Charred for Life

a little breakfast

2011-05-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

soft-poached organic chicken egg served over sauteed sesame chili spinach and cannellini beans; coffee with milk

An ode to Steva

2011-04-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have these friends
Their name is Steva
There are two of them, actually
Steve and Eva.

They live around the block
By the dog park, you see
Eva makes cookies
Sweet as can be.

I met them in run club
And I'm glad I did
Steve and I talk shop
Cars, houses, design, and skid-
(proof tires, that is).

Eva's cookies are legendary
Compost, pistachio white chocolate, valentine's butter
With no shame, I eat multiples
Not worrying about looking like a nutter.

Steve runs fast
Eva and I about the same
But it's all good
Because in run club, it's all about one's personal game.

These two are so great
Friends like this are like a dream
So I told them one day
That I would make them some fabulous ice cream.

Eva took me by the side
Whispered "pistacho chocolate chip"
I hopped to Trader Joe's
And purchased some cream that would whip.

So now you have it here
A recipe for your eyes
And when you consume
Remember, Steve and Eva are a prize.

Steva and Eva, you two rock! Thank you so much for your kindness.

Salty-Sweet Pistachio Chocolate Chip Ice Cream To Eat

Makes approximately one quart
Adapted from Use Real Butter via Epicurious

Ingredients:
1 cup salted, roasted shelled pistachios
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup roasted, salted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Finely grind 1 cup pistachios with 1/4 cup sugar. You can use a food processor or a blender. If you've ground this mixture into a paste, you've gone too far! Make sure you have created a kind of pistachio flour.
2. Bring milk and pistachio mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar.
4. Very gradually, whisk in egg mixture to pistachio mixture. Be careful to notice whether the egg is cooking - you will see pieces of cooked egg white floating around if this is the case. Ideally, your pistachio mixture will be cool enough to avoid this.
5. Return to the stove. Over low heat, cook the ice cream base until a custard forms. Once you are able to dip your spoon into the mixture, rub your finger across the back of the spoon, and see a clear line, you are done.
6. Remove from heat. Strain mixture using a fine sieve to strain out all cooked egg pieces, or live on the wild side and skip this step altogether. I've done it both ways and it's worked fine.
7. Stir in vanilla extract to ice cream base.
8. Refrigerate overnight.
9. Churn in ice cream maker according to instructions. Five minutes prior to stopping the churning process, add in coarsely chopped pistachios and chocolate chips to the ice cream.
10. Bon appetit!

Feeling sassy, feeling classy

2011-04-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here in the nation's capitol, we are lucky to experience four solid seasons. Although I most certainly am not a winter person, I can appreciate a good snowstorm as much as the next person.

Recently, however, the weather gods have presented most of the east coast with confusion. Hot one day, freezing the next. Glorious sunshine on Monday, rain-wind-disgusting mix on Tuesday. You get the point.

This sorbet recipe was created to harken sunshine and spring. Right now, DC is beautiful -- the cherry blossoms are out, people are walking around with big grins on their faces, and gorgeous flowers are blooming right and left. I cross my fingers in hope that this will last, and that we won't go back for another day of winter blues.

Enjoy!

Spicy Banana-Mango Sorbet

Ingredients:

2 bananas, peeled and frozen

2 mangoes, diced

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your tastes)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender.

Blend thoroughly.

Freeze.

Eat.

♥

2011-02-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

this one is about love in all its forms.

love is like a cookie, i guess. it comes in many forms. sometimes it's sweet. sometimes it's too sweet. sometimes it's lemon-glazed, as if the lemons life handed you were squeezed too harshly. sometimes it's buttery, smooth, and on occasion, spicy and alluring for fun.

love is what we give, like ice cream tastings and chai parties and chats with new friends we meet in random places.

love is what we take, too, like dinners made by my friend's mom, or presents from far-away lands from tourist acquaintances.

this valentine's, moreso than others, love is about being proud of accomplishments, determination, tenacity, hard work, and discipline.

and at its best, love is simply kindness, to those who didn't kick us when we were down and to those who know we are our best, even when we do not believe so ourselves.

given this, i made valentine's cookies this week for my run club. thank you for encouraging me to healthfully love myself and others, and to run like hell from those who don't return the favor.

olive oil cookies with rosemary, black pepper, and cabernet sauvignon
adapted from mark bittman's how to cook everything

ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil, the fruitier the better
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1/4 cup of your favorite red wine, perhaps a splash more if you like (it is valentine's!)
sugar to coat

directions
1. preheat oven to 375*f
2. beat together olive oil, sugar, vanilla, and egg until well-blended.
3. combine flours, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and dried rosemary.
4. add half of flour mixture to olive oil dough and beat to just combine.
5. add in red wine and remaining half of flour mixture. if the cookie dough is not soft enough to drop by teaspoonful, add a little more wine.
6. form teaspoon-sized balls from the dough. coat in sugar, arrange on ungreased baking sheets, and bake for 10 minutes or so.
7. enjoy!

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

2011-01-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

happy new year! it's been quite some time since i've posted, but the good news is that i have something really special to share today.

last thanksgiving, i offered to make ice cream as dessert. after staring at the mounds of apples, pumpkins, apples, sweet potatoes, apples, apples, and apples at the farmers market, i settled on purchasing five sweet potatoes. as requested by a few friends in my running club, i attempted my first vegan ice cream recipe. enjoy!

vegan sweet potato ice cream**

ingredients
3-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1.5 13.5 oz. coconut milk tins
1/4-3/4 cup maple syrup (as per your taste for sweetness)
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or your own combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves)

directions
1. bake sweet potatoes at 350* for approximately 30 minutes.
2. once sweet potatoes have cooled, remove skins.
3. blend sweet potatoes, spices, maple syrup, and coconut milk until smooth. be certain to blend any lumps of sweet potato.
4. refrigerate sweet potato mixture overnight.
5. prepare according to instructions on ice cream maker.
6. add candied ginger at the end of churning process.

**because this recipe uses a coconut milk base, the texture of the ice cream may be a little more firm than cow's milk-based versions. you may want to allow this ice cream to thaw out a bit before serving.

and courtesy of smitten kitchen, here is a delicious companion to vegan sweet potato ice cream.

Best Cocoa Brownies
Adapted from Alice Mendrich’s Bittersweet

Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies (the size you see pictured yielded 25)

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces or 141 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 ounces, 280 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 ounces, 82 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, as I used)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (66 grams, 2 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added. [Note, many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. Couldn't test this because we don't have one, but it sounds like it would work.]

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

A Silken Affair: Dances & Dolmas

2010-11-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I enrolled in a dance class on kathak, an art form originating in North India. Mekhalaji, my instructor, pointed out the aesthetics which inform kathak - aesthetics which are also present in kathak's kindred spirit, flamenco. Despite flamenco's documented origins in southern Spain, it shares many similarities to kathak: the dancer's body is held in an upright position, rhythmic footwork provides a percussive beat, and rapid circular movements are present (sometimes called "whirling dervishes").

As a student of dance and appreciator of integrated history, I digged a little deeper into what unites kathak with flamenco outside physical movement. In Mathura, I listened to a kathak performer describe how gypsies emigrated from present-day India in the 1000s to Spain. On their way, they passed through Persia and northern Africa, picking up artistic subtleties informing the practice of flamenco. In certain types of flamenco, chanting is integral; these chants are thought to have originated from Iraqi Christians, or present-day Chaldeans, who have now mostly left the country.

Fast forward a few centuries, and a reverse migration occurred. Mughals moved from the Middle East to India, changing the way kathak is practiced by bringing in movements from Arabic dance, like hip circles and detailed hand gestures. Despite these art forms evolving on separate continents at different periods of history, their aesthetics are still remarkably similar. Check it out:

So what does this have to do with food?

The passage by which kathak and flamenco shared aesthetics is also a geography that transferred other aspects of culture from Europe and the Middle East to South and East Asia. The Silk Routes - or Silk Road - were a early system of trade routes that transferred languages, aspects of religion, spices, textiles, and a host of other cultural influences across nearly 4,000 miles. Perhaps this is why certain culinary delights - like dolmas - that pop up in Greece can also be seen in Armenia and Bangladesh.

Dolmas are simply vegetables stuffed with grains, lentils, meats, spices, onions, garlic, and herbs. Variations of the dolma are found across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In Greece, dolmas are made from grape leaf wraps and rice fillings. My Persian classmate prepared savory eggplant dolmas stuffed with split peas and beef. In West Bengal and Bangladesh, gourds are stuffed with fish, shrimp, and other seafood to form another type of dolma.

The dolmas I made are quite simple with a minimum of seasonings. They are vegetarian, as my pantry is overflowing with lentils and grains. Rather than opting for rice, barley, or quinoa, I chose to use wild rice for its nutty flavor and chew texture. I know that red lentils cook very quickly and can become a mash if they are boiled for too long, so I selected yellow split peas for the dolmas. To finish, the sweet, woodsy scent of rosemary complemented the fiery touch of cayenne pepper in the dolmas.

Dolmas

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized bell peppers
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
3/4 cup yellow split peas
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, more if you like fire!

Directions:
1. In a rice cooker, cook wild rice and lentils together according to directions on the wild rice packet. If you have a steamer basket to attach to the rice cooker, steam bell peppers until tender. Let bell peppers cool.
2. While the rice and lentils are cooking, saute onion and garlic with oil, rosemary, and cayenne pepper until onion is translucent.
3. When rice and lentils are finished cooking, fold in onion mixture and let the entire dish cool.
4. Carefully cut out the stem of the bell pepper. I find it's easier to do this to make a square shape. Wash out the seeds from the peppers and remove any white parts that you can cut out with a paring knife. Be careful not to poke holes elsewhere in the peppers
5. Stuff rice and lentil mixture into each pepper and close up with the stem.
6. Serve with your beverage of choice ☺

With run comes love

2010-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, twelve runners set off on a journey. From Cumberland, MD to DC, they rode in two six-passenger vans. Taking turns running legs of 5-9 miles, they munched on homemade cookies, sported colorful swag from Lululemon Athletica Georgetown, traded jokes, and supported one another with coconut water and Gatorade. In the end, they collectively ran over 200 miles in a little over thirty hours.

This group is called the DC Run Loves. I had the privilege of being a member of this team during the 2010 DC Ragnar Relay, and with their support, I ran just over 17 miles.

Of course, like any noteworthy running team, we sat down to celebrate and eat after the race. To thank Lululemon, I contributed a delicious Lululemon curd ice cream to the Run Loves BBQ.

Lemon curd is a British spread. It's kind of like a jam or jelly, except that the sugar content is much higher, and it is far more solid in texture. It's fantastic with anything gingery, great on pancakes, and particularly tasty on scones, muffins, and cakes. In terms of taste, think lemon meringue pie.

My one reservation with this recipe is that the ice cream came out extremely soft. It held together well, but even a few minutes outside of the freezer yielded some melting. I find this occurs with custard-based ice creams. In simple terms, adding eggs to an ice cream causes the freezing point of the product to increase, creating a softer consistency but richer taste.

For my Run Love friends, thanks for an amazing, uplifting race experience!

Enjoy the ice cream.

lululemon curd ice cream

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup lemon curd (I get mine at Trader Joe's.)

Directions:

Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.

In a large pot, heat half-and-half and whipping cream over medium heat. This mixture should get hot but not boil. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking.

Slowly mix the cream mixture into the egg mixture, going slowly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Whisk constantly while combining these two.

Place combined mixture on the stovetop, and again heat until hot but not boiling. It is ready when you can coat a spoon with the mixture, run your finger through the center of the spoon, and a clear line is seen.

If you find there are bits of cooked egg in the custard mix, run it all through a cheesecloth and reserve the liquid.

Cover and chill ice cream overnight.

Blend lemon curd into chilled custard mixture.

Create ice cream using instructions on your ice cream maker.

Tragedy

2010-09-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

On July 30, 2007, I hoisted two very full suitcases off of the baggage claim belt in Dulles airport. I will never forget the day. I began chatting with a gentleman standing to my left, whom I later learned was VP of Affiliates for the Washington Post at the time as well as a fellow Duke graduate. He very kindly gave me some insight into different professional scenes in the District, and later, invited me to dinner with his family. What luck!

After settling into a friend's apartment that afternoon, I made plans to meet with a person I had not seen in well over a year. He was traveling from England to the US, and it was his last evening in DC. It seemed like we were ships passing in the night, and we chose to spend the time at Raku, a pan-Asian restaurant in Dupont Circle. After discussing our families, our fondness for travel, and our differing plans for the future, we called it a night, parted ways, and rather than saying goodbye, settled for an open-ended "I'll see you." Much better, in my opinion, as kind people never truly deserve the finality of a goodbye.

Today, my friend's mother passed on after a fighting battle with cancer. While I have not much to offer but a quiet dedication of a yoga practice and kind thoughts in his direction, I would like to share a recipe for my friend and his mother. It's pretty sweet with a kick of spice, which is how I think the best of people are: very kind but able to stand up for themselves when times call for it. The flavor and consistency of this dish are soft and strong, and it stands up well in the company of baked fruits, in between sweet and spicy gingersnaps, and alongside delicious, pungent spice cakes. Originally, this dish was a tragedy; I reduced the vanilla mixture so much that there was only one cup of the sweet liquid left. So Yil, this one's for you; be kind to yourself and know that your friends are here for you.

Vanilla Bean & Cinnamon Custard Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 tsp ground cinnamon, preferably fresh

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and half-and-half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat, and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the heavy cream and vanilla bean. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla extract and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.
Pour cooled mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

On gratitude

2010-08-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Life is beautiful, and I choose to celebrate by having dinner parties!

The DisCo is having some lovely, slightly breezy evenings. Perfect opportunity to use nature for our pleasure.

A big thanks to this group of friends for a fantastic evening.

MENU

Hors d'oeuvres:
Colossal olives stuffed with jalapeno peppers
Red Leicester cheese

Entree:
Moroccan lamb tagine over whole wheat couscous
Roasted corn on the cob with sweet butter

Dessert:
Apricot Rum Sorbet with roasted peaches

Beverages:
An array of white wines
Summer breeze

And of course, two recipes:

Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Ingredients:
1 lb butterflied leg of lamb, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, julienned
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
6-8 small potatoes (I used white, red, and purple-skinned taters), diced
1 small Asian eggplant, diced
2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp candied ginger, diced
3 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp buckwheat honey (you can use any kind of honey but buckwheat is sooo delicious!)
Water to measure
1 cup dry whole wheat couscous
3 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Brown lamb in 2 tbsp olive oil until all sides are seared.
2. Layer onion, potatoes, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, candied ginger, and dried cranberries in a slow cooker.
3. Whisk olive oil, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger, honey, lemon juice, and cornstarch together. Pour into slow cooker and add water until the tagine is covered.
4. Slow cook for 6-8 hours.
5. Prepare couscous according to directions on box.
6. Serve tagine over couscous.

Corn on the Cob
Adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:
4-6 ears of corn, husk-on

Directions:
1. Place ears of corn in oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350*.
2. Serve with butter.

Summertime Apricot Rum Sorbet

2010-07-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

After experimenting with chocolate, ginger-gingersnap, blueberry-lemon, and mango ginger, a friend challenged me to an ice cream duel: create boozy ice cream concoctions. Frozen yogurts allowed. Sorbets allowed. Deliciousness allowed.

Incorporating alcohol into ice cream is not as easy as it seems. Too much liquor or beer, and you wind up with a really, really cold juice-slushy-like dish. Too little results in nothing fun in your dessert.

Said friend went in a completely different direction, choosing to unveil a delicious custard-based Godiva liqueur chocolate ice cream. Tasty and super rich, but we agreed that it may be a little much for the climbing temperatures in the District.

I settled on an apricot rum sorbet, mostly because I had all the ingredients I needed in my fridge. Rather than juice, I opted for apricot nectar and chose not to add any additional sweeteners. Adding candied ginger was another option I considered (doesn't apricot and ginger sound like a great combination?), but as this is my first homemade sorbet, I played safe.

The results are yummy! This sorbet has the consistency of a frozen peach fuzz cocktail. It's best to freeze this for awhile after churning; because of the rum content, it will still be semi-soft and easy to scoop even after freezing.

Apricot Rum Sorbet

Makes 1 quart

4 cups apricot nectar

1/2 cup white rum

1. Chill nectar and rum in the fridge.

2. Combine, pour into ice cream maker, and churn according to ice cream maker's directions.

3. Freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Consume. Lovely when served with mint, mangoes, and/or fresh apricot.

August 1st PORC tasting

2010-07-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

DisCo residents: Josh and Trent are some fabulous work colleagues of mine - check this out!

The Purveyors Of Rolling Cuisine - PORC - invite you to enjoy free samples of their menu this Sunday, August 1st from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Duffy's Pub (2106 Vermont Avenue NW).

On offer will be: Old-fashioned brisket sandwiches, smoked low and slow for 16 hours over hickory and applewood;Pulled pork, locally raised, lovingly rubbed in secret spices, and so flavorful it doesn't even need BBQ sauce; BLT, featuring our own thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon, heirloom tomato and lettuce on texas toast.Market-basket veggie burgers made from 12 vegetables and grains, including high-protein quinoa, sweet potato, squash, carrot and broccoli; and great sides made from whatever is fresh and delicious from the farmers markets of the District.

PORC is a new direction in street food: not just a lunch truck, but a mobile kitchen incorporating the latest industry concepts. The Purveyors focus on ingredients from local and sustainable sources, such as heirloom tomatoes from Medina Farms in Virginia. Chief Purveyor Josh Saltzman is a familiar face at NoVa farmers markets, where he sells critically acclaimed gourmet sausages from Simply Sausage of Landover, Maryland.

Josh and fellow Purveyor, Trent Allen, are using Kickstarter.com, a crowd-sourced investment website, to finish financing their venture. For their pledge, investors will receive everything from complimentary meals to merchandise and tickets to a whole-hog BBQ party, or can earmark their pledge to PORC's charitable partner, Thrive DC, a local non-profit working to end hunger and empower the needy in the District.

PORC's rolling emporium will feature the latest technology such as induction cooktops and high-speed convection ovens, yet minimize carbon footprint by using a biodiesel system and offering biodegradable take-away containers. "We're just as obsessive about designing our truck as we are about endlessly refining and testing our recipes," says Chief Purveyor Josh Saltzman.

The Purveyors originally intended PORC for Ann Arbor, MI, but the local restaurant industry got wind of their idea and had city council pass laws banning lunch trucks. Undaunted, Josh and Trent searched for a city with favorable regulations and residents hungry for better dining options. After an exhaustive search, they packed up their worldly possessions into a Buick Regal and moved 522 miles east to Washington, DC.

"When we first came to the District, we knew that this was the place for us," says Purveyor Trent Allen. "DC is such a vibrant city, with a diverse population, great weather, and proximity to amazing vegetable farms and meat producers."

About PORC: Purveyors Of Rolling CuisinePORC is on a mission to reinvent and elevate the street eatery by providing tasty, affordable and eco-friendly meals on the go. We utilize the freshest ingredients and carefully researched and tested recipes to create simple, delicious meals in a high-tech, super-designed, yet ultimately humble delivery truck. For more information, please call Josh Saltzman at 202-567-PORC(7672), visit porcmobile.com or visit The Kickstarter Page.

DC Food Blogger Happy Hour!

2010-07-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Join your favorite foodies next Wednesday, August 4 at TenPenh (10th & Penn NW, aren't they creative?)! Cocktails will be served at a mere $5, and the entire shindig gets started at 6 PM.

A big thanks to Johnna Knows Good Food for organizing!

Sunday rituals

2010-06-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

I fully admit this: I am a coffee drinker. I am not a woman without standards, though, so do not be deceived! After working in the coffee industry - from the plantations of southern India to the espresso machines of a Starbucks cafe in South Carolina - I have developed a sense of what brews I prefer. My absolute second favorite (following the milky, sugary, 30 ml cups of South Indian robusto) are the silky, fruity tastes of Eastern Africa.

For me, coffee is part of a personal ritual. Every Sunday, I make one cup in my newly-acquired cafetiere (thanks Mom!!), and then head out the door to a yoga class. After downward-dogging the morning away, I meander to my neighborhood's farmer's market. This particular day, almost every vendor was selling strawberries and cherries. Between these fruits and the overwhelming number of tomatoes available, I began to feel a little overwhelmed by so much red color. Not being able to resist the allure of summer strawberries, I bought a quart and made my way home. That evening, I experimented with a cooked summer salad that I hope you enjoy. This dish contains salty, sweet, and sour flavors as well as contrasting soft and chewy textures.

Quadruple S (Singed Strawberry Summer Salad)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup dried Israeli couscous
2 tsp butter, divided
1/4 Vidalia onion, cut into strips (or more or less! We're going to caramelize this onion, so if that sounds yummy to you, add more)
1 tsp good balsamic vinegar
1.5 cups raw spinach
1 cup whole strawberries, washed and destemmed
18 medium-sized shrimp (I make my life easier by purchasing frozen, cooked, deveined and detailed shrimp)
salt and pepper (a pinch of each)

Directions:

*I warn you that many components of this salad cook quickly, so it's important to keep your eye on the ingredients so that they do not burn or dry out.*

1. In a small pot, cook Israeli couscous according to directions on the package. When cooked, set couscous to drain in a colander.
2. If applicable, place frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water to thaw. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat, melt 1 tsp butter and add onion. Saute. When onion looks translucent, add second tsp of butter and continue to saute until onions begin to turn brown.
4. Add a little water and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar to the sauteed onions. Add raw spinach and stir until spinach wilts. Turn off the heat and stir in drained Israeli couscous to the onion mixture.
5. In a small oven-proof pan (I used a loaf pan), broil strawberries, cut side down. Keep a close watch on these berries so they don't become charred for life (!). When they begin to blacken on top, remove from oven and stir into the onion, spinach, and couscous mixture.
6. Drain thawed shrimp and stir into the salad.
7. Enjoy! I think this would be delicious with a little mint to top it off.

Meet Lola

2010-06-07T18:31:00.001-07:00

While training for the Brighton Marathon earlier this year, I had the somewhat unhealthy-but-totally-worth-it tendency to end my long training runs at an ice cream parlor. While chocolate milkshakes worked wonders to replenish my muscles after an arduous 12, 14, 16, or 20-OMG-mile run, the cost also added up. I began to keep my eyes open for other alternatives, minus the hand crank.

Every other Tuesday, I have a standing appointment in Friendship Heights. Right across the street from the metro is a Sur La Table, which I tend to feel myself being pulled toward every.single.time. At this particular location, an employee named Eleanor and I usually chat about what products are available in the clearance sales, as I tend to find more attractive pieces there.

In March, I walked into a SLT bonanza. Not only did I leaf through David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop, but Eleanor informed me that the store was upgrading their available model of ice cream maker. Upgrades mean older versions get pushed to clearance, and on this day, this was indeed the case. I walked out that day with a shiny, beautiful bucket-style automatic Cuisinart ice cream maker, much like this one:

Courtesy of Google Products and Cuisinart

Upon arrival at the Kabana, I christened her Lola. With her fiery red temperament and my passion for ice cream indulgence, we have been through a lot together. After finishing the National Half-Marathon, Lola offered up some amazing dark chocolate frozen yogurt. During March Madness, Lola didn't disappoint with her Duke blueberry-lemon froyo. At a friend's sushi party, Lola generously churned forward a tidy quart of gingersnap froyo.

Perhaps it is because the DC summer has encroached with its scorching sun's rays, or maybe it's just that I adore ice cream, but Lola and I have recently made the leap from frozen yogurt to bonafide Philadelphia-style ice cream (which as nothing to do with Philly, really, and everything to do with the lack of eggs present in this dessert). Our first experiment yielded spectacular, amazing, stupendous, incredible, melt-in-your-mouth results.

Yes, this is fattening. Yes, this is rich. Yes, it is totally worth it to get in that extra mile of running or thirty minutes of walking or one hour of whatever kind of movement you love the most. And you will be the hit of any party at which this particular ice cream is offered.

With inspiration from David Lebovitz and Christie's Corner, Lola and I now proudly present:

SEA SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided or a store-bought, standard jar of prepared caramel ice cream topping
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup 2% milk

Instructions

In a heavy skillet with a light interior, heat 1 cup sugar over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar starts to melt. When it does, stop stirring but continue to cook the sugar, swirling the skillet occasionally to ensure the sugar melts evenly. The caramel is done when it turns dark amber.
Stir in 1 1/4 cups cream. Be careful, the mixture will spatter! Continue cooking until all the caramel has dissolved. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Pour the caramel into a bowl. Add sea salt and vanilla. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. At this point, you may want to take a taste to see if there is enough salt for your liking.
Meanwhile, bring the milk, the remaining 1 1/4 cups cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil. Allow to simmer 15 minutes then set aside to cool.
When both the milk mixture and caramel have cooled to room temperature, remove skin from the milk mixture and stir it into the caramel.
Refrigerate the mix for several hours (or overnight) and then pop in the freezer for an hour just before churning. You want to churn this when really cold.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will still be soft but should be firm enough to keep its shape when you remove the paddle.
Transfer to an airtight container and freezer until firm. The longer this freezes, the better it will be!

I recommend enjoying this on its own, between two chocolate chip cookies, or with some roasted bananas on top.

Hello summer!

Inspiration

2010-06-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

My 9-5 involves a tremendous amount of interaction with "all kinds of people in all kinds of places" (yes, that's a part of my job description!). While the outward-facing part of my position is quite fulfilling and entertaining, I also find that my work colleagues bring a tremendous amount of insight and creativity into my day.

My office is composed of people who all reside in the western half of the District. On staff we have an electric cellist with a penchant for history and philosophy of science, an astronomer who has lived in Antarctica, two attorneys with aspirations in civil rights litigation, a professional actor, two authors, a volunteer beekeeper, a former Army officer who now has aspirations to teach middle school social studies, a sculptor, a former Marine interrogator, a bartender who wants to be a social worker, a teacher who has traveled around the world to educate, a sports and entertainment entrepreneur, and two foodies who are launching their own company (hopefully soon!). As much as their backgrounds and talents are impressive, I am continually amazed by the positive spirits my colleagues release to the world.

Recently, one of my friends at work mentioned a challenge he is taking on in order to become a healthier person. For him, health is defined as creating a living space which serves as a sanctuary, and tackling activities that will help him overcome obstacles. Specifically, he is taking on a thirty day Ashtanga yoga challenge. After hearing about his plans for the summer, I began to think about what types of summer goals I would like to pursue. Given that it is summer and this is a food blog, I have settled on a couple of types of dishes I will develop over the next few months.

First up, grain-based salads. Like many people, I have often felt disappointed by traditional salads. Despite the nutritional benefits of raw vegetables, simple salads are simply too healthy-tasting and never quite suffice to serve as a meal on their own. So, after a quick trip to Trader Joe's and gaining some inspiration from Kimberly Boyce's Good to the Grain, I've stocked up on brown jasmine rice, couscous, orzo, Israeli couscous, quinoa, wild rice, and barley, as well as a few types of lentils, beans, cheeses, and dried fruits. Additionally, I will spend this summer perfecting some salad dressing recipes to match with these grains.

Next up, ice creams. I have blogged a little earlier about making frozen yogurts, and this summer I will be working on some exciting, innovative ice cream flavors as well. Stay tuned!

Tacos de Mayo

2010-05-05T18:10:00.001-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! So much has happened in the last month in terms of new energy, new friends, and new goals entering my life. Quite recently, a rash of positive things happened to my friends and I including completion of a doctoral thesis, a new job, a new baby, a graduate school acceptance with full scholarship, and the completion of a marathon. Congratulations, everyone!

With all of these awesome occurences, I've been very interested in celebrating. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo (which contrary to popular opinion is not a holiday of Mexican independence, but rather one commemorating the victory of Mexican armies over French fighters), I have chosen to skip the margarita happy hours in favor of taking a yoga class, going home and enjoying a new recipe. I hope you enjoy!

Before I delve into the meat (fish?) of this evening's dinner, I would like to preface that this meal is partly inspired by Mexican gastronomy and partly inspired by the contents of my refrigerator and pantry.

Additionally, I advise those of you just learning how to cook fish to focus on sustainably sourced products. Salmon is coming back in season, and soon, those of you in the USA will see both Pacific, Wild Alaskan, and Atlantic salmon in your supermarkets. If you shop at an upscale store, you may see some salmon steaks sourced from Norway and Ireland. To eat the most environmentally friendly product, I recommend purchasing Wild Alaskan salmon. Rather than raised on a salmon farm, these fishies come to you straight from the streams. They haven't traveled across the Atlantic to arrive in your tummy, thus saving air miles and, of course, greenhouse gas emissions. If you have any questions about purchasing sustainable fish products, check out Changing Seas, an amazing group brought to my attention by Nora Pouillion of Restaurant Nora.

On with the menu!

CHILI STEAMED SALMON TACOS

Necessary Kitchen Appliances:
Steamer (mine is part of my rice cooker, but you may have a bamboo steamer. To create a steamer, fill a large pot with 2 inches of water and fit a colander with a flat base inside the pot so that no water enters the colander. There should be a few inches of room between the water level and colander)

Ingredients:
2 small corn tortillas, room temperature
1 uncooked, thawed 6 oz. salmon steak
2 tbsp spicy taco seasoning (you can make your own by mixing cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup shredded cabbage, room temperature
1 tbsp organic, unsalted chunky almond butter (you can use peanut butter as well)
1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup low fat plain yogurt
1/2 lime, cut into wedges

Method:
1. First, prepare the salmon marinade by mixing canola oil with taco seasoning. Brush generously on salmon steak and let sit for at least 15 minutes, preferably overnight.
2. Second, make the salad dressing by mixing almond butter, Thai sweet chili sauce, and plain yogurt together. Place in your refrigerator to chill.
3. Steam salmon steak for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak and strength of your steamer. Allow the salmon to cook and flake into smaller pieces.
4. Mix salad dressing with shredded cabbage.
5. Fill each corn tortilla with chili steamed salmon and cabbage salad. Serve with lime wedges.
6. If you are a beer fan, open up a Tecate and enjoy! I had my tacos with VitaCoco coconut water, which was a wonderful complement.

On bananas and Branston pickle

2010-04-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

A few of you know that I fell into a wonderful group of people in the DisCo after making a significant decision: to become a runner. Last July, I started spending my Monday evenings with the Lululemon Logan Circle Run Club. With the guidance and support of some extraordinary individuals - some of whom are elite runners - I have successfully completed four races.

Very recently, I hit a milestone in my running career by completing my first marathon in Brighton, England. I ran for a charity group called Refuge UK, which provides a range of services to survivors of emotional, physical, and sexual relationship abuse. If you would like to make a donation to Refuge UK, click here.

Thank you so much to my Lululemon circle, to friendly runners I have met around the globe, and to my amazing group of friends and family. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you!

We are the champions...and champions eat frozen yogurt!

2010-04-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of features on this blog are representative of my personality:

I love food.
I love to eat.
I love to cook.
I love to take pictures of food I cook and eat.

Some other things, though, simply have not been revealed yet. Perhaps you aren't aware of my undying love of The Sound of Music, or how I'm preparing to redesign my gorgeous studio apartment, or even how I truly believe I have an addiction to all things ice cream related.

Perhaps you don't realize how important March Madness is to me. While it's not an excuse, part of the reason I haven't been so great about updating this blog is due to the advancement of one of the greatest men's collegiate basketball teams of all time.

GO DUKE.

That's right, I'm a Blue Devil. I realize that a lot of people unnecessarily hate the Gothic Wonderland, but for me, it's all love, baby!

Last night, Duke won the 2010 NCAA Championship title by winning an extremely close game with Butler. Mad props to Butler this year for a hugely successful season! The game was a nail-biter, and ulcer-developer..er, and generally a screamfest for those of us in the audience.

I watched with a lovely group of people, mostly fellow Dukies, in a friend's house. In the spirit of potluck, I contributed something...well, let's just say that I went home with an empty container.

DUKE BLUEBERRY FROZEN YOGURT

16 oz. frozen blueberries
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
pinch salt
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup whole milk

In a saucepan, heat blueberries, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until sugar has dissolved. You may want to add a little water if you see the sugar burning. Once the sugar dissolves, add lemon juice and zest. Pour mixture into a blender and puree. Allow puree to cool and place in refrigerator until well-chilled.

Mix cold blueberry puree with vanilla yogurt and whole milk. Follow directions on your ice cream maker to prepare frozen yogurt. Makes approximately 1 1/2 quarts.

This frozen yogurt pairs extremely well with ginger cookies.

Cosmopolite, la Partie Cinq

2010-03-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

It's spring in DC!! I can hardly believe it after the snow-filled winter Washingtonians experienced this year. Even more difficult for me to grasp is that just one month ago, I was in the company of wonderful friends in one of the most beautiful countries I've seen: Switzerland.

Thanks to my friend Felix, I spent ten amazing days exploring Verbier, Lucerne, Konstanz (Germany), and Geneva. My first five days were filled with ski lessons, getting lost around the village of Verbier, para-gliding, sledding, walking, and of course, eating. Luckily, all four people I shared this time with enjoy eating, cooking, and sharing, so every evening was akin to a nice dinner out at a semi-fancy restaurant. More memorable than the food was the grace and gratitude with which it was received. Every meal was accompanied by a big thanks to the chef and a toast to a happy life.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Felix, Julia, Max, and Lizzie once again for allowing me to share this holiday with you. I am so grateful to meet you all, and I hope to see you again!

Now, I would like to share with you a little bit about food in Switzerland and Germany. As you may know, Switzerland excels in its selection of meats, dairy, and of course, CHOCOLATE. Here's a peek at some mouth-watering items I sampled:

This was my first hint that Switzerland is indeed my kind of country. These cookbooks were spotted in the post office!

On my first night, Julia made this dish, which was described to me as the "ancestor to the pizza." It has bacon, creme fraiche, onion, and a little cheese on a wafer-thin crust.

Felix has vacationed in Verbier since he was a small child, and he was kind enough to share a gastronomic family tradition with us during this holiday. This tart, a specialty of Verbier, is made on a puff pastry-like crust, filled with a light, sweet cream, and topped with raspberries. According to a local bakery, the tart MUST be eaten within two hours of being prepared.

While jumping off La Ruinette with a parachute attached to me, I worked up an appetite! I slowly ate this beautiful chocolate croissant while savoring the time I had left in such a beautiful place.

And finally, while in Konstanz, I sipped coffee while playing Patience. If those cards look familiar, it's because they are Washington, DC-themed cards I bought for Felix and Julia.

While in Switzerland, I stocked up on chocolate bars, only to return home and realize that I don't particularly like eating bar chocolate. Instead of giving them all away, I combined one delicious bar of Swiss milk chocolate, one bar of bittersweet chocolate, and a brand-new kitchen appliance to make something delicious, creamy, and cold.

Yes, that's chocolate frozen yogurt served with a raspberry sauce. Here's the recipe:

CHOCOLATE FROZEN YOGURT WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

1 cup whole milk
4 oz. milk chocolate (for the love of your ice cream, choose an imported brand), chopped
4 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2.5 cups low fat vanilla yogurt
1 bag frozen, sweetened raspberries

In a large saucepan, heat milk, chocolate, and sugar on medium-high while stirring constantly. Do not stop stirring as the chocolate could burn. Once the chocolate has melted, take the saucepan off of the heat. Once chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature, cover and store in your refrigerator for at least two hours.

Mix cold chocolate mixture with vanilla yogurt.

Put chocolate-yogurt mixture into your prepared ice cream maker, and freeze as directed. If you like soft ice cream, you could probably eat the frozen yogurt straight from the ice cream maker. However, if you like frozen yogurt with an edge, freeze the yogurt overnight.

When ready to serve, heat frozen raspberries on low heat until they are warm. You may want to add a little water to create a more liquidy sauce.

Top the chocolate frozen yogurt with raspberries. Consume while day-dreaming of Switzerland's immense beauty.

Cosmopolite, la Partie Quatre

2010-03-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a new friend, Leslie, invited me to a party at her house. From previous conversations, I knew that Leslie loves food: cooking, eating at home, eating out, and in addition, she grew up on an Arkansas farm so she has knowledge about sustainable agriculture which most of us lack.

I arrived at Leslie's a little behind schedule, mostly due to a cab driver who didn't quite know where he was heading. Upon entering her dining area, I couldn't believe my eyes. Leslie made dim sum! Bamboo steamer baskets were lined up on her table, along with homemade sauces and vegetable dishes.

Here is the photographic evidence. Thank you, Leslie, for inspiring me to experiment with dumplings :)

Fish salad and vegetable spring rolls

The entire spread and custard with mango and kiwi.

Cosmopolite, la Partie Trois

2010-03-18T03:49:00.000-07:00

A very happy belated St. Patrick's Day to all of you!

I considered putting this particular post up yesterday. Unfortunately, rather than staying home and relaxing last night, I ventured outward to a friend's gathering. As part of the festivities, she served corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and Irish soda bread.

Now, I love bread. More specifically, I adore toast. When I finally have my dream kitchen, I will own the following:

A toaster equipped with four toasting slots
Toaster tongs
A toast cooling rack
A large stash of Irish or Danish or Swiss butter. Real butter with all its fat and creamy glory.

Surprisingly, though, I have never attempted to make bread. I have tasted homemade bread - in fact, I have clear memories of visiting my middle-school-best-friend's home to sample whatever creation was fresh from the bread machine - and it is delicious. Deep down, I have apprehension about working with yeast breads. I tend to think that because I am not a great gardener, I for some reason may be incompetent in creating yeast-based breads, too. Both plants and dough have to grow/rise, correct?

Regardless, after reading through an embarassing number of food blogs and the Bon Appetit magazine left in my office's lunchroom, I learned something important:

There are breads that exist which can be made without yeast.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I chose one such recipe to create.

No, it's not Irish soda bread. Overdone! Plus, I am not a fan of raisins, not could I find currants in the supermarket.

Instead, I made this beauty:

Yummy, right? Especially with that delicious butter slathered all over it.

From the picture, you can tell a few things right off the bat. This bread is crumbly and designed to be eaten within a day. It's so delicious that you won't have to worry about finishing it in that period of time. It is a whole grain-based dough, as you can tell from the darker color and coarser crumb.

A few things you may not realize from the photo:

This bread is sweet. Literally and figuratively.

Traditionally, it is made with treacle. In the United States, the closest thing we have to treacle is dark molasses.

In my kitchen, the closest things I have to treacle are buckwheat honey and maple syrup.

So I used those.

While maple syrup is sweet, sweet, sweet, buckwheat honey has a slightly smoke-sweet flavor, which cut some of the sugary taste from this bread. Excellent choice.

Next time, however, I will modify a few things.

#1, I will not forget to butter the dish. Prying bread from baking dishes is NOT my favorite thing to do.

#2, I will add a little salt to the recipe.

Enjoy! I hope you all got home safely last night.

IRISH AMERICAN "TREACLE BREAD"

Ingredients

1 tbsp buckwheat honey

1 tbsp maple syrup, Grade A

1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 tbsp sugar

1/2 pound whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp baking soda

Healthy pinches of ground cinnamon and nutmeg

Heat the maple syrup, buckwheat honey, and milk together on the stove. Stir well while heating and do not let the mixture boil. Mix all the dry ingredients together: add liquid until a soft dough is achieved. If the dough is stiff, add more warm milk.

With floured hands, shape the dough into a round cake about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into farls (quarters), put on a floured, buttered baking sheet, and bake at 400° F for 20-25 minutes.

When baked, wrapping the treacle farls in a dishtowel will keep them moist and help soften the crust.

Serve with real butter, marmalade, or even smoked salmon.

Cosmopolite, la Partie Deux

2010-03-16T04:09:00.001-07:00

Last night was special. Rather than chomping on my dinner in front of the tube, I took a clue from Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. I de-cluttered my dining table, added some beautiful flowers, turned off the television, and enjoyed a delicious, aromatic meal with no noise.

I found the experience delightful, and truly an authentic way to sample a new dish, one I am very excited to share with you. This entree is from a country to which I have never traveled. It is filled with sweet, savory, spicy, and hot flavors. It is best cooked slowly; I cooked mine in a crockpot for nearly nine hours.

The results were spectacular. The root vegetables were so tender they would have fallen apart had the skin not been there. Dried mangoes and mangosteen provided a perfect sweet complement to the amalgam of cumin, coriander, cayenne, and cinnamon. A side of pilau/pilaf/palao (all depending on where one is from), a fragrant rice dish, cut some of the spiciness and provided a plainer flavor for one's tastebuds.

So what is this delectable meal called?

A tagine. The dish originates from Morocco, where slow-cooked meats are paired with vegetables, saffron, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, preserved lemon, and olives. Working within the limitations of my current food supply and my intense dislike to all things olive-related, I opted to substitute some traditional ingredients with those more to my liking. Here is the result:

See that smoke rising from that glorious pile of veggies? Let's take a closer look:

Notice how the spices cling to almost every large piece of parsnip, giving this dish a depth of flavor. The savory taste offered by the cumin and coriander is balanced well by the sweet-spiciness of cinnamon and cayenne. Capers, rather than olives, were used to add a salty component to this dish and finally, dried mango and mangosteen were added for a kick of sugary sweetness.

Enjoy!

WINTER VEGETABLE TAGINE WITH PEAS PALAO

1 large yam or sweet potato, sliced into 1/2 cm thick pieces
1 small red onion, julienned
4 skinny parsnips or 2 large parsnips (you can also use carrots), cut into 1/2 cm pieces on the diagonal
2 tbsp capers
4 cloves garlic, chopped into large pieces
dried mango
freeze-dried mangosteen
2 tbsp lemon juice
zest of one small orange or one medium lemon
ground cumin
ground coriander
ground cayenne pepper
ground cinnamon
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1 large cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp cornstarch
30 oz. vegetable broth or water
3/4 cup dried basmati brown rice
turmeric
1/2 cup frozen green peas

In a crockpot, layer sweet potato, parsnips, capers, garlic, and dried fruit until you run out of items. Be sure to add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf into the crockpot after the first set of layers is complete.

In a bowl, mix all spices and cornstarch with broth/water. Add orange or lemon zest.

Pour broth mixture over vegetables, being certain that entire contents of crockpot is covered with water.

Cook in crockpot at low to medium heat for 8-9 hours, checking for tenderness.

30 minutes prior to serving, add basmati brown rice and required amount of water to rice cooker. Stir in turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper to your desire, and mix in frozen peas. Turn rice cooker on.

When the palao has cooked, it can be served with the tagine.

Cosmopolite, Part One

2010-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a family of adventurers. My mother and father both lived almost three decades overseas before settling in the United States. My sister spent four months in Cape Town before schlepping to Cambodia, and now she has decided to "stay close to home" by moving just outside of Salem, Oregon, to work on a farm. As for me, I love the opportunities to learn that come from traveling, as well as the understanding the incredible diversity can exist nearby. For example, numerous ex-patriates from Vietnam, the UK, Greece, and Spain live in my own apartment building, as well as lovely, friendly people I have met from Texas, Florida, and California.

Recently, I have had amazing opportunities to travel and alongside, to eat. For the next week, I'll be sharing impressions of where I went, what I ate, and what dishes have been influenced by strapping on a backpack and heading out.

Life is short, so get out there and experience new things! And if you can't make it on a train, plane, or car, then pick up a book and read about a different time or place.

First stop: Philadelphia. That's right, the famous City of Brotherly Love. After the second major snowstorm hit D.C. this year, I was rather hurriedly rushed to Philly for a work training. In the midst of learning about the magic of Salesforce, I did manage to make it to a few fabulous restaurants. All in a good company, of course, as a colleague from Baltimore joined me.

One thing I will say about Philly's food scene is this - WOW! Philly has a big BYOB culture due to liquor licenses being rather strict, so a person can go to a very nice restaurant and pay only for food and a small corking fee. Philly has a number of immigrant populations who have brought some amazing fare with them, too. I highly recommend checking out both Chinatown and Italian Market if you ever make it there. Until then, just dream of steaming noodle soups and handmade raviolis.

Another plug I'd like to make for Philly is its friendliness. On my first night, I went to a yoga class at Dhyana Yoga, where I met four women who were eager to point out the must-sees in the city.

Sadly, I have no pictures of my own from Philly, mostly due to my camera accidently being left in my hotel room. Do go, though! Check out Pho Cali, Sahara Grill, and the Naked Chocolate Cafe.

Triple B: Blizzard Butterscotch Brownies

2010-02-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

It's official: the District of Columbia is turning into a disaster zone. Take a look for yourself:

Thanks to my Southern upbringing, I've never seen this much snow in my entire life. Now that the District is experiencing its sixth day of frozen precipitation, Snowmageddon has turned into SnOwMG and even Snoverkill. It's like we're swimming in the stuff:

While it's been fun throwing snowballs, making snow angels, and creating tracks on unexplored territory, there has been a lot of indoor time as well. After watching a lot of television, reading books, and practicing yoga, I moved toward a favorite cooking pastime: BAKING.

Growing up, I loved scotchies, also known as oatmeal-butterscotch cookies. The issue with scotchies is that they burn very easily, and if you own an unevenly heated oven like mine, making them can become a risky pursuit. So rather than creating these dynamite delicacies, I made scotchie-inspired butterscotch blondie brownies.

In the winter, butterscotch is a fantastic flavor. Something about its smooth, caramel/toffee-like texture provides comfort from the cold. This particular recipe calls for store-bought butterscotch morsels. I used whole wheat pastry flour, which created a coarser, chewier crumb. Don't let the grainy taste fool you, though; these brownies are rich. For me, a small serving with a cup of chai made a perfect afternoon snack. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light butter, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup butterscotch morsels
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spread into ungreased 8x8-inch baking pan.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

*I considered using a caramel topping for these brownies, but I found that I preferred them without.

DisCo Lights: Best Food Writing of 2009 with the WaPo

2010-02-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what makes culinary prose so appealing?

What is the best way to describe the way Italian drinking chocolate gently glides across your tongue, crossing the sweet, bitter, salty tastebuds before warmly coating your tongue in its velvety goodness?

How does one convey the sheer delight of biting into a fork-tender piece of lamb accentuated with salty feta, roasted red pepper, and fluffy couscous.

Or fully express the ripple of energy received (oh, okay, sugar high) by consuming a light-as-air peanut butter mousse topped with a decadent, thick layer of dark chocolate fudge.

Is it the adjectives used? Perhaps the quality of language used to describe the feel of these foods in our mouths?

Whatever it is, you are sure to hear about it this Thursday, February 4, at the Washington Post's downtown offices. Authors from the WaPo's Best of Food Writing 2009 will share excerpts of their work, which I imagine will either drive you to experience intense cravings for these gastronomic glories or simply revel at how masterful vocabulary can turn a Hillshire Farms hot dog into an amalgam of assorted meats, flavored with a hint of rosemary, chili, and sea salt.

Here are the details:

The event will include ,Joe Yonan and Jane Black of The Washington Post, Tim Carman of the Washington City Paper, and cookbook author Monica Bhide, all of whom are featured in this anthology of culinary prose, along with the series editor, Holly Hughes.
After short readings, the group will take questions and sign books. Books may be purchased at the event at the special price of $10 (List price is $15.95).

February 4

Time:
6:00 p.m.

Location:
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20071
(202) 334-6000
View Map

Event Admission:
$5 per person when you pay in advance online. $10 per person at the door.

** Admission for PostPoints or TastePost members: FREE ** Members should log in to the PostPoints or TastePost web site to RSVP. Your name will then be added to a list at check-in at the event.

DisCo Lights: The HUSH Supper Club

2010-01-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

While I typically resist comparing DC to that larger, louder, brighter, and more blustery cosmopolitan neighbor four hours north, I am going to take this opportunity to give at least one gastronomic reason for how the District's food scene is, in some ways, superior to that of the Big Apple.

Here it is, but HUSH.

Seriously, HUSH.

HUSH is a recently unveiled secret dining club in DC. Headquartered near the U Street Corridor, HUSH's chef and host/ess anonymously hosts small dinner gatherings featuring traditional vegetarian Gujarati cuisine. Gujarati food originates from the northwestern part of India and features very sweet sweets and burn-your-tongue spicy savories. Because of the migration of many Gujaratis to parts of East Africa during the British Empire, many ingredients have passed into Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Ugandan societies.

If you are interested in what sounds like a personal, delicious, and gratifying dining experience, visit the HUSH website and book a dinner date now!

DisCo Lights: Food Bloggers' Potluck Dinner

2010-01-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

Here is an equation:

40 to 50 food bloggers + their fabulous creations = YUMnighttorememberYUM

A couple of weeks ago, DC had a Food Bloggers Potluck dinner. Check out the evidence:

From The Arugula Files
Gradually Greener
The Scene Bisnow

Yep, it was fab. Particularly notable were the sweet potato pie with fluted crust; barbeque chicken wings, amazing tom yum soup made on a hot plate, and mint chocolate coffee brownies.

I contributed by using a new addition to my apartment: my Belgian waffle iron!

MULTIGRAIN BUTTERNUT SQUASH WAFFLES

I cheated and used Trader Joe's multigrain waffle and pancake mix. I followed the recipe to make normal waffles but added in diced roasted butternut squash. I threw in a little rosemary too.

I would recommend pureeing the butternut squash next time, and perhaps throwing in a little cheese (I think a light white cheddar would go very well) to liven up the flavor.

Aren't they pretty?

Christmas dinner with Poogan

2010-01-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! First, profuse apologies for the hiatus I took from blogging. Between traveling to see family, getting the flu, and then experiencing a relapse of the bronchitis/laryngitis killer combo from October, my life has been spent mostly resting, comparing the effectiveness of Nyquil to chamomile tea, and watching whatever television marathon is running.

The holidays for me, as with most others, are all about food, friends, and family, not necessarily in that order. My family typically organizes a major trip over the week between Christmas and New Years (Texas '03/04 and NorCal '04/05 and NorIndia '06/07 are all memorable), but this year, we did something a little different. Due to our hectic schedules, mostly because of Kavita's impending move to Tucson, we chose to rent a fancy-schmancy room near the Market in Charleston, SC. Our hotel, the Planter's Inn, is located right on Meeting Street next to the entrance to the Market for those of you familiar with the home of the Cougars. We stayed one block from Kaminsky's, which despite being closed for Christmas, still managed to send incredibly-scented cake waves into the streets and up my welcoming nostrils. Major advantages of the Planter's Inn were:

1. An on-site bakery which graciously leaves praline fudge for all room renters.
2. Fun, large, floppy beds excellent for jumping (and yes, Kavita and I completely regressed to childhood to determine this)

Our Christmas dinner was at Poogan's Porch, a Lowcountry restaurant devoted to the owner's deceased dog, Poogan. Are any of you getting the skeevies thinking about this? The real clincher is that Poogan is buried in the front yard, and stuffed Poogans are sold to the public. Despite this quintessential-creepy-like-Midnight-in-the-Garden-of-Good-and-Evil-Southern atmosphere, the dinner was great. Here's the roundup:

L-R, top to bottom:

1. Poogan's Porch signpost

2. Poogan's gravesite

3. buttermilk biscuits with honey butter

4. fried green tomatoes with peach chutney

5. salad with spinach, spiced pecans, caramelized onion, and goat cheese in a honey balsamic vinaigrette

6. chicken stuffed with country ham, spicy collards, and smoked gouda. Served with haricots verts and buttermilk whipped potatoes

7. roasted duck breast with tomato rosemary grastrique, white cheddar potato cake, and spicy broccolini

8. tasso encrusted mahi mahi with red bean risotto, pickled okra salad (yeah, South Carolina!) and collard greens

9. Mom's "low carb" vegetable plate. Still don't understand the logic of ordering a low carb veggie plate at a Southern restaurant, particularly after scarfing tasty buttermilk biscuits

10. Kalhua pecan pie

11. peanut butter icebox pie

For Grandma Ople

2009-12-25T13:01:00.001-08:00

Hello friends! As a treat for the holidays, Namita has invited me (Kavita, her younger sister and superpoised-model-posing-with-a-cleaver-above) to guestblog -- in addition, Namita's current illness inhibits much in terms of tasting abilities. But no worries! What I have in store for y'all is a delicious, buttery, sugary, not-at-all my recipe for a classic.

Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts (I'm lazy and prefer Pillsbury flaky crust)
1 stick unsalted butter
6-8 apples, depending on size (Staymans are ideal, but Galas are okay if you must)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 425*; peel, core, and slice apples. (Preferably not with a cleaver.)

2. Melt butter in sauce pan; stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water, stirring constantly. Bring sauce just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. DO NOT LET SAUCE THICKEN.

3. While the sauce turns caramel to dark brown, place the bottom crust in the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan. If desired, cut top crust into strips for lattice work.

4. Carefully pour off about three-quarters of the sauce into the apples and coat well. Pour apples inside bottom crust. Keep in mind that the apples will lose a lot of volume while cooking, so mound them in the middle.

5. Cover the pie with the (latticed) top crust. Pour the remaining sauce, taking care to not let it overflow. Spread the sauce as evenly as possible over the top crust.

6. If desired, sprinkle the top with cinnamon and nutmeg.

7. Bake 15 minutes at 425*, then reduce heat to 350* for another 35-45 minutes. Be sure to put a baking sheet under the pie, as the sauce may spill over.

8.The pie will be done when the caramel sauce on top has browned deliciously.

This pie is a slight twist on the traditional apple pie, and you can opt to leave out the spices (like I did .. on accident!) if you so desire. Regardless, the pie is best served warm and without any toppings like whipped cream or ice cream.

It pairs well with a cold glass of milk and a winter night. Enjoy, and thank Grandma Ople!

Playing catch-up!

2009-12-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

I'm guilty. Admittedly so. It's been a long time since I've updated this.

I was once told that the best part of food blogs are the pictures. With that in mind, I offer the following as my update from the last two weeks.

Enjoy!

Oven-baked green tomatoes coated in cornmeal and honey panko breadcrumbs. Served with sweet 'n spicy Southwestern mustard.

A coffee bean-filled ornament from Tynan Coffee & Tea, a local cafe serving up freshly-ground coffee and delicious Belgian-style waffles.

Bibimbap. My first experience. Incredible. Rice noodles. Rice, a little burned and stuck to the bottom of the claypot. Carrot. Spinach. Steamed tofu. Cucumber. Pickled daikon. Egg.

K, my NYC friend and official introducer to Korean cuisine. She is showcasing all of these lovely side dishes we were given: (L-R, top-bottom): portabella mushroom, bean sprouts, macaroni salad, kimchi, green beans, black beans, tofu, and pickled daikon.

Dinner at St. Alps Teahouse, East Village. Ramen, bubble tea, gingerbread tea, and spring rolls.

Compost cookie from Momofuku's Milk Bar.
French horn and cannoli from Ferrera's.

The product of a Christmas cookie decorating party!

Breakfast: apple cider oatmeal and coffee

Thick-cut oven-baked sweet potato fries sprinkled with sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Served with black pepper sprinkled tomato ketchup.

Countdown to Turkey Day: Brown Sugar Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2009-11-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

Last week, a group house near me hosted a week-before-Thanksgiving-Thanksgiving potluck dinner. It was amazing! I think nearly 100 people were in the house. For the potluck, I brought brussels sprouts.

Like many, many others, I hated brussels sprouts growing up. They were always kind of bitter, the texture was slimy due to over-boiling, and the fact that brussels sprouts look like cabbages, which I also was not a fan of, didn't help things.

Last week at my local farmer's market, however, they were selling brussels sprouts on the stalk. They looked amazing. I plucked up my courage, said goodbye to past bad experiences with these mini-cabbages, and bought a stalk.

Here's what I came up with the day of the potluck. Perhaps I like it because the bitterness of the sprouts is counteracted by the sweetness of the sugar or the creaminess of the butter.

BROWN SUGAR ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Ingredients:
1 stalk brussels sprouts (approximately 30 sprouts)
1 stick butter (approximately 1/2 cup, softened and divided in half)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
1/4 cup evaporated milk (fat free is fine)

Directions:
Cut brussels sprouts off of the stalk.

Cut each brussels sprout in half.
Place sprouts on greased baking sheet, cut side up and side-by-side so they are touching.
Cut 1/2 stick butter into thin slices (approximately 1/3 of tbsp per slice).
Place each pad of butter on a group of 4 brussels sprouts halves.

Bake at 350*F for 25 minutes, flipping sprouts halfway.

On the stove, melt 1/2 stick butter.
Add brown sugar and evaporated milk.
Stir until sauce begins to thicken. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO THICKEN.
Pull sprouts out of oven, toss with brown sugar sauce.
Enjoy!

Butter makes life better

2009-11-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

That is the truth.

Last week, I clipped my plants to prepare for the winter. Rachna and Olivia, my rosemary and oregano plants, will (hopefully!) overwinter, so their fruits are currently drying out. Brian, my basil plant, should die out in the winter but everyday I'm seeing new shoots erupt from him. Finally, Shakuntala, my chili pepper plant, had an off year and decided to grow big, beautiful leaves...but no chilies.

After clipping, I only had a few basil leaves - mostly thanks to a summer filled with pesto - so I decided to use them all at once. This decision - combined with my love of garlic bread - resulted in this creation.

Are you ready? Because it's good. Really, really good.

Here we go!

ROASTED GARLIC & BASIL BUTTER

Smear it on some bread. Saute some veggies in it. Add it to savory baked goods.

The best part about this is that it's so easy! Roast a couple of garlic cloves (remove the peel, cover in 1 tsp olive oil, stick in your oven at 350 for 20 minutes or so), chop some basil, throw these into a softened stick of butter, mash together, refrigerate until it gets firm, and serve!

DisCo Inferno: Curbside Cupcakes

2009-11-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

DC has seen growth in mobile food vendors over the last few months. First up was Capitol Carts, an initiative of DC Central Kitchen. Next to hit the streets was Fojol Bros, a somewhat-controversial-but-I-am-assured-quality Indian food truck. Now we have that ever-favorite hipster/stuff-white-people-like item, the cupcake, traveling to a site near you courtesy of Curbside Cupcakes.

For the record, I haven't eaten there yet. As many of you know, I am die-hard advocate of Baked and Wired. I've sampled many a cupcake joint in the DisCo, including Hello Cupcake!, Georgetown Cupcake, Red Velvet, and CakeLove. The funky, friendly staff at Baked and Wired stole my heart nearly as quickly as the Pretty Bitchin' cupcake, which boasts a thick layer of peanut butter frosting on top of a rich chocolate cupcake.

I'm skeptical as to whether Curbside Cupcakes will produce a more enjoyable experience than Baked and Wired. Only time will tell, I guess.

The last (healthy) pumpkin cake you will ever eat.

2009-11-10T20:05:00.001-08:00

This one is good.

You ready?

Welcome to whole grain pumpkin pudding cake. It pairs wonderfully with spiced tea and buckwheat honey (the latter being a recent discovery! it is amazing - darker and slightly smoker than regular honey). My friend and I helped ourselves to the cake not even two seconds after it left the oven.

Ingredients:
1 banana
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin pudding (recipe below)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves

Directions:
1. Combine banana, applesauce, pumpkin pudding, and eggs together until just blended.
2. Mix together brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
3. Gently blend the flour mixture with the wet ingredients until just mixed.
4. Pour cake mix into a greased 8x8 cake pan.
5. Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes
6. Top with whipped cream and enjoy.

How to make pumpkin pudding:

Blend the following together and stick in the fridge to set:

1 large box of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 the amount of milk stipulated on the pudding mix box
1 tsp cinnamon

DC Foodies: Free Burgers

2009-11-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

News courtesy of DCist.

Enjoy ♥

A Colorful Party in Black and White

2009-11-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I attended a fantastic baking party. The conversation centered mostly around food: a cookbook called Fat, the intricacies of experimental baking, and the crazy Western obsession with losing weight. Here's a peek at what we were up to:

Our gracious hosts and their friend. Thanks for sharing your space, laughter, time, and talent!

(L-R): orange maple butter, gingerbread muffins, and chocolate raspberry mini tarts

A close-up of the chocolate raspberry tart(lette). Topped with whipped cream.

Very tasty graham cracker and chocolate bars rolled in sugar. Imagine the forbidden love child of the s'more and the seven-layer bar.

Finally, my contribution of pumpkin banana bread with brown sugar icing. Recipe will be posted soon!

Eat this!

2009-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine recently passed the Foreign Service Exam (WTG SJH!). After he completed the exam, we met for brunch at Le Pain Quotidien, a Belgian chain restaurant that has recently meandered to the District.

LPQ has some absolutely delicious offerings. My personal favorite beverage there is the Belgian hot chocolate. It is composed of two parts. First, a steaming bowl of milk is given to you. Shortly after, the drinker receives a small pitcher of melted, fragrant dark cocoa. If you could put heaven into a cup, this would be darn close to the result. It is rich. It is creamy. It is chocolate.

Another Kabana-approved item on LPQ's menu is the ricotta cheese tartine. Complete with figs, acacia honey, and freshly ground pepper, this open-faced sandwich incorporates smooth, sweet, and spicy tastes on your palette. Yum!

At this brunch, though, I chose one of LPQ's seasonal specials, the Harvest Porridge. I expected something healthy-tasting. Instead, I got something amazing. It's so tasty, in fact, that in the mornings on the way to work, I often have to restrain myself from not veering toward my neighborhood LPQ.

So here it is, this harvest porridge. First ingredient: Farro. Farro is an Italian grain similar to barley, just fluffier and a little nuttier in taste. Farro puffs up nicely in this dish.

#2: almond milk: sweeter than regular cow's milk when heated. Mmmmm...

Tres y cuatro: walnuts & pecans. In other words, some delicious omega-3-fatty-acids to fight depression and to improve mental acuity.

Five and six: dried cranberries and strawberries - the sweetness.

So that's it. Head to your closest LPQ. Dig into that Harvest Porridge with a big spoon and don't look back.

(Hard to resist, isn't it?)

A new addition to the blog

2009-10-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

There's a visitor tracker, which you can see at the bottom of your screen. It begins today. Keep stopping by!

An apple a day...

2009-10-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

I usually lament the loss of gorgeous summer fruits. Once late October sets in, gone are the days of blueberries and raspberries and peaches and nectarines. In come apples and pears. Apples and pears. Apples and pears. All week, every week from November til March. That's a long time.

I used to strongly dislike apples. In the raw form, of course. Pies, cobblers, crisps, quickbreads, and muffins were all delightful! These days, though, I eat an apple everyday. I am not an expert on which apples are best for which dishes, but the good news is this: I don't have to be.

CakeSpy is :o)

Happy eating!

DisCo Inferno: Hana, Common Good Farm, Ledroit Market, Food Network in DC, Taste of the Nation, and Birch & Barley/ChurchKey

2009-10-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

For the DC readers, I'm including a new segment on the blog called (burn, baby, burn!) DisCo Inferno. You'll find the latest gastronomic indulences DC has to offer, references to upcoming food events, and occasionally, reviews of local restaurants and markets. Enjoy!

1. A few Saturdays ago, I wandered over to Hana Japanese Market, a tiny little food shop tucked away at the corner of 17th & U St NW. It used to be Japan Associates, a small travel agency, but with the downturn, the manager, Tanabe-san, told me they had to diversify their services. Hence, the grocery shop emerged.

There's nothing more or less I can say about Hana that the Yelpers haven't covered already, so check them out here. In two words, GO THERE.

2. Another recent discovery I've made is Common Good City Farm, located at 3rd & V St NW in Ledroit Park. According to their website, "Common Good City Farm (formerly called the 7th Street Garden) is an urban farm and education center growing food for low-income residents in Washington, DC and providing educational opportunities for all people that help increase food security, improved health, and environmental sustainability."

Even sweeter than their home-grown apples are their occasional donation-only workshops. Below is a picture of Tricia, the instructor for the last workshop. We learned how to make herbal infusions how different herbs affect the human body. A new word that I learned there is "galactagogue," or anything that stimulates lactation.

3. Ledroit Park Market, located at 4th & T St NW, has the tastiest doughnuts a girl could imagine. It's a little place where one should head directly for the Green Mountain coffee and a lovely, large doughnut. It was recommended to me that I forgo the usual ziplock baggie the doughnuts come in for simply resting them on a sheet of aluminum foil. Apparently, the baggie removes a lot of the doughnut topping, which is a shame if you enjoy Boston cream doughnuts as much as I do.

4. The Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show is coming to the Convention Center! Dish out $45 and you may bump heads with a number of Food Network stars, including my favorite, Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives fame.

5. Share Our Strength, a social enterprise tackling childhood hunger in the United States, is hosting its annual Taste of the Nation fundraiser on March 30, 2010. Unfortunately, tickets are sold out but you can still volunteer at the event by contacting DCTaste@gmail.com.

6. ChurchKey/Birch & Barley, the long-awaited beer enthusiast's heaven, has finally opened its doors near Logan Circle. Since I haven't gone there yet, I'll just guide you to the expert foodies at DCist for review.

A Chai High

2009-10-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

It's getting colder and colder. Admittedly, I'm kind of a huge wuss when it comes to cold weather. I think the bears have it right: stay home and get fat.

Last year, I started a post-work cold weather ritual of having a steaming hot cup of chai (South Asian masala tea). Around that time, I realized I could make chai the homemade way rather than relying on flavored tea bags. It's very easy, very delicious, and very relaxing. Enjoy!

MY CHAI
Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2 tsp crystallized ginger or chopped ginger
1 tsp cardomom pods
a few black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp brown sugar (you can use regular sugar; I prefer brown to white or raw)
1 single-serving black tea bag
1/4 cup 1% milk (I use organic because it's creamier than it's regular counterpart. I think almond milk would also go well.)

Directions:
1. In a tea ball infuser, place ginger, cardomom pods, and peppercorns.
2. Place the infuser, cinnamon stick, and water into a small pot; boil the water for 10-15 minutes until approximately half the water has evaporated.
3. Take the pot off the burner. Add tea bag and brown sugar and let sit for 4 minutes.
4. Remove tea bag. Add milk and heat for 2 minutes.
5. Remove the infuser and cinnamon stick. Pour the chai into a mug and drink!

PS I am trying to become one with the winter, and I'd be interested to know what techniques you all use to enjoy the cold. What parts of winter do you like the best?

PPS This winter, I am experimenting with foods that are supposed to fight the cold weather blues. I will update the blog to let you know how it works out!

FOOD: In Sickness and In Health

2009-10-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm currently a public health threat. Earlier today, I was diagnosed with bronchitis and laryngitis, so STAY AWAY until I'm better. Unless, of course, you want to lose your voice and be filled with mucus from your chest to your nose. Delightful.

Being sick, however, has provided me a little time to try out some new recipes, which is wonderful considering the last week or so has been filled with canned soups or restaurant fare.

Being ill has filled me with an insatiable hunger, particularly for carbohydrates. YUM. I am turning into my older relatives, pausing at 4 pm every afternoon for a cup of chai and a piece of cake. For lunch, I've had the pleasure of reaching into my vegetable drawer and cooking whatever I resurface with...in a pasta dish. Colder weather is slowly settling in, and for me, this means a lot of ROASTED VEGETABLES, which enhance the flavor of just about anything they touch.

I hope you enjoy these two recipes, as they are not items I would normally make.

SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED BEETS, CARAMELIZED ONIONS, AND SHREDDED PARMESAN

Ingredients:

2 oz. dry spaghetti
3 large beets, skinned and chopped into bite-size pieces
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp shredded parmesan
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Use your hands to coat the diced beets with 2 tsp olive oil. Stick them in your oven at 425* for 20-25 minutes.
2. While the beets are roasting, boil the spaghetti until al dente. It should be chewy but not tough. No uncooked white portion of pasta is allowed.
3. In a separate saucepan, heat 1 tsp olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion. Stir and keep stirring until the onions turn a light brown.
4. Once the beats are roasted, add to the onion mixture. Add water and let the mixture simmer until the water evaporates.
5. Mix the beets and onions with the cooked spaghetti. Top with parmesan cheese and black pepper.
6. Enjoy! Here is the finished product:

Later in the evening, I pulled a cheddar cauliflower from the veg drawer. Cheddar cauliflowers don't taste different from regular cauliflowers; they are simply a bright orange "cheddar" color. At the market where I buy produce, the supplying farmer told me he grows this variety simply because he likes the color.

As one who is infirmed and without a voice, I want soup. I love those creamy, buttery soups modeled after French cuisine, but unfortunately, dairy products increase mucus production, so people with bronchitis should not consume them. Bummer.

I would like to point out that one can make this recipe with any vegetables you have. I prefer fresh to frozen, but I think frozen would be just fine as well.

Instead, I reached for some almond milk I had leftover and came up with this:

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium cauliflower, cut
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, cut into thin slices
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 cups water
2 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
light sour cream (optional)
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a pot, boil 4 cups water with bay leaf, Italian seasoning, and cumin seed. Let it boil for 20 minutes, replenishing water as you need to do so.
2. On a cookie sheet, lay out cut cauliflower and carrot slices. Coat with 2 tbsp olive oil. Roast at 425* for 25-30 minutes. Check in on the veggies every 10 minutes or so to keep them from burning!
3. In a 4 quart pot, saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil. Keep stirring until the onion is light brown in color. It's important to keep stirring so the onion doesn't burn.
4. Add roasted cauliflower and carrot to the sauteed onion. Add the seasoned water from step #1. Add water as you need to in order to cover all of the vegetables. Simmer for 30 minutes, replenishing water as needed. Stir once every 7-10 minutes.
5. Check to see if the vegetables are easy to cut through with your stirring spoon. If they are, turn off the heat.
6. Stir in almond milk.
7. Serve with some shredded cheese, salt, pepper, and sour cream on top.

The Joys of Living

2009-10-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Being sick offers one a unique perspective. No, I'm not seriously ill, just not well enough to warrant a couple of days off from work, a lot of sleep, and a lot of decongestants. Sick enough to rely on Campbell's canned goodness rather than making my own soups, and later realizing that buying the gourmet line doesn't actually matter when you can't taste anything.

Finally, though, I'm feeling a bit better. And back with some items that simply make life worth living. Enjoy!

1. Yellow doll watermelon: sweeter than its pink cousin, yellow doll is also preferred because it is virtually seedless. Try it, you'll never go back.

2. Listening to the national anthem played by a dude with an electric violin. Okay, he's not just a dude, he's Glenn Donnellen, and he's kind of a big deal in the Nationals ballpark. He also plays "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," which always puts me in the mood for haute ballpark cuisine. Not to mention that when I saw him play, the Nats won their last game of the season...as a result of a walk-off grand slam with 3 strikes and 2 balls pending. NICE.

3. Bono. Yep, that's Bono. Of U2. Not the other Bono.

I had the great pleasure of attending the U2 360 concert in FedEx Field (in good company, as most great things tend to include). Ever notice how U2 is one of those classic bands? These guys are rockstars, the kind whose music lasts through the ages, so much so that my sixteen year old neighbor is reminded of her screwup ex-boyfriend when listening to "One" as much as my 55 year old friend who has a couple of divorces under her belt.

4. Tickets, or to be more specific, FREE tickets. This week, a friend and I scored seats to Full Circle and Lost in Yonkers as part of DC's Free Night of Theater. Nothing like a live performance for the penniless masses. Unfortunately, we didn't get the seasonal specials to Dracula and The Fall of the House of Usher, but hey, when it's free, I don't complain.

5. Running, especially to train for a race. I'm a novice runner, but I have to say the benefits of running are incredible! Daniele Seiss, a reporter for the WaPo, recently wrote of her experiences using running to fight her clinical depression. I've found that training for a race reminds me once again that the best things in life are earned through incremental changes in performance, internal motivation, and hard work.

Hiatus: Autumn Allergies

2009-09-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a short break from the blog, namely because I'm sneezing. Outside of work, I'm spending my time on antihistamines in a horizontal position. Sleep is wonderful. Be back soon!

Life with Brian

2009-09-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

It was a little more difficult to get out of bed this morning. It's raining, kind of grey outside, and a little cooler than usual. I am happy it is autumn, but because this summer was so enjoyable, I am sad to see it end. However, when I finally managed to fill up my gardening pot to water my plants, I discovered something wonderful. Brian, my basil plant, is thriving! Yes, I do name my plants; I think that's an entirely different post altogether.

Brian was given to me as a cutting by my work colleague, who has managed to nurse Brian's mom for four years! She warned me that he may not actually sprout, but he did. I replanted him into a bigger pot and have watered him consistently. Currently, a couple of Brian's stems are not green - ie they are not functional - yet the plant keeps growing. Brian is currently my most successful plant; although given my black thumb, it's amazing that all four of my plants are still alive. The situation reminds me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, in which Francie Nolan is in awe of her neighborhood foliage, which manages to grow through all types of weather, urbanization patterns, and negative treatment, just like herself.

Tuesday Night with Rupen Rao

2009-09-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

I spent this evening at Simply September, Simply Indian, a cooking class hosted by Whole Foods. Our teacher this evening was Mr. Rupen Rao of Simply Indian, LLC. Check out his website if you have a chance; he has tons of easy-to-follow recipes.

Because this was my first cooking class ever, I had no idea what to expect. The Whole Foods store near my house is enormous and looks like it has plenty of space, but I still didn't bet on each student having his/her own cooking station. I was right, but instead, the format of the class was excellent in terms of facilitating group discussion and Q&A.

Mr. Rao featured a few dishes: kaddu ka shorba (masala pumpkin soup); matar hoosal (Marathi-style green peas curry); dahl murg (yogurt chicken); and kesaribath (sweet saffron rice). Below are images from the evening:

The kaddu ka shorba was my favorite of all the dishes! Slightly sweet with a nice kick of garam masala. Mr. Rao mentioned that any autumn or winter gourd would suffice for this soup.

The dahi murgh was very spicy. Mr. Rao advised using bone-in chicken thighs for optimum flavor. Though the chicken was marinated in yogurt, the final product did not taste of anything resembling yogurt. He mentioned that yogurt tenderizes meats, and this chicken was no exception; it completely melted in my mouth.

The matar hoosal was very easy to prepare, and I think it would taste perfect with some red chilis thrown in for heat. The secret ingredient in this dish is amchur, or dried mango powder.

Kesaribath is a sweet rice prepared with ghee, or clarified butter (butter without water). If you plan on creating this dish, be certain you boil it long enough for the rice to cook completely.

Mr. Rao mentioned a few helpful tips:

1. Thicker oils, like olive oil, burn faster than its canola or vegetable counterparts.
2. Red onion is preferred to white onion in Indian sabzis (curries).
3. Always use the stalk of the cilantro plant; the stalk contains the most flavor.
4. When preparing Indian sabzis, always add your spices in whole form to heated oil, then add onion and crushed spices. If you add crushed spices directly to hot oil, they will burn rather quickly.
5. Yogurt-based marinades can be replaced with papaya paste if preferred.
6. DO NOT USE LOW FAT OR FAT FREE dairy products in Indian recipes. They simply add too much water to each dish.
7. Do not replace milk products with cream in all of these recipes; that will affect the cooking process. Specifically, the kesaribath will not cook thoroughly if cream is used instead of milk.

All in all, a very enjoyable Tuesday night activity. Can't wait for the next one; Mr. Rao already promised murgh makhani.

Risotto: A Rice Among Pastas

2009-09-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

The weather switched overnight from hot and humid to autumnal and windy here in DC. In my efforts to eat with the seasons, I'm working to create hearty, nutritious dishes as winter approaches. Growing up with mother who lived for years in Roma, pasta was a staple in our household. Risotto, however, was something I didn't have the pleasure of sampling until I went to college. While scrummaging around for healthier versions of risotto, I came upon a recipe for barley risotto.

Barley is a whole grain which contains all eight essential amino acids. Like other grains, there are many strains of barley: two row, six row, and hulled. For cooking, I've found the easiest type of barley to work with is pearl barley, which has the hull and bran removed. Barley - unlike arborio rice (which is used to make traditional risotto) - has a much lower glycemic index, which means it takes longer to digest, keeping its diner fuller for a longer period of time.

My first autumn run to the farmers market yielded a beautiful butternut squash and a bunch of beets. After a lengthy conversation with a farmer, I learned that I can use beet greens as a substitute for spinach in any recipe. With these items and knowledge in tow, I embarked on this fabulous dish, which was served recently at a going-away party for my friend Felix, who moved back to Spain a couple of weeks ago.

BARLEY RISOTTO WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BEET GREENS, AND GOAT CHEESE
Serves 5-6

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into small cubes
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 quarts organic vegetable broth, divided into three
2 quarts water, divided
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup pearl barley, raw
beet greens collected from 1 bunch of beets
1/3 cup goat cheese

Directions:
1. Coat butternut squash cubes in 1.5 tbsp olive oil. Roast in the oven at 350* for 20-25 minutes.
2. In a small pot, boil 1/3 of vegetable broth with rosemary for 10 minutes.
3. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic with remainder of olive oil.
4. When onion mixture is golden, add pearl barley and saute for a few minutes.
5. Crank heat up to high and add rosemary andvegetable broth mixture.
6. When the liquid has evaporated, add the second 1/3 of vegetable broth and remainder of water.
7. When the liquid has evaporated, add the final 1/3 of vegetable broth and remainder of water.
8. When the majority of remaining liquid has evaporated, add in the butternut squash and stir gently.
9. Reduce heat to medium.
9. Taste to see if the barley is cooked.
10. Stir in beet greens until they are wilted.
11. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese.
12. Enjoy!

Green beans paliya

2009-09-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

While wandering around farmers' markets this summer, I've seen a lot of beans. So many that it's overwhelming. There are regular green beans, yellow wax beans, borlotti beans, and my personal favorite, the cranberry bean.

After doing some digging, I uncovered the following. The cranberry bean is somewhat related to its aesthetic cousin, the borlotti bean. Cranberry beans are also not related to cranberries, but rather are named after the fruit due to their brownish-reddish-pinkish color. These beans were among the first cultivated beans in North America (all the credit goes to the Aztecs and Incas). Through the wonders of globalization, they traveled from North America to Italy around the 1500s, where they were promptly planted, celebrated, and renamed "borlotti." Of course, due to differences in climates, these two beans are not the same and do indeed taste a little differently.

The most interesting - and kind of heartbreaking - aspect of this bean is that when cooked, it loses its pink coloration in favor of a muted brown.

After some consideration, I decided to forgo cooking experiements (aka disasters) with the cranberry beans and settled on some beautiful, traditional green beans. My initial instinct was to make minestrone, but our summer days were still experiencing 80* of heat. Instead, I settled on preparing a super easy green beans curry. Using fresh beans means spending a little more time in the kitchen, but if you choose to use frozen French green beans, this dish will go from the stove to your dining table in 15 minutes flat. Pair with parathas, chapatis, or even wheat tortillas if you don't have time to fuss around with shopping for South Asian breads. I've included a recipe with frozen beans below; the only adjustment necessary when using fresh green beans is to boil them until cooked yet crisp before doing anything else.

Green Beans Paliya
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
16 oz. packet of frozen French green beans
1-2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
A few dried red chilies
1 pinch asofoetida/hing
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp channa dal
1 tbsp split black gram dal
salt
2 tbsp frozen coconut, dessicated

Directions:

Heat oil on high heat in a large saucepan.
Add mustard seeds and heat until they sputter.
Add both dals, the chilies, asofoetida, and turmeric to the oil.
Stir to avoid burning!
Once the dals look golden-brown, add the frozen beans.
Cover with a lid and stir once in awhile to make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the beans have cooked, add salt and stir in coconut.
Serve!

Preview: the best is yet to come!

2009-09-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a little look at what is coming this week:

Clockwise from top left: green beans curry; barley risotto with butternut squash, beet greens, and goat cheese; smoked chipotle peppers; homemade baked corn tortilla chips with watermelon-peach salsa; brie, tomato, caramelized onion and basil panini; blackberry-peach compote; tomato bruschetta; chocolate peanut butter whoopie pie

Intermission has ended!

2009-09-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

Life at the koppakabana has been busy as of late, which is why I haven't updated the blog in awhile. My sincere apologies to all of you readers! I will be updating with numerous recipes over the next few days, so brace yourself!

Food and nutrition worthy items of note include:
*purchasing a watermelon and figuring out what to do with it as I live by myself!
*a bon voyage dinner party for a dear friend who is now trouncing around Germany
*some thoughts on running, fitness, body image, and integrated wellness
*ruminations on the role of nutrition in addressing abuse
*experiments with heirloom tomatoes!
*a recent roadtrip across North Carolina for the NC Apple Festival, a quick drop-in at a Moravian bakery, and blueberry picking in the Blue Ridge mountains

To whet your appetite, here's a sneak preview of the Apple Festival. The contraption below is a mini-doughnut machine. Lovely O's of dough drop into a chute of oil. As the dough blobs travel down the chute, they are flipped twice and eventually wind up on a drying rack, where they are doused with apple-cinnamon sugar. YUM!

Reading on Running

2009-08-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

After one more run, I'll be one month into a beginner's marathon training schedule. It's amazing to think that in just four weeks, a person can go from not running at all to continuously running five miles. My routes around the DC area are so visually stunning that I run without headphones just to absorb all of the structures and people who pass by. In three miles, I see not only the Washington Monument but also the White House. Last Friday when I went past, the U.S. flag was at half mast for Sen. Kennedy's funeral. My four mile route takes me from Dupont Circle through Georgetown and across the Key Bridge to Rosslyn and back, which is absolutely stunning as I get to see people sailing in their kayaks across the Potomac. Tomorrow, I am running five miles, which will take me past all of the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. Gorgeous.

I find training for a marathon requires a particular type of discipline. One has to be dedicated to a training plan because it's not a small thing at all. 26 miles can take up to six months to train for, and in my case, a little longer as I'm building in a cushion in case I experience hiccups along the way. Outside of work, I find I think about running often - so often that I'm even incorporating running-related books into my library. Most recently, I've identified two to buy:

I can't wait. The first book by Christopher McDougall is about a tribe in Mexico that lived isolated from "Western" influence. Due to their geographical location, members of this tribe are ultramarathoners, running barefoot through the canyons of Mexico. The second book reminds me of my own runs as it outlines Haruki Murakami's internal dialogue while he trained for a marathon. He identifies when he is inwardly dissociating, externally dissociating, and everything in between. Running provides an opportunity for a participant to only benchmark him or herself against the self, and Murakami very cogently explains how 'normal' long distance runners are of the mindset "it doesn't matter how long as long as I finish."

I haven't read Born To Run but I did watch an interview between Jon Stewart and McDougall. Like Murakami's book, I'm sure it will inspire me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Marvelous Makeover: A Chicago Favorite

2009-08-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

One of the few drawbacks to living alone is that one cannot cook foods with days and days worth of leftovers, unless one is prone to eating mold. Ick. An example of this type of food is pizza.

I adore pizza. I've tried all variations. The convenient single-serving English muffin pizza. The pita pizza. The tortilla pizza. One day, I'll try a Japanese version of a pizza made with a cabbage crust.

None of these comes even close to the fluffy, buttery, sauce-laden Chicago deep dish pizza. While some die-hard Neopolitan pizza lovers swear by the thin, brick oven baked crust as being the most important component of a pizza, I think that somedays, you want sauce. You want cheese. You want chewy, moist crust, not something thin and dry and slightly charred. You want deep dish.

I brought up my desire for deep dish deliciousness to a community of health-conscious folks, and I was pointed to this recipe from The Pampered Chef. Called Bubble Up Pizza, I instantly recognized this as a close parallel to that Chicago favorite I craved. However, I ran into that same problem of having leftovers for ages if I made this in its casserole form. Then, in a flash of creativity akin to Priori Incantatem, I realized what to do!

I hope you really enjoy this recipe. It's one of my favorites! Feel free to switch things up with some pesto sauce with parmesan, a salsa-based sauce with cheddar, and I even think for Thanksgiving flare, a mashed potato-and turkey filling with cranberry topping could be wonderful.

MINI DEEP DISH PIZZAS
10 servings

INGREDIENTS

Crust
10 count refrigerated biscuit dough

Sauce
15 oz. canned tomato sauce
6 oz. canned tomato paste
2 tbsp beet pesto
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
oregano, to taste
basil, to taste
crushed black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
Whatever you wanna add; I used 1 cup of chopped mushrooms but you could easily add a non-vegetarian item
1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
2 tsp olive oil

Topping
1 cup low fat mozzarella, shredded
Whatever else you want! Turkey pepperoni and roasted zucchini are examples

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350* F
2. Oil spray 10 muffin tins.
3. Press an individual refrigerated biscuit into the shape of the muffin tin. It will be approximate; just make certain that the sides of the muffin tin are covered with dough.
4. Bake biscuit dough pizza crusts for 3-5 minutes; remove and let cool.
5. While the pizza crusts are cooling, add 2 tsp olive oil to a pot over medium heat.
6. Once the oil is hot, add onion, garlic, basil, and oregano.
7. Saute onion mixture until transparent.
8. Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms shrink in size.
9. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beet pesto.
10. Let simmer for 10 minutes; stir occasionally.
11. Fill each biscuit dough pizza crust with sauce.
12. Top pizzas with 1-2 tbsp cheese and pizza toppings.
13. Bake pizzas at temperature stated biscuit dough package for 10-12 minutes.
14. Broil pizzas until cheese is brown.
15. Enjoy! Pairs well with green salad.

Vangibath (South Indian eggplant rice)

2009-08-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

On left: vangibath; On right: vangibath dry roast

Armed with some eggplant, I decided to try out a dish my mother made when I was growing up. Vangibath, or eggplant rice, is a dish which originates in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is sweet, spicy, and sour at the same time, and pairs well with plain yogurt.

You can purchase vangibath powder from any Indian supermarket - look for the MTR brand - but as I do not live near one, I made my own. Additionally, I used basmati brown rice instead of white rice to include additional fiber. In terms of eggplants, use fresh ones. I had some Asian eggplants, so I used those.

I used a recipe from Dil Se, but made a few modifications. While I used 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate, I would recommend only using 1 to cut down on the sour flavor. To compensate, I wound up adding some brown sugar into the mix.

Here's the recipe:

VANGIBATH

2 medium sized Asian eggplants, cut into bite-size pieces
4 cups cooked basmati brown rice
2 tbsp Tamcon tamarind concentrate
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp brown sugar
Salt to taste

For masala powder:

2 tbsp dry coconut

1 tbsp channa daal

1 tbsp urad daal

For seasoning:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp channa daal
1 tbsp urad daal
2 red chilis
1 tbsp cashews, in small pieces

Directions

1. Cook the rice with enough water and seperate the grains with a fork.
2. Fry the eggplants with a little oil in a saucepan until it almost gets cooked.
3. Dry roast the masala ingredients and grind them into a fine powder.
4. On medium heat, saute all of the ingredients for the seasoning together. When it starts spluttering, add the tamarind concentrate and the ground masala.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes
6. Add the eggplants and salt.
7. Cover the vessel and allow the eggplants to cook until tender.
8. Mix the prepared mixture with the cooked rice and brown sugar.

Zucchini daal

2009-08-10T17:05:00.001-07:00

I love food from South Asia. Most of the food I ate growing up was nutritious - not like restaurant fare - and chockful of vegetables, lentils, a little fat, and complex carbohydrates.

This week, I had the urge to make a very simple daal reminiscent of what my family would eat in times of illness. It's relatively bland compared to other Indian foods, and it's filled with the stapes of Indian cooking. You can add whatever vegetables you wish to this; I had zucchini and tomato available. Also, feel free to experiment with the wide variety of lentils available. This daal can be eaten by itself, with flatbreads, with rice, or even with plain yogurt. In particular, daals are very good for people trying to stablize their blood sugar levels.

CHANNA DAAL WITH ZUCCHINI
Inspired by Show Me The Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked channa daal, soaked overnight and drained
1-2 zucchinis, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 medium white onion, diced
Water - 3 cups
Salt - to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seed
a pinch Asafoetida/hing
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, grated or finely chopped
Tomato - 1 med, chopped
Cilantro - for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil channa daal for 30-40 minutes in a large pot with water and a little salt. Once the daal is soft and nearly falling apart, drain in a colander.
2. In another pot, add oil on high heat. When oil is hot, add onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, zucchini and chili peppers. When onion becomes transparent, add turmeric, hing, and tomato. Continue to saute until zucchini is soft and tomato juice boils away.
3. Add channa daal and 1 cup water to zucchini mixture. Stir well.
4. The daal is finished when it has a little water let for moisture.

Mini Summer Vegetable Gratin

2009-08-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

Inspired by a recent recipe from the New York Times and the abundance of summer corn, I tried this out:

MINI SUMMER VEGETABLE GRATIN

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

2 red chilies, chopped

Salt to taste

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound summer squash, thinly sliced

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn (about 2 cups)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and coarsely ground in a spice mill, or slightly crushed in a mortar and pestle

1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shreded

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil 6 muffin tins. Set aside the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and chilies. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add the red pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and the squash, stir together and add another generous pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is just beginning to look bright green and some of the slices are translucent. Stir in the kernels from one of the ears of corn. Stir together for a minute or two, and remove from the heat. Scrape into a large bowl.

2. Place the remaining corn kernels in a blender jar, and add the eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the vegetables. Add the cumin and the cheese, and stir everything together. Scrape into the muffin tins.

3. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are browned and the gratin is firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm.

Notes: I loved these mashed up inside a tortilla. Kind of a breakfast burrito. They also pair well with salads and fruits.

I recommend these before they are brown on top; because they are in muffin tins, they cook quickly.

Whole Wheat Peach Ginger Muffins

2009-08-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

The one bad thing about peaches is that they tend to squish easily. Without fail, I always manage to squash a peach in between purchase and storage in my vegetable box. On Saturday, I arrived home with an extremely juicy peach complete with dent. It looked to be in such a state of disrepair that I decided to use it immediately. Continuing with my experiments using whole wheat pastry flour, I settled on peach muffins laced with ginger and cardomom. Here's the visual:

I will say that these didn't turn out exactly as planned. While the ginger and cardomom were in full presence, the peachy undertone was much more subtle, so subtle that I wished I had added an additional peach to the batter. Next time, next time...regardless, the muffins are still spicy, fruity, and sweet. On the nutritional side, they're not bad, either, coming in at 3 WW pts each.

Here's the recipe I followed:

WHOLE WHEAT PEACH AND GINGER MUFFINS
Approximately 6 very large muffins, or 12 medium muffins

1 Freestone peach, diced with skin
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tbsp ginger, minced and sauteed until fragrant (crystallized ginger preferred but regular is fine too)
3 tbsp cardomom pods, crushed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp light butter with canola oil, melted and cooled for a few minutes
Turbinado sugar, to sprinkle

1. Combine peach, ginger, and cardomom in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Combine milk and lemon juice; let sit.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk. Whisk in the melted butter.
5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, leaving adding peach mixture by folding in the end.
6. Fill muffin tins with batter; sprinkle tops with Turbinado sugar.
7. Bake at 400* for approximately 30 minutes. I prefer these slightly underdone, served with a little butter, apple butter, or just piping hot with tea.

Free cupcakes in Dupont!

2009-07-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

Via Twitter...

Cupcakepocalypse @ Red Velvet Cupcakery/Tangysweet

It's been a little slower than normal in the free food department this summer. Perhaps the tight economy is to blame? Luckily, the folks at Tangysweet are opening up another Red Velvet Cupcakery at their DuPont Circle location. To celebrate, they will be giving out free red velvet mini-cupcakes starting at noon on Friday until closing, which is 1 a.m. on Fridays. The cupcake recipes were developed by pastry chef David Guas, known for his work at the Passion Food group of restaurants.

Recreating a classic: Eggplant Stacks

2009-07-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

After going to Homestead Farms a couple of weekends ago, I had a huge supply of vegetables in my fridge. Supplied with my craving for eggplant tian but the limitation of lack of tomato sauce, here's what was concocted.

The stacks are delicious! I've eaten them for breakfast (poached egg on top a la benedict), for lunch (plain), and dinner (served over cheese ravioli or pasta. I also think they will make a great filling for a panini. The eggplant is roasted to sweetness while the green tomato is transformed from firm to soft in the oven. Enjoy!

EGGPLANT STACKS

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
2 small eggplants
1 large green tomato
1/2 cup beet pesto
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, juice of 1/2 lime, salt and pepper.
2. Slice eggplants and tomato into 1/2" rounds
3. Using a pastry brush, apply oil mixture to both sides of eggplant and tomato slices.
4. Lay eggplant and tomato slices on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350*.
6. Remove and cool for 10 minutes.
7. On a baking tray, build stacks in this order (bottom to top): large eggplant slice, tomato slice, 1 tbsp beet pesto, 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, small eggplant slice, 1/2 tbsp beet pesto, 1 tbsp parmesan cheese.
8. Once all stacks are built, broil for 3-5 minutes (until cheese is melted).

Food for Fuel: A Night in Review

2009-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Confession: I am a horrible runner. Honestly, I think I walk faster than I run. I'd much rather be dancing, weight lifting, doing yoga, cartwheeling in the grass...

However, as my finger is still burnt, I've had to revise my fitness program. I have taken on an enormous personal challenge: to run a marathon for a charitable cause. I have identified a potential marathon to register for; it's taking place April 2o10. I've also started a six month beginner's marathon training program. Today, I finished week 1. Feeling good.*

Like many athletes, I have some superstitious beliefs about what makes me perform better. All of my beliefs are magenta, namely my workout gloves and my cloth headband. On days when all I want to do is watch TV, I only have to put on my workout gloves and no matter what, I will get in my workout. The headband is a recent addition, but it is extremely useful and quite stylish :)

Here's a picture of my gear:

*In case you doubt my ability to stick to a running schedule, don't. In 2004, I successfully completed the Couch to 5K program from Cool Runnings magazine.

Of course, now that I am running, I must nourish appropriately. Food is fuel, after all! Health literature I recently read claims that one should eat carbohydrates before a workout and a carbohydrate/protein mix afterward. After today's run, I munched on this:

GENOVESE THIN CRUST PIZZA

Ingredients

1 red-skinned potato, in thin slices (like chips)
2 tsp olive oil
1 whole wheat tortilla
2 tbsp beet pesto, as per earlier recipe
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste

This recipe is inspired by my favorite pizza at Pizzeria Paradiso, which includes potato, pesto, and parmesan. Delicious!

Directions:

Spread potato on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil.
Bake potato slices for 7 minutes at 350*, flipping over halfway.
Spread beet pesto evenly over tortilla, top with potato and parmesan.
Bake pizza for 7 minutes at 350*.
Season with salt and pepper.

Tonight I had water, but were it the weekend, I imagine a nice red wine would be a perfect companion. Also, this pizza is great to serve as hor d'oeurves.

And lastly, a quick preview of what is to come. Today, my colleague gave me some beautiful chilies from her garden. I am so appreciative. A lover of Indian food, she made me promise to allow her to sample whatever subcontinental fare includes the chilies. Check out these peppers:

5 Senses: Screen on the Green

2009-07-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

Last night, despite warnings of rain, a friend and I went to Screen on the Green, a weekly summertime screening. The film du jour was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. We walked in a little late so I missed the first part of the plot line, but my friend quickly caught me up. Amidst the aliens and Jiminy Cricket, I reveled in a 5 Senses moment, a technique I learned in my yoga classes to stay fully present:

SEE: Well, aliens, of course. But also the bright lights of the US Capitol, which served as the backdrop of the theatre. Lots of people, including a couple seated in front of me who clearly prioritized romance in their relationship.

HEAR: Movie sounds, which for Close Encounters included a triumphant cacophony of alien-human communication a la Big with Tom Hanks on the giant keyboard. My friend cracking jokes through the screening. Also, quiet screams of people attempting to cross an empty stretch of grass near us, only to find it to be incredibly muddy. Finally, helicopters spinning overhead from time-to-time.

SMELL: Mud. Fresh air. Lavender, from my body spray. Grass, a scent I love.

FEEL: Blades of grass. Dirt. The softness of my raincoat, which we were using as a blanket.

TASTE: The lingering flavors of beet and pasta from my earlier dinner of whole wheat asparagus ravioli with beet pesto.

A Sunday feast

2009-07-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's berry picking adventures, I spent today relaxing at home. Being Sunday, I prepared a number of meals - all of which were made with my new purchases - to eat through the busy work week. I am challenging myself to eat meals throughout the day that are as far down the food chain as possible, ie, mostly vegetables, fruits, plant proteins, and a little dairy. Here's the rundown on today's creations:

BLACK-EYED PEAS AND CORN FILLING (for burritos, lettuce wraps, or as salsa)
Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic

4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from about 1 ear of corn
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, chopped
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon light balsamic vinaigrette
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or fresh coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the peas, water and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer until the peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the peas, rinse with cool water, drain again and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

In a large nonstick saute or frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the corn, tomato, jalapeno, and garlic and saute until the tomato is softened and the corn is tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.

Add the corn mixture to the peas along with the lime zest and juice, vinaigrette, cilantro, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Toss to mix.

BAKED SWEET POTATO FALAFEL
Courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

Yield: Approximately 13 falafel balls

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potatoes (orange inside), around 3/4 pound
3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
3/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp concentrated lemon juice
a scant 1/2 cup chickpea/gram/besan flour
a splash of olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425* F and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, then peel.

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and gram/chickpea flour into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet. You can add a tablespoon or so more of chickpea flour if necessary (the water content of sweet potatoes varies enormously).

Reheat the oven to 400*F. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) or a falafel scoop if you have one, make the mixture into falafelly looking things and put them on an oiled tray. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown.

RAITA
Adapted from Show Me The Curry

Approximately 4 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
1 cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt
1 handful cilantro

Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat oil. When hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds sputter, add cumin, chili powder, and garam masala. Toast the spices but do not burn.

In a separate bowl, mix yogurt, cucumber, and tomato. Add oil mixture and stir thoroughly. Add salt to taste and top with cilantro.

SCOTTISH BLACKBERRY CRANACHAN
Adapted from Gastroanthropology

Cranachan is a creamy, fruity dessert originally from Scotland. It is usually made with raspberries, but as I have only blackberries, I used them. It is delicious! It is typically made with double cream (full fat whipping cream in Americanese) and whiskey. For those of us who put on weight easily, you can substitute light whipped topping for the whipping cream and omit the booze.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup light whipped topping, thawed
10 blackberries
2 tsp light pancake syrup
1 tbsp toasted oatmeal, cooled

Directions:

Mix everything together, breaking the berries so the cream turns purple.

Use cranachan to top Scottish whole wheat shortbread (recipe to follow).

WHOLE WHEAT SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
Adapted from Gastroanthropology

Yield: approximately 10 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whipped butter, room temperature

1 tbsp light pancake syrup

1/4 cup raw sugar

1 scant cup whole wheat pastry dough

1/4 tsp sea salt, will need more for sprinkling

Raw sugar and sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Cream butter, vanilla, and sugar for about one minute. Add flour and salt and mix in with a wooden spoon. When the dough forms into one, put onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the shortbread dough for at least one minute. Add a bit more flour, but only if the dough is really sticky. Pat into a quarter-inch high disk and cut out with a 1 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Arrange on a sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar and sea salt. Bake at 350* F until the edges turn slightly golden.

Word of Mouth: Homestead Farm and Eatonville Restaurant

2009-07-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

No recipes today, but lots to report on the food front! Today began with my friend Rupa and I heading to the Adams Morgan Farmers Market. On the way, we discovered a gem: individual hawkers selling papusas, arepas, tacos, taquitos and much, much more in a nearby plaza. We stopped for a delicious lunch. I recommend the chile relleno if you are heading that way.

After purchasing some lovely tomatoes, we moved onto the U St Flea Market at the corner of 9th and U St NW. We met up with my friend Felix, who is working at the Embassy of Spain for the next few months. Again, we bought more produce as this market features specialty items like jicama. On the way to my flat, we passed by the U St Farmers Market. At Dolcezza, an expectant Argentinian lady gave us free half-pints of some amazing gelato flavors: blackberries and cream, Thai coconut milk, and chocolate. Delicious! When we finished, we met up with yet another friend, Sriram, and headed out to Homestead Farms in Poolesville, MD. In the shop at the farm, we saw some gorgeous produce.

(yellow wax beans)

(aubergines)

On the farm, we picked beautiful blackberries from both thorny and thornless vines. We also picked peaches, but none of these were ripe. All the while, I imagined using these fruits in oatmeal, in pies, in crumbles. Mmmmm!

After driving back to Washington, we stopped at Eatonville to grab some delicious Southern food. If you go there, order the chipotle sweet potato bisque. You will not regret swallowing this delicious, sweet, creamy with a kick of spice at the end soup du jour. While the main dishes are spectacular, what truly shines at Eatonville are its appetizers, specifically the white cheddar tart and leek and shrimp-stuffed giant hushpuppy, and side items like the macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and mashed potatoes.

I don't eat enough purple foods.

2009-07-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

When one lives alone, cooking can seem like the endless search for what dinner can be created with a can of vegetables, leftover bread, and the last fruit cup in the pantry.

Today, I realized that I've had a can of pickled beets in my cupboard for ages. I also have a LOT of frozen ravioli, but what I do not have is sauce. After being offered some basil leaves from a work colleague this afternoon, I thought about making a pesto, but not one overpowered by the dramatic scent and taste of basil and pine nuts. After some brainstorming, here's what I came up with:

BEET PESTO

Ingredients:

1 can pickled beets (15 oz), drained
1/4 cup cashew pieces
1/8 cup cilantro
1/8 cup basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Blend thoroughly, adding olive oil at the end. Enjoy!

Ok, I know it's fluorescent purple. But it's GOOD! A hint of basil, a little sweetness from the beets, and a smooth texture. If you are watching your waistline, the oil isn't necessary as the beets provide enough moisture.

So go on. Jazz up your pasta with this pesto and a little goat cheese. Spread it on pizza, or just enjoy it on melba toast.

Word of Mouth: Baked and Wired, Georgetown

2009-07-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today, I wandered over to Baked and Wired, my most favorite bakery on the East Coast. Yes, I've been to Cake Love, Hello Cupcake, Georgetown Cupcake and even Magnolia. Baked and Wired always, always, always delivers a fabulous selection of moist cakes, creamy icings, cookies, biscotti, pies, quiche, bundt cakes, hippie crack (think granola pimped out with dried fruits and coconut), doggie biscuits, and loaf breads - all capped off with Counter Culture Coffee products.

Perhaps my devotion stems from the fact that my cupcakes come in a white, stiffly-handled bag reading "Get Baked." Perhaps it's due to the pretty pink bicycle permanently placed outside of the restaurant. Whatever reason, this place is GREAT.

The first time my sister sampled the carrot cupcake, she exclaimed, "Oh sh!t!," while her mouth was still full.

Go, you won't regret it. And mad props to my girl Anna for introducing me to Baked & Wired nearly two years ago.

Surprise of the day

2009-07-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

I find everyday brings something unexpected, usually positive. Today was no less. A colleague of mine, whose daughter owns Lantern (a Chapel Hill eatery), brought in a big bushel of beautiful corn to share! Thanks Kathe!

I have a few ideas on how to use the two lovely ears in my fridge. I think I'll try a black-eyed peas and corn burrito, or maybe corn and jalapeno muffins, or even corn and zucchini pasta salad. Yum!

Urban Gardening

2009-07-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

With the help of my friend Rani, I have started my own box garden! It includes chili peppers, oregano, and rosemary. Check it out:

Bastille Day menu

2009-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Alton Brown's Crepes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter (I used light butter with canola oil included)
oil spray

Directions:

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan and coat with oil spray. Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Makes approximately 12 large crepes.

Fillings for Crepes

Garlic Kale

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 kale bunch, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

Directions:

1. Heat saucepan and add oil.
2. Add onion and cumin seeds. Saute until onion is translucent.
3. Add kale and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Allow mixture to cool.
5. Place 1/3 of kale mixture in center of crepe.
6. Roll over ends of crepe and place folded side down.
7. Cover with goat cheese sauce (next recipe).

Stuffs approximately three large crepes.

Goat Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a small pot, bring broth and goat cheese to a gentle simmer. Mash cheese into broth to aid melting.
2. Add bay leaf.
3. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaf and garnish with pepper

Approximately four servings

Tomato Mozzarella Filling

Ingredients:

1 large Roma tomato
2 oz. whole milk mozzarella
oregano, to taste

Directions:
1. Slice tomato and place on baking sheer
2. Shred mozzrella and spread evenly over tomato.
3. Broil in oven til cheese melts.
4. Sprinkle with oregano.
5. Place 1/3 of tomato mixture into center of crepe and fold. Serve.

Filling for approximately three crepes.

Finished Products:

Dessert Crepe Filling:

Ingredients:

10 oz Greek nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup raspberry jam
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a small pot, heat jam until it becomes a liquid.
2. Remove from burner and gently fold into yogurt.
3. Place mixture in fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup of filling into crepe.
5. Roll ends of crepe over.
6. Sprinkle with sugar and pecans.

Filling for approximately six crepes.

Happy Bastille Day!

2009-07-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Vive le France, or something..

My uncle and aunt have temporarily moved to gay Paris for the summer! While they are no doubtedly watching fireworks and eating cake, I must brainstorm activities to keep myself away from the guillotine...

1. Maid Races at L'Enfant Cafe: men dressed up as French waitresses running in high-heeled shoes. Free cake passed out by King Louis and Marie Antoinette themselves. 1/2-price Belgian beers, including my very favorite Lindeman's Lambic Framboise. Hysterical potential for me: HIGH. Hysterical factor for them, gawking at my poorly bandaged left digit (hey, a girl is only so dextrous with one hand): HIGH.

2. A quiet night in with my favorite movie set in France, Chocolat. Mmm, Johnny Depp. Hysteric factor of watching Alfred Molina play his 2,786th character of different ethnic background than he actually is: MEDIUM.

3. Dinner party with close friends. Crepe spectacular? Wine? Cheese? Susheela Raman belting out her English-Tamil-French lyrics in her never-failing sultry voice? Hysteric factor of watching me cooked crepes with a burned left pointer finger: HIGH. Comfort of being at home: UNPARALLELED.

Nice! Pictures and recipes to follow.

Sunflower-cashew butter

2009-07-12T12:40:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, roasted
1/4 cup cashew nuts, roasted
1-2 tbsp canola oil
sea salt
2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:
1. Blend everything together until combined.
2. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cayenne Pecan cookies

2009-07-12T12:18:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

oil spray (0)
1/2 tbsp baking soda (0)
1/2 tsp salt (0)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (0)
1 egg (2)
1 packet instant hot cocoa/FF instant hot cocoa (1)
1/4 cup Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder (0.5)
1/2 cup flour (4/5)
1/4 cup chopped pecans or almonds (5)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (8.5)
1/4 cup maple syrup/reduced-calorie pancake syrup (2)

Directions:

1. In one bowl, combine baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, flour hot cocoa, and cocoa powder.
2. In a second bowl, blend together egg, brown sugar, and syrup.
3. Using a spatula, gently fold in dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
4. Stir in nuts.
5. Drop heaping teasponfuls of batter onto a greased cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 5-10 minutes at 350*.

*Note, in my attempts to substitute honey for sugar, I badly burned my left pointer finger. Be careful or you may wind up with the first picture.

Farmers Market Antics

2009-07-11T14:58:00.001-07:00

Today, I went to the Adams Morgan Farmers Market at the corner of 18th and Columbia Rd NW. This market accepts WIC deductions and overall, it is much cheaper than other markets in the area. There are two suppliers so far, and in addition to selling produce, there are baked goods, james, relishes, salsas, a variety of nuts, and a number of herb plants and flora.

The picture on the left shows everything I got today for an unbelievable $12.20! If you can't make out, here's the list:

1 pint black cherries
3 red skinned potatoes
1 red onion
1 vidalia onion
1 bunch organic kale
1 zucchini/courgette
1 green pepper/capsicum
1 garlic bulb
3 peaches
4 roma tomatoes

I am currently pondering recipes for the week: perhaps barley risotto with kale stems, vidalia onion, and zucchini? Margherita pizza made on whole wheat tortillas? Roasted rosemary red skinned potatoes? Kale salad? Hmmmm...

4th of July Brunch: Baked Apple French Toast Casserole Muffins with Caramel-Pecan Sauce

2009-07-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

These were so delicious that I am sharing two pictures. Good eats!

A big thanks to Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife for the inspiration!

Ingredients:

Day 1:
French Toast Muffins:
1/2 loaf stale white bread (approximately 10 pieces) (10)
4 eggs (8)
1 cup 1% milk (2)
1/4 cup light pancake syrup (2)
cinnamon (however much you want!)
ground cloves (again, your call)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (1)

Day 2:
Sauce:
1 cup caramel ice cream topping (If you are feeling inclined, you can double boil a can of evaporated milk forever to get your own dulce de leche)
1/6 cup chopped pecans (1.5)
1/2 cup 1% milk (1)

Topping:
light cool whip

Directions:
1. Tear up bread pieces into bite size pieces and place in one large bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs, milk, syrup, applesauce, cinnamon and cloves.
3. Pour egg mixture over bread and combine (best done with your undoubtedly clean hands) until 1/2 the bread has liquefied and 1/2 is still in whole pieces.
4. In 2/3 cup increments, divide bread mixture into six muffin tins.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day:
6. Preheat oven to 350*
7. Bake muffins for 35-40 minutes
8. 5 minutes prior to your muffins being done, place a small saucepan on low heat.
9. Add caramel sauce to saucepan and slowly stir until it becomes a thinner sauce.
10. If you overheat your caramel and it begins to burn or becomes difficult to stir, add milk and stir.
11. Stir in pecans.
12. Pull muffins out of oven and let sit for five minutes.
13. Serve each muffin with 2 tbsp caramel sauce and a little whipped topping.

WW points: approximately 8 pts

4th of July Brunch: Cocoa-Pecan Pancakes

2009-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

These came out divine! Enjoy :o)

As you can see, I couldn't wait to taste them before taking a picture of this masterpiece. Had I been more industrious, I would have make the pancake mix from scratch, but as I have whole grain mix in my refrigerator, I made do with it.

COCOA-PECAN PANCAKES

Ingredients:
1/3 cup whole grain pancake mix (2)
1 tbsp pecan pieces (1)
2 tbsp Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa (0)
1/4 cup 1% milk (0.5)
1 egg white (0)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
oil spray
2 tbsp light cool whip (0.5)

Directions:
1. Mix pancake mix, milk, egg white, applesauce, and cocoa powder until well blended.
2. Stir in pecans.
3. Spray a cooking pan with oil spray. In 1/4 cup increments, cook pancakes. When I made this, I got two CD-sized pancakes.
4. Top with cool whip and enjoy!

Independence Day

2009-07-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's US Independence Day weekend! There are few things I love more than a good BBQ followed by fireworks this time of year. Luckily, my friend Mia and I went to the Folk Life Festival on the National Mall, where in the middle of the African-American voices section, we were able to secure BBQ chicken wings, coleslaw, rice and beans, a refreshing Abita beer, and a huge serving of watermelon. Delicious!

At the Welsh clogs tent, we heard a very informative clogmaker and dancer, Trevor, tells us about the history of Welsh clogs in the Americas. Strangely enough, he pointed to South Carolina (where my hometown is!) as one of the only sources of direct written references to the European sycamore, the wood of which is used to make Welsh clogs. Trevor informed us that there is a record he has come across detailing that enslaved peoples working the rice paddies of the South were issued Welsh clogs as they were the only shoes capable of withstanding the damp environment. When I asked him how Welsh clogging is related to the clogging of Appalachian culture, he said that as Scottish, English, Irish, and Welsh populations immigrated to Appalachia, they brought their clogging styles with them. However, because the European sycamore was not readily available to make clogs, dancers began using more flexible footwear, and as a result, the dance itself evolved into something new. For excerpts of Welsh clogging and Appalachian clogging, visit here and here.

Low fat chocolate banana cake with peanut cream

2009-06-11T20:19:00.001-07:00

I had three extremely ripe bananas in my fridge. After considering banana bread and banoffee pie, I moved forward with this easy, low fat chocolate banana cake with peanut butter cream.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Servings: 12-16 cupcakes
WW Points: 3.5 per cupcake

Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup water

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to the temperature listed on your cake mix box.
2. Mix all ingredients together using an electric mixer or hand blender. Make sure all of the banana pieces are pureed. You don't want chunks of banana in your cake! Do not throw away the cake mix box, either.
3. Place 1/3 cup of mix in each compartment on your muffin tray.
4. Bake at temperature and for time listed on the cake mix box.
5. Let stand for 10 minutes before shifting cupcakes to a wire rack for thorough cooling.

Peanut Butter Cream

WW Points: 12 for the entire dish

Ingredients:
1 container light whipped topping, refrigerated
2 tbsp reduced fat crunchy peanut butter

Directions:
1. Mix peanut butter and light whipped topping until smooth using a handmixer.
2. Place in freezer while cupcakes are baking.
3. Divide evenly and spread onto chocolate banana cupcakes.*

*Note: It is best to frost the cupcakes as and when you eat them. Peanut butter cream can be stored in the fridge or freezer for later use.

Garlic Goat Cheese & Asparagus Mashed Potatoes

2009-06-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

After considering several options for what to do with leftover mashed potatoes, the following recipe emerged.

Garlic Goat Cheese & Asparagus
Mashed Potato Cakes

Servings: 4 (2 cakes per serving)
WW points: 7 per serving

Ingredients:
2 cups chilled mashed potatoes
1 oz garlic goat cheese
1/2 cup cooked asparagus, chopped into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
2 tsp whipped butter, divided

1. Place mashed potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
2. Break up garlic goat cheese into mashed potatoes. Add asparagus. Thoroughly mix using your hands.
3. Place bread crumbs, salt, and pepper into a shallow bowl.
4. Using a 1/4 cup measure, split the potato mixture into eight cakes.
5. Dip each cake into bread crumb mixture. Coat evenly.
6. Place a skillet on the stove on medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp whipped butter and 1 tbsp oil to pan. DO NOT ALLOW THE BUTTER AND OIL TO BEGIN SMOKING.
7. Pan fry 4 cakes at a time on the skillet until the outside is brown and crusty.
8. After all 8 cakes are cooked, place on a baking tray and broil for 3-5 minutes.
9. Enjoy! These cakes are tasty so don't require any condiments.

You can use these cakes as veggie burgers. Place on focaccia with mixed greens and a little chipotle mayonnaise for a kick!

Recipe time: Shrimp Udon Noodle Soup

2009-04-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

My Teaism date with a friend was cancelled this evening, so after my yoga class, I attempted to recreate Teaism's delicious shrimp udon noodle soup. The result was not too shabby, and for those of you following WW, points are included:

1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 clove chopped garlic
1 tsp sesame oil (1)
2 cups organic vegetable broth (0.25)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Thai sweet chili sauce (0.25)
2 oz. Japanese udon noodles (4)
1/4 cup roasted mushrooms and bell peppers (1)
1 cup chopped raw spinach
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided in half
3 oz. frozen cooked shrimp (1)

Saute ginger and garlic in sesame oil on medium-high heat. When the mixture is cooked, add organic vegetable broth, soy sauce, and Thai sweet chili suce. Turn up the heat to high. Once the broth begins to boil, add udon noodles and let cook for 4 minutes. Put roasted vegetables and chopped spinach in the broth. Turn down the heat to low. Add 1/2 the chopped cilantro to the broth and stir gently.

While the soup is cooking, soak 3 oz frozen cooked shrimp in cold water. After 15 minutes, check that shrimp are thawed. When thaw, put shrimp into the broth and let cook on low heat for 3-5 minutes.

Serve soup in a bowl and top with remaining chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

2009-03-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

After an extended hiatus, I've resumed my blogging! This time around, the blog will focus on a number of topics - fitness, nutrition, cooking, physical and emotional health, travel, restaurants, fun activities in the DC area, plus some professional interests of mine. Feel free to comment if you wish or to request addition to my blogroll.