About 
Hi there, I'm Rose. I love to cook food - and eat it. If you have any questions concerning any of my recipes, drop me a line at:
Contact:
rose [at] avocadobravado.net
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In theory, I’m very much opposed to buying store-bought sauces and spice mixes. I don’t like clutter and every inch of kitchen space is precious, especially since we live in a studio apartment. Not to mention many store-bought sauces contain more water, sugar, thickeners, and additives than anything else. In reality, store-bought curry powder is my favorite thing ever (my clothes have the stains to prove it!) and there are more store-bought sauces in my fridge and pantry than I’d like to admit. Still, I try to make an effort to make everything from scratch, especially when I have all the ingredients on hand.
A couple months ago, Cory made a dish that called for Chinese five-spice powder, which is a mixture of ground star anise, fennel, cinnamon, clove, and Sichuan peppercorns. We had all the spices on hand except for Sichuan pepper. It was a bit tricky to find at our local Asian market since it goes by so many names – aniseed pepper, Szechwan pepper, Chinese pepper, Chinese prickly ash, timur pepper, among others. Sichuan pepper is unrelated to black pepper and has a distinctive woody aroma. It’s very interesting to cook with (and eat!), it even leaves a slight numbing effect around the mouth. I’m always on the lookout for interesting chicken dishes and this one was excellent. Sticky, spicy, and sweet! Feel free to use store-bought five-spice powder and hoisin sauce, if you wish. I decided to make both from scratch because I had everything on hand. And, you know, to avoid clutter.
Hoisin Five-Spice Chicken Drumsticks
(adapted from Epicurious)
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12 chicken drumsticks
1 cup hoisin sauce (store-bought or homemade, see recipe below)
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder (store-bought or homemade, see recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon honey
a few pinches of sesame seeds, for garnish
Preheat oven to 500F.
Place the drumsticks in a baking pan lined with foil. In a large bowl, stir together hoisin sauce, five-spice powder, ground ginger, garlic. Pour and brush the sauce over the chicken. Bake in the oven until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, 30-35 minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter or black bean paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
hot sauce, according to taste
Mix together ingredients in a large bowl.
Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
Mix together ingredients in a large bowl.
Serves 6-8
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I spend a lot of time making Middle Eastern food. I spend a lot of time eating Middle Eastern food. I spend a lot of time thinking about making and eating Middle Eastern food (no really, it sometimes keeps me up at night). But I hadn’t ever heard of balela, a bean-based salad with parsley and mint, until I saw it at Trader Joe’s. The balela at Trader Joe’s comes in small 8 ounce containers, but at $3 or so a pop I decided it was time to start making it myself. Enjoy balela on its own, or for a more substantial meal, tossed in a lettuce salad or in a wrap.
Balela
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1 15-oz can garbanzo beans
1 15-oz can black beans
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
3/4 cup tomatoes (I used sundried), chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Pour them into a large mixing bowl and toss gently with the remaining ingredients. Let stand about a half hour before serving.
Serves 4-6
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I love curry powder. Love love love it. One day, I’ll make my own blend, but in the meantime I’ve happily used almost a half pound of store-bought curry powder in less than eight months (there’s a reason why we buy spices by the pound and not just because they’re cheaper… I’m a glutton). This dish transforms an otherwise good vegetable sauté to amazing with just a couple teaspoons of curry powder. Once all the vegetables have been chopped, the dish comes together quickly making for a delicious and not to mention healthful weeknight meal.
Curried Vegetable Sauté with Chickpeas
(adapted from A Mingling of Tastes)
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1 onion, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
salt & pepper, to taste
1 15-oz can of chickpeas
juice of half a lemon
fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped (for garnishing, optional)
1 cup couscous, for serving
In a very large skillet, heat oil, oil and butter, or ghee over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and curry powder and coat with the onion and peppers. Add garlic, carrot, zucchini, and bell pepper and cook until the zucchini begins to soften.
Now, add the tomatoes and chickpeas to the skillet and simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Stir occasionally. Season again to taste and just before removing the skillet from the stove, mix in lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve over rice or couscous.
Serves about 3
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While speaking on the phone with my dad today, he mentioned that he hasn’t made any dishes I’ve posted on my blog. Not that I’ve ever expected him to run out and buy coconut milk or curry powder, but I think food is something that should be enjoyed and shared – even when separated by thousands of miles. My dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and I wanted to make something he would enjoy, too. He already has a go-to honey mustard chicken recipe, but I’m pretty sure he makes it with yellow mustard and not Dijon. So, this is for you, dad! Oh, and dad… try the Greek-style stuffed peppers and turkey chili, too.
This chicken was so ridiculously quick and easy to prepare, everything came together in less than a half hour. I’ll definitely save this recipe for the nights when I don’t have much time to cook.
Honey Mustard Chicken
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1/3 c honey
1/3 c Dijon mustard
4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper, to taste
sprigs of fresh parsley (for garnish)
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Rinse and pat dry chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken pieces. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and set aside.
- Mix together honey and mustard in a bowl. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken. Bake for 12-15 minutes (it took about 20 minutes for me, but my oven is quite old).
- Garnish with a couple sprigs of fresh parsley and serve.
Serves 2
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This was a quick side dish I served with last night’s dinner. Use long grain rice or barley if you don’t have any orzo on hand.
 orzo with dill and parsley
Orzo with Parsley and Dill
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3/4 c orzo
3/4 c frozen corn
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c fresh dill, chopped
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper
- In a small saucepan, cook orzo in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it soak for about 10-15 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse.
- Return the orzo back to the sauce pan over low heat and stir in the frozen corn, mix until the corn is warm.
- Place orzo and corn into a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 2
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