Avocado Pistachio Pesto

January 29, 2024January 19, 2024 ~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Due to the unprovoked, criminal and seemingly endless brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose. Many of these agencies will also help victims suffering the devastating effects of natural disasters and from Terror Organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Israel and Ukraine

What is a dip for vegetables, a spread for burgers and sandwiches and a sauce for pasta? Avocado Pistachio Pesto – that’s what! I could even see using it on top of grilled fish or chicken. This simple-to-make, beautifully vibrant pesto is delicious in so many ways. So make a bunch and use it liberally. And the added bonus of many vegan meals is that they are extremely budget-friendly. And who wouldn’t want a delicious meal that doesn’t break the bank?

When making a dish with a few ingredients, always choose the best quality that you can find and afford. And that is especially true when using olive oil. I use a few trusted brands and I especially love the flavored olive oils. Baking cakes with olive oil not only makes them taste rich and flavorful, but they hold up beautifully as well. And there is no tedious creaming of butter and sugar or remembering to leave the butter out so it is malleable.

Don’t misunderstand. I love a really good unsalted butter slathered on freshly baked bread. And there are some cakes and cookies that just would not be the same without it. But if you haven’t tried a top quality olive oil, you don’t know what you are missing.

When ripe, avocados are creamy and rich tasting, while also being a healthy fat that packs a punch of anti-oxidants and vitamins. When combined with pistachios, lemon, basil, EVOO and mint, you have a party going on. This Avocado Pistachio Pesto will keep for a few days in the fridge if covered with a layer of EVOO. Anytime you take some pesto, fill in the gap with EVOO and the pesto will stay a beautiful green and will retain its vibrancy.

I paired my Avocado Pistachio Pesto with a red lentil pasta and some frozen, thawed baby peas. But any kind of pasta that you like will work. Throw together a quick, colorful salad and you have a great meal. So don’t wait. Make this today!

Recipe

Yield: About 4 cups

Ingredients

1 cup of raw pistachios, lightly pan-toasted

2.5 large, very ripe avocados

2 ounces of fresh basil leaves, thick stems removed

5 large garlic cloves

Juice of half of a lemon or more to taste

3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

About 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh or frozen mint leaves

Lemon EVOO or other quality EVOO that is bright and with a bit of an edge (I actually used two different olive oils in making this.)

Directions

Place all of the ingredients in a strong blender or food processor. While the machine is running, drizzle in the olive oil until you get a consistency you like. Don’t be afraid to use the EVOO. The sauce will thicken some over time. How thick you make it is personal taste. When using it with pasta, I also add about a cup of the pasta water to the sauce when ready to serve.

Easy Chicken Stir-fry

January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 ~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Israel and Ukraine

Work has FINALLY begun on a long-overdue renovation. We had naively thought that we could remain in our apartment while most of it was ripped apart. Not and keep our sanity! Thankfully, we live in a neighborhood with lots of new and beautiful rental apartments. Since we have been owners for 40 years now, there was some sticker shock to get past before we actually could sign a lease for 6 months.

Hopefully by moving out, not only do we retain our sanity, but the work can progress more quickly. But what this means is that we have been packing up most of our place and several decades worth of treasures for the past few weeks. We are living out of a small corner of our apartment until the movers come in the next two weeks.

So I am keeping the cooking as easy and painless as possible. Eating out or ordering in not only is expensive, less healthy, but also generally less enjoyable. So we accommodate. We have definitely been drinking down our wine cabinet much faster than usual! Less to pack, right?

I saw that the New York Times was featuring a recipe for Moo Goo Gai Pan last week. This ubiquitous Americanized Cantonese dish seemed like a good choice for an easy weeknight dinner. But when I decide to make something I found online, I always check out anywhere up to 5 versions of the dish and pick and choose what I like.

The version I ended up with came from The Forked Spoon. I made a couple of minor changes to this Chicken Stir-fry, but mostly followed it. This could easily be made vegan by simply substituting the chicken with vegan “chicken,” the broth for vegetable broth, and use a vegetarian Oyster Sauce. I served it over rice and had a simple, delicious, satisfying, and healthy one-pot meal.

Now I happen to find chopping and prepping vegetables relaxing. But I completely understand that if you are busy working and rushing to get a nice meal on the table, you just might not feel that you have the time. These days you can always find sliced mushrooms and carrots and even minced garlic in your grocery. Some stores even sell, pre-sliced chicken breast ready for fajitas and stir-fry’s. I don’t generally buy them because they are a) more expensive and b) more likely to have E.coli or salmonella. But we all make choices every day of convenience vs. cost etc. So no judgement.

Unfortunately, I had already packed up my Shaoxing Wine and dry Sherry, so I had to use more broth instead, but it was not a huge miss. And when I went to the store, they had beautiful, fresh Sugar Snap Peas but no Snow Peas. Moo Goo Gai Pan calls for white button mushrooms, but I prefer Baby Bella mushrooms. But you do you. These and other small changes are why I chose to call this an Easy Chicken Stir-fry rather than Moo Goo Gai Pan.

Whatever you call this dish, just enjoy it. It comes together quickly and is bright and colorful with tender chicken and crunchy vegetables. If you are hoping for spicy, this dish is not your jam. But if you are looking for tasty and comforting – look no further.

Recipe

Yield: 4 servings with rice

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

2 teaspoons neutral vegetable oil (I like avocado oil for its high burn point)

2 teaspoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Sauce

1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil

¾ cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or Amino Acids

2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce (There are Kosher and Vegan brands available)

2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine – (substitute with dry sherry or additional broth)

3 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Stir-Fry

2 tablespoon oil – divided

4 large cloves garlic – minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root – grated

5 stalks green onions (scallions) – chopped and divided

10 ounces Baby Bella or white button mushrooms – sliced

2 carrots – sliced

1 cup Sugar Snap or Snow Peas

1 (5 ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots – drained

2 (5 ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts – drained

Sesame Seeds – to garnish

Directions

Prepare the chicken– Slice the chicken against the grain into pieces approximately 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl and combine with the oil, cornstarch, and salt. Use your hands to coat the entire surface of the chicken with a thin layer of cornstarch. This step will keep the chicken moist and tender. (Some people use egg white instead of oil, but this achieves the same level of tenderness.)

Mix the sauce– Add all ingredients for the sauce (sesame oil, low-sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch) to a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.

Cook the chicken– heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for approximately 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottom is white and no longer translucent. Carefully flip each piece of chicken over and cook the other side for an additional 20-30 seconds. Immediately remove to a clean plate (The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point – but that’s ok).

Cook the “holy trinity” of Chinese cooking – Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic, ginger and half of the green onions to the pan. Mix to combine and sauté for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

Cook the remaining vegetables– Add the carrots and mushrooms to the skillet, mixing well to combine. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables start to turn soft, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts, mixing well to combine. Continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes or so.

Add the sauce and return the chicken. Give the sauce a final stir to dissolve the cornstarch and pour directly into the skillet with the vegetables. Add back the chicken and the remaining half of the green onions. Mix well to combine and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve immediately over rice and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, if desired.

Breadsticks in an Hour

January 14, 2024January 14, 2024 ~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 4 Comments

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Israel and Ukraine

Crispy on the outside, chewy/soft on the inside and ready to eat straight from the oven. Breadsticks in an Hour is the perfect accompaniment to soup, salad and pasta.

I am in the midst of packing up our apartment for a long overdue renovation. We will be in temporary digs for about 6 months. So, as a result, I am keeping things simple. But we are bread people. There, I’ve said it. I never understood the fad of not eating carbs. We eat them daily and both my husband and I are slim.

Since we are under a severe freeze warning this week, following a snow and ice storm, all I want for dinner is some good hot soup and bread for dinner. Although, honestly, I’m in the mood for homemade soup and bread anytime of the year. And you will find many wonderful examples on my blog.

Not only do I want to keep things simple after a day of packing and lugging boxes, but many of my things are already packed up. So I have to come up with things that are still available to me until we actually move in about 10 days. And between the weather and moving, we are not rushing out to the store when I am out of something.

One day last week, it was 4:00 and we were having pasta for dinner and I realized that I didn’t have any bread. I know that for many people this is not a serious problem. However, I REALLY wanted bread with my dinner. So I went online looking for a quick recipe that didn’t require either a long rising or baking time. I came across a recipe here. It looked easy enough and I had all of the ingredients. I thought how bad could it be? I have made it twice now, tweaking it some, and I am sharing the results with you.

The way that I made the Breadsticks in an Hour yielded about 18 to 20 breadsticks. I used different flours each time and both versions had their merits, although the one I am showing here was the favorite. They freeze well and add just the right accompaniment to pasta, soup and salads. This is a recipe that will be made on repeat throughout the year.

In addition, the Breadsticks are fun to make and would be a great small project to do with kids. While I made this using a stand mixer, you could make them entirely by hand. The kneading would take a bit longer. I added rosemary and garlic powder to the dough, but you can make them with just some flaky salt on top, sesame seeds or any other dried herb or grated cheese. As they are shown here, the Breadsticks in an Hour are vegan and Kosher.

So if you are new to bread baking or an old hand at it, these are a great addition to your repertoire. Give them a try! You won’t be disappointed.

Recipe

Yield: 18 to 20 long breadsticks

Ingredients

1.5 cups of warm water (warm to your finger tips)

1 Tablespoon active dried yeast or instant yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried, crumbled rosemary (or 2 teaspoons fresh, chopped rosemary)

3/4 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder

3+ cups of flour (I love Bob’s Mill Artisan Flour. I also used about 2 Tablespoons of Janie’s Whole Kernel Bread Flour. The first time I made these, I used only the Whole Kernel Bread Flour.)

EVOO (About 1/4 cup in total) (Try to use a good, flavorful EVOO. I like Mediterranean Blend or the oil left from making Garlic Confit.)

Flaky Salt for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. I like my oven to be good and hot when I bake bread.

If you are using Active Dried Yeast (as I do), then place the yeast and sugar into the warm water. Stir it through and allow to stand until bubbly. My house has so many yeast spores around that this only took about 5 minutes. If you are using Instant Yeast, you can skip this step.

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add 3 cups of the flour, the salt, dried herbs and seasonings, if used. Give it a quick mix with a spoon or spatula to distribute everything. Add your Instant yeast, sugar and water OR the yeast/water/sugar mixture once proofed.

On the lowest setting, start to mix everything together. Once the flour won’t fly out of the bowl, turn the mixer up to the second level and keep it going until a soft dough just clears the sides of the bowl and is only very slightly sticky. If necessary, add another one to 2 Tablespoons more of flour. This only took about 4 minutes.

Allow the dough to rest in the bowl, covered with a towel, for 10 minutes.

Spread EVOO in a half-sheet pan and a quarter-sheet pan. (I use a silicone brush).

After the dough has rested, add a little EVOO to your counter surface or silicone mat. Press the dough out with your hands into a rectangle that is about 16-inches by 7-inches. You don’t have to be perfect! I use a silicone mat with a ruler on it, to make it simple for me.

Since I am using a silicone mat, I use a large plastic knife to cut my dough into strips about 1 to 1.5 inches in width. I do the cuts vertically along the short end. The dough is stretchy so your breadsticks will end up longer then the 7-inches.

Then give each strip a few twists. Again – we are not going for perfectly even. Some bits will be a little thinner and some fatter. Place the twisted strips onto the baking sheets about 1/2-inch apart. If an end is too thin, I just tucked it under a bit. I love the knobs and twists that get a great crisp on the outside, with a lovely chewy, soft inside.

Brush the breadsticks with EVOO and sprinkle with Maldon Flaky Salt (widely available) or sesame seeds. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes. They will poof up some.

Place the breadsticks in the oven and bake for about 18 minutes or until golden brown. As soon as you remove the breadsticks from the oven, brush with a little more EVOO and sprinkle on a few more flakes of salt.

My current oven can only accommodate one pan, so the other pan got an additional 18-minute rest. I didn’t notice any difference in the two pans after baking.

To freeze: Just place in a freezer bag. Re-warm, thawed breadsticks in a 350 degree F. oven for about 3 minutes.

Vegan Egg Salad

January 8, 2024June 30, 2024 ~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Israel and Ukraine

Normally, I take vegan recipes on their own merit rather than comparing them to their non-vegan counterparts. However, if you didn’t watch me make this Vegan Egg Salad and I simply served it in a sandwich, you very likely would assume that you were eating real eggs. I have also served this as a luncheon salad over lettuce and other than it doesn’t look quite exactly like non-vegan egg salad, the taste was the same.

I have no problem with real eggs. No animal had to die to give them to me and they are nutritious powerhouses. But I actually have come to prefer my Vegan Egg Salad over non-vegan egg salad. And I get all the protein with less fat.

Tofu sucks up flavor like a sponge. So in and of itself, there isn’t much of a flavor profile. Squeeze out the excess liquid and add your seasonings of choice and now we’re talkin’. There are different levels of tofu – everything from Silken tofu to extra, extra-firm. And different brands. Find a brand that you like and use the extra-firm for this recipe.

This recipe is my favorite version, but feel free to change it up. Use fresh dill instead of parsley or cilantro or a combination. If you absolutely have no fresh herbs in the house, use some dried dill. The one ingredient that you must have to pull this off is Kala Namak or Black Salt. It smells god-awful. But it is that sulphurous smell that when used with tofu, fools you into thinking you are eating eggs. Thankfully, once it is mixed with the other ingredients, that awful smell dissipates. You don’t need a lot, but if you are looking to make tofu scrambles or chickpea omelet or fritatta, you’ll want this on hand. It’s available online and in spice shops and some ethnic grocery markets.

So if you are looking to add some delicious and easy vegan alternatives to your weekday meals, this Vegan Egg Salad is a great way to start. The measurements are a guide. Depending on where you live, tofu may come in slightly different weights than I get. Don’t get bogged down with that. You may like more -or-less – pickle. Make it your own. Give it a try. This will hold up well in the fridge for several days, although you may need to mix through or pour off any liquid that might form at the bottom.

This is great to take on picnics because unlike things made with real eggs and real mayonnaise, Vegan Egg Salad won’t spoil as quickly.