Recipe: Tapenade and Tzatziki

I was very happy with the tapenade and would defiantly make this again. However, the tzatziki was a little to thin. It was still good, but I would have preferred the texture to be a little thicker. Trader Joe's has an awesome tzatziki, so I never felt inspired to make it, but this is cooking club and we all try to do something different. Here are the recipes. For the tzatziki, I think draining some of the water from the yogurt would have helped. I tried to get as much water out of the cucumbers as I could, as the recipe instructed. I may try it again, but probably just keep getting the Trader Joe's version.
Artichoke Tapenade

-1 14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained and rinsed well
-3 tablespoon green olives
-5 tablespoons kalamata olives
-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put all ingredients except lemon juice into food processor. Process, stopping to scrape down sides a couple of times, until everything is finely chopped. Taste and add lemon or lime juice, if needed. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend for at least an hour before serving. (It's even better if you let it rest overnight and bring to room temperature before eating.)

Tzatziki

(Makes about 3 1/2 cups. You can cut the recipe in half)

-3 cups Greek Yogurt
-juice of one lemon (about 3 T)

-1 garlic clove, chopped
-2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
-about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
-1 T finely chopped fresh dill
-Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

May 2009: Dream Destinations

For cooking club this month Cristina selected different countries that she would like to visit and we cooked something from that country. It was a colorful mixture of dishes and we enjoyed a little something inspired by five different countries.

But, before we start with the dishes everyone contributed. Look who joined us at CC. Yes, that's right, Simon made his first CC appearance. He is simply irresistible and such a good baby. And Michele is a natural Mom.

On with the food.

To start Angela selected Greece and made two spreads - A tzatziki and a artichoke tapenade served with pita bread.
Christina made a refreshing Japan inspired tofu salad.
Michele made a healthy Russian green borscht. She called it peasant food, but if this is peasant food, peasants are eating pretty good.
Ashley selected Italy and prepared a delicious manicotti.
And Heidi prepared a delightful pavlova inspired by Australia.
Another successful cooking club and the drive to Dixon for us Bay Area folk went by pretty fast when there is good company in the car.

Saha

My work-husband (Scott A.) took me out to dinner for my birthday last night. My birthday was actually about a month ago but I quickly forgot that when he suggested taking me to Saha to celebrate the big 3-4. Saha is one of Scott's favorite restaurants in the bay area and whenever the topic of Middle Eastern food (or women) comes up, the conversation almost always turns to Saha.

Saha is self described as Arabic Fusion Cuisine http://www.sahasf.com/. You won't find hookah pipes, belly dancers, or suicide bombers at this lovely restaurant situated on the ground floor of the Carlton Hotel (a certified green hotel) but you will find yourself at an intimate place to dine with dim lighting, gorgeous servers, and plenty of animal free options on the menu to choose from.

Since last night was all about moi-I took great pleasure in ordering the sampler appetizer. This included fouel (pureed fava beans-tasted almost like refried beans), hummus, tahini sauce (mixed with herbs-the best I've ever had), mixed olives, tabbouleh, a kind of salsa, and my personal favorite-smoked eggplant with tomatoes. Serviced with plenty of pita Scott and I tried numerous combinations and were practically licking the adorable little dishes they were served in.




I ordered the stuffed avocado as a salad all for myself. The outside was coated in knaffe, lightly fried, and served warm. Stuffed with tabbouleh made of cous cous, served on a raspberry reduction accompanied by two chunks of marinated tofu-I was in avocado heaven.

Below you see Scott's entree. Because he is the best work-husband a lady could ask for, he ordered a vegan dish so I could take a bite if I was so inclined. I was. The Maklouba isn't the prettiest of dishes to look as, probably because it's topped with a slice of cooked eggplant, but the layers of rice seasoned with allspice, pine nuts, and cinnamon then topped with the eggplant, tofu, and caramelized onions, were a wonderful combination.

I savored every last bite of my entree-Spinach and Tofu. The terra cotta bowl was filled with spinach, garbanzo beans, organic tofu, Yemini Hawag (don't ask), olive oil, topped with Yemeni noodles and tomato vinaigrette. Not over seasoned, this dish allowed me to appreciate the taste of every single ingredient.

Our adorable server (because she was from Australia) recommended the vegan version of their house speciality, "Slap Ya Mama (roasted fruit, date & almond marzipan, and chocolate wrapped in phyllo, baked, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and drizzled with raspberry sauce)." She later explained that the chef tried this combination out on a friend who promptly responded, "that's slap ya mama good!"

Included below is Scott's choice-the Chocopear. A splendid presentation of layered chocolate and pear mousse topped with think slices of pears.

The couple sitting across from us insisted on taking our picture before we dug into our desserts.

Once again Scott has impeccable taste when it comes to quality food and I left Saha full and more than satisfied. If I were his real wife he would have received the BJ of his life. But like I said, I was full from dinner so I did the next best thing a committed work-wife could do-we closed down Annie's Social Club in SOMA singing karaoke.

Happy Birthday to Me...

I spent my 34th birthday relaxing in Del Mar with my good friend and fellow vegan, Lauren, visiting her parents. Celebrating your birthday with the Morellis is good times people, good times...

Mrs. Morelli took us to Whole Foods and let us go crazy while she secretly picked up sinful vegan chocolate cake for me. The following was my dream menu:

Baked tofu marinated in Annie's Spicy Ginger marinade

Lauren made this healthy green salad with mixed veggies and chickpeas

Israeli cous cous, currents, artichoke hearts, and fresh basil in a lemon vinaigrette dressing

Sauteed kale

and this is how it all came together.

Dessert was pretty amazing. Because Lauren and I were not aware that her mom bought the vegan chocolate cake at Whole Foods, we made dark chocolate vegan mousse. However, the desserts were so delicious, they disappeared before I could take pictures. So I leave you with a picture of me and Lauren on the beach in Del Mar.

Cheeseburgers - "Where's the Beef"

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Monterey Jack cheese

Gently combine all ingredients and shape into patties. Grill patties over direct heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

The Anti-Quiche

I am not actually a huge quiche fan, so this recipe incorporates elements of quiche without being a soggy, eggy mess.

Saute 2 cups of sliced white mushrooms and one small shallot in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. In a separate skillet pan fry pancetta until crispy. Chop the pancetta and add to the mushroom mixture. Thaw 2 sheets of puff pastry and unfold on 2 separate cookie sheets. Spoon half the mushroom mixture on each pastry. Grate approximately 1 cup of swiss cheese over each mushroom mixture (thick grate is better). In a separate bowl combine 2 eggs, 1 cup of creme fraiche (could also use sour cream), a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the pastries, being careful not to let it run to the edges. Bake at 400 degrees until the pastry is puffed and golden brown and the egg is set (my oven runs very hot, but it only took about 12 minutes).

Recipe: Vegan Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of brown rice syrup
1 cup of natural peanut butter
7 cups puffed brown rice cereal

Combine sugar and brown rice syrup in saucepan and bring to a near boil while stirring. Continue stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Add peanut butter and mix well. And puffed rice and mix well. Press the mixture into a greased pan and put in the fridge for several hours to cool. If you want it to harden faster, stick in the freezer for about an hour. Cut into squares and enjoy!