Delicious Discoveries

I like cruising the aisles of food stores looking for flavorful ingredients. Sometimes that means having a stocked fridge with too many choices, but oh well, it pays off most of the time when I need to whip something different for dinner.

Here are some recent finds that I love.

Wildwood Garlic Aioli
(I bought this at the local Whole Foods Market)
Aioli is a vegan mayo substitute. It packs as much (if not more flavor) than mayo but it's also filled with good-for-you unsaturated fats unlike it's eggy counterpart. This version of aioli is very mediterranean- it's filled with flavors like zesty lemon and garlic. So far I've used it as a substitute for mayo in sandwiches and also mixed in paprika and chives to make a yummy dip for oven baked yam fries. Yumm!

Pain is Good- Garlic Sauce
(I bought this at the local Whole Foods market)
What drew me to this sauce was the packaging and ofcourse the fact that it had garlic in it! But I'm esctatic to say that my tastebuds are in love with this substantial condiment. It's slightly chunky and very hot. A little drizzle goes a long way on a hotdog, mixed into soup, an omelet etc.

Metropolitan Market's Flatbread
(I bought this at the location in Queen Anne)
I know this is very local but I had to list it here. After years of searching for flatbread that comes close to what I grew up on; my taste buds were sent into dizzying depths of nostalgia when I tore off a bite of these toasted flats. Look out for them if you're in the area- they're sold in bags of 12 and smell like they've been yanked fresh out of a stone oven!

Fran's Caramel Sauce
Another local favorite. I think you do get them in other cities though. If you like caramel sauce and are looking for something from your childhood days at the ice cream parlor- you got to try Fran's. It's rich, buttery and simply delicious drizzled over ... well ... anything! :-)


Earth N Vine's- Red Pepper and Ancho Chili Jam
This savory jam goes well with so many things. It is as versatile as it is unique. The sweet roasted red peppers are kicked up a notch when combined with ancho chilies. Use this as a spread on a simple cracker or mix into some aioli or cream cheese for a tasty dip. Also stir into tomato soup or as a spread for a sandwich.Feeling adventurous? Try it on simple vanilla or chocolate icecream as a topping!

Spicy Macaroni with Arugula and Egg

Macaroni and cheese with butter and tomato sauce- I loved this as a kid. Recreating some of those flavors and making it a healthy dish paid off in a tasty way! :)

Serves 4, Preparation time 30 minutes

2 cups dry macaroni

1/2 large red onion, diced

1 large tomato, diced

2 tsp jalapeno, minced

2 tsp garlic, finely minced

1/2 pepper (green or red), diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Salt

Pepper

2 cups arugula

1 cup basil, chopped

4 tbsp fresh mozarella, diced

Heat some water in a large pot until boiling. Salt and add the macaroni and cook until al dente ~ 7 minutes

Heat a tbsp of oil in a saute pan, add the onions, garlic and jalapeno. Saute for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Cover and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are tender.

Add the peppers and stir. Turn off the heat. Season with salt.

Stir in the hot, drained macaroni.

In a seperate pan, add some oil and scramble the eggs in the pan. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

To assemble. Put a ladle or 2 of the hot macaroni on a plate. Add a tbsp of the diced mozarella on top. Mix in some fresh basil and layer with the egg and arugula. Crack some pepper on top and serve.

Maple Date Sticky Toffee Pudding

(Sorry for the poor quality of this photo- I couldn't wait to dig in!) :)

Just in time for Valentine's day- voila a dessert perfect for sharing! Well, I don't really succumb to the V-Day traditions but there's always room for a sweet-excuse. :)

H loved the Sticky Toffee pudding we had in London. He couldnt get enough of it and went from one M&S to another in search for this traditional English dessert. Back home, we found it hard to find and like so many things that fade with time- the memories of this dish were replaced by other concoctions ...

Until today! Some research and a great many variations later, I stumbled upon what I think is a pretty good match to the flavors of it's British counterpart. I tried reducing the fat and sugar in the recipe and I think this version holds it own.

Serves 8, Preparation time 90 minutes

Maple Toffee sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup reduced fat milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
Toasted walnuts or pecans

Bring all the ingredients except nuts to a boil and reduce to a simmmer. Stiring constantly, simmer for 10 minutes until the mixture is thick. Pour half of the sauce into a baking tin and put the tin into the freezer to set the sauce.

Date Pudding
1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
8 oz dates, chopped
1 cup water

Bring the water and dates to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add 1 tsp of baking powder, mix and keep covered.
Cream the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one and beat for a couple minutes
Add half the flour, baking powder and salt- mix well. Stir in the vanilla
Add half the date mixture, mix, add the remaining flour and mix until just incoorporated.

Pour mixture into baking tin and bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out with moist crumbs only.

Once cool, overturn onto a plate, cut into 8 pieces and serve with toffee sauce, toasted pecans/walnuts and whipped cream (optional). Serve warm or cold.

Chips Ahoy- Banana and Chocolate Chip cookies

I needed to indulge today without bursting at the seams. So I compromised and baked these cookies. With ingredients like wheat germ, whole wheat flour, flax seed oil and pine nuts- it felt like I was eating healthy. No harm done- they were delicious! (I was supposed to send half of them to H's work. Needless to say they never made it in!) :-D

The recipe was a variation on this one.

Preheat over to 375F and arrange racks in the middle of the oven

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp flax seed oil

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups whole wheat white flour
1/2 cup wheat germ, toasted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup banana chips, chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Cream the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy
Beat the eggs in one by one and mix well
Stir in the vanilla
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powders
Mix the wheat germ into the flour mixture
Add half the flours to the egg mixture, stir well
Add the rest of the flour to the mix and stir until just incoorporated
Mix in the nuts, banana and chocolate chips

Using a small cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto parchment or silicone baking sheets onto a cookie tray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just golden. They will come out soft but cool to a nice moist cookie.

Spiced Omelet

My Dad used to make this Omelet for us when we were kids. It is simple and right off the streets of Bombay. Serve with buttered slices of toast and tomato slices

Serves 1, Preparation time 20 minutes

2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt
Pepper
2 tbps onion diced
1/2 tsp hot green chili, finely chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp tomato, diced (optional)

Add all the ingredients to the beaten egg. Mix well. Season with salt.

Heat a fry pan over medium heat and add a little oil ~ 1/2 tbsp
Pour the egg mixture and swirl to coat the pan
Cook on medium low until the bottom is a golden brown
Flip carefully and cook on other side until done
Serve with toast and freshly cracked black pepper

Caramel Chocolate Bites of Heaven/ Torte

I had to up the name on this version of Decadent Bars. They are yummy with a scoop of vanilla icecream or all on their own, cut into bite sized squares warm from the oven. It was a huge hit at a recent soiree we hosted over appetizers and good conversation. I did realise that with recipes like this, cutting corners isnt so easy. However, margarine, half-and-half and reducing the sugar in this recipe didnt seem to eat into the decadence.

Makes about 20 servings. Preparation time about 60 minutes.

Crust
100 g all purpose flour
50 g brown sugar
50 g pecans or hazelnuts
100 g cold butter, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. Press into a springform pan and bake in a 355F oven for 20 minutes or until golden at the edges.

Filling
250g heavy cream (100 g cream + 150 g half-half is okay)
25g butter (10g butter + 15g margarine is okay)
100g brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp hazelnut liqueur or grand marnier
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp orange peel, grated fine
100 g pecans/hazelnuts
100g walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat all the ingredients except the orange peel and nuts in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Add the orange peel and lower the heat. Cook for 10 minutes.
Arrange the nuts over the cooled crust and gently pour the filling over the crust.

Bake in a 355F oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden.

Topping
125g dark chocolate, chopped

When the torte is out of the oven, sprinkle the chocolate and wait a couple minutes until the chocolate melts. Spread it evenly around and let it cool before cutting into it.

Serve as bite size pieces or small slices with whipped cream or ice cream.