Roasted Asparagus & Oranges

I don't make romantic meals for two . . . yet.

I'm persuaded, however, that when my days are full of wifely love and cooking for two, my meal planning might involve the following: vegetables, citrus, fish, a 400° oven, and about 30 minutes to impress.

Roasting will.save.lives. 

Or at least it could save your Valentine's Day (in case you forgot to plan ahead and make reservations for your love's favorite restaurant, and now you feel weighted down by shame and persecution and lack of ideas and stomach groans . . .). 

Redeem yourself!  

Asparagus. Oranges. Fish. 

It's not at all impossible to take three ordinary foods and create a warm, delectable, and sophisticated dish.

 

 

Roasted Asparagus & Oranges

Ingredients:

          1. a stalk of asparagus (cleaned and thick ends trimmed off)

          2. one or two oranges (cut into wedges)

          3. olive oil, basil, paprika, and sea salt

Directions:

          1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or 

              parchment paper.

          2. Spread out asparagus and orange wedges on sheet and drizzle 

              with a little olive oil.

          3. Sprinkle basil, paprika, and sea salt over top.

          4. Roast in oven for 30 minutes.

          5. Let the oranges cool for a few minutes before serving.

Baked Fish Fillet

Now don't go all crazy with the fish. I didn't catch and scale it myself or anything. Not that I know how to do either of those two activities. 

I will learn. 

One day.

The frozen fish section of your local grocer is magical. I made swai for this dish but have used haddock, cod, and salmon before too.

Ingredients:

          1. two fish fillets

          2. sea salt, turmeric, rosemary

Directions:

          1. Cut a large piece of tin foil and place the fillets in the center

          2. Sprinkle with salt, turmeric, and rosemary

          3. Creating a pouch, bring long ends of tin foil together and fold tightly. 

              Fold the smaller ends inward to create a seal.

          4. Place the pouch directly on the oven rack and bake along with the 

              vegetables and oranges (400 for 30 minutes).

          5. Optional: drizzle the excess juice from the fish pouch over the 

              asparagus. So good.

Roast! Toast! And eat warm basil-ly fruit! 

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Tikka Masala Chicken



International Foods. 10th grade. Shattered my virginal thoughts about Indian food. A cryin' shame.

No one should judge an entire ethnic cuisine based on one overly-seasoned dish in a high school cooking class. No one.

Curried potatoes. That's it. It wasn't even some fabulous fishy or pilafy or gingery dish. Simply diced potatoes with too much curry powder. And I said hecks no. No thank you, India.

But then my palate matured (as have many things since the 10th grade).

Behold. This is community done right. Spices becoming friendly. Communal-like. All for the common purpose of fratenizing with my taste buds.

Friends need to be invited to your house for this dish.

And if your friends so choose to fratenize with the kitchen utensils, then they just might try a hand at the cutting board and knife thing.

Especially when they confess they dislike dicing things after they finish dicing most of the things in the recipe. With a smile on their face, even. ;)

Thanks, Sally! Great evening of chats and eats! 

Tikka Masala Chicken

Foods creds: Care's Kitchen

Ingredients:
     Sauce:

           6 Tbsp veg. oil
           2 onions, finely chopped
           6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
           2 large, fresh green chilies, chopped

           1 tsp ground cumin
           1 tsp ground coriander

           1/4 tsp turmeric

           1/2 tsp salt

           1/4 tsp tikka masala

           1 Tbsp ginger root, peeled & grated (or finely diced)

           1 (14 oz) can fire roasted, diced tomatoes, pureed

           1/2 cup water

     Chicken:

           2 Tbsp veg. oil

           4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces

           cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

     Sauce:
           1. Heat oil in medium to large pot. Add the onions, garlic, and chilies.

               Fry over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are

               caramelized.

           2. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, and masala and stir. Mix in

               ginger and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add water and

               cook for about 5 minutes or until the oil surfaces. Remove from heat

               and keep warm. 

     Chicken:

           3. Heat oil in a wok or heavy-based frying pan. Add chicken. Stir-fry
               over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is golden

               brown all over. Add the cooked chicken to the pot with the sauce

               and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro on top.


Hummus. Check.
Pita. Check.
Ginger beer. Oh snap. Check.
Non-Indian friend who loves Indian food and will not judge my non-Indianess. A must. Check.

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Black Bean Burgers

I'm not a vegetarian. I'm not. I promise. I love a well prepared fillet mignon and spinach|feta-stuffed chicken every now and again. But I also love healthy veggies, too. So when I stumbled across this recipe in June during a meatless fast I was undertaking, I said "Heck yes! Hand over the beans, please. I will make these." Yep. That's what I said.

So I made them. And then a week later I made them again. And then just last night I made them... again. Obsessed? Me?! Nah. Okay, maybe just a little. But really, it's because they are just that delicious. Super healthy, super filling, super easy to throw together. Who wouldn't be making these at least one night of the week? People with too much time on their hands, that's who. But then again, I don't know too many of those folks. Do you?

I loved these. My mom loved these. My roommates loved these. My 5 year old nephew, not so much. But as suspected, his carnivorous tendencies refused a burger that was not made from meat. You can't win 'em all, I suppose.

The spices really do it for me. It's so flavorful. Cumin and cayenne pepper add just enough excitement to say Wake up, tastebuds. Don't be fooled by a burger with beans. I'll cause you to forget all about those meaty imposters you thought you loved so much. It'll be like healthy codependency. Right? No? Not okay? Alright then.   

And just look at these colors! I've heard it said that you should eat the rainbow. It's true! Vegetables are vibrant and alluring. Ever notice how prepackaged meals are super bland in color? Not this guy. No siree. 





Excuse the naked thumb nail in bottom left corner. Made time for bean burgers that night just not nail polish. 

Black Bean Burgers

Food creds: Annie's eats

Ingredients:

              3/4 cup panko (can be substituted with bread crumbs)

              3 T., plus 2 t. of olive oil, divided

              2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided

              2 large eggs

              1 t. ground cumin

              1/2 t. salt

              1/4 t. cayenne pepper

              1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (yellow or
                orange work nicely as well)

              1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

              1 shallot, minced (half of a vedalia onion will also work, finely
                 chopped)

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Blend the panko and 2 teaspoons of olive oil with a fork. Add the mixture to the skillet and, stirring frequently, toast until light golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Place 2 1/2 cups of beans in a bowl and mash with a potato masher (or fork) until mostly smooth. In another bowl, combine eggs, 1 tablespoon oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne, and whisk until blended. To the mashed beans, add the egg mixture, toasted panko, remaining 1/2 cup beans, bell pepper, shallots, and cilantro. Stir together until combined.
3. Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties*. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place 3 patties in skillet and cook until well browned on both sides (about 8-10 minutes total). Remove cooked burgers and repeat with last tablespoon of oil and 3 patties. Serve warm.

*Once divided, you can cook all six or refrigerate the patties that won't be eaten at that time and then cook them the next day. Wrap in either plastic wrap or tin foil.

Or, you can cook all six, refrigerate, and reheat uneaten burgers the next day. Both turn out just as yummy.

Enjoy!

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