AMERICAN FOOD if i were president

Seeded Bread

2011-04-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

When I first began baking bread, it was stressful and always seemed to take a long time. After a while, it is easy.
I make the dough for this bread once a week and split it into two, baking one and keeping the other in a plastic bag in the fridge. This makes a fresh loaf twice a week. I've experimented with the recipe quite a bit and finally have it down.

Active time is about 45 minutes for the initial dough and 5-10 minutes to prepare each loaf for baking. Allow about 3 hrs from start to finish.

Ingredients:
8 cups of flour (at least half white but no more than 3/4 white)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 packets yeast
White pepper
Coarse-grained salt
Seeds (sesame, poppy, sunflower, fennel, etc.)
Sugar/water solution

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and white pepper (to taste) in a large bowl.
Make a hole in the center of the mix and gradually pour water in and mix until dough is elastic. It usually takes about 2 1/4 cups of water. If dough is to sticky/stiff add more flour/water.
Knead the dough until a thin area pulled apart is translucent ("windowpane test").
I like to knead it while reading. It is a good workout for the arms, too.
Knead seeds into dough.
Put olive oil on it and cover with plastic wrap or a floured towel and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Divide the dough in half and put one half in a plastic bag in the fridge for later.

To prepare each loaf:

Preheat oven to 475.
If from the fridge, take it out the night before so it won't be cold.
Knead the oil into the dough and form into a round or loaf.
Cut slits in the top and prepare sugar solution (about 1/4 cup of warm water and some sugar).
Top with seeds and coarse salt.
Brush on sugar solution to make seeds and salt stick to the loaf.
Put it in a cast-iron pan and allow to rise for about a half hour-45 mins.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the seeds look well-cooked and the crust is dark brown.

Put on a wire rack to cool.

Ethiopian Vegetarian Combination

2011-01-16T09:35:00.001-08:00

For much of 2010, we lived on Ethiopian/Eritrean food. The neighborhood has many immigrants from the area, and ingredients, plus a constant supply of fresh Injera at both the liquor store and the produce store, are always in steady supply.

My favorite dish is the Vegetarian Combination, and I made the three primary elements along with a salad:
-Greens
-Dark red lentil sauce
-Yellow lentil sauce (actually made with red lentils)

Ingredients:
-Greens(1-2 bunches)
-Red lentils (4 cups)
-Garlic (about half a head)
-Ginger (a large arm)
-Onion (6 cups)
-Berbere (1/2-1 cup depending on spiciness level)
-3-4 Serrano or Jalapeno chiles

A lot of vegetable oil
A pinch of black cumin
Salt and pepper
Lettuce (romaine), tomato, lemon, and olive oil for the salad
Injera

Prep:
For each of the three sauces, chop 2 cups of onion and a tablespoon or two of garlic and ginger.
Set aside 2 cups of lentils for each lentil dish, and a bunch or two of finely chopped greens (chard, collards, kale, etc) for the greens dish. Then slice lengthwise a few jalapeno or serrano chiles for the yellowish dish.

When you are ready to cook, set three pots on burners: one with about 2 cups of boiling water and two with onion and oil. The recipe books use a lot of oil, and the richer the desired outcome, the more oil one can use. The least amount: cover bottom of pan. The most amount: one cup (recommended by recipes). Cook onions until clear, adding water to prevent sticking or burning especially if you aren't using as much oil.

-When the water boils, add the greens, garlic, ginger, and up to 1 cup of oil.
-When the onions are clear, add the lentils, garlic, ginger, berbere, black cumin, and a few cups of water to one pot for the dark red sauce.
-When the onions are clear, add the lentils, garlic, ginger, sliced hot chiles, a little black pepper, and a few cups of water to the other for the yellowish sauce.

Bring lentil dishes to a boil, simmer, add water as needed, and stir occasionally as needed to the lentil dishes. They will take about 30 minutes to cook through. Cook greens until very dark and well cooked. Salt everything to taste.

Arrange the three dishes on plates of injera.

Chop tomato into cubes and place on bed of romaine lettuce on the injera next to the sauces. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper for the dressing. Heat up remaining injera and fold to serve on the side. Serve with light/amber beer, stout beer, and/or guava juice.

Total preparation time is about 1.5-2 hours the first time you try it and 1 hour once you become more experienced. It lasts exactly one week in the fridge, and gives about 6-8 full portions. Do NOT let it sit in the fridge for longer than exactly seven days.

Tips:
-Many small containers for dip or cream cheese hold exactly two cups and this makes an excellent measuring cup/scoop for onions and lentils
-Washing and chopping the greens, garlic, ginger and chiles can be done while the onions are getting clear or the water is boiling. If it's your first time, it's easier to prep everything first to avoid burning the onions.
-Immediately freeze the injera you don't use the first meal. It's usually sold in large rounds and I cut them into quarters for easier single servings before freezing.

Rainbow and Gold Soup

2010-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

A few large or many small Yukon Gold Potatoes
A bunch of Rainbow Chard
A few Leeks
Butter, Salt and Pepper.

Boil water and put in peeled potatoes and chopped leeks (white parts only). Let simmer at a low boil.

Cut the stems out of the chard and set aside the leaves.
Chop the stems finely and add.
Coarsely chop the chard's leaves to postage-stamp size or smaller.
Check to see if the potatoes are soft, and if so, pour off some of the water and smash the mixture with a fork until smooth.
During this process, add the chard leaves and butter, salt, and pepper and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Enjoy with Sourdough Bread.

Pizza #2

2009-12-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

Aimee F. gave me this recipe:

Put warm water in a jug or mug w/ yeast and sugar
and let it get all frothy, then mix w/ however many cups of flour (and a
little salt) to make the consistency slimy doughlike. Add a little olive
oil and let it rise in a warm place (near stove is good) covered. And
Waaaaaala! ...I usually let it sit in the fridge overnight, but you can
make it directly after it doubles in size...

Even though she didn't give many directions, it always comes out good and has a hard, flavorful crust.

Farmer's Market Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Spices

2009-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Leeks
Mushrooms
Or whatever you have.

Salt
Red Lentils
Hot Spicy Powder
Water

Put it all in a pot and cook until lentils are soft.
Mash it up a little to make it creamier.
Serve with bread.

Peter's Spanish Rice

2009-08-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

Usually when Peter tells me a recipe I try to memorize it. Then I forget it. He told me this one a few days ago after our tennis game.

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes
Onion
Garlic
2 Bullion Cubes
2 cups hot water

Long grain rice

Directions:

Mash together all ingredients in a blender, making sure the bullion is dissolved by the hot water.
Strain out the solid and keep the liquid.
Use the liquid to cook the rice (instead of water).
The solid portion can be used in a sauce or other recipe.
There might have been another ingredient, such as cilantro, but I'm not sure.

Apple Slices Dipped In Peanut Butter Then Dipped Again in Seeds

2009-05-27T13:15:00.001-07:00

A pile of apple slices, a pile of peanut butter, a pile of salty seeds (I used pumpkin but sunflower might be better).
Dip each bite of apple in the peanut butter, coat the peanut butter with seeds, then take the bite.

Becky's Orangecello

2009-02-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
8 ripe oranges (for Limoncello, use lemons)
750 ml vodka

Directions:
Zest fruit and soak in vodka for 8 days
Dissolve 3/4 c sugar in 750 ml water over low heat
Let it cool and mix with vodka mixtures.
Let it sit for about 5 days

PBJ Oatmeal

2009-01-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

Jessie told me about this recipe. Add peanut butter, jelly, and a little salt to your oatmeal, as well as milk or something creamy. I raised my eyebrows at first but when I tasted it: pure satisfaction.

Potato Leek Soup

2008-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is a great soup to make a ton of and have on hand all week. It requires only three ingredients (one of which is butter) so it's a good one to try if you're at the store and don't want to run all over getting ingredients. I like to make as much as I can, using roughly equal parts leeks and potatoes.

Russet Potatoes, peeled and chopped
Leeks, trimmed, washed well, and sliced

Put chopped leeks and potatoes into large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer till potatoes are done (about 45 minutes). Mash with a fork until smooth. Add some big hunks of butter and salt to taste.

Never Run Out of Tacos

2008-10-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my sister is always complaining that I never have any food in the house when she comes over. Really she's saying that she never has any food in the house when I come over. This recipe costs almost nothing and it's easy to always have ingredients on hand.

Ingredients (even a few of the following fillings make a good meal):

Pinto Beans
Pepper Jack or other spicy cheese
Potatoes
Corn Tortillas (They are sold even at the stores where all their flour tortillas are gross. They are also inexpensive, come in bulk, and last a long time)
Tapatio, Crystal or other hot sauce
Chopped Onion
Fried plantains (optional)
Red Cabbage (also lasts practically forever!)
Salt

Directions:

Wash and cut up the potatoes, and make enough for leftovers. Put them in the microwave for 4 minutes and heat up canola or other light vegetable oil on a skillet. After the potatoes have been cooked in the microwave, fry them in oil until crispy. (Optional: add vinegar and sugar). Add salt.

Put a can or two of pinto beans in a pot and heat on medium. Add some olive oil and Tapatio and mash them up so they are still kind of whole but more liquid.

Fry up the tortillas until bubbling and a little crispy.

Put cheese on open tortilla, then put beans and potatoes inside, being careful not to overfill. Slide a fresh tortilla underneath and let it heat up so it's steamy and soft. Add cabbage and onions and fold into a taco. Drizzle hot sauce on each bite.

One makes a light meal, two makes a hearty meal.

Sad Sandwich

2008-07-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

I made this sandwich today while sad. It tasted good, so I guess I wasn't too too too too sad.

Ingredients:

Sourdough bread
Tapatio or other hot sauce
Mendocino Mustard or other sweet hot mustard
Tofu
Soy sauce
Black Pepper
Red Chili Flakes
Cream Cheese
Monterey Jack Cheese
Sliced Onion

Mix together the soy sauce with a little water, chili flakes, and black pepper.
Cut tofu into very thin strips and soak tofu in mixture. It would probably be good to marinate for a while, but I didn't, and it turned out fine.
Fry tofu until very well cooked, adding extra pepper or chili flakes directly to the tofu in the pan.
Toast Bread
On one side of the toast, spread a very thin layer of cream cheese with some tapatio or other hot sauce sprinkled over it.
On the other side, spread a layer of Mendocino Mustard (or other sweet hot mustard).
Put tofu, cheese, and onions on sandwich. No need to use too much cheese.
Heat the sandwiches up on the pan before eating to melt cheese.

Note: if you make this sandwich vegan, the only really good fake cheese is Vegan Gourmet. "Better than cream cheese" is pretty good for the cream cheese, though I still like real cream cheese better. The sandwich I made today was with fake cheese and it was really good.

Serve with Bloody Marys and beer and a side of Kale and another little side of sliced avocado.

Red Bean, Sweet Potato, and Peanut Stew

2008-06-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Another one-pot dish. I used a rice cooker but any large pot will work.

Ingredients:

Canned red beans, rinsed well
Canned diced tomatoes
Sweet potatoes/yams, diced and softened in microwave
Peanut butter, about 1/4 cup
Onion, diced
Garlic, chopped
Fresh ginger, chopped
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Curry powder (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt to taste
Lime squeezed on top
Water

Heat the garlic and onion in oil in the bottom of the pot and cook till clear. Add ginger and spices and cook another minute or two. Add sweet potatoes, coat. Add beans and tomatoes, stir. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Add peanut butter. Add water as needed to maintain slight soupiness (shouldn't be like a paste). Simmer until sweet potatoes are well-cooked. Salt to taste and squeeze lots of fresh lime juice on individual portions. Serve over rice. It's also really good if you mix the rice in a lot.

Curried Garbanzo Beans with Swiss Chard

2008-06-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

I made this curry in a rice cooker during my lunch break. It would also be an easy one-pot meal on the stovetop.

Ingredients:

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed well
1 can coconut milk
1 thinly sliced onion
Chopped fresh ginger
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons of curry powder
1/4-3/4 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
Olive Oil

Heat the oil in the bottom of the pan.
Add the onion and cook till clear
Add the ginger and spices and mix well
Add the coconut milk and garbanzo beans
Add the chard and simmer until chard is well cooked.

Serve over rice.

Peanut Butter and Saltines

2008-06-08T19:14:00.001-07:00

There were only three or four saltines left last night when I discovered this snack lying about among party-goers. Brian said that this is what his Dad had for a snack in his office where he worked as a doctor.

This is a good example of a snack that is easy to always have around the house and also very easy to forget about.

Guacamole

2008-05-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is a simple and delicious guacamole recipe that is flavorful and very fast to make.

Ingredients:
Hass avocados
Limes
Salt
Hot sauce (tapatio or valentino or crystal are all ideal) if available--if not, use red pepper flakes
Cilantro if available

Slice all avocados lengthwise and remove pits.
Scour the flesh of the avocado in a grid pattern.
Mash up the avocado with a fork while still in the skin (this helps mix it up later).
Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and then mash together in a bowl.
Add remaining ingredients to taste and mix well.

A Delicious Sandwich

2008-04-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

This delicious sandwich consists of:

Rosemary bread
Lettuce, tomato, etc.
Quickest Peanut Sauce (#3)
Seasoned Tofu

The Quickest Peanut Sauce (#3) is peanut butter, lemon juice, and pizza flakes. It is so quick it doesn't even get its own entry.

Seasoned tofu is a package of tofu baked at 350 for 1 hour (turned once) in a pan with a mixture poured on it of equal parts soy sauce and water (totaling 1/2 cup) with about a half teaspoon of Chinese five spice and two teaspoons of ground fennel seeds.

If you don't want to make the seasoned tofu you can just fry up some tempeh in a little soy sauce and it'll still be good.

The seasoned tofu is from a recipe in the excellent book entitled Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd by Mollie Katzen. It has delicious recipes for 24 or more people.

Serve with Corn on the Cob in the summer and steamed greens in the winter and potato chips in the fall and sweet potato fries later in the winter.

This is a good recipe to keep in mind if you need to pack a lunch every day for a week. You can make up a batch of the tofu and then a batch of the peanut sauce and then it takes about 2 seconds to assemble the sandwich each night. Then you can be like, "no, thanks, I don't need to buy a salad sandwich, I have the best sandwich ever right in my bag".

Fresh Tomatoes and Oil on Herb Bread

2008-01-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

This is what I have been having for breakfast lately.

Halve some Rosemary bread (I used "Herb Slab" from acme bakery).

Toast or heat up slightly in microwave.

Slice tomatoes on top.

Drizzle some olive oil on them.

Add salt and pepper.

Eat with Peppermint Tea in a transparent glass mug.

Salsa

2008-01-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

This recipe was given to me by my friend Peter. He is Mexican and is an excellent cook.

Put on a fry pan:

3 or 4 Tomatoes
A few cloves of garlic
2-4 Serrano chilies
1/2 onion

No need to chop or peel garlic or onions

Cook and turn till blackened on a few sides.

Put in blender or food processor and blend but don't let it be totally pureed.

Add a small pile of salt.

English Muffins like Jefferson used to make

2008-01-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

Copied directly from http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/dayinlife/breakfast/at.html

Monticello Muffins

4 cups of flour
1 1/2 packets of yeast
1 1/2 cups water
cast iron griddle

Mix flour, yeast, and water. Dough will be very sticky. Coat your hands in flour before kneading the dough. While kneading, continue to add small amounts of flour to the dough until the stickiness disappears and the dough becomes more solid. You may find you add as much as 1/2 cup more flour during this process.

Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place overnight. The dough should more than double by morning. The underside of the dough may be a bit sticky -- if so, knead it a bit more. Using your hands, shape the muffins into small golf-ball sized balls. Set the muffins aside, cover with a towel, and let rise for an hour.

Preheat ungreased griddle over medium heat. Add shaped muffins to griddle and cook for about five minutes on each side.
The muffins will look like biscuits on the outside and English muffins on the inside. Serve immediately. Makes two dozen small muffins.

Tostada Weekend Brunch

2008-01-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

Today we made a Mexican brunch.

To make it:

Refry up some refried beans with garlic and onions
Slice some bell peppers and fry lightly
Crisp tortillas on burner or pan
Make up some fresh salsa
Assemble beans, peppers, salsa, and sour cream (better than) on the tortilla.

Serve with chips, extra salsa and a big glass of orange juice mixed with fruit juice. We used Kiwi Strawberry.

Kale with Lemon Juice

2007-11-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

Easy, Delicious, Nutritious.

Steam kale.
Squeeze lemon juice atop kale and season with salt and pepper.

Tastes best if you steam it until the stems are dull in color but the leaves still hold shape. If you cook it for a long time till it's wilted, it still tastes good but be sure to squeeze any excess water out.

Cornbread Stuffing with Wild Rice and Cranberries

2007-11-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

I made this for the first time on Thanksgiving in the year 2007. I combined the elements of all the stuffing I had had in life and put this one together. Amounts of each thing don't matter too much, they just need to be mixed together in a pan so that not one ingredient totally dominates.

Cornbread (toasted, dried or stale is best) and any leftover or stale bakery bread lying around
Wild Rice cooked with butter and herbs
At least 1 onion
A few shallots (optional)
4-6 stalks celery
5 cloves garlic
Handful dried cranberries ("craisins")
Handful golden raisins (optional)
Fresh or fresh-frozen herbs such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary
Vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

Prepare the rice, cornbread, and stock. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop the onions, garlic, shallots, and celery. Puree half this mixture.
Sautee the chopped and pureed vegetables in oil with the herbs and seasonings.
Mix the rice, cornbread, vegetables, dried cranberries and golden raisins in a baking pan. Moisten with vegetable stock.
Bake until the top is brown and crispy (about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how moist you make it).

Everything but the Tofurkey

2007-11-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

We had Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Cooked all day and made nine dishes total for just two people. Even though it was vegetarian, it was pretty traditional, and it was probably the first time I ever really liked everything served at a Thanksgiving dinner.

We had:

Cornbread
Potato bread with black pepper
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Kale with Lemon
Cornbread stuffing with wild rice, cranberries and golden raisins
Wild Rice with herbs
Cranberry sauce/relish with orange
Spicy Tempeh Strips with sour cream
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

It was plenty, even without a bird or bird substitute.

Spicy Tempeh with Sour Cream and Lime

2007-11-04T23:22:00.000-08:00

1 Package Tempeh
Cayenne Pepper
1 Lime
Sour Cream (real or fake)

Fry Tempeh in oil
Shake in bay with Cayenne Pepper until well coated
Squeeze lots of lime juice on
Serve with the sour cream as a dip, and serve with lime wedges, cause you can never have enough lime juice in this one.

Tomato Topovers

2007-11-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

Tomatoes
Bread
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Slice tomatoes thickly and fry in oil.
Toast bread and top with fried tomatoes.
Top with salt, pepper, and a little more oil.

Recipe by Brian B of Pillowgoat.com.

Gingery Marinated Chickpeas

2007-11-04T22:55:00.000-08:00

5 cups cooked/canned chick peas
5 to 6 Tbs. olive oil
3 to 4 Tbs. lemon juice
1 to 2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 Tbs. finely minced ginger
2 to 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely minced red onion
freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything, mix well, cover tightly, and let marinate practically
indefinitely. Stir from the bottom periodically during marination.

This recipe was given to me by Amy A. who was my roommate for a summer. She'd make this if there was a barbecue. I make it if I need to pack lunches for a few days in a row--it just gets better every day it's in the fridge and is a great picnic food.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2007-11-04T22:52:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Chip
Makes about 1 quart

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, chopped
1 1/2 cups raw cashews or cashew pieces (trader joe's has the best deal I've found)
1 1/2 cup water
1/2-3/4 cup grade B bmaple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla flavor

Combine the cashews, water, syrup, and vanilla a blender. Blend on high until silky smooth, at least 1 minute. Place the blender in the feezer for 40 mins or in the fridge for at least one hour, until well chilled.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions. Remove the cover and blade from the ice cream maker and fold in the chocolate chips.

This recipe is adapted from a great book calledVice Cream by Jeff Rogers. It is full of delicious non-dairy ice cream. The catch is that cashews are pretty expensive, but if you can find a good deal, this is an all-around winner.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joe

2007-11-04T22:50:00.001-08:00

1 pkg. Fake Ground Beef
1 Can Manwich
1 Package Hamburger Buns

Fry up fake beef.
Mix with Manwich.
Assemble on buns.

Brian's Special

2007-11-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

Bowtie or other shaped pasta
Bell pepper, chopped
Small fragment of onion, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
Thin Asparagus, fried
Baked or fried tofu, or fried tempeh
Capers
Annie's goddess or other tahini-based dressing
Black peppercorns, crushed or ground

Cook the pasta.
Fry the asparagus.
Mix all ingredients together and toss.

Can also substitute other vegetables.

This recipe by Brian B. of Pillowgoat.com

Pizza Topping Combos

2007-11-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

Running List-Check back:

Orange, Red, and Yellow bell pepper sliced into sticks with lots of tomato sauce

Basil, sun dried tomato, and fake sausage

Mushrooms and onions sauteed in chili flakes with sauce (and/or cheese)

Butternut squash, sage, and goat cheese

Sliced tomato, lemon zest, and a little lemon juice

Potatoes and Rosemary and flavorful olive oil with lots of salt and pepper (no sauce)

Pizza #3

2007-11-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

This is a no-big-deal pizza meant to be made quickly, but is still good.
Pizza from frozen dough.

This could be dough made from scratch and frozen, or dough purchased at Trader Joe's for a dollar a pizza. They have regular, whole wheat, and cornbread; they're all really good.

This is the pizza you make when you just want a normal night--a quick meal without big deal.

Ingredients:
Pre-made pizza crust dough
Sauce or fresh tomatoes
Onion
Whatever pizza toppings you have: mushrooms, bell peppers (red orange yellow combo is nice), basil or oregano, etc. Check "pizza topping" post for ideas, too.
Cheese, if you want

I usually saute the vegetables first but if you're in a rush, you can just put them on the pizza.

Spread out the dough on an oiled cast-iron skillet (or baking sheet, or pizza stone)
Add toppings.
Bake according to dough instructions- usually around 10-15 minutes.

Cut with a large knife applied like a guillotine with slow rocking pressure.

Cool and eat.

Notes: Non pizza type food might still work, like potatoes, canned corn, or butternut squash--If i have something like that, I usually surf the web to see how they are used by others. (For example, potatoes are usually used on non-sauce pizzas, corn is used with cheese, and butternut squash paired with sage and goat cheese.) If anyone makes a good one with no fresh ingredients, let me know, and we can post a "don't have to go to the grocery store" pizza.

Spring Rolls

2007-11-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

Spring Roll Wrappers (Vietnamese)
Glass noodles (thin clear or white vermicelli), soaked in hot water to cook

Tofu or Tempeh, fried

Fresh herbs (basil, mint, and/or cilantro)

Raw Vegetables: Shredded carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, celery strips, just whatever you've got...

Prepare all ingredients in separate piles so they're ready to be added into the rolls. Setting up a station where everything is ready and within reach is key to being able to get in a good rhythm making the rolls.

Lay out a clean, non-terrycloth dish towel on a half of a cutting board. This will be used to dry out the spring roll wrappers.

Heat up a skillet or pan of water. It can be boiling (then turned off) or just below a boil. You want it pretty hot but it's easier if the water is cool enough to touch. Place the stack of wrappers in an accessible place near the pan.

To make a roll, submerge a wrapper in the water for a minute or so, and remove carefully with a spatula. Place on a plate to transport it from the stove to the work area with minimal dripping. Place the next wrapper in right away so it can soften while you assemble the roll.

Spread the wrapper out on the towel and flip over to remove excess water.
Move the wrapper off of the towel and fill with ingredients. Keeping the noodles on the top will improve the look of the finished spring roll (this way, carrots or herbs will appear on the outside).

Fold in the sides and roll the wrapper as you'd roll a burrito. Roll it as tightly as possible and seal the last flap with a little water if it doesn't stick tight.

Serve with lots of peanut sauce (see recipe on this site).

Eat within a day or two.

Peanut Sauce #1: Grateful Dead Peanut Sauce

2007-11-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

3-4 tbs. Peanut butter
Soy Sauce or Tamari to taste (a few tablespoons)
Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (1/2 lemon)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. grated ginger
Water to dilute

Mix into a spreadable sauce. Can still be really good if all you have is peanut butter, water, and one or two other ingredients.

This recipe is adapted from Cooking with the Dead: Recipes and Stories from Fans on the Road by Elizabeth Zipern (St. Martins, New York, 1995). This one was by someone named Greg and it is a sauce for a tempeh sandwich.

It keeps for a while in the fridge--not sure how long but I've never had it go bad.

Peanut sauce on a sandwich, on noodles, on rice with vegetables, as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, on fried tofu or tempeh...

What else can this delicious food make more delicious?

Peanut Sauce #2: Senegalese

2007-10-29T01:05:00.000-07:00

Peanut Sauce to go with rice:
3 tbs oil
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 -1tsp of your favorite piment (hot pepper)-
1/2 tsp salt
1 bullion cube-
1 cup water-or more depending on the density of the peanut butter you’re using
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup diced onion

Saute tomato paste, hot pepper, salt, onion and bullion cube in oil for a few minutes. Add peanut butter and water. All natural peanut butter is better than the processed type because it doesn’t have any sugar that clashes with the salt. Mix and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Makes enough sauce for 3 servings (1 1/2 cups dry rice). Serve with white sweet potatoes.

I got this from this site:
http://www.geocities.com/fon_is_fun/beninese_food_recipes.htm
I like to imagine that I was in the peace corps group with these girls, and when I make it, I always reminisce with fake memories of people I might have met in Benin.

This one doesn't keep in the fridge for as long as Peanut Sauce #1 but has a richer flavor. It is better for dinner-type meals like beans and rice.

Risotto Cakes

2007-10-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

Shape leftover risotto into small cakes.
Shallow-fry in olive oil.
Serve wrapped in lettuce or on a bed of spinach.

Inspired by a recipe in The New English Kitchen by Rose Prince. Hers added an egg to them but I like to keep my leftover heating up a little simpler.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

2007-10-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
4 cups stock (veggie or mushroom)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 head celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. olive oil
Fresh basil or parsley, chopped, for sprinkling on top
Fresh and rehydrated wild mushrooms (about 1/4 pound fresh and 1 handful dried is a good amount)
1 Potato (yukon gold is best), peeled
Oregano and thyme

Directions
1. Boil 4 1/4 cups water in saucepan. Add potato and let boil until potato is soft. Add boullion after potato is removed to make stock.
2. Rehydrate dried mushrooms by covering with warm water (just enough to cover mushrooms)
3. Mash up the potato and set aside. Chop fresh mushrooms if necessary.
4. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook until soft, 10-15 minutes. Add rice, salt and pepper, cook one minute, or until rice is slightly translucent, stirring constantly. Turn up heat to medium high.
5. Add wine and cook until absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in a pinch of salt.
6. Add one ladle of stock (1/3 to 1/2 cup), cook until absorbed, stirring constantly. After stock is absorbed, add another ladleful. This process should take 15 minutes or so. Add mushrooms and potato about halfway through the stock. Add water from dried mushrooms along with the mushrooms
7. When all the stock is absorbed, turn off the heat, put on the lid and let it sit for 3 minutes. Then take off the lid and stir in the rest of the olive oil. Stir and serve with chopped fresh basil or parsley sprinkled on top.

The flavor comes from the fresh herbs and the rehydrated mushroom water. The potato gives it creaminess.

Base risotto recipe from http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=268

Butternut Squash Risotto

2007-10-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

2 pounds butternut squash (I do half yams instead of all butternut)
2 tablespoons each butter and olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups arborio rice
3/4 cup of dry white wine
7 cups stock
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped chives and shaved parmesan and basil oil to garnish.

Peel the squash and remove seeds. Cut into small 1/4 inch dice. Set aside.
Heat the butter and oil together in a deep saucepan and saute the onions and garlic until soft but not browned. Add the squash and rice and continue to saute and stir for 2-3 minutes longer. Add wine and stir until absorbed. Add stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring until absorbed. Continue adding stock and stirring until rice is creamy on the outside but has some texture to it. Gently stir in cheese, zest, nutmeg, and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately in warm bowls garnished with chopped chives, additional Parmesan and a drizzle of fresh basil oil, if desired.

This recipe was given to me by Lisa Dale Beevers, or Dale Beevers for short. We made it at her house in East Oakland in 2002 during a meeting where a few of us were sketching out ideas for an archaeological guide book to San Francisco.

We never finished the guide book but did get a good outline going, and I still make the risotto from time to time. Her email to me, dated Febuary 27, 2002, says this recipe is "Exported from MasterCook II" and is by "Cooking Right Show #CR9665".

Nut and Honey Bars

2007-10-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Large and Small Nuts (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and sesame)
Agave nectar or honey

Directions:

Toast the nuts either in the oven or in a pan on medium heat. When almost as toasted as you like them, add the agave nectar or honey. You want the nuts to be coated, but not too drippy. Turn the flame down to low, and keep stirring the mixture while the liquid reduces. when it starts looking almost dry, pour it into a pan sprayed or wiped with oil, and press it down. Turn out onto a board and cut into fun shapes while still warm. Store in air-tight container to keep it crisp.

This recipe was written and given to me by my friend Anna. She brought them into work and they were so good. I have also toasted nuts with honey and chili powder and pears and will give separate one for those.

Molasses-Ginger Cookies

2007-10-29T00:27:00.000-07:00

Mix together:
3/4 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg.

Sift together (or, mix well):
2 c flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Stir in dry ingredients
Chill.
heat oven 375
Roll dough into balls size of walnuts. Dip top in sugar.
Place on greased baking sheets about 3" apart.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
Makes about 4 dozen.

This recipe is from my grandmother; my dad's mom. I don not know where she got it but will ask. She used to have them made when we'd stay with her, and the feeling of sitting down in front of "you can't do that on television" with some milk and a ginger cookie is the coziest feeling ever. We didn't have Nickelodeon, so you understand...

Later my friend Jen B saw this recipe and noted the "Chill" step and thought it was so funny. Like this was the time in the recipe that we were all supposed to just "chill".

This is the only recipe I have that is properly written on one index card.

Kelly's Friend's Aunt's Doctor’s Moroccan Stew

2007-10-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

2 cans garbanzo beans
garlic
onion
ginger
pimento (4 oz)
1 25 oz can of chopped tomatoes
25 oz vegetable broth
sweet potatoes
cumin
curry powder
chili powder
salt-n-peppa
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons of peanut butter
1/2 cup raisins
celery

Directions
1. Sautee the garlic, onions, pimentos, celery
2. Add the spices
3. Add the sweet potatoes and coat with the paste of the spices
4. Add the broth and garbanzo beans and tomatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
5. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove from heat and add peanut butter, raisins and cilantro.

My friend Kelly gave me this recipe. She got it from a friend who got it from an aunt. The aunt was sick with a major disease and the doctor gave her this recipe to help her stay healthy.