Summer 'Pizza'

Its the day after Cinco de Mayo and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one hungover and slightly suffering this morning. Summer is just around the corner, so I thought I would do a little twist on a favorite comfort food. Don't deny it! Pizza is one of the greatest comfort food when you're nursing a hangover or a I-want-pizza-ice-cream-and-a-chick-flick-moment. 

This recipe is really easy and I promise you...VERY yummy! Please do try it out and tell me how it goes.

INGREDIENTS:

Thinly Sliced Cooked Butternut Squash

Spinach

Armenian Feta Cheese (Feta Cheese mixed with Oregano)

Sliced Tomatoes

Slice of Wheat Tonir Lavash (thin flat bread)

Olive oil

Poached/ Fried Egg (optional to add with tomatoes at the end)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Place all ingredients on the flat bread except the tomatoes and lightly drizzle with olive oil

2) Toast in oven at 325 Degrees for about 10 min

3) Add the tomatoes

(In case anyone is wondering...that IS my old college textbook...you know some light reading ;) 

Fusion Food: A Yummy Mosaic

In America, we have the idea of the Melting Pot as a means of explaining the mixture of many different cultures. This term was first used by Crevecoeur in 1782 in Letters from an American Farmer. This idea still remains to strong in our culture. Crevecoeur's idea makes me feel that the ethnic roots are lost and are not distinctive. 

However, as much as I have pride in being an American, I don't think it as beautiful as the Canadian's version the Cultural Mosaic. Which makes me think that the individual pieces remain in their own uniqueness but collectively they create a beautiful picture.

Either metaphor you like, it really doesn't matter. I think food is a prime example of cultures meeting whether its spices or techniques, they all trace back to something/ some people.  Just thought I would have a nerd moment and share that with you to open up to this recipe. 

Anyway, back to this recipe. It was first taught to be back in Santa Cruz when I was living with a woman of African and Indian decent. She was such an amazing person with a very strong spirit and very interesting background. She was fluent in French (she helped me but conversing with me), went to boarding school overlooking the Himalayas  and was super bad ass in Mauy Thai. Absolutely an amazing person

When she taught me this recipe it was a fusion of her Ethiopian and Indian background. Over the years, I have added my Vietnamese influence into this recipe.  I hope you try this out and tell me what you think.

Ingredients:

- Tomatoes

- Spinach

- Yellow Onion

- Garlic Cloves

- Cabbage

- Chicken (other meats can be used but I think poultry has a nice palette and compliments many spices)

- Chicken Boullion ( Chicken Broth)

- Whole Cumin Seeds

- Bay Leaves

- Vietnamese Fish Sauce
- Soy Sauce

- Vegetable Oil
- Water


* cut all fresh veggies into bite size pieces except spinach, leave it whole.

Recipe:

- Sautee Garlic and Onions until translucent then add Bay Leaves (about 3 large leaves) and Cumin (~2tbsp)

- Add in 2 tbsp of Fish sauce along with one cube of chicken bouillon (if using chicken broth wait)

- Add chicken and brown the surface

- Add dices tomatoes & 1/2 c water (if use chicken broth, substitute for water)

-Let the sauce simmer at medium low until most of the chicken is cooked

- Add chopped cabbage, add another 2tbsp  of fish sauce & soy sauce

- When the chicken is about done, add the spinach and lightly mix it in for no more than 5 min (want the spinach to hold some of its shape)

Serve with Jasmine Rice and there you have it!

P.S. I'm still getting used to writing recipe so bare with me as I play around with writing styles. 

Tofu FOREVER

I love tofu, and its probably because I'm Asian, but that's alright with me. Anyway, I tend to play with different ingredients when I get bored. This is probably an actual dish out there but here goes nothing.

INGREDIENTS

Firm Tofu

Mushrooms

Yellow Onion

Tomatoes

Ketchup - weird I know but TRUST ME!!!

Fish Sauce

RECIPE:

- Lightly brown the sides of the sliced tofu in a pan with oil

- Add chopped onion and diced tomatoes and continue to sautee until onions are translucent

- Add sliced mushrooms (there should be a sauce developing from the dices tomatoes and oil)

- Add a little bit to ketchup and fish sauce to taste

I know its weird to have ketchup and fish sauce in one recipe but ketchup is like a tomato paste and sugar substitute all in one. 

Mexican Rice

My friend, Angelica, showed me how to make this a few months ago but I thought I would share the recipe and technique…the technique being the key component. When I was back in college, I failed at making this soo many times but I learned it was because I lacked patience which unfortunately is still a work in progress.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

2 cup fresh chicken broth (you can substitute with a cube of chicken bouillon and 2 c of water)

5 diced Roma Tomatos

½ chopped yellow onions (or red onions)

5 cloves of diced garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1.       In a pot pour the olive oil and heat it up until it becomes viscous then add the garlic and onions at medium heat. Cook the onions until it becomes translucent.

2.       Add the dry rice into the pot and allow the oil to cook the grains – remember to stir or they will stick to the bottom.

3.       Add the 2 cups of the fresh chicken broth along with the diced tomatoes. Turn up the heat and let the stock start to boil with bubbles.

4.       Place the lid on top and reduce the heat to low

5.       Let the pot sit on low for about 20 min and then it’s done.

Brie Basil Tomato Pasta

So needless to say, its been about a month or so since my last entry. I am sorry, I've become consumed lately with other unnecessary dramas, but I'm back on course. My friend, Hitomi, who got it from her bf's mom showed me how to cook this a few weeks ago and I fell in love with it and gave my little twist.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp Fresh Basil
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley
4 cloves of Fresh garlic
4 Roma Tomatoes (you can use steak tomatoes but I'm partial to romas)
1/2 Whole Grain Spaghetti
3 Italian sausages
1 wedge slice of brie

Directions:
1) Boil water in a Pot for the spaghetti noodles as cook until al dente - most people do tricks like adding salt or olive oil to prevent the noddles from sticking but I mesh around with your plain carb palate. Once you have drained the pasta - take the brie and slice off the wax out layer (you should be left with the mushy stuff) and place it in with the hot pasta so the cheese will melt.

2) In another pot heat water until it boils and place the whole tomatoes in for about 5 min - this will slightly stew the tomatoes and make it easier to peel the skins. Once this is done slice the tomatoes into bite size. Then add to the pasta.

3) For the Italian sausages, I like to bake them so they have a crusty outter layer without the extra oil from pan fry cause sausages have soo much fat on their own. I bake them at 325C for about 30 min or until the casing is brown. Slice these up and add this along with the remaining ingredients into the pasta.

There you have some yummy sharp creaminess! <3