If Yan Can Cook...

So Can You.  One of my all time favorite cooking shows. For those of you who aren't familiar with my friend Yan, let me fill you in. 
Growing up my parents opted for us to not own a television for the better part of my childhood.  And by that I mean, our set went out and they just didn't buy another one until I was in 7th grade.  (Yes, I know, it is a miracle that I can function in society.)  However, that year Nintendo was wildly popular and I was in Middle School so it was time to give in. I think my parents realized the whole not having television in our house thing was starting to backfire a bit because my brothers were increasingly becoming mesmerized by television any time they had a chance to watch a show. It was like time stopped. They totally disengaged from their surroundings and were in a trance. So for Christmas we each got a TV. Which meant, I got my own and they had to share. Life is so unfair. Anyway, they didn't care much because they also got a Nintendo and that seemed to justify the sharing.  I was at the age where Saturday morning cartoons had lost the ability to hold my interest, and in fact I am pretty sure I never woke early enough to catch them anyway.  Most Saturdays were lazy, catch-up type days around our house.  Enter public television.  Yes, at age 12 I was watching KERA religiously.  I loved the cooking shows. Julia Child with her, "Bon Appetite", Martin Yan and "If Yan Can Cook, So Can You" and Justin Wilson's, "How ya'll are?" all became engraved in my memories from this time in my life.  I still love a day of nothing but cooking shows or cookbook reading.  I don't even try to explain it, it just is what it is.
So one of the things I loved about Yan was he really made me think "I could too".  His crazy good knife skills were a little scary to me (perhaps that was because there had been one too many knife injuries in our household requiring an ER visit) but getting into the kitchen, opening a cookbook and thinking I could make anything in it seemed to boost my cooking interest and confidence; if for no other reason than me just thinking that I could.  I don't remember my mom teaching me how to cook per say but she always gave me permission to "play" in the kitchen.  As a matter of fact, I remember a day she came home and said, "You made that? I don't even make that."  She was pointing to a 3-layer cake covered in seafoam frosting.  That's the kind of frosting made by beating egg whites then cooking them by slowly pouring boiling syrup into the whites while you continue to beat them into a foamy, sticky cloud.  I can't imagine the panic she must have felt knowing what disaster/injury could have been found instead of the beautifully frosted cake before her.  But she hid her panic and just went on and on about the cake.  No one told me that seafoam frosting was difficult to make.  It just looked really pretty and impressive.  I guess I was right.
My point to all of this is, You Can Cook.  Pick up a cookbook and find something you never would even consider trying to make and then set out to overcome your cooking fears.  Turn on Food Network and soak in some tricks used by famous chefs to navigate the kitchen then try them out for yourself.
(I personally wouldn't start with knife skills but to each his own.) It might take a little practice and a little time to become comfortable in the kitchen but that's ok.  And sure you may scrape off some burned parts, add some salt after the fact or simply utter the words, "I won't try that again".  But I have faith in you.  You can cook.  And who knows, you may even start to like it.
So today I am sharing a recipe that my aunt shared with me.  It is for a soup that will make you feel a little
chef-like having served it.  There is just something rewarding about totally deconstructing a raw food and then making something wonderfully yummy from it that makes you want to pat yourself on the back.  And this soup is sure to earn you such reward.  It would be a perfect first course for upcoming Passover/Easter/Spring meals.  I hope you give it a try and take some time to enjoy making it.  And remember, "If Yan Can Cook, So Can You."


Moroccan Carrot Soup

2 tbs butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 pound raw carrots, diced/chopped 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion;saute 2 minutes.  Mix in carrots.  Add broth; bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes
Remove soup from heat.  Puree in batches in blender until smooth.  Return to same pan.  Whisk in honey, lemon juice and spices.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls.  Place a dollop of yogurt in the center of bowl and serve.

*Remember organic ingredients are best
** If you are short on time or hate chopping, buy frozen chopped onion and pre-sliced carrot chips to speed up the prep time.

No Time For Chit-Chat

Not sure where time has gone these past 2 weeks or why it has eluded me as of late but I have a pile of ironing that continues to grow while the "laundry fairy" attempts to keep the dirty laundry from overtaking the closet floor.  She is putting up a good fight but her powers are waining.  Meanwhile, I have found it is near impossible to keep a food blog going when you haven't made time to the grocery store in weeks and you only have some cheesesticks and almonds in the fridge. My to-do and to-call lists are lengthening and the mental list to keep up with the physical lists wakes me at 2am to obsess about its priorities.  So today is catch-up day.  Washer is washing, ironing board is set up, grocery list is ready to go and I am blogging.  I will sleep well tonight. So enough of this chit-chat.

Below you will find a recipe of sorts for a stir-fry I made last week.  It uses Baby Bok Choy and if you have never tried this veg; this is a great introductory recipe.  Bok Choy, aka a super food, is a little sweet, has a bit of a crunch and great Asian flavor.  I use the term "recipe" loosely, as it is really more of a list of ingredients I threw together and called it a stir-fry.  Look at your spice rack and play with the flavors.  Add other veg or meats if you wish.  Stir-fries are great go-to meals as long as you steer clear of the soy sauce and MSG found in most ready-made mixes.  Give these spices a try. You won't miss the soy sauce one bit!

Baby Bok Choy and Grass-Fed Beef "Stir-Fry"

Meat Marinade:

olive oil- enough to cover meat

smoked paprika* this is my secret to great meat dishes. it has amazing flavor.

garlic pepper grinder

steakhouse pepper grinder

ground ginger

Combine spices and oil a baggie, add in meat, toss and refrigerate until ready to use.

*Don't be shy with the spices.  Make sure all the meat is covered. Taste the marinade before you add the meat if you aren't sure about amounts.

I cooked the meat and veggies separately just because I didn't want the marinade to take over the taste of the veggies but you can cook them together if you want. Cook the meat in a a hot pan with olive oil until desired doneness.  (Don't let the olive oil smoke) Serve over veggies. I salted the dish right before serving but no other sodium was added.

Veg Portion:
baby bok choy-cleaned and chopped on the diagonal
purple onion-chopped in proportion to bok choy
matchstick carrots
Heat pan, add olive oil and onions.  Once onion begins to caramelize, add bok choy and carrots.  Cook until just tender. 

Just For the Record

You know that saying, right?  And what about "Never say never"? Familiar with that one too? Well, just for the record, I have never eaten a bite of bologna. Never.  Not even when my grandmother, who I love and respect, tried to talk me into "just a bite".  I still remember that day. It was a close call. Nor did I eat it when my dad tried to convince me it was "just like eating pizza" because he had so wittingly put a slice of processed cheese over it to hide its greasy pinkness before cutting it into triangles "like a pizza". That day there were some tears involved. But I stood strong and once again I did not eat it. While I will give my dad points for creativity and even a few for using a simile, you just can't out wit some one's taste buds. Not at age 7 and not at thirty-something.  So when my husband asked me to try some of his Brussels sprouts he had ordered, I told him the story of the bologna pizza and explained to him there are some things I never eat. This is how that list reads:  bologna, beets, Brussels sprouts, lima beans, tofu...(there are a few more). It isn't a long list but you get the point.  Not all of those foods turn my stomach the way bologna does, but let's just say I have tasted them and see no need to taste them again.  Now with all that being said, I have to admit I was surprised to find my husband liked something I didn't. Pretty sure it was a first because most of the time it is me trying to get him to taste something that I can't imagine he won't like as much, if not more than I do. (I also can't imagine that he could find my prompting to try new foods the least bit annoying. haha!) You know how the scenario goes. Anyway, before the meal was over I ended up taking a bite.
So you remember that saying I mentioned, "Never say never"? It got me. I have loved Brussels sprouts since that day.  I found the key is in the preparation, as is the case with most foods.  (excluding bologna-sorry Dad, no amount of prep can disguise that one) When Brussels sprouts are boiled or steamed they taste horrible. I don't know why anyone would eat them that way. Yuck. But something magical happens to those cute, little cabbage mini-me's when they are sauteed and get all toasty and caramelized. They become slightly sweet, a little nutty and so yummy.  Below I have listed some steps for prepping the cruciferous cutie-pies and a couple of simple ways to cook them.  I hope you find the info helpful and add Brussels sprouts to your next grocery list. And just for the record, bologna will never be on mine.

How to clean and prep Brussels sprouts:

1. Cut off the stalk end and discard it.

2. Tear off and discard any bruised or damaged leaves.

3. Cut in half, lengthwise.

4. Rinse and drain.

That's it. Easy enough.

I have found sauteing Brussels sprouts on the stovetop to yield the best caramelization.  However, they can be broiled on a cookie sheet if you are cooking a large quantity.

For stovetop- Heat saute pan to med-high heat. On occasion I use a piece of bacon cut into small pieces for flavor. If you choose to use bacon, render the fat and place the sprouts, cut side down, in the grease. If you would rather, use 2 tbs of olive oil or other healthy oil, add the Brussels sprouts once oil is hot. Do not let olive oil get too hot, as it will burn and smoke.  Cook uncovered until brown, stir once and cover. Turn down to low heat and continue cooking until just tender, apx 5 mins. *Be careful to not let them turn to mush or they will taste and smell like sulfur. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

For oven- turn oven to broil. Place Brussels sprouts on cookie sheet, cut side up, after tossing them in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Broil until brown. Turn broiler off and turn oven to 350 degrees. Stir sprouts and return to oven until tender. Serve at once.

With A Side of Caviar, Please

So after yesterday's computer debacle and hours of trying to figure out the address of my pics, which seemed to have picked themselves up and moved to the virtual land of "Blogger" without sending me a "Hey, We Have Moved" note; I figured I might start my day out with a little good luck. I mean, it has been 5 days since my last helping of black-eyed peas and maybe a little extra serving of those lucky legumes would do me a bit of good. And just for the record, they aren't really peas, they are technically legumes (beans). See how much you have learned already? Anyway, I have never been a huge fan of black-eyed peas but being the good southern girl that I am, I eat them every New Year's Day and maybe a few other times a year. I would guess this is probably the case with most people because come on now, just how lucky can those little guys be? I found this recipe for Texas Caviar years ago and it has become one of my favorites. It has even convinced a few black-eyed pea haters to join in on the NYD tradition. The original recipe comes from the above cookbook given to me by my mom. (thanks, mom) I have modified the recipe a bit, sorry Mr. Perini, so that it has more of a salsa consistency.

Here is a list of ingredients.

1 cup to 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas* super easy to do in the crockpot and no extra sodium or BPA
3/4 cup seeded/chopped tomatoes (i used Cherubs)*
1/2 red bell pepper chopped*
1/2 purple onion chopped*
1 small bunch fresh cilantro chopped* use scissors to make fast work of chopping this
4 green onions chopped (white and green parts)*
2 tbs minced garlic*
1 tbs garlic powder*
3 tbs Smart Balance oil
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Frontera salsa (blue label) *secret ingredient-or it was secret before today. HEB carries it.
1 Ziploc gallon sized bag
*use organic and local every chance you get



Note the cutting "board"...one of my fav things.

 

Pour all the ingredients into the Ziploc baggie and shake them up. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight is even better. I usually flip the bag a couple of times during refrigeration to stir up the marinade. Drain the excess liquid and serve cold. And just so you know, I will be eating this with every meal until it is gone.

Bring on the GOOD LUCK!



Texas Caviar