Fried Chili-Garlic Tempeh

When I went to La Cocina Que Canta in Tecate, Mexico, they fed us something I have heard of, but didn't particularly crave it: tempeh. Yeah, I was like "what the deuce does tempeh taste like?" then they explained it was a version of a veggie burger, but vegan, meaning no eggs, not dairy, no meat. So, of course, the first thing I thought was that I would hate it, but Oh My Gawd, it was delish. They make their homemade tempeh there, so it was fresh and delicious.

I went online looking for a tempeh recipe but after reading many recipes I realized that the entire process was a bit too intricate for me (mainly because I had to find soy beans to ferment). Instead, I found the best quality ready-made tempeh at my co-op and used that instead. Yes, it did not taste anything like the fresh, homemade tempeh I had in Mexico, but it was still good, and healthy and nutritious. I made my infamous pear, pecan and Gorgonzola salad to accompany it (yes, I know it's not completely vegan, but there's only so much a carnivore can do!).

INGREDIENTS (serves 1)

• 3 oz. tempeh, cut in half, lengthwise, then in thirds in width
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, heat oil or butter on medium heat. Add sliced garlic and cook for one minute. Add sliced tempeh and soy sauce. Cover skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, until bottom it's browned--keep shaking the pan. Turn tempeh over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Place heated tempeh over your favorite salad and enjoy!

Veggie Sliders

I am trying to cut down my meat intake and start eating a bit more vegetarian foods in between and the only thing I could come up with was a veggie burger. I'm sure there are ton of other healthy, veggie options out there, but this was the first thing that came to mind. So, I searched for an easy veggie burger that didn't require me to cook all sorts of grains and beans, and I came up with this recipe. The garbanzo bean base for the veggie pattie comes from 101 Cookbooks, but the addition of rye berries and nuts was totally my tweak. Also, the sprouts are optional, and I think I'll omit them the next time I make these. The patties were flavorful and, oh boy so filling!

INGREDIENTS (makes 12 mini patties or 6 regular patties)

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cooked whole rye berries (to cook add 1/3 cup whole rye berries to 1 cup boiling water, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until all water is absorbed)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tablespoons grated onion
• 1 garlic clove, grated (I grate mine over a microplane)
• Grated zest of one lemon
• 1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try brocolli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts - optional)
• 1/4 cup very finely chopped walnuts or almonds
• 1 cup toasted bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)
• 12 mini hamburger buns for sliders or 6 regular hamburger buns for larger patties (I used Crumpets because they were on sale...LOL)

DIRECTIONS

Combine the garbanzo beans, cooked rye berries, eggs, and salt in a food processor or blender. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the parsley, onion, grated garlic, lemon zest, chopped nuts, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties or 6 regular sized hamburger patties. Place patties on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 mini patties or 2 regular sized patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cook the remaining patties.

Make your sliders like you would a regular hamburger, however I would omit mayo and ketchup as the patties are quite flavorful by themselves. I'd suggest you put a little bit of mustard and one or two pickes and thinly sliced tomatoes, and perhaps a slice of American cheese.

Braised Fish with Fennel and Tomato

I first discovered the Martha Stewart Living magazine when I was a wee girl. My step-mom used to subscribe to the magazine and remember I loved visiting her house because I couldn't wait to check out what Martha was up to. But as I got older and started discovering other cooking magazines, I began to find Living a bit boring in that most of the recipes didn't have enough chutzpah.

This past week I flew to Virginia and I decided to buy a Living magazine to read on the plane and wow, has the magazine changed! This was the Thanksgiving issue so there were a lot of classic recipes with new twists, and easy recipes that sounded too good to be true. One of those recipes was this braised fish. Now, her recipe only had fresh tomatoes (I sneaked in a can of whole peeled tomatoes) and I used Orange Roughy instead of halibut or grouper. I also used preserved lemom instead of fresh lemon. I made the preserved lemon a few months ago, but you can use fresh lemon if you don't have access to preserved lemon. Lastly, I used a Viognier wine from Martin Vinyards in Knott Island, North Carolina. The fish came out tender and full of flavor and the sauce was terribly good.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (I used a Viognier)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large fennel bulb, halved, cored, and thinly sliced lenghwise
• 1 medium tomato, cored and corsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) of whole, peeled tomatoes and its juice
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 thin preserved lemon slices (use fresh lemon if preserved lemons are unavailable)
• 1/2 Tsp. Herbs de Provence
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped parsely
• 4 skinless fillets of firm-fleshed fish (each about same thickness size), such as grouper, halibut, seabass or snapper (I used Orange Roughy)

DIRECTIONS

In a large 13-inch skillet, pour the oil, wine, water, fennel, fresh and canned tomatoes and its juice (crush the canned whole tomatoes with your hand or a spatula), garlic, Herbs de Provence, and preserved lemon slices. Add 1-1/4 tsp. kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over moderate heat until the fennel softens, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper and arrange fillets in the pan, partially submerging them in the sauce. Sprinkle chopped parsely all over fish and suce and cover and simmer until fish is opaque throughout, about 6 to 8 minutes. Gently turn fish over and cook one more minute.

Spoon some of the braising sauce onto plates and top with fish. Drizzle with more olive oil (optional) and serve with a side of nutty, steamed rice.

Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken

Sometimes when I go to sleep, I start thinking up of food to cook, how to cook it and how to season it. I wanted to make a sage roasted chicken that was juicy. I usually don't have good luck roasting chicken because it tends to dry out on me, especially the breast part. So, instead, I brined my chicken overnight (this was the first time I've ever done this) and left the skin on to make my chicken even more flavorful. The recipe below is just for one chicken breast half, enough for one person.

INGREDIENTS

Brine

• 1 Chicken breast half, bone-in and with skin left on (but trim any excess fat)
• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Montreal seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Cold Water

DIRECTIONS

You will need a plastic container with an air-tight lid that is large enough for chicken. Place 1 cup water and all the ingredients, except chicken. With your fingers or spoon, stir for a few seconds. Add the chicken and then add more water until chicken is completely submerged in the brine. Cover with an air-tight lid and place in the refrigerator over night.

Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken

• 2 large fresh Sage leaves
• 2 thin lemon slices
• 2 Tablespoons butter, divided
• Fresh, ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard brine.

Run your fingers gently under the chicken skin and separate, but don't separate all the way. Place 2 slices of lemon and 2 leaves of sage and one tablespoon of butter under the skin. Rub the remaining butter all over the chicken and grind some fresh black pepper over it. Place the chicken in a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until juices run clear (I have a convection oven, so it took me half an hour).

Remove chicken and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. A nice side of collard greens with bacon would be phenomenal with this dish.

Sofrito Marinated Pork Tenderloin

I was in the supermarket yesterday and I did something I've never done before: I checked prices on everything and I even used coupons! Now, it's not that I've never had to worry about money before, but as long as good meat and good vegetables and fruits were available, I didn't particulary checked prices because I figured I was buying good, healthy products for my family. But now that we have a mortgage and our stocks are ever so sadly losing their value, we've become slightly frugal, and painfully aware of how much money we were needlessly spending. However, I now find this to be an exciting challange for me because I've found things in the supermarket that I never knew existed.

I was craving pork for some reason: Pork cutlets, pork chops, pork tenderloin...but when I got the market all pork chops and cheaper cuts of pork were sold out. All that was left were tenderloins and, my friend (as McCain would say), they were expensive. Then the butcher told me that over by the bacon area they had tenderloin strips, which I've never seen before. Basically, they are pork tenderloins, but each is no more than 5 to 6 inches long, and skinnier than a regular tenderloin. They are the left over strips from the good cuts of pork tenderloins. Whowould'vethunkit? So, instead of paying 8 bucks a pound for regular, trimmed pork tenderloin, I paid just under 4 dollars a pound for the strips, even though it was basically the same thing...just not as pretty.

The dilemma with pork tenderloin, and pork in general, is that it tends to dry out if you don't cook it properly because it's very lean meat. The sofrito recipe below is the perfect marinade for pork because it gives it tons of flavor and makes it jucier after you cook it. When you make the sofrito, it may seem to have a strong and pungent odor and flavor to you, but the beauty of it is that you only need a little bit to marinate or to cook with. You can use the sofrito as a base for soups, fry it with ground beef or add to your chili, or use it to flavor light flavored fish like cod or sole. The beauty of sofrito is that you can totally create your own special sofrito by changing or adding different ingredients. This one totally works for me, but I'm already thinking up of new sofritos I'll probably experiment with.

Diva's Sofrito (makes about 1.5 cups)

• 2 large green bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped white onions (about half of a large white onion)
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed and roughly choppped
• A good handful of cilantro (about half a bunch)
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 to 4 grinds of fresh, black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In your blender or food processor, add all ingredients and blend or process until you get a paste with a runny consistency with no large chunks. Add more olive oil and/or vinegar, if necessary, and taste and season more, also if necessary. You want a good concentrated, herbaceous flavor that is well seasoned. At this point you can freeze the sofrito in ice trays or in small baggies. You will need 1/4 cup of the sofrito for the marinade below.

Marinated Tenderloin Strips

• 1/4 cup of sofrito
• 1.5 to 2 pounds tenderloin strips

DIRECTIONS

Place ingredients in a large zip-lock baggie and massage sofrito all over the tenderloin. Place in fridge and marinate overnight.

To cook: Remove tenderloin strips from marinade and discard marinade. Sprinkle some kosher salt and more pepper over strips and you can either grill them, pan fry them or bake them. I chose to bake mine in a 375 degree oven, covered with foil for 20 minutes (we have a convection oven, so it cooks really fast). You want the internal temperature to reach 145.

Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Slice into medallions and serve over nutty, buttered rice and fried plantains or with cheesy grits or grilled veggies or even with roasted potatoes. Your choices are endless!

Chicken & Couscous a la Luisa

I have the most beautiful niece in the world! Luisa just turned one month old and she's just precious. As you can imagine, her mom and dad are excited yet somewhat exhausted from all the new things they have to do now like: get up every 3 to 4 hours to feed her, change her diapers, do more laundry than usual, burp and tend to her, and do all their other household chores, run their errands, and walk the dogs. Pheww, I got exhausted just writing this down.

So, you can imagine that they are exhausted and cooking may not be one of their favorite things to do right now. But below is the most easiest and delicious couscous (I created this by collaborating Ina Garten's couscous recipe and the recipe we learned at Rancho La Puerta) and chicken recipe that any new parent wouldn't mind doing. The grilled chicken is a tried and true recipe from Epicurious and it's easy and simple and fast. Combine both dishes and you have Chicken & Couscous a la Luisa! Phrewwww...

INGREDIENTS (makes 4 servings)

• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup chopped shallots
• 2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt, depending on how salty the chicken broth is
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 10-ounce box plain couscous
• ½ cup pignoli nuts, toasted
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, raise the heat to high and bring the stock to a boil. Stir in couscous and remove from heat. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, add the pignoli nuts, parsley and dried cranberries to the couscous, stir and serve with chicken.

CHICKEN

• 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/3-inch thickness
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

DIRECTIONS

Place 2½ tablespoons oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken and seal bag, releasing any excess air; turn several times to coat. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Alternatively, chill 1 to 3 hours and bring to room temperature before continuing.

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Brush grill rack with oil. Transfer chicken from bag to barbecue with some marinade still clinging. Sprinkle a little more salt and pepper over chicken and grill until slightly charred and just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter, cover with foil and let rest 5 minutes. When ready to serve, drizzle chicken with a little olive oil, sprinkle a little chopped cilantro over chicken, and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with couscous. **Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in a skillet if you don't want to grill.

Filet of Beef au Poivre

Oh, Ina Garten! She's such a diva when it comes to really expensive (yet fabulous) food recipes, but you know once in a while we have to spoil ourselves. Now, these are difficult financial times and in no way did I buy 6 filet mignons, but I made this recipe for only 2 persons. I cut the au poivre sauce recipe in half and it was more than enough for the two filets. So, if your 401k is not completely depleted yet, rejoice and eat meat!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 6 filet mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
• 1 cup canned beef broth
• 1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy

DIRECTIONS

Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on 1 side and then for 3 minutes on the other side, for medium rare (I sauted mine for 5 minutes on each side since steaks were 2" thick). Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Strain sauce and serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top and around the steak.

Rancho La Puerta's Huevos Rancheros

On Friday our company took me and a few of my co-workers to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. It is a fabulous spa and cooking school where my friend and chef Michel Stroot, used to work but he has now retired--although he does "guest appearance" classes at the school. If you're interested in the cooking school, it's called La Cocina Que Canta and they have excellent chefs. Our chef that taught us this class was chef Deborah Schneider.

This was the very first time I've been to this spa and it was fabulous. Generally, guests stay there for 7 days but we were able to get a special one-day package. Needless to say, the cooking school was excellent and the recipe below is what I made for our team builder.

These are not your typical huevos rancheros. This dish is healthy and what I found amazing about this recipe is that all the ingredients (except the cheese), came from the ranch. They grow everything there and they have a large chicken coop, too, and I am proud to say this is the first farm-to-table meal I've cooked! The huevos were so yummy and it was even better with the homemade tortillas another one of my co-workers made. This was probably one of the best team-builders I've ever been to!

INGREDIENTS (seves 8 to 10)

• 8 large tomatoes
• 1 large white onion, chopped into small pieces
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped into small dice
• 1 large green or yellow bell pepper, chopped into small dice
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced
• 1 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium)
• 10 eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 avocados, seeded and chopped (you do this last, when the eggs are ready)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375. Have a large pot of boiling water ready. Also, you will need a large bowl with ice (ice-bath) ready.

Cut a small "x" at bottom of each tomato and drop them into a large pot of boiling water. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Immediately remove and place them in the ice-bath to cool and stop the cooking. Once you can handle the tomatoes, peel the skins. Cut tomatoes in half around the circumference and gently squeeze out seeds (or use your fingers or spoon to take out). Chop tomatoes into medium size pieces.

Heat a large, heavy pan on medium-high and add two tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, red and green or yellow pepper, and jalapeños. Add a good pinch of salt and sauté until onions become lightly transparent. About 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if needed. At this point, sauce will be slightly chunky. Add 1 cup stock and simmer a few more minutes. You don't want the sauce to be too watery. This is where you're going to have to eyeball it and add more stock, if needed (I only used 1 cup because tomatoes were a bit juicy already). Lastly, add 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper. Remove from stove and set aside.

In a large clay pot or 9x13 glass baking dish or casserole, add the tomato sauce. With the back of a small ladle, make an indentation in the sauce. Immediately crack one egg and slide it into the well you just made. You can also use a large spoon if you don't have a ladle. Continue doing this all over the sauce until you have all 10 eggs (we used 1 large clay pot and one smaller one to fit all 1o eggs). If you want, you can lightly sprinkle a little salt and pepper over each egg. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until your eggs reach your desired doneness.

Remove baking dish from oven and sprinkle cotija cheese over each egg, then sprinkle with chopped cilantro and chopped avocado and serve, family style!

Easy Chilaquiles con Queso

Chilaquiles are fried tortillas with a tangy tomato sauce and smothered in cheese. In our family, we like to eat chilaquiles with eggs and a side or refried beans.

There are many chilaquiles recipes out there. Some suggest you make your own tomato sauce, while others tell you to bake the chilaquiles. Truthfully, we've never baked our chilaquiles and we always use canned tomato sauce. El Pato tomato sauce is good, but you can also use Las Palmas red enchilada sauce. Now, if you're really, really tired and don't want to bother with the frying of the tortillas, go to your local carniceria or ethnic grocery store and buy good homemade tortilla chips and use those instead (then there's no need to fry!). These are just little tricks I learned from my mom.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 8 corn tortillas, stale and torn in pieces
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 can (7-3/4 oz.) El Pato tomato sauce (yellow can with duck, can use more if needed)
• 1/2 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• salt

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Oil is ready when small piece of tortilla thrown in bubbles. Fry tortillas in batches, until crisp and golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain oil, reserving enough to leave a nice residue in pan.

Add tomato sauce to pan and stir over medium heat until warm. Add tortillas and stir together until warm. Add salt to your liking. Top with cheese. Take off heat. Once cheese melts, add onions, then top with cilantro. Serve with eggs, refried beans, or with breakfast potatoes.

Turkey Albondigas

My brother and sister-in-law just had their first baby 10 days ago. She is a beautiful little girl with so much hair; she's going to need a haircut pretty soon! So, both my mom and step-mom made food for them and stored it in their freezer this way Lindsey and Tom didn't have to worry about cooking for the first few weeks while they got used to their new bundle of joy. One of the dishes my mom made for them is her albondigas soup. To me, this is probably one of the best Mexican comfort foods, and it's really good to eat when you're sick, too (I guess it's the Mexican version of Matzo Ball Soup).

Now, in just about all the albondigas recipes they tell you to use ground beef, which you can substitute, but my mom got us used to ground turkey (or even ground chicken) because there is less fat and the soup is not greasy at all. Also, if there are no zucchinis available, you can add summer squash, or you can just omit it if you want. Anyway, my mom made extra soup and I also got a nice pot of it at home.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 zucchinis, sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot combine broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and water. Add the onion, carrots, celery and potatoes (do not add the zucchini just yet).

Bring to a boil and simmer.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the ground turkey, uncooked rice, cilantro, garlic, pepper, seasosing salt, egg and ice water. Mix thoroughly, but do not overwork the mixture.

Form into small meatballs (you can form bigger meatballs if you prefer, but meatballs may have to cook a little longer).

Add carefully to soup. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the zucchini. Cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and the rice in the meatballs look nice and plump.

Laddle the albondigas and broth in soup bowls and don't forget to serve warm corn tortillas and butter on the side. Que bueno!

Vegetarian Chili for a Funeral

It's been quite a scary week so far.

Stock market is down.

The global economy is getting shaken up.

My husband is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic God knows doing what for Uncle Sam.

Obama's lead is just one point now.

And David Foster Wallace killed himself last Friday.

So, yeah, it's been quite ominous to say the least. But, as always, I'm thinking about food and I pondered: what would David Foster Wallace (DFW) want to be served at his funeral? What would this great writer, who particularly didn't like using periods¹ but loved commas—and loved using footnotes—would want his guests to eat while they reminisced, and cried, and laughed, about his great, yet short life? DFW was born in Ithaca, grew up in central Illinois, got his Master's in Arizona and died in California...hmmm, WWDFWE?

But of course, vegetarian chili!²

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
• 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.
3. Remeber to have grated chedder cheese, chopped onions, jalapenos, sour cream, and any of your favorite toppings on the side for the chili. Enjoy!

¹ For example, in his book Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, DFW's chapter called "Death Is Not the End"—which I just realized it's eerily weird that that's the first thing that came to mind when I wrote this—he writes for two and-a-half pages without using a period. My goodness, man, I had to take a deep breath once the period finally appeared!

² I know you're probably thinking maybe it should have been lobster, or lobster rolls, but that would have been too easy, don't you think?

R.I.P. DFW

Chicken Pad Thai

Not too long ago I found a Thai restaurant near my work called Thai Chadda. The restaurant is in the food court where a lot of us from work go to eat, and they make the food quite fast. It's not one of the best Thai places, but their chicken pad Thai is quite good. It's tangy, spicy and lightly sweet. So, after searching for recipes for this great dish, I finally decided on this one I found on About.com, because it was actually the less difficult one. Anyway, my pad Thai came out fabulous and almost as good as restaurant quality.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2-3)

• 8-10 oz. thin Thai-style rice noodles - look for linguini-size rice noodles (made in Thailand) at Asian/Chinese stores
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups raw chicken breast or thigh meat, sliced
• 2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 3 spring (green) onions, sliced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup crushed or roughly chopped peanuts
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Lime or orange wedges for serving
• oil for stir-frying

PAD THAI SAUCE:

• 3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water (look for tamarind at Asian/Chinese or Indian food stores)
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1-3 tsp. chili sauce (depending how spicy you want it)
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place noodles in a pot of water and place on the stove. Bring to near a boil, then remove from heat. Allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients (about 10 minutes).
2. Make the Pad Thai Sauce by combining the sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well to dissolve both the tamarind paste and the brown sugar. Set sauce aside.
3. Place chicken slices in a small bowl. Pour the marinade (2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. soy sauce) over the chicken. Stir well and set aside.
4. Check the noodles. Note that you will be frying the noodles later, so you don't want to over-soften them at this point. Noodles are ready when they are soft enough to be eaten, but are still firm and chewy. Drain and rinse through with cold water. Set aside.
5. Warm up a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the wok/pan is hot, add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds).
6. Add the chicken (together with the marinade). Stir-fry until the wok or pan becomes dry (30 seconds to 1 minute).
7. Now begin adding some of the chicken stock. Add only a few Tbsp. at a time, enough to keep the chicken frying nicely. Continue until all the chicken stock has been added and chicken pieces/strips are cooked (about 5-8 minutes).
8. Add the noodles, and pour the Pad Thai sauce over the noodles. Using two spatulas, wooden spoons, or other utensils, quickly stir-fry the noodles. Use a "lift and turn" method (almost as though you were tossing a salad) instead of the usual stir-frying motion, or the noodles with break apart.
9. Fry the noodles in this way for 1-2 minutes. If you find your wok/frying pan too dry, push noodles aside and add a little more oil to the bottom (but no more broth, or the noodles will become soggy).
10. Add the bean sprouts and sprinkle over the ground black pepper. Continue "tossing" for 1 more minute, or until noodles are cooked. Noodles are done to perfection when they are no longer "hard" or transulcent. They should be opaque and chewy-sticky wonderful!
11. Taste-test the noodles for seasoning, adding more fish sauce as needed (I usually end up adding up to 1 more Tbsp. fish sauce, as I like mine on the salty side). Toss well to incorporate.
12. To serve, lift the noodles onto a serving plate. Top with generous amounts of fresh coriander, spring onion (green onion), and crushed or chopped nuts. Add fresh orange slices or lime wedges (lime is great squeezed overtop), and serve with a bottle of Thai chili sauce on the side, for those who like it extra spicy. ENJOY!

Arañitas

Arañitas are a variation of the tostones recipe. In Spanish, arañitas means little spiders and the recipe gets its name from the shredded plantain, which looks like spider legs when fried. Yeah, I know that doesn't sound appetizing, but these little fried plantains are delish. Serve arañitas instead of bread or as a side to your chicken and rice dish.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 12 arañitas)

• 1 large green plantain
• 1 large garlic clove (minced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Olive or vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel the plantain and shred with a coarse grater.
2. Place the grated plantain in salted water and let soak for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the grated plantain and dry with paper towels to soak up excess water.
4. Mix the grated plantain with the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
6. Fry the shredded mix by the spoonful in clumps until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
7. Drain on paper towels, lightly salt while still hot and serve immediately.

The Best Flourless Chocolate Cake Ever!

Hi friends and family. I apologize I have not updated my food blog, but I have been without a kitchen for a couple of weeks. As you may know, my hubby and I bought a house and we're currently remodeling. So, here's and oldie but goodie recipe that I really like. This is a wonderful treat for any chocoholic out there, and if you're watching your carbs, this is lower carb cake than a regular chocolate cake. Anyway, we're getting the granite countertops installed tomorrow and I hope to have a brand new recipe posted here soon!

xoxo, Armida

I made this cake for Easter Sunday and it was incredible; I'm not just saying that...it was really good! The mixture of bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate gives this cake a superb cocoa taste and the sugar adds just the right balance. I placed my cake in the refrigerator before I served it although it tastes great a room temperature, too. Fresh raspberries or strawberries compliment this cake so well. We had a late harvest Zinfandel with the cake and it was just pure heaven. If you make this cake for your family they will worship you!!!

INGREDIENTS (about 8 servings)

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup plus 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar (6 ounces)
• 2/3 cup water (5 ounces)
• 6 ounces softened butter
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (3 ounces)
• 1 pint fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a 10-inch cake pan with vegetable cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a 10-inch parchment paper circle. Coat the top of the parchment paper circle with vegetable cooking spray.

Place both chopped chocolates in a bowl and melt over a double boiler. Combine the sugar and water in a 1-quart saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil until all of the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot syrup into the bowl of melted chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is homogenous. Add the butter and whisk until well mixed. Set aside for a moment.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until well blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold this mixture into the chocolate mixture. Be careful to mix gently.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place a baking sheet with 1-inch sides in the oven. Place the filled cake pan on the baking sheet. Fill the baking sheet with water so the water covers the bottom inch of the cake pan. Bake until the cake surface appears dull and taut when pressed in the middle, about 40 minutes.

Remove the cake pan from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack. Turn off the oven and let the baking sheet and water cool before you attempt to remove them.

The cake will be moist and dense but not overly sweet. Serve with a side of whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Recipe courtesy Jacques Torres