Okonomiyaki

It's time to play Refrigerator Surprise, everybody's favorite game show where you must make a healthy dinner solely out of ingredients scrounged from your fridge or pantry - no grocery shopping trips allowed!   Ali from Green and Lean, come on down!  You're the next contestant on Refrigerator Surprise!

Wooie!  I'm so good at this game.  Sure, it's been a full week since I was last at the Farmer's Market and I know food is a bit scarce, but let's see what we've got to work with here.

Ok, the top shelf is pretty much just cocktail mixers, a half bunch of cilantro (in a mason jar, covered by a bag), and a half gallon of whole milk intended for a batch of yogurt.  Second shelf contains a salad spinner of somewhat wilty leaf lettuce, refrigerator pickles, ground flaxseeds, three jars of assorted Trader Joe's nut butters, and a whole bunch of other condiments.  Bottom shelf is 2 beers and 4 mini cans of pineapple juice (more cocktail mixers).  Well, this is a bit more bare than I expected, but I'm up for the challenge.  What's in the refrigerator door?

Wow.  Pretty bare here, too.  Eggs, butter, anchovy paste, several mustards, and lots more condiments.  Maybe this won't be quite as easy as I thought.  Oh, wait!  The crisper drawers!  I ALWAYS have lots of great fruits or cheese or veggies there!  Hallelujah, I'm saved and will win this contest after all!

Oh crap.  I'm so screwed.  I can't make a fabulous quick and healthy meal out of a tiny $1 farmer's market head of cabbage, half an onion, and some old carrots.

Or can I?

I can!  I'll make okonomiyaki (say it out loud, it's so fun! oko-nomi-yaki), a Japanese pancake/frittata/pizza (depending on which website you believe) made mostly of cabbage.  My aunt Barb has lived near Osaka, Japan for many years, teaching at the US military base.  She once told me about how delicious okonomiyaki is.  Then shortly after, I read about it on Heavy Table.  I used 101 Cookbooks' recipe today because it doesn't call for specialty ingredients like dashi or bonito, which I don't have, and I'd be disqualified from Refrigerator Surprise if I tried to make a quick run to United Noodles for them.

First I shredded up the cabbage, carrots, and onion in my food processor, then tossed in some flour and salt.  And hey, since the only herb I've got in the fridge is cilantro, I chopped that up and added it, too.  I carefully stirred in 3 beaten eggs until everything was coated.  The texture of the batter was kind of like making a veggie burger patty.  Sticky, and not too runny.

In my skillet, I heated a mere tablespoon of olive oil and pressed my batter into the pan.  I was worried about it sticking, but I kept using my spatula to push down the sides of the okonomiyaki and that seemed to help.

When the bottom was nicely browned and started smelling good and toasty, I slid the entire thing onto a plate, used another plate to flip it over, and slid it back into the pan with a touch more olive oil.

While side two was cooking up, I mixed together a tiny spoonful of mayo with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a squeeze of sriracha, influenced by this recipe.  I also found some sliced almonds in the freezer so I toasted them up in a separate skillet.

Now that side two was browned up all over, I used a spatula to slide my okonomiyaki onto a large cutting board, slice off a big piece, slather it with a thin layer of spicy mayo, and top with toasted almonds and some chives snipped from the backyard container.

DING DING DING!  **Bells and whistles**  JACKPOT WINNER!!!!  The cabbage transforms into something sweet but still crunchy.  The crispy brown crust tricks you into thinking you're eating something deep fried and decadent.  The cilantro was a bright hit of freshness.  The spicy mayo added a touch of richness and sweetness and the almonds were the perfect garnish.

Join me next time on Refrigerator Surprise when I make a 4 course Italian feast with only sprouted garlic, almond butter, boxed wine, and a bag of frozen peas.

Okonomiyaki, adapted from 101 Cookbooks and Love and Lemons
Serves 2

1 small head cabbage (about 2 or 3 cups), shredded
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1/2 large onion, shredded
handful chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, etc), optional
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
3 small eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp mayo
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
hot sauce to taste (sriracha recommended)
toasted sliced almonds to garnish
chopped chives or scallions to garnish

In a large bowl, toss your shredded veggies and herbs with flour and salt.  Mix in beaten eggs until all veggies are coated.

In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Press cabbage mix into pan and use spatula to push down sides and press flat.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until bottom is nicely browned.

Slide onto plate.  Use another plate to flip over.  Add a touch more oil to hot pan and slide flipped okonomiyaki back into pan to cook second side.  Use spatula again to keep pressing it flat.  Cook another 4-5 minutes or until side 2 is browned as well.

Remove from pan and slice into triangles. Spread a thin layer of mayo mixed with worcestershire and sriracha on top and garnish with toasted almonds and chives.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Pickled Red Onions
TWO YEARS AGO:  Grilled Balsamic Veggie Sandwich
THREE YEARS AGO:  Quick Zucchini Saute

Colin's Garlic Citrus Shrimp

So I know this guy.  He's one of those guys who is interesting and knows stuff.  Stuff other people have to look up or make up.  He knows it.  I know he's not bullshitting either, because I'm the snot who keeps asking questions to see if he really knows what he's talking about.  He does.  The most interesting man in the world from those Dos Equis commercials has nothing on this guy.

This guy has an absolutely ridiculous variety of different interests and talents.  He knows graphic design and has created websites.  He edits and creates awesome videos.  He is an entertaining and witty writer.  He loves athletics, became an avid cyclist, and competed in marathons and Ironman triathlons.  He is a musical dictionary and introduced me to the Jayhawks and an awesome Ben Folds cover of a rap song (although he has questionable taste in hard core death metal junk, too).  He is an accomplished craft beer connoisseur.  He knows the meanings of every dirty word and will explain them to you upon request.  He loves four-letter words and has a mastery of profanity few could ever hope to achieve.

For awhile, there was one certain four-letter word I was convinced was his favorite.  E-P-I-C.  It's not a curse word, but it does have four letters.  He has described so many things with this adjective:  epic tv shows, epic movies, epic songs, epic songwriters, epic beers, epic food, epic parties, certain epic parts of certain epic people's anatomy...  I never see or hear the word EPIC without thinking about this guy.

Where I am most jealous of this guy's brilliance is in the kitchen and at the grill.  I've been the fortunate recipient of countless meals from his kitchen and back yard.  He has taught me how to use my old Weber (the one I use now actually used to belong to him and his wife, they gifted it to me when they upgraded) with confidence.  He has instilled within me the belief that Coastal Seafoods is the only place to get fish in Minneapolis, and like a true culinary disciple I go nowhere else.

This guy invented the recipe for and taught me how to make this awesome garlic citrus shrimp, which I've always called Colin's Shrimp.  It's the most delicious thing anyone has ever cooked for me and I begged for the recipe years ago.  Although Colin doesn't follow recipes, he explained how he made it and I've tried to recreate it.  Of course my version never tastes as good as his, but this is a close approximation.

I make Colin's Shrimp for my family every year up at the lake and they LOVE it.  I've made it for many other friends and dining companions and it's always a hit.  After heating the grill, it takes a mere 15 minutes to make from start to finish and all you really need to make it a complete meal is a nice loaf of crusty baguette to soak up the garlicky/winey/citrus juice (although adding a salad is always a good idea).

For all of the above reasons and a million more, I am enraged that Colin is forced to endure ALS.  It's a disease I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.  It hasn't stopped Colin from knowing stuff and being pretty much my most interesting man in the world.  Merriam-Webster dictionary describes epic thusly:  "extending beyond the usual or ordinary."  Well, that pretty much describes Colin in a nutshell.  You, sir, are truly epic.

Colin's Garlic Citrus Shrimp
Serves 3-4 people

1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat your outdoor grill or large skillet to medium.  If cooking on a grill, put butter, oil, and garlic in a disposable pan (or make a tray out of tinfoil) over the grates.  Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute to melt butter and start to cook garlic gently.  Do not burn garlic.

Add wine (careful with alcohol around an open flame) and cook for a couple minutes to reduce and cook off the alcohol taste.

Add shrimp and a hefty pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp loses its transparency and starts to curl up. Shrimp is done when all pink, but be careful to not overcook or it will be tough and rubbery.

Remove shrimp from heat and squeeze lemon and lime wedges over shrimp.  Serve immediately with fresh bread to soak up juice.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Zucchini Chevre Tartine
TWO YEARS AGO:  Veggie Hummus Wrap
THREE YEARS AGO:  Mustard Dill Fish

Grilled Portobello Salad

The dog days of summer are here, folks.  I love it.  So much.  Even if it means I don't cook much in July and August.  It's fine by me because with fresh farmer's market bounty, every meal makes itself.  With three years of blog archives, I've settled on my favorite summer recipes and have fallen into a delicious daily food routine.

Breakfast is yoatmeal, with raspberries, or nectarines, or blueberries, or whatever looks ripe and sweet that week.  Lunch is usually gazpacho, with cheese or avocado and bread.  For an afternoon snack, I have some juicy watermelon.  Dinner is some type of salad:  this one, this one, and this one have tickled my fancy lately. Some people may find this rotating menu boring.  Not me, not right now.  The tomatoes are sweet and fresh, the lettuce is crisp and crunchy, the fruit tastes like candy.  Every meal is a celebration of fresh local produce.

The only problem with this routine is keeping my Green and Lean readers entertained.  I console myself by thinking (hoping) that you're way too busy enjoying your summer to be reading blogs anyways.

I was planning on making some sandwiches with these portobello mushrooms, but suddenly became reluctant to deviate from my routine so I turned them into a supper salad instead.  To be honest, I've just eaten too much amazing walnut buckwheat bread from Sun Street in the past week so I decided a salad was a better option than more bread!  

At the end of each week, I frantically need to use up all of last week's produce so that I can go to the market and re-stock with fresh stuff.  So, I decided I needed to grill up my zucchini, grape tomatoes, and red onion for my salad also.  I had a package of criminis (same as portobellos, just smaller) so I used them as well.  It would be criminal to not top this combo with some local goat cheese.  The leftover marinade is turned into the salad dressing so nothing is wasted.  Serve with a glass of chilled white wine.  Perfect!

Grilled Portobello Salad

Serves 2

2 portobello mushrooms

1 package crimini or button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 cup grape tomatoes (optional)

1/2 red onion, large dice (optional)

2 zucchini, large dice (optional)

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil, plus 1-2 Tbsp additional

salt and pepper

lettuce

goat cheese

1 tsp dijon mustard

In a large bowl, ziploc bag, or tupperware, marinate your mushrooms and other veggies in 3 Tbsp each balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then add salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature for an hour or so.

Heat your grill to medium high and grill your marinated vegetables for about 4 minutes on each side.  Use a grill basket for the smaller veggies.  

Add a teaspoon of dijon mustard to your leftover marinade and whisk in another Tablespoon or more of olive oil until it emulsifies.

Layer grilled vegetables on a bed of lettuce, top with crumbled goat cheese, and drizzle with dressing.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Cauliflower Steaks with Broccoli Gravy

TWO YEARS AGO:  Chili Lime Veggie Burritos

THREE YEARS AGO:  Gazpacho

Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas

When's the last time you cooked something so good you licked your plate?  For me, it happened last night when I made Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas.  And again half an hour ago when I ate leftovers.  This is some pure unadulterated white and green goodness, with a vast majority of the ingredients sourced fresh from the farmer's market.

Let's discuss tomatillo salsa, shall we?  I. Am. Obsessed.  I've made it in summers past (here and here), and I love it so much that I might make a few enormous batches to freeze or give away as gifts this year.  This salsa is somewhat sweet, thanks to the tomatillos.  The sweetness also helps offset the heat of the jalapenos and then you get a tangy kick of lime with the overall smoky charred backbone - it's a very balanced flavor profile.  It would taste awesome on chicken or pork, eggs, practically every vegetable, and, duh, tortilla chips. I admit that in the past 24 hours, I've taken a few hits of it, straight up, on a spoon.

I wanted to keep the guts of these enchiladas as green and white as possible (because that sounded pretty), so I grilled up some zucchini, onion, and corn and mixed in white beans and goat cheese.  The hot grilled veggies melted the goat cheese so the filling was all creamy and rich.  I rolled that hot filling up in some grill-charred corn tortillas and topped it with the still warm green salsa.  

I don't whip this phrase out very often, but I am a Norwegian-Minnesotan so I sometimes use it for emphasis: UFF DA!!  Best enchiladas EVER.  If you try one new food this year, make it tomatillo salsa.  And if you don't like it, I'll take it off your hands, promise.

Grilled Zucchini Enchiladas

Serves 4

For the tomatillo salsa:

12-15 tomatillos, papery coverings removed and rinsed

3-4 cloves garlic, skins removed

1 medium onion, quartered

1-2 jalapeno chili peppers (or serrano chilis), depending on your spice tolerance

juice of 1 lime

1 big handful cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

For the enchiladas:

3 zucchini or yellow squash (or combination), sliced into planks

1 red onion, sliced into thick rings

3 ears corn, shucked

1 can or pint white beans, drained

1 log goat cheese

1 package tortillas, flour or corn

To make your tomatillo salsa, heat your outdoor grill, grill pan, or broiler.  Coat tomatillos, onion, chilis, and garlic in olive oil and grill or broil until charred all over.  A nifty grill basket comes in handy here so things don't fall through the grates.  Remove stem and seeds from chilis and pulse everything in a food processor or blender with lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

To make your enchiladas, coat onion, zucchini, and corn with oil and grill until barely charred.  Chop zucchini and onion and remove corn from cob.  Put veggies in a big bowl with beans and 3/4 of the goat cheese log. Mix well and the heat from the veggies should melt the cheese but no big whoop if it doesn't.

Toast your tortillas over a gas burner or the grill to get a little char on them.  This step is not necessary, but I think it adds another smoky grilled flavor to the final dish, plus a little extra crunch.  Careful you don't make the tortillas TOO toasty or you won't be able to roll them.

If making for a crowd, roll filling in tortillas and place in large baking dish.  Top with tomatillo salsa and crumble remaining goat cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or hot through.

If making for just a few people (or if you can't use your oven), roll hot filling in tortillas and put on plate and top with tomatillo salsa and crumbled goat cheese.  You can nuke it for a minute if it's no longer hot.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Bird Bars

TWO YEARS AGO:  Salad on a Stick

THREE YEARS AGO:  Arugula, Feta, and Watermelon Salad

Fried Cauli-Rice

Similar to how Seymour spotted the Audrey II in the market one day and just had to have it, I had my own impulse buy last weekend.  [I'll give you a second to really think about that movie and remember how freaking awesome it is.  Rick Moranis, I love you.]

While at Kingfield Farmer's Market, I was merrily toting around my heavy bag of freshly purchased fruits and vegetables, sipping an iced coffee, and trying to figure out how difficult the bike ride home would be with  a milk crate stuffed full of zucchini, carrots, lettuce, chard, blueberries, beets, radishes, snap peas, onions, and tomatoes.

When all of a sudden, a solar eclipse of the sun occurred.  When the light returned, these weird green and purple alien plants appeared and I just had to buy them.  [Seriously, that movie is the BEST.  And this scene is pure cinematic brilliance.]

All right, all right.  Broccoli romanesco and purple cauliflower are not alien plants that require blood to survive.  But they are pretty foreign to standard grocery stores most of the time, so it's a special treat to find them at the market.  And they make me want to break into song.  These two goofy looking veggies are simply Italian varieties of regular old cauliflower, but they are a million times more beautiful and have a slightly milder, sweeter, nuttier flavor.

I'd seen Elana's post on cauliflower rice long ago, and it's been tucked in the back of my memory.  My technicolor cauliflower relatives seemed perfect for use in experimenting with this recipe.  Some quick food processoring and chopping to start and a speedy stir fry later, I had a giant bowl of pretend fried rice in front of me.

It may not look like much, but this fake rice is so incredibly, amazingly, out-of-this-world delicious.  Ten times better than actual rice (because rice is bland, and cauliflower has flavor!) and at least that many times better for you.  Most of the ingredients in this dish are customizable to your taste, but do not skip the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, or sesame oil.  These four ingredients in combination are dazzling.

Fried Cauli-Rice, inspired by Elana's Pantry
Serves 4

1 large head cauliflower (or any mixture of related vegetables such as broccoli romanesco or purple or orange cauliflower)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 cup peas or edamame beans
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped
2 eggs, beaten

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
a dash of sriracha hot sauce, or more to taste

Using a food processor, pulse your cauliflower until it's a bunch of tiny rice-sized bits.  Alternatively, you could grate on a box grater if you don't have a food processor, but that seems like a lot of work.

Heat about 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, carrots, and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir and cook until they start to soften, about 3-5 minutes.

Add your cauliflower, garlic, and ginger and another pinch of salt.  Stir occasionally and let cauliflower cook until it starts to brown or stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add your sauce ingredients, peas, and chard and mix well.  You may want to put the cover on for 30 seconds to help wilt the chard and let the moisture unstick things from the bottom of the pan.

Make a well in the middle of your pan, add a bit more oil, and scramble your eggs.  Once scrambled, mix eggs back into the rest of the caulirice mixture.  Serve immediately with more hot sauce.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Raspberry Yogurt Popsicles
TWO YEARS AGO:  Creamy Cucumber Salad
THREE YEARS AGO:  Beet and Goat Cheese Pizza

Grilled Tilapia with Watermelon Salsa

It's awful and wonderful to be back from a two week vacation.  Awful because my vacation was so perfect I didn't want it to end.  Wonderful because I missed my real life, and real life in July in Minneapolis is AWESOME.  We are so lucky - abundant farmer's markets, great restaurants (and Restaurant Week), deck parties with friends, and fun people (the aforementioned friends).  And if it gets hot, just throw on a suit and head to one of the many local beaches like I did last weekend, and yesterday, and today.

I knew I had really missed my kitchen when, within 18 hours of arriving home, I had made:  a half gallon of yogurt, a quart of almond milk, 4 pints of refrigerator pickles, and an enormous ramen noodle salad with an absolute truckload of veggies in a spicy almond butter sauce (I happily ate the salad over the course of three days and never once thought to take a photo for the blog.  Pity, because it was quite delicious and nutritious).

Thank goodness I had my head on straight and camera ready tonight because this grilled tilapia with watermelon salsa was fantastic.  I  went to the co-op looking for halibut or cod, but the only white fish they had was tilapia.  Tilapia is not my favorite fish, sometimes I think it can taste dirty.  But the price was right, and the filets came ready to cook, so I took my chances.

I'm glad I did.  The tilapia was delicious.  With the salsa, it was salty, spicy, and sweet, all together a good combination.  Plus, I just always get a kick out of eating a mostly pink dinner, it just makes me unexplainably happy.  I served my fish and salsa with quick zucchini saute and it was a light and refreshing yet satisfying dinner.

Grilled Tilapia with Watermelon Salsa, from Serious Eats
Serves 2

2 cups finely diced fresh watermelon
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
juice from 1/2 lime
handful cilantro, chopped
salt

2 filets of white fish (cod, halibut, tilapia, etc)

olive oil, salt, and pepper

Mix all your salsa ingredients together and let the flavors marinate together for a few minutes (or overnight if you want to make it ahead).

Heat your grill or grill pan and lightly brush with oil. Season fish with oil, salt, and pepper and grill over medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side, or until it flakes with a fork.  Tilapia can be delicate so if you're grilling outdoors you may want to use one of those grilling baskets so you don't lose some fish into the coals.

Serve topped with watermelon salsa.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Baby Food
TWO YEARS AGO:  Refrigerator Pickles
THREE YEARS AGO:  Collard Wrap

Yoatmeal

A few weeks ago, my awesome friend Alicia sent me a link to a post about something called "refrigerator oatmeal" and asked if I'd ever heard of it.  I, of course, being such a worldly food blogger, haughtily replied, "I eat that every day."*

Unfortunately, I didn't read the post past the title and therefore assumed that "refrigerator oatmeal" referred to oats soaked in some kind of milk (which I do actually eat most days for breakfast with fruit).

When I finally got around to reading the post, I found it was NOT oats soaked in milk, but in YOGURT.  Mind?  Blown, thank you very much.

What a freaking GENIUS way of combining my 2 staple breakfasts (oatmeal or yogurt) into one perfect combination of a summery, cool, nutritious, filling, and delicious breakfast.  I ate this every single morning on my vacation at Lake Lida.**  I used strawberries and blueberries from the farmer's market, raspberries from my backyard, and a half a banana.

This will continue to be my daily breakfast for the remainder of this summer.  Thanks, Alicia!

* I am a total snot who thinks she knows everything.

** OMG.  It was the most incredibly sunny, hot, and amazing 2 weeks at a lake cabin EVER.  I had the best time with lots of friends and family floating in the water, boating, and eating some really awesome food including walleye, grilled garlic lemon shrimp, grilled pizza, and tons of fresh fruits and vegetables.  I even made some KILLER fresh strawberry/blueberry daiquiris.  It's bittersweet to be home.

Yoatmeal, adapted from The Yummy Life

Serves 1

1/2 cup plain yogurt (homemade - with whole milk - is what I use)

1/4 cup regular rolled oats

1/2 tsp pure maple syrup (more or less to taste)

1/2 - 1 cup cut fruit (as much as you can eat!)

Mix everything together and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to soften the oats, or up to overnight.  

ONE YEAR AGO:  Quinoa Patties with Poached Eggs

TWO YEARS AGO:  White Gazpacho

THREE YEARS AGO:  Quinoa Salad with Tahini Dressing