Coriander-Roasted Broccoli

Posted on January 3, 2017 by melsmosaic

Some recipes catch my attention. Some ingredients in the kitchen find ways to catch the side of the shelf and shatter. Some determination then comes about to still make a recipe happen.

Saw this recipe for Coriander-Roaster Broccoli in a recent issue of Food & Wine, which just sounded amazing. So, had been to the store, everything was ready and cooking was starting.

Ingredients

-2 garlic cloves
-1 tablespoon cumin seeds
-2 teaspoons coriander seeds
-Kosher salt
-1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 heads of broccoli  (1 3/4 pounds), sliced lengthwise through the stems 1/4-inch thick

Well, reached for the coriander and the (glass) jar fell from the shelf onto the (granite) countertop. I had opted to use ground coriander vs. seeds and the stuff was everywhere, along with chards of glass mixed in. Ok, that was not going to be used. Very fortunately, I happened to have cilantro on hand! Magical/close enough of a substitute.

Note, I was also using ground cumin.

Directions

-Preheat the oven to 450°. In  a mini food processor, combine the garlic, cumin, coriander,  1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 cup of the olive oil; puree until smooth. *I added a bit of water because of the (arbitrary) amount of cilantro I used, to make it smoother. Played with the amount of oil, too.

-Arrange the broccoli on  2 large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with the remaining  2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and toss to coat. Roast for 5 minutes. Spoon the coriander oil over the broccoli, toss and roast for about 10 minutes longer, until just tender, shifting the baking sheets halfway through. Serve hot.

This stuff was awesome! Luckily it was a small error that occurred and can’t wait to try with coriander proper. I will likely make it with this again, too.

Lentil Chips

Posted on December 31, 2016 by melsmosaic

Was roaming through World Market and a fuchsia bag jumped out at me. Had to inspect a bit. It was (Bandar) lentil chips, or Poppadums, to be exact, and they were original cumin flavor. Figured I should give them a try, especially since I had my 20% off coupon that expired that day.

They were very dry and cardboard-y. And ironically soft at the same time. Not all that impressed, though ironically I kept eating them. The cumin taste was very nice, especially considering it’s one of my favorite spices. Totally not something I will pick up again, but was worth trying.

What Spices Up Your Life?

Posted on February 26, 2015 by melsmosaic

As I continue to play in the kitchen, as I read cooking magazines, when I hit the occasional restaurant, when I walk through the grocery store (I’m one of the people who loves that — I have friends who dread it), I think about the flavors I love the most. I often think about the spices I could not do without.

I have a top two, a solid third, and then two more that cater to the baking side (more sweet than savory).

*I recently took a Smartphone photography class to sharpen my food photo skills since I take all my blog pictures via my iPhone. So, this was also a great way to start working on these and play with my new olloclip. If you’re in the DC-area, check out Washington Art Works & Washington School of Photography and Adam S. Lowe‘s Smartphone class — I give them huge props (and all their other classes) — they have food stuff, too — oh, I just found out they have wine tastings, as well.

Anyway, my top spices:

1. Cumin — give me cumin or give me death. You can use it in so much stuff, and it’s very convenient that I love (tex)mex food. Maybe there’s a correlation here…hmmm.

2. Coriander (dried cilantro) — will ALWAYS take the fresh stuff. Where’s the guac when you have the fresh stuff? I can be caught using this in near everything.

3. Fennel (seed)! What’s funny here is I can’t stand black licorice (it’s not a like of many). Though they aren’t super close to the same, that’s always what I think of when I know that I love this stuff. So, give me fennel, the spice or fresh stuff and I am in heaven!

4. As we move down to the lower half of the top five, the next two are sort of tied, so I’m going to put them in alphabetical order for safety sake. So, cinnamon, bring it on! You’re in my baked goods, and sometimes ‘cooked’ ones.

5. Last but not least, nutmeg. From baked goods to sprinkling it on fruit. Has some great health benefits, too. I definitely won’t say no.

So, what spices up your life? What are your favorite spices? Are they more savory or sweet? Let everybody know.

Bulgur & Chickpea Salad with Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

Posted on December 25, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was at a friend’s place a couple weeks ago and she made this mouth-watering salad. Decided to make it as part of Christmas Eve dinner last night. It’s definitely one that you have to take seconds, or thirds of. I think it’s from the dressing.

Bulgur & Chickpea Salad with Cranberries, Toasted Almonds + Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

Salad
2 cups water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup Bulgur Wheat (I used quinoa — you can basically use any grain)
1 cup chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries (the store didn’t have them, so I used dried cherries, just as good)
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Fresh cilantro, chopped (use as much or little as you’d like)
2 scallions, sliced thin crosswise

(last night I made half the recipe — it makes a ton)

Vinaigrette (this is the part that’s the best)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice + lime zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, smashed (though you can always use more!)
1/3 cup good quality olive oil
Pinch salt and fresh ground pepper

Bring the 2 cups of water and salt to a boil and add the bulgur. Turn down to a simmer, cover and let cook for 12-15 minutes until water is absorbed and bulgur is soft but still has a bite to it.

Toss all the salad ingredients in a big bowl until combined.

In a small bowl, combine the vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour half of the dressing over salad and stir to coat the salad in dressing. Taste and add more dressing as needed.

Good warm but it’s best after it sits in the fridge for an hour or two.

So, so good. And, it’s dairy free and gluten free! You can even play with all the ingredients that go in the salad. Give it the taste that you want. I could not stop nibbling on the stuff.