This marks the return of Thursday soup nights. For awhile last Winter, I was coming home from work on Thursday nights and making a big pot of interesting soup. I decided to start up the tradition again this year and the first experiment was this cumin-y, black bean soup. I thought it had great flavor and while I didn’t include all the seeds from the jalapeño, it was spicy enough for me. jwa, of course, opted for a little hot sauce.

The original instructions said to not drain the beans, but I wanted to rinse a little of the salt/liquid off, so I split the difference and drained one can/used the other without draining. Seemed like a good compromise and I probably added about 1/2 tsp of kosher salt at the end.

Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeño Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit 2 tbsp olive . . . → Read More: Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeño]]>

This marks the return of Thursday soup nights. For awhile last Winter, I was coming home from work on Thursday nights and making a big pot of interesting soup. I decided to start up the tradition again this year and the first experiment was this cumin-y, black bean soup. I thought it had great flavor and while I didn’t include all the seeds from the jalapeño, it was spicy enough for me. jwa, of course, opted for a little hot sauce.

The original instructions said to not drain the beans, but I wanted to rinse a little of the salt/liquid off, so I split the difference and drained one can/used the other without draining. Seemed like a good compromise and I probably added about 1/2 tsp of kosher salt at the end.

Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeño
Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 jalapeño chile with seeds, finely diced
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, 1 can undrained, the other drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (instead of canned tomatoes, I used 15 oz from a package of Pomi tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups low-salt (or homemade) chicken broth
Garnishes:
Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Crumbled feta cheese
Hot sauce

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.

Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and about half the diced jalapeño.

Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.

Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Or, use a stick blender and break up some of the beans/veggies that way (what I did).

Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 10-15 more minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining jalapeño, if desired.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese.

Okay, Summer, welcome! The garden missed you and so did jwa. I could go either way, but I know the garden enjoys you so it’s okay. Except that it’s hot. Which I guess is okay because then I can make huge salads for dinner. Hey, kind of like this one!

I used the Alton Brown recipe for inspiration and then sort of changed it. A bit less spinach, less bacon, balsamic for red wine vinegar and I added garbanzos and feta for more of a dinner salad type thing. It was delicious! Plus, it gave me an excuse to buy bacon outside of the traditional bacon season in this household (Oct – Feb). Hooray for rule-breaking!

Spinach and Feta Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing Recipe adapted from Alton Brown 6 ounces baby spinach 2 large eggs 4 pieces bacon 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard Kosher salt and freshly ground black . . . → Read More: Spinach and Feta Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing]]>

Okay, Summer, welcome! The garden missed you and so did jwa. I could go either way, but I know the garden enjoys you so it’s okay. Except that it’s hot. Which I guess is okay because then I can make huge salads for dinner. Hey, kind of like this one!

I used the Alton Brown recipe for inspiration and then sort of changed it. A bit less spinach, less bacon, balsamic for red wine vinegar and I added garbanzos and feta for more of a dinner salad type thing. It was delicious! Plus, it gave me an excuse to buy bacon outside of the traditional bacon season in this household (Oct – Feb). Hooray for rule-breaking!

Spinach and Feta Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown
6 ounces baby spinach
2 large eggs
4 pieces bacon
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Place the eggs in a soup pot and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. When it starts boiling, turn the heat off and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse eggs in cold water until you can handle them easily, then peel and slice.

Fry the bacon and when done, drain on a paper towel lines plate. Reserve the bacon grease. When the bacon is cool enough to handle crumble up and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons bacon fat to a small pan and over low heat, whisk in the vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper. For some reason, I whisked all my non-bacon fat ingredients together in a bowl and then poured the bowl’s contents into the pan with the bacon grease. I’m not sure why I did that. It just dirtied an extra bowl…but the picture is nice!

Add the mushrooms, sliced onion, garbanzo beans, eggs, bacon and feta to the spinach and toss. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and a little sprinkle of salt. Add the dressing and toss again to combine. Divide the spinach between two big plates or bowls. Serve immediately.

This is a delicious Summer meal in that it is relatively quick and can be served room temperature (or even chilled). We had it recently and there was not a leftover to be had. It was originally a shrimp & salsa-type recipe but I turned the salsa into a salad by adding quinoa, beans, and feta cheese. It was great with some hot sauce on the side and a bottle of cold Sauvignon Blanc.

Okay, I think that’s all I got. I haven’t gotten too much sleep the last two nights and it appears that’s my limit. Bedtime at 8pm? For me, ‘fraid so.

Chile Grilled Shrimp with Corn, Avocado & Quinoa Salad Adapted from a recipe in Steven Raichlen’s Indoor! Grilling 1lb large shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1 tbsp chile powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp olive . . . → Read More: Chile Grilled Shrimp with Corn, Avocado & Quinoa Salad]]>

This is a delicious Summer meal in that it is relatively quick and can be served room temperature (or even chilled). We had it recently and there was not a leftover to be had. It was originally a shrimp & salsa-type recipe but I turned the salsa into a salad by adding quinoa, beans, and feta cheese. It was great with some hot sauce on the side and a bottle of cold Sauvignon Blanc.

Okay, I think that’s all I got. I haven’t gotten too much sleep the last two nights and it appears that’s my limit. Bedtime at 8pm? For me, ‘fraid so.

Chile Grilled Shrimp with Corn, Avocado & Quinoa Salad
Adapted from a recipe in Steven Raichlen’s Indoor! Grilling
1lb large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 tbsp chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil + a little extra for drizzling on the salad
1/2 cup Quinoa
1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
2 to 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (plus lime wedges for serving)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 ear sweet corn, shucked
3 tbsp diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

For the Shrimp:
Place the chile powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt pepper and olive oil in a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Let the shrimp marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

I used a grill pan but you could also grill outdoors. For a grill pan, preheat it over medium heat. And when it’s really hot, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan.

Cook the marinated shrimp 1 to 3 minutes per side. They’ll turn pink and hopefully get a little bit of char from the marinade.

For the Salad:
Cook quinoa according to package instructions (usually, it’d be 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water, salt, boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes). Set aside to cool.

Cut the kernels off the corn. I usually do this just standing the corn up in a very large bowl and slicing down the sides. This way, I also get any liquid or flying corn kernels in the bowl (instead of on the floor, wall, counter, etc…). Place the avocado in the bowl and gently toss it and the corn with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Add the diced bell pepper, jalapeño, cooked and cooled quinoa, garbanzo beans, feta and cilantro to the mixing bowl and gently toss it all to mix. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice as necessary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add shrimp to the top of the salad.

Serve at room temperature or chilled and with lime wedges.

The other day, I checked the freezer and discovered a bag of frozen, shelled edamame. Then, I searched online for something interesting to do with it. I found something that was both interesting and delicious, for this is a very tasty and refreshing salad. The ginger works well, as does the garlic I added to the original recipe, which sadly, had none. So sad. Everything needs garlic.

Anyway, we had this salad on the side with some Japanese grilled fish (salmon). That recipe is here and was also quite good. Together, the pair made a great, light Summer dinner.

Oh! And big discovery — I pulled the husks and silks away from the cobs, rubbed the corn with olive oil and grilled it on my grill pan! About 15 minutes total time and it was done and ready to use in the recipe. That’s a . . . → Read More: It’s Summer! Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad]]>

The other day, I checked the freezer and discovered a bag of frozen, shelled edamame. Then, I searched online for something interesting to do with it. I found something that was both interesting and delicious, for this is a very tasty and refreshing salad. The ginger works well, as does the garlic I added to the original recipe, which sadly, had none. So sad. Everything needs garlic.

Anyway, we had this salad on the side with some Japanese grilled fish (salmon). That recipe is here and was also quite good. Together, the pair made a great, light Summer dinner.

Oh! And big discovery — I pulled the husks and silks away from the cobs, rubbed the corn with olive oil and grilled it on my grill pan! About 15 minutes total time and it was done and ready to use in the recipe. That’s a nice alternative to going outside to grill for just a couple of ears of corn (especially here, as it was just in a salad and not to be eaten on the cob). I was quite proud of myself for coming up with this method of cooking corn inside, because I certainly didn’t want to turn on the oven or boil it.

Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad
Recipe adapted from one published in Self Magazine
2 ears fresh corn, unhusked, or 1 1/4 cups cooked corn kernels
1/2 cup shelled edamame (frozen is fine, just cook according to package)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup small-diced red bell pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped or grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Soak fresh corn in cold water about 30 minutes. Heat grill on high. Grill corn in husk, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Let cool. Remove husks. Cut corn from cob into a bowl; combine with remaining ingredients.

Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Give it a stir and you’re good to go!

Coming up sometime in the future: something Greek, from the new $5.99 clearance Greek cookbook I scored at Borders, Miso-glazed fish, and a tasty halibut recipe!

So, when we last left off with this culinary space odyssey, Rachael Ray’s Swedish Meatballs were pretty good. They also contained full-fat sour cream, which is why for the two other recipes I cooked, I went right to the healthier section of The Astronaut’s Cookbook.

NASA, it seems has done some research on vegetarian diets for long space flights and there are about 20 of these recipes in the book. A number looked interesting but in the end I went with Kidney Bean Burgers (I had actually been looking for a veggie burger recipe) and Tofu Brownies.

The burgers were really good! The recipe makes six burgers — jwa and I each ate one for dinner and I froze the other four. I was a little afraid that the bean burgers would squish out of the bun (as bean burgers are prone to do) but they seemed to . . . → Read More: Future Space Food II: Electric Vegetarian Boogaloo]]>

So, when we last left off with this culinary space odyssey, Rachael Ray’s Swedish Meatballs were pretty good. They also contained full-fat sour cream, which is why for the two other recipes I cooked, I went right to the healthier section of The Astronaut’s Cookbook.

NASA, it seems has done some research on vegetarian diets for long space flights and there are about 20 of these recipes in the book. A number looked interesting but in the end I went with Kidney Bean Burgers (I had actually been looking for a veggie burger recipe) and Tofu Brownies.

The burgers were really good! The recipe makes six burgers — jwa and I each ate one for dinner and I froze the other four. I was a little afraid that the bean burgers would squish out of the bun (as bean burgers are prone to do) but they seemed to hold their shape. Well played, Future Space Kidney Bean Burger. I would definitely make them again. Quite tasty.

The tofu brownies were…interesting. And I say that as an open-minded person who once made tofu chocolate mousse that was terrific. But, let’s start with the burgers, shall we?

Kidney Bean Burgers
Adapted froma recipe in The Astronaut’s Cookbook
2 16-oz cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried, rubbed sage
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp, fresh, chopped cilantro leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Garnishes: cheese, toasted buns, red onion slices, lettuce leaves and tomato slices

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash together. You can also use a food processor. That’s what I did.

Heat a non-stick pan and add the olive oil. Cook the bean patties on each side until golden and a bit crunchy looking. Melt cheese on top if you want to (of course I did, although the cookbook made no mention of cheese). Assemble your burger and eat.

***

Okay, yeah, so the brownies. They were intensely chocolate-flavored. That was good. But the texture was a little too moist and cake-y for me. I prefer my brownies chewy and crinkly — these were not those brownies. I mean, they weren’t horrible. If you were having a major brownie craving, you could do worse. And, if you were floating in space and really wanted a brownie, these would probably do the trick just fine.

The tofu appears to be a substitute for the eggs. I couldn’t find an actual mention of it in this chapter, my guess is that dairy is not a good option for long space flights? Tofu, soy milk and rice milk seem to be viable space substitutions for those wonderful Earth-based ingredients. But, here on Earth, let’s use the butter and eggs in our brownies, okay? Note: I would never make it in space if I couldn’t bring cheese with me.

Tofu Brownies
Recipe from The Astronaut’s Cookbook
1/3 cup unbleached, AP flour
2/3 cup water
1/2 lb tofu
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups unbleached, AP flour
1 scant tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk 1/3 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of water in a cool saucepan until there are no lumps.

Whip the tofu and remaining water in a blender until smooth. (The original recipe had you put all the water in the saucepan, but unless you have a super-duper $500 blender, you will need a little liquid in there to get it going). Add blended tofu and water to saucepan and cook over low heat until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add sugar, salt and vanilla to cooled tofu mixture. Stir to combine.

In a second bowl combine oil and cocoa.

Add the cocoa/oil and remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and baking powder to tofu mixture. Stir until lumps are gone.

Bake in an oiled and floured 9″ X 13″ pan for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

So, again this was The Astronaut’s Cookbook: Tales, Recipes, and More and that’s about it. Swedish Meatballs and Kidney Bean Burgers each get a definite thumbs up and the Tofu Brownies get a thumbs up if you were actually in space and had no eggs or butter for your brownies.