South Indian White Bean Dip

I’m leaving for the UK tonight, so I haven’t been eating proper food the past few days because of the necessary pre-vacation cleaning out of the fridge. (Although I have to admit that I have been enjoying my dinners of black bean and pepper jack cheese quesadillas.)

 

Here’s another dip I made for last month’s cocktail party. I was originally going to make a Tuscan-style white bean dip, but I decided against that because the rest of my menu was Asian/Indian. I got the idea for this from my mom; we were eating at one of my favorite Italian places in the East Village and were served a bowl of whole white beans in oil with red pepper flakes, parsley, and garlic along with our bread. Apparently a similar dish is common in South India, except the garlic and parsley are replaced with roasted urad dal and mustard seeds. And so I decided to turn that into a dip.

The Minimalist's Zucchini Pear Soup

This is another one that I made a few weeks ago but never got around to posting.  Those of you who are regular New York Times readers might know that Mark Bittman aka The Minimalist writes a weekly column in the Wednesday Dining section. He usually takes seasonal ingredients and makes a simple dish with them, hence his title of The Minimalist. A few weeks ago, he provided us with a recipe for Zucchini Pear Soup.

I made the soup that night, but I threw in a few modifications. So while I can’t take credit for the recipe or even the idea to put these two ingredients together, I can take credit for sneaking in some wine and for cutting down the prep time by grating the ingredients rather than chopping them.

 

Ginger-Soy Noodles with Tofu and Red Peppers

I’m leaving for a 10-day vacation to the UK on Thursday, so I’m in the process of clearing out my fridge. Which means that my dinners have consisted of random food items that I have unearthed from my pantry and fridge (nachos, pita chips, and pizza bagels, anyone?). I don’t have the audacity to pretend like any of those things are worthy of this space, so I'm putting up a few things that I made a while back but never got around to posting. 

This one is for my friend Meg - I made this for her one afternoon when we were having a marathon viewing session of The Wire. It’s incredibly easy to make and is way better than cold takeout sesame noodles.

Ginger-Soy Noodles with Tofu and Red Peppers
(serves 2)

7-8 oz. firm tofu
2 tablespoons ginger-soy sauce (I really like Whole Foods’ 365 Organic brand)

4 oz lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti

1/3 cup water
1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter (I prefer chunky or natural for their texture)
3 tablespoons ginger-soy sauce
¼ - ½ teaspoon sriracha sauce (depending on how spicy you like your food)

½ large red pepper (cut in half lengthwise)
2-3 large scallions
1 small or ½ large cucumber

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)

***************

Cut the tofu into approximately ¾” cubes. Toss with 2 tablespoons of sauce and microwave on high power for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, cut the pepper half into ¼” by 1 ½” strips, chop the scallion, and peel, seed, and chop the cucumber into ½” chunks.

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and run under cold running water, then return them to the pot.

Add the tofu to the noodles in the pot. In the bowl in which you cooked the tofu, add the water and peanut butter, stir to combine, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Stir well, then add the ginger-soy and sriracha sauces. Add the sauce and sliced vegetables to the pot, and toss well to combine.

Top with cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature.

Chickpea, Leek, and Saffron Soup

Here’s another one that was conjured up more by necessity than creativity. I’m leaving for a 10-day vacation next Thursday (more on that later), so I need to use up all my perishables by then.  Today was a gray rainy day, so soup was definitely the way to go for dinner.

Eggplant, Olive, and Gruyere Pressed Sandwiches

This sandwich came about not through creativity, but rather because of the combination of my utter laziness and a dearth of food in my fridge. The following allowed me to pull this one off:

· I made two loaves of rustic French bread the other night; one was plain and the other was loaded with rosemary and nicoise and kalamata olives.

· With the exception of last weekend, the weather in Baltimore has been downright summery, so my plants are still giving me food. So I have tons of peppers and a few eggplants.

· I always have good cheese in my fridge. Always.

recognition

When it rains, it pours:

1. Baltimore Style magazine’s latest issue is all about food. There’s an article on the most stylin’ Baltimore food blogs, and mine is one of them. The issue is currently online, and, for those of you in the Baltimore area, it should be in print within the next few weeks. (The print version has screenshots of the blogs.) Here’s what they have to say about raspberry eggplant

Mango Kulfi Cupcakes

These cupcakes were also on the menu at my party a few weeks ago, and they are by far my favorite cupcake that I make. I’m pretty sure it’s because the combination of cardamom and Alphonso mango is a very typical and traditional combination in Indian sweets, and the pairing of these flavors transports me back to my single-digit years, particularly when my parents would buy me and my brother mango kulfi pops after a Sunday of shopping in Jackson Heights. I also love these cupcakes because they are a delightfully delicious juxtaposition of cultures: traditional Indian flavors presented in an adorably modern American way.

Penne alla Vodka

The 7th annual Baltimore Marathon took place yesterday, and the streets of Baltimore were taken over by about 12,000 runners, one of whom was yours truly. I ran the marathon as part of a four-person relay team that was made up of myself, my brother, the bf, and the bf’s very tall friend. The 26.2 miles of the marathon were divided into 4 legs, the shortest of which was 6.0 miles and was very hilly, and the longest of which was 7.3 miles and had a long downhill stretch. My leg was 6.1 miles, the last two of which were uphill.

Couscous-Stuffed Globe Zucchini

I bought some globe zucchini at the market a while back and completely forgot about them due to my lack of cooking for a while after the aforementioned cocktail party and other events on the weekends. Thankfully, zucchini last a while in the fridge. But they don’t last forever, and so I had to do something with them this week.




Over the past month or so, I’ve seen a bunch of recipes for stuffed zucchini, but none of them appealed to me – either the flavors were just not up my alley or they used merguez or some other sort of sausage (definitely NOT up my alley). I decided to stop looking for inspiration elsewhere and be original by modifying and re-purposing my own recipe for a Mediterranean couscous salad that I normally utilize as a light summer lunch.

Mung Bean Chaat Baskets

A few months ago, I made a version of a chaat that I had eaten last summer at my favorite North Indian restaurant in New York, Devi. I served it to my mom when she was visiting and she loved it, which meant that it was a success; my mom holds Indian food to high standards, and why shouldn’t she – she’s been cooking it forever and makes the absolute best South Indian food ever (and I’m not just saying that because she’s my mom).

Marinated Tofu and Cucumber Skewers

These were also on the menu at my cocktail party last week. I stole the idea and flavors for these from the macadamia-crusted marinated tofu and coconut-coriander rice I made a while back. They require prior planning, but doesn't any good cocktail party require planning? They’re really easy to make, and, to my surprise, were devoured by everyone – carnivores and tofu-haters included.

Edamame Dip

Last summer, I had a serious obsession with guacamole. I realized that it was definitely not healthy for me to be eating it on an almost-daily basis, so something had to be done to quench my craving. For reasons unbeknownst to me, edamame seemed like a good substitute. I added all the other flavors of guacamole – lime, garlic, cilantro – and, although it is not necessarily a substitute for guac, it is nonetheless a really really tasty dip.

Pizza Melanzana

OK, back to the savories. And, of course, it has to feature my favorite, eggplant, and its summertime partner in crime, the cherry tomato.

Bestest Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is WAY better than the last one I posted. However, it doesn't lend itself to a spur-of-the-moment kind of dinner as the other one does, as this one requires a long, chilled rise - but the long, chilled rise is what makes it far superior to a shorter-rising dough. The recipe is really long, but it's not as complicated as its length might lead you to believe - it’s just that the directions are very detailed. You can even freeze the dough and use it a later date, but I think it’s best when it is fresh from the fridge. Seriously, this is the best pizza crust I’ve ever eaten, and I've eaten lots of pizza in my years. (I'm from NY, of course I've eaten at least twice my weight in pizza over the course of my life.) The quality of this crust has nothing to do with my prowess in the kitchen and everything to do with the proportions and timing.

Pomatcha Cupcakes

I’m not 100% sure from where the idea for this one came. I think it might have been the result of my recent obsession with Pom’s Pomegranate Green Tea, because when I decided to make green tea cupcakes, I didn’t have to even think to top them off with a pomegranate frosting. The flavors work great together – the sweet tartness of the pomegranate and the mellowness of the green tea complement each other beautifully.