Audrey and Jon | Travel. Food. Life. Love.

Irish Pub Salad

Posted Sun, 05/08/2022 - 13:32 by Audrey

Every year during the week of St Patrick's day, we do an Irish week. And every year I make some sort of pub salad. Here's a picture and a notional recipe of what I make.

Mixed greens and cherry tomatoes, dressed with oil and vinegar
Picked things like onions, beets, cabbage, cornichons, or whatever you particularly like/have
Baked fingerling potatoes
Boiled green beans
Pieces of cheddar cheese
Hard boiled egg
Dill/tarragon sauce (I usually just buy something interesting from the store)

Serve composed on a plate

Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

One Pot Chicken, Rice, and Beans

Posted Sun, 05/08/2022 - 13:26 by Audrey

This New York Times recipe is good for a dinner party. It easily serves 4-6 and spends 40 minutes unperturbed in the oven, making it something that can cook during cocktails and chit chat. We made just a few tweaks to the original recipe.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Lemon Chicken Breasts

Posted Sat, 02/12/2022 - 21:46 by Audrey

This New York Times cooking recipe was very easy (as promised), and seems easily adaptable. Want SW flavors? Replace herbs with peppers and lemons with limes. Looking for Levantine? Try oranges, cloves, and cinnamon! (Disclaimer: we used fresh herbs; I'm not sure which dried spices would be okay if you decide to mix it up.)

3-4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)
½ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds discarded

Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Smashed Tempeh with Sambal

Posted Sat, 01/22/2022 - 20:58 by Audrey

I was intrigued by New York Times recipe, and honestly wasn't sure we were going to like it. But it turned out well, and we would make it again.

FOR THE TEMPEH:
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
16 ounces/455 grams tempeh, cut into ¼-inch-by-2½-inch slices
¼ cup canola oil, plus more as needed

FOR THE SAMBAL:
¼ cup canola oil
4 medium tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
7 medium shallots, peeled and sliced

Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup

Posted Sat, 12/18/2021 - 15:00 by Audrey

You know, I wasn't sure what cuisine this Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, courtesy of Bon Appetit was going to be. I assumed Levantine purely because it was an Ottolength recipe, but the combination of coconut milk, curry powder, and lime should have tipped me off to the final delicious bowl being somewhere closer to Southeast Asia than Eurasia.

In any case, I really loved this soup and would make it again and again as a filling yet relatively healthy meal.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Poke Bowl

Posted Sun, 10/31/2021 - 14:48 by Audrey

The free-wheeling cousin of sushi, a good poke bowl can be a make-your-own adventure meal with whatever you have on-hand. The fish can be sauced or un-sauced, depending on your preference. Here are some ideas:

To season your fish, mix together the following to taste:
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Rice vinegar
Ginger
Garlic
Green onion
Sriracha

To make your poke bowl, compose many or few of the following together in a bowl:
Sushi rice flavored with rice vinegar and sugar and/or mirin
Tuna or salmon, seasoned (or not) as above

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Sunomono

Posted Tue, 08/31/2021 - 14:28 by Audrey

A simplified version of this Kitchn recipe, this is a nice accompaniment to sushi and other Japanese meals.

2-3 Persian or mini cucumbers, cut to desired size/shape
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon mirin
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 medium scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Furkiake seasoning (optional)

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

Pineapple-Marinated Chicken

Posted Tue, 08/10/2021 - 20:54 by Audrey

This New York Times recipe uses a really interesting and tasty way to marinade chicken. The original also included a pineapple salsa recipe to accompany the chicken, but I think our pineapple chow recipe is better.

Also, the first time we made this we tripled the recipe. That created challenges in ensuring the chicken didn't marinate for more than 15 minutes, but I didn't think it was a problem.

Your rating: None Average: 3 (1 vote)

Spicy Shrimp Roll

Posted Mon, 08/02/2021 - 19:42 by Audrey

Courtesy of Washington Post.

Serves 4

2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise, or more as desired
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 tablespoons horseradish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce
1 pound medium shrimp, boiled, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped (see NOTE)