As some of you may know, I have moved from my apartment with Dumi (sadness, but we will be reunited) and we have both moved into separate apartments in Istanbul proper. So now we have to move on from the Istanbul Apartment of International Cuisine and into the official Veggie Apartment of Cuisine.
Here we go!
Got Spare Walnuts? These first two dishes incorporated a bag o walnuts I bought at the Saturday market
Namli Veggie Salad
After a lovely field trip a week or so ago in the Eyup district of Istanbul, my class and I decided to stop for lunch in a well-recommended deli-style Turkish restaurant called Namli, located deep within the Spice Bazaar. The dish I was really flavorful, light and filling all at the same time, so I had to recreate it.
Mix in bowl:
-10 (or so) cherry or small tomatoes, whole
-2 small cucumbers, sliced thinly
-green olives stuffed with pimiento, about 1/2 cup
-black olives
-1/2 cup walnuts, halved
-a soft white cheese, like mozzarella, chopped into tiny pieces
-salt and pepper, and a little olive oil
In addition to making all sorts of tasty salads, Namli also serves things such as:
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| peynir/cheese |
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| honeycombs! |
Carrot, Raisin and Walnut Salad
With spare walnuts sitting around after making the namli salad, I decided to use the rest up with a recipe a friend found on newyorktimes.com awhile ago and served at a dinner party. Another very easy, throw together dish.
Mix in bowl:
-4 or 5 carrots, shredded
-1/2 cup raisins (or more, depending on how sweet you want this to be)
-1/2 cup walnuts halved
-some kind of light vinegar; apple or white wine are good, about 4 tbls
-if you have something like pomegranate syrup or a little molasses, try that, it gives it a bit of a sweet taste
Red Quinoa Variation Salad:
This is not a great picture, but this is one of my favorite "salad staples" that withstands many variations, I suggest playing around with it and seeing what you find.
cook in a pot:
-1 1/2 cups red (or regular) quinoa - which cooks just like rice, with a 1:2 quinoa to water ratio
Mix in bowl:
-cooked quinoa
-green olives, 1/2 cup
-1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
-1 whole cup diced tomatoes (canned are fine)
-3 tbls pine nuts
-3 tbls pesto sauce, add fresh basil if you have some!
-salt and pepper!
Black Beacn Veggie Burgers
It's probably needless to tell you all that veggie burgers are not very popular in Istanbul - or maybe they would be popular, but there just aren't any. and I miss them. So I made some..
I've been reading a great food blog: kath eats real food. She's a very health-conscious food blogger, so I knew I would find a good veggie burger recipe on her site, and that I did.
so you start with 4 cups of black beans: I bought mine uncooked, so I soaked them overnight and cooked them the next day (to cook beans, cover in water, bring to a boil with salt and then simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until soft).
Once you've got your beans all cooked, take a mashing utensil (a big fork will do just fine) and mash!
Once they're all mashed up, you get to be creative: I chose to add some sauteed red peppers and mushrooms (chopped into very tiny pieces), hot red pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, salt and pepper and cumin.
The last thing to add before you mix it all up is 1 tbls of flour for every 1/3 fup of beans - so if you used 4 cups of beans, you'd want 3 tbls for every cup. 3 x 4 = 12, so I added 12 tbls of flour and more mashing/mixing!
Once you're all mixed up, with your hands, take a handful and form a patty. I made these with the intention of freezing them so that as finals approach, and I come home starving, I will have quick and filling burgers to pop out of the fridge and throw in a pan. So I placed the patties in tin foil, wrapped them up, put them in tupperware and shoved them in the fridge.
I plan to grill them for just 3 or 4 minutes in an oiled pan...is it weird that, after years of buying veggie burgers frozen at the store, I feel a bit like superwoman after making my own?
**update: these are amazing! and so easy. I just heated them up in a skillet, cooking on each side for just a few minutes and serving.
**update: these are amazing! and so easy. I just heated them up in a skillet, cooking on each side for just a few minutes and serving.
Leeks are Amazing:
Leeks! they are delicious. I had some sitting in my fridge, and although they could have made a more central part of a dish, I decided to just throw them into a very standard meal of rice and beans. As for the leeks, all I did was sautee about 4 medium sized leeks (chopped into 1/4" slices) with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, and then add that to rice and black beans. Super easy, super delicious, and incredibly filling. perfect protein!
Shrimp Pasta: Plain and Simple:
In a big pot, bring to boil 6 cups water with 1 tbls olive oil. Add spinach linguine pasta and boil for 7 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and return to boil, drizzle with olive oil and salt, stir.
In a pan, slightly brown 4 or 5 cloves chopped garlic (mmmmm garlic), and then add whole shrimp. sautee for 3 to 4 minutes.
Take a big spoonful of the pasta and place garlic shrimp on top.
Nick's Non-Birthday Birthday American Peanut Butter Cookies:
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photo from Smitten Kitchen because I forgot to take one... |
So I visited my favorite food blogger's site, smittenkitchen.com, and stole her recipe, which I found out she had stolen from Magnolia bakery in nyc. She uses creamy peanut butter in hers, and let me just recommend crunchy, it adds one more level of intense peanut butter goodness.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
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