Ghana, Red Red Dish

When I read this recipe it reminded me of a dish that my grandma used to make. It was a salad with iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, and bananas. Sounds gross right? It's actually pretty delicious. So I thought I'd give this one a try. It's called Red Red Dish (I think) and its from Ghana. They actually use plantains and they probably pick them fresh. I was close though, I bought a pack of bananas from Target today, despite having banana trees right outside of my office.

Anyway... From what I've read and tried to cook, it seems like African cuisine consists of a lot of stews. I have no clue though. This dish was more like a stew. I'm sure if I made it with fresh tomatoes and not canned it would have had a whole different flavor. It was still good. Better than I thought. Funny that I'm explaining this meal and if you haven't clicked on the recipe you're probably thinking, "what? bananas? tomatoes? stew?" Maybe I should figure out another system for these blogs. Oh if only I had time. Anyway... Here goes! Enjoy!

Red Red Dish
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon expeller-pressed canola oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 firm bananas, halved lengthwise and cut into chunks

Directions:

Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 10 minutes or until golden and tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic, ginger and cayenne and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and peas and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until peas are tender and flavors blended. Stir in salt.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a separate skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add bananas and cook about 5 minutes or until browned on both sides, gently flipping halfway through cooking. Serve alongside black-eyed peas in a shallow bowl.

Butter Mochi

Butter Mochi... a very delicious dessert.

I made this dessert once for work, while living in Hawaii and everyone enjoyed it and surprised the little girl from Minnesota could make such a delicious butter mochi... woot woot for me!  

When we first got to Hawaii, we had no clue what mochi was.  We tried some prepackaged stuff from the grocery store filled with red bean paste and thought "really? this is what all the fuss is about?", but then we discovered butter mochi... which is completely different.... sweet, gooey, crispy and delicious! 

You'll be able to find mochiko flour at your local Asian grocer if you're on the mainland.  You can pretty much find it at any store in Hawaii for about a buck or two. Enjoy!

 

Butter Mochi

Serves: 24

Ingredients: 

1 lb. mochiko flour (glutinous rice flour)

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 cups whole milk

5 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut (oooo I bet it would be good toasted too!!!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and milk. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the rice flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir to blend. Mix in melted butter and coconut. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Cool completely, then cut into squares to serve.

Artichoke & Eggplant White Lasagna

mmmmm pasta. Artichoke & Eggplant White Lasagna to be exact. While eating this dish, I told Nick the one and only thing to make this meal better is if I made my own pasta, and I'll do that someday once I get my pasta roller (which I will be registering for!)

This meal was so amazing. Buying really good cheese (not kraft... or anything that comes pre-shredded or in a bag) is the key to this dish. We happened to get an awesome gift card (Thanks Jeannie & Terri!) to Whole Foods for my birthday (and by "we" I meant "I") so we went all out. We bought organic noodles, organic goat cheese, a real Italian cheese, and squishy mozzarella. Yum Yum and Yum.

I highly highly highly recommend making this dish. It's so flavorful and delicious. Enjoy with a glass of white wine (we had Chardonnay... and two glasses, which is why I waited until later to write about it).

Artichoke and Eggplant White Lasagna
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 medium eggplant cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
9 dried lasagna noodles

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose organic flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup grated grana padano cheese, divided
1/2 cup goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:Lightly fry the eggplant for about 5 minutes or until tender.Cook noodles according directions on package, then drain and set aside.For the sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk until combined well. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the grana padano, goat cheese, salt and pepper, and reserved onions and remove from heat. Stir just until cheese melts, then set sauce aside.Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and spread 1/4 cup of the sauce on bottom of pan. Top with 2 noodles, then layer with half of the eggplant and artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup sauce, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with a second layer and then place the last 2 noodles on top. Spread remaining sauce over noodles and top with remaining mozzarella and grana padano.Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5 minutes more. Set lasagna aside to let rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside and wipe out skillet.

Coconut Tofu Keema

Indian food is probably one of the hardest cuisines to try for the first time. Normally (well at least in Minneapolis) it comes buffet style. So you go up to the buffet and smell all of these weird smells that you've never smelt before in your life and you see sever metal containers full of slop. It's not the most appealing sight. The first time Nick talked me into going to an Indian restaurant, I ate a lot of rice and bread (naan). I did try some curry and it was really really good. I liked the one with chick peas. I couldn't pronounce (or spell) anything I ate, but I knew chick peas meant it was good.

I wasn't hooked at first, but after trying a few restaurants and eating the packaged slop they sell at Trader Joe's, I started to really like cooking Indian food. The first time I tried cooking it was a disaster. First of all, the ingredients were pretty complex and I didn't know what anything was or where to find it. I kind of steered clear of trying to cook Indian food after that and stuck with going out. Until tonight.

While browsing through online recipes looking for tofu dishes, I stumbled across "Coconut Tofu Keema" and it sounded good. Well the coconut part and the tofu part and I have no idea what Keema is. Let's google it shall we? "Keema is a traditional Indian or Pakistan meat dish, originally the word meant 'minced meat'" Interesting. Moving on. I knew it sounded exotic so I looked at the recipe and had about 90% of the ingredients on hand. I started out skeptical, but it started smelling and looking amazing. After I added the tomato sauce, I thought I ruined it. It turned out so good! I was so amazed that I put together those kinds of flavors! Nick was so impressed he kept saying "I can't believe you can just do something like this on the first try" I give some credit to the recipe, but it was mostly me. hehe. I never measure cause that's just adding another dish to the pile that needs to be cleaned and I always add a little extra.

So for this recipe, I used a can of light coconut milk (cause it was cheaper) and two cans of tomato sauce. I used about 3 times more curry than the recipe calls for. Added a serano pepper to give it a kick (almost too much of a kick though... I'd just use a little cayenne next time) I also added some orange peppers and didn't have red pepper paste so used some crushed red peppers and chili powder. Amazing dish! I recommend it to anyone who loves Indian food. Must serve with naan and basamati rice. Oh for the rice... I learned this trick today too. Rinse the rice 2 or 3 times and soak in cold water for 30 mins. Then rinse again and add 1 1/2 cup water for every 1 cup rice. Put the pot on the stove with the lid on tight. Bring to boil, then turn to low for 12-14 mins. Then take it off the burner and let sit for another 5-10 mins. Do NOT touch the rice until it is done. Don't stir it, don't lift the lid, don't even look at it. It'll turn out amazing!

Coconut Tofu Keema
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 medium onion, minced
1 (14 oz) package extra firm tofu, diced
1 (16 oz) can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon red pepper paste
6 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 1/2 cup chopped carrot

Directions: 
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion, and tofu; cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, cumin, curry powder, ginger, salt, and red pepper paste; bring to a simmer. Stir in tomato sauce, peas, and carrots; simmer, covered, about 30 minutes.

Oreo Balls

This one is for you Tony!!! Thanks for being so patient.
So... if you really want to impress... make Oreo balls. They are pretty much the most amazing things ever (besides my chocolate chip cookies... I love those things).
They are pretty easy, but sort of time consuming... well worth it though.  You will be loved.  They are great for work occasions, holiday parties, baby showers... pretty much anything. 











Oreo Balls
Serves: 24 (makes about 50 balls)
Ingredients:
1 Package Oreos
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1/2 package chocolate almond bark (You can also use a half bag of chocolate chips with a tsp. of butter or shortening)
1 square white chocolate almond bark (or 1/4 cup white chocolate chips with a little oil drizzled to thin it out)
Directions:
Crunch up the Oreos into a blender and pulse until fine. (Unless you have a great blender, only blend about a half a row at time) 
Place ground up Oreos into a mixing bowl and add cream cheese.  Mix well with hands until you can form into a large ball.  Cover and place in refrigerator for an hour.
Melt chocolate almond bark in microwave for a minute or over a double boiler. 
Remove Oreo mixture from fridge and roll into balls by the teaspoon.  Dip balls in melted chocolate and place on parchment paper until hardened.  
Melt white chocolate in microwave for a minute or over a double boiler. 
With a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate over the chocolate covered Oreo balls and let sit until it hardens. 
Serve and watch them fly!! If you by chance have leftovers, place them in the fridge.

Tuna Steaks and Curried Quinoa

Hi!
Oh boy was I excited for today. Today was the first time the farmers market has been on campus since Christmas. Finally, we can eat fresh vegetables and fruits again! I totally went overboard and bought tons! Stayed under $20 though. Love the farmers market.

Nick and I bought tuna steaks around Thanksgiving time (before the engagement, when we weren't saving every penny we have) and decided to thaw and cook them tonight, since our new place has a grill. ooooo my favorite food is grilled food... mmmm hot dogs.

On a side note, Mac and Cheese is $2.00 a box here! (thanks Anja!) What ever happened to it being 36 cents a box? Man oh man.

Anyway, we marinated the tuna steaks in spicy stir fry sauce, mustard, and soy sauce. We pretty much just make a marinade out of whatever sauce we have in the fridge. It always ends up being delicious. While Nick was grilling them, (5 mins on each side... flip only once... look at those grill marks!) I was upstairs making a quinoa dish that I found in a cook book that was left here called "the healthiest meals on earth."

Let me tell you, this side dish was amazing! I can't wait to cook it again. sooooo good. Definitely going to make this for visitors!

Curried Quinoa
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2/3 cup quinoa (uncooked)

2 1/2 cups water or vegetable or chicken broth

3 cups kale, stems removed and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 tsp curry powder

pinch of salt

3 Tbs. coconut milk (it says unsweetened and light, but I used regular... so I guess it's not one of the healthiest meals on earth.)

2 tsp. lime juice (I never have lime juice, so skipped it)

1/4 tsp. curry powder (yes more!)

1/4 tsp. agave nectar

1/3 cup peanuts (I bought the little pack that you see in line at the grocery store)

Directions

In a dry, non stick saute pan over medium heat, toast the quinoa for 5-6 minutes until fragrant, gently turning from time to time. Add the water or broth, kale, curry powder, and salt; cover, and raise temperature to high to bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until quinoa and kale are tender, the quinoa "tails" have popped, and the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and transfer to large bowl.

In a small bowl, place the coconut milk, lime juice, curry powder, and agave nectar and whisk together briskly. Pour over the quinoa mixture and toss to combine well. May be served warm or chilled in the fridge overnight. Add the peanuts just before serving.

Like I said, it was pretty amazing! I was surprised at the outcome. Thanks to Nick, the tuna was amazing too! The cats even gobbled up their piece. Yes, we spoil our cats rotten. One time, I went out to a fancy fancy restaurant with Nick and brought home a piece of filet mignon (in my purse) for the cats. They appreciate it.

I'm so excited for lunch tomorrow. I shredded the left over tuna and mixed it with onions, celery, mayo, and mustard and made sandwiches!

Baked Ziti

Oh I've been so lazy! Getting back on track from the holidays and trying to cook real meals. This is an attempt. We moved mid December so we had to food, then we went on vacation so still had no food. Now its after the holidays and have no money... so still no food.

Thankfully my lovely Auntie Bonnie got Nick and I gift cards to a wonderful local market on our way home from work. So we went there and got enough for meals for the week and some bulk items as well. I was lazy my first day of work (really, I just got home from an insanely busy vacation, the worst 9 hour flight of my life, and had to work the next day... I was entitled to be lazy) so I just made Baked Ziti, which is so easy... I didn't even use my own pasta sauce either.

Since I just compiled items that I had in the cupboards, I'm not going to make a recipe this time. Maybe next time I make it I will.

I just boiled some ziti noodles, added them to a 9x13 pan, mixed up some tomato sauce (pre made sauce) 2 oz cream cheese, onion, mushrooms, spices and topped with some cheddar cheese. It was delicious!