Tropical Tapioca

So first I was too busy to post and now I am just enjoying my temporary freedom from having a schedule too much to remember to post. Its not that I havent taken pictures, but I just dont quite make that next step of letting you all know about it. Well, I am making the effort now, and thats what you should care about.

I was in the mood for tapioca. Yes, this particular mood strikes every now and again, but seeing as I hadnt worked out in about two weeks I wasnt about to make the completely fattening (but oh-so-tasty) egg custard tapioca. I instead opted for large bead tapioca with coconut milk. I had it over some surprisingly wonderful tasting papaya which made for a healthy dessert.


I would not recommend serving this cold because the coconut milk tends to harden back up and feels pretty granular on the tongue. That being said, the papaya should also be at room temp (yeah I learned that one the hard way ::shudder::).

Tropical Tapioca

1/2 cup large bead tapioca
1 can full coconut milk
zest and juice of one key lime
1 papaya
salt to taste

Soak the tapioca in water over night.

Simmer the tapioca in the coconut milk until the pearls are clear.

Add the lime juice, zest, and salt.

Serve over fresh cut chunks of papaya, or other tropical fruits.

Moroccan Orzo Salad

You all can call me MS, officially. I have deposited my Master's thesis and am done with edits and insane formatting requirements. I have been celebrating by taking it easy this weekend and figured I should get back in the swing of blogging.

To be fair, by not posting I saved you all from really bad entries about whether yellow or dijon mustard tastes better on hot dogs (it depends on if there are onions involved) and the science behind the peak (and decline) of leftovers. In addition, there is also no way to photograph Taco Bell's 7-layer burrito that makes it appetizing (yet I consume it regardless).

The little bit of time that I have on my hands is driving me batty. I am definitely back in the cooking mood and there are SO many options. I am especially excited about eating something tasty again; these last weeks have been pretty barren in the flavor department. To add to the cooking itch, the weather is changing and it promises fresh produce. The Lafayette farmers market officially begins next weekend and while I am not certain what will be available so early in the season, I am looking forward to it nonetheless. There is also the prospect of establishing a "community garden" of sorts in K's backyard. I am looking into planting poblanos, thai chilies, arugula, shallots, and golden beets. I might throw lima beans into the mix just for kicks. Roma tomatoes would be nice too but I will be gone for about a month in the middle of the summer and dont want to waste produce while I am away.


I celebrated my successful thesis deposit by heading to home depot and purchasing fresh herbs. Its true, I am a big dork, but thats how I chose to celebrate. I purchased spices that wouldnt get too big for my balcony and that are difficult to find in mass quantities at the farmers market. So far I have lavender, mint, thyme, sage, and thai basil. I am envisioning frequent mojitos and massive quantities of thai chicken. Yup, its going to be a good summer.


I kicked off my return to the world of good food by making goat cheese fondue to have with broccoli, apples, pears, and sourdough. I flavored the goat cheese with white wine, garlic, and shallots. For some reason goat cheese fondue is my ultimate comfort food. It is so easy to make that I always wonder why I waited so long to make it.

Today I made a Moroccan orzo salad for dinner. It was easy also, but took a little longer to prepare because I had to boil the orzo and roast the veggies. It is currently sitting in the fridge "melding" with itself. I snuck a taste or two and I can hardly wait for dinner time (two hours and counting).


Moroccan Orzo Salad

Orzo:
2/3 c. orzo
1 c. veggie broth
1.c. water

Salad:
1 large can tuna
5 sweet peppers, chopped
2 large shallots, sliced
1 can artichoke hearts
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
10 green olives, chopped
2 T. olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Dressing:
1/4 c. lime juice
2 t. harissa
pinch cumin
pinch nutmeg
1/4 c. olive oil
salt
pepper

Heat the veggie broth and water together with the orzo. Simmer with the lid of the pot on until the orzo has absorbed all the liquid.

Toss the artichokes, shallots, and peppers with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425 for 40 minutes being careful to not burn the shallots.

Remove the orzo from the heat once it has sucked up all the liquid. Transfer it to a large bowl and stir in the diced garlic and drizzle with a bit of oil so it doesnt stick to itself.

Once the roasted veggies are out of the oven add them to the orzo. Toss in the olives, cilantro, and tuna.

In a small bowl combine the lime juice, harissa, cumin, nutmeg, and the remaining olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Brain Food

In the evenings I can almost always be found on my couch. I am not curled up watching a movie with a nice cup of hot cocoa. I am sitting with my computer on my lap (much like I am doing now), typing up my Master's thesis. There comes a point around 7pm when I realize that I havent eaten, that I am quite hungry, and that nothing is defrosted. Hm, what to do?


One time I made a turkey sausage sandwich with the last precious little bit of gorgonzola and caramelized shallots on toasted ciabatta bread. Granted nearly everything tastes good when you are nearing starvation, but I would guess that this meal tasted good even when full. In truth, I could have polished off two of these but didnt have enough foresight to defrost two sausages instead of just one.

On another occasion, after reading about all the superfoods you should eat on a daily/weekly basis I was inspired by soy beans. I ended up throwing some sliced scallions into some hot oil, adding some mint that I had wilting away in the fridge, and sauteing it all until the flavors combined. Then I tossed in the edamame I had nuked to defrost. I accompanied the soy dish with two toasted ciabatta (same loaf) slices. That 5 minute meal was mighty tasty as well.


For curious readers, my Master's is coming along. I will know the extent of the work cut out for me after I receive comments from my committee sometime next week. Until then (and probably after as well) I will be eating well.

And I'm Back!

The last of my posts was well before Thanksgiving. Since then I have been inundated with end of semester papers, middle of break proposals (not the marriage kind), and beginning of semester project startups. Just because I am writing now doesnt mean that I am not still busy. It simply means that I need a little bit of time away from all that; time to do something unrelated to graduate school.

Although I have not been good about posting, I still have been eating some pretty wonderful food. Sometime after Thanksgiving I had a mini affair with beets. I made a wonderful beet risotto and a marginal beet and gorgonzola ravioli. The filling was tasty, but the execution of the ravioli needs some work. The beet risotto recipe is courtesy of Coconut & Lime.


The beet excursion was part of an attempt to eat healthier in between the holidays so that I didnt gain the traditional pounds. The health kick spurred another good dish that I probably wont make again. I shouldnt say that. I attempted to use spaghetti squash as a substitute for the real thing. The dish was flavorful but crunchy so it didnt end up having the same feel as pasta. I suggest making it as a side dish with grilled chicken rather than as a main course.

Spaghetti Squash with Arugula and Lemon

1 spaghetti squash - roasted
1 large bunch arugula
1 lemon worth zest
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 T olive oil
1 pat of goat cheese*


Using a fork pull the strands of squash away from the rides and deposit the strands into a bowl. Be sure the squash has cooled sufficiently because the insides can be deceptively hot.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute the garlic and shallots until transparent. Add the hot pepper flakes and chopped arugula. Zest the lemon directly into the pan and toss to coat the arugula.

Add the squash into the skillet briefly to warm it.

Pile all that good stuff on to a plate and top with a pat of goat cheese.

*Yes, this is a similar pat of goat cheese that is on the beet risotto. Apparently when I am making something healthy to eat I feel the need to top it with dairy. It is Chevre Lite just in case you are wondering...

Egg Salad with Water Chestnuts

Egg salad is one of those dishes that seems like it would be quick to whip up. Perhaps it isnt so bad if you already have the eggs boiled or if you have one of those fancy egg slicers that I happen to be lacking. But, it takes a significant chunk of time and a good deal of effort! Still, I persisted and made my slicer-free egg salad.

My recipe has all the normal ingredients...mayo, mustard, pickles, you know the rest. I then scanned my fridge for something that I had to use up soon and happened upon some left over water chestnuts from when I made (surprise, surprise) Thai Basil Chicken. I figured they wouldnt alter the flavor much but would add a nice crunch to the typically mushy salad. The texture difference ended up rocking my world so I am sharing it with you all, my 2 readers (hi, mom!).


Egg Salad with Water Chestnuts

6 eggs
3 gherkins diced
1 T. of gherkin juice
3 green onions thinly sliced
1 glove garlic diced
1/2 can of water chestnuts diced
2 t. sage diced
1 1/2 T. dijon mustard
1/4 light mayo
salt
pepper

Boil and slice the eggs.
Add the gherkins, onions, water chestnuts, sage, pepper, mustard, and mayo.
On a cutting board use the side of a knife to grind the salt and garlic together. This releases the oil in the garlic and makes the pieces of garlic softer. Add the garlic to the egg mixture.
Stir ingredients together and add more mayo to get the consistency you prefer.

I topped a bowl of baby spinach with my egg salad. It was a fantastic dinner and I am looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!

Asian Pear Salad

I found this little number on Epicurious when I was trying to determine what I should do with my many asian pears. Typically I just eat then but I apparently misjudged the amount of fruit I bought and was stuck with too much. I was in the mood for something crisp and light. Due to the fact that I have also purchased cream, cream cheese, and goat cheese to cook with this week, I really was in the need of making a lunch salad that was easy on the thighs. This was/is perfect!


Asian Pear Salad
2 crisp asian pears
3 stalks celery
1 serrano pepper
1/4 c. cilantro
3 green onions
1 lemon worth of juice
2 T. rice vinegar
salt

To get this salad looking as beautiful as they have it pictured on epicurious you need to cut both the pears and the celery into match sticks. It actually didnt end up taking as long as I thought it would and it really makes the salad interesting to look at.
Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds, and slice it as thinly as possible.
Slice the green onions at a diagonal.
Chop the cilantro. Combine all the ingredients and salt to taste.

I have had my salad in the fridge for a day and the pears do not look discolored so this can be added to your list of dishes that last multiple days without getting funky.

Due to the unique presentation of the salad and the "exotic" flavor combination of the crisp pear, spicy chili, and refreshing cilantro, this is something that will get praises at your next potluck.

Quinoa - An Andean Domesticate

In the last few years quinoa has made a splash in the commercial market. The box or bag it comes in inevitably claims that it is "the grain of the Inkas!" This statement sells quinoa short...about 4,000 years short that is. Quinoa was originally domesticated in the highland regions of the Andes around 3,000 BC. This cultigen is well adapted to growing in locations with extreme aridity and temperature fluctuations. Besides being a good source of protein, something the indigenous populations of the Andes had infrequent access to, the leaves of the quinoa plant could be boiled and consumed as well.

While you cannot find quinoa leaves in our marketplace, boxes of the healthy Andean grain are no longer limited to the shelves of health food stores. Now that quinoa is widely available, there are a plethora of recipes highlighting the earthy qualities of the protein-rich grain. Although quinoa is touted as one of the main crops of the Inka Empire, I have never actually had any while I was in Peru. Instead, I had to make in my own home quinoa using the following recipe. Something not many people know, and that the Inka didn't even think about, is the fact that quinoa can be cooked in your rice cooker!

Minted Quinoa with Maize and Soy Beans













1 cup quinoa
2 cups water*
1/2 bag of frozen corn (or fresh if you have it)
1/2 bag of edamame
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves**
1 lemon worth of zest
1 lemon worth of juice
4 scallions sliced (just the light portion)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed

*if you aren't going for a vegan recipe I recommend replacing half the water with chicken broth.
** if you don't have mint but happen to have basil, use that; it will still turn out very tasty.

Throw the quinoa into the rice cooker. Add the water or broth and the garlic cloves. Hit the on button. When finished cooking allow to cool. You can speed this process up by sticking the fluffy quinoa into the freezer and stirring it every few minutes.

Combine the rest of the ingredients and toss with the quinoa. Serve.

This is a perfect recipe for your end of summer picnics! With all the ultra-goodforyou ingredients in this recipe I am sending this on to 5-A-Day-Tuesdays.

Substitutes

Yesterday I made my Poblano and Tomatillo Potato Salad, but this time I didn't really have all the ingredients. As is my typical style, I do not let lack of ingredients get in my way, at least not if I have something somewhat similar to substitute. This time I think I actually did myself a favor and made the same salad with the same great flavor with less fat. Crazy, I know!

I was out of green onions so I substituted some shallots instead. Although the shallots were good in it I think the green onions added more flavor somehow. Maybe next time I will try adding chopped red onion.

The fat-saving bit happened because I wanted to use of the rest of the plain yogurt I had painstakingly drained last week before it went sour on me. The yogurt, of course, was a substitute for the sour cream. I have to say, both the consistency and the appearance did not suffer from the swap. Go yogurt!

As a strange coincidence, the poblanos I was able to get at the farmers market in Lafayette were much smaller than I am used to. I don't know if in this instance size made the difference, but the poblanos were fairly spicy! I think that the spice interfered with the flavor because I actually like the roasted flavor of the chilies over the spicy flavor.

Sorry, no photos this time folks (not that mine are any good) but you can see what the original looked like by following the above listed link.

Final Product - Harvest Grains Salad

A few posts ago I wanted suggestions with what to do with my Harvest Grains blend from Trader Joe's. I got an overwhelming response of one, count it - one, comment regarding how I could add it to a soup. When the weather cools to soup weather, I will try throwing some of it in a soup for certain. Given, however, that it isnt soup weather in Lafayette and this grad student is too cheap to keep her apartment below 82 degrees, I made an almost-no-cook-salad. Its actually what I have been eating for lunch all week. Sadly, I am now out of it. The concoction I created was really very flavorful and refreshing if I dont say so myself. Even K liked it, but thats not really a surprise.

I had purchased a bunch of veggies for the week and I threw them into the salad, so really this can and should be amended to include whatever fresh ingredients you happen to have on hand. As much as I don't like the food that Rachel Ray cooks on her show, I do appreciate that she teaches her audience a method which can later be used on other foods. This recipe is somewhat similar in that you can take the general principle and whip up your own version. This particular version turned into something with the Mediterranean flavors or artichoke, lemon, and green olives.



Almost-No-Cook Harvest Grains Salad

1 1/4 cup Harvest Grains (or Israeli Couscous)
1 3/4 chicken broth
1/2 bundle of asparagus - steamed and cut into 1 inch pieces
5 roasted artichoke hearts - halved and sliced
Handful of green olives - cut from the pit
4 scallions sliced (just the light green part)
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
zest from 1 lemon
1 garlic glove
2 tablespoons (or so) olive oil

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the harvest grains and the clove of garlic. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone. Remove from heat, add a bit of olive oil to coat the grains just so they don't stick while it cools. Remove the garlic clove. When the grains are cool enough to not wilt the rest of the ingredients, add them to the rest of the ingredients.

The harvest grains themselves makes about 3 cups worth so after adding the veggies you actually have a substantial amount of salad. Like I said, it lasted me three lunches.

My favorite thing about the Harvest Grains mix is that the combination of "grains" make it look super pretty and fairly complicated. In essence, it looks snooty even though this should be one of my Easy-Peasy meals. Again, its all about appearances and reality. In anthropology we call it mystification. It used to be that anthropologists would try and make what they did seem super important and very impressive by hiding the simplicity of it all behind scientific jargon that the popular masses knew nothing about. These days, however, anthropology is leaning away from using science to confusticate readers and is instead employing the mumbo-jumbo of post-modern theory. Unlike the mystification that occurs in the social sciences, I do not feel that it is detrimental to society to make my food seem more impressive than it really is.

Poblano and Tomatillo Potato Salad

Staying true to the rules I set for myself when in California, I made a potato salad with ingredients I wouldn’t be able to get in Lafayette. It turned out good enough to repeat. The flavors were fresh and the ingredient combination made the salad a fabulous alternative to a traditional potato salad.

I ended up roasting the poblano skins off myself, setting off the smoke detector multiple times even though the vent fan was on. I also had no idea what tomatillos looked like inside and had previously assumed they were similar to tomatoes. Just goes to show, you can learn something new everyday!

Poblano and Tomatillo Potato Salad – courtesy of Bon Appétit

3 medium poblano chilies (about 9 ounces total)
2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, each cut into 6 wedges
6 medium tomatillos (about 7 ounces), husked, cut into1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin

preparation

Char chilies over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in a paper bag or (my personal favorite) wrap in paper towels. Let stand for 10 minutes. Peel and seed the chilies. Cut chilies into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place potatoes on steamer rack set over boiling water in pot. Cover and steam until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Cool. Transfer to bowl with chilies. Mix in tomatillos, green onions and chopped cilantro.

Whisk sour cream, lime juice and cumin in small bowl to blend. Add to potato mixture and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.)

Mound potato salad on platter. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve.