Country Style Chicken Liver Pate with Sherry

Liver - it is one of those foods that you either hate or love, depending upon your personal psychological history with the organ. I was raised by a good German American who loved liver and fried onions and passed that along to her children. So I may be a bit biased when I say this pate is too die for, but once you try this, I don't think I will be alone in that judgment!

I could run through the long list of reasons why you should eat organ meats (or offals as restaurants call them) such as they are packed with important minerals like iron, folic acid, and copper, in addition to being high in B vitamins and vitamin A. Or remind you how inexpensive they are. Or I could just tell you that this pate is so simple and delicious that it will make you drop your pants! Meaning, you'll do just about anything for another taste!

Bean Sprout Salad with Ginger, Scallions and Cucumber

Ever since making Gram Flour (Chick Pea) Pancakes last week, I've been thinking about the various ways vegans get protein in their diet. Pancakes almost always signify carbohydrates yet when they're made with a legume they provide protein - such a great twist!

Along those lines, bean sprouts look like vegetables, are usually found in the produce section of a grocery store and yet they too are protein, and highly nutritious and easy to digest at that. Recalling a recipe that a friend shared with me more than 20 years ago (which I promise to make soon) I realized that sprouts area great ingredient to build a light meal around.

Shrimp with Homemade Tandoori Marinade

One of my oldest and dearest friends is from New Delhi, India, and it was with him that I ate at my first Indian restaurant. "Never order shrimp in an Indian restaurant," he warned me, and I have always followed his advice. He explained that it was only put on the menu for Americans, and not really Indian at all.

But when I was exploring My Feasts and came across this post, I knew I would have to leave the beaten path and try Tandoori Shrimp for myself. Well, not quite by myself, I invited a friend over and we both agreed it was pretty good!

While the recipe I referenced noted that you can buy Tandoori paste at specialty stores, I knew that I was not going to waste a lot of gas driving around Los Angeles looking for said paste.  (In case you're an experienced Indian cook, I want to be clear that I know that part of what makes a dish "Tandoori" is the type of oven it is cooked in, which I didn't have.) Of course it wasn't too hard to make it from scratch, so being the DIYer I am, that's what happened. I found a recipe here and reduced the portions to what is below. If you like it a bit spicier, increase the paprika.

Shrimp with Homemade Tandoori Marinade

4 tablespoons cilantro, minced
5 tablespoons ginger, chopped
1 large lemon, zest and juice
2 1/2 tablespoons cumin seed, pan toasted
2 tablespoons paprika
2 large red chilies, chopped
2 large garlic cloves
2.2 oz tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

10 shrimp (5 per diner)
3 tablespoons yogurt

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You can add a teaspoon of water to ensure smooth blending. Scrap down sides to ensure all is blended. This will make about 8 tablespoons of paste and the best way to preserve it is to spoon it into an ice cube tray and freeze them. Use two cubes (2 tablespoons) for a 2 person meal.

Combine 2 tablespoons of paste with the yogurt and blend well. Marinate shrimp in mixture for 30 minutes and then bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Stuffed Cheese Bread with Herbs at Stacey Snacks
Panzanella Bread Salad at Simply Recipes
Asiago Crusted Baked Zucchini Sticks at The Taste Space

Tomato, Mango and Jicama Salad

Here's a super easy and fresh summer salad that uses my favorite root vegetable, jicama. The crunchy, citrus taste of jicama goes really well with the mango and cilantro and the savory taste of tomato just makes your mouth jump with excitement!

Bring this to your next picnic or potluck and watch people turn in surprise as they bite into the crunchy jicama. You could easily add some toasted nuts - cashews or almonds - and make this a heartier salad as a main dish or a side.

Don't add the avocado until the last minute as it has a tendency to get terribly mushed when tossing the ingredients.

Tomato, Mango and Jicama Salad

1 1/2 cups diced jicama
2-3 large tomatoes (I used a mix of heirloom and early girls)
2 large mangos (or 3-4 altufo AKA champagne mangos) diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1 avocado, diced
1 lemon or lime, juiced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt

Mix all in a bowl and toss gently. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:
 
Vegan Tuna Salad at Gluten Free Goddess
Japanese Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish at Closet Cooking
Shrimp Po Boy with Remoulade at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Gram Flour (chick pea) Pancakes with Coriander Chutney and Raita

Ever since I came across this post here I have been dying to make these pancakes. They sounded so quick, easy and delicious that I knew they would not wallow long in my bookmarked recipes file.

Gram flour, made of ground chick peas, is not only gluten free and full of protein but has a lovely nutty taste. Add any veggies or seasonings that you like and presto! you have a fabulous faux carb for your meal. Don't even think about serving them without the condiments - that's like pie without whipped cream or salsa without chips. The coriander chutney was this recipe that I made before and the raita is just yogurt, cucumber and cilantro (or mint, your choice).

This beauties make a delicious snack or as part of a larger meal. No matter when you eat them I know you'll will enjoy them!

Gram Flour (chick pea flour) Pancakes with Coriander Chutney and Raita

1 1/4 cups chickpea flour (or gram flour)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garam masala
1-2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, minced
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Place chickpea flour in a large mixing bowl. Add water and whisk to make a smooth batter. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and blend well. Set aside for 15 minutes to a couple of hours to thicken. Heat nonstick or cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add oil and spoon batter into pan and cook like regular pancakes, flipping when each pancakes has multitude of popped air bubbles on its uncooked surface. Serve with Chutney and Raita.
Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Gluten Free Chicken Burger at Sophie's Foodfiles
Tempeh Hot Wings at The Ordinary Vegetarian
Lamb and Cucumber Kabobs at Ladyberg's Kitchen

Beer Can Chicken

A couple of summers ago I went to a backyard cookout with a bunch of twenty something men who I worked with at Just Food Co-op. As the deli manager at the co-op at the time, I had become the defacto expert on everything cooked, whether that fit the circumstances or not. So when one of the guys kept asking for my tips on how to cook his first beer can chicken I thought I heard him wrong. What in tarnation was a "beer can chicken"?! Turns out, it is a superb way to grill a chicken and keep it moist.

This memory was stirred up by a recent post by Elise at Simple Recipes when she remarked that the concept alone might incite men to cook more. As Elise put it, some guys refer to this as "beer butt chicken" since a half full can of beer is inserted into the cavity of the bird and used to prop it upright on a grill. It definitely is a comical sight which produces fabulous results.