Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

I was seriously craving stuffed mushrooms but I can't exactly stuff them with cheese like usual! I replaced the cheese with a seasoned couscous. Rice is also a good option but couscous is so quick to cook! First I marinated the mushrooms in some balsamic vinegar to give them a bit more flavor. Season the couscous as you like, I recommend garlic and onion, and replacing water with broth instantly gives it more flavor.
Grill or bake your mushroom until tender and stuff with couscous. Add a teaspoon of olive oil for more flavor. I topped it all off with a fresh baby tomatoe from our garden for some sweetness! If you are looking for some protein, I recommend adding a hard-boiled egg - although Justin would suggest bacon! This is just a really simple, vegetarian dinner as well as potentially vegan. :)

This is my dish, but it's a bit fuzzy.

Afghan Introduction

I was recently at a friend's house for a study-dinner date. My friends are two Afghan sisters who wanted to introduce Afghan food to me. I absolutely love Indian and Nepalese food so I knew I was probably going to enjoy Afghan food as well! Since its August, the Muslim community is observing Ramadan by fasting while the sun is up. So at about 8 PM, we broke fast with bolani! Bolani is this delicious, buttery (without actual dairy) flatbread stuffed with various vegetables like potatoe and spinach. Although the bolani was most memorable, we also munched on Afghan meatballs, spicy potatoes and garlic, Afghan bread, and shrimp fried rice. My friends wonderfully sent me off with some bolani for Justin - and he was absolutely in love! Since then, Justin's been asking me to figure out how to make bolani but I do not have any tools or ability to make bread (maybe after med school?). Thankfully - I found my way out of having to make bread when I was visiting a local farmer's market this morning! The Afghan booth had four different flavors of bolani and all were vegan! :)

If you are looking to try bolani, check for a local Afghan store or at the farmer's market. If you are looking to make your own bolani, you can purchase phyllo dough (with dairy) or make a dairy-free bread. With a bread maker, add 3 cups prepared bread flour and 1 cup water and follow the instructions from your bread maker. While your bread is preparing, boil water and cook 1 lb of potatoes. Roll a small amount of dough thin (about the thickness of a tortilla) and about 10-12 inches across. Spread about 1/4 cup of potato mixture (as well as any other vegetables you want) and fold in half. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and brown the bolani on both sides. Serve with plain yogurt or chutney. I heated 1/4 of bolani with a garlic and roasted bell pepper hummus spread for lunch below :)

Thai Spiced Tofu

Tonights dinner was Thai Spiced Tofu, with a side of curried green beans and crusty bread. The picture, honestly, does not do the food justice! But lighting was off tonight and I was hungry! I left the tofu as a whole for about five to ten minutes to loose some of the water before slicing into about 1/4" thick slices and in half (to make my man feel like he's getting more food lol!). I personally feel like its easier to cut when some of the water is drained but purchasing extra firm tofu also helps to keep it together!

I cooked the about 2/3 lb of green beans in 1/3 cup of broth, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, and a small teaspoon of green curry. The original recipe called for thai red curry but we prefer green or yellow. The green beans cooked on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes, and then were set aside. 

The tofu was dipped in a marinade of: 

1.5 tsp green curry 

1.5 Tbsp oyster or fish sauce

 2.5 Tbsp of sugar

 And a little water to make the sauce less thick

 Quickly cover the tofu, and put in a pan of a small amount of sesame oil. Let the tofu cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until a nice golden brown.

And a slice of crusty bread as a side to a sweet and spicy meal!