Teach Your Children (and yourself) Well

People always ask me how or where I learned to cook.  And I proudly tell them I learned from my Mom.  From a young age she encouraged me to cook with her and taught me with love and patience.  By the time I turned 9 I was able to cook entire meals unsupervised for my whole family.  And when I tell this story my peers are surprised, practically awestruck.  It's occurred to me that my culinary upbringing, the traditions and recipes, the experimentation and just plain love of food is pretty rare.  So few people learn to cook these days.  It's become this untouchable, scary thing.  People trust others to cook for them but they don't trust themselves to cook their own meals.  Well I'm here to tell you...anyone can learn to cook.  And by teaching your kids from a young age to cook and enjoy time spent in the kitchen you will give them a tremendous gift.  You will not only give them the ability to feed themselves, you'll give them a way of bringing people together.

My mom has continued the tradition with my nieces and nephews and they all get a turn at her side.  I'm not saying that everyone will love to cook or that it will become their great passion.  But at least knowing the basics and how to follow a recipe will let them provide home cooked meals for themselves and the people they love.  I can remember my first cook book and it's red spiral binding and how I had the confidence and knowledge to be able to read and follow the recipes.  And to date the pancake recipe from that book is one of my all time favorites.

I can't thank my mom enough for taking the time to show me how to cook and for really teaching me the basics.  And growing up watching her re-invent one meal into another and sometimes another after that gave me the inspiration to try new things and to play with recipes to suit my tastes or even to modify them to what I happen to have on hand.  So if you have kids, pull that step stool up along side yourself and show them what you're doing.  If you don't have kids but you're one of those people convinced that you'll never "be a good cook" or "that you can't cook" I challenge you to try one of my recipes.  We all have to start somewhere and I hope you'll start here with me.

Mango, Pear and Raspberry Coffee Cake

So it's been a hot summer.  And hot summers mean that my fruit gets really ripe, faster than I can eat it.  What to do, what to do?  Why, bake of course!  This coffee cake is super moist and has a spicy kick from the ground ginger.  I encourage you to experiment with the fruit, use what you have on hand - get creative!  I give you permission to eat this for breakfast...but with ice cream it's also a wonderful dessert.

What you'll need:

Cake:

2 c diced fresh mango, cut into ¼ inch pieces

1 ½ cup diced fresh pear, cut into ¼ inch pieces

1 c frozen raspberries, crushed while frozen

1 c brown sugar

1 c white sugar

2 c flour

1 ½ baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground clove

1 c unsweetened almond milk *

½ c butter, cold

2 eggs, beaten 

1 tsp bourbon vanilla **

 * you can use any milk really - I used almond milk because I had it on hand 

** you can find this pretty readily these days, but trust me the bourbon vanilla is where it's at

Topping:

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c white sugar

1/3 c rolled oats

¾ tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

Here's how to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter a 9x12x2 inch baking pan

Combine dry ingredients and sugar in a large bowl

With a pastry cutter cut butter into flour mixture until fine crumbs form

In a medium sized bowl combine fruit

In a small bowl combine eggs, almond milk and vanilla

Pour into flour mixture and mix together with a rubber spatula until combined

Fold in fruit mixture until well combined

Spread evenly in baking dish

In a small bowl make topping by first combining sugars and the spices then mixing in the oats

Sprinkle evenly over batter

Bake for 40-50 minutes until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean

Burger Heaven

So there's this place...and it's like burger nirvana...seriously!  I first went there for my birthday in 2012...and selfishly I didn't post back then.  But let me tell you - if you like burgers you have to go to Eden Burger Bar (http://www.edenburgerbar.com).  I have the luxury of living walking distance from this little gem.  Never before have I seen such amazing combinations.  And though they are known for their burgers their other menu items are just as delicious.  With a new special every month (burger and some times pizza too), there's always something new and exciting to try.  They've also got a great beer and wine selection and a wine and beer shop attached to the restaurant.  I recommend doing a flight with your meal so you can try the different beers available on tap.  Get sides to share and be sure to sample the sauces (the lemon basil aioli is awesome!).

What I've tried:

The Duck Burger
The Firehouse Burger
The Chicken Pico
The Bahn Mi Burger (my favorite!!!)
The Boar Burger
The Pepperoni Pizza

What Rocks about it:

Interesting flavor combinations (I was skeptical about the teriyaki mushrooms on the boar burger but it ended up being the perfect flavor profile)
Great staff (no seriously, I first went with a group of 21 people and we had one waitress and she was AWESOME!)
Cool decor and good music that isn't too loud


What I'd do differently:

So they don't allow ANY substitutions or customization which as a foodie can be a tad annoying.  For example I wanted to add some of there awesome jalapeno bacon to my pepperoni pizza and they wouldn't let me (sad panda).  I would love to see them add a build your own pizza option like they have available for their burgers.  And the dessert menu is way lacking (though I'm always too stuffed after my meal to even consider ordering dessert)

Thai Style Mint Turkey

I love this dish!  One of the main reasons I love it is because the first time I ever had it it was made for me by one of my dear friends.  Another reason I love it is because I was then able to recreate the recipe without a recipe and without using the seasoning packet.  I dove in and took the challenge and I hope you will too.  This dish is another great quick week day meal that is ready in minutes and can be customized as you like.  I know that some of these ingredients aren't things you'll necessarily have on hand but I'm hoping that after this you'll start keeping them on hand.  Some of the spices used here are so versatile and really should become a staple in your kitchen.  I'll be posting soon about what I think a well stocked pantry should have so stay tuned!

Ingredients:
1 TBS sesame oil
2 TBS olive oil
1 TSP kosher salt
1 TSP chili powder
1 TBS minced fresh ginger, peeled *
2 TBS minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves) - this should be a rough chop and not to finely minced
2 TBS curry powder, divided
4 TBS sugar
1 medium green onion, sliced - separate the greens from the white as they will be added at different times
1 large jalapeno, halved and then sliced **
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch long by 1/4 inch thick (bite sized) - you can also use mini sweet peppers if you like
1/2 c unsweetened fat free coconut milk
2/3 c lime juice
1/2 c low sodium soy sauce, divided
1 LB lean ground turkey
6-6 mint sprigs (stems removed)
4-5 sprigs cilantro (stems removed)

Prep:

Heat oils in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat
Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes)
Add ground turkey and sprinkle with salt (cover the bottom of the pan with the turkey) - make sure to combine with the ginger and garlic to keep from burning the garlic (burned garlic = bitter)
When the turkey starts to brown add half of the curry and chili powder (sprinkle the spices evenly over the meat so you don't get a clump of over seasoned meat)
Once the turkey is almost all browned add half the soy sauce and the lime juice.
Clear a space for the peppers and the white part of the green onion so they can get direct contact with the pan (this lets them sear and get some color).  Once the peppers start to sweat you can combine them with the meat mixture.
Add the remaining soy sauce, curry, coconut milk, sugar and lime juice.  When the sauce starts to thicken slightly, turn heat to low and add mint, cilantro and greens of the onion.  Stir until well combined and herbs just begin to wilt.

Serve immediately over rice

*cook's tip:  you can peel your ginger and put it in the freezer and just pull it out when you need it.  It'll keep longer that way and you'll always have it on hand when you need it.

** If you want less spicy remove the seeds from the jalapeno

I'm Back!

Hello friends,

I'm sorry to say that I have been remiss in posting.  I had high hopes when I started this blog in 2011...yes 2011 and now almost 2 years since my last post I've come to realize I've failed you all.  But I'm back with a mission to keep sharing my tips, recipes and food stories with all of you again.  So what I want to know is what things you're hoping to get from this blog.  What tips and tricks are you hoping to get out of me?  What types of recipes are you dying to try?  I cook a lot!  And I want to share that with all of you.  I want be a sort of tour guide for you through the adventure of food.  Yeah, you heard right, food is an adventure.  It isn't just a necessity...it should enrich your life.  So I'm going to push myself to try new things, to build my food army.  I'm going to start posting reviews of restaurants I visit and tell you what I loved and what I'd do differently.  I'm committed to bringing you something new at least once a month, but hopefully more than that.  I hope you'll keep reading and sharing.  I want to hear your stories too.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned...there's more deliciousness to come!

G

Thai Style Spaghetti Squash

I love Spaghetti Squash!  It is so versatile and really lets me get creative.  I've done everything from "mac & cheese" to standard "spaghetti".  In this recipe I've taken Thai flavors and created a healthy "noodle" dish.  This is great for Vegans or those of you that can't do Gluten.  It's filling but also light and refreshing.  If you've never had Spaghetti Squash this is a great way to introduce yourself to this awesome vegetable.

Ingredients:

½ large spaghetti squash, prepared (about 2 ½ cups)

½ cup rice wine vinegar

1/8 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tbs smooth peanut butter

2 tsp sesame oil

3 tsp peanut oil

½ tsp granulated garlic

½ tsp hot sauce

1 large roma tomato, cut into large chunks (about ½ cup)

½ large cucumber, cut into large chunks (about ½ cup)

½ cup julienned red bell pepper

1 medium carrot grated (about ½ cup)

1 cup cilantro, loosely packed, roughly chopped

¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

¼ cup chopped green onion

Heat oils in wok over medium high heat.  Add red pepper and carrot, sauté for 2 minutes, add Spaghetti Squash, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, hot sauce and peanut butter and toss until well combined.  Cook until carrots and peppers are just tender.  Remove from heat.  Toss with remaining ingredients.

 

Potato, Lentil and Zucchini Pupusas with Green Chile and Black Bean Puree

Pupusas are a traditional Salvadorian dish that I discovered a few years ago.  They're basically thick corn tortillas stuffed with a seasoned filling.  I've made them with all sorts of fillings but this vegetarian option has been my favorite.  I love the smokiness of the cumin and the various textures of the corn, potatoes and zucchini.  Don't be intimidated by the ingredients or the prep.  I didn't grow up making tortillas with my grandmother but I didn't let that stop me.  And Masa flour is easier to find at your local grocery store these days.  As with any of the recipes I share here I encourage you to modify this to your own personal taste.  Experiment, take risks and enjoy the adventure.  I know I did.

Ingredient List:

Black Bean Puree:
1 c. dried black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
2 c. water (enough to cover beans by 1 inch)
1 TBS granulated garlic
1 TBS kosher salt
1/2 TBS ground cumin
1/4 TSP cayenne pepper
8 oz. fire roasted green chilies

                                                      Filling:
1 c. diced zucchini, seeded (2 medium)
1 2/3 c. diced yukon gold potatoes, peeled (2 large)
1 c. red lentils
2 TBS minced shallots (1 medium)
1 TBS minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 TBS olive oil
2/3 c. white corn (canned or frozen), if using canned drain off liquid
1 TSP ground cumin
1 c. reserved black bean liquid
Pupusas:
2 c. Masa flour
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 TSP kosher salt

Garnish:
2 large avocados, sliced
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream or plain greek yogurt for garnish

To prepare beans for bean puree cover soaked beans with the water and add the seasonings.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until beans are soft.  Add beans, reserving 1 cup of the liquid for the lentils, and the chiles to a blender and puree until smooth.

  To make filling heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic, shallots and potatoes and cook until potatoes begin to brown.  Meanwhile, bring lentils and black bean liquid to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft.

 Add zucchini and cumin and saute until zucchini begins to get color.  Add corn.  Continue to saute until zucchini is cooked, being careful not to overcook.  Add cooked lentils until well combined.


Meanwhile, prepare pupusa dough.  Roll into a 2 inch ball and flatten until 1/4 in thickness.  Spoon filling onto tortilla, leaving a 1/2 inch margin.  Make another tortilla and lay over filling.  Pinch together edges, making sure they are sealed.  Cover with a damp dowel while making the rest of your pupusas.  Heat vegetable oil in a large pot and fry until golden brown on both sides.



Once the pupusas are fried assemble the plates with as follows:

Ladle 1/2 cup of the bean puree onto a plate.

Add sliced avocado in a circle.

Lay 2 pupusas gently on top of the avocado slices.  Drizzle with Black Bean Puree.



 Top with cheese, cilantro and a dollop of either Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

 

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