Not your ordinary spaghetti!

What did you make?

I am a bit low on meat products and low on time so it is tomato sauce from Trader Joes and canned kidney beans, onions, garlic, peas, and corn all sauteed together in butter. Yes, I should have used olive oil but I wanted to try something a bit different. I also added some feta cheese and hot sauce for some creaminess and spiciness. What makes the dish different and I learned this from my Turkish roommate is adding some yogurt to your spaghetti. It is a refreshing tang and then you can even eat the spaghetti cold.

How long did it take?

The pasta is pretty quick to make especially if you use the angel hair pasta. I think it took 10 minutes and then the prep work for chopping the onions and garlic took 5 minutes and sauteeing it all before combining the ingredients took probably another 20 minutes. 30-35 minutes total.

How does it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this a 7.5. It is satisfying and the kidney beans in particular make this dish more hearty. There is a goop that the kidney beans come in and it is quite thick and tasty and blends in well with the tomato sauce. The one issue I have with this dish is the tomato sauce I used. I dont really love it and I think it is because I'm not used to the basil. It is a bit strong for my taste

Breakfast/Lunch

What did you make?

I was recently inspired by the NYTimes "Your Morning Pizza" article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/dining/18mini.html
and decided to use anything I had in my kitchen to create a filling Asian inspired healthy breakfast. However, I think this could have been lunch too and it kept me full for most of the day.

I used brown rice that had been cooked in some butter and water. I like to grate carrots for some sweetness and nutrition and color. I added some crumbled medium firm tofu and used hot sauce, sesame oil, and oil sauce as seasoning. I also tossed in some green onions. This dish works well for vegetarians and vegans if you skip the butter for the rice.

How long did it take?

It takes longer than to make most breakfasts but less time than most lunches to make. It took close to 20 minutes to chop, season, and mix up the ingredients. I had leftover brown rice from dinner so I didn't factor that in.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?
On a scale of one to 10 I would give it a 7. This dish was fragrant but without some more cooked vegetables or some meat, it was less satisfying. The texture of grated carrots, brown rice, and tofu were a nice combination. I would make this again if I wanted to make sure I would be full and energized for the rest of the day. However, I would say I'm still used to eating something sweet instead of savory for most breakfasts.

Location: NYC

What I made for to Eat Today

This blog is a chance for "ordinary" people to show off their culinary talents as well as culinary disasters.
I've only been bringing my lunch to work for roughly 4 months but my cooking has been evolving as I experiment in the kitchen. I envision a question and answer format for those who would like to submit their own photos of their lunch and other meals they make and the story behind it. The possibilities and potential for fun and cultural exchange are endless. Would a fourth grader's lunch really be that different from a college student's or a senior citizen? Do men and women make different kinds of lunches?

I've started us off with my "jap chae" dish (korean noodles).

Please email
whatimadetoeattoday@gmail.com
and submit photos of your meals and answer the basic questions
1. What did you make?
2. How did you make it?
3. How did it taste? Would you make it again?
4. Additional comments

I will be posting new mela profiles as often as I get submissions!

What did you make for lunch today?
Well, tonight I made a version of the Korean dish "jap chae". I have been eating a lot of Korean food and I enjoyed these clear noodles made from sweet potato flour so I decided it was time to try replicating it.

How long did it take?
I wasn't following the time very closely but it was close to 30minutes. I just needed to boil the noodles for roughly 8-10 minutes until they were tender and while the noodles were boiling I chopped onions and garlic, defrosted ground turkey, and grated some carrots. I stir fried the onions and garlic with some soy sauce before adding mushrooms, spinach, carrots, and the ground turkey. I seasoned it with more soy sauce, sesame oil, and I added maybe a tablespoon of sugar--I just took a few pinches of sugar from the bag. I added soy sauce to the onions while they were sauteing and drizzled sesame oil and soy sauce on the ground turkey after it was defrosted. Once the veggies and meat were cooked I added in the cooked noodles. The dish is done once the noodles have absorbed the flavors and you have finished seasoning it.

How did it taste?
On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate it a solid 8. I went back for thirds so I definitely enjoyed it. I think it could have used a little bit of hot sauce but I forgot to add some of that however I think I have the right flavors with the use of soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. The noodles had the right amount of chewiness and I liked the fragrance of the sesame oil with the soy sauce and sugar.

Do you pack a lunch?

Yes, I'm bringing this dish as the main course for my lunch tomorrow.