SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E5): Brupper for Bros (AKA. The Father’s Day Special)

Our biggest critic (Amanda’s husband) recently asked, “why can’t you just make something simple, like meat and potatoes?” Here in the Fearless Flying Kitchen, we like to take our fans (and critics) opinions seriously…which is why we have “meat and potatoes week” for all the Bro’s out there.

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Ingredients featured in this week’s episode:

 

This week, we throw Amanda’s husband a solid, by making a meal out of meat, potatoes, “not meat” and “not potatoes.”

We went with a savory brunch for dinner, which we have officially coined as “Brupper” (add that to your urban dictionary!)

The meal’s base is a blend of mashed red and yellow potatoes with frozen mashed cauliflower. The two are blended together with some Parmesan cheese and herbs and spices and formed into a patty (a savory pancake)

The bag of potatoes also came with purple potatoes. We didn’t include these in the mash, because they would have turned it a funky color. Instead, we rinsed and quartered then, added a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them in the oven to roast at 400 degrees for about a half an hour.

Next up is the soy-chorizo creamed spinach. Full of so much flavor! At this point, if you are a vegetarian (or just don’t like or have steak) you could top with a poached egg for a fun take on an eggs Benedict.

The steak we used in the episode is a little bit tough, and is perfect for braising (cooked with a liquid). We tried to soften it up a bit by pounding and soaking in buttermilk (the acid can help soften the tough meat), but in the end, it still wasn’t the ideal texture. If we had more time in the kitchen, we definitely would have let the meat marinate for a lot longer (or try a different, wet cooking method, like braising).

To finish off the dish, we ended with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Lots of flavor!

Lastly,  before you get to these awesome recipes…We did have a bit of a challenge with our new technology (the challenge was that Amanda accidentally deleted all the footage before uploading it), so apologies for the lack of actual cooking footage on the episode. We’ll work it out and make it work for future episodes. Thanks dad for the technology boost!

Parmesan Potato Pancakes

• Servings: 8
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 7 Small Red or Yellow Potatoes
• 1/2 Bag Frozen Mashed Cauliflower
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Romano Cheese Blend
• 1/4 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Spray canola or olive oil

Directions

1. Pierce potatoes and place in a microwave safe dish with a tablespoon of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Add half the bag of mashed cauliflower, re-cover, and microwave for another 4-6 minutes, until potatoes are soft and cauliflower is no longer frozen. Mash the potatoes and cauliflower together, add egg, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Let cool a little bit and turn on griddle (electric to about 350 or a stovetop griddle to medium-high).
2. Spray griddle with oil. Take a dollop of potato/cauliflower mixture and flatten into a patty (It will be really sticky, but that’s ok, you can get it mostly there, then continue to flatten with spatula once it is on the griddle ) and place on the hot griddle. Cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes, until it has a nice little brown mark on it.

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Soyrizo Creamed Spinach

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1/2 package of Soy Chorizo
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 Cups Fresh Spinach (whole bag)
• 2 Heaping Tbsp Grated Parmesan Romano Cheese Blend
• 2 Tbsp Half and Half
• 1/4 Cup Lowfat Milk

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add minced onion and garlic then sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add soy chorizo and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Add spinach and let cook down for another 2-3 minutes. Add milk, half and half, and parmesan cheese. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for another couple minutes. Turn off heat and cover until ready to serve.

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Buttermilk Steak Medallions

• Servings: 6
• Time: 60 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 lb Sirloin Medallions
• 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 Vegetable Oil

Directions

1. Pound sirloin steak tips with a mallet to tenderize and flatten. Place in a ziplock bag with buttermilk, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Squeeze air out of ziplock, seal, and place in refrigerator for at least a half an hour (longer preferred).
2. When ready to cook, take steak out of ziplock, season each side with additional salt and pepper, and drudge through flour. Place oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot (will sizzle when something is placed in skillet), then add flour coated steak medallions. Cook for a few minutes on each side (you want it to be brown and crispy on the outside.

 

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SWASHBUCKLED! S2E3: Sushi-Bagel-Pasta

Since Amanda and Marie are running in the Rock N Roll Marathon and Half (respectively) this weekend, we decided to go all in on the carbs and excessively long and rambling recipe titles. Watch as we try to fuse together one too many cuisines. Will we add SO MANY flavors where it finally works? You’ll have to watch to find out!

 

 

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Ingredients featured in this week’s episode:

This might have been the weirdest combination of items we have made in the Fearless Flying Kitchen. But it totally works! Comfort food at its best. Risotto is normally made with a short grain rice, but our risotto is made from a short grain pasta, Orzo! Between the carby-goodness of the Orzo and the flavors of the Miso-Ginger Broth, the base  reminded us of the comfort food of our youth, “Oriental Flavored Top Ramen.”

The completed dish also reminded us of one of our favorite fresh (ie. Heat and Serve) items, Greek Style Chicken with Orzo, Spinach and Feta Cheese. However our version would be called the “Asian Style Salmon with Orzo, Mushrooms, Edamame and Goat Cheese…Oh and A Chutney Of Cucumbers and Lychee”

And speaking of that chutney, it was a great stand alone item and makes a great side dish or topping. We’ll definitely be revisiting that again.

Couple other things about this dish: smoked salmon really was wanting to be a breakfast item, and Marie brought it because it tasted so good with bagels and cream cheese. It had a distinct flavor in the risotto dish (which I want to make again but with a plain baked salmon) that mellowed out a bit once we added the goat cheese.

 

 

Miso Salmon Risotto with Cucumber Lychee Chutney

• Servings: 4
• Time: 30 min
• Difficulty: moderately easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Orzo
• 2 Cups Miso Ginger Broth
• 1 Cup Water
•  2 Tbsp Butter, divided
• 1/2 Shallot, minced
• 1 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Cup Fresh Edamame
• 1 package Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Package Smoked Salmon
• Cucumber-Lychee Chutney
  • 1 Cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 8 Fresh Lychee, peeled and diced, with juices
  • 1 Tbsp Red Onion, Minced
  • 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
  • Zest and Juice from Half a Lime
  • 1/4 tsp Fresh Ground Sea Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
• Toppings: Green Onion, Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, Goat Cheese Crumbles

Directions

1. Make Cucumber-Lychee Chutney: Combined all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Refrigerate for a half an hour.
2. Make Risotto: In a pot, warm up broth and water on medium-low. In another pan, over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Sautée shallot and garlic cloves for a few minutes. Add in orzo and cook for another couple minutes to brown a little. Now, you can begin to add a half a cup of warm stock/water until absorbed, then add another half cup, and continue this until all the liquid is absorbed. Make sure the heat is set to medium and you are stirring constantly.
3. Once all the stock is gone, you can use the same pot to melt 1 more tablespoon of butter and sauté the sliced shiitake mushrooms and fresh edamame over medium-high heat. This won’t take long to cook, you just want the mushrooms to soften and the edamame to warm throughout.
4. To assemble, place a a quarter of each in a bowl in the following order: orzo risotto, mushroom edamame mixture, smoked salmon (flaked, although see note at the bottom), cucumber-lychee chutney, and then the toppings (green onion, goat cheese and everything but the bagel seasoning).

NOTE (WHAT AMANDA WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY)- Instead of using the smoked salmon, you can bake fresh salmon. To do this, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, place salmon on baking sheet and rub with olive oil and top with fresh sea salt and pepper. Bake for about 16-18 minutes. This will decrease the smokiness of the salmon, and would be a great flavor to add to the top of the orzo risotto. You probably wouldn’t need to add the goat cheese and bagel seasoning.

 

We made the Blueberry-Lavender Coffee Popsicles by combining 1 cup of Blueberry-Lavender Flavored Almond Beverage with 1 cup Cold Brew (Black) Coffee and 1-2 Tbsp Coffee Syrup (start with one Tbsp and then add a little more if you like it sweeter). This will make about 10 popsicles, with each one containing 12 calories, 3.7g carbs, 3.2g sugar,  and 11mg sodium…not too bad if you are looking for a sweet, summer treat that won’t  break the scale. I mean, it’s basically the same as breathing air…plus a little sugar…

However, these popsicles are a little on the “icy” side. Great flavor though! You can experiment with adding a couple tablespoons of half and half into the mixture, which would no longer make it vegan, but might improve the mouthfeel a tad.

SWASHBUCKLED! S2E1: Jessie Spano Special

Welcome Back!

We’re SO EXCITED! We’re SO EXCITED! And unlike Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell, we are NOT scared to bring you SEASON TWO of SWASHBUCKLED!

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Ingredients featured in this week’s episode include:

85% Lean Ground Beef

Chevere with Honey

Heart of Palm Medallions

Organic Thyme

The reasons behind the choices? Marie chose ground beef because she just loves a good cheeseburger. The chèvre cheese, because, why not? In our Simpler Wines Facebook Live Event, our friend, Ryan, suggested we use “Palm of Heart” in one of our recipes. And last, she brought thyme as a way to pay homage to one of our favorite 90’s TV shows, Saved By The Bell.

Really wanting to impress Marie for the season premier, Amanda decided to go for the cheeseburger, even though there wasn’t any buns in the house. We made this awesome 40-minute Hamburger Bun Recipe from Taste of Home. It was quick and easy, and had a biscuit-like quality to it. We replaced 1 cup of the flour with White Wheat Flour for an earthier flavor and improved nutrition profile. Make sure you watch the episode for extra tips on making yeast bread from scratch.

However, if you don’t want to make your own bread and have an opportunity to go to the store, these Parm-Iago Rosemary Rolls (pictured to right) make excellent slider buns and would work well in this recipe.

We started out by “blooming” our thyme, which releases more flavor than just sprinkling into whatever you are preparing. Since some flavor compounds in some herbs and spices are fat soluble, you can extract more flavor when they are cooked (over low heat) with a fat source. We chose a mixture of oil and butter for this recipe, but you could easily just choose one or the other. Remove the herb before adding other ingredients.

(SPOILER ALER) We loved this meal and would definitely do it again. Highly recommended!

'Never Enough Thyme' Burgers

• Servings: 6
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 85% lean Ground Beef
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 10 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
• 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Bag Hearts of Palm (or Palm of Hearts), sliced
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 bag fresh spinach
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
• Chèvre with Honey
• Glaze (Balsamic Glaze)
• Your favorite bun (we love THIS RECIPE)

Directions

1. Infuse thyme into oil and butter: over medium-low heat, melt butter and add olive oil and 8 sprigs of thyme. cook on low for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove thyme and discard. Turn heat up to medium or medium-high, and add sliced onion and sautée for a couple minutes, then add heart of palm. Cook for 5 minutes then add spinach, garlic, mustard and 2 additional thyme stems (chopped). Cook until spinach has cooked down. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make burger patties: Preheat grill to medium-high. Combine ground beef, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper with hands. Mix well. Form into 6 balls and squash them into thin patties. Set aside (and don’t forget to wash your hands with warm soapy water!) Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until internal temperature of 165˚F is reached.
4. To assemble, slice bread in half, butter each half and cook on griddle for a couple minutes, until golden brown. Place a tablespoon of goat cheese on top bun, burger patty on the bottom, topped with 1/4 cup mixture of onions, spinach and heart of palm. Top with “GLAZE” (balsamic reduction or balsamic glaze).

“Never Enough Thyme” Burgers, featuring Balsamic Glaze, Chèvre with Honey, Hearts of Palm, and Spinach.

Visit our PATREON PAGE for more ways on how to contribute monthly to The Fearless Flying Kitchen, and get some awesome rewards.

Classic Black Beans

For a long time, Trader Joe’s was really lacking in the dried legume department. But lucky for me…about a year ago, they introduced dried black beans, and life has never been the same.

If you find cooking beans from scratch intimidating, you are not alone! Before I started making them from scratch, I imagined an all day process that was very labor intensive. But if you have gone through the process before, then you’ll know just how easy it can be. Beans are a very forgiving food to cook, they just need a little bit of (mostly) hands-off time. Having this classic recipe in your back pocket, I guarantee you’ll start stocking up on this staple.

The process really starts the night before. First, empty your 1lb bag of black beans into a large pot and sort through it for any rocks or random beans that might have made their way into the bag (totally common to find stuff like this in raw beans. If you find one, just discard it). Then cover with water, about 2 inches above the bean line, and let sit out overnight. You can cover if you like.

Next, you’ll dump out the water (in a strainer? using your hands to strain it? You pick) and refill the pot with fresh water, about two inches above the bean line. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. You’ll add the rest of the ingredients (diced onion, garlic, bay leaves and salt), and continue to boil and add additional water until fully cooked, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

You will want to occasionally try the beans, and add additional salt as needed, just keep in mind that the flavor intensifies as the water evaporates, so over-salting can be a thing. If that happens, you can always add additional water. Make sure to cook until it is soft.

I love to top my side of beans with the new TEENY TINY AVOCADOS. Great flavor combination! This recipe makes about 6 cups of cooked beans (breaking down to 12, half cup servings).

 

• Servings: 12
• Time: 90min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 lb Bag Black Beans
• Lots of water
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Salt (+ more to taste)

Directions

1. Empty black beans into a large pot, look through beans to make sure there isn’t anything funky in there (sometimes rocks or other beans make their way into your bag) and cover with water (about 2 inches above the bean line). Let sit overnight. 
2. When ready to cook beans, drain soaking water and refill with fresh water, about 2 inches above bean line. Turn heat to high and add onion, garlic, bay leaves and salt. 
3. Let boil until beans are soft and cooked through (usually close to an hour), stirring occasionally and adding additional water as it evaporates. 

Do you have any secrets to the perfect pot of beans? Concerns? Let us know in the comments!

SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E8): Chur-Nugz

Lot’s of ground to cover in our Season One Finale! We start out with a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT from Trader Joe’s about our day-drinking beverage of choice, and end with a sneak peak at season two. Along the way, we spend three hours (yes, THREE HOURS!) making stoner food, setting off smoke alarms, and getting schooled on Macarons/Macaroons/Macron (oh! and put some food on hold for Heather Forte.)

Read on for the episode breakdown…

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Ingredients Featured in This Week’s Episode:

 

Green Cabbage

Sriracha Potato Chips

Matcha Green Tea

Chick-less Nuggets

We start with a big announcement: Our favorite Lonely Alcoholic White Girl Soda, SIMPLER WINES,  is moving on up. Coming soon to a Trader Joe’s near you is the 375 ml can of Simpler Wines for only $2.99. We are especially excited about the addition of a red blend and chardonnay.

The ingredients this week included the seasonally stocked Green Cabbage (with a reminder to stock up on your raw, seasoned corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day before they sell out!), the versatile Matcha Green Tea Powder (which is a pantry mainstay) and Sriracha Potato Chips, which were stellar on their own (#eatin’chips).

Our friend, Heather Forte (remember her from Episode Five?) always raves about the Chick-Less Nuggets that seem to always be out of stock in her local Trader Joe’s store. Not only did we make a delicious vegetarian meal out of this ingredient, we also did her a solid by putting three bags on hold at her local store.

What to do with all these ingredients?

Tacos, of course. I love Tacos, and could eat them all day and all night. The chick-less nuggets have a mandarin sauce, which I took and combined 2/3 of it with mayonnaise, honey, and adobo sauce, and turned it into a creamy sauce to top our tacos. The other 1/3 was reserved to toss the nuggets in.

Another taco topping was a corn and cabbage cole slaw, tossed with lemon zest, cilantro, honey and olive oil. This also makes a great side salad and will last a few days in the refrigerator.

I had a pot of pinto beans soaking overnight when we began the episode. Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell raw pinto beans, but they do sell raw black beans, which can be prepared this same way. If you don’t have the time to make beans from scratch, you can always use canned beans, but they really don’t compare to a delicious pot of freshly cooked beans.

To take these up a notch, we embraced our inner stoner by combining the sriracha potato chips and the cooked beans in a  blender, and then pan frying them, making Potato Chip Infused Refried Pinto Beans. The best was the addition of crunched potato chips on top. It really completed the dish.

Lastly, we used the MUY BUENO COOKBOOK Recipe for the churro dough, since I have made (and loved) recipes from here in the past. Check out her recipe for the churros we made in this episode. Instead of tossing in just cinnamon and sugar, we used 1 cup of sugar, 2 Tbsp Matcha Green Tea Powder, and 1 Tbsp ground Cinnamon.

I didn’t really execute the churros as well as I had hoped. The dough was too hard, it would have been better to use a mixer, or to follow the time guidelines put forward int he recipe. My piping bag was also clogged, so I ended up making nuggets or snakes, which didn’t have the traditional churro shape. I also admittedly am the worst at deep-frying, so my technique was way off. The idea was great in theory, but the execution just wasn’t there.

Chicken-Less 'Fish' Tacos

• Servings: 5
• Time: 25 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• Chicken-Less Nuggets tossed in 1 Tbsp Mandarin Sauce
• 10 Corn Tortillas
• Coleslaw:
  • Cabbage – Green
  • Cabbage – purple
  • Corn
  • Cilantro
  • 1 Lime – zest and juice
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Honey
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
• Sauce
  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp Adobo Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Mandarin Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Orange Juice

Directions

1. Grill or microwave corn then remove kernels with a knife. Thinly slice cabbage, chop cilantro. Combine in a bowl with lime zest and juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Toss well and refrigerate.
2. Cook Chicken-Less Morsels according to package directions up until mixing with sauce (choice of baking or pan frying). Set aside 1 Tbsp Mandarin sauce to toss chicken-less morsels in after it is finished cooking.
3. Meanwhile, combine 2 tbsp of the Mandarin sauce with adobo sauce, orange juice and Mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Once everything is ready, heat corn tortillas on a griddle, place 5 Chicken-Less Morsels in the center, top with coleslaw and adobo-mandarin sauce.

Sriracha Potato Chip Infused Pinto Beans

• Servings: 10
• Time: 2 hrs
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• Dry pinto beans
• water
• salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 Garlic Cubes
• 1 Chicken or Vegetable Boullion Cube
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• Sriracha Potato Chips
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions

1. Soak beans in water overnight. When ready to make beans, drain water and replace with fresh, and cover with water (about 1 inch above where the beans are). Add salt, bay leaves, garlic, bouillon and diced onion. Bring to a boil and cook for at least an hour, until beans become tender. Add more water and salt as needed.
2. Normally, I would call it a day and just enjoy my pinto beans, but to take it to he next level, add 2 cups of beans and 1 cup of sriracha potato chips to a blender. Mix on medium for about 45 seconds, until smooth.
3. Add olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat. Add blended pinto beans and sauté for about 2 minutes. Turn on low and cover until ready to serve. Top with crunched up potato chips.

SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E7): Uncle Gary’s Challenge

This week, we get a special fan mail request from Marie’s Uncle Gary, and she shows up with nothing but #drinkinwine. How are we going to play Swashbuckled with no ingredients?

Read on for episode breakdown.

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Ingredients featured in this week’s episode:

Fresh Ginger

Ground Cinnamon

Soy Sauce

Whole Grain Dijon Mustard

So…back story… SUPERFAN Joe Marandola (Marie’s dad), shared our web series with his family back in Rhode Island. From that, we got our first fan request from Uncle Gary: “Here are four…Ground Cinnamon, Soy Sauce, Mustahd and Gingah. Holy sh*t, make something with that!”

We took this request very seriously, and Marie knew that I would have most of these ingredients in my kitchen, so the only ingredient she brought over this week was her favorite fancy mustard (oh, and #drinkinwine, AKA. Lonely Alcoholic White Girl Soda).

Since I had only shopped at 99 Ranch this week, as opposed to Trader Joe’s, we were very limited to things involving tofu, ramen noodles and miso paste. But the final product was a delicious, winter ramen. You can easily make the ramen eggs and broth ahead of time, and just boil the noodles as needed. It should last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

Vegetable Miso Ramen

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• Vegetable or Chicken Broth
• 4 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp White Miso Paste
• 2 Tbsp Mirin
• Ramen Noodles of Choice (or just pick the best package)
• Toppings: Baby Bok Choy, Thinly Sliced Carrots, Halved Grape Tomatoes, Soft Boiled Ramen Egg, Enoki Mushrooms, Sliced Green Onion, Seaweed, Crushed Red Chili Flakes

Directions

1. Bring chicken or veggie broth to a boil and add miso paste, ginger and garlic. Let boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low, add Mirin, and prepare toppings.
2. Thinly slice baby bok choy and green onion. Use a peeler to thinly slice carrots. Halve grape tomatoes.
3. In a separate boy, bring water to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, cook ramen noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, put noodles in bowl and top with ramen broth, desired toppings and ramen egg.
4. For the Soft Boiled Ramen Eggs, you’ll need to prepare them at least 4 hours in advance so they can marinate.  Fill a pot at heat halfway with water, and bring to a boil. Once water is at a rolling boil, add 4 eggs (with a slotted spoon or skimmer so you don’t crack the eggs), and then set a timer for 8  minutes (if you like runny eggs, go for 7, if you like harder cooked eggs, go for 9-10 minutes). Once timer goes off, immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Peel eggs and place in marinade of 1 part soy sauce, 1 part mirin and 3 parts water. Make sure all eggs are covered. Refrigerate for a few hours, ideally overnight.

Mustard Crusted Tofu

• Servings: 4
• Time: 35 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 package of extra firm tofu
• 1 Tbsp Mustard (the Grain type)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions

1. Slice tofu into thin, squares (or shapes of your choosing).
2. In a bowl, combine mustard, soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss sliced tofu in marinade, and let sit for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place marinated tofu in a single layer on parchment. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping tofu halfway through.

SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E5): Friendzone Your Knife

This week brings a special guest star, Heather Forte, into the kitchen. She is a decent home cook with a self-professed culinary knowledge of a first grader. Her credentials include being a “Top Chef Enthusiast” and knowing what “sous-vide” means. Watch as Amanda leads her through creating a plant-based dinner with the mystery ingredients.

Read on for episode breakdown

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Ingredients in this week’s episode:

Multigrain Blend with Vegetables

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

Green Jackfruit in Brine

Soft Black Licorice Twists

This week, we brought our friend, Heather down to the Fearless Flying Kitchen. She was expecting to be the peanut gallery, but we decided to put her to work, and let her figure out what to do with the ingredients.

After some deliberation, we decided to make a Vegan curry with the jackfruit as well as other veggies that were in the fridge (zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and garlic). For spice, we added curry powder and a whole jalapeño, which made for a pretty hot curry (so if you don’t like your food super spicy, err on the side of less curry powder and jalapeño.) The Green Goddess Salad Dressing was amazing on its own, and added a more complex flavor to the curry. Since filming this episode, I have used it on several different salads, and its a great staple to have around.

Marie and her Jackfruit Baby

Jackfruit is having a moment in the culinary world right now, so it was only a matter of time that it found its way into the Fearless Flying Kitchen. Jackfruit is often seen in savory vegetarian and vegan meals because it has a culinary application similar to tofu, in that it absorbs flavors well, and also shreds like meat. In its natural state, jackfruit is absolutely huge (see picture to the right), so the canned version is definitely more convenient for the average home chef. On its own,  jackfruit has a flavor and texture of a plain artichoke heart, but once it was in the curry, it took on a totally different texture and flavor profile. It is a fun ingredient to play with, but since it has no protein, I wouldn’t recommend vegetarians and vegans consider it a “meat substitute” and would still encourage including some other non-meat protein sources (like beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.)

The Multi-Blend with Vegetables was fine on its own, but it didn’t really do a good job at featuring the curry (which is what we wanted it to do). We all agreed that just a regular Jasmine rice or plain brown rice would have been preferred. After filming, we ended up cooking some boil-in-a-bag rice and combined it with the multigrain blend, and it was a huge improvement.

Lastly, the cocktails. It was really fun to make the licorice simple syrup. I would love to explore making other drinks with the syrup, possibly make some kind of mojito or gimlet with it. Out of the two we experimented with, the Tiki Rum Punch was definitely the better of the two, because it felt more complete. However it was very sweet. Let’s just leave the licorice cocktails as a work in progress, and we’ll update you on when we improve it!

Green Goddess Jackfruit Curry with Multigrain Blend

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Heather Forte and Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 Dutch Gold Potatoes, chopped
• 6 ‘teenage’ Carrots, chopped (but they were small)
• 2 medium Zucchini, chopped
• 1/2-1 Jalapeno, diced
• 20-oz can jackfruit, drained
• 1 can Light Coconut Milk
• 2 Tbsp Miso Ginger Broth
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 1/4 Cup Green Goddess Dressing
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 2 Gloves Garlic, Crushed
• 1 tsp Lime juice
• 1 bag Multigrain Blend with Vegetables

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Once hot, brown potatoes and then add carrots and zucchini and jalapeño.* Cook for about 5-8 minutes, until tender.
2. Add one can coconut milk, 1-2 tbsp of curry powder, 1/4 cup of Green Goddess salad dressing, paprika and garam masala. Cover and let simmer on low for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender and jackfruit is easy to shred.
3. Add lime and shred jackfruit and cover until ready to serve.
4. Meanwhile, cook Multigrain Blend with Vegetables cook grains as directed, but add splash of miso broth to prevent sticking to the pot. We recommend also mixing with Jasmine rice (Trader Joe’s has a great Frozen microwave brown rice that would pair well).

*At this point, I would also add an onion, we just didn’t have any on hand. You could swap out the veggies for any that you prefer.

Licorice Simple Syrup

• Servings: 16
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Water
• 15 Black Licorice
• 1/2 Cup Sugar

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, uncovered, and let liquid reduce by half. Strain and set aside.

We used the simple syrup to make two different cocktails

The Gin-ny Weasley

The first was what I like to call the “Gin-ny Weasley” because in theory, you like her and all the ingredients, but there is just something that isn’t right and it just kind of bugs you. She is also a little watered down. To create a Gin-ny Weasley, combine equal parts Gin, Licorice Syrup and Plain Soda Water. Garnish with Basil.

Black Licorice Tiki Punch

Heather came up with the second cocktail. She lives and loves Tiki culture and this drink definitely resembles something you would get at Trader Sam’s, and should definitely be enjoyed in a tiki mug. To make, combine 2oz Spiced Rum, 1 oz Licorice Syrup and top off with Blood Orange Soda. Garnish with Basil.

SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E3): Carbs on Carbs on Carbs

Wanna know what a #HIFD is? Can Amanda keep her success streak going for the third week in a row? Check out the latest episode of Swashbuckled! to find out! (unless your name is Carin Sharin, then just turn it off right now!)

Read on for episode breakdown

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Ingredients in this week’s episode:

Cilantro $1.19

Pineapple $2.99

Bacon Jerkey $5.49

Wild Blueberry Muffins $3.99

I went into this week feeling extra confident, with two successful weeks under my belt, I thought I would be able to keep the streak going forever! But Marie SWASHBUCKLED me with her ingredients this week. Most notably, the Wild Blueberry Muffins (which were delicious on their own).

Speaking of delicious, that Sweet Sriracha Uncured Bacon Jerky was a little piece of heaven on earth, so do yourself a favor and pick some of that up, stat!

So with all those yummy standalone ingredients, why didn’t the dish work?

Well, for one thing, the texture was funky. The idea of carbs on carbs on carbs was a bust. The quinoa made the casserole extra mushy, and the blueberry muffins didn’t crisp up, taking the mush to the next level.  The spice in the jerky didn’t carry through as expected either, so more flavor and spice needed to be infused into the dish.

Below is the recipe…but, do yourself a favor and don’t make it! Instead, if you are interested in trying this out, make some changes and see what you can do to improve this Highly Instagrammable Fail Dish (#HIFD).

Definitely Not Gumbo Casserole

• Servings: 6
• Time: 45 min
• Difficulty: easy, but why would you?
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN…unfortunately

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 bag Butternut Squash
• 1 Chayote Squash, peeled and diced
• 1 cup Heirloom Tomatoes
• 1/2 Pineapple, peeled and diced
• 2 Dorot Garlic Cubes
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 bag Frozen Shrimp, thawed and tail removed
• 1/2 – 1 cup Chicken Stock*
• 1 cup cooked Quinoa*
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
• Strussel Topping:
  • 2 Wild Blueberry Muffins, crumbled.**
  • 1 bag Sweet Sriracha Uncured Bacon Jerky
  • 1/2 cup Oat Bran

Directions

1. First off – Don’t make this meal the same way I did, unless you really want to not be satisfied with the final product. If you insist, proceed to step two.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat Olive Oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in butternut squash, chayote, and tomatoes. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, then add pineapple, salt, garlic and shrimp. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add broth and cooked quinoa and cook down (*or don’t add those and see how it goes. That is what i would have done differently). Transfer mixture to a baking dish.
3. In a separate dish, combine crumbled blueberry muffins (but…why??), bacon jerky and oat bran. Top on baking dish and bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until top is brown. **But, if you want to make this dish even better, swap out the blueberry muffins for cornbread, and add some shredded mozzarella cheese in there. Omit the quinoa altogether and use just a little bit of chicken broth…

SWASHBUCKLED! (S1E1): Lonely Alcoholic White Girl Soda

I am so excited to introduce my new project with The Fearless Flying Kitchen – SWASHBUCKLED!!

My best friend, Marie, lives a block away and works at Trader Joe’s. Every week, she is going to bring over FOUR INGREDIENTS that are absolutely random and completely unknown to me. My challenge is to create a dinner with what she brings to me and what I have in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. We film the whole thing for you to witness, and we call it SWASHBUCKLED!

Here is the first episode, followed by the recipes of what we came up with. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think about our new show in the comments!

Sunchoke and Fennel Chicken Picatta

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 30 min
• Difficulty: easy to moderate
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Flour (can sub All Purpose Gluten Free Flour)
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 5 Sunchokes, peeled and diced
• 1 Fennel Bulb, diced (and dice the fronds for seasoning)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (optional)
• 1 Lemon, both zest and juice
• 1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/2 Cup Peach Simpler Wines (or white wine of choice)
• 1 Sprig fresh rosemary, diced or 1 tsp dried rosemary
• GARNISH: Icelandic Style Plain Yogurt (or greek yogurt, or sour cream) and sprig of rosemary.
• SERVE ALONG SIDE: Brown Rice, Quinoa, or a Whole Grain Pasta

Directions

1. Cut chicken breasts into cubes. Season with salt and pepper then toss in All purpose Flour.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add chicken breasts and brown on each side (about 3-4 minutes on each side. Does not need to be cooked all the way through just yet). Remove from skillet and place on paper towel to remove some excess oil.
3. In the same skillet, add sunchokes, fennel, garlic and lemon zest. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add lemon juice, chicken broth and white wine (peach simpler wines). Add rosemary and fennel fronds. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and reduce for about 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve alongside grain of choice. Garnish with Icelandic Style Greek Yogurt and Rosemary Sprig.

 

Arugula and Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Roasted Coconut Sesame Seeds

• Servings: 4
• Time: 10 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe by Amanda Hibshman, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 Cup arugula
• 1 Cup Shaved Brussels Sprouts
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries
• 1/2 Cup Strawberries, Sliced
• 1/4 Cup Organic Coconut and Sesame Seeds Clusters
•  Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper
• Dressing:
  • 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Lemon Juiced
  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Honey

Directions

1. Mix together dressing ingredients. Rinse arugula, Brussels sprouts and fruit and dry completely.
2. In a separate bowl, combine arugula, shaved Brussels sprouts, salt, pepper, and a few tablespoons of mixed dressing. Add fruit and toss well. Arrange on plate and add coconut and sesame seed clusters.

 

Spinach, Mushroom & Beef Lasagna

Growing up, lasagna was this elusive meal only consumed by cats that sounded like Bill Murray. For some reason, we never ate it at my house. Perhaps it is the lack of Italian ancestors in my family tree? I am not sure.

Any who, fast forward about 20 years, my best friend invites me to her dad’s lasagna party. Every year, her very Italian (and awesome) father cooks multiple pans of delicious lasagna and opens his home to about a hundred of their closest family and friends. This was one of the best parties ever, not only because the wine flowed as fast as the videos of Father Guido Sarducci, but the lasagna was incredible. Now, long story short, at this point in my life, I had eaten my fair share of lasagna, but I still hadn’t ever made it. So, when the time came, I asked my friend to give me some pointers, and what does she do? She straight up gives me a link to re-create her fathers lasagna. Score! So, for the past few years, this has been a stand-by recipe. Only recently have I started to alter it to make it more of “my own.”

I did a couple of tweaks to make it a healthier choice, such as swapping regular ricotta for non-fat, decreasing the amount of meat, and using more veggies. And I am willing to bet that as soon as TJ’s starts to carry whole wheat lasagna noodles, that will be another swap!

Spinach and Mushroom Beef Lasagna

• Servings: 8-10
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Ready for the oven!

Ingredients:

• Lasagna Sauce (see recipe below)
• Ricotta Cheese Mixture (see recipe below)
• 1 bag mozzarella cheese
• 1 package (12) lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (Fresh if possible)
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Make sauce (see below)
2. Make ricotta mixture (see below)
3. Butter 13×9 dish
4. Assemble: noodle, 1/2 ricotta, 1/3 sauce, mozzarella, noodle, 1/2 ricotta, 1/3 sauce, mozzarella, noodle, 1/3 sauce, Parmesan and a little more mozzarella (but not too much)
5. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. Let sit a few minutes prior to serving.

Lasagna Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb 96/4 ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 bag mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 bag baby spinach
• 1 jar Tomato Basil pasta sauce

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, start to brown ground beef. Once it starts to release its juices, add diced onions and cook until meat is starting to brown and onions are starting to soften. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms begin to soften. Add pasta sauce and put to simmer on a low heat for about a half an hour. Towards the end, add spinach until just wilted and remove from heat.

Ricotta Cheese Mixture

Ingredients:

• 1 container non- fat ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 2 tsp basil, dried
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined.

Suggested pairings: 

A nice Chianti

sautéed zucchini sprinkled with parmesan cheese

A light salad with balsamic glaze, meyer lemon olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper