Roll-Your-Own Sushi Night

We’ve been on a sushi kick lately. It started with a friend bringing over homemade sushi and reminded me of the roll-your-own sushi nights I enjoyed as a child. The old skills came right back and we were enjoying delicious sushi for dinner one night, then another and another. No raw fish for us, but cucumber and avocado seem tasty enough.

The best part is that we can whip the ingredients together, let them chill in the fridge and slice the rolls for dinner. Much easier than taking on the whole process after a day at the office.

 

Cucumber roll. © Evin Bail

 

Offline Computer, Online Oven

Lately, I’ve been without Internet as we await the waving of the magic wand by the Internet provider. Ah, there’s nothing like patience and I admire how patient they are in getting things set up given the sooner we get Internet the sooner they have another paying customer on the books. Little do they realize that the delay is turning out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. Sure, my blogs are dusty from lack of new posts and my family probably thinks I am out ’til all hours enjoying the craic and too busy to write, BUT I am getting stuff done! I am cooking, unpacking, reading (three books in a week!), and enjoying my spare time more. All-in-all, being without WiFi at home has reminded me what real life is supposed to be like without technology interfering.

By the way, for everyone who follows my Tweets, sorry they’ve been so dull, but life has been getting in the way. I’ll be making a Guinness braised beef this week and will remember every detail to tell you about later.

Homemade Yogurt Cucumber Salad

Refreshing and health-conscious, this Homemade Yogurt Cucumber Salad recipe is one of my personal favorites. It takes mere minutes to prepare and if kept refrigerated in an air-tight container, the batch will stay edible for several days – not that it lasts that long. This is a charming and light counter flavor with Indian curries or just a nice treat with some pita or naan bread. I favor enjoying it alongside naan coated with Savory Mediterranean Spread.

Homemade Yogurt Cucumber Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice from 1 lime and 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon chopped or minced fresh coriander

1 teaspoon chopped dried basil

½ teaspoon dried herbs de Provence

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon chopped roasted garlic

2 cups (16 ounces) plain unsweetened, unflavored yogurt

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste

1 cucumber, sliced

1. Emulsify the olive oil with the lemon and lime juices. Whisk in the mint, coriander, basil, herbs de Provence, and garlic powder. Once mixed thoroughly, add the roasted garlic.

2. Stir in about ¼ cup of yogurt and blend completely. Continue by stirring in the remainder of the yogurt.

3. Add the pepper, salt, and cucumber to the yogurt blend then stir until consistently distributed.

4. Chill until time to serve. Delicious with pita bread, pita chips, or grilled flatbread. Also tasty with Indian food since it is cool and balances the spices.

Click for full-sized image.

Cilantro Spread with Shallots on Toasted Naan

Quick and simple for a snack or appetizer that has more flavor than effort. The spread itself can be done as a batch ahead of time and refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 72 hours. The shallots are a tasty topping, but if you don’t like the flavor you can substitute for something else, like large whole cilantro leaves.

Savory Mediterranean Spread on Toasted Naan

12 slices of naan, cut in half separating into a top and bottom

2 tablespoons chopped roasted garlic

1/3 cup cilantro leaves

½ teaspoon ground coriander

Olive oil

16 shallots, sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

2. In a food processor, blender, or mortar, throughly combine the garlic, cilantro, and coriander, using the olive oil to bind them together. If the mixture is too dry, sprinkle in a little water or lime juice.

3. Meanwhile in a pan on low heat, warm olive oil and sautée the shallots until they are limp and somewhat translucent.

4. Spread the cilantro mixture on each naan half then add a forkful of the sauteed shallots. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and salt then bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve warm.

Click for full-sized image.

©2009 Evin Bail

Creamy Egg Salad

This is one of those recipes that makes egg salad absurdly quick and easy to prepare. Delicious served on a bed of lettuce, as a sandwich, or as part of finger food. Easy on the budget too since the ingredients are those commonly found in your fridge, plus celery and eggs. Definite crowd pleaser for a family meal or a friendly brunch.

Conor’s Creamy Egg Salad

8 hard-boiled or hard-cooked eggs

3/4 cup celery, chopped

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste

1. While the eggs are being hard-boiled, wash the celery stalks and cut them in half lengthwise then chop them. Set aside.

2. Once the eggs have been hard-boiled, carefully place the pot in the sink and run cold water into the pot. Alternatively, only rinse the eggs in cold water then place the pot in the fridge to cool.

2. Once cooled, remove the shells and cut eggs in half to remove the yolks. Set yolks aside in a medium-sized mixing bowl, then cut the egg whites into bite-sized pieces.

3. Add the mustard, mayonnaise, and pepper to the bowl of egg yolks. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly.

4. Stir the cooked egg whites and chopped celery with the egg yolk mixture.

5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate to chill before serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, paprika, or parsley.

Click for full-sized image.