Simplicity at its best!

   You can't go wrong with a dish if you let the ingredients shine on their own! This is especially true for fish, which is delicious on its own, and doesn't need to be drenched in thousands different ingredients. Of course only if you get a good quality piece of fish! Since I'm a fish lover I've tried many different kinds of fish and liked most of them, so this time I was trying to be adventurous and get something I'd never tried before. I looked through the seafood section in the supermarket and found one thing I've never heard of before: Swai Fish. Somehow in my head I imagined that this is super sophisticated and luxuries fish but as it turned out it's "only" a shark catfish. Well, not what I expected but you have to make the best out of what you have and I decided to make a citrus baked Swai fish. You couldn't need fewer ingredients than this:

*  4 fillets of fish (you can use any white fish you want)
*  orange
*  cilantro
*  butter spray
*  salt and pepper

   Spray the bottom of a baking dish with a butter spray (you can use a real butter, but I'm trying to cut down on the calories) layer the fish fillets and season them with salt and pepper. Cut four thin slices of orange and use the remaining fruit to squeeze out the juice over the fish. Put a couple of cilantro leaves on the top of the fillet, cover with a orange slice, and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

    So simple and so flavorful. You don't need anything else to dress it up, the orange and cilantro do a great job. Since it's such a "delicate" dish you don't want to serve it with anything heavy and starchy. My favorite thing to pair it with is a simple veggie bouquet, and I use a frozen mixture which I just warm it up in a pan with some garlic, salt, and pepper.

   Isn't it pretty? Who said that healthy food has to be bland and ugly? This one is definitely pretty, delicious, and nutritious!

Enjoy.
Magda

Got chicken?

   I'm sure most of us cook with chicken a lot (well, unless you are a vegetarian) because it's very popular, cheap, and cooks within few minutes. I usually buy a huge tray of chicken breasts, portion them into single servings, and freeze them so I have it available whenever I don't know what to make for dinner. I love to cook with chicken because it's a super easy ingredient, can be paired with anything you have in the pantry, and it always works (as long as you don't burn it or under-cook it of course). Since I started this blog I wanted to use it as an opportunity to experiment more with new ingredients which I never cooked with before. It's hard to believe (at least for me) but I never cooked with fresh fennel for example. What kind of food blogger am I right? So I decided to change it and I will show you my new creation (well, maybe a little bit inspired by Rachael Ray) of fennel and chicken pasta with toasted pine nuts. What you need is:

*  chicken breast (cooked and cubed)
*  1 large onion (sliced)
*  1 large fennel (sliced)
*  2 cloves garlic (chopped)
*  1 cup fat-free sour cream
*  1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
*  olive oil
*  salt and pepper
*  2-3 cups of whole wheat pasta

   With fennel you mostly use the bulb, but I also take the fronds off, chop them, freeze them, and use it as a garnish. To make the dish, saute thinly sliced onions, fennel, and garlic with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. When the veggies become translucent, add the cooked chicken and sour cream and cook everything for about 5 minutes. Mix everything with cooked pasta, sprinkle with some fennel fronds, toasted pine nuts, and you are done!

   I think I was a little bit afraid of fennel because it's supposed to have a licorice taste to it, so I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I had absolutely nothing to worry about. It tastes great, it's super crunchy, and gives a dish a new and exciting flavor. I think I found myself a new favorite ingredient to cook with! I already have a few more recipes I want to try out and of course I will keep you posted :).

Enjoy.
Magda

Now, that's Indian food.

   Did I tell you that I love Indian food? I'm sure I did, but I want to point it out again. Usually I just cook stuff I've seen my friends cooking or I just mix different Indian ingredients and spices and call it "Indian food". This time was different because I finally got the "real" recipe for my favorite lentil soup from a "real" Indian person. A good friend of mine is a very good cook but I can't really enjoy too many of her dishes because she loves her spices... and I mean she LOVES spices! Every time she says: try it I didn't put any heat in it.... I know it's going to burn my mouth. Oh maybe I should mention that I have a really low threshold for heat, if any, so that might be the reason why. Even though I can't take too much heat, I love the flavors and aromas of Indian food. So without further ado here is the recipe for the Masoor Daal:

*  2 cups red lentils
*  1 onion (chopped)
*  2 garlic cloves
*  1-2 tomatoes (chopped)
*  1 cup chopped cilantro
*  2 tsp turmeric
*  1 tsp mustard seeds
*  1 tsp cumin seeds
*  1 tsp curry powder
*  salt
*  chili powder
*  3-4 tbsp vegetable oil

   Before starting the dish wash the lentils and soak them in cold water for at least 1-2 hours. Cook them in a pressure cooker with 5 cups of water, salt, chili powder (as much as you like), 1 tsp of turmeric, half an onion, and garlic for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan to a high temperature, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, the rest of the turmeric, curry powder, and the other half of onion, and saute for about 5 minutes. When the lentils are cooked add the onion/spice mixture, chopped tomato, cilantro, and cook everything together for 5 more minutes so all the flavors can combine. Serve it with basmati rice and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

   Super, duper, extra delicious! Of course I couldn't brag about it without some quality control from my friend. She said it tastes exactly how it should, and what can be a better compliment than that? If you like heat you can add more chili powder or a chopped chili pepper and it should satisfy your "spicy tooth".

Enjoy.
Magda

Skinny lasagna!

   Who said that lasagna has to be heavy, unhealthy, and fattening? If you chose the right ingredients, avoid butter, fat sauces, and control your portion size (good luck with that, I'm still working on it!) you can enjoy a nice piece of a delicious and decadent lasagna. And if you still feel guilty, just go for a walk after dinner and problem solved! I'm tired of avoiding all this delicious food just because it's not diet friendly. If it's not in your diet you just need to reinvent it, change a little bit, and make it healthy. So here is my take on a skinny lasagna:

*  1 box of whole wheat, ready to bake lasagna pasta
*  1 lb lean ground turkey
*  1 jar of marinara sauce
*  1 chopped onion
*  2 cloves garlic
*  2 cups skim milk ricotta cheese
*  1 bag baby spinach leaves
*  3 eggs
*  2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
*  salt and pepper
*  1 tsp ground nutmeg
*  1 cup chopped parsley
*  olive oil

   Before you start to assemble your lasagna you have to prepare two sauces (meat and ricotta). For the meat sauce saute ground turkey with onion and garlic until cooked, add marinara sauce, cook for 5 minutes and set aside (this sauce is done). For the cheese sauce saute spinach in a pan with a tsp of olive oil (just enough to wilt the spinach) and set it aside to cool down a little. Mix ricotta cheese with whisked eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley, and cooled spinach. You are ready to build the monster and you can get as creative as you want with that. What I do to layer it is: a little bit of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (just so the pasta won't stick to it), layer of pasta, layer of meat sauce, pasta, layer of cheese sauce, pasta, meat sauce, pasta, cheese sauce, pasta. On the top of the last layer of pasta I put a little bit of marinara sauce to keep it moist and I sprinkle it (generously) with grated mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes to let the cheese melt and crisp up.

   Look at that! It comes out smelling like a piece of heaven (that's exactly how I picture heaven!). Don't cut it right away, let it cool down for at least 10-15 minutes. First, you won't be able to eat it anyways (is boiling hot) and second, you want it to set a little bit so that when you cut it you have a firm and solid piece (without everything spilling out). If you will be patient this is what you will end up with:

   Isn't she a looker? This baby has looks and personality. This recipe makes 8 huge pieces, 400 calories each, which I think it's pretty impressive for such a rich dish! And if you are vegetarian use the marinara sauce without the meat and you are good to go! Hope you like it.

Enjoy.
Magda.

Good and good for you!

   What am I saying? The title should be: "Delicious and good for you"! Me and Justin love burgers, but we try to avoid junk food in our house (well, at least most of the time!) so we always make our own burgers from the good quality lean meat and with lots of fresh veggies! It's funny how men and women have different definition of "veggies"! I have to make sure Justin puts his lettuce and tomato on the bun because otherwise he swears that two spoons of ketchup is like two servings of veggies! I love traditional beef burgers but my absolute favorite is a turkey, feta, and cilantro burger! So flavorful, so healthy, and if you use whole wheat bun, it's absolutely guilt free. Oh, and you know it's fast and easy too, right? What you need is:

*  1 lb lean ground turkey
*  1 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
*  1 cup chopped cilantro
*  salt and pepper

*  burger buns
*  lettuce
*  tomato
*  onion
*  black olives

   Mix meat with feta cheese, cilantro, and spices but remember that feta is salty so you don't want to over season it. Form four "generous" patties and grill for about 8-10 minutes (4-5 minutes on each side) until the middle is no longer pink and juices come out clear. Remember it's not beef so it has to be cooked all the way. That's pretty much it, you are ready to stack your burger. It's really tasty when served with olives so make sure you try it this way unless you don't like them.

   Do you see this chunk of feta hanging out from the side of it? Man, I love feta! And about the Fritos on the side... I said we don't eat junk food "most of the time"!

Enjoy.
Magda

Valentine's Day dinner!

   I hope everybody had a great Valentine’s Day yesterday! For us it’s just another day, no different than any other, and I just use it as an excuse to have a nice dinner with my husband (oh, and flowers are not bad either). By “nice dinner” I absolutely don’t mean going out to a fancy restaurant. We have no desire to fight with all those crowds, waiting for a table, and looking for a parking space (where is the romance in that?). What we do is cook a scrumptious and delicious dinner, open a bottle of wine, and watch a movie. You can’t get that in any restaurant. We usually cook our favorite dishes from different restaurants and last year we had sushi, so this year I decided to make a French onion soup and lettuce wraps, and for a dessert we had a red beet cake with raspberry frosting (this is going to be a long post).

French onion soup ingredients:

*  6 large onions (thinly sliced)

*  ½ stick of butter

*  olive oil

*  2 cups beef broth

*  1 cup dry white wine

*  1 tsp dry thyme

*  2 tbsp soy sauce

*  salt and pepper

*  French baguette

*  Gruyere cheese (or any other that melts nicely)

   Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat and sauté onions for about 30 minutes until caramelized  (they should be browned but not burned). Add wine and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients (without bread and cheese), some water, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer everything for about 20 more minutes. You can prepare the soup earlier (even few days ahead) and when you are ready to serve it ladle it into an oven proof cups, put a slice of toasted French baguette on the top, sprinkle it with the cheese, and broil in the oven until nicely melted, browned, and bubbly.

Lettuce wraps shopping list:

*  iceberg lettuce

*  ground turkey

*  onion (chopped)

*  2 cloves garlic

*  Shitake mushroom

*  water chestnuts (chopped)

*  red bell pepper (chopped)

*  1 tsp grated ginger

*  1/2 cup chopped cilantro

*  olive oil

*  1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

*  2 tsp Teriyaki  sauce

*  sesame seeds

   Sauté onions and garlic with some olive oil, add meat, and cook until no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients (besides lettuce) and cook for 10-15 minutes so all the flavors can combine. Gently peel the leaves from the lettuce forming small “bowls”, scoop the meat into them, sprinkle with some more cilantro and sesame seeds, and serve!

   And last but not least: dessert. I got this recipe from my Mom and it’s definitely something different: red beet cake. What you will need is:

*  4 eggs
*  2 cups all-purpose flour

*  1 cup sugar

*  1 cup grated beets

*  1 cup grated carrots

*  1 cup grated apples

*  ½ cup chopped almonds

*  1 cup dried raisins or cranberries (or both)

*  1 cup vegetable oil

*  1 tsp cinnamon

*  2 tsp baking powder

*  2 tsp baking soda

   Separate egg whites from yolks and beat the whites until stiff. Slowly add yolks, sugar, and flour mixed with all other dry ingredients. Add fruits, veggies, and nuts, mix everything together and bake at 350F for about 50 minutes. It’s good to go by itself, but what I do is cut in half and spread with simple frosting. To make the frosting I just mix fat-free cream cheese with Confectioner’s sugar and fresh crushed raspberries. It wouldn’t be a Valentine’s Day dessert if it wasn’t in a shape of a heart and shared with a significant other/friend/pet (circle which ever applies), would it?

   All that combined with a bottle of a great Pinot Noir and a Johnny Depp movie equals fantastic evening!

Hope you had as much fun as us.

Magda.

Breakfast for dinner!

   Who doesn't love to eat breakfast for dinner? It's my favorite thing ever, but I am an egg addict, so that might explain why! I love eggs in every shape and form and could eat them non stop. Sometimes I think that it would be much cheaper if I started to raise my own chickens in the backyard (I'm sure Spikey would have a blast!) and collect eggs. So yes, today's post is about eggs, which are "dressed up" with spinach, mushroom, and blue cheese. Sounds yummy doesn't it? Wait until you see and taste it, this amazing frittata will blow your socks off! All the ingredients I used are "diet friendly" so you don't have to worry about the calories at all. Here is the shopping list:

*  6-7 eggs
*  1 cup baby portabella mushroom (sliced)
*  1 medium onion (sliced)
*  2 cups fresh spinach
*  1/2 cup reduced-fat blue cheese (crumbled)
*  1 tomato
*  1/2 cup fat-free milk
*  2 tbsp flour
*  pinch of nutmeg
*  1 tsp curry powder
*  salt and pepper
*  1 tbsp butter

   Saute onions and mushrooms with a little bit of butter, season with salt, and when they are almost ready, add spinach, and cook it for 1 more minute (just to soften the greens). In a large bowl whisk eggs, milk, flour, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and curry. To assemble the frittata put the mushroom and onion mixture on the bottom of a greased, round baking dish, cover with whisked eggs, sprinkle with blue cheese, and decorate with slices of tomato. Bake at 350F for about 30-35 minutes until eggs are set.

   Super fluffy and super delicious! Sprinkle with a fresh chopped parsley and you've got yourself the best breakfast for dinner you could think of! When you take it out of the oven wait for about 5 minutes so everything can cool a little bit and set, and then cut yourself as big piece as you want!

   I've created many (and I mean many) variations of this dish with so many different ingredients, but you have to wait for another time to see them. For now enjoy this delicious and healthy spinach/mushroom/blue cheese frittata!

Bon appetit.
Magda

MeatLove in the air!

   Meatloaf is another one of my favorite dishes that I find very "American". There are some similar things to it in other countries (like our "klops") but it's not the same and has a little bit different of a flavor combination. It's so versatile, and can be eaten for dinner (with potatoes for example), or cold on a sandwich, or by itself (we find ourselves doing this pretty often!). Oh, and it's also one of those dishes you want to cook for the busy week ahead. I usually make two loafs, store it in a fridge, and serve it many different ways during the week. What I use to make it is:

3 lbs lean ground beef (that's for two loafs)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
2 shredded carrots
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
salt and pepper

   Now make sure you take good notes because the recipe is really "complicated". What you have to do is using your hands mix all the ingredients (except ketchup and BBQ sauce) together and transfer them into the long baking dish. Mix ketchup with BBQ sauce, spread it on the top of meat and bake at 350F for 1 hour. OK, how easy is that? Seriously? That's all it is to it. And this is what you end up with:

   No meat lover can complain about not having enough meat and all the veggie lovers have something for them too. Isn't it a perfect marriage? Moist, juicy, meaty, and flavorful. Who could ask for more? Slice it, bite it, and enjoy it!

Take care.
Magda

Do you have a sweet tooth?

   If you do, you are going to love this recipe, and if you don't... well, if you don't I bet you that if you try it you will love it anyways! Oh, and if you are a carrot eater you will love it as well. I think everybody knows by now what I am talking about, yes, you are right I am going to show you one of my signature desserts: a carrot cake with a citrus cream cheese frosting! Man, just writing about it makes me want to have a bite. This cake always works and never disappoints! The recipe for a cake calls for:

*  2 cups all-purpose flour
*  1 1/4 cups oil
*  2 cups grated carrots
*  1/2 cup raisins
*  3 eggs
*  1 cup sugar
*  2 tsp baking powder
*  2 tsp baking soda
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  2 tsp cinnamon
*  2 tsp cocoa

   With a hand mixer, mix sugar, oil and eggs until creamy. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa, mix everything together, and add carrots and raisins. Transfer into a baking pan and bake at 350F for about 35-45 minutes (a toothpick will tell you when it's ready). You need to cool it down after it's baked, cut it in half, and spread with cream cheese frosting. What you will need to make it is:

*  16 oz. fat-free cream cheese (2 blocks)
*  Confectioner's sugar (as much as you need to make it as sweet as you like)
*  juice from one orange
*  orange zest
*  lime juice (from half a lime)
*  1 tsp vanilla extract

   Mix all the ingredients together (with hand mixer) and here you go... the frosting is ready! Chill the cake in a fridge for couple of hours before serving.

   There was not a single time that this cake didn't come out right. It always works and it's super yummy! I'm sure you will love it. Oh, and it will satisfy your sweet tooth like nothing else!

Enjoy.
Magda

Go Giants! Go Giants!

   What a great game last night (at least for me)! OK, I was not a football fan at all until now. I didn't understand the game and didn't really watch it. But this Super Bowl was different, first because my husband's team (GIANTS! GIANTS!) were playing, and second because he gave me his old Giants jersey with my name on the back (well, with my new last name!).

   This was the best gift ever! People were making fun of me that I just became a Giants fan two days ago, but hey, I need to start somewhere, right?! So yes, I am a new fan, but that doesn't mean I can't be super duper excited about them winning!!! I loved watching the game, Justin kept explaining everything what was going on until I finally got a hang of it (well at least a teeny, tiny hang). The Super Bowl is not only about the game, it's also about the food. Usually it's not the healthiest food in a world full of fat, calories, and guilt. So I decided to change it and make a healthy version of the most popular Super Bowl item: chicken wings marinated in a healthy marinade and baked rather than fried. What you need for the marinade is:

*  Port wine
*  soy sauce
*  apple cider vinegar
*  BBQ sauce
*  Worcestershire sauce
*  Sriracha sauce
*  garlic powder
*  salt and pepper

   In a big bowl mix everything together adjusting the amount of each ingredient to your own taste. When everything is combined, add chicken wings, coat them with a marinade, and refrigerate over night. When you are ready to entertain, spread wings in a single layer onto a baking dish and bake at 350F for one hour.

   They come out super tender, juicy, and flavorful. When the game is a real "nail biter" like the one last night make sure you have something to bite on, and what can be better than a bowl of healthy delicious wings.... a super bowl of chicken!

Enjoy.
Magda.

Racuchy, racuchy!

   Well, I could translate the name of this dish and call it "Polish apple pancakes", but there is not as much charm and homeyness to it as it is in "Racuchy". Besides wouldn't you rather tell your friends that you just made a huge batch of racuchy (well, if you can pronounce it)? Everybody would be so jealous hearing that, thinking that you probably just had a super sophisticated and cosmopolitan dish (hey, they don't have to know it's "just" pancakes!). I remember my Mom making tons of them for our meatless dinners and they would disappear right away. If you wanted it fresh and hot you would have to stand next to her and just snatch them from her hand when she was taking them out of the pan! Otherwise they were GONE! Traditional racuchy have apples in them, but I mix it up a little bit and also add pears. So what you need is:

*  1 apple (very thinly sliced)
*  1 pear (thinly sliced as well)
*  1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*  2 cups fat-free milk
*  2 eggs
*  1/4 cup sugar
*  2 tsp vanilla extract
*  1/2 tsp baking powder
*  oil

   Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together. Stir in flour, baking powder, orange zest, and sugar and mix everything together adding apples and pears at the very end. You can add more flour or milk to adjust the density of the batter so it's not too runny or too dense. Heat the oil in a pan, then using a big spoon form small pancakes and fry them for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer them onto a paper towel for a couple of minutes (to drain the excess oil) and serve immediately with a glass of cold milk!

   You can make them as thin or thick as you like. We like ours not to thick so they get a little bit crunchy on the edges, while still super soft in the middle. It might be the simple dish for all of you, but for me it's a childhood memory. Every time I eat them I feel like I'm back at my Mom's kitchen waiting for her to finish another batch!

Smacznego.
Magda

When I was a student...

   ... I was young and energetic... no wait, that's not what this blog is about. I wanted to say that when I was a student (and didn't have much time to cook or too much money to go out to eat) my best friend introduced me to a tuna spaghetti. Oh yeah, it's not a mistake, I did say tuna spaghetti. It's super easy, super cheap, and super delicious. I love it so much that I introduced Justin and some of my friends to it and now we all eat it all the time. I have a feeling that Justin thinks that something is missing from his life if there is no tuna spaghetti for more than two weeks. It is one of those dishes that is perfect if you don't know what to make and you always have the ingredients for it in a pantry. What you need is:

*  Angel's hair pasta (or any other)
*  1 can tuna in water
*  1 chopped onion
*  2 tsp capers
*  1 cup fat-free sour cream
*  1/2 cup chopped parsley
*  olive oil
*  salt and pepper

    Saute onions with olive oil and capers (if you are not a fan of capers you can skip them all together), add drained tuna and cook for about 5 minutes. About a minute before the end add sour cream, parsley, salt, and pepper and you are done! Serve it with pasta as you would serve a regular spaghetti.

   It might not be the prettiest dish to photograph, but trust me it's absolutely delicious. You should see Justin's face when I told him for the first time what I'm making (kind of scared) and when he was eating it few minutes later (kind of scared that there won't be enough for seconds!).

Enjoy.
Magda

Hey there, meat lovers!

   I've had many comments about not posting enough meat dishes, and I think it's high time to address this issue. It's not that I'm trying to make it a vegetarian blog, but the truth is, that I do cook a lot with vegetables and if I use meat, it is usually chicken. It's cheap, quick, easy, and healthy, and those are the main reasons why I chose it over and over again. I absolutely agree with my audience (mostly male portion of it), that I should start using more red meat and what can be better for a premiere than pork chops? I found this recipe online and I knew right away that this is something that will be satisfying for all my meat-loving followers. What you need is:

4 boneless pork chops (about 4oz each)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
cooking spray

   In a flat bowl combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dip pork chops in milk and then coat generously with the crumb mixture. Place coated chops on a baking sheet covered with cooking spray and bake at 375F for about 15 minutes on each side or until the thermometer reads 160F.

    They are super juicy, tender, and very flavorful (the cheese does magic). Not that they are not good enough on their own, but I thought that they deserve some great company that would make a perfect and sophisticated Sunday dinner. I thought that they would pair beautifully with some rosemary-roasted potatoes and cucumber salad. The potatoes are super easy, all you need is:

3-4 red skin potatoes
olive oil
rosemary (lots of it)
1/2 sliced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

   Cut potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes, sprinkle with olive oil and spices, add chopped rosemary, and bake at 400F for 1 hour. To make sure that they are evenly browned on each side, toss them with a spatula a couple times while roasting. For the salad I just sliced a cucumber, added salt, pepper, and sour cream and voila!

   Doesn't it look delicious? And it's even better than it looks. A perfect ending to a great weekend! I hope I made all my meat loving friends happy!

Enjoy.
Magda

Can't go wrong with soup!

   I know, I know, you probably think I'm getting a little bit boring with all these soups! What can I say, I do have a slight addiction, but you do have to agree with me, there is nothing better in a cold winter evening than a bowl of hot, soulful, and flavorful soup. OK, the last few days weren't that cold, actually they were pretty warm for January, but that still didn't stop me from having soup for dinner (I don't think that 115F weather would be able to stop me!). I went Japanese style and made chicken and Soba noodle soup. It's so good that I had two bowls of it, and I regret it instantly because the noodles may not look like much, but they are really filling. What you need to make it is:

Buckwheat Soba noodles
1 chicken breast
chicken broth
mushroom (thinly sliced)
fresh baby spinach leaves
scallions (chopped)
1 onion (thinly sliced)
pinch of fresh ginger
soy sauce
black pepper

   Cut chicken breast into 1 inch cubes and cook together with chicken broth, ginger, onions, scallions, and mushroom for about 10-15 minutes until the meat is done and tender. Add two handfuls of baby spinach leaves, season with soy sauce and pepper to taste, and cook for about 5 minutes. Serve with cooked Soba noodles (I cook them separately).

    Delicious! Reminds me a little bit about Polish "rosol" even though it has completely different ingredients. You can also add a little bit of miso paste if you have it, but if you don't I wouldn't worry about it because it's going to be awesome even without it.

Enjoy.
Magda.

Plate full of energy.

   I'm no vegetarian, but I do love my veggies. Raw, cooked, baked, or roasted, I love them all, and I have no problem cooking a meatless dinner. If I know my husband it probably wouldn't be his first choice, but he is a good sport and eats his veggies like a pro (well, at least most of them). I have a perfect dish for anybody who wants something healthy but comforting, flavorful but light, rich but low in calories, and full of vitamins. If you like what you hear you should definitely try Chickpea Vegetable Curry, a fast and delicious stew perfect for a health conscious food lovers. All you need is:

2 cans chickpeas
cauliflower (broken into small florets)
2 large carrots (chopped)
1 chopped onion
1 cup of raisins
small bag of baby spinach  
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp corriander powder
1 tsp ground cumin
juice from half a lime
olive oil
salt

   Saute onions, garlic, and ginger with the olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, cauliflower, raisins, spices, cilantro, and cook for 5 minutes. When the vegetables are a little bit softer (but still have bite to them) add chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, a cup of water, and simmer with the lid on for about 10 more minutes. That's all it takes and you end up with an awesome satisfying dish.

   You can serve it with rice or couscous if you want, but it's not really necessary because the dish can stand on its own no problem! A big bowl of it makes the perfect guilt free dinner.

Take care.
Magda

Asian influence.

   Who doesn't like Asian food? OK, probably there are a lot of people who might not be fans of it, but somehow I have a feeling that between Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indian food there is something everybody can find delicious. Me and Justin love all of them! Our "special date" restaurant is a sushi place, our "too-lazy-to-cook" place is a Chinese takeout, and our "I want something exotic, delicious, and comforting" restaurant is Thai or Indian! No matter if you like sweet, sour, salty, or spicy things you will always find something for yourself in each of them. I am a little bit more comfortable cooking with Indian spices (but still far, far away from perfection) and Justin makes awesome sushi (stay tuned for some post in the future). That's why I decided to make something Asian: teriyaki sesame chicken with Soba noodles! Sounds Asian to me, but if anybody feels like I don't know what I'm talking about, I apologize, and I am open for any suggestions and good recipes! The list of ingredients is:

chicken breast (thinly sliced)
onion (chopped)
3-4 scallions
2 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
1 bell pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
sesame seeds
Soba noodles
olive oil
salt and pepper

   Saute onions and ginger with olive oil, add sliced chicken, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cut bell pepper, scallions, sesame seeds, Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, and cook everything for 5-10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with cooked Soba noodles.

   It's sweet, tangy (ginger), and very flavorful. Soba noodles are delicious on their own but when served in this dish they are just amazing.

Enjoy.
Magda.

How simple is that?

   This was a busy week. Between work, shopping, volleyball, and parties I did not have too much time to post anything. Even though I was too busy to take pictures or write a blog I was still cooking, but I decided to make quick and easy things, which can be eaten for a couple of days. I am a big soup person, and I mean BIG soup person. I think it must be a "Polish" thing because we usually have soups everyday and we don't really call a meal a dinner unless there is soup involved. Well, maybe I exaggerate a little bit, but I just wanted you to get the point. The most well known and the simplest soup in my opinion is tomato soup. Everybody knows it, mostly everybody likes it, and everybody can make it. I tried changing, modifying, adding and removing ingredients until I achieved the perfect combination. What you need is:

1 can tomato sauce
1 chopped onion
1 large carrot (thinly sliced)
fresh basil
broth (chicken or veggie)
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsp ketchup
salt and pepper

   Boil sliced carrots in a broth until they are soft but still have a tiny crunch to them. Add tomato sauce, sugar, salt and pepper and... ketchup, yes ketchup! I know it's hard to understand, but trust me I was trying to perfect this soup for many years and there is nothing better then a couple of spoons of ketchup. It just gives it an unbelievable sweet but tangy taste. To finish the soup you don't need any cream or milk, all you do is saute onions with butter and lots of basil, blend them with a little bit of water, and add to the soup. The onion/butter combination is just great and makes the soup ten times better. Try it.

   If the soup isn't satisfying enough, you can either have a grilled cheese sandwich with it (it's so american and I never had it before I came to the US) or you can have a healthy, fresh, and delicious salad. Toss together lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, olives, a little bit of shredded cheese, and a dressing of your choice (my favorite is raspberry vinaigrette) and the salad is ready.

   Quick, easy, healthy, and delicious, what can be better for a busy week?

Enjoy.
Magda.

Streets of Poland!

   Every time we go to Poland Justin discovers something new to eat which becomes his absolute favorite for a while! Last time we went there I introduced him to the most popular Polish street food/fast food called zapiekanka. I think it's the oldest, simplest, cheapest, and most delicious street food in Poland consisting mostly of a bread, mushroom and cheese. You should see Justin's face when he first tried it, it was love from first bite. I was a little bit concerned that we might be broke after all the zapiekankas he was buying (thank God they are cheap), he had at least one or two a day, so after 3 weeks you do the math! We could go to the best and most sophisticated restaurant in Krakow and he would still save some space so he can have zapiekanka afterward. When people ask him how was our trip to Poland, all he could talk about is how awesome zapiekankas are. So I decided to make some for dinner to make my man happy, and I never saw him that excited about dinner before. Nowadays people put all sorts of different things on it, but it's unnecessary because you can't beat the original one, which is absolutely the best. All you need is:

baguette or long buns
1 chopped onion
mushrooms
shredded mozzarella cheese
chives
ketchup
salt and pepper

   Saute onions and mushrooms together for about 5 minutes, just enough to release the "juices" and season them with salt and pepper. Cut the bread into half horizontally, put mushrooms on the top, and then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for about 10 min at 400F until the cheese is melted and bread is crisp. To serve, top it with ketchup and chopped chives and you got yourself a signature dish of Polish streets.

   You should definitely try this version. Don't skip anything, even if you are not crazy about ketchup or chives, you should still try it because that's what makes the dish authentic. People like to also use ham, salami, chicken, or corn, but for me there is nothing better than the original and the simplest version. It just brings back memories, not only for me, but now also for Justin. And who said you can't enjoy some street food with a glass of nice wine?

   Don't they look scrumptious? If you ever go to Poland, don't forget to check them out for yourself, you won't be disappointed!

Smacznego.
Magda.

I ain't no hunter...

   …but I love a Hunter’s Stew. I am talking about bigos, which is an absolute staple of polish cuisine. It is considered our national dish, and as it's name suggests, it was traditionally served after hunting. I can bet that every single Polish person has had bigos at least few times! Everybody knows it! There are many versions of the recipe, everybody prepares it differently by adding their own secret ingredients, but the general rule is simple, you definitely need sauerkraut, meat, dried mushrooms, and wine (and about 77 other things) and few hours to cook it. I like to think that my preparation is pretty close to the original, but all I know for sure is that it tastes awesome. Justin is not as crazy about cabbage as me so I don’t make it too often, but my friend from work is a big bigos fan (well, he had it only once), and since I owe him a favor I decided to cook it for him. Hopefully I can pay my "debt" this way. It’s pretty easy to make, but I can’t really say it’s quick because the longer you cook it, the better it will taste. What you need is:

2-3 lbs sauerkraut (washed once with water)

½ head of fresh cabbage

1 large chopped onion

1 lb beef (the cheapest cut of meat, cut into 1 inch cubes)

1 lb cubed pork

1 link Polish kielbasa

1 cup dried porcini mushroom (soaked in water for an hour)

2 cup fresh mushroom

½ cup dried prunes (chopped)

red wine

4-5 bay lives

3-4 juniper berries

olive oil

Salt and pepper

   I told you the list of ingredients was long! Heat olive oil in a dutch oven (or a large pot) and brown the meat, kielbasa, and onions. After the meat is brown add the sauerkraut, chopped cabbage, mushrooms (fresh and dried), prunes, and spices. Cook everything together for about 5-10 minutes, add wine (I usually add about half a bottle), and simmer on low heat for about 2-3 hours. What you really should do is cook it for 3 hours one day and then for another 1-2 hours the next day, but that's not really necessary, it’s going to be amazing anyways!

    Man, does that taste like home or what? I don’t know how I did it, but it tastes exactly the same as my mom’s, which is amazing! It’s rustic, rich, and decadent, a little bit sour, a little bit sweet, and a little bit salty with lots of meat and tons of flavor. If you are a vegetarian you can skip the meat, but please do not call it bigos, because it pains my heart! If you remove the meat it’s still delicious, but it’s called a cabbage stew then and it has absolutely nothing to do with bigos. No matter how you prepare it, I’m sure you are going to love it! 

Enjoy.
Magda.

Martha knows her stuff!

   Who doesn't like chicken salad? It's easy to make, semi-healthy (if made with right ingredients), and very versatile. You can eat it by itself, on a sandwich, in a wrap, or any other way you want. If you think that a regular chicken salad is good, wait until I show you the recipe for an avocado chicken salad with avocado dressing, it's absolutely genius!  Super flavorful, super healthy, super colorful, and super delicious! I found it in my favorite cooking magazine: "Everyday Food" by Martha Stewart. If you don't have a subscription to it yet you should definitely get one asap, it's really good. You start with making your own dressing, which already tells you that it's going to be much better than using "who-knows-what's-inside" store one. What you need to make the dressing is:

1 avocado
1 cup fat free buttermilk
2 chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
lemon juice (from half a lemon)
salt and pepper.

   All you have to do is blend everything together in a food processor until smooth. How easy is that?

   It's so yummy that I think I ate half of it by the time the salad was ready! Speaking about salad. Here is the list of ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2-3 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 chopped shallots
1 avocado, diced
salt and pepper
our delicious avocado dressing

   Combine all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss everything together (gently). In my opinion it's absolutely the best when served on a slice of a warm bread (I use the Pillsbury French Bread that you bake yourself).

  Do you see the size of that sandwich? It will definitely keep you full and satisfied for a long time. You don't even have to feel guilty about all these carbs in bread because all that veggie action cancels them out! If you are an avocado lover like me, you will definitely love this salad!

Good luck.
Magda

Breakfast to go!

   Everybody knows that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, and in my case it's one of the favorites as well. It’s one of our “small” traditions with Justin, that every weekend we have a big and delicious breakfast with eggs, pancakes, hot coffee and Good Morning America and ABC News. But who has time to eat breakfast at home during the week when you start work at 7am? Not me! I usually just grab granola bar or yogurt, but let’s be honest, that’s not a “real” breakfast and it definitely doesn’t keep me satisfied for too long (that’s why sometimes you see me eating lunch at 11:30)! I decided to change it and I made a different version of easy, ready-to-go breakfast: cheese and bacon muffins! They are as delicious as they sound. What you need is:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

8-10 slices of turkey bacon (you can use the real stuff too) chopped and crisped

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 stick of butter (melted and cooled)

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup chopped scallions

   In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add cheese, bacon, herbs, and mix everything together. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, eggs and butter, pour itto the flour mixture and mix until combined (do not overmix!). Scoop the batter into a muffin pan (it makes 12 muffins) and bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

  

   With 12 muffins, between two of us, we have breakfasts for the entire week! Just keep them covered in the refrigerator and microwave them for 10-20 sec before eating! It’s absolutely the best thing for people who love breakfast, but don’t have too much time to prepare it! And for my all vegetarian friends out there, just skip the bacon and they will be excellent too! 

Try it and enjoy it.

Magda.

Little pigeons!

   "Little pigeons" is the exact translation of one of my favorite Polish dishes called golabki. They have nothing to do with pigeons (don't worry, you don't have to hunt any birds for dinner), they got their name because of their shape, resembling a pigeon's torso. If "golabki" doesn't tell you anything, maybe stuffed cabbage will ring a bell? That's exactly what I am writing about today. I am not going to say that it's quick and easy... I mean it is to me, but if you've never seen it done, it may be a little bit challenging. The list of ingredients is short though:

1 whole cabbage head (as big as you can get)
1.5 lb ground beef (or chicken)
2 cups of rice
1 large chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of beef broth
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper

   I usually prepare stuffing first and then take care of the cabbage. Melt half of the butter in a skillet and saute onions, garlic, add meat, and cook for about 5 minutes until the meat is no longer pink (it doesn't have to be perfectly cooked because it's going to bake for a while). Mix meat with cooked rice and season with salt and pepper to taste. In a pot large enough to fit the cabbage head, boil some water and cook cabbage for about 5 minutes until it is soft enough to pull off individual leaves. Using a small knife cut away the thick center stem from each leaf without cutting all the way through. It's very easy for me to make the rolls, but somehow I find it super difficult to explain it to you, but let me try. Place a big spoon of meat stuffing on each cabbage leaf, flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side, and roll away from you to create a neat little roll. I think that's the best I can do to explain. Place all the rolls (tightly packed) in a baking dish, slice remaining butter on the top of them, and pour the beef broth. Cover everything with a foil and bake for an hour at 350F.

   Don't worry if the leaves tear a little bit, it all depends on the cabbage you get, so you can't really control it. Look how delicious they look, and trust me they are even better then you think they will be.

   Juicy, soft, smooth, and very, very aromatic. You can use a regular cabbage or mix it up a little bit and use savoy cabbage, which is delicious as well (but has a little bit different texture).

   The "traditional" way of serving golabki is with tomato sauce, but somehow we are not big fans of it. Justin absolutely loves to eat golabki with ketchup (as seen above) and I prefer a mushroom sauce, which I usually buy ready to go (hey, I never said I am a SuperWoman, sometimes I just buy pre-made things).

   So good! I know only one person who says that he doesn't like golabki (you know who you are!) other than that, this dish is an absolute hit among my friends! I usually double the recipe and make a huge batch of them so I can pack lunches for a whole week and share some with friends as well.

Have a great day.
Magda.

Story of one sloppy man!

   No, I’m not writing a post about my husband! He is actually one of the neatest people I know. Today I decided to be a little bit sloppy in the kitchen, or actually not as much in the kitchen as in the dining room and I made sloppy Joes. I was sure that this sandwich was named by a woman married to some Joe who is not too careful while eating, but I was mistaken. It was created in 1930s in a Sioux City, Iowa by a cook named Joe and anybody who ever had it before knows why it is called sloppy, no explanation needed there! I remember when I had my first sloppy Joe sandwich I didn’t really understand the concept, why would you want to eat a sandwich filled with loose meat which is landing everywhere but your mouth? I changed my mind after I tasted it, who cares that it’s sloppy when it tastes so good, and who said we always have to eat dinners with a fork and knife? Time to get dirty and have some fun! Here is the recipe:

 

1 lb lean ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

1-2 tsp yellow mustard

0.5 cup ketchup

3 tsp brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp olive oil

salt, pepper

hamburger buns (as soft as you can get, otherwise they will just squeeze the meat out and you won’t even taste it)

   Saute onion, garlic and bell peppers with some olive oil, add meat and cook for 5-10 min. Drain the liquid, add all other ingredients, and mix everything together. Then bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for about 10 minutes. Traditionally it’s served on a plain bun, but I couldn’t stop myself and added some greens, it just wasn’t right and needed some vitamins. 

    Yummy. Very, very sloppy, but yummy! I challenge you to eat it wearing white clothes and over a white table cloth! Let’s see how much fun that would be.

Enjoy.

Magda

Can I call it Indian food?

   No, I don't think I can. I used some Indian spices and it tastes delicious, but I don't think it gives me the right to call it Indian just because of that. It's like somebody would put kielbasa in a dish and call it a Polish dinner. Not cool. So let me just call it a delicious curry chicken with couscous. I found this recipe a long time ago when I still lived in Cleveland and when I was just starting to experiment with different spices. It was probably one of those dishes that made me fall in love with curry powder and we've been together ever since! It's really fast and easy, so it's perfect for a week night when you have to work late. Try it for yourself, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. What you need is:

1 chicken breast
1 chopped onion
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 cup of fat free sour cream
2-3 tsp of curry powder (to your taste)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
lots of parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper.

   Heat the olive oil in a pan and add mustard, and cumin seeds cooking them for a couple of minutes until they release some of their delicious aroma, then add onions and garlic. After the onions are translucent, add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add curry powder, tomato sauce, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked and finish everything by adding the sour cream. It's done, I told you it was fast and easy! Serve it with couscous or rice, I prefer couscous because it's a little bit more flavorful and healthier.

   It's a perfect dish... it has a character, it has the looks, and it makes you warm during cold nights, it's almost like a perfect man... almost! Speaking of cold nights, what is going on with this weather... I think I froze my ears today just by walking to my mail box! Brrrr, I need some hot tea, which by the way goes great with a curry chicken!

Stay warm.
Magda.

Happy New Year!

   Wow, I can not believe that it's really 2012 already! Where did 2011 go? Well, it doesn't matter anymore, it's gone for good and now we have a new year :). I hope everybody had a great time last night welcoming the New Year in a great company. No matter where you are and how you celebrate it, if you are surrounded by wonderful people it's the best beginning to a new year. Oh, and lets not forget about good food, that's important too! This is exactly how we step into 2012, with a great friends and lots of food (some tastier then others). I decided to experiment a little bit and made a new salad, which I saw on Barefoot Contessa and guess what, it was "not so much"! I should know better and stick to my own recipe rather than following Ina Garten because it sucked. Well, the other option is that I just screwed up her recipe, but since I decided to be more confident as my New Year's resolution, so I stick to my statement that Ina's salad sucks! But lets forget about the salad and start with an appetizer. I made Justin's favorite thing, something that we had on our first "official" date back in the day, and something we love to order in a restaurants: bruschetta! All you need is:

French baguette
3 big tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
2 tbsp of finely chopped red onion
0.5 cup of chopped fresh basil
0.5 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp of olive oil
2 tsp of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

   Parboil tomatoes for one minute to remove the skin, remove the seeds (you don't want it to be too watery), chop into small cubes and mix with all other ingredients. That's it... you are done with the tomato part of a bruschetta.

    All is left to do is to slice the baguette into diagonal 0.5 inch slices, brush with a little bit of olive oil and bake at 375F for 5 min. You don't want the dish to get soggy so don't assemble it, just let your guests create their own. It's absolutely delicious!

   It's the perfect way to begin a meal. Crunchy, refreshing, and a little bit garlicky, so make sure your partner has some too!
   As the star of the meal I decided to make a roasted beef. Mostly because I was eager to try out a Christmas gift from my wonderful Mother-in-law: a brand new and shinny Dutch oven (not that shinny anymore after I was done with it!). I still have some practicing to do, but I think that for my first roast I did pretty well (hopefully my guests will agree). The list of ingredients goes as follow:

Chuck roast beef cut (I used 4 lbs for 6 people and have leftovers)
1 chopped onion
4 stalks of celery
2 chopped carrots 
1 chopped apple
1 cup of dried crunberries
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of tomato paste
red wine
beef broth
salt and pepper
rosemary, juniper berries, bay lives
vegetable oil.

   Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven and sear the meat on all sides until brown. It's very important step, which gives most of the flavor to the roast, so make sure you really brown the meat (about 5 min on each side). Take the meat out of the pan and set aside. Using the remaining oil, saute the vegetables, fruit, and herbs for 5 minutes, add tomato paste and cook some more. Deglaze the pan with some wine and return the meat back where it belongs. Add wine and beef stock to the pot to cover about 2/3 of the meat (don't cover it completely).

   Cook everything on the stove top for about 10 minutes and then cover with a lid and pop it in the oven that has been preheated to 300F for about 3 hours. The trick to making the meat tender is to roast it at a very low temperature for a long time. Don't take this 3 hours very strictly, you have to keep checking the meat yourself because time depends on the size and cut of the beef. Mine was pretty tender after 3 hours but some may require more or less time. You should be able to shred the meat with a fork, then you know it's ready. After the roast is done all the veggies are super soft and the liquid is reduced giving you a great sauce for your meat.

   Don't be afraid of the dark color... it's all the red wine magic! I served it with mixed grains sauteed with onion and ginger, and a "famous" cucumber salad, which Ina Garten screwed up. Yes, I'm still sticking to my statement that it was completely her fault, I had nothing to do with the salad being oversatled!
   But let's forget about salty salad (we had plenty of "liquid" to wash it out) the party was a great success. We welcomed the New Year with amazing and fun company, some old and new friends. That sounds to me like a great start to 2012.


Have an amazing year.
Magda.