Mm, kale. Isn't the green pretty?

Hi everyone! Happy New Year, and also Happy Chinese New Year of the Dragon :)

I can't believe it's already February of the new year. I hope so far the year has been treating you well, and that you will have a wonderful year ahead. Full of happiness, health, and of course, good food!

 Things start heating up!

Thank you so much for reading my blog, your kind comments and encouragement, and staying with me.  This year, I want to make my blog a more constant part of my life. So from here on now, I will resolve to post something once a week. I hear it eventually becomes a habit, so I hope that will happen for me too - wish me luck!

A very pleasant surprise I wanted to mention - Camelia from the French recipe website - Petit Chef - left a nice comment inviting me to share my blog with their community!  I am very happy for the chance to be a part of this group, and excited about the prospect of contributing to and learning from the many talented chefs out there. My blog is posted in their General Directory - you may find it here - and I have been enjoying browsing through fellow members' blogs.  Merci beaucoup, Camelia and Petit Chef!

I hope you can check out their website when you get a chance, there is a plethora of gorgeous and creative recipes to be found!

And now, two recipes I would like to share with you. Both are simple to make, healthy, and nourishing. I made them a few nights ago, when I came home from work too tired to cook, and the thought of going out again into the cold to get take-out made me go 'mehh.' Since the second option is often not very healthy, that became even less appealing. So with encouragement from my boyfriend on the other end of the phone line, I rallied to make a fulfilling and healthful meal. It's very funny because I went from not wanting to cook, to improvising because I had run out of hot red pepper flakes, having fun with my mise en place, and ending up thoroughly happy and thankful that I didn't succumb to take-out. A lesson learned that most times, it pays to just get up (literally this time, from my seat!) and go for it :)

 Just showing some love :)

Taken together, these two can form the backbone of a great meal - just add a simply prepared, fresh vegetable or two (or as many as you like!). I had mine with lightly blanched green beans and sauteed kale. The quinoa salad, refreshing and slightly tart, also makes a nice snack on its own, and the eggs can be piled on top of some toast for a tasty tartine. All right, let's roll up the proverbial sleeves  - and go for it!


Sprightly Quinoa Salad:

To cook quinoa:
-1 cup of uncooked quinoa
-2 cups of water, or broth (I love quinoa's nutty taste, and so usually just use plain spring water, but using a nice broth would really give it a lush flavor)
--Bring quinoa and cooking liquid to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover, and let simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. The nice thing about quinoa is that it doesn't stick to your pot or pan, so you can stir occasionally towards the end just to see whether it's done.  When it's fluffy, and the germ has separated from the grain (you see the little white rings around the grains), turn off the heat, set aside, and let cool.

The additions:
-2 cups of cucumber chunks - I cut two medium sized cukes into quarters lengthwise, then chopped them at quarter-inch intervals. It actually would have ended up being more than 2 cups, so..I just ate the ones that didn't fit into my bowl :)
-almost half a cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes. I love sun-dried tomatoes! I picked up my current supply from the farmer's market. The flavor is intense and deep, and the brilliant red color adds vibrancy to any dish. Nearly half a cup of chopped tomatoes is probably 6 or 7 sun-dried tomatoes.

The dressing:
-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced. I ended up with a little over a tablespoon of chopped garlic, if that helps with measuring. Speaking of garlic, I was entranced by their gorgeous mauve-y pink color. I haven't seen garlic so rosy-hued, and they were crisp and juicy, a good sign of freshness! Thus they featured in a 'glam shot' of sorts, with is co-stars lemon and jalapeno pepper, please see below. Yes, I do love my food and garlic :)
-2-3 tablespoons of fiery Dijon mustard. Maille is great, and Grey Poupon also has a nice zing.
-Several splashes of rice vinegar
-about 1 tbsp of honey
-about 1tbsp of fresh lemon juice
-salt and pepper to taste. I like to use sea salt in my cooking, the flavor is more delicate and as a bonus, the grinder it comes in is fun to use

Bring it all together: Combine your cooled, cooked quinoa, veggies, and dressing ingredients, stir vigorously to mix together, and enjoy! If you like a milder garlic taste, I would suggest adding the garlic to the quinoa while it is still warm so the residual heat can help slightly cook and temper the garlic flavor.

Please admire the garlic, and - just one more recipe!

Chinese-style eggs cooked with tomatoes:

This is a classic and easy to make comfort dish, that gives you protein and veggies together in one. I would have liked to use red pepper flakes, but since I was all out, chopped up a red jalapeno pepper instead, and used half (the other half was used to flavor my sauteed kale, which you can make following my recipe here) to flavor the dish. I also really wanted a deep tomato flavor, so I added sun-dried tomatoes to the recipe, along with fresh tomatoes.

 Eggs with tomatoes, part I

Scrambled eggs:
-extra virgin olive oil, about 1 tbsp
-4 eggs, well-beaten, with a splash of milk, and a bit of salt and pepper all stirred in
For really tender and creamy tasting eggs, allow the pan and oil to heat up until you can feel the heat by holding your hand just above the oil (be careful!). Add in your egg mixture to the pan and do not touch for about 30 seconds or so to let it set. Then you can start gently pushing the eggs from the outer edge in towards the middle, allowing the uncooked egg to slide to the edge of the pan. Do this slowly and try not to do it too many times. It's important not to overcook the eggs, because you'll add them to your tomatoes at the end of the recipe for the final step, so when the eggs are nearly done and still just a tiny bit runny, slide the eggs out of the pan onto a dish (the residual heat will continue working) and set aside while you do the rest of the dish.

The tomatoes:
-extra virgin olive oil, about 1 tbsp
-about half a cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes
-half a jalapeno pepper, chopped
-about 1 tbsp of chopped garlic
-salt and pepper, just a dash of each, more pepper than salt
-about 1 tsp of honey

-4 plum tomatoes, nicely ripe, and cut into bite size chunks

Heat the oil on medium heat, then add in the jalapeno peppers first to allow their flavors to come out. After a couple of minutes, add garlic, dried tomatoes, and salt and pepper, stirring them together and letting the tastes blend.Allow them to cook for a few minutes - watch it and stir to make sure the garlic doesn't burn - turn up the heat, then add the fresh chopped tomatoes. Allow them to heat through and cook until they start to release some of their juices. At this point, slide those eggs back into the pan, stir everything together and let it cook for a few stirs (less than a minute), then turn off the heat. I let mine cook for just a couple more minutes before serving with the quinoa and veggies.

Part II!

Just one more thing to remember is to preserve the integrity of the tomatoes, heating them through just enough so they release some of their juices and fragrance, mixing with the zesty seasonings, and then stirring in your cooked eggs for just long enough to let them all play together. The tomatoes will be slightly yielding with a little bit of bite, and the eggs will be creamy tender chunks.

The sundried tomatoes really do give a deeper tomato flavor and overall rounds out the taste. More traditional seasonings include scallions cooked in the oil first with salt and pepper, and maybe some chopped cilantro or parsley to sprinkle on top when finished. Either way, now you know how to make the base, and you'll have an easy and tasty dish to add to your repertoire!

Happy eating :)