Saturday, December 29, 2012

Were building an aquaponics garden!

Ive learned very important lesson as a mother. Its how to get my family to do things that they might not want to do. Some may call it manipulation, but I prefer to refer to it as mutually beneficial collaboration.

For example, if I want my youngest to take interest in something, all I have to do is to tell him, Its very rare, precious and incredibly expensive.which is how I got him to try raw oysters. When I order a platter of oysters, I go through my little ritual of intently examining each and every one, squeezing just ONE drop of fresh lemon juice and meticulously placing just a couple of Maldon sea salt flakes in each. I savor each oyster as if it were the most precious commodity in the world, making sure that I dont spill a single drop of brininess.

This ritual isnt for MY benefit, but for Nathan. (For the record, when hes not present, I slurp em like a champ and can eat 2 dozen in 5 minutes just ask Elise and Guy) I explained to Nathan that not everyone can eat oysters (leaving out the fact that 94% of them are just grossed out by raw oysters) and that only sophisticated, worldly and enlightened individuals could enjoy them. You know what happened next.he wanted to prove to me he was mature and had a developed palate. He ate one.and as he chewed, chewed, chewed and tried to swallow the slimey thing, I had to pinch my thigh hard to not laugh.

Every muscle in his face squeezed tight and it looked like his mouth was playing Twister, wrestling with the oyster. Then he grabbed for his chocolate milk as a chaser, which probably made things worse (blech!)But of course, he HAD to say he liked it.

To this day, he still eats the first oyster on my plate I just know he doesnt care for it, but he always asks and he takes it down like a man. A sophisticated man.

To get both kids to enjoy salads and most vegetables, I got them to help me garden. This was a much easier task than oysters.

They help me decide what veg to grow and theyre responsible every day watering, harvesting and chasing the chickens from the salad greens.

The garden you see here is our Earthbox and raised beds. Instead of covering the soil with mulch or hay, we tarped the entire bed and poked holes in when we planted each seedling. The tarp is held in place with ratcheting straps around the outside of the bed. This prevents weeds, helps the soil keep moisture and all the nutrients. Oh and during the winter, the black tarp helps the soil retain heat. When we water the garden, the water only goes where the plants are, so we save quite a bit of water.

Next season, Id like to find thick burlap to use instead of plastic tarp.

(Thats Nathan using Swiss Chard as a sunshade for his brother.)

Now that you know about my boys, let me tell you about how I got Scott interested in aquaponics and hydroponics:

No, this isnt a new Maxim competitor. Its a HYDROPONICS MAGAZINE. Really!!! (Hydroponics = gardening without soil)

See?

Between the pages with photos of bikini babes, are articles like, Protecting your young plants from morning frost with a DIY garden cloches made with a wine bottle and How to battle slugs with copper tape and diatomaceous earth.

Bravo.well done, publishers. Youve finally figured out how to get men interested in gardening!!

That is, until I figured out why the magazines name is Rosebud, which has nothing to do with a little precious flower or Citizen Kane. Rosebud is a slang term for marijuana.

Ooooooooh..now I get it. DUH!

Well, it turns out that Scott reallyis interested, but not for the obvious reason above.

A couple of weeks ago, he helped me assemble a Windowfarms, which I had backed on Kickstarter a while ago. After we set it up, I looked at the system and thought to myself that this is really expensive for small plastic pots, tubing and fish tank pump. My Windowfarms came with chemicals liquid plant foodthat I had to feed weekly to the plants. It just seemed.unnatural.

Because there is no soil, the plants have no way to get nutrients unless you feed them manually. I felt like a chemist, using a small pipette to add 6mL of one thing and 8mL of another into the water.

I told Scott that hydroponics just lost its appeal to me. Id rather dig in dirt! Play with worms! Spread homemade compost!

But what about Aquaponics, which is a soil-less garden system that uses fish to complete the cycle?

I showed him this Kickstarter campaign for a home aquaponics system, which I immediately backed and after watching a few YouTube videos on home aquaponics, he asked the magic question: Why is it so difficult to set up an aquaponics system for the home garden?

Which led me to say, Its really difficult to set up. I dont know of anyone, other than strangers on YouTube, that has built one in their backyard. What would be really cool is if the whole thing was AUTOMATED and you could control it with your iPhone.

Which led him to say, I bet I could do it.

Which led me to silently give myself a high-five.

And now, hes obsessed. a geeky factor into gardening!

Within days, he scoured Craigslist for food-safe totes which are 275 gallon plastic containers.

One for the fish (well raise tilapia), and the others are cut down for the garden beds.

That night, we had a Steamy Kitchen Board of Directors Meeting during dinner to explain to the boys the difference between Hydroponics and Aquaponics (fish!) and planning out how the system will be set up.

I have the best Board of Directors, ever.

Oh, and I ended up feeding the Windowfarms hydroponics system some compost tea that I brewed instead of something called Formula CN-17. So far, so good. I havent killed anything yet.


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Prime Rib Roast with Miso Jus

Prime Rib Roast with Miso Jus Recipe

Prime Rib seems so intimidating to cook, but in all honesty, its easier than roasting a turkey. Theres no brining, stuffing a cavity, flipping halfway or injecting with marinade. Cooking the most tender Prime Rib only uses one cooking rule slow n low. All you need is time.

Perfect Prime Rib Recipe with Red Wine Jus

If youre looking for a more basic recipe,check out my other post for the Perfect Prime Rib Roast with Red Wine Jus.

Prime Rib Roast with Miso Jus Recipe

This is by far the most simple way to cook a Prime Rib Roast my trick is to start with a savory-sweet-umami-rich ingredient, Miso Paste. Rubbing the Prime Rib Roast with miso, salt and pepper will season the roast nicely. If youre concerned that the Prime Rib Roast will taste like miso soup let me give you a guarantee that it certainly wont. When miso is combined with meat and heat, the flavor profile helps deepen the flavor of the meat itself, much better than just plain salt. Its like the difference between sprinkling salt on your bread vs. spreading a rich butter.

Prime Rib Roast with Miso Jus Recipe

In my recipe, you can either use low-sodium miso paste (my favorite is shiro miso, which is white miso) or Miso & Easy, a super easy to use miso product, from the makers of one of Japans 1 brand of miso, Marukome.Ive developed quite a few recipes for them over the past year come take a look.

Prime Rib Roast with Miso Jus Recipe

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Prime Rib Roast with Miso Au Jus Recipe

Servings: 6-10 Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:20 minutes per pound
Prime Rib Roast with Miso Rub

Ingredients:

1 (6-10 pound) standing rib roast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup miso paste (or 1/2 cup Miso & Easy), divided
5 large carrots, halved
8 stalks celery, halved
2 onions, halved
1 cup red wine
2 cups good quality beef stock

Directions:

Heat the oven to 250F. Season the rib roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Rub just 2-3 tablespoons of the miso (keep the rest of the miso for the Au Jus) on all sides of the rib roast. Place rib roast in a large roasting pan. Scatter the vegetables all around the roast.

Roast for 17-20 minutes PER POUND or until temperature of the middle of the roast is 130F (medium-rare to medium). Turn the broiler to high and let the roast brown a bit on the outside, for about 5 minutes. Transfer roast to cutting board, carefully untie the bones from roast. Cover loosely with tin foil. Rest for 20 minutes.

While roast is resting, make the Miso Jus. Keep the vegetables in the roasting pan but discard all but 1 teaspoon of the fat. Place the roasting pan 2 burners set on high heat.

Pour in the red wine and cook until wine is reduced by half. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits. Whisk in the beef broth and 2 tablespoons of miso paste (or 3 tablespoons Miso & Easy). Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add any juices accumulated from the rib roast on the cutting board. Turn off heat.

Strain the jus with mesh strainer, pressing down with wooden spoon to extract out all the juice from the vegetables. Carve the roast, serve with the jus.

Perfect Prime Rib Recipe with Red Wine Jus

If youre looking for a more basic recipe,check out my other post for thePerfect Prime Rib Roast with Red Wine Jus.


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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Pork and Spinach Wonton

Pork and Spinach Wontons Recipe

I think the ultimate Chinese comfort food is handmade wonton in soup. Warm, soothing, gingery broth..delicate, floating clouds. In Cantonese, wonton is pronouncedwun tun, which means swallowing clouds. The wonton wrapper is so delicate and thin. the wonton appear to be floating in the soup.

Pork and Spinach Wontons Recipe

When I was in college, my girlfriends and I would get together and make hundreds of these and freeze them. It was cheap, easy to make and we had quite a bit of fun as we turned it into a dumpling party. Its the best quick meal, as wonton can be cooked directly from the freezer into simmering broth.

Pork and Spinach Wontons Recipe

Theres all sorts of ingredients that you can use to fill wonton. Shrimp, ground beef, ground pork, cabbage, spinach, bamboo shoots, scallops, mushrooms.really, anything that you want. When snow crab or king crab legs are on sale, Ill make crab and napa cabbage wonton.

Pork and Spinach Wontons Recipe

I normally eat wonton with a small dipping bowl of red vinegar and slivers of fresh ginger. Thats the Cantonese way!Add in some noodles to make wonton noodle soup and Im in heaven.

Pork and Spinach Wontons Recipe

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Pork and Spinach Wonton Recipe Video

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Print

Pork and Spinach Wonton Recipe

Servings: 50 dumplings Prep Time:40 minutes Cook Time:10 minutes
pswontons

You can add cooked noodles to this dish to make wonton noodle soup - but just remember to cook the noodles in a separate pot of water (and not the broth) to prevent excess starch from the noodles from clouding up the good broth.

If you want, serve wonton with a dipping bowl of red wine vinegar and slivers of fresh ginger. Peel ginger, then use a vegetable peeler to peel paper-thin slices of ginger. Use knife to further chop into fine slivers. Combine with the red vinegar. To eat, place a wonton on your spoon. With chopsticks, pick up a few slivers of ginger and place on top of wonton. Eat!

Ingredients:

10-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted
1/4 cabbage, grated on large holes of box grater
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
16-ounce package of dumpling wrappers (about 50 wrappers), defrosted (see note)
For the slurry: 1/4 cup cool water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach and discard the water (or water your plants!). Place the spinach and cabbage in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and mix well. Let sit for 10 minutes. In large handfuls (or a cheesecloth), squeeze the water out of the cabbage/spinach and discard the water.

2. Add in the ground pork, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil and cornstarch. Mix well.

OPTIONAL: Heat up a small frying pan over medium heat, add in a touch of cooking oil. Cook a spoonful of the dumpling filling and taste. Adjust seasonings to the dumpling filling if you wish.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch for the slurry.

4. Take one dumpling wrapper, place 1 teaspoon of the dumpling mixture in the middle. Paint the outer edge of the dumpling wrapper with the slurry. Fold wrapper over like in a half-moon shape and seal tightly all around. Make sure there are no air pockets or holes in the dumpling. Place folded dumpling on a clean, dry plate and cover with plastic wrap or barely damp towel to avoid drying out.

5. When dumplings are all folded, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

TO STORE:

- If you want to freeze the dumplings, place all the dumplings flat on a plate. Do not crowd. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once the dumplings are frozen, you can gather them up and store in freezer bag. This ensures that the dumplings freeze individually (otherwise if the dumplings froze and stuck together, it would be nearly impossible to cook.

- When ready to cook dumplings, they can go from freezer to pan. Just add an additional 2 minutes to cooking time.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Hot off the presses! Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites

The book! Its here! Well, one of the very first copies that was rush-shipped to the publisher for us to look at. After nearly 2 years of working on Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites, Im so thrilled to give you a sneak peek at the book.

I wrote this book to highlight how amazingly light and healthy Asian food can naturally be. There are no fake sugars and no funny food swapsjust real recipes that feature the best of lighter Asian dishes.

The book hits the shelves February 5, 2013 everywhere books are sold and also online as well. If you would like to pre-order the book for discounted price of $13.98, heres the link to Barnes & Noble and Amazon! Also, if you pre-order, Id love to send you a personalized signed bookplate that you can stick on the inside cover. Just fill out this form!

Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites Cookbook

You can order the book through your local bookstore or online for a discounted rate of $13.98 ator


Healthy Kitchen Smells Fresh From the kitchen to a journal I share my humbble idea of good food from "all you can eat" to Allergy-Free diet. Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen - Sacramento, CA (916) 502-0474 "Love this truck and have happily added it to my list of superb trucks to follow around. The guys are always laughing and friendly (they're ... Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Chicken Pho: BA Daily: bonappetit.com Give your slow cooker repertoire a nutritious makeover. This week, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen shares her three favorite light & healthy slow cooker recipes. Little Bear's Kitchen LIVING TO EAT ... Greek orzo salad is a wonderfully light and fresh summer dish that works well as a side dish or as a meal. Healthy Homemade Tortillas Tasty Kitchen: A Happy Recipe Community! French Toast Stuffed with Cranberry Cream Cheese. by Alaska from Scratch. A fantastic breakfast to make for holiday guestsan orange scented French toast stuffed ... Chinese Wonton Noodle Soup Steamy Kitchen Recipes Monday, August 4, 2008. Wonton Noodle Soup. By SteamyKitchen / 49 comments Its Chinese Wonton Noodle Soup time! A great dish to make for the Beijing 2008 Olympics! Chinese Boiled Pork Dumplings Steamy Kitchen Recipes Saturday, October 3, 2009. Chinese Boiled Pork Dumplings. By SteamyKitchen / 63 comments My mom is a Chinese dumpling wrapping queen. She can mix up a batch of ... Celebrity News Celebrity Gossip - Yahoo! omg! Lohan charged with NYC assault and Calif. crash. 1 hour 4 minutes ago. Associated Press Videos Health News & Articles Healthy Living - ABC News Get the latest health news from Dr. Richard Besser. Here you'll find stories about new medical research, the latest health care trends and health issues that affect ... Ching's Everyday Easy Chinese: More Than 100 Quick & Healthy ... Huangs approachable and delicious recipes will suit a range of cooking abilities and cravings. (LJXpress ) About the Author Ching-He Huang was born in Taiwan ...

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki

Catherine of Weelicious and I go waaaay back. We met 4 years ago. For food bloggers, thats a long time! I dont even remember how we met, but I do remember a little rendezvous in NYC in a hotel lobby that involved cocktails. Well, Im happy to say that Catherine and I havent veered too far away from that initial meeting. We are lucky enough to see each other several times a year, always with a little drinky-drink in hand. Shes fun, makes me belly-laugh so loud the walls vibrate and this girl is ah-ma-zing on camera.

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

Catherines new book, Weelicious, just launched. Its a must-have for parents asking, how do I get my kids to like (insert food name)? The book is all about One Family. One Meal. with recipes that appeal to babies, little kids, big kids and parents too.

My favorite sentence in the book, Youre not a short-order cook: how to not be a slave to your kids in the kitchen.

From her gorgeous book, I chose to make Chicken Teriyak-wee a.k.a. Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki, which is a light, healthier version of the standard Japanese chicken teriyaki. Catherines recipe uses either fresh or canned pineapple as the main sweetener in the recipe, and it adds such a bright zing to the dish!

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

The chicken breast is marinated in crushed pineapple, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger. A portion of that sauce is set aside and heated up to pour over the chicken after its done cooking. You can cook the chicken breast by grilling or broiling, both methods using little to no cooking oil. So, yay its healthy too.

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki Recipe Video

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

Print

Chicken Teriyaki Recipe

Servings: 4 Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:20 minutes
chicken-teriyaki-featured-9965

From Catherine McCord's Weelicious Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

Directions:

1. To make the teriyaki sauce, place the crushed pineapple, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic a bowl, whisk to combine. Pour half of the teriyaki sauce in a resealable plastic bag and reserve the other half. Place the chicken breasts in the resealable bag, close and give it a good massage to coat with the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.

3. When ready to cook, turn on the broiler and place the rack in the middle position. Place the marinated chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet and spoon some of the chunky pineapple/ginger from the marinade on top of the breast. It will help keep the chicken moist. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, for a total of 16-20 minutes. Discard any remaining marinade in the bag.

4. While the chicken is broiling, heat the reserved teriyaki sauce (that you had previously set aside in step 1) in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes or until thickened slightly.

5. When chicken is done, Slice the chicken, pour the teriyaki sauce over top and serve immediately.

TIP: Keeping the chicken in the marinade overnight will make it even tastier.

TIP: Instead of broiling, the chicken can also be grilled for 6 minutes on each side.


Teriyaki Chicken With Pineapple Recipes Yummly Find Quick & Easy teriyaki chicken with pineapple Recipes! Choose from over 104 teriyaki chicken with pineapple recipes from sites like Epicurious and Allrecipes. Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe from CDKitchen.com A recipe for Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken containing boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, teriyaki marinade, red onion, green bell Pineapple-Teriyaki Chicken Recipe from Pillsbury.com Add something flavorful to your familys Asian cuisine dinner. Serve pineapple and teriyaki chicken grilled to perfection. Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Taste of Home Recipes Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe photo by Taste of Home. Read reviews (3) Rate recipe. Vicki Roberts likes to marinate this moist ... Pineapple-Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Food Disney Family.com Grilled teriyaki chicken with pineapple can be made with just a few pantry staples Although it146s delicious when made with canned pineapple, fresh pineapple and its ... Pineapple-Teriyaki Chicken - Recipe.com - Quick Recipes, Easy Meal ... Grilled teriyaki chicken with pineapple can be made with just a few pantry staples. Although it's delicious when made with canned pineapple, fresh pineapple and its ... Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipes Yummly Find Quick & Easy pineapple teriyaki chicken Recipes! Choose from over 104 pineapple teriyaki chicken recipes from sites like Epicurious and Allrecipes. Teriyaki and Pineapple Chicken Recipe - Allrecipes.com This is a real yummy recipe. Serve it over a bed of rice. The leftovers go nicely in a whole wheat pita the next day for a warm delicious lunch. Hope you all enjoy! Cooks.com - Recipes - Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple 1. TERIYAKI CHICKEN KEBABS WITH PINEAPPLE: Combine first 6 ... large bowl. Add ... 2. TERIYAKI CHICKEN: Marinate chicken breasts in Teriyaki Marinade for at ... Pineapple-Teriyaki Chicken Recipe Eating Well Grilled teriyaki chicken with pineapple can be made with just a few pantry staples. Although it's delicious when made with canned pineapple, fres