Chipotle Salsa (And a Breakfast Tostada to Boot)

It's tomato season! While my poor little tomato plants have been cruelly neglected, leading them to provide me with a total of 10 puny little grape tomatoes, thankfully my CSA farm employs much better tomato nurturers.

Besides putting tomatoes on all my salads and sandwiches, I've made a couple delicious homemade salsas this week. The first is a roasted poblano salsa (poblanos also from the CSA!) and the second is a fresh tomato chipotle number featured in this post. It's crazy easy and results in a spicy smoky salsa perfect for all your chip-eating needs. I made it in a food processor since I'm a big fan of the restaurant-style pureed salsa, but you could also hand-chop all the ingredients and mix for a chunkier version. Bonus: it went great on a breakfast tostada we made to kick off a gorgeous Saturday in Maryland.

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Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

Such a good idea, right? I couldn't resist when I came across this recipe on Rasa Malaysia (a great website in general). I love cooking with Indian spices, and I love pizza. Done and done.

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Thanksgiving Part I: Citrus-Herb Roasted Turkey

Well this is embarrassing... all my previous lapses in posting are nothing compared to this one! So let's catch up. My summer was great. The Mediterranean cruise was unbelievable (picture from Cannes to the right) and our new house is all we ever wanted. We attended five beautiful weddings this year, ending the wedding season at the beginning of November with one of my best friend from college's rustic carriage house wedding. Oh, I also turned 30, but we can gloss right over that one.

This fall my parents visited from Connecticut for Thanksgiving, which was held at my house with my sister and brother-in-law also in attendance. It was my first Thanksgiving! (If you don't count the time in college my family visited me and cooked a meal in my dingy college apartment while I was at work) The meal turned out so well that it inspired me to pick up the keyboard and type up a few blog posts about it. My mom and sister helped tremendously and we all had a great time cooking together while the boys built a bonfire out back.

First, let's focus on the main event: the turkey! I picked up a fresh 16 lb hen from Maple Lawn farms, which happens to be just a few miles from my house.

Because of its freshness I decided against brining, but I definitely would have brined if I had gotten a store-bought turkey. The recipe is Giada's, but the real expertise came from my mom who has years of turkey-perfecting practice.

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Grilled Scallops with Mango Salsa

Spring has definitely sprung, and with that comes my love for all things grilled, including scallops on skewers. This time, I rubbed them with a homemade spice mix and served with fresh mango salsa. The most time-consuming part was the salsa and even that was simple: just chop up a few fresh veggies/fruits and mix together. Add some red rice, and you've got a perfect weeknight meal!

Just realized that this totally looks like a bikini bottom. You can't unsee it.

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MaPo Tofu

Howdy, strangers. I'm alive!! I really don't have a good excuse for not blogging in over 2 months, but I'll offer up some mediocre ones. First, my camera broke a few months ago. I've been taking pictures with my phone and as you may have noticed, they suck. A phone camera, even one with 8 mp, doesn't compare to a real one. I'm still using a point-and-shoot, mind you, but it's still better than the phone. We finally got a new camera a few weeks ago. Second, work has been really busy. Third, we're moving! We fell in love with a house in Howard County in February, and have been working with the seller (sans agents) since to finalize everything. In the meantime, we're also trying to find renters for our current house. We close in a few weeks, and move in June! So excited. Oh yeah, and we're also going on a cruise in the Mediterranean for 2 weeks at the end of May (!!!). Between packing the house, getting ready for the cruise, and showing the house, it's been crazy around these parts.

Anyway, my inaugural spring post is my favorite Szechuan dish: MaPo Tofu. We have a great Szechuan restaurant near my work and I order it every time. Szechuan peppercorns are essential in this style of cooking; they are spicy but in a totally unique, mouth-numbing way that you can only understand by trying them. Most Americanized Chinese restaurants with "Szechuan" dishes aren't using Szechuan peppercorns, so you need to go to a more authentic place to get the real deal. Don't make this dish without 'em. Some of the ingredients must be bought at an Asian market, but once you have them, this dish comes together in a jiffy.

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Valentine's Day: Hoisin Duck Pizza

Happy belated Valentine's Day to all! As I mentioned last year, we usually try to plan a getaway around Valentine's Day but it never works out. Without plans or reservations, we end up making a fancy meal at home which is always better and more relaxing than we could have wanted. This year, we had the best of both worlds! We actually managed to plan a last minute weekend getaway to the Bahamas, but were home in time to cook an elaborate Asian-themed meal for Valentine's Day. On the menu was tuna tartare, wild mushroom salad, and duck pizza.

The tuna tartare was everything I dreamed taste-wise, but it looked like a pile of soy vomit, for lack of better words. Without thinking of presentation, I marinated it in dark soy sauce which completely ruined the beautiful pink hue of the raw tuna. The tuna was mixed with avocado and should have created a gorgeous pink and green tower, but alas. I learned my lesson! Tartare requires clear marinades! I'll make it again in the future and post the recipe, but this one is going into the vault.

The mushroom salad was a simple mix of shiitake and oyster mushrooms served over greens with an Asian-inspired vinaigrette. Pictured below, but no recipe is really needed.

The hoisin duck pizza was the star of our evening. I will spare you the "before" pictures, but let's just say that I didn't realize when I bought a frozen unrecognizable ball of duck from the Asian market that, when thawed, it would be Mr. Quackers in full; duck bill, webbed feet, and all. Thankfully it was at least gutted for me. I had to learn my way around a meat cleaver right quick! Since I only needed the breast for the recipe, I saved the legs for another day. The carcass (neck and all) made duck stock which is sitting in my freezer. Not sure how good it will be but I'll let you know!

Anyway, to the pizza...

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Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

I made this soup last winter, took pictures of it because it was so delicious, then never got around to writing about it before the weather got warm! At that point, a hearty sausage-y soup lost out over more summery grill and salad recipes. But fear not; I made the soup again the other night and remembered how awesome it was, and how easy to throw together with ingredients that you probably already have. I usually keep a variety of meats and sausages in the freezer, and chickpeas always live in my cupboard. Feel free to use turkey sausage if you want to reduce the fat a little, but I'll keep the yummy spicy chorizo thank-you-very-much. The original recipe has you adding extra olive oil but I omitted that and instead used some of the rendered sausage fat to cook the onions. I didn't miss the oil one bit.

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Spinach and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Armed with my new pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid (again, thanks Mom and Dad!!), we set out on a Sunday ravioli-making experience. Making homemade ravioli is very time-consuming, but you get to choose exactly what goes inside and bonus: no preservatives or extra crap you see in store-bought ravioli ingredients! I'm always amazed by the paragraph of unrecognizable ingredients in a lot of store-bought food, so I try to make things at home as much as possible. Of course, it's not always feasible, but I think that every little bit counts. Who knows what all that stuff is doing to us?? A couple easy things to make at home where store-bought is usually filled with high fructose corn syrup or other unappetizing ingredients are dressings and marinades. There are gazillions of awesome and easy dressing and marinade recipes out there. But, I digress... to the ravioli!

We ate the ravioli with brown butter sauce which is delicious, but I probably won't make it again. The ravioli would be just as good in a lighter tomato or olive oil-based sauce without all the extra saturated fat. For a splurge, though, it's great!

You don't need a pasta maker attachment to make ravioli, but it does make it easier.

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Baked Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Artichokes

Now that we have all these preserved lemons, what to do?? How about an awesome Moroccan-themed oven-roasted chicken, served over couscous? Sounds yummy to me. I cooked mine in my new Le Creuset Dutch Oven (thanks Mom and Dad!!), but any ol' baking dish will do!

Once you have the preserved lemons, the rest of the recipe is incredibly simple. Essentially just toss everything together in a baking dish and throw in the oven.

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Farro with Apples, Almonds, and Smoked Mozz

So, I had 80% of this post written the other day and I accidentally hit my browser's back button a bunch of times, losing the entire thing. I thought there would at least be some of it saved, but no! None! So I threw in the towel. But I'm back and ready to post again, no longer angry at the computer. For the time being, at least. Anyway, to the foods.

Farro is another one of those ancient grains that is just now becoming popular in the U.S. It reminds me a bit of barley, but with more of a bite to it. It's hearty and healthy and a perfect alternative to pasta or rice in soups, bakes, or on its own as a salad. This recipe does just that - farro served with a delicious combo of apples, toasty almonds, dried cranberries, and smoked mozzarella. It would have been great as-is, but we were in a non-vegetarian mood so I baked some breaded chicken cutlets and served those on top. Delicioso! FYI the breaded chicken recipe is awesome in general for all your breaded chicken needs (chicken parm sandwich, salad, etc.).

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Oma's Gulyasleves (Goulash Soup)

Goulash is a staple in the Hungarian diet, and our family was no exception. Oma (my grandmother) always had a piping hot bowl of goulash ready for us, served with a heap of nokedli (like spaetzle noodles). She always knew to make extra nokedli when I was coming over, since I tended to have a bowl of nokedli with a dash of goulash on top. I've gotten a little better about that now, but still, goulash without nokedli is like summer without sand, or Ben without Jerry.

This soup is easy to make and has few ingredients, but packs a lot of flavor. Note that Hungarians eat their goulash as a soup, while Czech's tend to have it as a stew. We do it the Magyar way. This is the second recipe from Oma that I've posted. They are all near and dear to my heart!

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Seared Scallops over Celeriac and Rutabaga Puree

I've never cooked with celeriac (aka celery root) nor rutabagas, so this post can easily qualify as a "branching out" recipe. I haven't done one of those in a long time! I had a Groupon for Whole Foods, so decided to use it on fresh sea scallops, a treat in our house. Um, and $100 worth of produce and other goodies... but let's not split hairs. That's how they get ya!

Celeriac is an ugly, bulbous-looking root of a kind of celery plant. The greens that grow off it may look like celery, but they do not taste as good. I saved mine for chicken stock. Rutabaga is in the turnip family and also not very attractive, but fear not! Both are unoffensive yet have distinct flavors that are perfect for wintery soups, vegetable roasts, and purees. For an easy yet ridiculously fancy-shmance-sounding dinner to impress the in-laws, give this a whirl!

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Green Curry Quinoa with Cauliflower

This is an easy, healthy, and warming meal for fall or winter nights. Switch up the veggies to your heart's content; the green curry broth makes this dish. If you are familiar with Thai food, you will recognize the flavors. If not, become familiar with Thai food by making this right meow.

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Ravioli with Yogurt, Mint, and Smoked Paprika Oil

This recipe caught my eye while browsing through my blogs over the summer and I couldn't resist trying it. I don't usually go for pastas with little more than a dollop of yogurt for a topping, but this stuck out as being extra unique, or perhaps it was the smoked paprika that reeled me in - I LOVE that stuff. It goes with anything, I tell ya!

Anyway, this is a great, almost-no-cook, quick weeknight dish that was perfect for summer (oops, sorry) but would also be great on these still-warmish autumn days. It's ridiculously simple to throw together.

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Mahi Mahi with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Cilantro Pesto

I'm sure this recipe would work with any grillable fish; while the fish itself is delicious, the stars here are the roasted red pepper sauce and cilantro pesto. At the end of the meal, I ate the leftover sauce/pesto straight off my plate.

Served with some sauteed veggies and wild rice, this makes a well-rounded and healthy meal!

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Spaghetti Squash "Lasagna"

Forgive me if this post's writing is subpar, but I've been up since 4am and to Durham, NC and back for a meeting. I'm home now with a glass of wine and some delicious spaghetti squash leftovers. It would be cruel not to share.

For those who love baked pasta dishes but are trying to eat a little less carbs, this is a great stand-in for cheesy, gooey lasagna. Keep in mind that spaghetti squash doesn't taste like spaghetti, but it does have a nice texture and holds up to sauces quite well, making it a lovely substitute. I also used part-skim cheeses where I could, although I don't think it made much of a difference when I housed 1/4 of the dish in one sitting.

For the easy vegetarian recipe, read on!

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Breakfast Tortilla Pizzas

The one on the left has mozz cheese right on top, so it got a little burnt. The one on the right (ahem, mine), has the cheese craftily buried a little under the turkey.

Our ol' Saturday morning breakfast standby usually consists of eggs, veggies, and sometimes sausage or bacon wrapped up in a cheesy burrito. Don is a master at breakfast burritos so it can be hard to try something new. However, sometimes you gotta just take a breakfast-y risk! We did just that by making breakfast "pizzas" using flour tortillas instead of having to deal with dough. They came out delicious, and are super-easy to make. I will definitely experiment with different veggies/meats/cheeses in the future.

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General Tso's Chicken

Well, there went September, huh?? It's my favorite month of the year (and not just because it's my birthday month) yet it seemed to fly by in one blink! Then again, we're almost halfway through October and it feels like it just started. This summer was one of our busiest, with 5 awesome weddings scattered across the globe (okay, mostly the Northeast but Puerto Rico and Florida too!). We were traveling somewhere or other for 6 weekends in a row beginning in August and lasting through mid-September, so needless to say there wasn't much food photography going on midweek between laundry, errands, and packing. I feel like I'm finally back on my game and then some, trying new recipes most nights each week. I've got lots of great ones to share in the coming weeks, provided that I get back on my blogging game as well. That remains to be seen...

Don's favorite Chinese take-out item is General Tso's Chicken, so last month I decided to treat him to a homemade version. It was surprisingly easy and had relatively few ingredients compared to much of the Asian/Southeast Asian cooking I do. Probably not the healthiest, but worth the indulgence and certainly healthier than the take-out version. The original recipe called for deep-frying, but I pan-fried the chicken instead.

Have I mentioned Rasa Malaysia before? If you love Asian food as much as I do, then you must check out this blog. The recipes are easy to follow, contain ingredients that are easy to find (having an Asian grocery definitely helps sometimes), and result in some amazing, exotic flavors. Pad See Ew is another one of her recipes I've made. Recently I've also tried her Malaysian Curry Laksa... I can't remember if I took pictures of it but let's hope!

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Grilled Scallops over Quinoa Salad

Oops I took the picture before drizzling with balsamic!

We've cooked scallops at home once before, searing them and serving over an Asian salad. It came out great but we both agreed that we overcooked the scallops a bit in our novice fear of undercooking the middle. That just would not do this time! We decided to try grilling them on skewers instead, mostly because it's summer and any excuse to turn on the grill is a good one. This time I marinated them in a mint pesto first, then served over a salad of quinoa, greens, and tomatoes. Extra mint pesto plus some balsamic reduction made the dressing. So fresh and summery!

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Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

I made this back in April when it wasn't quite 90 degrees out yet, but I would still recommend it if you're looking for an easy one-pot meal - even in the summer! Plus, it calls for beer which, really, you can't go wrong with. I modified the original recipe by adding some broccoli for a bit more veggie-ness.

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