Slider Night!

Most of you can probably relate to the story that brought about "slider night." My sister and I lived several hours apart from each other for our college years, and we are finally only about 40 minutes away from one another. And, after *mumblenumber* of boyfriends that I really didn't like so well, she has a boyfriend that I am very fond of, and actually like to spend time with. Trouble is, all of us work full time, and we all have variable hours. Thus, our family time is limited. So, after not getting to spend time together as a family-group for the last 6 months or so, we finally found a night to get together for dinner. With this being such a rare and golden opportunity, we made a big to-do about it, and had "slider night," also known as "a smorgasbord of sliders" (because that is more alliterative). It was a grand success: as a result, I have recipes and photos to share!

To begin, here are the basic ingredients for the filling of our sliders, which required no preparation more complicated than slicing:
Slider Buns! (also known as dinner rolls)
tomatoes
smoked salmon
cheese! mozzarella, havarti, goat cheese, red leicester
fresh basil

Also, there were 4 filling options that actually required cooking, but since we made so many fillings, none were too difficult.

Roasted Peppers (START THESE FIRST!):
1 red bell pepper, large chopped
1 green bell pepper, large chopped
1 orange bell pepper, large chopped
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar

Toss peppers in oil and vinegar; place in baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour.

Grilled Portabellas:
1 T olive oil
2 portabella caps, sliced into slider-bun-sized pieces
salt and pepper

Oil a portable grill (such as a Foreman Grill) and preheat. Add mushrooms, season, and cook until done.

Sauteed Squash:
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced

1 small onion, diced

1 T olive oil
1 t garlic powder
1 t paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in medium pan; add onion and cook until translucent. Add squash and seasoning, cook until it reaches desired texture.

Also there was steak, but I did not make the steak, so I will hold no responsibility for what was in it or how it tasted.

And, last but not least, I made homemade tsatsiki, which is incredibly easy and the recipe was stolen, so I won't bore you with the details.

So! All these ingredients came together to create these exciting sliders:

Veggie Philly: sauteed squash, havarti or red leicester cheese, mayo (optional)
Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese: self-explanatory, with optional drizzle of honey
Grilled Mushroom with Tsatsiki: also self-explanatory
Caprese: fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil
Bagel-Caprese: mozzarella or cream cheese, tomato, basil, smoked salmon

And obviously one can mix-and-match to his/her heart's content. I even made dessert, from a recipe 100% stolen from the Food Network. On that note, I shall leave you to salivate:

A Study in (Soup) Contrasts

I have all sorts of exciting explanations that I cooked up (ba-dum bum!) for today's recipes -- Tortilla Soup in honor of Cinco de Mayo, a double-recipe post to make up for having been absent for a month, that sort of thing. Really and truly, though, I've been sitting on these two soup recipes for weeks and weeks, and I'm just now getting around to posting them. Because I am a slacker. Hopefully these will prove to be worth their wait (I am on FIRE!) in deliciousness. Also because I'm a slacker, this is yet another post without any pictures to entice you. Sorry.

Tortilla Soup

This recipe was actually a conversion of one that I found on the Food Network site. You will not BELIEVE how many chicken tortilla soup recipes are out there, and practically no non-chicken ones. It's obnoxious, really.

2 tbsp peanut oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chipotle powder
2 tsp salt
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup frozen corn
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 c fresh cilantro
1/4 c fresh lime juice
a handful of tortilla strips

Heat oil in a medium cooking pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chipotle powder, and salt, and cook until onion is translucent. Add broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add corn, and give it another 5 minutes or so (just until heated through). Remove from heat, and add the tomato, cilantro, and lime. Add a small pile of tortilla strips to the bottom of each bowl and ladle the soup over it. This ended up serving about 3. I actually did an experiment and made flour tortilla strips -- I don't recommend it. They get soggy and squishy. Corn tortilla strips will stay more crisp in the soup.

Creamy-Dilly Fish Chowda

I made this recipe up all by myself. I was inspired by a pot of fish chowder at the grocery store (in the hot food bar) that smelled so fantastic, I decided I needed to make some of my own...because I am morally opposed to buying that sort of thing pre-made. It's super-easy, but you have to pronounce it "Chowda!" If I catch anyone saying "chowder" I will take their soup away from them. It is that simple.

1/2 stick butter
3 tbsp flour
1 small onion, chopped
1 c frozen corn, thawed
1 large, or 2 medium, whitefish fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
note: I used cod, but I think something a little more flavorful, like flounder, might be good next time. Any ole whitefish will do, though. Be a cheapskate! It's just soup!
1 c heavy cream
2 c milk
2 tbsp dried dill
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt your butter in your soup pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until consistent, then whisk more slowly, but constantly, until the mixture stops forming bubbles. At this point, immediately add your onion, corn, and fish. Trade your whisk out for a rubber spatula and continue to stir constantly for a minute or two (just long enough to get your roux heated back up). Add the heavy cream, and stir until consistent. Add the milk gradually, continuing to stir until smooth (not the whole thing, obviously, but you want the cream-base-part to be consistent). Add the dill, salt and pepper, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until your fish is cooked through and the flavors are distributed. I recommend serving this with toast for dipping, or just throwing some croutons on top if you've got them. This is exceedingly simple and SO GOOD. But then, everything with heavy cream in it is going to be delicious.

How to eat your Easter eggs.

So, it's Easter Sunday, you've dyed a bunch of fabulous and stunning hard-boiled eggs (and maybe even hidden them for your kids -- or yourself, if you really miss egg-hunts) and now, well, you have a big ole pile of hard-boiled eggs. "How much egg salad can one person eat?" you ask yourself. Well, if you dislike egg salad (or even if you rather like it, you just don't like it THAT much) and enjoy participating in exciting small-town traditions, this is what you should be eating for Easter breakfast every year. Yes, I know it's too late for Easter breakfast this year.

This recipe is for "Creamed eggs on toast," which is what I have eaten for Easter breakfast every year of my life. I did not grow up in a small town myself, but my mom did, and it's her recipe, so there you are. My mom used to make it from our carefully dyed Easter eggs, and when I moved out I started making it for myself (from my own carefully dyed eggs). It's really not something you want to eat all the time, as it is a cholesterol festival, but it's an unexpected, delicious way to use your hard-boiled eggs.

Creamed Eggs on Toast
(serves 3)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp white flour
up to 1 1/2 c milk
3 hard-boiled eggs
salt, pepper, onion powder
1 demi-baguette, sliced (or 6 slices of regular bread)

Cut up the eggs into little bits -- my recommended technique, per my mom, is to just hold the egg in your hand and cut it up with a butter knife. As for the creamed part, we've all heard this song before; start by making a roux. I have typed this out so many times, so please just go to my biscuits and gravy 2 ways recipe for how to do this. Add about 1/2 cup of milk, until you're starting to get a gravy-like consistency, and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Add in your eggs, squishing the yolks so they blend into the gravy. Add milk until it reaches a thinnish-sauce consistency, then simmer for about 5-10 minutes. When you start simmering the creamed eggs, start your toast. These two things should coincide pretty well. When your toaster goes off, check your creamed eggs -- they should have reached creamy-gravy consistency, and are therefore ready. Generously apply creamed eggs to toast, and consume!

Vegetarian Sympathizers

The inspiration for this post started when I was driving to work one morning, and a certain obnoxious radio host felt the need to point out that he "hate[s] vegetarians," because whenever he goes out to dinner with them they make him feel guilty. "There's just nothing I can eat here," is their complaint, and he find this frustrating; in addition, he states that he doesn't want to go to "one of those vegan places" and end up eating some kind of "yeast-ball."

Frankly, I was under the impression that the vast number of non-yeasty vegetarian restaurant options was well-known. Apparently, I have been proven incorrect. True, if you prefer the family-style American dining experience (ie Applebee's, Chilli's, or the like) you will find no meatless options whatsoever, and your veggie friend will be sighing their way through the meal. However, if you have even the slightest taste for the exotic (and I do mean the SLIGHTEST) you will be able to find a restaurant that can suit all tastes, be they herbivorous, omnivorous, or any other-vorous you can think of.

Suggestions:
Italian -- this is the simplest option, and therefore the most successful for the individual who is too cranky to cater to his/her vegetarian friend. I mean geez, even if it's just cheese pizza it's better than nothing.
Chinese -- see also Italian, though I do need to note you need to find a somewhat more "authentic" Chinese place, as many take-out joints don't offer tofu as a protein option. Vegetable lo mein is great, but one can only eat it so many times.
Thai -- this is just a TOUCH more exotic, but I find that almost anyone can find something they like at a Thai restaurant.
Indian/Vietnamese (I know these are not the same, but they have the same explanation. Please don't jump all over me; I know they're different!) -- some may consider this a bit more exotic than Thai, but the same rules apply.
Ethiopian -- if you're ready for a real adventure, Ethiopian food is EXCELLENT. They offer a full range, from beef, pork and chicken, to seafood and vegetarian entrees. You may not understand or be able to pronounce all the items, but even the close-your-eyes-and-point method will most likely yield something delicious.

So go now, and feed your veggie friends, and stop whining about it! You don't have to go to some hipster joint to find something delicious (trust me, I'm pretty opposed to hipster joints myself).

Protein Experiment: Tempeh

Tempeh, or tempe in Indonesian, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. (...) Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamin. It has a firm texture and strong flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue.
(from Wikipedia)

Tonight was not my first experiment with tempeh. A month or two ago I made a shepherd's pie with tempeh from a recipe in the Veganomicon which was DELICIOUS, but since it was not my own recipe I didn't share it here. Today, however, I got brave and decided to make something up with tempeh, and the menfolk was in the mood for burritos, so that was the direction I took it. This did require bravery, because even though the package will tell you that tempeh is totally delicious plain (they say you can sprinkle it in salad!) this is completely untrue. I tried some straight out of the package, and it is AWFUL eaten plain. With the right seasoning, though, it has an excellent nutty flavor. The particular variety I purchased was a 3-grain tempeh, so it had other things in it besides soy (wheat, and something else, not sure what).

I know all of you are smart enough to know how to make a silly burrito, so I'm not going to bother with listing the tortillas and nonsense like that. Instead, I'll just share how I cooked the tempeh filling.

Tempeh Burrito Filling

1 8oz pkg of tempeh
1 tbsp olive oil
4-6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 cup vegetable broth
onion powder
chipotle chile powder
salt

Sautee the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the tempeh and cook another 5 minutes or so. Add tomato and vegetable broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 'til about 3/4 of the broth has reduced out. Add corn and seasonings, and continue cooking until remainder of broth has evaporated and all ingredients are heated through.

Living With Carnivores

In my case, it's just one carnivore, but I like to appease him sometimes with tasty dinners. As much as I'd like to just make piles of vegetables all the time, I do often make split meals, half with meat, and half without. The best way to do that without making yourself crazy is to make carbon-copies of your dish, just change out your proteins. Tonight, for example, I made sesame garlic tofu/steak with peas. All I did was get two pans, cook up the oil and garlic at the same time in each, and just tossed tofu in one and steak in the other. Voila. I know, not very exciting, but it works, and that's what's really important. I find often that I end up doing twice as many dishes because I live with a carnivore, but unfortunately I don't have a brilliant solution for that problem yet.

Just for fun (though I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure this out on your own) here's the recipe for tonight's dinner:

Sesame Garlic tofu/steak with peas.
(yields about 3-4 servings of tofu, 1 serving of steak)
-1 lb tofu
-1 serving steak (~6 oz? I'm not sure...)
-1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
-3 tbsp sesame oil
-3 tbsp minced garlic
-3 tsp sesame seeds
-salt, to taste
-soy sauce (optional)

Heat 2 tbsp oil in one large pan, 1 in small pan. Apply garlic in the same fashion. Sautee garlic for about 5 minutes, then add tofu to the large pan. When tofu is just beginning to get a nice brown color to it, add steak to small pan and salt each. Continue to cook each about 3 minutes, then add peas. Continue to cook on medium heat until heated through. Serve over brown rice with sesame seeds as garnish. Season with soy sauce if preferred.

Sushi for dummies

Counterintuitive maybe, impossible no. Making sushi is not as hard as you think, or at least not as hard as I thought before I tried. I'm trying not to jump into advertisey, "persuasive-essay" crap like telling you about how great it is for bonding with your "special someone," but seriously it is. My fiancee and I have made sushi together several times, and it's always an adventure. Usually one of us picks out fillings while the other is in charge of construction, and then we trade. We make a little bit of a mess, but we celebrate our labors with a delicious snack so it all works out in the end.

Here's what you need to get started:
nori for wrapping
sushi rice
bamboo sushi mat
plastic wrap

Items 2 and 4 should be at every grocery store, but if you have trouble finding the mat and/or nori, an international grocer should have them. Here in St Louis, I go to Jay's. Your bag of sushi rice should have instructions for preparation -- just follow those. I know, I know, I'm a lazy cook who just follows the instructions on the bag, but I can't memorize everything.

The real kicker, for me, is that I'm not confident/knowledgeable enough to make sushi with raw fish, so I have to find alternatives (of which there are many). I've made many a delicious sushi roll at home, and not one has used raw fish.

Suggestions for delicious (and low-budget) fillings:
cream cheese
mayo
goat cheese (don't knock it till you try it)
lemon/lime juice
cucumber
carrot
avocado
bell pepper
crab meat (or k-rab, if you're broke like me)
smoked salmon
salad shrimp
unagi (or eel, for the less sushiphilic -- you can often find it precooked in eel sauce, which is what I go for)

The rule here, really, is that if you like something, try it. As far as preparation goes, practice is the most important thing. I recommend wrapping your bamboo mat in plastic wrap before you start, to keep it clean.

Put the nori down shiny-side down so the fillings go on the rough side. Spread the rice over all but a small strip of the nori at one end, and spread it THINLY. The mistake we made with our first bunch of rolls is to think that you have to have a completely opaque layer of rice across the nori. It's ok if you can see through the layer of rice a bit, and little empty patches are not the end of the world. Too much rice creates a gigantic, rather bland roll. Also, the rice spreads easiest with your fingers, rather than a wooden spoon. Keep your fingers damp but not wet, so the rice doesn't stick to you too much.

Spread your toppings in a line on the end of the nori OPPOSITE the empty strip. These you can be generous with, since that's where the flavor comes from. Roll starting from the toppings end -- I've tried both toward me and away from me, and haven't noticed much of a difference as far as one being easier than the other. Move to a cutting board, and cut with a VERY sharp damp knife. If the knife is too dry or too dull, you'll make a giant mess. Repeat and eat!

Here are some rolls I have made, including one or two I made up:
philly roll, aka JB (or Japanese Bagel) roll -- a classic!
~smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado
vegetable roll, or salad roll
~cucumber, carrot, avocado, mayo, lemon juice
eel and cucumber roll
~exactly what it sounds like
kitty roll
~k-rab, cream cheese, red bell pepper
tiny roll -- so called because we ran out of rice, but wanted to make one more roll. This has a thin layer of goat cheese instead of rice, and it's super delicious.
~chevre with honey, smoked salmon, avocado
tea sandwich roll
cucumber, cream cheese, dill

Now go! Adventure! And share it with someone! This is not a project to be undertaken alone -- I mean really, where's the fun in that?

Let's give it up for Lent!

You are all free to groan now at my bad pun.

I know Lent actually started three days ago, but even though I missed putting up an Ash Wednesday post, I wanted to talk about Lent, and the abstinence that many of us put ourselves through in honor of it. Christian or not, choosing to eliminate a bad or distracting influence in life in favor of contemplation and prayer can't help but yield positive results.

For example, I am a pescetarian today because last year I gave up meat for Lent. More specifically, I forced myself to destroy the mental barrier I had created between my idea of "meat" and what that meat started out as. I intentionally thought about what meat was and why I wanted to eat it, and came to the conclusion that my soul would rest easier if I didn't participate in that part of my diet anymore. I discovered that I only ate meat due to the pleasure it gave me -- frankly, steak and bacon are delicious. But they come from living things, and I decided that I don't need to take a life and cause suffering just so I can enjoy an animal's flavor. I don't have the dedication on that front that a vegetarian or vegan has, but I'm doing what I'm comfortable with.

This year's choice was less benevolent, more self-serving. I'm giving up sweets. I put on some after-holiday pudge, and I discovered in high school that the easiest way to drop excess weight and feel a whole lot healthier is to quit eating sugar. Back then I dropped about 30 pounds. I don't have nearly that much to lose now, maybe 10 at most, but I'm also trying to convert my cravings into contemplations, which is what Lent is supposed to be about. Pray instead of snacking, plan instead of dessert. It's about furthering myself through abstinence. I really don't think it matters if you're celebrating the resurrection or just trying to make yourself a stronger, better person. Last year's Lent was 40 days that changed my whole outlook, and my life, so there must be something to it.

What I had for lunch today

Yes, that's right, I'm back. If you missed me and thought I surely must be dead, well it's quite the contrary, but not for lack of trying. Despite my illustrious pretensions of foodiness, in the real world I work in retail. And, as we all know, in the retail world the holidays are a big black hole that suck you into them sometime in November and spit you back out sometime around now, once the after-Christmas sales are over.

What that being said, I will stop boring you with my real-world life, and tell you what I'm eating for lunch today. This recipe, like so many others, is an excuse for me to showcase an exciting new item I discovered today. That item is goat's milk cheddar. I love goat cheese, of any sort, so when I was at Trader Joe's today, poking around the cheese section, I couldn't resist this. It was like the old Reese's commercials...only with goats and cheddar, instead of peanut butter and chocolate. Point is, it's delicious. Try it. And if you don't know what to do with it, make one of these:

Veggie Wrap

1 tortilla, of whatever variety you like (I had plain boring flour)
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
~1/2 a haas avocado, also sliced
assorted greens (lettuce, spinach, whatever makes you happy. I used green leaf lettuce)
1 sandwich-shaped slice of goat's milk cheddar, cut in half rectanglewise (as opposed to trianglewise -- sandwich fans, you know what I mean)
mayo to taste

This part is really hard, so focus: put the ingredients on the tortilla. Wrap it like a burrito. Eat.

Try the goat cheddar! You won't regret it, I promise. If you find it in any other grocery stores, let me know.

Stir Fried Eel with Green Beans

Too tired for elaboration. Have a tasty dinner recipe. (PS eel is one of my favorite fishes in the universe, 2nd only to white tuna sashimi.)

Stir Fried Eel with Green Beans
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 SMALL red onion (or 1/4 medium red onion)
1 yellow onion
6-8 baby bella mushrooms
1/2 lb frozen green beans
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb eel (precooked in eel sauce)

Heat oils in large pan. Add onions and mushrooms, sautee until onions are translucent and mushrooms tender. Add green beans, sauces, brown sugar and salt. Cook until green beans reach desired texture, then add eel and continue cooking until heated through. Serve over basmati rice.

Ta-da! Dinner was easy tonight. This recipe serves 3-4, I made it for 2 with lunch for us both tomorrow.

Grocery note: eel can be found at any international food store. Go straight to the frozen section -- unless you live in a super-cool place near the ocean, this is where you will find it.

Shameless Self-Promotion

This post has nothing to do with food. Instead, I wanted to share with you that I've started up a shop to sell my paintings. Visit mtaylo59.etsy.com to see what I have listed :)

October Top 10: French Fries

Welcome to the first installment of what I plan will be a monthly event: the top 10 list! I know, not a creative title, but that is what it is. Today's top 10 list is something near and dear to the hearts of all veggies: french fries. Why, you omnivores may ask, would french fries be so important? Well, the answer is simple, really: when all your buddies go "Hey, let's go to [fast food establishment]," do you want to sit at home just because you can't have a cheeseburger? Doubtful. Instead, you tag along, and have some fries. But, to be fair, you really can't compare the fries at, say, Red Robin (which btw are perfection!) to those at a fast-food drive through, so I narrowed it down to fast-food establishments only. And to mix it up, we're doing the top 5 and the bottom 5. Because a top 10 is too boring :P

Top 5 Fries:
5. Taco Bell: Yes, I know, T-Bell doesn't have fries. But they do have more vegetarian options than any fast food establishment ever. Therefore, they must make every fast food top 5 list.
4. Jack in the Box: They give you 3 different options for types of fries! How cool is that? No one kind is amazing, but choices are nice.
3. Chik-Fil-A: These folks have figured out the secret of fries -- a big grippable surface, perfect for dipping.
2. Checkers/Rally's: 1 order of seasoned fries + 1 milkshake = oh happy day :)
1. Arby's: Two words: Curly fries. Oh yeah, and horsey sauce! Are you thinkin' Arby's? 'Cause I am.

Bottom 5 Fries:
5. McDonald's: Honestly, McDonald's fries are not bad. If ever you will go through a drive through and receive cold, ancient french fries, though, this is the place it will happen.
4. Wendy's: There's really nothing wrong with Wendy's fries, they just bore me. I wouldn't pick them if given a choice.
3. Burger King: They just taste funny. I don't know why, I can't describe it, but they do.
2. White Castle: The fries taste like they were fried not only with the onions that fill the entire establishment with their odor, but with the meat too.
1. Steak 'n Shake: If your friends want you to tag along to Steak 'n Shake, don't friggin bother. The fries are pathetic, and not even cheese sauce can save them (plus, the grilled cheese is not much better). If it's Steak 'n Shake or bust, I'd rather bust.

Swordfish Steaks with Sweet Cream Sauce and Asparagus

Long title for today, because this dish was so freakin' good it deserved it. I always struggle with making fish steaks that don't come out either raw or tough as leather, and this time I actually managed to pull it off, with a sauce that makes even the dry outer edges taste creamy and delicious! You will love this, unless of course you're exceedingly lame.

Swordfish Steaks with Sweet Cream Sauce and Asparagus

fish:
2 single-serving-sized swordfish steaks
salt and pepper
1 T peanut oil

sauce:
3 T butter
1 T flour
1/2c coconut milk
1c milk
1t vanilla
2t cinnamon
1t brown sugar
2t salt
1/2 lb asparagus

1c rice
2c water
1T butter

Start with preparing the rice, because once that's done nothing weird will happen to it if it sits for a little while. Mix rice with water, microwave on high for 5 minutes uncovered, then 15 minutes on medium, covered. Mix the butter in, then put it back in the microwave so it doesn't get cold.

While the rice is cooking, start the sauce in a large pan over medium heat. Make a roux with the butter and flour, and slowly add the coconut milk and milk, stirring constantly until consistent. Mix in seasonings, continuing to constantly stir so it doesn't stick to the pan. Add the asparagus (chopped into 1-inch segments), and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

Once you've covered the sauce, start the fish. Salt the fish-steaks on each side. In a medium-sized pan, heat oil over high heat. I do not recommend butter for this, as it burns at a fairly low temperature. Peanut oil can withstand the heat much better. When the pan is hot (test by dripping a little water in the pan -- if it pops like crazy, the pan is hot) add your fish steaks. Stay out of the way! I don't want to be held responsible for oil burns. Cook the fish over high heat 2-3 minutes on each side, then remove promptly! Overcooking results in not delicious fish.

To serve, make a bed of rice in the center of your plate. Place a fish steak over the bed of rice, and arrange asparagus around the edge of the plate. Spoon sauce generously over fish, and garnish with a little black pepper.

The combination of the bitter vegetable flavor of the asparagus with the sweet sauce and the rich meaty swordfish is absolutely divine, believe me. Or, don't believe me and make it for yourself.

Argentinean Red Shrimp

I was at Trader Joe's the other day, looking to restock the freezer with protein, and I came across a bag of "Argentinean Red Shrimp." They were the same price (give or take some pennies) as the regular boring raw shrimp, so I thought I'd give them a try. It was the best seafood decision I have ever made. These shrimp are the poor man's (or woman's) lobster. They have that perfect, rich, meaty, I think of it as a red flavor, that you find in lobster, but for a tiny fraction of that cost. The recipe I'm sharing with you today is really just a basic shrimp alfredo that I'm using to showcase this amazing shrimp, so you don't have the excuse of "well those sound good but what would I do with them?"

Shrimp Alfredo

2 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp flour
2c milk (or 1c milk, 1c cream)
1 lb Argentinean red shrimp
3/4 cup grated parm
3-4 artichoke hearts, rough chopped
salt & pepper
1 lb penne
2-3 medium-sized basil leaves, shredded

Heat large pan of water, when water boils add pasta.

Meanwhile, make a roux (heat butter and garlic, add flour until dissolved). Slowly add cream and/or milk, mixing constantly to prevent lumps. Once all the milk is added and the sauce is heated through, add shrimp (peeled and deveined). When the shrimp starts to shrink up and look curly at the edges, add the parmesan, gradually until melted through the sauce. Add artichokes (I get them out of a jar, but frozen is just as good), and salt and pepper to taste.

Dran pasta, and mix with sauce in large bowl. Garnish with fresh basil. I had some green beans as a side dish to this, just to make sure I got my serving of veggies :)

Beer Cheese Soup

The alternate title for this entry was "Ode to Schlafly," because not only does the recipe use Schlafly Oktoberfest beer, it was actually inspired by their beer cheese soup.

One of my very favorite places to eat in St Louis, and the one place that I will inevitably take every non-St-Louisan who visits me, is the Bottleworks. I recommend pretty much every item on their menu that I've ever had. They have a wide variety of vegetarian options, and lots of things made with beer! If you like to actually drink beer (which I can't imagine why anyone would) there are many varieties of that as well. While I really dislike beer for drinking, I love to make things with it -- bread, biscuits, and of course, cheese soup! The beer cheese soup at the Bottleworks, unfortunately, left me a little disappointed. So I went home and made my own. And now I am sharing it with you, in the hopes you can find the cheesy joy that I did :)

Beer Cheese Soup

3 tbsp butter
1 leek
1 carrot
1 tbsp flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 12 oz bottle amber-type beer (As I mentioned, I used Schlafly Oktoberfest, but Sam Adams is a good one if you don't have anything local available)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
8 oz mild cheddar cheese (also shredded)
2 tsp garlic salt
generous grinds of black pepper

First and foremost, open the bottle of beer and pour it into a large measuring cup to go flat (try to pour it pretty quickly -- the more head builds up, the more quickly it will go flat). Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek and the carrot, and cook until both begin to get soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour to make a roux, then SLOWLY add vegetable broth, followed by beer; stir constantly while adding liquid. When vegetables are cooked to desired consistency, add cheese gradually, stirring until there are no lumps of cheese or puddles of cheeseless broth. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 2 minutes or so until soup is heated through (adding cheese lowers the temperature). Serve with thick slices of bread (I recommend sourdough!) and enjoy.

When I made this soup, I found I should have put more vegetables in it, but it was quite tasty even as it stands. Next time I'll probably try adding some corn, and maybe a little bit of celery.

Sweet Ginger Shrimp

Like every food item I post on here, I must include the story behind the dinner. I was attempting to make an Asian noodle stir fry type thing, and I cooked the shrimp separately so I could have two different flavors and then stack them. Well, I made an important discovery: I do not have the ability to make Asian noodles successfully. Whenever I try, they end up in a clumpy, starchy noodle cake. Also, unfortunately, I didn't have a good selection of vegetables to put in it, so the overall result of the noodle-fry half of the meal was, while tasty enough not to be an utter failure, certainly nothing to write home about (or to write you all about, for that matter). The shrimp, on the other hand, were fan-freakin-tastic, so I will now share that very simple and utterly delicious recipe with you.

Sweet Ginger Shrimp

1/2 lb large (16-20 count) raw shrimp
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp ginger
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
salt & pepper

Peel and de-vein shrimp, if necessary, then put into a medium sized bowl. Add ginger, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat with the butter and garlic. When the butter starts to bubble, add the shrimp. Cook until pink and opaque, then serve over rice (or a tasty Asian stir fry! :P). Enjoy -- and trust me, you will!

Protein Tidbit: Eat More Nuts

I know for a lot of vegetarians and vegans (and sometimes for us peskies too) finding new and interesting sources of protein can be difficult. There is only so much tofu one person can eat. One thing that I like to do is to sneak nuts into recipes that normally don't have any other protein-sources in them, so you don't have to find a particular dish to cook just to get protein.

EXAMPLES!

Raw sliced almonds are very delicious in fried rice. I know, the rice already has an egg in it, but when you're feeding 3-4 people, 1 egg is about 0 protein.

Walnuts go well with Italian-type dishes; anything with garlic/olive oil/pesto/alfredo type flavor is good. One of my favorites is to put walnuts in garlic-sauteed spinach.

Cashews are good in sweet-savory dishes. Anything with sweet-and-sour, gingery stir-fries, teriyaki, that ballpark.

I tend to keep at least 3, if not 4 or 5 different types of nuts in the pantry at all times to fit into various recipes. It's a good idea, I promise! That, and they're good to snack on while you're cooking :)

Steak Dinner, hold the steak

For this meal what I really wanted was something to reflect the classic steak dinner, meat-and-potatoes-type of thing, but (obviously) without the steak part. This is extremely simple, and the BEST part of it (I think) is that I've finally perfected southern-style green beans without bacon or salt pork.

Steak Salmon Dinner

2 1/4 lb salmon fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp steak seasoning

2 potatoes*
2 tbsp low-fat sour cream or cream cheese
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

fresh green beans (2 servings' worth -- can't really measure these by cups, they're too big. I'd say I used about 1/2 lb and had lots of leftover)
1 tbsp butter
1 shallot
1/3 c vegetable broth
generous sprinkling of bacon salt
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

Start with the potatoes, 'cause they take a LONG time. Preheat the oven to 425, and toss the potatoes in it. Bake 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

When your 'tatoes have about 30 minutes left, start the beans. Dice the shallot. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat, then add shallot, heating until it begins to become translucent. Add green beans, seasoning with bacon salt and tossing to coat. Cook 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly. Add vegetable broth and reduce heat to low; cover.

When the potatoes have maybe 5 minutes left, prepare the salmon. This one's tough, so pay attention! Take a baking pan. Put the salmon in it. Coat them with a little olive oil, sprinkle them with steak seasoning. When you take the potatoes out of the oven, put the salmon in for 20 minutes. See? Really friggin difficult.

Turn off the green beans about 5 minutes before the salmon comes out. Split the baked potatoes and dress with cream cheese/sour cream and chives. Garnish the green beans with the parm. Then you eat it! :)

*potato note: When I made these I used red potatoes, but if you like baking potatoes or yukon golds or whatever, use what you like. It's just a baked potato.

Curry, my way

In my food I believe in two very important principles -- one is, obviously, deliciousness, and the other is simplicity. This has both. And it's ethnic, which makes you look impressive to your friends ;)

Sweet Tofu Curry

1 pkg extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil for those with allergies)
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 heaping tbsp curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup frozen spinach

First, and most importantly, the morning before you make this recipe, drain the tofu! The longer tofu drains, the more it will absorb flavor. I recommend slicing it into 4 or 5 pieces, then laying those pieces out on a pile of paper towels and leaving that in the fridge. If you don't have time for that, then before you start preparing anything else, lay out the tofu slices with paper towels on both sides, and put a weight over the whole thing (like a dinner plate or something) and leave it until it's ready to be sliced.

When you're ready to start cooking, finely chop the garlic, thin-slice the shallot, and cube up the tofu. Add your oil to a large pan on medium heat, and add the garlic and shallot. When the shallot gets translucent, add your curry paste, mixing it into the oil until it is consistent, then add your tofu. Cook tofu about 3 minutes with the curry paste mixture.

Add coconut milk, vegetable broth, and white wine, mixing until consistent. Stir in frozen spinach, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture is reduced by about half, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add salt and pepper as you find necessary, but I don't think it really needs it.

Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.

So good it disappeared!

Ok, I meant to take a picture of this -- I really did. It's lovely, and colorful and worth photographing. But...uh...well, I ate it all before I remembered to take a picture.

Tri-Color Veggie Salad

1 c frozen whole kernel corn
1 c frozen green peas
1 fresh tomato
1/2 small yellow onion
1 c fat-free sour cream
1/2 tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp adobo
2 tsp black pepper

This is about the easiest assembly ever: thaw the corn and peas. Chop up the onion and the tomato very small. Put everything in a bowl and mix together. The only note that I do have is about the adobo: I actually have a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that lives in my fridge, and that was where I got my seasoning from. If you prefer, feel free to substitute that with cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, pepper sauce, or anything else slightly spicy that would make you happy.

This salad is awesome for picnics because it is SUPER easy and looks really pretty because of all the colors.