Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower, Parmesan and Lemon

Happy New Year everyone!
I am starting the new year with a good long run, kirtan, yoga and meditation. So to continue my efforts with having a fresh mind, it would be good to have some good, healthy food in the system.

Over the holidays, I made roasted broccoli from a recipe I found on Food Network. It was so good, except that I had added a little too much salt.

Recently, I was at Trader Joe's, thinking about the same dish. Instead of buying stalks of broccoli, I decided to get a bag of cauliflower and broccoli. Well, I must say it turned out well.

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. Bag of Broccoli and Cauliflower Duet from Trader Joe's (pre-washed)
1/4 Lemon
1/2 Cup Parmesan Reggiano
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions: 
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Add foil to the baking pan and add broccoli and cauliflower. Drizzle olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Try to turn over the florets, they should be a little browned which is okay. This is what brings out the roasted flavor. Keep them close together, and add a layer of cheese and slide it back into the oven. The cheese should melt nicely, adding a crisp to the top of the florets, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle with lemon and transfer to a serving dish with a spoon or spatula.

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Triangoli with Sauteed Mushrooms

We live in a day and age where sometimes we just don't have time to make things from scratch. I don't, at least and if I do, it takes hours of preparation.

I went to Trader Joe's and one of the items I found were these Butternut Squash Triangoli Pasta. It comes in the package pictured below. Sorry, I emptied it out already before I took the photo. I also bought a 10 oz package of sliced white mushrooms, and it was SO EASY to make and SO GOOD. I tell ya, I really liked it.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients: 

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Triangoli
10 oz Package of Sliced White Mushrooms
1T Olive Oil
1T White Cooking Wine
2T Non Salted Butter
2t Kosher Salt
2-3t Ground Pepper
Fresh Parmesan



Directions: 
For the mushrooms, turn range on to medium heat. Use a medium sized nonstick pan and add butter. When the butter melts, throw the mushrooms into the pan and stir constantly until mushrooms are evenly coated with butter. Keep stirring, then add white wine, salt and pepper. Sautee for about 5 minutes then turn stove off and move mushrooms to a plate. Do not clean the pan.

Follow the directions on the package for the Triangoli. When they are ready to go, drain then transfer Triangoli to the saucepan. Give it a good coat of the butter that is left in the pan and add the olive oil. Add parmesan and stir this in (optional). When transferring it to a serving plate, add the mushrooms on top or on the side. Add more parmesan and pepper.

Okay, it doesn't look that tasty with mushrooms on top of it, but it is really good! 

Corn with Sriracha

I got this recipe from my friends Erin and Mark who hosted a UT Football party at their place. It was so good that I made it for a brunch that I had. It was the highlight of the brunch, so if it succeeded at two parties, then hopefully it will do well at your party!

Corn With Sriracha 

Ingredients: 
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
16 oz Bag of Frozen Corn (Erin and Mark used fresh grilled corn)
1/4 Cup Parmesan + a little more for topping
1 Tablespoon Sriracha

Directions:
Thaw out the corn by following the instructions on the bag. Throw it in a mixing bowl and toss it with the mayonnaise, parmesan, sriracha and lastly, the parsley. Add about a handful of parmesan on top. Finished! Yes, it's that easy.

What I'm making for Sunday dinner...

Braised pork shoulder with creamy polenta. Not sure how it tastes yet...it's just making my apartment smell amazing. Click on the link below for the recipe

Braised Pork Recipe 

Turkey Sausage and Broccoli with Quinoa Pasta

When I first heard about quinoa, I thought that it must be difficult to make. I've heard great things about it, like it contains essential amino acids, high in iron, gluten-free. So I was at a normal supermarket yesterday, and had decided to make my favorite pasta. When I was looking at the noodles, lo and behold, they had quinoa. The brand I used was "Ancient Quinoa Harvest", and the ingredients consist of organic corn flour, organic quinoa flour, dried organic spinach, dried organic beet and/or organic red bell pepper. The best part? Though slightly more than regular pasta, it was $2.50 for an 8oz. box. Uh... yeah. That's a keeper for me. This is a no nonsense, straight forward, healthy, and really tasty dish. It's definitely going to be a staple of mine. If it's not for you, then stick with pasta. It's still going to be tasty.

Ingredients:
1 8oz box quinoa-corn blend "Garden Pagodas" pasta (or replace with regular pasta such as fusilli)
1.25lbs sweet Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed
2 stalks organic broccoli, cut into little pieces and stalks discarded
3 teaspoons dried and crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 large cloves garlic, diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil


Bring a little more than 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add broccoli, and let it boil for 3 minutes. Remove broccoli and put it in a large bowl of ice water, save the water in the pot. Bring it to a boil for the pasta and follow directions on the box.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add turkey sausage. Crush the sausage with a spoon until it is broken up and no longer red. About 12 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir. Drain broccoli, add to skillet and stir. Add pasta, stir and coat with juices. Stir in parmesan and serve immediately.

Okay, I also want to add how much I spent at Associated Supermarket in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
1 box 8oz quinoa-corn blend noodles - $2.50
1.25lbs sweet italian sausage - $4.50
2 stalks of broccoli - $2.99
Fresh parmasan -$2.99
Red pepper flakes - I bought this a couple of years ago
Garlic - I had from other dishes
Olive Oil - I had in my pantry
Total: $12.98 to make about 4 servings. Maybe a little more than 4. Yup. That works for me.

Jeena’s Indian Stewed Green Beans and Tomatoes

I am totally into Indian food and feel fortunate to have my first experience of it with my very good friend Jeena.  She is from Kerala, which is known as "God's Own Country". From what I hear from many friends who have visited, there is truth to this saying. It is full of lush greenery, nature, waterfalls, canals, beaches. Ayurvedic medicine and massages are popular in this area, which fits well since it is a traditional method to restore balance in one's body. 

So...since this is a cooking blog and not Lonely Planet, here is a wonderful dish by Jeena. You can find similar recipes, but this is her own specialty, pulled from her roots. You can pair this with so many things. I think I'm going to make this along with Japanese curry, one of my winter staples. 

Set aside the following spices, together into a small ramekin or dish:

1 tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp cumin seeds (use mortar and pestle to grind into a rough powder)

2 tbsp canola oil

¼ tsp mustard seeds

1 inch piece of grated or finely minced fresh ginger

2-3 tbsp diced red onion

10 fresh curry leaves, crush them in your hands to release flavors

4 cloves  garlic, crushed&chopped

about 50 green beans, cut into inch pieces

20 grape tomatoes, cut lengthwise in half

½ tsp salt (add more or less, according to taste)

1.Heat the oil on high just until it starts to smoke and add mustard seeds and then turn the heat to medium.

2. After the mustard seeds stop sputtering, sauté the ginger, onions and curry leaves.

3. When you see the onions soften, add the garlic and sauté for a minute (make sure not to brown the garlic).

4. Add the coriander, turmeric and cumin and mix for about a minute, just to release the flavors (make sure the spices don’t brown or burn).

5. Add the green beans, tomatoes and stir for a couple of minute, blending everything together. Turn the heat back up to high.

6. Lastly, add 1 cup of water and salt. Mash the tomatoes to release its flesh and boil for about 10 minutes.

Reduce the thickness of the gravy to your liking, making sure the beans don’t get mushy. Enjoy!

Chicken Lo Mein with Bean Sprouts and Green Onions

I feel so honored to have these recipes from Nick Lee's father, who once owned Chinese restaurants in Houston before retiring. He made a series of dishes for his daughter, Chef Christina Lee, who has asked him to instruct classes at Central Market in Austin, where she teaches. Nick, the son and brother of Christina, put together the recipes, video footage (in Cantonese, but language of food is universal) and photos. He sent me the recipes so I can keep them forever. I am passing along the information and let me know if you try this!

Chicken Marinade:

8 ounce thinly sliced Chicken Breast

3 teaspoon Corn Starch

6 teaspoon Water

3 teaspoon Oil

Mix the Chicken, Corn Starch and water thoroughly first then add the oil last. Set aside.

Prepare the noodles:

Precook 8 ounce Fettuccine noodles per the instruction on the package. Once cooked, mix in 1 teaspoon oil and mix thoroughly (using hand works the best, but wear gloves). Let the noodles cool for 30 minutes. **You want to precook and cool the noodles so they will firm up, the oil is so they won’t stick together. It’ll make sense later.**

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon oil (stir fry the noodles)

2 teaspoon oil (stir fry the chicken)

½ clove of garlic, minced

1 cup shredded Shitake Mushrooms

1 cup Bean Sprouts

1 Green Onion cut into 1 inch lengths

Dash of Ground White Pepper, optional

1 ½ teaspoon Soy Sauce (Light)

2 teaspoon Soy Sauce (Dark)

1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce

Frying time:

Heat a non stick wok with 2 teaspoon of oil on high heat. Wait for the shimmer then add the chicken. Cook evenly for about a minute. Set aside.

Add 1 teaspoon oil into the heated wok and add the minced garlic and Shitake Mushrooms. Stir fry for a minute to sweat the mushrooms.

Add the cooled Fettuccine noodles into the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes or until heated through.

Next add the bean sprouts, green onions, Soy sauce & Oyster sauce mixture. Now you can add a dash of ground white pepper if desired, no biggie. Mix well for an even coverage.

Add the chicken back into the wok and stir fry for another minute.

That’s that.

**salt to taste or use soy sauce**

***5 servings***