7.27.2008

fire roasted salsa.






tomato. shallot. green pepper. lime juice. salt. pepper. garlic.

4 roma tomatoes, rinsed
1 large green pepper, seeded and halved
1/2 shallot, diced
lime juice, to taste
salt, pepper, garlic (crushed or powder) to taste

roast the tomatoes, one at a time, on your stovetop. when the skin is blackened and almost peeling, remove. dice the tomatoes and set them aside in a bowl w/ salt, pepper, garlic and lime juice.
roast the green pepper and dice it.
add the shallot and pepper to tomatoes.

serve room temperature or chilled. enjoy with eggs, toast, as a side to some home fries, with a tofu scramble for breakfast. yesterday it served as a topping for a vegetable tamale, and WOW was it delicious. :D

quorn porn.

quorn stir-fry. sort of. i hate the taste of most fake meats by themselves so enter the brilliant idea that spawned from my evil mind, inspired by omi's un-chicken salad recipe.


ingredients:
1 box quorn naked chik'n cutlets
3/4 cups water or veggie broth (about enough to cover the cutlets in a bowl)
1/4 cup bragg's liquid aminos, shoyu, soy sauce, or mushroom broth
1 large green pepper, seeded and sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 shallot, sliced
onion powder, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
olive oil

instructions:
sit the frozen cutlets in the liquid mixture and seasonings; set aside to thaw for about 30 minutes or defrost in the microwave and set aside for about 15 minutes
lay the sliced pepper pieces across one gas stove burner. turn the flame on; blacken the pepper on both sides and set aside to cool (this process depends on how high your flame is; i recommend medium as your setting)
drain the liquid off of the cutlets (save it or trash it, it's up to you) and slice them widthwise into strips; place in a bowl
slice the roasted pepper into strips
add the olive oil to the trustiest skillet you own (mine is cast iron. act like you know!)
when the oil is hot, throw in the scallions, peppers, and sliced quorn
heat that mug to your desired brownness and/ or texture

** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS WHERE I DECIDED TO THROW MY SKILLET INTO THE OVEN TO GIVE THE QUORN THE LEGITIMATELY CHICKENY TEXTURE THAT I LOVE. DON'T DO THAT WITH YOUR NON-STICK JAWN. IT'LL IMPLODE. OR SOMETHING**

after you finish cooking, serve with rice or rice noodles or whatever you want. i served mine on a bun with spinach and fire-roasted veggie salsa on it. please see below:










what's that, you say?
yes, it's a white bun. it's a white onion bun, fresh from teixeira bakery (they get delivered to "ethnic" aka puerto rock-friendly supermarkets in the philly area).
fire roasted veggie salsa? i'll post the recipe later.
i just had to get this one on the blog before i forgot how i made it.

7.26.2008

black bean dip is the damn truth

how do i know? cuz i made some!

2 cans trader joe's cuban-style black beans
garlic powder, to taste (or crushed garlic to taste)
adobo, to taste
2 plum tomatoes


drain one can of beans. add it and one tomato to your blender or food processor.
dice the other tomato; set aside.
drain the other can of beans and mash them with a fork or potato masher.
combine the bean/tomato mix from the blender with the mashed beans; season the mixture to taste.
fold in the diced tomatoes
serve with chips, or use as a spread (i bet it's amazing w/ tvp or real chicken)

7.20.2008

for all you summer sippers:

ginger limeade.

since limes seem to be the oft-neglected (unless you're preparing mexican, south asian, or maybe indian food) citrus fruit, i decided that instead of making a ginger lemonade (shoutout to naked chocolate) i'd do a ginger limeade. limes are really plentiful and super duper cheap at this time of year, and it doesn't take much to get me to put some ginger to work. so, here goes . . .

ingredients:

the juice of 10 limes
3/4 lbs ginger root, scrubbed and sliced (peeling optional)
about 3 quarts of cold water
honey and turbinado sugar to taste (enough to make a syrup with the lime juice)

add 2 quarts of water and the sliced ginger in a saucepan. bring to a boil; reduce the heat to a simmer.
in the pitcher you're serving, combine the honey and sugar with the lime juice
when the ginger tea has the color of ginger ale or weak tea, remove from heat. allow the tea to cool to room temperature; remove the ginger slices if desired.
mix the ginger tea with lime-honey-sugar mix.
refrigerate or serve immediately over ice. a splash of club soda may be added to each glassful.

** mixes well with extra-dry gin, peach rum, or vodka.