Stir-fried Dungeness Crab with Sweet Chili Sauce and Bok Choy

Sorry, no picture again. I should have taken a picture after I plated the food. It looked so cool!! I was a proud mamma. =) One thing this recipe calls for is live crab. I got scared and then excited about this. I've never cooked with live seafood. Well, H.E.B. didn't have live Dungeness crab. It ended up working out. I would really recommend the change I made to the recipe. I bought 1 section of Dungeness crab legs for each person that look like the following picture:

It ended up being the perfect amount of crab for 1 person. There is a ton of meat in the section connecting all the legs together, and the legs themselves. Plus, the meat is so rich that it tends to fill you up. Another plus to making this change, no dealing with cleaning a crab after it's boiled. So I still have to find a recipe that I can use live seafood, weird I know. So I'm going to paste the original recipe in its entirety, including using live crab. However, I will add in bold font what I did with my alteration when it occurs. Please feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns. It really is a very, very simple dish that tastes great!

Ingredients

• 2 live Dungeness crabs, 1 1/2 pounds each
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 fresh red chiles, sliced
• 4 heads baby bok choy, halved
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup sake
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• Butter lettuce Intended for garnish under the crab but it tastes great with the sauce. Eat it too!! =)
• 2 chopped green onions, white and green part
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
• White rice, for serving

Directions

First thing to do is "dismantle" the crabs before you wok-fry them. Toss the live crabs into salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Next, place the crabs top-side up, and stick your thumb under the edge of the top shell, pull forward and lift the shell up and off, and reserve. Scrape out the gills that are found on top of the body. Now, turn the crabs over and on the underbelly you will find the "apron," a slightly-lifted triangular flap, pull this off too. Finally, rinse the crabs of all the grey or green spongy stuff (the soft yellow matter is fat or crab butter and considered desirable by many, keep it if you wish.) Divide the crabs into quarters with a big knife, leaving the legs attached to the 4 sections. I ignored this entire section.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic, ginger, chiles, and bok choy. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then remove to a side platter. Toss in the crab pieces, including the top shells. Take the top shells out after 1 minute, continue to stir-fry the crab for 3 minutes. I didn't have top shells so I just stir-fried the leg sections for 3 minutes. With a big spoon or spatula, remove the crab pieces to the side platter. Now on to the sauce, pour 1 cup of water into the wok, along with the brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, and sake. Stir for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook another minute until the sauce thickens. Return the crabs and bok choy to the pan, toss everything together to coat. Cover, and cook for 3 minutes.

To serve, line a large platter with butter lettuce leaves, and arrange the crabs with the top shell back on top so it looks roughly like a whole crab again - cool right?! Again, no shells. I just placed the crab leg sections on the butter lettuce. Put the bok choy around the crab and pour the sauce all over the top. Garnish with the green onions and peanuts. You'll need crab crackers, mini forks, a side bowl for the shells, a stack of napkins, and bowls of warm lemon water to clean your hands. Serve with steamed white rice. Our white rice was on the side due to lack of space on the plate. We poured some of the extra sauce on the rice, fantastic. 

Balsamic Chicken with White Beans and Wilted Spinach

Sorry, I don't have a picture of this recipe. I found it many moons ago in the first Rachael Ray cookbook I ever bought. Well, Mom bought it and I took it from her. =) This is a great recipe for chicken. Forget the delicious side of veggies. If you have picky eaters in your family, like I do (*cough* dad *cough*) the chicken can be the only thing you make and make your own sides that will be approved. However, if you have people willing to try new combinations, try this!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (she recommends McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, I do too)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 (14-oz) can cannellini beans, drained
1 (12-oz) sack baby spinach or 3/4 pound from bulk bins, washed and patted dry
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions
1. In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic vinegar, about 2 tablespoons of EVOO, and the grill seasoning. Coat the chicken breasts in the mixture and set aside to marinate while you start the white beans and wilted spinach.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are a little brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken stock, bring up to a bubble, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Heat another large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest a few minutes. (Cooking time may vary based on how thick the pieces of chicken are.)
4. Add the cannellini beans to the skillet with the onions and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the beans are heated through. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the spinach, parsley, and lemon juice. Toss and stir until the spinach wilts.
5. To serve, place a portion of the white beans and wilted spinach on each serving plate. Thickly slice each chicken breast on an angle and arrange over the beans and spinach. and onions =)

Roasted Lamb Meatballs with Red Sauce and Polenta

I have a new love affair: H.E.B. Oh wait! I meant to say polenta but both are currently my new love affairs...don't tell the hubby. =) Since moving to back to Houston, I have discovered H.E.B. and fallen madly in love. Don't judge me. I just moved from a town that had 2 Walmarts as my choice in grocery stores. There was an Albertson's that turned into a Food Pyramid. We only ever went there for ingredients that Rachael Ray recipes required that Walmart didn't have. Luckily, Food Pyramid existed in Stilly or our cooking would have been very basic. I would have been depressed. H.E.B. almost caused me to go into depression for this meal. The hubby was grocery shopping with me that day and became my savior and stopped me from having a total meltdown. I had a physical reason to be emotional ok, don't judge me. TMI? Sorry. Ok back to the recipe because I'm sure you're not here to listen to me ramble. Or is this a pleasant change from the normal? Let me know. (I've been reading The Pioneer Woman a lot lately. obsessed. check her out.)

Anywho, my wonderful hubby spotted the lamb and polenta in H.E.B. and we were able to make this recipe with all the ingredients required. That makes for a happy girl who cannot make herself break the rules or stray from the recipe (me, if you can't figure it out). We found this recipe from the same Rachael Ray magazine as the risotto recipe. Dad got a free bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that we wanted to try and therefore needed a recipe that was recommended with that kind of wine. Polenta, in my favorite store, was in a bag labeled corn grits. Shock to me but still my new favorite food. I love the way it tastes after following RR's recipe. This recipe adds rosemary to it. It is a divine snack just polenta, milk, honey and butter. Ok, so after way too much blabbering, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 slices whole wheat bread, crusts discarded, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for brushing
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
• 1 cup polenta
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

1. 
   
   
   Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, moisten the bread with
   1/3 cup chicken broth. Add the lamb, egg, garlic, 2 teaspoons
   salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Form the mixture into 8 meatballs.
   Brush with EVOO and set 2 inches apart on a rimmed nonstick
   baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
2. 
   
   
   Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO,
   1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the onion, season
   with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
   Add the vinegar and cook it off, 1 minute. Stir in 2/3 cup chicken
   broth, then the tomatoes. Bring the sauce just to a boil, then
   lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. 
   
   
   In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 2 cups chicken
   broth and the milk to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, lower the heat
   and cook, whisking, until the polenta is thick but spoonable, 2 to
   3 minutes. Stir in the honey, butter, rosemary and salt and pepper
   to taste. If it gets too thick, add water or more milk.
4. 
   
   
   Spoon the polenta into bowls; top with the meatballs and sauce.
   
   

   

   
   

Lemon Cream Chicken with Champagne Risotto and Asparagus

So my dad was out of town this past week. This meant that we could cook vegetables and not worry about him picking at them or not wanting to eat what we cooked. Mom was so excited that she was getting to eat 'exotic' food (that's what my dad calls it). =) This was the last recipe we cooked before my mom left town for Kids Camp. So this and the next 3 recipes are not Dad-friendly. (If you haven't figured it out, my dad is a meat, potatoes and bread kinda guy. He and my brother will not eat anything colorful...at all.)

I found this recipe in one of the first Rachael Ray magazines that I ever got with my subscription. We had some champagne left over from a friend's wedding and I wanted to use it up. I highly recommend using any type of alcohol that you wouldn't mind drinking in a glass. If you don't have champagne or don't want something alcoholic in your risotto, typical champagne substitutes are ginger ale, sparkling apple cider, and sparkling white grape juice. I think that a white cooking wine would be just fine as well. Oh! By the way, it says to use "1 split" of the champagne. I found out that this means one champagne glass worth of liquid, 187 mL, or 3/4 cup. Your welcome. =)

This recipe was intended to be a dinner for 2 on New Year's Eve. So the recipe only yields 2 servings. I did double this recipe and it wasn't that bad. This recipe is really simple but many burners are required. It's also a lot to do at one time. Read through the whole recipe and see how you need to time it or split the steps up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 split champagne or sparkling wine
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• One 3-inch piece peel and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/8 pound sliced pancetta, chopped
• 1 small bunch asparagus, cut on an angle into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 3 to 4 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. 
   
   In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth over low heat. In a
   medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over
   medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook
   until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and toss to coat; season
   with salt and pepper. Stir in the champagne and boil to evaporate
   slightly, about 2 minutes.
2. 
   
   Stir a couple of ladlefuls of warm chicken broth into the rice and
   cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates. Add more
   broth, a few ladlefuls at a time, reserving 1/2 cup. Cook until
   creamy, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.
3. 
   
   While the risotto cooks, in a small saucepan, cook the cream,
   lemon peel and cayenne over medium-low heat until slightly
   reduced, about 15 minutes.
4. 
   
   Meanwhile, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a
   nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over
   medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 6 minutes
   on each side. Transfer to a cutting board (reserving the skillet); add
   the reserved 1/2 cup chicken broth to the pan juices in the skillet a
   nd stir. Stir this liquid into the risotto as it cooks.
5. 
   
   In the nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO,
   1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and
   cook for about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and shallot and cook,
   stirring, for 3 more minutes.
6. 
   
   To serve, stir the cheese and thyme into the risotto and spoon
   generous portions onto plates. Slice the chicken breasts on an
   angle and fan out over the risotto. Discard the lemon peel from the
   reduced cream; spoon over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice over
   the asparagus and toss; spoon around the risotto.
   
   

   

   
   

Side Dish: Elegant Five-Cheese Macaroni

This is another recipe that came from my mom's cookbook. It is so cheesy good and not good for you but who cares!

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
5 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, parmesan, fontina and swiss cheese, all grated
1 1/2 cups (8 oz) grated gruyere cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter. Add flour. Cook and whisk a few minutes to eliminate raw taste.
Gradually add warm milk and whisk until bubbly and thick.
Remove from heat and add seasonings. Set aside.
Cook macaroni and drain well.
Mix cheese mixture with macaroni and put into greased casserole dish.
Cover with sauce.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

**Note: Add 1 small can of green chilies for spicy taste. Also may add 1 cup lightly toasted bread crumbs sprinkled over top. (We don't use the bread crumbs.)

Santa Fe Caviar

This is a recipe in a cookbook that my mom has. This is a fabulous appetizer that works perfectly for Tostitos Scoops Tortilla Chips. The amount it makes is a ridiculous amount for one recipe. Don't make it unless you plan on eating it everyday for a week or two, or if you are having a lot of people get together. It's so stinkin' good though!! I'll add a picture the next time that I make it.

Ingredients:
1 avocado, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 purple (red) onion, minced
2 cups chopped bell peppers (I use 1 of each red, orange, yellow, & green)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1-4 jalapeno peppers, chopped (I use 3 large)
1 (14-oz) can chick peas
2 (14-oz) cans black beans, drained
1 can (4 oz) black olives, chopped
1 (14-oz) can red kidney beans
1 (14-oz) can kernel corn, rinsed and drained
1 cup whole green olives, chop after measuring
1/2 cup lime juice (fresh or bottled)
Splash balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
Splash olive oil, just before serving

Instructions:
Chop all fresh vegetables; you may remove seeds from peppers and tomatoes.
Add all canned ingredients, green olives, lime juice, vinegar and spices.
Toss until all ingredients are mixed. Serve with chips or crackers. (I told you my suggestion.)