Rachael Jay
So it's been a while since i posted on this community, but I thought I'd share. I started an epicurial documentation of my study abroad experience with a kitchen of my own for the first time, and adopted the persona of Rachael Jay, after my favorite dining diva. So... I hope you enjoy! (note: pictures are all of what was actually made)
(click for larger image)
Bak Choy with Stir-fried Tofu
Ingredients:
1 Bak Choy
1/4 cup of extra-firm Tofu
1 clove of garlic
1/4 of medium onion
Soy Sauce
1 tsp of corn starch
1g of ginger
1 tsp of sesame oil
Heat wok with oil. Add finely diced garlic and ginger to wok. Then add chopped onions cubed tofu and stir fry until they begin to soften. Stir together 3 tbsp of soy sauce with the corn starch and sesame oil, and stir until incorporated and add to wok. Chop the white stems of the bak choy from the leafey sections, and then cut the bak choy stems in half, lengthwise. Add to wok with 1/8 cup of water to help wilt. Serve with 1/4 cup of cooked rice.
serves 1-2
Pork Sausage and Vegetable
The recipe was stolen from epicurious.com I used egg whites and halved most of the ingredients to make less. Oh, and i took out the jalapeno and potatoes, and added some sage, curry powder, and cumin to spice it up a little bit.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausages, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 medium-size red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeño chili, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup water
6 eggs
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages, potatoes, onions, bell peppers and chili and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover skillet and simmer until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Uncover skillet; simmer until sauce is thick, about 8 minutes. One at a time, crack eggshells and drop eggs onto sausage mixture, spacing evenly. Cover and cook until egg whites are set and yolks still feel soft to touch, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.
Lamb and Spinach Stuffed Bell Peppers
This is a modified recipe from one found on Epicurious.com (partially because I have no idea what orzo is)
EVOO
2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of chopped baby spinach
1/2 lb ground lamb
4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
4 bell peppers (choose whichever color you like) with stem (6 to 8 oz), halved lengthwise through stem, then ribs and seeds discarded
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Oil a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate with 1 teaspoon oil.
Cook onion with salt in remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
Spread half of onion in pie plate. Add lamb to remaining onion in skillet and cook, breaking up large clumps with a fork, until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add washed spinach and add 1/8 cup of water. Cover skillet until spinach is wilted, then reduce liquid until sauce is thick.
Stir tomatoes into onion in pie plate and season with salt and pepper. Nestle bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in tomato and onion mixture and season with salt and pepper. Divide lamb mixture between bell pepper halves, then cover pie plate with a sheet of oiled foil (oiled side down) and bake until pepper is tender when pierced with a fork, 25 to 30 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Chinese-Style String Beans w/ Spinache, Faux-Latkes/Potatoe pancakes, and Pan-seared Salmon
(and a note for those of you who didn't know... all the pictures i post are things i have actually cooked and made)
String Beans:
Ingredients:
3 full handfuls of string beans
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups of baby spinach, chopped
1 tbsp ginger root, minced
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp Cornstarch
Instructions:
Heat oil in pan. Add minced ginger and sautee for 30 sec. before adding chopped onion. Cook until onion is soft. Mix Soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch together. Add string beans and cook until about half done, sautee throughout. Add sauce. When beans are half-cooked add spinach with 1/8 cup of water. Cover skillet to let spinach wilt. When wilted, remove cover and reduce liquid.
6 servings
Faux-Latkes/Potatoe Pancakes
(this was actually stolen from my Rachael Ray cookbook, but modified)
4 medium potatoes, grated
1 medium onion, grated
1 egg
4 tbsp whole wheat flour
Instructions:
Skin and grate potatoes and onions. Crack an egg into a bowl and beat it. Squeeze the excess water from the potatoes and onions and add to the egg. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Form into small patties and sear in a pan, each side should take 2-3 minutes. You can serve with a variety of sauces (sour cream, salsa, ketchup, sweet and sour sauce, whatever you like!)
Pan-seared Salmon
2 Salmon fillets
salt
pepper
1 lime
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of ginger
EVOO
Pretty simple... brush on EVOO on both sides of fillet. Salt and pepper, season with salt, pepper, diced garlic, and ginger. Sear in pan, flesh side first. Cook until fish becomes flakey.
Butternut Squash Pizza and Sweet Potato Latkes
Butternut Squash Pizza:
1 small butternut squash
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup grated lowfat Romano
1 1/2 cups grated lowfat fontina
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Grilled Pizza Crust
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Prick rind with a fork. Place cut side down in a baking dish and add 1/4 inch water. Microwave squash on high 10 minutes, checking for doneness. (To bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake until soft, about 1 hour.) Remove and cool. Scoop out flesh and place in a medium-sized bowl. Mix with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat and sauté onions until light brown. Remove from heat and cool. Season with salt. In a separate bowl, mix cheeses. Make crust. While second side of each crust is grilling, spread 1/8 cheese mixture over cooked side of each crust and top with onions. Top with dollops of squash; sprinkle with parsley. Rotate 3 to 4 minutes until bottom is golden brown.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 406 calories, 14.1 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 55.5 g carbohydrates, 17.3 g protein, 4.6 g fiber
Makes topping for 8 individual pizzas.
*note i just made one big pizza... and i didn't grill it I baked it. it was DELICIOUS. only, add less salt to the dough (which needs more water)
(click for larger image)
Bak Choy with Stir-fried Tofu
Ingredients:
1 Bak Choy
1/4 cup of extra-firm Tofu
1 clove of garlic
1/4 of medium onion
Soy Sauce
1 tsp of corn starch
1g of ginger
1 tsp of sesame oil
Heat wok with oil. Add finely diced garlic and ginger to wok. Then add chopped onions cubed tofu and stir fry until they begin to soften. Stir together 3 tbsp of soy sauce with the corn starch and sesame oil, and stir until incorporated and add to wok. Chop the white stems of the bak choy from the leafey sections, and then cut the bak choy stems in half, lengthwise. Add to wok with 1/8 cup of water to help wilt. Serve with 1/4 cup of cooked rice.
serves 1-2
Pork Sausage and Vegetable
The recipe was stolen from epicurious.com I used egg whites and halved most of the ingredients to make less. Oh, and i took out the jalapeno and potatoes, and added some sage, curry powder, and cumin to spice it up a little bit.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausages, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 medium-size red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeño chili, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup water
6 eggs
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages, potatoes, onions, bell peppers and chili and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover skillet and simmer until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Uncover skillet; simmer until sauce is thick, about 8 minutes. One at a time, crack eggshells and drop eggs onto sausage mixture, spacing evenly. Cover and cook until egg whites are set and yolks still feel soft to touch, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.
Lamb and Spinach Stuffed Bell Peppers
This is a modified recipe from one found on Epicurious.com (partially because I have no idea what orzo is)
EVOO
2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of chopped baby spinach
1/2 lb ground lamb
4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
4 bell peppers (choose whichever color you like) with stem (6 to 8 oz), halved lengthwise through stem, then ribs and seeds discarded
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Oil a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate with 1 teaspoon oil.
Cook onion with salt in remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
Spread half of onion in pie plate. Add lamb to remaining onion in skillet and cook, breaking up large clumps with a fork, until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add washed spinach and add 1/8 cup of water. Cover skillet until spinach is wilted, then reduce liquid until sauce is thick.
Stir tomatoes into onion in pie plate and season with salt and pepper. Nestle bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in tomato and onion mixture and season with salt and pepper. Divide lamb mixture between bell pepper halves, then cover pie plate with a sheet of oiled foil (oiled side down) and bake until pepper is tender when pierced with a fork, 25 to 30 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Chinese-Style String Beans w/ Spinache, Faux-Latkes/Potatoe pancakes, and Pan-seared Salmon
(and a note for those of you who didn't know... all the pictures i post are things i have actually cooked and made)
String Beans:
Ingredients:
3 full handfuls of string beans
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups of baby spinach, chopped
1 tbsp ginger root, minced
2 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp Cornstarch
Instructions:
Heat oil in pan. Add minced ginger and sautee for 30 sec. before adding chopped onion. Cook until onion is soft. Mix Soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch together. Add string beans and cook until about half done, sautee throughout. Add sauce. When beans are half-cooked add spinach with 1/8 cup of water. Cover skillet to let spinach wilt. When wilted, remove cover and reduce liquid.
6 servings
Faux-Latkes/Potatoe Pancakes
(this was actually stolen from my Rachael Ray cookbook, but modified)
4 medium potatoes, grated
1 medium onion, grated
1 egg
4 tbsp whole wheat flour
Instructions:
Skin and grate potatoes and onions. Crack an egg into a bowl and beat it. Squeeze the excess water from the potatoes and onions and add to the egg. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Form into small patties and sear in a pan, each side should take 2-3 minutes. You can serve with a variety of sauces (sour cream, salsa, ketchup, sweet and sour sauce, whatever you like!)
Pan-seared Salmon
2 Salmon fillets
salt
pepper
1 lime
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of ginger
EVOO
Pretty simple... brush on EVOO on both sides of fillet. Salt and pepper, season with salt, pepper, diced garlic, and ginger. Sear in pan, flesh side first. Cook until fish becomes flakey.
Butternut Squash Pizza and Sweet Potato Latkes
Butternut Squash Pizza:
1 small butternut squash
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup grated lowfat Romano
1 1/2 cups grated lowfat fontina
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Grilled Pizza Crust
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Prick rind with a fork. Place cut side down in a baking dish and add 1/4 inch water. Microwave squash on high 10 minutes, checking for doneness. (To bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake until soft, about 1 hour.) Remove and cool. Scoop out flesh and place in a medium-sized bowl. Mix with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Heat oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat and sauté onions until light brown. Remove from heat and cool. Season with salt. In a separate bowl, mix cheeses. Make crust. While second side of each crust is grilling, spread 1/8 cheese mixture over cooked side of each crust and top with onions. Top with dollops of squash; sprinkle with parsley. Rotate 3 to 4 minutes until bottom is golden brown.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 406 calories, 14.1 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 55.5 g carbohydrates, 17.3 g protein, 4.6 g fiber
Makes topping for 8 individual pizzas.
*note i just made one big pizza... and i didn't grill it I baked it. it was DELICIOUS. only, add less salt to the dough (which needs more water)