Horchata

You will need:

3 cups rice

cinnamon

about 5 cups milk

7 cups water

2-3 tablespoons vanilla extract

Put the rice in a large bowl. Pour water over the rice, and let it sit. 2-24 hours later pour the water into a large bowl and strain the rice (save it) add sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. chill and serve. Enjoy!

Shabbat Dinner

Right: Zen out boarding

Below: Shiloh doing whatever he does


Ok my brother and I made an amazing Shabbat dinner last night with Roman artichokes, Damascus eggplant, luxion kugel, and a flowerless sponge cake to finish it off I will be posting the recipes sadly the filling of the Damascus eggplant is a secret so that recipe will not be told. Thanks!

The squeaky bean

The squeaky bean is a restaurant in Denver that I went to last night. The food we ordered was some of the best I have ever eaten at a restaurant. Over the next few weeks I am going to be trying to replicate dishes I ate at the squeaky bean starting with the whipped potato fondue it was amazing! Thanks looking forward to it.

Philly Cheese-steak Zen's style

A veggie-meat philly cheese-steak.

You will need:

3 jalapenos

1 bag morning star veggie crumbles

mozzarella cheese

swiss cheese

cayenne

paprika

lettuce

garlic salt

fresh garlic

hoagie roll

mustard

Add crumbles to a sauce pan with a pit of water and the chopped fresh jalapenos. Add a generous amount of garlic, garlic salt, paprika, and cayenne. Well thats cooking toast the hoagie and melt the cheese (keep it melted) when the crumbles are done spread mustard liberally on the bun and place washed lettuce on the bun as well sprinkle with garlic salt add the crumbles and pour the cheese sauce on top. Enjoy!

Potato Salad with a Honey Mustard Dressing

You will need:

1 potato (boiled)

1 small onion (sliced)

1 egg

fresh rosemary

thyme

butter

olive oil

about 1/4 cup white wine (all of the alcohol burns off!)

Slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Slice onion thinly into rounds--set aside. Add olive oil, rosemary, and thyme to a pan and cook potatoes till both sides are browned. Put potatoes on newspaper to drain the oil. Melt butter in pan, add wine and onions. Let the onions brown and the wine reduce. Set on plate with potatoes. Cook the egg sunny-side-up and slide onto plate. Drizzle dressing on the potatoes and pop the egg yoke. Enjoy!

Dressing:

1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

fresh rosemary

1/3 cup pickled lemon brine (you can just use lemon juice with some salt or olive oil if nothing else is available)

Add all ingredients together in a medium bowl and whisk quickly.

Mia's Marmalade

A sweet citrus, ginger marmalade.

You will need:

4 large seedless oranges
2 lemons
1 small nub fresh ginger (grated)
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
8 cups sugar
8 cups water
substitute 1 grapefruit for 1 of the oranges (optional)

Cut fruit into thin half moon slices. Discard any seeds. Place sliced fruit and their juices into a large pot add water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and grated and crystallized ginger till the sugar is dissolved. Cover and allow to stand overnight. Enjoy!

Roasted Beets

Beets are usually an acquired taste, but when you try these you will acquire that taste really fast.

You will need:

4 large beets

garlic salt

chili powder or paprika

olive oil

oregano

cyan

black pepper

honey

Cut your beets into cubes and place in foiled pan. Add about a 1/6 cup olive oil, generously add garlic salt, chili powder, oregano, cayenne, and black pepper, roast with a bit of water at 375 for about an hour. USE YOUR JUDGMENT and enjoy.

P.S. you can garnish with goats cheese and basil.

Tarte Tatin

A french apple tarte.

You will need:
3 red apples
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 puff pastry sheet
a little more then 3 tablespoons butter
a splash of cream

Slice the apples thinly and put aside. Add three tablespoons of butter, sugar, and cream to a bowl and mix together until it's one big bowl of sugar cream/butter. add apples to pan on high and pour mixture over the apples. Wait till the apples are caramelized melt the extra butter and brush over the top of the puff pastry sheet. Place the sheet over the apples and place in the oven at 400F. cook till the pastry sheet looks well...puffy and golden brown take out the pan and flip the tarte onto a plate. Enjoy!

Lasagna

A good simple savory dish.

You will need:

lasagna noodles

ricotta

shredded swiss

mozzarella

paprika

tomato sauce of your choice

oregano

thyme

rosmary

Add all the cheese together in a big bowl Also add the spices (about 1/2 tablespoon paprika a tablespoon of thyme a few shakes of oregano and thyme and a big sprig of rosemary). Boil noodles then layer noodles, filling, and sauce. On the last layer top with swiss and mozzarella cheese, then bake at 375F check in 45 minutes. Eyeball it; mine usually take about 1 1/2 hours in all, but use your judgment. Enjoy!

Simple Bananas Foster

A delicious, sweet topping to go on pancakes or waffles.

You will need:

5 bananas

vanilla extract

about 3/4 cup of sugar

a big splash of cream

Cut bananas into inch thick rounds. Add to a pan with sugar and cream. Turn the stove on high and fold often making sure it does not burn. About half way to being done add vanilla extract and fold vigorously it should be a caramel color and taste like, well, a banana caramel. It will look something like the picture serve hot. Enjoy!

Watermelon Ice

This is one of my favorite treats I learned to make in Italy it can be described in three words: simple, sweet, delicious,(and cheap).

You will need:

1 watermelon(cubed & frozen)

All you have to do is place the frozen watermelon cubes in the blender on high for about 2 minutes or until a sorbet consistency.

As I said simple, sweet, and if you try it I'm sure you will find delicious. Enjoy!

Meat pie my way.

You will need:

Morning star veggie meat crumbles(these work best in my experience)
pie crusts(homemade or store bought)
tomato paste or ketchup (sounds yuck,tastes yumm)
cyan
paprika
rosemary
1 big onion
2 potatoes
a few jalapenos (or spicy pepper of your choice)
egg wash
salt & pepper
mustard

put onion in the blender on high till it looks like lumpy soup. add to a big sauce pan with a little water, the morningstar and about 1/8 cup tomato paste or ketchup. Boil the potatoes then cut into small chunks add to morningstar mixture along with the spices (about 3 1/2 teaspoons cyan and paprika a big sprig of rosemary and 2 teaspoons salt & pepper). Cut jalapenos into slices and add to mixture let sit till cooked thoroughly. Place pie crust in pie tin and wipe with spicy mustard. Add mixture place top crust on top of the mixture and wipe with egg wash and cook as directed on pie crust package. Enjoy!

Coconut curry

Two of my oldest favorite recipes I created.

You will need:

2 cans coconut cream

4 potatoes

1 1/2 onions

cyan powder

paprika

chili powder

curry powder
bullion
cinnamon
cumin
coconut shavings(optional)

2 bell peppers

tofu (optional)

salt

pepper

most other veggies are good in it to like carrots or even apples.

Add coconut milk to a large sauce pan and turn the heat on the stove to high place the sauce pan on the stove cut veggies into cubes excluding the bell peppers which you cut in strips add to pot add two big spoonfuls of curry powder, a heaping spoonful of cyan and a dash of cinnamon stir in then let sit covered for about 20 minuets add a big pinch of cumin, salt and a lot of black pepper then add tofu if want, cubed (this is also good with chicken my brother said when I gave him the recipe but I am a vegetarian) leave covered stirring occasionally till veggies are soft then top with shaved coconut.

Cooking With Z

This is my brand new cooking blog. I am a boy who is aspiring to be the head chef at a restaurant when I grow up. So I decided what better way to get started then to start a blog and see what feedback I get.