I got the idea to make Asian Style Vegetables. I thought they’d be healthier with the sauce on the side. That way I don’t use as much sauce. That means less fat, sugar and salt. The vegetables are very easy to prepare. Just set your oven to 500 degrees F. Spread out a single layer of the same kind of vegetable on a baking sheet spray with neutral or peanut oil. Most vegetables go on the middle rack. Depending on the vegetable and size of cut they usually take either 10 or 20 minutes. Vegetables I used were cauliflower, shishito peppers, celery, shallot and a red bell pepper. You can use whatever vegetables you like.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 Tablespoon shaohsing wine

1 garlic clove – ground to paste

1 teaspoons sesame oil

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon black vinegar

3 Tablespoons sesame paste

1 Tablespoon (heaping) smooth natural peanut butter

1 Tablespoon hoisen sauce

1/2 teaspoon granulated ginger (you can substitute about an inch of fresh grated ginger……I didn’t have)

1 Tablespoon chili paste (or to taste..the different brands taste different)

2 Tablespoons honey

pinch allspice

pinch ground star anise

hot pepper flakes to taste

neutral or peanut oil I think I used around a quarter cup of oil (for spraying vegetables)

cauliflower – cut in florets

3 shallots – cut in slices

8 oz shishito peppers – trim off stems

4 stalks celery – cut on diagonal around one inch pieces

1 red bell pepper cut in strips

2 Tablespoons scallions – for finishing

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds – for finishing

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro – for finishing

sea salt – to taste

ground black pepper – to taste

Directions

Set oven to 500 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl mix together the shaohsing wine, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame paste, black vinegar, hoisin, ginger, chili paste, honey, peanut butter, allspice, star anise, and hot pepper flakes. Set to the side and use when ready.

Each kind of vegetable that you are using gets done at a different time. but they all get sprayed with oil and go on their own baking sheet. Your results might differ from mine.

Cauliflower I put in the middle racks. Mine took 20 minutes. Celery took close to 20 minutes to but I cooked my celery on the low rack.

My shishitos, bell peppers and shallots got done pretty fast. Around ten minutes at 500 degrees F. I cooked them on my lower rack of the oven.

Season vegetables with fresh crushed sea salt and ground black pepper.

Serve with sauce and finish with scallions, sesame seeds and cilantro.

Enjoy! It’s healthy and Delicious!

There are all kinds of salsa verde recipes out there. The Mexican Style Salsa Verde made with tomatillos is very popular. Other salsa verde recipes are basically herb sauces. My favorite salsa verde recipe that I’ve come across is the chef Richard Blais recipe for salsa verde. I’ve discovered that now I’m making salsa verde semi regularly. It’s so delicious and goes so well with just about any protein. The other reason why I’m making it so often is because it’s a great delicious way to use up your fresh herbs so they don’t go to waste.

Below is a picture of what I put in my no measure salsa verde.

In the orange colander is all my leftover tarragon, lots of parsley leaves, scallions and a little cilantro. (tarragon is really delicious in salsa verde………)

You need a chopped up hot green or yellow pepper ….I like using my own pickled hot peppers (the pickled adds something and it helps make the sauce stay fresh.

You need something sweet I used honey because it is a preservative.

You need fresh squeezed lemon.

You need olive oil

capers are very good in salsa verde.

Depending one how it taste you might need salt.

Maybe you might use a small amount of water to thin the sauce.

It comes out amazing all the time. You can play around with the sauce. Maybe add something like almonds for a different taste. Richard Blais uses golden raisins for sweetness and also uses anchovies for depth and salt flavor.

This taste amazing on most proteins.

Enjoy!

Safeway has had some pretty good buys on chicken breast recently so I’ve been busy making lots of different dishes with chicken breast. Today I played around with a Mexican tasting marinade for chicken breast. WOW DID IT COME OUT FORKING GREAT! It is NOT a traditional Mexican marinade but the flavors swing that way. I then pan seared the breast and they were full of juice and flavors. The outside I forgot to write down exactly what I put in my dusting mix but it was a LIGHT DUSTING of masa flour (VERY LIGHT) that was mixed with salt, pepper and Emerils’ recipe for Bam (a cajun seasoning) I just pan seared the chicken in a regular fry pan that I sprayed with non stick canola oil.

recipe for up to 2 pound of skinless boneless chicken breast

2 pounds chicken breast – skinless, boneless, pounded some, butterflied and cut in reasonable sizes – room temperature

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large garlic cloves – ground to paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground annatto

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (I buy at Sprouts)

non stick spray

Directions

In a gallon ziplock bag add everything but the chicken first and squish the bag so the liquid is mixed. Then add the chicken and squish it around till the chicken looks all coated. Leave this sit on the counter and squish it around a few times during the hour.

Get your fry pan on medium high heat with non stick spray.

Take maybe a 1/3 of the chicken from the bag and blot them off with paper towels. Season the chicken on both sides LIGHTLY with a seasoned masa flour dust.

Timing will differ but put the chicken in the pan and don’t crowd it too much. Cook the chicken till it looks half way cooked on one side and then flip the chicken over to finish the other side. Timing will differ but with my stovetop and my pan mine took around 5 minutes on one side and around 4 minutes on the other side.

Place either on a cooling rack with a liner or a pan that is lined with paper towels.

Repeat till alll the chicken is cooked.

Serve with fresh cilantro, lime, pickled onions and other vegetables.

Everyone will love this!

I got these lobster mushrooms so I knew that I had to do something special with them. Lobster mushrooms are different from other mushrooms and do have a faint seafood taste. I thought seafood and that is how I came up with Old Bay Beer Batter and Caper Sauce. They came out delicious but I made about twice as much batter as I needed so I also battered onion rings and a couple small heirloom tomatoes. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. For us this made 8 small servings. I used almost a half a pound of lobster mushrooms and one large onion. (I am guessing around a total of 8 servings) I do note that reheated servings did become crisp again when reheated in the oven.

Ingredients for around 8 servings

canola or vegetable oil to fry with (about thumbs length in pot)

1 can beer (I used almost the whole can….the amount of liquid will differ slightly depending on the flour you use)

1 cup flour

1 egg – beaten

1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning – plus extra to dust afterwards

1/2 lb lobster mushrooms cut in strips

1 large onion – thick slices for rings

6 anchovies

1 Tablespoon anchovy oil from can or bottle

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 garlic clove – ground to paste

1 teaspoon capers

1/4 cup parsley leaves

Directions

Make sauce. Blend together the anchovies, oils, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Set to the side.

Line a pan or two with paper towels for your fried food.

Get your sauce pot for frying. Fill about a thumbs length with oil. Set it on medium high. Once hot turn down around medium. When oil is ready make the batter. In a big bowl add the flour and old bay seasoning. then add beer and egg and mix well. Do a sample piece first before you fry all of them so you can adjust the flour and beer ratio. It will be very hot so be careful. When you are happy with it drop some mushrooms into the batter and coat them. Shake off excess batter and BE CAREFUL. Use tongs to drop them in the oil. They get done really fast but need to be turned over to brown on both sides. Do the same with the onion rings. Dust lightly with more Old Bay Seasoning. Serve.

Everyone will love this.