one man's ceiling
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
veggie week, day 3
not one of my better stir frys, i must admit. i always have problems estimating the right flavor when using tofu, or rather, making sure it has enough flavor so that it doesn't "bland out" everything else.
in the back of my mind was the idea that i should bake it down in its marinade before adding to the rest of the mix but instead assumed an overnight soak in a soy-hoisen-garlic mixture would do it. wrong.
strangely, the girls haven't figured out we've been meatless since sunday morning. the closest we got was e. pointing out that the tofu was there for j, who decided she didn't like it. sometimes i just wish i knew what the magic formula was for what kids do and don't like to eat. it seems so fluid, so shifting at any given point, and i just don't get it. yeah, like i'm the only parent who ever had this problem.
toward the end of the night i felt a little queasy and wondered if it was something i ate. sometimes kids can be like canaries in the coal mine about food, recognizing something that's off because they're most sensitive. or closer to the ground. or something. but no one else went to bed feeling funny and everyone woke up fine.
not me. i seem to have taken on some cold-fever-like symptoms that i don't recognize. like all the elements of a fever -- slight aches, chills, erratic heart rate -- without a change in body temp. the stomach feels touchy, like it doesn't want food, but it was fine with some toast. i'm overall weak and feeling like i need to do some healing with food and that changes tonight's dinner.
actually, tonight's a bit rough. e has an after school class and then softball practice until 7, which is a long haul for a kid. my zuska is picking her up on the way home tonight and they're going to eat later, so dinner had to be a catch-as-catch-can event anyway. i was going with a sort of appetite assortment before but now i'm doubling back and making soup. garlic soup. with vegies and the option of buckwheat udon noodles.
this was a meal of choice when i needed a healthy pick up at a food court in emeryville, ca i used to frequent. it was a japanese stand that did all sorts of noodle soups and the garlic soup boasted a full head of garlic in each bowl. like this:
only without the chicken. and with buckwheat noodles. and garlic instead of -- what is that, scallops? water chestnuts? anyway. right tasty, and filling, and healthy. i'm hoping to capture some of that genie-in-a-bowl magic and whoop whatever this is in my system back to where it came from.
will the girls figure it out tonight? doubtful. things are going to be pretty scattered.
in the back of my mind was the idea that i should bake it down in its marinade before adding to the rest of the mix but instead assumed an overnight soak in a soy-hoisen-garlic mixture would do it. wrong.
strangely, the girls haven't figured out we've been meatless since sunday morning. the closest we got was e. pointing out that the tofu was there for j, who decided she didn't like it. sometimes i just wish i knew what the magic formula was for what kids do and don't like to eat. it seems so fluid, so shifting at any given point, and i just don't get it. yeah, like i'm the only parent who ever had this problem.
toward the end of the night i felt a little queasy and wondered if it was something i ate. sometimes kids can be like canaries in the coal mine about food, recognizing something that's off because they're most sensitive. or closer to the ground. or something. but no one else went to bed feeling funny and everyone woke up fine.
not me. i seem to have taken on some cold-fever-like symptoms that i don't recognize. like all the elements of a fever -- slight aches, chills, erratic heart rate -- without a change in body temp. the stomach feels touchy, like it doesn't want food, but it was fine with some toast. i'm overall weak and feeling like i need to do some healing with food and that changes tonight's dinner.
actually, tonight's a bit rough. e has an after school class and then softball practice until 7, which is a long haul for a kid. my zuska is picking her up on the way home tonight and they're going to eat later, so dinner had to be a catch-as-catch-can event anyway. i was going with a sort of appetite assortment before but now i'm doubling back and making soup. garlic soup. with vegies and the option of buckwheat udon noodles.
this was a meal of choice when i needed a healthy pick up at a food court in emeryville, ca i used to frequent. it was a japanese stand that did all sorts of noodle soups and the garlic soup boasted a full head of garlic in each bowl. like this:
only without the chicken. and with buckwheat noodles. and garlic instead of -- what is that, scallops? water chestnuts? anyway. right tasty, and filling, and healthy. i'm hoping to capture some of that genie-in-a-bowl magic and whoop whatever this is in my system back to where it came from.
will the girls figure it out tonight? doubtful. things are going to be pretty scattered.
Labels: garlic, japanese, noodle, soup, vegetarian
¶ Wednesday, April 25, 2007 1 comments
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
lentil (s)oops!
yeah, this was brilliant. it's late afternoon, time to start thinking about timing dinner. i pull out the book to see how long this lebanese-indian lentil soup is going to take--
one of the joys of lentils is that they are quick-cooking! 15 minutes tops! what's this mess about setting overnight so it properly thickens?
danger, will robinson! take evasive action! dive! dive!
eh, that recipe wasn't so good anyway. where was the spice, where was the garlic? no, this is no soup for us! time to improvise! replace the cooking water with stock. reduce the amount of water so it doesn't have to thicken. add leftover chopped onions and tomatoes from taco night on sunday. add some chopped carrot. say, this looks good. let's see what i can do about those spices... ah, that's much better!
lentil (s)oops
pour in the lentils and boil for a few minutes, but don't let it boil over
turn it down to medium heat. see that weird scum? spoon it off.
add the bay leaves
add the onions, carrots and tomatoes
go ahead and add the garlic as well
using a mortar and pestle crush the whole spices together, tie into a small cheesecloth pouch, and toss it in the soup.
don't have a mortar and pestle? lay everything out on a cutting board and crunch it with a rolling pin
don't have cheesecloth? do as i did: toss everything into a loose tea ball
add the garam masala and a little salt and pepper.
this should be ready in about 20 minutes, tops. if the stock boils out too quickly, add a little water.
my zuska requested i not serve this with crostini, or little cheese breads. okay, but i was feeling it was a little weak in the protein department. we had ours with little slices of homemade country kielbasa, cooked and sliced into little disks. i'd like to suggest a nice dollop of sour cream in the bowl when serving. or for a more traditional feel, yogurt and a wedge of lime.
yeah, this was brilliant. it's late afternoon, time to start thinking about timing dinner. i pull out the book to see how long this lebanese-indian lentil soup is going to take--
"...allow soup to set for 4 to 6 hours, preferably overnight..."huh?!
one of the joys of lentils is that they are quick-cooking! 15 minutes tops! what's this mess about setting overnight so it properly thickens?
danger, will robinson! take evasive action! dive! dive!
eh, that recipe wasn't so good anyway. where was the spice, where was the garlic? no, this is no soup for us! time to improvise! replace the cooking water with stock. reduce the amount of water so it doesn't have to thicken. add leftover chopped onions and tomatoes from taco night on sunday. add some chopped carrot. say, this looks good. let's see what i can do about those spices... ah, that's much better!
lentil (s)oops
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 cups dried lentils (i used 1 cup each of red and brown lentils)
- 1 cupped chopped onion (i used red onion)
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped plum tomatoes (optional)
- 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 8 whole cardamon pods
- 1/4 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tearspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
pour in the lentils and boil for a few minutes, but don't let it boil over
turn it down to medium heat. see that weird scum? spoon it off.
add the bay leaves
add the onions, carrots and tomatoes
go ahead and add the garlic as well
using a mortar and pestle crush the whole spices together, tie into a small cheesecloth pouch, and toss it in the soup.
don't have a mortar and pestle? lay everything out on a cutting board and crunch it with a rolling pin
don't have cheesecloth? do as i did: toss everything into a loose tea ball
add the garam masala and a little salt and pepper.
this should be ready in about 20 minutes, tops. if the stock boils out too quickly, add a little water.
my zuska requested i not serve this with crostini, or little cheese breads. okay, but i was feeling it was a little weak in the protein department. we had ours with little slices of homemade country kielbasa, cooked and sliced into little disks. i'd like to suggest a nice dollop of sour cream in the bowl when serving. or for a more traditional feel, yogurt and a wedge of lime.
Labels: improv, lentils, recipe, soup
¶ Wednesday, February 28, 2007 0 comments
Sunday, February 11, 2007
it was supposed to be white bean chili
but my local whole foods has the lamest bulk selection in town, and it's practically the only bulk selection in town as far as i know.
you buy dry beans and soak them for two or three hours, something should happen. well the "something" that happened was that almost half of the beans failed to absorb any water. most of the others had soaked and split open, or were totally discolored, all of it just nasty.
so i had to improvise.
i found a couple cans of black-eyed peas in the cabinet. i changed the meat to bean ratio. i forgot and later added ingredients. it was originally a crock pot recipe but the way it turned out would have been better on the stove. i should have included the sweet potato i've been meaning to use.
anyway, without further ado
black-eyed pea chili with sausage and chicken
add the chicken, cook it up a bit as well, about 3 more minutes
add the onion, peppers and spices and heat until everything smells fragrant
toss in the peas and the broth, turn up the heat to medium high until everything boils
then turn it down and simmer for about 20 minutes
it's a very soup-y chili, or a chunky soup. you can thicken it by not rinsing the black-eyed peas before you add them, just dump them in straight from the can, but that will increase the likelihood of gas.
additional possible add-ins: chopped carrots, chopped celery, diced sweet potato (only with drained peas), making sure to add a cup of broth for every additional cup of add-in.
best served with a dollop of light sour cream on top, or perhaps some grated cheese, and a sprinkle of green onions (which i forgot to do last night).
makes 6 to 8 servings, depending on the company
kid approved
leftovers store well for a week, if they last that long
but my local whole foods has the lamest bulk selection in town, and it's practically the only bulk selection in town as far as i know.
you buy dry beans and soak them for two or three hours, something should happen. well the "something" that happened was that almost half of the beans failed to absorb any water. most of the others had soaked and split open, or were totally discolored, all of it just nasty.
so i had to improvise.
i found a couple cans of black-eyed peas in the cabinet. i changed the meat to bean ratio. i forgot and later added ingredients. it was originally a crock pot recipe but the way it turned out would have been better on the stove. i should have included the sweet potato i've been meaning to use.
anyway, without further ado
black-eyed pea chili with sausage and chicken
- 1 lb sausage links, something spicy, casing removed
- 1 lb chicken breast meat, cut to half inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 - 5 jalapeno peppers, diced super fine
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 15 oz cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 5 cups chicken broth
add the chicken, cook it up a bit as well, about 3 more minutes
add the onion, peppers and spices and heat until everything smells fragrant
toss in the peas and the broth, turn up the heat to medium high until everything boils
then turn it down and simmer for about 20 minutes
it's a very soup-y chili, or a chunky soup. you can thicken it by not rinsing the black-eyed peas before you add them, just dump them in straight from the can, but that will increase the likelihood of gas.
additional possible add-ins: chopped carrots, chopped celery, diced sweet potato (only with drained peas), making sure to add a cup of broth for every additional cup of add-in.
best served with a dollop of light sour cream on top, or perhaps some grated cheese, and a sprinkle of green onions (which i forgot to do last night).
makes 6 to 8 servings, depending on the company
kid approved
leftovers store well for a week, if they last that long
Labels: black-eyed peas, chili, soup, stew
¶ Sunday, February 11, 2007 0 comments
Monday, January 29, 2007
best. soup. ever. (according to the fam)
a week or so ago e. requested i make potato leek soup. had i ever made it before? i couldn't remember. it took a while and then i found a recipe and made it. they liked it, but they didn't love it.
"i thought it was something else, something you made before that i liked."
oh.
after some discussion i came to realize that what was requested was a chicken-leek-tarragon soup that i had made before. it was a soup i had winged, not from a recipe. i wasn't exactly sure of the measurements and such so i winged it again, keeping tabs of what i was using in the off chance it was the much loved and requested soup.
decision: best. soup. ever. here's the recipe:
chicken tarragon and leek soup (oh, and garlic, too)
toss in the leeks and cover to sweat them, a couple of minutes until just soft
add the chicken and stir
season a bit with salt and pepper, not too much; add the tarragon and continue cooking for about 7 minutes (seven? why not 8, or 6?)
add the broth and carrots and increase heat to bring to a boil; if using fresh green beans add them now, otherwise wait... wait...
put the garlic into the soup and stir
once soup is boil turn down to simmer for about 10 minutes; drop the frozen green beans in a couple minutes before serving
that's it.
this served 4 people with NO LEFTOVERS, it's apparently that good.
even for kids
a week or so ago e. requested i make potato leek soup. had i ever made it before? i couldn't remember. it took a while and then i found a recipe and made it. they liked it, but they didn't love it.
"i thought it was something else, something you made before that i liked."
oh.
after some discussion i came to realize that what was requested was a chicken-leek-tarragon soup that i had made before. it was a soup i had winged, not from a recipe. i wasn't exactly sure of the measurements and such so i winged it again, keeping tabs of what i was using in the off chance it was the much loved and requested soup.
decision: best. soup. ever. here's the recipe:
chicken tarragon and leek soup (oh, and garlic, too)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 medium leeks, white parts only, cleaned and sliced thin crosswise
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into half inch cubes
- coarse salt and fresh-ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
- 6 cups chicken broth (vegetable works as well)
- 3 small carrots diced small
- 1 cup green beans, frozen is fine but so is fresh
- 1 bulb (yes, a whole bulb) of garlic, peeled, run through a press
toss in the leeks and cover to sweat them, a couple of minutes until just soft
add the chicken and stir
season a bit with salt and pepper, not too much; add the tarragon and continue cooking for about 7 minutes (seven? why not 8, or 6?)
add the broth and carrots and increase heat to bring to a boil; if using fresh green beans add them now, otherwise wait... wait...
put the garlic into the soup and stir
once soup is boil turn down to simmer for about 10 minutes; drop the frozen green beans in a couple minutes before serving
that's it.
this served 4 people with NO LEFTOVERS, it's apparently that good.
even for kids
Labels: chicken, garlic, leek, soup, tarragon
¶ Monday, January 29, 2007 1 comments
