Curried Lentil Soup

Well, it's finally gotten cold and "winter-ish" here in DC (and we waited long enough -- into late January).  For me, that means warm comfort foods that are healthy and protein-rich.  And, let's not forget... SPICY.  Which is why curried lentil soup is just perfect for a weekday dinner on a frigid, snowy evening.  I recommend serving it with a warm baguette and a glass of red wine.  

Here is the recipe (I adapted it from Bon Appetite, 2010).

Ingredients
1 carrot
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt & Pepper
3 tablespoons of curry powder
4 cups of chicken stock (or for the vegetarian option, vegetable stock)
2 cups of lentils
1 14.5 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 shallot
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon of butter

Preparation

1.  Dice the carrot, onion and garlic into small pieces.

2.  In a large stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and carrots, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
    

3.  Dice garlic and add to pot.  Saute with onion and carrots until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes.  

4.  Add 2 tablespoons of curry powder to the vegetables.  Stir until completely mixed and warm, about 1 minute.

5.  Add 4 cups of chicken stock and 2 (or more) cups of lentils to the stock pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30-35 minutes.

6.  While the soup is simmering, drain and rinse chickpeas in a colander.  Add chickpeas, lemon juice, shallot, 1/4 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a food processor.  

7.  Puree the food processor for 3-4 minutes until a puree/paste forms.

8.  Add the chick pea puree and 1 tablespoon of curry powder to the stock pot.  Add an additional 1/4 cup of water to the soup if it needs thinning.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat for five minutes until blended and warm.

9.  Finish the soup with one tablespoon of butter.  

Time to eat!  Don't forget to pour that glass of wine!

 


    

Ragin' Cajun Jambalaya

I love cajun food -- it is Southern, spicy, and soulful.  It is the perfect comfort food and is easy to adjust based on your preferred flavors and 'heat-tolerance.'  As an added bonus, the ingredients are rather simple and most folks have the items on hand to be able to make most cajun recipes.

I am also planning a trip to New Orleans this coming March, so I'm trying to get my palate ready for my travel adventure celebrating food (and music!). So first up on my list is the traditional cajun cuisine, Jambalaya.  Here is the recipe I use and just so you know, I like it to be saucy (not soupy) to give it that full flavor.

Ingredients
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 tbl of butter
1 tbl of vegetable oil
1 cup of frozen okra
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of rice
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 chicken breast, diced
12.8 oz Andouille sausage
6 oz frozen shrimp
1 tsp of hot sauce
1 tsp of worcestershire sauce
1 tbl of cajun spice

 
Preparation

1.  Slice and dice all your vegetables -- onion, celery, green peppers, and jalapeno.  Leave the seeds and membranes in the mix, as it adds heat and flavor to the dish.  Same with celery leaves.

2.  Dice the chicken.  Sprinkle with salt and a pinch of cajun spice.

3.  Heat a stock pot/Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Melt one tablespoon of butter with one tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Add chicken to the butter/oil mixture and heat until cooked through (about 10-12 minutes).

4.  While the chicken is cooking, slice the sausage and add to the pot.  Cook with chicken for about 5 minutes (10 if the sausage is not pre-cooked) to blend flavors.

5.  Remove chicken and sausage with a slotted spoon.

6.  Add all the vegetables to the pot (onions, peppers, celery, jalapeno, and okra).  Saute until tender (about 8-10 minutes).  Add one tablespoon of cajun seasoning.  Mix and cook for one minute.

7.  Add chicken and sausage back to the pot with the vegetables.

8.  Add diced tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.  Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes to blend flavors. 

9.  Add chicken stock and rice to the pot.  Simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes until rice is fully cooked.  Stir often to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot!  Also, add any additional chicken stock as needed to ensure a lighter consistency/broth to cook the rice all the way through.

10.  Once the rice is fully cooked, add the shrimp to the pot.  Cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

11.  Your jambalaya is ready!  Add a dash of hot sauce and salt to taste.  

Enjoy your ragin' cajun dinner!  

My Food Vices

The other day, as I was thinking about my foodie resolutions, I also reflected on my food vices... you know, the things that I eat that I am not super proud of.  I'm figuring most folks have 1 or 2 of these. 

As it turns out, I have quite a few.  Oops.  Oh well.  The thing of it is, I'm actually a little proud of my food vices (and please note, I'm using the term "food" loosely here as for somethings I'm not sure how they even met FDA standards).  Yeah, sure - everybody's body is a temple.  But it is also fun to spurge and enjoy the things you like.  In moderation of course.  

So I am going to be honest and say that yes, while these food vices aren't fantastic, I don't eat them all the time (with the exception of coffee).  And when I do, it's because I haven't had it in a while and I otherwise take good care of my body and my health.  

So here it goes, my 'shortened' list of food vices...

1. A larger than normal amount of cream and sugar in my coffee.  I mean, to the extent that most people comment when they see me doctor my coffee in the morning, if I "want any coffee with my cream and sugar."  I'm not going to reveal all my secrets and talk about how many scoops of sugar, but it's pretty sweet.  And I really like my coffee this way.  Which is why I only have one cup a day.  

I only use 1/2 and 1/2.  2% milk does not taste right AT ALL.

2.  Hot Dogs.  I realize that what goes into hot dogs is a serious question.  I can tell you right now, I don't care what "parts of a pig" are used to make a hot dog.  They taste GOOD.  Really good.  So I have been known to enjoy a hot dog every now and again (more so in the summer so I think it balances well throughout the year).

3.  Diet Coke.  I believe there is a chemical sweetener in here that will kill you.  But low doses, I'm not convinced.  So I like to enjoy 1-2 diet cokes a week.  I prefer the fountain soda to the can (there is a very different taste) but can't always get that so I generally need to hit up my 'private reserve' in the fridge downstairs (it's like my equivalent of a wine cellar).  Please note, there is no substitute with Diet Pepsi.  Ever.  That's a waste of a soda treat.

When I was in high school, I used to 'pair' diet coke with raw chocolate chip cookie dough

4.  Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli.  I have no idea why I love Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli or why I think it tastes so delicious, but I do.  It may have to do with the salt content.   Regardless, there is something in this can of heaven that draws me in.  I rarely enjoy this food vice but I can tell you, I do crave it.  If you have never had this, I strongly encourage you to try it (just once).  I am convinced that little Italian man laces his ravioli with crack... 

Warm on the stovetop, never microwave

5.  A Slurpee and a Slim Jim.  Yes, that is correct... I have been known to frequent 7-11 to pick up my favorite snack, a Coke Slurpee and a Slim Jim.  It is my number 1 food vice and I am proud of it.  I love to 'snap into a slim jim' and wash that down with some slushy slurpee.  Food can be very nostalgic and this treat definitely brings me back to  my childhood (in NJ, of course - where else is there a 7-11 on every corner?!).

Check out that lighting, you know it's authentic 7-11 florescent blubs!

Even though I enjoy well prepared food and fine dining, there is most certainly a piece of me that finds comfort in warming up some beef ravioli for dinner with some diet coke.  It's all about balance and moderation in the end anyway.  What are your food vices?  Taquitos?  Doritos?  Gummy Bears?  I know you have some.... 
 


    

Easy Baked French Toast Recipe

I love having guests over at my house -- it gives me the opportunity to cook and try out new recipes!  I will admit though, it can get tiring after a few days so I have some recipes that I keep on hand that are super easy, can feed a crowd, and that you can just throw in the oven so you can enjoy time with your company.  

One of my tried and true recipes is baked french toast.  It is delicious and makes its own syrup.  If you want to be super fancy, you can put out a bowl of berries as topping.  You make it the night before so all you have to do is throw it in the oven in the morning (and then you can spend your time working on getting some coffee in your system so you can function!).

Ingredients
6 slices of french bread
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbl corn syrup
1 tbl raw agave nectar
5 eggs
1 cup of half and half
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Preparation
1.  Slice the french bread into six slices.  Leave the crusts on! 

2.  In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter.  Then add and mix in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and agave nectar.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved and the ingredients are smooth and combined.

3.   Pour the sugar mixture into a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Placed the sliced french bread on top of the sugar sauce in one layer.

4.  In a bowl, mix the eggs, half and half, heavy cream, vanilla and salt.

5.  Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

6.  The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove the dish from the refridgerator and bring to room temperature.  Place in the oven and cook for 45-50 until golden brown.

7. Serve with a side of your favorite berries (or by itself!).

Foodie New Year's Resolutions

It's the start of a new year and that means time for some resolutions.  Now normally, I don't really do resolutions.  Not because I don't need to improve on things (I can assure you, I most certainly do), but more because I don't get a whole lot of personal reflection time during the holiday season or shortly thereafter.  That reflection time usually becomes more available during the February timeframe.

In lieu of doing some personal resolutions at the start of a new year, I thought I would do something a little more fun.  And focus on Foodie New Year's Resolutions.  They don't require quite as much thought and they are much easier to accomplish (I say this now....).

So here it goes - my 2013 Foodie New Year's Resolutions!

1.  Dine at 4 restaurants on my 'must-taste' list.  The list is, of course, dynamic (since restaurants come and go in the DC area so quickly!).  But here are the four restaurants currently at the top--Little Serow, The Source, Estadio, and Vidalia.   There are more places on my dining 'want' list (and many at which I have already eaten), but these four are my focus as I have never been to any of them and they all sound absolutely fantastic.

2.  Make one dish from my new cookbook, 660 Curries.  My husband got me this cookbook for Christmas (every year he gets me a new 'gem' to add to my collection).  Apparently it is all the rave and a must-have in the cooking community.  I have read Chapter 1.  I have a lot more to go and then I need to actually use it.  It takes me a LONG time to warm up to new cookbooks so I figure by early summer, I might be able to complete this one.  I am pretty sure my husband didn't expect to wait that long for a dish from the cookbook.   

3.  Grow a vegetable garden.  This one is what they call in the professional world 'a stretch goal' for me, for a few reasons.  First, I have a black thumb.  I don't know why... probably because I don't pay attention to the details like 'soil type'.  Plants die on me all the time.  Second, I am not very patient.  You know, to plant a seed and wait for it to actually grow.  I generally like to just go buy stuff at a farmers market and call it a day.  Three, I am lazy and I know weeding will be the death of whatever I plant.  And four is this little lunatic who has made my backyard a race track and loves to trash areas that are fenced off to him:

But regardless, I really want to give it a try.  And I want to can some green beans to have spicy pickled beans to eat with cheese.  So there is where I will start.  Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

4.  Bake a dessert.  It seems sort of simple but I really am not a fan of baking.  It's too exact.  The words 'level with a knife' for measuring flour make me roll my eyes.   But I'm going to give it a try.  With what, I am not sure.  It can't be something like a fruit crisp because I can make those... this has to be a little more pastry-oriented.  I have a year to find the appropriate dessert and make it a reality.  Hopefully it won't poison my family.

5.  Acquire more Le Creuset.  I know what that sounds like.  Sort of like "I need to buy more shoes for myself next year!  Yes, that's it, that's a good resolution.  Along with drink more wine!" and you are right.  But the rest of the things on the list are a bit challenging and I need a reward.  Besides, this cookware is an investment.  I got my first Le Creuset items this year for Christmas and they need some friends, as they are lonely.  Just go with it, it works...

So there they are - my 2013 Foodie New Year's Resolutions.  What are yours?       

Hoppin' John for Good Luck in the New Year

Happy 2013!  Any good New Year's celebration calls for a yummy bowl of Hoppin' John.  For those of you not in "the know," Hoppin' John is a southern dish traditionally served on New Year's Day to bring a prosperous year filled with luck (the black-eyed peas are symbolic of pennies or coins).  Here's my recipe so you can get your good luck on for 2013...

Ingredients
Step 1:
1 lb of dried black eyed peas
1 ham hock
1 onion, halved
3 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic
6 cups of water

Step 2:
5 tbl butter
1 onion, diced
3 ribs of celery, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced with seeds 
3 cloves of garlic, diced 
1/2 tsp of fresh thyme
6 links of precooked Andouille sausage
1 cup of rice
2 1/2 cups of water

Preparation
1. Combine all of the ingredients in Step 1 in a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, cover and  simmer on low heat  for 2.5 - 3 hours until the peas are tender, but not mushy.  Stir occasionally.

2.  Once the peas are fully cooked, remove the ham hock, onions, garlic, and bay leaves.

3.  Drain the peas and reserve the liquid.

4.  Dice the onions, celery, jalapenos, garlic, and green pepper.  Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and then add all the vegetables you just diced.  Cook until onion is translucent and tender (about 8-10 minutes). 

5.  Add fresh thyme (no stems, just leaves!) and saute for 1 minute.  Preheat oven to 375.

6.  Add 1 cup of uncooked rice and 2 1/2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked.

7.  While the rice is cooking, bake the precooked Andouille sausage in the oven for 10 minutes until heated through (I used the precooked because I am lazy, but you can use the fresh kind and start this step while the peas are cooking).

8.  Slice and dice your Andouille sausage.

9.  After the rice is cooked, add the black-eyed peas to the Dutch oven.  I like to add 1/3 at a time, stir and then add another 1/3, etc till all the peas are added.  Add any reserved cooking liquid if needed to loosen up the dish.  I had to add about 1/4 of a cup.

10.  Add the Andouille sausage to the Dutch oven.

 
11.  Hoppin' John is ready!  Spoon into a dish and garnish with hot sauce if desired (I always do)

Raise a fork to good luck in 2013!
 

Cheese and Beer at Churchkey

I love restaurants with a little specialty focus, especially when that specialty is beer.  I have heard a lot of great things about Churchkey's beer menu, so I decided it was time to try it out (along with some food!).

Churchkey is the upstairs, scaled-down version of it's sister restaurant Birch and Barley.  It's more of a pub/bar scene with simple, low-key food.  The seating is first come, first serve at Churchkey so if you want to get a seat without waiting, I recommend you show up early as the place fills up quickly on a weekend.  The layout is open and spacious with low lighting, deep, rich red walls, and large butcher tables next to floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street.  It definitely has a cool, hip vibe.  Wear your trendy hat, you'll need it.

The beer menu at Churchkey is a book.  Seriously, it's about 20 pages.  19 more than the food menu.  And the draft menu is 2 pages.  They even include on the beer menu what type of glass the beer is served in (e.g., tulip) and the temperature at which the beer is served.  It can be a little overwhelming.  So I focused on the draft menu.  After much deliberation, I selected DC Brau's The Rider.  It was hoppy with a little Belgian flavor, absolutely delicious.

To accompany our beer, we opted for a few appetizers from the menu -- the disco fries and the mac and cheese sticks.

Meat and cheese on fries... oh my!

The disco fries were hands-down, the best fry basket I've ever had... the cheese and sausage gravy topping could have gone terribly wrong (think goopy cheese whiz mess) and it didn't.  It rocked.  Or rather "discoed." It was just the right balance of saucy topping on the fries and was DELICIOUS!  

Mozzarella sticks, but with mac and cheese... interesting

The mac and cheese sticks were good as well, a light crispy outside with yummy mac and cheese on the inside.  The mac and cheese could have been a little more creamy on the inside (maybe add a layer of cheese on top of the mac inside the crispy shell?) but generally, it was darn tasty!

More cheese please!

Since I clearly had not met my cheese quota for the evening, I went for the grilled cheese sandwich for dinner.  The truffled grilled cheese sandwich was gooey and creamy with a smooth truffle flavor to accompany the cheese.  It was served with a side of tomato soup dip, which really didn't do anything for me.  It was a cool idea, but I think it should be a little more creamy and light for dipping the sandwich. It sorta just tasted like pureed tomatoes to me.  The hand-made potato chips were crispy but a little bland.  They could definitely benefit from some salt or malt flavoring.  It was a good dinner, but it could have been a little more flavorful.

Overall, the beer at Churchkey is fantastic - great seasonal selection and so many options to choose from.  The food was good as well but, you can tell Churchkey spends more time on their beer menu than their food menu (there's only so many hours in the day!).  I believe my man over at the Midnight Raver Blog (who joined us for dinner) summed it up best "This shit is goooooooo.....D, man!"  He's so articulate....