Warm Spinach and Mushroom Salad

I know my inspiration lately has been heavily food related, but architecture, most likely as a result of the recession, has been lacking these days. There aren't nearly as many projects anymore.

Recipe from Global Table.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
12 oz assorted mushrooms (Iused 4 oz French Horn Mushrooms; 8 oz Oyster Mushrooms)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus 1 Tbsp for the last step
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 lb baby spinach
1/4 cup slivered almonds
salt, pepper

Directions
1. In a large skillet over medium high, saute mushrooms in 3 Tbsp olive oil until reduced and golden brown. Add garlic. Saute a few more minutes, until fragrant. Add raisins. Deglaze with white wine.

2. Add spinach and turn off heat. Toss for a few minutes to wilt. Transfer to serving bowl. Toss with slivered almonds, 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chinese Sticky Rice

My grandma makes this every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always want to get the recipe from her, but forget every time, so when I found this recipe, I realized it would be a perfect second option! My grandma puts little dried shrimp into the rice that nobody likes, so it was good to see that this recipe does not contain them.

Recipe from Noodle Fever.

Ingredients
2 cups of sweet rice, soaked for 2-3 hours
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves of garlic
3 shallots
2 stalks of green onion
3 links of lap cheong
2 links of pork sausage
1½ cups mixed mushrooms
10-12 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and diced
1¾ cups water and/or mushroom soaking liquid
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Chopped green onions and cilantro to garnish

Directions
1. Mince garlic, dice shallots, slice green onions. Chop up your lap cheong into small dice.

2. The wild mushrooms kind of got lost in the dish, so I'll probably skip them next time, and just use shiitakes. If you're soaking dried mushrooms, submerge them in just enough hot water to cover, let them sit for half an hour, and save the liquid to add to the rice. Dice mushrooms.

3. If you're using water chestnuts, peel off their tough brown skin, along with any mushy or rotten bits with a sharp knife, then dice. Don't make these too tiny, or they won't retain their crunch. Definitely do not substitute canned water chestnuts. These are watery and soft and will ruin rather than improve the texture of the final dish. A few stalks of diced celery would make a reasonable substitute.

4. Heat oil in a large wok, then add the shallots. Let them get slightly brown, which should take about four or five minutes. Toss in the garlic, and then start squeezing in your pork sausage, throwing the casing away. Break the sausage up into small pieces (I like to use two wooden spatulas for this step) and cook until browned on all sides. Toss in the rest of your chopped ingredients: mushrooms, green onions, water chestnuts, lap cheong, and give them a quick stir.

5. Drain your rice. Dump this into the pan and mix well with the other ingredients. Then turn off the heat and transfer the whole mixture to your rice cooker. If you soaked mushrooms, pour the reserved soaking liquid into a measuring cup. As you pour (slowly), check if there's any grit from the mushrooms in the soaking liquid. Stop pouring before the grit makes it into the measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1¾ cups total. Add this to the rice cooker. You can also just use water for this step.

6. Add soy sauce. Hit cook. This took half an hour in my rice cooker.

Toasted Mushroom Pasta

This looks amazing... I guess I really like pasta...

Recipe from Gimmesomeoven.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. fresh mushrooms (approx 2 cups), cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 oz macaroni, or other pasta
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Directions
Heat a large heavy skillet over very high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan. Sautee the mushrooms until browned, but not cooked all the way through, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the parsley, garlic, oregano and cook for another minute or so. Pour in the wine and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and remaining sauce to a bowl, and set aside.

In another large skillet or saucepan, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Add the macaroni and stir it constantly until it is a deep golden brown (this should take about 5 minutes). Be sure to watch carefully, as the pasta can go from toasted to burnt very quickly!!

Once toasted, pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the pasta is al dente, or almost tender. (This should take approximately 10 minutes.)

Stir in the mushroom mixture and cream and cook for a few more minutes to let everything come together in a beautiful creamy, but not claggy sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and pepper. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed, but the parmesan is usually just salty enough. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh parsley, and more parmesan if you’d like!

Books I've been reading lately...

This post should actually be called "books I've been choking down in the last month." In attempt to soften the blow of post-college reality, I've been immersing myself in all types of fiction. Just so I can keep note of what I read, I felt like it'd be good to list the books here. Maybe I should keep track of my movies as well. Anyhow, my favorite book so far, obviously, is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I loved this book. I read it with such fervor and it took me longer than usual to detangle myself from the clutches of the book's world post-read. To me, that signifies effective writing. This book intrigued me so much, I have decided to purchase the entire series, but, as the 3rd book does not come out until August, I've been holding off on beginning the second book in order to space out the novels a bit. I could write lengths more about this book and the ideas it presents and the joy of its characters, but, for the sake of brevity, I will restrain myself.
2. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom - I did not expect to enjoy this book very much. I generally enjoy Mitch Albom's books, but I figured this one would be very similar to his previous ones, with an added aggravating religious message. This did not turn out to be entirely true. It was not irritatingly religious. And, while it helped me remember to prioritize certain things in life, it was also not radical in its messages. It was a mild read, though, as I am incredibly sensitive, I did find certain parts touching.
3. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown - This book was a wild disappointment, as I usually enjoy Dan Brown's books. The characters and plot were entirely unconvincing. While it brought new issues concerning the government to light for me, its overall execution was greatly lacking.
4. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon - I was really interested in this book and, while it was well-written and enthralling, I guess it didn't quite strike the perfection chord with me. Not that I should be comparing books with similar subject matter, but in terms of portraying autism in a riveting plot, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night was far more successful. Though, I'm sure Ms. Moon was aiming for thoughtful, rather than riveting.
5. Trouble by Gary Schmidt - This surprised me with how well-written it was. The characters, in some aspects, could have been placed into even more complicated theories and situations, but, as this is a teen novel, their problems were somewhat simplified. Regardless, I enjoyed this book and found that it addressed rather pressing race issues in a satisfyingly, non-cheesy manner.
6. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix - I literally just finished reading this book about a half hour ago. It has an incredibly consuming plot. I shirked several duties tonight in my need to find out what would happen next in the book. The same sense of mystery and suspense that kept me reading, however, wavered a bit near the end. I enjoyed reading this book, but it did not offer as much food for thought or character development as Hunger Games did. Regardless, I will probably read the next installments in the series, as it supposedly concerns historical fiction, and I love historical fiction! Onwards!

Lavender Hot Chocolate

Ever since I tried the Hot White Chocolate with Lavender at Lulu Rae's Confections in Oakland, I've been hoping to get the chance to return and try it again. My friend Jayson and I drank it one cold night, near the holidays and it completely lit up my day. This recipe, from a la mode, consists of dark chocolate instead of white, but I hope it's as delicious! I can't wait to try it soon.

For a creamier hot chocolate, a 1 to 1 ratio of dark to milk chocolate can be used. Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
3 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao)
1 ounce milk chocolate
1/4 teaspoon lavender buds

Directions
Heat milk and lavender over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the milk begins to simmer. Remove from heat and let lavender steep for 5 minutes. Strain lavender and return milk to saucepan. Over medium heat, add chocolate and mix until chocolate is melted and incorporated. Whisk milk mixture for 10-20 seconds until frothy. Pour into mugs or bowls and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Natalie Portman

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

My mom and dad love oatmeal. I think this would be the perfect thing to make for them on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Recipe from Une-deux senses.

Yields: about 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup steel cut oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups milk
2/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped into bits (I used Granny smith)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla

Healthier version:
- exclude the brown sugar
- reduce cooking oil to 1/8 cup
- add another 1/3 cup applesauce
- maple syrup to drizzle on top

For the apple pie topping:
3 medium apples (I used Granny Smith)
2 tbsn. unsalted butter
1 tbsn. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of allspice

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking dish, set aside. In a large bowl combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar (if using). In another bowl, combine the milk, applesauce and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix to combine. Fold in the apple bits and then place mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir the mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

To make the apple pie topping, heat the butter in a medium saucepan until melted. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Saute until desired consistency and slightly caramelized, about 5 - 7 minutes. Serve the hot oatmeal with the apple pie topping and/or some sugar-free maple syrup!