Recipe: Black Bean and Garlic Sauce Chicken with Snow Peas and Rice

I bought a jar of Black Bean and Garlic sauce on a whim during a recent trip to my grocery store. I'd read about it before—it's a mixture of fermented black soy beans and garlic and it's praised as a marinade for beef and chicken in Asian dishes. I figured it would make for a nice alternative to my usual stir fry marinade ingredients and I was totally right—this sauce is the definition of "umami." It's meaty, salty, and savory, and with a little soy sauce, ginger, and sweet mirin, it makes a delicious marinade.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10 minutes, marinate for approx. 20-30 min.
Cooking time: Approx. 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
For the marinade

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into small slices or cubes
• 3 tsp. Black Bean and/with Garlic sauce (can be found in the Asian section at your local grocery store—I used Kikkoman brand)
• 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp. mirin (Sherry will work in a pinch)
• 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. dry ground ginger (or grate a little fresh ginger into the mix)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

For the meal

• 2 small white or yellow onions, cut into large chunks (quarter the onions and pull apart the layers)
• Approx. 2 cups snow peas, cleaned
• 1-2 cups white rice
• Sesame oil
• Peanut oil

Directions

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl, add the chicken, and toss to combine. Set aside in the fridge and let marinate for 20-30 minutes. Prepare a pot for the rice and cook (I use store brand rice, make two servings, and it takes approx. 20 minutes to cook). While the rice is cooking, heat a splash of sesame oil and a splash of peanut oil in a large (deep) pan or wok over medium high heat. Add the chicken, including the marinade, and cook until partially cooked through, then add the onions and snow peas. Continue to cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through. Turn of the heat and serve the chicken and veggie mixture atop the finished rice.

This is a great variation on stir fry, and the black bean and garlic sauce is packed with flavor. Because the marinade only has a few ingredients, it's quick and easy to pull together, which makes this a great meal for a weeknight meal. 

Recipe: Linguine with a Creamy Avocado-and-Spinach Sauce

I'm one of those people who just randomly gets hooked on certain foods. A month ago, it was Eggo waffles. A few weeks ago, it was hard boiled eggs (but only if they were freshly boiled and still warm). The past week, it's been almonds and those little tiny chocolate liquor bottles with real liquor inside (random, I know). Another thing I've been eating a lot of lately is avocado—avocados are rich and creamy with a delicate flavor and I've been eating them like it's my job. So, when I found a pasta recipe that involved using avocados to make a creamy sauce, I was all over it.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 1 box (16 oz.) linguine or other long pasta 
• 1/2 reserved pasta water, as needed (to thin the sauce)
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted
• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest of 1 lime
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 jalapeno 
• 1/4 cup packed basil (approx. 2 packages of pre-packed basil)
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Grated Italian cheeses, to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (approx. 9-11 minutes; remember to save some of the pasta water after the pasta has cooked). While the pasta is cooking, add the avocado, lime juice and zest, garlic, jalapeno, basil, spinach, olive oil, and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse to blend, until smooth. Add a little pasta water, if needed, to slightly thin out the sauce. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the pot, then add the sauce and toss to combine. Serve topped with grated Italian cheese, as desired.

When my dad tasted this sauce, his response was "Ooo! It's like guacamole. Kinda." Yeah. It kind of is, Dad. This sauce is creamy and fresh-tasting, with a little kick of heat from the jalapeno, and you could probably just as easily pour it on a taco or blend it into salsa to create an all new dish. And, really, besides being delicious, it's pretty healthy too. Avocados are fatty, but they're a good fat, and you get a solid serving of veggies with the spinach and basil added in too. Add chicken, shrimp, or even bacon to add a little more protein to this dish. 

Recipe: Cheesy Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

As I've said in some of my past few posts, I've been trying hard to work on planning meals in advance for the week rather than picking recipes throughout the week and shopping along the way. I've already pretty much mastered the art of "Chopped: Refrigerator Edition," or that ability to take random ingredients from the fridge and pull them together to make a meal (like a less intense version of the show, Chopped, where contestants are given a basket of ridiculously mismatched ingredients and asked to make meals). Between work and looking for work (did I mention I'm planning to move to Memphis by the end of the summer?) this week, I only had time to try out two new recipes (and though I planned and shopped accordingly, I still failed at groceries because I went shopping while hungry...Hello, frozen soft pretzels and Ben&Jerry's S'Mores!). Anywho, this orzo recipe was the first I made and I was quite happy with the results. Cheesy and comforting, this dish is a lot like if mac&cheese and rice pilaf had a baby—orzo (a type of pasta that looks an awful lot like big pieces of rice), grated Italian cheeses, fresh basil, and tart cherry tomatoes mix together to create a comforting and delicious side dish (add chicken or even shrimp for a complete meal).

Yields: 4 servings
Prep. time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1&1/2 cup orzo
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
• 1/2 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated or shredded
• 10-15 leaves (large handful; approx. 2 packages of pre-packed) basil, chiffonade cut 
• Butter and olive oil, as needed
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add the uncooked orzo and saute in the butter until lightly golden brown, then add the chicken stock. Briefly bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, until little or no stock is remaining (drain excess stock if necessary; orzo should be al dente/tender yet firm when done). During the last 5-10 minutes the orzo is cooking, add a little butter and olive oil to a small pan over medium heat, then add the tomatoes and cook until their skins start to split a bit (they should be a little soft). When the orzo is done, add the cooked tomatoes, garlic, basil, cheeses, and salt and pepper and gently stir to combine. Serve as a side (top it with chicken or shrimp for a nice meal), or make into a hearty and comforting meal by adding chunks of sauteed chicken to the finished orzo. Or, if you're me, just eat it as is! Who says it can't be a meal in and of itself?

This dish is simple, quick to make, and quite tasty. The cheeses melt into the orzo, making the dish creamy and rich. Fresh basil and cherry tomatoes add a pop of flavor to balance out the creaminess of the cheese. Cooking the orzo in chicken stock rather than water adds great flavor to the dish. This is a perfect side dish, but it can be made into a main meal with the addition of some sort of protein (chicken, shrimp) or simply serve it as is for a comfort dish.