Garlic Lo Mein Noodles w/ Black Beans & Sweet Potato Ribbons

This is a recipe of convenience.  I got home late one night with few groceries in the house and no leftovers.  I didn't feel like making a grocery store run.  So, I went in the kitchen seeking inspiration and suddenly the black void was filled with light.  I decided to pull together a dish with lo mein noodles, garlic, and black beans.  I just happened to have some leftover sweet potato rounds (thinly sliced with a mandoline) on hand that I used for a trial run of making homemade potato chips, and the sweet potato lover in me decided to add those to the mix.  I used this recipe for Homemade Noodles with Black Beans and Tamari as a guide.

Garlic Lo Mein Noodles w/Black Beans & Sweet Potato Ribbons

Ingredients:

• 1 package Lo Mein Noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• 1/3 cup scallions, chopped into 1/4 pieces
• 1/4 cup Low Sodium Tamari
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup sweet potato rounds, thinly sliced with a mandoline
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Directions:

Heat the sesame and canola oils in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the next four ingredients and cook until the garlic begins to brown.  Add the scallions, tamari, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, oyster sauce, and tamarind paste and cook until the sauce has reduced and is syrupy.  Add the black beans and sweet potato rounds.  Stir to combine.  Cook for a few additional minutes.  Add about 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency.  

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Toss with the garlic sauce and enjoy.  Garnish with chopped cilantro, green onions, or roasted sesame seeds.  

Tuna Italiano

Here are the facts:

1. As a pescetarian, I've eaten a lot of tuna sandwiches.  
2. Of the tuna sandwiches I've eaten, the best ones have all been Italian-style.  
3. Of the Italian-style tuna sandwiches I've eaten, the best ones have all been in Philly.  
4. Of the Italian-style tuna sandwiches I've eaten in Philly, the best ones are the Tuna Diablo at Primo Hoagies (#1), Ave Maria at Sarcone's Hoagie's (#2), and the Tuna Italiana at Paesano's (#3).  

So, yeah folks, Philly is a solid town that packs a mighty punch in the hoagie department!  Check out this guide from the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation http://www.visitphilly.com/philadelphia-hoagie-finder/

Every good sandwich starts with good bread.  Since Baltimore isn't particularly known for its sandwiches, my options were somewhat limited in that department.  Stone Mill Bakery would have been my preferred option, but they were closed on Sunday when I made this sandwich.  After a little searching around, I ultimately ended up getting a baguette from Bonaparte Breads to create this masterpiece.  This sandwich is probably most similar to Paesano's Tuna Italiana.

Tuna Italiano

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 3 cans chunk light tuna packed in water, drained
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe
• 1-12 oz jar hot cherry peppers
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1-8 oz jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/3 baguette
• olive oil, to taste
• 2 slices of sharp provolone cheese
• 2 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced with an egg slicer

Directions:

Tuna Salad

In a bowl, combine first four ingredients.  Set aside.  Add drained tuna to a mesh strainer and press out any remaining water.  Combine with oil mixture.  Refrigerate and allow to marinate overnight if possible.   Note: Recipe will yield enough tuna salad for multiple sandwiches.   

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe & Hot Cherry Peppers

Thoroughly wash broccoli rabe and remove stems.  Set aside.  Chop about half of the hot cherry peppers.  Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan.  Combine broccoli rabe and hot cherry peppers in the pan and sauteed until just soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add one teaspoon of minced garlic during the last two minutes of cooking.  

Marinated Roasted Red Bell Peppers

In a bowl, combine roasted red bell peppers, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of garlic.  Allow to marinate overnight.

Sandwich - The Good Stuff

Preheat oven broiler.  Using a sharp knife, cut the baguette down the middle, leaving one end intact.  Carefully press both sides of the bread flat so that the intact end doesn't break.  Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.  Add one slice of cheese to each side of the bread, cutting if necessary.  Add tuna salad and marinated roasted red bell peppers to the bottom side and the sauteed broccoli rabe & hot cherry peppers to the top side.  Place on a roasting pan and broil in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Top with hard boiled egg slices.  Fold over to seal.  Enjoy!

Barbecue Baked Beans w/ Crushed Pineapple & Quorn Grounds

Have you noticed the earthy hues of leaves slowly and meticulously painting the landscape like the delicate brushstrokes of a painter's brush?  Have you been unexpectedly hit in the face by a cold north wind?  Are you rearranging your schedule to accommodate Sunday night football?  Maybe so, maybe not.  Regardless, these are all telltale signs of autumn unfolding here in Maryland.  I am feeling mixed emotions as I long for the dog days of summer and crave for the warming comfort of fall foods.  Thankfully, baked beans are the perfect antidote for my momentary blues, perfectly marrying summer cookouts and fall bashes.  

I have a kind of special relationship with baked beans.  It was my first signature dish and, growing up, I was the Chief Engineer of Baked Beans in my house.  I can vividly recall my intrigue with mom's process as she sauteed onions and bell peppers and cooked them in a cast-iron skillet with ground beef on the stovetop.  The ground beef mixture was then transferred to a pot with canned baked beans, brown sugar, barbecue, honey, and yellow mustard and slowly simmered into a sticky, sweet reduction of beans. Hmmm, delish!  I always knew if I could cook these delicious baked beans, I'd never have to worry about going hungry.

This version is a vegetarian homage to the baked beans that my mother taught me to cook many years ago.

Barbecue Baked Beans w/ Crushed Pineapple & Quorn Grounds

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1-12 oz bag Quorn Meatless & Soy-Free Grounds
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1-14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-8 oz can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice, partially drained
• 1-28 oz can good quality Vegetarian Baked Beans
• 3/4 cup hickory smoke barbecue sauce 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275º.  In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauteed the red onions, red bell peppers, and garlic until soft, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the Quorn meatless grounds and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  If using a pot, transfer the mixture to a large ovenproof dish.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the liquid has reduced. 

Spicy Southern Collard Greens w/ Aunt Fadrie's Chow Chow

It's the end of another busy week and I'm beaming because I have something special in the refrigerator--collard greens.  I mean, honestly, there is no greater comfort than a bowl of spicy collard greens with my Aunt Fadrie's homemade chow chow.  I make it my business to pick up a jar of this delicious sweet, spicy goodness every time I go home.  I make several versions of collard greens, but today's recipe is most traditional and my personal favorite.

This recipe is one of the few times I commit pesceterian heresy and cook with meat.  I've tried smoked paprika, imitation smoked bacon bits, and liquid smoke several times for smoke flavor, but there just is no replacement for the smokiness of smoked meat in a pot of greens.  Since I wasn't cooking for anyone else in particular, I had plenty of leeway so I took the leap and grabbed some smoked turkey necks while shopping at the market.  

Right after cooking these, I came across this Commercial Appeal article on the most "southern" of all foods.  I was just as surprised with the foods mentioned on the list as I was with the ones omitted.  When their extensive panel weighed in, there seemed to be an overwhelming consensus that greens, potlikker, fried green tomatoes, okra, cornbread, barbecue, pork, chicken and dumplings, biscuits, and grits were the most southern of all foods.  I was very surprised that more people mentioned greens than any other food.  While I love greens and tend to associate them with southern food, I always thought they were eaten all over the country.  I was also quite surprised that there was no mention of catfish considering the South's dominance in catfish farming.  My list would also include chitlins, chow chow, sweet potato pie, sweet tea, pecans, muscadines, and fried chicken.  

Spicy Southern Collard Greens

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil 
• 1 lb smoked turkey (any cut)
• 1 red onion, halved
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 lbs fresh collard greens, washed, stews removed, rolled, and chopped
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the smoked turkey and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes.  Add the onion havles, cut sides down, and brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Stir in the vegetable broth.  Season with chili flakes, salt, vinegar, and garlic powder.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Adjust seasoning, if desired.  Add the collard greens and minced garlic.   Stir to combine and cover.  Cook until greens are tender for about 45 minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a teaspoon of chow chow.  Enjoy! 

Cook's Note: The longer your greens cook, the more nutritious the potlikker/broth/liquid becomes (assuming you haven't loaded it up with salt).  It's best to sop it up with cornbread or lap it up with a soup spoon.

Hominy and Corn Chowder with Mexican Pesto

Have you ever had food so good that you hide it to keep ravenous scavengers others in your household from devouring it?  You nibble at it like a Lilliputian to savor the eating experience.  You curse the person who dares to ask for your last bite of food.  If so, you will understand exactly how I feel about this chowder.

This hominy and corn chowder has an incredible depth of flavor that's perfect for jumpstarting comfort food season.  The soyrizo (soy chorizo) lends a nice spiciness.  The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gives it a pleasant smokiness.  The hominy and corn provide that luscious, sweet corn goodness and they are also a nice contrast in texture.  The cream gives it the rich taste associated with chowders.  Finally, the queso fresco, scallions, jalapeno peppers, and Mexican pesto that rounds out the chowder prove that garnishes can provide a big bang in the flavor department.  Buen Provecho!

This recipe served as a guide for this dish: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Double-Corn-Chowder-with-Chipotle-and-Bacon-239697

Hominy and Corn Chowder with Mexican Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound maiz trillado (dried cracked yellow hominy corn; 1 1/3 cups), picked over and rinsed
• 11 cups of vegetable stock made with 3 Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with Sea Salt & Herbs
• 1-12 oz pack Soyrizo
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp. jalapeno chile, minced
• 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1 can chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1 cup light cream
• 2 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/4 cup toasted pepita seeds
• 1/2 Tsp jalapeno chile, minced
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1-12 oz block queso fresco (1/2 cup freshly grated queso for pesto.  Remaining cheese can be used as a garnish for the soup)
• 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

Directions:

Soaking dried cracked yellow hominy corn: 

Cover maiz trillado with 4 cups of water and let stand overnight.  Drain and rinse, discarding water.  

Make chowder:

Add soaked corn to pot with 8 cups of vegetable stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Simmer, partially covered, until tender, about 1 hour. (Do not drain.)

While corn is cooking, brown soyrizo and onion in a large skillet on low heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes.  Add bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until pepper is softened, about 8 minutes.  

Transfer the soyrizo mixture to pot with corn and its reserved cooking liquid.  Add 3 remaining cups of vegetable stock and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Stir in fresh (or frozen) corn and simmer for another 6 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups of chowder to blender along with 5 - 6 small chipotle peppers and puree.  (Use caution and hold blender top with a clean dish towel to avoid being splashed with the hot liquid).  Stir the pure into chowder along with cream and bring just to a simmer (do not let boil).  Serve with garnish of chopped scallions, minced, fresh jalapeno peppers, queso fresco, and Mexican pesto.  

Make Mexican Pesto:

Combine the cilantro, garlic, pepitas, and jalapeno chile in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add olive oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.    

Sauteed Okra

For you to understand my love for okra, I must go back to the beginning.  All the way back to my childhood in Mississippi where okra was a standard crop in my family's vegetable garden and a staple in our diet.  Well, at least for my mom and me. I've never been much of a picky eater and my mom and I indulged in okra as a companion food for greens, purple hull & black-eyed peas, and cornbread.  I rounded out those meals with a little chow chow relish and a few slices of raw onions added to the mix.  To this very day, okra is my favorite vegetable.  Eating it, I can't help but feel nostalgic for the days of old.

A few years ago, I created this recipe for okra.  It's quite different from the lightly steamed okra I grew up on.  It's quick and easy.  The okra is slightly crunchy and the seasoning provides a surprising pop of flavor.  I once made this okra dish for a carb-loving friend who struggled to eat vegetables and she had two helpings of it.  The following week, she called me three times to let me know that she had made my okra recipe.

Sauteed Okra

Ingredients:

• 1 pat of butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small jalapeno chile, thinly sliced
• I mess of okra (roughly 15 pods)
• Creole seasoning, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Directions:

Wash, gently scrub, rinse, and clean the okra thoroughly.  Shake off excess water and set aside in a container.

Heat butter and olive in a large skillet over low heat.  Add jalapenos and okra pods to the skillet and cook about 2 minutes, thoroughly tossing the okra in the oil mixture.  Sprinkle the Creole seasoning, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper over the okra and continue cooking for another two to three minutes.  Then, added the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, being sure not to overcook the okra and garlic.  Garlic burns easily and when overcooked or cooked at too high a temperature, it will turn bitter.  

The final product should be coated in garlic and spice with a slight crunch.