I Sugges this Recipes

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

SANDRAS SOFT ITALIAN PRETZELS with an HERB OLIVE OIL DIPPING SAUCE

Youll love this and serve it often as a
pre-entree course...

Servings: (4 = 2 ea.)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Total rising: 1 hr.-20 mins. |
Bake 10 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active yeast
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2/3 cup baking soda
--(sounds like a lot, although you need it)
1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
1 egg beaten, with about 1 Tablespoon of water
Kosher salt

***Herb Olive Oil Dipping Sauce (See recipe below)

METHOD:

Prepare the Herb Olive Oil Dipping Sauce for flavors to meld, and set aside (do not refrigerate).

Pour the warm water, sugar and salt into the bowl stand mixer with a hook attachment, and sprinkle the yeast on top and allow to bloom for three to five minutes.

Add the cooled, melted butter, and then add the flour a half-cup at a time, while mixing on low until all ingredients are incorporated. Turn mixer to medium speed for a couple of minutes, just until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl (twice its size), rub it so it is oiled, and then turn over. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a non-drafty area of the kitchen for about 45 mins. to an hour, (I do so in my oven, no temp. with just the light bulb lit) just until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Lightly sprinkle a surface with flour, and take the dough out of the bowl and punch down; sprinkle with italian seasoning, and knead a few times.. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one section, form the dough into a rope about two feet long (it retracts, which is why you need to do this). Make each rope into a "U" shape by pinching at opposite ends and crossing your hands over to form a classic pretzel shape (wet fingers with water to seal bottom of ends to dough, and then press down slightly). Let formed pretzels rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 10 cups of water and soda to a boil on the stove in a large pot. Place three pretzels in one at a time—bottom-side down first, for a total of 3 minutes; flipping halfway through so both sides get evenly boiled. (This is just to par-boil, not cook the pretzels.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place four on one prepared baking sheet. Boil the next batch and do the same on the next baking sheet.

Bake by first placing four pretzels on each cookie sheet (1-1/2” apart). Brush pretzels lightly with beaten egg, sprinkle with additional fresh basil, and kosher salt. Bake until golden brown and lightly crusted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, but eat within the same day by serving them with the ***herb and olive oil herb dipping sauce (see below) – Yummo!

***Herb and Olive Oil dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
pinch of kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients, (except oil) in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Re-whisk just prior to serving, and then drizzle dipping sauce on small flat saucers for sopping up with soft pretzels just before serving! - Enjoy!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Vegetable Pie with Cornbread Topping

For some reason I havent made this for a while, but it used to be a very popular dish in our household. Its funny how things come and go like that. I think I should get back into making this... its a tiny bit time consuming but its really quite easy, and its healthy, delicious and attractive. Its kind of like a shepherds pie, if the shepherd was a vegetarian from New Mexico.

I didnt have any kidney beans so I had to use chick peas, which were fine, but I do think that kidney or black beans would be better. They would help give it a bit more of that southwestern quality. You can also use whatever seasonings for the vegetables that you like, but I do think you want cumin and a little bit of heat.

4 to 6 servings
1 1/2 hours - 45 minutes prep time

Vegetable Pie with Cornbread Topping

Start the Topping:
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup buttermilk or milk
1 extra-large egg
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2/3 cup soft unbleached or whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Put the cornmeal, buttermilk, egg and oil into a mixing bowl and mix until well blended. Set aside.

Measure the flour and mix in the salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Prepare the Vegetables:
2 cups cooked kidney or other beans
2 large tomatoes
3 cobs of corn
1 medium zucchini
1 medium red pepper
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, ground
Louisiana-style hot sauce, chile powder or chile-garlic sauce to taste
salt to taste

Drain the beans and put them in the bottom of a small lasagne pan (8" x 11"). Peel and dice the tomatoes, and sprinkle them over the beans. Husk the corn, and cut off the kernels. Sprinkle them over the beans and tomatoes.

Wash and trim the zucchini and pepper (discard stem and seeds), and cut them in dice. Peel and dice the onion.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and sauté the zucchini, onion and pepper until soft and slightly browned. Sprinkle over the seasonings and mix in well. Mix the sautéed vegetables in with the beans etcetera in the pan, and spread them out evenly.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Finish the Pie:

Mix the flour into the wet ingredients for the cornbread topping. Spread the batter evenly over the prepared vegetables.

Bake the pie for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is set and golden.

Last year at this time I made Lentil & Eggplant Salad.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Grilled Chicken with Cumin

There is something about summer that makes me want to go out to our patio and light up our grill. I dont know what it is, but I really enjoy the grilling experience. Here is a Chinese flavored grilled chicken that is simple to make and low in fat, all it takes from start to finish is 30 minutes. This recipe idea came from my fiancee Renee and it was an instant hit.

Grilled Chicken with Cumin

Serves 2

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
6-10 wooden skewers, soaked in warm water for 8-10 minutes
1.5 pound of boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into 1-2 inch wide thick slices
couple sprays from nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cumin powder
2-6 teaspoon chili pepper

Tips:

Couple vegetables options that could be grilled and served with chicken is grilled mushrooms, grilled corn, grilled white peach (oh, it was so good), and grilled bell peppers.

Instruction:

Preheat the grill to medium high heat
Put the chicken pieces on the wooden skewers, spray with nonstick cooking spray
Put the chicken skewers on the grill, cook for 1 minute, sprinkle on the salt evenly on both side of the chicken by turning it once. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then rotate the chicken and sprinkle with cumin. Before the chicken is done (about 7-9 minutes total), sprinkle with chili powder and cook for 1 more minute.
Transfer to a place or tray and serve

Monday, April 14, 2014

Chicken Fajitas with Spicy Chipotle Bean Dip

As you can probably already determine, my favorite foods, and the ones I make most often, I guess would still best be described as Southwestern. I particularly enjoy the flavors of that region and most of all the spiciness...for me, the hotter the better! Consequently, I will be sharing food similar to the chicken fajitas with spicy chipotle bean dip that I made last night, at least once a week, but probably more.

I had some of the grocery store bought rotisserie chicken left over from Tuesday nights salad, so I shredded about a cup of dark and white meat and set it aside. Over medium high heat, warm up a large saute pan with a couple of tablespoons of canola oil (or the like). Start by cutting a green pepper (red, orange or yellow could also be used) into thick strips and add to the preheated pan. Add also approximately 1 small onion (sweet white or red could be used) also cut into thick strips. I like to cook the vegetables for a relatively short period of time over a higher heat so they retain some crispiness but still develop some color. If the pan gets too hot and the bottom starts to scorch, no worries, just add a bit of water which will settle things down a bit and deglaze the pan at the same time. Add a few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder and salt and pepper. Stir all to combine. Just before the vegetables reach the desired doneness, add the chicken to the pan. The chicken that I used was already cooked, so it just needs to stay in the pan long enough to reheat. Thats all there is to it. Warm a flour tortilla and fill with the chicken and vegetable mix. Add the toppings of your choice. I used Monterrey jack/cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, hot sauce and sour cream. Fold and enjoy!

The bean dip is really easy and so delicious! It would be a great snack to try for Super Bowl watching! In a small food processor I added 1/4 of an onion, 1 garlic glove, 1/4 of a green onion, cumin, coriander, a dash of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and 1 chipotle chili (these are very spicy, so if your unsure start with less and add to your taste) and 1 can of unseasoned black beans. Process until relatively smooth. Cook in a sauce pan about 10-15 minutes and serve warm with tortilla chips.

Please share your favorite foods! I would love to see some ideas for Super Bowl snacks as well, particularly if they are spicy. Maybe these ideas will inspire someone else.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Gluten Free Butternut Squash Cakes with Chef John and His Wacky Sidekick Stephanie

This video recipe for butternut squash cakes is a team effort between me and my friend, Stephanie Stiavetti, from Wasabimon.com. Stephanie eats gluten-free, and since this is one area I have very little experience in, I gladly accepted her invitation to come over and film a GF dish.

Im notoriously reclusive when working, so it was nice to get out for an afternoon of tag-team food blogging. We thought it would be fun to shoot the video together, but then each of us edit and post our own versions. Im looking forward to seeing Stephanies, and I hope she enjoys mine!

With all due respect to Stephanies performance with the "meat cleaver mirror" at the beginning of the video, the star of the show are these lovely, and very simple, squash cakes – little more than a shredded butternut squash patty, spiced with curry, and fried up to crispy-edged perfection.

Keys to this recipes gluten-freeness are the two flours we used to bind the mixture. A corn flour, and a flour made from fava and garbanzo beans. They come from Bobs Red Mill Natural Foods, a company that if you eat GF, or know someone who does, youre probably familiar with. Ive included this store finder link for Bobs Red Mill, in case youre interested.

Whether youre eating gluten-free or not, this is just a really nice, and very easy, winter dish. I hope you give it a try, and Ill be sure to let you know when Stephanie posts her video. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 4 butternut squash cakes :
A few tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup diced onions or shallots
2 cups packed grated raw butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 large eggs
1/4 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour, also known as "garfava" flour (try Bobs Red Mill brand)
3 tablespoons corn flour (NOT masa - again, try Bobs Red Mill brand)
sour cream and pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional

Congratulations to Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef!

My friends Shauna and Daniels cookbook: Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes, has just been chosen as one of the years best cookbooks by the New York Times!

You can get more information about their book in this post, and youre interested in ordering a copy, you can do that on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powells right now. Enjoy!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Salad with simple dressing

Before sharing the recipe with you, I have a small story to share. Few years back, that was my first visit to a restaurant in USA with my hubby, it was a Mexican restaurant. We were very formally greeted and seated as we entered the restaurant by a nice lady and menu cards were handed. I being new to the Mexican food, asked my hubby to suggest any vegetarian dish that I could enjoy. There were only few options in the menu which include salad, some cheese burritos and vegetable fajita. So he ordered salad for appetizers and soon it arrived on to the table. I never had lettuce or any raw food before in India. The only thing that came on to my mind was a GOAT! yup, because my brother used to say that I eat leafy vegetables like a goat, but I never agreed because I used to say that goats eat raw leaf not me, but now what am I doing! I was glad that my brother was not around. I soon laughed out loud looking at a salad and my hubby had a question mark on his face about why am I laughing and I soon explained him the same. Even I used to feel creepy when I saw people eating raw vegetables, and later I closed my eyes prayed to god and had a first bite of it, immediately I had to open my eyes and say wow! I loved it. From then salad became one of my favorite food. Today I am sharing with you the simple salad recipe with simple dressing.

Ingredients
Romaine lettuce/iceberg lettuce-1 head
Baby carrots or julienned carrot-1/2cup
Ripe pitted olives chopped-1/4cup (or to taste, I love olives so I put more)
Squash/cucumber slices-1/2cup
cherry tomatoes washed and halved -10 in number

For Dressing
Olive oil-3tbsp
Apple cider vinegar/white vinegar-2tbsp
salt to taste
sugar-pinch
Lemon juice-1/2tbsp

Method
Wash and chop lettuce and add all other ingredients and mix well. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and add it on top of the salad before serving. You will love it. Refrigerate the salad before serving. You can also add avocado if you like.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you like it!

Monday, March 31, 2014

Kicking Off Side Dish Season with Roasted “Wild” Mushroom and Potato Salad

It’s almost that time of year again. The holidays are still a little ways off, but you’re already starting to wonder (worry?) what creative side dishes will adorn the season’s holiday tables. This delicious, and very versatile roasted mushroom and potato salad could be worth a look.

“Wild” mushrooms have never been less so, and that’s a good thing. Not that hunting for mushrooms in a dewy forest isn’t fun, but I’ll take a nice safe grocery store over actual labor anytime. Especially since the selection has gotten so much better over the years. You can easily find 5-6 varieties of mushrooms in the big markets, and they all will work.

I’ve given you an almost blank canvas here, with possible additions being as numerous as they are obvious. One geometrical change I’d make next time, would be to quarter the potatoes instead of halving them, to add surface area, as well as decreasing the cooking time.

Not only is this salad good hot, room temp, and cold, but it also works for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions

2 tbsp olive oil, more as needed

2 lbs new yellow or red potatoes

1 lb trimmed wild mushrooms

2 oz pancetta

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp sherry vinegar

2 tbsp tarragon

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

Note: I roasted the potatoes at 400 F. for 30 minutes, then turned the oven up to 425 F. to finish with the mushrooms. For simplicity’s sake, just use 425 F the whole way. It’s 30 minutes for just potatoes, then about 20-30 more with the mushrooms, tossing a few times. Don’t stop until everything is looking awesome.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Onion Rava Dosai with Spicy Tomato Chutney

Thinking about calories is taboo on weekends, so says me! After a extremely fulfilling Asian dinner** last night at our favourite Lemongrass Cafe - Bandra, we wanted to continue the good food times into Sunday morning. And what better way to let the good times roll than with super crisp dosais!

Dosais in a Tamil Brahmin household

As good Tambram kids, we have eaten an abundance of Idlis and Dosas well into our adult life. My granny would make the batter once a week in the large wet grinder machine that occupied place of pride in the balcony. (I hear it is used by a local Udipi restaurant to whom it was sold. Gran has moved on to the small table-top version) I remember that my grandpa has bought this in Saravana stores in Madras way back in 1984 and got it to Bombay. How does my memory go so far, you may wonder. But I tie this to the fact that he had bought me one of my favourite purple pavadai with a pink border in that same Madras trip, so it is not very difficult to remember :)

If the batter was ground on Day 1, tiffin on Day 2 and 3 would be Idlis, Day 4 and 5 would be Dosai. The logic of this being, a less fermented batter works better to give fluffy, tasty idlis and a more fermented batter could yield crispy, holey dosais. If the batter still hung around on Day 5, Ammama would put a pinch of soda in the batter to reduce its sourness and make Ilippuchatti dosai, what you would know as the thicker set dosa. Ilippuchatti is nothing but the tradional iron wok. A ladle of batter would be poured into a well oiled wok, not spread, but covered and allowed to bubble and cook thoroughly. This one would be the size of the palm and about 4 times thicker than a regular dosai.

Tomato thuvaiyal

Oothapams were rarely made, because cutting all those vegetables for a tiffin-meal was quite a ~~bore~~ chore especially when my granny used to make two other proper meals a day. I learnt the dosai making technique early on, probably due to my inclination for the creative arts or for anything to do with my hands. When I was just 10 years old, I would love to serve hot off the skillet dosais to anyone who would care to eat them. Dosai is probably the first creative thing I did in the kitchen, if you dont count Maggi noodles ofcourse.

Rava dosai, Onion rava dosai, Neer dosai and the other variants were all discovered only when I was old enough to eat in Udupi restaurants. It was then I discovered there was a whole world of dosais other than the ones I had eaten at home. A Rava masala onion dosa soon became my favourite on the menu. Today, the page long Udupi dosai menus dont excite me anymore. I like the simple idlis with molagapodi or the simple not-so-crisp dosai made with gingelly oil and served with a simple coconut chutney with homemade batter, for that is the true, non-commercial, authentic version of dosai, after all.

Inspiration for the Rava Dosai

Just yesterday, I had chanced upon a delightful food blog, Delectable Victuals where Sheela chronicles her kitchen experiences. I have already bookmarked several recipes, especially the vegetarian Ethiopian menu to try out soon. But what caught my eye was the simple onion rava dosai which I had never made successfully. This morning, I was craving for a sumptous breakfast but was in no mood to go out searching for a GOOD Udupi restaurant (there are 2-3 very mediocre ones near our place, but the good ones are in Matunga) or to go to Crepe Station for eggs, waffles and pancakes.

The only good option at hand was to click on the bookmarked items, and get started on the Onion Rava Dosai. The mixture of Rava (semolina) , Maida and Rice flour seemed a perfect match for great consistency of batter. The only thing I found missing was any souring agents, which I compensated by adding sour buttermilk and a bit of baking soda.

Hot Onion Rava Dosa served with Sailus Nuvvulu Podi* and Tomato chutney
*I omitted the garlic from Sailus recipe

Onion Rava Dosai
Category - Breakfast, Tiffin, Tamil Brahmin cooking, Brunch
Time taken - Under an hour from preparation to making all the dosais
Makes about 10 dosais
Recipe source - Sheela of Delectable Victuals

ingredients
1 cup rava, roasted till light golden (3-4 minutes on low flame)
1/2 cup maida or all purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
2 medium onions, very finely chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
3 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup thick, sour buttermilk, leave it out overnight to sour it if necessary
Upto 2 cups water (to adjust the consistency)
For tempering: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 sprigs curry leaves

Oil to cook

directions
Once the roasted rava cools, take all 3 flours in a large bowl. Add all other dry ingredients. Stir well.

Add in the sour buttermilk and add the water carefully to make a thin batter. This will be much thinner than the regular dosai batter.

Oil a non-stick tava / pan. Once hot enough, pour two ladlefuls of batter and hold the pan by its handle and rotate the pan so that batter evenly coats the surface of the pan. The coating must be thin and the buttermilk-baking soda combination will give a net-like appearance on the surface.

Drizzle a bit of cooking oil along the edges of the dosai. On a medium flame, the first side should take 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Carefully flip the dosai over to the other side, keep for a minute of so until it has turned golden brown and crisp and it is ready to eat. Serve hot with molagai podi, nuvvulu podi and tomato chutney.

Tomato Thuvaiyal / Spicy tomato chutney

ingredients
1 tbsp gingelly oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves, 2 tbsp chana dal, 4 dried red chillies, few fenugreek seeds, pinch of asafoetida, 4 tomatoes -quartered, handful of coriander leaves, salt to taste

directions
In moderately hot oil, splutter the mustard seeds. Add all remaining ingredients except tomatoes and coriander and fry till the dal turns golden brown. Put in the chopped tomatoes and saute for 5-7 minutes, until they soften, yet retain their shape.
Slide all the contents of the wok onto a plate and cool for 15 minutes. Once cooled, place the contents into a mixer along with coriander leaves and salt and grind to a smooth paste. Check for salt and adjust.

note

Goes very well with all varieties of idlis and dosas
Can be used on toast with cheese for a grilled tomato sandwich
Can also be eaten with plain steamed rice

This was my first attempt at onion rava dosai and the results were simply wonderful. DH kept asking for MORE!! Im quite sure we have a strong contender for our weekend breakfasts here.

**Now that some food - Our grand dinner menu at the Lemongrass cafe
Starters - Black bean and cream of corn squares, Ginto, Tofu with bell pepper satay and Marinated water chestnuts satay
Soup - Vegetarian Noble House soup made with bamboo shoots, sprouts, mushrooms, ginger and yellow bell peppers
Main course - A bowl of Burmese Khowsuey - Thin delicate rice noodles floating in a Burmese peanut gravy with cauliflowers, carrots and beans served with toppings like coarsely chopped peanuts, scallions, coriander, burnt garlic pods, bean sprouts.
A bowl of Mongolian Stir fry (Peppers, mushrooms, red cabbage, sprouts, onions) with noodles

All this washed off with a glass of lemon grass flavoured iced tea.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

SANDRA’S HALIBUT TAQUITOS with a CILANTRO LIME DIPPING SAUCE

A very refreshing and easy method in which
to enjoy halibut by incorporating a
bit of southwestern flair...

How nice, my recipe and photo was featured on:
http://www.eatsalaska.com/page/13

Yields: (20 Taquitos)

Prep: 20 Mins.

Bake: 15 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup prepared green salsa

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground chili powder

1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

2 cups cooked halibut, roughly shredded

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

20 (6”) yellow corn tortillas

Olive oil for brushing tortillas (prevents them from cracking)

Garnish:

1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro

METHOD

Prepare the dipping sauce (below) several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken, covered, in refrigerator.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place a baking rack over top and lightly coat with cooking spray, then set aside.

Halibut filling prepared...

Add all the filling ingredients to a medium bowl, except halibut, and mix well to combine. Gently fold in halibut so as not to break apart.

Ready to roll up...

Brush the tortillas on both sides with olive oil, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 20 seconds to soften (I do so in 2 batches of 10 tortillas). Work with a few warm tortillas at a time (while keeping others covered so they don’t dry out) by placing 2 tablespoons of halibut mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about ½” from each edge. Gently roll up the tortilla fairly tightly and place seam side down on prepared baking rack, then repeat. Lay all taquitos on baking sheet while ensuring they are not touching each other (again, I bake in 2 batches of 10 rolled tortillas at a time).

Ready for the oven...

Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and the ends start to turn a light golden brown. Garnish warm taquitos with freshly chopped cilantro, and serve with dipping sauce. ~ Enjoy!

Serve with:
Sandras Cilantro
Lime Dipping Sauce

Monday, March 10, 2014

Little Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Eggplant Tomato Sauce – Please Come Out with Your Hands and Forks Up

Theres one thing I learned a long time ago; if you add a little cinnamon to a savory recipe, you are allowed to describe it as "exotic." Thats just the way it works. And really, who doesnt need a little more "exotic" in their lives?

As far as the easy part, well, that is a more relative term. There are no difficult techniques here, and after cutting up an eggplant and onion, most of your prep is done. The only step that one would describe as "not easy," would be the shaping of all those little meatballs.

Eating little lamb meatballs is fun, but it does take a while to portion them out. Happily, Ive included a top-secret restaurant trick for making lots of small meatballs very quickly, by using your hand as a sort of extruding device. Spoiler alert: its pretty vulgar (but highly efficient).

By the way, this lamb meatballs recipe video was done as part of a special feature my friends over at The Daily Meal are doing. Once a week they have something called "Recipe SWAT Team," where they tackle a new ingredient with one goal in mind: creating easy and delicious dishes.

This week it was "Recipe SWAT Team: Meatballs," and I was asked to throw on my bullet-proof vest, grow a mustache to look more like a cop, and bust through the door both barrels blazing. You can check out the entire feature here, and see some other great meatball recipes.

I hope you give this delicious lamb and eggplant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 eggplant, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup minced onion
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce
1½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chiffonade
For meatballs:
1 large egg
1½ tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cloves finely minced garlic
¼ cup finely minced onions
1 pound ground lamb

View the complete recipe

Friday, March 7, 2014

Lu sun Niu Rou Si Asparagus with Beef Slivers

While asparagus is a very recently introduced and not yet a common vegetable on the tables of China, the country is the world’s largest producer of the white variety, and I have no doubt that with the increasing affluence of the Chinese, such delicious western produce as asparagus will be sampled and eventually incorporated into the cuisine. Its taste, color (especially the green) and particular crisp texture is precisely the sort of qualities that will endear it to their national palate. The preparation, however, is very traditional, and utilizes a reduction sauce. This method is common in China but is almost never employed in the Chinese American restaurants, whose cooks can’t seem to keep starch thickeners away from their stir fries. In this dish, one can very simply substitute pork, chicken, or even lamb, with similar results.

8 oz lean beef (tri-tip, or top round works well)10 oz green asparagus, fibrous ends trimmed
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 scallions, slivered diagonally, green and white portions separated
Meat marinade:
1 Tab black soy
1 Tab light soy
1 Tab rice wine
1 heap Tab cornstarch
Sauce:
2 Tab stock
1 Tab rice wine
1 Tab light soy sauce
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Slice beef across the grain, then sliver into matchsticks approximately 1-1/2 to 2 inches long. Mix with marinade, and allow to stand for 30 minutes or longer.
Slice asparagus at an extreme diagonal, very thin, approximately1/8” thick or less (If it is sliced too thick, other ingredients will overcook by the time the asparagus is done).
Heat wok to smoking hot and swirl in 3 Tab of peanut oil. When very hot, add beef slivers and break apart; toss, allowing meat to rest occasionally so that it will brown nicely. After only 1 or 2 minutes, remove beef to a plate. Add more oil if necessary, and when wok is hot add garlic, white portion of onion, then asparagus. Stir fry 1 or 2 minutes, until edges of the vegetable begin to brown. Stir sauce ingredients and add to wok; toss on high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and clings to the ingredients. Plate and garnish with sesame oil and slivered carrot.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Ricotta Gnocchi with Fresh Peas and Morel Mushrooms – A Tale of Two Recipes

This lovely bowl of spring is a perfect example of when recipes are, and are not, important. The ricotta gnocchi part of the plate requires a fairly precise formula. If any of the three main ingredient amounts are altered, you could be looking at quite a mess. Thats certainly not the case for this sauce.

If I made this same combination of ingredients 100 times, each version would be different, which I how I believe these things should work. When I buy peas at the farmers market, Im not thinking I need 2 cups, Im thinking I need to buy some peas. The same goes for the mushrooms. Grab a handful and keep moving.

Heres the recipe. Take some mushrooms, preferable wild morel, and saute in olive oil until they smell meaty and delicious. Add some garlic and cook for a minute. Add some vegetable broth, about a 1/2 cup per person, and bring to a boil. Add some peas and cook until tender. Season, add a little cheese and fresh herb, and use as a sauce for the gnocchi.

Besides a general guess at how much broth you need, theres no reason to measure anything else. You could halve or double what I used and argue either way that your sauce is better than mine. Of course, wed both be right.

Theres a common belief that chefs never use recipes, which in the case of the sauce is totally true. But, when a specific texture, density, or viscosity is required in a dish, like for these delicate dumplings, chefs have no problem whatsoever following a formula.

Whats my reason for pointing all this out? I dont really have one. You should make this. It tastes good. Enjoy!

For the ricotta gnocchi:
1 pound really good ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of fresh nutmeg
Makes enough for about 6 servings

For the sauce:
Splash of olive oil
handful of mushrooms
some fresh peas
few cloves of garlic
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
about 3 cups of vegetable broth
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
chopped parsley, mint, and/or basil

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Fig Brulee with Burrata Cheese – Let’s Burn the Top of Some Fruit!

I love a crème brulee as much as the next portly chef, but when you consider the custard base is egg yolk-thickened, sweetened heavy cream, it’s not something you should be eating more than occasionally. But, why waste such a great technique when it can be applied to other things, like fresh fruit?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I chose figs here because I received a generous sampling from the California Fig Advisory Board, and decided this would be a wonderful way to enjoy them. As I mention in the video, this technique also works on fresh banana, a roasted peach or apple, and basically any tender fruit you can slice and sprinkle with sugar.

While this will work with white sugar, the Demerara sugar you see in the video seems to work best. It’s a type of raw brown sugar, and pretty much the same thing as you get in those little, brown “Sugar in the Raw” packages at the coffee shop. Let me be clear – I’m not suggesting you borrow a few of those to use for this recipe. That would be as illegal, as it would be free and convenient.

These were amazing with the fresh, creamy burrata, but any style cheese plate would benefit mightily from the shiny, sexy fruit. If cheese isn’t your thing, go grab a pint of vanilla ice cream, forget all about that sweet-savory thing, and just go full dessert.

Anyway, thanks to California Fig Advisory Board for inspiring the recipe, and if you want more info on how awesome figs are, you can check out their homepage here. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

View the complete recipe

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Asian Beef with Broccoli

Its unofficially recipe week here at CupcakesOMG!, have you noticed? Look, Id apologize, but I dont generally consider showering your eyeballs with gorgeous pictures of food and delicious-but-still-entirely-good-for-you-recipes worthy of an "Im sorry." Im sorry Im NOT sorry.

I guarantee nobody will be sorry if you make this paleo version of beef and broccoli.

Its kinda crazy to think that something as pure as a dish named after two healthy ingredients could be full of flour, sugar, and a slew of unpronounceable ingredients. Because, just in case you werent aware, thats how most Chinese food gets made. Dont get me wrong--I love me some good Chinese takeout, but even when you order something like "chicken with cashews", youre consuming the equivalent amount of sugar as one might find in a cupcake. And cupcakes are delicious, so just eat one of those, by God!

So the next time you find yourself craving Chinese, but not diabetic shock, this beef with broccoli is a fantastic option.

Its a one-pot/wok dish and it reheats incredibly, making it ideal for leftovers.

You could also serve it over cauliflower rice to get the full effect, but I felt like I was already going above and beyond with the sesame seeds.

If youre not a fan of beef, try it with pork or chicken. Matter of fact, Im gonna be making this all over again with chicken this weekend. Thats just one more tip for those of you who are trying to stalk me.

Beef with Broccoli
Makes 6-8 servings
Adapted from "Make it Paleo"

2 Tbsp. Toasted sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. ginger, minced
1-2 lbs. beef, cut into 1" cubes (I bought what was on sale)
4-6 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coconut aminos
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tbsp. white sesame seeds, for garnish

Heat sesame oil in a wok or skill over high heat.
Add garlic and ginger to wok, and saute for 2 minutes until oil is infused.
Add steak, stirring until browned on all sides.
Once steak is seared, add broccoli. Continue to saute over high heat.
Add green onion, and an extra tablespoon of oil if needed.
Add coconut aminos and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Continue to saute another 2-3 minutes, until all the flavors are combined.
Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds to serve.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Spicy Beef with English Veg

My hubby adores this recipe it is one of his all time favourites so I just love making this dish!

It is spicy and wonderful!

If you love stews and you love spice you will love Jeenas Spicy Beef with English Veg!