Ingredient cooking challenge, Final week: fresh basil and/or pumpkin
We are going to do an ingredient cooking challenge, starting after the blog recipe cooking challenge is completed. This will be a great opportunity to try some new ingredients, new dishes with ingredients, and just to have fun with cooking, and talking about food. There are 13 weeks/13 ingredients, and the last week will be a surprise challenging ingredient. Try to make dishes that have the ingredient as the star, or one of the main ingredients. Get recipes from books, blogs, wherever! Come back, and talk about them.
Feel free to discuss where you've found your ingredients. Some things might be harder to find in certain areas.
1. okra (Jan.25-31) (look in fresh produce, frozen)
2. quinoa (Feb. 1-7) (look with grains, bulk bins, "health" food)
3. kale (Feb. 8-14) (look in fresh produce)
4. plantains (Feb. 15-21) (look in fresh produce, ethnic markets)
5. avocado (Feb. 22-28) (look in fresh produce)
6. edamame (Mar. 1-7) (look in frozen)
7. jackfruit (Mar. 8-14) (look in ethnic aisles, markets)
8. barley (Mar. 15-21) (look in grains, bulk bins)
9. wild mushrooms (Mar. 22-28) (look in fresh produce, spices (or wherever dried mushrooms can be found)
10. collard greens (Mar. 29-Apr. 4) (look in fresh produce)
11. tarragon (Apr. 5-11) (look in fresh produce, spice aisle, bulk bins)
12. nuts and seeds (Apr 12-18)
13. basil and/or pumpkin (Apr. 19-26)
I'm not sure if I've had jackfruit, but I know I've had hearts of palm (BBQ). I don't think I've had jackfruit.... I'm not sure if I can find it here, but I if I do...I think I'll go for those carnitas!
The jackfruit has no taste, so you can really spice it up!!
Canned jackfruit have a wonderful mild flavor and I imagine ripe fresh ones would as well. Sort of like the flavor of lychees. I've never cooked with them though. I'll have to try it. They have a great firm texture.
now i want pure luck.
Okay, I'm gonna try The Urban Housewife Jackfruit tacos...inspired by Pure Luck in LA! Have any of you been there? So good! They also do a this taco with whipped cream on it. It works, trust me!
I've been there, and had the jackfruit carnitas. Tasty stuff. I can't find unripe jackfruit though... only the ripe, canned, super-sweetened stuff.
vivapura.com Has the best dried jackfruit. They also have white mullberry, barberrys, inca berries, vanilla, powder, lumaca, maca, and green hemp butter! I spent $180 on the webstite.
canned jackfruit comes either floating in brine or syrup - i used the brine soaked stuff.. im pretty sure the syrupy stuff would be gross in the bbq or carnitas stuff.. but some ppl like really sweet bbq sauce so ?
For Jackfruit you need to find the Young Green Jackfruit in water. This is unripened fruit and is not sweet. That way you can use it in savory recipes.
Honestly, I have only ever used it in bbq sauces. And that does turn out delicious but I wonder about maybe making it into something after simmering it sauce. Im thinking a verde sauce. Hmmmmm
Barley! Can definitely get that. I need to get some, and figure out what to make.
I love barley and thus was looking forward to Barley week in the Ingredient cooking challenge.
Some barley trivia before I knock out a recipe review. Barley, cultivated for 8,000 years, is the world's oldest grain, according to the Arrowhead Mills bag of Organic Barley Flour.
I used this barley flour to make the Energy Cookies in Dreena Burton's "Vive le Vegan!" cookbook. Recipe calls for no sugar. No refined or wheat flours. No Earth Balance. Three Tablespoons of canola oil in the entire recipe.
But it's loaded with so much natural flavor and sweetness. This "cookie" is packed with seeds, raisins, flax meal, sweetened with maple syrup, raisins and carob(or chocolate chips) with hints of cinnamon. I only used pumpkin seeds(I didn't have hemp seed nuts or sunflower seeds also listed in the recipe) and carob chips, and it was still a delicious trail mix-like cookie. This recipe could easily be adapted to incorporate your favorite dried fruits, nuts and flavors.
Recipe yielded 12 little power cookies, roughly 2 tablespoons each, and just enough to fit on my toaster oven tray.
Since I take the train to work, and gave up desserts for Lent, I've been trying several healthy cookies, muffins or breakfast bars to pack with me and satisfy my sweet tooth.
Recipe is posted on this link.
http://veganpeace.com/recipe_pages/recipes/EnergyCookies.htm
I'm thinking that by the end of the challenge I will make a meal that includes every ingredient.
I'm thinking that by the end of the challenge I will make a meal that includes every ingredient.
Ooooh. We should all try that. ;)b
all I can think of for barley is soup. I need to get creative!
I'm thinking that by the end of the challenge I will make a meal that includes every ingredient.
Ooooh. We should all try that. ;)b
What might this be? I'm very curious...
Just for my poor memory the list is:
1. okra (Done) (look in fresh produce, frozen)
2. quinoa (Done) (look with grains, bulk bins, "health" food)
3. kale (Done) (look in fresh produce)
4. plantains (Done) (look in fresh produce, ethnic markets)
5. avocado (Done) (look in fresh produce)
6. edamame (Done) (look in frozen)
7. jackfruit (Done) (look in ethnic aisles, markets)
8. barley (Mar. 15-21) (look in grains, bulk bins)
9. wild mushrooms (Mar. 22-28) (look in fresh produce, spices (or wherever dried mushrooms can be found))
10. collard greens (Mar. 29-Apr. 4) (look in fresh produce)
11. tarragon (Apr. 5-11) (look in fresh produce, spice aisle, bulk bins)
12. nuts and seeds (Apr 12-18) (look in bulk bins, fresh produce, nut aisle)
13. SECRET CHALLENGE INGREDIENT (Apr. 19-26) (!!! wouldn't you like to know?)
So I was first thinking of an appetizer with the plantains fried, smashed, refried and then topped with jackfruit that has been simmered in a verde sauce and mashed with avocado. The main course would be a pilaf made of Quinoa and Barley with almonds, collards, mushrooms, kale and tarragon. Then just a side dish of edamame & okra and the secret ingredient for a veggie.
Well, I got some barley in. I've never purchased barley on my own, and I think I've only had it in stews that my mom made. So, I didn't make barley croquettes, or anything challenging, but I did purchase a new grain! I got organic pearl barley, and made a soup (loosely based on a ffv recipe) with split peas, lentils, barley, spinach, etc.
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs395.snc3/24017_10150144929915533_507120532_11719513_8358625_n.jpg
Next time I'm at TJ's, I'm going to get their bag of mixed dried mushrooms and make this --> Dried Mushroom Seasoning
mushrooms are really good for making gravey with.. if i find any this week ill make some.
Its hard getting wild mushrooms here.. not the time of year to go hunting for them sadly.
I think we all got a little busy/occupied, but I'm going to try to get on track with tarragon! I will also announce the secret ingredient, as soon as I remember what I decided.
I freakin' love tarragon. It's KILLER on asparagus and I also really dig the woody, licoricy flavor with mushrooms or in springtime soups!
I made a white bean and fresh tarragon spread (loosely based on a recipe in Supermarket Vegan). It was tasty! I still have some more tarragon to use.
http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs459.snc3/26237_10150157245740533_507120532_12060799_5234116_n.jpg
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