Clean Bill Brussel Sprouts

The past few months in my parent's household has been a nightmare. My Father has been battling cancer. One of his three small business had to be taken over by my brother (who is doing a fantastic job!), and my Mom has been working from home, keeping up the house, feeding and clothing and taking care of my Dad and brother as well as watching over 4 dogs, 1 cat and a parrot that screams in Spanish all day. There's been a lot of pressure, needless to say.

BUT! As of this week, my father has been given his official clean bill of health! YES! Applause. "So what does this have to do with food?" you ask? Everything! Food makes life easier for so many people, especially when you go out of your way to cook it for someone else. In the first months of Cancer Battle 2009 my mother could barely make it to Publix in between pre-menopausal breakdowns let alone make a sensible dinner every night 5 nights a week. Thank the heavens we have such a great neighborhood of beautiful people to bring over pizzas, pot roasts, macaroni and booze for my family.

So, if you know someone in your life is having a rough day or week or months, nothing says "Fuck it, we'll get through this together!" like a home-cooked hot meal. In celebration of Dad's recovery, I've come up with an easy side dish that takes no time at all and even cheats a little.

You will need:

1 bag of fresh frozen Brussel Sprouts (I like the Bird's Eye Stemfresh bags)

The juice of half of a lemon

3 Garlic Cloves minced

Salt/Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

- First, coat a small frying pan with olive oil and heat on medium/low heat. Add in your Garlic.

- Meanwhile, microwave your Sprouts and when they're done, chop the bigger ones in half leaving only the really tiny ones whole and toss them into the pan with the Lemon Juice.

- Sautee the Sprouts and add the Salt/Pepper (I like the use the Garlic/Salt grinders for this) to taste. Use as much as you want because it helps make a nice crust on the Sprouts.

- Sautee until the sprouts have a nice dark crust on their sides and serve!

I concocted this recipe the day my family found out my Dad had won. There was next to nothing in the fridge or pantry save for frozen veggies and chicken. It tasted great despite it's store-bought quality. I had also made my Sexy Spinch and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast. For a starch, I sliced up some lonely hoagie rolls, brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled some minced garlic on them, baked them and had an easy Garlic Bread Crostini side dish.

Everything came out perfect and the only thing I had to run out and buy was a container of goat cheese! This meal is perfect and fast and healthy and easy! So just keep this in mind next time you're wondering how to show you care without mailing a sympathy card.

Crimson Thai Chicken Curry

You will need:

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast sliced 

1 Red Bell Pepper sliced into strips

1/2 White Onion sliced into strips

1 Zucchini sliced

3 or 4 Baby Bella Mushrooms sliced (or whatever your favorite mushroom is)

2 Green Onions for garnish

1 13.5 or 14oz can of Coconut Milk

2 tablespoons of your favorite Red Curry Paste (I used Thai Kitchen for this one but, was dissappointed with it - not spicy AT ALL)

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar or to taste

1 or 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce or to taste

Ground Red Pepper (for as much kick as you like)

Because the curry paste left something to be desired in the spice department, I added in some of my favorite Sriracha sauce which worked out fine.

- Using your wok or a large pan, heat Coconut Milk and Curry Paste on medium for about 5 minutes.

- Then, slightly crank the heat and add in your Fish Sauce, Sugar, Extra Spices and Veggies and let cook for about 3 minutes.

- Add in your Chicken and simmer until it's cooked all the way through.

Serve with Thai Jasmine rice and enjoy this Far East comfort classic!

Keep in mind the Chicken can easily be subbed out for Tofu or just left out completely! 

Nummy Eggy Ramen

Here's another new twist on your boring old ramen!

You will need: 

1 pack of Ramen noodles (any flavor will do since we're not using the packets).

1 Clove of Garlic minced
1 1/2 cups of Chicken Stock (or Veggie Stock)
1 Egg
Red Pepper to taste
White Pepper to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 Green Onion for garnish

- In a saucepan, boil the Stock, Garlic and all of your seasonings together.
- Add the noodles and cover the pot for about 2 minutes.
- Add in your egg and stir while still at a light boil.
- Garnish with Green Onion.

I like to serve this with my favorite Jasmine Rice for 2 reasons:
1) The broth is delicious mixed in with the rice!
2) The egg really makes your house have a kind of funk and the Jasmine Rice covers that smell nicely.

Spicy Veggie Soondubu Chiggae

This is a simple recipe I fell in love with in Korea. It's perfect for a rainy day in front of the TV. Don't be afraid of the spice!

You will need:

1 Zucchini

2 Green Onions

1/2 of a Brown/White Onion

3 Carrots

1 Package of Soft Tofu (sometimes called Silken Tofu)
Enoki or Oyester mushrooms

4 Cloves minced Garlic

Salt/Pepper/Whit Pepper to taste

Korean style red chili pepper paste

Red Pepper Flakes to taste
3 Eggs

Sesame Oil

2 1/2 cups Water

- Heat a saucepan over low/medium heat and add in 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil. Throw in the Garlic to cook for a minute or two.

- Add in the chopped Zucchini, Carrot, White Onion and add a little salt and pepper and the Water.
- Stir in Chili Paste

- Turn up the heat to medium/high and bring it to a boil and cook Veggies for about 3 minutes. If everything starts sticking to the pan too much add in a little bit of water.
-I like to add my eggs here and stir very slightly.

- Season a little more to taste if you want and then add in the mushrooms and your pack of Soft Tofu. Only cook these for about 2 minutes. Try not to stir this too much because the tofu is super soft and will crumble. You want it to stay in bite size chunks.

- If you have a traditional stone bowl, you can transfer your stew into it right now and garnish with sliced Red/Green Peppers, Green Onion.

This recipe is best served with a side of your favorite rice. I prefer Jasmine rice for the fragrance. You can add a few spoonfulls of soup to the rice and eat it as you go or dump your rice into the bowl and eat it that way.

Traditionally, this can also be cooked with ground beef and assorted seafood.