Jenn’s Cook Book

I know, I know. Beef is not good for the environment, but even I need a break from vegetarian cuisine. Plus, this was a deal at $2.40 almost a pound for pre-cut strips of beef and I had leftover BBQ sauce from the BBQ Chicken Stir-Fry. It starts with balance and small steps.

BBQ Beef Stir-Fry:
3/4 to 1 lb beef strips
8 oz sugar snap peas  
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup BBQ sauce (see below)

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat until soft. Set onions aside in a small bowl. Add mushrooms to skillet and saute 5-7 until almost soft and tender. Set aside in bowl with onions.

Add beef strips to skillet. Saute, without stirring, for 2 minutes. Add BBQ Sauce to pan, flip beef strips, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits. Bring BBQ Sauce to a simmer. Add onions and mushrooms back to pan and toss.  

Add sugar snap peas to top of BBQ mixture. Cover pan and allow sugar snap peas to steam for 3-5 minutes, then toss with sauce to combine. Serve any leftover sauce on the side for dipping.

BBQ Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard 
3/4 tsp salt, divided 
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a small saucepan, combine ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Whisk together and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer sauce for 10-15 minutes, until it has reduce by half.

Economically Friendly:Leftover BBQ Sauce put to good use! Onions and mushrooms are inexpensive, but sugar snap peas can be pricey. Look for sales or substitute with seasonal produce. Beef can also be expensive, so look for items close to the sell-by date for a reduced price.

Environmentally Responsible: Yes, beef is bad. Very, very bad. But just like diets, if you make foods “bad” or “forbidden,” you will only want them more. Use less and use less often, and at least you will make a small difference. Compromise by using seasonal, locally grown produce and other planet-friendly ingredients.

Excellently Healthy: Look for lean cuts of beef, increase the amount of veggies, and serve with brown rice or another whole grain for a complete meal.

Last week, I purchased chicken tenders for the bargain price of $3.00 for about a pound. Remember, Veganomics is not about vegan eating, but rather a healthy lifestyle on a healthy budget that’s also good for the planet. Sometimes it is hard to hit all three, but I think this recipe comes close.

The sauce for this recipe was inspired by Giada De Laurentiis from Everyday Italian. Her original recipe was Balsamic BBQ, and you know how much I love balsamic vinegar. I did adjust some of the amounts though. Rather than traditional grilled BBQ Chicken, I created a stir-fry for an all-in-one meal.

Above: Looks better than take-out. Careful, it’s hot!

BBQ Chicken Stir-Fry

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 large head of broccoli, cut or broken into small pieces
1 small onion, such as Vidalia, coarsely chopped
4 green onions, green and white parts, chopped
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard 
3/4 tsp salt, divided 
1/2 tsp black pepper

To make BBQ sauce: In a small saucepan, combine ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Whisk together and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer sauce for 10-15 minutes, until it has reduce by half.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet or wok on high heat. Saute onions for 3-5 minutes, until translucent and beginning to turn golden brown. Remove onions and set aside.

Toss chicken pieces with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and cornstarch. Arrange in a single layer in hot skillet. Saute 3-5 minutes, until chicken is almost done. Pour half of the BBQ sauce over chicken, tossing to coat. Set the other half aside.

Return onions to skillet along with broccoli. Cover and steam broccoli for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Toss to coat all ingredients. Add more BBQ sauce if necessary (sauce will thicken and reduce as it cooks, it will also thicken slightly when it cools).

Serve immediately, over steamed rice or quinoa. Pour remaining BBQ sauce in a bowl to serve on the side for dipping.

Economically Friendly: Now is the time to scout for sales in the meat department. Purchase meat close to the “sell by” date for a reduce price and freeze immediately, then thaw when you are ready to use. We did not use the dipping sauce, so I have another batch to make another dish with, which will save me time and money.

Ecologically Responsible: By cutting meat into smaller pieces, it stretches farther in a dish, meaning you use less. Adding hearty vegetables such as broccoli helps round out the meal without straining resources.

Excellently Healthy: Boneless, skinless chicken is the way to go. Add more vegetables, such as sugar snap peas, peppers, or carrots to increase the flavor and nutrition. Don’t be afraid to improvise with this recipe.

This is a light, healthy dish that is quick to make on a weeknight for dinner. The original recipe comes from Everyday Food and calls for a 12-inch skillet with a steamer rack. Since I do not own such a pieces of equipment, I opted to bake my chicken and the result was very moist and tender for about the same amount of time. Lettuces leaves placed over the chicken breasts maintain moisture, or at least that is my best guess for their purpose in this recipe, though it may not be necessary when baking.

Tarragon, which is not an herb I use frequently, is a staple in french cuisine. It has a taste similar to basil, without the hint of sweetness, with a slight anise flavor and aroma, but not as sharp or pungent. Tarragon is a great compliment to the lemon and garlic in this recipe.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lemon, rinsed and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
4 large, soft lettuce leaves
2 tsp spicy brown or dijon mustard  

Preheat oven to 375F and coat a 13×9 baking dish with olive oil.

Season chicken breasts with salt and arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle tarragon leaves and garlic over chicken. Top each chicken breast with 3-4 think lemon slices. Lay lettuce leaves over chicken, overlapping slightly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Discard lettuce leaves. Arrange chicken on a large serving plate or platter. Pour juices from the baking dish into a small bowl and whisk in mustard. Pour sauce over chicken.

Appropriately, this recipe is from the Fall section of Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. Sweet potatoes are roasted in the over with some festive spices then combined with fresh pears. Again, select pears that are just ripe (not over-ripe) so they maintain their shape.

2 sweet potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne (red) pepper
pinch of salt
2 Bartlett pears

Preheat oven to 400F

Wash and scrub potatoes. Quarter lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 inch-long sections. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, ground mustard, ginger, pepper, and salt. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet or roasted pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are almost tender.

Quarter pears and scope out the core. Cut in quarters in half crosswise. Toss with potatoes and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until pears are warmed through and potatoes are tender. Serve immediately.  

Let’s keep this on a roll with Turmeric-mania Recipe #5! Here is an interesting update to classic mashed potatoes from Cooking Light magazine, using Yukon gold potatoes with mustard seed, maple syrup, and turmeric, of course. Try pairing these potatoes with steak or pork tenderloin in place of plain potatoes.

2 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 cup fat-free milk  
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pan.

While potatoes cook, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook 2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Add milk, syrup, and turmeric, simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 10 minutes). Add milk mixture, salt and pepper to potatoes and mash with potato masher or electric mixture to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

If you like oil and vinegar on your salad, you will love this vinegarette. Based on a basic recipe in Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, I whipped up this vinegarette using fresh basil and garlic and apple cider vinegar.

1/4 cup fresh basil
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch of sugar
2/3 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a blender, food chopper, or processor and combine. Refrigerate vinegarette in an air-tight container up to 2 weeks.

My favorite salad mix: baby spinach, sliced cucumbers, shredded carrot, raisins, and walnuts topped with this tasty dressing.

From Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, this recipe “is so easy and quick to put together, you may never rely on store-bought sauce again. And what’s more, you probably already have all the necessary ingredients in your kitchen.” This is true, I did have all of the ingredients in my kitchen, with the exception of the hot sauce. I made mine a little smokey instead by stirring in a pinch of cumin.

1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup ketchup

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine hot sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, garlic, and ketchup. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5-7 minutes or until sauce thickens.

This recipe can be used on cut-up chicken pieces on the grill or on boneless, skinless chicken breast in the broiler.

On the grill:

Toss chicken pieces (about 3 lbs) in a large bowl with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Lightly oil grates and place the chicken on the grill. Cover and cook, turning frequently until chicken is almost done, 10-15 minutes. Uncover grill, continue cooking while basting frequently with the sauce, until the chicken is glazed thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.

In the broiler:

Season 5-6 chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Coat broiler pan in cooking spray. Brush sauce over both sides of chicken. Cook 25-30 minutes, rotating and coating chicken every 10 minutes until done. Serve with remaining sauce.

Chicken breasts from the broiler:

From the book Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, here is a quick dish to make with seasonal asparagus and fresh dill. If you can boil water and cut vegetables, you can make this dish! If you don’t have fettuccine noodles, use another thick-stranded pasta such as linguini.

1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 lb fettuccine
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
4 oz creamy goat cheese, broken into pieces
2 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tbsp snipped fresh dill leaves

Halve asparagus length-wise and cut cross-wise into third. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast pine nuts, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente (8-10 minutes), according to package directions. Add asparagus during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.

Return pasta, asparagus, and reserved pasta water to pot. Toss with the goat cheese, mustard, dill, and toasted pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Shown below with Cucumber Onion Salad and home-grown tomatoes:

From the magazine Everyday Food, this sauce works best over grilled chicken or pork. Can be made ahead up to 2 days (store in refrigerator).

1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

 Mix mustard, walnuts, maple syrup, vinegar and thyme together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over grilled meat.

This tasty side dish comes from Real Simple magazine and uses seasonal vegetables and flavors with minimal prep work and cooking time. Perfect for lunch or dinner on a hot day.

1/4 lb green beans, trimmed
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cucumber

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Cook green beans for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Whisk together mustard, lemon juice, salt, oil and zest in a large bowl. Halve and seed cucumber length-wise. Combine green beans and cucumbers in bowl with mustard mixture and toss well. Can be served immediately or chilled for 1 hour.

In general, I am against peeling or seeding fruits and vegetables if the skin and seeds are edible. It wastes time and food. I did not peel or seed the cucumber, but you certainly could. I also cut the green beans into 1 inch pieces, which makes them easier to eat.