Za'atar Spice Blend

Super King has giant one-pound bags of za'atar, a popular Levantine spice mix.  They contain a small bit of oil, meaning they will go rancid in 6-10 months after you open them.  I can't use a pound of any seasoning in that amount of time.  Also, all the commercial blends I found had thyme as the main ingredient instead of hyssop.  I'm not that fond of thyme.  It has its place.  Greek oregano is a common substitute for hyssop (Syrian oregano), and I have an abundance of that.  Can't seem to kill it.  Bunches are  hanging over my sink drying as decoration.

I happened to have all the ingredients for the blend on Urban Farm and Kitchen.  It claims this is a traditional Levantine version.  Having never tried it in a restaurant that I know of, I'm taking his word.  Sumac is not something everyone keeps around.  I recommend experimenting with it.  A decent substitute is ground dried orange zest, using half the amount.  Marjoram can also be difficult to find, and I wish it wasn't.  He suggests the herb savory as an alternative, which is also hard to find.  Basil or thyme could work.  I know, I just said don't put thyme in it.  Some days, you just have to make do.

As for uses, there are numerous applications.  I first tried the traditional dip a pita in oil, then the spice, and eat.  Later, I tossed vegetables in it for roasting.  It can go well on meats or fish, and be stirred into yogurt to make a dip.  I want to try it in a yeast bread or biscuit.  Think of anything you would use an herb blend for, and see if this is something that would be a good swap.

As for the taste, well, the oregano and sumac together taste a lot like thyme.  So, I get it.  It is very flavorful, and not overly salty.  An excellent homemade substitute for something like Mrs. Dash.

*2 Tb dried oregano
2 Tb dried marjoram
2 Tb ground sumac
2 Tb toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin or red pepper flakes (optional)

1.  If you have raw sesame seeds, toast them first.  Place in a dry pan over low heat.  Stir and shake frequently until a light brown.  Don't walk away.  The sequence is not done, not done, burnt.  If you can smell them toasting, get them off the heat fast.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Combine all seasonings in a bowl.  I did not use the optional "spicy" seasonings, keeping it more on the herby side.  Transfer to a container with a good lid and use within 6-ish months.  The natural oil in the sesame is where the expiration date is.

Makes about 1/2 C

Difficulty rating  π

Pork with Apple BBQ Sauce

I am still trying to use up the runny apple jelly I canned almost a year ago.  I'm using it instead of honey in some recipes and applesauce in others.  It's a glaze when I can manage it.  And today, it's the base of a sauce with pulled pork.

I opened a can of pork for this one, but I'm giving directions for cooking it.  If you have any leftover shredded pork in the freezer, that works too.

I went back and forth with whether to call this BBQ or teriyaki sauce.  The molasses is where it teeters.  So I added a bit of ketchup, and now it's BBQ.

When I was at the Indian grocery store to buy tea, right below it was a jar of ginger-garlic paste, which I did not know I needed in my life.  Next curry, it's happening.  For this sauce, I'm only using a teaspoon of it for a hint of warming spice.  As a substitute, use grated ginger and garlic for the same amount, which is what I have been doing for years.

I threw a lot of ingredients into this one.  Feel free to omit or sub anything that doesn't sound quite right.

1 lb pork shoulder
1 Tb olive oil
*2 green onions, finely chopped
*1/2 C apple jelly or unsweetened applesauce
1 Tb soy sauce
*1 Tb molasses
1 Tb apple cider vinegar
1 Tb ketchup
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
*1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Cut pork into 1" pieces.  Add to a saucepan with 2 C water or a slow cooker with 1 C.  Simmer on low for 2-3 hours, until fork-tender.  For slow cooker, check after 4 hours on high.

2.  Heat oil in a saucepan.  Add chopped onion and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes.  Add remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a low boil.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  If you would like a thicker sauce, stir 1 Tb cornstarch into 2 Tb water, then pour the slurry into the sauce.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes to thicken.

3.  Drain pork and pull into shreds if desired.  Add to sauce and serve.  Can go with rice, noodles, potatoes, pretty much anything.  The photo is buckwheat.

Difficulty rating  π

Winter Garden Prep

I waited until September to start seeds indoors for the cool weather garden.  It felt like summer would never end.  And then it got hot again the first week of October.  As in, the hottest it has ever been in this area.  I don't remember it ever being over 100º for three days in a row.  I'm hoping the starts can hold out until actual Fall kicks in.

Next up was the pots and beds.  I ripped out as much of the boysenberry as I could find and weeded the bed.  I've never done that, and it was way past due.  I've thinned it before, and taken out some of the dead parts, but it really needed a complete clean out, including possibly half of the root nodes.  I do not for one minute believe I killed the bed.  Three weeks later, I already counted eight clusters putting out leaves.  I give it until March to look like I never touched it.  I'm going to lay down at least four inches of fresh soil and grow a few short-term items like radishes and peas as winter cover crops.  The new bramble growth will be healthier and give more berries.

After basically giving the Pond a year off to let the calendula heal the soil, I'm ripping out everything except the celery that has surprisingly not gone to seed yet.  I thought it would be more emotional to remove the two year old kale, but they had been eaten to nubs by cabbage worms.  I won't have fresh kale for a few months.  I can deal.  After raking up the soil and sifting out yet more rocks, I plan to add another layer of dirt.  The compaction is real.  I'm going to fill it with greens this winter.  Lettuces, a new round of kale, chard, and broccoli.  Ideally, there will be more celery and some parsley, if they ever sprout.

The first round of turnips in the lettuce patch died during the heat wave.  I'll give it another shot, since they were doing well up to that point.  There will probably be extra starts I can add to it.  I'm really going all out in hopes of another big rain year.  I'd love to be able to share the bounty.

The way gardeners in cooler zones look forward to the last frost, I'm going to be so happy when it's reliably cool enough to grow my winter crops.  It takes less water because of rain, and most of what I grow in the winter is what you would often prefer to buy Organic in the markets.  Now, if the weather would just cooperate...

Chickpea Curry with Carrots and Cabbage

I really needed to use up the last of the carrots in the garden so I could have the pot back for winter planting.  Add to that the last jar of chickpeas I canned in February, and I decided curry was in order.

The pictures here are not going to match the recipe exactly.  The cabbage I bought was way too big.  I ended up with six servings and froze the other two.  One already came in handy when I couldn't bear to cook on the hottest day of the heat wave.  Because that's one of the things I'm trying to make freezer meals for.  It was just as flavorful and aromatic when I heated it back up.

2 Tb olive oil
*1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cracked coriander seeds
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp celery salt, or to taste
*2 Tb tomato paste
*1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut bite-sized as desired
1 lb cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 C water or vegetable broth
*1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can coconut milk
1/4 C fresh cilantro or parsley
*2 tsp lemon juice

1.  To make life easier, measure out the seeds in one container and the dry spices in another.

2.  In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium.  Stir in onion, garlic, and seeds and allow to cook until the onions are softened and seeds begin to pop, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the tomato paste and dry spices.  Cook until fragrant and tomato has caramelized.

4.  Add sliced cabbage and cook until about half wilted, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid charring.  Add in the carrots and water, then cover and allow to cook 5 minutes.

5.  Stir in chickpeas and coconut milk.  Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cover until carrots have softened, about 10 minutes.  This is a good time to make the rice or pasta.

6.  When the carrots are cooked, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.  Cook 5 minutes, then serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Chili with Canned Beef

As everyone struggles to afford meat these days, canned versions are often overlooked.  Nearly every meat is available canned.  A few brands of the beef are especially good and come packed in gravy.  I had a couple of home-canned jars of chuck to use, and decided to make chili with one.

I don't make chili often and used a curry approach rather than look up a recipe.  Blooming the spices in onion and tomato paste brought out a slow-simmered flavor much faster than dumping everything in together.  Since the meat and beans were canned, the whole stew came together in under an hour and tasted like it had taken half a day.

This is a very mild chili.  I actually only used 1 tsp chili powder in mine, and it still set off my allergy as it cooked.  No rash, just a bit of asthma.  I credit that to the cooking method.  If you want spicy, add red chili flakes and/or diced peppers of choice.

2 Tb oil
1/2 red onion, diced
*1/4 C tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
*1 12-14 oz can beef in gravy
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinse
1 to 2 C beef broth
garnishes as desired: cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, cilantro, etc

1.  In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium.  Add onion, tomato paste, and dry seasonings.  Stir together and cook until the onion softens and everything is fragrant, about 5 minutes.  At this point, I added some kale that I'm not putting in the recipe.  I've never heard of putting greens in chili, but didn't feel like making a side dish for the vegetable.

2.  Add the canned beef and diced tomatoes with their juices, but rinse the beans before adding.  Stir everything together.  If dry, add one cup of broth.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

3.  Stir chili, then decide if it needs more broth.  Depends if you want it more sturdy or soup-like.  Serve hot with garnishes of choice.  A side of cornbread is traditional.  You could spoon it over potatoes or pasta as well.

Difficulty rating  π

Lunch at Home

On my days off, lunch is generally cheese toast and an apple.  When I took off two weeks for the High Holy Days, it got way more elaborate.

This post is going to seem silly to anyone who works at home and doesn't think about lunch.  Also silly because I work in a restaurant and can make myself anything I want.  Still, I take yogurt and fruit or oatmeal, plus a container of protein shake mix in my lunchbox.  I make something if I'm still hungry.

I realized there was no reason chicken breast had to be reserved for dinners and made chicken salad.  That ended up lasting a lot longer than I expected because lunch portions are generally smaller.  I toyed for two days with making lunch my main meal, but the extra calories were destroying my energy in the afternoon.  I also wasn't ready for dinner at a time that allowed it to settle before bed.  It's easy to see why countries that follow this custom often have extended lunch hours or an afternoon siesta built into the day and much later dinner hours.  I went back to my protein-heavy breakfast, two snack-sized meals during the day, and dinner routine.

I also bought a bag of grapes.  I can't usually finish one, but I figured two weeks was long enough to get through it before they wilted.  It did take 10 days.  There were some bananas in there too, to avoid a rut.

The wedge of brie was a treat.  It went great with the grapes and some Wheat Thins I had forgotten about.  I balanced out the meal with the last of the tilapia when the chicken salad ran out.

Sometimes I had peanut butter on toast, with some of the grapes.  There was one PB&J.  I did learn that I don't eat as much as I thought I did.  The last shop before going back to work was less than three dollars of vegetables plus a bag of red lentils because they were a very good price.  For a whole week.  I had everything else.

I'm going back to my cheese toast and apple two days a week, because I do like it.  There could be a sardine day in there somewhere, or a single can of tuna salad.  This was a nice reminder that a fancy lunch doesn't have to mean going out.  Any meal can be special.

Whole Baked Tilapia with Herbs

For my Simanim dinner, I decided to do a whole fish, rather than a separate fish and fish head course.  It was just me.  Super King did have whole salmon heads, but I was not about to pay that much per pound for it.  I bought the two-pack of tilapia instead, then came home to Google what to do with it.

Cooking a whole tilapia is remarkably simple.  Season, roast, done.  Ok, there's a little more to it, but not much.

I did figure out why I buy fillets and not whole fish.  Not a fan of picking out the bones.  The texture and taste were fantastic.  Just...so...many...bones.

2 whole tilapia, cleaned and scaled
salt and pepper
*1 leek
*1 lemon thinly sliced
*2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
a combination of fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, oregano, rosemary, and mint, 4-6 sprigs
olive oil

1.  Line a 9x13 casserole with foil or parchment for easier cleanup.  Preheat oven to 400º.

2.  Prepare leek by cutting off root and cutting dark leaves from the white and light stem.  Wash leaves and use them to line the casserole.  Split the leek stem and rinse well between the layers to remove any grit.  Thinly slice.

3.  Wash fish, check for stray scales, and pat dry.  Cut two slashes through the skin on both sides.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, then lay in casserole.

4.  Stuff insides of both fish with garlic, lemon, and leek slices.  Lay fresh herbs and any stuffing that didn't fit on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, about 2-3 tablespoons.

5.  Bake until inside is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 30 minutes.  For serving, I found it easiest to use a spatula to pull off the top filet, then remove the spine by pulling up on the tail to get the bottom one.  A lot of bones will be left in the flesh.

6.  Serve hot, with sauces as desired on the side.

Difficulty rating  :)

Breakfast Meal Preps

Breakfast is easily my favorite meal of the day.  The only downside is spending an hour making an elaborate one before the sun comes up.  Meal prepping it takes that away.

I'm trying not to have any processed meats in the house.  Fish packed in water doesn't count.  There was one pack of sausage left from before I made that decision.  Meal prep started with cooking it.  I made two breakfast burritos with the last two tortillas in the fridge and wrapped the other one for the next day.  The downside of prepped burritos is going through plastic wrap.  That left over half of the sausage, so I made it into biscuits and gravy, which used up the rest of the biscuits in the freezer.  Win-win.

I've been wanting steel-cut oats for a while, so I did them overnight in the Crockpot.  The leftovers went into the silicone cupcake molds.  Once solidified, those became steel-cut oat portions for the freezer.  I can pop one or two into the fridge the night before and resuscitate them in the morning without having to spend an hour making steel-cut oats.

Pancakes and waffles always end up as freezer meals because one egg makes about 6 servings.  Those are easy to bag up and freeze, then pop directly into the microwave or toaster oven.

I'm not into hard boiled eggs, but if I was, those are excellent meal preps.  They keep about four or five days in the fridge, either peeled or in-shell.  They can be cooking while something else is being prepped.  For me, I can make a scrambled egg while the carb portion is reheating.  I also ought to start having something fermented at breakfast.  Once it's cooler, I'm going to run batches of sauerkraut and kimchi.  That is an extensive meal prep.

Eggplant and Chickpea Flour "Frittata"

This is a variation on something Alton Brown posted on his Saturday morning YouTube show.  He made it with zucchini and eggs.  Aside from those swaps, this is pretty much the same recipe.  I've probably also seen something similar on We Cook Vegan at some point.  She makes pancake-style meals often.

This comes off as an inverted socca, and was much tastier than I was expecting.  The crispy eggplant layer balances the softer besan that holds it together.  It can be served with tahini, marinara, pesto, salsa, or yogurt.  Probably other sauces too.  I had it plain in the photo, and was not disappointed.  The balsamic dressing from the salad that ran into it was nice.

I know I've shredded eggplant before.  I thought I did it on the box grater.  This one almost broke my food processor.  I didn't realize they were that dense.  File that one away for next time.

1 C chickpea flour (besan)
1 C water
1/4 tsp rosemary
1 small eggplant
*1 small leek, white and light green parts only
About 3 Tb olive oil
salt to taste 
pepper to taste
1 Tb potato or corn starch

1.  Stir together chickpea flour, water, rosemary, and a pinch of salt.  Allow to sit 2-4 hours at room temperature.  If making the batter in advance, refrigerate.

2.  Cut off the cap of the eggplant.  Peel if desired.  Grate and set in a strainer.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and toss lightly to distribute.  Allow shreds to sit for about 15 minutes.  Rinse out the salt, then press out as much water from the eggplant as you can.  It's going to go from filling the strainer to about 2 cups.

3.  Clean the leek and chop into thin slices, then mince.  Pour enough oil into a 10" skillet with a lid to just cover the bottom.  Heat over medium-high.

4.  Add minced leek and eggplant shreds to the skillet.  Dust with white pepper.  Cook until eggplant is done, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

5.  Sprinkle eggplant with the potato starch and continue to cook until it starts to get crispy, another few minutes.  Arrange eggplant evenly on the bottom of the skillet.

6.  Stir batter and pour evenly over the eggplant.  Once it sets around the edges, reduce heat to medium and cover.

7.  When the top is mostly set, it's time to flip the pancake.  Loosen the edges first, then work inwards until it slides when you shake the pan.  If you're brave, do a pan flip or with two large spatulas.  I did a plate inversion.  First swirl a bit of oil on the plate, in case any spots weren't quite cooked.  However you flip it, give it about 3 more minutes for the bottom to set.  Mine looked burnt, but tasted only well crisped.

8.  Re-invert the frittata onto a serving plate and cut into wedges.  I made six because I was hungry.  You can do six or eight pieces.  Serve hot or room temperature, with or without a sauce.

Serves 8 as an appetizer, 3-4 as a main

Difficulty rating  :-0

Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

I bought a head of Romaine lettuce instead of hearts because it was only 99¢.  It ended up making almost two weeks' worth of salads.  This one used up the rest of the beets I had cooked, as well as some of the feta and olives I had in the fridge.

Nearly every salad can be brought up a notch with a balsamic vinaigrette.  This one was already sweet from the beets, so the walnuts and vinegar cut it back and I didn't add any sugar to the dressing.

One note about adding beets to basically any dish.  The color bleeds.  Add them last, and only right before serving.  If you toss this and let it sit, the lettuce will soak up the juice and turn awkward colors.  Definitely a plated salad.

Apologies for the lack of step-by-step photos.  I was making multiple recipes that day and really thought I had taken more.

*6-8 leaves Romaine lettuce
*1 lb beets (or one 15 oz can sliced beets, drained)
*1/2 C walnuts
*1/2 C kalamata olives
2 Tb balsamic vinegar 
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 C olive oil
Feta or chevre crumbles for garnish, optional

1.  To prepare the beets, scrub well and simmer until fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Cut off stem and tip and peel.  Thinly slice and/or cut into chunks.  Chill until ready to use.

2.  Wash Romaine well and chop into bite-sized pieces.  Dry before using.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, salt, and white pepper.  Add oil and whisk into a dressing.

4.  To build the salad, place the chopped leaves in a serving bowl or on individual plates.  Top with beets, then sprinkle with walnuts and olives.  Give the dressing another quick whisk, then gently pour over the salad evenly.  Garnish with feta if desired.  Serve immediately.

Difficulty rating  :)