summer kofta.

 

Kofta is one of my favorite dishes. I've made this dish countless times before, but this time around, I wanted to change things up a bit. I decided to experiment with adding some sun-dried tomatoes and feta to the mix and adjusted the seasoning a little bit. 

This turned out wonderful! Nice and tangy from the tomatoes and feta and gave a different spin on the kofta. Served with a nice tzatziki, some creamy hummus, tomoato salad, fluffy couscous, and some soft naan, this made for a delightful meal!

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Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Kofta
(adapted from Lady and Pups and The Moveable Feasts)

For the Meatballs:

1 lbs ground lamb

1 lbs ground beef

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 oz. soft-dried sun-dried tomatoes

Handful of Italian parsley

1 medium red onion, quartered

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp everything seasoning 

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle

1/4 to 1/2 cup pine nuts

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped italian parsley

In a food processor, combine and coarsely chop garlic, nuts, tomatoes, parsley, and onion. Transfer to a large bowl then add egg, cornstarch, oil and spices. Stir to combine. Crumble in lamb and beef, until just mixed. Add the feta cheese then mix again,, careful not to overwork the meat. Adjust seasoning as needed by cooking a small sample then form into 1 to 1.5 inch sized balls. Set aside.

In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown them nicely all over. Remove ball from pan. Add the pine nuts, caraway seeds, and fennel seeds to the pan. Toast until golden brown, being careful not to let them burn.

Add the minced garlic, dried mint, and parsley. Cook for about 30 seconds, return balls to the pan, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Cook for another 30 seconds, tossing the balls gently to coat.

Serve with hot naan, tzatziki, hummus, cucumber-tomato salad, shredded lettuce, and caraway-flavored rice or couscous.

Makes about 6 to 8 servings.

time for snacking.

I'm a hardcore snacker. I'll admit it. Nibbling between meals is something that I'm guilty of doing every time I'm doing something for a long time. Man, oh man . . . especially if I'm caught up watching a series or a movie! Back when I was younger, I'd gobble up candy, ice cream, and other junk food that I could get my hands on. Ah, junk food.

Nowadays, I try to get my snacking under control. If I do snack, I try to opt for a veggie-fruit smoothie or a fruit and cheese plate. Sometimes a granola bar or a fruit and veggie pop. Sometimes just a couple glasses of juice. Oh, I also looooove me some hummus! I'll oftentimes swap between pita chips or carrot sticks whenever I make a batch. If I felt like treating myself, I'd warm up some pita bread and just snack away a piece or two browsing the internet.

The problem with hummus, tho, is that sometimes I get bored of making it. Don't get me wrong, I'd pick hummus over a french onion dip anytime . . . but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for it. I like variety on my palate and that's when I try making different stuff to satisfy my fickle tongue.

Enter this baba ganoush recipe. I had saved this on my pinterest board but never really got around to trying it. Probably because I don't buy eggplant all that often . . . turns out, the hubby has an aversion to it. Blarg. I grew up eating eggplant. From breakfast, to condiments and sides, and just about every filipino dish I've ever come across. I love eggplant. So, if ever I can, I try to occasionally sneak eggplant into our dinner rotation.

But back to this dip.

Since I had some eggplant lying around from a couple of days ago, I thought I'd finally try my hand at making this dip. I like that it's largely hands-off and relatively easy to do. I was missing some ingredients in the dip, but I found that I liked how it turned out. I was stoked! I deviated slightly from the recipe by seasoning the eggplant with salt and garlic during the roasting process. I think that made this ten times tastier.

So here's a few things I learned along the way: I like my baba ganoush slightly chunky so it got blitzed just before it turned into a puree. Also, I found that I prefer this as a warm dip as apposed to having it cold or at room temperature. All in all, I thought this turned out mighty tasty. Now, I have one more recipe under my belt! Huzzah!

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Baba Ganoush
(adapted from The Mediterranean Dish)

1 large eggplant, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tsp bottled minced garlic
2 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp sumac, additional for garnish
salt and pepper
toasted pine nuts, for garnish
chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

 
Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, lightly coat with olive oil then sprinkle with some salt. Place eggplant flesh-side down then drizzle with olive oil. Cut a few slits into the skin. Open each slit and add garlic, evenly distributing between each opening. Transfer tray to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven then let stand until cool enough to handle.

When cooled, scoop out the flesh and transfer to blender or food processor. Discard skins. Add lime juice, tahini, sumac, and a pinch of pepper. Blitz for a few seconds then adjust seasoning to taste. Blitz again until desired consistency is reached.

Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with olive and topped with pine nuts, parsley, and a generous sprinkle of sumac.

Makes roughly 1 cup.

falling out of line.

Sometimes I suck at using ingredients in season. Like this dish... I should've made this during November when all the squash was in season and reasonably cheap. But did I do that? NOOOOOOOO.... I just went ahead and made it now... when fall is long, long, gone and spring is about to start in a few weeks. *sigh*

Well... can't really help it, really. I live in Guam where it's perpetually always summer. And since I get tired of doing potatoes and frozen vegetables, I decided that some squash was in order. I haven't had acorn squash in a long time so this was a nice little dish to put together. I halved the recipe since it was just the hubby having dinner. Relatively easy with some surprising elements! Case in point: boiling the lemon for a couple of minutes took the bitterness away!

After the boiling, the lemon slices were edible afterwards (pith and all) and were pleasantly sweet. The taste reminded me of sweet lemons I bought at a farmer's market right before I left San Diego. Must remember to do that for future recipes that call for lemon slices in the dish.

For the pilaf, I decided to take a shortcut of sorts and used a boxed mix in order to replicate this pilaf. I basically added some veggies to it and called it a day. Ah, laziness! Anyhoo, here's what I did...

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Chicken Thighs with Roasted Acorn Squash and Canadian Maple Syrup
(from Fresh Canteen)

5 pcs chicken thighs
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 green onions, green and white parts thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
butter
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 (1 to 1.5lbs) acorn squash

Preheat oven to 425F

Prepare Chicken:
Bring a small pot of water to boil & add the lemon slices, boil for 1 1/2 minutes & remove slices. Cut each slice in half. In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, chopped sage, garlic, coriander, 1 tsp salt & a good grind of pepper. Add the chicken, lemon slices & toss to distribute the mixture, set aside

Prepare the sauce & squash:
In a small sauce pan melt over medium heat 2 1/2 Tbsp butter, maple syrup, chili powder & a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, set aside. Place the squash stem side down or cut the bottom point of the squash so it will sit flat. Using a sharp chefs knife, cut the squash in half & remove the seeds. Slice the squash in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices (if you want to peel the squash, use a vegetable peeler after the squash has been cut in slices). Place the squash in a bowl & toss with the maple sauce.

Cook the chicken:
Spread the squash on a medium to large rimmed sheet pan or an oven proof pan large enough to hold the squash & chicken without crowding. Place the chicken on top of the squash. Roast for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark sprinkle the green onions over the chicken & squash. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.

Plate your dish:
Serve family style or plate individually with some rice, making sure to share all the delicious pan juices from the chicken. Garnish with some extra lemon slices.

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Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Kale
(adapted from Cook's Hideout)

I tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrot, chopped match-stick size
1 cup kale, stem removed and chopped small
1 (4.3oz) box Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
handful of pine nuts

In a medium saucepan over low heat, cook pine nuts for about 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted. Be careful not to burn. Once toasted, remove from heat and set aside.

Return pan to stove top and increase to medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and saute onions and garlic until fragrant. Add kale and carrots, cooking for 5 to 7 minutes or until just wilted. Stir in the rice and seasoning packet from the Rice-A-Roni box. Cook for 1 minute then add the water. Bring to a boil then cover, reducing heat to low.

Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff the rice and stir in dried cranberries and pine nuts. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups of pilaf.

rockin' the boat.

spaghetti squash is pretty awesome. it's definitely not something that i ate growing up. But ever since i tried it a couple of month ago, i've really started to like it. i had it microwaved the first time and it was okay. But this time around, i got off my lazy butt and roasted it in the oven. it turned out ten times better, got caramelized around the edges, and was fantastically awesome! bye bye, microwaved squash and hello oven-roasted goodness!!

Sausage, Kale, and Spaghetti Squash Boats
(from Paleo Grubs)

1 medium spaghetti squash or 2 small spaghetti squash
1 1/2 lbs. Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp pine nuts, roasted
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to soften. Using a sharp knife cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the halves, with the cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until you can poke the squash easily with a fork. Let cool until you can handle it safely.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the kale by removing the center stems and either tearing or cutting up the leaves. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken sausage and break apart with a spatula to crumble. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Add the kale and stir. Cook for a few minutes more to wilt the kale. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Once cooled, scrape the insides of the spaghetti squash with a fork to shred the squash into strands. Transfer the strands into the skillet with the sausage and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture among the squash shells, and then top with pine nuts and parsley to serve.