Spinach Feta Puffs

MMmm!!!



Ingredients
1 lb or a bag of fresh spinach
4-8 oz of feta cheese
3 cloves garlic
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-4 tbsp butter or olive oil
2 frozen puff pastry sheets


These are easy to make, especially since I buy frozen puff pastry sheets. First, thaw the puff pastry sheets for at least 30 minutes, you can do this while preparing the spinach mixture. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter (or olive oil) into the pan and sautee first the onions, until slightly browned. Then add the garlic for the last few minutes. Add a few handfuls of spinach and sautee a small amount at a time, adding the remaining butter as needed to keep the mixture coated. Once done, throw the mixture into a colander to drain. Add to a bowl with the feta cheese and mix the two together quickly. Then, coat the spinach-feta on the unfolded parchment paper sheets, leaving a margin on all sides. Roll the sheet up, and cut slices as thick as you want them. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on how thick yours were cut. Yum!!!

Pho!!

My favorite vietnamese dish is definitely pho soup. If you don't know, pho is vietnamese "beef noodle" soup. That makes it sound so plain- there is so much more to it than that. I can't believe I can get a large order of it, complete with fresh basil, cilantro, and everything else, for just $7. It cost way more than that to make it because of the long ingredient list. It is a simple soup however, so if you're feeding a crowd or have a few ingredients growing in your backyard, it's worth making. The best part is, the broth is given alongside all of the fresh ingredients, so each person can assemble their own bowl to their liking. Can't go wrong there!



Ingredients

Beef broth (I use a low sodium version)
Rice noodles
1/2-1 lb steak pieces, brisket, chicken or even tofu (it needn't be beef)
1 red onion, sliced into thin strips
fresh cilantro
fresh basil
green onion
garlic cloves
jalapeno or thai chili pepper, sliced
bean sprouts
lime slices

Crawfish Boil!

Crawfish, crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs.. whatever your region calls the little fuckers... this was the most unique cooking experience I've had so far. For one, I had never had crawfish, ever. Especially after dissecting one in a biology lab-- I said, "people SUCK the heads out of these things?" with bewildered amazement. But, always in the spirit of trying new things (and being quite hungry for some spicy seafood as well) I decided to give it a go. It was in my friend Jared's backyard; his good friend from Louisiana had all the equipment; the big outdoor pot, the propane tank, and a gigantic wooden spoon. Jared and I went to Fiesta up in on 35N to buy their last bag of the crawfishdaddybugs, a 42 pound sack, to be exact. It's the tail end of crawfish season, so we were in luck. A few pounds of red potatoes, a couple ears of corn, lots of lemons, garlic, and a big bag of Louisiana brand crawfish and crab boil seasoning. (The seasoning weighed over a pound itself).



First, what we do is cut open the bag of crawfish. We didn't have a watercooler or tank, and even though I suggested a cheap kiddie pool to do the trick, Jared had already sliced open the bag... in his bathtub. Crazy huh? I bet its going to smell like crawfish in there for WEEKS.



The first thing you do is "purge" the crawfish. Or, to be more accurate, you let the crawfish purge themselves. Since they're mud-dwellers, and eat things in mud, their digestive tracks are dirty and muddy. We fill the tub with enough water to submerge the little bugs, then we poured a very large amount of Kosher salt over them. Stir, wait a few minutes, then rinse. The water turns dark brown as these little salt-averted creatures puke up their guts. SO appetizing to think about! We rinse them clean, and then go prepare the other foods.

We read a great deal online about crawfish boils, and decided on adding powdered seasoning, lemon halves (squeezed and the rind thrown in), corn on the cob, red potatoes, 10-12 cloves of garlic, and, you know, the crawfish.


add spice, take a whiff

First, we bring the water to a boil. Then, add the seasoning, and wait until the boil is rolling and fast. Then we add in the vegetables in the colander, letting them cook for 5 minutes or so, and then adding the crawfish. (We only used about 20 pounds in the first batch... around half of them). Once the crawfish are in, you return the pot to a rapid boil. Once its bubblin', we turn off the propane and cover those suckers. Letting them steep for 20-30 minutes (We were impatient and went for 15), lets the little bugs soak up all those cajun spices. After that, lift the colander out and pour that delicious feast over a bunch of newspapers. This is definitely an OUTSIDE activity. So messy, and gross. Ten hungry boys, and only I had the female mind to think to bring a roll of towels. And hot oven mitts.






And BOYYY, howdy, was it DELICIOUS! I wish this were something you could cook in smaller batches. (I'm sure you could, in a tall pasta pot on the stove, but since every crawfish only yields a bite or two of good meat, you wouldn't make enough for more than one person.)

So, there it is! My first ever crawfish boil. Now to go bug Jared for some leftovers...

Wheat Berry & Bean Salad

1/2 cup wheat berries, dry
1 cup frozen edamame
1 can black beans
1/2 finely chopped red onion
2 roma tomatos, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp spicy mustard
salt and pepper, to taste

Mm Chicken Fried Rice

Okay- this is one of my favorite things to make but I don't use a recipe! It's super delicious and healthy.
This is very similar to fried rice one would get a Chinese restaurant, however I make a few key substitutions. First, I use brown rice instead of white. Aside from being healthier, I like the texture much better. Brown rice is especially nice when tossed in a frying pan, so it is ideal for this dish. I also substitute edamame (soy beans) for the typical peas. I love peas, but edamame are bigger, tastier, and much more nutritious! One thing I add not ordinarily used at restaurants is red pepper. It adds crunch, color, and a tiny hint of flavor. Nom nom!





So here's an ingredient list, the amounts are not exact!


brown rice (1 cup dry)
shelled edamame (about a cup)
1 small baked chicken breast
2 eggs, scrambled
green onion (one bunch?)
baby carrots (small handful)
bean sprouts (big handful)
soy sauce
splash vegetable oil
SRI RACHA!!!



1. I make the rice in a rice cooker. (Its foolproof...) However, there is ALSO a "foolproof" recipe for brown rice from Cooks Illustrated. This is the one my mom makes all the time, it works perfectly and is MUCH easier than stovetop rice! The recipe can be found here.

2. Prepare! Put the rice on to cook and the chicken breast in the oven. Then, chop the carrots and green onion. Prepare the edamame by the instructions on the bag. Also, scramble your egg slightly undercooked and set it to the side.

3. Sautee them veggies! Get the oil in the pan hot first. I start with the carrots because they need the longest amount of time to soften, and then everything else is up to your preference. I add the bean sprouts last, as I like them to be freshest. Sautee the veggies with a bit of soy sauce and sriracha (if you like your food HOT! Be careful, this stuff is powerful.) Chop the chicken add the egg very last.

4. Add the egg and finally, the rice. Lower heat and stir fry all ingredients together for a few minutes, with soy sauce to taste.

5. Nom, nom, nom nom nom.

Blood Orange Jello Shots

So I've realised there is an unintentional theme running on this blog. Most the foods I make, are my childhood favorites, with some healthier, grown-up revisions. This one is definitely no exception! We all loved jello as a kid-- I mean, it jiggles & it wiggles and Bill Cosby had a funny voice to go along with it. Here, you'll see I added some, ahem, very grown-up additions, and also a little bit of flair.

It basically goes like this: jello shots in tiny plastic cups= trashy. Jello shots in orange slices= awesome AND eco-friendly.





Use MORE jello than the recipe calls for. Instead of a single-serve box (3oz) gelatin, I used more like 4 oz. You don't want to exactly double it, but if you don't put a bit extra Jello mix, the final product will be a bit gooey and not as firm. The flavor doesn't matter- use whatever color you want.

Follow the recipe on the box, first adding jello to 1 cup boiling water, then stirring in 1 cup freezing vodka. (I used Grey Goose).

Pour the mixture into halved oranges. (The trickiest part is emptying out the orange and keeping the peel in a sphere. Helpful hint= use a grapefruit spoon.)

To keep them from spilling, I set the orange cups in a muffin pan so they would stay upright while chilling in the fridge.

AFTER they are done cooling for 4-6 hours (but preferably overnight), you can take a knife to the excess orange peel, then cut the half into quarters or thirds.

Easy! Delicious! Drunkenness!!

Beef Stew

Ingredients
1 (14oz) Can Diced tomatoes
1 (10oz) Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup dry White Wine (save the rest for happy hour)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
1 1/2 Lbs Beef Stew Meat
6 Carrots
4 ribs Celery
1 Large Potato (I use 2-3 red)
1 Onion Chopped


Mix all ingredients together, cover and bake at 350 for 3 hours.
**or** in a slow cooker on high (5 hours) or low (8 hours)

Lentil Bean Stew

Yum! Delicous! Double this recipe and freeze some, because you will want lots and lots of this yummy, thick, vegetarian soup.




Ingredients
1 bag lentil beans
8 cups water
handful of chopped carrots
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
splash olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 block (280 grams) frozen chopped spinach


1. First, rinse the lentis good to remove all dirt, make sure there are no rocks in them!
2. Put lentils in water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, meanwhile preparing vegetables.
3. Chop onion and carrots, saute in oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and remove from heat.
4. After the lentils and water have cooked for about 20-30 minutes, add the veggies
5. Add block of frozen spinach and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Salt and pepper to taste. Yum! Healthy! Soup! Serve with cornbread :-D