Whether you just finished celebrating Hanukkah, or are looking forward to celebrating Christmas, or simply are excited to have a few days off work, I wish you a time of peace, and joy, and well being.
I'll see you in 2016!!!
12/22/15
See you in 2016!
Whether you just finished celebrating Hanukkah, or are looking forward to celebrating Christmas, or simply are excited to have a few days off work, I wish you a time of peace, and joy, and well being.
I'll see you in 2016!!!
12/17/15
Roasted Beet & Sweet Potato Salad With Sriracha Kraut
Do you stick to the recipes? I don't ;)
Last Sunday I was home trying to figure out what to make for lunch. I had a bunch of beets, a random sweet potato and an unopened jar of Sriracha Kraut that I picked up on a whim at World Market.
After some thought, I realized that these ingredients reminded me of the Russian beet salad called vinegret that's made with beets, potatoes, peas, pickles and eggs. I decided to make a version of that salad with the ingredients I had.
Roasted Beet & Sweet Potato Salad With Sriracha Kraut
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1 large beet, roasted, cooled, peeled, diced***
1 large sweet potato, roasted, cooled, peeled, diced
1 pickle, diced
1 cup defrosted peas
1 cup sriracha kraut
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
salt to taste
*** I like roasting beets in a 425F oven for about 1-1.5 hours depending on the size. Scrub the beets, then wrap in aluminum foil after drizzling them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkling with salt.
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate the salad for at least an hour.
Trust me: the salad tastes better than it looks (or rather better than I was able to photograph it). Other additions that would work in this salad: avocado, herbs such as dill or parsley, and maybe even olives or capers.
Happy almost weekend!
12/14/15
Curried Carrot Ginger Soup From Foster's Market Favorites Cookbook
Last month I received a preview copy of Foster's Market Favorites Cookbook and spent an evening marking all the recipes I wanted to make. For Thanksgiving dinner with friends I decided to make Curried Carrot Ginger Soup and it was a hit!
I normally try not to make a new recipe for the first time for a big get together, but the flavors and instructions in this recipe were straight forward, with just enough of a twist to make the soup stand out. I did not make my own curry powder, nor did I use butter. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as it is below. This soup makes quite a bit, so make sure you share it with those you love.
Sara Foster’s love of Southern fare began in her Granny Foster’s Tennessee kitchen. There, the combination of down-home comfort, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients, and dedicated preparation hooked her for life.
Now, in FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES: 25TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION, Sara Foster serves up more than 150 recipes, sharing with readers the dishes that have kept diners coming back to the beloved Durham, NC eatery that she opened in 1990.
In FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES, the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur continues the tradition of soulful yet simple, seasonally inspired cooking, where tradition meets modern. These fresh, satisfying creations are casual enough for everyday family meals, but special enough to serve friends and guests.
Some of Sara’s mouth-watering recipes include: Pimiento Cheese Puffs, Pecan Sweet Potato Sticky Buns, Chicken and Black-Eyed Pea Soup, Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey, Chile-Braised Pork Shoulder with Taco Fixings, Heirloom and Shell Bean Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette, Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Bread Pudding with Bourbon Hard Sauce, and Brown Sugar Apple Crisp with Crumb Topping. FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES is an all-inclusive collection of Southern cooking in which simple feasts meet artisanal ingredients, traditional tastes meet modern methods, and fantastic flavors make every bite a succulent mouthful of Southern comfort.
Curried Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients/introduction/ directions copied with permission from the publisher.
To add more zest, top it off with
a dollop of Harissa Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce (page 142).
Makes about 3 1/2 quarts / Serves
8 to 10
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 to 12 carrots (about 11/2 pounds), scrubbed and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons Homemade Curry Powder (recipe below)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
8 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 (13 1/2-ounce) can light coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Sriracha Harissa Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce (page 142)
Lime wedges
1. Heat the olive oil in a large
saucepan over medium heat until sizzling hot. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until
golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and melt. Add the carrots,
celery, parsnips and peppers and cook, stirring often, until the carrots are
just cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin and cardamom
and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes more.
2. Stir in the broth, salt and
pepper and reduce the heat to low, simmering, until the carrots are tender,
about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest and juice,
coconut milk, cilantro, honey and Sriracha.
3. Allow the soup to cool
slightly and place an immersion blender into the pot, or pour the cooled soup
into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and puree until
smooth. Serve warm with additional cilantro sprinkled on top and a swirl of
Harissa Buttermilk Yogurt Sauce.
This soup can also be served
chilled with wedges of lime to squeeze in.
HOMEMADE CURRY POWDER Make your
own fresh and aromatic curry powder. In a small bowl or airtight container
fitted with a lid, combine 1 tablespoon ground Hungarian paprika, 1 tablespoon ground
cumin, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons
ground cardamom, 2 teaspoons ground yellow mustard, 2 teaspoons ground fennel
seed, 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Stir or shake to blend. Store
in an airtight container until ready to use, up to several months. Makes about
1/2 cup.
BEYOND SOUP I often repurpose
pureed soups like this one to flavor a simple broth for other dishes. If making
a risotto, add 1/2 cup to the broth. Or if steaming mussels or scallops, thin 1
cup of the soup with a little white wine or fish stock.
Disclosure: I received a preview copy of the cookbook for free, but am not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.
12/10/15
Eating Out In Portland: Oso And Blue Star
You guys! I'm having a mild panic moment: I have no travel plans as of now going forward. HELP!
I'm considering whisking myself away somewhere for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend in January. Miami? Charlottesville? Greenville? I'm trying to pick a new place (I've already been to Savannah, Atlanta, New Orleans, Charleston, etc, etc.) that's a quick plane ride away, doesn't require having a car, and has good food and fun things to do. Suggestions??
Thinking about my travel options, reminded me that I haven't posted these photos from my day trip to Portland this past August. During my trip to Seattle to visit my family, Anna, Lera and I drove to Oregon Wine Country, and then stopped for a night in Portland on the way back.
Before driving back to Seattle, we met up with Fabiola for brunch and dounuts. I love reuniting with my blogger friends when I travel, and seeing Fabiola was super fun.
For brunch, we met at Oso Market. I loved the causal décor, the spicy Bloody Mary and the fact that we weren't overwhelmed with choices. Sometimes it's completely alright to have a short menu.
When food bloggers and friends of food bloggers eat, there are a lot of photographs and a lot of sharing. That's exactly what happened:
That's Fabi and me doing what we do ;)
And then we HAD to check out Blue Star Donuts. Alas we were too full to actually eat them, but Anna and I picked up a variety of treats to bring back to Seattle and share with our parents and brother. We were raised well ;)
Anna and I.
Donut wheel. I don't even remember my favorite one...I think it might have been the pink glazed one. Hibiscus?
What's your next travel adventure?
12/9/15
Tehina Shortbread Cookies From Michael Solomonov's Zahav
Last month I splurged on a Zahav pop up dinner in DC with my friend Mary. After all, the dinner, including the book, was less expensive than the trip to Philadelphia to the well known and hard-to-get-reservations restaurant.
The dinner was fantastic. The hummus was one of the smoothest I've ever had. I did my best not to lick the plate. The lamb was tender and served with fragrant rice. And then there was dessert. As soon as I put the tehina shortbread cookie in my mouth, my childhood memories rushed in. Growing up in Russia, I often ate halvah with tea and lemon. My parents still keep this tradition. These shortbread cookies, which melt in your mouth, taste exactly like halvah because both use tehina (tahini) as one of the key ingredients. I knew these cookies will be the first recipe I made from the cookbook.
Text excerpted from ZAHAV, © 2015 by MICHAEL SOLOMONOV and
STEVEN COOK. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights
reserved.
Tehina Shortbread Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
It may come as a surprise, but tehina is perfect in desserts
because, in addition to adding nutty flavor, it helps modulate sweetness and
leaves you wanting more. For me, there’s nothing as comforting as these
shortbread cookies enriched with tehina. They are ridiculously easy to make and
extremely satisfying. Because the tehina replaces some of the butter in a
traditional shortbread, they are actually quite light. (Or at least that’s how
I rationalize eating ten of them in one sitting.) I love to crumble them on
Turkish Coffee Ice Cream or layer them with Tehina Semifreddo to make the
ultimate ice cream sandwich. But these cookies are perfectly delicious simply
dusted with confectioners’ sugar and served with coffee.
Ingredients
1¾ sticks (7 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup tehina
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch kosher salt
Combine the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the tehina and continuing mixing until well
incorporated. Combine the flour, baking
powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Transfer to the tehina
mixture and beat until just incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (The dough keeps well in the
freezer for a few months.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with
parchment paper. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared
baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are light brown around the edges and set,
about 15 minutes.
Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer
to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored at room
temperature in an airtight container for 1 week.
These were incredibly easy to make. The hardest part was scooping the cookies because there were so many of them! I used a little cookie scoop, which made the job easier. I also ended up freezing about half of the scooped (unbaked) cookies, and they baked beautifully directly from the freezer at 350F for about 25 minutes.
I've eaten quite a few of these unassuming looking cookies and brought some to share to a few good friends, and even baked a batch to bring to Seattle last weekend when I flew to surprise my dad for his belated birthday. These were truly a hit!
Have you cooked from Zahav cookbook yet? What should I make next?
12/7/15
12/3/15
What To Make With Cauliflower: Vegan Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes With Artichoke Hearts
Love cauliflower? I do too. But not in a mashed form. Mashed cauliflower isn't the same as mashed potatoes: mashed potatoes win all the time!
Roasting cauliflower, however, is a winning technique. This Vegan Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes With Artichoke Hearts recipe takes very little effort to make, but serves up a lot of flavor, texture and color. Eat it piping hot straight out of the oven, at room temperature, or even cold. It's good as a full meal with crusty bread or as a side with grilled fish or chicken. Mix it into pasta or use it as a topping for a pizza. The possibilities are endless!
What To Make With Cauliflower: Vegan Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes With Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
1/2 head of cauliflower broken into small florets
2 pints grape tomatoes
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon stone ground coarse mustard
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast for about 40 minutes, shaking the cookie sheets occasionally. Make sure that cauliflower and tomatoes are roasting in a single layer.
3. Combine roasted vegetables with marinated artichoke hearts, mustard and parsley. Serve.
Doesn't this look elegant and rustic all at the same time!?
What do you like to make with cauliflower?
12/1/15
What To Do With Leftover Ramen Noodles: Ramen Noodles With Vegetables & Fried Egg
Welcome to this cold, grey and rainy Tuesday! Did you have a good Thanksgiving holiday? I did! I got to see my twin and hang out with our friends and do some touristy things around DC as well as cook together. It was lovely. And now it's back to work and all the adulthood chores.
This Ramen Noodles With Vegetables & Fried Egg recipe is from a few weeks ago and I really wish I had something similar for dinner tonight. But don't worry...maybe I'll make potato balls with leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes!
Whenever I go out for pho or ramen, I almost always ask for only half the noodles because the broth is my favorite part. Last time, however, when I went to Daikaya for lunch, I decided to get the full amount of noodles in my spicy miso ramen bowl. I ate all the broth and half the noodles and took the rest of the noodles home.
What To Do With Leftover Ramen Noodles: Ramen Noodles With Vegetables & Fried Egg
Here's what you do:
1) Saute any vegetables you like: I used mushrooms, peppers and broccoli
2) Reheat leftover noodles in a separate pot
3) Fry an egg
4) Top the noodles with sautéed vegetables and a fried egg
5) Dig in
Breaking the yolk is one of my favorite things to do ;)
Clearly I thought this was a successful dish.
11/25/15
11/23/15
My First Ever Cauliflower Rice: Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice
I finally did it! I made and tried my first ever cauliflower rice. I have Becky to blame for it :) KIDDING!
When Becky of A Calculated Whisk asked if I'd like to receive a review copy of her new cookbook, I said sure! I'm amazed when my blogging friends create cookbooks, especially when they do their own photography. I can't imagine how much time and effort and dirty dishes such a big project would take. Becky's book, Paleo Planet, is a great gift for anyone who is interested in Paleo diet, or for anyone who enjoys delicious food with an international flare that also happens to be gluten free!
Becky Winkler's Paleo Planet is the first cookbook to take the paleo diet for a global spin, with recipes that represent the cuisines of East, South, and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and of course the U.S. In 125 recipes, she proves just how creative and wide-ranging the tastes in paleo cooking can be. With the chicken chapter alone, Becky demonstrates this breadth and depth of flavors with Yu Hsiang Chicken and Eggplant, Indochinese Chile Chicken, Roast Chicken with Za'atar and Yogurt Sauce, Chiles Rellenos with Pepita-Avocado Crema, and Chicken Meatballs with Garlic-Kale Marinara. Beyond these and other main courses featuring meat and fish, there are chapters devoted to vibrantly flavored appetizers, soups, sides, and desserts.
I decided to make Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice but omitted chicken, which makes this a perfect Meatless Monday recipe!
Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice
Recipe © 2015 by Becky Winkler and Used By Permission of The
Harvard Common Press
This paleo take on fried “rice” is much lighter than the
original version, and has the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. For
an extra special version, top it with some chopped crispy bacon.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutesCook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium head cauliflower2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ghee or coconut oil
2 large eggs, beaten
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into very small pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 small carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 to 4 serrano chiles or other small chiles, seeded if desired, and minced
1 1/2 cups bite-size fresh pineapple chunks
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
Directions
1. Discard the large stems from the cauliflower and roughly
chop the florets. Pulse the florets briefly in a food processor until they are
about the size of grains of rice. You should get about 5 cups of riced
cauliflower. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of the ghee in a large skillet over
medium heat. Add the beaten eggs and cook without stirring until they are
almost set, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the eggs with a little salt and pepper,
flip like a pancake, and cook for 30 seconds on the other side. Transfer the
omelet to a cutting board and slice into thin strips.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee in a very large
skillet over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the
chicken to the pan and cook undisturbed until browned on the bottom, about 3
minutes, then turn over and brown on the second side, about 2 minutes. Use a
slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the onion and
carrots to the skillet. Stir-fry, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any
browned bits, until the vegetables are softened and starting to brown, 3 to 4
minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in
the riced cauliflower and stir-fry until the cauliflower no longer tastes raw
but retains a bit of crunch, about 4 minutes. Next, stir in the pineapple and
scallions. Return the chicken to the pan, add the omelet strips, and stir to
distribute everything evenly.
5. Mix the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and rice vinegar in a
small bowl. Add the sauce to the skillet. Stir-fry until the chicken and
pineapple are heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve hot.
I will be honest with you: I was a bit nervous about how this dish will turn out. This was my first time cooking with coconut oil and coconut aminos. Not to worry: the directions could not have been more clear. I liked that Becky made a thin omelet and then cut it into strips instead of scrambling the eggs. I also was impressed that my final product looked exactly like the picture in the book!
I made half the recipe and it reheated well as leftovers. Will I forever forego rice? Of course not. But the use of cauliflower instead of rice is a technique I'll use in the future.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Paleo Planet but am not being compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.
11/19/15
Smoked Trout, Fennel, Olive & Tangerine Salad: Mayonnaise Free!
I've never smoked (unless you count my few poor attempts at smoking hookah). BUT I absolutely love smoked foods. Salmon. White fish. Trout!
Most of the time I eat smoked white fish or trout in a form of a salad on top of a bagel. That salad is typically made with mayonnaise or cream cheese and capers and is absolutely gluttonous in the best way possible. Last week, however, I decided to make something a bit lighter and brighter with a filet of smoked trout I bought at my grocery store.
Smoked Trout, Fennel, Olive & Tangerine Salad: Mayonnaise Free!
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
10 Castelvetrano olives, pits removed, chopped
1 smoked trout filet, broken into pieces
3 tangerines {1 juice, 2 segmented}
1/8 red onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
fresh dill for garnish
Directions
1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Serve.
How do you like to eat smoked trout?
11/16/15
Meatless Monday Pasta: Roasted Butternut Squash & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
My coworkers often ask me for suggestions when it comes to restaurants. Occasionally I get requests for recipe ideas. The latter happened a few weeks ago when I was asked for impressive dishes to make with squash.
I automatically thought of butternut squash, my favorite type of squash. Alas my ideas for butternut squash lasagna, gnocchi or stuffed squash weren't impressive enough. Eye roll. Maybe I should have suggested butternut squash risotto?!
Then I thought of stuffed shells! Stuffed shells with roasted butternut squash and creamy ricotta in a pool of tomato pasta sauce covered in cheese and broiled. OMG! YES!
I liked the idea so much, I decided to make it myself ;)
Meatless Monday Pasta: Roasted Butternut Squash & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Serves 4
Ingredients
16 shells, cooked in salted water for 8 minutes, drained, cooled
2 cups roasted butternut squash {I roast mine whole in 425F oven for about an hour or until tender}
1 cup full fat ricotta
10 basil leaves, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups pasta sauce, heated
1/2 cup shredded cheese {I used Parmesan/Gouda blend from Trader Joe's thanks to suggestion from my friend Sylvie.}
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a mixing bowl combine roasted butternut squash, ricotta and basil and season with salt & pepper. You want the mixture to be pretty smooth.
3. Stuff the shells with the mixture. If you have some of the filling left over, eat it with a spoon or spread on toast.
4. Pour heated tomato sauce into a baking dish: mine was about 8x10". Nestle in the stuffed shells.
5. Bake stuffed shells for 25 minutes.
6. Remove the baking pan from the oven and sprinkle the shells with the cheese. Broil for about 5-10 minutes, making sure not to burn the cheese.
7. Allow the shells to cool slightly and then dig in!
Hear the sizzle and the bubbling!!!
This was quite a decadent and satisfying dish. It's perfect for Meatless Monday or Sunday dinner or lunch any day of the week. I froze most of the shells and can't wait to eat them very soon!
11/13/15
Fall Flower Centerpiece in a Pumpkin!
It's Friday!!! Happy almost weekend.
If you know me, you know I love flowers and buy them for myself pretty much weekly. Girls, treat yourself! Don't wait for a man to buy you flowers. You deserve all the beauty in your life!
Last week I signed up and attended a flower arrangement class at Hill Center in DC organized by Bree of Capitol Romance and taught by Emily of love blooms. I absolutely loved it! The class was really well organized, there were treats and beverages, a wide variety of flowers to choose from and great instructions.
The theme of the class was fall: we learned how to make a centerpiece inside of a pumpkin!
Here are a few things I learned:
1) start your arrangement with greenery, then add secondary flowers, then add your star flowers
2) you don't have to make your arrangement perfectly symmetrical: this was really hard for me to do because I LOVE symmetry, but I tried my best
3) to tell if flowers you are buying are fresh, look at the leaves!
4) the little packets of food you get with store-bought flowers will work ONLY if you follow the instructions precisely! Emily said she basically uses fresh water only and changes it daily.
I'm in love with how my arrangement turned out and have enjoyed it for a week. It still looks beautiful and makes me so happy!
Have a great weekend!
11/9/15
Vegan Cauliflower, Potato & Chickpea Curry: Recipe From Blogging Over Thyme
I love creating recipes, but sometimes it's easier to follow someone else's. That's exactly what I did this weekend with a recipe I found on TheKitchn for Blogging Over Thyme's Vegan Cauliflower, Potato, And Chickpea Curry.
I'm not going to retype the recipe because I followed the original one pretty closely with only a few changes. First, I used full fat coconut milk instead of light, and used the entire can. I also used the liquid from home cooked chickpeas instead of water or vegetable broth. And finally, I did not have cilantro, so used parsley.
You need less than an hour to make this dish and you'll have plenty of leftovers for days!
I was a bit dubious about the addition of canned tomatoes to the curry, but loved the bit of sour taste it added to the final dish. I also went ahead and used garam masala and cardamom, even those aren't my favorite spices. They played really well with cumin, coriander and fresh ginger.
Whether you eat it with rice or as a soup, this dish will keep you satisfied and warm on a cool fall day.
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