Help with 3 Indonesian Hot Sauces

post from Viet World Kitchen on 08 March 2013 03:24:42 PM. © Viet World Kitchen

I?ve been on the hunt for Asian hot sauces this week for a BonAppetit.com assignment. There are tons to explore at Asian markets. The middle-of-the-night heartburn was worth it, I think... During my search, I came across three unusual ones (above) at Lion Market in Saratoga (San Jose, CA). Lion doesn?t carry super offbeat ingredients but once in a while, I discover gems. We didn?t include the three in the Bon Appetit round up because they weren?t easily found in Manhattan and Indonesia was well represented in the piece. That said, I save these three Indonesian ?hotties? for VWK. I like them but don?t fully understand them. Maybe you can lend your insights? If you?re familiar with Indonesian chile sauces, the popular ones are made...

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Watercress Snapshot

post from Simple Kitchen Seasons on 08 March 2013 12:31:20 PM. © Simple Kitchen Seasons

Just a note — what’s pictured isn’t vegetarian, because of the presence of dried bonito flakes in the furikake. Those of you who “follow” this blog may appreciate that I…

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Coconut & Chili--Fancy Food Show Trends 2013

post from Cooking with Amy: A Food Blog on 08 March 2013 12:20:53 PM. © Cooking with Amy: A Food Blog

In addition to "chia in everything" two other trends I saw at the Winter 2013 Fancy Food Show were[...]

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Easy Sunday Roast

post from {le} Internet Cooking Princess on 08 March 2013 11:24:24 AM. © {le} Internet Cooking Princess

Meet my special meal. {As in, its proper name is My Special Meal.} My grandmother would make this rib-sticking pot roast every time my nuclears visited. However, because I saw myself as the only true common denominator, I staked a claim and declared that it was mine. My fellow diners were really just an afterthought. {Way to teach your seven-year-old that it was "all about me," parents...}

I'd been trying to recreate this for years purely based on childhood memories. {Newsflash: there are problems with this approach.} I finally picked up the phone and asked Grandmommy to share her recipe during my last trip to the grocery store. My fellow shoppers loved me. "GRANDMOMMY, DO I GET RUMP ROAST OR CHUCK ROAST?"

The answer is shoulder, but chuck roast will also do. So I did. {And don't ever get rump.} A bit of seasoning and three hours of slow-cooking later, wafts of brothy euphoria and shreds of tender beef await. Along with your drive-by-dinner guest mother, who is happy to inform you that it would have been better with Grandmommy's signature cornbread. Touché. Another time, another post.

Happy roasting and weekending, mes amis!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb. Beef chuck roast
4-6 Large carrots, peeled
1/2-3/4 lb. Baby red potatoes
1 Yellow onion, halved
2 Beef bouillon cubes*
2 t. Granulated onion*
1/2 t. Granulated garlic*
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. Red wine
2 c. Beef broth
Fresh, finely chopped parsley
Kosher salt & pepper
Olive oil

*Grandmommy calls for Lipton French onion soup mix. They don't sell such mixes at my holier-than-thou specialty grocery store, but if you want to save yourself a step, use this as your dry rub.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. {You can also use a slow cooker.}

Using a mortar and pestle {or spice grinder}, mix the bouillon cubes, granulated onion, granulated garlic, a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a half teaspoon of coarse pepper. Use all of it to coat the chuck roast.

Add several tablespoons of olive oil to a Dutch oven and bring to high heat. Once the oil starts popping, reduce to medium high heat. Add the two onions and brown on each side. Season with a bit of kosher salt. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and set aside on a plate.

Adding a little more oil if necessary, repeat with the carrots. Season with a bit of kosher salt. Set aside on the same plate.

Adding a little more oil if necessary, add the potatoes to the pan. Cook them for a few minutes on each side. {The intent isn't to brown the potatoes, but rather give them a head start since they'll take longer to cook in the oven.} Season with kosher salt. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set them aside on the same plate.

Adding a little more oil if necessary, bring the heat up again to high. {If the oil is still searing hot, you won't need to do this.} Once the oil has a nice crackle to it, reduce the heat to medium high and add the chuck roast. Cook on each side for about two minutes or until it has a nice, crisp sear to it. Remove with tongs and set aside on the same plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Take the pot off of the burner once the heat has reduced a bit, and whisk the wine with the "bits" in the pan. Next, whisk in the broth and the Dijon mustard. Once the cooking liquid is smooth, add in the potatoes, then top with the chuck roast, carrots, and onions. Put it in the oven with the lid on, and set the timer for three hours. {Alternatively, if you're using your slow cooker, place ingredients in the same order. Set on high and cook for six hours.}

If the meat is not falling apart after three hours, put it back in the oven for another hour. Once it's ready to serve, season with additional kosher salt, if needed, coarse black pepper, and fresh parsley. Make sure to pour plenty of the jus over the meat and veggies. Alternatively, you can also serve the meat, onions, and carrots separately and one helluva post of mashed potatoes. {Make sure to use the jus to help you mash.} Voila! Easy Sunday Pot Roast a la Grandmommy.

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Tsiknopempti Greek Carnival Dinner Recap

post from Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond on 08 March 2013 10:55:01 AM. © Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond

Last night’s dinner was proabably my most ambitious to date…record sold out crowd of over 60 guests, a menu with a over a dozen items and all this being cooked in a kitchen I have never worked in before. My first Tsiknopempti dinner was a[...]

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Dinner Of Stuffed Chicken Breast With Sweet
Potato And Mango Salsa

post from Easy Recipes With Pictures on 08 March 2013 08:35:42 AM. © Easy Recipes With Pictures

This dinner is really easy because the stuffed chicken breast is already prepared by Whole Foods – they stuff it, and all you need to do is pop it in the oven. The sweet potato is cooked in the microwave in 5 minutes. The only thing that you really have to make is the mango salsa – it’s so tasty and refreshing! Stuffed Chicken Breast From Whole Foods Stuffed chicken breast is sold in the Whole Foods meat department, and they have several different kinds of stuffing. The stuffed chicken is not cooked, but it is already assembled – the chicken breast is rolled into a tight roll with the stuffing inside, and tied with the kitchen twine so the stuffed chicken breast doesn’t fall apart. All you need to do at home is bake that chicken in the oven, and a hot tasty meal will be ready! Check out more info on stuffed chicken breast from Whole Foods. Microwaved Sweet Potato Recipe Cooking a sweet potato in a microwave is extremely easy – you just need to wrap it in a paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes! Sweet potatoes are often really big, so half of the sweet [...]

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Sprouted Moong Chilla

post from Holy Cow! Vegan Recipe on 08 March 2013 08:30:02 AM. © Holy Cow! Vegan Recipe

If you've eaten my Besan Chilla, an eggless, protein-rich "omelet" from northwest India, you will love my Sprouted Moong Chilla, an even more nutritious version made with-- you guessed it-- sprouted mung (or, as we Indians pronounce it, moong) beans.

Sprouting beans, if you've never done it before, can be an intimidating idea. You are probably throwing up your hands now and going, heck, I barely have the time to open a can of beans, leave alone sprout some.

But here's something to consider: contrary to what you may have believed, sprouting doesn't take a lot of your time. I mean, yes, it takes time, but not dedicated time. You don't have to stand over the container and watch the beans sprout (now doesn't that thought beat watching water boil?) All you have to do is get them going and leave them alone. Largely. And if you add up the time you'll have spent, I bet it won't be more than 10 minutes over two or three days, combined.

That little time can add up to a lot of reward. Sprouting breaks down the amino acids in beans, making their protein content more available to the body. It also reduces the carbohydrate content of beans because the bean uses up a good amount of energy to sprout. Sprouting increases the Vitamin B and Vitamin C content of beans, and what's more, sprouted beans are more easily digested by the body. Sprouted beans cook faster. Finally, it's so easy, even a kid could do it. In fact, if you have kids, this is a fun project to do with them.

And if you think you need all sorts of fancy equipment to sprout, think again. All you really need is a container-- any old plastic or glass or steel container should do-- a large colander, and a kitchen towel. I am sure you already have those.Begin the process by placing your beans in a colander and washing them thoroughly in a few changes of water. Then place them in a container large enough to hold the beans and twice their volume in water. Immerse the beans completely in room-temperature water, top off by three or four inches more, and then let them sit overnight or about eight hours. By this time they will have soaked a lot of water and will have almost doubled in volume.

Soak a kitchen towel in water and squeeze out any excess water. Drain the soaked beans in a colander and cover them with the damp kitchen towel. Place out of direct sunlight and let them work their magic. All you need to do every 12 hours or so is shake them around in the colander, hands-free if possible or delicately so as to not break any tender sprouts, rinse them off, and cover again with a damp towel before setting aside.

In winter, mung beans take about two to three days to sprout in my kitchen, although it can be a faster process in summer. Also, some beans just take more time than others to sprout, so be patient. You will know you have succeeded when you see little white squiggles shooting out of the beans.

You can use sprouted beans in almost any recipe that calls for beans. But this Chilla is a great place to start because it's a fast recipe, once you have those sprouts ready to go. And it's super-delicious, not to mention super-healthy. And gluten-free and nearly fat-free. Boy, am I on fire today.

You can make this chilla extra-nutritious and extra-tasty by adding to it all sorts of quick-cooking veggies, like bell peppers, spring onions, spinach, watercress, zucchini, mushrooms, corn kernels, and even herbs. I used coriander and some grated carrot, which is what I had on hand. Be sure to chop the veggies fine or grate them to make the chilla as spreadable as possible.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy, all!

Sprouted Moong Chilla

Ingredients

1 cup dry mung (moong) beans, sprouted per directions above

1-inch knob of ginger, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic

2 green chillies

Salt to taste

2 tbsp chickpea flour (besan)

2 tbsp brown rice flour (optional, but makes the chillas extra-crispy. Use regular white rice flour if you can't find brown)

1 cup chopped coriander

1 large carrot, grated (use the side with the largest-size slots on your grater-- you don't want this to be too fine)

Cooking oil spray

Place the mung beans in the blender along with the ginger, garlic, chillies and salt and blend until smooth, using just enough water to get a slightly-runnier-than-pancake-batter consistency. Add the flours and veggies and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes and mix again.

Heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until water sprinkled on the surface skitters off and dries up immediately.

Spray on a thin coating of the oil and then place 1/2 cup of the batter in the center using a ladle with a rounded bottom. Use the bottom of the ladle to spread the batter into as thin a round as possible. This doesn't have to be crepe-like, but if you ladle it on too thick the inside might not cook through.

When the top looks dry and the edges turn brown, flip over and cook until golden-brown.

Serve hot with some coconut or date-tamarind chutney.(C) All recipes and photographs copyright of Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes.

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Kesra

post from Ya Salam Cooking on 08 March 2013 07:44:26 AM. © Ya Salam Cooking

I have been wanting to make kesra for several years now but for some reason or another I just never got around to it. Kesra is a country bread found in Berber villages. This bread can be served with a delicious tangine or a soup. The kesra is used as the utensil when eating being [...]

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Oreo Peanut Butter Brownies

I know, I know.......Oreos AND peanut butter wrapped up in a brownie!

That's just crazy.........crazy good.

I had seen these on Pinterest a hundred times from dozens different sites. What isn't on Pinterest. Yes, I am addicted thank you very much. How did I ever spend a moment without it? So much to pin, so little time. I honestly think I could blog a years worth of recipe I get from Pinterest without any problems. I jumped on the band wagon at the last minute. I didn't even start my page until late last year. I'm always the last one to join. *sigh*. If you'd like to follow me here's my link: Cutting Edge Pinterest.

Several different bloggers had made these, and they all had pretty positive comments, so I figured I just had to make them.

I'm not a huge peanut butter fan. I can take it in small doses. Looking back I should have put a bit more peanut butter in these. I used about a tablespoon, I should have used a heaping tablespoon on top of each cookie, but it worked.

It worked out very well. You could ask my kids and my cousins and my friends. They all had some.

The recipe is super simple. Mix up some brownies, smear some peanut butter on some Oreos, slap 'em in a muffin pan, pour the brownie mix over the top and bake. Easy. They are a bit decadent and rich. I had a half of one and that was plenty for me (again, peanut butter just isn't my thing).

These would be great to take to a party. Portable and delicious for all the peanut butter lovers out there!

Oreo Peanut Butter Brownies
1 box of family size brownie mix (18.3 oz) prepared according to package directions
Oreo cookies
Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin cups with paper liners. Spray each liner lightly with cooking spray so your brownies won't stick.

For each cupcake cup spread a heaping teaspoon of peanut butter over 2 Oreo cookies and stack them on top of each other. Spoon the brownie batter over each of the stacked Oreos letting it run down the sides of the cookies. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until brownies are cooked through. Let cool before eating.

I used a whole package of Oreos and I had enough batter to finish the whole bag. I baked any left over brownie batter in the muffin liners.

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