recipes

Wed 11 Jan 2012

Broiled Mustard Fish

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Don’t know what to make for dinner tonight? Try this easy weeknight fish recipe. I really liked the browned areas of mustard atop the filet.

Broiled Mustard Fish
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Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 7 mins
Serves: 1+
Ingredients:
  • 1 (or however many you’d like to make) filet of fish
  • Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 lemon per filet
  • salt
  • pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat the broiler to low.
  2. Place fish filets on a piece of foil and fold up edges of foil so you can catch all the juice in the foil. Place on a baking sheet.
  3. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over each filet. Spread about 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard evenly over each filet.
  4. Place on the top rack of the oven closest to the broiler and broil for approximately 5 minutes, until fish is cooked all the way through. The mustard on top should also be browned.

 

Posted by carrie under fish , main dishes , recipes
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Fri 6 Jan 2012

Falafel

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I’d always shied away from making falafel from scratch and used the powdered mix instead because I figured it would be a pain in the ass to make. What a mistake! It turns out falafel from scratch is way easier to make than I expected… And way tastier than the mix. Who knew?

Falafel
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Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 1/2 onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt (depends on if you use fresh or canned beans)
Directions:
  1. If you’re starting with canned beans then drain, rinse & drain your beans. If you’re starting with home cooked beans just drain them. Throw them in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chop the chickpeas. Remove to a bowl.
  2. Add the onion to the food processor and pulse to mince. Add to the bowl with the chickpeas.
  3. Add the garlic to the food processor and pulse to mince. Add to the bowl with the chickpeas.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix everything together using your hands. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  5. Form golf ball sized chunks of the dough into patties. Pan-fry in a small amount of oil until both sides are browned. You can also deep fry them. Don’t think about baking them because they won’t get the nice browned color.
  6. A tahini sauce makes a nice accompaniment. To make this mix 1 Tablespoon tahini with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Add water until you get a pourable consistency. This is easiest to make in the food processor.
Notes:

I made this on a day I happened to also make chickpeas from scratch. If you only have canned chickpeas just substitute one 15-ounce can.

Also if you don’t have a food processor you can mash the chickpeas with a potato masher and just mince the onion & garlic by hand.

 

Posted by carrie under appetizers , beans , main dishes , recipes
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Wed 4 Jan 2012

Dal

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I’ve made this dal so many times I can practically make it in my sleep. It is a great addition to any Indian meal. It is also easy to make. This version is a medium spice level so if you don’t like spice lower the amount of cayenne (or leave it out all together). Dal can be soupy or stiff. As you can see in the picture this is a soupy dal. Cook it down a little more if you’d prefer a less soupy dal.

Dal
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Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup dal – I used split red lentils (aka masoor dal). Moong dal are also really good, however, they will take longer to cool. For those of you wondering what dal means it is basically any split lentil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1 slice fresh ginger, about 1″ in diameter
  • 1/2 Tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
Directions:
  1. Combine dal with 2 1/2 cups water, garlic, ginger, turmeric and cayenne. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes (for masoor dal) to 1 1/2 hours (for moong dal). Once cooked add lemon juice and salt.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot add cumin & mustard seeds. Cook for 30 seconds, or until the seeds become fragrant. Immediately pour over dal & serve. Be careful as the oil can sputter when you pour it into the dal.

 

Posted by carrie under beans , main dishes , recipes
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Mon 19 Dec 2011

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Ginger is one of my favorite spices. I love ginger tea, gingerbread, ginger snaps, basically everything ginger! Unlike gingers naps these cookies are chewy and soft. Perfect for the holidays.

Chewy Ginger Cookies
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Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
This makes about 2 dozen soft and chewy ginger cookies.
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup light-tasting oil
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/4 cup milk (I like almond)
  • 1 cup brown sugar, loose & not packed firmly
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda and spices in a large bowl. Mix well until spices are evenly distributed.
  3. Combine oil, molasses, milk and brown sugar in a large glass measuring cup. Mix well.
  4. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Drop by Tablespoons onto the cookie sheet.
  5. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet 3 minutes then transfer to a rack so they can finish cooling.
Notes:

Molasses is much easier to get out of measuring spoons & cups if you first coat the spoon/cup with oil.

 

Posted by carrie under desserts , recipes
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Sun 18 Dec 2011

Thai Red Curry Paste

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Thai curry paste is a great ingredient to have around for weeknight recipes. This Thai curry paste is easy to make with a mini food processor. The fragrance and taste are so much fresher than the red paste from a jar. Later this week I’ll show you how to use the curry paste to make a coconut milk-based Thai curry.

This curry paste does require some lemongrass. I used to buy it at the grocery store, however, it is very expensive and not that fresh. I found a lemongrass plant at the store and decided to try it at home to see how it would grow. It did fantastic! I don’t water it or anything.

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My lemongrass plant

Thai Red Curry Paste
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Prep time: 25 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Add another 5 chiles if you like your curry paste super hot!
Ingredients:
  • 15 chiles de árbol
  • 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 stalks lemongrass
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
  • 1/4 cup chopped shallots
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped ginger
  • zest from one lime
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
  1. Take the stems off the chiles and shake out some of the seeds. Cover the chiles with hot water and let soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients (or about 20 min).
  2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add coriander and cumin and let toast for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  3. Remove any dead leaves and roots from the lemongrass stalks. I used about 6-8″ of the bottom part of the stalks. Chop as finely as you can as the food processor will probably have a difficult time breaking down the fibers.
  4. Drain chiles and combine with all ingredients in the food processor. Add 2 Tablespoons water. Pulse for 5 minutes, continuously wiping down the sides, until the mixture becomes a paste. Pack into a jar and use within a month.

 

Posted by carrie under recipes
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