roasted eggplant salad with creole mustard vinaigrette

This would be good with some fresh herbs, goat cheese or feta, roasted red peppers or other veggies, etc., etc. All I had on hand was eggplant, so eggplant it was!

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants, cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/8 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for roasting
1 tablespoon creole mustard
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon horseradish

Directions:

1.Sprinkle eggplant with salt, let sit in a large bowl for 1 hour
2. In a mason jar, combine: garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, champagne vinegar, mustard, agave syrup and horseradish, shake well, set aside
3. Preheat oven to 400 F
4. Pat off sweated liquid with paper towel, lightly drizzle oil over eggplant and place on baking sheet
5. Bake eggplant until light brown and tender, about 30 minutes, stir occasionally
6. Mix with vinaigrette and season with pepper, serve

quinoa with corn, tomatoes, avocado, and lime

Adapted from http://www.seriouseats.com

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, from one small onion
1 cup pre-washed quinoa
1 2/3 cups vegetable broth
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
Juice of two limes
2 small avocados, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat, add onions and cook until soft
2. Add quinoa to onions and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes
3. Add vegetable broth to the quinoa mixture, turn heat to high and bring to a boil, cover pan, reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed
4. Transfer cooked quinoa to mixing bowl and chill in refrigerator
5. When quinoa has cooled, add remaining olive oil, tomatoes, corn, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice
6. Season with salt and pepper
7. Lightly toss in avocados

broccoli salad with golden raisins and toasted pecans

Adapted from CatHead’s BBQ in San Francisco.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound small broccoli florets
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the broccoli in a large bowl, add the onion and raisins, set aside
2. In a small bowl, combine: vinegar, mustard, oil, sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste
3. Add dressing to the broccoli mixture
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, the longer the better
5. When serving, toss pecans with salad

mexican fish stew

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into four pieces
Salt and pepper
2 limes, juiced
1/2 pound new potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch coins
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons olive oil
11/4 cups white onion
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 bunch of cilantro leaves and soft stems, chopped, divided
15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish, season fish with salt and pepper, add juice of limes, combine, set aside
2. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium sauce pan on high heat, cover with water and season with 1 teaspoon salt
3. Bring water to a boil, once boiling add corn, cook for 8 minutes
4. Reserve 1 cup of water, drain the remaining, set water, corn, and potatoes aside
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add 1/2 cup onion and dried thyme, cook for 2 minutes
6. Add garlic, chili powder and half of the cilantro, cook for 2 minutes
7. Add the tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes
8. Add potatoes, corn and reserved liquid, stir to combine
9. Add fish and and lime marinade, spoon liquid over fish until cooked through, about 5 minutes
10. Add remaining onion, cilantro, and sugar
11. Season with salt, if necessary

grilled mediterranean salad

This will be my new format…hip looking iPhone pictures with very little of my commentary. Why you may ask?1. This will be faster and allow me to create posts faster than once every three months 2.I am a crappy writer 3. I’m not sure if anyone actually reads this.

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise
2 small yellow squash, quartered lengthwise
1/2 red onion, cut in half, discard the white core pieces
2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons Lite vinaigrette
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning dressing
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered and sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
1/3 cup kalamata olive halves
1/3 cup roasted red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3 green onions, tops chopped into 1/4 inch slices
3 oz. light crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat grill on high heat
2. Mix zucchini, squash and onion with 2 tablespoons dressing and 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
3. Grill veggies flesh side down flipping once until veggies are just soft about 5-7 minutes, avoid messing with onion or it will slip through the grill grates
4. Let veggies cool, slice squash,zucchini, and onion into 1/2 inch pieces, place in a large bowl
5. To the bowl, add 2 tablespoons dressing, 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning, tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers, green onions, and feta

leftover brisket and barley soup

We cling to the raft we are missing

By half what we wanted

But we escaped with the bones of an idol

Escaped with the belt and the title

But our land is gone

“The Bones of an Idol” by The New Pornographers

The brisket was the leftover part of the recipe…not the barley (referring to the title of this post). Now that I think about it, under what circumstances would someone have leftover barley? This soup was great with the leftover smoked brisket that I made.  Other hunks of grilled or barbecued beef could be substituted and would work great.

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 sprig rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup barley
3 tablespoons butter
8 oz. baby portabella mushroom, quartered
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 pound leftover brisket
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 cups beef broth
4 cups water
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrot
Salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan add rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, add barley boil for about 20 minutes or until all of the liquid has evaporated
2. Discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs, set barley
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat
4. Add mushrooms and onion cook until most the onions are transluscent
5. Add brisket cook until heated through
6. Add garlic, cook for about 30 seconds
7. Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes
8. Add wine, Worcestershire, and soy sauce, cook for about 2 minutes
9. Add beef broth, water, tomatoes, celery and carrots, cook until the vegetables are tender
10. Add barley and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce

lumpia

When you find you can’t somehow

Make it like all the rest

You won’t need to scrounge around for someone else

Torn between the unknown

And the place that you call home

And the life you want but have never known

“Looking for a Way Out” by Uncle Tupelo

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for quite some time, it is dedicated to one of my students that graduated last month.

Last summer I taught summer school to make a little extra cash.  Summer school for an alternative education teacher is pretty easy, it is only a month long and we only meet for four hours a day.  The factor that made things a little difficult was that I started school three days after my son was born.  I was really struggling to scrape my rear end out of bed and come to work with a decent attitude.  The one person that kept me from shutting down and quitting was a special student named Alma.  Alma was a four foot nothing Filipino girl that came to every day of summer school (which was rare). Not only was she there every day, she was there with a bright personality and warming smile.  Nearly every day, Alma would entertain me by talking about the food of her culture, which she was very proud of (she moved from the Philippines when she was in grade school). The one thing that she always bragged about was how great her mom’s lumpia were.

For those of you who are not in the know, lumpia are Filipino egg rolls that are much heavier on the meat then on the vegetables and are served with a sweet chili sauce.

After bugging Alma all summer, she finally coughed up a recipe.  Because her mother “eyeballed” her recipe, her recipe kind of guessed on some of the portions.  Whether it was the exact recipe or not, I do not know. I do know if you use this recipe, you will not be disappointed.

Alma graduated in June and I’m sure will be on to bigger and better things. I know that every time I make this recipe I will remember her.

Adapted from Alma’s mom and http://www.allrecipes.com

Makes about 18 lumpia

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, rough chop
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onions, green parts only
1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
18-24 lumpia wrappers or “Shang-Hai style” egg roll wrappers

Directions:

1. In large skillet, heat vegetable over high heat
2. Cook pork until its browned, set aside
3. Add onion, cook for about 3 minutes
4. Add garlic, cook for about 30 seconds
5. Stir in pork, carrots, green onions and cabbage
6. Add pepper, garlic powder and sauce soy, stir to combine and remove from heat, season with salt if necessary
7. Place two heaping tablespoons of filling in each wrapper and roll into very tight logs
8. Deep fry or pan fry in about ½ inch of oil until golden brown, serve hot with sweet chili sauce

asian coleslaw

Now that you’ve found your paradise

This is your Kingdom to command

You can go outside and polish your car

Or sit by the fire in your Shangri-la

Here is your reward for working so hard

Gone are the lavatories in the back yard

Gone are the days when you dreamed of that car

You just want to sit in your Shangri-la

“Shangri-la” by the Kinks

Its finally warm outside! Now, go forth and have a party.  Serve this at the aforementioned barbecue…

This is one of the rare occurrences that I like to use the crushed ginger and garlic from the jar, it works for this recipe.

Ingredients:

Veggies for slaw:

1 green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
½ red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 cups of carrots, shredded
8 green onions, thinly sliced, green part only
½ cup of cilantro, chopped

For dressing:

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons crushed ginger
11/2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the prepared vegetables in a large bowl
2. Whisk ingredients for the dressing together, add to the vegetables
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours

veggie burrito

The Rock Island Line is a mighty good road

The Rock Island Line is the road to ride

The Rock Island Line is a mighty good road

If you want to ride you gotta ride it like you find it

Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line

“Rock Island Line” by Leadbelly

My friend Andy poked fun of the last Cinco de Mayo post, he was not surprised that I tossed a little bacon into the refried beans (at least I didn’t use lard, right?). This post includes no pork products and is actually vegetarian. I like using the really big tortilla shells, folding them up, covering them with damp paper towel and microwaving it for a minute.  Obviously, guacamole, sour cream and cheese are other great additions to this recipe.

Burrito Rice:

Ingredients:

2 cups of basmati rice
1/2 bay leaf
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of salt to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker with the bay leaf
2. Remove bay leaf and add vegetable oil
3. Add salt
4. Add lime and lemon juice
5. Add chopped cilantro

Vegetarian Black Beans:

Ingredients:

1 pound dry black beans
1 medium onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

1. Place beans in a medium pot, cover beans with about 2 inches of water over the top of the beans, soak overnight
2. Drain beans and cover with water one inch over the top of the  beans, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer making sure to skim any foam
3. After all of the foam has been removed, add the onion and garlic, simmer for 45 minutes
4. Add cilantro and salt, cook for 30 more minutes until the beans have softened, season with salt

Pico de Gallo:

Ingredients:

6 Roma tomatoes, squeezed of juice and then chopped
1/3-1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/3-1/2 cup pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, the longer it sits in the fridge the better it gets

Burrito Ingredients:

Rice
Vegetarian black beans
Pico de gallo
Large tortilla
Shredded jack cheese
Sour cream

Directions:

1. Make a burrito with the aforementioned stuff

veggie dumplings

Because the world is round it turns me on

“Because” by The Beatles

This is adapted from an Alton Brown Good Eats episode.  Chicken stock is really a better steaming liquid than water but makes the recipe a bit non-vegetarian. While assembling, make sure to cover the wontons and finished dumplings with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.

Ingredients:

6 oz. firm tofu, cut into ¼ in chunks
½ cup carrot, grated
½ cup cabbage, grated
¼ cup red pepper, small chop
¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
40 wonton wrappers
1 can chicken stock or water

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the wonton wrappers and chicken stock
2. Prepare a small bowl full of water for sealing the wonton wrappers
3. Place a heaping ½ teaspoon in the center of the wonton and wet each side with water
4. Fold diagonally and seal and crimp the edges of the wonton, repeat
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium, brush with vegetable oil
6. Place 10-12 dumplings in the skillet and cook until dark brown, about 2 minutes
7. Add 1/3 liquid and cover, cook for 2 minutes
8. Repeat until all of the dumplings are cooked

For sauce, combine:

¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced