Sweet Chile-Lime Glazed Veggies over Quinoa

A cool new Asian grocery store opened up in Antioch recently called County Square Market. It's right behind the Sizzler on Hillcrest. I went in there and was thrilled to see the variety of choices in condiments, produce, meat and ready-made Asian food. I didn't have a lot of time to browse, but I certainly found some of my favorite Thai cooking ingredients, including Mae-Ploy curry paste, Dragonfly oyster sauce, Golden Boy fish sauce, Chaokoh coconut milk, holy basil, kaffir lime leaves, galanga, and hot thai bird chiles. I even dug out my old recipes and hope to start doing some more Asian dishes for you (and me!).

I saw this recipe over at Vegan Yum Yum, which was my inspiration. I changed some minor things and added more veggies. This was also my first time cooking with quinoa...and I LOVED it! I was imagining a fibrous bland grain, but it wasn't that way at all! I toasted it first which gave it a sweet nutty flavor. My skepticism prevented me from buying more than one cup from the bulk bin, so I will have to pick up more later. It's a nice alternative to rice or pasta - and it has way more protein and fiber!

Sweet Chile-Lime Glazed Veggies over Quinoa

Quinoa:

1 T. olive oil

1 cup quinoa

2 cups veggie broth

Heat oil in a pan and add the quinoa. Cook, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is golden and fragrant. You might hear a little popping sound. Add the broth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, work on the rest of the dish.

Glaze:
3 T. sugar
2 T. lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T. Dragonfly oyster sauce*
1 T. water
1 clove minced garlic
2 red thai chiles, chopped fine
1 T. chopped mint

Mix everything in a bowl and set aside.
* Here is a picture of the thai chiles and they oyster sauce that I prefer.

Veggies:
1 T. olive oil
1 block firm tofu
2 japanese eggplants
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. water
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions cut into 1/2 inch pieces

I'm not sure the correct way to cook tofu - I just know how good it tastes when the outside is crunchy and the inside is smooth. I cut my tofu kind of thin, pressed on it with some paper towels and then put it in 1 T. of really hot oil. Use your non-stickiest non-stick pan. Trust me on that. Let it brown on all sides. Put in a separate bowl. Slice the eggplants once lengthwise and then into half inch pieces. Since I used the oil for the tofu, I decided not to on the other veggies. Get your nonstick pan hot and add the eggplant. When its starting to brown too much, add the soy-water mixture. After a few minutes, toss in the chopped bell pepper. The liquid should evaporate about the same time that the veggies are soft. Add back in the tofu and green onions. Pour glaze sauce over the veggies. It should bubble up and get a little thick. That's it.

Honestly, I would have been extremely happy with this dish if I ordered it at a restaurant. And while I was taking pictures, I turned around to see the kids devouring the quinoa. Shhh...I'm not telling them its *gasp* healthy!

Zucchini Blossoms with Ricotta

Pssst. Don't tell anyone, but I've been having a summer fling. His name is Ricotta. He is so great to be around - he gets along with everyone and never talks back or steals the remote. If you want, I can give him your number.

Anyways, it's farmer's market Thursday again, usually one day I'm feeling a little adventurous in the kitchen. I can honestly say that I've been wanting to make these for 6 years!! How do I know the exact moment, you ask?

That was the first time I tasted ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers in a restaurant....it was shortly after we got married and I remember making the reservations to A'Cote in Berkeley with my new last name. I was giddy - and even more giddy after finding these on the menu. To me, it was so fru-fru and fancy, but now with the explosion of foodie bloggers comparing notes, nothing seems out-of-the-ordinary anymore.

I've tried to reproduce them making my basic ricotta stuffing that I use to make stuffed pasta shells. I found the tempura batter online, a really easy flour/egg/water mixture.

Pick some zucchini flowers from your own garden, steal them from your neighbor's garden, or just seek them out from your local farmer's market. Brush off any visible bugs and cut out the pistil or stamen, whichever reproductive organ you see lurking down inside. Ack!

Cut up some veggies really tiny and saute until soft. Add some herbs like basil or thyme.
Add the veggies to some fresh ricotta and stir together.
Stuff each blossom with the ricotta mixture and coat with the tempura. Fry those puppies up. Get your splatter screen out. Trust me. Do it.
You can serve them up on a plate and let people pick them up like perfect little hand-held appetizers or......
.......make an appetizer plate for each person. I found some beautiful heirloom tomatoes to use as a base. They were so incredibly sweet and juicy - a perfect way to balance out the creamy fried goodness.
Nibble nibble. Munch munch.
Zucchini Blossoms with Ricotta

12 zucchini blossoms

oil for frying

1 cup finely chopped veggies (zuc, carrot, onion, broccoli, peppers etc.)

1 clove minced garlic

2 T. chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, etc.)

salt/pepper

1 small container of fresh ricotta

tempura mixture:

1 egg

1 cup ice water

1 cup flour

Directions: Saute the veggies in 1 T. water until starting to turn soft. Add the garlic, cook for another minute. Remove from heat and cool. In a bowl, mix ricotta, veggies and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff each blossom with 1 - 2 T. of ricotta mixture. I think you could put these in the fridge at this point (not sure on that).

Heat up enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan. For the tempura batter, mix the egg and super cold ice water together, then add sifted flour, stirring briskly to avoid lumps. (This reminded me of the paper mache "glue" we made as kids). Dip the blossom into the batter, twisting the top of the flower to seal it up. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle with sea salt after removing from pan. Enjoy!

Southern Fried Okra

Technically, I am not a Southern gal, but I am guilty by association. My parents met in Oklahoma and moved to California shortly after getting married. Every other summer we would make our way back to Tulsa, and often driving as far as Alabama to visit relatives. It was there I learned the beauty of southern food.....mac n' cheese, fried green tomatoes, baked beans, fried okra and hush puppies.

My dad would sometimes fry up some okra...it seemed to be his favorite and I just loved those browned crispy morsels. So flash forward about a hundred years (well okay, 20) and I find myself thinking about frying me up some okra after finding a batch at the farmer's market. While I know this is not good for you, (about as healthy as a french fry) an occasional foray into my deep South ancestry serves to nourish my soul.


Slice the okra. Don't freak out about the slimy innards.

Let it soak in a bath of 2 cups buttermilk and two eggs for 20 minutes.

Dip in a breading made from 1 cup cornmeal (I used the coarser polenta grains) and 1 cup flour, a tsp. of salt and pepper, and a tsp. of baking powder.

Fry in oil until golden crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt. Best eaten hot!

Note: If you plan on making this a side dish, make sure it is the last thing cooked or else they will disappear before you get the rest of dinner on the table.

Green Garlic?

Does anyone know if this is "Green Garlic"? Or is it just fresh garlic with the stem still on? I got it from the side of the road on my way to Sacramento where the nice lady didn't seem to speak English. She just said "garlic one dollar".

Update: It's not green garlic...just fresh.
Here is the inside view:

Fava Beans

Warning: Don't try this at home.

New ingredient (never tasted or cooked by me) for the week was fava beans. I saw them on sale for 99 cents a pound and bought about a pound and a half, thinking that would be plenty. These suckers were big, probably 8 inches long and plump too. I thought such gargantuan pods would yield a large plate of tasty beans. Wrong.

So here's how to prepare the fresh fava beans at home (I already warned you, don't try). First shell the beans (see above). Blanch the beans for 3 minutes, and dump in an ice bath. THEN, shell the beans AGAIN (see below). They have a lining that is tough and inedible, so they need the second shucking. Take the remaining little tiny amount of beans (i got 1/4 cup from my batch) and do with them what you wish.

They might be nice in a salad mixed with tomatoes and onions. I saw a recipe for green risotto made with blended fava beans. I decided not to fuss too much with my whole handful of beans. I added some bacon bits (I cooked that for my fritatta tonight), salt, pepper and parmesan.

Alright, so they were good. Would I do it again? Heck, no! Unless you have a little army of 10 year olds willing to do your dirty work, just leave it to the professionals and order it next time you see it on a menu.

Sauteed Radishes

This is more of an idea than a recipe. I found beautiful radishes at the market this morning and remember reading that they are quite tasty when cooked. Here is the result and it was yummy and unique. I love the zing and bite of a raw radish, but this brought a mellow and nutty subtle flavor that reminds you that they are root vegetables too.

2 bunches of radishes quartered
1 T. unsalted butter
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan, heat the butter and oil until piping hot. Add the radishes and let them sit for at least 2 minutes to get them browned. Stir and let sit another couple minutes. Take off the heat and give it a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.


I would totally make this again as a side to any dish. I served them this time with my favorite White Turkey Chili. Oh, and I have to give props to my new favorite blog for crockpot cooking. It's called A Year of Crockpotting. Stephanie, aka "The Crockpot Lady" posts a new recipe every day and the commentary is pretty darn hilarious.

Roasted Peppers

These baby bell peppers were languishing in my crisper and they needed to be used.....fast. I simply popped them on the gas burner for about 10 minutes, flipping them as needed. Later I will post what I did with them for dinner....I need to think about that for a bit.