Huevos Rancheros

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

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!

Hearts of Palm Salad

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.

Tah Dah! FRENCH ONION SOUP!

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

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!

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!

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.

Summertime Orzo

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

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!

Tamarind Spiced Beans and Spinach

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.

Zucchini Chips

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!

Kichiri

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 Corn on the Cob

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!

Lacy Hash Browns

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!

Coconut Curry Tofu

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)

Meatballs and Spinach - SE Asia Style

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

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!

Mirchi Corn

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!