Tightening up my nutrition has had me eating well the past week. Part of this is that having rules and restrictions can foster creativity for me--it's sort of like writing a poem within the bounds of a form. It's also because eating out is difficult to do and I'm trying to eat more often--recently I'd reverted to only eating 3-4 times a day--so I really need to cook a tasty variety of food to keep myself happy. Here are a few of my creations.


Protein Kaiserschmarrn

This is not quite Kaiserschmarrn but the taste and cooking method really remind me of this German/Austrian dessert. I created this recipe by accident one morning when attempting to make protein pancakes. Our sea shipment from China, which had my good nonstick skillet in it, had not yet arrived. So I cooked the pancake in a not-very-nonstick skillet which I had left behind in Germany. It stuck like crazy, so I couldn't flip it. I broke the pancake up into pieces and continued flipping them around in the pan until everything was just barely cooked. This concoction was pretty amazing, like eating dessert for breakfast. It would make a delicious dessert--if you wanted to be decadent you could dust it with powdered sugar and/or serve it with applesauce, another fruit sauce or barely (or not at all) sweetened whipped cream. I do make this in my good nonstick skillet now, intentionally breaking the cake into pieces as it cooks.

2 scoops low-carb vanilla whey protein powder
3 eggs
about 1/2-1 cup rolled oats
about 1/3 tsp. salt
about 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
about 2 Tbsp. milk or water
(optional: about 2-4 Tbsp. milled flaxseed, or this milled flax mixed with dehydrated berry powder that I found at Costco)
about 1/2-1 cup frozen blueberries
a large handful of chopped pecans (I just break them by hand into the bowl, no need to get a knife and cutting board dirty)
unsalted butter

In a large bowl use a fork to whisk together the protein powder and eggs. Stir in the oats, salt, cinnamon, milk or water and if, desired, flaxseed. Add the berries and nuts and stir again. The batter will be pretty gloopy. You can use the blueberries frozen since they're small but if you use some other kind of larger berry it's best to at least partially defrost them first.

Rub a stick of unsalted butter over the bottom of a skillet, a thin layer to cover. Heat the skillet over medium, then add the batter. It will be very thick so you'll need to spread it out to cover the pan. Cook it for about 3-5 minutes, or until the bottom side is browning like a pancake. Use a spatula to flip the pancake in parts, breaking it into pieces. I like to have some nice large pieces as well as smaller ones. Cook for a few more minutes, flipping and breaking the cake more as needed, until it is just cooked--still moist in the middle. This serves two very hungry people. It has substantial carbs so I like it for breakfast or for a post-workout meal.


Five-Spice Tilapia

This is a variation on my Baked Salmon with Magically Delicious Fish-oil Drenched Onions. I have yet to get tired of this recipe, as there are so many variations possible. Another variation is to use basil and substitute sliced tomatoes for the citrus.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 bell peppers (I like one red and one orange), sliced
about 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
about 1 Tbsp. thinly sliced ginger (I like to make matchsticks)
about 2 tsp. five spice powder (I may have used more, I kind of spilled it into the pan)
a little salt
fresh ground pepper
4 tilapia loins, rinsed and patted dry
4 or 5 mandarin oranges (or other variety of orange), unpeeled, sliced thin

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium. Add the olive oil and after it's hot, add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, ginger and some of the five spice. Saute until tender and turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and lightly salt the vegetables. Rub the tilapia with a little salt, pepper and allspice and place it over the vegetables. Arrange the orange slices over the fish. Slide the pan into the oven and bake about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.


Vaguely Greek Spinach Burgers

I really wanted feta in these but I didn't have any. This is only the second time in my life I've made hamburgers. I know adding all sorts of things to burgers was a bit of a fad a few years ago I'm behind the times as I made up this recipe Friday afternoon.

about 1 Tbsp. peanut oil
about 5 cloves garlic, more or less to your taste, minced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
a lot of fresh spinach, as much as will fit in your wok, washed (you want some water still clinging to the leaves to help it steam a little in the wok)
a dash of salt

oh, let's say something like 16-20oz. ground lean beef. I don't really know. It was about 1/3 of a huge package we got at Costco.
1 egg
about 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 yellow onion, minced
a few cloves of garlic, minced
about 1/4-1/3 cup grated monterey jack cheese
about 2 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

Heat your wok over high heat. When hot, add the peanut oil in a swirl to coat the surface. Add the garlic and onion and cook 20-30 seconds. Add all the spinach and a little salt and continue to cook, turning and stirring the spinach often (I like to use tongs) until it is wilted. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, stir together the beef, egg, onion, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach, mince it, and add it to the mix. Let rest for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld. Form burgers--I attempted to go for about 5oz. each but who knows? This made seven burgers for me. I just got a new cast iron stovetop griddle/grill, so I cooked them on that. You can cook them in a skillet or grill them or whatever you prefer. Serve with sliced tomato and stone-ground mustard. (Or whatever your desired condiments are).


Palava Chicken

I made this one this afternoon. I particularly liked how the peanut butter made the sauce creamy. The flavors were quite harmonious.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed, patted dry and sliced fairly thin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
about 4-5 cloves garlic, roughly minced
6 small or 4 large tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt people!)
about 2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
lots of fresh spinach, probably 6 cups or so
about 1 Tbsp. extra hot New Mexican red chile powder
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet (or chef's pan, which I prefer) over medium. Add the olive oil, then the chicken. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is browning a bit on all sides, then remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Add the onion, garlic and tomatoes to the pan juices and saute for about five minutes or until they are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the peanut butter and half the water. Cook, stirring pretty much constantly to keep the peanut butter from burning, for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the remaining water, thyme, chile, spinach and, if desired, a little more salt and pepper (I didn't add more as there was plenty of salt on my chicken and in my peanut butter). Stir the spinach into the liquid until it is starting to wilt enough that there's room to add the chicken back to the pan. Add the chicken and cook the whole mess, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through, about another 5-10 minutes. If your chicken breasts are large you can probably get about 6 servings of stew out of this recipe.

Inspired. I cooked onions slowly until they began to brown at the edges, then added a small spoonful of brown sugar and just a tiny dash of grated nutmeg, turned up the heat, and continued cooking until they were dark and caramelized. Then I pushed all the onions to one side of the pan and melted about a tablespoon of butter in the other side. I brushed this onion-infused melted butter over a pizza crust (ready-made, but still good), then topped it with sliced apples, mascarpone and gorgonzola cheese and the caramelized onions. Gods, it may have been the best pizza I've ever had.

I'm coming down with some sort of sore throat/cough/fever/wooziness sickness and this evening I no longer had any desire to eat what I had planned for dinner. I didn't have a lot of ingredients to work with but I came up with a delicious and soothing soup.

3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
about 1/4 tsp. spicy (not sweet!) paprika
about 1 cup sliced ubiquitous brown mushrooms
salt, to taste

Combine the broth and rice in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Stir in the green onions and simmer another 8 minutes or so, then stir in the mushrooms, thyme and paprika. Whisk the flour and milk together in a bowl or large cup. After another 3 minutes or so, pour this mixture into the soup, slowly, while stirring. Bring back to a low boil and continue stirring until it has thickened a bit.

It's that time of year...in my family Posole was a tradition on the eve.

(serves about 8-12)

1 lb. posole corn, rinsed thoroughly (if posole is too hard to find hominy can be substituted)
10 cups water
about 1 lb. pork or beef roast (I prefer pork)
5 more cups water
2 Tbsp salt
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed dried oregano
1 tsp. fresh ground cumin
3-6 dried red chile pods, rinsed and crumbled (or about 1-4 Tbsp red chile powder, to taste)

Put the posole and 10 cups water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 3 hours.

After about 2 hours, brown the pork in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the browned pork to the posole with another 5 cups of water and continue cooking on low heat until the pork is tender.

Add the remaining ingredients and continue simmering until the posole pops (the kernels break open). (In the end posole takes quite a long time to cook). Adjust seasonings and serve. Posole is even better after it sits in the refrigerator for a day or two, as it gets hotter and the flavors deepen and meld. :) It also freezes well.

Serve with fresh flour or corn tortillas, lime wedges, minced onion, chopped cilantro, maybe some chopped avocado--all the garnishes heaped in bowls so everyone can have as much or as little as they want--and Mexican beer. :)

Recipe as requested:

Both these recipes for sopapillas yield about 4 dozen!! But the recipes halve well, if you don't need that many.

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups warm milk (the original recipe I used calls for scalded milk but I don't find this necessary)
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. shortening or lard, plus extra

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and milk. Stir and let dissolve for about 10 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the shortening. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture. Stir until a dough forms.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest about 5-10 minutes.

Heat 2 inches of shortening in a deep heavy pan at medium-high heat. You can also use a deep-fryer.

Roll the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into squares (about 4 inches square) and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. If the sopapillas don't puff up, your shortening isn't hot enough. Drain the sopapillas on paper towels. Serve with spicy foods to cut the heat, stuff with meat or whatever, or serve as a dessert with honey (or anything you want, of course).


Baking Powder Sopapillas
I prefer yeast sopapillas but these are good too.

4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. shortening
1 1/2 cups warm water
shortening

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in shortening, make a well, add water and work into a dough.

Knead the dough until smooth, about 5-10 minutes, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll and cut the sopapillas out and fry as in the previous recipe.

I've been working on writing down my favorite recipes, particularly for New Mexican food. (In the past I was generally sharing experimental food with you, not old favorites). There will be many more of these recipes coming in the future. Here are the results so far:

( Corn Tortillas )

( Flour Tortillas )

( Calabacitas )

( Green Chile Spinach Enchiladas )

( Green Chile Stew )

( Tortilla Soup )

( Frijoles Pintos (pinto beans) )

( Frijoles Refritos (refried beans) )

( Sopa )
( Pumpkin Pie )

I made this to take to Thanksgiving in Italy last year. Last night I altered the recipe a bit. This version of the bread had more fruit and more ginger than last time; I'm not exactly sure how much more. It's also a bit sweeter. With all the fruit as well as walnuts, this bread is hearty and a slice or two makes a nice breakfast. I had the first slice this morning (it tastes best if you let it sit overnight before slicing it) toasted and smothered in mascarpone, which melted some from the heat of the bread and made a gooey, creamy, fruity mess. :)



Sherried Fruit Bread (variation)

about 3-4 cups mixed dried fruits--I used a mixture of mangoes, apricots, prunes, apples, peaches, pears, cranberries, currants and raisins
about 4 or 5 Tbsp candied ginger
a little more than 2/3 cup good sherry
grated zest of one orange
2 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp.
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
a little more than 3/4 cup milk
2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 heaping tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
a little fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup walnuts, or a bit more, lightly toasted (stir often in a dry pan over med-low until they smell/taste toasty)

Cut the larger fruits into smaller pieces. The pieces of fruit in the bread can be as large or as small as you like. Place all the fruits in a saucepan with the ginger, sherry and orange zest. Bring this to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat, cover and let it steep for about 30 minutes.

Butter and flour a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then add the egg, then the milk.

Combine the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet mix. Fold the mixture together, being careful not to overmix. Stir in the walnuts, the macerated fruit and its liquid. Spoon or pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Wrap the bread in plastic or foil once it's completely cooled. It tastes better if you let it sit for a day before slicing. It is especially good toasted and spread with butter or cream cheese.



( four photos behind the cut )

I just typed this up for elsewhere and even though it's such a simple recipe that everyone should know, maybe some of you don't. So I'll repeat it here. :)

My favorite fast/easy dinner is Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

You'll need:
3 eggs
1/2 cup or more Parmesano Reggiano (or half Pecorino Romano and half Parmesano Reggiano)
about 125 grams of pancetta (or prosciutto), chopped in small cubes
500 grams spaghetti
about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
garlic (as much as you like), sliced very thin
about 1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile break the eggs into a bowl, add the cheese and whisk. I also go ahead and add my salt and pepper at this time but the first time you make it you should add them at the end so you can find out by tasting how much you like.

Salt the water, add the spaghetti, and cook until just under al dente.

Meanwhile heat a large frying pan over medium, add the olive oil, then add the pancetta and sauté until it's crispy, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Add the wine and let it reduce while the spaghetti continues cooking.

When the spaghetti is nearly done, drain it and add it to the pan with the pancetta and garlic with a bit of its cooking water. Stir until the spaghetti is cooked to your liking. Dump the contents into the bowl with the eggs, stir, and add salt and pepper to taste. Yum. :)

Edit: I'd like to include some notes about the making of this bread. I am a bit amused at my own nonchalant attitude about making up a yeast bread recipe for the first time. But that's just my attitude toward cooking in general. I like to make up my own recipes, not follow others--so I figure I understand the basics of yeast bread now, so why not make up a recipe for tomato bread, based on the recipe that I'm using for Italian bread (a recipe which is modified from a cookbook recipe)?

I figured I could use smashed roasted tomatoes rather than water and that it would be a good idea to add more salt than usual, as well as some sugar, to help highlight the flavor of the tomatoes. When it comes to flour, well, I used all the flour in my house. Thank goodness, I had just enough. That's the real reason why I used some whole wheat flour--I didn't have enough white. I didn't really realize how much liquid all those tomatoes would yield--I ended up with about twice as much bread as I usually do.

Deliciously sweet, tart, sensual tomatoes, filled with the energies of summer...I bought them at Viktualienmarkt. I loved how their different-colored skins and bits of pulp confettied the bread. :) When we ate the bread and roasted tomatoes (yes that's what we had for dinner!) last night V kept saying "fuck yum." And the whole roasted tomatoes were so divine with some of their balsamicy/olive oily/tomatoey juices spooned over the top and eaten whole--a sensual mouth experience on the level of raw oysters and sushi in the realm of pure sensual pleasure.

This bread was my entry for this week's Vegan Cook-Off. So we'll see how that turns out...

Ingredients:
an assortment of vine-ripened tomatoes--I used four orange plum tomatoes, four small red tomatoes and four small yellow tomatoes
13 small tomatoes, still on the vine
1 handful fresh basil leaves
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
peperoncino oil (peperoncino steeped in extra virgin olive oil) or crushed red pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 heads garlic
aged balsamic vinegar

Bread:
roasted tomato liquid (see below)
2 Tbsp unrefined sugar
4 Tbsp dry yeast
extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp salt, or to taste
1-2 cups whole-wheat flour
about 6 cups unbleached white flour

This makes four small loaves of bread.

Preheat your oven to 150 C (300 F). Prick each of the tomatoes which have been washed and removed from the vine with a knife. Toss them into an oven-safe pan or roasting tray . Toss in the basil, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle some peperoncino oil and olive oil over the top. Stir with your hands to mix everything up.

Gently wash the tomatoes which are still on the vine, being careful not to break them off the vine. Place them in another roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Chop off the top of the heads of garlic, place on foil, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and wrap tightly in the foil.

Place the tomatoes and the garlic in the oven together. Roast for one hour. Drizzle the tomatoes on the vine with aged balsamic vinegar and return to the oven for another half hour.

Mash the roast (off the vine) tomatoes, mashing in the cloves of roast garlic as well. Pour the tomato mush (there should be a bit more than 2 cups tomato mush; you can add water if you don't have enough) into a bowl, stir in 2 Tbsp sugar, and let cool to lukewarm.

Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the tomatoes and let stand a few minutes to dissolve. Add a few lugs of olive oil and 4 tsp salt. Stir in the whole wheat flour. Begin adding the white flour, a cup at a time, until you've added about five cups. Continue adding flour bit by bit just until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it becomes smooth, about 15 minutes. Put the dough in a large oiled bowl, turning once to coat with oil. Cover and let rise until doubled.

When the tomatoes on the vine come out of the oven, gently remove them with their juices to a deep plate or bowl to cool.

Punch the dough down and shape into four loaves. Let the loaves rise again on a baking sheet which has been lightly oiled and sprinkled with cornmeal. Heat your oven to 190 C (375 F). After about 30 minutes, put the loaves in the oven. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until a loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Serve slices of the bread with the vine-ripened tomatoes and their pan-juices. Place a tomato on each slice of bread, smash and spread. You can also tear pieces of the bread to dip in the juices. Yum! :)

( three photos )

As the two of us hungrily gathered over the large skillet brimming with succulent golden rice, dark turkey pieces, squid, shrimp, tiny whole fish (I've already forgotten their German name, never knew their English name), Spanish ham (oops, another memory-omission, was it serrano?), red and orange bell peppers, tomatoes, peas, onions and garlic ringed by eight lemon wedges that seemed a pale yellow compared to the rest of the dish, V asked, "do you want to take a picture?" . . . well, no. It was gorgeous; I don't know why I've not been feeling like photographing my food recently. Of course I am talking about paella. :)

For dessert we had yogurt and mashed berry panna cotta, with little shortbread cookies on the side. Let me tell you how I arrived at this dessert:

Saturday night I made broiled salmon with a chipotle-berry glaze, along with a bean/tomato/spring onion/parsley salad with a chipotle-lime-cumin dressing. I let the salad sit at room temperature for about an hour before we ate it, it got so juicy and tasted not too far off from salsa. I even got out some tortilla chips to dip in it, and to help cut the heat from all those chipotles. To make the glaze for the fish, I had first let some frozen mixed berries defrost in a strainer over a bowl. Once they were defrosted I added to the juice already in the bowl by smashing the berries in the strainer with a spatula. As I only used the juice in the glaze (reduced with chipotle, lime and ginger) for the fish, I had leftover berry mush.

So yesterday my desert plans came together quickly. I've been making yogurt panna cotta (not a true panna cotta, but a seriously healthy and easy variation) almost regularly (maybe even once a month!) The first time was vanilla-cardamom panna cotta with orange syrup and marinated orange slices. The second time was Stracciatella. Yesterday's was the best yet, though, mixed berry mush, hints of cinnamon and cardamom, with a whole, fresh, beautifully ripe cherry (halved to get rid of the pit of course) sitting at the top once they're unmolded. When I tasted the mixture before pouring it into custard cups, I instantly thought that it would taste good next to shortbread. A strange thing to think so quickly, especially as I was not really looking to make a second dessert. :) But shortbread isn't difficult and I had plenty of time, so why not?


Yogurt and Mashed Berry Panna Cotta with Lemon Shortbread

Yogurt Panna Cotta

this makes two large or four small (to make small ones, just fill custard cups halfway) Panna Cottas . . . oh, and if you don't have custard cups you can use small coffee cups or teacups :)

1 cup plain full-fat yogurt
1-2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
healthy pinch ground cardamom
healthy pinch ground cinnamon
a tiny pinch of salt
mixed berry mush (about 1/2 cup)
4 tsp. water
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
4 black cherries, pits removed

Whisk together yogurt, sugar, vanilla, spices and berry mush in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Taste and adjust the sugar content--I like mine just barely sweet (berries are sweet enough!)

Put the water in a very small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top. Let stand for one minute to soften. Then heat over low, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved.

Whisk the hot gelatin into the yogurt until combined.

In the bottom of each of four custard cups, place one halved cherry. Pour the yogurt into the cups. Cover the cups with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1.5 hours (until set).

To unmold the panna cottas, run a thin knife around between the panna cotta and the cup, then dip the cup into a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds. Invert the panna cottas onto plates. They might take a moment or two to come out, or a little whacking on the bottom of the cup. :)

Serve with a single shortbread:

Lemon Shortbread

This recipe makes about 8-12 cookies.

1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
2/3 cups flour, plus more for rolling
grated zest of one lemon

Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth (an electric mixer is best for this). Beat in flour (with electric mixer on low speed), mixing just until a dough forms. Stir in lemon zest.

Place the dough on a floured piece of parchment. With floured hands, gently roll into a 1.5 inch diameter log. Wrap tightly in the paper, twisting the ends to make a nice tight round cylinder. Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Unwrap the dough and slice it into 8-12 slices with a serrated knife. If it starts crumbling, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before resuming the slicing. Arrange the cookies with at least an inch of space between them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack.