flora's oaxaca tacos

green chile corn tortillas stuffed with mashed potatoes, jack cheese, and dice jalapenos, baked crispy and topped with lime creme fraiche

pico de gallo with ripe early girl tomatoes

swiss chard sauteed with chili,garlic, and lemon

stewed black beans cooked in no-chicken broth

basmati rice cooked with cumin, black bean water, and no-chicken broth

pretty satisfying, complete meal :-D

dinner at 1am as usual....

Baked-Yam Fries w/Spicy, Fresh San Marzano, and Plum Ketchup

YAM FRIES!!!!
Peel and SliceYams into fries,
Parboil in cold water on high heat for 10 mins
Dry thuroughly, toss in olive oil and bake in a pre-heated 450 oven
stirring every 10 mins for about 50 mins

Fresh Ketchup
Saute Red Onion (diced) in olive oil with paprika
add 2 cloves garlic minced,
add tomatoes, red wine vinegar, soy sauce,
simmer covered for 20 mins
remove from heat

add 3 peeled,seeded, and diced plums
add 2 T lemon juice
let cool
puree

updates

fresh blueberries
turned into muffins
hash-browns, sunny side up, queso and fresh tomatoes, a watermelon, strawberry, mint juice
Pizza Margarita
Zucchini, Corn, Jalapenos, Cheese, Fresh San Marzano Sauce

channa masala

channa masala
curry roasted potatoes and carrots
sauteed kale with red pepper, garlic, golden raisins and lemon juice
saffron'd basmati rice

local organic food?

spaghetti

Spaghetti, tossed with egg, fried bread crumbs and smoked cheese.

fry bread crumbs in butter
Cook chili flakes and diced onion in olive oil. combine with minced garlic, chopped green olives, and parsley.
cook dry spaghetti in salt water
mix eggs with Parmesan cheese
grate some smoked cheese

drain spaghetti when aldente and immediately mix in an egg and the onion mixture.
toss it with the smoked cheese.
toss it with the bread crumbs.

all done :)

some simple good food on a late night after a trying day.

i did it my way

having the best ingredients will only get you half way there,
then theres the cooking part of it, it just takes practice and adjustments
i came closer to a good chicago style pizza today

in reverse fill order:
crust: 00 italian flour + cornmeal
filling: ricotta, egg, mozzarella, parmesean, italian parsley

spinach wilted in olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, parsley, salt

tomatoes crushed with a fork with salt, fresh oregano leaves/buds, garlic, a touch of sugar

baked @ 450 for 40 minutes.

what went wrong:

using 00 made the crust too light and airy, when i think chicago pizza to be heavy and cakey.
oregano buds are really strong, and took over too much in flavor
ratio of cheese was wrong, needed more mozzarella less ricotta and a thinner layer applied

otherwise, this is how id like it. it might not be how you like it. but i'll do it my way.

sides

i ended up eating a lot of "side dishes" for dinner tonight, i was thinking about grilling up some tofu but i figured this would fill me up still.
maybe some beans and cornbread?

- jalapeno mac and cheese, parm/cheddar

- sauteed corn w/jalapenos,cumin,garlic

- boiled kale w/roasted garlic, cilantro lime sauce

it was what was on sale at the super market, vegetables on sale are cheap and good for you!!!

Backyard Broccolli

I decided I needed to pull from the broccoli plants outside so i did, and the best place to eat an ingredient is probably a pizza.

squeezed lemon juice all over this.

fettucine with fava,peas,creme fraiche, saffron

it cant get more simple than this, but i fucked it up :-/ i guess you have to shell and PEEL favas, they're bright green on the inside... its not like it tasted bad, i just eventually had to peel off the skins while eating which is kind of annoying.

random dinner

Kale and Red Pepper Slaw, w/baked Tofu and Spicy Citrus Dressing

Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Soup

Pineapple Pizza w/crushed red pepper and fresh oregano

Watermelon, Strawberry, Lime,Mint, slushy.

Alphabet Soup

Oyster Mushrooms, Thyme, Wild Arugula, Mozzarella, Parmesan Pizza
Alphabet Soup (provencal minestrone with pesto, parm. and homemade broth)

all mixed up

Floral California

The Bay Bridge

California has the best produce!!

Wild Arugula and Pear w/Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Fresh Pea and Pea Green Soup

Nasturtrium Butter, baby zuchinni/yellow squash with blossoms,tagliatelle
Lavender Lemonade Soda

Grilled Seitan, Jalapeno Cheddar Mac and Cheese, Citrus-Chilled Brocolli, Happy-Orange-Tea

Mac and Cheese:
Jalapeno,Cheddar,Parmesan,Cream (kinda heavy)

Citrus-Chilled Brocolli
Boiled (~1 min) Brocolli, chilled in a blend of lemon,lime,orange juices, basil, garlic and olive oil

Grilled Seitan
marinated in heinz 57 sauce and mustard

Happy Orange Tea
lemon and orange juice, cinnamon, happy honey, and black tea

Veggie Dog Sandwich, Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup, Crinkle Cut Chips with Red Dipping Sauce and a Cherry Lime Ricky

Watercress w/creamy Jalapeno Dressing, Blackbean Pupusas with Habenero-carrot Salsa, Roasted chili-rubbed plantains, Saffron-Coconut Ice Cream

This dinner was mainly an attempt to use last nights salsa and the remaining cocunt milk I had but it is inspired by my recent trip to the east coast, it's a little native american and fancy as the New York restaurants I visited...

From Candle 79 I stole the idea of Jalapeno's and Water Cress which really go quite great together, a little salt goes a long way on these greens too:


Jalapeno dressing: Jalapeno, Garlic, Ground Cumin, Sour Cream

The black bean pupusas lend most of their flavor from homemade vegetable broth, I had a real hard time shaping and cooking these... I'm just not good at it yet. They are topped with Milleniums Carrot-Habenero Salsa which reminds me a great deal of Curtido except it's much more herby containing mint, oregano, and cilantro, along with red-onion, carrots, lime juice and of course a habenero pepper.

The roasted plantains was a guess, and it's concentrated sweetness probably could've been balanced out a bit better... i anticipated the issue and tried to correct it with red-chili powder. But it probably needed another sauce, or maybe just salt to make it a bit more savory, I still liked it a lot, it just didn't match quite right with the other two dishes.

Okay, coconut-saffron ice cream is amazing! I was a little worried when I saw the recipe called for no eggs... I thought it was a mistake and almost went ahead and added my own eggs. But... no mistake, coconut milk really thickens up as it heats up and a custard totally formed up full of saffron flavor. My roommate says the spicy dishes before totally set him up for the ice cream.

I was quite satisfied with this meal, I would re-work it and try it again.

Coconut Brown Rice, Baked Tofu w/Carrot Habenero Salsa and Gai-Lan

Gai-lan: just steamed and seasoned with olive oil and salt
Coconut Brown Rice: From Vegan Soul Kitchen
Baked Tofu: dipped and brushed with tamari(soy sauce) and maple syrup (Millenium)
Habero Salsa (Millenium)

gumbo z'herbes

i've never actually eaten gumbo... so i made it a little blindly, i think i had a cup too much broth or something because the liquid couldve been thicker....

anyway, these are recipes from "vegan soul kitchen"

gumbo z {spinach, collards, mustard, orache}
rosemary-roasted tofu
short-grain brown rice

i would've done the tofu with a different herb or just paprika or something next time because it contrasted with the gumbo a little weird but it was still all good.

this is definitely comfort food, time for my food coma...

thinest crust ever

orache (wild mountain spinach)
goat cheese
mozarella
olive oil
young garlic
purple basil

Manicotti?

I was hungry and didn't know what to make, I had a bunch of ingredients for a lasagna I had planned but I didn't get any mozarella and I didn't feel like going to the store. So it was going to be raviolis but that shit really is a pain in the ass, i'd be set eating for like a week though if i did it. my comprimise was manicotti which i don't think ive ever ordered at a restaurant before. i just made sheets of spinach pasta and cut them into squares, i tried the lowest setting and the 2nd to lowest setting for thin-ness and the thinner one was better.

just ricotta, parm, and parsley in the middle. muir glen canned tomatoes with onions garlic red chili flakes and parsley in the sauce.

cook the pasta put in some filling, roll it up, throw some sauce on top and underneath and bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes. couldve used a salad and some strawberry ice cream. maybe tomorrow.

Early Spring

I haven't cooked in awhile, but I was having a home-y weekend trying to clear out some garden space and doing a little cooking...

early spring vegetable soup (greens)
[ingredients: leeks,celery,potato,chard,peas,parsley,cream,lemon juice, salt]

i think it is a good soup, its very green...

spaghetti tossed with egg, smoked cheese, and fried bread crumbs (greens)
[also contains: parmesan, parsley, garlic, green olives, onion, red-chili flakes,coarse-ground black-pepper]

its kind of rich because of the egg, for smoked cheese i could only find smoked gouda... its another good recipe from greens, i wish i knew someone who wants to eat at greens with me...

meyer lemon sherbert (alice waters)
[ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, water, milk]

so i think a sherbert is just a sorbet with milk, i dont use gelatin... i mightve used too much sugar too, but yeah its a damn good frozen lemonade treat.

deep dish

attempted to make a deep dish since my pizza stone is no more...

spinach/mushrooms/mozarella/parm/tomatoes/oregano

it was good, but not successful. i now have a better understanding of what is going on and my next attempt should be much better.

supper club

crispy oyster mushroom tempura accompanied by smoked tomato shallot compote and avocado coconut mousse,

california carrot veloute with chunky sweet and sour pepper romesco and toasted almonds,

crispy panfried tofu with seasonal organic baby vegetables, tamari braised bok choy, fennel, moussline, tempeh bacon bits,

silken chocolate and cashew parfait with honey flaxseed crisp, blackberry aged balsamic sauce



talk about a fancy vegan menu... i'll write more about it later.

mac and cheese with herb infused butter

this was delicious. i rarely add spices to a mac and cheese, but the herb butter is a bit too much on its own and wants a lot of company.

macaroni cooked in salted water, very firm but tender

sauce,
~2 T herb infused butter
1 T chopped garlic
Pinch Red Chili Flakes
~2 T Flour
1/2 cup cream
1 cup whole milk
Parmesan
White Cheddar
Mozzarella
Oregano
Thyme
Onion Powder

Topping,
Mozzarella
Panko Bread Crumbs
Parmesan

baked in a pre-heated 400 degrees f oven... til the top is brown and a little bubbly.

pizza, with tomatoes and cheese

Panir, Habenero Chutney, Pizza

Pizza! Pizza!