Burger Night!

This week, Matt’s cousins from Utah came into town and I wanted to make a nice dinner. Since you can’t go wrong with burgers, I figured a nice juicy burger would be a good choice. But…this is me we’re talking about. So I couldn’t just make any burger…

Indian Style Lamb Burger

1 1/2  lbs ground lamb

1/2 lb ground pork (or beef, but pork is much cheaper and with the lamb being so expensive…)

1 shallot or half a small red onion, grated

2 cloves garlic, grated

1-inch piece ginger, grated

1 tsp each of turmeric, coriander, cumin, garam masala, chili powder

1/2 tsp each smoked paprika and black pepper

1/4 tsp each of cinnamon and red pepper flakes

4-6 tbls crumbled feta

4 sliced smoked mozzarella

4 brioche buns

Heat a grill pan to high and brush with oil. In a large bowl, add the meat and spices and grate in the onion, garlic and ginger. Combine with your hands until all ingredients are just incorporated (over-mixing will lead to tough burgers). Make 8 even balls and flatten them out. Pile the feta onto 4 of the patties and put the other 4 patties on top. Seal the edges so the feta will not come out. Put the burgers on the grill pan and sear for 3 minutes on each side. Then lay the slices of mozzarella on the burgers and cover the entire pan with tin foil and allow to cook another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut open the rolls and toast them, then slather both sides of the rolls with Indian BBQ Sauce (recipe to follow) and put greens (anything you have around) on the top side. When the burgers are done, put them on the bottom of each roll and put the lettuce and top of the bun on top. Serve with salt and vinegar chips (or any kind you like). These burgers are HUGE so…Happy, and messy, eating!

Indian BBQ Sauce

2 tbls light oil

3 apples, julienned

1/2 large onion, sliced

3 tbls tomato paste

1-inch piece ginger, grated

3 tbls stock

1/3 cup tomato sauce (its fine if it has flavor, whatever you have)

1 tbls garam masala

1 tsp each turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder and paprika

6-8 cardamom pods, wrapped in 1 layer of cheese cloth and tied

2 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

Salt to taste

1/3 cup craisins

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat saute the apple and onion in the oil until they begin to caramelize. Add the tomato paste and grate in the ginger and stir briefly to wake up the tomato paste.  Add the stock to deglaze the pan, then add the remaining ingredients. Don’t be afraid if you taste it and it’s not very good—the spices and flavors need time to meld and combine. Allow to cook, covered, for no less than half an hour. You might want to make extra as a dipping sauce or anything really. It’s really delicious, and if you add some fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley, it will really brighten it up, so you can thin it out with water and use it as a marinade or a sauce. Go crazy!

Japanese...ish...

A while back, I bough this amazing tuna steak. Unfortunately at the time I was really busy and I knew I wouldn't have time to cook it before the tuna went bad, so I stuck it in the freezer for another night. Well Monday night was that night. So i defrosted the tuna completely, made a simple asian-style glaze, and coated the tuna with it before searing it. Pretty simple preparation because my boyfriend just loves the flavor of the tuna and I didn't want to overpower it. However, I was able to get creative with the side dish, and I have to say, I really didn't feel the need to eat the tuna after tasting this.

Soba Noodle Stir Fry

2 bundles of soba noodles

1 1/2 tbls light oil (any variety you have)

1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced

1 medium onion, sliced to the same thickness as the pepper

2 cloves garlic, chopped or grated, depending upon your taste

1 tbls toasted sesame oil

1 tbls chili garlic

1 tbls hoisin sauce

1 tbls rice vinegar

1 tbls lite soy sauce

1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, grated (straight into the bowl to get the juices)

4 scallions, sliced on the bias (its prettier than just regular slices)

handful chopped cilantro

1 tbls toasted sesame seeds

Put a medium-sized pot of salted water on to boil, and when it comes to a boil, add the soba noodles and cook until just before done (pull out about a minute before the package directions). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add the light oil and saute the onion and bell pepper over medium heat until soft. While allowing them to soften, stirring occasionally, in a small bowl whisk together the garlic through the ginger. Turn the heat down to low, add the noodles to the saute pan, add the marinade, and combine carefully so the noodles don't break. Stir carefully for about a minute, then add the remaining ingredients and saute another minute. Garnish with extra cilantro and scallions and serve. Happy eating!

Family Dinner

Over the weekend, I was home with my family, and two of my non-related family members came over for dinner. We split the meal so they were bringing the veggie (a delicious salad, as always), my mom did the main course (steaks--her specialty), and I made the side dish (roasted potatoes with olive oil, chili powder, fresh rosemary and salt and pepper) and dessert. The dessert turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd share it with you. I am going to make some sort of apple variation of it next week after I go apple picking, but the original was bright, rich and delicious.

Lemon Raspberry Pound Cake
1 10-oz bag frozen raspberries, defrosted (no sugar added, if possible)
3 tbls Amaretto liquor (like Disaronno)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups sugar (2 cups if the raspberries have added sugar)
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour

Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and butter and flour 2 loaf pans. Combine the raspberries, amaretto, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together room temperature cream cheese and butter with your hand-mixer (they will not combine easily if they are cold) and whip for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar a bit at a time while continuing to cream the ingredients. When they are light and fluffy, add the eggs 2 at a time and continue to beat. When all the eggs are fully combined and fluffy, add the flour 1 cup at a time and stir manually until just combined. Pour in the raspberry mixture and swirl into the batter, making sure it runs through the batter, but isn't completely mixed in. Pour into the prepared loaf pans (half in each) and bake for an hour and a half (check at 1 hour). To make it extra special, before you serve it, turn the loaf upside down on your serving plate, and pour some of the cream cheese frosting from the "Birthday Cake to the Extreme" and allow it to come down the sides a bit. Slice and serve.

Happy eating!

Birthday Cake to the Extreme

Now, making chili wasn't all I did last night. There is a tradition at my boyfriend's lab that everyone gets a cake on their birthday. There are two women who usually take care of this, and yesterday was one of their birthdays! However, the other woman is pretty preoccupied, being quite pregnant, and no one else thought to take over, so the poor woman didn't get a cake on her birthday! When I heard this, I decided to take it upon myself to make her a belated birthday cake (an excuse to bake! YAY!). And since I wasn't sure what her tastes were, I decided to make...

Chocolate Vanilla Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Cake (from Ina Garten):

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk (make sure to shake it)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed, strong, hot coffee

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients together (flour to salt). In another bowl, mix buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Add the wet ingredients slowly to the dry ingredients while mixing, and mix until just combined. Continue mixing while adding the hot coffee, again, until just combined. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 pan very well and pour the batter into the pan. Bake in the 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes (always check with a toothpick sooner).

Vanilla Cake (from my friend Lauren--its AMAZING):

1 stick + 3 tbls of butter

1 3/4 cups white sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tpsp vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups milk (low-fat is fine)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, use your hand mixer to beat the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Combine the dry ingredients in a smaller bowl. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 pan very well and pour the batter into the pan. Bake in the 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes (always check with a toothpick sooner).

Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 8-oz packages cream cheese

1 stick butter

2 tbls vanilla extract

7-8 cups confectioners sugar

Cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract until just combined (if you over-beat, the cream cheese will break down and the frosting will be runny). Add the confectioners sugar in 3 batches, and beat until just smooth.

Once your cakes are baked and completely cooled, put your serving platter upside down on the baking pan with the chocolate cake, and flip it on top of the serving platter. Slide pieces of parchment paper under the edges of the bottom of the cake. This way, when you frost the cake, you can just pull the parchment paper out and the platter will be clean. Put about a third of the frosting on the chocolate cake and spread it over the top. Flip the vanilla cake over onto another plate or pan and then flip it carefully on top of the chocolate cake. If necessary, trim the sides. Then liberally frost the top and sides of the cake with the back of a knife or an off-set spatula. Remove the parchment paper, and get ready for some rich, delicious cake!

Happy eating!

Big Bowl of Meaty Deliciousness

Everybody wants to find the perfect weeknight dinner thats cheap, easy, and that has leftovers for days. Well, here it is. There are probably a zillion different variations and lots ways to keep it interesting over the course of the week. You're getting excited, right? You should be...

CHILI!!!
1 1/2 lbs ground meat -- this can be any kind of ground meat. We usually do 1lb of ground chicken or turkey and 1/2lb hot italian sausage, but you can do any combination you like. I do suggest not using all sausage (it will overpower all other flavors) or all turkey/chicken (too dry).
1 large onion, chopped

2 bell peppers, any color, chopped 

1 hot pepper -- any type would be fine, it all depends on your preferred heat level. Italian cherry peppers are mild, jalapenos are medium and serranos are hot. If you take out the seeds, the spice level goes down. If you want a smokier flavor, you can use 1-2 canned chipotle peppers.

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2-3 tbls of any combination of dried spices you like -- there are endless options. My stand-bys are cumin, coriander, chile pepper, basil, oregano, parsley and paprika, but you can choose whatever flavors you like best. Just be aware of how strong they are and make sure to balance accordingly.

4 tbls chopped fresh parsley -- this dish really needs a fresh herb to brighten up the flavor. A squeeze of lemon would also be nice.
3 cans beans -- this can be any kind of beans. We usually do 1 can of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of garbanzo beans. Mixing it up is fun.

1 jar of tomato sauce -- this is the secret ingredient! My boyfriend came up with it, and it adds layers of flavor.
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes -- you can add regular canned tomatoes, but this really give a punch of flavor
1 1/2 - 2 cups broth -- any kind you have on hand is fine

Put the meat in a non-stick pan and allow to brown and cook through, breaking it apart as you go. Meanwhile, drizzle the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Saute the onion and pepper over medium heat until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic, chile pepper and spices and saute another minute or two. Add the cooked meat, beans, tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes and enough stock to make it liquidy. Turn the burner to very low, and allow this to cook, covered, at least 30 minutes to let the flavors combine and the meat to soften. You can cook it longer than this, but probably not more than an hour because you don't want the ingredients to disintegrate (besides, who has that kind of patience?). Turn off the burner and stir in the parsley.
As for the toppings, there are endless possibilities: cheddar, jack cheese, scallions, chives, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, etc. Serve in a bowl with tortillas or tortilla chips. Serve as a sloppy joe. Serve over spaghetti with some parmesan cheese. There are so many ways to keep this interesting--get creative!

Happy Eating!

MMM Pumpkin!

I know, I haven't posted in nearly a week, but it's been pretty crazy. Just to catch you up, we have been having a lot of leftovers, and even ordered in at the end of last week (Chinese food--YUM!). But last Thursday, I was lucky enough to make a trip to Stew Leonard's, a magical place I had never had the pleasure of exploring. Unfortunately, we were on a mission and in a bit of a rush, so I didn't have a chance to wander aimlessly and pick out a ton of ingredients I didn't need. But I did buy something I've been craving since I made the Butternut Squash soup: a PUMPKIN! So last Friday was quite a day for pumpkin, and last night we finally finished it off.


On friday, I made 2 things with the pumpkin. First, the Butternut Squash soup was so delicious, and it ran out sooo quickly, I just wanted more. So I made the soup again, but this time, with pumpkin. DELICIOUS! I highly recommend it. Second, we were having an Octoberfest party. So I decided, since I had the pumpkin, some pumpkin bread would be a nice snack. I'm gonna give you a link to the recipe, because I didn't come up with the recipe on my own, but I recommend if you make them yourself, to use mini muffin tins (they're bite size morsels of goodness!) and then grind up some flax seeds and some extra pecans and sprinkle them over the top to create a nice crust. They're absolutely adorable.


http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/10/gluten-free-pumpkin-muffins.html  (she's a Genius!)


Just a quick synopsis of the snacks I served at the party if you plan to have an Octoberfest Party of your own, I cut several Bratwurst sausages on a bias and grilled them, then put them on a platter with toothpicks and a bowl of grainy mustard and another of slightly warmed sour kraut. I also just got a block of cheese and some crackers. Simple but delicious!


Well, since there was some pumpkin leftover, I decided to try a recipe I have tried in the past, but with fresh pumpkin, since I had some around. This is not my recipe either, its a Rachael recipe, but I made a couple small changes, so I'll post it.


Short-Cut Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
1 8-oz package gluten-free pasta (Ancient Harvest Quinoa or Deboles Gluten-Free Multigrain Penne), cooked just shy of al dente
1/2 lb hot italian sausage (about 2 sausages)
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
1 shallot or half a medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
6-8 leaves fresh sage, cut into a thin chiffonade
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup roasted pumpkin, smashed
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Grated Parmesan


Begin by putting a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. Remove the sausage from its casing and cook in a large saute pan until brown. Drain the oil from the sausage and transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.  Return the saute pan to medium heat and cook the onion until it just begins to soften (add a little olive oil if necessary), then grate in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the bay leaf, sage and white wine to the pan until the wine is reduced by half. Add the stock and pumpkin and stir to combine. Return the sausage to the pan, reduce the heat and add the cream. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Add some starchy cooking water and the drained pasta and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the pasta is al dente. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.


This pasta is really delicious. So warming and comforting. However, it has no green vegetables in it. So I just sauteed a couple cloves of garlic, chopped, with olive oil in a medium sauce pan and wilted in some dark greens (such as kale, chard, spinach, etc.), seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Its a wonderful side dish and the nutmeg in the greens reflects the nutmeg in the pasta, so the dishes really complement one another.


Happy eating!

FALL!!

With the burst of cold weather, I have begun to lose interest in the leafy green salads, and am leaning more towards the warmer veggies and comfort foods. One of my favorite things to have in the colder months is soup. I am a self-proclaimed soup snob; I refuse to eat soup from a can. I either have to go buy it at a supermarket soup station or a restaurant, and for some boiled and pureed veggies, its ridiculously overpriced. So, I have made it my mission to delve further into the world of soups. I got this opportunity recently when I had lunch with one of my best friends from high school last week. She informed me that the garden at her house in Vermont was bursting with beautiful little butternut squashes, and graciously promised me one! (THANKS MADDIE!!) So we met for lunch again today at LPQ (mmm veggie quiche with buckwheat crust) and she gave me the most adorable little squash I've ever seen with a little orange bow around the stem, matching the bag, of course. And since mentioning my thai green curry in last night's post gave me a hankering for it, I decided to make...

Vegan Thai-Style Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed (About 5-6 cups)

4-5 cups vegetable broth

1 stalk lemon grass cut to fit in a small sauce pan

4 kaffir lime leaves

1 shallot or small red onion, diced

http://scrumptiouslyfitfood.blogspot.com/
2011/03/butternut-squash-soup-and-old-man.html

1 cherry pepper or other milder pepper, seeded and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tsps ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1-2 tsps chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
Juice of half a lime
Olive oil
Kosher salt (lots) and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees, and tackle the butternut squash. Toss the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until the squash is tender, but not crispy, about 20 minutes. In the mean time, pour your broth into another saucepan, and add the lemongrass (found at most grocery stores) and kaffir lime leaves (found at asian specialty stores and online) and put over low heat, covered, until ready to use.  In a small sautee pan, Sautee the red onion and cherry pepper in a little olive oil over medium heat until soft, a few minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and coriander and cook another minute until the garlic and ginger are just cooked. Remove from heat, add a tiny bit of your stock to remove any bits stuck to the pan, and pour into your blender. Add the butternut squash, a few cups of broth to begin with and the coconut milk, cilantro and lime juice (this may need to be done in batches). Blend until smooth, and season with liberal amounts of salt (soup needs salt) and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve in a pretty bowl, garnished with a sprig of fresh cilantro in the center, and some nice crusty bread alongside. Happy eating!

Time saving tips: Buy pre-chopped squash. I know, its more expensive, but honestly, just suck it up and spend the extra few cents. If you're a root-vegetable lover like me, this will save you lots of time, and hundreds in carpel tunnel treatments in the future. My wrist hurts from peeling one little baby squash :P

Once a week, my friend and I either meet up for dinner and drinks, or to save some money, she comes over, and I make dinner and get the chance to exercise my mixology skills and test things out on someone other than myself (thanks for being my guinea pig Lauren!). So last night I finally made Lauren my new favorite cocktail. Its a mix between a delicious drink at one of my favorite restaurants in the Columbia area and a traditional summer cocktail.

http://drinkinabox.files.wordpress.com/
2011/08/cucumber-mint-martini.jpg

Ellie's Mojito
4-6 mint leaves
Half a lime cut into 4 pieces
1 shot St. Germain (Elderflower Liquor)
1 1/2 shots Gin or Vodka (I love Gin in this, but some people just can't stand gin)
1 1/2 shots seltzer (or prosecco if you have it lying around...)
Ice

Put several cubes of ice into a cocktail glass and fill it to the top with water. Set aside to chill. In a cocktail shaker (or pint glass, for those of us who aren't so classy), muddle the mint and lime, add a few cubes of ice, and pour in the remaining ingredients. Swirl around to allow the contents to get cold. Empty out the cocktail glass and strain the drink into the cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.