Tabouli, I Think

I was so excited to discover that couscous is pretty much rice that cooks in five minutes.  How amazing is that?!?  I know, I know, it's really pasta, but it's my new favorite "rice."  This is tabouli, I think, which is to say that it is also a recipe from the box (go box recipes!), but it is called Cabash CousCous Salad, mostly I think because that is the name brand of couscous I used.  Tabouli has always been one of my favorite middle eastern food dishes to order out, and I was thrilled to discover that it is so easy to make at home.  I followed the recipe exactly, except for adding the mint because herbs and spicy are a little pricy for a novice like me who is slowly building her pantry.  Following Lindsey's copyright warnings, go check it out for yourself-it's hard to go wrong with this one.  Served with some hummus and pita bread, you've got yourself a great meal in little time at all. 

soggy rice, not so nice.

So, I do not have Ashley's gift for making perfect brown rice. I find brown rice extremely frustrating to cook, and have burnt or overcooked every single pot I have made in the past, including in my mother's rice cooker. I had pretty much surrendered to making white rice or, horror of horrors pre-boiled microwavable Trader Joe's rice. Not as tasty as brown rice, and not nearly as much nutritional value either.

But then, I started to receive my new subscription of "Cook's Illustrated" (thanks mom!) and my life has changed!!!!!

I don't think I can legally post the recipe or whatever, but let's just say you boil about two cups water, and then stir in about a cup of brown rice. You then might throw the whole thing in an 8x8 glass baking dish, cover it with foil, and pop it into a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or so...

And I'm telling you my friends, perfect rice, EVERY TIME.

If you're feeling festive, you could throw in a handful or two of some frozen peas (my favorite addition to just about anything), stir it up, and pop it back in the oven for a coupple of minutes to warm them up.

Red Wine Roux avec Setian!

I am almost finished reading "Julie and Julia", a memoir of a woman who makes all of the recipes from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in the span of one year (and I think the movie is coming out soon?). Next, I am going to read Julia's memoir... So you could say I am on a bit of a Julia Child kick.

Although I wouldn't be able to attempt most of the recipes on "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (not sure what the vegan equivalent of brains or kidneys would be), I did feel inspired this evening to attempt a red wine roux sauce from "Veganomicon".

My co-chef and I began by making a basic roux (which we were further inspired to attempt after watching the last episode of Top Chef) then added shallots, garlic, celery, veggie broth (which I made from scratch yesterday!!!) and stirred it until it thickened. Then we added some red wine and let it bubble away until it was thick and purple, and finally we put it on top of some homemade seitan and mashed potatoes.

The end result was highly delicious!! C'est bonne! Celine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!