Raw Cauliflower Salad... with a tangy vinaigrette.

Raw Cauliflower Salad... with a tangy vinaigrette. When it comes to salads, I have to admit that I mainly stick to simple salads. Normally, I fluctuate between leafy lettuce or cabbage... and adding the usual suspects, onion, cucumber, and tomatoes. Sometimes, I'll look through my fridge and add that lone boiled egg, or a handful of seeds or nuts to go right along with the rest of the ingredients. At other times, I may add other bits and pieces of veggies that I may have around as well... such as cauliflower, celery or carrots. It's funny how oftentimes the "small" salad I originally intend to make... well, all of a sudden becomes this gigantic bowl of veggies:).

In any case, the other day, I had finished all the shredded cabbage I had in the fridge, and as there was no leafy lettuce around, I decided to use the cauliflower I had... and of course, used my usual "technique" of adding a few other ingredients I had in the fridge:). And you know what? The result was delicious.  

When it comes to using both cabbage and cauliflower in salads, you'll notice they both need quite a bit of acidity... they absorb it quickly(especially so if the salad sits overnight). You'll need to increase the acidity in the vinaigrette ... more so than you would otherwise add to a regular leafy salad. I prefer most times to use vinegar, but every so often will change things up a bit and add some lemon juice as well. 

While I ended up making this salad with ingredients I had in the house, you can easily be creative and use vegetables you prefer... or omit any you don't care for. 

Using cauliflower as the base of a salad is a wonderful idea, not only is it delicious, but it provides wonderful texture. As a bonus, the salad keeps well... even when made ahead. And because it has a tangy flavor, it can enhance many meaty dishes by cutting through their fat... from BBQ meats, braised meats, sausages, fried chicken and the likes.

The salad is also wonderful on its own... quite refreshing and filling!

Because I loved this salad, I thought to share it, in case you are looking for a different sort of salad to make... or you need a salad/side dish bring to a gathering that's mostly free of allergens. If you really want to make a meal of it, try adding some cooked beans, mungbeans, barley, chickpeas, etc.  Hope you enjoy... 

Tip: You can easily add in some pomegranate arils... and add a tablespoon or 2 of pomegranate molasses to the dressing. Feel free to use other herbs of choice... mint would be a good one. Lots of other vegetables would be good... fennel, cucumber, radishes, etc.

Note: Any type of dressing will work quite well, so feel free to use your favorite. I simply used what I had on hand.

You will need:

1/2 head(3 cups) cauliflower, diced

1 small bunch(1/2 cup) parsley, chopped

1 cup red bell pepper, diced

2 (1/2 cup) celery ribs, diced

5 thin(1/2 cup) green onion, chopped 

1/3 cup sliced almonds(can use other nuts or seeds of choice)

Dressing

3 TBS meyer lemon juice (can use regular lemons, but adjust amount to taste)

1 TBS white balsamic vinegar

2-3 TBS olive oil, can use a nut oil if desired

1/2 tsp spicy sesame oil, optional

3/4-1 tsp salt, or to taste

pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prep all ingredients and set aside.

2. Make vinaigrette by whisking all the dressing ingredients together until mixed thoroughly.

3. In a large bowl toss vegetables together and add  the vinaigrette. Mix until evenly coated. Adjust taste and mix in almonds.

4. Pile salad in a clean bowl and serve straightaway... or allow salad to sit and absorb the dressing. The salad will get less tangy as the cauliflower absorbs the dressing. Also, the salad can be made ahead as it keeps well.... just mix in almonds before serving.

Romanian Oven-Roasted Cabbage... "Varza La Cuptor"

Romanian Oven-Roasted Cabbage... "Varza La Cuptor"... This cabbage dish has become one of my new favorites in the last few weeks. I've made it multiple times... and never got tired of it:).

What I love most about it is that it uses real basic ingredients, resulting in a dish I can eat for days. Funny thing is that I love it cold out of the fridge as well! I know...

Now, this dish has roots to my Romanian heritage. It was a dish made often in our home while growing up. Since my mom always had homemade sauerkraut in the house, she would make this dish using only fermented  cabbage...whole cabbage heads which she sliced thinly....  and she really didn't add any fresh cabbage like I do. But since I don't always have a barrel of sauerkraut on hand, I opt to "fill in" the sauerkraut amount with fresh cabbage and add some lemon juice to make up for some of the acidity sauerkraut imparts to the dish. 

But what I really like, is that on a whim, when I crave this dish, I can make it with just an 18 oz container of store-bought fermented sauerkraut... and a raw head of cabbage. Now I found a particular brand for sauerkraut(Wildbrine) that tastes exactly like the sauerkraut I grew up with... so that's what I used here. However, I've also used jarred Bubbies brand sauerkraut as well... without the garlic and dill flavor. 

If you like anything caramelized... onions especially, you might enjoy this dish. The cabbage in this dish bakes and releases wonderful aromas and tantalizing caramelized flavors. While you can add all sorts of other ingredients to the dish... I love it in its simplicity- cabbage, sauerkraut and onion. 

I am always amazed when simple ingredients produce a dish that's complex in flavors. In the end, the roasted cabbage should have a "dry" consistency... without any liquid lingering in the dish. 

Romanians love to pair this dish with sausages, fried pork chops and roast duck. A side of freshly made polenta usually completes the meal. I'm fine eating it by itself... but my husband enjoys it with sausage:). 

Next time, try roasting the cabbage in the oven... you'll notice roasting brings the cabbage to another level. Hope you enjoy...

Note: While I drained my sauerkraut of all the juice and added lemon juice instead, you can opt to not drain the  sauerkraut in case you have no lemon juice on hand... I like to reserve the sauerkraut juice for making soups and love to add lemon juice to the cabbage as it adds another level of acidity the cabbage needs.

Also, while I added the amounts needed for the cabbage and sauerkraut, you can easily adjust by adding more sauerkraut and less cabbage... same goes with the tomato paste or olive oil. For me these amounts work wonderfully well. The cabbage isn't too greasy, nor is it too tomato-y, nor too sour. But everyone's taste is different:)...

You will need:

Oven-Roasted Cabbage

1 head (3lb) green cabbage, sliced thin

1 med/large onion, sliced thin

1(18 oz) container, sauerkraut, drained- (mine was dill and garlic flavored)

3-5 TBS lemon juice, or to taste -I used 5 TBS meyer lemon juice

6 TBS olive oil

3 TBS tomato paste, can be optional

1 tsp sea salt, or to taste

pepper to taste

Other Additions Can Be Added To Taste:

smoked paprika

pepper flakes/cayenne

dill

caraway seeds

lardons of bacon

sausages, added at the end of the cooking time- or you can pan fry

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 deg F

1. Gather ingredients. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on the bottom of a large roasting pan( I used a 13x9 pan)

2. Slice cabbage thinly, can use mandoline if desired. Add to pan.

3. Slice onion thinly, can use mandoline if desired. Add to pan.

4. Drain sauerkraut(reserve liquid for other uses, such as soups) and add sauerkraut to the rest of cabbage ingredients that's in the pan.

5. In a small bowl, mix  the remainder of the olive oil(5 TBS), tomato paste(if using), salt, pepper and lemon juice until combined thoroughly. Pour over cabbage ingredients.

6. Mix all cabbage ingredients thoroughly until all cabbage is coated with the oil mixture. At this point you can add other ingredients you may like... I added some spicy red pepper. 

Note: If you find the pan is too small to mix all the cabbage ingredients in, then opt to mix them in a large bowl beforehand and then level it out in the roasting pan. 

7. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour - 1 hour and 30 minutes... or until cabbage is nicely colored and caramelized... and all liquid is evaporated.  You will need to turn the cabbage over in the pan every 10-15 minutes... so the cabbage gets caramelized evenly. My cabbage was done around 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

NOTE: 

I made 2 versions of the oven-roasted cabbage... one with tomato paste ... and one without tomato paste. Both were delicious! So in case, you don't have any tomato paste, you can still enjoy making the dish with just a few simple ingredients. 

Brazilian-style Shrimp Soup/Stew...

Brazilian-style Shrimp Soup/Stew... with onion, peppers, tomatoes and rice. Not too long ago, a reader(Yung) recently commented on my Spanish Marmitako dish and shared with me her tip for adding some coconut milk to the stew to make it creamy. I loved her suggestion, as variations to the dishes I post are always, always welcome... I really enjoy hearing from all my readers when they have a tip or suggestion, it makes me learn as well:). In any case, the comment had instantly reminded me of a Brazilian dish which uses coconut milk ... and it's somewhat similar to the Marmitako I made recently. So I thank Yung for her suggestion... because I made the Brazilian dish not too long after :)!

I thought to share this Brazilian-style dish as well... only because it's quite simple to prepare and it can come together in no time at all. If you have a few ingredients you can make a dish that's quite healthy, filling.... and it's gluten-free as well. The only thing that made this dish more of Brazilian-style, (emphasize the style) is that I substituted the usual coconut milk for cashew milk. Now, you can easily sub in the coconut  milk if you like... I just didn't have it on hand, as I don't normally buy canned coconut milk( but I'm wanting to one day... for the mere fact of making some whipped coconut frosting:)). The coconut milk will definitely make the soup more creamy than the cashew milk... but it's good with the cashew milk as well.

Now, I always like to quickly brine my frozen seafood, but you can easily skip the brining if you like... just season the shrimp with a bit of salt/pepper and proceed with the recipe. While I used only a couple of garlic cloves, you can definitely increase amount if you like more garlic. This dish was a welcome meal on a cold rainy day. Hope you enjoy... 

Note: The soup will thicken as it sits... the rice will absorb some of the liquid...  and will make a stew-like dish.

Tip: The soup can easily be eaten without the acidity... it will taste more like a seafood chowder... but the lemon juice brightens the dish and makes it taste "alive" .  

You will need: inspired by Epicurious

Cashew Milk :  need only 1 cup for this dish,  this amount makes more than enough, so opt to freeze the rest... or use some coconut milk instead... or you can even scale down the recipe.

1 cup raw cashew pieces

3 cups water

Shrimp Brine

5 cups water

2 TBS kosher salt

1 pound medium (26 count) frozen raw shrimp

Soup Base:

1 onion chopped fine

1 bell pepper chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, grated (can use more if you like)

2 TBS chill olive oil (can use regular)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup long grain rice

1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes (I used whole in juice and processed)

4 cups water

1 cup cashew milk from above, or use coconut milk

1 lb brined shrimp from above, cut  in pieces if too big

1-2 TBS lemon juice or to taste ( I used meyer lemon, can also use lime)

Topping:

chopped green onion/ parsley/cilantro, etc.

drizzle of olive oil

Directions:

Make cashew milk... this step can be skipped if using coconut milk.

1. Soak cashews in water  while getting everything ready. Can soak overnight or soak for a few hours.... if not in a hurry:). 

2. In a blender( I used  my Vitamix ), place soaked cashew, add water and blend until smooth and milky in texture... a couple of minutes or so. 

3. Remove 1 cup and set aside... freeze the rest in small batches (or use in other dishes, smoothies, etc).

Brine Shrimp: Can be skipped as well, though brining makes the shrimp taste great as well as makes them plump and juicy. If you don't want to brine, season shrimp with a bit of salt and pepper and set aside. 

1. Dissolve salt in water, add frozen shrimp(with shell on) and allow to sit in brine for about 30 minutes or so... the shrimp will defrost almost completely, if it is still frozen,  you can start to clean the shrimp, removing shell and deveining... by the end of the cleaning, the shrimp should have defrosted completely. Set aside.

Note: if using deveined shrimp that has already been cleaned, allow to sit in the brine no longer than 20 minutes as the brine will penetrate the shrimp much quicker.  

2. Process the canned tomatoes to a puree.... I used a large 28 oz can and had leftover, but you can use a smaller can. Remove puree and set aside 1 1/2 cups. 

3. Chop onion, and bell pepper. 

4. Heat oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped bell pepper and garlic. Stir to combine and season with about 1 tsp kosher salt.

5. Saute vegetables for 10-15 minutes... stirring often so as not to burn. Lower heat if necessary. 

6. Add rice and saute for another minute or so. Then stir in crushed tomato.

7. Add about 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover with lid lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes or so.... or until rice is almost done. Yo don't want the rice to be too mushy.

8. Add milk (cashew or coconut) and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Note: The picture shows I added the milk and shrimp at the same time, I plumb forgot as I was taking the pictures to add the milk first... but do add milk first:). 

9. Add shrimp and cook for another minute or so, then turn heat off... the residual heat will continue to cook the shrimp. 

10. Add lemon juice(or lime) to taste and top with fresh green onion and/or parsley/cilantro.

Marmitako... Spanish-style Fish and Potato Stew

Marmitako... Basque stew of fish, potatoes, peppers and onions. I love Basque-style cooking. Love its simplicity, its simple flavors. Actually, Basque style cooking  is quite familiar to me. Not that I grew  up on Spanish dishes, but because this type of simple cooking was often found in many of my my mom's dishes. Many Basque recipes rely on basic ingredients, ingredients like potatoes, peppers and onions.... recipes that are minimalistic in nature, with plenty of flavor. I especially love this type of cooking, because when you find yourself with simple pantry items, you can make a dish worthy enough to serve company. And it's uncomplicated to execute.... 

I've been meaning to make a fish stew for some time now. The Spanish Marmitako has always, always been on my mind ever since I ran across it a few years ago. This stew not only caught my attention because of its simplicity, but also because I loved the sound of smoked pepper flavors associated with the stew. It's interesting, but somehow I  never found the opportunity to make this dish. There seemed to be plenty of reasons that got in the way of making this stew... either I didn't have peppers on hand, or the fish I had wasn't really the type of firm fish this type of stew fares best with. And so, the years flew by...

But recently we found ourselves with cold weather and plenty of snow. It was the type of day that was best suited for staying home. With the cold weather, you tend to crave warm foods... especially soups or stews. In any case, I had bought some fresh rockfish a week prior, but I hadn't cooked all of it. I ended up freezing the last few fillets I had. Normally if I freeze fresh fish, I like to use it it within a week of freezing to keep its freshness. And when I defrost it, I love to apply the brining method to "bring it back to life".

Marmitako was on my mind that day. But what to do... I had no fresh bell peppers on hand. And I knew I didn't have enough fish either. But I decided to forge ahead with the recipe and adjust it to fit my needs. I'd use what I had on hand. The jar of roasted red peppers would suffice as a substitute for the fresh peppers... and to make up for the small amount of fish I had, I'd use some shrimp. It would have to do... And so, my marmitako-style stew was created. 

I must mention that I didn't find any Marmitako stew recipes that add any lemon or lime juice to the dish. But the original recipe, dating back to fishermen making this stew on fishing boats, contained plenty of wine... some even used a splash of cognac. However, since I didn't add any wine in my recipe, I felt the need to add some sort of acid to balance out the flavors. So I added some meyer lemon juice(because I had a small wedge on hand) and the juice of 1/2 a  lime. It brightened and totally made the dish for me. Not traditional, but it worked... and it was needed. Adjust acid amount to your own preference... or skip it altogether. And you may not need to add any, especially if you are using wine for part of the water (see note below).  Hope you enjoy...

Note: Traditional Marmitako uses some white wine to deglaze the onion and peppers. You can certainly add some in the beginning, while adjusting water amount later on if needed. 

Tips: This stew has a stronger smoked paprika flavor  ... if you don't care for smoked paprika, then by all means use the sweet paprika. Or if you like a bit of smoked flavor, then use less of the smoked paprika and supplement the rest with sweet. 

Also if you don't have any dried guajillo chile peppers, then omit and increase the paprika a tiny bit.

Make Ahead: The main part of the stew can be prepared up to the point when you are about to add the fish. The prepared stew keeps well in the fridge overnight. Just reheat the following day, and add the fish before serving.

You will need: inspired by the Washington Post

SOAKED DRIED CHILE

2-3 dried guajillo chiles(can use ancho)

boiling water

BRINE FISH

2 lbs firm fish(tuna is preferred, but I used 11/2 lb rock fish + 1/2 lb shrimp)

4 cups water

1 TBS kosher salt

EXTRA INGREDIENTS 

2 TBS olive oil

2 onions, sliced thinly

2 roasted and peeled bell peppers (I used jarred red peppers)

2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp hot smoked paprika( can use sweet)

1 tsp reg. smoked paprika( can use sweet)

1 1/2 TBS tomato paste

4-5 cups water 

2 small bay leaves

2-3 tsps kosher salt, or to taste

ADDITIONAL:

lemon or lime juice to taste

chopped parsley to taste 

extra olive oil to drizzle

Directions:

1. Place dried chiles in a bowl of sorts. Add boiling water to completely cover. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

2. Cut fish in large chunks... if using shrimp devein and remove outer shell. Place seafood in a shallow dish. Combine brine( salt and water) and pour over seafood. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

3. Thinly slice onion... and cut peppers in small 1 inch strips. Set aside.

4. Peel and cut potatoes in 1 1/2 inch cubes. Cover potatoes with water and set aside.

5. After 30 minutes, remove guajillo chile peppers from water. Cut peppers open and remove seeds. With a spoon scrape off pepper flesh. You should have about 1 1/2 tablespoons of pepper flesh. Set aside.

6. Remove seafood from brine and set aside in the fridge while you get stew ready.

7. Crush garlic cloves and set aside. Measure tomato paste and add to crushed garlic cloves. Measure out paprika and add to scraped pepper flesh.  Of course, you can add these 4 ingredients together in a small bowl of sorts.

8. In a  large pot, add 2 TBS olive oil and heat on medium heat.

9. When oil is hot, add onion with a pinch of salt. Cook onion until soft and translucent ... about 8 minutes or so, stirring every so often, lowering heat to med/low. 

10. When onion is soft, add sliced roasted peppers, tomato paste, scraped guajillo chile pepper flesh, garlic, and paprika.

11. Stir ingredients to combine and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on med/low heat.

12. Add 4 1/2 cups water, potatoes, bay leaves, and salt. Stir to combine.

13. Bring stew  to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook covered for 20- 30 minutes .... or until potatoes are soft and cooked through.  Throughout the cooking you can lift cover and stir so potatoes aren't sticking(they shouldn't)... and add 1/4- 1/2 more cup of water, if needed.... especially if you feel the stew is too concentrated.

14. Using a fork, crush a few potato chunks(can be optional) to thicken the stew a bit... maybe about 4-5 potato cubes. Adjust seasoning.  

NOTE: The stew can be prepared up to this point and reheated the day of serving ... and fish added just before serving.

15. Add chunks of fish and cook for an additional 2 minutes or so... or until fish is barely cooked through... don't overcook.

16. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 1 minute or so... or until shrimp turn pink. The fish and shrimp will cook rather quickly.... 

17. Add lemon or lime juice to taste... I added juice of 1/2 lime and 1 TBS meyer lemon juice. Top with parsley(can use cilantro).  Drizzle with extra olive oil.

Spiced Cauliflower "Couscous"... with toasted cashews and pomegranate.

Spiced Cauliflower "Couscous"... with toasted cashews and pomegranate. I know cauliflower has emerged as a "genius" substitution  for a variety of rice or wheat based dishes. Recipes have been created to minimize the carbohydrate laden dishes and making them wheat-free, rice-free , etc.... I've posted my take on "fried rice" before... using cauliflower instead of traditional rice. Even ventured to  try the cauliflower crust pizza... which I loved. But recently I ended up substituting a cauliflower "couscous" for the usual wheat based couscous... and loved the result. Why, it even looks like couscous!

While I made a spiced (Middle Eastern) version of couscous, you can easily turn this into a tabbouleh-style sort of dish, skipping the spices and increasing the amount of parsley.  But I must say I simply loved the addition of the toasted nuts along with the pomegranate seeds. It not only makes the dish look beautiful, but it imparts a ton of flavor to the overall dish. 

I was inspired to make this spiced version after seeing the recipe win a contest for the best picnic-style side dish on Food52.  While I loved everything about it,  I knew I  didn't care for the added golden sultanas. Not a fan of too sweet a dish...  though I always fall for sweet and sour chicken:).

There were a few pomegranates in my fridge, pomegranates that I had received from my sister during our last Thanksgiving vacation. She had collected a bagful of pomegranates from her tree and gave me some to take back home... for which I was quite grateful! Love pomegranates. Since coming back home we had eaten the pomegranates mostly as a snack, but I had kept on to a few. In my mind I was thinking to use them in a savory dish of some sort. It's interesting, but those pomegranates lasted well into January... sure the skin wrinkled, but inside, well, they were just perfect. Of course, I immediately thought of the last few pomegranates I had lingering in the fridge when making this dish. 

I just knew the pomegranate seeds would work much better than the sweet sultanas. Well, at least I thought so:). Obviously the original recipe had won a contest with the sultanas, but you know, those pomegranate seeds  really added that extra pop of tartness that I loved... actually felt they were needed to balance out the sweetness of the cooked cauliflower. Not to mention the bright red color made the dish totally stand out.

This dish is the type of dish you will have to adjust to taste. If you feel the cauliflower couscous isn't sour enough, then adjust by adding extra lemon juice.  The dish can also take more olive oil, if you like. And definitely add salt to taste. While I liked it the first day, I loved it even more so the following days as the spices mellowed out a bit. I could easily see how this dish could be made ahead and brought to a potluck/picnic without too much hassle... and you wouldn't need to worry about it staying out too long. No mayonnaise, no eggs, no meat. Just healthy and tasty. 

A great side addition that would go well with a variety of dishes... great used as a base for lamb chops, koftas, or grilled fish. Hope you enjoy...  

You will need:

1 large head cauliflower

3- 4 TBS olive oil

Spiced Vinaigrette:

4 TBS meyer lemon juice

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp za'atar

1/2 tsp garlic flakes, can use raw crushed garlic

2-3 TBS olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Additional:

1 green onion, chopped

2 TBS minced parsley and/or cilantro and/or  mint, etc  

 seeds from 1 pomegranate

1 cup raw cashew pieces

Directions: 

1. Dry toast raw cashews till charred in spots... a few minutes on medium low heat, stirring often. Set aside. 

2. Mix marinade. Set aside.

3. Process cauliflower florets in 3 batches... 15 short pulses... till size of rice/couscous.

4. To a dry skillet, add 3-4 TBS olive oil. Heat on medium  heat and cook cauliflower for about 7 minutes... stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of any brown bits.

5. Remove cauliflower "couscous" from skillet and place in a large bowl. Allow to cool.

6. Pour vinaigrette over cooled couscous, stir until combined.

7. Add minced herb/s of choice, chopped green onion and pomegranate seeds(I like to rinse the seeds of any clinging juice so it will not stain the "couscous"). Stir to combine.

8. Adjust seasoning if needed with extra salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. 

9. To maintain the crunch, stir in cashews just before serving salad.

Sopa Seca... Mexican Style.

Sopa Seca... Mexican Style. If you've ever looked for an alternative to the well known spanish rice, well, you might want to try the noodle variation called Sopa Seca. A meatless dish, Sopa Seca is usually tomato based, though you will find plenty of variations. I've even seen a variation where the tomatoes are swapped out for tomatillos.... would love to try  that next time, as it sounds interesting! And while there are a ton of variations of the Sopa Seca, I rather like this simple version I'm posting today.

Traditionally Sopa Seca is mostly used as a side dish, but I prefer to make it into a meal by adding a few fresh toppings. So simple... and so delicious! Interestingly the Sopa Seca is very similar to the Spanish dish called Fideua.

The dish starts out as a "soup", mainly because stock is added...  just as you would whenever making any type of soup. The "Seca" (dry) part of the dish comes about when the stock is fully absorbed into the noodles, cooking and softening them. And it's only then that the dish becomes a "dry" sort of "soup". Even though you can make the dish with a bit of moisture (adding more stock), I rather like the pasta to fully absorb all the liquid... and as it sits, it will continue to dry up even more. 

When the noodles become quite dry, they almost remind me of the stir-fried noodles found at most Asian fast food restaurants... except in this case, the noodles have a tomato flavor. To offset the "dryness" of the noodles (and make a meal of it), I like to top the noodles with a few fresh ingredients.... 

I reserve a bit of the tomatoes from the tomato sauce in the dish and add some diced avocado along with some chopped cilantro. I then grate some feta over the whole dish, but you can use some crumbled cotija, asadero, queso blanco or other Mexican type cheeses. However, I find feta goes extremely well with the tomato flavor. And while I added a tiny amount  of feta in the photos above, I did end up adjusting the amount on our plates  afterwards... by adding a few more gratings:). Hope you enjoy...

You will need:

8 oz dried capellini pasta, broken in thirds (or vermicelli)

1/4 cup olive oil

Sauce:

3 large Roma tomatoes, diced,  reserving 1/3 cup diced for topping 

1 small onion, diced small

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 tsp dried guajillo chile powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne, optional

1 tsp sugar, to balance out acidity

Additional:

1 3/4 -2 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper, as needed

Toppings:

reserved diced tomatoes from above

avocado, diced

chopped cilantro

grated feta

Directions:

1. Make tomato sauce by adding all sauce ingredients in a food processor. Process till sauce is slightly chunky but fully combined. Set aside. 

2. Add oil in a large frying pan (with lid). Fry the capellini (or vermicelli) on all sides in hot oil until golden brown in color. Make sure it doesn't burn... this process is rather quick. Remove from pan.

2 In the same oil, add the reserved tomato sauce. Cook till sauce has reduced and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3 When broth is boiling, add vermicelli and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the vermicelli has soaked up the liquid, about 20-30 minutes. 

Half way through the cooking, I lifted the lid and turned some of the pasta that was on top with the pasta that was on the bottom, this way the pasta cooks evenly. If you feel the pasta has soaked up all of the stock and still needs cooking, you can add a bit of stock, as needed, and continue to cook until pasta is cooked through to your liking... I prefer mine al-dente and not mushy.   

4. Top with favorite toppings. 

Korean Style Chicken Rice Bowl... a super quick meal.

Korean Style Beef Chicken Rice Bowl... super quick and versatile. 

~Happy New Year~ 

~Wishing each of you a blessed 2014

And

God's Grace and Mercy~

Thank you for stopping by in 2013... appreciate each of you!

It's been a very long time since I've bought ground meat. A VERY long time. Ever since I acquired my meat grinder, years ago, I have been grinding my own meat. For some reason, I find home ground meat superior to the store-bought... it's nice because I can choose the type of meat I grind and don't have to worry about additives and other things related to the store-bought version. 

As a child I remember my mom using the hand cranked grinder to do most of her grinding. Sometimes she bought quite a  bit of meat to grind... and that always required a bit of muscle strength. My mom would end up doing most of the grinding, but sometimes she'd have us kids do the job. While it was fun grinding,  we'd most definitely feel the sore muscles the following day:).  

When I first bought my Kitchen-Aid mixer, I knew I wanted to buy the grinder attachment as well. It would make it super simple for me to grind all sorts of meats. And no hand cranking involved:). In any case, grinding my own meat has been something I do... without really thinking about it as being a  chore. I love to portion out the ground meat and label it... and freeze. It becomes really easy then to defrost whatever amount I need... and use it in a quick meal.  

So the other day, I had defrosted some ground chicken and was scrambling about to fix dinner. I needed something that would come together quickly... plus I had these butter lettuce leaves from a previous dinner in my fridge that I wanted to use up. I instantly thought of making lettuce wraps. But I also knew the lettuce wraps weren't going to suffice as a complete meal. That's when I decided to cook some rice and make a Korean-style rice bowl. It would be quick and I would have dinner on the table in a matter of minutes... well, in under half hour.

I had all the ingredients I needed... even went out in my garden to fluff away the snow that had settled on the green onion and chives. They were frozen, but I knew it would work in the recipe:)... no need to go out and buy green onion. And while I made the recipe with ingredients I had in the house, I've added some notes to help with some substitutions that can also work. 

I've slowly started going away from soy products and am LOVING the coconut aminos as an alternative... so, so good... and you'd hardly notice it isn't soy based. And if my husband loved it, it's always a plus:). However, feel free to use what works for you.... I personally notice I do better without the soy. And if using the coconut aminos, the dish becomes gluten-free as well. Hope you enjoy... 

Note: While I used a soy-free version of "soy sauce", you can easily use regular soy sauce, but will need to adjust salt amount. You can totally skip the salt and add extra soy if you like. And if you don't have the Korean chile flakes, you can substitute it with regular chile flakes, although you will need to decrease amount to taste... and you may want to add some paprika to obtain the color of the Korean chile flakes. 

If you have gochuchang on hand, the sweetened fermented Korean chile paste, you can use a tablespoon or so and skip the honey and/or gochugaru flakes. While I ended up using only 1 TBS of honey, the dish can easily take  more, especially if you like the dish to take on a sweeter flavor.  

Tip: The dish can be on the "dry" side , so feel free to top with extra sauce of choice and mix it in... even a fried egg on top would work rather well, leaving the yolk runny.

You will need:

1.5 lb ground chicken (can use beef, or turkey)

1/3 cup small diced onion (can use a large shallot)

2 TBS olive oil

Sauce:

4 1/2 TBS coconut aminos (soy-free alternative sauce) 

1 TBS rice vinegar

1 1/2 TBS toasted sesame oil

1 TBS ginger juice(can use freshly grated)

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 TBS  Korean gochugaru chile flakes

1 TBS honey, or to taste

3/4- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

Additional:

1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onion(chives work), reserve some for topping

toasted sesame seeds, to taste

lime juice, or rice vinegar, as needed to balance out the dish

extra coconut aminos, as needed (or sauce of choice... soy, hoisin, plum, sweet sour, etc.)

Serve with:

cooked short grain rice (I like to use sushi rice)

cooked fried egg, to top rice bowl, optional

Directions:

1. Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside... adjust salt to taste, use a bit less in the sauce, as you can always add more at the end of the dish. I found 1 tsp to be about right, when final dish is adjusted with a bit of acidity. 

Note: If using soy sauce the salt amount will differ.... you can skip salt and add a bit more soy sauce to taste. 

2. Dice onion (or large shallot, if using). Heat 2 TBS oil in a large skillet on med heat. Add diced onion and cook until slightly golden, stirring every so often... about 2-3 minutes. 

3. Add ground chicken (or meat of choice), and cook until nicely caramelized, stirring and scrapping brown bits that may form on the bottom of the skillet. This should take about 5-8 minutes... the meat may release a bit of liquid, but I like to cook it down so that the meat browns bit. If you like your meat to have some extra liquid, you can cook the meat until no longer pink.

4. Add reserved sauce and cook until meat is thoroughly combined with the sauce and meat is flavored well. 

5. Adjust seasoning, by adding extra salt, or coconut aminos(or soy sauce if using) and adjust the overall flavor with a bit of rice vinegar or even a squeeze of lime juice.The acidity balances out the flavor of the dish. 

6. Stir in most of the chopped  green onion (or chives). 

7. Serve with hot steamed rice... and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Top with extra chopped green onion. 

Note: I like to serve the dish with some sort of vegetables be it raw, lightly steamed or pickled. Kimchi would work really well, as would marinated cucumber salad or even raw grated carrots, lightly seasoned with sesame oil and vinegar.  

If you would like to make lettuce wraps:

Spoon some meat filling in a butter lettuce leaf cup, add some chopped peanuts, or sesame seeds, chopped green onion, and a drizzle of sauce... be it coconut aminos, soy sauce, plum, hoisin, sweet and sour, etc. Sprinkle some grated carrots for extra color and crunch. You could even add a spoonful of rice on the bottom of the lettuce cup, if desired.  Be creative with the additions, as you can add all sorts of other veggies... bean sprouts, shredded seasoned cabbage, water chestnuts, etc.       

Note: If you have any leftover rice and seasoned meat (you'll have leftovers only if you are making this for a single/double serving) ... you can always turn the leftovers into fried rice and stretch the dish even further.  You can use bits and pieces of vegetables you may have in the fridge by sauteing them quickly and adding the leftover meat and rice. Adjust seasoning with a bit of extra sesame oil, vinegar, coconut aminos (or soy sauce)... or sauce of choice. I just used some roasted vegetables(chopped fine), a carrot, half an onion, a handful of peas along with a chopped red chile.  

Japanese Style Potato Salad

Japanese Style Potato Salad. As promised, I am connecting the previous travel post with a Japanese recipe... a recipe that's simple to prepare, and quite delicious. I first stumbled upon the recipe a few months back, and I was so eager to try it. To me it sounded so unique... I mean, I'd never thought of adding raw vegetables to a potato salad. And I'm not just talking about maybe some raw onion.... like the Romanian oriental salad I love... but adding raw cucumbers, carrots, and radish. It was a new concept for me. The idea of adding raw veggies in a potato salad was simply brilliant.

So on my trip to Japan, I ended up getting a taste of the Japanese potato salad... right away. Like on my plane ride in:). When given the choice on my flight, between a Western style meal or a Japanese style meal, I quickly, without hesitation, chose the latter. As part of the Japanese meal, we were served the Japanese potato salad as an appetizer. Topped with a small boiled quail egg, the potato salad was delicious... not to mention, how super cute it was with the small quail egg:).

The potato salad can easily vary from recipe to recipe, so you can use whatever vegetables you like, really. The potato salad on the plane included some green beans that still had a bit of a bite to them... but I've even seen salads that include corn. So definitely lots of variations. And even though I've left all my veggies raw, some recipes have you lightly blanch the carrots... it's really up to you, how you like to make it. That's what's nice about this salad, you can customize it as you like. But the fresh flavor of the raw veggies and their slight crunch, makes this potato salad rather unique.

And while in Japan, browsing through the beautiful department stores, I always made it a point to go down to the basement levels. Because that's where food came alive... all sorts of foods...  displayed ever  so beautifully! Picture perfect, really. At times, I almost thought they were fake... so good they looked! And it was there I found tall, lovely mounds of Japanese potato salads.... ready to be scooped and packaged for you to take home. I found, that in Japan, you really, really don't need to cook anything at home:)...

But this is my version of the Japanese potato salad. Feel free to adapt the recipe and make it your own. You can always add less veggies, more potatoes, more mayonnaise, or if you want, skip the mayonnaise and just add olive oil... of course, you can par-cook some of your veggies if you like. And while I feel eggs make the salad, it's tasty without them as well.  Hope you enjoy...             

Note: Normally, Japanese mayonnaise is used, which is slightly different than the American version... I tried to mimic the Japanese mayo, by adding some wasabi, a tiny bit of sugar, etc. I was very cautious:) with amount of sugar in my dressing... but you can definitely add a bit more if you prefer. Some use equal amounts of sugar and vinegar... Japanese foods tend to be a bit on the sweeter side.    

Tip: You can certainly add ham to the potato salad if you like... 

You will need:

3 russet potatoes(650 grams), you can use Yukon Gold if you like

1 garlic clove, sliced

salt, to taste

Vegetables: can always adjust amounts to taste... and try other vegetables such as green beans 

1-2 medium cucumbers (Persian preferred or smaller kirby w/ small seeds) 100 grams, thinly sliced

1/3 cups white onion, thinly sliced ( 80 grams)

1 large carrot, thinly sliced (80 grams)

4 radishes, thinly sliced

salt as needed

Dressing:

3 TBS mayonnaise (can use more if you like)

1/2 tsp mustard

1/4 tsp wasabi powder, optional

1/2 tsp sugar

1 TBS rice vinegar, or as needed( see below, adjusting seasoning)

salt/pepper to taste

Extra: you can easily add some chopped ham, if you like... or other meat of choice. 

2 boiled eggs, optional, but tasty

green onion, optional, but really good

Adjust seasoning/taste at the end with:

additional rice vinegar, oil, salt, pepper ( I ended up adding 2TBS oil+ 2TBS vinegar and a bit of salt and pepper to balance out the salad to my liking )  

Directions:

1. Put the potatoes in a pot and add water until covered. Add garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cook the potatoes until they are very soft (about 15-20 minutes). I usually do this in my pressure cooker for 7-9 minutes. 

Note: If you like your carrots soft, you can add them in with the potatoes(end of cooking time) and cook them for a couple of minutes or so. I chose to leave mine raw... love the crunch and vitamins:) 

2. Boil eggs, if using. Peel and chop/slice most of the egg. You can keep half a yolk for garnish, if desired. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste). Toss to coat evenly with salt and set aside. After about 15 minutes, use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid from the onions and cucumbers as you can. Then set aside.

4. In a medium sized bowl, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste),  the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, wasabi(if using)  and pepper. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

5. Drain potatoes and add the hot potatoes to the mayonnaise dressing( you can remove garlic or leave in). Stir and mash up the potatoes as you combine with the dressing. You want some chunks of potatoes as well as some mashed potatoes.

6. Add the cucumbers, onion, carrot, sliced radishes, and egg to the potato mixture and stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasoning and texture by adding a a bit of  oil/mayo and /or vinegar as needed, to your taste. 

Note: You can reserve an egg yolk and grate it over the potato salad for a different presentation.  Also, you can sprinkle salad with chopped green onion, if desired.