The Farm Chicks

Lunch for One

I love the days when I actually take a few minutes to make myself a good lunch, especially one that comes, in part, from my garden.

Polenta with Swiss Chard and Egg

Prepare one serving of polenta*, salting to taste

While polenta cooks, wash, chop and quickly fry a big handful of swiss chard over high heat. (Don't overcook the chard, you just want it to wilt and soften a bit).

Pour hot polenta onto your plate, top with swiss chard.

Fry an egg to your liking (I like over-easy), salt and pepper to taste, and add to the polenta and chard.

Garnish with fresh cilantro or any herb you like.

Enjoy!

Note:

*Polenta is very similar to grits, with the only difference being the type of corn. Both are equally delicious.

 

Grilled Pizza

I love when the weather begins to take a turn for the warmer and it seems like every meal is done on the grill. One of my favorites is pizza.

You'll need to start with a batch of your favorite pizza dough. I like this recipe from Better Homes & Gardens:

Pizza Dough

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water (not hot)

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large mixer bowl combine 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt.  Stir in warm water and oil. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. (6 to 8 minutes total).

Cover dough and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into as many pizzas as you'd like to make and roll out on a floured surface. (I recommend starting out with small pizzas while you get the hang of cooking them on the grill).

Place dough on floured pans.

Lightly cover the top of each crust with olive oil. (I like to use olive oil that can be sprayed on for this). Light grill and set at low-medium low. Hold pan over grill and carefully flip the dough (the side that you've oiled) onto the grates. If the dough gets crinkled, quickly use a spatula to straighten it out, by placing the spatula under the dough and using your hand on top of the dough to guide the dough out. Transferring the dough to the grill is the trickiest part and takes some practice. (This is why I recommend starting out with small crusts). Spray the side facing up with olive oil. Once the crust has very lightly browned and is stabile enough to turn, flip it with your spatula and lightly brown the other side. (You are not trying to completely cook the dough at this point, just giving it a light grilling). Place crusts back onto pans and return to the kitchen for toppings.

Now comes the fun part: your favorite toppings. Add anything you'd like. Here are some ideas:

Pesto, spinach, and parmesan:

Olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, fresh oregano and mozzarella: (fresh basil is even tastier, but I was out at the time)

A sudden windfall of 5 pounds of asparagus from my neighbor inspired this one: olive oil, asparagus, marinated feta, and pine nuts. (I should have added some ricotta or mozzarella too, as it was tasty, but a bit too dry).

And of course, kid favorites like cheese and ham with olives:

Take pizzas back to the grill and cook until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned to your liking:

Then remove from the grill, slice, and serve immediately.

Tips: I buy my pizza pans from a local restaurant supply store in Spokane. (Most cities have these stores). It's really helpful to have a lot of pans when feeding a crowd.

I usually double the dough so there's plenty to go around and to enjoy for leftovers the next day.

Pon Pon Tofu

This recipe goes all the way back to my high school home economics class with Miss Goughnour. Miss Goughnour had a really big impact on my love of domesticity, especially cooking. The original recipe from school called for chicken, but I've adapted and tweaked it over the years because I love tofu. However, if tofu scares you, you can always substitute 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced.

1 package firm tofu*, cut into cubes, (about 1/2" x 1") or crumbled

3 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

2 green onions, sliced thin

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Place tofu in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk together until smooth. Pour mixture over the tofu and stir to coat all of the tofu. Marinate in fridge for about 10 minutes.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Once hot, add tofu mixture. Cook until one side is nicely browned. Then reduce heat to medium-high, flip the tofu and cook a few minutes more, until the other side is browned and heated through.

Serve with steamed rice and veggies of your choice.

Notes:

*I'm a huge fan of Small Planet Organic Tofu, which is made right here in Washington State. It's the best tofu I've ever had. And, it's now available in many states and also online. (And no, I am not affiliated with Small Planet in any way. I just love their product).

Colin and I love using ground fresh chili paste as a condiment, especially with this meal. If you enjoy spice, you might enjoy it too.

Have you ever tried seasoned rice wine vinegar on rice? It's a tasty alternative to soy sauce.

Roasted Corn Pasta Salad

This delicious pasta salad is the perfect accompaniment to Black Bean Burgers and it's always the side that I order with my meals at the Elk in Spokane. I've adapted their recipe to make at home. And although I'm definitely not a fan of chipotle peppers, the flavor works perfectly here, adding just the right kick of spice, yet staying anonymous, making everyone ask the question: What's in here?!

Roasted Corn Pasta Salad

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 lb uncooked curly or twisty pasta such as Gemelli or Fusilli

1 cup lowfat mayonnaise

2 cups packed fresh cilantro, roughly stemmed

2 tablespoons chipotle puree

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine corn, onions, butter, and oil together on a baking sheet. Using a spatula, mix together to coat corn and onions. Roast until corn and onions begin to brown, approximately 15 minutes. Once cooked, remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack until ready to use.

 

Meanwhile, puree a can of chipotle peppers. (Use the entire contents of the can). Once pureed, measure out 2 tablespoons and set aside. Reserve leftovers by freezing them for later use.

  

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. (Yes, this goes against everything you've ever read about not rinsing pasta but it's necessary here). Once pasta is completely drained, add into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine cilantro, chipotle puree, and mayonnaise in a food processor (or blender). Once throughly combined, add mixture to pasta in bowl. Add roasted corn and onions and stir to mix all together. Salt to taste.

Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Please note: If not served immediately, you'll need to add more of the mayonnaise mixture or it will taste too dry).

Black Bean Burgers

One of our favorite Spokane restaurants is the Elk, which is a great spot to enjoy brewpub style food in a neighborhood setting.  And one of the great things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the "come-as-you-are" attitude.  Things are relaxed here, but the food is great.  One of my all-time favorite meals at the Elk is the Bean Burger.  I've adapted their recipe to be quick and simple, yet still tasty.

Black Bean Burgers

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup carrots, diced

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

1 cup dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon canola oil

4-5 slices of provolone or pepper jack cheese

Add the olive oil and veggies to a frying pan, and cook at medium-high heat until veggies begin to soften.  While the veggies are sauteing, add  the beans into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Mash them up a bit with a potato masher, leaving about 1/4 of the beans whole.

Add the sauteed veggies to the bean mixture and stir to combine.  Add the remaining ingredients (reserving the canola oil for frying the patties in) and mix together.  (It's best to use your hands to mix everything together at this point).

Divide mixture into 4 or 5 patties, depending on your preference of patty size.  After forming the patties, fry them in the canola oil until golden, about three minutes per side, over medium-high heat.  Top with the cheese of your choice, once bean burgers are flipped.

Serve on hamburger buns, with mayonnaise, greens of your choice, and tomatoes.

Tip:

The chefs at the Elk recommend starting your patties in a cold pan to give the patties a nice crunch on the outside.

For delicious go-to lunches at home, wrap patties individually and freeze.  When you need lunch in a hurry, just grab a patty, microwave until hot, and assemble as usual.

Linguica

Being Portuguese, I grew up eating Linguica, which is Portuguese Sausage.  And although we're not huge meat eaters in our house, we do love it.  And you know how you can get into a recipe rut sometimes, making the same things over and over?  Well, I thought you'd like to learn about something different that can spice up your meals a bit!

Some Linguica is spicy, but I prefer to use the standard non-spicy sort so the boys aren't breathing flames.

A traditional dish my Uncle makes is a thick sort of stew with chicken pieces, diced canned tomatoes, Linguica and black olives.  It's tasty and always reminds me of him and my trips to San Francisco to visit.

I tend to use Linguica in really simple ways, and whenever I do, the boys are excited to eat it.  It's really tasty.

Here are my favorites:

When making spaghetti, sometimes I substitute Linguica for the ground beef.  When I substitute it, I don't add any salt to the sauce, as the Linguica has plenty and it flavors the sauce really well.  I call it Linguica Spaghetti.  Whooo! Creative right?

An incredibly simple and delicious dinner is Angel Hair Pasta with Linguica.  After cooking the pasta, I toss it with a little butter and sprinkle in small fried chunks of the Linguica.  Add a green salad on the side, and it's a super quick and easy meal.

Linguica and eggs.  Scramble up some eggs, add in fried Linguica, serve it to your husband, and he'll fall in love with you all over again.

Notes:

Linguica is readily available in most grocery stores.  If you have a hard time finding it, ask your butcher and he'll probably be able to point it out for you.

I usually slice Linguica into little rounds (as seen above) and then in half again, so the sausage is more of an accent than the only flavor in a bite.

I like to fry up the Linguica before using it, making the edges crispy and browned, which is much more appetizing to me than a pale piece of sausage.

I hope you'll give it a try.

Fish Fajitas

Summer calls for light dinners and Fish Fajitas really fit the bill.  Not a fan of fish?  You can always substitute chicken, or any meat you prefer.

Fish Fajitas

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 pounds halibut or other firm white fish (or substitute meat of your choice), cut into bite-sized chunks

1 small onion, peeled, halved, and sliced

2 red and/or yellow peppers, cored, quartered, and sliced

Prepare onions and peppers and set aside.

Whisk together olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.  Add halibut and stir.

Heat a large frying pan over high heat until very hot.  Add halibut and marinade mixture.  Add onions and peppers and fry until fish is just cooked and veggies still have some crunch.  Don't overcook.  Serve with warm corn tortillas, guacamole, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Happy summer!

Lemon-Parsley Grilled Chicken

I'm a big fan of lemon and use it a lot in the spring and summer.  The fresh taste goes well with the season.  And I've really grown to love parsley, which when combined with the lemon in this marinade, is delicious.  I use only Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, as it seems a lot more delicate in texture than regular parsley.  If you're not in love with parsley, you can substitute your herb of choice.

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, filleted

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mince parsley and combine with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Fillet chicken breasts, into two or three slices each, depending on thickness.  (I like thin chicken fillets, so I fillet mine three times each).

Add chicken to the marinade in the bowl.  Let marinade in the fridge for 15 minutes.  Grill over medium heat until cooked through.

Serve with grilled veggies and red potatoes.