Burritos with Avocado Crema

Here is an awesome recipe you should customize and make. I like to pop up here every once in while and put a recipe up. We have made this about 3 times. It's really good. I got fancy last night and made an avocado cream sauce which was finger-licking and plate-licking good.

I make a version of dry-baked burritos that use 10" tortillas that are stuffed with pinto beans, onions, garlic, potatoes, and 1 of the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages (or you could use Morningstar sausages). I've made this a few times and I never measure anything so here is an approximation. You can customize to whatever you have on hand.

Burritos with Avocado Crema
Yield: 4 servings

For burritos:
3/4 cup dry pinto beans, soaked for at least 4 hours, or substitute 1, 14 oz can of cooked pinto beans.
Olive oil
1/2 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 small waxy yellow or red potato
1 Mexican-Chipotle Field Roast sausage, crumbled
1.5 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar
8-10 10" tortillas

Avocado Crema
Yield 1 and 1/2 cups
Recipe adapted from the Hass Avocado Board here.

2 ripe avocados
1 lime
1/3 cup yogurt
some cream
water to thin
salt
Jalapeno, deveined and deseeded (optional)
Recipe follows in main directions

For garnishing finished burritos:
Thinly sliced lettuce, like Romaine
Chopped cilantro and spring onions

Directions:
1. Cook pinto beans and potato together in the pressure cooker. I use the smaller fry pan. Place soaked beans in cooker, and add enough water to the 1/2 indication level. Place whole, unpeeled potato on top of the beans. Cover, heat over high heat, and bring to high pressure. Cook 14 minutes on high pressure turning the heat down to maintain high pressure.

Since a potato has been added to the pan, watch the pressure cooker to avoid pressure falling once it reaches pressure.  Once time is up, use the natural release method to let cool. Once cooked and cooled, drain the pinto beans and peel the potato once cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 º F; Lightly grease a large baking tray that is 9 x 12".

2. In a wide and deep saute pan, heat up olive oil and saute the onion and garlic together. I usually wipe out the pressure cooker fry pan and use the same pan to avoid using too many pots. Add in the Field Roast sausage crumbles and then cube the potato and add it in. Taste for salt and add some if it needs it. Turn the heat off and stir everything together to combine it well.

3. Set out the tortillas and cheese on a plate. Taking 1 tortilla at a time, add 1-2 tablespoons of cheese and spoon about 1/4 cup or more of the bean mixture in the center of the tortilla. Take up the sides, and center it by pushing up then down. Fold the sides in from the middle and roll the burrito up tucking the sides inside so no filling spills out. Put seam side down in pan. Repeat with all burritos. Once done, set burritos in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes watching that the tops don't get too brown.

4. In a blender, add the flesh of the avocado, the juice of the lime, about 3 tablespoons of water, and the yogurt, and the jalapeno. Blend. If too thick,  thin with water and then add the cream. Adjust for salt and lime juice. You want it creamy but not too thin. Once done set aside.

5. Now to plate everything: Place 2 burritos on a plate and smother them with the avocado crema. Top with cilantro and spring onions and lettuce. Serve immediately.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some leftover burritos to devour. Happy Spring - almost Summer!

Green chutney

This is a different take on the ubiquitous green chutney that shows up as a sad accompaniment to those boring papad crackers at like every Indian restaurant. I know you've seen them. Crispy round things served with red and green sauce? They are the chips and salsa of the Indian restaurant world.

My green chutney includes cilantro, cucumbers, peanut flour and sesame oil, so I call it cilantro cucumber chutney. It can be stored up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container. I think it's great with roasted potatoes. I used peanut flour because I found dehydrated peanut butter at the grocery store, and wanted to try the peanut flour in smoothies. It tastes like peanut butter, and it makes cleaning the blender easier. However, peanut flour can be easily replaced with about 2 tbsp of whole peanuts, or plain, unsweetened, peanut butter can be used. Have you seen peanut flour, or used it? Thoughts?

Cilantro cucumber chutney
Yield: 3/4 cup, can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week. 

Ingredients:
1 bunch cilantro, as fresh as possible
4" piece cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
1 whole jalapeno, cut into segments, remove seeds if you want a mild chutney
1/2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled
juice of 1/2 of a large lemon
2 tbsp peanut flour (dehydrated peanut butter?)
1 tbsp peanut oil
1-2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 - 1 tsp salt

Special tools: cutting board, vegetable peeler, colander, and blender.

Directions:
Step 1: Wash and drain the cilantro. Trim off any dead looking parts. If you use the freshest cilantro you can find (use same day you buy) it should be fine. Add the cilantro to the blender. Trim the cucumber, peel it, and remove the seeds. Place it in the blender.

Step 2: Trim the jalapeño and peel the ginger. Cut both into large segments, and add them to the blender. For a spicier chutney, leave the jalapeño seeds intact.

Step 3: To the blender, add the lemon juice, peanut flour, peanut and sesame oils, and salt. Add in a few tbsp of water if needed. Blend until well combined (about 2 minutes).

Pinto beans with green chilies

Last year I bought myself a pressure cooker. I use it all the time. I tell everyone about the glamorous lifestyle of cooks that own pressure cookers. I talk as if I'm an expert. Here's a list of why I love them:

• Pressure cookers (PCs) are fast. The cooking time for just about everything is reduced, sometimes by a third, and sometimes by half. 
• Beans cooked in a pressure cooker almost always taste better than any other method.
• I don't have to soak beans before cooking.
• Pressure cookers allow cooks to multitask seamlessly. 
• The new, or second generation, cookers don't have the loud hiss or the jiggle top pressure release. They are quiet.

Used daily they really do change the way you start to see ingredients and the time it takes to make things. The PC hasn't replaced everything in my kitchen, but it surely gets used at least 4-5 times per week.

Pinto beans cooked in a pressure cooker come out very creamy. This element of creaminess is great when paired with a little heat from the green chilies, and some acidity from fresh lime and cilantro. This is an excellent side dish, when paired with black bean veggie patties, or it can be served as a soup with some tortilla chips on the side. I won't judge.

Pinto beans with green chilies in 10 steps
Yield: serves 4 generous servings

Ingredients:
1 cup dry pinto beans, (see Step 1 of Directions below) 
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (see Step 3 of Directions below)
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 of a large or medium onion, diced
2 bay leaves
2 and 1/2 cups no-chicken or vegetable broth, or water
1, 4 oz can diced green chilies (such as La Victoria fire roasted diced green chilies)
1 tsp salt

For garnish:
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
the juice of 1/2 of  lime

Directions:
Step 1: We are going to check out the awesomeness of the pressure cooker by preparing dried pinto beans but using the quick soak method of the cooker. Place 1 cup of dried pinto beans, 4 cups of water, and 1 tsp salt in the pressure cooker (OK to use the smaller fry pan with a 2.5 quart capacity). Close the lid and bring the contents to high pressure which is indicated by the second red ring. Cook for 2 minutes at high pressure, and then use the water release method to remove pressure. This means as soon as the time is over, place the cooker in the sink and run water down it's side to remove pressure and stop cooking. Remove the beans from the pressure cooker in a drainer, allow the water to drain away, and wipe out the cooker bottom. Proceed with the recipe. This is called quick soak. This can be done to any beans and then used in the recipe (This step replaces the usual soak and rest time for beans). *see my note below. 

Step 2: Heat the pressure cooker over medium heat (OK to use the smaller fry pan with a 2.5 quart capacity). 

Step 3: Add the whole coriander seeds and toast until fragrant about 5 minutes. Do not walk away because they go from toasted to burned very quickly. Remove the toasted coriander seeds to a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.  

Step 4: Turn the heat on the burner to medium low. Add olive oil or butter to the PC. It will melt quickly since the pan will be hot. Add the onions right away and stir. Cook the onions until they are just translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Step 5: Add the bay leaves to the PC. Stir.

Step 6: Add the drained pinto beans to the PC. Stir. 

Step 7: Add the broth or water along with the diced chilies. Use water to get any residual chilies. Trust me, the flavor for this really is pulled together with the chilies. 

I did not forget the salt or spices - you add it at the end after the PC is done cooking! 

Step 8: Stir everything together, close the pressure cooker with it's lid, and bring to high pressure (the second red bar). Once the cooker reaches high pressure, cook 12 minutes. Once the timer goes off, turn off the heat, and move the PC to another burner. Use the natural release method; this is the method where the cooker sits and rests to come down to pressure naturally without doing anything to it.  

Step 9: Grind the coriander seeds and add the ground coriander to the cumin, set aside.

Step 10: When the cooker is ready, open up the lid, and taste for salt.  Add 1 teaspoon salt, the spices, and squeeze in the lime juice and cilantro. Give a quick stir and taste for salt. Remove the bay leaves. Serve with extra lime slices and cilantro to be passed at the table. 

*Note: You may omit Step 1 by using beans that have already been soaked and drained. 

Tuna with black bean sauce

This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's Roasted Thick Fish Fillets. 

This dish smells marvelous when it's cooking. It's rich and filling for a Monday night dinner. Although it appears to take much longer to prepare, I made the fish, a brown rice pilaf, some flash-fried potatoes, and some steamed cabbage - in under an hour. Honestly, I did. I even put a bottle of wine into the freezer. 

I used frozen thick cut tuna steaks, and lots of freezer items. The premise of this dish is to pan-sear the tuna over medium-high heat for a few minutes on each side, and then finish the cooking in the oven. You add a liquid and some herbs and it creates a rich sauce. I chose a white-wine base with lots of Asian herbs (Thai basil, cilantro), ginger, fermented black bean sauce, and sun-dried tomatoes. My freezer is stocked with frozen herbs, and my pantry is stocked with useful ingredients. The freezer items included frozen fresh ginger, frozen cabbage from my fall CSA-box, Thai basil, and frozen cilantro. Frozen herbs aren't as good as fresh, but they seem more flavorful than dried. I store them whole in zip top bags, or I store them in ice cube trays. Place freshly chopped herbs and water in an ice-cube tray and freeze until frozen. Ginger root stores well in the freezer. When you want to use it just grate it frozen over a microplane, or run under water until just softened and chop. Jalapeños store well in the freezer.

The tuna was served with the sauce alongside a brown rice pilaf and steamed cabbage. Top the tuna with the fried potatoes and serve immediately. I paired this meal with a Sauvignon blanc. 

Tuna with a white wine fermented black bean sauce and Thai-basil

This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's Roasted Thick Fish Fillets

Yield: Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil 

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into a small dice (1/2" by 1/2")

1 or 2, 6 oz tuna steaks

salt and pepper

3/4 cup white wine plus 1/4 cup water (can also use vegetable broth instead of wine)

1 tbsp fermented black bean sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)

1/2 cup mixed Thai basil and cilantro 

1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Fresh ginger, shredded 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450º F (230º C).

2. In an oven-proof skillet, heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the small diced potatoes and cook until golden brown (6 minutes). Once golden, spoon off the potatoes with some of the remaining olive oil and place on a non-stick baking pan in the oven to finish cooking. Set a timer for 8 minutes to avoid overcooking. You should have about 2 tbsp of olive oil leftover. 

3. Dredge the tuna in a bit of salt and pepper. I used Trader Joe's chili sea salt. Place the tuna in the skillet, and sear on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine wine, water, and the fermented black bean sauce and pour into the skillet. The skillet will make an impressive sizzling sound. Lift the pan and swirl around the liquid, and then place in the oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes. 

4. Combine the herbs, sun dried tomatoes, and slivered, or shredded, ginger in a small bowl and set aside. 

5. Once the 10-minute timer goes off, flip the tuna over, add the bowl of herbs from step 4, and set the timer for another 5-6 minutes. If the tuna is thicker, it may require additional cooking time. Alternatively, if you like your tuna on the medium side, cook for less time. The fish is done when it flakes easily. Serve immediately and garnish with potatoes. 

Khadi

Khadi a chickpea flour and buttermilk soup seasoned with curry leaves, cumin seeds, and turmeric.


Chickpea flour, or besan.

Khadi is a Gujarati soup made out of chickpea flour and buttermilk and seasoned with curry leaves, cumin seeds, and turmeric. It's often served with basmati rice in a thali, or it's served on top of kitchdi. Kitchdi is a rice and lentil dish, where they are both cooked together with minimal seasoning.

Kitchdi and khadi are Guju comfort food for me. Growing up, if we had come home from a trip or vacation, and the fridge needed restocking my parents would serve this; if there was nothing to cook, my parents would cook this; if we got sick, my parents would cook this. This is truly a dish you will not find at any restaurant. It is simple down-home Gujarati cooking, and one I'm sure that is passed on as tradition. Thus, the flavor varies widely, but that is half the fun. This is not a hard dish to make, but it does take a bit of pre-planning in that you need buttermilk, chickpea flour, and a few of the spices. Follow the directions as closely as possible.

Mitta limbda or mitto limdo (basically curry leaves), or cilantro are key in lending and infusing khadi with its distinctive flavor. If you can't find curry leaves, sub in generous amounts of cilantro - honestly as much as you think you'll like, I would go for 1/2 cup chopped. Although most Gujarati cuisine is sweetened with some sugar, my mom's version (and to a much larger extent all of her cooking) lacks unnecessary sugar. The basic flavors of buttermilk, cumin seeds, cilantro, and turmeric really carry this dish.

Khadi
Chickpea flour and buttermilk soup seasoned with curry leaves, cumin seeds, and turmeric. 
Serves: 2; recipe by my mom. 


Ingredients:
2 tbsp of chickpea flour (such as besan flour) plus 1/3 cup water
1 cup buttermilk (can substitute yogurt)
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/8 tsp udad dhal (optional)
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)
pinch asafoetida or hing (optional)
6 curry leaves
2 tbsp chopped cilantro; increase to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro if omitting curry leaves
1/2 - 1 tsp salt, add less if your buttermilk or yogurt is salty
1/4 tsp turmeric

Directions:
Dissolve the chickpea flour in a small amount (approx 1/3 cup) of water in a small mixing bowl large enough to hold 3 cups. Whisk it together (with a whisk) until it is smooth and there are no clumps. Then add the rest of the water and buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, yogurt is a fine substitute; in Belgium, I used plattekeis and it was delicious.

Next in a heavy bottom pan, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil (butter or ghee is much better) over medium heat. We're going to do a vaghar (and now you know a word in Guju too). A vaghar is like frying seeds and lentils, and infusing the oil with some of the aromatics from the seeds or lentils. To the oil add in 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1/8 tsp udad dhal, 1/8 tsp fenugreek, and a pinch of hing or asafoetida. Once the oil begins to get hot, the seeds and lentils will give off a nice fragrance. Don't let them brown too much.  If using curry leaves, add them now. They only need a bit of time and you don't want them to brown. Turn the heat to low.

Make sure you turn the heat to low. When everything is simmering, very carefully pour in the buttermilk/chickpea flour mixture. Stir it together well, and then add in cilantro, salt and turmeric. Stir together. Leave a stainless steel spoon in the khadi. This will prevent it from bubbling over. Stay with the khadi. It will overflow if ignored, and then you'll end up with a big mess. Keep an eye on it, stir it frequently. Adjust for salt. The khadi should be done in 20-25 minutes.

Serve, steaming hot, with some plain cooked rice, or kitchdi (recipe will be posted soon), ghee, and papad.

Chipotle Salsa

Salsa ingredients + lazy Friday afternoon + bad photography = chipotle salsa!

orange bell peppers getting diced

green bell peppers getting prepped

After hand-chopping almost a dozen of these guys, I realized I needed a picture. Tomato love.

Jars of chipotle salsa

and since it's a lazy Friday:

Duds' shows off his stretching

Not sure if salsa is kitty appropriate

This is a delicious, hearty, spicy, tasty, slightly smoky fresh salsa and I can't wait to share it on here. I've been eating it this entire past month. The recipe comes from my family in NC, I can't remember when I copied it down, but I've held onto it for a few years. It's easy to prepare and freezes well. You can chop all ingredients by hand – it'll take about an hour; a food processor will certainly speed things up, and can be used as well.

S and K's Chipotle Salsa

2 and ½ lbs ripe tomatoes, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

1-2 bell peppers (green, red, or yellow), chopped fine

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can, 7.5 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped fine

2 tsp of adobo sauce

1-2 tbsp lime juice

1-2 tbsp vinegar (e.g. white-wine vinegar is fine)

1-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp oregano (dried is fine)

½ cup cilantro, chopped fine

For a super hot salsa, count 1-2 chipotle peppers per tomato; for a medium salsa use 4-5 chipotle peppers for the batch, and for a mild salsa use 2-3 chipotle peppers for the batch. Use gloves to handle peppers. Start off adding half the chipotle amount, taste and adjust, and add extra as needed. The salsa can get spicy quickly.

If using a food processor you'll whip this up in no time. Attach the chopping blades and mince whole garlic first. Add in onions (prepped as quarters) and chop to combine. Chop until desired consistency is reached. Remove to a bowl, or a large soup stockpot. Add in bell peppers (prepped as quarters), chop then remove. Finally, add in tomatoes (prepped as quarters) with chipotle peppers (kept whole) and chop until desired consistency is reached. Add all chopped ingredients to a large mixing bowl, or a large soup stockpot. Stir in adobo sauce, lime juice through cilantro and combine. If adding additional chipotle peppers, just chop them in the food processor and add to the pot.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a large soup stockpot. Stir to combine and adjust for taste.
2. Heat up salsa over medium heat and simmer 10-15 minutes. Once cool, ladle into jars and set in fridge. You can freeze extras, thaw overnight in the fridge and it's ready to eat.

Potatoes with Turmeric and Mustard Seeds

I know that after you saw the bittermelon post you couldn't wait for these potatoes! They are a favorite and can really be served with anything. Super simple to prepare, these are always a hit. If you want them spicier top them with chopped jalapeno and cilantro. Sometimes, shredded coconut is also good. Once again, since Indian foods tend to have crazy long ingredient lists, just omit what you don't have (I have listed these as optional).

Potatoes with Turmeric and Mustard Seeds

(Bataka ni Shak)

Serves: 4

2 cups diced new potatoes (peeled; you may want 6-8 potatoes); baking potatoes, such as russets, will fall apart.

1 tbsp peanut oil, or olive oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds (optional)

pinch asafoetida powder or hing (optional)

¾ tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste (probably ½ tsp)

½ cup water

cilantro to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat up the peanut oil or olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Once hot, add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida powder (you'll be making a vaghar). Once mustard seeds start to pop add in potatoes. Stir everything together.
3. Add in turmeric and salt, and stir together. Add in water, and stir.
4. Cover the pan slightly, and cook for 20 minutes. You might need to add in more water. Just keep an eye on it – you don't want the potatoes to stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste for salt. If potatoes pierce easily with a fork, they are cooked. Top with cilantro and serve immediately.  

Alternative: the potatoes can be peeled, cut up and cooked in microwave safe dish along with about 3/4 cup water. You can do the vaghar with the mustard seeds then add cooked potatoes and finish with turmeric and salt. 

Vegetable Potsticker Dumplings 3 Ways

I'll admit it. I was jealous. You would be to if you looked at these fantastic delicious dumplings and pot stickers. I was jealous, but inspired. A few weekends back, I made batches of these and put them in the freezer. Below are 3 recipes for preparing vegetarian potsticker dumplings with ready-prepared wonton wrappers (square or circular). Although I use the word dumpling often, these are probably closer to potstickers, since they are first lightly pan fried in a skillet, and then steamed, hence potsticker dumplings.

Prepare the ingredients, and then lay out the fillings in bowls. Set out the wonton wrappers, a small bowl of water, and a freezer-safe tray or dish. Fill each wrapper with 1 tsp of stuffing, wet the borders on one side of the wrapper, and fold together. You can make nice pleats if you want; avoid over-stuffing as it'll make it difficult to stay closed. Freeze dumplings before transferring them to freezer safe storage bags. Don't forget to label them if you make multiple recipes.

When ready to cook (frozen or fresh) heat up 1 tbsp of peanut oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add in dumplings in a single layer, and cook 1-2 minutes (fresh), and 2-4 minutes (frozen) or until bottoms are golden. Add in ¼ cup of water, and steam the dumplings until the water evaporates, about 2 minutes. Carefully, remove the dumplings (or pot stickers) and serve immediately with some dipping sauce. I like to mix together 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and 1 tbsp green onions. Four to five dumplings make a nice appetizer.

Recipe 1: Chinese 5-spice potsticker dumplings

1 block of tempeh, steamed and crumbled

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 medium carrot, grated

1 cup napa cabbage, shredded

1, 1/2-inch piece of ginger, chopped fine

2 green onions, chopped fine

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped fine

½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder

30 wonton wrappers

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add in tempeh and turn heat down to medium. Steam/boil for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Crumble into a fine texture once cool enough to handle.
2. In a large bowl combine carrot, cabbage, ginger, green onions, and cilantro. Stir to combine.
3. Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a wide skillet, add in garlic and tempeh and stir-fry 5 minutes. Once golden, add in carrot through cilantro mixture. Continue to cook 2 minutes and stir in Chinese 5-spice powder. Remove to a bowl to cool.

Recipe 2: Chinese dumplings with cabbage, mushrooms and leeks

Recipe adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. The recipe calls for 24 wonton wrappers, but when I made this it made closer to 50.

1 pound napa cabbage or 4 generous cups, shredded, or sliced very fine

salt

½ cup whole shiitake or oyster mushrooms, finely chopped (*see note below)

2 tbsp leeks or green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1, ½-piece ginger, chopped fine

1 tsp rice-wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

50 wonton wrappers

*Note: you can also use ¼ cup dried black Chinese mushrooms, and ¼ cup dried tree ear mushrooms, rehydrated, and chopped. If using these, omit shiitake, and use fresh mushrooms instead.

1. Set the cabbage in a colander over the sink. Salt the cabbage generously and let sit for about an hour. Squeeze excess water from cabbage. Rinse the cabbage lightly to get rid of the salt. Taste to make sure it isn't too salty.
2. Combine cabbage, mushrooms, leeks or green onions, garlic, ginger, and rice-wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
3. When ready to cook, add in ½ cup of water instead of ¼ cup of water and steam them for 7 minutes. Since the stuffing is raw, it'll cook the veggies down a bit.

Recipe 3: Spicy edamame potsticker dumplings

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine. I have made these several times, and they are the simplest dumplings to prepare.

1 cup edamame, shelled (if frozen, cooked according to package directions)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp red chili flakes

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

20 wonton wrappers

1. Combine edamame, lemon juice, red chili flakes, and cumin in a food processor; process until smooth, do not over process. Stir in sesame oil, and taste. Adjust with salt and pepper. To make without a food processor, smash the beans when they are hot with potato masher, and then add in rest of ingredients and continue to smash.

Dipping sauce: Soy-rice-sesame dipping sauce

3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil or dark sesame oil

Optional: 1 tbsp green onions or 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Combine all ingredients together and stir in green onions or sesame seeds if using. Serve immediately. You can alter the proportions of any ingredient, or omit them. To make a spicier dipping sauce, add in ¼ tsp red chili flakes and 1 clove minced fresh garlic.

Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Fresh Salsa

Belgian Burritos! So not really, but I'm really missing Mexican and Tex-Mex foods. I even bought a casserole dish just for this. Well the casserole was advertised as being on sale, but I couldn't understand the Dutch well enough to read that I needed to have 8 Carrefour (the local grocery chain) stamp/tickets to get the "sale" price. Sara - You would LOVE this dish. Miss you lots.  Make the salsa first so the flavors can steep.

Ingredients:

For the burritos

1 large baking potato (or 2 medium sized ones, or 4-6 small ones), diced and cooked. Sweet potatoes are even better in this dish than regular potatoes.
2 cups black beans cooked, or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package 8" tortillas (this made enough for 8 burritos)
1 cup shredded cheddar, you can use more or less if cheese is your thing (use monterey jack or whatever yummy US mexican cheese blend you can find)
1/2 cup onion, chopped (you can use the other half in the salsa)
2 cloves garlic, chopped and divided (1 clove in the potatoes, the other in the black beans)
2 tsp cumin, divided (1 tsp in the potatoes and the other in the black beans)
1 tsp ancho chili powder or regular chili powder, divided (yep, same as above)
pinch cayenne
salt to taste
1/2 of a lime (probably one of the halves used to make salsa)

Ingredients for the salsa

3 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 T chopped onion
1 large garlic clove chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined, and chopped
juice of 2 limes
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F, and oil a casserole dish.
2. Cook potatoes either in microwave or boil them. Once done cooking, add in 1 tsp cumin, salt, pinch cayenne, 1/2 tsp of ancho chili powder, and 1 garlic clove. Mash together and set aside. Adjust seasonings if necessary. You can reserve some of the cooking water to make the mashing easier. 
3. In a saucepan, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat and add onion and the other garlic clove. After 5 minutes, add in cumin, salt, and ancho chili powder. 
4. Next, add in black beans and stir to combine, adding water if it gets too dry. Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the black beans, stir and set aside. Adjust with salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Meanwhile, set out tortillas to warm in the oven to soften them up. Once warm, like a burrito, layer the tortilla with potatoes, cheddar cheese, and black beans. Roll up and place in casserole dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes. 

For the Salsa

1. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, lime juice and salt. Mix well. You may need more or less lime juice, so squeeze in 1 lime, then taste and adjust. 
2. Stir in cilantro and avocado. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
3. Serve with burritos.

And one last pica:

Luggage Duds:

Cilantro Spicy Noodles

I know this seems like a hellish list of ingredients and steps. It is rather intuitive. Before you do anything, boil water for the pasta, and while that is heating, cut up veggies and prepare the dressing. If roasting peanuts and sesame seeds sounds stupid to you, just omit the step or toss in some canned peanuts. Serve right away or chill for some cold noodles. If you don't have everything here just use what you have around. I'm sure just the noodles and dressing would be good enough.

Serve 6-8
1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked according to package directions and set aside
1 squash, julienned
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined, and minced
1 T ginger, peeled and minced
1 T canola or vegetable oil

For the dressing:
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T hot sauce
3 T apple cider vinegar OR 2 T rice wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1 c reserved cooking liquid

For garnish:
1/2-3/4 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 c roasted peanuts
1 T roasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside and reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add jalapeno and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Do not let brown.
3. Add in squash through peppers and continue to cook until tender to the bite.
4. Meanwhile combine the dressing ingredients and add in a little bit (1-2 T) of the reserved cooking liquid to help the sugar dissolve. Adjust seasonings if needed. You may need to add a little more of the seasonings depending on your taste. The vinegar was deemed too vinegary so feel free to omit this ingredient.
5. If using raw peanuts and sesame seeds set a small saute pan over medium-low heat. Spray with cooking spray and slow roast the peanuts (about 8 minutes) until done. Set aside to cool and chop when cool enough to handle.
6. If using sesame seeds, add to pan and roast. These will burn quickly so watch them closely. When golden set aside.
7. Finally, add a little bit (1/4 cup) of the reserved cooking liquid to the drained pasta noodles to help them not stick. Toss slightly until they come apart. Add in vegetables and dressing and toss well. Garnish with cilantro, peanuts and sesame seeds and toss well to combine everything.

Sambar post

Perhaps what I love more than Indian food is South Indian food. Masala dosa has to be an all-time favorite. Dosa is made from a rice and split black gram fermented batter, poured into a pan like a crepe, and then stuffed with masala potatoes, and served alongside a steamy tuver dhal based sambar with coriander and cumin aromas.

What makes me appreciate sambar more than anything is using your own garden grown veggies in the recipe. Sambar vegetables usually include squash, peppers, and tomatoes. I personally love okra, tomatoes, eggplant, onions (or leeks), and lots and lots of fresh and ground coriander (ground coriander seed + cilantro). Because I enjoy more of a "sour" sambar, I'll use less tomato and more tamarind paste. You could use any variety of soup/stew style veggies.



This is my mom's sambar recipe tweaked with my ocd sambar obsession. If you can't find these ingredients (I've put substitutions or links in the ingredient listing, these are just FYI), try a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant. I recommend Tower in Morrisville, NC. You can't go wrong.

Sambar
Serves 4 or more.

1 C tuver dhal

2 C water

Cook in pressure cooker and set aside (you can also cook on stove top in pot; skim off foamy liquids and mash coarsely when done)

In large stockpot

(vaghar)

1 T oil

1/2 t channa dhal

1/2 t urad dhal

1 1/2 t cumin seeds

1/2 c onions, chopped

1/4 t hing or asafoetida powder (or use garlic powder)

8-10 mitta limbda leaves (or use bay leaves)

1 1/2 c mixed sambar vegetables (shallots, carrots, okra, eggplant, tomatoes)

1 t turmeric

2 T sambar powder
1 T cumin, ground
1 T coriander, ground

1 T tamarind concentrate

1/2 cup tomato sauce or 2 tomatoes, chopped

1-2 cups water

1 t salt

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat.
2. Add channa, urad, cumin, hing and mitta limbda leaves. Cook 3 minutes.
3. Next add shallots if using and onions.
4. Stir in sambar vegetables.
5. Next add tuver, extra water and bring to a boil. Add salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil cook 5-6 more minutes
   
6. Add sambar powder, tamarind and tomato sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Note:

t = teaspoon

T= = tablespoon