Ok, i love cabbage. I LOVE stir fries. Ever since I got off my butt and went and bought a REAL wok and seasoned it, I have re-fallen in love with Asian cooking. This is something that is rediculously easy, quick, nutritious, and tasty. It's also awesome cause it only has 4-5 ingredients. :-D If you haven't really read the blog before, memmi is the Japanese Udon/tempura base (basically soy sauce and bonito), and it's a killer stir fry sauce. It's cheap (under $3 a bottle), and has a nice depth of flavor. If you don't have a wok, use a pot withOUT nonstick on it so you can crank the heat. Stir frying is all about quick cooking, and non-stick on medium just doesn't cut it. Then you end up with steamed things.
Quick Cabbage Stir Fry
1 medium head cabbage (or 2 half heads - 1 each of green and red)
a thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, sliced
olive oil (about 1 tbsp, enough to wet the wok)
a couple tbsp of water - set aside in a cup, just in case things start sticking or burning
memmi - about 1/4c you'll add this as you go along, so it's really more about eyeballing it
optional - 1 tbsp red pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil (for a little more flavor)
Rinse cabbage, shake mostly dry, decore, and cut up into about 1" cubes. The dimmension really doesn't matter, just try to be sensible, and cut up the thicker stuff smaller. Heat oil, ginger, and garlic in a wok (toss everything together in the cold pan) at med/high till everything starts sizzling. toss for a minute or 2, just until the garlic starts to crisp up a little. This is mainly to flavor the oil without burning the spices. Turn up heat to high and toss in cabbage. Toss in pan with wok spatula frequently until the thicker parts of the cabbage are beginning to steam nicely. Add Memmi...a few glugs here, the cabbage will start to wilt into the color...stir fry for another couple of minutes, add a few more glugs (you want to avoid the pool of it at the bottom, so keep stirring!), turn off the heat, toss a couple more times, and serve.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
for jeff. crockpot-goodness
So jeff got a crock pot. In celebration, i'm posting the very first thing I ever learned to pot. In a crock.
Crock pot rib stew
1 rack of pork ribs
1/2 bottle of fav bbq sauce
1 cube chicken bullion
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp creole mustard (or dijon)
3 russet potatoes, cubed (i never peel then, just clean them really well)
1 1/2 c baby carrots
1 stalk celery, diced
1 c red wine
1-2 tbsp honey or brown sugar
4-5 cloves of peeled garlic
water
1 tbsp seasoned salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Brown ribs on each side in a large skillet (cook them over high heat until the sides turn brown). You will probably have to cut them up to make them fit, so brown in small batches. You don't HAVE to do this, but it carmelizes the outside of the meat and adds flavor. Transfer the ribs to the crockpot. Add celery, onion, carrots, potato, the bullion, mustard, spices, and garlic. Add wine, bbq sauce, and top off enough water to make it about an inch from the top of the pot. Basically, put everything in the pot, but leave enough room for the thing to simmer.
Turn the crockpot to low. Go to work. (you can prep this all the night before and refrigerate the container, and just pop it in before you go to work). Come home, put on a pot of rice, noodles, barley, or whatever. Take a large, flat spoon and a glass or jar, and skim off the inch of fat at the top. Stir the pot. Let it sit for 4 minutes. Skim off the new 1/2" layer of fat (you will let the jar or glass cool and either dump the contents into your trash or toss the entire jar). Serve up ribs and enjoy, the meat will literally fall off the bone.
You can use the same technique with any sort of stew friendly meat.
I took pics of all of this, but i'm out of time.
Crock pot rib stew
1 rack of pork ribs
1/2 bottle of fav bbq sauce
1 cube chicken bullion
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp creole mustard (or dijon)
3 russet potatoes, cubed (i never peel then, just clean them really well)
1 1/2 c baby carrots
1 stalk celery, diced
1 c red wine
1-2 tbsp honey or brown sugar
4-5 cloves of peeled garlic
water
1 tbsp seasoned salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Brown ribs on each side in a large skillet (cook them over high heat until the sides turn brown). You will probably have to cut them up to make them fit, so brown in small batches. You don't HAVE to do this, but it carmelizes the outside of the meat and adds flavor. Transfer the ribs to the crockpot. Add celery, onion, carrots, potato, the bullion, mustard, spices, and garlic. Add wine, bbq sauce, and top off enough water to make it about an inch from the top of the pot. Basically, put everything in the pot, but leave enough room for the thing to simmer.
Turn the crockpot to low. Go to work. (you can prep this all the night before and refrigerate the container, and just pop it in before you go to work). Come home, put on a pot of rice, noodles, barley, or whatever. Take a large, flat spoon and a glass or jar, and skim off the inch of fat at the top. Stir the pot. Let it sit for 4 minutes. Skim off the new 1/2" layer of fat (you will let the jar or glass cool and either dump the contents into your trash or toss the entire jar). Serve up ribs and enjoy, the meat will literally fall off the bone.
You can use the same technique with any sort of stew friendly meat.
I took pics of all of this, but i'm out of time.
Monday, September 14, 2009
it's been a while
Yea, whatever. I ended up doing a weird twist with lamb that was absolutely amazing, kind of a fake banh mi. It's marinated overnight, but worth the wait. This is what happens to me when i go to the grocery store/farmer's market hungry... i get inspired! Tryyyy ittttt...
Lamb Sandwiched with Pesto and Carrot Pickles
basil pesto
1 lb lamb, a grillable cut
mayo
2 whole wheat french rolls (i just like whole wheat better)
rice vinegar
1 cucumber
memi
shredded carrots (like for salads)
cilantro
crushed red pepper
black pepper
To marinade.
Set the lamb in a marinating container. Pour on a tbsp or so of memmi. Flip, repeat. Cover. Put about a cup of shredded carrots in a small container. Add 2 tsp of water, a little black pepper, and about 1 tbsp of crushed red pepper. Add about 1/4 of rice vinegar, which should about cover the carrots if you smush them down. Keep both in the fridge overnight till it's time to cook.
The Sammiches.
Grill or pan cook the lamb for about 8 min on each side (sear each side for 2, then cover and cook for about 6 min). It's ready when the center is rare, don't be afraid to cut it, you're going to cut it up anyways. Toss a couple of wheat french rolls into the oven and warm them for about 5min. During this time, drain the carrots, cut a couple of lenghtwise slivers of cucumbers, and wash and de-stem about a handfull of cilantro. Pull the rolls out of the oven and split lenthwise. Spread mayo on one side of the sandwich and pesto on the other. Slice the cooked lamb and fill each sandwich. Top with carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. eat. drool. yum.
Lamb Sandwiched with Pesto and Carrot Pickles
basil pesto
1 lb lamb, a grillable cut
mayo
2 whole wheat french rolls (i just like whole wheat better)
rice vinegar
1 cucumber
memi
shredded carrots (like for salads)
cilantro
crushed red pepper
black pepper
To marinade.
Set the lamb in a marinating container. Pour on a tbsp or so of memmi. Flip, repeat. Cover. Put about a cup of shredded carrots in a small container. Add 2 tsp of water, a little black pepper, and about 1 tbsp of crushed red pepper. Add about 1/4 of rice vinegar, which should about cover the carrots if you smush them down. Keep both in the fridge overnight till it's time to cook.
The Sammiches.
Grill or pan cook the lamb for about 8 min on each side (sear each side for 2, then cover and cook for about 6 min). It's ready when the center is rare, don't be afraid to cut it, you're going to cut it up anyways. Toss a couple of wheat french rolls into the oven and warm them for about 5min. During this time, drain the carrots, cut a couple of lenghtwise slivers of cucumbers, and wash and de-stem about a handfull of cilantro. Pull the rolls out of the oven and split lenthwise. Spread mayo on one side of the sandwich and pesto on the other. Slice the cooked lamb and fill each sandwich. Top with carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. eat. drool. yum.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
ALMOST FORGOT
yea.
GO SEE FOOD, INC.
www.foodincmovie.com/
Yes, i understand the previews are swayed towards the liberals. Fine. The movie is bipartisan in it's accusations. There is nothing political about demanding good, wholesome food that has not been made in a lab and NOT TESTED.
I've been making a serious effort to buy local, fresh, and unprocessed foods to accompany my yoga. I'm a busy person, but I still manage to cook and support my local farmers while spending LESS than I would if i were to buy Lean Cuisines. There is nothing wrong with me eating food that doesn't spend most of it's life covered in it's own shit.
Some comparisons
Krogers Bayou City
White eggplant, $3.50 ea $1
Eggplant $1.50 lb 2 lb eggplant $1
Zucchini, $1 lb 3 lb zucchini $1
free range hen eggs $3 dozen free range hen eggs $3 dozen
Bell peppers 89 cents ea Bell peppers 3/$1
Hormone fed hen $2/lb free range hen, 4 lb - $12 (for this, it's worth it!!!)
Things like blueberries, figs, etc usually cost the same or maybe $1 more... but they are fresh, with bitty carbon footprints, unlike the 2 week old berries in the store.
AAAAND for some supplemental:
There is a farmers market in the inner loop Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. EVERY single day if you count Canino's!
GO SEE FOOD, INC.
www.foodincmovie.com/
Yes, i understand the previews are swayed towards the liberals. Fine. The movie is bipartisan in it's accusations. There is nothing political about demanding good, wholesome food that has not been made in a lab and NOT TESTED.
I've been making a serious effort to buy local, fresh, and unprocessed foods to accompany my yoga. I'm a busy person, but I still manage to cook and support my local farmers while spending LESS than I would if i were to buy Lean Cuisines. There is nothing wrong with me eating food that doesn't spend most of it's life covered in it's own shit.
Some comparisons
Krogers Bayou City
White eggplant, $3.50 ea $1
Eggplant $1.50 lb 2 lb eggplant $1
Zucchini, $1 lb 3 lb zucchini $1
free range hen eggs $3 dozen free range hen eggs $3 dozen
Bell peppers 89 cents ea Bell peppers 3/$1
Hormone fed hen $2/lb free range hen, 4 lb - $12 (for this, it's worth it!!!)
Things like blueberries, figs, etc usually cost the same or maybe $1 more... but they are fresh, with bitty carbon footprints, unlike the 2 week old berries in the store.
AAAAND for some supplemental:
There is a farmers market in the inner loop Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. EVERY single day if you count Canino's!
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summertime
Apparently i'm cooking-crazy over the summer. I've spent a good deal of my evening looking at bento boxes and cast iron woks (which will be my next kitchen purchase, eliminating 2-3 current pans). Today, i was wandering through Kroger to get bread and some greens of some sort... salmon was on sale... here is the result.
A note on teriyaki sauce: don't buy the stuff in the bottle. Seriously. REAL teriyaki is 3 things - Sake, Soy, and sugar (sometimes a little water too or mirin)...NOT HFC, xantham gum, artificial flavors, soy protein... etc, etc. Not to mention, real teriyaki is amazingly flavorful and glazes nicely on cooldown. Once you taste the real stuff, it is my hope you will skip the stuff in the jar from now on, not to mention, if you make more than needed of your own, it will keep for about a month in a bottle in the fridge.
Salmon Teriyaki and Mustard Greens in Oyster Sauce
Serve both prettily with some jasmine rice. :)
Salmon Teriyaki
1 lb salmon filet
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sake
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Locate a baking dish large enough to put your salmon in. In a sm saucepan, mix sake, water, soy, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved (NO HEAT). Pour over salmon and marinate for at least 30 min in the fridge. Turn it over once in the marinade in that time. Pour off marinade back into the saucepan. Put salmon in the oven for about 15 min, until fish flakes opaque. During this time, heat sauce on medium uncovered until it barely starts to bubble, stirring constantly, then switch to low/med-low. continue to stir and the sauce will thicken.. Coat the fish a few times with sauce in the last few minutes of cooking (in 3 minute increments). When fish flakes, coat a little more and toss in the broiler for about 2 minutes. remove fish from broiler, and coat the fish with the rest of the sauce carefully, a spoonful at a time. When you are out of sauce, tilt the baking dish, and keep coating the fish with this, until you have reduced it about halfway. You don't HAVE to do that last part, but it's just nice and tasty.
mmmmmm
Mustard Greens
1 bunch mustard greens
4 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp water
In a stockpot, heat about 3-4 inches of water to a boil. Trim off the bottom 1' of the bunch of greens. Submerge mustard greens in a full, clean sink for a couple minutes. Un-bunch the greens and rub each leaf gently. remove any bad leaves, etc. Transfer greens to a cutting board and cut across the stems in 2" increments. Add to boiling water and cover. Cook for about 5-7 minutes (taste a stem, they will be nice and crisp/firm, but not tough). While the greens are cooking, add everything else to a small saucepan (or if you are short on saucepans, this can be done in the microwave) and simmer until the greens are done, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse greens with cool water for a sec. Transfer to a serving platter and top evenly with sauce. MMMM
A note on teriyaki sauce: don't buy the stuff in the bottle. Seriously. REAL teriyaki is 3 things - Sake, Soy, and sugar (sometimes a little water too or mirin)...NOT HFC, xantham gum, artificial flavors, soy protein... etc, etc. Not to mention, real teriyaki is amazingly flavorful and glazes nicely on cooldown. Once you taste the real stuff, it is my hope you will skip the stuff in the jar from now on, not to mention, if you make more than needed of your own, it will keep for about a month in a bottle in the fridge.
Salmon Teriyaki and Mustard Greens in Oyster Sauce
Serve both prettily with some jasmine rice. :)
Salmon Teriyaki
1 lb salmon filet
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sake
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Locate a baking dish large enough to put your salmon in. In a sm saucepan, mix sake, water, soy, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved (NO HEAT). Pour over salmon and marinate for at least 30 min in the fridge. Turn it over once in the marinade in that time. Pour off marinade back into the saucepan. Put salmon in the oven for about 15 min, until fish flakes opaque. During this time, heat sauce on medium uncovered until it barely starts to bubble, stirring constantly, then switch to low/med-low. continue to stir and the sauce will thicken.. Coat the fish a few times with sauce in the last few minutes of cooking (in 3 minute increments). When fish flakes, coat a little more and toss in the broiler for about 2 minutes. remove fish from broiler, and coat the fish with the rest of the sauce carefully, a spoonful at a time. When you are out of sauce, tilt the baking dish, and keep coating the fish with this, until you have reduced it about halfway. You don't HAVE to do that last part, but it's just nice and tasty.
mmmmmm
Mustard Greens
1 bunch mustard greens
4 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp water
In a stockpot, heat about 3-4 inches of water to a boil. Trim off the bottom 1' of the bunch of greens. Submerge mustard greens in a full, clean sink for a couple minutes. Un-bunch the greens and rub each leaf gently. remove any bad leaves, etc. Transfer greens to a cutting board and cut across the stems in 2" increments. Add to boiling water and cover. Cook for about 5-7 minutes (taste a stem, they will be nice and crisp/firm, but not tough). While the greens are cooking, add everything else to a small saucepan (or if you are short on saucepans, this can be done in the microwave) and simmer until the greens are done, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse greens with cool water for a sec. Transfer to a serving platter and top evenly with sauce. MMMM
Sunday, July 5, 2009
cranberry lemon scones
Today, we went to the Te House of Tea for a pot of fujian silk and a pastry. We picked a cranberry scone which was fantastic. I remembered that I have a HUGE bag of Crazins in the cupboard. I googled a couple recipes, got the flour/butter proportions, and winged the rest. Needless to say, they turned out awesome, and I will be making these again. I read on one site that the dough freezes well for rainy days. Start to finish was 30 min... by the time these were done baking, kitchen was already clean!
Note: I accidentally "softened" the butter into "melted". Don't do that. traditionally scones are cut like pie wedges and placed onto a pan. I scooped my goopy dough, and i had very flat scones. Result was still excellent, so I'm not complaining!
Impromptu Cranberry Lemon Scones
1 tbsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, but not melted (8 tbsp i think)
2 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
the zest from 1 meyer lemon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 c almond milk (or regular milk, i didn't want to kill myself)
1/2 c turbinado sugar, plus some for sprinkling
1 1/2 c crazins (the sweetened dried cranberries)
preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. mix all the dry ingredients together EXCEPT for the cranberries. Add the butter and mix with pastry knives or a couple large forks till the dough is kinda pill-y. add the egg and milk together in a separate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients - scrape the bottom of the bowl, but don't mix really really well. Mix in the zest and Crazins. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (no need to spray or grease) and drop about 2 tbsp worth each amts onto the sheet. Sprinkle a little sugar over the tops. Bake for about 20 min, until tops are slightly golden and the bottoms are golden around the edge.
MMMMM
*update* when butter is just softened to room temp, scones hold shape nicely, HOWEVER, they take 30 minutes to bake. MMM
Note: I accidentally "softened" the butter into "melted". Don't do that. traditionally scones are cut like pie wedges and placed onto a pan. I scooped my goopy dough, and i had very flat scones. Result was still excellent, so I'm not complaining!
Impromptu Cranberry Lemon Scones
1 tbsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, but not melted (8 tbsp i think)
2 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
the zest from 1 meyer lemon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 c almond milk (or regular milk, i didn't want to kill myself)
1/2 c turbinado sugar, plus some for sprinkling
1 1/2 c crazins (the sweetened dried cranberries)
preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. mix all the dry ingredients together EXCEPT for the cranberries. Add the butter and mix with pastry knives or a couple large forks till the dough is kinda pill-y. add the egg and milk together in a separate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients - scrape the bottom of the bowl, but don't mix really really well. Mix in the zest and Crazins. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (no need to spray or grease) and drop about 2 tbsp worth each amts onto the sheet. Sprinkle a little sugar over the tops. Bake for about 20 min, until tops are slightly golden and the bottoms are golden around the edge.
MMMMM
*update* when butter is just softened to room temp, scones hold shape nicely, HOWEVER, they take 30 minutes to bake. MMM
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Becky-Lini
Oh yes, I have a signature drink. When we got married, we had about 40 bottles of cheap champagne leftover... What to do with them? Make Bellinis! However, the Bellini recipe we found online was horrible, so we dumped the blender, and made our own concoction! Not truly potent (you can pump this up by adding an extra shot of vodka or rum), but tasty and great for getting a little buzz during parades!
The Becky-Lini
1 bottle of champagne. Quality not important, as long as it is alcoholic
Fine sugar. You can use natural sugar if you like, but blend it extra
1 bag of frozen peaches
2 shots of vodka or rum. Don’t skimp here
ice
Put half the bag of peaches, about 1/8c sugar, 1 shot vodka/rum, and a handful and a half of ice in a blender. Top to fill line with champagne. BLEND. When a nice smooth consistency (you may have to stir it a few times), taste for sugar, and adjust sweetness to taste if needed. Pour into a jug/pitcher. Repeat with the rest of the peaches, alcohol, and another dose of sugar. Fill jug again. Cart carefully to your nearest parade route and enjoy!
The Becky-Lini
1 bottle of champagne. Quality not important, as long as it is alcoholic
Fine sugar. You can use natural sugar if you like, but blend it extra
1 bag of frozen peaches
2 shots of vodka or rum. Don’t skimp here
ice
Put half the bag of peaches, about 1/8c sugar, 1 shot vodka/rum, and a handful and a half of ice in a blender. Top to fill line with champagne. BLEND. When a nice smooth consistency (you may have to stir it a few times), taste for sugar, and adjust sweetness to taste if needed. Pour into a jug/pitcher. Repeat with the rest of the peaches, alcohol, and another dose of sugar. Fill jug again. Cart carefully to your nearest parade route and enjoy!
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Best Marinade EVER.
If you like things with a hint of sweet, this is your stuff.
Becky's Amazing Marinade
yes, it's really amazing.
1/2 c bbq sauce, any variety
1/2 c water
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic (fresh!)
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c memmi (this is tempura base, udon soup base, etc)
mix together. Pour over meats or veggies (try with portabellos) and let sit for at least 30 min (30 for pork steaks, 1 hr for chicken, 1 or more hrs for veggies). TOSS ON THE GRILL! Everything it touches is golden!
Becky's Amazing Marinade
yes, it's really amazing.
1/2 c bbq sauce, any variety
1/2 c water
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic (fresh!)
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c memmi (this is tempura base, udon soup base, etc)
mix together. Pour over meats or veggies (try with portabellos) and let sit for at least 30 min (30 for pork steaks, 1 hr for chicken, 1 or more hrs for veggies). TOSS ON THE GRILL! Everything it touches is golden!
Pride Parade weekend and birthday fun
Mah birthday was a couple weekends ago. I love cakes with whipped cream and berries, but my lovely allergy tolerance doesn't allow me much dairy. So this is a hybrid dairy-non dairy version. It does, however, HAVE to be dairy for the cake since it is so rich.
Becky's Bday cake
Cake-
2 c all purpose flour, unbleached
1 1/2 c turbinado sugar
2 tsp baking powder (the stuff in the tin, not the box)
1 tsp fine sea salt
8 tbsp melted butter (let it cool for a sec though) - i think thats a whole stick
2 beaten eggs
1 c whole milk
2 tsp plus a smidge vanilla extract (use the good stuff, don't skimp!)
filling-
2 pints strawberries (one pint rinsed, one pint with the green stuff removed and sliced)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tub of light coolwhip
mix the sliced berries with sugar and half the coolwhip. sandwich it within the cake layers on a nice pretty plate. top with coolwhip and the pretty big berries!
Chinese Broccoli - Gai Lan
This is my fav vegetable in the world. Currently, i could eat this every night, however, i only go to golden foods once a month. Pick fresh, pretty bunches without yellowing.
1 bunch Gai Lan
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 upper thumb joint sized hunk of ginger
6 tbsp veggie stock (i keep a waterbottle of this stuff premixed in the fridge most of the time)
4 tbsp oyster flavor sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
a couple shakes ginger powder.
boil water (about 10 c) with ginger and baking soda. While this is coming to a boil make sauce - bring stock, oyster sauce, vinegar, ginger powder, and sugar to a boil, turn to simmer for 4 min, and then just low to keep warm. When water in the big pot boils, add Gai Lan and boil for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, and transfer to a plate. Chop quickly (about 5 slices down each stalk), and top with sauce. TAADAA!
Becky's Bday cake
Cake-
2 c all purpose flour, unbleached
1 1/2 c turbinado sugar
2 tsp baking powder (the stuff in the tin, not the box)
1 tsp fine sea salt
8 tbsp melted butter (let it cool for a sec though) - i think thats a whole stick
2 beaten eggs
1 c whole milk
2 tsp plus a smidge vanilla extract (use the good stuff, don't skimp!)
filling-
2 pints strawberries (one pint rinsed, one pint with the green stuff removed and sliced)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tub of light coolwhip
heat the oven to 375, F. Butter 2 - 8" cake pans (yes, really use butter). Cut out a circle of wax paper and stick it in the inside in the bottom. Kind of smoosh it down till it sticks to the butter. Dust everything with flour.
Mix the sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt in a big bowl. Make a little indentation and add the wet ingredients in that spot. Mix all together with a fork or a whisk till the bottom of the bowl is all mixed up. Divide into the 2 pans and bake for about 25 min (set a timer, and then they are done when a toothpick comes out clean). Cool for about 30 min - 10 min in the pan, 20 on a rack.mix the sliced berries with sugar and half the coolwhip. sandwich it within the cake layers on a nice pretty plate. top with coolwhip and the pretty big berries!
Chinese Broccoli - Gai Lan
This is my fav vegetable in the world. Currently, i could eat this every night, however, i only go to golden foods once a month. Pick fresh, pretty bunches without yellowing.
1 bunch Gai Lan
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 upper thumb joint sized hunk of ginger
6 tbsp veggie stock (i keep a waterbottle of this stuff premixed in the fridge most of the time)
4 tbsp oyster flavor sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
a couple shakes ginger powder.
boil water (about 10 c) with ginger and baking soda. While this is coming to a boil make sauce - bring stock, oyster sauce, vinegar, ginger powder, and sugar to a boil, turn to simmer for 4 min, and then just low to keep warm. When water in the big pot boils, add Gai Lan and boil for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, and transfer to a plate. Chop quickly (about 5 slices down each stalk), and top with sauce. TAADAA!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Grilled lamb roast
This was in the freezer and leftover from Pesach.
Grilled lamb roast
1 stalk rosemary, de-stemmed, and cut up a little with kitchen shears
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 tbsp minced garlic
2-1lb lamb roasts
aluminum foil
in a small bowl, muddle/mix rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic with a spoon. Roll out a large piece of foil, place lamb on top. Rub and cake lamb with seasoning mix, and wrap up. Put in the fridge for about 30 min, or until ready to grill. Heat grill to about 350. Put lamb on for about 13 minutes each on top and bottom. Remove pack from grill and remove each piece and replace on grill (sans foil). Grill 10 min each top and bottom, the meat should be well carmelized when done. Check with a meat therm if you want, but do it slightly rare, and let sit for about 10 min before cutting.
Lets just say with all the crawfish we ate, there was still barely any lamb left.
Grilled lamb roast
1 stalk rosemary, de-stemmed, and cut up a little with kitchen shears
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 tbsp minced garlic
2-1lb lamb roasts
aluminum foil
in a small bowl, muddle/mix rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic with a spoon. Roll out a large piece of foil, place lamb on top. Rub and cake lamb with seasoning mix, and wrap up. Put in the fridge for about 30 min, or until ready to grill. Heat grill to about 350. Put lamb on for about 13 minutes each on top and bottom. Remove pack from grill and remove each piece and replace on grill (sans foil). Grill 10 min each top and bottom, the meat should be well carmelized when done. Check with a meat therm if you want, but do it slightly rare, and let sit for about 10 min before cutting.
Lets just say with all the crawfish we ate, there was still barely any lamb left.
Oyster Po'boys
At our boil yesterday, we also got a sack of oysters. accompanied with BBQ, crawfish, and lots of fiery corn and potatoes, the sack of oysters still had a few leftovers. We shucked the oysters, washed them, put them in a little water, and put them in the fridge. SO, what do you do with a couple dozen raw oysters? you FRY em. This recipe is how to make a dressed po-boy.
Oyster Po'Boy - attempt #1
2 dozen raw oysters
2 c flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp creole mustard (optional)
oil for frying
slap ya mamma (or another good cajun seasoning)
shredded lettuce
remoulade sauce (you can get it in the jar or fresh at some krogers or central market)
tomato slices
soft, crusty french bread rolls (about 12" long each)
pickle slices
to set up you need 5 stations - fry station (your frypan), egg station, flour station, a drain station (cover a large plate with paper towels), and an assembly station.
first, set your oil to warm. In a shallow pan, add about 1" of veg oil. You want to get it to about 350, but also where a wooden spoon will bubble a little. You can adjust this after the first batch of oysters if needed. Wrap your bread in foil and put in the oven. Warm at a preheated 350 for about 5 min, then shut off and keep oven closed till ready.
Prep your egg and flour station. Beat the eggs in a bowl with creole mustard or a couple shakes of seasoning. Put flour in another bowl with a couple tsp of the seasoning. Rinse and drain your oysters well.
To fry. Do this in batches of about 4 or 5 till you get the hang of it. Dip oysters in egg, then in flour till coated, one at a time. Gently drop in hot oil and fry for about 3 min, flip, and fry for abot 3 more min. Oyster batter will turn a light golden, but be careful not to cook them too much or they will get dry and nastly. Set on paper towels to drain as they finish.
To assemble. Slice open bread, scooping out some of the inner part if needed. Spread remoulade on both top and bottom. Add a layer of oysters, top with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Serve with a little extra remoulade on the side and lots of napkins. OMG MMM
(pics will be up tomorrow)
Oyster Po'Boy - attempt #1
2 dozen raw oysters
2 c flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp creole mustard (optional)
oil for frying
slap ya mamma (or another good cajun seasoning)
shredded lettuce
remoulade sauce (you can get it in the jar or fresh at some krogers or central market)
tomato slices
soft, crusty french bread rolls (about 12" long each)
pickle slices
to set up you need 5 stations - fry station (your frypan), egg station, flour station, a drain station (cover a large plate with paper towels), and an assembly station.
first, set your oil to warm. In a shallow pan, add about 1" of veg oil. You want to get it to about 350, but also where a wooden spoon will bubble a little. You can adjust this after the first batch of oysters if needed. Wrap your bread in foil and put in the oven. Warm at a preheated 350 for about 5 min, then shut off and keep oven closed till ready.
Prep your egg and flour station. Beat the eggs in a bowl with creole mustard or a couple shakes of seasoning. Put flour in another bowl with a couple tsp of the seasoning. Rinse and drain your oysters well.
To fry. Do this in batches of about 4 or 5 till you get the hang of it. Dip oysters in egg, then in flour till coated, one at a time. Gently drop in hot oil and fry for about 3 min, flip, and fry for abot 3 more min. Oyster batter will turn a light golden, but be careful not to cook them too much or they will get dry and nastly. Set on paper towels to drain as they finish.
To assemble. Slice open bread, scooping out some of the inner part if needed. Spread remoulade on both top and bottom. Add a layer of oysters, top with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Serve with a little extra remoulade on the side and lots of napkins. OMG MMM
(pics will be up tomorrow)
an introduction on how to make crawfish.
I was fortunate enough to marry some nice man from New Orleans 4 years ago. One of the things that becomes tradition once summer hits is our crawfish boils.
To start
Go to your local fishmart and buy a sack of crawfish - that's about 30 lbs. Don't forget to pick up a big bag of boil - about a 1lb r two. This makes about 3 or 4 pots of crawfish... enough to feed 20 or so folks. This may not look like a huge amount, but when you add beer, corn, and potatoes, it's just the perfect amount for a crowd. Make sure you have an OUTDOOR boiler and basket. For the love of all that is holy, don't ever do this inside. Take a table outside and either cover with a plastic table cloth that you are not at all fond of, or about 10 old copies of the Houston press.
Ingredients
1 sack crawfish
2 lbs butter (bout 8 sticks)
10 heads of garlic
5+ lbs of red potatoes. Get the SMALLEST ones you can find (they cook faster)
20+ half ears of corn
at least 6 lemons, cut into 8ths
salt. lots of salt.
a plastic baby pool
a broom handle
some potholders
newspaper
a large country crock container or something of the like (unless you are brave and plan to scoop crawfish with your hands)
extras - anouille 5 or so links cut into 2" pieces (or any sausage really), baby carrots (2 lbs), mushrooms (at least 2 lbs...) everyone eats them! I've also known people to toss in baby corn, onion (halved- about 1 per batch), and whatever else could be boiled.
set up. This is best to do on a driveway or someplace you can hose off. Set up a large table (or a card table), cover with newspaper or tablecloth. We hold everything down with our beer till the first batch of corn and potatoes are done. Take your time... to do this right and boil the whole sack will take a couple of hours. Manning the boiler is hot! Set up a couple of trash cans around the table for people to toss the heads into. I know some people will use foam takeout boxes to divide the trash if there are more people than table space.
First - purge the crawfish. Hose of the sack pretty well. Cut open your sack, and dump crawfish into the plastic baby pool. Dump lots and lots of salt onto the crawfish, and fill baby pool with water. take your hand and stir the crawfish. be brave, as long as you are moving, noone will pinch you. take a moment to pick out any dead crawfish... you don't want to eat them! Let the crawfish sit for about 20 minutes, and dump most of the water out. repeat while first batch of water is boiling.
the first boil
fill the pot about halfway with water. toss the potatoes in the basket along with 2 sticks butter, and 2 heads garlic (broken up). Bring the pot to boil on the propane burner (this takes about 20 or so minutes), put in about 1/3 the bag of seasoning, 1/3 of the corn, and put the lid back on. boil for about 10-20 minutes, bring up the basket. keep checking every 10 minutes till the potatoes are done. pull basket with broom handle and a potholder, shake corn and potatoes onto the table. Don't be too aggressive or the goodies will end up on the floor.
Batch 1
set basket on the ground. add more corn to the basket and 1/3 of your extras (mmmm mushrooms and andouille!). add another couple heads of garlic and about 2 lemons worth of wedges. Scoop enough angry crawfish into the basket to fill it 1/3 of the way, and top with a couple sticks of butter. submerge basket and put on lid... crawfish should be done in 10-15 minutes. pull basket, let it drip for a sec, and then dump basket contents onto table.
repeat till all the crawfish are gone! add a little more seasoning if you can bear it after the second load. If you made the first batch so hot noone can stand it, go dump out half of your water into the drain of your annoying neighbors (or the grate in the middle of your parking lot - it will seriously flush the drain!), and fill back up to half water. add butter and lemons and everything again.
The leftovers. There are always leftovers at a good boil. This is not your fault, but it is better to have too much than too little. Pick a friend that is too full, and shuck as many crawfish as you can into a bag. Use these leftover tails in soups, in omlettes, or in etoufee. HOWEVER, if you wait till tomorrow and try to shuck, it won't work as well. Crawfish are OK as leftovers all together, but you cant really do much besides eat them traditionally. Its a pain to do the day after... its easier to do when your face and hands are already burning.
The leftover garlic. This stuff is not to be underestimated! Press about a head of the leftover garlic into a small tupperware. add a little paprika, cayenne, and about 1.5 c mayo. VOILA! Spicy garlic mayo that tastes incredible on leftover crawfish po'boys.
The leftover potatoes. Whip up with a few cloves of the boiled garlic and onion for some killer garlic mashed potatoes.
To start
Go to your local fishmart and buy a sack of crawfish - that's about 30 lbs. Don't forget to pick up a big bag of boil - about a 1lb r two. This makes about 3 or 4 pots of crawfish... enough to feed 20 or so folks. This may not look like a huge amount, but when you add beer, corn, and potatoes, it's just the perfect amount for a crowd. Make sure you have an OUTDOOR boiler and basket. For the love of all that is holy, don't ever do this inside. Take a table outside and either cover with a plastic table cloth that you are not at all fond of, or about 10 old copies of the Houston press.
Ingredients
1 sack crawfish
2 lbs butter (bout 8 sticks)
10 heads of garlic
5+ lbs of red potatoes. Get the SMALLEST ones you can find (they cook faster)
20+ half ears of corn
at least 6 lemons, cut into 8ths
salt. lots of salt.
a plastic baby pool
a broom handle
some potholders
newspaper
a large country crock container or something of the like (unless you are brave and plan to scoop crawfish with your hands)
extras - anouille 5 or so links cut into 2" pieces (or any sausage really), baby carrots (2 lbs), mushrooms (at least 2 lbs...) everyone eats them! I've also known people to toss in baby corn, onion (halved- about 1 per batch), and whatever else could be boiled.
set up. This is best to do on a driveway or someplace you can hose off. Set up a large table (or a card table), cover with newspaper or tablecloth. We hold everything down with our beer till the first batch of corn and potatoes are done. Take your time... to do this right and boil the whole sack will take a couple of hours. Manning the boiler is hot! Set up a couple of trash cans around the table for people to toss the heads into. I know some people will use foam takeout boxes to divide the trash if there are more people than table space.
First - purge the crawfish. Hose of the sack pretty well. Cut open your sack, and dump crawfish into the plastic baby pool. Dump lots and lots of salt onto the crawfish, and fill baby pool with water. take your hand and stir the crawfish. be brave, as long as you are moving, noone will pinch you. take a moment to pick out any dead crawfish... you don't want to eat them! Let the crawfish sit for about 20 minutes, and dump most of the water out. repeat while first batch of water is boiling.
the first boil
fill the pot about halfway with water. toss the potatoes in the basket along with 2 sticks butter, and 2 heads garlic (broken up). Bring the pot to boil on the propane burner (this takes about 20 or so minutes), put in about 1/3 the bag of seasoning, 1/3 of the corn, and put the lid back on. boil for about 10-20 minutes, bring up the basket. keep checking every 10 minutes till the potatoes are done. pull basket with broom handle and a potholder, shake corn and potatoes onto the table. Don't be too aggressive or the goodies will end up on the floor.
Batch 1
set basket on the ground. add more corn to the basket and 1/3 of your extras (mmmm mushrooms and andouille!). add another couple heads of garlic and about 2 lemons worth of wedges. Scoop enough angry crawfish into the basket to fill it 1/3 of the way, and top with a couple sticks of butter. submerge basket and put on lid... crawfish should be done in 10-15 minutes. pull basket, let it drip for a sec, and then dump basket contents onto table.
repeat till all the crawfish are gone! add a little more seasoning if you can bear it after the second load. If you made the first batch so hot noone can stand it, go dump out half of your water into the drain of your annoying neighbors (or the grate in the middle of your parking lot - it will seriously flush the drain!), and fill back up to half water. add butter and lemons and everything again.
The leftovers. There are always leftovers at a good boil. This is not your fault, but it is better to have too much than too little. Pick a friend that is too full, and shuck as many crawfish as you can into a bag. Use these leftover tails in soups, in omlettes, or in etoufee. HOWEVER, if you wait till tomorrow and try to shuck, it won't work as well. Crawfish are OK as leftovers all together, but you cant really do much besides eat them traditionally. Its a pain to do the day after... its easier to do when your face and hands are already burning.
The leftover garlic. This stuff is not to be underestimated! Press about a head of the leftover garlic into a small tupperware. add a little paprika, cayenne, and about 1.5 c mayo. VOILA! Spicy garlic mayo that tastes incredible on leftover crawfish po'boys.
The leftover potatoes. Whip up with a few cloves of the boiled garlic and onion for some killer garlic mashed potatoes.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Soup...
Crockpot-Sarah-is-sick-and-needs-minestrone Soup
Olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled, halved (lengthwise), and then sliced into chunky bits
1 cloves garlic, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, peeled(optional) and chopped (roma tastes best, canned are fine)
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
6 cups stock. Either chicken or veggie, I always use veg.
Salt and peppa
2 yellow squash, diced
2 zucchini, diced
½ c barley
2 colored peppers (not green, think yellow orange, red), roasted in the broiler, then cored, seeded, and cut into strips (you can be lazy and use the stuff in the jar too)
a blop of pesto if you got it
Fresh parmesean. You want the good stuff. Grate about ¼- ½ c
Chopped fresh basil (like 6 leaves)
Carmelize the onion lightly in a small saucepan in 2 tbsp olive oil for a couple minutes. Add celery, carrots and garlic. Toss everything in the crockpot, add a couple shakes of Italian seasoning if you like. Add everything else, put crockpot on low, go to work. When you get home, taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. serve with cheese and a little more chopped basil.
Olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled, halved (lengthwise), and then sliced into chunky bits
1 cloves garlic, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, peeled(optional) and chopped (roma tastes best, canned are fine)
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
6 cups stock. Either chicken or veggie, I always use veg.
Salt and peppa
2 yellow squash, diced
2 zucchini, diced
½ c barley
2 colored peppers (not green, think yellow orange, red), roasted in the broiler, then cored, seeded, and cut into strips (you can be lazy and use the stuff in the jar too)
a blop of pesto if you got it
Fresh parmesean. You want the good stuff. Grate about ¼- ½ c
Chopped fresh basil (like 6 leaves)
Carmelize the onion lightly in a small saucepan in 2 tbsp olive oil for a couple minutes. Add celery, carrots and garlic. Toss everything in the crockpot, add a couple shakes of Italian seasoning if you like. Add everything else, put crockpot on low, go to work. When you get home, taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. serve with cheese and a little more chopped basil.
End of the Semester Leftover Curry Noodles
So, this is the first meal i've made in a couple weeks. really the first that has not involved canned tuna, ramen noodle pho packets, or takeout. I had a bunch of still-good veggies leftover in the fridge, so i took a stab at dinner, and it turned out fabulous. MMMM
Veggie Yellow Curry Noodles
about 7 oz of udon noodles (linguine will work too, just snap it in half)
1/2 can coconut milk
3 tbsp or so yellow curry paste
1 c shredded cabbage
1/2 carrot, thinly sliced or juillined (or about 10 baby carrots)
2 green onions, sliced
10 mushrooms, sliced
1/3 or so yellow onion, sliced
2 tbsp or so honey
boil noodles as directed, strain, and rinse really thoroughly with cold water. In a large, seperate saucepan, combine a little olive oil, the onions (both kinds) and the mushrooms, and stir fry till the onions soften. add carrots, a tbsp more of oil, curry paste, cabbage, coconut milk, and honey, and give it a good stir. when it starts to simmer, taste for heat and sweetness (you want this a little sweet and pretty spicy, remember you are dilluting this with noodles), adjust if necessicary. Stir in noodles, and bring back to a slight simmer. taste, adjust if needed, and serve hot. For a tasty variation, stir in some boiled shrimp, tofu, or even some sliced hardboiled egg at the time of the carrots.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
my house smells amazing.
Today is in the middle of Pesach, and we have having our seder tonight instead of on Wednesday, since all of us had to work. This is a variation of my chicken soup, it's really tasty, and very good for slight hangovers after a night of drinking. In my circle of friends, this is "the holiday with the wine and that soup with the balls" and people always ask to come over for dinner. I also make a vegan soup, which I give to close friends this holiday that are either vegetarian or Muslim. However, i put not vegan matzoh balls in them, but they are veg not vegan anyways.
This particular recipe is kind of strange. I make 2 pots of chicken soup, but i only return half of the chicken, dividing among the 2 soups. The other chicken is served as stewed chicken along with the seder meal (and is quite tasty!!). The matzoh balls can either be split amongst the 2 pots or just cooked in one and then divided.
Just a note - this takes about 5 hours to make, start to finish, but is well worth it!! It's doesn't need very much babysitting, thankfully.
Matzoh Ball Soup
the balls (this is really a quadruple batch)
2 c matzoh meal
8 tbsp veg oil
8 tbsp water or stock
a little salt and pepper
8 eggs
the broth (double this)
1 chicken (about 3-4 lbs)
1 pretty large stockpot
4 or 5 cloves garlic
sprig each of dill and parsley
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 carrots, peeled and broken in half
3 celery stalks washed and broken in half
a little salt
3 peppercorns (or a couple shakes of pepper)
a large pyrex dish and cutting board (for sorting)
first, make the balls. Mix the salt, pepper, eggs, and oil lightly. add matzoh meal and mix. add water and mix. This should be pretty soupy now, but it will thicken, promise. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge until the soup is ready for them.
Now make the soup. Put the chicken in the pot, cover with water till it's about an inch or two above the chicken. add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and bring to a boil. Once this boils, reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for at least an hour (i usually do about 1.5-2 hours). You will know when it's ready when you try to fish out the chicken and it falls apart. taste for salt content, add a little water if needed. Fish out the chicken (tongs and a fry skimmer really help) and put in the pyrex dish. Skim the half inch of fat off of the top of the soup and discard (EW!). Fish out the veggies, chop them up, and return them to the pot. Add about 4 c of water, recover, and continue to simmer.
Cook the balls. Give the bowl of matzoh mash a quick stir. Take a tablespoon and chunk out a nice hunk of mix. roll a 2" size ball in your hand, and return to the pot. When all the balls are rolled, cover tightly and cook for 30-40 min.
Sort the chicken. just do ONE of the chickens! Remove the skin and discard. Pull the meat off the bones and remove any cartilige; toss the bones and cartilige. This will probably be really hot, so work quickly and use tongs and a fork if you need to. Let cool for about 10 min, so you can actually touch the meat without burning the crap out of yourself. shred into spoon-friendly chunks, returning half to each pot of soup. Serve HOT as first course of Passover! YUM!
Vegetarian Matzoh ball soup
1 pretty large stockpot
5 cloves garlic
sprig each of dill and parsley
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 green onions, cleaned (NOT chopped)
5 carrots, peeled and broken in half
5 celery stalks washed and broken in half
a little salt
5 peppercorns (or a couple shakes of pepper)
1 small piece of ginger
a couple shakes italian seasoning
put everything in a stockpot, fill with water to a couple inches above all the veggies. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low boil/simmer and cook for about 3-40 min (the celery should be REALLY really cooked and the onions almost mooshy). Add salt as needed. Fish everything out of the soup. Add a couple cups of water, cook balls as directed in first recipe. During this time, chop up all the veggies (toss the parsley, ginger, and dill). When the balls are done, return everything to the pot. Serve and share with your girlfriend this year, dangit!
This particular recipe is kind of strange. I make 2 pots of chicken soup, but i only return half of the chicken, dividing among the 2 soups. The other chicken is served as stewed chicken along with the seder meal (and is quite tasty!!). The matzoh balls can either be split amongst the 2 pots or just cooked in one and then divided.
Just a note - this takes about 5 hours to make, start to finish, but is well worth it!! It's doesn't need very much babysitting, thankfully.
Matzoh Ball Soup
the balls (this is really a quadruple batch)
2 c matzoh meal
8 tbsp veg oil
8 tbsp water or stock
a little salt and pepper
8 eggs
the broth (double this)
1 chicken (about 3-4 lbs)
1 pretty large stockpot
4 or 5 cloves garlic
sprig each of dill and parsley
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 carrots, peeled and broken in half
3 celery stalks washed and broken in half
a little salt
3 peppercorns (or a couple shakes of pepper)
a large pyrex dish and cutting board (for sorting)
first, make the balls. Mix the salt, pepper, eggs, and oil lightly. add matzoh meal and mix. add water and mix. This should be pretty soupy now, but it will thicken, promise. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge until the soup is ready for them.
Now make the soup. Put the chicken in the pot, cover with water till it's about an inch or two above the chicken. add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and bring to a boil. Once this boils, reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for at least an hour (i usually do about 1.5-2 hours). You will know when it's ready when you try to fish out the chicken and it falls apart. taste for salt content, add a little water if needed. Fish out the chicken (tongs and a fry skimmer really help) and put in the pyrex dish. Skim the half inch of fat off of the top of the soup and discard (EW!). Fish out the veggies, chop them up, and return them to the pot. Add about 4 c of water, recover, and continue to simmer.
Cook the balls. Give the bowl of matzoh mash a quick stir. Take a tablespoon and chunk out a nice hunk of mix. roll a 2" size ball in your hand, and return to the pot. When all the balls are rolled, cover tightly and cook for 30-40 min.
Sort the chicken. just do ONE of the chickens! Remove the skin and discard. Pull the meat off the bones and remove any cartilige; toss the bones and cartilige. This will probably be really hot, so work quickly and use tongs and a fork if you need to. Let cool for about 10 min, so you can actually touch the meat without burning the crap out of yourself. shred into spoon-friendly chunks, returning half to each pot of soup. Serve HOT as first course of Passover! YUM!
Vegetarian Matzoh ball soup
1 pretty large stockpot
5 cloves garlic
sprig each of dill and parsley
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 green onions, cleaned (NOT chopped)
5 carrots, peeled and broken in half
5 celery stalks washed and broken in half
a little salt
5 peppercorns (or a couple shakes of pepper)
1 small piece of ginger
a couple shakes italian seasoning
put everything in a stockpot, fill with water to a couple inches above all the veggies. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low boil/simmer and cook for about 3-40 min (the celery should be REALLY really cooked and the onions almost mooshy). Add salt as needed. Fish everything out of the soup. Add a couple cups of water, cook balls as directed in first recipe. During this time, chop up all the veggies (toss the parsley, ginger, and dill). When the balls are done, return everything to the pot. Serve and share with your girlfriend this year, dangit!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
RIP food processor
FYI, after my last lemongrass attempt, my food processor bit the dust. ...And by bit-the-dust i mean broke in the middle of making lemongrass tofu. If you use not all the way chopped up lemongrass, it doesn't work very well and yo uhave very... er.... woody food.
I am looking for recommendations for not-humongous food processors so that I can continue to make hummus and lemongrass things. Budget limited.
*SIGH*
I am looking for recommendations for not-humongous food processors so that I can continue to make hummus and lemongrass things. Budget limited.
*SIGH*
mmmm, jew cookies
fresh bakes goodness.Hamentashen
Yes, I know I'm late. I bought all the goodies to make these, but ran out of time. It was a busy couple of weeks! These are some of my absolute favorite cookies on the planet that do not necessarily involve chocolate. I don't know mom's recipe, but this is based off of a couple I've found over the years. Favorite fillings are: poppyseed (pie filling), almond (pie filling), chocolate chips (the mini ones work best), and all-fruit jams (my sister loves the raspberry one the best).
Since I have a tile countertop, i just unrolled a big big sheet of aluminum foil, floured it, and it worked fine. easy clean up too!
5 oz unsalted butter or margarine (a stick and a 1/4)
1 3/4 c flour (i use unbleached)
1 egg yolk
2 tsp almond milk
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp sugar
whatever canned filling
combine dry ingredients in a bowl. warm butter in the microwave (not TOTALLY melted, just nice and soft). combine by form with dry ingredients. add egg, milk, and vanilla, and mix with fork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Roll out sections of dough on a floured surface. Cut round shaped out with a coffee tin or something (my pint glasses worked nicely). arrange on cookie sheet and drop a tsp of filling into each. Pinch of sections of 3rds to form the circles into funny pyramids, to make them kinda look like little jelly filled hats. BAKE at 375 for 15-20 min, until golden.
tips
- you can also be lazy and cut out squares and fold those over, but they aren't as neat.
- don't overfill! There is nothing grosser than burned jelly on the bottom of your cookies! Jellies tend to leak through any tiny cookie hole and bubble up.
- If you want the "I spent entirely too much time on these" look, brush each cookie while baking with a smear of beaten egg. it makes them golden and pretty.
cookie rounds
1 small blop
fold up 2 corners, pinching the ends
pinch up the 3rd, and voila! a semi-cool looking little cookie.leftover veggies sandwich
Earlier in the week, D, the sis, and I went to Star Pizza. The place is good for pizza, and the rest of the food is pretty good too. I got a veggie sandwich that was tasty, although a bit on the skimpy side. I ate half of the sandwich (which was onion, avocado, pesto, sprouts, tomato) and accompanied (underseasoned) potatoes, and doggie bagged the rest.
Today I was hungry (obviously), and decided to revisit my sandwich. The sprouts, tomato, and avocado were a little gross looking so i scraped the sandwich down to the pesto. I had cut veggies and avocado in the fridge from yesterday's bbq, so i decided to restart this sandwich. I put the bread and potatoes coated with a lil "Slap Ya Mama" seasoning in the broiler for 4 min. In the meantime, i sauteed some sliced red onion, garlic, mushrooms, and diced dried onion for alittle flavor variation until the onions were soft. I tossed in an egg white to give it a little more substance (as I was baking and just happened to have one laying around) and some italian seasoning. Pulled out my potatoes and crusty bread, layered the sandwich with my sauteed mix, mayo, and topped with a layer of chopped avocado.
MMMMMM
quite tasty, and quite nice to look at.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
sunday dinners
On sunday nights, i try to cook lunches for both me and D for a few days. That way, if i come home late late, he will still have dinner. Here are the recipes for the food i made for the week.
stir fried tofu and green beans
1/2 block firm tofu, squeezed and cubed
1 c frozen green beans
1/2 can shredded bamboo shoots
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
memmi
a big handful of shittake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tsp chopped garlic
olive oil
crushed red pepper
put cubes of tofu in a pan with garlic and a swirl of olive oil. Fry for about 5 min on medium high, until one side is beginning to turn golden. Add memmi (2 or 3 good swirls), bamboo, shittakes, and onion, and stir, cook for another 4 minutes. Add green beans, another swirl of memmi, and red pepper. Cook for another 5 min, stir frying until green beans are tender.
Tofu Green Curry (not so traditional)
1/2 block firm tofu, squeezed, cubed
1 can coconut milk
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 handful snow peas
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 can shredded bamboo shoots
1 tsp fish sauce
green curry paste
turbinado sugar
stir fry onion in a swirl of olive oil in a wok for about 4 minutes. add garlic, and stir fry for another 3. add tofu, coconut milk, bamboo, fish sauce, about 3 tbsp of curry paste, and 3 tbsp sugar. Reduce to simmer, cover for about 5 minutes. taste for heat and sweetness balance, add more as needed. add everything else and simmer for another 5 min. serve hot with jasmine rice. MMMMMM
toasty tempeh
Ok, so i've never made tempeh before. mom has, and it's been good, but i never really had the urge to buy it. well, i bought it, and attempted to cook it this way. Other than the onions getting a little more charred than carmelized, it's really very tasty, nutty, and totally snackable.
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/8 c chopped onion
1/8 tsp cardamon
3 tbsp shoyu (or whatever soy sauce you got)
1 pack original tempeh
cube up tempeh, add to a pan with oil. fry for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add garlic, cardamon, and onion, and fry for another 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and fry until the tempeh is toasty. Drain on napkins.
^^mustard greens ^kale
seasoned asian greens
Now, i LOVE the kind I get from Frenchy's in the ward, but a) that is the TINIEST cup ever of greens for $3, and b) that stuff is horrible for you. This kinds are still tasty, but cheap, filling, and really good for you.
1 bunch greens, washed, washed again, and chopped
memmi
1/4 sweet yellow onion, chopped
a clove of garlic, crushed
ginger powder
boil 4 c water in a saucepan. add stems and simmer for 5 minutes, add onion and garlic, and simmer for another 5. The water should be mostly gone by now. add everything else (about 3 tbsp memmi), and cook for another 5 min, stirring constantly. Once all the greens are steamed, add a swirl more of memmi and serve hot.
OH, and I did make some meat for the week for my carnivore.
stir fried tofu and green beans
1/2 block firm tofu, squeezed and cubed
1 c frozen green beans
1/2 can shredded bamboo shoots
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
memmi
a big handful of shittake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tsp chopped garlic
olive oil
crushed red pepper
put cubes of tofu in a pan with garlic and a swirl of olive oil. Fry for about 5 min on medium high, until one side is beginning to turn golden. Add memmi (2 or 3 good swirls), bamboo, shittakes, and onion, and stir, cook for another 4 minutes. Add green beans, another swirl of memmi, and red pepper. Cook for another 5 min, stir frying until green beans are tender.
Tofu Green Curry (not so traditional)
1/2 block firm tofu, squeezed, cubed
1 can coconut milk
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 handful snow peas
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 can shredded bamboo shoots
1 tsp fish sauce
green curry paste
turbinado sugar
stir fry onion in a swirl of olive oil in a wok for about 4 minutes. add garlic, and stir fry for another 3. add tofu, coconut milk, bamboo, fish sauce, about 3 tbsp of curry paste, and 3 tbsp sugar. Reduce to simmer, cover for about 5 minutes. taste for heat and sweetness balance, add more as needed. add everything else and simmer for another 5 min. serve hot with jasmine rice. MMMMMM
toasty tempeh
Ok, so i've never made tempeh before. mom has, and it's been good, but i never really had the urge to buy it. well, i bought it, and attempted to cook it this way. Other than the onions getting a little more charred than carmelized, it's really very tasty, nutty, and totally snackable.
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/8 c chopped onion
1/8 tsp cardamon
3 tbsp shoyu (or whatever soy sauce you got)
1 pack original tempeh
cube up tempeh, add to a pan with oil. fry for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add garlic, cardamon, and onion, and fry for another 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and fry until the tempeh is toasty. Drain on napkins.
^^mustard greens ^kale
seasoned asian greens
Now, i LOVE the kind I get from Frenchy's in the ward, but a) that is the TINIEST cup ever of greens for $3, and b) that stuff is horrible for you. This kinds are still tasty, but cheap, filling, and really good for you.
1 bunch greens, washed, washed again, and chopped
memmi
1/4 sweet yellow onion, chopped
a clove of garlic, crushed
ginger powder
boil 4 c water in a saucepan. add stems and simmer for 5 minutes, add onion and garlic, and simmer for another 5. The water should be mostly gone by now. add everything else (about 3 tbsp memmi), and cook for another 5 min, stirring constantly. Once all the greens are steamed, add a swirl more of memmi and serve hot.
OH, and I did make some meat for the week for my carnivore.
Monday, March 16, 2009
poor gurl lunches
I see folks all the time eat the cup-o-soup lunches. Now I LOVE ramens (or any instant pho noodles either for that matter), but eating them with freeze dried peas and corn is no way to go. 
Invest in some better noodles! Instant pho or rice stick noodles are 30-50 cents a piece (instead of 20), about 20% less sodium, and usually under 200 calories for the entire pack (under half of normal ramens), and come will all sorts of goodies to adjust the flavor... some get HOT. Or, get some exotic ramens or udons with many flavoring packets!
Toss in some sliced and destemmed shittakes (about 4 will do ya), 1 sliced green onion, some sprouts (if you have em), some shredded carrot, a couple pieces of surimi/tofu/or krabstick, and some snow or snap peas (i prefer snap, they keep better), and VOILA! In 5 minutes, you have a lunch your coworkers are truly envious of! Not to mention, it all costs about $1.
+ 
+
+ 
+ 
++ + = ENVY
pictures
ALRIGHT already!
At your suggestion, I'm going to put pics of what i've got from now on. I will try try to get things up soon, so there will be a backlog of pictures. Might as well put those lenses to use, yea?
At your suggestion, I'm going to put pics of what i've got from now on. I will try try to get things up soon, so there will be a backlog of pictures. Might as well put those lenses to use, yea?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
lemongrass whatever
Ok, so tonight i had company over. I keep buying lemongrass and letting it go bad in my fridge, basically because i have no clue how to use it, nor do i really ever remember that it is IN my fridge. I used my one-meat-a-month card and made this recipe up. It's a combination of 4 different recipes sort of as i really just looked at them to see what was in them and didn't even use their proportions, and it turned out FANTASTIC. I'm assuming this will work with pork, chicken, shrimp, or tofu, but I just happened to use beef. So, here goes...
Lemongrass Beef
1 lb boneless ribeye steak
2 red bell peppers, quartered, and sliced
3 stalks lemongrass
fish sauce
5 cloves garlic, then 8 more
2 tbsp sugar
4 red chiles (the dried ones in like Kung pao whatever)
1 med yellow onion, halved then sliced thin
3 med to thick green onions
soy sauce
2 handfulls of snow peas
about 10 stalks of asparagus, cut into thumb sized pieces
olive oil
Cut up lemongrass into thumb sized pieces. Combine with chilies, 5 cloves garlic, sugar, and 2 tbsp fish sauce in a small food processor, until the mix is more mush than woodiness. Coat steak with about 2/3 of this mix. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 min. During this time, prep your veggies if you havent already. Put on a pot of rice if you like. After 30 min, put steak in a pan and brown (till lemongrass starts to singe a little). Scrape pan, flip, and cook for another 5 min in the pan. Turn off heat, set aside, scrape pan onto cutting board too. Put onion, the rest of the garlic, and a little olive oil in a nonstick pot or wok. Stir fry until the garlic starts to soften and the onions carmelize. You will probably have to add a little water here and there. Add asparagus, peppers, and the rest of the lemongrass sauce. Stir fry for about 4 min. Slice the beef up into thumbsized chunks and add to pan (along with pan scrapings), along with the snow peas. Add a couple tbsp soy sauce and fish sauce and stir fry until the snow peas are mildly cooked. Serve over hot rice. MMMM
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
GRANOLA!
Mom used to make granola when i was a kiddo. I remember the smell of our house as the oats and honey were toasting. nothing in a bag can match it, EVER. Since mom couldn't really tell me how she made granola, I winged it. This is the best version.
GRANOLA
1 tub rolled oats
honey (to taste - usually about 1/2 c)
1 c floured dates
1 c sliced almonds
1/2 c coconut flakes
1/8 c flax seeds
1/2 (or more) c veggie oil
2 tbsp vientnamese hot cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c cashews, broken
1 c sunflower seeds
preheat oven to 400. mix oil, 1/4 c honey, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl. mix oats and oil mix and put in a big pan to toast. bake about 30 min, stir every 10 min, or until oats start to toast more thoroughly. taste for sweetness, add more honey if needed.add all the fruit, coconut, and nuts, and toast for about another 20 min, stirring every 5. When done, cool for 1 hour so that it will clump nicely. You can swap out fruits and nuts if you want too.
ratio goes like this
4 oats
1 fruit
1 nut a
1 nut b
1 coconut
1/2 flax
1/2 seeds
this particular time it was
oats
coconut
almonds
1/2 c chopped raw cashews
sunflower seeds
8 dates, chopped
1/4 c dried blueberries (they were freaking expensive though, not sure if i will do that again)
vanilla
vanilla
cinnamon
flaxseeds
some more backlog.
I'm going to attempt to get this blog current.
some more easy dinners!
****************************************************************
some more easy dinners!
Chicken soup
1 chicken, with guts removed (or 4 chicken quarters), but skin on (keep the neck for the soup)
4 stalks celery
3 peeled carrots, peeled and cut into thumb thick pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
a few shakes of dill
4 or more garlic cloves
chicken bullion (just in case)
kosher salt
pepper
spaghetti
Cheesecloth, fruit bags, or pantyhose (washed)
Place chicken in a stockpot. Add carrots, celery (whole) and onion. Cover the chicken in water, about ½” above the chicken. Make a pouch out of cheesecloth, those funky bags oranges or onions come in, or a CLEAN pair of pantyhose. Add about 2 tsp coarse pepper, 1 tsp dill, and sliced garlic cloves to the cloth. Tie off the end and trim down to a small packet. Bring all to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low/simmer. Simmer for an hour. Salt to taste, and add more garlic if you wish. Add a tsp of chicken bullion if not strong enough. Stir and then simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Turn off heat and remove chicken from pot. Transfer to a cutting board and cool for about 10-20 minutes. Peel off skin and cut up chicken. It should easily come off bones if done enough. Fish in soup and remove seasoning packet and toss. Remove celery and chop up and add back to soup. Take a quarter’s diameter of noodles and break in half and toss in soup. Add cut up chicken. Add about 1c water and bring back to a simmer. Turn off in about 6 minutes or when noodles are done. Eat. For leftovers, refrigerate overnight in same stockpot and skim the fat off of the top before reheating.
Eggplant and Garlic Sauce
This is a way lightened version. The real thing is fried, drained, and then tossed with sauce. I created this one when i was stuck in weight watchers....
1 large eggplant cubed (1/2” cubies)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp- tbsp soy sauce
4 or so cloves of garlic, sliced
1 small or medium yellow onion, halved, then sliced downwards (peeled, of course)
1 cup water
2 tbsp (or a little more to taste) of hosien
put olive oil in a nonstick pan, heat to medium high. Add sugar and STIR in till sugar dissolves
add eggplant and garlic and stir till no more oil is visible. Add about ¼ cup of water and sauté over medium till almost all water is gone. Add onion and stir for about a minute. Add about ¼ cup of water and sauté till water is gone. Add about ¼ cup of water and cover, stirring occasionally. Eggplant should be somewhat translucent by now… Add soy and hosien, sautee with another ¼ water, sauté for another minute or 2 (till everything is coated well), and serve
Heat oil in nonstick pan to medium high and stir in sugar till dissolved. Add eggplant and garlic and stir until oil is absorbed. Add ¼ cup of water and sauté over medium till water is absorbed. Add onion and stir for about a minute. Add about ¼ cup of water and sauté till water is gone, cover, and repeat (Eggplant should be translucent). Add soy, chili, and hosien, sauté with remainder of water for another 2 minutes (till well coated). Serve hot over rice. Makes about 4 generous servings.
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Salmon prepared with olive oil.
For salmon, I just take fish (defrosted if frozen)
rub with garlic and coarse black pepper. Sprinkle olive oil on it and spread it all over both sides of the fish. slice a lemon thinly and tile on top. Squeeze a bit of juice on there too. Cook (usually I broil it) until the middle part flakes easily with fork.
also works well with trout (esp. steelhead) or any other sort of fatty fish.
Asparagus (for a side)
I trim asparagus of woody part. Lay out on broiling pan. Spray with olive oil (or toss in a bag with 2 tsp of olive oil if you don’t have a sprayer) and sprinkle garlic powder, and a hint of seasoned salt. Broil until tops are a bit goldened and skin is wrinkled. make a bunch because people will come in your kitchen and steal it before all food is done.Monday, March 9, 2009
lazy dinners
veg pita sammiches and hummus stuffed black olives
1 pita
smear with hummus, a bit of goat cheese, roasted red peppers, sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, salt, pepper
OMG HEAVEN.
I made d's with chicken and stuffed it with black olives with fresh hummus from T'afia's farmer's market booth..
1 pita
smear with hummus, a bit of goat cheese, roasted red peppers, sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, salt, pepper
OMG HEAVEN.
I made d's with chicken and stuffed it with black olives with fresh hummus from T'afia's farmer's market booth..
veggie yum
My vegetarian chili
I like mine hot. I think I toned it down for this recipe, I don't remember. Either way, it's awesome.
* 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) olive or vegetable oil
* 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
* 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 yellow bell pepper (for color, you can use all red), seeded and chopped
* 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2 chipotle peppers, smashed in pestle or with a spoon or chopped and 2 tsp adobo sauce (or more)
* 5 cloves garlic, pressed
* 1 1/2 c dos equis beer
* 1 cube vegetable bullion, crushed
* 2-12 oz cans diced tomatoes
* 1-12 oz can crushed tomatoes
* 1 (14-ounce) can black beans
* 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans
* 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika (if you can find it. it's sold at central market, CHEAP, and GOOD)
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 few grinds fresh ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1 can vegetarian refried beans
Over medium-high heat, add oil to a deep pot and combine onion, peppers, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Add bullion to the beer, and add to pan. Add tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, and stirring to combine. Add the refried beans, but smash them in, you want them to break up nicely. Cook for like 3 minutes, Add chilis, adobo stuff, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer medium for 10 more minutes, COVERED, but with a cracked lid (to reduce, but this stuff SPLASHES), stirring like ever 2-3 min or the bottom will burn. Serve over rice or with chips.
OM NOM NOM NOM...
Tofu Scramble pockets
I had some made my Amy's and they were AWESOME. I tried to recreate it and theyTOO turned out good. I promise, this is way less work than it looks like. These freeze really well. Heat them up in the office and ahve everyone's nose stuck in your cubicle (until you tell them it's tofu, and then they scatter!)..
1 block light firm tofu
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soysauce or tamari
black pepper
red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
olive oil
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 handfull shittake mushrooms, de-stemmed, and chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
pinch golden tumeric
pinch smoked or sweet paprika
for the dough
2 c unbleached all purpose flour, plus some
pinch salt
pinch smoked or sweet paprika
1/2 c warm water
1/2 c olive or sunflower oil
Make the dough.
You want it to have "just enough" flour, and it will have the consistency of an earlobe. Mix all dry ingredients together, add liquid ingredients, then gauge if you need more flour once it is all mixed. This is an oily dough, easy to manipulate with hands, and very elastic. if you add too much flour it won't stick together! If you aren't going to use it right away, keep it at room temp, putting it in the fridge makes it way less maliable.
Make the filling.
Drain tofu, and squeeze any extra moisture out by squeezing it between paper towels. Heat 1 tbsp or 2 of olive oil in a NONstick skillet to med/med-high. Crumble the tofu really well into the pan, and break it up a little more with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook for about 5 min (this is to remove extra moisture from the tofu), then stir. Add a pinch of tumeric and paprika for color, and stir really well. Cook for another 4 or so min, so that you brown the tofu a little, stirring every min. Add onion, mushrooms, garlic, pepper, and peppers. Stir well and cook for another 4 or so min, turning occasionally, till onions begin to soften. Add red pepper flakes, honey, and soy sauce, and cook for another min or two (so that all liquid is absorbed), stirring constantly. Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed, but it should be a smidge salty because the dough should absorb some of the salt.
Assemble
Heat oven to 350 while you assemble this stuff.Get a greased cookie sheet or pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil. Divide the dough up into about 5 or 6 pieces (they should be slightly smaller than your fist). Either flatten by hand or roll each out and arrange on sheet. Fill with dough and fold over, kind of like an empenada. Brush with egg or butter or oil or something, and bake till golden... which i will find out how long that is in a bit.
I like mine hot. I think I toned it down for this recipe, I don't remember. Either way, it's awesome.
* 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) olive or vegetable oil
* 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
* 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 yellow bell pepper (for color, you can use all red), seeded and chopped
* 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2 chipotle peppers, smashed in pestle or with a spoon or chopped and 2 tsp adobo sauce (or more)
* 5 cloves garlic, pressed
* 1 1/2 c dos equis beer
* 1 cube vegetable bullion, crushed
* 2-12 oz cans diced tomatoes
* 1-12 oz can crushed tomatoes
* 1 (14-ounce) can black beans
* 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans
* 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika (if you can find it. it's sold at central market, CHEAP, and GOOD)
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 few grinds fresh ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1 can vegetarian refried beans
Over medium-high heat, add oil to a deep pot and combine onion, peppers, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Add bullion to the beer, and add to pan. Add tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, and stirring to combine. Add the refried beans, but smash them in, you want them to break up nicely. Cook for like 3 minutes, Add chilis, adobo stuff, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer medium for 10 more minutes, COVERED, but with a cracked lid (to reduce, but this stuff SPLASHES), stirring like ever 2-3 min or the bottom will burn. Serve over rice or with chips.
OM NOM NOM NOM...
Tofu Scramble pockets
I had some made my Amy's and they were AWESOME. I tried to recreate it and theyTOO turned out good. I promise, this is way less work than it looks like. These freeze really well. Heat them up in the office and ahve everyone's nose stuck in your cubicle (until you tell them it's tofu, and then they scatter!)..
1 block light firm tofu
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soysauce or tamari
black pepper
red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
olive oil
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 handfull shittake mushrooms, de-stemmed, and chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
pinch golden tumeric
pinch smoked or sweet paprika
for the dough
2 c unbleached all purpose flour, plus some
pinch salt
pinch smoked or sweet paprika
1/2 c warm water
1/2 c olive or sunflower oil
Make the dough.
You want it to have "just enough" flour, and it will have the consistency of an earlobe. Mix all dry ingredients together, add liquid ingredients, then gauge if you need more flour once it is all mixed. This is an oily dough, easy to manipulate with hands, and very elastic. if you add too much flour it won't stick together! If you aren't going to use it right away, keep it at room temp, putting it in the fridge makes it way less maliable.
Make the filling.
Drain tofu, and squeeze any extra moisture out by squeezing it between paper towels. Heat 1 tbsp or 2 of olive oil in a NONstick skillet to med/med-high. Crumble the tofu really well into the pan, and break it up a little more with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook for about 5 min (this is to remove extra moisture from the tofu), then stir. Add a pinch of tumeric and paprika for color, and stir really well. Cook for another 4 or so min, so that you brown the tofu a little, stirring every min. Add onion, mushrooms, garlic, pepper, and peppers. Stir well and cook for another 4 or so min, turning occasionally, till onions begin to soften. Add red pepper flakes, honey, and soy sauce, and cook for another min or two (so that all liquid is absorbed), stirring constantly. Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed, but it should be a smidge salty because the dough should absorb some of the salt.
Assemble
Heat oven to 350 while you assemble this stuff.Get a greased cookie sheet or pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil. Divide the dough up into about 5 or 6 pieces (they should be slightly smaller than your fist). Either flatten by hand or roll each out and arrange on sheet. Fill with dough and fold over, kind of like an empenada. Brush with egg or butter or oil or something, and bake till golden... which i will find out how long that is in a bit.
some oldies.
Tomorrow is Purim. However, I looked in my archives for Purim recipes and got Chanukka ones.
Whatever.
Enjoy.
latkes (potato pancakes)
1 lb potatoes, peeled
1 apple, peeled and cored
1 egg, beaten, i guess
1/4 cup flour
salt and peppa
grate potatoes and apple and drain the shit out of it. add flour and egg, salt and pepper, and mix really good.Heat oil in a shallow pan (for frying, about 1" deep). take a handfull of potato moosh, and pat it into a thin patty (usually i roll it in a ball and then smoosh it). Fry until golden, flip, and fry for a few more minutes. you can fry like 6 at a time. drain. eat with applesauce or sour cream on top.YUMMEH. kicks the butt of any hash brown out there. We usually make these in triple batches. However, no matter how good these are, if you grind up a 10 lb bag of potatoes, you will be frying for about 2 or so hours...
My Noodle Kugel
I had to adapt this recipe cause my sister hates rasins in her kugel, and i LOVE to cook for my sister.
I use soy substitues for all the milk stuff and it turns out really well.
1 cup milk (or soy)
1 lb egg noodles (like manichevitz brand)
cinnamon
3 eggs
1 lb cottage cheese (or silken tofu)
a couple tablespoons of good gold rum
3 oz cream cheese (or soy), about 1/2 c
1/2-3/4 c sugar
1 half apple, peeled and diced
1/2 c sliced almonds. break em up a little
1 capfull vanilla
preheat oven to 350. boil noodles till done, drain. grease casserole pan, add noodles. Mix milk, eggs, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, apple, rum, vanilla, and almonds in a bowl till everything is mixed (cept the cottage cheese, of course). add to noodles, and stir really well till its like yellowy noodle soup. bake for an hour. serve warm. this is kinda a side dish, kinda a dessert.
Whatever.
Enjoy.
latkes (potato pancakes)
1 lb potatoes, peeled
1 apple, peeled and cored
1 egg, beaten, i guess
1/4 cup flour
salt and peppa
grate potatoes and apple and drain the shit out of it. add flour and egg, salt and pepper, and mix really good.Heat oil in a shallow pan (for frying, about 1" deep). take a handfull of potato moosh, and pat it into a thin patty (usually i roll it in a ball and then smoosh it). Fry until golden, flip, and fry for a few more minutes. you can fry like 6 at a time. drain. eat with applesauce or sour cream on top.YUMMEH. kicks the butt of any hash brown out there. We usually make these in triple batches. However, no matter how good these are, if you grind up a 10 lb bag of potatoes, you will be frying for about 2 or so hours...
My Noodle Kugel
I had to adapt this recipe cause my sister hates rasins in her kugel, and i LOVE to cook for my sister.
I use soy substitues for all the milk stuff and it turns out really well.
1 cup milk (or soy)
1 lb egg noodles (like manichevitz brand)
cinnamon
3 eggs
1 lb cottage cheese (or silken tofu)
a couple tablespoons of good gold rum
3 oz cream cheese (or soy), about 1/2 c
1/2-3/4 c sugar
1 half apple, peeled and diced
1/2 c sliced almonds. break em up a little
1 capfull vanilla
preheat oven to 350. boil noodles till done, drain. grease casserole pan, add noodles. Mix milk, eggs, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, apple, rum, vanilla, and almonds in a bowl till everything is mixed (cept the cottage cheese, of course). add to noodles, and stir really well till its like yellowy noodle soup. bake for an hour. serve warm. this is kinda a side dish, kinda a dessert.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
some party food
Yes, so today I went to a party. I had to bring food. Therefore, I make this post.
Hummus
unless i'm really, REALLY lazy, I make hummus. 4 min to make, about 5 min prep. This costs about $2 to make enough to fill 2 of those store bought tubs if you already have tahini and lemon juice lying around.
1 med can of chick peas/garbanzo beans
2 cloves raw garlic
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
lime juice (about 2 tsp, may adjust later)
1 tbsp sesame tahini
olive oil (probably about 1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp parsley flakes
a food processor
Drain and wash the chickpeas. in the food processor, blend all the spices, tahini, and garlic, till the garlic is pulverized. add 1/4 of the can of chick peas, and a couple tbsp olive oil. blend. do this until everything is used up. If it is too thick, stir, and add a little more olive oil. If you want to watch calories, you can alternate water and oil. Taste for seasoning, and add more lemon juice, black pepper, salt, or paprika.
Hot BBQ wangs
I love hot wings. Although I am not eating meat too often these days, I will sneak one or two of these if I make them.
1 broiler pan
tongs
1 c of your favorite sweet based bbq sauce (i usually use a variety with a name including the works "honey" and "hickory")
salt and pepper
about 4 lbs of wings, thirded with that little end bit thrown away
cayenne
preheat oven to 450 (or as high as your oven goes without broiling). Combine (in a big mixing bowl) the BBQ sauce and about 1 tsp of cayenne. Cook wings 30 min until done and kinda crispy on top. Flip all the wings and put in broiler for about 5 min till everything is way crispy. Pull off the pan and put in mixing bowl and toss everything together. mmm.
Hummus
unless i'm really, REALLY lazy, I make hummus. 4 min to make, about 5 min prep. This costs about $2 to make enough to fill 2 of those store bought tubs if you already have tahini and lemon juice lying around.
1 med can of chick peas/garbanzo beans
2 cloves raw garlic
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
lime juice (about 2 tsp, may adjust later)
1 tbsp sesame tahini
olive oil (probably about 1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp parsley flakes
a food processor
Drain and wash the chickpeas. in the food processor, blend all the spices, tahini, and garlic, till the garlic is pulverized. add 1/4 of the can of chick peas, and a couple tbsp olive oil. blend. do this until everything is used up. If it is too thick, stir, and add a little more olive oil. If you want to watch calories, you can alternate water and oil. Taste for seasoning, and add more lemon juice, black pepper, salt, or paprika.
Hot BBQ wangs
I love hot wings. Although I am not eating meat too often these days, I will sneak one or two of these if I make them.
1 broiler pan
tongs
1 c of your favorite sweet based bbq sauce (i usually use a variety with a name including the works "honey" and "hickory")
salt and pepper
about 4 lbs of wings, thirded with that little end bit thrown away
cayenne
preheat oven to 450 (or as high as your oven goes without broiling). Combine (in a big mixing bowl) the BBQ sauce and about 1 tsp of cayenne. Cook wings 30 min until done and kinda crispy on top. Flip all the wings and put in broiler for about 5 min till everything is way crispy. Pull off the pan and put in mixing bowl and toss everything together. mmm.
Monday, February 23, 2009
the ultimate bad for you food.
refined starch, processed cheese, fake butter, liquid meat, and YUM
9 Cheese Mac and Cheese
1 small block Velveeta
1 package elbow macaroni 8 or 12 oz package
1 bag Italian cheese blend (usually like 6 cheese, with Parmesan, etc)
1 bag casserole cheese blend (usually 4 cheese, with cheddar and Monterrey jack)
2 tbsp black pepper
kosher salt
1/2 milk
1/4 butter or margarine
a big microwave bowl and a big bowl for mixing
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare macaroni and drain. Set in a greased baking dish. Mix all the shredded cheese together in a mixing bowl. In a microwaveable bowl, add cubed Velveeta, milk, pepper, and butter. Microwave in 1 minute increments for 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted, stirring in between nukings. Add one handful mixed cheese to melted stuff and stir. Pour a little over noodles in pan and stir. Pour remainder of Velveeta over noodles and stir till evenly mixed. Sprinkle all the cheese on top of the pan and bake until top is golden brown.
9 Cheese Mac and Cheese
1 small block Velveeta
1 package elbow macaroni 8 or 12 oz package
1 bag Italian cheese blend (usually like 6 cheese, with Parmesan, etc)
1 bag casserole cheese blend (usually 4 cheese, with cheddar and Monterrey jack)
2 tbsp black pepper
kosher salt
1/2 milk
1/4 butter or margarine
a big microwave bowl and a big bowl for mixing
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare macaroni and drain. Set in a greased baking dish. Mix all the shredded cheese together in a mixing bowl. In a microwaveable bowl, add cubed Velveeta, milk, pepper, and butter. Microwave in 1 minute increments for 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted, stirring in between nukings. Add one handful mixed cheese to melted stuff and stir. Pour a little over noodles in pan and stir. Pour remainder of Velveeta over noodles and stir till evenly mixed. Sprinkle all the cheese on top of the pan and bake until top is golden brown.
Some Basic (but new) home cookin.
This is lovingly pilfered from my post from yesterday on facebook.
So today, i whipped up 3 really good recipes.
The middle one is the only one that can be made veggie. This is kind of everyday style home cooking, but new recipes.
Key ingredients:
FRESH shittake mushrooms and
Bonito and soy based soup base (usually called memmi, tempura sauce, or bonito soup base).
You can find the soup base and noodles in the Asian isle from Krogers, and the mushrooms by the.... well... mushrooms.
So today, i whipped up 3 really good recipes.
The middle one is the only one that can be made veggie. This is kind of everyday style home cooking, but new recipes.
Key ingredients:
FRESH shittake mushrooms andBonito and soy based soup base (usually called memmi, tempura sauce, or bonito soup base).
You can find the soup base and noodles in the Asian isle from Krogers, and the mushrooms by the.... well... mushrooms.
(the pic shows somen noodles, but you get the idea. still my cooking)
Udons
Fresh Udons are the best! For a variation, add a couple of pieces or chopped crab stick a couple of minutes before the snow peas or a scrambled egg. Even if you buy the udons in the package (for 89 cents... you know those), use the broth and still tastes better.
1/4c soup base
3 cups water
1 thumb size piece ginger, unpeeled, and halved
2 servings dried udon noodles
8 fresh shittake mushrooms, cleaned and destemmed
1 handfull of snow peas
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 c diced tofu
boil udons and shittakes in 3 cups of water for about 8 minutes, till noodles are tender. drain, and run under cold water. remove mushrooms, slice, set aside. Put 3 cups of water with soup base. Add sliced mushrooms, tofu, and ginger. Bring to a boil, fish out ginger, taste, add more soup base if needed, add noodles and everything else and turn off heat. Serve!
Stir fried yum
I love shittakes. Not only are they good for you, but they are hearty enough to be a meat substitute in many dishes.
2 handfulls fresh shittakes, cleaned, destemmed, and slides in thirds
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups sugar snap peas
sesame oil
olive oil
1/4c bonito soup base OR 1/4 soy sauce with 4 tbsp sugar dissolved in it
some red pepper flakes
make a swirl of olive oil and a swirl sesame oil in a pan over med high heat. add mushrooms and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes, until all oil is absorbed and a couple of the edges of the mushrooms brown. Add 1/2 c water, and cook for another 5 minutes. add bonito sauce and about 1/2 c water and snap peas. Toss frequently, cook until peas are steamed
spicy squid salad
I had a squid salad the other day at nidda thai that was phenominal. this is not AS good, but still pretty damn good. Not to mention, it only costs about $5 to make, cause most of the stuff i already have in my fridge.
1/2lb calamari steak
6 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
sugar (to taste)
3 red dried chilis, crushed (really, to taste. I added 4 and it was perfect heat for me)
black pepper (to taste)
1.5 c shredded green cabbage
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped and de-seeded
3 green onions, sliced
Boil calimari in 2 c of water until it starts to cool. Rinse with cold water and put in a plate in the freezer to cool it off. Add all veggies into a tupperware (covered) bowl. Mix it up a little bit, shake it. Mix fish sauce, a little pepper, chilis, sugar, and lime juice in either a bowl or a shaker jar. Mix until sugar is dissolved. taste the sauce to make sure it is sweet, it should be a nice combo of sweet and sour... Remove calamari from the fridge and cube into little 1/2" cubes. add to veggies. add fish sauce mix to bowl, cover tightly and SHAKE. Put in the fridge for 20 minutes, pulling it out to shake everything up about every 5 minutes. Shake and serve on a bed of lettuce if you like.
means feeds...
Well, I've set this up as a sister site to my design site. However, I fear that I may actually blog on this one more...
Ever since I was little and discovered ramen noodles, I've loved to cook. When mom moved to Texas before us to scope out a pad, I sometimes cooked for our family. I was 9! When i was about 13, I discovered Julia Child (cooking shows in general really - preFood Network) and became an avid watcher of the Frugal Gourmet. I made many, many horrible dishes that eventually moved beyond adding hot dogs to ramens.
Over the years, I've experimented with all sorts of things: vegetarianism, macrobiotics, high protein, atkins, weight watchers, you name it! I've had periods where I have money to spend, and some where I have to make do on very little. However, I find what does my body best is a combination of everything. I use food as a tool to keep my energy high and my design process fresh. I also understand that careful planning (although not LONG planning) is much smarter and more rewarding than eating out 90% of the time.
So, with that introduction, on to the food!
Cheers,
B
Ever since I was little and discovered ramen noodles, I've loved to cook. When mom moved to Texas before us to scope out a pad, I sometimes cooked for our family. I was 9! When i was about 13, I discovered Julia Child (cooking shows in general really - preFood Network) and became an avid watcher of the Frugal Gourmet. I made many, many horrible dishes that eventually moved beyond adding hot dogs to ramens.
Over the years, I've experimented with all sorts of things: vegetarianism, macrobiotics, high protein, atkins, weight watchers, you name it! I've had periods where I have money to spend, and some where I have to make do on very little. However, I find what does my body best is a combination of everything. I use food as a tool to keep my energy high and my design process fresh. I also understand that careful planning (although not LONG planning) is much smarter and more rewarding than eating out 90% of the time.
So, with that introduction, on to the food!
Cheers,
B
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