Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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KitchenKatalog: Blog 260
Friday, May 16, 2014, 09:45 PM
I made Balsamic Broccoli using the seitan logs. I used the regular recipe as a base and kind of just winged it with some of the additions. I will note though that I had the sugar-free version of the dressing and that was a Big Mistake! It gave it a very fake and overly-sweet aftertaste. The fat-free (w/ sugar) is only about 50 more calories total and taste a lot better (and isn't fake either. Just doesn't use oil). I still liked it all but Meredith thought the broccoli absorbed too much of the fake flavor.
Also, in the future, I need to barely cook the broccoli before combining it all. It was too mushy since it continues to cook when combining the sauce with it and the meat.
The seitan was pretty good though!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7835, 2014-05-16_214516
Friday, May 16, 2014, 03:00 PM
I made seitan again to use in a variety of different things (salad and for a broccoli thing). I use the basic ideas from the last time except I tweaked a few things and used whole numbers by weight. The recipe is below but first my thoughts. It seemed to work pretty well and tasted good, though it was a tad rubbery. The outsides were a bit wetter and fluffier. I think that I may want to stop trying to use the pressure cooker and instead do a full hour simmer in broth (probably need more of it though). Still, I liked the flavor of this bunch and the only tweak I would make is to not add salt since the Penzeys gives it enough. I also had to skip wine in the broth since I didn't have it so I went heavier on the other stuff
Recipe:
Dry:
Wet:
Broth (for pressure cooking. Need more if simmering)
Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Slowly add the wet to the dry. Knead by hand to fully combine. Knead in the food processor for 30 seconds. Knead by hand to combine, then split into four servings. Knead to clean up the loaves. Wrap in cheesecloth (optional). Let sit for 5-10 minutes
Get broth to a boil, add the seitan and seal. Set to highest setting. Once_fully_ up to pressure (light hiss of steam), reduce heat to maintain a light his and let cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until pressure drops.
(Future note: make more broth and try a 1hr simmer).
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7830, 2014-05-16_150027
Wednesday, May 14, 2014, 09:10 PM
I made falafel with a few minor changes. First of all, I tried to triple the recipe since I had the stuff and the herb bunches were large. That was a mistake. The food processor really had trouble. I eventually dumped it into a large bowl, mixed it together and put it back in.
Other than that, I added some turmeric since Meredith is trying to eat more of it. Also, while I followed the recipe amounts, I used newer, fresher and higher quality coriander. Between the more potent coriander and the turmeric, the falafel took on a decidedly curry-esque flavor. And, the turmeric stained the new white counters (oops!). And I used a fresh squeezed lemon instead of lemon juice.
Still, despite over chopping it, it still came out pretty good. For future reference, I used the Oxo Medium cookie scoop (1.5 Tbsp) on 2/3 of the final dough (2 batches) and it made 30 so about 15/batch. We served it with small whole wheat pita pockets (~130 cal/each)
Meredith also made tzatziki with soy yogurt. They claimed it was "plain" yogurt but it was exceedingly sweet. If you read the ingredients, they add both white grape juice and agave. Why?!?!?!?!?!? Anyway, this is pushing me even more to try to make my own Almond Milk Yogurt so we can [attempt to] control the final output.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7825, 2014-05-14_211034
Tuesday, May 13, 2014, 09:55 PM
First was seared salmon. I used the usual technique with a bit longer in the oven since they were thick. For seasoning, I used some Penzey's Fox Point. They came out very, very good. Nice sear on both sides, lots of flavor, and cooked to a good level of doneness. We served it on some spring mix
Meredith made chilled asparagus soup shooters. She lightly roasted asparagus (425 4-5 min) with smoked salt. She then chopped it and blended in the food processor with 2/3 cup water and 2/3 cup almond milk. Seasoned with salt and Herbs de Provence (to taste). Finally she garnished it with a splash of truffle infused olive oil.
They were a tad bit strange but still very good. The soup-shooter idea is kind of fun as it gives the meal a small side that is not overpowering.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7821, 2014-05-13_215504
Tuesday, May 13, 2014, 02:23 PM
I made salad rolls (Meredith and I decided to call them Garden Rolls but these were, quite literally, made of salad).
My fillings (see photo below) were:
I did the hardboiled eggs using the boil-the-sit method. I read a few different sites [1,2, 3] that all suggested roughly the same thing. Cover eggs with 1-2 inches cold water, bring to a boil, cover and let sit based on how you want it cooked. Some also suggested salt (to make peeling easier) and vinegar (to minimize damage to cracked eggs). I did that too. How long to let it sit seems to be a bit different but I went with 9 minutes. Anyway, when they were finished I dunked them into ice water.
I basically made salad rolls with the fillings. On the first and last, I put some vinegar on ahead of time. For the middle two, I just rolled sans vinegar. But for all of them, I dipped in a small bowl of the vinegar.
The ones without vinegar were easier to roll and eat but weren't as good. All of them though, came out to be a pretty good meal! Good textures and pretty standard flavors. I would do these again. Oh, and I also had a small serving of popcorn
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7805, 2014-05-13_142321
Thursday, May 08, 2014, 10:11 PM
We made a pretty simple and very good meal. We started with a Costco Rotisserie Chicken ($5!!!!) and I (attempted) to cut it up into pieces. We then put it into a salad with:
Meredith made a Wasabi Vinaigrette with:
It was very good and, other than carving the chicken, pretty easy. Note that I took off most of the chicken skin to save the calories but I left it on a in a few places to add flavor.
I also made a similar lunch the next day (pictured below). I had a tiny bit of Meredith's leftovers and I added:
I used my favorite salad dressing: Balsamic vinegar and fresh pepper. Actually, I also usually like to add some red wine vinegar but we either didn't have it or I couldn't find it. Oh well, the Kirkland vinegar is so flavorful that it wasn't really needed.
I really like meals like this. Lots of bulk from the salad, fresh flavors and pretty easy!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7802, 2014-05-08_221137
Thursday, May 08, 2014, 12:59 PM
My first real cooked meal in the new apartment. I am trying to work down the massive pantry and this is what I came up with.
I sautéd half an onion and added 3 dried chile de arbo peppers crushed (incl. seeds). Meanwhile I cooked 2 oz of buckwheat soba noodles. I added a packet of "canned" salmon to the onions and peppers along with a minced garlic clove. I then added the pasta with a bit of the water and topped it with some salt and pepper.
Overall, it was pretty good. Nothing amazing but it was a well-balanced meal with some kick. Could have used some grated parm cheese and maybe more seasonings to boost the flavor.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7796, 2014-05-08_125945
Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 12:55 PM
My last meal at the old apartment. All I had was a non-stick pan and salt+pepper. I made a chicken breast but I almost certainly overcooked it since (a) I forgot to flatten it and (b) I didn't have a meat thermometer. I also made a fried egg.
Simple and did the job but not overly impressive
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7792, 2014-04-29_125520