Great Culinary Adventure

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 31, 2010 | Perspective |

Some days are just meant for great culinary adventures. Today I started out at the Market. I spotted fresh Fava beans (which I am still trying to figure out), and thought, what would go good with these? There was good looking swiss chard. I like sexy food, and swiss chard is one of my favorites. I grabbed some staples, and what was on my list, then spotted the Hawaiian Papayas. Expensive, but I love these papayas. They are smaller then their cousins the Mexican papaya, and typically sweeter. I figured I was just going to eat it. Uh-uh. read more

Tofu Chili Tacos

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 26, 2010 | Entree, Recipes, Tofu |

These tacos make a great summer dinner!

Sometimes I need something quick and easy for dinner. Tofu tacos come under that category. I only have to cook one thing, tofu in chili sauce, and then chop up the rest of the ingredients, put them in bowls, set it on the table, and enjoy. Serve with Spanish Rice and Beans, and you've got a great low fat, healthy version of Taco Dinner Night!

New Mexico Red Chili Sauce

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 25, 2010 | Recipes, Sauces |

Blending red chilies after cooking for an hour. Add salt and lime, and serve with enchiliadas, tamales, and tofu. There is a mystique applied to sauces in general, and when it comes to chilis, even more so. Chili Sauce is as individual as the cook who makes it. I enjoy consistency in cooking, and have made this recipe a few hundred times with the same response: “yummy”.

You can find the red chili pods in grocery stores or a Latin/Mexican market. Make sure they are bright red. If you buy them from the bulk bin, make sure to rinse them off before cooking. They tend to get dusty.

I prefer New Mexico Red Chili pods, but if you can’t find them, any dried red chilis will do. Medium or hot is the best choice to make this versatile and vibrant sauce. read more

Food Network Star YouTube Challenge

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 22, 2010 | News |

It takes guts to submit a video to a large and intimidating contest like The Next Food Network's Youtube Star. But I did. Here's the video, wish me luck!

Fava Bean Cassoulet

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 8, 2010 | Beans & Rice, Recipes |

Recently I fell in love with the Fava Bean. Fava beans are very high in protein and are the national dish of Egypt.

Cassoulets are beans that are slow cooked with meats and vegetables to produce a rich broth and tasty beans. Here I’ve reproduced that process, and added a few flavorful items to brighten up the dish, and removed the meat from the recipe. read more

Potato Salad, the Vegan Way

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 6, 2010 | Recipes, Salads, Side dishes |

This last weekend was July 4th. Classic times for barbecues and cookouts. Think of coleslaw, potato salad, burgers, family, fireworks.

But what does a vegan do when faced with mayonnaise and eggs mixed with potatoes and pickles?

They make their own potato salad, minus the dairy items. I created this recipe just in time for pre-fireworks festivities.

Is it hot enough? Salsa!

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 4, 2010 | Recipes, Sauces |

Here is the long awaited Roasted Salsa Recipe. Any time I make this people seriously fall in love with me.

Depending on where you get the jalapenos, and how hot you like your salsa, you can adjust the amount to your liking. I’ve found that using the same amount of jalapenos sometimes results in very hot salsa and other times it results in medium or even mild salsa. You can sometimes tell the heat of a chili by smelling it, but it is not a 100% proof method. Experimenting is recommended.
Enjoy. read more

Garlicky Hummus

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jul 3, 2010 | Recipes, Side dishes |

Bowl of Hummus: A hearty and refreshing snack any time of the day. I love chickpeas, and well, hummus is a result of cooked chickpeas ground up into a smooth paste and slathered onto pita bread, and typically eaten with cucumbers and olives. Although you can dip just about any vegetable into Hummus and have it taste good. read more

Smoked Tofu

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Jun 15, 2010 | Grilling & Smoking, Recipes, Tofu |

Double grill for roasting salsa fixings and smoking tofu!

I had a bad experience attempting to smoke vegetables and tofu. I am a determined chef, therefore, I tried again.

I searched the internet for some kind of information on how to set up a charcoal grill for smoking, especially smoking chiles. The results were depressing, and I found loads of information on how to use an electric smoker, how to smoke pork meat, and other topics that I wasn’t looking for. read more

Current Reading: The History of Food

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Feb 5, 2010 | Books, Food Knowledge & History |

I am currently reading A History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat.

I was on a hunt for anthropological/archeological information about food and how food traveled through the ancient world. I found it. This is the Food Bible, written published in 1988, and revised just last year, this book contains information that dates from prehistoric times to current. There’s a lot of information packed in these pages.

The writer is French, though, and there seems to be much information on how food got to and from France/Gaul. There is some information on the Americas, but mainly how the food got from the American continent to Europe. Still, if you want to know the details about wine, bread or oil, this is the book to read. read more

Author: Kitchen Shaman