Pork 'n' Shrimp Stir Fry

Jeremy and his dad have gone back to the low-carb life, and have been killing their arteries with lots of eggs, cheese, bacon, burger patties, and other fat-laden indulgences.

I've tried to explain to them that they could actually reintroduce themselves to a few vegetables, perhaps focus on low-fat protein rather than the greasy stuff. Wah Wah, Wah Wah WAH Wah Wah ... to them, I just sound like the teachers in Charlie Brown cartoons!

So I promised to make dinner for them one night and prove to them that it would not be a cataclysmic catastrophe to find a piece of cabbage or a strip of pepper on their plates.

I mixed some pork, some shrimp and some sauces together in a wok, tossed in a prepared bag of cole slaw mix, and stood at the stove for maybe 10 minutes stirring everything together. And this dinner was devoured in even less time than it took to make! When I told the boys that there was a little bit extra left over, Jeremy immediately lay claim to it before his father could.

Vindication!

Pork 'n' Shrimp Stir Fry

1 tablespoon light oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 drops cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound thin cut pork chops, cut into 1/2" strips
1-1/2 cups small salad shrimp
1/2 red pepper, cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 14-ounce bag prepared cole slaw mix
4 large scallions, whites chopped fine and greens cut into 1" strips
rice, for serving

Heat the oils, pepper sauce and pepper flakes in a wok over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until the pork is no longer pink; add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook 2 minutes, until caramelizing a bit.

Combine the hoisin and teriyaki sauces; pour into the wok and coat the pork and shrimp with the sauce. Add the cole slaw mix and the whites of the scallions; stir to combine well, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the scallion greens.

Serve over rice, if desired. Makes 2-4 servings.

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Day 2 of the Atkins Diet, chez Jeremy and Stuart, offered burgers -- turkey burgers, to be specific. But that's kinda boring, especially if you can't put the patties on any bread at all to make things more interesting.

I didn't have any nutmeg with me, which I always add to turkey burgers; so I worked with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I had to liven this up a bit! So I combined equal amounts of blue cheese and cream cheese, then stuffed a dollop of the mixture into the centers of the patties. (For the boys, anyway; I had mine plain, just trying to get some nutrition into me. The Food Floozie is havin' a hard time being seduced by any food lately, thanks to stress and a cold which then devolved into bronchitis. Bleah!)

But I have digressed ....

As an accompaniment, I also served a mix of bacon and onion -- way too much fat for lil' ol' me, but a flavorful addition to the plate for Jeremy and for his dad ....

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

(Please remember, as I said yesterday, that without my usual toys and tools a lot of these measurements are approximations. And this is how I made it for 3 people, only 2 of whom had stuffing in the burgers. I know -- it's not entirely helpful, but it's the best I can do for you right now ....)

1 package ground turkey (I think the package is 18 ounces ...?)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3 strips bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 small onion, halved, sliced

Combine the turkey, salt, pepper and garlic powder; form into 3 large patties. Combine the blue cheese and cream cheese. Spread 2 of the patties into large, flat rounds; divide the cheese mixture between them, then roll the turkey around the filling like a ball, then flatten the balls into patties.

Cook in a large skillet over medium heat for at least 5 minutes per side, until the burgers are golden brown and firm when pressed.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the bacon and the onion over medium heat until the bacon is golden and crisp and the onion is caramelized.

Serve the bacon-onion mixture over the stuffed burgers, and make your hosts happy at dinnertime ... :)

The Birthday of the Trees

The Jewish celebration of Tu B'Shvat [TOO bayshuh-VAHT] -- The Birthday of the Trees -- begins tomorrow night at sundown. In recent years, it has been common to hold a seder with ritual protocols and readings; but I'm just planning to enjoy traditional treats like dried fruits, nuts, olives and citrus. You know me -- I'm always there for the food!

(FYI: At work, we have beautiful trays of fruits and nuts which were ordered from the Houston Pecan Company to enjoy in honor of the holiday; they do a fabulous job, so if you ever need to send gifts or just want some goodies for yourself, be sure to order from them!)

Anyway .... A town like Ann Arbor, of course, is a perfect place to celebrate Tu B'Shvat! Planting trees and enjoying the fruits that they bear are two of the primary traditions for the day, perfect for my beloved town's eco- and health-consciousness. Nurturing trees is so vital a tradition in Judaism that Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai (who lived from 30-90 A.D./C.E.) is quoted as saying: "If you should be holding a sapling in your hand when they tell you the Messiah has arrived ... first plant the sapling, then go out and greet him."

According to MyJewishLearning.com: "The Bible expresses a great reverence for fruit trees as symbols of God's bounty and beneficence. Special laws were formulated to protect fruit trees in times of war and ensure that the produce of trees would not be picked until the trees were mature enough and tithes were given from them. In order to calculate the age of trees, both for determining when they could be harvested and when they were to be tithed for the Temple, the Talmudic Rabbis established the 15th day (Tu) of the month of Shvat as the official 'birthday' of trees."

As opposed to many Jewish holidays where it's traditional to eat cholesterol-laden challah or latkes fried in oil (which is, of course, half the fun!), this is a party where you're actually encouraged to eat nutritious fruits. So whether you eat a savory meal like the chicken dish I offer below, or enjoy fresh fruit out of hand, join me in celebrating Tu B'Shvat as we wait through the frigidly cold winter until all those beautiful trees bloom again in spring ....

Braised Chicken Thighs in Lemony Olive Sauce

3 tablespoons oil
3 pounds chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, halved, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons shawarma spices (available at Middle Eastern markets; substitute a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, cardamom, and garlic powder if needed)
1/2 teaspoon ground sumac (available at Middle Eastern markets)
1/3 cup Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar (available at Fustini's Oils and Vinegars)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup green olives with pimientos, chopped

Heat oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper, and place into the skillet skin-side down.

Cook for 10 minutes until nicely browned. Turn the chicken over and cook for 5 minutes on the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate.

Saute the onion and the garlic until the onion is translucent. Sprinkle in the spices and cook for 1 minute.

Combine the vinegar and the broth; pour into the skillet and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet, skin-side up.

Cover the chicken, then turn heat to "medium-low" and cook for 35 minutes. Place the chicken on a serving platter and boil the sauce down to reduce it until it has thickened. Stir in the olives.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve hot.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Chicken in Creamy Cheese Sauce

I've been staying with Jeremy and, God help me, with his dad -- my ex-husband, Stuart, with whom I actually get along quite well -- for a few days while I figure out where I'm headed now. They're on the Atkins diet, on the buddy system; in exchange for their hospitality, I've not only been cooking but specifically making dinners that meet their dietary restrictions.

And just what are those dietary restrictions??? Fat: bacon, cheese, eggs, chicken, pork, beef, and a token green vegetable every once in awhile. Bleah.

Jeremy raved about it at first, as he indulged in all those foods that most diets forbid. But Stuart's not much of a cook, though he's enjoyed playing with the combination crockpot/pressure cooker his sister gave him for Christmas. Jeremy was growing most weary of seeing slabs of beef on a plate, served with ketchup.

So, when I started to slice an onion and cut up a chicken breast and pour in some cream and grate some cheese -- not to mention checking to see that 2/3 of a cup of peas would only cost 7 of the day's allotment of 20 grams of carbohydrates -- there seemed to be, shall we say, a fair amount of anticipation.

Jeremy just "mmmm"-ed and told me how nice it was to eat "real food" again. Even Stuart smiled sort of sheepishly, having tried hard but not having any particular cooking skills, and told me how much he was enjoying his meal. I was happy ... :)

I'm going to have to approximate the recipe, as I didn't have all of my usual accoutrements for scribbling notes, noting times, measuring ingredients, etc. But with items like the ones I used, you can really hardly go wrong!

Chicken in Creamy Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2" pieces
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large red onion, halved, sliced
1/3 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup cream
3/4 teaspoon thyme
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken, salt, pepper and the onion; cook -- stirring occasionally -- to brown the chicken. When the chicken pieces are firm and the onion is caramelized, pour in the chicken broth; bring to a boil, then reduce by half. Add the cream and the thyme; let it bubble until reduced by about half. Stir in the cheese until it melts.

Serves 2 generously. Can be served over pasta or rice to serve 4.