Rhubarb Berry Pie

A colleague gave me some fresh rhubarb, a plant I'd neither cooked with or tasted before. So what to do? Make pie!

Recipe from here.

Ingredients

• 2 deep dish pie crusts (we used Marie Calander's, because they were the only vegetarian ones at the store. If you're veg, make sure you read labels and don't buy the ones with lard in them.)
• 3 c. rhubarb, chopped (just the stalks; you don't need to peel them)
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 c. mixed frozen berries (you can thaw them in the microwave)
• a little milk (for brushing)

Methodology

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Put one pie tin on a baking sheet (if you want; this is really unnecessary and done to make putting it in the oven easier). Put the other out to thaw.

2. Mix rhubarb, sugar, spices, and flour. Thaw the berries in the microwave, cut up any really big ones, and mix them in until everything looks like pie mix (no loose flour, etc.).

3. Fill pie crust. Flatten the other pie crust and use it to cover the first; pinch edges and poke some holes in the top. Brush top with milk, sprinkle with sugar, and put in in oven for 1 hour. After ~30 minutes, take it out and cover the edges with tin foil.

Notes

*Delicious. 0/7.

Korean Vegetable Stir Fry with Pasta

A lot of the recipes I post here are things I've come up with knocking around in the kitchen with veggies to use up. This one is not only not mine, but almost entirely unaltered (well, a few changes, but not many). I'm posting it here mostly to help myself keep track of it, since it was delicious.

Original from the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen, found here.

Ingredients

• 1/4 box (2 servings) whole wheat pasta
• 2 oz. baked Thai-style tofu (it comes pre-made with peanut sauce on it) cut into bite-sized pieces.
  
• 1 T. dark soy sauce mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• ~1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 yellow summer squash and 1/2 zucchini, halved and sliced into half moons.
  
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• handful matchstick carrots
  
• one bok choy, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons gochujang
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon brown
  
• ~1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Methodology

1. Start water boiling and cook the pasta. I broke it in half before I cooked it. Whatever, it's pasta. When it's done, drain and set aside.

2. Mix the red ingredients and set them in a dish with the tofu. When you're done chopping the veg, cook the tofu in a large pan until brown on one side, then flip. Add in most of the sauce. After a few more minutes, remove and set aside (you can put it with the pasta); not all of the sauce had boiled away yet.

3. Add the squash, onion, zucchini, and carrots to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until they start to soften. Add the rest of the veg plus the garlic and about 1/4 c. water and cook until everything is starting to soften and the bok choy is wilting a little. Mix the green ingredients and pour over the veg, then add in the pasta and the tofu and mix it all together, stirring until everything is heated.

4. Eat while reading The Corpse in the Koryo[1] by James Church. Get small flecks of gochujang paste on the pages. Feel this is somehow appropriate.

Notes

*Needs more tofu. I only used the one piece because it was left over from the week's salads, and everything else was frozen. The baked tofu came out quite nicely, though I think regular tofu would also have been fine.

*0/7 on the disaster scale. Delicious. Also not bad for the clean-up, despite the number of dishes used - the longer veg cook time gave me time to do the dishes mid-project.

*Excellent pre-race fuel.

*[1]: Fact for the day: the word Korea comes from the name Koryo, which in turn comes from Goryeo (Goguryeo), which was the most powerful of the 3 kingdoms which ruled the area we now call Korea in the 5th century CE. Koreans call their land Chosen, the land of morning calm. (How nice does that sound? I want to visit Korea now.)

*I picked up the gochujang paste at a little Korean grocery store (on South Park street). It was fairly cheap ($4.99 for a big tub) and it keeps forever; plus, I hadn't realized until I bought it that I'd been missing the taste. 很好吃！I totally recommend hanging around Asian groceries anyway, because they tend to be family-run (and so need support), and the food is often much cheaper than at big chain stores, plus it's not just Asian food that they sell. Also they sometimes have really neat stuff (this one had radish kim chi, so I bought some of that). So let me end this by encouraging you to check out your local Asian grocery store. Yay.

Of Brownies and Bribes

The first rule is, when you don't know how to do something, get a book from the library.

The second rule is, when that doesn't work, bribe one of your brothers until he does it.

This bribe took the form of brownies. I made them from a box because I'd heard that you could do this. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit to having tried it, and more embarrassed that it worked.

Ingredients

• a box of brownie mix. I used Betty Crocker because it was the cheapest and lowest calorie. I never make brownies from mixes, so I don't really have a preferred brand or anything.
• about 12 oz diet Coke
• a pan, greased
  

Methodology

1. Preheat the oven as directed on the box.

2. Put the mix in a bowl. Add coke until it is mixed to the right consistency. Do not add eggs, oil, or water.

3. Put the brownies in a pan and bake according to the instructions on the box. This went so fast my oven didn't preheat completely, so it took about 30 minutes as opposed to the 25 the box suggested, so keep an eye on it.

Notes

*These are sweet, and not very brownie-like. They taste a lot like vegan chocolate pudding cake (a delicious treat which, if you have vegan friends and you have not tried it, I suggest you force them to make it for you, since they are obviously holding out on you). The sweetness may be a problem for some people. However, it doesn't taste like nutrisweet (or whatever Diet Coke is sweetened with these days), which is a plus.

*The caloric content is equal to whatever the unmade mix was, since Diet Coke has no calories to add. Mine was 1 brownie = 100 calories. This was great to know, because I ate about 5.

*Did I mention I was really hungry after aikido for some reason?

*My youngest brother, for whom the bribe was prepared, seemed to like it, though he only ate two. I served it with whipped cream - maybe better with vanilla ice cream or frozen yoghurt?

*Anyway, 1/7 on the disaster index, losing a point for not actually being brownies. I wouldn't, for example, bring them to a pot luck if I were trying to maintain my reputation. But delicious to have at home.

Sushi Weekend

Last Saturday, with Claire in Minnesota, my brothers and I decided to have a night in. So I decided to try making sushi.

Recipes adapted from sushiday.com, a fantastic site for all your sushi needs.

Ingredients

• 2 c. Japanese sushi rice
• 2 c. water
• 8 T. rice vinegar
• 7 T (minus 1 tsp.) sugar
• 6 sheets sushi nori
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cucumber, cut into strips
  
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
  
• some neufchatel or cream cheese
• mung bean sprouts
• matchstick carrots
• Sushi rolling mat

Methodology

1. Cook the rice in the water. Mix the vinegar and sugar and microwave or heat on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. When rice is cooked, spread it in pans (we used pie plates) to cool and pour the vinegar/sugar mixture over it. You can stick it in the fridge if you want.

2. Put the nori on the rolling mat and place a little more than 1/2 c. of rice on the nori. Spread it out in a thin layer, leaving about a 1" strip of seaweed uncovered at the far end. At the end near you, place your selected fillings on the rice - combinations include pepper and cream cheese; avocado and cucumber; avocado, cucumber, and cream cheese; cucumber and cream cheese; mung bean sprout and carrot...you get the idea.

3. Roll the sushi away from you using the mat. Cut it into pieces. Eat it with soy sauce and wasabi.

Notes

*Mung bean sprout and carrot was the least successful combination. But they all got eaten. In fact, all the sushi was eaten, though my feeling was that this was just enough sushi for 3 people.

*This looks intimidating, but it's actually really easy.

*1/7 on the disaster scale (points docked for the absurd amount of leftovers I had to deal with afterwards - not leftover sushi, just leftover avocado, pepper, cucumber, and what have you. I am a little nonplussed about that.)

Vegetable and White Bean Soup, or As You Like It

A typical sort of end-of-the-week soup.

Ingredients

• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets, stem peeled and chopped
• 1 summer squash, halved and chopped
• 1/2 sweet potato, chopped
• a handful of baby carrots, chopped
  
• 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 mushrooms (crimini), halved and sliced or quartered
• 1 15-oz. tin canellini beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 2.25 bouillon cubes
• ~4 c. water
• 1.5 tsp garam marsala
• about 1 tsp chopped garlic
  
• chili powder and cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
  

Methodology

1. Put water in a pot with bouillon and some garlic. Bring water to a boil and put in sweet potato, broccoli, and carrots. Let them boil until somewhat tender and add beans, mushrooms, bell pepper, and squash.

2. Add seasoning and taste. When sweet potatoes are cooked, the whole thing is pretty much done. Serve with toast.

Notes

*Eating this directly after a 6-mile run, I was so hungry I burned my tongue. The soup was good, but nothing fantastic - certainly not really anything to blog about. But today, eating the leftovers for lunch, I find that it has become a fantastic, spicy dish. The beans start to disintegrate and thicken the broth. So I recommend making this a day ahead. Also it uses a minimal number of pots and there's not much clean-up. Hurrah.

*Can probably be done with whatever veg you have lying around - I'd recommend bak choi, maybe some spinach. Tomatoes might be nice, too. I didn't have any.

*3/7 on the disaster scale.

Sweet "Asian" Salad Dressing Mk. II

A variation of this. It actually seems dumb to call this Asian Salad Dressing because I've never really had salad in Asia (exception: Thai papaya salad). Though I did frequent one restaurant which occasionally made stir-fried lettuce. Hm.

Ingredients

• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 T. kecap manis
• 2 T. rice vinegar
• a few blobs of Sri Racha sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• a sprinkling of dried ginger

Methodology

1. Put ingredients in a jar. Cap jar and shake. Serve over salad.

Chinese Peanut Noodles with Gingered Vegetables

I've had China on my mind lately. (Claire pointed out that I always have China on my mind, so perhaps it would be more accurate to say I've had Chinese food on my mind.) This recipe isn't really Chinese, or at least it's not like anything I had in China, but it is delicious. Get your mates to help you cut stuff up, because it takes forever.

Adapted from here.

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce:

• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
  
• 2 to 3 tbsp stock
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp chili oil

Noodles recipe:

• 1 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 8 ounces broccoli, tops cut into florets, stems peeled, cut into
  thin strips
• a bunch of small carrots cut into matchsticks
  
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 medium zucchini
• 1/ medium size summer squash
  
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
  
• 10 ounces Chinese tofu
  
• ~ 8 oz. buckwheat noodles (soba, e.g.)
• 1 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts

Tofu marinade

• 1 T. soy sauce
• 2 T. water
• 1/2 T. garlic oil

Methodology

1. Make tofu marinade in shallow dish. Blot tofu dry, slice into 1/2" thick "steaks" and put in marinade. Set aside. Make peanut sauce and set aside. Put water on to boil. Chop veggies.

2. Cook the tofu until brown, then flip and brown the other side. Set aside, retaining marinade. Put the ginger in the wok with about 1 T. of sesame oil. After a few minutes, add the broccoli and carrots and stir fry until almost cooked. Add the other veg, the cooking wine, and the tofu marinade. When cooked, add the tofu and stir until everything is warm. Cook pasta.

3. Drain pasta and put in a bowl. Mix in the peanut sauce, then put the veg on top. Top with peanuts.

Notes

*There wasn't really enough ginger in this, despite the fact that I cut up too much. Maybe it needs to be sliced smaller? I guess I chopped it kind of roughly. But the peanut sauce was extremely delicious and made up for the lack of ginger.

*It could use more chili oil or maybe some hot pepper. Something to give it a little more of a kick.

*2/7. Also it used a lot of dishes. Oh man.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Good for the vegetarians, too...bless them... (Gordon Ramsay)

I came home from work an hour later than usual. The cats were in a strop, and I'd missed my afternoon snack, so I was about ready to kill something with my bare hands for sustenance. Plus it was a lovely day out, and a very primal part of my brain was insisting that I should go out for a jog right the hell now.

What can you make in a hurry which is also very delicious? Broccoli soup! Recipe from Gordan Ramsey[1].

Ingredients

• 2 small heads of broccoli, chopped into florets
• 1 small baby bok choy, chopped
• water
• seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder)

Methodology

1. Boil water. Put in broccoli and bok choy, season, and boil for about 4-5 minutes.

2. When tender, put in the blender or cuisinart with a cup or two of the water you boiled it in and blend until smooth. Add more seasonings (about 1-2 tsp salt and pepper, 1/2 T garlic powder, a bit of cumin).

3. Serve with a little cheese grated on top - I used Irish Kerrygold "Dubliner" cheese, but cheddar would also be nice.

Notes

1. Gordon Ramsey has recently been in the news (well, on food blogs) because he has a new cookbook (he's been on some chat shows of late), and a show on Fox where he yells at stupid people. I haven't watched the show, but I'm in favour of yelling at stupid people. So apparently he used to have a show in the UK called "Gordon Ramsay Makes it Simple", which involved less yelling and more being adorable (see here). Anyway, I found the video of the soup on YouTube and had to try it.

2. It worked well, was super fast (I was out the door for my run by 19:00) and quite delicious. Serve with bread. 0/7.

3. Here's another Ramsay article, in case you are interested in him like I apparently am.

ETA:

4. Do not put curry powder in this dish, no matter how cool you happen to think curried broccoli soup might be. It's not a good idea.

Thai-style Ichiro's Rice

Who was Ichiro? My hypotheses aside, the rice dish that bears his name is an excellent way to use up leftover rice. And since I wanted curry, I changed it up a little bit.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. tofu, marinated and cooked
• 1 baby bok choy
• 1 sweet potato
• 1/2 summer squash
• 2 dried crimini mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a trickle of oil
• 1 tin coconut milk (I used "lowfat organic", but I recommend the one that says "nuoc cot dua" or "coconut cream" for maximum goodness)
• 4 tsp. red Thai curry paste
• about 1 T. brown sugar
• about 1 T. of the marinade from the tofu (see above)
• leftover brown rice, about 3/4 c. (or however much you have)
• a sprinkling of ginger and cumin
  

Methodology

1. Heat garlic and mushrooms in a deep pan with oil (maybe a tablespoon or two, not much). When they sizzle, add the curry paste and the coconut milk. Heat until it boils, then add the veggies. Cover, stirring occasionally.

2. When the sweet potato is cooked, add in the brown sugar, the rice, and a bit of the marinade. You may also want to add some salt. Cut the "steaks" of tofu into bite-sized pieces and add those, too.

3. When everything is warm, taste and add a sprinkling of ginger and cumin. You may want to add more sugar or salt as well. It's done! Enjoy!

Notes

*I recommend serving with Sri Racha sauce and sweet chili sauce on top. If you use the lowfat coconut milk, this has very few calories. Actually, it probably doesn't have that many even if you use coconut cream. So go all out.

*0/7. This was delicious, and an excellent way to use some vegetables.

Thai-style Tofu Marinade

Recipe adapted from the Chicago Sun-Times, so probably not the most Thai thing ever.

Ingredients
(quantities approximate for some stuff)

• 1/4 c. warm water
• 1 T. sesame oil
• 1 T. dark soy sauce
• 1/2 T. brown sugar
• ~1/2 tsp. Sri Racha sauce
• ~1/2 tsp. cumin
• ~1/2 tsp. corriander
• ~1 clove garlic, chopped
• ~1 tsp. lemon juice

Methodology

1. Mix everything together.

2. Cut tofu into "steaks" approximately 1/2" thick and put in marinade. Leave in the refrigerator until time to cook.

3. Cook and use in whatever dish. I recommend browning them over high heat in a not-too-oily pan.

Notes

*I liked the tone the sesame oil gave it. Needs to be stronger. 3/7.