Stir-Fried Pork and Leeks

Last night was a blast at The Portland Kitchen's graduation dinner, I was so inspired and impressed by this cohort.  It was full of speeches, award giving, and tons of amazing food that the students cooked for us all.  They made a white bean & radish salad, a fresh herb potato salad, a roasted spring vegetable salad, and a whole roasted pig with a cherry chipotle bbq sauce and a Carolina mustard sauce (pictured below).  And let's not forget about dessert, we had strawberry shortcake with Hood River strawberries.  The food was phenomenal and I was so stuffed by the end.  As it is hard to watch all the students move on it is still exciting to know that they are applying their skills in life and have a new found love for healthy food.  Now we are welcoming in two summer cohorts and it sure will be a busy summer!  I adapted this dish several weeks back and while it doesn't look like anything special it is easy and delicious!  And in another attempt to cooking seasonally leeks are still in season but not for long!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons tamari
2 teaspoons Chinese chile-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound pork chop, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
Steamed white rice, for serving


The Process
1.  In a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth with the tamari, chile-garlic sauce and cornstarch. In another bowl, toss the pork with the sesame oil.

2.  In a large skillet, heat the canola oil until nearly smoking. Add the pork and stir-fry over high heat until lightly charred in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the leeks and stir-fry until tender and lightly browned in spots, 5 to 6 minutes.

3.  Stir the sauce, add it to the pan and cook, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, until thickened, about 1 minute longer. Serve right away with rice.

Lentil Soup with Seared Artichoke Hearts and Goat Cheese

Well it has been mostly raining for the last 24 hours in Portland and while it is dreary I will say I kind of like it right now.  This is probably because I have either been working or cuddled up in my comfy warm home.  So last Friday as I mentioned in the last post we went to the restaurant Yuzu for my fiance's birthday dinner and it was absolutely delicious!  We started with Gyoza and Gyu Wafu Steak and both were very delicious, the steak was buttery tasting and tender. Then I ordered the Cya Syu Men Ramen with the soy sauce broth and I was very pleased. The soup was so good I ate the entire bowl in one sitting which is not something I am usually capable of. This is a legit ramen restaurant that I definitely recommend checking out.  How is everybody's Tuesday going?  I am always just so happy that it isn't Monday anymore plus I have a fun meeting with The Portland Kitchen tonight.  While I still do community outreach and grant research for them we are forming a real marketing team that I have been invited to be on so tonight is our first official meeting.  I love volunteering for such an amazing non-profit, it is so encouraging and inspirational.  Let's talk food.  I adapted this recipe on a cold rainy night so perhaps you should tonight.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
1/2 yellow onion
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
Olive oil
1 cup lentils
1/2 tbsp Cumin
1 qt vegetable broth
1 Bay Leaf
1 whole sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups artichoke hearts, steamed
Goat cheese crumbles, garnish (optional)


The Process
1.  Set a large, dry dutch oven over medium heat and drop in the Garlic cloves with their peels still on. Let them toast for a few minutes on each side, until the skins are browned and fragrant, and set aside.

2.  Roughly chop the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the olive oil to the dutch oven and saute until browned and tender.   Peel and smash up the garlic and add it back to the pot, along with the lentils and cumin. Cook for a few seconds, until the lentils are nicely coated in oil. Empty the broth into the pot and add the bay leaf and whole sprig of thyme. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and thyme.

3.  With about 10 minutes left of cooking the soup heat up some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  When hot add your steamed artichoke hearts and sear until slightly crisp and browned, about 5 minutes.  Set aside

4.  When soup is done cooking season with salt and pepper.  Serve into 4 bowls and put about 1/2 cup browned artichoke hearts in each bowl.  Garnish each bowl with goat cheese and serve.

Alton Brown's Shepard's Pie

Back to New Orleans, my second day there after a long day of work a group of us decided to venture out and see some more parades.  The parade we were waiting for ended up taking so long to come that most of us decided we needed to seek out some food and my boss had the best idea of going to Yuki Izakaya.  This was a little place with lots of character and luckily there was room enough for our group to eat.  The beef tongue was unreal and so tender which is not how a lot of places serve it. We also had lots and lots of salmon belly which was superb. The seaweed salad tasted super fresh and perfectly seasoned. And lets not forget the delicious tuna (all pictured below).  While we were eating the parade finally caught up with us and we kept running outside to catch glimpses, it was pretty entertaining.  Once we were done with this fabulous meal we again ventured over to Bourbon Street for the newbies to experience.  We also stopped at the oldest bar in New Orleans called Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar.  It was pretty cool inside and very crowded so we only stayed for one drink and then headed back to the hotel for the night.  Last week I adapted this recipe and the friends we had over for dinner loved it.  Perfect meal for a cold night, enjoy!

Serves 8

The Ingredients

For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 ounces butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
3 tablespoons creamy horseradish

For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas


The Process
1.  Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

2.  Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk, Parmesan, and horseradish until well combined.

3.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4.  While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine.

5.  Add the beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

6.  Add the corn and peas to the beef mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Sauerbraten and Kartoffelklösse

How was everyone's Valentine's Day?  Full of love I hope, I know mine sure was.  We got to sleep in,  I woke up to roses and a sweet card, we went on a foggy hike in Forest Park, visited with my parents for a bit, and then we made this German meal.  I hadn't ever made Sauerbraten or Kartoffelklösse (potato dumplings) and so to be honest our meal turned out ok but not fabulous.  The dumplings were the hard part and seemed a little bland to me, plus we didn't deep fry them which is how they were served most often in Germany.  Any way around it we still had lots of fun cooking this meal together, here are the two recipes we used.  Below is a picture of my fiance having fun rolling the dumplings.  Oh and I will get back to the New Orleans stories next post.  Now let's get to the food.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

For the Sauerbraten:

1 boneless beef chuck roast or rump roast (3 pounds)

4 cups water

1 bottle (14 ounces) ketchup

1 large onion, chopped

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices

3 bay leaves

1-1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (about 30 cookies)

Gravy:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water 

For the Kartoffelklösse:

4 slices bread

2 tbsp butter

about 2 lb cooked cold russet potatoes 

about 1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

The Process

1.  Place roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker; add water. In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, onion, brown sugar and vinegar; pour over roast.

2.  Place pickling spices and bay leaves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a bag. Add spice bag and cookie crumbs to slow cooker.

3.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

4.  With about a half hour left for the roast to cook start the dumplings.  Make croutons by cutting bread into cubes.  Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring frequently, until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

5.  Mash the cold potatoes.  Mix into potatoes, 1 cup flour, eggs and salt to make a dough that holds together when formed into dumplings. If the mixture is too moist, add a bit more flour.  Form dumplings, approximately 2 inches in diameter, adding a few croutons to the middle of each dumpling. 

6.  Drop gently into pot of boiling, salted water. Simmer gently, uncovered, about 15 - 20 minutes.

7.  While dumplings are cooking remove roast and keep warm. Discard spice bag. Strain cooking juices; transfer 4 cups to a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast; serve with gravy.  

8.  When dumplings are done remove with slotted spoon and serve immediately.  We also roasted cabbage to go along with this meal.

French Onion Steak Soup

Well here we are in the mid-week slump but at least the rain has finally let up some in PDX, it feels like a breath of fresh air.  It will be nice to get out of town this weekend and maybe away from the rain.  We are headed up to Hood River to visit my grandma, make her a delicious dinner, and relax.  Then on Sunday it is the premiere of the new X-Files which I am beyond excited for as it was one of my favorite shows when I was younger.  I've even invited a group of friends over to watch it and munch on yummy appetizers.  Today is national cheese lover's day so this recipe is perfect for you to make tonight!  And yes I have found yet another french onion style meal to make and trust me you will really enjoy it.  I adapted this recipe and also got so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture.  So the photo credit goes to the original blogger Christie, and I made this gluten free so I didn't use any bread.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 lb. steak
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 cup Belgian brown ale
1 cup beef broth
1 cup beef consomme
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp. kosher salt, to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
8 slices of Swiss cheese (two per bowl)


The Process
1.  Trim the steak to remove the fat rind and any visible cartilage. Cut into ½-inch cubes. Toss with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the steak and brown for about 5-6 minutes.

2.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook 2-3 minutes to make a roux.

3.  Add the beer and de-glaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth, beef consomme, thyme, bay leaf and salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. (The longer it cooks, the more tender the steak will be).

4.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Ladle into a ramekin or oven-safe soup dish. Top with two slices of Swiss cheese for each bowl.

5.  Place the bowls on a pan and heat in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts and browns. If you have soup bowls that can withstand 500 degrees, you can place them under the broiler to melt the cheese faster.

Hot and Sour Soup with Pork and Kale

Well as you can guess last weekend was fabulous and we had an amazing time at The Grand Lodge.  Below is a picture of the sake and food pairings we had and it was all super delicious.  I can't believe that Christmas is around the corner I still have quite a few gifts to pick up and I'm hoping that some of the stores still have what I want in stock.  Are you all feeling the holiday craze yet?  Well last weekend we went to Target to do a little gift shopping and holy hell was it crazy, there was a line just to check out that weaved all around the store, no thank you!  The part of the holidays I can't wait for of course is family time...well and the food.  This year we are spending actual Christmas with my fiance's family but then we are coming back to PDX on the 26th and having a Christmas with my family...well my parents at least.  It is hard having both of our families living in two different places but the switching off every other year does help alleviate all the traveling we would have to do.  Onto the food, last night I adapted this recipe and added a little healthy twist to it by adding kale.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
5 cups chicken broth
4 ounces crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch of curly kale, chopped
1 lb. ground pork
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chili sauce, such as sambal oelek or sriracha
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch mixed into 2 tablespoons cold water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 green onions, sliced


The Process
1.  In large pot cook ground pork over medium heat until almost all the pink is gone.

2.  Then add the broth, mushrooms, garlic, kale, ginger, vinegars, chili sauce, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3.  Mix in the cornstarch and water mixture and simmer until the soup thickens a bit, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the eggs in a thin stream while stirring the soup.

4.  Mix in the sesame oil, black pepper and green onions, remove from heat and enjoy!

French Onion Beef Stroganoff

After Germany we spent one night in Zurich, Switzerland.  We took a double decker bus to get there and during the drive I caught a glimpse of the Swiss Alps, they were breathtaking.  When we arrived in Switzerland we were so tired because we had to be up by 4:30 am to catch our bus, but we still managed to adventure around town.  We grabbed some wine and snacks and took off.  We came upon an arboretum that just happened to be on the Zurichsee and there we sat and took in the view (pictured below).  We eventually headed back to our place and decided to go out for dinner.  We found this little Vietnamese spot  and of course I had to get some pho (pictured below) and it was delicious.  Switzerland was a very clean city and the people definitely kept to themselves but all around it was still a fun experience.  Let's talk food, I adapted this recipe last week and instead of using noodles I replaced them with broccoli and it turned out great. Also again you can see my obsession with French Onion anything continues to strengthen.  Enjoy!

Serves 5

The Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 medium onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sprig thyme
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 lbs round steak, cut into chunks
Kosher salt and black pepper
All-purpose flour
¼ cup red wine
1½ cups beef broth
½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cups broccoli, chopped and steamed
⅔ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
4 slices of Swiss cheese



The Process
1.  Melt the butter in a large, high-walled and heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, sprig of thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft and nearly caramelized, about 20 minutes.

2.  Add in the mushrooms (with a little more butter, if necessary), and saute until the mushrooms are soft and slightly browned and the onions have caramelized, about 5 more minutes. Discard the thyme and remove the onions and mushrooms to a bowl.

3.  Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high, and sprinkle the steak with salt, pepper, and flour. Saute until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the steak and set in the bowl with the mushrooms and onions.

4.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add in 1½ cups beef broth and ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and bring to a low simmer. Add back in the steak, mushrooms, and onions and let simmer, covered, until the broth reduces slightly and the steak is cooked, about 8 minutes.

5.  Remove the beef mixture from the heat and add in the ⅔ cup of sour cream, stirring well. Mix in the steamed broccoli.

6.  Top with Swiss cheese. If in a ovenproof pan, put under the broiler until cheese is melted and slightly browned. If not, leave the pan on the burner on medium-low, cover, and heat until cheese melts.

Beef Lok Lak

I have been continuing my accounting training at work and while last week made me want to pull out my hair, this week everything is really starting to make sense which makes me very happy.  It is a field I never thought I would enter but again it is just one more skill that I now have.  Happy Farmers Market week! Make sure and get out to support your favorite farmers market because they have really evolved to meet our needs which is highlighted in this article.  I am pretty excited for this evening because I will be hanging out with one of my good friends and we are going to go sailing with my parents and picnic on the dock.  Let's hope for wind!  I adapted this recipe and it was fabulous, filling and refreshing.  Not my garden tomatoes yet but the Persian cucumbers were courtesy of my wonderful coworker's garden.  Also I don't normally make food with this much sugar but it sure was good, plus most of the sugar is left behind in the marinade.  Enjoy!

Serves 2

The Ingredients

Beef and marinade:
1 lb beef sirloin, cut into bite size chunks
1⁄4 cup tamari
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil

To serve:
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and finely sliced
1⁄2 small red onion, finely sliced
Green cabbage, leaves torn off to use as wrappers

Dipping sauce:
Juice of a lime
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon water


The Process
1.  In a large bowl, mix beef with tamari, oyster sauce, ketchup, sugar, fish sauce, ground black pepper and garlic. Marinate at least 20 minutes or up to one hour.

2.  Make dipping sauce, combine ingredients in a small bowl-set aside.

3.  Decorate two dinner plates with sliced tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Set aside.  Place the cabbage leaves on a separate platter.

4.  Heat oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry beef until cooked about 5-7 minutes.  Divide between the two dinner plates.

5.  You eat it by wrapping portions of the meat and salad ingredients in a cabbage leaf, then dipping that in the dipping sauce.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

The week has just started and it already feels very busy, but busy with fun activities so I can't complain too much.  Our camping trip last weekend was awesome and we didn't get rained out, I even jumped into the freezing river.  Tomorrow night we are headed to our first Hops game ever, they are a local minor league baseball team in Hillsboro.  When I was little we had season tickets to the Portland Rockies and I always had a blast, so this will definitely bring back some memories and we are going with a big group of my family.  Also there is talk of Portland getting a major league baseball team which could be pretty fun too!  If you haven't noticed by now I am kind of obsessed with meatballs, this will officially be my 12th meatball recipe on this blog.  This is very much like my classic Italian meatballs but I added cheese to them and it was delicious.  Enjoy!

Servers 4

The Ingredients

For the meatballs:

½ cup almond flour
1/3 cup grated onion
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lbs. ground beef
2 tsp. olive oil to fry meatballs
2-3 mozzarella string cheese sticks, cut into bite size chunks

For the sauce:

1 jar marinara sauce or you can make your own
1/2 cup whipping cream (optional)
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar


The Process
1.  In a large casserole dish mix together all the sauce ingredients.

2.  Then make the meatballs, combine the almond flour, grated onion, parsley, basil, Parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic and egg.  Stir together with a fork just until blended.  Mix in the ground beef and knead together gently until evenly combined.  Form the mixture into meatballs about 1½-inch in diameter.  Then press your thumb into the ball to create a place to put a chunk of the mozzarella in.  After you insert the cheese roll the ball between both hands to get meat to cover the cheese.

3.  Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer (two batches may be necessary if you don’t have enough surface area.)  Let cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are browned.

4.  Once all of the meatballs are browned, place them in the pan with the tomato sauce. Top with any extra cheese chunks leftover.  Bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes and remove from oven and serve

Mini Portobello Cheeseburgers

Today has been a very intense day at work with 4 hours straight of accounting training.  Our company has so many different transactions that there seems to be "an exception" for every rule there is.  This is why I am taking my lunch and writing my blog so late.  I do have a fun night planned though, I am meeting up with two very lovely librarians to enjoy some amazing beer.  My friend Turner has a brother who lives and brews on the east coast, the brewery is Oxbow.  Turner was lucky enough to convince his brother to ship some of this beer to us on the west coast so we finally get to try the infamous beer.  The other person meeting up with us tonight is the most passionate beer man I have ever met.  He lives and breathes beer and even barters with people around the world to taste different beers.  So to say the least I will be in good hands while we enjoy beers and each other's company at Beermongers.  Are you local to PDX?  Do you like Double Mountain Brewery and/or Lardo?  If you said yes to either you should go to this awesome pop-up event that they are putting on in order to help support The Portland Kitchen (look at flyer below).  Ok let's talk food, these burgers were pretty delicious, I adapted this recipe.  I will say choose what style burger you want before making them, you want fancy or traditional?  The original recipe is my traditional and I went fancy adding grilled onions and drizzling balsamic vinegar.  The thing I would change is that I wish I had made a reduced balsamic vinegar glaze because I was looking for a little more sweetness and didn't want to add ketchup to what I had.  Hope you enjoy!

Serves 2 (filling portions)

The Ingredients
6 medium portobello mushrooms
1/2 lb Ground Beef
2 tsp Worcestershire
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
dash of cayenne
6 small slices sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 cherry tomatoes (I used yellow ones), sliced in half
6 basil leaves
1/4 of an onion, sliced into rings
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar


The Process
1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Remove the stems from your mushrooms and scrap out the gills and put them in a medium bowl.

3.  In the same bowl add the beef, Worcestershire, Parmesan, salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix together until everything is combined.

4.  Stuff the mushrooms with the beef mixture.  Place each mushroom in a baking dish, and place in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

5.  In the mean time heat a skillet up over medium high heat and add olive oil.  When hot add onions and fry on each side until they start to look brown and charred, about 5 minutes each side.

6.  When 10 minutes are up on the burgers take them out and pile sauteed onions on each burger and top each one with a piece of cheese.  Put back in oven for another 10-15 minutes.

7.  While burgers are cooking add more olive oil to the same hot skillet and put all your tomatoes halves cut face down.  Sautee for about 6 minutes, remove from heat and add a splash of balsamic vinegar in the pan so that it somewhat glazed the tomatoes.

8.  When burgers are done remove from oven and top with fresh basil and tomatoes.  This is when I also drizzled a little more balsamic vinegar over the tops of each one. And eat!

Spicy Ginger Beef & Bok Choy

Today is an amazing day in history in achieving marriage equality for our entire nation!  I am overwhelmed with happiness and love and couldn't be more proud of how far our country has come.  Below is a wonderful image that I have seen all over social media.  So it is Friday, we have marriage equality, and I'm headed out on an amazing adventure up the gorge for the weekend!  Tonight we are headed to Hood River, OR to see my grandmother, then tomorrow early afternoon we are going wine tasting at our favorite spot AniChe Cellars, and then we are headed up to Horsethief Lake on the Washington side of the Columbia to go swimming.  Tomorrow it is suppose to get into the hundreds temperature wise so a swimming hole is a must.  Then when we are done swimming we are headed to the Historic Balch Hotel in Dufur, OR.  We went there once 3 years ago and had so much fun that we just had to go back.  It is a ghost town with beautiful fields all around and big blue skies.  Onto the food, I adapted this recipe last week and was pleased with the results.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 Tbs. dry sherry
1 1/2 Tbs. tamari
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. Asian red chile paste, plus more if desired
1 lb. (500 g.) bok choy
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 lb. (500 g.) flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain


The Process
1.  In a small bowl, stir together the sherry, tamari, rice vinegar, honey, and chile paste. Set aside.

2.  Chop up bok choy including stem.

3.  In a wok or a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bok choy and cook, stirring, just until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

4.  Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to pan. When hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the beef to the pan and cook, tossing and stirring, just until no longer pink, about 2 minutes.


5.  Return the bok choy to the pan along with the sherry mixture and cook for 1 minute until heated through. If you like your food extra spicy, top with additional red chile paste.

French Beef Stew with Red Wine

So Noraneko was ok, not as good as Boxer Ramen.  They did have excellent kimchee and kara age.  As for OMSI After Dark...all I have to say is if you don't like crowds don't go, we waited in line for 45 minutes just to get in!  Of course I did end up having fun after I started the cider tasting ;)  As I'm sure many of you know today is the NBA draft and I am sitting here at work waiting very impatiently for 4pm to come around.  The Blazers already lost Nic Batum and I am very afraid we are also going to lose LaMarcus Aldridge.  In other news part of No Kid Hungry put together a great resource: summer is when too many kids are hungry.  You can text FOOD to 877-877 to find free summer meals for kids and teens in your community.  I personally tried it to make sure it worked and I was amazed at how quickly it sent me lots of information, what a great tool.  Also did you know that it is national ceviche month?  Andina is celebrating it and I just might have to get down there and try theirs, I LOVE good ceviche.  This adapted recipe is one I made on our beach trip last weekend and while it is amazingly delicious I found the process to be quite odd.  Serve over garlic mashed potatoes!

Serves 8

The Ingredients
3 lb stew beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (750-ml) bottle Cote du Rhone (I used Shiraz and it was fine)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 orange, washed well and cut into 8 wedges
1 large onion, peeled and cut into rings
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
olive oil
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3 1/2 oz. Kalmata olives


The Process
1.  Season meat with salt and pepper on all sides.  Place meat in a big bowl with wine, thyme, bay leaves, carrots, orange, onion, and garlic.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours, and preferably 24 hours.

2.  Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot.  Remove the meat from the marinade and brown the pieces in the oil on all sides.  Pour the marinade (including the oranges, bay leaves, etc.) over the meat and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.

3.  Lower the heat to a simmer, stir in the tomato paste, and add 4 1/2 c. water.  Cover, and let stew on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

4.  15 minutes before the stew is ready, add the pitted olives.  Let cook for 15 minutes on medium heat without the lid to thicken the stew.

5.  Serve over mashed potatoes.

Paleo Salisbury Steak

Today is my birthday and we have some fun things planned for the evening.  First off we are going to check out Biwa's new sister restaurant called Noraneko, it is a ramen restaurant that is suppose to be stellar.  Then we are headed to OMSI's "after dark" night featuring "seed to cider," which includes cider tasting.  In other news what is everyone doing for the 4th of July weekend?  I'm personally headed to the coast but if I weren't I would probably have to check out the Estacada Timber Festival, looks like it could be entertaining.  Also look at this awesome James Beard Market that is being built in PDX, can't wait!  Onto the food, one day last week I decided I should make Salisbury steak because I've never had it or cooked it.  I adapted this recipe and was a little surprised to say it was better than what people have told me.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

To make patties:
1 lb. ground beef sirloin
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp granulated garlic
large pinch salt or to taste
large pinch ground black pepper or to taste
olive oil

Onion and Mushroom Gravy:
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp mustard powder
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp almond flour


The Process
1.  In a large bowl combine the ground meat mix with spices. Use your hands to work the spices into the meat. Make 4 even sized patties. Heat just a tiny bit of olive oil to coat the pan. Cook the patties for 8 minutes then flip and cook another 8 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Drain off all the fat from pan, remove the patties and set aside.

2.  In the same pan saute the onions until they begin to soften, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Next add the salt, black pepper, garlic, paprika and mustard. Stir until well combined and place the patties back in the pan.


3.  Place the almond flour in a small bowl and whisk in the beef broth. Continue whisking until there are no flour lumps in the broth. Pour the broth mix into the pan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce, or gravy, thickens. Serve over mashed potatoes and your favorite green vegetable.

French Onion Steaks

I'm not sure I have ever expressed my love for French onion soup, but it is undeniably delicious.  The fact that I have two different versions of it on my blog may have given you a clue, but this dish is the tipping point and it was amazing.  TGIF!  I am so ready to spend time outside, bbq, swim, do projects around the house, and maybe even go out mushroom hunting!  This evening we are headed out to farm country to hang with two of our good friends, it will be very nice and relaxing to spend time out of the city.  Lately the city life has been getting to me (which is very rare), I've just been feeling the need for space, silence, and some solitude.  It must have something to do with how quickly Portland is expanding, an estimated 700,000 people are predicted to move here over the next 20 years and we are already running out of room :(  Anyway I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and perhaps you will make this delicious recipe that I adapted.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 petite sirloin steaks
4 slices of Swiss cheese
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup warm beef broth
Onion flakes
Garlic powder
Olive oil
Salt and pepper


The Process
1. Rinse beef steak and pat dry. Pat salt, pepper, onion flakes, and garlic flakes evenly onto meat.

2.  In a medium frying pan and heat olive oil over medium heat, when hot add onions.  Let the onions cook for a couple minutes and then add a little salt and the balsamic vinegar.  You are going to continue to cook them for about 15-20 minutes to give them a quick caramelized flavor.

2. While onions are cooking pour olive oil into an 8- to 10-inch ovenproof nonstick frying pan over high heat; tilt to coat pan bottom. When hot, add steak and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Supporting meat with tongs, tip steak onto its edge and rotate to brown lightly, about 2 minutes total.

3. Put pan with steak in a 400° regular or convection oven and bake until meat is done to your taste (cut to test), 8 minutes for rare or about 25 minutes for well done.

4. Turn oven heat to broil. Remove pan and mound caramelized onions onto meat and lay two pieces of Swiss cheese over each steak. Broil in pan about 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and pour broth around meat, stirring to release browned bits.

5. Then serve on plates but make sure to serve with some of the broth. (Broth not in the picture)

Primal Swedish Meatballs

This last weekend was so full of outside summer fun that I ended up getting heat exhaustion and became super dehydrated.  I am usually really good at drinking tons of water but we were practically out in the sun for two days straight between canoeing, swimming, and watching the dragon boat races...I am such a delicate little Oregonian haha.  My younger brother's awesome band Wild Ones is putting out a new E.P. soon and they just released a new song which you can listen to by clicking the link.  In other news our neighboring state Washington is going to build the first wildlife bridge in the U.S.  I personally hadn't ever heard of or seen this concept but it is very cool, check it out.  I adapted this recipe several weeks ago and it was delicious, I did add in some plain yogurt to give it some tang.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

Meatballs:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup almond flour
2 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Gravy:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup almond flour
4 cups beef broth
3/4 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 plain yogurt (optional)


The Process
1.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

2.  In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, 1/2 cup almond flour, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.

3.  Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

4.  To make the gravy, melt butter in the skillet. Whisk in 1/3 cup almond flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in sour cream and yogurt (if using); season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5.  Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 8-10 minutes.  Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.

Our beautiful swimming hole

Mushroom Lentil Tacos with Tahini Yogurt Sauce

I can't even begin to describe how absolutely delicious these tacos were, I could easily eat them once a week and they were very filling.  I adapted this recipe one night when I was cooking dinner just for me and to my delight I found one of my new favorite recipes.  In cooking news my wonderful friend has started on a new adventure with a cooking blog that documents his exploration of the Jewish religion and culture through food, check it out at Challah Back Kitchen.  Last night I went to a wonderful event, the official opening of the PNCA Library where I met up with many of my wonderful library science friends.  If you haven't checked out their new library it is a must see, not to mention their magazine collections is phenomenal!  With my European vacation getting near I finally made my dinner reservation for one of the most amazing restaurants, Dill.  This is a restaurant in Iceland that forages the land to create amazing meals.  Earlier this year I read a book by the restaurant owner which featured recipes and stories of where their ingredients come from.  I can't even begin to explain how excited I am getting for this amazing two week trip.  Onto the recipe.

Serves 2-3

The Ingredients

For the filling:

1 cup cooked lentils
2 1/2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper
Pinch paprika

For the sauce and assembly:

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 individual container Greek yogurt (6 ounces)
Salt and pepper
2 big handfuls of arugula
6 corn tortillas


The Process
1.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook down until brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

2.  While the mushrooms are cooking, mix the yogurt sauce. Add the lemon juice, tahini, yogurt, and olive oil to a bowl and stir to combine.  This will make more than enough for your tacos.

3.  Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Pour 2 more tablespoons olive oil into the same large pan and reduce heat to very low. Add cooked lentils, garlic, cumin, and a sprinkle each of salt, pepper, and paprika and stir, heating the grains through. Add the mushrooms back to the pan and mix to combine.

4.  Assemble tacos: For each one, you need: a warmed tortilla, a small spread of yogurt sauce, a few spoonfuls of the mushroom and lentil mixture, a pile of arugula, and then a real dollop of sauce.

Lebanese Beef Kefta Kebab

I've decided to take on a new way of cooking, I am going to buy several things a week that I haven't cooked with or rarely cook with to start branching out and to stimulate my creativity.  It started with the braised celery you see in this picture, post will come tomorrow.  Our garden is coming along, I have plants green onions, Walla Walla onions, and dill.  Still need to do beets, kale, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and zucchini.  Thinking about growing leeks, cucumbers, kohlrabi and more.  And I love having mild weather here in the PNW because my parsley, chives, and mint are producing more than ever.  I love being able to walk out into my backyard and pick fresh mint and parsley for all the lovely Lebanese food I like to cook.  Speaking of the outdoors I really would love to become more of a forager, we have so many edibles that grow wild here in PNW that I want to be more resourceful and live off the land.  Speaking of, there is this awesome foraging camp here where you go on 4 day excursions into the wild and they teach you about the edible plants, looks so fun!  I adapted this recipe and it was super delicious.

Serves 4

The Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef 

1 medium onion, chopped very fine

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves 

Spray oil

The Process

1.  Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, and leave for an hour or longer to allow the flavors to blend. 

2.  Heat oven to 350.  The kefta is then ready to shape and cook.  To make kebabs, take small amounts of kefta and shape them into cylinder or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold it the skewer.

3.  Spray a cookie sheet with oil and place the kebabs on the pan.  Cook for a total of 20 minutes, flipping once 10 minutes through.  Enjoy!

Optional: I also made a yogurt dipping sauce by mixing 1/2 cup whole fat plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon chopped mint, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, a dash of onion powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix and serve with kebab.

Korean Beef and Mushrooms over a bed of Roasted Asparagus

This month I have a huge work project due by the 21st and I have been working on it non stop.  This week I will be working all weekend too, so if I don't cook and post you know why.  In other news my mother is now officially certified in Bowen technique and I was lucky enough to be the model for her test that was 1 1/2 days.  The work on my body felt so amazing but definitely exhausted me.  It is kind of like acupuncture where it relaxes you and releases lots of toxins from the body.  Last Thursday night when I adapted this recipe I was getting ready to go to my co-workers show at Mississippi Studios and they were great.  I have also come to realize that Mississippi Studios is one of my favorite PDX venues for concerts, it is little and intimate with a great atmosphere.  This dish was amazingly delicious and super easy to make, enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

1 tablespoons sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup slice mushrooms

1⁄4 cup brown sugar

1⁄4 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 teaspoons crushed red pepper, to desired spiciness

1 teaspoon ground pepper

6 green onions, diced

1 bunch of asparagus, roasted

The Process

1.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger and mushrooms with garlic in the sesame oil.

2.  Drain fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper and ground pepper.

3.  Simmer for a few minutes to blend flavors.

4.  Serve over roasted asparagus with green onions on top.

Beef Chuck Stew with Oyster Mushrooms

This past weekend was wonderful, on Friday I got to go to the opening of PNCA's new building where they served delicious food and drinks, and I hung out with some of my best lady friends at a semi new bar called Church.  Church has really delicious food, I got the falafel bowl and it was only $8!  Then on Sunday we went out mushroom hunting with our friends, we intended to get morels but it is still a little too early.  We did end up with some delicious oyster mushrooms (pictured below) and spent the day playing around in the forest.  In other news I just started reading North: The new Nordic cuisine of Iceland, it is a really interesting book that also talks a lot about the history of culture in Iceland.  I would recommend reading it if you are looking for a fun new food book.  Onto the recipe the beef chuck I used in the recipe came from my wonderful friend's family farm and the mushrooms we foraged ourselves!  Enjoy!

Serves 6

The Ingredients
3 lbs beef chuck roast
4 cups of beef stock
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups baby carrots
2 small potatoes, cubed
3 celery stalks, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of paprika
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, basil, and oregano


The Process
1.  Place meat into crockpot. Add liquids, stir in spices, then all other ingredients expect for the oyster mushrooms.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Then add oyster mushrooms and cook for 1 more hour.

Steak and Eggs with Caramelized Onions

As a foodie I do lots of research looking into local events, restaurants, and stores and this week I came upon Blind-Tasting Bingo at OMSI.  It looks so amazing, chef Ryan Morgan from Bon Appetit will be cooking all the tasters and people have to guess what they are eating while blind-folded.  Unfortunately I can't go this time but I hope it is a reoccurring event.  I also recently listened to an episode of America's Test Kitchen and it was all about Iceland and their cuisine and I now have a hold on the book they talked about North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland .  I can't wait for our trip to Iceland to try all of the traditional and new foods.  It finally started raining in PDX again, we had so much sunshine for a while that I needed my rain back.  Rain is perfect soup weather which has inspired my dinner plans for tonight.  Onto the recipe, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?  Created by yours truly.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 eggs
2 6oz petite sirloin steaks
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced in rings
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Steak sauce (optional)

The Process
1.  Salt and pepper steaks and set aside.

2.  Heat olive oil in a small skillet to medium heat, when hot add onions.  If onions start to brown right away turn the heat down.  These will cook for about 20 minutes.  At about 15 minutes add the balsamic vinegar.

3.  While onions are cooking heat up butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, when hot add steaks.  Cook on the first side for 5 minutes.  Then flip and cook 4 minutes (for a rare steak).  Take steaks off skillet and let rest.

4.  While onions and steaks are cooking and are almost done, heat olive oil another skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot add eggs and cook until desired done-ness, mine were over easy.

5.  Service with steak sauce drizzled over the top of the steak and eggs.