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3 January 1, 2020 Dinner

Six Minute Broccoli

It has been far too long since I have posted to this blog. I started the dinner winner when I ostensibly had some time on my hands, while on paternity leave for a few weeks. My newborn son Charlie was sleeping most of the day, and my girls were in school. It seemed like a great idea. Fast forward 20 months and Charlie is now running around like a madman, and I’m not only back at work, but decided to pursue another master’s degree, this one in strategic design from Parsons. So, needless to say, this blog has been quite neglected.

This does not mean that I have not been cooking all the time. I have found a new stable of recipes that I can whip up quickly, with children running around my legs, hanging on to my ankles, and asking for cutting board scraps while I cook. These are all recipes that my kids like, and that I like. The first is Six Minute Broccoli, adapted from Madame S.T. Ting Wong’s Long Life Chinese Cookbook, which has been out of print for some time. If you ever see one in a second hand book store, grab it. It is fantastic. You can also usually find it on Amazon. This recipe makes a fantastic simple meal when paired with the simplest grilled (or broiled) tofu, and some rice.

Six Minute Broccoli Recipe

1 1/2 lbs broccoli
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Prepare the broccoli. If the broccoli has a long stem, remove it and set it aside. Now cut the broccoli heads into bite size florets.
For the stem, if you intend to use it, (and why wouldn’t you), cut off and discard the thickest part. Next, peel the stem with a vegetable peeler. Cut the stem into bite size pieces, a bit smaller than the florets, so they cook at the same rate.
Heat the oil in a wok, or large skillet over high heat.
Dump in the broccoli and stir-fry it for 1 minute.
Add sugar, salt, and water. Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
Remove the cover, stir fry the broccoli for 1-2 minutes more, until it looks done to you. Don’t over think this.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

0 June 11, 2018 Dinner

Couscous with Grilled Asparagus and Herbs

Couscous with Grilled Asparagus and Herbs

My commute is about 50 minutes each way, which isn’t the end of the world, but it isn’t great either. On the way home, I nearly always pick up both of my daughters at school and start thinking about dinner. Who am I kidding, I’ve been thinking about dinner all day.

I like to take my daughters grocery shopping with me. Some might think, “are you insane man? It would be so much faster to go alone!.” That is true, but they get really excited about what veggies look good, and what we can cook with them. My 3 year old saw the beautiful asparagus at Whole Foods the other day and said “papa, can we have that tonight?” How many times do you hear that from a three year old? Sure, I thought, and added it to the cart without really thinking through what I would do with it. Fast forward a few hours, and inevitably, I have not left enough time to make dinner, get everyone through the night time routine, and to bed at a reasonable hour. What to make, well, how about this couscous? It’s in the pantry, couscous takes five minutes to cook, and I can throw a bunch of other stuff in and make it awesome. Toss together some simple ingredients, and this becomes a great warm weather weeknight meal, or an awesome side to bring to a cookout.

If you’ve got kids and they are reluctant to try couscous because it looks weird, try a little rebranding. We told my girls it was noodle balls and they have loved it ever since.

Asparagus pro tip: if you are going to buy some asparagus at the grocery store, and it isn’t standing upright in water, it’s probably not the greatest asparagus. You can still eat it, but its not going to be amazing. Also, if you get really fat stalks, you can run a veggie peeler over the fattest part of the stalks so things cook evenly. I never do this because I am lazy though.

We have had a ton of rain lately, and all of the herbs nestled in the flowerbeds are doing really well. I ended up with mint, thyme, oregano, and chives. The basil wasn’t quite ready yet. When I went out to snip my chives with my girls, we found the beautiful, lavender chive blossoms in full splendor. I figured throwing them on top couldn’t hurt. You probably don’t want to eat the blossoms though. Herb snipping has become the absolute best cooking task for them. I send them out to pick whatever herbs I need, and they will inevitably come back with way too much, and probably the wrong herb, but it will take 10 solid minutes, which lets me finish up the meal a lot more quickly.

To make this dish, you also need to throw together a recipe of grilled asparagus with garlic. It won’t take long, I promise.

Couscous with Grilled Asparagus and Herbs

Serves 4

15 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

One recipe grilled asparagus with garlic (Recipe here: https://wp.me/p9XQzL-z7)
One cup couscous
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup water
1 cup fresh herbs (I used chives, mint, thyme, oregano)
Salt to taste
Fresh pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 oz shaved pecorino Romano or Parmesan
1 tbsp champagne vinegar

METHOD

First, prepare grillled asparagus with garlic. Cook couscous according to package directions. Usually, that means equal parts couscous and water, salt to taste and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, stream in couscous while mixing, turn off the heat and cover for about five minutes. While the couscous is resting, you can throw together the rest of the dish.
Chop grilled asparagus into 2” pieces. Roughly chop all of the herbs. Reserve 2 tbsp herbs for garnish. Mix all ingredients together in a serving bowl. Top with remaining herbs (and flowers if you have any).

Nutrition

Calories

486 cal

Fat

49 g

Carbs

2 g

Protein

13 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

0 June 7, 2018 Dairy-Free

Grilled Asparagus with Garlic

Quick … you have 15 minutes, some asparagus, garlic, and lemon and you need some veggies … what do you do? Make this dish! This recipe is hands down, one of the fastest, easiest, and most delicious things you can do with the king of spring, asparagus. You can use this preparation to add into dozens of other recipes as well, making this not only a standalone side dish, but a building block of lots of other great food. A great option is this couscous with grilled asparagus. The whole thing will take 30 minutes, including grilling the asparagus.

Asparagus pro tip: Thin, thick, it doesn’t really matter, just make sure that the asparagus ends were submerged in water when you bought them. The thin stalks cook much faster, so adjust cooking times accordingly. Personally, if you are going to be chopping them to use in another dish, I think the fat stalks stand up better.

If you don’t have a grill, or just don’t feel like using it, you can easily do this in the broiler. Just make transfer everything to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the broiler on high, cook for 2-3 minutes, then shake the pan and roll the asparagus over and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Grilled Asparagus with Garlic

Sam Kaestner

Serves 4 as a side

10 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

1 large bunch of asparagus, 1 to 1.5 lbs
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Preheat the grill to medium. (You can also do this in the broiler. See the introduction above for the method).
Snap the stiff, fibrous ends off of the asparagus stalks. Wash the asparagus.
Transfer the asparagus to a flat bottomed baking dish long enough to let everything lay flat. The asparagus does not have to be in one layer.
Mush the garlic through a garlic press directly onto the asparagus in the dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
When the grill is ready, lie the asparagus in one layer on the grill. Cook for about two minutes and try and roll everything to the other side. You’ll probably have a piece or two fall through the grate. No worries, really. After about 4 minutes total cooking time, put the asparagus on a serving plate and you’re all done. If you have really thin stalks, the entire cooking time can be cut in half.

https://thedinnerwinner.com/grilled-asparagus-with-garlic/