A couple of coleslaws

I'm not sure what the rules are for considering something coleslaw.  When I was a kid it came from KFC and was ignored in its sad little Styrofoam cup.  Now, I think of it as a salad that it is featured in many magazines and episodes of Chopped often atop sandwiches.

To me... coleslaw consists of crunchy veggies mixed with just the right amount of sauce (the veggies must be recognizable in taste and texture and covered but not dripping in sauce).  I think it's delicious!

The following slaw recipe is pretty versatile depending on what kind of sauce you put on it.  You could use mayo, sugar and vinegar to get a more traditional slaw but I prefer something a little more sweet and sour (not to be confused with the bright red sauce that accompanies crab rangoons).

sweet, sour coleslaw

4 small carrots
1/4 purple cabbage

1/4 Cup peanut butter
2 T rice wine vinegar
2 T water
a handful of sesame seeds
a handful of peanuts

Shred carrots and cabbage with the food processor's shredding disc ... ( or use a vegetable peeler to create more ribbon-like pieces of carrot and chop your cabbage finely) and set aside in a bowl.
In another bowl mix peanut butter, vinegar and water until it turns liquid-y and has the desired balance of sweet and sour (you may need to add more of one of the 3 ingredients to get to this point).
Combine veggies and sauce.
Garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds!

I had extra carrots so I also made this other, sweeter salad with raisins.

carrot raisin slaw/salad

3 small carrots
1/4 C raisins
2 or 3 T mayo
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar

Shred carrots.
Mix with raisins in a bowl.
In another bowl, mix up mayo, sugar and vinegar.
Combine then enjoy!


In preparation for days where I will need to pack my lunch, I now have some tasty food waiting for me!

Black Bean "Burger" with Beet and Sweet Potato Roasted Fries

I finally found the time to spend a few hours in the kitchen, taking my time, making some good good food.  Last evening as a Spring rainstorm, that's been happening off and on all week, stormed on, I cooked up a storm in my happy kitchen.

Shout-out to my husband for helping me clean up the colossal mess that came with dinner.

I modified a black bean/quinoa burger I've made a few times before and here's the recipe I ended up using:

ingredients:

1/2 Cup uncooked quinoa

roughly chopped vegetables:
     2 carrots
     1/2 red onion
     1/4 of a small purple cabbage

2 cloves garlic

spice blend:
     1.5 tsp. paprika
     1.5 tsp cumin
     1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
     1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 can black beans, drained

2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sriracha

1/2-1 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil
salt and pepper

cook quinoa with water or vegetable broth.
meanwhile, wash and roughly chop the vegetables.
heat olive oil in a pan and cook vegetables until they begin to soften.
add cooked vegetables, spice mixture and beans to a food processor and begin to mash them together.  (the length of time you process the mixture depends on how chunky you'd like your burger.)

next, mix the tomato paste, soy and sriracha. then add to the bean and vegetable mixture in the food processor until combined.
transfer mixture to a large bowl.

the quiona should be finished by now.  add quinoa and mix everything together with your hands.  slowly add breadcrumbs until the mixture starts to hold together if you ball it up, and loses most of its moisture.  it will be slightly sticky.  make into round patty shapes and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

while the burgers were chilling and settling in the fridge I made beet and sweet potato roasted fries.

ingredients:
one beet & one sweet potato, both peeled and sliced into thin rounds

salt, pepper, olive oil

optional:  spices such as rosemary, cumin, cayenne...

I saw a recipe for beet chips with rosemary, salt and cayenne here, which I tried.

mix up a small amount of olive oil, a pinch of rosemary, cayenne and salt.
let the beets sit in this mixture for about 10 minutes.

I kept the sweet potatoes plain except for a small amount of salt, pepper and olive oil.

roast at 375 for about 20-25 minutes, turning the veggies over halfway.

Before I cooked the burgers in a pan on the stove, I chopped up some more purple cabbage, red onion and a half of an avocado to top the burgers with.  I also chopped up one adobo pepper (great fridge item to have on hand)... the kind that come in little cans that can be found in the Hispanic section of the grocery store and mixed it with mayonnaise.

Then, I heated some olive oil in the pan and cooked each burger for about 3-5 minutes per side.  The ingredients are all pretty much cooked, the mixture just needs to heat through.

Get that burger on a bun with some toppings and dinner is served!

The Most Important Meal of the Day

Cara, this post is dedicated to you, the true lover of breakfast.  When I do take time to make something for breakfast other than cereal or oatmeal, it's usually waffles.  Ryan and I got a waffle maker as a wedding gift, and I LOVE it.  It's just a simple waffle maker like the one found here.  

Now, it shouldn't come as a surprise when I tell you that the best recipe for waffles is the kind made from scratch as written by Mark Bittman in my favorite cookbook How To Cook Everything.  If I may, Bittman says the following about pancake batter, but I feel that the same applies to waffles:

     "Americans must have been sadly alienated from the kitchen for pancake mixes to ever have gained a foothold in the market, for these are ridiculously easy to make."  

Preach on Mark.

Anyway.  Here's the basic recipe.  I always like to add a little something special to the waffles.  Be it some multi-grain flour, fruit, or spice.

2 C all purpose flour 
     (I like to mix 1 C multi-grain or whole wheat flour for a heartier, more        flavorful waffle)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T sugar
     ( I like to use 1 T brown sugar instead)
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 C milk
2 eggs
4 T (1/2 stick) butter melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla

suggested add-ins:  1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom
thinly sliced bananas or apples added right before you close the waffle maker
chopped almonds, walnuts

melt the butter first so that it cools back down!
brush waffle iron lightly with oil and pre-heat it.
combine the dry ingredients.
mix together the milk and eggs.
stir in the butter and vanilla.
stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
if the mixture seems to think to pour, add a little more milk.

spread a ladelful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3-5 minutes, depending on your iron.  serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

topped with chopped almonds, real maple syrup and butter, of course. 

i like to eat my waffles in sections! 

Childhood Memories

I have a fondness for sense memories that involve food.  As I strolled through the market doing my grocery shopping yesterday I had a sudden craving for tapioca pudding. This creamy snack reminds me of afternoons at my Grandma's house. It's a total comfort food. I had to get some. I like the combination of creamy custard and the little snap of the tapioca pearls (I know people hate this for the same reason!).  I wandered to the Jell-O aisle (have you been there?! It's CRAZY!) and bought a box of Island Brand small tapioca pearls.  

I decided to put my own spin on the flavor by adding some warm spices.

Here are the directions according to the package.    

1/2 cup Tapioca
3 cups Milk
2 Eggs
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla. 

Combine Tapioca, milk and salt in a 1 1/2 quart pan. Stir until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered, over lowest possible heat, add sugar gradually. Beat eggs, mix in some of the hot Tapioca mixture very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures (to avoid curdling). Return all to pan. Bring to a boil, stir 3 minutes more over lowest possible heat (or longer to achieve pudding consistency). Stir constantly. Cool 15 minutes then add vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Instead of adding the vanilla after the pudding cooled, I added in the final stirring/cooking stage.  I also added: 1 tsp each of cinnamon, cardamom, freshly grated nutmeg.  I topped each serving with a few chopped almonds

I let the pudding sit and cool a little to firm up.  But, I like to eat it warm.  It's almost a good substitute for ice cream in the winter!  

Found Winter "Stew"

Sunday brought unexpected snow and sub zero temperatures, so leaving the house to go do my regular grocery trip wasn't gonna happen.  When dinner time rolled around I scrounged the fridge for ingredients I could throw together.  I found...

2 chicken sausages
half of a red pepper (already chopped... bonus!)
some red onion (also already chopped... hooray!!)
1/3 bag of baby spinach.

With the snow and temperatures falling, I couldn't think of anything else to do with those chicken sausages but make but comfort food.  Beautiful magazine photos of sausage and white bean stew in rustic bowls popped into my head.  This dish seemed intuitive to me though I've never made it before!  Luckily a quick search of the pantry yielded one can of white beans!  I was in luck.

Next I thought about what I could create to bring a creamy element to the dish without the use of actual cream or cheese (to keep things on the lighter side). I experimented with making a little sauce or gravy (it worked!!).
Here's what I did...

For the sauce:

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1-2 Cups chicken broth

in a medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat and slowly whisk in the flour.  it will mix into a crumbly mixture.    
next, slowly add about 1 cup of the broth, whisking continuously until flour lumps dissolve. reduce heat to med-low and whisk/stir.  (when my sauce was thick enough to coat a wooden spoon I called it done.)  scrape sauce from pan, put into measuring cup or bowl and set aside.

For the rest:

2 chicken sausages, sliced into small discs
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/3 bag baby spinach, chopped to small pieces
1 can white beans drained and rinsed
olive oil, salt, and pepper

in a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil.  add onions and peppers to the pan on med-high heat.  cook until onions are soft.  add sausage.  cook for about 5 minutes, then add beans and stir.  next, add the previously made sauce and begin to stir it all together.  add more broth if you think the liquid is too thick. lastly add the spinach until it begins to wilt.  season all with salt and pepper. serves 2.

Another Quinoa Bowl Idea

Happy New Year!!

This week I finally feel like I'm getting back on track after the weird schedules of Christmas and New Years plus winter blizzard/snow day craziness!  Was it just me or did it seem like there were more Christmas cookies around than usual? It was wonderful to be able to spend time with family and friends, but I'm also grateful to be getting back to a normal schedule, though I'm still on semester break from school.  On Sunday I planned, shopped and have been cooking again!!

I haven't been using a lot of recipes lately.  Either out of just convenience or instinct, I'm not sure which it is yet, I've been doing more ingredient combining rather than following others written recipes.  A couple recipes I know quite well by now as they've been popping up at the table many times this season (for instance: butternut squash soup, roasted Brussels sprouts, and black bean soup).

Here's a dish I made last night.... a tasty quinoa bowl that comes together quickly.  I like to use quinoa in a dish where I might use rice and vice versa.  Lately I have been just throwing things together that sound good.

On Winter evenings  I find myself just wanting to eat something steaming hot that comes in a big bowl and can be eaten with a fork or spoon rather than the sandwiches, salads and grilled items that are so good in the warmer months.

What ingredients would you put in a quinoa or rice bowl?  

ingredients:
1 c quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 C vegetable broth or water

1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 C frozen corn
a handfull or two of raw spinach
1/4 lb. pork sausage
1 C black beans, drained and rinsed

salt, pepper, olive oil

condiments:  hot sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream (salsa might also be good!)

Set the water/broth on the stove on high heat, then rinse the quinoa.
Add quinoa and heat to boiling.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low.

Prep other ingredients.

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add onions, salt and pepper.  Cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add sausage breaking it up into small pieces.  When sausage begins to brown, Add corn and beans.  Stir and cook on medium heat.  Add spinach last right before plating.  Cook until lightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add hot sauce if desired.

Check on the quinoa.  It should be done and the water should almost be gone.  Keep covered and if it's done turn off the heat, if not quite done, keep it on low for a few minutes more.

Mix quinoa and other ingredients in a large bowl.

Serve with toppings such as cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa... perhaps avocado!

Enjoy!

Vegan Coconut Nog Recipe

We just had our first big snowstorm in Boston and I've spent the day in my kitchen trying out new recipes.

As the egg nog begins to disappear from the grocery stores, I'm still keen to hold on to this rich, winter treat.

Because real egg nog can be a bit overwhelming for the senses (as well as the stomach) with its cream and raw eggs, I've been fond of the dairy free So Delicious coconut nog I found at my supermarket. And today, I had a revelation: I can totally make that myself!

With a little taste testing, this is what I came up with for a dairy free, vegan and delicious homemade coconut nog.

Homemade Vegan Coconut Nog

1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
2 Tbsp raw sugar
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground turmeric, optional (this gives the nog a mellow yellow color, without the egg yolks)

In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk until it is steamy, but not quite boiling. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.

Stir in almond milk, vanilla, nutmeg and turmeric.

Serve warm or chilled. Add rum if desired (try coconut flavored rum!), and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Happy New Year, Allison. It was so good to visit with you over the holidays! And eat food from your kitchen. xoxo Cara

Pumpkin Comfort Food

So now that Thanksgiving's long gone, you might be wondering what to do with all of those cans of pumpkin that you bought when they went on sale for 39 cents.  Is that just me?  Here are two delicious pumpkin ideas that will stave off those pumpkin pie* cravings once pie season has faded.

*Actual pie.  Made from the Thanksgiving 2012 issue of Bon Appetit.  
Delicious, simple to make and doesn't use canned milk.  

DIY Pumpkin latte or pumpkin chai:
If you'd rather not shell out $4 for a pumpkin spice latte, or it's past the limited time season, make your own!

ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canned pumpkin

1/2 C milk

1/2 C black tea or coffee

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

1 Tbsp honey

heat milk on the stove or in the microwave.  don't let it boil!  add pumpkin, spices and honey to either a traditional blender or a large enough container to fit an immersion blender. blend and froth for a few seconds until thoroughly mixed.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin oatmeal:  Breakfast that tastes like pumpkin pie... that is actually good for you?  Ok.

ingredients:
1 package instant oatmeal ( I am really enjoying the Mom's Best Chai Spiced or just Mom's Best Plain ) or your favorite hot cereal

2 Tbsp canned pumpkin

1 tsp maple syrup

1-2 Tbsp milk

1/8-1/4 C water

spices* such as :"pumpkin pie seasoning" or your favorite combo of nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cardamom, cinnamon
*I don't use the seasoning when I'm using the Chai Spice oatmeal because it's already seasoned.

Optional:  raisins, nuts, berries, etc.

boil water.
in a bowl, combine oats, pumpkin, maple syrup, milk, and seasoning if using.
slowly add boiling water, pouring over the pumpkin to make it creamy until cereal reaches desired consistency. add optional toppings.  stir then cover for about 3 minutes.
I like to microwave mine for about 20 seconds right before eating it because I like it really hot!  Warning, this is an addicting, sweet and easy breakfast.  I have eaten it several days in a row!

Tastes great with coffee and Bon Appetit magazine!

How to Eat on a Road Trip

I started this post after our Summer road trip but never finished it!  Now I think it's relevant again when holiday travels are looming in the not so distant future...

Fine.  I'll admit it.  I'm a picky eater.  A foodie.  A gourmande.  Whatever the label, I like to eat good food!! The more I know about food and the more exquisite food I have the occasion to dine on (thank you to the  ever expanding Des Moines restaurant landscape! ) the harder it is on the discerning palate.... when the kind of food I like; fresh, creative, seasonal, vegetable filled and flavorful is not readily available.

I'm talking about traveling.  Yes, traveling can be one of the best ways to experience food, depending on where you're headed.  Through, traveling often traveling by car, through rural areas, finding good food can be particularly difficult.  I've been burned by looking for those hidden gems along the roadside, led astray by out dated Internet directions...  it seems that many of those mythical home-made roadside places seem to have vanished (unless you're Jane and Michael Stern, which, of course I'm not).    

However, I'm here to tell you that you don't have to settle for bad food or fast food when you leave your comfort zone.  Here are some guidelines that started to present themselves on a Summer road trip I took through Northeastern Iowa and Southwestern Wisconsin.  

1.  Pack some snacks, sandwiches, and water.  Bringing along some comforting things like the snacks you might keep around your house (granola bars, cheddar bunnies, pita chips, etc.,) will tide you over if you aren’t willing to settle just yet.  Plus, you can make a picnic at a rest-stop, town square or park.  Just because a cute little town doesn't meet your needs for food, doesn't mean that you can't always enjoy the scenery while eating your delicious sandwich from home.

2.  Be Flexible:  You may have food rules, like not eating at chains.  You might be a committed vegetarian.  You might want only to eat organic or local.  These are good ideas and commendable principles to live by but on a road trip, you are not always going to find it.  You just aren't.  It is relatively easy to find guilty pleasure food i.e. fried tenderloins or fried cheese balls on the road. This is what I mean by be flexible.  Sometimes, this is the good food for the moment.  Sometimes you just have to get over yourself and settle.  Especially when you’re starving, grumpy and driving through rural areas. So go ahead and pull over at the local A&W. Have a root beer float and enjoy it.  After all, it is a cultural experience... just not the one you may have had your heart set on.

A&W Dodgeville, Wisconsin.

3.  Keep your eyes peeled for organic markets, coops, and establishments that advertise things like “farm-fresh, organic, local, fresh” rather than “home-made” which can be a gamble.  We found some nice markets and coops that had delis.  These are the places that are going to have conscientious food and real coffee… and often times this food is much tastier and much healthier than your local dive or pub and grill. 

We found this little market The Driftless Depot near the House on the Rock in Wisconsin.  They were well stocked!

A kind lady at the Driftless Depot was kind enough to make me this  amazing marinated eggplant sandwich, even though they had technically stopped serving lunch.  Lucky for me, she hadn't put away all the fixin's yet. 

4.  Bring a cooler.  We are now the owners of a mini-cooler that lives in the trunk of our car.  You might just find some delicious local delicacies you’ll want to bring home.

our beer and cheese haul from Wisconsin!

5.  Investigate. Don’t be afraid to walk in to an establishment, take a peek and turn right around.  If you go in and and realize that it’s not for you, don’t be shy about turning around and walking out.  It’s your vacation, you want to enjoy it . You’ll probably never see them again, so who cares what they think! 

6.  The Internet can be misleading.    You can trust reviews online, such as Yelp, to a certain extent.  But ssometimes it’s just better to go and see for yourself.  What may have had a bad review might just please your taste buds.  Names can be misleading, and so can addresses, and even hours of operation.  Check it out in person, and you might find what you're looking for... and if not, then see  # 5 again.

If you're doing any traveling this holiday season, or any time at all, have fun be safe and remember #2:  be flexible!!  

 

Soup for Studying!

The fall semester is coming to a close, and I too have been doing what Cara called "survival" cooking most nights.  I wanted to make sure I had plenty to eat while I was cranking out those final papers so last night I made a simple, yet delicious savory butternut squash soup.  This easy soup was done in less than an hour.

ingredients:
1 1.5 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes
16 oz. of vegetable broth
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. curry powder
1/3 C light coconut milk
olive oil
salt and pepper

heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
add onions, salt and pepper and cook until onions are soft and fragrant.
add squash and cook for a few minutes before adding seasoning and broth.
reduce heat to medium/low and cover, simmering for about 20 minutes until squash is soft.

carefully transfer your soup to a blender (the real deal, this is not a job for your immersion blender... I found it to be way easier in the real blender after I tried mashing the whole pot of squash with my immersion blender) and puree until it reaches the desired consistency.  Add coconut milk and stir or blend.

This made 3 16 oz. ball jars full of soup to stock in the fridge!  Re-heat for about two minutes in the microwave and voila!  Lunch!!

Here's what it really looked like on my desk, next to my computer, as I ate lunch.  

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

It was Thanksgiving weekend and I was anxious to get my bake on. It had been a long time since I had some kitchen therapy - spending time preparing food. I feel like I've been in survival cooking mode throughout the fall, barely pausing from work to prep basic, easy meals.

So over the long weekend I was in the mood to bake something that would take a good deal of time. Something with yeast. Something I had to wait for.

And take good care of.

A year ago I found a recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls on the clever and inspiring blog Rock.Paper.Reckless.

With leftover cans of pumpkin in the cupboard from Thanksgiving meals, I decided this was the winner for the weekend. I had tried out this recipe once before, but it was my first time ever making a homemade cinnamon roll and the results weren't that great.

This time around, however, they turned out awesome!

I made a few changes, adding pumpkin spice to the cinnamon, and baking the rolls in a baking dish rather than muffin tins.

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 - 0.25 ounce packet instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 can pumpkin puree

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it just begins to bubble, then remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup butter until melted, allow to cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.

In a smaller, separate bowl, combine water, egg and the milk mixture. Stir well.

Add the water, egg and milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour in two additions, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition until dough forms a large, soft ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead with flour dusted hands until smooth and elastic, approximately 5 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 cup softened butter, and half can of pumpkin.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. Spread the pumpkin mixture evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough, starting from the long edge, being careful not to "smoosh" all of the pumpkin mixture to the edges. With seam side down, cut into 12 equal size slices with a serrated knife. Place rolls cut side down in the bottom of a greased 9 x 12 inch baking dish.



Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Spread with Vanilla Cream Glaze from How Sweet It Is or use your own favorite cinnamon roll frosting.

Serve warm & invite your friends!

Sauce: 1, Squash: 0

I haven't been making things from scratch as often as I used to/want to... That's when handy prepared items, like the many tasty items that can be found at Trader Joe's are quite convenient.

I picked up a container of "fresh" (aka not dried and in the refrigerated section) butternut squash ravioli that was in triangle shapes making it a triangoli!  Wow!  I love butternut squash so was very excited to try this product.  Though I didn't know what sauce to use...  when I Googled, I found that most of the time butternut squash ravioli is served with brown butter sage sauce.  While that sounded delicious I wanted something a little less... buttery/creamy.  So I searched for a vegan recipe knowing that would be without both of those items and I could modify however I wanted.  I came across a great, simple recipe for mushroom and walnut broth from theveganversion.com .

It was an amazing broth, and I added butter instead of vegan butter, making a really nice sauce.  In fact, the brothy sauce was the best part. I didn't read the whole ingredient list on the butternut squash until after I started eating.  The butternut squash ravioli, which usually tend to be a little sweet due to the sweetness of the squash, was way too sweet.  They tasted like a Dutch letter.   Which was weird, especially with the awesome savory mushroom broth.  When I checked the ingredients I found that they included some sort of amaretti cookies in the squash filling.  Here is a product review from Trader Joe's fan and blogger What's Good at Trader Joe's.com  for more information.

All in all, it was an ok meal, but I definitely would not get the ravioli again.  I would love to try this broth again with a savory pasta because it was perfectly delicious without being too heavy. I'm glad I now know how to make such a quick and easy, savory, non cream sauce for pasta.  The sauce was the winner in this dinner.

Weekly Menu

What's for dinner this week?  Nothing too fancy, but at least I have some plans.

vegetable stir fry with home-made sauce*
     *sauce consists of me putting dashes and spoonfuls of  stuff in a bowl until it tastes good.  ingredients include:  soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, red curry paste, Siracha and cashews.  Start slow and taste as you go.  You can always add more fish sauce but once you add too much you can't take it out!

frittata with potatoes and leeks

black bean soup!!!!!
I have been putting heaping spoonfuls of wild rice in my individual servings of this sauce to make it even better.

pork chops with cauliflower/potato puree   (this will be an experiment)

turkey, pesto panini with sweet potato fries

Have a delicious week.

Taco Pizza

Side note: for those of you wondering where the weekly menu went, I had to take a break! Perhaps it will return.

My husband loves taco pizza.  If you are not from Iowa, you might be wondering, WHAT IS TACO PIZZA?  It is a delicious pizza that combines the ingredients of a taco  (plus crushed Doritos!) on a pizza crust and is usually found at Casey's General Store or Happy Joe's Pizza.  For his birthday last year I made a homemade taco pizza and am reprising that again this year.

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough, store bought or home made.

toppings as desired:
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 T homemade taco seasoning
shredded ice berg lettuce
chopped tomatoes
shredded "taco" cheese blend
chopped onions
refried black beans (I don't know if this is a figment of my imagination but I swear this is a real taco pizza topping, but Ryan tends to disagree.  However, we both find it delicious).
jarred "taco sauce"
sour cream
crushed Doritos chips

Brown and season the meat with the taco seasoning.
Roll out and pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes. at 450 degrees.
Cover with toppings (hold off on the lettuce and Doritos, they will both get gross and soggy) in any order that looks good to you.
Bake until cheese is melty crust starts to brown. Then top with crushed Doritos and lettuce.

Enjoy!

New York Eats

I recently took a trip to New York City.  I lived there from 2003-2008 and was able to revisit some old favorite  places while discovering more.  I've heard people say that one could dine out every night of the week and still never experience all that the NYC food world has to offer.  It's ever changing and I know I've barely even scratched the surface.  Here are some places I recently enjoyed again or for the first time on my trip...

The City Bakery...  A famous Union Square/Flat Iron bakery. I used to work there and eat their $3 dollar cookies for free every day.  I stumbled upon one of their smaller Birdbath branches and I had to get a giant chocolate chip cookie!

We explored the new High Line park and found this open market with all kinds of food stalls from local artisan food shops.  We tried rice balls, empanadas and mini canoli from 3 different places.  There were many more to chose from including gourmet hot dogs, chocolates, ice creams, homemade sodas.... wow.  I was impressed by this new edition.  I would love to see something like this in DSM!  Many of these vendors were also found at a flea/food market in Williamsburg.

When in New York, if you want an authentic cultural experience on so many levels try Golden Unicorn for Dim Sum.  The endless pots of green tea and carts of steaming dumplings that usually contain pork or shrimp, being wheeled around you is an amazing and delicious experience.

Rubirosa is a modern Italian and Pizza restaurant with delicious cocktails!!!  Split a pizza with your friends, if they are kind enough to share.  :)  And a gluten-free menu for your GF friends.

I am only mentioning the Hungarian Pastry Shop because of the neighborhood it's in.  My old 'hood!  Their food is nothing to write home about as far as I'm concerned, standard NY bakery cookies (Am I missing the Hungarian pastries?), but the ambiance is dark and noisy and interesting.  The coffee shop is across from one of the most amazing cathedrals I have ever seen. It sits across the street from St. John the Divine and is worth the trip up town... have a coffee, a cookie and use the bathroom (full of pseudo-intellectual graffiti) at the Pastry Shop.  Gawk at the Columbia students reading.

I've mentioned this before, but this place is not to be missed...  Bombay Frankie Roti Roll.  Best described as an Indian burrito, it's the best thing ever.

And another old favorite... Market Cafe.  Your friends will find you so savvy when you take them to this gem that still seems to be a best kept secret.  Jordan and I recreated the scallops, potato flatbread and deserts this summer that were favorites of ours when she worked there and got free food (you have to love that early 20's free food situation that comes with restaurant jobs!!)  The fries are also good.  They've added some new cocktails to their menu ad I highly recommend the cucumber gimlet.

I ended my vacation with a trip to a new Queens establishment owned by a former co-worker.  The Queens Kickshaw is conveniently located about a $12 cab ride from La Guardia so I camped out there for a few hours before hailing a taxi on my last day in the City.  Jen gave us the royal treatment with a complimentary basket of knishes.. and a couple of deserts.  (THANKS JEN!) And I had some delicious homemade tomato soup while Ryan tried the grilled gouda sandwich.  Everything there is homemade and real... the decor is repurposed modern.  It's a dreamy little spot for a DIY lover like me.  I enjoyed my time there, enjoyment increased 200% by reunions with old friends.  I would love to go back ASAP.

Oh and there are so many places I didn't even get to!

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is eat and New York is the best place to do it!

Weekly Menu

This week I was inspired by the cold temperatures that's are starting to be more normal than just a random occurrence.  The menu consists mostly of Fall and Winter comfort-food favorites from the binder of recipes.

The triumphant return of my favorite Black Bean soup!  so many people I talked to read and tried this recipe last year!  I can't wait to taste it again.  With corn bread on the side.

Spicy Sloppy Joes

Baked salmon with wild rice and frozen peas
I use frozen salmon, take it out of the freezer in the morning and it's good to go in the evening.
I will season it with grated ginger (about 2 teaspoons), soy sauce and olive oil (just a drizzle of each on each salmon piece).
Bake at 400 for roughly 20 minutes

Vegetable and quinoa bowl:  broccoli, frozen peas, onions, carrots and peppers-- perhaps some warm spices like cumin and cayenne!

Weekly Menu: The first week of October!

Leaves are changing and the weather is getting slightly cooler.  Squash by the truckload are showing up  at farmer's markets and at the groceries...  My neighbors brought a cute bucket of pears over from their tree!

Here's the weekly menu for the first week of October (can you believe it?!) Happy Fall!



crock pot pulled pork... for tacos and leftovers for sandwiches.  still need a recipe for this one, do you have any suggestions?

roasted spaghetti squash with salad

roasted beet salad

pizza with mozzarella, tomato, basil and mushrooms.

homemade pizza sauce (have I ever shared this before?):
1 can crushed tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 C chopped onion
1 T red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
other seasoning such as basil, oregano, etc.
olive oil

heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic, cook for about two minutes.
add tomatoes and seasoning(s).
stir.
cover and let simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
this recipe freezes well for your next batch of pizza if you don't use it all!

The Squash Soup Experiment Continues!

Shout out to my Mom for bringing me a nice butternut squash!

This is Butternut with a butternut.  Do you know how hard it is to pose your cat with a vegetable?!

Here is another, very slightly different (mainly different in technique with a few more details than the previous) recipe, for squash soup.
1 Butternut squash, halved, peeled and seasoned with olive oil and about 2 T garam masala and roasted at 425 for about 30-45 minutes.

1 large clove garlic, roasted (leave it in its skin and place on roasting pan with squash for about 20 minutes).

1 carrot
1 onion
1 potato
carrot, onion and potato diced (carrots and onions unpeeled).

1 T olive oil
1 T butter

1 T curry powder
1 t cayenne
1 t cardamom
1 t ginger powder

4-6 cups veggie broth

roast the squash.
with about 15 minutes left on the squash, cook onions, potato, carrot in butter and oil over medium high  in a big soup pot, cook until onions are soft.  this smells SO GOOD!
remove the squash from the oven and cut it into chunks.  add to pot with seasonings, roasted garlic and about 1 C of the veggie broth.

Let sit covered for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add more broth and let simmer, covered for 15 minutes.

Blend with immersion blender.  Remember, blend and add more or less broth depending on your preference to how thick or soupy you like.

P.S. I know not everyone (including me!) has 2 hours to spend making soup.  But, when I need to do something that isn't school related, and need some "me" time in the kitchen, this is what I do.  Roast the squash the day prior to save time, or just cook the squash in the soup pot to save time.  Whatever you do, if you do make this recipe, make it your own!  That's my favorite part of cooking.  Thanks for reading.

Weekly Menu

With a special out of town visitor (potential cooking adventures there... it's CARA!), a ladies night planned, and a husband in tech week for a local theatre production, and general craziness this week's menu includes... LEFTOVERS and flexibility! I didn't want to plan too much in case Cara and I do some fun cooking.  Sometimes you have to plan to have no plan!  Have a great week everyone.

Butternut squash soup (recipe coming Tuesday).

Leftover Thai if Ryan doesn't eat it for lunch!! (drunken noodles and ginger chicken from Thai Flavors)

Leftover pasta salad from last week.

Frittata or maybe a quiche if I can find time to make the crust recipe my friend Faith sent me...



P.S. I got a nice bag of garlic from New City Market.  I have been consistently underwhelmed by the garlic selection at Hy-Vee and Dahl's.  Lots of tiny cloves hidden in the core and dry brittle, like it's been on the shelf forever.   New City had a pound bag of garlic for $6.

look at this perfect, beautiful garlic!!

The Annual Fall Squash Soup Experiment

Yes, it's finally a little chilly in the air and Fall is showing its signs.  That means, of course, squash soup.  I bought a kind of squash at the farmer's market that I'd never cooked with before:

what kind of squash is this?

The soup was delicious, warm, spicy not spicy hot but spicy from the garam masala and smooth! Serve with a side of roasted beet salad!

Here's how I made it!

1 squash -- (Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my squash when I started cutting it up.  I decided to roast it, and cut it into long slices.  This was a mistake, it was really hard to get the squash flesh off the blazing hot squash rind and into the pot!  If you are going to roast your squash, just cut it in half, then roast, then scoop.  Or, you can peel it prior, cube it, then roast it. Or!  Just peel it, cube it and skip roasting. Add it to the pot with the potato, carrot and onion)

I roasted my squash at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, with about 2T garam masala, salt and pepper and olive oil.

1 potato, diced.
1 carrot, diced.
1 onion, diced.

1 T olive oil
1 T butter

4-6 C vegetable broth, depending how thick you like your soup!
1 T curry powder
1 T ground ginger (I didn't have real ginger, but I'd rather use the real thing!!)
1 t cayenne
2 cloves garlic, roasted if you're already roasting, minced otherwise.

heat oil and butter in large pot.  add potato, carrot, and onion. sautee on medium heat, stirring often.  veggies should soften and become deliciously fragrant and caramelized a little.

while the veggies are working, prepare squash  then add squash (in my case, this involved me cutting the rind off and adding it to the pot, if I could go back, I'd just scoop the roasted squash out of the rind into the pot).
add garlic and seasonings.
add broth.
stir.

let simmer for 20 minutes, then blend with immersion blender.  slowly add more broth if you like it soupier, remember you can always add more, but you can't easily take it out!

garnish with cilantro, and sour cream!