Semolina and Saffron Pudding (Rava Kesari)

What makes a recipe authentic?

Typically, authentic recipes use ingredients and methods of cooking that are specific to a particular region. The ingredients used and the methods of cooking developed came from what resources are available in that part of the world.

Therefore, it is utterly inauthentic to attempt to cook an "authentic" recipe from one part of the world in another part of the world. Let's take Indian cooking for example. Coconuts are readily available in India and so are used in many of Indian recipes. However, coconuts are not readily available in Minnesota. So what is more inauthentic - to substitute the coconut for something that is more native to Minnesota or to buy a coconut that has been shipped from a far away place and has lost most of its flavor?

Recipes evolve as the people using those recipes evolve. I believe that authentic cooking is using what you have around you. So, when I couldn't find curry leaves for avial the other day and substituted celery leaves, I don't believe I was being inauthentic to Indian cooking.

I was being non-traditional.

Non-traditional cooking is often where we have the most fun. New flavor combinations come alive when experimenting. If you start with fabulous tasting ingredients, it's hard to go wrong. That's what I tried to do with avial and now with this pudding.

Rommegrot, or Norwegian rice pudding, is a favorite dish in my family. It always makes me think of my mom... and the Rollag Steam Threshers Reunion... I was delighted that when I tasted rava kesari I immediately thought of the rice pudding I ate growing up. The only differences between the two are polenta for rice and the addition of saffron.

This pudding is a dessert. It is sweet, flavorful, and satisfying. I'm looking forward to making this again when it gets cooler outside.

And for those of you who are raisin averse, don't simply omit them. Their tart and tangy flavor is a great compliment to the sweet pudding. Pineapple or nectarine would be a delicious substitute.

Semolina and Saffron Pudding (Rava Kesari)
8 servings, adapted from India's Vegetarian Cooking: A Regional Guide by Monisha Bharadwaj

2/3 cup ghee (I used unsalted butter)
1 heaping cup semolina (I used coarse-ground polenta)
3/4 cup sugar
Large pinch of saffron
2 cups warm milk
Pinch of ground cardamom
2 teaspoons raisins

1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the polenta and let cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the sugar and stir until it melts, a couple of minutes.
3. Mix the saffron into the milk. Add a couple tablespoons to the saucepan and stir well, breaking up any clumps. Add a couple more tablespoons and stir well, breaking up clumps. Add the rest of the milk to the saucepan and stir well. 
4. Add the cardamom and raisins. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently (less stirring is needed at the beginning, more toward the end) until the mixture is fully cooked and has a pudding consistency. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Vegetables in Yogurt (Avial)

Let's talk about spices. Indian spices.

I grew up in northwestern Minnesota eating meat and potatoes. The only spices I knew were salt, pepper, and ketchup. Spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric, and ginger never crossed my palate until I was in college. Now, I love Indian cooking. It took me a while, and I am still picky about the dishes I like... Eventually, the complex spice combination that makes my taste buds dance and my nose relish in the intoxicating scents wins me over.

While I love the navratan korma at Bombay Bistro, delving into the mysterious world of Indian cooking is daunting. I have a couple dishes I like to make, but I wanted to expand my repertoire.

So, this past weekend, I went browsing at the library and stumbled upon a cookbook by Monisha Bharadwaj entitled India's Vegetarian Cooking: A Regional Guide. The book has mouthwatering pictures and recipes from all over India. I had been craving a yogurt-based sauce and so Vegetables in Yogurt (or Avial) seemed like the perfect recipe with which to begin!

Avial is steamed vegetables in a creamy coconut-green chili sauce. My version of the recipe ended up a little on the sweet side because I used Italia peppers for the green chilies simply because that's what I had on hand. Italia peppers look very similar to Anaheim chili peppers, but they taste much different! Peppers confuse me. I have the hardest time telling them apart and knowing what pepper is good for which recipe. I probably should have used Anaheim chili peppers, but the dish still tasted delicious. A spicier pepper with a little zing would have been nice.

This recipe also calls for curry leaves. Curry leaves do not make curry powder. Confusing! Curry powder is a mixture of spices, and the flavors of that mixture can vary greatly. Curry leaves are an herb that look similar to bay leaves. I've read that they taste tangy or citrusy and that their flavor is extremely difficult to replicate. Sometimes basil works well. I used celery leaves. The celery I got from my CSA this week is the strongest tasting celery I've ever had. The leaves smelled so fresh and summery that I couldn't throw them away. They added a wonderful flavor to this dish but were in no way trying to replace the curry leaves that I had failed to find.

Vegetables in Yogurt (Avial)
4 servings, adapted from India's Vegetarian Cooking: A Regional Guide by Monisha Bharadwaj

1 cup dried shredded coconut
2 fresh green chilies (I used Italia peppers)
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (ground cumin would work fine too)
10 black peppercorns, crushed
11 ounces mixed vegetables, cubed (I used 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk and 4 medium potatoes)
2/3 cup plain yogurt, seasoned with salt (yum!!)
10 curry leaves (I used 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves)
Salt, to taste

1. Steam the vegetables. Place in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the coconut, peppers, cumin seeds, and crushed peppercorns to a food processor. Turn on the processor and slowly add some water to make a fine paste.
3. Add the paste to the cooked vegetables and 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
4. Add the salt to the yogurt and stir well. Then, add the yogurt mixture to the pan. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the celery leaves and stir. Serve over plain rice.

Lemon-Raspberry Plate Trifle

I had high hopes for this baking adventure. Maybe that's where I went wrong. 

I love cooking, but baking always seemed like too much chemistry for me. I can combine textures and flavors on a whim, but combining ingredients that chemically react with each other is a little bit more challenging. 

If you know me at all, you know that I can follow directions. In fact, I love following directions. So, I've always thought that if the recipe is written well, then I can make it turn out just by following the directions to the letter. That's what I tried to do with this birthday cake for my husband (our birthdays are just a few days apart). But alas, practice was needed to make this cake turn out perfectly.

The base of this trifle was actually the easiest part, ironic because that's the actual baking part. The cake is a dense lemon cake that after baking is soaked in a lemon-syrup. I cannot think of a better scent to have floating through my home on a summer day than an intensely lemon flavored cake. Everything went perfectly. I was even able to remove the cake from the pan without it breaking! 

The middle part of the trifle is simply fresh raspberries. This sounds incredibly easy... Yet, this is the step when all went downhill. My once beautiful, delicious raspberries were now turning to mush and fuzzy with mold. I had purchased them too many days ago...  I lamented as I thought of my grandmother's beautiful raspberry patch that yielded five gallons of raspberries this year (ironically, my grandmother claims this was not a stellar year). I picked through my sad pint of raspberries only to be able to use just 1/3 of the container. The berries are key to this dish; I realize now. Their lovely tartness contrasts beautifully with the sweet cake and syllabub.

Ah, the syllabub. Syllabub has the texture of pudding and is made from sweetened liquor and heavy cream. Simply divine. They key is to use a liquor that you love and not to whip the cream too much. Syllabub has soft peaks and is dense; whipped cream has stiff peaks and is light and fluffy. This recipe called for sherry as the alcohol. Not only don't I like sherry, but I used a horribly cheap sherry that should only be used when actually cooking, if at all. I think amaretto would be much better. Plus, I whipped the cream into a frenzy and ended up with something much lighter than I had expected. Nigella Lawson (author of this recipe and the book How to Be a Domestic Goddess) has a great video demonstrating how to make syllabub. Watch it before you make syllabub for the first time.

A photo-shoot gone awry... This piece wanted to be upside down on the table first! 

Our biweekly CSA veggies arrived to make up for the cake failure! I'm so excited to see what will be created from these veggies! 

Lemon-Raspberry Plate Trifle
Serves 10 (at least), Recipe created by Nigella Lawson


Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs
3 lemons
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon self-rising cake flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Syllabub and Filling:
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
8 tablespoons dry sherry (or a liquor you love)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 lemon
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 pint raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment or wax paper. 
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and the zest of one lemon; beat in well. Add the flour and salt, folding in gently but thoroughly, and then the milk. Spoon into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
3. While the cake is baking, make the lemon-syrup by placing the juice of three lemons and the confectioners' sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar.
4. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over the cake using a toothpick or similar device. Pour the syrup all over the cake to saturate it. Let cool completely before removing from the pan. 
5. Mix the sherry, sugar, and juice and zest of the lemon in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Whisk in the cream and beat until airy and floppily bulky. 
6. To assemble, slice the cake in half, top with fresh berries. Spread the syllabub over the top of the raspberries and sprinkle the almonds on the top.

Summer Fried Tofu with Roasted Vegetables

Some people may run at the mere mention of tofu. It's gelatinous texture, it's lack of flavor can easily ruin a dish. I don't eat tofu often, and when I do, I like to add it to dishes to increase their nutritional content without taking away from their flavor (Feisty Green Beans is a great example of this). This dish is a rarity; it forces tofu into the spotlight. Why would I do something so daring? I had half a package of tofu left over from making Feisty Green Beans and didn't want it to go to waste. Simple.

The key to making tofu work on its own is not to leave it alone. Tofu has no flavor; you must add flavor. Imagine the possibilities! Another key is to prepare the tofu properly to avoid a potentially off-putting texture. For a dish like this, ideally, you want to use extra-firm tofu and press it for 15-30 minutes. However, I didn't have that kind of time. So, after I sliced the tofu into 1/4 inch slabs, I used a towel and pressed the excess moisture out if it. This does a couple of things. Most importantly, it removes the flavorless moisture so that the flavorful moisture can be absorbed. And secondly, it helps the tofu's outside become crispy when frying.

Another thing to remember when forcing tofu into the spotlight is that you must love your marinade. This is the only flavor you will taste, so make sure it is perfect. For this dish, I mixed about 1/4 cup olive oil with 1/4 cup lemon juice. I stirred in 1/4 medium onion (minced), salt, pepper, and about 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and paprika. I let the tofu sit in the marinade for about 40 minutes while I made the roasted vegetables. Then, I heated a cast iron pan and added about 3 tablespoons of oil (if your cast iron pan is seasoned better than mine, you can reduce the amount of oil). Once the oil was hot (medium-high heat), I added the slabs of tofu and moved them around to make sure they weren't sticking. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the tofu is browned. Also, be sure to wear an apron when frying tofu like this. Tofu likes to spit oil, oftentimes onto your shirt.

The roasted vegetables were delicious. I used really fresh red potatoes, and that made a big difference. If you don't have summer squash, you can use tomatoes, asparagus, or carrots, just to name a few ideas. I doused this dish in cilantro after I pulled it from the oven and that made the lemon juice sing. 

Check out my fabulous new chef's knife my loving husband gave me for my birthday! My other knife was dangerously dull and could no longer hold a sharp edge. Look how nicely this knife chopped the cilantro!

Summer Roasted Vegetables

Serves 3

4 small red potatoes, scrubbed, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 medium onion, sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1-2 summer squash, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

1 teaspoon dried sage

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

about 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.   
2. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, sage, butter, salt and pepper to a casserole dish. Stir well so that the butter and spices are evenly dispersed on the potatoes.
3. Place dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Add the summer squash to the potatoes. Stir well, then bake for another 15 minutes.
5. When the veggies are done, remove from the oven and stir in the fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Best Beet Salad Ever!

OK. I admit. I'm a little biased when it comes to beets. I have yet to find a beet I didn't like. Juiced, steamed, roasted, crisped, panfried: I love them all. Fortunately for me, beets are super healthy! Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. Plus, their greens are a better source of iron than spinach! Eat that Pop-eye! For this recipe, I used gold beets, which are a lot easier to work with than red beets since their juice is lighter in color and thus doesn't stain everything.

This salad has so many opportunities for improvising and using what you happen to already have on hand. The most important ingredients are: beets and blue cheese. After that, the possibilities are endless! Have fun!

Best Beet Salad Ever!
Serves 1

Salad:
2 cups beets (about 7 small beets)
1/2 sweet spanish onion (or 2 shallots), minced
2 tablespoons walnut pieces
2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup beet greens and spinach, torn into bite-size pieces (mix the two greens to your liking)

Dressing:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the beets well. Steam them for about 30 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce them (cooking time will vary based on the size of your beets). Cool until you can easily handle them. Slip their peeling off by rubbing it with your fingers. Slice the beets and place in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add the onion, walnut pieces, crumbled blue cheese, and greens to the bowl. Toss.
3. In a separate bowl, add the dressing ingredients. Whisk together. Adjust seasonings to your liking. 
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Initially, use less dressing than you normally do, taste, and add more dressing if you need. The balsamic dressing should enhance the flavors of the salad, not hide them. Enjoy!

Feisty Green Beans - Birthday Edition

For my birthday this year, I wanted to keep things low-key. Don't get me wrong, I believe that every birthday should be celebrated; after all, you never know which birthday will be your last. I just didn't want a big party. So, instead if even going out to eat, I decided to cook. Cooking brings me much more joy than going out to eat, and I almost always love what I make!

Feisty Green Beans is one of my favorite recipes. Oh, how I wish I could take credit for this delicious recipe! I found it on 101 Cookbooks a while ago and have made it several times, each time with slightly different ingredients, and every time it is delicious! It is slightly spicy and soulfully satisfying. I once made  Feisty Green Beans for a crowd. Every time I added another ingredient to the pan, another person would come up to me and tell me how much they hated that ingredient and why... Amazingly, each of them gave the beans a try. Not one person disliked it.

To go with the beans, I sliced up some kohlrabi. I love the crisp texture of kohlrabi, and its benign flavor complemented the spicy beans perfectly. Kohlrabi is high in dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium (goodbye anxiety!), vitamin C, and more. I simply cut the coarse outside off of the vegetable, sliced it into bit-sized chunks, and lightly salted it. Perfect.

Also on the side, I thinly sliced a baguette and spread a thick layer of fresh brebis cheese (sheep's milk cheese) on each slice. This would have been even better if I had toasted the slices first, but I opted for ease in this case.

Finally dessert arrived! A flourless chocolate cake ala Seward Co-op. So rich, so good. The top chocolate flower was way too sweet for both Martin and me, so we ended up not eating it. The pinot noir we were drinking went superbly with the cake. I must do that combo again soon!

Feisty Green Beans
Serves 4, originally posted by 101 Cookbooks


1 lb green beans (I used mostly yellow beans)
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup white wine (I used red wine this time. Just choose a wine you love.)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I used hungarian paprika)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Drain the tofu. Press the tofu by wrapping in a towel and placing something heavy (like a can of tomatoes) on top of it. Let sit like this until you're ready to use it.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the green beans for just a minute; they should be a bright color and still crisp. Drain and dunk in an ice-cold water bath to stop the cooking. Drain and set-aside.
3. In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water (for about 5 minutes).
4. Heat your largest skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, onion, and bay leaves. Cook until the onions and garlic start to brown just a bit. Add the wine and cook until it has mostly evaporated. Remove the bay leaves.
5. Stir in the spices. Cut tofu into 1/4 inch cubes and add to the skillet. Drain the raisins and add to the skillet. Cook until heated through, about a minute or two. Add the butter and the green beans and stir until the butter has melted. 
6. Remove from heat. Stir in the sour cream, toasted almonds, and cilantro. Devoir. 

Creamy Tomato Sauce Stuffed Shells?

My husband, Martin, arrived home after a long bike commute from work and announced he was hungry for protein and carbs. Well. That rejects the beet salad I had been making for supper! I left the beets on the stove to finish steaming and began to search through my cupboards for something that fit his needs. As much as I try to plan meals in advance, I never know what my body (or my husband's body) is going to crave. Usually, the meals I just make up as I go turn out the best. Since Martin's favorite food is macaroni and cheese, and that happens to be high in protein and carbs, I decided to let that dish inspire me.

We have a plethora of cheese at our house right now. For this recipe, I decided to choose cheese that would melt really well. The mozzarella I used was not fresh, but it was still delicious. I think fresh mozzarella might have been a little too liquidy for this dish. I also used white cheddar with ramps. I had never heard of ramps before I received this cheese from our CSA but wow! Ramps do wonders for white cheddar (and that's a good thing too I liked it since I hear it was a good season for ramps). Ramps are similar to leeks and have a nice onion-garlicy flavor. They do have a short growing season, so fortunately, we can enjoy them for a longer period of time when they are included in cheese.

Stuffing the shells is an arduous process. But don't skip it! Martin, in his ravenous hunger, dumped the shells onto a plate and poured the sauce over them. He ended up eating spoonfulls of sauce in one bite and naked shells in another. Not fun. I stuffed my shells and the dish was fabulous! Martin ended up stuffing his shells after realizing his folly.

I admit, I have no idea what to call this recipe. It is cheesy, creamy, tomatoey goodness stuffed into jumbo pasta shells. But I just have too many adjectives and not enough nouns for this recipe title.

What would you name this recipe?

Creamy Tomato Sauce Stuffed Shells (or whatever you want to call it)

Serves 2-3

15 jumbo pasta shells

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, minced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 tablespoons dried parsley

freshly ground pepper (maybe 1/8-1/4 teaspoon)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1 1/4 cup white cheddar with ramps)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the jumbo shells and cook until al dente. Do not over cook; shells need to be somewhat firm to hold the sauce. Reserve about a 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain well.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and bask in the best aroma ever! Cook for a few minutes, then add the canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked away.
3. Stir in the shredded cheese and heavy whipping cream. Stir well until cheese is melted. Add some of the reserved pasta water to thin sauce if you'd like.
4. To serve, carefully pour about 1 tablespoon of the sauce into a pasta shell and place shell on a plate. Repeat for remaining pasta shells. Pour remaining pasta over all the stuffed shells. Garnish with dried parsley.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

When I picked up our CSA box last week and saw how many cucumbers were in it, I knew chilled cucumber soup was in my future! The hot and humid weather of late solidified that idea. Cucumbers actually do have a chilling effect since the inside of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside temperature, which is where we get the saying "cool as a cucumber." Cucumbers are also high in Vitamin E, which helps promote healthy skin. Spinach (also in this soup) is also high in Vitamin E.

The broth of the soup is made from skim milk and low-fat plain yogurt. Obviously, you can make the soup really rich by using whole milk and full-fat plan yogurt, but that kind of defeats the purpose of a nice light meal on a hot summer day. This soup can be made vegan using non-dairy milk and non-dairy yogurt. Just make sure you choose a non-dairy milk that doesn't add a lot of flavor (rice milk would probably be best). I haven't tried any non-dairy yogurt, so just be sure to choose one that has a nice tart flavor. If it isn't as tart as plain yogurt, add more lemon juice.

I love soup. Next to buttered toast and green monsters, soup is my favorite dish. I also like a lot of chunks in my soup (unless it is a creamed soup of course!) so, if you want your soup more soupy, reduce the spinach and the cucumbers but leave the spices at their amounts.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Serves 2

6 ounces spinach, steam until wilted

1 cup milk

1 cup yogurt

2 medium cucumbers

1/4 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the spinach coarsely and place in a medium bowl that has a lid.
2. Add the milk and yogurt to the bowl and stir well.
3. Chop the cucumbers (I like to quarter them lengthwise and then slice in 1/2 inch chunks).
4. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon. Add the spices and stir well.
5. Cover and chill well before serving.

Thai-inspired Stir Fried Veggies Over Rice

I searched online. I read my favorite recipe books. And in the end, I abandoned the idea of making a meal from a recipe. I had wanted to make chilled cucumber soup with a beet salad, but alas, a trip to the grocery store was not in my immediate future.

What to make? I reached into my refrigerator and pulled out carrots, zucchini, sweet spanish onions, Thai basil, Thai chilies, fresh Red Italian garlic, a pathetic looking piece of fresh ginger, snow peas, and broccoli. I had the makings for a fabulous veggie stir fry!

I decided that I wanted to keep this stir fry really simple; I didn't want to weigh it down with a heavy cornstarch-based sauce. I loved the simplicity of it; Martin likes stir fries with a more robust sauce (read: anything that doesn't taste like soy sauce). I love sprinkling a little soy sauce on my veggies; he would prefer something else. Don't get me wrong, he ate it, but it was just "fine." I thought it was "fabulous!" Try it and let me know what you think! Oh, and the tomatoes added a really wonderful flavor to this dish. Next time, I'm adding more!

One of my favorite side-dishes: cucumber spears lightly salted with sea salt. So refreshing and a nice balance to the slightly spicy stir fry.

Thai-inspired Stir Fried Veggies Over Rice

Serves 3

1 Sweet Spanish onion

2 carrots

1 inch ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves Red Italian garlic

1 stalk broccoli

10 snow peas

1 zucchini

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons Thai basil, chopped finely

1 Thai chili, de-seeded and chopped

1 cup basmati rice

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (estimated amount)

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons canola oil

1. Rinse the rice well. Add 1 3/4 cup water and rice to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir. Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Turn off heat and let sit until rest of stir fry is ready.
2. Chop all the veggies. Place the veggies that take longer to cook (carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, and broccoli stems) in one bowl; place the veggies that take less time to cook (snow peas, broccoli florets, zucchini, and tomatoes) in another bowl.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a heavy bottom skillet, preferably cast iron. Add the longer cooking veggies. Stir fry until almost done.
4. Add the rest of the veggies and the Thai chili with the rest of the oil. (Note: adjust the oil amount as needed to prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan.) Sprinkle the toasted sesame oil over the veggies. Stir well. Sprinkle the rice vinegar over the veggies. Stir well and let cook until the veggies are done. Add soy sauce to taste. Let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
5. Serve the veggies over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Noodles in Peanut Sauce

I've had Thai food on my mind lately. In our CSA box this week we received Thai basil and Thai chilies, and I've been dying to use them. Over the fourth of July I (or rather my eye...) had an unfortunate encounter with a hot chili and have since sworn I will always use gloves when working with chilies. Alas, my home is glove-less right now, so I substituted some cayenne pepper instead of the Thai chilies.

My cooking has evolved over the years - thankfully! I used to need to follow a recipe word for word in order to cook anything. After joining a CSA this year, I don't have a choice as to the vegetables in my fridge! It is so liberating to just open the fridge and make something with whatever I have. This recipe is a perfect example of this. If I would have had flat rice noodles, I would have used them, but I only had linguine. If I would have had coconut milk, I would have used that, but I only had skim. If I would have had peanut oil, I would have used that, but I only had canola. You get the idea. So, feel free to experiment - I did!

A quick note about the fresh peanut butter. I recently discovered that my co-op has a big container of peanuts and that I can just turn the grinder on and out comes peanut butter! Pure peanut butter! No added salt, oil, sugar, etc. While it is a little thick for sandwiches (I usually add some honey to it), it is perfect for noodle dishes.

The peanut sauce is inspired by The Meatless Gourmet (see Tofu Kabobs with Peanut Sauce) by Bobbie Hinman.

Noodles in Peanut Sauce

Serves 3

1/3 box linguine noodles

2 cups fresh green/yellow beans

2/3 cup skim milk

1 small onion

1/4 cup fresh peanut butter

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons Thai basil

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped peanuts

1. Boil water in a medium saucepan. Add the linguine noodles. Stir so they don't stick to each other.
2. Dice the onion really small. Add it to a small saucepan with the peanut butter and turn the heat on medium-low. Add the skim milk, tamari, lemon juice, and pepper. Bring to a low simmer. Stir well.
3. Prepare the beans. Wash really well, trim the ends and snap in half so they are about 1 1/2 inches in length. Add the beans to the boiling pasta and let cook for a couple of minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the beans out and place in cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
5. Drain noodles. Add beans to noodles. Pour sauce over noodles. Stir well to coat. Add some pasta water to thin out if needed.
6. Garnish with Thai basil and coarsely chopped peanuts. Enjoy!