Category Archives: April 2011

Meatless Monday: Asian Veggie Pizza

Recipe: Rina Oh

Asian Veggie Pizza
Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces marinara sauce
2 ounces grated parmesan cheese
2 ounces grated Gouda cheese
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup baby bok choy, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper to taste
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil.

2. Slice pizza dough into five equally-sized pieces. Shape dough pieces into flat circles, about 1/8-1/4-inch thick.

3. Using a small ladle or spoon, spread the tomato sauce over dough, then add cheese and toppings. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sesame oil, salt, pepper, herbs and scallions. If desired, you can fold the dough over toppings and close the ends to make stuffed pizza.

4. Place in oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes.

1 Comment

Filed under April 2011, Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes

Meatless Monday: Orzo and Mixed Vegetable Salad

Looking for an easy dish to pack for a weekday lunch at the office? Try this simple salad, loaded with fresh spring asparagus.

Orzo and Mixed Vegetable Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 ounces orzo, cooked
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, blanched* and sliced into 2” pieces
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
10-ounces canned or frozen corn, drained
2 scallions, white parts only, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl combine garlic, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil and whisk until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Marinate tomatoes in dressing for 5-10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix orzo, corn, tomatoes and asparagus. Add dressing and toss to coat (you may not need all of the dressing). Top with scallions.

More Meatless Monday on Food2:
Korean Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Spring Salad with Spaghetti Squash
Latin Style Black Bean Stew

More Meatless Monday From the Web:
Worth the Whisk: Fresh Herb and Mushroom Risotto
Minx Eats Everything: Veggie Burgers
Light Green: Chipotle Black Beans

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under April 2011, Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes

Asian Potluck Dinners and Beyond


There I am on the left next to Ling

The usual suspects arrived one at a time bringing with them a dish, some were store bought or lovingly made at home. In my case, I prepped the mise en place and assembled the ingredients on site. I didn’t have the nerve to dress my salad ahead of time and risk the chance of ruining it.

Our potluck entrees

Niki, Sally, Mami, Ling, Carolyne, Geena, and Mariko joined the potluck dinner served atop of Niki’s kitchen island as we gathered around to dig in.

Seafood Paella in Wayne, NJ

The following day I ventured off to a local Spanish restaurant for lunch and ordered the seafood paella and a T-bone steak.

Sizzling table top grill at Miss Korea BBQ

Joining a crew of Korean New Yorkers at Miss Korea BBQ on Thursday night where we had the spicy octopus starter with rice cakes before firing up the tabletop grill with marinated short ribs and pork belly. The evening ended with more soju, a tofu and kimchi hotpot and sampling the loreal 16-hour lipstick.

Rock Shrimp Tempura at Walley's

I ventured off to a restaurant opening at Walleys and met the executive chef of Delicatessen. We arrived at seven and a few hours later contemplated on going elsewhere as the taster portions left us starving by nine and luckily for us, we were invited to fill our appetites at Deli by chef Mike. Mac and cheese, fried chicken parts, tuna tartar, and cocktails made us smile.

This week started off behind the lines. I trailed at Bar Baloud and left with job offers. I’ll have to weigh out the pros and cons to working full time in a busy place. The classic French style kitchen that appears far bigger than most establishments with only 80 seats in front of the house, they could easily have equal amounts of cooks in the back end. I was impressed to say the least. I finally got a chance to meet with Battman from Chef’s Connection and looks like I’ll be bopping around the city interviewing chefs in whites.

***

Leave a Comment

Filed under April 2011, Hot on the Blog

Meatless Monday: Korean Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

Fire up the grill (or the grill pan) and whip up these spicy vegetarian sandwiches for an easy lunch or light dinner.

Korean Grilled Vegetable Sandwich 
Serves 1

Ingredients
1 oyster mushroom, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2 white onion, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
Oil or cooking spray for grill
2 tablespoons mayo (regular or vegan)
2 teaspoons liquid from jar of kimchi
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices pumpernickel rye bread
2 slices tomato
1/4 avocado, sliced
1 slice fontina, havarti or soy cheese

Directions

1. Preheat grill. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a small mixing bowl and toss with onions and mushrooms.

2. Coat the grill with foil, lightly greased with oil or cooking spray. On medium heat, cook onions and mushrooms, turning once, until caramelized on each side, about 6-8 minutes for the onions and 3-4 minutes for the mushrooms. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayo, kimchi liquid and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Apply mayo on both pieces of pumpernickel and rye bread, layer cheese at the bottom, add grilled vegetables, tomatoes, and top with avocado.

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under April 2011, Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes