Saturday, October 13, 2012
vegetarian liver? I didnt know veggies had livers!!
Hey everyone!
The Jewish holidays are over for now. The leftovers are gone. No more gefilte fish with horsradish until march. No latkes to speak of.
Being Jewish is more than going to the temple during Yom kippur. Its a cultural thing. Its the food and traditions that come along with it.
If you ask any Jewish person about Jewish tradition,undoubtedly they will mention some type of traditional dish. If you keep them talking, it wont be long before it comes out...certain foods remind them of the holidays or things their parents made them as a kid. I am totally convinced that you just have to be Jewish to appreciate certain edibles. Like pickled beets,herring in cream sauce,lox, whitefish salad. Chopped liver is the one thing that reminds me of my parents. It reminds me of the holidays and how my mother made it. I haven't eaten any meat other that fish in ten years and I have to be honest, I miss my mothers home made chopped liver the most.
Ive been eating more vegetables lately as part of my efforts to eat healthier. Steamed brocolli and sauteed asparagus are great,but it gets boring after a while. I bought a beautiful eggplant on Sunday at the green market and decided to do my own riff on vegetarian chopped liver. So whatever your heritage,I hope your inspired to dig up one of your favorite recipes and put a new spin on an old classic.
1 2pound eggplant
1 small can of string bean
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 hard boiled eggs and 3 hard boiled yolks
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs olive oil,1 set to the side
Roast your eggplant in a 350 degree oven until soft for about an hour. Start checking to see if its soft after 45 minutes. When its soft,cover it with tin foil and let it rest and cool off. After 30 minutes, your eggplant will look very deflated. You should be able to drain a lot of the liquid out. Don't make it too dry. This step is really about preference as it affects how dry your end product will be.
After I drain a bit of liquid out I split open the eggplant and scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon. Set to the side.
Sautee your onions in 2 tbs of olive oil on a very low flame for 20 minutes or until your onions are really caramelized. This has to be done slow. If you burn your onions your "liver" will have a bitter taste.
When your onions are nice and caradmelized add your garlic and string beans and Sautee for another 5-7 minutes.
Add the string beans, onions, and garlic to a food processor with the eggplant, eggs and yolks and processprooth.I was actually working with a mini chopper so my texture is a bit chunkier than usual. If neccesary drizzle in the lat reserved tablespoon of oil. Hope you enjoy!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Happy 120th annibloggery!!
Hello Everyone!
its been a while since ive posted. Ive been having some issues with my app on my android. that is actually how i do most of my posting. so hopefully ill be able to get that straightened out and be back to posting on a more frequent basis. Im actually very excited to announce that this is my 120th post. i didnt think I'd make it this far, but just knowing that I have a few faithfull followers is enough to give me the energy to blog on. Im also excited to announce that as I post more recipes and tips, ill be organizing this blog into a manuscript and plan to eventually have it published. So exciting to have a project to work on. This blog originally started as just my own outlet for all things food related, and has turned into my own personal vision for a cookbook.
Im also excited that the Fall season is upon us wth all of its beautiful seasonal vegetables that are available this time of year, definately inspires me to eat better. Im also excited about the new farmers market they have on sundays in my neighborhood. now i dont have to travel 45 minutes to get good veggies. i was there last week and was chatting with a lady while perusing the corn. She shared with me how she likes to eat hers and it inspired me to create a "Simple sides" chapter in my blog. I put together this simple corn salad and put my own twist on it.
. So i hope your inspired to get out there and take advantage of the bounty of beautiful Fall vegetables that are in season right now. Pumphin, squash corn and cranberries. These things definatelt inspire me in the kitchen. They dont have to be complicated..just simple fresh ingredients
5 peices fresh corn
2 scallons chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Boil your corn like you normally would but cut your co0oking time down by about three minutes. Immediately shock the corn in an ice bath. When cool enough to handle, carve all of the corn off the cobb into a bowl. go over your cobbs a second time with your knife to make sure you get all of the juices and kernals off your cobbs. combine the remaining ingredients and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Serve room temperature or cold. Freezes well, thats if you dont gobble it all up :)
So im off for now my faithfull foodies!!
its been a while since ive posted. Ive been having some issues with my app on my android. that is actually how i do most of my posting. so hopefully ill be able to get that straightened out and be back to posting on a more frequent basis. Im actually very excited to announce that this is my 120th post. i didnt think I'd make it this far, but just knowing that I have a few faithfull followers is enough to give me the energy to blog on. Im also excited to announce that as I post more recipes and tips, ill be organizing this blog into a manuscript and plan to eventually have it published. So exciting to have a project to work on. This blog originally started as just my own outlet for all things food related, and has turned into my own personal vision for a cookbook.
Im also excited that the Fall season is upon us wth all of its beautiful seasonal vegetables that are available this time of year, definately inspires me to eat better. Im also excited about the new farmers market they have on sundays in my neighborhood. now i dont have to travel 45 minutes to get good veggies. i was there last week and was chatting with a lady while perusing the corn. She shared with me how she likes to eat hers and it inspired me to create a "Simple sides" chapter in my blog. I put together this simple corn salad and put my own twist on it.
. So i hope your inspired to get out there and take advantage of the bounty of beautiful Fall vegetables that are in season right now. Pumphin, squash corn and cranberries. These things definatelt inspire me in the kitchen. They dont have to be complicated..just simple fresh ingredients
5 peices fresh corn
2 scallons chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Boil your corn like you normally would but cut your co0oking time down by about three minutes. Immediately shock the corn in an ice bath. When cool enough to handle, carve all of the corn off the cobb into a bowl. go over your cobbs a second time with your knife to make sure you get all of the juices and kernals off your cobbs. combine the remaining ingredients and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Serve room temperature or cold. Freezes well, thats if you dont gobble it all up :)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The salad saga continues
So the end of summer is approaching and I've been a bit lazy with my food blogging. Its just been too hot to cook. I've been doing a lot of boring salads. Lettuce. Tomato. Cucumbers. Blech
But I decided to do a marinated vegetable salad last week. if I look at another lettuce leaf I'll scream. So I found this recipe and I decided it was worth giving a try. What I like about it is you are only limited by your imagination. I took about a cup of each. Zuccini, radishes, carrots, cauliflower,and cherry tomatoes. I made this simple dressing and let it marinate for a day or two. It was awesome
The marinade
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 heaping tbs dion mustard
A few cloves of minced garlic
A tbs each of salt sugar and black pepper.
I combined everything and poured it over the veggies and tossed it until everything was well coated. This is great as a side dish to go along with anything. And even better to make ahead of time. Hope you're inspired to get your veg on.
Rock on peeps
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Sunday, August 19, 2012
Another tired salad? I think NOT!
Hey Everyone,
Its been a long time since I blogged. Mainly because its been so stinkin hot and humid I couldn't bring myself into the kitchen. Hence the inspiration for this recipe. I've been making a lot of salads lately to take to work. I wish I could say there was any variety to my salads but its usually the same lettuce and tomato salad with cucumbers and green peppers. Maybe if I feel
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Saturday, June 30, 2012
poor mans smoked salmon?
Hey everyone...
Its been a slow summer..and too hot to be in the kitchen. But I felt the need to write this latest post that is inspired by my jewish heritage. When I think back I can remember many Sunday mornings eating bagels and lox with my family. I was watching an old episode of Martha Stewart and she had a guest come on and show how to make lox. This is a poor mans smoked salmon and so easy to do. The tricky part is slicing it against the lines so that it doesn't fall apart.
1 cup kosher or sea salt (not iodized)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon zest
Black pepper to taste
Go get yourself a beautiful peice of center cut salmon. Combine your salt and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Season your salmon with the lemon zest and pepper. Put 2 or 3 peices of tin foil on top of each other. Pour a third of the salt-sugar on the tin foil and lay your salmon on top. Pour the rest on top of the salmon and close the tinfoil to make a nice packet. Put in a dish with another dish on top and put a heavy can or weight on top of it. Refidgerate for 24 hours, then rinse of the salt and slice very thinly. And that's it! Lox! How easy is that :)
Its been a slow summer..and too hot to be in the kitchen. But I felt the need to write this latest post that is inspired by my jewish heritage. When I think back I can remember many Sunday mornings eating bagels and lox with my family. I was watching an old episode of Martha Stewart and she had a guest come on and show how to make lox. This is a poor mans smoked salmon and so easy to do. The tricky part is slicing it against the lines so that it doesn't fall apart.
1 cup kosher or sea salt (not iodized)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon zest
Black pepper to taste
Go get yourself a beautiful peice of center cut salmon. Combine your salt and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Season your salmon with the lemon zest and pepper. Put 2 or 3 peices of tin foil on top of each other. Pour a third of the salt-sugar on the tin foil and lay your salmon on top. Pour the rest on top of the salmon and close the tinfoil to make a nice packet. Put in a dish with another dish on top and put a heavy can or weight on top of it. Refidgerate for 24 hours, then rinse of the salt and slice very thinly. And that's it! Lox! How easy is that :)
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012
its pepper time my friends!!
Ok..so I've never made stuffed peppers before. I've seen them in restaurants. My mother made them when we were kids...I've seen them on every jewish delicatessens menu I've ever been in...but I've always been apprehensive..do I dare say intimidated by the stuffed pepper. How I came to this here, decision to conquer the pepper was this. I've been eating salad w/canned tuna, cottage cheese w/fruit and eggwhites all week. I am freakin bored as hell. That's it...so the search began for the perfect vegetarian stuffed pepper. After looking at a few recipes I decided to follow a basic recipe, substitute where I want to and call it lunch.
So here's my recipe..hope you enjoy!!
3 cups cooked white rice
1 12oz package soyrizo
1 cup of frozen corn kernals
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes.
5 green bell peppers. Tops cut off,seeds and membranes discarded.
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl with a half a cup of the crushed tomatoes and fill each pepper with a half to 3/4 a cup of the mixture depending how big the pepper is. Feel free to add a drop more sauce inside the pepper. Do not pack it to tightly though, for some reason even though the rice is cooked it still expands a little. Put the peppers in a baking dish and cover with the rest of the crushed tomatoes. Pour a little water in the bottom of the dish. Bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour or longer if needed. Depending on how soft you like your pepper. I like mine soft so they were in the oven for a while. They are a touch on the spicy side but of course I had to spinkle some pepperjack on top to guild the lilly just a bit. But if that's not your thing then skip the cheese. So I'm looking forward to this lunch..yuummy!
I hope your inspired to try these..off for now
So here's my recipe..hope you enjoy!!
3 cups cooked white rice
1 12oz package soyrizo
1 cup of frozen corn kernals
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes.
5 green bell peppers. Tops cut off,seeds and membranes discarded.
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl with a half a cup of the crushed tomatoes and fill each pepper with a half to 3/4 a cup of the mixture depending how big the pepper is. Feel free to add a drop more sauce inside the pepper. Do not pack it to tightly though, for some reason even though the rice is cooked it still expands a little. Put the peppers in a baking dish and cover with the rest of the crushed tomatoes. Pour a little water in the bottom of the dish. Bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour or longer if needed. Depending on how soft you like your pepper. I like mine soft so they were in the oven for a while. They are a touch on the spicy side but of course I had to spinkle some pepperjack on top to guild the lilly just a bit. But if that's not your thing then skip the cheese. So I'm looking forward to this lunch..yuummy!
I hope your inspired to try these..off for now
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Monday, May 21, 2012
Heat milk, add acid...got cheese!
Hey everyone!
Can it really be that simple? I've seen people make there own ricotta cheese and I've always wanted to try it. Alton Brown used skim milk and called it cottage cheese. I guess you can switch up the type of milk you use and get a different consistancy but the process is the same no matter what milk you use. This is a great thing to do that's kind of impressive when putting out a spread of appetizers for guest. And it doesn't even feel like cooking. It feels more like a science experiment! How cool is that.
Just keep in mind that the word Ricotta in italian means twice cooked. Real ricotta is actually made from the whey leftover after making mozzerella. So even though this isn't exactly like the real deal, when it all comes down to it what matters is how it tastes.
So here's what I did:
4 cups 1% milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs salt
3 tbs white vinegar
I put the milk, cream and salt in a medium pot on a medium heat. Make sure to watch it so it doesn't boil over. You can use a food thermometer and bring it up to 120 degrees. I didn't use one. I just watched it and brought it to high heat..almost boiling but not quite. I read that if you boil the milk your cheese will be grainy. I then added my vinegar and gave it a stir. I let it sit for about ten minutes and then drained it in a paper towel lined strainer. I didn't have any cheese cloth. I then turned it into another paper towel lined bowl and drained it some more. Keep in mind the more you drain it the drier it will be. Alton Browns method is just as easy however he stirs in cream at the end after the draining so you get a creamier texture like the store bought kind. I really liked the way this came out for a first time batch. I'm going to experiment and not drain it as much the next and see if I get a creamier consistancy. Here are the pictures of my first attempt.
Can it really be that simple? I've seen people make there own ricotta cheese and I've always wanted to try it. Alton Brown used skim milk and called it cottage cheese. I guess you can switch up the type of milk you use and get a different consistancy but the process is the same no matter what milk you use. This is a great thing to do that's kind of impressive when putting out a spread of appetizers for guest. And it doesn't even feel like cooking. It feels more like a science experiment! How cool is that.
Just keep in mind that the word Ricotta in italian means twice cooked. Real ricotta is actually made from the whey leftover after making mozzerella. So even though this isn't exactly like the real deal, when it all comes down to it what matters is how it tastes.
So here's what I did:
4 cups 1% milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs salt
3 tbs white vinegar
I put the milk, cream and salt in a medium pot on a medium heat. Make sure to watch it so it doesn't boil over. You can use a food thermometer and bring it up to 120 degrees. I didn't use one. I just watched it and brought it to high heat..almost boiling but not quite. I read that if you boil the milk your cheese will be grainy. I then added my vinegar and gave it a stir. I let it sit for about ten minutes and then drained it in a paper towel lined strainer. I didn't have any cheese cloth. I then turned it into another paper towel lined bowl and drained it some more. Keep in mind the more you drain it the drier it will be. Alton Browns method is just as easy however he stirs in cream at the end after the draining so you get a creamier texture like the store bought kind. I really liked the way this came out for a first time batch. I'm going to experiment and not drain it as much the next and see if I get a creamier consistancy. Here are the pictures of my first attempt.
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
is it gravy or is it sauce?
Ok...so I've been at a road block in my blogging. I've got nothing. No fancy soups,stews, sauces or marinades. No casseroles to speak of. Life has been consisting of frozen weight watchers lasagne and eggwhite omelettes. But I did hunt down some tomatoes that I've been wanting to try. Everytime you turn around some celebrity chef is using san marzano tomatoes. They claim they are the best. Now I've been making my own sauce for years. Everyone has their own way of making sauce. Italians have their way.I'm not italian..I just know what tastes good to me. I have tried almost every brand of canned tomatos in every style. I have finally figured out a "recipe" that I like. I put recipe in quotes because there's so many different ways to make sauce you really have to come to your own way of doing it.
Now before I continue, I must address the issue of calling sauce "gravy". I used to work for a sicilian lady and she used to call sauce, gravy and any pasta other than spaghetti, macaroni. I never understood why. But I've been doing my research and "gravy" is actually sauce made with meat that can be put over pasta. Pasta is actually the dough that macaroni is made from. "Pasta" was what the fancy people called it a million years ago. But nowadays pasta is more acceptable and less high fallootin than it used to be. And also there are so many different pasta shapes to choose from.
Last week I bought two different types of tomatoes. San marzano (real ones) and cherry tomatoes in a can. I must say that the flavor of the san marzanos were very bland. It didn't have that slight bitterness that other brands have. I actually didn't think they had that much flavor. My sauce came out good, just not as tomato-y as usual. When it was simmering I decided to add in a can of the cherry tomatoes. I didn't realize that they weren't peeled. I find this a very annoying texture, especially since I always buy whole peeled tomatoes in the can. So I was surprised to say the least. Tomato skin in my mouth..blech. I guess I can't fault the makers of that product. I mean those suckers are pretty small and probably a pain in the ass to peel anyway.
So as it stands at this moment in time I am not very impressed with san marzano tomatoes. The stop-n-shop brand is my favorite. I think it tastes pretty good and if you hit it right you can get ten for ten dollars. Just remember you have to cook canned tomatoes a long time. Which is why I make sauce in the slow cooker. So here is how I make it. Hope you like it!
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes
(you're going to have to crush these by hand or use a potato masher to break them up, but leave them chunky)
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 cubanelle pepper( chopped)
6 cloves of garlic chopped fine. More or less to suit your taste
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 small bunch of basil (chiffanade)
A few tbs of olive oil
Heat your olive oil and saute the onions,peppers and garlic until tender. Add in tomato paste. And cook for a few more minutes. Put all of this mixture into your slow cooker. Add all of the tomatoes and seasonings. Then add in the basil and cook on low for 6-8 hours. This is my favorite thing to do overnight right before I go o sleep. When I wake up the whole house smells so yummy.
Off for now peeps!
Now before I continue, I must address the issue of calling sauce "gravy". I used to work for a sicilian lady and she used to call sauce, gravy and any pasta other than spaghetti, macaroni. I never understood why. But I've been doing my research and "gravy" is actually sauce made with meat that can be put over pasta. Pasta is actually the dough that macaroni is made from. "Pasta" was what the fancy people called it a million years ago. But nowadays pasta is more acceptable and less high fallootin than it used to be. And also there are so many different pasta shapes to choose from.
Last week I bought two different types of tomatoes. San marzano (real ones) and cherry tomatoes in a can. I must say that the flavor of the san marzanos were very bland. It didn't have that slight bitterness that other brands have. I actually didn't think they had that much flavor. My sauce came out good, just not as tomato-y as usual. When it was simmering I decided to add in a can of the cherry tomatoes. I didn't realize that they weren't peeled. I find this a very annoying texture, especially since I always buy whole peeled tomatoes in the can. So I was surprised to say the least. Tomato skin in my mouth..blech. I guess I can't fault the makers of that product. I mean those suckers are pretty small and probably a pain in the ass to peel anyway.
So as it stands at this moment in time I am not very impressed with san marzano tomatoes. The stop-n-shop brand is my favorite. I think it tastes pretty good and if you hit it right you can get ten for ten dollars. Just remember you have to cook canned tomatoes a long time. Which is why I make sauce in the slow cooker. So here is how I make it. Hope you like it!
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes
(you're going to have to crush these by hand or use a potato masher to break them up, but leave them chunky)
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 cubanelle pepper( chopped)
6 cloves of garlic chopped fine. More or less to suit your taste
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 small bunch of basil (chiffanade)
A few tbs of olive oil
Heat your olive oil and saute the onions,peppers and garlic until tender. Add in tomato paste. And cook for a few more minutes. Put all of this mixture into your slow cooker. Add all of the tomatoes and seasonings. Then add in the basil and cook on low for 6-8 hours. This is my favorite thing to do overnight right before I go o sleep. When I wake up the whole house smells so yummy.
Off for now peeps!
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Sunday, April 22, 2012
off the vegan wagon..sorta kinda
Ok...so I've been doing really well with giving up the seafood in the name of bringing down my cholesterol. However a gal cannot survive on veggies alone. I've been drinking the soymilk in my coffee. No cheese. No eggs. Gave up the half n half. Even though if it was legal I'd pour it on everything. Maybe even bathe in it. But I've been doing well off the dairy. Until tonight. I'm looking in the fridge and my mom bought cozy shack rice pudding. Love it. I have never made rice pudding ever. So I decided to do it in the slow cooker. (For the lazy cook of course) I'm planning on taking a serving for myself..putting some on the side for my mom and taking the rest to work for the ladies. Of course in my mind this is my plan. If its so good I sit in front of the pot and shkoff it all, well that's another story. Or it could come out terrible. I've got another slow cooker with some spinich going on a low and slow heat. I'm sharing my recipe for the rice pudding and will let you know in the morning how it went
3/4 cup long grain white rice
2 cups 1% milk
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
A sprinkle of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
3 whole cardomom pods
4 whole cloves
a pinch of mace.
cook on low overnight.
So I'm posting my before pic...and tomorrow ill post what I wake up to. Hope your inspired once again to use that slow cooker.
Off for now!
Off for now!
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Saturday, April 21, 2012
its a fish free day
So I just ran into a vegetarian friend of mine...and obviously he's been reading my posts...so of course the first thing out of his mouth is "stop eating fish..there's no need for it"
Well he's absolutely right. I checked my cholesterol this month and it was a bit high. the thing that I've been doing different is eating a lot of shrimp (its surprisingly low in points on weight watchers) and salmon. So I made the decision to go as vegan-ish as I possibly can. I'm cutting out the fish and the dairy products. Today I used soy milk in my coffee and I did my own riff on a chickpea masala. Very vegan. The first thing I did was put all of my spices in a bowl. About a teaspoon of each. Cumin, turmeric, yellow curry powder and a pinch of cayanne. I also had an indian spice mixture that had whole cardomom, peppercorns and corriander in it..I put a tsp of that in the bowl as well. I heated up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan and when it was really hot I threw the spices in and watched them bloom...after about a minute I threw in a whole chopped onion and sauteed them for about 5 minutes. Then, I threw in a can of drained rinsed chic peas and a tbs of tomato paste and cooked it down for another 5 minutes. I added a dash of louisiana hot sauce at the end and served it with rice. It came out really good. The first picture is of the onions cooking and the second is of the finished product. So I hope your inspired to maybe make your next meal a meat free experience. Off for now my friends!!
Well he's absolutely right. I checked my cholesterol this month and it was a bit high. the thing that I've been doing different is eating a lot of shrimp (its surprisingly low in points on weight watchers) and salmon. So I made the decision to go as vegan-ish as I possibly can. I'm cutting out the fish and the dairy products. Today I used soy milk in my coffee and I did my own riff on a chickpea masala. Very vegan. The first thing I did was put all of my spices in a bowl. About a teaspoon of each. Cumin, turmeric, yellow curry powder and a pinch of cayanne. I also had an indian spice mixture that had whole cardomom, peppercorns and corriander in it..I put a tsp of that in the bowl as well. I heated up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan and when it was really hot I threw the spices in and watched them bloom...after about a minute I threw in a whole chopped onion and sauteed them for about 5 minutes. Then, I threw in a can of drained rinsed chic peas and a tbs of tomato paste and cooked it down for another 5 minutes. I added a dash of louisiana hot sauce at the end and served it with rice. It came out really good. The first picture is of the onions cooking and the second is of the finished product. So I hope your inspired to maybe make your next meal a meat free experience. Off for now my friends!!
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
its Chana Saag....Allison style!
Hello, all my faithful followers. Its time to break out the crock pot again. Indian style. I love indian food and when I go to an indian restaurant I always get two things. Chana masala and saag paneer. So I'm combining the two together (chick peas and spinich) with some traditional indian spices and slow cooking it over night. I'm going to take you through my recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
3 tbs canola oil
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 a large onion, chopped fine
1 can of chick peas drained and rinsed
1 tbs chopped garlic
1/2 jalepeno finely chopped
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger sliced
2 packages of chopped spinich thawed and drained
1 tbs yellow curry powder
1 tbs turmeric
1/2 tsp corriander
A pinch of red chile pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch of mace
8 medium sized mushrooms. Left whole.
The first thiong I did was saute my onions for about 5 minutes. Then I added my garlic and ginger and sauteed for another 3-4 minutes. I added my tomato past to the onion mixture along with my spices. I added everything to my slow cooker. I added my chick peas,spinich and jalapenos and mixed it all together with the tomato sauce. I put the mushrooms on top and set to low for about 6 hours.
Serve over rice or with chapatis. Your choice. This recipe that I created came out consistancy wise a bit different from what's served at the restaurant. But the flavors were there. I'm thinking I might have had too much liquid in the crock pot. I added some water before I turned it on because I'm always paranoid of things burning or sticking due to lack of moisture. I think maybe next time I'll rely on the moisture in the veggies and hopefully it will come out a bit thicker. Well I hope your inspired to go indian style in your slow cooker!
Off for now!
Ingredients
3 tbs canola oil
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 a large onion, chopped fine
1 can of chick peas drained and rinsed
1 tbs chopped garlic
1/2 jalepeno finely chopped
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger sliced
2 packages of chopped spinich thawed and drained
1 tbs yellow curry powder
1 tbs turmeric
1/2 tsp corriander
A pinch of red chile pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch of mace
8 medium sized mushrooms. Left whole.
The first thiong I did was saute my onions for about 5 minutes. Then I added my garlic and ginger and sauteed for another 3-4 minutes. I added my tomato past to the onion mixture along with my spices. I added everything to my slow cooker. I added my chick peas,spinich and jalapenos and mixed it all together with the tomato sauce. I put the mushrooms on top and set to low for about 6 hours.
Serve over rice or with chapatis. Your choice. This recipe that I created came out consistancy wise a bit different from what's served at the restaurant. But the flavors were there. I'm thinking I might have had too much liquid in the crock pot. I added some water before I turned it on because I'm always paranoid of things burning or sticking due to lack of moisture. I think maybe next time I'll rely on the moisture in the veggies and hopefully it will come out a bit thicker. Well I hope your inspired to go indian style in your slow cooker!
Off for now!
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
Happy Passover peeps!
I was talking to a new friend of mine and when I told him I was a vegetarian he was slightly surprized and then said "ohhh that's why you have such a weird cooking style" lol
So for me I guess that's a compliment. So in honor of my new special friend I've decided to share this passover recipe for Matzah Brei. My mother made this all the time during passover when I was a kid. Its basically fried matzah. Its so simple. Its matzah that's been softened slightly in hot water mixed with eggs. It can be done fritata style or scrambled. I always. Make it fritata style. You can add other things to it if you want. Veggies..or anything else you can think of. There are dozens of recipes for matzah brei. You can leave it plain and eat it with apple sauce or jelly. It all depends on your taste. You can make it savory or sweet. I always make mine savory and eat it with apple sauce. My mother asked me what I wanted to eat for passover. So I made this ahead of time. While their eating their brisket..ill be warming this up in the oven. Good meatless eats
Here is my simple recipe. Hope you enjoy
8 peices of matzah. Broken into bite size pieces. Covered with water and soaked for five minutes. Or until soft and then drained.
6 eggs. Mixed really well
1/2 cup of milk. (Skim or whatever you have on hand is fine)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
A tbs of canola oil
After the matzah has been soaked and drained combine the milk and eggs together. Pour eggs over the matzah and combine. Add salt and pepper. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan and add when its hot. I like to cover the first side while it cooks. I find it cooks faster and more even. Make sure its a medium to low flame. When the bottom is slightly golden its time to flip. I do this by putting a large plate on the matzah and holding it in place while I turn it over. I then slide it back into the pan so the other side cooks. When its golden your done. Best served warm for breakfast..or dinner or whenever else you want to have it.
Hope you're inspired this passover!!
So for me I guess that's a compliment. So in honor of my new special friend I've decided to share this passover recipe for Matzah Brei. My mother made this all the time during passover when I was a kid. Its basically fried matzah. Its so simple. Its matzah that's been softened slightly in hot water mixed with eggs. It can be done fritata style or scrambled. I always. Make it fritata style. You can add other things to it if you want. Veggies..or anything else you can think of. There are dozens of recipes for matzah brei. You can leave it plain and eat it with apple sauce or jelly. It all depends on your taste. You can make it savory or sweet. I always make mine savory and eat it with apple sauce. My mother asked me what I wanted to eat for passover. So I made this ahead of time. While their eating their brisket..ill be warming this up in the oven. Good meatless eats
Here is my simple recipe. Hope you enjoy
8 peices of matzah. Broken into bite size pieces. Covered with water and soaked for five minutes. Or until soft and then drained.
6 eggs. Mixed really well
1/2 cup of milk. (Skim or whatever you have on hand is fine)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
A tbs of canola oil
After the matzah has been soaked and drained combine the milk and eggs together. Pour eggs over the matzah and combine. Add salt and pepper. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan and add when its hot. I like to cover the first side while it cooks. I find it cooks faster and more even. Make sure its a medium to low flame. When the bottom is slightly golden its time to flip. I do this by putting a large plate on the matzah and holding it in place while I turn it over. I then slide it back into the pan so the other side cooks. When its golden your done. Best served warm for breakfast..or dinner or whenever else you want to have it.
Hope you're inspired this passover!!
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Monday, April 2, 2012
Did you ever think?
Hello all my beautiful foodies out there. My first order of buisness is about a restaurant I pass by quite a bit, Scarpettas. Scott Conant is the owner. I was quite surprised to see that his restaurant got a B rating. As cocky and pretentious as he is, he should be ahamed of himself. I just needed to get that off my chest before I get to the good eats of the day. Thanks for letting me share :)
Did you ever just start grabbing stuff to make a marinade or a sauce and really didn't know whether it would turn out good or not. If your adventurous you do those things and hope for the best. Which is what I did today. I was at one of my favorite markets..the chelsea market in the meat packing district. I went into the lobster company. They really do have the best seafood. The scallops are real. Not the fake ones they try to pass off. And they have so many different kinds of shrimp, and fish...yummy yum yum. I was a strict vegetarian for a while but a year or so ago I started eating seafood. I'm what you call a fallen vegetarian. But I'm alright with it! I eat a lot of shrimp and I was really excited to see they had the Langostines. Head on shrimp. I've never had those before and I've heard they're so good. I must admit seeing the shrimp with the head on and those wiggly little antennas was a bit shocking at first, but I didn't come all this way to chicken out now. They're a bit pricey at 20.95 a lb. They also had the blue head on shrimp for 17.95 a lb. I asked what the difference was besides a few dollars in price. The man behind the counter said the blue ones are a bit sweeter so I bought those.
Now the inspiration for my sauce. I love louisiana hotsauce but I wasn't in the mood to be overwhelmed. I wanted them to have some kick but still be mellow. I carefully deveined my shrimp but still left the shell and heads intact. Cooking the shrimp with the shells on will keep them super yummy. I patted my shrimp dry and spinkle with a little salt. I poured on 3 generous splashes of my Orange Blosson honey balsamic vinegar. Probably about a 1/4 cup. Then over that I poured on my louisiana hot sauce. About the same amount. I added a whole bunch of garlic that I ran through a garlic press. About 6 large cloves. I put the lid on the container and shook them up to really coat those shrimp. I let them sit in the fridge for about and hour. I chose to saute them in a combination of olive oil and butter. Butter for flavor...and olive oil to raise the smoking point. If you're going to saute in butter you don't want it to burn so its recommended to add some oil to it. When the oil was really hot I added the shrimp the pan and covered them. I cooked them for about 8-10 minutes.
I have the to tell you..I never thought I would say this out loud. Lol...but I loved ripping the heads off those those babies and sucking the juice out of them!! OMG..double OMG...so feaking good!!
So I highly recommend getting the head on shrimp. And the sauce...the combination of the hotsauce and tasty vinegar was super yummy. Just the right amount of heat. This will definately be added to my special ocassion repertoire for sure
So I hope your inspired to go outside of your comfort zone and try this recipe. Off for now honeybees and bears!
Now the inspiration for my sauce. I love louisiana hotsauce but I wasn't in the mood to be overwhelmed. I wanted them to have some kick but still be mellow. I carefully deveined my shrimp but still left the shell and heads intact. Cooking the shrimp with the shells on will keep them super yummy. I patted my shrimp dry and spinkle with a little salt. I poured on 3 generous splashes of my Orange Blosson honey balsamic vinegar. Probably about a 1/4 cup. Then over that I poured on my louisiana hot sauce. About the same amount. I added a whole bunch of garlic that I ran through a garlic press. About 6 large cloves. I put the lid on the container and shook them up to really coat those shrimp. I let them sit in the fridge for about and hour. I chose to saute them in a combination of olive oil and butter. Butter for flavor...and olive oil to raise the smoking point. If you're going to saute in butter you don't want it to burn so its recommended to add some oil to it. When the oil was really hot I added the shrimp the pan and covered them. I cooked them for about 8-10 minutes.
I have the to tell you..I never thought I would say this out loud. Lol...but I loved ripping the heads off those those babies and sucking the juice out of them!! OMG..double OMG...so feaking good!!
So I highly recommend getting the head on shrimp. And the sauce...the combination of the hotsauce and tasty vinegar was super yummy. Just the right amount of heat. This will definately be added to my special ocassion repertoire for sure
So I hope your inspired to go outside of your comfort zone and try this recipe. Off for now honeybees and bears!
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Sunday, March 25, 2012
tip of the moment#5
Earlier I blogged about a chipotle yogurt dip. That recipe has inspired this tip of the moment. I'm sure I'm not alone with the issue I'm about to address. What to do with the leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? Because I know that when I buy a can of these knock your socks off peppers that I usually only use 1 or two of them along with a little of the sauce and then the rest usually sit in my fridge and grow mold. This time in order not to waste a whole can of peppers I spooned the rest into little ziplock baggies and they're going right into the freezer. I put about 3 peppers in each bag along with a little sauce. That way I can just pull out one bag and defrost when I need it and not waste any
Off for now!
Off for now!
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The ultimate dipping sauce!
I learned how to make this sauce when I was 18. I worked at a raw bar during the summer. We served oysters, clams on the half shell, shrimp cocktail and fried calamari. I have to say this was a fun job for me. It was easy since our menu was so small and most of the work was cleaning and prep. Our sauce for the calimari was a chipotle yogurt sauce that was so addictive our restaurant neighbors wanted to use it on their french fries and their chicken fingers...and so easy to make! It stays really well in the fridge and only gets better after a day or two.
1 cup light mayo
1 cup plain fat free yogurt.
(Make sure its plain..I once accidently used vanilla yogurt and it was a disaster lol)
1 chipotle pepper with 2 tbs of the adobo sauce it comes in.
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
A dash of salt and pepper to taste
The great thing about this recipe is you can adjust it to your taste. If you like it creamy add more mayo. If you like it a touch lighter go heavier on the yogurt. If you like it more spicy add more of the adobo sauce from the peppers. If your not a fan of cilantro...I don't know what to tell you because you need the cilantro to counter balence the heat of the peppers. I would definately let the flavors marry a bit in the fridge and then adjust the flavors. Keep in mind the chipotle peppers will get more intense as the flavors blend together. You can use this on anything its so good. Use it with a vegetable platter for appetizers if your entertaining. Its definately one of my favorite go to sauces for company. Hope you're inspired to try this.
Off for now !
1 cup light mayo
1 cup plain fat free yogurt.
(Make sure its plain..I once accidently used vanilla yogurt and it was a disaster lol)
1 chipotle pepper with 2 tbs of the adobo sauce it comes in.
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
A dash of salt and pepper to taste
The great thing about this recipe is you can adjust it to your taste. If you like it creamy add more mayo. If you like it a touch lighter go heavier on the yogurt. If you like it more spicy add more of the adobo sauce from the peppers. If your not a fan of cilantro...I don't know what to tell you because you need the cilantro to counter balence the heat of the peppers. I would definately let the flavors marry a bit in the fridge and then adjust the flavors. Keep in mind the chipotle peppers will get more intense as the flavors blend together. You can use this on anything its so good. Use it with a vegetable platter for appetizers if your entertaining. Its definately one of my favorite go to sauces for company. Hope you're inspired to try this.
Off for now !
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Thursday, March 22, 2012
pancakes for brunch, lunch or dessert!
Oh yea..you read that right. Pancakes are not just for breakfast anymore. Lunch, brunch or dessert...these are awesome anytime. I promise you, this recipes is an awesome go-to that will impress anyone. Hope you try these and enjoy!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups AP flour
4 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3tbs melted unsalted butter
1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated carrots, patted dry on a paper towel
1tsp orange zest
1tbs finely diced candied ginger
1/4 cup toasted choped pecans or walnuts and a little more for garnish
Cooking spray
Maple cream cheese drizzle
8oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
4tbs butter
For the pancakes whisk together flour,sugar,baking powder,pumpkin pie spices,baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs,buttermilk,melted butter and vanilla. Add carrots and zest and mix until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry and fold in nuts and ginger. Do not overmix.refridgerate for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to make your pancakes please resist the urge to stir that batter. You don't want to destroy all the lovely bubbly goodness that's been developing. I posted a recipe in my blog all about pancake technique..so feel free to search and read it...
The maple cream cheese drizzle is made the same as you would a frosting. Do it in a standup mixer or a with a hand held mixer.
To serveHstack pancakes and drizzle with maple cream cheese and garnish with nuts
...and most important ENJOY..and impress all of your friends because this recipe is the bomb!
Off for now!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups AP flour
4 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3tbs melted unsalted butter
1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated carrots, patted dry on a paper towel
1tsp orange zest
1tbs finely diced candied ginger
1/4 cup toasted choped pecans or walnuts and a little more for garnish
Cooking spray
Maple cream cheese drizzle
8oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
4tbs butter
For the pancakes whisk together flour,sugar,baking powder,pumpkin pie spices,baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs,buttermilk,melted butter and vanilla. Add carrots and zest and mix until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry and fold in nuts and ginger. Do not overmix.refridgerate for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to make your pancakes please resist the urge to stir that batter. You don't want to destroy all the lovely bubbly goodness that's been developing. I posted a recipe in my blog all about pancake technique..so feel free to search and read it...
The maple cream cheese drizzle is made the same as you would a frosting. Do it in a standup mixer or a with a hand held mixer.
To serveHstack pancakes and drizzle with maple cream cheese and garnish with nuts
...and most important ENJOY..and impress all of your friends because this recipe is the bomb!
Off for now!
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
a quickie
Ok bees and bears..here's a quickie for you. Soyaki marinade from trader joes. It is totally the bomb for fish and tofu (or whatever you want to put it on). I minced some fresh garlic and mixed it in before I used it..on the money. A must have for any kitchen
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Monday, March 12, 2012
a comfort food twist
Hey everyone,
It was raining when I decided to do this recipe and when the weather is crappy out I go right to comfort food. When I was little in my house tuna casserole was something my mom made from time to time. I'm doing a new twist on an old classic. I'm making tuna stuffed shells. It thought this was interesting and since I like tuna casserole I'm all in.
Ingredients
For the sauce
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 cups whole milk
Pinch of cayanne
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp salt (or to your preference)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup grated fontina or white chedder
20 cooked jumbo pasta shells
For the filling
1tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup green peas
2 (6oz) cans solid white tuna flaked into small pieces
2tsp lemon zest
1tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup fontina or white chedder
1egg, beaten
2/3 cup ricotta
Pinch of cayanne
2 tbs grated parmesan
In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. Cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and whisk like crazy until there are no visible lumps. Add nutmeg, cayanne and salt. Simmer the sauce and then turn off the heat and add the cheese and oregano.
Put sauce to the side.
Saute onions in the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and diced peppers and cook for five minutes until soft. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, except the parmesan. Mix with a fork until just combine.
Spread 1/3rd of the sauce on the bottom or a 13x9 casserole dish. Stuff the shells with the filling and place into the dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 until GBD. (Golden,brown and deliscious).
So I hope your inspires to use up those cans of tuna in a.new twiat on an old classic comfort food favorite!
Off for now!
It was raining when I decided to do this recipe and when the weather is crappy out I go right to comfort food. When I was little in my house tuna casserole was something my mom made from time to time. I'm doing a new twist on an old classic. I'm making tuna stuffed shells. It thought this was interesting and since I like tuna casserole I'm all in.
Ingredients
For the sauce
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 cups whole milk
Pinch of cayanne
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp salt (or to your preference)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup grated fontina or white chedder
20 cooked jumbo pasta shells
For the filling
1tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup green peas
2 (6oz) cans solid white tuna flaked into small pieces
2tsp lemon zest
1tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup fontina or white chedder
1egg, beaten
2/3 cup ricotta
Pinch of cayanne
2 tbs grated parmesan
In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. Cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and whisk like crazy until there are no visible lumps. Add nutmeg, cayanne and salt. Simmer the sauce and then turn off the heat and add the cheese and oregano.
Put sauce to the side.
Saute onions in the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and diced peppers and cook for five minutes until soft. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, except the parmesan. Mix with a fork until just combine.
Spread 1/3rd of the sauce on the bottom or a 13x9 casserole dish. Stuff the shells with the filling and place into the dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 until GBD. (Golden,brown and deliscious).
So I hope your inspires to use up those cans of tuna in a.new twiat on an old classic comfort food favorite!
Off for now!
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012
veggie chili
I've been trying to incorporate more veggies and fiber in my diet. Fiber is our friend. A lady I know from my job told me about this recipe for vegetarian chili and brought me the recipe. I saw where she altered it to her taste. Like most older people she prefers her food on the mild side...but I'm a spicy girl. Not blow your head off spicy, but I like big bold flavors with a little bit of heat. I played around with her recipe a bit and came up with one that I think is totally legit. Hope your inspired once again. This is slow cooker friendly or you can do it on the stove top in a big pot. This is super easy to make and freezes extremely well.
Ingredients
14oz can of black bean soup
15oz can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
15oz can of garbonzo beans (drained and rinsed)
16oz can bush's baked beans
28oz can crushed tomatoes(the one w/basil already in it)
1 15oz can of corn kernels drained
1 medium onion. Chopped
1 zucchini. Chopped
1 celery stalk. Chopped
3 garlic cloves. Chopped
1/2 jalapeno. Seeded finely chopped.
1tbs cumin
1tbs parsley
1tbs smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayanne pepper
1tbs honey
1tbs peanut butter
1 package of soyrizo
Combine all of these ingredients in a slow cooker and season with your spices cook on low for 6-8 hours or on the stove tope for 3 hours.
Serve with cornbread, tortillas or rice.
Hope your inspired to make this. It came out super yummy!
Ingredients
14oz can of black bean soup
15oz can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
15oz can of garbonzo beans (drained and rinsed)
16oz can bush's baked beans
28oz can crushed tomatoes(the one w/basil already in it)
1 15oz can of corn kernels drained
1 medium onion. Chopped
1 zucchini. Chopped
1 celery stalk. Chopped
3 garlic cloves. Chopped
1/2 jalapeno. Seeded finely chopped.
1tbs cumin
1tbs parsley
1tbs smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayanne pepper
1tbs honey
1tbs peanut butter
1 package of soyrizo
Combine all of these ingredients in a slow cooker and season with your spices cook on low for 6-8 hours or on the stove tope for 3 hours.
Serve with cornbread, tortillas or rice.
Hope your inspired to make this. It came out super yummy!
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
next stop...spain...
So I've always wanted to make ceviche. However, I've always been a bit apprehensive about that whole raw seafood "cooked" by lime juice. Sounds like a bit of a scam if you ask me. So I did some poking around on line and found out that the juice doesn't really cook the fish. It changes the composition of the protein fibers in the fish which often confuses most people into thinking its "cooked". It does not destroy parasites the way heat does. So you should always get sushi grade fish and know exactly where your fish is coming from. I was very excited because ceviche can be made with many different types of fish or only one kind. So I hope all of you pescatarians enjoy this recipe and give it a try.
Ingredients
1/2 pound small baby shrimp
1/2 pound bay scallops
1/2 pound calamari (cleaned well and cut into rings
2 red snapper filets cut into 1/2 inch peices
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 medium tomato seeded and diced
1 medium red onion chopped
1 small jalepino finely diced
A small handful of chopped cilantro.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbs salt
Small pinch of cayanne pepper
Small pinch of black pepper.
Combine all of the fish, tomato, onion and cilantro in a non reactive bowl. Glass or ceramic. DO NOT use a metal bowl. The juices will react with the metal and give your fish a metallic taste and does not make for kick ass eats. Next, add your spices, jalepino and pour your lemon/lime juice over the fish. Cover and marinate for an hour. The mix all of the fish to make sure all of the fish comes in contact with the juices. I would mix every hour or so for a few hours.
Serve with avocado and some warm corn or flour tortillas..close your eyes and pretend your in Mexico! This is kick ass eats right here..and so easy to make. How cool is that.
So I hope your inspired next time you're having company. This makes a nice appetizer with tortilla chips or serve with all of your favorite garnishes as a main course...off for now!
Ingredients
1/2 pound small baby shrimp
1/2 pound bay scallops
1/2 pound calamari (cleaned well and cut into rings
2 red snapper filets cut into 1/2 inch peices
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 medium tomato seeded and diced
1 medium red onion chopped
1 small jalepino finely diced
A small handful of chopped cilantro.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbs salt
Small pinch of cayanne pepper
Small pinch of black pepper.
Combine all of the fish, tomato, onion and cilantro in a non reactive bowl. Glass or ceramic. DO NOT use a metal bowl. The juices will react with the metal and give your fish a metallic taste and does not make for kick ass eats. Next, add your spices, jalepino and pour your lemon/lime juice over the fish. Cover and marinate for an hour. The mix all of the fish to make sure all of the fish comes in contact with the juices. I would mix every hour or so for a few hours.
Serve with avocado and some warm corn or flour tortillas..close your eyes and pretend your in Mexico! This is kick ass eats right here..and so easy to make. How cool is that.
So I hope your inspired next time you're having company. This makes a nice appetizer with tortilla chips or serve with all of your favorite garnishes as a main course...off for now!
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Saturday, February 25, 2012
on the fly veggie soup
I call this recipe an "on the fly" recipe. On the fly recipes are recipes that have no recipe written down. You open up your fridge and throw things together. Its cold and windy out there...and when its cold out I like soup. In my desperate attempt to watch my girlish figure I'm making my own version of the weight watchers vegetable soup. Now I've seen this recipe and I will be straight up..this doesn't look good on paper. I'm a spicy girl. I like big flavors.
So I hope you're inspired to get out your crockpot and make an "on the fly" :)
Ingredients
1 large onion chopped
2 sticks of celery chopped
1 small bunch of baby carrots
1 red pepper chopped
1 orange pepper chopped
5 shitake mushrooms sliced
2 small zuchini sliced
1 cup diced calabraza squash
1 bunch of spinich root*
6 cloves garlic. Minced
1 can of crushed tomatoes
8 medium shrimp chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups
water
1 tbsp spicy Mrs.Dash
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
I got carried away with the veggies so I actually needed to use 2 crock pots. I decided to make one spicy with shrimp and the other straight vegetable and on the mild side.
I basicly put all of the ingredients into the two crocks with the expection of the mrs dash and shrimp. I put those ingredients into my spicy one
Now I have to address this buisness of "spinich root". I was watching this show and the host had a chef on to talk about all of the food wasted in our society. He was talking about using every part of our food. He spoke about the ends of the spinich that people just cut off and throw away. He takes those ends, cleans them very well and sautes them with garlic. He calls is "spinich root" and sells it for 8 dollars in his gourmet restaurant. I think that is so brilliant. So it inspired me to add it to my soup. More veggie bulk :)
So I hope your inspired to cut up your veggies and make a soup. I'm excited because I have enough soup for the week and to freeze for later...
Off for now bees and bears!
So I hope you're inspired to get out your crockpot and make an "on the fly" :)
Ingredients
1 large onion chopped
2 sticks of celery chopped
1 small bunch of baby carrots
1 red pepper chopped
1 orange pepper chopped
5 shitake mushrooms sliced
2 small zuchini sliced
1 cup diced calabraza squash
1 bunch of spinich root*
6 cloves garlic. Minced
1 can of crushed tomatoes
8 medium shrimp chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups
water
1 tbsp spicy Mrs.Dash
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
I got carried away with the veggies so I actually needed to use 2 crock pots. I decided to make one spicy with shrimp and the other straight vegetable and on the mild side.
I basicly put all of the ingredients into the two crocks with the expection of the mrs dash and shrimp. I put those ingredients into my spicy one
Now I have to address this buisness of "spinich root". I was watching this show and the host had a chef on to talk about all of the food wasted in our society. He was talking about using every part of our food. He spoke about the ends of the spinich that people just cut off and throw away. He takes those ends, cleans them very well and sautes them with garlic. He calls is "spinich root" and sells it for 8 dollars in his gourmet restaurant. I think that is so brilliant. So it inspired me to add it to my soup. More veggie bulk :)
So I hope your inspired to cut up your veggies and make a soup. I'm excited because I have enough soup for the week and to freeze for later...
Off for now bees and bears!
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Friday, January 20, 2012
a great southern finale
Ok peeps! Its been a while..I've been lacking in my southern hospitality. I hope this is suitable end to my southern menu
I'm done visiting the south...and the recipe I've chosen to share with you is a big time favorite. Its a great end for any southern meal or holiday dinner. And its super easy. A crazy yummy praline sweet potato pie. I know what your thinking..its not thanksgiving but this recipe is worth writing down and stashing away for when you want to impress people because its super easy..and they will think your an evil genious in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Pie dough:
1 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick of cold cold butter cut into small chunks
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortning
You can do this in a food processor or with pastry cutters. Put the flour and salt in a food pro and pulse. Add butter and shortening and pulse until crumbs form. Add water and pulse again until it comes together. Don't over work the dough. It should be rough or it won't be flakey when its baked. Place dough onto a flat surface and press into a flat disk. Refridgerate for a few hours so its nice and firm before you roll it out
Pie filling
2 large sweet potatoes. Baked until super soft. Then mashed.
Yes I said baked. Some old timers boil the hell out of their sweet potatoes. But I find that you lose a lot of all that sweet potato love in the water. When you bake them..oh those potatoes get all lovely.
2 eggs lightly beaten
1tsp real vanilla
1tbsp maple syrup. (The real stuff)
1/2 tsp mace
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
Topping
1 cup pecan halves
2tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Ok..take your pie dough and roll it out on a floured surface until it 1/4 inch thick and line a pie pan (feel free to use a ready made crust..no shame in that. Saves time). Your gonna blind bake the crust for 20 minutes at 375. Line it with foil and throw some dried beans or if your el fancy..use pie weights. While your piecrust is blindbaking, whisk together from the sweet potatoes down to the salt. Take out the beans and foil and pour this mixture into the pie shell. Mix your pecans with the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake it off in your already hot 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until set. Keep in mind this is a custard and residual baking will occur after you take it out of the oven so don't over bake the hell out of it.
Ok honeybees and bears..we're done in the south..stay tunes for my next series or recipes..more will be revealed!
I'm done visiting the south...and the recipe I've chosen to share with you is a big time favorite. Its a great end for any southern meal or holiday dinner. And its super easy. A crazy yummy praline sweet potato pie. I know what your thinking..its not thanksgiving but this recipe is worth writing down and stashing away for when you want to impress people because its super easy..and they will think your an evil genious in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Pie dough:
1 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick of cold cold butter cut into small chunks
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortning
You can do this in a food processor or with pastry cutters. Put the flour and salt in a food pro and pulse. Add butter and shortening and pulse until crumbs form. Add water and pulse again until it comes together. Don't over work the dough. It should be rough or it won't be flakey when its baked. Place dough onto a flat surface and press into a flat disk. Refridgerate for a few hours so its nice and firm before you roll it out
Pie filling
2 large sweet potatoes. Baked until super soft. Then mashed.
Yes I said baked. Some old timers boil the hell out of their sweet potatoes. But I find that you lose a lot of all that sweet potato love in the water. When you bake them..oh those potatoes get all lovely.
2 eggs lightly beaten
1tsp real vanilla
1tbsp maple syrup. (The real stuff)
1/2 tsp mace
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
Topping
1 cup pecan halves
2tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Ok..take your pie dough and roll it out on a floured surface until it 1/4 inch thick and line a pie pan (feel free to use a ready made crust..no shame in that. Saves time). Your gonna blind bake the crust for 20 minutes at 375. Line it with foil and throw some dried beans or if your el fancy..use pie weights. While your piecrust is blindbaking, whisk together from the sweet potatoes down to the salt. Take out the beans and foil and pour this mixture into the pie shell. Mix your pecans with the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake it off in your already hot 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until set. Keep in mind this is a custard and residual baking will occur after you take it out of the oven so don't over bake the hell out of it.
Ok honeybees and bears..we're done in the south..stay tunes for my next series or recipes..more will be revealed!
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Thursday, January 5, 2012
the jump-off :)
Ok my faithfull followers...here it is. Another tasty idea. The polenta recipe in the previous blog is perfect to swing a second dish out of. I take a square aluminum pan and spray it with fat free cooking spray. I pour my polenta in and refridgerate. When its firm I slice the polenta 1/4 inch thick. I make a breading station consisting of buttermilk in one bowl, and panko bread crumbs in another. You can use regular milk but buttermilk is thicker and your panko with stick better. I dip the polenta into the buttermilk and then right into the panko. You can use regular seasoned breadcrumbs or you can season your panko. I opt for the latter. The panko always comes out awesome. So just throw a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasonings in your panko and they will be be happy happy breadcrumbs. I put about a 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a pan and when its screaming hot I fry away. You want to fry until crispy and then turn and do the other side. Don't move your polenta around too much when its frying or your breadcrumbs may fall off. When its golden put it on a papertowel lined plate to drain the excess oil. I like to grate some pecorino romano cheese on it and serve with marinara. (Home made of course)..
Hope your inspired once again :)
Hope your inspired once again :)
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the south will rise again lol
Hey Y'all...
That seems appropriate considering I'm on a southern kick. With all the new year madness I've been neglecting my blogging duties..but don't worry I've been making lots of things and saving the recipes so I have lots of material. The recipe I will be sharing with Ya'll today is my take on a traditional southern favorite. Shrimp and grits. However I will be substituting polenta for the grits. I have yet to make grits but I make polenta all the time. I really like polenta because you can do so much with it. You can eat it right when you make it and serve it with anything from shrimp to short ribs (if that's your gigiddy) or go full vegetarian and serve it with marinated sauteed tofu. Then you can put the rest in a pan and make fried crispy polenta the next day. So first I will take you through my polenta and then through the shrimp that I made to go along with it.
Polenta
1/3/4 cups corn meal
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt (I have made this before with black truffle salt and it comes out super yummy)
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs mascarpone
Pepper to taste
Ok, this is a basic recipe.
I bring the 6 cups of water to a boil and then slowly add in the corn meal while whisking contantly. You will have to wisk continuously or your polenta will have lumps and stick to the bottom of your pot. (Not fun to clean). When your polenta is soft and smooth and yummy, make it more yummy by adding your salt butter and mascarpone. If you want to skip the mascarpone(it ain't cheap ya know) and add some cream cheese go right ahead. You can even add scallion cream cheese and it would be really good. Keep in mind what your serving it with will also dictate what you add in at the end. As yummy as truffle salt is...it can be over powering. So you don't want to serve it with spicy shrimp. The flavors might compete. If I was using truffle salt or truffle oil I would probably keep it vegetarian and serve it with oven roasted potobellos. Since I kept the flavor of the polenta mild I chose to serve it with spicy shrimp.
Shrimp
Smoked paprika to taste
A small pinch of cayanne pepper
Salt and black pepper
Hot sauce
1 tsp butter
I took my cleaned shrimp and sprinkled my seasoning on it and tossed to make sure none of my shrimp were neglected. I made sure my saute pan was screaming hot and threw them in for a few minutes and then added a few dashes of hot sauce..and the butter at the very end to round it out. How spicy they will be all depends on how heavy handed you are with the cayanne. This is completely up to you. I made it medium. Pair it up with a green salad and you're golden :)
Ok bees and bears (does anyone freakin know why I keep callin my people bees and bears..I don't even know where I got that from)..lol..
Ok...off for now..and I hope your inspired
That seems appropriate considering I'm on a southern kick. With all the new year madness I've been neglecting my blogging duties..but don't worry I've been making lots of things and saving the recipes so I have lots of material. The recipe I will be sharing with Ya'll today is my take on a traditional southern favorite. Shrimp and grits. However I will be substituting polenta for the grits. I have yet to make grits but I make polenta all the time. I really like polenta because you can do so much with it. You can eat it right when you make it and serve it with anything from shrimp to short ribs (if that's your gigiddy) or go full vegetarian and serve it with marinated sauteed tofu. Then you can put the rest in a pan and make fried crispy polenta the next day. So first I will take you through my polenta and then through the shrimp that I made to go along with it.
Polenta
1/3/4 cups corn meal
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt (I have made this before with black truffle salt and it comes out super yummy)
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs mascarpone
Pepper to taste
Ok, this is a basic recipe.
I bring the 6 cups of water to a boil and then slowly add in the corn meal while whisking contantly. You will have to wisk continuously or your polenta will have lumps and stick to the bottom of your pot. (Not fun to clean). When your polenta is soft and smooth and yummy, make it more yummy by adding your salt butter and mascarpone. If you want to skip the mascarpone(it ain't cheap ya know) and add some cream cheese go right ahead. You can even add scallion cream cheese and it would be really good. Keep in mind what your serving it with will also dictate what you add in at the end. As yummy as truffle salt is...it can be over powering. So you don't want to serve it with spicy shrimp. The flavors might compete. If I was using truffle salt or truffle oil I would probably keep it vegetarian and serve it with oven roasted potobellos. Since I kept the flavor of the polenta mild I chose to serve it with spicy shrimp.
Shrimp
Smoked paprika to taste
A small pinch of cayanne pepper
Salt and black pepper
Hot sauce
1 tsp butter
I took my cleaned shrimp and sprinkled my seasoning on it and tossed to make sure none of my shrimp were neglected. I made sure my saute pan was screaming hot and threw them in for a few minutes and then added a few dashes of hot sauce..and the butter at the very end to round it out. How spicy they will be all depends on how heavy handed you are with the cayanne. This is completely up to you. I made it medium. Pair it up with a green salad and you're golden :)
Ok bees and bears (does anyone freakin know why I keep callin my people bees and bears..I don't even know where I got that from)..lol..
Ok...off for now..and I hope your inspired
Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4
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