For the past few weeks, I've been making grilled zucchini and eggplants. They are just so good and so easy.
As with any time you are cutting vegetables, or anything else for that matter, you want to try to cut things into roughly the same sized pieces so that they take the same amount of time to cook.
I sliced the zucchinis and eggplants, cutting them the long way.
I, also, intentionally keep the skin on otherwise everything would completely fall apart and you will end up with a bit pile of mush.
Next, I coat them in a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dries basil, dried oregano, and paprika.
After that, I placed them on a cookie sheet, make sure not to pile up the veggies too high or the ones at the bottom won't cook as fast as the ones on top.
Stick them in a preheated over set to 375 degrees, and let them cook for about 30 minutes or so, maybe more depending on how much you cook.
You can, also, cook them on the BBQ, but for that you want to cut them a little bit thicker.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
simple roasted potatoes
Roasted potatoes are one of the simplest and one of my favorite side dishes.
I like to use fingerling potatoes, like new potatoes, the skin is very delicate and doesn't need to be peeled before cooking, but the flavor is closer to the regular, mature potatoes that we're used to. They, also, have a firm texture that holds up well to cooking.
I usually cut them length wise and once or twice width wise, depending on how big the potato is.
I add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, and thyme to a bowl with the cut up potatoes in it.
Then I mix it all together, and throw it on a cookie sheet, stick it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes and then about 5 minutes on broil.
And that's it!
I like to use fingerling potatoes, like new potatoes, the skin is very delicate and doesn't need to be peeled before cooking, but the flavor is closer to the regular, mature potatoes that we're used to. They, also, have a firm texture that holds up well to cooking.
I usually cut them length wise and once or twice width wise, depending on how big the potato is.
I add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, and thyme to a bowl with the cut up potatoes in it.
Then I mix it all together, and throw it on a cookie sheet, stick it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes and then about 5 minutes on broil.
And that's it!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
cauliflower tomato soup
The greatest part about making soup is that you don’t have to use the freshest products to get good results.
This is probably my favorite vegetable I’ve made in a long time.
I started off by blanching 3 tomatoes. As they were cooking, I chopped up 2 medium zucchinis, a head of cauliflower, 2 cloves of garlic, and an onion.
After I got the tomatoes in the ice bath, I heated up a pot with a carton of vegetable broth in it.
Once the tomatoes were cool enough to cut, I chopped them up and added them to the broth, along with the rest of the veggies.
Then I added about 3 cups of water, and my spices. I used salt, pepper, thyme, and basil.
Now, when I eat soup, it needs to be hardy or it’s just not worth it. So I decided to make mini turkey patties to add some “umph” to the soup.
I started by dicing up some garlic and shallots super finely. No one wants to bite into a big chunk of garlic when eating soup, or a burger for that matter. Then, I mixed that with about a pound of ground turkey, bread crumbs, and an egg.
I knew that if I tried to cook the patties in the soup, they would completely fall apart. So I first seared them in a frying pan.
This does two things, first it almost forms a crust on the patties to that they hold their shape better. And second, it holds in all the moist “juices” from the turkey.
Once those were done, I added them to the soup, and let it sit on low heat for about an hour.
It was surprisingly good, I ate like 3 bowls back to back.
This is probably my favorite vegetable I’ve made in a long time.
I started off by blanching 3 tomatoes. As they were cooking, I chopped up 2 medium zucchinis, a head of cauliflower, 2 cloves of garlic, and an onion.
After I got the tomatoes in the ice bath, I heated up a pot with a carton of vegetable broth in it.
Once the tomatoes were cool enough to cut, I chopped them up and added them to the broth, along with the rest of the veggies.
Then I added about 3 cups of water, and my spices. I used salt, pepper, thyme, and basil.
Now, when I eat soup, it needs to be hardy or it’s just not worth it. So I decided to make mini turkey patties to add some “umph” to the soup.
I started by dicing up some garlic and shallots super finely. No one wants to bite into a big chunk of garlic when eating soup, or a burger for that matter. Then, I mixed that with about a pound of ground turkey, bread crumbs, and an egg.
I knew that if I tried to cook the patties in the soup, they would completely fall apart. So I first seared them in a frying pan.
This does two things, first it almost forms a crust on the patties to that they hold their shape better. And second, it holds in all the moist “juices” from the turkey.
Once those were done, I added them to the soup, and let it sit on low heat for about an hour.
It was surprisingly good, I ate like 3 bowls back to back.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
onion mushroom soup
So today I found myself looking into a bag of mushrooms that were on the edge of going bad. I always seem to be doing this; buying produce, using some of it, and then throwing the rest of it in the fridge for it to go bad. But not today, I decided to make onion mushroom soup.
I knew I had to sauté the onions first, and that’s what I did. I sliced up 1 and a half red and yellow onions and 3 shallots and threw it all into a sauté pan with a nice big handful of salt. I recently heard salt referred to as foods magnifying glass, you use it to make flavors bigger and better. And I let them cook until I got a nice creamy texture and a golden brown color.
At the same time I brought a pot of water up to a boil, with some S and P (that’s salt and pepper) and a touch of olive oil.
As I looked at my pot and pan on the stove, I realized I had no plan for what I was going to do next. I never made this soup before and I had nothing to reference for an idea. So I asked myself, what am I cooking? Soup. Ok what kind of soup? Onion mushroom. Ok so I got the onions cooking and I have to cook the mushrooms, and in they went into the pot of water. Then I threw in the onions and let that come back to a boil.
Ok now what? Um….spices, I didn’t want anything to strong, so I added some chicken consume, oregano, basil, and of course garlic, who could forget garlic, I put in about 6 cloves sliced up nice and thin.
After that, I realized the soup was too liquidy, I wanted it to be thicker but boiling the water out just wasn’t cutting it, so I added some flour, I’d say probably about 1/3 of a cup.
Once it got to the consistence I wanted, I gave it another taste. It was still missing something, but what? It had the onions and mushrooms, spices, garlic, chicken consume. And that’s when it hit me; there was no fat in the soup. And there in lied my problem, I had no chicken or meat to put in it. So I pulled out my trusty package of beef hot dogs.
Now, I know hot dogs are on the bottom of the culinary food chain, but every college student should always have tuna, beer, and hot dogs on hand in case of an emergency.
So I cut 3 dogs up into chunks and threw them in.
I let the soup sit for about an hour and a half, then put it in the fridge. We’ll see how it turns out tomorrow. To me, the best soup is day old soup; soup needs time to sit to let the flavors blend.
I knew I had to sauté the onions first, and that’s what I did. I sliced up 1 and a half red and yellow onions and 3 shallots and threw it all into a sauté pan with a nice big handful of salt. I recently heard salt referred to as foods magnifying glass, you use it to make flavors bigger and better. And I let them cook until I got a nice creamy texture and a golden brown color.
At the same time I brought a pot of water up to a boil, with some S and P (that’s salt and pepper) and a touch of olive oil.
As I looked at my pot and pan on the stove, I realized I had no plan for what I was going to do next. I never made this soup before and I had nothing to reference for an idea. So I asked myself, what am I cooking? Soup. Ok what kind of soup? Onion mushroom. Ok so I got the onions cooking and I have to cook the mushrooms, and in they went into the pot of water. Then I threw in the onions and let that come back to a boil.
Ok now what? Um….spices, I didn’t want anything to strong, so I added some chicken consume, oregano, basil, and of course garlic, who could forget garlic, I put in about 6 cloves sliced up nice and thin.
After that, I realized the soup was too liquidy, I wanted it to be thicker but boiling the water out just wasn’t cutting it, so I added some flour, I’d say probably about 1/3 of a cup.
Once it got to the consistence I wanted, I gave it another taste. It was still missing something, but what? It had the onions and mushrooms, spices, garlic, chicken consume. And that’s when it hit me; there was no fat in the soup. And there in lied my problem, I had no chicken or meat to put in it. So I pulled out my trusty package of beef hot dogs.
Now, I know hot dogs are on the bottom of the culinary food chain, but every college student should always have tuna, beer, and hot dogs on hand in case of an emergency.
So I cut 3 dogs up into chunks and threw them in.
I let the soup sit for about an hour and a half, then put it in the fridge. We’ll see how it turns out tomorrow. To me, the best soup is day old soup; soup needs time to sit to let the flavors blend.
Monday, July 26, 2010
good old fashion chicken soup
When I was little, we always had a pot of chicken soup in our fridge. It was a simple yet delicious recipe.
You start off with about four to six pieces of chicken. I like using thighs because they have a higher fat content then breasts, which gives more flavor to the soup.
Then, depending on how big of a soup I want to make, I add four to six carrots and six to eight zucchinis, peeled and chopped, as well as a whole onion, and lastly a heaping tablespoon or two of chicken consume.
Fill the pot up with water, so that everything is submerged in water.
Cook it on high until you get a good rolling boil, then let it simmer on low heat for about an hour.
Next, refrigerate the soup over night so that the fat congeals on the top.
Once it does, scoop out the fat with a spoon, and you're good to go.
You start off with about four to six pieces of chicken. I like using thighs because they have a higher fat content then breasts, which gives more flavor to the soup.
Then, depending on how big of a soup I want to make, I add four to six carrots and six to eight zucchinis, peeled and chopped, as well as a whole onion, and lastly a heaping tablespoon or two of chicken consume.
Fill the pot up with water, so that everything is submerged in water.
Cook it on high until you get a good rolling boil, then let it simmer on low heat for about an hour.
Next, refrigerate the soup over night so that the fat congeals on the top.
Once it does, scoop out the fat with a spoon, and you're good to go.
bringing old recipes to life
So today I decided to take some of my favorite recipes and threw a spin on them.
I started off with boiled chicken, then my popcorn cauliflower, a cabbage salad, and baked potato chips.
For the chicken, normally I bake the individual pieces with barbecue sauce, but I was trying to think of a way to get the moist, tender chicken of a slow roast, but without drying it out.
When I thought about it, I realized the most moist chicken I know of is chicken from good old fashion chicken soup. So I strained the leftovers from a pot of chicken soup into another pot, added a whole onion cut into half. threw in two bay leaves, about a cup of water, some salt and pepper, some oregano, and thyme.
As for the chicken itself, I rubbed a whole chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme. and placed it in the pot, breasts down.
I, then, cooked the chicken for about two and a half hours on low heat.
Next, I made my popcorn cauliflower recipe, but once the cauliflower was done cooking I added it sauteed asparagus that I thinly sliced diagonally.
Once I cut up the asparagus, I lightly coated them with about a teaspoon olive oil. then added 3 cloves of garlic, diced, and some salt and pepper.
My next dish was a purple cabbage slaw. I used about a pound of pre-shredded purple cabbage from a bag, then added about 3 to 4 cups of red seedless grapes, cut in half, some sesame seeds, and a 1/4 cup of both teriyaki sauce and balsamic vinegar.
And if that wasn't enough, I also made baked potato and sweet potato chips. Out of everything, these were probably the easiest to make and the dish that was finished the fastest.
I took two regular and one huge sweet potato, cut them using my trusty mandolin on the middle setting. I cut them right into a bowl of water to wash them off, so they don't stick together when they cook. Then, I laid them flat, one layer per tray, on a cookie sheet with foil, but first I sprayed the foil so that the potatoes don't stick to the foil. then I lightly coated them with salt and stuck them in the oven at 500 degrees until the potatoes start to brown.
I started off with boiled chicken, then my popcorn cauliflower, a cabbage salad, and baked potato chips.
For the chicken, normally I bake the individual pieces with barbecue sauce, but I was trying to think of a way to get the moist, tender chicken of a slow roast, but without drying it out.
When I thought about it, I realized the most moist chicken I know of is chicken from good old fashion chicken soup. So I strained the leftovers from a pot of chicken soup into another pot, added a whole onion cut into half. threw in two bay leaves, about a cup of water, some salt and pepper, some oregano, and thyme.
As for the chicken itself, I rubbed a whole chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme. and placed it in the pot, breasts down.
I, then, cooked the chicken for about two and a half hours on low heat.
Next, I made my popcorn cauliflower recipe, but once the cauliflower was done cooking I added it sauteed asparagus that I thinly sliced diagonally.
Once I cut up the asparagus, I lightly coated them with about a teaspoon olive oil. then added 3 cloves of garlic, diced, and some salt and pepper.
My next dish was a purple cabbage slaw. I used about a pound of pre-shredded purple cabbage from a bag, then added about 3 to 4 cups of red seedless grapes, cut in half, some sesame seeds, and a 1/4 cup of both teriyaki sauce and balsamic vinegar.
And if that wasn't enough, I also made baked potato and sweet potato chips. Out of everything, these were probably the easiest to make and the dish that was finished the fastest.
I took two regular and one huge sweet potato, cut them using my trusty mandolin on the middle setting. I cut them right into a bowl of water to wash them off, so they don't stick together when they cook. Then, I laid them flat, one layer per tray, on a cookie sheet with foil, but first I sprayed the foil so that the potatoes don't stick to the foil. then I lightly coated them with salt and stuck them in the oven at 500 degrees until the potatoes start to brown.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Farm Fresh to You
As a college student, having fresh produce isn't the easiest thing, especially when you don't have a car.
Farm Fresh to You (FFTY) is one of the best ways to solve this problem. As Angelenos become increasingly more demanding in the quality of produce, Farmers, like Kathleen Barsotti, have started to deliver their fresh produce to all over southern California, delivering that weeks harvest directly to your door.
Like any new fad, competition for the best "bang for your buck" has really picked up, and FFTY is leaving the competition in its dust. With descriptions of exactly what comes that week, in all the different boxes.
They have about 20 different boxes you can choose from, starting at $25 per box to $80 per box, you can choose fruits and veggies, or just friut, or just veggies.
Since this is a per delivery fee and not a monthly fee you also get to choose how often you want to get a delivery, you can get it every week, every other week...... and if you're going to be out of town for a week, all you have to do is email them saying you don't that week's box. They, also have a page of everything they grow and when they grow it.
And if that isn't enough, if you don't like a certain product they grow, you can simply send them an email saying you don't want that anymore and they'll stop sending it to you, no questions asked.
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