Parmesan-Curried Chickpeas + Bulgur

I know the colors aren't that exciting, but this actually tasted pretty good. I have been clearing out my cabinets since I'm leaving school in a few days, and two of the items I had were a pack of Trader Joe's 10-minute bulgur, and a can of chickpeas. Both foods are sort of mediterranean-ish, so I figured I could put them together in a dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas
• 1/2 cup bulgur (uncooked)
• evoo
• 1 tbs curry powder
• parmesan cheese (as little/much as you like)
• lemon juice

How To Make It:

Bulgur: This part is pretty simple. Bulgur is usually a 1:2 ratio, so for 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur, I used 1 cup of water. Putting both in a pot, let the water boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about another 10 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed by the grain.

Chickpeas: In a large skillet, heat olive oil. I wanted mine to fry a bit so I used a lot of oil (maybe 2-3 tablespoons), but of course, adjust for your own health desires. Let the chickpeas cook in the oil for awhile, until they start to crisp (maybe 5-7 minutes). When they do, add the curry powder and parmesan cheese, and stir so that both flavors distribute evenly over the beans. Let the chickpeas cook and crisp for a few more minutes.

When both parts are done, serve the chickpeas over the bed of bulgur, or as I did, mix them together. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and add extra parmesan cheese or olive oil as desired.

Avo Snack

It's finals week on campus, which means I'm moving home soon. Which means I can't justify going food shopping, but also still need to eat! I did a mini-grocery run to the local food store the other day, and all I really wanted was avocado. I also got some wasa crackers, and put this together as a perfect finals week snack - just wasa crackers with cream cheese and avocado spread on the top. So yummy and somehow really filling. I couldn't help but take a bite out before taking photos!

Short Stack

I noticed a week or two ago that there were about five boxes of pancake mix in my kitchen, and three bottles of maple syrup. There is one girl who lives in the house who loves pancakes (like makes them for every meal), so I just assumed she had stocked up on pancake mix and they all belonged to her.

Then yesterday, I found out that actually, all of the pancake mix is leftover form a sorority event we had about a month ago. I just never noticed! That means the mix is for everyone in the house, so I went ahead and made a nice big pancake breakfast today - a short stack with six little pancakes. And maple syrup of course.


Also, yes hi I'm blogging again. I have pictures from throughout the semester, they'll go up in the next few weeks!

Bruschetta Pizza

There is a really great pizza place near my home in NJ that has some super creative flavors (think fried chicken and french fry pizza, greek salad pizza, shrimp scampi pizza, etc.) One of their newest is a bruschetta pizza - whole wheat crust topped with bruschetta, arugula, and a little bit of mozzarella cheese. The slice I bought was delicious and probably the most "healthy" pizza I was going to find. But it also got me thinking - can't I make this myself?

At Trader Joe's the next day, I realized that all of these ingredients are easily accessible. I bought TJ's pre made whole wheat pizza dough, a jar of already made bruschetta, a bag of arugula and cheesesticks. I assembled the pizza, put it in the oven to bake, and 10 minutes later, voila! Lunch.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

Yum yum yum yum yum. I followed this recipe for "Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting" from Joy the Baker. Her pictures just looked so good, and I'm always intrigued by baked goods that involve fruits and vegetables so it was added to my winter break creations list. I followed the recipe except for the fact that I switched it from a layer cake to cupcakes.

I was bracing for the cupcakes to be a little gross (the beets), but I actually think these are in the running for top cupcakes I have ever made, ever. The beets I was using were pretty juicy, and I think the extra liquid from shredding the beets made the cake extra moist. Also, I love the pink tinge the beets gave to the frosting - I like pink frosting but dislike strawberry and raspberry flavored sweets, so beets were a nice alternative.

Oh and aren't the wrappers so pretty! I got them from a little chocolate shop in Vermont, the brand is Bake Me A Cake by Meri Meri. They had all sorts of different vintagey and girley and cutesy cupcake tins, definitely worth checking out for future party planning.

As I write this, there are two cupcakes left and I am enjoying the last few bites of sweetness. Mmmmmm I love winter break baking.

Garlic & Sage Soup

I don't know why, but I was pretty much in love with the idea of this soup from the second I read the post. I couldn't wait to make this over break! Well I did, and it wasn't quite as good as I hoped. I wouldn't necessarily call it "soup," more of just a poached egg on toasted bread in a light garlicky broth. The flavor was subtle which could have been nice, but in the winter I tend to like heartier flavors. I also could have used a better bread - Lottie + Doof recommends "good bread" which I take to mean really thick, crusty and nutty. I used toasted brioche, which in retrospect was a terrible idea because of the way brioche absorbs liquid. Regardless, it was fun to make and I might recommend it with some modifications!

More posts to come this week!

Fall Round-Up!

1. egg over easy with poached leeks

2. farro with asparagus, spinach, onion, and honey roasted almonds

3. curried chickpeas with asparagus, spinach and onion
4. mushroom chili (ingredients and recipe provided by blue apron)
5. Braised, curried okra with onions
6. soft shell tacos with peppers, onions, black beans, and mozzarella cheese
7. sweet potato gnocchi in a sage butter sauce, with string beans (both from TJ's frozen)
8. parmesan crusted polenta over zucchini
9. edamame salad (prepared food market purchase) with sautéed zucchini and red onion (added by me)
10. talenti peppermint bark gelato with chocolate sauce and cookie garnish

What a semester! It's funny because I still occasionally tell people that I write a food blog, but then I log on to show them it or look at it myself and realize that I haven't posted since July. That was when I was still showing recipes from my study abroad travels!

Part of not blogging during the semester has to do with a lack of time, but part of it is also that this is post #134. Considering this is a blog about student cooking, it is kindof hard to come up with an infinite number of recipes since a large part of college cooking is having a few staple ingredients around that can be used in a lot of foods, so that both food shopping and cooking are easy and time-saving.

These 10 photos are the dishes I made this semester that felt the most original to me, so much that I felt inclined to snap an iPhone photo. Now that the semester's over, I finally got the chance to sit down and upload them all. What stands out to me most is that I used many dishes I've made before but in new ways. For example I love poached eggs, but had never cooked leeks before! I'd never made okra before either, but was craving it because that is something I ate a lot while abroad in India, so I decided to try a simple curry recipe. I keep simple grains like farro around my kitchen to cook up quickly and toss with fresh veggies. I have also taken advantage of the frozen selection of foods, since those are easy to keep around for awhile and can be pretty healthy.

While I didn't have much time to blog this semester, I did manage to keep up on other food blogs. I printed a few recipes throughout the fall and have them in a neat stack on my kitchen table, so a full cooking day this break will definitely be in order, and hopefully I'll be able to post my favorites. What I'm most excited about? A recipe for garlic soup with a poached egg from Lottie + Doof. Should be interesting!

Polenta & Brussels Sprouts

Such a quick dinner! This was an evening when I was SO HUNGRY, and you know how sometimes when you're really hungry, all you want to eat is a huge bowl of pasta? Well, I wanted to make something that would give me that same full feeling, but just not pasta. Polenta is great because it is still a starch, but it is made from corn instead of wheat.

For the Polenta: See this recipe

For the Brussels Sprouts:

honey

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

sriracha sauce

To Assemble:

Make the polenta first, because it takes time to cook in the oven. While the polenta pieces are crispin, sautee the brussels sprouts in the aforementioned ingredients, playing with amounts until the sauce satisfies your taste buds. Let the sprouts continue to cook for a few minutes, because the vinegar will reduce so it will be less saucy. When both parts of the dish are ready, put the polenta over the sprouts, and dig in! I promise you'll be full.

Eggs & Greens

I came back from a tough spin class this morning and wanted a breakfast that would have protein and would also be filling. I love this open sandwich because it has carbs, veggies, and protein. 

The bottom is half of a brioche roll, from TJ's. The greens are a "power pack" mix of baby greens: baby kale, chard, and spinach. And then an over easy egg on top. I used earth balance butter to saute the greens and fry the egg.

Great breakfast.

Coconut Coriander Chutney

I am so excited about this post, because of all the foods I tasted abroad, this is the one that brings back some of the warmest memories. It is a true comfort food in taste and thought.

Chutney definitely has a presence in the US - I've seen it in Indian restaurants as well as in other restaurants that just offer it as a kind of dip. Coconut coriander would probably come off as more exotic or innovate though in the US, while in India, this was the staple kind of chutney. "Plain chutney" basically implied that it was made with coconut and coriander. I ate this for breakfast often with idly, and sometimes if we had leftover I would have it at dinner too. I could expect to see it at every hotel I stayed at in India, as well as at any wedding or group festivity. Everyone eats this stuff, and I totally understand why.

So after learning from the expert (my amma), I took her recipe back to my kitchen in New Jersey and tried to recreate the chutney, I think successfully.

Ingredients:

• one whole coconut, shredded
• whole coriander leaves (lots of them, leave stem on)
• pinch of rock salt (or some variety that is more of a crystal than a powder - I used sea salt)
• 2 small pieces of tamarind (not paste) (I didn't use this in my re-creation)
• 1 green chile, sliced into 3 pieces
• 2 small chunks of fresh ginger
• sprinkle of compounded asafoetida powder*
• water as needed (approx. 1/2 cup)
• 1T olive oil
• 2T black mustard seeds
• 1T yellow dal

1) Crack open the coconut. I read extensively online about how to do this, but none of the methods (back of a knife, hammer) seemed to work for me. I ended up taking it out to my front lawn and throwing it on the sidewalk, which did the trick even though I lost the fresh coconut water inside, which I was looking forward to drinking. I'll try the hammer technique again next time.

2) Shred the coconut. My host parents in India used the shredder you can see in the picture below, and the one after that is my host dad hard at work scraping away at the inside of the coconut. In my world, I used a watermelon scooper and a knife. When you think you've shredded about as much as you can, throw it in the blender.

3) Add the other ingredients to the blender, and blend it all together, stopping to add water as needed.

Look at the fresh green chiles and ginger from my host mom's kitchen...

4) Ok, last step has to be done in a skillet. Heat the olive oil on medium heat, and toss in the black mustard seeds and dal. Let them cook for about 2 minutes, until they get a little toasty and fragrant. Pour the chutney from the blender into a bowl, and stir in the black mustard seeds and dal.

I understand that these are the two ingredients least likely to already be in an American kitchen, but you cannot forgo these when making the recipe. They are the secret ingredient. The mustard seeds add this little crunch, and true Indian chutney is just not the same without it.

For the record, Whole Foods sells whole coconuts. Trader Joe's failed me this time around.

See if you can guess which pictures are from India and which are from the US!

One last anecdote: My host parents from India were in Boston for two months, the first of which overlapped with the end of my trip abroad. They went back this past weekend and I didn't get to see them. I had gotten in contact with them and tentatively planned to go up last Tuesday, but my plans fell through and I was pretty upset that they were going to fly back across the world without getting to see them for a hug and a meal. I know that if I had gone up to Boston, my host mom would have made me this chutney. So instead of being in Boston on Tuesday, I stayed home and made this. Nothing could have made me feel better. I miss India a lot, but all of these flavors brought me right back to the dinner table in Chennai.

*My host mom used this ingredient (asafoetida powder) in everything and I bought some at an Indian food market in New York, but I still can't figure out exactly what it is. If anyone knows, please enlighten me!

South African Baked Beans

My host mom in South Africa made this dish for me and my homestay partner, both vegetarians, a few times while we were there, and it was our favorite. So much flavor and kick, yet still familiar and easy to make!

Ingredients:

• Onion
• Peas
• Carrots
• Corn (I didn't have any, but they should be used!)
• Baked Beans, with sauce
• Chili Powder
• BBQ Spices
• (Or if you don't have a bbq spice mix like me, some variation):
• paprika
• onion powder
• salt and black pepper
• cayenne pepper

How to Make It:

In a pot, put a little bit of olive oil just to keep onions from sticking, and sauté onions until almost cooked. Add in carrots and let them cook, then add peas and corn. I used frozen peas, so I let them defrost in the pot. When the onions are cooked and carrots have softened, add the baked beans. Add the spices and stir. Let cook until heated throughout. Taste and adjust spices accordingly.

Red, White & Green

A few nights ago I had to throw together a quick dinner for my dad, brother, and myself. I was planning on just making cheese tortellini that we had in the fridge from Trader Joe's, but then my dad said something along the lines of, "I was excited for some interesting vegetarian dish since I heard you were making dinner!" and in my head that translated as a challenge, so plain tortellini just wasn't going to cut it.

The greens are a mix of kale and this baby power greens mix that TJ's sells now, a mixture of baby kale, spinach, and swiss chard. I sauteed the greens with olive oil, chopped fresh garlic cloves, and pine nuts. When that I was done I mixed it in the with pasta, added fresh chopped cherry tomatoes, and sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese. Maybe not my most creative vegetarian dish, but it definitely beat out plain pasta.

Frozen Mint Lemonade

Nothing better on a hot summer day than a delicious frozen drink that matches the greenery blooming outside. I got the idea for this from Aroma, one of my favorite cafes. This summer they are featuring what they call the "Limonana" - basically lemonade blended with ice and fresh mint. I thought - I can do that! So I bought some Simply Lemonade, picked some mint leaves from my backyard and put them together with ice in the magic bullet. Simple as that! I want to make this again when I'm going to have a long afternoon sitting in the backyard, reading a book.