Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Tomatoes

Everyone should have a go-to recipe for potlucks and barbecues. Not that you can't ever bring something different, but the security of having a delicious dish you can put together in a few minutes without thinking too much about it sure is nice. This quinoa salad has been my go-to recipe for a couple summers now. I  freshen it up by changing the ingredients slightly each time--sometimes I'll throw in some grilled veggies, or avocados, or whatever else I have on hand that looks like it would fit in.

I adapted this recipe from one at epicurious.com. Two teaspoons of lime zest AND two tablespoons of lime juice was a bit too limey for even my tastes, so I've scaled back on the lime and added some other spices to give it a more interesting mix of flavors. Also, the directions on epicurious for cooking the quinoa seemed really finicky--they want you to cook it in water, then drain it, then steam it with a towel over the top. I've had great success cooking quinoa exactly as I cook rice, and you can't tell the difference.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1  can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2  tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, diced (optional)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional, but delicious!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Soak quinoa in cold water for 15-30 minutes, then rinse. Heat 1 1/2 cups water to boiling, then add quinoa and cover with tight-fitting lid and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, then turn off heat and leave the lid on for 5 more minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, mix the lime zest, lime juice, butter, oil, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Add cooked quinoa and stir gently to coat the quinoa in the dressing. Add other ingredients. This can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature, and makes a great leftover or a filling for wraps.

Chinese Steamed Buns (Char Siu Bao)

Steamed buns remind me of the first Christmas I spent with Jason, which was also the first time I'd eaten steamed buns. We drove 12 hours over icy roads to get to his parents' house, but it was totally worth it. Not just for the steamed buns, of course, because I had a fantastic time with his family, but these pork-filled beauties are so tasty it may well be worth driving 12 hours to get them. That first time, Jason's mom, Lily, made them with leftover ham from Christmas, and they were super tasty. On later visits, she showed me how to make them with diced pork ribs—totally different yet equally delicious.

This recipe is versatile, and you can make adjustments if you don't have one of the seasonings. Or you could add something new, if you think it will complement the seasonings. It does take some planning, since you'll need to make the ribs a day in advance. You could make it all the same day, but you'd have to start pretty early. Plus, if you make them the day before, you can have ribs for dinner that night, and steamed buns the next! For the dough,  I use packaged steamed bun mix from our local Asian food market. I guess I could try making it from scratch, but they are delicious as they are, so why bother? You will also need waxed or parchment paper for this recipe, as well as a bamboo steamer, which you should be able to get for under $20 at an Asian food market.


Ingredients for the ribs (alternatively, you could just use leftover ribs from another meal):
1 1/2-2 1/2 lb. package of country-style pork ribs (I prefer boneless)
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered)

Place in a baking or roasting pan and cover with foil. Roast at 300 degrees until tender, about 2 hours. Check occasionally to make sure there's a little liquid in the bottom of the pan. Add a bit of water if necessary. Remove from the oven and chill. When you're ready to get started on the buns, remove the fat from the ribs and chop up the meat, in about a 1/2-1/4 inch dice. Alternatively, find someone else to do this part for you, because it's greasy and time-consuming.

Mix up the steamed bun dough according to package directions, reserving two tablespoons of the dry mix (or whatever the package says) for your filling. The dough has to rest for about 15 minutes, as I recall.

While the dough is resting, season your filling. If you are using leftover pork ribs that you did not make specifically for steamed buns, bump up the seasonings a bit. This is also a good place to be creative--I never season them quite the same.

Ingredients for the filling
Diced pork ribs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon hoisin
2 tablespoons Mae Ploy (sweet chili sauce)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
black pepper to taste
Dry mix, according to package directions (if you forgot to reserve some, add an equivalent amount of corn starch)

Mix all filling ingredients together.

Assembling the buns
Cut waxed or parchment paper into 4-inch squares. Roll dough into long log, and cut it with a knife to divide into 12 equal pieces. Sprinkle a bit of flour down, and roll a piece into a circle, about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. If you can manage to make it thinner on the edges than in the middle, fantastic.

Now would be a good time to start heating water for steaming the buns. In a wok or large pan, heat 3-4 inches of water over medium high heat. When water starts to boil, turn it down so it's just at a simmer.

Place about two tablespoons of filling, or as much as you think will fit, in the middle of the circle. Dip your finger in water and run it around the edge of the circle. This will help the dough seal. Grab one edge of the dough between your thumb and forefinger and pull it up to the center of the bun, folding it to one side at the top. Continue around the circle this way, sort of "pleating"the bun as you go. If it doesn't look great, don't worry--it'll still taste great, and the dough puffs up a lot when you steam it anyway. The important thing is to get the dough to connect in the middle, even if it isn't completely sealed.

Place finished bun on square of paper, and put it into the bamboo steamer. Continue making the buns until you've filled up the steamer. The buns shouldn't touch each other. I have a two-shelf steamer and put three buns per shelf, so they cook in two equal batches. When your steamer is full, put the lid on and place it over the simmering water. Cook for 20 minutes. You'll know they are done when they look fluffy and delicious. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

Penne with Bacon, Tomato and Feta

Bacon, check. Feta, check. Fast and easy, check. This is pretty much the best pasta ever. I adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit, making it even easier and tastier (in my opinion, at least!).

Ingredients
8 oz. bacon, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, or equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes
16 oz. package penne
3/4 cup (or more!) feta, crumbled
1/2 cup fresh basil (optional, but definitely recommended), chopped
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan to garnish

Directions
Start heating salted water for the pasta.
Fry bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy, stirring frequently. Drain on paper towels. Remove most of bacon grease, reserving about a tablespoon. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to pan and fry over medium heat until fragrant. It won't take long. Add wine and swish around to get all the bits of bacon unstuck. Add tomatoes. Let simmer while you start the penne cooking.

The penne will need to cook until it's al dente, about 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, the sauce mixture should have thickened up slightly. Drain the pasta, put it back in the pot, and add your sauce, along with the feta. Stir it around until the feta is nice and melty. It will still be kind of chunky since feta doesn't melt well. Taste a little and add salt and pepper. Right before you serve it, add the basil and bacon. Serve with Parmesan.

Pork and Turkey Meatball Banh Mi

I've never liked meatloaf. Something about a big hunk of hamburger meat mixed with breadcrumbs and eggs just isn't appealing. And ever since my husband drew a correlation between meatloaf and meatballs, I haven't liked meatballs either.

Fortunately, I discovered Pork Meatball Banh Mi in a recent issue of Bon Appetit, and with a few modifications, meatballs are once again an enjoyable food for me. I thought the meatballs made with all pork were bit rich, so I substituted ground turkey for half the pork the second time I made the recipe. Also, I did not have the patience to wait for meatballs to cook, so I turned them into tiny patties, which got done a lot faster.

The original recipe called for a spicy mayonnaise as a condiment for the sandwiches, but since I hate mayonnaise too, I made a spicy avocado cilantro lime sauce. Sort of like guacamole, but less thick and more spicy.

I didn't have any daikon, and didn't feel like driving across town to get it, but I added cucumbers and cabbage with delicious results.

Sandwiches

• 2 cups coarsely grated carrots
• 2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon (or use cucumbers and cabbage...or all three!)
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 4 10-inch-long individual baguettes or four 10-inch-long pieces French-bread baguette (cut from 2 baguettes)
• Thinly sliced jalapeño chiles
• cilantro

Meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork (substitute half or all of pork with ground turkey)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil (Thai basil is good, if you have it)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

Spicy Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce

• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup cilantro, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce
• juice of 1/2 small lime
• 1 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce, or to taste
• salt to taste

Toss first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix meatball ingredients (except for sesame oil) and form into small patties, about 2 tablespoons each. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of meatballs. Sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. Transfer meatballs to another rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

For sauce, blend ingredients in food processor until smooth. Taste and add more chili sauce or salt to taste. There isn't really a way to mess this up, as long as you don't overdo the salt or spice.

Cut each baguette or baguette piece horizontally in half. Pull out enough bread from each bread half to leave 1/2-inch-thick shell. Spread avocado sauce over each bread shell. Arrange jalapeños, then cilantro, in bottom halves. Fill each with 1/4 of meatballs. Drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs. Press on baguette tops.

Chicken and Cheese Soup with Green Chilies

This has been one of my favorite soups for years. It's kind of like a tortilla soup, but heartier and with cheese. The recipe comes from the Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon (best name ever). I've modified it somewhat by adding black beans and a few other things.

6 cups chicken stock
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts or 1 to 2 cups cooked, diced chicken
3 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 fresh green chilies, chopped
(or substitute one can of Ro-tel and one can of diced green chilies for the tomatoes and green chilies)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 to 1 whole fresh jalapeno, diced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle sauce or powder (optional)
1 can black beans
1/2 cup flour
1 cup milk or half-and half
12 ounces grated sharp cheddar
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Boil chicken breasts in chicken broth until cooked through. Remove chicken and strain broth back into the pan. Let chicken cool, then dice.
Add tomatoes or Ro-tel  to chicken broth and bring it back to a boil.
Meanwhile, saute onion in butter and oil in a large skillet until translucent. Add garlic and chilies and let cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add spices. Blend in flour, a bit at a time. Gradually add milk or half-and-half and stir until smooth and thickened.
Put a ladle of chicken broth into skillet and stir. Then add skillet's contents, along with the black beans, to soup pot and cook at a bare simmer over low heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes.
Slowly stir in the grated cheese and cook until it's blended and fully melted, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce if it's not spicy enough.

Serve with more cilantro, lime wedges, avocados and lots of tortilla chips.

Pitas stuffed with spicy sauteed chickpeas with beef and cilantro

Everything is better encased in dough. Calzones, apple turnovers, corndogs...
This recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen for spicy sauteed chickpeas with beef and cilantro sounded really good, so I turned it into the filling for my stuffed pitas.

I adapted the chickpea recipe slightly.
Filling
1/2 lb. low fat ground beef
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp curry powder 
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chile powder, more or less to taste, or use a diced chipotle chile from a can or other hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a large deep frying pan over high heat, then add ground beef, crumbling into pieces as you put it into the pan. Use a metal turner to stir and break up the meat while you start to brown it, about 3 minutes. When meat is fairly broken up, add chickpeas. Keeping heat high, saute meat and chickpeas together until meat is well browned and chickpeas are quite brown and starting to pop, about 10 minutes. (If the mixture starts to stick turn down the heat a tiny bit.)

Add ground cumin, ground chipotle chile powder, and minced garlic and cook a minute more. Add reserved cooking liquid (with added stock if needed to make 2 cups). Scrape the bottom of the pan with turner to loosen any browned bits, season with salt and pepper, then reduce heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-10 minutes.

Turn off heat, stir in chopped cilantro and 1 T olive oil. Taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper.


Pita dough
This recipe is from 100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood.


Scant 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup sugar (superfine, if you have it)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/4 cups water


Mix sugar, yeast and water together and let sit until it's foamy. Add olive oil and salt. Mix in flour in increments until dough is just slightly sticky to the touch. Let the dough rise for an hour.


Making the stuffed pitas
Divide dough into pieces the size of golfballs. Roll out a circle of the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Put a couple spoonfuls of filling in the middle of one half of the circle, then fold the dough over to make a half-moon shape. Seal the edges. Put the stuffed pitas on a lightly greased cookie sheet and let rise for another half hour. Bake at 400 until lightly browned.


Serving
I served these hot with a tzatziki sauce. They are a good leftover, and taste fine cold or heated up in the oven or a toaster oven.

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

I made this recipe from Cook's Illustrated for Christmas dessert. It's a good thing I got a Wii Fit for Christmas, because I feel personally responsible for making sure none of the cake goes to waste.

It's not a difficult recipe, but there are a lot of steps (most of them involve mixing heavy cream with various types of chocolate), so I'm just linking to the recipe.

This cake is both light and rich, and goes really well with coffee.