Fried Udon Noodles

We hardly ever cook pasta dishes, since they are always so heavy and unhealthy, but after finding an Asian inspired noodle dish I think we will use noodles more often. This dish is very simple and easy to alter for your own taste and what you have on hand at the moment!

Serves 2-4 (depending on amount of vegetables)
Ingredients:
About 2-4 oz Udon noodles (or Soba noodles)
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups finely chopped broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced daikon
1 cup leeks, chopped into thin half moons
1 cup chopped bok choy
2 tsp chopped garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbl paprika
Shoyu or soy sauce to taste

Heat 1 tbl oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the broccoli and daikon along with some shoyu/soy sauce. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add the noodles and simmer. Cook until al dente (these cook in about 5 minutes). Drain and keep warm.

Add the remainder of the oil, all other ingredients and spice to the broccoli mixture over medium heat, add more shoyu/soy sauce and combine until all vegetables are tender.

Finally toss in the noodles and combine, then serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds!

Black Sesame & Pear Tea Cake

I stumbled across this recipe in Bon Apetit magazine and thought it sounded so unique! The black sesame seeds turn the cake a dark bluish-purple color and give it  a nutty flavor. This cake has a faint peanut butter essence.

Ingredients:
1/2cup(1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour or almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup greek yogurt
1(medium) firm but ripe Asian pear, peeled, cored, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 325°.Grease one 9x5x3-inch loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, next 4 ingredients, and 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Grind remaining 1/2 cup sesame seeds in a coffee grinder to form a thick paste.

Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cups sugar in a large bowl until well combined, 2–3 minutes. Add sesame paste and beat, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until blended, 1–2 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk. Beat until pale and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. On low speed, beat in flour mixture, alternating with yogurt. Toss pear with remaining 2 Tbsp. flour in a small bowl; fold into batter.

Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.

Bake until a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, about 1 hour 40 min for large loaf and 45–55 minutes for small loaves. Let cool in pans on a wire rack.

Note: Next time I would layer the pears in the loaf so that each slice has pears in it.

Chai Cookies

Chai & Cookies together...... What more do you need?

Ingredients:

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c chai powder

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 c butter (room temp)

2 t vanilla extract

2 1/4 c flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

Optional Ingredients: (The cookies are awesome if you use them all!)

- Chocolate chips

- Shredded coconut

- Nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, etc)

Mix together flour, baking powder, and spices in a bowl.

In a mixing bowl beat the butter until fluffy, add the sugar and chai powder until combined.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients at low speed.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Form the dough into balls and roll in a sugar/chai/spice mixture.

Bake on parchment paper for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pot-Roasted Celery Root

One of my favorite places to "window shop" is the grocery store, specifically health food stores. They have the most interesting produce, drinks, snacks, etc. And whenever I find a recipe using an ingredient I didn't even know existed I can't wait to give it a try; there are hardly any fruits/vegetables I dislike so I love to try new ones!

Celery Root does have a celery flavor when it is raw, but in this dish it has almost a sweet vegetable flavor and turns very tender!

Pot Roasted Celery Root: Serves 6

Ingredients:
Note: You can use all dried herbs & sub the buttermilk for unsweetened yogurt.

3 T plus 2 t extra-virgin olive oil
6 small celery roots (about 4 oz each) or 2 large, unpeeled, trimmed with some stem attached
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher salt
12 springs thyme
6 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs sage
1 T coffee beans (optional)
1 c buttermilk
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olives (any kind), pitted, quartered lengthwise

• Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add celery roots and cook, turning frequently, until golden, 8-10 minutes. Add butter and a large pinch of salt. When butter begins to foam, reduce heat to medium-low. Add herb sprigs, coffee beans, if using, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and gently cook, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if pan is dry, until celery roots are very tender, about 1 hour.
• Remove herbs and coffee beans (if using) from pot and discard. Baste celery roots with buttery juices in pot. Remove from heat. Transfer celery roots to a cutting board, slice in half through stems, and place 2 halves on each plate.
• Meanwhile, very gently warm buttermilk in a small saucepan over low heat (it will break if warmed too much). Squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice and add remaining 2 tsp. oil and a pinch of salt to make a loose sauce. Spoon sauce around celery roots on plates. Garnish with olives, drizzle with oil, and squeeze a few more drops of lemon juice over each.
   
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• One serving contains:
  Calories (kcal) 259.3
  %Calories from Fat 76.6
  Fat (g) 22.1
  Saturated Fat (g) 10.6
  Cholesterol (mg) 41.6
  Carbohydrates (g) 13.0
  Dietary Fiber (g) 2.5
  Total Sugars (g) 3.8
  Net Carbs (g) 10.5
  Protein (g) 3.1
  Sodium (mg) 227.7