I spent 10 days in Israel and now consider myself an expert on Israeli salad. As one does.
But David Lebovitz had some pretty good ideas about it too.
I mean, how could you not with a name like Lebovitz.
Israeli Salad (from David Lebovitz)
You'll need
1 ripe tomato
1 cucumber
1 carrot- peeled
2-3 tbsp red onion- chopped
1 small beet- peeled
arugula
1/4 c parsley or cilantro- chopped*
2/3 c mixed nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc...)- chopped
1/3 c feta or goat cheese- crumbled
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper
* If you want to get crazy, try mint, chives, tarragon... every country claims this salad as their own.
-Chop all the vegetables into tiny tiny cubes. Slice the arugula.
-Toast the nuts in a skillet (no oil), over medium heat and shake the pan frequently so they don't burn. Stop when they are a little brown and you can smell them.
-Mix all of the vegetables, nuts, cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
-Serve pretty quickly, no one likes old salad.
Spotify has changed my life again by introducing me to LP
It's common knowledge that I'm a sucker for whistling.
There is a reason why quinoa burgers aren't a thing.
Quinoa, by nature, doesn't like to be bound together, forced into unnatural shapes or squished between slices of bread. Each little quinoa granula is constantly trying to be it's own, unique entity and quinoa actively resents you when you try to make it anything else.
Moral of the story, we all grew up in the "Free To Be You and Me" era, so just let quinoa be quinoa.
Lesson learned.
Enjoy this quinoa hash.
You'll need:
2 1/2 cooked quinoa
4 large eggs- beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c fresh chives-chopped
1 yellow or white onion- chopped
3 garlic cloves- chopped
1 c bread crumbs
water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c parmesan cheese- optional
You'll need to:
- Mix the quinoa, eggs, salt, chives, onion, cheese, garlic and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Let it sit so the bread crumbs can get a little soggy.
-Try to make the quinoa into patties. Or give up and make a scramble.
- Heat the oil in a skillet, cook the unnatural patties, or hash until it's all deep brown, like 7 minutes per side.
- Serve however you want. Try not to think about cheeseburgers while eating.
So "The Great Gatsby" is kind of a big deal right now.
The book, the show (GATZ), the film and now the soundtrack. I have heard many rumors about the film, how awful it is, how awesome it is.... but, if the soundtrack is pretty awesome and that means I'll give the film a shot.
It was available on NPR First Listen and it's now on Spotify, but I might actually buy it.
. I kind of love that they aren't using period music, that there is an attempt to go for the risque feeling of that era with music of today. It's not only Jay-Z, but the xx, Florence and the Machine and Jack White, among others. Is there a history of music lesson here? Or is NPR reading into it a little too much. Who knows?
All I do know is that the soundtrack makes me even more excited to see the movie and it feeds my not so secret love for Beyonce.
I worked at an unnamed vegan/vegetarian cafe in NYC for a grand total of 2 weeks and in that time I managed to wreck havoc on the West Village coffee drinkers.
I'm not the best barista.
I just really don't care about how you take your coffee, because I'm trying my hardest to not burn the shit out of my hand on the steam wand.
Did I accidentally brush your scone with my un-gloved hand? Oops.
And my latte art looked like someone took a very circular poo.
Long story short, baristing wasn't my calling.
But said vegan/vegetarian cafe had a awesome tofu scramble recipe.
A recipe that I might have stolen.
Tofu Scramble (from an unnamed source)
You'll need:
2 14 oz blocks of extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion- chopped
1 small green pepper- chopped
1 small red pepper- chopped
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
15 oz can black beans
1/4 c cilantro- chopped
Salt and pepper
4-6 tortillas (or how many scrambles you want to eat...)
Things to put on top: salsa, avocado, cheese, green peppers, hot sauce, sour cream... the options are limitless.
You'll need to:
- Press the tofu.
- Smash the tofu with a fork.
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and peppers; cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in coriander and cumin; cook with fragrant, about a minute. Throw in the tofu, tumeric and beans. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes, stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
-Serve with tortillas and garnishes.
I can never show my face in that cafe again.
Guys, I have to talk about the new David Bowie album.
I seriously love me some Bowie, so much so that I dressed up as him for Halloween. It was awesome.
This album though? I get it, he's on a very slow roll. He's David Bowie and can do no wrong, but The Next Day really just makes me miss his cutting edge days, when he was trying his hardest to push boundaries. This album feels like his silent surrender into aging rocker-dom, a genre I refuse to place Bowie in. I like that his music is aging with him and he's not trying to squeeze his 66 year old body into skin tight leather suits anymore, but this album sent me into a 70s Bowie phase and that's a land I'd like to stay in.
In the video for "The Stars Are Out Tonight" he wears a yellow Mr. Rogers cardigan.
Bowie in a cardigan!?! I just... I can't...
On a completely unrelated note, KDP is now two years old and has 100 posts!
Thanks for reading.
(seriously, thanks).
Tally and I went on a trip.
We've been friends since 6th grade, but the only time we traveled together was for swim meets, 7th grade swim camp and 8th grade horse camp, so it was time to test our adult friendship.
Lessons learned:
Boston is super cold.
Don't take the Megabus during rush hour on a three day weekend Friday.
Just don't take the Megabus.
The "T" is super confusing.
When flying with Tally, get to the airport at least 3 hours before boarding, or she will freak out.
The second half of the Freedom Trail? Not really worth it.
Tally is a sport when I drag her to experimental theatre pieces that are naked.
Things we did:
Tally's first gay club
The outside at least.
Hungover trips to the science museum.
Lots of brewery tours.
Did you know that beer is super cheap in MA?
Being super historical.
Tall people are not made for Mega Buses.
Things we ate:
Free Cheese!
Super fancy cocktails
Tally's first pizza in the subway
Tally's reaction when I tried to teach her the art of folding pizza.
Tally and Carly made cupcakes!
I made a mess.
Add caption
Eating a Boston Cream doughnut in Boston at the start of the Freedom Trail. It doesn't get more American than that.
Isn't that @awpz from twitter?
Pho + Sriracha = true love
Last night on the East Coast Indian food.
And then I went to Juneau and Tally went to the Bahamas.
There will be a semi-Juneau post soon.
Note to Self- write down when you experiment, so that you don't have to try to remember the ingredients a month later when the blog is posted.... Indian Style Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu
ALSO
LOOK WHAT I DID!
<----------
(and by me, I mean the sun and science and stuff)
Indian Baked Tofu (From Moosewood)
Marinade:
1/2 c greek yogurt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
juice of 1 lemon
1 package of tofu
-Press the tofu for 15 minutes.
-Combine everything else in a bowl.
-cut the tofu into cubes, put in the marinade.
Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
-preheat oven to 425. Oil a baking sheet and lay out the tofu cubes.
-Bake for 25-30 mins, turning the tofu halfway.
Raita Sauce (someone else invented this) 1 1/2 c greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cucumber- grated
fresh mint
fresh cilantro
salt
-mix everything in a bowl. Easy peasy.
Noodle Salad (a Hannah creation)
1 packet of soba noodles- cooked
Red Bell pepper- sliced
Snap Peas
Cilantro
Carrots- sliced
Green onions
Cucumber- sliced
Baked Tofu
Raita
-Cook, drain and rinse the soba noodles.
-Take the raita, pour over the noodles and use your hands to massage the yogurt into the noodles, make sure everything is covered.
-add in the vegetables and keep mixing with your hands. Season with salt and pepper.
-Once everything is well mixed, lay the tofu on top and sprinkle the cilantro over.
Currently jamming to:
Dan Deacon's "America" on NPR First Listen
It's a multi listen, everyone has their own personal opinion about it kind of track.
So do it.
Listen to the entire thing in one sitting, devote some time to it and get back to me.
But think about split personalities and American culture clash when you do.
The album is officially out on August 27th. I'm putting it on my buy list.
It's been far too long.
I've been in an amazing directors workshop for the past 3 weeks, meaning I never had time to make food, much less blog about it.
Things happened in the past 3 weeks (including the now infamous String Cheese and Toast Dinner ). Our dear Mags officially turned old and celebrated by eating cookies and drinking whiskey (true story). Juneau has apparently had the worst summer ever and I still haven't bought an AC.
All in all, it's been busy. But here's a make up, back log post about a salad that I didn't really like.
Enjoy!
Hannah
Too much cookies and whiskey
Baked Tofu (From The Moosewood)
16oz firm tofu
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 garlic clove- minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger- minced
1 1/2 c bread crumbs
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
cayenne
red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp white flour
6 Tbsp cold water
-Cut the tofu into sticks- so you have about 24 total. Arrange them in a single layer in a baking dish
-Mix together the soy sauce, rice vingear, garlic and ginger. Pour over the tofu sticks, let marinate for at least 30 mins.
-Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a baking tray.
-In a large bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper and spices. In another bowl, mix together the flour and water.
-Dip each marinated tofu stick in the flour mix and coat well. Then dunk it in the breadcrumbs mix and make sure it's covered. Arrange the sticks on the baking tray. Bake for 30 mins, until crisp and hot.
Brown Rice Salad
1 1/2 to 2 cups short-grain brown
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallion
1 small or 1/2 large red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped or shredded celery
1/4 cup finely chopped or shredded carrot
baked tofu
6 tablespoons miso paste
3/4 cup warm water or sake
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon mirin or honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or more to taste
2 sheets of nori, lightly toasted (optional- I don't actually know how to do this and forgot about Google for a second).
2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds, toasted.
-Cook rice. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, then combine with vegetables and tofu in a large bowl.
- Put black pepper, miso, water or sake, sugar, mirin or honey, and vinegar in a small bowl, and whisk together. Taste, and add more vinegar and a pinch of salt, if needed.
- Combine rice mixture with miso dressing with 2 big forks, fluffing rice and tossing gently to separate grains. Crumble nori (if you figured it out) over salad and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Verdict: While I'm sure this was a stunning brown rice salad, I am not a huge fan. Too salty/soy saucy, I usually ended up just eating the tofu. The tofu is good (thus proving that if you add bread crumbs to anything it will make it taste like bread crumbs). I also realized that I was so underwhelmed by the final product that I never took pictures. Imagine it looked like this:
In more uplifting news, Passion Pit has come out with their new album Gossamer, you can hear it on NPR First Listen for a few more days.
I'm in love. These are not only my cooking jams, but also my walking, working out, working, rehearsing and living jams. I'm like the blonde that listens to an audio tape that tells her to breath in and out, but my life line is Passion Pit. It's incredibly textured and each song rings of extremely detailed and precise work.
It's also about a failed romance, so I'm adding it to my "Sit in a hammock, drink PBR and cry" list.
You know the one.
Someone else described this album as a "tortured beast, wrapped in a hard candy shell"
Totally my groove.
I eat a lot of salad, especially now that it's too hot to turn on the stove, I'm too busy and poor to make something new every night.
So I mixed a couple of recipes from The Moosewood New Classics, threw in some left overs, got some beets and tomatoes to add color and voila!
A curried tofu and corn salad that's worthy of any high class vegetarian/vegan restaurant.
In other news, I'm in major lack of grill depression. I don't have the balls to put one on my fire escape, so if you have one in NY, I will trade many, slightly charred, tasty things in exchange for a grill take over.
-Press the tofu for 15 mins. Cut into bite sized pieces.
-Heat the oil in a skillet, saute the garlic, onions and jalapeno until the onions are golden, about 15 mins. Mix in the curry paste, turmeric, cumin and soy sauce.
-Add the tofu to the skillet and cook on low heat for 10 mins, stirring often, until heated through.
Curried Corn (adapted from Moosewood New Classics)
1 c shallots- chopped
1 jalapeno- seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves- minced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 c frozen corn
1 tbsp curry powder
The actual recipe calls for coconut milk. I omitted it because I didn't want to the corn to be over saturated with liquid going into the salad (read- I didn't have any).
-warm the oil in a sauce pan, add the shallots and jalapeno and saute for 3 mins. Stir in the curry powder and saute until the spices darken, about another 3 mins.
-stir in the corn. Saute until heated, add salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble curried tofu and corn salad (a Hannah original (patent pending))
1 c quinoa
3 bell peppers- chopped
grape tomatoes- sliced in half
4 beets- chopped
-Put everything in a big bowl. Mix around.
-season with salt, pepper, sriracha and curry powder to taste.
I spend most of my commute listening to podcasts, but I've run into the unfortunate problem that sometimes Ira Flatow's soothing voice and dense topics on Science Friday puts me to sleep and I get too distracted by the various MTA characters/subway drama to really commit to an episode of This American Life. And the TAL stories often make me cry, which can be mildly embarrassing and unwanted attention getting at 10am on a Wednesday.
RadioLab is the perfect medium, a mix of science and story, weird soundscapes that jolt one awake and make you stride that fine line between being intrigued and thinking too much.
Plus, I'm in awe of the online community they are making through social media.
And let's be honest, the only reason I listen to Science Friday is for the rare and priceless times when Ira F gets pissed off.
I've never experienced a New York summer, but believe me, I've been warned and I live in fear.
I'm prepping for the complete and utter rejection of any hot foods and building my cold foods list.
I don't really like traditional coleslaw. too much mayo = no fun at all.
But the food blogosphere is atwitter with new takes and updates on slaw.
Here's my humble contribution
Asparagus Slaw
2 bunches asparagus
2 carrots
2 cucumbers
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tsp raw honey
2 tbsp unrefined sesame oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Preparation:
-Boil a pot of water, wash the asparagus and snap off the woody ends. Blanch the asparagus (drop in the boiling water for 5-10 secs, remove and put in a bowl of ice water.
-Julienne or shred the asparagus, carrots and cucumber. Add in onions, toss.
-Prep the dressing- whisk the tahini, Braggs, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and honey. Whisk in oil.
-Pour over the veges, toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let sit for 15-20 mins to get juicy.
I really really liked this. There was just a tad too much juice, but that is the definition of a first world problem.
Everyone (i.e. VH1 when it's on the TV at the gym) is talking about The Black Keys, so I finally broke down and gave their new-ish album, El Camino.
They should be my jams. It's blues-rocky, it's dirty, dark and dance-able.
But I'm really not digging them.
Maybe I'm just too late to this bandwagon, maybe they remind me of Kings of Leon a little too much, maybe I've heard too many bands just like them, maybe I'm over the hipster caveman vibe (that's a lie, I'll never be over it) and maybe I'm not a air guitar kind of gal.
And that's when food pick up lines took a weird cannibalistic turn. Game over.
My parents spent 5 weeks in Thailand over this past winter, where among other exotic things, they took cooking classes.
They brought me back a scarf.
I'm not jealous... at all.
Yoga Steve then came to New York and tried to show me the ropes.
It turned out okay.
I think I'll just have to go to Thailand to learn for myself. The sacrifices I make for KDP.
Kitchen Sink Thai Stir Fry with Rice Noodles
You'll need:
1/2 yam- peeled and chopped
1 potato- chopped
handful of snap peas- washed
couple of bunches of bok choy- wash, chop off the ends so they're in single leaf form
1 inch ginger- peeled and minced
1 Serrano chili- remove the seeds and mince. DON'T TOUCH YOUR EYES.
4 garlic cloves- minced
1/2 head broccoli- chopped
1 red onion- chopped
handful of cilantro- chopped
2 tbsp Thai paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
red chili flakes- couple shakes
1 c vegetable broth
2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino's
1 tsp corn starch
2 Tbsp sesame oil
8 oz tofu- marinated over night in braggs and Thai paste.
1 handful rice noodles- cooked 1/2 of the time listed on the package and rinsed in cold water
-Chop and prepare everything before you're ready to cook- wash and chop all vegetables, cook noodles, lay everything out within arms reach. Trust me.
-Mix vegetable broth, Braggs and cornstarch in a bowl, set aside
-Heat sesame oil in large wok over high heat. Add potato, yam, garlic, onion, broccoli, pepper, Thai paste and ginger in wok. Cook for 3 mins, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
-Add in the noodles and tofu, cook for about 2 mins
-Add bok choy and peas, cook for about 2 mins
-Pour in the vegetable broth mix, add water if there isn't enough. Cook until it thickens slightly, so it's a sauce, just a few minutes longer.
-Be warned, it's a sinus opener.
SHOW ME WHERE YOUR NOMS AT!
Val sent me this very text the other night:
"I know there is a shark on the cover art, but if you haven't already been listening to Dry The River's 'Shallow Bed' you need to. Right now."
I am terrified of sharks, but very rarely do I disobey Val.
Here's the backstory- they're an English folk rock band, formed in 2009, with a hardcore and punk background. This album was released on April 17th.
Folk rock sometimes rubs me the wrong way. I have to be in the exact right mood. It can too slow and sad for everyday listening, too hard for a "sit in a hammock, drink PBR and cry" session, but folk rock can often make me want to lie on my living room floor and stare at the ceiling.
But this isn't that. sort of.
I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around Dry The River's solid and sweeping soundscape. In one moment it feels a little too whiney for my tastes, but I also can't stop listening. Their sound is pretty unique and tells strong, lyrical and sad stories.
Val describes it as "civil war-y, but not so twangy."
Epic and sweeping are the only words I can scramble for to describe their sound.
I'm going to spend some time marinating with them. the more I listen, the more it grows on me.
Sure, I want to stare at walls (or the rain) while listening, but there's nothing wrong with that.
If I were a bettin' gal, I'd put some money down on these guys getting big.
Here is a stripped down version of their song, BIBLE BELT (they explain why). Give it a whirl, then listen to the full version. It's very different, but each holds it's own.
