Dorm Food

I'm not even sure this constitutes cooking it was so simple

Trader Joe's Peanut Sauce
Rotini pasta - 1/2 box
3 large carrots, cut in small medallions
3 celery stalks, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup of peanuts
1 cup of chunk pineapple

1. Cook pasta as on box
2. While pasta cooks, gently saute carrots and celery. Then add pineapple chunks and saute for a few minutes. Then add 1/4 cup of peanuts
3. Move vegetables into a pot (the one you made the pasta in probs), and add 3/4 of the jar of peanut sauce plus all of the vegetables. Let peanut sauce boil a little to cook of some of the pineapple juice. Remove from heat and add pasta. Wait a minute or two before serving so the sauce can thicken.

This meal was delicious and cheap, cheap, cheap. Few possible substitutions/additions
- add some lime juice at the end
- fresh pineapple may keep it from becoming as juicy and so be a little peanutier
- add some fresh ginger when sauteing the vegetables.
- add some chunks of red pepper to the saute

Honey pineapple chicken drumsticks

Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks (no skin)
One large can of pineapple chunks ( reserve the juice!)
1/3cup of honey
One bunch of scallions, finely chopped
One garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a long glass baking dish, put the drum sticks in a single layer. Pierce both sides several times with a fork. Lightly salt one side
3. Pour about half of the pineapple juice from the can, maybe 1/4 cup
4. Cook the drumsticks for 25 minutes
5. In a bowl, mix honey, rest of pineapple juice, scallions, garlic, and cayenne. Carefully spoon this mixture over the drumsticks and then put back in the oven for 15 minutes
6. Add pineapple chunks to dish, flip the drumsticks, and spoon sauce from dish over the chicken. Cook for another 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Pineapple Quinoa Cashew Stir Fry

Hello readers!

I got busy and well now, I'm not so vegan. BUT on the upside, I still cook lots of vegan things. So, I think I'm going to keep blogging my recipes.

Anyway, on to my next review. One of my favorite recipes is this quinoa stirfry out of Veganomicon. Here is my modified ingredient list for my version of this
1 cup of quinoa (cooked according to the box with in pineapple juice, water, fresh mint, + a soy sauce packet from an asian restaurant)
1 cup of whole raw cashews
3 tbsp of peanut oil
1 cup of scallions, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves minced
2 serrano pepper, sliced in small rounds
generous piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
2 tbsp fresh mint chopped
10 oz pineapple chunks
4 tbspn soy sauce
3 tbspn vegetable broth
lime wedges

1. In a wok on medium, add peanut oil, scallions + garlic. wait for it to sizzle
2. Add serrano pepper and ginger for 2 minutes
3. Add bell peppers, 3 minutes
4. add basil & mint, 1 minute
5. add quinoa + pineapples
6. mix in a cup - soy sauce + veg broth. then add to stir fry. 10 minutes

make sure you serve the lime over the quinoa - the acid is really important

couple of possible variations -
1. replace a tbsp of soy sauce with mirin - that's in the original recipe but I just didn't have any
2. add chicken - marinate it in pineapple juice, lime juice, soy sauce, and something with a kick - maybe a little cayenne.

modify other ingredients as you wish. I look to add lots of colors to make it more playful. The original recipe called for peas or edamame, but I think anything green would be delicious. Sugar snap peas in particular - yum!

leave comments of what vegetables you add in!