hungry like the wolf

adios amigas!

2011-01-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

hi all, we've got an announcement for you. after almost 2 years, we've decided to end hungry like the wolf. while we still love cooking, eating, and the food blog community, we've honestly become a little bored with our own blog. rita's off to paris next semester, and i'll be busy going to class and working, plus i'll have a new random roommate. so thank you all for your support, and rest assured we'll still be reading your blogs even though we aren't sharing our own cooking adventures.
we couldn't leave without a goodbye meal though.

bread and garlic soup
roasted cornish game hen with figs and chocolate
spinach with raisins and pinenuts

so farewell, and thanks to all our readers!

tres leches cake

2010-12-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Hola!

Hope everyone who celebrates had a fabulous christmas, and everyone else is having a fabulous weekend!

our christmas dinner was amazing, and featured our family's traditional christmas enchiladas, brownies and blondies made by my very talented aunt, tamales, and homemade fruitcake. what we really need to talk about, though, is the tres leches cake.

unfortunately, i forgot to take pictures on christmas, and the cake, while still delicious, is a bit mangled from being stuffed in a tupperware in our very crowded fridge. so i borrowed the above image from myrecipes, but you should really look at Ree's (the pioneer woman) photos too.

Click here to read the original post on thepioneerwoman.com

Tres Leches Cake, from thepioneerwoman.com

Ingredients

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream
_____
FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

-Lola

quick [sausage and] mushroom lasagna

2010-12-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

rita found this recipe and made the trek up to trader joe's a few weeks ago (i know! we're super behind on blogging! to be honest, we've been super lazy with cooking lately. its also finals, so chocolate has become a major food group for me) so that we could have a nice home-cooked meal.
we used this recipe from bon appetit,
but left out the sausage. we also halved it, which should have been 4-5 servings, but ended up finishing it between 3 of us (although, in our defense, it was the only component of our meal).

yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

active time: 35 minutes

total time: 1 hour

If possible, use flat no-cook lasagna noodles: They look and taste more like homemade than the curly kind.

subscribe to Bon Appétit

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 8-ounce packages sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning blend
1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup dry red wine
4 2/3 cups marinara sauce (from two 26-ounce jars)
1 9-ounce package no-cook lasagna noodles
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
2 8-ounce bags Italian blend grated cheese (4 cups)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and seasoning blend; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add sausage and sautéuntil brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Spread 2/3 cup marinara sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Place noodles (about 4) over sauce, forming 1 layer (noodles may overlap slightly). Spread 1 cup sauce over noodles. Top with 1/3 of ricotta, then 1 cup grated cheese. Spoon 1/3 of sausage mixture over. Repeat 2 more times with noodles, sauce, ricotta, grated cheese, and sausage mixture. Cover with 4 more noodles. Spoon remaining 1 cup sauce over; sprinkle remaining 1 cup grated cheese over. Cover with foil, tenting in center to prevent cheese from touching foil. Bake lasagna 45 minutes; remove foil. Bake until bubbling at edges and cheese is browned, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes.

-Lola

potato and cauliflower curry

2010-12-17T06:29:00.000-08:00

chopped and roasted potato (drizzled with oil) in the oven for about 30 min at 350 degrees F. Then I sauteed some cauliflower, defrosted some frozen peas, and added a premade curry sauce. served everything over whole wheat couscous.

my brain is dead from finals right now, so that's all the writing you're getting from me. this is, however, a fantastic finals meal because you don't have to think too much about it or walk out to your local indian place in the freezing cold, but its super delicious.

-Lola

pastrami!

2010-12-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

pastrami sandwich from mendy's deli. it was an intense experience.

-Lola

kimchee grilled cheese

2010-12-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

the other day, rita came home with a tub of kimchee. "i read about some shop where they make kimchee grilled cheese. we should have it tonight", she told me. so i stopped at gristede's on the way home because, in a rare moment in chez twin history, we had no cheese in the fridge. after staring at the variety of cheeses for way too long, i decided swiss was the way to go.

it was a good decision.

this is pretty self explanatory...the recipe is basically in the title. just make grilled cheese as you usually would (i like wheat bread and 2 slices of cheese. grilled in butter or earth balance), but spread a spoonful of kimchee on one of your bread slices. like i said, swiss was good, but you could experiment with other cheeses too. and taste the kimchee before you put it on the bread to see how spicy it is, because you don't want to end up with a too spicy sandwich.

-Lola

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

2010-11-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

Our family has a pretty traditional thanksgiving dinner, yet somehow (I blame our mom and her health food obsession), we never had a sweet potato and marshmallow casserole. Lola finally had one last year and she's been talking about how amazing it was ever since. So there was a lot of build up to my first sweet potato marshmallow casserole (which we had for dinner a couple days before thanksgiving), but it lived up to the hype. It was all I had dreamed of and more.

Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Casserole recipe from cooks.com
Serves 8

*8 sweet potatoes

*1/2 cup hot milk

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

*1/2 pound marshmallows

mash potatoes, add spices, butter, and milk, mix. Fold in nuts and put the mixture in a buttered baking dish. Put the marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

-Rita

my favorite falafel restaurants

2010-11-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving! hope everyone has a fantastic day and meal tomorrow! while plans for thanksgiving are not completely finalized, i will be making a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows tonight. not for thanksgiving, but for dinner tonight. rita's never had one and she wants to try it just in case her thanksgiving meal doesn't include it.

on a completely unrelated note, lets talk about falafel.

falafel is one of my favorite foods, and i'm lucky to live in a city where you can get it on almost any block at any time of day. so what are my favorite falafel spots? glad you asked!

maoz vegetarian is a chain with locations in the us and europe. in downtown new york, there's one at union square and one on west eighth street. at $5 a sandwich, maoz is a little pricier than i usually like to pay for my falafel, but you also get free access to whatever salad bar fixings you can stuff in your sandwich. or you can get a salad box to fill for about $9. the salad bar is always fresh, and the falafel is nice and crispy. plus, they have awesome sweet potato fries.

mamoun's is one of my favorite restaurants in new york. there are two locations, one in the west village on macdougal, and one in the east village on st. mark's. the falafel sandwich is $2.50 and is fantastic. they have a ton of other stuff on their menu too, none of which i've ever had because i always get falafel. be sure to use their spicy sauce, but not too much (i've made that mistake. it was painful).

the hummus place another chain, with three locations in downtown new york: 2 in the west village, and one on st. mark's. i highly recommend the falafel (which comes as an appetizer, not in a sandwich), the stuffed grape leaves, the mushroom hummus, and the Mediterranean mojito. the macdougal street location is tiny, but all three have a great atmosphere, nice enough that you feel you're having a good meal out (not just grabbing lunch between classes), but still causal and cozy.

new yorkers, any great places i have to try? and non-new yorkers, what is one food you could eat everyday? also, for everyone, any thanksgiving plans?

-Lola

chai french toast

2010-11-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

we really like french toast. we also really like chai. so when we saw chai mix at trader joe's next to a sign that said, "great in french toast batter!" we knew it was meant to be.

we used the remains of a stale baguette for the toast and 2 eggs, beaten, and about 1/3 cup soymilk for the batter. we mixed in trader joe's chai latte mix to the batter too. you can find Oregon brand chai mix at a lot of stores, but you could probably also use chai spice plus sugar.

we heated butter in a pan, dipped our toast, and fried until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. it was still a little chewy in the middle, so we should have cut the bread thinner. we topped with a drizzle of syrup and some pomegranate seeds. delicious!

-Lola

pumpkin cream pasta

2010-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

We had some leftover heavy cream from the butternut squash gratin, so I decided to mix it with pumpkin to make a pasta sauce. It was very good, although it needed some salt, which we were out of when I made it.
Pumpkin Cream Pasta
serves 1
-1 serving (about 1/4 cup) of penne pasta
-handful of frozen peas
-pumpkin puree
-heavy cream
-about 2 teaspoons fresh sage
-salt and pepper
cook the pasta, adding in the peas about 2 minutes before it's done to thaw them. Drain. In a pan over low heat, combine the pumpkin puree and heavy cream at about a 1:1 ratio, then add more of either one to taste. Add sage, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the pasta and peas and serve.
-Rita
p.s someone asked where we got the oatmeal muffin mix earlier, it's from Whole Foods

couscous breakfast

2010-11-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

i decided to try something wacky for breakfast the other day.
first, i roasted chickpeas in some sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder for about 40 minutes at 350. they didn't turn out as crunchy as i'd hoped...maybe i should have added some oil or cooked them for longer? they also didn't really taste like cinnamon or cocoa, but they did taste sweet.

in the morning, i cooked 1/4 cup couscous in 1/4 cup cranberry apple juice. i then mixed this with yogurt, and topped with the chickpeas, frozen strawberries, a small scoop of peanut butter, and a small handful of bran flakes.

it turned out really good! i loved the couscous with the juice and the yogurt. next time, i'd probably make more couscous and eliminate the chickpeas.

-Lola

in which we eat a lot of brie

2010-11-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

we have some exciting news here at chez twin: rita will be studying abroad in paris next semester! we've already planned her new tres chic wardrobe (quirky librarian meets audrey hepburn. it will involve lots of striped shirts, of course), and this weekend, we decided to have a french-inspired dinner.

arugula with pomegranate seeds, pecans, and vinaigrette

roast tomatoes (sprinkle with salt and pepper, roast at 350 for about half an hour, then broil for 5 minutes. let cool slightly before eating) and baguette with brie.

we should have had wine too, but neither of us like wine, so we had a mix of lime sparkly water and cranberry apple juice.

and of course, we had music to set the mood.

we're already planning an irish themed dinner for me (i'm hopefully studying abroad in dublin this summer) next week. it probably won't be nearly as classy as the french meal, but that's ok with me.

question time! you get to leave tomorrow for a vacation in any country in the world. where are you going?

-lola

butternut-pecan pasta and salad

2010-11-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

perhaps you were inspired by our culinary feats and decided to make the casserole from our last post. like us, you probably had a lot of ingredients left over. are you wondering what to do with them? well, wonder no more, my friends!

how about pasta?we made a sauce by melting feta in heavy cream, then added whole wheat pasta, roasted butternut squash, and some greens (which totally cancels out any negative health effects of the cheese+cream sauce. trust me, i'm a nutrition minor). we stirred it all together and topped with pecans.

or maybe you'd prefer a salad?
greens+roasted butternut squash+feta+pecans+vinaigrette=delicious.
enjoy!
-Lola

butternut squash, pecan and goat cheese gratin

2010-11-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Autumn is my favorite season in New York. The weather's perfect, it has halloween and thanksgiving (two of my favorite holidays), Starbucks breaks out their winter cups, and most importantly all of my favorite foods are in season. This recipe uses one of those food, butternut squash, and is also the perfect warm, comforting dish for autumn weather.
Butternut squash, hazelnut and goat cheese gratin from Bon Appetit
makes 8-10 servings as a side dish, 4-6 as a main dish

*2 tablespoons olive oil
*coarse kosher salt (we used regular salt stolen from the dining hall)
*4 tablespoons butter, divided
*3 Cups sliced leeks
*1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
*1 1.5 oz log soft goat cheese
*1 cup heavy whipping cream
*1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (we used pecans because we couldn't find any hazelnuts at the store)
*3 1/2 lb butternut squash (about 2 medium), peeled, seeded, cut into cubes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Combine squash and oil in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss. Spread on baking sheet, roast for 35 minutes.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a pan, add sliced leeks and sage, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until tender but not brown, about 15 minutes.
Coat dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Put half of the leek mixture in it, then half of the squash mixture, then half of the cheese. Continue layering in this manner until you run out.
Preheat oven to 375. Pour cream over the casserole, sprinkle with nuts, and bake for about 30 minutes uncovered.
-Rita

momofuku milk bar!

2010-11-09T06:47:00.001-08:00

last weekend, my mom was in town. we took long walks around the city, went to the museum of natural history, had a celebrity sighting (tracy morgan!), went to a concert (the dandy warhols. they were fantastic) and explored thrift stores in brooklyn. she took lots of pictures of said events. the only two pictures i have from the weekend?

grasshopper pie

candy bar pie

both from momofuku milk bar.
clearly, i have the right priorities.
-Lola

couscous and carrot salad

2010-11-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

first of all...
YAY GIANTS!!! WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

almost as exciting?
my lunch the other day(not really actually. giants winning their first world series in san fran was much more exciting. but i really was quite excited about this lunch).
observe:

couscous and carrot salad
for the carrots:
mix shredded carrots with cinnamon, olive oil, and lightly chopped parsley. stir (or shake in a tupperware) until combined. taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

for the couscous:
cook couscous according to package directions (i use whole wheat couscous, 1/4 cup per serving). i added a sprinkle of Penzey's rogan josh seasoning, which is paprika, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and saffron. i love spice mixes because its not practical to buy a whole bunch of different spices when you live in a dorm.

saute some onion slices in olive oil and rinse and drain a can of chickpeas. stir onions and chickpeas into cooked couscous (i use about 1/3 to 1/2 of an onion and 1/3 a can of chickpeas for one serving). add some crumbled feta too.

top with sriracha or other hot sauce, a handful of carrot salad, and a spoonful of plain yogurt.

et voila! a delicious, nutritious meal!
-Lola

happy halloween!

2010-10-30T14:23:00.001-07:00

i've been nagging rita all week to do a post on a delicious couscous salad we made earlier, but she's being lazy and so am i. so, for now, enjoy this song and have a very happy halloween!

-Lola

cinnamon sugar pita chips

2010-10-25T08:19:00.001-07:00

yo! how was everyone's weekend?

mine involved lots of homework and studying for midterms, seeing the giants win (we're going to the world series!!!), my first legal drink at a bar (happy 21st to my sister rita too!), and delicious chocolate pudding pie and cookie dough cupcakes baked by my friend (i took pictures but they're on my phone and i didn't properly download the necessary software to get them onto my computer. but the cupcakes were lovely, believe me).

anyhoo, onto the chips...

i love when simple things like this turn out amazing. all you need is some leftover pita, cinnamon, sugar, and oil and you're on your way to a crazy addictive snack.

note the one perfect looking chip off to the side.

cinnamon sugar pita chips
*1 whole wheat pita
*2 teaspoons cinnamon
*about 3/4 of a packet of sugar
*canola oil

preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
separate pita into two flat, round halves. rip or cut into triangular pieces.
spread pita pieces onto a cookie sheet. drizzle with a small amount of oil and toss, so that each chip has some oil on it but is not completely coated. sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar--again, each chip should have some but not be coated.
bake for about 20 minutes, or until crispy, flipping chips over halfway through.

eat plain or with peanut butter. i bet they'd be good with yogurt too.

-Lola

breakfast quinoa

2010-10-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

rita and i recently purchased a bag of quinoa, which we had been keeping in a drawer in the kitchen, until i learned that quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, and should be refrigerated.

unfortunately, our fridge is approximately the size of a small dog (i have no idea where that comparison came from, but now that its in my head i have a mental block and can't think of anything else that's the same size), and we had no room for quinoa. which meant we were forced to eat delicious things like this: cooked quinoa, heated up in a splash of milk, mixed with a big scoop of pumpkin and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and half a packet of equal (not because i have any preference for equal. i just happened to grab it at the coffee shop). topped with almond butter.

cooked quinoa, heated up in soy milk, mixed with raisins and cinnamon and topped with syrup (trader joe's maple/agave blend) and almond butter.
-Lola

Cheddar Squash Muffins/Bread

2010-10-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Me and Lola are both huge fans of muffins. And rightly so; they are amazing. The only bad thing about muffins is that you can't eat them for dinner. Well, no more!
we don't have a muffin tin so we made these as bread. They were delicious, although I suspect they would be even better if made as muffins (true fact: everything is better if it's muffin-shaped). we ate them with some tomato soup and they were great crumbled on top of the soup.

Chedder Squash Muffins
recipe from Glamour, makes 12 muffins (or one 8x8 pan of bread)
*2 eggs
*1/2 cup water
*1 cup roasted squash, mashed (we used acorn squash)
*1 one-lb box oatmeal muffin mix
*1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*1/4 cup chopped scallions
in a bowl, add eggs, water, and roasted squash. whisk in muffin mix. cheese, and scallions. spoon batter inot baking cups of two 6-cup muffin tins or an 8x8 baking dish and bake in oven at 400 degrees farenheit for 15 to 20 minutes

-Rita

my new favorite thing ever

2010-10-13T07:23:00.001-07:00

-Lola

hi!

2010-10-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

just wanted to pop in to tell you this important fact: trader joe's white bean and basil hummus is amazing!
that's all.
-Lola

migas

2010-10-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

i have no idea if how i made my migas is authentically mexican [edit: just wikipedia-ed it. migas are tex mex, not mexican]. in fact, i don't really know much about migas at all. i learned to make them at the jewish community center when i was in 3rd grade, and this is the first time i've made them since. somewhere, i have a notebook from then, with the recipe written out in pink gel pen and titled "hella good chip things". whatever you want to call these, they're delicious.for one serving, i used:
*2 corn tortillas
*2 stalks (is that what they're called?) green onions, sliced
*2 eggs
*1 handful shredded cheddar and jack cheese
*1/2 an avocado, chopped
and some canola oil.
first, heat your oil in a pan. use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. cut your tortillas into sixths, and place the pieces in the pan. fry until tortillas are just starting to get crispy.
next, add your eggs and green onions. stir occasionally until eggs are scrambled. at the end, stir in cheese and cook for about 30 seconds more. top with avocado and serve with hot sauce or salsa (i used sriracha, of course).
-Lola

bbq tofu sandwiches

2010-10-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

rita and i have both become hermits this weekend. i caught a bad flu, and have now given it to her. we're both treating it with lots of duane reade nyquil knockoff, way too much grey's anatomy and my so-called life, and plenty of sleep.

despite this, we have managed to cook some very tasty dishes, which i promise we'll post about soon. i also went over to a friend's apartment the other night and helped her make butternut squash ravioli with hazelnut butter sauce (by "helped" i mean i rolled out the dough with a budweiser can. classy). so good! i wish i had a picture for you guys.

anyhoo, here's a not so exciting (or photogenic) but still yummy meal:
we just fried some tofu in oil, then served it in a sandwich with bbq sauce and sliced tomato. we also had un-photographed sweet potato fries on the side. with more bbq sauce, of course. you can never have enough.
-Lola

cheese enchiladas with mango salsa

2010-10-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

this post is dedicated to our mom, who taught us (among many other important things) how to make enchiladas. happy birthday mom!
for the enchiladas, you'll need small tortillas (flour or corn), enchilada sauce, grated cheese (we buy the pre-grated mexican blend. you could also use cheddar and jack), and onions. you could also add black olives and jalapenos if you want. we forgot to buy jalapenos, so we added some hot sauce to the enchiladas.

first, make the filling by mixing cheese, diced onion, and olives and jalapenos if you have them.

next, dip your tortillas in enchilada sauce and fry them for about 3 minutes each, until they're just getting crispy. place tortillas in a baking dish, plop a spoonful of filling in each one, and roll up. keep going until your baking dish is full-you can pack your enchiladas pretty tightly. if you have extra filling, sprinkle it on top of the enchiladas and top with a little more sauce.

bake at 375 for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melted.
for the salsa, i started with this recipe, but just copied the ingredient list and used the quantities i felt like using.
*1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
*1 red bell pepper, chopped
*juice of 2 limes, or to taste
*4 stalks green onion, chopped
*2 teaspoons olive oil
combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir.
recommended cooking music:

(actually i was listening to taylor swift while cooking, but rita hates taylor swift. we're listening to this song as a type this post.)
and for my mom:

its her song.
i promise i will get over the novelty and stop embedding videos soon. but not yet =)
-Lola

quinoa with roasted vegetables and cashews

2010-10-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

sorry to have abandoned you for a week! in my defense, i have been super busy. this week i:

*got a new job

*had about 50 million pages of reading to do for classes

*joined an irish folk group (despite the fact that i have no musical talent what-so-ever)

*ran 3.92 miles in 50 minutes. the farthest i've ever run! i credit all the flo rida on my ipod. (also, i know this is not impressive if you are a serious runner, but i'm not. before this january, the most i'd ever run was the mile run we did in PE class every year. and by "run", i mean jogged for 5 minutes and walked the rest. the only person with a worse time than me was this weird kid who never showered.)
and because i just figured out how to embed videos into posts, here's the aforementioned flo rida:

*had my first food lab, in which we get long lists of tasks, recipes, and experiments to do in groups. basically it is very intense and involves running around the kitchen for 3 hours. we made apple sauce, caramelized onions, roasted vegetables, sauteed mustard greens, steamed vegetables, and cabbage.

so now that you've patiently read through all my excuses, here's some healthy and tasty food for you:

cauliflower and eggplant, tossed with canola oil and roasted at 475 for about half an hour. added to quinoa cooked with curry powder (i believe our curry powder is the sweet kind, but you could use whatever you like) and topped with cashews. and then topped with un-pictured sriracha.

-Lola

pancake sunday

2010-09-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

is there any better way to start a sunday morning than with chocolate chip pancakes and a bon jovi dance party in your pajamas? with yogurt, strawberries, and syrup

i think not.

-Lola

penne with mushrooms, cheese, and carmelized onions

2010-09-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

you guys, we need to talk about caramelized onions. the idea that with the right technique and a little bit of time, two totally ordinary ingredients-an onion and some oil-can become something completely different and amazingly delicious is one of those magical things that made me fall in love with cooking, but i had never actually made caramelized onions until now. i'd tried, but always ended up with onions that were too burnt and crispy. luckily for me, i'm taking a cooking class this semester and i finally know the secret to perfect caramelized onions.
first, you have to slice your onions into half moon shapes. cut the onion in half, then place the flat side on your cutting board and make thin slices downward. separate your slices so you have a bunch of pieces that look like parentheses.

next, sweat the onion. heat just enough canola oil to cover the bottom of a saucepan, then add your onions and stir over low heat for a few minutes, being careful not to brown the onions. cover your pot, and continue to stir every few minutes. if the onions are looking like they're starting to brown, add a little water. it should take about 10 minutes for the onions to get soft and translucent. at this point, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying/saute pan and transfer your onions into that pan. continue stirring every 5 minutes or so until onions are brown and soft, like the above photo. if there's brown stuff stuck to your pan, you want that in your onions, so deglaze the pan with a bit of water or broth, then stir until the liquid is incorporated into the onions.

now you're done with your onions! i know this is getting long, but bear with me. i just read a 50 page chapter in my textbook about vegetables. you can read this.

so, caramelized onions are delicious on their own, but maybe you want to incorporate them into a balanced meal. perhaps pasta?
or more specifically, penne pasta with mushrooms, romano cheese, and caramelized onions.

here's the recipe (well, not really. as usual, no exact quantities. but its close to a recipe):
*penne pasta (we used whole wheat)
*onions (i used half an onion for 2 servings)
*canola oil
*olive oil (i used extra virgin)
*mushrooms (i used a medium handful for 2 servings)
*romano cheese, thinly sliced or shaved (used about 1/2 cup of shaved pieces for 2 servings)

slice and caramelize your onions, according to directions above. this should take about half an hour to 45 minutes total. meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. slice mushrooms, and cook in canola oil (just enough to cover the bottom of your pan), stirring frequently, until they turn a nice rich brown. toss mushrooms, onions, pasta, and cheese together. top with a drizzle of olive oil.
-Lola

pasta with chickpeas and parmesan cheese

2010-09-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

I made this back when we were at home, but it was so easy and cheap it would make great dorm food. I wanted to try Trader Joe's lemon papardelle pasta and since the pasta itself is already lemon flavored, I went without sauce and just tossed it in a little olive oil and cooked garlic. Then I added chickpeas, shaved paremesan, and a little salt and pepper. It was delicious, and the perfect light lunch for a hot day.

-Rita

easy tuna melt

2010-09-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

tuna mixed with artichoke hearts (in oil) and dijon mustard. on wheat bread with tomato slices, then topped with irish cheddar cheese and microwaved until cheese is melted.
thats all i have time to write right now! bye!
-Lola

fashion's night out

2010-09-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

happy fall everybody! well, i don't know if its officially fall on the calendar, but i wore boots yesterday (admittedly, it was about 10 degrees too hot for boots. i just couldn't wait to wear them) and have been eating sweet potatoes, so its officially fall for me.

the lovely emily was nice enough to respond to a post and tell us she'd like to hear some stories of new york life. so, here goes my attempt at that:

most new york events involve either standing around in large crowds of people or waiting in long lines of people. as a 5 foot 3 girl, i have failed to see anything except the backs of random new yorkers at many exciting events, such as the VMAs red carpet, the rockefeller center christmas tree lighting, and the macy's thanksgiving day parade. last friday was no exception, as i headed to fashion's night out with my friend A., A.'s roommate, and Rita.

i worked until 4, then chilled at home a bit before walking over to A.'s dorm. I only mention this because i had a celebrity siting on the way home from work: Ice-T and his wife CoCo. and their dog. because i am a cool, jaded new yorker, and also because i have no idea what i could say to Ice-T, i walked by casually (sidenote: my first celebrity siting since moving to nyc was Chris Noth. I was walking with my mom, who failed to see him, so I wanted to point him out to her. however, in my excitement, i forgot his name and shouted "mom! look! celebrity!" Chris Noth then gave me a funny look and kept walking).

Anyhoo, we started in an italian restaurant in little italy. it was one of those generic, slightly overpriced, but tasty restaurants that are everywhere there. We split 3 dishes between the four of us: Penne alla vodka, chicken with eggplant and prosciutto, and pizza margherita. yum!

we then hopped on the subway to midtown, where we wandered around in large crowds and looked in store windows. A. wanted to see Gwen Stefani, but we managed to miss her twice. We did see an almost naked male model showering in a store window, and we were offered cheetos approximately 27 times by a random guy yelling at us from a truck. those were pretty much the highlights. after walking around in circles until we got to times square, we were exhausted and decided to head home, so we dragged ourselves back to the subway and were back in our dorm rooms by 10.

so there you have it, a taste of glamorous new york life =) hope you enjoyed!
-Lola

israeli couscous with quinoa and roasted carrots

2010-09-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

one of our staple meals here at chez twin is what i usually refer to as "couscous and stuff" aka couscous with whatever veggies we have thrown in, and some beans for protein. its easy, healthy, and a great way to use up leftovers. this particular incarnation used trader joe's harvest grains blend, which is mostly israeli couscous, with some quinoa and a little bit of orzo and dried garbanzo beans (the yellow things in the picture).
israeli couscous with quinoa and roasted carrots
i'm writing ingredients without amounts because you can adjust every ingredient depending on what you want. its also a great recipe to make a big batch of and save for the rest of the week.
carrots
olive oil
cinnamon
cumin
curry powder
cayenne pepper
canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
peas, frozen or fresh
trader joe's harvest grains blend, or israeli couscous and quinoa (and orzo if desired)
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. spread carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. toss. there should be enough olive oil to evenly cover the carrots, but not too much excess oil. sprinkle with a medium amount of cinnamon, cumin, and curry powder, and a smaller amount of cayenne. mix so that each carrot has some spices, but is not covered in spices. i think i used about 2 tsp of most of the spices and 1 tsp of cayenne for about 10 carrots. bake for about 45 minutes. carrots should be just starting to blacken on the bottom.
2. when carrots have 10-15 minutes left, cook grains according to package directions. if using different grains, mix them together after cooking. if using frozen peas, cook them with your grains (when your water is boiling, add both grains and peas).
3. stir in carrots and beans (and peas if you haven't yet) with grain mixture. top with sriracha or other hot sauce if desired.
-Lola

grilled cheese sandwich and spinach salad

2010-09-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

yo!
what you see here is our first dorm dinner. that grilled cheese sandwich is the only cooking i've done all week, besides the carrots i've got roasting in the oven right now. the salad is spinach, cashews, and trader joe's cranberry pomegranate dried fruit mix. which is good, btw. you should get some. and that's hummus on the carrots, even though it kind of looks like cream cheese.
so our first week here has been crazy, but hopefully we'll cook some real food for y'all (and ourselves) soon. we have big plans for enchiladas and eggplant lasagna. since real cooking will be more sporadic, please let me know if anyone would be interested in non-recipe posts...perhaps daily food journal type posts, what i'm learning in my nutrition classes, random new york adventures, cheap food tips, etc, and we can try to post 2-3 times a week. because we love having you guys around and we know you like reading posts more than once a month =)
thanks!
-Lola

spinach salad with mango and candied macadamias

2010-09-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

with this hot weather, all i've been craving is salad. more specifically, salad with fruit, nuts, and cheese. its just so refreshing. this is the last part of our "last time cooking at home meal" (which also included the corn soup and the bread pudding). we used a recipe from cooking light, but eliminated the scallops and served it with french bread, goat cheese, and smoked salmon on the side. smoked salmon+goat cheese (or butter, or cream cheese)+baguette=amazing-ness, btw.
spinach salad with mango and candied macadamia nuts
from cooking light. serves 4
Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water, divided
1/4 cup macadamia nuts or pecans
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups diced peeled mango (about 1 large), divided
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 pound sea scallops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 cups packaged spinach
1 cup vertically sliced red onion

[if, like us, you skip the scallops, you don't need the scallops, obviously, or the salt, pepper, or oil. and for any vegans, without the scallops the salad is vegan.]

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in nuts. Spread nut mixture onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Immediately scrape onto a sheet of foil coated with cooking spray. Spread evenly; cool completely. Lightly chop; set aside.

Combine 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 cup mango, juice, ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Stir in poppy seeds; set dressing aside.

Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a grill pan or medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

Arrange 2 cups spinach on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 3 ounces scallops, 1/4 cup mango, and 1/4 cup onion. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons dressing; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon nut mixture.

-lola

sweet corn soup

2010-09-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

we've finally made it to nyc, and are all unpacked and ready to start the school year. get ready for some exciting dorm meals! but first, we have some more food from home to show you......like delicious sweet corn soup.
while we were in seattle, we had the most amazing corn soup at poppy, our splurge restaurant for the trip (well that and pok pok in portland, which is amazing. go there and get the chicken wings. right now!). it was like the freshest, sweetest ear of corn you've ever had, in soup form. when we cooked our final home meal of the summer, i knew we had to include corn soup. we found a good recipe in alice waters' the art of simple food. it was quite tasty, although it looked a little grayish. the recipe was also super simple and fast.
-Lola

berry brioche bread pudding

2010-08-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

so, we're heading off to the east coast tomorrow, then back to school! we're finally all packed (ok, not all done. but 95% packed). i think we deserve some bread pudding!

we used a recipe from food and wine magazine but subbed blackberries (fresh from a park down the street!) for the blueberries and raspberries. we also added more sugar. we'll say it was to account for the fact that blackberries are less sweet, and not because we weren't paying attention when we halved the recipe. it worked, and was not overly sweet. also, although half the recipe should have been four servings, i was able to cut it into 6 big slices.
i think everybody liked it.
original recipe, with my notes in brackets:
berry brioche bread pudding from food and wine magazine
serves 8 [to 12]

Ingredients

1. Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
2. 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
3. 2 cups heavy cream
4. 2 cups whole milk [we used 2%]
5. 2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
6. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
7. 4 large eggs
8. 4 large egg yolks
9. 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10. 2 cups blueberries and raspberries, plus more for serving [or blackberries, and if using blackberries add 1/3 cup more sugar to the cream mixture and 1-2 T more sugar to your berries]
11. One 1-pound loaf of brioche, cut into 1/2-inch dice
12. Whipped cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and coat the dish with the turbinado sugar.
In a large saucepan, bring the cream, milk, 2/3 cup of the granulated sugar and the salt to a simmer over moderately high heat, then remove from the heat.
In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the hot cream until blended. Strain the custard through a fine strainer into a large bowl.
In a small bowl, toss the blueberries and raspberries with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Using a fork, coarsely mash the berries. Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes.
Mix the brioche into the custard. Fold in the mashed berries. Transfer the pudding to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until set in the center. Remove the foil and bake in the top third of the oven for 20 minutes longer, until lightly golden.
Preheat the broiler. Broil the pudding for 1 minute, until golden brown [be careful! we burnt the top of ours]. Transfer to a rack [we just let stand in the pan on a counter, not a rack] and let stand for 30 minutes, until cooled slightly. Cut the bread pudding into squares and serve with blueberries, raspberries and whipped cream.

-lola

easy vegetable soup

2010-08-26T12:55:00.001-07:00

this is one of our quick lunch staples. just saute whatever veggies you want in olive oil, then move them to a pot and add a can of diced tomatoes with their juices plus a can of beans (whatever kind you like) with their juices. heat, stirring, until hot and add italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. this makes enough for a satisfying, healthy lunch for 2.
-Lola

the great empanada adventure

2010-08-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

another example of how rita and i fail at making pretty food. but it sure tasted delicious!we found 2 recipes la madre had printed out for us years ago, mushroom and butternut squash empanadas, and chicken empanada with chorizo, raisins, and and olives. since we had one of these (image courtesy of google):handy dandy (but not so much for uncoordinated people like us) pot sticker/empanada presses, we decided to make the second recipe as small empanadas instead of one big one. we also used pizza crust for both the doughs. because we're lazy like that.

as you can see, we became frustrated with the press system and ended up just rolling the ingredients in balls or dough. it worked. we also ran out of dough halfway through, hence the chicken, chorizo, raisin, and olive filling you see above, un-empanada-ed. we told everyone it was a stew.
Mushroom and Butternut Squash Empañadas
Gourmet | October 2002
chef Claire Archibald
Cafe Azul, Portland, OR
yield: Makes 8 first-course servings

For empanada filling

* 1 cup diced (1/4-inch) butternut squash
* 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
* 6 small garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 (2- to 3-inch) fresh jalapeño chiles, seeds and ribs discarded and chiles finely chopped
* 1 pound fresh exotic mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini, or hedgehogs (all one kind, not a mixture), trimmed and coarsely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup chicken broth

For sauce

* 1 dried pasilla de Oaxaca chile*
* 3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
* 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks discarded and tomatillos rinsed and quartered
* 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

For empanada crust

* 1/3 Café Azul's pastry dough (1 pound)
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
* 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Preparation

Make empanada filling:
Cook squash in a small saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes, then drain in a sieve.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, salt, and broth and simmer, covered, until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes, then stir in squash and salt to taste. Cool filling completely.

Make sauce:
Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat until hot, then toast pasilla de Oaxaca chile, pressing down with tongs, 15 to 20 seconds on each side. Halve chile lengthwise and discard stem, ribs, and seeds.

Heat griddle over moderately high heat until hot, then toast garlic until lightly blackened, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cool garlic slightly and peel.

Simmer tomatillos, onion, water, chile, garlic, and salt in a large saucepan, covered, until tomatillos are very tender, about 20 minutes, and cool slightly. Remove 1 chile half and reserve, then purée sauce in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), adding as much of reserved chile half as necessary to achieve desired spiciness. Return sauce to pan and season with salt.

Form and bake empanadas:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Divide dough into 8 equal pieces (2 ounces each) and form each into a disk. Roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface into a 6- to 7-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Spoon about 1/3 cup filling onto center and brush edge of pastry lightly with egg wash. Fold dough in half to form a half-moon, enclosing filling, and press edges together to seal. Crimp edge decoratively and transfer empanada with a spatula to a large baking sheet. Make 7 more empanadas in same manner.

Lightly brush empanadas all over with some of remaining egg wash and sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

While empanadas are baking, reheat sauce. Cut each empanada in half with a serrated knife and serve with about 3 tablespoons sauce spooned around it.

* Available at Latino markets and Kitchen/Market (888-468-4433).
add your own note

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mushroom-and-Butternut-Squash-Empanadas-107182#ixzz0xS1TMVhG

cafe azul's pastry dough (which we didn't make. but you can!)

5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
4 sticks (2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
About 3/4 cup ice water

Preparation

Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Beat egg with vinegar in a 1-cup measure using a fork, then add enough ice water to measure 1 cup total. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until incorporated.

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with heel of your hand just enough to bring dough together. Roll out or pat into a 15- by 9-inch rectangle. Arrange dough with short side nearest you, then fold into thirds like a letter to form a roughly 5- by 9-inch rectangle. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 6 (do not chill longer or dough will discolor).

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cafe-Azuls-Pastry-Dough-107241#ixzz0xS2HKyBH

and, finally, chicken empanada [or empanadas, or stew] with chorizo, raisins, and olives
serves 12, as a tapa

3 whole chicken legs, including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds total)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1/3 cup finely diced Spanish chorizo (cured spiced pork sausage; 1 1/2 oz; casings discarded if desired)
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (not hot)
1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed

Preparation

Make filling:
Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it's not, briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.) When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Form and bake empanada:
Form dough into a ball, then wrap in oiled plastic wrap (oiled side in) and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) with 1 tablespoon oil.

Divide dough in half, then roll out 1 half (keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle and transfer to baking pan. Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border, and moisten border with water. Roll out remaining dough in same manner, then arrange over filling and press edges together to seal. Roll edges in and press to form a decorative rim. Make a 1-inch hole (a steam vent) in center of empanada.

Bake empanada 15 minutes, then brush crust with 3/4 tablespoon oil and bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven and brush empanada with remaining 3/4 tablespoon oil. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a rack, then slide empanada onto rack using a wide metal spatula and cool to warm.

Cut empanada into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

eep!

2010-08-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

sorry for the long absence! we were exploring the pacific northwest...be back shortly with a real post for all you awesome people.

jalapeno corn bread

2010-08-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

And now, the thrilling conclusion of the corn bread and chili saga!We used a recipe from Bon Appetit and added whole corn kernels and diced jalapenos. It would probably be great with shredded cheese too. We had a ton left over, although with four people in the house it goes pretty fast. Definitely not as excessive as the time me and Lola made cornbread back in NY and had to eat it with breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days afterwards.

Buttermilk cornbread. Recipe from Bon Appitit via Epicurious.com. Serves 12
2 cups white cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted, cooled

Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and butter in medium bowl to blend. Stir buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients to blend (do not overmix). Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool in pan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
-Rita

vegetarian chili

2010-08-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

happy august everybody! we celebrated the end of july with some homemade chili (not that july was a bad month or anything. but i am excited to be only a month away from heading back to new york.)who doesn't love chili? its warm, comforting, and hearty. its also simple to make, the kind of thing that you could make a big pot of on sunday and save portions in the fridge for easy lunches the rest of the week (i wish i was the kind of organized, put together person who actually did things like that. instead of the kind of person who regularly makes a peanut butter sandwich in 4 seconds and eats it on the way to class while dripping jelly all over myself. but i did heat up the leftover chili for lunch today.)

recipe from bon appetit, via epicurious, with some changes by the twins
vegetarian chili

makes 4-5 main course servings

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 cups chopped onions
* 2 medium coarsely chopped bell peppers (we used yellow)
* 6 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons chili powder + more to taste
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin + more to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans plus 1 15-16 oz can kidney beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
* 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
* small pinch chipotle chili powder (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + more to taste

possible toppings (we used green onions and shredded mexican cheese):
* Chopped fresh cilantro
* Sour cream
* Grated Monterey Jack cheese
* Chopped green onions

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, and tomato sauce. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and extra chili powder, cumin, anc cinnamon if desired.

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese, and green onions separately.

stay tuned for the exciting conclusion (aka the cornbread recipe) in our next post!
-Lola

moroccan lamb stew

2010-07-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

when we came home for the summer, we found out that our parents had purchased a lamb. or, more specifically, every cut of a lamb, wrapped in paper and taking up our entire freezer. the family slowly worked our way through each parcel, until all we had left was 4 packages of stew meat. so of course, we had to make lamb stew.
i'll be honest, this was not my favorite recipe. it was perfectly fine, but nothing i'd make again. i'm picky about stews, they have to be cooked forever and have the meat falling apart for me to like them, because i HATE (ooh, you know its serious when caps lock is involved) chewy meat, especially if its boiled. i also think this would have been way better if we'd used the called for blood oranges, but we couldn't find any. i don't think they're in season right now? and i'd up all the spices, because it really just tasted like orange juice to me.
and with that ringing endorsement, the recipe:
Moroccan Lamb Stew from bon appetit, via epicurious

yield: Serves 4

This fragrant stew is great over couscous.

Ingredients

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 1/2 pounds o-bone (round-bone) lamb shoulder chops, well trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces, or 2 pounds lamb stew meat
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/3 cups water

2 large blood oranges
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation

Mix salt, pepper, cinnamon and allspice in medium bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat with spice mixture. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to pot and sauté until brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Return all lamb to pot. Add onion, garlic and ginger to pot and sauté 5 minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate peel from blood oranges and reserve. Cut all remaining peel and white pith from oranges and discard. Coarsely chop oranges. Add oranges and grated peel to lamb. Cover and simmer until lamb is very tender, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in parsley and honey. Season with salt and pepper.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Moroccan-Lamb-Stew-101388#ixzz0vIkOahAe
-Lola
p.s. in the spirit of being positive, because i wasn't in love with the stew (and because i'm bored), i thought i'd share some things i do love...
1.

my new boots! madden girl zoiie boots, photo (and my pair) courtesy of amazon.com
2.jogging by the beach this morning. look at that fog! typical san fran beach weather.
3. the fact that i am currently importing a britney spears cd onto my itunes. don't judge me and my love for 90s pop =)

mixed berry compote

2010-07-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

pictured with plain greek yogurt. it was way prettier in person, trust me.

our family really loves chocolate. it is practically blasphemy to serve a dessert without any chocolate. however, when making dessert for a recent dinner party, we were craving some birite vanilla ice cream so we decided to risk it. we made a warm mixed berry compote to serve over. i think we were forgiven for the lack of chocolate.

mixed berry compote, from gourmet via epicurious
*3 cups mixed berries (we used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
*3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
*1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
*2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter in a skillet over moderate heat. Stir in brown sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Add berries and cook, tossing gently (try to keep most of them from breaking up), until berries are warm and juices begin to be released, 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

-Lola

black bean burgers

2010-07-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Even though me and Lola don't like burgers much, we both love veggie burgers. Actually, I prefer the ones that don't even try to taste like meat burgers and instead just taste like a delicious thing that just happens to be shaped like a burger. This black bean burger recipe falls into the second category, although the beans do give it a nice meatiness that also helps hold it together. Me and Lola both consistently fail with hamburgers, pancakes, crab cakes, and other things that need to be formed into circles, but even we managed to turn out fairly succesful patties with this recipe, although they did crumble a little bit at the edges.

Here's the recipe from The San Francisco Chronicle:

Black Bean Burgers
Serves 4

You can also make these as sliders. Decrease cooking time slightly, and use smaller buns or dinner rolls. These can also be baked at 350° for 15-20 minutes.

•3 tablespoons vegetable oil
•1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
•2 teaspoons minced garlic
•1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
•-- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
•1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
•-- Juice and grated zest of 1 lime
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•1 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/3 cup chopped cilantro
•2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
•3 tablespoons mayonnaise + more for buns
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•3 to 4 hamburger buns
•-- Avocado, thinly sliced
•-- Salsa and creme fraiche, for serving
Instructions: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet; add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat to cool.

In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs, lime zest, cumin, oregano and cilantro. Pulse 3/4 of the beans in a food processor with lime juice, mayonnaise and egg until combined. Stir into breadcrumb mixture, and add onion mixture and remaining whole beans. Shape bean mixture into patties about the size of the rolls, and 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 to 8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Split buns, and thinly spread cut sides with mayonnaise. In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook buns, cut side down, until crisp and golden brown. Place one patty on each bun, top with avocado, salsa and creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 443 calories, 14 g protein, 47 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat (3 g saturated), 61 mg cholesterol, 810 mg sodium, 10 g fiber.

-Rita

Chinese Barbequed Pork with Garlic Sauce

2010-07-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

We had a ton of pork left over from the pulled pork we made earlier, so me and Lola looked for ways to use it without having to buy anything (and therefore avoiding generating more leftovers). We both love Chinese barbequed pork (the red kind that's in pork buns), but all the recipes for that required ginger, which we didn't have, so we ended up making a different variation on Chinese barbequed pork using this recipe from Gourmet. We managed to make the pork and the side (rice vermicelli with cabbage, edamame, and peanut sauce) without buying any ingredients. We did momentarily think we would have to buy hoisin sauce, but that was averted when we realized we could make our own using this recipe.
Although our pork wasn't red, it was still very good. We tried to make it pretty by lining it up, but as you can see from the second picture the prettiness was lost as soon as it got on the plate.
-Rita

coleslaw

2010-07-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

with pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potatoes, and mom's arm in the background. hi mom!

of course we needed coleslaw to go with our pulled pork. so we made our own.

carrots and red cabbage. look, how pretty:

this recipe was delicious, but made a ton of coleslaw. i could probably open up my own kfc franchise to get rid of it all (of course, it is a million times better than the soupy coleslaw you get in styrofoam cups at kfc).

artsy photo of the cabbage.

coleslaw makes alot of servings. only half of it filled that big glass bowl you see above.
recipe from smitten kitchen, who adapted it from Ina Garten
the only changes we made were to use slightly less mayonnaise (if you've been reading for a while, you know we are not huge mayo fans. but of course you have to have some mayonnaise or it wouldn't be coleslaw) and less parsley (we only had a small handful left).
dressing
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
slaw
1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 small head red cabbage
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled and shredded
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (or 1/4 cup if you're me and too lazy/cheap to go to the store and buy more parsley. it was good this way, but probably better with the full 1 cup)
1. half the cabbage halves and slice very thinly. toss cabbage and carrots together in a large bowl. add parsley and stir/toss until everything is combined.
2. combine dressing ingredients and stir until combined.
3. toss dressing with slaw to taste (i used about 4 tablespoons dressing for 1/2 my batch of slaw). stir until combined. store in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
-Lola

pulled pork sandwiches

2010-07-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, while me and Lola were off in Arizona visiting our cousin and getting sunburnt (before the trip we asked our cousin how hot it was there. "Well, it was 110 degrees today", she said, "but don't worry, it'll cool off and only be 106 by the time you get here." As native San Franciscans we are not prepared for anything over 80), our parents went to the Fillmore street jazz festival and had some pulled pork sandwiches that my mom raved about. Hearing her description of them, me and Lola knew we had to make some of our own. Our mom's verdict: "They're not as good as the ones from the street fair, but only because the buns aren't very good." I guess next time we will have to make our own buns too.

We served them with sweet potatoe fries and coleslaw, the recipe for which we will share with you next post.

Pulled pork adapted from "Cooking Light"

serves 4-6
PORK

*1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

*1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

*1/2 tablespoon chili powder

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 teaspoon ground cumin

*1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

*1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle

*about 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or sirloin, trimmed

SAUCE

*3/8 cup apple cider vinegar

*1/4 cup ketchup

*1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

*1 teaspoon smoked paprika

* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Cut the pork up into chunks. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub evenly over pork
and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Put pork into a crockpot with 1/2 cup chicken broth or water and cook at low temperature for 8 hours.

To prepare sauce, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasinally with a whisk. Boil five minutes or until thick.

Add the sauce to the pork and cook in the crockpot for another hour. Pull the pork apart with a fork and serve on hamburger buns with coleslaw. If you like, you can also make some extra sauce to serve with the sandwiches.
-Rita

salmon burger sandwich

2010-07-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

i had made it down the hill and was headed towards the subway station when my friend called me.
"so did you call susana?" she asked.
"no, i thought you did", i said.
this was bad news. susana was the friend whose birthday we were supposed to be meeting up for in half an hour. except no one told susana this. planning fail. anyway, after several back and fourth phone calls, we figured it out and arranged to meet an hour later.
in the meantime, i got hungry for lunch and, not wanting to walk back up the hill to my house, stopped at the local bagel place. i got the Mediterranean sandwich, which was hummus, sun-dried tomato paste, and a bunch of veggies on a bagel. it was insanely satisfying. you know when a meal manages to be exactly what you wanted at that moment? this was one of those moments.
which doesn't have much to do with my lunch today, except that it reminded me how good hummus is with sun-dried tomatoes. and my lunch today was also very satisfying.
le sandwich:
salmon burger (from costco), cooked in a nonstick pan with pam spray + 2 slices toasted wheat bread + trader joe's roasted red pepper hummus + sun-dried tomatoes + 1/4 of an avocado.
simple and delicious! if i had them, i would have served it with sweet potato fries.
-Lola

lunch time!

2010-07-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

rita and i both had delicious lunches yesterday during half time of the spain vs. germany game (viva espana!). unfortunately, we did not photograph either of them. because the camera was all the way upstairs. you understand.
i do have this photo from a few weeks ago, of rita's super simple lunch of black and blue steak. i didn't taste it, but according to rita, it was quite yummy (i was eating apple cinnamon oatmeal. true story: i would eat breakfast foods for every meal if i could). all she did for the steak was take some leftover slices of cooked steak, heat them up, then added onion, sliced and cooked in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, and topped with crumbled blue cheese.
our lunches yesterday were...
me: 2 egg omelette with sun-dried tomatoes and gorgonzola plus 1 slice toasted multigrain bread spread with 1/4 of an avocado and topped with sriracha (see what i mean about the breakfast foods?)
she: grilled cheese on multigrain bread with manchego cheese, prosciutto and avocado (we love being at home with a fridge filled with gourmet ingredients!) plus trader joe's tomato and roasted red pepper soup (so good! you should buy it).
-Lola

african ground nut stew

2010-07-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

yo! i hope you all had a fabulous fourth of july weekend. we spent ours in arizona, rafting down a river in 106 degree heat. then we got home to san francisco, where it is foggy and grey, just the way we like it. also, perfect stew weather!
from cooking light. the only change we made was to sub plain greek yogurt for the sour cream. because sour cream is gross.
African ground nut stew with sour cream [or greek yogurt] and chive topping (i accidentally left off the g when i first typed that. you can call it toppin' if you're hip like me)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 1/2 cups quartered small red potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Combine sour cream and chives in a small bowl; cover. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in peanuts, salt, and crushed red pepper; sauté 2 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Place 1 2/3 cups stew into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream mixture.

Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light, MAY 2007
-Lola

spanish tortilla with artichokes and roasted peppers

2010-07-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

with greens + nasturtiums (i had to google "edible flowers to find out how to spell that. my original spelling was so far off, i didn't even get any spell check suggestions) and sauteed shrimp. yum! also with rita's owl mug, which she wanted to show off.

this is another recipe from a wonderful cookbook, The New Spanish Table.

innards.

a spanish tortilla is basically an omelet made with thinly sliced potatoes, except instead of folding the omelet in half, you dramatically flip it over mid-cooking then finish cooking until you get a big cake like omelet that you can slice into pieces. the flip is difficult...you top the tortilla pan with a plate, turn the whole apparatus upside down, then slide the plated tortilla back into the pan. the only plate we had that fit over the pan weighed approximately 10 pounds (not really, but i have no arm strength and that thing was heavy) so i ended up with egg running all over my stove. still, knowing me, the process could have gone way worse. i managed to conserve most of the egg and ended up with a successful tortilla.
-Lola

goat cheese wrap

2010-06-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, hope you all had a good weekend. Our weekend was awesome, because we got to see THE BACKSTREET BOYS!! for free. They were performing at Pride, and although they only played 3 songs, it was epic. We also got to see Andy Bell (lead singer of Erasure) perform this awesome song, although unfortunately he didn't reenact the amazing video.
Another thing that made our weekend awesome was this excellent wrap, invented by our dad and made by Lola. It's made of mache, sundried tomatoes (the kind packed in olive oil), goat cheese, and basil leaves all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla.

-Rita

apple cinnamon oatmeal

2010-06-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

this is my favorite oatmeal breakfast. i use 1/2 cup oats cooked in 3/4 cup or 1 cup water (less water if you're microwaving, more if stovetop. also, i use either mccann's quick irish oats or quaker. i like mccann's better. It also absorbs the water a lot better, so i use less water with quaker) and topped with a large sprinkle of cinnamon. stir in a chopped apple before cooking, or midway through if you want it a little crunchy. top with a spoonful of peanut butter. for an extra treat (my go-to finals week breakfast) add 1 packet or 1-2 tablespoons of hot chocolate powder (stir in before cooking)

-Lola

vegan chocolate pudding

2010-06-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

look at me, posting 2 days in a row! now lets see if i can keep it up.
i LOVE chocolate pudding. it's probably my favorite food ever (although i do say that about many foods). i remember when i was younger and went camping with some friends, we created a whole mythology around the dining hall's chocolate pudding. I don't recall the entire story, only that my friend N. was crowned the pudding queen and the rest of us had to say "I am mere whipped topping in your pudding presence".last week i decided it was time to say goodbye, at least for now, to jello instant pudding mix, and make my own pudding. my first attempt was a spectacular disaster. it started out promisingly enough. just look at this recipe. while i'm sure deb's caramel pudding was amazing, i burnt my caramel and my pudding was filled with unappetizing lumps, rendering it completely inedible.
so i threw it out, took a trip to whole foods, and tried again, this time with a recipe that requires no slaving over the stove and patiently stirring in cornstarch.
yum! this pudding is rich, thick and chocolately. if you're serving it to tofu-phobes, don't tell them its vegan and they'll never know. and remember...

vegan chocolate pudding from veg news, with a few small changes from me
serves 4
*1 cup vegan chocolate chips
*1/2 cup powdered sugar
*8 ounces silken tofu (half a standard 1 lb/16 ounce box)
*1 teaspoon vanilla
1. place tofu in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
2. add sugar and vanilla to blender/processor. stir once or twice.
3. melt chocolate chips in microwave or a double boiler (it took 2 minutes in my microwave.) stir to make sure all chips are melted. add to blender/processor.
3. blend until smooth and combined. you may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
4. portion into 4 individual serving bowls and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. add toppings such as whipped cream, crumbled cookies, fruit, or chocolate chips if desired.
-Lola

p.s. how amazing was the US vs. Algeria match this morning? go USA!!!

quick indian lunch

2010-06-22T20:20:00.001-07:00

you guys, i feel bad. i left you for a week, and now all i have to offer is this boring, but tasty lunch. at least there's a pretty picture. look:
i don't even remember everything that was in here, but the basic idea is this--saute veggies (i apparently used carrots. i think there were some onions in there too) in olive oil. add a sprinkle of curry powder (i used both sweet and hot. but be careful! i added way too much and this was too spicy. i ate in anyway, but i was tearing up by the time i finished), half a can of chopped tomatoes with juices, a handful of baby spinach, half a can of chickpeas (drained), and a sprinkle of cinnamon, plus a tiny sprinkle of chili powder if you want it spicier. stir, and enjoy topped with chutney (mine was cilantro chutney. yummy! but also kind of spicy, not the cool, refreshing antidote to the spicy curry, which is what i was expecting. lesson learned: taste things before throwing them onto your lunch) and cashews.
-Lola

peanut butter granola

2010-06-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago, rita and i may have made our internet video ad debut. we were walking down the street when we were randomly asked if we'd like to participate in the filming of a "viral marketing campaign" for galaxy granola's new fruit not fat granola. anticipating free granola samples, we agreed. unfortunately for galaxy, neither me nor rita (especially not rita) are natural performers (we are shy twins). i did my best, offering "that's a lot of fat!" to describe galaxy's rival granola and "that sounds good!" in reference to replacing oil with applesauce. rita was not so helpful, mumbling, "i don't know...how much fat does granola usually have?" in response to the rival granola's fat content. luckily, the galaxy granola spokesman was a pro and we ended our film debut with an enthusiastic "fruit, not fat!!!" for the camera.
unbeknown to galaxy, however, rita and i have been making our own "fruit not fat" granola for years. and, having tasted my well earned galaxy sample, i have to say that ours is better.
this particular recipe obviously adds (good, healthy) fat back in with the peanut butter. if you want plain granola, replace the peanut butter with 1/4 cup liquid sweetener (honey, brown rice syrup, or agave) and add a few generous sprinkles of cinnamon and ground cloves to the wet ingredients mixture.
peanut butter granola
*1 cup applesauce
*1/4 cup liquid sweetener (honey, brown rice syrup, or agave)
*1/2 cup peanut butter
*5 cups oats (old fashioned or quick cooking)
*1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. put peanut butter in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.
3. stir peanut butter and mix with applesauce and sweetener in a small bowl.
4. mix together oats and peanuts, if using, in a large bowl.
5. add applesauce mixture to oats. stir until oats are evenly coated.
6. spread granola on baking sheet. bake for 30-45 minutes (check every 15 minutes) until granola is golden brown. you can also stir every 10 or 15 minutes if you'd like even baking, but i prefer to have a mix of crunchy and soft granola.
-lola

tapas feast!

2010-06-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

Dudes. I know I often say our twin-cooked meals are delicious (and, if i may toot my own horn, they often are. there are also, of course, some fails which we mostly spare you from on this blog. just last week, for instance, there was a rather unfortunate risotto and roasted vegetables incident), but this one really was amazing.
starting with the potatoes we have, going clockwise, roasted potatoes, sauteed mushrooms with garlic and parsley, tomato sauce for the potatoes (as you can see in the first photo. the complete dish is called patatas bravas), seared shrimp with pimenton and sherry, and finally, roasted grape tomatoes.
the secret to spanish cooking, i have discovered, is olive oil. lots and lots of olive oil.
the tomatoes are from a fabulous book called the new spanish table.
the rest of the recipes are from fine cooking magazine, and i will copy and paste from their website here...
Crispy Potatoes with Tangy Tomato Sauce (Patatas Bravas)
by Sarah Jay
Serves 8

For the sauce:
1-1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion (1/2 small)
1/3 cup chopped carrot (1 small)
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 Tbs. dry white wine
1/4 tsp. sweet pimentón (or paprika)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 cups canned tomatoes with juice, chopped coarsely
3 large sprigs thyme
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. Tabasco, more to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. sherry vinegar

For the potatoes:
2-1/2 lb. (about 8 medium) Yukon Gold, white, or red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces (no need to peel)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Make the sauce: In a small (1- or 2-quart) saucepan, heat the 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and let it reduce until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the pimentón and cumin and stir for about 15 seconds. Add the tomatoes and juice, thyme sprigs, sugar, Tabasco, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to reduce the sauce somewhat and intensify its flavor. This should take about 1 hour; depending on how much juice you started with, you may need to add up to 12 cup water during simmering to keep the consistency saucy rather than dry.

Fish out the spent thyme sprigs. Purée the sauce with an immersion blender or a regular blender until it’s smooth and creamy; you can thin with a little water if needed. Stir in the sherry vinegar. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. The sauce should be slightly spicy, and you should have about 1-1/2 cups.

Roast the potatoes: Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the potatoes with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the rosemary (if using) on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning the potatoes with a metal spatula every 15 minutes, until they’re browned and crisp outside and tender inside, about 45 minutes.

Put the potatoes in a serving dish and put the sauce in a small dish next to the potatoes, along with a spoon.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size: based on eight servings; Calories (kcal): 260; Fat (kcal): 16; Fat Calories (g): 140; Saturated Fat (g): 2.5; Protein (g): 3; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 12; Carbohydrates (g): 27; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2; Sodium (mg): 310; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 3;

Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley
by Sarah Jay
Serves 8

5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. white or cremini mushrooms, washed well, trimmed, and cut into quarters (or sixths, if large)
Kosher salt
5 to 6 medium cloves garlic, minced (1-1/2 Tbs.)
1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until it’s hot and shimmering. Add the mushrooms, season with 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, stir to coat in the oil, then let the mushrooms cook undisturbed until the liquid released by the mushrooms evaporates and they’re deep golden brown, 5 to 7 min. Stir and continue sautéing, stirring occasionally, until most sides are nicely browned, 3 to 5 min. more.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook just to soften it, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the vinegar evaporates, about 15 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the parsley. Season to taste with more salt, if you like. Transfer to a dish and serve with toothpicks for spearing the mushrooms or a serving spoon for putting on individual plates.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size: based on eight servings; Calories (kcal): 90; Fat (kcal): 9; Fat Calories (g): 80; Saturated Fat (g): 1; Protein (g): 2; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 6; Carbohydrates (g): 3; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 110; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 1;

Seared Shrimp with Pimenton and Sherry
by Sarah Jay
Serves 8

1-1/2 lb. large (31 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry with paper towels
Kosher salt
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
Heaping 1/4 tsp. sweet pimentón (or paprika)
Heaping 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbs. fino sherry
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1-1/2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Sprinkle the shrimp with 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, toss, and let sit for 10 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 1 hour).

In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil on high heat. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and add them to the skillet. Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. kosher salt and sear until they’re pink and a little golden on one side, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the garlic, pimentón, and red pepper flakes over the shrimp, and sauté, stirring, until the shrimp are almost completely pink, about 1 minute. Add the sherry and cook, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan, until the shrimp are pink all over (the sherry will evaporate quickly but you should still have some juices in the pan)

Remove from the heat. Toss with the lemon zest and chives. Pour the shrimp and juices into a serving dish, squeeze on lemon juice to taste, and serve.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size: based on eight servings; Calories (kcal): 140; Fat (kcal): 6; Fat Calories (g): 50; Saturated Fat (g): 1; Protein (g): 18; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 4; Carbohydrates (g): 1; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 400; Cholesterol (mg): 165; Fiber (g): 0;
_Lola

Falafel sandwiches with Tabbouleh salad

2010-06-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Both me and Lola love falafel and have made it our goal to try it at as many places as possible, both in San Francisco and in New York. Our favorite in San Francisco is Truly Mediterrean, although we still have many more places to try, including King of Falafel, which, as its awning proudly proclaims, is the winner of the mysterious "Billy Award". Perhaps we will never know what the Billy Award is, but nonetheless I hope our falafel will one day win it.

Both recipes from "Festival of Lite" (ha!) by Gail Ashkenazi-Hankin.
We served our falafel in whole wheat pita with hummus and tabbouleh.
Falafel
Serves 8
*3 cups canned chickpeas (or 1 and 1/4 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight)
*2 teaspoons chopped garlic
*1/2 cup bulgar, soaked 10 minutes and drained
*1 small onion, chopped
*1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon ground coriander
*2 tablespoons snipped parsely
*1/4 teasppon cayenne pepper
*3/4 teaspoon salt
*cooking spray
In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except the cooking spray until smooth. Refrigerate 1 hour, until firm. Form into balls, put on a baking pan, spray with cooking spray, and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Tabbouleh
Serves 6
*3/4 cup cracked bulgar wheat
*2 cups boiling water
*2 cups diced tomatoes
*1 small cucumber, peeled and diced
*1/2 cup chopped carrots
*1/2 cup chopped green pepper (we omitted this because Lola doesn't like green peppers)
* 1 cup minced parseley
*1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
* 2 tablespoons chopped mint
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1/2 cup minced scallions
Place the bulgar in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let stand for 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Squeeze out any excess water and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the cumcumber, tomatoes, carrots, green pepper, parseley, cumin seeds and mint. Combine the lemon juice, oil, and scallions. Toss with the salad. Chill before serving.

-Rita

smoky chickpeas with spinach, eggplant, tomato, and manchego cheese

2010-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

another recipe clipped from the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinal and sent to us by our Zayde. we served it over couscous and enjoyed it immensely. Thanks Zayde!
adapted from Steve Petusevsky at the Sun Sentinal.
Smoky chickpeas with spinach, eggplant, tomato, and manchego cheese, with my notes.

Eggplant:

• 1 small eggplant, unpeeled, diced in 1-inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

To complete:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 Spanish onion, diced [according to our research (google) a Spanish onion is a yellow onion]

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 2 cups roasted, cubed eggplant

• 1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, drained, rinsed

• 1 (14-ounce) can chopped Imported Italian tomatoes in juice [our tomatoes were not Italian. they were from costco.]

• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach (or) 1 cup frozen chopped spinach

• 1 cup crumbled Manchego cheese

To make roasted eggplant: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss together eggplant, olive oil, salt and pepper in large bowl. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake 30 minutes until golden brown and tender. This can be done up to 2 days prior to assembling recipe. Makes about 2 cups.

To complete: Heat oil in large non stick saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and smoked paprika and saute for 1 minute to soften onions. Add roasted eggplant chunks, chick peas, tomatoes and bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, add the spinach and cheese.

Serves 4 [but we had enough for 4 for dinner and leftovers for my lunch the next day]

mini banana muffins

2010-06-02T16:18:00.001-07:00

There's this guy at my mom's work that we both love, despite having only met him once or twice, because he has an awesome name. I wish I could tell you his name, but I don't think he would appreciate having it told to the entire internet (because obviously everyone on the entire internet reads this blog). Just trust me, it's an awesome name. Anyway, we decided to make him some baked goods since he is allergic to eggs and therefore doesn't get to have them much. Apparently, according to our mom, everyone in his life is just constantly eating baked goods with eggs in them in front of him, and he is tortured knowing he can't have any. I imagine them laughing maniacally as they do it, but they probably don't.
It was hard for us to find an eggless recipe that doesn't rely on any odd ingredients that can only be got at the health food store, but eventually we found this one and modified it slightly because we didn't have any soy milk. We replaced the soy milk and vinegar combo with regular milk and the margarine with butter, and put the batter into a mini muffin tin instead of a bread pan. They turned out great and the awesomely-monikered person who we made them for loved them too.
-Rita
p.s. My dear twin forgot to post the recipe. Here it is:
*1/2 cup brown sugar
*1/2 cup white sugar
*1/2 cup butter
*3 bananas, mashed
*2 cups flour
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 cup milk
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon allspice
*1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix baking soda, flour, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
Mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl. Add banana, milk, and vanilla, and stir with a spoon. Add dry ingredients, stir until well mixed. Bake in a greased (with cooking spray) mini-muffin twin for 25 minutes, or until light-medium brown on top. Makes 48 mini-muffins.
-Lola

pizza!

2010-05-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

pizza made with trader joe's whole wheat pizza crust, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and homemade tomato sauce. (i have absolutely no memory of how i cooked this pizza. i'm guessing 10 minutes at 375? anything from 350-400 should work, and just bake until cheese is brown and bubbly.) my (improvised) homemade tomato sauce: saute 2 cloves of minced garlic in a little olive oil. when garlic is light brown, add 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes in their juices, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, and a generous sprinkle of italian seasoning (i also added some fresh rosemary). simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in sliced fresh basil (or just put the basil on top of your pizza), salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of sugar.
-Lola

strawberry shortcakes...

2010-05-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

...are deliciousand even more so when they're chocolate.
from Bon Appetit
you can clearly see that our biscuits are way flatter than the one in the Bon Appetit picture. they were more like slightly fluffy cookies, perhaps because we made 7 biscuits instead of 6. oh well, they still tasted good. i suppose they were extra-short cakes =)
ingredients
Biscuits

* 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup chilled whipping cream
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberries

* 2 pounds small strawberries, hulled, quartered (about 3 1/2 cups)
* 8 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
* 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
* 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
* 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
* Pinch of salt
*
* 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
* 1/2 cup chilled sour cream

Preparation

biscuits
*
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat cream and vanilla in medium bowl until firm peaks form. Stir cream into flour mixture until moist clumps form. Transfer mixture to lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough forms ball, about 10 turns. Pat dough out to 3/4-inch thickness. Using 3-inch cutter, cut out biscuits. Gather dough, pat out again, and cut out total of 6 biscuits. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet.
*
Bake biscuits until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

strawberries
*
Stir strawberries, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
*
Using electric mixer, beat chilled whipping cream, sour cream, and remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Place 1 biscuit on each of 6 plates. Place large spoonful of berries with juices atop biscuits. Top with whipped cream. Pass remaining berries alongside.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2007/06/chocolate_strawberry_shortcakes#ixzz0p3UPGv6r
-Lola

pecan and sunflower seed biscotti

2010-05-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure exactly what to call these. they're kind of like biscotti, but not as sweet, and not quite the same texture. they'd be a great dessert crumbled over vanilla ice cream, but they're also good in milk with your cereal, or plain as an afternoon snack. mine came out more like granola bars, but we'll go with biscotti, since they were adapted from 101 cookbook's nut and seed biscotti recipe.
pecan and sunflower seed biscotti makes about 20 cookies, although mine were crumbly, so it was more like 15 nicely shaped cookies plus lots of misshapen bits and crumbs. still delicious!
*1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
*1 1/3 cup pecan pieces
*2/3 cup sunflower seeds
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*2 eggs
*2/3 cup honey
*1/4 cup olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a bread pan with butter or oil (the original recipe said to line with parchment paper as well, but i didn't have any and it worked fine, although it was a little hard to get the dough out of the pan after baking).
2. Combine flour, nuts, seeds, and salt in a bowl. stir.
3. Whisk together eggs and honey in another bowl. add to dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Put dough in pan and press down with your fingers until its nice and compact. bake for about 45 minutes.
5. remove loaf from pan (you'll need to run your knife around the edges of the loaf) and cut into thin slices. place slices on a baking sheet and brush with about half of the oil.
6. bake at 425 degrees F for 3-4 minutes. remove from oven, flip each slice, brush with the rest of the oil, and bake for 5 more minutes, or until crisp.
-Lola

baked french toast

2010-05-17T11:52:00.001-07:00

have i ever told you how much i LOVE french toast? despite this, i almost never make it, and the few times I have, its never been as good as what you get at most diners (although i also love diners, and the atmosphere can make sub-par french toast delicious. my favorite french toast was when rita and i went to the java house for lunch one day, and made friends with the old man who worked there, who came over and chided us for not putting enough syrup on our toast, then proceeded to douse the toast in about 5 pounds of syrup).

so for our belated mother's day brunch, after much debate, we decided on french toast, but knew we had to step it up.
not only is this recipe super simple and delicious, its baked so you can all enjoy brunch together instead of making each slice of toast to order.

baked french toast serves 6 adapted from smitten kitchen
*1 loaf challah
*3 cups milk (we used fat free)
*3 eggs
*3 Tablespoons sugar, plus about 1 teaspoon extra for sprinkling on top
*1/2 teaspoon salt
* about 2 teaspoons cinnamon
*pecans (about 1 large handful)
*raisins (about 1 large handful)
*1 banana, sliced (optional)
1. grease a baking dish.
2. slice challah into 1 inch pieces. arrange in baking dish, packing tightly. you can also layer if necessary.
3. sprinkle pecans and raisins on top. you can also put the pecans and raisins between layers if you want. i recommend squishing them between the slices of bread.
3. whisk together milk, eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl. pour over bread.
4. sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over everything.
5. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. add slices of banana on top and bake for 10 more minutes.
7. cut, serve, and enjoy! we served ours with more sliced banana, strawberries, pecans, powdered sugar, and syrup.
-Lola

home

2010-05-13T17:46:00.001-07:00

somehow we made it through finals, sad goodbyes, and a cross-country flight, and we are home for summer break! we'll just be hanging out in sf for the summer, except for a short trip to portland and seattle. hopefully the hanging out in sf will include jobs for both of us, although that is currently looking unlikely. if anyone knows of a good summer job for someone studying psych, nutrition, and irish, please let me know =)

"we have no food in the house", my dad warned me as we hauled massive suitcases up the stairs. which, in fact, meant that our fridge and pantry were full of food. "Feta! Avocado! Sun-dried tomatoes!", Rita and i cried excitedly while preparing lunch today. You have to understand, the contents of our fridge at school is usually frozen peas, 1 jar of peanut butter, and milk.
mache with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, sliced strawberries, chopped avocado, and feta.
the cats liked it too.
-Lola

Naan Pizza

2010-05-09T17:57:00.001-07:00

We have just a few days til we go back home now, and we're desperately trying to get rid of the the food in the fridge before we leave. This has resulted in some pretty random meals (one night recently my dinner was some plain couscous, several slices of cheese, and spinach with salad dressing), but this particular meal turned out great.

we spread some tomato sauce on a frozen piece of naan, topped it with some peas and grated cheddar, and baked it until the cheese melted, about 10 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit.
-rita

grilled cheese with soyrizo

2010-04-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

sorry for our long absence. attendance around here may be sparse for the next few weeks, but after that we'll be home, with plenty of free time, a plethora of ingredients, and a real kitchen, so expect some good posts!
so what have the twins been eating? lots of cheesy sandwiches, apparently. today, i bring you the grilled cheese with soyrizo, and next post rita will show you a delicious tuna melt. (soyrizo= soy chorizo. available at trader joe's. tastes just like the real thing, i promise. but of course you could use real mexican chorizo too).i ate off the floor. i'm classy like that.
cook about 1/4 cup soyrizo in a frying pan for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is thoroughly heated. remove from pan and add a small pat of butter/margarine to the pan. top 1 piece bread (always whole wheat at chez twin) with soyrizo and cheddar cheese. top with other piece of bread. grill in pan until bread is nicely browned and cheese is melty, about 3 minutes on each side (you'll need a spatula to flip the sandwich).
i served mine with pineapple salsa (from whole foods, but you could find it at most grocery stores or make your own), and spinach with more pineapple salsa and walnuts on the side.
_lola

Grits with portabello mushrooms, cheese and corn

2010-04-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

While I was in Atlanta over spring break (which was awesome, by the way) we were staying in a hotel with free breakfast and I took full advantage. Not only did I have a waffle smothered with syrup every morning, I also stuffed plenty of tea bags, tiny packets of peanut butter, and most importantly, 2 packs of Quaker Instant Grits into my purse while the hotel employees weren't looking.
Lola and I finally got around to using the grits a few nights ago. We mixed them with sauteed portabello mushrooms, grated Cheddar and jack (2 kinds of cheese! getting fancy!), and some frozen white corn.

Delicious! instant grits aren't as good as the real thing, but still yummy and great comfort food.
-Rita

portobello and cheese sandwiches with roasted summer squash

2010-04-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

i apologize for the lack of photos of this meal. we were distracted. you'll see why in a second.
this is a very easy meal. so simple that even though our own cooking process turned into a comedy of errors, we still wound up with a delicious dinner.
the plan was this:
Portobello and cheese sandwiches with roasted summer squash for 2
1. slice 1/2 a summer squash. toss in glass baking dish with olive oil, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, and curry powder. roast in oven for 30 minutes at 500 degrees (but you should do it at 450 for 45 minutes. i was hungry and impatient).
2. saute 1 giant portobello mushroom in earth balance (fake butter. obviously you could use real butter too). slice in half and put 1/2 on bread spread with brown mustard. top with slices of cheddar jack cheese and another piece of bread. grill sandwich in more earth balance. repeat for other sandwich.

before i tell you how it actually went down, i need to give you a little bit of explanation about our kitchen. we have approximately 1 1/2 square feet of counter space, most of which is usually taken up with the teapot, dish towels, various condiments, etc. due to the general lack of space in our room. so when we remove a pan from the oven, we usually put it on top of the stove, which is also crowded with drying dishes, other pots, etc. due to lack of space on the counter.
so here's what happened: I am sauteing the mushroom and suddenly the pan gets really smoky, causing the smoke alarm to go off. after waving my arms around like a madwoman for a few seconds, i take the mushroom out of the pan, and put the pan upside down over the burner. the smoke alarm stops beeping. crisis averted.
we realize all our bread is starting to mold. rita tears off the moldy bits and we are good to go. perhaps by now we should have heeded the signs and given up on this particular cooking venture.
next, i open the oven and see that the squash is done. i take it out and put the pan on top of the stove. note that i placed it gently, and did not drop it. and that's when this happened:

the pan exploded. like legit exploded. glass flew everywhere. i mean, thank goodness neither of us were injured.
point is, you should make this meal. just don't do it at all like we did.
-Lola
p.s. thank you to all readers/commenters/followers. just for being you =)

snacks!

2010-04-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

i was sick last weekend, which sucked of course, but i've been so busy lately that it was actually fantastic to have a break. It was also a great excuse to watch trashy movies that turned out to be quite entertaining (valentine's day, cruel intentions, and my new favorite movie, crank, in which jason straithern plays a hit-man named--seriously--chev chelios, who must keep his adrenaline high to slow the poison he's been injected with). i also ate some yummy snacks:cottage cheese with raisins, lots of pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 a crumbled cinnamon graham cracker.
plain yogurt with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, annie's cinnamon bunnies, and chocolate chips.
and also way too many chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels (from trader joe's). those things are dangerous.
-Lola

pasta with parsley, edamame, and roasted onions

2010-04-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

growing up, i was always very perplexed by the concept of seasons. i remember seeing a commercial for macy's new spring collection or something once, and suddenly having this revelation that somewhere in far away lands, people had completely different wardrobes depending on the time of year. san francisco tends to be foggy most of the time, with the occasional beautiful summer day, or random rainstorm. so moving to new york, with its somewhat extreme weather, has been filled with new discoveries for me. air conditioning! heaters! and, perhaps most exciting, that sunny spring day when you realize that winter is over. it always takes me a few weeks to realize that its not going to snow again for another year. weather doesn't just pop up randomly whenever it feels like it! there's actually a pattern! anyway, the past few weeks have been filled with glorious spring days, appreciated all the more after our long winter. so when my mom emailed me this pasta recipe, rita and i knew it was the perfect spring/summer pasta dish, perhaps something we could bring to a picnic in park (except that i actually ate it in class. oh well).

i forgot to buy garlic, so we left that out, and we added 1/2 an onion, roasted in the oven with olive oil for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. it was delightfully fresh and springy!
-Lola
p.s. go check out katie's giveaway. because she is awesome and you could win a $50 shopping spree!

quinoa with roasted vegetables and edamame

2010-04-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

i made a good lunch for us today. unfortunately, i forgot to take a picture, so you'll just have to imagine what it looked like. oh well, c'est la vie.
last week, i suddenly had an intense craving for both quinoa and edamame. which is weird, because delicious as they are, who craves quinoa and edamame? my own cravings typically involve more chocolate than that. anyway, they were both wise purchases that i turned into this delicious dish.
quinoa with roasted vegetables and edamame
*quinoa (1/4 cup dry per person)
*baby carrots
*brussel sprouts
*chopped onion
*olive oil
*salt and pepper
*shelled edamame (1/4 cup per person)

cook quinoa according to package directions (this takes about 20 min usually).
meanwhile, toss baby carrots, chopped onion in olive oil in a glass baking dish. use how ever many veggies you want--we used 1/2 onion, 6 brussel sprouts, and 14 carrots for 2 people. use 1-2 Tablespoons oil, depending on how many veggies you have. oil should be evenly distributed into a light coating on the veggies.
sprinkle veggies with salt and pepper--we used about 1/2 teaspoon of each.
roast in oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, or until veggies are nicely roasted--brown and just starting to get really dark, but not burnt.
mix cooked veggies with quinoa and edamame.
-Lola

100th post! yay!

2010-03-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Black Bean Salad with Feta Cheese and Cilantro, made by my lovely twin, except for the cilantro, which I chopped myself, very confusedly and groggily, as I had just woken up, which made me feel very unaccomplished since Lola had already been up for 4 hours at that point.

Our grandfather loves to send us newspaper clippings, especially recipes. A few weeks ago he sent us a recipe for black bean and feta salad and we decided to make it. This is the first time we've actually made any of the recipes he's sent, but mark my words, it shall not be the last!

Black Bean Salad with Feta Cheese and Cilantro from the Florida Sun Sentinal
Serves 4 as a main dish
*2 cups dried black beans or 4 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
*water, optional

*2 ounces pasteurized feta cheese, crumbled

*1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

*1/4 cup fine-chopped cilantro

*2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

*3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*salt and fresh ground black pepper (personally, we use only the finest black pepper, handpicked from the dining hall condiment station, in our recipes), to taste

Reserve 1 T feta. Combine the beans (cook them and let them cool down first if using dried beans), onions, cilantro, and the remaining cheese in a bowl. Add the olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, salt and pepper; mix well. Let the beans marinate 10 min and toss again. Correct the seasoning before serving, adding salt and additional lemon juice to taste. Garnish with reserved cheese.
-Rita

P.S. I forgot to mention, in my haste to type the phrase "mark my words", that later I had this mixed with quinoa and it was very good that way too.

black bean and zucchini soup

2010-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

left to right:spoon, soup, tortillas.

after a week of eating ridiculously good food, laying in the sun with my family, and watching baseball in arizona (me) and taking a road trip to atlanta to volunteer (rita), and another week of massive amounts of homework, we're finally back to the blogging world!
today, i decided to experiment once again with my spiffy immersion blender.
i chopped up 1 smallish zucchini and sauteed it in olive oil with medium sprinkle each of cumin powder and cayenne, and a smaller sprinkle of chipotle powder. once the zucchini was reasonably cooked, i added 1/2 can of drained blackbeans, a tiny bit of fresh cilantro, and about 1/2 cup water and heated it all up in pot. finally, i blended it all together and ate my soup with a corn tortilla.
this turned out pretty good, but it would have been great with some lime juice, and maybe some sour cream on top(which i don't like, actually, but some creaminess would have been nice. maybe yogurt?). oh well, something to try next time.
-Lola

pasta with tomato sauce and egg

2010-03-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

we've been trying to get rid of all our perishable food before leaving for spring break (yay! but we won't be posting all next week, sorry), so meals have been somewhat random. tonight, i decided that my usual pasta with tomato sauce and peas needed something extra, and all we had in the fridge was 1 egg (and pb and j of course, but that wouldn't taste so good).
i love pasta carbonara, but obviously didn't have the ingredients for that or really remember how to make it, so i figured pasta with egg would be good. and, lo and behold, it was.
deconstructed/work in progress.

i made my own tomato sauce thusly:
1. chop up one tomato into about bite sized pieces.
2. add to pan with about 1 T olive oil. stir, add sprinkles of garlic powder, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. stir.
3. let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring and mashing tomato bits with a fork until mix is sauce-like.
et voila! le tomato sauce! (i have no idea why i'm attempting french in a pasta recipe. just go with it).
then i cooked up my pasta, stirred it with the sauce and about 1/4 cup peas, and topped with a fried egg (about 3 minutes, in olive oil).
-Lola

carmelized pear oats

2010-03-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

i get my best ideas in 3 places: while walking through the city, while in the shower, and while lying in bed, unable to go to sleep. a few nights ago, the latter came into play as i attempted to distract myself from thoughts of my 3 impending midterms. so i started thinking about what i wanted in my oatmeal the next morning, and all of the sudden, it came to me--carmelized pears! it was a very good idea indeed. i added many sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice (you can substitute cinnamon if you like. also, you should try it with vanilla if you have some) and a generous scoop of (plain, nonfat) yogurt to my usual steel-cut oats (i think it would be just as good, or even better, without the yogurt), and stirred this all together. then i topped my concoction with 1 pear, sliced and sauteed in a pat of earth balance (ie, butter or your preferred butter substitute) for about 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. i also added a mini-spoonful of peanut butter on top. if i get to eat this every time i study for my psych midterm (this morning's breakfast reading: 50 pages on "Accessibility of Social Constructs: Information-Processing Consequences of Individual and Contextual Variablity"), i might just be ok.
-Lola
p.s. another giveaway! check it out and you could win some maranatha nut butter!
and another one, for krema peanut butter! can you tell i really want some free pb?
eater not a runner also has an awesome giveaway
i'm on a giveaway finding roll, apparently...this one's for goji and me custom cereal

pasta with tomato sauce and salmon

2010-02-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

for nyu students like ourselves, food shopping can be a pain in the ass. you've either got to shop at overpriced delis and grocery stores, or deal with the madhouse that is union square trader joe's. tj's is worth it for the prices, but requires climbing over people to get to your yogurt and cereal, and waiting in line for half an hour. so sometimes you just have to go to gristede's and for the sake of saving money, choose the $2 can of tomato sauce over the $7 jar of good pasta sauce.

and when you open up said $2 can of sauce and find out it tastes like metal, you can always improve it with your own ingredients. above, sauce doctored up with a big handful of spinach, 2 cloves garlic (chop, then sautee in olive oil til brown before adding to the sauce), and a big sprinkling each of garlic powder, italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (cook everything together over low heat for about 10 minutes).
and served with whole wheat pasta, canned salmon, feta cheese, and peas (all bought at tj's, of course).
-Lola
p.s. Averie has an awesome nut butter giveaway!
and enter this newman's own giveaway too!
one more giveaway...greek yogurt!

vegetarian meatball sandwiches

2010-02-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

get ready for a super unattractive photo...
counter covered with random stuff+bad lighting+paper plates+sandwich that looks like...actually i don't know what it looks like...but it looks weird=appetizing.
i've never actually had a meatball sandwich before, so i don't know exactly what should go into it. we made ours with wheat bread, marinara sauce, frozen "italian-style" meatless meatballs, and mozzarella (which tasted good, although i think provolone would melt better. melted in the oven at 400 for about 10 min, just check every 5 min until the cheese is melted how you like it). warm, toasty, and delicious! served with potatoes and sweet potatoes, roasted in the oven at 450 for about 45 minutes in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
-Lola
check out this giveaway!

tuna salad+ roasted carrots and potatoes

2010-02-20T16:15:00.000-08:00

This is the first time we've made tuna salad in the dorm, but at home it's a staple of our diets. It's an easy way to use up the random scraps of food that accumulate in the back of the fridge, and it's hard to go wrong with it. In my opinion, the only way you can really make a bad tuna salad (besides maybe putting peanut butter in it. although who knows, that could be delicious) is to put too much mayonnaise in it. We here at Chez Twin do not allow any mayonnaise to darken our doorstep (and that's harder than it sounds. Sometimes it tries to force its way in. It's diabolical, that mayonnaise) because it is disgusting. But I guess if you like mayonnaise you could add that too our recipe. Just don't try bringing any of your salad to Chez Twin.
Tuna Salad
Serves 2
-1 can tuna
-shredded carrots
-peas
tomato salsa (like the runny kind you get on nachos at baseball games. We used TJ's "salsa authentica")
-1/2 can black eyed peas
combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together
We served our tuna salad with potatoes and carrots, roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes with salt, pepper, olive oil, and herbes de provance.
-Rita
p.s. i actually do enjoy a tuna salad sandwich if its made with just enough mayonnaise to hold it together but no more...i had no idea rita had such a vehement anti-mayonnaise stance. -Lola

avocado strawberry smoothie

2010-02-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite things about growing up in san francisco was getting to try an amazing array of ethnic foods. i have an obsession with asian desserts (actually, i've barely scratched the surface in terms of trying those. but i still love them madly and frequently try to convince my friends from the mid-west and the south that shaved ice with red beans, grass jelly, and condensed milk is a perfectly acceptable, and delicious, thing to eat. if you've never experienced the magic of asian desserts, here are a few more for you to look into: sago pudding, eggettes, and anything with red bean paste). one dessert that i have always been intrigued by but never tried is the avocado milkshake. unfortunately, we had no ice cream on hand, so i decided to try an avocado smoothie instead. with strawberries, which may sound weird but is delicious, trust me.
avocado strawberry smoothie makes 1 large smoothie
*1 1/2 cups soy milk (i used plain, but i think vanilla or even chocolate would be good)

*1/2 a ripe avocado

*frozen strawberries (start with a medium handful and add more to taste)
blend all ingredients until smooth and combined.
1/2 of the smoothie, partially frozen (i was impatient) and topped with cereal, dark chocolate chips, and a dollop of peanut butter. yum!!!
-Lola

grilled pineapple and avocado salad

2010-02-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

aww, i wish i was feeling in the mood to eat something so light and summery now! unfortunately its snowing and i've been subsisting more on mac and cheese and chocolate than on fresh salads. despite the snow, you should make this (or maybe you're enjoying better weather, in which case you should definitely make this) because it was quite tasty. we served it as the starter for our cuban feast (followed by cuban sandwiches and key lime pie).
the recipe, from cooking light
-Lola

Tomato and Mushroom Soup

2010-02-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

Lola actually made and ate this soup, so I can't testify to its taste, but I'm sure it was delicious. We made an exciting expedition out to the Target in Brooklyn at the beginning of this semester and got an immersion blender, so Lola has been making many soups. It looks a bit weird in this picture, but I can assure you that in person it was a lovely pinkish-red color.

Tomato and Mushroom Soup serves 1
Chop up 1 tomato and saute it in olive oil with a handful of mushrooms. Add a small pinch of red pepper flakes and a larger pinch of Italian seasoning and saute until mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. Blend with 1/2 cup to 1 cup veggie broth (depending on how thick or watery you want the soup)

-Rita
p.s. from lola: the soup was delicious, our kitchen counter is super messy but i wanted you to see my awesome blender, and in the top photo you can also see bread with tj's chipotle hummus, which you should try.

Haggis Quesadillas

2010-02-06T09:19:00.001-08:00

The Haggis Quesadilla!! Aka the best fusion food invention ever.

When we were in Scotland, we were determined to eat the local cuisine as much as possible. This meant many meals of haggis, neeps, and tatties (haggis with turnips and potatoes), some fish and chips, and a regrettable meal of dried out deep-fried hamburger. One day we came across a Mexican restaurant that looked like the usual bad Mexican place here, with stale chips and giant margaritas. One thing, however, was different: They served haggis quesadillas. Eager to try what was sure to be a culinary masterpiece, we begged our parents to get lunch there, but they refused. But finally, years later, I had a haggis quesadilla. And it was delicious.

Haggis Quesadilla Serves 1

Heat up a non-stick skillet and add about 1/4 of a 15 oz can of haggis (our parents got it at a Scottish store in SF and sent it to us. If you can't find any, there are recipes for vegetarian haggis online). Stir it until it gets hot, then put it on top of a tortilla. Add some oil to the pan, heat it up and add 1 diced garlic clove and 1 handful of sliced white mushrooms. Saute until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Sprinkle some grated cheese (I used TJ's Mexican blend) over the haggis, then put on the mushrooms and garlic, then add more cheese. Put the whole quesadilla on the pan very carefully (you may want to use a spatula for this), and fry until lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side. Serve with salsa, if you like.
-Rita
check out this awesome giveaway!

thai noodles with edamame

2010-02-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

rice noodles with chopped sauteed onion, shelled edamame, peas, and coconut galangal sauce (i think it was from trader joes?)
-Lola

key lime pie oatmeal

2010-02-02T16:32:00.001-08:00

remember how awesome that key lime pie we made was? (it was, trust me.)well, this was not as good. but ALMOST. and its more acceptable/healthier than eating pie for breakfast every morning.
before you get the recipe, i apologize for the fact that you probably don't have "true lime" (concentrated lime...it looks like sugar crystals) around, and i don't know where to buy it. its not the type of thing i would usually buy, but if you happen to have it for some reason, try this recipe.
the reason i had the "true lime", in case you were wondering (you probably weren't, but who knows) is that my roommate last year got the school approved "care packages" from her mother. these weren't actually from her mother, they were boxes you ordered online that contained no real food. so the cheap candies and easy mac would sit on our windowsill for months until someone was finally brave and desperate enough to eat the artificially flavored pb & j snack mix (that someone was me. bad choice there). anyhoo, this year, one of said care packages included true lime, true lemon, and true orange, and she pawned them off on me, so i figured i'd put some in my oats.
without further ado...
key lime pie oats serves 1
*1/4 cup steel cut oats
*3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
*1 packet lime concentrate
*frozen blackberries
*1 cinnamon graham cracker
boil soy milk in a pot. stir in oats, turn heat to low/medium, and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until oats have absorbed milk and are tender. stir in lime. serve topped with blackberries and crumbled graham cracker.
-Lola

pineapple fried rice

2010-01-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

even though it seems like we've been back at school forever, its really only been 2 weeks, so we're still posting some recipes made over winter break. like...
leftover rice, fried with an egg, cabbage, chopped onion and caramelized pineapple (saute pineapple cubes in butter/butter substitute for about 5 minutes, until golden brown).
even if you don't want fried rice, try the pineapple, its ridiculously good.
alright, i'm tired after a fun weekend...time to get ready for bed. goodnight everyone!

check out kailey's awesome giveaway!

-Lola

pressed cuban sandwiches with garlic dijon butter

2010-01-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

have i ever mentioned how much i love sandwiches? i consider sandwich making one of my (few) talents. unfortunately, being a poor (and lazy) college student, i am usually forced to stick to the simple, yet delicious, pb&j. so when rita and i decided on a cuba/florida theme for our dad's b-day dinner over winter break, cuban sandwiches were a given.
the recipe , from cooking light, is super simple and delicious. we didn't really pay attention to the exact quantities of this recipe, except for making the garlic-dijon spread. we used 2 slices of french bread (instead of rolls), one slice of each meat, and 2 or 3 slices of cheese (the recipe calls for low fat, but rita, being a diehard fan of cheese, doesn't believe in low or nonfat cheese. unless it is feta, which is acceptable) per sandwich. enjoy!
-Lola

roasted brussel sprouts with polenta and tomato sauce

2010-01-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

aka this recipe, but omit the bread and serve over some creamy polenta (cooked according to package directions)...

and with prettier pictures than last time.
i promise, new recipes posted very soon!
-Lola

Key Lime Pie

2010-01-20T18:38:00.001-08:00

for the past few years we've made a birthday dinner as a present to our dad. This year, we were about to go to Ft. Lauderdale, so we made it Florida theme, with Cuban food for dinner and a key lime pie for dessert. The pie took a while, but it was pretty easy, and turned out delicious with a very strong lime flavor. Also it was pie. And you really can't go wrong with pie, especially when it is topped with homemade whipped cream.

the pie about to be attacked by a mysterious hand

with home made whipped cream on top
the recipe, from Southern Living
-Rita

pasta with spinach pesto sauce and scallops

2010-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

after a long journey, we finally made it back to new york city. classes start tomorrow, so we'll be back to our more "in the dorm" style of eats, but we've still got some awesome stuff we cooked over break to show you. anyhoo, we dug some scallops out of the freezer back at home and came up with this simple and delicious recipe:
pasta with spinach pesto sauce and scallops (someday i will learn to measure when i'm making things that i intend to post recipes for. today is not that day. sorry! but, like most recipes on our blog, this recipe is very forgiving and except for the sauce recipe the amount of ingredients really doesn't matter)
spinach pesto sauce...i honestly don't remember how we made this, but it was very similar to this recipe.
pasta
scallops (3-5 per person, depending on how big they are...the scallops, that is, not the people)
artichoke hearts
sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips (you can buy them this way or just cut 'em up yourself. if you get the dried ones that come in a bag, you want to soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes before using).
put pasta in boiling water and cook according to package directions. meanwhile, get out your blender and food processor and make your spinach pesto. cook scallops in pan with non-stick cooking spray or small amount of olive oil until just opaque, about 3 minutes each side. once pasta is done and drained, mix all ingredients together and stir well.
-Lola
giveaway time!

chai spice granola

2010-01-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

so we're in fort lauderdale now, which is sadly nothing at all like this (happy birthday, elvis!), before heading back to school next week. before we left we made some of our famous homemade granola...this time it was chai flavored and delicious!
*5 cups oats (quick cooking or old fashioned)
*1 cup slivered almonds
*1 cup applesauce
*1/3 cup brown rice syrup or agave
*1/3 cup honey
*cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and ginger
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. mix oats and almonds in a large bowl. mix remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl (we didn't measure the spices...you used mostly cinnamon and cloves and less of the other spices. about 2 T of c + c, and about 1 T of the others...more or less of everything if you like a lessor more spicy flavor). add wet mix to dry mix and stir until evenly mixed. spread on a baking pan and bake 30-45 minutes, until starting to brown (the bottom can be almost burnt...its good that way).
-Lola

no esta mal, porque es tamal

2010-01-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

"i got some ingredients, so you can make tamales!" my dad told me, "it'll be fun!" little did we know, making tamales is actually a 4 hour long ordeal...not really a quick week night dinner. nonetheless, i got to work and single handedly turned our kitchen into a tamale factory.
Pork Tamales makes about 20 (serving size =2 per person)
*2 lbs pork (or chicken)
* 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and paprika
* salt and pepper
*4 tablespoons flour (actually i used 2 T of whole wheat flour and 2 T of cornmeal...it was all we had and it worked fine)
*1 bag corn husks (my bag was 8 oz, but i had a ton leftover)
*4 lb package prepared masa
1. put the meat in a large pot and cover with water. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours, until meat easily shreds. remove from pot, reserving cooking liquid, and shred the meat with forks, like so:

2. meanwhile, turn up the heat on your pot of water. bring to boil and cook until liquid is reduced to about 2 cups. turn heat down and stir in spices, a dash each of salt and pepper, and flour. stir for about 3 minutes, adding more flour or water if necessary until mixture is like a medium thick gravy.
3. soak corn husks in water for at least 10 minutes. spread masa evenly over each corn husk, then top with a spoonful of meat and a spoonful of gravy (see top photo above, although you can put more meat and gravy than that in your tamal). leave about 1/2 inch of corn husk un-masa-ed on each side.
4. fold bottom of corn husk (the small side...looks like the bottom of the "v") over filling, then repeat with the two sides, leaving top open. repeat until you've used up all your masa and/or all your meat.
5. place tamales in a steamer basket over boiling water in a large pot. tamales should be standing straight, with the open parts on top. cover and steam for about 45 minutes, until corn husks peel off easily.
the final product, served with beans, rice, greens and avocado.
-Lola
check out this giveaway!

italian inspired lentil stew

2010-01-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

to tell you the truth, i made this a while ago and i'm not sure exactly what was in it. i do remember it was quite tasty though. the thing is, i love "recipes" like this because you don't really have to measure...i tend to just pick a theme (hence "italian inspired") and just throw in whatever veggies and protein look good and fit that theme. let's see...we've clearly got onions, carrots, and lentils. the onion was about half a red onion, chopped then sauteed in olive oil until soft and a bit translucent. there may have been a clove or two of minced garlic in with that too (and if not, there should have been because garlic is almost always a welcome addition). i also added a handful of carrot chips after a few minutes of sauteing. when my veggies were satisfactorily cooked, i added a small can of tomato sauce (1/2 cups perhaps?) and a generous sprinkle of italian seasoning, before finally adding about a cup of cooked lentils, stirring, topping with a dollop of pesto sauce (of course, you can skip this and make the recipe vegan), and enjoying with a warm slice of sourdough bread.
-Lola

homemade peanut butter cups

2010-01-02T10:32:00.001-08:00

happy 2010 everyone!
my dad loves reese's peanut butter cups. i send him emails whenever i spot a new variety, and he sends me back a review (there are more types of reese's than you might think. i believe his favorites are original and peanut butter lovers'). so when rita and i spotted averie's homemade pb cups, we knew we had to make some for our dad's christmas present.
they were delicious! my dad kept asking how we made them and said they were "even better than reese's". high praise indeed.
they're also super easy. just melt some chocolate chips (use a microwave or a double boiler). spread some of the chocolate on the bottom and sides of paper muffin liners. let harden for about 10 minutes, then add a small spoonful of peanut butter to each cup. top with more chocolate (we added sprinkles too, because sprinkles make everything better. it's a fact), then freeze until hardened. (averie has better instructions than we do...with pictures too! click the link above. also, we used semi sweet chocolate chips and natural crunchy peanut butter).
-Lola

las enchiladas

2009-12-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

as promised, the traditional christmas enchiladas...
yum!
basically, grate up a giant pile of cheddar and jack cheese, add some sliced black olives, sliced jalapenos, and a diced onion. now, get some corn tortillas and some enchilada sauce (my mother's "special recipe"= sauce from a can. we've never made homemade sauce). dip each tortilla in some sauce, then cook in a frying pan for about 2 minutes on each side, until it's still soft, but just starting to get crispy. place in a baking pan and fill with a scoop of the cheese mixture. roll up, and place in pan seam side down. continue until you have as many enchiladas as you want, or have used all the cheese mixture. top with more sauce and olives. bake about 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
lola

ensalada de nochebuena (christmas eve salad)

2009-12-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

isn't that a pretty salad?
i love holiday traditions, and my family's christmas eve enchilada dinner is one of my favorites (yes, rita and i were/are those lucky kids whose family did both christmas and hanukkah). every year, i've helped my mom make giant masses of cheesy enchiladas. sometimes, she suggests a change, but i am firm on my devotion to the enchilada recipe. the accompanying salad, however, varies from year to year. this christmas, we found a real winner, from an article in the san francisco chronicle (about another family's traditional christmas enchiladas, so we knew it was meant for us).

ensalada de nochebuena (christmas eve salad)
Serves 8-10

"This fruit salad has traveled with me from Queretaro, Mexico, to California, with additions from friends in the Southwest. It is the perfect counterpoint to spicy food. The latest addition is the Pomegranate Pink Dressing inspired by Fonda San Miguel in Austin.

The dressing
1 cup sour cream
-- Seeds from 1 large pomegranate (reserve 1/2 cup for garnish)
4 tablespoons agave syrup or honey
-- Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
The salad
4 navel oranges, peel and pith sliced off and discarded
1/2 pound jicama, peeled, cut into tiny batons
1 cup diced fresh pineapple (about 2 slices)
3 Gala apples with peel, cored, diced
-- Juice from 1 Meyer lemon, or more orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
-- Pinch of kosher salt
2 bananas, sliced
2 to 4 tablespoons minced cilantro
-- Heaping 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts
3 small orange beets, roasted and peeled (see Note)

For the dressing: Combine the sour cream, pomegranate seeds, agave syrup, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad: Dice oranges and combine with jicama batons, diced pineapple, and diced apples. Squeeze lemon juice over the fruit, to help prevent browning. Sprinkle with sugar and pinch of salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, add the bananas, cilantro, peanuts and beets, and sprinkle with the reserved pomegranate seeds.

Serve fruit salad in small bowls, dolloped with the dressing.

Note: To roast the beets, scrub well and cut in half. Place on a large square of foil. Drizzle with several teaspoons of agave syrup, a little olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Wrap up tightly and bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a small knife. Cool and dice.

Per serving: 192 calories, 4 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 5 mg cholesterol, 53 mg sodium, 6 g fiber." -sfgate.com

-Lola

(enchilada recipe to come soon)

giveaway time!

and another giveaway

sa bhaile!

2009-12-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

i think that means "homeward!" although i briefly started speaking italian in my irish oral exam, so who knows, really. anyway, sorry we've been slightly absent lately. finals and everything. but after monday, we'll be done, then heading home where we'll have a real kitchen and can bring you fabulous and impressive recipes. see you soon! and merry christmas to all who celebrate it!
-Lola

more artistic endeavors

2009-12-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

we're in the midst of finals week, plus I've come down with a cold, so the food hasn't been terribly interesting here at chez twin in the past couple days. We haven't got any food to blog, so in the meantime, please enjoy my final project for drawing class:

-Rita

latkes!

2009-12-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

Our winter break starts very late this year, and while we were sad to miss Hanukkah at home, we had a great time celebrating with our friend I. and eating a dinner that consisted only of laktes and gelt, which are really the only foods you need on Hanukkah (well, that and jelly donuts)

it was our first time making latkes and it was very successful. We used our grandparents' recipe and we served them with applesauce.

Bubbe and Zayde's Potato Latkes (thanks to our Bubbe and Zayde, who sent not only their recipe, but also a grater. they are fantastic!)
Makes many, many latkes (or enough for dinner and a small amount of leftovers for 3 girls who really love latkes)
-6 medium potatoes, peeled
-2 large eggs, lightly beaten
-1 tsp salt
-1 medium onion
-3 tbsp matzo meal
-1/4 tsp pepper
grate the potatoes coarsely (according to our grandma, this must be done with a grater, NOT with a food processor) into a bowl of lightly salted water. Drain and press out the moisture.
Grate the onion coarsely. Stir the onion, eggs, matzo meal, salt, pepper and potatoes together.
Heat about 1/4 inch oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the oil and flatten with back of spoon. Fry until golden brown on both sides, 3-5 min per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with applesauce, sour cream, or ketchup

and the most important part...
GELT!!! (chocolate coins...I get very excited about chocolate things)
Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate it! and happy holidays to all!
-Rita
giveaway time!

couscous and roasted squash

2009-12-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to write much about this because finals are coming up and the studying is eating my brain. Proof: I had a half hour conversation with Rita last night that ended with "and then all of the nannies and all of the babies and all of the surrogate mothers will rip their masks off and they will all be Rain in disguise". don't ask.
Also, I've decided to switch my major from psych to cat petting and hot chocolate drinking, with a double minor in listening to Ricky Martin and watching Grey's Anatomy.
Anyway, here is a quick, easy recipe you can make even if your brain has been eaten:
Couscous with tomato sauce and roasted squash
serves 2
-2/3 cup dry couscous
-2/3 cup water
-1 14 oz can diced tomatoes in their liquid
-1 yellow squash, diced
-1 zucchini ,diced
-1/2 can (7 oz) chickpeas
- curry powder and cumin to taste
-olive oil for roasting
toss the squash and zucchini with some olive oil and cumin. Put it in a baking dish and roast in the oven at 300 degrees for about 40 min/ until browned. When it has about 10 minutes to go, cook the couscous, adding some cumin and curry powder to the water beforehand. Combine all the ingredients together in a big pot, then cook at a low temperature until everything is heated up.
-Lola
p.s. roasted zucchini and yellow squash are also good added to mac and cheese.
and a giveaway!