Scallion-Tofu Ramen

This recipe is another riff on something from Mark Bittman's formidable How to Cook Everything. It is a delicious and spicy and wonderful. I was dining solo tonight, so this recipe served one (very hungry!) me, but I think it might be able to serve 2 less-hungry adults.

Recipe:
2 tbsp. neutral oil
1-2 tsp. red chili flakes (depending on how spicy you like things)
3 tsp. chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp. chopped ginger
7 oz. extra firm tofu
3 green onions, sliced with green and white parts divided.
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. cashews
1/3 c. vegetable (or other) stock
1 pkg. Ramen noodles

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a skillet until hot. Add Garlic, chili flakes and ginger. Fry until very fragrant (1-2 mins).
2) Add tofu and white parts of green onions. Fry until the tofu starts to brown. Add cashews and fry for an additional 1-2 mins.
3) Add stock and boil until the liquid reduces by half.
4) Cook noodles according to package directions.
5) Add soy sauce and green sections of onions.
6) Serve tofu-scallion mixture on top of noodles. Try to hold yourself back from gobbling long enough to take a better picture than me.

Until our next dinner,
ceh.

Dried Cherry/Peanut Butter Breakfast Treats

I have never been a huge fan of breakfast. It's just never been my thing. If I do have breakfast it's almost always granola and yogurt. But this recipe, my friends, might just change all of that. These are sometimes called "breakfast cookies," but they are really nothing like cookies. I've opted to just call them breakfast treats. The recipe is extremely flexible and almost anything about it can be altered to suit your tastes. I've been having mine in the mornings with a couple of scoops of Greek yogurt, so I guess not all that much has changed...

This was a totally experimental cooking adventure, so if you know of ways to make these tastier, please leave any ideas in the comments.

Recipe (Makes 6-8 treats):

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 c. dried sour cherries

3/4 c. crushed cashews and pecans

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Mix together peanut butter, honey and vanilla.
3) Add milk to the above mixture.
4) In a separate bowl, mix together nuts, dried fruit, oats, baking soda, oats and flour.
5) Mix together wet and dry ingredients.
6) Place the mixture by spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet
7) Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the scoops.
8) Let treats cool completely before storing.

Feel free to experiment, and let me know how it goes!

Until our next breakfast,
ceh.

Nut Tart

Well, less meatatarians, this is my first post about baking, and it's a dang good recipe. I found it while trolling around the blogosphere at a lovely and wonderful blog called Fragrant Vanilla Cake. (How can you NOT love something with a name like that?). The author over there seems to be some kind of wizard in the baking arena, and I have yet to find something on that blog that doesn't make my mouth water.

So, on to the specifics. I am a big fan of pecan pie, but this takes things to a whole different level. It's got pecans, sure, but also pine nuts, pistachios, cashews and almonds. That combined with a truly amazing almond and vanilla-scented shortbread crust? A total home run.

This tart was part of the going-away celebrations of a certain Bengali gentleman. He will certainly be missed while he is away.

Check out the recipe here. I have nothing more to add because it was just fantastic.

Until our next dessert,

ceh.

Wild Rice and Goat Cheese stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

This recipe is definitely a favorite of mine. It has a proven luckiness track record for me. It was the first dinner I cooked for a certain Bengali gentleman about 2.5 years ago, and let's just say that turned out well. These mushrooms involve a good bit of preparation, but the good news is that it can all be done ahead and then thrown in the oven at the last minute. You can assemble the mushrooms (with everything except the bread crumbs), wrap them individually in plastic and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just take them out of the fridge, add bread crumbs and throw them in the oven.

The recipe for these comes from a lovely little publication called The Vegetarian Times, and I follow it pretty much to the T. It's delicious and really filling.

Recipe:
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
8 oz. button or white mushrooms, chopped
3 clove garlic, minced (3 tsp.)
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 package goat cheese, crumbled
4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed (a how-to on this process can be found here)
1 package cherry (or other small) tomatoes, cut in half
2 Tbs. lemon juice
4 tbsp. fine breadcrumbs, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Cook wild rice according to package directions. Set aside to cool
2) Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and grease a baking sheet.
3) Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for approximately 5 minutes.
4) Stir in button mushrooms and chopped stems from portobellas, salt and black pepper. Allow to cook for about 9 minutes, or until most of the water from the mushrooms has evaporated.
5) Stir in Wild rice and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
6) Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese.
7) Place the portobella caps on the baking sheet and fill each with 1/4 of the filling.
8) Toss the cherry tomatoes with lemon juice, then place them on top of the mushrooms (it helps to push them into the filling a bit. Pour any extra lemon juice on the mushrooms.
9) Sprinkle 1 tbsp. bread crumbs on top of each of the mushrooms.
10) Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with extra wild rice or salad.

I hope this recipe is as lucky for you as it is for me!

Until our next dinner,
ceh.

Greek Shrimps

The plural of shrimp is not actually shrimps. But I really like the word shrimps. And now on with the show.

The idea of cinnamon as a spice that isn't exclusively used in sweet foods has been a big deal for me lately. Just writing that sentence makes me feel like a loser, but it's seriously true. Cinnamon is a lovely and rich and spicy flavor that lends itself really nicely to a lot of different sea food and grain dishes. I'll be honest, the taste of these shrimp is pretty intense, in a really excellent (have a glass of water at the ready) kind of way. This recipe is closely-based on one I originally saw over at Epicurious. I served it with some multi-grain baguette, but it would also work with some good rice.

As you can see from the picture, this isn't the prettiest dinner I've ever made, but the lack of leftovers speaks for itself. The food disappeared real quickly.

Recipe:
1 white onion, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dill seeds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 pinch of sugar

1 1/4 lb. shrimp, deveined

1 package feta cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Heat the olive oil in a large pot on the stove. Cook onions and garlic with a pinch of salt until they are soft.

3) Add dill seed, cinnamon, allspice, chili flakes and a sprinkle of black pepper and cook for 30 seconds

4) Add tomatoes in juice and sugar and simmer until the volume reduces by 1/2, or about 20 minutes.

5) Remove pan from heat and stir in shrimp with a bit more salt.

6) Pour the mixture into a baking dish, and sprinkle the top with the feta cheese.

7) Bake the mixture for 18 to 20 minutes.

8) Sit back and watch the food disappear.

Until our next dinner,

ceh.

Ramen, but better

One of the major food groups in my life is noodles. So many different shapes and sizes that are the perfect canvas for all sorts of flavors. A really quick and easy noodle dish that is a staple in my repertoire is based in Maruchan Ramen. (Yes, the 10-15¢ collegiate delicacy). With a few quick fixes, this bottom shelf staple can become a seriously good meal.

The flavors are pretty basic, but the combo is out of this world. This recipe is for a single serving, but you can definitely multiply it for the number of people you're serving.

Recipe:
1 packet Ramen, Oriental (which is probably offensive) flavor
1/4 c. frozen corn
1/4 c. frozen baby lima beans
A handful of cashews
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
juice from one lime
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. hot Asian flavored hot sauce (like Sriracha)
small splash of neutral oil

Directions:
1) Cook Noodles according to directions, without adding the flavor packet. Drain the water, set aside.
2) Heat oil in a frying pan. Add corn and lima beans to the oil and cook until the corn caramelizes slightly, and the beans cook through. Add the cashews and cook until they are lightly toasted.
3) Add noodles to the pan and stir to combine.
4) Sprinkle contents of flavor packet over the noodles, corn and beans. Add soy sauce, lime juice, sugar and hot sauce.
5) Stir fry until most of liquid has evaporated.
6) Pour into a bowl and try to wait for it to cool down a bit before eating. (seriously, I dare you not to burn your mouth on this one...)

Until our next dinner,
ceh.

Black Bean Pancakes

I am a huge fan of pretty much anything with black beans. We're talking Huge. Fan. So, I'm claiming that as my excuse for why the picture on this post is real blurry. It's because I was just way too excited to adequately photograph my plate. Lame, but totally true.

This recipe is an unexpected powerhouse (fast) dinner, that was introduced to me by the awesome author at More Cheese, More Chocolate. I'm a huge fan of her work and decided to give this recipe a spin. She got the inspiration from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (the old edition). One word: Awesome.

Recipe:
2 c. canned beans (I used all black beans.)
1 c. milk
1 egg
2 tbsp. melted butter or olive oil (both work, but the pancakes with butter are a bit more prone to burning on the stove)
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:
1) Roughly mash up the beans with the back of a fork until about half of them are crushed up.
2) Add milk, egg and butter/oil and stir up.
3) Add flour, chili powder (if using), salt and pepper. Stir to combine, but don't overstir it.
4) Melt a bit of flour in a skillet, and cook them up like pancakes. They take about 3 minutes a side, depending on how thick the batter is, and how hot your skillet is.
5) Keep warm on a pan in a 150 degree oven until all pancakes are cooked.
6) Serve with salsa, corn chips, corn on the cob (all pictured above), sour cream, guacamole, etc. Basically, whatever you want.

I served these to a (very) skeptical audience, and they were totally won over. I really think that you will be too.

Until our next dinner,
ceh.

Channa (chickpea curry)

Indian food, especially curry, has a really bad reputation for being unhealthy. The food served in Indian restaurants (and all restaurants) the world over generally employs short cuts for good taste. However, if you use slow heat and good spices, you can make a healthy and super tasty Indian food at home.

One of my favorite (quick) vegetarian curries is Channa, or chickpea curry. It's spicy and delicious, and goes well with both flat breads (roti, paratha, naan or even tortillas in a pinch) or rice. The curry, as I make it, is a thick and protein rich and a super satisfying low-maintenance weeknight meal. This recipe serves 3-5 people.

Recipe:

2 cans of Chickpeas

1 White Onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. ginger paste, or 1 inch fresh ginger, minced

2-3 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. cumin seed (you could also use ground cumin, but add this portion when you are meant to add the seeds)

2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp. turmeric

3/4 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. vegetable oil (or another neutral oil)

1 c. water

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add onions to the oil and fry until golden. Add ginger and garlic to the saucepan.

2) Add cumin seeds and fry until some of the seeds start to pop. At this point, the onion should be deeply golden brown. If the onions/garlic/ginger/cumin seed mixture starts to stick to the pan, add a bit of water to deglaze the pan.

3) Add the other spices and tomato paste. By this point, you should have a fairly thick paste. If you want to thin it a bit, or if it is sticking to the pan, then add a bit more water, and stir.

4) Fry this paste until the spices are very fragrant. Add water if you would like to thin it out a bit.

5) Drain chickpeas. Add the beans to the spice paste and stir to combine. Add a bit of water.

6) Cover and let the mixture cook for a minimum of 15 minutes, or up to a couple of hours. Check on the mixture regularly and add water if it is sticking to the pan.

7) Serve, with bread or rice, and cilantro chutney.

This is definitely a go-to in my house. I hope you enjoy it!

Until our next dinner,

ceh.

Mango Lassi/Loshi

Mango Lassi might be the world's most perfect summer drink. It's called Aam Loshi in Bengali (I was taught to make this by a certain Bengali gentleman). You can make lassi with pistachios, but I have yet to venture down that road, in no small part because of how much I like the mango variety.

This isn't a recipe, per se, because every single ingredient can basically be listed as "to taste." The important thing to remember is to taste the mango pulp before you use it, because the taste can be vastly different from batch to batch on the sweet-to-tart scale. But I promise you, all the tweaking will be worth it.

Recipe:

2 cups non-fat plain yogurt

1 cup mango pulp (Kesar brand is best)

2-3 tbsp. sugar

1-2 pinches cinnamon (optional)

1-2 pinches ground cardamom (optional)

a few crushed cashews (optional garnish)

Directions:

1) Combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender, and blend until everything is combined.

2) Taste and tweak if necessary

3) Serve in glasses with ice, garnish with crushed cashews

4) Enjoy and try not to hog it all

Until our next dinner,

ceh.