Potato-Spinach Curry

Since I started this cooking challenge, or launched should I say, on Saturday, I've cooked three times. At this pace, I think I'll definitely be able finish this challenge before I head to Ayvalik for the weekend. 

So simple, but delicious. 

1st Dish: Sauteed Zucchini
On Saturday for lunch I made sauteed zucchini. To be honest, I would never even normally share this dish or the accompanying photo, but as I'm supposed to be cooking 7 times in 7 days, I figured I should share everything I like, no matter how simple. This is one of my sister's favorite things to make, albeit she adds canned tomato sauce to her version. We just saute some onions in a bit of olive oil, add sliced and peeled zucchini and add either soy sauce or marinara sauce once the zucchini is cooked. The only thing you have to make sure of here is to not overcook the zucchini or it can become mushy. I also like to add a dollop of strained yogurt (suzme yogurt) to the top at the end. 

2nd Dish: Whole wheat penne with marinara sauce
Again, this dish I made for dinner on Saturday, but it literally took maybe 10 minutes (plus the time it takes to boil the water). I used canned pasta sauce and just added some light cream cheese to the mix (I swear this is delicious and makes the sauce really creamy, even if it doesn't sound good). Although I wouldn't really count this as cooking per se, it's better than ordering in. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of this. 


3rd Dish: Potato- Spinach Curry

Tasted way better than it looks!

Today was the first time in a while (maybe a month?) that I've actually cooked something that took some prep work. I made the Potato-Spinach Curry from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's 'Appetite for Reduction'. It was delicious, if you like Indian food. I actually really do, so I found the curry and cumin mixed with the potatoes and spinach comforting and delicious. This is definitely NOT the kind of dish you should serve for guests, as visually, it is not very appetizing. But it was the perfect dish to make on a cold and rainy day like today. We served ours with yogurt and sprinkled with nutritional yeast (my new favorite condiment, now that we're out of Sriracha). 


Recipe
with my modifications
1 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound chopped frozen spinach


Directions: 
1. Saute the onions in the oil till translucent, then add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Make sure to NOT burn the bottom of the pan (not a problem if you are using a non-stick pan). 
2. Add the tomatoes to deglaze the bottom of the pan, and then add the curry, cumin and salt. 
3. Add the potatoes and veggie broth, bring to a boil, and then turn down and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 
4. Add the spinach and mix well. Cook for ten more minutes. 


I served this with brown rice, which in retrospect, wasn't the best idea (the potatoes were carbs enough). Perhaps a protein like tofu would be better. In fact, I think you could add cubed tofu to this dish and it would be even better. 


All in all, I'd give this recipe a 3.5/5. It was good, but without the yogurt, it was a bit bland. Maybe I'll punch up the flavor next time with more spices. 


It felt great to get back in the kitchen, though, I must say. I'm excited to keep it up!

Cooking challenge

I can't believe it's been as long as it has since I last posted. 


Sometimes you go through big changes in life, and they shake you, and you find it hard to get back on track. Without sharing too much personal information, I went through one of these big core-shaking events recently, and it's one of the reasons I haven't been around here lately. 


I missed blogging though, and now I'm back. 


Along with not blogging, I wasn't cooking. Cooking is an odd thing. Most people are too lazy to do it for themselves. Or feel like it's too indulgent or time-consuming a process for one person. But will go out of their way for company. But why shouldn't we pay as much attention to ourselves as we do others? I think that is most people's big struggle in life. Especially women. We always put the other people in our lives first. 


I haven't been taking care of myself that well recently. I have been hitting the gym almost daily, which I'm really proud of. But when it comes to the eating department, I've opted for quick and easy. It just seemed trivial compared to other more important things in my life. 


I miss cooking though and believe I can feel the toll that the crap I've been putting in my body has taken on me. I haven't been eating terribly, but as I've stated before, I don't think take-out is the best option usually. At least not on a daily basis!

Glazed tempeh with broccolini. 

Without further ado, I have decided to challenge myself to cook 6 times in the next 7 days. I will either cook once every day, until next Saturday (with one day off, just in case), or I can choose to cook twice in one day, or whatever. The point is that I need to get back in the kitchen. It's what I love. It keeps me balanced and happy and makes me feel like I'm doing something good for myself, even if it's all I manage to accomplish that day. 




I will blog about it daily hopefully, so stay tuned. 

Decadent chocolate chip cookies

Some friends and I headed to Bodrum on Saturday evening for a few days of rest and relaxation. For those who don't know, Bodrum is one of Turkey's most popular beach towns. During the summer, it's always packed and incredibly hot and gorgeous. However, the off season is also a favorite of mine because it means fewer people and more tranquility. 


The group I went with was a super talented bunch and everyone brought something to the table. A few sang and played the guitar, one friend was our director, orchestrating our meals and activities, and most everyone took great photos. 


But my friend Emrah took the best photos if you ask me, because he graciously offered to take some of these wonderful chocolate chip cookies I baked. 


I used this recipe here and made one batch following the directions to a T, and the other with half whole wheat flour and sugar replacer for my boyfriend. Now as I've mentioned before here, I'm never particularly optimistic about replacing sugar with alternative products, mostly because they rarely behave the way they should. This time, however, I was pleasantly surprised! The sugar-free half whole-wheat cookies turned out really great. Not as good as the original, but so good that once the normal once were finished, everyone continued eating the sugar-free ones. 

Delicious chocolate.

I used a new sugar called Diamant Diabetik Seker I've never used before that I found at Macrocenter the other day. I had seen it a couple times but figured it couldn't be better than Splenda or Stevia. Well, when it came to baking these cookies, it was much better. In fact, I might use this new sugar replacement from now on for all my baking. 


I did have to use one extra egg in the sugar-free version as the wet mixture looked too dry and not like the original version. This is why it makes sense to make the original recipe at least once the way written, before making any adjustments. That way, you know what the steps are supposed to look like, and you can make necessary adjustments if needed. 

Straight out of the oven. 

If you can't tell from the photos, these cookies were divine. Slightly crispy edges with a moist and fluffy interior. I also added chopped walnuts to half of each batter and everyone liked that version better. 



                            

All photos by Emrah Kavlak. 

These also keep well and were still just as delicious three days into our trip. I highly recommend them. 


Rating: 5/5

Headaches and dairy

Even though I'm no longer vegan, I've never felt better physically than when I was vegan. FACT.


Which is unfortunate, because I think we all deserve to feel our best every single day. No one should have to suffer from daily headaches. I do. 


Every day around 5 pm, sometimes earlier sometimes later, I get a headache. It's like clockwork. It's so consistent, in fact, that if I've been preoccupied with something and lost track of time, my headache makes me realize what time it is. 


Every time I tell myself I'm going to tough it out, because I don't like to take medication when I don't absolutely have to. And every time I succumb to Exedrin or whatever is nearby and promises to alleviate my pain. 


According to godairyfree.org, which I admit might not be the most unbiased source of information, dairy is one of the primary causes of migraines. 85% of people who were put on a strict diet that eliminated the primary causes of migraines (dairy, wheat, eggs, alcohol, packaged foods) reported a total absence of their migraines. 


Frankly, I'm at a loss. I don't want to suffer from these awful headaches everyday, but I don't want to give up dairy either...I must admit though, I have been indulging too much recently. 


This is one of the problems with being an all-or-nothing person like I am. I'm a Taurus, what do you expect? As much as I've tried to make myself be more gray and not so strict (or lenient), it just doesn't work for me. 


I bring this up because ever since I've become un-vegan, I've gotten a terrible habit of near daily cheese consumption! I love cheese, but I think I could live with eating it only when it's really good, expensive cheese and not just what's lying in the fridge, because it's there. 


Cheese also happens to be a trigger food for me. I don't know about you guys, but cheese is one of those foods that I find hard to resist once I've had a piece. It makes me crave more...and more. 


This, apparently, comes down to the fact that cheese has morphine in it! So it REALLY is addicting! 

Why do you treat me so bad when I love you? 

Bear with me here: Cheese has a protein called casein in it, which breaks down into casomorphins when digested, which produces an opiate effect. According to Neal Barnard, MD, “Since cheese is processed to express out all the liquid, it’s an incredibly concentrated source of casomorphins—you might call it dairy crack.” 


Because of my headaches and because of this most recent information, I think I'm going to try to limit my cheese consumption and see if I feel better. I've actually even been toying with the idea of getting an allergy test with my sister to see if there are other foods that could be causing my headaches. 


Do any of you have problems with headaches or feeling lethargic after eating certain foods? 

Sugar-free granola bars

I love granola bars. 
But most of them are way too sweet for me and much too calorie-dense for a snack if you ask me. 


That's why when Itaintmeatbabe's Jennifer posted a recipe for homemade granola bars with no added sugar, I knew I had to try it.  


Of course I played with the recipe a fair amount. I didn't want to use dates because my fiance is a Type 1 diabetic and can't have dried fruit (the sugar in them is astronomical, even if it is all natural). I also added some chia seeds because I had some lying around and I love them. Oh, and I added some almond butter, but to be honest you can't taste it much. 


As always, my prime taste tester, my sister, thought they weren't sweet enough. I'm still getting used to using Stevia and am always afraid of using too much, but next time I would double the amount of sweetener. 


All in all, it's a super easy and healthy recipe that I think we'll enjoy munching on in Bodrum, where we are heading tomorrow evening. A few friends are joining us for a weekend away and I'm quite looking forward to it. I miss being in nature and need a break from the city. 


Speaking of, while I'm there I'm sure we'll be cooking a fair amount at home, so hopefully I'll have some recipes for you guys when I get back. 


Also next week I'll be taking my second class at Mutfak Sanatlar Akademisi, a bread-making course, which I'm really looking forward to, and I hope it will be better than the cake-making class. 

Sugar-free almond granola bars

3 cups rolled oats

¾ cup finely chopped walnuts

½ cup almond butter

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tablespoon stevia sweetener (next time will use 1 tbsp, at least)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon soy creamer

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp warm water

2 1/2 cups organic soy milk

sliced almonds for topping

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350° (176° C). Combine flaxseed and warm water in a bowl. Let sit and then add almond butter, vanilla, soy milk and soy creamer. 

In another larger bowl, combine oats, chia seeds, walnuts, cinnamon, stevia and salt. 

Combine wet with dry and pour into a parchment-paper lined baking dish. 

Bake for an hour (or until bars appear cooked through). 

I quite liked this recipe, but if you prefer sweeter treats, you might want to add the dried fruits or even chocolate chips or something. 

Also, the soy creamer is not really necessary so if you don't have it, you can leave it out. 

I do think that these would make a nice pre-run snack...

I'll have a photo tomorrow morning, as it's dark out now. 

9-minute baked salmon

Delightful Martha. 

There are many reasons why I'm obsessed with Martha Stewart. There's the fact that she's good at everything. The uniform. Her voice, which is surprisingly low for someone who bakes cakes all day, but also very soothing. There's the fact that she's very detail-oriented and doesn't apologize for it- have you ever noticed her correcting a guest on her show? It's awesome. She has a page devoted to all things pets in her magazine. There's the fact that she featured her gay nephew and his husband in Martha Stewart Weddings. 




And then there's the fact that she inspires me to try to be a tiny bit like her. I think we need people in our lives who make us want to be better versions of ourselves. Martha does that to me. Luckily, I can feel a little bit like her every time I attempt one of her recipes. 


In the March 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living, there is a wonderful piece on salmon recipes cooked in parchment paper. I had never tried cooking with parchment paper as my boyfriend and I always bake our salmon on the stove-top. However, I had heard great things, like the fact that baking in parchment allows all the flavors to meld together. 


Besides the fact that the salmon was a bit too oily, the recipe turned out quite well. 

The version from Martha Stewart Living. 

Salmon with Spinach and Chickpeas
Original recipe from Martha Stewart Living 
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained


I modified the recipe a tiny bit. As for directions:
1. Pulse the garlic, parsley and olive oil in a food processor. 
2. Place 1/2 chopped spinach and 1/2 chickpeas on a piece of parchment paper. 
3. Put one salmon fillet on top. Smear with the parsley mixture and sprinkle some salt and red-pepper flakes. 
4. Fold over the other half of the parchment paper so as to cover the salmon fully. Curl the edges to close fully. 


Bake at 400 degrees F for 9-10 minutes. 12-13 if your fillets are huge (like mine were). 


Healthy tip: Protein should be the size of the palm of your hand. So even if your fillet is twice as large, that shouldn't dictate how much you eat. 


Recipe rating: 4/5
I thought this was a super easy and straight-forward recipe. The prep work was minimal and the cook time was even shorter, meaning I had dinner on the table in under a half hour! 

Mine's not as elegant...

Beware: Salmon is an oily fish. Thus, if you slather on TOO much of the parsley mixture, your already oily fish will be overly so. Thus I would recommend using just enough of the mixture to lightly cover the salmon. Next time I will try using half as much oil...


I served mine with quinoa, which was a fitting accompaniment. 

MSA class review: cake-baking

Today I attended my first class at Mutfak Sanatlar Akademisi, Istanbul's best cooking academy. I had been looking forward to this class for a long time, as I had heard only great things about MSA. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. I will also be attending a bread making course next week with my fiance, and a sushi making course the week after. I intend to write about those as well, so I can give you a more accurate review of the school. 


Let's go with the good stuff first though. Our teacher was enthusiastic and very sweet. He clearly enjoyed teaching the class and tried to be as clear and thorough as possible. Also, the facilities are really wonderful. They are clean and open and the classroom we were in had two glass sides, which allowed for natural light. I also thought it was smart of them to hand out questionnaires afterward as it shows that they want to improve and value students' feedback. 


                                                                                     Now for the bad news. First of all,  I was never told that we would be working in pairs. If I had known, I would have brought a friend along with me. Instead, I had to work with someone else, which meant sharing the baking. This was, needless to say, odd. We would take turns with the different steps, but I would have much rather done the whole thing by myself. 

Second, we were meant to make 4 cakes (German cake, banana hazelnut cake, maple walnut tart and apple strudel), but there just wasn't enough time. This meant our head chef was moving through the steps way too quickly and the final tart wasn't done by the time the 4 hours were up (in fact, the class went 38 minutes over).  I left even though my tart wasn't quite done. I was exhausted from standing up for that long and starving! 


The most important gripe that I had with this 120 TL class at MSA was the fact that I didn't like 3/4 of the cakes. Neither did the other students I spoke to. And it had nothing to do with my baking skills because we were allowed to try the ones baked by our teacher to compare. I couldn't believe it; the cakes I make at home, using my cookbooks are SO much better. The banana cake was dry and didn't have enough banana in it, the german cake tasted like bread with vanilla pudding slathered between and the maple walnut tart didn't have enough time to cook. The only one that was okay was the apple strudel. And I've made better at home. I guess this could be subjective though, as my sister says her roommate thoroughly enjoyed the German cake...

Apples cooking in butter and sugar. 

It's also too bad that the ovens were unreliable. Our oven baked a lot slower than the others, and when we asked about it, the chef said he constantly complains about the same problem. I'm sorry but if the ovens aren't reliable at a cooking school, what is? Isn't that one of the few things that needs to be perfect?  

                                                                                      All in all, I wouldn't recommend this MSA class as is. But I do believe that MSA can  improve by making a couple simple changes. 
1. Tell us beforehand that we will be working in pairs so we can come prepared. 
2. Figure out the ovens. 
3. Include fewer recipes and go slower. 

'German cake' with vanilla filling. 

4. Have students rate the dishes or discuss them while tasting and adjust the menu accordingly. 


Hopefully, the bread making and sushi classes will be more interesting. The fact that I'll be accompanied by my fiance already makes me look forward to it more. Also, I have yet to make bread or sushi on my own, thus I believe I will benefit more from those courses.