Egg and Cheese Sandwich

This is egg and cheese made over. I was definitely craving something with egg today, and luckily just went to the grocery store. At first, I wasn't going to make this post, because I was really hungry and wanted to devour the sandwich right away; but after I plated, it looked so pretty sitting there. The deep red color of the romaine and bright hues of arugula and mizuna contrasted so wonderfully. This is probably the prettiest sandwich I've ever made. That's all I have to say about that.

What's in it:
-thin whole wheat bagel, egg, salt, oregano, paprika, chedder + jalapeno + roasted red bell pepper cheese spread, red romaine, arugula, mizuna

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Caramelized Watermelon

     Caramel. Yum. Watermelon. Yum. Caremelized watermelon? That sounds weird. I know you're thinking that. Well, stop, and open your mind to the brilliance that is heat and sugars. I decided to go out on a real limb here and display a gourmet dessert that probably wouldn't cross your mind, but would definitely make Gordon Ramsay proud. It's summertime, so that means I've been indulging in one too many cooking shows on television (MasterChef, Food Network Star, and Hell's Kitchen, which is starting soon!). I see. Then I do. And voila! You get daily posts to read on this blog. (Let's hope I keep this up). I'm surprised I'm even doing any cooking and blogging, considering I have the MCAT looming over my head. But this is how I unwind and get my mind off microbiology, ochem, and physics (blech). However, the nerd in me then goes back and learns the science behind what I create. Despite how much I don't want to admit it, I love science. Anyhow, back to the important thing. Watermelon you say! Confounded! Believe it, folks. I first searched my leftover watermelon half for the perfect area to cut a small steak. Then I tested a piece in the pan. I seared all sides, making sure to lock in the water but create a layer of caramelized crust. Let me tell ya, seared watermelon doesn't smell good. So I went on to fix this stinky creation. I decided not to add extra sugar to the watermelon, as it's already abundant in natural sugars. However, I thought, what would make this smell better? Without much hesitation, I excitedly whispered, cinnamon! (Yes, living alone has forced me to begin whispering to myself...) I cut out another perfect steak of watermelon, and sprinkled on a conservative amount of beautiful, powdery cinnamon. I carefully placed it on the hot pan and seared that sucker to perfection. You could hear the slow sizzle and smell the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon...I was ecstatic! I had just owned several biology passages in my MCAT practice, so I was definitely on a high. A quick couple minutes later, the watermelon piece looked perfect--each side locked and loaded with caramel. The consistency of heated watermelon is similar to that of a poached pear--soft and full of warm flavor. It's such a light yet powerful dessert and entirely too easy to make. Also, I know you're thinking it looks like ahi tuna...I definitely thought the same. I believe my next caramelization feat will involve oranges.

What's in it:
-watermelon, cinnamon

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Fish & Chips

Hello all! I'm back! I have been cooking quite often, but haven't been documenting it...sorry about that. I figured tonight for dinner I'd make something different and post it for you folks. I'm running low on groceries, so I had to make with what I had on hand. I realized I had a filet sitting in my freezer waiting to be picked, and 1 red potato sitting all alone in it's bowl. Immediately, I thought fish and chips! Britain's common meal, fish and chips is traditionally prepared as a breaded cod, deep fried, and served with golden fries. However, what I've made here isn't your traditional fish and chips; rather, I took the concept and added my own flair to it. I chose to use a trout, which is a fish very similar in taste and texture to salmon (my favorite type of fish). I soaked it in lemon juice, and crusted it with panko crumbs and toasted pistachio with dried parsley. For the fries, I used a red potato, with the skin left on, of course. I tossed them in olive oil, and sprinkled on a generous amount of paprika, garlic, oregano, and salt. The fries will take about 30 minutes to bake, and the trout is cooked at about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. You don't want to overload the fish with extra flavors and seasonings, because the taste of the meat is quite exquisite without adding anything to it. This is a very quick, no mess meal that will definitely fill your hungry stomach. 

What's in it: 

-trout, panko bread crumbs, pistachio, lemon juice, parsley

-red potato, paprika, salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, olive oil

Guest Post by Irfana: Green Chicken

A chicken dish in Indian cuisine is usually an orange or red color, not green. However, this recipe uses the Indian spices and puts a twist on it by making it green. This is a very simple and very easy chicken dish that takes maybe half hour to make. I usually make this when I don't have much time and want something not too spicy or with salan in it. It has a very tangy and sour taste and goes great with naan or on top of plain rice. I even used it to make a sub-sandwich and it was delicious, just put some cheese on it and toast, and it's a gourmet sub! Here is what you will need: 1 boneless chicken breast, half a bunch of fresh cilantro leaves, 1 green chili pepper, half onion, ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 lime, 2 tablespoon of yogurt, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Cut the chicken breast into small pieces and set aside. In a blender put cilantro, green chili, garlic, ginger, onion and blend until it becomes like a paste. Then add the salt, chili powder and cumin powder, squeeze lime juice and add the yogurt to it, then blend some more. In a pot or pan add the olive oil and the cumin seeds, when it is hot and the seeds are moving around, add the paste from the blender and mix, put the heat on medium, then add the chicken and mix it well until all the pieces are coated. Cook until the chicken is done. It should be fairly dry and not too oily. You can always adjust any of the stuff according to your taste. Enjoy.

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Chicken Lasagna

 Guess who's back? Back again. I am back. Tell a friend. This has been on hiatus, unfortunately, thanks to my enemy who we'll call 'Gabapentin'. Big G has stopped me from doing the things I love (cook, draw, take pictures) and also don't love (study, attend class, wake up). He's still in my life, but isn't making that big of an impact anymore...which isn't entirely good. I mean, it's good for you. You get this blog back. I just get a pain in the neck. However, I've also been on hiatus thanks to my not-enemy who we'll call 'Super'. Let's not get off topic though. Anyhow, I've made food, but haven't photographed it because I left my charger back home, and just now got it this past weekend. After nearly two months, what was the first thing I photographed? The pile of coins accumulating on my table. Cool, I guess.
The past couple weeks have been nothing short of chaos. Exams and life have pulled me under and buried me into the ground, but I broke through. Despite what people say, I got me some of that upper body strength...I can tear through six feet of dirt if needed! Last night, instead of studying for my physics exam, I decided I wanted to make food, while comforting myself. It took me less than five seconds to decide lasagna was the perfect solution. I swear, I was Italian in another life. Who knows, perhaps I was, perhaps I will be?    
Whatever it may be, lasagna is excellent when you don't feel like cooking anything that takes more than a single pan to make. I love the versatility of it: you can make it as healthy or as unhealthy as possible. I settled for something in between. I kinda went Parmesan-happy on the top (that's the unhealthy part, happy Super?), but I had chicken as the protein (that's the healthy part). Confession time. I cheated when I made this. I didn't have the energy to make things from scratch...so I used store-bought sauce...I know, blasphemy, blah blah. Don't judge me. Everyone has their lapse of judgment at one point or another. But you try making all that in under an hour with a physics exam looming over your head. I did, however, get the noodles to be cooked to perfection, thanks to a little trick I used for the first time on this lasagna. Yay for experimentation. It's 2:09am. I need to sleep. Goodnight all.

What's in it:         lasagna noodles, tomato/basil sauce, mushrooms, bell pepper, parsley, oregano, paprika, mozzarella, Parmesan, ground chicken

Lemon Tomato Penne Pasta

If you have ever lived with me, you know I love making pasta and trying to conquer every type of Italian cuisine out there. I've experimented and tried so many pasta combinations that I've lost track of what I have done and not done. Also, freshmen year of college I decided to try northern Italy and attempt a risotto, which to my surprise came out quite nicely! Pasta is very versatile and comes in different shapes and forms. There's linguine, capellini, fusili, macaroni, penne, ziti, rotelle, rotini, and sooo many more. My favorites to work with are penne and capellini, especially the latter because it cooks so fast. My sister, Saadia, absolutely hated pasta no thanks to the crap quality of food that Kinsolving serves. She swore it off until I made a lemon-herb chicken capellini and made her eat it. Bam. I changed her tastebuds. Obviously you're gonna hate pasta if all you've ever had was starchy, cold, tasteless, rubbery not-fit-for-dogs-to-eat shiat. Anyhow, if you're a carb watcher, then I pity you. Seriously, you're missing out on such lovely deliciousness. Just portion your amounts and you'll be fiiiine. This specific one I made is very light on your stomach but bold in flavor, and can be enjoyed at the family table or during a dinner for two.

What's in it:
-penne pasta (amber durum), tomato paste, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, red chili powder, garlic powder, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, cumin seeds, grated parmesan

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Banana Nutella Stuffed French Toast

As you can probably tell, I have a thing for nutella. It's just so dang delicious! For you breakfast lovers out there, this is something you'll like. I had it for brunch today (since I woke up at 11:30). Last night I had a massive craving for one, so I had already decided then I'd make it this morning. French toast is quite simple to make, but also quite easy to mess up. If you're not stuffing it, then it's hard to mess up...unless you forget to flip it and end up burning it. However, when stuffing it, you have to make sure you dip it in the egg properly. Here's a tip: dip it far enough to where the surface of the egg mixture just barely skims the top of the bread, then flip it to get the other side soaked too. Aka, don't let the egg run into the middle of the two pieces of bread. Also, one egg is enough for 2 pieces of bread. Make sure the pan is on medium heat, or you'll end up scorching the toast too quickly. The bread only needs to be flipped once. You literally keep it on the heat for about a minute total, just enough to cook the egg and warm the nutella. So the secret ingredient I use in this is pure raw honey. I add it to the egg mixture and it brings out this wonderful taste to the final product. I ate this with a glass of OJ, and it totally jump-started my morning the right way.

What's in it:
-egg, sugar, honey, bread, bananas, nutella, powdered sugar (for garnish)

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