I was at a complete loss on what to do about dinner. Order out? No. Go grocery shopping to prepare a meal? Not today. Actually leave the house after a busy day? I don't think so. I had a bag of frozen veggies, lots of condiments, and I found some rice noodles I completely forgot about. Yay! A delicious dinner ended up as the result after a quick consultation with www.cooksillustrated.com (um, ok, not a private consultation…I just looked up different rice noodle recipes to get an idea of which condiments to use). To turn this into a vegetarian meal, don't add the fish sauce. So, here’s my creation that resulted out of total laziness.
4-6 oz. rice noodles (I used Annie Chun’s Maifun Rice Noodles)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. red cooking wine
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. powdered ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 bag frozen vegetables
4 quarts of water
Bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil and then add the noodles for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil and garlic over medium heat and add the frozen vegetables and heat until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Drain the noodles and add to the vegetables. Mix the noodles thoroughly with the vegetables, about 3-5 minutes.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
A nice fruity wine
Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorites because it usually complements a good variety of foods. I stopped by my favorite wine store, W Wine Boutique, to pick up a bottle for dinner. On a whim, I chose a bottle of 2008 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc. I was very pleasantly surprised upon discovering that it was very fruity, crisp, and is fantastic all by itself. Don't get me wrong, the fruit was not overwhelming--just a nice pop in your mouth. At less than $15, it was a real treat and perfect for the summer heat!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Mish Mash
This ended up tasting pretty good even though I just made it up by taking out all the vegetables we had in the refrigerator and cupboard. The flavors are similar to black bean soup, which was my original thought, but then I decided I didn't want soup tonight...too hot outside.
Ingredients
1 cup white basmati rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carton mushrooms, sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tsp chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 1/2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the garlic and onion and heat for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomoatoes, and black beans. Add salt, pepper, and oregano. Add the mushrooms and stir all the ingredients together until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the rice, water, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cayenne pepper and mix well. Cover the pot and cook until the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup white basmati rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carton mushrooms, sliced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tsp chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 1/2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the garlic and onion and heat for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomoatoes, and black beans. Add salt, pepper, and oregano. Add the mushrooms and stir all the ingredients together until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the rice, water, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cayenne pepper and mix well. Cover the pot and cook until the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
One Sumo
Mr. M loves this new place on Biscayne next to Chop Shop (a barber shop) and Le Cafe. This weekend, I finally went with him. It's called One Sumo and they have an amazing selection of smoothies and teriyaki dishes. The smoothies are nicely categorized so you know whether it's meant for a pre or post-workout boost.
I had the Acai for Me smoothie which was delicious and filling. I also had a salad with teriyaki chicken. The chicken wasn't overloaded with teriyaki sauce and the salad was accompanied by a delicious dressing. Mr. M had the Hawaiian smoothie and the steak teriyaki platter with rice and veggies. We were both very happy campers with our healthy AND tasty lunch.
The food was made to order in the open kitchen, which always makes me feel a little better. The space is pretty big and we were the only ones eating there, but there was a steady stream of what seemed like regular customers the entire time we were there.
I don't think One Sumo has a website yet, but it's located at 7281 Biscayne Boulevard. Check it out!
I had the Acai for Me smoothie which was delicious and filling. I also had a salad with teriyaki chicken. The chicken wasn't overloaded with teriyaki sauce and the salad was accompanied by a delicious dressing. Mr. M had the Hawaiian smoothie and the steak teriyaki platter with rice and veggies. We were both very happy campers with our healthy AND tasty lunch.
The food was made to order in the open kitchen, which always makes me feel a little better. The space is pretty big and we were the only ones eating there, but there was a steady stream of what seemed like regular customers the entire time we were there.
I don't think One Sumo has a website yet, but it's located at 7281 Biscayne Boulevard. Check it out!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Abe's Salsa
My dad is a great cook and this is his salsa recipe. I finally decided to share it with the world! All I have to say is, it's fantastic and that jarred supermarket stuff just doesn't compare.
Ingredients
5 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion (you can use 2 medium ones also), finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 serrano pepper, diced and seeded (this is for a mild version--use 2 or leave in some seeds if you like it spicy)
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup (or less) of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pot. Add the onion, garlic, and serrano pepper and stir continuously until the onion is translucent. Add some salt while these ingredients are cooking. Do not let these ingredients brown. Add the tomatoes and tomatoes and stir to mix with the other ingredients. Add the water a dash at a time as needed. The salsa should be thick and not watery. Add some pepper to taste. Continue stirring over the medium heat for another 5 minutes. Let the salsa cool and enjoy with some tortilla chips and whatever else you like to eat with salsa!
Ingredients
5 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion (you can use 2 medium ones also), finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 serrano pepper, diced and seeded (this is for a mild version--use 2 or leave in some seeds if you like it spicy)
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup (or less) of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pot. Add the onion, garlic, and serrano pepper and stir continuously until the onion is translucent. Add some salt while these ingredients are cooking. Do not let these ingredients brown. Add the tomatoes and tomatoes and stir to mix with the other ingredients. Add the water a dash at a time as needed. The salsa should be thick and not watery. Add some pepper to taste. Continue stirring over the medium heat for another 5 minutes. Let the salsa cool and enjoy with some tortilla chips and whatever else you like to eat with salsa!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Plum Tomato Appetizer
I prepared these for a 4th of July bash and they were light, tasty, and great for a hot day. A big plus is they are super-easy to make. I found the recipe on epicurious.com which says the original recipe came from Bon Appetit. You can get very creative with this appetizer and add different flavors or let the tomatoes take center stage. Enjoy!
Ingredients
12 plum tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 5.3 oz. container of herbed goat cheese, marinated mozzarella, pesto, or any other kind of filling you like
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the tomatoes on a cooking sheet lined with foil or well oiled. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then drizzle them with olive oil. Use an oil dispenser or spray can so you don't soak the tomatoes or else they will come out too soggy. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 40-50 minutes, then let them completely cool. Spoon your fillings into the tomatoes and serve! So easy!
Ingredients
12 plum tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 5.3 oz. container of herbed goat cheese, marinated mozzarella, pesto, or any other kind of filling you like
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the tomatoes on a cooking sheet lined with foil or well oiled. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then drizzle them with olive oil. Use an oil dispenser or spray can so you don't soak the tomatoes or else they will come out too soggy. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 40-50 minutes, then let them completely cool. Spoon your fillings into the tomatoes and serve! So easy!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Rigatoni with mushrooms, peas and "sausage"
This was a very easy weeknight pasta dinner without a sauce. The sausage patties are already loaded with flavor, so this doesn't require much extra seasoning.
Ingredients
3/4 box of rigatoni, cooked and drained
1 carton of button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
4 morningstar farms "sausage" patties, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms begin to change color and shrink. Add the frozen peas and cook for 1 minute. Add the "sausage" patties and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the rigatoni, remaining tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to thoroughly to mix the ingredients together over medium heat for another 3-5 minutes.
Ingredients
3/4 box of rigatoni, cooked and drained
1 carton of button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
4 morningstar farms "sausage" patties, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms begin to change color and shrink. Add the frozen peas and cook for 1 minute. Add the "sausage" patties and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the rigatoni, remaining tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to thoroughly to mix the ingredients together over medium heat for another 3-5 minutes.
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