Mushroom Risotto

We've been plagued with Kansas storms for the past week straight (read: tornadic super-cells), but were blessed with a little sunshine this weekend! With the rain scheduled to return on Monday, we've been taking every chance we can to cook outside! Now risotto isn't something that is usually cooked outside, but it will be the main focus of any meal you're preparing, so you'll want to keep it simple with the protein. Risotto is heavy, so I like to pair it with a simple grilled chicken breast--seasoned with sea salt, pepper, and dried oregano. The simplicity of the chicken and the savoriness of the rice is the perfect combination! Oh, and it's 100% toddler approved... even if she did request ketchup with her chicken! Enjoy!

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 25 minutes

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INGREDIENTS: 

olive oil

sea salt & pepper to taste

8oz of your favorite mushrooms, sliced (I like portobello)

2 shallots (or 1/4 of a white onion if you can't find shallots)

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

~about 32oz of chicken broth 

4 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

a little handful of parsley, roughly chopped

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour the entire carton of chicken broth into a medium-sized pot and set it to a low simmer. 

2. Heat a large non-stick skillet with about two tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Saute the mushrooms until soft and brown, then pour them into a small bowl and set aside.

3. Add a little more olive oil and saute the shallots until they are soft.

4. Add your arborio rice (you might need just a little more oil) and allow it soak up the moisture. 

5. When the rice turns a light golden yellow, add the white wine and allow the rice to absorb it completely.

6. From this point on, you will start adding 1/2 a cup of the chicken broth at a time, allowing the rice to absorb it completely before adding another. This can be tedious, and your arm may start to get sore! Continue adding the broth until the rice is cooked al dente (about 15-20 minutes, or until most of the chicken broth has been used).

7. Remove from heat and add back the mushrooms with all of their juices, the butter, and the Parmesan cheese. 

8. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve hot!

xoxo,

CHRISTINA

Clean Eating: Grilled Balsamic Chicken

Last night I decided to make one of my feel-good, quick and easy, go-to recipes: grilled balsamic chicken. I know I tend to say every recipe is easy--but that's just how I roll! This is seriously my "lazy meal" and I just love knowing that I'm putting healthy ingredients into my family's tummies! Em (my picky toddler) isn't a huge fan of the balsamic veggie melody, but she's been known to eat an entire chicken breast with ketchup and diced mozzarella cubes--however you take it, this is sure to be a family favorite! Enjoy!

GRILLED BALSAMIC CHICKEN

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes (depending on chicken breast size)

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INGREDIENTS: 

chicken breasts for grilling

dried oregano

course salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

handful of cherry tomatoes

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

ball of mozzarella 

brown rice, cooked

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare your chicken breasts by lightly rubbing them with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, & oregano.

2. Pop those babies on the grill! 

3. While the chicken is cooking, start making your balsamic melody. Dice the tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and ball of mozzarella. 

4. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, & cilantro, and season with salt & pepper to taste. Then add a 1:1 ratio of EVOO and balsamic vinegar. How much you add is really up to you. I add just enough to moisten the veggies--you don't want a balsamic soup!

5. When the chicken is done, go a head and throw the mozzarella into your melody.

6. Layer your plate with the brown rice on the bottom, the chicken, then top it with your veggies!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

CHRISTINA

Steak. It's what's for dinner!

So yesterday was a fantastic day-- my new Le Creuset grill pan came in the mail! I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but I was absolutely thrilled! It came just in time for dinner, so of course, I had to grill some steaks!

Let's talk about the pan before we talk about the steaks. On Facebook and Instagram (@christinaandemmablog) I got a lot of questions on How do you make steak in a pan? and How can I use my Le Creuset to grill food? Let me start by saying, not all pans are created equally. Le Creuset makes two types of enameled cast iron; one with a light sand interior, found in french ovens and braisers, and one with a black satin enamel, found on skillets and grill pans. The black satin enamel-- and more specifically, the design of this grill pan-- allows me to cook with the high surface temperature needed to grill food. Now that doesn't mean you can crank up your stove to high heat and begin cooking. Not only can that damage the enamel, but your food will stick like crazy! I never go above a medium heat when using any type of Le Creuset product. The trick is to heat the pan long enough so that it heats through. Then, because cast iron retains heat so well, you can turn the heat down and begin your cooking! 

Now, the steak! In my house, there are a handful of absolute, nonnegotiable essentials when grilling a steak: salt & pepper, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and lemon. Say what? It's actually really good-- hear me out! Salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary for the cooking of the steak; and salt, garlic, parsley, and lemon for dressing your board. Check out the recipe below, and enjoy!

CAST-IRON GRILLED STEAK

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 8 minutes per steak

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INGREDIENTS: 

steaks for grilling

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

an herb bouquet of rosemary

2 cloves garlic, 1 halved & the other minced

1 lemon

1 tablespoon butter [more or less]

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare your cast-iron grill pan by heating it over medium heat.

2. Season raw steak (patted dry & at room-temperature) with salt & pepper on both sides. Then, brush lightly with olive oil.

3. Dress your board. To do this, drizzle some olive oil, salt, minced garlic, parsley, and the juice from one lemon onto your cutting board. Mix it around, and set it aside. This is where you will place your steaks to rest after they are done cooking.

4. When your pan is heated through, brush it lightly with olive oil, and hold steak upright with the fatty edge on the grill. Sear the fat until it is crispy, then lay the steak down flat and press it lightly against the bars. Cook for two minutes.

5. After two minutes, flip the steak to the other side (making sure it's in the same direction), and cook for two minutes. While the steak is cooking, take one of the halved garlic cloves and rub it against the top of the steak. Then, using your rosemary bouquet, mop up the fat from the pan and pat it on top of the steak.

6. After two minutes, flip your steak and rotate it 90 degrees (this will give it classic cross marks), and cook for two minutes. While the steak is cooking, take one of the halved garlic cloves and rub it against the top of the steak. Then, using your rosemary bouquet, mop up the fat from the pan and pat it on top of the steak.

7. After two minutes, flip your steak (making sure it's in the same direction), and cook for two minutes. While the steak is cooking,take one of the halved garlic cloves and rub it against the top of the steak. Then, using your rosemary bouquet, mop up the fat from the pan and pat it on top of the steak.

8. When your steak is done, remove it from the grill and place it onto your dressed cutting board. Rub it around on both sides with some butter, and let sit for about a minute or two before you cut into it. Enjoy!

xoxo,

CHRISTINA

Birthdays, Tornadoes, & Easter-- Oh, My!

I feel like I wasn't able to post as much as I would have liked to during the month of March. With two birthdays, the beginning of tornado season, being kicked out of our house because of severe weather damages, and trying to plan for Easter (& failing miserably), we've been pretty busy!

That being said, I did have a pretty fantastic birthday-- one that will greatly improve the quality of my cooking! My amazing man and daughter gifted me with my very first Le Creuset vessel, a 3 1/2 qt braiser in the color Caribbean, and a copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. 

I've recently become quite obsessed with obtaining quality cookware, so imagine my surprise when I realized that Mr. C&E had actually been listening the entire time! He even got the color right. Love that man. He just gets me. I have to say, cooking has been so much more enjoyable since receiving this beautiful pot. It's nice and heavy, beautifully made, and has even heating-- hallelujah! One of my favorite chefs, Michael Rhulman, said that it's hard to be a good chef while cooking on bad equipment-- and now I totally get it. They're expensive, sure, but they also have a lifetime warranty, and if you take care of them, they can be passed down through generations. I've already started telling my 2 year old that someday this will be her braiser! She doesn't care...

For my LC's maiden voyage, I made French Onion Stroganoff. You can find the recipe here. It was like a whole new experience from the last time I made it! The beef browned evenly, beautifully, and the pan held heat so well-- even on a medium-low setting. Clean-up was a breeze-- much easier than I had originally anticipated! Just a dab of Le Creuset's cleaner, a soft sponge, and some warm water did the trick! The very next day, I was itching to use my pot again, so I made a tradtioanl Persian stew called Ghormeh Sabzi. Needless to say, this braiser has been well worth it's price tag! & you better believe when those tornado sirens went off, my Le Creuset was down in the basement with us! :)

FRENCH ONION STROGANOFF

xoxo,

CHRISTINA

Ghormeh Sabzi

I'm taking it back to my roots for this dinner recipe with a traditional Persian dish called Ghormeh Sabzi (basically a lamb or beef stew with herbs). Yes, it's green. Very green. It also kind of looks like something that would come out of my toddler-- BUT, it's pretty darn delicious! & healthy! There are multiple ways to make this dish, and no two are exactly alike. Many of the traditional ingredients are hard to find unless you live in a town with a Middle Eastern store. Because of this, I've tweaked the recipe so that it's 'American supermarket friendly'! Enjoy!

SAUTEED ONION & TURMERIC

STEW BEFORE 1 HOUR SIMMER

SAUTEING HERBS & GARLIC

GHORMEH SABZI

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min, Servings: 4-6

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INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs boneless lamb stewing meat or beef stewing meat, cut into 1" cubes

1 onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

3/4 cup canned kidney beans

salt & pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stemmed and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat half of the oil in a large, high-walled pan over medium heat, and saute onions until golden.

2. Add turmeric and saute for about 2 more minutes.

3. Increase heat, and saute meat cubes until they brown.

4. Reduce heat, and add water, kidney beans, and salt & pepper to taste. 

5. Cover and gently simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. 

6. With about 10 minutes left in your simmer, heat a separate pan with remaining oil over medium heat, and saute spinach, parsley, green onions, dill, cilantro, and garlic, until the herbs are just wilted and are aromatic. Be careful not to burn your herbs! 

7. Add the sauteed herbs to your meat simmer along with the lemon juice. Cover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. 

8. Serve over basmati rice, and enjoy! 

xoxo,

CHRISTINA

Brazilian Coconut Shrimp Stew

Oi gente! Brazilians definitely have a flair for bold, fresh cuisine, and today I'm going to share with you one of my favorites! In Brasil they call it Moqueca-- but we'll just call it a Coconut Shrimp Stew. The word 'stew' is usually used to describe a dish that is hearty and comforting, made in cold weather. While this is every bit as hearty and comforting, it's also light and summery. It's fresh ingredients will have you leaving the table fully satisfied, and not the least bit guilty for indulging in that second serving! Enjoy!

BRAZILIAN COCONUT SHRIMP STEW

Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes, Servings: 4

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INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and devined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup tomato sauce

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Marinate raw shrimp in garlic, lemon juice, and salt & pepper for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add onions and saute until they are soft and translucent.
3. Add shrimp (saving the juice from the marinade in the bowl), and saute until light pink.
4. Add the green and red bell peppers, and saute until they begin to soften.
5. Add the tomatoes, and saute until they begin to soften.
6. Add the cilantro, and saute until it begins to sweat.
7. Add the tomato sauce and juice from the marinade. Bring to a boil.
8. Add the coconut milk, then reduce and simmer until all of the flavors are combined.
9. Serve over rice and enjoy!

xoxo,
CHRISTINA

Not your mama's stroganoff...

Forget everything you think you know about stroganoff. This is not your mama's stroganoff! This is French Onion Stroganoff, and it is delicious! It's made with tender round steak, red wine, savory thyme, and Gruyere cheese. I'm not sure if it's the rich flavor or the fact that it's basically a one-pot-meal that has made me fall in love with this twisted french classic. My sweet, sweet man thought I picked this up at a local restaurant and tried to pass it off as my own! & my adorable toddler? Let's just say she ate so well that we made cookies after dinner! Try it-- you won't regret it! Enjoy!

FRENCH ONION STROGANOFF

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 50 minutes, Servings: 4

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INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup & 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 lbs round steak, cut into chunks
salt & pepper to taste
all-purpose flour
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
3 cups egg noodles
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a high-walled, heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. I like to use a cast iron skillet. They hold heat very well, and evenly, and are also broiler safe. Add the garlic, onions, bay leaf, spring of thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and cook until onions are soft and nearly caramelized.
2. Add in mushrooms and remaining tablespoon of butter, and saute until the mushrooms are soft and slightly browned and the onions have caramelized. Discard the bay leaf and thyme, and remove the onions and mushrooms to a bowl.
3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, and sprinkle steak with salt, pepper, and flour. Saute until browned. Remove the steak and place it in the bowl with the onions and mushrooms.
4. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add beef broth and worcestershire sauce, and bring to a low simmer. Add back in the steak, mushrooms, and onions. Cover and let simmer until the broth reduces slightly and the steak is cooked through. Be careful not to over cook the steak. 
5. As you wait for the broth to reduce, cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions, drain, and set aside.
6. Remove your skillet from the heat and add the sour cream, stirring well, then mix in the egg noodles.
7. Top with gruyere cheese and place it under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and melted. If you have a pan similar to mine, it can go straight from the stove top to the broiler safely. If you do not have a broiler-safe pan, leave the pan on the burner over medium-low heat, cover, and let sit until the cheese is melted. 
8. Garnish with roughly chopped parsley and serve!

xoxo,
CHRISTINA