Maple-Mustard-Chili Tofu and Braised Chard

Not the greatest photo but I was out taking photos of an exhibit beforehand. Clearly I'd had enough of fiddling around for the best shot.

The tofu tempted me into eating 7 cubes right after it came of the oven. That means it's delicious.

I cooked the chard, stems and all, and added a splash of umeboshi vinegar at the end. 

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.

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.

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 Dutch: Rye 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).

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?

What the Heck... ?

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

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.