Green Crab Cafe

 

green crabs

I have recently started a new blog known as Green Crab Cafe. It is all about harvesting, cooking and eating the invasive green crabs that are found along New England and up to the Canadian coast. I invite you to join me in my quest to help mitigate this destructive species by capturing and eating them one by one. I hope my recipes will inspire you to eat them too!

Best regards,

Thanh Thai

Tish's Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Tish's Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
(photo courtesy of Tish, 2017)

Happy New Year! Thanh's Kitchen is excited to welcome 2017 to your kitchen with Tish's Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad!! As I mentioned in my end of 2016 post that moving forward I will try to find guest bloggers. Luckily my lovely friend Tish took time out of her busy schedule to share a healthy and nutritious recipe that her family loves. Tish's brother-in-law founded Granite State Race Services, LLC that time and score nearly 200 events each year throughout New England including the New York Marathon. Tish and her husband Bill work in this family business. If you have ever wondered who does all the road race timing and management well now you know! Check out their website for upcoming races! Below is Tish's write up. Thank you Tish!

Recently I made this salad, and my son John, who is a junior in college, had seconds with his dinner, and two extra helpings for snacks that evening. It's a really healthy and delicious favorite in my house. We like all of the fresh flavors mixed together. I think I originally got the recipe from the back of the bag of Bob's Red Mill Red Quinoa, and I improved it a bit by adding extra fresh lime juice, extra green onions, and a bit less salt than the original recipe calls for (by the way, I've found Market Basket is the best place to find this quinoa, it's much cheaper than at Shaw's and Hannaford's). I usually make a double batch, because we go through the left overs in no time. Hope you like it! Enjoy!

--Tish--

Tish's Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad 

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked red quinoa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 to 3 green onions, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 avocado, chopped

Dressing 

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. tabasco sauce (optional, but we love it!)

Method:

Cook quinoa according to package directions, and allow to cool. Chop and mix the rest of the salad ingredients, except add the avocado just before serving. Mix dressing separately, and add to salad. It's best to chill before serving.

Thank You

Blogging has been one interesting journey for me and I truly enjoyed this creative experience. It has been nearly 5 years since I started typing out my recipes along with some very talented guest bloggers--resulting in nearly 500 posts. As with many fun activities, there is an end and so for now, it's time for me to retire from blogging. I am glad that I took a chance and blindly leapt into this project with little information on blogging. I believe that sometimes what you read can deter you from doing some things. As with all things in my life I hope that I have improved since my initial post. The most important accomplishment is that I have achieved a few personal goals that I set for myself back in 2012:

1) To document for the first time recipes and ideas not only from my own imagination and memories of food that I ate but also some from my own family. Almost all of my family's recipes came from word of mouth...and as many of you have read often quite vague! I know of only one recipe that was written down. In the early 1980s, my mother's egg roll recipe was published in our community church cookbook.

2) To improve my writing skills...mainly to write in complete sentences. Writing is a huge struggle for me and it is still a work in progress. For 2 decades I barely wrote in complete sentences or in paragraphs. In nursing (as a Registered Nurse and as a Family Nurse Practitioner) one does not write a lengthy story. If you write too much on your patients no one will have the time or interest to read it. We prefer short, simple and to the point!

3) To improve my photography skills...which is also a work in progress. There is always room for improvement and every day I strive to gain new skills and be better. And as with food, I find that photography brings people closer together.

4) To involve some of my friends and family/relatives as guest writers/bloggers so they can share their delicious recipes, great ideas or stories. I want to thank my family and friends who have contributed to my blog: my grandparents, my parents, my father-in-law, aunts, cousins, and friends.

I also want to thank all of my blog members for your support. Thank you to those of you for stopping by my website to visit even if it was by accident! I am constantly in awe to see viewers from all over the world...even some countries I have not yet visited. I know for a fact that some of my members are not scared of my blog or are horrified by what I wrote/cooked/ate. I sincerely thank you for sticking around! I also want to thank my husband Paul for his endless support and constant encouragement, putting up with my hobbies, helping me do the dishes/cleaning the mess I made in the kitchen, eating everything I make without questioning and always appearing to enjoy every bite! So, what's next? At the moment I will try to keep this blog up passively. Instead of writing my own recipes I may continue to have guest bloggers in the future...of course if I can locate them! For any members who have any interest in sharing your recipes, ideas or food stories please let me know. I would love to have you be a part of my food journey!

--photo taken with my husband Paul on Maui, 2016--

Again thank you for following my blog and I hope you get to play with your ingredients often! May you stay happy, healthy, safe, surrounding yourself with good company and good food! Happy New Year from Thanh's Kitchen to yours!                   

Thanh Thai
thanhskitchen.com
thanhskitchen@gmail.com

--photo taken in NH in 2015--

Four Berry Sauce

Four Berry Sauce with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries

berry sauce with strawberries and raspberries

You can make this quick and easy Four Berry Sauce using any type of fresh berries. I prefer using a combination of different types of berries for colors, texture, and taste. Recently I helped my neighbor Inge make some using strawberries and blackberries to drizzle over a plain cheesecake. While visiting my in-laws over Christmas I made a sauce using strawberries and raspberries to drizzle over pancakes and ice cream. This recipe is a sauce made with multiple berries, especially for my husband to eat with plain yogurt for breakfast. You can adjust the amount of additional sugar based on how sweet the berries are already and your personal preference. This sauce may be refrigerated for up to a week.

Four Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

16 oz fresh strawberries
12 oz fresh blueberries
6 oz fresh blackberries
6 oz fresh raspberries
About 1/3 cup sugar
Cornstarch-Water Mixture (thickener): about 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and 1 Tbsp of water--mix well, optional

Method:

In a medium sized pot cook the strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and sugar in medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the berries are mildly soft (about 5-6 minutes). Add raspberries and cornstarch-water mixture to thicken the sauce. Stir and turn off heat. Keep the pot on the stove to cook further.

*I used 100% natural turbinado cane sugar in this recipe.

Taro Pancakes

Taro Pancakes (makes about 10-12 pancakes)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 cup Taro Pancake Mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Whisk the milk and egg together. Slowly whisk in all the dry ingredients. Lightly fry the pancakes in a little oil until golden brown.

*I used Hawaii's Taro Pancake mix (Taro Brand from Hawaii). The pancake mix calls for adding just water but I added a few extra ingredients.
*Add more milk if the batter is too thick and add more flour if the batter is too thin.

Four Berry Sauce over Taro Pancakes

*Addendum:

I did not like the previous pancake recipe (above) but my husband thought they were fine. This time I made another batch of 8 pancakes and they were a lot softer. I used about 1 cup of Taro Pancake Mix. Add a few large spoonfuls of plain yogurt and enough milk and whisk everything until the batter is a little thinner than honey consistency

Naghmeh's Rainbow Salad (serves about 2)

Naghmeh's Rainbow Salad

Naghmeh tells me she makes a salad by chopping up vegetables to eat along with Alex's Chicken Moufle. Here is my version of this salad and I am going to name it after her!

Naghmeh's Rainbow Salad (serves about 2)

Ingredients:

About 1/2 small orange bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced
About 10 small tomatoes (various types and colors), halved or quartered
About 1/4 English cucumber, chopped
1/8th red onion, peeled, sliced
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
Juice from about 1/2 a lime
A little olive oil (about 1 tsp)
A little salt
A little white pepper

Method:

Toss everything in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Naghmeh's Persian Salad

Naghmeh's Persian Salad consists of ingredients that she typically makes for her family. Traditionally there is no bell pepper but sometimes she adds it to this salad. Thank you Naghmeh for sharing your recipes!

Naghmeh's Persian Salad

Ingredients:

Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Onions
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Mint
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Toss everything together, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

*In this salad (see photo above) I use about 3/4 English cucumber (keeping the skin on), a large handful of small variety of tomatoes, about 1/4 large red onion, juice from about half a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, about 10 mint leaves, and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. I like to cut my vegetables in various sizes for my own visual gratification. You can chop them or cut them however you prefer. Once you make this salad serve it right away. If you leave it too long it will get watery.

Alex's Chicken Moufle (about 4-5 servings)

 

Alex's Chicken Moufle

I first met my beautiful Iranian-American friend Naghmeh several decades ago in high school Track & Field. Honestly, I could not run...maybe unless I am being chased by a bear and my life is depending on how fast my legs move! I definitely did not win any medals but at least that extra-curricular activity allowed me to stay active and made new friends. Somehow we lost touch after we graduated from college probably because both of us moved multiple times and our busy lives took us in different paths but luckily we found each other again thanks to social media. When I met her we became instant friends. She and I shared many things in common. One significant life changing event--we both left our birth countries with our parents to seek a better opportunity in the United States. I remember she told me she and her parents left family, friends, and their worldly possessions...uprooted from a comfortable and well-to-do lifestyle in Iran to live in a small rental apartment in Bangor. Although it must have been a huge life-altering adjustment for all of them, as it is for most of us who find ourselves having to resettle in a foreign country, I never once heard them complain or speak of anything negative. I know they were very happy to reunite with her sister and other relatives already here. Currently, Naghmeh resides with her beautiful family in California. Although she is a working mom she loves cooking especially Persian food for her family.

Recently Naghmeh shared with me her version of Persian lemon chicken. She cooks without measuring but she gave me her best estimation of the ingredients. She does not have a name for this dish but tells me her son Alex named it "chicken moufle" when he was just four years old! "I'm not sure why he called that. He has always made up names for things." Both of her children, Alex and Samira love this dish and when they request this dish they refer to it as "chicken moufle"!
 
She explains that many Persian dishes have turmeric and she normally uses the powder form. According to her this is not a fancy dish and does not require any herbs. She admits that adding lemon slices as a  garnish to create a prettier presentation can't hurt. "The key is the long cooking time to develop the simple but strong flavors." She serves this chicken dish with rice and Persian chopped salad.

Thank you Naghmeh for sharing this special Persian dish and to Alex for putting a name to something delicious! Below is Naghmeh's recipe.

Alex's Chicken Moufle

Alex's Chicken Moufle (about 4-5 servings)

Ingredients:

About 2 Tbsp canola oil or grape seed oil
1 large onion, peeled, cut into wedges
About 2 Tbsp turmeric powder
8-10 chicken drumsticks with skin intact
About 2 cups water (or enough to cover 1/4 way up the pan)
About 2 Tbsp lemon juice (from store bought bottle)
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Saute onion in a little canola or grape seed oil until lightly golden. Add about 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder. Turn the heat on high, arrange the chicken drums on the bottom of the pan with the onions spreading around the chicken. Let the chicken brown for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper the chicken (I like a good amount of salt). Add about 2 cups of water (or enough to cover 1/4 way up the pan). Cover the pan and turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add about 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice (more depth in flavor than fresh). Cover the pot or pan back up, turn the heat to low and let simmer for at least an hour. Add more water, salt and pepper if needed. Once done the chicken should fall off the bone.

*My version of Alex's Chicken Moufle is basically the same as above. I bought 9 chicken drumsticks (used "all natural" fresh young chickens) that came in a package. The chicken came to 1.19 pounds and with the total cost of $3.37 USD. Pretty cheap for good chicken! There was not much fat but I cut out some of the fatty parts of the skin and left most of the skin intact. I added the chicken drumsticks and lightly sear these first before adding the turmeric powder. Instead of water, I used 4 cups of (organic) store-bought chicken stock. I simmered everything in the pot for 20 minutes then added 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (store bought bottle), 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper. Instead of covering the pot completely I partially covered it for about another 1 hour over low heat so the liquid can reduce to about half. Roughly every 20 minutes I skimmed off and discarded the impurities that floated to the top. My friend and neighbor Inge described what sounds to me she had caught an intestinal virus and had not been eating for 4 days. I invited her to join me for dinner and she surprised us both with what she could eat. She thanked me for getting her appetite back to near normal with this meal! We ate this with freshly steamed rice and Naghmeh's Rainbow Salad. Tasty!!

*Here is a WedMD link on turmeric. This has the general overview, uses, side effects, interactions and dosing (pill form) on turmeric. Before you take any herbal supplement such as turmeric pills please consult with your health care provider.  http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-turmeric.aspx?activeingredientid=662

*University of Maryland Medical Center also has some great information on turmeric with references of supporting research documents if you wish to review them. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/turmeric  

Naghmeh's Rainbow Salad

Naghmeh tells me she makes a salad by chopping up vegetables to eat along with this dish. Here is my version of this salad and I am going to name it after her!

Naghmeh's Rainbow Salad (about 2 servings)

Ingredients:

About 1/2 small orange bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced
About 10 small tomatoes (various types and colors), halved or quartered
About 1/4 English cucumber, chopped
1/8th red onion, peeled, sliced
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
Juice from about 1/2 a lime
A little olive oil (about 1 tsp)
A little salt
A little white pepper

Method:

Toss everything in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Naghmeh's Persian Salad

The salad below consists of ingredients that Naghmeh usually make for her family. Traditionally there is no bell pepper but sometimes she adds it to this salad. Thank you Naghmeh for sharing your recipes!

Naghmeh's Persian Salad

Ingredients:

Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Onions
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Mint leaves
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Toss everything together and serve immediately.

*In this salad (see photo above) I used about 3/4 English cucumber (keeping the skin on), a large handful of small variety of tomatoes, about 1/4 large red onion, juice from about half a lemon, a few drizzles of extra-virgin olive oil, about 10 home-grown mint leaves, and seasoned with a few pinches of salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. I like to cut my vegetables in various ways for my own visual gratification. You can chop them or cut them however you prefer. Once you make this salad serve it right away. If you leave it too long it will get watery as the salt will draw out the liquid.
*Choose cucumbers with few or small seeds. If you happen to find some with large seeds just scoop out the middle and discard. 

Scallop & Shrimp Ceviche (appetizer for about 12-14 people)

Scallop & Shrimp Ceviche

I made this Scallop & Shrimp Ceviche to bring to a pre-Christmas party last night--hosted by our dear friend and neighbor Carlos. Yes, the same Carlos who shared with me his family tamales recipe! I was unsure how everyone (at the party) will react to eating completely raw seafood so I "cooked" the scallops in lime and lemon juice for about 3 hours. The acid caused the scallops to turn quite opaque. I also peeled and steamed the large shrimp until they were just cooked--about 5 minutes. Once the shrimp completely cooled down, I diced them, added them to the scallops and kept them refrigerated. I kept the cut up scallops and shrimp in a lemon-lime juice in one glass container and all the vegetables and herbs in another. At the party I combined everything together and seasoned with salt and hot sauce. To me the sriracha is mild in spiciness. If you want to make it with more heat then add some chopped chili peppers such as Thai chilies or habaneros. Once everything got mixed then I placed it over a larger container with lots of ice to keep the contents cold for the duration of our party. 

I did not intend to post this recipe since it was on the spur of the moment and I was rushed. However, I noticed everyone was eating the ceviche and they all seemed to enjoy it. So I ran to the bowl to get a photo. Luckily there was a little remaining.

Thank you Carlos for another fun party!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
(photo courtesy of my husband Paul, 2016)

Scallop & Shrimp Ceviche (appetizers for about 12-14 people)

Ingredients:

About 1 1/2 lb shrimp
About 1 1/2 lb fresh local scallops, previously frozen, thawed in refrigerator and diced
Zests from 1 lime and 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lime
Juice from 1 lemon
A handful of cilantro leaves, chopped or cut with kitchen scissors
1 yellow baby bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 red baby bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
3/4 pint of grape tomatoes, some seeds removed, halved or quartered
1 bunch of scallions, green parts only, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1/3 red onion, chopped
Sea salt to taste
Sriracha sauce

Method:

1) Peel the shrimp and steam for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. The shrimp will turn pink when cooked. Set aside and let the shrimp cool completely. Dice each shrimp into 4-5 pieces depending on the size of your shrimp.
2) Remove the side muscles from the scallops and any sand. Wash well in cold water. Let them drain completely. Dice or cube them and put them in a large ceramic or glass container.
3) Zest the lime and lemon and juice the lime and lemon over the scallop pieces. Stir and refrigerate for about 3 hours. Add shrimp pieces after 2 hours.
4) Before serving add cilantro, bell peppers, tomatoes, scallions, cucumber, onion, and season with salt and sriracha sauce to taste.
5) Place the container on ice to keep everything cold.

Fried Wings (makes 24 wings)

I don't eat a whole lot of fried foods but I do like to eat these Fried Wings once in a great while. I am not too fond of wings dripping with sauce. Most of the time I find the BBQ sauce or Buffalo wing sauce too overwhelming for my taste buds. I prefer my wings with as little sauce as possible. Here is a simple wing recipe. Feel free to smother them in your favorite sauce or dipping if interested!

My eldest maternal aunt, whom I called Tùa Ý makes her delicious fried wings simply with just salt and ground black pepper. To me they are simple but very tasty.

Fried Wings

Fried Wings (makes 24 wings)

Ingredients:

24 chicken wings (about 3 lbs), separated the wings (by cutting at the joint), trimmed off fat and excess skin, washed, patted dried with paper towels
1/3 cup of store-bought Cajun Fish Fry Flour*
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Coat the wings with flour. Heat oil to around 350-360 degrees Fahrenheit and then deep fry the wings for about 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.

*The Fry Krisp Company makes the Cajun Fish Fry Flour. It is a mixture of corn flour, corn meal, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a few other spices. The idea is to coat the wings with flour and then deep fry them. I used a plastic bag, add the wings and flour and shake a few times to help coat all the wings evenly. During frying I cover my pot with a splatter guard to help prevent spattering. If you dry the wings well then there will be less oil spattering.

Simple Fried Chicken Wings--Auntie's Style

Ingredients:

Chicken wings, separated the wings (by cutting at the joint), trimmed off fat and excess skin, washed, patted dried with paper towels
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Oil for deep frying

Method:

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper all over the wings. Heat oil to around 350-360 F degrees and then deep fry these for about 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.

Simple Sauteed Gnocchi (serves 2)

Simple Sauteed Gnocchi

Here is an easy but tasty dish using parmigiano reggiano (cheese) and home-made gnocchi.

Simple Sauteed Gnocchi (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus a few more drizzles
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
About 1 Tbsp chopped scallion
5-6 thin slices of salami, stack and cut into strips
1-lb Home-Made Herb Speck Gnocchi
A pinch of salt
Parmigiano reggiano, sliced or grated (garnish)
Dried or fresh chopped curly leaf parsley (garnish)

Method:

1) Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot add oil.
2) Add shallot, garlic and scallions. Saute for about 30 seconds to a minute.
3) Add salami and cook for about a minute.
4) Add the gnocchi and season with salt if needed. Give the contents a few tosses. Remove from heat after about a minute.
5) Divide contents into 2 plates. Add sliced or grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and sprinkle the parsley on top. May add a few drizzles of olive oil on top if interested.

*If you are using dried parsley then you can crumble some with your palms before adding to the food. I never can use up the fresh parsley so I always dry them in the kitchen to use later.
*You can also use prosciutto instead of salami. The meat and cheese have lots of salt so you may not need to add any additional salt to your dish.

Georgia's Avgolemono (about 6-7 servings)

avgolemono with a sprinkle of freshly ground white pepper

I personally think avgolemono, a Greek lemon and egg soup is absolutely delicious. Perhaps because I prefer the sour taste over sweet or salty flavors. I have not eaten this soup for several years and realize it is time to make some. I got in touch with my lovely former co-worker Georgia for the recipe. I met her while she was working as a pharmacy technician and attending pharmacy school. Sometimes we ate lunch together and I always found her stories of her visits to see her Greek grandmother (in Greece) fascinating. Georgia left her pharmacy tech job after she graduated from college and is currently working as a Clinical Lab Specialist. I think her coworkers are very lucky to be working with her. 

Georgia tells me she generally uses about 6 cups of chicken broth, a little olive oil, 1/2 to 1 cup of orzo, 2-3 lemons (depending on the size), 2 eggs, salt and ground pepper. According to Georgia you can add bits of chicken in the soup (as I did here in this recipe) if you make the stock from scratch. Some people even add carrots or fish. 

Thank you Georgia for sharing your recipe and ideas!

Georgia's Avgolemono (about 6-7 servings)

Ingredients:

8 cups of chicken broth (low sodium)
1 cup orzo
About 2 lbs skin-less chicken thighs with bones
Juice from 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup of juice)
3 large eggs
Salt to taste
Freshly ground white pepper, garnish

Method:

In a large pot cook the orzo and chicken thighs in the broth until the orzo is cooked (about 15 minutes).  Skim and discard any impurities that float to the top. Gently whisk the lemon juice and the eggs until well blended. While whisking lemon juice and eggs slowly pour in about a cup of the boiling stock from the broth to temper the eggs and lemon mixture. Season with salt (I used about 3/4 teaspoon). Turn off heat and cover the pot. After 45 minutes to an hour remove the chicken thighs. Remove the meat from one thigh and discard the bone. Chop up the meat. Return the chopped chicken back into the soup. Serve with a little freshly ground white pepper.

*I purchased 4 "all natural" chicken thighs with bone-in and skin-on. The skin-on chicken is a lot cheaper to buy than skin-less. Once home I removed and discarded the skin and fat. I added the whole pieces in the broth to cook for a more flavorful broth. I shredded only one piece of the chicken thigh because I do not want to overwhelm my soup with the chicken. I saved the rest of the thighs for another meal.
*I omitted adding the ground pepper to the pot but will add a little freshly ground white pepper when I ladle out in a bowl prior to eating.