Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Another Day, Another Challenge

Another challenge! Oh boy oh boy. This one comes from The Post Punk Kitchen: Chopped Vegan. The requirements: create an entree using 4 mystery ingredients (black eyed peas, mint, blueberries, & chocolate) + whatever you have in your pantry.

The ingredients were announced last week, and of course I took my sweet time wondering whether or not I even had the time to create a new dish, let alone go grocery shopping for the mystery ingredients.

Later this week during my bike ride home from work, I stopped at a small grocery store in the Mission. While browsing the aisle for Sriracha (the time had come for a new bottle), I came across dried black eyed peas. I figured, why the hell not? and grabbed them. Finding all of the ingredients would be easy, deciding what to make would be a bit more difficult.

After wandering up and down the produce aisle that offered everything from watercress to dandelion greens to tomatillos, I decided on endive. The recipe forming in my head was more of an appetizer than an entree, but went with it anyway. 


My final answer: endive with black eyed peas, drizzled with a balsamic-chocolate-blueberry sauce topped with mint.

I returned to my house, hauling up a heavy backpack filled with more than enough ingredients required for this project of mine. Wanting to double check the requirements for the Chopped Vegan challenge, I discovered I had missed the deadline.

Oh well. I made the damned appetizer anyway, and it was rather delicious.

Of course I can never fall asleep without thinking about another recipe (does anyone else have this problem, or should I see a doctor?) and this one danced around my head for the rest of the night.


Black eyed pea fritters with a blueberry chocolate sauce for breakfast. And potatoes, of course. God forbid I consume a meal that doesn't have any carbohydrates!

So I awoke the next morning and made these. Because I'm crazy and spend my free time cooking instead of doing laundry or other important things.

Black Eyed Pea Fritters with Blueberry Chocolate Sauce
1 cup black eyed peas, cooked
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/3 cup warm water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 - 2 tbsp flour
salt & pepper

1/4 cup canola or safflower oil for frying

1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 tsp sugar
2 squares dark chocolate

fresh mint

Chop about 1/2 cup black eyed peas in food processor until fine. Place blended and remaining whole peas in medium sized bowl, stir to combine. Add in scallions.

Add ground flax seed to warm water, mix thoroughly. Add apple cider vinegar and stir, set aside for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place blueberries in a small saucepan. Smash with a wooden spoon and sprinkle sugar on top. Let sit for a few minutes, so the juice is drawn out from the berries.

Back to the fritters: stir the flax seed mixture to combine, add to peas. Mix to incorporate, until beans are sticking together. Add in flour 1 tbsp at a time, stirring to combine and making sure the mixture will hold. Heat pan with cooking oil over medium low heat. 

Now make the blueberry sauce: turn saucepan with blueberries to medium. Stir frequently, making sure the sauce doesn't burn. Once blueberries have turned into jam-like substance (5-7 min), turn off heat. Add in chocolate squares, stir to combine once chocolate begins melting. Set aside.

Using a soup spoon, scoop out small portions of fritter mixture (golf ball sized). Lightly roll between your palms, then place into warmed pan. Press down slightly to flatten fritters. You can place fritters about 1/2 inch away from one another in the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes, then flip. Cook for another 5 minutes, until golden-brown.

Serve topped with blueberry chocolate sauce and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Add a side of potatoes too, you know you want to. And don't forget the Sriracha.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Vegansaurus Challenge

Vegansaurus, although I am late to the game I accept your challenge.


I tried beet greens for the first time! I was never a fan of beets when growing up (but then again, who is?). My mom always provided me with the freshest fruits and vegetables, but somehow she was partial to canned beets. Maybe in the same twisted sense that I have a weak spot for canned cranberry sauce.

Anyway, never having consumed fresh beets meant no beet greens. What a deprived childhood I had.

At my local farmers' market in Upper Haight, fresh beets caught my eye. I searched through the pile for ones with the prettiest, leafiest greens. I'm sure the cashier was confused as to why I was focusing on the greens rather than the beets themselves, but then again there's weirder things Haight Street has seen.

I followed instructions I found online: wash the greens and snap off the stems. Blanch, rinse, and chop. Peel and quarter the beets, roast in the oven for a while.

Figuring beet greens were similar to kale or chard, I decided to pair them with lentils for a fresh salad.

Mmm. Fresh roasted beets and leafy greens, you are my new favorite. And this salad too, it comes together quickly and easily once everything is prepped.


Beet Greens, Lentil, and Beet Salad
1 bunch fresh beets, greens attached
1 cup green lentils

3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring large pot of water to boil for blanching.
Separate leafy tops from beets, discard stem. Rinse beets and greens thoroughly.
Trim and stem beets, then peel and quarter them. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with one or two tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. If baking on aluminum foil, place another sheet over it to cover, wrap closed. Bake for 30-35 minutes, occasionally turning beets if on baking sheet.

Meanwhile, place the greens in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain in colander and immediately rinse thoroughly with cold water. Alternately, you could dump into a bowl with ice water once drained to stop the cooking. Once cooled, chop the greens into bite-sized pieces.

Rinse and pick through lentils, add to 3 cups of water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Once the lentils and beets are finished, combine everything in a bowl. Drizzle remaining olive oil, dress with balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Make any additions you feel necessary; perhaps a squeeze of lemon or a dash of red chili flakes.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Spring (Summer) Rolls


For Paola's "Last Supper" in San Francisco, a few of her friends and I cooked dinner together in a cozy house Sunset house.

Christina wanted to make inarizushi, a Japanese sushi that consists of tofu skins soaked in soy sauce and stuffed with rice and carrots. I was ashamed to admit that I did not have enough ingredients for a proper Japanese meal, so I settled with spring rolls stuffed with edamame, somen noodles, napa cabbage, and carrots. Close enough.

Christina and Tatiana assembled the inarizushi while I prepped the spring rolls. In passing, Christina noted that there were a few avocados that needed to be used. While my spring rolls were already an aberration, I decided a slice or two of avocado wouldn't hurt.

The recipe provided below is what I made for the dinner, and can be improved upon or changed with the addition of tofu, mushrooms, omission of edamame or somen. Get creative!

Spring (Summer) Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

10 napa cabbage leaves, chopped
2 carrots, julienned
1 cup of edamame, shelled
1 avocado, sliced
4 oz cooked somen noodles
2 tbsp rice vinegar
rice paper
cilantro

Peanut Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 inch ginger, grated


Prep all veggies. When boiling somen noodles, note that they cook quickly and (unlike typical pasta/noodles) it's encouraged to rinse the noodles with cold water once they've been drained.

Mix together ingredients for peanut sauce, taste and adjust to your liking.

Dip rice paper into warm water, place on large flat surface. Arrange small handful of somen noodles, veggies, avocado, and few sprigs of cilantro on top. Wrap & roll! Set aside and continue making spring rolls.


There. That wasn't so hard, was it?