Discourse on Chili

Chili is a contentious subject in our house. J asserts that (vegetarian) chili is all about beans and not much else. Perhaps because we didn't have it when I was growing up and I was introduced to it by housemates after I had become vegetarian, my idea of chili is probably more the hippie version. When I make chili I want it to be a one-dish meal, so I use a lot of vegetables. Even though tonight's chili contained 3 cans of beans, the first words our of J's mouth were "Where are the beans?" Needless to say there were plenty, but the vegetables were also visible and plentiful and still maintained their flavors. I usually add some bulgar a few minutes before serving, to absorb extra liquid. I hate watery chili, J hates when I add bulgar. But tonight I wanted to serve it over some leftover rice, and it didn't seem to need thickening anyway.

This recipe makes 6-8 large servings, at about 2 cups each. Enough for another dinner and lunch and maybe freezing some too.

Chili

• 1 large fennel bulb, about 1.75 lb., chopped chunky (if not using fennel, use a small onion and 2 stalks of celery)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 T cumin
• lots of freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder (or cayenne plus oregano)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped in various size pieces
• 2 small zucchini, about 1" in diameter
• 1 thin white sweet potato, cubed
• about 10 mini carrots, chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, roasted on gas burner, sweated in paper bag, then peeled & seeded
• 2 or 3 c lapsang suchong tea
• 1 large can fire-roasted tomatoes, chopped (Muir Glen organic, very thick)
• 2 15-oz cans chili bean mix (black, pinto and kidney beans)
• 1 25-oz can kidney beans
• handful fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 c chopped parsley
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro
• 1 T almond butter (peanut butter works too, but don't overdo it)
• optional: 1 tsp brown sugar

In large dutch oven, heat some olive oil and add the fennel. When it starts to wilt, add peppers, mushroom, sweet potato, carrot and zucchini. Other good things to add include celery and parsnips (for the record, J thinks root vegetables have no place in chili). Add the tea and cook until the vegetables are nearly done. Then add tomatoes and beans. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and some of the beans start to dissolve, thickening the mixture (you could hold half the beans until later so that stay intact). Add herbs toward the end, especially cilantro, which loses flavor after it cooks for awhile (or save the cilantro for garnish). The whole thing takes about 45 minutes.

A note on lapsang souchong: I use this tea because it lends a nice smoky flavor. I have also used coffee (one cup) and/or a little bit of chocolate to give the chili a nice rich background flavor. I think coffee/chocolate works especially well with black beans (you can substitute black beans for the large can of kidney beans).

To serve: Pour about 2 cups chili over 1 cup rice in individual bowls. Top with:

• finely chopped scallions, 1-2 per person
• lowfat sour cream
• grated cheese (monterey jack is good)

Measuring, Baking, Substituting and Improvising Part I

People have asked me whether I measure when I cook. While I rarely do when making most entrees or salads -- that's when I do a lot of improvising -- I think baking requires precision. For example, if you don't level your measuring cup when you are measuring out flour (I use a knife handle), you could easily be 25% off -- a difference that's meaningful in terms of texture as well as taste. On the other hand, I do think that life's too short to sift flour; I reduce the amount by about 20% if a recipe calls for sifted flour. And contrary to popular belief, sifting doesn't really blend ingredients well; for that I use a balloon whisk.

Leavening does demand proper proportions, and a recipe can taste salty or bitter if you use too much baking soda or powder. In fact, too much baking powder can make a cake fall! So do it right: 1 tsp baking powder (measured, leveled) per cup of flour. If your recipe is acidic (citrus, brown sugar, yogurt, buttermilk, etc) you need to substitute baking soda for some of the powder. But NB that 1 tsp baking powder is equal in leavening power to only 1/4 tsp baking soda! So a standard muffin recipe that calls for 2 c flour would have 2 tsp baking powder, but 1 tsp baking powder plus 1/4 tsp. soda if you're using buttermilk instead of milk. If you really want to understand why, read pages 73-4 of Shirley Corriher's Cookwise, a book worth owning.

Banana Bread

I got tired of seeing little baggies of bananas everywhere I looked in my freezer. We like to keep fresh bananas in the house all the time, but sometimes they ripen too fast. And J is picky -- they have to be firm. Even though I frequently use the softer ones in smoothies, I end up with extras, so I peel & freeze them. But it always seems like they accrue faster than I can use them. This recipe was an experiment that we considered successful, so I'll make it again. It reduces the calories by cutting out some of the dairy fat, and it uses way more bananas than any recipe I've seen, requiring a lot less sugar. Substitute cinnamon if you don't like cardamom. Note: this is not a banana cake. People who want cake should use a sweeter, buttery recipe.

Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F. Flour and butter a 5" x 9" loaf pan or a mini-bundt pan.

• 2/3 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/3 c unbleached white flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 tsp cardamom

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl. In the bowl of a mixer, beat up the following, mixing thoroughly before adding the next ingredient:

• 2 T butter (unsalted)
• 3 T canola oil
• 1/3 c dark brown sugar, packed
• 5-6 defrosted bananas (they will be very soft, so no need to mash first)
• 6 oz (small package) nonfat Greek yogurt (or kefir, other plain yogurt or buttermilk)
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla

Add dry ingredients to wet, beating on low, then increase to medium for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the last two ingredients and mix just enough to distribute:

• 1 c coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts
• 1/2 c dried cranberries (if they need rejuvenating, add 1 t water or rum and microwave for 30 seconds, then let sit)

Pour into pan. It will be thick. Cook for 30 minutes in mini-bundt or 55 minutes in loaf pan, or until tester comes out clean. Cool at least 5 minutes in pan, then turn upside down and cool on racks. Loaf makes about 8-10 slices; the 6 mini-bundts can each be shared by two people.

Date-Nut Bread

I had a package of baking dates that had been in the pantry at least a year. J mentioned that she loved date-nut bread from her childhood, so I decided to give it a try. Found a recipe online, but I ended up changing it pretty significantly (increased dates, decreased sugar, added an egg white and substituted oil for some butter). She enjoyed it. It's pretty sweet, and definitely works well spread with some neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese) either at room temperature or slightly heated. You can slice it horizontally or in wedges, but not as thin as you would bread.

Makes 6 mini bundt cakes, which is at least 12 servings.

• 11 oz pitted dates (1 package, about 1.5 cups)
• ¾ c boiling water
• 1.5 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 T butter
• 3 T oil
• ¾ c light brown sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp grated lemon peel
• juice from one lemon
• 1 c coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter & flour a mini-bundt cake pan.

Combine the boiling water and dates in bowl and let cool, at least 15 minutes.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a small bowl. In bowl of mixer, beat butter, add oil and continue to beat. Add sugar, then eggs, lemon juice and peel. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternatively with eh date mixture in 2 additions. Stir in nuts. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake bread until tester comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pan for a few minutes, then invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keeps several days.

Quick & glorious shrimp and side salads

J was so in love with this dinner, she insisted that I blog about it. I resisted because there's no mystery here, except for great ingredients and attention to cooking. I have to give credit to Weavers Way for the fresh and juicy shrimp, and to the garlic-infused olive oil. I crushed a few cloves of garlic and soak in a small measuring cup with 1/4 c olive oil. Stir and let it sit for awhile (hours if possible), then discard the garlic. Do this to get great garlic flavor without burned bits of garlic in the dish. Use any leftovers in salad dressing.

• 0.7 lbs shrimp (around 15), peeled to the tail and deveined.
• olive oil to coat bottom of pan
• 1 tsp hot paprika (or maybe cumin for variety)
• a few wedges of lemon
• some wine

I used a cast iron pan. Get it very hot before adding oil, then make sure the oil is hot before adding shrimp. Lay shrimp in a single layer. Add fresh black pepper and paprika. When shrimps start to show a little gold and release from the pan, turn them over, add more pepper and paprika. Don't overcook! Plate the shrimp and add a little salt. Toss wine and a squeeze of lemon into the pan, scape any bits off the bottom. Let it foam up and reduce. Pour over shrimp, add more lemon if you want. This shrimp is so good, you don't even need the sauce.

I served this alongside various prepared salads from WW co-op that I doctored up:

• Lentil salad: I added chopped scallions and served it on top of lightly dressed radicchio
• Steamed green beans (cooled), chopped tomato and crumbled feta with basil in a vinaigrette
• Beet salad: for J only (I hate beets), I did nothing to it

Accidental Soup

It cooled down suddenly and we felt like soup. Plus, I couldn't think what else to make. I pretty much just used what was in the fridge, as canned tomatoes and chickpeas had been used in a curry the night before. This turned out great. Serves two as the main dish, 4 as first course.

• 1/2 vidalia onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 stalks celery
• 2 cubes vegetable bouillon (unsalted)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced thin or halved and sliced
• 1-2 cups diced tomatoes (canned)
• 1/2 can/cup chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 c Israeli couscous (pasta)
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 t cumin
• 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• large handful baby arugula
• 2 T grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 1 seeded mini-baguette, sliced at an angle about 1/2 inch thick (about 8 slices)
• 1/4 c good olive oil, divided

Saute onion in olive oil. When soft, add garlic and celery and cook a couple more minutes. Then add at least 2 cups water and the veggie bouillon cubes. When cubes are dissolved, add tomato, mushrooms, chickpeas, cumin, salt, pepper, couscous and zucchini. Cook at least 10 minutes, adding water when necessary. While the soup is cooking, crush 2-3 cloves garlic in a small bowl and swish around with olive oil. Brush oil on bread slices and bake at 450°F in toaster oven. Watch carefully.

When the zucchini is soft and couscous is al dente, add basil and arugula and cook another minute or two. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle parmesan or romano. Serve bowls on dinner plates and transfer toasts to plates.

J's likes and dislikes

This is just a list to help me remember:

LIKES

• Flax cereal
• Steak: strip, sirloin (but can be tough), filet mignon
• Chicken: marinated with an acid, coated and sauteed
• cold milk, chocolate milk
• sandwiches: roast turkey, provolone, romaine, pepper spread or peppadews, balsamic vinegar or something to moisten & perk up
• artichoke hearts from jar or can
• pork loin, esp in garlic/mustard & breadcrumb/parmesan/herb
• mango salsa
• kidney beans

DISLIKES

• club steak
• boring chicken
• chutney on turkey and cheese sandwiches (tired of it)
• fresh artichokes -- too hard to eat
• cold fruit, berries
• whole wheat couscous

Blueberry Pancakes and Three Hummingbirds!

Last night a ten-year-old friend came for a sleepover. After we got rid of his mom and her partner, we made two great pizzas (will post on pizza another time) and salad for dinner. This morning we got up, played video games and lazily headed down for breakfast, famished. H requested pancakes, but we were out of maple syrup. We did have a pint of fresh New Jersey blueberries, though. Personally, I find blueberry pancakes a bit disappointing: the pancake is a little soggy right around the blueberries, and the berries are liquified and have no texture (they also stick to the griddle). With this recipe I solved that problem and the lack of syrup as well.

Pancakes (makes 4 servings)

• 1 2/3 c unbleached white flour
• 1/3 c buckwheat flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 c milk (2% this time) add another 1-2 T if you like them flatter
• 1/4 c rapeseed oil or mix of oil and melted butter
• 2 whole eggs

Syrup

• 1 pint blueberries
• 2 t lemon or to taste

Heat griddle to 350°F.

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in smaller bowl and add all at once to dry ingredients. Mix, but don't overbeat -- it will have small lumps (I use a heatproof softly cupped spatula).

Spread a small amount of butter or oil on the griddle, wait a minute for it to get hot, then add batter with a ladle. Turn when the bubbles stop filling in (this recipe makes them pretty thick, you may not get many bubbles. Check the bottoms).

Wash the blueberries. In a small saucepan on med-low, add about 1/3 of them with a small amount of water, just to keep them from burning. Add lemon juice. You can also add a little honey or jam. Just before serving, add the rest of the blueberries,. They will warm up a little but keep their shape, taste and consistency. Turn off burner.

While we were eating on the back porch, we had the usual morning display of birds fighting for turns at the nyger seed feeder -- baby house sparrows, goldfinches and downy woodpeckers. Jeanne cleaned out the birdbath (a new addition: large shallow bowl on 2' stump, with a large rock inside) and the catbirds came to it immediately. Then we got a surprise: three hummingbirds at once in our small (20' by 20') yard. One got into a tiff with another and drove it off. It happened too fast to see if any were male (We had a male in early summer but at this time of year we normally have only females and juveniles). This is the first time we've been sure that there were three different hummers. Since I first planted native monarda (red bee balm) in the late '90s, it's been spreading throughout the mostly shady back part of the yard and has made it a magnet for hummingbirds. In my first ten years here I almost never saw hummingbirds; now it's pretty much guaranteed if you wait five or ten minutes. J's theory is that our yard is a territorial borderline. Or possibly, the third just strayed or is getting ready to migrate? We'll keep an eye out to see if there's a male around. Sorry girls, they're just so much prettier with that ruby red throat.

Scallops and Asparagus

What could be better than sauteed scallops and delicate spears of asparagus? The only thing we needed was a piece of crusty bread to sop up the extra sauce. Did I mention that I have high cholesterol and avoid cooking with butter? It's unnecessary in this dish, but if you want to add a little to the sauce to make it richer, go ahead.

2/3 lb dry (untreated) sea scallops, Jersey fresh

1/2 lb asparagus, preferably narrow spears

2 T olive oil

black pepper

Sauce

2 T orange juice (or juice of a whole blood orange and omit the lemon)

juice of 1/2 large lemon

1/4 c or more, white wine

dash salt

Heat two sauté pans (if possible, use cast iron for the scallops and keep it on high). While they are heating, snap the ends off the asparagus and break in half, dividing into two piles of ends and tips. Thoroughly rinse the scallops and dry on a paper towel (this dish works only for dry, untreated scallops; wet scallops give off too much water in the pan and won't caramelize). Grind fresh black pepper over the scallops.

Add olive oil to both pans and wait until it's very hot. You can add a little smashed garlic, but take it out after a minute so it doesn't burn. Add asparagus ends to one pan, shake/stir now and then.

Into heavier pan, place scallops pepper side down, leaving space around them, and grind more pepper on top. Turn them once, only after they have formed a golden crust.

Add tips to asparagus, squeeze a little lemon over them and a tiny bit of sugar and some salt. Stir occasionally. Test, and if done early, done turn heat way down and leave in pan to stay warm.

When scallops are golden on both sides, remove to plates and quickly add the sauce ingredients to the pan. It will bubble up. With a spatula, scrape the pan so little bits of scallop dissolve in the sauce. When it is reduced by at least half (a minute or two), pour over scallops.

J mentioned that we should have had something to sop up the extra sauce. A piece of bread, some couscous, or roasted or mashed potatoes would have been great.

Taste of China

Our outstanding meal last week in Toronto was at Taste of China. After an early evening at the Art Gallery Ontario (free Wednesdays from 6:00 PM to 8:30) we walked over to Chinatown and tried this place (338 Spadina Ave., 416.348.8828). They specialize in live seafood, with a wide range of fish, shellfish & bivalves available (I avoided looking in the tanks). The patrons were nearly all Chinese, and there was a Chinese blackboard with specials on it. Around us people were eating dishes heaped with whole fish, lobster, mussels and oysters. But this evening we were craving green vegetables! We decided to trust our waiter to help us out. He brought us two dishes, both excellent: garlic shoots and tiger shrimp in black bean sauce, and snowpea leaves and king mushrooms in garlic sauce. I hadn't had either of these vegetables before. The snowpea leaves were similar to spinach. The garlic shoots were tender, crunchy and a bright green, sort of a cross between shallots and asparagus. The shrimp was perfectly done -- extra juicy and flavorful, with a light touch on the black bean sauce. I'm going to look for these ingredients next time I'm in Chinatown (Philly) and will edit this entry when I make them!

Green Mango Salad

I was in Toronto last week. A most memorable dish was this salad at Happy Thai on West Queen West. (I was the only customer there for a late lunch, so needless to say the service was excellent as well.) I tried duplicating it at home, but my dressing just wasn't the same. It was good though! My recipe for two follows:

Salad

• Green (slightly hard) mango, sliced into fat matchsticks (one small or 1/2 large)
• 1/3 sweet red pepper, also sliced in thin strips
• some red onion, sliced a bit chunky
• crushed peanuts
• whole roasted cashews (ok to use salted)
• cilantro, some chopped fine and some for garnish
• cucumber and orange slice for garnish
• large piece of lettuce for the base
• optional: carrot, sliced into very fine matchsticks

Dressing

• juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
• 1 tsp Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar dissolved in 2 tsp warm water
• 1/2 tsp spicy toasted sesame oil, or to taste, since this is the source of hot peppers
• 1 tsp pickapeppa (I wanted to get tamarind flavor in there somewhere, since I didn't have any in the house)

Arrange the salad ingredients on the plate, then whisk together the dressing and pour over.

Key Lime Pie, Deconstructed

This is a perfect summer dessert, and it's easy enough for a kid to make. It's so easy I almost don't want to post it and give away my secret! OK, it's not the traditional recipe. But it has very little fat and cholesterol, so it's my kind of dessert. In winter I'd make a graham-cracker/gingersnap crust, but on a horribly hot and humid day, why bother? This serves 4-6.

• zest of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice. I've used key limes, but it took 16 of them and my wrists were killing me by the time I finished squeezing 32 half-limes. This took 3 good juicy ones at room temperature.
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (use low-fat if you can find it, and you can cut the calories & sat. fat)
• 2 ginger snaps per serving

Zest the limes before cutting in half and juicing. In a non-reactive bowl whisk the lime juice, zest and milk. Pour into small serving dishes or espresso/cappuccino cups. Stack or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or freeze at least 2 hours.

When getting ready to serve, break up ginger snaps and sprinkle on top. If you want to be fancy, reduce them to crumbs and spread on top so the little cups look like cappuccino.

Summer Grilling: Cedar Plank Flounder and Shrimp

This dish went over really well. I had two pieces (0.6 lb total) of flounder and 0.5 lb of shrimp for the two of us.

• Soak the cedar plank for 2 hours in water
• Start the coals.
• Make a quick marinade of olive oil, add a ton of garlic put through a press, some lemon, pepper and some crab boil (very salty, so don't add more salt).
• Cut a zucchini lengthwise and brush with the oil.
• Skewer the shrimp and brush them and the flounder filets all over with the oil.
• When the coals are ready, put the cedar plank on the grill for 2 minutes, flip it and put the fish on the hot side. Cover the grill and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the shrimp, flip the zucchini, and cover again.

Serve with a large mound of salsa: a mix of chopped mango, red onion, tomato, poblano pepper, lime juice, black beans, and cooked corn cut from the cob.

Yum. The cedar flavor really came through the mild fish.

Salsa, tortillas, and lunch

J asked me to blog about this because she worked from home today and thought lunch was fantastic. It was another simple faux-Mexican dish, and it took only a few minutes to make on our wonderful stovetop griddle. Of course, that was because I made the salsa this morning (warning: don't handle hot peppers before inserting contact lenses, even with hand-washings and a shower in between).

Quesadillas

Heat griddle to 350°F and coat lightly with oil. Heat 4 white corn tortillas until golden, turn and add a sprinkling of cheeses: I used ricotta salada and Monterey Jack. When the cheese is hot, add a tablespoon of black beans (if it's out of the can, rinse first) and 2 T salsa. Fold and eat!

Mango-Black Bean Salsa

1 small mango, diced 1/4"

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed well

juice of 1 lime

1 small tomato, chopped

1 small poblano pepper, chopped very fine

1/4 c chopped red bell pepper,

1/2 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

cilantro, added prior to serving

Mix everything in a non-reactive bowl and let sit for a few hours

Ice Tea

4 c water

1 x-large plain black tea bag

handful of fresh mint

Steep the tea bag for 5 minutes. Chop and add fresh mint leaves, or bruise with the back a knife if you don't want to strain it. Let cool off and pour into a pitcher. Chill.

I don't know why J insisted that I include the tea. I figure everyone knows how to do this. Right?

The trickiest part of this whole meal is finding good, fresh corn tortillas. At supermarkets that carry them (not our local ones) they are made in NY and are full of preservatives (and they do last forever). Last week I bought a bag of blue corn tortillas at Whole Foods, only to find they were moldy when I got them home -- well before the expiration date! Luckily I was at the Reading Terminal the other day and got a bag from 12th Street Cantina: fresh, local, preservative free. They're slightly heavier than the yellow corn variety and they taste great.

Light summer dinner: Scallop ceviche

I cruised through the Reading Terminal Market today after a job interview and was inspired to buy some seafood for a light dinner. Last time I made ceviche (from fish) it didn't go over too well, so I thought I'd try scallops this time. But which ones? Tiny bay scallops were $7/lb, large "wet" sea scallops were $14 and "dry" sea scallops were $18! Normally I'd buy the large dry (untreated) scallops because they caramelize so beautifully when I saute them, but I was going to cut these up anyway and I didn't want to bust my budget. One of the fishmongers had two Latino employees, and I asked their advice, but neither had heard of using scallops and they didn't seem to have personal experience making ceviche. Still, I wanted to use scallops. They're fresh and most come in through Cape May, NJ, about 100 miles from here. So I cruised the cookbook stall (no help) and epicurious (much better), and came up with the recipe below. The ceviche can be eaten as is (from a nice glass) or try preparing them like this in light soft tacos:

Scallop Ceviche

1/2 lb bay scallops, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1/4 c lemon juice (one large one)

1/4 c orange juice

1/3 red onion, finely sliced

1/2 red sweet bell pepper

about 1 t cayenne pepper (I was too lazy to deal with a real jalapeño)

1 tsp salt

In a glass bowl, combine juices, pepper, cayenne, salt and onion. Add scallops, toss and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. These were pretty spicy after an hour.

Tacos

1/2 avocado, in 1/2 inch chunks

4 white corn tortillas (I'm partial to 12th Street Cantina - authentic without preservatives)

finely chopped romaine lettuce

kernels from 1 ear of corn, cooked (microwaved 3 mins.)

chopped cilantro

To make the tacos, brush olive oil on 350°F griddle and warm tortillas until golden on both sides. Off the griddle, fold each tortilla and stuff with a bit of lettuce, corn, avocado and drained scallops. Sprinkle with a little fresh cilantro.

These were great. We made 4 (two each), but we had enough scallops for at least 6. We ate them on the back porch and drank a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale, which was smoky and well-balanced. We recommend it with Mexican food, or maybe in the winter with split pea soup.

Product endorsement, Mojito Salad recipe

Over the years, I've often wanted to buy a watermelon but didn't simply because I knew there was no room in the refrigerator. I missed it. So I was thrilled when they started selling those seedless "personal watermelons." Shout out to the farmer who developed them! They're also pretty nutritious, packed with Vitamins A and C and less than 50 calories per cup. Here's a way to dress them up and make them part of a meal rather than dessert.

I made this salad last week on a steamy 95 degree day. It's based on a recipe I got from my friend Susan S, but I changed the proportions (and omitted the cucumber because I didn't have one on hand). It made about 3-4 servings. If you use the whole watermelon, you may want to adjust the other ingredients to taste rather than doubling.

Mojito Salad

1/3 c red onion, thinly sliced

juice of 3 limeszest of one lime

1/2 medium jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 Cucumber, peeled and seeded, chopped into 1/3" chunks

1/2 small seedless "personal" watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lb. Strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise

1/3 c packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

3 T vegetable oil (I may leave this out next time)

1-2 T honey

½ t sea salt

1 T light rum

Use a glass bowl. Slice the onion and soak it in lime juice and zest for at least an hour. Chop everything else and add to the bowl. Combine the liquids, whisk, and add to bowl and toss. This salad gets better as it sits and the jicama absorbs the flavors from the dressing. It also gives off a lot of liquid, which you can pour off if it looks too soupy.

Mustard crusted chicken

Last night I made chicken for J and she loved it. She had leftovers today for lunch and sent me an email message telling me how great it was.

I haven't tasted chicken, or any other meat, since the day I started college (quite a long time ago). When I decided to start making meat dishes for J, this posed a challenge since I'm not willing to taste anything that touches the meat, including the sauces I make from deglazing the pan, etc. So I have no sense of my own about what flavorings really work with chicken, vs. pork or beef. But the chicken had reached its "sell-by" date so I had to do something with it. It was hot and humid, and getting late, so I didn't want to wait a half hour for coals on the grill. Instead, I turned on the toaster oven and decided to bake it with a coating I'd used previously on pork loin. Turns out it works for chicken too!

• Preheat oven to 400 •F.
• With a mortar & pestle, crush 2 cloves garlic with 1/2 tsp fennel seeds and add about 2 Tbsp stone ground mustard.
• Trim the chicken breasts by cutting down the middle and removing the tenders so the two breasts are relatively smooth on both sides.
• Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then coat with the mustard mixture. Do the same to the tenders.
• In a food processor or chopper, mix about 1/4 c grated parmesan with breadcrumbs made from 1 slices of whole wheat bread, and a healthy bunch of whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand (parsley, rosemary, thyme). Pour over the chicken and pat to make sure it sticks, covering the entire surface.
• Bake the 2 breasts for about 5 minutes or until the crumbs start to turn golden. At this point add the smaller pieces. Turn and bake until done.

Why I created this blog

I'm creating this blog mostly for me, at least for now. It's going to center on food and cooking. I'll post and critique my recipes, and record my partner J's feedback as well. Eventually I hope to make it an easy to search recipe book and reminder of favorite (and not so favorite) creations. If you, a reader, would like to comment on my recipes, I'd love to know what you think.

But food is more than a personal issue. Like many others, I struggle with many food-related issues: healthy consumption vs. over-consumption, my impact on the world's limited natural resources, food as social connection, and using food as a way to earn affection from my partner. These are rich subjects for introspection and discussion, so feel free to chime in.