Miso Ramen

I have an obsession with Ramen. My two favorite places in Pittsburgh to go to are Ramen Bar in Squirrel Hill and Fukuda in Bloomfield (my old stomping grounds!) Just Yelping it now, Fukuda is now closed. RIP best ramen ever with pork belly. 

It's crazy how much the restaurant scene in Pittsburgh has changed since I've left!! So many new places to try. To be honest, I'll probably just continue to go to my favorites like OTB. I do want to try the new Smoke location though.

I haven't had ramen yet in Philly but I heard there's some good hipster Jewish ramen in south philly!! My cousin told me about it!! Can't wait to try.

I have had ramen at Momofuku in NYC and it is fantastic. Also when we had ramen in Japan, there were lots of hungover dudes at the same place as us. Ramen = the best hangover food ever I guess?? Either way I'm all about ramen for breakfast.

I found large packets of ramen noodles (instead of the instant ones) at whole foods. You can also find fresh ramen noodles at certain whole foods or Asian grocery stores.

Sorry in advance for sucky pictures. I was in a hurry to eat. Will replace later.

Salsa Verde Soup

This is the first recipe that I've ever posted with meat. I never thought I would go back to being a carnivore, but being a part of the farming community showed me there's a more sustainable way of consuming meat. In Philly there are a ton of sources for local, organic, free range meat options. I go to my local coop and in the summers, hit up the farmer's market. I am just dreaming of the farmer's market! There's nothing better. I still make the majority of my meals vegan and vegetarian, but I've been throwing in a few meat dishes. This is one of them. I stumbled on this recipe via Laura who recommended a spicy sausage gnocchi stew from Gimme Some Oven. I had never heard of the site before, but it's bright and full of really accessible recipes. This soup stood out to me some I always have salsa verde in the freezer waiting to be used up! Next time, I'm going to try a vegetarian version with peppers and hominy.

Salsa Verde Soup

2 cups tomatillo salsa

4 small chicken breasts 

1 small onion, diced

2 jalapeños, diced

2 cups frozen corn

1 1/4 cups dried small white beans, soaked overnight

1 bottle light summer beer

4 cups water (or chicken broth)

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 lemon, juiced

Toppings:

sliced avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, sliced green onions, hot sauce

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add more water or broth to thin as you like. Shred chicken. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add lemon juice. Add toppings. Enjoy!

Cheesy Jalapeños

These are like those fried jalapeño poppers but homemade and better. I made them gluten-free for Linda by using cornmeal for the breading.

The recipe that these are pretty loosely based on calls for cutting a slit in each jalapeño and actually stuffing them with the cheesy filling but the first time I made these I didn't read the directions and had sliced all but one in half before I saw that. So I did the last one the "right" way, but I liked the halved ones better.

Cheesy Jalapeños

Adapted from Epicurious (from a 2008 recipe from Gourmet)

8 fresh jalapeños

1 cup cheese, shredded (I used gouda the first time, mozzarella the second, both good.)

1/2 cup cream cheese

1/2 tsp paprika

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup frying oil (veg or safflower)

Pumpkin Red Thai Curry

I like my curry strong- like strong enough to punch you in the face just like they serve in Thailand. It needs to be super spicy and flavorful. None of that mild stuff. If you want something more gentle, try the recipe from Love and Lemons. My recipe is loosely based off of it. I also like to make about 10 servings at a time, so if you're not feeding lots of people, halve the recipe.

Also this is a picture of Rex eating a Turkey cake from the Dining Dog. It's the coolest pet store with food for animals and humans. I had a chai spiced yoghurt sample from there. So good.

Pumpkin Thai Curry

4 cups Kobocha + pumpkin squash purée

1 jar Red Curry paste

7 kefir lime leaves, sliced

5 cloves garlic

1 medium red onion

3 shallots

2 inch piece ginger, peeled

1 red thai chili, whole

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

Splash fish sauce

4-5 cups water

Citrus Habanero Salad

My birthday was last Tuesday! Certain friends of mine told me I had to do something, so I made dinner. I picked out some Ecuadorian recipes from Laylita's amazing food blog, including a spicy citrus salad.

CITRUS HABANERO SALSA
From Laylita's Recipes

5-6 citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, blood oranges, kumquats. mandarins, tangerines)
1/2 onion (white or red), sliced or diced
2-3 habanero peppers, seeded and veins removed (use gloves), finely diced
juice from 1 lime
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste
salad greens (optional)