Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Healthy Options

  • Velvety Pureed Cauliflower Soup – a New Winter Favorite

    Unlike some of my recent blog entries, I am having a physical reaction as I am typing this post.  I am actually salivating as I think about the velvety, rich soup I made of cauliflower and chives.  The soup could not have been simpler, and really turned out wonderfully – basically like a warm hug to get you through cold winter nights.

    I did modify the Cook's Illustrated recipe in some ways though, and will likely continue to update it in the future.  First, I reduced the amount of butter I used in the recipe, starting by using only 2 tbsp. for sautéing the leeks and then another 2 tbsp. for cooking down the florets.

    Cauliflower Soup - leeks cooking down

    Cauliflower Soup - Pan frying cauliflower

    Second, I didn't have any sherry vinegar on hand and omitted it – which may have led to a soup that was a bit one-note in flavor.  I will definitely include some sort of vinegar in it moving forward to help add another flavor aspect.

    Cauliflower soup - soup simmering

    Cauliflower soup - soup cooked down

    I then only partially pureed the soup to keep some cauliflower chunks – which worked out perfectly for my tastes.

    Cauliflower soup - pureed

    Cauliflower soup - pureed in pot

    Look forward to making this soup again next winter!

    Cauliflower soup - served

  • Fuchsia Dunlop’s Xie Laoban Dan Dan Noodles – “Earthy” Version of the Sichuan Favorite

    Among the top Chinese cookbooks recommended to me have been those of Fuchsia Dunlop, the British Chinese food author and enthusiast.  As is my custom, I checked out the most highly recommended Dunlop book, the Land of Plenty, from the Queens Library. 

    Although I had high hopes for this book as I was thumbing through the recipes, unfortunately time got the best of me and I only ended up making one of the recipes – Xie Laoban's recipe for Dan Dan noodles.  I omitted the beef, but otherwise followed the recipe as is.  The recipe was almost as easy as the Serious Eats version, and I was able to find some preserved mustard stems to include, which felt like an exciting victory.

    Fuchsia Dunlop Preserved Mustard Stems

    As I cooked the mustard stems, I was able to quickly mix together the sauce as well.

    Fuchsia Dunlop Preserved Vegetables Cooking

    Fuschia Dunlap Dan Dan Mien Sauce 

    From there, all I just boiled the noodles before stirring everything together to serve.

    Fuchsia Dunlop Dan Dan Plain Noodles cooked

    Fuchsia Dunlop Mixed Dan Dan Noodles

    Fuchsia Dunlop Dan Dan Noodles Final

    This version of Dan Dan noodles felt a lot "earthier" than others I have had because the tahini flavor really stood out in the dish.  I think the tahini wasn't as balanced by ingredients like broad bean paste, which wasn't in the ingredient list.  The sauce was also much thicker than other versions of the dish I have tried.  The scallions and cilantro helped balance out some of the tahini flavor, but unfortunately the mustard stem didn't add much except for a salty flavor.  

    In the future, I think I'll continue to experiment with the Serious Eats vegetarian version of Dan Dan Noodles, which has a richer and more dynamic sauce.

  • Carrot Top Pesto – Simple Way to Use Carrot Tops!

    If you are like me, you are full of guilt about food waste.  Not full enough to actually avoid it, just decently and constantly annoyed with yourself.

    At some point, my emotions boiled over and I decided to google "carrot top" uses after I was saddened by a bag-full of leftover tops that were destined for the waste bin.  I settled on a carrot top pesto, a seemingly simple way to combine carrot tops with standard pesto ingredients – basil, olive oil, garlic and parmesan.  I ended up not really following a recipe, but just putting in and blending the portions to my taste.

    Carrot Top Pesto - out of freezer

    I also ended up freezing the pesto for future use.  Thankfully, I found an excuse to use it a few weeks later with some frozen, store-bought tortellini.

    Carrot Top Pesto - on Pasta

    Carrot Top Pesto - Mixed on Pasta

    All in all, a simple way to use up carrot tops with no discernible taste difference compared to regular pesto.  So go forth and use those greens!

  • Sichuan Braised Eggplant – One Day, I Will Master Eggplant

    Another year, another failed eggplant attempt.  Similar to my first failed eggplant attempt a few years ago, this latest effort also centered around a spicy Sichuan-style eggplant.  For this attempt, I used a Serious Eats recipe given my great success with their other Sichuan recipes of late.

    Unfortunately, this recipe turned out a bit of a mess – but at least it was better than my 2012 eggplant attempt!  The eggplant was edible, though the texture continued to feel simultaneously under and over-cooked.

    Part of the issue may have been using standard eggplant from a relative's garden, instead of the thinner Chinese or Japanese versions called for in the recipe.

    Sichuan Eggplant Cut

    In addition, I didn't exactly follow the salt-to-water ratio called for in the brining step, thinking that free-styling it would be sufficient to break down the eggplant cell structure.

    Sichuan Eggplant - Soaking in Brined Water

    I then cooked for the eggplant for longer than called for in the recipe to try to achieve a more cooked texture, but to no avail.

    Sichuan Eggplant - Braising

    Sichuan Eggplant - Braised with Scallions

    The final flavor of the sauce was excellent though, even though I didn't include the hot vinegar / bird chile mixture simply because I didn't have any bird chiles at home.  I will probably give some version of this recipe another go, but after more research about how to tackle the dreaded eggplant!

    Sichuan Eggplant - Final in Pan

  • Ten Minute Sichuan Warm Silken Tofu

    Serious Eats continues to deliver amazing, weeknight vegan / vegetarian Sichuan options.  The most recent recipe of theirs I have sampled is the Spicy Warm Silken Tofu with Celery and Cilantro Salad.  True to the title of this post, this recipe couldn't be easier to assemble and takes virtually no time, particularly with some additional modifications.

    Sichuan Tofu - Served

    First, grind the Sichuan peppercorns and cumin in either a mortar and pestle or through a fine chop on the cutting board, and then just combine with the other sauce ingredients.  Second, chop the vegetables while the tofu is warming in the microwave, omitting the ice water bath.  Third, top the warm tofu with the sauce and the vegetables, and eat immediately!

    In my two or three versions of this dish, I have made some other slight omissions depending on the ingredients in my fridge, e.g., omitting celery or sesame seeds depending on my kitchen.  In any case, the resulting output has been fantastic – reminds me a lot of the Xi'an Famous Foods Chang-an Spicy Tofu, which I love.  

    This is definitely comfort food at it's finest – warm tofu; spicy, complex sauce; and nice freshness from the cilantro, scallions and celery.

    Sichuan Tofu - Close Up

  • Ten Minute Vegan Dan Dan Noodles!

    I have to admit that I've taken some liberties with this fantastic Serious Eats Vegan Dan Dan Noodles recipe.  Some are purposeful to reduce the time required to make these amazing, spicy noodles that are a restaurant favorite, and others are inadvertent, e.g., I just don't have the required ingredient in my pantry.  Regardless of these changes though, this recipe produces an amazing meal in approx. 10 minutes!

    The first set of modifications I've made is to eliminate cooking from this recipe, except for boiling the noodles.  So while the water comes to a boil to prepare the noodles, I simply mix together the sauce ingredients.

    Dan Dan Noodles - Initial Sauce Ingredients

    I've omitted the cooked mushrooms to customize to personalize to my taste, and I have to date omitted the Sichuan pickled vegetables simply because I forgot to get them at the store.  I hope to pick some up though at some point, so will report back if this requires me to quickly saute some of the sauce ingredients v. just mixing them together.

    Dan Dan Noodles - Sauce Mixed

    The second time I made this dish, I also reduced the roasted chili oil by approx. 1 tablespoon because I found the initial chile proportions to be too spicy (and I love spice!).  I also reduced the amount of noodle cooking water I put in the sauce to approx. 1/3 so that it wouldn't be thin.

    Dan Dan Noodles - Drained, Cooked Noodles

    Dan Dan Noodles - Mixed Sauce

    After the sauce is complete, simply stir it with the cooked noodles, garnish and serve!  Really couldn't be an easier or cheaper recipe!

    Dan Dan Noodles - Mixed in Bowl

    Dan Dan Noodles - Served

  • Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme – Great Party Side Dish

    With some leftover parsley and thyme, and wilting carrots in the fridge, turning to the New York Times Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme couldn't have been more of an obvious decision.  

    The ingredients were very easy to throw together, and while the roasting took some time (~45 minutes), it allowed me plenty of time to construct the main part of my meal.

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs in Bowl

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs on Baking Sheet

    The flavors of the cooked carrots were great – though it took a fair amount of salt for the herb flavors to really come through.  These carrots would be a fantastic, low-work side dish for a dinner party.  I look forward to making them again this winter!

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs Baked

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs Close Up

  • Cucumber Dal – Lighter and Summery Dal Preparation

    With the farmers market in full swing the past month, I felt the desire to make a lighter, almost more summery, cucumber dal preparation from Saranya Mandava's Indian Cuisine cookbook.  

    The result was pretty good – the cucumber and lemon juice (in place of tamarind) added a light, almost tart flavor to the dal, while still maintaining a nice thickness from the cooked toor dal itself.  I may try this preparation with a different dal in the future, like a moong dal, because the toor dal has such a strong flavor that the cucumber couldn't quite stand up to, but otherwise this was a solid, easy dish to try again in the future.  It also froze very well, so it's a great make-ahead meal as well!

    Cucumber Pappu 2

  • Perfect Summer Side – Greek-Inspired Quinoa, Feta and Scallion Salad

    Continuing with my summer-long attempts to incorporate more protein into my diet and create more healthy side dishes, I think I have now perfected a wonderful Quinoa, Feta and Scallion summer salad recipe.  This dish was inspired by a Food.com recipe for Quinoa, Feta, and Spinach salad that we tried at an early summer get-together and that my husband declared made him a quinoa convert.  

    Quinoa Feta Salad Served

    We subsequently tried making this salad a few different ways, tailored to our personal tastes.  This ultimately meant simplifying the salad by removing the spinach and instead increasing the amount of other seasonings, e.g., the red wine vinegar, olive oil, and cucumber.  This could not be easier to make as you can chop the vegetables and measure out the seasonings while the quinoa is cooking, and then just toss everything together.  It's a great base for make-ahead work lunches as well.  Can't wait to continue making this salad again and again!

    Quinoa, Feta and Scallion Salad

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
    • 2.5 – 3 tbsp. olive oil (to taste)
    • 2.5 – 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar (to taste)
    • 1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 4 – 5 oz. feta (to taste)
    • 1 small cucumber, diced (preferably Israeli cucumber)
    • 4 – 5 scallions, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced (optional)
    • salt and ground black pepper (to taste)

    Directions

    • Bring quinoa to a boil with 2 cups water on medium-high heat.  When boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender.

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Quinoa Cooking

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Cooked Quinoa 

    • While quinoa is cooking, mix together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and cumin in small bowl.  Chop the vegetables, and cut the feta into small pieces.

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Feta Block

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Cut Feta

    • Add to quinoa after it is cooked, and then stir in other ingredients.

    Quinoa Feta Salad - with Cooked Quinoa with Scallions

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Mixed Together

    • Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

  • Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame, Ginger and Lemon Zest – Early Summer Heaven

    While I have had sugar snap peas before in stir fry dishes, cold salads and in other vegetable medley dishes, I have never actually purchased or cooked with them before.  On a whim, I saw some delicious-looking sugar snap peas at the farmers market earlier this summer, and I picked up a small bag full.

    My resulting first-time attempt at cooking this vegetable could not have gone better.  The sugar snap peas were perfectly delicate, flavorful, and completed perfectly by herbs and citrus.  While I give a lot of credit to the great Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame, Ginger and Lemon Zest recipe I used from Cook's Illustrated, I think that no matter how you cook these vegetables when they are in season, they will turn out amazingly good.

    To that end, is it next summer yet?  :-)

    Sugar Snap Peas - Roasting Sesame Seeds

    Sugar Snap Peas - Roasted Sesame Seeds and Lemon Zest

    Sugar Snap Peas - Sauteeing

    Sugar Snap Peas Sauteeing with Herbs

    Sugar Snap Peas Completed