Recipe Review from 8/14/2017

 And the pictures I was going to post last week!

Temperance River

Carlton Peak from below

View of the North Shore

This weekend we went to the Carlton County Fair.  I was trying to remember the last time I went to any county fair and I came up with 19 or 20 years ago, shortly after we moved up here.  We've been trying to get to the Carlton Co. Fair for a while now, and we actually had the weekend free (that and I was home and not at Worldcon).

What was surprising was this find:

Seriously, how many county fairs have a STEAM TRAIN on display!  How cool is that?!

And I made a couple of notable meals last week.  Enjoy!

The Meal Plan for the week:
Sat (L) Hiking!  (S) Fried chicken
Sun (L)  Folks place     (S) leftover chicken
Mon (yoga)  Shawarma Bowls
Tues -  Kale and Sausage pasta
Wed (Trap shooting)  leftover shawarma bowls
Thurs (yoga) pasta
Fri - tacos with leftover pork from pasta

Lunches - hummus sandwiches, carrots, cherries


Chicken Shawara Bowls  (Ckng Lght, Sept 2017)  gluten free
AWESOME!   I really liked this, especially the sauce.   Now, I did prep my chicken and farro the day before to save some time, especially since I wasn't using a rotisserie chicken but one of my own.  The flavors are great, this would make the perfect lunch or picnic meal with some pita bread, kalmata olives and feta. 

My changes: 

• I swapped zucchini for cucumber because I don't like cucumber
• I used smoked paprika because I was out of regular
• I didn't bother cutting the cherry tomatoes 
• I used pearled farro that I had cooked the day before (I would have NO idea where to get prepared farro)  it only took about 20 minutes to cook up a batch.  It was about 1 1/4 cup dried farro. 

photo from cookinglight.com

12 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded (about 3 cups)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon cumin, divided
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 teaspoon minced garlic   (skipped)
1 (8.5-oz.) pkg. precooked farro  

(I used 1 cup regular pearled farro, and pre-cooked night before)
2 cups chopped English cucumber  (I subbed zucchini)
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (skipped)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place chicken and oil in a large bowl; toss to coat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and paprika in a bowl. Add spice mixture to chicken mixture; toss to coat.

2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin, yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside. 

3. Heat farro according to package directions. Place 1/2 cup farro in each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with about 3/4 cup chicken mixture, 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/2 cup tomatoes, about 1/3 cup chickpeas, and 2 1/2 tablespoons Greek yogurt mixture. Top with parsley and black pepper.

Kale, Sausage and Tomato Pasta (Ckng Lght, Sept 2017)  

Simple, expedient, tasty.  Flavors are well balanced, this uses fall produce, and the ww spaghetti adds a nice nutty background note to the dish. The only thing I would recommend is gently "popping" the tomatoes while cooking.  I smooshed some on my plate and ended up wearing tomato seeds.

Recommended if you need a quick weeknight meal.

photo from cookinglight.com

8 ounces whole-wheat or multigrain spaghetti
6 ounces mild pork Italian sausage
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cups coarsely chopped stemmed curly kale
1 pint small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove sausage from pan.

3. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pepper and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in kale and tomatoes; cover, and cook 6 minutes or until tomatoes soften and wilt, stirring occasionally. Push kale and tomatoes to outer edges of pan. Add tomato paste to center of pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add reserved 1 cup pasta cooking liquid, stirring constantly. Stir in sausage and salt. Add pasta to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring to coat. Top with cheese.

From Ckng Lght:  3 Ways to Speed Up Pasta Sauce 1. Skip canned tomatoes and use fresh. They'll burst and break down in minutes, and you won't have to wait for excess liquid to reduce.
2. Cook the tomato paste in the pan for a full minute before adding liquid to caramelize and concentrate the tomato flavor in the sauce.
3. Add the starchy pasta water to the pan, and stir vigorously to emulsify with the oil and tomato paste for a thickened sauce that clings.