Sushi!

Think sushi is something you can only enjoy on a special night out, prepared by a highly-trained sushi chef? Think again! You can make some simple rolls on your own at home for a sushi fix any night of the week!

Now is it authentic? I doubt it. Will you get crazier, more elaborate sushi at a fancy shmancy restaurant? Definitely. But this make-your-own sushi is simple, delicious, oh so easy to make, and sure to impress. All you need to do is pick up a few special ingredients and you're ready to go! 

First thing you need is nori sheets, which are the seaweed wrappers. I got mine at Fresh Market but I've seen them at Wegmans and other regular groceries stores as well. If you don't have any luck, an Asian specialty market is sure to have them. The next thing you need is the sticky rice. I got mine at Wegmans and a friend of mine found it at the local health food store. It's important, though, to get sticky rice or rice marked specifically for sushi; if you use regular rice, you'll have a tough time getting your rolls to stay together. Beyond that, you just need whatever you choose to put in your sushi. If you know of a store that sells sushi-grade raw fish, by all means go for it. If not, or if raw fish just isn't your thing, you can use cured salmon, often called lox. In addition, I also used cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, asparagus, and zucchini. Of course don't forget the soy sauce! And wasabi if that's your thing; I'm personally not a fan.

Actually making the sushi is simple. My nori package said to swipe the sheet over a hot burner several times until it turns bright green (be careful not to burn yourself!). This makes it pliable so you can roll your sushi without breaking the sheet. Then spread out your cooked sticky rice lengthwise in a line on the nori sheet (my sticky rice came precooked but if yours isn't, just follow the instructions on the package). Right alongside your rice, add the ingredients of your choosing in whatever combination you'd like. I chose to do avocado and cucumber, salmon and cream cheese, zucchini and asparagus (precooked), and salmon and avocado.

Now roll it all up and use a few drops of water to seal. Carefully use a sharp knife to slice the roll into pieces. I found that a serrated knife worked best for getting through the roll with all ingredients intact. And there you have it -- sushi at home! 

Make-Your-Own Sushi

No recipe for this one... Just get creative! 

Spinach and Garbanzo Bean Tapas

¡Delicioso! ¡Sabroso! ¡Mmm! Google translate tells me that's Spanish for Delicious! Tasty! Yum! All words that describe this Spanish dish, not to mention hearty and healthy. What more could you ask for?

Well, it's quite versatile as well. The original Smitten Kitchen recipe suggests serving it as a tapas with toasted bread (pita bread or chips would work too!). I have quite the affinity for tapas so that is certainly not a bad option! But you could also use it as a side dish, laying the foundation for a protein of your choice. Or serve it on top of a bed of spinach with some feta cheese for a light lunch. 

I followed the recipe fairly closely with this one, and I will warn you, it is a somewhat time consuming recipe. But plan to make extras so that you'll have some leftovers and it'll definitely be worth your effort, I promise. So grab your maracas and pour yourself (and me!) a glass of sangria because we're ready to party!

On a different note, I wanted to explain why my posts have slowed down just a bit lately... for those of you who don't already know, I'm going on a mission trip to Thailand in just over 6 weeks! (For more info, check out my site.) Fundraising, researching, planning, and preparing for this trip has taken over a good chunk of my free time. But I'm still committed to posting regularly so stick with me! Plus, one of the things I'm considering doing while over there is taking a cooking class, so I'll definitely have at least one amazing Thai food recipe for you at the end of all this. So get excited -- I know I am!! 

Spinach and Garbanzo Bean Tapas

(very mimimally adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

2 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained

4-5 tbsp olive oil

Large bag (11oz) of spinach

1 large slice of hearty bread, cubed

1/2 cup tomato sauce

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

Lemon juice, to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Add spinach and a pinch of salt and stir. Cook until tender and then set aside. 

Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil and toast the cubed bread until golden brown on all sides. Add cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic. If needed, add another tablespoon of oil. Cook for another minute.

In a food processor, blend toasted bread with vinegar until it forms a paste. Return to the pan and mix in chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until warmed through and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in spinach and stir again. If the consistency is too thick, slowly add a little bit of water. 

Top with smoked paprika and serve as you please! 

Lemony Moroccan Quinoa with Lamb Sausage and Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Bold claim: this is probably my favorite recipe I've posted on this site to date. It may be because I'm secretly proud that I dreamed up an ethnic dish without any inspiration recipes; it may be because I was ravenously hungry when I made it; but I think it's just because it's really darn tasty!

As with a lot of my cooking, this dish was inspired by trying to think of a delicious way to prepare one particular ingredient I had on hand; in this case, lamb sausage. I like lamb but had never actually cooked it before. I could have taken the easy way out and just grilled it and served with some veggies, but I felt like a special ingredient deserved some special attention. So I came up with the idea of pairing it with dried apricots for that sweet/savory contrast I love so much. And from there the ideas just kept on flying... I'll serve over quinoa! With pistachios! And what kind of flavors? Lemon! And mint! And because I was concerned it might be a bit dry and I love yogurt oh so much, I'd top it all off with a yogurt sauce! It was a done deal; all I needed now was to hit up Trader Joe's for the ingredients.


Well, after about two hours of wandering like a kid and a candy store, I finally emerged from the TJ's black hole ready to make my dreams a reality. The dish came together quite easily; the hardest part is just timing it all so it's done at the same time. Here's the game plan I'd suggest:

Get your quinoa cooking on the stove first (just follow the instructions on the package). Then start chopping so you have everything ready to go: onions, spinach, mint, pistachios, and apricots. Next, spray the bottom of a skillet with olive oil or cooking spray and sauté your onions. When almost cooked, add the spinach. Meanwhile, put the lamb sausage on the grill. I used my Foreman, but if you don't have one and it's not outdoor grilling season (which unless I have any Florida readers, it's not...), you could also put it under the broiler or just cook it in a frying pan. No matter which method you choose, be careful not to overcook as lamb sausage can get dry and tough if cooked too long.


Once the quinoa is cooked, add the sautéed veggies, half the chopped mint, the pistachios and apricots, some lemon juice, cumin, allspice, and just a dash of salt. Fluff with a fork.

As your lamb finishes up, mix the yogurt sauce by combining yogurt, lemon  juice, the rest of the mint, and minced garlic. Serve the lamb sausage over the quinoa and top with the yogurt mint sauce. 

The dish really looks and tastes more complex than it is, making it a perfect choice for serving at a dinner party. Or keep this gem all to yourself an enjoy with a nice glass of wine - you deserve it!

Lemony Moroccan Quinoa with Lamb Sausage and Yogurt-Mint Sauce

(Makes approximately one dinner serving plus enough for lunch paired with a side) 

For the quinoa: 

3/4 c uncooked quinoa
20 pistachios, chopped
5 dried apricots, cut into small pieces
6 mint leaves, chopped finely
1/3 c onion, chopped
Handful of spinach, sliced into small strips
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp cumin
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1 large or 2 small/medium links of lamb sausage (omit for a vegetarian dish)

For the yogurt sauce: 

1/4 c plain greek yogurt
6 mint leaves, chopped finely 
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 - 2.5 tsp lemon juice

Cook quinoa according to directions on package. In a separate pan, sauté chopped onions. When almost translucent, add spinach and cook until wilted. 

Grill lamb sausage until cooked all the way through. 

When quinoa is cooked, add in sautéed vegetables, pistachios, apricots, mint, spices, and lemon juice. Fluff with a fork. Top with sliced lamb sausage. 

Mix ingredients for yogurt sauce. Spoon on top of the lamb and quinoa. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have a confession to make... I watch The Bachelor. In my defense, I spend about 95% of the time making fun of the people who are on the show, but regardless I know I may have just lost some respect points with some of you. This is a consequence I'm willing to accept.

Every Monday night, I get together with a group of really awesome girls (and one guy who shall now and forever remain nameless for the sake of his manhood) to view this riveting two-hours of television. We take turns hosting and making dinner, and this week was my turn! 

I figured the best way to feed a large group was with a crock pot meal, so I decided to go with one that had been on my "Recipes to Make" pinboard for quite some time... Chicken Tikka Masala! I must admit, as much as I love Indian food, I've only dabbled with cooking it myself a few times as the list of ingredients usually totally intimidates me, but this recipe from LaLoosh looked totally manageable and so I followed it pretty closely. The main changes I made were that I increased the proportions by 2.5x to make enough for all my guests, used ginger powder because I didn't have any fresh ginger, and, because I was short one jalapeno and I me love some spice, I left the seeds/membranes on one of them for some extra kick. I also made extra brown rice and served with a dollop of plain greek yogurt. 

The night before, I chopped all the veggies and mixed everything but the chicken so it'd be ready to go in the morning. As you can see, things got a little crazy that night in the kitchen... (I was also prepping the appetizer -- roasted cauliflower yogurt dip with homemade tortilla chips, which I'll be sharing with you in a future post -- and created a recipe for a giant pot of soup I used for my lunches for the week, which I'll also be blogging about soon!) 

The next morning, I put the chicken in the crock pot, topped with the veggie mixture, and turned it on low. I checked it after four hours and because there was SO much in the crock pot, it wasn't really cooking yet. So I cranked it up to high for the next 2 hrs and 15 minutes. When I came back to check it again, I found it had overflowed (oops!) but was definitely getting good and tender. However, I needed to add some extra salt and because it seemed a bit too liquidy though, I broke up the chicken to absorb some of the flavor and mixed in some cornstarch to thicken the sauce. At this point, I turned it down to low and cooked for another hour and 45 minutes. Now, it's not necessary for you to follow these exact times, but I would suggest checking on it at some point before you intend on serving to break up the chicken into smaller pieces and see if you should add cornstarch. The original recipe suggests 6-8 hours on low or 4 on high for 4 servings so the times will really depend on how much you make. 

As the apartment now smelled overwhelmingly like an Indian restaurant, we were eager to dig in! However, if you're more patient than we were, it's probably best if you let it rest a little. Scoop your Chicken Tikka Masala on top of some brown rice and top with cilantro and greek yogurt. And there you have it -- Indian food made easy! 

The bachelor gang ready to dig in!

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

(makes approximately 8 servings) 

23oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 - 3 1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
4 jalapenos (3 seeded)
2 28oz can and 2/3 of a 14oz can of diced tomatoes 
1 1/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, plus additional for topping
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 1/2 tbsp Garam Masala
2 1/2 tbsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/4 tbsp salt 
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp lime juice (or the juice of 2-3 fresh limes) 
2 tbsp of cornstarch, if necessary 
Fresh cilantro to taste

Mix onions, garlic, jalapenos, tomatoes, greek yogurt, spices (except cilantro), and lime juice in a large bowl. 

Cut chicken into strips and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with vegetable mixture. 

Cook on high for 2 hours. Turn to low and cook for another approximately 6 hours. With 2 hours left, break chicken into smaller pieces and stir. If too liquidy, slowly mix in cornstarch. 

Cook rice according to the directions on the package. Scoop the chicken mixture on top of rice, top with fresh cilantro and greek yogurt to serve.