Pickled Jalapeños

Recipe from Love and Lemons 
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes about 2 (1-pint) jars depending on the size of the peppers.

These pickled jalapeños are the perfect sweet & spicy addition to salads, tacos, burgers, and more! The longer they sit in the fridge, the sweeter and milder they'll become.

Ingredients
10 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
⅓ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon sea salt

Instructions
1. Divide the jalapeños into 2 (16-ounce) lidded jars and place a garlic clove in each jar.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Pour the brine over the jalapeños. Let cool to room temp, then cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Marinated Lentil Salad with Fresh Herb

Recipe from Rainbow Plant Life

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 4-5 generous servings

Adding the spiced oil and fresh herbs will make ordinary lentils taste pretty amazing.  I reheated some of the leftovers the next day and thought they actually tasted even better after they had some time to let the flavors intensify.  This dish is a keeper. Serve this as a side dish, or scoop it over a bed of salad greens and pair with roasted potatoes or toasted bread, or add it to a platter along with hummus, pita bread and olives.

1 cup French green lentils or black beluga lentils (I used black beluga lentils.)

1 large shallot or small yellow onion, peeled and halved (I used a shallot.)

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 thinly sliced garlic cloves

¾ teaspoon cumin seeds

¾ teaspoon coriander seeds

1½ - 2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar (or red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar or lemon juice) (I used 1½ Tablespoons champagne vinegar.)

Sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

2-3 handfuls (2/3-3/4 cup) of fresh soft herbs, finely chopped (flat leaf parsley, dill, basil, mint, cilantro or tarragon) (I used parsley and mint.)

Fill a medium saucepan with water and generously salt, as you would salt cooking water for pasta.  Once the water is boiling, add the lentils, shallot, bay leaf and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Reduce heat to simmer and maintain a simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the lentils are al dente (tender but with a bite.)

While the lentils are cooking, make the spiced oil.  Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the sliced garlic, coriander seeds and cumin seeds.  Swirl the skillet or stir frequently,  until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic is golden, about 60-75 seconds.  Remove from the heat.

While the lentils are cooking, finely chop the fresh herbs.  When the lentils are al dente, drain them over a colander and discard the bay leaf and shallot.  Transfer the lentils to a serving bowl.  Pour the spiced oil mixture over the lentils,  Pout the vinegar on (start with 1½ Tablespoons, add more as needed) and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the fresh herbs and toss well to combine.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pork (or Chicken) and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Recipe from Pillsbury Cook Light Eat Right May 1990
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Serves 4

I make this quick, low calorie dinner often because it's a favorite with the man of the house. If pork tenderloin is not available, substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts. Serve this dish over brown rice.

2 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. pork tenderloin, thinly sliced or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
No-stick cooking spray
6 stalks bok choy, sliced in 1 inch pieces (If stalks are really wide, slice them in half lengthwise and then cut them into 1 inch pieces.)
1 medium pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon water
¼ cup water
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds*

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, ginger & garlic.
Place pork slices in bowl and marinate at least 10 minutes.
Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Drain pork and then add to skillet.
Stir-fry 3-5 minutes until no longer pink.
Add bok choy, red pepper & water; cover & steam for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender.
In small bowl, combine ¼ cup water & cornstarch. Add mixture to skillet.
Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve with brown rice.

Per Serving: Calories 200; Carbohydrates 6 gm; Fat 6 gm; Sodium 250 mg. Dietary Fiber 2 gm

*To toast sesame seeds, place sesame seeds in a dry skillet. Turn heat to medium low. Watch carefully and stir until the seeds are toasty color. Remove from skillet.

Perfect Pie Dough #2

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I know I’ve already posted the Perfect Pie Dough (recipe on this blog) and I have to say that it is perfect. But a while back, I found this recipe on an old slip of notepaper. I don’t know where this recipe came from, but I was intrigued by the vinegar ingredient of this pie dough. From what I’ve read, the acid in the vinegar hinders gluten development and will result in a delicate pie dough. It's supposed to help relax the gluten formation that would otherwise toughen the pastry. I’ve also found in my research that the acid need not be vinegar; it could be lemon juice or even vodka. The secret to making perfect pie dough is to make sure the ingredients and then the dough itself are very cold. Baking the chilled pie dough in a hot oven makes the butter melt so that it creates steam inside the baking dough. That makes the flaky crust we all want! I made this dough last night for a Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie (recipe on this blog) for our friends, Andy, Linda and Anna Marie (and my hubby too! I wouldn’t dream of leaving him out!) This turned out great and was a real treat to eat on a cold winter’s night.

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, chilled
¼ cup vegetable shortening, chilled
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
½ cup ice-cold water

Measure the flour, salt and sugar into a food processor with the blade. Cut the ice-cold butter into pat-sized piece and add to the flour mixture. Add the vegetable shortening. Press the pulse button on the processor until you see pea-sized pieces of butter mixed in to the flour. Don’t over mix. Pour the vinegar into the ice water. Press the On button of the processor and slowly drizzle the ice-cold water/vinegar mixture into the feeding tube. When the dough becomes a ball, stop the machine.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces. (The dough won’t be smooth. It’ll be sticky. That’s okay.) Place each piece of dough on plastic wrap and press into thick disks. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and chill for at least a half hour before rolling it out. (The dough can be frozen at this point. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling out.)

Lightly flour the counter. Starting from the center of the disk, gently roll out the dough into a circle that is about 2 inches larger than the dish you plan to use. Lightly sprinkle with flour as you roll out the dough. Before placing it in the dish, brush the excess flour off with a pastry brush. (Too much flour on the dough makes it tough.) Fold the dough in half and place it in the dish. (Do not stretch the dough because that will make it really shrink.) Fold the extra dough under or over the edge and crimp. Prick the dough with a fork on the bottom and sides of the dough. Place the plastic wrap back over the dish to keep the dough from drying out. Put the dough in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating.

Fill with a fruit or other filling and bake as your recipe directs.

To make a baked pie shell, follow the directions below:

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork. Place a piece of foil that is larger than the dough inside the dish and then pour about 2 cups of dried beans into the dish over the foil. Place the pie dough in the hot oven and set the timer for 12 minutes. (The weight of the beans keeps the dough from puffing up.)

When the timer beeps, carefully remove the foil and beans from the dish. (Keep the beans in a glass jar and reuse them as pie weights.)

Place the dough back into the oven and continue baking until it is golden brown all over. Since ovens vary, you will need to check every two minutes or so. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a baking rack.

When the pie dough is cooled, fill it with pastry cream or other cream filling and top with your favorite fresh berries or fresh peaches, whipping cream or meringue.