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[svenc]

Comfort food tonight: Mrs. Svenc's baked mac & cheese (with broccoli and bread crumb crust), chased by a nice coffee porter.

[secretweapon]

Homemade pizza and Chianti Classico.  For dessert: leftover conversation hearts.

CBL, I'm intrigued by liquid smoke.  I've often seen it in recipes but I'm kind of afraid of it.  What is it made of?  Does it really make a difference in taste?

[crazybatlady]

CBL, I'm intrigued by liquid smoke.  I've often seen it in recipes but I'm kind of afraid of it.  What is it made of?  Does it really make a difference in taste?

Hi, secretweapon. Liquid smoke is often used by vegetarians to replace the flavors of things like bacon or ham. It is literally moist smoke from smoldering woods (hickory and mesquite, mostly) that are condensed and purified. Don't be scared. Although there is maybe some risk of using it, it's less risky than eating a steak cooked on a coal-fired grill because most of the carcinogens are filtered out in the purification process.

It is vital in some recipes that call for a salty-smoky flavor, like Hoppin' John or Fidel's Black Beans.

cbl

[daurousseau]

I had to buy a lot of cilantro for a recipe.  Now, I'm stuck with it.  Anyone know a good recipe that uses a lot of cilantro?  I might throw it in pasta with some parmesan, on the theory that pasta with some cheese + one other ingredient is always safe.  Thoughts?

Make tacos. Chop up all the cilantro and mix it with the chopped up lettuce.

[daurousseau]

Fidel's Black Bean Soup

Simmer
1 pound dried black beans in
12 cups water with
2 bay leaves for about 2 hours.
Add
3 chopped green bell peppers
2 chopped sweet onions (large ones)
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp oregano (fresh preferred, but not necessary)
1.5 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp liquid smoke.
Simmer another hour or so.

Toppings:

2 avocados diced chunky, with
2 Tbsp lime juice.

1 red onion, sliced really really thinly.

2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, diced fine.

Light sour cream, for nonvegans.

Ladle bean soup into a bowl and top with avocados and red onion; add peppers and sour cream as desired.

Serves about 8.

Suggested compromise for those interested: leave out the hot peppers and use poblano peppers instead of green bell peppers. Also does the job of the liquid smoke.

[secretweapon]

CBL, I'm intrigued by liquid smoke.  I've often seen it in recipes but I'm kind of afraid of it.  What is it made of?  Does it really make a difference in taste?

Hi, secretweapon. Liquid smoke is often used by vegetarians to replace the flavors of things like bacon or ham. It is literally moist smoke from smoldering woods (hickory and mesquite, mostly) that are condensed and purified. Don't be scared. Although there is maybe some risk of using it, it's less risky than eating a steak cooked on a coal-fired grill because most of the carcinogens are filtered out in the purification process.

It is vital in some recipes that call for a salty-smoky flavor, like Hoppin' John or Fidel's Black Beans.

cbl

Thanks CBL!  I might just try it.  I like everything else in the FBBS recipte.

[killerapp]

Homemade pizza made with various items I almost always have in the fridge.  It's a life-saver when I don't have time or energy for something more involved.  Set the bread maker to dough setting when I head off to work and slap the pizza together when I get home.  Tonight's version will be composed of the following ingredients: crust brushed with olive oil and garlic rather than tomato sauce, a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, olives.  Healthy and tasty.  I keep various jars of tomatoes, artichokes, peppers etc on hand so I can whip something like this up on a regular basis. 

[expatinuk]

Airplane food.... I'll pop two tynol PMs and sleep.

[phdbliss]

Lovely husband is making a Thai-style coconut chicken soup with spinach and bean threads and we'll share the rest of a bottle of my current favorite Chardonnay from the Sonoma Valley.

[crazybatlady]

Garlic Tofu with Rice and Edamame

Freeze and thaw 1 pound extra-firm tofu (doing so makes it less squishy and more absorbent and flavorful). Press gently between two plates with a can of soup on top to remove extra liquid.

Start your brown rice and a pot of water to boil for the endamame.

Slice tofu into 8 1/2 inch planks (I don't know how to describe this properly. Put the tofu block long edge down and cut 8 times so you get pieces about 2x3x1/2 inch).
Marinate in a bit of reduced-sodium soy sauce while you get the rest of the stuff ready to go.

In a skillet (large enough to lay out all of the tofu pieces) on low-medium heat, saute
1 finely diced onion and
6 large cloves of garlic, minced, in
2 Tbsp of vegetable oil.

Add
2 tsp chili garlic paste
dash sesame oil
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger.
Stir.

Add the tofu slices flat into the bottom of the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
Flip the tofu. They should be browned and crusty but not burned.

Add
1 bunch green onions, sliced, and
8 water chestnuts (canned).
Cook another 5 minutes, moving things around as necessary to prevent sticking or burning. Add a bit more oil if necessary.

Put your endamame (still in the shell) into the boiling water and toss in some sea salt (about 1 tsp). Boil 2-3 minutes or until they are bright green.

Drain the endamame and put them in a bowl to pass at the table. Sprinkle with salt. (Make sure to provide little bowls at each place to put the shells in at the table.)

Serve tofu over a scoop of brown rice. Scrape the pan for the yummy bits and pour over top as a delicious sauce.

Yum!

cbl

[nanoo]

Crazybatlady should go on Top Chef.

I'm making my grandmother's lemon chicken, with mashed taters and caesar salad.

[john_proctor]

Garlic Tofu with Rice and Edamame

Freeze and thaw 1 pound extra-firm tofu (doing so makes it less squishy and more absorbent and flavorful). Press gently between two plates with a can of soup on top to remove extra liquid.

Start your brown rice and a pot of water to boil for the endamame.

Slice tofu into 8 1/2 inch planks (I don't know how to describe this properly. Put the tofu block long edge down and cut 8 times so you get pieces about 2x3x1/2 inch).
Marinate in a bit of reduced-sodium soy sauce while you get the rest of the stuff ready to go.

In a skillet (large enough to lay out all of the tofu pieces) on low-medium heat, saute
1 finely diced onion and
6 large cloves of garlic, minced, in
2 Tbsp of vegetable oil.

Add
2 tsp chili garlic paste
dash sesame oil
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger.
Stir.

Add the tofu slices flat into the bottom of the pan and cook for 3 minutes.
Flip the tofu. They should be browned and crusty but not burned.

Add
1 bunch green onions, sliced, and
8 water chestnuts (canned).
Cook another 5 minutes, moving things around as necessary to prevent sticking or burning. Add a bit more oil if necessary.

Put your endamame (still in the shell) into the boiling water and toss in some sea salt (about 1 tsp). Boil 2-3 minutes or until they are bright green.

Drain the endamame and put them in a bowl to pass at the table. Sprinkle with salt. (Make sure to provide little bowls at each place to put the shells in at the table.)

Serve tofu over a scoop of brown rice. Scrape the pan for the yummy bits and pour over top as a delicious sauce.

Yum!

cbl

May I add on a pre-prep idea:

To get best results out of the tofu for something like this, I'd recommend slicing the tofu and placing it in boiling water for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove and drain well, then let it cool (fridge) for a couple of hours.  This firms up the tofu without actually cooking it.

If you want it crispy on the outside, you could either get the skillet really hot before you put in the tofu (and, so, sear it.  Watch it so it doesn't burn, though and check your heat before you procede) or lightly dredge it in flower or corn starch (or do both).  Gives a crunchy outside, but still lets the tofu soak the flavors.  You gotta watch it close, though, if you dredge it, it'll stick.

[magistra]

Daurousseau -- thanks!  Haven't had those in a long while.

[wild_rose]

I can't eat tofu, but the recipe sounds good.

Tonight I'll probably just thaw something. I have a recipe for eggplant ragout but I think I'll make that one tomorrow. I can freeze the leftovers for when I get back from the hospital on Thursday.

[catmom]

cheese, bread, tomatos, olives, red wine