alcoHolidays

Sid and I had our annual Christmas party last Friday. The theme was alcoHolidays. Sounds fun?

Anyways, here's the food I made.

Guacamole w/ Stacy Pita Chips
Mint Goat Cheese Spread with Cucumbers and Crackers
Pesto'ed Veggie Cups


Guacomole

I pride myself on my guacamole and how good is usually turns out. Perhaps it's because (a) avocados are my favorite food or (b) my secret ingredient. . .Jack's Special Salsa. This stuff can be found in the produce area and will be refrigerated. It's adds a nice cilantro-y, fresh taste to this gift from the gods. And remember, you can't have good guacamole without good, ripe avocados. Learning how to buy avocados and have them ready and ripe on the day your planned day in is an art in itself.

Mash together
2 Hass Avocados
A good sprinkle of Garlic Salt
Juice of one lime
1 or 2 spoonfuls of Jack's Special Salsa
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

Serve with Stacy's Naked Pita Chips

Mint Goat Cheese Spread
from Nov 08 Bon Appetit, adapted for my tastes

Mix
12 oz of Goat Cheese
3 T of whole milk
1/2 t of ground pepper
Place in shallow dish
Drizzle on top
2 T of olive oil
Top with
20 Leaves of fresh mint, chopped

Serve with crackers and sliced up Cucumbers. I got the baby cucumbers from Costco and they tasted delicious with this.


Pesto'ed Veggie Cups

I pretty much eyeballed everything for this, so adjust the quantities as you see fit.
Saute for about five minutes
2 T of butter 2 sliced shallots
Add and saute another five minutes
1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Green or Red Pepper
Remove from pan into bowl. Let cool for a minute and then add
1/2 cup of basil pesto, fresh* or store-bought
1 cup of shredded fontina cheese
1 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped with seeds removed
Spoon into
15 Phyllo Cups
Sprinkle with
Panko Crumbs
Dried Parsley
Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.
Serve right out of the oven.

indian luv: Jalfrezi Curry Stir-Fry

I would like to introduce you to perhaps the most divine piece of India ever put in a bottle. . . . . . . Patak's Jalfrezi Curry Cooking Sauce! Patak's is a brand out of England, so I would question the authenticity, but who cares when it's this good? Imagine a Tikka Masala Sauce with a Tamarind and Coconut Flavor. Harris Teeter carries the brand, though I've seen it at Target also. A $4 jar will lasts you about 3 or 4 big dishes. I've included my super quick and super easy stir-fry that I made last night.


makes 2-3 servings

For rice:
Make rice so you end up with 6 cups. I use
2 cups of short-grain rice
2 cups of water
2 cups of light coconut milk
Boil 40-50 minutes until tender

For stir-fry:
Saute in a little oil
1/2 white onion
1 T of minced Ginger
Add
1 cup of frozen okra
1 cup of Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained (about 1/2 a can)*
1/2 cup of frozen corn
3/4 cup (more or less) of Patak's Jalfrezi Curry Cooking Sauce
Simmer for 5-10 minutes
Put rice in bowl, top with curry mixture, and then, for each dish, top with
1/4 cup of fresh, chopped cilantro

*I'm not a Whole Foods fan, however, I love their 365 brand of canned beans. These beans are the only canned beans I have ever found without tons of salt added during the canning process.

first season of the soprano's tomato soup

Cold weather + the first season of the Sopranos (watched over the course of the last three days) made me pine for something Italian and something hot. Just like the Sopranos are a very loose translation of how Italians act, this is a very loose translation of how Italians cook.



And I wouldn't even dare be as sacrilege to call this minestrone! Enjoy . . .

Saute for five minutes
1 T of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
Add and incorporate flavors
1 T of a mixture of dried herbs, perhaps basil, oregano, and sage
14.5 oz petit-diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
4 cups of vegetable broth
Add
14.5 oz can of Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of French Lentils (sometimes called Green Lentils)
1/2 cup of fresh chopped italian (or "flat leaf") parsley
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup of red wine
Cook until lentils are tender, about 45 min - 1 hour.
Ladle in bowls and top with
Parmesan Cheese
Serve with bread.

tj luv: soy chorizo

If you haven't already guessed, I love Trader Joe's. The only one in the area is about 20 minutes away, so I only make it there about once a month. Whenever I do, I'm sure to stock up on goodies.

On my last trip, i got some "TJ's Soy Chorizo" to try. I'm not a fan of meat "replacements;" however, this one is exceptionally delicious. The seasoning is just right. Simply saute it for a minute, then put in on chili (like I did last week), or in quesadillas (like I did this week), or in enchiladas (like I will do sometime in the near future).
Makes 1, or perhaps 2, servings
Saute in a little oil for ten minutes
1/4 of white onion, sliced
1/2 link (1/4 package) of TJ's Soy Chorizo, casing removed
1/2 tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced (though the chorizo by itself is pretty spicy)

Set mixture aside. In the same skillet, place one tortilla, then layer
2 T of cheddar cheese or more (I'm a health nut, so I like to keep my cheese consumption at check)
Chorizo Mixture
a haldful of fresh spinach
Top with tortilla that's been spread with
Refried Black Beans
Flip quesadilla (or whatever this thing is) by inverting on plate, then sliding back onto pan.
Cut in quarter, top with
Dollop of Fat Free Sour Cream
Cholula Hot Sauce

rajma apple curry

continuing my localvore theme, I thought I'd do something with the big bag of apples that we got from the farmer's market. apple pie will come later this week. for now, how about a curry, using eggplants, peas, and peppers, three other things that are still at the farmer's market (though not for long)!

makes 3 to 4 servings
Saute for five minutes
1 white onion, choppped
2 apples, finely chopped, almost minced
2 T of minced ginger
1 T of minced garlic
2 red peppers, chopped
mix in and saute another 1 min

1 T of curry powder
1/2 t of cumin powder
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
add
1 12 oz can of light coconut milk
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 cup of sugar snap peas or green beans
2 medium to small cubed eggplants
1/4 t of red pepper (will make mildly spicy, 1/2 t will make very spicy)
1 15 oz can of light red kidney beans, rinsed

1/4 t of pepper

salt to taste (depends on what broth you used), perhaps 1/2 t

Let simmer for 30-45 minutes until eggplant and peas are tender. After simmering, add
1 t of garam masala*

Top with
big dollop of unsweetened yogurt or tzatiki sauce
Serve hot. Will keep for a few days. Serve with naan, or any type of flat bread.
*garam masala should not be added during simmering, but rather after. this is news to me, just check out my old post for daal soup where i added it beforehand.

do u tofu?

i'm not a big tofu fan. in fact, i usually only make it every few months. whenever I do, it's always with a stir-fry, and i only cook it one way, so that its slimy texture is lost.


makes 3 servings
Drain
one block of extra-firm tofu
by putting some weight (like a book) on top of it, while it is atop something absorbent (like a kitchen towel) to take out extra moisture. This takes about 30 minutes.
Dice into 1/2" cubes and mix with:
1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup of lime juice concentrate, or juice of two limes with zest
Let tofu mix well with marinade and let sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, in a wok or a shallow large skillet, heat over medium heat
1-2 tablespooons of Vegetable oil
1/2 t of red pepper flakes
1 T of minced ginger
2 T of chopped fresh basil or cilantro, or both

When oil is hot, add tofu. If using a skillet, having some type of cover helps the splattering (and ensuing clean-up). Cook until tofu is browned on all sides. This can take thirty minutes. I like the tofu to be charred on most sides. This gives it a crunchy, chewy texture that is delicious, and tastes like chicken (sorry, couldn't think of a better analogy)

Vegetables
Mix
half a zucchinni, sliced
half a white onion, sliced
half a red pepper, chopped
half a cup of sliced mushrooms (baby portobella are the best)
2 T of store-bought low sodium teriyaki sauce
Saute in same pan or wok over medium-high with
1 T of canola oil
I like to cook these vegetables very quickly, perhaps only 5-8 minutes. If done correctly, it will resemble a hibachi like stir-fry with the teriyaki sauce making the outside of the vegetables almost caramalized. Yummy!

My favorite rice is brown short-grain rice. At Whole Foods, it's only $2 for a pound in bulk. This is a relief because at most grocery stores, due to its "specialty" status, it's a bit expensive. 1 cup of uncooked brown short-grain will make about 3 cups when cooked (from the 2 cups of water added), which is the right amount for the following recipe. It takes 45-1 hr to cook completely, so plan accordingly.

I wish I had a picture of everything plated. . . but I ate everything up too quickly!

localvore chili

I found this recipe in the Independent Weekly, which I have adjusted to my tastes. What I really like about this vegetarian take on chili is the addition of eggplant, which is at its peak right now along with tomatoes and peppers.


Corn tortillas, cut into strips and baked at 350 for about 10 minutes, make a healthy garnish. Spray lightly with olive oil before baking. CAREFUL: they go from perfect (golden brown) to burnt in about 60 seconds.

4 meal-sized servings.
Saute for 5 minutes:
1/4 c olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of cumin, of chili pepper
1 teaspoons of salt, of pepper, of dried sage
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or more

Add
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 medium sized bell peppers, diced
1 cup of diced tomatoes, with juice
1 medium eggplant*
1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon of corn meal
1 15 oz can of black beans, or 1.5 cups of dried black beans soaked overnight

Simmer for an hour or longer.
Add more salt and pepper to taste.

*When added, the eggplant will seem like too much. However, eggplant cooks down tremendously to about half it's size once boiled.

halloween festivities!

Yeah for halloween! It's my favorite holiday. To celebrate, we'll be having some people over! I wanted to devote this posting to the munchies that I'll be serving up. Because I want to spend more time on my costume, everything had to have minimal preparation.

blood splattered tablecloth anyone?
Appetizers
Hummus with Pita Chips
Screamin' Hot Peanuts
Crudites with Green Goddess Dip
Spanakopita Triangles with Tzatiki Sauce
Halloween Sugar Cookies

Hummus with Pita Chips
Don't f*** with a classic, especially when it's as healthy and flavorful as hummus.
Add the following in food processor (or blender)
2 cans (15 oz) Chicken Peas, reserving the "juice"
1/2 cup Tahini*
1/4 cup of good olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Process and slowly add chickpea juice for desired consistency, usually about 1/3 to 1/2 of the juice. This makes quite a bit, so if it's only you and a friend, I would definitely cut it in half. Also, I make mine the day before I'm going to serve it, that way it really takes on the garlic flavor.
Serve with Stacy's Pita Chips.
*look for it in the international food section, or by the peanut butter. i recommend kronos brand. a jar may set you back $10, but it goes a long way.


Screamin' Hot Peanuts (adopted from foodnetwork.com)
Whisk until foamy
1 egg white
Add
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
Toss in
2 cups high quality dry roasted unsalted peanuts
Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread nuts out on the prepared pan in a single layer. Cook for 45 minutes until slightly golden at 250, turning nuts with a spatula every 15 minutes so they toast evenly and don't stick. Set the nuts aside, stirring periodically as they cool. When completely cool, transfer to serving bowl and garnish with dried red chiles if desired.

Crudites with Green Goddess Dip
Crudites:
Baby cucumbers, slices long ways into quarters
Baby sweet peppers
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Goddess Dip (adapted from similar recipe in the Nov 08 Bon Appetit):
Process
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 t of soy sauce
1/2 t of ground ginger
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 T white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Add
2 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, quartered
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
2 T fresh basil
1/3 cup of fresh tarragon
Slowly add
1 cup of olive oil
Serve as dip with Crudites

Spanakopita Triangles with Tzatiki Sauce
I debated on whether to make these myself; however, due to time constraints I decided to buy the frozen brand from Costco. They are quite delicious and come in trays of 12. A whole box has 48. I then went down to Jasmine Cafe, a local meditarreanean restaurant, and bought a pint of fresh Tzatiki Sauce. Right before the party started up, I popped them in the oven. Though they are best when hot, they are fine at room temperature as well.

And if you're wondering if they were good or not, well, when I went to take a picture of them on the table, they were already eaten up!

Alright, I have a hangover. Happy Halloween!

cabbage stew

i think it was the cold spell that swept through raleigh this weekend, but i had a huge craving for something warm and something with cabbage. that could only mean cabbage stew right?

so i just spent my lunch hour coming up with the following cabbage stew recipe. soups are to winter are what salads are to summer, right? so that means, amend the recipe with whatever vegetables might be at hand.

this recipe makes a ton of soup that you'll be eating all week. the ginger, chili, and sesame oil lends itself to an asian soup. omit said seasonings and add basil, parsley, and tomato paste for an italian minestrone soup.

Saute for five minutes
1 T of canola oil
2 chopped onions
3 chopped carrots
1 chopped leak
1 tablespoon of mined ginger
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
Add and saute until mixed
1 head (about 2 lb.) of thinly chopped savoy cabbage
2 pints of vegetable broth
1 package of frozen pepper strips
2 cups of frozen peas
2 tablespoon of toasted seasame oil
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes (or more)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. can of diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup of lentils (optional. . .added for protein)
Let simmer for half an hour until lentils are tender. More water may need to be added.
Ladle into big bowls and top with
Morning Star Breakfast Patties, cooked and crumbled (optional)

compost fun!

to be a vegetarian is to be aware of your environment, and the many things you can do to help it, right? so i decided to post something that should be of interest to any of my readers. . . . composting!

composting is perhaps one of the easiest things you can do to help our environment; however, people still scratch their head whenever i talk about it. everything will decompose eventually . . .and some things quicker than others. trash that decomposes in a relative short amount of time can be put in a bin (perhaps) and turned into "compost." that means there's that much less trash stinking up our landfills, and less fuel is use hauling off all your crap! Lot of stuff can be composted, 10% to 30% of your total trash.

What can be composted?
To decompose effectively, compost needs nitrogen and carbon. It gets nitrogen from one type of trash, we'll call the "greens," and carbon from another, which we'll call the "browns." Greens are usually your kitchen scraps, as long as they're not bones, meats, oils, or fats (so no nuts, basil pestos, or cheeses). Carrot peelings, apple cores, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, rice*, and bread*, are just a few examples of stuff to use. Browns are typically paper products. This includes newspapers, receipts, grocery bags, unpaid bills, junk mail or any yard wastes.

More greens than browns should be used, with an ideal situation being a 50/50 ratio.

So where do you put all this stuff?
There are many different ways to compost. You can simply put all this stuff in a pile in your backyard. Cheap as it may be, it will attract critters and might turn into an eyesore. I would recommend getting some type of compost bin. These range from $50 to $150 brand new (or just look for a free one on craigslist like I did). My bin is essentially an overturned trashcan with vents and a top that can be removed for adding wastes. The nicest ones are thick tubes that are on hinges so that the entire bin can be rotated and mixed with one easy motion.

You can actually make your own bin by taking some chicken wire, rolling it into a circle, and securing it on the ground. Due to the "openness" of this module, it would be advisable to not put too much cooked kitchen scraps since it would attract animals.


And what happens when it all goes in there?
Well, it takes awhile for everything to turn into soil. Composting can take as little as a month, or as long as a year. Regular aerating it certainly helps the process. I do this by sticking in a small pitch fork and mixing everything up. Also, it needs to be moderately moist. You can simply spray it down with a hose so that whenever you squeeze hand full, a little water trickles out.

*Some people claim that grain shouldn't be composted. As long as you keep a variety of "greens," then this shouldn't be a problem.

Veggie Pot Pie

Pot pies are pretty standard. My boyfriend has been bugging me to make one for quite awhile now. I looked over numerous recipes, and found that very little varies between them when compared to other American mainstays (like say Chili, or Meatloaf). Due to only two of us being in the house, I used an 8"x8" casserole dish. If you're using a standard 2 quart casserole dish, then I'd recommend doubling the recipe.
Using the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry for the crust was convenient and delicious. However, due to it having trans fat in it (which I was unaware of until I bought it), I will probably use Athenos phyllo dough next time. . . .or I could just make my own!


Makes 4 servings
Preheat oven to 400.
Thaw out:
1 puff pastry sheet


Saute for about 10 minutes:
2 Tablespoons of butter (or oil)
1 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium onion)
1 cup carrots (about 2 medium carrots), coursely chopped
1 cup celery (about 3 stalks), chopped 1/2" slices
1 zucchini, sliced

Add and mix to veggie mixture
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried tarragon
1 cup of chopped and peeled russet potatoes (or fingerlings if they're available)
Mix together and then add
1 cup of soy milk
1/4 cup of flour
1 cup of water + 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or more) or 1 cup of vegetable broth
Simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until it thickens

Add and let cook for another 5 minutes
1 cup of frozen black-eyed peas or crowder beans
1 cup of frozen peas
Pour in casserole dish
Top with pastry puff. Cut slits to vent. Top with a sprinkle of dried parsley or chevril.
Bake 40-45 minutes, watching that crust doesn't get burnt

Daal (Indian Red Lentil Soup)

i'm always experimenting with indian food. now that fall is hear, i wanted to try my hand at daal, a very popular indian soup. lentils are an excellent source of protein, so a big bowl of this soup can certainly serve as a hearty lunch or a dinner with some warmed indian naan.

Saute over medium heat for five minutes:

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 chopped onion

2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil

Add:

1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of garam masala*

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Saute another minute or so to incorporate flavors. Then add:

1 14 oz can of light coconut milk

2 12 oz cans of petit diced tomatoes, drained

1 28 can of vegetable broth
1 teaspoon of lime juice

1 cup of red lentils**

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro chopped

Cook for 30-45 minutes until lentils are tender.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro or basil and with naan***.

Enjoy! This will keep for about a week and freezes well. Makes 4-6 servings.

* garam masala is a mixture of spices. this can be found in most nicer grocery or ethnic food stores.

** red lentils are a bit harder to find than the mainstay green lentils. my local harris teeter carries them from a brand "arrowhead."

*** trader joe's carries an excellent freezer pack of naan which heats up in the oven in about 4 minutes.