Thayer in the Kitchen

1 tablespoon oil 2 - 4 cups sweet pepper strips, onion slices, or a combination of the two 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks (I used chicken thighs) 1 cup halved walnuts, whole cashews, or other nuts 3-4 tablespoons hoisin sauce Note:  I might add 1 hot pepper to the mix Heat oil in a large skillet on high heat for one minute.  Add the veggies in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until they begin to brown.  Stir and cook another minute or two. Add the chicken and stir once or twice.  Cook until the bottom begins to brown.  Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through.  Lower heat to medium.  Stir in the nuts and the hoisin sauce.  Add 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of water.  Cook, stirring until it is bubbly and glazes all the chicken and veggies.  Serve with rice (preferably brown). Adapted from The Minimalist Cooks at Home by Mark Bittman

1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or 1/2 tablespoon Penzey's dry minced ginger) 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons brown sugar salt (if needed) 1 box (about 8-12 oz.) whole-grain linguine, or whatever you have available 2 large carrots, julienned 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced into strips (if you are a big pepper fan you can use one of each) 3 green onions, sliced 1/4 - 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped 1/4 - 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped 1# cooked shrimp My husband was kind enough to peel and devein the shrimp.  I sauteed the shrimp very quickly in a little oil in a pan and then let it cool. Whisk together the dressing ingredients: peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Add the dressing to the vegetables, pasta, and shrimp and mix well.  Try to chill

I noticed that I have previously posted a number of cucumber soups.  However, this is a new recipe and Arthur encouraged me to post it.  Probably so that I could make it again.  Otherwise, I tend to lose the recipe and then he's out of luck.  This one does not require cooking.  It is improved by spending some time aging in the frig.  It mentioned 8 hours.  It didn't get that at our house and it was still very good. This was a handy soup to make because we got quite a few cucumbers in our CSA box, plus the dill.  I have parsley and tarragon growing on my deck. Ingredients: 2-1/4# cucumbers  halved and seeded—1/2 cup finely diced, the rest coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 small shallot, chopped 1-2 garlic cloves 1/3 cup loosely packed dill 1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves 1/4 cup olive oil Salt & pepper 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped Combine the chopped cuc

1 pound ground pork (you could substitute ground chicken or turkey if you prefer) 1 head bok choy, chopped 3 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (or I substituted 1 tablespoon of Penzey's minced ginger--very convenient) 1-2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder (I used 1 and thought it was enough) 8 ounces thin or angel hair spaghetti cooked Sesame oil 2 scallions, sliced (I substituted a clove of green garlic, stalk, and bulb) Cook pork over medium-high heat until browned in a large skillet.  Add white parts of bok choy, soy sauce, ginger, and 5 spice powder.  If you are using green garlic, add that as well. Cook for 4-5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add the greens from the bok choy and the spaghetti.  Stir in the sesame oil and scallions. Adapted from Rachael Ray Every Day, Jan. 19, 2016

I liked this recipe because it not only used the kohlrabi but also the greens that came with them.  The hardest part of the recipe was peeling and making sure to cut off any woody parts of the kohlrabi bulbs.  I received three kohlrabi bulbs in my CSA box; 2 green and 1 purple.  I decided to use all of them.  The recipe yielded a large frying pan full.  My husband thought the dish was delicious and was pleased I had used all of the vegetables. 3 peeled and cubed kohlrabi*, just be sure to cut up the pieces of kohlrabi so they are not too large thinly sliced yellow onion, about 1/2-1 cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons finely chopped kohlrabi leaves--I didn't use the stems heavy cream, about 1/2 cup, more if needed salt and pepper Cook kohlrabi and onion in butter until almost tender.  I covered the pan.  Stir in the kohlrabi leaves, and cook until wilted.  Check to make sure the vegetables are tender. Add the heavy cream and cook for a few minutes to reduce.  Season with sa

In my last box from my CSA farm, I got a lovely head of broccoli.  I happened to find this interesting recipe on the internet.  The herb garden on my deck is doing very well and I was able to get enough basil to make the soup.  I served the soup warm.  I think it would also be tasty at room temperature or chilled. 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 medium yellow onion (about 1/2 cup) roughly chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 3-4 cups fresh broccoli roughly chopped 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 4 small cloves of garlic, peeled  2 cups loosely packed basil leaves juice of 1 small lemon Freshly ground pepper Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional) Warm the oil and saute the onions, walnuts, and salt until the onions are tender.  Add the broccoli and the broth.  Bring the broth to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the broccoli is crisp-tender or about 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and then blend along with the basil and garlic until s

This was a recipe that I was going to make to take to Books for Cooks in January 2019.  The meeting was canceled a number of times due to weather and other problems, but Arthur and I really liked the dish.  The theme of the meeting was to be "Lemon."  I found a book at the library called "Lemons" A Country Garden Cookbook by Christopher Idone.  This recipe is adapted from the one in the book. 1# pencil-thin asparagus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup dry white wine 8 oz. pappardelle (I used dry as that is what was available) Juice of 1 lemon Freshly ground pepper to taste Zest of 1 lemon, coarsely grated Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese for serving Snap off tough ends of asparagus.  Cut spears into 3 or 4 pieces on the diagonal.  Melt the butter and saute the asparagus lightly.  Add the cream and wine; warm. Cook the pappardelle in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente and drain well.  Add the noodles to the pan with the