No cows were harmed in the making of this burger

Thursday was a ridiculously long and crazy day. By the time I got home that night, I just wanted to laze on the couch with a book or my laptop. Cooking did not sound appealing at all. Then again, neither did pizza or Thai or any of our usual too lazy to cook standbys.

Black bean burgers had been on my list of things to try making for awhile. So I took my tired self into the kitchen and started chopping and mixing. In maybe 40 minutes, including prep time, I’d made these burgers, plus the guacamole and oven fries to go with them. By the time everything was done, I was nice and relaxed from my time in the kitchen. Then my husband and I sat down to enjoy a meal that was better and better for us than anything we would have ordered from a restaurant.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers
Makes 2 burgers

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, half minced and half cut into rings
1-2 jalapeños, minced
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic

Toppings
Cheddar or pepper jack cheese
Avocado slices or guacamole
Lettuce leaves
Onion slices
Tomato slices
2 hamburger buns

Directions
1. Put all ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir to combine, then mash bean mixture.
2. Form bean mixture into burger patties.
3. Cook patties on the grill or in a skillet for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
4. Place burgers onto buns and top with cheese and vegetables. Enjoy!

My Thoughts & Suggestions

• These burgers are great with oven fries, which are ridiculously easy to make. Just wash a few potatoes and cut them into 1/4 inch thick strips. Coat them with a little bit of olive oil and season with Adobo (or salt, pepper, garlic and cumin. Or whatever). Bake at 450° for 35 minutes, flipping halfway through.


Fries: Ready for the oven

• Because there were lots of veggies and guacamole on these burgers, I didn’t use mayo or any other condiments. A spicy or chipotle mayo would be fabulous on these though.
• I haven’t tried it yet. But I’m imagining these would freeze well. I’ll make extras next time and may even post an update about how that goes.

One of my favorite meals

Hummus is a refrigerator staple in my household. Besides being one of my favorite foods, it’s easy to make and stays good for a long time. Served with sliced veggies and pita wedges, it’s is a quick and healthy weekday lunch or light dinner. It’s great to have on hand this time of year, when it can get too hot to cook. And it’s awesome with the fresh, in-season and locally grown tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that are currently available.

I’ve been eating and making hummus since high school when it was an important source of protein for my then-vegetarian diet. My mom refused to cook me vegetarian food, which meant I had to learn to do it if I wanted to live on more than salads and grilled cheese sandwiches. So I subscribed to Vegetarian Times and bought a copy of their cookbook. I actually keep meaning to get that cookbook back from my mom’s house because it has so many great recipes. Anyway, the first hummus I made used a recipe similar to this one. I’ve been playing with it since then and finally got around to writing it down last week after I made a particularly good batch. This is a fairly classic hummus recipe. There’s no spinach or roasted red peppers, just chickpeas accented with tahini, garlic and lemon.

Lemon-Garlic Hummus
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can chick peas
scant 1/2 c. juice from the chick peas
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. tahini
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately with fresh veggies and pita wedges, or cover and refrigerate.

My Thoughts & Suggestions

• I usually eat my hummus with pita wedges, tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers. Other veggies that go well with it are cauliflower, broccoli, celery and green bell peppers. While I’m not a fan of hummus on carrots, a lot of people do enjoy it.
• My other favorite way to use hummus is as a sandwich topping. Spread the hummus on a pita, then add lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, bell pepper and feta cheese. Yum yum!
• This recipe is fine to double. I usually make a big batch of it and eat it for lunch all week. As long as it’s kept cold, it stays good for 5-7 days.

If Warm Weather was a pizza flavor, this would be it

For almost as long as the husband and I have been together, we’ve made pizza from scratch on the weekends. Our first pizza was made in my tiny post-college apartment and baked on a cheap aluminum pizza pan from Big Lots. He used a crust recipe he found online. We topped it with canned sauce, pre-shredded mozzarella cheese and cheap pepperoni, and thought it was awesome. It had a thinner crust and was much less greasy than pizza shop pizza. Also, there’s just something satisfying about eating a pizza that you have made yourself, from scratch.

Over time, we graduated to a pizza stone and fresher ingredients. The husband has perfected his crust recipe. Usually, I’m the baker. But he always makes the pizza crust because he does it so well. We’ve both started playing with pizza toppings. We’ve made macaroni & cheese pizza, chili dog pizza, taco pizza, buffalo chicken pizza and used any number of traditional toppings in various combinations.

Usually, though, he makes a standard pepperoni or Genoa salami and cheese pizza. My usual go-to pizza was loosely inspired by Greek salad (incidentally, it’s one of the pictures in the rotating header for this blog). I use olive oil and thinly-sliced tomatoes as a base. Then, I top it with mozzarella and feta, onion, kalamata olives, pepperocini and a light sprinkle of lemon-pepper. No red sauce and generally no meat.

You see, I’m not a huge fan of traditional red tomato sauces. I very rarely eat spaghetti with marinara or anything similar. When making pizza, I often completely skip the red sauce. My favorite substitute is pesto, which brings me to this pizza. It is a thin, slightly crispy crust topped with pesto, freshly-roasted red peppers, mozzarella and lots of vegetables. This pizza is perfect for a warm day when a traditional pizza can seem too heavy. I made it for dinner last night and am already looking forward to the next time we make pizza so I can repeat it.

A quick note before I get to the actual recipe and method. The crust recipe will make 2 thin 12″ crusts. You can use the second crust to make another pizza, or freeze it for another day. As I previously mentioned, we use a pizza stone. Since the stone has to be be heated up gradually, I just left it in the oven while I roasted the peppers. Also, I would recommend prepping the pizza toppings while waiting for the dough to rise. That will make the whole process more efficient.

Pesto Pizza with Fresh Vegetables
Makes 1, 12″ pizza

Ingredients
For the crust:
1 c. warm water
2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 tbsp. white sugar
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 c. bread flour
1 tbsp. oregano
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. crushed red pepper

For the sauce:
1 c. fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 tsp. dry oregano
1/8 c. pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

For the toppings:
1 tomato, sliced very thin
1/2 white onion, sliced very thin
1/2 c. baby spinach, washed
6-8 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
1 red bell pepper, roasted and cut into thick slices
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Make the crust
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add sugar, olive oil and salt and combine. Add seasonings. Finally, add flour a little at a time until dough is thick.
3. Divide dough into 2 balls, coat each lightly with flour and set aside. Allow dough to rise until it has doubled, about one hour.

While the dough is rising, prepare the pesto and toppings
1. Preheat the broiler on your oven. Wash and chop all vegetables. Shred Parmesan cheese.
2. Place sliced red peppers on an unlined baking sheet and broil for 4-5 minutes. Flip peppers over and broil an additional 4-5 minutes. Place peppers in a tightly-sealed bag to steam for 20 minutes. Set aside.
3. Toast the pine nuts by placing them in a dry pan over medium heat. Gently shake the pan over heat for about 30 seconds, until nuts are lightly browned.
4. Make the pesto sauce. In a small food processor, combine basil, oregano, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Process until pureed, then grated add Parmesan. Set aside.
5. Finally, remove the peppers from their bag, peel them and set them aside.

Spinach, roasted peppers, tomato slices, onion rings & olives. Yum!

By this time, your crust should be ready to finish
4. Reduce oven temperature to 500°.
5. Turn dough out onto a pizza stone and roll it out to about 1/2″ thickness. Bake for 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove pizza from oven. Spread with pesto sauce, sprinkle with cheese and arrange vegetables. Bake for an additional 5-6 minutes. Enjoy!

Burritos themselves aren't very pretty to look at. But I think that lots of colorful veggies are. (and yes, that is my trusty jar of Adobo in the corner).

Though my husband and I aren’t vegetarians, we eat meatless meals several times a week. We do this partially for health reasons, partially for cost reasons and partially because vegetables are so darn tasty. I’m also biased in favor of them because I think food should be attractive. Veggies are generally prettier than chicken breasts or bacon. The problem is that produce doesn’t keep for very long. So I’m often looking for ways to use it up before it goes bad. Soups and stir-fries are obvious options. But there are times, like tonight, that neither of those sounds appealing. So I raided the fridge and cabinets for a few staples, starting chopping and sautéing, and came up with these veggie burritos. I had no idea they would turn out as well as they did.

Black Bean & Veggie Burritos
Makes 4 large burritos

Ingredients
1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
1 large onion
1-3 jalapeño peppers
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. Adobo with cumin
1 32 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
Juice of one lime
Large flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
Sour cream & salsa, for serving

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Wash and dice zucchini, squash and onion. Wash, seed and dice peppers.
3. Add onions, garlic and peppers to skillet. Cook until slightly softened. Add zucchini and squash and cook an additional 3 minutes. Finally, add black beans and corn and cook until everything is heated, about 5 minutes.
4. Heat tortillas. Fill with vegetable-bean mixture, cheese, salsa and sour cream (if desired). Enjoy!

My thoughts & suggestions

• OK. I realize that I’ve now contradicted my recent mini-rant against premade spice mixes. But there is one mix that I keep around – Goya Adobo. This mixture of salt, pepper, cumin, garlic power, oregano and turmeric is a staple in my kitchen. I use it in chili, on grilled chicken and in almost anything Mexican-inspired. It’s also great on home fries and french fries. Be careful, though, because it is salty. A little goes a long way.
• I used 3 jalapeños and still thought the filling was a little mild. I actually think a habanero pepper would be quite good in this.
• I don’t have a whole lot else to say. Cooking doesn’t get much easier than this. I did consider adding more Adobo, or at least more cumin. But the vegetables have so much flavor on their own; and I didn’t want to overpower them. I know that I’ll be playing with this idea in the future. I’m sure lots of other vegetables would be good in this. I’ll probably throw in some diced tomatoes next time. I definitely think the filling could use fresh cilantro. Avocado would also have been a great addition. But those are things that tend to get eaten quickly, meaning I didn’t have any lying around. Since this recipe was, above all, a way to clean out the crisper drawer, I’m not too worried about it.

Ingredients for an Indian Feast. So many colors!

Indian food is still something I am experimenting with and learning about. Two of my favorite local Indian restaurants are Venky’s Spice House and The Banana Leaf. I might even get around to reviewing both of them someday. The great thing about these restaurants is that you get to sample fresh and authentic food that has been made by expert hands with years of experience. I also love all of the new foods and flavors these restaurants have introduced me to. Venky’s is responsible for my love of Garlic Naan, while the Banana Leaf’s waitress taught me about all the different foods I was eating.

In my own kitchen, I haven’t ventured very far outside of the curry zone when making Indian food. I’m just happy that I’ve been brave enough to avoid the premade curry powders sold in grocery stores. In general, I find premade spice mixes too heavy on salt and lacking in other flavors. I’d much rather buy my own spices separately and combine them to my liking. Anyway. I digress.

My Indian Feast was my first attempt to make anything Indian, other than curry, completely from scratch. For my sides, I chose the Carrot-Coconut salad from the same Food Network Magazine article that had the Chickpea & Cauliflower Curry recipe, and a Garlic Naan recipe that I found online. Both side dishes turned out better than I had imagined they would. After making this meal, I definitely feel more encouraged to play with new and unfamiliar recipes in the future.

Garlic Naan
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. white sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour, sifted
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with a dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add milk, sugar, salt, egg and enough flour to make the dough soft. Mix until combined well.
2. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Set the dough aside in a warm place and let it rise until it has doubled in size, about one hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead garlic into dough. Roll into golf-ball sized balls and set aside to rise for another 30 minutes.
4. Melt a small amount of butter in a skillet. Flatten each dough ball and place in skillet over high heat for 3-5 minutes. Brush uncooked side with butter, flip, and cook other side an additional 3-5 minutes until browned.

Naan frying in the skillet

Carrot-Coconut Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice of 1 lime
4 large carrots, shredded
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/3 c. coconut, shredded & unsweetened

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cilantro, salt and lime juice. Add shredded carrots and toss.
2. In a small skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and toast for about 30 seconds. Make sure to swirl pan and keep seeds moving so they do not burn.
3. Add coconut and swirl until coconut is lightly toasted.
4. Once coconut-cumin mixture has cooled, combine with carrots to complete the salad.

My thoughts & suggestions

• The naan was easy to make. Like any bread, make sure you’re exact about your measurements and you won’t have any problems. On a side note, I found the naan recipe on All Recipes. In general, I’m a fan of that site. It allows you to search recipes and save them in an online recipe box. The commenters are also pretty helpful. I usually read through a few of the comments to see what others have done to modify a recipe. They’re a great learning tool.
• I couldn’t find unsweetened, shredded coconut in the local grocery store. So I bought a fresh coconut instead. I had never worked with fresh coconut before. Fortunately, Google is my friend and led me to this coconut-opening tutorial. I successfully used Method #1, and was surprised that just tapping the coconut along its seam caused it to open. To make it easier to remove the meat, I would recommend roasting it in a 350° for about 15 minutes. I then shredded the coconut (and the carrot) with my trusty cheese grater that I bought at a Mexican grocery store.

Recipe Sources: Carrot-Coconut salad from “Crowd-Pleasing Curry”, Food Network Magazine, January/February 2010. Naan from All Recipes.

Chickpea & Cauliflower Curry, Carrot-Coconut Salad & Garlic Naan

Dana Velden at the Kitchn, recently wrote about Sunday Suppers. The post talks about making comforting food to enjoy with friends and/or family before the workweek starts. A leisurely Sunday meal is a great time to relax, unwind and squeeze a little bit more fun out of the weekend. It’s also something my husband and I have been doing for a long time. It’s rare for us to go to dinner or order in on a Sunday night. Instead, one of us makes a special recipe. Sometimes, this recipe is a simple comfort food. He might grill burgers or chicken or I might play with my minestrone recipe.

More often than not, Sunday dinner is something new and different. It’s a great time for me to try the complicated recipes and techniques that I don’t have time to make after getting off work. There is no way I’m going to spend several hours in the kitchen on a Tuesday night. But a Sunday when I don’t have anything on the agenda? Perfect time to tackle that super-involved recipe I’ve been hanging on to. The Indian Feast from the January/February Food Network Magazine is a great example. The meal consisted of a Chickpea & Cauliflower Curry, Carrot-Coconut Salad and Garlic Naan. These recipes will be the subject of my next couple blog posts.

Chickpea & Cauliflower Curry
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1/2 lb. dried chickpeas
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 pods of cardamom
6 cloves, whole
12 black peppercorns, whole
2 red onions – 1 diced & 1 quartered
3″ piece of ginger, peeled & chopped
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 serrano chiles, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. tumeric
2 plum tomatoes, diced
6 cups cauliflower florets
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup fresh cilantro or mint, chopped
kosher salt

Directions
1. To soften the chickpeas, soak them in a large pot of water overnight. Drain water and return chickpeas to the pot.
2. Create a spice packet by wrapping cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie loose ends of cheesecloth together.
3. Place spice packet in the pot of chickpeas. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 50 minutes, until chickpeas are tender. Strain chickpeas. Be sure to set aside the cooking liquid and spice packet.
3. While peas are cooking, make a paste by pulsing quartered onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor.
4. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook diced onion in oil until browned, about 9 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste, serrano and 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has gone out of mixture, approximately 6 minutes. Add coriander, cumin and tumeric and cook for one more minute.
5. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, spice bundle and 3 cups of the cooking liquid. Simmer until mixture is thick, at least 20 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, adding more cooking liquid as needed.
6. Discard spice bundle. Add lemon juice and a little salt before eating.

Curry spices ready to be made into a nice little packet

My thoughts & suggestions

• The magazine article offers a shortcut for softening the chickpeas. To soften them quickly, boil them for 5 minutes then set aside, covered, for about an hour. I’m sure you could also use canned chickpeas in this recipe. But the dried ones add a little bit of crunch that contrasts nicely with the softer cauliflower.
• For the most part, I followed the recipe exactly as it was. The amounts given for serranos and tumeric are twice those called for in the initial recipe. I did this because the husband and I prefer our food spicy and heavily seasoned. I was quite happy with the results. Also, the recipe called for 1/2 lb. of okra. I forgot to add it, and didn’t miss it.

Recipe Source: Adapted from “Crowd-Pleasing Curry”, Food Network Magazine, January/February 2010

Please excuse the random noodle on the side of the plate. My food photography skills are a work in progress.

When it comes to cooking, I am very much my mother’s daughter. I constantly catch myself saying and doing the same things she does in the kitchen. It’s gotten to the point that my family calls me her Mini-Me when they see us in the kitchen together, bossing everyone around and instructing them on proper (in our opinion, anyway) culinary techniques. In spite of this, we are at odds regarding recipes. She firmly believes that they should be followed exactly, especially the first time they are made. On the other hand, it’s rare for me to make a recipe without tweaking it a little, even when I’m trying it for the first time. It’s generally something small – adding garlic or heat, or using brown instead of white sugar. But sometimes I get so far away from the recipe that the meal becomes my own creation. This is how Thai Tofu & Green Beans was born.

The night I made this meal, I had planned on making a great Thai Chicken & Green Beans recipe that I found online last spring and have made a couple times. That recipe has since disappeared into Cyberspace. So I found another, similar recipe. But then the husband suggested using tofu. I thought it needed peanuts. Pretty soon, I had completely abandoned the recipe and was making things up as I went. I flavored the rice noodles, made extra sauce, and decided the whole thing needed to be hotter. When this was done, it reminded me a little of Pad Thai. It’s an intricately-flavored, spicy meal that has made me a little more confident in my ability to make Asian-inspired foods without a recipe.  It occurred to me that maybe I should record the ingredients so I could repeat this dinner, and play with it, in the future.

Thai Tofu & Green Beans
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
6 tbsp. fresh Persian lime juice (approx. 3 limes)
6 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
6 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. Thai chili sauce
1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. minced garlic
12.3 oz. package firm tofu, drained
4 tbsp. fish sauce
1 12 oz. bag frozen green beans, thawed & drained
1/2 c. peanuts, crushed
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
12 oz. rice noodles, softened

Directions
1. Whisk together lime juice, brown sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Once oil has heated, add chili sauce and stir to combine.
3. Stir fry onions and garlic until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Add tofu and and fish sauce. Stir fry for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Add green beans, lime mixture, and 1/4 c. peanuts. Continue cooking until everything is heated and tofu begins to brown. Add vinegar and stir to combine.
6. Serve over rice noodles. Garnish with lime wedge and remaining peanuts. Enjoy.

My Thoughts & Suggestions:
This recipe has a lot of flavor. It’s hot and tangy. It would be fine served over plain rice noodles. But I find plain noodles a little bland. So after the noodles were softened, I tossed them with a little lime juice, Thai chili oil, turmeric, cilantro and kosher salt before topping them with the tofu and green bean mixture.

In my household, stir-fried dishes are a weeknight staple, due to their versatility and easy preparation. The most time-consuming step is cutting up the ingredients. To save time, I often use frozen vegetables, especially in the winter when there isn’t as much flavorful fresh produce available. But even when I do use fresh vegetables, it’s rare for a stir-fry to take more than half an hour to prepare and cook.

Classic Bruschetta Topping
1 loaf Italian bread
6 medium tomatoes
20 fresh basil leaves
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. Seed and dice tomatoes. Finely chop basil leaves.
2. In a bowl, combine tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Sprinkle basil leaves on top.

Ricotta Bruschetta Topping
1 loaf Italian bread
15 oz. ricotta cheese, drained
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. Combine ricotta, lemon juice and garlic in a medium bowl.
2. Add tomatoes and spices. Mix well.

Kalamata Bruschetta Topping
1 loaf Italian bread
8 oz. kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts

1. Once pine nuts are toasted, crush them into smaller pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients, including pine nuts, in a small bowl and mix well.

To Serve
1. Preheat oven to 375º. Slice 3 loaves of Italian bread into 1/4 inch thick slices
2. Toast bread slices in the oven for 3 minutes. Flip and toast for 2-3 more minutes.
3. Arrange toasted slices on a tray and top with bruschetta toppings. Or, place toasted bread slices in a basket and bruschetta toppings in a serving tray.

My thoughts:
I was very happy with the way this turned out. I put the toppings in a serving dish with 3 wells in it. Once the bread was toasted, I put the slices in a basket and covered them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm. This way, people could help themselves to the different bruschetta toppings as they pleased.

Prior to making this recipe, I had never made Indian food. In fact, I haven’t even eaten much of it since it wasn’t readily available until I moved to Columbus. I love the complex flavors and textures of the dishes. But, because of the unusual (to me) spices, the idea of cooking it at home intimidated me. Most of the spices and seasonings in my cabinet are standard American and Mexican ones. I have a good idea of how they go together. I know which flavor combinations are complimentary and which ones are not. Indian and Asian spices are much less familiar to me. Still, you never learn if you don’t try. A couple weeks ago, I decided to plunge in and play around with a Sweet Potato & Spinach curry recipe I found online. It turned out better than I expected and gave me the confidence to try more Indian recipes in the very near future.

Sweet Potato, Spinach & Tofu Curry
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1″ cubes
1 large eggplant, peeled & cut into 1″ cubes
1 bunch fresh spinach
12 oz. tofu, cut into 1″ cubes
2 tbsp. cumin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions
1. In a large pot of salted water, boil spinach for 30 seconds. Drain, then dry with paper towels. Roughly chop the spinach.
2. Heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add garlic and cumin and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add cubed sweet potato, stir well, cook for 8 minutes. Then add eggplant, spinach, tofu, salt, curry powder, and turmeric powder. Cook until eggplant is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, and let curry rest in the pot for 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

My thoughts:
1. The original recipe called for much less spice and only contained vegetables. I added the tofu to give it some protein and doubled the spices since tofu tends to be bland, and since Jared and I tend to like heavily seasoned foods.
2. The instructions and comments about this recipe mentioned letting the curry rest. This is a very important step. The freshly made curry was good, but somewhat bland. It got more flavorful over the 20 minute rest period.
3. The next time I make this, I plan to bake some Naan to go with it. This time, I brushed some flatbreads with olive oil and garlic and toasted them in the oven for a few minutes.

Recipe Source: Inspired by Sweet Potato, Eggplant & Spinach Madras Curry at A Life (Time) of Cooking

When I was 17, I went to Mexico City with my Spanish class. I loved everything about it – the hotel overlooking the Zócalo, the pyramids, the sense of history, the colors, the energy and the food. While some of my classmates were happy with KFC, my mom I tried all sorts of new things. We had grilled corn with chili powder and lime from a street vendor and decadent pan dulce from the bakeries. But my favorite new food experience was a meal of chiles rellenos served with red and green salsas and refried black beans. Ever since then, I’ve considered chiles rellenos one of my favorite foods.

In spite of my love for these deep-fried, cheese stuffed poblano peppers, I had never attempted to make them myself, until recently. I can’t think of a better way to start this blog than with a recipe for my favorite food.

Chiles Rellenos
Makes 6

Ingredients
6 poblano or Anaheim peppers
12 oz. queso fresco or monterey jack cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 eggs, seperated
1 cup all-purpose flour
canola oil, for frying
red and/or green salsas (I used canned tomatillo & homestyle salsas, though I will probably make my own salsa next time I make these)

Directions
1. Cut a slit down the side of each pepper. Place peppers in a broiler or dry frying pan until skins blister.
2. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and seal the top. Let steam for 20 minutes.
3. While the peppers are steaming, cut the cheese into thin, 2-3″ strips.
4. Once the peppers are steamed, remove their skins and seeds.
5. Fill each pepper with cheese. If desired, use a toothpick to hold peppers together. Chill for 30 minutes.
6. Whip egg whites into firm peaks. In another bowl, thoroughly whip the egg yolks. Fold the yolks into the whites.
7. In a shallow dish, spread out flour and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
8. Heat oil to 375°F.
9. Coat peppers in flour and then in egg.
10. Fry peppers in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
11. Garnish with salsa and shredded cheese.

My thoughts: These took quite a long time to make, mostly because it was my first experience blistering and skinning peppers. They turned out extremely well, making them completely worth the time and effort. I served them with black beans and margaritas made from scratch.

Recipe Source: Adapted from my favorite Mexican cookbook, Mexican – Healthy Ways With a Favorite Cuisine by Jane Milton. The recipes tend to be time-consuming and probably aren’t as healthy as the title suggests. But the book has yet to steer me wrong when it comes to tasty, authentic Mexican food.