Yummy Dessert

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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!