Baba Ghannouj (Baba Ganoush)
August 26, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Appetizers, Featured, Grow Your Own, Middle Eastern, Vegetables
My first taste of baba ghannouj was at the cafeteria on the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and I could easily make a lunch out of their hummus, baba ghannouj, and flatbread. Baba ghannouj is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made from eggplant that has been grilled or roasted, and the smoky flavor carries over to this simple dip that’s popular all over the Middle East. Depending on where you eat, it will probably have eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and parsley, and may also have chopped tomatoes, cumin, mint, onions, yogurt, or mayonnaise. So consider this a base recipe, a jumping off point to play with and have fun experimenting with the flavors. Read more
Thai Green Sticky Rice with Mango
Last spring my sister came out for a visit and we had a girls’ day of shopping and of course a dinner out together. We both like sushi and headed for a little Thai and sushi fusion restaurant nearby and ordered our favorites. We also noticed a card on the table advertising their Thai mango sticky rice, a classic dessert made with Thai sweet glutinous rice, and decided we would share some of that as well. Read more
Zucchini Pickles
August 10, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Jams, Pickles, and Preserves
When we have a glut of a particular fruit or vegetable, we try to find creative ways to use it up or preserve it for later, and making these zucchini pickles is our favorite way to preserve extra summer zucchini. These refrigerator pickles require no processing, you just pack the prepared zucchini slices and onions into jars and add the slightly warm brine. After just 24 hours in the refrigerator, they are ready to enjoy, it could hardly be easier. Because they aren’t cooked, these zucchini pickles retain their crispy crunch, and the simple brine adds lots of flavor. For Michael it took just one taste and he announced that he was forever ruined and would never truly enjoy pickles from the store again. Read more
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
August 3, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Jams, Pickles, and Preserves
Three years ago I started looking for a food blogging event for those who garden, hunt, forage, or raise their own food, and when I couldn’t find one I decided to try starting it myself. I didn’t know if any other bloggers would be interested, but as with many things, I just kind of tossed it out there to see what would happen, and here we are now getting ready to celebrate the third anniversary of Grow Your Own. To all of you who have participated, hosted, or just enjoyed the recipes and stories from all the bloggers over the last three years, thank you. I hope you have enjoyed the event as much as we have. And if you haven’t had a chance, check out the July Grow Your Own roundup from Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks. Read more
Cucumber Salad with Tomato, Bell Pepper, and Spicy Thai Lime Vinaigrette
Juicy cucumbers are one of my favorite summer vegetables, and I like to slice one up and eat it with a bit of salt for an afternoon snack, but using them as a base for salads is my favorite way to eat them. We’ve been on a cucumber salad binge lately, trying different vegetable combinations and vinaigrettes, and this is by far our favorite to date. The Thai vinaigrette gets a little kick from crushed red peppers (pepper flakes), which you can adjust to your taste. Make sure you use an unseasoned rice vinegar because the seasoned kind has added sugar and salt. Read more
Thai Grilled Chicken with Coconut Milk Marinade
Whenever we make a trip to Costco, I always stop to browse the books aisle, and every once in a while I come across some finds that make their way into the cart. Earlier this summer I found a big paperback book simply called Thai & Asian by Deh-Ta Hsiung (previously published as Thai and South-East Asian Food and Cooking). With a plethora of gorgeous dishes from Thailand, China, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea, as well as over 100 pages of information on ingredients and proper Asian cooking gear, this book was a no-brainer and a bargain at US$9.99. My memories of the food I enjoyed on a trip to Koh Samui and Phuket in the mid 90s are imprinted in my head, and I’ve enjoyed introducing my family to the wonders of Thai flavors over the years. Perhaps someday I’ll get a chance to go back to Thailand; I would so enjoy a trip to Chiang Mai, but until then I’ll have to keep cooking Thai at home.
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