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!