November 29, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged almonds, amandine, cod, creole, french, green beans, meuniere
In New Orleans, I sampled a dish called Trout Meunière Amandine. Now, my take on this Creole classic is done the healthy way. Well, more like health-ier, actually. You know how French cooking can be… so I decided to make a few tweaks to keep the bad stuff to a minimum without losing the flavor. It was simple, in fact. I ditched the eggs and traded the cream for vegetable stock, the all-purpose flour for the whole wheat version and real butter for a butter substitute with no hydrogenated oils (yes I read the labels and do the math). That, and I simply relied on the freshness of all my other ingredients. I wanted to omit the butter part altogether but felt that it needed the nutty sweetness that only a butter product can provide. Oh, and I also baked the fish instead of pan frying it.
By the way, the main ingredients in this dish is the fish, of course, and then parsley, almond slices and lemon. These are what makes the dish what it is. The rest can either be omitted or substituted for something else.
Ahhh!! I can already smell the gulf by the Riverwalk.
Ingredients:
2 Cod filets (Trout, Catfish or Halibut, if you wish)
French Green Beans
Flat-Leaf Parsley
Whole Wheat Flour
2 Large Garlic Cloves
1 Shallot
Sliced Almonds
Almond Oil (EVOO will work too)
Butter Substitute with no Hydrogenated Oils
Whole Wheat Flour
Lemon
Vegetable Stock (or fish stock if you have it)
Creole Seasoning: Mix 2 parts paprika with 1 part cayenne, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt & fresh ground pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F and boil water in a pot. Meanwhile, chop and/or mince garlic, shallot and as much parsley as you want. In a wide and shallow bowl, pour about half a cup of flour. Brush filets with oil, sprinkle with Creole seasoning and dip in flour to thinly coat all sides. Place in a baking pan and stick in the oven for about 12 minutes or so, being careful not to overcook. While that’s going on, blanch the green beans in boiling water for about 60 seconds then quickly drain and rinse in cold tap water to stop the cooking. Sprinkle with Creole seasoning and set aside.
Now, let’s make the Meunière Sauce. Coat a medium heated pan with a tablespoon of both oil and butter substitute in the pan and saute the garlic and shallots for a couple of minutes. Then add a dash of Creole seasoning and about a tablespoon of flour to make a roux. Once the roux is made (after about 5 minutes of stirring), gradually pour some stock in the pan while stirring, just until a thin gravy consistency is formed. Add the juice of one lemon and the chopped parsley and mix thoroughly. Finally, toast your sliced almonds in a medium low heated smaller pan for a few minutes or until they’re looking nice and toasty, indeed.
We’re done cooking at this point. Time to plate! Lay a filet and some green beans on a serving platter and top with the sauce. Sprinkle with more lemon juice and some almond slices. If you have a can of French Fried Onions sitting around, you can add some of that too, if you wish.
Now, pop open a nice Fume Blanc and you’re all set. Bon apetite!
November 28, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged chutney, grape tomatoes, grilled, mango, swordfish
It really isn’t that hard to make fish taste good. I mean, it already has excellent flavor, just by itself. I just wanted to do something that’s a bit health conscious as the swordfish itself is kind of decadent, y’know. In terms of nutrition, that is. And can you say, mercury-happy? That’s right. So, I came up with a sort of unique combination of ingredients I personally have never tried before and just went with it. Nothing fancy, actually. Just simple everyday items like tomatoes, mangoes and shallots. Sweet and savory, at the same time. Bursting with a rich flavor yet light and fresh.
It would’ve been great though, to dice up some jalapenos and add to the chutney, but I ran out. Oh well, next time.
Ingredients: Inch-Thick Swordfish Steak, Grape Tomatoes, Mangoes, Shallots, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, White Wine, Grill and Herb Seasonings, Fresh Chives, Jalapenos
Directions: Season swordfish and grill, 5 minutes each side. Do not overcook! To make chutney, slice mangoes into chunks and put in the blender or food processor along with a splash of wine. Puree the mixture. Then, mince shallots, slice tomatoes in half, dice jalapenos (if you have some) and saute altogether in olive oil. Pour in the puree and reduce in medium heat for about 10 minutes or so. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar in the end. Serve swordfish on a plate and smother with chutney. Garnish with chives.
November 27, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged fruit soup, leftovers, soup, tempura, veggie soup
Well, I had to give way to the Butterball all-out feasting for a couple of days but now that it’s over, I’m back in the green and sensible eating business.
Now, not only did I have fish, veggies and fruit pieces leftover from making the baked tempura, I also had a few tempura pieces that I didn’t get to finish. So I thought of making soup out of all this today. Which turned out to be a winner. The tempura gets soggy when dipped in the soup but that’s how you want it. I’ve never tried making soup out of fruits before and I gotta tell ya, this ain’t gonna be the last time. So yummy and refreshing!
Ingredients: Assorted Veggies (I used Zucchini, Mushrooms, Carrots and Sweet Potato) and Fruits (I used Apple, Pear, Peach and Avocado), Leftover Tempura Pieces, Chicken Stock, Dry White Wine, Garlic, Olive Oil, Chives or Scallions, Salt & Pepper
Directions: Dice all veggies and fruits into small pieces. In a pot or dutch oven, saute garlic in a little olive oil. Throw in all veggies and fruit pieces, season with salt & pepper and stir. Add just enough stock to immerse everything then add a splash of white wine. Let boil for 10 minutes or until the veggies and fruits are very soft. Ladle the veggie and fruit pieces and some stock into the blender and puree. Pour back into the pot and if needed, re-season to taste. Reheat leftover tempura pieces in the mircrowave. Ladle soup in a bowl, add tempura pieces and garnish with chives or scallions.
November 24, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged baked tempura, fruits, healthy alternative, healthy comfort food, seafood, tempura, vegetables
This magazine I was flipping through the other day had a restaurant ad with a very hypnotic photo of tempura. That got me all excited about my next kitchen project. The only thing is that I forgot that deep frying is a big part of how you make the dish. And deep frying is something I was trying to remove from my cooking vocabulary these days. So, I immediately thought of the possibility of baking it instead. I wasn’t sure if it would work, though. But then again, I’ve made baked tonkatsu in the past with excellent results, so that, at least, gave me some confidence that it might actually work for tempura also.
Well, it’s not quite the texture you get when you deep fry it, obviously. As you can see, it’s not as shiny as when it’s soaked in oil. But this is a very acceptable alternative, nonetheless, if health awareness is something you’d consider. The flavor is authentically tempura. Especially, when you factor in the dipping sauce.
Ah… the sauce, yes! Now, this is a whole new ball of wax, I have to say. I’ve tried in the past to make tempura dipping sauce but I couldn’t quite get the authenticity part down. I know because I’ve had it in Japanese restaurants before and there’s always a depth to it that’s more than just soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. But after a little research, I found out that there was yet a missing piece to the puzzle. The chicken stock. Now, why didn’t I think of that? Anyhow, I’m finally pleased that my dipping sauce has come as close as it could to the real thing.
But wait! There’s so many ingredients I couldn’t possibly consume this much tempura. Not to worry. I already have something in mind for the leftover veggies. Stay tuned.
Ingredients: Seafood (I used Salmon and Catfish),Vegetables (I used Mushrooms, Sweet Potato, Green Beans and Zucchini) and/or Fruits (I used Apple, Pear and Avocado) of your choice, Cooking Oil Spray, Salt & Pepper, Tempura Batter, Ice Cold Water. For dipping sauce: Soy Sauce, Mirin, Chicken Stock.
Directions: Preheat oven to 450F. Cut seafood, fruits and veggies into bite size pieces. Place them on a prep tray, spray with cooking oil spray and season with salt & pepper. In a big bowl, mix batter with ice cold water to right consistency. Spray baking pan with cooking oil spray. Dip everything in batter one piece at a time, shaking off excess batter and placing them on the baking sheet. Make sure to not crowd everything together or they will stick. Spray another coat of cooking spray on top of everything to keep from drying. Place pan in oven for roughly 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by combining 3 parts chicken stock, 1 part soy sauce and 1 part mirin in a sauce pan. Stir until warm.
November 22, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged grapes, mache, orzo, sundried tomatoes, vegetarian
Sometimes you get lucky you get to whip up something quick with whatever’s about to be thrown out from the fridge. Yes, I hate to waste anything. Luckily, the challenge of coming up with a killer dish from whatever’s left over from the week before intensifies my hunger even more. Makes me feel like a mini Iron Chef, even.
Except for the orzo, everything in here is leftover stuff. And they just happened to be the perfect combination for a delightful dish that I will definitely be making again and again, in the (near) future.
But for now… let’s savor the prototype, shall we?
The sun-dried tomatoes I used here are the dry ones. So, I needed to rehydrate them in hot water for about 20 minutes or so. If you have one in a bottle soaked in oil, you can skip this part.
Ingredients: Orzo, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Grapes, Garlic, Mache, Olive Oil, Fresh Parsley, Red Pepper Flakes
Directions: Cook orzo to al dente, as directed in package. Meanwhile, in a medium-low heated pan, sweat a few pieces of julienned sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (its own, if possible) along with some minced or chopped garlic and a dash of red pepper flakes. Stir until garlic starts to brown a little. Make sure not to burn the garlic. When orzo is cooked, drain using a strainer and transfer to the pan. Add chopped parsley and grapes and mix thoroughly. Serve on a plate and garnish with as much mache as you want. This is one garnish you want to have more of, trust me.
November 22, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged fruit dressing, grapes, mache, mache rosettes, salad, walnuts
Ever since I found out about mache, I’ve been using it a lot. Seriously, I like this better than spinach. And mind you, I love love love spinach! But the mache’s flavor is so versatile and mild you can use it in pretty much everything from salads to soups to plain munching it by itself. Heck, it’s even pretty enough to use for garnish!
Here’s a salad I made for lunch today with simple ingredients like grapes, black walnuts and leftover sausage pieces. It’s very good with a fruit based dressing. I ran out of mango dressing so I used raspberry vinaigrette on this one.
Also, as you notice in the photo, I added some blackberries but found it to be unnecessary since it was hopelessly competing with the grapes whose flavor is overpowering. It looks pretty but I would omit the berries next time and simply let the grapes shine (and compliment the mache) on their own.
Ingredients: Mache Rosettes (or baby spinach, if you can’t find any), Grapes, Black Walnuts, Diced Leftover Meat (optional), Fruit-Based Dressing, Fresh Ground Pepper
Directions: In a salad bowl, coat mache rosettes with dressing and a little ground pepper. Transfer to a serving plate and top with everything else.
November 22, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged berries, breakfast, fruits for breakfast, pancakes, savory fruits, walnuts
Good morning, ya’ll! Well, I had some batter left in the box and a few berries (blue, black & rasp) in the fridge, so I decide to go for a big breakfast today. Nothing like fresh fruits in your pancakes, I tell ya. A big breakfast once a week is not bad at all. Especially when it’s prepared the healthy way.
By the way, I sliced the berries so the juice would bleed when cooked. It’s a good thing, trust me!
Ahhh!! Now, I can say…. CARPE DIEM!
Ingredients: Pancake Batter, Berries (your choice), Walnuts, Pure Maple Syrup, Margarine with no Hydrogenated Oils, Mint Leaves
Directions: Slice berries in half and fold in with prepared batter along with some walnut pieces. Cook in non-stick griddle. Be careful not to overcook or it’ll dry out. Serve with butter and syrup. Garnish with mint leaves and more walnuts, if you want.
November 21, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged ethnic fruit, fruits, fruits for breakfast, horned melon, kiwano, strawberries
It’s like 30F out there, at 7am on a Saturday and where am I? At the grocery store wondering what I’ll have for breakfast. I move over to the fruits section, grab a box of fresh strawberries and as I try to scan the rest of the fruits on display, to see what else I can pair the strawberries with, I see this…
Kiwano, it says. A ki-what-now? This thing looks deadly with its spikes but I gotta admit it got the best of me when I grabbed one thinking, I’ve got to at least give it a try. I had no idea what I’m in for with this strange looking mutant but for 4 buck a pop, it’s gotta be good, I thought.
Back home, I jump on the web to try to find out what the story is! What it is, where it came from, who’s had it before and if there’s a chance it might be good with strawberries. Well, first I learn that it’s a melon, a horned melon (Say what?) and it’s of African origin. Fine, I thought. Now, I go to the kitchen and slice it open…
Not wanting to taste it yet, I bring the plate into the study and continue to read blogs of people who’s had it before. Not a whole lot has had it, I discover. Worse, none of those who’s had it had anything good to say, either. Great!! Now, only one way to find out, for sure. So finally, I scoop out a chunk with a spoon. It was gooey, gelatinous and akward with seeds I’m not sure are edible. If they’re not, it would be bad. I mean, why bother when the seeds are what most of the fruit itself consists of. Anyway, moment of truth! I take a bite and all I can say is…
OMG!!!!
All I can think of is… you gotta be kidding me! Almost flavorless and whatever hint of flavor it has wasn’t even fruit-like. And the seeds! The seeds! You really want to spit them out but it’s impossible to do. I mean, you might as well not eat the fruit at all, y’know! Which, evidently, wasn’t such a bad idea at this point. It was 4 bucks down the drain but, oh well. At least, there’s one less fruit I have to decide on, next time.
Glad to, at least, have the strawberries around to please my morning palate and save the day.
A little drizzle of lemon juice, some lemon zest, chopped mint to garnish and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Ahh… now, that’s redeeming!
November 20, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Recipes · Tagged grapes, italian sausage, savory fruits
If you haven’t noticed yet, I have been on a fruit binge lately. And not just for desserts but using fruits on savory dishes, in particular. I love how it gives a new dimension to an otherwise familiar flavor.
This recipe was inspired by watching an episode of Lidia’s Italy on PBS. When I saw this, I thought there was nothing to it, really. She just fries some links in a dutch oven and throws in a bunch of grapes along for the ride. So, I wanted to add a little more depth to the dish by making use of the grape’s juice and creating a rustic sauce out of it.
Well, here it is and all I can say is that… you have to try this! NOW!
Ingredients: Raw Spicy Italian Sausages, Grapes (any kind), Shallots, Garlic, White Wine, Fresh Parsley, Fresh Ground Pepper
Directions: In a medium-heated pot or dutch oven, pour a splash of wine and add sausages. Cook all sides until wine has evaporated. At this point, the oil from the sausages will begin to appear. Fry until golden brown! Transfer sausages on a plate and set aside. Meanwhile, mince the shallots and garlic and put them in the blender along with the grapes, a splash of wine and ground pepper. Blend until grapes are smashed but not pureed. Pour mixture and additional whole grapes into the pot to deglaze. Place sausages on a plate, smother with grape sauce and garnish with fresh parsley.
November 18, 2009
· Filed under Cooking, Food, Ingredients, Products, Recipes · Tagged bananas, bananas fosters, desert, healthy desert, organic
It may be just as safe to eat non-organic bananas since pesticide residue only stays on the peel, which you don’t eat anyway. But I have to admit, they don’t taste as good as the organic ones. And I’m not sure why.
I’ve only had organic bananas for about a year now. And I noticed that it held up a lot longer, also. Like, for a few days more.
Here’s a simple desert I made that is not quite the classic Bananas Foster but is definitely inspired by it. Get your sugar fix without the unnecessary added sugar. It’s healthy, simple and umm… looks pretty, too! By the way, every ingredient used here is organic, not just the bananas. But you don’t have to go that route if you don’t want to.
Ingredients: Bananas, Olive Oil, Pure Maple Syrup, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam, Chocolate-covered Raisins, Mint Leaves
Directions: Slice bananas in half, lengthwise, brush with olive oil and grill. In a pan, heat a small amount of olive oil, then mix in some maple syrup until it’s bubbly. Add grilled banana slices, turning over so both sides are coated with the syrup mixture. Transfer to a plate. Add strawberry (or any fruit) jam and raisins on top and garnish with mint leaves.
