CONFESSION: Chicken soup is reserved only for when I’m sick. Much like 7-up and flat coca-cola, chicken soup just tastes like being sick to me when I’m healthy. I feel pretty much the same for all chicken broth-based soups. Conversely, when I’m not feeling well, there’s nothing better.

I prefer to make this with a whole chicken, making my own stock, but sometimes I just don’t have the time. Shortcut Wife Soup is actually quite easy if you’ve got the chicken stock to start with. I love the Kirkland Chicken Stock that we buy from Costco by the case. It’s not overly salty like Swanson’s, and has a richer flavor. The trick to it is seasoning it to your tastes. I prefer mine very heavy on the herbs, not so much with the salt, but again, I don’t really measure spices much, but this is how I made Wife Soup… this time around, anyway.

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I’ve been curious about Vietnamese food ever since I developed a crush on Spike Mendelsohn when he was a contestant on Top Chef. The promise of a mix of spicy and sweet intrigued me, but I never got around to trying Vietnamese food until recently when Chicago’s Big Pho opened up a branch near my office. I brought two bowls of the steamy rice noodle soup home for dinner and my husband and I were hooked.

When I offered to host vegan friends for our weekly TV night this seemed like an exciting challenge! I combined the recipe for Mark Bittman’s Faux Pho with a couple recipes I found online to create the amazing broth. I made a double-batch for our dinner party, and served it up with all the fixins, many picked up at my local H-Mart Asian Grocer:

• Mung bean sprouts
• Thai Basil
• Cilantro
• Sliced Jalapeño
• Five-Spice Tofu, cubed
• Napa Cabbage
• Pea Pods
• Fresh Lime Wedges
• Hoisin Sauce
• Sriracha Sauce
• Thinly sliced steak for the carnivores

The recipe for the wonderfully rich vegan broth follows behind the cut. This made 8 dinner servings for my dinner party but could easily be cut in half. It was an enormous hit and I’ll definitely be making it for another dinner party in the future!

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Last night I came dangerously close to choosing a jarred sauce to pair with the lobster ravioli we splurged on at The Pasta Shoppe in Oak Park. I had the jar of alfredo all ready to go, and while I’m sure I’d have loved it (Bertolli Alfredo may not be authentic, but it’s divine), I was in the mood for something fresher, and I wanted a great way to use the large bunch of spinach from our produce delivery. That’s when the idea for vodka sauce came to mind.

I’ve never made a vodka sauce before, but this was easily the best homemade sauce I have ever made. I found a bunch of recipes online. Some asked for one cup of vodka, others called for only 2 tbsp (!?!). Very few used spinach, but that was a key ingredient of mine.  So, without a clear recipe I ended up combining elements of  to create this amazing sauce. I served it with lobster ravioli, but it would also be an amazing vegetarian dish if you substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock. Here’s what I did (the recipe is behind the cut):

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We’re not saving any money by joining a produce delivery service. Buying local and organic is hella expensive, and it’s even more expensive to have a Fresh Picks Double Box delivered to our door farm-fresh (or damn near it) every other week. That said, signing up for deliveries from Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We worried we’d feel that we were wasting money, but so far it’s been worth every penny.

Why’d we do it?
For a couple reasons, really. Sure, we can get produce for much less from our local grocery store, but I love the idea of buying local and supporting local farmers. But that’s not the main reason we do this.

A Nudge in the Right Direction
The most common argument we hear from people considering joining a CSA or service like Fresh Picks, is that they’re afraid the produce will go to waste. But that’s the beauty of this, for us at least.

• The produce is SO much fresher than in the grocery stores it seems to have a never-ending shelf-life. Since we started we haven’t thrown a bit of produce away. We’ve easily been able to cook everything before it goes even a little bad; plus it lasts us the full two weeks between deliveries.
• We’re making TONS of veg for every meal now, and getting creative!! We’ve both lost weight and are feeling loads better since making this change to our diet. Having the piles of veg encourages us to (a) cook at home more and (b) cook with more veg, which necessarily makes everything healthier.
• We’re trying new things? Who knew rainbow chard would become a new favorite? When would I have ever bought fennel, or mizuna?  Probably never, but I’m having so many cooking adventures!

We’ve thought about joining a cropshare program, but the annual commitment scares me a bit. For now, we’re loving Fresh Picks and can’t say enough good things about them! We’re looking forward to a year full of new adventures in cooking with these interesting ingredients!

(Note: I found the photo all over the internets. I’d be happy to credit it to someone if I learn who the photographer is)

I had never tried rainbow chard before, so I didn’t know what to expect when I got a huge bunch of it in my CSA delivery. Luckily, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian came to my rescue.

I’ve loved the original How to Cook Everything for years, so when my husband and I decided to become Less-Meatarians and make vegetables and fresh produce a more prominent part of our diet I immediately picked up the vegetarian version of the book and I’m so glad I did!!

For the tilapia served in this meal I just seasoned it with some Spice House Chesapeake Bay seasoning, but the star of this meal was certainly the Chard with Orange and Shallots.

Luckily, Mark Bittman has posted the recipe online to share with all, but I’m going to share it here with the changes that I made to the recipe.

Rainbow Chard with Caramelized Onions, Shallots and Clementines

• 1 pound chard, washed and trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• *1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• *1 clementine, coarsely chopped with the skin on
• *2 tablespoons O Pomegranate Champagne Vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

You can get the prep instructions here.

The flavor was incredible. The sweetness of the orange and caramelized onions, the sourness of the vinegar, the bitterness of the chard greens and the clementine peel that softened deliciously and really completed the dish in a surprising way. I would actually consider making this as a main course because it was so delicious.

A lot has changed at ShortcutChef in the last 6 months!! We’ve moved to a new, beautiful house with a fabulous gourmet kitchen. We’re celebrating Meatless Mondays and going vegetarian every Monday, and, most importantly, now that we’re settled in this fabulous place I’m cooking more often!! I’m going to share some of my creations from the past few months, and most importantly, I’ll be sharing a bunch of new recipes, backdating them to around the time the photos were taken.

Stick around. I think this is going to be pretty awesome.

When I bought the pork chops from Costco, I thought they were stacked two deep in the package. What I found when I opened the package was beautiful, impossibly thick chops that were begging to be stuffed.

QUICK TIP: StoveTop Stuffing is boring and salty on its own, but bulk it up with carrots, pears or apples, onions and celery and it cuts the saltiness down considerably. I start by putting a little butter or olive oil in a small pot. I sauté the vegetables (and apple/pear) until a little bit softened before adding  the vegetable or chicken stock (whatever I have around, in the quantity required for the recipe). I bring the veggies to a boil until the carrots are soft. From that point, just follow the box directions and you’re set!

I’ve also developed an obsession for squash soup thanks to Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks, a local produce service that we’ve had delivering new and exciting produce to us every other week. My secret to amazing squash soup?

1) Roast the squash with some red pepper, onions, olive oil and herbs

2) Blend with chicken or vegetable stock (I like a thicker soup, so I don’t use much)

3) Add a splash of half & half

4) LET IT SIT FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. Seriously. The flavors in this need to blend and evolve.

I love this on its own or mixed with chunks of chicken breasts as a delicious saucy treat. I’m sad butternut squash is pretty much done for the season, but I did the same thing with a carnival squash and it was *almost* as good. Almost.

So let’s talk a little bit about Quorn. I know I’ve sung it’s praises before, but since my husband and I started doing Meatless Mondays we’ve used it as an excuse to try more of their delicious soy-free, meat-free products.

The Gruyere Chik’n Cutlets made the most phenomenal “chicken parm” (although it lacked both actual chicken and parmesan cheese). Once again, this was another case of meat? Who needs meat?!

I made a sauce that started with a jar of marinara sauce, a bunch of carrots and onions. I cannot express how amazing this product is. Quorn’s not for everyone, I’ve heard, but it’s one of my favorite things in the world.

CONFESSION: I really want a Mexican grandmother. I make outstanding Mexican food, if I do say so myself. I’m incredibly comfortable with the flavor profiles, but there are some dishes — some of my favorite dishes — that I just can’t tackle. Chiles rellenos, stuffed peppers, and tamales, are the ones best taught, I figure, by a nice Mexican grandmother.

Don’t let the looks of the above dish deceive you. Even though this was absolutely delicious, it’s actually kind of a failure. The batter barely stuck to the peppers and they exploded all over the place. I was barely able to form this one into something that looked appetizing.

But, as I said, it was delicious, despite it’s questionable success. For Meatless Monday I stuffed the pepper with soy chorizo — all the flavor of chorizo with a LOT less grease and fat. I served it up with a cheese and green chile tamale from Trader Joe’s and some meatless Mexican rice.

One of the things I’m really loving about Meatless Mondays is how little I miss the meat in these meals. This felt hearty and meaty.

Also, if anybody’s got a favorite chiles rellenos recipe to share, throw it my way. Or, y’know, if you have a Mexican grandmother, I’d totally pay for an afternoon-long cooking class.

CONFESSION: Risotto has long been one of the dishes that’s eluded me. Now that I’ve nailed it I’m in shock at how easy it is to make.

I had a lot of smoked salmon that I wanted to try to use, and when I saw smoked salmon risotto as an option for using it I jumped at the chance! QUICK TIP: Make sure you use a high quality broth or stock to make your risotto! I know now that the last time I tried to make risotto, the reason it failed was because I used a vegetable broth that had a horrible flavor when it concentrated, so this time I used regular water for the rice to absorb.  Additionally, I loaded this up with diced mirepoix (carrots, onion and celery). I waited until the risotto was done before adding the smoked salmon.

I love smoked salmon, so this was absolutely delicious but the flavor ends up being really strong. It’s not a date night meal for sure, but it’s super delicious.

CONFESSION: I used to be very narrowminded about vegetarian cuisine. When we first started Meatless Mondays back in November, we kept things really simple and traditional. Stir fries with tofu, and this, a simple falafel pita. I make my own falafel, mostly because I’m extremely picky about the texture. I like my falafel when it’s not at all mushy. I picked up my falafel mix at the local Mediterranean grocer (god how I love living in the melting pot that is Chicagoland!), but to be honest I think when this package is done I’ll be going back to the Casbah brand falafel that had a better flavor and texture for me.

I made the Israseli couscous with red pepper and some spices, then mixed in some mandarin oranges when it was done. A close second to my favorite couscous salad at Roti, but I was really happy with it.

With our new house comes a new grocery store, and lucky for me, that’s Trader Joes. It’s playing a huge role in my meals now, and with this meal it was a star. Their Mediterranean yogurt sauce was delicious on the falafel and the kalamata olives were super yummy, but the stars of this meal were the Feta and Caramelized Onion Pastry Bites.

If they hadn’t been sampling these at the store, I’d never have known. These were so delicious they were like dessert. Since then, they’ve become a favorite side dish. I can’t recommend these enough!