A Broth For Every Occassion

I've never made broth before and this one has turned me into a broth lover! My entire house gobbled this up all week! It was also a very therapeutic recipe. Lots of chopping, bright colors and wonderful smells. If you're looking for a unique crowed pleaser definitely try this recipe.

So the recipe was pretty easy to follow but I did run into a few questions and issues so I thought I would pass those along to anyone who might want to try this one out.

- I could not find lemon grass but, like the recipe says, it didn't really matter

- I forgot to add the Sesame oil but it didn't make a big difference

- Love lime so I used 3 instead of two and it was awesome!

- Feeding the whole family so I used 1/2 pound shrimp and that was just enough

- I added radishes and they were delicious!

Absolutely fabulous outcome! And, it's just as yummy heated up the next day...and the next.... I highly recommend you try out the recipe yourself. If you have questions leave a comment and Jessica will get back to you via comments!

Broth

Broth, sorry there is no fancy name, or cheeky story, just make it when you are feel crestfallen. It is just something I make when everything is falling apart, it brings me back to life. 

Ingredients:

1 Box Organic Chicken Broth 

2 Limes 

1 Cup Coconut Milk, can be found in the Asian section of your market  

2 Tsp Sweet Chili sauce, can be found in the Asian section of your market 

3 Green onions 

Lemon Grass, if you can’t find it, don’t worry still good without it  

1 Tsp fresh ginger 

3 Tsp soy sauce 

2 Tsp Olive Oil 

1/2 Tsp sesame oil 
1 Tbs  Sriracha

Options:

Veggies, I like carrots, red pepper, sugar snap peas and a handful of  baby spinach 

Cilantro 

Jasmine Rice 

12 clean and peeled shrimp, make sure you rinse them with cold water before cooking 

Prep: 

Dice all your veggies expcept your baby spinach leave it on the side, cut the roots off your green onions  dice and place in separate bowl, grate your ginger with a cheese grater. Juice your limes set aside, chop your cilantro set aside 

Cook your rice according to the package 

Broth :

Basically you are addling flavor to a great ingredient  

Heat: Heat up pan on Medium High add 2 Tsp olive oil, add green onions, 1/2 your lime juice, soy and chili sauce, Sriracha and shrimp. Sauté  your shrimp for two minutes or until pink through. Remove shrimp for your oil with a set of thongs keep the oil in the pot. Set the shrimp aside. Add remaining lime juice and broth and coconut milk bring to a boil, add your veggies and  boil for 2 mins you don’t want to over cook your veggies. Place rice, spinach and shrimp in a bowl pour broth and veggies over the top, top with cilantro.

My "First" Farmers Market

I would be lying if I told you I've never been to a farmers market, of course I have. But, I've never gone with the purpose of creating a meal out of what I've bought. In the past I've gone to farmers markets for the experience, coffee, being outside and maybe picking up a treat or two. However, today I went with a mission and it was a bit harder than I thought it would be.

As Jessica warned in her last post, it can be overwhelming! Well....she wasn't lying. I felt as thought everyone knew what they were doing and that I stood out like a sore thumb. But, I took a deep breath and pulled out the shopping list Jessica provided. Imagine how shocked and surprised I was when the first market didn't have one of the items on my list, sugar snap peas. Well there was no choice, on to the second farmers market.

At the second farmers market there was a lot more select and a lot more people. Again, I pulled out my list and followed it. This time I was able to locate everything and I also added a beautiful loaf of bread and some fresh guac .... I couldn't help myself! The people at the market were friendly and helpful and the prices weren't as steep as I expected. Look how yummy and fresh my cart was:

When I thought I had everything I needed I looked at the recipe again and realized I also needed a mandolin so had to stop by the anti-farmers marketing, Target. I have to admit, once I finally finished all this I didn't have the energy or inspiration to actually make the salad. So, I will post later this week with the run down of how it went along with photos. But, I do feel excited about my very first farmers market experience and look forward to my yummy salad!

Leverage Your Local Farmers Market

This week your challenge, or inspiration, can be found at your local farmer’s market.   For Megs, this is a simple and pure joy.  Florida has some of the best produce year round and usually this produce is by the road displayed in a cart or stand. As for us,  Rhode Island summer months signal the opening of the outside farmer’s market. I must add a side comment here - if you have never been to a little Rhody farmer’s market you are truly missing out.  I love Casey Farm Farmer’s Market on Boston Neck Road in Narragansett. The market is open Saturday AM and Tuesday night.

For  the naive farmers market goer it can be overwhelming. There is a stark contrast between an open air produce and meat market and the vast aisles of your local grocery store. One can feel a bit like an outsider in this environment. To prevent this feeling and to keep you coming back go with a plan and don’t forget your re-useable bags. For the first time visiting a market I suggest you plan on buying the ingredients for a simple salad: local cheese, honey and greens. Sounds very simple, but in truth you can find your soul at the bottom of a good bowl of greens.

Shopping list

Arugula
Spinach
Fresh parmesan cheese
Strawberries
Radishes
Sugar snap peas
Strawberry jam
Local Honey

You should be able to find all of these ingredients at your local farmers market.

Recipe

Wash and dry your greens throughly
Wash and slice your strawberries
Slice your radishes paper thin on a mandolin
Julienne your sugar snap peas

Combine ingredients in a large bowl

Season your salad with a pinch of salt and pepper

Dressing

Simple Vinaigrette:

1 Tbs strawberry jam
1/2 tsp honey
4 Tbs cold pressed olive oil
2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper

Combine ingredients and whisk together

Lightly dress the side of your bowl and mix greens with the vinaigrette. Use your hands and be gentle with your greens.

Don'’t overdress. You don'’t want the salad swimming in dressing.

Transfer to a white serving platter and  using a potato peeler top your salad with shaved Parmesan cheese.

You can also top this salad with grilled flank steak or grilled chicken breast.
Enjoy!

Let The Challenge Begin

I cannot thank my best friend enough for inspiring me to start cooking. It's about more than just cooking though, it's about embracing my kitchen and learning to love food in a new and exciting way.

I've watch Jessica work wonders in the kitchen for years. I've been in awe of her ability to make something wonderful out of almost anything. It seems to come to her with an ease and grace I felt I could never match. But, Jessica has promised me ANYONE can do the same if they are willing to try something new, trust themselves and work at it. So, here we go!

My first challenge was to get the right tools. I didn't realize what a different the right pots and pans, knives, cutting board and blender would make. I was a little apprehensive about spending so much money but with a little effort I found some great deals and now understand how important having the right stuff really is.

The Pots and Pans

I got a beautiful set of stainless steel pots and pans online from Target at a really fantastic price. I've noticed Jessica often sears meat and then puts the pan directly into the oven. She explained the only way to really do this correctly is to have a set of pots and pans that are entirely stainless steel, including the handle. I've used them a couple times and they are AWESOME!

The Knife

Wow what a difference a good knife can make. I got exactly what Jessica instructed - GlobalGS-3-5 inch, 13 cm Cook's Knife. My only warning is to be very careful when opening the package. I barely touched the blade, accidentally, and got a nasty cut. I recommend getting a good sheath so you can keep the blade covered. Here's my brand new knife:

The Cutting Boards

I already have a few nice wooden cutting boards so I didn't have to purchase one. However, I did not have the plastic one for meat. It actually never occurred to me that I should not be using my wooden cutting boards for meat, this is how unsophisticated in the kitchen I am.  I went to Target and picked up a simple plastic cutting board and will never cut meat on the wooden ones again.

That's it for now. My next post will be dedicated to the first meal I made following Jessica's instructions. But for now I suggest you go back and read Jessica's post and get everything on the list!