Happy 2010!

Our first dinner with Seitan

Having our fill of the holiday foods, we decided to cleanse ourselves with tonight's meals of Seitan.

Seitan is food made from the gluten of wheat, thus it is a vegan food. Seitan is an alternative to soybean-based meat substitutes such as tofu. It has a chewy and/or stringy texture more like that of meat than most other substitutes. Wheat gluten is often used instead of meat in Asian, vegetarian, Buddhist, and macrobiotic cuisines. Simulated duck is a common use for wheat gluten.

How did I prepare my Seitan? I slow cooked it for an hour in barbecue sauce, onions and tomatoes. I served the meal with my own Wild Rice Pilaf and steamed carrots for a total vegan dinner. My habib and I were surprised. It tasted good.

Hail Seitan!

Shrimp with Clam Sauce over Sphagetti

It was cold and dreary the day after Christmas so we decided to "nest" and cook up a storm. This is the second meal I cooked for the day. Only the sauce though since I want to have the option to eat this with couscous instead of pasta.

1 lb large shrimp, shelled (look at the photo above!)
1/2 cup clam sauce
dash of cooking wine
ginger
lemon
5 spice seasoning
oregano
chopped garlic
chopped celery leaves** (substitute for parsley leaves)

Combine ingredients in the slow cooker except the celery leaves. Cook on High for one hour or until shrimp is ready. Put the celery leaves last.

**While most people associate celery with its prized stalks, the leaves, roots and seeds can also be used as a food and seasoning as well as a natural medicinal remedy. (ref: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=14)

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

The cold winter days are a good time to make hearty soups. And every time we have roast chicken, I always have the opportunity to cook chicken soup. What better way to make use of healthy left-overs!

Left-over roast chicken, cut into pieces
250 ml organic chicken broth
250 ml water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
Onion, chopped
Celery, chopped
Carrots
Black-eyed peas , one can
1/4 cup of wild rice
Ginger

Put everything in the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours.

photo ref: http://foodiefashionista.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html

Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas from the Solomons

Enclosed is our Christmas Card for 2009, taken in Mürren, Switzerland, in a region called the “Berner Oberland,” January 2009 during our 14th year anniversary. Due to jet lag, we were awake by 2AM and went outside for night photos. This shot from Mürren faces the mighty Eiger North Wall under a full moon, with the little village of Kleine Sheidigg at its base. There were two feet of snow on the ground during this time, not unlike the New York City Christmas Storm of 2009, where we’ll get 18 inches.

We wish you a terrific Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from here in New York City, where for the first time in memory, it looks like we will truly experience a White Christmas.

First Snowstorm Dinner

Menu:
Slow cooked tilapia with lemon and tomato reduction
Steamed broccoli
Deanna's very own wild rice-white rice pilaf

Mark's Very Own Couscous Pilaf

2 cups couscous purchased in bulk
1 bouillon cube, chopped or ground finely
1 t basil
1 t roasted garlic
1 t oregano
1 t thyme

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container

To Prepare: Either with boiled water or stove top
a) 1 cup couscous to 2 cups boiling water to keep moist
b) Add nuts, raisins and vegetables, as you please