Soup for a cold day

I felt like having soup and had limited things on hand to make it with. I ended up with a comforting soup of onions and garlic, potatoes, rice cake balls, and some egg to add a bit of protein.
I wished I had had some green onions, as it turned out pretty white/yellow, and it would have balanced out the color and flavor, but I've just got to go with what I've got.

1. Remove the rice cake balls from package and set to soak in enough water to cover them.
2. Saute' 1/2-1 diced onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Add in two potatoes, peeled and 1/2" diced, and simmer under a lid until the potatoes are almost done.
4. Add 8 cups of water and appropriate amount of stock powder (6-8 Tbsp in my case for a vegetarian stock powder Ebon bought). Bring to a boil.
5. Drain the rice cake balls and add to the boiling soup. Reduce heat to med/med high. Cook until the rice cakes are tender.
6. Add some pepper to taste.
7. Beat two eggs and slowly pour into the soup.
8. If you have them, I would add 1-2 chopped green onions at this point.

I thought it turned out quite yummy! I loved the rice cake balls. I'll have to try to find them again. I'm pretty sure I got them at the Reliable Market. I only got them because they were a smaller package than the flat rice cakes I normally get.

Minestrone

I made this minestrone many weeks ago. I liked how it turned out. As always there wasn't enough broth for Ebon...

Coconut Red Lentil Curry (reboot)

I made a Coconut Red Lentil Curry before but this time I flew by the seat of my pants and used what was on hand:

~2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots
1 carrot-shaped sweet potato (very small)
1/2 onion
2 small potatoes
5 garlic cloves
1 jalepeno (optional)
maharaja curry powder ~1tbsp
1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
1 can (15 oz?) coconut milk

I chopped everything pretty small, about 1/4" dice or slice. I sauteed all the veggies (minus the hot pepper) then added the curry powder, lentils and water. I added the coconut milk after the lentils were just about cooked. I added the jalepeno last after I dished out Leela's portion, of which she ate a little bit - mostly the carrots.
If I did it again, I'd add the curry powder after sauteing and before adding the water/lentils.
The leftovers were even better than fresh I'm guessing because the flavors had more time to meld.

Roasted Red Cabbage and Apples with Italian "Sausage"

I made Roasted Red Cabbage and Apples with Italian "Sausage" last night. It was pretty easy and I thought it turned out great. Ebon was skeptical, but ate the sausage and some of the cabbage mixture. Leela didn't eat any of the cabbage, but ate all of the sausage that I gave her, once she discovered she liked it dipped in brown mustard. Mustard FTW!

Chocolate cake, yum!

I was working on perfecting chocolate cake for Ebon.  So since there was a lot of frosting after the last try, I kept looking and I found a couple other recipes to try. Sally's Baking Addiction to the rescue with her chocolate cake. I think Ebon likes it better than the first attempt. I thought it was also very good. I made it in the same pan as before. It took a total of 47 minutes to make.

Japchae

I was craving the sweet potato noodles, so I decided to make japchae from this recipe. I didn't use all the soy sauce it called for.

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Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae)

BY CECILIA HAE-JIN LEE

May 6, 2009

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4.7

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Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae)Julie Toy

Japchae is traditionally made for parties or celebrations, but I like to make it for a light lunch or part of a big dinner. Dried sweet potato noodles can be found in most Asian supermarkets. They are incredibly chewy but healthy and delicious. This recipe works as a side dish (banchan) or can even be served as an appetizer or light snack.

Ingredients

Makes 4 or 5 servings

8 ounces sweet potato noodles

1/2 bunch spinach (about 4 ounces), rinsed and trimmed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 ounces beef rib-eye, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick strips

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 medium onion, sliced

3 to 4 pyongo or shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 carrot, shredded or cut into thin strips

3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup sugar

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Step 1

Cook the sweet potato noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Be sure not to overcook the noodles, or they will lose their chewy texture. If you like, cut the noodles with scissors into 6- to 7-inch lengths for easier eating.

Step 2

Blanch the spinach in boiling water. Rinse immediately under cold water, squeeze the water from the leaves and form into a ball, and then cut the ball in half. Combine the spinach, half the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Set aside to let the flavors soak in.

Step 3

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, the remaining garlic, 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Stir-fry until the beef is cooked, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, mushrooms, and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and stir-fry for another minute. Remove from the heat.

Step 4

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the noodles, beef mixture, spinach, remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and the sugar. Serve warm, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

From Quick & Easy Korean Cooking by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee. Text copyright © 2009 by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee. Photographs copyright © 2009 by Julie Toy. Published by Chronicle Books.

TRENDING

Rice Cake Soup

I kind of think this is the Asian version of chicken soup with dumplings. Since we're vegetarian, there's no chicken :)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
one stalk celery thinly sliced
1/2 cup of cubed daikon radish
4-6 cups of water
~2 tablespoons gochugaru (optional for a spicy soup)
1/2 (1kg?) package of rice cakes
1-2 cups of beansprouts
2-3 green onions chopped
one or two sheets of dried Seaweed/laver/Gim torn into small pieces
1 egg beaten

1. Pour the rice cakes into a bowl and cover it with water to soak for 15-30 min
2. In a medium or large pot (depending on how much you want to make), fry the onions and garlic in the oil until soft over a medium low heat.
3. Add the celery and daikon and saute until the start to soften.
4. Add the water and the optional gochugaru- if want it spicy.
5. Drain and rinse the rice cakes then add them to the soup pot. Increase the temperature to medium or medium high, bring to a boil then reduce the temp to simmer the soup until the rice cakes have softened, about 10 minutes?.
6. One at a time add the beansprouts, seaweed and drizzle the egg into the soup at the end.

Ebon thinks adding carrots makes it too sweet.

Baked Eggplant Pamesan

I had an eggplant from the share I needed to use up and I was craving some eggplant parmesan. So I found Martha Stewart's Baked Eggplant Parmesan recipe.
I followed the recipe using a homemade chunky marinara that I had previously made. It had eggplant in it too, so it was a very eggplanty meal.
I thought it turned out pretty good. It did take a while to make, prepare and bake eggplant, then bake everything to melt the cheese. I definitely wouldn't do the whole thing on a weeknight, but I would make it again.

Spiced Pear Muffins

I made these "Fall Breakfast Spiced Pear Muffins" I followed the recipe except for using all white whole wheat flour, one less tablespoon of butter and I added a little lemon juice to the pears so they wouldn't get too brown.

They came together well, I thought the consistency of the batter was a bit dry before adding the pears. Though, now come to think of it, I forgot to add the milk. After coming out of the oven they were a little dry overall too, but they were not too crumbly. The flavor was pretty good and they were just the right amount of sweet, but the cinnamon and nutmeg overpower the pears.

I might make these again, as long as I remember the milk, or maybe I'll substitute some sour cream or yogurt...

Braised Fennel and White Beans (with Potato)

I searched for fennel recipes to use veggies from my CSA and came across this one for Braised Fennel and White Beans.
I followed the recipe except  I added some potatoes (in order for Ebon to eat any of it), braising greens, and I forgot to add the butter and red wine vinegar at the end. I used a vegetable stock that I made. It took a bit longer than I thought (because of the potatoes) but turned out pretty tatsy. I think the butter and vinegar would have added to the flavor.

Pear Crisp

A coworker gave me a bag of pears, so I wanted to figure out how to use them. I searched for different recipes and landed on two. This Pear Crisp recipe and a pear muffin recipe.

I followed the recipe for the pear crisp except for using a smaller dish which was a bit of a mistake because the crisp part didn't stay too crispy. I thought it turned out pretty good. The crumble on top is a little sweet, so I might tone that down the next time. The first bit tasted a bit like apple crisp, but after letting it linger in my mouth a little longer, I could taste the pears. I had my crisp with vanilla ice cream, that was quite yummy!

Chocolate cake- "best ever"

I made this chocolate cake  for Leela's birthday. I and many other people liked it. Ebon, however, still is not satisfied with my chocolate cake making :(.

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

We had some peaches that had to be used so I asked some friends what I could make with 5+ peaches. Someone sent me this Peach Cobbler Recipe. I thought it had a lot of sugar, but I decided to try it anyway.
Putting it together was pretty easy - no stirring :) I also added some blueberries, probably about 1/2 cup or so, since I didn't think I had quite enough peaches (I removed the skins and pits).
It turned out pretty good. It was sweet enough and all that sugar made the dough/cobbler part nice and crispy. The cinnamon and nutmeg add good flavors. I might add some almond extract to the cobbler part next time, but I would definitely make this again, unless I find an equally tasty replacement that uses less butter and sugar.

Ratatouille - roasted

I made this Ratatouille last night and it turned out great! It was a bit sweet from caramelizing. I played a bit with the proportions in terms of what I had on hand - I didn't use mushrooms. I peeled the eggplant (Japanese) and salted it to let it sweat for about 20 min, after which I rinsed and squeezed out as much liquid as I could. I didn't read the instruction that the basil was supposed to be added after roasting, but I think having it in during roasting added flavor.
I served it with some penne and having some Parmesan cheese was delicious. I will definitely make this again!

Chakalaka

We first tried Chakalaka at a bed and breakfast outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Our host made it for breakfast and served it with flat bread (similar to injera) and scrambled eggs. I've tried to make Chakalaka before, but thought it was a flop flavor-wise.
I used the recipe here as a guide. I put my modified ingredient list below:
3 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
~1 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp  curry powder (maharaja curry powder from India)
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
5 large carrots, (unpeeled but scrubbed and topped and tailed) grated
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g can chopped  tomatoes
2 winter savory, leaves only
400g can baked beans
Salt and pepper to taste

I think I added some water so it wasn't too thick. We had this for dinner with bread/toast.
There was quite a bit, so I would probably do a half recipe in the future.
Also, I chopped the onions and peppers but used the food processor for the carrots. I think I'll throw everything in the food processor for chopping next time. Smaller pieces are better for this dish for me.

This time, it must have been the spices, but I thought it turned out great! I'm going to have a hard time finding the right curry powder again, but I'll keep trying!

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

I have been struggling to cook during the week because after we get home from work and daycare pick-up, 1) I have very little energy to decide what to make and actually cook and 2) time is short. By the time I cook something and we eat it, it can be way past Leela's bedtime. I'm trying to plan things ahead of time, so I looked up making baked potatoes in the slow cooker. I found a couple different "recipes" but I went with one that said coat the potatoes in oil, cover in foil and cook on low for 8-10 hours. So I did that in the morning before leaving for work - six potatoes with oil in foil in our crock pot. When I got back at the end of the day, they weren't cooked enough - still a little bit hard. So I'm going to call it a fail.

I don't think I'd want to try a weekday high temperature setting. The recipe for the high setting was to cook for 6 hours so I think the potatoes would get overcooked for our 10+ hours away.

Indian Summer Stew: Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Lentil Stew

I had the ingredients for this Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Lentil Stew laying around and decided to make it.
I was a little confused about when to add the tempered spices - I added it before the split peas were done, but it still turned out pretty good. I didn't have a roma tomato, so I used about a cup of tomato sauce that was in the freezer. I also added about a cup of frozen green peas for our pea-loving munchkin. I did think it took a bit longer than the recipe says to cook the yellow split peas/lentils.
I liked the flavors. It was subtly sweet because of the squash, coconut and sugar, but I think that highlighted the spices - turmeric, cumin, mustard, and chili. We had it with rice and Ebon didn't eat a ton, but Leela liked it - at least the first time. She wasn't a fan of leftovers the next day.

Lentil and Sweet-Potato Stew

Another meal I'm making for someone else! This Lentil and Sweet Potato stew caught my eye while looking for a vegetable stew to make for a friend. I had some sweet potatoes I needed to use and wanted to include beans or lentils to make the stew hearty.
My modifications were to use a large parsnip instead of the carrots and instead of the green beans and diced tomatoes I didn't have, I just used a cup of frozen green peas and a cup of crushed tomatoes.
The curry powder I used came from India. My sister got it for me on her honeymoon and it's the first time I'm using it. It is labeled Maharaja Curry. I'm not exactly sure what region she got it in, but it really added a lot of flavor to the stew.
Overall this turned out pretty good, but I would definitely use the diced tomatoes next time.

Aloo Gobi

I made this Aloo Gobi/Cauliflower and Potato dish the other night. Of course I modified it, but I was really happy with how it turned out. Ebon on the other hand, didn't like it as much. I think he prefers Indian food that has more of a gravy/sauce.
My modifications, I opted not to make the ginger/garlic paste and used dried ginger instead with some water and a few cloves of smashed garlic.
If I were to make this again, I'd cut the potatoes a little bigger and I think I'd use/make the ginger garlic paste. After looking at more of the recipes from the Food Network's star's show I think I'll make it soon for some other dishes.

Bread Salad with Sweet Peppers and Onions

I signed up on MealTrain to make a meal for another friend who just had a baby. Having just had a party, we had some leftovers that needed to be used up. I found a Bread Salad recipe that was just the ticket.
Since it's not really grilling season, I cut up a red pepper, an orange pepper, and a white onion (what I had on hand) in large chunks, tossed them in a bowl with olive oil and roasted them in the oven on a baking sheet. I made seasoned croutons from a baguette by tossing cubed bread in a bowl with olive oil, some salt, pepper, dried oregano, and garlic powder and then adding those to the oven on another baking sheet.
I put everything together according to the recipe, but excluded the chives since I didn't have any on hand and didn't add the bread since I was making this ahead of time. I also added some sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and pre-cooked, sweet Italian-style chicken sausages cut up in chunks to give the meal a little more heft.
I really liked the dressing/spices that were added it gave it a unique flavor - from my little taste-test.
The family told me that they liked the meal - so yay!

Couscous Salad with Dates and Almonds

I made this salad for a friend who can't cook at the moment. I thought it turned out awesome - of the little I had to taste test. I added some sun dried tomatoes that I had on hand, but otherwise followed the recipe.
I included a couple bags of spinach for them too, so they could have a hearty lunch salad.

I would love to make this for me/us, but since it has couscous in it, Ebon won't even touch it - booo.

Butternut squash Mac and Cheese

I made Butternut squash Mac and Cheese a few weeks ago and I thought it turned out great! The only drawback was it took a bit longer and Leela went to bed later than I wanted her to.
I used the recipe in my good ol' Betty Crocker Cookbook as a guide and expanded it/added to it.

I peeled and seeded a fairly large butternut squash, cut up half in ~2" chunks, and covered the chunks in about 2" of water and cooked/boiled until tender.
I used a whole box (1 lb) of swirly pasta, can't for the life of me remember it's name now.
I cooked that in boiling water per the instructions.
I made 2 cups of the thin white sauce, per Betty Crocker (in a saucepan make a roux with 2T flour, 2 T butter, salt and pepper gradually whisk in 2 c milk and bring to a slight boil, and remove from heat).
When the squash was done, I pureed the squash in the blender and added the white sauce as needed for liquid.
When the pasta was cooked and drained I combined the squash mix with pasta some butter and probably about 8 oz of cheddar cheese, grated on low until everything was melted and mixed together well - yum!

The butternut squash made it really creamy.

Apparently I like making this and make this at least once a year - here and here (though using pumpkin), each time has been a little different.

Coconut Red Lentil Curry

I made this Coconut Red Lentil Curry last month. I thought it turned out pretty good. Ebon seemed to like it well enough.

Peanut Sauce

I used this Peanut Sauce recipe in an stir fry a few months ago.
I wasn't excited about it, I felt like it was missing something.

Pumpkin Muffins

I made some Pumpkin Muffins in preparation for our trip to Nebraska over Christmas. These turned out so great. I was a little wary about all the spices, but they tasted great!
My modifications were to use about 2 cups of pumpkin, I forgot the buttermilk, and skipped the pumpkin seeds because I didn't have them. I think I also used all white whole wheat flour instead of the two flours in the recipe.
They were so moist and didn't fall apart or become really crumbly. I would give them 5 stars for traveling. Leela loved them. I froze the muffins I didn't use and they have been great quick breakfast items for Leela and I.

Kale and (Soy) Chorizo Soup

I made this soup the other night. I thought it turned out pretty good. I followed the recipe pretty closely except for using Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo. It was a little spicy for Leela, but she ate a little bit of it.