Creamy Tamari Dressing May 13, 2008

In keeping with the international flavor of these last posts, I want to share with you a salad dressing that uses up any leftover tamari or soy sauce you use to marinate - in my case, it was tofu.

I am a firm believer in not wasting.  So, if the recipe calls for ¼ cup of something and that would leave a tiny bit left in the jar… dump it all in.  You should not either save a tiny bit that probably is not enough for something else in the future, nor throw it in the garbage either.  So when I marinated some tofu pieces the other day and was left with about a good 1-2 tbs of tamari left on the little dish, I decided to use it to make a dressing.

Many people come to me asking me for simple salad dressed ideas… salad dressings is even one of the offerings I have in my try-out culinary business, believe it or not.  People want something healthier than the bottled, preservatives filled options in the market these days.  But apparently, they are stumped when it comes to mixing it up.

Hey, oil and vinegar with some salt and pepper is the ultimate dressing…  mixing ip different kinds of oils and vinegars will give you different results.  But what if you’re into creamy dressings?  The solution is Mayonnaise.  Veggie Mayonnaise in our case.   Pay attention kids, because this will happen really quick…

 

 

CREAMY TAMARI DRESSING

¼ cup Veggie Mayo

A good squirt of ketchup

1-2 tbs tamari sauce

A squirt of honey

1 tbs lemon juice

A pinch of garlic salt or garlic powder

 

1. Mix everything up in a small bowl and spoon it over your favorite salad.

 

My salad was a simple lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad. The dressing is creamy and a bit salty and tangy.  Great partner for any stir fry or Asian rice dish.

 

Vegetable Lo Mein for one May 13, 2008

I am in a real international vibe these days…  now I am on an Asian kick.  My mom started it because she’s been craving a tofu stir-fry I make with snow peas and bean sprouts.  The thing is that we have not been able to get together to actually make it. You know how it is with busy schedules…

So, in the meantime, I made for lunch this clean-out-the-fridge stir fry.  It was a completely impromptu dish…  not even planning to share it with you just yet.  But the results were soooo good, I had to take a picture of it. 

This is really a method…  you can change it up as you prefer.  This is what I used this time…

 

 

VEGETABLE LO-MEIN for one

1/8 packet of dry whole grain pasta - spaghetti or bucatini would work well

½ onion, sliced

½ red bell pepper, sliced

1 garlic clove, grated

3-4 leaves of romaine lettuce, washed, dried and cut into thin strips and tough stems removed

Handful of bean sprouts, washed and dried

3 tbs teriyaki sauce

1 tbs olive oil

Squirt of honey

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds - for garnish

 

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Once water is boiling, add plenty of salt and add the pasta.  Cook according to package directions, approximately 10 minutes.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions and peppers.  Stir to coat all the pieces with the olive oil.  Add the grated garlic over the onions and peppers.  Sauté for a few minutes.
3. When the onions start to get a cooked look, but are still crunchy, add the bean sprouts.  Sauté for a minute.  Add most of the lettuce pieces.  Sauté a few minutes more until the lettuce starts to wilt a bit.
4. Add the cooked noodles to the skillet and toss to combine thoroughly.  Add the teriyaki sauce and toss again.  Add any remaining lettuce.  The noodles will absorb some of the sauce.
5. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

 

This was a very nice lunch indeed.  Filled with veggies, light, yet very satisfying.  You can definitely serve this for any weekday meal. 

How to Peel Almonds May 10, 2008

I feel the need to apologize… I have not been posting and sharing with you as frequently as I would like to.

I have been quite busy with a cooking project - trying to evaluate if cooking for hire is a career move I really want to make.  I’ll let you in on more information as it becomes available.

In the meantime, another project I took on was to make something for Mother’s Day, as opposed to buying something.  So I decided to make something with nuts… something to nibble, to snack, to entertain your mouth in between serious food.  My mom is a serious snacker so I decided to indulge her with my Rosemary Almonds.

I personally prefer peeled almonds to those with skins, plus my mom is always shying away from hard to chew foods…  you know, the story that at her age (which she does not represent at all…) her spare parts do not come cheap.  So to please my mom, I soak the almonds to make them a tad softer and to be able to peel them too.

What you need to do is:

1. Soak the almonds in filtered water for about 2-3 hours.  The almonds will plump a bit and the skin will soften.

 

2.  With the help of your fingernails, clip the tippy tip of the almond and the skin will peel right off, just like peeling an orange with your fingers.

3.  Don’t soak them for too long or they’ll loose some of their oils and won’t roast well. 

4.  If you can’t peel them all in one sitting, drain all the water, let them dry and re-wet them when you’re ready to peel again.

This is how the almonds will look like after they’re peeled.  You’ll still be able to roast them on the stovetop or in the oven for that toasty almond taste, it’ll just take a little longer. 

After you do this, you really learn to appreciate why the cost of blanched, slivered almonds…  it’s a bit of a hassle, but I like them that way.

Enjoy your skinless almonds!!!

Corn Tostada Stacks May 6, 2008

With the celebration of 5 de Mayo, I’ve been feeling like I should indulge in some Mexican food.

I bought a stack of white corn tortillas.  This stack is a testament of the size of typical Mexican families, because this will definitely last me for weeks, if not months.  This stack is huge!!!!  I have not counted them, but my guess is it has about 40-50 corn tortillas.  We need to start using them in multiples…

Inspired by a Simply Delicioso show I saw on the Food Network, I decided to create a stack of these tortillas, that when fried, they are magically transformed into Tostadas.

This is what I did…

 

 

CORN TOSTADA STACKS

2 white corn tortillas

1 potato, boiled

1 tbs cream cheese

½ onion, sliced

½ green bell pepper, sliced

1 garlic clove, grated

2-3 tbs Mexican salsa

2 lettuce leaves - I used romaine , washed well and sliced thinly

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbs canola oil, to fry the tortillas

1 tbs sour cream, to garnish on top

 

1. In a small skillet, heat the oil at medium high heat.   When the oil is smoking hot, fry one tortilla at a time.  They’ll take about 2-3 minutes on each side, until the tortilla is slightly golden and crispy.  Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt as they come out of the skillet.
2. While you’re frying these tortillas, mash the boiled potato with the cream cheese and a bit of salt.  If you find the potato too stiff, add a tab bit of olive oil to soften.  Set aside.
3. After you’ve finished frying the tortillas, sauté the onions and peppers in the same skillet.  Why dirty another pot?  Add some salt and pepper to season and to soften.  Add the grated garlic clove to season.  When the onion/peppers are soft take them away from the heat and set aside.

Now we assemble…

4.  Place one tostada on the bottom of your plate.  Spread the mashed potato mixture, spoon some salsa, spoon the onions and peppers, sprinkle the shredded lettuce and top off with the tostada you have left.

5.  Spoon some extra salsa on top and garnish with some sour cream…  I did not have any on hand when I did this, so that’s why it’s missing from the picture.  But I know it will add something good and delicious to the mix.

 

I am sure you can continue adding layers of goodness to this… how about a layer of corn and bean salsa or some fresh tomatoes, or even some saucy stewed soy protein (so it looks like ground beef)…  the possibilities are endless.

¡Viva México Lindo y Querido!

Yucca con Mojo Cubano May 4, 2008

The first Mojo I learned about was this - the Cuban Mojo you eat with yucca or with black beans and rice.  The now famous drink in the diminutive, Mojito, has been an acquired taste in the last few years…  This Cuban Mojo over Yucca is a staple at ANY and EVERY Cuban household, and something my family in Miami always makes for me, especially now that I am vegetarian.

Cuban Mojo is delicious - the best “sauce” to pour over anything.  To me, it’s just glorious.  It’s the only decent accompaniment to eat with boiled yucca.  Once you learn how to make it, I am sure it will find its way pairing a lot more than just yucca.  I am almost sure this mojo is the culprit of why I need to squirt lemon juice on arroz moro (black beans and rice).

Try it today… you’ll be a convert immediately!!!

 

YUCA CON MOJO CUBANO

1 yucca root, peeled and cut and middle thread removed or a few pieces of frozen yucca

½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion, sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated

The juice of 1 lime or limón criollo

Salt to taste, for the boiling water and for the mojo

 

1. In a medium pot with water, add the yucca root pieces and salt and bring to a boil.  Salt the water as if you were boiling pasta.  Water should only barely cover the yucca.  I am lazy, so I buy sometimes the frozen yucca kind.  It works very well and it always turns out soft when boiled.  Yucca can have a tendency to turn out hard; it’s a crap-shoot.  
2. While the yucca boils away, in a small saucepan over low heat add the olive oil, the onion and the garlic.  Let the onions and garlic soften and simmer slowly in the oil.  Add salt to taste.  I tend to season well, about ½ tbs, but I have to be honest, I do not measure.
3. 
4. When the onions are softened, the garlic is cooked, but none have gotten any color, turn off the heat and add the juice of the lemon.  The oil will cloud a bit, but that’s the measure of a true mojo… lemony tangy goodness with the punch of the garlic and onion… YUMMM!!!
5. 
6. When the yucca is fork tender, drain and serve with spoonfuls of mojo over it.

 

This is the perfect side dish with any Cuban dish… I particularly like it with black beans and rice.   And that’s an upcoming lesson.