Series: Produce Box, April 7, 2010 Delivery; Published Blog 3
Palate fatigue, a term that describes what occurs when the tongue is done tasting the food. Within the first bite (or maybe the second) that we identify what we are tasting. After 5 or 6 more bites, we stop noticing the taste.
I can relate it to how many times can I eat leftovers? I can do maybe three times especially if I really like it but normally once. I eat the meal for dinner and then bring it for lunch. By dinner time, I get the chance to create something new. When trying to create take a moment to notice your patterns. What do you like to eat and how much?
Meal planning for me is about the phases in what I have in stock It's like the McGuyver idea of kitchen cooking as one might say. Before going out of the kitchen to the store, I take note of what do I have within the pantry and/or refrigerator. I monitor to refresh my memory. Plus it gives me time to review the expiration dates. Sometimes you find that one item you forgot about and use it up before it goes bad. Less waste, save more money!
Status of Vegetables - still working on it...
My next few recipes have labeled a few vegetables into categories of what wont keep too long or by what do I feel like making... Here are my runner-ups:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with a Caramelized Banana Pecan Topping
I am more than happy to make this dish because it will taste good!
I used 3-4 medium size sweet potatoes.
Peel the sweet potatoes.
Cut up into cubes.
Two cooking methods:
- Cook in a pot filled with cold water and let it come to a boil. Potatoes will be done in about 20 minutes. Test by piercing it with a fork.
- Microwave in a bowl for about 10 minutes. Test it. Let it sit to cool before handling.
I smashed up the the sweet potatoes in a pot on medium heat. I added about 1 tablespoon of butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and some half and half creamer.
I poured it into a pie pan.
Next I heated up another pat of butter. I then added more cinnamon and brown sugar. I let it simmer for a little bit and then added in my two sliced bananas and a handful pecans.
Let it cook just a little longer and spooned it over my sweet potatoes.
I couldn't resist trying it because it smelled so good. So I grabbed my spoon and took a bite of the combo. This was sooo good! It's a nice treat and a good twist on the normal topping.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
This recipe was a little difficult at first when I started making cabbage rolls. Over time, I have modified and enhanced my methods in preparing them. There are about 4 things that have to be done prior to rolling the cabbage leaves.
A. RiceI used about 2 1/2 cups of cooked rice for this recipe. Cook per package recipe.
B. Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce
2 onions - diced and caramelized
1 large can of tomato puree
1/2 small can of tomato sauce
The sauce is made similar to a spaghetti sauce texture. I added in balsamic vinegar and sugar to create the sweet and sour taste. Plus I let it cook down until thick as it simmered the liquid away.
C. Meat
Most stuffed cabbage roll recipes typically use a ground meat mixture of pork or lamb. I have in the past used ground pork and ground turkey. This time I switched it up since I just bought a bunch of chicken breasts.
Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
Cook them up just enough to make sure its cooked on the outside both sides. Then drain and sit on a paper towel to the side.
Chicken breasts will dry out if over cooked. So my technique was to let the meat sit and it finished cooking the inside. Then I chopped up into smaller bit size pieces.
D. Cabbage
Preparing the cabbage leaves is task more easily said than done. I have discovered that one head of cabbage is all that is needed. Here's how I prepared my cabbage leaves for the boiling water. I removed the core. Next I slice the head carefully in half next to where the stem of the cabbage leaf. Then I only pulled apart where it was easy to separate them. If they don't pull apart-don't worry a solution will appear after par boiling it I placed batches of cabbage leaves into the pot. Let it boil until the leaves became soft and pliable but still a little crunchy. I removed them and rinsed with cold water. Set aside to drain. Continued each batch until done. It took about 4 batches for me.
Final Step before the oven:
Preheat the oven to about 375 degrees.
I grabbed my 13x9 glass pan.
I grab a bowl to mix the minced chicken breast, rice, and sweet and sour tomato sauce. I like to make this in batches to make sure I don't have too much left over. So I first start with about 3/4 cup of chicken, 1 cup of rice, and 1/4 cup of sauce (you can add more to the mixture if you would like.)
I grab a leaf cut out any of the hard stem in a triangle cut.
Then roll-up my cabbage roll. I cant really describe the roll in words. So you will have to imagine a mixture between rolling up a burrito, egg roll, or sushi roll. Just try to keep the flaps end so it doesn't leak out the sides.
Place in pan and roll the next one.
From studying other recipes, I developed my own technique on what to do with the leftover cabbage leaves that you cannot roll. I like to tuck them around the edge of the pan. I also like to place it on top to keep the cabbage rolls from burning on the edges.
I cover with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then I check it to see if their are little bubbles inside the pan. If there is, then uncover and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove and let it cool (otherwise you may regret trying to take a bit immediately.)
This serves at least 8-10 people.
Beef Borscht
I've possessed a curiosity to try making this soup ever since i t was embedded in my memory as tasty. So I took it upon myself to give this a try when I was ready to put in the effort to make it. A confidence should exist within oneself when taking on a new recipe. Keep true to what you like when taking on a new dish. I start with the expectation to make a tasty soup then it will be a good soup.
However, each recipe may need a few tricks to introduce the family to a new vegetable.
Use a recipe incorporates beef. I knew that my husband would be willing to try it even if just for the meat.
For those who love to pick at their food:
Grate the vegetables. So the carrots, zucchini, apple, and beets would be all the same shape and color in the end. Cant really decipher what is what...
I left the potatoes as a dice cube to have a recognizable vegetable.
I also used butter to saute my onions, apples, and beets.
Here's what I used for my own version of beef borscht:
1 box of organic chicken stock
2 medium size fresh beets, grated
2 spring red onions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 apple, grated
1/2 cup or so of cabbage
3 carrots, grated
3 brown potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb of stew beef, cubed
3 tablespoons of chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup of tomato puree
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of butter cut into cubes
Here's the technique:
I two different cooking vessels- a saute pan and a soup pot.
For the saute pan:
Heat up the pan. Melt some the butter.
Add in the spring red onions and onions. Cook. for about 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Next grate an apple into the pan.
Add a little more butter.
Season with pepper and salt.
Let it cook for at least 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add in your two grated beets.
Splash with the balsamic vinegar.
Add in brown sugar.
Season again with pepper and salt.
Then make a circle in the middle of the pan and add in the last of the butter.
Then after a little cooking, add in the tomato puree.
Let it cook on low temperature for at least 15 minutes. This will need be stirred often.
For the soup pot:
Heat up the pot on medium to high heat. Add in canola oil to cover the bottom thickly.
Once the oil has heated up, add in the seasoned (with black pepper) beef stew meat in two batches. Let it only cook the outside of the meat. Remove and drain on paper towels then sprinkle with season salt. The beef should not looked cooked only partially done.
Next remove the scum from the oil leftover from cooking the beef. (I know it doesn't make sense when you read it until you see it.The top of the oil will be covered with it. I turned my pot to low and with my dry hands used a soup spoon to carefully remove the beef scum. I spooned it into a plate covered with a paper towel. )
Toss in the cubed potatoes. Let them cook and then roughly scrapped them of the bottom of the pan.
(If there is too much oil in the pot remove excess with a paper towel and remove with thongs. Place on the plate with beef scum and let it cool before tossing.)
Toss in the chopped garlic.
Season with pepper, season salt, garlic powder, and a little cayenne pepper.
Next add in the grated zucchini and carrots.
Add in the cabbage.
Add in the entire box of organic chicken stock (usually about 5-6 cups).
Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Then add in the beef.
Continue to let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
Next add the contents of the saute pan.
Slowly stir the mixture together.
Let it cook on low for at least an hour. It should be stirred about every 15 minutes.
Test the flavor and adjust with pepper and salt if necessary.
Test the beef for tenderness.
Broil up some good french bread with butter and enjoy a bowl of Beef Borscht.
Stir Fried Rice with Chicken Breasts and Broccoli
This dish came into play because I had leftover rice and chicken. Then used another vegetable from the box with frozen peas.
Fried rice is really easy to make and doesn't take much time. My latest batches of Asian cuisine, I have been using 100% sesame oil. I found it at Smart and Final. I made a quick decision to purchase it because I enjoy cooking stir-frys. I thought it would bring in a flavor that I might have been missing.
So if you complete this recipe didn't worry about the type of oil used. Just have fun making it and eating it. There are lots of variations as to how people cook fried rice. I haven't really stuck with one way or another. I keep experimenting until I find good techniques in making it. So that I can swap out ingredients depending on what I have on hand.
Here's the basics of what I have followed:
- Use chopped garlic- at least two tablespoons
-Season the rice while it is frying in the oil with pepper, salt, and garlic powder- this does make a difference
-As the rice is cooking sprinkle liberally with soy sauce... don't forget you can use the soy packets that come with order-in Chinese food.
-Use a meat that will cook up easily or heat-up... if you have precooked meat like chicken or previous nights barbecue meats. One of my best batches was using barbecued pork chops cut into cubes for a stir fry. It tasted delicious with the hint of grill and sauce.
-Make sure to beat your eggs in container prior to pouring into the pan. Plus create a circle in the middle of the pan and add a little bit of oil. This will eliminate the eggs from sticking.
-Lastly, don't forget to taste before removing from the pan.
Reflecting back to food goals...to make sure that we achieve a healthy lifestyle. In my humbleness, I dedicate my blog to idealization that we can change habits and find ourselves actually becoming who we envision.
