Culturally Schizophrenic

I committed last time to share the results of my experimentation in the kitchen, and I’m tickled to announce that things turned out super tasty!

Behold, my Middle Eastern Inspired Taco.

I had some frozen baked falafel, and I made hummus with cilantro, garlic, and “taco” seasoning and wrapped it all up in a whole wheat tortilla. I use these spices in my taco seasoning: chili powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Now, I didn’t have many frozen falafel. Alex admitted that he sometimes takes a ball from the freezer and eats it cold. I don’t know if that’s flattering or not. Anyway, we had more than enough food.

The reason there was so much food was because I made baba ghanoush, too. (When everyone spells things differently, how do you decide what to use? Just pick one and stick with it?)

Lately, I’ve had a hankering for baba ghanoush and decided to go for it when I saw a Food Network chef make it on television. Sometimes, that’s all it takes (thanks, Aarti Party!). I was tempted to buy some ready-made from the grocery store, but it was chock-full of mayo (really, Sabra?).

Instead of making regular baba ghanoush, I riffed from the Horizons cookbook recipe for Mexican baba ghanoush. The recipe included roasted eggplant, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno. It actually called for pumpkin seed butter, which sounds really good – but I didn’t buy (or even look for) any. Instead, I used tahini but tossed in some pepitas for good measure.

I’ve been enjoying this in pitas for lunch the past two days, stuffed with more cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and onion. I can tell you for sure I’ll be making more homemade baba ghanoush.

Spaghetti Squash and Balsamic-Grilled Vegetables

I don’t participate in a CSA (community supported agriculture), but I do have a bin of produce delivered nearly every week. Much of the selection is local, but from a variety of farms, and it’s either local or organic. Often both, or at least no-spray. I go back and forth on whether I like this better than shopping the farmer's market. I do both.

That’s not really my point. My point is that I was too busy lately to remember to customize my bin. This means instead of selecting what I want to be delivered, I got the standard order. This means I have several items I wouldn’t have chosen for myself: “no-heat” jalapenos, a spaghetti squash, and tomatillos.

Let’s start with the easy one, the spaghetti squash. It turned out pretty good, and yes, it shreds to look like spaghetti noodles. What’s your favorite way to eat this squash, if you’ve had it before? My first try was good, but I’d be willing to experiment if I get one again.

I steamed it, I guess, in the microwave (yes, I used a microwave), and then shredded it and finished it in a skillet with a little olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil. The squash was so mild in flavor (or maybe the microwave zapped out the flavor as well as the nutrients?) that it mostly tasted like the basil. I liked it, though. We both ate a good bit of these squash noodles and have both enjoyed leftovers since this meal.

I had originally planned to roast my squash along with some other vegetables in the oven, but it was just too hot to turn it on. Instead, I grilled green beans, red onion, broccoli, eggplant, and corn. I finally got a tray to make it easier for me to grill the smaller vegetables. Before, I’d used foil. Besides the drawback of being disposable, it didn’t really work that well.

I made a quick marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. I should have used a blender on this; instead, I have little flecks of garlic falling through the grill. See my effort to place a few pieces atop the eggplant? I saw Rose’s post too late and her interesting photograph down the blender. Next time, next time. Maybe I can also do skewers like she does. I’m also taking notes from Diana with her balsamic roasted vegetables, especially the eggplant. I can’t wait to try her barbecue balsamic roasted eggplant next time.

Alex ate half of one piece of eggplant and saved the rest for me. Sweetheart.

Garlic-Cardamom Grilled Vegetables

Is anybody else out there a huge NPR nerd? I listen frequently, and although I don’t always find time to listen to The Splendid Table, I heard it this past Sunday. They discussed a recipe I found so intriguing that I tried it just a few days later. I made Julie Sanhi’s Grilled Vegetables in Garlic-Cardamom Marinade. When I heard the story, I already had an eggplant and zucchini that I planned to grill, and this marinade sounded so tasty that I got a few extra ingredients and put it all together.

Several of the ingredients here are foods I’ve never used before, including fennel and cardamom. I’m so excited to try new things. One other new thing I’ve done this week is to pull out my serving dishes and use those (some for the first time, ever) even when it’s just two of us.

Eggplant, zucchini, red and green bell peppers, red onion, fennel, and scallions

The marinade was light, but bright and fresh because it was mostly lime juice, cilantro, and garlic, plus some other spices and oil. I put in a whole chopped jalapeno, but I didn’t get any heat at all. I was a little worried that I’d find all the jalapeno bits in one bite, but thankfully I didn’t!

These vegetables were delicious. While I grilled, Alex went to our neighborhood Indian place and got a takeout dish and rice to go along with the vegetables.

So far, I’m doing pretty well on my pledge to use the grill more frequently. Up next? Grilled pizzas!

I saw it on TV: Homemade tomato sauce

Do you watch cooking shows filled with foods you wouldn’t eat? I do. I love Top Chef and have been watching the new Cooking channel from time to time. I’m still waiting to see a vegetarian cooking show on mainstream television. For now, though, blogs are treating me just fine.

I watched a show called Ask Aida the other day and she made a pasta sauce with eggplant and basil. She sautéed cubed eggplant and made a creamy tomato sauce with canned tomatoes and fresh basil, then tossed in rigatoni and mozzarella. My recipe turned out much different than hers, but it was tasty nonetheless. I’m not going to say it was better, but I left out everything I didn’t want in her recipe and added everything I did want in mine.

Steamy pasta with mushrooms, eggplant, and homemade tomato basil sauce

I started the same way she did, by cubing an eggplant and cooking it in a skillet with a little olive oil. I did the same thing with some quartered mushrooms. I set these aside until the end. Then I combined the ingredients for the tomato sauce:

• A few cloves of fresh garlic
• Small diced onion (both a small onion and a small dice)
• Can of crushed tomatoes, or whole plum tomatoes crushed by hand
• Fresh basil, cut into ribbons (reserve some for garnish and to enjoy fresh)
• Salt, pepper, and dried oregano

I simmered the sauce for a while. A while – as specific of a measurement as my ingredient list.

I’ve mentioned before that my favorite meals include a pause between the cooking and the eating. I added some almond milk (because the recipe I followed used cream) and threw back in my veggies to warm them through. Meanwhile, I cooked my pasta. I enjoyed this with some brown rice fusilli from Trader Joe’s, a side salad, and a glass of wine.

Somehow this felt more wholesome and not too much more difficult than using jarred pasta sauce. I think this one is a keeper.

Double-Baked Eggplant Rollatini

I’ve seen rollatini in the deli case at my super-grocery store, but I’ve never had it, much less made it for myself. When I found a recipe for fried-then-rolled eggplant in Veganomicon, I figured it was worth a try. Eggplant is one of those divisive foods in my house: I love it, he doesn’t. But once it’s been breaded and stuffed, it’s okay, right? Right. This was a definitive success.

Excuse my awful flash photo here. I was halfway through rolling my ‘tini and decided I should capture the moment. Why? It was easier than I thought it would be. First, I sliced the eggplant, then breaded it and baked it. Finally, I filled the slightly-cooled eggplant cutlets with baby spinach and tofu ricotta and threw in a few pine nuts for good measure. Get it? Two steps, first and finally. Each one rolled perfectly and held my generous dollops of seasoned, crumbled, ricotta-style tofu.

Top these beauties with tomato sauce and bake again until the filling is cooked. Finish with some Almesan – a grind of almonds and sesame seeds that’s a good substitute for Parmesan. For me, the Almesan was a nice, nutty touch that was one of those rare foods with a smell distinctly different from its taste. The smell of this was like a delicious nutty cookie, but it had a savory flavor that was indeed good in place of Parmesan. I served the rollatini with some brown rice rotini and a side of sautéed mushrooms.

Peperonata and Panini

Why peperonata?

I was perusing menus online, trying to decide where we can go for a nice meal out for our anniversary. Maybe I’m just not sophisticated, but I see a lot of unfamiliar words on menus these days I like to figure out what they mean. Maybe you’re smarter than I am, but which of these would you eat: peperonata, chorizo, calabaza, asadero, haloumi, porcini, pappardelle, cotija, chayote, sultanas. You know it’s confusing to review a menu when you’re trying to be careful, but not trying to be un-adventurous.

So the first recipe that comes up when I searched for peperonata is from Epicurious. I was drawn to this because I’d heard a story on The Splendid Table about how people search for recipes and get bad ones, or incomplete ones, or unclear ones, when they search the web, and meanwhile the trustworthy ones were further down the page. Well, I decided to trust Epicurious and not just read about what peperonata is, but rather to make it for myself.

Peperonata is slow cooked bell peppers with onion. It can include garlic, tomatoes, or spices – or not – and is finished with vinegar, either red wine or balsamic.

I got a three pack of bell peppers: orange, red, and yellow, and a sweet onion. I don’t like cooked green peppers. I sliced those not-too-thinly and cooked them in a little oil with a little salt for about an hour in a skillet over very low heat. I had mine in a sandwich. Alex had some in a quesadilla.

I also grilled an eggplant on my grill pan, sliced long ways, and then packed peppers, eggplant, and mozzarella into a sandwich with some extra balsamic and some basil pesto. I pressed the sandwich with a cast iron skillet and it came out with the ridges from the grill pan and was super duper yummy. I have considered getting a panini maker, but I just don’t have room in the kitchen. I don’t think I need one, anyway, when I can do this!

Briami, My Way

Briami is a Greek dish of roasted vegetables. I start some on the stove, bake it all up with some garlic, and then add some crushed tomatoes near the end. Serve with feta and bread.



I've made briami a few times and I think it's one of those things like lasagne, or chili, or anything else that you can adapt to your taste within a certain framework. So I'm not saying this is authentic briami, but it sure is good. Especially in the cooler months, I love a dish you can put together and then relax while it bakes. I have a hard time eating a dish immediately after I've cooked it if I haven't had a few minutes to sit down first.

The only tough part of this dish is cutting all the veggies. First, I cut the potatoes pretty small and cook in a skillet with canola oil. The other veggies can go right into the oven: zucchini, eggplant, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and smashed garlic. My carrots were still a little firm, but I like them that way. If you prefer them tender, you can skillet them as well.

I baked at 350F for an hour, stirring partway through and with about 20 minutes left I added some salt and the canned tomatoes. I think I mistakenly bought crushed tomatoes when I should have bought diced tomatoes, but this was delicious nonetheless. My tomatoes had some seasoning in them already; otherwise I would have added some oregano.

What I ate: Veggie Lasanga

Grilled eggplant; grilled portobello slices; organic spinach mixed with ricotta, garlic, and egg; Trader Joe's marinara; cheese. I needed to satisfy my Cincinnati portion of cheese craving. Yum.