Posts Tagged ‘budget’

March 20, 2011 4

lentil soup with ras el hanout

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cilantro and lentils

Cory’s brother Casey moved back to the Midwest a couple weeks ago. On his last night in San Francisco, we invited Casey over dinner. It was a gym night, which meant dinner consisted partly of leftovers, prepared Trader Joe’s food (sweet potato gnocchi!), and a quick salad I made from whatever we had on hand. It had been an exhausting and busy week for the both of Cory and I. I checked out early that night, promptly falling asleep soon after dinner. I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Casey, but he and Cory got to hear me snort in my sleep (the joys of living in a studio apartment!). Casey cleared out his pantry and fridge before coming to our apartment and brought us a bunch of goodies – 18 eggs, 4 pounds of red lentils, vegetable broth, canned olives, canned mushrooms, and more frozen okra than I’ll ever know what to do with.

ras el hanout

The first meal I made with Caseyfood was soup, of course. Making a soup from the lentils and vegetable broth was the easiest choice, since I could happily eat lentils everyday. I used a mixture of red and brown lentils, since red lentils tend to get mushy and brown lentils stay firmer so long as they’re not overcooked. I flavored the soup with ras el hanout, a North African spice blend, that means “the grocer’s head” – a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer. Ras el hanout blends vary, but generally include cinnamon, dried chili peppers, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and clove. Some mixtures include harder to find ingredients like dried rosebuds, golden green Spanish fly, grains of paradise, and cubebs. I made a mixture myself with what I had on hand, but ras el hanout blends with exotic spices can be found at Middle Eastern and gourmet groceries. And just a small warning: this makes a very large batch of soup!

lentil soup with ras el hanout

Lentil Soup with Ras el Hanout
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2 tablespoons cooking oil of your choice
1 onion, diced
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) or water (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 cup brown lentils (I ended up using a little more than 2 cups total, I measured 500ml on accident)
ras el hanout (see recipe below)
salt, to taste
1 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook until translucent, or 5-7 minutes. Add finely chopped garlic and stir for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, broth or water and lentils to the pot. Add salt and ras el hanout and stir. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils become tender. Stir in the cilantro and add more salt to taste, if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve. Enjoy!

Ras el Hanout
(from the epicentre)

1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I recommend a half teaspoon, but it really depends on how much heat you like)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon clove

Mix all the spices until combined, add the spice blend to the soup.

Serves 8-10

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January 29, 2011 6

cilantro and avocado dip

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Wednesday was avocado & bravado’s first anniversary. Truth be told, the day would have likely gone unnoticed had it not been for Dreamhost pestering me everyday to renew my domain name. Time has flown by so quickly, it certainly doesn’t feel like a year since I decided, “I’m going to start a food blog and hope someone besides my mom will read it.” I have been blogging in some form or another for over 10 years, since the days when I was an angsty teenager who was obsessed with Peter Murphy (I still kinda am). But I haven’t ever blogged so frequently before – 158 recipes later and here we are.

When I think about it, having a food blog is kind of strange. I post recipes of the dishes I’ve made and share them with strangers. When I first launched avocado & bravado, some acquaintances who had no idea that I had ventured into the world of cooking, assumed I’d gone the route of dutiful housewife (girlfriend, rather) on a quest to become the next Martha Stewart. Not quite. Um, do I look like Martha to you? I grew up knowing very little about food and even less about cooking. As I’ve mentioned here before, I chopped my first onion a few weeks shy of my 23rd birthday. If a reformed McDonald’s addict can learn to cook, so can you. And if I’ve made any impact at all on your cooking or helped boost your confidence in the kitchen, I couldn’t possibly ask for anything more. Thank you all for the kind comments, emails, and constructive criticism throughout the last year. Oh, and a big thanks to the occasional troll for the laughs. I’m looking forward to updating avocado & bravado for many more years to come.

Now that I have a shiny new camera, there are many many more recipes in the queue, but I haven’t had much time to edit most of the pictures. So the recipe I have for you today is a simple avocado and cilantro dip. Cory bought blue corn tortilla chips for a stew he made a couple weeks ago. We never have tortilla chips on hand, so the urge to snack on them was pretty strong. But it would be a shame to snack on just the chips alone, so I wanted to make a dip to accompany them. I planned on making guacamole, but I was missing many of the ingredients.  That was okay, though.  Once the cilantro was chopped, everything came together rather quickly and I didn’t even miss the tomatoes, onions, or chilies.  Also, I ate almost the whole thing in one sitting.  Just a warning for those with very little willpower.

cilantro and avocado dip

Cilantro and Avocado Dip
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2 medium-sized avocados
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop out the meaty avocado goodness into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork and mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and cilantro.

Serves 2 (or less!)

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January 12, 2011 6

sumac carrots

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sumac spice and carrots

I’ve mentioned my love for sumac many times in the one year history of this blog (well, it will be one year in a little over two weeks!). Sumac is a spice that I sneak into just about anything. I love its sourness, it’s not as overpowering as lemons can be. Sometimes I even find myself eating small spoonfuls of it just before adding it to dishes. Hey, it’s not nearly as weird as trying to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon. Sumac adds a nice tart kick to vegetable dishes and I’ve been roasting lots of vegetables lately (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and carrots). Partly as an excuse to keep the oven on for over an hour (our heater is only in one room!), but mostly because there’s no such thing as eating too many vegetables. Or too much sumac. Sumac most likely isn’t available at your local grocery store, but can easily be found at Middle Eastern grocery stores – or places like Amazon.com, if you’re willing to shell out a couple dollars for shipping.

sumac carrots

Sumac Carrots
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1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

Toss the carrots with olive oil, sumac, and salt on a baking sheet or baking pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with a little bit of parsley before serving, if you’re feeling fancy.

Serves 2

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December 24, 2010 2

broccoli, potato, and leek soup

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I don’t need much of an excuse to eat broccoli.  Even as a notoriously picky kid, I still loved broccoli (and it really upset me when I saw an episode of Tiny Toons that declared real kids don’t eat broccoli).  But sometimes I buy more broccoli than I know what to do with. A couple weeks ago, when the weather was chilly and rainy, there was an abundance of broccoli in the fridge waiting to be gobbled up.  I decided the best way to use a bunch of broccoli was to put it all in a soup.  The soup was comforting and filling, perfect for a rainy day.  It was surprisingly rich and creamy, even though I only added a 1/4 cup of milk.  If you’re looking to make something even richer, I suggest using butter instead of cooking oil.

Oh, and Merry Christmas to you all!  Cory and I will be staying warm in our cozy apartment with several pounds of ham… and videogames, of course.

broccoli potato and leek soup

Broccoli, Potato, and Leek Soup
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2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock or water (you may need a cup or so more depending on the size of the broccoli crowns)
1 pound potatoes, cut into quarters (leave the skins on if you like, I did)
4 medium sized crowns of broccoli, chopped into florets
1/4 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup half & half or milk
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
croutons or oyster crackers, for serving (optional)

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add leeks and saute until fragrant and softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the stock or water, along with the potato and bring to a gentle boil. Continue boiling the potatoes for 10 minutes, then add the broccoli florets and boil for an additional 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the soup to the stockpot and stir in the cheese and half. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Season to taste and serve with more cheese and croutons, if desired.

Serves 6-8

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December 9, 2010 0

restorative chicken noodle soup with greens

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‘Tis the season for sniffles and sneezing. I like to think I’m immune to all illness because I ride San Francisco public transit everyday. But when Cory got sick last week, it was only a matter of time before I succumbed to illness. I probably could have avoided getting sick, had I not insisted on kissing and cuddling with him despite all his coughing and fluids coming out of his nose (humans are gross!). Oh wait. I want you to make this soup, maybe I should stop with the bodily fluid talk.

We only seem to get sick about once a year or so, and when we do come down with the sniffles we always make chicken noodle soup. My version of chicken noodle soup doesn’t deviate too much from the classic chicken noodle soup, but I do add lots of chopped herbs and greens – preferably the king of greens, kale. Because really, you can never have too much kale. I also tend to make chicken noodle soup in large batches, so we can spend more time recovering back to health and less time cooking.

Tip: If you prefer a soup that’s more on the brothy side, add two more cups of chicken stock or water.

restorative chicken noodle soup with greens

Restorative Chicken Noodle Soup with Greens
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2 tablespoons cooking oil or butter
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
8 cups chicken stock
4 cups cooked chicken meat (I usually use chicken breast, but you can use the meat from a whole chicken, if you’d like)
2 bay leaves
8 ounces egg noodles
salt & pepper, to taste
1 bunch of kale (or spinach), rinsed and torn into small pieces
1/4 cup fresh herbs (any of the following: parsley, mint, cilantro, thyme)

In a large stock pot over medium heat, add oil or butter. When hot (or melted), add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another addition 30 seconds. Saute the celery and carrots for another 5 minutes.

Pour the stock and chicken into the pot and toss in the bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the egg noodles and continue cooking until the noodles have softened, about another 10 minutes. Once the noodles have softened, stir in the kale (or spinach) and freshly chopped herbs and cook for another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to taste and season to taste.

Serves 10-12

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