11 posts tagged “cookery”
last night made an anniversary dinner with J. red peppers stuffed with a mixture of quinoa and goat cheese plus a little crushed garlic and parsley. it was one of the sub-recipes from the big green cookbook. simple ingredients, surprisingly taste bud thrilling results. really, i should expect this of Bittman by now.
quinoa is one of my favorite grains, but i always have a choking moment at the grocery when i see the price tag. each and every time i have to remind myself that it quadruples in size after cooking, so the price isn't so crazy. now that i am cooking it for the correct length of time, i can enjoy its fluffiness and the way the individual seeds pop while chewing. highly delicious.
out of curiosity, i looked up info on its nutritional content, which is supposed to be quite solid.
"Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthy choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights." (wikipedia)
whatever happened to the complete protein? i remember my grandmother harping on me to make sure that i ate both beans and rice with every meal so that i had a complete protein, but she seemed to be the only one concerned.
more research found the following
"Protein needs can easily be met by eating a variety of plant-based foods. Combining different protein sources in the same meal is not necessary." (United States Department of Agriculture)
"Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal." (American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada pdf)
thank goodness. i have enough to do already without worrying about orchestrating special food combinations for every meal.
a-ha!! this Dutch Oven is what i needed to make the smothered beans, leaks, and collards from the Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. i made the greens on their own and they were delicious. i would love to test out the smothered layers of the full recipe.
a delicious sautéed concoction of red onions, broccoli flourettes, sliced garlic cloves, mushrooms, and winter squash smothered with tomato sauce. the veggie mixture was then combined with orzo pasta and topped with parmesan cheese sprinkles.
yum.
the glass jars seem to wash quicker (probably because they can't be scratched and hold onto food like plastic can). if i bring them to work with my lunch, a quick swish of soapy water is all that is needed as a pre-wash so that the jar isn't nasty when i get it home for a proper cleaning.
i just got a moka pot. i await the yif to come to town and experiment with this brewing process.
i finally got around to making yogurt cheese and have now been compulsively making a new batch each day. the process is very simple and after the 24 hour wait you find that you have a round ball of smooth white cheese that tastes like something between cream cheese and goat cheese. i like to mix mine with green onions and cilantro and spread it on multigrain crackers with ripe tomato chunks.
squeezing lemons into my tomato soup. yum.
mmmm.... brie.
j and i got some joan of arc brie
from kroger. they have started putting heavy plastic guards on the side
of the brie wedges which prevent them from sagging out. while this may
make them look more orderly and make the easier to display, it makes it
impossible to tell whether the brie is getting soft!! our brie
selection turned out to be not very soft, and we had little patience
for letting it warm up, so after eating half the wedge we decided to
experimentally microwave the rest to soften it. the results were ok.
we also picked up a can of garbanzo beans, a can of great northern beans (with no pork fat!), some chopped garlic, and a bunch of parsley to make some experimental hummus. i already had lemons, olive oil, sesame seeds, dill, and dried red chilies.
we made one batch that used a can of white beans, 2 tbsp ground sesame seeds, olive oil, half a lemons's juice, several tbsp chopped garlic, a clump of parsley,
and a bunch of dried dill done in the food processor. turned out a
little soupy, but tasty. i think i needed to drain the beans more
carefully.
the second batch used can of garbanzos, 2 tbsp ground sesame seeds, olive oil, more than half a lemon's juice, several tbsp chopped garlic, lots of parsley, and 6 dried chilies (seeds removed) that i had soaked in boiling water until they were soft. this concoction needed more lemon juice than the first, and was slightly drier, so i also used more olive oil. the chilies were perfect. you got the chili flavor and a little kick, but they weren't overwhelmingly hot.
(sadly, none of these are pictures of our actual food because we ate it too voraciously to stop for a photo using my silly camera phone.)
this is my first 'throw all you've got into a pot' type soup. it was an interesting experiment.
i started by dry roasting a couple tablespoons of coriander seed and a couple tablespoons of cumin seeds. then i ground them up useing trevor the coffee mill. heated a little oil, and sauteed black mustard seeds until they started popping, and then added one diced onion, and my dry roasted spices.
while that was going i poured a can of veg stock and a can of diced tomatoes into a big pot. added a bag of frozen veggies and the remnants of a box of macaroni pasta i had been using for kushari. i added the onion mix, and a bunch of water.
then i sauteed a whole head of garlic and then added chopped kale to that and wilted it until it just lost its bitter edge.
started the pot to boiling. threw in a couple scoops of basmati rice. reduced it to a simmer. threw in some butter slices and the kale mix.
much smelling of the concoction to figure out what was missing. added some cayenne pepper, little ground ginger, salt & pepper. and 1 bunch chopped green onions.
bizarre thing, but it is pretty good!
i have been eating a lot of instant oatmeal these days, and i figure: there must be a way to just make this.
and here is it!
3 cups quick-cooking oats
salt
8 small sized zip baggies
- put 1 cup of oats into a food processor and powder it. (if you are using a blender, you will need to blend it 1/2 a cup at a time)
- put the following ingredients into each baggie:
- 1/4 cup unpowdered oats
- 2 tablespoons powdered oats
- pinch of salt
- store in an air-tight container.
then you can add your own flavors, like a little sugar with dried apples and cinnamon.
i like the idea of making your own mixes for things instead of buying them. i don't eat a whole lot of pre-prepared foods, but it would be cool to eat even fewer than the few that i do. maybe even... none!
