Mint Tea

          Mint tea is a great drink to have chilled on a hot summer day; I say chilled because I generally don't believe in iced drinks since it dilutes the flavor; I only put ice in the photo for aesthetic reasons, not because the drink needed it. I usually make a large batch in advance so that throughout the week, I have fresh tea to sip on. If you're looking to make this as an accompaniment to a meal, I think this would go great with a spicy summer barbecue. It's extremely refreshing and a nice change from typical iced teas, although, if you don't like mint flavor to start with, I wouldn't suggest you make this. The drink also is good steaming hot when you have a cold.

                   Ingredients:                                Equipment Needed: 

                   -14 Mint Tea Bags                          -Pot or Water Boiler

                   -10 Cups Water                             -Large Bowl

                   -Sugar (optional)*                           -Spoon

                   -Fresh Mint (optional garnish)          -Pitcher

                   -Lemon Zest (optional garnish)         -Zester (optional)

*1/2 cup of sugar will be mildly sweet and a heaping 3/4 cup will be about the same sweetness as store-bought teas.

Preparation/Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Serves: 5 Full Glasses

Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          When you go to buy the tea there are several things to decide. One is what kind of mint you want. My personal preference is for peppermint tea, which has a smooth and soothing flavor and is caffeine free; there also is Moroccan Mint Tea which isn't as minty as peppermint because it is mixed with green tea, which also means it's lightly caffeinated. As far as brand goes I prefer Stash or Tazo because I personally think they have the highest quality teas, whereas other brands have a weaker brew; side-note, I've also checked some of Twining's teas and found that they added artificial flavors in, which as you can figure from my blog title, I despise. 

          If after you make the tea you find it too strong for your liking, you can dilute it with some water; I think in this situation it is easier to dilute a strong tea than to make a weak tea stronger. Also, the amount of sugar I add in makes it somewhat sweet, so if you prefer unsweetened tea, leave it out or measure to your preference. Last, if you don't plan to let the tea chill in the fridge and you plan to serve it right away with ice, you will either need to add more teabags to the brew to compensate for the ice diluting the flavor, or you will need to use less hot water to brew the tea in. I'd either add 6 teabags or take out 3 cups of water. As you can see, having to account for ice makes it more complicated, so you really should just try to make this ahead of time and refrigerate the tea.

In-a-nutshell Recipe:

1. Boil water.

2. Put boiling water in mixing bowl and drop teabags in.

3. Let steep for 10 minutes.

4. Strain teabags out.

5. Mix in sugar and let cool.

6. Place in pitcher and chill or serve with ice.

7. Garnish with mint and lemon zest before serving.

Detailed Directions:

1. Boil 10 cups of water in either a pot or one of those speedy water boilers.

 

2. Pour the boiling water into the mixing bowl and drop all the teabags in, try to make sure they don't just float on top but really steep in the water.

  

3. Leave the teabags in their to steep for 10-15 minutes.

4. Strain out teabags; make sure to press the water out of them.

5. Mix in the sugar while the tea is still warm so that it will melt easily; if you generally dislike sweet drinks, you can skip this step or add sugar to your own preference. After this step let the tea cool for a bit.

6. At this point either serve the tea with ice, or pour it into a pitcher and chill overnight. Being in college I don't have a pitcher on hand, so I used this cool tupperware.

7. Before serving, for extra flourish, you can add a sprig of fresh mint and some lemon zest as garnish.

Hummus

          Hummus is a great dish to make when you want to have a tasty dip for chips. Its wonderful for so many reasons; its healthy and packed with protein (take note bodybuilders), it's tasty, and a unique thing to serve to guests. Last it is super cheap and easy to make. So seriously, why buy hummus when you can make it cheaper and tastier for almost no work? Aside from a chip dip, you can also use it as a spread on crackers, bread or in sandwiches. Also, this recipe can be changed constantly to give new variations each time; chives, basil and oregano all could replace cilantro in the recipe to give it a new twist, so have fun with it and be creative, It also keeps for a long time, so you can make a large batch to use for a week.

                      Ingredients:                       Equipment Needed: 
                     -2 Cans Chickpeas                -Knife + Cutting Board
                     -2 Tb Tahini                        -Blender or Food Processor
                     -3 Tb Olive Oil                     -Mixing Bowl
                     -1 Lemon                              
                     -1 tsp Salt (or to taste)
                     -1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
                     -1 tsp each of Cumin & Coriander or (2 tsp Curry Powder)
                     -Black Pepper
                     -1/3 Red Pepper
                     -1/4 Onion
                     -Small Handful of Cilantro
                
Preparation/Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Serves: 2 Bowls of Hummus
Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          The recipe is pretty straight forward and easily adapted. Tahini can usually be found in the health section of a supermarket or in the International food section under the Arabian foods; Tahini is strong, so be careful not to add to much or else the flavor will overwhelm the hummus. Also be careful salting, it is always easier to add salt over taking it out. If you want, you can use a lime instead of a lemon; also, you probably could substitute basil, chives, oregano or other fresh herbs in place of cilantro. I spice it to add some extra flavor to the hummus but if you want a lighter flavor leave them out. Last I add bell peppers for their crisp sweetness and onions for their flavor and crunch; the reason to use white onions is because they can be eaten raw, if you use another kind of onion I'd quickly pan fry them before adding them to the hummus.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Put chickpeas in blender.
2. Squeeze in Lemon Juice.
3. Add in Oil and Tahini.
4. Add salt, pepper and spices.
5. Blend.
6. Chop red pepper, onion and cilantro.
7. Mix Veggies into Hummus.
8. Garnish.

Detailed Directions:

1. Put both cans of chickpeas in blender, strain out the water from one, but for the other, put the entire can including the water in the blender.

2. Squeeze a whole lemon into the blender.

3. Add in the olive oil and the tahini.

4. Add in the cayenne, black pepper, salt and other spices.

5. Blend the mixture until it is smooth and taste test it, adjust if needed.

6. Dice the red bell peppers and onions into small pieces that can be easily picked up with chips and chop cilantro. A good technique for cutting bell peppers is to cut the top off first and then dice the rest. Doing this allows for cleaner cuts and makes it easy to pull out the pepper seeds.

7. Pour the hummus into a mixing bowl and mix in the vegetables.

8. Place the hummus into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and any other creative things you can think of. I tossed on a few black sesame seeds.

Christmas Break

          So for this break I've been staying at a family friend's home. It's given me a chance to do some skiing and reading + research that is unrelated to school. I've been camped out next to the fire with their cat "Bunter" as my research companion, although he's pretty useless aside from looking cute.

          My reading has been composed of some recipe books, a book on investing, and a nutrition book called the China Study. The China Study is more interesting than the title suggests, and is worth reading. It cross-compares American society with ones in East Asia to show how diet has a stronger correlation to diseases like cancer than genetics do.

          On a totally new note, I have been doing research trying to find Sichuan and Anhui recipes, so if you know how to cook either cuisine, send me a message, I'd love to hear from you. Anyway, while I was  questing around for good authentic recipes, I came across a Thai recipe I have been searching for, for about 3 years, one for Neua Nam Tok, a BBQ pork salad. It's taken forever because I ate this in China, and forgot the Chinese name, and I never knew the Thai name to start with. So keep an eye out and I'll eventually adapt a recipe to post.

          Also, I'm hoping to try out this Ugly Chocolate Cake recipe I found at 101 Cookbooks.

Thanks for checking in!

Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

          This soup is a knockout dish, it will totally blow away you, and anyone you cook it for. There's not much of a frame-of-reference for the flavor palate here. That's probably why I love it so much, because the flavors are so unique, it almost seems like the ingredients are magical. The recipe I have here is a bit of an alteration of the authentic recipe, I adjusted it for a more western palate; I add roasted shiitake mushrooms, for their stronger flavor, rather than the traditional straw mushrooms. And instead of chicken I used shrimp.

                         Ingredients:                            Equipment Needed: 
                         -Canned Coconut Milk               -Knife + Cutting Board
                         -Chicken Stock or Bouillon         -2 Soup Pots
                         -Fish Sauce                              -Baking Sheet
                         -Galangal                                -Strainer/Colander
                         -Kaffir Lime Leaves                   -Spatula
                         -Lemongrass                            -Can Opener
                         -Cilantro                                 -Ladle
                         -Lime Juice
                         -Shiitake Mushrooms
                         -Fresh Shrimp
                         -Chilies
                         -Sugar

Preparation/Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Serves: About 5
Difficulty Rank: High-propensity to Cause Stress

           The Kaffir Lime Leaves and the Galangal are hard to come by. If you're in a city I'd stop by the closest Chinatown or Asian market to pick up some of these ingredients. If you can't find them there then you can always order them off of Amazon.com; this is what I did. Some people say that galangal can be substituted with ginger; I strongly disagree, galangal has a much earthier and aromatic flavor than ginger. The same goes for the lime leaves, while many people say to use lime zest as a substitute, this can't really match the strong bouquet of the leaves. These ingredients are definitely WORTH seeking out. Now for the fish sauce, I know it smells, but it will make the soup taste better. Also, you can use chicken chunks instead of shrimp, lobster chunks might also be good. Feel free to change the measurements on the ingredients to adjust it to your own taste.

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

-Boil 2 separate pots of water, one for the shrimp and the other with 4 cups of water* for the soup.
          *You can use chicken stock if you have it instead of water.

Galangal, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves

Knife + Cutting Board                      Baking Sheet
Part 1                                           -Coat sliced mushrooms in oil then, bake
-Slice mushrooms.                           for 20 minutes. If you don't know how to do
-Slice galangal.                               this, see HERE for similar roasting technique.
-Cut lemongrass into 2 inch pieces,          
then crush with the flat end of knife.*             Shrimp Pot
          *This helps release the flavor.                              Boil shrimp for about:
-Mince Cilantro Root                                    -8 minutes for Jumbo Shrimp
                                                               -6 minutes for Large Shrimp

Crushing Lemongrass

         -4 minutes for Medium Shrimp


Knife + Cutting Board
Part 2
-Chop cooked shrimp into chunks or leave them hole if you prefer them that way.


-Coarsely chop cilantro for garnish.*

*This goes in after the soup is done, this prevents it from cooking and losing its fresh taste and bright color.

Soup Pot      
-Put galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, cilantro root, and sugar in and boil for 5 minutes.*
          *Add bouillon if you aren't using chicken stock.     
-Put coconut milk, fish sauce, chilies in soup and boil for another 5 minutes.
-Now add in shrimp, mushrooms, lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro and your done.

P.S. Let me know if this sectional recipe setup is effective or if you don't like it.

Roasted Portobella Mushrooms

          Growing up I used to hate mushrooms with a passion. I mean honestly, it's a fungus! Isn't that the sort of thing that you go to the doctor for? What I eventually realized was that it was the texture that bothered me. In this recipe I'm borrowing an idea from Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in China, I'm trying to texture mushrooms to be more like meat. I bake them a bit longer than most people do so that the texture, instead of being watery and gelatinous, is more chewy and meaty.

          This mushroom recipe isn't a dish in itself, I just make a large batch so that I can keep the roasted mushrooms in a tupperware to use throughout the week. These mushrooms make a great addition to basically anything. I add them to quesadillas, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, soup, salad... now it's your turn to think of something! Because these mushrooms are roasted by themselves before being added to anything, the flavor is much more intense and meaty than it would be if you added them raw and tried to have them cook with the dish.

                        Ingredients:                            Equipment Needed: 
                        -6 Portobella Mushrooms           -Knife + Cutting Board
                        -1/2 cup Oil as needed              -Large Mixing Bowl
                        -Pepper                                   -2 Baking Sheets
                        -1/8 tsp Salt/tray                      -Spatula

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour
Difficulty Rank: Easy Peasy

          When you are buying these mushrooms, there are several things to avoid to make sure you pick good ones. Don't pick broken ones that are beaten up or that have a bruised underside. Don't pick ones that are damp or are a bit slimy on the cap. If you can find ones that still have an intact bottom like the one to the right of the photo below, that would be great! I'd recommend canola oil because it can take the high oven temp without smoking and the flavor isn't strong so the mushroom really comes through.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.
2. Break off stems and rinse mushroom caps (don't wash underside).
3. Slice mushrooms to 1/2 inch thick slices.
4. Coat in oil.
5. Place on baking tray and season.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Take out and turn mushrooms over with spatula.
8. Bake for another 20-35 minutes.
9. Take them out when they are done.

Detailed Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius.

2. Break off stems and rinse the caps, but don't wash the underside.*

          *Washing the underside will cause the mushroom to absorb water which isn't what you want.

3. Slice the mushroom caps into 1/2 inch thick slices.

4. Get a mixing bowl and put 1/2 cup of oil in it. Then drop 3-5 mushroom slices at a time in the bowl and use your hands to lightly toss them in the oil until they have a light coating on them; then put the coated mushrooms onto a baking tray. I only coat several slices at a time so that I don't break them; also, once you've lightly coated the mushrooms with oil, don't let them sit in the oil because they will keep on soaking up more oil and they will be greasy when they are done baking. You will have to add another 1/2 cup of oil as the bowl runs dry. See video demonsration below.

5. After all the mushrooms are trayed, season them with pepper and sprinkle on 1/8 tsp of salt per tray. 

6. Bake for 25 minutes.

7. Take out tray and flip mushroom slices over.*
          *This prevents burning one side.

8. Put in the oven for a remaining 20 to 35 minutes. Check periodically to gage progress. When they look like the left-side photo below, take them out.

9. Eat a piece to see if the texture is right. They should be slightly chewy and meaty, if they are too watery, bake them for a few minutes longer. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will have a dry, leathery texture and basically be mushroom chips.

Correct Texture

Overcooked Leathery Texture

-I hope you like these!

Enjoy! Johnny L

Roasted Caprese Tomatoes

          This is a variation of Caprese Salad and it is great for an impressive appetizer. Roasting tomatoes makes them tangy and more acidic tasting and also softens them a lot. I have been working with these ingredients a lot lately and after making raw versions of this salad, I wanted to make a cooked version that looked fancy. This technique worked well since the finished dish has good geometric shapes and results in distinct pieces.

                         Ingredients:                          Equipment Needed: 

                         -2 Tomatoes                           -Knife + Cutting Board

                         -Fresh Mozzarella                   -Baking Sheet

                         -Fresh Basil                            -Spatula

                         -Balsamic Vinegar

                         -Olive Oil

                         -Salt

                         -Pepper

Preparation/Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Serves: 2
Proportion: 3 thin Mozzarella slices for every whole tomato.
Difficulty Rank: Takes a Little Work

          Okay, the thing is, while there aren't a lot of ingredients, they are not really substitutable; because there are so few ingredients, they all need to be decent quality because there aren't enough flavors to cover up for a bad ingredient. So for instance, if you use shredded mozzarella or some other kind of cheese, it won't taste anywhere near as good; fresh mozzarella has a slightly fluffy texture and it is very creamy. You will have to find a brand you like, I have had some mozzarella's that tasted too fresh; I personally like BelGioioso. Also, dried basil won't cut it, because using fresh basil adds a bright element to the dish. I'd recommend buying an actual basil plant rather than the prepackaged basil leaves. The plant doesn't cost that much more and the plant leaves are more aromatic and less vegetative than the packaged leaves. Lastly you will have to use balsamic vinegar since it has more flavor depth than other kinds of vinegar. For salt I use sea salt because it has a crunchy texture and delicate flavor and for pepper I use the kind that comes in a grinder.

In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

2. Cut tomatoes in half.
3. Place 3 deep cuts into the tomato.
4. Tray and season tomatoes.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
6. Slice 3 thin slices of mozzarella/whole tomato and them cut cheese up.
7. Mix cheese cubes with seasoning.
8. Garnish finished tomatoes.

Detailed Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius.

2. Cut the tomato in half.

3. Place 3 deep cuts* in the tomato as seen below. DON'T cut too close to the edges or the tomato will break in the oven.

          *The reason for the cuts is to help the vinegar soak into the tomato and distribute the flavor 
             better. 

4. Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle: salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar on.

5. Put in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

6. While you wait, slice 3 thin slices of fresh mozzarella for every 1 tomato you used.

          *When slicing press lightly so that you don't smush the cheese. A serrated knife would work best
             since it would act as a saw which means you wouldn't need to press hard.

  6. Cutting the Cheese       7. Seasoned Cube Mix

          Next slice of the ends off the circle of cheese as seen above, leaving a rectangle in the middle. Then take the ends and dice them up. Then take the middle and cut it in half like in the photo above. I left a slice of cheese in each step so that you can see the process.

7. Take the cubed mozzarella and mix it with some coarsely chopped basil, a light coating of balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.

8. When then tomatoes are done, scoop them off carefully with a spatula. Then put the cubed cheese mix on top of the tomato halves, then lay 2 of the cheese strips on top of that and garnish with a basil leaf and your'e done!

Chai Spiced Coffee

          This is great for drinking when your cold. If you want a strong Chai flavor you can use 2 teabags, I just use 1 so that it is a subtle flavor Also I'm sure other spices such as nutmeg, cardamom or cloves would make a great garnish. Something else you could try is lightly spicing the cream with any of the spices I just mentioned to give the cream a distinctive flavor. So anyway, if you want to impress your coffee-addict friends give this a shot.

                         Ingredients:                        Equipment Needed: 
                         -Coffee                               -Mixing Bowl
                         -1 Chai tea bag                    -Whisk
                         -Heavy Cream                      -Coffee Pot
                         -Powdered Sugar
                         -Cinnamon
                         -Regular Sugar

Preparation Time: 6-10 Minutes
Serves: 1


          The ingredients for this are pretty flexible. As far as flavors go you can add in spice to the cream layer or some kind of flavoring like vanilla or coconut. This is pretty open ended and you should just pick a flavor for the cream that you will enjoy.


In-a-nutshell Directions:
1. Brew coffee with tea bag in pot.
2. Make cream mixture and flavor it.
3. Pour coffee in glass and pour cream on top.
4. Garnish drink.

Detailed Directions:

1. Brew coffee and put a Chai tea bag into the pot*.
           *This is how you infuse flavor into the coffee, you could infuse any variety of flavors into the 
             coffee.

2. Make cream mixture.* Then add in any desired flavoring, I stirred in a little cardamom into the cream, but coconut flavoring or cinnamon would work too.
          *See troubleshooting and cream directions HERE, under the Layered Drinks section.

 

3. Pour coffee into glass and cream and sugar as normal, then slowly pour cream mixture on top.

4. Garnish with cinnamon or other spice of preference. Then drink happily*.
          *This involves being content and smiling lots.