Squash and New Potatoes in Lemon Pepper Sauce

With those new potatoes and squashes making more of an appearance in the market these days, it almost feels like summer. Almost. The extra layer of fleece I sport to keep the chill at bay reminds me it is not. Not to mention dodging a few hailstones a few days ago.

Anyway, this chunky vegetable dish flavored with red pepper flakes and Tellichery black pepper and lemon zest in a tomato-based sauce was such a pick-me-up for the soggy weather that I wanted to jot it down here.

Ingredients
1 Zucchini, 1 Mexican Yellow Squash, cut into chunks
10 Yellow wax beans, 10 green beans, par cooked
5 New baby potatoes, par-cooked

1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced

Flavoring:
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek
1 Tablespoon ground Lemon pepper mix
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup organic tomato sauce

Cilantro, chives, spring onions for garnish
salt to taste

1Tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, sautée the onions and garlic a bit, then add all the veggies and a pinch of salt.

Stir in the Flavoring ingredients, all except lemon juice and lemon zest, stir well adding some water if the sauce is too thick.

Cover and simmer for a few minutes till flavors meld, and potatoes are cooked; taste and adjust flavors.

Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest, sprinkle extra red pepper flakes if preferred, garnish and serve warm.

Cauliflower Two Ways

I bought this huge head of cauliflower on a whim last weekend, hoping to use it over the week, a few florets at at time, in different dishes. As I trimmed and cleaned the florets to save them in the fridge, I was thinking about Cauliflower 65 and Roasted Cauliflower and Gobi Manchurian and such that I usually make, wondering if I have shared the other simple ways in which I like to serve up cauliflower as a side...

And that led me to serving up cauliflower in two quick ways that I relish:
1. Hot Chili Cauliflower
2. Lemon Parmesan Oregano Cauliflower

I prefer to par-cook the florets in the microwave with a sprinkling of salt for a couple of minutes while I get the flavors going in the pan. This way, I can just toss the tender florets in with the flavors and have it ready in just a few minutes.

1. Hot Chili Cauliflower

I am sure it is no secret that Sambal Oelek is a staple in my kitchen. Some tomato paste, dry red chilies and sambal oelek come together to flavor the cauliflowers in this presentation.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Tomato paste
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
2 dry red chilies (we had some home-dried chilies from last year's garden)
a few tablespoon of water as needed

3 cups steamed/par-cooked cauliflower florets (I prefer small florets for this rather than huge chunks)

Heat the oil in a pan, add the rest of the ingredients and sautée for a couple of minutes while the cauliflower florets are par cooking.

Stir in the florets and adjust flavors to taste. Garnish with cilantro, chives or spring onions if preferred and serve warm as a side, or with naan or steamed brown rice.


2. Lemon Parmesan Oregano Cauliflower

Some fresh oregano leaves from the garden add a hint of herbal note to this light and flavorful dish. Squeeze as much lemon juice as preferred, or as little. My daughter likes the tangy sourness whereas I prefer a hint of lemon/lime.

Ingredients
½ tsp turmeric powder
3 cups par-cooked cauliflower florets
2 to 4 tablespoon lemon juice
1 or 2 wedges or lemon or lime for garnish and some extra twist
¼ to ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh oregano leaves (or as much ground oregano as preferred)

Heat the oil in a pan, add the turmeric powder,oregano, and par-cooked florets and sautée a bit. Off heat stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh oregano leaves and lemon/lime wedges.

Easy Home-made Garlic Herb Breadsticks

Wet Wintry Weekends strongly urge me to bake something if only to keep the oven on so the kitchen area where I hang out is warm, not to mention the hearty aroma that draws the kids to the dining area even if they are engaged in their own activities.

I had visions of clicking these shiny brown and dapper breadsticks, twirling and beckoning from a lean tall basket set among an earthen bowl of steaming Tomato Florentine soup and a rustic plate of crispy Romaine leaves, with some lush tomatoes and herbs strewn about an aged wooden cutting board, along with my unbleached muslin napkin...

Of course, in the rush to serve the kids, I usually end up using the same old blasé white dish that I always use for clicking my food pictures... No matter. Food Styling & Photography can wait, but eager little tummies don't have to.

It has become such a cliché at home about me photographing everything I cook that it didn't surprise me when the seven year old patiently explained to the 4 year old on her own birthday, "Not yet, Oggie, my cake is not ready yet. Mama has not taken a picture, see? It is in the nook, on her photo table. That means we have to wait till she has taken the pictures before we get to eat it."

Not that Guilt is in short-supply for my mind, but, this sort of sends me into self-chastising mode. And then I remind myself that someday when my little girl asks me how to make those amazing breadsticks I seem to whip up, I can send her right here to Delectable Victuals.

Top the breadsticks with favorite herbs/spices, or with cinnamon sugar for that breakfast/dessert dish, twist it as I did or roll it into the traditional cigar shape, braid it or lay it out in a spiral like cinnamon rolls... these breadsticks are a lot of fun to make.

Allow for plenty of time to rise in a warm place. I typically start breads and such right after breakfast on weekend mornings to have it ready for dinner. Some recipes, I let it rise overnight to bake it fresh on a  Sunday morning.

I typically add flaxmeal and nutritional yeast to my recipes, but can be omitted. Substitute these with flour as the recipe calls. And, although baking is an art and a science, requiring care and precision on the measurements, I tend to be a bit lax about it and be satisfied with what turns out.

Ingredients
¾ cup milk
1 Tblsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 Tblsp butter or shortening, softened

¼ cup warm water (about 110° F)
2¼ tsp active dry yeast

¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup flaxmeal
2 Tblsp Nutritional yeast
2½ cups sifted unbleached flour (more or less)

Oil for greasing

Topping: 1 egg white, coarse salt, minced garlic, dried parsley, sesame seeds

Preparation

Scald milk in a pan, off heat stir in sugar, salt and butter and cool to lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, add the warm water and sprinkle yeast, stir; allow to sit till bubbly.

Add the milk mixture and the flaxmeal, whole wheat flour and about 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture and beat at medium speed till smooth.

Add more flour, a little at a time, and knead till a smooth elastic dough forms.

Grease the large bowl, shape the dough into a ball, coat it with the oil and allow to rise in the greased bowl till doubled in volume.

Roll the risen dough into about ¾ inch thick rectangle; cut 1" strips about 6" or 8" long.

Twist or roll the strips and place them in a greased baking sheet and allow to rise again for about 20-25 minutes.

Top with the garlic herb egg wash for that shiny golden top.

Bake in a 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes till done.

Tangy Tuscan Dressing

It goes in cycles - the craving for a certain type of dressing, I mean. Since salad is an every day affair,  a variety of dressing and vinaigrette makes it enticing for me.

And, depending on my mood and ingredients, some combination of ingredients I make-up manages to deliver the perfect dressing while others are just so-so, still good but not enough to become a temporary obsession.

This Tangy Tuscan Dressing, inspired by the typically Tuscan flavors of tomatoes, oregano, basil, red peppers and garlic, is a recent obsession favorite.

Of course, Fusion Cuisine being my signature, I do bring together flavors from other cuisines to personalize this dressing - especially Sambal Oelek, a prominent staple.

Adjust vinegar to oil ratio as preferred - the measurements below are just a start, an approximation. I usually taste the basic blend and then add a dash more of vinegar or salt or anything else as my taste directs. Add more water to make a thinner dressing; I prefer it thick and rich.

 A bed of fresh crisp Romaine hearts or even good old green leaf lettuce dotted with goat cheese and Tangy Tuscan Dressing has been a favorite meal starter for a couple of weeks now, urging me to record this concoction.

Ingredients
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (drain the oil)
¼ cup Pomegranate Red Wine Vinegar
2 to 3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 to 3 Tbsp Wheat Germ
6 to 8 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 to 2 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
¼ cup Kalamata Olives
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Smoked Paprika powder
¼ tsp Cumin powder
4 Tbsp chopped roasted red bell peppers
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar (more, if preferred)
¼ cup water (more or less)

Home-made Cheese Bread

This simple bread is wonderful when toasted, but just amazing fresh from the oven on a nippy Spring morning. It freezes well so can be made ahead and warmed up when needed.

Leave out the cheese, or add any other favorite herbs to make a customized loaf that satisfies your taste.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter
1¾ cup milk
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 to 3 cups shredded cheese - Colby Jack, Cheddar, Parmesan
Optional Herbs: parsley, marjoram, rosemary

2¼ tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 F)

1 cup whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached flour
4 Tbsp flax meal (optional)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1 to 2 Tbsp oil for greasing


Preparation

Scald the milk, remove from heat, stir in sugar, butter, salt and cheese; cool to lukewarm.

In a  large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast on warm water, stir to dissolve and set aside for 5 minutes till bubbly.

Into the yeast mixture, add the milk mixture, 2 cups of flour and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides.

Add the remaining flour a little at a time, stirring and incorporating it in with a spoon or spatula, till a smooth elastic dough forms.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 8 minutes, shape into a ball, set it in a greased bowl turning over to grease all of the dough ball, cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hrs until doubled in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 375° F.

Divide the dough to fit into loaf pans, shape into 3 loaves, allow to rise again for 1 hour.

Bake in a 375° F oven for about 40 minutes till brown on the outside and done on the inside. If the outside browns too fast, cover with Aluminium foil.

Cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

The bread freezes well - wrap it up in an air-tight bag when completely cooled and leave it in the freezer. To warm and serve, simply pre-heat the oven to 400° F and allow to warm up all the way through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Rainbow Cake

A 7-layered 6-inch round cake in colors of the rainbow, with white vanilla frosting. Regular white cake recipe found on the web, with food colors - the fun was in mixing the 4 colors (red, blue, green yellow) plus a smidgen of black to make gorgeous VIBGYOR.

Each 6-inch round layer was about an inch thick. I baked them in batches and assembled them the night before her birthday.

I did think of making a single layer cake with rainbow rings or something, but the night before the big day I went with what I know works - layering. No psychedelic 70s style cake this time.

Nothing very innovative about this recipe, but this is exactly what my little girl wanted for her birthday and I was happy to make it for her.

Marthastewart.com has a rainbow cake recipe which was the inspiration for this, but, rather than red on top, I stacked them with violet at the top as it seemed prettier than the other way. Totally subjective, of course...

After the Penguin cake for the little guy's birthday, this was so much easier: a large batch of cake batter (7 cups), 6-inch round cake tin (I had multiples so I could bake a few at a time), red, blue, yellow, green food colors, some simple vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow sprinkles; the wait for the cake to cool so I can frost them was the toughest part.

Of course, I had enough trimmings when I flattened the tops of the cakes to layer them to make cake pops. And knowing that there were Penguin cake pops for her brother's birthday, she was naturally expecting some "surprise" cake pops, and she wasn't disappointed.

Stir-fried Yellow and Green Beans with Pan-fried Tofu and Chevre

Being primarily vegetarian, a plateful of vegetables completely satisfies my appetite. 'Primarily vegetarian'? I caught myself asking as I typed, and then started wondering how it might come across. Well, I do taste the poultry and fish I cook for the family (no beef, pork, lamb etc), but I don't relish it as a meal, having spent the first 3 decades of my life as a vegetarian. So, while no strict rules about it, I do tend to avoid eating meat.

Well, now that we've gotten that bit of trivia out of the way, this plate full of stir-fried veggies made quite a sumptuous meal that I wanted to share here.

Pan-fried tofu is a great option for adding protein to a vegetarian meal (well, unless there is some soy intolerance and other health reasons). When we buy a block or two, I tend to bake/pan-fry a batch and have it handy in the fridge/freezer.

The flavoring for the baked tofu is carried through to the vegetables in this recipe via the marinade. Of course, feel free to substitute any other favorite marinade/dressing.

Ingredients
Extra Firm tofu
a variety of green beans and baby carrots, par-cooked
peeled and sliced garlic cloves
Chèvre - Goat Cheese
Crushed roasted peanuts
vegetable oil

Marinade:
Soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Minced garlic
Agave nectar (just a tiny bit)
Hot sauce (I used Tapatio Salsa Picante which was handy, but prefer Sambal Oelek)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F
2. Stir or blend the marinade well; make enough for tofu as well as vegetables, and maybe save some for drizzling right before serving
3. Slice the block of tofu into 1cm thick slices, drench in marinade and bake for about 45 minutes, flipping half way though and basting with marinade as needed; remove from oven, allow to cool and cut into strips
4. Heat oil in a pan, add the par-cooked beans, some marinade, sliced garlic, and stir fry; toss in strips of tofu as well
5. Off heat, stir in crushed roasted peanuts, drizzle extra marinade if preferred, dot with tangy clean-tasting chèvre to balance the flavors and serve at room temperature

Roasted Tri-Color Peppers and Green Apple Salsa

The bright colorful mini peppers were irresistible. After using a few for the Coconut Cream Tri-Color Peppers and Cremini Mushroom Soup, I had enough left for making this delicious salsa.

Simply pan-roast the peppers, allow to cool, remove skin, chop, toss with red onions and green apples, add some spices to taste and a splash of balsamic vinegar and there you have it! A wonderful salsa to top chicken breasts or scoop up with chips.

Incidentally, my favorite "chips" is the quick toasted kind: Cut up some Flat-Out™ Multigrain flat bread, spray with some cooking oil and toast it in the toaster oven till crispy.

Ingredients
Mini Tri-color Peppers
Green apple
Red onion
Pickled Jalapeño rings
Balsamic vinegar
Cumin powder
Smoke Paprika powder
A drop of Liquid Smoke (Wright's Hickory Seasoning) - optional
Olive oil
salt to taste
cilantro