pan seared

I just realized that I never made fish and blogged about it before. Probably because I never really cook fish. But this was the BEST fish I have ever. Ever. Ever, ever, ever made.

And pretty simple actually.

Part 1: The fish

Here’s what you do:

• buy a fresh salmon steak (fresh means it shouldn’t have a fishy smell)
• clean it with vinegar. This also gives it a little flavor
• rub it in a little salt and pepper (both sides)
• heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on med-high just before it reaches it’s smoke point – then add the fish. Cook on one side until it looks crispy then flip over. Also shake it around a little bit. You know, like they do on cooking shows.
• meanwhile the oven should be preheated to about 325
• put the fish on a glass or aluminum tray and bake until fish flakes easily with a fork. It should be around 10 or so minutes. But keep checking.

Part Two: Mango Salsa (Got this recipe from Chef Mu’s cooking demo…or something like it)

What you need:

• mango (soft)
• green onion (maybe 2 or 3 pieces)
• cilantro
• jalapeno pepper (half of one – seeds removed)
• lime (1 or 2)
• garlic (1 or 2 cloves)

What you do:

Chop, dice and mix it all together. Couldn’t be easier. Let the food processor help if you need it to.

You know you have problems when you’ve been a vegetarian for 15 years and you still need spell check to help you get “vegetarian” right. What the freak!

I JUST figured out that the only way I can master the spelling of “vegetables” is by breaking it down to vege and table.

Anyhoot. This is nothing new or wild and crazy but sometimes it just takes a picture to give you a meal idea or stimulate new ideas of your own.

t'was nice

yum

The deets:

• The salad was just lettuce, shredded carrots, an assortment of olives with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and pepper. I forgot to put garbanzo beans! That would have been great.
• The bread was toasted with a bit of lemon and pepper goat cheese, sliced tomatoes and fresh sage and basil (inspired from the recipe below)
• And of course I added my 2 % greek yogurt with grapes and blackberries.

Very easy, hearty and delish.

sorry the pesto isn't on better display

Pesto is soooooooo easy. All you need is basil, olive oil, nuts (I use almonds because it’s all I have. Lost of people use pine nuts) and garlic.

For this recipe I used about 3/4 cups of EVOO, a handful of almonds (I chop them into three parts first to give the food processor a break), a cup or so of fresh basil and 3 (ish) cloves of garlic. If you are worried about garlic breath (which this recipe is sure to cause) use less garlic. For non-vegan pesto you would add maybe 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. You can also add salt and pepper to taste.

Next you chop this up in the food processor for a couple minutes and you have yourself some pesto.

And if you want to make sandwiches, buy a fresh baguette, toast it and spread the pesto on each slice. Then add whatever you want inbetween (I used avocado, tomato and basil). Great picnic food.

Yo! I just stumbled upon this site and I’m in lurrrve. They have this great post about 25 healthy recipes that require little time and minimal clean up. The site is sponsored by Martha Stewart (not sure how I feel about that) but, still, it has tons of info about green and sustainable living and hundreds of yummy, easy recipes (with good pics too). Plus they stress local, organic, grass fed, wild, seasonal and heirloom in their recipe ingredients. Here are some I will be trying this month (soooo excited!):

goat cheese and raspberries

Whole-Grain Toast with Goat Cheese and Raspberries

We’ve pared it down to the essentials: minimal ingredients, few steps, and a hassle-free cleanup. A great breakfast, lunch, or dinner doesn’t get easier than this. We created these recipes with flexibility in mind. Adjust the quantity of the ingredients depending on the flavors you like best and the number of people you’re serving. Toast sliced whole-grain bread; let cool slightly. Spread with goat cheese, top with berries, mash with a fork.

greek yogurt and veggies

Greek Yogurt and Vegetable Sandwich

Spread a slice of whole-wheat bread with plain Greek yogurt. Add grated carrots, sliced avocado, chopped walnuts, and sunflower sprouts. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper, and top with another slice of bread.

remixed lentil soup

Lentil, Carrot, and Lemon Soup with Fresh Dill

Simmer 3/4 cup French green lentils with 4 chopped carrots, 2 sliced garlic cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in water (enough to cover by 2 inches), until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in juice of 1 lemon, season to taste, and add about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill to each bowl before serving. Serves 4.

steamed white salmon

Steamed Wild Salmon with Fresh Herbs and Fennel

Steam skinless wild salmon fillets with fennel wedges in a lightly oiled steamer basket until salmon gives when pressed, about 6 minutes. Stir a mixture of chopped herbs (parsley, basil, tarragon, chives, dill, fennel fronds) with minced shallot, extra-virgin olive oil, and a splash of white-wine vinegar or lemon juice; season to taste. Spoon over fish.

tortillas

Corn Tortillas with Corn, Peppers, and Mashed Beans

Mash pinto or black beans with a pinch of ground cumin and a little olive oil. Saute corn kernels and sliced mixed peppers (hot or sweet) in olive oil with chopped garlic. Toast corn tortillas briefly. Spread bean mash on each tortilla and top with corn and peppers. Top with a sprinkling of cheese if you like.

oh em gee

Heirloom Tomato Sandwich with Herbs and Creamy Tofu Spread

Pat dry 1/2 block extra firm tofu and blend with 3 tablespoons safflower oil, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; season to taste. Spread onto sliced whole-grain bread and add tomato slices. Top with a handful of herbs, such as parsley, basil, chives, and cilantro. Season with sea salt.

**UPDATE**

I made the Corn Tortillas with Corn, Peppers, and Mashed Beans. Super delish and easy. I sprinkled fresh chopped oregano on top.

i did it!

served with cilantro rice and a garbanzo bean salad

This is the best broccoli recipe ever. Ever, ever, ever. No for real though, there is only one broccoli recipe that comes close to this one, and that is Pasta Pamadoro’s broccoli saute.

Anyway, I got this recipe from The Amateur Gourmet blog about a year ago and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s super fast and easy and when I first discovered it I was making it every night for a week. No lie.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 lemon
• freshly shaved parmesan cheese (shredded or grated is fine too)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt to taste

Here’s what you do:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Do not wash the broccoli. Weird, I know. The key to this recipe is keeping the broccoli very crunchy! Adding any moisture will decrease crunch. (So get organic if you can.)
• Chop broccoli (removing florets only). Add to glass bakeware (aluminum is fine too). Drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil.
• Chop garlic
• Heat garlic and broccoli in glass bakeware.
• Bake until the broccoli turns slightly brown at the edges (10 to 15 minutes). Remove from oven.
• Add the remainder of olive oil
• Squeeze lemon on top
• Add 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheeses, let it melt on the broccoli.
• Enjoy!

A couple of weeks ago I went to a cooking demonstration by Chef Mu. One of the dishes he prepared was a sesame cabbage saute with garlic and ginger. I tried making this the other day.  It was so yums that I had to make it again to go with my Miso Soup – and post, of course! I don’t have his exact recipe, but this is my take. Seriously you guys, this is SO easy and SO good. Make it!

colors!

Here’s what you need:

• Cabbage or carrots
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Sesame Oil
• Canola Oil
• Salt and pepper

Here’s what you do:

• Shred cabbage. Chef Mu used 1/2 a head of red cabbage and 1/2 a head of green cabbage (I used carrots instead of the 1/2 a head of green cabbage)
• Chop 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
• Chop 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger
• I forget what Chef Mu did here, but I heated the garlic and ginger with a tablespoon or two of canola oil. He may have just cooked the whole dish in the sesame oil, but it’s expensive so I needed to conserve my bottle.
• Once that started to cook I added the cabbage and carrots. I cooked that until it was soft but still crunchy. Then I added the sesame oil (2 to 3 tablespoons) in the last minute or so, and stirred it to make sure it coated all of the cabbage.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cabbage and carrots before cooking. I was in a rush, but if I had more time I would make the slices thinner.

No disrespect, but this is kinda the best Miso Soup I’ve ever had. I went to the farmer’s market this weekend and brought back fresh kale and homemade tofu. Instead of doing the usual garlic saute I thought I’d try something different.

me so hungry (get it me so = miso. ha!)

What you need:

• 7 to 10 cups of vegetable broth/stock or water. Use low sodium broth if you can. (I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 4 cups of water…maybe more)
• 5 green onions (use the light green and white part)
• 5 tablespoons of Miso (you can get it at your neighborhood grocery store)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger (I grated)
• 3 cloves of fresh thinly sliced garlic (or chopped)
• 1 head of kale. chopped.
• 1 block of tofu chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce

What you do:

• Bring broth/stock/water to boil
• Add green onions, ginger and garlic. Reduce to simmer. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Add Miso (stir until it dissolves).
• Add soy sauce, tofu and kale. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Not too long because you want the kale to stay a tad crunchy.
• Eat the amazingness

adding tofu and kale to soup base

this carton was 3.99 probably overpriced. but it will last a while.

Feed me!

Did I mention my friends are da bomb? Actually, I think I did. Yup, here.  A couple of weeks ago mi amiga Kat hosted an Ethiopian lunch at her house. The idea was to have a group of girlfriends each prepare a traditional Ethiopian dish and bring it to the lunch to share. I couldn’t make it for the actual event (midterms, I think) but I sho nuff showed up that evening to devour what was left.  Anyhoot, she posted the recipes here.  Yuuuuumsies.

front and centah

finger lickin' good

Kick rocks Rachel Ray. There’s a new chef in town. (Wow that was corny.) Last week I had the pleasure of attending a cooking demonstration that was part of April’s Black Chef Series hosted by Putnam Park at The House Of Art in Bed-Stuy. The featured chef of the evening was Chef Mustapha (also knows as Chef Mu), who promised to prepare quick, easy, healthy yet delicious food that everyone can make. I love food and I love cooking so I jumped at the chance to attend this event. This was, hands down, one of the best events I have been to in New York. Not only was the event well put together (there was a beautiful, colorful display of healthy fruits and vegetables at the chef’s cooking station), but learned lots and lots and lots of useful information.

Before the event started, we were each handed a well-styled menu that listed the dishes Chef Mu was going to prepare for us. There were seven in total. Seven! And he only had two hours to make it all. On the menu: sweet shrimp (over fried plantains with mango salsa), coconut snapper fingers, curried sweet potato and apple salad, green bean salad with citrus vinaigrette, spiced honey chicken, sesame cabbage with garlic and ginger, and mini-pancakes with mixed fruit compote for dessert. Chef Mu pulled it off…everything was amazing. Like, wow-am-I really-moaning-right-now–soooo-not-a-good-look-dot-com amazing!

While Chef Mu was cooking, he took time to answer our questions. I think I had more questions than anyone else in the room. Some of the most helpful things I learned were: 1. how long you can keep spices before they decrease in quality (90 days), 2. why do onions make us cry (a dull knife), 3. where does one buy a decent knife for a reasonable price (Henckel via Target).

Ok. So. Two days ago I tried recreating three of the dishes on my own. I deviated from the recipes a tiny bit but the results…Not bad.

Pics below and official recipes to come!

fried plantains (green) with a mango salsa...chef Mu's version had an yummy shrimp on top but I don't trust the seafood at my local supermarket

crunchy green beans topped with a citrus vinaigrette...chef Mu's version had raw onions as well.

curry sweet potato and apple salad with arugula, cilantro and peppers. Chef Mu used a red pepper, but I am not ballin' like that (5 dollars a pound by a).

One word: MASTERPIECE! So freaking good! Foolproof too.

steaming veggies

baked tofu

Finished product. I get a C on the presentation but I was SO hungry I couldn't play around.

Here’s what you need:

• extra firm tofu
• a bunch of fresh basil
• 3 tbs fresh ginger
• a bunch of fresh mint
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 head of brocoli
• 5 carrots
• 1 onion

Here’s what I did:

• chop tofu into small cubes
• chop basil and ginger
• marinate in fridge in 1/4 cup of soy sauce for 30 + minutes
• cook brown rice (two cups of rice in four cups of water). Follow package.
• steam chopped veggies on medium in 1/4 cup of water for about  5 minutes. You don’t want them soft. Keep a lil’ crunch!
• on a frying pan, or whatever you got, add 2 to 3 tbs of olive oil and 1/4 cup soy sauce (more if you want)
• stir fry on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. The idea is to make the rice crispy. Just play it by ear until it looks BOMB and starts smelling real nice. Add chopped mint in the last 2 minutes.