Not Julia Child's Ratatouille

I had been meaning to make Smitten Kitchen's Ratatouille's Ratatouille for a while and I finally did this past weekend. Of course, mine looks nothing like SK's in terms of both actual appearance and photography, but it was pretty and tasty and lasted about 24 hours before being completely gobbled up. The thing is, this dish has the appearance of being multi-layered when in fact it is only a single layer of thinly sliced zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and red pepper on top of a modest portion of tomato sauce. So unless you double the portion in making this recipe, it will be finished rather quickly (provided that you like it!) Good news is that it's healthy and vegan if you don't top it with goat cheese; otherwise, it is vegetarian. As is, this ratatouille makes for a great side dish, but it can be a complete meal if served with a whole grain, such as quinoa or brown rice, and a dollop of goat cheese. I paired it with Chavrie's Basil and Roasted Garlic Goat's Milk Cheese, and it was divine.

this spread has no preservatives!

Saturday Morning (Afternoon) Breakfast

Original Puffins cereal (delicious, all-natural, low-cal, and decent amount of fiber) with cut-up banana, fresh blueberries, soy milk, and sprinkled with flaxseeds.

Smoky Spanish Tomato Soup

Ever since my trip to Spain, I have been into all things Spanish. This includes wanting to make gazpacho, which I tried for the first time in a little cafe in Barcelona. The only thing in my way of whipping up this cold, tomatoey concoction was my lack of a food processor. I finally procured one of these bad boys during the holidays, and was on my way to finally making some gazpacho.

Today I had all of the proper ingredients in my possession to make rustic gazpacho. But then I started to question my decision to settle on this dish. After all, it is January, and this soup is traditionally consumed in Andalusia during the hot summer months. On the other hand, I thought, I really do like this soup and it is quite healthy, too: who cares about the weather or what so-called tradition dictates? Plus, I have some nice sherry vinegar -- a key ingredient for authentic gazpacho -- in my cupboard that's just waiting to be used.

Well, in the end, gazpacho did not win. For now, I have put off preparing it until my part of the Earth warms up a bit. But it took another recipe to really confirm my decision. When I saw the now defunct Gourmet Magazine's recipe for Smoky Spanish Tomato Soup via epicurious, I had a near religious epiphany that left me with no doubts: this was my soup! It's Spanish, it's tomato-based, and it's served hot! What more could I ask for?

Like Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens, this tomato soup has a smooth texture and creamy taste with containing any dairy. Bread crumbs (I used small bits of ciabatta bread) blended with the tomato mix in the food processor give the soup a heartiness, making it suitable as a modest meal on its own. I also topped the soup with pulled pieces of the bread for presentation and because who doesn't like dipping chunky, crusty bread in soup? The recipe calls for sweet pimenton (Spanish for smoked paprika) but I only had smoked hot paprika and substituted with it.

The result? An incredible smoky flavor that adds so much body to the soup.

Smoky Spanish Tomato Soup adapted from Gourmet


Ingredients:


4 1/2 lbs of tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
roughly 1 teaspoon of sweet (or smoked hot) pimenton
3 large garlic gloves, peeled
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
approximately 1/2 cup of coarse bread crumbs (I eye-balled this and it turned out fine) plus more for garnish
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:


1. Cut an X on the bottom of each tomato. Then blanch the tomatoes.  Peels and seed tomatoes, then coarsely chop them.


2. Cook onion and bell peppers in oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a wide 5-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, pimentón, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender and falling apart, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, crush garlic to a paste with cumin using a mortar and pestle (or crush cumin with side of a heavy knife, mince and mash garlic, and stir together). Stir garlic-cumin paste and bread crumbs into tomato mixture. Purée soup in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth and return to cleaned pot. Thin to desired consistency with water and season with the sea salt and black pepper. Top bowls with ripped pieces of bread/bread crumbs and serve!

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I am a big pickle fan.  I don't care much for half-sours, but I love sour, garlic pickles and dill pickles.  This recipe, which I found here but is credited to Bobby Flay, is so simple that there is no excuse not to give it a try if you are a pickle person. The recipe calls for either 1/4 or 1/3 of a cup of sugar, and I used 1/4. Even with that amount, the pickles were a bit on the sweet side, but still delicious. Next time: extreme sour/garlic pickles or sriracha pickles! Anyway, these pickles can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of distilled white vinegar

1/4 to 1/3 cup of granulated sugar

4 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

3/4 teaspoon of dill seeds

2 cups of hot water

2 lbs of kirby cucumbers (or any cux labeled as "pickling cucumber")

3/4 cup of coarsely chopped dill

3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

Preparation:

1. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and dill seeds in a heatproof bowl. Add the hot water and stir until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Cool to room temperature.

2. Place cucumbers, garlic, and dill in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour brine over all and turn to coat cucumbers. Cover them with a plate to weigh them down and keep them covered in brine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 quart.

Creamy Banana Kale Smoothie

This attractive green drink is as delicious as it is nutritious. With super-veggie kale and creamy sweet-tooth-satisfying banana, this smoothie, the recipe for which comes from Whole Living magazine's website, is great as a pre-workout energizer or a mid-afternoon snack.

Creamy Banana Kale Smoothie
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of curly green kale, loosely packed & stems removed
1 1/2 banana, frozen
1 1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of ice

Preparation:

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water to thin the consistency if desired.

Thai Curry Soup with Rice Noodles

Product Review: Two Kinds of Trader Joe's Peanut Butter

I am a huge peanut butter lover.  It's delicious smeared on crackers, between whole-wheat slices of bread, as a noodle sauce, or with sliced apple. My preferred way to eat peanut butter, however, is all by itself. This can get me into some trouble as you can imagine, if I don't control myself!

If you're looking for a peanut butter that has no added sugar or salt and is ridiculously thick and creamy, try Trader Joe's Organic Peanut Butter.  Oh yes, it is also organic!

TJ's latest version of organic peanut butter is not as good as its former incarnation that included Valencia peanuts, but it still tastes pretty great. But if you want that one-of-a-kind Valencia taste and you don't mind added salt, then I recommend Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (Crunchy & Salted). I normally prefer smooth P.B., but the peanut pieces and flaxseeds in this spread give it a super crunchy texture that's to die for. Also, I like to believe that the inclusion of flaxseeds makes up for the salt content in terms of healthiness. 

flaxseeds ftw!

What's your favorite brand/kind of peanut butter?

Indian Dinner at Kiran Palace

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I had dinner at Kiran Palace in Levittown, New York. As you can guess by the name of the restaurant, it's an Indian place. The service was friendly and prompt and the food was delicious. I love Indian food because it is spicy comfort food and there are always good vegetarian options. We split chicken makhani, bhindi masala (okra sauteed with onion), and an order of naan. Excuse my dark pictures: the restaurant was not well-lit and I did not want to obnoxiously use my camera's flash. 

naan

bhindi masala

Lemon-Pepper Paprika Seared Swordfish with Oven Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts

Tonight I enjoyed a dinner of swordfish and oven roasted garlic brussels sprouts. This swordfish is my own take on a simple recipe for seared ahi tuna steaks (that is also very delicious). Swordfish is meaty and juicy but not at all tough like ahi tuna. You can never go wrong when pairing a butter-lemon based sauce with fish.

Lemon-Pepper Paprika Seared Swordfish


Ingredients:


2 swordfish steaks (about 5-6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon butter
about 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper or lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
paprika (I use Pride of Szeged Hungarian Paprika)
salt
lemon juice
finely chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation:


1. Season swordfish steaks with salt, pepper (or the lemon-pepper mix), and paprika to your own liking.

2.  Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat (you don't want it to burn!) After it has completely melted, add the peppercorns until they begin to sizzle and pop (2-3 minutes). Then add the olive oil and place the swordfish steaks on the skillet. Cook each side for at least 3 minutes, longer if the fish is not fully defrosted. While the fish is cooking, splash the steaks with some lemon juice according to your taste (I squirted out of the lemon juice bottle -- approximately 3 squirts per steak and it  came out quite lemony. I enjoyed the intensity level of the lemon flavor, but use less or more juice depending on your taste). Feel free to add more paprika and pepper as the fish is cooking. When fish is cooked through, serve it alone or garnish it with chopped fresh parsley.

Bon Appetit!

Mark Bittman Reflects on the American Decline in Meat Consumption

According to the Department of Agriculture, meat & poultry consumption in the year 2012 will decline by 12.2% from what it was in 2007. New York Times columnist Mark Bittman discusses this projection  in a recent editorial from the Times opinion blog, Opinionator. Bittman argues that it's not policy or even the recession that is causing the decline in meat consumption, but a change in consumer attitude toward the product itself, brought on by the ethical and health issues surrounding meat production.

He notes the rise in "flexitarianism" - an eating style that does not forgo meat or meat products as vegetarianism and veganism do respectively, but whose practicers consciously limit their animal consumption. Of course "flexitarianism" varies greatly; some individuals restrict their meat eating to a couple times per week, while others eschew it almost completely, eating meat a few times a year. Some might even take up the not-so-restrictive practice of partaking in "Meatless Monday."

Personally, I am a so-called "flexitarian." I am not willing to give up meat and meat products, but I make an effort to consume mainly fresh produce, legumes, and whole grains, and to opt for fish/seafood over meat. I do this for both health and ethical reasons. Despite what some crazy Paleo dieters will claim, red meat is still associated with an increased risk for cancer, particularly prostate, and with factory farming and all the terrible things that come with it, it is not safe or ethical to eat mass-produced meat. When I do purchase chicken or red meat, I make sure it's grass-fed and/or organic. However, this is expensive, so cooking with meat and poultry is not a daily occurrence in my kitchen.

Which brings me back to this:

Even if you are a committed carnivore, making a pledge to refrain from meat-eating for just one day of the week can make a significant difference. Here are some of the benefits of partaking in Meatless Monday, according to the site:

Health Benefits:
- reduced risk for cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes

Environmental Benefits:
- reduce your carbon footprint, help reduce fossil fuel dependence

Brief Excursion to Brooklyn

Feeling spontaneous, I made a trip to Williamsburg, Brooklyn yesterday.

You'd never guess this house was in Brooklyn what with the nautical themed glass panel.

I did not go with the intention of having lunch, but I arrived at around 2pm, and wanted to leave around 3pm to beat the insane eastbound rush hour traffic.  I intended to have a bite once home, but when 3pm rolled around and I hadn't had anything but coffee for hours, I was feeling kind of sluggish and knew some form of sustenance was in order. While walking on Bedford Avenue, I happened upon a small, unassuming eatery called Supercore.  What caught my attention was the chalkboard outside proclaiming the lunch specials, in particular, the kimchee tofu. So I stepped inside, ordered the dish to go and was soon on my way. The staff was friendly and the clientele consisted of local hipster types: mainly 20-30 something men of low muscle mass working attentively on their Mac laptops, peeling away from their work here and there to have a bite from their plates.

 My kimchee with tofu:

The dish as you can see came with a generous helping of white rice, which I did not consume. As for what I did eat, the kimchee was pretty good; I am no kimchee connoisseur, but I do generally enjoy it. It was a bit on the sour side. The tofu -- two decent sized blocks underneath the heaping of pickled cabbage -- was plain and its cool simple taste was refreshing. The scallions were delish as always - you cannot go wrong with green onions, they delicately perk up any food with which they're paired.

I'll leave you with a photo of Christmas light-up decorations arranged on modest balcony space:

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens

This recipe was printed in the January 2012 edition of Martha Stewart Living. It is the creation of NYC vegetarian chef Amy Chaplin. Not only is the recipe vegetarian, but it's vegan; it contains no animal products, period. I was initially attracted to the recipe because the accompanying photograph in the magazine depicted a smooth, green soup, but I can assure you that the soup is not only aesthetically pleasing but also tasty and healthy. Cauliflower makes the bulk of the ingredients, as well as other vegetables, garlic, some olive oil for sauteing, and a bunch of delicious dill. The prep and cooking are pretty easy.  Just make sure you have a blender or food processor so you can puree the soup to its final state of creaminess.

Speaking of creaminess, the soup is thick and looks like it was mixed with cream, but it's completely dairy free; its full-bodied texture gives you the contentedness that comes from enjoying a hearty bisque on a cold winter evening sans the guilt.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

sea salt

1 medium head of cauliflower (about 3 lbs), florets and stems cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 to 9 cups)

4 1/2 cups of water

1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

5 large kale or collard leaves, or a combo, tough ends removed and leaves roughly chopped

freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook onion, covered, until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add cauliflower, and pour in water until it reaches just below the top of the cauliflower.

2.  Bring to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of dill. Reduce heat to low and simmer until cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in greens and simmer for 3 minutes.

3.  Let the soup sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of dill. Puree soup in batches in blender or food processor until very smooth, adding more water (about 1/2) if it's too thick. Return to pot and reheat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the bowled soup garnished with dill, black pepper, a drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt.

Mark Bittman's Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup

Tonight I made what has become a favorite once-in-a-while treat at my place: stir-fried chicken with the lovely ketchup, the condiment that my trashy self still can't get enough of despite the evolution of my palate into its current "adult" state. The recipe is simple and so easy to make. The only prep involves slicing the garlic and cutting the chicken into bite-sized chunks. The recipe calls for dark meat, but I have always used breast meat in an attempt to make it more healthy, and I have never found it lacking despite the use of "drier" white meat. In fact, I love this dish, and it's an example of why Mark Bittman is so great. His recipes can be haute or low, but they're always accessible and explained in an unpretentious fashion. This particular recipe is even listed as one of his favorites. According to Bittman, this dish comes from Chinese immigrants living in India, except that there the sauce is made with cauliflower. Pairing it with fried chicken is Bittman's own take on the recipe.

Since I avoid products containing high fructose corn syrup, I used organic ketchup. My favorite is Trader Joe's:

The result is tangy, spicy saucy lightly-fried chicken chunks!  They are great as part of a meal or stuck with toothpicks for a party platter.

Mark Bittman's Stir-Fried Chicken with Ketchup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken in 1/2 to 1-inch chunks

1/2 cup of flour, or more as needed

4 tablespoons of neutral oil, such as canola

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of slivered garlic

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (this can be adjusted according to your preferred level of spiciness; I suggest making it as is the first time around, then tweaking the cayenne next time if you weren't satisfied)

1 cup of ketchup

Preparation:

1.  Toss chicken in flour until the chunks are lightly coated. Put two tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet (nonstick) and turn heat to high. When oil smokes, add the chicken as one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.  When the chicken browns on one side, toss it and cook until the meat is just about done: smaller pieces will take 5 minutes, larger about 10 (depending on how large you cut your chunks). After chicken is cooked through, remove it to a plate. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool for a moment.

3.  Add remaining two tablespoons of oil to the pan and turn heat to medium high. Add garlic and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes (make sure that garlic doesn't burn!) Add the ketchup and stir; cook until ketchup bubbles, then darkens slightly. Return the chicken to the pan and stir to coat with sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve!

Una Hamburguesa

For a while I've been fascinated by the unique offerings of McDonalds' international locations.  Now, I am not a fan of American fast food chains' consuming the world; it pains me to be abroad and feel like I'm basically in America what with the obnoxious presence of McDonalds and the like.  Additionally, I am appalled by the marketing and quality of fast food; it's disgusting to think about what these places have done to the American palate -- not to mention consumer health -- and are now wreaking the same havoc on the rest of the world.  Don't get me wrong - I may be a conscientious eater, but the idea of a big mac makes my mouth water.  I get fast food's appeal; our attraction to it is primal, unthinking.  But I think we should aspire to eat...better.

OK, I could go on forever.  The point of this post was that while in Barcelona, I did NOT consume any McDonalds (OK, I did have a McCafe cappuccino, ugh), but I did get a kick out of checking out the local specials.  Here's what I discovered:

The NYCrispy!  How clever.  It appears to be a bacon cheeseburger of some variety.  I couldn't get much else because the servers behind the counter demanded that we stop snapping pictures.  Maybe they thought we were working for the King, el rei de hamburguesa.

Dessert in Espanya

During our stay in Barcelona, my friend and I decided to devote one day to just meandering around the city, not hunting out tourist destinations and burning out all our energy in doing so. While considering whether to eat at a modest looking restaurant in our hotel's neighborhood, a man who was passing on a motorbike recognized our indecisive looks and gave a thumbs up and pointed toward the restaurant in question. Seeing this as a good sign, we ate lunch at the place which we found to be quiet with a few locals. Our waitress spoke barely any English, and as pretentious as this sounds of me, I really love that. With ever increasing globalization and dominance of the English language, it is a treat for an anglophone tourist to experience being "lost" or linguistically an outsider. But, I digress...

My friend and I took pictures of our desserts, being that they were so prettily carved and elegant in design. It's ice cream shaped as flan with a caramel-almond topping. Who cares that they probably came from a package and rather than handcrafted at the eatery?

Barcelona Bounty: Dining at Paco Meralgo

My best dining experience in Barcelona was at Paco Meralgo, a highly praised restaurant located in the city's L'Eixample neighborhood. This tapas bar has a cool atmosphere -- it is well-lit featuring modern decor with wooden tables and stools, and full of smartly dressed locals (I think we were the only tourists in the place -- more often than not a good sign). On to the delicious food: The patatas bravas. Fried potatoes coated with spicy oil-based sauce:

Baby octopus with candied onions:

Smoked salmon on bread. Many tapas in Spain are prepared on top of a small piece of bread. We were at a "pay as you pick" tapas bar at one point where everything came on top of stale white bread (fried meatballs, anchovies, etc.) Since this was a pretty classy joint, more thought went into the assembly of the platters, and so not everything came with bread. This salmon was reminiscent of one particular New York food, namely lox.

And last but not least, melted brie on bread with a lone olive atop:

Mercat de la Boqueria - Barcelona

During my summer 2011 trip to Barcelona, I had the opportunity to visit the famous marketplace - "Mercat de la Boqueria" - which is located off a crowded, touristy strip of a major road, Las Ramblas.

My pictures are similar to those that most tourists take of the market's fare, but I still think they're pretty neat. I love the fruits packaged with colored spoons. Eye-catching and convenient for a snack while afoot:

Next pic features this cute sangria stand. You can't dine in Spain without having sangria at some point.

While I didn't have any of the wine-fruit punch concoction, I did treat myself to a fruit smoothie. Unfortunately, it looks better than it tasted. Oh well, I had to choose looks over substance when it came to this rich purple color:

colorful smoothies

candy galore

more candy

meats