Comforting Corn Chowder

A perfect hearty soup for a chilly evening, this corn chowder is easy and versatile. Like most of the recipes on this blog, it can be adapted to suit seasonal veggies and while this version calls for bacon, it can also easily be converted to a vegetarian version.

I love that this soup is basically a meal in a bowl and is hearty enough to stand as a main course but only takes about 30 minutes to get to the table.

Other nice additions to this recipe include 1/2 cup of diced red pepper and/or some diced swiss chard to add more green veggies.

Comforting Corn Chowder

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled potatoes, chopped into 1/2" cubes
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 can of whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained (you can also use fresh corn or frozen)
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup diced celery
• 4-5 slices bacon
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp flour
• a few sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
• bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 1/2 cups veggie or chicken stock
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream, canned cream, or milk (fresh cream is best if available)
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional garnish

• 1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion

Directions 

1. Cook the bacon on low heat until the fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Set aside the bacon and reserve the fat. Skip this step for the vegetarian version.
2. In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the bacon fat and olive oil. For a vegetarian version, use butter or olive oil instead of bacon fat.
3. After 1-2 minutes, add the celery and sauté. 
4. When onion and celery are soft, add the flour and cook, stirring rapidly, for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the broth, potatoes, carrots, corn, parsley, bay leaf and thyme. 
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20- 30 minutes or until potatoes are very soft. Stir often.
7. While the soup is simmering, cut the cooked bacon into bits.
8. Stir in the cream, and heat on low another 1-2 minutes.
9. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green onions.

No Fail Yorkshire Puddings

Yorkshire puddings remind me of my childhood, and the Sunday roast beef dinners my mom would make when Grandma came to visit. Although I haven't attempted a roast beef dinner here in Nepal, Yorkshire puddings are great eaten with any stew or gravy meal.

Yorkshire puddings can be tricky and in my small oven I thought for sure these puddings would fail; either they would collapse or they wouldn't rise at all. Miraculously, they were near perfect, crisp on the outside, light on the inside. And the recipe was a simple as anything.

The only downside was I only have a 6 muffin tin, so between me, my husband, and my hungry toddler we were fighting over them!

No fail Yorkshire puddings

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 1 cup milk, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, also at room temperature
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Put about 1/2 tsp butter in each muffin cup.
3. With a fork, beat the eggs, and milk in a bowl or large liquid measuring cup. It is easier if the vessel has a spout to pour.
4. Add in the flour and salt. Beat until there are no lumps and large bubbles are forming.
5. Put the muffin tin with butter in the heated oven. Watch closely until the butter is melted and hot but not burnt.
6. Take out the muffin tin. Pour pudding mixture into each tin, filling up 1/2 to 2/3 of the way.
7. Return pan to oven.
8. Cook for 10 minutes.
9. Turn down heat to 175 and bake until the puddings are puffed and golden. 20-40 minutes depending on your oven!
10. Don't open the oven until the puddings are cooked.
11. Remove from pan and serve immediately. 

Quick Beef Tenderloin and Mushroom Stew

The cold weather is slowly approaching in Kathmandu and beef stew is such a comforting, warming dish that is welcome during those chilly evenings. I haven't been terribly successful in finding a variety of cuts of beef that are good for stew, but it seems that I'm able to find beef tenderloin at pretty much any large or expat-oriented grocery store. (I always stick with the Nina & Hager brand recommended to me when I arrived). While tenderloin isn't ideal for stews, it means the meal can be cooked relatively quickly which is a bonus.

Like most meals I cook, this can be easily adapted to suit seasonal veggies although I think the mushrooms and potatoes are a must. The trick to this dish is not to overcook the meat! (I did the first time, as you can see in the picture this meat is more well-done than medium). Tenderloin should be eaten medium rare and anything beyond a medium will make it seem tough.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 beef tenderloin (mine was small, about 1.5 -2 lbs)
• 1 ½ -2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped 1-1.5 inches
• 1 cup carrots (3-4 medium sized carrots), chopped like potatoes
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms (I used oyster mushrooms as they are in season here. White mushrooms or a mix would also work)
• ½-1 cup shelled fresh peas
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ¾ cup broth (chicken, veggie or beef)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• fresh ground pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet or, ideally, a dutch oven - on medium-high heat.
2. When pan is hot and butter starts foaming, add the entire tenderloin. Sear the meat about 2-3 minutes on each side, trying to brown all sides.
3. Once browned, remove the meat and set aside. If the pan is smoking, turn the heat down and add a little more butter or oil.
4. Sautee the onions and garlic for a minute in the same pan. 
5. Add the mushrooms and cook until they have released their own water. Add the potatoes and carrots.
6. Continue cooking on medium-high/high until some brown bits begin to collect on the pan, maybe 5 minutes.
7. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring vigorously and scraping the bottom of the pan as to not burn.
8. After about a minute, add the wine to deglaze the pan, making sure you scrape up all those little bits of deliciousness stuck to the pan.
9. Add the broth and peas. Bring to a boil then cover and turn down to low. Simmer on low until the veggies are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir occasionally and add a little more wine or broth if necessary 
10. While the stew is simmering, cut the cooled tenderloin into 1" chunks.
11. Add the chunks of beef to the stew and cook on low another 5 minutes or until beef is just cooked but still medium rare - careful not to overcook!

Serve with fresh bread or Yorkshire puddings.

Easy Zucchini Bread or Muffins

Zucchini bread sounds so unappetizing, but really, it is delicious. This recipe is moist, light, and doesn't taste at all like zucchini. It is not too sweet and is a great way to pack in more vegetables to picky kids (or adults!). I'm able to make a fairly healthy homemade snack for my toddler and her friends, and the kids always love it.

I also like that this recipe is flexible and utilizes an inexpensive and common vegetable found easily in Kathmandu. Plus, you don't need a mixer!

The below recipe makes 6 muffins and 2 mini-loaves with my baking equipment, but you can make full sized loaves, muffins or even a cake.

Zucchini Muffin and Loaf with Chocolate

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 2/3 cup melted butter, preferably unsalted (can be substituted with vegetable oil, but trust me butter tastes better!)
• 1 cup sugar (I use brown)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla (*optional)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups flour (I use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white but any combination will do)
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground clove (can be omitted but tastes nice)
• Optional: 1 cup walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, or as I like - semi-sweet chocolate chips are fantastic in this recipe

Equipment

• Greased loaf or muffin pans. This should make 2 regular sized loaves or 18 muffins, or any combination.
• Large bowl
• Smaller bowl
• Sturdy spatula or mixing spoon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F or 170C.
2. Combine sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. 
3. Stir in grated zucchini then add the melted butter, slightly cooled as not to cook the eggs.
4. In a separate large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and powder, spices and salt.
5. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring only to combine. Do not over mix.
6. Gently fold in any optional ingredient you are using.
7. Spoon into greased baking pans, filling loaf pans & muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean- about 25 minutes for muffins and 35-45 for loaves, depending on the size and your oven. 

Let stand and cool before removing from the pans and slicing into. 

Quick Korean Soba Noodle Stir Fry

I like to find healthier alternatives to pasta, and buckwheat (or soba) noodles are a good choice. Despite its name, buckwheat does not contain wheat nor is it related to wheat, and it is packed with iron, fibre, amino acids and other vitamins. Most brands are gluten free if you are into that, although Japanese soba noodles also often contain wheat, so check the packaging label.

This dish is quick and easy - perfect for a week night. It has flavour but is not overwhelming, although marinating the chicken makes it quite tasty. My toddler loves these noodles and ate some of the veggies and chicken in sauce but wasn't crazy about it. If you have little ones who are picky, try keeping some of the noodles aside and not mixing them in the sauce.

Tip: You can really use any veggies for this. I used up things that were in season and in my fridge - but other suggestions are green peppers, onions, or cauliflower or broccoli (either cut very thin or blanched or par-steamed first).

You can also easily make this dish vegetarian by removing the chicken - try adding extra mushrooms and marinating them!

Quick Soba Noodle Stir Fry

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 200g buckwheat noodles
• 250g chicken thigh pieces, sliced or cubed about 1 -2 inches
• 1 cup sliced oyster mushrooms
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced cabbage
• 1/2 cup black fungus mushrooms
• 1 cup baby bok choy
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Sauce

• 5 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp or 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp gojung paste (korean red chili paste) * an alternative here would be to replace the gojung with siracha sauce (this would also increase the spice a bit) or just omit it altogether
• 3 tbsp water

Directions 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
2. Trim the chicken pieces of fat and put them in a bowl. Pour the sauce over the pieces, stir, and let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Cook soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water until cooked or al dente. Drain, run through with cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.
4. In large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat; add chicken and sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink inside, about 3 minutes. Spoon out and set aside.
5. Add the remaining veggies to the pan, except the green onions. Cook until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.
6. Add noodles to pan; cook, stirring to coat with sauce, for 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onion.

Asian Caramel Chicken with Mushrooms

A very flavourful dish for a minimal amount of effort. If you have the ingredients, this takes about 15 minutes to prepare and another 10-15 to cook.  A nice balance of sweet, salt and vinegar and the peanuts really make it pop. Asian spices & sauces are easy to find here in Nepal and I had no trouble sourcing out ingredients for this recipe.

Might be a little strong tasting for some babies & toddlers - even my little "foodie" only ate a few bites and then preferred the accompanying rice. I was surprised because it is quite sweet. My husband and I loved it!

I came across a few versions of this very tasty dish online, and then eventually adapted a few recipes to suit me. It can be made easily without the mushrooms, or you could try subbing in some other veggies.

Asian Caramel Chicken with Mushrooms

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 500g cubed chicken (thighs or other dark meat are best), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 5 cloves garlic chopped fine
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, preferably unsalted
• 1 -2 bunch green onions, washed and chopped
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a bowl, make the sauce. Combine sugar, water, fish sauce, vinegar, soy, garlic and ginger. Whisk 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. 
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
3. Add chicken and mushrooms.
4. Add 1/2 of the sauce and cook about 5 minutes on high.
5. Add the rest of the sauce and cook until sauce is reduced and chicken is cooked 6 or 7 minutes. Stir frequently.
6. Stir in peanuts and green onions and cook 1 minute.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables. 

Delicious!

Basic Cheese Muffins

This is a very quick, very simple recipe that comes in handy when you are out of bread or want a change to serve with a hot soup or chile. While not mind-blowing in terms of taste, this is a humble recipe with a mild flavour.

Besides, who doesn't love cheese?

The recipe is basic but you can spice it up to your liking by adding any number of herbs, spices or flavours. I've included some suggestions in the recipe below.

Basic Cheese Muffins

Ingredients

Makes 12 (or 6 muffins and 1 mini loaf)

• 1 1/2 cups flour (white tastes better, but whole wheat is healthier... I usually use half and half!)
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar 
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups + extra for sprinkling,  grated cheese (aged cheddar is ideal, but if it is hard to find, any strong cheese will do)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
• *optional: about 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper 
• *optional: add your own herb or flavour to enhance this recipe. Suggestions are: 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or dill, 1/3 cup diced cooked ham, 1-2 Tbsp chopped jalapeños or chiles (if you like spicy), sun dried tomatoes, olives ... the possibilities are endless!

Equipment

• 12 cup muffin tin or small loaf pan(s)
• Large bowl
• Smaller bowl
• Sturdy spatula or mixing spoon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F or 180C.
2. Grease baking equipment with a bit of butter.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with a fork until combined.
4. Stir in cheese and pepper (if using)
5. Beat egg with a fork in smaller bowl. Add yoghurt, milk and butter, ensuring that the butter has cooled slightly so as not to cook the eggs.
6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold to just combine. 
7. Spoon into muffin cups and/or mini loaf pan, filling 2/3 full.
8. Top with extra cheese and fresh ground black pepper (optional).
9. Bake 20 -25 minutes (for muffins) or 30-35 for loaves. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. 

*Note on Baking: Baking times may differ depending on your oven.  I have a small convection oven and cook times may differ if you are using a large gas or electric oven. I always suggest watching the food closely around the suggested baking times and removing it from the oven to check oven with a toothpick often.

Let cool slightly in pan before removing. Best served warm, and great with soup!