Microwaved Baked Potato Pizza With Tarragon

So, I don't have a stove! I can't really say what's wrong with it but it won't turn on and it's a really old gas stove so I'm leaving it to a questionable expert (my super) to examine it rather than risk burning my new apartment down.

I'm someone who really enjoys cooking awesome food despite unexpected limitations, so today I decided I would have toaster oven bagel pizza for dinner. But! My bagels went unexpectedly stale (too stale even for toasty resurrection).  And thus was born...

Microwaved Baked Potato Pizza With Tarragon


Serves: 1
Calories: 400 (this may vary depending on potato size and cheese saturation level)
Ingredients:
1 potato
Handful of Grape Tomatoes
Handful of Shredded Cheese (I used Sargento's Artisan Blend of Mozzarella and Smoked Provolone)
Small (a little goes a long way!) bunch of fresh tarragon
1 tbsp Butter
Lemon Juice
1 clove garlic

Start by microwaving your potato. Wash it and POKE HOLES IN IT FIRST! to avoid disappointing results like in-microwave explosion. Use a fork and poke deeply. Different potatoes take different amounts of time to bake in a microwave; if you feel uncertain start with 4 minutes and go from there.

While your potato is microwaving, chop up your garlic and tarragon very finely. Put them into a mug. Add lemon juice--just enough to sort of generously coat/cover your garlic and tarragon. Add a dollop of butter. Set aside.

Slice or chop up your grape tomatoes as you see fit.

When your potato is done, microwave your mug of butter, lemon juice, garlic and tarragon for 30 seconds or until butter is melted.

Cut your potato into quarters and fluff it a bit. Pour half the butter mixture over it. Then dump your tomatoes on top of it and then your cheese. Pour the rest of the butter mixture over it. Microwave this for 20-30 seconds.

Ta-da! Microwaved amazingness.

I ate this with a glass of cheap Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which I feel goes fabulously with anything even vaguely Italian.

Soupy Feel Better Pasta

Good for fending off a cold or seasonal stuffiness. Serves 2.

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, sliced

one third of a medium onion, diced (small)

one medium tomato, diced (small)

Half a pound of elbow pasta

4-6 cups of broth (depending on desired soupiness level)

Lots of dried basil, black pepper, and garlic

Splash of lemon juice

Some grated Pecorino Romano cheese (if you're feeling sassy)

I prefer to make my broth with Knorr's vegetarian vegetable bullion, but any broth that suits you is fine. Put your broth into a medium pot and bring to a boil. While it is heating, chop up your garlic and onion. Throw half of that into the pot with the broth. The rest is going to go in at the end, raw, which is both great for you and delicious. But if you totally can't deal with raw onions and garlic, I guess you better put it all in now.

Also, splash in your splash of lemon juice and shake your spices in. A few generous shakes of both black pepper and garlic and a shake or two of dried basil -- that's the ticket. If you have fresh basil, yum, lucky you. You may want to slice or tear it up to release the flavor and you can put it in now or wait until the end.

When the broth is boiling, put in your pasta and cook it the same length of time you'd usually cook pasta. Test an elbow now and then to see when it's ready; you don't want to overcook them.

Don't drain, just serve! Garnish with your diced tomatoes and, if you're feeling sassy, some pecorino romano cheese.

Beany Shroomy Love Soup

This is another "you should write this down" soup that my roommate likes. It's sort of vaguely asian tasting.

Ingredients:

-one can of black beans (16 oz)

-one can of water

-two bullion cubes (I like knorr's vegetarian vegetable)

-two scallions

-some olive oil

-a dash or two of cooking sherry

-four or five garlic cloves

-half a tsp to 1 tsp of smashed up sichuan pepper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper)

-a few spoonfuls of lemon juice

-6 fresh mushrooms, sliced.

-some cayenne pepper (to taste)

-optional: cubed mild cheese or firm tofu

Chop your garlic and scallions finely. Put them and some olive oil in a pot and on medium-low and let them get bubbling. Add your smashed up sichuan pepper and some cayenne pepper, if you're feeling it, now. Let this simmer a little bit, but stir it so your spices don't get stuck.

When you've bubbled a little bit, open your can of beans and dump that in (no need to drain it; this is soup we're making here). Add a can of water, and your two bullion cubes, and a few spoonfuls of lemon juice (this is a taste thing; go conservative and you can always add more later) and some sherry. Then add your mushrooms. If you're adding tofu you should add it here, but if you're adding cheese wait so it doesn't turn into a blob of doom. Then cover and let bubble for a while.

Ready! If you're adding cheese, scatter it and stir well so it doesn't turn into a blob. That's it!

Tomato Cheddar Soup

Serves 3-6 depending on portion size. This is easy, fresh and delicious. If you have never had tomato soup made with fresh tomatoes, MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW.

Ingredients:

5 medium ripe tomatoes (I like roma tomatoes or fresh-on-the-vine)

half a head of garlic

6 leaves fresh basil

6 oz cheddar cheese

3 cups vegetable broth (I'm a big fan of Knorr's vegetarian vegetable)

olive oil

Salt, pepper, a little cayenne pepper if you're feeling it

Large splash of lemon juice

The best recipes are simple.

Get your broth going first. Heat in a small saucepan until bullion is dissolved or, if it's ready made broth, just until it's hot.

Slice your garlic up finely. Put it, and some olive oil, and your 6 basil leaves, ripped up, into a small saucepan on medium. Cover with a spatterguard OR with a cover that's not on all the way so steam can get out. When some of the garlic is golden brown, you're good to go. Add it to your broth.

Your tomatoes should be cut into medium-small chunks. Dump the tomato chunks into your blender and add maybe a cup of the broth--this just makes the blending easier.

Blend until liquefied. Add this to the rest of your broth in a pot. Add spices, lemon juice. At this point, by the way, you have an awesome base for ANY kind of soup if you like tomato-based soups.

Add your cheese, diced up into small pieces or grated. Cook on medium, stirring frequently and keeping loosely covered (some air should be able to escape so it doesn't boil over). Cook until the cheese is melted throughout the soup.

Ready to serve! Mmmmmmmmm.

Another Awesome Black Bean Recipe

Serves 2, or perhaps 4 if it's an appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans (15.5 oz)

1 avocado (the smaller ones that look like reptile eggs, not the big bright ones)

4-5 cloves of garlic

Small bunch fresh cilantro (leaves from 2-4 stalks is good)*

Half a cup of cranberry wine**

Big handful of Queso Blanco, cubed***

Olive Oil

Black Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Paprika

*Cilantro has a lot of personality so if you don't like it, leave it out or go for parsley instead.

**I just happened to see and buy cranberry wine last week, for the first time ever. You can substitute cranberry juice, but it needs to be the real deal--all cranberry juice, no added sugar or corn syrup.

***Or feel free to substitute with a cheese you like better. Firm and mild is good.

Chop up your garlic finely, and put it in some oil in a medium sized pot, over a medium sized flame. You want to let it bubble and brown but not get too burnt. You may want to put a spatterguard or cover it partially to avoid spitting oil.

When your garlic is brown, add your can of beans (don't drain) and your cranberry wine or juice. Add your cayenne pepper, paprika, pepper. I just used a few shakes of each. Turn on high for now to get it nice and hot, but once it starts really bubbling you will want to reduce the heat until it just simmers.

While it is simmering, slice up your avocado into small manageable slices, and chop up your cilantro very finely. The best way to do this is with a big sharp knife and a lot of small chops. (AND CAUTION, PEOPLE! Kitchen safety please.)

Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so, them remove from heat, add your cilantro and your cheese, and stir immediately so that the cheese does not glob together into a cheeseball of doom. Avocados go on top. Ready to eat!

Fried Portabello Caps

Things you will need!

Portabello mushroom caps (however many you & your food-eaters desire)

1/2 a small glass of red wine

olive oil

garlic, rosemary, cayenne pepper, black pepper

Wash your portabello caps!

Drizzle a little olive oil into a frying pan. Put your mushroom caps in the pan, top up. Shake your spices upon them. (You know by now I'm into being liberal with spices. Careful with the cayenne, it'll get hot fast since you're frying.) Drizzle a little more olive oil on top of them and pour half your wine over them. Medium-low heat, cover them. After a little while, turn them over and pour the rest of your wine inside them. When they seem done (smaller, darker, softer), spatula them out.

You can just eat these as a main thing, like a steak, with some salad and potatoes or something. Or, toss them with some pasta and garlic and oil. Or, throw them into your lunchtime salad. Or do all of these things.

Also, this recipe can be easily modified as an awesome vegan barbecue option. Season them exactly the same way, wrap in aluminum foil (shiny side OUT; aluminum's not the best for you and it's safer that way), throw on the grill and turn over now and again.

notyouraverageveggiesoup

So yesterday I was really hungry and I was all "I will make a soup that is both tasty and good for me!" and then I did and it was cool.  And I let my roommate know there was soup and then 20 minutes later there was a general facebook announcement that I was being locked in the basement so that I could make that soup for her every day.

I would like to point out: (1) that we live in an apartment and don't have a basement and (2) that if we did, it probably wouldn't have a kitchen in it.  However, (3) thanks, Lisa.  In honor of her general plan of imprisoning me, I have let her title the soup, and she has: "notyouraverageveggiesoup".  (She possibly didn't mean for me to keep it all one word and lowercase like in her text, but HA HA HA I have anyway.)

Ingredients!!

half a head of garlic, chopped
5 oz mozzarella, diced 
Small amount of onion (maybe a quarter of a small-medium one), diced finely 
1-2 small spicey peppers, chopped finely 
2 nice sized mint leaves 
small bunch lime basil 
lemon juice 
6 medium white mushrooms, sliced 
1 crown broccoli, chopped into small florets 
2 cubes Knorr vegetarian vegetable bullion 
4 cups water 
spices: cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, ginger, thyme. 
olive oil 

Start off your garlic and chopped peppers (I used thai peppers from a friend's garden) simmering in a little olive oil.  You don't need a ton.  While this is going on, rip up your mint leaves and lime basil to release the flavor and add those in.  Then add your spices according to your taste, and finally add a few tablespoons of lemon juice.  I don't have a hard and fast rule about how much of what to add.  Go to your taste.  I tend to be liberal with my spices.  Also, know that a key thing is getting your lemon juice and your cumin into a good balance, and feel free to add additional spices and lemon juice as you're cooking.

Once you feel your garlic is nicely simmered, add 4 cups of water and 2 cubes of Knorr vegetable bullion (or just 4 cups of whatever type of bullion or soup base you choose).  Also toss in your mushrooms and your broccoli.  Cover it.  Leave it on medium and let it get bubbly.  Check it and stir it now and then.

Now is a good time to dice up your cheese and butter your bread, if you desire to have bread with your soup.  I enjoyed this particular soup with onion rye.  Pretty much, it's the best bread ever, after San Francisco sourdough.

Once you feel your soup is nicely cooked (your mushrooms and broccoli should be smaller and cookeder, your bullion should be dissolved, etc) it is ready to serve.  Your diced onions and cheese go as a garnish (that's right, the onions are raw on purpose, which is why we're not using so many of them) sprinkled into each individual bowl.  (Stir carefully when you add your cheese, so you can avoid it turning into a huge CheeseLump.)  

Soup is served!