Chicken Congee with Soy Sauce Mushrooms

Believe it or not I found another bag of rice in my closet which calls for, you guessed it, another easy pre-pesach recipe with ingredients you may or probably do not have. The great news is, that you can also make it after pesach, which despite what it feels like right at this very moment, makes up 357 of the other days of the year. Good news for these Jews!

So about this recipe. It’s called congee (Khun- Gee) and its basically the Chinese version of porridge. It’s basically made by taking that teeny tiny bit of rice you have left in the bag (because companies like to send you uneven amounts just to give themselves a extra little spring in their step- sadistic beasts) and boiling it with an insane amount of stock- which lets face it- we all have leftover from Shabbos anyway- and letting it simmer low and slow until its basically a delicious silky porridgey consistency. And then you top it with an egg to make all the more breakfastey and silky. Yes, the Asians just know how to make everything better.

(Unless of course you want to argue that the best rice dish is risotto, a similar concept but revolutionary in that it adds an obscene amount of butter.)

So do you have to eat this for breakfast? Um, no! There are no rules! Especially this time of year when lately my kids wonder what dinner used to look like before eggs and frozen pizza. This is a dish for whenever you have just a second to add everything to a pot and forget about it for a nice long while. Okay, not really forget completely. The greatest part about this dish is the more you stir the more it breaks down the rice and the more silky your congee will become but if you only have a minute or two every once in a while it’ll still come out great. That’s the power of low and slow my friends.

I give some basic options for toppings here but feel free to go crazy. My kids decided sprinkles and maple syrup was the way to go and though I’m not suggesting that be your first choice of topping, feel free to try it out. Or better yet, Google Image some photos of congee for real creative inspo or just some drool worthy pics when you reach the end of your Instagram feed

This is kind of a one pot meal going on here cause you are set on carbs, got some protein running through there from the chicken and egg, and vegetable toppings are totally up to you. So one pot meal with a cup of rice and about 3-4 other ingredients is a definite win in my book. (I’ve even included a link to a slow cooker version just in case it’s the only pot you have out right now)

Thank you Seasons for sponsoring this post.

Congee:

1 c sushi rice

4- 6 chicken thighs you can use boneless and skinless thighs for a shortcut

6 c chicken broth

3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional toppings:

Sliced Scallions

Poached/ Soft Boiled Egg

Sliced Cucumbers

Sliced Fresh Ginger

Sriracha

Soy sauce mushrooms (recipe below)

Adapted from @thekitchn

Place the rice in a colander and rinse the rice until the water runs clear or slightly milky. Drain.

In a large pot add the rice, chicken stock, ginger and chicken thighs. Bring the contents to a boil stirring to ensure the rice does not stick to the bottom

Reduce the heat to a simmer and partiallycover the pot. The congee will get creamier the more you stir it but it's not necessary to stir more than 2-3 times just to prevent sticking.

Cook the rice for about 1 1/2 hours or until it resembles a thick porridge with most of the liquid absorbed. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it before returning it to the pot. Discard any bones, skin or cartilage.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and top with desired toppings.

Recipe can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored tightly sealed in the refrigerator. You may need to add more stock when heating it up.

For a slow cooker version add 2 cups of stock and use the directions here:

Soy sauce mushrooms:

7 oz shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and thinly sliced

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stir until they begin to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir the mushrooms until they brown and the salt sauce is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and use on top of the congee.

Whole 30 Fritata For 30 Whole People

Okay, maybe this doesn't feed 30 but I'm such a sucker for those stupid kind of puns. Regardless, this Frittata is HUGE, (sorry to the Hillary fans out there). There's a couple of reasons why that works out so well for me.

1. It freezes pretty nicely so I can always save some for later
2. It actually tastes really good cold so I can put it in the fridge and eat it all day e'ryday.
3. I can put anything in it because it's like way forgiving like that (i.e. cleaning the fridge party)
4. If I make this at the beginning of the week I can have a slice almost every morning no problem
5. It's so delicious, I could eat it forever
6. I'm totally prepped for the occasional impromptu party

Let me take a couple of steps back for a minute, what is whole 30?

Okay, I'm going to pretend I'm not hurt that you haven't been keeping up on my Instagram for the last week an a half and tell you. Whole 30 is basically this cleanse where you spend 30 days eliminating food triggers from your diet that can cause issues like inflammation, headaches,  bloating, etc. This requires removing all grains, soy, dairy, legumes, alcohol, preservatives (some natural ones are allowed) and sugar. You end up eating 3 good nutritious meals a day with quality foods that fill you and allow you freedom from cravings. Once your body is cleansed of these foods you slowly integrate each one back into your diet one at a time so that you can recognize which foods are harmful to you and which are not. It is then your choice to eat that food and battle the effects or not. The Whole 30 community is incredibly supportive and responsive and the rules are very clearly laid out. To find out more information on Whole 30 click here. So far, I'm on Day 12 and I'm feeling wonderful. I am full after meals, I no longer crave sweets or cake and I'm slimming out (which was never the purpose but is always a nice side effect. I feel more in control of what I eat and stronger both mentally and physically. It's a good feeling.

The one downside of this diet is that it requires a lot of preparation. You no longer have the convenience of grabbing a snack bar when your hungry or a slice of cheese for breakfast. You also want to make sure that whatever food you do have around is Whole 30 approved so you aren't tempted to grab a muffin or whatever instead. That's why making this super large Frittata at the start of the week makes my life so much easier. I'm guaranteed to have something delicious, aesthetically appealing, and whole 30 approved within arms reach.

For those of you who aren't on whole 30 which I'm going to assume is most of you, this Frittata is perfect now that Shabbos is getting shorter and people are most likely still meat when Shalosh Seudot rolls around. I always get asked what to make besides tuna and egg salad, This seems like a great option to me. Just leave out the sausage so that people can still eat their pizza for Melava Malka.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sausages, sliced (optional)
• 20 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 c almond milk (Califa Farms)
• 1 cup herbs, roughly chopped (I like a mix of parsley dill and chives) save some for garnish
• 1 plum tomato, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper or to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 F
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and saute until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute another 2 minutes.
4. Add the sausage sliced to the pan if using,  and brown for about 5 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and almond milk. (I find using a hand mixer works well here) add in the herbs, yeast (if using), salt and pepper and whisk until integrated. If necessary, add more oil to the pan at this time.
6. Pour the egg mixture into the pan covering the onions and garlic. Carefully lay the tomato slices on top of the eggs in a pattern of your desire.
7. Allow the bottom of the fritata to set for about 10 minutes over the flame. Then, transfer to the oven to cook completely for about 20-25 minutes or until the fritata no longer jiggles.
8. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Top with salt, pepper, and remaining herbs if desired.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Sponsored by Season's Kosher

Mini Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins I.E. Baking with a Two Year Old

When you see pictures of those old time magazines that have those pictures of the perfect mothers you have to say who are you kidding.  They all have those pearls, the heels and the beehives with a perfect hourglass figure with nothing out of place as they whip up some fantastic dish. Of course they have the help of their beautiful, well dressed, stepping stone children who are all smiling and not spilling anything anywhere. I guess marketing experts got the gist that women thought this was a totally impractical picture and changed this somewhere along the way. But in the back of our mind the thought lingers, haunting us (or me at least), why can't I do that? 

The truth is, though our picture is less than perfect looking my daughter loves baking and helping me in the kitchen. She doesn't like eating the cookies or cake afterward, just licking the batter or dough. Unless there is chocolate involved. She always goes for chocolate! That's how I know for sure she's my kid. I love baking with her too, but I'm human and I will admit it requires a lot of patience and tolerance. I love that baking provides an opportunity to bond and I can sneak in lessons like review of counting, colors, and shapes. What I don't love is the flour, sprinkles and sugar that go all over the floor, the fact that more than half of my pre-measured ingredients didn't make it into the bowl and I have no idea how much to replace, and that my daughter just snuck away with about a quarter of the dough. I may be a control freak in the kitchen but I'm not one to give up on something because it's inconvenient. In order to make the experience enjoyable for both me and my daughter I had to come up with a plan. 

1. Plan ahead. Set aside a time when you aren't stressed, your child isn't tired, and you aren't expecting guests any minute. Seems impossible, I know, but it exists! This way you and your child have less of chance of getting frustrated and smooshing everything on to the floor. (Yes, I know it could be either one of you who does that.) 

2. Keep it simple. As much as I love to experiment with 10+ step pastries and cakes the time to make it is not when your kid is with you in the kitchen. The recipe you choose should have 10 ingredients or less and be limited to two or three steps. 

3. Pre-measure your ingredients. The best way to be sure that your kid won't spill an entire bag of flour on the floor is to have all your ingredients measured out beforehand in bowls. This way your kid can pour in each ingrediant themselves and be super proud that "they made it all by themselves". It's extra work but it saves a lot of time. 

4. Assign tasks. your kid probably doesn't want to see you make a dough and roll out a cookie while they watch. Kids enjoy being involved, and having this opportunity to touch, and explore things. It's how they learn. Assigning age appropriate tasks to your children can help keep them interested and involved and prevents them from doing the things you don't want them to do. Things like turning on a mixer, pouring ingredients, rolling dough, scooping batter, adding sprinkles and "cleaning the bowl" are all fun tasks that allow your child to be involved and safe while keeping you happy. Giving your kid their "own" dough or pan where they can shape or fill in the way they choose is the probably the best for you and your kid. This way they are involved with making their own creation while you make a few of your own. It also allows them to have a final product they can be proud of.

5. Prepare your child. Let your kid know what you are doing. Tell them what you expect of them and prepare them for the steps. For example, "We are going to pour in the sugar now, can you show me which one is the sugar? Good! Pour it in! Now we will mix in the mixer and pour in the eggs. How many eggs do you see? Good! Let's pour it in and we want the whole thing to turn yellow. Tell me when you see that it is yellow!" Walking them through the process helps them understand what they are doing, what they are allowed to do and what they are not. 

6. Safety.  This is a huge one. Lessons like the oven is hot, the knife is a boo-boo, we don't put our hands in the mixer and don't eat the dough are all super important. It's imperative that your child understands on some level what is dangerous. It is even more imperative that you ensure the environment is safe. Make sure the knives are put away, you don't open the oven door with you child nearby, your child can reach the counter and if you don't have a surface that is their height, the chair or stool you use is steady. 

7. Have fun! Sometimes we are so caught up in making fun happen we forget to have it in the process. Enjoy the time with your kid! Take the time to answer their questions and talk with them. It's amazing how much your kids will pick up and remember from time to time! Let loose a little and relax. It should be enjoyable for both of you. 

Okay now what does all that have to do with muffins? This recipe is super easy and simple but tastes great. I love that I can stick a batch in the freezer and hand one to my kid or husband as they walk out the door if they haven't eaten a proper breakfast for some reason. These aren't what you would call healthy but they don't have any margarine in them which is always a plus. The blueberry-cranberry addition is pretty much versatile which means you can add anything from chocolate chips to raisins, to berries and nuts! This recipe was great to make with my daughter. She loved pouring in all the ingredients, counting the blueberries, and scooping in the scoops of batter with an ice cream scooper. It made a great rainy day activity and she was so proud of them she offered one to whoever walked into the house that day. The next time we made muffins, she already knew her jobs and was baking like a pro! And me? I actually enjoyed the entire process without freaking out. How's that for amazing? 

Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins

1 large egg

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 

1 cup milk or soy milk

2 cups all purpose flour 

3/4 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

A pinch of salt 

1/2 cup blueberries 

1/2 cup cranberries  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or Fill a standard muffin or 2 mini muffin tins with paper liners.

In a standard mixing bowl, beat the egg, oil and milk. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Add the blueberries and cranberries and fold in with a spatula. 

Scoop into muffin tins with an ice cream scooper. Bake for 20 minutes for full size muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini muffins or until a toothpick comes out clean.