Same Ingredients, Different Dish

The majority of the salads I eat at home are simply lettuce, tomato, and dressing. Sometimes just lettuce and dressing. I like to switch it up every once in a while, though — especially when something or someone inspires me. One of my favorite restaurants in Scottsdale/Phoenix, AZ had a light salad made from spring mix lettuces, julienne apples, gorgonzola, and a Chianti vinaigrette. That simple concept is what I based this salad on:

The base was a trio of babies: spinach, chard, and kale. I subbed some pears that needed to be used for the apples, and tossed in spicy roasted pecans and caramelized red onion. I roasted the pecans with chiles in oil & finished with a bit of salt. I learned my lesson from making that spelt tortilla pizza (read about it in this post), though, and kept everything well ventilated while roasting the chiles, haha. I didn’t have Chianti, so I made a vin from my homemade fruit wine, fruit wine vinegar, garlic oil, shallots, pinch of raw sugar & stevia, and s&p. I forgot the herbs, but, oh well! I added a garnish of “fried” yogurt cheese. I am currently fasting from regular cheeses, butter, and a few other things 😦 😦 , so I decided to use my homemade non-fat yo-cheese (see how to make homemade yogurt in your slow cooker here). I mixed it with a little beaten egg, as was called for in the Lamb Moussaka recipe I recently posted about. So salty and yummy! I was craving something similar to my fave fried goat cheese. The first time I had fried goat cheese was in a salad at a Phoenix Art Museum restaurant, and I have been in love with it ever since.

Using basically the same ingredients (being frugally minded), I also made a pear flatbread/pizza on a homemade whole&heirloom wheat tortilla:

As I said in my post on The Many Uses of Spelt, I often use tortillas for a quick pizza base. As pizza is one of my favorite eats, I will use any kind of bread to produce one. I particularly like tortillas, though, because they are so thin (I make mine super, super, thin). So, less bread equals less calories, and I still get my craving satisfied. I lightly poached the pears with ginger before piling them onto the tortilla. The tortilla was rubbed down with garlic oil first, and I also added the caramelized onions, yo-cheese & egg mixture, and spicy roasted pecans. I let the pie come up to temperature first, then gave it a hit under the broiler. Simple and satisfying.

Basic Kitchen Equipment List & Equipment Substitutions

Kitchen Equipment List | Elle A Cooking.

I thought I would share this link about basic equipment for your kitchen. I absolutely love any type of kitchen gadget, and it’s probably one of the only things I don’t mind spending a bit of money on. But, my blog is called ‘La Cashionista,’ so I thought I would throw out a few inexpensive substitution ideas. I thought some of you may be just starting to stock your kitchens (or know someone who is), or you may just want some ideas for simple swaps.

Before I get to that, though, I want to gush about a few kitchen items that I love, love, love (just basic stuff, not the fancy gadget-type things). The first thing anyone who knows me will tell you is that I absolutely adore my Forschner Victorinox bread knife. I gave away a couple thousand dollars worth of knives in lieu of this one. Not kidding. I use it for nearly everything (even if it’s not “proper”), except perhaps paring and boning. I have already written about my fondness for cast iron pots and pans. Besides being easy to clean, they can double as a serving dish. A few other faves that come to mind: my rubber spatula with curved up edges (spoon/spatula), food processor, blender, mandolin with julienne blades, slow cooker, veggie peeler, zester, graters, chinois, and misto sprayer. These are some of the items I wouldn’t want to be without.

As for equipment substitutions, here are a few I’ve thought of:

1) I mentioned in an earlier post about subbing a soup can for a cookie cutter.

2) I often use the food processor for doughs instead of a stand mixer, as it can be quicker. They are easy to use and will also slice, chop, mince, grate, shred, and julienne with the attachments. If you are lacking space, though, a mandolin and a small and large grater can be useful (and a cheaper purchase). Also, look for ‘no-knead’ recipes if you prefer not to knead dough by hand (and a mixer or processor is not an option).

3) Don’t have a fancy tortilla press? Just use a heavy object like a book to smash your little balls of dough. Or, if you’re crafty, make one yourself: DIY Tortilla Press. If you enjoy woodworking, you might also try making your own cutting board. Really crafty, try making your own wooden spoons.

4) OK, I know you already know this, but…just use the pot lid to strain out your pasta water instead of a colander. And, if you’re already in a lazy mood, just use the biggest frying pan you have to boil your spaghetti water (vs. that mammoth stock pot). I know it’s not proper, haha, but the water will boil faster. Plus, who cares about proper when we need to get to eating!

5) If you don’t have an actual pasta machine, use a pizza wheel to cut your homemade dough for pastas like fettuccine (I saw this somewhere, but don’t have the link). Good for homemade tortilla chips, too.

6) A good blender is a great investment. But, if you’re only going to make protein shakes for the gym, try buying a bottle with a ‘blender ball’ inside to save a little cash.

7) Use a thin linen tea towel if you run out of cheesecloth. Also, a chinois is nice, but it takes up a lot of space. Sub a smaller strainer with cheesecloth if you need to create a silky smooth sauce.

8) Use any thicker sheet of flexible plastic that you may have (like a placemat) in place of a sushi roll mat.

9) Lastly, these are not really sub ideas, but I thought I would include them: if you are just starting to stock your kitchen (but you want to get a little more creative with your cooking) try purchasing small, inexpensive gadgets such as veggie peelers, melon ballers, small ice cream scoops, and zesters. These types of items will allow you to garnish and create interesting shapes for your dishes without a lot of expense. You will obviously need to make a few larger purchases when first setting up a kitchen, so you might try items that have several uses. For example, I love slow cookers for a good stew, etc., but you can also make things like homemade yogurt or essential oils in them. Food processors also do a host of tasks.

I am sure there are a lot of other substitutions you can make, but that’s my list for now. I will post more as I have time. The blog link I shared also offers cooking classes, so take a look to see if you might be interested (if you’re in the area).

WhirlwinDISH 24

I didn’t go too wild with my WhirlwinDISHes this time — just a few updates to some of my fave comfort foods. As I said in my last post, I have not been feeling my best this week. So, I thought a bit of rice pudding for Rosh HaShanah would cheer me up! I made it with cow’s milk sweetened with honey and traditional flavors like nutmeg and vanilla. I decided to use forbidden rice instead of my usual white or brown, then topped it with unsweetened whipped cream, fresh pom syrup, and pom seeds. The finished pudding was actually a little more purplish than the black that the pic shows (and sorry, I didn’t realize the pudding smudged a bit of the glass, making it harder to see). It was SO good and just the thing I needed. A perfect Rosh HaShanah treat!

I figured I would include a couple more fairly simple dishes (nothing fancy!) with forbidden rice this posting. I made a baked soup/casserole, as the weather has finally cooled off here in Tucson (80s & 90s vs. 100+ degrees 😀 ) — yellow split pea and forbidden rice flavored with garlic, onion, smoked paprika, s&p, and lots of cilantro. Cilantro is one of my favorite things, so I find ways to (over)use it for tons of different meals. I actually hated it when I first tried it, but it grew on me. Good thing, too — living in the Southwest, it’s in many a dish. I haven’t made a baked soup with split peas before, but I kind of think of it as a version of my typical beans and rice. The pic doesn’t look all that great, but it was pretty tasty and satisfied my need for comfort cooking (and cilantro). More cilantro: other pic is a tortilla made from whole and heirloom wheat flour with beetroot powder & juice, forbidden rice, and a fried egg. Super easy!

The Many Uses of Food Powders

Adding to my other posts about preserving our foods, I thought the many uses of dehydrated and powered foods might be interesting. As you can see from my pics, I dehydrated red beets, sweet potatoes, and chard, then ground them into powders. I dehydrated golden beets around the same time, but after tasting one…well, they got eaten! Many people are allergic to artificial dyes and colors, so this is a great way to get the food coloring you want and save some cash. I’ve pictured veggies, but fruits (like cherries, black and blue berries, etc.) or herbs are also wonderful.

Colored pasta is the first thing that comes to mind for me (it’s ALWAYS pasta for me!), but there are a plethora of other uses. You can use your powders to enhance color and flavors for broths (you can thicken them a bit with sweet potato, as well), cream, sauces, bread doughs, cakes, truffles, and frosting. You can make powdered drink mixes, use them for garnishes, and they are great for craft projects. Mix them with a little water and use them as an alternative to water colors for little ones. Naturally-dyed Easter egg shells are fun, or you can make marbled eggs like Chinese tea eggs (see my pic. *As a side: In case you’re interested, I made those from an adaptation of this recipe: Chinese Tea Eggs.*). Teas and coffee are fab in that they are already dried. They can be used for food dyes, but also try them for natural and inexpensive wood stains (fruits and veggies, too).

I used a blender for my veggies this time, but you can also use a spice mill. I store my powders in recycled containers with a desiccant to keep out the moisture. There are probably a ton of other options, but those are just a few I’ve thought of for now. I will post more ideas as they come to me.