Arab Salad (Vegan)

serves 2-3

If you're looking for a great summer salad or something to accompany any arab or rice dish, arab salad is the way to go. I love making it with arroz con pollo or macluba (recipes that I'll post at a later date).

Arab Salad

• 1 large cucumber, diced finely
• 1 sweet onion, diced finely
• 3-4 tomatoes, diced finely
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 lemons, squeezed
• 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 handful of parsley, minced
• salt to taste
• love

Dice the cucumber, then set in a large bowl and salt generously (I find that this really cures any bitterness the cucumber may have). Cut and add the onion, tomatoes, garlic and parsley.

Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix well, adding salt to taste. 

*Be careful though, its generally a good idea to let the ingredients sit for 10-15 minutes BEFORE adding salt so that the salt from the cucumbers settles into the juices and other vegetables. 

Serve with your favorite rice dish or as a compliment to any arab dish (particularly hummus!), and enjoy!

Cheers,

FY

Tofu Scramble with Avocado Toast, Fresh Berries, and Fresh-Squeezed OJ (Vegan)

serves 2-3

I decided to surprise my girlfriend this morning by making some breakfast! This recipe is delicious and super easy to make.

Fresh-Squeezed OJ

• 7-8 oranges (depending on the size)
• love

Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice out with your hands into a large bowl or measuring cup. This will create a large amount of pulp which I personally love but if you don't, you can use a colander or cheese cloth to strain the juice and then set in fridge while you cook!

Avocado Toast

• 2 avocados, mashed
• your favorite type of bread for toast!
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• love

First, cut the avocados in half and remove the seed (I've found that the easiest way to do this is to quickly chop into the seed with the sharp side of a large chopping knife so that it is firmly stuck and then slightly turning the knife). Then spoon the avocado into a bowl and mash it with a fork. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. Remember not to toast the bread until after the rest of your breakfast is ready so that it is warm! Once toasted, spread the avocado mixture onto it and serve.

Tofu Scramble

• 1 lb of tofu, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric (or to taste, I usually don't use a teaspoon to measure, I just sort of put a dash of it in)
• 1/2 tsp cumin (same as turmeric, maybe a little more because the taste isn't as pungent)
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• love

So you want to start by draining and then slicing the tofu into 1 cm thin slices. Lay the slices out onto a either a towel or a paper towel and then cover with another layer of towel in order to slightly dry the tofu.

Next, finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat a large frying pan on medium and then add the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds before adding the onion. Sauté the onion-garlic mix until soft (onions are clear) while slicing the mushrooms (I recommend buying in bulk, its much cheaper and fresher) and chopping the slices of tofu into little cubes. Once the onions are soft, and the tofu and mushrooms. Keep the heat at medium and cover until the water is released from the tofu (3-4 mins).

Now add the yeast, turmeric, and cumin, stirring it to make sure the spices are spread evenly. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking until most of the water has evaporated. Add salt and pepper and serve  immediately. Add the avocado toast and fresh berries as a garnish.

Cheers,
FY

Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Quinoa (for One)

Chicken and Vegetables Roasted in wine with Caramelized Onions and Quinoa. 

Chicken roasted in white wine with tomatoes, asparagus, and green beans: 

I adapted the Roasted Chicken Recipe with Asparagus from Jamie Oliver (Thanks Josh Garrison for introducing me to his cooking). It is a nice simple recipe.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. In the meantime, halve some grape tomatoes, cut some asparagus into diagonal pieces, add some green beans if you would like or alternate them as a cheaper alternative to asparagus.

Mix all of this in a bowl with some olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and of course, your chicken. I use bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs from Costco*.

Create an aluminum foil tray. Put this mixture in the tray and pour some white wine, I hear dry wine (such as chardonnay) is good for cooking. Put it in the oven for 35 minutes.

People would kill for that tan

The nice thing about this recipe is that you are now done with this part and you can go about your busy life. For me that means quantum physics homework, chatting my fiancee <3, or research for my lab. Or, you can make a nice side dish such as caramelized onions with quinoa.

*****By the way, Costco chicken thighs are only $1/lb and come in packs of 11 pounds. You may wonder, "I can't eat all that chicken, it will surely go bad!" Fortunately, the chicken comes in 6 separable freezer ready packs with 4 thighs each. This way you can always have a few thighs in the fridge which you can easily use in a week before they go bad. 

Caramelized Onions with Quinoa:

While the chicken is in the oven slice half of a jumbo yellow onion (more/less depending on your love of onions). If you aren't very confident with you knife skills I suggest watching some Youtube videos, they really improved my cutting abilities. Here is one for slicing and chopping an onion I like.

Slicing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coxVzC4tcYw
Chopping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDjNl5gs4nM
Important here: Do not cut all the way through as they stated, this keeps the onion intact.

With about 25 minutes left on your timer for the chicken, heat some olive oil over medium heat. As well, mix 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of quinoa*** (also very reasonably priced at Costco) in a pot and bring to a boil. Once the quinoa is boiling turn down to low heat, cover, and let cook for approx 15-20 minutes.
With about 20 minutes left your olive oil will be plenty warm so throw in the sliced onions and stir/flip periodically for the next 20 minutes to a get a nice caramelized flavor. Add some salt and pepper while they are in the pan.

*****Quinoa is a great substitute for rice in both flavor and healthiness. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

Bringing it all Together:

The quinoa is ready when all the moisture as been absorbed and the quinoa has "popped" open to reveal it's inner white germ.  Mix the quinoa with caramelized onion mixture (including the leftover oil), paprika, and salt/pepper to taste. If desired, mix in a small amount of balsamic vinegar as well.
Finally, remove the chicken when the timer is done (you should have a nice brown on the skin) and drizzle balsamic vinegar. For presentation, keep the chicken mixture in the foil and serve; however, later on in the meal I suggest mixing the chicken/wine juices with the quinoa for a great taste!
Serve with an Orange and Enjoy!

Best,
ZB