The Little Bits All of which are unique.

Tactile Dining

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:42:35 -0700

Wilson and I enjoy eating tactile food, which makes potstickers and lettuce wraps ideal. Neither one of us has mastered chopsticks so we use our fingers to eat our potstickers. They are a perfect two bites each and I always serve them with individual dipping sauces so "double dipping" when entertaining isn't an issue. Serving a warm tofu mixture that is wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves makes a wonderful and fun presentation. I love the sensation of biting into the cool refreshing lettuce filled with a savory warm filling.

But first comes cocktail hour!

Thai Martini

Our Friday night cocktail was a delicious and refreshing Thai Martini, be aware that I like them Strong!

Thai Martini

1 ½ oz ginger vodka 1 ½ oz coconut vodka ¾ oz mango puree 2 tsp mint simple syrup 3 basil leaves, plus 1 for garnish  Muddle basil leaves, simple syrup and mango puree. Add vodka and shake over ice. Pour into a coconut sugar rimmed glass and garnish with a floating basil leaf and a piece of chili mango.  Mango puree - Place mango in a food processor and add just enough water to get a nice puree - not too thick, not too thin.

Potstickers

Potstickers were served as our first course. I made two different fillings and accompanied them with two different dipping sauces. Both combinations were very successful and every last potsticker was gobbled up.

I find it best to prepare you filling ingredients in the morning or the day before assembling your potstickers. This gives the flavors a chance to blend and the liquid to leach out of the raw vegetables. When it comes time to assemble your potstickers, throughly drain the filling ingredients as you don't want the filling to be very wet. A wet filling results in a "gummy" gyoza or wonton wrapper.  

Mixed Vegetable Filling
 ½ cup carrot, shredded ½ cup zucchini, shredded ½ cup baby bok choy, minced ½ cup scallions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T. cilantro, minced 2 T. soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil

Simply combine and allow flavors to blend.
 Made 16 
Shiitake, Oyster Mushroom & Ginger Filling  4 cups combination shiitake and oyster mushrooms 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 T ginger, minced (divided) ½ cup bamboo shoots, minced 1 T. hoisin 1 tsp soy sauce  Cut the mushrooms into 4-6 pieces. Cook the mushrooms in a little peanut oil over medium heat in the wok. After a couple of minutes add the garlic and 1 T. ginger for just a few seconds. Remove to a bowl and let cool. Stir in the bamboo shoots and additional 1 T. ginger, hoisin and soy sauce. Allow the flavors to blend for a few hours.
 Made 20

Very Basic Dipping Sauce 
¼ cup soy sauce 2 T. rice vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil

Chili Lime Dipping Sauce  ¼cup rice vinegar 1 ½ tsp hoisin sauce 1 ½ tsp fresh lime juice ¾ tsp chili paste  1 ½ tsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves  1 ½ tsp freshly chopped mint leaves

Directions for preparing potstickers.

5 Spice Tofu Lettuce Wraps

If you like to play with your food then this recipe is for you. Hold a crisp piece of lettuce in your hand and fill it with a warm tofu mixture, add a spritz of lime and a bit of Spicy Sauce, fold the lettuce over the mixture and enjoy. Delicious, flavorful, healthy and low calorie!

I prepared a filling of 5 spice tofu that was quickly heated with onions, cilantro and mint in a tasty sauce. For added flavor I included a spicy sauce that could be added to the lettuce wraps in addition to lime. My choice of lettuce is butter lettuce as the leaves are perfectly shaped "cups". Per Wilson's request, I also served iceberg, which makes a great cup as well and is much more crisp then butter lettuce.

5 Spice Tofu Lettuce Wraps

1 8-oz pkg Nigari firm 5 pice tofu, diced small
1 can water chestnuts, diced small
1 bunch green onion, chopped
¾ cup red onion, chopped
¾ cup cilantro, chopped (1 bunch)
2 T. mint leaves, chiffonade
cooking sauce (recipe below)
lettuce cups - butter & iceberg lettuce
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Prep the tofu and water chestnuts, and combine in a small bowl. In a separate bowl combine the green and red onion and in another bowl combine the cilantro and mint.  Heat a little peanut oil in a wok. Stir-fry the onions for just a minute. Add the tofu and water chestnuts and stir-fry until warm. Add the cilantro and mint and stir-fry to combine and until the spices start to wilt. Add the cooking sauce and stir until thick.
 Serve with lettuce cups and fresh lime wedges for squeezing over the lettuce wraps. The optional Spicy Sauce below is also a nice touch.  Cooking Sauce
 3 T. hoisin sauce  2 T. soy sauce  2 T. dry sherry  2 T. vegetarian oyster sauce (or additional soy sauce) 4 T. water 2 tsp. sesame oil 4 tsp. cornstarch  Mix all ingredients together making certain the cornstarch dissolves.  Optional Spicy Sauce For Service  1 T. rice vinegar 1 T. soy sauce 1 T. coarse ground mustard 1 T. Chinese chili sauce 2 T. water

Combine and mix well. 

Rhubarb Pie Oat Muffins

Thu, 15 May 2008 21:41:21 -0700

I picked up some lovely rhubarb at the farmers market, brought it home and it sat in the fridge while I waited for inspiration to hit as to what I should do with it. It's no secret that I am muffin and scone obsessed so the logical thing for me to do was utilize the rhubarb in a muffin or scone. I didn't want to just chop it up and mix it in the batter, thats no fun! Instead I cooked it in a pot with a granny smith apple, crystalized ginger, honey, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. When it was all nicely broken down and thick I turned off the heat and stirred in a couple of teaspoons of vanilla paste. Yum! Basically I had pie minus the crust!

Believe me, I would have been quite happy to just eat the whole lot of it with a spoon. Instead I baked healthy muffins! My intent was to use the rhubarb mixture as I would mashed bananas in a recipe. Since the rhubarb mixture was sweetened I figured I could use it in place of the sweetener as well. After flipping through my recipe database I choose my Banana Chai Muffin recipe for this experiment as it originally called for 1 cup of banana and ⅓ cup of maple syrup. Since my rhubarb mixture also contained lots of ginger and vanilla paste I omitted spices and extract from the recipe. The result was a nicely flavored, lightly sweet, very aromatic muffin with a lovely pink hue.

With summer fruit season upon us, I encourage you to experiment by incorporating fresh fruit purees and cooked compotes into baked goods such as quick breads, pancakes and waffles.

Rhubarb Pie Oat Muffins

1 cup whole wheat Flour
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup oat bran
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup soy milk
1 ⅓ cup homemade rhubarb "pie filling"
1 Tablespoon walnut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a muffin pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, whisk together the soy milk, pie filling and walnut oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together, just until incorporated.

Spoon into prepared muffin tins and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.  
Note: These muffins are only as sweet as you make the rhubarb mixture.

Apple Banana Oat Muffins

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:36:45 -0700

It would be appropriate to rename these "Apple Cake Muffins" because I feel like I am indulging in a dessert when I eat them. In actuality, these muffins are very healthy, quite tasty, nicely moist and extremely low in calorie, containing only 110 calories each.

Wilson is out of town this week so Ripley, the four legged kids and myself ate them all in two days.

Apple Banana Oat Muffins

1 cup whole wheat Flour
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup date sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup soy milk
⅓ cup banana, mashed
1 container applesauce*
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 large apple, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a muffin pan.  Thoroughly mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the soy milk, mashed banana, applesauce and vanilla paste. Stir in the diced apple.
 Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together, just until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and place on rack to cool.

Makes 12 muffins that are about 110 calories each.

* I purchase single serving organic sugar free applesauce in 4-ounce containers, which measures out between ⅓ cup and ½ cup.

Beanballs

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:29:27 -0700

On many a recommendation I finally purchased Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. The person who pushed me over the edge was Mary of Starting From Scratch, she has made quite of few of the recipes and just raved about them! Last week I tried the Chickpea Cutlets she blogged about and this week the Beanballs. The intent was for the bean balls to be utilized in the manor of "Spaghetti and Beanballs" but of course I made some changes.

The recipe called for a 20-oz can of kidney beans but since most are 15-oz I just cut the recipe down by a quarter, which was simple to do. Instead of using the soy sauce and steak sauce specified in the recipe I substituted Chipotle Pomegranate Sauce and also used it as a glaze. In addition I used cumin, chili powder and salt as the seasoning and omitted the lemon zest. The result was 15 very tasty "beanballs" that calculated to about 60 calories each. Served along with some roasted broccoli they made a healthy, quick weekday meal.

Quinoa Hot Porridge

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:53:57 -0700

Ripley and I had Quinoa Flakes for lunch today with mango, raw nuts and a bit of cardamom. Flaked quinoa is a versatile staple ingredient you may want to consider for your pantry. It has a look and texture similar to rolled oats and can be utilized much the same way. For lunch today I prepared it as you would oatmeal. I brought 1 cup of lightly salted water to a boil and added 1/3 cup flaked quinoa. Maintaining a boil, I stirred for 90 seconds then shut off the burner and let the quinoa sit for a minute to thicken. Simple as that!

Quick cooking quinoa flakes can be used to make muffins, breads, scones, cookies, brownies, waffles, pancakes, etc. Clearly there are countless ways to introduce this wonderful complete-protein grain into your diet. Look for Quinoa Flakes in the oatmeal and hot cereal section of your grocery.

Also a staple in my pantry is Traditional Quinoa and Inca "red" Quinoa, which are identical except for the color. The grains are very tiny, about the size of a mustard seed and you cook them as you would rice but in a shorter amount of time. It is very important that you follow the package directions and rinse the quinoa (just the whole grain, not the flaked) throughly before cooking to remove the saponins. Traditional or Inca "Red" Quinoa can be found in the rice and grain section of your grocery as well as the bulk section.

Quinoa is also available in pasta, polenta and flour and probably additional ways I'm not familiar with.

Check out the Ancient Harvest Quinoa website for information on Quinoa and lots of recipe ideas.

Cinco de Mayo 08'

Fri, 9 May 2008 14:54:25 -0700

Cinco de Mayo has come and gone but that hasn't stopped me from preparing a belated Cinco de Mayo dinner.

Margarita's were the first order of business as you can't celebrate Cinco de Mayo with out a refreshing Margarita. Be aware that I like them strong!

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Margarita

Margarita
 3 oz. tequila 2 oz. lemon or lime or - my preference lemon lime combo 1 oz. triple sec

Place in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Give a few good shakes and strain into an ice filled glass with a salted rim. Enjoy! 
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After cocktail hour, we opened a bottle of 2004 California Zinfandel from Nalle winery. Red Zinfandel is a lovely complement to spicy Mexican food and tonight's wine did not disappoint.

For dinner I prepared a jicama salad to start and tamales served with fresh salsa and guacamole.

Jicama Mint Fruit Salad & Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Jicama was definitely going to be on the menu this evening as it is a classic ingredient in Mexican cooking. Not certain exactly how I wanted to prepare the jicama, I headed to my grocery for inspiration and found it in beautiful organic mangos and strawberries. I concocted a wonderful refreshing yet spicy salad that conjures up images of vacationing in beautiful sunny Mexico.

Jicama Mint Fruit Salad  1 jicama, peeled and cut into cubes 1 mango, peeled and cut into cubes 1 pint of strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters 4 green onions, sliced 1 red jalapeno, minced 3-4 T. fresh mint leaves, chopped ½ tsp cinnamon Zest of 1 lime ½ tsp kosher salt  Toss the vinaigrette, onions, jalapeno, cinnamon, zest and salt with the jicama until well combined. Refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend. At service* fold in the mango, strawberries and mint and sprinkle with a little additional cinnamon.  Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette  Juice and pulp of 1 lime ½ jalapeno pepper 1 T. white balsamic vinegar 1 T. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp honey ¼ tsp kosher salt  Cut the rind off the lime and add to a food processor along with the half jalapeno. Process until jalapeno is minced then add the remaining ingredients and blend well.

* It is important to add the fresh fruit at service (or a couple of hours before) so they keep their integrity.

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Tamale Dos

When I think of Mexican food I think of tamales. Tonight's version was prepared a bit differently then my previous foray into tamale making. I incorporated a portion of medium grind cornmeal and whole corn kernels along with the masa harina to form the dough. The finished tamales had a very nice texture, a bit hardier then when using masa harina alone. The filling was a simple combination of black beans, onion and chili peppers with the addition of pepper jack cheese in half of them for Wilson.

Masa Dough

2 ½ cups masa harina
½ cup medium grind cornmeal
¾ tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt
6 T butter, room temperature 2 ¼ cups water
½ cup frozen corn, chopped
 Combine the masa, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; set aside.  Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the masa alternately with the water until well combined and the right consistency has been reached. Stir in the chopped corn kernels.  Placed about 1/4 cup masa in the center of each prepared* corn husk and spread out into a rectangle shape. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the masa. Holding each side of the corn husk, bring the ends up resulting in the edges of the masa coming together and pinch closed into a tamale shape. Roll the tamale in the husk and tie both ends closed with strips of husk.  Place in steamer over low/medium heat for 30-50 minutes, depending on the size of your tamales. Check them after 30 minutes. Tamales are done when they feel firm to the touch but are not hard and the dough comes away easily from the husk.

Serve your tamales with fresh salsa and guacamole.
 * corn husks must be soaked in boiling water to soften them before use.

Pepper Jack Black Bean Filling  1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 anaheim pepper, chopped ¼-½ of an onion, chopped 2-3 T cilantro, chopped ¼ tsp cumin ½ tsp salt pepper jack cheese sliced or grated  Simply combine all ingredients except the cheese to taste.

For other tamale ideas visit Tamale Uno.

Dill, Mint & Lemon Couscous Salad

Thu, 8 May 2008 19:01:36 -0700

This is how I get Wilson to eat tomato and cucumber, I have to hide them in couscous.

My grocery had some lovely organic strawberry tomatoes on the vine which I simply had to purchase. Unfortunately Wilson does not care for the "mouth feel" of raw tomatoes however he happily eats tomato sauces, soups, salsas, and any type of cooked tomato. In addition he does not care for cucumber and a few other veggies. I can't always accommodate his palate otherwise I'd be preparing two different meals every night so when I'm using an ingredient he does not care for I disguise it in something he loves. Tonight it was couscous. I put together a nice refreshing chilled salad with lots of fresh herbs, organic veggies and a lovely lemon vinaigrette.

At service, I further dressed up Wilson's salad with a bit of feta cheese, kalamata olives and pine nuts. He was quite pleased with dinner and ate every bite. I kept my salad very simple with just a sprinkling of raw pine nuts as I wanted to taste those lovely little strawberry tomatoes and the other organic veggies.

Dill, Mint & Lemon Couscous Salad  1 cup uncooked couscous  1 pint strawberry/cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered 1 orange bell pepper, sliced 1 cucumber, cut into chunks ¼ red onion, sliced 4 green onions, sliced
1 oz package fresh dill, chopped (about ¼ cup) 1 heaping T. fresh mint, chopped ¼ tsp oregano ½ tsp kosher salt

Prepare the couscous following package directions. When cool toss with remaining salad ingredients and dressing.  Dressing   1 clove garlic, smashed ½ tsp kosher salt zest of ½ lemon 2 T fresh lemon juice
3 T white balsamic vinegar 3 T olive oil  Smash the garlic to a paste with the salt. Place in a small bowl and whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice and white balsamic vinegar, whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the couscous mixture and toss to coat.   On the side -   pepperencini artichoke pinenuts feta olives 

Mixed Vegetable & Tofu Thai Green Curry

Tue, 6 May 2008 19:18:43 -0700

Thai curry recipes are like vegetable soup recipes, no two are alike. This is one of the reasons I enjoy preparing Thai curries, anything goes. When dining at one of my favorite Thai restaurants I struck up a conversation with the owner about curries. He explained to me how when he was living in Thailand he would literally make "jungle curry" by preparing a meal from what he could forage. He would joke about it not containing coconut because there was no can opener :)

Typically I do use a recipe from one of my Thai cookbooks as a guide then just tweak it to taste and ingredient availability. For tonight's curry I used a paste I had made the other day for my Mango Peanut Butter & Tofu Curry and made it "green" by adding leftover cilantro and limes. I wanted this curry to be stronger in flavor so I simply used more of the paste and for extra flavor I used curry infused tofu from Small Planet.

For a fun twist I served Mochi Rice Flakes instead of rice. Definitely one of the weirder things I have ever eaten, they are flavorless and have the texture of a gummy bear! If your looking for a new vegetarian food to try, pick up a bag of mochi rice flakes, they are very unique, a bit odd and a lot of fun!

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Mixed Vegetables & Tofu Thai Green Curry  1 14-oz can lite coconut milk
¼ cup homemade curry paste (recipe follows) 1 cup vegetable broth 1 tsp brown sugar salt 1 head broccoli, cut into florets 1 small yellow crooked neck squash, cut into good sized chunks 2 carrots, cut a bit smaller then the squash 1 lb tofu, cubed
½ bunch cilantro, finely minced juice of half a lime
green onions, diced for garnish  Skim the cream from the top of the coconut milk and into a sauce pan, reserving the milk. Turn the heat to medium and whisk in the curry paste until blended. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.   Stir in the reserved coconut milk and simmer, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.   Stir in the broth, sugar and salt, bring to a boil. Lower heat to lowest simmer and add the broccoli, squash and carrots. Cover, simmer until vegetables are crisp tender. Gently fold in the tofu and cilantro, cover and allow to heat through.  Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the curry, toss to combine and serve garnished with green onions.
 
Curry Paste

⅓ cup dried red chilies, roughly chopped
½ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup garlic, chopped
1 T dried coriander
1 lime, zested
juice of ½ lime
1 stalk lemon grass
2 -3 T ginger, finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
 Use kitchen scissors to cut the stems off the chilies, shake out the seeds and roughly cut/chop them. Place in a small bowl and add water to cover; set aside for 30 minutes.  Place the onion, garlic, coriander, zest and lime juice in a food processor.   Peel off the outer layers of the lemon grass and discard. Thinly slice about the bottom 3" and place in the mortar. Add the ginger and cilantro and pound to break down the fibers. Transfer the crushed mixture to the food processor.  Drain the chilies, reserving about ½ cup liquid. Add the chilies to the food processor.  Process the ingredients until a paste forms, adding the chili soaking liquid as needed.   Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. 

Sour Cherry Jam Scones

Mon, 5 May 2008 14:48:21 -0700

I certainly don't need an excuse to make scones but after having an e-mail conversation with Ashley at Eat Me, Delicious! regarding preparing healthier scones, they are on my mind and I simply had to make a batch!

The recipe I chose to make for lunch today is one that contains jam for flavor and sweetness. Stonewall Kitchen is a favorite brand of mine for specialty foods like jams, chutneys and sauces and their Sour Cherry Jam was perfectly lovely baked into these scones. The resulting scones were much lighter and more moist then many of my staple scone recipes and subtly sweet. What's fun about this recipe is you can use any flavor jam you happen to have in the pantry, I've even made a savory version using chutney!

Sour Cherry Jam Scones

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup butter
½ cup soy milk
⅓ cup jam of your choice (I used Sour Cherry Jam)
½ teaspoon extract of your choice (I used almond)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together well.  Cut the cold butter into little pieces and incorporate into the dry ingredients by using a pastry blender, two knives or your hands. You want the mixture to resemble coarse crumbs.   In a small bowl, combine soy milk, jam and extract. Add to dry ingredients and use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently combine, just a few strokes and folds. Use your hands to further combine the dough by kneading a few times, just until the dough holds together.   Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7" circle. Cut into 8 wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and place on a cooling rack.
 Makes 8 scones that are about 210 calories each.

My favorite lunch along with a cup of green tea!

Curried Cauliflower & Potatoes (Aloo Gobi)

Sun, 4 May 2008 19:15:49 -0700

Preparing Indian food intimidates me. I think a big part of it is the language barrier with so many spices and terms that I don't understand and another issue is my inability to follow a recipe. A while back I discovered Lisa's Kitchen a great vegetarian food blog filled with cooking tips and ethnic recipes with an emphases on Indian cuisine. Every recipe Lisa prepares looks amazing and after months of being a regular visitor to her blog I've become much more comfortable with the idea of preparing Indian cuisine. Tonight I made a recipe from her blog following the directions exactly as written and had phenomenal success!

I chose to prepare a cauliflower and potato curry primarily because it didn't have any unfamiliar ingredients and Wilson just loves potatoes! Happily we both enjoyed this dish tremendously. It was perfectly spiced and beautifully fragrant. I served it with some fresh lime to spritz over the dish and a side of basmati rice.

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Curried Cauliflower & Potatoes (Aloo Gobi)
Copied verbatim from Lisa's Kitchen

small handful of green chillies, cut into thin strips
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
4 tablespoons of ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
3 medium potatoes, cut into strips
1 medium cauliflower, cut into roughly 2 1/2 inch flowerets
2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
1 teaspoon of brown sugar (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
3 - 4 tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh coriander or parsley
lime or lemon wedges for garnishing(optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chilies, ginger, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. Stir and fry until the mustard seeds turn gray and begin to pop. Immediately add the potatoes and cauliflower and stir and fry for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to brown a bit.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, sweetener (if using), salt and half of the freshly chopped herbs. Stir to combine, cover and gently cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the vegetables reach your desired tenderness. Serve with the remaining fresh herb and lemon or lime wedges if desired.

Serves 5 - 6.