Dinner - 15 Bean Soup

Today started off bleary, cloudy and grey. I decided that I was in the mood for homemade soup and freshly baked bread, but also realized that I would need to go to the store to pick up a few items to make both things happen. Since I don't drive, I took my trusty bicycle and was on my way. It started to drizzle just a little bit, but I made it to the store fine. I bought all I needed and headed back home -- and then it started to pour. It was raining cats and dogs, and I was riding my bike, getting soaked. Oh well. I made it home in one, soaking mess of a, piece and got to cooking. (And, can I just mention that as soon as I locked my bike up and was going inside, the rain stopped completely! I think the weather gods have a sense of humor. It became sunny and pleasant outside about an hour or so later)

I made "15 bean soup" and a garlic-herb-loaf. Both turned out delicious -- after a few mishaps. The recipe for the soup I got from my mother-in-law, who makes this soup and it is always so yummy! And the recipe for the bread I found online (click here), and it seemed easy enough and a good side to go with the soup.

A word of warning about the loaf recipe: I followed it with only one little mistake, which was accidentally adding about 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda, instead of 1 teaspoon, and I'm not sure whether or not this was to blame, but my loaf overflowed in the oven and spilled everywhere and consequently burned and made the whole house smell bad -_-  I suppose I should've listened to the voice in my head telling me that the loaf pan was also too full, and to realize it would rise in the oven, as the pan was filled to the brim with the dough, and just made two separate breads. Oh well, you live and you learn. I scraped off the burned bits and transferred the remaining un-cooked, un-burned dough into another pan, and it turned out just fine!

A few other adjustments to the recipe: I made my own buttermilk, by adding lemon juice to regular milk and letting it stand for a few minutes. Works like a charm! Also, for the herbs, I just used to same ones that the soup recipe called for. I suppose you could use whatever herbs you like best! Next time I think I will use rosemary, and a lot more garlic. Mmm!

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15-Bean Soup:

1 bag 15 bean soup mix

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 large red onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 bunches chopped green onions

1 tsp dried basil, or 1 tbs fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano, or 1 tbs fresh oregano

1 tsp dried thyme, or 1 tbs fresh thyme

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 to 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp salt

zest of 1 lemon or lime

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 qts vegetable stock or 2 qts water with 2 tbs vegetable stock base

1 can/box of diced tomatoes

Prepare beans according to package directions by soaking in water overnight or simmering them in water for an hour, draining the water and reserving the beans in a colander. Saute onions in oil for 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat til they are soft. Add minced garlic, scallions and all of the herbs and spices, including the zest, stir and heat through for about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and stir, then add beans, stock or water and base or plain water, cover pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cover pot again and allow to simmer for 11/2 hours. . Check for level of liquid occasionally. Add additional stock or water if soup appears too thick for your taste. Check beans for tenderness. If not soft, cook at simmer for another 1/2 hour.

dinner - playing catch up!

WOW.

It's been awhile, eh?

I suppose I got caught up with post-fast-eating-in-daylight-stuff, and sort of forgot about this little thing. Well, I did still take photos of food! And isn't that the whole point of this blog anyway? :)

Here's to playing catch up for the past week or so:

Fried spicy tilapia, with rice and a curry sauce
 (with edamame, tri color bell peppers, and bamboo shoots!)

Frozen pizza with added toppings:
Broccoli, peppers, onion, black olives.
And a simple side salad.

Breaded chicken, kale with white beans & garlic, and roasted sweet potatoes.

"Sunday Night Dinner" -- growing up this was dinner every Sunday.
Fried potatoes, deviled eggs, and corn.

Breaded chicken & asparagus, with mashed potatoes.

fast dinner - couscous & salmon

A flavorful grilled salmon fillet served with couscous and crispy, fried brussel sprouts. Also, a homemade lemon-dill sauce. Super delicious!

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Tonight is the second to last day of Fasting, and I must confess: I am so ready for this Fast to be over. This year it seems to have only gotten harder for me, and I am looking forward to enjoying food in daylight again! Especially since the weather has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL lately, and all I want to do is eat ice cream outside in the sunshine... :)

fast dinner - quesadillas

Quesadillas: cheese, chicken, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, spices!
Top with: sour cream, and black bean salsa.
Yumz.

fast dinner - smash burger

Yum, yum, yum, and YUM.

I love smash burger. It's a "fast food" place, but so much better than any regular fast food place I know. They use good, fresh ingredients, and their burgers (and chicken sandwiches!) are amazing!

We went there to break our fast a bit early on account of going to see a play at the school husband teaches at. 

I had a crispy chicken sandwich with Ranch dressing, bacon, avocado, tomato, and lettuce. YUMMM. Husband had a burger with cheese, bacon, a fried egg, lettuce, and tomato. We also shared a side of french fries and a vanilla milk shake. It was so delicious!

fast dinner - crab cake burger

Crab cake burger or crab cake sandwich? Either way = delicious!

Funnily enough, I'm not the biggest fan of the flavor of crab, but in these sandwiches it tastes super good!

I topped mine with homemade chipotle mayo (recipe here), onion, grape tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce -- (wish we had some hot banana peppers to go with it too). YUMZ. And I also made some oven fries to go with it (recipe here), from both regular & sweet potatoes.

fast dinner - chicken & potatoes

I made breaded chicken breast, but we were out of flour and only had a few eggs left (that I'm saving for breakfast), so I ended up using sour cream instead of those, as well as Panko breadcrumbs and some spices. Turned out really tasty!

I also made a little "potpourri" of roasted sweet potatoes, regular yellow potatoes, and some brussel sprouts. YUM.

dessert - DEEP FRIED OREOS

Oh la la! Deep fried deliciousness! These are typically a fair food, which husband and I tried on our honeymoon, and fell kind of in love with. Once I tried to recreate them there was no going back... :) Next time I want to try and deep fry other things than just Oreo cookies.

Click here for an easy recipe!

fast dinner - peanut chicken 2

Mmmm!
Peanut chicken deliciousness.... with some naan bread....... and an awesome salad. That's all one needs to be happy after a day of fasting.

fast dinner - thai noodle soup 2

Oh yes! This is really one of my favorite foods, ever!

Buy some cheap Ramen noodles and dress them up with delicious Thai curry and coconut milk as well as shrimp, green bell pepper, bean sprouts, and green apple. Super easy, suuuperrr yummy!

fast breakfast - compilation

waffles with strawberries & bananas and whipped cream!

fried eggs, bacon, english muffin, and fruits!

hash browns, scrambled eggs, and an english muffin!

The Fast is over halfway over (shh, I post-dated this), and here are a few photos from our early morning breakfasts! I've been getting up around 5:30am every morning to make something delicious for us to eat. We like to make sure we eat different things, so as to not get bored -- and so far we've been successful! I'll have to see if I can keep it up after the Fast is over and I won't have to wake up so early anymore... :)

fast dinner - pizza & mango salad

before....

after!

mmmmmango salad

delicious dinner

 Which do you prefer? Store bought, or homemade pizza? Even though I have featured frozen pizza on the blog before, I definitely prefer homemade -- and when I say homemade, I mean crust and all. And that's what was for dinner tonight.

You might be intimidated with the idea of making your own pizza crust from scratch (I know I was the first time I attempted it), but not to worry! I found a recipe (here) that is so simple and easy, and only takes about 15 minutes to make!

As for toppings: you can do whatever your little heart desires. We usually stick to veggies, with the occasional chicken or tuna (is that weird? My favorite pizza used to be one with tuna and shrimp!). Tonight I topped the pizza with tomato sauce, a layer of cheese, lots of garlic, mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion, broccoli, a few grape tomatoes, more garlic, and more cheese. Also a little shake of red pepper flakes and some Italian seasoning. So delicious!

I also made one of out other favorite salads (see? not always with the strawberry one...) - Mango & Goat Cheese salad. Oh goodness! The restaurant I used to work at served a salad like this called "Nirvana", and I must say eating it is very heavenly. The main ingredients are listed in the name, but you could add other yummy things that you like.

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Mango & Goat Cheese Salad:

lettuce

mango

goat cheese

almonds (sliced)

Cut mango into small, bite size pieces. Crumble goat cheese. Lightly fry the almonds. Toss everything together and dress with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.

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Tanja's Balsamic Vinaigrette:

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

(lemon juice)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

I don't have exact measurements for the ingredients, because I always just "eyeball" it. But I do it kind of like this: Start with the oil, using about as much as you'll want of the finished dressing. Add about a fourth the amount of balsamic, and an eight the amount of lemon juice, if using. Add a few shakes of all the spices, and mix. Taste testing is key here! :)

fast breakfast - crepes!

I made crepes this morning (at 5:45am) and they were delicious! Most of you might associate crepes with France, but they reminded me of the kind of pancakes we eat in Finland. Either way, yummy!

I found the recipe here, and it was super simple. I would recommend doing what others suggested in the comments: mix all the wet ingredients first (basically I just mixed everything but the flour), and then add the flour last. This way you'll have much less clumps. I also added about 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to make them sweet crepes.

Toppings could vary as much as the people eating these, but this morning we enjoyed them with jam and berries (and a little extra sugar), and husband had one with peanut butter and bananas. Scrumptious! 

fast dinner - leftovers

The Fast is not a good time to hoard leftovers in your fridge, since you don't eat lunch (or other afternoon snacks) and most of it doesn't get eaten. Well, at least it's like that in this house. But how do you make sure food doesn't just sit and go bad? You have a leftover dinner party!! Haha!

Tonight I pulled out all of the leftovers we had hanging around in the fridge and served it buffet style.  We had chili, gallo pinto, pasta, other kind of pasta, quiche, and other kind of quiche. I also made our favorite strawberry salad (surprise, surprise! You sick of hearing about it yet?) as a nice, fresh side.

Can you guess which plate is mine and which is husband's? :)

( psssst. top one is husband's, bottom one is mine :)

fast dinner - fish tacos

who here likes fish tacos? i know we do! it's been quite a long time since we had them last (i know this since they haven't made an appearance on the blog yet), but they are definitely a favorite around here! the first time i ever tried them was at the restaurant i used to work at - i instantly fell in love. 

did i mention that they are ridiculously easy to make! you just need some fish (we like tilapia) and lots of spices to make it super tasty, crunchy taco shells, and whatever toppings you like. traditionally one eats fish tacos topped with cabbage, which is delicious, but in a pinch lettuce is fine too! that's what we had today along with: onion, tomatoes, and my homemade chipotle mayo. superb!


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tanja's homemade chipotle mayo:

mayo

lemon juice

black pepper

paprika

chili powder

red pepper flakes

mix all of the above together, let sit in the fridge for awhile for the flavors to meld together, then enjoy!!

fast dinner - chili con carne

i was feeling like making some chili, so i did! i've never made it myself, but i remember enjoying at as a kid when my dad made it. turns out, it's fairly simple to make! i used a few recipes as guides (click here and here), but kind of just went with it for most of the dish.

the only things i would change is adding much more spices than i did - i thought i added enough, but it hardly had a kick to it. i would also add less tomato paste, because it tasted a bit too "tomato-y" for my preference.

 i served the chili with cheese and a dollop of sour cream, with a side of fried potatoes, and some baby carrots for freshness and crunch.

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chili con carne ~ tanja style:
ground beef (1/2 lbs)
onion (chopped)
garlic (finely chopped)
kidney beans (1 can)
diced tomatoes (1 can)
tomato paste (1 tbsp)
cumin
chili powder
red pepper flakes
salt
black pepper

fry onions until translucent, then add garlic and cook a few more minutes. separately fry ground beef with spices until fully browned. add these together in big pot, then add in beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste, as well as LOTS of spices! (you think you put in enough? ADD MORE. you want it to have kick to it.) let simmer for about 20 minutes. serve with grated cheese and some sour cream (it'll calm down the spiciness) - enjoy!

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fried potatoes:
potatoes
butter
salt

slice potatoes as thin as you can (this is the secret to the deliciousness!). add to frying pan with copious amounts of butter and a dash of salt. let fry on medium-low heat for a good long time (30 min or so), adding more butter if needed. they should be soft in the middle and nice & crispy on the sides. enjoy!

fast dinner - gallo pinto 2

as you might remember, if you've been following along this blog from the beginning, i made a dish similar to this one way back when once before :) (click here)

husband spent 12 days in nicaragua in january of 2010, and came back from that trip filled with new experiences and learnings, as well as new favorite foods! including gallo pinto, a.k.a. black beans and rice, and fried plantains.

tonight for our fast breaking dinner i made the gallo pinto, fried plantains (that unfortunately must have been old, because they were hard and not so tasty..), grilled chicken breast, and just some sliced tomato and onion. muy bueno!

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gallo pinto:

rice

can of black beans (preferably spicy)

cook rice as usual. heat beans up separately. if you are using plain beans, this would be a good time to add tons of spices to them. once rice is done, combine the beans with it, and enjoy! super simple and tasty! :)

(is this really even a "recipe"? :D )

fast dinner - burgers and fries

(( today marks the first day of the Baha'i Fast that will last for the next 19 days. husband and i enjoyed a wonderful breakfast this morning before sunrise: fried eggs, bacon, fried mashed potatoes, and an english muffin for husband, a bagel for me. also, orange juice, tea, and water. yumz! no photo though, because it was early and i wanted to just eat, haha!

so for the next 19 days i will be documenting our dinners, a.k.a. Fast breaking meals :) i hope you enjoy! and i hope i don't make you too hungry, if you're in a different timezone! ))

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delicious! homemade oven fries, and burgers with cheddar and mushrooms. we like going out for burgers (mmm, smash burger mmm), but it's also amazingly easy and yummy to make them at home. 

we usually like to add a little something to them, like bacon, or a fried egg, or avocado, or anything else we have hanging around. tonight we added some fried mushrooms and cheddar cheese, along with the regular tomato and onion, mayonnaise and ketchup.

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homemade oven fries:

potatoes

olive oil

salt

pepper

garlic powder

rosemary

peel potatoes, if needed, and slice into wedges. put in bowl and mix with oil and spices. place on cooking sheet in oven of 375F for about 30 minutes, until fries are golden on tips and sides. enjoy with some mayo!