I don't know if you ladies are near a Trader Joe's, but I've found as a teacher and a vegetarian (well, pescatarian) that I can subsist off of their whole wheat naan/hummus, whole wheat pizza dough and frozen options for that quick lunch or lazy dinner.
I used to think that TJs could do no wrong: cheaper produce, healthier choices and local options. But, then I tried their frozen soyrizo quiche and I had to take a step back. Then tonight I had another disappointing frozen option, so I thought, I wonder if the ladies at Eat This have tried other frozens I haven't and could save me some disappointment and money?
With that, my favorite frozen foods from TJs:
-Thai shrimp gyoza
-Cheese tamales
-Cheese enchilada
-Paneer tikka (their garlic naan is fantastic, too)
-Soy cream vanilla
And the ones to miss:
-Cheese/soy quiche (it will make you cry)
-Vegan Phad Thai with Tofu
-Curried Lentils (not horrific, but not awesome either)
-Breaded Cod (again, not terrible)
-Soy cream vanilla/mango mix
That's what I've got so far...most of these are probably just preferences, but I stand fully by my quiche statements. Please add to the lists if you care.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Food (Supposedly) From the Homeland: Korean Vegetable Croquettes
Funny, that I seem to only post about Korean food despite never really having eaten much Korean food before the age of 18. Oh well.
In accordance with one of my Spring Break resolutions (cooking real food made of things that don't require an ingredient list on the back of the box), I chose this Korean side dish as my first triumph. Whether or not this is really anything like anything served in Korea is up for debate, but I'm sure the woman from Goshen, IN who contributed this recipe really knows her stuff (probably not).
Korean Vegetable Croquettes
(From Extending the Table)
Mix together:
1 cup potatoes, coarsely grated
3/4 cup carrots, coarsely grated (you can actually use any veggie you want, but carrots are recommended)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or, if you're me, more)
Make batter of:
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
Stir batter into vegetables.
Heat in skillet 1/2 cup oil.
Drop vegetable mixture into hot oil by teaspoons or tablespoons depending on size desired. Fry until browned on both sides. Drain on paper. Serve hot.
Now, if you're like me (afraid of fire, oil, and geometrically afraid of fire and oil together), you'll likely not use all 1/2 cup of oil at once. However, if you don't, you'll probably end up using it all eventually, as the oil cooks off the pan (and soaks grossly and artery-cloggingly into the croquettes because it's not hot enough
and you have to let them sit in the oil for like 3 minutes). Bottom line: go big or go home (but be careful) - heat that sucker up with enough oil that the croquettes can sit in them and fry up quickly. Also, small is good here - they'll cook a lot faster.
I dipped mine in a little Teriyaki sauce (which, unfortunately, was not home made), water, and Sriracha (made by the Asian gods of awesome). I also cooked up some rice and stir fried some asparagus and chard in a little soy, water, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic (a la Kim circa 2006).
Then I thoroughly covered everything with more Sriracha (= the best).
In accordance with one of my Spring Break resolutions (cooking real food made of things that don't require an ingredient list on the back of the box), I chose this Korean side dish as my first triumph. Whether or not this is really anything like anything served in Korea is up for debate, but I'm sure the woman from Goshen, IN who contributed this recipe really knows her stuff (probably not).
Korean Vegetable Croquettes
(From Extending the Table)
Mix together:
1 cup potatoes, coarsely grated
3/4 cup carrots, coarsely grated (you can actually use any veggie you want, but carrots are recommended)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or, if you're me, more)
Make batter of:
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
Stir batter into vegetables.Heat in skillet 1/2 cup oil.
Drop vegetable mixture into hot oil by teaspoons or tablespoons depending on size desired. Fry until browned on both sides. Drain on paper. Serve hot.
Now, if you're like me (afraid of fire, oil, and geometrically afraid of fire and oil together), you'll likely not use all 1/2 cup of oil at once. However, if you don't, you'll probably end up using it all eventually, as the oil cooks off the pan (and soaks grossly and artery-cloggingly into the croquettes because it's not hot enough
and you have to let them sit in the oil for like 3 minutes). Bottom line: go big or go home (but be careful) - heat that sucker up with enough oil that the croquettes can sit in them and fry up quickly. Also, small is good here - they'll cook a lot faster.I dipped mine in a little Teriyaki sauce (which, unfortunately, was not home made), water, and Sriracha (made by the Asian gods of awesome). I also cooked up some rice and stir fried some asparagus and chard in a little soy, water, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic (a la Kim circa 2006).
Then I thoroughly covered everything with more Sriracha (= the best).Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sociable Soups
This year for lent I decided to invite folks to join me for dinner and a time of reflection every Wednesday from Ash Wednesday till Easter. I've really enjoyed intentionally setting this time aside to share a meal with others. What I haven't told my weekly guests is that they are also my excuse for trying new recipes...
The first week I tried this soup from Didi Emmons' Entertaining for a Veggie Planet (the second chapter of this cookbook is titled "sociable soups" hence the blog title...) :
Butternut and Ginger Soup
1 Tbs oil
2 onions, chopped
1/4 c peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 2lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 13.5 oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp of Asian chili sauce, or more to taste
3 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs peanuts, chopped and roasted for garnish
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat, Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, saute for 1 minute more.
Add the squash, coconut milk, and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is cooked through 20 minutes, Remove from heat.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add the chili sauce, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro, and serve!
Delicious!
The first week I tried this soup from Didi Emmons' Entertaining for a Veggie Planet (the second chapter of this cookbook is titled "sociable soups" hence the blog title...) :
Butternut and Ginger Soup
1 Tbs oil
2 onions, chopped
1/4 c peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 2lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 13.5 oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp of Asian chili sauce, or more to taste
3 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs peanuts, chopped and roasted for garnish
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat, Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, saute for 1 minute more.
Add the squash, coconut milk, and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is cooked through 20 minutes, Remove from heat.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add the chili sauce, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro, and serve!
Delicious!
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