I wish I could say that I came up with the brilliant idea to bake chickpeas, but alas, I cannot. The truth is I was getting ready for work one morning and overheard Mark Bittman talking about this healthy snack on the Today Show. I don’t know why I never considered baking chickpeas!

On my way home that evening I stopped by the store and purchased two cans. I mixed the chickpeas with some olive oil and zatar spice and baked until crispy. The perfect quick and easy snack food! My next batch? A Mexican chili and lime version.

Here’s how to whip up this healthy snack:

Possibly Related Posts:

• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• Vegetarian Thanksgiving Tips
• The World’s Most Perfect Food and Wine Pairings (Part One): Champagne and Popcorn
• Raw Tacos
• Winter Squash is Delicious, Healthy, and in Season

Photo by Whirling Phoenix

Cooking as a newlywed couple can be pretty intimidating as well as frustrating if you don’t have the right ingredients or tools to begin with. As wedding season is in full swing, you might have found yourself looking over couple’s gift registries and wondering how to make something rather impersonal, a little more special. Two very creative friends of mine are  getting married this weekend and instead of choosing a lovely gift off their registry, I’ve decided to spice things up and give a basket of creative, lasting ingredients they may not necessarily splurge on themselves. I’m putting together a basket of flavored sea salts, high quality olive oil, gourmets sauces, specialty vinegars and a variety of spices to give them a head start on their pantry.

There is nothing better than cooking with high quality ingredients and for couples who love to cook or for couples interested in learning more about cooking, adding some specialty ingredients by themselves or along with a registry item is a fun way to inspire creativity in the kitchen.  If you would rather give an experience, rather than a tangible gift, you can find a local cooking school or gourmet grocer in their area that offers gift certificates for cooking classes, wine making or cheese making classes. Whether giving lessons, tools or ingredients to fuel inspiration, it’s fun knowing you are offering a little support to the future of  many, many meals together.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fun Links
• Young Winos
• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

It’s as if a switch is flipped, the sun starts to set and coals start to light. Happy laughter and the toast of cold beers with friends and families as they gather on decks, patios and porches is about as good as it gets. Call it what it is, but I guarantee just about anyone will tell you they love the smell of lighter fluid wafting over from a neighbor’s yard. It must mean it’s barbecue season and that means great outdoor food!

It doesn’t matter if you are slow-cooking brisket for eight hours or simply grilling a couple burgers, who ever is at the grill is instantly moved up to top chef status. Sure anyone can light a fire and sear some meat, but there is a whole other group of people who make barbecue a science, an art and a way of life.  Entire cults are built around barbecue. Sauce followers from around the world drive hundreds of miles to compete rib to rib in barbecue competitions to see whose barbecue will prevail.

BBQ CONTEST!! We’d like to recognize those of you who take your barbecuing to a whole other level.  Simply sign up on Foodista and add your best barbecue recipe(s) and photo(s) by June 26.

On July 1st the winner will be featured on The Foodista Barbecue Wall of Flame and receive a Foodista apron and a $50 gift card to Sur la Table!

Good Luck!

Image by NachX from Flickr

Possibly Related Posts:

• How I Slaughtered a Chicken
• How to Get the Seeds out of a Pomegranate
• Moose, it’s What’s for Dinner
• Waiting by the River at Dawn
• The Importance of Pie Crust

In an effort to help fight hunger in my community, Barnaby and I have taken The Hunger Challenge. As part of Hunger Awareness Week, we’ll be living on a total of $12 a day (the amount given to a two-person household in Washington State) until this Friday. At the end of the week we’ll calculate what we normally spend each day on food and beverage, then subtract the allowance and donate that amount to our local food bank. I know it won’t solve the hunger problems so many are facing, but my goal is to at least provide meals and tasty inexpensive recipes for those in need, and encourage others to join in the fight against hunger. In King county alone, an additional 137,000 meals a day are needed. We can all help reduce that to zero if we work together. Even in an economic downturn we are still a very wealthy nation – no one should go to bed hungry, and no one should have to choose between paying the rent or eating.

This week our focus is to be creative and come up with inexpensive meals that are healthy and flavorful. It’s easy to eat cheap, but unfortunately nutrition and taste are usually left out of the equation. One way to find quality ingredients for a fraction of the price is to shop at ethnic markets. We’ve always enjoyed shopping at our local Asian and Latino markets and find their fruits, vegetables and meats -as well as herbs, spices and sauces- are high in quality and markedly cheaper than mainstream markets.

Our first dinner was a remarkably tasty concoction created by Barnaby. Inspired by ingredients we found at an Indian market, he created a dish that he simply calls “Turkey Dal.” The dal we used was masoor dal, a type of orange lentil. It can be purchased in bulk, is high in protein, and is cheap, cheap, cheap! And delicious too. We cooked the dah -which ended up dissolving into creamy goodness (photo shows the dish pre-cooked)- with ground turkey, canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion and curry powder. Our total cost for this meal we calculated at only $4.40, and we have two more meals worth each left over.

Budget or no budget, this was one darn good meal!

Click here for the recipe:

Possibly Related Posts:

• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken
• Moose, it’s What’s for Dinner
• Waiting by the River at Dawn

Long ago when we were part of a (very low budget) film crew shooting in Germany and Austria I discovered the pleasures of goulash and goulash soup. The difference between the two being essentially a matter of the liquid proportions. Cheap, hearty, and invariably warming in the depths of a European winter, this is a meal worth sopping up with bread (externally) and of course, beer (internally).

These days we are eating mostly vegetarian so I made this version sans beef. Using an intermediate amount of liquid and with no flour thickener, the result was midway between stew and soup: perfect for serving with rice. The key to authentic taste is the Hungarian paprika; get the real stuff, and avoid the tasteless brick dust sold under many domestic labels.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lg white or yellow onion, chopped
2 leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped, including a bit of the green top
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 red or green peppers, seeded, pared and chopped
3-4 med potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 12 oz can diced tomatoes together with their juice
2 tsp caraway seeds
6-8 tbs sweet Hungarian paprika – or adjust to your taste
3 tbs canola or other mild vegetable oil
4 cups vegetable or other stock, or water
Salt and pepper to taste

optional: 1 cup firm tofu cut into 1/2″ cubes

TECHNIQUE:
In a non stick or other stockpot:

Heat the vegetable oil until hot
Add and sauté the onion, leeks, and celery until soft and the onions are translucent
Stir in the paprika, caraway and garlic, and heat through 1-3 minutes
Add the carrots, green peppers, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and their juice
Add 4 cups stock or water
Bring to the simmer and heat at a low simmer for 45 minutes.
If using tofu add in the final 15 minutes of cooking.
The goulash is ready to eat when the vegetables are tender.
Longer cooking will improve taste: add extra stock or water as needed or leave as is to reduce for a thicker version
Taste and adjust seasoning

Serve with rice or rye bread. Rye croutons would be aces with this dish.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Sustainable Found Food Artist

Cooking in a slow cooker (or crockpot, as we used to say in the “old days”) is not only easy and convenient, but it’s wonderfully spectacular to come home with your dinner cooked and ready to eat. And no one got your kitchen all messy. I like to “forget” that it was I who placed all the ingredients in the pot that morning. Instead, I imagine that I have deep pockets and can afford to throw money at a personal chef who prepares healthy, organic meals for us when we’re tired.

Reality check.

Personal chef-prepared or not, your family will enjoy this hearty and delicious, yet light, vegetable chili. I’d call it Vegetarian Chili but we also did a batch with lean ground turkey, which made a tasty version as well. Add fresh chopped parsley or basil on top for a burst of freshness.

Click here for the recipe:

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fun Links
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool

No matter how good we are in the kitchen there are always new things we can learn, right? Perhaps you want to explore Southern Indian or Provincial Italian cooking, or how about the art of cheese making? Mario Batali’s father, after retiring from Boeing, went to Italy to study sausage making. How fabulous would that be? People now queue up for his amazing links at Salumi.

After reading The School of Essential Ingredients, a wonderful book set in the kitchen of a restaurant, I’ve been noodling over the idea of taking a cooking class. So I went on TeachStreet to find some classes in my area. Teachstreet is a great site that helps you find cool things you want to learn like Snowboarding, Pilates, Voice Lessons, Adobe, even Citizenship! For us food lovers maybe a course in Wine Appreciation, Knife Skills, or a series in Thai Cuisine. Take a Bartending course and awe your guests with your keen mixology skills!  Or, improve your “food porn” skills by taking a Digital Photography course. On the flip side perhaps you’re one of those people who possesses a great skill. You can teach too! Here’s how you can share your wealth of knowledge on Teachstreet.

Check out courses in your area or simply browse what’s being offered. You never know what may spark an interest!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Young Winos
• What Celebrity Chefs Are Making for Thanksgiving
• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast

I love my job. I get to talk and write about food all day. I can spend hours chopping, slicing, dicing, stirring, then carefully plating, styling, photographing my creations. But sometimes, like many of us, I get home and simply lack the energy to create a delicious meal, despite my earlier-in-the-afternoon daydream about the fabulous meal I would whip up once I was back in my kitchen.

Last night was one of those nights. And to top it off I knew any cooking would then require cleaning – something I just wasn’t up to.  The perfect solution? Oven-baked fish. Healthier than pan-fried, no grease splatter on your stove and only one dish to wash.

We took out our fresh Pacific cod, grabbed some panko and mixed in a little seasoning from a new-to-me company Amazing Taste. The various seasonings, which also happen to be Amazingly Inexpensive, can be used as marinades or rubs and we chose the rub direction. We decided on the Malibu blend of black pepper, onion, garlic and paprika; a nice combination for our fish. We coated the top of the fish with the seasoned panko and threw the pan in the oven. With the quick addition of some lemon zest and a big green salad on the side we had ourselves a meal!

Easy and delicious. Just what I needed after a long day (I even managed to clean the pan).

Possibly Related Posts:

• The World’s Most Neglected Wines (Part One): Australian Riesling
• Salmon with Chanterelles and Slow Cooked Tomatoes
• Celebrating Chanterelles
• Eating Local in the Northwest
• Clams With Spanish Sausage

We’re happy to welcome Chris Barber, LA-based artist and food lover, as one of our new guest bloggers.

New Year’s Day means one thing at my place – good luck black-eyed peas. (I skipped ‘em last year and paid the consequences.) It’s the one day of the year besides Thanksgiving that I fully indulge my cravings for a traditional family meal. In this case I had to forget the country ham since I didn’t give myself 36 hours to soak sufficient salt out of the meat. I just grabbed a ½ ham glazed with brown sugar and focused on the side dishes. Three hours in the oven warmed the precooked ham fully while leaving it moist. If you add some fried okra, stuffing, 7-day pickles, rhubarb pie and iced tea in tall cold metal glasses to the dishes described here you might have Granny Barber’s typical Sunday lunch. But humble as this one is, every dish is a plate-licker.

The black-eyed peas were soaked overnight – I avoid quick soaking for this. I fried four thick strips of bacon in the bottom of a cast iron Dutch oven and added ¾ of a chopped onion to the grease. Then I added the peas, slow cooking and adding salt and pepper to taste. The bacon breaks up with stirring, and should be gladly taken with the peas as it comes. You can add chopped celery too, or anything else you like for an accent. A little paprika was enough for me, along with my favorite bottled hot sauce on the table. Good black-eyed peas have layers of smoky taste that take their sweet time opening up in your mouth.

For the greens I crammed all of the mustards and collards I could fit into a 5 quart pan after browning a couple tablespoons of butter. Once they wilted I added all of the softer Texas mustard greens that would fit. With the Texas greens wilted I threw in a 12 ounce brick of salt pork and a generous splash of rice wine vinegar, and let it simmer covered until tender. Trouble not about the darkening color – you’re in the south now. Try to steam this and you’ll get what you deserve. I wanted these to have a bright taste, but warming the pan with a coating of bacon grease instead of butter is a nice earthy alternative, or simply starting with the salt pork until it greases the pan.

Candied “yams” don’t actually involve yams at all but sweet potatoes – the kind with the coppery skin and deep orange meat. I boiled 4 large sweets until soft, sliced them into ½- inch thick pieces and lined the bottom of a buttered casserole dish with them. Scallops are traditional, but I cut them lengthwise to make them slightly more firm due to the direction of the grain. I sprinkled them with salt and paprika, then dolloped them with a syrup of dark brown sugar, ground ginger, lemon juice and a dash of lemon zest. A smidge of butter on each slice and they were ready for a 20 minute bake. They should come out with form and color intact and looking almost unseasoned.

My personal favorite is the cracklin’ cornbread. For this I went whole hog and made cracklin’ – which is what it’s all about.

Cracklin’ Cornbread

4-6 oz. fresh, uncured fatty pork scraps
¾ cup white cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cane sugar (optional)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 475. Freeze the pork scraps for 30 or 40 minutes and then dice into ¼” pieces. It should be mostly fat, with a pitiful showing of meat. Mix the powder ingredients well in a large bowl. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until frothy and whisk in the buttermilk. Blend the liquid into the dry mix and set aside. Drop the diced pork scraps into a greased 10” cast iron skillet and render the fat completely on the stove over medium heat until the pearls are golden-brown and crispy. Fold the cracklin’ and all but about 1 tbsp of the rendering into the cornbread mix. Increase the heat under the grease remaining in the skillet until it smokes, then quickly pour the mix into it. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. I like it soft, moist and cakey in the center and crispy on top; but an almost pudding center is perfectly acceptable for a more pone-like quality. Either way, it’s juicy enough to forget all about the iced tea. Pop that thing right out of your skillet with a flick of the wrist and see if it doesn’t disappear on its way to the plate.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• How I Slaughtered a Chicken

Barnaby loves himself a good kimchi. The stinkier and more sour, the better. I must say, I’m right there with him. After living in Japan and traveling in Korea I, too, developed a fondness for this spicy fermented cabbage dish. We’d never made it ourselves though and decided to begin the “stinky cabbage” quest.

We supplied ourselves with Napa cabbage, green onions, salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, and the pièce de résistance: Korean red pepper powder. The sweet flavor of this chili beautifully comes through without being overly spicy. We’re now so hooked on this blend of red peppers that we’re moistening it into a paste with a touch of cider vinegar and putting it on about everything from scrambled eggs to roast chicken.

We chopped the vegetables, mixed all the ingredients into a beautifully vibrant red concoction, and put it in an earthenware pot to “brew and bubble.” The longer it sits, the better, as the acids begin to break down and soften the vegetables, but after about a 24 hour period we tasted it and it was spectacular! The majority of it went back down to the basement for further “aging.”

For the complete recipe go to Foodista:

Note: We purchased Wang’s Red Pepper Powder at our local Uwajimaya. Check your local Asian market for this product.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup
• It’s Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day!
• Winter Squash is Delicious, Healthy, and in Season
• Moorish Badenjan Dip
• Eating Local in the Northwest