Feed me!

Vegetable Manchurian!

My boyfriend came over to visit this weekend and we decided to make something that I never ever attempted before. I have never made vegetable manchurian, I love it, but I never attempted to make it myself. So after hunting down various recipes, I decided the best thing was to mix up 4 different recipes I found into something I felt I would like. It turned out really good! My bf ended up eating about 6 Manchurian balls in one sitting and then had 2 more the next day for breakfast. It’s actually quite easy and has simple ingredients. Enjoy!

Cook time -1 hour Serves: 3-4 people

Veggie Balls

1/2 cabbage grated

1/2 onion grated

4 carrots grated

1 green chile pepper, grated/minced

3 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of pepper

6 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of corn starch

oil for frying

1. Mix the grated cabbage, onion,green chile pepper and carrots in the bowl.

2. Add the salt, pepper, flour, and cornstarch and mix well. 

3. Make 1 1/2 - 2 inch balls with the cabbage mixture using you hands. Make sure not to totally squeeze out all the water, otherwise it’ll be a really dense. 

4. Deep fry the balls until golden brown. ( I heated oil in a frying pan (1/2 inch of oil) and just stirred them around when the bottom side was done) 

Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

sri racha to taste

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1/4 onion minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

3 tablespoons of oil

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1. In a bowl mix the ketchup, Sri racha, soy sauce, sugar, and water.

2. In a saucepan, heat the oil until hot and add the onions. After about 1 minute add the ginger and garlic. Mix for another minute.

3. Add the ketchup mixture to the pot and simmer for 2 minutes. 

4. In a separate cup mix about 2 tablespoons of water with the cornstarch and add to the sauce pan. Make sure you stir fast and quickly so that the cornstarch doesn’t turn into one giant lump! This will make the sauce thicker and into a glaze.

5. Now just serve the fired Manchurian balls with the sauce on top and enjoy! FYI it’s even better the next day! 

PIZZZAAAA!

My mom is famous for her pizza. I have family member who come over specifically asking her to make pizza for dinner. In my kitchen I always end up being the prep chef, so I have seen her little secrets to a perfect crust. My parents actually had some of my pizza when they came over and loved it, so I know this recipe is a keeper for sure!

Pizza under an hour- it can be done! with the right ingredients that is :-) I use Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast . Just follow the directions on the back of the packet and you’re set. 

Cook time- 1 hour           Serves- 4 people ( makes one 12 inch thin crust pizza or one 9 inch thick crust pizza)

CRUST

1 packet Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast

1 3/4 c - 2 1/4 c of all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

2/3 cup of very warm tap water

3 tablespoons of oil ( I did 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of garlic oil)

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

Pizza Sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/4 tablespoon of dried oregano

3 teaspoons of garlic powder

1/4 tablespoon of dried basil

1/4 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F

2. In a bowl mix 1 cup of flour, yeast, sugar, oregano and salt. 

3. Add water and oil and mix for 1 minute.

4. Add 1/2 cup of flour or more slowly to the mixture and knead until a smooth dough ball is formed. 

5. Knead for 4 minutes with floured hands. You know the dough is done when the sides of the bowl are clean because the dough has picked up all the flour. 

6. Grease a pizza pan or baking sheet with oil. I pour about 2 teaspoons onto the sheet and then spread it around with my fingers. Then i ball up a napkins and wipe the board with it so that there isn’t an excess of oil and that it is coated evenly. 

7. Using your hands press the dough into a 12 inch circle (thin crust) or 9 inch circle (thick crust). Make sure the dough is level and even.

8. In a blender add all of the pizza sauce ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. Pour the sauce onto the crust.

9. Add your toppings. I did the following:

a. sauce, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, bell peppers and onions

b. sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, onions, spinach, and tomato slices. * my favorite one so far

10. Once you have added the toppings,brush olive oil along the edge of the pizza to get a nice crust. 

11. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 25-30 minutes. You can see it is done when you lift the pizza you have a even browning of the crust and all the cheese is nice and melty. 

ENJOY! Seriously so good, I am never ordering delivery again. 

Gnocchi (eggless)

My mother came to visit this weekend. That means an absurd amount of food has been given to me. I am now left with enough groceries to feed a family of four for 2 weeks. I received 15 potatoes…..I know….

As I am a huge fan of the starchy tuber, I figured I should probably try something new. I have had fried, baked,sauteed, boiled, mashed potatoes, which is pretty boring. Then I realized I have never made gnocchi. It seems like a pretty simple recipe, and it is. Once again minimal ingredients make the best food, at least in my opinion. 

Cook time- 2 hour Serves- 4 people

2 large potatoes

all purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon of flavored or herbed olive oil (optional)

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 30 minutes.

2. Remove the potatoes and let them cool. 

3. Once they are cool, peel the potato skin off and then mash in a bowl with a fork. Make sure you “fluff” them with a fork after you are done mashing them. 

4. Add the salt and a little bit of flour (~ 1/4 cup) and start mixing with your hands. Add the flour little by little until you form a smooth un-sticky ball of dough. ( I added a tablespoon of garlic EVO to my mix to give it more flavor, you can do the same with other flavored oils or herbs. 

5. Drape a clean cloth over the dough and let it sit for 20 minutes. 

6. Roll portions of the the dough in to a 1/2 inch thick ropes. Lay the ropes down on a flour-dusted board. Cut each rope in to 1 inch nuggets of potato-y goodness :-) 

7. I rolled each gnocchi down a fork and curled them in half. To do this- gently push the gnocchi against the back of a fork and then curl the gnocchi over so that both ends meet. 

*****If you have more than you need, you can freeze them at this point for later like I did. IF you do decide to freeze the gnocchi, put them in an airtight container. When you recook them just boil until they float to the surface. 

7. Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until the float to the surface and remove them with a slotted spoon. (this takes less than a minutes so be quick) You will see the gnocchi puff up and it’ll be a little soft when you take it out. The gnocchi with firm more as it cools. 

I had some leftover homemade marinara sauce which I ate with the gnocchi, but you can do pesto, alfredo, or my favorite, Gorgonzola sauce. 

Enjoy!

Falafels

During the winter months, my mom always would bring home falafels from Mehmoun’s in NYC. Ever since then an addiction had started. We loved them so much that we never attempted to make falafels ourselves! Recently my boyfriend had a hankering for some falafels so I figured I’d give it a shot. Simple prep and cooking, it definitely wasn’y as complicated as I thought it would be. I recommend using a food processor and not a blender , everything just got stuck together and it took forever!

Cook time- 30 minutes Serves- 4 - makes 1 dozen falafel balls

Falafel balls

1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans

1/2 onion diced

1/4 cup of fresh parsley

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro

1 peeled carrot

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder 

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds

1. Place all the ingredients except the flour in the food processor and blend. You don’t want a smoothie, you def want some chunks left in the dough.

2. Remove the mixture from the food processor and knead the flour in. 

3. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours so all the flavors mix

4.When you are ready to cook them, roll the dough into small 1 1/2 inch balls and press down slightly. Place them onto parchment paper and place into tupperware- if you plan on freezing them for later. 

5.Pour about 1/2 inch of oil into a frying pan and fry each ball until golden brown. (about 30-50 sec on each side)

Tahini Sauce

Cook time- 5 minutes Serves- 5 - makes 3/4 cups

1/4 cup of tahini paste

1/4 cup of greek yogurt

1 lemon-juiced

3 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place in a blender and blend.

You can now just dip the falafel balls into the tahini sauce and enjoy it that way OR you can fill a pocket pita with the falafel balls, tahini, sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and hummus. Enjoy!

Polenta fries!

It has been a loooonnggg time since I have updated my blog so I figured I should get on it. 

Last year I was introduced to polenta by a good friend of mine and I was hooked. A few weeks go I attempted my try at polenta fries. I love the texture of the fries- crispy and crunchy on the outside and warm and gooey in the middle.  Its a pretty easy dish. It is a “pop it in the oven and sit and study/watch tv/craft something crafty” kinda dish. 

Cook time- 1 hr  Serves- 2

1/4 cup of cornmeal/polenta/grits (whatever you prefer to call it)

3/4 cup of water

1 tablespoon of butter

Sriracha sauce to taste

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2/3 cup of cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 tablespoon of oil

1. Boil the water in a saucepan.

2. Add the cornmeal/polenta/grits…and stir…a lot…make sure there are no clumps!

3. Stir every 2-3 minutes on medium, if you don’t stir often it turns into hot yellow lava and the mixture decides to erupt and spew super heated bits of polenta all over the place; so for the love of God- stir!  If it get to thick before the polenta is cooked ( always taste test! do it often!) just add a tablespoon of water at a time until it is cooked and at the consistency you want it. ( not too watery but not so thick like cookie dough)

4. In low heat, add the Sriracha sauce and garlic powder and stir. Next add the cheese and stir some more. Make sure you taste it now so that you don’t over salt it- the cheese and hot sauce does add a good amount of saltiness to it. Add salt and pepper

5. Now scoop the yummy goodness into a small square tupperware container. Let it cool down and then put it in the fridge overnight.

6. The next day, preheat the oven at 400 F.

7. Slide a thin knife around the edges of the polenta square to release the seal that has formed. Now jiggle the square out onto a cutting board. Slice the polenta into thick or thin slices of fries ( up to you really) and place them on a peice of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

7. Now brush oil over each fry and put into the oven and go do something to occupy your time. Check on the fries in 30 minutes and flip each fry and cook for 30 more minutes or until golden brown.

8. Enjoy! I ate these with wasabi mayo and ketchup! but their great alone of with any sauce!