Sunday, September 19, 2010

Thank God for Leftovers

The last post referenced the fantastic monthly family dinners my friends and I have been putting on--such a great time of yummy food, storytelling, and laughing!

The fabby Miss Abbey hosted this last time and prepared a delicious squash risotto--she was concerned because the texture was more dense than she had wanted, but I didn't care--the flavor was fantastic! So delicious, in fact, that I was happy she had made a huge recipe--I got to take home some leftovers :) My other friend Michael brought a incredibly delish Asian-inspired cole slaw that I will most certainly enjoy later this week.

Abbey gave me a big container of the risotto, and my brain started churning. I remember my mom taking left-over rice and mixing in egg, bread crumbs, veggies, and herbs and making some version of rice croquettes (basically fried balls or patties of rice). I stared at the risotto in the container and thought, oh yeah that's gonna be good. After surveying my fridge I ending up throwing in a bunch of things that needed to be used up (in true Frugal Foodie fashion)--and made some delicious Risotto Croquettes.

I was also inspired by a cucumber in my fridge that had been in there for far too long to admit to...and some radishes that I had been meaning to eat for a long time as well. In my run of frugality, I turned those items into a delicious Cucumber Radish Salad with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Dressing.




What I Used For Inspiration:

For the croquettes:
Leftover Risotto
Mushrooms

For the salad:
Cucumber
Radishes
Greek yogurt


Risotto Croquettes

3 C leftover risotto (or equal amount cooked rice)
10 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1 T dried parsley (or 1/4 C fresh minced)
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying


In a pan, saute the mushrooms and garlic until soft (throw in some onion if you want, too!). In a bowl mix the risotto, mushroom and garlic with an egg, parm cheese, salt and pepper. The mixture should be firm enough to form into a patty and hold its shape. If it's too loose, add some breadcrumbs.

In a frying pan heat up some olive oil. Divide the rice mixture into small balls and flatten them out into patties. Fry on medium heat until nicely browned on both sides. Serve immediately.



Cucumber Radish Salad with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Dressing

1 English cucumber
6-8 large radishes
1/2 C plain greek yogurt
1 T mayonnaise or sour cream (optional)
2 tsp dried dill
1 clove garlic
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste


With a food processor (using shredding attachment) or box grater, grate cucumber and radishes. Put in strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Finely mince or grate garlic using a microplane and put into bowl. Mix together with yogurt, mayo (or sour cream), and lemon juice. Add drained cucumber/radish and season with salt and pepper to taste.




This combination actually made for a pretty satisfying meal! The contrast between the warm crispy rice croquette and the cool, creamy cucumber salad was quite delicious. While the radishes don't impart a very strong flavor to the dish, the little specs of red make the salad look beautiful. A little creativity goes a long way in my kitchen! I hope this inspires you to take a second look at and revamp those left-overs instead of (God forbid!) throwing them out.





Vegan Chocolate Deliciousness

My friends and I have come up with a brilliant idea--we are all super busy working professionals or students...or both for the unfortunate of ones of us...yet we've committed to having a family dinner once a month, rotating at whose house the dinner will be prepared. It's a fantastic idea to sample each other's unique twists on the cuisines of the world and of course to catch up and have at least one relaxing evening per month :)

I must be pinned as the dessert lady because every time I'm asked to provide something sweet. This past Saturday's meal was no exception--however I was so busy during the day that I had less than an hour to make something--EEK, right?! Nope, I knew exactly what I was going to prepare--it's quick (5 minutes to make, 25 minutes to bake), easy (uses ingredients most everyone would have in their pantry), and absolutely delicious--so moist and chocolately with the perfect amount of sweetness!

Don't be scared by the name, now :) Try it once and I promise you you'll never make a regular cake (or a box mix..eeeew) again.




Deep Chocolate Vegan Cake
(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or chilled brewed coffee (or chilled espresso diluted with water)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cider vinegar


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil an 8-inch square or round baking pan and dust with a little sifted cocoa, or line the bottom with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another bowl, combine the oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. Add the vinegar and stir briefly. The baking soda will begin to react with the vinegar right away, leaving pale swirls in the batter. Quickly pour the batter into the baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

**You can very easily use the batter to make cupcakes. Just reduce the baking time to 12-15 minutes**

The cake is so delicious on its own, but feel free to top with homemade frosting or serve with (homemade) ice cream as we did :)



Friday, September 3, 2010

Chimichurri to the rescue!

Chimichurri sauce, some say, is credited to the Argentinians. Venezuelans may argue it's their brilliance, however Mexicans try to steal the glory and claim it originates from their homeland. Personally I don't care who first thought of combining herbs like cilantro and parsley with lime (or lemon), olive oil, and vinegar. This incredibly zesty condiment is pretty darned GOOD and has made several appearances in my kitchen of late!


Photo credit: laylita.com



I made some of this deliciousness the other week by blending left-over cilantro, parsley, salt, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice until smooth--a great way to use up herbs that are looking kinda sad!

Here's the basic recipe I used as a guideline:

Chimichurri Sauce
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
6 large cloves garlic, chopped


Chimichurri is most commonly served on top of grilled meat or fish. I used some of it to adorn a delicious steak I had cooked for dinner one night, but after about a week in the fridge, there was still a lot of sauce leftover. Of course I couldn't bear the thought of throwing it out, so as I was thinking of what to do, I came up with a brilliant idea--if it goes well on top of meat, why not inside! Voila: Nina's Chimichurri Burger was born! I decided to use lean ground turkey breast, as it's high in protein and very low in fat (99% fat free).


Chimichurri Turkey Burgers


3/4 C chimichurri sauce (save about 2 T and mix into greek yogurt or mayonnaise for a tasty condiment!)
1 20-oz package ground turkey breast (can use chicken or lean beef instead)


To make the burgers, simply mix the chimichurri sauce into the meat and let it rest for at least a few hours (preferably overnight) in the fridge so the flavors can meld. No need to add extra salt, as the flavor of the sauce is perfectly seasoned. Remove from fridge, form into 4-oz patties and cook on a grill or stove. These burgers are incredibly juicy and flavorful, I was pleasantly surprised!

I suggest serving on a nice hearty (multi-grain if available) toasted bun topped with lettuce, a thick slice of sun-ripened heirloom tomato, and some of that chimichurri mayo/greek yogurt!





Now THAT'S a burger!!!