Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

These muffins are shaped like muffins, but have the texture of banana bread.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 3/4 cups of Flour
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 2 large very ripe Bananas, mashed until just about smooth
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 cup Almond Milk
• 2 Chia Eggs*
• OPTIONAL: 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped nuts (for this iteration I used Pistachios, but I prefer Walnuts or Pecans)

* To make a Chia Egg, mix 3 Tablespoons of water with 1 Tablespoon of Chia seeds, and let it sit for about five minutes until it's goopy.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In either the bowl of your stand mixer or some other big bowl, combine about half of the flour with all of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt - then mix to combine.
3. Add the mashed bananas, oil, and almond milk -- and after stirring to combine, use either the paddle attachment to your stand mixer or a hand held electric mixer to beat the batter for 2 minutes.
4. Add the chia eggs and the rest of the flour, and beat until blended.  Now stir in your nuts, if you're adding any.
5. Scoop the batter into a greased muffin pan, filling each cup about halfway.  (I like to use a #20 / 3 Tablespoon disher.)  You should get about 10 muffins (or 11 - 12 if you added nuts).
6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until starting to brown and when a toothpick comes out clean.  Let them sit in the muffin pan for a couple of minutes after removing from the oven, to help them release from the sides -- then pop them out and enjoy.

This recipe is a modification of "Banana Bread" from the

Better Homes and Gardens Classic Red Plaid Cookbook.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Vegan "Grated Parmesan Cheese"

With the pandemic still looming and currently seriously surging, plus our efforts to only visit the grocery store no more often than every 2 weeks -- 'tis the season for "using up what's next to expire" from our fridge and pantry.  Today, there are yellow and green summer squashes that I bought for specific recipes, but never got around to them (and one of which I already had to chuck 😕), so I Googled and settled on making some Vegan Zucchini Gratin as part of our dinner tonight.  That required the whipping up of some Vegan "Grated Parmesan Cheese" . . . .

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of roasted, salted cashews
• 4 slightly heaping Tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of Penzeys roasted garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Throw all the ingredients into a food processor or strong blender, and whiz it in pulses until you have something that looks like grated cheese.  This won't take very long at all. 
2. That's it!  (You don't need to store it in the fridge, because none of the ingredients came from there -- but it can't hurt.)

This post is based on and modified slightly from the recipe given

by The Minimalist Baker (who I tend to gravitate towards a lot).

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

It's well into Autumn here, I've been eating primarily vegan lately, we've had this squash lying around for a bit, and it's getting to be dinnertime -- so here's what I put together using only ingredients that I already had on hand (I didn't buy anything in anticipation of it nor specifically plan for this meal):

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1/2 cup of dry quinoa (I only happened to have tri-color on hand, so that's what I used)
• 1 cup of water
• 1-2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2-3 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped
• 1 heaping teaspoon (not the actual measurement, but the regular spoon kind) of minced garlic
• 1/2 of a Gala apple (skin on), chopped
• a handful of fresh, raw cranberries (chopped)
• Vegetable stock
• whole nutmeg
• ground cinnamon
• a handful of pistachios, chopped
• a handful of raw sunflower seeds
• a handful of roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
• 1 loose 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1-2 Tablespoons of maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the squash in half (top to bottom) and roast it (cut-side-down) on an oiled baking sheet for 30 minutes at 400° F.
2. Cook the quinoa in the water (just boil on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the water is absorbed).
3. While the squash is baking and the quinoa is cooking -- put the oil, onion, and some salt and pepper into a saute pan and cook over medium-high heat until it starts to become translucent.  Throw in the garlic, the apple, and the chopped cranberries, and cook for another minute or two.  Finally, add just enough vegetable stock to cover the bottom of the pan, some freshly grated nutmeg (I probably used about a fifth of one seed), and about a half teaspoon (again, not the actual measurement, but the regular spoon kind) of ground cinnamon.  Stir it all together and let it boil down until all the liquid is gone.  This should take maybe 5 minutes.
4. Check your quinoa -- it's probably done by now.  Whenever it is done, stir the lemon juice into it.
5. When the squash is cooked (i.e. able to be easily pierced through the skin with a fork or knife), take it out of the oven and flip the halves over so the cut/stuff-able side is now up.  Sprinkle the flesh with a little salt and pepper.
6. Combine your cooked quinoa, the onion/apple/cranberry mixture, the pistachios, the sunflower seeds, the pepitas, and everything else (the fresh herbs and maple syrup).  Stir it all together and give it a taste to see if you want to adjust any of the spices.
7. Finally, stuff as much of the stuffing as you can into each half of the squash (I should mention that this made way more stuffing that I needed -- but that's okay, just eat the extra for breakfast or something 😀) and then throw a little more loose on top for good measure.  Bake them for 10 more minutes so that you get a little crunchiness on top.
8. Enjoy!  (I recommend eating with a spoon to more easily scrape all the way to the skin of the squash.)

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Spaghetti in Hummus Sauce

What? . . . Hummus sauce?  Yes.  I was pondering what to make for lunch today, knowing that I want to keep Vegan for the time being, and started thinking about how I could use up some of the hummus we have without simply dipping fresh vegetables (which we don't have a lot of right now anyways) into it.  After some quick Google research, I threw this meal together -- and both Hubby and I are very happy with it.  I will definitely make this (or some variation thereof, because the herbs and veggies could definitely be swapped for other thins) again.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound dry spaghetti
• A few florets of broccoli -- stems sliced, and the tops broken into small pieces
• 1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Red pepper flake
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 pinches of lemon zest
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup store-bought hummus
• Fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil some water and start he spaghetti cooking.
2. At the same time -- but in a different pan -- saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, along with salt, pepper, and red pepper flake to taste.  Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.  Turn off the heat if things are cooked down before the pasta is done.
3. When the pasta is 2-3 minutes from being done, drop the broccoli into that same pot so it, too, can cook. Then plop the hummus into the sauce pan, add a ladle-full of the pasta water, and whisk it all together to form a creamy sauce.
4. When the pasta and broccoli are done, drain them (or just use tongs to grab them out of the pot) and put them into the sauce pan, along with the parsley.
5. Toss everything to combine, re-check for any seasoning adjustments you may want to make, and enjoy!

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Algeria: LHAM LAHLOU)

Another country, another ingredient I've never used before. 🙂

Lham Lahlou (which can be alternatively spelled "El Ham Lahlou" or "Lahm Lahlou" or "L'ham Lahlou") is a sweet, braised combination of meat and dried fruits most often reserved for breaking the fast during Ramadan.  It's high sugar content provides boosted energy levels, helping people power through their evening prayers; and because it's so sweet, it is usually eaten more like a dessert at the end of a meal in small, snack-size portions, rather than as a larger dish or main entrée.

It's pretty easy to make, and doesn't require too many ingredients (some of which you can be flexible on the selection of depending on what you have around or available -- in other words, there are lots of variations of different dried fruits and warm spices used).  I followed this particular recipe:

https://www.halalhomecooking.com/lham-lahlou-algerian-sweet-lamb-tagine-recipe/

The final product wasn't cloying, which was nice -- and I was surprised (not in a bad way) at how much the relatively small amount of Orange Blossom Water (the new ingredient this round) came through both in flavor and aroma, compared to the rest of the components which were much more plentiful.

That's about all I have to say on this one.  Short read today.  👍

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Italy: MALLOREDDUS WITH WILD BOAR SUGO and SPAGHETTI ALLA BOTTARGA)

I'm about 75% Italian (with parts coming from both the mainland and Sicily).  I grew up eating Italian food at least every other day.  Both sides of my family have, combined, several (multiple hours long, obviously 😉) different sauce recipes.  We can make gnocchi from scratch, pretty much blindfolded.  (I even have a particular tiny knife that I've used for gnocchi making, and gnocchi making alone, since I was first allowed as a kid to touch knives.)  We judge Italian restaurants (which are ubiquitous where we live) by their meatballs.  These are just the very basics, of course -- lest we forget about holiday specialties: escarole soup, braciole, pizzelle, I could name things all day . . .

So cooking a typical recipe from Italy on this leg of my journey is essentially out of the question, because I've already made umpteen different things requiring varying degrees of skill, any number of times.  And to find an Italian dish that I wasn't already otherwise intimately acquainted with was, well . . . a bit of a challenge.

Please don't get me wrong, though -- I'm definitely not a snob about Italian food.  The vast majority of the stuff I consumed growing up (and still make to this day) is of the most simple variety; and I also do love me some Olive Garden once in a while just as much as the next person. 

Anyways -- I decided to thumb through Anthony Bourdain's "Appetites" cookbook (which I believe is the last thing he published, and which I had yet to cook anything from except Budae jjigae).  I settled on Malloreddus with Wild Boar Sugo and Spaghetti alla Bottarga, for (on top of sounding delicious) several reasons:

1. Malloreddus with Wild Boar Sugo includes a familiar-yet-still-uncommon ingredient (wild boar), and Spaghetti alla Bottarga utilizes something I'd only just recently heard of and had never used (bottarga);
   
2. Both are recipes from the family of Bourdain's wife, and therefore are Sardinian in origin (an area of Italy from which as far as I know neither side of my family comes).  Not only that, they are both considered classics; and
   
3. When I asked my friends to pick the next country for me to cook from (I intend to do every country, of course, but am for now following the list in the order they presented it to me), one suggested "Ancient Rome" -- and while these aren't ancient recipes, some research does tell me that bottarga "is discussed in "Libro de Arte Coquinaria," a book of Italian medieval cookery written around 1465 by Martino de Rossi, who is ... known as "the prince of chefs" or ... "the world's first celebrity chef."  Many of the recipes in the book ... were copied entirely by Bartolomeo Sacchi in his gastronomical treatise De honesta voluptate et valetudine, which has the distinction of being the first cookbook ever printed."  I'm calling it at least an ancient ingredient.

Wow, I think that's the most I've written in any of my Around the World in Foodventures posts!  So without further ado, here are the things. 

Usually I give a link to the recipes that I followed, but because I can't find these two in any first-hand sources online, I'm not completely confident that I wouldn't be violating copyright laws and/or recipe attribution standards were I to simply type out the recipes here.  So, I will instead refer you this time to Anthony Bourdain's "Appetites" and assure you that it's worth purchasing if for no other reason than the photos.  Of course, me having a big Bourdain tribute tattoo on my forearm, I might be a little biased.

What I will say is that they are both easy and simple recipes, the Malloreddus with Wild Boar Sugo being a several hours braise, and the Spaghetti alla Bottarga whipping together in literally just the time it takes to cook pasta.  Of the two, I definitely preferred the Malloreddus with Wild Boar Sugo, both because of the fresh, homemade pasta and the amazing flavor of the meat.  But I certainly didn't mind the Spaghetti alla Bottarga.  While I do eat plenty of different types of seafood, I'm just not a person who likes "fishy" things, and well, bottarga falls slightly on the fishy side for me.  Still, it is quite good, and I would eat it again.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much the red pepper flake came through in the flavors, as well as the pepperiness of the olive oil.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Jamaica: ACKEE AND SALTFISH with JAMAICAN FESTIVALS A/K/A CARIBBEAN FRIED DUMPLINGS)

Ackee is on Time Magazine's (albeit generally alarmist) list of Top 10 Most Dangerous Foods, yet it's the national fruit of Jamaica.  Apparently illegal to import to or sell as fresh produce in the United States, it's also easy to find in its processed canned form at my local Walmart or Target.  

After doing a bunch of research, I learned that Ackee seeds are always poisonous, and can actually kill you by causing hypoglycemia and its resulting problems; as can the rest of the fruit if eaten too soon.  The flesh of the fruit, however -- once completely ripe and properly handled -- is said to be safe.  I was still a little nervous about using it, but the whole point here is to try new ingredients and experience different flavors, right?   I reasoned that if Ackee is such a risk, it wouldn't be consumed both raw and cooked by people all over the world every day . . . so I pressed on.

Here is my Ackee and Saltfish, which is Jamaica's national dish and most often eaten as a hearty breakfast.  It's served with a side of fried dumplings:

The recipes I used a my guide are:

• Ackee and Saltfish: https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-ackee-and-saltfish/
• Caribbean Fried Dumplings: https://www.africanbites.com/dumpling/

The Ackee itself, which I of course tasted before putting it into the pan, had a flavor similar to something familiar -- except I just couldn't put my finger on what it was.  It is also, as my research warned, very delicate and crumbles into tiny bits quite easily.  The completed dish (while I'm not the hugest fan of it) is pretty good, with a nice heat from the pepper, and I can totally see why people eat it as breakfast -- it can really fill you up and fuel you for the day.  Though the star for me personally is the Jamaican Festivals (a/k/a Caribbean Fried Dumplings) -- the addition of nutmeg to the mix really gives it a wonderful background quality that had me going back for more.

So I ate the scary thing, and I am fine.  But I can't say I won't be eating a little extra sugar today just to be safe.  😜

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Vegan Stuffed Pumpkin

Eight years ago (to the day 😯 I'm now realizing after looking back at my blog), I stuffed my first pumpkin. It was based on this recipe -- though even then I didn't follow it exactly. Today, I stuffed another one. Wanting to (1) use up things in the fridge and (2) make it Vegan, I completely winged it as to the fillings. Here's what I did:

In a pan I sauteed the following (all minced) items in oil with some salt and pepper:

• 1 small onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• several cloves of garlic

Once that was sweated down, I added 4 or 5 chopped dates and a large handful of chopped pecans -- then cooked it all a little more.

While this was all happening, I chopped up the celery leaves, some fresh parsley, fresh dill, fresh mint, and fresh rosemary -- and threw it all into a bowl with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.

The bread (sourdough) that I was using wasn't stale enough for my liking, so I cut it into cubes and baked it until it was dried and starting to brown around the edges. (There were, if I am remembering correctly, 5 small slices of bread -- but of course you can use more or less as you prefer.) After cooling for a few minutes, it too went into the bowl.

While the bread was baking, I grabbed a lemon that had been partially peeled for some prior purpose, and squeezed about half its juice into the bowl -- plus added a handful of sunflower seeds.

Then I decided that maybe a little extra binding might be needed, so I made a chia egg (1 Tbsp. chia seeds + 3 Tbsp. water, left to sit for about 5 minutes) and put that in as well. This is how it looked once I thoroughly mixed everything together:

Finally, I stuffed it into a cleaned-out pumpkin (I really packed it in there to make it all fit), popped the lid back on, and baked it for about an hour and twenty minutes in a 350-degree oven (your mileage may vary, but basically just go until the flesh can be easily pierced with a knife).

After letting it cool for a while, we finally sliced in . . .

Other than forgetting to put some salt and pepper on the flesh of the pumpkin before stuffing it, this came out really nice -- and is served here with some deliciously mulled cider that my husband made. 

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Greece: GEMISTA and GALAKTOBOUREKO)

I've had stuffed peppers before -- all my life, in fact.  But they were always kind of just thrown together; never from an actual thought out, tried and true, or traditional recipe.  So, when my good friend who happens to be Greek and who lives in Greece suggested Gemista (stuffed vegetables) for this installment, I didn't hesitate even though it doesn't seem to be any kind of official national dish.  According to my friend, Gemista is a food that everyone knows the smell and taste of, and pretty much everyone and their grandmother has their own way and secrets to cooking it.

He also told me I should try Galaktoboureko (a/k/a "milk pie" or "custard pie") -- another food that he says pretty much all Greeks fuss about, and even sweet shops are forever in competition over who makes the best.

So here they are (plated up together as part of a whole meal): 

Specifically on this plate is a stuffed green pepper, a stuffed orange pepper, a stuffed tomato,
and some potato wedges that roasted in the same pan; on the side there is bread and
feta cheese topped with dried oregano and olive oil; and then up top, the
Galaktoboureko garnished with lemon peel and a cinnamon stick

The recipes I used were the very ones that awesome friend supplied -- and although I could 95% follow these YouTube videos just by watching (it's otherwise, uh, all Greek to me - 😊) they do include links in the video descriptions to written recipes that can be translated):

• Gemista: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dESrdMD4xc&feature=youtu.be
• Galaktoboureko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5O083X2CXM&feature=youtu.be

The verdict?  These are the best stuffed peppers (and stuffed tomatoes) I've ever had, full of classic Greek flavors.  I would definitely make them again -- though I don't feel it was necessary to add water to the baking dish (they came out somewhat waterlogged and I think the ingredients would have given off enough liquid for this purpose themselves).  As for the milk/custard pie . . . . oh, yes!  Absolutely delightful, except for battling with poor quality store-bought phyllo dough during the build (of which I will have to find a better brand or make my own next time), and in my opinion there was way more syrup than I really wanted to put on the finished pastry (so now we have leftover lemony simple syrup to use in cocktails!).  I guess all these thoughts amount to that everyone-having-their-own-ways-and-secrets-to-making-things thing. 😉

Finally, I give you this bonus close-up of the Galaktoboureko because layers!

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Croatia: ZAGORJE ŠTRUKLI)

I admittedly hesitated to make Zagorje Štrukli even though the interwebs told me that it's pretty much the most ubiquitous food in Croatia, because it felt like it was just going to be a basic cheese ravioli.  And it kind of is -- but that's okay because it's also really, really versatile -- which I bet is why Croatians love it.  They eat it in all kinds of savory and sweet ways: for an appetizer, added to soups, starring as the main course, when one needs a quick snack, or even turned into sweet desserts.

Tonight, I decided to cook it two typical ways (baked and boiled), plus tried a couple of basic toppings (crème fraîche, bread crumbs browned in butter, and a sprinkle of brown sugar).  Pictured below are all of those variations, plus some cross-sections so you can see the filling and dough layering. 

The left-hand plate (from top to bottom) contains a boiled Štrukli topped with bread crumb butter
and brown sugar, a Štrukli baked in butter and crème fraîche, and a cross-section of a plain boiled
Štrukli.  The right-hand plate (again from top to bottom) contains the cross-section of a Štrukli baked
in butter and crème fraîche, a boiled Štrukli topped with just bread crumb butter,
and finally, another whole Štrukli baked in butter and crème fraîche.

I referenced two YouTube videos to learn what to do:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVuY3uRtHTs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycl_yg_LM68

. . . and I have to say, I'm a newly converted fan of rolling and stretching out dough on a piece of cloth.  I had seen people do it before, but never tried it, and I'm here now to tell you that I think it's the best way to prevent sticking and shrink-back.

Anyways, my review of Zagorje Štrukli (at least the ways I prepared it) is boy oh boy is this rich!  Which isn't surprising given that each form is essentially an exercise in different ways to combine eggs, cheese, cream, and butter.  I was surprised that I preferred the boiled version over the baked.  And my favorite of the ways I tried is definitely boiled with bread crumb butter and brown sugar on top.  It occurred to me too late this evening (I had already surpassed my fill) that one of these would probably be lovely with some fruit jam either cooked inside with the cheese or simply spread on top, or maybe (especially on the baked ones) a drizzle of honey.  I plan to test that theory perhaps for breakfast tomorrow.  Yum. 

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Ethiopia: DORO WAT, MESIR WAT, and TELBA)

Have you ever had the first step of a recipe be to food process approximately 9 pounds of onions?  No?  Me neither -- until last night.  My husband's eyes were literally watering in the other room from the fumes (as I was for most certain full on crying in the kitchen) . . . I have jokingly taken to saying that onions are the national food of Ethiopia.  There was also so much stirring involved later on that I almost got a blister.  But it was all worth it.  

Doro Wat (a berbere-spiced chicken and egg stew) is usually reserved by home cooks for occasions such as special family gatherings, religious holidays, and weddings, partly because making it is very time-consuming; in this instance, it took me just about four hours total -- during which time I also made Mesir Wat (lentil stew) as a side dish, Telba (a flax seed and honey drink), and some plain white rice.  It all came together to form this beautiful meal at which we were lucky enough to have a friend come join us for the tasting:

I opted not to make Injera this time, even though it's integral to most Ethiopian meals, because I had already done so when we cooked from Eritrea.  And believe me, there was plenty of food without it! Here are the recipes I followed:

• Doro Wat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3s3NavOvZU
• Mesir Wat - https://www.whats4eats.com/vegetables/mesir-wat-recipe
• Telba - https://www.whats4eats.com/beverages/telba-recipe

The flavor of the Doro Wat at first seemed more subdued that I would have expected, given the combination of very authentic spices and Niter Kibbeh purchased from a local market, plus how long it takes to cook -- but as we went on eating, it built up and was much more forward.  I don't know if this was a factor of my taste buds failing me in the beginning or something else -- but in the end, it was utterly delightful and I couldn't stop eating it.  The Mesir Wat was nicely spicy and mixed well with either the sauce from the Doro Wat or the plain white rice.  And the Telba, after chilling in the fridge for a few hours before serving, turned out a full-bodied way to cut through any spiciness if needed.

This meal, overall, was quite a lot of effort and time, but it was great.  I look forward to working through the leftovers and finding other things to put the extra Doro Wat sauce on. 

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Saudi Arabia: JAREESH a/k/a HAREES)

It seems that Kabsa is the official national dish of Saudi Arabia, but I already made something that is substantially or actually the same when I hit up Qatar (see my November 2019 Machboos post) -- so instead, for today's virtual culinary trip, I made Jareesh (also known as Harees and sometimes referred to as "wheat soup"). It's basically a porridge born from a mixture of rice and some other grain (in this instance: barley), made creamy by adding various fermented dairy products, and then topped with deliciously spiced caramelized onions.  It's traditionally eaten during Ramadan or wedding celebrations, and sometimes contains meat.  I chose to go with the vegetarian style.

It wasn't easy to find a completely clear recipe (even though it's prolific and every family has their own version) -- so after consulting with a good friend who is from and lives in Saudi Arabia (and who a couple years ago gave me the adorable salt & pepper shakers you see in the photo ❤), I settled on a combination of these two videos:

• https://youtu.be/nylr5Eqa6n8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGErBcqWR68

The verdict?  It's good!  My husband took a taste of it and immediately asked "Is there enough for another serving?"  Unfortunately, we already ate all the onion topping.  Maybe we put more than is normal on each of our bowls, I don't know . . . but I can either make more of that to put on the rest of the pot, or we can mix other things in; like granola or fruit or, really, anything would be yummy in here.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Belgium: CHICON AU GRATIN)

Although Belgium has been next on the list for a while, I'd been putting this foodventure off because (pandemic/avoiding the general public/minimizing store trips) I didn't think finding Belgian endives would be so easy.  But we were out for a drive the other evening just to get out of the house, and decided to take a chance and swing by that store where an Internet billionaire overcharges for food.  I figured if anyone was going to have fancy leafy things, it'd be them; and it turns out Belgian is the only kind of endive they carry (no purple stuff in sight).  So we were off and running, and over $20 later for absolute minimal amounts of the four non-pantry-staple ingredients that we didn't already have at home (like really, you guys, we bought just 2 endives, a quarter pound of cheese, 2 measly ounces of prosciutto -- not even made in Italy -- marked @ ~$80/pound!, and some fresh parsley), I was ready to go.

But I digress 😛 ....

My non-literal (obviously 😉) translation of "Chicon Au Gratin" is "ham and cheesy fancy leafy" -- and that's pretty much what it is...cooked endives wrapped in ham and topped with a Mornay sauce, more cheese, and green stuff.  I read that it's traditionally served with mashed potatoes, and since I had a sweet potato lying around, I went with that:

It was pretty easy to make, and didn't take too much time.  Here is the recipe I followed: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/149844/belgian-endive-au-gratin/.  I used prosciutto, because (1) that's pretty much the only kind of sliced "deli" ham product Whale Foods --as we like to jokingly refer to it-- sells and (2) if you're gonna be indulgent, go all the way, right?

My only comment on this particular iteration of the dish is that I feel it would be better to roast the endives during the pre-cooking process rather than boil them.  I think that would develop some flavor and texture, and definitely would have them coming out less water-logged in the end.  Other than that, it's all good and delicious.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Seychelles: OCTOPUS CURRY)

It's been a while, eh?  The world is focused on another topic right now, as have been I.  With Covid-19 doing it's thing, we've been minimizing our number of trips to the supermarket and definitely haven't been too interested in visiting multiple stores to gather unique or hard-to-find ingredients.  But walking by the frozen fish case a couple weeks ago, I did happen to see octopus -- so I grabbed a package knowing that Seychellois Octopus Curry was next up on my list.  Then I had to wait for Amazon to finally send me the coconut milk I couldn't find anywhere in person, as well as some Saffron.

I never imagined I'd cook with this critter (who funnily enough turned out to be a septopus rather than an octopus - I wonder what happened to it?), but here it is:

I basically followed the recipe at: https://www.internationalcuisine.com/octopus-curry/), but when it wasn't turning out nearly the color shown, decided to also reference this (http://lenautique.sc/blog/2016/08/31/creole-recipes-octopus-curry/) and this (http://globaltableadventure.com/recipe/recipe-massale-spice-blend/) -- which led me to add a little bit of curry powder, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.

Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of this dish.  There's nothing wrong with it and it's not bad.  It's just not my thing.  I honestly think I'm mainly turned off by the octopus itself (I've never really liked calamari or anything of the sort), and I guess I thought the eggplant would have absorbed more of the curry flavor than it did.  ((((shrug))))  I don't think I have anything else left to say other than....

Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Flatten the curve.  ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Oh, and I have like 3 or 4 more frozen little octopuses that I have no idea what to do with (nor do I really want to eat them).  Want any???

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Parsnip-Leek Soup

This soup is Vegan / Plant-Based and Gluten-Free.

INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetable Oil
• 1 large leek (sliced fairly thin)
• a generous pinch or two of salt
• 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Minced Garlic
• 1 box (4 cups) of Vegetable Broth
• 2 cups of Water
• 1 pound of Parsnips (chopped)
• fresh Rosemary (~2 Tablespoons, chopped)
• fresh Sage (just a few leaves, chopped)

PROCEDURE:

1. In a medium pot -- saute the leeks in some oil, along with the garlic, salt, and pepper until the leeks are soft and smell delicious (maybe about 5 -10 minutes?).
2. Pour in the broth and water, and dump in the rest of the ingredients (parsnips, rosemary, and sage).
3. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes (or until the parsnips are soft enough to mash).
4. Puree the soup using either a stick blender or by transferring the soup (in batches if necessary) to a regular blender.
5. If needed, adjust the spices to your liking -- then enjoy!

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Chile: PASTEL DE CHOCLO)

When I read that the national dish of Chile is Curanto, "a stew that...consists of every meat and seafood ingredient imaginable," it just didn't grab me.  There's nothing bad about it (don't get me wrong!) -- it's just that the really large amount of different meats and seafood seemed like a lot, and also, it sort of felt too similar to something like a traditional New England Clambake to be....adventurous?  So, I searched on and found Pastel de Choclo, which is sometimes also said to be a national dish of Chile, but even if it's not officially is in any case traditional and popular. 

I browsed a lot of Pastel de Choclo recipes, because I couldn't believe the odd mix of ingredients I was seeing (beef, corn, olives, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, and sugar) -- but soon realized that it was for real.  The strange melange combines to become what amounts to a Shepherd's Pie of sorts, and it's quite tasty:

Some recipes call for chicken in addition to the ground beef; some don't.  I decided to omit that particular component, even though the recipe I settled on did list it.  Here's what I followed: https://www.thespruceeats.com/pastel-de-choclo-beef-corn-casserole-3029546.

The sweetness in this rustic plate is really nice.  You should try it.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

This soup is neither Vegan / Plant-Based, nor Gluten-Free -- but can be made
so by using Vegetable Stock in place of the Chicken Stock, and Corn Starch in
place of the Flour.  (Though, any liquid swap out will affect the flavor somewhat.)

INGREDIENTS:

• One 4.5-ounce package of Carolina Long Grain & Wild Rice with Seasonings (or some equivalent amount with or without spices added) 
• One box (~4 cups) of Chicken Broth
• One bunch of Scallions (chopped)
• 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup of Milk
• 2 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/8-1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1.5 cups of sliced (Button or Baby Bella) Mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon of Brandy

PROCEDURE:

1. Put the chicken stock and rice into a medium pot, bring it to a boil, then simmer (covered) for about 15 minutes.
2. Add the scallions and cook for 10 more minutes or until the rice is tender.
3. Mix together the flour, all the spices, the cream, and the milk -- then add this mixture to the pan along with the mushrooms.  Bring the heat back up to medium-high, and stir until it begins boiling again.
4. Reduce the heat back down to a simmer, add the brandy, and cook on low until the mushrooms are done (about 10 more minutes). 
5. You'll get 3 - 4 good size bowls of soup when done.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Roasted Red Peppers

This soup Vegan / Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, and spicy!
If you want to tone down the hot, feel free to add some
cream, but then obviously it won't be vegan anymore.
Another option would be to use fewer Chipotle peppers.

INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetable Oil of your choice 
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt 
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper 
• 1/2 of a Yellow Onion (chopped) 
• 2 stalks of Celery (chopped) 
• 1 large Carrot (chopped) 
• 2 heaping teaspoons Minced Garlic 
• 3 very large Sweet Potatoes (chopped) 
• 8-ounces of jarred Roasted Red Peppers 
• 3 Chipotles in Adobo (chopped) 
• One 32-ounce box of Vegetable Stock 
• Water 
• 1/2 cup of Maple Syrup
  

PROCEDURE:

1. In a big soup pot -- sauté the onion, celery, and carrot, with the Salt and Pepper, in a few Tablespoons of oil until things start to look translucent and soft. Add the garlic towards the end. 
2. Once the garlic cooks for a couple of minutes, add the sweet potatoes, roasted red peppers, chipotles, vegetable stock, and enough water to cover everything (in my case, this was another 32-ounces...I used the veggie stock box to measure).
3.  Bring it to a boil and cook for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are mushy.
4.  Add the maple syrup, and then carefully puree everything together (either using a stick blender right in the pot, or by transferring it in batches to a regular, counter-top blender).
5.  Enjoy as-is if you like spicy food, or swirl some cream into your bowl if you'd prefer to mellow it out.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.