Veggie Belly - Part 7

Cajun Brown Rice with Veggies and Red Beans

March 3, 2009

This is a hearty one pot meal for a cold night. You can put it together with minimal fuss, so this is also a great dish to make on a busy work day. This is a flexible recipe – use any kind of rice, veggies and beans you like. I used a blend of brown [...]

Read on for recipe and more photos.. 44 comments

Chocolate Cup Cake Baked in a Cup

February 20, 2009

I just may have created the world’s most expensive cupcakes. Thanks to UPS. Let me explain…
My sister moves a lot for her job. And every time she moves, it’s become somewhat of a tradition for me to send her something homemade and chocolaty. She is moving this week and I sent her mini chocolate cupcakes [...]

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Rose Pomegranate Fizz

February 18, 2009

a Turkish themed Valentine’s day dinner

Rose flavoring is used mainly in Turkish sweets and desserts. I also had some really nice rose flavored tea in Istanbul. This drink is inspired by all the rose flavor I encountered in Turkey.
Rose Pomegranate Fizz
makes 2 cups

4 tbsp Sugar (more, if you like it sweeter)
3 tbsp Water
2 tbsp Pomegranate [...]

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Open-Faced Spinach and Feta Borek

February 18, 2009

a Turkish themed Valentine’s day dinner

If there was one thing I loved eating the most in Turkey, it was spinach borek. These spinach and feta filled pastries were everywhere. Street vendors sold them on carts outside the blue mosque in Istanbul, in the grand bazaar, by the gorgeously lit bosphorous at night….boreks were ubiquitous.
Traditional borek [...]

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Muhammara – Walnut Pomegranate Dip

February 17, 2009

a Turkish themed Valentine’s day dinner

Why a Turkish theme for valentine’s day dinner you ask?
When we visited Turkey, we discovered that in the touristy areas, almost every edible thing for sale was marked as either an aphrodisiac or a viagara substitute. No matter what a vendor was selling, he claimed it was good for your [...]

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Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fresh Herb and Caper Chimichurri

February 10, 2009

Raw parsnips are quite carrot like. They smell like carrots and taste a little like carrots. But when you roast parsnips, they take on a completely different character – they get intense and sweet. When I lived in England, roasted parsnips were as common as roasted potatoes in my college cafeteria.
In this soup, I roast [...]

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Come into my red kitchen

February 9, 2009

I have a red kitchen. I love warm colors, I just cant help it. Reds and oranges are my the favorite section of any paint shop color deck. After much vacillation last year, we decided to go with a brickish red paint for the kitchen walls. Its not a crazy, danger sign kind of red. [...]

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Carla’s Pecan and Oat Crusted Tofu from Top Chef

January 31, 2009

Did you watch Top Chef this week? Are you as excited as I am about Carla’s tofu dish?!
I didn’t quite expect her to make a vegetarian, tofu dish and win her round! I have to say, I wasn’t a big fan of Carla…till I made her tofu, that is! It’s not that I don’t like [...]