Monday, November 23, 2009

I Love My Magnetic Spice Jars

When I was apartment hunting, I knew I wanted a place with charm and character, great architectural details and wooden floors. But equally important was a close proximity to the health food store. What would I do if I couldn't easily buy spices in bulk?

For the longest time I stored my spices in a wicker basket,  in the same plastic bags that I scooped them into.  I tried to be organized - I sorted them according to whether they were herbs or spices, hot or savoury. I made lists of my collection. I even updated the lists sometimes.

But all organizational tactics would eventually fail. Bags were tossed on the table in an attempt to find marjoram or mustard seeds.

My solution? Magnetic spice jars. 

I'd been looking for a while but Ikea was expensive (3 for $10?!) and I'd heard mixed reviews of DIY methods. I finally came across some at Bulk Barn and they were reasonable - about $1.45 each. 

It's honestly improved my cooking experience. I'm just so pleased when I can grab the spices I need, no tossing about required.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Green Rice

Green rice: it's not just what happens if you forget about the rice in the fridge.

This recipe is from Rebar: The Modern Food Cookbook. Everything I've made from this cookbook has tasted incredible and most recipes are enjoyably complex. The green rice is very simple though.

All you do is liquify three bunches of greens: spinach, cilantro and italian parsley. Then cook one small onion and mince a couple of cloves of garlic. Combine everything with jasmine rice and cook the rice with the normal amount of water, minus the amount you used to liquify the greens.

It's great with Mexican food (this week I ate it with ancho lime tofu and roasted sweet potatoes with barbeque sauce) but it's also just a tasty way to incorporate more greens into your diet.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

What the Heck... is Roggebrood?

Roggebrood is een voedzaam product bereid uit gebakken deeg. Het deeg bestaat uit rogge, water, zout en enzymen.

Translated from DutchRye bread is a nutritious product made from baked dough. The dough consists of rye, water, salt and enzymes.

Apparently in Holland, this bread is mainly eaten in three provinces: Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. I've visited many places in Holland but have never been to those three. Fortunately, there's a Dutch grocery store just 30 minutes away.

Wikipedia tells me that there are significant biochemical differences between wheat and rye and that this affects the broodbakproces. The bread is baked from coarsely ground rye without yeast. Apparently the bread gets it dark colour and sweet taste through a long baking process which converts starch into sugar. 

I think it has a good smaak (taste).

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Amchur Chana (Chickpeas with Mango Powder)

This is the macaroni and cheese of Indian cuisine.

I mean that in a very positive way. This is comfort food to me and although Raghavan Iyer has compiled 660 curries into his book (aptly named 660 Curries), I return to this one again and again.

I'm sure it has something to do with the amchur powder.  Amchur is a compound word: Aam, meaning unripe mango and chur, ground powder.

Iyer says, "Mango powder is a souring, cooling spice, used heavily in northern India - as are chickpeas, so it is natural that the two come together very often there."

It's fantastic stuff and I plan on experimenting with it sometime - amchur pudding, perhaps?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

What the Heck... ?

Trick question: is this a giant lemon... or a very small orange?

Monday, November 2, 2009

Armenian Apricot Soup

I found this apricot and lentil soup recipe at 101 Cookbooks but it originates from a book called The Soup Peddler's Slow & Difficult Soups. The slowness and difficulty refers to the fact that the soup peddler delivers all his homemade soups by bike - not the complexity of the recipes.

I enjoyed the soup because it's a departure from other lentils soups that I've tried. Many lentil soups combine the earthy flavour of lentils with other earthy flavours. The sweet and fruity tastes of apricots is different and works well.

You should try Armenian Apricot soup too.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sweet Potato-Cranberry Scones

So this arrived in the mail last week (swell vegan's zine, not the swan measuring cup) and then I had to decide what to make first. It was difficult because there are a lot of great fall recipes - Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Millet and Leeks, Mole-Roasted Cauliflower, etc. - but I went with the Sweet-Potato Cranberry Scones.

I figured the scones would be easy, but I should have read more into these two lines: "The dough should be fairly stiff. Fold in the cranberries."


In my case, the instructions should have read like this: "The dough should be fairly stiff. Don't bother trying to fold the cranberries in. Punch the cranberries with all your might into the dough. Do not be discouraged if this takes several minutes, or if the cranberries try to escape. It will all be worth it in the end."*

* I think I would have had an easier time had my cranberries not be frozen.