Peanut-chicken stir -fry

I am always looking for something new and different and this recipe from the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated fits the bill. My kids really liked this meal, a peanut chicken stir-fry served over fried noodles. My son told me over and over again how good it was. Even my two younger ones ate more than usual. They were a little suspicious of the noodle cake, but loved the stir fry.

Fresh and crunchy celery, apple and pecan salad with lemon Walnut dressing

Today I made the effort to make myself this beautiful lunch. It just made me feel so good to eat something this fresh and healthy. The ham and egg wrap is very basic, just deli fresh ham and scrambled eggs with cilantro (Coriander) and diced tomatoes rolled up in your favorite wrap. It is delicious! The highlight, however, was this celery, apple and pecan salad. It is super crunchy and the dressing is very light and perfectly sweetened. I ate in peace and quiet before picking up my daughter from preschool. I savored every bite. It was a lovely little me-time. So take some time, just for you, and enjoy!

Note! I am giving you the full size salad recipe enough for 4-6 people, but make only as much as you need. I saved the leftover dressing in my fridge for another salad. If you can't find Walnut oil, use regular olive oil.

Celery, Apple and Pecan salad

with lemon walnut dressing

8 stalks of celery, leaves removed

1 cup toasted pecan halves, chopped

1 cup thinly sliced, chopped or diced Granny Smith apple

Shavings of fresh Parmesan or Manchego

Dressing:

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

2 tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons walnut oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon honey

Cut 3-inch long pieces of celery into thinly julienned strips or whatever shape you prefer. In a mixing bowl, combine the salad ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, then toss with the salad. Sprinkle with cheese shavings.

Recipe adapted from Experience Life magazine, April 2011

Ina Garten's buttermilk cheddar biscuits

Ina Garten's cookbooks are my latest favorites. They are visually very beautiful and the recipes are very simple and so far have turned out really good. These buttermilk biscuits looked so great I just had to try them! These are actually the first biscuits I have ever made and I loved them! They turned out nice and flaky and very moist. No butter needed! I will definitely make these again. They were great with the White bean soup.

Buttermilk cheddar biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and handling dough

1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

12 T (1 1/2 stick /170 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken

1 cold extra-large egg

1 cup grated extra-sharp white Cheddar (any cheddar will work)

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk

Coarse sea salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place 2 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small glass measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the cheddar with a small handful of flour, and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

Empty out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about six times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 5x10 inches. With a sharp, floured knife, cut th dough lenghtwise in half and then across in quarters, making 8 rough rectangles. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchement paper. Brush the top with the egg wash, sprinkle with additional cheese and sea salt. and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are browned and the bicuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa, Back to basics.

Chicken and White Bean Soup

Soup season is not winding down here. Just before the weekend we had a typical spring blizzard here in Minnesota. Much of the snow that had melted has now been replenished. If this was in the beginning of December I would have thought it was beautiful, and cozy to stay inside, but at this point it was just depressing. I want spring! On the positive side it was the perfect weather for soup, and the Chicken and White Bean Soup featured in the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine looked very delicious and was the perfect comfort food while we wait for warmer days. I made a recipe and a half to accomodate for my family of six. That made for a slightly thicker soup and it was lighter in color than the picture in the magazine. But it was still a delicious soup that we all enjoyed, especially my husband who loves the darker meat of the chicken. I served Buttermilk cheddar biscuits along side (recipe to come).

Chicken and White Bean soup

2 smoked bacon slices, chopped
12 ounzes skinless, boneless chicken thighs,

trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup chopped plum tomato

2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups water

2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoonchopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook bacon in a large sauce pan over medium heat until crisp (8-10 minutes).Remove from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set bacon aside.
Add chicken to drippings in pan; saute 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add tomato, oregano and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return bacon and chicken to pan. Stir in 2 cups water and broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Add orzo, and cook for 9 minutes or until al dente. Add beans; cook 2 minutes or until heated. Remove from heeat, stir in parsley, vinegar and salt.

Serves 4

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, April 2011

Beautiful strawberry banana cream birthday cake

Today was my oldest daughter Vilde's birthday. She turned 13! That makes for 2 teenagers in our house, with two more to come. Vilde really likes baking and took an active part in designing this cake. She gave me specifics about what she wanted in it and together we decided on how to put it all together. Wow !! It turned out beautiful and incredibly delicious! This is probably the prettiest cake I have ever made.

Sugar snap peas with Toasted sesame seeds

I served these with my chicken satay. They turned out perfectly crisp-tender and were so flavorful. And they come together in a snap!!

Sauteed sugar snap peas with toasted sesame seeds
1 pound (1/2 kg) sugar snap peas, stringed
2 t vegetable oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds (see below)

Perfect color!

1 t sesame oil

Toasting the raw sesame seeds: In a medium, dry skillet, toast over medium- low heat until golden, about 3-4  minutes, shaking pan a few times, remove from heat immediately.

In a large skillet, saute sugar snap peas in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium heat until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Toss with the toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil.

Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt.

Gorgeous!

Recipe by, For the love of dinner, 2011

Coconut rice

This rice was perfect with the chicken satay and the sauteed sugar snap peas. Making coconut rice isn't much different from making your usual plain rice. All it entails is to substitute some of the water for light coconut milk. Just for fun I toasted some coconut as a garnish on top.

Coconut rice
2 cups long-grain rice (I used Basmati)
1 can (14 oz/about 4 1/2 dl) light coconut milk (Shake well!)
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
2  T cilantro, roughly chopped

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, let water, coconut milk and cinnamon stick come to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick. Fold in the cilantro.

Recipe by, For the love of dinner, 2011