Food

Quick Artichoke Aioli

Monica La Porta, , , Leave a comment

Artichoke Ajolli signed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight, it was one of those nights when it’s late—it was curriculum night—and you don’t have time to prepare anything that doesn’t come out of the microwave, but you still want to eat something good and possibly light in calories.

What I had in the pantry:

1 Can of artichokes

2 Tablespoon of Trader Joe mayonnaise (I must insist on the brand because it’s the one that comes closer in taste to the Italian mayonnaise)

1 clove of garlic

Habanero salt

1 Turkey patty burger

How I made the artichoke aioli sauce:

I already said it was one of those nights… I threw the artichokes, mayonnaise, garlic, and habanero salt into the blender and blend them I did. That’s it. I even cooked the Turkey patty in the microwave. I drowned the burger in a liberal amount of sauce and greatly enjoyed every bite of it. It was delicious and I have leftover sauce to spice up sandwiches and tramezzini.

Quick Artichoke Aioli

Mapo Tofu: The Tofu Dish With a Million Different Spellings

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Mapo TofuMapo tofu has been a staple in our family dinners for a long time. Both my husband and I love it. In the past year, I had to renounce this savory dish because I discovered I’m intolerant to soy. Now, our local Costco has finally decided to sell tofu and my husband’s eyes went all dewy at the memory of the mapo tofu I used to make. I couldn’t refuse him.

What I had in the pantry:

1Pound Firm Organic Tofu

Half pound Jimmy Dean

Mapo tofu spices*

Hot pepper flakes

French Green Beans (just because we must eat something green)

How I made the mapo tofu:

I cooked the ground pork in a non-stick pan and then added the tofu cut in small cubes, the mapo tofu spices, and the pepper flakes. Let it sauté for fifteen minutes at very low heat. Meanwhile, I cooked the French green beans in a steamer, once soft (we don’t like it raw), I served them with a sprinkle of reduced sodium soy sauce to accompany the mapo tofu. Dinner was served in record time after our daily dog walk. Still as good as I remembered. I’ll know tomorrow if it was a good idea to eat it.

* Mapo tofu spices can be found in every Asian supermarket. In case you don’t have any nearby, try adding one or two tablespoon of cornstarch, pepper, and soy sauce to the tofu. Not the same thing, but at least the color looks right.

Mapo Tofu: The Tofu Dish With a Million Different Spellings

Summer Vegetarian Ragout (and a small rant about garlic)

Monica La Porta, , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Ragout Vegetariano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s the end of summer, but Redmond is still warm enough and dry enough to ask for light cooking.

What I had in the pantry:

6 Small zucchini

2 Cups of cherry tomatoes

A handful of basil leaves (I have a big hand—just for reference)

A clove of garlic

Extra virgin olive oil (I won’t even try to measure this—I’m Italian)

habanero salt

Pasta*

How I made the vegetarian ragout:

I cut the clove of garlic in small pieces, very small pieces. Despite popular belief, Italians hate the very concept of a chunk of garlic swimming in plain sight in their food. We either euthanize the said smelly bulb of the lily family by chopping it to oblivion, or we removed it from the pan once it has aromatized the cooking oil. For this recipe, I golden-browned the pieces of garlic in several tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil—as I previously said in another post, don’t judge . I shredded the zucchini with a grater, huge waste of time doing it by hand—if you have a machine with the shredder blade, use it—and I added them to the garlic. Salted the vegetables with habanero salt and let it cook. Meanwhile, I cut the cherry tomatoes in two/three parts and I chopped the basil leaves. Once the zucchini were thoroughly cooked, I turned off the heat and added the tomatoes and basil. I cooked the pasta al dente, one or two minutes less than whatever the instructions on the box say, and immediately dressed the pasta with the sauce. I’m not ashamed to say at least another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, of the hot spiced variety, was poured over the vegetable ragout before I served the pasta on the table. Everybody loved it, even the carnivores.

*Gluten-free pasta can be used

Summer Vegetarian Ragout (and a small rant about garlic)

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Tortillas Lasagna

Monica La Porta, , 4 Comments

Godi La vita Un Morso Alla Volta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When my son comes back home from school, he’s usually hungry. His comfort food of choice is penne al sugo. Yesterday, I prepared tomato sauce with bacon and black olives for him and then used it to spice up my corn tortillas as well. It was yummy.

What I had in the pantry:

2 Cans of tomato sauce (plain and simple just made with tomatoes, no other unnecessary spices added)

1 Can of black olives

4 Slices of bacon (I use the one without preservatives)

Extra virgin olive oil

Yellow corn tortillas

How I made the fake lasagna:

I cooked the tomato sauce in a pot with several (don’t judge me) tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the four slices of bacon cut in small pieces, the olives hashed in the blender. I let the sauce cook for a while (probably 40/45 minutes) at the slowest temperature. I prepared the corn tortillas by wetting them with water and then cooking them on a previously heated non-stick pan. Once the tortillas are golden, I assembled the fake lasagna by layering them with the sauce. For my portion I used 3 tortillas. I let the dish sit for a while to allow the ingredients to blend. It was delicious. The picture says it all.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Tortillas Lasagna

Gluten-Free Seafood Pancake

Monica La Porta, , Leave a comment

Seafood Pancake inked and signed Love Korean cuisine, it’s comfort food for me. Yesterday, finally succumbing to the urge to cook Korean, I made seafood pancakes for dinner. I used a Korean mix I bought at H Mart and the pancakes turned out delicious. Today, wishing I had some leftovers I decided to try and make them in a gluten-free version. Belly full, here is something savory after all the sweet goodies I posted earlier.

What I had in the pantry

Half cup of Masa Harina (the one used to make tamales and gorditas)

One quarter cup of rice flour

One quarter cup of cornstarch

1Egg

Half a cup of small shrimps

Half a cup of calamari cut in small pieces

4 Green onions plus one for the sauce

Mazola oil for cooking

White vinegar

Wheat-free, reduced sodium Tamari sauce

Sesame seeds

Chiu Chow Chili oil (I was made aware that this chili oil contains wheat flour as one of the ingredients used to make the soy sauce, therefore to have a gluten-free spicy sauce a substitute should be used instead–plain chili flakes work fine)

How I made the seafood pancakes

I washed and cut the green onions in long, thin pieces and prepared a thick batter combining the flours, a beaten egg, and some water. I added the green onion, the small shrimps and the calamari to the batter. I poured the savory mix on an previously oiled and heated pan. Let cook the pancake until golden-brown on both sides. Meanwhile, I prepared the accompanying sauce mixing several tablespoons of the Tamari with one full tablespoon of vinegar, then I added the sesame seeds and the green onions cut in small pieces, and then diluted with some room temperature water. At the very end I spiced up the sauce with a few drops of the chili oil (Again, if you need the recipe to be gluten-free substitute the chili oil with plain chili flakes.) I served the pancake—turned out to be one big portion—on a plate and sprinkled the sauce on top. Obviously not the same flavor and consistency of the Korean seafood pancakes I eat at my friends’ house, but good enough to satisfy the craving without the bloating associated with the grain flour. Next time, I’ll play around with the flours, maybe using more cornstarch and rice flour than masa harina. Let you know if they’re any better. Enjoy.

 

The Sauce inked

Gluten-Free Seafood Pancake

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Banana Bread Muffins with Lemon Zest

Monica La Porta, , , Leave a comment

Banana Bread Muffin con ScrittaI’m proud to announce another culinary success in the gluten-free, dairy-free muffins department. Today, I used the basic recipe for the banana bread my friend gave me (again, thanks S.) and I substituted some of the ingredients. Final result, mouthwatering and heavenly smelling.

What I had in the pantry:

2 Ripe bananas

2 Eggs

3/4 Cup Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

2 Cups Gluten Free Pantry Old Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix

1 Lemon

How I made the Banana Bread Muffins

I preheated my old, battered oven at 350F. I mixed all the ingredients together with the Kitchenaid until the bananas were completely dissolved. Grated the lemon zest and added the peel to the mix, which it had a thick consistency. Then I poured it in the previously oiled muffin cups and put them in the oven. 25 minutes later the muffins were done. Truth to be told, they could have cooked a few minutes less, but my oven is not reliable. They passed the biting test though and the picture above shows one of the actual muffins. Enjoy.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Banana Bread Muffins with Lemon Zest

Gluten-Free Good Morning Pancake

Monica La Porta, , , , Leave a comment

Colazione Gluten FreeNothing truly groundbreaking today, but I had a good breakfast and here’s my not-so special-recipe to start the day gluten-free and dairy-free. If you’re in a hurry, but you still want to munch on something healthy this pancake recipe could be what you’re looking for.

What I had in the pantry:

Gluten Free Pantry, Old Fashioned Cake&Cookie Mix

Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Trader Joes’ Maple Syrup

How I made the pancake:

I mixed a quarter cup of gluten-free cake flour  with enough water and a drop or two of coconut oil to create a thick batter. I oiled a pan with a minimum amount of coconut oil, probably a quarter teaspoon, and turned on the stove on the lowest setting. Then, I poured the pancake batter in the warm pan and let cook each side until golden. Meanwhile , I prepared my first espresso of the day and warmed half cup of almond milk for 20 seconds in the microwave (almond milk tends to overheat easily.) Poured some maple syrup on my pancake and slowly enjoyed my cup of fake cappuccino. Again, nothing earth-shattering, but made me feel better about my breakfast. Photo manipulating the picture with the usual Paint.NET was an added bonus. Buona giornata!

Gluten-Free Good Morning Pancake

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Monica La Porta, , , , , 2 Comments

EnjoyToday, I feel like giving back to the world. I’ve been struggling to be good and avoid eating gluten and dairy, but sometimes it proves to be hard. But I do try and the following recipe is the proof I successfully concocted something worth serving to guests. The original recipe was for a banana bread and was given to me by a good friend—thanks, S. I made several substitutions and I had two bananas instead of three, but the final result actually surprised me.

The ingredients I had in the pantry:

  1. 2 Ripe Bananas
  2. 2 Cups of Gluten Free Pantry Decadent Chocolate Cake Mix
  3. 2 Eggs
  4. 3/4 Cup of Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

This is how I did it:

I threw everything into the Kitchenaid bowl and let the machine work its magic until  the bananas were completely dissolved and all the ingredients were well mixed. Meanwhile, I turned on my oven at 350F and oiled the muffin tray with a few drops of the coconut oil. I filled the muffin cups up to two third and put them into the oven for 30 minutes. Notice that my oven doesn’t cook well, but after the thirty minutes mark I poked one muffin with a wooden skewer and it was moist but not dry. I let them cool inside the open oven and then tried one and it smelled and tasted better than I thought. Reason why I thought to share the joy. As an aside, the image a the top of this post is actually a picture I took with my cell phone of one of the muffins. I used Paint.NET to give the picture a little makeup.

Chocolate Banana Muffins