Confident Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 10oz linguine noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter
• dash of cream or half and half
• 1/4lb shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2lb asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
• handful of mizuna greens, cut into thirds
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil for linguine.  Heat 1 tablespoon butter in cast iron skillet.  Add shitakes and saute for 5 minutes.  Add asparagus and cook 2-3 mintutes or until tender.  Add mizuna greens and 1/4 cup hot water from the pasta pot.  Cover and turn heat off, letting the mizuna greens steam and wilt.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook linguine.  Drain.  Toss with 1 tablespoon butter and dash of cream or half and half.  Place in bowl, then layer with a generous portion of the vegetable mushroom mixture.

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Mizuna seems to be the latest craze to hit the Pacific Northwest. The greens have a distinctive peppery taste, and is very versatile, eaten raw (in salads) or cooked (in risotto).

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups white long-grain rice
• 2-3 cups broth (I used vegetable broth, but chicken would work)
• 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup fava beans (fresh, shelled)
• 1 bunch mizuna, cut into thirds (stems included)
• salt and pepper to taste (be careful with the salt if the broth you use has a high salt content)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• water as needed

Heat olive oil in a large pan or pot.  Add onion and saute until caremalized, add garlic and saute one more minute.  Add rice and stir until rice starts to brown, about 3 minutes.  In another pot, heat water and parboil asparagus and fava beans for 2 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Add broth to rice, 1 cup at a time, until absorbed.  At this point, taste the rice to see how firm it is.  If it is not soft enough, add more water, 1 cup at a time, until rice reaches desired firmness.  Add asparagus, fava beans, Parmesan, and mizuna greens and stir into rice.  Cover and let sit for 2-3 minutes or until greens wilt.  Salt and pepper to taste.

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Ingredients can vary depending on taste and what you have in the fridge.

• 1 15oz can coconut milk, shaken and divided
• 1 tablespoon green curry paste
• 1/2lb chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 Thai eggplants, quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• cooked rice

Heat pan and add 2/3 can coconut milk. Heat until coconut milk starts to simmer, then add green curry paste. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, spread curry paste until well-mixed with the milk. Add chicken and simmer 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add vegetables and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk and let simmer 2 more minutes, then serve over hot rice.

We had enough for two lunches, which were great reheated on the stove. It would be easy to substitute any other vegetables, even potatoes, to this recipe.

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Leftover baguette, dash of olive oil, and a small glass of Pinot Grigio. Took the edge off my hunger when we had planned on having dinner late.

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Quick directions for 2 people: 8oz steak, salt and pepper both sides. Saute in hot skillet with a little dash of olive oil for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and cover with foil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, layer lettuce greens on a plate. Add chopped vegetables (I used carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, and celery). Slice steak into thin strips, divide onto two plates. Add a dash of nuts (sunflower seeds add a nice flavor) to the top. Serve with or without dressing. It honestly tastes fine without, but if you want a quick dressing, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar (2:1 ratio) in a small container, add a dash of salt and pepper, clove of minced garlic, shake or stir until combined. Pour over salad.

There you go, a quick and easy salad that only takes 10-15 minutes to prepare, great for busy or hot summer days.

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I apologize for my absence. I am currently enrolled at the university for 20 credits (4 classes) volunteering up to 5 hours a week, and have been overwhelmed with 8-10 hour days. I have been cooking up a storm though! We recently participated in United Way’s Hunger Challenge (recipes coming soon), where the two of us ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 5 days on less than $60. It really gave me some perspective on how much we’ve been spending on our meals, so I’ve been cutting back and cooking simple meals. Most of these meals are based on some basic principles and can easily be modified to suit individual tastes.

If you could taste color, this would taste green.

Here is the base recipe, but feel free to change it:

* 1 bunch cilantro
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 tablespoons pine nuts
* salt & pepper to taste
* 3 cloves garlic
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Using a food processor, blend all the ingredients until you have a thick paste. It’s best to let this sit so the flavors can blend together, but you can use it right away. In the first example, I cut cherry tomatoes in half and topped it with a small piece of fresh mozzarella cheese and a dab of cilantro pesto. In the second photo, I tossed a large spoonful (1/4 cup?) with 1/2lb of warm fusilli pasta. Top with baked chicken thighs (about .2oz each) and Parmesan cheese for garnish. Tomorrow, I am going to toss with baby red potatoes, then bake at 350 until the potatoes are cooked. This will be paired with a small roast and fresh asparagus.

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