Category: scallions

No. 593Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Santa Fe Salad

Santa Fe Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Today I am recreating a favorite restaurant salad–Cheesecake Factory Santa Fe Salad another Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY

Beginning in Beverly Hills in 1978 (wow) starting with just cheesecake then expanding to a full menu, the restaurant chain has thrived over the years. Of course the cheesecake is great, however one of their salads has remained a favorite-the Santa Fe Salad. Although the menu is a throw back to the 80’s, the food is still great.

SANTA FE SALAD MEMORIES

It may seem a bit dated, but this salad has a taste combination that remains flavor relevant. Fond memories of getting lunch with my bestie at my home in Pasadena. Sadly she has passed, but enjoying the salad reminds me of her. The core ingredients of the salad are simple, roasted chicken if desired, grilled fresh corn, black beans, tortilla strips and Romaine lettuce, but the dressing(s) are the KEY. Tossed with a Spicy Peanut-Cilantro Vinaigrette which is so yummy I like spike it flavor up with the addition of a side of their Peanut Sauce which I always order.

Santa Fe Salad | Bijouxs Litle Jewels

 

SANTA FE SALAD AT HOME

Now that the Cheesecake Factory is just not down the street, I took a try at making the salad myself, knowing the salad dressings would be the key. Yes there are a few components to the salad, however you can make the dressings ahead and store in the refrigerator. Of course, I searched around the internet and found a few versions of the salad recipe. Guess I’m not the only one who craves this salad. I came pretty close with my sleuthing and tinkering to try to get the flavors correct. The peanut sauce is not exact yet, but close. I serve the salad without the chicken, which is how I order it.

Santa Fe Salad

Food memories are always a Little Jewel.

 

No. 591Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Chicken Pho Soup

Chicken Pho Soup| Litle Jewels from the Kitchen

Soup is comfort. The newest Little Jewel in the Collection is this light and fresh Chicken Pho Soup. A lovely take on classic Pho Soup, and it is made easy in the Instant Pot.
Enjoy recipe #591 in the Collection.

CHICKEN SOUP

This classic bowl chicken soup of comfort is elevated with traditional Vietnamese ingredients you enjoy in Pho Soup, only this is a lighter and fresher version. The broth is clear, with pieces of white meat chicken and tender rice noodles all in a spiced broth. Fresh herbs of cilantro, mint and basil are helped along with slices of fresh jalapeño.

Chicken Pho Soup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CLASSIC PHO

Classic Vietnamese Pho Soup is traditionally made with beef, yet making it with chicken is also a great option. I became acquainted with the soup via a wonderful family restaurant near my home. I was beginning my career as a Personal Chef and asked the chef if he could share a little about the recipe. I did learn that the key is the broth. This recipe is a simplified version perfect for the home cook, and even better the chicken and broth are cooked in the Instant Pot! As we all know the Instant Pot shaves cooking time off of many long cooking dishes. The chicken is placed in the pot whole for 15 minutes of cooking and emerges falling off the bone tender. The herbs and spices that were sautéed in the pot prior, now come to bloom in full flavor.

INSTANT POT PHO

After the chicken cooks allow the Instant Pot sealing to lower and natural pressure to release. Carefully lift the chicken out of the broth, using the rack helps to lift the chicken carefully to a shallow pan to cool, then the skin is removed and the chicken meat is shredded for the soup. Now it’s time strain the broth and return to a medium pot on the stove. The salt pepper and fish sauce are added, then the shredded chicken, about 3 cups of meat.

BOWLS OF PHO

Now the fun begins, building the bowls of soup. Prepare the noodles per the package instructions, drain and set aside. First I fill each bowl with the hot broth and shredded chicken. Next to each bowl I add tons of fresh herbs, jalapeño, and green onions. Crispy fresh beans sprouts top each bowl. Soup it up! Sign up for my recipe newsletter to never miss the newest Collection recipe.

 

 

No. 570Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Sri Lankan dishes are fresh, vibrant, distinct and a perfect recipe to sample this cuisine is Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry Recipe from Kolamba, Soho NYC. The newest Little Jewel recipe added to the Membership Collection.

LONDON CALLING

Sri Lankan dishes are starting to become known in their own right thanks to a group of restaurants in London. First was Hoppers, which introduced people to the Sri Lankan savory pancake of the same name. Kolamba, is a modern restaurant in the heart of Soho with a more focused approach to authenticity and the dishes cooked and eaten in homes across the island. But when it comes to the food of Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation just 17 miles off the coast of southern India, a lot of us assume it’s no different to what’s found on the subcontinent. Nothing could be further from the truth. This recipe is adapted from Kolamba in Soho.

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry |Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

SRI LANKAN CUISINE

But what makes Sri Lankan flavors stand out against those found in India? A lot of it comes down to one ingredient: coconut. Despite being a small island it’s the world’s fourth-largest exporter of coconuts, and they are a part of almost every aspect of the national cuisine. ‘We’re always compared to India when it comes to our food, but there are real differences between what we cook and eat compared to the rest of the subcontinent,’ says Eroshan, Kolamba;’s owner, ‘We don’t use any animal fats in our cooking – no ghee, butter, cream or yoghurt – because coconut adds all the rich creaminess we need instead. We go through a couple of hundred coconuts a week here at the restaurant, so it’s the single most important ingredient.’

Sri Lankan food is NOT for the timid eater. Fiery curries, sweet caramelized onion as seen sambal (onion relish), and sour lime pickle are all dominant, powerful flavors that awake the senses dulled by the thick, hot island air. The building blocks of Sri Lankan cuisine are rice, coconut, and native tropical fruits and vegetables. The island grows some 15 varieties of rice (down from 280 just 50 years ago, and 400 in times before that), some of which are used for various types of rice flour pancakes (called hoppers) and rice noodles (called string hoppers).

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

GREEN BEAN CURRY

This simple but flavor forward curry demonstrates the cuisine of Sri Lanka. A simple curry with most ingredients easily found in the supermarket. Curry leaves are the one ingredient that is found in International markets. I am lucky to have a small Indian market by my home where I can get my cooking ingredients, including fresh curry leaves stored in the refrigerated section.  The leaves are used both in the curry and to create the curry oil for garnish. I also can’t leave the market without  Kesar Pista Kufi (Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream) heavenly.

Join Bijouxs and explore the foods of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

No. 487Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp

Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp | Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen

Matcha noodles plus double the curry, doubles the flavor, another Little Jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen–Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp.

CURRY LOVE

Noodles = comfort. Spicing them up with classic Japanese curry mix and Thai red curry paste is a little flavor jewel. As all of you in the Bijouxs tribe recongize, I adore curry. I have Far Out Temple Curry a healthy update, my sister’s Curry Nut Mix, Curry Bone Broth with Mushroom & Greens, Pan Seared Scallops with Coconut Curry plus more just search ‘curry’ to see them all. Today I am adding a new recipe that is a simple joy, Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp

MATCHA NOODLE CURRY WITH SHRIMP

Delicate Japanese soba noodles infused with green matcha create the base of this recipe. Don’t worry if you can’t find matcha soba noodles, plain noodles will work well. The simple curry sauce is the combination of using classic Japanese Curry spice block, (you may have seen in the supers) along with a fragrant Red Thai Curry paste which adds depth to the sauce. This is an almost ready-made curry, the sauce goes together simply, using water and a bit of broth, that’s it.

Onions and carrots, along with fresh shrimp are sautéed and from there the curry sauce takes shape. Once the sauce comes together the cooked noodles are gently tossed in. Serving the noodles in bowls makes slurping them up much easier. Toppings of green onions and cilantro leaves, along with the crunch of mung bean sprouts add freshness to the noodles.

Of course please substitute chicken or tofu as you wish in place of the shrimp. Enjoy a bowl of Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp.

 

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