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December 2014

Layered Tempeh Tostadas AKA: I know this one is a reach, but it's GOOD!

You know when you have to go get groceries but you don't want to so you use up whatever's in your fridge?  I've had that experience plenty of times in my life.  I actually wrote about it, too, if you'd like to check it out.  But today..?  Today, I think I struck gold with the residuum in my fridge.  As weird as it sounds, I made some tostadas using tempeh.  And they were glorious.   Tempeh tostada

If you have never heard of tempeh, don't feel all alone.  I didn't know what the heck it was until like 6 months ago.  Tempeh is made of slightly fermented soybeans and looks like a little cake.  You can crumble it up, slice it, marinate it, whatever it and cook it up in many different recipes.  I had only used it in place of eggs for a sort of breakfast scramble until today.  Here's what I came up with:

Layered Tempeh Tostadas

  • 1 Tbsp oil of your choice (I used avocado)
  • 2 corn tortillas
  • 4 oz soy tempeh - crumbled and seasoned with dashes of the following:
    • salt
    • pepper
    • cumin
    • oregano
    • garlic powder
    • onion powder
  • 2 Tbsp reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 Tbsp salsa
  • 2 leaves of Romaine lettuce- shredded

In a medium high heat pan, add a small amount of the oil and quickly fry the tortillas.  I personally like them a bit softer, but with some crunch on the edges for this dish.  Place them on a plate.  Add the rest of the oil to the pan and add the seasoned tempeh.  Saute the tempeh until it is slightly browned.  

Place one tortilla on a plate and layer on 1/2 cheese, 1/2 tempeh, 1/2 salsa, and 1/2 lettuce.  Add the second tortilla to the top and repeat the layering with the other halves of the ingredients.  

So good and so easy.  Try it and let me know what you think!

 


5 Things I love about Ruth Barnes The Petite Gourmande's new cookbook Sharing Morocco

Disclosure: I was given this book to review at no charge.  All opinions are my own.  

I have been given many cookbooks over the years.  They are my favorite type of books because they are always about my favorite subject: food.  

The newest cookbook I have been given to review is Ruth Barnes The Petite Gourmande: Sharing Morocco.  

Sharing Morocco
This book is beautiful from start to finish.  I want to share with you 5 of my favorite parts:

1. The pictures.  I am a sucker for pictures of food.  I love to see what a finished dish will look like so I can compare it with my end result after trying a recipe.  Every recipe in Sharing Morocco is accompanied with a perfect picture that makes the dishes even more appealing.

2. The stories.  Each recipe has a little snippet about one of the more interesting ingredients or Ruth's feelings on the dish.  I feel that gives each recipe a more familiar feel...more comfortable...easier to want to make.

3. The recipes that capture tastes I have yet to try.  I am new to Moroccan cooking, so the tastes and textures mentioned in Sharing Morocco are all foreign to me.  I never knew that adding fruits to meat dishes could be so delicious.  I never knew orange blossom water was even a thing.  I am always happy to experiment in the kitchen and am looking forward to doing just that with Sharing Morocco.

4. The history.  I love how Ruth gives a bit of history about Moroccan food by explaining its roots and how people have enjoyed it through the years.  I was unfamiliar with Moroccan cuisine until reading this book and now I feel less intimidated by it all.

5. The happiness that oozes from every page.  You can tell this cookbook was a labor of love to make.  Every recipe, every story, every picture was places together in such a joyful way.  I love flipping through every page.  I really feel that Ruth is trying to share her love of Morocco with her readers.

One recipe that really caught my eye and will be hitting my kitchen this week is one for Honey Pastry Cigars with Almonds.  Here's the recipe: Honey Pastry Cigars

Honey Pastry Cigars with Almonds or Briouats bil Looz ul Ashul

from Sharing Morocco 

  • 1 pack phyllo dough (20 sheets), thawed if previously frozen
  • 1 stick melted butter, at room temperature (for brushing phyllo dough)
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten

The nut filling

  • 1 pound ground blanched almonds
  • 2⁄3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons orange blossom water
  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 stick melted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the nut filling: Place all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Set aside while you prepare the phyllo. Unwrap the phyllo dough and place it on a flat surface. While you are working with a phyllo sheet, keep the rest of the block covered with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. Use a pair of scissors to cut the sheets into 3 inch-long strips. Take a strip of phyllo dough and brush it with butter. Place another strip on top of the first and brush it with butter. Repeat until you have a four-sheet layer.

Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of the nut mixture onto the phyllo layer, one inch from the edge of the side nearest you. Fold the corners over the mixture to seal, and roll it away from you to form a cigar shape. Brush the end with a small amount of egg yolk and press to seal. Repeat until you have used all the phyllo and nut filling. Coat a large baking pan with butter and lay the phyllo cigars in it lengthwise. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. 

The syrup

  • 1 cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons orange blossom water

While the phyllo cigars are baking, make the syrup: Put the honey and the orange blossom water into a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

When the phyllo cigars are done, remove the pan from the oven. Dip the cigars, one by one, into the honey syrup and place on a serving platter.

Don't those sound just delicious?  I can't wait to try them.

If you have a foodie in your life or you want your own  gorgeous hard cover cookbook , I highly recommend The Petite Gourmande: Sharing Morocco.  You can check it out here through my affiliate link (If you purchase through my link, I could receive a small commission.)

 


Food Truck Road Trip cookbook review and a recipe that will knock your socks off!

Disclosure: I received this book to review free of charge.

How awesome are food trucks?  I mean, really.  Those little portable restaurants have really come a long way from the ones I remember in my drunken college days.  Back then, you were lucky if a food truck had a selection that didn't have something deep fried or that required copious amounts of ketchup simply to tolerate it.  Those days, food trucks were there simply out of necessity for late night cravings.

But now, you can get anything from a food truck.  Lobster, sushi, gazpacho, you name it! And the best part is that the food is GOOD.  No more of that slop from the places we used to call Grease Trucks.  I just love food trucks.  

Book-cover (1)
I just looked over a new cookbook written by Kim Pham & Philip Shen from BehindtheFoodCarts.com (named the Best Culinary Travel Blog by Saveur magazine) called Food Truck Road Trip.  The cookbook not only tells the story of how certain food trucks from across the country made their way in the business, but it also contains recipes of some of the country's most delicious food truck treats.  After looking through the book, my stomach is telling me I need to take a Food Truck Roadtrip myself and check out some of these foods!

One recipe that really caught my eye is actually not even a food at all.  It's a coffee drink that just screamed food truck to me... the Post Bender from HubBub Coffee Company in Philadephia.  The drink is supposed to help you feel a bit better the morning after a night on the town.  Considering that's the main reason I've always gone to food trucks in my earlier years, I felt it was appropriate to post the recipe here for you as a little sampler of what Food Truck Road Trip has to offer.

Hubbub_Post_Bender_003

The Post Bender

from HubBub Coffee Company

    • 1 tbsp (22g) molasses
    • 1 tsp zested ginger
    • 1 ½ tsp (6g) sugar
    • ¼ cup (60ml) water
    • ½ cup (118ml) freshly brewed coffee, at room temperature
    • 1 (12-oz [340ml]) bottle porter beer (has strong chocolate presence)

To make the simple syrup, combine the molasses, ginger, sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir to make sure all the ingredients are combined and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the coffee and 2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 60ml) of the simple syrup and shake vigorously. Strain into 2 cocktail glasses and top with about 3 ounces (90ml) of porter each.

 Food Truck Road Trip is available on Amazon.com.  You can go through my affiliate link right here, if you would like.  I certainly would appreciate it as that means I could receive a small commission from your purchase.