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Trekking North to Napa

April 4, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chinese, Kosher, Low Carb, Lunch, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetable, Vegetarian , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments

I consider myself a native Californian. I was born there and lived there until the summer before the first grade and I moved back before seventh grade and stayed throughout high school. While I left the state to go to college (The Ohio State University), I always returned during breaks and immediately after graduation. All of that time was spent in southern California (aka The Better Half) and in all that time, I don’t recall ever visiting the northern half of the state.

In a previous job, I was lucky enough to travel several times a year to San Francisco. I learned to have a great appreciation for the city with its wonderful culture and amazing cuisine. Unfortunately I was never able to extend any of those trips to spend time seeing the redwoods or Napa valley. I think it is time to trek across the country to go to the wine region and see more of the northern half. I am still a Southern Californian at heart, but can now understand the allure of the north.

It was very good. A good addition next time would be to add a few chopped peanuts into it.

Yes. There are three different types of cabbage in this (red, green and napa). By the way, napa cabbage is not named for, or in relation to Napa valley. Who knew?

I actually tripled the peanut sauce and used about half of the total with some ramen noodles. Even without the noodles, I would likely double the recipe for the dressing as it is soooo good.

I expected my wife and I to both like it, but my youngest went for seconds on the slaw too.

Asian Coleslaw

Prep Time: 30 Min | Makes: 6 2/3 servings (Scaled)

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 1/3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
  • 1 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 1/3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
  • 1 1/3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 1 1/3 cups shredded napa cabbage
  • 1 1/3 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/3 carrots, julienned
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic.

In a large bowl, mix the green cabbage, red cabbage, napa cabbage, red bell peppers, carrots, green onions, and cilantro. Toss with the peanut butter mixture just before serving.

Nutritional Info:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 184 | Total Fat: 12.6g | Cholesterol: 0mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/asian-coleslaw/detail.aspx

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My First Asian Side Dish

March 12, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chicken, Chinese, Kosher, Low Carb, Recipes, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetable, Vegetarian , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 Comments

*** The Ranting Chef would much rather cook than clean. This was reinforced this past weekend when I was cleaning a kitchen knife, my hand slipped and I was able to see how sharp my knife really was. Only four stitches later (the pros who follow the blog will start laughing at just four stitches) I’m back in the kitchen. As a result AND with the first round of the Diced! competition to post next week, you’ll see a high number of guest posts over the next few weeks. ***

Many times when I decide to make an Asian based dish, the vegetables are either built into the recipe or missing from the plate. I cannot say I have been overly successful in having an Asian side dish of vegetables (short of some steamed edamame or some cut up raw peppers).

I was glad to come across this one as it is both easy, and great tasting.

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Tasty!

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Such a basic recipe.

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Broccoli and garlic.

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And the sauce.

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Broccoli in Hoisin Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Makes: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 package (16 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the broccoli, garlic and ginger in oil for 2-3 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Add the water, hoisin sauce and salt. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Info:

Nutritional Facts 3/4 cup equals 61 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 272 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 1 vegetable.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Broccoli-in-Hoisin-Sauce

 

March 12th is National Baked Scallops Day

In honor of today’s food holiday, please revisit the following recipes that use or feature this ingredient:

Scallops and Shrimp Casserole

 

I’m a One Trick Diner

March 3, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chicken, Chinese, Kosher, Low Carb, Recipes , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

I am a very predictable diner. While I love to go to new restaurants, when I find something I like at a restaurant, it is difficult for me not to order it every time I go there. I know that if I like one thing on the menu, I am apt to like others (maybe some even better), but I just cannot help associate a specific dish to the restaurant. I will often walk into the restaurant thinking I’ll try something new, but once the menu is in front of me, my mind wanders back to the favorite and I order it once again. I’m a one trick pony.

This pattern is never so true as at the Cheesecake Factory. Now I am a long time diner at the Cheesecake Factory. One of the first ones opened was very close to where I lived in Redondo Beach, California and I first went there over twenty years ago. I cannot recall what I ordered there the first time I went but the second time….Spicy Cashew Chicken.

Over the next twenty-plus years, I must have eaten at various Cheesecake Factory restaurants across the country dozens of times and while I have ordered different appetizers (Buffalo Blasts are awesome) and almost every type of cheesecake, I have never ordered an entrée that wasn’t the Spicy Cashew Chicken. If forced to choose, give me that dish and keep the cheesecake. Luckily I have not had to make that choice.

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This recipe rocks! Good flavors and textures.

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The ingredient list is rather long, but it really falls into four groups: spiced flour, batter, sauce and everything else.

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Making the sauce.

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The tenders having been “floured”.

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And battered.

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And fried up golden.

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This makes a lot of the sauce. Good thing!

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It really tasted like the real thing and this will fall into regular rotation for me.

Cheesecake Factory Spicy Cashew Chicken

Prep Time: 30 m | Cook Time: 50 m | Makes: 2-4

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Chicken Tenders
  • Rice Flour (recipe Follows)
  • Rice Flour Batter
  • ¼ cup Peanut Oil
  • Cashew Sauce
  • ½ cup Cashews
  • ½ cup Green Onions
  • White Rice
  • 1 tsp Black & White Sesame Seeds
  • 1 Sprig Italian Parsley
  • *Rice Flour Batter*
  • 1 cup Rice Flour
  • ¼ cup All-purpose Flour
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ½ t. tsp Pepper
  • 1 cup Ice Cold Water
  • *Seasoned Rice Flour*
  • ½ cup Rice Flour
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Pepper
  • ¼ tsp Paprika
  • ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • *Spicy-soy-sherry Sauce*
  • Yield Approx 4 Cups
  • 2 cups Hoisin Sauce
  • ½ cup Soy Sauce
  • ½ cup Sherry Wine
  • ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 3 tsp Chili Garlic Paste
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • 5 cloves Garlic
  • ½ tsp Crushed Red Chili Flakes

Directions:

Place the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry wine, red wine vinegar, and chili garlic paste into small mixing bowl and stir to blend. Add sugar, garlic, crushed red chili flakes and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Place all ingredients for rice flour batter into a clean bowl and mix. Add cold water and stir til combined.

Place all ingredients for seasoned rice flour into clean bowl and mix together.

Using a wok or saute pan over medium heat, add peanut oil and allow to heat. Meantime, place chicken pieces into a small clean mixing bowl and sprinkle rice flour over the chicken. Gently toss together until each piece of chicken is evenly coated with flour. Pour the rice flour batter into the bowl with the chicken and using a small rubber spatula gently fold the ingredients together until each piece of chicken in evenly covered with batter. Add the battered chicken a piece at a time to the wok. Spread out so they are not too close together. Allow to cook until they are golden brown, crispy, and cooked all the way through. Separate the pieces of chicken if necessary while cooking.

Add the spicy hoisin sauce, cashews, into the wok. Stir and toss ingredients until each piece of chicken is evenly coated with sauce. Add the chopped green onions and stir and toss all together until evenly combined and sauce has thickened slightly. Garnish with sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped parsley. Serve with rice.

*You may need to make a trip to the Asian Market to get ingredients…esp the rice flour. It is much lighter and more authentic with that flour.

Source: http://restaurant.betterrecipes.com/cheesecake-factory-spicy-cashew-chicken.html

 

March is National Peanut Month

In honor of today’s food holiday, please revisit the following recipes that use or feature this ingredient: (as March 1st was Peanut Butter Day these recipes are those that call for peanuts and may or may not also call for peanut butter)

Chicken Honey Nut Stir Fry, Gingery Peanut Noodles with Chicken, Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies, Peanut Noodles With Edamame, Pork Pad Thai, Thai Shrimp, Thai-Style Veggie Kabobs With Spicy Peanut Sauce, Vietnamese Spring Rolls

DICED! A Ranting Chef Competition – Call for Entrants

February 18, 2013

The Ranting Chef Recipes , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 36 Comments

Calling all cooks:

I am announcing the first Ranting Chef cooking competition. In homage to, and in separation from a certain Food Network cooking show, I am announcing a call for entrants to a cooking competition: DICED! The competition works as follows:

  • Entrants  will be given a list of a few ingredients. With that they must create (or find) a recipe that contains and features those ingredients. They then must make the recipe, document it with a blog post, and take pictures of it. All writing and photography MUST be their own, even if they use a recipe they find elsewhere. Entrants will have a two week period from receiving the ingredient list to submit their post. I will post each blog on consecutive days
  • I will provide instructions to the readers of the blog to “like” the post as a vote. They will be asked to vote based on the use of the ingredients, desirability of the recipe, quality of the writing and great looking photos. The readers will vote on the one they like the best with the number of “likes”. The number the posts receives within one week of their posting date will count toward their total. Once a week goes by I will record the number of “likes” as their total. Readers can, and probably will, like more than one recipe.
  • Blog entries will be edited only for grammar, spelling mistakes and to add measurements typical to a US audience (if originally given in metric). Posts will go up in a random order.
  • Ingredients will be ones that I can obtain in my local grocery store and while I cannot guarantee you will be able to find them, I will not choose anything that I suspect to be obscure.
  • The first round will be posts about appetizer, soup or salad and will have five entrants. The top four will move on to the next round.
  • The second round will be post about a main course and relevant sides and will have four entrants. The top three will move on to the final round.
  • The final round will be a post about a dessert and will have three entrants.
  • In the event of a tie, the Ranting Chef will choose the winners of the tie.

Your prize will be the pride of winning and acclaim on this blog to readers around the world. I am working to see if I can get a sponsored prize or two, and if I do there will be something more tangible to win.

If you would like to compete and can fulfill the requirements stated above, send me an email at rantingchef@yahoo.com no later than midnight on February 28, 2013. I need your name, email address and a sentence or two about why you should be chosen. Those not selected for the first contest may be selected for future ones (if this goes well). For this first competition, I cannot guarantee any specific diet can be observed (gluten free, vegetarian, kosher).

Staking My Claim to the Orange Juice

January 27, 2013

The Ranting Chef Chinese, Fried, Fruit, Lunch, Recipes, Seafood , , , , , , , , , , , 9 Comments

“Don’t drink that Orange Juice!”

I have two issues with cooking a wide variety of items during the course of the month. The first is that I will often have to purchase ingredients that are specific to a single recipe. In many cases it will call for a single tablespoon of something that I have to buy a much larger quantity of. In some cases, the ingredient will last a long time in the house after that and I sometimes will have to look for recipes to specifically use the ingredient up. Until that time, my refrigerator is filled with open bottles and jars of “Refrigerate after opening” items like sauces and jellies. My cupboard has boxes, more bottles and bags of every legume known to man. For more general items, I will have to stake my claim to save 2 tablespoons of the carton of orange juice.

The second issue is highly related to the first, but with perishable items. Too often I will need a few sprigs of cilantro, ¼ head of cabbage or 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. You cannot just buy in those limited quantities, so very often it goes bad before I can use it all up. I know I can better coordinate my recipes, but who wants to have red cabbage week?

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This recipe called for the OJ that I had to rescue from the grips of my youngest son.

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It only called for 1 pound of shrimp, but I made two. I also removed the tails before I started.

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Batter up!

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The batter came off a little too much as it stuck to the pan, but some gentle scraping kept enough of it on the shrimp.

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Making the sauce.

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Putting it all together.

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A very tasty shrimp dish.

Sesame-Orange Shrimp

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds (white, black or a mix)
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (21-25 per pound)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 3/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry (see Note)
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Whisk sesame seeds, egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the shrimp and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the rest of the shrimp.

3. Add orange juice, sherry, soy sauce and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately, with scallion sprinkled on top.

Nutritional Info:

249 calories; 10 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 182 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 22 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1183 mg sodium; 311 mg potassium.

Source: http://mobile.eatingwell.com/recipes/sesame_orange_shrimp.html

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