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zucchini ravioli

Published on August 3, 2016August 2, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

we had a massive storm here in MD over the weekend
mayhap you saw the headline in your fb feed
or you’re local and you were hunkered down in your abode
like we were in the city,
the lightning and thunder really close.
at one point,
i turned to dw to ask him if he even
knew where the flashlights were.
like the lazy asses that we are
we decided that our phones can suffice
as torches.
meanwhile, with Stranger Things on tv
the kitchen was slowly flooding.
the deluge of water falling from the sky
could not be contained by the fancy gutters
we bought when we fixed the roof last year.
just kidding.
it wasn’t slowly flooding,
it was fucking gushing,
from the back door and onto my new tile floors.
and so, with winona ryder crying in the background
dw & i spent our saturday night
catching water and wringing out towels.
we’re such party animals.

prior to the storm
we picked up our csa and
it’s full on zucchini season,
this week’s recipe really makes good use of this summer veg.
for more inspiration,
hit up maria’s space.

zuch ravioli gif

zucchini ravioli
inspired and adapted from delish
makes about 12-13 raviolis,

*note: i made a full on dairy version with mozz & ricotta cheese for a friend returning from vacation, and i made a completely vegan version for us. click the link for the cheese.
*note**: i doctored up a jar of marinara sauce: sauteed onions + diced garlic scape, chunky over-ripe csa tomatoes and a few TBL of tomato paste.

3-4 zucchinis, sliced thin, with a knife, peeler (which is what i used) or mandolin
1 package of firm tofu, pressed of excess water
2-3 garlic scapes, rough chopped
healthy/generous bunch of parsley
salt&pepper to taste
1 cup of shredded vegan mozzarella, i used daiya
marinara sauce, jarred or doctored or homemade
shredded basil, to garnish

preheat oven to 350F.

slice the zucchinis as described. any nubby bits leftover can be added to the filling, or used for baking, or added to soup.

to make the filling: in a food processor add the pressed tofu. pulse it a few times to break it down. add the garlic scapes and parsley, pulse to incorporate. add in salt & pepper to taste and pulse a few times more. you’re aiming for a well combined ricotta-like mixture.

assemble the raviolis: lay two zucchini slices one way and another two across it, you’re aiming for a lower case T. spoon/scoop about 1.5-2 TBL worth of the tofu mixture in the middle (i used an ice cream scoop). fold the legs over, alternating, until a package is made. continue with the rest of the slices and remaining filling.

in a casserole dish, have a thin layer of marinara sauce. lay out the raviolis, seam side down. spoon sauce over and around the raviolis. they don’t need to be covered, but the amount is entirely up to you. finish with the shredded cheese.

depending on the size of the casserole dish you used, bake for 30-35 minutes (for the smaller batch, i baked for 20 min). the zucchinis came out just at done which dw loved, but i would’ve liked it to go a smidge longer.

garnish with shredded basil.

BAM!

zuch ravioli casserole

3 years ago: chocolate + coconut macarons
2 years ago: banh cuon chay
1 year ago: popcorn

chilled somen noodles with cold mushroom broth

Published on July 26, 2016July 25, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

if you would believe it,
we’re around the corner from August.
it’s hot as balls out,
i’ve taken to worrying about
the plants outside,
the kind that belong to me
and the kind that don’t.
i sent dw out the other day
with two half gallon jugs
to water the new trees that were
recently planted in the park across the way.
this will hopefully become
a morning & nightly routine.

meanwhile,
we’ve been battling this heat
with plenty of water
and cold foods:
salad
ice cream
cereal
and this soup.

hope you’re staying cool,
wherever you are.

cold noodle bowl

chilled somen noodles with cold mushroom broth
inspired & adapted from the NY Times
makes enough for 6-8 servings

*in my freezer i keep a bag of vegetable odds/ends, they range from mushroom stems to celery heads to ugly carrot nubs. sometimes i keep parsley stems. they make for super quick and easy veg broths. for this particular dish, it made enough broth to fill a half gallon jar, which can be kept in the fridge for a week.

broth:
a very generous handful of dried shiitake mushrooms
a very generous handful of mushroom stems
1 bunch scallions, rough chopped
1 stick of kombu
a few celery heads
8 cups water
soy sauce or coconut aminos to taste
1 TBL whole black pepper

for the noodle bowls:
cooked somen noodles, prepared according to package instructions
cucumbers, sliced thin
green scallions, small chopped
kim chi, if you’re fancy make your own, we bought a local fave: Hex
2-4 hard boiled eggs, i got fancy and let them hang out in dark soy sauce for extra flavor
corn, cut from two cobs
drizzle of sesame oil
splash of rice vinegar

in the morning, while you’re brewing your coffee make the broth: add all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. turn off heat and cool to room temp. season to taste and then strain into clean jar and place in refrigerator till cold.

when ready, assemble the bowls: divvy up the noodles, make enough so that each bowl gets about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of broth. top with vegs and last pour in the broth. drizzle a bit of sesame oil and splash of vinegar at the end for added flavor.

BAM!

3 years ago: green tomato & mint chutney
2 years ago: thai iced tea
1 year ago: i was being a bum.

fast ‘n dirty bread & butter pickles

Published on July 19, 2016July 19, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

after 2 hours of driving
we stop off at a small town
down by the shore.
there are long limbs that require stretching
and growling stomachs in need of food,
plus, Pokemon to be caught
(for the record, it’s dw who’s playing,
not the kids)
we sit at table that is in a cafe
that also fronts as a pharmacy.
the boys consume everything in front of them
everything except the gherkin pickles,
which are delicious –
crisp and sweet and sour.
they remind me of my grandfather
who loved that combination.

with that in mind,
i picked up 4 pounds of pickling cukes
from the market saturday morning,
and spent minimal time in the kitchen
preparing them.
they came out with such snap.
dw could’ve done without the coriander seeds
but i like them.

i made enough to keep a large jar
but also a smaller jar to gift for a sick friend.

hope your summer is going swell.
be good to each other.

fast ‘n dirty bread & butter pickles
makes 1 half gallon + 1 quart jars <= how’s that for crazy measurement?

*note: you can up the amount of sugar if you want it sweeter. i was more interested in getting the crunch and the salt step is key to getting that.

about 3-4 lbs of pickling cucumbers, cleaned and sliced about 1″ thick
3 generous TBL kosher salt
1 large onion sliced
2 scant cups of coconut sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds, optional
healthy dash of ground tumeric

in a big mixing bowl add the sliced cukes and sprinkle in the salt. mix it all and then cover in fridge for about 2 hours. them cukes are going to pee liquid something fierce. you’ll be amazed. drain the cukes and rinse thoroughly. drain as much of the water out as possible. add in the sliced onions and toss together.

in a saucepan heat up the rest of the ingredients until simmering and the sugars have dissolved. turn off heat.

in jars divvy up the cukes and onion. pour the hot vinegar liquid over the vegs. allow to cool to room temp and then lid and fridge. will keep for a month, but must be well covered and anytime you pull pickles out, use a clean utensil.

BAM!

3 years ago: spicy cantaloupe salad
2 years ago: pickled beets
1 year ago: apparently i was a bum last year around this time

chicken enchilada bake

Published on July 12, 2016July 10, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

i’m currently at the beach
that’s all i’ve got.
well.
i have this chicken enchilada bake.
but that’s it.
have a great week!

chicken enchilada bake
adapted from tasting table

note: cilantro would be better in this, but i didn’t have any so i used green scallions. i needed the pop of color

2 cups worth of shredded rotisserie chicken
1 onion, quartered
1 large garlic clove
1 dried ancho chile pepper, reconstituted in hot water
2 16 oz jar of salsa: salsa roja and salsa verde (you can use regular canned enchilada sauce if you want)
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, i used cabot’s extra sharp cheddar
1/2 cup chopped green scallions
corn tortilla
garnish: diced avocado and sliced radishes

pre-heat oven to 400F

in a pan, or in my case, in a pie dish, add the quartered onion and garlic clove. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. roast for 15 – 20 minutes. remove from oven.

lower heat to 350F

in a vitamix, blitz together the roasted onions and garlic with the salsa and ancho chile pepper. set aside.

in a bowl with the shredded chicken, add about a cup of the salsa, a sprinkle of the green onions and mix thoroughly.

enchiladas

in a round casserole dish, layer the ingredients:
salsa
tortilla
shredded chicken
shredded cheese
green onions
REPEAT
end with the salsa and cheese

bake in oven for 30 minutes, until melted and all bubbly and pretty.

top with avocado, radishes and more green onions.

BAM!

3 years ago: chocolate wonderfuls
2 years ago: blueberry clafoutis
1 year ago: strawberries + kefir popsicles

blueberry – lemon almond waffles (gf)

Published on July 5, 2016July 4, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach2 Comments

it’s a short week for us here,
not only because of the holiday week,
but because we’re headed on vacation
with our nephews soon!
excitement.
we’re headed down to the shore
where i’ll hover,
slather on spf four-fold
and encourage glutton tomfoolery.
there might be another post,
there might not be,
it’ll be a surprise!
but until we meet again
have at these summery waffles.
happy july friends!

blueberry – lemon almond waffles
makes 6

*note: i don’t make waffles often, last time was a year ago and it was dw who made them. this is one kitchen toy i can’t seem to get rid of. i don’t know what the brand is, i threw out the box and manual but it just lights up when hot and the light goes off when the waffles are cooked. use common sense with your own waffle toy.
**note: for the first 4 i added the berries after the batter had been poured into the maker, and for the last 2 i added the berries to the batter itself and then poured it into the machine. it all came out the same, so when you add the berries are up to you.

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 TBL coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk, dairy or nut
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 TBL maple syrup
1/2 cup blueberries
oil for brushing waffle iron

preheat a waffle iron

in a bowl mix all the ingredients except for the oil until blended.

it will be thick and you will think to yourself that it’s weird. twins.

when waffle iron is ready, brush with oil real quick. add in about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of batter on each side, with a few berries.

close and cook based on manufacturer’s instructions.

prepare remaining batter.

serve with maple syrup and more berries.

BAM!