Lamb Stir-Fry with Pomegranate and Yogurt

Lamb Stir-Fry with Pomegranate and Yogurt

Monday, January 27, 2014

Sesamee Soba Noodles

Lately I have been trying to keep things simple in the kitchen. I still look forward to diving into a new recipe, but during the week I'm trying to be less ambitious. If only all of my goals were so lofty....

But in all seriousness, I need to be spending less time braising chicken and more time relaxing. And by relaxing I mean sitting on the bathroom floor and telling Xavier stories about dragons while he pretends to use the toilet. Anyways, you can't get simpler than this sesamee soba noodle dish. Use spicy sesamee oil or red pepper flakes if you want a kick.

http://damndelicious.net/2013/06/17/sesame-soba-noodles/

If you are feeling ambitious, you could top this with grilled chicken, fish, shrimp, etc. But as I mentioned, ambitious is not the name of the game around here!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Cod with Miso, Ginger, Garlic and Greens


A bunch of us rented a cabin in the Catskills for MLK weekend. It was a wonderful mess of toddlers and babies, good wine, great food and a few stolen moments of peace and quiet. Like on most holiday weekends, I ate a lot of rich foods…onion soup, pancakes with butter and syrup and giant lattes. For lunch one day, Lionel braved the cold and grilled up some wings and cheeseburgers. I washed that down with a few beers.

By the time Monday rolled around, I was ready for detox. I found this recipe for cod with miso, ginger, garlic and greens. 

http://www.girlwithspoon.com/2012/04/steamed-white-fish-with-ginger-garlic.html

The photo makes it look bland but this fish was infused with wonderful flavor. The salty miso and the pungent ginger and garlic are a perfect combination for a mild fish like cod. I steamed it along with some broccolini and served it with quinoa. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe, especially given how quick and easy it is. I feel healthy just thinking about it...convenient since this freezing weather is making me think about onion soup and giant lattes again!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Baked Peppers stuffed with Lamb, Currants and Pine Nuts


The week after vacation hit me like a truck. After two solid weeks of lounging around the beaches of California and huddled around the fireplace in Massachusetts with parents around to help with the kids, reality was brutal. All of a sudden we had to make every meal, clean sticky oatmeal off the floor, negotiate hair washes at bath time and, hardest of all, get four people out the door every morning with packed lunches, pumped milk, and now pureed baby food. Aghhh!

The last few days Ryan and I have dedicated our evenings to trying to figure out how to simplify and streamline the chaos. By the way, don’t have this conversation without one of Ryan’s famous Palomas (tequila, grapefruit and soda). Anyways, we came up with lots of useful strategies which basically involved winning the lottery and then getting a three bedroom, a cleaning lady and a consultant to toilet train Xavier. But in all seriousness, most of our discussion centered on cooking since that’s where I devote a lot of my time and where I feel there is little room for compromise. But even though I love it, it becomes overwhelming at times and the addition of food for Annecy is making me a bit crazed. It may sound minor but I asked Ryan if he could chose more of the meals even though with the way we divide responsibilities, I’m the one cooking them. Sometimes I just don’t have the mental energy to come up with good ideas for dinners for the week. So all this is just to say that he recently suggested stuffed peppers. I think he was fantasizing about our responsibility-free honeymoon in Greece… 


Uninspired by the quick google search, I made up my own easy recipe and it was awesome. Cut off the tops and clean out 6 bell peppers. Steam them for 10 minutes so they are soft and easier to stuff. In the meantime, sauté one onion for as long as you have patience…the more caramelized the better. Add a few gloves of crushed garlic and stir. Add one pound of ground meat (lamb, beef, turkey) and cook through. From here it’s up to you. I added chopped green olives, pine nuts, currants and a bunch of spices including turmeric, harissa, ground coriander and fresh cilantro. I then tossed in a cup of cooked quinoa. Let it cook a bit and then stuff those peppers to a breaking point. I topped a few with feta. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes until the pepper gets nice and charred. They pair very well with Palomas!