Handling Noodles

I've been a bit lax the past few weeks, and I've burnt through my backlog of posts. I needed something easy to get back into the cooking swing of things, and Jap Chae kept coming up in my recipes. I opted for the 101 Easy Asian Recipes version, as it's super colorful and I had most of the ingredients already. Bonus! 

Just a note of caution, this recipe makes 8 servings, so if you're cooking for two, like I do most of the time, cut it in half. It'll save you a lot of prep work too! 

I would definitely make again, it was really really easy, and super delicious!

Oh Mama, Umami!

Sad news, the Williams-Sonoma by my house is closing. Good news, I got a sweet new saucepan at 60% off! Time to make a sauce!

A demi-glace is a French brown sauce, made from stock and espagnole sauce then cooked waaaaay down. I had never made one before, so yay new things! Chef Steps has a recipe for a vegetarian-friendly demi-glace that takes less time than making a beef demi-glace. I also have a very small fridge, so storing enough bones for stock was going to be a problem. At least vegetables can be kept at room temperature for a little while.

Get a mandoline, even a $20 one from Target. It's such a time saver for this recipe! AND USE THE HAND GUARD!!!!! Especially if you want it to be a vegan sauce!!! 

I used MSG, because it's an umami-enhancer, but you don't have to. There's forever a debate over it, whether it causes migraines or whatever, but it just doesn't affect me. Plus I'm not bathing in it, or having it with every meal. The pectin and xanthan gum provide the silky texture that meat would provide. Some xanthan gum is made with lactose, therefore if you're vegan, check your xanthan gum source carefully, or don't use it. 

We drizzled this over pan fried pork chops, asparagus, and potatoes. I think my biggest issue is the vegetable waste that occurs for a small amount of sauce. I might do this again, with frozen vegetable scraps, or the bruised produce you can buy at a discount. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Shrimp & Grits

Recently I had a bout with some gastrointestinal distress. I know, TMI, but it was bumming me out (pun intended). I have been eating relatively well so I couldn't figure out what was causing the issues, until I found the common ingredient. Nightshades. A group of plants that include tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, and eggplant. Of course I've been eating a TON of nightshades. So, without going to a doctor and getting tested for food allergies, I figured it wouldn't hurt to eliminate them from my diet for a while. 

Which is fine. I've done food eliminations before. Except I had already planned to cook Shrimp & Grits, which traditionally features at least a couple nightshades. Using this recipe from The Castaway Kitchen for the seasoning, I think I was moderately successful. 

Moderately successful because I haven't actually had Shrimp & Grits before so I didn't have a control to compare against. It came out very tasty though! I would have liked thicker grits too, but I was much too impatient to cook them down further. 

Oh, and my tummy? After a couple weeks of no nightshades, I brought them back into my diet, and I haven't had too much trouble since. Some day I will get a full write up from a gastro-doc, but until then, I'll just eliminate as needed.