Salmon Salad... With HOMEMADE MMmmayo!

My fried recommended I try a salmon salad with all my leftover salmon. I liked the idea because I love me some tuna salad. And it was funny, we agreed that tuna from a can is for some reason way better and more easily understood that salmon from a can, go figure?
Bare with me, I just eyed everything up, equal parts...

Salmon Salad atop Arugula 
inspired by multiple recipes out there on the Internet
Cooked salmon (preferably wild caught Atlantic)
Capers (two large spoonfuls, chop them a bit)
3/4 a stalk of celery (chopped)
Homemade mayo (see recipe below), two or three heaping spoonfuls (however much you like really)
salt and pepper to taste
Dijon mustard (two or three big squirts)
Break up the cooked salmon into a bowl. Add Dijon. Add salt and pepper. Add mayo. Mix in celery and capers that are chopped. Scoop and serve atop your arugula.

Here's the recipe for homemade mayo. You wont need it all for the recipe above.

Homemade Mayo (better than any of that stuff in the jar)

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper (to taste)

1/2 tsp of dry mustard

1 and 1/2 tbs of wine vinegar (I'm sure any cooking vinegar would do)

14 oz of salad oil (vegetable? you could do olive oil too might just be a stronger taste)

Lemon juice to taste (at the end, it lightens it up)

Put egg yolks in mixing bowl and beat with a whisk. Add dry ingredients and half the vinegar continue whisking.

SLOWLY add oil until mixture begins to thicken. An emulsion will form (the oil and liquid becoming one). Add remaining oil slowly while whisking, add remaining vinegar (it will thin it). Add pepper and lemon to taste. Top on your salad and put in the refrigerator until needed. PS. your wrist will hurt a lil, this requires a lot of whisking. 

Genoese Chicken ... simple and tasty

In class last night, we finished our recipes early. So being a good educator, our Chef took the opportunity to teach us a recipe that he heavily relies upon. While excited at the potential of leaving before 1015p, I was excited for some tricks of the trade! He called it Genoese (hailing from the region of Genoa, Italy) and said it could go on many types of meat. The night before he used it with proscuitto. I liked it because it was super tasty and super simple, there is not doubt you have all you need in your fridge right now. Cha ching!

Genoese Chicken
2 chicken cutlets
2 eggs
1 tbs of cream (he used whipping cream, milk would do a similar job)
Fresh herbs (he said whatever you have... I used parsley and garlic, finely chopped... he said tarragon, thyme etc etc...)
1 oz Parmesan (we use those lil ramekin cups from restaurants to divvy out the ingredients, that makes 1 oz, so visualize in your head perhaps?)
Flour for flouring the chicken
Mix in a bowl the eggs, cream, salt and pepper (remember the Parmesan is salty), herbs. Wrap the chicken in saran wrap (if none, create some sort of shield between your chicken cutlet and the tenderizer) so you can tenderize the chicken it will stick to the mallet otherwise. Dip the beaten chicken in flour then dip in the batter from your mixing bowl. Saute the chicken in a good amount of oil. See photos. And serve!

I got a part time job, catering at a museum. I'll be in the kitchen cooking (probably a bunch of chopping, dicing and slicing) More food stories coming your way!

MMmmm Curry Rice and Beans

After returning from hot yoga, completely drained of energy I was craving some rice and beans (AKA a Chipotle vegetarian burrito bowl with a Coke?!) but I settled for what was in my fridge and pantry with the flavoring of curry as my guide.

Curry Rice Bowl
1 cup of Whole Grain Jasmine Rice
Curry seasoning (i just kept shaking that spice bottle until I liked the color and flavor) (Id guess 1-2tbs)
Cumin
Chili powder
Coriander (all seasons found in Curry, I just added more for some extra kick)
1 tomato
Feta cheese (remember that feta is salty and can stand in as your salt seasoning)
1 can of garbanzo beans
Cook rice and add curry and other flavorings. I just did the seasons to taste. Kept sampling with a spoon. Add drained garbanzo beans to the cooked rice and let the hot rice heat the beans. Slice tomatoes to bite size. Top the tomatoes with some oil and feta, even amounts of tomato and feta. Then top the feta tomato mixture on the rice and beans. Enjoy your quick and tasty lil protein bowl with a glass of ice water and continue onward with your day, fully charged:)

Employment is looking way up. I got an offer to cook, part time in a kitchen! (Thank god only part time, unemployment... more like funemployment) ((heard that one from a friend the other day))
The blog is proving a most fun addition to my life, a motivation to continue creating, and I am not sure I will give up the challenge.

Simple Pasta Dos (hearty and vegan)

So I've been on this pasta kick and tonight chose another pasta from Real Simple's website. This was a red marinara with capers, Spanish olives, artichokes and lemon zest. Easy because it requires that you just have jars of these ingredients in your cabinets and fridge. 

It was delicious and easy. It was thick and good. A wintery dish indeed. A great meal for the vegetarian, heck vegan if you do not cheese it!

Hearty Simple Pasta 

serves 4-5

1 box of linguine 

1 jar of marinara sauce (you can go homemade if you are feeling aggressive)

2 cloves garlic chopped up

1 tbs crushed red pepper 

2 tbs olive oil

1 jar of 3.5 oz capers 

1/2 of the jar of 6 oz Spanish olives (so 3 oz!)

1/2 of the 6 oz jar of artichokes (" ")

1/2 a lemon's zest

palm sized amount of fresh thyme (original called for parsley, thyme is all I had)

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil, drain, strain you linguine. Set aside and put some oil on it so it does not stick. Saute garlic and red pepper in oil then add the sauce. Follow with the capers, olives, artichokes, zest, salt and pepper, thyme. Let simmer for a good 15 min. Sauce your linguine and serve;)

Hi Swai!

I've heard murmurs of this fish, as its more popular lately (for reasons of overfishing perhaps? new fish coming to the forefront and hailing from Asia as this one does). It is also cheap. I bought two fillets for $3.15 cents. I wanted something to plate with my previous post of a dish, the simple pasta and I thought a nice (cheap, and unexplored) fish would go well.
Baked Swai
2 fillets (or however many)
2 tbs of butter
Oil (to coat the dish)
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tbs of basil

Oil and butter the pan. Rub the extra butter on the fillets. Lay fillets in pan. Top with minced garlic (finely diced) and basil. Pop in oven at 375 for about 20-25 minutes. 

Swai proved delicious. Juicy and flavorful. Perhaps because I baked it in butter but man, I will definitely purchase this type of fish again. I forgot to look if it was farm raised or wild caught, darn it!

Simple Pasta Dish

My body must be entering winter mode because all I want is yummy linguine shaped pastas. Typically, I try to avoid such foods especially after last week! (saturated with wine and beer, delicious foods and desserts) Whilst browsing the net this morning before the big food shop, I stumbled upon Real Simple's website and an article about 20 simple pasta dishes. Real Simple is a neat magazine by the way.

I took the recipe from Real Simple tweaked it a lil. One, I used linguine instead of penne. I just love the size of linguine and fettuccine too for that matter. Two, I didn't use the exact herbs they suggested. I have some freeze dried basil that I topped upon my pasta dish.The reason I was drawn to this dish is because I just love ricotta cheese, which is the main ingredient in the sauce.

Simple Pasta with Ricotta Herb and Lemon
Inspired by Real Simple
Serves 4
1 box of linguine
1 and 1/2 cup of Ricotta
2 tbs of butter (unsalted, do consider if you butter is salted or not when adding the salt)
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1/2 of a lemon's zest (see photo)
basil to taste
2 tbs of olive oil
Mix ricotta and the butter with a whisk, you'll want butter on the softer side. Add salt and pepper. Cook your linguine, drain, strain, add back to pot and add your oil. Plate the pasta. Add the sauce. Add the herbs and lemon zest. Just a few pinches of each. A simple, light and tasty side dish. You will enjoy;)

Thoughts: The ricotta is served on top the pasta at room temp. The airy-ness to ricotta makes it feel like a light summer side. Still though, in the beginning of winter I was scarfing this pasta down. I recently was awakened to the wonders of the zest, I've only zested with oranges and lemons. I put just a pinch of lemon zest a top that pasta and sauce and man, its subtle and yet perfectly strong.

A Florida Thanksgiving Table Setting

A Florida Thanksgiving 

2012

A Crusty Bread Cheesy Appetizer

Here is a pre Thanksgiving meal. I followed an appetizer recipe that my mother gave me. Super simple. Super tasty. Who doesn't love a simple app and who doesn't love bread and tasty oil for dipping? I followed a recipe from Departures magazine. It hails from the restaurant Bottega in Napa, they call it Salsa Di Parmigiano. I'm calling my version, The Crusty Parm Dip.
Crusty Parm Dip
serves 6-8
1/2 lb of Parmesan finely shredded granules
1/2 lb of Asiago finely shredded granule
2 tbs of green onion chopped finely
2 tsp of minced garlic
2 tbs of black pepper
1-2 tbs of cracked red pepper (depending on how hot you like your foods, more if you like)
1-1 1/2 cups of extra virgin olive oil
Crusty baguette for dipping
Mix the cheeses in a bowl. Mix in the green onion and garlic minced. Mix in the peppers and mix in the oil. Until well dispersed. Dip chunky bread in and enjoy;)

I thought I was going to stay away from the blog seeing that I was on vacay down south with my family. However, I can't quite keep away. Food is all around me this holiday. See you tomorrow. Giving thanks...

A Family Recipe ... Breakfast Egg Dish

Had to share, could not keep away. With my parents and siblings and boyfriend for Thanksgiving and my mom has just prepared a delicious Egg Bake Dish. I made this a couple a weeks ago for a catering experience, and I did it vegetarian. Tonight, she did it with sausage. Herein lies the recipe, the proof, the delicious genius of the dish. MMMmmm Mmmmm good. I photo documented her preparing our breakfast. You prep at night and bake in the morning.
Mag's Egg Bake Dish (by way of my cousin) 
Serve 8 or so
8 eggs
8 pieces of bread (def whole wheat)
1 1/2 c of white sharp cheddar
1 tbs dry mustard
1 1/2 lb sausage
2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
Saute the sausage and lay at bottom of dish. Mix in a bowl the eggs. Then add in the bread chopped up bite size, the cheese, the milk, the mustard and seasonings. Lay in the egg and bread mixture on top the the sausage. The key, again, for I made this before in a vegetarian manner, is to let it sit over night. It has to sit, something scientific happens here. So when you wake, for instance on a holiday morning like tomorrow, you can quickly bake and serve. Makes for one great Thanksgiving breakfast. I will post a photo of finished baked dish in the morning. Happy Thanksgiving yawl.

mixing the eggs and bread and cheese and all...

layering the egg mixture on top the sausage

Bake at 350 for about 40 min. Til bread is browned. 

Pizza... Inspired by the Jalapeno Popper

Brother Rob had another idea. An idea that he was so excited about that I could not combat it, no matter how disinterested I was in jalapeno poppers and their versatility. He's been loving the poppers lately (I guess?) and wanted to make them. I agreed. Then whilst browsing the aisles and referring to our smart phones for a recipe list in Trader Joes, Rob decided the popper would take shape in and on a whole wheat pizza. Now we were talking...

We used the Sriracha butter from yesterday to dress the pizza dough, in place of a red sauce. Rob and I wanted a white garlicy sauce. We used the idea of the jalapeno popper (baked jalapenos, bread crumbs, cheese) and merged it with the cheeses typically found on a white pizza (ricotta, provolone, mozzarella) plus some veggies (red pepper, spinach). It was fun creating this pizza with one central idea. We tried it twice and the second time was perfect.

Rob's White Jalapeno Popper Pizza
inspired by Rob's life
serves 4-5 (2 med sized slices each)
1 bag of whole wheat pizza dough
Provolone
Mozzarella
Ricotta
Sriracha Butter (any flavorful buttery goodness to top your pizza dough, in place of the red sauce)
2 garlic cloves
1 handful or two of Spinach
1/2 Red pepper
6 baked jalapenos
2 chopped up fresh jalapenos (be careful of the seeds and jalapeno membrane oils, they are hot, Rob learned the hard way)
Home made toasted bread crumbs (finely chopped bread crusts that were sauteed in pan with butter and oil bout 4 pieces)
Stretch the dough, on a floured surface. Cook it on a pizza stone, or pan. The pan should be oiled, the stone should be well floured. Top the dough with melted compound butter concoction (Sriracha butter!) And spread on the ricotta. Add the baked jalapenos (we did them sliced open long ways, gutted, and at 350 degrees until appeared baked, prob 20 minutes) Add the mozzarella and red peppers. Add the spinach leaves. Add the provolone last (to sort of hold in the contents) and sprinkle the unbaked diced jalapenos on top. Cook in oven at 375 degrees until cheese slightly browns and crusts appear golden and crisp.

We are headed south on vacation today for the holiday but I will hopefully add a few posts here and there. Happy Thanksgiving ya'll and much love.

Brother Rob's Sriracha Butter

My brother is visiting for the holidays and was intrigued by the blog challenge. Before I knew it, he was dishing out ideas for today's cooking challenge, left and right. His first idea: Sriracha butter, inspired by his own personal experiences with the wonderful hot chili sauce.

Brother Rob's Sriracha Butter
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1 stick of butter
4 tbs of Sriracha
Mash the ingredients in a bowl until well blended. We made a compound butter here (remember previous compound butter post?). When even blended, place onto aluminum foil or saran wrap and roll into a log shape. Place in fridge and let cool/harden. It makes for a great something that will keep in your fridge for awhile. Slice, serve, enjoy:)

Hello Thanksgiving... Mashed Cauliflower? (like potatoes!)

In a hurry to go to yoga with a girlfriend. Maybe I like unemployment?! And  just realized I did it again, I only had to go to the grocery store once this week! Perhaps a second challenge in the midst? Cook what you have in your fridge only. Anywho, I had seen a lot about cauliflower in vegan dishes (again, I am no vegan, just appreciate) so I was enticed but the wonders of this magical vegetable. With Thanksgiving on the horizon and a only a few necessary ingredients needed, I settled upon my own version of mashed cauliflower. Its simple, substitute cauliflower for potato and WAH LAH.

Cauliflower Mashed Goodness
1 large head of cauliflower
1/3 c. soy milk (whatever milk you like really)
2 tbs of whipping cream (again tho its optional, I just had it in fridge and thought it would be perfecto)
salt
pepper
garlic powder (I did not have a clove or two of garlic;(
nutmeg
2 tbs of olive oil
1 scoop of butter on a regular sized spoon (tbs I suppose) (butter keeps them coming back folks!)

Steam, or boil with a small amount of water in pot and lid on. Steam until the cauliflower florets are tender. Put through a food processor (or you can mash the good old fashion way) with the soy milk, cream, spices to taste, oil, and butter. You can play with it here, get it to a consistency you desire. Mine were on the looser side, meaning I added too much liquid obviously.

 What emerges from the processor is something that exactly mimics the mashed potato. A great replacement for those who don't want the starchy potato. For kids, who need more veggies in their diet and loved themselves some mashed potatoes. Do enjoy, maybe even next Thursday;)

AHOY, Savoy Cabbage Soup!

I have been a fan of Napa cabbage for about a year now, ever since I read at Whole Foods how pack full of nutrients it is, which surprised me. So now when I shop, I actually look at the cabbages. And this one, the savoy cabbage is having its debut tonight in the form of a soup. I read that its more delicate a cabbage, making a good pair for the silkier of cabbage soups. I considered a minestrone because its so easy (mirepoix, tomato paste, stock, veggies, beans, noodle, simmer and bowl) But I thought a savoy cabbage soup would be best here so I really get to know the flavor of this particular cabbage.

Simple Savoy Cabbage Soup
serves about 6-8
1/2 a large head of savoy cabbage (chopped for bite, spoon size)
2 cloves garlic you can drop in whole (or chop up whichever you prefer)
2 box carton thingy of chicken or vegetable broth, 32oz a box
2 cups water
salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf for flavoring
2 cup rice (not cooked in with soup, cook separately and drop the soup on top the rice)
Parmesan cheese to top

Chop up the cabbage, gage how much you want in the broth. I did 1/2 the large head. Add the spices to the broth. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Cook the rice separately. Bowl a large spoon of rice and top with cabbage soup. And finish the bowl with a bit of Parmesan.

The soup proved a major and simple success! The savoy cabbage, is truly more delicate than any cabbage I've had before. Perfect for a cabbage soup, perfect when standing alone (or with one other, in this case a whole grain jasmine rice) Talk about cheap tasty eats...

Bowl to right holds the rice. Bowl to the left is rice and cabbage (and piping hot!)

The final product, topped with Parmesan cheese:)

Culinary Lab, Veal Marsala and Thoughts

I am still deciding what I want to experiment with today. But I thought in the mean time I would share a picture from last night's class. We made Veal Marsala (what makes it marsala is the weird funky bourbon colored wine and a demi glaze to create a sauce), Green Beans Almondine (just means you saute butter, garlic and almonds and add it to blanched, steamed or sauteed green beans), and Rice Pilaf with red peppers cooked in an oven (Ooooo la la!).

Green Beans Almondine, is a fancy way to make something that is extremely simple. Plus, a lil protein and a lot more taste added to your veggie. You can substitute with broccoli, or whatever obviously.

My rice was overcooked because we ended up finishing the rice in the oven. It was my first time ever cooking rice in this fashion, not sure I like it. I mentioned it before, we've been cooking a LOT of things in stocks. Instead of water when cooking rice, use a stock (this instance we used chicken stock). See stock post below for a brand that I prefer. Rice cooked in stock = Tastier rice.

I'd like to also share is the power of FLOUR. Man, we've be very lightly, and I mean lightly, flouring out meats before we saute them (chicken cutlets, veal cutlets...) and it makes a huge difference. There is something it does with holding the flavors in when it cooks (specifics I know not) and not to mention, the slight breading that happens on the outside of the meat is DELISH. Also, it has been just been a smoother operation since flour has entered my sauteing of the meat repertoire.

I could do without the marsala sauce one, because it requires a demi glaze (which is insanely reducing a brown sauce, so you are simmering it down and adding a sherry or wine, until its a syrupy consistency). And two, it is a lot of work, for something that does not stand out, in my opinion. I am sure French cuisine enthusiasts would combat me here. My chef in class makes an AMAZING demi glaze and loves demi glaze.

Veal Marsala

Green Beans Almondine 

Rice Pilaf

*note the puffy swollen rice, it's overcooked ya'll!

Creamy Vegan Cashew Pasta

WOW. Simple. This is what I am understanding, things are a lot more simple when you just go at it, when you play with your foods. I was inspired by the article below: 30 Delicious Vegan Meals Under 30 Minutes. #9 in the articles specifically, but as per usual I completely changed it:)

Creamy Vegan Cashew Pasta 
3 cups of cashews
Olive oil (2 tbs)
3/4 cups of non-dairy milk
Veggies (whatever is in your fridge that makes for a nice medley) ... ( I used french cut green beans, white mushrooms, garlic, and lil bit of arugula)
Water (1/2-1cup)
Salt
Pepper
Chili powder
Pasta: spinach fettuccine for me!
Nutritional yeast (1-2tbs, just a nice burst of vitamins for the vegan meal)
Garlic powder/salt (just wanted some more garlic in there)
In a food processor chop your cashews so they are then ready for the blending feature. Cook your pasta, I had spinach fettuccine (worked well with the Alfredo-like sauce I was about to create). Cook your vegetable medley, my inspiration article called for kale but my fridge determined the direction here ( wonderful french cut green beans, mushrooms and arugula all needing to go!) Remember add the lettucey greens last, they wilt and quick.
Then its just the blender. I messed around until I got a consistency that I liked. Blend the non-dairy milk and cashews. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, tasting it as you go so as to not ruin it with to much of anything. Add oil. Add water. It will be thick at points, which is the reason for my loose measurement on the water. The nutritional yeast is a nutty sort of addition. Learned about it last week at the store, just a good burst of vitamins for the vegan (which I am not, but I like vegan meals they're more fun!). Don't forget some sort of garlic flavoring, whatever form your kitchen may hold.

Its a delicious, LIGHT and simple meal. It took me about 25 minutes so the article was right! I just completed the bowl of noodles and veggies. It was the exact consistency of Alfredo! I had the urge to top with some shredded cheese however, that would not be very vegan friendly of me:)

Drunken Cranberry Sauce

So I decided earlier today to create a vegan creamy sauce atop a pasta with some sort of delicious green, inspired by one of my best friends suggested websites... however, life does in fact intervene.

The boyfriend got off work early today... We met for a drink (or two) and then stayed at this delicious restaurant for dinner. Maribelle's in Oakley (Cincinnati) provided an atmosphere where I lost myself in the sweet moment of unemployment, of no serious obligations, of awesomeness (a fine line of awesomeness, now until its not awesome when I do in fact have ZERO dollars). Here in lies my

Drunken Cranberry Sauce (not because I was buzzed and opted for an easier recipe but because I'm drunk with love for the sauce)

I bag of 8 oz fresh whole cranberries

3/4 c of sugar

1 cup of water

2 handfuls of walnuts

Bring to boil the 3/4 c of sugar with the 1 cup of water. Make sure the sugar dissolves in the water. Add the 8 oz. bag of cranberries (near 3-4 cups of whole fresh, round, delicious cranberries). Bring the berry to boil in the sugar water then simmer. Once the cranberries break (legit, a POP!), nearing ten minutes of a simmer, add the walnuts. I estimated with two handfuls of walnuts. Remove from heat and place in a bowl and allow to cool, then chill in fridge till its creates a sort of jelly. And a Happy (one week early) Thanksgiving to Ya'll!

Tasty Article and a Bonus Salad

My girlfriend sent me a link to this article via Facebook. I think tonight I am going to try my own rendition of #9. It is a vegan creamy pasta. I do not have kale, which is required so I am going to play around a bit (as per usual, I've got arugula).

Here is the link...
30 Delicious Vegan Meals You Can Make In Under 30 Minutes
http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/easy-vegan-recipes

And here is a recipe I have been meaning to share because it might be one of the easiest and TASTIEST salads out there. A definite go to in my diet...

Arugula Salad (Via My Mother's Best Friend)
Bag of arugula
Olive oil
Parmesan Chz ( Pecorino Romano will do wonderfully too)
Lemon (bout a quarter of the lemon, squeezed right on top the green)
In a bowl, mix them. I don't have the measurements down to a science but this is where you can decide. Do you like it more lemony? Or saltier by way of the cheese perhaps? I have been known to over oil most everything ( I just love me some olive oil, darn-it! ) So start off with a lil and go from there, oil stretches far.

An Artichoke Exploration

I've never prepared a fresh artichoke before this evening. Thank you google, for your guidance and detailed videos. Within the past year, I have found myself gravitating towards the odd greenish yellow, strangely layered, strangely textured vegetable on various menus. What I derived from the artichoke exploration was that the freshly cooked artichoke is a bit intricate. The meat is rewarding and the whole procedure can make for one fun lil appetizer.
Artichoke Leaves Dipped in Butter Sauce

Cut the tip of the artichoke off as so... And boil the artichokes in water. I placed a lid on top to keep the artichokes submerged in the boil.

When the artichokes are tender (you can pierce the stalk part easily with a sharp knife) remove from water and pull back the leaves. See picture above. 

This is the fun part, dipping the meaty part of the leaves into a butter sauce (some use mayo). Using your teeth, you strip the meat from the bottom white part of the leaves. The heart of the artichoke is solid meat, you don't have eat around it. You do have to scoop out the prickly hairs in the center with a spoon. Below is the artichoke heart then cut up and sauteed and laid on top my dinner:)

Sauteed Cod with Artichoke Hearts, Butter, Lemon and Capers

I topped cod with sauteed artichokes(only pieces of from the heart), capers, butter, a squeeze or two of lemon salt and pepper. I ever so lightly floured the fish and then sauteed the fish in oil. On the side, I put sauteed kale and jasmine rice cooked in chicken broth! (*see post below concerning the many wonders of broths!)