Cooking Smarter

Let the oven do the work---
Load up a good baking pan with Greens, seasonings, Fresh Fish- make separate dishes at the same time--
the seasonings will not spread to the other dish- they will stay where they are- unless there is liquid involved.

Tonight I did Fish on a bed of Greens--- one was ARTIC CHAR, and I seasoned with Curry and Sumac, and Salt, and Butter, and Black Cumin Seeds... on the other side I did a bed of greens- with Catfish- seasoned with Za'atar, Salt, Mint, Butter...

Each fish cooked separately- at the same time!! I had a delicious dinner within 20 minutes, and I have dinner or lunch ready for tomorrow.

So easy. So fast. and I got to sit and relax the whole time.

Maseca vs. Areparina

 Maseca is "instant corn masa flour"-- very fluffy and soft, almost feels like sand- very finely ground
Areparina is "precooked corn meal"---feels more dry and gritty but is still very finely ground
ADD warm water- slowly until the dough sticks together into balls, roll out in your palm and flatten into small corn cakes.

 FRY in hot oil until crispy on the outside, don't let them touch because they will stick together.

 Can you guess which is which????
(top Areparina, bottom Maseca)

to eat- you can slice them open and add butter and salt, or you can poke holes in the top and let the butter drip down into the corn cake.

The DIFFERENCE: The Areparina is precooked- so the inside tastes much smoother and light in taste-
The Maseca is more of a true "flour" and has a doughy taste to it.

Both are good, they have their own sweetness to them, even though we did not add any sugar to the flours. The corn has a natural mild, refined flavor.

This is good with Beef- or Chicken- as a side dish for many Colombian Favorites. We like them for breakfast, but you can serve with soup, or even Chili.

Leftovers Makeover

Loaded Leftovers Salad
Avocado
Leftover Tabouli from Mother's Day
Red Onion, diced
Green Onion, sliced
Vinagrette-- Lavendar infused Olive Oil, Regular Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, Black Cumin Seeds, Ground Mustard, Turmeric, Dried Cilantro, Duck Sauce (from Chinese Take Out)--- Yes! it worked great! With my new gadget from KISS THE COOK store in Wimberley- a handheld emulsifier dressing maker. 

Turkey Salad Tacos

I had leftover Turkey Breast for another meal and I didn't know what to do with it. At HEB, I found an avocado dressing which sounded good and I decided to try making a turkey salad tonight.

Turkey, Diced

Red Onion, small juliene

orange sweet baby tomatoes- halved

feta cheese

mint, minced

braeburn apple, diced

salt & pepper

about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the HEB Avocado dressing

and to make the Tacos- I used Multigrain tortillas, 

with a nice slice of avocado on the bottom of the salad. 

Easy & Delicious Dinner!

Pancakes? or Puddingcake

I started off with a glutenfree all purpose baking mix by the brand King Arthur Flour. I was excited because this mix claims to be useful for breads, cookies, pancakes, waffles, etc. Up until this brand- I had only ever used the Bob's Red Mill all purpose glutenfree biscuit mix 

and adapted it to meet my inspirations. 

I love mixes that have everything in them because it can be much less expensive than trying to do it yourself and can be quite versatile. Cheaper, Easier- I'm all for that!

so this is what I did:

1 cup of this all purpose flour is what it called for to make pancakes according to the box...

I sort of followed the box instructions and then I just went off into my own little world-

1/2 cup whipping cream instead of milk

1 egg

1.5 TB melted butter

1.5 tsp vanilla

2 or 3 TB brown sugar

1 generous dash nutmeg

a couple pats of cinnamon

I had to add water because my mixture was so thick.

I got a pan hot- with grassfed butter but what happened was that the fat from the cream , eggs, and butter made the pancake super thick- good flavor, 

but it was more like a bread pudding flavor and consistency. 

It was weird... and I could figure out how to fix it. 

So, today, I tried again- lowered the heat and cooked them longer- 

They are DELICIOUS!!!! and I ate them with grassfed butter and RAW LOCAL HONEY-

I have a little batter left over- and my next try, I'm going to pop them in the oven in a muffin tin 

and see what happens- I want then a little fluffier ? maybe I should have blended the ingredients to fluff them up, I used a spoon to mix. I'd like some air in them...

As a topping for the Pudding Cake- I took a couple drops of the Pomegranate Molasses -

I got at Savory Spice Shop, and drizzled over the honey on the pancake. 

Now the Pomegranate Molasses is sweet, but is extremely BRIGHT and Tangy!!! Not really a syrup, even though you could make into a syrup by adding sugar. I did not add sugar- I just dropped tiny drops onto my pancake as is- to see what would happen. It was potent- 

Also, just a plug on RAW LOCAL HONEY- eat some every day- just a small teaspoonful is fine- put it in your tea, in your smoothies..especially if you are prone to allergies. I've been doing this for a couple years (I do not religiously eat the honey but I try to eat it a little)- and I don't get allergies anymore... is that weird or what? I started to try this a couple years ago, and bought a super fancy honey. Turns out the honey was made in Brazil! So I have no idea why it worked- 

but I have since switched to Texas Honey.

 The theory is that the bees are picking up the pollen from the environment and then when you eat the honey, you are getting micro-doses of the allergens in your environment, and then your body builds up an immunity. 

Taste Buds agree! - its super thick and it actually gets thicker as time goes by- it doesn't need to be refrigerated and it is super creamy and sweet. just a little bit is very sweet. 

Experimenting in the Kitchen

MINT STICKS my thought was if the mint is fresh and delicious- what happens if you put the leftover sticks in hot water, will you get mint water? Not Really. 
I'm sure it gives off some oils and healthful properties, but it really didn't have any flavor at all. 
Some "food waste" like lemon rind and cilantro stems, or even celery leaves- are very useful for using in dishes. For instance the citrus rind can be dehydrated in the oven with sugar and turned into candy.

Tabouli without the tomato, without the lemon (because I didn't have any)

 and using some new spices I bought at SAVORY spice shop.... YUM!!!!

what you see is black cumin seeds being added to my Tabouli.

I used a Bulghur and Red Quinoa Quick Mix, Fresh Parsley, Fresh Mint, Balsamic Vinegar, 

Lavendar infused Olive Oil, and salt and pepper. 

 Red Lentil & Green Pea Mash  not all experiments have happy endings. The taste was good! but the texture was not too exciting to me. it came out clunky and hard to eat. I had a ton of it- so it is going to get blended with some tahini to make a hummus- some fresh lemon juice will pick this up off the ground and give it new life--which is what I was trying to do anyway but ran out of ingredients and time... 

Chickpea salad

YUM- but it's missing something

the chickpeas were made from scratch- so they are extra crunchy- 

but something is missing- maybe more olive oil. 

I used Turmeric, Cucumber, Cilantro, Hot Pepper Vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, and Za'atar - 

which is another spice I found at Savory. Its a curry. 

The flavors were good- and it is super fresh and crunchy. I haven't put my finger on what its missing- but maybe some more veggies, like artichoke hearts and fresh lime juice. It marinated over night in the sauce and I think that really helped it a lot.

Other random easy experiments:

A turkey sandwich - oven roasted thin slices, mild slice of cheese (havarti), on Toasted bread --

spread the bread pieces with Honey

Turkey sandwich-- oven roasted turkey, bacon strips, sharp white cheddar (sliced) or Brie, on toasted seeded bread--

quince preserve on the bread

happy experimenting!!!

Fava

I've only ever really eaten this in Colombia- when I've visited. I love these beans in soups and stews and even roasted as nuts, but I don't see them very often here in recipes. They are extremely tough and need to be pre-soaked- at least a full 24 hours- then they need to be cooked for a good hour- at least. But once they are cooked, they are so creamy and delicious.

This soup is delicious and takes all morning . I made it for an Easter celebration- and I had about three or four hours cooking- I served with Fresh cilantro Chopped up small- Fresh Avocado, and Fresh White Rice. And a good hot sauce. All these elements can be added as each person wishes to make a perfect tasting soup. If you eat dairy - you might try adding a dollop of mexican cream- (just a drop)- to give it a nice creamy touch. This is a typical way to eat soup in colombia with many add-ins served at the table to personalize the soup. 

Greens Galore

Greens are always good and so simple to make in an oven- or even a toaster oven- especially a toaster oven that can go to high heats because since it is so small- it almost acts as a broiler and an oven- the tops of the greens become charred and crispy while the bottom portion of the dish roasts nicely.

All you need is to toss lightly in a good oil like try walnut oil, or flaxseed oil, or even avocado oil- salt lightly, if desired, and add any other seasonings that you wish- lightly over top-
and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes on a heat of at least 350- ideally 400-

Now the Swiss Chard- which is what this picture is of- will have two different textures- the leaves and the stems- That is okay- they can cook at the same time- but they have completely different textures. If you like your stems more soft- then make sure they are up on top of the leaves- so they will receive the direct heat from the top of the oven- unless your oven is convection in which case- that will not work-

If you prefer your greens more soft, you can simply drizzle a bit of water- like 1/4 cup in with the greens- the water will heat up and evaporate creating steam- and this will wilt the greens more-

also, the way you chop the greens will affect the cook time- If you leave it in big sheets- it will not cook the same as if you chop it into bite sizes- because the surface area is different. Cutting through the fibrous leaves with a knife and tossing before cooking will greatly impact the quality of the dish after it is cooked. and its much easier to serve ready to go.

Different Greens cook differently- but they all SHRINK. So you can load up your pyrex dish- or aluminum pan with greens- it can be a big mountain of greens. NO problem. they will shrink in size.
the pieces that stick out the top will get charred and crispy from the oven heat. this adds dimension to the dish.

Don't overcook- and keep an eye on them so they don't burn . Yes- they go from perfect to burnt in just a few minutes once they reach their point of doneness. It varies slightly depending on whether it is kale or spinach or swiss chard, or bok choy- - I tend to feel that Kale has to go in the oven for the longest- but I tend to like my vegetables crisp, light, and airy.... not soggy and weighed down.

about 40 minutes is ideal-
if you are making Chips and using more oil- you need to be careful they don't burn.

happy greens!

Eating the Earth

I love to work with items from scratch so if I'm going to make a stew or a soup, I start at the beginning. If I don't have all day, I may start with a good quality low salt stock, ideally vegetable, chicken, or beef.

For this stew in picture, I was going for a really Earthy flavor... it was the fall and I wanted something warm and comforting.

I started with sauteeing the onions and garlic (fresh)- then adding the liquid- If I had hours to spend- I would use little bits of vegetables that could be cooked down into a flavorful broth- or I could even use bones from a whole chicken or turkey- (the bones give off incredible depth of flavor and are incredibly nutritious) 

The beans are best done from scratch- which requires that you soak them the night before and then cook them for at least an hour the next day. Fresh beans have such a nice crunch to them- and you have so much control over how much you cook them. Beans in cans are usually very mushy- which is fine if you are in a hurry, but don't underestimate the power of fresh.

The herbs I used in this stew were a mixture of dried and fresh---- I love Herb de Provence, I love Rosemary- dried and fresh. I love Fresh Thyme.

My rule of thumb is- if it is going to cook long- use dry--- and then when you are almost done- throw in the minced fresh herbs- or use as a garnish after it is served. Certain herbs need to be fresh, like cilantro- unless of course you get the dried cilantro which is better for cooking soups and sauces and things that require a longer cook time. Don't use fresh cilantro in a long cooking item- the flavors will leech out of the cilantro and you will be left with wilted stringy pieces---- it's not that you cannot do it, its that the best part of the cilantro is the FRESH kick, and the flavor profile- which is ideal when freshly chopped or thrown into a salad. It doesn't do well in cooked stews and things- unless added in later in the cooking process.

In this stew in the picture, I definitely used DRIED CUMIN  which reminds me of home. I don't know what that even means, but the spice makes me feel like I'm connected to a place in my ancestry that is really comfortable. That makes sense to me because I am part Colombian and cumin is a spice they use a lot.

I think it is interesting to try and figure out what spices really call to you- and to cook from the soul.

Recreating Thai Rendang

I've been searching for the recipe to Rendang and so far I know it has :

brown sugar
lemon grass
thai red chiles
garlic
onion
galangal (ginger)
coconut milk

The packet I bought somewhere had everything ready to go- with some "flavors" added to it- so I want to learn how to make this from scratch so the hidden ingredients will no longer be an issue, and I'd like to subtract the brown sugar to see if I can sweeten with just the food that I cook it with- Mango?

Tonight, I made a pepper dish, using Red, Orange, and Green peppers, Basil, Cashews, and sweet plantain- then I poured the Rendang sauce that I had bought- and roasted this in the oven...

It was spicy! and I liked the Sweet Plantain with the thai red chile taste-

So now I'm searching for how to do different variations of this sauce from scratch.

I LOVE THAI FOOD!

It is by far my favorite food and I think its because there are so many flavors in thai food- and there is a lot of spice used. I love the sweet and spicy mixture and I find it very adventurous and also very soothing at the same time.

I dream of going to Thailand... one of these days. I imagine trying all the different things throughout the country- maybe a culinary tour :)

Tuscan Beauty

I like to do things in such a way as to optimize my time, my equipment, and experience. Sometimes that means laboring over a dish until it is perfect, adding elements to make it exquisite on every level. But sometimes, it means letting the oven do all the work.

I bought natural Turkey patties that were not treated with hormones, or antibiotics and were already portioned out- and when I got home, I had a brilliant idea- what happens if I roast the Tuscan Kale that I had bought at Trader Joe's simultaneously while cooking the turkey patties - truly letting the oven do all the work.

So I did...

First, I rendered the bacon fat that I collect from the bacon I buy which is NO nitrates, NO nitrites, NO hormones, NO antibiotics. This bacon gives off a lot of fat when it is cooked in the oven and I retain that for cooking later on. It adds delicious flavor and you don't need a lot at all.

In a deep dish cooking pan, I rendered the bacon grease- so that I could coat the pan-

Then I took the precut Tuscan Kale and made a pillow of green goodness- I didn't add anything- NO salt- No pepper- No nothing. Just the Kale-

On top of the kale, I put the Turkey patties- like making a puzzle- and then in between the burgers, I layered a few strips of bacon.

At 350 degrees, in the oven, this was all going to cook together- the flavors would infuse into each other as they cooked- allowing me to cook with virtually nothing other than the fat from the meats themselves.

And it takes a good 35 minutes- which gives me time to do something else while I wait. So I did a little computer stuff- but then I had an idea- I was going to prepare the bun for the burger-

I got Onion Rolls from HEB which I thought would be tastier than regular Burger Buns, and because I did not want 8 burger buns! I wasn't going to eat that many burgers- what a waste of money.

I bought pickled jalapenos in a tiny pack- and Organic Sharp Cheddar cheese slices. and Avocado.

When the bacon was ready- I layered the jalapeno and the bacon under the slice of cheese- and toasted the Roll in my toaster oven. The cheese melted and sealed in the extra pieces.

(I do not use microwave ovens- I gave up on that about 3+ years ago. I only use real heat... which is why I like the oven and toaster oven so much)

Once the burgers were ready- what happened is that some of the tuscan kale seemed like a perfect addition to my burger creation.  and a couple slices of Avocado.

if you keep the pit in the avocado when you store in the fridge- it won't turn brown

So what ended up happening is that I had the salty from the roll and the cheese and the bacon, the hot and tangy from the jalapeno, the creamy from the avocado- and the delicious crunchy goodness of the kale- surrounding a perfectly lean and clean turkey patty.

It was really satisfying - Not in a way that makes you feel gross afterwards because you stuffed yourself silly... and it was just a great mixture of flavors, nutrition, and pleasure.

This is how I like to cook- clean and also pleasurable. I like to feel clear in my conscience about what I'm eating- and that doesn't mean,  I don't occasionally have the diet soda- or the chips--- but it means I try to be good to myself and the people I love. I want to give something good... Not loading up on junk, and also not depriving anyone of everything that is delicious. There has to be a balance.

I believe you have to find a happy medium between striving and relaxing--

This burger, which I'll call the Tuscan Beauty inspired me to create other burger ideas...

but the next day, all I could dream about was another burger- and I had all the ingredients ready to go because I had made more than ONE in my cooking-

Its always smart to cook more and have left overs- it takes just as much work to make one burger as it does to make 4. And I've had the turkey burgers for lunch and dinner in different ways. Sometimes you want something fancy to eat... something original...sometimes you are busy working and you just need to nourish your body with something powerful and good -

I cook with both moods in mind. and I am sometimes amazed at how connected cooking makes me feel to life... whether its just chopping a mushroom... or making a sauce...

Where does the mushroom come from? Who picked it? What is that person's life like?

I am connected to other people who take care of me- who don't know my name- but who have provided this food.

I believe I am connected to a God that sees all these details and doesn't forget my name and my personality. I'm not a drop in the ocean, I am a drop-

Somehow the beauty of food really connects me to nature- how vast- how beautiful- how immeasurable...

I dream of gardening when I cook- of being a farmer-
I dream of traveling and meeting grandmothers in other countries who will tell me their secret recipes-

I dream-

and I live-

Why is it called Tuscan Kale?

I have to discover new things when I cook- I have to know...