..cricket cricket…. pretending there was no hiatus…….
so, i have exciting news! i’ve officially moved into the new apartment with the boyfriend, and that means a new kitchen! okay, maybe not as exciting as i made it sound. but i was pretty psyched to set up a new cooking workspace. anyway, i’m now in pennsylvania, specifically in one of the suburbs of philadelphia- and the food scene over here is pretty spectacular. first of all this area is just crawling with farms (amish country is about an hour away, i think?) so there’s lots of nice, fresh, local produce all around. there’s tons of farmers markets, which i haven’t gotten to hit yet unfortunately, but that’s this weekend’s project (along with setitng up track lighting and hitting a few local wineries/breweries.. ahem.. anyway..) besides the farms, we also have a trader joe’s and whole foods basically around the block.
in other news, as i mentioned i’m living with the boyfriend: a pretty dedicated carnivore. if you haven’t noticed, eat very little meat. not that i’m a dedicated vegetarian, i have a bite of his steak or chicken every once and a while, but i don’t eat it on a daily or even weekly basis. so, how is this going to work? i’m wondering the same thing. beside the fact that i’m a B.S. in nutrition and he’s being living on cheeseburgers for the past 2 months. well, it hasn’t been difficult or messy yet. luckily, he does like beans and most vegetables, and he even loves soyrizo as much as i do. about once a week i’m making a meal that can have meat for him and meatless for me (this week it was pasta and broccoli alfredo- with chicken for him and chickenless strips for me) but other than that there’s been some pretty delicious vegetarian meals going down here =)
anyway, onto the “recipe.” this isn’t even a recipe. it’s a list of ingredients that together makes a delicious salad. i’ve been craving salads lately, i guess it’s the hot weather and all the nice summer produce around. i would call this spanish inspired, but as the 2 other girls who write on this blog have lived in spain, i hesitate to call it that… =p
Salad Which May or May not be Inspired by Spanish Ingredients.
Arugula
Tomatoes
Peaches
Mango
Black Beans
Corn on the Cob
Vidalia Onion
Scallions
Manchego Cheese
Avocado
Radishes
Mixed (red, yellow, orange) Baby Bell Peppers
Butter and Chili Powder (for the corn)
We grilled the peaches, peppers, and corn on our illegal-in-the-new-apartment propane grill. To be honest, the salad could have done without with peaches and more mango- i love mango! but it wasn’t bad tasting by any means. The corn got hit with some butter and a ton of hot mexican chili powder.
As for the dressing… I used Lemon-Tahini dressing from 101 Cookbooks because I was unsure about what kind of dressing would got best with the flavors in the salad, and i wanted a break from the bottled dressing we always use. I just saw a nice looking recipe for lime-chili sauce, which probably would have worked well.
Filed under: bell pepper, bulgar, cheese, quinoa, spinach, tomato, zucchini | Tags: bulgar, feta cheese, food orgasm, pepper, quinoa, spinach, tomato, zucchini
oh. my. god. i just had a food orgasm.
it was perfect. well seasoned. time consuming, but worth it. it was even so good we can totally disregard how i cannot eat anything a stuffed pepper in a neat and/or ladylike fashion.
yes, a stuffed pepper. but it doesn’t have to be, if that’s not your thing. that’s the beauty of it.
i started off with this recipe for spinach and bulgar pilaf. this is what it became:
ingredients (this is enough to make a big ol pot. roughly 5-6 cups.)
the ingredients listed in the original recipe were in much better proportion than my “use what i got” technique. obviously my obsession with tomatoes and caramelized onions would incline me to use way more in the future. but this worked fine.)
also, obviously i make meals in huge portions, it’s so i have something i can just throw in tupperware and bring to work the rest of the week. adjust accordingly.
4 plum tomatoes.
1 t brown sugar.
1 T olive oil.
1-2 t balsamic vinegar.
2 t minced garlic.
1/2 t coriander.
1/2 t salt.
1/2 an onion, finely chopped.
1 tsp minced garlic.
1 T olive oil.
6 oz bulgar.
6 oz quinoa (RINSED).
2 1/2 cups stock (i used water).
salt and pepper.
1 large zucchini, chopped.
about 5-6 oz chopped spinach. use as much as you want, it wilts anyway.
2 t olive oil.
hungarian paprika and ground fennel (to taste) (i used a lot)
the other half onion, finely sliced.
1/2 T olive oil.
sprinkles cinnamon and brown sugar.
and, if you’re following my lead: 1 green bell pepper and feta cheese.
1. preheat oven to 350º F. cut up the tomatoes, and put them in a baking dish with the brown sugar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, coriander, and salt. stick it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. i did this in 2 separate pots.. i don’t know quite how it would work out in just one. divide the onion and oil among two pots over a medium heat, stirring until the onion is transluscent. add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. add 6 oz of each grain to each pot and cover with 1.25 cups of stock/water. bring to a boil, then reduce both to a simmer and cover. the bulgar should take about 15 minutes and the quinoa about 20.
3. in a large pot over medium to high heat, combine the zucchini, oil, and spices you choose. once these have cooked a bit, add the spinach and cook thoroughly. if you are making this in stuffed pepper form (and i suggest you should), now is the time to stick your hollowed out pepper shells with feta cheese in the bottoms in the oven (oh yeah, you heard me. feta cheese in the bottom. heck yes). once all veggies are combined you can add in the grain mixture and the roasted tomatoes.
4. in a small frying pan, heat up the last bit of oil good and hot. now, without burning yourself, add the sliced onions. cook until they are crispy and brown, and add the cinnamon and brown sugar. cook about a minute longer until the resemble all that is good and beautiful in the world.
now, stuff the pepper and then stuff your face. or, use this as a side dish. or a main dish, sans pepper. it would probably be really, really good with toasted sunflower/pumpkin seeds or pine nuts. i’m serious, this will change your life. it also goes really well with barefoot moscato wine. alas now due to my exam tomorrow, i’m switching to coffee and headed out to study……
Filed under: cheese, random, tomato, wine | Tags: avocado, Easy, Marinade, meat, Quick, salad
I love things that make my life easier. This includes my Smartrip card, my cellular device, paperclips, Real Simple Magazine and various ingredients that I always have in abundance in my kitchen.
These ingredients go in almost everything I cook.
My Key Ingredients
Tonight after a ridiculous day at work, an amazing run and a trip to the grocery store that took entirely too long, I was not in the mood to fuss with dinner. So I pulled out the old stand-bys and began dumping them all willy-nily into a tupperware. I poured what is probably the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of olive oil in, then an unknown amount of balsamic vinegar. Then I added a large clove of chopped garlic.
I mixed these up, then I sprinkled in some black pepper, basil, and grated lemon peel, gave it a quick stir, and added some meat (this goes well with everything). I closed the container and then shook it up (make sure your tupperware/ziploc bag is sealed, as this could make a real mess).
I then let the mix sit for a few minutes and sliced up a medium sized onion.
I put everything into a medium sized frying pan and cooked it on low heat, covered.
Mmmm....
While this was cooking, I started on my amazing salad! I usually keep some raw spinach around, as it can be eaten on its own, or cooked into pretty much anything. I put some on a large plate and added some craisins, a few slices of avocado, some tomato and some chopped up red pepper.
When the meat and onions were cooked to my (meaning my fiance’s) satisfaction, I topped my salad with the onion/meat goodness and topped it all off with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese- thank God Lent is over!
So, I only spent about 30 minutes on my dinner and it came out amazing! I didn’t use any salad dressing, but this would go really well a balsamic vinagrette, or maybe a nice blue cheese, depending on your taste.
Fast, Fantastic, Fun.
Oh, by the way! I had this with a glass of 7 Deadly Zins. It was a great combo!
Filed under: cheese
If you love cheese, check this out. Do it.
Alright, after putting it off, I am finally posting a blog, and that was my obviously lame attempt at a joke.
First of all, there is something you should know about me before I begin: I am addicted to cheese. Any kind, ranging from cottage to parmesan to gouda. I love it all. There’s nothing better than a scoop of cottage cheese topped with some black pepper, or a spinach salad topped with some mozzarella cheese.
That being said, I also love to cook. I love to find new recipes or just mix a bunch of things together and see how it comes out.
Now, if you haven’t found a connection yet, I think you should just stop reading. But here’s a hint, I love to COOK with CHEESE!
On a somewhat related topic, it’s everyone’s favorite time of year… or least favorite, depending on how you look at it…it’s the tail end of Lent! Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Sunday (otherwise known as Easter). During these forty days, it is traditional to abstain and/or fast (ie giving something up, anything ranging from sex, to biting one’s nails, to a certain kind of food). For a more complete background, visit the second best information source on the internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent
Although this tradition is typically Catholic, I, myself, choose to participate in it, as I find the sentiment behind this particular form of religious sacrifice to be gratifying.
I’ve never realized that food could be such a spiritual thing… until this year when I gave up cheese. Although I have given things up for lent before, I am only now seeing how something as commonplace as a dairy product can impact every meal.
During my past few weeks of sacrifice, I’ve become much more in tune with the ingredients I use in my food. For example, when I make pasta, I use parmesan cheese. Or when I make dips, I’ll use cream cheese, or blue cheese with wings! I mean, I can’t even have pizza right now! It’s ridiculous. The first week, I almost gave up my sacrifice…but as time goes by, things are getting easier. Now instead of just adding cheese, I’m experimenting with different spices and new vegetables to compliment the natural flavors in my food. I’m also branching out and trying new recipes, instead of just making your basic chicken or beef, I’ve braved the world of lamb, pork, and GASP! Meatless!
Although I occasionally find myself saying, “man, this would be pretty amazing with a slice of muenster,” I have to say that I am definitely getting better and even enjoying going cheeseless. Yes, I admit, when lent is over, I am really looking forward to sinking my teeth into a giant slice of cheese pizza, or enjoying some delicious brie with fresh fruit, I’ll now consider other ways to pump up the flavor without that milky goodness. One thing I definitely try to focus on is bringing color to my meals. This has come partly from having lived with Shap and partly from wanting to incorporate a greater variety into my diet during my cheese sebatical. I love the natural greens, yellows, and reds that come from fresh fruits and vegetables and all of their flavor.
I truly believe that this short break from one of my true loves in life has really opened my eyes to new possibilities, and in the end, it will bring us closer. I have a new found appreciation for herbs, vegetables, and yes, a greater love of cheese. I am constantly amazed how my tastebuds react to my cooking creations, it’s a spiritual awakening and I thank god everyday for being able to enjoy it.
Happy Lent everyone, and may your last week of sacrifice be just as blissful as mine.
