Hand of the Buddha

Tags

baking, Buddha's hand, buddha's hand citron, citron, dessert, fruit

Not sure if anyone’s cooked with this before, but…

all hail Buddha’s Hand Citron!

This amazing fruit has the most interesting smell ever; very floral, fresh, and less piquant than other citrus.  if you have ever cooked with this, do shoot me a comment!

In the meantime, it’s GREAT grated into apple pies and tarts! 

A Mini-Manifesto

Tags

about, energy, green, living green, low-carbon, manifesto, patience, stoveless, stovetop cooking

So I recently read Leo Babauta’s piece on getting out of a rut.  Back from China for over two months now, I’m faced with such a challenge.  I still don’t have a place of my own (bouncing back and forth from parents’ abodes and friends’ sofas), and my art, writing, and blogging have suffered from this transience.  Leo suggests challenging yourself to examine what exactly it is you’re passionate about, what you care about.  Re: this food blog, here goes:

I started Stoveless because I didn’t have a stove–just two little burners and a big knife. Now I’ve got all the ovens America has to offer, but I’m not finished yet.  In fact, I hope to build Stoveless into something bigger than just make-do-with-whatcha-got.

I aim to go stoveless because:

1) ovens use a lot of energy

2) I like taking shortcuts

3) cast iron skillets are an awesome alternative to baking on nonstick pans

4) the challenge of adapting recipes forces me to be inventive and know my ingredients.

5) I get an excuse to buy these!  Vive Le Creuset!

So, fingers crossed for a place to call home–and a fruitful year of blogging to come!

Ethiopian Flat Bread (Injera) the Lazy Way

Tags

african, african cuisine, african food, bread, breads, cooking, cuisine, ethiopia, ethiopian food, ethnic food, fat-free, fiber, food, health, impatience, injera, patience, quick, recipe, recipes, shortcut, stovetop, stovetop cooking, teff flour, tutorial, vegan, vegetarian

note of caution–
this is an impatient woman’s guide to injera: aka, I use what I can find (wheat flour) and take shortcuts when possible (as little wait time as possible)!

Once, in a pubescent season of mediocre geometry quizzes and short boyfriends, I found myself at an Ethiopian restaurant. I didn’t give a squat for what we were eating–though it was delicious and oh-so-succulent. I was more interested in the people walking down Haight Street; my best friend and I giggled about them, and dropped sugar packets surreptitiously at their feet (don’t ask, we were are weird).

In Oakland the other day, I had to find an affordable and lovely restaurant at which to meet my mommy. (The treasured words, “why don’t we grab a bite to eat while we’re down there?” were all I needed to hear.) Friends recommended Cafe Colucci, a small but celebrated spot on Alcatraz and Telegraph. The friendly staff and mouthwatering aromas provided the perfect excuse to order big, which–for two frugal ladies–is a Veggie Combo.

No silverware, no problem.

The fantastic fillings (kale, lentil, eggplant, potato, cauliflower: all with fantastic and unfamiliar spice combos) sat on a spongy sheet of what is known as Injera–Ethiopian flat bread.

Injera is made with a grain known as teff, which is fermented for some time before being cooked on a griddle much like a crepe (only one side, though).

Cardamom-Walnut Lassi with Garam Masala

Tags

asian, beverage, cardamom, dessert, drink, ethnic food, food, fruit, garam masala, india, indian, indian cuisine, indian food, lassi, off the stovetop, rajasthan, recipe, smoothie, spice, vegetarian, world cuisine

Namastē folks! Some of you may know that last year was spent in a whirlwind/duststorm tour of China, Thailand, and India–perhaps my most memorable beverage moments emanate from the latter. Lassis, masala chai every morning, more lassis, and also Jodhpur’s addicting Makhaniya Lassi, featuring saffron, cashews, pistachios, and plenty of sweetness! (I drank a lot of lassis during my two-week Rajasthan train adventure)

This travel blog photo’s source is TravelPod page: Day 8-9: An Egg-cellent Day

When I clicked myself to Kelly’s blog, Inspired Edibles, and found her mouthwatering Mango-Almond Lassi post, I couldn’t help but dream of a California re-invention of the famous Indian drink. Since I don’t often have mango or almond (unless I stumble upon a fruit stand sale or a fertile nut tree!), I turned to local alternatives: walnuts and nectarines.

Now, as mentioned, I am kind of a hoarder. It just so happens that my hometown of Davis, CA holds a lot of English walnut trees, the ones that bear those familiar, oft-expensive walnuts you find at the store for like, $9 a pound or whatever.

hi, we're expensive at Whole Foods

So an annual tradition involves joining the throngs of Chinese grandmas with the same goal in mind (FREE NUTS), and picking up bags of this valuable staple.

Long story short, I’m substituting walnuts for almonds. Nectarines are always plentiful in Cali, so they’re coming out of the freezer and into the lassi, too.

Cardamom-Walnut Lassi (a riff on Inspired Edibles’ Almond-Mango version)

• 1 cup chopped frozen nectarine or other seasonal fruit
• 1 cup yogurt (plain)
• 1/2 cup liquid–water, soymilk, juice (i used water)
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• two or three cardamom pods, or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• a few tablespoons sweetener (i used Splenda ’cause I’m weird)
• a few drops vanilla or almond extract, if you’re into adding those

now, BLEND! ON THE ICE CRUSH SETTING!

• finally, add a pinch of garam masala for an extra-unique spice kick.

Hope you enjoy this idiosyncratic marriage of California and Rajasthani flavors!

Award A-what?

Tags

cooking, food blogging, frugal, gtd, me, stoveless, versatile blogger award

Oh my! When I started Stoveless, I had no idea how warm and welcoming the food blogosphere was. I’d only done a few posts on my personal blog about food, and photos of my stuff always got Tastespotting-rejected.

The other day, I was browsing Charles’ amazing (and recently updated!) Five Euro Food and to my great delight found not only incredible quince creations, but also a nomination for the Versatile Blogger award!

I guess the rules go something like:

1. nominate 7 more bloggers
2. give 7 factoids about yourself

Here goes!–in no particular order…

7 Versatile and Va-Va-Voomfabulous Bloggers

1. Patrice At A Single Mom’s Adventure In Urban Homesteading–awesome mom, frugal foodie, and fabulous farmer.
2. Adrienne at A Taster’s Notes–a supertaster par excellence introducing, describing and exploring a myriad of affordable, rare, or just plain adventurous wines…California-style!
3. Debra at Culiblog–socially conscious, always inventive, ever-inspiring.
4. Nick at Frugal Feeding–great recipes for us gourmands on a budget
5. Jenna at Jenna’s Everything Blog–fabulous photos of her charmed life, but also very delicious and creative recipes!
6. Cat at The Verdant Life–vegan, seasonal, organic: need I say more?
7. Cynthia at Life As A Feast–long-time pal and fabulous pianist taking the California food world by storm, one restaurant and recipe at a time!

and…

some short tidbits about yours truly:

1. I’m from Davis, California born and raised, and went to school in Walla Walla, Washington (what a name!)
2. Piano playing is one of my first loves, and I performed Prokofiev’s Third Concerto with my college orchestra
3. I modeled for a Chinese T-shirt company in Beijing (!)
4. This blog was started in conjunction with my exploration of GTD (Getting Things Done) and David Allen’s book of that title. I aim to focus on efficient, delicious, environmentally conscious cooking while integrating time management and organization into all aspects of my life!
5. A dream of mine is to host “secret” dinner parties involving many handmade tealight lanterns, colorful tablecloths, and plenty of stoveless snacks! (maybe a few non-stoveless nibbles, too)
6. My senior thesis was a painting series of Myspace photos from anonymous profiles
7. I collect vintage clothing, beach rocks, and gum wrappers (don’t ask!)

THANKS 4 READING!

and especially, thanks again to Charles for the nomination!

Purée Pleasure

Tags

100 calories or less, cauliflower, easy, fiber, frugal food, living cheap, low-carb recipe, recipe, stoveless, stovetop, stovetop cooking, vegetarian

So you may or may not have heard about the “baby food diet.” I tried it for about three hours, at which point I realized my jaws had a purpose. Either way, experimenting with purée is a lot of fun. Thomas Keller even does it sometimes (though he serves his asparagus purée with jumbo scallops)!

One of my favorite purées is anything broccoli or cauliflower. So when I stumbled across the South Beach Diet, which is a lil’ militant about starches and carbs, I found a treasure.

Oregano, Basil and Garlic-herbed Mashed “Potato” Cauliflower

1 head fresh cauliflower
3 cloves garlic, microwaved ’til slightly soft
pinch of fresh oregano/basil
1/2 t garlic salt
1/8 t black pepper
1 t butter buds (or olive oil)
1/2 C plain yogurt or cottage cheese
(optional) pinch o’ hot pepper or chili flakes!

1) steam cauliflower til it’s soft as a baked potato

2) cool it down and compile your other ingredients
3) BLEND IT ALL UP! (my favorite part)

There are myriad versions of this recipe here, here, and here.  Best of all, it’s the perfect stoveless adaptation to energy-wasting and carb-loaded baked potatoes.

Find which suits you and riff away!

PS: each serving is EASILY under 100 calories for all you healthy people.

Refried Beans — Canned versus DIY Dry

Tags

azuki, beans, canned food, cheap, cooking, cooking beans, DIY, easy, essentials, fat-free, fiber, frugal, health, healthy, healthy alternative, living cheap, living green, Mexican, no oven, off the stovetop, patience, recipe, refried beans, slow food, spice, stoveless, stovetop, stovetop cooking, tutorial, vegan, vegetarian

Oh, what exactly is a refried bean?

I’m still not sure exactly. I know it should include some fat, some frying, and some re-frying. However, my refried beans of choice usually involve only:

1) opening a can
2) microwaving can’s contents

or

1) cooking beans
2) spicing beans
3) pureeing beans
4) sauteeing beans

Between the former and latter, I’d hazard to guess that most of you know the healthier option (though of recent I’ve discovered the peculiar pleasure of scooping out molded, gelatinous, half-puree’d goodness that is a can of Rosarita’s).
But did you know that buying and cooking your own beans is phenomenally cheaper, too? Consider:

Average cost for a can of cooked beans: $1.19.
Average content of a can of cooked beans: 2 cups.
Average cost for a pound of dried beans: $1.99.
A pound of dried beans produces on average 8 cups of cooked beans. (source)

Let’s get cooking!

This time around I used red Azuki beans, because they’re quite healthy and low-cal. They do take a LONG time though–over an hour. Chop some onion and assemble your spice brigade in the meantime. Or watch “Twin Peaks”.  This is the part where learning patience proves very, very handy.  Also planning ahead.

my secret weapon


bean storage: repurposed yogurt containers

When the beans are cooked and cooled a bit, I stick them in a blender or cuisinart with some fresh onion and spices.

sometimes I add greens too, like this kale from the garden

Then it’s summertime!

photogenic
Cook down that puree ’til it’s thick.

All done!

The best part is, “refried beans” are not only good for burritos and fajitas. Try using yours as
-bean dip
-soup
-main course (just add a bit of feta cheese and some rice)

The (other) best part is there are under 300 calories in a CUP of cooked azuki beans. And that’s a heckuva lot of beans.

read more on buying canned versus dry beans here.

Fig Preserves

Tags

blue cheese, breakfast, cooking fruit, cuisine, desserts, dried fruit, easy, fiber, fig, fig preserves, figs, food, fruit, health, healthy, homemade jam, jam, jelly, no oven, preserves, recipe, stovetop cooking, vegan, vegetarian

Our front yard’s got an awesome fig tree; I think it’s the “Alma” variety–medium size, green, and mind-bogglingly sweet. I remember when it fit neatly inside a repurposed barrel–about five years ago, the tree’s roots blasted through the barrel walls and required a more accommodating abode. We piled the mulch and compost on it and never looked back! Now we harvest 10 or 15 figs every morning, eating them as snacks throughout the day.

But what about when figs don’t cut it as snacks?

Well, then we make FIG PRESERVES.

a bowl of sweet, crunch-y spread!
I did this:

simmer 1 basketful of figs with–
-1/2 cup muscat or red wine
-sprinkle of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom-dash salt
-honey (SO unnecessary, figs are like the sweetest fruit in the world)

Figs have myriad small seeds that are completely crunch-able and delicious, not to mention probably quite healthy!

serving suggestion
 
It’s simple and goes so well with savory treats like blue cheese toasts, or on toppa your morning pancake stack. All oven-less!

The Joy of Dehydrating

Tags

apples, cheap food, cuisine, dehydrating, dehydration, dehydrator, dried food, dried fruit, drying, easy, fat-free, fiber, food, frugal, fruit, health, healthy, living cheap, living green, low-carbon, no oven, off the stovetop, preserving, recipe, recipes, reduce, stoveless, tutorial, vegan, vegetarian

I am a notorious hoarder. I’m never caught without a plastic spoon in my handbag…”just in case I need one.” I have about five boxes of “Memories” containing: tickets, piano recital programs, Davis Gymnastics certificates, ex-boyfriends’ notes…

I think I get it from my mom–her philosophy goes sort of like this:
“If I might use it at some point in the next 5 years, I’d better hold on to it!”

“This is useful!” might be the most oft-heard comment regarding material objects in my house. I don’t really have a problem with this, until suddenly our home is being conquered by empty yogurt containers, cute little cardboard jewelry boxes, random pieces of netting, and tin gift boxes left over from long-digested Chinese moon cakes or Danish shortbreads.

but they come in so handy!

So I’ve become a bit brutal. Last year I hauled an Accord-ful of paper and plastic and glass things to the recycling center. It was oh so gratifying, even though I felt a bit guilty for trashing Mom’s carefully-kept stash. She pointed out that my closet, while overflowing, somehow magically seems to amass new frocks and other vetements regularly; no comment? I will say, bashfully, that I made a trip to Forever 21 yesterday, SPCA Thrift Store two days ago, and Empire Vintage in Palo Alto last week. There might also have been an eBay purchase or two. Vintage pieces, c’mon! I’m collecting!

I need to be less hypocritical though, because when my mom returned from her evening walk with two paper bags full of old apples from the street, I might have sniffed a bit in disgust. “Ugh, Mom, do NOT bring those in the house.” To be fair, they were pret-ty darn dirty. But they cleaned up nice; three days later (I acquiesced and scrubbed away at the little Golden Delicious guys) and we had ourselves quite a haul: apple butter, apple sauce, dried apples. The latter is what I’m here to push, though.

Dried food is often overlooked because most people don’t have dehydrators. These appliances are CHEAP and they WORK. Ours is probably circa-1970/dinosaur-era; it makes a weird groaning sound every once in a while. It’s easy to use though, and the clean up is nearly nonexistent.

What, it’s bruised? cut that gross part out and get to drying already!

so…
10 lbs apples
+
some time spent coring (I don’t peel because I <3 fiber!)
+
juice of one lemon (I find tossing the cut apples in a bowl with juice, or spraying with a bottle work best)
+
dehydrator
+
(a few) empty yogurt containers
=
really, really cheap, healthy, not-so-perishable food (check out what dried apples cost you at the store!)

from the Golden Triangle to the Golden State

Tags

America, baking, California, carbon footprint, China, cooking, home, living green, me, no oven, ovens, stovetop, stovetop cooking, travel

I’m back in America, hooray!

I’ve written all about my impressions here if you’re truly interested in another expat’s reverse culture shock…as for me, I’ve already moved on to appreciating the joys of cooking in a kitchen that’s slightly larger than our toolshed (aka, my Chinese cooking locales)!

a return to plum preserves and kombucha

So…why am I still writing Stoveless?

It’s probably got something to do with 100-degree Davis, CA summers, oven inefficiency , and a super-intuitive-green-ish conception that heating up the house increases my carbon footprint.

So hooray! Summers on Stoveless. We’ll see how winter treats this culinary choice. Can one make panettone sans convection?