All by Myself...

...don't wanna be. All by myself, anymoooore! God, I'm so over being stuck in the house by myself this weekend, and it's only Saturday afternoon! E's been on a very long business trip, and I've done a pretty good job of entertaining myself in his absence, like going to the Farmer's Market, going Down the Shore, almost dying on a dilapidated Corkscrew ride, and losing my keys for three days and being locked out of my house and car. It's been awesome. I've also been eating like a pig and somehow still losing weight according to the Wii Fit, so I think I may have actually broken that this week, too. I'm batting a thousand.

Since it's potluck week over at IHCC, I decided to do something I don't normally do and make just enough food. I like leftovers. I love a freezer stuffed to the gills. But I'm all alone after all, so I may as well just cook for me. I found these adorable white eggplants at the Farmer's Market, and even though I've been on eggplant overload the past two weeks, I just had to cook them up using one of Mark's recipes. My copy of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is due back to the library cause some other jackass has it on hold, which means I either have to cough up the dough for my own copy, or refuse to give it up and start racking up late fees. I'm torn. 

Curried Eggplant with Coconut Milk for 2 (or 1 if you wanna be a pig like moi)
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, page 296

Ingredients:
1 lb. eggplant (about 2 small eggplants, white, Japanese, whatever!)
salt
Scant 1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
Heaping teaspoon curry paste (I used Pataks Biryani Curry)
1/2 cup coconut milk
Cilantro

Preparation:
If your eggplant is nice and firm, you don't need to peel it, otherwise go for it! Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes and toss with salt.
Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add garlic and curry paste and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add eggplant and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, until eggplant begins to release some of the absorbed oil. Continue to cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. (As Mark notes, this time may vary depending on your eggplant, so keep an eye on it.) Stir in coconut milk and cook another 10 minutes until eggplant is very soft. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve over rice or with pita, garnished with chopped cilantro.

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P.S. I have to give a shout out to the awesome cooks who make IHCC work like clockwork every week. They are all really amazing with food, and each write lovely food blogs in addition to participating in about a jillion blog roundups and other online foodie endeavors. Thanks Kim, Heather, Deb, and Natashya! Be nice and go see what the other ladies cooked up this week for Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs!

Eggplant

Beating the Heat

So yeah, here, like just about everywhere, it's hot. Crazy hot. But it's also been stormy and bizarre, so much so that we had tornado warnings last night. I was at the movie theater with the J's when the power suddenly went out, kids started screaming, and they evacuated the entire mall. It was a total shit show. A Jersey mall on a Friday night is packed tighter than a CAFO, and security was trying to herd everyone out the doors at once. Typically, a ton of morons didn't want to go out to their wet cars in the downpour, so they milled around or stood stock still in groups, blocking stairwells and adding to the choas. I've never seen mall cops so irate. I was kind of  hoping they'd start tasing people, but they only yelled. Oh well.

When I finally got home, soaked and sweaty, I was really only pissed that we missed the last 15 minutes of "Ramona and Beezus." I consoled myself with a big bowl of this frozen yogurt and "Coraline," two of my favorite things.

Blueberry Peach Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:
4-5 peaches, peeled and sliced into chunks

1 cup blueberries

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup plain yogurt

dash of lemon juice

Preparation:

Add the peaches, blueberries, water and sugar to a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved and fruit is softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add yogurt, and pulse to combine. Transfer to the fridge to chill, at least two hours. Stir in lemon juice and then process according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

*Note: next time, I think I'll cook and process the fruits separately and then add the blueberry puree as the fro-yo churns in the ice cream maker. I think it would be pretty to have the tie dye effect of peach yogurt swirled with the berries, instead of one big mass of purple.

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Birthdays and Blueberries

It's a month of birthday madness around here, but I'm not making any more cake! Yesterday was Anniebelly's birthday party, today is my sister's birthday, and my friend's daughter Sky turns 10 today, too. My boss' birthday is Wednesday and I have 3 friends with birthdays last week. Luckily I don't actually have to celebrate each one with plates full of cake and ice cream, just mailing cards and presents! Actually Annie's was the only birthday I got to spend with the birthday girl, and in true princess style, tiaras and all. She had an ice cream cake, so I just made these muffins for breakfast before the guests showed up. They are a Gourmet recipe with a streusel topping added just because, and everybody really liked them, including this little lady. 

Cinnamon Streusel Blueberry Muffins

adapted from The Best of Gourmet: Sixty-five Years, Sixty-five Favorite Recipes
For streusel topping:

5 Tbls unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. sugar

dash of cinnamon

*Mix all ingredients with your fingers until moist and crumbly.

For muffin batter: 

6 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. milk (I used vanilla soy)

1 large egg

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. blueberries 

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. 

Whisk together egg, brown sugar, butter and milk and set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries. Divide evenly among muffin cups. Top with streusel. Bake 25 minutes our until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

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For the Love of Yeast

I've been a bad baker. Neglectful, remiss, borderline snobbish in my refusal to bake bread for weeks now. See, E was getting irritated by the huge 60's era Tupperware cake carrier-turned-dough tote that had taken up permanent residence on the bottom shelf of our fridge. That's usually where the beer lives, so you'll understand his aggravation. I figured subbing one yeasty product for another wasn't such a bad thing. The I realized it was summertime, aka beach time, aka bathing suit season, and was forced again to look at my massive carbohydrate intake as a possible road bump in my goals. With all of the parties we had coming up, I had to make a choice. Cupcakes or bread? That was a no brainer.

Now that I've consumed my weight in cake and icing, the parties are almost over and I'm back in the bread baking saddle. As luck would have it, the week I decide to rejoin HBin5 is another gluten free week. Blast! Forget that crap, yo. Like last time, I blew off the assignment (I've skipped so many I doubt anyone cares) and made a big batch of Whole Wheat with Olive Oil instead. It makes my second favorite pizza dough (the Soft WW Sandwich Dough is awesomer) and was another perfect way to help me get rid of the massive amount of produce I bought last week. This one is zucchini, red onion, kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts and goat cheese. Yum!

The rest of the dough was turned into a leftover saver and is all wrapped up and ready to go to the Ibey's today. It's Anniebelly's 2nd birthday party and I'm in charge of "Adult Appetizers." Normally, that would mean an ice luge and a handle of vodka or two, but the party starts at 10 AM, so I figured I'd make food instead.

Italian Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Sandwich Loaf
adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

Ingredients:
1 lb. portion of any whole wheat dough
1 cup cooked Italian sausage, crumbled or chopped
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. each red pepper flakes, oregano, and dried basil, mixed
olive oil

Preparation:
Grease a loaf pan (I always line it with parchment, too).
On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Sprinkle with cheese, spinach, basil, and sausage.
Roll dough over the fillings, pinching seam and ends shut and folding them over.
Place the roll, seam side down, into the prepare pan and let rest for 60 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and when ready to bake, brush the loaf with olive oil. Sprinkle with spice mixture and salt and pepper to taste.
Bake for one hour or until top is browned and bread is firm. Cool slightly before removing from pan.
Slice and serve warm or at room temp.

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Don't forget to visit Michelle's blog in case you are curious about Gluten Free breads. Not everyone in the group is a scaredy cat like moi!

One For My Girls

My two best girl friends are a vegan and a vegetarian. They weren't always, as I specifically remember Jessica eating the occasional cheeseburger in high school. That was back when eating vegetarian meant ordering the bean burrito at our school's Taco Bell  and substituting two Snickers bars  for a ham sandwich. Jenny was the first person I ever knew to eat hummus, way before it was "normal," but then again, she's always been the hippie in our group. When Jenny and I did a stint as roommates, I remember her cooking up indiscriminate one-bowl concoctions of veggie fare all the time. I never quite knew what she was eating, but that was way before I  had delved into the idea that not eating meat at every meal might be a decent idea. Now that I'm eating vegetarian meals at least half of the time, I'm the one making big bowls of only-I-know-what.

Although we are now all spread out between LA, RI, and Jersey, I figured this is a dish I could definitely make if we all three could get together for dinner. Leaving out the onions would allow Jessica's fiancé to join us, but it's Girl's Night at this imaginary party, so he's not invited. Jenny, you'll be so proud to know I actually bought soy yogurt to make this! And I liked it! Don't tell E though, cause he liked it, too, and I'm too cheap to buy it all the time.

I've actually made this recipe in its original form twice now, and we love it. This time I wanted to use up all the local veggies I found at the market, so I made a bunch of changes: adding squash, zucchini, and chick peas. I also cooked them on the grill, which worked just as well as broiling. It's super easy and versatile, and I think it will be one of the Bittman recipes that I continue to cook way after this challenge is over.

Roasted Eggplant with Peppers, Onions, and Yogurt
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food, page 298

Ingredients:
3 or 4 small or 1 or 2 large eggplant, trimmed and cut into slices lengthwise
3 red or yellow bell peppers, sliced into strips (I left these out this time!)
1 large zucchini, cut into slices lengthwise
1 large yellow squash, cut into slices lengthwise
2 tomatoes, halved
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 avocado, halved
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
2 cups yogurt
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Preparation:
Preheat grill or broiler. If grilling, brush all veggies with olive oil. If broiling, pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a roasting pan and turn eggplant, peppers, and squashes in it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until tender, turning once, about 5 minutes per side.
Transfer the veggies to a bowl and put onion, avocado and tomato in the pan or on grill, cut sides down. Cook until just blackened (the avocado will take only a minute or two, but the onion needs more time). Allow these veggies to cool enough to handle, then scoop out the avocado and slice into chunks. Separate onion into slices and chop tomato. Add to the bowl of veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add chickpeas, yogurt, and lemon juice and  toss to coat.
*Optional step! Return to roasting pan. Broil about 5 minutes or until bubbly and lightly charred on top.
Serve over brown rice and top with thyme and red pepper flakes.


*Jessica and Jenny, I hope you guys make this because you'll love it! And it totally fits into the pre-wedding "don't eat crap that will prevent us from fitting into our dresses" diet. One month to go! Woot woot!

This is my submission for IHCC's Girls' Night In Week!

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Seriously Overdue

But that's what happens when you decide to run off to a cottage on the beach and ignore technology, the modern world, and even the Real Housewives for over a week. E and I got back from our fabulous vacation full of sand and sun, birthday parties, Red Sox games, food, family, friends, and biking Block Island to a huge stack of mail and an even more huge amount of emails. My Google Reader had over 1000 items in it, but I'm not even going to try and catch up. The only catching up I'm doing is posting this corn chowder, which I ended up making twice in two weeks using my second sample of heirloom beans from Marx Foods. It was that good.

I love chowders, and I certainly ate my fair share of it back in RI, but I am not a fan of the amount of cream and butter often used to make them so thick and rich and, let's face it, worth eating. This recipe cuts all of that out by using pureed corn as the thickener, and it is so simple to make, literally done in ten minutes.

Chipotle Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

8 ears of corn, cooked (I prefer them done on the grill, since it adds that smoky flavor!)

1 cup cooked white beans (I used the Marrow beans from Justin)

4 cups vegetable stock

1 chipotle pepper, diced (from a can of chipotles in adobo, found in the Mexican food aisle) 

Salt and pepper to taste

Red onion, cilantro, or parsley to garnish

Preparation:

Slice all of the corn off the ear, getting as close to the core as possible. Pour 2 cups of stock and half of the corn into a blender and pulse to puree. Pour into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in remaining corn, stock, beans, and chipotle pepper. Season with salt and pepper and heat through. Serve with chopped onion or herbs to garnish.

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Some Muffins to Love

I was about to get all lovey dovey on my summertime entry for this week's IHCC theme. Tell you all about how summer makes me sappy for berry picking and all that noise. Tell you how I found Mark's recipe for Muffins Infinite Ways and got all excited to whip these up for breakfast. But I can't think straight right now because the chorus of Justin Bieber's "Somebody to Love" is inexplicably playing on repeat in my brain right now and I kind of want to go stick a screwdriver in my ear. Instead I think I'll drown it out with some Gaga and stuff another muffin in my mouth.
But really, you guys should bake these. They are slammin!

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking sida
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups non fat yogurt
1 Tbls. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup blueberries
raw sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Beat wet ingredients in another bowl and pour into the well. Fold ingredients together gently until combined. Fold in blueberries. Using a large batter scoop or spoon, fill muffin cups evenly (you'll get between 8 and 10 muffins). Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are just golden. Cool five minutes in pan, then serve warm.

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Taste testing

I'm beginning to fall in love with the people over at Marx Foods. Justin in particular who in my imagination is a twenty something studmuffin with a biting sense of humor who enjoys biking, baking, and med students (he'd be perfect for Joanne). I don't know much about what the real Justin is actually like, save for the fact that he sends me fun products to try from the awesome company of which he is CEO. I've already told you about the cute palm leaf plates I got, but this time my package was even better. Beans. And not just any beans, heirloom beans, which sounds so much more romantic and fabulous than just any old beans. Justin must be trying to seduce the peeps who read the Marx blog, 'cause obviously. But back off dude, I'm married.

My package included two types of heirloom beans, Marrow (which I'll show you later this week) and Black Garbanzo. I used the quick soak method to cook the garbanzo beans, which I like to leave slightly underdone if I'm going to then add them to a stew. These were a little smaller and nuttier than your usual garbanzo beans, and I could honestly have just tossed them on a cookie sheet to roast with salt and pepper. They were a yummy little protein packed snack. That would be boring, though, and I've been craving Indian flavors lately, so I turned the garbanzo beans into this bean and veggie stew. Over rice, it's a great dish in any weather, but particularly good the next day once the spices get a chance to hang out and hook up with each other. I dug it, E on the other hand said, "I don't like these little things in this." Things? He meant the beans, for shame!

Kabuli Chole
(also known as Chick Pea Stew)
Ingredients:
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 medium onion sliced thinly
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. curry powder
1 Tbls. fresh ginger, minced
1 28 oz. can peeled crushed tomatoes (or about 1.5 lbs. fresh tomato, peeled ad pureed)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked black garbanzo beans
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbls. garam masala
cilantro for garnish

Preparation:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, cumin, coriander, curry and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender. Add tomatoes and reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Add peppers and garbanzo beans and cook covered over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in yogurt and garam masala and serve over rice.

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One for the Goombahs

It's Dining with Dad week in honor of Father's Day at IHCC.  I've talked a bit about my Italian familia before, so it should be no surprise that I chose to make a pasta dish for my step-dad, Ralphy. It should also be no surprise that he is posing with a huge piece of cake right next to the buffet. There he is with my tiny grandmother, dressed up like a true spacone for a birthday celebration. When I first met my new family, Maye (as my grandmother is known) put out the typical spread for dinner, all 9 courses of it. My siblings and I had no idea what was coming, but we powered through like champs, eating what was probably upwards of 3000 calories. I had been warned that refusing another plate would reduce her to tears, and so I binged. Luckily things have changed a bit, and none of us eat like that anymore! Otherwise, I would have had to become bulimic, and that would suck. I hate throwing up.

While my mother has revamped Ralphy's entire diet, he is still a real Italian boy, and nothing makes him happier than a big plate of macaroni and gravy. He has been known to eat a pound of pasta by himself. And even though I won't actually be spending Father's Day with him, I think this is a dish that would satisfy even his appetite. It's a combination of three recipes from Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times: Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes and Green Beans, Pasta with Walnuts, and Linguine with Spinach and I'll be making it next time I visit my parents. It's so good, so fast, and I know my health-conscious mama will love it as much as my carb-craving papa.

Ralphy's Greeny Linguine


1 lb. whole wheat linguine
4 cups. baby spinach, stems removed
1 1/2 cups green beans, cleaned and trimmed
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
In a small bowl, stir garlic, red pepper flakes, and basil into oil. Set aside.
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add linguine and cook until halfway done (about 6 minutes). Add green beans and continue boiling. When linguine is almost ready ( test a piece, but it should be about 11 minutes) add spinach and cook until just wilted (2 minutes). Strain and return to pot. Add oil mixture, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately with grated parmesan.

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Oh, and p.s. y'all!

Stop by and enter, and show Marx Foods some love :)

Medium Raw

Remember back in November when E and I went to see Anthony Bourdain? Where I sat high up in the balcony laughing like a hyena with a bunch of really confused Germans?  Where I then tried to hunt him down in all the foodie spots of Ann Arbor with zero success except drunkeness? Well, his new book has just been released, so lucky me, I got to go meet him fo' realz' this time at a book signing. Our little bookstore is known for getting everyone who's good to show up and read, so I've got the schedule devoted to memory. This month they also have Pat Benatar and Bernadette Peters, so it's like a whole month of badass celebs I want to be. 

It was nice to see Tony (cause you know, we're totally BFF's and I can call him that) in a smaller setting where I could actually tell how ginormously tall this dude is. I mean, freakishly tall. He read a few sections from his new book  Medium Raw, which is honest and hilarious, even better than Kitchen Confidential. He then took tons of questions, of which I asked the first, trying desperately not to choke on my saliva or turn 8 shades of red. I think I succeeded in not sounding like too much of a tool. There were a lot of tools in the room. Including the guy who overheard a cute young girl, planning what she was going to say to Tony. He then stole her line, got a big laugh, and smirked at her like a big fat dbag. I was tempted to punch him in the face, but I'm not violent and I didn't want to get kicked out before my books got signed. 

I watched a ton of people get scary close to take pictures, which made me shiver. I'm all about personal space. When it was finally my turn, I called bullshit on T.B. for an anti-Red Sox comment he had made earlier. See, there's this video of Tony and Alice Cooper, waxing poetic about how they loved watching the Sox win the World Series and stating that Sox fans are amazing. He smiled and told me how much he respects the team and Boston fans, how he's shooting a Boston episode of No Reservations, and he started suggesting books to me. But then. Then some crazy half drunk chick fell down the stairs, ass over tea kettle! Kinda ruined our moment. But at least I had the wherewithal to look over when the camera guy took a photo. I present you with the most awkward picture I have taken since 7th grade, complete with bad florescent lighting, not enough makeup, and what appears to be some business woman's blazer. Hawt.

The time has come, and you know you're not the only one...

I read the newest IHCC post and got to the part about potluck alphabet soup parties and my brain automatically moved to Amy Sedaris theme parties, then to seventies key parties, and then somehow I was thinking about Boogie Nights and singing "Sister Christian." None of this has anything to do with this salad. It just goes to show you that my brain works in curious ways.

I've never been to an alphabet soup party (or a key party for that matter, so chill) but Kim says that people who have names beginning with the letters G-K bring a salad. I can work with that. I also had a really tasty loaf of raisin walnut artisan bread that I can't believe I even paid for, since I now can bake my own. I came across Mark's Grilled Bread Salad, but having only this sweet bread, I needed to adapt. I thought about raisins and tomatoes, which made me think of this Moroccan inspired chicken dish I make in the winter, and then I started thinking of Morocco and Sex and the City 2 and how badly I would love to go there on vacation and own at least one pair of Jimmy Choos. Alas, I can eat this salad and dream.

Grilled Bread Salad
Adapted from Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times
* Changes/additions in red

Ingredients:
1 small baguette or other artisan loaf (I used raisin walnut)
1 1/2 lbs. cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 c. red onion, scallion, or shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of one lemon
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped

Preparation:
Slice bread into quarters lengthwise. Set under broiler or onto a preheated grill. Cook until just lightly charred, but not blackened. Turn and repeat. Remove and set aside to cool. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
In a large bowl, add tomatoes and press with the back of a fork to release seeds and juices. Add onion, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and cinnamon and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add bread, toss to coat, and let stand 20-30 minutes. Bread cubes should be moist, but still crispy at the edges. Add mint and serve.

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p.fricking.s! See that adorable little plate? It's made from a palm leaf and is entirely biodegradable and compostable. I got them from the lovely folks at Marx Foods and now I want a huge batch for our beach house week this summer.

Herbalicious

These summer rolls don't have a story. I don't have any cute analogies or jokes for today. It's late and I'm rushing to get this posted since we have to leave our house at the butt crack of dawn to head home to a big event at E's alma mater. There will be a dinner followed by a roast (the vaguely inappropriate joke telling kind of roast, not the large slab o' beef kind of roast) run by a bunch of engineers and Germans. Can you think of anything less funny? Cause I can't, and I've been thinking about it for weeks.

Alas, I attempted to make Mark's Summer Rolls for dinner tonight, but our hack little market up the road had no rice paper. I had some nori, so I had to go with that instead! Paired with the basil dipping sauce (to which I added ginger and sesame oil) this was the perfect homage to herbs ala IHCC. They were tasty enough for me to forgive myself for the pathetic look of these rolls. I'm not a sushi chef, and trust me, rolling that nori takes practice! If you make these, use rice paper; it is much more forgiving! These rolls are so full of fresh flavors, and I can see myself making a bunch of different versions this summer.

Summer Rolls with Basil Dipping Sauce

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian pages 743 and 777

For the rolls:

Ingredients:

8 sheets of rice paper

4 oz. bundle of thin rice noodles

2 scallions, sliced lengthwise

1/2 a red pepper, julienned

1/2 c. each fresh mint leaves and basil leaves, julienned

1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves

1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined

salt and pepper

sesame oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle shrimp with sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes or until ink. Remove from oven and set aside. 

Pour boiling water over noodles in a shallow dish. Let sit for 8 minutes until tender and drain. Set aside.

Lay a damp towel on your work area. Fill another shallow bowl with hot water. Dip a sheet of rice paper into the water until it softens, just a few seconds, and lay on the towel. On the bottom third of the rice paper, spread 1/8 of each of the ingredients (noodles, herbs, peppers, and shrimp), fold in the bottom edge and both sides and roll tightly. Repeat for remaining papers and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

For the sauce:

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic minced

2 Tbls. soy sauce

2 Tbls. rice wine vinegar

1 Tbls. sugar

1/4 c. fresh basil, julienned

1 tsp. frech grated giner

3 Tbls. sesame oil

Preparation: 

Whisk all ingredients to combine. If you want this thicker, whisk all ingredients except the sesame oil. Add oil slowly in a very thin stream while whisking until emulsified. You may need to increase the amount of oil, too!

Sounds like a lot of work, I know, but it was pretty simple actually! 

And nothin' says lovin' like a clean plate.

Don't forget to head over to I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what everyone else whipped up this week!

Vampires Beware

and those of you in brandy new relationships, too. I wouldn't want to be responsible for turning that new hottie you've been seeing away from you and the dragon breath you'll have after eating this. However, single gals? Married folks who could care less? Dive right in.

It's Garlic Lover's week at IHCC, which makes me very happy. I put garlic in almost everything I make, much like my grandmother, who has cooked with garlic in her pots for so many years that even the chocolates she prepares for Christmas have a hint of garlic flavor. This week I decided to combine two of Mark's dishes for a truly stanky appetizer delight.

Grilled Garlic Artichokes with Spicy Garlic Aioli
adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Ingredients:
For artichokes: 
1 medium artichoke
2-3 Tbls. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lemon

For aioli:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. dijon
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 Tbls. lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Garlic chili sauce (optional, and watch it, this stuff is HOT!)

Preparation:
Prepare your artichoke by cutting off the stem and trimming off all of the barbs (those sharp little points at the tip of each leaf) with kitchen shears. Pull of any dark leaves.

Set in a steamer (or just boil in water), salt generously, and squeeze lemon over the top. Allow to steam for ten minutes, or until a fork inserted in the base of the artichoke goes in easily. Remove artichoke and shock in an ice bath until cool.

Slice artichoke in half lengthwise. Remove the choke. The easiest way to do this is to run a small sharp knife under the heart (that fleshy white part beneath all of the threads) in a U shape, then stick your fingers in and pull the whole thing up and out. You want to remove all of the threads and purple bits.

Whisk garlic into a few tablespoons of olive oil. Brush over both sides of artichokes. Grill on high heat until tender and slightly charred, about 5 minutes per side.

Prepare the aioli while the artichoke grills. Put yolk and dijon in a food processor or small bowl. While whisking or running the machine, add oil in a thin stream. Once emulsified, add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, chili sauce if using, and lemon juice.

The aioli is perfect for dipping, but is also great in place of tartar sauce with fish, or as a sandwich spread.

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Do Over, Part Deux

I've spent the last three days holed up in the house, not cooking or eating anything. You see, I woke up Saturday morning looking like Angelina Jolie had just had collagen injections and then been repeatedly punched in the mouth. Not good. A trip to the emergency room and then one to the dermatologist left me with five prescriptions and a couple of different diagnoses. Turns out I am highly allergic to poison ivy, and somehow that little bastard plant got in my way last week. I spent several days on the couch in an antihistamine stupor, unable to eat anything that couldn't be sucked through a straw. I tried to do a little Wii workout to prevent my behind from actually growing into the cushions, but I kept getting dizzy and falling off. Luckily I woke up normal today (despite being insanely itchy) and I headed straight to the kitchen. I've been waiting to make my second recipe for Rachel's Blogiversary contest all week!

Coco-Coconut Key Lime Tarts
(This recipe makes 20 tart shells, but only 12 tarts. You may double the filling measurement for more tarts, or just wrap and freeze cooled tart shells for later use. They are perfect last minute desserts when topped with mousse or ice cream! You could also use this recipe to make a 9 inch pie.)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flaked coconut
6 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup key lime juice (about 12 key limes)
4 egg yolks
8 oz. coconut milk
6 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla or coconut extract
1 tablespoon superfine sugar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. In a medium bowl, blend crumbs, sugar, coconut and butter with a fork until combined. Spoon evenly into each paper liner, then press to form a shell. Bake for 8 minutes or until crisp. Set aside to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In another bowl, whisk key lime juice, egg yolks, coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. Transfer into a measuring cup with a spout and pour evenly into 12 of the shells. Bake for 12 minutes or until just set. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

In a chilled bowl, whip cream with extract and sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon onto cooled tarts and garnish with a slice of lime. Refrigerate one hour before serving.

Perfect cool desserts for a day so hot my whipped cream was melting within minutes!

 It's almost 90 degrees on my porch! 

So what do you think? Should I submit these to the contest? Or the mussels? Or the scones? I'd love if you'd help me decide by leaving a comment with your vote! Thanks!

Die Garnele und die Mango

It's Pot Luck week at IHCC, which generally stresses me out since I am incapable of making decisions when faced with no parameters. This week, it was easy. In keeping with my earlier mentioned lunch plans for this week whilst E visits das Vaterland, I went with something quick, healthy, and incredibly koestlich (that's German for delicious, one of the random words that sticks with me, like tittenfisch which means man-boobs. I'm serious.).

I had shrimp in the freezer and a bunch of mangoes, so I did a quick web search. The Bittman books I have on hand at the moment (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times and Bittman Takes on America's Chefs) have very few mango recipes. You'd think I could find something in those three books! I ended up finding several recipes online, including this one for Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa from one of Mark's Today Show appearances. I decided the shrimp would be too heavy, so I did a simple oven roast instead. This is my favorite way to cook shrimp! 450 degrees for 8 minutes and they are perfectly pink, with a little bit of bite and super tender insides. Another thing I like to do is buy a few pounds of raw shrimp, shells and veins removed, when they are on sale (obviously) and then take a few minutes to remove the tails and put 1/2 pound portions into freezer bags. If I pull a bag out at breakfast, they are defrosted by lunch time and ready to go with minimal work. This salad came together in literally 10 minutes.

Garlic Roasted Shrimp and Mango Salad

Ingredients: 
1/2 lb. shrimp, shells and veins removed
2 cups mixed baby greens
1 mango
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbls. lime juice
salt and pepper
olive oil
rice wine vinegar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, toss shrimp with salt and pepper, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, or until pink.

While shrimp cooks, peel and dice mango and toss in a small bowl with lime juice, cilantro, salt and red pepper flakes to taste.  Add greens and toss gently.

Arrange mango and greens on 2 plates, top with shrimp and drizzle with rice wine vinegar.

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