dinner – Page 7 – morestomach

lentil tacos – vegan

Published on January 12, 2015February 5, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

we haven’t been to the market
in weeks.
grabbing toilet paper
that one time
last week doesn’t count.
dw & i discussed a pantry purge,
cooking with what we had
left on the shelves
in the fridge
in the freezer.
in part to save money,
but mainly to see if we can.
in many ways it’s limiting —
dried beans, rice, and spices
can get you so far.
but there’s a challenge in there —
making dried beans, rice and spices
taste good can stretch one’s creativity.

while planning for market day
to replenish the pantry,
to focus on a proper meal plan
we face yet another dynamic to our situation:
the challenge AND excitement
of re-stocking
the shelves
the fridge
the freezer.
it’s a nice problem to have, yes?

edit to add: maria of some infinite thing made these
for lunch, perfect!

lentil tacos
makes a week’s worth of dinner aka serves two for 5 nights

*note: this is something that we’ve made for a number of years, especially during the height of summer csa vegs. toppings and add ins are interchangeable. we’ve had it with soft and hard tacos, we’ve had it with and without cheese, it’s whatever is available that season, or in our case, in our pantry!
**note: the taco seasoning is based off of alton brown’s #19 taco potion that we quadruple and keep in a jar.

homemade taco seasoning:
1 TBL ground chipotle peppers
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt

lentils:
1 cup dried lentils, soaked overnight
half onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced (this is hit or miss, depending if in season)
2 TBL olive oil
water
2-3 TBL of taco seasoning, recipe above

add ins etc:
tortilla wraps or taco shells
arugula or shredded cabbage
shredded cheese (sometimes we use daiya vegan cheese if we’re feeling fancy)
avocado, diced or sliced
salsa
pickled vegs (once we added pickled turnips and it was DIVINE)
sliced peppers
limes
cilantro

to make the taco seasoning, just add all the ingredients in a jar and shake. will keep for about a month, though truth be told, longer.

when ready to prepare meal, discard the water the lentils were soaked in and rinse.

in a big pan or pot, heat up some olive oil. when sufficiently warmed, add in the onions and garlic. allow the onions to get translucent. add in the carrots and red bell peppers and stir to evenly mix and coat. last add in the lentils and again, mix it around to coat everything in oil.

per your taste buds and preference, add in the taco seasoning. sometimes i do more, sometimes i do less (it’s less when we’re finishing the jar). mix through. add in enough water to just barely cover the lentils.

keep heat at medium low and allow to gently simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. check on the softness of the lentils, if it’s still got bite, add more water and cook for longer. my cook time varies anywhere from 30 minutes – 45 minutes, i just check every 5 minutes. also check taste, there is salt in the taco seasoning but you may want to add more to your preference.

it’s done when the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils and carrots are soft.

serve on tortilla wraps or in taco shells and top to your heart’s content.

BAM!

Carne Rustida de Navidad

Published on January 5, 2015January 2, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach12 Comments

i had this meal
the first time in barcelona
4 years ago.
it was a trip that almost didn’t happen
due to snow in england,
i shed more tears that day
than when i tended to
my disappointed heart that year.

we have tentative plans
for a spain trip soonish
there’s also talk of
taking spanish classes.
in the meantime,
we have this to tide us over.

this was our first supper
in 2015.
to many more sweet, delicious
meals this year.

Carne Rustida de Navidad
adapted from nuria’s aunt trini

*note: like most recipes handed down by family or people who don’t typically follow/write recipes, what i received was not very detailed (but, did have at least measurements). i’ve made this dish a handful of times, each time differently depending on pantry items and what was in season. what i’ve listed below is what i made this time around and what you see in the pictures in this post.

2 lb chicken, chopped into 6 pieces
10 sundried tomatoes that were packed in olive oil, or 2 big tomatoes, rough chopped
1 big onion, rough chopped
6-7 pickled garlic cloves, homemade, or fresh is fine
1 generous tsp tomato paste, homemade
1/3 cup of brandy (white wine or cognac would work too)
1/2 bag of dried prunes
very generous handful of pine nuts
2 TBL bacon fat, or coconut oil or olive oil

in a heavy bottom pot, on medium-high, heat up bacon fat or whatever fat oil using. add in the sundried tomatoes, along with any oil it was packed in. (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup of olive oil, i did not use that much oil). mix in the garlic and onions and sautee, for at least 5 minutes. spoon everything out into a bowl, leaving behind the oil/fat.

in the left behind oil/fat, brown the chicken pieces. do this in batches, do not crowd the pot, you’ll just end up steaming the meat. you’re aiming for a golden hue on either side. when all the meat has been browned, lay them all in the pot as close together as possible. put the sauteed onion/tomato/garlic mixture back into the pot, fill in the nooks & crannies, smothering the meat on top.

lower heat to low-medium. add in the tomato paste and brandy (or wine or cognac), and water (or stock) until the entire thing is submerged. allow to simmer until half the liquid has evaporated (about 45 minutes – 1 hour) at that point, add in the prunes and pine nuts. raise temp to medium and allow to simmer until most of the liquid is gone, about another 20 minutes.

serve with rice or crusty bread. excellent the next day.

BAM!

other chicken stews/soups:
phở gà – vietnamese chicken noodle soup
Portuguese Chicken Curry with Chorizo + Olives

bánh xèo – vietnamese crepe

Published on October 20, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach12 Comments

scenes from a weekend:
i spent the better part of the weekend
running around
like a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter.
i stockpiled the freezer
with dumplings/gyozas/wontons
for the coming winter.
i baked bread for the week’s breakfast
(acorn squash + hazelnut loaf,
adapted from this recipe)
and made soup for the week’s lunch
(roasted chicken noodle).
all in addition to
doing both CSA runs
during the city’s running festival,
getting an oil change,
AND
most importantly,
Date Night.
we saw the Skeleton Twins
have you seen it?
i loved it.

the final day we made bánh xèo,
a dish that, for me, signifies
the close of summer,
as we put away warm weather kitchen toys,
dust off cold weather kitchen toys.
it wasn’t a particularly warm day,
sunday,
but the sun was out,
the game was on,
and we had somehow managed to
do all our chores in two days.

how was your weekend?

bánh xèo

*note: we used a mix. dw mentioned something about making the batter from scratch, rice flour + turmeric + a bunch of other starches and i nixed that notion. it’s a special kind of flour, used in special proportions and frankly, my interest in making things from scratch doesn’t extend going to those lengths. i’m not loyal to any brand, at least not yet. we used two bottles of beer + some water. in this instance, it was instinctive: we gauged how thin the batter was based on our experience when making with my family during summer cookouts. you want the batter to be loose, not thick like pancake, but not straight water either. it was hit or miss for us the first few we made then we got our groove.

batter:
1 bag of bánh xèo mix
2 bottles of beer (whatever you have, i used an IPA) if you want to nix the beer, water is fine
approx 1/4 – 1/2 cup water
3 green onions/scallions, chopped and added to the batter

mix the bánh xèo mix with beer (or water) and stir until fully incorporated. add in the scallions. set aside.

filling:
1 lb pork belly, sliced thin
1 pound shrimp, deveined and tails off
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 bag of bean sprouts, rinsed
1/2 cup of chive blossoms, cut 3″ long

oil, i used a mix of canola + coconut

to serve: nuoc mam cham, or soy sauce + lettuce and whatever herbs you like, ie: mint, basil, cilantro

have your mise en place together, everything in a line in order of succession:
1. oil
2. onions
3. sliced pork belly
4. shrimp
5. batter
6. mix of bean sprouts + chive blossoms

heat a non-stick pan coated with a light layer of oil on medium-high.
add in a few onions and 4-6 pieces of sliced pork belly. allow the onions to sweat a smidge.
add in 2-3 shrimp.
using a ladle, pour 1 ladle full of batter into the pan. swirl the pan to coat it evenly, but thinly.
grab a handful of bean sprouts/chive blossom and pile it on one side of the pan.
lid the pan for about 1 minute (if you don’t have a lid, use a foil)
remove lid and allow the bánh xèo to cook through, get crispy around the edges, about 4-5 minutes.
carefully, fold the bánh xèo in half, like omelette.

serve hot.

BAM!

homemade ricotta cheese – lactose free

Published on September 22, 2014September 21, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach16 Comments

prior to the age of
the Internet
and Email
and Blogging
i was a handwriting
Letter Writer,
and i kept a daily journal.
i haven’t written
in a diary in over
five years.
on a bookshelf,
upstairs,
dw keeps a stack of my
old
pubescent
young adult
twenty-something
ramblings.
for a long time
i believed i’d always write
in bound books,
on ruled paper,
words written without margins,
precariously,
as though they’d fall off the page
without the adhesive
rules of a sentence.
rabid with my memory collecting
that it never occurred to me
that one day
i wouldn’t need it.
i’m too busy, now,
making the memories.
and eating.
i do mourn the slow death
of cursive though.

homemade lactose free parsley ricotta
adapted from the Splendid Table

note: back when i figured out that i was lactose intolerant i fully believed that i would never eat cheese again, ~~it was like a slow death~~ i was really sad. then i learned that the harder the cheese, the least amount of lactose in it. then i decided to try my hand at making cheese, vegan and lactose free. i’ve made ricotta before, i just had to look for lactose free stuff. and now, ricotta’s back in my life. happiness again.

1 cup 2% fat lactose free milk, i use organic valley
3 cups lactose free half/half, i use organic valley
juice of one lemon, about 1/4 cup
healthy pinch of salt
chopped parsley, amount to your heart’s content

heat up milk and half/half in pot, on medium heat, to a gentle simmer. remove from heat. add in salt and stir with lemon juice. curds will rise to the top, add the chopped parsley, stir and then give it a few minutes.

you can separate the curds from the whey (the separated liquid) with a cheese cloth and colander. (the leftover whey can be used to make soup, though i’ve never done that before). i use a big spice bag to drain the cheese, hang it over the sink.

drain for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. just keep in mind that the longer you drain it, the dryer the ricotta will be.

i drain it for about an hour, carefully dump it out of the spice bag, shape into a ball.

a good tip: coat hands with olive oil to shape.

drizzle with olive oil to keep from drying.

slather on toasted bread.

BAM!

bonus topping ideas:
i roasted up some delicata squash, along with the seeds.
simmered down honey + miso (1:1 ratio) + a splash of water til it reached jam consistency.
sliced figs, cukes, tomato, whatever you have in your pantry.
the combination is only limited to your imagination.

another BAM!

quinoa sushi rolls

Published on September 15, 2014September 14, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach17 Comments

last weekend i was in
the Dirty South,
for work,
and for play,
and then i ended up
staying for longer than
expected,
or wanted,
and i stressed about what
dw would eat for dinner
while i was away.

nevermind that he’s
a grown ass man
who lived for upwards of
36 years without me
and he turned out ~~just fine~~ perfect.
nevermind that i
left the fridge
and pantry
well stocked.
nevermind that he
successfully made it to
market day
and replenished further
said stocked
fridge & pantry.
i’m a natural stresser
when it comes to
feeding dw.

it might surprise you,
or not,
given the last
paragraph,
but i stress about
what to make for dinner
every night.
so i polled my FB friends
to make the decision for me.
this was one of the options.

quinoa sushi rolls with quick pickled ginger
gluten free and vegan
makes about 6-7 rolls

*note: i used whatever vegs we had in the pantry, use what is in season and what tickles your fancy. also, i used red quinoa, use whatever quinoa you have on hand, it tastes all the same to me.

sushi vinegar dressing, to dress the quinoa and for the ginger
4 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL water
2 tsp agave (or superfine sugar)
healthy pinch of sea salt
a few drops of pickled beet juice (very optional, for aesthetic purposes only)

mix all together until well incorporated. reserve half to dress cooked quinoa, the other half to pickle ginger.

a knob of ginger, about 2-3 oz

peel ginger and slice it as thin a you possibly can.
salt and allow to sit for about 30 minutes.
wash & rinse thoroughly, squeeze and pat dry.

in a glass bowl, cover ginger slices with dressing. fridge it for at least an hour. will keep for about a week.

sushi filling
1 cup of quinoa, cooked to package instructions (it’ll come out to about 3 cups cooked). i cooked the quinoa with water to keep vegan, but i won’t judge you if you cook it with stock/broth, dressed with half the vinegar, it should be lukewarm to the touch
prepped stick vegs: carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, if you’re fancy: avocado, raw sushi
sushi nori sheets

using a sushi rolling mat, place nori sheet on top. spread a thin layer of quinoa, leaving a half inch space on either side.

place ingredients on top, along the length. don’t get crazy, you want to be able to roll with ease and keep these bite size.

roll carefully and evening away from, pressing firmly. cut into 1″ pieces.

BAM!