Pantry Challenge Recipes. The first week...

Cooking from the pantry was easy this week as the pantry was full, with somethings already starting to run out, but trust me there is plenty to cook with. Next to the jars and bottles of spices, beans, grain and pastas, I had many of the usual suspects on hand. From the freezer Italian sausage, rashers, chopped meat and edamame. From the pantry, olive and sesame oils, coconut aminos, mirin, dried spices, garlic and onions. And there was plenty of spinach, lettuce , mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and cucumbers and even some watermelon.

From this weeks pantry five delicious meals were made, I only include dinners as I usually do not cook much for lunch as it bits and pieces of leftovers or sliced turkey, hard boiled eggs and cucumbers.

Week One Meals

• Rice Cooker Chicken and Rice

• Salmon Tartare

• Beef & Lamb Kebabs with Salad

• Kebab Rice Bowl (Leftovers Never Looked So Good)

• Sausage, Potato & Spinach Soup (my take on Zuppa Toscana)

Rice Cooker Meal , Chicken Rice Bowl

This meal practically cooked itself , I had no idea you could cook a full meal in a rice cooker. (Important note: your meal should only take up about half the capacity of the inner bowl).

Chicken Marinade

• 3 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

• 2 tbsp mirin

• Fresh ginger

• Fresh garlic

• Chicken, cut into chunks (chicken breast or thighs)

• Marinate the chicken for at least an hour

Rice

• 8 oz rice

• 12 oz chicken stock

• 2 tbsp mirin

• 2 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

• 1 tsp dashi

• Cabbage or baby bok choy

• Edamame

• Carrots

• Chili crisp, to finish

• Sesame seeds, to finish

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then add it to the rice cooker. Mix the water with the remaining rice ingredients and stir into the rice. Place the marinated chicken on top of the rice, then layer the chopped cabbage, carrots, and edamame on top of the chicken. Cook as you would a normal pot of rice. When done, mix the rice, chicken, and vegetables all together, and garnish with chili crisp and sesame seeds.

Spicy Salmon Tartare

I was craving sushi, so instead of going out, spicy salmon with crispy egg roll crisps from the Pantry…

• 6 oz salmon, cubed

• Avocado

• Cucumber

• 2 tbsp mayo

• 1–2 tsp sriracha, to taste

• chili crunch to taste

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• Sesame seeds, to taste

• Furikake, to taste

• Egg roll wrappers

• Olive oil

Egg Roll crisps: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, drizzle the wrappers with olive oil, and sprinkle furikake. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Do keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly. Set aside.

Tartare: Gently toss the cubed salmon with the sesame oil, chili crisp, sesame seed, sliced cucumber and furikake until evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning. In a small separate bowl mix together the mayo and siracha to taste, I like my sauce with some heat. Serve with salmon with sliced avocado, egg roll crisps and a drizzle of the spicy mayo. The salmon is also delicious spooned over rice.

Beef and Lamb Kebab (on a salad)

• 8 oz ground beef

• 4 oz ground lamb

• 1 small onion, chopped

• Approx. 4 oz grated carrots

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• Pinch of chili flakes

• Lettuce , Cabbage , Carrots

• Cucumber

• Olive oil

  
  

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Mix the ground meats, onion, carrots, and spices. Drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan and spread the meat mixture into a rectangular shape. Score lines into the meat with a knife. Bake for 15–20 minutes.

Serve the kebab over rice or over a salad as I did. It is also delicious wrapped up in pita bread with a cucumber, mint , dill and yogurt sauce.

Kebab Rice Bowl

The next day I took the kebab leftovers, made a fresh pot of rice, and added edamame and carrots.

Sausage and Potato Soup (my take on Zuppa Toscana)

I’ve been making this soup for years, and when I do, it’s all I eat till the pot is empty. Just writing about it now makes me want to make another batch of this soup this week.

• 1 lb Italian sausage, regular or spicy

• 3 rashers or 3 strips of bacon , chopped

• About 12 small potatoes, cut up

• 1 large onion, chopped

• Fresh spinach

• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

• Chicken stock

• 8 oz cream

• Chili flakes

• Olive oil

• Grated cheese for garnish, Parmesan, for example

• Salt and pepper

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Chop the chopped rashers or bacon till crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Keep the grease and cook the sausage until browned. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until golden, if it needs a little more olive oil, add it. Add the potatoes, chili flakes, rashers and sausage back to the pot. Cover with chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Check that the potatoes are done, then add the cream, and taste and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and wilt several large handfuls of spinach into the soup. Serve with freshly grated cheese and ground black pepper.

This week’s cooking has already begun… a chocolate cake and Creamy Miso Chicken to start…

Every empty shelf in the pantry is one less thing to pack, and one step closer to Cedar House.

Bia maith leat. Bon Appétit. Spis godt.