July 28, 2007
Google this
I learned something today that answers a burning question I've had for a long time. I'm not a picky eater, but any recipe that calls for cilantro just turns me off. It tastes funny. I've never been able to put my finger on it until today. Did you know that some people carry a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap in their mouths? That's it! Try googling something like "cilantro soap gene," and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Do you have the gene? Can you imagine eating cilantro pesto? Yuck!
Posted by lhyink at 10:26 PM | Comments (1)
May 29, 2007
Playing with my food
I had to chuckle when I was peeling this potato. Doesn't it have a realistic face? Or am I going crazy?
Posted by lhyink at 09:48 PM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2007
This one's for you, Kim
Here's the recipe for Bean Burgers we have been enjoying. Gotta love those beans! Serve with homemade mayonnaise, and good whole wheat buns, and it's a meal you'll love.
A fried vegetarian bean burger made with great northern beans. This recipe makes a lot, so stock up the freezer unless you are feeding a crowd. Serve in pitas or on hamburger buns with your favorite burger toppings.
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 2 Hours
Ready In: 3 Hours
Yields: 15 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dried great Northern beans, soaked overnight
2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon pepper sauce, such as Franks(R) Red Hot(R) or Tabasco(TM)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 (16 ounce) package herb seasoned stuffing mix
6 eggs
3/4 cup whole wheat flour, or as needed
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the soaked beans in a large pot, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, until tender. Pour into a colander and let stand for a while so they drain very well.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and fry until nicely browned, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, mix together the eggs and seasoned stuffing mix, and let stand 10 minutes to soften.
3. Use a food processor to puree the beans in batches, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Puree the onions, and then the stuffing mixture, and stir them into the beans. Season with garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended. Stir in whole wheat flour a little at a time until the mixture is stiff enough to form patties.
4. Spread the cornmeal out on a small plate. Grab a handful of the bean mixture, and pack lightly into a ball. Press into the cornmeal to form a pattie. Gently turn the pattie over, and coat the other side. Repeat with remaining bean mixture.
5. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry patties until browned on both sides. Remove to paper towels to drain. Serve in pitas, or on hamburger buns.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Once you taste this, you won't want to go back to the store-bought kind. And you can jazz it up with lots of flavors--garlic, mustard, lemon juice, pickles, and the list goes on.
1 egg
1 cup oil
2 T lemon juice, or 1 T vinegar and 1 T water
A squeeze of prepared mustard, or you can use ground mustard (1/2 t)
Salt to taste
Dash cayenne pepper
Combine egg, lemon juice, mustard, pepper and 1/4 cup oil in a blender. Blend to mix. Add remaining oil in a small stream. You'll have to turn the blender off after each small addition, or you'll have a mess. After you've added about half the oil and the mixture has thickened, you can just dump the rest in. Blend it in, and, voila, you have mayonnaise! If it tastes a little oily, just add some mustard or salt.
Posted by lhyink at 01:49 PM | Comments (1)
September 04, 2006
The Chocolatier
Here's a mouthwatering magazine for bakers and chocolate-lovers extraordinaire. The Chocolatier Magazine--looks mighty tempting, doesn't it? I tried the recipe they posted on their website and thought I'd share. I had a craving for chocolate with peanut butter, and this hit the spot.
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Squares
Yield: 9 squares
Difficulty: *
Preparation: 30 minutes
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60%-70%), finely chopped
5 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural chunky peanut butter
1 1/3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter and set aside.
2. In a double boiler or bowl fitted over a pot of simmering water, melt chocolate and 1 tablespoon of butter. Remove from heat, and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool until tepid.
3. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream remaining 4 tablespoons butter, honey and peanut butter on medium speed until well combined and no lumps (other than peanut chunks)
remain. On low speed, add confectioner's sugar.
4. Press peanut butter mixture evenly into bottom of baking pan. Pour over melted chocolate.
Transfer pan to refrigerator to chill for 30-45 minutes, until set. Let come to room temperature before serving. To serve, cut into 9 squares using a sharp knife.
Posted by lhyink at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2006
Cupcakes for grownups
This website has the most delectable, ingenious, prettiest cupcakes I've ever seen. Who ever thought of tarragon or basil accompanying chocolate? But doesn't that sound good?
Posted by lhyink at 07:38 PM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2006
Strawberry salsa and other ruminations on food
I tried making Strawberry Salsa last night, and it turned out pretty yummy. Who would have thought you could combine onions, peppers, and strawberries and come out with such a delicious result? It's quite an eyebrow raiser, and people really get curious about how it's going to taste. Watching their reactions is half the fun.
I find myself continually gravitating toward the food section of the library whenever I'm lucky enough to get a few minutes to stop by. It's becoming more and more fascinating to me. Though I don't have much time to try all the mouthwatering concoctions I read about, you can still find me buried beneath a pile of cookbooks and "foodie" memoirs each trip I take. (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit, but you get the point.) A few things that have interested me:
Last Chance to Eat: The Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World--How close are we to the food we eat? Memoirs, history of food, thoughts on the industrialization of daily cuisine
How to Cook Everything--Mark Bittman has quickly become one of my favorite food writers. Simple recipes, fresh takes on old favorites, some new favorites as well.
The Gourmet Cookbook--Ruth Reichl's style makes this cookbook read like a novel. It's fun to pull out whenever I have a spare moment and need a little inspiration to spice up my cooking a little bit.
Baking With Julia--several months ago, I hardly knew that Julia Child and French cuisine even went together. Now she's another favorite, and I enjoy dreaming about baking all the things in this book. No, it isn't all French food, either.
Betty Crocker still has a place on my shelf, but she's found some really good company! More on this later...
Posted by lhyink at 01:48 PM | Comments (0)