"O" is for Okra; Crispy Okra Salad

First, I want to apologize for my absence! Since I've last updated, I've graduated Cum Laude from college, moved back to Northern Virginia and (maybe) have a per-basis photo gig.

Anyway, this week's vegetable is okra. A lot of people think okra is gross...I disagree. Its actually one of my favorite vegetables. The key to making sure that you enjoy the vegetable is to get them fresh or frozen. Canned, of course, will be gross and slimy. The only problem is okra seems to be getting more difficult to find. I went to three stores before finally finding it, however it is still cheap. Overall, this dish was very inexpensive with the most expensive ingredient being the spice, garam masala. This recipe is from Food & Wine's website. It was hard to find a recipe that I wanted to make involving okra because there surprisingly weren't too many different ones. I know I love fried okra, but I wanted to make more of a dish. Here are the ingredients & process:

1 1/4 teaspoons garam masala

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 pound young okra—halved lengthwise and cut into long, thin strips

Kosher salt

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced (3/4 cup)

1 medium tomato—cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Chop ingredients into thin slices.

2. Fry okra in vegetable oil for about 4 minutes until crispy and lightly browned.

3. Remove okra and lightly sprinkle with garam masala and salt.

4. Mix ingredients together.

5. Re-season and serve.

I honestly wouldn't make any adjustments to this dish however I did leave out the cilantro because I think it smells like wet dog. Regardless, the dish was really delicious and perfect for the summer. It could be the main or side dish. I was weary of the garam masala because of my last experience with Chinese five spice but this one is great! You can really taste the nutmeg in it which is why I think I liked it so much. This dish is also vegan!

Ratings

Taste: 5 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Easy

"P" is for Peas; Pasta with Peas and Lemon

This weekends vegetable is the pea! Everyone's had them and for some reason, many hate them. I will never understand why people do not like green peas. They are delicious! Whether frozen, fresh, snap, snow or wasabi...they are just awesome. I got this recipe from Real Simple's Meals Made Easy catalogue that is on stands until (I believe) July. Similar recipes are available online.

The pasta with peas & lemon is by far the cheapest dish I've made yet. The jalapeno cost $0.02 and the bag of peas $1.00! I think this is the classy college student meal. I was weary at first of the jalapenos but in the end I was glad I chose to include them! The dish tasted good without being too lemony and heavy. It felt healthy, like I wasn't drowning in fat and grease -- making it a perfect dish for the summer weather too! The ingredients are as simple as the dish!

1 pound dry spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced (optional)

zest of 1 lemon, grated

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cups frozen peas

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

3. Add the garlic, jalapeños (if using), and lemon zest and cook until the garlic is golden

4. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the lemon juice, peas, salt, pepper.

5. Heat until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Transfer the pasta to individual plates and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese (if using).

I wouldn't make any adjustments to the recipe but I do recommend including the parmesan. The pasta was good but it tasted better once I added the cheese. I do plan on making this heart-healthy meal again but probably not too often because it is, at the end of the day, still pasta and too much is a bad thing! Also, horray for the first vegan dish making it onto the blog!

Ratings

Taste: 5 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Hello lovely blog readers!

I've run into a slight issue. I'm currently having car problems, preventing me from picking up the last couple of ingredients remaining for my planned "P" dish. Normally, I'd ride my bike anyway but since I need to get my car repaired before Wednesday, this is top priority! I will do my best to update today but if not, check back mid-week!

But don't think I won't update!

To ensure that I am updating frequently, I plan on doing more "wild card" entries to just show you quick, easy meals on a college (art!) student's budget (soon to be post-grad, unemployed budget). The two upcoming meals are inspired by (my hopefully one-day future employer and reason I love food photography) Real Simple magazine's Meals Made Easy. The dishes are: Pasta with Peas and Lemon & Salsa Quesadillas.

So check back soon! I should have an update by tonight!

Wild Card!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to update this weekend because I have other vegetables which need to be cooked before I go buy more stuff for "Q." I don't want to be wasteful! However, I didn't want to disappoint, so I photographed my dinner tonight: eggplant parmesan and radicchio salad. It only made a dent in the amount of perishables in my refrigerator but its a start!

The salad was very basic. Rinsed radicchio, with shredded parmigiano reggiano & low fat Caesar dressing. The eggplant was basic too. Rinsed and sliced into thin strips lengthwise, dipped in egg and then coated with bread crumbs (which I added various italian seasonings to). Fried for 3-5 minutes, sprinkle with parmesan and dinner was served!

Happy cooking! See you next week.

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"R" is for Radicchio; Radicchio Risotto

This weekends vegetable is radicchio, a purple and white, leafy chicory. Most of what I read about it prior had me expecting something "bitter" and "spicy." I don't necessarily understand why that's how it is described because to me it tasted like most leafy veggies but with a more exciting taste and better flavor. That being said, I definitely plan on using radicchio in my salads from now on! Its not only tasty, but beautiful too!

The recipe I chose to make is a risotto. Last time I ditched the risotto recipe because I wanted to make something less fattening (which in the end, I'm not sure I accomplished...). However, I liked this recipe because it didn't involved heavy cream's and cheeses. Its ingredients were simple and generally low in fat -- but the dish is definitely filling! I got this recipe from Academia Barilla which I chose because some of the sites recipe's seemed authentically Italian, reminding me of my parents and my family in Connecticut. Also, the site tells you which region the dish originated in! Some of the measurements are missing but I've started to just eyeball everything anyway. The ingredients are as follows:

¾ lb Vialone nano rice

1 lb radicchio from Treviso

¾ oz white onion

vegetable broth

½ cup red wine

grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Academia Barilla 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt

1. Trim the radicchio and wash the leaves carefully.

2. Cut into thin slices and sauté in a pan with a little oil.

3. In a separate pot, sauté the onion in oil. Add the rice and toast.

4. Add the wine and wait for it to evaporate (about 5 minutes).

5. Add the vegetable stock, a ladleful at a time.

6. Stir constantly so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

7. In about 10 minutes, add the radicchio and finish cooking the rice.

8. At the end, stir in a good handful of Parmigiano Reggiano.

I don't like very many cheeses, but I do seem to like Italian cheeses. Other than mozzarella, I think I only like Italian hard cheeses and trust me...this cheese is almost impossible to cut! I kept eating samples to make sure I really liked it before I added it to the dish. My first helping, I shredded the Parmigiano reggiano over top of the risotto -- delicious. My second helping, I sprinkled some parmesan cheese over top...it was still good but something about the Parmigiano Reggiano set it apart. The dish itself is delicious. I forgot to add the salt which I think it would have benefited from, but overall I plan on making this dish again and perhaps adding additional veggies like eggplant or mushrooms.

Ratings

Taste: 4 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

"S" is for Shiitake; Avocado & Shiitake Spring Rolls

Today's vegetable is shiitake, the winner of the poll I conducted earlier this month. I haven't actually cooked with shiitake before because I normally just opt for portabella regardless of the dish. Nevertheless, I mustered up the courage to use them. In the end, I think I will continue to cook with them. They are mushrooms and any mushroom is delicious. I chose this dish for a couple reasons. One is because I've never made eggrolls before and wanted to see if I could (I see Southwest Eggrolls in my future). Two because one of the ingredients was avocado, which I love! Anyway, here are the ingredients and an abbreviated list of directions.

1 quart oil for frying

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons finely chopped shiitake mushrooms

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

8 spring roll wrappers

1. Heat oil in wok over medium heat.

2. Heat, on medium, ingredients with oil (cabbage, shiitake)

3. Add salt & pepper, Chinese Five Spice.

4. Remove from heat. Add avocado.

5. Roll 1 teaspoon into wrappers (NOTE: DO HOWEVER MUCH YOU WANT!)

6. Deep fry for three minutes or until golden.

7. Cut, cool and serve!

(Recipe used as a measurement guide)

I highly recommend following the directions. I simply used them as a guide and ended up adding way too much Chinese Five-Spice which, so it ends up, is most disgusting spice I've ever tasted (its awful). If used correctly, I'm sure its okay...but I added entirely too much. Another adjustment I'd make to the recipe is what I mentioned above. Put as much as you want in the eggroll! 1 teaspoon is nothing and the majority of the roll will be the wrap! I eyeballed it and ended up making 6 hearty eggrolls.

In all honesty, I will probably not make this particular dish again and its only because of the spice. I could leave the spice out but instead, I think I will use the leftover wraps I have to make southwestern eggrolls which still have avocado (and maybe shiitake?).

Ratings

Taste: 3 out of 5

Level of Difficulty: Moderate