Soooo remember when I was freaking out about that almost-exploding tofu package? I had been preparing to make this meal. And I made it anyway, but I bought a new package of tofu, because I didn’t want to risk anything.
Think you don’t like tofu? That’s probably not true; I’ve made a slimy tofu before, but you just have to cook it the right way and it’s great! And it’s as easy as broiling it for less than 10 minutes. This is a great start to a Meatless Monday meal!
Risotto has a reputation of being impossible to make. You have to sit there and stir constantly, your arm tired and burning over the hot stove. Well, I’m here to tell you that this is not the case! Making risotto can be easy, and doesn’t take so long. I thought I was taking on a much harder project than it turned out to be.
I found this Cheese Guy brand kosher Parmesan cheese at Fairway supermarket. It’s expensive stuff, and I think I used too much of it. I’m not a big cheesy person, so I halved the amount of cheese the original recipe called for and I still thought it was too cheesy. I trust you know your own taste buds and will adjust accordingly. Next time I think I’ll make a vegan risotto. Is there such a thing?
Risotto con Funghi Recipe, with a tiny change, from In Jenny’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
Directions:
Summer corn is here! That means that we eat lots of corn and get it stuck in our teeth. Yuck! This corn salad is a better way to eat that same corn without getting anything stuck in your teeth!
This recipe has quite a few steps, but ones that you can skip and have the store do for you, like roasting peppers and shucking corn. I did it all myself, but no one will know if you buy roasted peppers and use canned or frozen corn that you just roast in the oven for a while. Actually, what a great way to make this recipe in the winter when fresh corn isn’t available. As long as you don’t skimp on the fresh cilantro, I won’t tell anyone.
The flavors just get better when this sits, so make this ahead of time. Having company? Make it the day before and let it sit in the fridge. It’ll make your life much easier and it will make the salad taste better. I was going to add some black beans to this, but didn’t have any in the pantry. Turns out, I think it was perfect this way, but add the beans if you want to (a great Meatless Monday way to get some protein). Then let me know how it is. Maybe I’ll add those next time.
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Season the corn with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Roast or grill the corn for about 15 minutes. Let cool.
2. Roast the red pepper over an open fire, rotating when the skin is black. When blackened, place in plastic bag and let steam for about ten minutes. Remove from bag, peel the black skin off, and cut into strips. Cut the strips into small pieces (about the same size as the shallots).
3. Combine the shallots, roasted peppers, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cilantro in a bowl.
4. Remove the corn kernels from the cob – using a sharp knife, hold the corn so that it is standing, and cut downwards. Don’t worry about all the kernels separating from each other, that’s part of the fun of homemade corn salad!
5. Add the corn to the bowl, and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like cilantro as much as I do, add more!
See the bowl I used? It’s my favorite! I have it in three sizes. They make it in red, too, but I haven’t seen it since Adelaide’s closed.
It’s blueberry season! Even though I can eat whole pints of these plain, I love to experiment with them and see what great desserts I can make. This time, I decided on ice cream. I love strawberry ice cream, so why not try to use blueberries instead? This would be amazing over a summer peach tart. Continue reading
I have been wanting to make fish tacos for a long time; it’s always what we order at Mexican restaurants! We often have Mexican-style dinners at home, but they’re usually either chopped meat-based or bean/vegetarian tacos. This recipe was slightly more work than our typical taco night, but was much more fun and delicious. Plus, I had been meaning to use the frozen tuna steaks I bought at Trader Joe’s.
The fun in this meal is that you put all of the taco components on the table and then you build your own dinner. Continue reading
I never ate a sugar plum before this weekend, but when I saw them at the Greenmarket on Friday I decided to be brave and try something new instead of going with something I knew I loved, like blueberries. I like plums, after all, and sugar plums seemed to me like they were just cute, sweet plums.
Well, that’s basically what they are, but I didn’t finish the whole basket and after sitting on the counter ripening (I probably should have stored them in the fridge) they became rather mushy. So I decided to turn them into a cobbler and whipped up an easy biscuit recipe to spread on top.
Like Lori said, this recipe makes way too much dill sauce! So here’s my not-as-fancy version of eggs benedict. Okay, so it’s nothing like eggs benedict: no hollandaise, no canadian bacon, and a sunny side up egg instead of a poached one. At least there’s a toasted English muffin involved. Continue reading
When my brother-in-law Ralph found out that I was having trouble using up all of the summer squash I’ve been getting in my CSA, he told me about a delicious pasta dish he made with browned zucchini, lemon and ricotta cheese. I was intrigued. When his mother-in-law told me it was the best pasta dish she had ever eaten, I knew I had to make it for dinner as soon as my next pickup, filled with two pounds of farm-fresh summer squash, arrived. Continue reading
I’ve never really thought of baking eggs in the oven, but it turns out they’re fluffy and creamy, and definitely easy when feeding a crowd. This is the perfect Sunday brunch food, and much more interesting than making a giant pan of scrambled eggs.
I actually ate this in Napa, and decided the second I came home that I just had to try the recipe for myself, in my own kosher kitchen. It took six months, but I finally tried it, and immediately regretted not making it months ago. Continue reading
People always say that chicken on the grill is hard, tough, and dry. Well, they never tried butterflying a chicken, marinating it for a day, and grilling it with a brick weighing it down!
So remember when I told you that I successfully butterflied a chicken? It’s because I wanted to grill a whole chicken! Now that summer’s here, it’s actually too hot to turn on the oven, and I’m trying to use the grill as much as possible. Hamburgers and steaks get boring, so I’m giving some different types of dinners a try, including Ina’s Tuscan Lemon Chicken. Not only was it an impressive dish, it was actually quite easy. After marinating for 24 hours (yup, I prepped the dinner the night before, while cooking that night’s dinner), I just put the chicken on the grill and waited, flipped, and waited some more. The result? A VERY juicy chicken dinner.
