30 July 2010
Thoughts from a husky boy.
If you only see food as calories, carbs or a quantity of nutrients I then ask you.. how in Ham's name can you enjoy life?
26 July 2010
Slide
Since my girlfriends recent conversion from vegetarianism to eating whateverism, our cooking has expanded to realms never before thought possible...meat. One of our favorite meat items has been sliders. In Tallahassee we would always get pork sliders from our favorite Cuban eatery. Perfectly spiced and wonderfully porky. What would I do without pork. Thank goodness I am allowed to eat hooved animals!!! Then in NYC the sliders didn't fail to amaze. We ate at the malaysian restaurant 'Fatty Crab', ironically the crab dish was rather lousy (too fishy) but the sliders were wonderful. A blend of pork and beef with a spicy sauce, a thick chunk of cucumber and a sweet pillowy bun. This fatty slider was the basis for the meal I am currently digesting and the one I am about to share with you all about.
For my first week here in Ithaca (living in a farm house with chickens that live in trees) I am free of a job (a job that starts tommorrow morning, actually), so I have some time to cook for the gal. We agree that sliders are a porktastic dinner option and so we go meat shopping at the farmers market. While Logan is at work I bike to three different grocery stores to find some darn chipotle, or as I pronounce them Shipotle peppers. After facing gorges and honking angry hipster drivers, I make it home hours later with a $1.89 jar of chipotle peppers. I start dinner with a nap, then I get the buns going from scratch. Unfortunately I used the rest of Logan's flour in the process (a move that will end in logan scowling at me as she attempts to make a peach cobbler). Whislst the buns are in the oven (no not babies, literally buns to put the sliders in) I make the chipotle sauce. I combined finely chopped Chipotle peppers with yogurt, garlic, cilantro and lemons. For the main event I mixed beef and Chorizo, with onions garlic and spices and rolled them into balls and put them on the grill with more onions and the baked buns. Holy ham! I ate four! Our attempt to recreate the 'Fatty crab' sliders was a success. Slabs of spicy-lemony sauce with grilled oily onions and thick cucumber on top of a naughty greasy pork/beef love affair that is sinful and illegal depending on your religious beliefs or which state your from. Put that shiz on top of more of the said sauce, all enveloped in a homemade bun. And some people just go to McDonald's for a burger.
For my first week here in Ithaca (living in a farm house with chickens that live in trees) I am free of a job (a job that starts tommorrow morning, actually), so I have some time to cook for the gal. We agree that sliders are a porktastic dinner option and so we go meat shopping at the farmers market. While Logan is at work I bike to three different grocery stores to find some darn chipotle, or as I pronounce them Shipotle peppers. After facing gorges and honking angry hipster drivers, I make it home hours later with a $1.89 jar of chipotle peppers. I start dinner with a nap, then I get the buns going from scratch. Unfortunately I used the rest of Logan's flour in the process (a move that will end in logan scowling at me as she attempts to make a peach cobbler). Whislst the buns are in the oven (no not babies, literally buns to put the sliders in) I make the chipotle sauce. I combined finely chopped Chipotle peppers with yogurt, garlic, cilantro and lemons. For the main event I mixed beef and Chorizo, with onions garlic and spices and rolled them into balls and put them on the grill with more onions and the baked buns. Holy ham! I ate four! Our attempt to recreate the 'Fatty crab' sliders was a success. Slabs of spicy-lemony sauce with grilled oily onions and thick cucumber on top of a naughty greasy pork/beef love affair that is sinful and illegal depending on your religious beliefs or which state your from. Put that shiz on top of more of the said sauce, all enveloped in a homemade bun. And some people just go to McDonald's for a burger.
21 July 2010
Cookie Secrets
Well, as I am new to contributing on yumbutton I feel I should say something about myself for those of you who don't know me. My name is David and I am not a particularly good cook. When in the kitchen I am best with an assortment of foods that shouldn't go together and a hot skillet, usually something work out; more importantly I am a lover of delicious food. Fortunately for me I have a better half, (Lauren) who is a better cook and more importantly a registered dietitian. Living with a dietitian comes with its ups and downs, sometimes things are contra-banned, sometimes lectures take place, and sometimes I even get tricked.
I was surprised and excited to see Lauren in the kitchen making what looked like cookie dough (the surprise and excitement is mainly because we have cut way back on fats and sweets to help us both achieve healthy lifestyle goals).
As any good husband knows, when the wife is making something delicious in the kitchen just for the heck of it you must creep quietly back to a hidden corner of the house/apartment and hope she didn't notice you. This is an attempt to not disturb the magic taking place. It is a bit like accidentally seeing Santa when you're up getting a glass of water on Christmas Eve. You get the sense that if you disturb the magic it will stop happening.
Shortly after the baking process had begun I decided to reappear and take some pictures. At this point cookies were already coming out of the oven one sheet at a time (because we only have one) and getting lined up nicely on the little racks waiting to be eaten.
Don't think I didn't notice the twisted smile on her face when I went for the finished cookies. I noticed it. I saw her delight as I savored the first warm chewy bite. Her smile was a malicious one. I knew I had just made a wrong move, I knew the delight I was experiencing was about to be challenged. You see, I'm a good 4th generation Norwegian-American and as such I know butter is the staple of a good hearty life. We use butter for our lutafisk, our lefsa, boiled potatoes, salad, you get the idea, to paraphrase the ministry of magic "Butter is Might". It turns out these cookies, like her smile, had a dark secret and it wasn't any variety of magic. It was a lack of part of the most important ingredient. The cookies were void of half of the usual recommended butter, and didn't I notice. I stood there feeling defeated, hurt, naked, empty; having to admit I loved the cookies despite their evil secret ingredient. Applesauce.
It turns out applesauce fills the same role in the cookie dough as butter and you can't taste it at all. I could make up some nutrition facts about these cookies but instead I am passing the pen, as it were, to Lauren to fill you in on the 'how to,' and 'why' of these delicious cookies.
Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Cookies: (with modifications)
1/2c butter (usually 1c butter)
1/2c applesauce** (usually no applesauce)
1c peanut butter
1c granulated sugar
1c packed brown sugar
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 1/2c all-purpose flour
1-12oz bag butterscotch chips
**Note: Substituting applesauce for butter will increase the sweetness. Applesauce may also shorten the cooking time.
Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds or until well beaten. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat in egg and vanilla until combines. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining dough. Mix in butterscotch chips by hand.
2. Preheat oven to 375*F. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
Yield: 72 cookies
Nutrition Facts per cookie:
104 calories, 6 g fat, 2g saturated fat (originally 111 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams saturated fat).
Without reaching for the calculator you can tell that 104 calories vs 111 calories a cookie is not a huge difference, and same with the other stats provided. But this all stands to be multiplied, who can eat just one cookie? The batch has a substantial reduction in all three areas. The saturated fat is what I like to pay close attention to as it plays a negative role in our body. It is a main contributor to heart disease and clogging of the arteries in addition to raising your bad cholesterol (LDL), lowering your good cholesterol (HDL) and raising your total cholesterol.
When you can't taste the difference the little act of cutting half of the butter is very much worth it. The applesauce also seems to keep the cookies softer longer if you're a fan of soft cookies.
Enjoy!
David and Lauren
I was surprised and excited to see Lauren in the kitchen making what looked like cookie dough (the surprise and excitement is mainly because we have cut way back on fats and sweets to help us both achieve healthy lifestyle goals).
As any good husband knows, when the wife is making something delicious in the kitchen just for the heck of it you must creep quietly back to a hidden corner of the house/apartment and hope she didn't notice you. This is an attempt to not disturb the magic taking place. It is a bit like accidentally seeing Santa when you're up getting a glass of water on Christmas Eve. You get the sense that if you disturb the magic it will stop happening.
Shortly after the baking process had begun I decided to reappear and take some pictures. At this point cookies were already coming out of the oven one sheet at a time (because we only have one) and getting lined up nicely on the little racks waiting to be eaten.
Don't think I didn't notice the twisted smile on her face when I went for the finished cookies. I noticed it. I saw her delight as I savored the first warm chewy bite. Her smile was a malicious one. I knew I had just made a wrong move, I knew the delight I was experiencing was about to be challenged. You see, I'm a good 4th generation Norwegian-American and as such I know butter is the staple of a good hearty life. We use butter for our lutafisk, our lefsa, boiled potatoes, salad, you get the idea, to paraphrase the ministry of magic "Butter is Might". It turns out these cookies, like her smile, had a dark secret and it wasn't any variety of magic. It was a lack of part of the most important ingredient. The cookies were void of half of the usual recommended butter, and didn't I notice. I stood there feeling defeated, hurt, naked, empty; having to admit I loved the cookies despite their evil secret ingredient. Applesauce.
It turns out applesauce fills the same role in the cookie dough as butter and you can't taste it at all. I could make up some nutrition facts about these cookies but instead I am passing the pen, as it were, to Lauren to fill you in on the 'how to,' and 'why' of these delicious cookies.
Peanut Butter-Butterscotch Cookies: (with modifications)
1/2c butter (usually 1c butter)
1/2c applesauce** (usually no applesauce)
1c peanut butter
1c granulated sugar
1c packed brown sugar
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 1/2c all-purpose flour
1-12oz bag butterscotch chips
**Note: Substituting applesauce for butter will increase the sweetness. Applesauce may also shorten the cooking time.
Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds or until well beaten. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat in egg and vanilla until combines. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining dough. Mix in butterscotch chips by hand.
2. Preheat oven to 375*F. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
Yield: 72 cookies
Nutrition Facts per cookie:
104 calories, 6 g fat, 2g saturated fat (originally 111 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams saturated fat).
Without reaching for the calculator you can tell that 104 calories vs 111 calories a cookie is not a huge difference, and same with the other stats provided. But this all stands to be multiplied, who can eat just one cookie? The batch has a substantial reduction in all three areas. The saturated fat is what I like to pay close attention to as it plays a negative role in our body. It is a main contributor to heart disease and clogging of the arteries in addition to raising your bad cholesterol (LDL), lowering your good cholesterol (HDL) and raising your total cholesterol.
When you can't taste the difference the little act of cutting half of the butter is very much worth it. The applesauce also seems to keep the cookies softer longer if you're a fan of soft cookies.
Enjoy!
David and Lauren
17 July 2010
Sweet Sweet Summer
my apartment is empty. this weekend my roommates are out of town and in honor of their absence i'm making the most of clean counter tops and quiet time. lots of coffee and leisure reading. earlier this week i made refrigerator pickles, and today i made hummus. i'm dancing around the idea of making some homemade bread today, too. but i'll probably end up going for an afternoon swim in the river instead, second swim of the day. i hope you're enjoying the sweet sweet summer days as much as i am.
fresh refrigerator dill pickles
1 cup white vinegar
3 cups water
shy 1/4 cup salt
3 Tbs sugar or honey, agave
4-5 cups fresh pickling cucumbers (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 Tbs cloves
4 small white bulb onions (sliced thinly)
lots of fresh dill
2 medium glass jars with lids
:: bring vinegar, water, salt and sugar just to a boil to make the brine. Layer sliced cucumber, garlic, cloves, onions and dill in jars and then pour hot brine mixture into jars. Let sit on counter for 2-3 hours, then refrigerate.
09 July 2010
Juicy Lucy
ya know, there's just something impressive about big food, a lot of food. maybe it's the idea that you won't leave hungry, or perhaps the bigness itself magnifies the delicious parts and soothes your hankering taste buds... whatever the reasons, our recent version of the adored Juicy Lucy surpassed, in both the size and taste, the American expectations of a burger. GET YOUR HANDS AROUND THAT THANG!
03 July 2010
krabby patties! OR cooking for vegans
i thought i was the master of brunch. a quick scan of the pantry, and i'd be whipping up benedicts or banging out biscuits like i was born doing it. but this morning i was faced with a challenge: VEGAN BRUNCH. sure, we did breakfast for dinner at cowpie. but how many times can you really make tofu scramble, or peanut butter french toast? i needed something inspired.
enter isa chandra moskowitz! i had been seeing her cookbooks around for years, but i've never really cared much for vegan baking. her vegan brunch recipes, on the other hand, are nothing less than BRILLIANT.
i love crab cakes. and while i'm usually not the biggest fan of flesh substitutes, this tempeh was so well-disguised it could've fooled even the most adamant of soy-haters. i served my krabby kakes garnished with slices of heirloom tomatoes and parsley from my garden, and a side of herbed homefries. oooo, the crispy golden goodness of pan-fried panko, the undeniable decadence of veganaise (one of the few vegan alternatives i whole-heartedly endorse), the sweet bits of red bell pepper, it all came together beautifully. here's the recipe:
Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes
Makes 10
I love the succulent little pieces of tempeh you get when biting into this crisp, flavorful cake. Crab cakes are the inspiration here. I used to spend lots of time in Baltimore and back then pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was a big issue. I think it’s doing much better now and these cakes are a tribute to it. Update: Came to find the Bay is actually doing worse. All the more reason to eat tempeh instead of crabbies!
Make ahead: Make the entire mixture and the remoulade the night before. In the morning, form into cakes and pan fry.
For the cakes:
8 ounces tempeh (use the nori tempeh if you can find it, but plain soy tempeh is fine, too)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons Vegenaisse
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (stone ground Dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup very finely chopped red bell pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspooon salt
fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for dredging
Optional: 1 finely chopped nori sheet or 1 tablespoon kelp granules (if you like a little fishiness)
Oil for pan frying
For the remoulade:
2 tablespoons Vegenaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (stone ground dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons capers (try not to get too much brine)
Lemon wedges for serving
First we’re going to steam the tempeh to get the bitterness out and also to infuse some flavor with the soy sauce. Crumble the tempeh into a saucier or small pan in little bits. Add the water, soy sauce, oil and bay leaf. The tempeh won’t be fully submerged, but that’s fine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir once during boiling.
Transfer contents to a mixing bowl, remove bay leaf, and mash with a fork. Let cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to hasten the cooling process. Make sure the tempeh is barely warm before you proceed, or the cakes may fall apart when you cook them. Add the mayo, mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, chopped bell pepper, spices salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and nori and use your hands to incorporate.
Once you are ready to form the cakes, preheat a thin layer of oil in a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet (cast iron is great) over medium heat. Pour a few tablespoons of panko into a bowl. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup batter into your hands and form into a ball. Flatten between your palms and then roll the sides gently with your hands cupped to smooth them. You should have ten 2 1/2 to 3- inch patties. I do them in batches of five. Press them into the panko to lightly coat. They don’t need to be thoroughly covered, just a little bit for some texture.
Fry a batch of five cakes for 4 minutes on one side and flip when dark golden brown. Fry for 2 minutes on the other side and transfer to a paper towel or paper bag to drain. Do your second batch and in the meantime make your remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Serve with lemon wedges.
enter isa chandra moskowitz! i had been seeing her cookbooks around for years, but i've never really cared much for vegan baking. her vegan brunch recipes, on the other hand, are nothing less than BRILLIANT.
i love crab cakes. and while i'm usually not the biggest fan of flesh substitutes, this tempeh was so well-disguised it could've fooled even the most adamant of soy-haters. i served my krabby kakes garnished with slices of heirloom tomatoes and parsley from my garden, and a side of herbed homefries. oooo, the crispy golden goodness of pan-fried panko, the undeniable decadence of veganaise (one of the few vegan alternatives i whole-heartedly endorse), the sweet bits of red bell pepper, it all came together beautifully. here's the recipe:
Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes
Makes 10
I love the succulent little pieces of tempeh you get when biting into this crisp, flavorful cake. Crab cakes are the inspiration here. I used to spend lots of time in Baltimore and back then pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was a big issue. I think it’s doing much better now and these cakes are a tribute to it. Update: Came to find the Bay is actually doing worse. All the more reason to eat tempeh instead of crabbies!
Make ahead: Make the entire mixture and the remoulade the night before. In the morning, form into cakes and pan fry.
For the cakes:
8 ounces tempeh (use the nori tempeh if you can find it, but plain soy tempeh is fine, too)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons Vegenaisse
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (stone ground Dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup very finely chopped red bell pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspooon salt
fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for dredging
Optional: 1 finely chopped nori sheet or 1 tablespoon kelp granules (if you like a little fishiness)
Oil for pan frying
For the remoulade:
2 tablespoons Vegenaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (stone ground dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons capers (try not to get too much brine)
Lemon wedges for serving
First we’re going to steam the tempeh to get the bitterness out and also to infuse some flavor with the soy sauce. Crumble the tempeh into a saucier or small pan in little bits. Add the water, soy sauce, oil and bay leaf. The tempeh won’t be fully submerged, but that’s fine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir once during boiling.
Transfer contents to a mixing bowl, remove bay leaf, and mash with a fork. Let cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to hasten the cooling process. Make sure the tempeh is barely warm before you proceed, or the cakes may fall apart when you cook them. Add the mayo, mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, chopped bell pepper, spices salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and nori and use your hands to incorporate.
Once you are ready to form the cakes, preheat a thin layer of oil in a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet (cast iron is great) over medium heat. Pour a few tablespoons of panko into a bowl. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup batter into your hands and form into a ball. Flatten between your palms and then roll the sides gently with your hands cupped to smooth them. You should have ten 2 1/2 to 3- inch patties. I do them in batches of five. Press them into the panko to lightly coat. They don’t need to be thoroughly covered, just a little bit for some texture.
Fry a batch of five cakes for 4 minutes on one side and flip when dark golden brown. Fry for 2 minutes on the other side and transfer to a paper towel or paper bag to drain. Do your second batch and in the meantime make your remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)