Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil April 28, 2017 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil 2017-04-28 14:38:19 Print For the Pad Thai 4 ounces brown rice noodles (you can get stir-fry type noodles or Pad Thai noodles - and usually that's half a box) 1 zucchini 1 red pepper half of a yellow onion 2 carrots 2 tablespoons oil 1 egg, beaten ½ cup peanuts, chopped ½ cup fresh herbs like cilantro, green onions, and basil, chopped For the Sauce 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce substitute) 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or sub another sweetener) 3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek) Instructions Place the uncooked noodles in a bowl of cold water to soak. Spiralize the zucchini, red pepper, and onion into noodle-like shapes. Cut the carrots into very small pieces (or spiralize them, too, if they're big enough). Shake up the sauce ingredients in a jar. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add the veggies - stir fry with tongs for 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp (if they are not spiralized, they might need longer). Be careful not to overcook them - they'll get soggy and heavy. Transfer to a dish and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Drain the noodles - they should be softened by now. Add the noodles to the hot pan and stir fry for a minute, using tongs to toss. Add the sauce and stir fry for another minute or two, until the sauce is starting to thicken and stick to the noodles. Push the noodles aside to make a little room for the egg - pour the beaten egg into the pan and let it sit for 30 seconds or so. Toss everything around with the tongs. The egg mixture will stick to the noodles and everything will start getting sticky. Add in the vegetables, toss together, and remove from heat. Stir in the peanuts and herbs and serve immediately. By Deb Forkins Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Versatile Veggie Sauté April 27, 2017 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Versatile Veggie Sauté 2017-04-27 11:31:56 Print Ingredients ½ cup soy sauce ¼ cup American Spoon Farmhouse Relish 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 leek (white part only), cut in ½ inch slices 1 bunch broccolini, cut into bite-size pieces 1 head bok choy, cut into bite-size pieces 1 cup snow peas, trimmed 1 cup snap peas, trimmed 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, halved ½ cup carrots, chopped 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends discarded and cut into bite-size pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced pinch of crushed red pepper flakes Instructions In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, relish, and corn starch. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the leek, broccolini, and bok choy to the skillet and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining vegetables, garlic & red pepper flakes. Continue cooking until still slightly crunchy, another 3 or 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat and stir to coat the vegetables. By Julie Busteed Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy April 20, 2017 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy 2017-04-20 14:04:18 Print Ingredients 12 ounces baby bok choy (3 or 4 small heads) 1 inch piece ginger root Kosher salt 4 ounces flat rice noodles 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1/2 pound ground pork 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 - 1 fresh fresno chile or jalapeño, seeded if desired, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds 1 teaspoon sesame oil, more for drizzling Cilantro and/or torn basil, for serving Instructions Trim bok choy and separate dark green tops from white stems; leave tops whole and thinly slice stems. Peel ginger and finely chop. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and run under cool water; drain again. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork, until golden and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Stir in half the scallions, ginger, garlic and chile. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bok choy stems and a pinch of salt. Cook until bok choy is almost tender, about 2 minutes. Toss in leaves and return pork to skillet. Toss noodles, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar into the pan. Cook until just warmed through. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with remaining scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil and herbs. Adapted from New York Times Adapted from New York Times Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
And So This Is 60… by Dana Williams April 13, 2017 by Jill Foucre 3 Comments Monday, April 3rd. I turned 60 years old. 21,900 days. That’s a lotta days. People often laugh (okay, at me) when I tell them that I usually wake up with a song in my head but it’s true. It will stay in my head most of the day. Sometimes I’ll add it to our Spotify list at Marcel’s, often having it deleted by one of my beloved coworkers as soon as I turn my back. Seriously, who doesn’t love “One Less Bell To Answer” by The 5th Dimension? Anyway, the last few weeks before the big day, I was consistently waking up to John Lennon’s “And So This Is Christmas” only it had morphed into “And So This Is 60.” It became a sort of mantra of accomplishments and disappointments, changing at any given moment, all sung to myself to that comforting tune. The second half of my 59th year was pretty momentous on a very personal level. On Wednesday, October 26th, I decided that enough was enough and that entering my 60’s at 200+ pounds was probably a really bad idea. Major change was needed. With the guidance and support of a wonderful doctor, my husband and sons and one coworker (Hi, Anne), I quietly made the life adjustments needed. My days (mostly, just in case anyone reading this has seen the celebratory birthday pics!) have consisted of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein. BOOM! That’s it. I stayed on the QT until people started to notice – it took about 30 pounds or so – and then I became an open book. One of the things that I find interesting is the assumption that for someone who loves food and cooking as much as I do, this must be a miserable journey! Nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, loving to cook has made this process far less painless than one would think. You just need to get creative. One small piece of equipment that I invested in is a traditional two-tiered bamboo steamer that we carry at Marcel’s. It offers endless variations using fresh veggies, fish and chicken. I line the baskets with fresh kale, cabbage or Swiss chard, pile loads of vegetables in the top basket and nestle my protein in the bottom basket. I place the steamer in my wok to which I’ve added two inches of broth and twenty to thirty minutes later a complete meal is ready. I’ll add a side of grains or potatoes for my family and everyone’s happy! So, here I am – 50 pounds down with 15 – 20 to go. I’ve never felt better. I walk two to five miles daily. My darling husband gave me my first new bike in 40 years for my birthday. “And So This Is 60.” Bring it.
Lemon Curd Tart April 13, 2017 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Lemon Curd Tart 2017-04-13 16:13:00 Print Tart Shell ¾ cup butter, room temperature ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 ¾ cup flour pinch of salt Lemon Curd 2-4 lemons 1 ½ cups sugar ¼ pound butter, room temperature 4 eggs, room temperature 1/ teaspoon salt 1 10” baked tart shell Tart Shell Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. Then add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Press the dough into a 10” round tart pan, making sure the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the chilled tart. Fill with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove parchment and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20-25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature*. Lemon Curd Remove the zest from 2 of the lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith.Squeeze enough lemons to make ½ cup juice. Put the zest in a food processor and add the sugar. Process for 2-3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. Add the butter, then the eggs, one at a time. Finally, add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The curd will thicken at about 175 degrees. Remove from heat. Fill the tart shell with the warm lemon curd** and allow to sit at room temperature. Notes *Can be made 1 day ahead. Makes one 10” tart shell or 5 4 ½” tart shells. **Can substitute limes, oranges or grapefruit for equal measures of the lemon zest and juice. By Teri Hiben Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/