talk about food

After tasting some really delicious falafel and baba ghanoush at the Lebanese restaurant owned by the family of one of my students, I wanted to try to recreate the meal at home.

I opted to buy pre-made pita bread, and served it with my own roasted red pepper hummus, baba ghanoush, lentil soup, and falafel (that I made with the help of a mix – I think next time I’ll try it totally on my own).

All in all, I think it came out really well. My husband loved the soup, and all leftovers were quickly polished off the next day for lunch.

Here are the recipes that I used:

Baba Ghanoush (which I made with no modifications)

Ingredients

1 eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of cold water. Remove from water, and peel skin off.
Place eggplant, lemon juice, tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer eggplant mixture to a medium size mixing bowl, and slowly mix in olive oil. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 66 | Total Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baba-ghanoush-2/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=baba%20ghanoush&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe)

roasted red pepper hummus (no mods, and this was super tasty!)

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded*
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sriracha (or to taste)
scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the ingredients a few times.

(http://pinchmysalt.com/roasted-red-pepper-hummus-recipe/)

mediterranean lentil soup (i added 3 cloves of garlic, and modified step 7 by just adding it to the soup and not blending the oil/garlic/lime first)

2.5 cups lentils (washed and sorted)
6 cups water
1 onion
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (split in the recipe)
1 bell pepper (color is your choice)
1 tsp salt
.5 tsp black pepper (ground)
1 tsp cumin
1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
2.5 garlic cloves (minced)
.25 cup fresh lime juice

1 Combine the lentils and water in a pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer while preparing other ingredients.
2 Saute the onions in half of the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat for about 4 minutes.
3 Add the bell pepper and saute for a minute or two longer.
4 Add the onion mixture to the lentils. Simmer 15 minutes.
5 Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer for 15-20 minutes longer.
6 Stir in the cilantro; remove dish from heat.
7 Combine the garlic, lime juice and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend well.
8 Add garlic mixture and lime juice to the lentil mixture. Mix well and serve.

(http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mediterranean-Lentil-Soup-Recipezaar)

My mouth waters thinking about this meal.

Most days, I don’t eat much in the way of processed foods, and I think I’m healthier for it.

When I was in the US for a few weeks last summer after leaving Morocco, I may have binged a little lot on all the nastily delicious processed things I did not have access to in rural Morocco. I noticed that not only did I gain weight, but I felt like crap after eating that way.

I think it’s fine to have every now and then, especially when I’m craving it.

Living in Warsaw, I have access to many more things than I did in my site in Morocco, but it’s nowhere near the processed and convenience food Mecca that the US seems to be.

I’ll be back in the US for a conference in a few weeks, and the first meal I’d like to have is from Taco Bell. Sick, I know.. but I’ve had a long time addiction to this place.. and the closest location to me in Poland is in Cyprus.. and yes, I’ve checked this out online.

Anyway, I want to try to keep eating healthily while I’m in the US, and I know it will be especially hard because I’ll be staying in a kitchen-less hotel for the first half of my trip, and staying with relatives and friends the rest of the time, with loads and loads of eating out.

I’m looking forward to it, especially eating all of the processed crap food. But I’m not looking forward to how I feel after eating it.. as well as the fact that I’m clearly aware of this, and yet will do it anyway.

One item in particular that I’m craving? Spaghetti-O’s.

Oddly enough, they’re not available here in Poland.. I’ve found a recipe for them though, and I’ll probably try this out Friday after work, but subbing out as much of the dairy for non-dairy as I can figure out, and I might make my own marinara too because the jarred stuff they sell here is cloyingly sweet and pretty gross.

I’ll comment back with how the non-canned stuff turns out.

http://kathiecooks.blogspot.com/2012/01/homemade-spaghetti-ohs.html

Homemade Spaghetti-Oh’s
Source: So Says Sarah…

1 (28-oz.) can of tomato sauce – whatever kind you like
3 c. water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 T. butter
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
14 oz. Anillos (small ringed pasta)

Start by giving the Anillos a pre-boil in a big pot of boiling water for about 10-minutes. While the little rings are simmering away, you can assemble the sauce in another stockpot. Can’t find Anillos? You could use mini shells or tiny elbow macaroni, too.

Add the sauce, garlic, pepper, salt, and sugar to the blender and give a good whirl. This breaks up any clumps in your sauce and really incorporates the seasonings. I used a nice basic non-chunky tomato sauce and was very happy with the results.

Now add the tomato mixture to the pot along with the water and stir. Turn the heat to medium and let the sauce warm up.

After 10-minutes, drain the pasta and return it to its original pot. Add the butter and stir to coat using its residual heat. Those little circles of pasta will soak in that yummy buttery goodness.

Go ahead and slowly add the rings to the tomato sauce and let simmer for about 20-minutes making sure to stir every 5-minutes or so to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Give your pasta a taste test and check the seasonings. If you want more salt, add a sprinkle. If you would prefer things to be more garlicky, shake on some garlic salt…

Also, check the sauce consistency. Your pasta should have soaked up all that yummy sauce, but if things are still too watery, you can let everything simmer for another 10-minutes or so.

But, if you are good with how things are shaping up, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Turn off the heat and add the milk and shredded cheddar and then stir. The milk gives everything that great creamy taste and the cheese helps hold things together – and it’s cheese. Anything with cheese is good stuff.

After having been sick for the last couple of days, and not eating much at all, I had been craving protein and fat. At this same time, I was looking at pictures from my trip to Madrid last March, and came across a picture of the first tortilla española I had ever eaten.

For lunch today, I decided to try my hand at it, and while next time I’d use a little less salt and would reduce the amount of olive oil, I’d say it was a success. My husband has already requested that I make it again.

I used this recipe because it seemed simple enough, as well as healthier than some of the others I found online.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mario-batali-tortilla-espanola

Recipe: Tortilla Española

FAST HEALTHY MAKE-AHEAD VEGETARIAN

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/4 pounds red bliss potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

8 large eggs

Preheat the broiler. Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the potato and onion slices, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the potatoes and onion are tender but not browned, about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the potato mixture into the bowl, being sure not to leave any in the skillet.

Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the egg mixture, spreading it out in an even layer. Cover and cook over low heat until the tortilla is set on the bottom and the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 8 inches from the heat just until the top is set, about 1 minute longer. Set a large plate over the skillet and carefully invert the tortilla onto the plate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

MAKE AHEAD The tortilla can stand at room temperature for 3 hours before serving.

Pictured: my first tortilla española ever, at some café in Madrid.

This evening, while making dinner, I had to stop what I was doing and go get my camera. Why? Because I thought my cutting board aftermath was too pretty to miss out on.

The dinner itself was not as pretty, but it was damn tasty.

The recipe is posted below, but was made with the following mods:

1) doubled the tofu, halved the udon
2) marinated the tofu in a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, water, sugar & ginger for about 4 hours
3) did not add extra sugar to the recipe as called for (aside from my marinade)
4)subbed red cabbage for the spinach

http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitchenexplorers/2011/04/07/vegetarian-udon-recipe/

Vegetarian Udon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. frozen or fresh Udon noodles prepared according to package directions

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup medium tofu, cubed

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

2 cups spinach

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

Bring broth, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar to a boil for one minute and reduce heat to a simmer. Add tofu, broccoli, carrots, spinach, mushrooms and cook for three minutes or until broccoli is tender. Divide Udon between four bowls with a pinch of sesame seeds on top.

In Poland, no one celebrates Fat Tuesday but I had to buy a pączek anyway. Folks here celebrated last Thursday for tłusty czwartek, or fat/greasy Thursday.

The pączki sold at my local cukiernia, or sweets shop/bakery, are the best I have ever had.. anywhere. Delicious dough, a thin layer of icing with a sprinkle of candied orange peels, and a dollop of rose jam in the center.

And in continuing with the theme of indulging, I made mac & cheese for dinner tonight. After not having had dairy in quite some time, my body is a little in shock. My dinner was delicious though, and given how rarely I eat like this these days, I think I’ll be okay.

Here’s the recipe I used for the mac & cheese (although I subbed a white local cheese that reminded me of edam because cheddar is hard to find, and expensive when you do find it):

(http://cravingchronicles.com/2011/03/31/broccoli-and-white-cheddar-mac-cheese/)

Ingredients
3 cups frozen baby broccoli florets
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups milk
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
salt to taste

Directions
Microwave broccoli florets in a large, microwave safe bowl according to package instructions until tender (usually 4-5 minutes). Drain off any water and set aside.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add elbow macaroni. Boil according to directions until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to form a paste (roux). Cook 1-2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste. Slowly pour in milk, whisking briskly to remove lumps. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until milk mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in shredded cheese. Add salt to taste.

Add drained macaroni back to pot. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni, add broccoli, and stir to combine. Devour.

I like to listen to a number of cooking TV shows while I’m doing other things, and at times, I even give my full attention to a show (read: Top Chef).

From these shows, I’ve learned a few tricks and tips, and I often walk away with a new idea for my own cooking.

One thing I’ve noticed though, especially one challenge-type shows.. they rarely have any vegetarian appetizers or entrees. And given that I don’t eat a number of animal products, have never cooked many types of meat, and don’t seeing myself working with so many prominently-featured ingredients, I can’t help but feel like there is no love for the vegetarian.

I understand that vegetarians and vegans are in the minority, but it’d still be nice to see me veg dishes created on these shows. I’ve found a few veg channels on youtube, but it’s not exactly the same as watching MasterChef or Chopped.

I love hummus.

When I was living in the US, I would regularly buy containers of hummus and plow through them; eating the entire container in one sitting along with some carrots, crackers or whatever else was on hand. It’s super tasty and it’s a relatively healthy snack (or meal!), but it can get pretty expensive if you consume as much as I used to.

I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make my own at home.. although honestly, I wasn’t making much food from scratch back in those days.

Now that I’m living in Warsaw, hummus is a little more difficult to find, but a few shops do carry it. It’s even more expensive here though at about 15zł ($5-ish) for a small container.

Because our apartment here is outfitted with a blender, and because I knew where to locate I decided to start making my own hummus.

For less than the price of one small container, I can make twice as much fresh hummus, plus buy yummy things to eat it with (fresh baked whole grain bread, red bell peppers, and cucumbers). I’ve been doing this just about every day lately. Fresh hummus is so much better than the packaged stuff.. I seriously wish I knew about this years ago.

I made this recipe and liked it enough to want to save the recipe to make it again some time. I served it with brown rice and daal. Unfortunately, I did not have cilantro/fresh coriander (its been impossible to find in Poland).

http://www.food.com/recipe/aloo-gobi-84324

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion , peeled and cut into small pieces
1 bunch fresh coriander , separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 small green chilies , chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chili powder)
1 large cauliflower , leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
3 large potatoes , peeled and cut into even pieces
2 cans diced tomatoes
fresh ginger , peeled and grated
fresh garlic , chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garam masala
Directions:

1
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
2
Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil.
3
Stir together and cook until onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.
4
Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
5
Add chopped chillis (according to taste) Stir tomatoes into onion mixture.
6
Add ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
7
Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn’t stick to the saucepan).
8
Ensure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
9
Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
10
Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir.
11
Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.
12
Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

And reading her post made my mouth water.

I asked her for a recipe and then went hunting for one (she had used a boxed mix that I am sure is not available in Poland) and found this recipe. I cannot wait to try it!

http://leitesculinaria.com/22911/recipes-gingerbread-pancakes.html#comments

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 large egg
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons melted

Apple butter or maple syrup for serving (optional)

Directions
Make the drops
1. Whisk together the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and orange zest in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter in a medium bowl until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk just until combined. (Avoid mixing the batter too thoroughly; some lumps are okay.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill and rest for at least 3 hours or overnight.

3. Using the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter, heat about 1 teaspoon in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. (A nonstick pan is helpful here.) Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan for each pancake. (Depending on the size of the pan, you will want to make about 2 at a time.) Cook for about 2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface of the cakes and they begin to brown ever so slightly around the edges. Flip the cakes and cook on the other sides for about 2 minutes more. Remove the pancakes immediately to a serving plate, or set them on a baking sheet to keep warm in the oven (see Note). Carefully wipe the pan with a paper towel, melt another teaspoon of butter, and continue the process with the rest of the batter.

4. To serve, spread the gingerbread pancakes with a layer of apple butter and/or drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.

Get more deliciousness at Gingerbread Pancakes Recipe | Leite’s Culinaria

I love eating, am growing to love cooking, and I find the topic of food something interesting to read and have conversation about.

I enjoy feeding (read: cooking for) others, and I like adding to my base of foods I can cook without a recipe.

I look forward to growing and processing my own foods, some day when I have the space required.