Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush:                                               

The Story:

I can't say that there is much of a background for this dish. My wife and I just love it and its not so easy to find around us. Back in our earlier days we would get falafel out once a week or so (pita inn for those interested in cheap delicious food in the NW Chicago suburbs) and if we were feeling like splurging we'd get the baba ganoush too. Some times one must recapture one's youth, or some such nonsense. Honestly its just delicious stuff, especially on freshly made pita. This is a pretty simple recipe, though roasting the eggplant can take a while.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (roasted)
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
1/3 large onion diced
1 lemon or juice equivalent
4-5 TBS of tahini
3 TBS of olive oil
1-2 tsp of za'ahtar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of feta cheese (optional)
1/4 tsp cane sugar (optional)

This dish is incredibly simple to make. First take a fork and poke a great many holes in the eggplant. Then take the eggplant, skin and all, and put it in the oven for 40-50 minutes at 400 degrees. After the eggplant is done, it will be extremely soft and noticeably smaller. Cut the stem area off of the eggplant. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend all the ingredients until it has a uniform texture. If you didn't let the eggplant cool, it would best to let it come down to room temp or a little cooler prior to serving. You can garnish the baba ganoush with some more feta and za'ahtar.

herbaceous eggplant pizza

Herbaceous Eggplant Pizza

There comes a time when food from the garden finally comes in and you feel the need to get creative with your harvest. This recipe stems from that. I needed to use eggplant and tomatoes before they went bad, so I naturally did what any red-blooded American living in the south would do. I made a fancy vegetarian pizza. This, like any recipe that involves fresh dough, can take a while. I tend to do these types of recipes when I plan ahead of time. That way I have some dough prepped ahead of time for a variety of applications.
( I don't have a picture for this one, but trust me, its good)

Ingredients:
Dough:
see basic pizza dough recipe.
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
2 tsp. of dried basil or Italian herbs mix

Toppings:
1 small to medium eggplant
1 -2 large tomatoes
1 large onion
2/3 cup of shredded cheese
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
2 TBS. of olive oil
1/2 tsp. of basil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of water
1/3 tsp. of white vinegar
3-4 TBS of za'ahtar
1/2 cup of finely chopped basil or 1 package or McCormick's bruschetta spice mix
1/2 tsp of cane sugar
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

Following the previously stated dough instructions, prepare the dough. Place the dough in the fridge or freezer for 20-30 minutes to rest. While its cooling start on the veggies. Grilling the eggplant brings out the best flavor but its messier and can be time consuming. A good alternative is to sauté it on the stovetop. Slice the eggplant, skin on, in thin slices. Dice the onion as well. Warm up the pan to medium high heat, and place the eggplant and onion in it. Allow the onion and eggplant soften up for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add the olive oil, stirring so that the oil evenly coats the veggies. After another 5-8 minutes, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, and check the veggies. Once the water is absorbed or evaporated add the garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Let it continue to cook for a few more minutes, then shut off the heat.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out as thin as possible without tearing it or making it unsuitable for transfer to the oven.

Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl and pour 3/4 of the contents onto the pizza, spreading it out evenly. Add the veggies from the pan and diced tomatoes to the pizza. Sprinkle the cheese on top and then gently sprinkle the remaining sauce on top.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and if the pizza was rolled thin it should be done in 15-18 minutes with a crispy texture.

Eat and enjoy!!

Saffron Rice Pilaf

Saffron Rice Pilaf

The Story:
The story behind this dish is a simple one, I needed to bring a dish to a coworker's retirement party and since my daughter has allergies I needed to figure out something different. Since my son loves my rice dishes, I played around with this and that and here is the result. Please note that this dish is intended to be use with a rice cooker.

Ingredients:
3 cups of jasmine or basmati rice (or any rice with a low starch or gluten level)
~5 cups of water (or if you're using a rice cooker, fill it up untill the water is up to the first knuckle on your pointer finger while touching the top of the rice)
3/4 of a TBS of saffron (frankly saffron is so expensive that I just use the cheap philapino stuff and it works just fine. If you can't get a hold of saffron substitute tumeric and sage instead)
1 clove of finely minced garlic
1 large onion diced
2 stalks of fresh scallions
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1/2 cup of dried cranberries or currants
1 large carrot diced
1/2 cup of slivered  almonds
1/2 stick of butter
3 TBS of olive oil

Instructions:

Place the rice, water, ground black pepper, garlic, and saffron or saffron substitute in the rice cooker. Stir till the mixture is well mixed. Set the rice cooker, and let it be. Next heat a large frying pan to a medium high heat, with half of the butter. Once the butter is melted pour in the almonds and stir till they are lightly browned. Take the almonds out of the pan and place to the side. Put the remaining butter in the pan and add the diced onion and carrot. Stir occationally, letting the onions cook until they become translucent. Add the cranberries/currants to the mix, stir well and then turn off the heat. Add the almond to the pan. Once the rice is done, add it to your pan with the olive oil on top. Stir until it is well coated and mixed. Place in serving bowl and then sprinkle the diced scallion on top before serving.

eat and enjoy!

Hoisin garlic seitan with garden scallions and broccoli crowns

The story:

The story behind this one is that I love my seitan recipe adaptation and I am big fan of Chinese. Combine that with the first veg from the garden coming in and you have a terrific meal. This dish pairs especially with sesame and chili pepper jasmine rice.

Seitan:

1 box of vital wheat gluten
1 cup of well cooked lentils
2/3 cup of water
1/3 tsp cumin
1/3 curry powder
3-4 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1/3 tsp papprika
1/3 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
2 tsp of low sodium soy sauce

Sauce:
1/2 cup of hoisin sauce
3 TBS of sweet chili sauce
2 tsp of sirracha
1 packet of concentrated veg stock
1/2 cup of water
2 TBS of olive oil

Veg:
4-5 scallion stalks
1-2 large brocoli crowns
1/3 cup of shredded carrot
1/3 cup of snow pea pods

If you are using dried lentils, you will need to boil them for at least 45 minutes to have the correct texture for this recipe. You can also buy precooked lentils which will also work well. As this will take the most time, make sure your lentils are ready before you start making the seitan. Take the wheat gluten and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all of the dry ingredients to the flour. Lightly stir the dry ingredients while mixing in the lentils. Add the water and the soy sauce to the bowl. Now comes the somewhat icky part. You need to hand mash all of it together. You need to squish up the lentils until they completely mix with the wheat gluten. The more you squish it up with your hands the better mixed it will be. After about 2-3 minutes of really working at it, it should be ready. It might be necessary to add a little extra wheat gluten to get rid of some excess moisture. Once done, roll out the dough on a nonstick cooking pan. Try to roll it out as thin as you can, it'll fight you to ball back up, but just keep working at it. Now is the best time to choose the shape of your finished product and score the dough for that shape. This will make it much easier to cut up before you fry or grill it. Bake in a 375 degree oven for roughly 20 minutes. You don't want to cook it to much or it gets very tough. When you take it out it should be a little crispy on the bottom and slightly pliant on the top. Cut the seitan into the desired shape.

The sauce is easy to put together. Just add all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well. Put the sauce aside and get a fairly deep frying pan on medium high heat with 1 TBS of olive oil. Spread the oil in the pan and place all of the seitan in the pan. Let it fry for a few minutes and then add the sauce. The seitan will absorb just about all of the sauce so toss the seitan till its evenly coated and let it sit, stirring only occationally. When the seitan is both sticky and crispy and the sauce is nearly all absorbed it should be done.

The vegetables can be fried in a wok lightly or simply steamed, either way works just fine. Just serve on a bed of rice and vegetables, and you have a delicious meal!

All hail Seitan; or the story of the little gleuten that could

Homemade BBQ Seitan

The story:
This particular recipe is originally a creation of Kourtney's though I have made alterations to the flavor profile and texture. The original seitan recipe was a tad tough and chewy for our tastes until we discovered that lentils are a terrific filler and they also change the texture in a very pleasant way. This particular version of the recipe is a moist chewy seitan with a spicy and slightly tangy BBQ sauce. The cut of the seitan, combined with sauce is a bit reminiscent of boneless ribs, and as such corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and fresh sauteed green beans are recommended to go with this dish.
* please note that as the lighting did not want to cooperate when I tried to photograph this I had to use a stock photo.
Ingredients

Seitan:
3/4 of a small box of vital wheat gluten
1 cup of cooked lentils (a slightly overcooked lentils works even better)
1/8 TSP of onion powder
1/8 TSP of garlic powder
1/4 TSP of veggie stock powder
1/8 TSP of poultry seasoning
1/4 TSP of soy sauce
1 cup warm water

BBQ sauce
1/4 cup of Sweet baby ray's BBQ sauce
3 TBS of ketchup
1/2 TSP of Chinese hot mustard
1/4 TSP of chili paste
1/4 cup of sherry
3 finely minced cloves of garlic
1 TSP of sugar
1/4 cup of olive oil

If you are using dried lentils, you will need to boil them for at least 45 minutes to have the correct texture for this recipe. You can also buy precooked lentils which will also work well. As this will take the most time, make sure your lentils are ready before you start making the seitan. Take the wheat gluten and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all of the dry ingredients to the flour. Lightly stir the dry ingredients while mixing in the lentils. Add the water and the soy sauce to the bowl. Now comes the somewhat icky part. You need to hand mash all of it together. You need to squish up the lentils until they completely mix with the wheat gluten. The more you squish it up with your hands the better mixed it will be. After about 2-3 minutes of really working at it, it should be ready. It might be necessary to add a little extra wheat gluten to get rid of some excess moisture. Once done, roll out the dough on a nonstick cooking pan. DO NOT USE OIL!! Try to roll it out as thin as you can, it'll fight you to ball back up, but just keep working at it. Now is the best time to choose the shape of your finished product and score the dough for that shape. This will make it much easier to cut up before you fry or grill it. Bake in a 375 degree oven for roughly 15 minutes. You don't want to cook it to much or it gets very tough. When you take it out it should be a little crispy on the bottom and slightly pliant on the top. Cut the seitan into the desired shape.

To make the sauce simply mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, whisking it till it is finely blended. For a smokier flavor brush with the BBQ lightly and cook on a grill. For a moister and chewier texture take a large frying pan and heat to med high temperature. Lightly oil the pan and place the seitan in it. After a minute add the BBQ sauce to the pan. Stir frequently. The seitan will be done when it has absorbed all of the sauce.

Eat and enjoy!

Fresh garlic flat bread with basil butter and parmesan cheese

The Story:

The story on this particular recipe is not terribly complicated or even that thought out. It was more of an innovation of neccesity than of creativity. I really wanted Indian originally but we didn't have the proper ingredients so I thought that maybe Mexican would be an acceptable substitute, only we didn't have any tortillas. The result was the need to create a extremely simple flour tortilla recipe which then lead to this recipe. We were doing an Italian themed family dinner with Kourtney's veggie Italian sausage lasagna and what goes better with carbs than carbs!! Thus the illustrious birth of the garlic flat bread with basil butter and parmesan cheese recipe!!

*note: If you bake these, they essentially turn into super awesome pita chips that are great with hummus

The Ingredients:
Flat bread
4 cups of all purpose flour
2 TSP of baking powder
1 TSP of salt
4-5 cloves of finely minced garlic
3-4 TSP of olive oil
~1.5 cups of warm water

Basil butter
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
3 TBS of FINELY minced basil
1 TBS of olive oil
Flat bread:
This recipe, like pretty much all bread recipes, is alot easier to do if you have a stand mixer with a bread hook. As that's what I did this with, thats how I'm going to write the recipe. Toss all of the dry ingredients for the flat bread in the mixing bowl. Start on a low power and slowly add the water. As it's mixing add the minced garlic into the dough. Let the dough to continue to mix untill it becomes smooth and does not stick to your fingers when you touch it. If it does, and the dough is already well mixed, add small amounts of flour until it is no longer tacky. Once the dough is done it needs to be rolled out into indivigual flatbreads. Take a round piece of dough roughly the size of a plum. For this dough to work properly you need to roll it out extremely thing, to the point when when you hold it you can see your fingers through it. Once it rolled out, add a small amount of oil to a large pan heated to a medieum high heat. Place the rolled out dough into the pan only one at a time. The flat bread cooks best if the bottom is evenly coated with oil. Flip the bread after a minute or two, depending on how quickly it is browning. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan to coat the second side as well.

Basil butter:
This part is extremely simple. All you need to do is cut the butter into small cubes and then whip it with the oil and the basil. Once its all the same smooth consistancey all you need to do it brush it on the flat bread when it comes out of the pan. Slice the flat bread into eighth's and dust with paremsan cheese to taste.

Serve hot

Khao Phat or Thai Fried Rice

The Story:   

My wife Kourtney is a huge Thai fan, as am I, and when we lived back in Chicago she went nuts over two versions of this dish at different restaurants. There are variations of this dish for all tastes and preferences but this recipe is a fairly simple easy to make one. The largest difference between Thai fried rice and fried rice you get at a Chinese place is that it is both sweeter and spicier than the soy heavy version of buffet fame. My recipe utilizes a rice cooker to do most of trickier part of the dish. By cooking the rice in a spiced broth the flavor penetrates deeper and creates a more powerful taste in the final dish.

Ingredients:
Rice Cooker:

1.5-2 cups of uncooked rice
3 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 Tsp of red curry paste
1/2 tsp of ginger
1/2 tsp of basil
1/2 tsp of lemon grass
1/3 tsp of tamarind paste
1/2 tsp of fresh garlic
Wok:
3 TBS of a flavorless frying oil
2/3 cup of shredded carrot
5-6 scallion stalks diced
1/2 cup of shredded red cabbage
1/2 package of cubed extra firm tofu
1/3 cup of sugar
3 TBS of soy sauce
Sirriacha to taste

Place all ingredients listed under the rice cooker in the rice cooker. The liquid amount might differ from rice cooker to rice cooker but a good rule of thumb is that the water should reach up to your first knuckle on your pointer finger while the tip is touching the top of the rice. Add all the ingredients in the cooker, stir thoroughly and then leave alone to cook properly. It should take about 15 minutes or so to cook but once its done fluff it and let it sit a bit longer. After the rice has finished heat the wok up to a med to high temperature and place 2 TBS of the oil in the pan. The carrot and tofu go in first. Before the tofu goes in try to make sure that as much moisture is pressed from it as possible. Stir often and let the tofu cook up to a golden brown. Add the rice to the wok and add the remainder of the oil. Stir the rice till it is well coated in oil, and then add the sugar, soy sauce, and half of cabbage. Continue to stir the rice for another 3-5 minutes letting it fry in oil. To finish the dish add the diced scallion and the remainder cabbage. Serve immediately.
  

An everyday taste of Thanksgiving: The Brussel Sprout!

There really isn't much of a story behind this dish other than sometimes I crave brussel sprouts like nobodies business. Kourtney and I have a few different recipes, like crispy roasted sprouts with balsamic vinegar but that is more of a snack food to us. This dish is a delicious veggie side or even just half of a meal by itself. Usually I serve it with fragrant rice or even as a sauce or topper for pasta. The recipe itself is extremely simple and fairly quick to do.

Ingredients:

2 packages of frozen baby brussel sprouts in butter sauce. (honestly it is just so much easier to find than fresh and quicker as well)
1 large onion ( diced into small pieces)
1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/3 veggie stock
1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tbs of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place the butter in a large pan and melt at a medium heat. Toss in the diced onion and let them cook in the butter till they become translucent. Add the frozen sprouts and let them cook with the onions. Add the wine and the garlic and let it reduce. Add the veggie stock and let it reduce a bit again. Once the sauce has thickened a bit add the red pepper. Add salt and pepper if so desired.

Serve with rice or pasta!

sweet fry bread

The story:
This recipe is actually just an adaptation of my basic pizza dough recipe. The original intention was a Naan substitute which turned out pretty well, but this one is a little more versatile. This is very easy to make and extremely tasty, but its best to eat it when its still fresh and hot. Keep in mind that for this recipe I mostly eyeball measurements. You might just want to add things slowly till it reached the consistency of a good bread dough.

Recipe:

2.5-3 cups flour
1 TBS yeast
2-3 TBS olive oil
1 -2 TBS sugar
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 -2/3 cup water
1 stick of butter (you make not need all of it)

Add all the ingredients in a stand mixer, except the butter, and start it on low. Let the machine knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. This will let the dough be properly mixed and well worked. Grab a piece of dough about the size of two golf balls. Roll the dough out as thin as you can. Heat a frying pan to high and add a TBS of butter. When the butter is melted and starting to bubble, add the rolled out dough. Keep a close eye on it, and when it started to bubble and puff up you need to flip it. Just keep repeating this till all your dough is used up.

Thai Sweet Chili Noodles

The story:

Honestly there is not to much of a story behind this recipe. I just got in the mood for Thai and didn't want to go out or pay those prices. The sauce is the main focus for this dish, and that was mostly thrown together but it turned out wonderfully. The tofu in this dish is the similar to previous posts but with a few little tweaks. This recipe is aimed more at using what sitting in your fridge and freezer, rather than seeking out fresh ingredients.
* note: image is a stock photo
The Ingredients

1/2 block of extra firm tofu
1/2 pound of frozen Asian veggies
1/4 cup of frozen spinach
1/4 cup of cabbage
1 pound of fettuccine or pad Thai flat rice noodles
1/2 cup of corn starch
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
3 dashes of ginger powder
3 dashes of dried cilantro
1 dash of lemon pepper
5 -7 cloves of garlic (cloves, not heads)

Sauce ingredients

3 TBS of soy sauce
2 TBS of horseradish sauce
1/4 cup of Thai Sweet Chili sauce
1TBS of lime juice
2 TBS of creamy peanut butter
First step is to get a pot of water boiling if you are using fettuccine. If you're using rice noodles you can wait a bit longer in the process to get the water boiling. Take a Tupperware container and add in the corn starch, cilantro, ginger, and lemon pepper. Cube the tofu up to your desired size. Place the tofu in the container, put on the top, and give it the ol' shake an bake! To make sure that the tofu doesn't stick together you might want to do this in batches. Take a medium to large sized frying pan and add in the oil. Bring up the oil to a high heat. The best way to test this is to place a piece of the coated tofu in the oil and if it bubbles around it, its hot enough. Place the tofu in the pan, making sure you don't crowd the pieces. Keep an eye on them and flip them as they start to get golden brown. You'll be able to feel how crisp they're getting when you turn them in the pan.

Once the tofu is done take it out of the pan and place in a bowl to the side. Next you add the veggies, cabbage, and the garlic to the hot oil, stirring them often to let the oil coat the vegetables. The left over corn starch from the tofu in the pan helps thicken the oil and coat the vegetables. Once the veggies are done add the sauces and lime juice, stir, and let it simmer. After 3-5 minutes the sauce will be done. At this point you add the pasta directly to the sauce, in the frying pan. It's important to add the pasta before the tofu otherwise the tofu won't stay crispy as long. Adding some chopped peanuts is also a good way to go! Toss it all together and you're all set!

Eat and Enjoy!

The Cohen Bahn Mi

The story:

The story behind this dish is somewhat complicated. It didn't occur to me that I could combine two of my other dishes in this manner, but not knowing what you want for lunch and being hungry is a great motivator for innovation. The Thai cucumber salad is a somewhat recent addition to my culinary repertoire, but it has become quite the favorite. I have also worked on getting my fried tofu for a while too, and have only recently gotten the texture just right recently. Personally I feel that the salad is great fresh but its even better after having pickled for a week or so.

The recipe:
First element: Fried tofu
1/2 - 1 block of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (panko are best)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Drain the water in the tofu pack only about half way. You want to make sure that the tofu is moist when you bread it. Slice the block of tofu into 4-8 pieces. (think the shape and size of a Wendy's burger, square and 1/4 in. thick) Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Place the tofu slices into the bread crumbs one at a time and shake it about to completely coat the tofu. Don't put them all in at once or the bread crumbs will get clumpy. Heat the veggie oil to a medium heat in a shallow frying pan. Once the oil has reached to proper temperature gently place the tofu in the pan. Make sure not to crowd them, as it will lower the temperature and make the end product very greasy. Once the bottom is golden brown, flip the tofu. You might have to flip them a couple of times to get them to the dark golden brown that indicated the proper texture.

Second element- Thai cucumber salad
see previous posts for recipe
note: red bell pepper can be added in addition to jalapeno or in substitution for those who don't like the heat.

Third element - bread and sauce
a baguette of french bread or even hamburger rolls in a pinch
1-2 tbs of sweet baby rays BBQ sauce

Only instructions for this part is don't toast the bread. The soft chewy texture of the bread is the intended counterpoint to the crunchiness of the tofu and the cool moisture salad. Just spread the sauce on the bread, place the tofu on top of it, and then add a generous helping of the salad on top.

eat and enjoy!

super simple banana nut bread

This one is a Sandra Lee-esque kind of recipe. This one was basically created out of necessitaty, that being we had a lot of bananas and they were going bad. There are tons of recipes for banana bread out there, so if you want to use one of those for a base go for it, but this is the quick and easy route for it. Also a little side note, this recipe is great for adapting into banana bread pudding with the leftovers.

Ingredients:
Bread:
1 package of betty crocker banana nut bread mix
1/2 cup of water
Topping:
5-6 bananas
3 TBS of butter
1/2 TSP of vanilla
1/4 cup of brown sugar
3 dashes of cinnamon

Instructions:
I'm not gonna bother with the bread part of this recipe, just follow the instructions on the back. For the topping, heat a pan to medieum heat. Place the butter in the pan, letting it brown up. Slice the bananas into small chunks and toss them in the butter. Simply add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently for 2 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer and let it sit for 5 minutes. It should thicken up fairly quickly. When baking the bread, take it out when its 3/4th done and scoop all of the topping onto it. Let it then finish altogether in the oven. To turn the leftovers into bread pudding, simply add milk or cream to it, and then bake it at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

enjoy!

a classic! french onion soup!

The story:

Ok, I guess now that I am back on the recipe horse I'm on something of a binge but here goes. French onion soup, who doesn't like it? It' s rich, oniony, and oh so cheesey! Who can say to no to such a dish? Especially when its got the croutons in the there...right so now I might be drooling a little but it's totally worth it. French onion soup doesn't have to be terribly complicated to make and even a simple one is gonna be so much better than one of those intolerable powder mixes or canned soup versions. Here's a tweaked version that I created when I was craving the soup but had some extra items in the fridge that needed to be used up.

Ingredients:

2 cans of veggie stock (the missus insists on beef but thats a no no to me)

2-3 large yellow or white onions ( vidalia works but it changes the sweetness of the dish)

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme (a must have for the dish)

1/2 cup of water to thin it out

1/4 of dry sherry cooking wine ( I like mine to have that extra oomph)

1/4 cup of unsalted butter

2 tbs of flour

1 cup of croutons (can be bagged salad croutons if fresh bread ones arn't available)

1/2 cup gruyere cheese

1/4 cup swiss cheese

Optional ingredients:

1/4 cup of roasted sweet corn (canned works too, but bbq or oven roasted adds a smokeness)

1 Jalepeno

Start by dicing the onions finely. Take a med. sized pot, one large enough to hold all the ingredients when cooked, and bring up to med. high heat. Put the butter in the pot and let it melt until it starts to brown. Then add the thyme, ripping off the leaves into the pot and throwing away the stems. Allow that to sit for 30-40 seconds and then add all of the onions. Mix the onions well, so that they are all coated in the browned butter. Let them reduce and carmelize for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Now its time to add the corn and the pepper if you're choosing to include them. Mash the corn just a little, so that when it cooks in the broth the starch helps thicken it a bit. Once the onions become translucent, its time to add the sherry. Add the wine, stirring well. After about a minute add the broth, and alot it to come to a slow boil. Now its mostly a waiting game. I tend to like to let it sit, on a med. low heat, so that the flavors come together. After 15 or so minutes, its should be about time for the rue. Take the flour and the water and mix thouroughly in a seperate bowl. Once its fully blended add to the soup on the stove. Bring the soup back up to a low boil, letting the mixutre thicken the soup. It should reach the proper consistancy in about 4-5 minutes. Now comes the best part the bread and cheese!! Fill a bowl roughly 2/3 full with soup, adding the croutons on top. Once those have settled in, add the cheese to it in a roughly 2:1 ratio of gruyere to swiss. There are now two way to go with it. If your bowl is heavy duty or a nice ramikin you can place it in the oven under the broiler to do the cheese up right, or if not, you can simply mix the cheese into the soup and eat it as is!

eat and enjoy!

THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN: THE RETURNENING thai cucumber salad

The story:



Well as I was looking at some photos on my computer I realized that at one time I had a food blog. I took a look online and what do you know it was still there! Well I figured that I might as well update the site as as you might imagine I have come up with a few new recipes in the last year or so. This dish, Thai cucumber salad, is something that I've had in restaurants several times and always loved it. It finally came to me some weeks ago, that you know what, I could easily make that at home. It really is easy to make, and its dangerously addictive. I keep making it as a side for dinner but it always turns into a pre-dinner snack.



The ingredients:



1 large cucumber

1 red jalapeno

3 tbs of fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of fine white vinegar

3 tbs of sugar

3 dashes of ponzu sauce

1 carrot sliced very thin

1 tbs of sweet chili spring roll sauce



The directions for cooking are fairly simple, though a bit trickier if you don't have a multi-use mandolin. Wash the cucumber thoroughly, and slice very thinly on the mandolin. I like to use a shredder attachment, which creates strands that are about the length and thickness of thin spaghetti. Place all of the cucumber in a large bowl to the side. Using the mandolin, slice the carrot to the same thickness and place in the same bowl as the cucumbers. Slice the jalapeno into circles and place in the bowl. (remove the membranes and seeds if you can't take the heat) Rough chop the cilantro and place in the bowl. Now for the wet ingredients, as well as the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar over the veggies, and then gently mix it. Next comes the vinegar and the ponzu. Again, gently mix everything, until all the veggies are coated. Finally add the chili sauce, and mix one last time. Its best if you let this sit for a few hours before you serve it, and to me its best chilled.

one terrific tomato sauce

I realize that making your own tomato sauce can seem like a chore, while there are many good bottled ones out there, but nothing beats a well made fresh sauce. Lol, just ask any french foodie. In any case, this sauce is really quite simple, taking perhaps 15 minutes to cook once the prep work is done. TOTALLY WORTH IT, especially if you want to add it to a baked pasta dish.

Rich Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
2-3 whole tomatoes or 1 can of diced
1 whole med. onion (white or yellow)
1/4 cup of white button mushrooms, quartered or diced
dash of garlic powder
three dashes of sea salt
three dashes Italian seasonings
2-3 dashes of fresh ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons of sugar, depending on taste
1/2-2/3 cup of red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon works really well (definitely don't have to spend more than 8 dollars on the bottle)
3 tbs of balsamic vinegar
1 tbs flour or corn starch mixed with 3 tbs of water for rue to thicken

Heat a medium sauce pan with 2-3 tbs of olive oil to a medium low heat. Dice the onion and mushrooms. Once the pan is hot add the onions, stirring to coat them in the oil. Allow then to soften. Add all the spices, other than the sugar, to the pan. Once the onions are close to being translucent, add the mushrooms. Stir well, making sure the oil and spices coat them both well. Wait 2 minutes and then add the wine. Add the tomatoes, gently stirring the sauce. Allow the wine to reduce and cook off the alcohol. Next add the vinegar and sugar. Stir well. Let the sauce sit on the medium low heat fr 3-4 minutes, allowing the tomatoes to cook. Finally add the rue to the sauce, turning the heat up to a medium high heat. You should see the sauce thickening very quickly now. Continue to stir the sauce for a minute to work out the flavor of the flour. Once done allow the sauce to set for 2-3 minutes and then serve with just about anything!

Eat and enjoy!

A new mac and cheese variation for us

So its been a very long time since we posted, and frankly I don't know if anyone is following this at all but I thought it was time to add a new recipe. It's true that we have posted mac and cheese recipes before, but for what some might consider a simple food, to us it is most certainly not. This recipe is something of a ode to sandra lee's semi-homemade, someone who I am really not a fan of, but its her concept so credit where credit is due. This dish plays on some of our earlier mac and cheese variations, using greens to create a more complex flavor while still maintaining its classic down home soul food roots.

Semi-homemade baked mac and cheese

1 package of elbow macaroni
3 - 4 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
1 can of broccoli and cheese soup
1/2 cup of shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 TBS of butter
1/4 cup of corn meal
1/2 cup of milk or condensed milk
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1-2 TBS of capers

Bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta, stir, and when reached the desired texture drain. Its best to leave it a little chewy because its going to continue cooking in the oven. Chop the spinach and the garlic. Bring a med. sauce pan to a med heat, allowing the butter to brown slightly. Add the spinach and garlic, and lower to temperature so the garlic does not burn. When the spinach has cooked down, add the can of soup. Continue to stir the mixture as you add the milk, letting the ingredients blend. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste. When the liquids have reached a simmer, turn off the heat, and then add the cheeses, keeping a small amount of the parm aside to put on top. When the cheese has melted, add it to the pasta. Let that set for a minute or two, while you butter the sides of the container you are using to bake it in. I suggest glassware, as it conductes heat well and is easy to clean. Once the sides are coated in the butter, add half of the cornmeal tossing it around to coat the butter. This will create a great crust for the mac and cheese. Add the mac and cheese mixture into the dish, and toss the rest of the cornmeal and parm on top.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and allow the dish to cook for 20-25 minutes or untill golden brown.

This is one great dish, and the leftovers just get better.

eat and enjoy!

Tempura Lime Chicken

Tempura batter is tricky, you will want to mix, mix and mix it till it so silky smooth, but resist! Lumpy tempura batter means good tempura batter! So here we go.


2lbs of chicken, cut into small pieces
tempura batter, follow directions on box. (tip-measure desired amount of liquid and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to make sure it's extra cold)
Half cup of flour
One lime
Oil for deep frying )the clearer the oil the higher the temperature will go!


Cut chicken into small pieces then I like to lightly dredge it in flour to insure the tempura batter really sticks, dip and batter and then deep fry. Drain and let sit. When you are halfway finished with the deep frying start juicing lime over chicken. While chicken is still warm garnish with Thai Basil.

It's so good!

optional, add some full fat yogurt to the lime juice and some rice and you will be in heaven!

Semi-Homemade Chicken Satay

Oh wow was this recipe uber easy and tasted amazing.

1lb of chicken
1 package of satay chicken rub
2-3 tlbs of oil

Seriously that's it! Cut the chicken in small pieces, massage the chicken with the rub and oil. Medium skillet with just some non-stick spray. The chicken will be spotty brown and a yellow-ish color. It is beyond good! Such a great way to have not only satay chicken at home, but kosher satay chicken! Yum!

Pad Thai, aka our glorious return!!!

Well, we're back. Yes I know its been...well many months since our last post but here we are. So recently we started going to this new Thai restaurant. It was on something of a whim that we went there, it was between that and a pancake house but I was on the right side of the road so Thai it was. I ordered the Pad Thai and just loved it. We've gone back a few times since then, and so I have decided that it needed to be re-created, preferably in a larger portion.

Pad Thai ( an interpretation of Lai Thai's Pad Thai)
Ingredients:

1 packet of large size/thickness of rice noodles
2-3 large sprigs of Thai basil (its important that its Thai basil)
3 cloves of garlic
1 large shallot
1/8-1/4 cup of enoki mushrooms
1/4 of a pack of firm tofu
1/4 - 1/2 cup of sweet and sour tamarind sauce
1/4 cup of red cabbage
1/2 fresh lime
1 small handful of finely chopped peanuts

Preparation:

Bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil. Just toss the rice noodles into the water when its boiling, and leave it in till its as soft or as firm as you like them. While waiting for the water to boil, chop the cabbage into long thin strings. Chop the garlic, mushrooms, and shallot as well. These can be as fine or as chunky as you like. Personally I like my tofu chewy, so what i do is slice the tofu and place the slices of the tofu on side of a bowl. Then I microwave it for 3 minutes or so, which takes the moisture out the tofu a lot quicker than pressing or using towels. While the tofu is in the microwave, bring a pan to a high heat. Saute the veggies for 4-5 minutes, using just a little spray oil. Once the veggies have cooked toss in the tofu and just stir it around for 30 seconds or so. Now add in the tamarind sauce and lower the heat to a simmer. Once it has been simmering for 2-3 minutes add the noodles to the pan, stir till the noodles are completely coated. Now its time to add the lime juice. Just squeeze the juice over the noodles and serve.

Eat and enjoy!!

Red curry coconut sauce

The story: Well before I get to the story, I should say sorry about not posting much (or at all) lately. Just really haven't been cooking much new. However that changed on Saturday night, when we decided that we just needed to do something new. I have been looking for a good red curry paste for a while, and sadly hadn't been able to find one that was veggie or vegan. Finally that hurdle has been overcome, thanks to our friend Whole Foods Market. Originally I had planned on using the paste for a soup, which incidentally this recipe can be adapted for, but we saw a similar sauce recipe on the food network. We both wanted different proteins with this dish, so sauce it was. Let this be said, over all other things, this recipe takes all of 4 or 5 minutes, including prep time. It may take a little longer, especially if you do this with meat, but the sauce itself is a cinch.

Note: photo is taken from google image. Our sauce looked exactly like this.

The Dish: Red Curry Coconut sauce

2 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon of red curry paste (increase or decrease to taste)
Cilantro to taste
2 -3 Scallions

The dish is simple. Heat up a pan with a little oil in it. Toss in the garlic and the shallots and let them cook down and brown just a little. Add the coconut milk, letting it liquefy from the heat. Add the water, and let it return to a simmer. Add the red curry paste. The amount depends on your taste, I find that a little goes a long way, and I'm a big fan of heat. Stir it, letting the paste blend with the sauce, till the sauce is a light pink. The last step is to add the cilantro, usually right at the end, which helps the cilantro flavor pop more.

The sauce goes great with all kinds of things, ranging from tofu to fish. I put it over fresh udon noodles and it was great, Kourtney cooked tillapia with it and loved it. She can't wait to try it with chicken. In any case,

Eat and enjoy!!