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a balanced plate with room for dessert


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Kimchi Fried Rice

Fried rice is good. Kimchi is good. Together, they are phenomenal. The addition of a sunny-side up egg makes it even better.

kimchi fried rice | doughseedough.net

Breaking an egg yolk and watching it run all over the place and slowly soak into the rice is the most beautiful thing.

kimchi fried rice | doughseedough.net

I can’t stress the importance of using day-old rice enough. Day old as in you cook it the night before, stick it in the fridge, and then use it the next day. Day-old rice has a harder texture and will give you a much better fried rice. If you don’t have time to make the rice the day before, cook it and then spread it out in a thin layer and stick it in the fridge to cool it quickly.

I used to make all my fried rice in a wok, but this time I used a huge nonstick skillet and I think it worked out a lot better. This is probably mostly due to the fact that I made less of a mess in the skillet. There’s just something about a wok that causes me to violently stir the food in it. Obviously, this creates a mess. Either way, this fried rice is a winner and it couldn’t be easier.

kimchi fried rice | doughseedough.net

Kimchi Fried Rice

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
4 cups day-old white rice
1 tablespoon gochujang (chili paste)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 green onions, green parts sliced, divided
4 eggs, cooked sunny side up

  1. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Stir in kimchi and stir until well combined.
  2. Add in rice and stir to break up large pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is well incorporated with the kimchi.
  3. Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, pepper, and half the green onions until well combined.
  4. Portion into 4 serving dishes and sprinkle with remaining green onions. Top with egg and serve immediately.


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How to Make Kimchi

homemade kimchi | doughseedough.net

Kimchi. Kimchee. Fermented cabbage. However you spell it out, there’s no denying that this stuff is good. Growing up,I could always find a huge jar of this spicy-salty-sour food. It was food at any time of day, with any kind of food. Oatmeal for breakfast? Boom, kimchi on top. Rice for dinner? Boom, kimchi as a side. Snack? Kimchi straight outta the jar (sorry, Mom).

homemade kimchi | doughseedough.net

Now that I’m all grown up without a mom to fill my fridge, I have been loving a sad, kimchi-less life. I finally went to the store to buy a some a few weeks ago and grabbed a jar of it off the shelf. $8.75. Excuse me?! I put it back, pulled up a recipe on my phone and bought the ingredients to make my own instead.

It turns out that making kimchi is actually kind of easy. The only annoying part is the wait time between all the soaking steps. But the results are worth it!

how to make kimchi | doughseedough.net

So join me on my journey as I not only make a batch of homemade kimchi, but as I discover new ways to cook with it as well.

homemade kimchi | doughseedough.net

Homemade Kimchi
adapted from David Lebovitz and the Kitchen Wench

1 large head Napa cabbage
4 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt, divided
2 pounds daikon radish, cut into matchstick
2 tablespoons dried salted shrimp, chopped
2/3 cup Korean chili powder
1/2 cup fish sauce
2″ piece of ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon sugar

  1. Remove and discard outer leaves of cabbage. Cut lengthwise into quarters and cut into the stem to remove most of it.
  2. Combine water with 1/4 cup of the kosher salt in a large bowl. Plunge cabbage sections into the water one at a time. Carefully separate the leaves under water and shake gently to get water and salt mixture in between the leaves.
  3. Drain water from the cabbage segments, then sprinkle a light layer of kosher salt over each leaf, making sure to cover the entire leaf.
  4. Place cabbage into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 4- 6 hours, or until cabbage leaves are floppy.
  5. Rinse cabbage with water twice in clean water, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Place into a strainer and let sit for 1 hour for the remaining water to drain out.
  6. Meanwhile, place the daikon radish, shrimp, chili powder, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, green onions, and sugar into a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
  7. Chop drained cabbage into 1″ pieces and place into large bowl with radish. Toss with a pair of tongs until well combined. Once all the cabbage has been coated, place into an airtight container and store in a cool, dark place for 3 days to ferment. After 3 days, the kimchi should be tangy, crunchy, and spicy. Store in the refrigerator until being used.


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Meatballs in Creamy Dill Sauce

My work hours are still really unpredictable. Because of this, I like to find foods that I can make in big batches and freeze. I rely on meals like this to get me through super busy weeks. I ended up making a double batch of the meatballs and freezing half of them for later. I mean, let’s be real – this dish is super easy to make after the meatballs are cooked and it sure beats a bowl of mac & cheese or ramen for dinner!

After I typed up this post I went digging through the freezer to find the rest of the meatballs… there were none. I guess I cooked them up already. Sad, sad day. Guess I’ll be making some mac & cheese 😉

meatballs in creamy dill sauce

Meatballs in Creamy Dill Sauce

for the meatballs:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 slice of day-old whole wheat bread, processed into crumbs (or 1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 egg

for the sauce:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoon flour
2 cups beef broth
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

cooked egg noodles or other pasta of your choice for serving

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
  2. Combine beef, bread crumbs, skim milk, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Roll into 1″ balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes or until browned and no longer pink in the middle.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beef broth, mushrooms, and meatballs. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
  4. Remove sauce from heat and stir in Greek yogurt and dill until well combined.
  5. Serve meatballs and sauce over egg noodles. Serve immediately.


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Hearty Guinness Stew

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend full of good food, good company, and perhaps a drink or two!

If you like drinking Guinness, you will love this stew. If you’re like me and prefer whiskey over beer, you will still love this stew. So, if you happen to have a bottle or two of Guinness left, give this stew a try. And if you don’t have any Guinness left, go out and grab yourself a 6 pack of the stout because you will definitely want to make this.

I’ll let you in on a little secret – I didn’t actually use Guinness when I made this. The Irish stout I used was actually home-brewed by Mike! It was the first beer he made and he reluctantly sacrificed one for the stew. I thanked him by giving him a bowl of the stew 🙂

guinness stew

Hearty Guinness Stew
adapted from Cooking Light

1.5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1″ pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bottle Guinness or other Irish stout
4 cups beef broth
freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2″ pieces
4 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2″ pieces
3 medium potatoes
flat leaf parsley for garnish, optional

  1. Sprinkle beef with salt and then dredge in flour. Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add half the beef and cook, turning until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Repeat with other half. Remove beef from pan and set aside. 
  2. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and stout, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in pepper and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Uncover and bring to a boil. Add mushroom, carrot, celery, and potato. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes.
  4. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.


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Toffee Almond Magic Cookie Bars

It’s recipe swap time again! I’m finally getting back into the swing of things, and that means participating in a recipe swap with a really great group of bloggers. This swap’s theme: desserts!

I can’t believe how lucky I got with this one. It has everything I love in life. Toffee. Chocolate. Nuts. Is it ok for a dietitian to admit that she can single-handedly polish off an entire tray of this? No? Ok, well I didn’t. Mike helped. A little.

toffee almond cookie bars

I rarely make the same dish twice in a month. For me to do so it has to be really good. Really, really good. And yeah, these were that good. I made not one, but two pans of this in a week. The second pan is sitting in the kitchen right now, taunting me. I’ve already munched away a corner of it, but I plan on shipping the rest of it to work with Mike and bringing a few pieces to my office as well so I’m not tempted at home.

Also, I burned my mouth and I’m a little angry at them. But that’s my own stupid fault because I have no self control and I couldn’t wait until they were even a teeny bit cooled before sneaking a bite. I think I can find it in my heart to forgive them, though.

toffee almond cookie bars

Toffee Almond Magic Cookie Bars
very slightly adapted from Kate’s Recipe Box

9 full graham crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup Heath milk chocolate toffee bits
1/2 cup sliced almonds

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9×13″ pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper with butter. Set aside. 
  2. Crush graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor rolling pin. Mix in melted butter until well-combined. Press crumbs into lined baking dish.
  3. Evenly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips, toffee bits, and almonds evenly over the sweetened condensed milk. Gently press in a little.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and pulling away from the edges of the pan. Let cool completely before cutting.

Be sure to head on over to Taste of Home Cooking to check out the recipe swap round-up!



 


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Baked Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets bring out the kid in all of us! Mike told me that he used to put down a 20 piece McD’s chicken nugget “family” sized box like it was nothing. Gross. Impressive, but gross. I decided to cook him a little pick-me-up after I got him sick (oops). These little bites are far from the nuggets that you would find in a drive-through. They’re made with chicken breast and packed with flavor. Best of all, they’re baked, not fried! And there’s no limit to how much dipping sauce you can have either 😉

baked chicken nuggets

Baked Chicken Nuggets
adapted from Martha Stewart

4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs, whisked

  1. Lightly pound chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 1.5 – 2″ pieces. Set aside in a large bowl. 
  2. Combine lemon juice and milk in a bowl, stir to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes. Stir in garlic powder, Worcestershire, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour over chicken and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 475°F. Spread panko on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown, being careful not to burn.
  4. Transfer panko to a shallow dish. Once cool, mix in grated Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  5. Set out flour in a second shallow dish and whisked eggs into a third shallow dish.
  6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Remove chicken from the fridge and discard marinade. Working a few pieces at a time, dredge chicken through flour and shake off excess. Dip in the egg, and then lastly coat with panko. Transfer to baking sheet. Continue until all chicken has been coated.
  8. Bake for 12 minutes, turning halfway through, until panko is lightly browned and chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F.
  9. Serve with spicy ketchup and honey mustard dipping sauces, recipes below.

Spicy Ketchup

1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons Sriracha
2 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise

  1. Combine all ingredients and stir well to combine. 

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

  1. Stir honey and mustard together well to combine. 


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Mapo Tofu – A Healthier Version

Mapo tofu is delicious. It might be the soft, silky tofu that melts in your moth. It might be the in-your-face kick of Szechuan peppercorn. But, I think the real reason it’s delicious is because it’s traditionally made with very, very fatty ground pork. I was afraid that when I “trimmed down” this recipe by subbing in lean turkey for fatty pork it would lose its great depth of flavor. After all, I’ve tried to make healthier version of various dishes and ended up with not-so-appetizing results (I’m looking at you, rock-hard muffins).

Fortunately, this healthier version of mapo tofu is far from being unappetizing. In fact, I would say that it’s pretty dang stellar. I challenge you tofu  haters to try this. It just might change your mind about tofu. If you still don’t like it, then I guess you can mash it up and pretend like it’s just a huge bowl of ground turkey.

mapo tofu

Healthier Mapo Tofu
serves 6

1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1.5″ piece of ginger, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
6 green onions, thinly sliced; whites and greens separated
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons hot chili bean sauce
14 ounce package soft tofu, drained and cut into 1″ cubes
1 pound extra lean ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
steamed rice, for serving

  1. Toast peppercorns in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Allow to cool and then grind in a spice grinder.*
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in canola oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallion and stir fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add turkey and cook until meat is no longer pink.
  4. Add in chicken broth, soy sauce, and chili sauce, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and add corn starch mixture and stir until the sauce becomes thick and clear. Gently stir in tofu and cook until heated through, about 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in Szechuan peppercorns, to taste. Drizzle with sesame oil.
  5. Serve immediately with steamed rice. Garnish with remaining green onions.

 

*I don’t own a spice grinder. I tossed the cooled peppercorns into a zip-top bag, shut it, and then rolled and lightly pounded it with a large rolling pin. It worked!


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Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

sweet potato shepherd's pie

Shepherd’s pie is one of my favorite foods. Sweet potatoes? Not so much. I like the color, but that’s pretty much it. I do, however, love regular ol’ mashed potatoes chock full of butter, salt, and pepper. As much as I love indulging, not every meal can be an indulgence. There’s only so much exercise I can fit into a day after all!

So I took the classic shepherd’s pie recipe and trimmed it down to something a bit lighter, yet every bit as fulfilling. And surprisingly, I actually liked the sweet potatoes on top! So, give this dish a try for St. Paddy’s Day instead of the traditional shepherd’s pie!

sweet potato shepherd's pie

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
inspired by Alton Brown’s recipe on Food Network

3 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup skim milk

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large pot. Cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot. Add in butter, salt, pepper and milk and mash until smooth.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Remove to a separate bowl and set aside. To the same skillet, add in onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour until well distributed. Stir in tomato paste, broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Add beef back to skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in peas, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
  4. Spread beef and vegetable mixture into an 13×9 casserole dish. Top with mashed sweet potatoes. Spread potatoes out to edge of dish with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned and filling is bubbling.
  5. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.


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Lemon Cookies

lemon cookies

Let me start by saying that I love sour candy. Sour Patch Kids. Sour Skittles. Sour S’ghetti. Sour everything, get in my mouth. I used to eat Sour Skittles until my mouth was raw. Unfortunately, it seems like Sour Skittles have disappeared. I can find them occasionally in small bags, but other than that… they’re gone.

Ok, so maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t think that eating candy until my mouth screams in pain is all that great for my body.

So, I guess it should be no surprise that I love lemons. Plain lemon wedges to suck on, lemon slices in my water, you know the drill. I also love cookies (duh, who doesn’t). But lemon cookies? Most lemon cookies I’ve tried just aren’t lemony enough for me. They’re more a sugar cookie with a touch of lemon. These, however, are an in-your-face lemon cookie. So dang good.

lemon cookies

Lemon Cookies
heavily adapted from Anna Olson on Food Network, makes 3 dozen

for the cookie:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour

for the glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 1/2 lemons
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. For the cookies: Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. Mix in lemon juice and lemon zest.
  3. Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour in a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Scoop batter using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop onto baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are just set. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to rack to cool completely before glazing.
  5. For the glaze: whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar until well blended. Drizzle over cooled cookies and let set. Once glaze is set, dust with powdered sugar before serving.


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Ultimate Chocolate Cookie

My tastes have changed a lot over the years. For example, I used to hate bananas. Yes, hate. Their texture and taste never failed to make me gag. One night a couple of years ago, this all changed. Now, I like them when they’re still partially green or all yellow with no brown spots.

I also used to dislike chocolate. I never craved it, never sought it out. I was entirely indifferent to it. Ice cream? Strawberry, never chocolate. Candy? Sour or fruit candy, never chocolate. Hot drink? Tea or cider, never hot chocolate.

Then, I started the dietetic internship and the stress of it all brought out the chocolate monster that has been dormant all these years. Now I can’t get enough of the stuff. I never fail to have at least one chocolatey goodie a day. It doesn’t help that my work place seems to have an endless supply of chocolates. Funny enough, chocolate chip cookies are still not my favorite. Maybe it’s because there’s not enough chocolate?

ultimate chocolate cookie

This cookie, though, this cookie does have enough chocolate. There are not one, but two types of chocolate chips in it. And not one, but two cocoa powders to make for the ultimate chocolate cookie.

In my opinion, these are best eaten warm. Unfortunately I don’t have the patience to bake up a couple cookies whenever I get the itch, However, a 10 second spin in the microwave will bring the cookie back to the just-baked gooeyness, or at least really close to it.

ultimate chocolate cookies

Ultimate Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (like Hershey’s Special Dark)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 
  2. Whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking soda, and salt in  a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar at medium speed until light yellow in color, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add in chocolate mixture slowly, beating until well combined.
  5. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips by hand.
  6. Scoop batter using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, placing 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 12 – 13 minutes, until outsides are set but center is still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.