DinnerCakes

Rockin' the Tempeh Sweetness – Honey Orange Tempeh Stir-Fry with Broccoli

July 28th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

More faux meat madness! Am I a one-trick pony? Perhaps. It has been a while since I made stir-fry and I was jonesin’. Traditionally I go for the savory and salty over the sweet but I decided to mix it up this time. One convenient thing (or arguably, bad thing) about tempeh is there’s no need to marinate because it won’t really accomplish anything.

This dish is loosely based off a recipe in a book a friend of mine gave me a few years back. It calls for some less common items like Kaffir lemon leaves which I’m sure are great, but a little too rare and exotic for me. We like quality food here but hunting high and low for an ingredient I’ll never use again before it goes bad just seems like a waste of time, money and sanity. So some DC-style modifications were in order. What do you think?

Honey Orange Tempeh Stir-Fry with Broccoli
adapted from Wok Works

8oz tempeh
7 teaspoons oil (2 tablespoons, one teaspoon)
1 garlic clove; minced
1 teaspoon ginger; minced
a head of broccoli; chopped into small 1/2 inch pieces
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lime
Juice of one lemon
7 teaspoons soy sauce (2 tablespoons, one teaspoon)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice wine

Steam your broccoli for 4 minutes and immediately dunk in cold water to stop the cooking process. Towel dry. Heat your wok, add two tablespoons oil and (carefully!) swirl around. Add your broccoli and stir fry for 1 minutes. Add your garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds; tossing continually to prevent burning. Add all your remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Continue to cook until liquid reduced to a thick sauce (five minutes, tops). Remove from heat and serve. Enjoy.

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English Muffin Pizzas

July 27th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Today we’ll be having a different kind of culinary adventure – how about an adventure for people who are moving in under a week, have packed up pretty much all of their belongings, whose lower back and legs are killing them from packing and cleaning things up and who are left with a lot items that might not naturally go together?

Yeah, that’s probably a little too specific, huh? I won’t start whining about how exhausted I am, but I will admit that I may have just fallen asleep in the closet…

So today I bring you english muffin pizzas! They’re not the fanciest or most sophisticated dinner or lunch, but you shouldn’t knock them until you try them. It’s summer, and they’re light, easy and really tasty.

You know how there’s always that person in the group who can’t have cheese? Or someone doesn’t like meat? Another person doesn’t like a lot of sauce on their pizza? Remarkably, everyone can get exactly what they want with english muffin pizzas. Set up an assembly line of ingredients for kids and/or adults and have everyone decorate their own – there’s no messy, sticky pizza dough to roll out, and there’s no grease like with take out. Make as many or as few as you like.

English Muffin Pizzas

whole wheat english muffins
fresh shredded mozzarella
Ghost Baker’s mom’s marinara
fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. Toast english muffins first by themselves for a crispier crust. Add ingredients above as desired and add to a baking sheet. Cook until mozzarella melts.

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Kitchen Tips – Avoiding Bean Soak

July 24th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

As a flexitarian, a significant portion of my diet is composed of beans which are a great source of protein. I prefer dried beans over canned because, not only are they “fresher” (in a sense that less is done to them before you get them), they are significantly cheaper. The problem with dried beans is the need to soak them. Just about every bean needs to be pre-soaked before cooking; usually overnight. That requires you to plan ahead, which doesn’t always happen.

My trick to avoiding this complication is a magical little device called a pressure cooker. I have to admit, when I first received this as a gift from my sister, I was quite unimpressed. “What am I going to do with this thing?” Answer: speed soaking beans. Stick in some beans, some water, cook for the appropriate time, viola! Good to go in less than an hour.

Pressure cookers are not a new invention. In fact, they’ve been around for quite some time with a bit a bad reputation. Old pressure cookers use to be quite messy but more importantly dangerous with the risk of exploding. Not today. Of course, anything under incredibly high pressure is in risk of exploding, but advances in technology and design has made this virtually impossible.

If you decide to buy a pressure cooker, I strongly recommend a stove-less version. Much more convenient. To top it off, pressure cookers are great for many other things, such as canning and general quick cooking. Check it out. It can be a worthy investment.

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Quick & Easy Zucchini and White Bean Soup

July 23rd, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

The other day I was browsing Food Gawker for inspiration, and I came across a photo for zucchini soup. This is normally the type of thing that I would quickly skip over, but I remembered that I had a stray zucchini around the house that needed to be used, and not much time left to use it!

I talked over a few ideas with Edwin, who was of course thrilled at my newfound fascination with soup. I came up with a few changes to make the zucchini soup I found a little more my style. The biggest change was probably adding white beans. I really enjoy white beans; they always make a really malleable addition to meals. I also some celery, removed the onion and added less zucchini and chicken broth.

One thing to keep in mind is to be a little careful handling the zucchini. After chopping it my hands felt completely dried out, itchy, tight and raw. I was initially a little startled, but then I remembered an excellent comment left by a reader on Edwin’s Celery Root Bisque recipe from last year – handling squash can cause a condition called Contact Dermatitis, and zucchini is a squash. It shouldn’t cause any real damage, but if you’re susceptible like me then your hands might be a little uncomfortable right after working with it. Try touching it as little as possible or, if you’re really concerned, wear latex gloves when handling squash.

Dry hands aside, I have to admit that I really loved this soup. Zucchini doesn’t really have a very strong flavor, so there’s nothing overpowering about the soup – the white beans and pepper make it flavorful. It’s light, very tasty and quick and easy to make – definitely a DinnerCakes win and a great summer dinner!

Zucchini & White Bean Soup
adapted from Cooking with Michele

2 cans chicken broth (14 oz. each)
1 can cannellini beans (19 oz.), drained
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1/2 cup half and half, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat large pot over medium heat and add oil when hot. Add garlic, zucchini and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock, drained white beans and thyme to the pot, then cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until zucchini and celery are softened, about 15 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and pour in batches of two or three into food processor (be careful not to overflow!) and pulse. When desired consistency is reached, pour final batch back into the pot and add half and half, followed by salt and generous amounts of pepper to taste (don’t skimp on the fresh ground pepper!).

Makes about 3 or 4 servings of soup.

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Food Photography – Hazelnut Gelato

July 22nd, 2009

by Chef Edwin

Ahhh, summer. Home of hot weather and cold treats. When I was in Europe last year I spent a few days in Rome taking in the sites and the cuisine. One of the highlights was the gelato. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a gelato stand there and I definitely took advantage; often partaking several times a day. Soooo good.

Recently, a gelato stand by the name of Pitango opened in the Reston Town Center; a walk from where I work. I sampled a small cup of their hazelnut flavor this week and I have to say it was amazing. Creamy but not heavy, cool but not brain-freezing cold, and the hazelnut flavor was so simple and yet so delicious (as a child of a German mother, I can tell you I know my hazelnut). I fear I may fall into a familiar multi-visit patter as I did in Rome.

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Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

July 21st, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Edwin says he loves veggies, but I don’t think he cares for mushrooms very much. This is sort of crazy, right? What kind of flexitarian can’t appreciate some quality mushrooms?

It’s true, mushrooms are a fungus. They have no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds, and the thought of eating fungus is more than a little disturbing. But if you can put all that aside, they’re really a pretty neat food that can add great flavor to your meals.

You might have guessed, they’re good for you! They can also be a little dangerous, as they’re sometimes confused with young specimens of the deadly poisonous destroying angel mushroom (destroying angel – what an amazing name!).

They do have some special storage and prep concerns that you may want to consider to preserve their moisture without becoming soggy and keep them fresh for several days (brought to you by whfoods.com:

Store loose button mushrooms in the refrigerator either in a loosely closed paper bag, wrapped in a damp cloth or laid out in a glass dish covered with a moist cloth.

Store prepackaged mushrooms in the refrigerator for up to one week in their original container.

Clean them using minimal water – wipe them with a slightly damp paper towel or kitchen cloth, as mushrooms are very porous and may absorb water during cleaning and become soggy.

I made these for lunch recently one weekend for my husband Morgan and I, and we really enjoyed them. This is a fairly mild recipe – no strong, spotlight stealing spices or pungent cheeses. If you’d like more kick to yours, try sprinkling a little more cayenne over the top, or using a salty cheese like Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

1 medium prepackaged container of baby bella mushrooms
1/2 square package frozen chopped spinach, cooked
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
12 turns of black pepper, 4 turns of salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
cayenne pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Wipe away any dirt on the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Pop off the stems by hand (they come out much easier than if you try cutting) and dice stems.

Combine cooked spinach, diced mushroom stems, garlic and cheese (leaving out just a little bit of cheese) in a medium bowl. Using a small spoon, stuff mushrooms caps carefully so that they do not break.

Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, 2 or 3 taps of cayenne and a small glug of extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Bring together with a fork.

Sprinkle caps with remaining cheese and bread crumb mixture. Cook for 20 minutes; serve immediately.

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A Mexican Mini – Mini Black Bean Taquitos

July 20th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

I never ate much Mexican as a kid. In fact, I hated mexican for quite some time. These days, I’m quite fond of the stuff; though I admit not all of it being authentic (I draw the line at Taco Bell, however. That stuff isn’t even food). A friend of mine held his wedding in Mexico a few years back and I was fortunate enough to attend. Excellent food; not only at the reception but at this excellent taco stand where we met one of the coolest vendors I’ve ever met. I had never eaten cactus before, but that was some good stuff.

So now I dabble with the style every now and then, admitting whole-heartedly that my German/Italian heritage gives me no special skills. But hey, I can pump out a few easy tasty Americanized treats. And when I’ve been snacking all day? Good to go with minis.

Mini Black Bean “Taquitos”

12 5-6 inch tortillas
2 cups cooked black beans (1 can); drained
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup guacamole
1 onion; chopped
1 green bell pepper; chopped
2 tablespoons oil
Pinch of salt

Saute your onion and green pepper in oil for 10 minutes with a pinch of salt then move to a separate bowl. Heat your pan to medium low and heat your tortillas one at a time for 10-20 seconds. Add a bit more oil if you need. Add rice, onion and peppers, black beans and guacamole on a thin strip. Roll and enjoy.

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Kitchen Tips – Freezing Pancakes

July 17th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

Last night my husband was out with some friends, so I had pancakes for dinner – fluffy oatmeal cookie pancakes from Joy the Baker!

Pancakes are a more recent obsession of mine. However pancake recipes often make a lot more than just one or two servings. Sometimes I halve the recipes, but not all recipes work well when you halve them. But really, why halve a delicious pancake recipe and deprive yourself from enjoying them again later?

So don’t! Make a big batch, but whatever pancakes you don’t eat, set out on a cooling rack in one layer so that they cool completely and dry out a bit. When the pancakes feel dry, place them in ziploc bags or a one gallon size ziploc bag (separated by wax paper so that it’s easy to pull them apart) and freeze. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, warm them up in a toaster (my preference) or, if you prefer, briefly in the microwave (you don’t want them to get rubbery).

Any time is a good time for pancakes!

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Little Bit O' Southern – Black-Eyed Pea Creole Soup

July 16th, 2009

by Chef Edwin

I was looking through my pantry, counting the number of types of beans (yes, you read that right) and came to 16; which isn’t including the 15 bean container. That’s a lot of beans; and some of these beans I have not given their moment in the sun (or pot).

Perusing the DinnerCakes archives I realized I hadn’t written anything using black-eyed peas and, in fact, have done very little cooking with them at all. I never had them growing up as a kid so my exposure to them has bit quite limited. One of the few things I have cooked them for is a sort of mock creole. I saw mock because I don’t think I’ve ever had authentic creole cuisine. This dish uses a less than common item from my pantry called liquid smoke. Not natural, for sure, but it adds a nice touch.

Black-Eyed Pea Creole Soup

1 onion; chopped
1 garlic; minced
1 green bell pepper; diced
1 cup dried black eyed peas; rinsed, cooked, and drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I used Ancho)
1 cup fresh peas (or thawed if frozen)
2-3 cups stock
Several dashes of liquid smoke
Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the onion and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring occasionaly (but not frequently). Add the bell pepper and sweat for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Enjoy.

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Food Photography – Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies from The Fumbling

July 15th, 2009

by Heather (Ghost Baker)

So this is pretty exciting – today’s Food Photography is all thanks to a lovely DinnerCakes reader, Grace Thoreau, who actually sent me cookies! All these years of wishing that people would send me baked goods, and it finally paid off!

These little beauties are coconut-lime sugar cookies.

Sugar cookies are not usually among my favorites for two reasons – they always seem to be too hard and too dry. So my jaw dropped (luckily no cookie fell out) when I bit into these soft, moist and totally flavorful coconut cookies with cute flecks of lime. Grace tells me it’s the unsweetened flaked coconut run through a food processor that keeps them so soft, and the fat in them (don’t tell my bathroom scale) keeps them moist.

Itching for the recipe? Well, you’ll have to consult Grace. Grace is a fellow blogger, and though she’s not a food blogger she’s definitely a foodie! Hop over to her blog, Fumbling with Grace, for some fun and quirky quick wit and humor about getting through life as a young working woman (maybe she’ll bake you cookies, too?).

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