the weather, after some false starts, seems to have turned chilly for good. i love the fact that i can't leave my house without a scarf, without which i couldn't achieve that perfect balance of remaining warm while enjoying the crisp, cool autumn weather. these are also the perfect conditions for homemade soup! now, im a sucker for noodle soup from the local chinese restaurant, especially when i have a cold like the one that i've doing battle with over the last few weeks. but sometimes, i need something more hearty, with some texture, something that require me to chew as well as slurp.
one day, when i was in such a mood, i searched my cupboards and found a couple of soup basics:
vegetable broth in a box (what did we do before broth-in-a-box?!)
a half a red onion
some more rummaging produced the following:
frozen spinach
1 can cannellini beans (the white ones, but not the navy beans of which i am none too fond)
so the next twenty minutes went something like this:
heat 1 tbs olive oil
to hot oil, add some red pepper flakes and approx half a teaspoon herbes de provence
cut red onion into slivers - as fine as possible. (they should be ready to melt)
add onion slivers to the hot (temperature), hot (spicy) oil
while the onion is on its way to the much coveted translucent stage, open and drain the cannellini beans and open the spinach. add a pinch of salt to the onions, but not too much b/c the broth comes already flavored - hello time saver!
after translucency has been achieved, add the beans and let them sweat for a couple of minutes. then add a whole box of broth - usually come in 32 oz. containers. that's usually enough for me, but for a decent amount for two and with some leftovers, add another cup and half of water or broth. a good rule of thumb for me: if i'm using low sodium broth as i usually do, then i use all broth. if using regular broth, then i cut it with water.
let the whole concoction come to a simmer - about 5 or 6 minutes. add the frozen spinach and let simmer for another 10 minutes. i like the flavor to really soak into the beans. if using fresh spinach, add it closer to the end so that it has time to just wilt.
this soup is great the next day, too. when using fresh spinach - which looks prettier than frozen - i don't add all of it the first day. after reheating spinach-less soup, i drop in a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves and they wilt instantly and bring a just-made freshness to the dish.
next time: tomato-garbanzo soup...
enjoy!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
totally ripping off the sandwich from spanglish... with a twist
let me confess: i enjoyed the movie spanglish. yes, the one starring adam sandler in a non-sandlerian role and featuring that woman who looks like, but is not, penelope cruz (yet is friends with cruz, is therefore photographed with cruz, thereby making things very difficult for the rest of us!) the woman's name is paz vega, and she is lovely actress in her own right.
what i really love about the movie, aside from the young girl who plays vega's daughter, is sandwich that sandler's character makes as a midnight snack. the exact recipe, also featured on the movie's dvd, can be found here.
my version differs significantly - i don't use bacon or mayo or butter or jack cheese - but there is an important similarity - i love the drippy egg factor (see below for more on my love of the egg; and read the original sandwich description for more on what i mean by the drippy egg factor)
in a nutshell, this sandwich is a real crowd pleaser if your crowd consists of lactose intolerant vegetarians who like protein. i am all of those things and hence, i was quite pleased with myself. i've made a few different versions of this sandwich, but the meat (pun intended) is always the same.
i start off by heating up a naked quorn cutlet in a saute pan or on the grill. i season it with just a little salt and pepper and olive oil. while that's cooking, i toast up a couple of slices of alvarado st. bakery wheat bread. last time, i used the kind they make for diabetics - it's the only kind of diabetic bread that actually tastes like bread, in my opinion. it doesn't have the sticky consistency that some other 'low carb' breads tend to have.
when the cutlet is finished, i let it rest and cool a bit on the cutting board. after it cools, i slice it on an angle to create thin, wide slices.
next, i spray some olive into the saute pan and crack open an egg - one of the few times i'll use the whole egg. i let the white set and then flip it over and turn the heat off. the pan is hot and will keep cooking the other side, but not too much, which is just right.
onto the toasted slices of bread, i added a thin layer of olive spread - not quite a tapenade, more like crushed green olives. i placed a layer of quorn slices, topped with the tiniest sprinkling of sheep's milk feta, topped with a small handful of arugula, topped with the rest of the quorn slices, and finally topped with the cooked egg.
top with the second slice of bread. press gently and cut. done right, some of the yolk will run down the sandwich and flavor everything in its path. a cooked yolk - or no yolk - could work, too, but then you'd miss the drippy egg factor.
the original sandwich recipe boasts a cholesterol-rich calorie count of 1200 calories! this version doesn't come close - i haven't done the numbers, but can safely claim this version to be "death's door"-free.
also works on a long multigrain roll; with large romaine leaves instead of arugula; with a less pungent spread; a different cheese.
if you try it and hate it, let me know. i'll come over and make you one myself! that's how much i love this sucker.
what i really love about the movie, aside from the young girl who plays vega's daughter, is sandwich that sandler's character makes as a midnight snack. the exact recipe, also featured on the movie's dvd, can be found here.
my version differs significantly - i don't use bacon or mayo or butter or jack cheese - but there is an important similarity - i love the drippy egg factor (see below for more on my love of the egg; and read the original sandwich description for more on what i mean by the drippy egg factor)
in a nutshell, this sandwich is a real crowd pleaser if your crowd consists of lactose intolerant vegetarians who like protein. i am all of those things and hence, i was quite pleased with myself. i've made a few different versions of this sandwich, but the meat (pun intended) is always the same.
i start off by heating up a naked quorn cutlet in a saute pan or on the grill. i season it with just a little salt and pepper and olive oil. while that's cooking, i toast up a couple of slices of alvarado st. bakery wheat bread. last time, i used the kind they make for diabetics - it's the only kind of diabetic bread that actually tastes like bread, in my opinion. it doesn't have the sticky consistency that some other 'low carb' breads tend to have.
when the cutlet is finished, i let it rest and cool a bit on the cutting board. after it cools, i slice it on an angle to create thin, wide slices.
next, i spray some olive into the saute pan and crack open an egg - one of the few times i'll use the whole egg. i let the white set and then flip it over and turn the heat off. the pan is hot and will keep cooking the other side, but not too much, which is just right.
onto the toasted slices of bread, i added a thin layer of olive spread - not quite a tapenade, more like crushed green olives. i placed a layer of quorn slices, topped with the tiniest sprinkling of sheep's milk feta, topped with a small handful of arugula, topped with the rest of the quorn slices, and finally topped with the cooked egg.
top with the second slice of bread. press gently and cut. done right, some of the yolk will run down the sandwich and flavor everything in its path. a cooked yolk - or no yolk - could work, too, but then you'd miss the drippy egg factor.
the original sandwich recipe boasts a cholesterol-rich calorie count of 1200 calories! this version doesn't come close - i haven't done the numbers, but can safely claim this version to be "death's door"-free.
also works on a long multigrain roll; with large romaine leaves instead of arugula; with a less pungent spread; a different cheese.
if you try it and hate it, let me know. i'll come over and make you one myself! that's how much i love this sucker.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
incredible, edible, EGG!
i love the egg-cellent egg campaigns that surface on tv from time to time. well, ok, they can be a bit hokey, but they do remind me how much i love the versatility, flexibility, and general in-a-pinchness of the egg. i don't necessarily have an egg preference, per se, though i do tend to purchase either large or jumbo sized ones since i mostly consume only egg whites. and from time to time, depending on my mood, i'll pick up some brown ones... just cuz.
recently, my sister - who was staying with me while she searched for an apartment in new york city (yes, pity for the poor thing, please!) - and i found ourselves collectively and simultaneously hungry. what to eat... what to eat?! my pantry and fridge were stocked from recent trips to the grocery store, but this kind of hunger called for a unique combination of quick but also magnificent. it was a discerning kind of hunger... so naturally, i reached for my carton of eggs. i was inspired. we'd have breakfast for dinner... there would be eggs... but not just an omelet... no, this would be an egg pie. what made it a pie was the consistency, the filling and the presentation. pie on!
into the sautee pan i sprayed some olive oil and to the heated oil added the white and some green of 2 scallions, about a teaspoon of herbs de provence, sliced black olives, and some roughly chopped baby portobello mushrooms.
i had 4 eggs in the carton. i used 2 whole and just the whites of the other two. i threw in some salt - a pinch, of course :) - and pepper - just a dash - and a splash of almond breeze for some fluffiness. (any other "milk" product will have the same general effect, too.) i added this mixture to the hot pan and stirred things around a bit.
after letting the eggs set - by picking up the sides and letting uncooked egg mixture fill in the gaps - i put the entire pan under the broiler for around 3-5 minutes.
meanwhile, i cut open an avocado. inspired by the description of something my sister had eaten while in kenya, i took out the pit and scored the avocado halves so that it looked like a plane of diamonds. into the hole where the pit used to live, i put in a scoop of fire roasted salsa from trader joe's - some of the tastiest, store-bought salsa i've ever had! - and voila! avocado salsa (sort of). i also toasted a whole wheat english muffin and then sprayed a bit of olive oil onto the part with the nooks and crannies. we each had half a muffin.
the egg pie - now fluffy, browned on top, and light as a cloud - was finished and ready to be cut, served, garnished and promptly eaten. i cut it into four pieces and served us each two pieces, alongside the avocado salsa and half an english muffin. little sister thought it looked so good that she texted a pic of it to little brother, who replied immediately with special photo of his own. shall we say "rude gesture"?? ;)
sibling rivalry hazards aside, the meal was lovely, protein-rich, tasty, and filling. an all around egg-static egg-sperience!
next time, i would make the following changes:
- rub some lime on the avocado, allowing the lime juice to penetrate the cut flesh. and i'd dust it with a sprinkling of salt to bring out the flavor.
- the english muffin was great, but a whole wheat tortilla slightly grilled - no oil - would work well, too
- throwing in some roasted red peppers, cut into strips, into the egg pie for some extra color.
recently, my sister - who was staying with me while she searched for an apartment in new york city (yes, pity for the poor thing, please!) - and i found ourselves collectively and simultaneously hungry. what to eat... what to eat?! my pantry and fridge were stocked from recent trips to the grocery store, but this kind of hunger called for a unique combination of quick but also magnificent. it was a discerning kind of hunger... so naturally, i reached for my carton of eggs. i was inspired. we'd have breakfast for dinner... there would be eggs... but not just an omelet... no, this would be an egg pie. what made it a pie was the consistency, the filling and the presentation. pie on!
into the sautee pan i sprayed some olive oil and to the heated oil added the white and some green of 2 scallions, about a teaspoon of herbs de provence, sliced black olives, and some roughly chopped baby portobello mushrooms.
i had 4 eggs in the carton. i used 2 whole and just the whites of the other two. i threw in some salt - a pinch, of course :) - and pepper - just a dash - and a splash of almond breeze for some fluffiness. (any other "milk" product will have the same general effect, too.) i added this mixture to the hot pan and stirred things around a bit.
after letting the eggs set - by picking up the sides and letting uncooked egg mixture fill in the gaps - i put the entire pan under the broiler for around 3-5 minutes.
meanwhile, i cut open an avocado. inspired by the description of something my sister had eaten while in kenya, i took out the pit and scored the avocado halves so that it looked like a plane of diamonds. into the hole where the pit used to live, i put in a scoop of fire roasted salsa from trader joe's - some of the tastiest, store-bought salsa i've ever had! - and voila! avocado salsa (sort of). i also toasted a whole wheat english muffin and then sprayed a bit of olive oil onto the part with the nooks and crannies. we each had half a muffin.
the egg pie - now fluffy, browned on top, and light as a cloud - was finished and ready to be cut, served, garnished and promptly eaten. i cut it into four pieces and served us each two pieces, alongside the avocado salsa and half an english muffin. little sister thought it looked so good that she texted a pic of it to little brother, who replied immediately with special photo of his own. shall we say "rude gesture"?? ;)
sibling rivalry hazards aside, the meal was lovely, protein-rich, tasty, and filling. an all around egg-static egg-sperience!
next time, i would make the following changes:
- rub some lime on the avocado, allowing the lime juice to penetrate the cut flesh. and i'd dust it with a sprinkling of salt to bring out the flavor.
- the english muffin was great, but a whole wheat tortilla slightly grilled - no oil - would work well, too
- throwing in some roasted red peppers, cut into strips, into the egg pie for some extra color.
Monday, August 20, 2007
simple tasty pleasures
earlier this summer, i spent a couple of weeks attending a vipassana meditation course in western massachusetts. for 10 days, we - me and my fellow meditators - immersed ourselves in meditative practice. not only during group sits - where we sat together, quietly, our eyes closed, aware of our breath - but also as we walked, bathed, arose, fell asleep, and ate our meals. there was no talking, so our meditation was contained withing the physical and psychic space we occupied. (for more on this practice, which elizabeth gilbert has written about as the "extreme sports" of meditation, go here)
carrying the practice forward beyond the boundaries of the center has been a challenge. what has been less of a challenge is the practice of awareness while eating. before i go on, i should mention that i have a history of barely chewing my food and eating...swiftly. not quite at the pace of competitive eaters, but certainly not taking the time to really consider the food i was eating from first bite to final swallow. don't get me wrong, i truly enjoy and cherish the fruits of my culinary labor. but until i went away and, during mealtimes, did nothing but... eat (imagine that!), my awareness during mealtimes remained muted.
in the spirit of engaging more wholly with the flavors and textures of earth grown ingredients, i offer the following "throw it together" ideas:
fabulous summer fruit salad:
red seedless grapes
fresh, gorgeously red strawberries
luscious and perfectly ripe mango
firm, but juicy kiwi
sweet blueberries
that's it. no other flavors - i sometimes flavor fruit salads with a splash of vanilla and some lemon juice. i just make sure that the fruit is cut into the same size pieces, but don't sweat a couple of big chunks of mango that might sneak in! depending on your willingness to share this wonderful mix of flavors and textures, you can increase the number of fruits accordingly.
in the dessert cornucopia so often filled with sugar, cream, and (my favorite) rich, velvety chocolate, an unfettered mix of fruits with complementary textures and flavors is a true treat.
following that same principle in the savory arena is the following green salad:
spicy arugula or mixed greens
toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) - this draws out the natural oils
squeeze of half a lemonpinch of salt and pepper
red seedless grapes (for a little sweetness amidst a savory sea)
toss together. occasionally i add a bit of crumbled manouri cheese - a greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk, which, happily does not wreak havoc with my insides! but even without this added creaminess, this simple salad is simply tasty. a perfect start to any meal and was the starter to the next dish last week.
leek and mushroom couscous
for this dish - great as a side dish and wonderful with a grilled quorn cutlet - i like to use israeli couscous.
1 cup of couscous
1 large leek (or 2 small leeks) - diced
2 large caps portobello mushrooms
2 scallions - diced
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
first, i make the couscous: boil 1.5 cups of water with the raw couscous and a pinch of salt. once the couscous comes to a boil i cover the pot and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then take it off the heat so that the grains can puff up
in a sautee pan, i heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. as the oil heats, i add a teaspoon of herbs de provence.
next i add the garlic clove, which i smash to release the flavors but leave relatively whole so i can remove it before serving.
i throw in chopped leeks - the white part and some of the green - and the scallions and sautee for a couple of minutes
meanwhile, i chop the portobello mushrooms into very thinly sliced strips about 1.5" long.
once the mushrooms become soft, but still maintain some of their structure, i add the vegetables to the couscous and stir.
what stands out about dish is layered onion flavor from the scallions and leeks, and the way that the mushroom flavor - which eeks out via mushroom juices - coats the couscous. such a great combo!
finally, my latest discovery about tea as a perfect accompaniment for meals. recently i added some warm fruit to my peppermint tea which was oddly effervescent. a tea i've discovered in the past few weeks is rooibos, a south african red tea genre that comes in various flavors - i'm currently loving my rooibos chai - and works just as well when flavored with lemon and honey, or with milk (for me: almond breeze) and sweetener (either splenda or honey).
enjoy, really enjoy, your dinner tonight!
carrying the practice forward beyond the boundaries of the center has been a challenge. what has been less of a challenge is the practice of awareness while eating. before i go on, i should mention that i have a history of barely chewing my food and eating...swiftly. not quite at the pace of competitive eaters, but certainly not taking the time to really consider the food i was eating from first bite to final swallow. don't get me wrong, i truly enjoy and cherish the fruits of my culinary labor. but until i went away and, during mealtimes, did nothing but... eat (imagine that!), my awareness during mealtimes remained muted.
in the spirit of engaging more wholly with the flavors and textures of earth grown ingredients, i offer the following "throw it together" ideas:
fabulous summer fruit salad:
red seedless grapes
fresh, gorgeously red strawberries
luscious and perfectly ripe mango
firm, but juicy kiwi
sweet blueberries
that's it. no other flavors - i sometimes flavor fruit salads with a splash of vanilla and some lemon juice. i just make sure that the fruit is cut into the same size pieces, but don't sweat a couple of big chunks of mango that might sneak in! depending on your willingness to share this wonderful mix of flavors and textures, you can increase the number of fruits accordingly.
in the dessert cornucopia so often filled with sugar, cream, and (my favorite) rich, velvety chocolate, an unfettered mix of fruits with complementary textures and flavors is a true treat.
following that same principle in the savory arena is the following green salad:
spicy arugula or mixed greens
toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) - this draws out the natural oils
squeeze of half a lemonpinch of salt and pepper
red seedless grapes (for a little sweetness amidst a savory sea)
toss together. occasionally i add a bit of crumbled manouri cheese - a greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk, which, happily does not wreak havoc with my insides! but even without this added creaminess, this simple salad is simply tasty. a perfect start to any meal and was the starter to the next dish last week.
leek and mushroom couscous
for this dish - great as a side dish and wonderful with a grilled quorn cutlet - i like to use israeli couscous.
1 cup of couscous
1 large leek (or 2 small leeks) - diced
2 large caps portobello mushrooms
2 scallions - diced
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
first, i make the couscous: boil 1.5 cups of water with the raw couscous and a pinch of salt. once the couscous comes to a boil i cover the pot and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then take it off the heat so that the grains can puff up
in a sautee pan, i heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. as the oil heats, i add a teaspoon of herbs de provence.
next i add the garlic clove, which i smash to release the flavors but leave relatively whole so i can remove it before serving.
i throw in chopped leeks - the white part and some of the green - and the scallions and sautee for a couple of minutes
meanwhile, i chop the portobello mushrooms into very thinly sliced strips about 1.5" long.
once the mushrooms become soft, but still maintain some of their structure, i add the vegetables to the couscous and stir.
what stands out about dish is layered onion flavor from the scallions and leeks, and the way that the mushroom flavor - which eeks out via mushroom juices - coats the couscous. such a great combo!
finally, my latest discovery about tea as a perfect accompaniment for meals. recently i added some warm fruit to my peppermint tea which was oddly effervescent. a tea i've discovered in the past few weeks is rooibos, a south african red tea genre that comes in various flavors - i'm currently loving my rooibos chai - and works just as well when flavored with lemon and honey, or with milk (for me: almond breeze) and sweetener (either splenda or honey).
enjoy, really enjoy, your dinner tonight!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
ribbons of flavor
south indian food is eaten as a melange of various mini dishes on one plate: a bit of rice, a curry or two, some stew/soup-like concoction to incorporate into the rice, and condiments and accompaniments in the form of chutneys, wafers (pappadum), and sauces. this is the way i ate dinner for most of my life before college. only after dining halls and eating out did the concept of "main dish" become more central in my culinary vocabulary. if pasta was the main dish, salad and a roll came along for the ride. even at restaurants, breads and breadsticks precede the appetizer, which prepares the palette for the main course after which you hopefully have time for dessert. the courses remain separate. and yes, you are supposed to soak up the balsamic glaze with your ice creamed spoon, but n'er shall the salad dressing mingle with the marinara sauce. in my experience, it was in the mixing where the genius of the flavor lay. fragrant basmati rice soaked in rasam - a tomato-based translucent soup/sauce - gained maximum flavor-bursting capability when combined with okra curry and a dollop of homemade yogurt. that is a combination beaten only by the added hint of broken piece of pappadum.
so tonight, i had the idea of bringing this culinary approach to tastes and textures i usually reserve for western-style preparation: the appetizer, main dish sequence. what did i have lying around the house?:
chipotle in adobo sauce (in a pop-top can) - i'm always looking for reasons to use this!
basil, leftover from provencalification earlier this week
1 medium red pepper
1 box near east whole grain blends (minus the flavor packet, b/c they usually have a smidge too much salt for my taste)
tomato paste
leftover fire roasted crushed tomatoes
eggs
1/2 a red onion
garlic
went to the grocery store and picked up:
2 large portobello caps - only used one
1 medium yellow squash
here's how the evening's melange-a-meal went.
i prepared the rice blend as instructed on the box with the following changes: i first sauteed some diced yellow onions - about 1/2 a small one (yup, had that lying around, too) - in olive oil, added the rice blend, and once it was well coated added two splashes of apple cider vinegar. then, as directed, added 1.75 cups of water, let it all come to a boil, then simmered for about 18 minutes.
meanwhile...
i started on my "curry" by cutting the yellow squash. i decided to use the skinny end and got the notion to slice everything thinly. i took a peeler and, after peeling off the skin of the squash, i started to peel the squash into ribbons. i learned this trick somewhere - some show, some cookbook. i wish i could give credit where it's due, but for now my memory is stumped. after the 1/2 squash was ribboned, i wrapped the pile up in a paper towel and set it aside. my aim was to get as much moisture out of the squash as possible. i wasn't sure why at the time, but i was glad i thought of it when it came time to eat!
ok, i'm getting ahead of myself...
i heated my trusty sautee pan and coated the bottom with some olive oil. first, in went a verrrry thinly sliced clove of garlic. (yes, goodfellas-prison-scene-pauli-cooking-style) next, 1/4 of a red onion, similarly thinly sliced. as both of these were getting translucent, i started in on 1/3 of a red pepper. once again **thinly** sliced - which was certainly a challenge with the bumpy pepper i had. after i threw that onto the pan, i wiped and sliced the portobello cap. (note, NO flavoring has been added to the curry yet.) after adding the sliced mushrooms, i gave the pan a good shake with an impressive flick of the wrist. it's times like that when i wish i lived in my own version of the truman show and moments could be preserved forever. (clearly, that thought is quickly pushed out of my head - lest any 4th dimensions be lingering - and i am once again thankful for the shreds of privacy we can still claim...)
back to the curry - i turn the heat verrrry low, add a sprinkling of salt (barely 1/2 teaspoon), and let te mixture hang out. first, i push all of the veggies onto one half of the pan so that whatever moisture is left doesn't escape entirely.
next, i turn to the sauce. i decide that the flavor for my meal will come from a sauce that i make using the following ingredients and a microwave:
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce - minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup fire roasted tomates
splash balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sambar powder - a mix of indian spices used to make the thick soup called sambar. usually heavy on turmeric, chili powder, cumin, and some other spices i can't currently recall.
pinch salt
dash cinnamon
and, my favorite mystery spice of all: a hint - less than a teaspoon, more than a pinch - of asafoetida. (look it up - very pungent, very perfect)
mix everything well and microwave for 45 seconds; stir, taste; microwave again.
it was almost time to plate my meal, so i started by giving the curry one section of plate real estate while it awaited its neighbors. the rice was finished, so i took it off the stove and gave it a fluff and scooped a bit onto another area of my plate. but something was missing... protein! a problem easily solved by a simple crepe of nothing but egg whites. i just coated the sautee pan again, cracked two egg whites - careful not to let any yolk escape - directly onto the pan to form a thin layer of protein. while it cooked, i flavored it with a pinch of salt and a few turns of the peppermill, folded it over and add it to my food neighborhood. and then, over top all three, i added a couple of sizable spoonfuls of my curry sauce. and there i had it - a meal that was greater than the sum of its parts!
dessert was excellent and healthy, as well:
1/2 banana
warmed blackberries
1 teaspoon toasted almonds
1 scoop rice dream (vanilla)
i cut the banana half in half down the middle, lengthwise.
sprayed on a quick spray of olive oil
sprinkled on 1 packet of splenda over both halves and broiled them in my toaster oven (if i had a grill, i prefer to grill them in their skins - the result tastes like custard!)
in a bowl, tossed in a handful of washed blackberries and nuked for 20 seconds. this causes the blackberries to burst open with flavor and juices.
toasted almonds in a saucepan for about minute - just put almonds in saucepan over heat and wait for toasting to happen.
the assembly went like this:
to the warmed blackberries add scoop of rice dream
arrange banana halves around rice dream
sprinkle with almonds (careful to toss out the burned ones!)
enjoy!
in total, all these ribbons of flavorful goodness only took me about 25 minutes. longest thing was the rice!
next time i'll remember to take some pics before chowing down.
so tonight, i had the idea of bringing this culinary approach to tastes and textures i usually reserve for western-style preparation: the appetizer, main dish sequence. what did i have lying around the house?:
chipotle in adobo sauce (in a pop-top can) - i'm always looking for reasons to use this!
basil, leftover from provencalification earlier this week
1 medium red pepper
1 box near east whole grain blends (minus the flavor packet, b/c they usually have a smidge too much salt for my taste)
tomato paste
leftover fire roasted crushed tomatoes
eggs
1/2 a red onion
garlic
went to the grocery store and picked up:
2 large portobello caps - only used one
1 medium yellow squash
here's how the evening's melange-a-meal went.
i prepared the rice blend as instructed on the box with the following changes: i first sauteed some diced yellow onions - about 1/2 a small one (yup, had that lying around, too) - in olive oil, added the rice blend, and once it was well coated added two splashes of apple cider vinegar. then, as directed, added 1.75 cups of water, let it all come to a boil, then simmered for about 18 minutes.
meanwhile...
i started on my "curry" by cutting the yellow squash. i decided to use the skinny end and got the notion to slice everything thinly. i took a peeler and, after peeling off the skin of the squash, i started to peel the squash into ribbons. i learned this trick somewhere - some show, some cookbook. i wish i could give credit where it's due, but for now my memory is stumped. after the 1/2 squash was ribboned, i wrapped the pile up in a paper towel and set it aside. my aim was to get as much moisture out of the squash as possible. i wasn't sure why at the time, but i was glad i thought of it when it came time to eat!
ok, i'm getting ahead of myself...
i heated my trusty sautee pan and coated the bottom with some olive oil. first, in went a verrrry thinly sliced clove of garlic. (yes, goodfellas-prison-scene-pauli-cooking-style) next, 1/4 of a red onion, similarly thinly sliced. as both of these were getting translucent, i started in on 1/3 of a red pepper. once again **thinly** sliced - which was certainly a challenge with the bumpy pepper i had. after i threw that onto the pan, i wiped and sliced the portobello cap. (note, NO flavoring has been added to the curry yet.) after adding the sliced mushrooms, i gave the pan a good shake with an impressive flick of the wrist. it's times like that when i wish i lived in my own version of the truman show and moments could be preserved forever. (clearly, that thought is quickly pushed out of my head - lest any 4th dimensions be lingering - and i am once again thankful for the shreds of privacy we can still claim...)
back to the curry - i turn the heat verrrry low, add a sprinkling of salt (barely 1/2 teaspoon), and let te mixture hang out. first, i push all of the veggies onto one half of the pan so that whatever moisture is left doesn't escape entirely.
next, i turn to the sauce. i decide that the flavor for my meal will come from a sauce that i make using the following ingredients and a microwave:
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce - minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup fire roasted tomates
splash balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sambar powder - a mix of indian spices used to make the thick soup called sambar. usually heavy on turmeric, chili powder, cumin, and some other spices i can't currently recall.
pinch salt
dash cinnamon
and, my favorite mystery spice of all: a hint - less than a teaspoon, more than a pinch - of asafoetida. (look it up - very pungent, very perfect)
mix everything well and microwave for 45 seconds; stir, taste; microwave again.
it was almost time to plate my meal, so i started by giving the curry one section of plate real estate while it awaited its neighbors. the rice was finished, so i took it off the stove and gave it a fluff and scooped a bit onto another area of my plate. but something was missing... protein! a problem easily solved by a simple crepe of nothing but egg whites. i just coated the sautee pan again, cracked two egg whites - careful not to let any yolk escape - directly onto the pan to form a thin layer of protein. while it cooked, i flavored it with a pinch of salt and a few turns of the peppermill, folded it over and add it to my food neighborhood. and then, over top all three, i added a couple of sizable spoonfuls of my curry sauce. and there i had it - a meal that was greater than the sum of its parts!
dessert was excellent and healthy, as well:
1/2 banana
warmed blackberries
1 teaspoon toasted almonds
1 scoop rice dream (vanilla)
i cut the banana half in half down the middle, lengthwise.
sprayed on a quick spray of olive oil
sprinkled on 1 packet of splenda over both halves and broiled them in my toaster oven (if i had a grill, i prefer to grill them in their skins - the result tastes like custard!)
in a bowl, tossed in a handful of washed blackberries and nuked for 20 seconds. this causes the blackberries to burst open with flavor and juices.
toasted almonds in a saucepan for about minute - just put almonds in saucepan over heat and wait for toasting to happen.
the assembly went like this:
to the warmed blackberries add scoop of rice dream
arrange banana halves around rice dream
sprinkle with almonds (careful to toss out the burned ones!)
enjoy!
in total, all these ribbons of flavorful goodness only took me about 25 minutes. longest thing was the rice!
next time i'll remember to take some pics before chowing down.
pizza!
i made my provencal pasta sauce do double duty last night as a topping for my pizza with the works. how can i have pizza with all of my dietary issues? easy - watch:
i started with a whole grain pizza crust made by the rustic company
sprayed on some olive oil
added some fire roasted crushed tomatoes - about 1/2 cup
layered on around 1/2 cup of the provencal sauce
spread on just a little less than the 1/2 cup of shredded rice cheese that i had left
added sliced mushrooms - lots!
some smart life (faux) pepperoni slices
the rest of the rice cheese
baked at 450, as crust package says, for a little longer than recommended, b/c the extra crispiness of the crust soaks up the yummy sauce flavors nicely
very yum with a simple salad of romaine lettuce and some cut up tofu slices, and a splash of my favorite ken's vinaigrette.
mmmm, pizza! later, i'll post my recipe for pizza that uses a crust made of no flour or wheat of any kind.
i started with a whole grain pizza crust made by the rustic company
sprayed on some olive oil
added some fire roasted crushed tomatoes - about 1/2 cup
layered on around 1/2 cup of the provencal sauce
spread on just a little less than the 1/2 cup of shredded rice cheese that i had left
added sliced mushrooms - lots!
some smart life (faux) pepperoni slices
the rest of the rice cheese
baked at 450, as crust package says, for a little longer than recommended, b/c the extra crispiness of the crust soaks up the yummy sauce flavors nicely
very yum with a simple salad of romaine lettuce and some cut up tofu slices, and a splash of my favorite ken's vinaigrette.
mmmm, pizza! later, i'll post my recipe for pizza that uses a crust made of no flour or wheat of any kind.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
provencal pasta sauce
i had a hankering for pasta tonight, but what would accompany the long strings of whole wheat yumminess? in my fridge were the following:
2/3 eggplant
1 red pepper
2/3 zucchini
i went to my local market and picked up:
1 red onion
fresh basil
4 plum tomatoes
garlic
and the evening went a little something like this:
heat a large sautee pan sprayed with olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
sautee 1/2 red onion (chopped)
add 1 clove of garlic (smashed & minced)
add diced red pepper - by now the onions and garlic have sweated a bit and are getting translucent
add a sprinkling of salt - i'm guessing 1 teaspoon
eggplant time! that is, time to add cubed eggplant. mix things up so that the eggplant finds its way to the bottom of the pan and close to the heat
add diced zucchini
roughly chop the tomatoes and throw them onto the now-steaming sauce
ok, here's the provencal-ization:
add a couple of generous tablespoons herbs de provence (wonder herb)
a splash - aka teaspoon - of dried oregano
and finally, the thing that gives this layered sauce its depth: cumin - just a teaspoon!
cover for about 7 minutes - this will sweat the veggies and draw out the moisture, which you then reincorporate by mixing it all together.
add some shredded/chopped fresh basil.
i added this to a cup of whole wheat spaghetti and topped it off with some shredded rice cheese.
and for dessert:
microwave 1/2 of unsweetened frozen strawberries and 2 packets of splenda for 2 minutes at 50%
to the heated fruit, add two teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
mix until you get a chocolatey, strawberry soup
i could have eaten it just like this. but i added the 1/3 container of vanilla flavored silk soy yogurt that i had left over from breakfast and mixed. this added texture to the soup and cooled it down to make it more of a summer dessert.
in sum: simply deeelicious!
2/3 eggplant
1 red pepper
2/3 zucchini
i went to my local market and picked up:
1 red onion
fresh basil
4 plum tomatoes
garlic
and the evening went a little something like this:
heat a large sautee pan sprayed with olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
sautee 1/2 red onion (chopped)
add 1 clove of garlic (smashed & minced)
add diced red pepper - by now the onions and garlic have sweated a bit and are getting translucent
add a sprinkling of salt - i'm guessing 1 teaspoon
eggplant time! that is, time to add cubed eggplant. mix things up so that the eggplant finds its way to the bottom of the pan and close to the heat
add diced zucchini
roughly chop the tomatoes and throw them onto the now-steaming sauce
ok, here's the provencal-ization:
add a couple of generous tablespoons herbs de provence (wonder herb)
a splash - aka teaspoon - of dried oregano
and finally, the thing that gives this layered sauce its depth: cumin - just a teaspoon!
cover for about 7 minutes - this will sweat the veggies and draw out the moisture, which you then reincorporate by mixing it all together.
add some shredded/chopped fresh basil.
i added this to a cup of whole wheat spaghetti and topped it off with some shredded rice cheese.
and for dessert:
microwave 1/2 of unsweetened frozen strawberries and 2 packets of splenda for 2 minutes at 50%
to the heated fruit, add two teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
mix until you get a chocolatey, strawberry soup
i could have eaten it just like this. but i added the 1/3 container of vanilla flavored silk soy yogurt that i had left over from breakfast and mixed. this added texture to the soup and cooled it down to make it more of a summer dessert.
in sum: simply deeelicious!
what and when is "in a pinch"
my love affair with cooking is decades old. cliched notions of spices and smells invoking family memories ring true for me, due in large part to the fact that my grandmother lived with us while i was growing up. she never looked at a recipe card, rarely measured using anything other than her hand and a beat up old silver drinking cup (for rice and flour), and, like many of the tv cooks remind us to do, listened to the food to test for readiness. by the time i was cognizant of her culinary talents, she had been cooking for over fifty years, a practice that began when she was eight or nine. stopping her schooling in india at the equivalent of fourth grade, my grandmother spent her adolescence being educated in the domestic arts - cooking, cleaning, tending to the house; my personal favorite story is the one where she tracks down the sweet treats her mother has hidden on a high shelf and which she promptly unearths and consumes. when she is discovered, she blames the "accident" on an imaginary neighborhood cat. i inherited her sweet tooth (and later her diabetes), as well as her inclination to create food from whatever was around. my own daily experimentation with inventing dishes is the motivation for this blog; my grandmother, the inspiration. the title belongs to my sister, who claims that i utter the phrase "in a pinch" quite frequently. i've yet to hear myself say it, but to her credit it does capture my approach to the kitchen.
when i cook, i use what i have around me. that includes frozen veggies, soy protein products, semi-readymade foods (e.g., marinated artichokes, canned legumes), and allows me to compose meals out of the wide palette of ingredients and foodie bits. one problem is that i rarely make the same thing twice, because experimentation is just so much fun! the exception is when i cook for others. on those occasions, i use tried and true compositions - with some minor tweaks, of course. another problem is that i don't always have the same ingredients in the house all the time, which is another thing that most cookbooks encourage the reader to do. i've failed at keeping a well stocked and consistent pantry, hence, i make "in a pinch" meals that come together with the stuff i find around the house and whatever i happen to have brought home from the market.
im excited about keeping track of these journeys here and thank anyone who offers advice, feedback, or just a hello!
happy experimenting,
lmv
:)
when i cook, i use what i have around me. that includes frozen veggies, soy protein products, semi-readymade foods (e.g., marinated artichokes, canned legumes), and allows me to compose meals out of the wide palette of ingredients and foodie bits. one problem is that i rarely make the same thing twice, because experimentation is just so much fun! the exception is when i cook for others. on those occasions, i use tried and true compositions - with some minor tweaks, of course. another problem is that i don't always have the same ingredients in the house all the time, which is another thing that most cookbooks encourage the reader to do. i've failed at keeping a well stocked and consistent pantry, hence, i make "in a pinch" meals that come together with the stuff i find around the house and whatever i happen to have brought home from the market.
im excited about keeping track of these journeys here and thank anyone who offers advice, feedback, or just a hello!
happy experimenting,
lmv
:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)