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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Easy Eggplant Bake

cheesy eggplant bake italian parmesan


Eggplant Parmesan involves breading the eggplant slices and frying them before baking them. To make it a bit quicker and healthier without losing a lot of the flavors for a weeknight meal, I decided to skip the breading and frying/pan-frying the eggplant, and go light on the cheese.

This can be a meal in itself, or can be served along with a starter salad to round out the meal. I used home-made marinara sauce that I had canned from last summer's yield of tomatoes from our garden.

Large globe or black beauty eggplants work well for this recipe, but any favorite variety can be used. I like to cut them into discs as it makes it easy to layer them and overlap them for baking, but again, long slices is an option.

It is no secret that I love eggplant as quite a few of the recipes collected here seem to feature it :)

Ingredients
1-2 globe eggplant, cut into ¼ inch thick discs
2-3 cups of marinara sauce or any other favorite tomato sauce
2-3 cups freshly grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin
2-3 Tbsp olive oil, or any cooking spray
salt to taste
chopped fresh rosemary, oregano, spring onions for garnish

Preparation
  1. Heat the oven to 375°F;
  2. Grease a roasting pan or casserole lightly with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil) and arrange a layer of eggplant slices at the bottom
  3. Spread some sauce in a thin layer over the eggplant, sprinkle some some sliced garlic and some mozzarella
  4. Add another layer of eggplant, sauce, garlic cheese and so on till all eggplant is used up, making sure to slightly overlap the eggplant in each layer, and top with some extra cheese if preferred
  5. Bake in the 375°F oven for about 10-15 minutes, checking to make sure cheese doesn't burn; reduce the heat to 350°F and finish cooking till eggplant is done to your liking and the cheese is melted
  6. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve warm

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Pan-fried Pollack with Onions and Garlic

pan-fried-pollack-1


I don't mind fish every once in a while, as long as I can smother it with flavorful stuff to get over the fishiness. Usually, I prefer to serve the cleaned fillets just pan-fried or seared or baked with a variety of spices. Sometimes, I like a coconut-milk-based curry, like with wild Alaskan Salmon.

This here is a very simple dish of Pollack fillets with simple spice-rub, pan-fried with onions and garlic.

Ingredients:
2 fish fillets, clean and ready to use
1 Tbsp Garam masala mixed in a bit of oil to form a paste
2 Tbsp Mint Chutney**, if handy
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
spring onions, cilantro for garnish
salt to taste
2 Tbsp canola oil for pan frying
** Or Cilantro chutney, or a cilantro-mint chutney


Preparation
  1. Pat dry the fish fillets and rub the cilantro mint chutney on one side and the garam masala on the other, reserving some of the masala to fry the onions and garlic
  2. Heat the oil in a grill pan, add the onions, garlic and masala and fry till well browned, remove and keep handy
  3. Add the fish fillets allow to sear on one side for about 3-4 minutes, flip and cook the other side; depending on how thin the fillet is, this should take just a few minutes
  4. Add the onions and garlic back into the pan with the fish to reheat it
  5. Garnish and serve warm

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Baked Mushrooms with Walnut-Spinach-Cilantro Pesto



The name seems too long for a dish that is simple to make and easy to disappear, but it says it all.

This is more of an appetizer or snack, and I usually make it just for me as nobody else in the house likes mushrooms. They don't know what they are missing.


One quick way I like to make baby portabella mushrooms, especially in small batches as appetizer is as follows:

  • saute about 2 Tbsp of finely chopped onions in some olive oil
  • optional herbs - rosemary, thyme - chopped
  • combine the sauteed onions, herbs, crumbled feta and pesto to make a filling
  • brush the cremini or baby bella mushrooms with olive oil and cook them in a pan with stem side down
  • in a minute or two, flip the mushrooms over so the stem side is up, drizzle some balsamic vinegar, splash some water, cover the pan and cook the mushrooms for about 3 to 4 minutes or so over moderate heat
  • remove from heat, spoon the filling and enjoy!


Ingredients
baby portabella or cremini mushrooms woody stems removed and cleaned
finely chopped onions, sauteed
colby jack or monterey jack or any favorite melty cheese
spring onions for garnish
Walnut-Spinach-Cilantro Pesto (recipe follows) OR- any favorite store bought pesto
olive oil as needed
soy sauce, just a few Tbsp to drizzle onto the mushrooms

Preparation for baked mushrooms
  1. Heat the oven to 375°F
  2. Spray the cleaned mushrooms with cooking spray, drizzle some soy sauce, spoon some Walnut-Spinach-Cilantro Pesto into the cavity, top with cheese
  3. Bake in the 375°F oven for about 20 minutes, checking on and off to make sure cheese doesn't burn; mushrooms are watery enough to stand upto even 400°F oven
  4. Serve warm, garnished with chopped spring onions



Walnut-Spinach-Cilantro Pesto:

1 cup baby spinach leaves, loosely packed
½ cup Cilantro leaves and stem, chopped coarsely
¼ cup toasted walnuts, perhaps a little more, if preferred
½ medium jalapeno, diced
¼ cup olive oil
salt to taste

Preparation
  1. Combine all but olive oil and salt in a food processor and blend to coarse paste
  2. Add in the olive oil and blend to desired smoothness
  3. Adjust salt to taste
Adjust the amount of the ingredients to taste, this is quite a flexible recipe


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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Florentine Omelette

florentine-omelette-1


I savor Sunday mornings: I let the baby talk and play in the crib with a few crib toys I sneak in when he is just waking up, before he notices me and jump-starts my day; I push down the surging guilt at not rushing to greet but letting Ana (who is old enough at 3¾) to get up from bed and read her books or play a bit in her room or even get out of her room if she likes.

I just sit on the bed, propped up with comfy pillows, savoring my morning cuppa, deliberately attempting to tune out the baby's prattle and Ana's parley with her dollies streaming in through the baby monitors.

And, when those 4 or 5 minutes pass, I busy myself thinking up a good way to cook up eggs for the morning brunch as I change the wriggling baby's diaper under Ana's watchful eye :)

This is just another omelette recipe, but happens to be D's and my favorite that I haven't posted so far. Typically, it is fairly thin, cooked only on one side, with favorite veggies and cheese filling, folded up and served warm with the morning joe.

As I make it in a 10x10 pan, this is large enough to be a meal in itself - usually ends up being Sunday brunch for us...

Ingredients
1/3 cup Eggbeaters™ whites
1 whole egg
1 tsp Herbs de Provence mix (or Italian herbs mix, if handy)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped spring onions for garnish
1 Tbsp Olive oil, or canola oil or even butter if preferred

Filling:
Baby spinach leaves
marinated and sauté mushrooms, if handy,
fresh grated colby jack or part skim mozarella or both
some diced smoked gouda, if preferred
some diced mock chicken sausage, if handy
Other veggies if preferred**

**I prefer not to use bell peppers or tomatoes as the omelette gets a bit soggy.

Preparation:
  1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat
  2. Beat the egg whites, eggs and herbs till fluffy - do this right before ready to pour in the pan and cook
  3. Pour into a fairly wide and shallow pan - I use a 10x10 square non-stick pan with about ¼-inch rim that works out just perfectly for this dish
  4. Pick up the pan and spread the egg mixture around to form a thin uniform layer, sprinkle salt and ground pepper lightly
  5. Allow it to set part-way, add the sausage, spinach, mushrooms across the middle, then add the cheeses on top of this layer of veggies, allow the eggs to cook through and the cheese to start melting
  6. Fold in the two edges to form a packet and slide it off the pan into the serving plate
  7. Garnish with chopped spring onions or any other favorite garnish like chopped parsley or shredded basil or oregano leaves

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Warm Spinach Salad

spinach-salad-easy-home-garden

This Greek-style Spinach Salad is easy and quick to make, and is best when served warm. Baby Spinach leaves are ideal for this salad. I like to sauté the red onions just a bit and toss it in with the baby spinach before serving. The dressing is warm and light as well. This wilts the baby spinach just enough to make it juicy yet retain the crunch, and not get it soggy and mushy.

I do not use croutons for this salad, but, if preferred, some home-made croutons from baguette or Rosemary Potato bread or Olive Ciabatta bread would be a good addition.

Ingredients
Baby Spinach leaves, cleaned and ready to serve
Feta, crumbled lightly -or- fresh grated Parmesan
Toasted Pine nuts -or- Toasted Sunflower seeds -or- Toasted Walnuts
Some diced or sliced Red onion

Dressing:
1 Tbsp Sherry or Red Wine Vinegar**
3-5 Tbsp Olive oil, as needed
1 small garlic clove, crushed
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

**For a variation, can use Pomegranate red wine vinegar, or even Raspberry red wine vinegar

Preparation:
  1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the red onions and sauté it lightly to remove the raw pungency, remove from heat and allow to cool to a warmish temperature
  2. Combine the dressing ingredients, whisking as Olive oil is added, adjust to taste
  3. In a large bowl, add the baby spinach leaves, top it with the warm sautéed onions, toss lightly and add some of the dressing - just enough to coat it lightly, not making the salad soggy
  4. Serve warm with preferred nuts and cheese topping


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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Steamed Cabbage Rolls

Steamed Cabbage Rolls


These steamed cabbage rolls can be served as an appetizer or a snack, maybe even as a side accompanying a meal of stir-fry veggies and rice, sort of like Spring Rolls.

The only thing I find difficult about making this dish is to get the outer leaves of the cabbage carefully so it is still whole and in one largish piece to be able to stuff and roll easily.

The cabbage is steamed just long enough to get the right texture so it won't crack or wilt and fall apart when stuffed and rolled up. I love using the red/purple cabbage for this dish if I have it handy, but regular head of crisp green cabbage is fine.

Stuffing is very flexible, as long as it is fairly dry. I went with the ingredients I had handy this time. And, these steamed cabbage rolls can be served with a variety of dipping sauces. Substitute sautéed tempeh instead of garbanzo, or in addition to garbanzo in this recipe.

p.s: Any other edible favorite leaves can be stuffed similarly - like the Collard Green Rolls, or Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with an exotic rice-based stuffing).

Ingredients
8-10 clean outer leaves of large green or red cabbage, unbroken if possible
salt to taste
water
paper towels or clean kitchen towels to pat the leaves dry before stuffing

Stuffing:
½ cup cooked garbanzo beans, coarsely ground up
¼ cup cooked quinoa or millet
4-6 medium mushrooms, chopped finely
1 small onion, chopped finely
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp curry powder or garam masala
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
Dipping Sauce:
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp  brown sugar (optional)


Preparation
  1. Stuffing: Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms, add the garbanzo and ginger, add the curry powder, adjust salt to taste and cook till well-combined and fairly dry; allow to cool
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the cabbage leaves, cover and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, checking after a couple of minutes to make sure they don't get too mushy; remove from water, drain well and place on towel to dry
  3. Stuff each leaf carefully, roll like a burrito or spring roll

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Quiche Cups-To-Go

eggs-savory-cups-2


Since eggs seem like nutritious protein-rich breakfast food, especially if using only egg whites, these single-serving Quiche-To-Go savory cupcakes have been good to have handy for the morning rush for us.

Now, there is no pastry shell holding this, so, in that sense it is not really quiche per se... just baked eggs mixed in with savory spices, herbs and vegetables.

Simply beat some eggs with chopped veggies like mushrooms, onions, spring onions, baby spinach, some cheese if preferred, just like for making omelettes; pour into cupcake baking cases and bake in a muffin pan, in a 350°F oven, for about 20-25 minutes. Check after 15-20 minutes, inserting a toothpick to see if done.

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Saturday, February 07, 2009

Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Feta Chicken

easy recipe chicken cordon bleu chicken kiev pesto sun-dried tomato feta capers stuffed chicken

This Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Feta Chicken recipe is based on Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chicken Kiev, but, rather than coating in breadcrumbs and frying or baking, I simply pan-cooked the dish to keep it light and easy.

Although any favorite filling would work, I used Mediterranean flavors of Feta, Basil Pesto, Capers and Sun-dried Tomatoes for the filling. Boneless skinless chicken breasts work well for this recipe, marinated if preferred; then pounded lightly to make it about ¼ inch thick and uniformly flat for even-cooking.

Oh, and this happened to be D's special birthday dinner :)

Ingredients
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
marinade: red wine vinegar or cider vinegar, minced garlic and some salt and pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil, or olive oil
2-4 Tbsp basil pesto

Filling:
2 Tbsp coarsely crumbled Feta
1 Tbsp small capers
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

garnish: chopped spring onions, chopped parsley

Preparation
  1. Pound the chicken breasts lightly with a mallet to a uniform ¼ inch thickness; marinate it for about 10-15 minutes while assembling the filling

  2. Combine the filling ingredients, keep handy; heat oil in a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet
  3. Remove the marinated chicken and pat dry very gently; spread a layer of pesto on each slice of chicken, add a tablespoonful of filling; roll carefully and as tightly as possible from the pointy end, stick a toothpick if needed to hold it together
  4. Place the stuffed chicken rolls, seam-side down if possible and allow it to brown over medium-low heat; carefully turn each piece so all sides can be browned uniformly at the same time allowing the chicken to be cooked through; use a meat thermometer and check for doneness - about 170-175°F is good; as the slices are thin it cooks up fast
  5. Garnish and serve warm

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Asian Cabbage Salad




Cabbage in general is packed with nutrition and is mostly water, so it seems like an ideal food to enjoy in plenty while on a regimen of weight-loss.

Red (or purple as it is referred to sometimes) cabbage is full of antioxidants and has a nice crunch to it when lightly sautéed over high heat, like in stir-fry. One of the ways in which D and I relish this bright beauty is this Asian Cabbage Salad which is simple to make, can be made up to a day ahead, or can be had warm and freshly sautéed.

Ingredients
6-8 cups shredded red cabbage
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 cup diced pan-fried tofu
1 tsp sesame oil

For the Asian-flavored Dressing:
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Tabasco® sauce or Sambal Oelek
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2-3 dry red chilies, broken up
2 tsp sesame seeds (toasted, if preferred)
½ tsp brown sugar -or- 1 Tbsp Agave nectar

Preparation:
  1. Combine the dressing ingredients, stir well and keep handy
  2. For the warm version: heat the sesame oil in a wok and add the shredded cabbage, toss around till well-coated and slightly wilted but still crunchy; off heat stir in the dressing a little at a time so as not to make it soggy;
    For cold version: skip the sautéing; stir in the dressing and refrigerate for an hour and up to a day ahead
  3. Before serving, garnish with spring onions and pan-fried tofu

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Sunday, February 01, 2009

Chicken Bulgogi

chicken bulgogi



We don't prefer beef/pork/lamb and such, but an occasional seafood and poultry dish every once in a while seems to appeal to the other adult in the household, so I usually try to make chicken dishes for him on and off.

Homemade Baechu Kimchi is a good accompaniment, plus some white rice will make this a sumptuous meal.

Bulgogi is basically thin slices of meat, marinated in a delicious marinade and cooked over open fire or grill - aka barbecued. I was making just a small serving for him from two small chicken breasts so I cooked it on my gas-stove-top grill-pan.

Bulgogi can be served over cabbage or lettuce leaves, with some dipping sauce - simply roll the tender chicken pieces in the lettuce leaves, dip in the dipping sauce and enjoy.

Or, it can be served along with some rice and seasoned vegetables, not much unlike Bibimbap, to make a more sumptuous meal, as pictured above.

Bulgogi marinade:
¼ cup soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3-4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp Tabasco® sauce or cayenne pepper powder
6-8 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small shallot, finely minced
2-4 dry red chilies
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp gochujang or sambal oelek (or Tabasco® sauce)
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup chopped spring onions
1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds


1-2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp sesame oil
gochujang
Napa cabbage leaves, steamed lightly OR crisp butter lettuce leaves

Preparation:
  1. Cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and allow to marinate for 30 minutes
  2. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and add the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer and allow to cook over medium-high heat, tossing them around often to ensure even cooking; cook till browned on the outside and cooked on the inside; this takes only about 5-8 minutes if the chicken slices are fairly thin
  3. Serve on a bed of lettuce with some dipping sauce

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