Bibbity Bobbity Bibimbap

Every Tuesday I arrive at kp, Vip, and M's urban hang suite for Gita Sutras with Rasanath Das, and then we make an easy, vegetarian, communal dinner.

Last week, it was this simple Korean brown rice and veggies bowl, or bibimbap.

With the brown rice in the rice cooker in the background, we chopped:
- a bunch of scallions (on the bias, into 1" pieces),
- about 10 shiitake mushrooms (minus the stems),
- a bunch of lacinato kale,
- two handfuls of snow peas,
- a couple handfuls of broccoli florets, and
- a yam (julienned, skin on) and
- a couple of carrots (also julienned).

(Sprouts, other types of mushrooms, other types of greens, some quickly pickled cucumber/daikon, etc., would also be great!)

We also got about 2" of ginger minced and ready, and kept a sliced avocado and about 1/3 C sesame seeds aside.

Vip fried 4 eggs, sunny side down, while we dry toasted the sesame seeds then set them aside, and sauteed (separately) each vegetable (except the carrots, which we left raw with a sprinkle of lemon juice) in a pan with 1/2 tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil, 1/2 tsp. of the minced ginger, a few dashes of salt, and a couple pinches of our super hot red chilli powder, keeping each aside when done. (For the peapods and kale, we added a squeeze of lemon juice.)

When all the vegetables were sauteed, we stirred the toasted sesame seeds, a pinch of salt, and a dash of lemon juice into the cooked brown rice, then put a serving spoon of the rice mixture into each of our bowls, and topped the rice with a spoonful of each sauteed vegetable, sliced avocado, some carrots, and some Sunja's vegetarian kimchi, then topped each bowl with a fried egg, and each put in his/her own desired amount of hot sauce before mixing everything up!

Recipe: Spicy Tangerine Shrimp

Good served with brown or multigrain rice or noodles; cooks quickly; brightens up a wintry day; and is high in vitamin C, other antioxidants, and protein.

Spicy Tangerine Shrimp for 4

2 tangerines
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
3/4 pound shrimp
3 cups small broccoli florets (I used broccolini; you could use any crunchy
green vegetable you have on hand, like asparagus or snap peas)
3 scallions, cut on the bias into 2-inch lengths
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons nama shoyu
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Grate the zest from the tangerines; set aside. Peel the tangerines, removing all pith, and
separate into sections; reserve the sections. Stir together the cornstarch
and 2 tablespoons of the water (I actually used yuzu rice vinegar) in a cup until smooth; set aside.

2. Swirl a small amount of peanut oil (~1-2 teaspoons) around a nonstick
wok. When hot, add half of the shrimp and stir-fry until done, about 3
minutes, using a slotted spoon to transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the
remaining shrimp.

3. Add the broccoli and the remaining 2 tablespoons water to the wok; cook,
covered, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the scallions, bell
pepper, garlic, tangerine zest, shoyu, and crushed red pepper; stir-fry
about 1 minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the wok; stir-fry
until the sauce thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute. Return the shrimp to
the wok along with the tangerines; stir-fry until heated through, about 1
minute longer.

Recipe: Warm, Crunchy Broccoli Salad

I love broccoli, but it's not really used in Indian cooking, so when I'm making Indian food for dinner and I have some in the fridge, I'm not always sure what to do with it.  Yesterday, we had a salad with a ginger-y dressing, dal with spinach, brown rice with saffron, tomato-cilantro-chaat masala raita, and diced yams with ginger and dried cherries, and I served this warm broccoli salad alongside.  This is not exactly an Indian recipe, but the flavors complemented the other dishes.

Warm, Crunchy Broccoli Salad for 4 as a side dish

3 small heads of broccoli, florets chopped into bite-sized pieces and stems peeled and chopped, and steamed until al dente

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 tbsp. almond butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider

freshly ground black pepper

salt

(I like to steam broccoli with a small amount of water in a covered microwavable dish.  It's quick and you lose fewer nutrients compared with blanching.)

In a saute pan, warm olive oil on medium heat and add garlic, and allow to warm until garlic is softened and olive oil is permeated with the garlic.  Put into a large bowl.  Put the apple cider into the saute pan and let it boil on high heat until it's reduced to a more syrupy consistency.  In the large bowl, combine the warm garlic and olive oil mixture, reduced cider, lemon juice, almond butter, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and toss with the still warm broccoli.

Autumn Eats

Lately, I have been working late, and we have been throwing together meals so quickly, and devouring them even more quickly, that I have been forgetting to take pictures and blog the recipes.  But we have been enjoying autumn's bounty, via the following easy-to-make quickies:

Roasted Squash with Rosemary 

          - Chopped zucchini and summer squash tossed with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and roasted in a 350°F oven for about a half hour (until cooked/tender).

Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta with Green Olive Tapenade, Broccoli, and Red Chilli Pepper Flakes 

          - Broccoli florets sauteed in olive oil, garlic, red chilli pepper flakes, and salt, tossed with hot whole wheat angel hair pasta, fresh black pepper, and green olive tapenade.

Butternut Squash Soup 

          - Peel a butternut squash, halve it width-wise, halve each half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, toss with olive oil, roast at 400°F for ~25 mins. in a foil-lined baking tray (until it's tender), puree with vegetable stock to the consistency of your choice with the seasonings of your choice (this time I used salt, pepper, and fennel fronds; I also love ginger, or honey and garam masala). 

Warm Lentil Salad

          - Saute the chopped, lower, thicker parts of four scallions, four chopped celery stalks, and garlic in olive oil until softened. Stir in 2 cans of drained brown (French) lentils and salt and pepper. Stir until warmed through and mixed together - be careful not to let the lentils get mashed up. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, chopped fresh parsley, and the chopped, upper, thinner parts of the four scallions.

Wild Rice, Cranberry, Shiitake, and Sliced Snap Pea Salad

          - Toss cooked brown rice and cooked wild rice with dried cranberries, thinly sliced sauteed shiitakes, and thinly sliced blanched snap peas with salt, pepper, and a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, walnut oil, olive oil, chilli pepper, and minced shallots.

Mache and Mesclun Salad with McIntosh Apples, Candied Pecans, Shaved Manchego, Shaved Fennel, and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

          - In each plate, place a handful of mache rosettes and mesclun. Top with chopped McIntosh apples, candied pecans, and shaved fennel. Drizzle with a vinaigrette of white balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Grind black pepper over salads. Top each with a few pieces of shaved manchego.