Vermont Acupuncture

Category: Main courses

  • Okra and Onions Braised with Spices and Tomato

    Masala Bhindi

    I cannot think of anything I would rather do with okra than make this. If I get eggplant from my CSA, look out! Kelly is making Indian food tonight.

    Get the spices measured out and ready, then

    Heat:

    2 T ghee or coconut oil

    Saute:

    1 large onion, finely chopped

    1 pound okra, trimmed & sliced length-wise on a slight diagonal

    After 5-8 minutes, add:

    2 T garlic, minced (more…)

  • Indian Spiced Braised Eggplant

    Khatti Bhaji

    Whenever I get eggplant I think about making this dish. If I also have okra, my friends and family are in for an Indian delight. Nothing makes Indian food better than fresh vegetables and good quality oil.

    1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes and then soaked for 15 minutes or more in water with salt. Strain in colander.

    Heat large cast iron pan on medium-high and add:

    2 T sesame oil or other good quality vegetable oil

    When oil is quite warm add:

    2 medium onions, thinly sliced

    Sauté until translucent (or nearly so).

    Add eggplant and continue to sauté, stirring every 3-4 minutes. Do not stir too frequently – give time for each side of the eggplant cubes to cook. (more…)

  • Bengal Red Lentil Dal

    Bengali Masar Dal

     

    This is my favorite dal recipe, from my favorite Indian cookbook.

    Pictured also: Okra Braised with Tomatoes, Onions and Spices and Indian Spiced Braised Eggplant

     

    1 ½ cups red lentils (masar dal)

    4 ½ cups water

    3-6 hot green chilies (optional – serve minced chilies on the side if you like)

    ½ t turmeric

    1 ½ t sea salt

    Wash and pick the lentils and cook with green chilies, turmeric, salt and water. (more…)

  • Quinoa Salad with Corn and Black Beans

    1 cup of quinoa cooked in 2 cups of water.

    Bring to low boil then turn down to low for 20 minutes.

    2 ears corn, cooked and cut off the cob

    1 or 2 carrots, diced

    1 bunch scallions, sliced

    1 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped

    1-2 cups black beans, rinsed

    1-2 limes, juiced

    1/3 cup olive oil

    1 t salt (or to taste)

     

    Combine and serve!

  • Slow Cooked Chicken Coconut Curry

    The house will smell so good when you get home if this is in the slow cooker.

    Toss the together into the slow cooker and cook 6-8 hours on low:

    4-6 bone-in chicken thighs or 3 chicken legs (the marrow in the bone makes a tasty broth and is chock full of nutrients)*

    6 shallots (or 1-2 onions)

    1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

    2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped

    1 red bell pepper, chopped

    8 crimini (or other type of) mushrooms, stems removed and quartered

    ½ bunch of collards or kale, chopped small (or add spinach at the end)

    2 stalks lemongrass, smash with handle of a knife and then chop into 1 inch pieces**

    1 T ginger, peeled and minced

    1 T curry paste, panang, red, yellow or whatever variety you like***kid-friendly

    1 t salt

    cover with water

    after it has cooked and you are almost ready to eat, add:

    ½ cup coconut milk

    spinach or chard, chopped, if you didn’t use collards or kale

    splash of fish sauce in each bowl or 1 T in the whole batch

    a squeeze of lime in each bowl or a whole lime in the whole batch

    garnish with cilantro

    optional: cook rice noodles and serve soup on top. if adding curry paste to individual bowls, add the curry and a little broth first, then the noodles, then the rest of the soup, coconut milk, lime and garnishes.


    *ideally: cook the chicken first overnight in the slow cooker or for a couple hour in the morning to make a broth. You can pull the chicken out and skim it. Then add the rest of the ingredients and reduce cooking time to 4-6 hours.

     

    **don’t eat the lemongrass chunks

     

    ***kid-friendly – if only some people in your family like spicy food, omit the curry paste and instead put 1 t curry + 1 T hot broth into each bowl, stir to combine, then add the rest of the soup. You can do the same with the coconut milk if you want, adding a little into each bowl and giving a stir.

  • Grilled Grass-fed Fillet Mignon

    We keep it pretty simple, just rub with a little salt and pepper on the beef fillet, let sit till room temperature (or close). Then put the fillet on a heated grill on medium-high for 3-5 minutes on each side to cook rare or medium rare.

    Grass-fed beef can be a little tricky to cook because it tends to be tough. It is worth it, though, because the health benefits over grain-fed beef are significant. Grass-fed beef is leaner and offers 2-4 times more omega-3 fatty acids (“good fats”). It also is richer in antioxidants including vitamin E, C and beta-carotene. Not to mention that they are usually free of added hormones and antibiotics.

    The two ways to go are cook it long and low or quick and rare.

     

  • Spicy Lemongrass Beef Salad

    Make the first part of this salad the night before – when it marinates overnight the beef will absorb the flavors and ‘cook’ in the lime juice.

    Marinate:

    ½ pound grilled rare grass-fed beef, preferably fillet mignon, thinly sliced

    1 stalk lemongrass, minced (use white part only) *

    2 shallots, thinly sliced

    2 cloves garlic, minced

    1 Thai red chili pepper, minced

    1 t honey or sugar

    1 T fish sauce

    juice of 1 lime

    Mix in:

    A handful of cilantro and/or mint, chopped

    Serve over a bed of lettuce, washed and patted dry.

    * I use one of two methods to mince lemongrass. For both, smash lemongrass with handle edge of knife. Then very thinly slice lemongrass into rounds. Either mince it carefully with a knife or grind in a spice grinder (I have a coffee grinder designated for spices and it works great!).

     

  • Dad’s Mahi Mahi recipe

    When I was a kid we would go fishing off the east coast of Florida and cook up some fresh fish when we got home. This is my favorite of my father’s recipes.

    Put one mahi mahi steak on a piece of tin foil. Smear with mayo, shake some salt & pepper and then top with thinly sliced onion, tomato and lemon. Wrap the tin foil and grill, for about 5 minutes, first one side, then the other. YUM!

    Mahi mahi can be hard to find but it is sooooo good. I have substituted marlin with good results.

     

  • Mark’s Grilled Salmon

    Here’s how my husband grills salmon without it sticking to the grill:

    Put several pieces of thinly sliced lemon on the non-skin side of the salmon.

    Grill with the lemon side down first and flip after just 3 minutes.

    Cook about 6 minutes on the skin side so it separates from the flesh. Viola.

    Note: Length of cooking depends upon many factors including thickness of salmon, temperature of the grill and ambient temperature. Test at intervals.

     

  • Ginger Stir-fried Chicken and Veggies over Buckwheat Noodles

    Super quick and satisfying

     

    2 t coconut oil

    3 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal

    1 broccoli crown, cut into bite sized pieces

    3 cloves garlic, minced

    1 chicken breast, sliced thin on diagonal

    ½ bunch kale, deviened and chopped

    1 T ginger, minced (more…)