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Red Curry Vegetable Noodle Bowl

May 2, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

I LOVE curry made with coconut milk. It’s the most delicious thing ever. But, I am not the biggest fan of rice. I mean, rice is fine, but for me it’s nothing to write home about.

But, noodles? Noodles are my jam. All kinds of noodles. Italian noodles, Asian noodles…where are the noodles in Indian and Mexican cuisines? Big problem. Someone get on that quick.

Anyway, whenever I see noodles, I’m interested. Even in places where noodles might not seem to belong–bring on the noodles! One of my favorite Thai restaurants has a dish called Noodle Curry, which is a delicious yellow curry served over udon noodles. Genius! Curry and noodles are a match made in heaven. Watch out, rice. You ain’t got nothing on noodles.

Ingredients (adapted from The Little Foodie):

1 pound rice noodles
1/3 cup coconut cream (scrape off the top of a can of coconut milk that has not been shaken)
3 tablespoons red curry paste
2 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 tablespoons fish sauce (omit for a vegan or vegetarian dish–you may need to add some salt)
1 can coconut milk (Not the same can you scraped the cream off of! We need a lot of coconut love here. Save the other can for smoothies!)
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 pound snow peas
Sliced scallions and chopped fresh cilantro for serving

Boil water and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat the coconut cream in a skillet over medium-high heat. When it bubbles, add the curry paste and stir to mix. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes.

Add the pepper and onion and mix well. Cook for five more minutes. Add the garlic, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, and snow peas. Cover the pot, and turn the heat down so the mixture simmers. Cook for about five more minutes, or until the snow peas are cooked but still crunchy and bright green.

Serve noodles in a bowl with vegetables and curry spooned on top. Garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro and serve hot.

Arepas with Black Beans and Corn & Avocado Salsa

April 30, 2013 By Becky 7 Comments

I have been dying to make something with avocado ever since I got Gaby Dalkin’s amazing cookbook, Absolutely Avocados, in the mail. Tons of bloggers have been posting recipes from her book in honor of its release, and after I saw Recipe Girl’s photos of Gaby’s Bacon, Avocado, and Corn Salad, I was determined to make that.

However, due to a bout of laziness, I was only able to make it to the small Vietnamese store down the street. No bacon, no cheese, no fresh corn. I was forced to re-imagine my dinner plans.

In my opinion, anything with avocado and corn is pretty fabulous, even if the corn is frozen. But, the two together don’t really quite make up a meal. I picked up a can of black beans, imagining tacos with a corn and avocado salsa. Alas, no tortillas. However, I did stumble across a section chock full of tortilla ingredients. A bag of creamy yellow masarepa
caught my eye, and guess what? It had a super easy recipe for arepas right on the back.

If you’ve never had arepas, you need to try them! They are a lot like pupusas, and super easy to make. If you live in Boston, you can choose from all kinds of delicious, cheese-stuffed arepas at Orinoco. Either way, you should definitely try this recipe.

Serves 3-4 as a main course or 8 as a first course.

Ingredients for the corn and avocado salsa:

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

4 scallions, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of one lime

1 ripe avocado, peeled and small diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about five minutes, until the corn is tender. Remove from heat.

After the corn cools a bit, combine with the rest of the ingredients and add more salt, pepper, and lime juice as needed.

Ingredients for the black beans (adapted from the back of the Goya can I used):

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 15 ounce can low-sodium black beans

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 packet Sazón Adobo seasoning

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Pinch of sugar (optional)

Salt to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, and saute the garlic until fragrant and lightly browned. Add the beans, water, seasoning, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for ten minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding sugar and/or salt as desired (I used a bit of both).

Ingredients for the arepas (from the back of the Goya bag):

2 cups precooked masarepa
(fine yellow cornmeal)

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups warm water

Butter or olive oil for cooking

Mix together the masarepa, water, and salt, and let it sit for five minutes. Heat the butter or olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Use your hands to form patties that are about 4 inches wide and half an inch thick. Make sure the skillet is very hot before you add the arepas. Cook until browned and crisped on both sides, 10-15 minutes total. I recommend letting the arepas sit for the first five minutes without moving them, because at first they are vulnerable to falling apart.

The recipe said you can mix in some shredded cheese right before forming the patties, so I might have to try that next time. Let me know if you give that version a whirl!

Serve the arepas topped with beans and salsa, with a wedge of lime for squeezing on top.

This is a perfect recipe for Cinco de Mayo! Do you have plans to cook anything else fabulous for the big day?

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Spring Salad with Citrusy Shallot Vinaigrette

April 29, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

Guess what? May is National Salad Month. I never realized this before I started a food blog, but almost every day is a special holiday celebrating a particular kind of food. In addition, each month is associated with a few different foods. May is not just about salad–it’s also National Barbecue Month and National Strawberry Month.

Some of these food holidays are great! National Butterscotch Brownie Day on May 9th? Now that’s something I can get behind. Others, like National Escargot Day (which happens to fall on my birthday, May 24th), are less appealing.

Do you want to check out the full list of food holidays? Yeah, I thought so.

Since food holidays are so ubiquitous, I clearly can’t do a post in honor of every single one. But, since I’ve been trying to eat more healthy food, I couldn’t pass up the chance to kick off National Salad Month with this little recipe.

This is just a side salad, but the dressing is super fresh and light and features all my favorite flavors. You could easily turn this into a meal by adding some grilled chicken or shrimp and avocado.

Ingredients for the salad:

Spring mix (like this one from Dole Salads)

Citrusy Shallot Vinaigrette:

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons minced shallot (about half a shallot)

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Juice of half an orange

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Toss with the spring mix to taste.

I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures of the beautifully springy dressing ingredients. Were scallions the original inspiration for the whole ombre trend?

What’s your favorite salad this spring?

Make Your Own Preserved Lemons

April 27, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

How gorgeous is all this? I have never tried preserved lemons, but was inspired by this post to bottle some up right away. I’m really into lemons right now, and in a month or so, I will have a unique ingredient to use in tagines and other dishes. Here are some of the recipes I can’t wait to make once my lemons are ready:

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Preserved Lemon and Chickpea Pasta with Parsley Pesto

Roast Cornish Game Hens with Preserved Lemon and Bay Leaf Butter

Preserved Lemon Semifreddo with Basil Syrup

Fish Tacos with Preserved Lemons

Okay, have I convinced you? Bonus: preserved lemons are really easy and fun to make. I made a jar for myself and a jar to give as a gift. All you need is a jar or two, a bunch of lemons, and some sea salt.

Ingredients (from The Year in Food):

8-10 organic lemons (depending on how big your jar is)
about 1/2 cup sea salt (I used Maldon)

Start by sterilizing your jars and lids by boiling them in a big pot of water for 10 minutes. Drain, and make sure the lids are dry. Wash and dry your lemons well.

Cut half of your lemons into six wedges each (the remaining lemons will be used for juice). Layer some wedges on the bottom of the jar, then sprinkle generously with salt. Repeat until you have filled your jar. Don’t skimp on the salt!

Roll the other lemons under the palm of your hand so they will release more juice. Squeeze them into the jar until it’s full.

That’s it! Store your jar at room temperature, shake it every day or so, and open up the jar every few days to let the lemons breathe. After a month, the lemons will be ready to use and can be stored in the fridge for a longer shelf life.

Jerk Chicken with Avocado and Papaya Salad

April 24, 2013 By Becky 6 Comments

In the Jamaican airport I bought myself a cookbook called Eat Caribbean by Virginia Burke to read on the plane. It’s fabulous–full of colorful photographs and delicious recipes. I read the whole thing by the end of the second flight, and already knew I wanted to try jerk chicken right away. Since Ben and I are trying to eat more lightly for spring, I decided to opt for the recipe with jerk chicken on top of a tropical avocado and papaya salad. (Have I mentioned how much I love papayas? If you don’t, or you can’t find one, I bet this would be great with grapefruit, too.)

The jerk seasoning has a lot of ingredients, but is super quick to make. This recipe makes about 2/3 of a cup, so you can store the extra in your fridge and try it on other meats or seafood. I am pretty much dying to try jerk everything. The cookbook even has a recipe for jerk hamburgers! How fabulous does that sound?

This salad was a wonderful light dinner. The citrusy dressing, creamy avocado, sweet papaya, and spiced chicken complement each other perfectly. I will definitely be making this again soon!

This recipe is adapted from Eat Caribbean and serves 3-4.

Ingredients for the jerk seasoning:

6 scallions, trimmed
1-3 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded and trimmed (I chickened out and used half a pepper, and it wasn’t hot at all. So I recommend using at least one whole pepper!)
1 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cane, malt, or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon oil

Blend all ingredients in the food processor to form a paste. Store in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for the jerk chicken:

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 pounds)
Salt or lime juice
1-2 tablespoons jerk seasoning (The recipe called for 1, but I thought the chicken could have used more flavor)
1 tablespoon oil, plus some for cooking

Prepare a bowl of salt water, or water with the juice of 1 lime, and rinse the chicken pieces in it. Pat dry. Rub the chicken with the jerk seasoning and oil, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Heat a bit of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on both sides and cooked through, about 15 minutes total.

Ingredients for the salad:

1 avocado, cut into small chunks

1/2 papaya, cut into small chunks

8 ounces mixed greens

Ingredients for the lime vinaigrette:

Juice of 1 lime

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl and set aside. As soon as you cut the avocado, put the pieces in the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing so the avocado doesn’t brown.

To prepare the papaya, slice it in half and scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. Score the flesh with a knife and scoop out the chunks with a spoon.

To serve, divide the salad greens between the plates. Top with papaya, avocado, and dressing. Slice the chicken and place on top. Drizzle with additional dressing if desired.

Enjoy your healthy dinner. This would be a good vegetarian option without the chicken!

Dirty Banana and More Jamaican Stories

April 18, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

Have I ever mentioned how much I love alligators and crocodiles? Well, I love them a lot. I’ve seen alligators in Houston’s bayous and on Louisiana swamp tours. Once I even got to hold a baby alligator at a reptile-themed birthday party. Yesterday, I got to see crocodiles for the first time in the Black River’s Great Morass! So much fun. We went on an hour-long boat tour and saw at least six different crocodiles. The guides know each of the crocodiles by name–they are very territorial and are always seen in the same spots. This big guy is named Terrorist. Yikes!

After the tour, we got to see some more approachable crocs in the crocodile nursery. But, even that little guy looks like he could give quite a bite.

Here’s what the Great Morass looks like. All those dangly branches that look like vines are a special kind of root that mangroves send down to help them get more nutrients out of the brackish water.

Next up was the Appleton Estate Rum Tour. The best part was when they opened up the bar after the tour–we got to serve ourselves shots of as many different kinds of rum as we wanted. My favorite was the rum cream, which is featured in my new favorite Jamaican cocktail (see recipe below). It’s like a better version of Bailey’s. I also liked the Berry Hill Pimento Allspice liqueur, which has a pleasant double burn from the alcohol and spice.

I bought an adorable mini-bundt rum cake at the Appleton gift shop, which was a deliciously buttery, rum-soaked cake. My mom has a mini bundt pan, so I am totally planning on making my own version when I get home. Maybe with a glaze involving rum cream? I love that stuff.

Caves at Xtabi

So, yesterday was jam-packed with tours, and today we decided to just take it easy by the cliffs. We walked about 15 minutes down the road from our hotel to Xtabi, a resort that we’d heard serves great breakfast. We could smell delicious baked goods even before we rounded the corner and saw the place. Right away, we knew we just wanted to spend the entire day there. The tables for the restaurant are in a large round gazebo and porch perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Two sets of stairs lead down to the lagoon, where you can swim or catch a ride on a glass-bottom boat. Another set of stairs lead to the caves, where stone benches invite you to sit and relax in the dark coolness by the grotto. I, however, left in a bit of a hurry after a couple of bats zoomed by uncomfortably close to my head.

Turns out the food is just as fabulous as the surroundings. I ordered the bread basket (hello, carbs do not count when you’re on vacation). It came with a corn muffin, banana bread, and a cinnamon roll, all split open, buttered, and grilled to crispy perfection. Ben ordered an ackee and callaloo omelette, which featured ackee from the tree right outside. It was also delicious, but I did not get a chance to snap a picture before he started eating (I guess it’s kind of annoying if someone is always trying to photograph your food from a few different angles before you can even get a bite in).

We lounged by the cliffs all morning, watching small rainstorms come and go. When it got to be a respectable hour (ahem, 11:30 am), we ordered drinks. I got one called a Dirty Banana–I was sold by the name and the fact that it had rum cream in it. This is my new favorite cocktail! I’m sharing a recipe here based on the ingredients Xtabi uses, so you can try it right away. You might have to tweak some of the quantities to get it just how you like it. Let me know what you think!

Recipe (serves one):

2 ounces Tia Maria
2 ounces rum cream or Bailey’s
1 banana
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Chocolate syrup

Drizzle chocolate syrup all over the inside of a tall, frosted glass. Blend the remaining ingredients until smooth. Serve in the chocolaty glass. If you want it extra boozy, top with another splash of Tia Maria. Enjoy!

Jamaica–No problem!

April 17, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

A woman selling fruit on Negril Beach

We got into Jamaica yesterday afternoon. It took a while to get to our hotel in Negril. We took a shuttle that drops people off at several different hotels, and ours was last. Our bus driver, Bob, told us sometimes Americans find it scary riding on the left side of the road, and told us that if it we got scared, to just close our eyes and say, “No problem.”

Well, that is the theme here. We went to the beach today and sat down at a seaside bar. Ben asked the bartender what mixed drink she would recommend, and she said she liked one called “No problem” that wasn’t on the menu. I ordered it–no problem. It was a mix of rum cream, coconut rum, and pineapple juice. Delicious!

Last night we had dinner at our hotel. We both ordered the special, which was a stuffed chicken breast. It was excellent! The chicken was filled with vegetables, beans, and sausage, rolled up and grilled, and topped with a savory creole-style sauce. The chef came out to see how our meals had been, and I asked him for the recipe. He said he would get me a copy, so we’ll see! If he does I promise I’ll share it with you. We finished our dinner with a scoop of ice cream with Bailey’s poured on top.

Stuffed Grilled Chicken

Today for lunch we went to a place called Cosmo’s right on the beach that’s famous for its seafood. I got a perfectly spicy conch curry with festivals, which are slightly sweet, doughy fried dumplings. Delicious again. So far I have loved everything I’ve eaten (and drank) in this country.

Conch Curry with Festival

Tonight we decided to walk from our hotel to one of the nearby restaurants. We walked a block down to the corner, and saw a tiny place called Erica’s Cafe. It was basically a one-room shack with an big front porch. Out front a few guys were sitting around a Weber grill with a big soup pot sitting on top. Making conch soup on the barbecue, turns out. No problem!

We were won over by the super friendly owner and decided to stay for dinner. The guys out front convinced us to start by trying the conch soup, which was a richly flavored deep orange brew served in Styrofoam coffee cups. It had big pieces of conch, potato, yam, another vegetable like a potato but with a mouthier feel, carrots, and black beans.

The menu said “best lobster in town”, so I decided to try it. I got two meaty lobster tails in a buttery sauce with onions and garlic, a bunch of surprisingly delicious (mayonnaise-free!) cole slaw, and rice and peas (rice and peas is Jamaican for rice and beans). Everything was fabulous and the flavors went together so well, especially washed down with a Red Stripe.

The cole slaw was so fresh and yummy. I usually hate cole slaw, because I hate mayonnaise. This slaw looked almost naked, and had shreds of carrot and cucumber in addition to cabbage. I asked the owner what they dressed it with, and he told me vinegar and lots of sugar! Something else to try at home.

The other guys who were at the restaurant had all these small, green, kiwi-sized fruits. When I asked what they were, they said mangoes! I didn’t know mangoes could be so small. We got to see the tree out back, and they gave us three mangoes to take with us. The instructions were: wait until tomorrow, wash them, and eat the whole thing (skin and all!). I’ll let you know how it goes. No problem!

Mini mangoes

Spinach and Parmesan Soufflé

April 6, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

This is my first attempt at making soufflé. I like to cook breakfast pretty much every weekend morning, and was in the mood for blueberry muffins. Unfortunately, I was out of frozen blueberries and too lazy to go to the store. I had baby spinach, lots of eggs, and a hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano. Also, I had two four-cup soufflé dishes that had only held lemon mousse so far. Right now, they’re living up to their name since they’re filled with spinach parmesan soufflé. This recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit.

I was so paranoid that the soufflés would fall that I started snapping pictures while they were still in the oven. But, they actually held up really well!

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing dishes

6 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

3 cups baby spinach

6 egg yolks

8 egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375. Place two four-cup soufflé dishes (or eight one-cup dishes for mini soufflés) on a cookie sheet. Grease the bottom and sides of the dishes with butter.

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for a minute. Add the buttermilk and whisk until combined and almost smooth. Add the spinach, parmesan cheese, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the heat.

In a non-reactive bowl, place the room-temperature egg whites and lemon juice, if using (this just makes it a little easier to whip the whites). Beat until the whites hold medium peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the other mixture a little bit at a time. Divide mixture among the dishes, and bake for 30 minutes for one-cup dishes or 40 minutes for four-cup dishes, or until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

March 31, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

I love cupcakes! I love them so much that I
named a kitten after them (she was the size of a cupcake when I found
her, so it totally makes sense). To go with my lemon kick, I decided to
create these lemon coconut cupcakes. The bird’s nest idea comes from
Martha and can be found here, and the recipe is inspired by Ina’s in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook and Gaby’s found here.
I know this may not be getting out there in time to be part of your
Easter dinner, but with regular decorating these could be enjoyed
anytime.

Ingredients (makes 18 cupcakes):

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 teaspoons lemon juice
5 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting (makes enough for 18 cupcakes):

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
8 oz. Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese), at room temp
Zest of one lemon
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

To fill and decorate:

1 cup lemon curd(about half a recipe)

1 cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut

1 recipe cream cheese frosting

Cadbury mini eggs or other candy eggs

To make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Cream the butter and sugar in an stand
mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the
eggs one at a time, then add the lemon zest and juice.
2.   Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3.   Add the dry ingredients to to the mixer in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk, and mix just until combined.
4.   Fold in the coconut.
5. Divide the batter among the cupcake cups, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the frosting:
Cream the softened butter and cream cheese together. Sift in the powdered sugar. Add the lemon zest and extracts and mix well.

To fill and decorate:

When the cupcakes are done, cool them completely. Use a paring knife
to cut a cone-shaped piece out of the top of each cupcake, making sure
not to cut all the way down to the bottom. Use a small spoon to fill
the empty cones with lemon curd (and have fun eating the little
cone-shaped pieces of cake! No one is going to miss those!).

Transfer the frosting to a large ziploc bag, and cut off the tip of one corner to make a dime-sized hole. Pipe a circle of frosting onto the outer edge of each cupcake. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top to cover. (To toast coconut, cook it in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Don’t turn your back on it because it burns easily.) Then, place 3 Cadbury mini eggs in the middle of each nest.