Jamaican Spiced Pineapple and Black Beans with Bulgur

This recipe was inspired and semi-altered from Caribbean Pineapple Black Beans and Oven Fried Plantains, during my usual stalking of food blog when procrastinating from writing essays, studying, or doing any homework.  I like using a contrast of sweet and spicy flavors, and this recipe does just the trick. I also enjoy researching different spices and ingredients using around the world, and this week the search was on for Jamaican spices. Whether eaten as side dish with some jerk chicken or a main, this tasty dish will get your taste buds jammin.

Servings: About 4 (or vary if serving as a side dish or entree)

Ingredients:

1 Can of Rinsed and Drained Black Beans
1 Cup of Cooked Bulgur
1 16 oz Can of Cubed Pineapple
1 Onion

Spice Mix:
1 Tablespoon of Coriander
1/2 Tablespoon Ginger
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Allspice
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
(Once combined a paste will form)

Directions:

Cook bulgur according to packaging instructions.

Heat and pan with oil or cooking spray. Add the chopped onion and allow it to cook until it becomes translucent.
Then add the pineapple (with some of the juice) and cook until it has caramelized.

Then add the black beans to the pan and allow them to heat through.
Add the beans and pineapple to the cooked bulgur.

Mix in the spices to the bulgur, black beans, and pineapple.

Ja feel ya happy eating man.

Chinese 5 Spice Chicken and Sautéed Vegetables

One day while venturing the Co-Op in Brooklyn with my brother, I was scanning the loose spice aisle and came across Chinese Five Spice. I was interested to see what kind of recipe I could concoct, especially with my keen interest in cooking Asian inspired meals. After reading up on how Chinese five spice is utilized in the culinary world, I then searched, thanks to Wikipedia, classic Chinese vegetables. I could've faked it based on the ever so American version of Chinese take-out, but a little sem-authenticity never hurt anyone. Here's my Chinese inspired meal.
Sihk Faahn!   食飯 

Servings: About 4

Ingredients:

4 6oz Chicken Breasts
2 Baby Bok Choy
2 Cups Shredded Purple Cabbage
2 Cups Shredded Carrots
1 Package of Snow Peas
1 Head Chinese Broccoli
1 Chopped Onion
Chinese Five Spice
Fresh Ginger
Scallions for Garnish
Olive Oil
Ponzu Sauce
Soy Sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place cleaned chicken breast on to a lined baking sheet.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the chicken breasts and then massage 1 tablespoon of the Chinese five spice on the chicken.
Place into the oven for about 25 minutes.
Once finished cooking and cooled, shred the chicken.

Heat a pan with oil or cooking spray. Cook the chopped onion until it becomes soft. Then add the cabbage, carrots, snow peas, broccoli, and bok choy. Cook until the vegetables are vibrant and soft.
Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Then grate the fresh ginger over the veggies (about 2 teaspoons).
Then mix in 3-4 tablespoons of Ponzu and 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce over the vegetables.

Add the shredded chicken the vegetables and garnish with scallions.

Blackened Tilapia with Mango Salsa

It's fish Sunday once again. Although the jazz music is present (particularly French Jazz courtesy of Emilie Claire-Barlow) the type of fish has changed. To mix it up along with my stray from classical jazz to French, tonight's dinner is featuring Tilapia rather than the ever so consistent Salmon. I know my classical Salmon seasoning such as mustard, dill, lemon, etc, but I was not so sure how I would cook the Tilapia. I then decided using a spice blend to make blackened Tilapia would be gastronomically pleasing and could accompany a mango salsa nicely, which seems to be on my mind due to the now more readily available fruits with the arrival of spring.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
2 Tilapia Fillets
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil


1 Mango
1 Jalapeno
1 Yellow Pepper
1/2 Red Onion
1/2 Carton of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Lime
Cilantro
Directions:

To make the Mango Salsa:
Chop the mango, tomatoes, pepper, and red onion into small pieces. Then chop the jalapeno into small pieces- add the seeds if extra heat is desired. Then zest the lime over the mix and squeeze the juice of the lime into the mix. Then add some chopped cilantro. Let sit in the fridge covered for an hour.

Place the two fillets of fish onto a baking sheet covered with foil. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the two pieces of fish. Then sprinkle, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder of the fish. Massage the rub into the fish.

Place the fish into a 350 degree oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve the mango salsa over the cooked fish and enjoy!

S'more Cookies

Once again I've had to adapt the classic Cook's Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip cookie to make a crazy cookie concoction. Cook's Illustrated just creates the perfect cookie base- it is like a blank canvas that ingredients can be added to in order to make a decadent culinary conception.
(Cook's Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie)
I have to say these s'more cookies are addictive. The first time I made them they were gone in about an hour and then an hour after that I received some very angry yelling from my housemates, once again, that I am not aloud to make cookies anymore because they eat them all. There is my warning, but otherwise enjoy these delicious cookies that will take you back to sitting around a campfire and enjoying the good old outdoors.

Servings: About 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 3/4 (14 Tablespoons) Sticks of Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup of  Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1 Large Egg
1 Large Egg Yolk
1 1/4 Cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup of Crushed Graham Crackers
Mini Marshmallows

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place Butter into a pan on the stove. Melt the butter and allow it to brown.

In a bowl combine the sugars, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking soda together.
Take the browned butter and add it to the sugar mixture. Whisk well to get out all of the lumps.
Slowly add a small amount of the flour mixture and stir. Repeat until all the flour is well incorporated.

Allow the dough mixture to cool for five minutes.
Then add the chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers,

Take a spoonful of dough and roll it into a ball. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put into the over for 8-10 minutes. Then press 3 marshmallows on top of each cookie. (Note: the marshmallows will burn so watch the cookies!)

Once cooked allow the cookies to cool, then move to a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool entirely.

Enjoy with some milk or by a campfire!

Toasted Coconut and Almond Oatmeal Cookies

This cookie idea came to me while watching FoodNetwork, well specifically Paula Deen. Okay, I know the whole controversy with her southern mentality of literally adding butter to everything and then recently developing Diabetes- but all that aside, she sometimes just makes some good food that pleases the soul. Although I am one to be conscious of what I eat and vote less butter always- just sometimes if your making a cookie it needs some damn butter. With that said, I was watching Paula's Best Dishes and her guest was making these oatmeal sandwich cookies to have with tea- some real southern lady stuff going on there (there were hats, raised pinkies and all). With my new love for coconut I was inspired to make a toasted coconut oatmeal cookie with almonds.

(These aren't your typical chewy oatmeal cookies- they have a bit more a cake consistency and a nice almond flavor to them. )

Servings: About 16 Cookies

Ingredients:

9 Tablespoons of Melted Butter
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup of Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cups of Flour
1 1/2 Cups of Rolled Oats
1 1/2 Cups Toasted Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1/2 Cup of Sliced Almonds Toasted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter. Then add the melter butter to a mix of the brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and eggs. Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated and not lumpy.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in small batches and mix in between.
Once fully incorporated, add the oats, coconut flakes, and toasted almonds.

Using a spoon, scoop about a spoonful size of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Place into the oven and all to bake for 8-10 minutes.

Once done take the cookies out of the oven and then once cool enough to handle, transfer to a cooling rack and allow them to cool fully.

Happy eating!

Egyptian Style Fava Beans with Bulgur

My housemate has some Egyptian heritage in her family. From time to time in her busy schedule between class, schoolwork, and raging with myself and our other housemates,  she finds some time to cook some of the meals she grew up on. One day I came into the kitchen just smelled Cumin. I asked her what she was making (naturally since I'm a semi-obnoxious foodie that literally will watch or read anything pertaining to food). She replied she was making a fava bean dish that was a classic peasant dish in Egypt and she would always eat it when she felt under the weather. After learning the ingredients and how to make it I decided to mix it up a bit. Although classically served with Pita or with hard boiled eggs in it (or how my housemate eats it) I decided to combine the fava bean dish with some bulgur.

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dried Bulgur
1 Can of Fava Beans (Half drained and rinse- use some of the liquid in the can that the beans come in)
1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion
Parsley Flakes or Fresh Parsley
Cumin

Directions:

Cook the bulgur according to the instructions on the packaging.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Then add the onion and let it saute. Then add the chopped garlic.
Once the onion and garlic are softened, add the fava beans and allow them to heat through for about five minutes on low heat.

Remove the beans from the heat.
Add the juice of one lemon, and the zest from about half of the lemon.
Then add in 1/2 tablespoon cumin and 1 tablespoon of parsley.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the beans over the bulgur and enjoy!

Braised Kale With Crispy Seitan Strips

One night my brother and I ordered dinner in (a classic move when I tend to trek to Brooklyn to visit him and we get stuck watching an entire show series). We ordered a Kale and Tofu dish from a vegetarian Chinese place (of course that exists in Brooklyn) and it was incredible. From that night I wanted to recreate a similar dish that reminisced my taste buds of the delicious dinner. I came up with Braised Kale with Crispy Seitan, which I keep pronouncing Satan- so yes, I created a recipe thats evil in my personal articulation, but full of nutrients from the kale. 

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 Large Head of Kale
1 Package of Seitan Strips
1 Cup of Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
1/2 Cup Water

Directions:
To braise the kale, spray a pan with cooking spray and cook the kale until it begins to wilt. Then add the vegetable broth to the kale in a covered pan on low-medium heat for 20-30  minutes. Allow the kale to cook until it becomes tender.

Place the Seitan strips on a baking pan covered with foil. Make sure to spray the foil with cooking spray. Then drizzle olive oil over the Seitan and make sure each piece is coated. Place into a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

To make the sauce, combine the following:
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Seed oil
1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Fresh Grated Ginger
Garlic powder to taste


Place the sauce over the Kale and Seitan mix.
Add 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds for garnish.

Happy eating!

Stuffed Mexican Sweet Potatoes

I have to say I have a love for Mexican food. My mom and I are always on a constant hunt for a good Mexican place and tend to judge the restaurant based on their tortilla chips and salsa. Yet, there are times when the sour cream, burritos, and enchiladas are just too heavy. Here is a recipe I've adapted from another I've seen before (but I don't remember the link- so sorry originator!) I've made my recipe with Daiya shreds in my attempt to stray from dairy and test out some vegan products, but cheddar cheese tastes just as good,  and will hopefully make some Mariachi music on your taste buds.

Servings: About 4

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Can of Black Beans (Rinsed and Drained)
1 Can of Corn (Rinsed and Drained)
1/2 Red Onion (Diced)
1/2  Container of Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese or Daiya Cheddar Shreds
Zest of One Lime
Juice of One Lime

Directions:

Nuke the sweet potatoes in the microwave by poking holes all around them using a fork (after rinsing the potato) and wrapping in a paper towel. Then microwave them for 8-9 minutes.

Once cooled, slice the sweet potato in half and scoop out the inside. Place the scooped out middle and mash with a fork.

Take the drained corn and place into a skillet and allow it to dry roast for 5 minutes. Then add the corn to the mashed potatoes.
Then add the black beans, chopped red onion, cherry tomatoes, lime zest, and lime juice to the mix.
Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and a dash of cayenne pepper and cumin.
Mix the filling and then scoop is back into the potato skin.

Sprinkle cheese on top of the potato and place into a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy with some avocado slices, sour cream, or tortilla chips!

Lemon Salmon

In the beginning of the year I was not really consuming much protein. As much as I tend to like to eat a piece of chicken or a delicious piece of fish, my class, work, and study schedule had me eating more on the go foods. But as second semester rolled around I decided to make my diet better. I like to cook fish on Sundays for no particular reason, but cooking Salmon and listening to jazz music to end the weekend always seems nice. Here is a super easy Salmon recipe that tastes fresh and doesn't weigh heavy on the cooking time.

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

1 Salmon Fillet
1 Lemon
Olive Oil

Directions:

Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over the two pieces of fish. Then sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika over the fish. Add the zest of one lemon as well. Message the seasonings into the fish.

 Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the t fish. Cut a thin slice of lemon and place on top of the fish. Then place the fish skin side up onto the parchment paper.
Fold the parchment over in order to make a packaging of the fish. Before sealing, add 1-2 tablespoons of liquid (OJ, water, lemon juice).

Place the fish in the parchment package on a baking sheet in a 375 degree over and bake for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy your fish with freshly squeezed lemon juice over a bed of asparagus and bulgur, or your other favorite veggie and grain sides!

Sweet and Spicy Tofu Stir Fry

This is a great recipe to get in a lot of your veggies. It make take a bit of time but most of it you can let sit and cook and do other things in the meantime. This is one of my throw-everything-from-the-fridge-into-a-pan-and-see-what-happens recipes. It's tasty, veggie-ful, and a go-to dinner recipe of mine when I have no idea what to cook.

Servings: 3- 4

Ingredients:

2 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
1 Small Onion
2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Yellow Squash
1 Pepper (Red, Yellow, or Orange)
1 Package of Mushrooms
1 Package of Firm Tofu
1 Can of Diced Pineapple (8 oz)
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Sriracha Sauce

Directions:

To cook the Tofu:
Drain the tofu from its packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice into cubes and place onto a greased baking sheet. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on the tofu and place into a 400 degree oven. Let bake until golden brown and crispy for about 35-40 minutes. After baking let the tofu cook for about 5 minutes on the broil setting and then remove the pan from the oven. Your tofu will then be nice a crispy!

Chop all of your veggies.
Grease a large pan (like a wok pan) and begin to saute your onion. Once soft, add the  garlic. Then add the carrots and celery and let soften. Then add the mushrooms, pepper, and yellow squash. Place a lid on the pan to allow the veggies to steam and soften.
Once the veggies are cooked to your tenderness preference add the pineapple and allow it to heat. Then remove from heat and add the crispy tofu.

Sweet and Spicy Sauce:
Combine the juice from the canned pineapple with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Add a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then add in the ginger powder and whisk the sauce with a fork. To finish off add a few drops of sriracha sauce (or more depending on your heat preference). Once the stir- fry is done add the sauce and mix.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Nutella Stuffed Cookies

When stressed, I tend to bake- and by bake I mean I make loads of cookies. I keep seeing Nutella cookies and I happen to love one certain chocolate chip recipe, so I thought why not combine it? Cook's Illustrated produces perfect products, which I often refer to for a multitude of recipes as well as refer to for various cooking techniques. They recipe-test multiple times and truly have created an incredible chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've adapted the recipe a bit, but the original link is here:
 Cook's Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: About 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 3/4 (14 Tablespoons) Sticks of Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup of  Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1 Large Egg
1 Large Egg Yolk
1 1/4 Cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Nutella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place Butter into a pan on the stove. Melt the butter and allow it to brown.

In a bowl combine the sugars, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking soda together.

Take the browned butter and add it to the sugar mixture. Whisk well to get out all of the lumps.
Slowly add a small amount of the flour mixture and stir. Continue this until all of the flour and baking soda mixture is incorporated into the sugar mixture.

Allow the dough mixture to cool for five minutes.
Then add the chocolate chips. (The mix needs to cool, otherwise the chocolate chips wil melt from the hot butter.)

Take a spoonful of cookie dough and flatten with your palms. Then place a small dollop of Nutella (1/2 teaspoon approximately) in the middle of the dough. Then fold over the cookie sides to cover the Nutella and form a small ball.

Place the cookie balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10-14 minutes, or until the cookies appear golden brown.
Allow cookies to cool then move to a wire rack and allow the cookies to completely cool.