Thursday, April 29, 2010

Breakfast Quinoa

I've been looking for some new breakfast ideas (although I'm not really over the whole smoothie thing quite yet, it seems good to diversify). So, over at Cara's Cravings I found this recipe for breakfast quinoa, which I had never really considered... its appealing because quinoa is so good for you, and I thought it might fill an oatmeal type role but with more protein.

She recommends using Almond milk, which I've been curious about but never tasted, so, I went for it! I cooked 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water, with a splash of Almond milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Then, I let it cool a bit and stuck it in the fridge, and poured a bit more Almond milk to soak in overnight. In the morning, I put some in a bowl, topped with some cinnamon, a few frozen blueberries, and a drizzle of honey, and microwaved it.

It was pretty good! I think tomorrow I might put in some nuts or something to add a little different texture, and I also got some awesome plums at the farmers market and I'm planning to cut one up and throw it in there. I think I also just have to get used to the taste of quinoa as a breakfast thing. But, its worth continuing on (and, I have a lot left over so will be eating this for a few days, so there are more chances to try!). Give it a shot...

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****UPDATE!*****
I did get to try this with the awesome farmers market fruit, and it was much better (or maybe I just liked the fruit?). I also added additional almond milk. Anyways, check out how beautiful it was, here!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Eggs Florentine Salad

I've been wanting to learn to make Eggs Benedict, because I have a joke with someone (lets call him Feesh) about how one of these days, we're going to finally make them for each other. I somehow had this idea that all of the parts of it (poaching eggs, making Hollandaise sauce), were beyond the capacity of a normal person and entirely in the realm of restaurants. Then, on Sunday, I watched Feesh poach eggs like it was no big deal! That was the moment when I realized the legendary E.B. were close to being within our grasp, and decided to tackle Hollandaise as my end of the bargain.

Looking around, I found a recipe by Tyler Florence that looked pretty do-able. Basically here is what you need:
4 egg yolks (aye caramba)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 melted cube unsalted butter (aye caramba #2)
a pinch of salt
some cayenne, or a dollop of mustard

You whisk the eggs and the lemon juice until they double in size and become thick (they really do, they also get lighter). Then, you need a double boiler. Or maybe you're like me, and you don't have one, so you do a double boiler hack, as seen here:
Yes, this is a pan with simmering water, and a metal bowl, which I held over it with my own little hand.
 Hold the bowl over the simmering water (or, you know, use the double boiler with simmering water), and whisk the eggs. Stir in the melted butter gradually, stirring all the while. It will get smooth, and pale, and increase in volume. This site had good recommendations for what to do if things go awry. Fortunately, mine did not scramble or separate and the sauce was a lovely pale yellow.

 Then, I poached the eggs (look at me go!), I didn't even have Feesh there for backup, I just had to remember what he did. Basically, I started some water at a high simmer in a small saucepan, and added a teeny bit of olive oil. Then cracked an egg into a cup, and carefully slid it in the water (repeat for egg 2). Then I cooked it for... awhile. I do not like my eggs runny.
Note the combo of poached eggs and awesome sauce. This is the money shot.
Now, it was a little much to do the whole E.B. thing, ham and all, so I opted for a "lighter" option (as if something involving this many eggs could be light), in a French-inspired salad.
 What you see here is a bed of spinach, with the poached egg on top, some sliced Persian cucumber, and some slices of roasted red potatoes to give it a Salad Nicoise type vibe (it looks like a lot of slices, but the potatoes were teeny), and a dressing of black pepper and the Hollandaise.
 This was... delicious. I think this would make an amazing entree on a hot summer night, or for a nice fancy lunch- I had it with a nice glass of wine and certainly felt very ladylike.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Slow Cooked Asian-style Shredded Beef

Ok, so this recipe deviates from the usual in 2 ways,
1. it involves beef!
2. it involves a crock-pot/slow-cooker!

It is, by the way, also delicious. I found it because I've been meaning to get more into the idea of slow cooking (previously seen here in the super easy chicken chili). One issue I've been having is that a lot of recipes cook for 4-6 or maybe 8 hours. Unfortunately, whatever kind of job it is that allows you to leave for work, get there, work, and get back in 6 hours, is not the job I have. So, I was searching for long-slow-cooked meals, and came up with this, from over at 'A Year of Slow Cooking').

Basically, I made some modifications- some of them are because I'm a slow-cooker newbie and didn't trust the idea that you could cook it all day with relatively little liquid in there and not end up with a burnt disaster when you got home. Here is my version...

The stuff:
2-2.5 pounds boneless beef*
1/4 cup low sodium free soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
6 tablespoons ketchup (or, one giant squirt, if you're me)**
4-6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder (I used allspice)
3 teaspoons pre-minced garlic from a jar***
2-3 teaspoons crushed ginger, also from a jar***
3/4c water (this was added when I panicked about the volume of liquid)

optional: juice of one orange (also added when I realized I didn't have enough honey, and was still panicking about liquid. I do think it added something, and diluted the strong flavor of the allspice and hoisin)
optional: a bunch of scallions- half chopped and added during cooking, half chopped and added half hour before serving
optional: red pepper flakes

*caveat, I know jack about buying beef, so I'm not even sure what kind I bought (I picked based on whether it was on the Ralphs Club Special), but mine was possible a bit too fatty for my taste, so, go lean if you can- there is plenty of sauce to make it moist.
*ALSO- I froze my meat over night, so it would take longer to cook.
**FYI 2 tablespoons=1/8 cup, if that helps make measuring less boring
*** feel free to use fresh, but I was being lazy

Stir up all the sauce ingredients, pour over meat. Sprinkle on scallions and red pepper flakes. Set on low, and leave it be!




So, I arrived home, having gone to work, worked at work, worked out, and battled the L.A. traffic in 2 directions, so about 10 hours after I left. Let me tell you, it smelled pretty good! The meat immediately was shreddable and very tender and moist, there was also a LOT of sauce. I turned it on warm, and probably ended up eating it 12 hours after I started it so it completely met my uber-slow-cooker needs.

There are a couple of ways to serve this- first, you can put it over rice, I used brown rice. You can also incorporate cole-slaw mix or shredded cabbage in a couple ways- either by stirring it in and cooking it for the last little bit, or by serving the meat on top of the fresh cabbage which would be a low-carb version. I did a halfway version, serving it on top of a combo of brown rice and uncooked cabbage, and I liked it that way. By adding the extra liquid I made it a little more saucy, and immediately after taking this picture ended up having to transfer it to a bowl to avoid disaster (technically, I moved it to the bowl after one minor sauce disaster by me and one by my co-diner).
Anyhow, this was good- the flavor is good, the sauce was yummy, I liked the cabbage/rice combo, and I would totally make it again!

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