29 May 2010

Are You Spicy?

I don't own a grill. I know that seems somehow blasphemous to both the gods of summer and the gods of food, but it's true.  Not even a George Foreman.  To clarify, I know how to grill and grew up in a household where the grill was gassed up all 12 months of the year.  But since I don't have any space at my house for one of my own, I make do indoors with a grill pan and a flat cast-iron skillet.

Since I have to substitute for the rich dynamic flavor of grilled meats, I'm fond of using dry rubs to give my indoor meats some extra oomph.  Today's recipe is for spicy steak, as the full flavors of the following spices lend themselves well to a rich piece of red meat.  Dry rubs also do wonders to breathe new life into cheaper or tougher pieces of meat.

And if you're not a sad grill-less person like me, feel free to slap this bad boy on the outdoor fire...

Spicy Steak
--dry rub
--1lb. piece of flat steak like flank, flat iron, hanger, skirt, or a chunk of top round (pictured here)
--cooking spray (if cooking indoors)

Let the steak come to room temperature before cooking.

Spicy Dry Rub:
*I rarely measure my spices so I recommend starting off small as you can always add more later to make it fit your taste to become more or less spicy, garlicky, peppery, etc.
--1 tsp. garlic powder
--1/4 tsp. onion powder
--2 tsp. brown sugar
--1 tsp. paprika
--1 tsp. ancho chili powder
--1/4 tsp. salt
--1/2 tsp. black pepper
--1 tsp. red pepper (ground or flakes)

In a smaller bowl, mix all the spices together with a spoon until evenly combined.
Using your fingers, grab large pinches of the dry rub mixture and rub it into the steak. When the first side is evenly coated with rub, flip it over and evenly cover the other side of the meat. Use all of the dry rub.

Grill steak!

Or heat a large cooking-spray coated skillet or cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat and cook until desired doneness (ours are cooked to medium), scraping away any fat that cooks off.

Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes before slicing. Cut against the grain before serving. This is AWESOME in salad!
Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Calories: 302

20 May 2010

Vegan. Green. Curry.


Mmm Thai curry. Hello delicious. Not to be confused with its tumeric-based Indian and Pakistani cousins, Thai curries are made of red, green, panang, and massaman curry pastes (among others). While both kinds of curries are delightful, the Thai version is heavy on the vegetables and often comes in a coconut milk broth.

I made a big batch of this to feed me and some out of town guests who are Vegan. If you are a carnivore, you can make yours with chicken pieces or beef and chicken broth. I made my own green curry paste using a recipe I found on the internet years ago (God knows where) but you can use a jar or packet purchased from the grocery store. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, and you pre-purchase the curry paste make sure you buy the kind that doesn't have fish sauce or shrimp paste in it!

Vegan Green Curry:
--1 block of extra firm tofu, well-drained and chopped into bite-sized chunks
--1 1/2 cups of uncooked jasmine rice
--1 TBSP sesame oil
--1 TBSP olive oil
--Garlic, minced
--Ginger, minced
--1 small onion, chopped
--1 large head of broccoli, chopped into smaller florets
--1 16oz. bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables
--1 pint of grape tomatoes
--1 14oz. can of coconut milk
--Green curry paste
--2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

In a frying pan sear the tofu on medium to medium-high heat.  Make sure all sides are seared.

Cook rice according to package directions.


While the tofu sears and the rice cooks, heat the sesame and olive oils in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the garlic, ginger, and onion. Saute until translucent.


Add the broccoli and frozen vegetables and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to get tender.  Add the tomatoes and stir to mix all the vegetables together. 


Add the coconut milk and the curry paste. Stir to fully dissolve the curry paste. Start in small batches, because remember, you can always add more curry paste but you'll have a hard time taking some away!

When curry paste is dissolved add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and add the seared tofu, stirring to combine. Continue to add curry paste, as needed, until the curry is to your taste.

Serve over the rice.


Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6
Calories: 230 per serving

19 May 2010

Use Your Food To Fight Cancer

I found this TED talk from William Li about how to use diet to preemptively fight cancer fascinating and I hope you do too!  Not familiar with TED? Find out more about their campaign to spread ideas.

15 May 2010

Not Your Nonna's Primavera

Summer is threatening to come (though it did snow earlier this week so I kind of wish it would threaten a little harder) and with it a bevy of fresh vegetables. This simple pasta dish combines a delightful mix of veggies with two different cultural flavors--the Italian-American dish of pasta primavera and the flavors of Morocco.

Moroccan Pasta Primavera
--1 lb. uncooked pasta
--5 whole fresh garlic cloves
--6 whole tomatoes, stems and core removed
--1 bell pepper, cut in 1/2 and de-seeded
--1 TBSP olive oil
--salt & pepper
--ginger powder
--cumin
--paprika
--tumeric

--1 small onion, chopped
--1 small shallot, minced
--1 bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips
--1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
--fresh basil
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes, garlic cloves, and pepper halves inside a baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

While pasta cooks and veggies roast, heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon of each of the spices and stir, cooking about a minute. Add the onion and shallot, stir together and cook 2-ish minutes. Add the pepper slices, stir together and cook another 2-ish minutes before adding the chicken strips. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add a little more spice (to yer taste) as the chicken is cooking.



Remove the veggies from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes.  Remove the skins from the tomatoes and roughly chop or smash them. Roughly chop the garlic and slice the pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot it was cooked in.  Place the pot on an un-used eye on the stove so as not to overcook the mix. Add the smashed tomatoes and chopped garlic and pepper. Add in the chicken/pepper mixture and stir all of it together.  Take the fresh basil and tear pieces into the pasta mixture. Serve!




Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6
Calories: 416

09 May 2010

Quick N' Dirty Risotto


I've already droned on and on about how versatile risotto can be so I won't re-bore you with those details. But it's also oh so easy to fix, especially on a night when you need something to eat fast!  Risotto for one is a staple in my life and it's perfect for when the fridge is getting empty and both the pantry and my patience run low.

Risotto For One
--1 slice of bacon, chopped
--1/4 small onion, chopped
--Garlic, minced
--1/4 cup frozen okra or other veggie
--1/4 cup uncooked risotto (aborio rice)
--1/4 cup white wine
--1 cup chicken broth
--Black pepper to taste
--1 oz. asiago cheese, grated


In a small to medium sized sauce pan, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat. After some grease appears add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the dry risotto and stir the mixture together for one minute before adding the white wine.

Stirring constantly, allow the risotto to soak up the white wine before adding chicken broth, one 1/4 cup at a time. Continue stirring and allowing the rice to soak up the liquid before adding more liquid.  Rice will be plump and cooked through when fully done.

Season with black pepper and stir in grated cheese and eat up!


Dammit Jim, I'm a cook not a doctor!
Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 1
Calories: 533

05 May 2010

Cinco de Bean-o



All right, all right. So that title probably isn't my greatest. But since today is cinco de mayo, a holiday celebrated because of a battle victory, today's dish is full of something you'd need to win any battle: protein!

This recipe is vegetarian but can easily be made vegan by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth. It's chock full of protein and fiber, so it's good for you, but clearly it tastes good too or I wouldn't have put it up here!

I made mine as a full meal (dude, there's a salad on top of it!) but you could also make this as a side dish or the insides of a burrito.

Colorful Black Beans & Rice
--1 cup brown rice
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--1 tbsp olive oil
--1/2 an onion, diced
--garlic, minced
--cumin
--cilantro
--oregano
--salt & pepper
--1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
--1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
--1 mango, de-seeded, peel removed and chopped
--1 avocado, de-pitted, peel removed and chopped

All spices are always to your taste!


Cook the rice according to the package directions, substituting 1/2 cup of the water with the broth.


While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet or pan that has a lid. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, cilantro, oregano, and salt and pepper and cook uncovered, stirring often, for 2-ish minutes.


Add the beans and tomatoes. Cover the mixture and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid reduces. Smash some of the beans with a fork to thicken the mixture.


Serve over the rice (or mix together) and top with the mango and avocado.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 (as a meal)
Calories: 327 per serving