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Cold Sesame Asian Noodles with Tomatoes & Cucumbers

03. October 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , ,

DSC 0001 1024x682 Cold Sesame Asian Noodles with Tomatoes & Cucumbers

After a recent trip to the NC State Farmers’ Market, I had leftover tomatoes and cucumbers. Given my new obsession with rice noodles, I decided to whip up an almost no-cook lunch of cold Asian noodles with marinated tomatoes and cucumbers. It’s super easy, but I recommend preparing it a few hours in advance (if not the night before) so the vegetables have time to soak up the marinade.

I haven’t included measurements because this dish is nearly impossible to mess up.

  • Tomatoes, chopped
  • Cucumbers, chopped
  • Onion, finely diced
  • Rice vinegar
  • Sesame oil
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Rice noodles
  • Chicken or firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cubed (optional)
  • Sesame seeds (for garnish)
  • Sriracha (for added spiciness)

In a Tupperware, combine chopped vegetables with several dashes of rice vinegar and sesame oil. Sprinkle sugar and salt on top, cover with lid, and put in fridge for several hours or overnight.

To add protein and staying power, add chopped chicken. I marinated mine overnight in soy sauce, red chili peppers, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and ground ginger, but you could just use salt, pepper, and olive oil. Cook using this fool-proof method. If you choose to use tofu, just marinate it and saute over medium heat with olive oil in a skillet.

Prepare rice noodles according to directions (usually you boil water, toss in noodles, boil for 3 minutes, and drain).

Combine all ingredients and garnish with sesame seeds and sriracha, if desired.
DSC 0004 1024x984 Cold Sesame Asian Noodles with Tomatoes & Cucumbers

balsamic-splashed tuscan bean soup

01. May 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Cooking, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , ,

tuscan white bean soup balsamic splashed tuscan bean soup

Some of my best recipe creations come from cleaning out my fridge and using up leftovers {remember my easy lentil chicken bacon soup?}.

After preparing the kale + escarole + tomato bean casserole that I found on The Bitten Word, I had some cannelli beans and canned tomatoes left over. Inspired by a recipe on Food.com, this Tuscan-inspired soup was born!

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Toss in half a chopped onion, a clove of chopped garlic, and 1 1/2 to 2 peeled and sliced carrots. Saute until tender. Toss in half a can of cannelli white beans and half a large can of diced tomatoes with their juice. Cover with chicken or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Add in sea salt, pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes to taste. Sprinkle with a big pinch each of chopped fresh parsley and basil. Simmer for 25-35 minutes or until the flavors are well-blended.* Before serving, add a splash {use sparingly} of balsamic vinegar. 

This is a pretty basic bean soup recipe but the splash of balsamic vinegar really kicks up the flavor and adds a unique element for your taste buds!

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*Have you ever tossed soup ingredients into a pot and tried a bite? It most likely tasted a bit…off, like the flavors hadn’t quite blended. Maybe you could taste the basil or the cayenne or other spice, but all together, the soup didn’t seem to suit your taste buds in the right way.

Generally I find that simmering the soup for longer gives it a flavor with more well-blended depth. You may still be able to taste the different flavors, but the soup feels more coherent, for lack of a better word.

Try mixing up your spices too- I love the coriander flavor in this spiced tomato chickpea soup and the light cumin taste in this polychromatic soup. But remember- sometimes you only need salt and pepper, like in this potato leek soup!

korean pickled cucumbers

14. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking, Food & Drink, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , , ,
korean pickled cucumbers korean pickled cucumbers

Via Flickr user chiotsrun

Korean Pickled Cucumbers

My recent obsession with Korean food and home pickling in Mason jars has led me to try homemade Korean pickled cucumbers, which have a similar flavor to kimchi.

Cut a cucumber (I used an English cucumber, seeds and skin intact) into long, thin strips. Place in a bowl with water and salt for several hours. Remove from water and place in a Mason jar with the following: several dashes of rice vinegar; a teaspoon or so of minced garlic; a touch of grated ginger; some chopped onion; a sprinkling of paprika {for color}; and a pinch of cayenne pepper (the amount depends on your preference for spiciness). Fill the jar to the top with water, shake, and refrigerate for at least several hours. Eat within 2-3 days.

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P.S. Unsure about photo copyright laws? Err on the safe side and use Flickr’s Creative Commons photos. This copyright allows owners to determine which rights they want to maintain over their photos; most users using Creative Commons allow you to use their work as long as you attribute it to them. Simply go to Flickr.com, click Advanced Search, and select the checkbox for “Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content.” Thank you to Mital Patel and other members of The Raleigh Forum for teaching me this! The photo above was found on Flickr.

butternut squash stuffed with…everything

26. October 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Cooking, Food & Drink, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

As I mentioned before, I found a recipe for stuffed butternut squash (gluten-free!) on Arthritis.org! The original recipe is here but my changes are below.

114 butternut squash stuffed with...everything

Leeks, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes

  • 1 large butternut squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large, well-washed leek
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped carrot
  • 1 small zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
  • 8-9 kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
  • 1-2 tablespoons capers
  • 1/4 cup cooked rice (I used Minute Rice)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the ends off the squash and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then prick the squash all over with a fork (outside, not inside of squash). Drizzle a little olive oil on the cut side of the squash and place cut side down on a large baking dish with low sides. Pour a little water into the bottom of the pan. Roast until tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil. When it is hot, add the chopped leek and sauté for a few minutes until soft. Add the chopped/sliced carrot, zucchini, mushrooms and bell peppers and continue to sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts and garlic and continue to cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the olives, capers, rice and wine and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

When the squash is soft, remove from the oven and let cool. Make lengthwise slit (not all the way through the skin) down the cut-side center of each half and scoop out the squash along this center slit, making a groove for the sautéed vegetables. Cut the removed squash into bite-sized chunks and add to the vegetable mixture. Stir in the parsley and basil, and add pepper and salt to taste. Stuff this mixture into both halves of the squash and place back on the baking sheet. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through.

*As you can see, I left off the mushrooms {not a big fan} and the wine {for some reason, I really don’t like the taste of wine in food}. I left off the capers and kalamata olives, but only because I didn’t have them!

115 butternut squash stuffed with...everything

Prepping the ingredients

117 butternut squash stuffed with...everything

Sauteing the vegetables

118 butternut squash stuffed with...everything

Stuffed butternut squash ready for the oven!

On a random weeknight dinner, the girls and I dug into this dish, along with Quinoa Black Bean Corn Salad and my sister’s Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Chicken. Needless to say, it was a lot of flavorful one-dish meals, which are my favorite!

my [failed] tempeh recipe

17. May 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Cooking · Tags: , , , , ,

Being the adventurous eater I’m trying to be, I bought tempeh [fermented tofu] with my $25 gift card from LivingSocial’s deal with Arganica Farm Club. I tried a variation of this recipe from 101 Cookbooks and let me tell you, it left a bad taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively.

I’m at a loss- was the tempeh bad? Do I just not like it? I’m willing to try again because tempeh is so cheap (about $2.00 for a whole package), so I hope the results will be better in the future. I learned that it is not meant to be eaten raw and that you should steam or simmer it in water or a flavored broth for about 20 minutes before using. I’ll be sure to incorporate this advice in my future tempeh-cooking endeavors!

P.S. Here is a great article from The Kitchn with five ways to prepare tempeh.

Any other advice on preparing tempeh well?

pixel my [failed] tempeh recipe
+Cristina Roman