Carrie's Birthday Dinner

Well hey. A year and a half later--after shift changes, job changes, and going back to school--I've found myself cooking a lot again. And I thought to myself "Hey. I used to do a blog for that." So here we are again.

Carrie's birthday was last week, and this was my birthday present to her: a homemade Indian dinner and a clean house.

PALAK DAL
(recipe from about.com)

Ingredients
1 cup chana dal (yellow lentils)
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste
1 package frozen chopped spinach (10 ounces) or 1 bunch spinach chopped.
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped or 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chopped green chili
4 tablespoons lemon juice (I left this out, as I didn't have any on hand.)
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
cilantro to garnish

Method
1. Cook the dal in the 5 cups of water with turmeric and salt for 30 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach is tender and mixed with the lentils--about 35-50 minutes.
2. In a separate pan heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and as they pop add the onions. Brown the onions.
3. Add the garlic, tomatoes, green chili, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, stir 2 minutes.
4. Add the daal and spinach and lemon juice, stir and heat through.
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with pita or chapati or basmati rice.


KIRTI'S MOM'S ALOO GOBI*
(Recipe handed down to me from a friend of a friend.)

Ingredients
2 medium cauliflower heads (cubed)
4 medium potatoes (cubed)
13 cloves garlic
4 green chilies (Serrano or jalapeno) cut small
2 1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp tumeric
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 small ginger root pieces

Method
1. Start with cold pan. Fry potatoes in a few tablespoons of oil until browned, stirring regularly, add cumin.
2. Grate ginger and garlic in to pan with potatoes.
3. Combine spices in to small bowl and add to potatoes.
4. Add cauliflower--stir until coated. Add more oil, if needed.
5. Cook covered on medium-high for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Turn to high, stir, cover, cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add chilies, cook uncovered for 15 to 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Once dry, cook on lowest setting for 5 minutes. Serve warm.


VEGAN ORANGE CAKE
(recipe from earthvegan.blogspot.com)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup minus 2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp Cointreau liqueur (I used Grand Mariner, as that's the orange liqueur I had on hand.)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Method
1. Mix together the wet ingredients and add to the dry. Stir until smooth.
2. Pour into a greased and floured 9 inch square cake pan.
3. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then slide a thin knife around the edges.
5. Gently remove the cake from the pan and continue cooling on a rack.

NOTES:
*I made HALF this recipe for dinner that night. Although Indian food refrigerates well and will last for a good week or so before getting weird, I wasn't sure that we needed quite that much food between three people. In the end, apparently, I probably could have made the full recipe.

VERDICT:
I was a little nervous about the palak dal, as it's actually not a dish I'd had before. But we had yellow lentils on hand and, more importantly, a bunch of spinach that needed to be used that day. It turned out really well, though, despite my lack of lemon juice. I ate it for three meals.

The aloo gobi was also a hit, as potatoes and cauliflower are among Carrie's favorite vegetables, and she'd never had it before. It was gone by the end of the next day.

The cake was amazing. I served it with frosting (store-bought whipped vanilla).

Will definitely make all of these dishes again.

Artichoke Heart and Quinoa Salad + Spicy Carrot and Potato Soup

(Catching up on some unposted meals. Sorry about the laziness!)

ARTICHOKE HEART AND QUINOA SALAD

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa*
2 1/2 cups water
2 heads Belgian endive leaves, separated and rinsed (I couldn't find endive, so I just served on a bed of Romaine.)
2 cups artichoke hearts, chopped roughly
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
2 shallots, thinly sliced
dressing of choice (I used olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.)

Method:
Combine quinoa with water in large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking grains, stirring occasionally, until tender, for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, layer dinner plates with endive leaves. In separate mixing bowl, combine artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes and sliced shallots. When quinoa is cool, stir grain and vegetables together, and dress as desired, tossing to combine. Arrange mixture on endive leaves and serve.

SPICY CARROT AND POTATO SOUP

Ingredients:
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
150g/5oz potato, chopped
400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 vine tomato, de-seeded and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Place the carrot, potato, stock and chilli flakes in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 7-8 minutes, then drain the vegetables, reserving the stock.
2. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan and fry the vegetables, along with the chopped garlic, for 3-4 minutes, or until tender.
3. Pour the stock back into the pan with the vegetables, stir in the tomatoes and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a hand blender, process the soup until smooth.

NOTES:
If you've never tried quinoa, you really ought to. Like cous cous, which has a similar but distinctly different texture and flavor, you can prepare it almost any way you like--Carrie frequently makes it with broccoli and cheese, and I've played around with vegetables and Bragg's soy sauce. Plus, unlike cous cous, it's gluten-free.

*I STRONGLY recommend Ancient Harvest brand quinoa, as it's already rinsed. Unless you enjoy spending a full ten minutes sifting through tiny grains.

VERDICT:
We both loved the quinoa salad, and actually prepared it again a week later when we had guests over. It makes a fantastic appetizer, side-dish, or light meal.

I enjoyed the soup, although it was very literally 'carrot' and 'potato' and I'd forgotten that Carrie really doesn't like the flavor of cooked carrots. Oops. If you enjoy both of those flavors, though, it would be a really great cool-weather soup.

Beef and Celery with Rice

I found this idea in the Austin American when they were talking about Chinese culture. I couldn't find the recipe there, in the two minutes I looked for it, but this one came out nicely.

Recipe: beef and celery

Beef and Celery--

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 8 oz MorningStar Farms Meal starters, beef strips
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Method:

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onions and celery until golden brown; remove from heat and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Place beef slices in the skillet and heat until well browned. Stir in salt, pepper, soy sauce and water.
3. Add the celery and onion mix. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Pour the mixture into skillet. Stirring constantly, heat until thickened. Takes about 5 minutes.
   

Verdict:
This is how I should have done it. I didn't do the beef tips serperately, and they were too mushy. I think that doing it the way I was supposed to do it would give a nice crisp to the strips and give it a better texture.

I would make this again. It was easy, good, and a nice change to beef and broccoli.

Feta Potatoes + Garlic Quorn

POTATOES WITH FETA
Ingredients:
5 medium baking potatoes
10 pimento-stuffed olives, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup half and half
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Preperation:
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and cool. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Combine potatoes and next 6 ingredients; gently toss. Spoon into lightly greased 10x6x2 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.


GARLIC QUORN
Ingredients:
1 box (4 peices) Quorn cutlets
4-6 Tablespoons butter
1 large clove garlic (minced or crushed)
handful chopped herbs (I usually use rosemary, but basil would also be great in this)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Lemon rounds for garnish

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat medium baking dish with spray oil. In medium bowl, mash butter with a spoon until smooth. Add garlic, herbs, and seasonings. Make several slashes on the top of each piece of Quorn and fill cuts with butter mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with lemon garnish.

NOTES:
Feta Potatoes are a staple at my parents' house, and are a wonderful accompaniment to most meals. If you eat meat, we often used to serve it with steak or other beef dishes, which it compliments nicely.

VERDICT:
As always, I quite enjoyed this comfort food and will certainly make it again. Perhaps Carrie is better equipped to answer this one.

Homemade Pasta and Pesto

Recipe: pasta

Homemade Pasta-


Ingredients:

4 c. flour
4 tbsp. olive oil
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt

Method:

Make mound with the flour on your work surface and scoop out a well in the middle. Pour the eggs into the hole, add the salt, and work the eggs and the flour together till you have a smooth dough, adding just a drop of water if necessary, and no more. Knead the dough for ten to fifteen minutes, until it is smooth, firm, and quite elastic. Don't skimp on the kneading or the dough will tear while you're rolling it out.

You are now ready for the hard part: separate the dough into two pieces. Flour your work surface (the marble counter tops in Italian kitchens are ideal for this, though wood or Formica work as well -- a pastry cloth gets in the way) and start to roll out the dough, rolling from the middle, flipping it occasionally, and flouring it as necessary to keep it from sticking. To keep the sheet from breaking, once it has reached a certain size, roll it up around the rolling pin and then invert the rolling pin; you can, as you are unrolling the sheet, gently stretch it by holding the unrolled part firm and pulling gently away with the rolling pin. Keep on flipping and rolling till you have a sheet that's almost transparent -- as thin as a dime, or thinner, if you can manage it (the pasta will almost double in thickness while cooking). The Emilians, acknowledged masters of home-made pasta, say your backside should work up a sweat as you're rolling out the sheet.

Pesto--

Ingredients:

1 c Basil, chopped well
2 c spinach, chopped roughly
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
5-10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4-6 cherry tomatoes, chopped to quarters
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

So, I wasn't really sure how much of everything I put in, I just made a guess. If you have it, put more basil than spinach. I use the spinach to create more volume when I don't have enough basil.

1.In a pan, heat oil. Add garlic on low heat and simmer until the garlic starts to become translucent. Add basil, and sautee for about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until soft and limp.

2. Pour into a bowl and use hand mixer to blend. I like mine still with chunks, so I don't blend very well. Also, you can skip this step, but it allows for a finer sauce to more evenly coat the pasta.

3. Put sauce back in the pan. Add the butter and the tomatoes, cook until soft.

Verdict:
I didn't spend enough time kneading or rolling out the pasta, so it was a little crumbly and too thick. I also remembered why I really need a pasta machine. It's hard work. And I hate kneading things, and pasta has to be kneaded for at least 15 minutes, more like 20. It's backbreaking and our cabinets are too high so I can't get all my weight on it. Other wise, there is nothing better in the world than fresh pasta! And the sauce was nice and light and perfect for a hot day! I sprinkled it with fresh parmesan cheese and we had a nice Chardonnay that didn't quite match, but was still good.

Lentil, Potato, and Chorizo Soup--Vegitarian Style!

Recipe: http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/4012/Lentil_Soup_With_Chorizo_And_Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 package Smart Bacon from Lifelight
6 cups water
2 Vegetarian chorizo (can't remember what the brand was called, and it is hard to find)
2 small russet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked through
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the carrot, onion, garlic, thyme and pancetta. Season them with a light sprinkling of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 5-7 minutes.

2. Add the water, chorizo and potato. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato cubes are barely tender, 15-20 minutes. Add the lentils and cook until they're tender, 5-10 more minutes.

3. Stir in the lemon juice and add more salt and pepper to taste.


Verdict:

The soy-rizo ends up crumbling alot when you put it in, but it adds a nice thickness to the soup and you don't lose any flavor. I added a little yogurt and dipped buttered bread in the soup and found it very delicious. I'd definitely make it again, but save it for a colder day :) Texas in July isn't condusive to hot soups, but I had been cold all day. The house I was working in is kept at 68 degrees and it was only in the mid-eighties outside and I was freezing by the time I got back to my real work and then home and just wanted hot, heavy soup. This fit the bill.

Also, this soup has very little prep time. Once you get the first step in the pot, you have time to prep for the next steps as the other things are cooking, which made it an easy meal. I'd like it a little spicier next time, but it's so hard to even find the soy-rizo that I think I'll have to add the spice with old fashioned pepper.

Seven's Vegetarian Pot Pie

Well, we've been on hiatus for a while (blogging, not cooking) due to vacations and moving house. But now we're back! In theory someday we'll go back and post the recipes we've tried over the last few weeks. However, for today...

Ingredients:

Crust.
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
pinch salt

Filling.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Quorn cutlets, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium potato, cubed
2 carrots, sliced in rounds
1/3 large onion, diced
1 cup vegetarian broth
handful frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen broccoli and cauliflower
1 can condensed broccoli cheese soup
salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Combine all crust ingredients in bowl. Mix with fork until blended thorougly. Roll in to ball and then roll out until approximately 9x9 inches square.
2. Heat oil in frying pan. Add Quorn, garlic, potato, carrots, and onion to pan. Fry until vegetables begin to soften. Before they begin to brown, add broth to pan. Cook for 10 minutes.
3. In large bowl, combine peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and condensed soup. Add Quorn mixture to bowl and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper, as desired.
4. Grease a 9x9 glass baking dish. Add filling. Cover with crust, making sure to poke holes in the center.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTES:
The crust is a fairly basic biscuit dough that I snurched from the internet. The rest of the dish was cobbled together based on what I had in my cupboard and a couple of different chicken pot pie recipes.

VERDICT:
Despite the fact that (in my impatience to get this cooked) I ended up with a few slightly crunchy bits of potato, I was really impressed with how this dish came out. It's comfort food that's still chock full of vegetables. I'll definitely make this again.