Green berry smoothie

Adapted from Diethood

Ingredients:
FOR THE BERRIES-MIXTURE
1-1/2 cups halved strawberries
1 banana
1/2- cup plain yogurt (I used Lifeway pomegranate kefir)
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup crushed ice
FOR THE GREENS-MIXTURE
2 cups torn kale leaves , packed (I used baby spinach)
1 green apple , quartered (optional)
1 banana
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use Stonyfield Organic whole milk)
1/4 cup coconut/soy milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup crushed ice

Directions:
Freeze strawberries and 1 banana for 20 minutes. During that time, blend the kale, 1 banana, yogurt, honey, and ice until smooth and creamy. Divide into four portions and freeze for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, blend frozen strawberries, banana, yogurt, honey, and ice until creamy and smooth. Pour strawberry smoothie over kale and serve immediately.

Summertime means looking for cold, fresh, in-season recipes. This hits all the right spots for breakfast and a sweet treat. Plus, spinach has iron for us anemics!

~Jessica

 

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Green monster smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup kefir or plain yogurt
1-2 cup de-stemmed baby spinach
1 large ripe frozen banana, peeled and chopped into chunks
3/4 cup blueberries/strawberries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2-4 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender. Serve cold. Feel free to use whatever berries or fruit are in season!

~Jessica

How to pan-fry frozen dumplings

 

With frozen dumplings, either prepared or homemade, you can boil the dumplings by 1) adding the dumplings to the pot, waiting for the water to re-simmer, adding a cup of water, wait to re-simmer, repeat again with another cup of water, then serve immediately as they float to the surface.

But the tastier version is to fry-steam them. Following Amber’s methods, pour some vegetable oil in a non-stick pan, coating the bottom thinly. Add your dumplings (I usually eat seven at a time) and allow them to fry over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom. Get your lid ready. Add a couple spoonfuls of water per dumplings, or enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and cover immediately, as splattering will commence. Steam them until most of the water is gone, which you will be able to hear. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Shou-wen’s Dipping Sauce
For the dipping sauce, I chop some garlic, boil some peanut oil until sizzling, then add the garlic to the oil. Pour the sizzling garlic oil on some dry chilli powder. Serve.

My dipping sauce
Slice thin some ginger, add some sesame oil, sliced scallions, and enough soy sauce.

~Jessica

Butter-basted bison ribeye steak with with crispy potatoes and roasted garlic

Adapted from Serious Eats and Food & Wine and Red Cedar Bison Ranch

Ingredients:
8 oz. boneless bison ribeye
fresh parsley, chopped
rosemary and thyme, chopped
salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
unsalted butter
olive oil
clove of garlic
3 red potatoes

Directions:

1. Remove meat from freezer, defrost for 30+ minutes. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water, season with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes total. Drain and set aside.
2. Finely chop thyme and rosemary. Cut cooled potatoes into quarters.
3. Preheat your cast iron or non-stick pan on high heat. Coat with a thin layer of oil. Salt and pepper the meat liberally, then place in the pan just as the oil starts to smoke. Let it sear on the high heat for about 4 minutes. Do not move the meat!
4. Turn steak once using tongs to flip. Continue cooking on medium-high heat for about another 3 minutes for a perfect medium steak, 2 minutes for rare.
5. Add 3 tablespoons butter, garlic, whole rosemary sprigs, and whole thyme sprigs to the skillet and continue to cook, flipping steak occasionally, and basting any light spots with foaming butter. To baste, tilt pan slightly so that butter collects by the pan’s handle. Use a spoon to pick up butter and pour it over steak.
6. Let meat rest 15 minutes before slicing. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add remaining butter. When foaming subsides, add potatoes, cut-side down. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until potatoes are deep golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add chopped rosemary and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat potatoes. Cook, tossing and stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
7. Transfer potatoes to a serving platter with a slotted spoon, leaving excess fat behind. Increase heat to high until leftover fat is smoking. Pour over resting steak. Discard garlic, rosemary, and thyme sprigs. Place steak on serving platter and serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley.

The last of my precious upstate NY bison acquisition from my much-deserved Spring Break in Montreal. I overcooked the last bison steak, so this one had to be medium-rare for sure. If I had time and space, I would definitely roast a head of garlic in foil for 1 hour on 350 deg F. They’re utterly delightful — I still remember my first time at the tapas restaurant in Ithaca, Just a Taste.

~Jessica

Bison strip loin steaks

Adapted from Sayers Brook Bison Farm and The Bison Council and North Fork Bison

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
sea salt
black freshly ground peppercorns
butter
4 large shallots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
thyme leaves crushed from 2 sprigs
button mushrooms (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoon of oil on medium-high. Add steaks and season with salt and pepper or your favorite herb.
3. Sear on high heat for 1½ – 2.5 minutes per side (top and bottom only!). Set aside meat for a moment.
4. Add mushrooms to the pan is smoking. Cook, about 10 minutes or until a pleasing golden colour. Add thyme and garlic, salt and pepper. Add butter, shallots, and peppercorns to cast iron skillet, and sauté until browned and caramelized. Stir often to prevent burning.
5. Transfer meat to an oven-safe pan and roast 3-4 minutes.
6. Rest for 5-10 minutes under tin foil. Serve with carbohydrates of your choice (I used Giovanni Rana spinach & ricotta ravioli).

~Jessica

P.S. I overcooked mine so it wa tough and barely edible, although flavorful. Next time I would only sear 1.5 minutes per side, and only top and bottom, not the sides, then I would only roast at 375 deg F for four minutes total, not four minutes per side and flip. Revised above to save you the trouble!

Spaghetti aglio e olio

Adapted from Lidia’s Italy

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
10 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 lb. spaghetti
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt to taste
fresh Italian parsley (didn’t have)
fresh Basil (didn’t have)
½ cup Grana Padano, grated

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and let sizzle until garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water once you begin cooking the garlic and give the spaghetti a stir. Once the garlic is golden, add the peperoncino and let toast for a minute, then ladle in 2 cups pasta water. Bring the sauce to a rapid boil. Season with salt based on taste (and how salty your pasta water is).

Once the sauce has reduced by about half and the spaghetti is al dente, scoop the pasta from the water and add to the sauce. Add the parsley. Cook and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Off heat, add the basil and grated cheese. Toss, adding a final drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.

~Jessica

 

Rosemary garlic potatoes

sorry for the terrible photo. not #foodporn

Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients
6 red potatoes, quartered
1/8 cup good olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
minced rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon butter (I used 1.5, cuz more butter, the better)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used smoked gouda, which I had on hand)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 box of frozen mixed vegetables (peas, corn, carrots, beans mix)
Melted butter to brush on top of mashed potatoes

Directions:
Cut the potatoes in quarters and cover the chopped potatoes in cold water plus an inch. Boil for 5-10 minutes until cooked through. Drain water. Place potatoes in a pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Pan fry the potatoes in 1 layer until browned and crisp. Flip with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning. Remove the potatoes from the heat, season to taste, and serve. Fry the vegetables with some butter, salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Add a protein of your choice if you so desire (I used herbed turkey breast).

~Jessica