Citrus Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

I've been meaning to cook with quinoa for quite some time. I bought a small amount of it in the bulk bin at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and hadn't gotten around to trying it out. With my recent focus on eating healthier, I figured it would make for a nice light supper along with some roasted veggies.

It's as though quinoa is becoming more popular as I'm seeing it popping up on more blogs. I didn't know much about it other than many vegetarians and gluten-free folks use it as an alternative grain. Until I researched it, I did not know that quinoa is considered to be a well-rounded food. In addition to containing a balanced set of amino acids, it is also high in protein, fiber, magnesium, and iron.

We go through a large amount of white rice in our house. We buy it in 10lb bags and eat it for nearly every dinner. My doctor mentioned that such starchy foods, especially in quantity, can negatively effect blood sugar and cholesterol. I've decided to remove white rice from my diet entirely. Quinoa is a perfect substitution for either white rice or couscous and is much healthier for you.



I didn't use a particular recipe for this dish, but instead went with what I had in the house. Feel free to use different vegetables or to change up the dressing ingredients.

Citrus Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed & cut into 2" pieces
1/2 c. red onion, coarsely sliced
1 small bulb fennel, cored and sliced crosswise
1 clove garlic, minced
cooking spray (or olive oil)
3/4 c. quinoa
1 1/2 c. water
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and add aspragus, fennel, red onion, and garlic. Spray vegetables with cooking spray and bake for 12-18 minutes until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown/caramelize.

While vegetables are roasting, rinse the quinoa in water for 1-2 minutes. The outer layer of the quinoa can be bitter and thoroughly rinsing will remove this bitterness.

Place quinoa and water into a pan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmering for 15 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Turn off burner and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

To prepare the citrus dressing, combine the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and olive oil. Whisk to combine.

Add the dressing to the quinoa then toss in the roasted vegetables, sprinkle with a few chopped fennel fronds before serving. Although I ate this immediately, allowing it to sit for a few hours or overnight will greatly enhance the flavors.

The quinoa reminded me of caviar. As it cooks, the grain becomes almost transparent like little fish eggs. Thank god it doesn't taste like fish eggs (I'm not a fan)!

The citrus dressing went well with the roasted vegetables I used. I liked the savory-sweet flavors in this dish, especially the fennel and orange combination. The clove of garlic was a bit overpowering for the quantity of quinoa, so I would likely reduce this by half or remove altogether.

Unfortunately, Joe was traveling for work and missed out on this creation. I think he would have enjoyed it, although he would have questioned why there wasn't any meat. The fennel and citrus would go well with a nice piece of grilled salmon. I'll have to try this next time!

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Tuesday Night Tarragon Bean Mash

My vegetable supply is dwindling down in anticipation of my Friday product delivery so I didn't have much to work with tonight. I wanted something healthy and without much salt, but packed with flavor. After a scan through the pantry, my mind kept going back to two cans of beans. I walked around the house and thought about it, wrote a few emails, read a few blogs, then decided I would go with a bean mash.

Healthy was my inspiration for tonight. As much as I wanted to use butter and lots of salt, I resisted the urge. I decided to focus on a few flavors that I thought would work well with the beans and enhance their flavor.

Sometimes (i.e. often) I can get heavy handed and add too many things to a dish which then makes it feel scattered. I wanted to boost the flavor of the beans without going crazy by adding loads of spices. The flavors that immediately came to mind were garlic and lemon. The only fresh herb in the house was cilantro and it just didn't seem right. Fortunately, I remembered that my tarragon just started to take off with our warmer weather so I ran outside to snip a few stems.

I used two cans of beans, one cannellini and one blackeye peas. The mix wasn't intentional but instead what was lurking in the pantry. I heated a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, then added 2 cloves minced garlic. After 30 seconds, I added the drained and rinsed beans.

I squeezed half a lemon into the beans and continued to cook for about 8 minutes. I stirred the beans frequently to make sure they didn't burn. Using the back of a wooden spoon I mashed about half of the beans, then added a good dose of cracked black pepper.

Just before serving I stirred in a handful of lightly chopped tarragon. Serve with a nice drizzle of a flavorful olive oil.



The mash turned out good but with a bit too much lemon juice. There was an underlying tartness that I didn't like. The lemon I used was quite juicy and I added just a tad too much. Maybe the zest would have worked better and not been as tart. The tarragon and garlic worked perfectly with the beans. I love the light anise flavor of tarragon -- it works wonderfully with chicken as well.

Next time I would use only cannellini beans and I think the mash could be upgraded from good to superb. I'm not a blackeye pea fan and think I only bought this can because they were on sale. The texture is a bit firmer and the taste isn't as bean-y as I like, so blending them with the creamy cannellini beans made them more palatable.

Surprisingly, Joe liked the mash quite a bit. He's not a bean fan and normally groans when I serve them. However, tonight he told me several times tonight how much he liked the mash.

I think he may have been reacting to the tarragon but I didn't want to say it to him. Last year while weeding our garden Joe mistakenly pulled out all of my tarragon thinking it was a weed. He realized his mistake and felt pretty bad (and likely my reaction to the incident didn't make him feel any better) so I didn't want to bring up the topic at dinner while eating the mash.

We bought new tarragon plants last year and they survived the winter. So assuming they survive future gardening, I'll have plenty of tarragon for cooking this summer.

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Fried tofu with pea shoot salad

I'm going to be honest and tell you that I did not want to cook anything tonight for dinner.

I woke up this morning with a stuffed up nose and throbbing headache. I forced myself to work today and when it came time for dinner, I didn't know what to do. I felt guilty about the 1/2 package of tofu I knew was sitting in the fridge for the past few days, so decided to muster the energy and make use of it.

When I opened the refrigerator I discovered an unopened bag of pea shoots staring back at me, begging for release from its confinement.


So, I decided not think about how tired I felt or how yucky I looked. I put on my happy face and threw up a pot of rice to begin cooking. I also started a cast-iron pan with about an inch or so of vegetable oil in which to deep fry the tofu.

Fried tofu is something we order quite often while dining out. My favorite is when it's fried then tossed with garlic, jalapenos, and plenty of salt. It's crispy, salty, and spicy ... very tasty.

I used firm tofu and sliced it into 1/4" slices then patted dry on paper towel. I cracked an egg into a bowl and whisked it with a tablespoon of water. On a plate, I placed about 1/4 cup of flour to dredge the pieces of tofu.

While I waited for the pan to heat up, I sliced a jalapeno and green onion for garnish. The oil looked about ready and I dropped half of the green onion (white part) and a few pieces of japapeno into the oil to season it. I then dipped each piece of tofu into the egg mixture, then into the flour. I coated it generously with flour then shook lightly to remove any excess.

Carefully place tofu into the hot oil. Fry for several minutes on each side until it is golden brown. Remove from pan and place onto paper towel to drain.

Next, I moved on to the pea shoots. We find them readily available in our Asian market. As the name implies, they are the small shoots of a green pea plant, tender and crisp with a sweet pea flavor. I absolutely love them.



I rinsed and drained the pea shoots. Normally, we stir-fry the pea shoots but I didn't want to mess up another pan. Instead, I tossed them with a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil. I like this combo as a simple dressing. You could also add a bit of rice vinegar, minced garlic or ginger.

I placed the salad and a scoop of rice on a plate, then topped with the tofu. I sprinkled the tofu with the sliced jalapeno, green onion, and some salt. I stood there and looked at the final product and it instantly made me feel better. After a bit of photography, I took my first bite. The light, fresh pea shoot salad balanced the fried tofu, so it didn't feel heavy. I missed not tossing the tofu with a bit of garlic, but it was good regardless.

You'll find an instructive and fun video on frying tofu from the White On Rice Couple. Todd and Diane walk you through the steps and also show you how to make tofu fries and mojo tofu! They are definetly my latest 'food blog crush'.

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Banana blossom salad with chicken and asian pears

A couple month's ago we were out shopping on the weekend and decided to grab a bite before heading home. We opted for a small local chain called Straits Restaurant which offers modern Singaporean cuisine. Although the restaurant is not as highly acclaimed as it once was, the restaurant offers a few interesting bites.

I wanted something light and ordered the banana blossom salad for the first time. I wasn't sure what to expect and I ended up falling in love. It's a mixture of shredded chicken breast, asian pears, cilantro, thai basil, and mint tossed with shredded banana blossoms. I left the restaurant determined to recreate the salad. Well, today was the day ...

I searched around expecting to find similar salad recipes on which I could put the same spin. I was shocked when I came across the recipe from Straits Cafe published on MSNBC. It's rare that you get this lucky, so I knew it was meant to be.

The banana blossoms are readily available in my local Asian market. They are about 8" in length and look like purple torpedos.





The recipe begins by peeling off the outer leaves of the blossom. It's mentioned that you'll come across small things that look like baby bananas ... it still caught be off guard when I revealed this:



I removed the first few outer leaves and set aside to garnish my salad. Staring at the tip, I then began to slice the blossom crosswise in the thinnest strips possible. At a certain point, you begin to cut into the baby bananas. When this happens you need to peel everything and separate the leaves from the bananas. The bananas go into the disposal and the leaves you continue to finely shred. They are placed into a bowl of cold water with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, allow to soak 20 minutes.

The leaves are firm and crispy. As I cut them a gooey substance came out of them, but the soaking seems to remove this as it doesn't remain in the finished product. The flavor is subtle, maybe slightly floral, but in my opinion is used primarily for the texture it adds.

I moved on to making the dressing -- there are alot of ingredients that go into it, but it's well worth it. Along with sugar and vinegar, you will use cilantro, rau ram (I used mint), garlic, lemongrass, chili paste, lime juice, and fish sauce.

The dressing is phenomenal on its own and could be used many ways (will have to explore this another time). Half of the dressing is poured over precooked, shredded chicken breast and marinated for 20 minutes. I poached two breasts ahead of time and allowed to cool before marinating.

Once 20 minutes has passed you can begin the salad assembly. I used two of the leaves to construct a bowl. I combined the chicken and blossoms with a few additional ingredients, including chopped jalapeno, ginger, asian pears, thai basil, mint, and cilantro. The remaining dressing is tossed in and the salad placed into the banana blossom bowl. The whole thing is topped with chopped roasted peanuts and fried shallots. My photo didn't turn out all that well, so I stuck it at the end:



The salad turned out amazing - just as I remembered. The dressing is slightly sweet and tangy and with a spicy edge from the chili paste. The mint, basil, and cilantro add a vibrant burst of flavor to every bite.

In addition to the amazing flavors, the salad presents interesting texture contrasts. The chicken is chewy and tender while the pears and blossoms add crispness. Bits of roasted peanuts and savory shallots add unexpected crunch.

This salad is one worth exploring (again and again)!

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Savory green rice makes a perfect meal

This week I've been thumbing through another cookbook, formerly lost on my bookshelves. I received it several years ago as a gift and remember reading through it at the time. I'm not sure why it never clicked with me back then, but this week I've been intrigued by quite a few of its recipes. Written by Ken Hom of PBS/BBC series called "Great Food", Travels with a Hot Wok explores Asian fusion cooking.

Although the book has a few editorial issues (many incorrect page number references), it does deliver many interesting dishes like Broiled Asian Crepinettes, Malaysian-inspired Vegetable Pancakes, and Crackling Rice-Paper-Wrapped Fish. Published in 2000, you can buy slightly used copies for a mere dollar or two via Amazon.

I've earmarked several pages and decided to make this one last night for dinner. It's one of a few recipes in the book which did not have a picture, so my curiousity got the best of me. The recipe is packed with a variety of savory items and is cooked in a fried-rice style.

Green Rice
2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 lb. onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
6 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (green onions)
2 green chilies seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
2 1/2 cups water

Using the rice and water, prepare rice either in a steamer or on the stovetop. Ken recommends preparing the rice at least 2 hours before it is needed or even the night before. When making a fried rice like this, it's best if the rice has had time to cool and firm up a bit, so it doesn't turn to mush. I prepared mine in a rice cooker and used it within 45 minutes.

This dish comes together quickly once you begin cooking. Begin by prepping all of your ingredients. I used one small bowl for my spices and a larger bowl for all of the chopped items.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add oil. Once it begins to smoke add the onions, garlic, shallots, scallions, chilies, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Then add rice and stir-fry for 5 minutes longer. Toss in cilantro and serve.

The rice can be served hot and works nicely with grilled meat. If allowed to cool, the rice makes for a wonderful cold salad as well.



We enjoyed this dish quite a bit, Joe told me several times how much he liked it. The rice is visually appealing with the contrast of white rice against the vibrant green of onions, peppers, and cilantro. Although it may appear subtle, the flavor is strong and savory. My taste buds tingled as the first bite passed my lips. Garlic, onions, shallots ... slightly mellowed by the addition of sugar. The cilantro added a bit of brightness to the overall dish.

Tonight, we will be having the green rice leftovers but I expect it to taste even better now that the flavors have had a chance to further lock themselves into the rice.

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Pea, peanut and hominy salad (experimental)

It's an idea more than a recipe at this point. I've been thinking about two different types of salads I grew up with, the sweet and sour dressed 3-bean salad and the pea and cheese salad, often coated in a thick mayo dressing. Both of these salads are often made for potlucks and barbecues, but I wondered how I could put my own spin on them while adding a few ingredients I've come to love.

I knew that I wanted to include green peas and peanuts. Yes, peanuts. In Asian cooking they are commonly used in soups and salads, and I feel they haven't been given enough street cred in American cooking. Just this past weekend I made a big bowl of noodle soup and threw a tablespoon of peanuts on top with a few chopped green onions -- YUM.

I considered a broad range of options for the third item to complete the trinity, and settled for golden hominy. Hominy is the inside of a piece of corn, it expands when the outer corn shell is removed and looks like a puffy piece of corn. I've never used hominy but liked the idea of something yellow and thought the corn flavor would go well with peas and peanuts.

The salad is made of equal parts of green peas, peanuts, and hominy. I used thawed frozen peas, dry roasted peanuts, and canned hominy. For the dressing, I didn't want to go the creamy route, so decided to make a vinaigrette. Being on an Asian kick, I decided to include chopped red chili peppers for a bit of spice and color. I made a sesame oil vinaigrette with lots of fresh minced ginger. Unfortunately, I didn't have any cilantro on hand or it would have been included in the salad too.

I mixed the ingredients then topped with a bit of shredded spinach and more red chili slices. I did like the combination of textures - the peas were tender and squishy, the peanuts crunchy, and the hominy was firm and somewhat chewy. The dressing overpowered the flavor of the peas and hominy, so a change would be needed. Overall, it wasn't bad but has plenty of room for improvement.



Next time, I'm going to play with the dressing and make it less powerful, and likely less Asian. I may play with the trinity a bit too, not sure if hominy will make the final cut or not. I have a few other ideas that I'd like to try, including a variety of different beans. It's good that I've started playing with this now so I'll be ready for the first barbecue of Summer :-)

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I want to feel sexy ...

I am the lonely celeriac, also known as celery root. I sit on the produce shelves waiting for someone to take me home. Day after day I am overlooked. I hear the whispers and rude comments made about my looks and awkward shape. I'm ashamed of my looks and just want to feel sexy ...

Imagine how you'd feel if you sat around while people rushed by commenting on your fat bumpy bottom:



... making comments on your goofy hairstyle:



What is a foodie to do. I felt sad for this little guy. His face was one that only a mother (or hungry foodie) could love. I didn't know how I would prepare it, but I grabbed the biggest one I could find.

I stumbled across a recipe from the Mayo Clinic site (who knew they had time to write recipes?) for a Braised Celery Root. It's simple to make and contains sour cream and fresh thyme. Yum!

The celery root is firm like a turnip and is similar to peel. I sliced off the skin and cubed the root into 1" pieces. It's quite fragrant and smells just like fresh celery.



I simmered the cubes with chicken stock until slightly soft, about 8 minutes. While I reduced the stock, I tasted a piece. It has a nice soft, somewhat creamy texture and is very mild tasting. It's slightly sweet with just a hint of celery taste.

Once the chicken stock reduced to 1 tablespoon, I stirred in a teaspoon of dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, and 1/4 cup sour cream. I mixed to combine and then added in the celery root until warmed through. The sauce is light with just a slight tang. It doesn't overpower the taste of the celery root at all.



And if I do say so myself, it made the celery root sexy :-)

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Say it three times, fast .... 'Matcha Wasabi Mashed Broccoflower'

It's a mouthfull, I admit. I combined 2 un-used ingredients from my pantry to put a new spin on mashed cauliflower (or in this case Broocoflower). I figured this would be a good entry into the February Food Fight: a Pantry Raid.

The idea started from reading a good looking post for roasted cauliflower from Mark at No Special Effects. I had a Broccoflower, a green cauliflower variety that I considered roasting. I figured the beautiful green color would fade away in the oven, so decided to do a mash instead.

As you can see from my pantry, there's all sorts of stuff hanging out in my cupboards. Instead of doing a regular mashed cauliflower, I wanted to play with the flavorings and remembered a tin of wasabi powder we once bought but never used. I figured the spicy taste would go nicely with the sweet taste of the vegetable.



As I started to wonder about how 'green' this dish would turn out, I remembered that my friend Helen gave me a tin of matcha green tea powder from her recent trip to Japan. I've been meaning to use it in cooking and decided it might lend a nice earthy background note to this dish. And, since both wasabi and matcha are Japanese in origin ... I figured they must work well together.

Spicy, earthy, and sweet. Hmmm, and maybe a bit of dairy to give it a creamier consistency. I put my plan into action ...





I cut the broccoflower into small pieces and placed into boiling water for about 10 minutes -- until it was soft. I drained it well and went at it with a potato mashwer. Once it was fairly well broken up, I used a stick blender to give it a smooth texture. So far, so good. I also added about 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of cream cheese for a slight creaminess. I seasoned with salt and pepper. Surprisingly, the mash had a great texture and wasn't watery at all.

Next, I started to add wasabi powder in 1/4 teaspoon increments, afraid that I might overdose the mash. I ended up adding 1 teaspoon in total. It gave a hint of wasabi flavor, but was not overpowering at all. I could have added another 1/2 teaspoon but held back. I moved on to the matcha powder followed the same slow approach. Once again, I didn't want it to overpower the sweetness and ended up adding 1/2 teaspoon in total. I think this was plenty.

Depending on where you live, wasabi and matcha may not be available. Horseradish would be a perfectly fine substitute for wasabi, since most 'wasabi' is actually made from horseradish. Just, go slowly with adding it -- add a little, then taste. For matcha, I can't really think of a common substitute but this could be left out entirely. Horseradish mashed cauliflower is yummy too! (it's just not as fun to say)



When I dished up the mash, I added a pat of butter on top for a little extra richness. The dish turned out a deep rich green color, but unfortunately it didn't seem to come through in the photos I took.

Results:
I achieved what I set out to do -- I created an earthy, spicy, and creamy vegetable dish. Next time, I would boost up the wasabi flavor to give it a bit more kick. Overall, it turned out to be pretty good.

You might also like these posts:
Hearty vegetarian barley and lentil soup
Ginger and pepper romaine stir-fry
Purple potato gratin with bacon

Continue reading this post ...

'Asian-style' salad with raspberries

My parents came over for dinner tonight. Tomorrow is their last day visiting and they will wake up early Sunday morning to drive back to Arizona. We've enjoyed having them around the past 2 months and will miss them. I don't like growing up, things just seem so much different as you get older. People move around so much these days (me especially).

My mother is the one who taught me at an early age how to bake and cook. She is an amazing baker and she is a powerhouse in the kitchen. You don't get in her way or you'll get run over. She bakes every day and often multiple times per day. She bakes bread, then cinnamon rolls, then maybe cookies or cake. This is how I was raised. By age eleven, I whipped up pies all on my own.

My goal with dinner was to make a light and healthy meal. Both of them have dietary restrictions (i.e. due to baking multiple times a day ...) so I wanted to keep that in mind. Admittedly, there was a part of me who wanted to try out a few new recipes. My parents are usually good guinea pigs and honest in their reactions.

The menu included a vegetarian soup accompanied with a hearty salad. I found a low-fat recipe for an asian-style vinaigrette from a Weight Watchers cookbook -- it seemed like something we would all enjoy. I tend to like fruit in my salads and the dressing sounded like it would pair well with both lettuce and fruit.

I enjoy playing with textures, colors, and flavors (sweet and savory) - so, with these thoughts in my head, I decided to use romaine lettuce and picked a few oranges from our tree to add sweetness and soften the somewhat bitter romaine. I pulled the leaves off from a handfull of cilantro and added it to the mix as well. To pump up the color and sweetness further, I threw in a few plump raspberries.

Since everything was turning out vegetarian, I decided an extra boost of protein would be good (and I knew my father and Joe would both complain if there wasn't any meat). I poached a few chicken breasts and allowed them to cool before cutting into thin slices. I figured the texture of the chicken would counterbalance the crunch of the lettuce and the juicy fruits.

I tossed everything (with my fingertips) in a light coating of the dressing and it made for a delicious (and eye-catching) salad. Raspberries are pretty fragile, so I wouldn't recommend tossing with tongs. Alternatively, you could leave them out and add them to the top of each salad.

Joe harassed me and pretended to be offended when I called it an Asian-style salad. He claims that it has nothing to do with his Chinese heritage and that I was racist or some other such nonsense. Geesh. It's just a salad. For me, anything with sesame oil is 'asian'. Here's the vinaigrette recipe ...

Asian vinaigrette

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chicken broth

I put the ingredients into a small jar and shook it up. Because it's low-fat, there isn't much oil, so the dressing is thin. I might play the ingredients a bit next time to try and make it thicker. Regardless, it tasted good and my parents enjoyed it.

Updates
My parents are leaving just in time -- we've been having small earthquakes this past week. I only felt one of them, it was a 3.1. Supposedly, these are aftershocks from a larger earthquake we had back in October. Who knew that aftershocks could be so tardy. Let's hope the 'big one' isn't on its way anytime soon.

This next week I'll put up a post on Project Runway, one of my most favorite shows. I've been having a conversation about the show in the comments section for one of my older posts. Maybe there are others of you who would like to join into the discussion. I look forward to watching it on Wednesday nights, but no one else I know watches it ... bummer. So, keep your eyes peeled for my non-food post to discuss Project Runway next week!

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Ginger & pepper romaine stir-fry

Don't underestimate your romaine lettuce. Sure, it makes for wonderful caesar salads, but did you realize it enjoys a bit of sizzle? Unlike other lettuces, romaine is quite tolerant of heat. Over the past few months, we've been playing with it in stir-fry situations and it's never let us down. Instead, it's opened our eyes to how perfectly suited it is to stir-fry and how it gives a pleasant crisp texture if given the chance.

You're probably wondering if I've lost my mind and many of you may find me outright blasphemous. It all started when Joe made dinner one night and used romaine instead of bok choy. In his mind, all leafy greens are the same (he also thinks cucumbers and zucchinis are the same thing). His stir-fried romaine turned out surprisingly good, so we've continued to use it and like it quite a bit. No longer is romaine a substitute or fallback when we're out of bok choy -- I purposefully purchase romaine hearts to stir-fry.

Here is how I prepared the romaine most recently and I found this combination to work well together.

Ginger & pepper romaine stir-fry

2 hearts of romaine, cut into 1" strips
1 pepper sliced into thin strips
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon chili oil (or more to your liking)
1 tablespoon oil, preferably peanut

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Bring a wok up to high temperature, then coat with the peanut oil. Add peppers and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until they begin to take on some color but remain crisp. Add green onion and ginger, toss to combine.

Add romaine lettuce and toss to combine with other ingredients. Once the romaine begins to slightly wilt down, add the soy sauce and chili oil. Continue to stir-fry, about another 2 minutes until leafs are wilted but stems remain firm.

The end result is a deliciously crisp and refreshing dish that can be served as a side or as a light meal. The lettuce wilts a bit, but the stems remain firm and crisp. The peppers add extra crunch, the ginger a bit of bite and the soy lends a tangy sauce. The chili oil will add a note of warmth but isn't 'hot' at all. I might increase the chili oil a bit more next time.

You can easily substitute pea pods or bean sprouts in place of the peppers. I served it as a side, but with some meat thrown into the mix it would make a nice main course too.

Updates
So, my parents came over today and brought me lunch. I felt bad that I hadn't prepared anything, so I busted out my Nigella breakfast bars. They not only enjoyed them, they asked me for the recipe. Go figure.

I just started adding 'printer-friendly' links to my recipe pages -- let me know what you think and whether you find it useful.


You might also like these posts:
Asparagus rice salad
Tangy spiced eggplant salad
Purple potato gratin with bacon

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Purple potato gratin with bacon

I can't help myself -- every time I think about purple potatoes, I istantly flash to the silly song Flying Purple People Eater. I can be childish, I admit it. We use to sing this song all the time when I was a kid ... yes, back in the ancient times.

Fortunately, my purple potatoes are neither flying or people eating. On the contrary, they are a beautiful deep purple starch of Peruvian origin. I've used many types of potatoes over the years but never the purple variety, with both purple skin and flesh. In researching the spuds, I learned that the pigment in plants holds higher levels of antioxidants. Scientists published reports in the American Journal of Potato Research (yes, tuber research!) state the antioxidants in red and purple-fleshed potatoes exist in the flesh, as well as the skin and therefore may be better for you.

Granted, I purchased the purple potatoes for the upcoming Eating Leeds food blog event and knew nothing of the potential health benefits. The event is celebrating that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato and the main requirement is to explore a potato unknown to you. For me, it's these purple-fleshed tubers.

Purple potatoes are known as being an all-purpose potato with a creamy, buttery texture which works well in gratins. I pulled out my favorite gratin recipe and got right to work. Actually, it's not much of a recipe -- basically, I make a bechamel sauce with a bit of cheese, then layer with potatoes and sauteed shallots (oh, and some bacon!). I do it by memory but have written down the proportions I use.



Purple Potato Gratin

1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup grated cheese
2 lbs purple potatoes, unpeeled and sliced thinly
1 cup sliced shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 rashers bacon
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt/pepper to taste

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To make the gratin sauce place the butter into a small pan and melt. Add flour and stir to combine, cooking over medium heat for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese, when melted remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a frying pan, add the olive oil and shallots. Sautee until shallots are slightly brown and carmelized. Remove from the pan. Add bacon and cook until cooked through but not crispy (it will get crispy in a later portion of the recipe, don't worry). Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Grease a gratin dish or shallow baking dish. Add half of the sliced potatoes to the dish. Sprinkle the shallots over the potato layer. Add the remaining potato slices to the dish. Pour the gratin sauce over the top of the potatoes, spooning into any visible cracks and crevices. Top with parmesan cheese. As a final step, add the bacon over the top. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.



Well, I love this recipe, as always. The potatoes worked well and add their unique purple color to the dish. The potatoes retain their creamy texture without becoming mushy, and they bring a delicious potato flavor to the dish as well. I would definetly use them again -- curious to see how they turn out in a mashed dish. I'll admit that I shouldn't be having any bacon, but since it's sprinkled over the top I rationalized that it was acceptable. I did omit the parmesan this time to cut back on fat.

I made this in the afternoon yesterday and kept picking at it until dinner time. For a brief moment, I considered eating all the crispy bacon off the top before Joe came home -- he wouldn't have noticed and would never have known it had bacon on it. I resisted.

Potato resrouces:
International Year of the Potato 2008
Spudman, Voice of the Potato Industry
National Potato Council
United States Potato Board

You might also like these posts:
Finding comfort in potato korokke
Friday night sesame chicken
Spice-rubbed tri tip roast

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Casual fregola salad with meyer lemon confit and olives

It's such a crappy picture, but it tasted good. My camera woes will hopefully be behind me soon ... just waiting for a new lens to arrive next week. In the meantime, more mediocre pictures of food. But I digress.

How many of you have tired or heard of fregola? I've seen the name written in several ways: fregola, fregula, and fregole (as it appears on my bag) -- sometimes it is merely referred to as Sardinian cous-cous. Fregula is a small ball-shaped, toasted pasta from Sardinia typically cooked in a tomato sauce with seafood.

My mother had a recipe for it last year and we were able to locate the pasta in a gourmet food store. I can't even remember now what her recipe was ... but we used the pasta once. Obviously, it mustn't have been very good. I've had the bag sitting on my shelf ever since and decided to make dinner with it tonight.

The pasta is kinda cute, if pasta can be considered 'cute' -- little toasted balls that plump up, yet stay firm when cooked. I heated a bit of chicken broth in a pot then added the fregola and cooked for the recommended 8-9 minutes. I plucked out a little ball now and then to check the progress ... this isn't the sort of pasta you can throw against the wall.

I warmed up the remaining meyer lemon confit made earlier in the day. I drained the fregola and drizzled it with the confit, along with a teaspoon of the oil. I added a few sliced grape tomatoes, a chiffonade of fresh basil, and about a dozen small olives to the bowl and tossed it all together. Simple and colorful.

It smelled wonderful and I enjoyed the nutty flavor of the pasta alongside the lemony olive oil and basil. Even though the pasta is pretty hearty, the citrus flavor lightened the dish overall. I still have quite a bit of the dry pasta left, so will experiment further with it. I found a few ideas below.

More fregola ideas from other blogs:
Fregola Sarda
Fregola Sarda with Chicken and Roasted Baby Vegetables
Fregola Sarda with Pesto, Pinjur Topped Toast
Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Pinenuts
Seafood Soup with Fregola

You might also like these posts:
Pasta alla Vodka
Poached egg with basil and meyer lemon confit

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Roasted potato pockets

A quick and simple side dish, I prepared this last night to accompany my tri tip roast. I had two large potatoes that I was going to roast, but decided they were way too large for us. I used one potato and sliced in half. I cubed each half and placed onto a piece of foil

Give it a splash of olive oil, a grind of fresh pepper, add a clove of crushed garlic, and a sprig of rosemary. Fold up the edges of the packet and place into a 350 preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

The potatoes come out perfectly done and full of flavor. I love simple sides ... and there's no dishes to wash!

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Finding Comfort in Potato Korokke (recipe)

I'm in love with this Japanese comfort food. I cannot resist an occasional (ok, maybe semi-regular) fried food, and korokke do not disappoint. A crispy exterior with a creamy potato and pork interior, slightly seasonsed with onions and nutmeg.

Korokke are common in bento boxes and I've had them a few times at Japanese restaurants. But, I didn't realize how easy they were to make. The following recipes is from The Ethnic French Cookbook which I've been taking for a test run this past week. The recipe turns out well, although I did make a few rookie mistakes.

Before beginning this recipe (or any recipe), always doublecheck your pantry for the ingredients. For example, don't assume you have plenty of vegetable oil for deep-frying. My fatal flaw was not discovering this until the last moment, but I proceeded regardless.

I emptied my vegetable oil bottle and only had about a 1/2" of oil in the pan, so it was more of a pan-fry and I don't recommend it. As the potato mixture heats up, it becomes mushy and cannot withstand the time it takes to pan-fry them. All of my korokke survived, but they didn't reach the desired color and a few didn't hold their shape. You'll notice from my picture that the sides are a bit lighter in color. However, each korokke tasted amazing.

Nutmeg can be overpowering and I was initally concerned that 1 teaspoon might be too much. I was completely wrong -- it lends a perfect background note and ties together the potatoes and pork. It's been a few days since I made this recipe and I'm sitting here getting hungry for them again.


Korokke

1 pound potatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion minced
4 oz. ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying

Boil potatoes in their skins until tender. Drain and peel potatoes, then mash.

Heat tablespoon of oil in large skillet and saute onions until translucent. Add pork and cook until browned. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and add to mashed potatoes. Add soy sauce and mix well. Let cool.

Divide potato mixture into 8 portions. Pat each portion into an oval.

Beat the egg with 2 tablespoons water in a shallow bowl Spread flour and panko onto separate plates. Dredged the ovals in flour, shaking off any excess - then dip into egg, and roll in the panko breadcrumbs to coat evenly.

Heat oil to 350 degrees in a large pan. Add the breaded ovals and cook until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon and place onto paper towels to drain. Serve warm.

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Sharing an Amazing Asparagus Rice Salad (recipe)

I mentioned last week the discovery of a social networking site for foodies called Group Recipes. Within the first day of signing up on the site, I was warmly greeted by dancegypsy67 from Wisconsin. This past week or so we've been chatting back and forth about each others recipes.

She suggested I might enjoy her asparagus rice salad which blends a garlic infused balsamic vinegar with rice, asparagus, and smoked pork. I made the recipe last night and can't get enough of it. The combination of flavors is slightly tangy with a gentle sweetness from the asparagus which is heightened by the smokey pork. The salad would be the perfect addition to a summer barbecue, as the vinegar gives it a light and refreshing punch.

I'll admit I made one substitution in the recipe, which I swear was not intentional. Ok, I guess it was intentional since it didn't magically happen, but it was not premeditated. Whole Foods didn't have any smoked pork chops and I feared that ham wouldn't do the trick. So, like any good boy raised in the Midwest, I substituted thick-cut bacon. And, I think it worked out well.

Asparagus Rice Salad

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice, cooked
1/2 cup asparagus, tough ends removed, chopped, blanched
1 smoked pork chop
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Combine the vinegar, garlic, thyme, pepper, and salt. Let stand 1-2 hours or more. Remove garlic.

Pan fry the pork chop so that it develops some carmelization and becomes a little brown. Cut into small pieces when cool enough to handle.

Toss the rice, asparagus, pork chop and onions with the dressing. Season to taste with additional black pepper as desired.

Serve at room temperature.

Mmmmmm, the salad is good. I made a double batch and it's already gone. A big 'thank you' to dancegypsy67 for allowing me to share her recipe with everyone! You'll find both her and I on Group Recipes -- come check us out.

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Tangy Spiced Eggplant Salad (recipe)

Native to southern India and Sri Lanka, the eggplant is closely related to the tomato and potato. Slightly bitter when raw, eggplants are known for having a slightly rich flavor when cooked. I didn't grow up eating eggplant but thoroughly love it today. Purple foods are good for you!

I've combined a couple different recipes and created the following eggplant salad which works well as both a sidedish or main meal. If you are vegetarian or have veggie friends, this will be a popular recipe. And although the ingredient list may look long, the dish is rather easy to make. If you have a grill, I highly recommend using it to grill the eggplant, since the flavor it adds is quite amazing. Either way, the tangy and refreshing flavors are perfect for a summer barbecue.


Tangy Spiced Eggplant Salad

• 2 medium eggplants sliced into 1/2" slices (crosswise)


• 7 tablespoons olive oil (extra vigrin)


• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar


• 2 garlic cloves minced finely


• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1 teaspoon ground coriander


• 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced


• 3 tomatoes thinly sliced


• 1/4 cup plain yogurt


• salt and pepper to taste

Brush olive oil on eggplant slices and grill (or broil) until golden brown on both sides. The eggplant should be tender. Allow slices to cool before cutting into quarters.

Mix remaining olive oil with garlic, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper then pour into a dish over the warm eggplant. Chill for at least 2 hours, up to over night.

Toss cucumber and tomato with chilled eggplant. Drizzle yogurt on top before serving.

Give the recipe a shot and let me know what you think.

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