Roasted radish and leek frittata

About a year ago I made this radish and asparagus frittata, but I wasn't completely impressed. But this week, based on what looked tasty at the grocery store, I picked up some leeks and radishes and decided to experiment. Fortunately after some quick googling I found this recipe which recommends roasting the radishes and leeks (I usually just saute whatever goes into the frittata). Echoing the original authors, roasting didn't do much for the radishes other than improve the texture, but roasted leeks are one of the best things in the world.

I used two leeks, chopped into 1/2" strips, and a bunch of radishes, halved or quartered. I roasted everything at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, tossed in olive oil and salt, and mixed once during the roasting. While the vegetables were cooling, I whipped together 7 (I think?) eggs with a bit of cream, salt, and pepper. I mixed the veggies and eggs together, and then poured it into a heated pan with olive oil. I then used the rest of my queso fresco, sprinkled on top.

Cooking a frittata is slightly tricky, but I think the best solution is to have it at medium, or even medium-high to start, then lower the heat after a few minutes. Once the fritta starts to set at the edges, I broil it for just a few minutes. Otherwise it would take forever to cook all the way through, and broiling it just makes it better. After cooling for a bit I loosened the edges with a knife and cut it into sixths, and served it with sourdough bread.

This frittata was saltier than what I usually cook, because of the added salt and the salty cheese, but salt is necessary when you live in Arizona!

Kale, leek, and orange salad

Drawing on a variety of past recipes, I made this kale salad for lunch today (and for the next few days).  First I rinsed and tore up the kale into pieces, and tossed it with some olive oil (oil makes the kale leaves more tender). While the kale was chillin', I cleaned and sauteed 1 leek, cut into very thin pieces. After a few minutes I put everything together:

-1 bunch kale

-1 leek

-1 can white beans, rinsed

-1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

-1/2 cup dried cranberries

-1 orange, sliced

-salt, pepper, and vinegar (red wine or balsamic) to taste

Eggplant two-ways

I made two recipes with eggplant this week, just out of random inspiration. First, my roommate brought home some dried oregano from a friend's garden, so I knew I needed to make pizza.

For the pizza I started with a whole wheat crust similar to this one. I've been eating pretty cheap lately, so I just used plain tomato sauce and packaged cheese. Looking back, I wish I would've upgraded as both were a bit too salty for me. Anyway, while the dough was rising I cut the eggplant into 6 thin slices and grilled it for a few minutes on our panini press.

When the dough was done, I spread the sauce on, sprinkled on some dried oregano, and then the shredded cheese. I also added capers, because capers on pizza is the best. Then finally the eggplant. It turned out quite nicely, besides the saltiness. I served the pizza with a side salad of arugula, cherry tomatoes, and a soy-ginger dressing. I bet this would have been good with some grilled zucchini or asparagus on the pizza as well.

A few days later I made an eggplant stir-fry, inspired by something my Chinese friend brought to a recent potluck. To start I drained and baked some tofu (425 degrees, 30 minutes, stir after 15). Then I sliced and stir-fried a white onion in canola oil, adding cubed eggplant, 4 cloves of garlic, and some grated ginger when the onion was done. Once those were almost done I added a handful of baby spinach. Meanwhile, I prepared a sauce based roughly on this one, though without the orange juice, less sugar, and more red chili flakes. I'm sure there are other sauces that would work. I added the sauce and tofu at roughly the same time, and cooked on low until the eggplant was very soft. I served this over rice noodles, with sesame seeds sprinkled on. The eggplant was a bit bitter, which I know could've been solved with some pre-salting. Alas, I was lazy.

On the bright side, my food photos are getting better, no? I've learned that a combo of natural light and the close-up setting on my digital camera often works best. Also I've slightly gotten into food styling (for example, sprinkling some sesame seeds on top). Personally I find it unauthentic to have everything extremely styled, so I just take photos to document what I make.

Recipe round-up: chickpea salad, corn salad, and morel mushrooms

After a brief vacation I'm back in the swing of cooking. All original recipes.

Chickpea salad: 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 sauteed onion, 1 can chickpeas. Dressing: 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, soy sauce (or salt, to taste), 1 crushed garlic clove. Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and hot chili powder to taste. Also good with tahini and feta cheese.

Corn and poblano salad: 2 small bags of frozen corn, 1 small bag frozen black-eyed peas, 1 roasted poblano pepper, 1 sauteed red onion, 1 crushed garlic clove, juice of 2 limes, few teaspoons balsamic vinegar, salt to taste, 2 Tbsp canola oil, smoked paprika and hot chili powder to taste. Let marinate overnight. Sprinkle on queso fresco before serving.

Morel madness: clean morels thoroughly, slice into halves, roll in flour. Sauté morels in butter, then add white wine and cream. We kept adding more as the sauce cooked and we were waiting for the noodles to finish cooking. Eventually the sauce turned into a nice, creamy, alfredo-like sauce. Serve over fettucini noodles, parmesan cheese optional.

Look at that morel!

Indian food hack: leftover frozen lentil curry, serve with Target microwavable Indian rice packages (I know, Target!). Add a dollop of chutney on the side and enjoy.

And finally, I just bought some dish-washing gloves in order to assuage my constantly dry and cracking fingernails. The gloves are a bit too big for my tiny hands and will take some getting used to, but I think nice fingernails will be worth it.

Breakfast burrito and cheese/avocado quesadilla

Breakfast burrito: 1 fried egg, pre-cooked onions, spinach, and salsa in a whole wheat tortilla. Gently heat the spinach and pre-cooked, sliced onions (I'm keeping a container in the fridge right now) until the spinach begins to wilt. Crack an egg on top or on the side of the pan, cook thoroughly. Add salsa on top and cook a bit longer. Serve on a warm tortilla. I added Sriracha and queso fresca (the cheese made a big difference).

Cheese quesadilla: pepper jack cheese. avocados. whole wheat tortilla. sriracha. Assemble and cook on a panini press or fry pan.