New Recipes: February

I am writing this post just before lunch, and it's making me pretty hungry. I hope you can find some delicious inspiration from this month's recipes too.

A 2 for $4 mango special helped inspire these Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa Verde from Cooking Light. I think fish tacos are a great weeknight meal because they come together quickly with minimal effort and are quite satisfying without being heavy. The mango salsa verde was a yummy addition, and I added a bit of sriracha mayo for a little tangy heat.

Making these Peanutty No-Bake Truffles from BH&G was my attempt at making something festive for Valentine's Day. They were not the most beautiful chocolates I have ever seen, but they were rich and tasty. I have some assorted leftover ingredients and have been thinking about making a hybrid peanut butter/chocolate version soon.

Black Bean, Corn & Turkey Soup (link to a similar recipe). This was another meal from the several freezer-crock pot dishes I brought home back in January. In this one, the turkey was pre-cooked, which reduced the cooking time to only 1-2 hours on high instead of all day. The first round was a little bland, but nothing some extra hot sauce couldn't fix. The reheated leftovers the next day were much better. Served with tortilla chips, and gobbled up in its entirety both times without a photo.

I can't take any credit for this last recipe, but it's been a long time since the second betsu bara has been featured on here. Keizo made a batch of Secret Nishiura Family Recipe Pickled Onions this past week, which we enjoyed along with fried rice and as a flavorful addition to my regular lunchtime salads.

I find myself wanting to repeat a lot of old standby recipes lately--maybe it's the cold weather we've been having, or just wanting dinner to come together quickly--but it's going to require a little more effort to find some new things to try in March.

Homegrown Homemade Pickles

With an ever growing pile of cucumbers from the garden taking up precious real estate on my cutting board, I decided to spend a few hours last Sunday "putting them up."  I searched the internet for simple pickling recipes and decided to try no fewer than four!

To start things off, the cucumbers get sliced quickly and evenly thanks to my mandoline slicer.

One of the first two recipes: Spicy Pickled Cucumbers.  Crushed red pepper and mint leaves give these an Asian flavor. I can't wait to eat them with ramen or pho.

I only made a total of five jars with my four recipes, keeping each batch pretty small.  The second recipe for 'Quick Garlic Pickles' can be found here.

After the cucumbers and a break to grab more vinegar, I got started on the carrots (also from the garden).  Most of them looked pretty nice after a good scrub.

But there were a few odd ones in the bunch.

Regardless of initial aesthetics, they all looked about the same, peeled and ready to chop.

I didn't have as many carrots as cucumbers, but I still made two varieties: one spicy with onions and jalapenos, and the other sweeter with hints of maple and ginger.

The jars went into the fridge, I washed a bunch of dishes and went to read a book outside to escape the vinegar smell permeating my house.

Later, at dinner time, the pickles emerged from the fridge for a taste test.

The "taco stand" carrots with jalapenos and the spicy cucumbers with mint were really spicy, and thankfully have become a little milder the over the past few days.  The quick garlic pickles are tasty, and the most versatile--I've been putting them on the sandwiches I've packed for lunch this week.  The ginger maple carrots are also very good, but you don't have to take my word for it.  The flavor is similar to the ones my housemate Michelle won "Best in Show" for at the Albemarle County Fair!

The garden isn't looking quite as nice as it did a month ago, so I am glad to have spent the time this past weekend making the most of its produce.  I have been thinking about planting some fall crops, but there are a few other projects around the house and some job applying I need to do first.

In with the new

In talking with my fellow classmates, I have found I am not alone when I to go to the grocery store, buy a dozen things and then come home only to realize I have nothing that actually makes a meal.  So, as the semester was starting, I decided it was time to kick this habit and try some menu planning instead!

Tofu Sloppy Joes was one of three recipes I planned out for last week.  Most of the ingredients I had on hand, but I had to purchase buns, tomato sauce and tofu.

I loved that the sauce was so easy.  And yummy.

The recipe makes a lot!  I also threw in some frozen peas and corn towards the end for extra veggies.

And as is tradition at home, served it up open faced with some cole slaw on top.

Menu planning worked well last week, but now I have a lot of leftovers.  I think this week's trip to the store will be dictated by when my coffee runs out rather than any set meals!

Pretty Pickles

When the garden gives you a bunch of really bitter cucumbers, it's time to make pickles! I had never made pickles before, but once again, allrecipes came through and provided me with a simple, highly rated recipe. Really, the reviews are just as important as the actual recipe.

There are the cucumbers, mocking me by looking good and tasting pretty awful.

About to meet their match!

Fancy, crinkled cuke chips.

Bright yellow bell pepper for extra crunch.

Waiting to be doused in pickle juice.

Sterilizing the jars. Makes a nice sound.

Vinegar, a bit of salt and lots of sugar get boiled until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear.

Poured onto unsuspecting veggies...

...and ladled into the mostly sterile jars. I did use tongs to handle them. But then I probably breathed on them inadvertently.

In less than an hour I had a nice row of very attractive looking pickles.

Pickling worked wonders on the less bitter cucumbers, but the bitterest ones still have a bit of bite to them. At least that was my experience with my first taste test. Hopefully they will sweeten up the longer I leave them in the fridge.

Home of the Sandwich

Sandwiches are not originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, but they are one of my favorite things to eat at home. Keizo and I concocted some amazing sandwiches in our first 72 hours stateside.

First up: spinach, green peppers, sundried tomatoes and pepper jack. The rolls were toasted and the cheese melted. We added some hummus for moisture and a dollop of leftover potato salad on the side and headed to the patio for lunch. Ahhh the joys of winter in the desert!

The next day: Ham and cheese for Keizo, plain cheese for me on a crusty baguette from the grocery store (I am trying to return to my mostly vegetarian ways while I am home.) After the ham, Keizo's second favorite sandwich ingredient are sweet pickles. I tend to agree with him on this one. American pickles are so different from the zillions of Japanese varieties, it's hardly appropriate to call them by the same name, but there really isn't another word for salt cured vegetables.

Lunch is such a great meal.