Recipe Revamp:Eggplant Pizza

Last summer I discovered the joys of putting eggplant on pizza, and while it's an absolutely amazing recipe in terms of gooey deliciousness, I found an even better one a few weeks ago that adds in even more levels of flavor to the pie. The za'atar I used I had brought back from Jordan, and this was really a great way to use it up.

The Sprouted Kitchen

Roasted Eggplant & Za'atar Pizza
Dough Recipe
2 c. bread flour
2 t. yeast
1 t. sugar
1 T. olive oil
1 c. warm water

Tahini Spread
3 Tbsp. Tahini
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Clove Garlic, minced
Pinch of Salt + Pepper

1 Eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4" discs
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Generous Pinch of Dried Oregano
1 Small Yellow Onion, in large slices
3/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
1 Tbsp. Za’atar
1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta
Fresh Thyme Leaves
Salt + Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 500. Mix dough ingredients together and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
2. Mix all of the tahini spread ingredients together in a bowl, set aside.
3. Drizzle eggplant and onions in a roasting pan and toss with salt, oil, and dried oregeno. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
4. Once dough has risen, spread it out on a pizza stone and place the tahini spread across the surface, followed by the za'atar. Sprinkle the mozzarella, the eggplant chunks and charred onions, and the crumbled feta. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, and baking the pizza for 12-15 minutes until the edges crisp up. Garnish the top with a generous sprinkle of the fresh thyme leaves.

Hummus: Back to the Basics

This is another recipe I got from my Arab Table Cookbook, which not only has fantastic, authentic (from what I can tell) middle eastern recipes, but amazing pictures as well.

I use to be quite the hummus connoisseur, going through most of the national brands before I finally got fed up with it. Too much of a good thing, especially if you have it everyday for lunch. 

But this recipe, which I first tried back in February, has drawn me back into the dish. It's a simple recipe, without any bells and whistles, and I kind of like that. My vegan friend Jim has also given it his seal of approval, saying it was one of the best he's tried (which I take as a huge compliment!)

Some Notes:

• It's heavy on the tahini, which makes it thicker than most, but feel free to cut it in half if you don't like that nutty flavor. 
• I've found while the first day is fine, you might need to add some olive oil in as the week goes by to keep its 'sour cream' like consistency.  
• A Food Processor makes this recipe SO MUCH EASIER. I wouldn't recommend making it without it (although I did get it to work once with my emulsion blender)
• For those who like bells and whistles, consider adding roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, or pine nuts to the mixture.

Hummus
2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans
2-4 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 t. salt, plus more to taste
1/2 c. tahini (or less)
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin Olive Oil (for drizzling on top)
1/2 t. smoked paprika

1. Drain all the water out of the garbanzo beans and rinse in cold water THREE times. Place them in water, covered by 1 inch of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of liquid, then drain and set aside.
2. Place garlic and salt in the food process and pulse three times. Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and pulse until the mixture is thick and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 5 minutes, or until it has the consistency of sour cream. Add the cooking liquid in tablespoon quantities as needed (2-6 T.).  Season with paprika/salt/lemon juice as needed.
3. When you serve the hummus, create a bowl with a center indentation where you can add olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, or other garnishes.

A Healthy Pasta

Roasting Makes all Vegetables Fun

Week two could not have come quick enough! I caught myself trying to 'lighten' the Chicken 'n' Dumplings recipe over the weekend but held off. To sum up week 1: I was STARVING. Just trying to gauge a 'healthy' portion of what I normally eat usually left me eating less than I should, and then splurging later because I needed the calories. Glad that is over.

Week two should be much more my speed. Healthy recipes, as dictated by others. My first stop is America's Test Kitchen, which has just put out a lovely Light & Healthy 2011 magazine that I grabbed a few weeks back. It's out until May, so grab it if you can.

 I absolutely love this publication because it's written like a blog: they explain the process, then leave you with a finalized recipe. A word of warning. Read the recipe thoroughly before committing to dinner for the night. I thought I would make a pork loin, until I realized I should have marinated the meat yesterday. The magazine doesn't do a great job at telling you the total time for any given recipe, so just be sure you read ahead first and are prepared.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
America's Test Kitchen, Serves 6
Per 2-cup serving: 480 calories, 16 g. fat, 3.5 g. sat. fat, 18 g. protein, 70 g. carb, 7 g. fiber, 610 mg sodium

2 heads garlic
2 T. water
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
5 T. evoo
1 head cauliflower, cut into 8 wedges
salt and pepper
1/4 t. sugar
1 lb. fusilli, campanelle, or orecchiette
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Cut the top of the garlic heads off and place the heads, cut side up, on a sheet of foil. Drizzle 1 T. water on each, and then seal the foil and place in the oven on the top rack for about 30 minutes. Place a roasting dish in the oven to preheat for the cauliflower.
   
   
2. Trim cauliflower, then coat with 1 T. oil, 1/2 t. salt, a pinch of pepper, and 1/4 t. sugar. Remove the roasting dish from the oven and add cauliflower, cut side down. Roast until well-browned, around 20-25 minutes. This should finish up at the same time, or just after the garlic is done.
3. When garlic is done, remove from foil and let cool. Squeeze out the cloves and mash with a fork. Mix in lemon juice and red pepper. Slowly whisk in oil.
   
   
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pasta and 1 T. salt. Once pasta is al dente, reserve 1 c. liquid, and drain. 
5. Add in 1/4 c. liquid, cauliflower, garlic paste, 1/2 c. Parmesan, and parsley to the post and toss to combine with pasta. Add in more liquid as needed.

In terms of a healthy dish--this worked out pretty well. I actually cut the cheese in half, and still felt it was plenty. I also thought the recipe was heavy on the salt, so feel free to reduce that as needed. 

Two Holiday Classics

FOUR pies: Chocolate Icebox, Pumpkin, Apple, and Pecan

Normally, I don't do anything for Thanksgiving but when Chris invited me to go with him to Atlanta to have Thanksgiving with his family--I couldn't resist. I hadn't had a true Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing, and FOUR pieces of pie. Among the feast, I made two family favorites: Squash Casserole and Pecan Pie.

If you add in extra cheese, I promise not to tell!

A Pain in my Side Squash Casserole
So even though I hated squash as a child, this recipe is amazing. It's got a ton of cheese in it and the eggs make it more of a custard. The name comes from the first time I had the dish—I was in middle school, and after eating squash for the first time (a lot of it!) my appendix ruptured and I spent the next 48 hours in pretty horrible pain. I blamed the casserole at the time, but luckily, I got over it and this has been a staple at holiday dinners every since! Originally from Minette Son, additions by Alicia Weaver

3 eggs
1/3 cup half and half
(mix together and refrigerate)
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
Dice onion and garlic and saute in olive oil or butter until translucent
6 squash
Thinly sliced, using a food processor or mandolin blade. Add squash in batches until it is cooked through. Move the squash to a pan, siphoning off as much water as possible. 
1-2 t. salt to taste (if you don't use low sodium crackers, you can skip the extra salt)
Add in egg mixture slowly, so it does not scramble. 
1 packet low-sodium crackers, crushed
1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Add crackers and cheese and mix together with squash, reserving enough to top the casserole at the end. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly.

My pecan pie!

Jackson Family Pecan Pie
An old recipe from my grandfather---surprisingly easy to make too!

3 eggs, beaten
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. white Karo corn syrup
1. 5 c. pecans, chopped
3 T. melted butter
Mix all ingredients together and pour into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour, until consistency becomes less shaky and pie crust is cooked. (The middle should still be a little loose).

My Grandfather's Pecan Pies!

Drunken Pasta

Did you vote for me today? Braised Short Ribs! And now back to your regularly scheduled recipes...

Pasta's always more fun in bright colors

Give me an excuse to add alcohol to my cooking and I'm there. This Drunken Pasta recipe from Tasting Table was both delicious, fun to make, and relatively easy considering it's from a professional chef. The pasta turns this really bright purple in the red wine and when you add colorful veggies to the mix, the colors pop even more! (Sorry, my phone camera is not up to the proper color standards)

I used brocolini and red peppers, because I had them, but I think you could toss in anything you had around--just blanch them first to keep them bright and crisp.

An Intro into Squash

I've never been a big squash fan, but once I moved up north I've starting to see the benefits of the food group in the cooler, fall months. The starchy texture and flavor of squash is really filling when it gets cold, so I've started to expand my recipe repertoire to see what squash can do for me.

Acorn Squash with Rosemary and Brown Sugar

I started with a recipe I found at The Bitten Word, although their review wasn't so stellar. Despite being warned, I tried it anyway. It wasn't all that bad—the brown sugar overpowered the dish with its sweetness, but lemon helped cut that down a tad. With six more wedges to eat, I decided to set them aside and try again the next night, only this time cube the squash and add it into a pasta recipe:

Sweet Acorn Squash in Brown Butter Sauce

Sweet Acorn Squash Pasta in Brown Butter Sauce
Converted from a Fine Cooking recipe

• One 2-lb. acorn squash (unpeeled), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. pasta

• 2-3 T. butter
• 1 t. Rosemary

1. Using a paring knife, score each wedge of squash lengthwise down the middle of the flesh. Heat the butter and oil in a straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the squash in the pan in a single layer and cook, flipping occasionally, until deep golden-brown on all cut sides.
2. Carefully pour the wine into the pan, then quickly scatter the brown sugar, rosemary, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper over the squash. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the squash is almost tender, about 10 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pot of water to boil and add in pasta.
4. Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Flip the squash and cook until the liquid is thick and the squash is tender, about 5 minutes more. 
5. In a separate pan, heat butter until it browns, then add in rosemary leaves. (Note: If you have a lot of liquid left in your squash pan, you can skip this step)
6. Season with salt and pepper, cube into 1 inch pieces. Add pasta to pan and serve. Sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano.

Adding the sweet squash to pasta helped break up that sweetness, and the brown butter sauce made the entire meal really delicious and rich.

So what other squash recipes should I try? I think I'll explore Butternut and Spaghetti squash next, and maybe a soup recipe or two. Any suggestions?

Crispy Kale!

So this was something that sounded amazing back in June, but of course took me three months to find Kale at the farmers market and actually make it. It was totally easy, and I can recommend making this as part of an appetizer platter (as we did) or as a topping to a fish or rice dish.

Christina's directions were pretty straight forward: clean the kale (then dry it!), toss it with some sesame oil, diced garlic, and salt, and then place in the oven until it's crispy. Make sure the kale is dry--it will take longer to crisp up if there is too much moisture--drizzle plenty of oil and garlic salt (for added garlic flavor!) over it and place it in a 375 degree oven. We cooked ours for about 15 minutes, but check it every 5 to see how crispy it is. It should go from this:

to something like this:

I.E. the leaves will shrivel up and you should be able to break it apart like a cracker.

Out of the oven, I drizzled more sesame oil over it to keep that flavor nice and abundant, and then broke off the leaves from the stem and served it in a bowl. Hardly any prep---and such a great reward: the kale was crispy and, while it's a bit much to eat on its own without other dishes to balance the flavors, as a topping it should really be tried more often.

Lemon-Basil Ricotta Pasta

100 degree weather get you down? Don't feel like lighting the stove in this humidity? This recipe is perfect--both in those scenarios, and also as a great pasta salad at a pot lock or a quick vegetarian meal.

The basic recipe (also in my family cookbook) was originally found in Health Magazine. Tonight, I used the ricotta I made last night—the quart of whole milk made just over 1 cup of ricotta, which is exactly what I need for this recipe. I also added in some fresh tomatoes, although with fresh ricotta, basil, and lemon, I'm not sure I needed them. It's such a refreshing meal on its own.

Also..thanks Aniyia for this recipe--it's another (sweeter) way to use Ricotta: Balsamic Blackberries with Ricotta Cream

Brie Pasta

This is a super easy pasta recipe that first discovered in Real Simple, and have since added to the Weaver Family Cookbook. You can switch up the pasta—I've used Bowtie and shell—the trick is to find one that can hide away brie in its crevices to create a really delicious, gooey bite.

This evening Harris Teeter had a 25% off specialty cheeses, so I grabbed 8 oz. of brie and it only cost me $3. You don't need the expensive stuff, but at the same time you want it to taste good, so use your judgement.

The steps are simple. First, I used frozen broccoli and blanched it in the pasta liquid after that was finished cooking. Toasting the pine nuts takes a little longer, but the taste makes up for the extra step. The nuttiness works well once it's all mixed together.

The key is to throw the brie onto the pasta/broccoli quickly after they are finished cooking. Slices of brie in pipping hot pasta will melt in about 2 minutes, so give everything a good stir and cover for another 5. When you lift the lid, the pasta will look creamy and the brie will be dissolved into the pasta. You DONT have to overdo the brie---the recipe calls for 8 oz., but I used about half of that for this round---too much brie and it's almost too rich.

Eggplant Pizza

So for all of my eggplant lovers out there, this recipe is a must. For those scared of eggplant, this is a great one to start out on. It didn't take a long to prep, and was so amazing, there were no leftovers after my roommates got a hold of it---so if that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is.

I used my generic dough recipe, but if you want to cheap and buy a crust, that should work too.

Pizza Dough
1 c. warm water
2 t. yeast
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 t. oil
-mix together in the water, then add to
2 cups all-purpose flour
-let rise for 30 minutes. This dough is sticky, so you have to knead it directly onto the pizza stone. Use oil on your hands to make kneading easy, and flour on the pizza stone surface.

Eggplant Pizza
1 large eggplant
3 oz. fresh mozzarella
2 T.  olive oil
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 t. dried hot red pepper flakes
Parmesan

1. Slice the eggplant into discs, salt generously, and let drain in a colander for 30-40 minutes.
2. In the meantime, make the dough and prep the rest of the ingredients.
3. Saute the garlic in oil with the red pepper flakes for 2-3 minutes.
4. Drizzle with oil and broil the eggplant on high for 5-8 minutes.
5. Heat Oven on 450-500 degrees. Place pizza stone in oven to preheat.
6. Spread out the dough, drizzle with oil, and layer the mozzarella and eggplant on the pizza. Don't add too much mozzarella, giving each piece plenty of space to expand. Shave Parmesan on top. Spoon garlic mixture on top.
7. Place pizza in oven for 12-15 minutes. After time is up and cheese has started to brown, shave another Parmesan layer on top and let sit.

Why You Should Try Vegetarianism...at Least for One Day

So my month of Vegetarianism is winding down, and on the eve of eating a REALLY juicy steak for lunch tomorrow, I wanted to throw a few thoughts out there.

1. I challenge everyone to try this. Maybe it's not a month, but a week or a day or even just a meal--however long you choose, know that there are some delicious options out there without meat, without dairy, or without both!

2. Eat more produce! I learned how to cook eggplant, quinoa, tofu, and tempeh this month. I think moving forward I'm going to continue pushing myself to expand what I cook for myself.

3. Vegetarianism is EXPENSIVE! I really tried to push myself at the beginning of the month, but after about 10 days I realized selecting these amazing recipes with 15 ingredients each was just not going to work. Produce is expensive, especially if you buy a lot of it. By the last week or so I started to figure out how to push what I've bought into two or three meals, but it's hard when you're also trying to experiment with new meals.

So am I going to stay a vegetarian? No. But it didn't kill me when I was, and I might try it again soon.

Finally...a proper Stiry Fry

So I think I'm finally getting the hang of this tofu thing. First off, I pressed it on Sunday, sliced it into cubes, and froze back the pieces until today. The idea was to throw the cubes on the skillet and watch them sizzle...but alas, my cast iron does not get hot enough (plus I think I was using the wrong oils) so all I got instead was browned tofu that didn't break up into pieces. But it tasted good!

I set the tofu aside and then flash fried squash, zucchini (finally used the last of it!) onions, and peas. A.k.a. the leftover veggie plate from Friday night's party. Toward the end, I tossed in soy sauce, ground ginger, a little turmeric (although i don't think that did much) and a few slices of pickled ginger with some of its sauce. (Thinking back to David and Megan's comments earlier). Refraining from adding tomato sauce of any kind, the meal was simple and still quite tasty. I served it with more quinoa, although rice would have been more traditional.

Can you believe I have ONE day left?!

A Vegan Shopping List

Thank you to everyone who send in recipes! It's Tuesday, which means I'm officially Vegan tomorrow for seven days. Going into my last week, I think I've finally found the will power to not care about the lack of meat. I've solved my protein problem with more beans and trail mix in my diet, and found some great recipes with eggplant.

One of my main goals for this month was to cook with more fresh produce, and so I'm really looking forward to this last week. No more relying on the Nacho recipe of my youth for a quick dinner. (Although I'm pretty sure I'm finishing off my mozzarella tonight with one last batch!) Because I'm not really in a cooking mood right now, recipe planning is tough, but I gave it a go below.

Shopping List for the week:
-Avocado--for lunchtime, with garlic salt on toast.
-Bananas--for breakfast
-Kale--Because the Crispy Kale recipe just looks so tasty!

Recipes to Make This Week:

From Christina:

• Dips: Hummus/ salsa/guacamole/bean dip served with pita/tortilla chips. For the bean dip: Mix variety of beans (kidney, black, pinto) with minced garlic and onions, and add spices like chili powder, paprika, whatever)
• Crispy kale Roast stemmed kale with your choice of oil--I love toasted sesame--and a little salt and garlic, or whatever you like. It gets crispy and amazing. Also great if you roast with coconut flakes and tofu cubes and then add to brown rice for an amazing meal.
• Tostadas: bake corn tortillas for about 6-8 minutes in oven until getting crispy and then top with mushed beans, salsa, avocado, tomatoes, onions, whatever, and then top with shredded cabbage and carrots
• Snack: The combination of banana chips with almonds is amazing. Awesome snack.
• Sweet potato fries=cut into fry size, lightly cover in olive oil and then lightly cover in garlic and cayenne pepper (or chili powder if you're a wus) and then bake at 400 for like 45 minutes, turning over every so often. And then broil for the last 5 minutes or so if you like them kinda burnt and crispy. Mmm!
• And lastly, salsa makes everything awesome. Pineapple chipotle salsa, mango lime salsa, spicy salsas, etc.
• Christina also sent me a few more recipes via Word Documents, including a delicious-sounding African Sweet Potato Soup. I'm going to make that in the future, for sure. 

Chickpea Bajane—VEGAN from Libby
A quinoa recipe! Yet another ingredient (and protein!) I want to try

Lentil Loaf—VEGAN
from Summer
This one looks tasty..

Crispy Tofu
from Quin P.
This was a great summary of how to stir-fry tofu

Vegitable Tian
from Carrie
Carrie sent me this, via another food blog, Anne Strawberry

Mediterranean Garbanzo Salad—VEGAN
from Heather

A Vegetarian on a Road Trip

I went to a wedding on Saturday, which meant I had a three-hour drive down Saturday morning, and a five hour drive back on Sunday afternoon. Both times I experienced typical lunch-time hunger, and then realized with growing dread (and growing stomach growlings) that there was nothing on the side of the road for me to eat.

I was actually really sad about this because my coworker Cindy had told me about this great deli in Virginia Beach, The Jewish Mother, that I was planning to eat lunch at until I realized if I walked into a deli and ordered....bread? Potato salad? I thought I would be completely out of luck in a beach town as far as meatless meals goes, until I saw my hotel was located in the Chain Restaurant Captial. P.F. Changs, Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen...tons of city-friendly chains with several vegetarian options. I ended up grabbing a Veggie Curry at P.F. Changs—tasty, and with tofu!

Coming home was a little harder. I left around 11, and had eaten a bagel before getting on the road, so I didn't want to grab anything immediately. Once on the highway, I realized the typical highway fast food places just wouldn't cut it. I kept driving past each exit, hoping for something that would have some proper vegetarian dishes, but without luck. Burgers. Burgers. Chicken. Burgers.

Nearly five hours later, I was home, and starving. Next time I'm bringing trail mix.

Pot Roasted Eggplant

Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatos and Cumin

So this is my second try at Eggplant. This time I tried something a little heartier, and it turned out great. The mushy eggplant works great in a curry, and I served it with rice with a vino verde. Fresh parsley is key. There was a little spice to the dish, and I think I could have gone hotter. I did add in chickpeas because I had some extras, but they worked great in the dish.

Side Steps

So, as I reported earlier this week, I've been pretty hungry lately. At first I thought it was a vitamin deficiency, maybe not enough protein, but the other solution could be that I just wasn't eating enough. In that, normally, I make myself some giant, one-pot of deliciousness that I have no problem eating seconds, thirds, or the entire thing in one sitting.

Now, because I'm pushing myself to try new recipes, I am having trouble distinguishing between a one-pot meal, and something that requires more substance, or sides. The Eggplant Salad I made last week was delicious, but I should have added a grain or something to add to it. The same with the White Gazpacho. It's tricky teaching myself that not all recipes I make are a one-and-done type meal, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Tonight I made the shaved asparagus pizza (mozzarella is delicious, and I will SEVERELY hate life next week when I'm Vegan...) and then followed that with a Curried Cauliflower and Green Bean Salad with Lemon Yogurt. Both were FANTASTIC. First time all month I'd give myself an A for execution.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Curried Cauliflower and Green Bean Salad with Lemon Yogurt

Some tips:

• I bought a single serving cup of Greek Yogurt, it was the perfect amount for the yogurt sauce.
• My Pizza Dough recipe is my usual: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup corn meal, 1 cup warm water, 2 t. yeast, 1 t. sugar, 1 t. oil. Rise for 30 minutes. I like it because the whole wheat and corn meal gives it a heartier texture, and isn't as bready as other doughs.

Week 2 Recap

Hunger Issues 
This past week worked out okay, but more than before I felt hungry ALL the time. At first I thought it was because I wasn't eating enough, but then I had a theory I might not be getting enough protein, and the hunger was just there because of that. I've planned to make sure I'm getting more protein this week—poached eggs in the morning and more beans in my meals—so we'll see how I feel next week. If I continue to have this constant hunger, I might try a whey protein shake Liz recommended.

Menu Planning:
Shaved Asparagus Pizza, tonight
Curried Cauliflower, tomorrow
Moroccan Eggplant and Cumin-Spiced Tomatoes, Tuesday
--plus I still have some tofu to use up at some point....

Random Meals from the Week

Morning Star Farm's Black Bean Burger. Even the meat eaters thought these were tasty!

Trader Joe's Paneer Tikka Marsala with Spinach Basmanti Rice. This was a staple long before this month. The meal is only $2.19 at Trader Joes, and if you cook it in the oven it doesn't even feel like a frozen dinner.

Recipes
Here are a few recipes people sent me I haven't had a chance to try:

Portabello Mushrooms with Mediterranean Stuffing
From Libby

Cold Pasta Salad with Baby Artichokes
From the Parents 

South American Potato Salad

Papas Huancaina
(pronounced Papa's Juan Cayenne-a)

This dish was something I've grown up eating, first when my grandmother made it, and then when my mother took it over. It's traditionally Peruvian, and has the consistency of a spicy potato salad, which you get from the aji peppers.

Aji chili peppers are impossible to find here, usually, they are yellow and a good substitute is Cayenne, but you want to watch how much you put in, because Ajis don't have nearly as much kick: the spice hits you after this slight delay that makes you THINK you're safe, and then wham--it's hot. I found some recently in a Brazilian food store--actually I found Aji Salsa, but it works just the same. Instead of dishes tinting pink from the cayenne, they tint yellow.

There was a slight panic this morning making the recipe my mom gave me, because it called for three raw egg yolks. Not correct. As a family we did some digging, and my father found this one that is still easy, and nearly identical to what my grandmother had written down, except without the threat of illness from raw eggs.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
•  2 cloves garlic, mashed

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 2 t. ají amarillo salsa/paste
• 4 saltine crackers (we used two slices white bread)
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 4-6 White Potatoes, peeled
• Olives, sliced
• 3-4 Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced
• Lettuce or Cilantro to garnish

Preparation:

1. Boil or steam the potatoes until firm, but not too soft. Cool, and slice into discs.
2. Hard boil eggs, cool, and slice into discs. 
3. Sauté onion, garlic, and chile peppers in olive oil until onion is softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Place onion/chile mixture in a food processor or blender. Add evaporated milk and blend.
5. Add cheese and crackers and blend until smooth. Sauce should be fairly thick. Thicken sauce with more saltines or thin sauce with milk if necessary. 
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Arrange lettuce in serving bowl, place sliced potatoes on top and cover with sauce. Top with hard-boiled eggs and olives. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Day 9: Garlic Much?

White Gazpacho Soup with Shaved Asparagus

Food & Wine; Pioneer Woman

So I've had my eye on this recipe, mostly because I've never liked how regular gazpacho tastes like I'm eating tomato chunks. I wanted to try a tomato-less soup and see if I liked the chilled soups any better.

First of all, this recipe was super easy. All you need to do is blanch a cauliflower and dice up a few other veggies, then pulverize the entire mess and wait for it to chill. I did NOT have almonds, mostly because my budget prevents me from buying them, so I used pecans instead because I have a TON of those. I liked the pecan taste, but the soup did end up a little less-white and more beige because of it.

Second, be warned. Everything that makes regular gazpacho have a bite and kick to it is in here. Not only is there suppose to be ONE ENTIRE SHALLOT (I used half) and TWO CLOVES of garlic, my tongue is still ringing with this soup. This should definitely be served in appetizer sizes, or you should cut down on the shallot/garlic mix. Or sleep in separate bedrooms for a week or so, that should just about get rid of the garlic taste in my mouth...

You can see I added some color to my soup. I wanted to convert the shaved asparagus pizza recipe Megan found for me earlier this week, but after reading over the recipe, decided it looked way to delicious not to make another day. So instead I blanched a few stalks and made this quick shaved salad I found online. Tasty...and super easy!

Beer is Definitely Vegan

So last night I got to go to the National's baseball game...which wouldn't be exciting except it was Stephen Strasberg's first game and the stadium was sold out (it looks so different with people there!) and it was my friend Robin's birthday. We had great seats thanks to Stuart, and were sitting really close to Ken Burns. (Give me a week, and I'll adjust that story to having me spill beer on him instead of the poor man that actually happened to.)

A few veggie tips for baseball fans:
-Hard Times DOES have their Veggie Chili on hand, although it's WEIRD seeing mushrooms in your chili...
-A Shandy is a lemonade AND a beer....beware. (Okay, that's just a general tip about drinking).
-Beer is definitely Vegetarian.