Grilled Corn on the Cob

Few things in life are as sweet as the first bite into hot, fresh corn on the cob; the crisp bite, the popping sound, the juicy burst, the sweet corn goodness.

Oh my.

My Three Sisters Garden

Corn on the cob (or, rather corn in general) is an icon of the Midwest.  While growing up, every major gathering offered (along with big bowls of chicken booyah stewed for hours in giant barrels) perfectly grilled cobs of sweet corn dunked into [coffee cans full of] melted butter and lightly sprinkled with salt, husks pulled back to make nature's perfect handle. And all was well with the world.

I know that it is hard to find corn that has not been contaminated with GMO field corn, and that is a shame.  However, you can ask around to find a farmer who tries hard to maintain that little piece of much loved Midwestern history, or you can grow your own from heirloom seed (I ordered mine).  It's not hard to grow corn, and it doesn't take up much space; you can fit 12 - 16 stalks of corn in a 4'x4' area, which I've done rather successfully before.  This year, I decided to try a Three Sisters Garden (corn, beans, and squash) to see what will happen with another one of natures little perfect combinations. So far, so good.


On to the recipe.  It's not really a recipe, though.  Some people dress soaked and desilked corn up with chili powder and lime or basil leaves and butter, or some such "gourmet" combination prior to grilling.  In our opinion, the season doesn't last long enough to mess around trying to change perfection, so we enjoy it with just butter and salt because just those two ingredients bring out that beautiful, gorgeous flavor without masking it at all.  Maybe try the bacon-wrapped corn on the cob for the blanched and frozen corn in mid winter - during the summer, just enjoy it the way nature intended it to be for those few short weeks it is at its peak.

If you can't find a way to grill your corn, boiling is the next best thing.  To boil corn on the cob, husk the corn, rinse as much of the silk from the cob as you can.  Place the ears in a large stock pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat.  Allow to cook (covered and off the heat) for about 12-14 minutes. 

Grilled Corn on the Cob

• several ears freshly picked sweet corn
• water
• fire
• butter
• salt

Peel back the husks of the sweet corn.  Pull as much of the silk out as you can.  Push the husks back up around the corn .  It is okay if you mutilate some of the outer husks trying to open it - you just need 2-3 layers of husks to cover the corn for grilling.

Place corn into a big pot of cold water.  Soak for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes (this is partly to create steam during grilling and partly to get any bugs in the corn to leave immediately).

Get coals, wood, or gas hot.  Place a grate over said heat.

The gas in my gas grill fizzled and so we used wood over the fire pit.  The flavor was so amazing!

Place the corn onto the hot grate.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.  Husks will turn black - that's okay because you don't eat that part, anyway.

Serve the corn as it is ready.  Spread with lots of real butter and sprinkle with salt.  Set the rest of the corn aside (away from the flame), and cover with a tent of foil or inverted pan to keep warm for the next helping.

Rave to friends and family about how super fantastic roasted corn is and wish you could eat it all year long.

Swiss Chard and Potatoes

Do you want to know what I think is a beautiful thing?  Heading out to my own backyard grocery store to choose what to have for dinner.

And do you know what I think is even prettier?

The price.

Not much is ready yet other than the leafy goods, but I am so happy about it all (except for the critters munching my goods; I just replanted both the corn and the peas...Grrr.).  It's really not just the price that I think is pretty, even though that is a very, very nice thing.  It's a little bit of pride, a little bit of independence, a little bit of personal choice about what we eat and the quality of the food.  And I dig it.

Last night was one of those nights where there was little in the pantry and freezer because I did not have time to shop today, yet somehow dinner for six needed to appear.  Between the potatoes, garlic, and spices in the pantry and what was in the garden, this Swiss Chard and Potato dish made a perfect side to accompany some steamed garden peas and our main dish.

And it made me very happy to go out and harvest it.

Now, I just need to get rid of those not-so-cute-anymore bunnies that like my garden as much as I do. They ate my corn, peas, lettuce, bean leaves...and I didn't get any.  They don't seem to mess with the onions and garlic, so next year, instead of marigolds (which they don't even notice - or maybe they do and they are just laughing at those silly humans as they munch right past them), I am going to plant a garlic and onion barrier around everything.  A thick one.

Soon, dear bunnies.  Soon, I will take all measures necessary to ensure you eat from the neighbor's garden rather than mine. Between the fence and the pepper spray I mixed up just last night, with the dogs in the middle, you'd better run, and run quickly.
 

A quick note about "stickage" in this dish - the moisture in the potatoes and chard mixture may cause a little sticking.  You can either gently press the moisture out of the mixture as it is draining in the colander, or use an acid (I suggest beer or white wine vinegar in the recipe) to deglaze the pan with the potatoes still in it, or you can serve the dish and deglaze the pan later with plain white vinegar gently warmed when it's time to wash the dishes (anything stuck on in any pan usually cleans up very easily with this method!). Regardless of how you make clean up easier, you're going to love this Swiss chard and Potatoes recipe!

Swiss Chard and Potatoes
serves 6

• 1 lb Swiss chard, washed
• 2 lbs potatoes (red, white, or otherwise), peeled and cut into a 1 inch dice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbs butter or olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbs beer, white wine vinegar - if necessary, to deglaze the pan, optional

Trim the Swiss chard: run a sharp knife along the both sides of the stem to remove the leaves. (Suggestion: stack 3-4 like-sized stems together and run the knife through all at once to speed things along)

Chop the stems into 1/2 inch pieces.  Stack and slice the leaves into 1/4 -1/2 inch ribbons.

Place potatoes in a large pot.  Cover by two inches with water.  Add 1/2 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil.  Partially cover and reduce heat to medum. Simmer for 3 minutes.  Add chard leaves and stems.

Bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and partially cover again for about 10 min, or until potatoes are tender.

Drain potatoes and chard.

Melt butter or heat olive oil in 12 inch skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook 1-2 minutes, or garlic is fragrant.

Toss in the potatoes and chard (be careful for any sizzle due to the moisture in the potato mixture).  Stir in the green onions.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cook untouched 4-5 minutes.  Stir, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan.

Cook another 4-5 minutes, or until everything is well cooked.

If some of your potatoes have cooked to the bottom of the pan (heat varies between electric and gas, and when you add the moisture of the potatoes and chard, sometimes things get...sticky.  That's all fine in this dish, though - that's extra added flavor), add the optional beer or white wine vinegar now.  Stir to scrape any yummy flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.  If your potatoes release well, you can skip this part if you'd like. Taste, and season again with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Pasta Primavera

Primavera translated from Italian means springtime, or spring-like.  A pasta primavera is a simple dish of pasta (usually fettuccine or penne or farfalle) and lightly sauteed spring vegetables, tossed with a light sauce usually made from broth, butter, cream, and cheese.

As I mentioned in my Lemon Fettuccine post, while out for dinner, I ordered what should have been some pasta with seasonal vegetables and a cream sauce (in the case of this particular restaurant, the cream sauce is thicker, like an alfredo, and is usually a richer sauce than a traditional Primavera, which I knew because I had eaten it there before).  Instead, what arrived was a repulsive mix of fettuccine tossed with an obviously microwaved frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix plopped into a puddle of corn oil an inch deep and smothered with what I think was canned Parmesan.  We called it "I Can't Believe It's Not Alfredo" (or, more accurately, "I Can't Believe You Thought This Could Pass For Alfredo").  My fancy-pants phone was broken and I was waiting for the replacement to show up, or I would have taken a picture of it for you - it was pretty unbelievable.

Here's the deal:  one cannot make a Primavera sauce without using real, fresh ingredients.  In any case, especially in the case of one with a thicker type sauce, real butter, real cream, and real Parmesan (or, more ideally, Parmigiano Reggiano) must be used.  Margarines or other oil-based spreads just won't cut it; they ultimately separate and leave your dinner drowning in an unappetizing pool of icky oil (as is evidenced in my dinner out).  And since that canned Parmesan isn't allowed in my humble home kitchen, I fully expect a chef charging $15 for a plate of pasta not to be using it, either.

So, here is how I make our Pasta Primavera.  Try to use a combination of the freshest vegetables you can find.  In this one, I used what I had on hand: asparagus, spring onions, pea pods (and frozen peas because little sweet peas are so yummy!), baby zucchini, carrots, and a few broccoli florets.  In the depth of summer, go ahead and use fresh green beans, cauliflower, and whatever else suits you.  Shoot for about 4 cups of those vegetables for 1lb of fettuccine.  Keep the size small and thinly sliced so they will cook quickly and fit nicely on a fork without needing to cut them on the plate.

I like to keep the frozen peas frozen so it will cool the simmering broth and vegetables, allowing for the cream to be safely added without risk of separation.  Don't be worried about the thinness of the sauce after adding the cream and cheese; it will be thick enough to coat the vegetables and pasta will absorb some of it - it will be lovely.  I promise.

And don't forget the salt and pepper.  Since everyone has a different idea about how much salt makes a dish taste good, and some broths, butters, and cheese have a higher salt content than others, I have left out the measurements.  Keep in mind that salt naturally brings out the flavors of every single ingredient in this dish, so be sure to give it a taste test to be sure you've added enough.

Pasta Primavera
serves 5-6

• 1 lb lemon fettuccine
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups assorted fresh, seasonal vegetables, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 c vegetable broth
• 1/2 c frozen sweet peas (no need to thaw)
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 1 c grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, please)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant; about 1 minute.

Toss in the fresh vegetables.  Pour the broth over all, cover, and cook until the vegetables are crisp tender; about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, add fresh fettuccine to the boiling pasta pot.  Cook about 3-6 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain.

Uncover the steaming vegetables.  Add the frozen peas and give it a stir.  Slowly add the cream and basil.  Bring to a low simmer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Toss the cooked fettuccine with the cream and vegetable mixture and parsley.

Serve immediately.

And don't forget to check out all the #pastalove recipes all May long!

May is #pastalove month!

Please join in on the #pastalove fun by linking up any pasta recipe from the month of May 2012. Don't forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #pastalove event! The twitter hashtag is #pastalove :).

Cohosted by:

Astig Vegan, Badger Girl Learns to Cook, BigFatBaker, Bon a Croquer, Cake Duchess, Elephant Eats, Hobby and More, Mis Pensamientos, No One likes Crumbley Cookies, Oh Cake, Rico sin Azucar, Simply Reem,Soni's Food for Thought, Teaspoon of Spice, That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!, The Spicy RD, The Wimpy Vegetarian, Vegetarian Mama, You Made That?, Vegan Yack Attack. 

Broccoli with Horseradish Cheese Sauce

It's only the the middle of April, and in my mind, my garden is lush, green, organized, clean, dripping with ripe red tomatoes, gorgeous eggplant, and tender lettuce leaves in abundance.  My bell peppers are huge, the broccoli hasn't bolted, and there is more than enough spinach to blanch and freeze. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and the sun is shining after just the right amount of warm rain.

In reality, it's about 45 (F) degrees, snow is possible tonight, and my "garden" looks exactly like this:

Yup.  You betcha.  For your viewing enjoyment, I hauled out my seedlings and placed them in the future garden area.

The raised beds did not make it in last fall (ahemTimcoughcough), and now that I am less than 6 weeks away from needing to plant, I'm going to opt for some "lasagna garden" type prep work.  I thought about foregoing any raised beds and just piling ingredients, but Tim located some free pallets (did you know they come in different thicknesses and lengths?  I did not!) so we are hoping to be able to recycle them into the perimeter for the beds, which will be extra nice for the budget. This weekend, if it doesn't snow, we'll be putting in six 8'x4' beds, lining the bottom with lots of newspaper so I don't have to dig up all the sod, piling it full of a manure/peat moss/topsoil combo from a local nursery, mixing in my own household vegetation compost, grass clippings and last fall's chopped leaves, covering it with black plastic, and crossing my fingers until late May.  I have never had a garden bed where I didn't dig the grass out first, so I'm kind of curious to see how it works. Either way, I'll still have about 8 inches of hopefully good dirt on top of the old grass, so that's something, right?

Will keep you posted.

There is another area not in the picture that will be home to a Three Sisters Garden (sweet corn, pie pumpkins, and shell beans), and a plot for potatoes.  In a few weeks we will be having a cedar split rail fence (with wire mesh on the inside) installed, and I'm hoping to try out some grape vines.  The plan is to also have my cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and two kinds of peas climb the fence, too.

Anyway, on to the recipe.  As I said earlier, the broccoli in my gorgeous mental garden hasn't bolted, and is flourishing like mad.  We like to just eat it raw, but cheese just makes everything taste a little bit nicer.  This cheese sauce is spiked with horseradish and garlic for a fun, tangy change of pace.  I prefer to use a steamer basket (I use my pasta pot with the basket/strainer and a cover) for cooking broccoli, but if you don't have one, you can just use a big covered pot with about an inch of water in the bottom.

Broccoli with Horseradish Cheese Sauce
serves 6

• 2 lbs fresh broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 Tbs butter
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1 c milk
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tsp prepared horseradish
• 1/4 tsp salt
• few grinds fresh black pepper

Place 1-2 inches of water into the bottom of a large pot with a steamer basket inserted on top.  Place the broccoli in the basket.  Bring the water to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium.  Steam the broccoli for about 5 minutes, or until just fork tender.  Remove from heat and vent the cover to prevent further cooking.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the flour and whisk until bubbly (about 10-20 seconds).

Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the garlic. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and just begins to bubble; about 4 minutes.  Add the cheese, horseradish, salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and whisk until the cheese melts.

Give it a taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve cheese sauce over warm broccoli.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

My son's favorite creamy potato soup was the inspiration for this chunky, cheesy vegetable chowder.  Potatoes do take a primary place in this soup, but by increasing the other vegetables, and adding corn and cheese to the mix, the original recipe takes on a smooth, sweet, rich flavor that quickly made this chowder another favorite to keep in our rotation.

Sometimes I find that I am out of vegetable broth when I've already started planning and even beginning to make this chowder.  Because there are so many other flavors in this particular soup, a quick saute of the vegetables seems to be enough to generate a good background flavor.  In the case of the bowl in the picture, I discovered a little too late that I only had about 1 1/2 cups of broth to add and needed to balance it out with just plain old water, but it still worked out in the end with the quick saute and the addition of a little more salt.  I love how versatile soup making can be.

To make this chowder vegan, use olive oil to saute the vegetables, and skip the last four ingredients (butter, flour, milk, and cheese).  After the soup has simmered, use a stick blender to puree about half of the mixture; creaming the vegetables, especially with all of the potatoes, will generate a thickened, creamy soup without all of the butter and cheese.  And if you, like me, like all the butter and cheese (Mmmm!) and still find you would like the soup to be thicker, go ahead and use the stick blender to puree a few of the veggies until the soup reaches your desired thickness.

I would like to thank one of my favorite bloggers, Soni from Soni's Food For Thought, for passing on some awards to The Art of Cooking Real Food.  While I love Indian food, I'm not so experienced with knowing what we will like and how to make the dishes.  Soni has shared some fantastic recipes from an area of cuisine where I do not excel, making it possible to for my family (and yours!) to enjoy some wonderful Indian food right at home.  Thanks so much, Soni!

And don't forget that all April long a berry lovin' blog hop is going on!  You will find some of the most incredible berry recipes to add to  your collection from some of the most talented bloggers in the 'net.  You can find a constantly updated list at the bottom of Blueberry Cheese Pie.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
serves 6

• 1 Tbs butter
• 4 c potatoes, diced
• 1 c carrots, diced
• 3/4 c onion, diced
• 1/2 c celery (plus any leaves), diced
• 1/2 c cut corn (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 c vegetable broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbs freshly chopped parsley
• 1/3 c butter
• 1/3 c flour
• 2 1/2 c milk
• 1 1/2 c shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese

Heat 1 Tbs butter in stockpot over medium high heat.  Add potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, corn, and garlic.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add broth, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir in the parsley. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, melt 1/3 cup butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk to blend.  Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly.  Cook mixture approximately 5-6 minutes, or until the mixture begins bubble and has thickened, whisking often to prevent the milk from burning. Stir in the cheese until melted.

Slowly add the milk mixture to the vegetables and broth, stirring to blend.  Give it a taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.

Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

The most iconic vegetable of Spring has to be asparagus.  We adore it, but we only eat it in the spring while it is in season because it looses so much flavor and texture the further it has to travel to get here.   I've spoken with quite a few "asparagus haters" who have only purchased asparagus from the stores that had been shipped in, out of season, from a couple thousand miles away; it's no wonder they don't like it - I don't either.  If you have never eaten fresh, local asparagus, you really can't know how amazing asparagus is. The asparagus in the stores from other countries is a completely different beast than the gorgeous, crisp, green asparagus you'll find this time of year (and into May and even June in some areas).  Several times each week, we incorporate these little gems of spring into salads, or we roast, saute or grill them, and we savor every bite knowing the season is fairly short.  Our favorite way to eat them is dressed in some olive oil, pressed garlic, salt and pepper, and then roasted or grilled...oh my.

Sunshine and warmer weather promising fresh fruits and vegetables to come makes meal planning so much simpler.  I love just enjoying the exceptional flavors of those fresh ingredients; so many of our summer meals center around the brilliance of those seasonal fruits and vegetables and, more often than not, need little more than a few herbs and some salt and pepper. In this dish, a few modestly seasoned vegetables, some whole-grain pasta, and a little cheese create an easy, delicious, quick dinner.  I like to serve it with some homemade garlic bread and fresh fruit.

Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta
serves 6

• 1 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into approximately 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8-10 oz whole grain farfalle (bow-tie or butterfly) or penne pasta
• 3/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 450F.  Lightly oil 2 15x10" jellyroll pans (cookie sheets with sides).

In a large bowl, combine asparagus, mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic, 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, and oregano.  Mix well to coat.

Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared pans.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roast in preheated oven 9-12 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp tender, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Combine roasted vegetables and pasta in a large bowl.  Stir in the Parmesan, remaining 1 Tbs olive oil, remaining 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, and enough pasta water keep the mixture moist (you probably won't need the entire cup). Adjust salt and pepper.

Serve topped with more Parmesan cheese.

Chopped Salad with Simple Vinaigrette and A Big Thank You

It doesn't get any easier than a chopped salad. So fresh, so tasty, so versatile with regard to ingredients - it's one of my favorite ways to accompany just about any meal.  As I was making this the other night, I was sort of thinking it's entirely too simple of a concept to blog about.  But then, much like with the roasted garlic, it occurred to me that maybe not everyone knows  how to  make a chopped salad.  And then while I was eating it, I decided that everyone should know how to make one.

Naturally, salads can be made from a formal recipe, such as a Greek Salad, or an Asian Salad, or even a Caesar Salad.  Not so with a chopped salad; all that is needed are any manner of leafy greens, preferably some romaine or other sturdy lettuce, maybe some herbs, and whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand.  The ingredients can vary depending upon season and what is available in your kitchen or garden. Since it's late March here, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and pea pods didn't make it into the chopped salad in the picture; instead I used some left over broccoli, red onions, carrots, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and half of a green bell pepper.  For the greens, I used romaine, young chard, spinach, red and green lettuce leaves, and some kale.  Pretty much any combination makes a great salad though.

The process is simple: cut the vegetables into large chunks, pile everything all onto a large cutting board and drizzle it with a favorite vinaigrette (I'll share a simple, fresh tasting lemon vinaigrette below).

Find a very sharp knife and start chopping; this is the part where the juices from the vegetables ooze out to flavor all the ingredients and the vinaigrette coats everything.  Use your knife to fold the salad back into the pile and chop some more.

Serve just like that, or topped with sunflower seeds or nuts, your favorite cheese (I love Feta, personally), and/or homemade croutons.

I'd like to take a moment to thank Jessica from Oh Cake who generously awarded The Art of Cooking Real Food with three blogger awards.  I "met" Jessica via the Love Blog Hop and she has pioneered the helpful and amazing Food Blogger's Network. She is an incredibly talented woman and I am honored beyond words to have received these awards from her.  I'm working on my post of thanks and my list of bloggers to whom I will pass the awards.  Thank you so much, Jessica!

Chopped Salad with Simple Vinaigrette
serves 5-6

• 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch of dried thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-5 cups mixed lettuce, baby greens, spinach, herbs, etc
• 2-3 cups roughly chopped fresh vegetables

In a pint size jar with a tight fitting lid, add the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, mustard, and thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Tighten the lid and shake well.  Set aside.

Place the greens on a large cutting board.  Pile the vegetables on the greens.  Shake the dressing again and drizzle over the vegetables.  Season the salad with salt and pepper.

With a large sharp knife, chop the salad, using the knife to turn the mixture.  Continue to chop until everything is bite-size.


March is #greenslove month!

Please join in the #greenslove fun by linking up any leafy green recipe from the month of March 2012.  Don't forget to link back to this post so that your readers know to come by the #greenslove event!  The twitter hashtag is #greenslove.

Check out the #greenslove co-hosts!

Al Dente Gourmet ~ Aldy ~ @AlDenteGourmet

ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan

Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl

Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins

BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker

Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth

CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog

Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess

Cheap Ethnic Eatz ~ Evelyne ~ @cethniceatz

Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies

Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes

Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica ~ @kbelleicious

Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk

My Twisted Recipe ~ Dudot ~ @mytwistedrecipe  

No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley

Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose

Queen's Notebook ~ Elizabeth ~ @Mango_Queen  

Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar

Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla

Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem

Soni's Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 

Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable

Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 

That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick

The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~@TAofCRF

The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd 

The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian

Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack

Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

Lo Mein, Chow Fun, Moo Shu, General Tso, Fried Rice, Hot and Sour Soup, spring rolls...Ahhh!  I love the Americanized Chinese fast food!  Sweet and savory sauces over crisp vegetables - I get hungry just thinking about it.

However, it really doesn't like me.  Headaches and bloating always seem to follow a take-out meal from a Chinese food joint.  And sometimes it all starts during the meal (ever need to loosen your pants during a meal even though your portions are small?  Yeah.  That kind of bloating.).  Then, of course, there's the problem of being hungry again about an hour later. So why was this style of fast food the hardest for us to give up?

Because it tasted the best. Because it was fast.  Because it was the only take-out I can think of where a hefty portion of vegetables were included in the meal.  Because there was always a ton of food for not a lot of money.  And because it wasn't pizza...again.

Let's face it; we like the sweetness of the sauces because the corn syrup hits our blood stream and shoots right to our brains.  And the MSG heightens all of the flavors in much the same manner so we just want to eat everything on the table in a crazy hurry because it just tastes so darn good.  At least, that was the problem for me.  I'm sure there are more issues with ingredients (not the least of which are quality and origin), but those two seem to be the triggers for me.

So, in an effort to try to avoid all of those nasties, I've been trying for years to reproduce the dishes we like best at home.  But it's hard to compete with those ingredients.  And I'm not Chinese, so I have no family recipes handed down to me to help me understand how this cuisine is created (and I doubt they'd taste the same as the American Chinese food, anyway).  Yes, I can follow a cookbook recipe, but they just don't compare to the Chinese restaurant versions of the same dishes.  What's an Irish-German-Swedish-French-American gal supposed to do?

Trial and error.  Lots of trial and error.  A bunch of sog and a bit of crunch, all with crappy sauces.

But finally, finally I was able to create a Broccoli with Garlic Sauce (my personal favorite) that my whole family loves.  And guess what - they like it better than the Chinese joint's Broccoli with Garlic Sauce!  And I do, too; it has a ton of flavor, and I feel good about all of the ingredients.  Win!

With regards to the recipe, you can choose to saute the garlic with the vegetables if you'd like, but I like it best in the sauce because it tends to burn for me otherwise.  The place from where we used to like to order uses mushrooms, water chestnuts, and celery in theirs, so if you like those things, go ahead and add them if you'd like (I don't); if you keep the total combined additions to equal about one cup, you won't need extra sauce. To make the sauce, I like to put everything into a large measuring cup.  After adding the broth, each liquid addition raises the next level by how much you put into the cup, so there is no need to measure again (just be sure to add the garlic and ginger last).  Also, it's easy to prep the veggies and the sauce ahead of time and store it separately in the fridge until you're ready to use it, which makes for a super fast and easy dinner (aside from the time it takes to make the rice).


Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
serves 4

• 1 1/2 c vegetable broth
• 1/4 c organic tamari (soy sauce)
• 1/4 c raw honey
• 1 head garlic (about 10-14 cloves), peeled and minced
• 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (depending upon how hot you prefer)
• 1 1/2 Tbs non-GMO cornstarch, such as Rumford
• 4c broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 c red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks 
• 1 c pea pods or asparagus, seasonal (cut asparagus into 2-inch chunks)
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 4-5 green onions, sliced into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1-3 Tbs quality canola oil, or other quality high-heat oil of your choice
• 2 cups hot cooked brown rice 
• 4-6 Tbs chopped peanuts, optional

In a large measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the broth, tamari, honey, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and cornstarch.  Set aside.

Combine the broccoli, bell pepper, pea pods or asaparagus, carrot and green onions in a large bowl.

Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Pour 1 Tbs oil into wok or skillet, then quickly begin to saute the vegetables in batches for about 2-3 minutes, adding 1 Tbs more oil for each new batch.

Replace all the vegetables to the wok or pan.  Stir the broth mixture well and pour it over the vegetables.  Stir to incorporate and simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes or until sauce thickens and vegetables are just tender.

Serve over hot cooked brown rice. Top with chopped peanuts, if desired.

This recipe has been shared on the Recipe Lion Favorite Spring Recipes Blog Hop!