March 31st - Sorry no post this week.

Meg has a bad bug, so no post  this week. Life happens. We will be back next week with something special! Thanks for checking in.

Smoked Paprika Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Several weeks ago Meg bought smoked paprika at Winco and started ragging on Sue about how good it was.  Finally she bought some for Sue, who made a version of this dish and raved about it as well.  Sue gave Meg leftovers of the dish, and we decided we needed to feature the paprika in a Saturday Night Specials.

Winco’s bulk spice supplier for the paprika is Van de Vries.   At this point we are not sure what they call this product for ordering purposes, but we are researching.  We have both fallen in love with this spice… Meg  has actually thrown away the regular paprika in her spice rack.  The mere aroma of this spice is intoxicating.  It evokes memories of smoky outdoors wood fires in exotic places.  Not only has Meg refrained from telling fellow spice shoppers about how good this spice is, but on her last trip she took all but a tablespoon of the paprika in the container, only because it wouldn’t fit in her spice jar.  It’s that good!  But the secret’s out now.

A simple Romaine lettuce salad with white wine vinaigrette was a good match for this meal.  We added about ¼ teaspoon of Herbes de Provence to the dressing and let it sit while we cooked the main course, which allowed the herbs to bloom.  This dressing really complimented the meal.  

This dish seemed to evoke Spanish flavors; so we had flan for dessert. 

 Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

This recipe turned out really well, considering we were inventing it as we went along.  The paprika compliments the vegetables we selected.  This dish is spicy, but not hot.  If you are concerned, start by reducing the amount of paprika to 1 tablespoon.

If you don’t have access to a Whole Foods Market, or other provider of bulk olives, use pitted green olives with herbs to get the same flavors we did.

We thought this wine did not compliment the dish.  It seemed soft and slightly sweet and didn’t stand up to the spices.  Meg thinks that the Dancing Bull Chardonnay from the last blog would have been a better choice.  Another suggestion would be a good Pinot Grigio.

Smoked Paprika Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Developed by Meg & Sue - March 17, 2012

Ingredients:

·         6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

·         14 oz baby red potatoes, about 1 inch diameter

·         3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

·         2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into 8 wedges per pepper

·         4 -6 large cloves garlic, skins left on

·         2 T smoked paprika,  (Winco bulk bin 1544)

·         7.5 ounces pitted Mediterranean spiced olives (Whole Foods Bulk)

·         2 c low sodium chicken broth

·         4 T olive oil, divided

·         6 medium shallots, peeled and separated by segments

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put potatoes, carrots, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet, coat with 2 T olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes, toss and add pepper slices.  Roast for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.

While the vegetables are roasting, mix the salt, pepper and smoky paprika together in a shallow dish. Add chicken thighs and with your hands rub mixture into both sides of chicken thoroughly.  Chicken will pick up all of the spices.  Heat remaining  2 T olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add chicken thighs and brown on both sides.  (Chicken will not be cooked through at this point.)  Remove chicken from pan.  Add shallots to pan and lightly brown, scraping up the brown bits.  Squeeze roasted garlic into pan.  Add chicken broth and olives and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer and add chicken thighs.  Cook on medium low, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked  through.  Test for doneness.   Add roasted vegetables and simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes to marry flavors. 

Serve chicken on platter, surrounded by vegetables with remaining broth on the side.

  

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WINE

Bougrier V Vouvray, 2009 Doulce France  / $9.99 at Total Wine

Gingered Turkey Meatballs, Bok Choy with Ginger Vinaigrette and Mushroom Tofu Shirataki

We were inspired to start this week’s menu when we saw tofu lo mein noodles on a “Hungry Girl” segment.  Since neither of us had tried tofu shirataki noodles, we thought they warranted a taste, and developed our own recipe.   Meg had a couple of other Asian- inspired recipes, sources unknown, and the process took off.    We are renaming the bok choy recipe “30 Mile Bok Choy”, because not only did we drive all over town looking for baby bok choy, but once we secured the little suckers, Meg left them at home and had to drive about 30 miles round trip to retrieve them.  

Never ones to forego appetizers, we were drawn to another “Hungry Girl” recipe, this time for Shrimpylicious Egg Rolls.  Apparently everyone in Reno was making egg rolls or some kind of stir fry, because three of the four supermarkets had no bean sprouts.  Once we can taste the destination, however, nothing will deter us from our goal….bean sprouts secured!

Meg’s coconut ice cream is a work in progress; so no recipe yet.  Look for it in a future edition.   We did eat it, anything for the cause…

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

The egg rolls were fresh tasting, crunchy on the outside, but not particularly shrimpy. The next time we make these we will cook our own shrimp with spicy seasonings and cut them in half lengthwise instead of chopping.  We used finely shredded cabbage and probably shouldn’t have cooked it beforehand.  This has lots of possibilities for wrapping other yummy ingredients.

If you are at all hesitant about the turkey meatballs, don’t be. They are fantastic, with or without the dipping sauce! We each ate one more meatball than we really had room for --- they were that good. The (30 mile) baby bok choy was worth every mile. The vinaigrette would work with salads, other vegetables and even fish.  While Dijon mustard is not typically Asian, it emulsified the dressing nicely and kept it from sliding off the bok choy.

We are now fans of tofu shirataki noodles.  As with other tofu products they absorb flavors from the other ingredients. They are definitely worth a try and a good substitute for rice or other noodles in Asian dishes.

The ice cream was OK but needs more work. Meg has volunteered to continue testing and eating along the way . . . stay tuned.

Shrimpylicious Egg Rolls

2011 Hungry Girl. All Rights Reserved.

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups (about 1/2 of a 12-ounce bag) dry coleslaw mix
• 4 ounces cooked and chopped ready-to-eat shrimp
• 1/2 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained and cut into strips
• 1/4 cup bean sprouts, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced widthwise
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium or lite soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash black pepper
• 6 large square egg roll wrappers*
• Sweet and sour sauce, for optional dipping

Directions

*Can be found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket with the other Asian items.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put slaw mix in a large microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes. Drain any excess water from the bowl. Add all of the other ingredients except the wrappers and optional sauce, mix well, and set aside. For a more intense flavor, allow the mixture to marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Prepare a large baking sheet by spraying it lightly with nonstick spray. Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean, dry surface. Evenly distribute about 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the wrapper, in a row a little below the center. Moisten all four edges by dabbing your fingers in water and going over the edges smoothly. Fold the sides of each wrapper about 3/4 inch towards the middle, to keep the mixture from falling out of the sides. Then, roll the bottom of each wrapper up around the mixture, and continue rolling until you reach the top. Seal the outside edge with another dab of water. Carefully transfer egg roll to the baking sheet.

Repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and filling, making sure you have a clean, dry surface each time.

Spray the tops of the egg rolls with nonstick spray. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Allow them to cool slightly. If you like, dip the egg rolls in some sweet and sour sauce!

PER SERVING (1/3rd of recipe, 2 egg rolls): 198 calories, 1g fat, 759mg sodium, 33g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 14g protein

Weight Watchers: 3 servings for 5 points per servings 

Our On the Spot Dipping Sauce

·         1 TBSP lime juice

·         2 TBSP lite soy sauce

·         1/2  Tsp sesame oil

·         ½ Tsp dry mustard

·         1 Tsp Honey

·         ¼ Tsp Calabrian chili oil

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

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Gingered Turkey Meatballs with Sesame-Lime Sauce

Makes: 28 meatballs

Prep: 30 minutes

Bake: 15 minutes 

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c panko bread crumbs
• ½ c canned sliced water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• ½ c finely snipped fresh cilantro
• 1 T grated fresh ginger
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ t salt
• ¼ t cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ lbs uncooked ground turkey
• 1 c sliced almonds, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425’.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except almonds.  Mix well.

Shape into 28 meatballs.  Roll meatballs in almonds.  Place meatballs in a single layer in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until done.  Serve warm with Sesame Lime Sauce.

Sesame Lime Sauce:

In a small bowl combine:

• ¼ c soy sauce
• ¼ c water
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 t sesame oil
• 2 t sugar

Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Weight Watchers: 6 servings  for 8 points per servings 
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Bok Choy with Ginger Vinaigrette

Serves: 6 - 8 

·         ½ lbs baby bok choy or bok choy hearts (6-8 inches long)

·         water

·         ginger vinaigrette 

Wash bok choy well, leaving small heads whole.  If thicker than 3 inches, cut in half lengthwise.  Set as many bok choy as will fit without crowding on a steaming rack over 1 inch of boiling water.  Cook, covered until stems begin to turn translucent and are soft when pierced, 4 – 5 minutes.  Lift out and immerse in cold water.  When cool, drain and set in single layer in shallow dish.  Pour ginger vinaigrette over and serve.

Ginger vinaigrette:

• 1/3 c salad oil
• 2 T white wine vinegar
• 2 t Dijon mustard
• 2 t soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic (minced or pressed)
• 1 T finely chopped fresh ginger
• ½ t sugar

Mix ingredients together or shake in a jar until combined.

Weight Watchers:  6 servings for 3 points per serving 

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Mushroom Tofu Shirataki Noodles

Developed by Meg & Sue

Serves: 4
Prep: 30 minutes

• 8 ounces Tofu Shirataki noodles, rinsed and well drained
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp garlic sauce
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 clove fresh garlic, grated
• 4 crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 8 large button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• ½ yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, finely sliced for garnish

Heat oil in a medium sized skillet until hot. Add garlic, mushrooms and pepper. Sauté until tender. Add remaining ingredients, except for scallions, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. 

Heads up: One teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of water and added to the dish during the last 3 minutes of cooking will thicken the sauce nicely, and we promise to do this next time if we can find the cornstarch.

Weight Watchers: 4 servings for 1 point (yahoo) per serving 
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WINE

With the egg rolls:
Gazela Vinho Verde, 2011 Portugal / $7.99 at Total Wine

With dinner:
Dancing Bull Chardonnay, 2008, California  / $6.99 at Raley's Supermarket