Puttu!

Puttu is the most amazing breakfast food EVER. You know how you just can't seem to use those last few over-ripe bananas? With Puttu, problem solved. What about figuring out whats for dinner? tangentially, Puttu can help. Or when you want a speedy and healthy breakfast- puttu leftovers-- oh yes they re-heat well! Annd it's been my latest obsession (confession, I have been purposefully buying ripe bananas just so they will become over-ripe and I can make puttu!!!)

Enough of this suspense you say? What is this mysterious food? Fine fine. Puttu is simply steamed rice flour, with optional flaked coconut. Anti-climactic? Perhaps.. but it is really good!

Start by dry frying rice flour, being careful not to burn it. Dont add oil or any other liquids. Store this as "puttu flour" for as long as you would store flour.. basically shelf stable. I dry fry the entire bag at once, and then store it to use whenever. Now, in a bowl, take about 1 cup of puttu flour and mix in water slowly, until the mixture resembles soft crumbs. (I tried to take a picture of this.. but I am not sure how much you can see in the photo above).
Get your pressure cooker going.. and put something inside! I like to put a bean or lentil item for that night's dinner in the body of the pressure cooker.. kills two birds with one stone. Make sure you have a jet of steam coming out of the top, as seen in the pic above.
Load up your puttu maker with the rice flour mixture. Add flaked coconut in layers between sections of rice flour. For a small puttu maker like mine, I put about 3 layers of dried sweetened coconut flakes, but it is really only about 1 Tbsp of coconut.
Put your puttu maker on the pressure cooker stem, lining up the bottom so that the steam travels up the column through the puttu.

Two to three minutes later (for a small puttu maker) remove the puttu maker from the steam and poke the back with a skewer to push the steamed flour out. It usually breaks at the coconut seam.. mmmm.

Now here is the best part-- you get to mash a ripe banana into the flour with your hands! Normal Indian etiquette generally requires that the palm of the hand stay clean, and that the fingers are used for eating. Puttu is an exception.. mash it with your entire hand!! its like play-dough... oh so fun! And thats it! Enjoy the mashed banana creation! You can add sugar if desired.. but it is pretty good with just banana :)

The only problem...as you might have guessed.. is the special equipment required.. namely the pressure cooker and puttu maker. I am still pondering this problem.. When I come up with an answer, I will be sure to share it! But for now.. youre just going to have to come over for breakfast!
BTW if you already know you looooove puttu, I am going to India soon and will take requests for equipment (tiffon carriers.. puttu makers, etc).

Homemade Bean Dip!

This is my mom's speciality-- bean dip made from dried pinto beans. She cooks them in a pressure cooker, then simmers with tomato sauce, garlic, and salt until cooked through (mashing the beans if necessary after the pressure cooker step).

This week, I am participating in Kim O'Donnel's eating down the fridge challenge (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2009/03/eating_down_the_fridge_let_the.html) so no grocery shopping for the week.. and I didn't have tomato sauce! What to do?! I had already cooked the pinto beans in the morning (because I am addicted to puttu, which requires a pressure cooker... I'll post about puttu soon), planning to use them for dinner.

Oh well-- the Eating Down the Fridge challenge is all about being creative-- right? Right! I used 3 Tbsp of bottled spaghetti sauce for my 1.5 Cups of cooked pinto beans... add a little garlic powder, chili powder, and a dash of cumin (I wanted to make sure the spaghetti sauce taste was gone) and it was delicious! Couldnt even tell the difference!

I topped the bean dip with cheddar chunks, sliced green onion, tomato, and bell pepper, and some finely diced celery. MmmMMmMMM! I ate it rolled in a corn tortilla that I microwaved for about 15 seconds.. along with some sour cream. Delicious!

The taste is so much better than refried beans from a can-- the fresh cooked pinto bean has a very distinct and wonderful flavor! try it out, and let me know what you think.

Shrimp-A-Palooza Pictures

This cooking event occured almost a year ago-- but I am just getting around to putting up pics now. Enjoy!!
Grilled shrimp, cajun style and lemon pepper grilled

Shrimp Biscuits, and in the background panko breaded shrimp and coconut shrimp

Super spicey south Indian style shrimp curry. This curry ended up in Amanda's eye. Ouch.

Shrimp and Cheese Bread

Shrimp Scampi, and in the background shrimp quesadillas

the coconut application for the coconut shrimp (this part was fun.. thanks Suee for volunteering)

Close up coconut shrimp

Shrimp Alfredo.. I cheated and used store bought alfredo sauce (yea next year its going to be a potluck...)

Shrimp with cocktail sauce

And shrimp stir fry!

Is anyone else reminded of Bubba from the movie Forest Gump? What can I say, I love me my shrimpies.

Fried Chicken Rollups!

Rachel Ray Everyday magazine has these wonderful weekday menu planner segments (you can find them online here). I am on day 2 of the menu from February's magazine.. Yesterdays steaks were so wonderful, but all I took a picture of was a massacred piece of meat.. which looked wholly unappetizing upon review.

Today: Fried Chicken Rollups.. a homemade taquito stuffed with store bought rotisserie chicken, garlic, onions, and red pepper (my addition to the recipe).

In this recipe, corn tortillas are pan fried in oil. My only complaint is that this recipe is not really that healthy.. but hey, two of them filled me up for a nice dinner, so I guess it wasn't that bad. My only suggestions is: don't skip the step of warming the tortillas before stuffing them with the chicken mixture..this makes the tortillas pliable and without enough heating they fall apart when you roll it up. Try it out! delicious.

The Best Tacos!! Weekend Destination: West Chester, PA

West Chester PA, with its pedestrian friendly walkways of shops, restaurants and coffee houses, is also home to the best tacos I have eaten to date. Behold (photo courtesy the replete athlete): simple tacos made with corn tortillas, a specially spiced tinga chicken taco (on the left) or asada (beef) on the right. Served with diced onion and cilantro and lime wedges, this simple taco is a taste sensation. The plain soft corn tortillas are wonderful! and squeeze some lime over the top of the taco and oooooo its good. This place isnt much for looks. But you'll leave happy. La Rancherita, Gay St, West Chester PA.

When youre done eating, stop by the Iron Hill Brewery for some wonderful brews. I sampled the raspberry wheat and Iron Hill Light Lager-- both of which are delicious! The light lager is a real light beer, and has good flavor without that heavy filling quality that marks darker beer. The raspberry wheat was sweet, but not too sweet, and felt light and refreshing. The ambiance was nice, we had plenty of room on a Saturday night to stand around and drink casually. Check it out: http://ironhillbrewery.com/westchester/

If you want to get crazy, check out the nightlife at Barnaby's (on High St).. but be forewarned, it is loud and full of young people. Fun none-the-less.

There was also a little book store called the Armadillo Book Company-- every book in the store is $5.. and they had some great stuff! I ended up picking up two books, one about a man's bicycling journey across Australia (called Cold Beer and Crocodiles) and another about strange hikes this nature enthusiast experienced throughout his lifetime (called Weird Hikes). Exciting!

West Chester. Surprisingly fun weekend getaway. Try it out!

Chez Delicious Consumption, cafe style lettuce wraps

Welcome to Chez Delicious Consumption, the organic and inviting cafe that I call home. The menu du jour: Ham and Cheese lettuce wraps, fresh blackberries, fresh snow peas, and a sprinkling of potato chips.

Large leaves of Romaine Lettuce serve in place of bread for this light lunch. Organic Romaine sold unpackaged, usually has the largest leaf structure. Packaged (bagged or in a carton) Romaine works as well, you just might need two wraps to feel satisfied, since the leaves are smaller. In this version, I added slices of ham, Cabot Cheddar Cheese, tomato slices, and spicy brown mustard. Remember that the entire romaine leaf is edible, the stalk portion is delightfully crunchy and shouldn't be wasted!

With cold and flu season raging its last battles before the calm of summer, I must declare my love for EmergenC, the 1,000 mg vitamin C supplement powder that mixes with water to form a fizzy flavored concoction. My favorite so far: pink lemonade. Don't forget to drink your water.

Enjoy, and turn your everyday dining into a cafe experience!

Fried Rice and other musings

Scramble your eggs in this easy vegetarian (ovo-lacto veg) fried rice, don't scramble your brain trying to figure out whats for dinner!

Recipe:
1 egg
1 to 1-1/2 c cooked rice (leftovers work wonders)
1/3 c mixed veggies, fresh or frozen
2 Tbsp soy sauce
hot sauce (optional)
Add rice to frying pan with a bit of oil. Add soy sauce, and break up the rice pieces (if using leftover rice and it is dry, add a little bit of water to re-steam, and to help break up any chunks). Add veggies, cook for 1-2 mins. Move the rice mixture to the edges of the pan, leaving a volcano like hole in the middle. Add 1 egg (I break the egg up a bit in a bowl before adding, to make the scramble part easier) and scramble in the pan. When the egg is fully cooked, mix in with the rest of the rice. (Don't mix uncooked egg with the rice.. it will become stringy and wont cook well).

I've been tossing this idea around my head: The everyday vacation. I think I like it. Here's the gist of it: Have you ever been on a vacation and been very energized to run and do yoga, etc? What about a vacation in which you didn't reach for the coffee pot in the morning? Ok, so maybe those are the extreme examples-- but what about that feeling of relaxation and calm that comes with vacation?

What if we could reclaim that feeling in every day life? What is it about vacations that are so wonderful anyways? I think part of it is the fact that you are doing exactly what YOU want to do. A vacation, if done properly, is a very ego fulfilling thing-- no boss, no pressure, no "to-do" list (unless its full of fun things you really want to do). Of course we can't live in vacation mode forever, reality is full of things that must be done, fun or not.. but wouldn't it be nice to have little "vacations" midday? Like a personal re-boot, to bring that sense of "aaaahhhh" to your life.

Today's everyday vacation: a long tea time. Midday is really a stressful time for me, because I usually finish one big task in the morning, and then struggle the rest of the day to pick up another thing (or even decide what other thing I am going to do!). I respond by taking an extended break, and chatting with co-workers, with the usual result of me wasting time until the end of the day... and only accomplishing one real task that day.

Today, instead of the total avoidance path (me in normal life) I decided to take an "everyday vacation" with some calming tea (ok I fess up, it was called sweet dreams tea). This did exactly the opposite! It calmed my nerves and allowed me to focus on my intention for the day (accomplish 2 big things).. and made me alert and ready to work. I was even interrupted by co-workers, but I had the will power to let em know I had things to do and couldn't chat today!

I bought mine at the grocery store-- but you can order it here: http://www.bigelowtea.com/herbal-teas.htm

Have fun and find peace with your personal everyday vacation!

Jacksonville, FL-- good eats!

I did bring snap peas and carrot sticks to eat on the plane..so I suppose that is healthy.. but as soon as we landed in Jacksonville, FL, and picked up the rental car, Potato and I went in search of food. We found this lovely establishment called WHATABURGER...from what I understand, its a fast-food chain common in the South.. but oh was the burger good. It reminded both of us of Bonanzafreeze in Butte, MT (ohh you guys should seriously try that!) with the ample pickle, lettuce, tomato, and onion on the burger. That was potato's order, some sort of double stacked bacon burger. Mine was just OK.. I ordered a fish sandwich which was uniquely breaded in cornmeal and was delicious.. but the fish only came with lettuce and tartar sauce, so it seemed a bit lacking compared to Potato's delicious monstrosity.

We went to the Anheuser Busch (makers of Budweiser) brewery for a great little factory tour, and free samples at the end!! Potato tried the "Wild Blue" a very blueberry beer (we both loved it) with a higher alcohol content..and I tried the Michelob Raspberry Pomegranate (actually very good! not as sweet as Smirnoff Ice, but definitely not a "beer flavored" beer)

And the last food related thing was a trip to a restaurant called the Crabcake Factory.. for some Cajun style lump crab cake that was delicious!! I had the Maryland Crab Soup, which was kinda ironic considering we had left the DC area to go to FL.. the best part about it was the peices of crab. We also had a large plate of broiled shrimp, scallops, and a traditional lump crab cake with garlic mashed potato... OOOOOO delicious. If you're in Jacksonville, FL, go there! Its a little on the pricy side, but what seafood restaurant isnt?

Snacks for the office worker, Part 1

It is 3PM. Your lunch is wearing off, and Mr. Texas Claw doughnut is calling for you from just beyond the vending machine glass. Eaaaat mee.. its only a dollar... sweet sugary goodness... E7. ohh yea.. thats the stuff...

Snap out of it! In this new series of posts, I am going to provide alternatives for Mr. Texas claw that will leave you satisfied and feeling well, not ill. Fresh veggies! Carrot sticks, sugar snap peas (ohh soo delicious), and bell peppers (amazing how zingy they taste as a fresh raw snack). Total investment: 5 mins of chopping vegetables. Reward: this wont put you in a food coma, or make you feel ill with preservative and sugar glut.

Green tea works wonders around mid-afternoon to curb sleepiness at the office (although eating mostly veggies and protein for lunch helps prevent the sleepiness altogether). So next time you want to grab a snickers.. think twice and know that you arent alone...We ALL want those snacks, but we also have the power to choose a better way to get over that afternoon slump.

Arugula Peanut Pesto with Tuna Lettuce Wrap

I present you the humble organic arugula bunch. I found this unassuming leafy green sitting in the produce section of Whole Foods, sandwiched between the leafy lettuces and leafy herbs. I have passed by this green several times only to decide, naa, not this time little guy. Well his time has come, and boy was it delicious!

I googled recipes for arugula. It seems that most people eat it raw in salad, using the leaf to add a subtle peppery flavor to the mix. I also found recipes for Arugula Pesto, in which a combination of arugula and basil are blended with pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese. It sounded interesting, but it was already 6PM and I was still at work. I definitely didn't want to stop at the grocery store for basil and cheese (when I am hungry, I buy the entire store.. and usually something bad and highly processed to eat on the way home).. So I adopted my own version.. Peanut Arugula Pesto!

Here is the recipe:
3 cups arugula leaves
2 Tbsp roasted peanuts
2 Tbsp cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves
1 tsp yogurt
1/2 tsp olive oil
salt
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Add peanuts and garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add in Arugula leaves and cilantro to the peanut/garlic mix and pulse till the mixture is well blended and resembles pesto texture. Add wet ingredients (lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil) and salt, give it a quick whir to combine. And Voila, you're done! Its important to note that I guesstimated the quantities above.. but don't be afraid, there are some troubleshooting tips in case the balance doesn't taste right:

too peppery: add lemon and cilantro. Check salt level also.
too salty or lemony: add more leaves! Arugula and cilantro
too mild: add crushed red pepper flakes (I did this)
too wet: add leaves, arugula and cilantro
too dry: add olive oil or yogurt

I made mine on the salty side, because I mixed it with bow tie pasta, which compliments a salty sauce.
To balance out my meal nutritionally, I decided to add a lettuce wrap with tuna salad filling. I happened to have some very ripe tomatoes that I wanted to use, so I made a modified tuna salad.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 can tuna, well drained and flaked
• 2 roma tomatoes, halved and microwaved for 2 mins then chopped
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped celery
• 1 tsp mayo
• 1 tsp dijon mustard

Mix all of the ingredients together. Mine was a little too wet (I ate it like that anyway) but for my leftover portion for lunch, I squeezed the mixture against the side of the bowl with a broad flat spoon and that removed the excess liquid. For the lettuce part of the wrap, I used red leaf lettuce, but romaine or Boston or any broad leaf lettuce would work. So would iceberg lettuce, but iceberg lettuce has very little nutritional value compared to red leaf, romaine, or Boston leaf.

So I got my protein, greens and carbs in this wonderfully delicious meal! I highly recommend the "pesto"-- give it a try and let me know what you think :D Happy Cooking!