Monday, September 17, 2012
Indian Peas & Tofu (Vegan Sukha Mattar Paneer)
Just tried this delicious recipe from Anupy Singla's blog, Indian as Apple Pie. Fabulous and flavorful - a tofu dish that is easily as good as paneer! The only thing I changed was that I blotted the tofu prior to cooking to ensure maximum flavor absorption. Not sure if this is necessary, but I prefer a firmer tofu.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Mexican Fiesta, Part Quatro: Huevos Rancheros
I did not have huevos rancheros until our trip to Mexico last year. Yes, it took me until age 25! You might be surprised to learn that Northern Virginia is not known for the quality and variety of its Mexican cuisine.
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| Huevos in Mexico. With agua di pina. |
It has that perfect combination of spicy, crunchy, and creamy. I love how it looks perfect on your plate and then the moment you touch it with your fork the egg yolk explodes all over everything.
Here's my take. All ingredient values are per person:
Huevos Rancheros
Turn on your oven's broiler.
Brush two corn tortillas with EVOO. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy but not burnt.
Meanwhile, fry two eggs over medium-high heat.
Heat a generous scoop of black beans in the microwave.
Place the crispy tortillas on a plate. Top with your two eggs, the beans, a big spoonful of salsa, a few slices of avocado, and some grated cheddar.
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| Huevos in Baltimore. |
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Mexican Fiesta part tres: Black Bean Tacos
I love this black bean recipe. They turn out thick and flavorful, perfect for tacos or serving with rice.
Black Bean Tacos
Reanimate 1 1 lb bag of black beans, set aside
Saute 1/2 onion over medium heat, chopt
After the onion softens, add 6 cloves garlic, diced and hot peppers to taste, diced. We used 1 jalapeno and 1 red habanero. Not for the faint of heart. The (excessive?) heat was well-balanced by the rice and tortillas, though. Chipotle peppers would do well here, too.
After ~ 1 minute of cooking, add the beans and barely cover with vegetable stock.
Stir in 2T tomato paste.
Sprinkle in 2T cornstarch and stir.
Season with cumin, oregano, black pepper, and salt to taste.
Simmer until the dish thickens to a consistency of your liking.
I served it with cilantro-lime rice, corn tortillas, avocado, cheddar, salsa, and chipotle hot-sauce. Queso fresco and fresh tomatoes would be good, too.
Black Bean Tacos
Reanimate 1 1 lb bag of black beans, set aside
Saute 1/2 onion over medium heat, chopt
After the onion softens, add 6 cloves garlic, diced and hot peppers to taste, diced. We used 1 jalapeno and 1 red habanero. Not for the faint of heart. The (excessive?) heat was well-balanced by the rice and tortillas, though. Chipotle peppers would do well here, too.
After ~ 1 minute of cooking, add the beans and barely cover with vegetable stock.
Stir in 2T tomato paste.
Sprinkle in 2T cornstarch and stir.
Season with cumin, oregano, black pepper, and salt to taste.
Simmer until the dish thickens to a consistency of your liking.
I served it with cilantro-lime rice, corn tortillas, avocado, cheddar, salsa, and chipotle hot-sauce. Queso fresco and fresh tomatoes would be good, too.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Mexican fiesta part dos: Cilantro-lime cole slaw
Is cole slaw Mexican? Probably not, because if it were, it would have a far more attractive Spanish name. It does go well with Tex-Mex, though.
I make cole slaw often--you can use different oils and vinegars to give it all kinds of different flavors and it tends to last a while in the fridge. It even gets better with age. This incarnation was particularly easy and delicious. Cabbage varies a surprising amount with season and its appearance gives little clue to its quality, beyond obvious rot. (Seriously, if you have any tips about how to pick out a flavorful cabbage, I'm all ears!) Cabbage season seems to pick up in MD in the late spring and last through the fall, so I am looking forward to months of tasty slaws!
Cilantro-lime cole slaw
Chop a large handful of cilantro. I use the food processor. Basically, I use the food processor for all of the chopping/slicing in this recipe and then just empty it into a large bowl whenever the processor's bowl gets too full.
Chop-shred 1 small head of green cabbage. I chop the head in half, remove the core, then slice the cabbage into 1-2" wide wedges. I then run it through the food processor on the 2mm slicing blade.
Shred 2 carrots.
Dress with the juice of 1 lime, ~3T rice wine vinegar, and ~2T EVOO. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the salad and then knead it with your hands for a few minutes to soften the cabbage.
Optional: stir in a big handful of sunflower seeds (I do this if I'm pairing the cole slaw with a lighter main dish or having it alone.)
Enjoy in tacos or as a side. Yum!
I make cole slaw often--you can use different oils and vinegars to give it all kinds of different flavors and it tends to last a while in the fridge. It even gets better with age. This incarnation was particularly easy and delicious. Cabbage varies a surprising amount with season and its appearance gives little clue to its quality, beyond obvious rot. (Seriously, if you have any tips about how to pick out a flavorful cabbage, I'm all ears!) Cabbage season seems to pick up in MD in the late spring and last through the fall, so I am looking forward to months of tasty slaws!
Cilantro-lime cole slaw
Chop a large handful of cilantro. I use the food processor. Basically, I use the food processor for all of the chopping/slicing in this recipe and then just empty it into a large bowl whenever the processor's bowl gets too full.
Chop-shred 1 small head of green cabbage. I chop the head in half, remove the core, then slice the cabbage into 1-2" wide wedges. I then run it through the food processor on the 2mm slicing blade.
Shred 2 carrots.
Dress with the juice of 1 lime, ~3T rice wine vinegar, and ~2T EVOO. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the salad and then knead it with your hands for a few minutes to soften the cabbage.
Optional: stir in a big handful of sunflower seeds (I do this if I'm pairing the cole slaw with a lighter main dish or having it alone.)
Enjoy in tacos or as a side. Yum!
Mexican Fiesta: Salsa!
I spent last Memorial Day basking in the sun in Mexico. It was fabulous.
We spent this Memorial Day hiding from the heat in our apartment, me too tired from last week's trip to the South West to want to go out and do anything.
This gave me the perfect opportunity to create last year's trip with a weekend of Mexican cooking. Yum! I set out to make Mexican food on Saturday evening with a very empty belly and ended up with enough food for the entire weekend. Our Saturday evening feast consisted of:
M. is our bartender, so I will leave descriptions of mojitos to him. The cilantro-lime rice was amazing--see the link to my friend Carolyn's blog above for instructions. The fish for the fish tacos was leftover Fish Tikka from The Ambassador (Indian and Mexican go surprisingly well together. Must be the cumin and hot peppers.) That leaves us with the salsa and the beans. I'll start with the salsa.
This salsa is a great, versatile recipe. You use canned tomatoes, so you can make it in the winter, but it tastes fresher and is much more customizable than jarred salsa. I adapted the recipe from the White Grass Cafe cookbook. This cookbook is excellent and I recommend it to all of you! It has lots of delicious vegetarian meals and, since it comes from a ski shop in West Virginia, requires few fresh or seasonal ingredients.
Salsa
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopt
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
hot peppers to taste, diced (we used 1 jalapeno and 1 red habanero)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1t ground cumin
1/2 t black pepper
big handful cilantro, finely chopt
Stir together and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the spices to mingle. Serve with tortilla chips, in tacos, over huevos rancheros, etc. Yum!
We spent this Memorial Day hiding from the heat in our apartment, me too tired from last week's trip to the South West to want to go out and do anything.
This gave me the perfect opportunity to create last year's trip with a weekend of Mexican cooking. Yum! I set out to make Mexican food on Saturday evening with a very empty belly and ended up with enough food for the entire weekend. Our Saturday evening feast consisted of:
- Mojitos
- Chips and salsa
- Bean tacos
- Fish tacos
- Chipotle-style cilantro-lime rice
- Cilantro-lime coleslaw
M. is our bartender, so I will leave descriptions of mojitos to him. The cilantro-lime rice was amazing--see the link to my friend Carolyn's blog above for instructions. The fish for the fish tacos was leftover Fish Tikka from The Ambassador (Indian and Mexican go surprisingly well together. Must be the cumin and hot peppers.) That leaves us with the salsa and the beans. I'll start with the salsa.
This salsa is a great, versatile recipe. You use canned tomatoes, so you can make it in the winter, but it tastes fresher and is much more customizable than jarred salsa. I adapted the recipe from the White Grass Cafe cookbook. This cookbook is excellent and I recommend it to all of you! It has lots of delicious vegetarian meals and, since it comes from a ski shop in West Virginia, requires few fresh or seasonal ingredients.
Salsa
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopt
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
hot peppers to taste, diced (we used 1 jalapeno and 1 red habanero)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1t ground cumin
1/2 t black pepper
big handful cilantro, finely chopt
Saturday, April 21, 2012
BUNNY CAKE.
We have a new tradition of making bunny cake for Easter. Made from real Easter bunny.
I remember Mom making us a delicious bunny cake when we were small. It had pasta whiskers and everything. I thought it was the coolest! I made one last year and again this year because hey, bunny cakes are something grown-ups can appreciate, too. And besides, we did have one child celebrating with us, my cousin's adorable 3-year old daughter. Marcella kept running toward it saying "bunny cake!!" and trying to grab jelly beans off of the platter before her parents grabbed her. I felt like doing the exact same thing.
I use the a version of the Joy of Cooking's carrot cake recipe, coconut cream cheese frosting, and assemble it according to my friend Betty's instructions.
Carrot cake:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Oil and flour ONE 9" round cake pan.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: 1 1/3c all-purpose flour, 1c sugar, 1.5t baking soda, 1t baking powder, 1t cinnamon, 1/2t cloves, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/2t allspice, 1/2t salt. Use fresh ground spices if possible--they add a lot!
Stir in 2/3c vegetable oil (use an unflavored oil, like canola) and 3 large eggs using a mixer on low speed.
Stir in 1.5c peeled & grated carrots, 1c walnuts, and 1c golden raisins. There's room for creativity here: some people use pineapple and/or coconut and omit the raisins. I find the golden raisins are substantially better than regular raisins, though.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30" or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack, turning it out of the pan after 10 min or so.
Cream cheese frosting:
Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese with 5T butter and 2t vanilla until combined.
Gradually add 2c powdered sugar (sift after measuring.) Some recipes call for more powdered sugar, but I don't recommend it here. The cake is already pretty sweet and you'll be adding sweetened coconut for "fur".
Beat until completely combined.
Grass:
Place 1-2c grated coconut (I use sweetened) in a plastic container. Add green food coloring a few drops at a time and shake it, baby, shake it until it looks like grass. Like fake, plastic easter grass.
Assembly:
Follow the below instructions. Before sticking the two halves of the cake together, frost one half.
I like to use colorful magazine covers for the ears. They stay good and stiff even when stuck in frosting! New Yorker covers are usually nice this time of year.
Place the cake on the platter. Frost the outside of the bunny and cover it in sweetened grated coconut for "fur". Use jelly beans for eyes and a nose and dried pasta for whiskers. Surround the bunny in the "grass" and sprinkle more jelly beans in the grass (bunny poop! Or Easter eggs. Whatever you prefer.)
Enjoy!
I remember Mom making us a delicious bunny cake when we were small. It had pasta whiskers and everything. I thought it was the coolest! I made one last year and again this year because hey, bunny cakes are something grown-ups can appreciate, too. And besides, we did have one child celebrating with us, my cousin's adorable 3-year old daughter. Marcella kept running toward it saying "bunny cake!!" and trying to grab jelly beans off of the platter before her parents grabbed her. I felt like doing the exact same thing.
I use the a version of the Joy of Cooking's carrot cake recipe, coconut cream cheese frosting, and assemble it according to my friend Betty's instructions.
Carrot cake:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Oil and flour ONE 9" round cake pan.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: 1 1/3c all-purpose flour, 1c sugar, 1.5t baking soda, 1t baking powder, 1t cinnamon, 1/2t cloves, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/2t allspice, 1/2t salt. Use fresh ground spices if possible--they add a lot!
Stir in 2/3c vegetable oil (use an unflavored oil, like canola) and 3 large eggs using a mixer on low speed.
Stir in 1.5c peeled & grated carrots, 1c walnuts, and 1c golden raisins. There's room for creativity here: some people use pineapple and/or coconut and omit the raisins. I find the golden raisins are substantially better than regular raisins, though.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30" or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack, turning it out of the pan after 10 min or so.
Cream cheese frosting:
Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese with 5T butter and 2t vanilla until combined.
Gradually add 2c powdered sugar (sift after measuring.) Some recipes call for more powdered sugar, but I don't recommend it here. The cake is already pretty sweet and you'll be adding sweetened coconut for "fur".
Beat until completely combined.
Grass:
Place 1-2c grated coconut (I use sweetened) in a plastic container. Add green food coloring a few drops at a time and shake it, baby, shake it until it looks like grass. Like fake, plastic easter grass.
Assembly:
Follow the below instructions. Before sticking the two halves of the cake together, frost one half.
I like to use colorful magazine covers for the ears. They stay good and stiff even when stuck in frosting! New Yorker covers are usually nice this time of year.
Place the cake on the platter. Frost the outside of the bunny and cover it in sweetened grated coconut for "fur". Use jelly beans for eyes and a nose and dried pasta for whiskers. Surround the bunny in the "grass" and sprinkle more jelly beans in the grass (bunny poop! Or Easter eggs. Whatever you prefer.)
Enjoy!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
EGgplant, prune and ginger
Spicy Braised Eggplant With Prunes
MAKE AHEAD: The cooled eggplant can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups (4 to 6 side-dish servings)
Ingredients:
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large (about 2 1/4 pounds total) purple eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated (1 tablespoon)
• 2 bunches scallions (12 to 14 total), white and light-green parts cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 1 3/4 cups homemade or no-salt-added vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped pitted prunes
• 1 tablespoon salted Chinese black beans, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Leaves from 4 to 6 stems cilantro, coarsely chopped, for serving (optional)
• 1 small serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped, for serving (optional)
Directions:
Heat half of the vegetable and half of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once they begin to shimmer, add half of the eggplant and stir-fry for about 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the slow-cooker. Repeat with the remaining oils and eggplant.
Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, ginger and scallions to the skillet. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add to the slow-cooker along with the broth, soy sauce, prunes and the Chinese black beans, if using. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. The eggplant will be quite tender.
Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the eggplant mixture. Increase the heat to HIGH; cover and cook for 30 minutes. The mixture should thicken.
Spoon the eggplant and its sauce into a serving bowl; garnish with the cilantro and serrano pepper, if desired. Serve warm.
MAKE AHEAD: The cooled eggplant can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups (4 to 6 side-dish servings)
Ingredients:
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large (about 2 1/4 pounds total) purple eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated (1 tablespoon)
• 2 bunches scallions (12 to 14 total), white and light-green parts cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 1 3/4 cups homemade or no-salt-added vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped pitted prunes
• 1 tablespoon salted Chinese black beans, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Leaves from 4 to 6 stems cilantro, coarsely chopped, for serving (optional)
• 1 small serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped, for serving (optional)
Directions:
Heat half of the vegetable and half of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once they begin to shimmer, add half of the eggplant and stir-fry for about 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the slow-cooker. Repeat with the remaining oils and eggplant.
Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, ginger and scallions to the skillet. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add to the slow-cooker along with the broth, soy sauce, prunes and the Chinese black beans, if using. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. The eggplant will be quite tender.
Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the eggplant mixture. Increase the heat to HIGH; cover and cook for 30 minutes. The mixture should thicken.
Spoon the eggplant and its sauce into a serving bowl; garnish with the cilantro and serrano pepper, if desired. Serve warm.
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