The Bread is in the Baking

I saw this recipe on foodgawker and I got really really excited. I immediately sent it to a close friend and went out and bought all the ingredients (which isn't a lot). These are really great. I realized that the best fries are about the thickness of your finger, because then you get the lovely crunchiness of fries on the outside and the juicy mushroom taste on the inside. Last night Eddie, Sophie and I made them as a side with spinach, goat cheese lamb burgers. Who says college students can't eat in style?

This recipe is pretty much identical to the one found here, but instead of using vegetable oil, we used olive oil. It's better for you and the flavor is great.

Portobello Mushroom Fries

2 Large Portobello Mushrooms - brush washed, sliced into even strips
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
About a cup of Wondra flour

First lay the sliced mushrooms on a parchment covered pan and sprinkle with salt to release moisture. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the Wondra into a flat bowl and roll each mushroom slice around in the flour. Then in a deep saucepan (or deep fryer), heat about 3-4 inches of oil. Test the oil by dropping in pieces of the mushroom stem (cause they're still tasty, but not as attractive as fries). If the oil starts to sizzle, you're in business. Carefully drop a few mushroom slices at a time into the hot oil. Fry for a minute or two, just til golden. Remove with tongs or slots spoon and drain on a paper towel, serve immediately.

Total Time: About 15 minutes

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Stir fry is one of those things that once you figure out what flavors you like it's really easy to make. I made this lovely stir fry while I was in Australia. I'm a huge veggie fan (as my homestay parents can attest to) and this is by far one of my favorite stir fry's. You should use this recipe as a jumping off point, not the end all be all stir fry. Figure out what you like and what you don't and do what you want!

FIRST AND FOREMOST CUT ALL THE VEGGIES UP! This will make cooking a lot less hectic. You won't be all "ohmygod the asparagus isn't cut and the broccoli is burning!" I always forget to do this, or maybe I just think I'm some sort of superstar and I can do everything while other ingredients are cooking, but I can't. And most recipes don't tell you to do this first so I just jump right in.

Veggies and Tofu Stir Fry
1 large head of broccoli (chopped into bite-size florets)
1 bunch of asparagus (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 bag of spinach
1 block of tofu (cut up into about 18 pieces)
1/4 cup hoison sauce
2 tbs finely cut ginger
3/4 cup cashews (diced)
2 garlic cloves (diced)
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs sesame seed oil

Heat the sesame seed oil in a large wok or frying pan and lightly fry the tofu until all the pieces are brown on all sides. Remove the tofu, making sure to leave as much of the oil as possible, and place them in a bowl covered in a paper towel to soak up the extra grease. Add 1 tbs of the veggie oil, the garlic and the broccoli into the pan and cover it with a lid for a couple minutes stirring every minute or so (this will steam the broccoli). Then add the asparagus and cover again for a minute or two. Pour the hoison sauce over the vegetables and stir till everything is completely covered by the sauce. Add the spinach and cook till all the spinach has wilted. Add in the tofu you set aside and the cashews.

Serve alone or over rice!

This should feed 3-5 people

Total Time: About 45 minutes

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First soup post! This soup is really good and simple. I'm excited to make it when I go back to college next year. I found this soup on Cookbook 101, one of my favorite recipe sites. The soup is vegetarian and you don't need to add any broth to it. I changed the recipe a little from the site, I used nonfat yogurt and canned diced tomatoes instead of crushed.

Greens and Lentil Soup

2 cups black beluga lentils (or green French lentils), picked over and rinsed (I used French)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of a chard/kale/etc. rinsed well, finely chopped (I used chard and it was very nice)

Saffron Yogurt
a pinch of saffron (30-40 threads)
1 tablespoon boiling water
two pinches of salt
1/2 cup Non-fat Greek Yogurt
(I did make the saffron yogurt, but I think plain greek yogurt would have worked fine too, since Saffron is pretty pricey)


Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, make the saffron yogurt by combining the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes. Now stir the saffron along with the liquid into the yogurt. Mix in the salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the saffron yogurt.

Total Time: 1 hour

NOTE: would go very well with a crusty bread, like the baguettes or the dark rye

Picture courtest of Eddie Barksdale

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