Wasabi-Crusted Salmon With Soy Noodles

We love seafood. In 2011, Kevin went on a fishing trip in Alaska and brought home 50 lbs of it, so we got to try out a LOT of recipes. That inventory has long since run out, but we still cook fish a few times a week so it is about time we share one of our favorite recipes with you. It is an incredibly simple recipe that was adapted from the cookbook of the lodge that Kevin stayed at. I made it a bit healthier and quicker for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

2 salmon steaks

1 Tbsp wasabi powder, made into paste

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 package rice noodles

Assorted vegetables (we used carrots, broccoli and snow peas)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Bring pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package. Drain.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper the salmon, then spread a thin layer of the wasabi paste and press breadcrumbs on top. Place breadcrumb side down in a heated skillet with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Cook until browned, then flip and continue cooking until cooked through.

While salmon is cooking, sautee vegetables in a little olive oil for a few minutes, then add in the soy sauce and vinegar and cover. Once the vegetables are cooked to desired tenderness, add noodles to the pan. 

  

To serve, place noodle-vegetable mixture on plate and top with Salmon. 

Our Urban Garden

Over the past year and a half, we have taken on a joint interest in gardening. It started with building a plant stand outside our kitchen window to improve the view (which is of the building directly next door). We bought the supplies and a few plants at a local hardware store and built it in a few hours. It has been a bit of trial and error to find plants that survive in the mostly shaded area, but here is a picture of the garden today.

We love looking out the window and seeing these plants.

But the shared backyard in our apartment building is a different story. We have been working on it for the last year. An afternoon here, a weekend there, and we have finally managed to turn the over grown ivy covered yard of unknown into a pretty organized and functional outdoor living space. We used bricks that we uncovered while weeding to build the border of a path, while Kevin chopped old tree stumps to fill in the path. We have a designated garden where we have been growing a selection of fresh herbs and lettuces year-round, and harvested broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chard over the winter months.

There is something so gratifying about eating something that you grew. It inspires us to try new recipes, and also to use fresh herbs in almost everything we eat. I can’t remember the last salad we ate that didn't include fresh parsley or basil, and I love that.

Here is a picture from right after we planted our winter garden.

We tried to keep all the plants we encountered, which included breaking up an old planter box filled with jade and geranium plants, and planting them around the perimeter of the yard. Calla lilies that we didn't even know were back there are now cut weekly and replace the fresh flowers I used to buy at the store.

But it’s not all work! We inherited some outdoor furniture and hung some string lights, and find that it is a perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine and the view when we are not getting our hands dirty.

This is just a little of what we have been up to lately. More to come soon!

A beer for the ladies

Buzzerkeley caught my attention in a Draft magazine article because Calicraft Brewing Co. used Champagne yeast to ferment a Belgian style ale.

Pours a light golden amber with buttery nose. First taste reveals a sweet honey and light citrus flavor. Sweet throughout with a biscuity aftertaste.

I certainly recommend giving it a try. It will expand your definition of beer. It's light Belgian ale meets champagne.

7% alcohol. 750mL. $9.99 at Whole Foods San Francisco

Chicken and Dumplings

The other night we were craving comfort food. We had just returned home from a weekend with my mom... funny how visiting your mom can make you crave things you ate growing up. After tossing around a few ideas we settled on homemade chicken and dumplings. In an effort to keep it easy, quick, and healthy, we used boneless skinless chicken breasts, whole wheat flour in the dumplings, and some veggies and herbs from our garden (post coming on this project soon!). I baked the dumplings like biscuits, then added them to the chicken soup before serving to keep them from becoming too dense or soggy. The batch made enough for dinner and lunch the next day for both us.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 shallot
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup Swiss chard
1 Tbsp fresh sage
salt and pepper
Parsley for garnish

Dumplings:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, cut
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

In large pot, cook shallots with olive oil until they start to become translucent. Add chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Add chicken stock, scraping along bottom.

Add the carrots and bring to a boil. Add chard and sage and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked through.

While soup is simmering, make the dumplings. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Then blend in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (your hands work best). Stir in buttermilk until you have a thick batter. Spoon the batter into 6 mounds on the baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Spoon soup into bowl and place dumpling on top. Top with parsley and enjoy!

Banana Pecan Whole Wheat Pancakes

We are so excited for the holidays this year! The house has been decorated since Thanksgiving, and on Saturday we went to get our Christmas tree. We rented a ZipCar and drove to a local tree farm to cut down our own tree, something I haven't done since I was a kid. Our tree is definitely the prettiest tree I've ever had (not that I'm biased) and it brings such a cozy feeling to our apartment.

Sunday morning I woke up early and was in the mood to make something yummy, healthy, but sweet (shocking, I know). Banana bread sounded perfect, but I was too impatient to wait an hour for it to bake. So I decided on banana pecan pancakes, with whole wheat flour and flax seed. Let me tell you, these little gems were so delicious and very satisfying. Best of all, we froze the leftovers so we can enjoy them any day of the week.

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chopped pecans
serve with chopped pecans, sliced banana and maple syrup

Directions:

In small bowl, combine flour, flax seed, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, mash the banana then add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in pecans.

Heat a skillet and spray with non-stick spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and let cook until small bubbles form. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Top with more pecans, sliced banana and maple syrup.

Turtles and Beaches and Beer, Oh My!

Aloha! We recently took a much needed vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii. 9 days allowed us to circle the whole island. Snorkeling, Volcano hikes, beautiful beaches, waterfalls, and sea animals galore... Hawaii has it all! If you have never been to the Big Island, we definitely recommend it.

While we enjoyed many meals out (see below for our favorites!), we also took advantage of the abundance of fresh ingredients to cook a few meals of our own. One of our favorites was done entirely on the grill, something we never get to do in San Francisco. And of course, we drank lots of yummy beer. After all, isn't that what vacations are for?

Here are some of the highlights from out trip...We can't wait to go back.

Mahalo!

First Stop: Kona Brewing Co!

Sunrise the first morning. With the time difference, we were up for the sunrise most mornings, with a big cup of Kona coffee of course. 

Hiking in Volcano National Park. We were able to hike out to the 2003 lava flow that now blocks the road. We found this Road Closed sign among all the lava!

Night tour of Mt. Kilauea, a volcano that is currently erupting. 

 

Kulaniapia Falls- the private water fall at one of the B&Bs .

The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls was on a Macadamia Nut orchard. We learned how to pick them and crack them open. 

After driving around the island for a few days, we settled into our condo in Kona. We got some yummy local fish (Ono, aka Wahoo) and steaks and BBQ-ed by the pool. 

Lindsay's FAVORITE place.. Kukio Beach. One day we saw a total of 8 sea turtles while walking the beach. Some eating algae off the rocks, others  relaxing on the beach. 

 A few of our favorite things:

Macadamia nut waffles at Inn at Kulaniapia Falls (must be a guest, but we recommend that too!)

Pacifier IPA and pizza from  Kona Brewing Company

Poke from Da Poke Shack

Kukio Beach for turtle sighting and relaxing on the beach

Kealakekua Bay near Captain Cook Monument for snorkeling with dolphins

Tour of the Mauna Kea Summit by Hawaii Forest and Trail 

Pumpkin Bread

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Even though the calendar says it has been fall for over a month, we have had some beautiful, warm, summer-like days lately. While I will take a warm day in SF any month I can get it, I have been really craving all things fall.  The crisp air, darker evenings, and pumpkin flavored things.

Over the years I have tested out numerous pumpkin bread recipes, and while all have been delicious, I was never committed to one recipe. Until now, that is. This year I was given the Tartine Cookbook as a gift, and I decided to test out theirs. Oh. My.Word. This bread was rich with flavor and had the perfect moist vs crumb ratio. I have found my recipe, and I'm sticking to it. Of course, I changed a few things, like using a mix of butter and applesauce instead of oil, and eliminating the cloves (I think my cupboard ate my jar of them).  Thank you Tartine (and Soph for the book!).

Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Tartine 

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking Soda
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg (fresh if you have it, I used dried)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 Tbsp sugar for topping (I used 1 Tbsp each brown and granulated)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices and set aside.

In a larger bowl, mix together pumpkin, butter, applesauce, sugar and salt using a whisk or hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix!

Pour into loaf pan, sprinkle sugar on top, and bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool on a baking rack. Slice and serve!

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago when we took advantage of the great weather to visit the pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay. I picked my almost-larger-than-I-could-carry pumpkin and Kevin picked a more appropriate sized one :) Happy Halloween!