December | 2010 | Render The Fat

Alas, I have internet. I am once again connected to the interwebs and jumped backed into modern times. Speaking of modern times, with all the conveniences of modern appliances such as microwaves, people have seemed to forget what real food is. And when I say real food, I mean popcorn. Have you ever wondered why your bagged microwave popcorn never tastes as good as the stuff at the movie theater? Well that is because it is fake and full of chemicals. ( most of the stuff at the movie theater is also fake these days ). So how do you make popcorn without a microwave? Without all of the preservatives, trans fats and salt? You might ask. Well here are two recipes to kick it old school and make your popcorn the old fashioned way. Yep, on the stove top.

Here is what you need:

Recipe #1

A good sized pan with a lid.

1/2 cup Popcorn kernels

2 Tbs. Peanut oil or other high heat oil

salt to taste

melted butter to your liking ( optional ) I know, butter..it’s full of saturated fat and what-not, but make it organic and it will not even be close to as harmful as the “butter flavoring” they pour all of your popcorn at the movie theater.

Directions:

Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. To know when to add the corn kernels to the pan, place one kernel in the center and wait for it to pop. When the kernel pops add in the rest of the popcorn. Shake it, and put the lid on.

Continue shaking it until the popping slows. Turn off the heat and season with butter, and salt to your desired taste.

Recipe #2

The best thing about making your own popcorn on the stovetop is being able to experiment with it and season it however you please.

If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you can try this:

Mexican Chili spiced popcorn

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of popcorn kernels

2 tbs. peanut oil

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

salt

Continue shaking it until the popping slows. Turn off the heat and season with the rest of the chili powder, paprika, and salt.

Wow it has been awhile since I have been able to post a blog. The good news is that I am not dead, I haven’t stopped cooking or blogging, I just haven’t had internet for two months. *Gasp* I know… it was rough I am not going to lie. So in my involuntary internet hiatus I purchased a new cookbook from the PX here in Germany called One World Vegetarian Cookbook. One glance at this cookbook and I knew I had to have it. It wasn’t just another vegetarian cookbook filled with cookies, muffins, lasagna, mexican casseroles, and mock meat. It is a cookbook filled with recipes that contain real whole vegetarian food. The way it should be. Since the book contains recipes from all over the world, I thought I would start off with Thailand…Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you….

Phad Thai

Ingredients:

about 6-8 oz of rice noodles

1 pack of firm tofu, diced

1/2 cup peanuts chopped/ crushed ( I used spanish roasted because it is all I could find ) yay commissary

2 eggs, beaten ( optional )

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 green chili, de-seeded and chopped

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 red bell pepper, sliced finely

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4-6 scallions or green onions, sliced

1-2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped

1 cup bean sprouts ( if you can find these in the produce section check the Asian section, I found them canned ).

1/4 cup soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 Tbs. brown sugar

Peanut oil or other high heat oil such as coconut, or canola.

Directions:

Start off by prepping all of your veggies first. Slice the Bell pepper, onion, mince the garlic, chop the chili pepper, and grate the ginger. Prepping always makes the cooking process less hectic and less messy in the end

1. Bring some water to a boil and add the noodles: cook for 5-10 minutes until soft. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, fry the diced tofu in a wok or a saute pan until golden; set aside. If you were able to find raw peanuts then lightly toast them until they just start to brown. If you could only find roasted like me…go ahead and skip this step.

3. If using the eggs, heat some oil in the pan and, when hot, pour in eggs and make a light omelet. Cook for a few minutes until it sets and then remove and set aside. Cut into thin strips.

4. Next, saute the onion, garlic, chili, ginger, and bell pepper for 2-3 minutes. When the onion is soft, pour in the peanut butter and mix well. Then add the noodles and stir them in.

5. Next add the cooked tofu, scallions, bean sprouts, omelet strips, and half of the cilantro. Heat through, stirring.

6. In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, lime juice and sugar. Pour over the noodles and stir to blend in the sauce. Scatter the peanuts and remaining cilantro on top before serving.

—Render The Fat

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