This chicken stew is simply fabulous and hearty, without being too heavy or unhealthy.  I made my first batch in my largest pot last week, and it was gone before the night was over.  Considering that there are only two of us, that just might make this dish the most popular thing I have ever made.  And that’s saying a lot…

To start, warm some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it is sizzling.  Add onions, half of your garlic, Northwoods seasoning, some salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Cook for about five minutes until the onions are becoming translucent.

Add in potatoes, turnips, carrots, squash and half a cup of chicken broth and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Cook for another five or so minutes, stirring frequently so that vegetables are exposed to the bottom of the pot and the chicken broth.

Add the chicken breasts and cook for another ten minutes.  Move the contents of your pot out of the way with your spoon, add the flour and stir until the flour is absorbed, about one minute.

Add the rest of the chicken broth, the red wine, sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, remaining garlic and bay leaves.   Stir, cover and let the mixture come to a boil.   Once at a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After fifteen minutes, taste and add additional Northwoods seasoning, salt and/or pepper if needed.

Once the thirty minutes has passed, carefully take the chicken breasts out and cut them into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot.  Cook for another fifteen minutes and enjoy!

Note – the longer you cook this stew, the more flavor it will have.  Also, any type of soup or stew always tastes best the day after you make it, so you may want to double or triple this recipe to have leftovers!

Olive Oil (extra virgin – always!)
Garlic, 6 cloves
Onions, 2 medium or 1.5 large
Carrots, 4 peeled and diced
Potatoes, 10 small or 4-5 medium
Turnip, 1 large
Bottleneck Squash, .5 Medium or 1 small
Chicken Breast, 2 large
Flour, 2 tablespoons
Sugar, 2 teaspoons
Balsamic Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegar (I used aged white),  1 tablespoon
Bay Leaves, 4 crushed leaves
Red Wine, .5 Cup (any kind you like to drink will do)
Chicken Stock (I used low sodium so I can salt to my taste), 4-5 cups
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Northwoods Seasoning (from Penzeys – containing Salt, Sweet Paprika, Pepper Thyme, Rosemary, Garlic and Chipotle

This recipe was suggested to me at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market (the one on Third Street, which I still think is the much superior one compared to that one down on Main Street even after that big tragedy).  I was browsing the stalls and came across these huge, perfect bunches of bright green kale next to an unfamiliar green vegetable with green stalks and a small bulb.  Naturally, I had to inquire about this completely foreign vegetable.  When the farmer told me that it was green garlic, I was completely flabbergasted.  I, the lover of all things garlic, had never heard of this variety?!  How was this even possible?  Almost every recipe I make starts out with olive oil and garlic, how could there be another form of garlic that had never made it to my table?  That most certainly had to be remedied that evening!

Green garlic is young garlic which is harvested before the bulbs are mature.  Available almost exclusively in the spring at farmer’s markets, green garlic resembles a lighter and longer version of scallions.  This form of garlic has a much more mild flavor, and when cooked becomes sweet, adding amazing flavor and depth to any dish.  The entire stalk can be used to cook with, from the small bulb which resembles more of an onion than a head of garlic, to the delicious green stalk.  Prepare as you would scallions, by slicing the leaves into small pieces.

To prep the kale, remove the leaves from the long, fibrous center of the stalk and place the torn leaves in a bowl.  If green garlic is in season, I would highly suggest trying it out.  If not, mince two to three cloves of garlic.  Heat some olive oil in a sauté pan (do not use a wok) on medium-low and add the green garlic and chili pepper flakes when the temperature rises.  If you are using garlic, it is best to add the garlic after the kale so that it will not burn.  After the green garlic has sautéed for two to three minutes, add the kale and season with some salt and pepper.  Cook until your desired state of done-ness, about two to four minutes (some people like really firm kale, while I prefer mine to be a little more cooked).  When the kale is almost done cooking, squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the pan.  Serve when piping hot and enjoy.  This recipe has layers of delicious and deep flavors and is also super healthy, as kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables around.

Kale, half to one full bunch
Green garlic, one stalk or Garlic, two to three cloves
Chili pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
Lemon, juice of one-quarter to one-half

One of my all time favorite foods is pad thai; I simply love it!  For all of you Thai food newbies, pad thai is pretty much the most basic of all Thai dishes, basically the Italian equivalent of spaghetti Bolognese or perhaps merlot for beginner wine drinkers.  In short, it is a safe noodle dish that most people will enjoy as an entry foray into Thai cuisine.  The thing is though, I just never really got over my addiction to pad thai, it’s just that good! 

In my junior year of college, I began to truly experiment in my kitchen.  Gone were the days of bruschetta being edgy, and hello making Tum Yum Kai (hot and spicy Thai soup), Panang Chicken, and of course Pad Thai from scratch.  The Thai invasion of my kitchen started due to a book that I received for my 21^st birthday called “Cracking the Coconut” by Su-Mei Yu.  This book explains how Thai food carefully balances sweet, spicy, salty, and earthy flavors to create a sort of harmony.  The keys to this balance are garlic, chili peppers, fish oil/soy sauce/salt, cilantro and onions.  You will find these ingredients in almost every thai dish.  The one bummer about the recipes in this book however, is that it takes a few hours to create the perfect pad thai from scratch.  (However I still highly suggest this book as an introduction into Thai cooking!  Also, if you’re ever in San Diego, check out Sue Mei Yu’s Thai restaraunt, Saffron near Old Town.)  So I did what all enterprising cooks do and created my own, much easier recipe.

To start, buy the Thai Peanut noodles by Thai Kitchen.  Follow the instructions on the box to cook the rice noodles and set those aside.  Chop one onion and one bell pepper (preferably red, yellow or orange) into long thin slivers.  This will allow them to blend in seamlessly to the rice noodles.  Chop a spaghetti squash into quarters and some snow peas (removing the jagged ends) into quarters.  Slice green onions (scallions) into long slivers.  Mince three to four cloves of garlic very finely.  Cut extra firm tofu into small rectangles.  Now you are ready to start cooking!

Saute the onions, bell peppers and garlic with some salt and pepper in some heated olive oil.  Make sure the pan does not get too hot, so that the garlic will not burn.  After a few minutes, add the squash, peas and any other veggies you want, along with the tofu into the pan.  Add some chili pepper flakes according to your desired heat level.  Always salt and pepper each new ingredient that is added to the pan to layer flavors into your final dish.  Add the rice noodles into the pan along with the water and seasoning.  Stir for a few minutes until the noodles are tender and incorporated with the veggies.  Now add a few tablespoons of sugar, this will balance out the salt, chili peppers and garlic, and bring out the flavors of each ingredient.  Add in the green onions and bean sprouts (if you want).  This dish is packs the flavor and is absolutely delicious!

• Thai Kitchen – Thai Peanut noodles
• Extra Firm Tofu, half a container
• Onion, one
• Bell pepper, one
• Spaghetti Squash, one
• Green onions/scallions, three to four stalks
• Garlic, three to four cloves
• Bean sprouts
• Chili pepper flakes
• Sugar
• Any other veggies you want to add, like mushrooms, broccoli, etc

Pick several soft, blackening avocados for same-day guacamole, but if you plan to wait a few days, err on the firmer, greener side. Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the inside. When you have the flesh of the avocado in a bowl, mash the fruit (which is technically a large berry) with a fork until all of the chunks are gone. This is my secret to perfect guac: I like to develop a soft mashed, almost creamy consistency to the avocados before adding any other ingredients into the mixture.

Mince two to three cloves of garlic, between one-quarter and half an onion, one tomato and between two and three sprigs of scallions very finely and add them to the bowl. I like to mince all of the ingredients very finely so that they will incorporate really well into the avocado mixture and be present in each bite. Add salt and pepper.

At this point, you have some options. If you like a really spicy guac, add between half and a whole minced jalapeno pepper. If you want to cut corners and still add a kick to your guac, add some chili pepper flakes (yes, the kind you would top your pizza with…they are a delicious and easy addition!). If you like lime, add the juice of half a lime. And finally, if you like cilantro, chop up some fresh cilantro and add to the bowl. An easy to add some zip to the guac if you don’t like cilantro is to add some fresh parsley. Guacamole is of course always great with high quality chips, layered on a sandy, and topped off on a burger.

Avocados, 2 – 4
Garlic, 2 – 3 cloves
Onion, ½ – whole
Tomato
Scallions, 2 – 3 sprigs
Salt
Pepper
Jalapeno, ½ – whole OR Chili pepper flakes to taste

Optional
Cilantro, about 1 tablespoon chopped or Parsley, about 1 tablespoon chopped
Lime, half