seattle Art Museum (SAM).

We went the GAUGUIN POLYNESIA exhibition at SAM. We really enjoyed it. The Paul Gauguin paintings that were shown at the exhibition are mostly from 1887-1903 when Gauguin went to Tahiti. It also included some sculptures and antiques from Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands and New Zealand. 




Later, we went to a Polynesian dance performance at SAM.




Across from SAM, there is Fonté Café & Wine Bar. The smell of coffee was all over the restaurant and the coffee list was pretty long.  I got Aztec Mocha(Latte with chocolate, cayenne, cinnamon, and black pepper) and Mr. S ordered a Fresh Press with Yemen Mocca Sanani coffee. It was nice to spent some time to talk about Gauguin.
Review:
Aztec Mocha- Similar to Mexcian chocolate; Spicy; Great drink for a cold relaxing evening.
Yemen Mocca Sanani- Strong; Bold; Thick; Flavorful; Unsweetened Chocolate.




Later, we had dinner at Wild Ginger. We have heard about this place a lot but have never been there. The restaurant has two floors and all the staff were very nice. They offered small plates options from the main course menu.
Review:
Wild Ginger Fragrant Duck- They serve the duck with steamed buns, lettuce, cilantro and plum sauce. It tasted like Peking duck, except the duck skin wasn't crispy and the skin was spiced with cinnamon and star anise. A very tasty dish.
Thai Passion Tofu- Fried tofu and eggplant stir fried and tasted like lemongrass. I just started eating eggplant and this dish definitely brings the flavor of eggplant to another level. Mr. S and I really like it.
Pad Thai- We were a little disappointed on this dish. Mr. S thinks it needed more peanut flavor, I think it needed some coconut milk. The texture was good except the flavor.



We saved room for dessert later. We went to BlueBird Microcreamery on Greenwood. They just opened up a few months ago. The decor is simple and the ice cream are unique. We got a scoop of peanut butter and a scoop of Remlinger Farm four berry in a waffle cone. The ice cream tasted pretty good, probably we will go back some time in the near future.

Chicken sausage and shrimp Paella

Cold weather makes me lazy, therefore, one pot meal is the best choice for weeknight dinners. This recipe is written for using white rice.  I usually get brown rice, so the cooking time is longer.  My trick for making a fast meal is to cook the rice before hand, so you will only need to add the cooked rice at the end to mix with the sauce. That can save you a lot of time!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (12 ounces) chicken sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch rounds

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Directions

1) In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.

2) Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.

3) Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.

Wine-Braised Chicken

The picture might not look so good, but this dish was very tasty and delicious.  With the short cooking time, the chicken was surprisingly tender and flavorful.  A very easy meal to make for weeknights.

Ingredients

3 fresh thyme sprigs

5 flat-leaf parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

3 slices bacon, cut into pieces

12 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 pounds total)

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 large onion, chopped

6 medium carrots, sliced crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups dry red wine, such as a Pinot Noir or French Burgundy

1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions

1) Using cotton kitchen twine, tie thyme, parsley, and bay leaf into a bundle; set aside.

2) Heat a Dutch oven or 5-quart heavy pot with a lid over medium-low. Add bacon; cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain (leave bacon fat in pot).

3) Raise heat to medium-high. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Working in three batches to avoid crowding, brown chicken about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.

4) Add onion, carrots, and garlic to pot. Cook until onion softens, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and flour; cook 1 minute.

5) Add wine, broth, chicken, and herb bundle. Bring to a boil; cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes; uncover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard herb bundle; stir in bacon.