UnRecipe: Truly Tabbouleh

I attended a traditional four-year university and got a fine arts degree. Which basically means I alienated my parents and went to art school on their dime -- this still elicits confused looks from both of 'em when I try to explain what it is I do. But as a result of immersing my medulla oblongata in this artism (as Joaquin Phoenix would say), I was granted access to a treasure trove of interesting and creative folks. It’s been a few years since I left those halls of readin’ ritin’ and ‘rithmetic but have managed to keep in touch with some of those friends from those hallowed days of dollar pitcher nights at the favorite cowboy bars (I went to school in Tucson, AZ) and 80s night at Club Congress.

Whole grains? Don't be so bulgur! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Illustrator friend GB Tran and his wife Stephanie came out for a visit, while on their whirwind roadtrip throughout the western half of the country, including a stopoff at Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts to bring back a delicious voodoo jelly doughnut man stabbed with a pretzel and an outstanding Elephantitis apple fritter. They’re an adorable couple who I love to bits – he’s a comic book artist/writer and illustrator and she’s a yoga instructor. They live in New York. She’s vegan and he’ll eat anything, regardless of the face it once may have had, even if it’s the cartoon persona of a lasso-loopin' Mr. Twinkie sitting on the label. Come on, it’s the breakfast of champions and it kept us going into the wee hours of the a.m., working in the art school computer labs when we were as young and idealistic as our metabolism.

Voodoo sweets and vegan treats (and GB!)  - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I kind of like when vegetarian or vegan friends come for dinners. It’s a nice challenge to step away from one’s cooking comfort zone. I don’t like deferring to the lowly, flavorless pasta dish for those who eschew meaty-meats. For breakfast, I made fresh raspberry smoothies with silken tofu instead of milk and yogurt -- and it was lovely, so the heck with you soy naysayers. For dinner, I decided to look towards the Mediterranean and make something summery, flavorful and easy to recreate, as the very next night I was going to make the same thing for a different crowd of guests, all of whom were big meat eaters. The vegan dinner game plan was to make tabbouleh and serve with grilled vegetables, toasted pita bread and hummus, with a dessert of peanut butter soy ice cream. I thought about making an orzo or couscous salad, but the nice thing about using whole grains like bulgur wheat – the main ingredient in tabbouleh – or quinoa, is that it’s a great flavor sponge that won’t get quite as soggy or start to fall apart like pasta. I’m a fan of making things a day or two ahead, so tabbouleh it was, with an extra day of flavor marination in the fridge.

Giant tub o' hummus, grilled veggies, and required grilling beer (for me) - Photos by Wasabi Prime

So what the heck is tabbouleh other than the fact it has bulgur in it? Luckily with the rise in health-conscious eating, getting a bag o' bulgur isn’t so tricky; chances are you can find it in the organic or bulk foods section of your grocery store. My UnRecipe tabbouleh basically consisted of about two cups of bulgur soaked in warm water until plumped up, then tossed with chopped kalamata olives, sliced English cucumbers, seeded tomatoes, a can or two of garbanzo beans, and several handfuls of finely chopped parsley and a bit of mint. Making it for non-vegans, I'd add crumbled feta, but it's fine without it, just add a little more salt.

Greens from Le Jardin de Wasabi - Photos by Wasabi Prime

One of the nice things about throwing a whole packet of parsley seeds in some outdoor planters is, during the summer you’ll never want for fresh parsley and to keep the plants from bolting and going to seed, make tabbouleh to get rid of cups’ worth of the stuff. I also threw in some fresh basil and some little baby onions because that's what the backyard farmers market had available that day. For flavoring of the salad, my magic formula is the zest and juice of two lemons, maybe 6 or 7 whole garlic cloves, olive oil, fresh or dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and buzz everything into a frothy dressing in a blender. It’s a lemony-garlic delight that is sure to keep the vampires away and the heavy acid should keep the vegetables or anything else that comes in contact with it from discoloring. It has to be mixed in a blender – I’ve tried doing this in a food processor and while it chops things up, the blender just does a better job of emulsifying the oil and lemon juice and prevents it from separating later if you’re storing it in the fridge.

Summer tastes delicious! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

This anti-vampire cocktail is also what I used to marinate some chicken that was used the following night for grilled chicken skewers with an encore of the tabbouleh, roasted vegetables, pita and hummus. Overall, both dinners went over well enough with the different crowds of vegan and meat-eaters, and without the sacrifice of flavor and nor that nagging feeling of someone getting dietarily short-changed -- at least I hope not. Funny enough, for my friends GB and Stephanie, I was told Stephanie broke her vegan vow that year, sampling a bit of barbecue pork at a festival earlier that year. I thought that was a great testament to the seductive power of Homer Simpson’s Magical Animal. I certainly don’t wish I made a giant suckling pig instead of a bulgur wheat salad; if anything it was just a nice reminder that cooking without some ingredients can remind you of what you don’t really miss if it’s not there.

A rare night when meat gets second bililing to other dishes - Photos by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Dinnertime Weeknight Boogie

We all have those weeks. The ones where we bury our heads in a computer or a stack of documents and after what feels like a nuclear half-life, we raise our eyes to the horizon, see that the evening dusk has fallen and realize: Holy Craptown, it's dinnertime; what am I going to cook? OK, so not everyone says that, nor do they always make most of their meals at home, but seeing as how my day is split up into half-professional/half-Suzy Homemaker, I forget to clock out from the business end of the day and segway properly into the process of preparing something to banish the day's hunger. This is not a unique problem and I'm willing to bet everyone runs into this on a daily basis, so here are some examples of fast MacGyver Meals I've had to throw together over the recent months.

The thrill of the grill - Photo by Wasabi Prime

During the intermittent heatwave days of summer, I definitely take advantage of the grill. I know some people grill in the dead of winter, when it's pouring outside, taking on the Post Office "Neither rain, sleet, nor snow" attitude for cooking outdoors. I should adopt this attitude, given the BA-Barracus-grill that Mr. Wasabi chose for our household, but most times, I'm lazy and don't feel like rousting the family of spiders who have inevitably taken residence around the grill, nor do I relish trying to wrestle the awkwardly large cover back onto the grill when it's time to put it away. It's not a lot of effort, I realize, but in a post-dinner food coma, even the slightest bit of chores makes me cringe. But laziness be damned, I'll fire up the grill now and then, however instead of cooking one meal at a time, I choose to load up every square inch of those cast-iron grill plates and make something that will last the week.

The easiest, minimal-prep item is, of course, the ubiquitous chicken breast. Light on taste, low on fat and somewhat boring, the grill brings out flavors from the lowly chicken breast unseen in most cooking methods. A bit of salt, pepper, a light toss in oil, and the char of the direct flame helps produce some much needed flavor out of the paltry poultry. Plus it's the only way I've been able to really keep the meat juicy, since the quick and intense heat locks in both flavor and moisture. The rest of the grill is taken up by vegetables like zucchini sliced lengthwise, seasoned similarly, and this simple supply of meat and vegetables carries us through several meals, from eating it as-is or sliced up and tossed in salads.

Pseudo saltimbocca, done casserole style - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Another last-minute prep meal is anything that doesn't require a lot of messy prep. Who loves doing dishes? I don't see many hands going up. A recent night of frantic meal prep found the Prime throwing open the refrigerator and having an Iron Chef moment. Except that it wasn't so much what Chairman Kaga presented, it was more like, this is what's sitting on the shelves. Without the flourish of a man dressed like Liberace or even a dramatic unveil, I had before me: several defrosted chicken breasts, leftover slices of prosciutto, sweet potatoes, the last bits of pesto, and plain yogurt. Sounds unappetizing at first, but I made a saltimbocca-inspired dinner, using seasoned, lightly seared chicken breasts wrapped in prosciutto, layered with some fresh sage plucked from the garden, laid upon a bed of oven-baked diced sweet potatoes, with a sauce of pesto and yogurt, watered down with a little milk. Sounds a bit crazy, I know, but it turned out fine. The fatty cured pork kept the chicken moist as the oven did its work, cooking the chicken all the way through. Juices from the cooking meat mixed with the yogurt sauce and helped further flavor and cook the bed of sweet potatoes which had a head-start, roasting in the oven while I seared the chicken breasts in a pan.

Pork tenderloin and lots of colorful veggies - Photos by Wasabi Prime

My third MacGyver/Pan-to-Oven quick dinner is with the Other White Meat, using pork tenderloin. It's a good thing to make on a cool night, especially now that we're starting to see the evenings chill down a bit more. I toss some root vegetables in oil with some salt and pepper and let them roast in the oven for a bit. Then I'll season up a pork tenderloin with whatever favorite seasonings I have on hand and sear it on all sides in a pan. I'm not looking to get it fully cooked, just get a nice crust, and then move it into the oven, sitting atop the vegetables that have already started roasting. I deglaze the pan with a bit of beer and then toss in some thinly sliced red cabbage, which is one of my favorite inexpensive go-to side dish veggies. It holds up nicely to the cooking process, just wilting but not totally falling apart, plus the color remains incredibly vibrant. If I have shallots, a bit of onion or even apples, I throw those in as well. A bit of cider vinegar and either sugar or honey to balance the sweet to sour, and the remainder of the beer helps cook everything down. Pork tenderloin, roasted vegetables, and a side of bright purple-red braised cabbage -- again, not fancy, but it can be done as a weeknight meal with plenty of leftovers for the next day's lunch and dinner.

I always talk about the magic of leftovers, and maybe it's too gauche a thing for the art of fine cuisine, but most of our meals are basic out of necessity and the lack of time. I end up spending more time figuring out ways to take shortcuts, but also not rely on a lot of processed things for those shortcuts. And yes, it results in a lot of UnRecipes where exact amounts and increments don't exist, but I think like most home cooks, we get inspired by seeing what others do, and just make up the recipes on our own while we tinker in the kitchen on our own last-minute meal prep -- wouldn't you agree?

UnRecipe: Wasabi for One

The Prime was on her own for a few days when Mr. Wasabi was off on a business trip in the faraway lands of Germany for a video game conference. Yes, they really do have those, and you can see a photo of Mr. Wasabi, aka, Brock, the third photo down on IndieGameSoup's post on Gamescom, looking very tired but smiling anyways.  As for myself and Miss Indy, the fuzzy pup, were happily remaining on the homefront. Because it's just me, myself and I, it's Dinner for One, which means quickie meals that don't require a lot of fuss or dirty dishes.

Farmers market goodies fit for roasting - Photo by Wasabi Prime

One of the easy dinner-for-one meals I do is roasted vegetable burritos. I know, it sounds bacheloriffic, something that would likely fit a college student, and maybe it is, but it's a meal where I can roast up all the vegetables ahead of time and dole it out, one meal at a time. It works for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you only need a plate to microwave it, all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla. I know that sounds uninspired but when I'm cooking for just myself, I don't really "treat" myself since I know any mess I make, I have to clean up myself, so the only treat is not having to do much in the way of dirty dishes.

On the plus side, the roasted vegetable burrito is a nice way to take advantage of fresh veggies from the market. Pattypan squash, aka UFO squash, as I like to call them, are both adorable, colorful and delicious. They roast up nicely and don't require much prep -- just cut off the stem, slice into chunks and roast with some salt, pepper and oil. I had some pretty thin-skinned eggplant as well, so it made for a pleasant mix of vegetables, along with some black beans and shredded cheese.

Dinner for one is surprisingly fun - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Stay tuned for more Wasabi-for-One meals, as I did several easy solo meals. A house to myself is weirdly quiet, but it's kind of nice having the space to myself for a few days. I watched girlie things like Ses and the City without shame, stayed up way too late reading in bed without a mumble to turn off the light and more than a few pasta carbonara dinners. Consider it a stay-at-home vacation to indulge in my Secret Single Behavior.

FoodTrek/MacGyver Meal: Disc-orzo Inferno

Not to toot the Pacific Northwest's horn yet again, but Seattleites know how to throw a party, and they do it with eccentric aplomb, complete with disco ball. Toot-toot! Beep-beep!

Dia de Los Disco / Come on Barbie, let's go party. Bring your pasties. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I was fortunate to be invited to a summer BBQ at Casa de Awesome, thrown by the diva duo of roommies Jennifer and Kat. It had been an eagerly-anticipated fête, designed to celebrate the love of our rare summer months, as well as an equal love of food and drink.

Here's to swimmin' with bowlegged women. Another sangria and margarita, bartender! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The party was complete with Bartender Nick who converted the kitchen into a full bar, serving up margaritas, mojitos, and his specialty, the old fashioned Sidecar. Hostess Jennifer brewed up her favorite white sangria in an Olympic-sized punchbowl that served as an example of fruit heaven, where peaches and citrus go to die.

The calm before the party storm, and partaking of SJB's meats. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I went with fellow blogger, SJB, and we headed over early to help with some of the preparation and the skewering of meats and vegetables. After no major goring of hands had occurred during kebob-ification, SJB took on the role of Grill Master Flash, while hostesses J+K made their sweep of the party floor, with the force of two Auntie Mame's.

Party Animal, Mr. Tucker. Who let the dogs out? - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The party wasn't without its resident party animals, Tucker and Fisher. I was able to get a decent photo of Tucker, but Fisher was avoiding the paparazzi that night, too busy meeting and greeting guests and sniffing around to see what goodies had perchance fallen on the floor.

She's got legs, and she knows how to use them. Kat flashes her Blue Steel. BOOZE! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The only thing the Prime was tasked to do was bring a salad. Expecting a guestlist up to thirty people, I went with the cater-friendly, giant aluminium turkey roaster pan and in typical MacGyver-cooking style, threw together an Italian-themed orzo salad. It's what I would like to call a "drunken salad" as I was in the middle of cocktail hour when making it the night before.

Orzo salad - the longer it sits out and festers, the better. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

In typical Wasabi Prime fashion, there was no real recipe. I just knew it needed to be a salad that could sit out at room temperature for several hours, vegetarian-friendly, made with basic ingredients that were familiar and pleasing to palates. In atypical Wasabi Prime fashion, I'm going to attempt to list the recipe below. I cut the ingredients by half, since I doubt you'll need enough to feed twenty-plus people, but it still makes plenty, so it's a great party recipe.

Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad w/ Herb Vinaigrette - serves up to 8-10

1 box/package of orzo (about 1 lb) / 1 large red onion, peeled and quartered / 2 zucchini, ends chopped and halved lengthwise / 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut in half / 1 container of cherry tomatoes / 2 cups drained/pitted kalamata olives / 2 cups crumbled feta cheese / 2-3 tablespoons olive oil / 1 tablespoon of dried oregano / 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper / 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves / juice and zest of one lemon / 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil /salt + pepper to taste

Get to Business: Preheat oven to 420° F and make sure the baking rack is centered. Take a shallow baking pan and cover with foil for easy cleanup. Take the cut vegetables (onion, zucchini, bell pepper, and whole cherry tomatoes) and toss with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread onto the baking pan -- use two if the vegetables don't all fit. Place in oven to roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables have roasted down and become soft.

Take a large pot and fill with water. Set on stove to start boiling the water for the orzo. As it gets to a rolling boil, throw in a healthy pinch of salt to flavor the pasta and toss the whole box/bag in. Stir constantly, as the pasta bits will stick together as well as to the bottom of the pot. Cook until al dente or cooked, but still firm; this will help it continue to soak up flavor from the dressing. Drain pasta and toss with olive oil to keep the grains from sticking while it cools.

While the orzo and roasted vegetables cool down, take a blender or food processor and pulse down the basil and lemon juice/zest. Drizzle in the olive oil as the blades chop the herbs down and incorporate with the lemon juice. Pulse in the salt and pepper, adding in small amounts so you can taste as it mixes -- add more as you see fit. Finished vinaigrette should taste like a lemony pesto with a loose consistency. Add more olive oil if it's too thick, as it needs to be able to easily mix with the salad.

Once the vegetables are cool to the touch, chop down into smaller bite-sized pieces. The cherry tomatoes should be fine as-is. Take the drained kalamata olives and run a knife through them for a rough chop and ensure there were no pits left in -- there's always one hiding in there. Crumble the feta cheese in and incorporate all ingredients, tossing with the finished herb vinaigrette. Can serve immediately or let it set in the fridge for a few hours to let all the flavor soak in. The dish can be made up to 24 hours ahead.

* Post-Script - Thanks to Serious Eats' Photograzing for posting the orzo salad ingredients!!