Blueberry streusel muffins

I’m not much of a baker besides listening to what Betty Crocker tells me to do. I had some extra blueberries that were not sweet enough to eat and instead of making blueberry preserves like I do with all berries that are about to go bad, I made Blueberry Streusel Muffins instead. I was excited to use my totally awesome colorful silicone muffin cups. I love how blueberries burst when baked which is why I love to add a lot more than I need to. I made a streusel topping to go along with the blueberries for something extra.

Taka Taka–Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos

Can you spell fusion? Taka Taka on West Broadway and Grand in SoHo, NYC can. With their combination of Mexican taco’s and Japanese sushi this place is a win. Their Japexican or Mexenese  cuisine includes sushi, tacos, tapenyaki, and several cold and hot starters that can satisfy your Mexican or Japanese cravings. Being fairly new, Taka Taka does not have that many reviews online. If anything it actually has bad reviews. I came here with my family when my brothers came to visit during MLK weekend. The restaurant has a modern Japanese-ish diner feel to it with lined up booths and a conveyor belt that snakes through the restaurant. A little bit on the pricey end, this restaurant has very few items that are worth it. The staff is friendly and the kitchen creations are fun to enjoy but not worth a return trip.

Vegetable Dumplings

Similar to my Chicken Dumplings, my veggie dumplings pretty much contain the same ingredients. For my veggie dumplings I used square wonton wrappers. Dumpling dough is a pretty easy recipe- just white flour and water. The technique to kneed the dough perfects itself overtime, but if you’re a seasoned “atta gooner” then it shouldn't  be problem. I don’t have the patience to roll out dumplings which is why I buy wonton wrappers. One day I’ll make a homemade dough, but until then I’ll opt to buying premade wonton wrappers.
They come in 3 different kinds.
Green are “vegetable wontons” which have spinach to give them the green color.
Pale white- are shanghai wonton wrappers. Most similar to the traditional dumplings. I find these to be slightly thicker and chewy than the Hong Kong variety.

Slightly yellow ones are Hong Kong wontons. (they say these are yellow because they contain egg- but the one’s I bought had the same ingredients as the Shanghai. I find these to be thinner and not as chewy.

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Green Tea Ice Cream

I spent Presidents day weekend with my cousins Samira (aka B) and Saadia. I’ve been meaning to go to B’s place across the Hudson for quite some time now to make use of her ice cream maker. B and I made green tea ice cream, and lots of love to her for freezing motions to allow me to take pictures. I love green tea ice cream and I thought this would be the perfect time to experiment with a recipe. I made the mistake of following a recipe which said to use a 2 to 1 ratio of milk to cream, however as tested before by B and I separately, a 1 to 2 ratio of milk to cream is better and makes for a creamier consistency when frozen. I used Matcha, which allows for that rich minty color green tea ice cream is known for. Matcha is a finely milled high quality green tea that is grown in shades which causes the leaves to be a darker green and filled with amino acids. The amino acids result with the distinct green tea flavor that important in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha can be quite pricey so substituting it with green tea powder is okay. With the substitution you will find yourself using more to get deep green tea flavor and color but nonetheless satisfying. I find green tea ice cream to be a great way to end a meal or refresh the palate. Read below to get the recipe!

Chicken Dumplings

Dumplings are a favorite in our household. Omer and I can have them multiple times a week and never get bored. The beauty about dumplings is the possibilities are endless with fillings. The different textures resulting from the various cooking methods yield a unique experience every time. You can steam, boil, pan fry, or deep fry dumplings. I have two recipes up, this one is for chicken- you can check out my veggie one here.

As always, with my recipes I add the disclaimer to use my ingredients as a base. You can add or remove any ingredient, the best part of cooking is experimenting the possibilities! See below for my recipe.

Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine

A tagine is a heavy clay pot used to slow cook stews in a simmer. In Moroccan cuisines, lamb is cooked until the meat falls off the bone. Yum! The slow cooking method allows for cheaper cuts (usually the tough cuts of shoulder and shanks) of meat to be used. There is no hard or fast rule on what type of spices should be used. But something that is essential is preserved lemons! If Morocco is credited for one thing and one thing only, it should be for contributing preserved lemons to the culinary world. The lemons are pickled in a brine of lemon juice, salt, and water and bring out the natural sweet and tartness of the lemon which can create a delicious depth of flavor in any dish. Preserved lemons are the secret ingredient to any tagine and pairs well with chicken, lamb, beef, and seafood. Preserved lemons may not be the highlight of this dish, but it makes a big difference in taste.

Fried Nutella Wonton

February 5th is World Nutella Day. I wasn't even aware such a thing exists, but I'm sure glad we have a day devoted to the creamy chocolate hazelnut spread we call Nutella. Here's a great way to enjoy Nutella on World Nutella Day if your not too busy watching the Super Bowl. 

The other day I made dumplings, and with the leftover wonton wrappers I decided to fry them with nutella inside. I saw Giada from Food Network do this a while back, and its possibly the easiest thing to do.

I took a square wonton wrapper, added Nutella inside, (you could also add Bananas). Brush the ends with water and fold on a diagonal to make triangles. 

Deep fry until light golden brown and sprinkle with powdered sugar.