Monthly Archives: May 2010

Meatless Week – Conclusion

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For my very last Meatless Week meal yesterday, I decided to really step up the challenge by trying a vegetable that I generally don’t like: bell peppers. Actually, I don’t mind raw bell peppers dipped in some hummus or ranch, but I’m not a fan of cooked bell peppers. I came across this recipe for roasted bell peppers stuffed with a quinoa mixture and was instantly intrigued.

Something this beautiful couldn’t quite possibly taste bad. I was right, this dish is amazing! The hearty and flavorful quinoa mixture with the tender and juicy bell peppers are the perfect combination. I’ll definitely be making this one again…Meatless Week or not.

I learned quite a bit this past week, including wonderful new recipes and ingredients (did you know that quinoa is full of protein?!). I also learned to really listen to my body and eat just enough to curb hunger pangs. It’s amazing how some celery with peanut butter or handful of edamame can do just that. But as fun as it was to be a vegetarian for a week, I look forward to reintroducing meat into my diet today. Now the question is, what will be the first piece of meat I eat. Bacon? Chicken? A sampling of everything? :)

Roasted Bell Peppers With Quinoa Stuffing

Adapted from Whole Foods Market recipe

Serves 6

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 7 bell peppers (1 cored, seeded and chopped; tops removed and reserved from remaining 6 then cored and seeded)
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 lb baby spinach
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions (I used red quinoa – turned out really colorful and pretty :) )
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews (I used pistachios since I had them in my pantry)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until transparent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes more. Add carrots and chopped peppers, cook until just softened, then add parsley and spinach (in batches, if needed). Let spinach wilt then stir in cinnamon, cumin and cooked quinoa and toss gently to combine. Add salt, pepper and cashews (or pistachios) and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Set aside to let filling cool until just warm.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking pan with oil then set aside. Divide quinoa mixture evenly among remaining 6 bell peppers, gently packing it down and making sure to fully fill each pepper. Top each pepper with its reserved top then arrange them upright in prepared pan. Cover snugly with foil and bake, checking halfway through, until peppers are tender and juicy and filling is hot throughout, about 1 hour. Transfer to plates and serve.


Meatless Week – the final stretch

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I didn’t have any major cravings for meat this week…until yesterday. All I could think about was eating a juicy piece of meat. So naturally I rebelled and resorted to eating crap…meatless crap.  Yesterday’s “meals” consisted of these three food groups: cheese, cornichons, Swedish fish.

I woke up today with a renewed attitude (and grumbling tummy), and managed to make not one, but two delicious meat-free meals to make up for yesterday.

Lunch

Jeanine, a blogger for Belles of the Sound, passed along this recipe for curried sweet potatoes and lentils. I haven’t met a sweet potato I didn’t like and I’ve actually never had lentils (gasp, I know!) so I was extremely excited to give this recipe a try. It was fantastic — hearty and full of flavor! This would be a perfect dish for a chilly autumn night, which is exactly how the weather felt today despite being the unofficial start to summer (Memorial Day weekend).

Curried Sweet Potatoes and Lentils

Serves 4

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp curry powder
  • 3 medium sweet potatoes (1.5 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and curry powder, and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Stir in sweet potatoes, lentils, rice, salt, broth, and 2.5 cups water; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until lentils and rice are tender and almost all liquid is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro to serve.

Dinner

After running a bunch of errands and re-arranging the house, I decided tonight would be a stay-in-and-watch-a-movie kind of night. And what better to go along with such a night than pizza! With some help from Trader Joe’s, I made a delicious semi-homemade pizza with all my favorite toppings: cheese, mushrooms, jalapenos and black olives.

I began by pickling the jalapenos for approx 2 hours in a mixture of distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt, sugar, onion, garlic and peppercorns.

When it was time to build the pizza, I simply followed the instructions on the fresh pizza dough package (thank you, TJs, for making this Amateur Gourmand-proof :) ):

  • Take dough out of package and let rest for 20 minutes
  • Roll dough out on lightly floured surface
  • Top with pizza sauce, cheese and desired toppings
  • Bake in 450-degree oven until dough is golden and cheese is melted, approx 10 minutes

I didn't take a pic of the entire pie because it came out as an ugly oval

The original plan was to serve a lentil salad alongside (I received a great recipe from Joyce, author of the The Heritage Cook blog). But I totally overcooked the lentils and they fell apart and turned into the ugliest pile of mush. So I said the heck with it and ate the pizza by itself.

Meatless Week – Day 4…Teatro Zinzanni-style

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Sorry, I come empty-handed with no Meatless Week recipe to share today — I was a busy, busy bumblebee and actually went out for dinner. Tonight I had my very first Teatro Zinzanni experience — an experience the company itself describes as “Love, Chaos & Dinner.”

Uhh yeah, emphasis on chaos, that’s for sure! It was like walking into an alternate universe — Lady Gaga meets Ringling Brothers. And I loved every minute of it!

Tonight’s show was Maestro’s Menagerie (running through Aug 29th) – a 3-hour performance consisting of trapeze artists, magic tricks, great musical acts and much more. And in my case, the evening also included getting picked on by several members of the cast. The glow of my Blackberry as I was tweeting lured one of the actors to our table where he proceeded to warn me that he’d be “watching me” during the show. And for those who are familiar with Teatro Zinzanni, you know that they are all about audience involvement…so I feared for my life. Luckily I wasn’t pulled up to participate in any of the stunts, but I did have some funny/awkward encounters including:

  • Lady Gaga’s long lost twin (aka the puppet played by Svetlana) trying to steal my jacket off the back of my seat
  • Maestro Voronin petting my head and then obscenely pressing up against my shoulder so I could feel the vibrating device in his trousers
  • Maxime Clabaut (of the Ssens Duo) handing me a whip and asking me to spank his booty
  • Peter Pitofsky wedging my arm between his sweaty chin and sweaty neck and proceeding to play it like an air-violin

So anyway, moving onto the important stuff — the food. When I saw the menu on the website, I was extremely excited, especially since it’s designed by chef Tom Douglas. Unfortunately, the meal didn’t really live up to my expectations. For one, the soup tasted like it had the salt content of the entire Pacific Ocean.  I swallowed one spoonful, made the most ridiculous bitter-beer face, and couldn’t take another bite. The spinach salad and mushroom strata (Meatless Week-friendly, woot woot!) were actually pretty tasty. For dessert, I ended up just eating the fruit off the vanilla tart because the custard had a weird gelatinous consistency and the crust was way too sweet. But if it’s any consolation, the cocktails were fantastic! :)

For the performance alone, Teatro Zinzanni is definitely a unique and worthwhile experience (although ticket prices are quite spendy). I give the food an ‘A’ for effort, but a ‘B-’ for execution (but really, what does my opinion matter anyway, right? :P ).

For more information, visit Teatro Zinzanni’s website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received complimentary admission to tonight’s show. I am not affiliated with Teatro Zinzanni nor was I paid to write this review.


Meatless Week – Day 3

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Self, what the hell were you thinking when you decided to take on the Meatless Week challenge during one of your busiest work weeks?

That question ran through my head all day long. Between meetings, training our new team member and handling unforeseen circumstances, I managed to skip breakfast and lunch.

Thankfully I had my trusty hard-boiled egg and cup of green tea to keep me from gnawing my own arm off by the end of the day.

Needless to say I was starving by the time I got home at 7:30pm and didn’t want to fuss with anything complicated. My colleague Rooizu (using her nickname to preserve her anonymity :) ) introduced me to an amazing couscous recipe last weekend during Wine:30 at her house. I can’t even begin to explain how freaking phenomenal this couscous is — pretty to look at and packed full of flavor. Not to mention, couscous is one of the easiest and quickest dishes to make.

For a protein punch, I added some pan-fried tofu. I’m not gonna lie folks, while the tofu was pretty tasty, it paled in comparison to the juicy grilled chicken Rooizu served us last week.

Couscous with Pistachios, Scallions, and Currants

Recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine (1991)

Serves 4

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1.5 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1/2 cup dried currants, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained (I used dried cranberries instead since I had them in my pantry)
  • 2/3 cup thinly sliced scallion
  • 1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts,toasted lightly and chopped fine
  • 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • Couple pinches of cinnamon
  • 6 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

In a saucepan combine the butter and the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, and stir in the couscous. Remove the pan from the heat, let the mixture stand, covered, for 5 minutes, and transfer it to a bowl. Break up any lumps with a fork and stir in the currants (or cranberries), the scallion, the pistachios, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, the cinnamon, and the oil. Toss the couscous mixture with the dressing and season it with salt and pepper.


Meatless Week – Day 2

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Had a jam-packed day and am super fried so this update will be short and sweet. Day 2, check. Meat consumption: ZERO. Mood: pretty darn satisfied, actually.

Breakfast: the MBC made a repeat performance — yes, I’m a creature of habit.

Lunch: lovely fiery Caesar salad and vegetarian quesadilla from the lunch combo menu at Sonrisa.

Appies: I attended the “Eating While Tweeting” event hosted by the local AAJA chapter at TASTE Restaurant. Chef Craig Hetherington and team hooked us up with some amazing nibbles including a beet salad, potatoes w/ edamame puree, polenta w/ morels and — my personal fave — CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO WHOOPIE PIES! I was too busy stuffing my face and tweeting that I didn’t get around to taking any pics of the spread.

Dinner: Of course I was still hungry when I got home so I whipped up a quick and easy staple: miso udon soup. This is one of those dishes I make without exact measurements so there isn’t really a recipe to share — sorry to disappoint! But like I said, it’s super easy — if you know how to chop ingredients and boil water, you can do it! :)

Miso Udon Soup

  • Water
  • Red miso paste
  • Korean red chili powder
  • Bonito dashi
  • Green chili pepper, sliced
  • Garlic, coarsely chopped
  • Zucchini, halved and cut into half-moons
  • Udon noodles
  • Firm tofu, diced
  • Green onions, chopped

    • Not shown: udon noodles and tofu...they looked gross when I photographed them

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Mix in a couple Tbsp (to taste) of miso paste and dissolve. Add red chili powder and bonito, to taste. Add green chili pepper, garlic and zucchini. Lower heat and add udon noodles, tofu and green onion; let simmer for a few minutes to allow all the flavors to incorporate. Serve and enjoy!


Meatless Week – Day 1

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My first day as a week-long vegetarian was pretty successful — I didn’t slip and I actually didn’t have any cravings for meat. Well, OK, I guess that’s debatable…because I had a hard-boiled egg. Now if you ask ME, it’s legit, but some others may disagree. Bahh whatever, I wanted a damn egg so I had a damn egg :)

For breakfast I had the amazing Magical Breakfast Cream (MBC) from The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. This seriously trumps any yogurt-granola parfait I have ever had. EVER! The MBC alone is delicious, but I was particularly hungry this morning and needed a little extra something — so I threw in a handful of blueberries and strawberries. Délicieux!

Lunch was a bit lame with a simple PB&J and some raw veggies with spicy hummus. And then late-afternoon is when I snuck in the controversial hard-boiled egg.

Fast forward to dinner. Whole wheat pasta + cherry tomatoes + cannellini beans + Mark Bittman’s asparagus pesto recipe. The best analogy I can think of for this meal is an ugly baby…you know, the one with the face only a mother could love. As you can see from the pics below, this dish isn’t the prettiest to look at (yeah, yeah, I know it’s my lack of photography and plating skills). BUT! Let me tell you, it tasted phenomenal…and I’m one proud mama!

Whole wheat penne w/ asparagus pesto

Serves 4-6

Pasta

  • 1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
  • Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (I didn’t measure these out – I just added a couple handfuls)
  • 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Mark Bittman’s asparagus pesto

  • Salt
  • 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch segments
  • 1 clove garlic, or more to taste
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, or more as desired
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Bring 2 large pots of water to a boil and add salt. Add penne to one pot and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss with tomatoes and cannellini beans. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Add asparagus to the other pot and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.

Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time. Serve over pasta and top with additional Parmesan.


Kicking off “Meatless Week” – May 24-30

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Pause! Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, let me clarify up front: I have no desire to become a full-fledged vegetarian. I do, however, want to eat healthier and incorporate more seasonal veggies into my diet.

I saw this blog post by Lorna Yee (Seattle Magazine columnist and author of Newlywed Kitchen) and became inspired to also participate in “Meatless Week” and challenge myself to try new ingredients and recipes.

I’ve collected a few recipes from my friends and endless stash of cookbooks, but am always open to getting more.  If you have a favorite vegetarian recipe you’d like to share, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at jenn@amateurgourmand.com.

Check back throughout the week to see my progress — wish me luck, folks! :)

Recipe: Mushroom-stuffed zucchini boats

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I cannot express my love for zucchini enough – it’s quite possibly my favorite veggie. In fact, my best friend’s mom knows how much I looooove me some zucchini, that she plants some in her garden for me every summer.  Of course, she always lets them grow to the size of an infant and I end up having to bake endless loaves of zucchini bread in order to use it all up. :P

But my relationship with zucchini has hit a rut – I’ve been taking it for granted and subjecting it to the same old boring sautéed side dish. So last weekend, I decided to bring the spotlight back to my dear zucchini – no more of this secondary side dish business. The end result: mushroom-stuffed zucchini boats w/ a crispy cornmeal-Parmesan topping – hearty and full of flavor.

Now I know some of you big time meat-eaters may want to add some protein in the mix.  By all means, do as your heart wishes – some ground meat would taste lovely in the stuffing mixture.

Note: You’ll have to excuse the poor quality of the photos below — I took them with my Blackberry camera.

Mushroom-stuffed zucchini boats

Serves 4 (2 boats per person)

  • 4 medium zucchinis
  • 10-12 mushrooms (I like to use creminis)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup shallots (or onion), minced
  • 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • Italian seasoning, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp to create a hallow tunnel down the center. Reserve the pulp. Drizzle zucchini boats with olive and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 mins. When done, remove from oven and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add some olive oil. Add red pepper flakes, garlic and reserved zucchini pulp; sauté until soft (you’ll want to break down any large clumps of zucchini pulp with a wooden spoon).

Add shallots and mushrooms and continue sautéing until shallots are translucent and mushrooms are tender.

Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste; season mixture with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, to taste. Lower heat and let mixture simmer until tomato liquid evaporates a bit.

In the meantime, combine Parmesan cheese, cornmeal and melted butter together in small bowl. Lightly toast the mixture in a small saucepan (until slightly golden).

Remove mushroom-tomato mixture from heat and stuff into zucchini. Top with cornmeal-Parmesan mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes to heat everything through together.

Serve immediately. Optional: sprinkle fresh minced parsley before serving.

Mushroom-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Summer Recipe: Spicy grilled chicken w/ mango-pepper relish

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When my coworker asked me to house-sit for her this weekend, the first thing that came to mind was, “I’m gonna cook my heart out in her big kitchen.” And I did just that – it was a welcomed change from my tiny excuse for a kitchen in my 1-bedroom apartment.

Since the weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend, my friend Missy and I decided to fire up the grill and recreate this Taste of Home chicken recipe we first tried during our mini-vacay in Eastern Washington last summer. 

We modified the recipe a bit by using mangoes in the relish since we didn’t have any peaches on hand.  I have to say, I actually prefer the mangoes – I’ve been on a mango kick ever since I discovered the champagne mangoes at Sosio’s in Pike Place Market a few weeks ago.

We rounded out the meal with some grilled corn on the cob, potato salad and ice-cold Hawaiian beer. YUM! This simple and super flavorful meal is a definite crowd-pleaser and perfect for those warm summer nights. If you end up with any left over relish, it tastes amazing the next day as a standalone salad.

Spicy grilled chicken w/ mango-pepper relish

Serves 4
Chicken
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts  (6 ounces each)

Glaze

  • 1/4 cup apricot preserves
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Relish

  • 1 medium mango, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 1-2 green onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp minced fresh mint

Combine the salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; rub over chicken.

In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients; set aside.

In another small bowl, combine the mango, peppers, onion, mint and 2 Tbsp glaze; set aside.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°, basting frequently with reserved glaze. Serve with reserved relish.


Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Grilled fish tacos w/ spicy tequila-lime guacamole

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I’ve always wanted to make my own fish tacos, but just never got around to it.  So I figured with Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, it would be the perfect opportunity to create a simple, delicious and festive fish taco recipe.

While I normally wouldn’t argue against fried food, I much prefer fish baked or grilled (I also wanted this recipe to be somewhat figure-friendly). I also like to keep my taco fixins’ pretty straightforward: some lettuce, tomatoes and guac….mmmmmmm guac. In my opinion, your basic guac is already perfection, but I wanted to add a little kick with two of my favorite ingredients: jalapenos and…TEQUILA! OK, I guess tequila isn’t a favorite ingredient per se since I’ve never actually cooked with it, but the Amateur Gourmand does love herself some good tequila (none of that gag-inducing cheap crap). My go-to tequila is Sauza Tres Generaciones Plata ($35-40), which I used in this recipe.

So anyway, what’s everyone doing for Cinco de Mayo (besides making these yummy fish tacos :P )? You can find me at Trophy Cupcakes during my lunch break – gonna try their margarita cupcakes w/ tequila-lime buttercream, holla! And later in the evening, I’ll be partaking in Tacos Guaymas’ block party in Greenlake, double holla! Jalapeno-eating contest anyone? :)

Grilled Fish Tacos w/ Spicy Tequila-Lime Guacamole

Serves 4 (2 tacos per person)

Guacamole recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Tacos

  • 2 lbs white flaky fish (halibut, cod, etc.)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 soft taco flour tortillas
  • Shredded lettuce, for topping
  • Chopped tomatoes, for topping

Guacamole

  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and scooped from skin
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely minced (use more or less based on personal preference)
  • 2 Tbsp onion, finely diced
  • ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp lime zest
  • 1 Tbsp clear tequila
  • 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Using a fork or potato masher, mash avocado in a bowl. Add yogurt, lime juice, lime zest and tequila; mix well. Add jalapeno, onion, salt/pepper and cilantro; stir until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Adjust seasonings if desired. Pour finished guacamole into serving bowl; set aside.

Preheat a grill pan to med-high heat. Drizzle fish on each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill fish on each side until opaque, about 4 mins. Remove fish from grill and flake into large chunks with a fork.

Heat tortillas on the grill pan until blisters form. To assemble tacos, spread a dollop of guacamole onto tortilla, add fish, and top with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes (or whatever toppings you prefer). Optional: squeeze additional lime juice over the fish.

Enjoy with a Mexican beer or tasty margarita! :) Note: if you have any leftover guacamole, serve it as a dip with tortilla chips!

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Grilled Fish Tacos W/ Spicy Tequila-Lime Guacamole