Global Challenge Week 2

On the Menu for Week Two

• Falafels-Egypt
• Fattoush Salad-Lebanon
• Guest star-not representing any country Hummus!

This year I tried my first Falafel and I was hooked. I have made them at home a number of times, but with a quick and easy recipe. This time I decided to go all out and (gasp) use dried chickpeas that I had to soak. I only soaked beans one time before and all I ended up with was what I deemed petrified Rabbit poop chili. Not good. With an expert bean soak-er (Naveen) in my mist I gave it my all. It was a success!

I got this recipe from DedeMed-Mediterranean Cooking. It was a bit more work than my previous Falafel endeavors, but worth it! I also did not pay attention to the amount it serves. We will be eating Falafels forever. Lucky me :)

Hummus was not officially on the Global Kitchen Challenge list this week, but really, who can eat a Falafel without hummus?!?

Amanda's Favorite Hummus Recipe

• 16oz can of Chickpeas
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Chickpea juice*
• 3-5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Tahini (My measuring in this is pretty lax, I usually just take a table spoon and grab what I can out of the jar with one scoop)
  
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt or garlic salt
• 2 Tbsp oil*

Put all ingredients in a blender and Voilà! You have hummus.

*I use the larger amount of Chickpea juice instead of adding oil to the mixture and it still works out beautifully. You can also add more or less chickpea juice depending on the consistency you are looking for. Lesson Learned: Don't put the juice down the drain until you are done!
(This picture is probably the first time used oil in the recipe and I put it around the side like in restaurants to impress the hubby.)


Lebanese Fattoush Salad

This was delicious- even my salad hating husband liked it!
The lemony, garlicky, mint vinaigrette reminds me of summer.

Again, the recipe is from Dede Med.

* I made the recipe without the Sumac because I don't know what it is, where to find it, or when I would ever use it again.

More Before and After in the Bathroom

Here is a little more before and after for y'all to peruse.

When my parents came out last June they helped us with some house projects. A big one on the list was to get rid of the shower doors.

That was all we did in the bathroom that week. Painting came much later-and with that a desire to remove the musical theater dressing room lights that graced our wall engulfing mirror.

The new fixture.

The new paint color with my summer shower curtain.

My before and after pictures really need some work. Good news is I can take all the after pictures I like!

Global Kitchen Challenge Week 1

This is the first official week of my global kitchen challenge. It was hard to choose my starting countries, but even harder to choose the recipes to cook from them. (And of course I had to go to the library and get a Brazilian Music CD to sway with while I challenged my culinary skills.


The Countries/Recipes chosen for my Global Kitchen Challenge

Brazil-Pao de Queijo (Cheese Bread made with Tapioca Flour)
Cuba-Grilled Pork with Mojo Sauce
Panama- Platanos en Tentacion (Candied Plantain Temptation)


I was inspired to make this Pao de Queijo when I had a flashback to January 2007 when my woodwind quintet visited Brazil. This was the first Brazilian food I tried in the airport coffee shop of Sao Paulo. Simply put, amazing!

My Brazilian experiment did not turn out so well. The are nice to look at and easy to make, but I could not get the insides to come out at all fluffy. Pao de Queijo is supposed to be on the chewy side, but this was like a handful of home made play dough and oil mixed with a likeness of fat. Yuck! I was so disappointed that I decided to make another batch with a different recipe and in a different style.

First Attempt-Made in small muffin tins this batch is similar what popovers are like-poofy and hollow inside.



Second Attempt- Different recipe that required the balls of dough to be rolled out. Unfortunately this batch also did not work out well. They look nice, but I am convinced a swamp thing lives within. Some day I will perfect this recipe and share it with all of you so that you may all experience the bites of heaven that I remember from Brazil.



Cuban Grilled Pork with Mojo Sauce

2 pounds pork loin roast
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemonade
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients and marinate pork for 24 hours in refrigerator.Remove roast from refrigerator and preheat grill. Season with salt and pepper and place roast on hot grill over direct medium heat. Grill on all sides until you get a good sear.. Move to indirect grilling and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F. Let roast cool before slicing.

Mojo Sauce

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, finely minced-you could also use a garlic press (I love mine!)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and add garlic. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a rolling boil.

*I used the pork to make sandwiches. I toasted some buns in the oven and topped with pork, tomatoes, onion, Swiss cheese, put the sandwiches open face back in the oven and spooned the excess Mojo sauce over the pork and baked until cheese was melted.

Platanos en Tentacion (Candied Plantain "Temptation")

• 3 large plantains
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Vanilla

Hit the plantains on all sides with a wooden spoon to soften. Peel and cut into 5 pieces each. In a large skillet, melt butter and oil on high heat; add plantains. Fry until brown.Be patient and allow Plantains to brown on all sides. Combine sugar, vanilla, and water. Reduce heat to low and pour liquid over plantains. Continue cooking until the liquid thickens.

*I think this recipe would be really yummy served with Vanilla Ice Cream.