Floral scallop and shrimp ceviche with Tom Kha Het soup

Tom Kha huh? Tom Kha Het. It's a Thai soup, its name means "boiled galangal mushrooms". I've had it in a couple different Thai restaurants and it's always been wonderful, so I decided to try my hand at it.

To further add to my evening of culinary experimentation, I decided to make a ceviche, something I had also never done before.

No, I didn't get sick. Neither did my husband. And everything tasted great.

Crustaceans and molluscs and fungi, oh my!

Sorry, had to.

Anyway, let's have at some nutritional facts:

Scallops are rich-tasting little sea morsels that are brimming with Vitamin B12, tons of minerals and plenty of protein.

Shrimp too are rich in B12, minerals and protein, but also have healthy doses of Niacin (B3) and Vitamin D (which this country is apparently having issues with, so eat up).

Did you know that Saffron is loaded with Manganese? This glorious stuff gave my ceviche that vibrant golden hue, by the way.

Lavender, one of my very very favorite flowers, has been used medicinally for centuries as an anti-inflammatory and an antiseptic. It's also used in aromatherapy as a relaxation and sleep aid. I keep a little bottle of lavender oil to trickle into my bath water, I can attest to the wonder of it. Note: Pure lavender oil is extremely potent stuff and must be dilluted if you intend to use it. Use it in base lotions and bath water, do not cook with it!

What you cook with are the flowers, all dried up and bottled. You can generally find it in the spice aisle of your local grocery store. Might want to call ahead first.

I'm rambling here, let's get on with the cooking (or acidic denaturing of proteins, in the case of the ceviche). This will make two servings:

1/4 lb. sea scallops, cut into quarters (to be honest, I wanted to buy the smaller bay scallops and leave them whole, but my grocery store only had them frozen in the back, and I needed them fresh)

1/3 lb. large shrimp, cut into pieces to match the size of your scallops

5 oz. coconut milk (as a wise man would say, this is a "sometimes food")

Enough chicken stock to achieve your desired soup consistency

1 and 1/2 Tbsp. ground lemongrass (if you can find this stuff fresh, more power to you, I just bought it in a tube next to all the fresh herbs)

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 and 1/2 tsp. of anchovy paste (use fish sauce if you have that around, but it's basically just anchovy, salt and water anyway)

4 cremini mushroom caps, chopped (I would have used oyster or shitake mushrooms for this if I were less budget conscious)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of chopped green onions

A palmful of chopped cilantro

1/2 lemon's juice

1 whole lime's juice

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (you can substitute these for some sliced serrano chiles if you really want this soup to bite back, I just wanted a little burn)

1 pinch of saffron, soaked for a couple minutes in 1 Tbsp. of very hot water (this stuff is measured in pinches because it's worth its weight in gold. Trust me, a little goes a long way, and it's worth every penny)

1/2 tsp. dried lavender, crushed

To taste salt, fresh black pepper, whatever else you see fit

You might be asking yourself "hey, where's the galangal?"...well, I don't know, but I'll tell you where it's not! Any grocery store near my house. I substituted it for ginger, even though most Thai cooks will frown on that. Sorry! Tasted mighty good to me either way.

The ceviche will need to marinate for up to 12 hours for complete doneness. If you just want it about half-opaque like mine was, aim for 3 or 4. To make the marinade, combine all of the lemon juice and half of the lime juice into a bowl, add a dash of the sesame oil, the saffron and the water you bloomed it in, the lavender, a small palmful of the green onions and a little salt and pepper. Mix well, make sure every piece is well coated. Keep it in the refridgerator, stiring once an hour or so.

When your ceviche looks and feels right to you, start your soup. Heat the remaining sesame oil in a sauce pan (medium low) and add your garlic. Get that a little soft, then add the mushrooms. Cook those until they're brown, add the red pepper and some black pepper. If you're using fresh chiles, they'll go in with the mushrooms.

When the mushrooms look good, add your coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and anchovy paste (or fish sauce). Add chicken stock until your soup reaches a thickness you like. That will need to simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the remaining green onion and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste the soup and salt accordingly.

Add the cilantro and reserved lime juice to your soup just before serving. I garnished my ceviche with a little lime wedge and some green onion.

Enjoy! Do come back.

Balsamic curry chicken with butternut squash macaroni and cheese

At first glance, this looks like a standard American meal. A meat, a starch, a creamy sauce and an absentminded "oops" on the veggies. However, once you learn that there aren't any yellow cheeses in that sauce, it starts to unravel.

Yep, there's cooked butternut squash purée in the sauce. Sneaky, huh?

And it tasted great.

If butternut squash is something you don't even think about outside of Thanksgiving, allow me to explain why it should be popping up in your cooking more often. This tasty, creamy, sweet veggie is a ninja among produce, able to work its way into cakes, sauces, soups and smoothies without issue. Not only that, it's a fantastic source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, several B Vitamins and Potassium. There's also plenty of fiber in there, not to mention those carotenoids we've been on a kick with.

Shall we cook?

This will make two servings:

1 cup macaroni pasta (use whole wheat if you can)

1 Tbsp. sweet butter

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 large chicken breast, pounded thin

12 oz. of frozen butternut squash purée (that's one package, usually. It'll be with the rest of the frozen veggies)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 medium shallot (also minced)

1 to 2 splashes of 2% milk

0.2 lbs. young asiago cheese

0.2 lbs. fontina cheese (Fun Fact: Bobby Flay has called fontina "the perfect cheese", and I completely understand why)

1/4 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 and a 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

To taste sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, smoked paprika (I like this stuff in the sauce), marjoram, whatever you'd like. I had an extra slice of havarti left from the burgers last night, so I tossed that in there.

First thing's first, get some water on to boil for the pasta (don't forget to salt it).

Melt the butter in a sauce pot and whisk in the flour. Cook your roux for a minute, then add your minced onion and garlic. Cook for another minute of two, then add your milk, whisking to break up lumps. Take it easy on the milk, you're just making a little something to melt that squash into, it'll make up the majority of the sauce's body.

Speaking of which, when that's nice and hot, add the squash. If you thawed it first, great, if not, it'll melt into the sauce in a matter of minutes. Add your nutmeg and whatever else you'd like (omit salt until the end). Let that simmer for a little while.

After you pound out that chicken, rub the balsamic on each side, coating it evenly. Put half the curry powder on one side, half on the other, season each side with salt, pepper and whatever else you like on your chicken. It'll need to cook in a medium heat skillet for about 4 minutes per side, less or more depending on the thickness. Don't overcook it.

You should cook your pasta while the chicken's searing, as well as gradually melt your cheese into the sauce. Everything should be done at about the same time.

Plate and serve! Prepare for looks of surprise and delight.

Tomorrow, I'm making a ceviche. Ever had it? Me neither! Hope it doesn't suck! Do come back.

Coffee crusted havarti burger with chile aioli and sofrito broccoli

There. Finally. The burger. Mmm.

This was almost as interesting as it was delicious. I've seen some of my favorite chefs crust things like steak in coffee before, and I had always wanted to try it. Take it from me, it's an excellent idea.

We've recently covered the benefits of chiles and broccoli, so I will focus only on the new arrivals to the party.

Beef! The official protein of the Western diet. Most nutritionists will tell you to take it easy on red meat, and frankly, I'm not going to disagree with them. While beef is a good source of several B vitamins (particularly B12) and iron, there are leaner, more versatile, more nutrient rich proteins out there that have a far more impressive historical track record of maintaining good health and narrow waistlines.

That being said, while I generally try to cook chicken and fish, I see nothing wrong with indulging in a little red meat up to once a week. A rare (and I do mean mooing, folks) steak or burger, perfectly seared and seasoned, is a joy dare not even consider surrendering.

Coffee is something I wish I liked more in its brewed form. It's been linked to lower instances of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and cardiovascular disease. It's also rich in antioxidants. Now, do not think for one second that the venti 2% iced peppermint white chocolate mocha with whip and sprinkles you just guzzled is doing you more good than harm. A drip coffee (caffeinated) with minimal added fats and sugars is what you need to aim for to get those benefits.

Okay, let's talk about whole wheat. It's a tale of passion, excitement, suspense and lost love (well, at least lost nutrients). Here we go.

Long ago, there was no white flour. Wheat flour, a product filled with nutritious, perishable oils and compounds that could not travel far, was all we had available to us. With the advent of some new technology, we were able to polish away the bran and germ from our grains, leaving a soft, white powder comprised entirely of endosperm, a nutrient poor, energy rich substance (we call those empty calories) that never seemed to go rancid.

After epidemics of pellagra and beriberi broke out, along with a general decline in the health of the population consuming these new refined grains, millers began fortifying their grains with B vitamins and other micronutrients to compensate for what had been stripped away during processing.

The underlying issue with this is a huge part of the book that inspired this blog. Nutrients taken outside of the context of the foods that contain them are not nearly as effective as whole food. Why? Because we didn't evolve as a species consuming stuff like Vitamin Water, we did so eating whole produce and proteins.

If we really had a handle on how to break down food into individual nutrients and rebuild them to full capacity, then why can't we develop a baby formula that even touches the benefits of real breast milk for newborns? Yeah, chew on that nutritionism.

Wow, this post is getting a little tl;dr. Let's get on with the recipe.

This will make three servings:

3 ground beef patties (4 oz. each, grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free)

A little bit of ground coffee (I used a French Roast, you don't need much at all)

3 whole wheat kaiser rolls

Some chile aioli (mine was made with about 1/4 cup mayonnaise, juice of 1/4 lemon, 1/2 clove fresh garlic, and 3 dried, stemmed, seeded and crushed Guajillo [wah-HE-yo] chiles, a palmful of cilantro, sea salt and pepper, that was enough for me, my husband and our friend who was visiting)

3 palmfuls of fresh arugula

1/2 cup of sofrito (mine had 3 cloves of garlic, about 1/6 of a red onion, a handful of cilantro, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 12 or so cherry tomatoes [quartered], salt and black pepper. It was cooked over low heat until the veggies were softened a bit)

About 15 broccoli florets (I bought a head of it and snipped them off myself, so I have a leftover stem to toss into a stir fry or something later)

3 slices of havarti cheese

To taste salt, pepper, spices and what have you

I started by making my aioli. The peppers and the coffee both got the same food processor treatment (this isn't recommended if you're ever brewing coffee. You really do need a grinder for that). Combine the dried chiles and the rest of the aioli ingredients, stir to combine, cover and refridgerate.

Preheat your oven to 350° (we're being wimpy on the temperature here to not burn the sofrito). Toss your sofrito and broccoli florets together on a baking sheet and get them in the hot box. They'll cook for 15 or so minutes on one side, then turn the florets, and back for another 5-10.

While that's working, you can make your burgers. Salt and pepper your beef patties and then crust them in the ground coffee much like you would bread crumbs. Preheat a grill or heavy pan (love cast iron for this) to medium high heat. Those should cook about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. When you take these off the heat, immediately add the havarti so it melts on top. These burgers should rest in aluminum foil for a few minutes before serving.

Toast your buns, smear a little aioli on the top bun, stick your arugula to it, put a burger patty on the bottom bun and combine. Cut it in half for easier consumption.

Garnish with some extra cilantro if you'd like. And I do like. Mmm, cilantro.

Fun Fact: There is a small but extremely vocal minority of people who really, really hate cilantro (I would link the cilantro hater website, but Google told me it wasn't safe).

Come back tomorrow for some first class vegetable sneaking.

Spinach pistachio pesto

Note: I couldn't hold the camera still to save my life, sorry for the blurry image. Also, my dining room table has been hijacked by other interests for the time being, leaving me with the less romantic canvas of my cutting board. I'll see if I can find a better spot to snap the shot for the burgers tomorrow.

My husband and I decided to go out and satisfy a barbeque craving for lunch earlier today, so I've again postponed the burgers in favor of a lighter meal that I had originally planned on making today anyway. I've made pesto dozens of ways and have never met a pesto I didn't like. It's herbaceous, it's my favorite color, there's olive oil, there's garlic, what's not to swoon over?

Here's a couple reasons why this speedy dish (I'm talking less than 15 minutes here) is not only convenient, but great for you:

Garlic is a fantastic, pungent aromatic that has been used medicinally by cultures around the world for thousands of years. Not every purpose for which it's been used carries much scientific merit, but some of the more researched benefits include anti-inflammatory effects, lower blood pressure, decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer (garlic is rich in antioxidants), and strengthening of the immune system.

A personal anecdote here, there once was an Ethopian man named Mulu who worked at the kiosk next to mine. He ran an embroidery business and worked 11 hours a day (in a mall, no less. Lots of potential for contagious illness floating around). Mulu very, very rarely got sick, and when he did, it never lasted more than a day. When I would ask him what his secret was, he would always say one of three things: Spicy peppers, Noni, and above all else, raw garlic.

Pistachios are tasty little nuts that have a unique, almost buttery flavor. They are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, as well as Thiamine (B1) and B6. Nuts are also a fantastic source of protein and fiber. Most health experts will recommend eating at least a palmful of nuts a day, but take it easy on them after that though, as they're pretty high calorie.

Are you sick of spinach yet? Of course not! It's delicious and great for you! Besides, when you're only cooking for two, it takes a few dishes to plow through an entire bag of the fresh stuff. Sneaking spinach into something creamy and decadent like pesto is a very effective way to get someone who may not like veggies to chow down, by the way.

Let's get into the recipe.

This will make two servings:

1 and 1/2 cups of penne rigate pasta (I'd use less if I had paired this with a meat, but since it's standing alone here, I went a little heavy)

1 good-sized cube of parmigiano reggiano, chopped (mine was about 1 inch)

2 cloves of garlic

1 heaping handful of fresh spinach

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (it needs to be extra virgin)

1/3 cup of raw unsalted pistachios (if you can't find them unsalted, just account for that later when you're seasoning the pesto)

1 handful of fresh basil

To taste sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, whatever else you'd like. Lots of folks (my dad for example) like to finish their pesto with fresh lemon juice. I would say that is a mighty fine idea.

First thing you'll want to do is get the water on to boil. Cooking your pasta (don't forget to salt your pasta water) is the most time consuming part of this meal.

Combine the remaining ingredients into a food processor and purée until smooth. Taste it and adjust seasoning appropriately.

Make sure your pasta and the dish you serve it in isn't piping hot. Pesto needs to be served warm or even room temperature, not hot, or else the cheese will begin to melt and you'll have an ugly, oily, clumpy mess instead of a smooth, consistant purée.

Combine the pasta and pesto sauce and serve.

Yeah, that's really it. Isn't pesto the best thing in the world?

Now, burgers next, I promise. Do come back.

Rain check!

My husband is out with some buddies watching an MMA PPV, and since I certainly don't want him to miss out on these uniquely delicious Cubano burgers I've planned, I'm going to wait until tomorrow to make them. Check back tomorrow for some tasty fusion cuisine.

Smoked salmon bisque with creamy spinach

I was gonna really French this thing up and make a spinach soufflé, but I wasn't feeling all that well last night so I opted for a less labor-intensive side dish. I'll post the picture in a matter of hours.

They say that the true culinary might of a chef lies in their soup. Why? Because making soup is the ultimate challenge of texture, viscosity, layering and depth of flavors, on-point seasoning and balance of ingredients. That being said, don't kick yourself if this isn't perfect the first time you make it.

Making note that there aren't any ingredients in here that weren't recently covered from a health standpoint, I'll jump right into the ingredients. This will make two servings:

3 oz. smoked wild salmon

1 shallot (finely minced)

2 cloves of garlic (also minced)

3 Tbsp. sweet butter

1 and a 1/2 unpacked Tbsp. of all purpose flour (unpacked meaning don't pack it down to measure it)

1 tsp. of dried dill

1 tsp. of dried thyme

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (throw away your pre-ground stuff and buy the real deal. The difference between fresh and not is the same as black pepper. Every béchamel you make for the rest of your life will thank you, I promise)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (this is here for depth and tingle, not burn)

About 1 cup of half and half

About 1 cup of chicken stock

10 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid

1/2 lemon's zest and juice

To taste salt, fresh black pepper and whatever else you see fit

The measures for liquid are approximate because if you like a thinner bisque or a thicker bisque those are what you should adjust. Just like any sauce, don't season this soup with salt until you have reached your desired thickness. When I first began cooking, no one really let me in on this. It's much better to have a light touch with salt, as you can always add more.

Finally, let's cook!

Melt two Tbsp. of the sweet butter in a saucier or a large sauce pot and the remaining Tbsp. in a separate skillet, both over low heat. When they've melted, whisk the flour into the sauce pot gradually, you want a smooth paste. This paste you've just made (called a roux) can be cooked for varying periods of time depending on what it is being used to thicken. Since we're essentially making a béchamel, you'll want a light roux, so cook it for just a minute until it turns a pale golden color and no longer smells like raw flour. Add the shallot and cook it for a minute as well.

At this point, you'll want to gradually add your half and half, one splash at a time, whisking fervently to break up lumps. Let this heat through, then add a little more. Don't rush this part, you'll regret it. You can bump the heat up to a medium low at this point, the soup can very gently simmer, but don't let it boil.

You'll want to add chicken stock at this point to thin it out a bit. Add your lemon zest (save the juice for later) herbs and spices (save 1/8 tsp of the nutmeg for the spinach, crush the herbs up in your palm first to freshen up those essential oils), omitting salt. The salmon can go in now too, I minced mine pretty fine, but you can leave it in larger fishy morsels if you would like. Let that stuff simmer together and get acquainted while you work on the spinach.

Add the minced garlic to your skillet with the 1 Tbsp. of melted butter in it, cook for a minute or so. Then, add your thoroughly drained spinach and stir. Add a splash of half and half until desired creaminess is attained. Season with the 1/8 tsp. of reserved nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Taste the soup. It should need some salt. Add pinches (small, wimpy pinches) at a time, stirring well in between, and tasting after each pinch. Find the sweet spot, then leave it alone. Add the lemon juice just prior to serving.

Serve immediately! Creamy things like this don't bode well with downtime before consumption, just ask béchamel's cousin hollandaise.

Enjoy! Come back tomorrow a Cubano twist on the classic American burger.

Andouille and sweet red pepper marinara with roasted artichoke hearts

The weekly cooked tomato dish. Hooray, Lycopene! The original plan for the side dish here was a prosciutto wrapped asparagus, but the asparagus that I had kept in a produce bag didn't keep as well as other vegetables usually do. It had become soft and started to brown at the tips, and I didn't want to serve it. I opted to use some of the remaining artichoke hearts I had from the pizza on Monday to avoid a grocery run.

So, being that I don't have asparagus's nutritional might to yap about, I'll stick to the other new ingredient.

Red bell peppers are packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and even some B6. Red peppers also contain those Carotenoids we chatted about a couple posts back and even some Lycopene as well. Those are both antioxidants, in case you're just jumping in.

This is a tasty, simple dish that I'm confident anyone can whip up without issue, so if you're looking for a starter plate, this is a fine choice. Here's what you'll need to make two servings:

1 cup uncooked rotini pasta (use whole grain if you'd like, I'm still trying to find a brand I agree with)

3/4 cup of organic tomato puree

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1/6 of a red onion

3 oz. of andouille sausage

1 roasted red pepper (how you get this is up to you; I roast my own, about four at a time, and jar them with some oil before storing them in the fridge. They'll keep for a up to a couple months. If you don't want to bother with that, they're available in the grocery store next to the olives)

10 artichoke heart pieces

2 Tbsp. or so of grated parmigiano reggiano (Note: I [along with most nutritionists] suggest that you not skimp on the quality of your grating cheeses. I guarantee you there is more flavor in that couple tablespoons of real 2-year-old parmigiano reggiano than there will ever be in an entire wedge of generic store brand parmesan. You'll save calories and gain a depth of flavor that will ultimately leave you feeling much more satisfied)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

To taste salt, fresh black pepper, red pepper, more garlic (which I would have added, but I was literally down to my last, lonely clove. Very unlike me)

That's all, folks. Not too bad, huh? Let's put this together.

First, oil up and season those artichoke hearts and get them in a 400° oven. They'll need to roast for at least 20 minutes on the first side, and for up to 15 on the other. Mine were thawed from frozen, so they were dealing with some excess moisture. Fresh will roast much quicker.

Get a pot of water on the stove to boil for your pasta.

Cut the sausage up into 1/4 inch cubes and get it into a sauce pot on medium heat. Let it brown thoroughly on all sides, then ditch most of the rendered fat down the drain (careful not to pour the sausage down with it). You'll want a little left in the pot to cook the aromatics and sautee the red peppers.

Speaking of all that, mince your onion and finely chop the red pepper flesh. Add it to your pan, take the heat down to a medium low. When the veggies are sweated to your liking, add your tomato puree and stir to combine. Dial the heat back one more time to low and taste the sauce. Season appropriately.

When the artichokes have about another 7 minutes to roasted perfection, cook your pasta. Salt the water first, it adds flavor to the pasta itself. Cook that to a nice al dente and drain it.

To finish your sauce, kill the heat, add the basil, most of the olive oil and grate in that clove of garlic (if the thought of finishing a sauce with a punch of raw garlic makes you weak in the knees, mince this stuff and add it when you're sweating the onion).

The artichokes generally like a fresh drizzle of olive oil as well. Top the pasta and the artichoke hearts with that grated cheese and plate them simply side-by-side. Garnish with some more basil, if you like.

Come back tomorrow night for a decadent bisque, should be fantastic.