Cambodian Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

Like pho? Then this Cambodian chicken noodle soup will probably be right up your alley. Chicken is cooked in a lemongrass and garlic broth until falling apart tender. The meat is then combined with a little fish sauce, some fresh herbs and chile, and naturally gluten-free rice sticks, or noodles. Forget that gluten-filled Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup (or any other canned variety) next time you’re sick- garlic, basil and chile peppers have all been used as natural remedies to ward off the common cold and other illnesses.

Of course, there’s no reason to wait until you’re sick to try this gem; it’s healthy and relatively easy to make. And for you Canadians who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, this recipe would also be a great way to use up any extra turkey lying around … just use some of the bones for the initial stock (with the lemongrass and garlic) and then remove the bones prior to adding some shredded turkey.

Cambodian Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup

Yield: 4 appetizer-sized servings

Ingredients:

* 10 cups water, divided
* small handful (about 4-6 ounces) Thai rice sticks (linguini shaped rice noodles)
* 1 pound chicken parts (leg, thighs or breasts), skinned but with the bone left in
* 2 stalks lemongrass, woody outer leaves removed and then smashed
* 2 cloves garlic, smashed
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons palm sugar (can substitute regular sugar)
* 2 Tablespoons fish sauce, plus extra for serving
* juice of two limes
* green onions, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 hot red chile (I used a jalapeno pepper), minced
* handful of thai basil, roughly chopped
* handful of cilantro or sawtooth herb leaves, roughly chopped

Directions:

Heat 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and add the rice sticks. Let sit until noodles have softened. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Bring the remaining 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan and add the chicken, lemongrass, and garlic. Return to a boil and skim the surface. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is very tender.

Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool just enough so that you can shred the chicken meat and return it to the saucepan. Add the salt, palm sugar, and fish sauce, lime juice, green onions, minced chile, basil, and cilantro or sawtooth herbs and stir to combine.

Place a small heap of cooked noodles in each bowl and then top with the soup. Serve with extra fish sauce on the side.

Stuffed Dates

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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Before we get into the sweet and salty stuffed dates recipe, let me talk to you about another great appetizer. If you’ve never had a bacon wrapped date before, you owe it to yourself to try one as soon as possible. The version that’s stuffed with blue cheese is great, but I like almond filling even more; the almonds provide a really nice crunch and texture. I once brought several trays of them to a potluck BBQ; at first people were hesitant to try them since they thought the combination sounded odd. Well my friends, they were things gone and people are still talking about them to this day.

But what if you’re a vegetarian or vegan? No worries, this bacon-free version gets the job done. Pitted dates are stuffed with almonds, sautéed in a little olive oil and then get a hefty sprinkle of sea salt. You get the warm, soft sweetness of the dates, the crunch of the almond and the sea salt gives you that salty contrast. The fact that you can make these so much quicker than the bacon-wrapped version is both a blessing and a curse… I have a feeling I’m going to be making these pretty often from now on.

Sweet and Salty Stuffed Dates

Ingredients:

pitted dates
almonds
olive oil
sea salt

Directions:

Gently stuff the pitted date with a whole almond. Repeat with as many almonds and dates as desired.

Heat a very thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the stuffed dates onto the skillet. Cook on one side until the dates has softened and darkened a bit. Flip to the other side and again cook until the other side has darkened slightly.

Remove to a serving platter and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Enjoy!

*Check out my Dates with Pistachio and Mascarpone Filling recipe.

Greek Salad

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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I’ve made Greek salad I don’t know how many times in my life. As it turns out, I’ve been doing it all wrong. What a difference some fresh oregano and real (i.e., sheep’s milk) feta makes… it’s absolutely incredible. These two simple upgrades take almost no extra effort but truly make a world of difference taste-wise.

I know that there are countless Greek salad recipes out there in cyberspace. But as much as I love providing you guys with original and unique recipes, there are those times I’ve got to be a little selfish. My obsessive-compulsive self loves that posting on Girl Cooks World is so much neater and cleaner (and takes up so much less space!) than my unorganized binders and folders of stained recipe print-outs covered in my chicken scratch notes. I knew this salad was a keeper so I’m mostly posting it for my future reference.

But I’m sure you guys will love it too. I kept it simple, but if you’re feeling crazy, throw in some red or green peppers in as well. And stay tuned for a super duper lentil salad coming up this week (as well as a killer shrimp dish!). There’s a lot of good food to come…

Greek Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 2 cups chopped tomatoes (~2 large tomatoes)
* 2 cups chopped cucumbers (~1 large cucumber)
* 1 cup diced red onion (~1/2 medium red onion)
* 1/2 cup crumbled sheep’s milk feta cheese
* 1/2 cup kalamata olives (optional)
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
* salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, feta cheese and olives in a large bowl and stir lightly to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Greek Lentil Salad

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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If you’ve read this blog for any time at all, you probably realize that I’m a pretty straight shooter. No superfluous, flowery prose here. I do my best to avoid the excessive use of adjectives and I try to avoid claims that a certain recipe is the best ever, or that it will change your life. That said, describing this lentil salad as anything less of magical would be selling it short in a major way.

Since cooking Greek was a last minute decision, I did some quick Google searches to find Greek cookbook recommendations. In a certain discussion board, several people recommended Flavors of Greece and specifically praised this lentil salad.

GAP

I’m so glad that I took their word for it and made this salad. It’s bright, flavorful, complex and healthy. It’s also vegetarian and vegan-friendly (my vegan friends, just omit the Greek yogurt. I snuck many many tastes before the yogurt was added and it was still excellent). But please don’t leave out the quick preserved lemons; they add such a pleasant salty and sweet tang. After you taste them, you might even be tempted to add more of them to the salad. This salad is also making me think that I need to add a favorites category to my recipe index…. and you better believe it would make the cut.

And just one final note for any Greek yogurt fans. For a long time I made my own yogurt and strained it to make my own Greek-style yogurt. I just don’t have the time to do it anymore, but I still need my fix from time to time. Unfortunately, Fage runs more than $10 a container out here, so when I saw this much more reasonably priced Greek yogurt from The Greek Gods, I was happy to give it a shot. It’s super super good. No, I’m not getting paid to say that, I’m just a fan. I can’t wait to try the honey version.

Greek Lentil Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups dried green lentils
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds, briefly pulsed in a coffee or spice grinder (or lightly pounded in a mortar)
1/2 large red onion, cut into very very thin half circles
juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 Tablespoons, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, divided
2 Tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons quick preserved lemon, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons Greek yogurt
cayenne pepper

Directions:

Rinse the lentils, place in a large saucepan and cover with several inches of cold water. Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the lentils are soft but not falling apart. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Drain the lentils in a colander and set aside in the sink or over a plate to dry.

Place the cumin in a small dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until aromatic.

Combine the sliced onion, half of the lemon juice, half of the cumin, 1 Tablespoon of the parsley, and the mint and stir to combine.

Chop the garlic, 1/4 cup of the preserved lemon, the rest of the cumin, half of the remaining parsley, and a pinch of salt together to mix. Combine this in a large bowl with the lentils, the remaining parsley and lemon juice, the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir to mix.

Transfer to a platter and top with the marinated onions. Spoon the yogurt onto the center and sprinkle with the remaining preserved lemon and the cayenne pepper.

Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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For the past couple years, I’ve been cooking my own dried beans. My favorite? Rancho Gordo. They have some of the prettiest beans I’ve ever seen. Yellow beans? Black and white speckled beans? Purple beans? Check, check and check. And they all have super cool names, like Yellow Indian Woman, Jacob’s Cattle, and Snowcap.

Because of my love for these dried beans, I’ve definitely neglecting the canned varieties as of late, which is a shame because they’re so darned convenient. Buttery garbanzo beans get the Greek treatment with plenty of olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and parsley while a little bit of white wine gives it a little bit of a fancy-pants flair. Not too shabby considering it took all of ten minutes start to finish.

Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

* two 15 ounce cans of garbanzo beans (or about 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans)
* 3 Tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus extra for garnish
* 1/4 cup white wine
* 1-1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice, or the juice of half a lemon
* 1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

Directions:

Strain the chickpeas, reserving the can or cooking liquid, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onion until softened. Add the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, white wine and 1/2 cup of the reserved bean liquid and stir to combine. Add the garbanzo beans.

Lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Spoon into a serving bowl, pour the lemon juice over the top and sprinkled with parsley and some extra crushed red pepper flakes.

Greek Eggplant Dip

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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Although I’ve named this a dip, it’s really so much more versatile than that. Yes, it would be a great dip for some vegetables or a nice chunk of crusty bread, but it also makes an excellent side dish or a creamy spread for grilled skewers or a veggie wrap.

Eggplants are baked until soft and then combined and pureed with garlic, onion, olive oil and parsley. A bit of red wine vinegar gives some sour tangy edge to the dip. It’s excellent when topped with a hefty dose of crumbled sheep’s milk feta, but if you’re vegan feel free to leave it out.

Greek Eggplant Dip

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 pounds eggplant (any variety… I used long Japanese eggplants)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 yellow onion
* 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 2 Tablespoons parsley
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* salt and pepper
* crumbled feta for topping/garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft.

When the eggplants have cooled enough for you to handle them, scoop out the flesh and put in a food processor or a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec. Add the garlic, onion, vinegar and parsley and process until smooth. Then slowly add the oil while the machine is running. Stop the machine, taste, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl and top with feta, if desired. Eat warm or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Goodbye Detox… and My Detox Essentials

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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Although I’ve done a cleanse or two in my day, I definitely don’t claim to be an expert. But for anybody who is interested, these are the things that I consider my detox essentials.

Detox Essentials:

1. Coconut Oil is one of my favorite discoveries over the past couple years, I use coconut oil in everything. Cooking, moisturizing, smoothies, etc., etc. I even use it as a substitute for cream of coconut in Pina Coladas. Anything that makes (virgin) Pina Coladas kosher for a cleanse definitely gets my seal of approval.

2. Stevia has become my new best friend. It’s an absolute must for those with a sweet tooth (like me!).

3. Probiotics will help keep your tummy happy and healthy.

4. There are plenty of detox books out there, but Clean is one of my favorites.

5. Natalia Rose has written several excellent books, but I like Detox for Women best. She’s a great cheerleader and her green lemonade is my new favorite drink.

6. A natural bristle brush for skin brushing, which helps circulate your lymph.

7. Since I don’t own a juicer, my Vitamix got even more of a workout than normal the past couple weeks (update: I recently bought this Breville Juicer and really like it).

8. Most nutritionists and naturopaths recommend rebounding (jumping on a trampoline) as the best, detoxifying exercise out there. Plus it’s super fun! I’ve got this one, which is well made and quiet.

9. It’s not in the nifty little photoshop document above, but I’m definitely of the opinion that a good vacation is super detoxifying. We all need to get out of the office and away from the computer every once in awhile.

gap

I took a quick break this past month and it was looooooong overdue. My vacation was too short, but I still tried to cram in as much as I could. I got to hit the beach and eat yummy tacos.

I saw all sorts of creatures great and small (and just plain weird in the last case).

And most importantly, I got to spend some quality time with family. This little cutie is eating plain old corn on the cob but in a couple years I bet she’ll be chomping down on some Roasted Corn with Mexican Sour Cream, Chile and Cheese 🙂

Thanks again for sticking out cleanse month with me… back tomorrow with my next culinary destination!

Chicken Souvlaki

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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Want to know one of the best things about living in Hawaii? You know, besides the great beaches, amazing surf and perfect weather? Grilling is a year round affair. Although, I suppose that’s true for the most dedicated grillers out there regardless of where they live. I definitely remember my father grilling steak in the middle of winter when I was growing up. When you have to brush snow off the grill to use it, you know you’re hard core.

Considering how often I grill, you’d think I’d have all sorts of standby marinade recipes… nope. Ninety-nine percent of the time I use the same garlic, ginger, shoyu, vinegar and brown sugar marinade. Good but boring. So this simple Greek marinade was a nice change of pace. Great with a side of fava and some homemade tzaziki.

Chicken Souvlaki

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* salt and pepper
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
* 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
* 2 green peppers, cut into large chunks
* 1 red onion, cut into large chunks
* 8 ounces fresh button mushrooms
* 12 wooden skewers

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and oregano in a large bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. While the chicken is marinating, soak the wooden skewers in water.

Arrange the marinated chicken, peppers, onions and mushrooms on the soaked skewers. Brush with marinade and cook on the grill for approximately 5 minutes each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables get a nice char. Remove to a serving tray and serve immediately.

Cambodian Ground Pork with Charred Eggplant and Shrimp

Seafood

Girl Cooks World

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April 23, 2019

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Cambodian Ground Pork with Charred Eggplant and Shrimp

The hardest part about this recipe? Naming it. There are variations of this recipe in just about every Cambodian cookbook that I’ve looked at but they don’t seem to capture what’s going on here. The names I’ve come across are things like Eggplant and Pork or something equally lacking and non-inspirational. First of all, eggplant and pork doesn’t mention anything about shrimp, which constitutes half of the protein here. And it doesn’t convey the smokiness of the charred eggplant and makes no mention of all the wonderful freshness you get from the addition of scallions, cilantro and lime.

If you like larb, I’m guessing you’ll really like this as well. But like larb, it’s not the prettiest of dishes. Thankfully the taste more than compensates for its lack of good looks. The shrimp and eggplant really help lighten up the heaviness from the ground pork. It was great as a rice bowl, though I imagine it would also work well as a lettuce wrap, a la P.F. Chang’s, for those of you who might be low carbing it. Cooking the eggplant is the most time consuming and difficult part. The rest? Easy peasy.

Cambodian Ground Pork with Charred Eggplant and Shrimp

3-4 large Japanese eggplants
1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed and then minced
1 red chili pepper, minced (I used a jalapeno)
3/4 pound ground pork
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
One Tablespoon oyster sauce
1 Tablespoon palm sugar (can substitute regular brown or white sugar)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped
the leaves of 2 scallions bulbs, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 lime wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prick the eggplant with a fork (this will prevent eggplant from exploding). Place on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 40 minutes, turning the eggplant halfway through cooking time. The eggplant should be soft and the skin should have turned to a medium to dark brown. Let cool slightly and then peel away the flesh and chop into bite size pieces. Discard the skin.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the garlic until browned. Add the pork, fish sauce, oyster sauce, palm sugar, black pepper and cook until the pork is no longer pink. Next, add the shrimp and cook until cooked through. Add the eggplant chunks and continue to cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in the scallions and the cilantro.

Place in individual bowls and garnish with a lime wedge.

Serves four.