Smooth and Creamy Carrot Dip with Tahini

The carrots in this house are staging an uprising.  They feel they never get to be the star of the show.  I guess they do have a point (as evidenced by the roasted radish and carrot dish and vegetable dip).  So we are giving into their demands for the royal treatment….their very own dip!  We love how the sweetness of the carrots works with the creamy nuttiness of this tahini dip.  

Ingredients 
3 bunches baby carrots, peeled
½ cup tahini + 1 tablespoon
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 ½ teaspoons rice vinegar
2 ½ teaspoons Sambal Oelek chile paste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped chives, for garnish

Instructions
My tahini was pretty separated, with the liquid on top and the paste on the bottom.  I stirred it up as much as I could, but it was still mildly runny, which was actually a good thing, as it made combining the ingredients easier.  After mixing the tahini, add the tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, honey, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, and lemon juice into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Stir all the ingredients together.  If your dip is too thick, try adding some a little canola oil to thin it out.  Place in serving bowl, and add chopped chives on top for garnish.  Serve with the peeled baby carrots.

Day 186! United Arab Emirates-Garlic, Thyme and Lemon Pita Bread - Up Next, United Kingdom

If I had any resolve at all, I'd be finishing our taxes. But let's face it, when it comes to doing taxes, it takes very little to distract me from the pain. So, it's a good thing I happened on this A-mazing recipe for garlic, thyme and lemon pita bread from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), because one more minute of number crunching and sifting through piles of paper (hello, husband? thanks so much for the wad of gas receipts), would have done me in.  I will NEVER buy pita bread again. This was super easy - the whole process took about 45 minutes from start to finish. And, if I could only describe the combination of lemon, garlic, olive oil and thyme, you'd high-tail it to your kitchen to try. But I can't. Words fail me - it's that sublime. I had it for lunch with a dish of humus, topped with parsley, pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil. And tomorrow morning, I'll toast it for breakfast. What taxes?

Map Courtesy of Lonely Planet

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a country in the South East part of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf. The country shares its borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia and its maritime borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iran. The UAE constitutes a federation of seven emirates, which are each governed by a hereditary emir and a single national president. The earliest human evidence dates back to 550 BC. Trade in this beautiful country mainly consisted of copper, then later camels, pearls and wares brought by seafaring merchants. Until gaining independence and a constitution in 1971, the country was ruled by the Portuguese, followed by Europeans until the UK formed the Trucial States in the 19 century.  Now, a powerful and oil rich country, the UAE is home to a strong economy and plentiful natural resources, as well as resurgence of nearly extinct animals like the Arabian oryx, leopards, coastal fish and mammals. Islam is the country's official religion and Arabic the language.

Owing to the country's dry climate, vegetables are grown, but are not a significant part of the diet, which is a blend of Middle Eastern and Asian traditions. Meat, grains, dairy, sea food, chicken, goat, mutton and lamb are all enjoyed, usually in the form of stews or grilled meats and kebabs. Saffron, cardamom, turmeric, thyme are the primary spices that flavor the food. Delicious yeast breads, rice, cheese, dates and date syrup, eggs and sesame seeds as well as kabsa, falafel, shawarma, kebobs and tea are just a sampling of the rich and interesting culinary variety this country offers.

 

Garlic, Thyme and Lemon Pita Bread (Recipe Adapted from Celtnet)

Ingredients: 6 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
2 tsp dried thyme, ground to a powder
2 tbsp finely-grated lemon zest
4-4-1/4 cup white flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
4 tsp. dried, active, yeast
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 -1/2 warm water (about)

Fry the garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until just browned then transfer the garlic and oil into your mixing bowl and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 425 F and place your baking tray in there to keep warm.
Mix all the dry ingredients together (including the yeast) and add to the bowl containing the fried garlic, along with the thyme and lemon zest.
Add the oil and half the water and mix together.
Now add just enough water so that the ingredients come together as a soft, pliable, dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for half an hour. Once the time is up, divide the dough into 5 balls. Use a rolling pin to roll each one of these into flat ovals about 1/8-inch thick (ie pitta bread shapes).
Wrap any remaining dough in plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
Take the hot baking tray out of the oven, lie your two pita breads on the tray and immediately replace in the oven. Bake for about 4–5 minutes, or until risen and only just colored.
Immediately remove from the tray and leave to cool under a cloth (this prevents them from drying).
You can either freeze until later or re-heat that day to eat. Continue cooking the remaining pita breads until all 6 are done.






© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Hibiscus Iced Tea

Ice water is generally the drink of choice in our family.  However, sometimes we like to get a little crazy and gussy up our drink glasses.  Those glasses always feel fancy when they sport this pretty red beverage.  Ordinary iced tea just doesn't cut it with our picky glasses though.  Oh no.  They only feel spiffy when showing off iced tea like this, which gets a bit of tartness and beautiful color from the hibiscus leaves, and sweetness from the combination of honey, sugar, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Ingredients
8 cups water
¾ cup dried hibiscus leaves
10 regular-size tea bags
2 inch peel of orange
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
orange slices, for serving

Instructions
Bring the 8 cups of water to a boil.  Take off heat and add the hibiscus leaves, tea bags, and orange peel.  Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.  Strain out the hibiscus leaves, tea bags and orange peel.  Stir in honey, sugar, and fresh orange juice.  Chill and serve with orange slices.

Day 185! Ukraine - Borsch (Vegetarian) - Up Next, United Arab Emirates

Whoa! I had no idea there were so many different kinds of borsch. I'd always assumed that borsch was, well, borsch - basic beet soup. But, in fact, the word borsch simply means any soup made with a variety of vegetables, and in Eastern Europe, there are hundreds of varieties, each one considered authentic. Some have beef, some have sausage, some have bacon and still others have a whole range of vegetables. Since I often cook with meat, I decided to go the vegetarian route, opting instead to made a simple soup where the beautiful earthy beet flavor would be the star. Pure in flavor, spectacular in color and loaded with vitamins, borsch is now officially on my "this is surprisingly awesome" list of foods. Oh, and don't forget to serve it with hearty pumpernickel, slathered with sweet butter. Epic.

Map Courtesy of Lonely Planet

Located in southeastern central Europe, Ukraine borders Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Turkey the Black Sea and the Sea of Azor. The second largest contiguous country on the European continent after Russia, this beautiful country is extremely bio-diverse, and is home to thousands of plants, mushrooms, berries and animals. Established in the 9th century by the Varangiansin, the country was a powerful nation in the Middle Ages. By the 14th century, Ukraine was under the rule of the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland and by the 19 century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire. From 1917-1921, the country fought for independence, following WWI and the Russian Civil War. Finally, when the Soviet Union disolved in 1991, Ukraine declared independence. Today, Ukraine is a globably important country and is the 3rd largest grain exporter in the world.

Cuisine in Ukraine is influenced by Russian, Polish, German and Turkish traditions. Meat, mushrooms, vegetables, berries, fruits and herbs are abundant in Ukranian cooking. Called the "breadbasket" of Europe, bread in many forms and cooking methods is integral to the countries culinary identity. Pickled vegetables, dumplings, cabbage, beets, cheese, pork, fish, lamb, potatoes, tortes, nuts poppy seed pastry and cakes are all typical of the country's cuisine.


Chop onions, beets and carrots

 Chop cabbage

 Add vegetable broth, vinegar and butter and simmer

 Grated cucumber makes a lovely garnish

 Sour cream and dill top it all off
 Warm or cold, borsch is delicious 

Borsch (Beet Soup) - Adapted from the Joy of Cooking

1/2 cup peeled carrots, finely chopped
1 cup peeled onions, finely chopped
2 cups peeled beets, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups vegetable broth or stock
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Garnish
Sour Cream
Grated cucumber
Dill

Chop carrot, onions and beets. Add to pot and barely cover with boiling water. Simmer gently, covered for about 20 minutes.
Add butter, stock, shredded cabbage and vinegar and simmer for another 15 minutes.
When cooked, blend or run soup through a food mill until desired consistency.
Ladle into bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream, a spoonful of cucumber and sprinkling of dill.
Serve with good pumpernickel bread and butter.


© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Rice Krispies Treats with Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Drizzle

Yep, we are posting Rice Krispies treats again!  We are seriously addicted to these goodies.  So crispy and gooey and sweet, with a bit of saltiness thrown in there…how does one not love these?  In this particular recipe, the dulce de leche, a type of creamy caramel, adds a rich sweetness that makes these bad boys even yummier.  And like most caramel, it pairs really well with a bit of chocolate.

Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter
16 ounce bag marshmallows
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
11 ½ cups crisped rice cereal
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions
I like using David Leibovitz’s method of making dulce de leche.  He suggests pouring a can of sweetened condensed milk in a pie pan, sprinkling a bit of sea salt, covering with aluminum foil, then placing in a larger baking dish filled halfway with water and baking at 425 for about an hour, hour and fifteen minutes.  Stir the mixture occassionally while it bakes, and add more water if it evaporates during the process.  You want the mixture to have a nice brown color.  But feel free to use whatever method works for you.

Grease a 9x13 pan, or line with parchment paper.  Melt butter over medium-low heat in large pot.  Add the marshmallows and stir until they have melted.  Mix in salt and vanilla extract and take off heat.  Stir rice cereal into the melted marshmallow mixture and then press into prepared pan.  Let cool.  Using a double boiler or microwave, carefully melt the chocolate chips with the heavy cream.  Stir the mixture until the chocolate chips have all melted.  Take off heat and brush onto the rice krispies.  Drizzle the dulce de leche over the layer of chocolate.  If feeling really indulgent, we will press half of the rice krispie mixture into the pan, then pile on a layer of chocolate and a layer of dulce de leche, then put the remaining rice krispie mixture into the pan.

Kitchen Upgrades

Non-stick pans, kitchen tools and storage containers. Your kitchen is filled with them, some good and some not so good. Sometimes your kitchen deserves an upgrade. Here are a few of my recent discoveries:

I've reviewed a lot of pots and pans over the years. I love the convenience for non-stick pans, but no matter what the brand or cost, eventually they flake. I like the ceramic non-stick, but they are a bit delicate and can chip if you're not careful, well, not the Earth Pan II from Meyer corporation. The non-stick surface is made from sand, and has no PTFE or PFOA and it can be used with high heat! It's stovetop safe up to 600 degrees. I've been using a 12-inch pan for several weeks and it is easy to clean, and shows no signs that it will chip and there is no coating to flake off. Of course, the true test is how it performs in the long term, but so far so good.



My old measuring cups were so ugly! They were stained and I hated looking at them, never mind using them. When someone from Trudeau offered to send me something of my choice from their line of kitchenware, I knew it would be their 5 piece measuring cup set. Each piece is a different color and the shape is particularly easy to use. I also got their can opener since my old one had melted from being to close to the stove one day. If you don't have a can opener that lifts the top rather leaving sharp edges this is a great upgrade. I already have and love the Trudeau pot clip spoon rests and one piece silicone spatulas (no wooden handle to burn or stain).



I just bought this Chef'n dual grater and I really like the design. It's coarse on one side, fine on the other, and it has little rubber feet so you can use it vertically or horizontally. It also takes up very little room when it's not in use. It's a really smart design and it was relatively inexpensive. I had another one from Microplane that I liked, but it broke. Eventually they also lose their edge and need replacing. The best Microplane product I have is the zester. If you don't have one, I highly recommend you get one.




My last recommendation is to ditch your plastic storage containers. Oh you can use them for dry things like sugar and flour, but don't use them to store cooked food or to reheat. They stain and they get scratched and they might just be leaching chemicals into your food. A much better choice is glass. I've just purchased a set of Boroseal, Borosilicate glass stroage containers and while they aren't cheap, I expect them to last for a very, very long time. They have airtight plastic tops and can be used in the freezer, oven and microwave. Unlike plastic they will not stain or scratch or melt! Pyrex glass storage containers are less expensive and also get high ratings on Amazon, though I haven't personally used them.

My thanks for Meyer for providing a sample of the EarthPan and Trudeau for the measuring cups and can opener. All other products mentioned I purchased.

A “Whale” of a Grilled Cheese, with Roasted Broccoli, Garlic and Caramelized Onions

This weekend, our town, Dana Point, is hosting its annual Festival of Whales!  We celebrate with cheesy things like a town parade featuring a giant whale balloon, a sprawling block party, and all kinds of whale and marine themed activities in the harbor.  It’s actually a lot of fun, and one of the reasons we really dig living in Dana Point.  So we figured we’d run with the whole cheesiness theme, and whale theme, by making whale-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches!  Or, to be more accurate, vaguely-whale shaped grilled cheese sandwiches (That little broccoli floret is supposed to be an eye)…Of course, since we like to experiment when we cook, we added things like roasted broccoli and garlic as well as caramelized onions.  We also like to get both nice creamy cheeses like Jack in there along with sharp cheeses like extra-sharp cheddar and parmesan.  I have to say, it’s one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had.  And I’ve had a lot…

Ingredients  
Extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into slices
Monterey Jack cheese, cut into slices
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sourdough bread slices
Whale-shaped cookie cutter

Roasted Broccoli:
1 bunch broccoli, cut into small florets
olive oil, for drizzling
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon wedge
balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Roasted Garlic:
1 garlic bulb
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

Caramelized Onions:
2 onions, peeled, halved, then sliced

Instructions
To roast the broccoli: Heat oven to 425.  Place florets on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper over pieces.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pieces.  Roast for about 25 minutes, until pieces are soft and have that delicious browning on them.  Remove from oven and drizzle fresh lemon juice and balsamic vinegar.  Set aside.

To roast the garlic:  Heat oven to 400.  Take off the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb.  Don’t remove all the skin, just the stuff that comes off easily.  The head of garlic should still remain intact.  Slice off the pointy end of the bulb to expose all the cloves.  Place in a small greased ramekin and cover with the olive oil.  Sprinkle just a pinch of salt and cover with aluminum foil.  Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes.  The cloves of garlic will be all nice and soft.

To caramelize the onions:  Place a tablespoon of olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onion slices.  Don’t stir too often yet.  Let the pieces brown, without getting burnt.  After about 15 minutes or so, once slices have mostly browned, I like to turn the heat down to low or medium low.  Stir frequently.  I like adding a bit of water or oil every so often to keep the pieces from burning or sticking too much.  After about 40 minutes or so, the onions should have a dark brown, jam-like quality.

To assemble the sandwiches:  Place slices of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses on slice of bread.  Place pieces of roasted broccoli on top, followed by some caramelized onions.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.  Spread clove or two of roasted garlic on the top piece of bread.  Butter both sides of the sandwich and place on greased griddle.  Once one side has turned golden brown, flip and let the other side develop a golden brown color.   Once the sandwich has cooled a bit, use the cookie cutter to cut out the whale-shape.

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We'd also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge our three fellow bloggers who were nice enough to give us our first blogger-to-blogger awards!  Averil, from The Cook, The Baker and the Clay Boy Maker, and Dara Reppucci, from Generation Y Foodie, both recently awarded us the Versatile Blogger Award; while Greg, from Crostini and Chianti, awarded us the Liebster Award.

Averil's site, The Cook, The Baker and the Clay Boy Maker, is a wonderful new blog sharing great recipes and stories filled with humor and heart.  We are drooling over her O is for Oodles of Sesame Noodles and Whiskey Hoisin Meatballs.

Dara's site, Gen Y Foodie, has actually been one of our favorites for awhile now.  She cooks adventurous, varied, mouth-watering, and healthy dishes, always paired with fantastic photos and entertaining writing!  We'd love to make just about everything she posts, but her Shepherd's Pie with Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes has been particularly on our minds lately.

Greg's blog Crostini and Chianti is a great food blog that mostly focuses on Italian food, with occasional forays into other cuisines.  His recipes are varied and interesting, and if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend hopping on over.  I really like his Irish Dinner Party post from earlier in the year.  The mashed potato cakes look so cool!

It means so much to us to see support like this from our fellow food bloggers.  You guys are awesome, and we look forward to being a part of the community for many years to come!  Can't wait to see your next recipes!