Pan con tomate

Originally recipes have you rubbing garlic on the bread, but I just roasted everything and mashed it together. Eric said he liked it better with fresh basil on top. He also said needed more salt.

Ingredients:

-tomatoes

-garlic

-olive oil

-basil

-salt

-sourdough toast

-OPTIONAL: The Mediterranean Dish mentions a splash of lime juice

Directions:

1. Roast tomatoes and garlic in oven - I think I did 350 degrees

2. Put in blender/bear chopper w/ olive oil

3. Spread on toast

4. add basil, salt

Date Balls

Because I had leftover Medjool dates from the Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe, tried making these. 
Got recipe from unicornsinthekitchen.com

Ingredients (recipe halved):

-6 Medjool dates

-1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal, or quick oats

-1/4 cup walnuts

-1/4 cup nut butter (peanut)

To roll the balls (didn't do because of time)

-ground pistachios

-desiccated coconut

-sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Discard Medjool date seeds if not already pitted

2. I ground the oatmeal first in food processor before the other ingredients. Then added rest of ingredients. Mix until looks dry.  

3. Add 1-2 TBSP hot water and mix again as needed

4. Rub olive oil on hands and scoop out mixture and roll into balls

5. Roll balls into other stuff above (optional)

May try rolling into other things next time. Pretty good.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Took recipe from tastesbetterfromscratch.com

Lately, Eric and I have been inspired by things we ate from abroad. He has been making really good sikil pak that we ate in Mexico. Decided to give this one a go. We ate it at a nice British restaurant called Upstairs at the Grill in in Chester.  Weirdly enough, it was American-themed.

Ingredients:

-8 oz pitted medjool dates (225 g) - used a little more because it gets stuck in the blender

-1 cup boiling water (240 ml)

-1/3 cup butter, room temperature (75 g)

-2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (145 g)

-2 tsp vanilla extract (10 ml)

-2 large eggs, room temperature

-2 TBSP molasses (30 ml)

-1 + 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (200 g)

-1.5 tsp baking powder (6 g)

-1 tsp baking soda (5 g)

-1/4 tsp salt (1.5 g) - accidentally bought salted butter, so omitted

Toffee sauce:

-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (120 ml)

-1/2 cup butter (115 g)

-3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (160 g)

-1 pinch salt (omitted due to the salted butter)

-2 tsp vanilla extract (10 ml)

-chopped walnuts (also used pecans)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees

2. Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin or ramekins

3. Pour boiling water on top of dates. Set aside 5 min. (was a lot longer)

4. Prepare batter: cream butter + brown sugar. Then add one egg at a time, beating after each addition. Then add molasses and vanilla and mix.

5. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir into batter (used fine strainer)

6. Pulse date mixture in a food processor, then stir in baking soda. Pour date mixture into batter and gently fold to combine (don't over-mix)

7. Pour batter in pan. Bake for 18-20 min or until toothpick clean. Don't overbake or cake will be dry.

Notes:

Batter was enough for 12 muffins + a ramekin (equivalent to 2 muffins per Eric).

There was too much toffee sauce leftover.  May want to try to halve the recipe next time

I liked it a lot, but Eric was tired of eating it too many days in a row. Again, maybe try to halve the recipe?

Thai Basil Pesto

Our Thai basil plant is pretty big, even though it's the small leaves plant, not the good big leaves plant. Although, a rogue Thai basil plant with the good leaves has been growing in the raised planter box on the porch, which is crazy.  I harvested from both.
Anyways, I took this recipe from combination of 3 different websites, although there are even more with variants with added soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar.

Main thing is that Eric really liked it! Said one of his fave in a long time.

Ingredients:

-4 cups Thai basil - did about 4 cups (not packed), but could have used more

-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - roughly estimated about a half of a wedge?

-1/2 cup roasted peanuts - did an extra 1/8 cup probably

-2 tsp brown sugar 

-1/2 TBSP salt - didn't need because the Parmesan was salty

-4 cloves garlic

-1 inch ginger

-4 "chilis" - I used Serranos from the garden that were a bit mild

-2 TBSP sesame oil

-1 TBSP lime juice (used 1 lime)

-1 TBSP oyster sauce

-1 tsp fish sauce - used less because of Eric

-1/3 cup olive oil - could have used less

Served with:

-Chicken (marinated in garlic powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, splash of fish sauce, lime or rice wine vinegar) 

--Cooked chicken with shallot, garlic, serranos, pequins, chili de arbols

-Veggies: 1 yellow onion, 2 zucchini, 1 green BP, 1 red BP

-Pasta

Directions:

1. Chop veggies - set aside

2. Chop pesto ingredients: garlic, ginger, chilis

3. Roast peanuts: 325 degrees: 8-10 min

4. Pick Thai basil

5. Make pesto in Cuisinart and set aside: Parmesan cheese --> peanuts + brown sugar --> wet ingredients --> olive oil 

6. Cook chicken on stove + veggies in oven

Suya Chicken

Recipe adapted from African Bites

It was good. I think it could be spicier. Next time cook with garlic and serranos in pan before adding chicken like I normally do.

Ate with the Jollof Rice

Ingredients:

-1 TBSP garlic powder

-1 TBSP onion powder

-1 TBSP smoked paprika

-1 TBSP white pepper (added a little less because Eric doesn't like a lot)

-1/2-1 TBSP cayenne

-4 TBSP (64 g) of peanut butter (accidentally did like 80 g or so)

-1 TBSP bouillon (I used 1 cube)

-3 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I used breast)

-1 tsp salt

-oil

Directions:

1. Mix spices together

2. Add peanut butter to chicken and spices to marinate

2. Cook in pan

Jollof Rice

Recipe taken from Chef John with Allrecipes.

Made this yesterday from Eric's suggestion with inspiration from our time in Windsor after we saw the castle and got some street food while it was raining so we ate it in the car.

I served with suya chicken recipe and oven-roasted broccoli.

Ingredients:

TOMATO SAUCE

-1 large ripe tomato, cored and quartered (used 2 romas)

-1 large red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

-1 whole habanero

-1 whole Fresno chili or jalapeno (did jalapeño)

-4 cloves garlic (used whole bulb)

-1 tablespoon minced ginger

-2 cups of water (do a little less since using less rice)

RICE

-olive oil

-1 red onion, diced

-extra hot peppers, i.e. pequins, serranos

-1 tsp salt

-1/4 cup tomato paste (I used majority of tube, but recommend using less esp using less rice)

-2 1/4 cups of basmati rice (I used 2 cups of rice cooker cup)

-1 bay leaf

-1 TBSP chicken bouillon paste (used 1 cube)

SPICES:

-2 TBSP smoked paprika (recommend less maybe 1 TBSP)

-1 tsp curry powder

-1 tsp cumin

-1 tsp dried thyme

-1/2 freshly ground back pepper

-1/4 tsp turmeric

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine tomato, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, jalapeno pepper, garlic, ginger, water in a blender. Blend on high until smooth and set aside.

2. Combine spices - smoked paprika, curry, cumin, thyme, pepper, turmeric and set aside

3. Heat oil in pan on medium heat.  Add onion (+extra peppers - added 6 pequins) and salt and sauté until soften, about 4-5 min.

4. Clear space in middle of pan, add tomato paste, and sauté 2-3 min. 

5. Add spices and continue to cook 1-2 min

6. Turn off heat and stir in rice.  

7. Add bay leaf + chicken bouillon

8. Turn heat to high and stir in tomato sauce. Bring to a vigorous simmer. Cover with tight fitting lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 2 min.  Do not remove lid or stir rice

9. Turn off heat and set timer for 12 minutes.  Allow rice to sit and do not remove lid.

10. Fluff rice with fork and garnish with chopped cilantro

Baked Greek Meatballs and Potatoes with Garlic and Lemon

Taken from the MediterraneanDish.com with modifications.

I liked it more than Eric.

Eric said needed less balsamic and fresh tomatoes. Balsamic wasn't in the recipe, but I had just cooked the extra veggies in it. Maybe bc it was a special aged Balsamic that was sweeter.

I also forgot the grated onion in the meatballs, but I thought they tasted good. Eric thought they were dry. Could do less potato if adding in a 2nd onion.

Ingredients:

-1 slice of sandwich bread, day-old or toasted (I used the sourdough we already had)

-1.5 pounds lean ground beef (I used 1 full 99% turkey + 1/2 93% turkey)

-1 yellow onion, grated (I MISSED THIS INGREDIENT)

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1 large egg

-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and/or mint (DIDN'T USE)

-1 tsp dried oregano

-1 TBSP ground coriander

-1 tsp ground cumin

-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

-salt

-pepper

-4 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small chunks or cubes

-1 red onion,  halved and thinly sliced

-1 batch Ladolemono Sauce

-VEGGIES: 2 bell peppers and 2 zucchini + fresh tomatoes on top

Ladolemono Sauce Ingredients

-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, juice of 2 large lemons

-1 tsp dried oregano

-1 large garlic clove minced

-3/4 tsp kosher salt

-3/4 tsp black pepper

-3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ---> drizzle olive oil while whisking

Directions:

1. Soak bread in water for a few minutes until bread tender and fully soaked/falls apart.  Use hands to wring out excess water, then crumble into a medium mixing bowl

2. MEATBALLS: oregano, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, beef, bread, onion, garlic, egg, parsley

3. Put potato and onion in 9 x 13 baking dish and season with salt and pepper.  

4. Add meatballs and Ladolemono sauce

5. Bake 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes with foil covering. Then cooked uncovered another 10 minutes. I removed the meatballs after this and let cook another 15 minutes because potatoes still hard

6. Bake veggies at same time - I used salt, pepper, garlic, and balsamic, but too much of the latter