operagirl's Profile
Beginning My Vegan Journey
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has written some of the best vegan cookbooks in recent memory. Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance both have recipes for making seitan from scratch. Best of luck with your vegan journey!
http://www.theppk.com/books/
What's for dinner #133 [old]
Making brown basmati rice bowls with roasted vegetables. The rice is on the stove, and the eggplant, 3 kinds of mushrooms (nameko, enoki, piopini), and red bell peppers are roasting in sesame ginger vinaigrette. Should be tasty!
What's for dinner #133 [old]
Update -- the corn fusilli was one of the better GF pastas we've tried. Good stuff.
What's for dinner #133 [old]
Our dinner has absolutely nothing to do with St. Patty's Day. We did take a fun afternoon stroll through the Mission and Castro neighborhoods, though, and we'll be hitting up our local pub to join the revelers for a post-dinner cocktail.
For dinner, we're having roasted ratatouille pasta -- I'm roasting a big pan of eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, button mushrooms, and grape tomatoes, sprinkled with olive oil, fresh thyme, garlic gold nuggets, and salt&pepper. Will toss with some gf corn fusili from Trader Joe's -- it's our first time trying the corn pasta, hope it's decent!
Sesame Dressing at Cha-Ya -- recipe?
NIce, Dave! Let me know if you hit on a Cha-Ya-esque ratio!
What are you cooking for Valentines day?
An update --
Opera boy came down with the same yucky head cold that I had last week, so I switched gears and made a pho-inspired brothy rice porridge to serve with our fresh rolls. It was actually really good -- I simmered homemade chicken broth with sambal oelek, microplaned ginger, and thinly sliced carrots. Next, I added thinly sliced green onions, leftover cooked chicken, a pinch of five spice powder, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Fruit salad and truffles for dessert.
Vietnamese for Valentine's -- Favorite Recipes?
Sounds really good! Do you do anything else with the caramel sauce?
Vietnamese for Valentine's -- Favorite Recipes?
Wow, that sounds great. I'll file it away for use in warmer months -- thinking about charcoal-grilled chicken in this drizzly weather is such a tease! :-)
Vietnamese for Valentine's -- Favorite Recipes?
Cool! I had no idea these crepes were gluten-free. Found Charles Phan's recipe online:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crispy-vietnamese-crepes-with-shrimp-pork-and-bean-sprouts
While I don't think crepes are quite the right thing to go with summer rolls (starch and more starch), I am definitely bookmarking this to make them in the future. Thanks!
Great non-pork sausage, cured meats?
Aha! Lucky you. Let us all know how you like it!
Vietnamese for Valentine's -- Favorite Recipes?
Hi Hounds!
For Valentine's Day, operaboy and I will be cooking our dinner together. We'll be making Vietnamese summer rolls, and I still need a couple other dishes to round out the meal. I found a couple of Charles Phan's dishes on Food&Wine's website that looked good, but I was wondering if anybody had any amazing, tried-and-true Vietnamese dishes they thought would be good for our V-day dinner!
A couple requirements -- we are gluten-free, and we don't eat pork. Other than that, everything is fair game. Living in San Francisco, I've got access to all manner of herbs and produce, and tracking down obscure ingredients shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions! I'm looking for actual recipes that you've made and loved.
What are you cooking for Valentines day?
Funny how life works. I weighed in here in 2009 and 2010, when I was dating someone else. V-Day 2011 found me single on Valentines.
This year, I'm spending the holiday with a wonderful man who loves my cooking. I could not be happier about spending the evening in with someone who really appreciates the meals I cook! We'll be making a Thai/Vietnamese meal of spring rolls and pad thai.
Great non-pork sausage, cured meats?
I was just going to mention basturma! My Armenian friends love the stuff. It's traditionally cooked into scrambled eggs for a yummy breakfast dish.
Be forewarned, the stuff is potent -- its garlicky aroma will knock your socks off and seep through your pores for the rest of the day.
Where to eat in SF, any style of cuisine on a moderate budget
Have you been to Old Jerusalem in the Mission? The hummus there is incredibly thick and rich. You can order it topped with "meat or shawarma" -- I asked for "meat," and honestly I'm not sure if I got lamb, beef, or both. But it was delicious.
What's For Dinner? #125 [Old]
Made a quick batch of arepas tonight, split open and topped with sunnyside eggs and salsa. Served with a big salad of butter lettuce, avocado, cucumber, blood oranges, and endives, dressed with a little oil and vinegar.
What's For Dinner? #125 [Old]
With your high --> low heat cooking plan, I couldn't help but think of last week's NYT Dining Section recipe, where Nathan Myhrvold showed Melissa Clark how to freeze, sear, then oven-roast steaks. I can't help but think this method has some promise when used with big roasts, too. . . let us know how yours turns out!
What's For Dinner? #125 [Old]
Great! Still have half the cooked spaghetti squash to use up, and a casserole sounds nice. Mine will be a mini-version, but still. The flavors sound great!
What's For Dinner? #125 [Old]
That sounds like an awesome birthday dinner! Did you make the pickled jalapenos and onions yourself?
What's For Dinner? #125 [Old]
Tonight, I baked a spaghetti squash (halved, cut-side-down, 45mins @375F), then mixed it with some homemade pesto made from basil, pepitas, Garlic Gold Italian nuggets, and salt. Served with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and basil turkey sausage. Big salad on the side -- mixed greens, avocado, cucumber, blood oranges, and endives, dressed with fig balsamic vinegar, evoo, and salt. Not bad for a weeknight!
Bourdain in San Francisco for Layovers
Re: Fisherman's Wharf -- my dad's a 2nd generation San Franciscan, and Scoma's on the wharf is one of his favorite spots in town. Dungeness crab there is fantastic and in season.
Bourdain in San Francisco for Layovers
Been to Absinthe quite a bit, as it's just a couple blocks from my alma mater. Amazing cocktails. I'm a sucker for their martinis and singapore slings. The bar snacks are tasty too -- try the fried chickpeas if you're feeling peckish :-)
What's For Dinner? #122 [Old]
Seasoned chicken legs with s&p, smoked paprika, and some cumin/coriander poultry rub. Browned in a 12" skillet with a mixture of olive oil and Garlic Gold oil, then set aside. Into the (now empty, except for the oil/residual spices) skillet went sliced onions, celery, carrots, and some sliced oyster mushrooms that we foraged last weekend. After onions were softened and a little browned, I poured in 1 C. long-grain rice and 1 3/4 C. chicken broth. Placed chicken legs on top, covered, and now the whole thing is baking in the oven 'til operaboy gets home.
Williams-Sonoma for my birthday - what to get?
Cool, 'hounds, thanks for your input! I think this pan will split the difference fantastically b/t a skillet and dutch oven -- looks really versatile.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-d5-stainless-steel-covered-french-skillet-11-inch/?pkey=e%7Cfry%2Bpan%7C49%7CpriceAsc%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C18&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-#reviews
Williams-Sonoma for my birthday - what to get?
Last weekend for my birthday, my boyfriend gave me a gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma, and we'll be going next weekend to pick something out. I was browsing their site and decided on a Chemex coffee maker, something I've been wanting for a while -- and then he admitted that he got that for my birthday too, and it's arriving in the mail today!
I'm pretty set for coffee accessories these days -- I use my Hario grinder and kettle along with a Melitta filter, and now I've got a Chemex on the way.
As for other kitchen stuff, I'm happy with my knives -- I alternate between Forschner/Victorinox chef and paring knives and a Wusthof chef's knife, depending on the job.
Things I'm interested in --
A medium-to-large-sized cutting board. Something big enough to be a comfortable workspace, but small enough to easily wash in my sink. My John Boos 18" round by 3" tall Chinese-style chopping block is ridiculously huge for my little kitchen. Any favorites?
As cookware goes, I've got a covered 12" nonstick pan I'm pretty happy with, an old 10" cast-iron pan with a stainless steel lid I bought at a restaurant supply place, an 8" uncovered nonstick pan, and my bf's decent-ish, SS, plastic-handled saucepans (1-qt, 2-qt, 3-qt, 5-qt). We've also got a smallish crock pot. I'm thinking I might do well with one of these:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/de-buyer-carbon-steel-mineral-fry-pan/?lineid=1&cm_src=E:PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/staub-round-wide-cocotte/?pkey=e%7Cdutch%2Bovens%7C22%7CpriceAsc%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C9&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-
And so, I'm basically trying to decide which thing will provide me with maximum improvement in cooking enjoyment -- a dutch oven, frying pan, or cutting board.
What would you do, chowhounds?
ISO Cedar Plank in S. Bay, Peninsula, or East Bay, CA [moved from General Chowhounding Topics]
This probably belongs on the SF Bay Area board. That being said, I've certainly seen them at Sur La Table, but best to call in advance to make sure it's in stock!
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-670869/Sur-La-Table-Cedar-Grill-Plank-
What's for dinner? #119 [OLD]
Edit -- turns out that 1/4C. of rice has some serious thickening power! This ended up being a pretty stew-y affair, so I didn't bother pureeing it. Served with lots of cilantro, lime juice, and sriracha sauce on top.
