Tuesday, August 31, 2010

transcendent breakfast sandwich!!?

I was flipping through the Greece issue of Saveur magazine this morning (which I've read about 6 times now) and clipping out recipes that I absolutely need to try, such as the dolmades and chicken galliano. All the talk about rosemary, garlic and fried eggs got me really excited for breakfast and I quickly dreamt up this little beauty. This is like no breakfast sandwich I've ever had. The foundation of this sandwich is the toasted kaiser roll with a sprinkling of queso fresco on the bottom (I think it would be delightful on a bed of brown rice or wilted baby spinach too!), followed by a hearty pile of sliced button mushrooms sautéed in olive oil with garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, sea salt, and a spot of paprika and cayenne. Next comes an over easy cage free egg topped with lightly cooked organic plum tomato slices. I was definitely pleased to watch my boyfriend devour this while savoring it myself. I will certainly make this for my next brunch get-together though it really works for any meal.

Breakfast for two:

2 kaiser rolls, lightly toasted
2 T of crumbled queso fresco, goat cheese or feta
1 1/2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
1 long sprig of rosemary, destemmed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
2 large, cage free eggs
1 plum tomato, sliced lengthwise- organic tomatoes are always sweeter
paprika
ground cayenne pepper

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet set at medium high heat. Sauté mushrooms in oil for a couple minutes, then add in rosemary, garlic and salt. Cook a few minutes more until rosemary and garlic are fragrant and mushrooms are cooked through. Transfer to plate.

Drizzle more olive oil in the pan and place tomato slices on one side and carefully crack the eggs on the other side. Cover, and let cook for about 3 minutes or until eggs are ready to flip.
Arrange cheese and then mushrooms on the rolls and sprinkle with paprika and cayenne.

Cook the eggs for a couple minutes more on other side and flip tomatoes as well. When
eggs are cooked to preferred doneness, place on sandwiches and then top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, add a few rosemary leaves for garnish and serve.


Monday, August 30, 2010

crispy, crunchy kale chips


I love my greens. Whether they're lightly coated with salad dressing, sautéed, baked or steamed. One of my favorites is kale, and I prefer it in crunch form. These chips are really easy to make, addictive, and oh so healthy. I make these pretty frequently for the family I cook for and the kids usually finish the bowl before the rest of dinner is on the table. Kale is brimming with disease-fighting antioxidants, beta carotene (eyes), vitamin C (immunity), vitamin K (blood and bones), calcium, and fiber. It's considered to be an anti-inflammatory. If you have a convection oven bake these at 250° for 25 minutes.

You'll need:

1 bunch of kale
olive oil for coating
salt

Preheat oven to 275°

Rinse kale and shake off excess water. Tear bite size pieces off of stems. Discard stems. Arrange kale pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle oil on top, then toss and rub to coat. Sprinkle with salt to taste and then toss again. Bake on middle rack for 40 minutes. Kale should be dark green and crispy.  Experiment with spices next time.

Rosemary Bison Burger topped with Goat Cheese, Avocado and Adobo sauce

I made these last night for the guys and we gobbled them up so fast that I forgot to take a photo. Heh! I can guarantee you though, they looked and tasted! divine. These burgers are easy on the stomach. Bison is lean but flavorful, rich in nutrients, and typically free range (grass fed). I don't really eat meat but I love the occasional bison burger. The goat cheese adds creaminess with a subtle tang in conjunction with the sliced buttery avocado, which is loaded with belly-slimming monounsaturated fat. You can even make this dish gluten free by omitting the bun or purchasing gluten free buns at your local health food store. For those with milk sensitive tummies like myself, goat's milk products are a delicious alternative. You see, the fat globules in goat's milk are much smaller than those of cow's milk so it's much easier to digest! Moreover, goat's milk contains quite a bit less lactose than cow's milk so it's less likely to irritate lactose sensitive folks. To read more about the advantages of goat's milk check out this article.

This recipe serves 4

You'll need:

1 lb of grass fed ground bison meat
2 long sprigs of fresh rosemary, destemmed and chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
italian seasoning
fine sea salt
pepper
dried lemongrass
2-4 ounces of creamy goat cheese (chevre), chilled
1 firm but ripe avocado, sliced
red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
4 buns
chipotle adobo sauce (the tomato sauce that chipotles are packed in)
mayonnaise or whole grain mustard

Let meat sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to using. Transfer to bowl and add in about a teaspoon of salt, pepper and italian seasoning to taste, dried lemongrass, minced garlic and chopped rosemary. Knead to combine and form into 4 patties.

Heat skillet on medium high heat and cook for about 3 minutes on each side for medium well doneness. Do not press down on burger with spatula or all its juices will seep out and you'll be left with a dry, chewy burger!

When burgers are almost done cooking slice or crumble goat cheese and place on top of each patty.

Dress buns with a smear of adobo sauce, mayo and/or whole grain mustard and assemble burger, topping with a few slices of avocado and red onion. Serve with a fresh green salad if desired.




Saturday, August 28, 2010

The End of Summer Cocktail


As a lush, I don't discriminate against any kind of booze. Though I'm partial to whiskey, three weeks ago I purchased a 1.75 liter bottle of skyy vodka. It was on sale! Boy has it been fun concocting cocktails and sipping martinis with fancy olives on weeknights. I say this as the last little ounce draws near. Well last night after returning home from an impressive sushi dinner at the brand new, and unique Momo Sushi Shack I decided to whip up a sweet, spicy and aromatic cocktail to embrace the end of summer and greet the beginning of fall(my favorite season). Here's the recipe!


Combine in a cocktail shaker:
ice
4 oz of vodka
8-10 oz of passionfruit juice- I used Ceres brand
ground cayenne pepper (use your judgement)
a dash of ground cinnamon

Shake, strain into two glasses and serve with a maraschino cherry! ^_^

Monday, August 23, 2010

Summer = blueberry pie


So a couple weeks ago I went up to Maine for a wedding and felt so fortunate to indulge in wild caught lobster in Portland, taste farm fresh aged green peppercorn goat cheese in Belfast and pick up a heavenly slice of mixed summer berry pie (chock full of wild Maine blueberries!) in Camden. As the berry season swiftly winds down I thought I'd take this chance to post the recipe for this ambrosial blueberry pie I've made a few times this summer.

I have not mastered the art of making pie crusts, they're tricky and mine often come out dense and chewy. I found this this recipe for a flaky crust that's so easy, you just blend all the ingredients in the food processor, pat into a ball and chill! The use of two kinds of fat render a light and flaky crust.

Crust:
Combine 1.5 cups of all purpose or wheat flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 oz (or 1/6 cup) of COLD shortening or earth balance, and 1/3 cup of cold butter in your food processor. Pulse chop for about 15 seconds. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of COLD water and chop until you've achieved a dough like consistency with pea size pieces of butter and shortening. Form into a ball and chill in the fridge for an hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375° and then grease a 9" pie dish. Roll the dough into a circle of 1/4 inch thickness as best as you can between two pieces of parchment and then transfer the dough to the pie dish. Mold to the sides so the dough is evenly covering the pie dish. No need to prebake.

Prepare the filling:

Ingredients:
3-4 cups of blueberries
2/3 c of sugar
7 T of cornstarch
3 T of water
2 T of lemon juice
1/2 t of cinnamon
1/4 t allspice

Crumb topping:
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/4 cold butter or earth balance
-Blend in food processor until crumbly

Rinse blueberries well and pull out any stems or discardables .
Combine sugar, spices and cornstarch in a bowl and mix well. Add lemon juice and water, stir.
Add blueberries into the crust and pour the sugar mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle crumb topping over blueberries and bake for 1 hour or until topping is golden brown and berries have started to burst. Let rest at least 20 minutes minutes before serving to cool and congeal. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

F. Oliver's Specialty Oils and Vinegars

I stumbled upon this sweet and distinct little gem while visiting my hometown of Canandaigua, NY.
F. Oliver's sells flavor infused oils and vinegars- mainly extra virgin olives and balsamics. I never seen a store like this and I was totally intrigued. The staff was so friendly and accommodating and gave me all these samples to try. They encourage pairing an oil with a vinegar to experience an enhanced and unique flavor. I was totally hooked after tasting the meyer lemon olive oil with honeyed ginger balsamic, I just had to buy it. The bottles are reasonably priced and chefs get a 10% discount! Win! I look forward to my next combination purchase from them. Maybe the fresh bright basil olive oil with farmstand strawberry balsamic? Check out their site here!

Spicy Tofu Scramble and Olive Oil Roasted potatoes with herbs de Provence


Originally posted on allrecipes by Lindseytr0n

You won't be missing eggs when eating this. This breakfast dish is bursting with intense, unique flavors and textures. I use the rousing combo of F. Oliver's Meyer Lemon olive oil and Honeyed Ginger balsamic vinegar with a dash of curry powder to make all the other seasonings really pop. Paired with crispy, creamy roasted potatoes this makes a memorable meal.




You'll need:

For Tofu:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c of chopped mushrooms
1/2 c chopped zucchini
2 chopped scallions, green and white parts
1 pkg of pressed extra firm tofu, small dice (slice lengthwise and absorb as much water as you can with paper towel or clean cotton kitchen towel)
1 T F. Oliver's Meyer Lemon olive oil (substitute: fresh grated lemon peel and olive oil)
2 t of F. Oliver's Honeyed Ginger balsamic vinegar (substitute: pear infused white balsamic with a pinch of minced ginger)
1 T Rice vinegar
1 T Soy sauce or to taste
1/2 t of turmeric
Sea salt
1 t of crushed or ground fennel seed
pinch of chinese five spice
1 t of madras curry powder
pink pepper

For potatoes:
I used waxy red, I recommend using yukon gold
1 1/2 lbs of yukon gold potatoes, medium dice
Extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
black or pink pepper
1 t of herbs de Provence
1 t of fresh chopped sage and/or thyme

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° Boil chopped potatoes for 5 minutes, strain. Transfer potatoes to baking sheet and coat liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste, herbs de Provence, sage and/or thyme and pepper. Roast in oven for 25 minutes, turning once during cooking.
  2. Sauté minced garlic in 2 T of olive oil until golden, add mushrooms and cook until softened, add zucchini and a sprinkling of sea salt. Keep cooking over medium to medium high heat for a couple minutes more. Add in tofu and scallion, lemon olive oil, vinegars and soy sauce.
  3. Stir in turmeric, fennel seed, chinese five spice, curry powder and pink pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few more minutes to let flavors combine.
  4. Serve with sautéed spinach or a crisp leaf of romaine lettuce.

Shrimp Szechuan Noodle Soup with Fresh Vegetables and Egg


Originally posted on allrecipes by Lindseytr0n

Tender thin szechuan noodles swim in a rich vegetable broth with lots of flavor and mild heat, topped with fresh vegetables, plump shrimp and hardboiled egg. This recipe can easily be made vegan by replacing the shrimp with extra firm tofu and omitting the egg.



You'll need:

5 cups of water
3/4 lb of fresh shrimp in shell
1 heaping tablespoon of vegetable broth powder
2 T of soy sauce
2 t salt
1 t of dried lemongrass or 2 inch piece of lemongrass stalk
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 t of cayenne pepper
Slices of onion
4 thin slices of ginger
1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms
Szechuan noodles, about 6 oz

1 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks (julienne)
4 small carrots cut into matchsticks
1 large clove of garlic, minced
oil, for sautéing
soy sauce
rice vinegar
1 sliced scallion, white part included
2 hardboiled eggs
fish sauce for sprinkling (optional)



Directions

1. Peel shrimp leaving tails on and add shells to soup pot.
2. Add lemongrass, whole garlic, pepper, ginger, onion, vegetable broth powder, salt, soy sauce and water, stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Strain everything out and discard. Leave broth to simmer on low.
3. Place eggs in a saucepan filled with water, cover and bring to a boil. Remove cover and boil for 13 minutes. Afterwards, carefully place eggs in bowl of ice water to cool.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking noodles. Cook noodles for amount of time shown on package. Stir occasionally so they don't stick. About 12 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, sauté minced garlic until golden and then add in zucchini and carrots. Cook just until zucchini is softened (about 3 minutes). Drizzle with soy sauce and rice vinegar to taste. Transfer to plate.
6. Add mushrooms to simmering broth.
7. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and dried lemongrass. Sauté in a bit of oil until opaque on outside, just a couple minutes. Do not fully cook, they will finish cooking in hot broth.
8. Strain noodles, add to broth. Peel eggs and slice thickly.
9. Add noodles and broth to individual bowls, drizzle with fish sauce if desired. Top with shrimp, vegetables and then scallion. Nestle egg on sides. Serve.

Triton Festival @ Coney Island


We couldn't make it to Wave Gotik Treffen or Kinetik Festival this year but we have tickets to Triton! New York's first major goth industrial festival with a pretty impressive three day lineup. Dates are September 3rd-5th. Clan of Xymox, Aesthetic Perfection, Razed in Black, Syrian, Terrorfakt, Reaper and The Gothsicles are playing! ^_^ More information here!

Monday, August 9, 2010

summer pasta salad with artisan salami



Fresh, fast, easy and delicious pasta salad perfect for picnics and barbeques. Utilizes fresh herbs and tomatoes from the garden. Lots of flavors and textures. An adult spin on my Mom's pasta salad I loved so much when I was a kid. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

You'll need:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
1 lb of fusilli or rotini pasta (barilla or DeCecco brand)
1 large pint of cherry tomatoes
1 12 oz pkg of queso fresco cut into medium dice (semi-soft mild mexican cheese) you can also use ricotta salata
1 8 oz log of Volpi brand Chianti Salami or other high quality salami, cut into small dice
1 T of dried lemon grass
Red wine vinegar
Alessi brand white balsamic pear infused vinegar
crushed red chili pepper (to taste)
A handful each of fresh basil and flat leaf parsley rinsed, roughly chopped
A few sprigs of fresh picked thyme or a teaspoon of dried

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
2. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat up olive oil in saute pan on high heat and add cherry tomatoes. When they start to crackle sprinkle some sea salt on them. Shake the pan to turn tomatoes and add sprigs of thyme. Tomatoes should cook for about 5 minutes, just until the skin starts to pucker and crack. Allow to cool in pan.
4. Strain pasta and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Allow to cool. DO NOT RINSE
5. Add pasta back to empty pot. It may still be a little warm, that is OK. Add chili pepper, lemongrass, more olive oil (about a 1/4 cup) and splash a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a few splashes of the pear vinegar, to taste. Add in salami.
6. Transfer tomatoes to a plate and slice in half with a sharp serrated knife. Pour tomatoes and their juices into the pot and combine with pasta. Add in cheese. Add in roughly chopped herbs and toss all together, serve at room temperature. Should keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator.

creamy coconut polenta with mango and crispy bacon


I'm going to start posting my recipes and cooking adventures
here since I'm cooking and thinking about food all the time and not writing on here enough. We made this for breakfast yesterday for the second time and it's just heavenly. Creamy, buttery polenta cooked in coconut milk and topped with pan fried mango and crispy bacon. You can replace the bacon with prosciutto if you want.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 3

You'll need:
3/4 cup of quick cooking polenta
1 can of coconut milk unsweetened
1/2 can of water
3-6 slices of bacon
2 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into cubes
coarse sea salt
cayenne pepper
brown sugar


Fry bacon in pan until crispy, let drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, bring coconut milk and water to a boil in a medium size sauce pan.
Pour off some of the bacon fat into a container to be disposed of or reused and then sauté about 2/3 of the mango in the remaining bacon fat. You only need to cook the mango for a few minutes, add a sprinkle of brown sugar and cayenne if desired and a little sea salt. Set aside.
Add polenta to boiling milk and water and stir frequently for about 5-7 minutes making sure to scrape the sides. Turn burner down to medium heat and add in a some sea salt and the remaining uncooked mango. When polenta is done cooking it should have smooth and creamy texture, not gritty. Transfer polenta to bowls and top with cooked mango, crumble crispy bacon on top. Enjoy!