Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

 Sometimes I want some kind of green vegetable to serve with an Asian meal that's mostly meat and rice. These cucumbers are spicy, crunchy and delicious. They should be made ahead of time to allow them to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

4 Persian cucumbers (or 1 large English cucumber)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon harissa (the original recipe calls for sambal oelek, but I used harissa from Trader Joe's)

Directions:

1. Cut ends off cucumbers and then cut into bite-sized rectangular strips. Toss cucumbers with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to let liquid drain off. Rinse cucumbers in strainer to remove excess salt.

2. Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and harissa. Add more sugar, vinegar, or harissa, to taste. Add cucumbers and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight. Serve chilled.

Source: adapted from tablefortwoblog.com

Asian Sesame Zoodle Salad

 Sometimes the best dinners come from throwing leftovers together.  (And sometimes those concoctions are terrible.)  This was a good one.  Adding leftover zucchini noodles (zoodles) turned a good salad into a great one. I tried adding Asian-flavored ground meat to this salad one time and didn't like it as much.  I prefer to leave this one meatless.

Asian Sesame Zoodle Salad

Makes 2 large (main dish-size) servings

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large or 2 small zucchini, made into zoodles with a spiralizer

1 head romaine

2 Persian cucumbers (or 1/2 of a large English cucumber)

1 red pepper

1/2 cup shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Creamy Asian sesame dressing (I use Kewpie brand Creamy Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing and Marinade bought from Costco)

Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet.  Saute zoodles until tender, but still slightly crisp. Allow to cool while preparing other ingredients.

2. Wash and dry romaine, cucumbers and red pepper and chop into bite-sized pieces.  Add to a mixing bowl.  Top with zoodles, edamame and hard-boiled eggs.  Toss salad with Creamy Asian Sesame Dressing. If desired, top with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning (from Trader Joe's)

Source: inspired by my friend, Seiko, and a reel from Caro Chambers's Instagram account

Asparagus, chickpea and pistachio salad

 A friend made this salad for a baby shower and it's so delicious!  The pistachios really make it great, but the feta, peas, crispy chickpeas and bright lemon dressing add so much too.  I wasn't sure if I would love the radishes when I made this at home, so I tried some with strawberries instead.  It turns out I like it with radishes best.  They add a great crunch and are just a little zesty.  This salad is perfect for spring.

Asparagus, chickpea and pistachio salad

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

A few handfuls of mixed greens

3 radishes, thinly sliced

1 avocado, pitted and diced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup toasted, salted pistachios

For the dressing:

1/4 cup fresh basil or a mix of basil and mint

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as desired

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment, if desired.  It's also fine to roast these right on the pan.  

2. Drizzle pan with olive oil and toss the chickpeas in the oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.  Cool.

3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Prepare a bowl of ice water.  Blanch the asparagus for 60 seconds in the boiling water, then use a slotted spoon to transfer asparagus to the ice water.  After asparagus has cooled, move to a paper-towel to dry.

4. Mix all salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine (or whisk together vigorously in a bowl).

5. Put asparagus in a bowl and pour some of the dressing in.  Toss to coat the asparagus.

6. To assemble salad, place spring greens in a bowl or on a platter.  Add peas, asparagus, radishes, and avocado and chickpeas.  Pour remaining dressing on top.  Top with feta cheese and pistachios.

Source: adapted from www.loveandlemons.com

German Chocolate Cake

 

This cake has been a long-standing birthday tradition for my husband.  Just try not to overbake it, because it will dry out the cake a bit.

German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 (4 oz) bar Baker's Sweet German Chocolate bar

1/2 cup water

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

3/4 cup sugar

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 3 8-inch cake pans with parchment on the bottom.  Spray sides of pans and parchment with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Break chocolate bar into pieces and place in a small bowl with the water.  Microwave until melted, pausing the microwave to stir every 20-30 seconds.  Set aside to cool.

3. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Beat in egg yolks.  Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla. 

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating with electric mixer until just combined.

6. Clean and dry beaters and beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Folk into cake batter.

7. Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.  Cool 15 minutes in pans, then turn onto rack to cool.

For the frosting:

1. Combine evaporated milk, sugar, slightly beaten egg yolks, butter and vanilla in saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.  Remove from heat.

2. Stir in shredded coconut and pecans.  Cool until thick enough to spread.

To assemble:

Spread frosting in between cake layers as you stack them.  Spread remaining frosting on top of cake.

Source: adapted from www.food.com (I think the recipe on food.com is also the same as the one that is sometimes printed on the box of the chocolate bar.)  The only big change I made was to decrease the sugar in the frosting.

Butter Naan

 This naan is soft, chewy, and delicious, especially when brushed with melted butter.  

Naan

Makes 16 medium naan

Ingredients:

4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup warm water

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon minced cilantro, optional

Directions:

1. Combine flour, yeast, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a stand mixer and mix on low speed to combine.

2. Add buttermilk and water.  Knead with a dough hook.  The dough will be quite sticky, but needs to be dry enough to be formed into balls.  After 4-5 minutes, with water or a little oil on your hands, take out a piece of dough and see if you can form it into a ball.  Add more flour as necessary so you can form the dough into balls.  Knead for a total of about 7-8 minutes.  

3. Put a piece of parchment paper on the counter and spray with nonstick spray.  Turn dough out onto parchment and cut into 16 pieces, using a bench scraper.  (Again, it can help to dampen your hands with water or spray them with a little oil.)  Roll each dough piece into a ball and cover them with plastic wrap.  Let rise for 1 hour.

4. After dough has risen, spray countertop with nonstick spray and press into a thin naan shape.  (I do this in batches while starting to cook.)  Allow dough to rest for about 10 minutes in the stretched out shape before cooking.

5. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  You'll know the pan is ready if you flick a little water in it and the water immediately sizzles and evaporates.  Add one naan to the pan and cook for 30-60 seconds.  Once the bottom has some nice brown spots, flip and cook for another 30 seconds or so until it doesn't look doughy anymore and both sides have brown spots.  

6. Transfer to a kitchen towel and brush top of naan with melted butter.  Sprinkle with minced cilantro, if desired.  Keep naan wrapped up in towel until serving.

Source: adapted slightly from www.foodess.com

Baked Chicken Shawarma {Taim Copycat}

The combination of sweet and savory flavors in this chicken remind me of the chicken shawarma at Taim restaurant, a casual, quick place that recently opened a location in our area.  You can use the chicken in a bowl, wrap, or eat it by itself with some salad on the side.  This recipe requires time to marinate (at least 2 hours or up to overnight).

Baked Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients:

2.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (this would probably work with chicken breasts too)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, as desired

2 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tablespoon thyme

1.5 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 of a large red onion, thinly sliced

Serving suggestion for a Chicken Shawarma Bowl:

Spring greens

Cilantro lime rice

Diced cucumber

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beets (You can roast veggies on the bottom rack while the chicken cooks on a middle rack.

Hummus

Lemon vinaigrette

Crushed pita chips

Directions:

1. Trim excess fat off the chicken thighs, as desired.  Put chicken in a large glass bowl. Pour olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Add yogurt and lemon juice.

2. Mix all the spices together in a small bowl.  Pour over chicken.  Mix well.  (I find it's just easiest to use my hands to mix.)  Add red onion slices and mix those in.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least two hours, or up to overnight.  

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Take chicken out of fridge to start coming to room temperature.  Coat the bottom of a metal baking sheet with nonstick spray or a small amount of olive oil.  Put chicken and onion mixture on pan in an even layer.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the thickest part of chicken is 165 degrees.

5.  Allow chicken to rest for about 10 minutes, then slice thinly to use in wraps, bowls, etc.

Source: adapted from the Instagram account shredhappens

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake

This would be a great cake to bring when you need a dessert to share.  It really doesn't need ice cream because of the peanut butter whipped cream on top.  The drizzle that gets poured into the holes poked in the cake is so tasty.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake

Makes 1-9x13 pan

Ingredients:

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (88.5 g) cocoa powder

2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda

3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder

1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

3 eggs, room temperature

1 cup (240 g ) buttermilk, room temperature

1/2 cup (109 g) canola oil

1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract

1 cup (237 g) boiling (or very hot) water

For the peanut butter glaze:

1 cup (250 g) smooth peanut butter

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup (120 g) 2-percent or whole milk

For the peanut butter whipped cream:

1/2 cup (140 g) smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 cups (360 g) heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

Chocolate chips or chocolate bar, chopped

Roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a metal 9x13 pan with parchment paper.  Spray lightly with nonstick spray.  

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

3. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.  

4. Add wet ingredients to dry.  Whisk until combined.  Add boiling water.  Whisk until well combined.  Pour into prepared pan. 

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Cool completely. 

For the glaze:

6. In a small mixing bowl, beat 1 cup peanut butter to soften it.  Add the sweetened condensed milk and milk.  Beat until smooth.  

For the whipped cream topping:

7. In a small bowl, beat 1/2 cup peanut butter to soften it.  

8. In a large bowl, beat heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Fold in the peanut butter.

To assemble:

9. Poke holes in cooled cake with the end of a wooden spoon.  (Do lots of holes!)  Pour glaze over cake, spreading it well to make sure it fills all the holes.  Spread peanut butter topping on top.  Garnish with chopped chocolate and peanuts, as desired.

This cake keeps well, covered in the refrigerator overnight.  

Source: adapted from www.cakebycourtney.com