Andyboy Cooks!

Oven Dried Tomatoes

 

Sun dried tomatoes are delicious but they are also really expensive. The solution? Oven dried tomatoes. I picked up two boxes (cases?) of roma tomatoes at Sams Club the other day and they were about six bucks a pop with about 25 tomatoes per case. That's a hundred dried tomatoes when all is said and done which I estimate would cost about $75 bucks for the store bought sun dried tomatoes. And they're better; they taste nice and fresh, and they aren't packed in oil. Once you're finished making them just throw them in a zip lock bag and put them in the freezer until you're ready to use them!

Oven Dried Tomatoes

20 Roma Tomatoes (halved)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Set oven to 150 degrees. Lay out halved tomatoes on cookie sheets as close together as possible, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place in oven and dry for approximately 16-20 hours (putting them in overnight is ideal).

 

Vegetarian Chili

  

 

To be perfectly honest, this isn't really a vegetarian chili. At least I don't think it is. This is a modified vegetable stew that I've been making for a few years now. In that stew I use a bit of cumin, and this time out I found myself adding more, and then a little bit more, and then a few more pinches of cayenne, and finally some chili powder, and all of a sudden I had chili. I was really pleased with the result. It manages to have all of the depth of a well made chili without all of the weight (and fat) of ground beef. Don't get me wrong - I love a good hearty meat chili as much as anybody, but this is a nice change of pace.

Bear in mind that this really was the product of "adding a bit of this and a pinch of that" so the ingredient amounts are estimates. They should be pretty close though. Remember to season to YOUR taste. What might seem hot to me may be mild for you, and so on. Hope you like it!

Vegetarian Chili

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large russet potato (diced)
2 cans corn (drained)
2 cans black beans (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
3 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
1 cup chopped Italian parsley (chopped)
1 package frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
S&P to taste

 

 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the stock, tomatoes, corn, black beans, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Turn the heat up to high and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for twenty minutes. Add the spinach (broken up) and Italian parsley and simmer for another five minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

 

When I was but a wee lad, my father used to take my sister and me to a Japanese restaurant in Toronto called Tanaka of Tokyo. It was a Benihana style restaurant where the chefs cook the food on a flat top grill that was built into your table. Now while the whizbang magic of the chef was terrific as were the entrees, the real treat for me was a small salad served before the meal that had an exotic, pink hued dressing on it. It was absolutely delicious and was completely foreign to anything else I had eaten as a kid. I've been chasing that recipe down since I started cooking more frequently and I finally came across it about six months ago. What a treat, and so easy to make. I highly recommend trying this one. The recipe is from About.com.

Ginger Salad Dressing


Ingredients:
1/2 cup soybean or canola oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion


Preparation:


Combine all ingredients in an electric blender. Pulse several times, until celery is very finely chopped. Serve with tossed salad. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

     

I'm not sure if this constitutes a stir-fry (I imagine it doesn't) but I'm calling it that as that's the name I've always used. I always find that I have leftover proteins and veggies in the fridge and this is a great way to use them up (leftovers seem to be a bit of a theme this month, but I digress). This is something I whip up when I have those things as well as some left over rice. This isn't a formal recipe so bear with me here. Essentially I heat up about a tablespoon of canola oil (olive will do if that's what you have on hand) or if you have it about a half a tablespoon of sesame oil with about two tablespoons of soy sauce - low sodium, people... always control your salt in recipes. When that heats up throw in a pinch of ginger powder, a pinch of cayenne and a couple of grinds of pepper. After that throw in your chopped leftover veggies and protein (chicken and pork work wonderfully) and heat them through with the occasional stir for about two minutes. Lastly throw in your cooked rice. I use about a cup of cooked rice, a cup of protein and two cups of veggies. Stir everything through until it all appears coated. You may feel the need to add some more soy sauce if it seems a little dry - go right ahead. I do it all the time.

Now here's a little catch. If you like your stir-fry a little on the wet side, go ahead and take it out about three minutes after you've added the rice. If you're like me and you like your stir-frys (fries?) sticky, keep cooking until there is no liquid left in the pan and everything really starts to hold together. Feel free to eyeball all of this - it's not rocket science. Just tinker with it until you have it the way you like it. If you want to sweeten it up a little bit add a teaspoon of honey. If you want to make it a little richer mix in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Or add both (I just didn't do that this time because I started a fitness program and I'm watching my intake). And that's basically it folks. As always, feel free to add you thoughts or questions to the comments section.

Serves 2-4

AB

Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing

 

When I was but a wee lad, my father used to take my sister and me to a Japanese restaurant in Toronto called Tanaka of Tokyo. It was a Benihana style restaurant where the chefs cook the food on a flat top grill that was built into your table. Now while the whizbang magic of the chef was terrific as were the entrees, the real treat for me was a small salad served before the meal that had an exotic, pink hued dressing on it. It was absolutely delicious and was completely foreign to anything else I had eaten as a kid. I've been chasing that recipe down since I started cooking more frequently and I finally came across it about six months ago. What a treat, and so easy to make. I highly recommend trying this one. The recipe is from About.com.

Ginger Salad Dressing


Ingredients:
1/2 cup soybean or canola oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion


Preparation:


Combine all ingredients in an electric blender. Pulse several times, until celery is very finely chopped. Serve with tossed salad. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry (ish)

     

I'm not sure if this constitutes a stir-fry (I imagine it doesn't) but I'm calling it that as that's the name I've always used. I always find that I have leftover proteins and veggies in the fridge and this is a great way to use them up (leftovers seem to be a bit of a theme this month, but I digress). This is something I whip up when I have those things as well as some left over rice. This isn't a formal recipe so bear with me here. Essentially I heat up about a tablespoon of canola oil (olive will do if that's what you have on hand) or if you have it about a half a tablespoon of sesame oil with about two tablespoons of soy sauce - low sodium, people... always control your salt in recipes. When that heats up throw in a pinch of ginger powder, a pinch of cayenne and a couple of grinds of pepper. After that throw in your chopped leftover veggies and protein (chicken and pork work wonderfully) and heat them through with the occasional stir for about two minutes. Lastly throw in your cooked rice. I use about a cup of cooked rice, a cup of protein and two cups of veggies. Stir everything through until it all appears coated. You may feel the need to add some more soy sauce if it seems a little dry - go right ahead. I do it all the time.

Now here's a little catch. If you like your stir-fry a little on the wet side, go ahead and take it out about three minutes after you've added the rice. If you're like me and you like your stir-frys (fries?) sticky, keep cooking until there is no liquid left in the pan and everything really starts to hold together. Feel free to eyeball all of this - it's not rocket science. Just tinker with it until you have it the way you like it. If you want to sweeten it up a little bit add a teaspoon of honey. If you want to make it a little richer mix in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Or add both (I just didn't do that this time because I started a fitness program and I'm watching my intake). And that's basically it folks. As always, feel free to add you thoughts or questions to the comments section.

Serves 2-4

AB