Cooking Light Recipe: Beef Tangine with Butternut Squash

In the past, nutrition was rarely on the brain whenever I decided on a recipe for dinner.  Usually, the two biggest determining factors were deliciousness potential and whether or not it will be substantial enough to quench my often times insatiable appetite. Unfortunately for me and my waistline, "deliciousness potential" usually meant the inclusion of butter, bacon or cream.

Since I've joined Cooking Light Magazine's Bloggers Community, I've come to realize that Cooking Light does not necessarily mean boring salads that will leave you craving a box of fried chicken an hour later. Cooking Light can also mean cooking recipes that are extremely hearty with a ton of flavor and just so happens to be really healthy!    

My favorite recipe, Beef Tangine with Butternut Squash, is just that dish! The use of bright, sweet, and seasonal butternut squash and tender beef will surely keep you warm and cozy all winter long. Snowy evenings, be gone! The tangine's bright spices and heat will instantaneously transport you to some far away land where scarves are made out of vibrant colored silk, not itchy wool dressed in muted and drab gray, brown or black.  Bleh.   

A Beef Shoulder Roast, Cubed is best for this Recipe

Instead of a ton a salt, I packed a ton of flavor with the use of exotic spices! 

The longer you let it marinate, the more tender and flavorful the meat! 

Hearty and Delicious! 

Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 4

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) beef shoulder roast or petite tender roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots, quartered
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss well to coat.

2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and shallots; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add squash; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.


Nutritional Information

Amount per serving
Calories: 283  Fat: 9.5g  Saturated fat: 2g  Monounsaturated fat: 4.8g  Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5g Protein: 25.6g  Carbohydrate: 25.7g  Fiber: 4.8g  Cholesterol: 67mg  Iron: 4.6mg  Sodium: 617mg Calcium: 103mg

Teriyaki Steak With Buckwheat and Yam Noodles Dressed in Scallion Sesame Sauce

I love experimenting with new ingredients.  

Whenever I come across a product that I am not familiar with, 

I pretend that I am in Iron Chef's kitchen 

stadium and that it was my secret ingredient. 

Today's secret ingredient...

  

"BUCKWHEAT and YAM SOOOOObaaa!!"

"OOOhhhh, Aaahhhh" the crowd coos. 

"Let the Battle Begin!!"

Since I'm not competing against anyone and this event was a figment of my imagination, I'm sure you can easily guess who won. 

Teriyaki Steak With Buckwheat and Sweet Potato Noodles Dressed in Scallion Sesame Sauce

For this dish, I combined three recipes into one dish! Why? Well, why not? 

Serves 4

Steak Teriyaki 

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

1/3 cup mirin rice wine

1/3 cup sake

1/3 cup soy sauce (if cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 1/2 to 2 lb flank steak or skirt steak

Olive oil or grapeseed oil

Garnish
1 carrot, shredded 

1/2 bunch cilantro, julienne

1 package of Soba with Yam noodles

Scallion Sesame Sauce

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions, approx two large bunches

1/2 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 1/2 tsp usukuchi (light soy sauce)

3/4 tsp sherry vinegar

3/4 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

2 tbls dark sesame oil

1. Combine the mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and grated ginger in a large, shallow bowl. 

2. Place the steak in the marinade and let marinate for at least an hour, and up to 48 hours. 

3. If marinating for more than an hour, keep chilled until an hour before you plan to cook.

4. Make the sauce.  Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, sesame oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Set aside.  You can make this for up to two days in advance. 

5. When ready to cook, remove steak from marinade. Reserving the marinade. 

6. Place steak on a plate and set aside. 

7. Place marinade in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, or until the marinade has reduced to a thin glaze, becoming your teriyaki sauce.

8. If grilling the steak, prepare your grill for high, direct heat. 

9. If you're using a grill pan, heat a large cast iron grill pan on high heat. 

10. If grilling oil the grill grates. Pat dry the steak. Rub a little olive oil or grapeseed oil all over it. 

11. Place the steak on the hot grill or pan. Sear for 3-5 minutes on one side, or until the side is well browned, and turn the steak over and sear the other side. I'm not going to instruct you how to cook a well done steak because you are an adult now, and know better than to eat overcooked steak! 

12. Set a large pot of water on high heat for noodles. Unlike Italian pasta, you do not need to salt the water. 

13. Baste the steak with teriyaki sauce. When the steak is well seared on both sides, remove from the heat and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

13. Once the water is boiling, hold the noodles above the water and sprinkle them in strand by strand. 

14. Once the noodles are in, stir gently until the noodles are submersed. 

15. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, or when the noodles are cooked through. 

16. Once the noodles are cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside. 

17.  Slice your steak against the grain.   

18.  Toss your noodles in your sesame scallion sauce and top with your sliced steak.  Garnish with shredded carrot and cilantro.  Enjoy!! 

Momofuku Inspired Lettuce Wraps, Cambodian Family Edition

Large family meals can be a bit intimidating to organize. 

Whenever I'm asked to do a dinner party with more than 5 patrons, 

family style is always the way to go. 

Family style forces interaction because,

let's face it, if you don't speak up, 

you're going to miss out on  

half the meal on the other end of the table.  

When my own family asked me to throw a 

dinner party while in town, 

a few things popped into my head.

1. Why are they always asking me to cook when I'm in town??

2. Definitely doing family style. Keep it simple.

3. Definitely doing Momofuku inspired lettuce wraps. 

I had the Pork Butt dinner a few months back at 

Momofuku Ssam bar and 

it was pure genius. 

The concept of pairing perfectly cooked and seasoned protein with lettuce leaves, amazing sauce and crunchy veggies seemed like something I could easily duplicate at home. 

With my own spin, of course. 

On the menu?

Meat

Red Snapper

Tamarind Lime Pork Tenderloins

Garlic Sirloin Steaks 

Sauce

Momofuku Octo vin  

Momofuku Scallion Ginger 

Kim Chee

Quick Pickled Summer Beef Steak Tomatoes with 

Cambodian Anchovies

Crunchy

Red Leaf Lettuce

Red, Green, Yellow Peppers

Cucumber

Bean Sprout

Garlic Ginger Jasmine Rice

Feel free to contact me if you're in the NYC area and you and 

your family want to give this meal a try! 

lany@dinnerbylany.com

Season your meat! 

Here's a tip, scallions are better than regular onion in salads because they add a more gentle onion flavor. 

Sauce numero uno! 

Sauce numero DOS! 

Red Snapper's firm sweet flesh makes it perfect for roasting. 

Dancing, there is always dancing. 

My favorite meat to cook, PORK!

I told you... I love Red Snapper! 

Mmmmmm....

He made a burrito with the leftovers!
Basically, he piled several layers of pork and steak and formed a sushi like roll.  Next, he wrapped it tightly in aluminum foil. I can post the recipe, but honestly, I think that was the only step. 

Momofuku Octo Vin Sauce 

I love this sauce.  This sauce is great with any meat, but it's especially delicious with Fried Chicken! Also, don't be lazy and use a food processor to finely chop your garlic and ginger.  Let your knife skills shine and try chopping with a chef's knife! 

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thai-bird chili pepper or pepper of your choice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other oil)

1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Mix ingredients together. 

Tamarind Cooking Class in Luang Prabang

I took a lot of cooking classes while in Asia,
but the most memorable class is without a doubt the one I took with the instructors at Tamarind restaurant in Luang Prabang.

I am not the biggest fan of Laotian food,
but the unique experience that Tamarind's cooking class offered
was as delicious as a meaty slab of ribs!

Before we headed out to the kitchen site, 
we made a quick stop to the town's center market. 

Refrigeration is almost nonexistent in Southeast Asia, 
so the inventory consisted of only produce and 
protein harvested earlier that morning.    


I'm sure you can imagine my excitement 
when the instructor informed us that we were 
allowed to select one unusual item 
to cook during class.  

My ears immediately perked up.

The opportunity to pick something from a market  
that would have made Whole Foods feel not so whole
just tickled me silly.  

Vats of stinky, fishy, intensely flavored fermented fish. MmmmMMmm...

Giddy, I knew exactly what I wanted to cook. I've seen this ingredient plenty of times while strolling the streets of Chinatown, but I had no clue how to use it.

Ribbet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

"Mmmmmk."

After I handed him my toad, I began to roam the 
market with wide eyeballs and inflamed 
nostrils taking in the vibrant colors and  
inhaling unappreciated smells. 

We then regrouped, gathered the rest of the 

ingredients needed and hopped onto the back of a pickup truck. 

After spending 45 minutes turning and swerving down   

bumpy nameless dirt roads, 

we parked near a desolate open area 

in the middle of a jungle.

Alongside swaying banana trees and giggling monkeys 

sat our kitchen. 

 And our oven!

Before we started cooking, the instructor 

asked me if I wanted to butcher my own LIVE frog.  

I have YET to kill any other animal at this point, 

so I lowered my head in shame and declined.

Seriously, though. 

The job of butchering a live frog seemed a bit daunting.

Here's another picture of my lonely frog.

One more. 

I really need to learn not play with my food.

The frog meat was used in the Laotian version of Amok.  

The difference between Cambodian Amok and Laos Amok 

is that the Laotian curry does not include 

the addition of coconut milk.

Other dishes that we made that day 

included a Chicken Lemongrass pop...

and of course dessert! 

Black rice steamed in coconut milk served 

with tropical fruit.  

Because of my raging sweet tooth, 

this was my favorite of all.

Chicken Lemongrass Pops

I chose to feature this recipe because I'm fairly certain people  are not into buying live frogs to cook and eat.  However, if you are feeling adventurous, give me a holler and I will gladly send you the recipe! 

12 stalks of lemongrass

5 cloves of garlic

4-6 spring onions

1/2 – 3/4 cup of fresh coriander

1 kaffir lime leaf

teaspoon of salt

1/2 pound of minced chicken

Preparing the Lemongrass

1. Using a small sharp knife, start cutting about 1cm from the base of the lemongrass stem. Make cuts lengthwise through the stalk about 4-5cm in length – without letting the cuts reach either the base or the cut top end of the stalk.  

2. Rotate the lemongrass and repeat the cuts at small intervals, until the outer stalk are separated – basket-like – creating a central hole for the filling.

Stuffing

1. All of these ingredients except the minced chicken are pounded in a mortar and pestle, then the minced chicken is added and mixed well.

2. The next step is to push a spoonful of the mixture into the central core of each stalk, then shape and smooth it out with your hands.

3. Dip the stuffed lemongrass in beaten egg (you’ll need two eggs) and fry them in a wok (stalks protruding and resting on the side so they can be easily withdrawn) until the meat is browned and cooked.

Peppers Stuffed with Fiesta Turkey

I love to make this meal because you seriously get 

a big bang for your buck. It's filling, healthy and is even more 

delicious the next day. Wanna see how much I spent?

3 green peppers - $2.94

2 corn on the cobb - $1.00

1 block of cheese - $2.99

1 pound of turkey - $4.25

1 can of kidney beans - $0.89

1 can of crushed tomatoes - $1.99

1 onion - $1.49

1 jalapeno - $0.25

Total - $15.80 or $2.63 per person! 

I say that is a fiesta worth having. 

My secret to a Thrifty Meal is to use ingredients on sale
and a lot of imagination! 

I usually cut my peppers lengthwise rather than off the top.
Easier stuffing, easier eating. 

Roasting the peppers before stuffing ensures a cooked pepper.

I like to put all my favorite spice combinations into small tins.
Saves counter space and time.
I call this one,
Southwest is the Best!

Equal Parts of Cayenne, Cumin, Paprika,
Onion Powder, Garlic Powder

Corn was on sale at the market, so in it goes! 

Turkey Fiesta! 

Chedda' makes it bedda'

Do a Daisy Dollop and serve immediately!

Peppers Stuffed with Fiesta Turkey

Serves 6

2 tablespoons of canola oil

3 very large green peppers, sliced lengthwise and deseeded  

2 cups of shredded sharp chedder

1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 white onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound of ground turkey

2 corn on the cob, shucked and shaved

1 can of crushed tomatoes 

1/2 cup of chicken stock 
1 cup of sour cream

2 tablespoons of Southwest is the Best spice blend 

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place green sliced and deseeded green pepper on baking tray and cover with aluminum foil. Place tray in heated oven. Cook for 20 minutes. 

2. In heated pan, coat bottom with oil. Stove top should be on med/high heat. Once hot, add garlic and  onion until fragrant. Add ground turkey until brown. Toss in minced jalapeno and Southwest is the Best spice blend.   

3. Add corn ears to skillet.  Cover for five minutes. Add kidney beans.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set stove top to med/low and cover for approximately 10 minutes.  

4. Remove peppers from oven. Stuff peppers with Turkey Fiesta mix and top with cheese. Your skillet should now be empty. 

5. Add canned crushed tomatoes to skillet and chicken stock. Cover until simmering.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  

6. Place stuffed peppers back into pan on top of tomato sauce and cover.  Allow to cook for ten more minutes or until cheese is melted and pepper are soft to the touch. 

7. Turn heat off. Spoon tomato mixture on flat plate, place peppers on top of sauce and dollop with a spoon of sour cream. Serve! 

Momofuku Fried Chicken and Spicy Tamarind Dipping Sauce with Roasted GARLIC Caesar Salad "Steak"

I'm not going to lie.

This fried chicken took a long time to make.

If you don't love and enjoy the process of cooking,

skip this recipe.

BUT! If you are willing to leap over metaphorical mountains inorder to sink your teeth into one of the moistest (I hate that word, moist. Eck.) chickens you'll ever eat, please accept the challenge and begin the fried chicken journey.

I'm not going to post Momofuku's recipe, because it can be found here. BUT! I will warn you that this chicken will require

brining, steaming, AND frying.

Yeah.

Make sure you love the process.

I will, however, post the GARLIC caesar dressing and tamarind recipe. Please see below. Best. Lany :)

Roasted GARLIC Caesar Dressing

Please note that there is a lot of garlic in this recipe (hence the all caps). If you're not a huge fan of garlic, you can reduce the amount used and please use lowercase letters.

P.S. I call it a "steak" because the romaine was left whole.

1 head of garlic
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
6 anchovies, minced (oh, just add it and stop being a wuss!)
1/4 cup of dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. 

3. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic

4. Place the garlic head on a sheet of foil and drizzle half of the olive oil on top, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Wrap the foil up tightly and place wrapped bulb on baking sheet.  

5. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

6. Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. 

7. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. 

8. Remove the cloves from the oil, reserving the oil, and in a medium bowl, mash until smooth.

9. Stir in the anchovies and mustard. While stirring, add the lemon juice, vinegar. Continue stirring and add the reserved roasted garlic oil and additional oil in a slow steady stream.

10. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

11. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until needed.


Tamarind Dipping Sauce

I eat this sauce like how I ate mayo in highschool (thank goodness I got over THAT phase). I eat it with everything - fish, chicken, pork, steak, a nice platter of crudite, whatever needs a little kick.


2 tablespoons of tamarind paste
2 limes, juiced
1 red thai chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with 1 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Mix the first 5 ingredients until well blended. Top with chopped cilantro.

Lazy (Okay, Maybe Not So Lazy) Chicken Curry Burritos with Coconut Corn Lime Salad

I had an idea. My eureka moment came while I was eating curry with my hands because my fork accidently fell on the ground and was left with no utensil to finish my remaining two bites. 

Anyway, this idea came to me as I was licking my fingers clean.  I thought, why couldn't curry be a utensil free dish? Why shouldn't we compact all of my curry bits into something that will allow one to consume while walking or standing? Why couldn't I put curry in a... beautiful, steamed, chewy TORTILLA?! Boom. I began to put my plan into action. Let's begin.

Scoured my spice cabinet for some curry friendly flavors. I added a tablespoon of each into a mug.

Dusted my boneless and skinless chicken thighs with said spice. Set aside to allow the ingredients get to know each other.

I needed a pico de gallo alternative. So, I found these sweet mini peppers that will add the perfect crunch and sweetness to my burrito.

I also added half of a red onion to the mix.

Diced them up and added them to a nonreactive bowl.

Bang up a few garlic cloves with the back of your cleaver. This is a good aggression release exercise.  Mince finely and then add that to your peppers and onions.

Now, segment two limes for optimal juicin' and squirt them into your bowl.

Finally, my favorite, Add two tablespoons of fish sauce. Mix and set aside.

Now for the third component! The garlic and basil rice that will substitute basic spanish white rice.

Chiffonade basil leaves (thai basil would be better, but I didn't have any on hand) and mince three big garlic cloves.

Heat a skillet and melt a tablespoon of butter. Add garlic until fragrant then once cup of rice.  Toast lightly, throw in basil. 

Once basil is lightly wilted, throw everything in a rice cooker and  add water. Turn it on and let the rice cooker work it's magic!

Okay, I guess you realize now that this burrito requires

a lot of prep work.

Hang in there. I assure you, it will be worth it!

Let's start roasting some corn!

Shuck and throw the corn in a cast iron skillet, occasionally rolling it around until a nice char is achieved.  I'm such a sucker for a beautiful char. One of my favorite things in the world is burnt toast. Weird? Maybe.  

Off with their ears!

Usually, I would shave off my own coconut. But today I felt particularly lazy and decided to buy store bought flakes.  Because, hey. That's okay too.

Next, add the juice of two limes.

Squirt.

Sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Toss in some thinly sliced green onions...

and, you're done!

Actually, you're not. You still have to cook the burrito.

To make it quick, I created a little montage for you.

I call it the curry swirl.

Add your seasoned and sliced chicken thighs and stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through.

Assemble.

Roll it up and serve with your corn salad.  Now take a bite and smile because you now have one less fork to wash at the end of the end. Oh wait, you need one for your corn salad. Ah... nevermind. Cheers!

Chicken Curry Burritos with Sweet Pepper Pico De Gallo and Basil Garlic Rice

Serves 6

Chicken Curry Burritos

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs (THINLY SLICED)

2 tbs of green curry paste

1 can of coconut milk

1 package of flour tortillas

Seasoning for chicken thighs:

 1 tsp of cumin

 1 tbs of paprika

 1 tbs of salt

 1 tsp of pepper

 1 tbs of cayenne

 1 tsp of dry mustard

1. Mix seasoning in small bowl and dust washed, dried and thinly sliced chicken thighs. Set aside.

2. Begin making BASIL GARLIC RICE and PICO De GALLO.  Recipes are below. 

3. In large shallow heated pan (medium/high heat), add coconut milk.  Once boiled, add curry paste and stir. Add chicken to curry mixture. Once cooked through, remove from heat.

4. Steam your tortillas in a steamer basket or toast on a lightly oiled skillet on medium to low heat.

5. Assemble your burrito with chicken, basil rice and pico de gallo.  Wrap your burrito.  Serve with Roasted Corn and Coconut salad.  Recipe is below.

Basil and Garlic Scented Rice

1 tbs of olive oil

3 large garlic gloves, minced

1/2 cup of chiffonaded basil

1 cup of jasmin rice

2 cups of water

1. Add 1 tbs of olive oil to heated skillet

2. Lightly sautee garlic until fragrant, add your rice until lightly toast.

3. Add basil.

4. Empty contents into a rice cooker and add water. Turn on rice cooker.

Sweet Pepper Pico De Gallo

8 small sweet peppers, diced

1/2 of red onion, diced

2 limes

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 cloves of garlic minced

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a nonreactive bowl. Toss and allow to marinate for atleast an hour.

Roasted Sweet Corn with Coconut Salad

4 large summer corns

1 cup of coconut flakes

2 limes

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat cast iron skillet on high. Once hot, add corn to skillet. Turn frequently until desired char is achieved. Remove from pan.

2. Shave off corn ears with a sharp blade into a bowl.

3. Add 1 cup of coconut flakes, the juice of two limes, fish sauce and salt and pepper. Toss.