It’s peak poblano season and I’m celebrating with this charred poblano pesto pasta recipe that’s easy enough to throw together for tonight’s dinner.
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Tagged: lunch
Pretty. Easy. Tomato Gazpacho
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
It’s so hot that I can barely eat much less cook. Luckily, this tomato gazpacho recipe is so easy to throw together that it can hardly be called cooking.
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Los Cabos Summer Salad Recipe
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
A vegetarian summer salad recipe inspired by my vacation to Mexico — with cumin toasted corn, roasted poblanos, tomatoes, feta, and a cilantro-pumpkin seed dressing.
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Chopped Salad with Buttermilk-Peppercorn Dressing
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
A substantial yet light vegetarian chopped salad that makes a satisfying light meal.
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Spicy Thai-Style Steak and Eggs
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
Not every meal needs something totally off-the-charts different; sometimes a simple riff on a classic will do.
This time of year, when I’m in San Francisco and the rain is slanted sideways and the fog so thick I feel alone in a city of nearly 1 million people, that’s when I crave easy recipes that are simple riffs. That’s when I crave brunch dishes that are a bit heartier, like, say, steak and eggs. And a cup of coffee — French press served black, thank you very much.
But the steak and eggs? I want them only so simple. I want them low maintenance enough that I don’t need to put in too much effort, hearty enough to soak up the remains of last night’s libations, yet interesting enough that I don’t feel like I’m just eating another plate of steak and eggs. So, usually, I throw on my sunglasses, tug on a large hat, and stay out of the glare of the sun — not too much of a problem in a place like SF — and head over to my go-to brunch joint for spot-on steak and eggs.
But, when I’m not in San Fran and I can’t roll myself to the brunch joint for this classic dish? That’s when I throw it together myself, but, as I tend to do, I add my own twist — this time with some Thai flavor. The base is a seriously versatile Thai-inspired marinade that would work just as well coating shrimp, pork, or chicken as it does this steak. And, after a brief marinade and some quick stove time, breakfast is as simple as that. Or brunch, or lunch, or dinner, because, let’s be real, this type of dish has a place at the table any time of day. Usually, I serve it over just-steamed rice (so it can soak up the marinade) though it would be even more satisfying served with a simple hash, like these beets or sweet potatoes.
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Spinach Salad with Seared Misoyaki Tofu
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
It’s that time of the year when some of us have ditched our healthy eating New Year’s resolutions while others are still attempting to hold on with dear life.
I’m in that second group and am doing my best to eat clean and healthy — with the help of a ton of lighter soups, healthy grains, and wintry salads. I know, when I write winter salads, you’re probably saying, “oh, great, that’s sure to be boring,” but it really doesn’t have to be that way.
My search for an interesting seasonal salad combined with my recent time in Hawaii led me to create this green salad topped with some seared miso-marinated tofu. It’s meatless, healthy, and made with ingredients available (to most of us) throughout the winter. The element that separates it from other, more predictable salads is the misoyaki tofu. Here I used the marinade with tofu but, if you’re not a fan, you could use it with salmon, tuna, or chicken. But, another resolution of mine has been to eat less meat so meatless sources of protein like tofu and I have become close friends.
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The Original Fusion Food
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
I had a revelation this trip: food in Hawaii was fusion long before the term was ever coined.
Sure, some modern dishes are historically Hawaiian and others have been slightly tweaked from a distinct ethnic dish, but a good amount of food in Hawaii is the result of a mash up of numerous cuisines and flavors. One such dish is Saimin: it’s origin dates back to sugar cane plantation days when various immigrants worked and cooked together and saimin reflects all those influences. Saimin has a broth reminiscent of Japanese dashi, uses egg and wheat noodles reminiscent of Chinese chow mein noodles, and is garnished with an assortment of toppings hailing from Chinese, Hawaiian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Filipino cuisines.
My first taste of saimin was a late-night meal at the Hawaiian fast food chain, Zippys, which was forgettable, to say the least. Fortunately, I’ve had better tasting saimin since, but every one has been so MSG-filled that I walk away feeling like I’ve made out with a salt lick. Recently, my friends in Hawaii asked me to craft them modern, homemade, healthier versions of their favorite local grindz (aka only-in-Hawaii foods) and when I asked which to start with, one of them blurted out, Saimin!
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Persimmon and Burrata Carpaccio
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
I wanted to share an elegant persimmon appetizer that’s been a dinner party hit this fall. This dish is one of those point-perfect holiday entertaining dishes because it’s festive, low-fuss, high impact, and, if I do say so myself, one of the prettiest appetizers around.
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Pretty. Easy. Kale Salad
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
It’s the countdown to the biggest cooking day of the year and, in the whirlwind of inviting, planning, shopping, and prepping, you just might forget to eat before you eat — know what I mean? While some like to starve before they dive into the Thanksgiving meal, I’m of a different camp: the one that eats a healthy, hearty salad. Here’s a kale salad that fits that bill and is pretty easy to make.
Speaking of which, Pretty. Easy. is also the name of a new series on the site where I’ll be sharing recipes that are seriously simple and easy on the eyes. But, back to the salad at hand: it’s quick enough to throw together whenever hunger strikes, yet festive enough to bring out for Thanksgiving, assuming you haven’t already eaten it all beforehand.
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Urban Legend Of The Smooshed Sandwich
by Aida Mollenkamp — Share
Urban legend has it that the smooshed sandwich came about when a mother put her toddler on the kitchen counter while making a sandwich. The mother turned away for a second and when she looked back her baby had sat on (and thus squashed) the bread.
I love that imagery but it’s more likely this sandwich came about when someone made a no-cook panini by putting a sandwich at the bottom of a picnic basket and letting it get smooshed by the other contents. Whatever the origin, it’s a fun sandwich that kids adore making. There’s something about manipulating and squashing food that gets kids jazzed and this sandwich takes full advantage of that. The fillings are a riff on the BLT, known as the PALT (prosciutto, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) around my house, but feel free to use whatever sandwich fixings your kids like. No matter how you fill it, just make sure you leave yourself adequate smoosh time because it a flattened sandwich is all that more fun to eat.
