Lean Cuisine Recalls

Thanks to the Red Eye here in Chicago for passing along this information.  Now I get to pass it on to you!

http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-leancuisinerecall,0,3188235.story

The makers of Lean Cuisine are recalling three of its frozen chicken meals that may contain pieces of plastic, according to federal officials.

The affected items are:

Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, 9.5-ounce packages with production code 8280595912 and an expiration date of May 2010

Chicken Mediterranean, 10.5-ounce packages with production codes 8231595912 or 8241595912 and expiration dates of September 2010.

Chicken Mediterranean packages with production codes of 8263595912, 8269595911 or 8274595912 with expiry dates of October 2010.

Chicken Mediterranean packages with production codes 8291595912 or 8301595912 with expiry dates of November 2010.

Chicken Tuscan, 12.5-ounce packages with production codes 8234595911 with expiry dates September 2009; production codes 8253595911 or 8269595911 with expiry dates October 2009; production codes 8292595911 or 8296595911 with expiry dates November 2009.

The production codes and expiration dates are on the sides of the packages. All boxes carry the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection mark EST P-9018.

The plastic can cause serious injury or death if ingested, according to the USDA’s Web site.

Lean Cuisine products are made by Nestle Prepared Foods Co. in Springville, Utah.

Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad

Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad

As anyone who knows me can attest, I love the Wow Bao.  It’s a fast, health(ier) meal than your usual fast food selections.  But the price tag, even on those tiny bao with their side salads, can quickly start hurting the wallet.

So this recipe can about because of the insatiable, one-ring-like obsession I had with the spicy peanut noodle salad over the weekend.  Most of the recipes I found online called for a disturbing amount of ingredients for a dish I knew couldn’t be that hard to make.  I was about to give up on the idea when Ming Tsai came to my rescue with his version of the salad that seemed closest to what I was looking for.

Yes, I may hate the man’s packaged potato chips, but I can still taste quality when I see it.  I left out the peanut garnish simply because I didn’t have any peanuts sitting around the house.  All the other ingredients are things you should have in your pantry, except maybe the sesame oil.

Spicy Peanut Noodle Salad

• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon coarse ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 1 cucumber, halved and cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted (salted) peanuts for garnish (optional)

1. In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sesame oil, vinegar, chile, sugar, Dijon, coriander and soy until smooth.
2. Whisk in the canola oil and check for seasoning.
3. In a large bowl, toss dressing with the pasta, cucumbers, bell pepper and scallions.
4. Adjust seasoning according to taste.

Pumpkin Pie Mousse

Pumpkin Pie Mousse Pie

As promised, I’m actually delivering the pumpkin pie mousse recipe THIS week.  This recipe is truly a Frankensteinian creation.  I enjoyed the pumpkin pie batter I had made for a pie a few weeks ago, and couldn’t stop wondering how it would taste as a mousse.  Surprisingly, I was unable to find any pumpkin pie mousse recipes, which ultimately led to me playing mad scientist in the kitchen.

Part of this recipe comes from the original 1950′s Good Housekeeping cookbook.  The other half is just a basic recipe for mousse.  I wasn’t sure what the results we ultimately be, but damned if the taste doesn’t remind me of biting into a pumpkin pie flavored milk shake.

I *think* I may dish it into a golden graham crust for an extra bit of deliciousness.  You can never have too much of that.

Pumpkin Pie Mousse
Serves 5-8, depending on the size of the servings.

• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 6 oz. evaporated milk

1. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then refrigerate.
2. Whip the egg whites in a medium bowl until they are foamy and beginning to hold a shape. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
3. Mix the pumpkin, spices & milk until well blended. Mix in the egg yolks.
4. Gently stir about one-third of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture. Fold in half the whites just until incorporated, then fold in the remaining whites, and finally the remaining whipped cream.
5. Spoon or pipe the mousse into a serving bowl or individual dishes. If you wish, top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
6. Note: The mousse can be refrigerated for up to a day.

Whole Wheat Drop Dumpling Soup

It’s apparently “Comfort Food Week” in the kitchen of Mike and Katie.  It could be due to the weather getting colder, or it could be because I think I’m coming down with a cold.  Either way, between the cookies, the sweet potato pie, and now some easy vegetable broth soup, I feel like I’m 8 years old again.

Drop dumplings hold a special place in my heart.  I remember as a kid helping my grandmother drop the dough into boiling water, making enough dumplings to last a week.  The tradition was passed down to my mother once my grandmother could no longer handle standing over the stove.  And while my sister took it over for my mom now that my mom suffers from severe knee pain, I’m proud to take up the mantle with a bit of my own personality thrown into the mix.

I adapted this recipe from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, quite the compendium of deliciousness. They refer to it as spaetzle, but I feel that unless you have a spaetzle maker, you’re crossing the line into dumpling category size-wise.  I swapped out a cup of the all-purpose flour with a cup of wheat flour to make the dumplings slightly healthier.  I think for the next pot, though, I’ll add some seitan or fake chik’n to really go for the chicken and dumplings soup feel.

Whole Wheat Drop Dumpling Soup
Makes 4 servings

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 quarts + 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk, plus more if needed

1. Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, a minute or two.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, combine the flour with a large pinch of salt and several pinches of pepper in a bowl.  Lightly beat the eggs and milk together in another bowl and add to the flour, stirring.  If necessary, add a little more milk until the mixture has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
3. Keep the stock at a steady but not violent boil. Scoop a teaspoon or so of batter and drop it into the stock.  Small pieces may break off, but the batter should remain largely intact.  Repeat with all of the dough.  When the spaetzle rise to the top they will be done.
4. Serve!

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

There are three things I love about November: Eggnog Milkshakes, Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin.  Unfortunately, I won’t be discussing my secret recipe for eggnog milkshakes at the moment, mostly because I don’t have one.  But I will be sharing a recipe I found and adapted from Recipezaar.

Most of the recipe ideas I make usually come from conversations that start, “Wouldn’t it taste good if…?” Some of those have lead to the, to borrow a phrase from the mayor of Newark, “crispy deliciousness” of Mozzarella Bacon Rolls.  Occasionally they result in Pad Thai Bread, which I still haven’t figured out so my bottle of Tamarind concentrate sits on its shelf taunting me.

Two of the recipes this week come from one of those conversations.  I’m posting the first one today, because the pies just SMELLED good as they were baking, and the batter tasted even better.  I’ve never made a hybrid pie like this before.  Hell, I made my first ever pumpkin pie maybe 2 weeks ago.  I’ve always relied on my mom’s pumpkin pie during the cold holiday months.

The second recipe will be posted next week, once I figure out what I’m doing, but it involves more pumpkin, as I’ve decided to try and create some pumpkin pie mousse to fill some chocolate cups I have.  It could be delicious, or it could be a disaster, but isn’t that the fun of cooking?

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

• 1 (29 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 1 (30 ounce) cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 deep dish pie shells or 4 regular pie crusts
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve with pie

1. Chop and place 3-4 sweet potatoes into a large pot of bowling water. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Drain and mash the sweet potatoes well.
2. In a large bowl combine and mix well pumpkin, sweet potatoes, milk, eggs, spices, vanilla, sugars, and syrup. Mix until thick, creamy and well combined.
3. Place pie crusts on a cookie sheet, and pour mixture into pie crusts.
4. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes; lower temperature to 350°F and bake for 45 minutes longer.
5. Remove from oven cool completely.
6. Serve with Cool-Whip, ice cream, and/or whip cream.

Vegan Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies

By all rights, Katie should be the one on here posting this story.  After all, she’s the one who decided to bake up the recipe.  I simply stood by and sifted the flour when she needed it.  Oh, and I ate the majority of them as well.  That could possibly explain my complete lack of weightloss over the last 2 weeks.

But I know Katie well enough to know she’ll never actually write on the blog.  She’s not much into sitting in front of computers for stretches at a time.  She much prefers “living life” and being “outside.”  So I’m going to write up this recipe for her, in her voice.

Take it away Katie….

Thanks baby.  Can I just say that you are one hell of a guy?  Because you are.  If not for you, my interest in food, nay, in LIFE would have waned years ago.  You have invigorated me to enjoy life to the fullest.  And by to the fullest, I mean by baking these totally delicious Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies.  I found them leafing through our copy (I say our because we’re engaged now, and it seems right) of Skinny Bitch in the Kitch.  I can’t wait to try their Chocolate Chip Cookies either, but really, any chocolate chip cookie is a good chocolate chip to me.

Am I right, or am I right?  Ladies?

But until I buy some chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies will have to do.  Oh darn.

Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies
Makes about 40

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, oil and peanut butter, mixing on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the water, molasses and vanilla, mixing until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 to 4 additions, mixing each addition until almost fully incorporated.  Add the potato chips, mixing until just combined.
4. Arrange 2-Tbsp-sized balls of cookie dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Press to about 3/4-inch thick, then use the back of a fork to mark each cookie with a crosshatch pattern, if desired.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned and the centers are set.  Thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.

Pretty easy, and pretty tasty.  The hardest part about these cookies is trying to convince people that the inclusion of potato chips isn’t as weird as it sounds.  They mostly just add some crunch to the chip.

Thanks for sticking around.

Mike is awesome!  Katie out!