Sweet and Sour Sauce

One of the best ways to fill up on veggies (and use up the veggies that may be going bad) is to make a stir fry. I've made several different versions of a soy sauce based stir fry, but they all end up tasting relatively similar. Sometimes I need a bit of a change. I decided to attempt another asian inspired sauce... sweet and sour. Call me crazy, but I kind of love the fake, preservative laden, bright orange pre-made sauce. But all those chemicals can't be good for me so I made my own. I was surprised how well this turned out. I didn't measure anything, so these are just approximations.

Recipe:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup pineapple chunks, chopped
2 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha
1/2 tsp ginger
2 T cornstarch
2 T water

Combine everything except cornstarch and 2 T water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil (stand back because the vinegar smells very strong as it cooks). While it is boiling, combine cornstarch and water in a small cup. Add to boiling liquid and stir constantly. Bring to a boil again. Remove from heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Irish Soda Bread

It seems like around this time of year everyone starts talking about making Irish-inspired dishes like colcannon or bangers and mash, both of which sound disgusting to me. St. Patricks day really does not mean much to me other than another excuse to drink cheap beer (and of course fun times on spring break Sophomore year) but anyway... back to cooking... Irish soda bread is another type of no-knead bread that comes together very quickly. The trick is getting it to be the right consistency so that it doesn't get too dry. This one actually turned out really well.

Recipe:
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T sugar
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c butter, melted

Combine flour, salt, soda, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a hole in the flour mixture. In a separate bowl combine melted butter and buttermilk. Pour buttermilk mixture into the hole in the flour. Slowly mix together until just combined. Knead three or four times and then form into a circle. Make an X in the dough and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Veggie Pot Pie

Total comfort food. Mostly guilt free, too. Its hard to feel bad about
what you are eating when it is full of vegetables. I didn't use any
cream or milk to thicken it, I just let the flour do the work. The
great thing about this is that you can use anyvegetable you have on hand, including your scraps and your frozen veggies, and it still works great.

recipe:

1 carrot, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 leek, white parts only, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5-6 mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup frozen green beans
1/3 cup frozen corn
2 T olive oil
1 veggie bouillon cube
1.5 cups water
pepper
thyme
paprika
1.5 T flour

________

7 T. flour
3 T. butter (or a mix of butter and oil)
2 T. water
________

Heat
oil over medium heat, add onions, celery, garlic, carrots and leeks and
saute until soft. Add mushrooms and let them cook down a bit. Add
frozen veggies and let them cook through. Add flour. Cook 1 minute and
stir quite a bit to make sure it doesn't burn or clump. Add water and
bouillon cube, whisk like hell. Let things come up to a boil and keep
stirring a lot. It will thicken after boiling and then cooling. Turn
heat down and season with whatever combo of herbs you like.

While that is cooking combine crust ingredients in a bowl and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Pour veggies into a casserole dish. Roll out crust and place over the veggie mixture, brush with egg wash (1 egg, 1 T water). Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the crust is nice and brown.

White Bean Dip

I had seen the idea of making a dip out of white beans quite a few times and had resisted making it until I saw a gorgeous picture on foodgawker.com where it was paired with things I knew I would love. I'm glad I made my own version of this. It was incredible. It was very similar to hummus but smoother, creamier, and a bit more subtle.

recipe:
1 can great northern beans, mostly drained but keep some liquid
1 T olive oil
1-2 T water, depending on how thick you want it
1/4-1/2 tsp rosemary, crushed
salt
pepper

Combine combine beans and oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add water until you reach the consistency you like, then add your seasonings and continue to blend until everything is mixed throughout.

*This was amazing on crostini with bitter greens and balsamic vinegar. It was beautiful and had a great flavor profile.