Veggie Hybrid

Posted on February 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

You can rarely say no to samples when you to into grocery stores! So, when doing my weekly shopping at Trader Joe’s the other day they had these green leafy things out to lure you in. Hmmm…let’s investigate. They mentioned the name, sounded safe, took the bite, SOLD! They were sampling Kale Sprouts.

It’s essentially a hybrid between delicious kale and amazing Brussels sprouts…how can you go wrong? You’re getting great taste and all the (insert loads of info) health benefits in one bite! The official rundown on them per the package:

When pulled out of the bag, so cute!

Based on how they cooked them in the store (and tips on the back of the bag), I sauteed/steamed them. I also added garlic, of course. So, just put a bit of oil a pan, added garlic, tossed the kale sprouts in there for a bit, added some water then covered the pan and waited about 3 minutes. Then just sprinkled some lemon juice over top and some S&P. Voila! Delicious little ‘things’ — don’t know what else to call them. Give them a try if you see them in your local TJ’s.

Bidwell

Posted on February 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

Recently found out about a newish (one year old) restaurant in DC at Union Market. It’s a growing area and Union Market alone has tons of great little (food) shops. The restaurant is Bidwell, and there is also a restaurant by the same chef in NYC. They have a garden on the rooftop and in the summer grow their own herbs and veggies — nice!

Our ‘table’ was great — right in front of the kitchen so we got to watch all the action take place. It was a busy night, they didn’t expect it, so stuff was a bit under par, but that just meant we got to watch more of the fun take place.

It took awhile to get our cocktails because they had one bartender but I eventually received my City Sage.

Quite unique. I’m not a huge bourbon drinker but that sage intrigued me. Was totally worth trying it!

For an appetizer, we tried some of the highly-kitchen-rated Brussel sprouts. So nice and crisp and crunchy — give me more!

We then had to try the kale salad, just super fresh, with pine nuts and a nice vinaigrette (that had anchovies in it to give it a perfect saltiness).

To cap it off, went with the salmon served over cauliflower. Again, very good — after I received it 3 times over. They initially told me there was no dairy, but that white stuff at the very bottom is mostly dairy. The second time I got it, the cauliflower should be outside right now (freezing), the third time, delicious!

Overall, I will totally check this place out again. The manager apologized for the slow service but the food was delicious. If you’re in DC and can make it to Union Market, check this place out.

New Gazpacho

Posted on August 25, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was looking for something new to make last weekend and had been eyeing this gazpacho recipe for awhile so finally got around to giving it a try. It was Fresh Pea and Garlic Gazpacho from Cooking Light. Pretty simple, as with most gazpacho.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups shelled fresh English peas*
2 1/4 cups ice water
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled English cucumber
1 cup (1/2-inch) French bread cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar**what would we do without the ability to research info at our fingertips (see * info below) — I didn’t want to get a bottle of this stuff and found several substitutes, and the one I knew I had was white vinegar (I almost used rice vinegar, though it was rice wine vinegar that was recommended)
2 garlic cloves — MORE!
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
—–
Fresh pea shoots
1 tablespoon small fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Prep:

1) Cook English peas in boiling water 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Set aside 1/2 cup peas. *I did some research on English peas while in the store(oh, smart phones, how we love you). Long story short, I deduced that they are the same as frozen green peas. Efficiency! You can eliminate this whole step.

2) Combine remaining peas, ice water, cucumber, French bread cubes, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, and garlic cloves in a blender; process until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper.

3) Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls. Garnish with reserved peas, fresh pea shoots, mint leaves, and 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil.
I opted out of the garnishing for a few reasons — there was no mint at the store, I didn’t use the fresh peas, hence has no shoots and finally, I was eating alone so who did I have to impress with decor? I just put my own good stuff in the gazpacho — tomatoes, olives, manchego and grilled chicken. Very nice, refreshing soup. It did seem to be missing something and I still can’t place it. Might be lemon or a bit more salt. But, still a nice twist from the normal gazpacho.

Zuch and shrimp and peas and corn

Posted on August 4, 2014 by melsmosaic

…and SO good! Last weekend I caught up with a friend I hadn’t seen for 14 years and we both love to cook, so we had to make some good stuff. Well, I sifted through tons of recipes that I’d been wanting to make and decided on one from a recent issue of Health Magazine. It was actually pretty easy to make, but packed with flavor! So, the main dish of the night was Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp.

Ingredients

4 large zucchini (about 2 1/2 lb.) — why weigh the stuff? that would make it right/be too easy
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large shrimp (about 22), peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels — I heard the freezer calling!
1 1/2 cups fresh peas — and that freezer called right back!
1/2 cup dry white wine — some people reading this blog are laughing at dry white wine. You just add water, right? I just went with the bottle that was open in the fridge, as I normally do.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — because of my lactose issues, I used olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup torn fresh basil

Prep

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave sides of zucchini to create ribbons (discard peel), turning zucchini once you hit seedy core.

2. In a deep, heavy 12-inch skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until just pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add corn and peas to skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add zucchini and wine. (Don’t worry about crowding skillet; zucchini will wilt.)

Cook, tossing with tongs, until zucchini is crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add butter (or oil) and continue tossing until all vegetables are tender, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until shrimp are warmed through, about 1 minute more.

Remove skillet from heat. Stir in lemon juice and basil, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Prior to this we enjoyed some great figs with goat cheese, prosciutto and honey.

The food was all enjoyed with some of my favorite Oregon wines — Sokol Blosser (Pinot Noir) Rose and Penner Ash Pinot Noir. Such a rough night!

Kale Mary!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by melsmosaic

Summer is here, temps are high, so cooking extreme meals isn’t really the most appealing thing to do. I love kale chips but right now don’t feel like turning on the oven so was looking for something else to do with that health-benefit-bearing kale. Though I don’t really enjoy it raw when it’s in large pieces, I learned a couple years ago to take it to the food processor!

Was trying to clear out some stuff from my kitchen and came up with the following combo based on my mood:

-kale
-frozen mangoes (chunks — love the ones from Trader Joe’s)
-peanuts
-basic seasoning of garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, S&P, olive oil

So, I just put the kale (stems removed) in the food processor bit by bit to get it to the texture I like. Then I threw the frozen mango chunk in there and just pulsed a couple times and it got them into smaller, yet still good size pieces. Threw the spices in and perfect. Removed it from the food processor and stirred the peanuts in. Then tossed in some canned tuna. So good, very filling and healthy.

What’s great about this quick recipe is that there are so many options. You just need the base of kale and can change the rest around:

-Any fruit, fresh or dried (have used apricots and cherries before)
-Any nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc)
-So many spices!
-So many meats, if you even want them. How about a nice grilled chicken breast or seared tuna steak to serve on the side?

Japan #3: Korean BBQ

Posted on June 13, 2013 by melsmosaic

As we progressed through Japan we had to expand our cuisine beyond just local fare. One night we opted to go for Korean BBQ. My uncle asked his colleagues for recommendations and they gave him ‘the best place to go.’ So, off we went. It was of course one of those hard-to-find, hole-in-wall restaurants – perfect!

So at the Korean BBQ, you have a grill in front of you, order raw food and grill to your liking. So much fun. We ordered basic food that we were used to — chicken, shrimp, pork, veggies, versus some options on the menu that we were either unfamiliar with or had heard of but didn’t want to take the risk of eating, especially on vacation.

The marinade and seasoning on the meat were delicious and the mushrooms were just – WOW! It was a meal that you take slowly and you can just kick back and relax.

Japan #1

Posted on June 5, 2013 by melsmosaic

Last month, personal travel took me to Japan. What an experience; from culture to scenery to food. I learned so much about any and everything. I didn’t get to take nearly enough pictures of the food I enjoyed/didn’t enjoy, but wanted to share some of what I experienced. There will be a few parts to this over a few days.

The hardest thing about being in Japan is the language barrier. Every other place I’ve traveled I’ve been able to communicate with the locals. This time, not even close (note – the one extreme is when I was trying to ask something and I spoke to the waiter in French – in Japan! One time when I couldn’t remember the Spanish word for butter, while I Spain, and whipped out the French there, that was not extreme – but while in Japan – whoa!).

When a restaurant in Japan offers an “English Menu” that normally means you get to look at pictures or plastic samples. Not so bad, I guess, and quite entertaining. The night we arrived we saw a rough idea of the tuna ‘sashimi’ with some type of sauce. Another great example was when we were near the Sumo stadium and saw bowl upon bowl, plate upon plate of display. It couldn’t look more real. I just wonder — how did they make these?

There are amazing vegetables in the area, especially at markets, though prices were high. But let me tell you — if you buy a tomato, they wrap that thing for you like it’s the most precious thing on the face of this planet. They also have some great samples of seafood, and I’m going to use the word ‘local’ stuff. I tried some things, steered clear of others. If I could identify it for the most part, I would give it a try.

Some of the best seafood bites were near the renowned seafood market. I didn’t get there to see the hands-on action because it can be hit-or-miss to actually get in. You need to arrive by 4:30am. Sometimes they let 20 people in, sometimes 100, sometimes nobody at all. Depends on the day, the mood. So, we went down to the market around 9:30am and saw the shops that were selling the food they purchased from the market.

That’s the first rundown of the trip. More to come.