Brain Food for Finals (the anti-cheesy mac)

When I went to college in upstate New York (with my co-blogger/roommate), I worked at the local campus vegetarian cafe. One of my favorite recipes was something we called Gypsy Soup-- a colorful blend of sweet potatoes, chickpeas and green and red veggies in a spiced broth. It was packed with good stuff, provided filling comfort during exam week and helped keep me warm throughout the freezing winters.

Though it's winter now and I'm faced with finals once more, things are a little bit different: I'm in Washington DC (winters here are pretty laughable), and grad school exams are... well... more like dissertations than essays. (Don't even get me started on the "Save the World" paper I have to write....) But somethings are the same, including my need for something comforting, warm and (most importantly) can be refrigerated and reheated as needed throughout the week. And it's way better for you than cheesy mac (even if it is vegan cheesy mac... ). Trust me.

So  I give you a variation-- a grown up version, perhaps-- of Gypsy soup:

Gypsy Stew:
(musical accompaniment: "One Day" by Matisyahu)

1 large winter squash, skinned and chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil
dash of turmeric
dash of cinnamon
dash of habanero powder
dash of salt
dash of basil
dash of paprika
1 cup of water
1.5 cups of veggie stock (or more water)
handful of edamame peas (without the shells)
handful of sweet red peppers, chopped
1 can of chick peas (drain the water from the can! before adding!)

1) Heat the squash, garlic, onion and spices in the olive oil on medium-high for about 5 minutes until very fragrant and the squash turns a bright golden orange
2)Add water and veggie stock, stir and simmer for 15 minutes
3) add edamame peas, red peppers and chick peas, stir and allow to simmer, another 5-10 minutes. If your water is evaporating and it looks dry, add a little more. You don't want it to be soup-like, but the veggies need some liquid to simmer in.

Serve over rice, udon noodles or whatever else you can think of!

I actually have no idea how long this lasts in the fridge. I imagine (and am hoping) about a week! I'll follow up soon, if I don't eat it all immediately.

Happy Exam Season!!!

Jess

SWEET POTATO COCONUT CURRY (WITH SOBA NOODLES and CAULIFLOWER)

I stumbled on this recipe after buying a bunch of cauliflower. I know cruciferous veggies (like cauliflower) are really good for healthy cell regeneration, and in combination with turmeric, some studies suggest it is effective in slowing the spread of some cancers. (!!!)

Sweet potatoes are also lovely and in season, and add a pretty deep golden color to this dish.

(it's also vegan.)

1 head of cauliflower, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp habanero powder, or any other kind of chili powder you're fond of
1 tbs turmeric
1 can of chick peas
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper
1 can coconut milk
a pinch of coconut flakes (unsweetened-- this is optional)


Heat the onion in a large saucepan with the oil for about 5 minutes (until cooked)
Add garlic, salt, turmeric, ginger and spices and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add Cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chick peas, coconut milk, shredded coconut and 1/2 cup of water
Cook on medium-high for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are tender.

Serve over rice, soba noodles or add more water and eat it as a soup!

Happy eating!

Jessica

VEGGIE BURGER DELICIOUSNESS

I'm not a real vegetarian. I'm alright with this, but omnivores and vegetarians alike seem to have a problem with my on-the-fence status (haters!). I'm about 90% vegetarian-- the only time I cook meat is when I'm hosting people, and the only time I eat it is generally when someone makes it for me, I'm traveling and its culturally insensitive for me to request vegetarian items, or it has already been cooked/served without my ability to ask for something else. So although I'm not a true veg anymore, I was a vegan all throughout high school and a vegetarian for all of college, and so I've gotten pretty good at cooking vegan and vegetarian friendly meals.

As a general rule, I tend to avoid any pre-packaged "soy" or "fake meat" items. Mainly, because they gross me out, but also because most of them are created with vast amounts of wheat gluten (which tends to upset my stomach). But sometimes I get a craving for a burger. And when those times occur, I make these veggie burgers Yes, you could use lentils as the main ingredient, but tonight I'm cooking with what I have, and that means I'm using this package of Gimme Lean Ground "Beef". 

1 package of meat substitute, (Textured Vegetable Protein*, Lentils* or Gimme Lean work well, as do portobello mushrooms, but i have a better recipe for those which I will share at another time)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (the more of this you add, the more smokey meat flavor you will get)

Sriracha (YES THATS RIGHT)-- just a dash, or if you dont have it, any kind of hot sauce

Garlic powder- sprinkled

Onion powder- sprinkled

Habanero powder- very little! (optional)

Corn (canned)- half a can

Balsamic vinegar-1 tablespoon

Salt- pinch

*If you use TVP or lentils and are not vegan, I recommend adding an egg into the mix to give it the right consistency

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Heat an oiled pan (preferably a grill-pan) on medium-high heat and cook veggie burgers until browned on both sides.

Enjoy!!

BEST HUMMUS EVER

When I went to the Middle East I seriously thought my vegetarian-ness would be challenged. Not so-- how could I forget the mother of all wonderful vegetarian dishes: awesome authentic hummus!

My Lebanese friend claims that this is the best hummus recipe out there. And who am I to argue? So without further ado, here's the recipe, courtesy of Ms. Rachel Gabriel:

BEST HUMMUS EVER
Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 can of chick peas (keep juice)
2 heaping spoonfulls of tahini
Lemon Juice
Salt

Instructions:
Blend together the garlic chickpeas (keep the juice!) and two heaping spoonfulls of tahini. Half the retained amount of chickpea juice, and replace with lemon juice (I find it's easiest to keep the can and eyeball the measurement). Pour into blender. Add a spoonfull of salt. Blend.

Take out of blender, and pour a circle of olive oil in the center. Eat and be merry!


Allison claims that she has made this recipe without the garlic and heavy on the tahini and it's pretty amazing. I tend to add more lemon juice and less tahini. And if you're low on tahini, you can always use peanut butter! :)

TOFU: THE OTHER WHITE “MEAT”

My sister says that our cooking blog has too much “weird food.” I guess she’s right that some people have a hard enough time boiling Kraft macaroni and baking pre-cut cookies, so quinoa and vegan brownies are a bit daunting. Sadly for her, my next recipe isn’t going to prove her wrong as again I have chosen what some circles would classify as more alternative food.

So let’s talk TOFU. Here’s the thing about tofu. If you’ve tried it and hated it, then you just didn’t like the way it was cooked. Trust me. When I spent a semester living in the North Carolina woods, our program had vegetarian cook who introduced me to tofu for the first time. His secret to cooking it, which isn’t much of a secret, is that tofu is all about what you cook it with, otherwise it’s essentially flavorless.
So why use tofu anyway you ask? Well, I personally enjoy the variety from other meats. Additionally, it’s packed with protein (like meat) but has almost no saturated fats (unlike meat). Not that I’m anti-meat (though my co-blogger, will probably give you her thoughts on animals eventually), and not that I promise this will replace your hankering for a medium rare steak… but I promise if you learn to cook it, tofu can be delicious.

So this recipe I made up this evening (so please excuse the lame title), but was inspired by this delicious peanut sauce that I bought at a local farmer’s market this weekend. I had peanut chicken last night, and with a small tub remaining decided to try it with tofu this evening. Now since you all cant go get this peanut sauce I am also including a mini-recipe for a peanut sauce I typically make for all of my other Asian inspired endeavors. Let me know what you think. I think you’ll be surprised how easy and quick this is to prepare.

Peanut Veggie Tofu
Musical Accompaniment: I Like It by Enrique and Pitbull
Ingredients:
½ sliced cucumber
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 package of extra firm tofu (cut up if not done already)
2 ‘twigs’ of cilantro (chopped)
4 scallions (chopped)
soy sauce
olive oil

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or habanero pepper (optional if you like things spicy)

Instructions:
So I forgot I was going to cook tofu until I arrived home from work late so it slipped my mind to marinade. However, if I could do it again I would have put a bit of soy sauce/ or a teriyaki sauce and some olive oil in with the tofu to sit for a few hours before cooking.
I started cooking the sliced pepper, cilantro and scallions in some olive oil before adding the tofu. Since I hadn’t prepared a marinade before hand, I improvised and put some soy sauce and a bit of teriyaki sauce in the pan as it was cooking. It doesn’t take long for tofu to “cook” I just like to keep it in the pan long enough to absorb the flavors of the veggies. After maybe 10 minutes of cooking I added the sprouts and sliced cucumbers. After another minute on the stove I poured the peanut sauce (literally take the ingredients above and blend well) over everything and left it on the stove only long enough to heat.

MY NEW FRIEND: QUINOA

I know that now quinoa is all the rage, but I actually first experienced the grain in college. It was served cold in a vinegar-based sauce with soy beans and peppers.
While I like quinoa, I have discovered that I’m very particular about what’s it's prepared with. It makes all the difference – in a similar way that tofu is all about the preparation. I discovered that quinoa goes nicely with two of my favorite foods: spinach and cheese. The other great thing about this dish is that I enjoy it warm as well as cold, so it makes excellent leftovers.

Spinach and Feta Quinoa
Musical accompaniment: Bob Marley, Redemption Song


Ingredients:
1 cup Quinoa
1.5 cups Spinach
Feta
Salt/Pepper
Instructions:
You need to rinse the quinoa first to take away the bitterness. After a good rinse, bring 1 cup quinoa to boil, then let simmer until the water is absorbed. While a little water is left, and its still on the stove, add the raw spinach so that it cooks as well. Turn off the heat and add the feta. I don’t give measurements for cheese cause I’m a huge cheese fan, but not everyone consumes the quantity that I like to, so put in as much or as little as you prefer. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

INSTANT SWEETS

I am on a big granola bar kick. I’ve never been a pure chocolate kind of girl and thus granola bars seem to satisfy my sweet tooth without making my tummy sick from sugar overload. I’m also all about instant gratification, so when I want granola bars, I want them now—not tomorrow, not after 40 minutes in the oven. Which is why I love this no-bake recipe. I can get this done in 15 minutes. After months of making this I’ve gotten creative and made several substitutes so I’ll put down a few different things to add.

I Want Granola Bars And I Want Them Now… Recipe!
Musical Accompaniment: Passion Pit


Ingredients: (I usually split this in half unless I’m making for a group)

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup honey (I prefer to use Agave. The consistency changes but the taste stays the same)
* 2 cups granola (I like to pick ones with nuts and fruit already added)
* 1 cup rice cereal, (I go with safeway brand Rice Krispies)
* Optional add-ons: semisweet chocolate chips, craisins, nuts, pretzels.




Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Take the pan off the heat and add the granola and rice cereal. If you are adding extra fruit, pretzels, or nuts, you should add them here too. Be sure to coat everything in the sugary liquid. Take the mixture a press into an ungreased baking pan. Now it’s time to press the chocolate chips on top. (If you add them in earlier the chocolate will melt and you’ll have very chocolatey tasting granola bars.) Finally, set the pan in the refrigerator to set until firm. I leave 10-15 minutes, then pull them out cut into bars. After this DO NOT put them back into the fridge or they will get hard. Store in a cabinet. If you find that they are too chewy, put them in the fridge for less the next time.

Spud-tastic

The last time I went grocery shopping, I picked up a bag of Russet potatoes that were on sale for about 3 dollars. When you think about how much things like hash browns, potato chips and french fries cost in a restaurant, it makes so much more sense to learn how to make these things on your own (not to mention, it's healthier too!). So without further ado or lame back story, here's a recipe for one of my favorite snacks: rosemary-garlic potato slices. This recipe will make your house smell like rosemary, which is known for its intellectually clarifying properties!




Rosemary Garlic Potato Slices
Musical Accompaniment: Lily Allen


6 Medium Sized potatoes (I used russet but sweet potatoes are also delicious and more healthy!)
Kosher Salt
Garlic
Rosemary
olive oil


Wash potatoes thoroughly. With a knife, chop the potatoes into thin slices (about 1 cm in width. 
Coat pan in olive oil and mix in some garlic.  Heat until garlic is fragrant (but not burnt!)
Mix in potatoes and coat them in hot oil/garlic.
Set the oven to 400 degrees.
Transfer oily/garlicy potatoes to baking dish, attempting to keep them in even layers.
Sprinkle a generous amount of rosemary on potatoes and any olive oil (if dry looking in places)
Bake potatoes for 30 minutes, or until tops are golden
pull potatoes out of oven and with a spatula, mix them up. 
Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake for 10 more minutes.


Best enjoyed after cooled slightly and with sriracha/ketchup dipping sauce!

THERE'S CHILI POWDER IN MY CHOCOLATE!!!

My perception of chocolate instantly changed one autumn day in a town outside of Mexico City. Though I wouldn't say it was cold, the wind was blowing quite hard over the mountains, and the sun was setting. I snuggled up against a warm mug of hot chocolate. While I call it hot chocolate it was actually a mixture of chocolate, chili powder, cinnamon and coffee (and yes, a splash of mezcal). It was the first time I had a drink like this, and I haven't since forgotten the lovely taste of mixing the sweet of chocolate with the spice of pepper. In fact, I won't eat chocolate any other way.


Here's a recipe for vegan chili-chocolate brownies. For you omnivores, please don't cringe when I say vegan... most people can't tell (just ask my non-vegan roommates who inhale these every time I bake them!) And for the vegans out there, this recipe depends on *how* vegan you are (ie do you use refined sugar or raw sugar, unbleached all purpose flour or rice flour etc). I'm not very strict at all and it's reflected in the recipe, but feel free to adjust the recipe accordingly (and share with me!)


A note about sweetness: I like my chocolate to be bitter and spicy-- the recipe doesn't make really sweet brownies. They also come out quite dense, so for more of a cake consistency, you can throw in a dash of apple cider vinegar.


Vegan Chili Chocolate Brownies
Musical Accompaniment: Rodrigo y Gabriela


2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups sugar*
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coffee
3/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 teaspoon chili powder (chipotle powder also works well)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients first, slowly add wet. Bake at 350 for 30 min or til toothpick comes out clean.
I baked mine in little cupcake tins. this is what they look like :

Mmmm Enjoy!


 * raw sugar tends to soak up liquids quickly, so if you prefer gooey brownies, be a little friendly with the liquid.

BUYER'S REMORSE

I kind of went nuts shopping at the farmer's market last week. Somehow, magically, I ended up with massive amounts ginger in my bag.Good for digestion and circulation, I've been finding all sorts of creative ways of incorporating this little root in my diet. When I stumbled on a recipe that incorporated ginger with three of my favorite foods (pasta, lemon and garlic) I was thrilled.

Traditionally, this recipe is made with linguine but I wanted to make it with some type of pasta that would better hold the sauce. Make slightly more sauce if you're using whole wheat pasta, as I find it takes more potency to flavor that style of pasta.

If you're feeling a little ginger-phobic, don't worry. The lemon-garlic is the dominant flavor in this dish, with the ginger making a nice appearance as an aftertaste:

Rotini al Limone e Zenzero
Musical Accompaniment: Filligar, The Nerve (http://www.filligar.com)


About 3 handfulls of rotini (you want ~ a cup of pasta per person)
1 lemon
1 slice of ginger, grated (about the size of a nickel)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup of dry white wine
pinch of parsley
pinch of salt
black pepper

Zest the lemon (just peel the yellow in long strips, instead of using a grater. you'll thank me later)
Pour the 1/4 cup of white wine into a sauce pan and add lemon zest. simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice with 4 tablespoons of olive oil with the garlic, parsley, and black pepper in a separate bowl.
Strain the lemon zest from the wine, and pour the wine into the lemon-oil-garlic mixture. set aside.
Cook pasta until it's al dente (not floppy !!!). Drain pasta, reserving about half a cup of water in the saucepan.
Put pasta and sauce in saucepan, grate the fresh ginger over the pasta and stir. cook on low heat for about 3 minutes.
Serves 2.

IT BEGINS WITH FRIENDSHIP

Last week at work I was given a pungent ziplock bag containing brown mush and a piece of paper with instructions for Amish Friendship Bread. I'd never heard of anything like this but apparently this is more common than I was aware. The idea behind the recipe is that it involves cultivating and adding to this ziplock bag for a few days and eventually re-dividing up the "starter" to give out to your friends before baking the bread yourself. "Legend" has it that you can't make the bread without the starter so you rely on others to keep it going.

It's a cute idea, and another way to illustrate just how effectively food brings people together --- which is how this blog started. My roommate Jess and I LOVE to cook. In some ways we are picky about foods, and Jess has plenty of food allergies, but for the most part I think we're just open-minded to being experimental. For the last eleven months that we've lived together we've been creating messes in the kitchen, trading our own reciepes and just sharing the experience of food. Creating this blog is our hope to share this energy with others.

Food blog is cliche you say? Yes, I agree. Especially after Julie and Julia everyone and their mother has a food blog. Realistically we are bound by limited options. We half seriously discussed opening our own "The Only Cafe" (Continentials know what we mean) but inviting strangers up to our apartment to dine on the latest feast is probably not the best plan.

Anyway, we will try to just stick with the food. So many of our friends are learning to cook for the first time and we're all trying to get by on small paychecks, limited time, and perhaps sketchy cookware. So without further ado, we invite you to try our recipes, comment, and share with us your food tales and ideas as well. Back to Amish Friendship Bread...



Amish Friendship Bread:
Musical Accompaniment: Glee Soundtrack (if you are judging, just stop)

(Things to keep in mind)
1) DO NOT USE METAL SPOON OR BOWL FOR MIXING
2) DO NOT REFRIGERATE
3) IF AIR GETS IN BAG, LET IT OUT
4) IT IS NORMAL FOR THE BATTER TO THICKEN, BUBBLE AND FERMENT

Day 1 This is the day you receive the batter; do nothing
Day 2 Mush the bag
Day 3 Mush the bag
Day 4 Mush the bag
Day 5 Mush the bag
Day 6 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Put in larger ziplock bag and mush until mixed
Day 7 Mush the bag
Day 8 Mush the bag
Day 9 Mush the bag
Day 10 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk to the batter in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. Pour four 1 cup starters into ziplock bags. Keep one starter for yourself and give the other three to your friends along with the instructions. To the remaining batter add:

remaining starter
1 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. baking soda
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
2 t. cinnamon

Pour into large, greased and sugared (with cinnamon and sugar mixed) loaf pan. You can sprinkle some extra cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Opt.: add 1c. chopped pecans and/or 1/2 c. raisins, if desired.

Now of course in order to get started, you'll need the "starter". Right now in our kitchen we have 8 starter bags so I expect people to make their way back to our apartment post work to pick up their own.