Earlier last year, my mother started talking to me about some fabulous new ingredient her friend had introduced her to. Out came a bucket filled to the brim with red lentils. I immediately pointed out their name but she didn't seem to think I was right. She kept calling them something else which I can't recall anymore. Anyhow, she was apparently using them to make a sweet rice dish that is common in Vietnamese cuisine. I suppose when you cook red lentils, they turn into a mush similar to sweet mung bean paste so it made a bit of sense. I, on the other hand, wanted to turn these reddish-orange dots into a savory dish so with the help of some homegrown kale, they became dal...with kale!

It's been a while since we last did a Test Kitchen post but since we had some moving to do out of Duc's apartment, a lot of my cooking utensils and ingredients were stuffed in random places. One of those was the bag of wild rice which was originally supposed to be the Test Kitchen ingredient to play with. When I finally found it recently, I then thought of ways I have seen it used. The grass seed, as it really is that, is hardy and have a definite bite to it that might deter people from eating much of it. It sure does fill you up. I've seen it used in Thanksgiving side dishes before so that was the inspiration for making this into a pecan cranberry recipe with wild rice. Sweet and nutty, it is great alone but also fantastic with a side of chicken, turkey, or even mild flavored beef!

Who said vegetables always have to be healthy? I don't mean to say that eating healthy is bad but sometimes, you want to eat something that you know may not be the best for you. Why not alleviate that guilt just a teensy bit by including more healthful ingredients? It can still taste quite wonderful. I really enjoy potatoes au gratin, even making a White Cheddar Potatoes Au Gratin once, but coming across a significant amount of rainbow heirloom carrots made me wonder if I could make those in the same way. Lo and behold, some maneuvering can make it happen so here is a vegetable gratin recipe to use that is vegetarian as well (not vegan)! The combination of carrots with broccoli in a crunchy, cheesy side dish is a great way to work in some extra vegetable vitamins into a meal.

Heirloom vegetables can be some of the most beautiful you've seen because they take on the shape, size, and color of a varied genetic pool. Curious as to what exactly heirloom means? I wrote a post on it earlier that demonstrates the differences between heirloom and not. What you end up with when you go heirloom are some unique looks and feels that might strike your fancy as it does my own. I got my hands on some rainbow heirloom baby carrots and decided to let them shine a bit. Roasting them with some thyme and balsamic turns these beauties into the perfect side dish for home or as a holiday potluck item. Give this recipe a try and ask yourself why you wouldn't want to handle these gorgeous carrots!

The latest Test Kitchen ingredient to grace the pages of the blog was a package of steamed black-eyed peas by Melissa's, and the suggestions that came through when we posed it centered on an upcoming Southern tradition. You see, there is a dish celebrated during the new year as an indicator of good luck and fortune upon the eater if enjoyed on January 1st. That would be hoppin' john and it is primarily a black-eyed pea and rice dish. How appropriate! So I got to reading about it and though the basic makeup requires just some onion, black-eyed peas, bacon, and rice, there is definitely more that can be added to make a superb one-pot dish for a whole lot to share. Check out the recipe and make some to bring prosperity to your friends and family!

There's a bit of pride when you watch a seed you had planted grow up to be a bountiful, delicious vegetable or fruit plant. What had started as the bare whisper of health to come was cultivated into a full-fledged kale plant, producing beautifully perfect leaves. Duc had started the kale seed long ago and then transplanted it in my parents' side garden where it flourished under the shaded sun. We had a large harvest recently so I had to think of a way to use it. I sketched out a potato kale gratin whilst thinking one day and decided we'd make it! This dish is like a big bowl of comfort food, wholesome and healthful. I noted that it is breadless because a lot of gratins have added breadcrumbs and cheese on top but this one doesn't (though you can add if you'd like!).

A lot of times, I hesitate to put up recipes that feel too simple and made of too few ingredients. Why would anyone want this up, I wonder. Then I remember that there are some days when I feel uncreative and not like thinking about what to make for food (usually after a long day); a simple and quick recipe like this would be perfect for those moments. So hey, why not stick this one up? I have no fancy names for it. It is a rudimentary mixing of tri-color quinoa, spinach, and mushrooms - full of the good-for-you stuff! You might be surprised with how few ingredients there are and a little concerned about taste. No worries - the quinoa is nutty, the mushroom is savory, the broth is salty, and the spinach has some sweetness. If anything, use this as a base recipe for some other mixtures of your liking.

Our exploration of the Hollywood Farmers' Market's unique mushroom selection a while back exposed us to several mushrooms we had never seen before. One of these was the lion's mane, a bulbous large structure of seemingly-fluffy fungus that was a brilliant white. It was quite beautiful and looked toothy though it was not. After further researching on what it really was, I decided that I had to take other chefs' words on it being a good substitute for lobster/scallops for vegetarians and vegans. At first, I could not truly believe that this soft mushroom could possess the same tastes and traits as seafood but once I worked with it, I was surprised to find it an apt replacement. These are a tad bit expensive to get ahold of but I would highly recommend experiencing them at least once.

The picture of the fried tofu with such a sweet and spicy glaze makes me want to jump back in time to when I had this dish freshly done, hot and ready. The Test Kitchen ingredient was some local eucalyptus wildflower honey from Bee Ladies which is herbaceous with slight hints of savoriness. You are obviously completely welcome to use other types of honey with this recipe though. I also didn't list it sriracha with a capital S because I ended up using an artisan variety from New York called Jojo's Sriracha (which is awesome by the way!) but feel free to use the signature green topped bottle. The glaze (or is it a sauce?) is quite easy to remember as it is a 2-2-2-2 mix. I can imagine this also being great with shrimp or chicken but fried tofu is also very, very satisfactory. It is a sweet and spicy touch to any dish.

I don't share it often with people but I have a slight sensitivity to eggplant. I'm not allergic or anything but I definitely feel some kind of effect when I do get a bite or two in of the purple plant. My lips and tongue get buzzy along with a little bit of irritation in the throat sooooo it is generally safer to just avoid it altogether. However, ratatouille has always intrigued me because it is a dish that contains a variety of other favorite vegetables. Once I participated in the Mushroom Makeover though, I realized that perhaps I should just replace the eggplant with mushroom and be okay with the rest of this vegetarian/vegan dish! We lost nothing in translation and ended up with a very hearty, comfort food dish. The only thing you'll have to worry about is all the prep work but at the end of it all, it'll be worth it.

I only felt that this was the appropriate day to post this recipe since it is right before the famed egg holiday (also known as Easter) but the post is more than a yolk...I mean, joke. It is part of the glorious dish we all known and love as ramen. You see, this marinated soft boiled egg known as ajitsuke tamago has a droolworthy combination of several character traits - there is a salty, savory flavor on the outside, a perfectly cooked egg white, and a half runny, half salted yolk. I love having this egg with my ramen so I just had to make some for my friends for our Japanese themed dinner. To clarify, I also made the rest of the ramen dish too including chashu pork and the miso ramen broth itself. Since this was my first go at it, I consulted several recipes but spent quite a lot of time checking out this one here because it also took note of the science behind the dish. My thanks to the collective internet for its collective wisdom and guidance!

It has been a long time since the very first Test Kitchen post but I have tremendously enjoyed doing them. Uncommon ingredients get me excited, and there have certainly been a plethora of those. When red rice cropped up as one, I went online to search for what exactly the rice was. Seeing that it had a bite to it texturally and somewhat of a nutty flavor, I decided to pair it with some black lentils and (continuing with my mushroom habits lately) oyster mushrooms. You might not find the result visually appealing mainly because it's dark reds and blacks (though those ARE my favorite colors...) but it definitely is a filling dish that is worth having. I also love that you don't need too many ingredients!

Yellow split peas were the Test Kitchen ingredient the last time we posted but we weren't too fearful of what to do with it. Who doesn't have dal pop up to mind when talking about yellow split peas? I thought about how my first few dal experiences went and was glad when I put this recipe together - it is much tastier than the ones I've had before but then again, I don't think I've had it at any "authentic" places. Here's my interpretation of how to make the tasty, filling dish which happens to also be vegetarian/vegan. It's also a very simple recipe so I encourage you all to try it!

My first encounter with fried pickle chips was at Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham, NC within the first few weeks it opened. I had visited the restaurant back when it was still in the making, running my hands along the gorgeous reclaimed wood furniture crafted from old barn doors. My first encounter with the place was during an Alternative Spring Break program I participated in during my senior year at Duke University - it was a restaurant dedicated to sourcing from local farmers (one that we visited in particular) from food to furnishings. When I went back later to have a burger and brew, I saw fried pickle chips on the menu. Wondering what they were, I snagged a side order and whoa, they were awesome.

This recipe actually comes not from sudden inspiration but rather from a sort of necessity. As someone who works in marketing for her career, I am always interested in the trends that flow in and out of our world, and social media has been a constant for the past few years. When the occasion arose for a group of people to gather a slew of bloggers together for a Google+ (G+) case study on hashtags, I was so in. I'm curious myself about the findings of pooling the content and promotions of food bloggers all over for the term #KraftyCooking on G+ which will showcase all of the posts everyone will be generating before tomorrow's end. One of the options was to create a dish using either Kraft Mac & Cheese or Cracker Barrel cheese of which I chose the latter. More precisely, I opted for the Vermont Extra Sharp White Cheddar. Please note that I was not compensated for this recipe post nor were my ingredients sponsored.

We had an abundance of potatoes in the kitchen because they tend to come in large quantities when purchasing from the store. Duc had a craving one day for my roasted potatoes so we ended up with a bunch. Luckily, cheese and potatoes go well together so the idea for making gratin came easily. It was a savory, cheesy delight of a dish. Hope you'll enjoy making it!

Our Test Kitchen ingredient was yellow mustard seed from the last pick. Reader Shari mentioned that she likes to pickle her mustard seed, and we thought that idea was just dandy. After all, it's tasty when had with a charcuterie and cheese plate as well as just on any bread for sandwiches or other types of snacking food. I love the way that the seeds pop in your mouth when you eat them too. We opted to go a more sweet route with our pickled mustard seed and simple ingredients. Feel free to embellish if you see it fit yourself!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields approximately 1/2 cup)

• 2.5 oz yellow mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar + 1/4 cup separated
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp honey

Step 2: Prepping the seeds
The seeds will need time to soak properly to open up and release their bitterness. Combine them with the 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper in a bowl and soak for 45 minutes or longer.


Step 3: Finishing
After the seeds have soaked, combine all ingredients (including extra vinegar) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer until most of the liquid has boiled away. Remove from heat and place in appropriate storage containers to put in the fridge; it's better cold! Enjoy yourself!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: fresh cranberries
Y'all know the drill - comment on this picture below when it shows up on Facebook with your suggestions or ideas of how you think we should use the Test Kitchen ingredient. Starting in 2014, we're going to be doing this Test Kitchen series post every other week unless there is a higher demand. Thanks for all of everyone's suggestions so far!


Photography by Duc Duong.

Some may think that the bird is the main show of Thanksgiving but I think it's the side dishes that make you give in and forget all about any diets. As you start to gather recipes together, consider these delicious orange and maple whipped sweet potatoes. They are creamy and light but bold in flavor (and in my opinion, better than a typical mashed sweet potatoes dish). I normally have a Test Kitchen recipe posted on Tuesdays but knowing that the holidays are upon us, I predicted not being able to prepare something in time. However, Savory Spice Shop had me covered because they have recipes posted online for all to try. This particular recipe for sweet potatoes requires just a handful of ingredients too so it's simple. I appreciate the way the orange zest (we used a navel orange)gives a unique pop to the dish. If you want the full recipe on their site, it's available here. Ingredients and directions below are by their instructions online.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 6 servings)

• 6 large sweet potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple sugar
• juice and grated zest of ½ orange
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tsp Marrakech Moroccan Spice*

Step 2: Prepping the sweet potatoes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse and scrub sweet potatoes. Poke a few holes in each with a fork and rub each lightly with oil. Place on a large foil-lined baking sheet and bake until easily pierced through with a knife, about 45 minutes. (While I waited for them to bake, I prepped the other ingredients.) Remove from oven and let cool until comfortable to handle. Peel off skins and slice flesh directly into the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. (I used a hand mixer since I didn't have an electric mixer to use.)


Step 3: Finishing
Add remaining ingredients and whisk at medium speed, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as necessary, until smooth. Transfer to a large baking dish and serve or cover and place in a warm oven until ready to serve.


They also have suggested examples of alternative spice blends to use when making this dish such as Bucktown Brown Mustard & Honey Ham Rub, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Garam Masala, Park Hill Maple & Spice Pepper or Brown Sugar & Spice Honey Ham Rub.

*Their notes on this spice blend: "We handcraft this ras el hanout from cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, mace, white pepper, galangal, black and green cardamom, ginger, anise, allspice, rose petals, cloves, lavender, orris root and cayenne. Marrakech, one of our curry style blends, joins Ras el Hanout, Tan-Tan Moroccan and Harissa to give you a nice selection of Moroccan spice mixtures."

Photography by Duc Duong.

This post was sponsored by Savory Spice Shop who provided us with the spices necessary to prepare this recipe.

When we posted earlier about our Test Kitchen ingredient of verdolaga last week, it seemed to confuse many or just lead to being stumped. We certainly don't see this green often by this name BUT know that you may know it as purslane! Yes, some may call it a weed but at least this weed is loaded with beta-carotene, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids. Super green anyone? Verdolaga is the Mexican name which is why it may be confusing but I'm sure you've seen it in dishes before. Since it's got a tad bit of a crunch to it and a sliminess akin to okra (it's mucilaginous - what a fun word!), I opted to make the recipe easy to stomach and made some scrambled eggs. Some people use both the leaves and stems but we did leaves only to keep it nice and soft. A lot of people have it raw but since it resembled baby spinach to me, it made sense to stick it with eggs!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 2 servings)

• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 oz. pancetta
• 1 bunch purslane/verdolaga, leaves only
• 3 eggs, beaten
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Step 2: Cooking the ingredients
Easy peasy - I didn't even use oil in this recipe because of the natural fat that leaks from pancetta upon cooking. On a medium skillet on medium high heat, cook pancetta and red onions. When they are just barely starting to brown, toss in purslane leaves. As they start to wilt, beat together three eggs in a bowl. Reduce heat to medium and pour in beaten eggs. Start to gently scramble.


Step 3: Finishing
Continue scrambling gently and just before all bits of the egg are cooked, turn off the heat to let residual heat cook the egg. This leaves your eggs nice and soft instead of overcooked and rubbery! I then cracked fresh black pepper on top and dug in. The purslane was a more herbaceous variation of baby spinach in taste, and the pancetta just naturally salted everything beautifully.


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: coffee beans
I'm not sure how but we've found ourselves in quite a hefty possession of coffee beans and grounds so need to do something with them (other than brew coffee). So I didn't specify the exact types we have just so it's more general but we sure do have quite a bit. What do y'all think we should do with it? Comment on the picture on Facebook!


Photography by Duc Duong.

I decided that I wasn't going to do a typical recipe post this Saturday because 1) I honestly have been out and about all week and 2) it seems like my archive of recipes to which I can refer has been growing (as time tends to do)! That means I can actually sit down and take a look at what has been created in the past and what would go well together. The fall season is finally starting to feel a little more like the stereotypical fall with cooler mornings and nights but it still has a bit of southern California to it. However, I'm already looking forward to spending my time making autumnal foods that are pretty much the comfort foods you crave at times. Personally, that looks like a lot of oven time for me (roasting, baking, etc). Here are six of my favorites throughout 2013 so far that definitely work as fall dishes - I made sure to snag two soups, two sides, an entree, and a dessert for you to gander at!


Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
It is totally squash season and the beautiful thing about squash is that you don't need to do much to it to make it delicious. Roast those suckers and you can move on to making it into side dishes, soups, entrees, and whatever. This recipe calls for it to be pureed into a creamy warming soup that will have you wanting to curl up on the couch.


Cream of Mushroom Soup
I've got to say that I'm pretty proud of this soup myself. I suppose winning a 2013 OC Fair award for Best Recipe is also a good indication of how tasty this spin on a classic Americana dish is. I mean, I made it twice within a month due to high demand. There's a great deal of comfort that derives from a cream of mushroom soup. I'll thank Campbell's for that nostalgia that people get but I do have to say that this recipe is the made from scratch version. It is also fairly simple so do not fear it. Embrace it and make something amazing to share with your family. They'll seriously thank you.


Thyme Roasted Potatoes
If there is something that Duc absolutely believes I make very well, it's roasted potatoes. I'm not sure how that came to be but somewhere along the lines of all my cooking, I learned how to make possibly the perfect roasted skin-on potatoes. This particularly recipe calls for a lemon-thyme dressing with it too that makes it all the better. It will give you that autumnal comfort food feeling without the heavy after-dinner fullness.


Roasted Savoy Cabbage
Here's a side dish many can enjoy but might not have seen before. It's a quick and easy roasting of the savoy cabbage with a bit of lemon, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and oil. If you're a fan of brussel sprouts, you'll find comfort in these.


Chicken Pot Pie
Okay, this recipe from scratch does take a bit more time but it is absolutely well worth it. What says comfort food better than a whole chicken pot pie with its steaming filling underneath flaky pie crust? I am telling you - this got devoured within minutes by my friends who got to have some. It is ridiculously delicious, and I am so eager to try making it again sometime. Bake it for your loved ones and watch your points go up in those relationships.


Rum Raisin Bread Pudding
Warm desserts seem just right for the warm weather, and a bread pudding fits that criteria. Add in some warming alcohol, and you've got yourself a match made. This recipe calls for some rum so it's sure to strike a delicious chord with some. You'll also realize that actually, bread pudding is not that difficult to make!

I hear a lot of times from people that they don't like cooking because it's so daunting or such a time drain on the day. They get home and don't want to spend the next hour and a half cooking. Hour and a half?! I would completely understand if that were the case for me too but I'm a simple person and like making dishes that don't require an entire day out of me (though on the rare occasion, I'll go all out!). When the Test Kitchen ingredient last week came up to use Duc's freshly grown Greek basil, I could only think about how best to let the natural flavors shine. The answer was to make everything as simple as possible so we ended up throwing together a very quick-to-make yet scrumptious Mediterranean orzo salad. Hope you enjoy our recipe!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 4 servings)

• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup orzo
• 5-6 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 lb Greek feta, cubed
• 2 cups cracked green olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup fresh Greek basil, whole leaves
• 1 small lemon, juice only
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Step 2: Prepping the ingredients
Start a small saucepan on medium high heat with the chicken stock. While waiting for it to boil, dice up tomatoes after removing inner parts with seeds. Cube fresh feta cheese and add to the tomatoes. Add in cracked green olives and stir. When the stock is boiling, add in orzo and let sit unstirred until the first boil. Stir gently thereafter for another 5 minutes to let the liquid evaporate. Remove from heat and let cool.

Step 3: Finishing
You don't want the orzo to be super hot when you're incorporating it into the rest of the salad so let it cool down. Wash Greek basil leaves and add to mix. Then add cooled orzo, lemon juice, and pepper. Stir and serve - it's great slightly warm and especially cold!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: Elderberry white balsamic reduction from Enfuso
"White Balsamic Vinegar Reductions Flavored with Real Fruit - The white balsamic base is imported. It is manufactured by combining sweetened cooked grape must and white wine vinegar to produce a light colored balsamic which is then further reduced to a thicker consistency. We flavor it in California with all natural fruit reductions/flavorings just like we do for our dark balsamic vinegar reductions. The Elderberry shows lots of rich and jammy fruit." [Enfuso]

We enjoyed tasting Enfuso's stuff from the moment we had some samples of it. I was looking for a balsamic that was really jammy so we ended up choosing this elderberry style. If you have any thoughts on how to use it or ideas on what type of food I should try to make with it, leave a comment on Facebook when the picture below goes up on the page!


Photography by Duc Duong.