easy tuna melt

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

spinach salad with mango and candied macadamias

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

salmon burger sandwich

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

tapas feast!

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

pasta with tomato sauce and salmon

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!

tuna salad+ roasted carrots and potatoes

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

pasta with spinach pesto sauce and scallops

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!

noodles with kimchi and sweet potato

i know, noodles again. but this is my favorite recipe we have made in our dorm so far. after we ate it for lunch, i looked forward to eating the leftovers for dinner all day.
we hit up our local asian market for some kimchee (with skate fish) and...

SRIRACHA! but don't use any in this recipe, because kimchi + sriracha would be too spicy, even for us.
anyhoo, the recipe:
makes about 3 servings
*200 grams (7 oz) dried asian noodles (ours were flat and white...i'm not up on my noodle terminology and the package didn't have a specific name. but you could also use udon, soba, or many other types of asian noodles)
*an 8 oz package of kimchi (like i said, ours had skate in it too, but it would be just as good with standard kimchi)
*a splash of soy sauce
*1 small to medium sized sweet potato
*half a yellow onion, sliced
*2 teaspoons butter, or butter substitute (you could probably use any oil too)
*a handful of baby spinach.
*a handful of peanuts, to garnish
1. preheat oven to 450 degrees F. cut ends off sweet potato and place in pan in oven for 40 min-1 hour, or until soft.
2. heat butter in a pan. cook onions until soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. cook noodles according to package directions. drain.
4. add soy sauce, spinach, and kimchi to noodles. stir.
5. cut sweet potato into bite sized pieces. add potato and onion to noodles. stir.
6. top each serving with a sprinkle of peanuts.
ps-check out the giveaway at lucky tastebuds

Udon with veggies and fish

In a radical change from the usual soba, we decided to make udon tonight. The recipe is pretty simple, but the udon turned out delicious and flavorful. It would also be great with some yams and ginger, if you have those.

Udon with veggies and fish
serves 2
*10 mushrooms, sliced
*2 cloves garlic, diced
*1 cup bokchoy, chopped
*1/2 lb flounder (or any other firm white fish), chopped
*2 T soy sauce
*2 T curry powder
*2 packs udon, the kind that comes with seasoning packets
*handful of peanuts
1)Cook the udon according to package directions, but without the seasoning packets. Drain, then toss with 1 T soy sauce and the seasoning packets.
2) Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Once it's hot, add the garlic and mushrooms, and saute about 5 minutes or until mushrooms start to get soft.
3) Add the fish, plus 1 T soy sauce and the curry powder. Saute until fish is opaque and flaky, about 10 min. If you like you can leave the fish in one piece and just put it on top of everything else at the very end.
4) add the bokchoy and saute a few seconds, until it starts to wilt, then remove from heat.
5) toss everything you've just cooked with the udon. Add more soy sauce to taste, then sprinkle with the peanuts and enjoy.

PS-chocolate covered katie is having a giveaway of granola bars, "superfoods" and I think some other stuff too. Check it out!

stuffed cuttlefish + herbed biscuits

our first week of classes is done and all is well so far. i'm particularly excited about my irish (as in gaelic language) class. because who wouldn't love to learn a language where "bhfuil" is pronounced "well"? (another favorite-"mhargadh" is said like "wada". also, i hope my approximations of how to say these are correct. if you speak irish, fell free to correct me). anyway, on to some food!

another meal from way back in the day. these are from the book Savoring Provence and for my dad's birthday meal. dessert was poached pears, but the picture wasn't particularly interesting (imagine a peeled pear in a bowl. that's what it was pretty much. not to say that it wasn't delicious).
so we have some biscuits, which are basically frozen pastry shells brushed with butter and some herbs before being baked, and a cuttlefish stuffed with ground meat and some veggies. everything was great. if only we could cook like this in our dorm!

the empanada that ate san francisco

when i saw this recipe in the new spanish table, there was no picture, so although the title was "empanada with tuna and melting onions", i thought i was making empanadas, as in multiple small pastries. of course, we had to make it-tuna, lots of delicious veggies, and "melting onions" (what a delectable way to describe it! they were carmelized) all baked inside a warm, golden brown crust.

obviously, this was at home, over last winter break, and not in a dorm room on a hot summer day. anyway, turns out, it was one giant empanada, as i'm sure you've concluded based on the photographic evidence. so we sliced it like a pie, and enough leftovers for the next day (i think it made 6 or 7 meals total. 5 if you're really hungry). yum!

scallops with salsa verde and caprese salad

this is a super simple meal, but still delicious and impressive. it's a perfect light meal for a hot day. the scallops are from alice waters' book the art of simple food, which is fantastic. (alice waters is totally my hero. even though i've never been to chez panisse, i did get my book signed by her when i bought it.) its basically just sauteed scallops in a salsa verde, which we made with basil and chives.

the salad is just our basic recipe for caprese. for four people we used 2 tomatoes, 4 or 5 ounces of mozzarella (sorry, i don't remember the exact amount. i also forgot how to spell mozzarella for a second and started typing it into amazon search to try and remember, and the first thing that came up was a book called "mozzarella most murderous", which for some reason i find very amusing. then i realized blogger has spell check so i felt silly), and a handful of basil (i think it was like 5 big leaves. obviously, i have to work on measuring my ingredients and remembering said measurements if i'm going to blog recipes. sorry!). drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar just before serving. we also served this with slices of italian bread, which had whole pieces of garlic in it and was very tasty.

baked mahi mahi with potatoes, rosemary and garlic

sometimes there's a good story to tell about a dish, and sometimes its just "i thought i should make dinner and there was some mahi mahi in the freezer, so i searched epicurious and found a recipe."
the recipe i found was Marcella Hazen's baked fish with potatoes, rosemary, and garlic.
it was simple, delicious, and comforting.

it would probably be just as good without the breadcrumbs, if you don't feel like buying any.

shrimp risotto with baby spinich and basil

one weird thing about moving to new york was getting used to seasons. the weather in san francisco is delightfully random, completely free of the schedule followed on the east coast. 2 weekends ago, it was so hot i ended up with a horrible sunburn and the most perfect white tank top strap line ever, but by thursday it was foggy again. yesterday was sunny enough during the day to trick me into going to a giants night game wearing only a light hoodie (mistake. but giants won, yay!) and today all i could see out my window was a heavy blanket of fog, the kind that makes me want to stay inside all day and eat warm, creamy, comfortable foods.
so, naturally, shrimp risotto with spinich and basil sounded like just the thing. and it turned out delicious!
it was my first time making risotto, and it was pretty easy. the only slightly annoying thing was having to stay in the kitchen to add broth and stir every five minutes. for entertainment while doing this, i recommend listening to this song, dancing around, singing along into a wooden spoon, and taking "artsy" photos of your stove.


p.s. i've been playing around with editing the photos a little. i don't think i actually made this look any more attractive though? well, hopefully i will get the hang of it and the photos on this site will improve.

two easy lunches

these are two easy,quick recipes. they're the type of thing we throw together when we're at home for lunch and want to use up some random leftover ingredients. obviously you could make them for dinner too, i just liked the sound of "two easy lunches" as a title.
first up, we have black bean soup, created and eaten by Rita.serves 1
*2 cups already made black bean soup (the smooth, pureed kind, she used trader joes)
*1/4 cup salsa verde
*2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
*2 teaspoons cumin
*1 teaspoon chipotle powder
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*olive oil for frying (about 2 tablespoons)
*1/4 cup green onions, sliced
*cheddar cheese to grate on top
*2 teaspoons lime juice
1. heat oil up in a medium pot.
2. add garlic and green onions. saute, stirring frequently, until onions start to get soft and garlic starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
3. add everything else except cheese to pot, stir and cook until thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes.
4. grate cheese on top.

and next we have pasta with tomato sauce and mussels, by yours truly, Lola.
not really a recipe, more just an idea and list of ingredients. also, its good without the mussels. we just happened to have leftover mussels, but they're not an ingredient we often have on hand.
serves 1
*1 serving of pasta (i used 3/4 cup whole wheat bowtie pasta)
*enough tomato sauce to coat pasta (the sauce i used also had garlic and basil)
*mussels, cooked and removed from shells (i used 10)
*a small handful of walnuts
*half an onion, sliced
*olive oil for cooking onions, about 2 tablespoons
1. cook pasta according to package directions.
2. meanwhile, heat oil in a small frying pan.
3. add onions to pan and saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
4. add sauce, onions, mussels, and walnuts to pasta. stir.

i'd also like to thank Molly Jean at the rookie chef for our first ever blog award!

so how does this work?
These are the rules of this award:

* 1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
* 2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
* 3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
ok, who to pass this prestigious award on to? these are all people we've just discovered since we started blogging
the ordinary vegetarian
coffee beans and curry leaves
veganize it, don't criticize it!
latest addictions
peanut butter swirl
chick n' pastry
cake, batter, and bowl
veggie num nums
um, that's all i can think of right now. i hope the blog award police won't come after me for not having 15. and i'm sorry if i've left anyone off. i love you all, really!

father's day extravaganza! mussels+fries+parsley aioli+french bread+strawberry granita

many years ago, we made a father's day card for our dad, promising him a "leon de bruxelles style meal". leon de bruxelles is a chain of belgian restaurants specializing in mussels, which we visited while in paris.
anyway, yesterday, we finally provided him with the promised meal. only 10 years too late. but worth the wait!
we started with this recipe:mussels and fries with mustard mayonnaise

very tasty! we doubled the recipe to serve four, but ended up with many leftover mussels. probably 3 pounds would be enough to serve four if its part of a many course meal like ours.
the recipe called for frozen french fries, but we decided to make our own.

we used this recipe: garlic fries, but halfed it.
instead of using the mustard sauce the mussel recipe called for, we made our own parsley aioli.
since this was a special occasion and we were making everything from scratch, we also had to make our own bread to go with. again, the recipe is halfed.

the first stage of baking took about 20 minutes, instead of the stated 35. also, we used about 2/3 white flour and 1/3 wheat, just because we ran out of white. french bread
all this was served with a lettuce salad.
and the grand finale...

strawberry granita
served in margarita glasses. we're hella swanky.
everything was very tasty.
and finally...

...the end!
or is it? stay tuned for our next post to see what we made with the leftover mussels.