A Taste We Have No Word For

"Mah" Is the way you say it in Mandarin.  In English...there is no word. The closest description is that it makes your tongue feel like it's tingling and swelling up inside your mouth.  That sounds awful.  BUT - it is not - it is awesome, and it was new - which is always fun.

This post is about bravery.  The dish follows the guidelines of stir-fry-what-you-have, with an added twist.  I usually spice my stir fry's with garlic and ginger, and that's what I did this time, but on the side, I added another veggie dish - spiced with Szechuan peppercorns. 

Bravery comes in when you grab something new to try that you have never had, barely recognize, or in this case, can't read.  I added the new ingredient to the separate side dish (so you still have your main dish if your experiment ends in disaster)  It was awesome, possibly better on seafood, but this vegetarian dinner benefited well from the "mah" tastiness.

Mah Veggies

Heat oil and spices in wok

(I chose sesame, garlic, ginger)

Add carrots

Add onions

(I chose red)

Add baby bok choy

Cook noodles or rice to serve

(I chose glass noodles)

Crush peppercorns

Toast sesame seeds

(use a dry hot skillet and toast until dark brown)

Boil potatoes 

(I chose purple, red, fingerling)

Mix potatoes with fresh tomatoes

Add a splash of sauce

(I chose ponzu, could be just lemon or soy)

Add toasted sesame seeds

Add peppercorns

Dinner for Mom and Dad

Pork is the new black.  Slow Roasting is the new 30.

This main dish is a little time consuming, but well worth the wait.  I've slow roasted Pork in so many different ways in the past year, it's really become one of our favorite main dishes.  The best incarnations were of course, the simple ones:  Asian hoisin pork, spicy Mexican Carnitas, and a previous post - Cuban pulled pork.

My parents were in town, and I wanted to make them something healthy and delicious.  I had to work during the day, so I laid out all the ingredients ahead of time, and had my husband and mom get everything started late afternoon so the pork would have a few hours to cook.

Slow Roasted Home Cooking Piggy Goodness

In a dutch oven or heavy skillet - 

Brown seasoned pork in some olive oil, onions, and spices

(I chose boneless pork ribs, with s&p, red onions, garlic, ginger)

Add sauce

(I mixed tomatoes, chipotles, raspberry jam, soy sauce, vinegar)

(Or choose a bottled marinade, sauce, or dressing you like)

Simmer covered for 2 hours

Steam a green

(I chose swiss chard)

Squeeze lemon on top

Mixed Potato Greatness:

Chop a selection of potatoes

(I chose red, purple, fingerling, and sweet)

Brush with olive oil, spread on a pan, throw in the oven for 30 min

Sea salt and parsley top this nicely

(I also added sauteed leeks)

Spices. Like Ginger, Sporty, Baby.

If I were a completely dated pop reference, I'd be scary spice.  I love trying new spices, new uses for old spices, and spices that aren't spices, like the Spice Girls.

Flavoring your dishes shouldn't be left to just salt and pepper.  The greatest way to change up a dish is to add a little fresh flavor!

I simplify into 3 categories, fresh herbs, fresh produce, and bottled spices.  Herbs are my favorite, parsley and cilantro are always in our kitchen.  We grow them in pots in our garden, but picking them up at the store is just as great!

The kings of fresh spice are certainly ginger and garlic.  I keep a bowl on the counter and slice it up as needed.

We cook a ton of Asian food, and although I just got some fresh Szechuan peppercorns from a friend (incredible flavor) - I admit, this is an area where there are a few packaged items.  Sriracha, as you know, is insanely popular in all sorts of cooking now.  Beyond that, I just go to the local Asian market (try it, who cares if you can't read what it says!) and pick up random bottles of flavor.

To really spice up your life, spice up your kitchen!  Once you start learning to add flavor to your fresh produce, you will really surprise yourself at how gourmet your meals can be.

Go ginger!

Taco Hell Pie...Gross, Amy

Never eat fast food.  Never.  However, many of us grew up with fast food occasionally in our diets, and sometimes you have a random craving for something disgusting... in my case, it was Mexican Pizza.  Gross.  I probably haven't had one of these horrible, Taco Hell pies in about 20 years, but it popped into my head, so I decided to make my own... Mexican Pizza.

Still not the healthiest meal on the planet, but when made with fresh ingredients, it really cures any random greasy food craving you have!  It is of course, really easy, and made me think - it's possible to turn any dish ever into a healthy delight in your own kitchen.

Mexican Pizza

Cook meat in a skillet

(I used ground turkey)

Add hot sauce and spices

(I chose Tapatio & Sriracha)

(I chose red jalapeno peppers)

Put tortillas on cookie sheet

(I chose corn, whole wheat would be best)

Add thin layer of cheese

(I shredded cheddars)

Add onions

(I chose white)

Add tomatoes

(I chose yellow)

Add herbs

(I chose cilantro)

Place tortilla on top

Top with thin layer of cheese

Heat in oven until cheese melts

Slice into triangles

Serve with something like fresh steamed kale to make yourself feel better about having thoughts of fast food.  (Don't forget to squeeze a lemon on that kale! YUM)

You can turn any meal you can imagine into a home cooked healthy version with the right ingredients. 

In Living Color: GREEN

Kermit the Frog said it best - it's not easy being green.  However, it is easy eating green.  Green vegetables are one of the most inexpensive ways of getting so many important nutrients our bodies need - and I swear to you, cooked well, all greens are delicious.

We eat something green with every single meal we have.  Sounds daunting, but cooking with green veggies is the cheapest, quickest, and healthiest way to add awesome to your meals.  Whether mild, earthy, peppery, tart, or tangy - greens can thrill your palate.

Greens are super high in dietary fiber, contain little to no fat when prepared well, not to mention rich in folic acid, vitamins A and C, potassium and magnesium - to name a few.  Leafy greens especially contain a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals.  Greens contain calcium and iron, and lead the market in available vitamin K.

My greatest secret, and best advice for green truck - LEMON.  If it's green, it tastes better with lemon...  I steam greens all the time, take them out, squeeze lemon on them, and serve them to guests who rave "why do these taste so good, I usually hate kale but this is great!" For a heartier green prep, use olive oil in a pan, garlic, s&p, and lemon - sautee and enjoy.

If you become tired of spinach, asparagus, and broccoli, try something more exotic.  You'll find greens in your local produce section you may not recognize - bring them home, steam them, lemon them - see how they taste.  I love swiss chard, flowering kale, beet greens, and sweet pea tendrils.  Kale happens to be a favorite of mine, full of folate your body needs to regenerate DNA.

In cold dishes, when lettuce bores you, reach for endive, cabbage, or arugula.

Toss sprouts on a salad or sandwich, add green peppers to spice your dishes.  Try green beans, string beans, wax beans, and Chinese beans.  Broccolini is great for Italian meals, celery adds crunch to stir frys and soups.  Artichokes on the grill are so yummy.  There are so many options to try, and for the same amount you'd throw in a vending machine for a snack.  Get some green today!

Never forget Brussels sprouts.  Never.

Twilight: Veggie Bites

Vampires.  They have nothing to do with this post about fresh vegetarian snacks.  However, you could use garlic in both dishes, making these snacks the perfect herbaceous dishes for keeping vampires away, should you find a need.  (Use on bad vampires only)

Vegetables don't have to be boring, and for those vegetarians out there, veggies often need a new look, as it's easy to get in a rut with herbivore dishes.  This week I made two interesting veggie combos that would be great as a lunch, snack, side dish, or in mass quantities as party bites.  Both of these snacks can be made with ANY garden food you have on hand.

Kitchen Sink Dumplings

Chop and steam all veg

(I chose red cabbage, sweet potatoes, celery, red onion, green onion, cilantro)

Mix all chopped veg

Add sauce

(I used soy, lime, hoisin)

Spoon mixture into dumplings

Put water on fingers and seal dumplings 

Heat oil in a pan

(I used sesame)

Sear one side of dumpling

Add splash of water to hot pan

(watch out for splash of hot oil)

Cover immediately and cook until clear

One side of the dumpling will be brown and crispy

The face up side will be clear and steamed

Serve with dipping sauce

(I used soy, sriracha, lime, cilantro)

Kitchen Sink Croquettes

Grate veggies into strands

(I chose squash and carrots)

Add chopped onions

(I chose red)

Add chopped herbs

(I chose parsley)

Add crushed crackers

(I used whole wheat saltines)

Mix with one egg

S&P

Make small balls with hands

Heat oil in pan

(I chose olive oil)

Press balls flat in pan

Flip when brown on edges

When I made these croquettes I used them as a side dish (sorry plant-eaters) and served alongside an apple spiced pork tenderloin.  Croquettes work for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and are great with any dipping sauce you can create.

Sink your teeth in!

This Is Some BS!

Wondering what veggie to cook tonight?  Try cooking up a bunch of BS!  Brussels Sprouts rule our kitchen as the favorite vegetable side.  I know there are some faces turning inside out at the thought of this kid-unfriendly dish, but I've converted a lot of disbelievers.  B-sprouts, when prepared well, are divine.

It's all about finding the taste that appeals to you, as these little garden bites are so great at soaking up flavor, it's like they were built for it.

As they are green in color, I use the old saying "if it's green, it needs lemon or it won't taste as good"... All green veggies rock when lemon-ized.

I've seen a ton of recipes with bacon, and while I'm sure it's good, I'm of the opinion that this dish can stay vegetarian, and taste even better, mouth-watering and alive.

Sprout On The Town

Cut BS stems off

Slice BS in half

Heat oil in a pan

(I chose olive oil)

Add garlic

Add onions

(I chose red)

Add nuts

(I chose walnuts)

Place BS face down in pan

Squeeze citrus on top

(I chose lemon)

When faces are brown, flip

Stir around, add more lemon

You could try an Asian version, choose sesame for your oil, orange for your citrus, almonds for your nuts.  A sweet version could involve grapefruit, ginger, and pecans... anything you can find, as usual.

Brussels sprouts arrived in America when french settlers brought them in to Louisiana.  Maybe a cajun version would be in order - creole spices!

Get sprout of the closet, let these veggies express themselves!