curry, quinoa, and cheese “flowers” May 27, 2009

I am so lucky!  I have wonderful friends.  These, in particular, fed me a home-cooked (my favorite type), skillfully prepared meal of some of my favorite things.  Thank you, Heather and Arpi!  Thank you for guest-blogging!!  I *love* curry.  And quinoa is healthy, protein-y, colorful, goes well with soo soo many foods, and is always welcome on my plate.  But Arpi didn’t stop there.  We had an incredibly tasty salad, beets, sweet potatoes, and cheese “flowers”.  I wish you could have tasted dinner, but I’m glad I had these two all to myself.  What a warm homecoming!  Can’t wait til the next time.

black-eyed tacos March 20, 2009

Just a quickie dinner with black-eyed peas, collard greens, carrots, red bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper.  For the filling: I sautéed the greens, carrots and bell pepper with garlic in olive oil until just barely tender.  I didn’t make these peas from scratch, so it really was just a matter of adding a can-full to the pan.  The whole thing took about 4 minutes to cook, and was quite tasty.  You can add whatever protein you like, and veggies to your liking.    This time salty/peppery food tasted good, but next time I’ll likely make it spicy.

snow day! sloppy joes and chocolate milk March 2, 2009

No groceries, so I had to trek to the store (yes, uphill, and in the snow).  There were some nice things about having 6-12 inches of snow today.  When I finally did leave the house I found kids playing, folks shoveling, and almost a constant fall of snow.  You would think that people doing chores, like shoveling, would be short tempered or at the very least – focused.  But no.  They all (at least 4 strangers) took a moment to speak with me and share their stories.  I love that.  Another nice thing was that today I prepared a nostalgic kid’s lunch!  Veggie sloppy joes, chips, chocolate milk, and carrot sticks.  Can you ask for anything better?  Certainly not on such a perfect snow day.

eggplant parmesan and spinach fettuccine March 1, 2009

This was really simple. I used panko, egg, and seasoning to bread these thin slices of eggplant. No real recipe here, just eggplant slices dipped into egg, then panko. Fry in the least amount of oil possible, and on fairly high heat. Serve

kale squash pepper pizza February 22, 2009

Spicy.

One for you, one for me.

I sautéed slices of butternut squash, red bell pepper, and kale with about a tablespoon of olive oil, and some chili garlic paste.  I topped some prepared crusts with the veggies, and a little mozarella cheese.  These little crusts worked well with a little drizzle of olive oil and seasoning.  I’d love to make my own dough, and next time maybe I will, but for now this was tasty.

my apologies February 10, 2009

I will designate a day every week to cook and blog.  Sort of like how I plan to do my laundry, or go run errands, but fun.  It took Andy to make me realize how long it had been since I last posted.  I cook often, but nothing of interest.  That’s about to change!  Gimme a week, and thanks for reading.

leah’s curry November 12, 2008

This is a variation of Leah’s curry.  I sauteed diced onions, green bell pepper, carrots, and garlic in olive oil.  Next, I added portobello mushrooms, eggplant, diced tomatoes, and simmered.  Finally, I added this Indian cooking sauce, tofu, and chili garlic paste.  It was tasty.

For nipplewit:

1/2 yellow onion, diced
8oz tofu, cubed
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 large portobello mushrooms
1/2 eggplant
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic added (8oz I think)
1 jar Ethnic Gourmet Punjab Saag Spinach Sauce
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon garlic chili paste

Add salt, diced onions, green bell pepper, and carrots to 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a medium size pot, and cook until tender (about 5 min) on medium heat.  Then add garlic.  Cook for 1 minute.  Next, add the diced portobello mushrooms, and eggplant to the pot.  Combine with the garlic chili paste.  Saute for 5 min and then add the can of tomatoes.  When thoroughly incorporated, add the simmer sauce (Punjab Saag).   Finally, add tofu to heat through.  Before serving, add remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil to pot for flavor.

Serve over rice.

i take requests November 11, 2008

After some gentle encouragement, I decided to post.  I cook all the time, but most days grad school’s got me making very similar meals.  For example, you may have noticed that I’ve been cooking tempeh like it’s going out of style.  Reasons why?  Well, I love it!  It’s so protein-y, nutty, earthy.  Very easy to convert into something yummy.  So, I often tell people that they can give me recipe suggestions.  Any takers?  I’ll make it for me as long as it is veggie, and if not I’ll make it for you as long as you don’t expect me to help you eat it.  Keep in mind that I’m a student and on a budget.

Tempeh, Eggplant, Portobello Mushrooms, and Carrot Stir Fry

I pan fried the tempeh cubes in olive oil, then set aside.  Next, I sauteed the mushrooms and carrots with garlic, added a little chili garlic sauce, salt/pepper, and sesame oil.  Finally, I added the tempeh back to the pan with about 1/4 cup of water to simmer.

and here’s one I forgot to post.  yellow pepper, kale, portobellos, and tempeh:

vietnamese sandwich with tofu: Bánh mì September 14, 2008

No need to give up Vietnamese sandwiches now that I’m in Boston.  Funny, because these simple, tasty sandwiches were a favorite when I trekked to Berkeley for class.  Eric and Danielle took me to a little restaurant, New Saigon Sandwich (?), before we went for a great day at the Institute of Contemporary Art.  I will return, but until then I will prepare Bánh mì as best as I can.  The roll is everything, and I could only get bread at Stop and Shop.  I believe I saw the authentic rolls at Haymarket a couple weekends ago.  Otherwise, I fried cubes of tofu, added jalapeño, cilantro, and carrot into a buttered french roll.  The beauty of it is that I get to have this for lunch tomorrow.  Try it yourself!

cheddar cauliflower is the new potato September 6, 2008

Mashed cheddar cauliflower is yummy.  It’s sooo hot here the last couple days, and somehow I can’t stop roasting veggies.  Mark and Jay invited me to come along to Haymarket this morning.  They are wonderful, and it truly has been a pleasure to spend quality time with my cousin and family.  I was able to procure two heads of cheddar cauliflower, two bunches of asparagus, 4 golden pluots, and a case of mangos for $6.  Crazy!  The food is all ready to eat and if you aren’t, it will be too ripe before you know it.  But I am ready to eat.  I gotta remember that my camera’s battery has only the life of a fly before I arrange my plate.  Only got two off-color snaps, slightly out of focus, before it went.  Anyway, I wanted to make this dish at Alice’s one night, but didn’t get the chance to mash.  So here we are.  To make the mashed cauliflower, roast head of cheddar cauliflower with several chopped cloves of garlic and half a diced onion.  When tender, use a blender to mix (I added a bit of water) until nearly smooth.  Enjoy!

tempeh “fish” sticks and broccoli with shells August 30, 2008

Tempeh out of the package resembles the shimmery metallic rainbow of a fish’s skin.  So I got to thinking, not fish sticks but “tempeh-sticks”!  One bite and you get nutty, toasty goodness with quite a bit of protein.  These brown and crisp up very well, but if you’re really in need of a crust I guess you could bread with panko before baking or frying.  I popped the lightly seasoned broccoli and tempeh sticks into a 500 degree oven.  The rest is history.  I did use a good amount of salt because both tasted pretty good with a salty kick.  I tossed the broccoli and tempeh-sticks in with the pasta, added a bit of olive oil, topped mine with a little parmesean and dinner was served.

portobello white cheddar empanadas w/baked plantains August 29, 2008

Friday treat!  Okay, I’ll confess that I didn’t make the dough.  But seeing these dough disks in the freezer section made me think that it would be fun to make empanadas today, so I guess it evens out.  I decided to go the baked route, and with a diced portobello mushroom filling.

I added chopped garlic, yellow onion and mushroom to olive oil and let cook for about five minutes.  Meanwhile I thawed the dough discs, and rolled them out into a slightly larger, malleable platform.  Next, the cheese.  When the mushrooms were ready I added about two tablespoons of filling to each dough disk, folded them over into half-moons and crimped the edges with a fork.  I put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the baking dish and let the empanadas cook for 4-5 minutes each side.  The plantain was pretty simple as well, requiring only that I halve it and allow it to bake on high (500 degree) heat for about 5 minutes each side.

This was one tasty dinner!  I’m glad I went the baked option, which was more a convenience issue than anything, as the empanadas and plantains tasted just as yummy as if fried.  Don’t think it’s just the public health-er in me.  I speak the truth.

boston = potstickers and veggie stir fry August 21, 2008

Well I have been officially welcomed into my new home, my new city, and thankfully, my new borrowed kitchen! I live with great housemates (left to right, Max, Danielle, me, and Eric) who have immediately made me feel welcome.

Time to get cookin’! Minor glitches included forgetting to turn on the rice cooker, creating a level 3 “fry zone” in the kitchen, and drinking a glass of wine, but the meal went well! Here’s what we had:

LEAH’s POTSTICKERS (modified from a really simple recipe from Cooks Illustrated, I think these were Leah’s bday gift one year — thanks again for supporting my cooking all these years)
1/3 lb veggie sausage, “gimme lean” was my choice
1/3 lb veggie ground beef
1/3 lb firm tofu
2-3 chopped scallions
1 egg
1-2 cups of shredded cabbage, napa or other. Actually I used romaine lettuce hearts.
sesame oil to taste
soy sauce
grated ginger
rice wine or other vinegar

Combine above ingredients and place teaspoon in wonton wrapper, fold. Fry for a few minutes in a little oil, then add water to steam the batch for a few minutes.

VEGGIE STIR FRY
1 cauliflower, cut into florets (?)
1 red bell pepper
2 cups green beans
2 chinese eggplant, cut into strips
basil
chili garlic oil
olive oil

Broil the cauliflower and eggplant in olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside the cauliflower and eggplant. Sauté the green beans, bell pepper, add chili/garlic oil, then add cauliflower and eggplant. At the last minute stir in basil.

Can’t wait for the next dinner!

dinner at the dozen August 1, 2008

Baker’s Dozen cooperative, that is. Alice made a larger than life bowl of lentil salad (shown) that had lentils, broth, lime juice, tomatoes, roasted squash, basil, and garlic love. The camera pixel quality nearly robs this meal of its true beauty, but hopefully you can see the tasty. We also had homemade stuffing made with onion, celery, garlic, yummy cubes of fresh bread, spices, and mushroom broth. Ahh. There were moments of doubt… “Alice, seems impossible to fit those two giant bowls of stuffing into one baking dish, no?”…seconds later, she’s all “Heh, heh” and has done it. Why doubt when you can watch magic happen? Lesson learned, stomach full, happy.

you can’t see the grids, niece July 3, 2008

Look at the a-m-a-z-i-n-g trifle my sister made! She’s even using what seems a proper trifle dish?  Oh yeah, she made the poundcake from scratch.

I have been cooking, yes, I have been cooking. But my camera battery ain’t what it used to be, and nevertheless I am often with folk who avoid the paparazzi aim of my lens. So lemme show off my sister who is the cat’s meow.

Photo credit: Julie T.

dinner at alice’s – i love wednesdays June 7, 2008

I enjoy every moment spent at this wonderful, warm home of 13. Everyone is inclusive, interesting, kind, and welcoming. Household members share cooking duties, and this night Alice “cleaned the fridge”, finding red quinoa (true?), lentils, golden and chioggia beets, carrots, cabbage, favas, and potatoes. Let me set the stage.  I arrive to find Alice in the kitchen with her “Yodeling Mad: Best of Country Yodel” CD playing, and she greets me with the phrase, “Everything is going in.” Into what, you might ask? Eight shepherd pies! She’s bought yummy vegan crusts, and we step by step assemble her vision into mounds of comfort and belly joy. After topping each pie with a generous helping of mashed potatoes, Alice drizzled them with olive oil, and applied pinches of sea salt and rosemary. I want to eat like this every night.

(photo credit – Glenn Bachmann)

basil eggplant June 5, 2008

I’ve had a lot of eggplant banter lately, and finally made some. It was a sign. Fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, basil and eggplant. Plus, I added some gluten for meaty goodness! Of course I secured my bounty at GP. Two thanks in this one: thanks for the sweet cherries and thanks for the butterflies!! I love them.

watermelon bowl…You make conferences fun May 18, 2008

I loved my continuing education getaway. Long walks, pie, christmas tree lights, strawberry farms, fireworks, tangy frozen yogurt, periodic roller coaster screaming and especially…app-le ched-dar qui-i-iche quiche!!

Not too many people would get creative in a strange kitchen, let alone a hotel kitchen, but those rules seem not apply to Alice! She thought to secure tortillas, salsa, avocado, pintos, watermelon, and sardines, which led to a handful of delicious meals.

Half a watermelon serves as more than just breakfast. It serves your breakfast!

(Updated May 20, 2008 )
The breakfast consisted of pintos, salsa, and avocado on corn tortillas with watermelon on the side. Didn’t realize it looked like a watermelon salsa (which to me also would be good). I ended up having all of the watermelon “juice”, shown in cup, because I am greedy-greedy with fruit. Mmmm!

Alice, are you enjoying that delectable bite of sardines in mustard on yer rye toast?

Highlights include accordion solos, and a trip to the Crystal Cathedral – replete with
“free” bus ride. Is there such a thing? No, I guess not. No matter!

Get a load of this organ [my photo didn't come out in the low light so I appropriated this
(lower front view of organ) from the crystalcathedral dot org etc website]. All the rest are legit.

MMM! When we got back we had 2 salads extraordinaire, featuring lettuce, garbanzo beans,
cucumber, carrot, tomatoes, and another with jicama, lime, and chili powder. Topped with fried
egg! Usually I expect to freak out at least once when traveling with another…this trip – I slept
like a baby.

pupusa night! May 13, 2008

Feast your eyes on this! Claudette and Leah came over with dinner the other night: hand crafted, lovingly patted, cheese stuffed pupusas. Thank you, Claudette, for sharing your special culinary creation, and your warm heart.

As always, this night was full of laughs.

The final plating shows the pupusa with refried beans, black beans, curtido, and salsa. I took a bite and was transported back to my early childhood. Funny how smells and tastes can do that. I described dinner to my mom, and she told me that it sounded similar to the hot water cornbread my grandma and aunt used to make. “It’s one world”, she said. I am so grateful for my friends and family. This means you!

still cookin’ May 4, 2008

I have been getting some gentle reminders that I haven’t been posting as much as usual. Thanks for reading! I often feel like this blog is an interior conversation, so it’s nice to know that my readership is still there. It might seem like the oven is cold, but really I’ve been cooking. I’m going to talk a bit about those meals, and encourage you to call on your creative powers to imagine what they looked like (alas, no photos – unless I recreate them, which could totally happen).

popcorn two-fer

holy cow! Allow me to introduce Alice. She made a delicious combination of stove popped corn with olive oil drizzle, green chili, salt, and seasoned seaweed (did I forget anything?). This one deserves a repost with photo, because it was creative and exquisitely tasty. I took a stab at a sweet version popcorn with local honey and toasted sesame seeds. Mmm!

chili-corn crepes

these were very good. I found a crepe batter recipe online (flour, cornmeal, chili powder, broth, eggs and butter – but I used olive oil), which required a quick combining in the blender. I made two fillings, one chicken and one tofu. I prepared a chicken breast and thigh with olive oil, salt and pepper, browning on the stove and then finishing in the oven. Seemed moist, but Andy will have to be the judge of that. I seared strips of tofu in a pan, and added chilis, lime juice, cilantro, avocado as filling.

meatloaf again?!

you better believe it. If you are eating at my table, you will see meatloaf. Or faux-loaf? Soy-loaf? You get the idea. Meat and potatoes dish, with a side of kale. The specialness for me was in the sweet potato fries (and the company), since the meatloaf is kinda spicy. I hope you liked it! Watch out for fire-bellies.