Archive for category Vegetarian
Dinner for Three-Caprese Salad with Homemade Mozzarella
Posted by sanitymine in Dinner for Three, Fancy, Italian, Vegetarian on July 11, 2012
Simply delightful
Well, it seems that I am still a completely unreliable blogger. Some things may never change. Since my last apology for not posting often enough, my wonderful boyfriend and my almost as wonderful best friend and cooking partner have gotten an apartment together. Which leads to the introduction of a new series here at Engineer Food, Dinner for Three, in which me and Larry and sometimes Will prepare a recipe (often from Bon Apetite or the NY Times) and tell you what we think. This being the first installment, however, I feel no need to stick to an established pattern. I’m funny like that.
This time I am going to tell you about a fantastic birthday present that Larry gave me:
Clearly, I was planning on being part of this documentation as evidenced by my wearing an over-sized t-shirt
That’s right folks, a very fancy, Williams-Sonoma cheese making kit. I meant to take pictures the whole way, but I was completely occupied with the whole making mozzarella thing. Sue me. While I was separating my curds and whey and slowly cooking in the microwave. Larry sliced up some tomatoes and bread and retrieved basil from the fridge.
So damn pretty
Anyway, about 50 minutes after that horrific picture of me was taken, one gallon of whole pasteurized (but not ultra-pasteurized) milk was turned (with the careful addition of citric acid, rennet and some cheese salt) into one pound of mozzarella cheese.
Alright, the texture was a little off but it tasted right.
For Caprese Salad:
- 2 Ripe Jersey Tomatoes, sliced
- 1 Loaf of Bread, sliced
- 1 Sprig of Basil
- 1 lb Mozzarella Cheese (Making it at home optional)
- Kosher Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
Difficulty Level-Extraordinarily Easy
Before eating, generously salt and pepper the tomato slices.
Cut each slice of bread in half, if they are significantly bigger than the tomatoes. On each half, place several small pieces of mozzarella, a tomato slice, some basil and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Eat with a fork and knife or be a savage and just dig right on in. Enjoy with a light white whine (chilled Chardonnay pictured above).
Legume Week Day 2-Bowties with White Beans and Carrots
Posted by sanitymine in Budget, reddit, Vegetarian on May 22, 2012
Hello, and welcome to day two of my semi-annual Week on the Cheap! This year the ingredient is Legumes!
The Rules:
- Each meal must come in at under $3 a serving
- Each meal must be bean based
- Each meal must be healthy (This one is easier with beans than it was with Ramen.)
Today’s adventure is Bowties with White Beans and Carrots at $0.60 a serving. This is a fast recipe because I had all of an hour to get home from class, cook, eat and get back to class. At the same time, it would be a great lunch for kids because the beans give it a nice buttery texture and the carrots give it a nice sweetness.
For Bowties with White Beans and Carrots:
- 1/2 Box of Farfarelle (Bowtie) Pasta-$0.88
- 1 Carrot, peeled and diced-$0.15
- 1 Can White Beans, drained-$0.75
- 1 tbs Olive Oil, and a pinch each of garlic powder and salt-$0.2
Look at all those ingredients
Total cost for 3 Servings-$1.80
Difficulty Level-Junior High Student
Time required-20 minutes
Start boiling water for pasta. Put the white beans in a pot with some salt, olive oil and garlic powder and heat over medium heat. In a microwave safe container, nuke the carrot bits for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the carrots to the beans and allow to cook until the pasta is finished.
Eat quickly and run to class.
Tune in tomorrow for Day 3-(Almost) Vegan Chili
Legume Week Day 1-Lentil Barley Soup
Posted by sanitymine in Budget, reddit, Vegetarian on May 21, 2012
So as some of you are aware, I am a college student. Finals week has just passed. This means, for those of you who don’t remember, that I have spent the entire last week eating at pizza and burger joints. because studying had left me with neither the time nor the energy to cook. That means that this week, I am a poor college student! That’s right kiddies, it’s my Week on the Cheap. Last semester I did Ramen Week. This time, it’s Legume Week!
For those of you who don’t remember, I have 3 rules:
- Each meal must come in at under $3 a serving
- Each meal must be bean based
- Each meal must be healthy (This one is easier with beans than it was with Ramen.)
My first foray (my warm-up, if you will) was a delicious and hearty Lentil Barley Soup coming in at a whomping $0.75 a serving.
Cheap and Satisfying
For Lentil Barley Soup:
1 cup Lentil Beans-$0.60
1 cup Barley-$0.50
1 (large) can Spiced Crushed Tomatoes-$1.79
2 Carrots-$0.30
1 Small Onion-$0.35
3 Celery Stalks-$0.20
3 Sodium-Free Beef Boullion Packets-$0.75
Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder and Red Pepper Flakes-~$0.02
Get them
Total Cost for 6 Servings: $4.50
Difficulty Level-College Student
Time Required-60 minutes
In the heaviest pot you have, heat 2 tbs Olive Oil and as much of each of the spices as your little heart can bear over medium heat.
Now chop up those vegetables
Like so
By the time you finish chopping, those spices should be turning a nice golden brown. Throw them veggies in on top. While you are waiting for them to cook, boil some water for your barley.
This is a good time to read the barley package for cooking instructions
Go back to your veggies, are they soft yet? Awesome. Throw some canned tomatoes and about two cups of water all up in there.
Starting to look like some goddam soup
Let that come to a gentle simmer. Then add not one, not two but three whole beef boullion packets. and mix that shit in.
Oh the beefy goodness
Meanwhile, look: your water is boiling! Measure yourself a cup of barley, dump it in, cover it, turn it to low and go do something else for 20 minutes.
Back? Good.
Now measure yourself a cup of lentils and dump that in to the soup. Go ahead, don’t be shy, mix it in! Now go back to what you were doing for another 20 minutes.
Once you are drawn back by the tantalizing scents coming from your kitchen, throw the barley in the soup and suddenly:
deliciousness
Tune in tomorrow for Pasta with Canneloni Beans!
Roasted Red Peppers
Posted by sanitymine in Budget, Italian, Vegetarian on April 23, 2012
Everyone has a list of things that they simply will not pay for. If roasted red peppers aren’t on your list then they should be. You can pay up to $10 for a bottle of them OR you can make them yourself for the cost of red peppers (~$1/lb around me). Your call.
For Roasted Red Peppers:
- 2-6 Red Bell Peppers
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 3 tbs Olive Oil
Preheat the oven to 450F. Place rinsed and dried peppers a hot, dry pan on high heat and cover. Turn every 5 minutes or so until peppers are evenly blackened (about 20 minutes). Place the peppers on an aluminum lined cookie sheet in the oven for one hour.
Do Laundry or some other productive thing (I watched Myth Busters).
Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a brown paper bag until they are cool enough to handle. This allows them to steam a little bit (yay residual heat). Once they have cooled, remove the skin by gently rolling the pepper between your hands and peeling it off (similar to a hard boiled egg). Pull the pepper apart into strips and carefully remove any seeds. Put finished strips in a bowl with olive oil and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Will keep, refrigerated, indefinitely (I don’t actually know how long they keep because I usually eat them all right away).
Fried Hearts of Romaine and Broiled Brussels Sprouts
Posted by sanitymine in Vegetarian on November 7, 2011
What do you know. Apparently posting three times in one week and having three tests in two leaves me with no time to cook and make new posts for you lovely people. I finally had time the other day to make a quick dinner of Hearts of Romaine fried in an olive oil mixture. It was super simple and super delicious and, for those who need to eat on a budget, it comes in at around $0.70 a head (no pun intended).
You need:
One Romain Heart per person (Half if this is part of a larger meal)
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion Powder and Red Pepper Flakes to taste.
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| I wasn’t able to get a photo before my boyfriend decided he needed to try it… |
I was also able to try a recipe that a friend of mine gave me ages ago for broiled Brussels Sprouts. To all of you nay-sayers out there, here me out. Brussels sprouts can be delicious, you just need to cook them long enough that they stop tasting like sprouts.
Ramen Week Day One: Ramen with Spinach and Tomato Sauce
Posted by sanitymine in Italian, reddit, Vegetarian on October 20, 2011
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| Yay? |
Here are the rules:
- Every day for one week, I must have at least one ramen based meal.
- I refuse to use flavor packs
- The meal must be healthy
- It must cost under $5.00 per serving
- 1/2 Package of Spinach (The other half to be used for a salad for dinner): $1.25
- 4 Chicken Tenders (From a package of 22 purchased for $7.26): $0.70
- 1 Can of Chopped Tomatoes: $1.25
- 2 Packages of Ramen: $0.36
First thing’s first. Put a pot on to boil for your ramen packets.
While you are waiting for that, steam your spinach by putting a large amount of it in a pan over medium heat and cover it tightly until the spinach is thoroughly wilted.
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| Actually yay. I love spinach. |
Once that is achieved, put in to the pan a healthy dollop of olive oil and the can of tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, a touch of lemon juice and, if you are a fan of spicy, some red pepper flakes and sriracha (rooster) sauce.
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| Easy? Yes. Delicious? Abso-freaking-lutely. |
Bring that to a boil and then bring it down to a simmer until the rest of the meal is complete. While that is happening and you are waiting for the ramen to cook, pull out another pan and throw in some chicken with olive oil. Once that and ramen are finished, throw everything in a bow and enjoy!
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| Pretty colors, shitty presentation. |
Tomorrow: Ramen and Steak Stir Fry
Peanut Sauce for reddit
Posted by sanitymine in reddit, Vegetarian on September 22, 2011
I put out an offer on reddit last week to create a blog post based on any requests that redditors had to offer. The first response was from user nicksterluv:
What about a (cheap) peanut sauce? My favorite thing to order at the local Thai restaurant is a vegetable curry with peanut sauce, but I don’t get to eat it as often as I’d like since it’s expensive
Well, nicksterluv, your wish is my command.
Unfortunately, I had never before cooked anything even remotely Thai, so my next few days were spent in frantic searches for online recipes to get a general idea of what the hell goes into peanut sauce. Since the first order of business for this sauce was inexpensive, I was forced to immediately discard almost all of the websites I glanced at. (So much coconut milk!) In the end, I pretty much had to completely invent a recipe from scratch based on the two or three times in my life I have ever had peanut sauce. On the plus side, it gave me an excuse to go to a delightful little Thai hole-in-the-wall in the Village.
Ultimately, I tried to use only things that I had in my pantry. The full ingredient list ended up reading as follows:
- peanut butter
- ginger powder
- cumin
- garlic powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
As it turned out, I had to buy the first three ingredients on that list, but, thanks to Shop Rite, I only spent about $8 on the whole lot and now have enough ginger and cumin to last me a good while.
To make the sauce, I created a double boiler set-up with two pots. (For those to whom that meant nothing: If you nest your ingredients pot inside a pot of just simmering water, you can heat the ingredients more evenly and keep the peanut butter from burning. This is also useful whenever a recipe calls for melted chocolate, which burns like a California wildlife preserve.)
Melt two hefty scoops of peanut butter in the upper pot and add just enough oil so that it could be considered whisk-able and then about two to three shots of vinegar (it was the only measure I had handy…). Then, tasting after each addition, drop in some cumin, garlic, ginger, pepper, salt and the slightest bit of cinnamon. How much of each you add will depend strongly on your personal preference and, honestly, I tweaked the amounts so much during the adding of them, that I have no idea how much of each I ended up putting in.
When it is seasoned to your satisfaction, pour immediately into a bowl and serve hot. I sauteed some chicken breasts and shrimp and set out some pita and humus.
So…if you are reading this from reddit, or even not from reddit, shoot me an email, pm, text, comment, reply or smoke signal about what you want me to cook next!
Midnight Snack
Posted by sanitymine in Budget, Vegetarian on August 15, 2011
Between getting home and going out, I had almost no time to cook today. So I took the moment when the rest of the house was silent and made myself a quick midnight snack: Bananas and Peanut Butter.
You will need a banana and some peanut butter
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| Apparently I am incapable of spelling banana right the first time |
Cut up the banana and place it on a plate with a sizable dollop of peanut butter. Eat with fingers (and a handy napkin).
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| This one required meticulous planning |
Gnocchi in a Red Wine Reduction
Posted by sanitymine in Vegetarian on August 15, 2011
Tonight we will be making a red wine reduction with onions and mushrooms.
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| Better than it looks |
I decided to try to make gnocchi as well, with limited success. You can find a better recipe than I could give you here.
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| Mine ended up slightly less…coherent that I had hoped. |
But for this post, I want to focus on the sauce I made to go along with the my gnocchi of dubious consistency. To make this, you will need mushrooms, onions and a largish glass of red wine. Begin by sweating the mushrooms, by sauteing them in a dry sauce pot until they begin to produce liquid. It will honestly look like they are sweating. Its kinda cool to watch. The reason for doing this is that it facilitates the dispersal of the mushroom flavors into the rest of the dish.
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| You can see the sweat much better in person |
Once the mushrooms are good and brown, add in a finely diced onion and mix it in. Now let it sit.
No seriously, don’t mess with it. Just add some healthy seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic and basil)
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| So hard to resist stirring! |
Now add your glass of wine and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer until it is reduced to almost a paste.
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| The wine is, of course, only ever used for cooking. |
Mix in your gnocchi and serve
Huevos Rancheros
Posted by sanitymine in Vegetarian on August 14, 2011
Take your veggies:
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| Looking so fresh in the morning light |
And cut them up
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| If anyone has a suggestion for tearless onion cutting, please share it. Please |
Cook them with garlic, salt and pepper
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| Can I just start saying gsp? Would anyone understand what I mean? Probably not. |
Next take your eggs, about two for every person you will be cooking for.
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| One of these things is not like the others. |
Beat them up a little. Just enough sos that they gets the message.
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| And the moral is that we are all the same on the inside |
Add them to the vegetables, add more seasoning and scramble until cooked
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| Scrambled! |
Serve hot with sriracha sauce, hot sauce or ketchup. Or just plain
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| Yet another thing that tasted better than it looks. |
