We are (very) slowly starting to settle in to our new house. The pile of unpacked boxes in the dining room is dwindling, and things are starting to find homes. I built a little herb garden, not exactly a priority as far as house projects go but something that I’ve been looking forward to since we decided to buy a house. Yesterday we caved and bought a mini-fridge to tide us over until our real fridge is available, and a chilled glass of lemonade in this 95° heat is already worth the cost of the fridge, in my book. Trevor ripped out some of the old cabinets and replaced them with gorgeous industrial-style pine shelves, and we now have a plan to make the kitchen usable for the next 12 months or so while we save up to truly remodel it. Things are still a little chaotic, but they’re looking up.

With a few surfaces cleared and cleaned, at least a little cold storage, and a place to store our groceries, we’re easing back into cooking.  The very first meal was a package of frozen tortellini and a jar of tomato sauce. Gourmet, I know. Last night we were more ambitious and fired up the grill for sausage, peppers, and onions, along with grilled corn on the cob. Today, I’ve managed to have all my meals at home – cereal (ice cold milk, what a delicious thing!), tomato-lentil-couscous, and now, this Smoked Salmon Soba Bowl. Because there are still a number of kitchen tools we haven’t unearthed, and because we’re just starting to build up a new pantry, I needed to keep this meal super simple, and it is. The only cooking is to boil the soba noodles and edamame, then the noodles get tossed with a 5-ingredient dressing, and topped with smoked salmon, avocado, and pickled ginger. Simple, healthy, and full of flavor. And there’s something supremely satisfying about slurping cold, nutty noodles straight from the bowl when it’s too hot to think. Enjoy, and stay cool!

Smoked Salmon Soba Bowl

A quick and easy summer dinner, delicious served at room temperature or chilled. I make this with store-bought hot-smoked salmon, making it even easier to get dinner on the table.

Dressing adapted from this Sprouted Kitchen recipe. 

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Prep Time: 15m
• Cook Time: 10m
• Total Time: 5 minute
• Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. tahini
• 2 TBS honey
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS sesame oil
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 8 oz. soba noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 1 c. shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
• 1 avocado, pitted and cut into cubes
• 8 oz. hot-smoked salmon
• 1 oz. pickled ginger slices
• sesame or poppy seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. Set aside.
2. Toss the prepared soba noodles with the edamame and the dressing. Chill until ready to serve. To serve, divide noodles between plates and top with avocado cubes, pieces of salmon, pickled ginger, and sesame or poppy seeds.

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I bet you thought that now that I’m done with my cleanse, I’d go straight back to posting recipes for things that included a lot of cheese, cream, flour, and or/chocolate.  Well… that was the plan, it’s just that things don’t always go according to plan.  This post was supposed to be about a chocolate stout layer cake with boozy peanut butter frosting, which I made yesterday for Trevor to celebrate his newfound employment.  It was going to be delicious and towering and gorgeous.  And, well… it was delicious, but let’s just say I’ve added “learning to make attractive layer cakes” to my 2012 kitchen to-do list.  The recipe is decadent and definitely worth sharing, so I might have to try again soon, but if you see the below you’ll understand whyI’m holding off for now… not too pretty.

And so, we have my unexpectedly delicious and healthy dinner instead!  This soup was super fast to throw together, very flavorful, filling, and packed with good nutritious stuff.  It does have cheese and cream, so it’s not exactly cleanse-worthy, but it’s a good extension of my healthy eating plan.  I was originally following this recipe on Lucullian delights, but then thought of this amazing roasted broccoli recipe (which I like with toasted almonds in place of the pine nuts), and decided to add the flavor-profile of that dish to the soup.  I also added leeks, for depth, and served the soup with a few raw broccoli florets on top, which added a great textural contrast.  This one’s definitely going in the books for when I need a quick dose of good green stuff, or even for an easy and fairly elegant first course soup.  You probably have most of the ingredients on hand, so give it a try sometime!

Broccoli and Edamame Soup with Almonds and Parmesan

Inspired by this and this.  Serves 3-4.

• 2 or 3 medium heads broccoli
• 1 leek
• 3 scallions
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 c. frozen, shelled edamame
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 3 TBS heavy cream
• 1/3 c. grated parmesan
• 1/4 c. toasted almonds for garnish
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the stalks from the broccoli and the green parts and roots from the leeks and scallions, and rinse all vegetables, being sure to rinse inside the leek.  (How to clean leeks.)  Slice the leeks and onions into thin rounds, and roughly chop the broccoli into florets – reserve a few florets for garnishing the soup.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot, then add leek and scallion and sautee for 3-4 minutes, until soft.  Add broccoli and edamame and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until broccoli is fragrant and beginning to soften, then add chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 15 minutes.
2. Puree soup with an immersion or regular blender.  Stir in lemon juice, cream, and parmesan, and taste for seasoning.  Add freshly ground black pepper to taste, then garnish with toasted almonds, broccoli florets, and an extra sprinkle of parmesan.

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So here’s the deal.  It’s the tail end of finals week.  I’ve been cooped up in my apartment for the better part of ten days.  It’s barely gotten above 30° since I got back from Thanksgiving break.  We had an ice storm on Thursday.  And it’s snowing, again.  I thought I lived in the South.  I was under the impression that it wasn’t supposed to snow here.  Ever.  Or maybe once in a while in a fluke extreme weather event.  I know I used to live in the South, because during finals week of fall semester freshman year I didn’t study because I was tanning.  Tanning.  In a sundress.  On the lawn.  In December.  And now I am not studying because I’m staring out the window at the snow trying to keep full-on depression from setting in.

The solution?  Pretending.  Pretending that it is not December.  Pretending that it is not finals week.  Pretending that it is summer, and I am on a picnic at the Eno, and I have no commitments, and I am eating lovely, summery, picnic food.  And watching the deer graze and the turtles bask.  And finding relief from the intense heat under a beautiful, freezing cold waterfall.

That day, which I am pretending now but which really happened once upon a time, was really wonderful.  Finding the Eno was something of a turning point for me.  I’d gone through the past three years not exactly hating Durham, but pretty convinced that it couldn’t offer me anything that I really wanted.  Like nature, and peace, and quiet, and beauty, and the exhilaration of being in a perfect place.  I tried the quarry – it was a bit warm and mucky and overcrowded for me.  The Duke golf course is like almost being in nature but being constantly reminded that you aren’t really.  And then I found the Eno.  It’s pristine.  The water is fresh and cold.  After months of either sweating outside or being bombarded with stale, air conditioned air inside, the feeling of being both cool and in fresh air was incredible.  There were actually herds of deer grazing nearby.  Trails meandered along the river.  Families swam in the amazingly cold water and laughed and the sun was warm and people like us had picnics and salamanders skittered about on the rocks and trout lurked in shadowy pools.  I stepped on a crayfish.  I played with the clay.  I relaxed.  I was so happy there.

Back to reality.  There is one part of that day that I can more than just imagine – the food.  On our picnic, we brought homemade baguettes and cannelini dip and camembert and poached pears and cookies and this wonderful pea and edamame bruschetta spread.  It was all delicious.  But the pea and edamame spread was especially delicious.  It’s the loveliest shade of green, it’s fresh and bright and creamy, and it screams “I am summery!  I am delicious!”  So I made some.  While it snowed.  And just the color made me feel a little better.  Instead of serving it on a baguette I like to have it like pesto, mixed in with some angel hair pasta and sprinkled with chickpeas and grated parmesan cheese.  It’s lovely.  I feel better.  Please come over if you would also like to pretend it’s not December.

Pea and Edamame Pesto

Adapted from Inspired Taste.  Makes about 2 cups of pesto.

• 1-1/2 c. frozen edamame
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 4 oz. parmesan cheese, roughly cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 scallions, ends removed
• 1/8-1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook edamame and peas according to package directions, or boil edamame in salted water for 4 minutes, adding peas for last minute.
2. In a food processor, pulse parmesan, garlic, scallions, and 2 TBS olive oil until smooth.  Add edamame, peas, and lemon juice and pulse to combine.  Taste.  Add salt, pepper, or more cheese to adjust seasonings to your liking.  Add olive oil until you reach the consistency desired.  Serve on pasta, on toasted bread, or stirred into eggs.

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The internet gods have been smiling down on me.  Sometimes, when I don’t feel like exercising, or doing my homework, or socializing, or doing my finances and realizing all of the things that I can’t buy, I enter contests.  Like, I hunt them down and enter them.  OK, maybe its not that extreme, but its sort of fun to daydream about places you’ve never been and books you don’t have when there’s the tiniest hint of real possibility there.  And this weekend, within the time span of 12 hours, I was the lucky winner of not one but two contests.  Me.  Winning.  On the internet.  Even better than winning the party.  And who do I have to thank for this wealth of good luck (besides the internet gods of course)?  Number 1, Pam at Project Foodie, for hosting a wonderful cookbook giveaway while running their annual James Beard Cookbook Awards nomination guide.  I will now be pastry-ing with much greater expertise with the help of The French Culinary Institute.  And number 2, thank you to Georgina at Culinary Travels for hosting a fun mortar and pestle giveaway, which I am very excited to be the winner of.   One day, this blog will be big enough that I’ll be able to host my own giveaways.  That’s mah goal.  But let’s be honest, I’d be just as happy winning stuff forever.

So with that little internet gratitude spiel out of the way, let’s get down to business.  Business this week involves not eating so much damn chocolate and purchasing only the things on my grocery list, which does not include a 6 pack of klondike bars and a box of red velvet cake slices.  Business this week involves things like edamame and bean sprouts.  And lemongrass, which is my food-I’ve-never-had-before of the week.  (Last week was artichokes, the week before that was radishes.  You miss out on a lot when you’re a white bread kid.)  Business this week involves using all that time I have from not taking finals to run and cook protein and veggie rich meals… I mean to study.  Business this week involves a lot of motivation from self.com.  Yes, you got it, it’s a week of healthy(-er than usual) living.  Please hold me accountable.

So about that lemongrass.

Lemongrass is a tall, grass-like plant native to India, and is most often associated with Thai cuisine.  It is used like an herb to flavor curries, soups, and to make tea, and it smells incredible.  Plus, it has cancer-fighting properties.  Big win for lemongrass.  Lemongrass is playing its part in my kitchen this week as the co-star of a lemongrass-ginger chicken dish.  The chicken came out sweet, a little bit punchy, and very tender.  I would make it again but not in a huge hurry.  The marinade smelled and tasted delicious on its own though, so I might use it as a dressing or sauce for a curry dish or stir fry.  There are possibilities here.

And the edamame?

Edamame, soybeans that are harvested while they’re still young and green, have a myriad of health benefits.  They’re a complete protein and are high in fiber, meaning they’re extremely filling, but a half cup serving only contains 120 calories.  They’re full of vitamin C, and they’re good for your heart, your bones, your kidney, your cholesterol, and probably everything else too.  I used them in a light salad recipe that was a great surprise – it was fresh, bright, filling, and packed with flavor and texture.  I will now be making it all the time, and since it only takes 5 minutes and a handful of ingredients, I recommend you try it too.  Its really good.  Like, really.

So thus began my healthful week.  I may have accidentally maybe also baked and possibly consumed a strawberry-rhubarb crumble to follow the edamame and chicken meal, but I’m blaming that entirely on the rock-bottom strawberry prices.  And the fact that strawberries happen to taste delicious when baked in sugar and lemon juice and covered with crumbly buttery topping.  Which isn’t my fault.  But I’ll try not to let it happen again… this week.

Lemongrass-Ginger Chicken

Adapted very slightly from SELF

• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 3 stalks fresh lemongrass
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice
• 2 TBS brown sugar
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

1. Prepare the lemongrass: peel the tough outer leaves of the stalk off so that the softer, yellow part is exposed.  Remove the bulb by cutting about an inch off of the bottom of the stalk.  Discard bulb.  Slice remainder of stalk into 1 inch pieces, stopping after 3/4 of the stalk has been removed.  Discard the top 1/4 of the stalk (green, leafy), or save and use as garnish or to flavor soups/curries.  Don’t eat the top part of the stalk.  See about.com for picture guide to preparing lemongrass.
2. Place prepared lemongrass, shallots, ginger, canola oil, lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, coriander, salt, and pepper in blender or food processor.  Blend/process until smooth.
3. Place chicken in large ziploc bag.  Pour marinade over chicken and close bag.  Gently shake/squeeze bag to coat chicken thoroughly with marinade.  Place chicken in fridge for at least 1 and up to 6 hours.
4. Remove chicken from fridge.  Heat a small amount of canola oil over medium-high heat in large frying pan.  Place chicken breasts in pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook chicken until it is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.

Edamame and Corn Salad

Adapted from SELF

• 1 c. frozen corn
• 1 c. frozen edamame
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 3 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Cook edamame according to package instructions.  Let cool slightly.
2. Mix all ingredients in medium bowl, tasting as you go and adjusting proportions accordingly.
3. Refrigerate and serve cold.

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