GARAM MASALA

Mini Meatloaves for 2

2008-06-01T16:04:00.002-05:00

Mini Meatloaves for 2
Serves 2

1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 pound ground sirloin
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine ketchup and mustard, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons ketchup mixture. Combine remaining ketchup mixture, beef, and next 6 ingredients (beef through egg) in a large bowl, stirring to combine.
Divide beef mixture into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 x 2 1/2-inch loaf; place loaves on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
Spread about 2 teaspoons reserved ketchup mixture evenly over each loaf. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until done.   

Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo - Chicken Tortilla Soup!

2008-05-04T19:39:00.004-05:00

It's Cinco de Mayo!! And to celebrate, I made this wonderfully delicious chicken tortilla soup. You MUST try it. SOOO GOOD!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 4

2 T Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno chili, diced
2 T minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Bay leaf
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
Cilantro to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

After heating the oil in a large stock pot, add the onions, jalapenos, and garlic. Saute until onions become soft and translucent.

Add the broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, Worcestershire, and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Then serve!

Enjoy!!

Huevos Rancheros

2008-04-23T19:45:00.004-05:00

Huevos Rancheros
Serves 1

2 corn tortillas
1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
1 T chopped green chillies (from a can)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, cooked sunnyside up
1/4 cup salsa
Handful of chopped cilantro, garnish
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray corn tortillas with the cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Place tortillas in oven and allow to crisp. Takes about 10 minutes. Flip them over once while crisping.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the refried beans and green chilies. Heat in the microwave for one minute.

Once the tortillas have been crisped up, layer half of the refried beans on one tortilla, sprinkle half the cheese on top and half of the salsa. Then add the next tortilla on top of this layer, and repeat the process.

Top the tortillas with the egg and cilantro to garnish.

Enjoy!

Veggie Fried Rice

2008-04-08T19:34:00.002-05:00

Veggie Fried Rice
Serves 2-3

I snagged this recipe off of a lovely blog known as Live to Eat. It was just too good to pass up. I only altered it a little.

2 cups leftover cooked rice
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 eggs, scrambled
2 T soy sauce
1 T vegetable oil

Spice Paste:
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2-3 dried red chilies
1 T water

In a small grinder or using mortal & pestle, grind the spice paste ingredients into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a wok; add the green onions and bell pepper to the wok and saute for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add spice paste to wok, and fry until all liquid has evaporated. Add rice, and coat with paste. Add soy sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Re-add the onions and bell pepper. Add the scrambled egg. Mix well and enjoy!

Cioppino

2008-03-18T17:37:00.003-05:00

I spent my formative years growing up in a suburb north of San Francisco. It was a wonderful place to grow up. There was sunshine (when the fog didn't come in), there were liberals abound, and there was lots of good food.

The fresh seafood, of course, was abundant. I remember one time, I was probably 9 years old, my family and some friends, went to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. It was a famous seafood restaurant (and the name of it escapes me) whose specialty was Cioppino. I had never heard of Cioppino before and was actually alarmed by the sight of so much seafood in a soup. Now, almost 25 years later, I am posting my own recipe for this wonderful fish stew.

Cioppino is essentially a tomato based fish stew. It can be made with all sorts of seafood - fish, clams, mussels, crab scallops and squid. The recipe that I post here is an easy, but tasty, version of Cioppino. I hope you enjoy it!

Cioppino
Serves 4

1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb cut lengthwise into six wedges
1 medium onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup red wine
8 oz. clam juice
1 pound skinless white fish fillet (I used tilapia) cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound cultivated mussels or 1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

Pulse fennel, onion, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, covered, over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, water, wine, and clam juice and boil, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in seafood and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and if using mussels, they must open wide. Discard bay leaves.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

Mama G's Chicken Dore

2008-02-12T11:31:00.004-05:00

Mama G's Chicken Dore
Serves 4

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
4 chicken breasts, beaten thinly with a mallet

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs and the parmesan and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the the flour with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Dredge each chicken breast first in flour, then in egg mixture, and add to the heated oil. Fry chicken about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove chicken breast to paper towel in order to drain excess oil.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Cheesy Risotto

2008-02-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

*Not the prettiest picture, but really very good!

Cheesy Risotto
Serves 4

2 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arboria rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup tiny frozen peas
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic and onion and saute, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes. Add rice and season with salt and pepper. Cook another minute or so, then add wine and let it completely absorb, about 30 seconds. Add about 1 cup chicken stock and stir. Reduce heat a bit to medium. Stir often and continue adding a half cup of liquid each time liquid becomes completely absorbed. Cook 22 minutes, using as much stock as is necessary to result in creamy-consistency rice.

When rice is cooked to desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in cheese, parsley and peas, and stir to combine and heat peas.

Enjoy!

Hearts of Palm Salad

2008-02-07T18:40:00.001-05:00

The first time that I tried hearts of palm was in my third year of law school. I was working for a solo-practitioner at the time. At lunch time every day, she would gather me and her daughter, who was the receptionist, and we would sit in the conference room and have our lunches. We would chat about all sorts of things during this hour – family, cases, and law school. But mostly we talked about food. She adored raw tomatoes, would eat them like they were fruit. I was skeptical of this practice of eating whole tomatoes like they were apples, but I enjoyed watching her indulge in something she truly loved. One day, she brought in a can of hearts of palm, put them in a bowl with some ripe tomatoes, and added a little salad dressing. She asked me to try – she said that I would love it. And I did. The texture of the hearts of palm was so different than anything I had really eaten before. A little crunchy, a little soft, a little artichoke-ish. But overall, just good.

Hearts of Palm Salad
Serves 2-3

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp. dried basil
2 T white wine vinegar
1 1b. plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 14 oz. can Hearts of Palm, drained, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk oil, basil, and vinegar in a bowl to blend. Add the other ingredients and toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

2008-02-05T16:11:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I do have other passions besides cooking and food. One of those passions is reading. I am a self-declared bibliophile. I love books. All sorts of books – (except maybe Self-Help books, whatever those are). My favorite book of all time is not a cookbook. In fact, it is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It’s a book about the trials and tribulations of a group of residents in India. And it’s beautifully written. (If you care, my second favorite is Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Just in case you care)

Anyways, I obviously love perusing through cook books, as well. But what’s more fun than reading a cook book is actually buying a book about food or an author’s specific experience with food. I don’t just mean Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential – that is, of course, an excellent book, but there other less noticeable, or hyped-up, authors out there who write amazing stories of their experiences with food. Recently, I read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. It’s about a woman’s quest to make every recipe in Julia Child’s Joy of Cooking. It’s a fun read. I also love Michael Ruhlman and his books about the eccentricities and genius of professional chefs. But recently I read a book that doesn’t have anything to do with actual cooking. It has to do with food – real food. Simple food. Local food. It’s called Plenty One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally. It’s written by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon, who also happen to be life partners. You might have heard of this book in relation to what is now known as the 100-Mile Diet. The 100-Mile Diet requires people to eat only foods that have been grown within a hundred mile radius of where they live. They have to do it for one year. Yes – ONE YEAR. That would be 365 days of eating LOCALLY. While the benefits of doing this are obvious, the downside…it is frickin’ hard!!! I mean, can you imagine having to find wheat within 100 miles of where you live so that you can simply bake some bread? Or locally grown coffee…hmmm…no thanks. I suppose people who live in more rural parts of the country can do this, but I don’t know anywhere within 100 miles of D.C. where I could get some quality coffee beans, except for Starbucks.

In any event, reading about the authors’ challenges with the 100-Mile diet is really fascinating. It makes you feel like you just want to start plowing the earth and eating what you grow. Unfortunately, for us city dwellers, the plowing can only mean planting some herbs in your garden box or buying locally grown organic foods from Whole Foods. But guess what…even Whole Foods doesn’t have locally grown coffee beans. Which basically means that I’m going to have to skip this diet.

In Seattle...

2008-01-19T16:55:00.000-05:00

for a few days visiting the parents. I'll be sure to take some great pictures of all the home-cooked food I'll be eating.

Orzo Keema

2008-01-13T20:49:00.001-05:00

I’m a big fan of orzo. For those people who don’t know what orzo is, it is a beautiful rice-shaped pasta that is often times used as a substitute for rice. I have included some of my favorite orzo recipes on this site before – like this one for saffron orzo and this one for a summertime orzo with veggies.

I would have to say that the orzo recipe I made a few nights ago really was one of the best I've ad, and it can be a complete meal rather than a simple side dish. It incorporates many wonderful Indian spices and you can use ground beef, ground lamb, or ground turkey.

For some reason though, I can never take a good photograph of an orzo dish. It’s like my camera wigs out on me when it sees orzo on the plate. So just remember that this is much tastier than it looks in this photograph.

Orzo Keema
Serves 4

2 T vegetable oil
1 lb. lean ground beef, ground lamb, or ground turkey
2 T minced garlic
2 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 jalapeno with seeds, chopped
4 or 5 whole cardamom
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
8 oz. orzo pasta
2 cups beef broth
1 cup chopped tomato
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and sauté until cooked through. Using slotted spoon, transfer meat to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, ginger, and chili to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Add cardamom, curry powder and orzo and stir for a minute or so. Add broth and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until orzo is tender and most of broth is absorbed, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on bottom of skillet, about 15 minutes. Return meat to skillet, add tomatoes and cilantro, and mix in. Remove cardamom before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

Moroccan Spice Rub

2008-01-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

The other day I was going through my magazine rack, full of old Food and Wine magazines. I decided to peruse each one of the magazines for any recipes before I tossed them in the recycling bin. To my surprise, I actually found a handful of recipes that I would actually make. I say only a handful because, honestly, Food and Wine recipes are to high-falutin' for me.

This recipe is for a Moroccan Spice Rub. According to Food and Wine, the best uses for this spice rub are on beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. I tried it on some skirt steak, and I highly recommend it.

Moroccan Spice Rub
Makes about 1/3 cup

1 T ground coriander
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground chile powder
1 T light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients, pressing out any lumps of brown sugar.

Enjoy!

Tah Dah! FRENCH ONION SOUP!

2008-01-07T19:54:00.001-05:00

This soup is even better the next day, so make sure to keep some leftovers.

French Onion Soup
Serves 6

2 lb medium onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 sprigs fresh thyme (I used one teaspoon dried and it worked just fine)
2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups reduced sodium beef broth (32 fl. oz)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 diagonal slices of baguette
1 (1/2 lb) piece Gruyere cheese, grated
2 T finely grated parmesan

Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in a large pot over medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Add flour and cook, stirring 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally 30 minutes.

While soup simmers, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove croutes from oven and preheat broiler.

Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among 6 flameproof soup crocks or ramekins, then float a croute in each.

Add Gruyere cheese to the soup bowls - enough to completely cover the soup and sprinkle parmesan on top. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.

*If you anticipate having leftover soup, do not add the croute and cheese to the soup. Just refrigerate the soup and add the croute and cheese when you are ready to eat.

Enjoy!

A Duo

2008-01-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

The Duo above is french onion soup, one of my absolute favorite soups, and a cauliflower gratin, one of the first of the two recipes I will be making out of Eating Well magazine (see New Year's Resolutions below).

I always thought that french onion soup was something that you shouldn't make at home because 1) it takes too damn long; and 2) the melted cheese is always better in the restaurant. But I was wrong. This recipe for FOS is very good. You have to be patient to make it though because it does take almost two hours. Honestly, it's worth the wait. Guess what though? I'm not going to give you the recipe quite yet. I'm going to be a tease - you'll have to check back in the next few days for the recipe.

The cauliflower gratin was really delicious. I was surprised because, seriously, it's a "healthy" dish and I wasn't sure that I would really like it. But I did!

Try it out, you won't regret it.

Skillet Cauliflower Gratin
Serves 4

4 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 T all-purpose flour
1 T chopped fresh chives
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp white pepper

1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
2. Bring cauliflower, 1 1/4 cups milk and salt to a boil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup cheese and oil in a small bowl. Whisk flour and remaining 1/4 cup milk in another small bowl until smooth; stir the mixture into the pan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, chives, mustard and pepper. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Broil until the top is crispy and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

My top 5 food-related New Year's resolutions:

5. Make two recipes from Eating Well and Saveur magazines each month.
4. Visit more Farmer's Markets and sustainable farms around the area.
3. Cook an entire meal out of farmer's market ingredients only.
2. Bake one FABULOUS cake from scratch.
1. Share more recipes with all of you!

What are your New Year's Resolutions??

A Success!

2007-12-26T19:45:00.000-05:00

Christmeidukkah was a hit! All the guests had a wonderful time (or at least they acted like they did) and what’s even better is that I had virtually no leftovers!! YAY!!! Unfortunately for me, only four days after the party, Mark Bittman (aka “The Minimalist”) published his 101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less in the New York Times. Mark, why couldn’t you have put this out BEFORE my party?? No matter. Like I said, virtually NO LEFTOVERS.

Even though I have no party to prepare appetizers for, I want to try some of Bittman’s recipes. These are the ones I’m thinking about doing:

1. Put peeled raw shrimp in a food processor with garlic, chili, ginger, shallot or red onion, salt, pepper and cilantro; chop finely. Shape into small patties and shallow-fry or broil, then serve with napkins or on buns, with lime juice or spiced mayonnaise.

2. Make parsley pesto (parsley, garlic, oil, lemon juice) in a food processor. Sauté whole shrimp or small pieces of fish in oil. Arrange fish on small beds of the pesto. You can put this on bread and forget the plates.

3. Might not be the new ketchup, but great stuff: purée skinned roasted peppers or piquillos with some of their liquid, salt and olive oil. Serve alone or with other foods — a piece of cheese, even.

4. Cut tenderloin or other tender beef into bite-size chunks. Toss with a lot of roughly chopped basil (say, 1 cup basil per pound of meat) and peanut oil. Stir-fry with garlic and red pepper flakes until rare. Sprinkle with soy sauce or nam pla and lime juice.

5. Chicken teriyaki: Cut 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1-inch chunks. Toss with 1/4 cup each soy sauce, sake and mirin, and a tablespoon of sugar. Skewer. Boil remaining sauce for a minute or so. Broil the chicken, turning and basting with the sauce after a couple of minutes.

There are 96 other amazing sounding appetizers but many of them have pork products, which of course, I don’t eat. But if you do eat them, you should definitely check out the list.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

2007-12-25T18:58:00.001-05:00

Desi Macaroni

2007-12-17T17:31:00.001-05:00

The Equation: Macaroni + Cheese + Indian/Asian flavor

The Answer: DAMN GOOD STUFF

Comment: Don't be afraid of the ketchup.

Desi Macaroni
Serves 3-4

1 cup dry macaroni
1 T garlic, minced
½ cup bell pepper, finely diced
½ cup onion, finely diced
2 T cilantro, finely chopped
½ white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T ketchup
1 T tomato paste
½ tsp. chili flakes
½ cup mozzarella or grated parmesan
1 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onions and bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes – at least until onions soften. Add cilantro, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and tomato paste. Mix well. Then add cooked macaroni to the skilled. Mixing thoroughly so that all macaroni gets a bit of “sauce”. Transfer macaroni to oven safe dish, then spring cheese on top. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, until cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Onion Koftas

2007-12-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

Since Christmeidukkah is only a week away, I’ve been trying out some of the finger foods that I would like to serve at the shindig. One dish that I tried recently was my Uncle J’s koftas. He made them for me and my sister when we visited him and my aunt in Baltimore a couple of months ago. He provided me with the basic outline of ingredients and preparation, so I decided to give it a shot this week. I was hoping that I could serve the koftas with toothpicks, but I soon realized that these koftas cannot qualify as a finger food, but are a fantastic entrée on their own. Served with some daal and rice, or in a deli-roll, these koftas will make you very happy. At least they made me very happy.

For the meatballs:

1 lb. lean ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 serrano chili
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1/8 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. salt

For the sauce:

2 T oil
1 cup sliced onions
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup water

Directions:

For the meatballs, add onion through salt into a blender. Add this mixture to the ground beef and mix well. Form the meat into little meatballs – just about 2 inches round. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed (hee, hee) pan, heat oil and sauté the onions until they become soft and kind of golden brown. Add the ginger, garlic, cilantro, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer.

Add the meatballs to the pan.

After about five minutes, rotate the meatballs in the pot, so that they get browned on all sides. Cook for about 20 minutes – rotating the meatballs every 5 minutes or so.

Enjoy!!

I'm Shameless

2007-12-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

The Well Fed Network is taking nominations for the 2007 Food Blog Awards.

If you think that this modest little blog is worthy of an award, please feel free to vote. If not, that's totally fine. You can vote for all of the other amazing food blogs instead. Just never come back to this site...EVER AGAIN! Just kidding.

Salty Sweet Kisses

2007-12-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

In a couple of weeks, I will be having my annual Christmeidukkah Open House. It's a party to celebrate Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah. Since I will be having about 30 people traipsing through my home, including little ones, I thought that this easy treat would be good to have on hand.

Salty Sweet Kisses

1 bag small square shaped pretzels
1 bag milk chocolate Hershey kisses
1 bag M&Ms

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with one Hersheys kiss. Place in oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and smoosh one M&M on the top of each kiss. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve.

Enjoy!

Almost Turkey Day!

2007-11-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I'll be going elsewhere for my turkey, but that doesn't mean that I am off the hook for making certain dishes - in fact, I wouldn't want to be off the hook. So, what am I making? Three dishes - cheddar baked mashed potatoes (made them last year and they were a hit!), green beans with garlic vinaigrette, and maple cider spinach salad.

I'll let you know how it all turns out!

Hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day!!

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

2007-11-13T13:13:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up, my family never made traditional casseroles for dinner. There was really no need. We were an Indian family, so if we were going to make any type of casserole, it would have been an Indian-flavored casserole anyways, with cilantro and cayenne pepper, and maybe some turmeric. So, as I became older and listened to my friends talk about how their moms and dads prepared tater-tot casserole or a hamburger pie casserole for dinner, I was completely floored, and a bit envious. The casseroles they described sounded so…homey…so…comfortable. What they were describing was pure comfort food. For me, comfort food was, and still is, chicken korma or shrimp biryani.

Ever since my friends described their casseroles to me, I’ve been wanting to make one. I made the tater tot casserole one day and it was SO GOOD that I even forgot about the fact that one serving is like 1000 calories. A couple of days ago, I made this less caloric (but NOT low calorie) casserole:

It’s chicken spaghetti folks. And it rocks.

Chicken Spaghetti
Serves 4

1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, broke into pieces
2 cups boneless chicken breast half, cooked and diced
1 (4 ounce) jar chopped pimento peppers
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Mix together in large bowl: cooked spaghetti, diced chicken, pimentos, mushroom soup, bell peppers and cheese. Pour into a large casserole dish and sprinkle ½ cup of cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven.

Enjoy!

Hell…and Maybe a Snapple

2007-11-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

The hard drive on my desktop computer died last week. This is the second time this has happened since the computer was purchased only 18 months ago! I’m not going to name the maker of the computer, but it rhymes with Hell. Appropriate, isn’t it?

Did I mention that the computer has ALL of my photographs on it and lots of my recipes? Oh yeah, it does. And no, I didn’t back up all of the pictures on a zip drive because, seriously, who uses zip drives anymore??

If “Hell” doesn’t send me a new hard drive, which would be the third in 18 months, then I’ll have to seriously think about buying a new computer. Maybe I’ll get the one that rhymes with…Snapple. Yes, the Snapple computer should work. I certainly don’t think that Snapples would run out of juice so quickly (I know, it’s a bad pun).

EASY Chicken Enchiladas

2007-11-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 2-3

1 lb. ground chicken
1 T vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of red enchilada sauce
1 can green chiles
6 corn tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pyrex baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Saute until onions become translucent and soft. Add ground chicken. Once chicken is browned, drain excess liquid, if any. Add can of enchilada sauce to the pan. Heat through. Mix in the green chiles.

To assemble the enchiladas: heat each tortilla in the microwave for 15 seconds to soften it, then add some of the chicken-sauce mixture inside the center of each tortilla and roll it up. Place it in the baking dish. Repeat this process until you have all of the tortillas rolled and placed in the baking dish. Once completed, spoon some of the sauce on top of the tortillas. Then add the shredded cheese and place in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, just until the cheese starts to melt.

Enjoy!

Caper and Olive Pasta

2007-10-28T19:31:00.000-05:00

Caper and Olive Pasta
Serves 2

1 can whole tomatoes
¼ cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove
2 T olive oil
3 or 4 chopped green olives
2 T capers
½ lb linguine or spaghetti
1 cup feta

Add first three ingredients in blender. Heat oil in saucepan on medium high heat and add tomato mixture (reserve ½ cup of sauce) with olives. Stirring for about 6 minutes until thickened.

Cook ½ lb linguine or spaghetti. Reserve ¼ cup pasta liquid after draining.

Add pasta, ¼ cup coarsely chopped basil and ¼ cup parsley to tomato sauce. Coat pasta with sauce, adding pasta water if necessary. Add reserve ½ cup sauce and half of feta cheese. Place pasta in large bowl and sprinkle rest of cheese.

Enjoy!

photo phanatic!

2007-10-28T19:01:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Since I started this food blog, I've really become interested in photography, and not only food photography. This new passion of mine is still in its embryonic stages, and needless to say, my photographs are nowhere near the quality of those of The Pioneer Woman or Dianthus. Nevertheless, I am trying to cultivate this new interest the best that I can. That being said, if you scroll down on the right hand side of this page, you can check out my photos on flickr. These are just a few of the random photos that I have taken. I'll add some more pictures as my photography skills further develop.

Enjoy!!

Perfect Roast Chicken

2007-10-25T18:14:00.000-05:00

One time, I put a chicken in the oven to let it roast. I basted the fowl on-and-off for one hour. After an hour, it looked pretty, and good enough to eat. I removed it from the oven. I cut into the breast. It was completely raw.

I have since purchased a meat thermometer.

Perfect Roast Chicken
Serves 4

1 (3 3/4-pound) whole roasting chicken
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and halved
4 stalks celery, halved
1 onion, quartered

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chicken, remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken; trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Combine butter and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl. Rub seasoning mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Place carrots, celery, and onion in a single layer in a roasting pan. Place chicken, breast side up, on top of vegetables.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 450°, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 170°. Using tongs or insulated rubber gloves, remove chicken from pan, tilting slightly to drain juices. Let stand 15 minutes.

Courtesy of Cooking Light

Yummy Dessert

2007-10-16T11:59:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, M and I hosted a dinner party at the house. A lovely little affair with some of our favorite people. The fall menu included the maple cider salad (which I posted below), roasted carrots and butternut squash, mashed potatoes, roast chicken, and for dessert, puff pastry ice cream sandwiches. It was good stuff.

The dessert was probably my favorite part of the dinner, besides the company, of course. I have the worst (or best, depending on how you look at it) sweet tooth. These puff pastry ice cream sandwiches were the easiest dessert to make, and very tasty...

Puff Pastry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Serves 6
Courtesy of YumSugar

1 package of frozen puff pastry sheets
1 container of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
2 T sugar
1 egg white
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thaw one sheet of the frozen puff pastry. There will be two natural folds in the puff pastry sheet, cut along those folds. You should have three long pieces of puff pastry at this point. Cut each of the long pieces into four small squares. Brush each square with egg white, then sprinkle with sugar and sliced almonds. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Let cool.

To assemble the ice cream sandwiches, place one to two scoops of the ice cream between two pieces of puff pastry. That's it!

Chow down!

Maple Cider Spinach Salad

2007-10-16T11:47:00.000-05:00

Maple Cider Spinach Salad
Serves 4

Salad
10 oz. spinach bag
1 granny smith apple, sliced thinly
1/3 cup toasted walnuts
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Maple Cider Dressing
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
pinch of salt

Lay spinach on a flat tray, add thinly sliced apples, walnuts and blue cheese on top.

For the dressing, heat the maple syrup in a small saucepan. In a separate small bowl, add the cider vinegar, and whisk in the oil. Once the syrup is heated, whisk it into the vinegar/oil mixture. Add the pinch of salt, and drizzle over the salad.

Enjoy!

Taste of Fall

2007-10-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4
(Recipe from www.foodtv.com)

1 T canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 1/2 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 T plus 2 tsps. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
2 T honey
4 tsps. plain low-fat yogurt, for garnish

Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in honey and puree in an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.

Ladle into serving bowls and add a dollop of yogurt.

Enjoy!

Hot and Spicy Eggplant

2007-09-26T17:38:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no picture on this one! It was good though!

Hot and Spicy Eggplant (adapted from the Vegetarian Times (my new best friend))
Serve 4

4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 T minced fresh ginger
2 T soy sauce
1 T dark sesame oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. hot chili oil, or more to taste
Pinch of sugar
6 Japanese or Chinese eggplants, cut crosswise in thirds then quartered lengthwise (I used regular eggplant – it’s all I had)
2 medium scallions (white and light green parts), chopped

Sauce: In a medium bowl, combine garlic and ginger; whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, both vinegars, chili oil and sugar. Set aside.

In a large saucepan fitted with steamer basket, bring 2 inches of water to a boil over high heat. Add eggplant, cover and steam until tender, 4 to 6 minutes

Add eggplants to bowl with sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Ramadan!!!

2007-09-15T19:30:00.000-05:00

It’s RAMADAN!!! Yes, the holy month for all Muslims, like me, is finally upon us. How does Ramadan affect a typical Muslim’s eating habits? It’s good you asked, since it affects our eating habits in a big way. Basically, it means…no food…from sunrise until sunset. NOTHING! No small meals, no water, NOTHING! The religious and philosophical reasons behind the fasting are written about extensively on the internet. But the purpose of this blog is not to espouse religious beliefs, it’s about food.

So, because of the fasting, you may think that food, or the preparation of it at least, is not a big part of Ramadan. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. The preparation and serving of food is an integral part of this festive month. And it’s highlighted in a fantastic way by Huma Siddiqui in this article: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/ramadan/pakistan_siddiqui

So, please everyone, if you know a Muslim – either work with one or are friends with one – don’t tempt them with chocolate covered cherries or strong coffee in the early morning, it’s just cruel. Instead, try and get an invitation to their home for a “breaking the fast” meal, because honestly, it’s a meal that you wouldn’t want to miss.

Simple Broccolini

2007-09-12T17:41:00.001-05:00

What is broccolini? Well, Wikipedia defines it as “a green vegetable resembling broccoli. Although often mistakenly identified as young broccoli, it is actually a natural hybrid of the cabbage family Brassica oleracea, a cross between broccoli and Chinese Kale. It was developed by the Sakata Seed Company of Yokohama, Japan. It is generally agreed that broccolini has a sweeter flavor than broccoli." I define it as a delicious, healthy, and beautifully green vegetable. You can find it at Trader Joes or Whole Foods.

A few weeks ago I had dinner at my friend Kim’s house. She and her husband are fabulous cooks and they made some awesome food for me. One of the dishes was broccolini sautéed with garlic and cherry tomatoes. A simple dish, but a lovely one.

Here’s how it goes.

Sauteed Broccolini
Serve 2

½ lb broccolini
2 T olive oil
½ lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut a half-inch off the stems of the broccolini. Place a large pot of salted water to boil. Once the water begins to boil, add the broccolini for a minute and remove. Drop the broccolini in some ice water to stop the cooking process.

In a medium-size sautee pan, heat the oil and garlic. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the broccolini and tomatoes. Saute for 7-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Masala Aloo

2007-09-04T15:35:00.001-05:00

So, a little while back, actually many months back, I made a dish called Bombay Potatoes. They were good, not great, but good. I love potatoes, so I'll really eat any edible potato dish. Tonight, I tried a new Indian-style potato dish from the Vegetarian Times. Yes, I read the Vegetarian Times. It has great recipes and some interesting veggie information, obviously. (They should pay me for this endorsement). Anyways, I tried the dish, and guess what? I loved it! So good!!! (Um, definitely deserve pay for this ringing endorsement of a recipe).

Masala Aloo (also called Potatoes Masala)
Serves 4

16 small new potatoes, halved
2 T tomato puree (I used tomato paste)
2 T ketchup
1 T tamarind paste
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. cayenne
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T vegetable oil
1 T chopped cilantro

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender when tested with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup water, tomato puree, ketchup, tamarind paste, sugar, ginger, coriander, garlic, cayenne, lemon juice, and salt to taste.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add tomato mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Add potatoes, stirring to coat. Cook, stirring often, 2 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Crazy Chicken Curry!

2007-08-30T18:30:00.000-05:00

Chicken Curry with Potatoes
Serves 4

2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
3 T vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 T coriander seed
1 or 2 serrano chilies
1/2 cup water
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 T chopped cilantro

Heat 1-inch salted water in a 10 to 12 inch skilled to bioling. Add potatoes; cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain; set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; stir-fry 30 to 60 secords or until golden brown. Stir in coconut milk, coriander sees and chilies. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Place coconut mixture and water in blender. Cover and blend on medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

Heat remaining 2 T oil in same skillet. Cook chicken in oil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is golden brown. Stir potatoes, coconut mixture and remaining ingredients except cilantro into chicken; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

Summertime Orzo

2007-08-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been out of touch for so long. I have been traveling a bit. Actually, I just got back from the Grand Canyon and Sedona not too long ago. It was amazing. Here are some pics:

Ok, now on to food. Obviously, since I’ve been traveling, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to cook. But now that I’m back, let’s get back to the good stuff.

I’m a big fan of orzo (rice shaped pasta), and it’s particularly good in the summer time because you can add all sorts of fun veggies to the mix. Tonight, I added cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and some feta cheese. YUMMY! It was soooo good. I highly recommend this one.

Summertime Orzo
Serves 4 (as a main dish)

1 cup dried orzo
2 medium sized zucchinis – sliced about a half-inch thick
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
½ tsp minced garlic
1 T olive oil
1 ½ T red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried parsley or ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cook orzo according to package directions. Brush zucchini with 1 tsp. olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Place zucchini under the broiler (or on a hot grill) for 5-7 minutes, just until soft. Remove zucchini from broiler and set aside.

In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and whisk away. Add tomatoes, feta, and zucchini, and mix gently to coat.

Once the orzo is done, place it in a large bowl, add tomato-dressing mixture. Mix well. That’s it! Enjoy!

Veggie Quesadillas

2007-07-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

Veggie Quesadillas
Serves 2

1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 6-inch corn tortillas
Olive oil for brushing griddle

Coat a small pan with cooking spray. Add zucchini, onions, and tomatoes to pan and heat on medium-high heat. Once the veggies start to soften, add chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes.

Brush some olive oil on a griddle. Add two tortillas to the griddle, and place cheese on each tortilla. Spoon some of the veggies on each tortilla. Top each with another tortilla to make the quesadilla. Once the tortillas start to brown a little on each side and the cheese has melted, they should be done.

Enjoy!

Panko Crusted Salmon

2007-07-19T17:44:00.000-05:00

I recently learned from my Dad that farm-raised salmon is terrible for you. The poor fish are fed all sorts of bad stuff, which in turn will end up in our bodies. Also, have you ever noticed that at the grocery store, the sign for farm-raised salmon always says "coloring added" - weird.

Anyways, the salmon in the picture above is wild salmon. Just so you know.

Panko Crusted Salmon
Serves 1

1 four-ounce salmon filet
1 T dijon mustard
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, add the panko and the dried herbs. Rub the dijon mustard on the top of the salmon filet. Then pack the seasoned panko crumbs on top of the mustard. Place salmon in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant

2007-07-19T17:33:00.000-05:00

A wonderful summer recipe!

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant
Serves 2-3

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T chopped fresh basil
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 thick rounds

Place first six ingredients in a gallon-size plastic bag. Add eggplant rounds to the bag. Make sure all of the eggplant gets coated with the marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Place eggplant rounds on heated grill. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

Tamarind Spiced Beans and Spinach

2007-07-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA from the blog lately. Work has been a bit crazy, but it's starting to calm down a bit. I've been cooking a lot, but nothing to write about. Finally, here is a recipe worth posting.

Tamarind Spiced Beans and Spinach
Serves 6

* 2 TB olive oil
* 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 11/2 tsp ground coriander
* pinch of cayenne
* 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 tsp evaporated cane juice sugar
* 1 tsp tamarind concentrate
* 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
* 1 can kidney beans, drained
* 1 (6 oz) package pre-washed baby spinach (about 6 cups)
* 1/4 tsp sea salt
* pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne to skillet and stir to coat onion with spices. Cook for one minute then add diced tomatoes, with their juice, water, sugar and tamarind concentrate. Stir to mix well. Add chickpeas and kidney beans and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods.

Strawberry-Banana Summer Smoothie

2007-07-08T14:03:00.001-05:00

I’ve been experimenting with different types of smoothies lately. I figure that summertime is the perfect time of the year to engage in such experimentation. After some disastrous versions, I’ve finally found one that rocks.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Serves one

½ cup vanilla or strawberry yogurt

½ cup frozen strawberries

1/3 cup skim milk

½ banana, sliced

Blueberries for garnish

Put all ingredients except for blueberries in a blender and blend. Serve in a tall glass with blueberries on top. YUMMY!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Chips

2007-07-04T15:20:00.001-05:00

First things first, the chicken in this photo is what is NOT important. It was very so-so, so I'm not going to even bother with the recipe. The zucchini chips on the other hand, were awesome. I'm not a big fan of zucchini, but I know that it's in season and is healthy, so I thought I would give it a shot. I tried to experiment with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) here, but they weren't as good as your regular bread crumbs. Also, I would wager a bet that if you have kids, the zucchini chips are a great way to have them eat veggies.

Zucchini Chips

1 medium sized zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 475.

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat your egg white. Dip each zucchini slice in the egg white and then dredge it in the bread crumb mixture and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turning once.

Enjoy!

Asian Cole Slaw

2007-07-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

Happy July 4th Everyone!!

Instead of making the usual mayonnaise based cole slaw for your BBQ today, try this one instead. It's some good stuff.

Asian Cole Slaw

1 pre-packaged bag cole slaw
1 1/2 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chili oil
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1 T chopped green onions (more if you'd like)
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients except cole slaw in a small bowl. Place slaw in a separate bowl and add the dressing over it. Coat the slaw well. Serve.

Enjoy!!

Pretty Pictures

2007-06-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

Just some pretty pictures from my weekend at the beach.

Chicken Satay

2007-06-16T20:08:00.001-05:00

Chicken Satay
Serves 12

2 T creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 T brown sugar
2 T curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T hot sauce
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed

In a large bowl, add everything but the chicken and mix well. Once mixed, add chicken and coat well with marinade. Marinate for a couple of hours. Place chicken on skewers and grill on high heat for about 5 mins. per side.

Sesame Noodles

2007-06-05T15:41:00.001-05:00

When my cousin Sana visited a couple of weeks ago, I made these sesame noodles. She loved them, and so did I. I don't think there were any leftovers of this one.

Sesame Noodles
Serves 2-3

1/2 package (8 oz) linguine pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T sugar
3 T olive oil
3 T rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T chili sauce
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Boil the pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, add pasta to a large bowl. While pasta is boiling, add garlic, sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce to a saucepan and bring to boil. Make sure that all the sugar dissolves. Pour sauce over linguine and toss to coat. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Dum Dum Shrimp

2007-06-05T15:39:00.000-05:00

I don't how I came up with the name of this dish, but I like it.

Dum Dum Shrimp
Serves 4

2 to 3 large garlic cloves
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. paprika
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Crush the garlic with some salt in a small bowl. Then add cayenne and paprika. Stir in oil and lemon juice to form a paste. Toss shrimp with this paste.

Grill the shrimp or broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

This is soooo good!

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

2007-06-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
Serves 2

1 large eggplant - cut into at least 6 half-inch rounds
6 to 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 bottle of your favorite tomato sauce
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Freshly torn basil

Brush each side of the eggplant rounds with olive oil, and salt and pepper the rounds. Place the rounds on the grill on medium-high heat. Allow the eggplant to grill around 10 mins on each side - just until the eggplant begins to char. Then add a slice of mozzarella to each slice of eggplant. Cover the grill and allow the mozzarella to melt. Once the mozzarella has melted remove the eggplant from the grill.

To assemble one serving of the eggplant parmesan, add some of your heated tomato sauce to the bottom of a dish, add one eggplant rounds, add tomato sauce on top of that, and repeat the process until you have three rounds with sauce drizzled on the top. Garnish with basil.

Enjoy!

Kichiri

2007-05-31T18:20:00.000-05:00

Kichiri is one of the ultimate Indian comfort foods. When I was growing up, Bibi would make kichiri and khaghina (tomato and egg scramble) for Sunday brunch. It was one of the best meals. So, of course, I wanted to make it. I made the kichiri, but didn’t make the khagina – for some reason my mom won’t give me that recipe. I’ll have to bug her about it. Anyways, I ended up eating the kichiri with Bibi’s tomato chutney. It tasted like home.

Kichiri

Serves 3-4

1 cup basmati rice
½ cup masoor daal (red lentils) – washed and set aside
½ cup chopped onions
¼ tsp. turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 T olive oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic

In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until they become soft and translucent. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Saute seasonings. Add rice and lentils. Add 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to boil, turn heat to low, cover and allow rice to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Tikka Masala

2007-05-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

Grilled Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 4

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 T olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cayenne
4 metal skewers or 10 to 12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes

Cut chicken breasts into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Combine with lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl combine yogurt, garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Mix well and add to chicken. Toss, cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours. Preheat grill. Tread chicken onto skewers. Grill for about 6-8 minutes. Turn frequently while grilling.

Fish Stew

2007-05-21T19:00:00.001-05:00

This fish stew from Simply Recipes has become a staple in my home. It is fantastic and easy. It can even be made with frozen fish. The only alteration I've made is the addition of fresh mushrooms, which really gives the stew some more heartiness.

Fish Stew
Serves 4

6 T olive oil
1 cup of chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, chopped (I used jarred minced garlic)
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup of fresh chopped tomato
1 cup of slice mushrooms
8 oz. of clam juice
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lbs. of fish fillet (tilapia and halibut are my favorites)
1/2 tsp. of dry oregano, thyme and pepper
2 tsp. tomato paste
Tabasco
Salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and saute 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, less than 10 minutes. Add seasoning.

Enjoy!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

2007-05-20T17:51:00.001-05:00

This, for me, is a summer time grilling staple. It's easy and delicious.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
Serves 4

4 cobs of corn

Shuck the heavy layers of the corn, leaving 2 or 3 thin layers. Also, be sure to remove the corn silk. Place on a hot grill. Grill for 25-30 minutes, rotating the cobs every few minutes. If the kernels start to become brown/black, don't worry, it's just the natural sugars in the corn caramelizing.

Enjoy!

Beef Satay - Indian Style

2007-05-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

It is an absolutely beautiful day in Washington, D.C.! It's a spring/summer day, the kind that makes you want to just sit outside and read a good book. It's also the first day that I fired up the grill. FINALLY! To inaugurate this event, I decided to grill something Indian - after all, this blog is called "Garam Masala." So, tah dah - here it is...

Beef Satay - Indian Style

1 lb. flank steak, cut into strips
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
2 T chopped cilantro
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
½ tsp. cumin powder
2 T olive oil
Bamboo skewers - soaked in water for at least 15 minutes

Mix everything in a bowl and marinate for at least 2 hours. Thread the beef strips onto the skewers. Place on grill. Takes about 3 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

Lacy Hash Browns

2007-05-13T17:14:00.000-05:00

Lacy Hash Browns

Serves 2

2 large russet potatoes, about 1 lb, peeled, rinsed, and patted dry

2 T unsalted butter

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Step 1: Using the largest holes of a box grater-shredder, shred the potatoes into a mound in the center of a kitchen towel. Fold the short ends of the towel together, overlapping them, to fully enclose the potatoes. Twist the towel insward from both ends and squeeze as hard as possible to remove as much water as you can.

Step 2: In a large cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 T of the the butter. When the butter has foamed and the foam has subsided, add the potatoes and spread them quickly into an even layer. Season with 1/2 tsp. seasoning, salt, and pepper, and use a wide, flat spatula to press down on the potatoes firmly. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, pressing down with the spatula occasionally, until the bottom is golden brown and crisp, 6-7 minutes.

Step 3: Place a large plate over the top of the frying pan and hold it very securely with one hand. Using an ovent mitt and a very firm grip on the handle of the frying pan with the other hand, quickly invert the potatoes onto the plate.

Step 4. Add the remaining 1 T butter to the pan and return to medium-high heat. When the foam has subsided, slide the potato cake back into the pan, cooked side up. Season with 1/2 tsp. seasoning, salt, and pepper, and use a wide, flat spatula to press down on the potatoes firmly. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, pressing down with the spatula occasionally, until the bottom is golden brown and crisp, 5-6 minutes.

Step 5: Transfer the hash browns to a cutting board or a platter and cut in half. Serve at once.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T16:36:00.000-05:00

Since I have been so delinquent in posting new recipes lately, I thought that at least a Mother's Day recipe was in order. So, for all of those mothers out there, here's some chicken piccata for you!

Chicken Piccata

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts - beaten thin with a mallet

1 T flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 T olive oil

1 large thinly sliced lemon, half-juiced

2 T butter

1 medium shallot, diced

1/3 cup white wine

1/3 cup chicken broth

2 T capers

Mix flour, paprika, and salt, and dredge the chicken breasts through the flour mixture. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the lemon slices to the skillet and cook 1 minute on each side, then set aside. Add chicken to the pan, and cook until golden brown, then set aside. Melt 1 T butter in the pan, add shallots, and cook until softened. Pour in wine and broth and bring to a boil. Stir in lemon juice, butter, and capers. Pour over chicken, and garnish with lemon slices.

Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Tofu

2007-05-03T18:26:00.000-05:00

I'm sticking with the Asian theme.

Coconut Curry Tofu

Serves 3

1 bunch green onions

8 oz. light coconut milk

2 T soy sauce

1/4 tsp. brown sugar

3/4 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. red curry paste

1/2 lb. firm tofu, cut into cubes

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white button mushrooms, sliced

2 T chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil

Salt to taste

Handful of chopped cilantro

Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2 inch pieces. In a large pot over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 1 1/2 T soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and curry paste. Bring to a boil.

Stir in tofu, tomatoes, green pepper, mushrooms, and the finely chopped green onion. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Add chopped cilantro. Continue cooking 5 minutes. Garnish with remaining green onion.

Enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from All Recipes)

Thai Ground Beef

2007-04-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

Because Dianthus' Meatballs - SE Asia Style were so darn good, I wanted to try another Thai dish. This time I made Thai ground beef. While the ground beef tasted really good, it was too much work for me to make this again. But I recommend you try it at least once.

Thai Ground Beef

Serves 4

1 T olive oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic (bottled minced garlic is preferred here)

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. red curry paste

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 T brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. lime juice

1 T Asian fish sauce

Chopped cilantro

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute for five minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Add beef and cook until lightly browned. Stir in curry paste and tomato sauce; cook until half of liquid evaporates. Add milk, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce and cook until slightly thickened. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Enjoy!

Chocolatey Cheesecake Squares

2007-04-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

I baked today. Most people who know me know that while I love to eat sweets, I am not very good at making them. But, I decided to give it a shot today. The reason I did it is because tomorrow is Secretary's Day and we are having a party in our office and instead of bringing in a ready-made dessert, I thought it would be fun to bring in something that I made. The secretaries in my office are good to me and I just wanted to do something special for them.

This looks good. I haven't tasted it yet though.

Maybe I'm scared...

Chocolatey Cheesecake Squares
12 squares

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 T butter, melted
2 (8 oz.) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 T all-purpose flour
1 T vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 oz. semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place crumbs in a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray; drizzle with butter. Toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom of pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 8 mins. Cook on a wire rack.

Place cheeses in a large bowl; beat with mixer at high speed until smooth. Add sugar and flour; beat well. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat until well-blended. Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan.

Place chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high for 90 seconds, stirring after 45 seconds. Stir until smoot. Drop melted chocolate onto cheese mixture to form 9 mounds. Swirl chocolate into batter using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 mins or until almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

Burned Scallops and Tasty Tamarind Sauce

2007-04-17T18:59:00.000-05:00

I had these grand plans to make Cumin Scented Scallops with a Spicy Tamarind Sauce, but unfortunately, I couldn’t. You want to know why? I’ll tell you why – it’s because I can’t sear anything!! The scallops turned black within a couple of minutes – it was a disaster!! Anyways, I did make the sauce (before I burned the poor scallops), which was quite yummy. You can serve the sauce with fish or chicken. The recipe is below.

Spicy Tamarind Sauce

½ T tamarind paste
3 tablespoons water
2 T chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 serrano pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.
Yield: 1/2 cup (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Garam Machi

2007-04-14T15:12:00.000-05:00

I usually will only eat fish at a restaurant. That's because I'm not very good at preparing fish at home. Either it's undercooked or overcooked, but never quite right. But I think I've finally fixed that problem. I made this dish last night for dinner and it was pretty good. I served it with Muju's zucchini.

Garam Machi
Serves 2

1 T finely chopped cilantro
1/2 T finely chopped shallots
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 6-ounce cold fillets

Combine the first 8 ingredients (cilantro through salt & pepper) in a small bowl, stirring to form a paste. Place cod fillets in a shallow baking dish and coat the top of the fish with the cilantro mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange fish on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray, and place rack in pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork.

(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

Meatballs and Spinach - SE Asia Style

2007-04-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

My friend Dianthus moved to Bangkok a few months ago, and ever since she got there, she has been writing posts about all the delicious Thai food that she gets to eat. I'm so jealous.

Recently, she has been experimenting with different Asian recipes and came up with a recipe for Meatballs - SE Asia Style. These were some damn good meatballs (I made them using ground chicken). I ate them with some spinach, which of course I had to name "Spinach - SE Asia Style." The spinach recipe is below.

Spinach – SE Asia Style

1 T sesame oil

1 tsp. chili oil

6 oz. spinach

½ red bell pepper, sliced

½ tsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 T soy sauce

½ tsp. sesame seeds

In a sauté pan, heat oil, and then add ginger. Cook the ginger for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add chili oil. Add the bell pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. Add spinach to the pan. Allow the spinach to wilt down. Add soy sauce to the spinach and cook for another couple of minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve hot. Enjoy!

Grilled Eggplant with Tamarind Raita

2007-04-07T13:39:00.001-05:00

Grilled Eggplant with Tamarind Raita
Serves 2

Eggplants are funny. Not many people like them because they really don’t know what to do with them. Of course, you can make a splendid baba ghanoush with eggplant or you can enjoy it a little spicier as baigan bhartha. Personally, I like eggplant grilled. The natural flavors of the purple veggie are brought out this way, and it really is tasty. Of course, you have to dress it a little bit, and this tamarind raita does the job.

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds (I used baby eggplants b/c that's all I had)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt
¼ tsp. tamarind paste
1 T finely chopped red onion
½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brush each side of the sliced eggplant rounds with the olive oil. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and pepper. Heat a grill on medium-high heat, and place the eggplant rounds on the grill. Grill each side for roughly 5 minutes. While the eggplant is grilling, add tamarind paste, red onion, lemon juice and jalapeno to the plain yogurt and mix well. Salt to taste. Serve the grilled eggplant with the raita.

Enjoy!

Banana Bread

2007-04-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

I had a hankering for banana bread not too long ago. This one that I made was incredibly moist and delicious. I adapted it from the Williams-Sonoma Banana-Raisin Bread recipe. I'm not big on raisins, so I omitted them from the recipe. But if you want, you can put them in.

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

3 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional: 1 1/4 cup raisins

Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, preferably nonstick. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and if you're using them, raisins. Mix thoroughly. In another bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the bananas, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined and chunky. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the bread is firm and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Mirchi Corn

2007-04-02T18:40:00.000-05:00

In India, from what I’m told, the street vendors sell grilled corn on the cob slathered with lime or lemon, salt, and cayenne pepper. Apparently, it’s an amazing, and spicy, treat. Because I haven’t yet dusted the winter cobwebs off my grill, I decided that I would make a stovetop version of this street food.

Mirchi Corn
Serves 2

1 15.5 oz. can of corn niblets, drained
2 T olive oil
2 dried red chilies
1 tsp. finely diced jalapeno
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
2 T chopped cilantro

In a medium size skillet, heat the oil, sliced garlic, and the dried red chilies. Once the garlic starts to brown slightly, add the corn, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, jalapeno, and salt. Sautee for about 5-7 minutes – just so that all the spices blend well together. Add the lime or lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

This is a great side dish. Just be sure to have something to cold to drink while you are eating it.
Enjoy!

Beef Stir-Fry

2007-03-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

The problem that I find with stir-fry is that either the sauce that I use is too sweet (such as Soy Vay) or the sauce that I make myself is not too flavorful. But I think I have finally conquered that problem. The following is a recipe that I have adapted from Simply Recipes. The All-Purpose Stir-Fry sauce is fantastic. I highly recommend that everyone try this recipe at least once. Of course, you can substitute any meat/seafood/tofu in the place of the flank steak.

Beef Stir-Fry
Serves 2

2 T vegetable oil
1/2 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 lb. flank steak, sliced into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 medium sized onion, sliced

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes

1 tsp. of cornstarch dissolved into 1.5 T of water

Stir Fry Sauce

3 T Soy Sauce

1 tsp. minced ginger

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. chili oil

1. In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Parboil the asparagus for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

2. Prepare the stir fry sauce and set aside.

3. In a wok, heat 1 T of vegetable oil and stir fry asparagus for 2 minutes and then remove and set aside.

4. Add 1 T more of oil to the wok. Add sliced onions and stir fry until slightly soft. Then add beef strips and stiry fry the beef for 2-3 minutes. Add the bell pepper to the pan and toss over high heat until just beginning to wilt, 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir-fry sauce to the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. Return asparagus to the pan and the add the chili flakes. Toss the aparagus so that the sauce evenly coats.

Serve with rice or with a salad. Enjoy!

Egg Muffins

2007-03-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

Any kind of Egg Muffins

(Makes about 12 muffins)

These are a common food item for most South Beach dieters. I just like them because they are easy, can be prepared ahead of time and frozen, and provide a quick and healthy breakfast.

If you decide to make large batches of these, you can freeze them. When ready to eat, just allow them to defrost for an hour or two, pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes and there you go! If you only make a dozen or so, they keep well in the refrigerator for about a week. Just heat them in the morning in the microwave and enjoy!

One dozen eggs or 24 oz. egg beaters

2 T diced red bell pepper or green bell pepper

3 T chopped green onion

1 cup of shredded cheese – preferably cheddar cheese or pepper jack if you like a bit of heat.

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

2 T milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add tin foil liners to a muffin pan. Pour egg mixture into each of the tin muffin liners. Heat in the oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Curried Noodle Patties

2007-03-25T08:51:00.000-05:00

This is a dish that Heidi from 101 Cookbooks came up with. I tried it a few days ago and thought it was fantastic. The key to getting the perfect shape on this is using egg rings - definitely use them if you have them.

Enjoy!

Khutti Daal

2007-03-20T11:15:00.000-05:00

Before my mom left, she showed me how to make two very traditional Hyderabadi dishes - Khutti Daal and Chicken Korma. These are probably my two very favorite Indian dishes, and no restaurant can make them as good as my mom can.

Khutti Daal

Serves 2

1/2 cup masoor daal (orangey-pink lentil)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 T chopped cilantro

4 or 5 curry leaves

1 serrano chili - chopped

2 T lemon juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 to 3 dried red chilis

In a pot, add lentils and cover with water (water should be about an inch above the lentils). Boil the lentils until they get slightly tender, then add salt, cayenne, turmeric, and garlic powder. Allow the lentil mixture to boil for another five minutes - until the lentils have soaked up most of the water. Using a hand blender, puree the lentils. Add 1/2 cup of water, cilantro, serrano chili, and lemon juice. Allow the lentils to simmer for another 10 minutes.

While the lentils are simmering, add oil, cumin seeds, and red chilis to a small pan. Once the seeds begin to brown and pop, add the oil mixture to the lentils. Simmer another 5 minutes. That's it!

Muju's Okra (or Zucchini)

2007-03-19T18:32:00.000-05:00

My aunt up in Baltimore made this dish for me and my mom when we visited, but she used zucchini instead. Needless to say, the dish was fantastic and that's why I wanted to put it on the website. Except I didn't have any zucchini, only okra. It worked just as well.

Muju's Okra (or Zucchini)

1 lb. fresh cut okra or zucchini (can use frozen cut as well)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced

In a pot, heat the oil; then add the onions, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, ginger, and garlic. Mix well for about 7 minutes, until the onion soften. Add the okra or zucchini. Cook for another 10-15 minutes - stirring often. Serve with naan or basmati rice.

Hot and Sour Soup

2007-03-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

My mom is in town, so yesterday I tried this hot and sour soup recipe on her. Definitely a keeper. You might have to adjust the chili oil to suit your taste though. We like it spicy in my household.

Hot and Sour Soup
Serves 4

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup water

1 small can of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup of bamboo shoots

3 slices fresh ginger root

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

14 oz. extra frim tofu, cut into thin strips

1 T sesame oil

2 green onions, chopped

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

3 T rice wine vinegar

2 T cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp. chili oil

In a suacepan, combine the chicken broth, water, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer.

Place the tofu strips into a bowl and toss with the sesame oil to coat. In a separate bowl, stir together the cornstarch and vinegar, and set aside.

Increase the heat under the broth to medium-high, and return to a rolling boil. Add the tofu strips. Return to a boil, and then drizzle in the egg while stirring slowly to create long strands of egg. Stir in the vinegar and corstarch mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until broth has thickened slightly. Add chili oil. Serve garnised with green onions and cilantro.

Spinach and Cheese Samosas

2007-03-11T18:08:00.000-05:00

These are not the traditional samosas you will find in an Indian restaurant. But they are just as good.

Spinach and Cheese Samosas
Makes 18

1 package of frozen puff pastry sheets
1 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup onions, finely diced
1/4 tsp. each of ground cumin, ground coriander, and chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Thaw the puff pastry sheets per the directions on the box. Defrost the frozen chopped spinach and drain all the water from the spinach before cooking. In a pan, heat the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion becomes soft. Then add the spinach, and the cumin, coriander, chili powder and salt. Saute for 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

After the puff pastry has thawed, remove it from the packaging and open up a sheet of puff pastry. This is what it should look like:

With a rolling pin, roll out the creases from the puff pastry sheet. Cut the sheet into 9 even squares - about 2 " x 2 ". Dab the edges of the squares with some water. In the center of each square, add a spoonful of the spinach mixture and top it with some shredded cheese. Then fold over the filled square into a triangle. Score the edges with a fork. Repeat the same procedure for the second sheet of puff pastry.

Place the samosas in a preheated 400 degree oven for 18 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kofta Korma

2007-03-07T18:30:00.000-05:00

Leftover Koftas (see below)

Trader Joe's Korma Simmer Sauce

=

Kofta Curry

Chutney Pasta with Mini Koftas

2007-03-07T18:24:00.000-05:00

Generally, Indians like pasta. Though, we just don’t like your basic marinara sauce or pesto to go along with the pasta. We have to doctor it up somehow. My cousin in NY doctors his pasta by adding chopped jalapenos and diced chicken, and my mom smothers her pasta with butter, cheese, and a TON of black pepper. Basically, we need spice.

This is my doctored pasta recipe. I added mini koftas to the fray and they turned out to be quite good.

Enjoy!

Chutney Pasta
8 oz. cooked spaghetti
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
4 or 5 dried red chilies
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
Handful of chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

In a medium pot, heat the oil, cumin, mustard, coriander and red chilies until the seeds begin to brown and pop. Add the diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

Mini Koftas

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
¼ tsp. cumin powder
¼ tsp. coriander powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 serrano chili, finely diced
¼ tsp. salt
Chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Form meat mixture into mini meatballs. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and put them in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.

If you want, you can freeze the koftas also and use them in a curry.

Goan Prawn Balchao (from Cook’s Cottage)

2007-03-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

This is a fantastic, and spicy, shrimp recipe from Jyotsna at Cook’s Cottage.

Jyotsna recommends eating this with steamed rice or crusty bread. I opted for the latter, which was an excellent decision on my part b/c the bread just soaked in all of the yummy spiciness.

The Countless Ways to Use Black Beans

2007-02-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

Ok…it’s really the countless variations of one really good black bean dish that I can make. But that title would have been too long.

Prepare black beans according to this recipe. Place beans in a soup bowl, add some shredded cheddar cheese on top, and a sunny-side up egg. Add sour cream or salsa as a garnish and chow down!

Instead of egg, you can add 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into cubes.

Instead of egg or chicken, you can add shrimp. Just sauté them in some olive oil and garlic until they become opaque and add them to the black beans.

Instead of egg, chicken or shrimp….well, be creative and let me know what you decide on.

Enjoy!

WAH DAY!

2007-02-27T09:39:00.000-05:00

I always have these great plans to cook a splendid meal for Oscar night. I think about the menu, and the dessert that I would bravely attempt. I go so far as to purchase all of the ingredients the day before the big event, so as not to detract from my task at hand on the day of. But something always inevitably happens to me the morning of the Academy Awards. This sort or…

Culinary Let Down…

This is how the "culinary let down" plays out for most people (or maybe just one person in particular, who happens to live on the East Coast, maybe…like…say Maryland, for instance...)

You wake up groggy, engage in your morning ritual of coffee and, since it is a Sunday, eat a breakfast, which doesn’t consist of a cheese stick. Then, you plop yourself down on the couch in anticipation of the big awards show. Mind you, this is about 10 hours before the actual show starts. By the time you should begin preparing your meticulously planned meal, your eyes are heavy from t.v. watching or reading, your legs are tingly from having a 16 pound cat on them for most of the day, and the only real task which your hands want to engage in is pushing the buttons on a phone to order take out. Before you know it, the pizza man is at your front door and you are handing over your money as if in a trance. The thin crust mushroom and jalapeno pizza is tasty. But not as tasty as the meal you should have prepared had you gotten your butt off the couch and into the kitchen. You eventually succumb to the fact that you are... LAZY!

And then you realize, two hours into the Oscar show, that it really is a boring Awards show, and that spending inordinate amounts of time preparing a meal for a show which features a pilobolus act is not really worth it. You realize that it’s ok that you didn’t make your meal because you would be wasting fresh ingredients and your valuable t.v. time cooking in honor of a show that, well…sucks.

Instead, you decide to save your precious ingredients and valuable time for a WAH Day!

Achar Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

3 T vegetable oil

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. ginger paste

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

1 ½ tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 dried red chili

1 garlic clove, sliced thinly

Juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. turmeric

1 cup water

Part I:

In a medium-sized pot, add chicken, minced garlic, ginger paste, cayenne pepper, salt, turmeric and 1 cup of water. Simmer until chicken is tender – approximately 10 minutes.

Once the chicken is tender, add ground cumin and coriander, and the juice of 1 lemon. Simmer until the water has evaporated.

Part II:

In a small pan, heat on low 3 T of vegetable oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry chili pepper, and sliced garlic cloves. Once the seeds start to brown, add the entire oil mixture over the chicken. Allow the chicken to cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or naan.

Bombay Potatoes

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 T Olive Oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 green chili, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Chopped fresh cilantro

Boil the cubed potatoes until tender - about 8-10 minutes. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, brown the cumin seeds, then add green chili and minced ginger. Add cayenne pepper and ground coriander. Add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, and cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve warm.

French Onion Salisbury Steak with Cheese Toast

2007-02-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

I got this recipe in the mail. Who knew it would go in my favorites pile??

French Onion Salisbury Steak (adapted from Cuisine At Home)

Serves 4

1 lb. ground beef

¼ cup fresh minced parsley

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

2 T all-purpose flour

1 T olive oil

2 cups onions, sliced

1 tsp. sugar

1 T garlic, minced

1 T tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

¼ dry red wine

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dried thyme

Combine the ground beef, parsley, salt and pepper. Make 4 one-inch oval patties. Place 1 T of flour in a shallow dish and dredge each patty through the flour. Heat 1 T of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and sauté 3 mins on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan. Add onions and sugar to pan; sauté five minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; sauté 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle onions with 1 T flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and wine, then add the salt & thyme. Return meat to pan and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, simmer 10 mins .

***Ahhh...two steaks in love....

Serve the steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup laded over.

Cheese Toasts

4 slices French bread or baguette, cut diagonally (1/2 inch thick)

2 T softened butter

½ tsp. garlic, minced

¼ cup Swiss Cheese (I didn’t have any, so I just used the parmesan)

1 T grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on a baking sheet.

Combine butter and garlic and spread on one side of each slice of bread.

Combine cheeses and sprinkle evenly over butter.

Bake until bread is crisp and cheese is bubbly.

WAH Day – Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro Sauce

2007-02-20T20:14:00.000-05:00

Chicken Kebabs (patty-style)

1 lb. ground chicken or beef

¼ cup chopped onion

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 tsp. dried mint

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ tsp. salt

Preheat broiler. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Form mixture into 4 hamburger-sized patties. Broil patties for 12 to 14 minutes. Serve the patties with the sauce below.

Spicy Cilantro Sauce – can be eaten with fish or chicken (I think that this recipe comes from FOOD & WINE magazine)

½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves

2 shallots, chopped

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 tsp grated fresh gingerroot

½ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes

¼ cup plus 1 T water

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 T soy sauce

2 T fresh lemon juice

Have ready a bowl of ice water. In a small saucepan of boiling water blanch cilantro and parsley 10 seconds and drain in a sieve. Refresh herbs in ice water and drain in sieve. (I omitted this step because, really, who has the time?).

In a small nonstick skillet, cook shallots, garlic, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes in 1 T water and oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until shallots are softened.

In a blender, puree shallot mixture, herbs, remaining ¼ cup water, and soy sauce until smooth, about 1 minute, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring sauce to room temp before serving. THIS IS KEY!

Just before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

*Did she not think that I could see her eyeing the bowl?

Bibi's Bhendi and Saffron Orzo

2007-02-20T08:56:00.000-05:00

After eating mostly junk this past weekend, I wanted something semi-healthy and spicy. I decided on Bibi’s Bhendi with some saffron orzo.

Bibi used to make bhendi for me when I was a child. I LOVED her bhendi – the blend of the odd-textured okra with the spices and tamarind was too good even for a young kid like myself, who did not care for green vegetables, to pass up. Every time I make this dish now, I think of Bibi cooking in the kitchen and me alongside as her sous chef. She encouraged me so much in the kitchen, it was awesome. Sometimes I think that I enjoy cooking so much because it gives me time to just remember her.

Bibi’s Bhendi (Indian Style Okra)

3 T chopped onions

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Handful of chopped cilantro

Serrano chili, diced

3 tomatoes – chopped

1 lb okra, sliced in half-inch pieces (I use frozen cut okra – it’s easier and tastes just as good)

½ tsp tamarind paste (you can find this in any Asian supermarket or at Whole Foods)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 T water

Heat oil in a medium-sized pot; add onions and sautee until soft. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cilantro, and Serrano chili and simmer until tomatoes are soft. This should take about 5-7 minutes. Add okra, water, and tamarind, and simmer until okra is soft. Stir often. This should take about 10 minutes. Serve with the orzo (recipe below) or with basmati rice.

Saffron Orzo (adapted from Giada DeLaurentis)

5 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 pound dried orzo
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, bringing the stock to a simmer. Add the saffron, stir, and allow the saffron to bloom, about 5 minutes. Return the heat to medium and the stock to a boil, then add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain orzo and transfer to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Toss to combine.

Yield: 6 servings

Out of the Kitchen

2007-02-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week, but I haven't been doing much cooking on account of being busy with my real job and being out of town for the long weekend. But I promise to return next week with some good eats.

This is what you can look forward to next week:
Dhesi Chicken patties
Bibi's Bhendi (Indian Okra)
Eggs with Tomato Curry

Stay tuned...

Wishful Thinking

2007-02-13T16:10:00.000-05:00

Right now, there are bits of ice spitting from the sky and creating a frozen pond-like effect on the driveway. If this was happening in another part of the country, I would think it was pretty. But it's not. It's happening here.

Needless to say, I wish I was in a warmer climate, eating tacos and sipping frozen drinks.

Instead, I'm sitting in a frigid climate, eating tacos and sipping frozen drinks...not bad.

Black Bean Tacos with Guacamole
Serves 2

Black Bean Tacos
1 15.5 oz can of black beans
1 T olive or vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4-6 hard shell tacos, or flour or corn tortillas

For taco fixings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Any kind of salsa

1. In a medium sized pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and sautee until they are soft.
3. Add the black beans, bell pepper, tomato, cumin, chili powder and salt. Mix well and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
4. While the beans are simmering, heat the hard tacos per the directions on the box. If using flour or corn tortillas, heat for 2-3 minutes in a 425 degree oven.
5. When the beans are done, place a heaping spoonful of beans in the taco shell or tortilla first, then add your choice of fixings, and then add the guacamole last.

Guacamole

1 avocado, ripe
1 T diced onion
1 T diced tomato
1 tsp. diced jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
¼ tsp salt

Remove the flesh of the avocado and place it in a small bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well. Don’t make the avocado smooth – leave it a little chunky, it tastes better that way.

Mom's Black Pepper Chicken

2007-02-11T19:05:00.000-05:00

In the past few years, my mom has become quite an amazing cook. This recipe comes from her extensive repertoire of delicious foods.

Mom's Black Pepper Chicken

1 whole cut up chicken (2 lbs)
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger, minced
2 T whole black pepper
4 T Olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1.5 tsp white vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped

1. Wash chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in large pan, and add onions. Sautee the onions until they become soft.
3. Add the chicken pieces, garlic, ginger, and whole black pepper.
4. Cook the chicken until it becomes lightly browned.
5. Add ground pepper, vinegar, tomato – sautee and simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is tender.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Curry

2007-02-11T11:26:00.001-05:00

The other day I was dreaming about going home and making some chipotle burgers. I even went so far as to tell all my coworkers that my dinner would be some spicy burgers with sweet potato fries. But when I got home…the meat was rancid. Yup, that “Good Before…” date said “Good Before 2/5/07” UGH! The meat smelled pretty atrocious. Because I was starving and I had my heart set on cooking, I had to come up with another dish using only the ingredients I had available in my pathetic looking fridge. This is what I made…

Looks pretty good, huh?

Shrimp Curry
Serves 4

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
5 fresh curry leaves
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tomato chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp
¼ cup water
2 T chopped cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

2. Add the onions and cook until they are soft. Then add the curry leaves, garlic, ginger, salt and coriander. Mix all the ingredients in the pan.

3. Add the turmeric, salt, tomato, cayenne pepper, shrimp, cilantro, and water.

4. Reduce the heat to medium cook for 5-7 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through.

You can serve this with naan or rice.

Gallery Restaurant and Lounge

2007-02-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

Gallery Restaurant and Lounge is a fairly new eatery in Silver Spring. It has received great reviews for its Nuevo Latino cuisine. Since the once up-and-coming Silver Spring has now sprung, it feels urban enough to have its own Restaurant Week, and guess which restaurant was on the list…exactly. So, on Friday night, we braved the cold to try out the goods at Gallery, and it was worth it.

My first impression when I walked into the restaurant was “Wow, I’m so not hip enough to be here.” That impression basically remained throughout our entire 2 hour meal. The restaurant is built in an old factory building. The first floor has a lounge/bar type atmosphere. The second floor is the restaurant/dance floor/VIP area. Yup, it even has a VIP area! As you can imagine, after seeing all of this, I figured that the food would be subpar – that the restaurant was more interested in maintaining an atmosphere of hip-ness rather than food-ness. I was wrong. The food was actually quite good.

M decided to order off of the regular menu, which meant mostly tapas, and I decided to go with the Restaurant Week menu. I started with the Chicken Chili Soup, which came with fancy looking tortilla chips and sour cream. The soup was good, not great. It could have had a bit more kick to it.

For my entrée, I ordered the latin version of Moules Frites, which was mussels with fried yucca. The mussels were fantastic!! They were juicy and fresh, and the fried yucca was perfect as well. I could have just sopped up all of the mussel broth with the fried yucca, and I tried, but it didn’t work out as well as I was hoping.

For dessert, I was wavering between the guava cheesecake and the Mexican chocolate ice cream. Just guess which one I chose…YUP, I went with the ice cream. It was soooo good – very creamy, with almond slivers, shaved chocolate pieces, and a mélange of spices.

Overall, our meal was great. We decided we would go back to Gallery again – just maybe on the earlier side, so we don’t feel so unhip.

Garlicky Pastaragus

2007-02-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

If you want garlic oozing from your pores, this easy weeknight meal should do the trick.

Garlicky Pastaragus
Serves 2

8 oz. cooked penne or fusilli pasta
5 or 6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 lb of asparagus, cut into one inch pieces
2 T grated parmesan cheese
Salt, to taste

1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium high heat.
2. Let garlic brown slightly, but don't let it burn.
3. Add asparagus, and sautee until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add chili flakes and stir.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the asparagus sautee and mix together well.
6. Add parmesan to the pasta and mix well.

Enjoy!

Tony's Take On...

2007-02-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

Anthony Bourdain enlightens us with his take on the Food Network Chefs.

b/t/w - his views on Sandra Lee are spot on!

BRRRR!!!

2007-02-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

It’s FREEZING in D.C. today. It’s sooo cold that your nose hairs can even gather icicles. In light of this ghastly weather, I decided that some nice spicy chicken chili was needed to ward off the cold weather blues, and clear the sinuses, of course. You can make this chili with ground beef, but I often make it with ground chicken, just because it’s healthier. You can buy ground chicken at Whole Foods Market or if you are really adventurous, you can make it yourself in a food processor using skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Also, you can adjust the spice level to your taste.

Q’s Chicken Chili
Serves 4

1 lb ground chicken (or ground beef)
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can whole tomatoes
1 packet McCormick’s Chili Seasoning

1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
Shredded cheddar cheese
Jalapeno peppers from a jar – chopped
Hot Sauce to taste

In a large pot, cook the chicken or beef; once the meat is cooked, add the Chili Seasoning packet, the can of kidney beans, the can of tomatoes, and the bell pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add onion, cheddar cheese, jalapeno peppers as toppings. If you prefer, you can cook the onions with the ground meat at the beginning of the process - that way, you don't have to contend with raw onion breath.

Eggspectation = Eggcellent!!!

2007-02-04T13:50:00.000-05:00

My friend Glick was in town this weekend, so on Saturday morning, we met up with him for brunch. Since he is oh-so-accommodating, he agreed to meet us in Silver Spring. After much deliberation, i.e., two minutes, we decided to go to Eggspectation!!! I LOVE eggs (which could be a factor in my high cholesterol, don’t you think?). I love eggs over pasta; I love eggs with rice; I love eggs with black beans; I love them scrambled, omelette’d, or sunny-side up. The best is having a sunny-side egg with the runny yoke, and dumping some Tabasco on it, then using some crusty bread to sop up all the runny goodness – damn that’s good!

Ok, back to Eggspectation…there are only four Eggspectations in the U.S. (and surprisingly, two in India) and we are blessed to have one of those four only a mile from the house. The line was atrocious when we got there, so by the time we were seated, about 45 minutes later, we were all starving.

I ordered the Oy Vegg, which is what I usually get from there because it is sooo good. The menu describes it as this: Potato Latkes with two eggs (any style), grilled tomatoes, and sour cream, served with chef’s fruit garnish. You’re such a “Mensch”. Because I love the runny yoke, I ordered my eggs sunny-side up. It was fantastic! All the yummy goodness with sour cream and latkes – you can just imagine. I ordered some turkey bacon on the side because their TB is usually much better than anywhere else, i.e., not card-boardy. Unfortunately, the TB was cold this time around, but it still tasted decent.

Anyways, I urge anyone who has the opportunity to go to an Eggspectation to go – it’s too good to pass up!

Date with Me, Myself, and I

2007-02-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

I was on my own for dinner tonight. This basically meant SUSHI for me!!! Most people have trouble going to a restaurant by themselves because they are afraid of looking sad and pathetic to other patrons…but I’m not most people. I have no problem sitting at a table by me lonesome with a great book and a plate of yummy food in front of me. I could sit for hours reading and eating. But alas, I don't have the luxury of such time. The two girls at home needed to be fed their chicken giblet dinner (topped w/ tuna flavored prozac, of course), so my time was slightly constrained.

Tonight I opted for spending my free time at Sushi Jin in Silver Spring. Sushi Jin is a fairly new restaurant in the area and of course, if they have great food and a knowledgeable and courteous wait staff, I’ll support the newbies in town.

By the time I left work tonight, I was starving. So, I grabbed my book (Murder in Amsterdam – it’s a little heavy), my fat coat, gloves and beanie, and headed out for my own personal date.

When I got to the restaurant, it was fairly early still, so they offered me a booth. I started with Seafood Gyogo, which are pan-fried dumplings filled with minced seafood. Hmm....not so much. While the taste was good, the texture threw me - papery. For my sushi, I ordered a shrimp tempura roll, a spicy tuna roll, and salmon sashimi. All of the sushi was excellent, and the salmon was so fresh and velvety! I loved it. Overall, it was a very good meal.

Leah was a little suspicious of my delay in getting home this evening. Maybe the smell of raw fish on my fingers didn’t help. She eyed me suspiciously all night…

Not My Grandma's Indian Food - But Close

2007-01-31T20:51:00.000-05:00

I’ve been craving some real home cooked Indian food like you wouldn’t believe. Since my mom isn’t coming to visit until March, and the local Indian restaurants are only good for your token idli sambar and dosa (b/t/w Udupi Palace in Takoma Park is great for this token food), I figured I would have to prepare a decent Indian meal myself. So, I made some chicken biryani and tomato chutney. Bibi’s chicken biryani recipe would have taken me all day to prepare and since I’m much too impatient when I’m hungry to spend more than one hour cooking, I found a quickie biryani recipe on the BBC Foods website. I have to say, it wasn’t half bad.

Quickie Chicken Biryani

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
½ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cardamon pods
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp ground cumin
2oz butter
7oz rice
1 chicken stock cube
Cilantro to garnish

1. Slice the chicken into pieces about 1.5cm/¼in thick.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook until it softens.
3. Add the chicken slices to the pan along with the garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes.
4. Into the pan add the turmeric, cardamon pods, coriander seeds and ground cumin.
5. Add the butter, let it melt then add the rice.
6. Coat the rice in the butter and spices then cover with boiling water.
7. Add the stock cube, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
8. Garnish with cilantro.

Most people accompany raita (yogurt dish) with biryani, but I like tomato chutney. It’s spicy and so tasty.

Tomato Chutney

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. salt

Handful of chopped cilantro

3 T. cooking oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

2 to 3 dried red chilies

4 or 5 curry leaves

1. Heat oil in a pot.

2. Add all the seeds and red chilies in the pot. Let the seeds brown.

3. Once the seeds start to brown, add the rest of the ingredients in the pot, cover the lid, and simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

4. You’ll know it’s done when it has a chutney consistency – most of the liquid has evaporated.

I Heart Wegmans

2007-01-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

What is Wegmans? Oh you poor souls that don’t know….You really are missing out. Wegmans is a foodie’s paradise. It is Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s/Safeway/Balducci’s wrapped into one. It is beautiful…masterful…sumptuous….ahhhh….

It’s also a market that I can only visit a few times a year since it is 70 miles away! I recall reading in the Washington Post, many months ago, that a new Wegman’s was opening in Hunt Valley, near Baltimore, Maryland. Hundreds of customers started to line up outside the doors at 5:30 am on the day of the grand opening, as if they were attending a rock concert with general seating. They just wanted to be the first ones to step inside the brand new Wegmans.

Anyways, I recently found out that a Wegmans will be opening near me sometime in the near future. I can’t wait! In my college days, I would stand in line at 5 am just to get concert tickets – now, I may stand in line at 5 am to get into a fantastic grocery store…woohoo!

Ah, how times have changed.

Check out the Wegman's website for some tasty recipes - http://www.wegmans.com

C-Flower Dilemma

2007-01-30T18:44:00.000-05:00

I think that coming up with a tasty vegetable side dish is hard. I mean, you want to keep the healthy part of the vegetable involved in the recipe (i.e., no deep-frying, cheese toppings, etc.), but you also want it to be more than edible, right?

So, yesterday, I had to work with some leftover cauliflower. There are only a couple of things that you can do with cauliflower: steam it or puree it. In my opinion, both of those options stink. So, I opted for roasting –with some turmeric, ginger, and tomatoes. Not great, but not bad either.

Roasted Gobi

1 T olive oil

Handful of grape tomatoes or 2 tomatoes, diced

Jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 T mustard seed

1 tsp. minced ginger

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Place on baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Roast for 30 to 4o minutes; stir occasionally.

WAH Day

2007-01-24T19:54:00.000-05:00

Tuesdays are my work-at-home days. This would, theoretically, allow me to spend more than a half-hour preparing dinner, since there is no commute time to contend with or any real fatigue resulting from a long day at the office. So, instead of boiling up some pasta and having that for dinner, I could, theoretically of course, roast a tenderloin, or something of the sort. Well, yesterday I worked at home, and this is what I made….

I know…I know…but at least I made my own sauce. I could lie and say that the sauce took a couple of hours to make, but it really only took 20 minutes.

My cousin’s former nanny taught me this oh-so-simple sauce recipe. I did tweak it, of course, since the one she made was for two toddlers – hence, no real seasoning. Anyways, I figured I should give credit where it is due – so, thanks Lydia (wherever you are).

Oh-So Simple Pasta Sauce
Serves 2

2 T olive oil
12 oz. or 1 small carton grape tomatoes – sliced in half
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Fresh torn basil
Fresh torn parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in medium-sized sauce pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and cook until it is golden, but not brown or black (that is bad). Then, add the tomatoes. Let them cook down. It should take about 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring during this time. 3. Add crushed red pepper. Stir.
4. Add parsley and basil and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve over any kind of pasta you want (I prefer spaghetti – the sauce sticks better).

* By the way, if you notice from the pasta picture above, I added chicken to the pasta. It was just some leftover cooked chicken, but it tasted yummy.

Cube Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms

2007-01-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

I don’t often eat steak. I mean sometimes I love to go to a Steakhouse and eat a nice juicy NY Strip, but it doesn’t happen a lot – not only because it can be costly, but also because it doesn’t do as much for me as I would like. That being said, there are times when I do crave a steak at home, but don’t feel like fussing with a big ol’ piece of meat. That’s when I grill a cube steak, and pair it with some sautéed button mushrooms. Cube steak isn’t a popular piece of meat. I don’t know why exactly. It’s simply a cut of beef that is tenderized in a big way. Cube steak is also fairly cheap and you can even buy Kosher cube steak, if you are so inclined (I prefer to do so because the meat looks prettier).

Cube Steak with Sautéed Mushrooms Recipe

Serves 2

2 4-6 ounces pieces of cube steak

2 T olive oil or 2 T butter (butter is better, but olive oil is healthier – you decide)

2 cloves garlic, pressed

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

1 small shallot, finely chopped

¼ cup white wine

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Handful of chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Mushroom Sautee:

1. In a medium-size sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook until the shallots soften – about 4 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Let the mushrooms cook down a bit.

3. Once the mushrooms have slightly softened, add the white wine. Lower the heat and let the mushrooms simmer in the wine for about 5 minutes.

4. Add lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve over cube steak.

Cube Steak:

1. Heat grill on medium-high heat or heat broiler.

2. Place the steaks on the grill or in the broiler (if using broiler – keep steaks at least 3 to 4 inches from heat source).

3. Cook the steaks to the desired doneness – beware: cube steak cooks much faster than a Strip or Filet Mignon. If you want rare or medium, cooks the steaks for no more than 2 minutes per side.

4. When done, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with mushrooms.

By the way, you'll notice from the photograph that I added a nuked sweet potato to my meal. It is so easy to make. Just puncture a sweet potato several times with a fork or knife, wrap it in a paper towel, and nuke it for 6 minutes on high. Afterwards, you can add whatever toppings you like. It's good stuff.

Welcome to Garam Masala Foods

2007-01-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

I’ve decided to start this food blog as a means of sharing my favorite recipes. I love to cook and experiment with different foods, but it is rare that I get to share my food accomplishments …and disasters too. Many of these recipes come from my grandmother, Bibi’s, collection. She was an amazing person, and an amazing cook to boot. Before she passed, she shared with me many of her Indian recipes. I used to sit on her bed and write all of the mouth-watering recipes down on a notepad. She would often say, “you have to put a pinch of cayenne in the pot” – ummmm, how much is a “pinch” exactly??? Eventually, I figured out what to do – don’t get me wrong, it usually took me a few go arounds before I got it right. So, if you try these recipes and it doesn’t work on the first try, DON'T GIVE UP!!!

These days I not only cook Indian food, but all kinds of dishes. Most of my recipes are for savory items. While I love to eat sweets, I am, frankly, a terrible baker. The precise measuring of baking drives me nuts! It’s so much better when you can add a “palmful” of this, or a “sprinkling” of that. I guess Bibi rubbed off on me that way.

I’ll try and post a few times each week. I’ll put up my old standards and some new recipes that I try. And if all goes well, I’ll add some food pictures to the fray. Please feel free to add comments, or send me some of your favorite recipes.

Good eating!