Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Simple Italian Style Orzo

Here's a very simple variation of an Italian style meal substituting noodles with Orzo. If you've never had orzo, my best description is that it tastes like pasta in the form of rice.

Ingredients:
2 Green bell peppers
1 Box of Mushrooms
4 Small Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Capers
Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute (or equivalent)
Orzo

Boil orzo in a pot with a teaspoon of olive oil. While boiling chop bell pepper and tomatoes. Slice mushrooms. Set aside. Add olive oil to a pan. Sprinkle 2 tsp of seasoning. Once heated start adding bell peppers. Sprinkle another 2 tsp of seasoning. Cover for a minute. Stir in mushrooms. Let cook for another few minutes until peppers have softened a bit. Finally, stir in the tomatoes. Stir again. Cover for 1 minute. Take the jar of capers and spoon out 4 Tbsp into the pan. Cook for a few more minutes and cover.

If you haven't already, drain the orzo and place 1 tsp of olive oil. Stir. Spoon some of the veggies over desired amount of orzo. The capers will provide enough saltiness. Simple and good!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Vietnamese Style Sandwich

Yum a refreshing Vietnamese sandwich on a hot summer day!

Ingredients:
French Style Baguette
Firm Tofu or Fried Tofu
Fresh Cilantro
Shredded Carrots
Shiitake Mushrooms
Trader Joe's Soyaki Sauce or just Soy Sauce
Soy Sauce
Sriracha or Cayenne Pepper

Saute Shiitake mushrooms in small pan with a dash of soy sauce until cooked. Set aside. Slice tofu into thin squares. Fried tofu will make your sandwich a lot better than the regular kind. (Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to purchase it when I took this picture.) Break off cilantro into quarters with fingers. In a separate bowl mix 2 Tbsp of Trader's Joe's Soyaki sauce with 1 tsp of regular soy sauce and a few dashes of Sriracha. If you can't get the TJ Soyaki I would suggest just using soy sauce with a little bit of sugar. The Soyaki has a hint of sweet that is necessary for the sandwich to even come close to tasting Vietnamese.

Cut baguette into desired sandwich size. Lather sauce on bread then top with carrots, tofu, cilantro, and finally mushrooms!