BabsW's Profile
fiddleheads at trader joe's [moved from Washington DC & Baltimore board]
If you want a different way to cook them from the usual steaming or sauteeing, you can also roast them as you would asparagus.
I drizzled them with olive oil and hit them with a bit of salt and pepper and then roasted them in a hot oven, (450 F) for 20 minutes and served with a bit of shaved parm and balsamic vinegar.
Addictive.
Tricks you figured out in the kitchen and thought 'good one'!!!
I do basically the same thing, but use the flat end of my meat mallet to smash up the nuts in a ziplock sandwich bag.
Fair & carnival food
A Gianelli's sausage sandwich with peppers and onions at the NY State Fair.
Oh, Dippin Dots are fun too. :)
What's for Dinner #142 [old]
They have this weird thing about textures still. I think part of it is that the idea is fixed in their minds that they aren't going to like it. *sigh*
I know they'll grow out of it, but it's annoying.
What's for Dinner #142 [old]
Oh, of course. Fries or chips, but that's it. Not even tater tots or hash browns. They're some seriously weird kids. :p
What's for Dinner #142 [old]
Lord knows the kids would be thrilled to have a repeat of the corned beef we had for St. Paddy's Day, though I'll be eating those potatoes alone because my kids don't care for potatoes at all. Rotten little monsters.
Steaming the meat with the braising liquid sounds wonderful. :)
Rice - How did you experience it today?
For today's lunch, I made coconut-curry jasmine rice. The other day, I made saffron rice with green peas.
My kids' usual favorite is my quinoa & rice pilaf. We eat a lot of rice around here. :-)
What's for Dinner #142 [old]
Funny, my mom used to serve peas and those canned potatoes browned in butter alongside corned beef. I have' had them in ages, but reading your post got me remembering it. I can almost smell them. :D
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
Thanks! I was very happy with the result. VERY rich. That small portion was quite sufficient to satisfy.
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
The chocolate-coconut delice with a bittersweet chocolate and coconut brownie base, the chocolate cream filling - like a dense mousse or custard, topped with a semi-sweet ganache and garnished with dark chocolate curls and sweetened coconut flakes.
Success!
Food Network Does It Again
It's not FN, but still, as requested:
http://www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
I've been on a chocolate kick lately, earlier last week it was the Nutella-coconut empanadas. Then on
Friday I made 3 mini chocolate cakes with a pseudo-caramel filling, Nutella-chocolate gananche and hazelnuts.
Today I was trying my take on Billy's (from Masterchef Australia) Deadly Chocolate Delice found here: http://www.atablefortwo.com.au/2011/08/10/deadly-chocolate-delice/
I cut it down by a lot and added coconut. It'll be finished tomorrow, but I had extra "chocolate cream" and so baked it in a creme brulee dish as a sort of chocolate-coconut pots de creme.
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
Thank you! I made 4 tiny empanadas from the smallest batch of patsry dough I've ever made. lol
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
I was craving a chocolate empanada, but most of the recipes I saw were for chocolate-banana empanadas, and that's not my favorite flavor combo. A friend mentioned a recipe for Nutella coconut cupcakes that she'd found, so I decided to try a Nutella-coconut empanada.
Tasty.
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
Ohhhh, excellent. Thanks for the bump!
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
Thanks. :) I'm looking forward to using the lavender.
What are you baking these days? April 2012 [old]
I made mini lemon tarts with sugared blueberries yesterday, and they were a hit. I used Lazy Mary's Lemon Tart recipe, but slashed it down to make two 4 inch tarts
http://food52.com/recipes/1374_lazy_marys_lemon_tart
I got some culinary lavender at the farmers market last weekend and am planning a crème brûlée with it later on today or tomorrow. :)
Ramekin substitute (for baked eggs/eggs en cocotte)
I've used a hollowed-out baked potato with excellent results
What's for Dinner? #137 - Easter Edition [old]
I've been pretty obsessed with ramps this week, too. :)
What's for dinner #136 [OLD]
Yep. I mixed up the batter and steamed it in a cleaned-out coffee can for 2-1/4 hours.
It's a quick bread, no yeast or egg, and very molasses-y. It has equal parts rye, wheat and cornmeal, and I use buttermilk and maple syrup too. Oh yes, and raisins, too. Yum. :9
What's for dinner #136 [OLD]
Tonight, a simple supper of maple-chipotle baked beans and steamed Boston brown bread. Wow. I'm looking forward to mashing up the beans onto my English muffin for breakfast tomorrow! The kids plowed through the loaf of bread. There's just the small end piece left..
What's for dinner #136 [OLD]
Sure! I like to use a ratio that has no less than half rice for the total amount; it's usually more like 2 or 3 parts rice to 1 part quinoa. I like to mix it up with both red and white quinoa, and sometimes I toss in some bulgur as well.
I keep to a ratio of 2 parts liquid to 1 part grain, and I never rinse the grains. I know people have said that quinoa is terribly bitter without rinsing first, but I've never had that problem, but I do toast the grains first, which I've read might help.
I saute some chopped onion or shallot in a mix of butter and olive oil over medium-high heat, then toss in some minced garlic. Just when the onion gets soft, I add the dry rice/quinoa and toast for a minute or two over high heat, then I add the warm liquid - usually chicken stock, but water is fine too.
Cover tightly, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let sit at least 10 minutes, but don't crack the lid. I usually use a pot with a glass lid so I can see if the liquid has all absorbed before I turn off the heat.
Sometimes I toss in some fresh or dried herbs with the onion, too. I usually finish it with a pat of butter stirred in, though my kids like to add a bit of grated parm to theirs. S&p to taste, and there you go. It doesn't take long and it is really good. :)
What's for dinner #136 [OLD]
We just finished the last of the mayo. I need to make more and experiment with different acids. :)
That pilaf is my younger daughter's absolute favorite thing. She ate the rest of it for breakfast. lol
What's for dinner #136 [OLD]
Yesterday I made homemade mayo, which I used for dinner which was baked salmon. We also had my quinoa-rice pilaf, cauliflower with a cheddar sauce, a cold tomato & cuke salad plus an assortment of raw veggies because I had no lettuce for the usual green salad and I try to stuff the kids full of raw veggies whenever I can.
Seitan Worship
Here is a tempeh recipe that we liked a lot. They're sort of mock crab cakes.
Ingredients:
8 ounces tempeh
water to cover
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Bragg's liquid aminos
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup minced onion, rehydrated
2 stalks celery, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
8 Saltines, crushed
1 handful toasted nori, crumbled
Panko breadcrumbs
Spicy mayo:
3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon Frank's Red Pepper hot sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Directions:
Crumble the tempeh into a sauce pan. Pour in enough water to cover the tempeh. Add the Bragg's, olive oil and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, uncover and let boil for 12 minutes. Stir occasionally. Drain well.
Transfer contents to a mixing bowl, remove bay leaf, and mash the cooked tempeh with a potato masher. Let sit and cool for about 15 minutes.
Toss in the minced onion and celery and mix well. Add the crushed saltines and crumbled nori and stir well. Fold in the mayo, mustard, hot sauce, Old Bay Seasoning and mix thoroughly.
Fill the bottom of a pie plate with panko breadcrumbs. Take a small handful of the tempeh mixture and form into a ball. Press them into the panko crumbs in the pie pan and flatten them. Coat the top and sides well. Be careful with these cakes, as they will fall apart with rough handling.
Gently put about four cakes in a large oiled skillet, frying them over medium-high heat. Fry the cakes for about 5 minutes on one side until (GB&D) golden brown and delicious. Fry for 2 minutes on the other side and transfer to a plate. While the second batch is frying, whip up the spicy mayo by mixing all the ingredients together.
Top each cake with a generous dollop of the mayo and eat while still warm.
Notes:
This recipe made 8 generous-sized crabcakes. You could make them much smaller for hors d'oeurvres.
They are very fragile. I had to use two spatulas to turn them. I would not recommend turning them more than once. Make sure that you let them cook longer on the first side and come to a nice GB&D state before flipping.
You know you're a foodie ("food nerd", "chow-der", etc.) when.....
"When people are given your phone number to call about the use of ingredients."
I've had friends give out my email address or recommend me to people via Facebook for this.
"When the produce manager in a grocery store asks you for advice"
The produce guy last week saw me snag a bunch of sunchokes and he asked me what they were and what sorts of recipes they'd be good for. :)
Seitan Worship
This recipe for teriyaki seitan and broccolini is excellent, and I made my own seitan for it - VERY easy.
http://veganyumyum.com/2010/01/seitan-and-broccolini-with-clementine-teriyaki/
Bakes Seitan
1/2 cup cooked white beans
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/4 cup stock - I used mushroom stock
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon porcini powder - just grind up dried porcini in a spice grinder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Place the white beans, soy sauce and stock in a food processor, and process until well blended.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then mix the processed bean mixture with dry, knead for a few minutes, form into a loaf, wrap well in oiled foil and place in a baking dish.
3. Add an inch of water to the baking dish and bake for 1 1/2 hours (or until firm) at 350.
4. Let cool for 10 minutes, unwrap the foil and let cool. Then slice and cook according to your recipe.
