Recipe: Stir-fried cabbage with garlic, dried cranberries and balsamic vinegar

• 3 cups or so of roughly cut up cabbage leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 2 Tbs. dried cranberries
• 1-2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• Salt and plenty of black pepper

Heat a wok or large frying pan with the oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, and let it fry until barely brown. Scoop out the garlic slices and set aside; return the oil to the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high.

Add the cabbage to the pan, with a little salt (which helps the cabbage to soften a bit faster since it draws out moisture). Toss and stir fry until a bit limp but still crispy - about 4-5 minutes.

Add the cranberries, and the balsamic vinegar (the more you add, the more sourness there will be, but even 2 tablespoons is not overwhelming).

Re-add the reserved garlic. Season with a bit more salt - make it just a bit salty, since when it cools down the salty flavor will become a bit muted. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Let cool before putting into a bento box.

This will last in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, well covered. It’s good hot too so you could make it for dinner and leave some for your bento the next day.

Variations

• Use raisins instead of the dried cranberries.
• Add some finely diced chorizo sausage, peperoni or salami to the oil before adding the oil. The chorizo will flavor the whole dish. You can omit the cranberries in this case if you like

From Just Bento.

Bok Choy & Mushrooms

Saute some garlic in a little oil.
Add cut up bok choy (both white and green parts)
Add mushrooms.
Stir fry a bit.
Add 1/3 cup of chicken stock (or more or less) and then an equal amount (roughly) of soy sauce.
Cook for a few minutes.

I loved it!

Salad for Citrus Lovers

Ingredients

For salad:

• Mache lettuce

Any of the following:

• kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped
• orange, tangerine, or clementine sections
  
• blood oranges are my favorite
  
• pomegranite seeds
  

For dressing:

• Grapefruit or orange vinegar
• a little OJ
• sugar or other sweetener to taste

Notes:

• If you want to work vegetables into this, I'd marinate some chopped carrots or red peppers overnight in the dressing.
  

• No oil needed.
  

Name This Dish

Ingredients:

• TJ's Harvest Grains Blend (or any mix of couscous, orzo, quinoa, rice, etc)
• chicken stock
• walnut oil
• shallots (optional)
• mushrooms (any kind will do - white buttons, baby bellas, shitaki, a mix, dried, fresh....)
• nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the grains in the chicken stock as directed on the package. I add an extra 1/4 cup of stock.
2. Chop the shallots and mince the mushrooms very small. (Or not. Either way.)
3. Saute the shallots in the walnut oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms give off liquid and then another 5 minutes until the liquid reduces. Add more walnut oil if you feel like it.
4. Mix the mushroom and grains and add a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle with nuts if you want.

Really good reheated, by the way.

Sort of Sushi

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of sushi rice
1/2 sesame seeds (I mix black and white and will send you some - they're cheap in chinatown)
1/3 cup of seasoned rice vinegar (Asian food section of the supermarket)
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
wasabi paste or powder (to taste - it's hot, a little goes a long way - Asian section of the supermarket)
ripe avocado, cucumber, carrots
pickled ginger (optional)

Directions:

Cook rice. (Get a rice cooker at Target!)

While rice is cooking...

• add the salt and sugar to vinegar - heat it in the microwave and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve
• prepare vegetables - slice avocado and cucumbers, shred carrots
• get a cold cup of water

When the rice is done:

• stir gently with a spoon or spatula you've dipped in the cold water. (Dip periodically to avoid sticking)
• add vinegar and stir to incorporate
• stir in sesame seeds
  

Assemble in individual serving dishes.

• a layer of rice
• a layer of wasabi (you may want to thin with water to make spreading easier)
• arrange vegetables on the wasabi
• finish with a layer of rice.
  

Eat right away with soy sauce and some pickled ginger for garnish.

If you want to save, wet a piece of plastic wrap slightly and cover. It seems to keep nicely for a few days this way.

Confession: I really don't bother with the other vegs, this is just a way to eat avocado around here. Today I was running out of rice, but had one avo threatening to go overripe, so I had 3 parts avocado to 1 part rice. MMMMMmmmmmm.

Also, really good with edamame beans on the side.

Green Pepper Salad Thing

Serve with bluefish or steak, or use to top pizzas. Add the peppers to salads or serve with fresh ricotta on French bread toasts.

3 tablespoons blanched sliced almonds

¼ cup olive oil

1 pound mixed hot and sweet green or purple peppers, cut into very thin rounds, seeds included

Salt and black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons golden raisins

1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

1. In a large dry skillet, toast the almonds over medium-high heat, shaking the pan constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the almonds are golden. Transfer the almonds to a bowl.

2. Wipe the pan and place it over high heat. Add the oil. When it is hot, add half the peppers and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Add black pepper. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers to a bowl.

3. Cook the remaining peppers with the raisins and salt in the same way. Transfer the mixture, including the oil in the skillet, to the bowl of peppers. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper, if you like.

4. Stir the vinegar into the pan and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Immediately pour over the peppers and toss gently. Cool slightly and fold in the almonds.

Chicken and Arugula with Penne Pasta

from Sue

• 3 12-ounce bags cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 2 cups shredded roasted chicken breasts without skin
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 6 cups arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

preparation

Preheat oven to 475°F. Mix cherry tomatoes, oil,

garlic, and crushed red pepper on rimmed baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes are

soft and beginning to brown in spots, stirring

occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer tomato

mixture, including any juices, from sheet to large

skillet. Add chicken to skillet and simmer until

heated through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted

water until just tender but still firm to bite,

stirring occasionally. Ladle out 1/4 cup pasta cooking

water and reserve. Drain pasta; return to pot.

Add tomato mixture, arugula, and reserved 1/4 cup

pasta cooking water to pasta; toss over medium heat

just until arugula begins to wilt, about 30 seconds.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta

to bowl. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.